The June 24 edition of The Event NewsWeekly
featured a story about the casualties of Utah’s drug war. The story
mentioned Hempower Utah, a grass-roots organization fighting to
legalize marijuana for medical purposes. The issue was one of The
Event NewsWeekly’s most popular, and Hempower’s efforts at
collecting signatures for its petition to legalize medical marijuana
have received a considerable boost. Still, the organization faces an
uphill battle. Conservative Utahns grimace at the mention of
legalizing marijuana, even for medical use. The old, negative image of
hippies sucking on a roach still holds sway in the state.
But Hempower has enlisted the assistance of Dr.
Ken Larsen, adjunct research associate professor of medicine at the
University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Larsen writes: “The THC
petition is about restoring some sanity to a world gone mad. It is
about protecting three groups:
1) doctors who prescribe cannabinoids
for proven medical conditions,
2) patients with prescriptions for the
use of cannabinoids, and
3) suppliers of cannabinoids who supply only
to patients with prescriptions. It is not about making cannabis legal
for non-medical purposes.”
The Hempower petition contains a portion of text
to be amended to the Utah State Code. If the amendment makes it to the
2002 ballot, the group’s target date, and passes (stranger things
have happened, but waiting with bated breath may be hazardous), the
amendment would read:
1. Any previous law notwithstanding, licensed
medical practitioners with authority to issue pharmaceutical
prescriptions shall not be prosecuted for issuing prescriptions for
tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) or any other cannabinoid or
cannabinoid-containing substance for medical use.
2. Any previous law notwithstanding, persons
with current medical prescriptions from a licensed medical
practitioner for THC or any other cannabinoid or
cannabinoid-containing substance for medical use, shall not be
prosecuted for possession or personal use of any amount of THC or
other cannabinoid or cannabinoid-containing substance.
3. Any previous law notwithstanding, no person
shall be prosecuted for producing, possessing or distributing solely
to persons with current medical prescriptions for the same, any
amount of THC or other cannabinoid or cannabinoid-containing
substance.