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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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US AZ: Language Of Pot Initiative Argued
ccguide Friday 14 Jul 2000 Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 Source: Arizona Republic (AZ) Copyright: 2000 The Arizona Republic Contact: Address: 200 E. Van Buren St., Phoenix, AZ 85004 Website: http://www.arizonarepublic.com/ Author: Robbie Sherwood LANGUAGE OF POT INITIATIVE ARGUED The backer of an initiative to legalize medical marijuana said it will be the fault of a legislative panel, not his, if the proposition also grants legal immunity to people who sell drugs to children. Michael Walz, chairman of Plants are Medicine, admits that Proposition 201 is poorly worded and contains a loophole protecting prescribed pot uses from other drug prosecutions. But on Wednesday he argued against including an explanation of the loophole in a voters guide. As written, the initiative would exclude anybody with a valid prescription for marijuana from prosecution on a variety of drug offenses, including selling heroin. "You are allowing some people to legally sell heroin to children," Walz told members of the Legislative Council, who approves final wording for the voters guide. "It's the judge who decides in a criminal court what this initiative means." Lawmakers on the bipartisan panel scoffed at Walz's claim, and reminded him that it is his initiative that will become law and not their explanation. "Don't say I am responsible for this; you brought forth the initiative," said Sen. Rusty Bowers, R-Mesa. "We just try to explain it." Proposition 201 is designed to implement a 1996 voter-approved initiative to allow doctors to prescribe otherwise illegal drugs to seriously and terminally ill patients. After the flaw in the initiative's wording was discovered earlier this year, several backers pulled out of the campaign. Walz, an attorney who almost exclusively defends people accused of marijuana offenses, has persisted. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek
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