Rehnquist backs medical marijuana patients

[sabra]

<<SNIP>>
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/11828295.htm

Rehnquist backs medical marijuana patients

Associated Press


WASHINGTON - Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who is fighting thyroid cancer, disagreed with Monday's Supreme Court ruling that allows federal prosecutions of ill medical marijuana users.

Rehnquist, 80, joined a dissent written by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor that said that states should be allowed to set their own policies for marijuana use.

O'Connor, who has had breast cancer, said that states should decide on their own "the difficult and sensitive question of whether marijuana should be available to relieve severe pain and suffering."

Two court members who have had cancer voted with the Bush administration: John Paul Stevens, who had prostate cancer, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was treated for colon cancer.

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[xultar]

1. Well sure now. He needs it.

[Iowa]

21. I don't give Rehnquist that much credit...

Whenever he comes down on the right side of any issue, it's probably for the wrong reasons. I doubt that it had anything to do with helping sick people, or suddenly seeing the light because he is sick. That would require empathy.

This reminds me of a columnist who made a comment about Rehnquist when he was first appointed; I memorized one of the lines in that column:

"He is undoubtedly very bright, in an academic sort of way, but his brilliance is a cold thing that shimmers without the warmth of wisdom or compassion, and therefore serves no purpose."

That sums up the entire life of this small, self-centered man. The world will be a better place without his presence in it.

[Webster Green]

2. Clarence "Longdong" Thomas dissented as well....

Those three conservatives voted for state's rights.

Its the first time I can agree with Clarence Thomas.

[Fridays Child]

6. How many times has Thomas dissented from Scalia?

This has to be highly unusual, at the very least.

[Mitt Chovick]

10. More often than you think,

and when they do Thomas is right. He's much more the libertarian, while Scalia has a statist streak.

[tx_dem41]

28. Self-delete.

Self-delete.

[kskiska]

18. Thomas always votes on the side of porn, too.

I wonder if he still patronizes that video store where the clerk remembered him.

[lovuian]

3. Its always interesting how things change when you get ill!!!

Your perception changes!!!

[Sandpiper]

9. It usually takes something like this

For a conservative to see the light.

A conservative opposes medicinal marijuana...until they're the one suffering from the miserable pain of cancer.

A conservative opposes abortion...until it's their 15 year old daughter that got knocked up.

A conservative hates lawyers...until they get arrested.


And on the list goes.

[AlGore-08.com]

4. To paraphrase John Stewart...

A Republican who supports science is one who's either gotten sick or knows somebody who has...

[Sandpiper]

5. It's easy to stand on a self-righteous soapbox

When it's not you that's suffering.

I guess Mr. Chief Justice has learned first hand that prattling about the morality of medicinal marijuana is sheer sophistry.

[proud patriot]

7. we need to lobby Congress to change the law

I'm not surprised by Renquist here .

I do find it sad that I believe he wouldn't
of cared so much if he wasn't ill .

[hippiechick]

8. It will only change when Big Pharma figures out how to market it.

Once they figure out how to profit from medicinal marijuana, it'll be thru the FDA so fast we won't even know it happened.

Until then, fuggedaboutit.

[davidinalameda]

12. there's always marinol

or whatever the name of that stuff is--it's basically THC in a pill form

[stevedeshazer]

16. Costs $500 a month to buy from Big Pharma

That's what it's all about. The Hokey-Pokey.

[davidinalameda]

20. and how does that compare to an equal amount of pot?

[stevedeshazer]

22. Factor of ten

[davidinalameda]

23. so you're paying $50 bucks for the equal amount

of pot?

[stevedeshazer]

25. First, I'm not a medical marijuana user

I know people who are.

There is no way that a single sick person could or would need $500 a month or $6,000 a year worth of pot.

Ten percent of that amount would be more than enough.

[0rganism]

11. This could have been the gateway to much nastier things

I dislike using the "slippery slope" argument, but if the SCOTUS set a precedent allowing states to reject federal laws by referendum, then what happens to all the various environmental regulations, consumer protections, and the minimum wage law?

That good people whose crime is illness will suffer additionally because of this is a tragedy. But Stevens' concurrence is accurate; the law must be remedied at the federal level before it can be modified or ignored by the states.

[hippiechick]

14. But the GOP hypes itself as the party of 'states rights' ....

...except for when it isn't in the interest of their agenda.

That's called hypocrisy.

[0rganism]

17. Only Scalia hypocrited on this one

O'Conner, Rehnquist, and Thomas all took the states' rights position. Of course, some may see some irony in Thomas upholding the legal position that made Jim Crow law possible, but at least it is ideologically consistent.

[goclark]

13. Do I see the tide turning or what?

Please tell me they are seeing the light.

[shanti]

15. woops!

it's time for him to go! :sarcasm:

[lumpy]

19. My goodness

they are certainly a cancerous group.

[4_Legs_Good]

24. This is a states' rights issue, pure and simple

It's no surprise that the states' rights justices voted the way they did. Scalia, of course, voted to screw anything moderately liberal, but Thomas, Rhenquist and O'Connor voted more states' rights, while the balance voted Federal rights.

Pretty standard outcome, actually.

david

[The Gunslinger]

26. Confused

I thought Republicans didn't like big government, and wanted states to be able to handle thier own business...not anymore I guess.

[tx_dem41]

29. Why are you confused?

The three judges who voted FOR state's rights (and dissented in this decisions) were Republicans.

Now, if they had felt this way in 2000, the world would be different.

[Massachusetts]

27. DUDES!

"Rehnquist, 80, joined a dissent written by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor that said that states should be allowed to set their own policies for marijuana use."