Mitt Romney: Not A Fan Of Medical Marijuana, Prefers “Alternatives”

On Saturday (10/6/07), while at a campaign stop in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney was confronted about Medical Marijuana by a current user who suffers from muscular dystrophy. Clayton Holton, who is confined to a wheelchair, claims that he and his doctors believe that he demonstrates some of the advantages of medicinal marijuana. The exchange between Romney and Mr. Holton is as follows [video]:

HOLTON: My question for you is will you arrest me or my doctors if I get medical marijuana.

ROMNEY: I am not in favor of medical marijuana being legal in the country.

HOLTON: Excuse me, will you please answer my question?

ROMNEY: I think I have. I am not in favor of legalizing medical marijuana.

Romney instead would prefer that Holton (and others who seek medical marijuana) use alternative pain medication or “synthetic marijuana.” Mitt Romney’s past position on medical marijuana seems somewhat consistent with his view here; although, it’s worth nothing that there is a serious lack of information about Romney’s position on the issue. The only related piece of information that I was able to dig up is that UMass is one of only two universities that are legally allowed to produce high potency marijuana for medical testing. The license was granted to them back in 2003. Romney did not oppose this research, but he did not actively condone it either. So take that for what you will…

In terms of medical marijuana in a more general sense, here are some of his rivals’ position on the issue…

• Rudy Giuliani: Opposes medical marijuana. He believes that it is a back door way of legalizing recreational use of marijuana. He also does not believe that there are any medical benefits to marijuana.
• John McCain: Opposes medical marijuana. He believes that it’s a gateway drug.
• Tom Tancredo: Supports a state’s right to enact a medical marijuana law.
• Ron Paul: Supports medical marijuana (as well as legalizing recreational use of marijuana).
• Duncan Hunter: Opposes medical marijuana
• Sam Brownback: Opposes medical marijuana. Does not believe that it has any use as a pain medication or for any medicinal purpose.
• Mike Huckabee: Opposes medical marijuana. Does not believe that it has any medicinal use.
• Fred Thompson: Seems to oppose medical marijuana, but may be open to the possibility (assuming of course, it would help his momma). Here’s his most recent quote on the issue:

“Well, you’ve got federal drug laws. We have federal drugs laws in this country that are involved. I’ll tell you what my heart says about this. I would think that surely, in the era that we live in, and things that are helping my 87-year-old momma, things that are helping so many of us, and the revolution that we have seen in terms of medicine in this country, that marijuana would not be the only thing that’s going to relieve the pain and suffering for these people. That there would be other things that we could turn to first. Now if somebody can convince me that’s the only thing that will keep someone from undergoing that kind of suffering, I’ll have to take a new look at it, but that’s the way I approach it until you educate me further.”

I don’t think this issue will matter much overall in the election, but responding to an infirmed persona in a way that seems unkind or insensitive could have political effects. Accordingly, if you’re opposed to medical marijuana either avoid contact with anyone that potentially looks like they use it or be prepared to give a heartfelt answer explaining your position in a way that does not make you seem cruel. In all, I’d say Romney avoided a fuss over his response, but I think it could have been better, especially given his experience with multiple sclerosis through his wife.

Related at 2008Central.net:

• Rudy Giuliani Speaks Out Against Medical Marijuana While Campaigning In New Hampshire (07/10/2007)

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Rudy Giuliani Speaks Out Against Medical Marijuana While Campaigning In New Hampshire

From the Associated Press:

Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday that people who want to legalize marijuana for medical purposes really just want to make the drug available to everyone.

“I believe the effort to try and make marijuana available for medical uses is really a way to legalize it. There’s no reason for it,” the former New York mayor said during a town hall-style meeting at New Hampshire Technical Institute.

He also said there are better alternatives.

“You can accomplish everything you want to accomplish with things other than marijuana, probably better. There are pain medications much superior to marijuana.  We’d be much better off telling people the truth. Marijuana adds nothing to the array of legal medications and prescription medications that are available for pain relief.”

I’m not a scientist, but I do know that there have been studies that support and don’t support the medicinal uses of marijuana.  Point being: how was Rudy Giuliani able to make such a clear statement about a scientific issue that isn’t even resolved yet?

Some studies… Read more

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Press Released: July 2-9

Press Released will cover press releases over the past week that may have gotten overlooked in the media cycle. It’s not meant to be complete, but should be comprehensive including any release relating to national politics. Any release that is calendar related, not of national concern, or previously blogged about will not be covered here.

