FLAMME : Floridians Advocating Medical Marijuana Education Blog

Medical marijuana user who was denied liver transplant dies

2008-05-06T10:42:00.000-04:00

SEATTLE (AP) — A man who was denied a liver transplant because he used marijuana with medical approval to ease the symptoms of hepatitis C has died.

Timothy Garon, 56, died Thursday at Bailey-Boushay House, an intensive care nursing center, said his lawyer, Douglas Hiatt, and Alisha Mark, a spokeswoman for Virginia Mason Medical Center, which operates Bailey-Boushay.

His death came a week after his doctor told him a University of Washington Medical Center committee had again denied him a spot on the liver transplant list because of his use of marijuana, although it was authorized under Washington state law.

The case highlights an ethical consideration for those allocating organs for transplant: whether using dope with a doctor's blessing should be held against a dying patient in need of a transplant.

The Virginia-based United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees the nation's transplant system, leaves it to individual hospitals to develop criteria for transplant candidates.

At some, people who use "illicit substances" — including medical marijuana, even in the dozen states that allow it — are automatically rejected. At others, patients are given a chance to reapply if they stay clean for six months. Marijuana is illegal under federal law.

Dr. Brad Roter, who authorized Garon to smoke pot to alleviate nausea and abdominal pain and to stimulate his appetite, said he did not know it would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant.

Garon told The Associated Press last week he believed he contracted hepatitis C by sharing needles with "speed freaks" as a teenager. In recent years, he said, pot was been the only drug he used.

BREAKING: Congress acts on bill to decriminalize marijuana

2008-04-17T17:06:00.001-04:00

Today Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) introduced legislation to decriminalize the possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana and the not-for-profit transfer of one ounce of marijuana.Congressman Frank's legislation would decriminalize the possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana and the not-for-profit transfer of one ounce of marijuana. It would not affect laws prohibiting drug sales or the cultivation of marijuana, and it would not affect state or local laws regulating marijuana possession."It's time for the politicians to catch up with the public on this [issue]," Congressman Frank said. "The notion that you lock people up for smoking marijuana is pretty silly."The bill incorporates the basic recommendation of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (also known as the Shafer Commission). The commission, which was administered by the White House and published its findings in 1972, recommended that then-president Richard Nixon decriminalize possession of marijuana in amounts that constituted "simple possession."Thirty-six years later, Rep. Frank will try to do just that. Why support this legislation?- Currently, 1 out of every 100 Americans is behind bars, and many of these prisoners are non-violent drug offenders.- Arresting, prosecuting, and incarcerating people simply for possessing marijuana for personal use is an illogical waste of our government's limited resources.- Each year, more than 700,000 people are arrested for marijuana offenses, costing American taxpayers more than $7 billion annually. Despite this, marijuana is still easily available, both to adults and minors.- The money saved from ending marijuana prohibition could provide health insurance each year to 4.5 million uninsured children in the U.S. This legislation would be an important first step towards that.

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Medical Marijuana: California Dr. Molly Fry Sentenced to Five Years | Stop the Drug War (DRCNet)

2008-03-30T11:51:00.000-04:00

Medical Marijuana: California Dr. Molly Fry Sentenced to Five Years | Stop the Drug War (DRCNet)

A federal judge in Sacramento sentenced Dr. Marion "Mollie" Fry and her companion, attorney Dale Schafer, to five years in federal prison for conspiring to grow and distribute marijuana on March 19. Fry, who used marijuana herself in connection with radical breast cancer surgery, and Schafer, who used it for back pain and a dangerous form of hemophilia, also provided marijuana to patients under California's Compassionate Use Act.

But the Justice Department prosecuted the couple under the federal marijuana laws, leaving US District Judge Frank Damrell Jr. no choice but to impose the mandatory minimum five-year prison sentenced required under the law because they had more than 100 plants.

"It is a sad day, a terrible day," Damrell said during sentencing, adding that if it were up to him, the punishment would have been less. But he also criticized Fry and Schafer for refusing to accept a plea bargain that could have left them free. "You had the opportunity to resolve this case, but you wanted to soldier on, knowing that your kid would be left behind," he told the couple.

In a departure from normal practice on the federal bench and to the delight of supporters who packed the courtroom, Judge Damrell granted the pair bail, so they will remain free while their case is appealed. Damrell, who is also presiding over the Bryan Epis case and has granted him bail too, said the exceptional circumstances of the case create "serious issues that need to be decided by an appellate court." Among those, he noted, are Fry and Schafer's claim they were entrapped.

