republican

By Trip Jennings, New Mexico Independent

 

Republican Susana Martinez has said she would work to repeal New Mexico’s medical marijuana program if she’s elected governor. But undoing the state’s three-year-old medical marijuana law would represent a major undertaking. There are only two routes — through the Legislature or voter referendum — and neither would be easy.

 

Repealing the law through the Legislature is unlikely

 

Collecting enough votes among state lawmakers to overturn the law is a long shot. The New Mexico State Senate approved the 2007 bill by a vote of 32- 3. And although state Sen. Vernon Asbill, R-Carlsbad, one of those three “no” votes, said Monday he’d vote for repeal, he also said it didn’t seem likely to happen. Read more »

By. Joe Klare, 420 Times

 

Many of you saw a story we posted the other day about KY Senate Candidate Rand Paul’s position on medial marijuana “changing.” We received a lot of great comments, some of which said that the AP story that was the basis for ours was flawed. Looking to clear things up, I contacted the Rand Paul campaign website to get a comment. Even before my query was sent, the Paul campaign contacted our editor Dave Brian, wanting to clear up the issue as well.

 

Assistant Campaign Manager for Rand Paul – Nena Bartlett – had a discussion with our editor. I also had a discussion with her, but I had technical issues with the recording, so I currently have an email into her office asking for quotes to use in an article. Nena’s discussion with my editor was recorded however – probably because he is slightly more “on the ball” than his blogger. Read more »

By. Mike Meno, MPP

 

In the latest example of a changing political atmosphere surrounding marijuana issues, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Washington state has been forced to clarify a series of cliché jokes his office made at the expense of medical marijuana research and patients.

 

Last week, Republican Dino Rossi issued an extremely immature and thoughtless press release criticizing federally funded research being conducted at Washington State University into marijuana’s effect on pain medication. The two-year study by psychology professor Michael Morgan involves injecting rats with synthetic cannabinoids and opiates in order to find ways to improve treatment for people suffering from chronic pain.

 

Rather than emphasize the great need for this type of research, as well as the proven efficacy of marijuana in helping to manage pain, Rossi decided to revert to hackneyed and unoriginal middle-school level humor. “Washington state taxpayers are tired of their money going up in smoke,” read the release issued by his office. “This bill isn’t going to stimulate anything other than sales of Cheetos.” Read more »

by Jim Brunner

 

Republican Dino Rossi has been spending the week attacking the $800 billion federal stimulus plan pushed by Democrats in 2009 as a waste of money, pointing out examples of what he and others say is questionable spending that didn't create jobs.

 

But Rossi's latest example may have misfired.

 

On Thursday, Rossi attacked a WSU-Vancouver professor's study of whether marijuana can increase the effectiveness of pain-treating drugs like morphine. The study received $148,438 in stimulus grants.

 

Rossi's news release -- headlined "It's 5:00 Somewhere, But It's 4:20 At Washington State University" -- conjured images of stoner students toking away on the federal dime.

 

"Washington state taxpayers are tired of their money going up in smoke. This bill isn't going to stimulate anything other than sales of Cheetos," Rossi said in the news release, labeling the research a "boondoggle."

 

But the researcher, Psychology Professor Michael Morgan, said Thursday that Rossi doesn't know what he's talking about. Read more »

By Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star

 

When you have finished laughing at Stockwell Day — for building jails for criminals he cannot find — think of the failed American regime of crime and punishment.

 

To his estimated $9 billion expenditure, add the $1 billion bill for security at the G20 summit and the $16 billion purchase of F-35s in an untendered contract.

 

Stack such expenses against Stephen Harper’s commitment to halve the $54 billion debt in five years, and wonder what he plans to slash and burn to get there.

 

Think also of his decisions to weaken the national census and kill Statistics Canada surveys that measured the impact of government policies on Canadians, especially the poor and the vulnerable. Read more »

By Josh Richman, Oakland Tribune

 

Richard Lee sank $1.4 million of his Oaksterdam business empire's money into putting a marijuana legalization measure on November's ballot, but it wasn't until this week that he rolled out his secret weapon: his 80-year-old, conservative Republican mom from Texas.

 

Ann Lee arrived in the Bay Area early this week and will remain until Tuesday. At midweek, she was fielding media calls between a video shoot at the Tax Cannabis 2010 campaign headquarters in Oakland and an event at a drug and alcohol recovery center in Concord.

 

"Whatever I can do to help," she said. "I really don't have words to tell you about how excited I am to be doing this." Read more »

By. Gene Davis, DDN Staff Writer

 

Although many issues separate the Democrat and Republican candidates running for State House District 2, the contenders agree on one thing Ń marijuana should be legal for adults.

 

Having Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, and Doc Miller, his Republican opponent in the upcoming election, both publicly support the decriminalization of marijuana has some activists giddy about the changes in public opinion towards the drug.

 

“I think it’s a good sign that marijuana reform is becoming a widely accepted position,” said Mason Tvert of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), a group that points out the ways they perceive marijuana to be less harmful than alcohol. “We see Democrats and Republicans not only both voicing public support for reforming marijuana laws, but in some sense often vying to see who can support them more.” Read more »

By Mike Ferguson

 

MUSCATINE, Iowa -If Iowa supporters of medical marijuana find a sympathetic ear in the Iowa Legislature, it will be because of lawmakers like Jeff Kaufmann.

 

Kaufmann, R-Wilton, who represents the 79th House District, together with legislative candidate Mark Lofgren of Muscatine, a fellow Republican who's running for the seat in the 80th District currently held by Nathan Reichert, D-Muscatine, attended a Saturday afternoon screening of the documentary film, "Waiting to Inhale," at the Musser Public Library.

 

Lofgren took notes but offered no public comments.

 

The event, which attracted 11 people, was sponsored by the group Iowa Patients for Medical Marijuana, founded by Jimmy Morrison, 23, of Muscatine.

 

Kaufmann urged people who want the law changed, including those with fibromyalgia, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and those with Multiple Sclerosis -patients who say marijuana reduces their pain or nausea - to be careful how they lobby their legislators. Read more »

Last week, Romer suggested banning 21-year olds from visiting dispensaries, among other things -- and the prospect of battling over an additional slew of last-minute MMJ proposals prompted advocate Matt Brown to declare that enough was enough.

Apparently, Romer doesn't agree -- because early this morning, he sent out an e-mail to Michael Dohr from the state's Office of Legislative Legal Services featuring another batch of alterations. Here they are:

Michael and other interested parties,

We need to split the Amendment and need a few more. I think this is it. I hope/think Spense, Massey, McCann, Sommers and I can support these. Please let me know time is short.

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