Mary Brandenburg

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Mary Brandenburg
Mary Brandenburg
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 89 district
In office
2002-
Born May 12, 1949 (1949-05-12) (age 59)
Political party Democratic
Spouse Pete Brandenburg
Religion Catholic

Mary Brandenburg (born May 12, 1949) in New York.

Brandenburg is a Representative in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. She received her Associates degree from the University of Florida in 1969. She lives in West Palm Beach, Florida with her husband.

Contents

[edit] Drug policy

[edit] Salvia divinorum

In March 2008 it was reported that Florida state Representative Mary Brandenburg and Senator Evelyn Lynn had proposed bills to make possession of Salvia divinorum a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.[1]

Brandenburg's House bill number is HB 1363. Lynn's Senate bill is SB340. There is also SB1612. All bills propose including Salvia divinorum & Salvinorin A on Florida's Schedule I list of controlled substances.[1]

Opponents of extremely prohibitive Salvia restrictions argue that such reactions are largely due to an inherent prejudice and a particular cultural bias rather than any actual balance of evidence, pointing out inconsistencies in attitudes toward other more toxic and addictive drugs such as alcohol and nicotine.[i][2] While not objecting to some form of regulatory legal control, in particular with regard to the sale to minors or sale of enhanced high-strength extracts, most Salvia proponents otherwise argue against stricter legislation.[ii][3]


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The worldwide number of alcohol related deaths is calculated at over 2,000 people per day,[4] in the US the number is over 300 deaths per day.[5]
  2. ^ Those advocating consideration of Salvia divinorum's potential for beneficial use in a modern context argue that more could be learned from Mazatec culture, where Salvia is not really associated with notions of drug taking at all and it is rather considered as a spiritual sacrament. In light of this it is argued that Salvia divinorum could be better understood more positively as an entheogen rather than pejoratively as a hallucinogen.[6]

[edit] Citations

  1. ^ Gresko 2008.
  2. ^ Nutt et al. 2007.
  3. ^ Siebert (Legal status).
  4. ^ Lopez 2005, Table 2.
  5. ^ NIAAA 2001.
  6. ^ Blosser (Mazatec Lessons).

[edit] References

[edit] External links