FLAMME benefit concert a huge sucess!

2008-03-30T02:27:00.000-04:00

Our medical marijuana benefit concert Friday night was a HUGE success! We raised close to $500! Thank you to all who attended.

The music was exquisite, as was the venue. Nicole, Vernon and Elaine also spoke about their own experiences and they did great! Thank you to Glenn, who set up all the bands and arranged the venue, for all his hard work.

Also in attendance was Irvin Rosenfeld, one of the Nation’s only Federal medical cannabis patients. The Federal government actually, to this very day, sends him 300 marijuana cigarettes every month for his medical condition. Grown by the University of Mississippi under contract by The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is the only legal source for cannabis in the United States under Federal law.

Also, Mr Rosenfeld cannot be arrested anywhere in the country for possession! He has 100% legal marijuana. Most people don’t even think there is such a thing. But there is! He is living proof of it. You can read more about him and others like him below. He is truly a national celebrity in the medical cannabis movement. We feel honored to have had him in attendance.

He sits on the board of directors for an organization called "Patients out of Time", an organization founded and run by official federal medical cannabis patients. Who also have 100% legal marijuana! But, only for themselves unfortunately. The program they were involved in (Compassionate Investigational New Drug program (IND) was terminated in 1992 courtesy of George Bush, Sr. Why was it terminated? A number of AIDS patients started applying to it, so they shut it down. How kind of them to do that.

"Patients out of Time"
medicalcannabis.com

Google video of Irvin Rosenfeld

Youtube video of Irvin Rosenfeld

Successful Medical Necessity Defense in Texas Marijuana Case

2008-03-27T20:04:00.003-04:00

Reason Magazine - Hit & Run >

Jacob Sullum | March 27, 2008, 12:44pm

This week Tim Stevens, a 53-year-old Amarillo man who smokes marijuana to relieve the cyclical vomiting syndrome associated with HIV infection, used a necessity defense to win an acquittal on a possession charge. His attorney, Jeff Blackburn, says this appears to be the first time the defense, which argues that breaking the law was necessary to prevent a harm worse than the one the law is aimed at preventing, has been successful in a Texas marijuana case.

Stevens, whose vomiting has been so severe that he was hospitalized and received blood transfusions, was arrested last October after an anonymous tipster saw him sharing a joint on a friend's porch in Amarillo and called the police. He had about a twelfth of an ounce of marijuana, resulting in a Class B misdemeanor charge that carries a penalty of up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. He probably could have gotten off with a fine or a year's probation, Blackburn says, "but he didn't want to; he wanted to take a stand." The trial lasted about 10 hours on Tuesday, and the jury came back after 11 minutes with a "not guilty" verdict.

Blackburn says the expert testimony of Steve Jenison, medical director of the Infectious Diseases Bureau in New Mexico's Department of Health, helped establish that marijuana is demonstrably effective at treating nausea and superior in some ways to the legal alternatives. (For one thing, unlike the synthetic THC capsule Marinol, it does not have to be swallowed and kept down, a feat for someone suffering from severe nausea.) Blackburn, who was not at all confident about the prospects for Stevens' unusual defense in a "very, very conservative area," also credits "a streak of independence" and a "distaste for government" that he says is common in West Texas. "I think these jurors like the idea that they get to make a decision about what the law means, about when it applies," he says, "and I don't think they were shy at all about deciding how valuable the law proscribing marijuana use really is."

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank Brings Marijuana Bill To Congress

2008-03-24T17:08:00.002-04:00

Congressman Barney Frank, representing the 4th district of Massachusetts, plans to file legislation this week that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of Marijuana on the national level.

Frank, who filed a bill to decriminalize marijuana as a member of the Massachusetts legislature, believes that the Federal Government unfairly targets medical marijuana patients in California, and believes that drug laws should be left up to the states.

Frank also asserts that the public doesnot generally support the current marijuana laws and that the federal government should not have a law in the books which doesn’t make sense to most of the public.This bill comes at a cruicial crossroads for the legalization movement, with the effort to decriminalize marijuana at the strongest it has been in decades.

About a month ago, the American College of Physicians officially backed medical marijuana and told the government to stop prosecuting users of medical marijuana. New Hampshire, Alaska and Illinois are all hearing arguments on new legislation regarding marijuana laws and there are 12 states that have already decriminalized possession.

Barney Frank was quoted by the associated press as saying, "Do you really think people should be prosecuted for smoking marijuana? I don’t think most people agree with that. It’s one area where the public is ahead of the elected officials.”

