NationStates Jolt Archive

UN Medical Marijuana Act

Category: Recreational Drug Use
Decision: Promote
Proposed by: Ashatwe

Description: WHEREAS, the “UN Drug Act” merely encourages the legalization of recreational drugs, including medical marijuana; and

WHEREAS, marijuana has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, wasting syndrome, chronic pain, and a host of other medical ailments; therefore let it be

RESOLVED, that medical marijuana shall be legal and freely accessible in all UN member nations; and further be

RESOLVED, that medical marijuana shall be prescribed and accessed in a manner identical to other prescription drugs in all UN member nations.

Status: Quorum Reached: In Queue!

Contradiction to UN Drug Act (http://www.nationstates.net/page=UN_past_resolutions/start=190)?

Might as well make it legal to smoke the dang stuff as the plants they use to smoke make poor hanging ropes. Which is what one might test if they abuse our drug usage policies.

Happi Mariwanna,
Sixth Minister of Medicine
Cavirrian Medical Society

Contradiction to UN Drug Act (http://www.nationstates.net/page=UN_past_resolutions/start=190)?

OOC: Sadly, no, I don't think so. The UNDA only deals with the recreational use of drugs, not their medicinal uses. We can all look forward to a mind-numbing thread for the official vote, I guess. I may just avoid it altogether for fear of losing brain cells through e-contact.

Looks like it's in the wrong category ('promote') and it looks more like an amendment as opposed to an outright contradiction.

Yeah, looks pretty illegal to me. I'll hold of on the button of death for a little bit in case someone wants to argue this.

OOC: I think that's more a function of the category being too specific: "recreational" versus just drug laws in general. This proposal "promotes" the legalization of a drug, but for medicinal purposes, not recreational. The trouble is with what we colloquially call a drug. "Dude...drugs are bad," says the teacher. "Here, have this antibiotic for your flu-like symptoms," says the doctor. They're both drugs. The problem with the category is that it appears to presume a parenthetical "recreational" in front of "drugs."

Not that I'm going to complain if this particular proposal gets struck down on any ground, though. ;)

However, I would like to see the category fixed.

Well... it's hard to explain without revealing the code, but you know how Environmental: All is somewhat similar to a 'Strong' Resolution? Same thing with 'Promote'. Promote isn't just "we really want 'em legal", it's the government legalizes the drugs, and then goes out and encourages people to use them. I was pretty stunned when I saw the effect Promote had, honestly. It's no Mickey Mouse category.

The other problem is that the UN Drug Act makes specific mention of medical marijuana use (albeit weakly), which is why I'm seeing this as an attempted amendment.

I'd have to agree with that. Since UN Drug Act already urges states to legalize medicinal marijuana this seems like an amendment.

wow i only just now noticed that im no longer banned : )

im going to try and stay this way, so im going to keep this short


ok first off i just told my delegate about this thread so he should be here soon to speak up for his proposal.


i dont want to speak for him but my take on this is \/

the UN drug act is says \/
..............................................
"2) AFFIRMS the right of UN member states to determine their own laws with regard to the legality of any activity involving recreational drugs.
3) STRONGLY URGES states
4) REQUESTS that those states
5) URGES states to ensure
..............................................

all the UN drug act does is allows nations to set their own drug laws but i thought we already could? so i guess it just protects our right to do just that.
key words = "urges" & "request"



while this new proposal says \/
...........................................................
"RESOLVED, that medical marijuana shall be legal and freely accessible in all UN member nations; and further be

RESOLVED, that medical marijuana shall be prescribed and accessed in a manner identical to other prescription drugs in all UN member nations."
.........................................................

key words on this one = "resolved" & "SHALL"

the way i see it this new one is aimed at forcing legal use of medical marijuana in "all UN member nations"

but thats just my 2 cents im sure ash will be here soon

Well... it's hard to explain without revealing the code, but you know how Environmental: All is somewhat similar to a 'Strong' Resolution? Same thing with 'Promote'. Promote isn't just "we really want 'em legal", it's the government legalizes the drugs, and then goes out and encourages people to use them. I was pretty stunned when I saw the effect Promote had, honestly. It's no Mickey Mouse category.

The other problem is that the UN Drug Act makes specific mention of medical marijuana use (albeit weakly), which is why I'm seeing this as an attempted amendment.

