Thursday March 28, 2024
SNc Channels:

Search
About Salem-News.com

 

Jun-01-2010 15:53printcomments

Medical Marijuana Qualifies for Arizona Ballot

Arizona Will Join South Dakota in Having Medical Marijuana on the Ballot in November; 14 States and Washington, D.C. Have Similar Laws.

Marijuana leaf
Courtesy: tesquad520.com

(PHOENIX, Az.) - Today, the Arizona Secretary of State announced that an initiative to pass a medical marijuana law in Arizona has qualified for the November ballot.

In April, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project, the group that organized the initiative, turned in nearly 100,000 more signatures than were required to qualify.

Under the proposal, seriously ill patients with certain qualifying conditions would be given legal access to medical marijuana if they have a recommendation from their doctor.

Since 1996, 14 other states and the District of Columbia have passed similar laws, and more than a dozen state legislatures across the nation have considered the issue this year. In March, a medical marijuana initiative in South Dakota also qualified for the November ballot.

“We are very happy that Arizonans will have the opportunity this November to vote for a compassionate and responsible law that protects seriously ill patients,” said Steve Fox, director of state campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project, which provides significant funding and support to AMMPP.

“By voting in favor of this initiative, Arizonans will ensure that residents suffering from cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and other serious ailments will be given safe access to a medicine they and their doctors believe can relieve their condition.

The proposed law will also create a dispensary system that will provide patients the same reliable access to medical marijuana that they would have to any other medicine – meaning they won’t have to risk their own safety by purchasing it from the criminal market.”

Upon passage of the initiative, the Arizona Department of Health Services will regulate medical marijuana, and qualifying patients or their caregivers will be permitted to legally purchase their medicine from tightly regulated clinics. The new law will protect seriously ill patients from arrest and prosecution for the simple act of taking doctor-recommended medicine. A January ABC News/Washington Post poll showed that 81 percent of Americans support medical marijuana laws.

===============================================

Source: Marijuana Policy Project, the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States.




Comments Leave a comment on this story.
Name:

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.



Josh Akers June 1, 2010 7:49 pm (Pacific time)

Good news for sick people in AZ. Hopefully the voters will see that.

[Return to Top]
©2024 Salem-News.com. All opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Salem-News.com.


Articles for May 31, 2010 | Articles for June 1, 2010 | Articles for June 2, 2010
Annual Hemp Festival & Event Calendar

Sean Flynn was a photojournalist in Vietnam, taken captive in 1970 in Cambodia and never seen again.

Special Section: Truth telling news about marijuana related issues and events.

Support
Salem-News.com:

Click here for all of William's articles and letters.

The NAACP of the Willamette Valley