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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!
# 200:
4:20 pm PDT, Jul 11, Lori Burton, Oregon
Science has proven that medicinal use of marijuana IS effective for many health problems. It is time to allow American patients to legally access it!
# 199:
4:20 pm PDT, Jul 11, Yvonne Kravitz, New York
Medical marijuana is an effective drug just as other drugs sold by pharmaceutical companies.
# 198:
4:20 pm PDT, Jul 11, Sandra Rechtsteiner, Florida
I have M.S. and I am in pain 24/7 it never goes away.I have thought to try illegal drugs for my peace of mind.
# 197:
4:19 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, New York
# 196:
4:19 pm PDT, Jul 11, Esther Combs, Vermont
It's the humane thing to do.
# 195:
4:19 pm PDT, Jul 11, Beverly Joy, California
Please have Mercy upon those in pain. Why would anyone want another person to suffer? Work in an emergecy room hospital for a night, work in a Hospice for a 24 hour period, then proclaim pain is good for those suffering? I don't think so.
# 194:
4:19 pm PDT, Jul 11, Marilyn Lavernoich, Virginia
# 193:
4:19 pm PDT, Jul 11, Becky Gregory, Indiana
# 192:
4:19 pm PDT, Jul 11, Terri Schneider, New York
# 191:
4:18 pm PDT, Jul 11, Kerry Barwell, Oregon
Shame on you for denying the safest, non-addictive pain reliever there is!! This kind of ignorance & control needs to stop in the name of those suffering and being denied their medicine, all for GREED
# 190:
4:18 pm PDT, Jul 11, Jack David Marcus, New York
# 189:
4:18 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, New York
# 188:
4:18 pm PDT, Jul 11, Dan Stone, California
It's time for this bill to pass.
# 187:
4:18 pm PDT, Jul 11, Joseph Rattner, Hawaii
This is so important for Public Safety. The Med Mar is law in my State and it works for both sides
# 186:
4:18 pm PDT, Jul 11, Andrea Smith, Oklahoma
# 185:
4:18 pm PDT, Jul 11, Kimba Theurich, California
# 184:
4:17 pm PDT, Jul 11, R. M Brock, Virginia
# 183:
4:17 pm PDT, Jul 11, Betty Heller, Pennsylvania
If they don't know now, me telling them isn't going to make a difference
# 182:
4:17 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, New York
# 181:
4:17 pm PDT, Jul 11, Gregory Olinyk, Connecticut
It's OK for sick people to drink and sedate themselves to death but God forbid we should let them use something natural that has proven to alleviate suffering. Let the sick and dying be. Let them spend their days as pleasantly and painlessly as possible. This is a victimless "crime" that should be viewed as God and their fellow man showing mercy.
# 180:
4:16 pm PDT, Jul 11, Julie Sanford, California
It is just ridiculous that patients could be charged with a crime for using a substance that would help them!! There is no reason why they should not have access to marijuana to provide relief from their medical problems!!!
# 179:
4:16 pm PDT, Jul 11, John Appleman, Ohio
# 178:
4:16 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, Louisiana
# 177:
4:16 pm PDT, Jul 11, Name not displayed, Florida
I have watched to many relatives and friends suffer where this type of med would have worked. I strongly support the use of Marijuana for medicinal purposes.
# 176:
4:16 pm PDT, Jul 11, Linda Becker, Florida
# 175:
4:16 pm PDT, Jul 11, Colleen Budzien, Wisconsin
Why deprive people of medical marijuana if it is the only thing that works?! We have a brain dead idiot in the White House who drank so much booze and snorted so much coke that he has nothing to say. But now thinks he can play "God." Yeah, right.
# 174:
4:15 pm PDT, Jul 11, .....Debbie Hanle, Kentucky
# 173:
4:15 pm PDT, Jul 11, Karen Reyes, California
If you were the patient, wouldn't you like the right to ease your pain?
# 172:
4:15 pm PDT, Jul 11, Sharon Rohm, Pennsylvania
Please vote for any measures it takes to medically treat someone.Unless you wake up day after day in intense pain you can't possibly understand. BUT Thank The Good Lord that you are NOT in daily excruciating pain.
# 171:
4:14 pm PDT, Jul 11, Rosie Williams, Indiana
Stop Gun crime not Health care
# 170:
4:14 pm PDT, Jul 11, Angela Hockman, Massachusetts
# 169:
4:14 pm PDT, Jul 11, Eileen Berkun, California
# 168:
4:14 pm PDT, Jul 11, Catherine Varidel, Georgia
# 167:
4:14 pm PDT, Jul 11, Donna Houpt, Arizona
We know the health benefits medical marijuana provides to ill people. It's seeds, and stems also provide medical benefits to people with joint pain. GOD made this, not man--It is not the right of man to make laws against anything that GOD made. End the needless suffering of millions of people. Legalize medical marijuana.
# 166:
4:13 pm PDT, Jul 11, Stephanie Farkash, Colorado
# 165:
4:13 pm PDT, Jul 11, Cynthia Amoruso, Florida
# 164:
4:13 pm PDT, Jul 11, George Connolly, New York
# 163:
4:13 pm PDT, Jul 11, Susan Hofmann, Kentucky
# 162:
4:13 pm PDT, Jul 11, Peggy Hutchinson, Michigan
# 161:
4:12 pm PDT, Jul 11, Marlene Vandyke, Arizona
# 160:
4:12 pm PDT, Jul 11, Amanda Fritts, Texas
# 159:
4:12 pm PDT, Jul 11, Brianna Frachtman, Florida
# 158:
4:12 pm PDT, Jul 11, Mikaela Cohen, New Mexico
# 157:
4:12 pm PDT, Jul 11, Leslie Piper, Oregon
# 156:
4:12 pm PDT, Jul 11, Connie Martin, Michigan
# 155:
4:12 pm PDT, Jul 11, Doug Scott, Ohio
If this helps these people, so be it.
# 154:
4:12 pm PDT, Jul 11, Patricia I Hall, Washington
I was in 2 car accident almost 3years ago. and i have had to live in great pain. With bad doctor treatment that have mad me worse and not better. I wish I could try weed to see if it would help me without worrie of going to jail.
# 153:
4:11 pm PDT, Jul 11, Holly Sullivan, California
# 152:
4:11 pm PDT, Jul 11, Shelley Simonsen, Oklahoma
Patients should be allowed access to better treatment and healthcare without reprecussions and interference from the Government.
# 151:
4:11 pm PDT, Jul 11, Gary Smith, Pennsylvania
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