This week, we’re also excluding financial report press releases; we’re going to include them in our reports of the detailed financial results we post later in the week.

Duncan Hunter

Hunter called for Bush to pardon Ramos and Compean in light of the Libby commutation.

John McCain

McCain released a transcript of a conference call his senior strategist, John Weaver, had on Monday.

McCain’s statement on July 4.

Text of the address McCain gave to troops in Iraq on July 4.

Mitt Romney

Romney received a newspaper endorsement in Florida, and announced women and veteran support groups in New Hampshire.

Romney commented on July 4.

Romney also commented on Independence Day in Venezuela.

Romney issued a release of his comments he gave to the Young Republican convention tonight.

Ron Paul

Paul touted his win in a straw poll of the Coalition for New Hampshire Taxpayers.

Paul’s campaign was the first to offer their site on the iphone.

Rudy Giuliani

Giuliani picked up an endorsement in South Carolina, and staff additions in South Carolina, North Dakota, and Connecticut.

Excerpts from Giuliani’s remarks this weekend in Georgia and Florida.

Sam Brownback

Brownback won a straw poll in Iowa’s Black Hawk county.

Tom Tancredo

Tancredo launched an Iowa Idol talent search. Whatever to get attention, I guess.

Tancredo also called for pardsons for Ramos and Compean in the wake of the Libby commutation.

Barack Obama

Obama reiterated his stance against the SCOTUS diversity ruling.

Bill Richardson

Richardson took July 4th as an opportunity to declare energy independence.

Christopher Dodd

Dodd broadcast the performance by Paul Simon this week on his website, which now features D-TV.

Dennis Kucinich

Kucinich addressed the Steelworkers Union in Cleveland.

Kucinich also issued a statement on July 4.

Hillary Clinton

Clinton received endorsements in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Nevada.

Clinton launched a social networking page in Spanish.

Joe Biden

Biden received three endorsements in Iowa and five in New Hampshire.

Aside from his initial statement on Libby, Biden issued another statement on Libby as well.

Biden called on the Pentagon to build MRAPS (SUVs with a greater capability of withstanding IED attacks) faster than is scheduled.

John Edwards

Edwards called for a substantial increase in the minimum wage this week.

Edwards issued a statement on July 4.

Edwards received a number of endorsements in Ohio.

Mike Gravel

Gravel called for the war on drugs to be ended.

Mike Bloomberg

Bloomberg touted the record number of affordable housing units available in New York City.

Technical note: all language I use to describe a release is what the candidate uses or what I judge to be the most accurate way of describing the candidate’s position; e.g., if a candidate calls global warming the ‘climate crisis’ I will use that; if they call it ‘alleged global warming’ I will do the same.

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Press Released: Week of June 24 - July 1

Press Released will cover press releases over the past week that may have gotten overlooked in the media cycle. It’s not meant to be complete, but should be comprehensive including any release relating to national politics. Calendar press releases will not be covered.

Barack Obama

Obama and Sen. Lugar are co-sponsoring an initiative on non-proliferation.

Obama issued a statement on the failed immigration legislation.

Obama issued a statement on the Senate resolution regarding Zimbabwe.

The veterans affairs apprpriations legislation contains elements Obama proposed.

Obama issued a statement on the Employee Free Choice Act.

Obama commented on the Middle Eastern summit earlier this week.

Obama issued a statement on stalled ethics reform.

Obama issued a statement on VP Cheney.

Bill Richardson

Richardson issued a statement regarding his support in the Latino community.

Richardson issued a statement regarding theunrest in Iran and how it ought affect American policy.

Richardson issued a statement by Refugees International on Darfur.

Richardson added staff in New Hampshire.

Richardson issued a statement on the immigration bill.

Richardson gave a speech to the Center for National Policy on his vision for foreign policy.

Richardson issued a press release touting that he had broken into the top tier.

Richardson issued a release regarding the veto threat by Pres. Bush regarding the registry in the DC apprpriations bill that would include same-sex couples.

Richardson touted his A grade from New Mexico conservation voters.

Christopher Dodd

Dodd defended the Family and Medical Leave Act he wrote in a letter to Sec. Chao.

Dodd commended the 2007 Presidential scholars for taking a stand against torture.

Dodd issued a statement on the veto threat of Pres. Bush over a registry in DC that would include same-sex couples.

