Paul Ray

Paul Ray is a member of the Utah House of Representatives in the U.S.. He represents the 13th district which covers North West Davis County. Paul has served since 2001. He serves on the following committees in the legislature:

* Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement
* Health and Human Services (Chairman)
* Health and Human Services Appropriations
* Medicaid Reform Taskforce
* Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Committee
* American Legislative Exchange Council: Criminal Justice & Homeland Security Task Force (Chair)

Background

Paul Ray was born in Peru, Indiana. He graduated in 1985 from Peru High School, and attended Indiana University from 1985 to 1988. He also performed in the Peru Circus in such acts as single trapeze and highwire. Outside of the legislature he works in banking as a construction loan officer.

Drug policy

alvia divinorum

KSL's Utah news channel broadcast a story on November 27, 2006 warning its viewers about what it called "this dangerous herb".Dujanovic 2006-11-27 (US Media).] The next day, on November 28, 2006, the same channel reported House Representative Paul Ray's "immediate response" with proposed legislation to ban "Salvia divinorum" in the State of Utah, quoting him as saying - "It was upsetting to see we have a drug of that strength that's legal." and "We're basically going to make it illegal to possess or sell. Period."Dujanovic 2006-11-28 (US Media).] Ray's bill (HB190) proposed Schedule I classification.Ray 2006.]

On December 12, 2006, KSL editorial director Duane Cardall published a stance against "Salvia divinorum" on behalf of the news station as a whole. Cardall's piece closes: "In KSL's view, the legislature should take action to control the sale of Salvia Divinorum before the illicit use of the accessible hallucinogen spreads. That wasn't done in a timely way with Meth, and now we have a devastating epidemic. Preemptive action now with 'Sally D' would likely spare countless families the horror of losing a loved one to the relentless tentacles of drug abuse."Cardall 2006-12-12 (US Media).]

KSL news stories and editorials generally support on-line comments from its registered readers. In this case feedback was overwhelmingly in disagreement with the editorial line.

The House Representatives voted unanimously in favour of the bill however. On February 22, 2007 the bill status was 'House/ passed 3rd reading' (Yeas - 68, Nays - 0). But the bill did not get enacted during its legislative session and was instead sent to the House file for defeated bills on February 28, 2007.

The bill was scheduled to be re-introduced by Representative Paul Ray in a Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee meeting scheduled for September 19, 2007. [Utah State 2007, agenda item 5 (September 19).] On October 17, 2007 the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper reported that the proposal had been set aside. Representative Ray said that federal regulators had alerted him that they were close to reaching their own classification for "Salvia divinorum". [Erin 2007-10-17 (US Media).] Nonetheless, Ray re-filed the proposed legislation on January 9, 2008 for consideration in the general legislative session. The bill has been filed as Utah H.B. 260. [Ray 2008.]

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. ^{[#noteAlcohol| [i]} [Nutt et al. 2007.] 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. ^{[#noteSalvia| [ii]} [Siebert (Legal status).]

Alcohol and tobacco

In 2006 alcohol and tobacco related contributions amounted to the fourth largest industry contributions towards Representative Paul Ray's political campaigns. [MiSP 2006.]

ee also

*Legal status of Salvia divinorum (Utah)

Notes

1. ^ The worldwide number of alcohol related deaths is calculated at over 2,000 people per day, [Lopez 2005, Table 2.] in the US the number is over 300 deaths per day. [NIAAA 2001.]
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. [Blosser (Mazatec Lessons).]

Citations

References

*cite web
last = Blosser
first = Brett
title = Lessons in The Use of Mazatec Psychoactive Plants
publisher = The Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center
url = http://www.sagewisdom.org/lessons.html
accessdate = 2007-10-19
*cite journal
author = Lopez, Alan D
year = 2005
month = Apr
title = The evolution of the Global Burden of Disease framework for disease, injury and risk factor quantification: developing the evidence base for national, regional and global public health action
url = http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/1/1/5
journal = Globalization and Health
volume = 1
issue = 5
publisher = BioMed Central Ltd
doi = 10.1186/1744-8603-1-5
pmid = 15847690
pages = 5 - [http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/1/1/5/table/T2 Table 2] . Global burden of disease and injury attributable to selected risk factors, 1990.
*cite web
author = MiSP
year = 2006
title = Follow the Money
url = http://www.followthemoney.org/Institute/index.phtml
work = e.g. [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200644&c=425234 Utah/Ray]
publisher = The National Institute on Money in State Politics
accessdate=2007-10-16
*cite web
author = NIAAA
year = 2001
month = Aug
title = Number of deaths and age-adjusted death rates per 100,000 population for categories of alcohol-related (A-R) mortality, United States and States, 1979-96.
work = Database Resources / Statistical Tables
publisher = National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
url = http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Resources/DatabaseResources/QuickFacts/Other/armort01.htm
accessdate=2007-10-20
*Citation
last1=Nutt
first1=David
first2=Leslie
last2=King
first3=William
last3=Saulsbury
first4=Colin
last4=Blakemore
year=2007
date=Mar 2007
title=Development of a rational scale to assess the harm of drugs of potential misuse
journal=The Lancet
volume=369
issue=9566
pages=1047-1053
url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673607604644/abstract
doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60464-4
accessdate=2007-03-23
*cite web
author = Ray, Rep. Paul
year = 2006
month = Nov
title = H.B. 190 Controlled Substance Schedule Amendment
url = http://le.utah.gov/~2007/htmdoc/hbillhtm/HB0190.htm
publisher = Utah State Legislature
accessdate = 2007-12-29 - [http://le.utah.gov/~2007/status/hbillsta/hb0190.htm bill status] - [http://le.utah.gov/~2007/status/hbillsta/hb0190.001h.txt bill votes]
*cite web
author = Ray, Rep. Paul
year = 2008
month = Jan
title = H.B. 260 Controlled Substance Schedule Amendment
url = http://le.utah.gov/~2008/htmdoc/hbillhtm/hb0260.htm
publisher = Utah State Legislature
accessdate = 2008-02-01- [http://le.utah.gov/~2008/status/hbillsta/hb0260.htm bill status]
*cite web
last=Siebert
first=Daniel
title=The Legal Status of Salvia divinorum
publisher=The Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center
url=http://www.sagewisdom.org/legalstatus.html
accessdate=2007-03-04

News references

*cite news
author = Alberty, Erin
title = Lawmakers don't touch hallucinogenic herb
url = http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7207166
publisher = The Salt Lake Tribune
date = 2007-10-17
*cite news
author = Dujanovic, Debbie
title = Dangerous Herb is Legal in Utah
url = http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=679822
publisher = KSL
date = 2006-11-27 : - Follow-up story: [http://www.ksl.com/?sid=682728&nid=148 "Lawmaker Responds to Investigative Report on Dangerous Herb"] , 2006-11-28. : - Cardall, Duane. [http://www.ksl.com/?nid=238&sid=687501 KSL Editorial] , 2006-12-01.

External links

* [http://www.paulray.org Paul Ray's Official Campaign Web Site]
* Utah State Legislature [http://www.le.utah.gov/house/members2005/bios2005.asp?id=13 biography pages: Paul Ray]