NM Medical Marijuana Bill Narrowly Defeated in House

In yet another legislative defeat of a compassionate, fair-minded, common sense bill, the NM House yesterday narrowly defeated Senate Bill 238, a measure already passed by the Senate 34-7, which would have allowed seriously ill and dying people access to the relief that can be provided by medical marijuana. The final tally was 33 for and 36 against, with 7 Republicans and 26 Democrats voting in support of the bill and 21 Republicans and 15 Democrats voting against it. Yes, believe it or not, it was Democrats once more who defeated legislation representing traditional, core, Democratic values.

Votes like this always make me wonder how different our state would be if unlimited campaign contributions and "gifts" were regulated using ethical priniciples. Trying to overcome the advantage of special interest lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry and "law enforcement community" is always difficult, especially in a poor state like this one. People's pain and suffering be damned -- we're gonna follow the advice of those with axes to grind and turf to protect. Or maybe people are protecting illegal marijuana merchants, who knows?  Something is causing people to take illogical positions on what should be a clear-cut issue of compassion.

A Santa Fe New Mexican article reports:

Opponents disputed that marijuana was an effective medicine. "Medically it just really has no value. For us to approve a drug like this tells our children and tells the rest of the people in this state that we, somehow as leaders, give tacit approval to the use of this drug," said Rep. John Heaton, D-Carlsbad and a pharmacist. "That is absolutely wrong for us to do."

He described marijuana as "the No. 1 gateway drug to abusing other drugs in our society."

It always amazes me when pharmacists make pronouncements as if they are credentialed medical and drug abuse researchers, but then again they get so many nice notepads, pens and who knows what else from pharmaceutical company reps that they get confused about their role in medicine. I wonder if Rep. Heaton realizes that alcohol is actually the number one gateway drug, or that the highest growth rates in addictions these days come from illegal use of already available prescription drugs. Of course I wouldn't doubt that Heaton is among the wrong-headed puritans who want to keep adequate supplies of much needed prescription painkillers out of the hands of sufferers because some kid might get a hold of some and get high. Such are the medieval attitudes of many in the fight against pain relief being provided by anything that could be abused anywhere on the planet at some point in time. Let's punish the law abiding citizens because lawbreakers, as always, are part of the human population.

The proposal would have allowed the use of marijuana for pain or other symptoms of debilitating illnesses such as cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, HIV-AIDS and certain spinal-cord injuries.

No, we can't have that. Instead, people suffering from such serious maladies will have to content themselves with "legal" substances that don't work as well. Or, of course, they can grow their own or have a friend purchase an "illegal" supply of marijuana, found anywhere in America as easily as one can locate a junk food outlet. The main thing is that people like Heaton can portray themselves as "tough on crime" and "tough on drugs," thus providing them with a couple useful campaign slogans that always seem to go over well in an era of soundbites and knee jerks.

To their credit, 7 Republicans voted for the bill, proving themselves more enlightened and informed that 15 members of the Democratic Party.  You remember the Democratic Party, don't you? At one time it was known for its dedication to forward thinking, just and open-minded legislating. Now, however, the Dem Speaker of the House, Ben Lujan, voted to kill the bill while House Republican Whip, Dan Foley of Roswell, voted for the bill, saying:

"If it offers one person ... the pain relief or the help they need, who are we in this body to say no?"

And Patty Jennings, the spouse of Sen. Tim Jennings (D-Roswell), had this to say:

"This is a matter of compassion. It's a very personal matter." She is battling cancer and taking morphine, which she said is much more powerful and dangerous than marijuana would be. "People who are not there don't always understand that we're asking ... to have all the options available to us."

According to MedicalMarijuanaProCon.org, 11 states have enacted laws that legalized medical marijuana, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. In polling in the U.S., about 70-80 percent typically support the legalization of medical marijuana. I guess someone should tell our "representatives."

Here's a partial vote tally from today's Albuquerque Journal although, for some reason, they don't have it online:

Republicans Voting YES on Medical Marijuana Bill
Dan Foley, Roswell
Justine Fox-Young, Albuquerque
Keith Gardner, Roswell
Kathy McCoy, Cedar Crest
Brian Moore, Clayton
W. D. "Dub" Williams, Glencoe
Eric Youngberg, Corrales

Democrats Voting NO on Medical Marijuana Bill
Andrew Barreras, Tome
Ernest Chavez, Albuquerque
Mary Helen Garcia, Las Cruces
Thomas Garcia, Las Cruces
John Heaton, Carlsbad
Manuel Herrera, Bayard
Dona Irwin, Deming
Rhonda King, Stanley
Ben Lujan, Santa Fe
Patricia Lundstrom, Gallup
James Roger Madalena, Jemez Pueblo
Andy Nunez, Hatch
Debbie Rodella, Ohkay Owingeh
Nick Salazar, Ohkay Owingeh
Richard Vigil, Ribera

Democrats Not Voting
George Hanosh, Grants