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veggie
Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
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Medical Pot Ban Sought for Parolees [MT]
#7829508 - 01/03/08 08:46 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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Medical Pot Ban Sought for Parolees January 3, 2008 - Associated Press
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana's Department of Corrections is facing stiff resistance to a proposal to prohibit all people on parole or probation from obtaining medical marijuana.
At a rules hearing Thursday, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana called the proposed ban "flawed in nearly every aspect."
"It's almost as if the Department of Corrections is trying to obliquely regulate medical marijuana," Elizabeth Griffing said. "This is just an overreaching of your authority and jurisdiction."
Montana voters legalized medical marijuana in 2004, and the agency can't unilaterally change state law, advocates argue.
The proposal would also prohibit those on parole or probation from gambling or using alcohol. Sentencing judges already can ban convicts from drinking, gambling or almost anything else if they find a connection between the activity and the crime, Griffing said.
But the agency says it needs to take the extra step of banning certain behavior.
"The proposed rule changes are reasonable, we believe," said Ron Alsbury, Probation and Parole Bureau chief.
Alcohol and drug use causes higher recidivism rates, the agency says. Also, medical marijuana laws have created friction with federal authorities who police the drug, and Alsbury cited the federal stance as a factor in adopting the rule.
The parole bureau can change the proposal based on the comments or move ahead as planned. The Legislature can also step in to review the rule before it is adopted.
There are 572 people in Montana registered to receive medical marijuana, according to the state, which does not track how many parolees are on the list.
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robbyberto
Water Boy
Registered: 05/11/06
Posts: 15,502
Loc: Netherlands
Last seen: 1 month, 24 days
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Re: Medical Pot Ban Sought for Parolees [MT] [Re: veggie]
#7829660 - 01/03/08 09:25 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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That is all so ridiculous. Wow. I didn't know parolees were immune to illnesses mediated by marijuana, either.
-------------------- “People say having kids is life changing, well that doesn’t necessarily mean a good thing, does it? I could take one of my legs off. That would change my life.” -Karl Pilkington
Edited by robbyberto (01/03/08 09:27 PM)
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johnm214
Registered: 05/31/07
Posts: 17,582
Loc: Americas
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Re: Medical Pot Ban Sought for Parolees [MT] [Re: veggie]
#7829672 - 01/03/08 09:27 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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The confusing and blurring between medical and legal arenas is a huge problem, imo.
This is still better than federal regulation of medicine, though of course the feds won't recognize m.m. anyways.
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fastfred
Old Hand
Registered: 05/17/04
Posts: 6,899
Loc: Dark side of the moon
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Re: Medical Pot Ban Sought for Parolees [MT] [Re: johnm214]
#7829978 - 01/03/08 10:23 PM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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So somebody who is on probation for smoking mj in the past for medical reasons can now be prevented from using it now that it's legal?
That seems like a double whammy.
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero
Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 1 month, 18 days
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Re: Medical Pot Ban Sought for Parolees [MT] [Re: johnm214]
#7830672 - 01/04/08 03:42 AM (16 years, 2 months ago) |
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> The confusing and blurring between medical and legal arenas is a huge problem, imo.
Confusion is what happens when we try to legislate our moral values.
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
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