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Lilli
Cannabis Sacrament Minister
Joined: 12 Dec 2003
Posts: 4218
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 Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2004 6:00 am Post subject: Alliance Stepping Up Efforts for Marijuana Vote |
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Alliance Stepping Up Efforts for Marijuana Vote
Posted by CN Staff on July 28, 2004 at 15:28:59 PT
By Drew Terry, Northwest Arkansas Times
Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
The Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana is planning one last push in an effort to place a medical marijuana proposal on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Arkansas Secretary of State Charlie Daniels announced Tuesday the organization collected 29,947 valid signatures. Proposed Act 1 must contain 64,456 valid signees to be certified for the ballot. The alliance has until Aug. 26 to reach that number. "We think if we’ve got enough perseverance and do enough hard work we can collect these signatures," said Denele Campbell, executive director of the alliance.
"We’re going to try. That’s all we can do. I want to stand here and say we’re confident we’re going to pull this off, but we’re not confident. It’s a lot of hard work."
Campbell has spent the past five years attempting to place the issue on the ballot, and a lack of confidence hasn’t affected her or the group’s determination.
In the past two weeks it raised $10,000, which will go toward paying a firm in Little Rock to collect additional signatures. Canvassing teams spent April through June collecting the initial signatures.
Campbell estimated a repeated effort could attract 15,000-17,000 new endorsements, leaving a volunteer campaign to gather the remaining signatures.
Action packets were sent to the nearly 850 supporters on the alliance’s mailing list, which Campbell said includes people who could become eligible under the proposal, their relatives or friends, and advocates with jobs in health care, counseling and social work. "These are people on the front lines who see the need," she said.
The alliance also is seeking additional donations to hire more people to solicit signatures.
Campbell said she has received several e-mails in the past day from people looking to get involved. She suggested that people wanting to contact the group go to its Web site — http://www.ardpark.org/ "If they don’t want to stand out on a hot street corner and get signatures, they can just send us money and we can pay other people to stand out there," Campbell said.
If passed, the proposal would allow people to use marijuana to alleviate severe pain, nausea, seizures, severe muscle spasms or symptoms associated with ailments such as HIV, AIDS, cancer and glaucoma. "This is about the patients," Campbell said. "They’re facing the end of their lives, facing tremendous suffering. It doesn’t make any sense to keep them from using anything that would make them feel better.
" This is an effort based in compassion. It would improve their quality of life. "
A prospective user would be required to obtain a physician’s recommendation, which would be reviewed by the state health department.
Once the referral is approved, the health department would issue the patient a photo identification and present him or her the rules associated with medical marijuana use.
Patients using marijuana would be able to possess an ounce of prepared marijuana or grow up to six marijuana plants.
If patients are unable physically to administer the marijuana to themselves, a registered caregiver would be allowed to assist them.
A database of authorized patients could be created to allow law enforcement officers to determine who could legally use marijuana.
Similar laws have been enacted in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington to protect sick and dying people, Campbell said, and the alliance is attempting to provide the same rights for people in Arkansas who could benefit from marijuana.
" Everyone seems to feel this is a really important issue, "she said." It’s pretty clear cut that we’re just trying to help sick people here. "
Campbell estimated 100 volunteers each would need to garner 60 signatures a week for the alliance to obtain the necessary amount to send the proposal to a public vote.
If it fails, she said, the alliance will attempt to push a bill through the state legislature in January.
Complete Title: Alliance Stepping Up Efforts for Medical Marijuana Vote
Source: Northwest Arkansas Times (AR)
Author: Drew Terry, Northwest Arkansas Times
Published: Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Copyright: 2004 Community Publishers Inc.
Contact: email@nwarktimes.com
Website: http://www.nwanews.com/times/
Related Articles & Web Site:
ARDPark
http://www.ardpark.org/
Petition on ‘Pot’ Falls Short of Names
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19238.shtml
Group Aims To Put Marijuana on Ballot
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19194.shtml
Campaign To Legalize Medical ‘Pot’ Not Over
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19177.shtml
Ballot Drive for Pot Rx in Arkansas Loses Its Legs
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19165.shtml |
_________________
I pass to you the torch that Christ once passed to me.
Others are still in the dark and need
the light to see.
"I AM"
"Gathering the fragments so that
none are lost"
His Shepherdess
http://missouri.thcministry.org/ |
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Slide
Cannabis Sacrament Minister
Joined: 11 Mar 2004
Posts: 339
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| Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 3:04 am Post subject: |
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I was in Little Rock the past two nights. I had dinner one night with one of my co-workers from there.
We discussed the election among other things.
The long and short of it is I brought up the med pot initiative. I was very pleased when he said he signed the form in support of it. I hope they get the signatures they need. |
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Lilli
Cannabis Sacrament Minister
Joined: 12 Dec 2003
Posts: 4218
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| Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2004 4:04 am Post subject: |
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I do to bro. Lets keep in prayer for all states trying. My state included.
_________________
I pass to you the torch that Christ once passed to me.
Others are still in the dark and need
the light to see.
"I AM"
"Gathering the fragments so that
none are lost"
His Shepherdess
http://missouri.thcministry.org/ |
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