The Picayune Item - Miss. House votes to lift 85 percent rule on some sentences

The Picayune Item - Miss. House votes to lift 85 percent rule on some sentences

Miss. House votes to lift 85 percent rule on some sentences

Associated Press

Jackson — Nonviolent offenders who sell marijuana or resell prescription drugs on the streets would become eligible for shorter prison sentences, under a bill that passed the Mississippi House on a divided vote.

House Corrections Committee Chairman Bennett Malone, D-Carthage, said Mississippi’s prison budget has grown dramatically since the mid-1990s, when the state enacted a law requiring all felons to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before being considered for parole.

A bill that passed the House 69-52 Monday would lift the 85 percent rule for people convicted of selling marijuana or reselling prescription drugs. Those offenders would become eligible for parole after serving 25 percent of their time.

The bill moves to the Senate for more debate.

This is not the first time lawmakers have considered easing the 85 percent rule for some offenders, and it is unclear how the proposal will fare in the Senate. While lawmakers are trying to control spending, many campaigned on promises to be tough on crime.

Rep. Mark Formby, R-Picayune, argued against easing the 85 percent rule for any felons. He said his aunt was killed by “a would-be burglar who was just a crackhead” who had been in and out of prison for convictions of several nonviolent offenses.

“My aunt stepped out of her kitchen and she caught a bullet in her chest,” Formby said.

Rep. David Myers, D-McComb, said his older brother was murdered by a habitual criminal, but he argued that it’s a good idea to ease the 85 percent rule for some offenses, saying some judges are giving disproportionately long sentences and the state budget is strained.

“The state of Mississippi can no longer afford to have a lock-up, lock-up attitude,” Myers said.

Mississippi lawmakers enacted the 85 percent rule for all convicted felons in 1994. The law started having an impact during the 1995 state budget year.

Some lawmakers Monday asked Malone whether people convicted of selling marijuana or reselling prescription drugs to children would still face the 85 percent rule for sentencing. Malone said the bill did not keep the stronger penalty for people selling to minors, but he would try to add such provisions later this session if the bill goes into negotiations between the House and Senate.

Rep. Alex Monsour Jr., R-Vicksburg, said that wasn’t good enough. He said three minors in Warren County were killed by using illegal drugs late last year.

“It’s time we started worrying about these kids that have been killed by drugs,” Monsour said.

House Judiciary A Committee Chairman Ed Blackmon, D-Canton, is an attorney who often defends people facing felony charges. He implored his House colleagues to consider the effect a long prison sentence would have on a promising young person who messes up and gets caught with marijuana.

“Everybody in this room has had a second chance,” Blackmon said. “So don’t be afraid of giving someone else a second chance.”

Other bills that passed the House and move to the Senate for more work:

OBESITY — House Bill 1369 would authorize the University of Mississippi Medical Center to establish an obesity clinic in the Delta, using federal money or private grants.

IMMIGRANTS — House Bill 1327 would create a task force to study the effects of immigration, legal and illegal, on poverty in Mississippi.

FARMER’S MARKET — House Bill 1080 would allow the University of Mississippi Medical Center to take over land near its campus that is now occupied by an old farmer’s market. Only a few vendors have continued to work at the site since the Department of Agriculture and Commerce opened a newer farmer’s market near the State Fairgrounds.

Bills that passed the Senate and move to the House for more work:

DRUG COURTS — Senate Bill 2246 would require an advisory committee to establish a fiscally responsible plan to expand the use of drug courts.

CLASSROOMS — Senate Bill 2913 would establish a “Troops to Teachers” program to help military veterans pursue teaching as a second career.

The bill is House Bill 729.

RESOLUTION CONDEMNS DEA LETTERS TO MARIJUANA DISPENSARY LANDLORDS

cbs5.com - Local Wire

RESOLUTION CONDEMNS DEA LETTERS TO MARIJUANA DISPENSARY LANDLORDS

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors today passed a resolution condemning federal authorities for sending letters to landlords of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, notifying them of the possibility of imprisonment and seizure of their property.

The resolution was approved this afternoon by a 7 to 2 vote.

