 |
||
| VOCALS NEWS | ||
|
|
||
| VOCALS NEWS | ||
|
|
Welcome to Maine Vocals. E-Mail Us |
|
||
|
|
|
|||
|
***NEWS +TIPS***
GREETINGS,
Dec
19, 2007 MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN MAINE
NEW CITIZEN INITIATIVE IS BEING DRAFTED FOR
2OO8 WE ARE COMBINING THE BEST OF WHAT OUR ORIGINAL INITIATIVE FOR 2006 AND THE BILL THAT WAS IN FRONT OF THE LEGISLATORS TO BRING TO THE PUBLIC IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE SO KEEP POSTED AND INFORMED. WE WILL NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR EACH TOWN IN THE STATE TO COORDINATE IF POSSIBLE. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU CAN HELP. 696-8167 OR EMAIL ME. STATE HOUSE BLUES: 4/22/07 LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE FOR THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES HEARD TESTIMONY ON 4/23/07 AT THE STATE HOUSE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING ROOM 209. THE HEARING WAS A JOKE AS THE LEGISLATORS ARE ALL NOT LISTENING TO ANY OF THE PATIENTS TESTIMONY. WHEN I GOT UP AND SPOKE I HAD TO ASK OWN ELDERLY LEGISLATOR, WHO HAD DONE ANYTHING BUT PAY ATTENTION TO ANY OF THE TESTIMONY, IF HE HAD FOUND THE TESTIMONY I SUBMITTED SO I COULD GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO READ ALONG WITH ME. I KNEW HE WASN'T EVEN LOOKING AND SO DID EVERYONE ELSE AND IT MADE HIM LOOK LIKE A FOOL AS HE STARTED YELLING AT ME AND HAD TO BE CALMED DOWN BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE. I THINK I MADE MY POINT, AND HE THEN AT LEAST LOOKED LIKE HE WAS PAYING ATTENTION AS I WAS SPEAKING. SO STARTED MY DAY THERE, VOCAL AS USUAL... THE COMMITTEE FOR THE MOST PART IS UNCARING, UNSUPPORTIVE OF THE PEOPLES VOTE IN 1998, AND DO NOT WANT IT TO WORK... IT WAS VERY APPARENT TO ALL. THEY, EXCEPT FOR WHEN I WAS SPEAKING, AFTER THE LITTLE INCIDENT WITH THE LEGISLATOR WHO LOST IT, DIDN'T HEAR A THING THAT THE PEOPLE TESTIFIED TO, UNTIL THE COPS AND THEIR CRONIES STARTED SPEAKING. THESE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A CLUE, AND ARE NOT GOING TO DO A THING TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MAINE WITH THIS ISSUE. IT IS UP TO US AGAIN AND AGAIN WE THE PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO TELL THEM WHAT WE WANT. THIS WILL HAPPEN IN THE FORM OF A NEW REFERENDUM THAT WILL BE STARTED BY EITHER MAINE CITIZENS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA OR A COALITION OF DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT HAVE CONTACTED ME IN THIS REGARD FOR THE NEAR FUTURE SO KEEP INFORMED AND STAY TUNED... PATRIOTS DAY RALLY (POSTPONED WILL RESCHEDULE) April 16th is PATRIOTS DAY and we will be
at the Court House in Skowhegan for our annual Rally.
2006 CITIZEN INITIATIVE PETITION EFFORTS
ENDED OUR PETITION HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL AND WE ARE NOW STOPPING IT. WE DO HAVE A BILL IN AT THE LEGISLATIVE HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE ROOM 209 IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THE WORDING FOR THAT BILL IS ON THE FRONT PAGE UNDER GET BILL WORDING. WE WILL BE PURSUING THIS AND PROBABLY WILL NEED TO REDO OUR EFFORTS. WHAT HAPPENED WITH SO MUCH SUPPORT OUT THERE? I WILL BE WRITING AN ACCOUNT OF ALL THAT HAS TRANSPIRED IN THIS EFFORT SOON, BUT I WILL SAY THIS NOW. I TOOK A BACK SEAT IN THIS ONE AND ALLOWED OTHERS TO RUN THE DRIVE AND KEPT MY NAME OUT OF IT AS MUCH AS I COULD, SUPPLYING FUNDS THROUGH OUR FESTIVALS EFFORTS. I MADE A MISTAKE TO DO THAT, AND IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I APOLOGIZE TO THE PUBLIC FOR THIS AND HAVE LEARNED A TIMELY, COSTLY LESSON AND WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN. I STARTED THE THING AND SHOULD HAVE STUCK WITH IT MYSELF. BELOW IS THE PETITION WORDING WHICH SOME OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL IS DERIVED FROM AND IS THE ONLY THING THAT IS POSITIVE THAT CAME OUT OF THE YRS EFFORTS. WHO KNOWS IT JUST MAY DO SOMETHING.
