Medical Marijuana Cards Are Helping Patients in California
New Mexico's Governor Richardson has now made history by becoming the first presidential candidate to enact a medical marijuana law while trying to become the Democratic Party's nominee. Along with Hawaii, Rhode Island and Vermont, New Mexico passed its medical marijuana law by a bill in its legislature. This makes New Mexico the 12th state to let people who are seriously ill to get the marijuana without being arrested and/or jailed as long as they have their doctor's prescription for it. The new law went into effect July 1, 2007.
The New Mexico bill authorizes the state government to distribute the medical marijuana to qualifying patients. There are 12 other state level medical marijuana laws. This also has the state government trying to figure out how to license the makers of medical marijuana and when and how it will be given out.
California enacted its medical marijuana law in 1996 and made some changes in 2003. It lets patients and/or caregivers to grow the medical marijuana. This has created a problem locally. Some counties have banned the dispensing of medical marijuana all the way to some issuing their own regulations.
Oregon and Maine are in the process of expanding their state's medical marijuana law by opening dispensaries. Colorado, Alaska, Montana, Nevada and Washington have medical marijuana laws that were placed on the ballots in their states and enacted into law.
This continues to be a controversial area. Just in the last few days, a “candy store” that sold marijuana in the form of candy, cookies and other materials was raided in California where medicinal marijuana can be grown and sold. It was supplying the supposed medical marijuana through the mail. This is still against the law according to the DEA.
Many of the states that have enacted the medical marijuana laws are having a lot of trouble policing the stores. They are finding that they are not just selling the marijuana to sick people. Many are wrestling with other ways of providing the relief that the marijuana gives to patients that are terminally ill and in great pain. Some of the ideas include making it available only through a doctor with a prescription. The problem with this is who is going to grow the marijuana and how do you make sure that only the pharmacies get the crop. And of course we know that there are doctors who will give patients a prescription for anything.
There has been no questions ask about these laws in the current debates. No one wants to tackle this important concept to the legalizing of marijuana. Maybe it is in one of the candidates programs with their universal health care.
It seems that if the news media is aware of Governor Richardson's stand on this they are ignoring it. If he will push for this in his home state, it would seem he would try to make it a national referendum.
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