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Fox News Miami........is not real news

2008-03-23T18:13:00.004-04:00

In the tradition of the 1936 anti-drug film "Reefer Madness," the Fox News story I caught airing on July 13, 07 contained misinformation, a lot of scare words, and no independent fact checking of the claims of government agents.

The uncontroverted facts I quote in my video come from the 1988 administrative law decision available at:

http://www.druglibrary.org

And, finally, though this video does not reveal Fox News partisan political bias, it still contains enough bias against more liberal drug laws to make OVER TWO DOZEN EXAMPLES on my Fox News Bias YouTube playlist at: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list

This article courtesy of youtube user LiberalViewer

United Nations Global Drug Czar can't even answer a simple question.

2008-03-21T17:34:00.012-04:00

Cannabis use in Holland is completely decriminalized. It is freely available to anyone over the age of 18. It is sold in retail stores. Yet cannabis use is significantly lower in Holland then in any of the other surrounding countries where it is completely illegal.

Listen to how Mr. Antonio-Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime", the most powerful Drug Czar in the world, the answers the question as to why.

After the question is posed by NGO partner Frederick Polak, he basically says "I refuse to talk about that, PERIOD!" Then he gets HAMMERED by Mr Polak! It's pretty sweet. In fact, it's priceless!

Video courtesy of The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union.

This really is a telling video. Kudos to Frederick Polak, who respectfully, yet firmly and persistently, tried to get an answer to a very basic question: "If prohibition is the only way to contain the drug problem, how do you explain that the prevalence of cannabis use is lower or similar in the Netherlands than in many neighboring countries?"

Peter Sarosi reports that

Some NGO representatives on the other end gave a standing ovation to Mr. Costa when he left the hall (you can see the same people applauding his anti-coffee shop statements in our video). The celebration was initiated by the lapdogs of the U.S. and Swedish governments of course, like the European Cities Against Drugs, an international organization funded by the Swedish government to promote its drug policy, praising "treatment" services in Russia notorious for chaining and humiliating drug users, or SUNDIAL, an "NGO" led by the former speechwriter of the American drug czar. Among them we found the representative of the Partnership for a Drug Free America as well, who advocates the idea that we can solve drug problems by forcing schoolchildren to piss to a flask, despite the growing evidence that school drug testing doesn't work at all.

Pretty amazing when you watch the video and hear these people applauding Costa's obvious avoidance tactic. I mean, if you understand even the basics of English, it's obvious that Costa was purposely not answering the question and refusing to allow it to be considered. And for that they applauded?

It's almost as though they were sitting there thinking "Uh, oh, that druggie guy got nailed us good on that one -- how will Costa respond? ... Oh, excellent technique! You simply dodged it! Bravo!"

BBSNews - Czech Republic Legalizes Medical Marijuana Cultivation

2008-03-20T23:37:00.003-04:00

Czech Republic Legalizes Medical Marijuana Cultivation

Monday, March 17 2008 @ 12:05 PM EDT
Edited by: Michael Hess

High court declares the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes to be legal

BBSNews 2008-03-17 -- (IACM) According to a report by Radio Praha of 4 March the high court ruled that the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes is not a criminal offence. The court had to decide on the case of a woman, who had been convicted by a lower court but referred to the fact that she intended to use the cultivated plants for the alleviation of skin and stomach problems and not for the production of psychoactive effects. Cannabis is increasingly used for medicinal purposes in the Czech Republic.

The mere discovery of the plants was not sufficient for conviction. Rather, it would have been necessary to prove the intention to make marijuana from the plants. Cultivation of hemp for the production of skin ointments would however constitute only a small public hazard and it would not be reasonable to criminalize it, the judgment stated. The case has now to by retried by a lower court.

(Source: Radio Praha of 4 March 2008)

Help students get their financial aid back!

2008-03-20T17:26:00.004-04:00

Subject: Help students get their financial aid back!

http://www.ssdp.org/judges

On March 13, U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced the first ever Senate bill to prevent college students from automatically losing financial aid as a punishment for drug offenses. S.2767 would allow students with drug convictions to keep aid and stay in school unless a judge specifically ruled they should lose education in addition to other punishments imposed like fines, jail time, or community service.

Although the penalty should be repealed outright, the judicial discretion bill would tremendously reduce its impact by turning it into an opt-in punishment instead of an automatic one. Take action now by spending one minute to edit and send a pre-written letter to your senators!

Any college student who gets convicted of a drug offense automatically loses his or her financial aid. Unfortunately, this harmful aid elimination penalty has already impacted more than 200,000 students.

