Santa Fe, NM: Senators overwhelmingly approved legislation this week to exempt seriously ill patients who use medical marijuana under a physician’s supervision from state criminal prosecution. The Senate voted 34 to 6 in favor of the measure, which now moves to the House.
If passed, Senate Bill 258 would exempt authorized patients from state criminal prosecution for the possession and use of medicinal cannabis. Qualified patients would be issued identification cards by the state Department of Health. The proposal also encourages the health department to develop a “distribution system” for medical cannabis that provides for “licensed cannabis production facilities.”
State Governor Bill Richardson (D) has stated that he will sign the bill.
Similar legislation passed the state Senate last year but stalled in the House.
To date, eleven states – Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington – have enacted laws exempting physician-supervised marijuana patients from arrest and criminal prosecution.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500 or visit:
http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/bills/?bill=8407996