Below is our press release. If you
know of a paper or any other news outlet, please get this to
them. We are looking for volunteers to collect signatures
all over the state. Let me know if you are willing to get
out there and get some signatures and send address and
phone # so I can co ordinate things.
Also let me know or have people that are also interested in
helping get a hold
of us and we will get them on the data
base of petitioners.
In order to collect signatures
for a petition drive, you must go to the town clerk and
certify that you are a registered voter. This is done with
the paper work that you will be sent. If you do
not do this your signatures will not be counted.
(Of course this is a hardship on us
all and that is probably what it is intended to do, but they
would of course say that it is just a needed check in the
system.)
Petitioners really need to pay
attention the the people when signing so they do not screw
it up when they sign as we need every signature to be valid.
This is the most important instruction.
If anyone has any questions
call us. 696-8167
Thanks, and work hard, we can make
this happen.
Later,
Don Christen
PRESS RELEASE
On June 19, 2006, a new citizen’s
initiative for medical marijuana was completed and
handed down from the Sec. of State in Augusta. The
reason for the new initiative is to replace the existing
law which has proved to be an unworkable law that is
unacceptable and must be replaced with one that is
clear, concise and workable. The people, who are the
ones that demanded it in the first place, in 1998, by a
wide margin of about 68% of the voters. We expect
nothing less this time and possibly a bit better. Little
did the people know back then, that the law they
just voted on was never meant to actually work, but it was however, a message to the Federal Government that Maine voted for medical marijuana. Now after almost 8 years of waiting for the legislature to fix the law, we will again take to the streets to have the citizens decide, as they did in 1998, with an initiative that will actually work incorporating science, math and research. The new Initiative, will fix the problems with the existing law and add a few things needed. It will add a definition of what marijuana is; put in place a distribution program; allow for other uses known currently, but not included for therapy in the existing law; protect the Doctors from Federal Government intervention in Maine Law concerning medical marijuana; define a marijuana provider; and address the amount of marijuana a patient may possess. All points addressed in the initiative are essential to a workable medical marijuana program / law for our state. With another opportunity the people will again rise up to assure that this initiative is overwhelmingly approved. It is what the people want, and thought they were going to get the last time We The People voted for Medical Marijuana. For information or to volunteer to help collect signatures please contact Maine Vocals / Maine Citizens for Medical Marijuana at 696-8167 or www.mainevocals.net Petition Wording Attached: To the Legislature of the State of Maine: In accordance with Section 18 of article IV, Part Third of the Constitution of The State of Maine, the electors of the State of Maine, Qualified to vote for Governor, residing in said State, whose names have been certified on this petition, hereby respectfully propose to the legislature for its consideration the following entitled legislation: "An Act Concerning the Possession and Cultivation Be it enacted by the people of the State of Maine as follows: Sec/1.22 MRSA s2383-D is enacted to read: s2383-D Possession and cultivation of marijuana by patient or designated marijuana provider. 1.Definitions. As used in this section unless the content otherwise indicates the following terms have the following meanings. A. "Designated marijuana provider" means a person who is designated by a patient to assume the responsibility for growing or providing marijuana for that patient. A designated marijuana provider must be 18 years of age or older or a family member of the patient. B. "Marijuana" means the flower tops or buds of the plant genus cannabis. "Marijuana" does not include the stalks, stems, leaf, and seeds of the cannabis plant, which may not be used when determining the weight of marijuana a patient or designated marijuana provider possesses. C. "Patient" means a person who has the written or oral recommendation of a physician for the use of marijuana or who has been diagnosed with an illness for which marijuana may provide relief. Patient includes a person who has a family history of an illness for which marijuana is a preventative / palliative medicine, including but not limited to epilepsy and glaucoma. 2. Patient or designated marijuana provider may cultivate and possess marijuana. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a patient or a designated marijuana provider may cultivate and possess marijuana for the personal medical purposes of the patient. 