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StumbleLawmaker to introduce bill allowing sale of medical marijuana
Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010 | 6:16 p.m.
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Sen. Michael Schneider
Sun Coverage
A state senator plans to introduce legislation to allow special pharmacies in Nevada to sell medical marijuana.
Sen. Michael Schneider, D-Las Vegas, said he has spent a year working with doctors and talking to state administrators about how to craft the bill that he will bring to the Legislature in 2011.
Nevada currently has a 9-year-old law that allows people to possess six marijuana plants that can be cultivated for medical use. Schneider, though, said marijuana is difficult to grow, the current law is not very scientific and it sometimes criminalizes people who seek marijuana for medical use.
His bill would allow “compounding pharmacies,” to distribute marijuana based upon prescriptions written by physicians. It wouldn’t be a one-joint-fits-all model, but would be specialized so if a doctor thinks someone needs a smaller or larger amount of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, the pharmacy would be able to produce it.
"I'd like to see it as a pilot for the state, no amateurs involved, and people who need medical marijuana would get it just like people get painkillers or antibiotics today," he said. "What's wrong with that? There's nothing wrong with that."
He knows it might be controversial. But he goes back to a recent conversation with some friends, where the husband had such severe migraines that doctors were unable to treat them. It got to the point that the man's doctor suggested he “go get some (marijuana) and try it.”
"So they potentially committed a felony (by finding some marijuana), when all they wanted to do was try to get some relief from a very bad medical condition," Schneider said.
Schneider said he also knows of a Republican in the Nevada Assembly who is also planning to introduce a medical marijuana bill next session. He would not reveal the Assemblyman's name. "He can talk about that when he wants to."
The senator and assemblyman, however, were mentioned, generally, Tuesday afternoon by medical marijuana activists who addressed the Clark County Commission in response to raids by ski-masked Metro officers and federal agents two weeks ago.
The group of about 30 people let Michael McAuliffe speak for them, urging commissioners to support laws to protect medical marijuana users to "stop wasting taxpayer dollars."
"Has this really been the best use of our funds?" he asked.
County Commissioner Steve Sisolak, who sits on Metro's Fiscal Affairs Commission, which oversees Metro spending, said he had not talked to Metro brass about the raid. But he said he completely supports any move to make medical marijuana more available to those who need it.
"What's the sense of making it legal if it's not available to people it might help?" he said. "It wasn't fair to pass this law to give people a false hope that they can get this relief, then not make it available to them."
Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, who served in the Assembly and championed the current medical marijuana law, which passed in 2001, said the raids were heavy-handed.
"Why can't they set up a meeting and talk to them, do it more safely?" she said.
Back in 2001, she said, she had also wanted the state to grow medical marijuana and mark it genetically before it was distributed to pharmacies. That way, if some was sold illegally on the street, it could be traced to whatever pharmacy distributed it.
"We were dealing with a very conservative mindset that didn't want to accept the will of the voters who had spoken quite loudly," she said.
In 2000, Nevada voters approved a ballot initiative to allow the use of marijuana for medical reasons.
During his speech, McAuliffe held up broken security camera equipment that he said Metro officers destroyed during a raid on the Nevada Compassion Center, 4760 S. Pecos Road. Bianca Anderson, an tax preparer who volunteers at the center, said officers told her they destroyed the equipment so their identities would not be released to the public.
The funny thing, she said, was that they all wore ski-masks and sunglasses.
"No one could see them anyway," Anderson said.
No one was charged and the search warrants have been sealed by the court, so no one is sure why the raids were conducted, McAuliffe added.
Attorney Nancy Lord, working on behalf of McAuliffe and the loosely organized group of medical marijuana users and distributors, said she is about to file several motions against the police department.
"This was a complete violation of their First Amendment rights," she said.
The Compassion Center, Anderson said, helps people go through the state process to obtain legal permission to use medical marijuana.
When she was interrogated by a Metro cop, Anderson said the cop tried to make her feel bad for doing volunteer work for the center and "picking the wrong path in life."
It had just the opposite effect.
"It's kind of nice to be part of something bigger than yourself for the first time in my life," she said.
Discussion: 4 comments so far…
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Not a great step, but a step in the right direction.
I guess my question would be: Where are the pharmacies going to get it? There are no commercial controlled farms that I am aware of at this time.
some terminal patients wouls save lots of money using pot instead of pain killers. system has to be able to resist abuse, hopefully they'll get it right.
Our neighbor to the west, California, is far ahead of Las Vegas with respect to their dispensaries and how they operate. Much of the legislation could be derived from California law. What happened with this raid could end up being a good thing if it raises awareness of how medical patients are being treated as criminals.
I am a former California resident and medical marijuana patient for many years. My experience has been that the Las Vegas dispensaries are not allowed to operate with the same courtesy as other legitimate businesses. The dispensaries are shunned by landlords and the population in general because of a lack of understanding for patients needs. Possibly some of the problem is that Marijuana is considered more to be a recreational drug in Las Vegas than it is in states that have a longer history of responsible medical use.
just don't follow California's example and end up having a dispensery on every corner!
RobRBarron:
Dispensery on every corner?? You mean like a liquor store in every strip mall??
Sorry but that is far, far from the case
"A state senator plans to introduce legislation to allow special pharmacies in Nevada to sell medical marijuana."
A law "allowing" us to do what the original Americans were at liberty to do until that pipsqueak Harry Anslinger wanted to make a name for himself? Better to just repeal all laws criminalizing hemp/marijuana AND release all those convicted of this kind of offense.
Tommy Chong was right!!
"Tobacco, hemp, flax and cotton, are staple commodities." -- from Thomas Jefferson "The Works," vol. 3 (Notes on Virginia I, Correspondence 1780-1782), "A Notice Of The Mines And Other Subterraneous Riches; Its Trees, Plants, Fruits, &C."
We should be looking at Metro Police as a top priority for spending reductions. These raids are simply a way to justify employment. Oh, and they get to run around pretending to be soldiers and ninjas. In the pictures I have seen they look fat and stupid.
MARIJUANA STAYS IN THE BRAIN FOR UP TO SIX WEEKS.
That's SIX weeks of mood swings, irritability, lack of concentration, near-hallucinations, and memory deficiency.
Negative effects of a scheduled DRUG if there EVER were some. Marijuana BELONGS on the DEA's raid list forever.........
If people want to smoke it for medical or even recreational purposes, let 'em.
I'm not a fan of the hippie lettuce, but it's safer than alcohol. Nobody gets stoned and knocks over a liquor store and beats their family. And if they drive stoned, it's still a DUI with the same penalties as driving under the influence of any other drug.
Legalize it, tax it and we won't have these silly conversations about our budget deficit.
But you know, the alcohol lobby won't permit it. That's the only reason it's not legal now. It would cut into the booze manufacturer's profits.
I have reached the conclusion that there should be no difference in law regarding marijuana and alcohol. Period.
The most ardent critics who do not believe that marijuana can be used responsibly, in my experience, are the least informed of the actual side effects of the drug. Marijuana is one of the safest drugs on the planet. It is true that marijuana can stay in your system for a long time, but the side effects for experienced users are generally more mild than most cold medicines. First time use or occasional use experiences are not those of medical patients who become experienced with the effects of the drug and can operate just fine when they understand how to dose properly, not over medicate, and just move on with their normal lives.
I am tired of ignorant comments from people who are clearly inexperienced and uneducated about the drug and its proper medical use and beneficial effects.
Those who decry marijuana use -- are you aware that it is physiologically impossible to die from an overdose? Compare that to alcohol/tobacco and that one simple fact alone is enough to reveal the absurdity of marijuana's continued illegal status.
Not to mention the stupid and unnecessary violence/waste of money/mayhem caused by dangerous drug cartels who stand to make so much money -- because it's illegal!
And btw, I don't even use it because it doesn't agree with me at all. So I'm looking at this with a pretty objective eye.
For goodness sake, it's time to legalize, regulate and tax it. Enough already with the hysterical and ignorant stigmatization!
Firstly the state law allows the growth of 7 plants, not 6 and of those 3 can be mature with flowers and 4 must be immature. Secondly, the raids will most likely increase until full legalization by the government (the closer we get the more federal attention we will garner). This is a loose template of what has happened in California, which has the countries loosest laws to date. Sad sad state of affairs.
along with finding a way to distribute the medicine to patients . they need a way to test drivers who have taken their medicine to see if they are impaired . current law only finds if they have used it in the last 30 days not are they currently impaired .
It's far beyond time when this should have happened Nationwide.
Who are WE to deny, for example, a cancer patient access to "weed" so they can ease the side effects of Chemo?
There are many, many, MANY TERMINALLY ILL PEOPLE who are DENIED ACCESS to "Pot" to ease their pain, because we're PARANOID of the evil WEED.
Are you kidding me???
Click on the Sun's POLL.
That's the representative number, typically, that you see when people are asked a question about Medical Marijuana.
So.
What in God's Name are we WAITING FOR???
"Reefer Madness", and other 1960's era anti-marijuana propaganda has been debunked for decades.
If you need to educate yourself, google.
http://norml.org/index.cfm
Make no mistake, PROHIBITION, is big buisness!
Powerful lobbiests will be trying to shoot down this law. How do U think the Pharmacitical and Liquor Industries, Private Prison Unions, Law enforcement unions,ETC.spend their lobbying $$$...
Nevada had the courage in the early 1930's to make Gambling Legal, thus establishing the State's Principle Industry!
It's time to LEGALIZE, and stop being Ruled, by these POWERFUL, Special interest Entities!
Stop the INSANITY, and LEGALIZE!
It's high time that they do this, lol!!
It's high time that they did this, lol!
I am in favor of completely legalizing it, regulating it, and taxing it much the same way we do with tobacco cigarettes.
Arthur Forest Lampitt, Jr.
Libertarian Candidate for Governor of Nevada
www.ArtForGov.com
gmag, I understand that mentality, but I think it needs to become a more precise process (prescribing the "medicine"). I was just watching a documentary on it and they had a doctor in Israel talking about just that. There are varying strengths of the drug, and people can take varying amounts. The idea that a user can't overdose shouldn't eliminate the need for a doctor to know and prescribe a specific amount.
I don't think we can deny that it does have a negative effect on productivity for a large portion of the population. Please don't justify that by comparing it to alchohol and other legal drugs. I'm more concerned about the absolute effects, not the effects relative to other legal drugs.
There's more than just physical health at stake.
I am a 100% disabled Vietnam combat vet. I use medical marijuana to ease pain from osteo-arthritis, scoliosis, and having every disc in my back herniated. Most mornings I spend 2 hours on the floor writhing in pain. My options are surgery, prescription pain medications, or suck it up for the rest of my life. Since I began ingesting THC, my back pain has almost totally disappeared, and I can actually feel human again.
The law, as written in the NRS, is a joke. I would be embarrassed to have my name attached as its sponsor. How in the heck am I supposed to grow plants when I can't even legally buy seeds?
It's time for society to pull it's collective head out of it's collective rear end and listen to the people who actually benefit from medical THC. Why am I not allowed to get my medicine from a pharmacy or other legal dispensary when anyone over 21 can legally purchase alcohol, firearms, and enough prescription chemicals to fell an elephant?
Legalize it, tax it, and be happy.
See the bodies of Winos and Drunks that litter every city in the worlds Gutters!!!
See the Effects of Perscription Drugs, killing Celebraties, and others, on a dailey basis...
Is the world a better place, , because there is and was, Satchmo Armstrong, Willy Nelson, Q Jones,
The BEETLES, Sinatra, Ray Charles, Etc.Etc.;
or Vidio Poker Bennett, and the Drug Zars that followed????
Who has made a contribution, and made the world
a Better Place???
Funny,all the morons who make this laws and bills up are from the drug era.
Marijuana should be legal, PERIOD.
For whatever reason
We as adults can regulate ourselves, dont need big brother telling us whats right and whats wrong.
And for the record,my head never grew as big as a pumpkin, and I didnt grow breasts either ( reefer madness )
Only when the government figures out a way to CONTROL things, will marijuana be legal,cause its all about the money