Support comes from an unlikely source this week as a notably conservative politician’s daughter publicly endorses marijuana legalization, while New York takes great steps in legalizing medical marijuana. Rhode Island meanwhile lessens the punishment for possessing marijuana; possessing an ounce or less will become a civil violation with a $150, like a ticket. Read on for the full stories.

Meghan McCain Speaks Out in Support of Legalization

The Arizona conservative Senator’s daughter went on a cross-country roadtrip with liberal comedian Michael Ian Black. They toured cultural sites, discussed gay marriage and gun rights, and wrote it all down for us to read in America, You Sexy Bitch: A Love Letter to Freedom.

On the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, she discusses why she supports the legalization of marijuana:

California Hospital Denies transplant for Legal MMJ User

Patient Toni Trujillo has been on the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s transplant list waiting for a kidney for six years…until now. Trujillo has been using medical marijuana legally for two years to stimulate her appetite and increase and maintain protein levels while on dialysis, yet she was removed from the list for “substance abuse.”

This isn’t the first time this has happened, either.  Last year the hospital removed a man with inoperable liver cancer from their transplant list for the same reason – legally smoking marijuana. Without the transplant, doctors expect him to die within 90 days.

From DrugFree.org:
Sally Stewart, a spokesperson for the hospital, said marijuana users can be exposed to a type of mold that can cause deadly disease among patients whose immune systems are compromised. They also are at risk of a fatal lung infection after transplantation, she told the newspaper. “We do not make a moral or ethical judgment about people who are smoking medical marijuana. Our concern is strictly for the health and safety of our patients,” she said.

NY General Assembly Approves Medical Marijuana Bill; RI Decriminalizes

The same day that Rhode Island Governor Chafee signed a bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, the New York State Assembly approved a bill to allow qualified patients to possess medical marijuana. The vote passed 90-50, setting a positive note for the Senate vote. Similar legislation have previously been stopped twice in the Senate, but supporters are optimistic for AB7347’s passing. Tell your New York Senator to support the bill here.