The Compassionate Coalition

Since the virutal office has opened, the word has gotten out about us. The SL Newspaper has interviewed our SL Chapter rep MaryJaneMD Meriman. Below please find a copy of the interview that can be found here www.sl-newspaper.com in the Explore section. This is the main newspaper for the second life and gets approximately 10,000 hits on the site a day. The chapter has grown to approximately 15 members as of now and we have been taking in donations from supporters since the grand opening. Thanks to everyone in the second life for all the help and support to the Coalition.

Sincerely,
Linda Jimenez
Chairman of the Board
The Compassionate Coalition

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Saturday, May 12, 2007
Legalise It!

People come to Secondlife for many reasons. Looking for friends, love, sex, money, or just the chance to be something you're not in real life. However, some people come with a mission. To spread the word about issues in the real world that they feel need to be heard, addressed, and better understood. One such person is MaryJaneMD Meriman, a representative of the Compassionate Coalition. I met up with her, to learn more about what she is trying to do here:

Voodoo: OK... so I guess my first question would be... can you explain what the Compassionate Coalition is?
MaryJaneMD Meriman: We are a national non profit organization that helps defend the rights of medical marijuana patients and their care providers through education and community participation, based out of California
Voodoo: so by national... you mean American
MaryJaneMD Meriman: yes, currently is is illegal to smoke marijuana according to federal government, (but we the state permits it for medical use) so we have 12 states in America all in violation of federal law. So there’s a big controversy here with feds and local authorities, and (the Feds) involve local authority to help them at times which puts those state employees in direct violation of state law, which they are required to uphold
Voodoo: Rather than local governments passing laws, and the federal government not acknowledging them?
MaryJaneMD Meriman: Right, so in my county I reside, which is Solano County, my county official personally don't like marijuana, so they try to say they are upholding federal law to be able to get away with what they are doing to patients here in my county, which is arrest them, put in jail and take their medicine. But those who don’t follow state law are putting themselves in a position that could make the county they live in liable for any suits that may come up against them.
Voodoo: right... I detect that as well as the concern for prosecution... you support the state law as being correct... is that right?
MaryJaneMD Meriman: that's right, here in California the constitution specially says that state and county officials are to uphold state law even if in contradiction with federal law so its pretty crystal clear.
Voodoo: well, yes... but you believe that the decriminalisation of cannabis for medical use it the right course of action?
MaryJaneMD Meriman: For the sick people absolutely! There are people who lives depend upon marijuana. It would be foolish not to allow sick people use
Voodoo: and there are no other alternatives? Obviously with the fear that such decriminalisation would cause further abuse of the drug?
MaryJaneMD Meriman: right well they do provide Marinol at pharmacies, which is pill form of THC. I have tried it myself and its not effective like the real plant. Although the federal government denies any medicinal value of marijuana, they contradict themselves when they tried to make Marinol as substitute.
Voodoo: So, what inspired you to bring this local issue to the world on Secondlife?
MaryJaneMD Meriman: well i noticed there are many groups and such here
involving marijuana, (so) there is value. I like to be here so people will know
(that there’s) medicinal use in it, not just about party and get high
Voodoo: So your primary objective is to spread the word of the uses of marijuana as a medicine?
MaryJaneMD Meriman: Well, that there is validity in it...as well as our ultimate goal is that federal government will recognize as medicine too.We fight on state and federal levels to get these laws passed, so we hope to find support here.
Voodoo: Could it be that you are simply reaching people who already agree with you, rather than converting others; and getting support from those looking to abuse the drug? Or is simply connecting the network a valuable objective enough? MaryJaneMD Meriman: We are not trying to convert, but we are trying to delete the myth about all the silly stories u hear about marijuana and to educate anyone who wants to be educated about medical marijuana. I am also here to find people in other states who want to start chapters in their state as well so anyone who wants to start activist group can contact me
Voodoo: Well... thank you for your time, and I'd personally like to wish you the best of luck
If you wish to learn more about the Compassionate Coalition, you can either visit their office in SL (Auville Heights, 41, 87, 32) or got to http://www.compassionatecoalition.org/

Posted by Voodoo Buwan at 8:06 AM 0 comments