05 R 315

2005 -- S 1158

 Enacted 06/09/05

 

S E N A T E  R E S O L U T I O N

URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA

     

     

     Introduced By: Senators Gibbs, Perry, Blais, Bates, and Roberts

     Date Introduced: June 09, 2005

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Senate on June 7, 2005 passed the Edward O. Hawkins

Act, 2005-S 0710 as amended, legalizing marijuana in this state; and

     WHEREAS, This legislation advances personal freedom, patients' rights and the ability

of the medical profession to practice as it deems fit; and

     WHEREAS, Seventy-two percent of older Americans support legal access to medical

marijuana according to the American Association of Retired Persons and several well-established

polling organizations indicate that seventy percent of American voters support this right, as do a

broad coalition of constituencies including many religious, medical and scientific organizations;

and

     WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court on June 6, 2005, ruled that the federal

government has the constitutional right to arrest medical marijuana users even in states where

medical marijuana is legal; and

     WHEREAS, It is a waste of federal taxpayer dollars for the United States Drug

Enforcement Agency to undermine state medical marijuana laws; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby urges the Congress of the United States to pass the Hinchey-Rohrbacher Medical

Marijuana Amendment to the Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations bill in order to

prevent the federal government from arresting AIDS and cancer patients who use medically

prescribed and state-controlled marijuana in states that allow it; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed

forthwith to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the members of Rhode Island's

Congressional Delegation.

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LC03488

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