Thankfully the U.S. Senate is considering legislation that would significantly scale back the penalty, allowing students to keep aid and stay in school unless a judge specifically ruled they should lose their education in addition to other punishments usually imposed such as fines, jail time, or community service.

While only a full and complete repeal of the penalty would address all its problems, the judicial discretion bill would at least eliminate the mandatory minimum punishment on every and all drug students with convictions, immensely reducing its negative impact

http://www.ssdp.org/judges

FL Governor Used to Smoke Pot!

2008-03-18T05:28:00.000-04:00

Florida

Crist Wants to Maintain Drug Penalties

Marc Caputo

March 15, 2008

Miami Herald

TALLAHASSEE -- Though he has admitted to smoking marijuana, Gov. Charlie Crist said he still favors Florida's tough drug laws and doesn't support legislative plans to review whether to lessen penalties for some crimes such as non-violent drug possession.

The state's prison population is expected to swell at year's end to a record 100,000, about 20 percent of whom are non-violent drug offenders convicted of crimes such as trafficking and simple possession.

And some legislators have wondered aloud and in private how the state can afford to pay for it now that Florida's economy is sagging and crime is rising It costs more than $19,000 a year to lock up an inmate, not counting the millions it will cost to build two prisons per year through 2013 to keep up with prison-population growth.

While no legislator has filed a bill to decriminalize drug laws outright, the Senate and House are considering measures that allow some inmates early and supervised work release, that establish a commission to review mandatory-minimum prison sentences -- a legacy of the drug war -- and that lessen penalties for driving with a suspended license.

But Crist said he wants to keep the laws the way they are. ''It's important to make sure that we do what the first order of business is, and that is to ensure domestic tranquility -- make sure that our people are safe -- and that means locking up bad people,'' he said.

What about nonviolent drug offenders?

''I feel that our laws are good in Florida. They were thoughtfully put in place. And I know there is a budget crunch. But I don't want to sacrifice public safety,'' Crist said.

Plantation Democratic Rep. Perry Thurston said the Legislature is not yet ready for decriminalization, but he noted his Republican colleagues are slowly starting to realize that too many people are being locked away and they're changing their minds about being tough on certain crimes.

Tampa Sen. Victor Crist -- a Republican who's not related to the governor and chairs the senate's criminal-justice appropriations committee -- said locking up drug users costs society and the state too much money, and it doesn't work.

''That's the old way; throw a drug addict in jail. But now we know treatment works, it's better and it's cheaper,'' Sen. Crist said. ``If you're a violent criminal, you belong in a cell. If you're a drug addict, you belong in a rehab program.''

He said the Legislature is studying who's in prison and why -- something which can take time because prison records don't reflect the type of drug or specifics of a crime for which someone is convicted.

Asked if marijuana-possession should be decriminalized, Sen. Crist said: ``The man or woman abusing drugs need to be in a program to overcome their addiction. And the time has come to look at the prison system and make sure this is appropriate.''

While the state senator said he hasn't used illegal drugs, the governor acknowledged he had. Asked if he ever used marijuana, Crist said ``Yeah.''

''I've said many times, people make mistakes. And what I support about the law is the deterrent effect,'' he said. ``Having said that, I'm also recommending about $28 million for substance-abuse [treatment], to help people who might have an addiction or problem with a substance. I think that's important to do as well. I think we have to have balance.''

Gov. Crist said he only used marijuana recreationally when he was younger and long before public life and that he never used cocaine.

Did he inhale? ''I did,'' he said.

A Truth Barack Obama Won't Dare Tell:

2008-03-11T01:48:00.000-04:00

A TRUTH BARACK OBAMA WON'T DARE TELL: DECRIMINALIZING MARIJUANA USE
by Steve Chapman, (Source:Orlando Sentinel)

Florida
-------
Lately, Barack Obama has been quoting John F. Kennedy: "The world is changing. The old ways will not do." For a few hours the other day, I was starting to think he really meant it.

On Thursday, The Washington Times reported that in 2004, as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Obama came out for decriminalizing marijuana use. That usually means eliminating jail sentences and arrest records for anyone caught with a small amount for personal use, treating it more like a traffic offense than a violent crime. But in a show of hands at a debate last fall, he indicated that he opposed the idea.

When confronted on the issue by the Times, however, the senator defended his original ground. His campaign said he has "always" supported decriminalization.

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.

But in the political realm, a strangely disjointed view of drugs prevails. Past use is forgivable. Both George W. Bush and Bill Clinton admitted to smoking marijuana, as did Al Gore and John Kerry. Obama has admitted doing the same.

