Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Mary Jane may be moving to Maryland

The Maryland House of Delegates is considering a bill that would legalize, under Maryland State law, the use of marijuana for medical purposes. According to the text of the Bill, 99% of all marijuana arrests are made under State law as opposed to Federal law. The Bill goes onto say that States are not required to prosecute people for engaging in activities prohibited by Federal law. Thus, marijuana would still be illegal under Federal law, but the Feds would have be the ones to prosecute offenders. The State of Maryland will not pursue users of marijuana for medical purposes.

Therefore, unless the FBI wants to waste their resources on arresting cancer patients, there will be no penalties for the medical use of marijuana in Maryland if the Bill passes. Let’s hope it does.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The passing of this bill is long over due. Having cared for both my mother and my wife as they were dying of cancer, I questioned the narrow mindness of laws preventing the use of anything that would make a persons last days anything but the best we could offer.

It seems the question is, will Mary Jane be respected or will Mary Jane be abused, but isn't that the question of all that we do in life. Lets aim for respect, the benefits are to great for those who will benefit the most.

FreeMarket said...

“I questioned the narrow mindness of laws preventing the use of anything that would make a persons last days anything but the best we could offer.”

Exactly- that is the heart of the matter. Marijuana has legitimate medical benefits. It is hard to fathom that laws, which are supposed to protect us, can also be such a massive determinate to us as well. I don’t think most people realize how much harm is caused by a ban on marijuana.

I am very sorry to hear that your mother and wife were affected by cancer.