Dodd issued a statement on the SCOTUS diversity ruling.

Dodd’s Youtube spotlight generated significant attention.

Dennis Kucinich

Kucinich appeared on the Late Show, and posted video on his website.

Michael Moore endorsed Kucinich’s health care plan.

Kucinich touted his record of voting in the House.

Kucinich told the US Conference of Mayors that cities have been pushed aside and it is time to make them the ‘heart of America.’

Hillary Clinton

Clinton received endorsements from a Hispanic group; also she received endorsements in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, California (1, 2), Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Florida.

Clinton is focusing on fixing student loans.

Clinton announced a group of LGBT supporters.

Clinton’s statement on the SCOTUS desegregation case.

Text of the keynote address Clinton gave this week at the Center for a New American Security. Worth a read for her view on foreign policy.

Clinton issued a comment regarding the hearing on air quality on 9/11.

Clinton is co-sponsoring a bill aimed at saving the bee population in America.

Clinton issued a statement on the detention of Iranian-Americans in Iran.

Clinton met with leaders from the Northern Ireland government.

A health IT bill received committee approval in the Senate; a patent bill Clinton is co-sponsoring did the same.

Clinton issued a statement about a Senate bill to support democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe.

Clinton issued a statement regarding the immigration bill.

Joe Biden

Biden issued a statement regarding the SCOTUS school diversity ruling.

Resolution sponsored by Biden that would pay for US dues to UN peacekeeping operations passed committee.

Biden introduced legislation that would create a legal distinction between crack and powder cocaine. He said the Hatch proposal would not go far enough.

Biden issued a statement regarding the Employee Free Choice Act.

Biden introduced legislation to preserve the Underground Railroad.

Biden’s proposal for Iraq continues to gain support.

John Edwards

Edwards launched his first ad in New Hampshire.

Edwards commented on the failure of the Employee Free Choice Act in the Senate.

Edwards held house parties across the country this week.

Edwards received endorsements from African-American and Latino leaders.

Edwards is expanding his operations in New Hampshire.

Edwards issued statements on the direction of the Supreme Court in general, and one specifically about the school diversity decision.

Duncan Hunter

Hunter issued a statement on the immigration bill, after earlier in the week saying that a vote for it would be a vote for amnesty.

Jim Gilmore

Gilmore issued a statement on the immigration bill.

Gilmore issued a statement regarding Sen. Lugar saying it was time to withdraw from Iraq.

John McCain

McCain issued a statement on the Employee Free Choice Act.

McCain issued a statement on the failed immigration bill.

McCain issued a press release about a bill he is sponsoring which would solidify the repeal of the fairness doctrine.

McCain announced endorsements and campaign additions in New Hampshire (1, 2, and 3), Iowa, and South Carolina.

Mike Huckabee

Huckabee is putting the audio of his blogger conference call on his website.

Mitt Romney

Romney issued a statement on the Senate immigration vote.

Romney announced endorsements in Michigan and Washington.

Romney’s campaign called to solicit support this week.

Ron Paul

Paul wrote an article about the stem cell debate missing the point, it should be about the rights of taxpayers, and nothing else.

Paul held a big event in Iowa opposite the presidential forum, and drew more people than the entire forum.

Paul wrote that he was happy the immigration bill failed in the Senate.

Paul’s website is the most popular among all Repulican websites.

The Paul campaign is raising money to pay for their new national headquarters in Arlington.

Rudy Giuliani

Giuliani announced endorsements and campaign additions in California, South Carolina, Florida, and Iowa.

Giuliani issued a statement on the Senate immigration vote.

Giuliani issued a statement regarding the ending term of PM Tony Blair.

Sam Brownback

Brownback criticized Romney’s change in stances on agriculture; with Brownback voting multiple ways on the immigration bill, as I have noted, it seems this might backfire if Brownback is not careful.

Brownback issued a release touting his book, which will be released this week.

Brownback wrote a letter to the White House calling on Pres. Bush to intensify the fight against Islamic extremism.

Brownback commented on his votes on appropriations bills, including some earmarks he proposed for Kansas, and his vote against the foreign aid bill “due to its funding of programs which weaken pro-life policy.”

Tom Tancredo

Tancredo issued a press release celebrating the failure of the immigration bill; he had issued a press release earlier in the week that criticized the Senate for bringing the bill up for debate. Additionally, Tancredo is going to send produce to Sec. Chertoff for suggesting that the failure of the bill is causing food shortages.

