▼ Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)

On May 21, 2007, at a community meeting in Lebanon, New Hampshire, Sen. Edwards said, "The last thing in the world I'm interested in doing is going around and harassing people who are trying to alleviate their pain. I understand your concern. It's very fair. I want to do something about it, I'm just trying to figure out the best way to do it."

Senator John Edwards on medical marijuana--May 21, 2007

During a June 8, 2007, town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, Sen. Edwards was asked if he agreed with the 81% of New Hampshire's Democratic voters who support legislation to end federal interference into state medical marijuana programs. Edwards responded: "What I will do as president is, we will not be going in and raiding the use of marijuana for medical purposes in states that have legalized it. I think where democracy has worked, where voters have decided this should be legalized, I will not as president go in and run contrary to the will of the people in those states where it has been legalized."

Later that day at a town hall meeting at Victory Park in Manchester, Linda Macia — a New Hampshire resident who has used medical marijuana to relieve her chronic nerve pain — thanked Sen. Edwards for his promise to end the federal raids. Sen. Edwards responded, "Oh, you're welcome. Thank you very much for that. You and I have been talking about this issue for years. Thank you very much for that." After the town hall meeting, he then took the time to sign Macia's "Stop Arresting Patients for Medical Marijuana" pin.

While speaking at a house party in Derry on September 8, seriously ill Dover resident and GSMM volunteer Clayton Holton said to Sen. Edwards, "I'm a Dover resident in New Hampshire. I have lived here all my life. I would like to thank you for saying you would stop the raids against medical marijuana patients with their doctors' permission. I would like to ask you how you will keep patients like myself and others out of jail for using it as medicine when [other] medications cause harmful side effects?" Sen. Edwards responded, "What I've said, for those of you who don't know what he's talking about, these raids that are being used -- you obviously follow this very closely -- these raids that are being done against patients, I will not do as president of the United States and would put a stop to. What I've also said is, I really think that we need to put the FDA in charge of this instead of having -- right now it's just a political football. I think if we give the FDA the responsibility and have them determine how to treat this -- somebody like you who needs medical marijuana to ease your pain and there's not other medications that can accomplish it, then the FDA can say that. But what we have right now is a situation where it's a huge political football, it's used for political rhetoric, and the result is a lot of people are being punished as a result. And so that's what I would do, I would put it under the responsibility of the FDA and I would stop these raids. That's what I would do."

Senator John Edwards on medical marijuana--Sept. 8, 2007