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Allow Health Care Patients Access to Therapy - Not Time Behind Bars

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: Marijuana Policy Project
For thousands of years, marijuana has reduced symptoms for the seriously ill effectively, and has helped improve their quality of life. Dozens of medical and health organizations endorse or allow patients access to medical marijuana with their physicians’ approval. Marijuana has been used therapeutically to control pain, alleviate nausea and vomiting in cancer patients due to chemotherapy, treat wasting due to HIV/AIDS, combat muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis and more.

To date, 12 states have passed medical marijuana laws. While the laws differ from state to state, they all work to protect patients and caregivers from criminal charges associated with their medicine. 

The bipartisan Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill would stop the U.S. Department of Justice from spending taxpayer money to arrest or prosecute legitimate patients -- and their caregivers -- in states where medical marijuana is legal.

Seriously ill patients have the right to effective therapies. To deny patients access to such a therapy is to deny them dignity and respect as persons.

Urge Congress to pass the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment and allow health care patients the medicine they need!

deadline: 6-25-2008
goal: 20,000
 
17,467
signatures!

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Dear Representative [Last Name],

Please vote for the Hinchey medical marijuana amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill when it comes to the House floor for a vote.

The Hinchey amendment would prohibit the Justice Department -- including the DEA -- from spending funds to interfere with state medical marijuana laws.

Your support for this amendment would be consistent with the views of most Americans. Seventy eight percent of Americans support "making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering." (Gallup poll, 2005)

Since 1996, 12 states have enacted laws to protect patients afflicted with HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and other serious diseases from arrest and prison. In fact, just last month the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), America’s second largest cancer charity and the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education, and patient services, endorsed medical marijuana access. In their June 2007 statement, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society “strongly urge[s] that in a state where patients are permitted to use marijuana medicinally for serious and/or chronic illnesses and a patient's physician has recommended its use in accordance with that state's law and that state’s medical practice standards, the patient should not be subject to federal criminal penalties for such medical use.”

The American Nurses Association has consistently supported protections for patients who use marijuana for medical purposes under their physicians’ supervision. They are joined by many other health care organizations, as well as thousands of doctors and health care professionals who are on record as supporting medical marijuana and opposing the arrest of patients who use medical marijuana.

[Your Comments Here]

