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Prescription pot The one thing that cools the burning pain in Rhonda O’Donnell’s legs is illegal to use in 38 states, regardless of the purpose.
But O’Donnell, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1994, is free to smoke marijuana in her home state of Rhode Island thanks to her efforts to convince state lawmakers to approve the drug for medicinal use.
“I became the queen of advocacy,” said O’Donnell, who worked as a nurse until her disease forced her to retire.
O’Donnell celebrated the passage of the medical marijuana law by lighting up (she had refused to take the drug until her state said it was legal).
“I only had about two hits and there was an immediate cooling in my legs,” she said.
In addition to Rhode Island, 11 other states now have some type of medical marijuana law.
On Monday and Tuesday, O’Donnell was in Washington to continue her advocacy efforts in favor of a federal medical marijuana bill.
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and others have introduced the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, which prohibits federal anti-drug laws from restricting state medical marijuana efforts. Frank has also authored a bill that would allow for the legal possession of a small amount of pot.
O’Donnell’s trip was sponsored by the Marijuana Policy Project , a group that promotes the decriminalization of pot.
“We believe jail and prison are more harmful than the drug itself,” said Aaron Houston, the chief lobbyist for the project.
Short of a decriminalization bill, Houston’s group also advocates for the protection of state medical marijuana laws.
“If we are going to have a war on marijuana, we need to take at least that issue off of the battlefield,” Houston said. Jim Snyder Nuclear games Companies interested in trading nuclear goods and services with Russia are worried about a bill the Senate Finance Committee is set to consider on Wednesday.
The legislation, sponsored by Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), would tighten sanctions on Iran, but could prevent a U.S. treaty with Russia from moving forward. That’s a problem for General Electric and other members of a coalition led by the National Foreign Trade Council.
Baucus’s bill could prevent enactment of the 123 Agreement, named for a section of the Atomic Energy Act, by prohibiting the transfer of any nuclear goods or services unless the president certifies that Russia has suspended all nuclear assistance to Iran, or that Iran has completely, verifiably and irreversibly dismantled all nuclear enrichment- and reprocessing-related programs.
Bill Reinsch, the trade council’s president, said the coalition he’s leading was surprised by Baucus’s move. He said his members could agree to reporting requirements on nuclear materials, but that tying the agreement to actions by Iran, a non-party to the treaty, was a non-starter.
An aide to Baucus said the bill was necessary because Iran has refused to end its program of enriching uranium for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons.
Reinsch is hoping Congress will take no action. If Congress does not approve a resolution of disapproval on the treaty within 90 days of its presentation, the treaty will go into effect. So far about 20 days have passed.
But there’s a hitch to this plan. If Congress isn’t in session for another 70 legislative days, the treaty cannot go into effect and the issue will be kicked to the next administration and Congress.
Companies are also worried a resolution of approval might move through Congress. That would likely impose tough conditions on the agreement, similar to what is included in the Baucus bill, Reinsch and other lobbyists said.
Ian Swanson
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