Legislation that would exempt patients who use marijuana medicinally from state criminal penalties gained approval from the House Health Committee this week. Supporters of the measure include Gov. Ben Cayetano and Health Director Bruce Anderson.
Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii President Donald Topping said he was encouraged by the strong show of support. “I am feeling better about the possibility of the legal use of medicinal marijuana in Hawaii than ever before,” he said. “We have the governor’s support, as well as that of many informed and compassionate members of the Legislature. Only law enforcement and the politically driven medical associations stand in the way.”
House Bill 1157 allows patients with a doctor’s recommendation to possess marijuana for medical use. The proposal also allows patients to assert their medical use of marijuana as an affirmative defense to any marijuana-related prosecution. Lawmakers removed provisions requiring patients to enroll in a confidential patient registry, Topping said.
The measure also demands Congress to legalize prescriptive access to marijuana for all Americans. “[We] request the United States Congress and the President to enact appropriate legislation to permit marijuana to be prescribed by physicians and to allow states to develop regulations to ensure a safe, affordable, and controlled supply of marijuana for medical use,” the bill states.
The bill now goes before the House Judiciary Committee where lawmakers must act on it before March 5, 1999. A Senate committee will vote on a pair of similar proposals tomorrow.
For more information, please contact either Donald Topping of The Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii @ (808) 988-4386 or R. Keith Stroup, Esq. of NORML @ (202) 483-5500.