From: [v--d--t] at [twain.ucs.umass.edu] (Sol Lightman)
Newsgroups: alt.drugs,talk.politics.drugs,alt.activism,alt.hemp,ne.politics,ne.general
Subject: Re: MASSACHUSETTS PROPOSED BILLS
Date: 4 Sep 1993 01:17:17 GMT

UPDATE:

(I have added ne.politics and ne.general to the groups.  Readers of these
groups can obtain a copy of the original post from any of the other
groups -- alt.activism,alt.hemp,alt.drugs,talk.politics.drugs)

As some of you are aware, last year Massachusetts legalized the issuance
of prescriptions for marijuana by licensed physicians, becoming the 36th
state to officially recognize marijuana as a medicine.

The Massachusetts Civil Liberties Union has proposed four bills pertaining
to marijuana law -- they are summarized as follows:

1) The Hutchins Act -- provides for a medical necessity defense in state
   cases involving marijuana possession.

2) A Forfeiture Reform Act -- Forces police to return seized property if
   they do not press charges within 30 days, in state cases.

3) Medical Marijuana Diversion Act -- proposes that seized marijuana be
   turned over to the DPH, inspected, and used in research oriented
   medical marijuana programs.

4) An Act to Cede to the Federal Government All Responsibility For 
   Enforcement of Marijuana Prohibition


Today an unexpected announcement from the University of Massachusetts at
Amherst was given coverage in the Union News.  According to the announcement,
the state is considering manufacturing or growing cannabis medicines for
such programs itself.  Unfortunately, the proposed laboratory would be
producing the medicine in pill form, and possibly even chemically synthesizing
THC (the main active ingredients in marijuana.)  This is not good enough --
cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and patients being treated for
muscle spasm need the extra advantage of a smoked source of THC.  It has
been demonstrated that marijuana is more effective than synthetic THC
in these cases.  Even in the treatment of glaucoma, there are numerous
testimonials favoring marijuana over THC pills.

(This is covered in the 1989 ruling by federal DEA Administrative Law Judge
Francis Young, who ruled that the DEA reschedule marijuana to Schedule II.
Hearings on the DEA's refusal to comply resume this week.)

Even so, the proposed program may make the Medical Marijuana Diversion Act
seem redundant, and I am not sure if the CLUM Drug Policy Task Force plans
to continue activity on this particular bill, especially if the UMASS 
production plant were to offer marijuana in smokable form.

Brian

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