[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 87 (Thursday, June 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SCIENCE, STATE, JUSTICE, COMMERCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS 
                               ACT, 2007

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                               speech of

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 28, 2006

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5672) making 
     appropriations for Science, the Departments of State, 
     Justice, and Commerce, and related agencies for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2007, and for other purposes:

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Chairman, June 28, 2006, I voted in favor of 
the Hinchey amendment to H.R. 5672, the FY 2007 Science, State, 
Justice, and Commerce Appropriations Act.
  Eleven states have passed laws to allow the use of medical marijuana. 
This amendment would prohibit federal funds from being used to prevent 
the states of Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, 
Rhode Island, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, or Washington from implementing 
state laws authorizing a physician to prescribe the use of medical 
marijuana for their patients in those states. I voted for this 
amendment because I do not believe that the federal government should 
be preempting state medical laws approved by either the state 
legislature or voter referendum.
  I served as Johnson County District Attorney for 12 years. I do not 
believe in the legalization of drugs. But this amendment has to do with 
compassion for people who are suffering from horrible pain or may be 
dying, and the ability of doctors in states in which those people live 
to provide means by which their suffering can be relieved.
  Medical marijuana may alleviate suffering from debilitating diseases 
such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. Some contend it 
has no medicinal value whatsoever. Regardless of one's opinions within 
this debate, the federal government should not be spending our limited 
funding for law enforcement to target American citizens in states where 
the voters or the legislature have passed laws allowing for the use of 
medical marijuana. To be clear, this amendment would do nothing to 
legalize marijuana use for any purpose in states, such as Kansas, where 
voters or the legislature have not approved measures to allow marijuana 
for medical use.
  Under the provisions of this amendment, patients in states that have 
enacted laws to allow the use of medical marijuana would be prescribed 
the medication under the direction and careful supervision of their 
physician. Patients would not be permitted to use this medication for 
any other purpose.

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