Medical marijuana bill introduced
Sen. Henry confident she has votes to pass measure this year

By GINGER GIBSON â?¢ The News Journal â?¢ May 28, 2009

DOVER -- Joe Scarborough has survived HIV for 17 years, during which he has also undergone treatment for an aggressive form of cancer. Between chemotherapy and HIV medication, Scarborough was in pain and sometimes couldn't eat.

"When [HIV] medications became available in 1996, the regimes were extremely harsh and very toxic," he said, and he was one of a multitude of patients who turned to marijuana to ease the constant pain and help him stick to the strict schedule for taking his medication -- something he credits for helping him live with the disease so many years.

Scarborough shared his story Wednesday as he stood beside Sen. Margaret Rose Henry as she introduced legislation she said is necessary to improve the quality of life for people suffering long-term health problems and chronic pain. Henry wants Delaware to become the 14th state to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Under Senate Bill 94, residents would be allowed to have up to 6 ounces of marijuana, considered a month's supply, Henry said, and would be issued identification cards to prevent them from being prosecuted for having that amount or less. The state would also license centers to grow and sell marijuana to be sold for medicinal purposes.

Nationwide, efforts like Henry's got a boost last week when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to California's medical marijuana law, allowing the law to stand and the sale of medical marijuana to continue.

Henry said her proposal would not decriminalize marijuana or prevent people who sell or purchase it illegally from being prosecuted.

"The bill calls for setting up compassion centers or centers with the right to grow marijuana," Henry said. "You would not be able to go on the street corner and buy. We're not talking about heroin or the drugs we see on street corners."

The legislation gives the Department of Health and Social Services 120 days after its passage to establish rules and regulations to oversee the issuance of ID cards and licenses to sell marijuana. Henry said the regulations would model other states that allow medical marijuana as a treatment option for residents.

Henry compared the legislation to the needle-exchange program she initiated in 2006 to allow drug users to exchange used needles for new ones to prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV.


When she filed that bill, she said, many people worried it would increase drug use and violence. But, she said, it's had the opposite effect, helping people who exchange needles to also learn about treatment programs to get off drugs.

She hopes S.B. 94 will help those who need marijuana to overcome pain and discomfort to stop participating in the underground trade and reduce demand for illegal substances.

The legislation is co-sponsored by Rep. Hazel Plant, D-Wilmington North, and also lists Sens. Karen Peterson, D-Stanton, Robert Venables, D-Laurel, and Liane Sorenson, R-Hockessin.

"I want to thank them for being brave enough to join me on this journey," Henry said of the co-sponsors, "because any time you do something something that is new or innovative in a state, some times it takes people with courage."

Henry said while several people expressed apprehension about having their names listed as co-sponsors, she has spoken with several members of her caucus and believes she has the support to get the legislation passed this year.

Joe Rogalsky, spokesman for Gov. Jack Markell, said the governor is still studying the issue of legalizing medical marijuana and does not yet have a position on the bill.
Galaxy Reviewed by Galaxy on . DE - Medical marijuana bill introduced Medical marijuana bill introduced Sen. Henry confident she has votes to pass measure this year By GINGER GIBSON â?¢ The News Journal â?¢ May 28, 2009 DOVER -- Joe Scarborough has survived HIV for 17 years, during which he has also undergone treatment for an aggressive form of cancer. Between chemotherapy and HIV medication, Scarborough was in pain and sometimes couldn't eat. "When medications became available in 1996, the regimes were extremely harsh and very toxic," he said, and Rating: 5