Recent actions by Tom Horne and Bill Montgomery give rise to the Patient Liberty movement
PHOENIX, Aug. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne and Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery filed separate motions for summary judgment in Superior Court on August 23rd, 2012 stating that the licensing of medical marijuana dispensaries in Arizona is unconstitutional under federal law.
The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act that allows state-licensed dispensaries won a majority vote in November 2010 with 841,348 votes. Tom Horne had previously filed a Motion for Declaratory Judgment in federal court that held up the dispensary program for almost a year, but the case was dismissed. The ongoing conflict has given rise to the Patient Liberty movement.
The American Council for Patient Liberty is a voter interest group based on the principles of the grassroots Tea Party movement. The Council champions a limited form of central government that provides more power to the states in matters of personal choice and freedom. It has been formed with the purpose of promoting the following values:
- State rights – State and county officials should be protecting laws backed by voting citizens, not fighting them
- Voter protection – State & local taxpayer money must not be used to subvert the will of voters
- The removal of politicians from office who are sanctioning the violation of the above principles
The Council's position is that a voter-backed initiative in any state, large or small, is a true reflection of democracy when it enhances personal liberty and individual responsibility. Based on this position, city and county officials should not use their official capacity to break the laws of Arizona or any other state in the nation. Rather, they should fight for the laws enacted by their respective state.
The Council focuses primarily on these two major Tea Party principles regarding the Controlled Substances Act:
- Reduce the bloated federal workforce
- Curtail excessive federal regulation
Arizona has had many clashes with the Federal Government regarding immigration, healthcare, and other issues on the basis of state rights. It is remiss to believe that seeking federal preemption in a medical marijuana case will be an isolated "win" that will not affect any other issues. Such a ruling may permanently handicap the power of state governments throughout the nation while growing the authority of the Federal Government in matters that were previously handled by the state.
The American Council for Patient Liberty would like to invite Tea Party members and advocates to contribute to the movement to end excessive government regulation and reign in spending by state and county officials that could thwart the will of voters in any manner.
The Council uses contributions for various activities including civic education and awareness, political advertising, and recall campaigns against state and county elected officials who are interfering in the relationship between patients, their physicians, and state-licensed dispensing facilities.
Website: http://www.patientliberty.org
Contributions: http://www.patientliberty.org/contribute