NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR THE REFORM OF
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NEWS RELEASE ** NEWS RELEASE ** NEWS RELEASE ** NEWS RELEASE
November 6, 1996
California, Arizona Voters Approve Initiatives In Favor Of Medical Marijuana
Voters in both California and
Arizona have approved initiatives endorsing marijuana's therapeutic
value and allowing patients to use marijuana for medical purposes
where its use has been deemed appropriate by a physician.
The result came despite heavy campaigning by opponents and
decades of anti-marijuana hysteria.
The passage of Proposition 215 in California and Proposition 200
in Arizona demonstrates that Americans can clearly distinguish
between the use of marijuana as a medicine for serious ill
patients and legalization for recreational use. It further
shows that the country has reached a consensus on the former, even
as it remains divided on the latter.
"This is a victory for medical marijuana as well as for
patients and doctors," said NORML Deputy Director
Allen St. Pierre. "It shows that Americans do not want
the federal government to interfere with the relationship between
a seriously ill patient and the recommendation of his or her physician."
Both state and nationwide polls taken prior to this election's
vote have shown that a majority of Americans favor medical
marijuana reform. The recent events in California and
Arizona may finally push those on Capitol Hill to take a close and
objective look at this issue. It may also encourage some of
the 23 states that currently have laws regarding medical
marijuana to modify their measures so that they can begin
directly benefiting patients.
"These votes demonstrate that the public are ahead of the
politicians when it comes to reforming our drug policies,
specifically medical access to marijuana," said NORML
Executive Director R. Keith Stroup. "Americans do not
believe that denying medicine to the sick and dying should ever be
a part of the drug war."
The California initiative says that "Patients or defined
caregivers, who possess or cultivate marijuana for medical
treatment recommended by a physician, are exempt from the general provisions
of law which otherwise prohibit possession or cultivation of
marijuana." It further provides that, "Physicians
shall not be punished or denied any right or privilege for recommending marijuana
to a patient for medical purposes." The Act does not supersede
state legislation prohibiting persons from possessing or
cultivating marijuana for non-medical purposes.
"Despite heavy opposition from federal politicians and law
enforcement, the California medical marijuana initiative passed
because individuals know by either their own personal experience
or by the experiences of those around them that marijuana has
medical utility," said St. Pierre. "The government
has lost all credibility on this issue by claiming
otherwise."
"With the passage of Proposition 215 in California, new
legal protections will be put into place for patients who use
marijuana under a doctor's order," said Dave Fratello of
Californians for Medical Rights (CMR), one of the primary proponents
of the measure. The group also announced that they will
offer a toll-free number, 1 (888) YES-4-215, to explain how 215
works, and for whom it is and is not designed.
Proposition 200 in Arizona, known as the "Drug
Medicalization, Prevention and Control Act," is broader than
California's measure and would essentially "medicalize"
Arizona's drug policy. The Act calls for mandatory, court supervised
treatment and probation as an alternative to incarceration for non-violent
drug users and provides expanded drug treatment programs.
It will also allow doctors to prescribe controlled drugs such as
marijuana to patients suffering from serious illnesses such as
glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, cancer, and AIDS. Arizonans
voted in favor of the initiative by a vote more than two to one.
"These votes give a flashing green light to the American
public that they have the power to change the course on American
drug policy," said St. Pierre.
-END-
MORE THAN 10 MILLION MARIJUANA ARRESTS SINCE 1965 ... ANOTHER EVERY 54 SECONDS!