3. Patient or designated marijuana provider immune from arrest and prosecution. A patient or designated marijuana provider is immune from arrest and prosecution for cultivating or possessing marijuana if that patient or provider acts in accordance with this section. 4. Patient may self-medicate. A patient may self-medicate with marijuana as with any other herbal medicine. A patient is not required to have a recommendation or prescription from a physician for marijuana. When a physician recommends or prescribes marijuana to a patient or is notified of a patient’s marijuana self medication, that physician shall keep accurate record or history of that patient’s ongoing therapy. 5. Limits on patient and designated marijuana provider. A patient or designated marijuana provider may have per patient no more than 99 marijuana plants and no more than a one- year supply of usable marijuana, which is 6 pounds. A designated marijuana provider may provide for no more than 10 (ten) patients at one time. 6. Designated marijuana providers may work together. Designated marijuana providers may work together to provide for their patients. 7. Legislature to designate marijuana outlet stores and buyers clubs. The Legislature shall designate at least one marijuana outlet store or buyer’s club per county and one in each municipality that has over 25,000 residents. These outlet stores and buyer’s clubs must be run by patients and designated marijuana providers, must be sanctioned by the State and must be non profit. Authority over marijuana outlet stores and buyer’s clubs rests with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. Plans for the outlet stores and buyer’s clubs must be implemented within 60 days of the effective date of this subsection and operational with in 90 days of the effective date of this subsection. 8. Inclusion of marijuana in list of medicines. Marijuana must be considered and included in the list of medicines for all legal purposes and purchases. 9. Physician may recommend. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a physician may not be punished or denied any rights or privileges for having recommended marijuana for medical purposes to a patient. The State shall establish a method for licensing doctors if the Federal Government starts revoking licenses of doctors for noncompliance with the federal laws concerning marijuana. Until the method of licensing doctors is in place, any doctor whose license is revoked by the Federal Government for noncompliance with federal laws concerning marijuana, must still be recognized in this State as a doctor with full privileges. 10. Medical marijuana education campaign. State of Maine shall implement a vigorous educational campaign to educate or reeducate the public regarding the many medical uses of marijuana. Previously published pharmacopeias’s and modern scientific studies and research must be used. The state shall print pamphlets and brochures and make them available to the public within a 90 days of effective date of this subsection. This section legalizes marijuana for medical purposes and is not an affirmative defense. Authorities must be held accountable and liable for violations of patients rights and noncompliance with this section. This section may not be construed to condone the diversion of marijuana for nonmedical purposes. SUMMARY This initiated bill provides that a patient or a designated marijuana provider may cultivate and possess marijuana for the personal medical purposes of the patient. It defines "Patient" as a person who has the written or oral recommendation of a physician for the use of marijuana or who has been diagnosed with an illness for which marijuana may provide relief. "Patient includes a person who has a family history of an illness for which marijuana is a preventative medicine, including, but not limited to, epilepsy and glaucoma. It defines "designated marijuana provider" as a person who is designated by a patient to assume the responsibility for growing or providing marijuana for that patient. A designated marijuana provider must be 18 years of age or older or a family member of the patient. It places limits on the amount of marijuana that a patient or designated marijuana provider may possess. It requires the Legislature to designate at least one marijuana outlet store or buyers’ club per county and one in each municipality that has over 25,000 residents. These outlet stores and clubs must be run by patients and designated marijuana providers and overseen by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. The State is required to establish an education campaign to inform the public on the medical uses of marijuana.
Thanks, Don Christen PHONE 696-8167 UNDER CONSTRUCTION MOST OF THE LINKS ON THIS PAGE WORK
|
||||
|
It is estimated that 65 % of Maine's citizens between ages 26 - 34 use cannabis. | ||
|
Maine Vocals 65 Shusta Rd. Madison, Me
04911 Email Maine
Vocals |
