Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 2015
Source: Sacramento News & Review (CA)
Column: The 420
Copyright: 2015 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://newsreview.com/sacto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/540
Author: Ngaio Bealum

SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN SAYS NEIN TO LEGAL HIGHS

Hey, I thought Senator Dianne Feinstein had recently come out in 
support of medical cannabis. What's this I hear about her voting 
against a recent bill?

- -Medical Mark

Your info is almost correct. This is what happened: Just about two 
weeks ago, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a vote on an 
amendment to the Department of Justice appropriations bill. This 
amendment would keep the DEA and the DOJ from going after legal 
businesses in states with medical marijuana laws. An identical 
amendment has already passed the House. The SAC voted to approve the 
amendment 21-9, with California Senator Dianne Feinstein being the 
only Democrat to vote against.

She makes me so mad sometimes. Senator Feinstein has had a long and 
. interesting career. While she may have done many nice things for 
the people of California, she has consistently been against any sort 
of marijuana law reform for more than 20 years. In March, she 
released a statement calling for more research. Calling for "more 
research" in 2015 is just a way to try to stall the inevitable. There 
is plenty of research from Israel, Spain and even the United States 
showing cannabis to be an effective medicine. Senator Feinstein also 
said this: "While I believe research should move forward, I also 
believe we should proceed with caution. I remain concerned about the 
high level of THC in marijuana, which has tripled since the 1980s and 
increases the likelihood of addiction. This may well be a continuing 
problem, which could pose a threat to public safety." Really? High 
levels of THC? That just means you smoke less. "Likelihood of 
addiction"? Did she not read any of the studies? Cannabis is less 
physically addictive than alcohol, tobacco and even coffee. According 
to a recent poll from Gallup, 51 percent of Americans support 
legalizing marijuana. It's a crying shame that a California 
Democratic senator can't find a way to listen to the will of the 
people. End rant.

That being said, if this current appropriations bill passes, the DEA 
and the DOJ will be forced to leave medical marijuana alone. I mean, 
who knows what they will actually do? The DEA is hard to control. 
Call your U.S. representatives (especially Senator Feinstein) and 
tell them to support this bill.

Thank you for talking about medical marijuana. I'm a 59-year-old 
medical cannabis user. I am pretty much off of the pain pills that 
got me through my day by keeping most of my pain away because I am 
now getting great relief from cannabis infused edibles! Amazing! I 
wanted to ask you if you have a connection for me in this new world 
of dispensaries. I have an "accessory" for the medical/recreational 
marijuana world that I have patented. Thank you!

- -D. Thomas

I am glad that cannabis has helped you! I don't think there's a Shark 
Tank for stoners yet, but I know that the folks at 
http://arcviewgroup.com love to talk about pot-related business. Have fun!
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom