Pat Powers has recently attacked the integrity of Yes on 13 because a substantial portion of the campaign budget at the mid-term report came from a non-profit organization that was formed well over a year ago. Powers is avoiding the real debate but I will gladly clarify for him where the $4k+ donation money from SDCompassion came from. The money amounts to a collection of genuine donations of $10 and $20 amounts to the non-profit organization going back to early 2009. Hundreds of patients suffering from a variety of ailments started providing small donations at all points through out the petition drive. The non-profit group, dedicated in its mission to provide relief to sick and dying patients, donated a substantial portion of that money to the Yes on 13 ballot committee, which was formed to represent everyone supporting Initiated Measure 13 in 2010.
South Dakota is positioned stronger than ever before to pass protection for our fellow citizens who are suffering from terrible, debilitating illnesses. The Coalition is very proud of our accomplishments, and the only way we got this far on a few thousand dollars is because of the impressive commitment and unwavering passion from so many volunteers and supporters.
Pat Powers should pose a credible debate if he opposes the measure, meanwhile he should stop degrading our truly compassionate, grassroots cause. It happens to be that a lot of the honest good people of South Dakota who are going to the polls this November to vote yes on measure 13 also happen to be very poor, but they can and they will stand up for what they believe in.
This is a very emotional issue for the patients and their families. Its not a surprise that so many people are standing up for a compassionate measure on this year’s ballot.
Emmett Reistroffer
Campaign Director
Vote Yes for Compassion, Yes on 13!
The silly war on drugs is another good reason to legalize marijuana;
In November, California voters will have their say on Proposition 19, which would make it legal to grow, possess and use up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use. And as that decision day draws near, a group of law enforcement insiders has come out in support of the proposition, saying it would free up the police to focus its efforts on more serious crimes.
At a press conference on Monday, members of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition explained their reasons for getting behind Proposition 19.
“I was a drug warrior until I saw what was happening in my own courtroom,” said former Orange County Superior Court Judge James Gray. He claims that passing Prop 19 would cut down the number of drug arrests made in California by around 60,000 each year.
To LEAP, all that time spent arresting Californians for pot possession could be better spent investigating murders, burglaries and the like.
Along with Gray was former San Jose Police Chief Joseph McNamara, who said that legalizing and taxing marijuana would be a huge blow to the massive drug cartels, which are are estimated to get around 60% of their money from illegal pot sales.
In addition to taking money from the cartels, taxes levied on legalized pot could bring in over $1 billion/year in tax revenue.
As for other law enforcement groups like the California Police Chiefs Assn., which opposes the measure, Gray theorizes that many of those involved are just putting on a good show because they have to.
“They have a political job, so they can’t tell the truth,” he said. “People are free to speak out honestly only after they are retired.”
Legalizing pot would free up police to fight violent crime, law enforcement group says [L.A. Times]
I love it when anti-advocates of anything give data that actually helps their opponents cause. They did it here by showing all the states that voters have allowed Medical Marijuana. Thanks, the info is handy.
New Jersey • Oregon • New Mexico • Michigan • Rhode Island • Montana • Vermont • Nevada • Hawaii • Colorado • Maine • Alaska • Washington • California
Today’s Labor Day edition of the ArgusLeader published a duo of stories outlining the political climate which surrounds most of the medical marijuana debate and prospects for Initiated Measure 13. I haven’t pursued personal blogging much since taking on my role with the Coalition for Compassion a little over a year ago, but after reading quotes from our opponents in today’s publication I feel compelled to refute the false claims and misguided rhetoric.
The Coalition for Compassion is led by Patrick K. Lynch the former chairman of the Multiple Scleroses Society and Tony Ryan, a retired lieutenant Police Officer. Since our founding, the Coalition collected twice as many signatures as the state requires for a ballot initiative far ahead of the deadline for 2010 – and with such success our grassroots network of volunteers has expanded to an impressive organization of doctors, nurses, current and former law-enforcement officials, and average South Dakotans from every political background, religion, and occupation who are united by a common cause of compassion and empathy for our loved ones living with painful and debilitating illnesses. My grandmother among many others, successfully and safely eased nausea and wasting syndrome during chemo-radiation with medical marijuana, a therapeutic option that is so effective it is often recommended by South Dakota doctors even while it remains illegal.
Measure 13 offers South Dakota a strictly controlled program to handle the need for this type of therapy. Patients and caregivers will be registered with the department of health. IM13 has several explicitly detailed restrictions which make obtaining a recommendation for medical marijuana more difficult then it would be for a patient to obtain many common prescription painkillers.
In a previous AP news article Art Mabry, Vermillion Police Chief, calls the Coalition for Compassion a ‘scam’ and in today’s article he opposes our measure with a somewhat more specific message: “it would create a black market for unused marijuana and it will increase the danger of drugged driving.. I’m curious about what a caregiver does with plants that don’t sell.” These statements clearly indicate that Mabry hasn’t even taken the time to analyze the initiative which is so concerning for he and his fleet of college-town cops.
There is an even longer list of rules and regulations, even a requirement that each patient complete a re-evaluation every six months.
I don’t think I’m alone on this one, but considering the logistics of our proposal, there is little logic in Mabry’s vision of marijuana magically falling from the clouds and some how winding up in everyone’s backyard. Denial that marijuana isn’t already an easily available drug for anyone who desires to get their hands on it and use for leisure or any other reason is complete ignorance. Simply put, marijuana is around. If you can’t connect the dots Chief, then maybe you should swing by campus for intro to economics because where there is demand, there is supply. Whether it is alcohol sold underground by the mafia in the 20s, malt beverages and beer being sold by bartenders now, or coffee being sold at Starbucks.. When there is a product that people want, there is someone around to sell it.
So, while some chose to use marijuana for leisurely reasons (distasteful, yes) there is a market that exists for them. The arguments of medical marijuana creating some new substance out of thin air is used and tried, let’s have some common sense about what we’re talking about here, a natural plant on God’s green earth. The difference between marijuana on the streets and medical marijuana is that the legal, doctor-recommended marijuana is cultivated with every precaution the patient deserves. Safety and control is applied to medical marijuana while black market marijuana continues to be readily available to anyone who wants it without any oversight or control. And again, our proposal does not include any type of sale. IM13 is a not-for-profit, simple, yet strictly controlled approach for patients to have a safe, legal option as an alternative to the black market. Lynch, Ryan, the 100 + nurses in SD, myself and the rest of the Coalition are not looking to get rich.. If that was our interest, there is an abundence of lucrative career opportunities in the marijuana market, and there are no taxes involved either!
What we are proposing, it not to ‘create’ any market for marijuana as Mabry can foresee. With plain rationality, we are simply asking that people like my grandmother, who took 2 puffs of marijuana and ate her first full meal during cancer treatment, have a safe, legal, option to pursue so they don’t have to resort to the already existing black market.. Which is often dangerous, and has absolutely no standards for safety or quality and ultimately degrades the sick persons’ dignity and puts their whole family through anxiety while risking criminal repercussions.
When a licensed physician whom a patient has an established relationship recommends a scientifically supported therapy for which the patient can find relief from their symptoms, no state law should stand as a barrier. Measure 13 will set a good example for the rest of the nation and will safely protect the many patients in SD who are and will benefit from the medical use of marijuana.
The Coalition for Compassion and our allies are ready to stand strong for what we’re proposing; we are united by a high-held virtue of compassion: our campaign for IM13 is an honest, sincere effort to extend compassion to the most vulnerable people among us.
Board members for the Coalition for Compassion are meeting this week to prepare an open invitation to debate IM13 with anyone who opposes the measure.
Tonight however, I’m personally extending an invitation to Mr. Mabry to sit down with the Coalition so we can go over the facts. Perhaps a town-hall style discussion or a head-to-head debate, accept this invitation in whichever way you would like. One thing is for sure, the nearly 33,000 South Dakotans who signed the petition and the many more thousands of citizens around the state who have loved ones suffering from cancer or other illnesses are not going to let your crude attempts belittle our cause or go without notice.
Let South Dakota doctors and patients decide!
Vote YES for Compassion, YES on 13!
I encourage everyone affected by any of these illnesses or anyone who has compassion for the sick and dying to join our growing Coalition at our website:
2008 study: Therapeutic use of Cannabis sativa on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting among cancer patients: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Argus Leader Poll
