So there is a story in the Buffalo News today that they think Medical Marijuana might become legal in New York State My thoughts are we shall see. I only have one problem with the bill. I think one of the good things is that it moves drugs off the street and into places that are more legit. If you have people who have scripts being able to go get weed from drug dealers it could get complicated. The Other question is would the DEA Honor the fact that places that sell Weed now is legal or would they go after them Federally like they do in CA. in any event here is the article

Approval predicted for medical marijuana
State legislators likely to act this session
By Tom Precious
NEWS ALBANY BUREAU


ALBANY - Long-stalled efforts to permit the medicinal use of marijuana in this state appear to have a good chance of passage before lawmakers end their session in June. It would make New York the 15th state to legalize the drug for medical reasons.

Advocates say they believe the Democratic- controlled Senate and Assembly have the votes to pass legislation permitting qualified patients to grow their own marijuana plants, or obtain the drug on the streets or through a state-sanctioned dispensary.Gov. David A. Paterson also is said to be supportive of the legalization.

"It's looking pretty darn good," Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried, a Manhattan Democrat and Health Committee chairman, said of the bill's chance to become law this session.

The lawmaker, who has sponsored the measure for years, renewed a public push Tuesday, using the cases of two New Yorkers who have turned to marijuana to relieve their chronic pain as evidence of the need for the bill.

"I'm looking for all the help we can get to get this passed," said Joel Peacock, a Buffalo resident and self-described conservative, who turned to the drug in the past to help with severe pain he still feels from a 2001 car accident.

The effort was jump-started by the Obama administration's decision in February to stop raids on marijuana-dispensing centers in California, where medical marijuana is legal. U. S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. signaled that federal prosecution would cease in states that legalize medical marijuana, even though U. S. law bans the drug's use.

The Assembly is considered certain to pass the measure. Advocates are working on the Senate Senate, where control switched in January to Democrats from Republicans.

In 2007, the measure had the backing of a half-dozen Republicans. Supporters say they fear as many as four Democrats, including Sen. William T. Stachowski, D-Lake View, might oppose it. That would require GOP help to get it passed in a chamber where Democrats hold a thin, 32-30 majority. Stachowski could not be reached to comment Tuesday.

Paterson's office said the governor is not taking a stance on the bill, but sources described him as very supportive and said he even offered to introduce his own legislation legalizing medical marijuana.

Proponents say marijuana helps to relieve pain from such diseases as multiple sclerosis and to calm nausea, as well as to aid the appetite of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The measure has the backing of groups representing physicians, nurses and hospices.

The association representing the state's district attorneys has not taken a formal position on the bill, said Daniel Donovan, the Staten Island district attorney and president of the group.

Speaking for himself and not his organization, Donovan, said a number of other drugs - from methadone to oxycondone - have been legalized to help with such things as relieving pain. "I'm not opposed to the idea. I'm open to the idea of seeing studies - and will trust the medical field," he said.

The most vocal opposition comes from the state's small but influential Conservative Party, which helped to kill the 2007 bill in the Republican-led Senate.

"If this passes, this is the beginning of a slippery slope that opens the door to legalize drugs," said Michael R. Long, the party's chairman.

Long said patients have plenty of alternatives to marijuana for pain relief. He claimed a lack of controls to prevent marijuana prescribed for a patient from getting into the hands of the patient's children or from being sold on the streets.

"This is not helpful to our society," Long said.

But Peacock, the subject of a 2007 profile in The Buffalo News, said his pain medications cost him and his insurer $39,000 a year. Pulling a package of painkillers from his pocket Tuesday - which cost $26 a dose - Peacock said marijuana would be both cheaper and more effective.

Peacock, who is enrolled in the Conservative Party, used marijuana during a construction job in Louisiana several years ago and then in Florida. He does not use it now because it is illegal in this state. "It took the pain away. I was absolutely amazed," he said Tuesday at a news conference in Albany.

Joe Gamble, a Liverpool resident, a former Army paratrooper and commercial pilot, turns to marijuana now to relieve his pain from multiple sclerosis. He called for "a little compassion."

