Medical Marijuana Remains an Important Issue to New Mexicans

Taos community members will gather at a forum on Saturday, April 15, to hear Dr. Robert Melamede, a cannabinoid research expert, talk about medical marijuana and the science behind it. Medical marijuana patients and Reena Szczepanski of the Drug Policy Alliance also will be on hand to provide additional insight on this issue and its importance to New Mexicans. The forum, which runs from 3-5 p.m., will be held at The Stables Gallery at Taos Center for the Arts (133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte).

Earlier this year, legislation that would have granted seriously ill and dying patients in New Mexico legal access to medical marijuana was placed on the legislative agenda by Governor Bill Richardson, who stated, “After speaking with many seriously ill New Mexicans, I have decided to include this bill on my call. This issue is too important and there are too many New Mexicans suffering to delay this issue any further.”

The bill sailed through the New Mexico Senate on a final vote of 34-6, supported by the majority of Democrats and Republicans. However, during its first House hearing in the House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee, a committee member stated that the bill had been sent there to kill it, and the bill was tabled by a one-vote margin. Ultimately, the bill made it one step further and passed the House Judiciary Committee 7-3, but never received a House floor vote. In 2005 the bill was also stopped at the same point in the legislative process, falling victim to a conflict with an unrelated bill.

Taos Event: Medical Marijuana Forum

Who: Dr. Robert Melamede of UC-Colorado Springs medical marijuana research expert; Reena Szczepanski, Director of Drug Policy Alliance New Mexico and patient advocates including Erin Armstrong. Find out how medical marijuana works, prospects for safe and legal access in New Mexico, and why this issue is so important.

When: Saturday, April 15, 3-5 PM

Where: The Stables Gallery at Taos Center for the Arts, 133 Paseo del Pueblo Norte

For more information call 505-983-3277