I personally wrote the resolution, and it is not an amendment to the UN Drug Act. I wrote the act after the DEA raided a medical marijuana dispensary in my hometown. Jey obviously feels very passionately about the UNDA because he wrote it, and it seems as though anything he construes as "changes" to the UNDA is a threat.

Now this is a judgment call on the part of the moderators, but there were several other proposals that were tossed out on rule violations - the UN Medical Marijuana Act was not. If this was simply a matter of code, then it would have been tossed on the first night and not allowed to reach a quorum (currently it has 120 approvals). There aren't any other current proposals that come close to a quorum, and all I'm asking is for an up-or-down vote.

while you can't say it's not treading a fine line with the Amendment rule in particular and maybe house of cards, though it doesn't NEED UNDA to work, I think I'll be voting for this resolution.

If this was simply a matter of code, then it would have been tossed on the first night and not allowed to reach a quorum (currently it has 120 approvals).Only if a Moderator was pruning the list and noticed. Personally, I haven't cleaned the list in about five days.

There aren't any other current proposals that come close to a quorum, and all I'm asking is for an up-or-down vote.If it's legal, you'll get your vote. If it's not, you won't.

If the UN Medical Marijuana Act is pruned and removed you may always go about and try to repeal the "UN Drug Act" proposed by Jey. If your repeal passes since it was a close battle FOR and AGAINST vote wise, you can always submit a UN Medical Marijuana act which states more then what is already given.

Thus leading, if UN Drug Act is repealed, a UN Medical Marijuana Act could not be an amendment. Furthermore, giving it the chance again to reach the floor and be voted on through out the NationStates World.

Only if a Moderator was pruning the list and noticed. Personally, I haven't cleaned the list in about five days.

If it's legal, you'll get your vote. If it's not, you won't.

Hmm, well I don't know if Hack is the only Moderator but there were a whole bunch of proposals tossed for rule violations within the past three days. If my proposal is illegal, I'm surprised it passed pruning repeated times and is only now under scrutiny with a quorum reached...:confused:

Hmm, well I don't know if Hack is the only Moderator but there were a whole bunch of proposals tossed for rule violations within the past three days. If my proposal is illegal, I'm surprised it passed pruning repeated times and is only now under scrutiny with a quorum reached...:confused:

I had 15 minutes to spare the other night, so I did a cursory sweep of illegal proposals and killed the obvious ones. I didn't have time to do a duplication / contradiction sweep, as I don't have all 200+ resolutions memorized. I usually count on folks here to spot those, which is exactly what happened.

Please don't make the assumption that something is legal simply because one of us DIDN'T do something. It's summertime, and we don't spend all of our free time in the UN forum. If Hack now says it's illegal, I'll be glad to back that call.

We'd have to agree with the honorable representative of Jey that this proposal directly contradicts this provision of the "UN Drug Act":

2) AFFIRMS the right of UN member states to determine their own laws with regard to the legality of any activity involving recreational drugs, including but not limited to the consumption, cultivation, preparation, possession, exchange, and distribution of recreational drugs by any individual or group of individuals, within their own jurisdiction;

This clearly reserves the right to make drug law to the individual nations. Absent a repeal, the UN cannot now force them to legalize and even make "freely accessible" a substance which fully meets the definition in that resolution.

Lorelei M. Ahlmann
Ambassador-at-Large

OOC: The key question, as New Vandalia pointed out earlier, is whether the freedom to make one's own recreational drug laws extends to legislating on the medical uses of them. I rather reluctantly agree that it probably doesn't, and I'm a bit dubious about the amendment argument too. If the UN Drug Act didn't exist, this resolution would stand on it's own well enough. It's not so much a case of amending a spotting a hole and legislating in it.

I'm so glad I'm not a mod right now.

Jey obviously feels very passionately about the UNDA because he wrote it, and it seems as though anything he construes as "changes" to the UNDA is a threat.

This has nothing to do with the fact that I authored the UN Drug Act. I believe this proposal is illegal, and presented the case here.

Between the existence of the UN Drug Act and the problems with the category, I'm going to go ahead and delete this. No warning added this time. The game classifies marijuana as a "recreational" drug, regardless of how it is being used, so the UN Drug Act still has jurisdiction.