The resolution calls the letters - issued in December by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to about 50 Northern California landlords, some in San Francisco --"misguided and sensationally threatening harassment."

The resolution was authored by Supervisor Chris Daly and co-sponsored by supervisors Jake McGoldrick and Ross Mirkarimi.

According to the DEA, the letters were sent out "basically as a courtesy," informing landlords the cannabis clubs were operating on their property, constituting a violation of federal law, the penalty for which includes seizure of assets, including property, and up to 20 years in prison.

The resolution, which reaffirms San Francisco as "a sanctuary for medical cannabis," states that the DEA "has repeatedly subverted and undermined California's, and many other states', laws governing medical cannabis."

It also accuses the DEA of "increasingly acting on its irrational policy and hysteria regarding medical cannabis specifically, and the so-called War on Drugs in general."

According to the resolution, medical marijuana dispensaries are a health and safety issue that should be governed by the state of California.

The resolution pledges to support "lawfully operating" cannabis dispensaries and property owners who lease to them. Those facing federal prosecution would receive the support of the city attorney, according to the resolution.

The resolution also calls on the U.S. Congress to investigate the conduct of the DEA and to revise federal law to authorize states to legalize medical marijuana.

Vaporizers Destroy the Last Objection to Medical Marijuana

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n545/a11.html
Newshawk: End Marijuana Prohibition http://www.mpp.org
Rate this article Votes: 6
Pubdate: Wed, 02 May 2007
Source: AlterNet (US Web)
Copyright: 2007 Independent Media Institute
Contact: letters@alternet.org
Website: http://www.alternet.org/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1451
Author: Bruce Mirken
Note: Bruce Mirken is communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

NEW STUDIES DESTROY THE LAST OBJECTION TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Anyone who advocates for medical marijuana sooner or later runs into arguments about smoking: "No real medicine is smoked." "Smoking is bad for the lungs; why would any doctor recommend something so harmful?" It's a line of reasoning that medical marijuana opponents have used to great effect in Congress, state legislatures, and elsewhere. Indeed, the FDA's controversial 2006 statement opposing medical marijuana was couched in repeated references to "smoked marijuana."

But new research demonstrates that all those fears of "smoked marijuana" as medicine are 100 percent obsolete.

The smoking argument was the closest thing to a scientifically meaningful objection to medical marijuana. While marijuana smoke, unlike tobacco, has never been shown to cause lung cancer, heavy marijuana smoking has been associated with assorted respiratory symptoms and a potentially increased risk of bronchitis. That's because burning any plant material produces a whole lot of substances such as tars, and carbon monoxide that are not good for the lungs.

Nevertheless, inhalation is clearly the best method for administering marijuana's active components, called cannabinoids. Cannabinoids such as THC are fat-soluble molecules that are absorbed slowly and unevenly when taken orally, as in the prescription THC pill Marinol. This means that Marinol typically takes an hour to two hours to work, and dose adjustment is nearly impossible. Patients often report that when it finally kicks in, it hits like a ton of bricks, leaving them too stoned to function.

For that reason, The Lancet Neurology noted a few years ago, "Smoking has been the route of choice for many cannabis users because it delivers a more rapid 'hit' and allows more accurate dose titration." Because the effect is nearly instantaneous, patients can simply take as many puffs as they need, stopping when they've achieved the needed effect without excessive intoxication.

So far, no pharmaceutical product -- not even Sativex, the much-touted marijuana spray now marketed in Canada -- achieves this combination of rapid action and simple, accurate dose adjustment.

Back in 1999, the Institute of Medicine's White House-commissioned report on medical marijuana conceded marijuana's medical benefits, saying that what is needed is "a nonsmoked rapid-onset cannabinoid drug delivery system."

The new studies -- one from the University of California, San Francisco, and the other from the University at Albany, State University of New York -- confirm that such a system is here. It's called vaporization, and has been familiar to medical marijuana patients for many years, but few outside the medical marijuana community know it exists. Unlike smoking, a vaporizer does not burn the plant material, but heats it just to the point at which the THC and the other cannabinoids vaporize. In the Volcano vaporizer tested at UCSF, the vapors are collected in a detachable plastic bag with a mouthpiece for inhalation.

