Medical Marijuana Grades: Kucinich, M-B, Clark, Kerry...

[Jerseycoa]

Source: Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana

Candidates Grades

Kucinich: A+
Moseley-Braun: A
Clark: B+
Kerry: B+
Sharpton: B
Dean: C
Lieberman: C
Edwards: D-
Bush: F

Gephardt: B- downgraded to "?"



Source: Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana

Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana (GSMM) announced today that it is giving the Democratic presidential candidates a final deadline. Any candidate who does not unequivocally pledge by January 1, 2004, to stop the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) raids on medical marijuana patients will receive a failing grade in GSMM's voter guide.

"We have been extremely patient with these candidates," said GSMM Campaign Coordinator Aaron Houston. "We've talked to them, educated them, given them reams of information, and adjusted their grades upward when they took even small steps forward, but frankly, it's time to put up or shut up. It's time for them to say clearly whether they will end the Bush administration's war on the sick."

So far, five of the nine Democratic presidential candidates have said they would end the DEA's raids on seriously ill patients who use medical marijuana legally under state law: U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark (D-AR), U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), former Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL), and Rev. Al Sharpton (D-NY). While only five candidates have explicitly pledged to stop the raids, most of the others have made positive but vague statements about medical marijuana at some point along the campaign trail.

[sandnsea]

1. True progressives

I sure wish we'd nominate one since everybody's talking about taking the Democratic Party back towards the left and not electing another compromising centrist.

[JohnKleeb]

2. I am impressed with Kerry and Clark's grade honest

[Jerseycoa]

3. Well, let's face it

Kucinich they are not B-)

[JohnKleeb]

6. Hey a B+ is a B+

:7
Its good to me.

[mitchtv]

8. Don't get me wrong, I like JK

but I thought his position of a kind of' don't ask , don't tell', lack a certain leadership quality. A bit too weasely, giving them the ability to enforce selectively.Still, better than some.

[JohnKleeb]

11. I have my reasons for supporting Kucinich believe me

He has pretty good positions on the issues, and Kerry while not as good is generally solid to me.

[Jerseycoa]

4. Dontcha just know it (eom)

[KA]

5. clinton is what we need

we need a canidate like clinton

[SimpleMan]

7. NORMAL is backing Kucinich

They are sending e-mails to their members, urging them to vote for Kucinich. Unfortunately, the vast majority of voting age pot smokers in this country couldn't care less about politics. I believe that this is an untapped voter base...if only they had a reason to vote. A candidate who made it loud and clear that he would decriminalize weed would give these folks a real reason to register and show up at the polls.

Just my 2¢

[corporatewhore]

9. Smoke the Vote !!!

or in prince georgies case snort the vote!!

[leftbend]

14. I think you may be on to something there

The potential pot smokers vote could be a factor in a close race. I think from my experiences as a counselor that there a lot more pot smokers out there than the politicians realize. And of course attacking the medical marijuana folks is just plain wrong. Boo Asskkkroft, the DEA and the BFEE Grade F---

[goodhue]

10. excellent

DK is ahead of the class as always.

[Mairead]

12. I think Dean would have to be downgraded to '?' at least, if not 'F'

His campaign site no longer makes any mention of mmj or the drugs war. (or certainly no mention that I could find when I looked recently)

[a_lil_wall_fly]

13. Wow......

Dr. Dean should be a lil higher than a C to be a "true progressive" but not a "true liberal" --and since he is a Doctor. I ponder what Dr. Dean ideas are for the state of Oregon's Death with Diginity? as well as the other candidates? Which are truly progressive and who is truly "Bush-like" on the subject!!!!

[loyalsister]

15. I agree with Dean's position

It should be studied more.
Delivery is one important issue. I would question whether the pill form Marinol would be a safer delivery. Inhaling smoke is such a bad way to deliver the drug because it's bad for the lungs and it's impossible to make accurate doses.
You have to be able to monitor the drugs people are taking when they are taking a lot of medications. This requires comparisons of therapuetic doses to measurments of drug levels in blood. This cannot be done with any semblance of accuracy with marijuana. You can measure out the same amount, but the difference will be in how deeply you inhale. There is no room for human error when it comes to interactions between certain drugs, etc.

[George_Bonanza]

16. Haha! Show'em John Kerry!

I still distinctly remember a DU user who will remain unnamed who said that he/she did not support JK because he was "stuffy, uptight... reminds me of my father... would probably tell me to tuck in my shirt..." And there is Kerry, ripping up his Harley smoking weed! LOL!

For a guy as "inside" as Kerry is, it's great that he can even have such lenient drug stances.

[dpbrown]

17. A kick for public financing!

https://www.kucinich.us/contribute.php

The BFEE is the problem - Kucinich is the answer.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota