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Presidential Candidates Pressed on Marijuana Issue
Granite Staters
Thursday, July 10, 2003
Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana has confronted various candidates
running for the Democratic Party's nomination for opinions on the drug
issue. Some responses:
On July 2, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., told New Hampshire medical marijuana advocate Linda Macia that he was "in favor of" medical marijuana. Ms. Macia said that Sen. Kerry "came right out and said, 'I'm in favor of it.'" Kerry added that he is "in favor of its prescription." This is a positive statement from Sen. Kerry, who is a top contender for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The next day, Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., said that although as president he would not sign legislation that would allow seriously ill people to use marijuana, he would respect and defer to the laws of the individual states.
On July 6, Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., told GSMM that he would "probably" sign legislation to allow seriously ill people to use medical marijuana with their doctors' approval and that he is "sympathetic" on the issue.
Before a national C-SPAN audience, Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., said that as president he would "put together a group of people" to study whether medical marijuana is "important to provide pain relief."
Meanwhile, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean continues to struggle to nail down his own position on medical marijuana. Earlier last week, on June 30, Dean retreated from a previous promise to ask the Food and Drug Administration to report on the evidence regarding marijuana's medical safety and efficacy within 60 days of taking office. Dean stated on his Web site that marijuana should not be treated any differently than other drugs up for FDA approval. As governor, Dean blocked legislation that would have protected patients in Vermont.
GSMM is seeking donations for its work. "Our work in New Hampshire is completely unfunded at this point, so every dollar you give will help us turn up the heat on the presidential candidates," says a spokesperson. "Alternatively, if you do not donate to our
presidential campaign work, MPP will be hard-pressed to maintain our
campaign through the January 27, 2004, New Hampshire primary."
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
2004 Elections
Health Issues
Editor's note:
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