"It's not for everybody, but it certainly does work for me," he said.

Backers say this is the first time the Assembly and Senate have had the same versions of medical marijuana bills. They note its Senate sponsor - Sen. Thomas K. Duane, a Manhattan Democrat - is chairman of the Health Committee, which has oversight of the matter.

Duane predicted the bill will pass with Democratic and Republican backing, saying: "This is about compassion. This is about medicine. This is not about politics."

The bill would make marijuana legal for those sanctioned by a physician with a "serious condition," defined as a "severe debilitating or life-threatening condition or a condition associated with or a complication of such a condition or its treatment, including but not limited to inability to tolerate food, nausea, vomiting, dysphoria or pain."

It permits the possession of up to 12 marijuana plants or 2z ounces of marijuana. Those approved for the program can grow the plants from seeds purchased in the illicit drug market or through state-approved dispensing centers. The centers also could dispense marijuana.

The bill calls for the state Health Department to play a role in regulating entities that produce and sell marijuana to eligible patients. Patients that violate the terms of the bill would be subject to stricter penalties than someone now caught possessing marijuana.

Those eligible to legally smoke the drug for medical reasons would be given a card good for a year before requiring new approval by a physician or an approved caregiver. Doctors could not prescribe marijuana for themselves.

Patients deciding to grow their own marijuana must keep it in a locked, enclosed area, such as a greenhouse or closet accessible only to the patient or caregiver. Patients could not smoke the drug in a public place, and no caregiver could be responsible for more than five patients approved for medical marijuana.

The bill allows the state to charge dispensers a fee, and the entities could be anything from a pharmacy to a hospital clinic to a registered marijuana producer. It does not require insurers to cover the treatments.

Critics have said wording that lets eligible patients get the drug on the streets will only encourage the illegal drug trade.

A growing number of states, including Minnesota, Illinois and New Jersey, are considering medical marijuana laws, especially after the Obama administration's policy change on the issue. In November, voters approved the drug's use in Michigan and Massachusetts.

tprecious@buffnews.com

I know some people think that this would and is a first step to make it legal to sell and to Tax it. I think those days are a long way away. There are still so many people who get all upset over that. Not to mention the cotton industry.

First of all Happy 4/20 or should I say 420 for those that partake hope it is a good one. Well I assume that it is the good kind and not the Hitler stuff. I didn't even notice the 4/20 until today.

Last night on Fox they had an episode of Family Guy, that dealt with Weed. It was great it really was. Quigmire (or how ever you spell it) gets a cat. So the guys go over to shave it and Peter kills it and is covered in blood and has the cat it the back seat. So the cops pull them over and could care less about the blood and let them go but then Brian drops some weed and things get very interesting from there. Brian brings up reasons why it should be legal and why it was made illegal. So it winds up hurting this guy who sells cotton or something like that and so Brian in the end sells out his ideas to his book will sell. It was a funny episode Wish I could explain it better.

The thing that is funny is Fox has this going green message during some of their shows, but I don't think they thought of how ironic this is. I also saw a couple of the above the influence ads. I like those. They do make a good point that you need to be your own person and not do things because others do. But see that is kinda tough because a lot of people find out about family guy or some other show through friends and this is true of music and movies also. So it is tough to say that is ok to find out about a band from a buddy and not drugs of course it is still your choice to pick if you like both of those things.

So today I went into Price Rite to buy some food. It was a quick trip just to check the place out. I just wanted to get something to drink and get some frozen stuff. In terms of the frozen stuff the prices seemed very good. The one draw back is I didn't see any of the small sized frozen stuff Like Michellines or what ever it is called. The one thing that is tough to get used to is the buying the bag thing, how do you know how many you need, In my case it wasn't much but oh well. The other thing I didn't like is they only have these big carts. I like a hand basket for a couple of reasons. First of all in a cart you can over buy. For example I need 10 Pot pies not 30 and with a cart you would tend to try and fill it. The other reason why I like the hand thing is that you shouldn't buy more then you can carry. With a shopping cart this is easy to do. With the hand basket once it starts getting heavy you stop. Hopefully soon I will go back and buy more stuff, I want to check out there soups and canned stuff and see what that is like.

