A pro-medical marijuana group named Helping End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP), is trying to lobby the Nebraska Board of Pharmacy in hopes of bringing medical marijuana to the ‘Cornhusker State.’ If the Nebraska Board of Pharmacy would endorse such a proposal, a recommendation would be sent to the Nebraska Legislature. However, members of the Nebraska Board of Pharmacy, as well as the Nebraska Judiciary Committee have already voiced opposition to such actions.
“I don’t see any likelihood of that,” said Nebraska State Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha, chairman of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, where a medical-marijuana bill would likely land. “Drugs, in the Omaha area specifically, have created such a huge crisis, I can’t even imagine this (someone introducing a bill to make marijuana use legal). It’s not going to happen, even though an argument can be made for it.” From what I can tell, Brad Ashford is in an election year. I can’t find his opponent’s name, but I would love to give him/her a full endorsement, considering the idiot they would be running against!
“Cannabis would have greatly relieved their pain without side effects,” said Bill Hawkins, a spokesman for H.E.M.P. (Helping End Marijuana Prohibition), the group which sent representatives to the recent licensing board meetings. Hawkins, a Lancaster County organic farmer, also extols the benefits of the hemp plant in general. “The early constitution was written on hemp paper. Columbus sailed over on hemp sails with hemp ropes,” he says.
The Chairman of the Nebraska Board of Pharmacy, Richard Zarek, seems to be willing to bow down to the federal government at the drop of a hat. According to the previously cited article, Mr. Zarek said ‘Under federal law, marijuana is not eligible to be dispensed…It seems it would be premature for us to consider this.” Don’t you hate when elected officials try to pull that BS? People are trying to get the Nebraska Board of Pharmacy to use logical reasoning, and take a rational look at the medicinal value of marijuana, and the process may not even begin because some neo-con is pulling the ‘feds don’t like medical marijuana’ card.
Since Mr. Zarek appears to be slow, I will let him in on a very well known secret — THE FEDS HAVE SAID THAT STATE MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAMS WILL NO LONGER BE PROSECUTED BY THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM. So Mr. Zarek, you don’t have anything to worry about with the feds! If Washington D.C. can have medical marijuana, then so can Nebraska! What weak argument will Richard Zarek cling to next, only time will tell…It is ironic that neo cons like Richard Zarek and Senator Brad Ashford will cling to the federal argument when it comes to marijuana, but I guarantee when it comes to federal legislation on healthcare, or anything else, they are quick to preach state sovereignty. Hypocrites!
