A senator has raised concerns that if voters in November approve a bill that would legalize medical marijuana there would be no chance of amending the law.

Whether or not that vote will happen is uncertain. The Guam Election Commission won't put the question on the ballot, saying the process of "legislative submission" is not valid.

Lawmakers have asked the Supreme Court of Guam to decide the issue.

Sen. Dennis Rodriguez, D-Dededo, the only senator that voted against the measure, said if voters approve medical marijuana, the provisions of the new law will be locked in for two years.

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Judy and John Terlaje are running out of options for their son who has epilepsy.

"Through the years, we've probably spent $10,000 in medical bills," Judy Terlaje said. "That's how often he was at the ER."

The couple spoke during the University of Guam Medical Marijuana Forum yesterday at the Jesus and Eugenia Leon Guerrero School of Business and Public Adminstration building.

Students gasped to hear of the years of hospital visits, the financial cost and the impact 11 medications had on 8-year-old Dylan Terlaje since he was 3 months old.

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The Legislature is moving forward in seeking a declaratory judgment from the Supreme Court of Guam to determine if the question of legalizing medicinal marijuana will be on the November General Election ballot.

The Legislature has contracted attorney Julian Aguon to seek the judgment on its behalf, Sen. Tina Muna Barnes said.

The contract was signed on Thursday, she said.

Barnes, D-Mangilao, is the author of the bill that would have placed the question of allowing medical marijuana on the ballot in November.

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Senators passed the bill that would put the question of legalizing medicinal marijuana to voters.

In session today, senators passed Bill 215 by a vote of 14 to 1.

The road to legalizing the drug is far from over, however. The bill still needs the governor's signature.

If it becomes law, then the Legislature has 45 days to provide arguments for and against legalized marijuana, to be included in an informational pamphlet that will need to be distributed to all voters, according to Guam Election Commission Executive Director Maria Pangelinan.

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In his July 25 op-ed, Sir Richard Branson cites Russia as an example of repressive law enforcement leading to the spread of HIV. He need look no further than the United States. Centers for Disease Control researchers' estimate that 57 percent of AIDS cases among women and 36 percent of overall AIDS cases in the U.S. are linked to injection drug use or sex with partners who inject drugs.

This preventable public health crisis is a direct result of zero-tolerance laws that restrict access to clean syringes. While the rest of the world increasingly favors harm reduction strategies to reduce the harm caused by both drug abuse and enforcement, the U.S. maintains a hard line.

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In a striking report this month, the Global Commission on Drug Policy showed that the continued criminalization of drug use drives the spread of HIV. People have long known that drug use is linked to disease, but this is the first clear analysis of how our enforcement of drug laws condemns thousands to AIDS, hepatitis C and other life-threatening ailments.

This happens because repressive law enforcement activities drive drug users to the fringes of society, away from health services, and into environments and practices that elevate the risk of HIV transmission. Dirty, shared needles become commonplace when users must hide and depend on criminal networks, and HIV rates soar.

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