Edit: List of supporters: Approvals: 139 (Ashatwe, Jesioneka, The oracles army, Jaerb, Thommasia, Etchopia, Worldia555, Gunfreak, Vinceburg2, ARC Captains, WZ Forums, Birchwater, XGC HYLANDER XL, Psycotia Island, Catholic Allegiance, Christlerland, Southern Odinia, Minyos, Xanthusia, ETol, Aurania-Shifre, Alpacadom, Kryvlik, Arkbergen, The Trainstation, My crap, The Mattabooloo, JMDS, Slolvania, Ellenburg, Tresmius, Amalgamated Provinces, Zul Gurub, Jamesingtonland, Dank Nugget, Lanman-Wright, Vicana, Mr Ness, Wenukemal, Gaiah, Vin Diesel look alikes, Politicallystoned, Igloria, Aakron, DogDoor, Duane Maurer, Masters bait n tackle, Cake vs Pie, Finlandites, P4CM4N, Lumicu, Swimsang, Carisbrooke, Anarcorockers, Pok Torghn, Axorian, Wakerley, LDT, King chedder 2, Patrick Kaine, The Union of Marxists, Keidis, New Old New New York, Maniacal Accountants, Goldendoodles, Pshycho Maniac, Slomar, Charlotte Ryberg, Volkersland, Bjorktzchetzky, Mcjims, Hurdegaryp, Adgj, FinnicusDraco, Romanist, Waldrech, Radical Anti-Terrorism, Opendia, Gobbo Power, Top Gunners, Cheseeseehc, Kausland, HuhnTanzer, Monkeys with TommyGuns, Greek Byzantine, Bitanto, Cynical Alcoholics, Oxymorontopia, Ccp bob, TripleKo, Kadivey, Cirque de Otter, Monkeys Got Guitars, New Old Town, Hippiedome, Real Truth, Propaganada, Zyggy2Wyggy, Jester160, Fioteria, Nox Eternita, Kornkven, Endmile, Doominium, Absinthe-lovers, Kopff, Raltar, Vault 10, Foejoe, Haneastic, Mexicans II, The Jewish Harp, Martavius, Isengard Fields, Xarvinia-Wurttemburg, The Woods of man, Dawkinshire, The Dancing Vagabond, Durlindanar, Sakaba, Moshirestahn, Fancybottom, New Hamilton, Kerimaki Cowboys, Baudemire, Toruko, Rach-El, Lifeton, Sir samuel moore, Northern Sea, Griazov, Northen Le Jalle, Darth Wraith, 1010102, Oranjundi, The States of Merica, Clovernight, Eggerhexe, Sanczez)

OOC: The key question, as New Vandalia pointed out earlier, is whether the freedom to make one's own recreational drug laws extends to legislating on the medical uses of them. I rather reluctantly agree that it probably doesn't, and I'm a bit dubious about the amendment argument too. If the UN Drug Act didn't exist, this resolution would stand on it's own well enough. It's not so much a case of amending a spotting a hole and legislating in it.

I'm so glad I'm not a mod right now.

OOC: Gobby, the problem is that the "UN Drug Act" very clearly defines its scope by defining "recreational drug" as "a chemical substance whose primarily purpose is to act upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary or permanent changes in perception, mood, consciousness and/or behavior". Then it goes on to lay out various provisions using that specific term. It doesn't matter how the drug is used. If it fits that definition -- which marijuana clearly does -- then the provisions of the resolution apply.

We may think it shouldn't be that way and we may think that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but that's the way it is. We're back to our old saying: "The law means what the law says".

OOC: Gobby, the problem is that the "UN Drug Act" very clearly defines its scope by defining "recreational drug" as "a chemical substance whose primarily purpose is to act upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary or permanent changes in perception, mood, consciousness and/or behavior". Then it goes on to lay out various provisions using that specific term. It doesn't matter how the drug is used. If it fits that definition -- which marijuana clearly does -- then the provisions of the resolution apply.

We may think it shouldn't be that way and we may think that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but that's the way it is. We're back to our old saying: "The law means what the law says".Ayup. I've always thought the definition was the biggest problem with UNDA because it clearly defines large groups of pharmaceuticals as recreational drugs, and leaves little recourse to treat them legislatively as anything else.

so this one will be back!
first we are going to have to repeal the U.N. drug act i guess.

I used to see the U.N. drug act as a victory for nations like mine but if its going to hinder any new efforts then i can only see it as problem.

All delegate nations please keep an eye out for the repeal of the UNDA.