| MANCHESTER, NH - July 3 - After the opening of his New Hampshire campaign headquarters last night, U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) told medical marijuana advocate Linda Macia, who suffers from nerve damage, fibromyalgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and degenerative arthritis, that he favors legal access to medical marijuana for seriously ill patients and a study to determine appropriate federal policy.
"I told him, `Senator, I'm very ill and I've tried taking narcotics and other medications. My body can't tolerate them, or I am allergic.'" Macia said. "`There's nothing they can do for me, there's nothing I can take. I've exhausted all my options. Would you support legislation to allow seriously ill people to have medical marijuana?'
"I was expecting the usual song-and-dance you get from politicians," Macia continued. "But he came right out and said, `I'm in favor of it.' Then he added that he wanted `a full analysis of it -- and some kind of commission dealing with the question of what do we do with it.'
"That's fine, as long as patients don't have to face arrest and jail while they're doing the study, like they do now," Macia continued. "When Aaron Houston followed up, just to make sure, the senator repeated, `I've been in favor of its prescription, its prescription for people. We even passed a bill in Massachusetts to allow that to happen.' I'm glad to know there are at least two presidential candidates who don't want to jail seriously ill patients for simply taking their medicine."
Kerry did not specifically address the U.S. Justice Department's raids on medical marijuana patients and caregivers. Thus far U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio is the only Democratic candidate to explicitly condemn such attacks on seriously ill medical marijuana patients. Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who worked to kill a medical marijuana bill in Vermont last year, has said he favors an FDA study but has refused to protect patients from arrest. In May, U.S. Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) told the San Francisco Chronicle he has no objection to the Justice Department's arresting patients. U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-MO) have previously supported legislation condemning state medical marijuana laws. The rest of the Democratic field has yet to take a position.
Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana is a grassroots coalition of patients and activists. GSMM is organizing during the New Hampshire presidential primary campaign to raise awareness of the need for federal action to protect medical marijuana patients. For further information, please see http://www.GraniteStaters.com
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