California Legislature Passes Employment Rights Bill for Medical Marijuana Patients
This is big news:
Sacramento, CA -- A medical marijuana employment rights bill, which would protect hundreds of thousands of medical marijuana patients in California from employment discrimination, passed the State Senate today. AB2279 had already passed the State Assembly in May, which means the bill now heads to the Governor's desk. Advocates expect the bill to reach Schwarzenegger's desk in the next few weeks.AB2279, introduced in February by Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and co-authored by Assemblymembers Patty Berg (D-Eureka), Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) and Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego), reverses a January California Supreme Court decision in the case Ross v. RagingWire. Support for the bill has been widespread, coming from labor, business, and health groups at the local and national level. [Americans for Safe Access]
Ten years after the passage of Proposition 215, medical marijuana hasn’t lost any support in California. Even the state legislature is standing up for patients' rights, as well it should. How embarrassing this must be for those who claimed that medical marijuana was a threat to public safety. Californians are pleased with their medical marijuana law, despite unwelcome inference by the federal government. It is just beyond dispute at this point that allowing patients with a doctor's recommendation to obtain medical marijuana doesn't cause any significant social problems. We can see with our own eyes that the sky has not fallen.
Now it is up to Governor Schwarzenegger to do the right thing and sign this commonsense bill into law. He's already bowed disgracefully to federal pressure by vetoing a sensible and completely harmless bill to legalize hemp cultivation, so there's good reason to question his judgment. On the other hand, this bill is about the basic employment rights of people treating medical conditions according to the advice of their doctors. A veto would not be well-received by the people of California. Let's hope the Governator knows what's good for himself and his constituents.
This is an easy one. Don't let anyone try to make it complicated.
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redditarnold
Comment posted by consfearacy on Thu, 08/21/2008 - 9:04pm- consfearacy
Mr. Arnold shot `roids and smoked the "weed". It`s video record. The Repubs are towing the drug war line. Expect to hear the issue of Med Marijuana @ repub convention. Negative as usual. Arnold will tow the line. Selfishness has no shame.Watch and see.
My issue
Comment posted by Anonymous on Thu, 08/21/2008 - 10:57pmis with understanding why, with all the support in the state for over a decade, is the state government so completely ball-less when it comes to telling the DEA to take a hike?
Come on Arnold, do the right
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sat, 08/23/2008 - 4:50amCome on Arnold, do the right thing for once.
Patients to work
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sat, 08/23/2008 - 4:58amThey are grateful for the support of the state legislature in preserving the rights of patients to work and be productive members of society.
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maria
Fingers Crossed
Comment posted by Anonymous on Tue, 08/26/2008 - 9:54pmI sure hope that patients' rights could be recognized by the state that allows a safe alternative to prescription monopolies. I work for C.C.I.C. in Goshen, Ca. and many patients I talk to fear loosing their jobs. It seems to be a trade off these days: Quality of life vs. obeying bureaucracy of dated and poorly justified laws.
He has to sign!
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sun, 08/31/2008 - 5:31pmI got laid off not because of the mmj but for the amount of perscribed drugs from the V.A.
I have chemo once a week, neproxine, vicoden, pregnisone, and about a dozen other drugs to keep me alive. fI also deal with chronic pain, and a puff versis 4 to 6 Vicoden a day, is a lot better. The less opiates, less chance of addiction. Even with the extream discount i get from the VA, my cost is over $300.00 a week. $85 in pain med alone for 1 bottle. This will definitly help
Cool medical marijuana debate at Opposing Views
Comment posted by Anonymous on Thu, 08/21/2008 - 7:35pmcan be found here.