[420 Girl]

Last week, a bill was introduced that would allow seriously ill patients to raise a medical defense to charges of possessing marijuana for medical use. It would also protect doctors who make medical marijuana recommendations.

Please contact your state legislators today and ask them to give HB 164 their utmost consideration. This is a modest and compassionate proposal to make sure the seriously ill do not languish in prison for treating their suffering.

The proposed legislative measure HB 164, would allow physicians to make written or oral recommendations that, in the physician's medical opinion, the potential benefits of marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks for a particular patient. If arrested for possession of marijuana, a patient with a recommendation from his or her physician would be able to assert an affirmative defense to charges arising from his or her medical use of marijuana. If a court accepts the affirmative defense, it would mean that a patient could avoid jail time and fines. The bill would not, however, protect patients from the initial arrest.

You can also help support HB 164 by submitting a letter to the editor.

One of the main reasons that medical marijuana is finally an issue being discussed in the Texas Legislature is because no fewer than 13 states have enacted medical marijuana laws, the most recent being Michigan.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project and all of our allies. Please pass this alert on to others in Texas who might be interested in making sure HB 164 receives the attention it deserves this year.

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/in...ced-texas.html