I urge you to support the Hinchey amendment. Your vote of support will benefit tens of thousands of patients, and I will be immensely grateful. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
We signed the “Allow Health Care Patients Access to Therapy - Not Time Behind Bars” petition!
# 100:
4:02 pm PDT, Jul 11, Karen Stickney, Maine
because being healthy is more importsnt than criminality.
# 99:
4:02 pm PDT, Jul 11, Christine Snyder, New York
I have a friend who lives with constant pain. Maybe marijuana would help him. I want it available to him.
# 98:
4:02 pm PDT, Jul 11, K Matthews, Georgia
# 97:
4:01 pm PDT, Jul 11, James Vinson, Alabama
# 96:
4:01 pm PDT, Jul 11, Anita Lock, Ohio
# 95:
4:01 pm PDT, Jul 11, Rosin Gonzalez, Connecticut
# 94:
4:01 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, Texas
Marijuana has killed far fewer persons than doctors and pharmeceuticals.
# 93:
4:01 pm PDT, Jul 11, Diana Stein, Massachusetts
If you or I needed this to alleviate pain, we would want it legal and it should be.
# 92:
4:01 pm PDT, Jul 11, Sky Cat, Indiana
# 91:
4:01 pm PDT, Jul 11, Kathleen A Farrell, North Carolina
not having enough to see about medical services Is not a crime
# 90:
4:00 pm PDT, Jul 11, Carolyn Cline, Colorado
# 89:
4:00 pm PDT, Jul 11, William Stratton, California
# 88:
4:00 pm PDT, Jul 11, William Fields, Oregon
# 87:
4:00 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, Washington
Ill people should be able to treat themselves without being arrested.
# 86:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, Byron Pooley, South Dakota
# 85:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, J. A. Cummings, Virginia
# 84:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, Lallon Pond, Virginia
Using available drugs (and not only those pandered to us by Pharma) to help alleviate suffering is not only a legitimate use of resources, but a total waste if not used productively.
# 83:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, Suzanne Handel, New York
# 82:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, Michael Alden Connolly, Massachusetts
# 81:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, Jonathan Mitchell, Alabama
There is no logical reason--none--that Americans who would benefit from medical marijuana should not have access to it. Please ensure that these men and women are not denied the medicine that eases their pain.
# 80:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, Iowa
# 79:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, Virginia Donnelly, New York
# 78:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, Jane Welch, Maine
Relief of suffering is something no one should be denied. I support legalizing the therapeutic use of marijuana
# 77:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, Darlene Costner, Arizona
Nausea is a terrible feeling and it weakens and dehydrates the person suffering from it. Nothing works as well as Marijuana an ill patient should have the option of using it. It is only humane.
# 76:
3:59 pm PDT, Jul 11, CARRIE STEWART BAKER, California
Please vote to allow marijuana for medicinal purposes to be legal. So many are suffering so needlessly when something as benign as marijuana could be used to ease their suffering. Why put them on narcotics, since they're legal, when they don't help as much and are addicting? The same laws would apply as far as driving under the influence, as with any other drug used for pain. Get the 60's image of hippies smoking pot out of your mind and vote, please, in favor of legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes only.
# 75:
3:58 pm PDT, Jul 11, Priscilla Bennett, Minnesota
# 74:
3:58 pm PDT, Jul 11, Nancy Mims, Texas
# 73:
3:57 pm PDT, Jul 11, Debi Lowe, New Jersey
Patients with medical issues which would be helped by this therapy, particularly those with terminal illnesses, are not criminals. They should have the right to whatever therapy relieves their symptoms/pain.
# 72:
3:57 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, Illinois
# 71:
3:57 pm PDT, Jul 11, Kathryn Burns, Iowa
# 70:
3:57 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, New Mexico
# 69:
3:56 pm PDT, Jul 11, Nikki Everett, Washington
# 68:
3:56 pm PDT, Jul 11, Valerian Alexander, Georgia
# 67:
3:56 pm PDT, Jul 11, Roger Pariseau, California
Please, reason and science over religion, puritanism and inane laws. Bring back that useful plant, hemp, while you're at it! No, I'n not a marijuana user.
# 66:
3:56 pm PDT, Jul 11, Charlie Wesley, New York
Because it is no longer a joke.
# 65:
3:56 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, California
# 64:
3:55 pm PDT, Jul 11, Jeremy Dicken, Michigan
# 63:
3:55 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
If someone you loved was suffering, you would want every possible resource available to relieve their pain and suffering. Let these people have the tools needed to ease their pain.
# 62:
3:54 pm PDT, Jul 11, Nicole Sears, Georgia
# 61:
3:54 pm PDT, Jul 11, Mike Mitchell, Maine
# 60:
3:54 pm PDT, Jul 11, Paul Simmons, Tennessee
Reduction of suffering is not a crime.
# 59:
3:54 pm PDT, Jul 11, Linda Thomas, Wisconsin
# 58:
3:53 pm PDT, Jul 11, Maria DeLuca, Vermont
# 57:
3:52 pm PDT, Jul 11, Donna Tanner, Massachusetts
# 56:
3:52 pm PDT, Jul 11, Jamie Pettus, Oregon
# 55:
3:51 pm PDT, Jul 11, Kristin Nixon, Colorado
# 54:
3:51 pm PDT, Jul 11, Shelley Dinkel, California
# 53:
3:51 pm PDT, Jul 11, Ratka Popovic, California
# 52:
3:50 pm PDT, Jul 11, Dylan French, Oklahoma
# 51:
3:48 pm PDT, Jul 11, Jonathan Manto, New York
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