Tancredo later in the week called for Ron Paul to be included in the Iowa presidential forum.

Tommy Thompson

Thompson won the Linn County straw poll. I am having difficulty finding details on how many participated in the poll. Here are the percentage results.

Mike Bloomberg

Bloomberg issued a press release about the bond rating for the city and how it is ‘highest rating the City has ever achieved’ and also touts his fiscal management. Possibly innocuous, but with rumors of him running and with his predecessor running, it reads like it might mean something more.

Bloomberg gave a speech about the improving NYC schools.

Mayors against Illegal Guns, the group led by Bloomberg, hailed the removal of the Tiar amendment in the Appropriations bill, saying:

The Tiahrt Amendment, a version of which has been inserted into the Department of Justice appropriations bill each year since Fiscal Year 2003, places broad restrictions on the use of information the ATF collects on guns used in crimes, called trace data. The Tiahrt Amendment also prevents local governments and police from accessing federal crime gun trace data from areas outside their immediate geographic jurisdiction; prevents cities from use of trace data in state and local civil enforcement actions, including gun license revocations; and prevents the ATF from publishing reports that use crime gun trace data to analyze nationwide gun trafficking patterns.

Technical note: all language I use to describe a release is what the candidate uses or what I judge to be the most accurate way of describing the candidate’s position; e.g., if a candidate calls global warming the ‘climate crisis’ I will use that; if they call it ‘alleged global warming’ I will do the same.

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YouTubed: Monday, April 2

McCain displays some more of that previously discussed hostility towards the medial (although, in all fairness to Sen. McCain, he was talking to Wolf Blitzer)…

Flashback 2002: Tancredo being questioned about allegedly using undocumented workers to do construction in his basement and then later reporting them to the INS after reading a news article revealing the fact that the workers were undocumented…

Barack Obama on marijuana: “I inhaled frequently…that was the point” (video also contains clips of past candidate responses to this question, which lends itself to a nice comparison)…

Dennis Kucinich briefly befuddling the audience and then scaring them with his closing remarks at the the AFSCME Forum (2/22/07)…

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What Isn’t Bill Richardson Doing?

Bill Richarson has been quite the busy body lately, further highlighting his breakout potential…

• He’s been losing weight and refreshing his look.  I mean, look at the other big names…Obama, Giuliani, Edwards, McCain are all in great shape for their respective age and body types.  I don’t think it should matter, but it does…so Richardson’s weight loss could give him a boost.
• Yesterday, he signed into law two bills that support renewable energy by quadrupling the “use of clean electricty by 2020″ and establish a “Renewable Energy Transmission Authority to help export solar, wind and other renewable energy.”  Needless to say, now that “New Mexico has moved past California and reclaimed the title of the nation’s renewable energy king,” Richardson has some tangible green credentials to add to his already impressive resume.
• Not to be outdone by John Edwards on the poverty issue, Gov. Richardson has been pressuring New Mexico’s legislature to overcome the legal and procedural hurdles currently delaying a law that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $7.50 - “This is enough dillydallying about whether it should be a House bill or a Senate bill, whether it should have indexing or pre-emption.  We need an increase in the minimum wage, and I will press for a vote from the Senate.”
• As the state legislature’s session draws to a close, Richardson is growing impatient and is letting it be known, “We’ve only got a few days to go, and I’m urging very quick action on the ethics package.  I’m urging very quick, strong action on predatory lending. I want that cockfighting bill, I want medical marijuana, I want my tax cuts.”

Also, here’s a quick summary of Richardson’s pending legislation…I strongly recommend checking it out.  With all of this going on in addition to a presidential campaign, I think Richardson should be a little grumpy that he’s not getting more press attention.

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Richardson Back At The UN

Yesterday, Gov. Bill Richardson continued fueling his reputation as an experienced well connected candidate with a trip to the UN to discuss the Darfur situation with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. I’m still unclear why a presidential candidate from the democratic party would say that the Bush Administration’s policy towards Darfur “is moving in the right direction.”

In other News, Richardson tries to clean up his state’s act before the campaign heats up by supporting a ban on cockfighting (NM is one of only two states where it is legal)…Richardson also made a splash by coming out in favor of medical marijuana, “I continue to support a medical marijuana bill that includes proper safeguards to prevent abuse. I will work with legislators to get it passed this session to provide this option for New Mexicans suffering from debilitating diseases.”

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