The UCSF study, conducted by Dr. Donald Abrams and colleagues and just published online by the journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics ( to appear in the journal's print edition on May ) compared a commercially available vaporizer called the Volcano to smoking in 18 volunteers. The subjects inhaled three different strengths of marijuana either as smoked cigarettes or vaporized using the Volcano.

The researchers then measured the volunteers' plasma THC levels and the amount of expired carbon monoxide, which is considered a reliable marker for the unwanted combustion products contained in smoke.

The two methods produced similar THC levels, with vaporization producing somewhat higher levels, and were judged equally efficient for administration of cannabinoids. The big difference was in expired carbon monoxide. As expected, there was a sharp increase in carbon monoxide levels after smoking, while "little if any" increase was detected after vaporization. "This indicates little or no exposure to gaseous combustion toxins," the researchers wrote. "Vaporization of marijuana does not result in exposure to combustion gases, and therefore is expected to be much safer than smoking marijuana cigarettes."

A second study, by Dr. Mitch Earleywine at the University at Albany, State University of New York, involved an Internet survey of nearly 7,000 marijuana users. Participants were asked to identify their primary method of using marijuana ( joints, pipe, vaporizer, edibles, etc. ) and were asked six questions about respiratory symptoms. After adjusting for variables such as age and cigarette use, vaporizer users were 60 percent less likely than smokers to report respiratory symptoms such as cough, chest tightness or phlegm. The effect of vaporizer use was more pronounced the larger the amount of marijuana used.

"Our study clearly suggests that the respiratory effects of marijuana use can be decreased by use of a vaporizer," Earleywine commented. "In fact, because we only asked participants about their primary means of using marijuana, it's likely that people who exclusively use vaporizers will get even more benefit than our results indicate, because no doubt some in our study used vaporizers most of the time but not all of the time."

In a rational world, the government officials objecting to medical marijuana based on the health risks of smoking would greet this research with open arms. They would join with groups like the Marijuana Policy Project in spreading the word about this important, health-enhancing technology.

Don't hold your breath.

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Florida Groups Pushes for Medical Marijuana

Local group pushes for medical marijuana
By BETH BURGER
bburger@bradenton.com

BRADENTON --Cathy Jordan credits marijuana for keeping her alive.The 58-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease when she was 36, has begun to lose control of her voice and hands.She and her husband, Bob, have become advocates for the legalization of marijuana."We don't know why it works, it just does," said Bob, sitting next to his wife

Wednesday evening at a meeting held at the Manatee Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. "We're in this to fight till the end."Cathy Jordan smokes about one or two marijuana cigarettes per night. Without them, she says, she will die.The couple was among a dozen supporters who met Wednesday to advocate the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Noelle Davis, a federal policies consultant for the Marijuana Policy Project, said the Jordans are not alone.Davis has traveled throughout Florida and other parts of the South speaking to groups, encouraging activism and awareness."We can break the shame and the silence of this issue," she said.

The vision of Davis's group is to legalize marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use. The meeting on Wednesday focused on medicinal purposes.Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube said he's not against the federal government growing and dispensing the drug for medical uses, but his experience in law enforcement has led him to believe it should not be legalized for everyone."I understand those on the other side of the fence will argue that it's good for glaucoma or cancer because it eases pain," Steube said. "I am not against the U.S. government growing and dispensing through a prescription."The prolonged smoking of marijuana leads to it being stored in the fatty tissues of the body such as the brain and reproductive organs, which can lead to health defects, he said.

He said he doesn't remember ever arresting anyone on drug charges who claimed the drug was for medicinal purposes. According to Davis, there are only a handful of people who have legal prescriptions receiving 300 marijuana cigarettes. She would like to see legislators both at a state and federal level make it so those with medical conditions can qualify for use."There are people who need this to survive. This is not about having a party," she said.Marijuana is considered the No. 2 drug of choice in Manatee County, he said. Cocaine is the most popular.Most of the marijuana found by investigators is imported from Mexico.

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Barack Obama: "I'm not in favor of [marijuana] decriminal...

