[Mtnorml-list] Support Montana Medical MJ Legislation -- Hearing in Helena, January 29th

[Montana NORML]

Friends:

Next Monday morning, January 29th, at 9 am in Room 137 of the capitol
building, Montana's House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on
House Bill 311.

House Bill 311 would improve the state's medical marijuana program,
making it easier for patients to obtain the medicine they need without
fearing arrest.

PLEASE send letters and emails to committee members this week in support
of House Bill 311.  If you can, come to Helena to attend the hearing
either to testify in support of House Bill 311 or to demonstrate your
support by attendance.

A list of committee members, their email addresses and snail-mail
addresses appears below.

First, a recap of what this legislation does:

HB 311
The bill improves Montana's compassionate medical marijuana program --
currently serving 284 registered patients from 31 counties -- in three ways:

(1)  Adds Nurse Practitioners and Physicians' Assistants -- who already
have the authority to prescribe "traditional" pharmaceuticals.
Currently, the law allows only physicians to sign the recommendation a
patient needs to register with the state health department.  HB
311 would help patients in rural communities, many of whom are served
solely by NPs and PAs for their day-to-day healthcare.  Without the
fine-tuning proposed by HB 311, these patients need to drive long
distances, to see physicians who don't already know them -- in order to
comply with the current law.  The NPs and PAs included in HB 311 already
can prescribe opiates and other drugs, and allowing them to recommend
medical marijuana is no different -- it's a logical extension of the
healthcare services they already provide.

(2)  Creates a "transporter" category of registrant.  HB 311 proposes
that if a registered patient has a registered caregiver who grows the
patient's medicine, that patient can also have one registered
"transporter."  This transporter would then be permitted to possess that
patient's medicine while taking it from the caregiver to the patient.
Currently, medical marijuana is legal under state law when it's at the
caregiver's home, and it is legal when it's at the patient's home -- but
it is illegal in between, when a spouse or relative transports it to the
bedside of a patient too sick to leave home.  This provision of HB 311
would make it possible for a designated transporter to help a registered
patient without having to fear arrest and prison.

(3)  Improves the allowable possession quantities for patients and
caregivers, so that registered patients can have the medicine they need,
when they need it, as Montana voters intended.  Currently, the law
allows registered patients and caregivers to each possess no more than
six plants and one ounce of medical marijuana at a time.  Unfortunately,
this approach makes it difficult if not impossible for registered
patients to maintain a steady supply of the medicine they need to
relieve their suffering.  HB 311 clarifies the law to help patients.
The six-plant limit would apply only to "mature" plants capable of
producing medicine.  And, both patients and caregivers would be allowed
to possess a maximum of 12 ounces at a time.  This is a reasonable
standard.  In fact, HB 311's possession limit equals six weeks-worth of
the medicinal marijuana distributed in the federal Investigational New
Drug program.


HOW YOU CAN HELP...

(1)  Call your legislator at: 1-406-444-4800.  Leave a message for
him/her urging support of HB 311.  The Legislature's message service
will need to know your name and phone number in case your legislator
wants to call you back.

(2)  Write your legislators a short note or letter explaining why you
urge them to support HB 311.  If you don't know their names, let us know
-- we can help -- or call the Legislature's information office at
1-406-444-4800.

Snail mail address:

Honorable (name of legislator)
Montana House of Representatives (or Montana State Senate)
Capitol Station
Helena, Montana 59620

E-mail addresses:

You can find your legislator's personal email address -- if you know
his/her name -- at this website:
http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/60th/roster.asp?HouseID=0&SessionID=91
<http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/60th/roster.asp?HouseID=0&SessionID=91>

Most legislators have email addresses.

(3)  In addition to contacting your personal House and Senate members,
contact members of the House Judiciary Committee, which will hold the
bill's first hearing.  Leave a message at the phone number listed above,
send a note or letter using the snail-mail address listed above, and/or
use the emails listed below (realizing that not all legislators have
time to track all their emails, but they are assured of receiving all
messages and letters).

Members of the House Judiciary Committee:

Rep. Diane Rice, Chair (R-Harrison)... rancher... DRICE at 3RIVERS.NET
<mailto:DRICE at 3RIVERS.NET>
Rep. Ron Stoker, Vice-Chair (R-Darby)... real estate agent...
STOKER at MONTANA.COM <mailto:STOKER at MONTANA.COM>
Rep. David Gallik, Vice-Chair (D-Helena)... attorney...
GALLIK at IN-TCH.COM <mailto:GALLIK at IN-TCH.COM>
Rep. Douglas Cordier, (D-Columbia Falls)... high school guidance
counselor/coach... BCDC at DIGISYS.NET <mailto:BCDC at DIGISYS.NET>
Rep. Robyn Driscoll (D-Billings)... community ed, Billings public
schools... RDRISCOLL at PEOPLEPC.COM <mailto:RDRISCOLL at PEOPLEPC.COM>
Rep. Bob Ebinger (D-Livingston)... filmmaker... BUFFALOJUMP at YCSI.NET
<mailto:BUFFALOJUMP at YCSI.NET>
Rep. George Everett (R-Kalispell)... self-employed...
IXOYE777 at CENTURYTEL.NET <mailto:IXOYE777 at CENTURYTEL.NET>
Rep. Julie French (D-Great Falls)... physical therapy assistant...
JULFRENCH71 at YAHOO.COM <mailto:JULFRENCH71 at YAHOO.COM>
Rep. Rick Jore (Constitution Party-Ronan)... self-employed...
RICKJORE at HOTMAIL.COM <mailto:RICKJORE at HOTMAIL.COM>
Rep. Krayton Kerns (R-Laurel)...veterinarian/rancher...
KRAYTON at KRAYTONKERNS.ORG <mailto:KRAYTON at KRAYTONKERNS.ORG>
Rep. Roger Koopman (R-Bozeman)... owns/operates employment agency...
KOOPMAN at IMT.NET <mailto:KOOPMAN at IMT.NET>
Rep. Deb Kottel (D-Great Falls)... attorney/professor Univ. of Great
Falls... DKOTTEL at UGF.EDU <mailto:DKOTTEL at UGF.EDU>
Rep. Tom McGillvray (R-Billings)... financial services...
tmcgillvray at bresnan.net <mailto:tmcgillvray at bresnan.net>
Rep. Jesse O'Hara (R-Great Falls)... retired h.s. guidance counselor...
(no personal email address)
Rep. Ken Peterson (R-Billings)... attorney... KENNETH59 at BRESNAN.NET
<mailto:KENNETH59 at BRESNAN.NET>
Rep. Holly Raser (D-Missoula)... elementary ed. teacher...
REPRASER98 at BRESNAN.NET <mailto:REPRASER98 at BRESNAN.NET>
Rep. John Ward (R-Helena)... owner/operator septic business...
HD84WARD at WMCONNECT.COM <mailto:HD84WARD at WMCONNECT.COM>


Keep in mind that Montana voters set the still-standing national record
when they passed Initiative 148, the Medical Marijuana Act of 2004, by a
vote of 62% -- a bigger margin than received by the President, the
Governor, and the state's Congressman.  House Bill 311 merely seeks to
fine-tune the law to work as voters intended, so that suffering patients
in need don't have to fear arrest and prison.


FOR MORE INFORMATION...

To learn more about the bill and how you can help, don't hesitate to
email or call me for information.

Thanks,
Tom Daubert

*Daubert Associates*,
Pro Bono Lobbyist for:
Montana Medical Marijuana Patients & Families United
doebare at aol.com <mailto:doebare at aol.com>
406-449-2095