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Stewart A. Alexander for President Peace and Freedom Party May 31, 2007 Recently Stewart A. Alexander, a Peace and Freedom Party candidate for president, was a guest speaker at a Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project meeting near Palm Springs, California; Stewart Alexander was invited by MAPP Director Lanny Swerdlow. During his presentation Alexander expressed his continued support for a single payer health care program and his commitment to protect the rights of individuals that are in need of medical marijuana. The MAPP meeting was the first public forum that Alexander addressed, announcing his bid to become the next president of the United States. Attending the meeting were many MAPP supporters and other guest that support the rights of medical marijuana patients. Alexander believes the rights of many patients, in need of medical care that could benefit from the use of medical marijuana, have been denied due to local and state road blocks, and corrupt federal laws that hamper the enforcement of voter approved laws. There are presently 26 states, including the District of Columbia that has laws enabling the use of medical marijuana for medicinal purposes under specific guidelines. In 1996 California voters passed Proposition 215, The Compassionate Use Act of 1996, by a 56 percent margin of voters. Proposition 215 gave medical patients only some of the following benefits: To ensure that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where that medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person’s health would benefit from the use of marijuana in the treatment of cancer, anorexia, Aids, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief. To ensure that patients and their primary caregivers who obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes upon the recommendation of a physician are not subject to criminal prosecution or sanction. To encourage the federal and state governments to implement a plan to provide for the safe and affordable distribution of marijuana to all patients in medical need of marijuana. In September 2003, the California State Legislature passed SB 420. The bill provides patients safeguards for the implementation of Proposition 215. Among many of the provisions of SB 420, this bill provides guidelines to protect patient rights and establishes local and state guidelines for patient use and distribution of marijuana. The use of cannabis, or marijuana, dates back over 4,000 years, before the Greeks, the Romans, and was used as a herb for healing by the early Egyptians and Chinese; and until 1937 marijuana was legal in the United States and was widely used for medical purposes. However in the 1930’s, many special interest groups believed marijuana was too accessible and cut into the profits of the emerging U.S. pharmaceutical industry; therefore its use was made illegal and marijuana was banned in 1937; with the help of a powerful national propaganda campaign. Banning this single drug has created unlimited wealth and trillions for the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Marijuana has been accepted by many scientist and doctors, to aid patients with relief in more than 100 different diseases and ailments including Aids. The prison industry in California, supported by Democratic and Republican politicians, also has spent tens of billions of dollars on the ever loaded prisons. Tens of thousands of these prisoners are being jailed for non-violent, violations of laws such as possession of marijuana or for violation of parole by possession of this drug. Such incarcerations have led to a situation that more money is now spent in California on the prison industry than on education. This is also the growing situation nationally. In San Francisco, Bush() appointed U.S. Attorney Scott Schools is using federal funds to prosecute medical marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal. Ed Rosenthal is now facing a retaliatory prosecution by a U.S. Attorney who has also prosecuted anti-war protesters in South Carolina and who worked under Jesse Helms Jr. in South Carolina. These laws are propagated by politicians who at the same time allow the pharmaceutical companies continued access on national television and the media to push their drugs on the population. This “legal” drug pushing for profit is another example of the twisted priorities and deadly health results of a society based on the needs of making the profits for two powerful industries, the prison industry and pharmaceutical industry, a priority over social needs. Stewart Alexander and the Peace and Freedom Party firmly support the use of medical marijuana and support decriminalizing drugs. Alexander wants to use California Proposition 215 and SB 420 as guidelines for federal legislation that will benefit over 30 million Americans and will reverse 70 years of corrupt laws that have only benefited the greedy capitalist. For more information search the Web for: Stewart A. Alexander for President; Stewart Alexander Addresses Health Care Reform; Alexander: PFP Setting Tone for 2008. www.salt-g.com stewartalexander4paf (at) ca.rr.com www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB6012/index1.html