At the same time, no major party presidential nominee has advocated decriminalization ( much less legalization ) since Jimmy Carter did so in 1976. It would be considered political suicide. So we are now in a bizarre position: A candidate who spent his college days flouting our marijuana laws can be elected president, but an abstemious, button-downed candidate who proposes to change those laws has no hope.

Had we enforced our statutes more vigorously, of course, Bush, Clinton and the others would never have been elected anything, because they would be ex-convicts. Yet Bush, Clinton and the others were happy to put people behind bars for crimes they themselves committed.

One alternative to that approach is decriminalization, which is not exactly radical or untried. It's already the norm in 12 different states -- not just California and New York, but Mississippi, Ohio and Nebraska. About one of every three Americans lives in a state or city where pot users typically don't go to jail.

Despite this lenient approach, Omaha and Cincinnati still would never be mistaken for Jamaica. One thing we know is that criminal penalties have little if any effect on the number of stoners. States that have decriminalized cannabis are largely indistinguishable from states that have not.

A 1999 report by the National Academy of Sciences found "little evidence that decriminalization of marijuana use necessarily leads to a substantial increase in marijuana use." In 2003, Boston University economist Jeffrey Miron surveyed the available data from here and abroad and agreed: "Existing evidence provides no indication that marijuana decriminalization causes increased marijuana use."

This discovery should not be surprising. Cigarettes and beer are both legally available, but smoking and drinking have been declining for years. Freedom is not incompatible with enlightened self-restraint. In fact, it seems to foster it.

Politicians normally can't say such things. But near the end of his administration, Bill Clinton confided to Rolling Stone magazine that he thought marijuana should be decriminalized. Maybe eight years from now, Obama will do likewise.

NORML.ORG US FL: Column: A Truth Barack Obama Won't Dare Tell:

Medical Marijuana Bill Clears Senate Committee in Illinois - Salem-News.Com

2008-03-05T18:51:00.001-05:00

Mar-05-2008 13:59

Medical Marijuana Bill Clears Senate Committee in Illinois

A multiple sclerosis patient's testimony appears to have reached legislators.

(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) - For the second year in a row, members of the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee voted in favor of a medical marijuana bill, 6-4, after receiving written and oral testimony from medical professionals, patients, and policy experts today.

SB 2865, sponsored by Sens. John Cullerton (D-Chicago) and Donn E. Trotter (D-Chicago), both of whom serve as majority caucus whips, would protect seriously ill patients who use medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation from the threat of arrest and jail.

The bill will now go to the Senate floor for a full vote. An identical bill, HB 5938, sponsored by Rep. Angelo Saviano (R-River Grove), has been introduced in the House and is expected to receive committee consideration soon.

Committee members heard testimony from multiple sclerosis patient and Illinois Drug Education and Legislative (IDEAL) Reform board member Julie Falco, of Chicago, as well as registered nurse and multiple sclerosis patient Gretchen Steele, of Coulterville.

Falco said medical marijuana relieved her painful symptoms much better than the more powerful, addictive medications doctors had prescribed her.

"As of today, I am off of all pharmaceutical medications and living a relatively active life," she said. "I believe that physicians, healthcare professionals, legislators and the public can come together on this issue – it is time to change our laws."

"Because our laws regarding medical marijuana are hopelessly out of step with what science, compassion and common sense tell us about this drug, countless suffering Illinoisans like Julie and Gretchen must choose between finding relief or obeying the law," Cullerton said.

"Passing this bill into law will ensure patients battling incapacitating pain – some for their very lives – have access to proven safe, effective medicine."

Experience in 12 other states with similar laws proves that Illinois can protect patients without hindering law enforcement efforts to fight illicit marijuana use, said Ray Warren, a former North Carolina legislator and superior court judge who now serves as the Marijuana Policy Project's director of state policies.

"Our first obligation should be ensuring that our laws don't prevent suffering patients from obtaining needed medicine – or make them criminals if they do," he said.

"We have learned that we can fulfill this moral duty with well-regulated programs designed to effectively prevent potential abuses."

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

2008-02-26T22:08:00.001-05:00

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

2008-02-26T22:05:00.001-05:00

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

2008-02-26T16:52:00.002-05:00

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

2008-02-26T16:37:00.002-05:00

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...

2008-02-26T16:27:00.002-05:00

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

2008-02-20T17:09:00.000-05:00

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

2008-02-19T07:48:00.000-05:00

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.