From Reason.com:

Barack Obama on Weed A truth the candidate won’t tell

Steve Chapman | February 4, 2008

It’s a brave position, and therefore exceedingly rare among practicing politicians. Which may be why it didn’t last. Before the day was over, the Obama campaign issued a statement saying he thinks “we are sending far too many first-time non-violent drug users to prison for very long periods of time” but “does not believe that we should treat offenses involving marijuana with a simple fine or just by confiscating the drug.” Recently, he had told a New Hampshire newspaper, “I’m not in favor of decriminalization.”

This episode reveals that as a candidate, Obama is more fond of bold rhetoric than bold policies. But it also proves the impossibility of talking sense on the subject of illicit drugs during a political campaign. That course of action would mean admitting the inadmissible: that the prohibition of cannabis has been cruel, wasteful and fraudulent. Cruel because it leads to the arrest of nearly 700,000 people a year for mere possession of a substance that is comparatively benign.

Wasteful because it expends billions of dollars in police, court and correctional resources that could be deployed against dangerous predators. Fraudulent because it hasn’t solved anything: According to the federal government, nearly 100 million Americans have tried the stuff.

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Marijuana Policy Project: Email - Please attend MPP's grassroots planning meetings in FL

Marijuana Policy Project: Email - Please attend MPP's grassroots planning meetings in FL

Dear MPP Supporter:

This message is simply to remind you of the chance to participate in the following meeting being sponsored by the Marijuana Policy Project.

Saturday, February 23 - 2 p.m.

Unitarian Fellowship of South Florida in Hollywood (1812 Roosevelt Street)

The meeting will include an update on current state and federal policies and a discussion about tactics advocates can use to influence their representatives to support legislation protecting medical marijuana patients from arrest and prosecution. Please contact MPP consultant Noelle Davis at (512) 659-1108 or noelledavis04@yahoo.com for more information.

Sincerely,

Ben Morris
National Field Coordinator
Marijuana Policy Project

Doctors group backs marijuana for medical uses

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A leading U.S. doctors group has endorsed using marijuana for medical purposes, urging the government to roll back a prohibition on using it to treat patients and supporting studies into its medical applications.

The American College of Physicians, the second-largest doctors group in the United States, issued a policy statement on medical marijuana this week after it was approved by its governing body, the group said on Friday.

The group cited evidence that marijuana is valuable in treating severe weight loss associated with AIDS, and nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients.

"Additional research is needed to clarify marijuana's therapeutic properties and determine standard and optimal doses and routes of delivery. Unfortunately, research expansion has been hindered by a complicated federal approval process, limited availability of research-grade marijuana and the debate over legalization," the group said.

The Philadelphia-based group, founded in 1915, is made up of 124,000 doctors who treat adults.

"The richness of modern medicine is to carefully evaluate new treatments. Marijuana has been in a special category because of, I suppose, its abuses and other concerns," Dr. David Dale, the group's president and a University of Washington professor of medicine, said in a phone interview.

'SCIENCE SHOULD BE KEPT OPEN'

David Murray, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's chief scientist, said, "The science should be kept open. There should be more research. We should continue to investigate."

The policy statement said, "ACP encourages the use of nonsmoked forms of THC (the main psychoactive element in marijuana) that have proven therapeutic value." It also backed research into additional therapeutic uses of marijuana.

The government should review marijuana's status as a so-called schedule I controlled substance, alongside such drugs as LSD and heroin, given scientific evidence of its safety and efficacy for some medical conditions, the doctors group said.

It called for exempting doctors who prescribe or dispense medical marijuana in accordance with state law from federal criminal prosecution and other actions. It also urged protection from criminal penalties for patients who use medical marijuana as permitted under state laws.

A dozen states have laws allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. But supporters of medical marijuana accuse the federal government of undermining those state laws by having Drug Enforcement Administration agents raid medical marijuana providers.

Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, which urges legal and regulated sales of marijuana, said, "This statement by America's second-largest doctors group demolishes the myth that the medical community doesn't support medical marijuana."

"The ACP's statement smashes a number of other myths, including the claims that adequate substitutes are available or that marijuana is unsafe for medical use," Kampia added.