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
hereby urges the Congress of the
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
Congressional Delegation.
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LC03488
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