So yesterday I went to Go see Crank High Voltage. If you liked the crazy style of the first one then you will love this. I was laughing through some of it and closing my eyes to a bit of the gore. But wide awake for all the nudity, sex and violence. Now the idea in the first one was that he gets this drug that is supposed to kill him in an hour and adderline keeps him alive. There is a scene in witch he has sex with Amy Smart that I think won the award for worst sex scene, well that was an amazing scene but sex wise it was crazy, if you saw the first one you know what I mean. From the previews I knew Amy would be in this movie again. I didn't know how she would be in it but it was funny to me how they brought her in, or at least I thought it was. Now in this new movie as shown in the previews he has Heart taken and he is given a replacement one that is made to last like and hour or something (can't say more with out giving away some plot so I won't) so he has to track it down. The premise here is that every so often he need to shock himself or the box to charge it so the heart keeps going. I don't know if the funny parts where written to be funny. I don't know if these movies are kinda a parradoy. I just think they are a different way to look at action movies and I like it. I will admit that things get a little crazy with the camera work but it was like that in the 1st one to. So if you like crazy violence both fighting and guns, naked chicks, a scene where they used pixels (maybe I shouldn't have said) and to laugh go see it, it is a short wild ride. I think if it where 2 hours it would be to much. I was pumped after seeing it and was pumped going right into the bandits game.

Now in Terms of the Bandits they wound up losing in Overtime and the New York Titans won. That made there be a 3 way tie for 1st place and the Titans because of the tie Breakers win the East, The Bandits come in second, and Boston came in 3rd. What that means is May 2nd the Bandits play Boston again in the first round of the playoffs. If the Bandits can win that then I'm not sure if there next game is home or away I assume that if NY wins it would be away and if the #4 team wins they would come to Buffalo But Buffalo has to beat a team they just lost to so lets not get ahead of our selves.

So before the game and the movies and After the movies I took some Buffalo Pictures.






































I assume that Boston has some Home Uniforms that look nicer then this but here are pictures of them during Warm ups. Ok Plus a few Bandettes Pictures as well before the game.











































Here are some Game shots:

































































































Well there was one odd thing in the game the goalies where big equipment and pads and sometimes they make a save and the ball gets stuck and on one save they couldn't find it so the goalie had to leave the field for a couple of minutes that was very odd. Well I hope everyone had a great weekend and I hope the Bandits win the next time we play Boston.

So for those that may not know on Saturday I went to a concert at the Tralf. I think it was an all day thing but I thought the doors opened at 6pm so I got there then and had a great time. I heard some bands I liked and some that where not my thing. It has been so long since I've been to a show with Heavy Music. It Felt pretty good. I'm not a pit guy so I stayed away from the stage. I had a problem in that I never got my ticket, As Summer Dies worked things out for me so that was pretty cool of them, they could have been dicks about it.

The second to last band I heard people yelling get off the stage and stuff. I guess when there are a lot of bands and you are there to see the band you want to see then that might happen. The good side to that is that you get to see a bunch of bands. The down side is they don't get to play that long. All in all it was a good time. I really liked the closing band. Yes I had trouble hearing the vocals but that might have been the way the guys voice is or maybe it is from my ears being blasted or a tech issue not sure. Here is the band that I have no Idea who they are.

























I also wanted to see a Band called His Name was Yesterday. I saw them once before and remembered liking them.






























The Band that got me to go to the show is As Summer Dies. I can't say what I really like about them. To say I like how the guy sings is true. I also like Angel on base with her awesome hair and Ink plus she spins and stuff you would have to see her in person. I wouldn't know how to say what there sound is but they have some really great songs. Well here they are.





















































I had a great time and did buy some Merch as well.















I know I'm a bit early but hope everyone has a great weekend.