Proposed Federal Law Would Affect NM Medical Marijuana Law
The Minnesota Monitor noted a law proposed by U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and cosponsored by Ron Paul, R-Texas, would affect Minnesota's proposed medical marijuana law. The same law would affect the current New Mexico law that allows medical marijuana.
Through a press release, Frank explained why he submitted HR 5842.
"When doctors recommend the use of marijuana for their patients and states are willing to permit it, I think it’s wrong for the federal government to subject either the doctors or the patients to criminal prosecution."
New Mexico is one of 12 states that allows the use of marijuana for medical reasons.
Reena Szczepanski, the Director of Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico, thinks that lawmakers in Washington D.C. need to rethink the criminalization of marijuana. "It's only a matter of time until federal law changes to recognize state laws. Whether it's this bill or whether it's another bill."
Under the New Mexico medical marijuana law, only those with cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, or spinal cord damage with intractable spasticity, or those in hospice care, are eligible to use marijuana for medicinal purposes.
In New Mexico, there has only been one incident where a licensed medical marijuana user has had his marijuana taken away. Leonard French, a parapelgic man living near the Texas-New Mexico border in Malaga, had his marijuana seized by the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force. Litigation is currently pending in that case.
Frank introduced the bill along with HR 5843, which would "eliminate federal penalties for the possession or not-for-profit transfer of small amounts of marijuana" according to Frank'sWeb site.
HR 5843 would take away federal penalties for possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana. It would not affect state laws; in New Mexico any amount of marijuana is illegal without a medical marijuana license and possession of more than 8 ounces is a felony.
Be the first to comment