Assembly approves marijuana, condemns suicide bombings
Paula R. Kincaid, The Layman Online , June 27, 2006
217th General Assembly
Birmingham, Ala. BIRMINGHAM – By consensus, not by vote, the 217th General Assembly affirmed the “use of cannabis sativa or marijuana for legitimate medical purposes as recommended by a physician.”
By approving the recommendation of its Social Justice Issues Committee, the assembly also instructed Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick to lobby the U.S. President for “federal legislation that allows for its use and that provides for the production and distribution of the plant for those purposes.”
The assembly’s actions on June 21 also asked for “federal protection for patients, caregivers, and their physicians from prosecution by local and state authorities, and physicians from negative repercussions by their licensing bodies.”
Later in the evening, a commissioner made the motion to reconsider the issue. He said commissioners were not aware of what they were voting on because Les, the computer system which all commissioners used to view the business before the assembly was operating slowly, and Moderator Jean Gray declared the motion approved by consensus before the item appeared on commissioner’s lap-tops. The motion to reconsider failed.
In an Associated Press article, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “concluded that no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United states, and no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use.”
The FDA noted “there is currently sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful. … There are alternative FDA-approved medications in existence for treatment of many of the proposed uses of smoked marijuana.”
Suicide bombing: A crime against humanity?
The assembly approved a commissioner’s resolution to declare “any suicide bombing, no matter who is the perpetrator or the target, constitutes a crime against humanity,” despite the Social Justice Issue Committee’s recommendation not to.
The assembly first voted down the committee’s recommendation to disapprove the resolution 189-299-6. The vote to approve the commissioner’s resolution was 348-120-1.
Commissioners did approve an amendment to add “and terrorism,” in the resolution after “suicide bombing.”
The resolution said, “It is crucial that the church and the world affirm the culpability of individuals and groups that assist in carrying out suicide bombings and terrorism through financial or logistical support and that civil or military authorities who fail to exercise adequate powers of control over perpetrators and fail to take appropriate measures, be held accountable.”
It instructed the stated clerk, PCUSA’s Washington Office and the Presbyterian UN representatives to “publicly and officially condemn suicide bombings and terrorism and to help empower victims of such attacks to be able to bring those who plan and inspire suicide bombings to the bar of international justice.”
The committee’s chair, Ann Philbrick of National Capital Presbytery, said the committee was not “endorsing suicide bombing, but it agrees with advice from advisory committees” which called the resolution “redundant. …The PCUSA is against any type of violence against civilians.”
The PCUSA’s Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy and its Advocacy Committee on Racial Ethnic Concerns lobbied the committee not to approve the resolution.
During the assembly’s debate on the issue, youth advisory delegate Reed Campbell of Flint River Presbytery urged commissioner not to follow the advice of the committee to disapprove the resolution. “Think about the headlines tomorrow. … no matter what we have done in the past, we have a chance now to stand against suicide bombings.”
“This is not rocket science,” Commissioner William Reisenweaver of Miami Presbytery told commissioners. “Are we willing to say suicide bombing is a crime against humanity?” He said it was a simple question that should be answered by saying we area against this.
After the committee’s recommendation to disapprove was voted down, Commissioner Ken Robbins of Stockton Presbytery made the motion to approve the commissioner’s resolution. “The matter is self-evident,” he said. “If suicide bombing is not a crime against humanity then we have lost our way.”
Smithfield Packing referred
Instead of following the Social Justice Committee’s recommendation of instructing two PCUSA presbyteries to “inspect” a North Carolina business, commissioners voted to refer the issue to refer the issue to the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy.
An overture from New Hope Presbytery asked commissioners to “support justice for workers at Smithfield Packing by requesting that Smithfield Packing to a. obey the law; b. stop the use of threats, intimidation, and violence against workers; c. implement the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) orders to respect workers rights and assure safety in the workplace.”
In recommending approval of the overture to commissioners, the committee adding the comment, “That the 217th General Assembly request New Hope Presbytery, in consultation with the Presbytery of Coastal Carolina, to inspect the Smithfield facility, speak with management, monitor elections, and report to the 218th General Assembly (2008).”
Commissioners voted 323-150-7 instead to refer the issue to ACSWP.