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Delaware Senate considers medical marijuana
February 12, 2011
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DOVER, Delaware: On January 25, Delaware Senate Majority Whip Margaret Rose Henry (D) introduced legislation that would legalize medical marijuana in the state. The bill, SB 17, would allow for the distribution of medical marijuana through state-regulated nonprofit centers. Patients would have to obtain an ID card and would be limited to a maximum of 6 ounces in their possession at any given time.
Former talk show host Montel Williams, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, testified to the benefits of medical marijuana before legislators. He stated, “It is time to follow the latest scientific evidence, the personal experience by patients like me and the compassion I believe most people in Delaware feel for some sick people who could use the relief from pain that marijuana can provide.”[1]
In a February 11 editorial, Rep. Nick Manolakos (R) stated, "Senate Bill 17 is not a perfect piece of legislation. I have some concerns about the protocol for establishing dispensaries as well as some other aspects of the measure. However, I don't think we should let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I'm co-sponsoring the bill because I think there is an opportunity to make it even better before it's enacted and because, as a cancer survivor who has endured chemotherapy, I have a personal understanding of the value this option could have for some patients." The bill is also being supported by Delawareans for Medical Marijuana, an organization led by cancer survivor Don Brill.
SB 17 is currently in the Senate Health and Social Services Committee.
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