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Showing posts with label legalization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legalization. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Montanans flooded the state Capitol to again testify on a proposed repeal of medical marijuana.
Posted by CN Staff on March 11, 2011 at 16:58:03 PT
By Stephen Dockery, Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
MT -- As Montanans flooded the Capitol Friday to again testify on a proposed repeal of medical marijuana, lawmakers were as uncertain as ever on the fate of Legislative action on the law.
A general sentiment prevails in the Legislature that something must be done to reel in a medical marijuana industry that many say has spiraled beyond the intent of the law approved in a 2004 voter initiative. An abundance of pot shops, drug use among youth and police concern over organized crime has many legislators worried that the state's rugged big sky reputation is being replaced by a blooming pot industry.
Three medical marijuana options are now poised before lawmakers: Outright repeal, a proposition viewed with skepticism by some lawmakers who say there is a legitimate need for some patients to use marijuana. Reform and regulation, a difficult task given the scope of the marijuana industry and uncertainty of how to fine tune legislation. Inaction, an option favored by few but a looming possibility given the difficulty of following through on the other two actions.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is most likely where the face of legislative action on medical marijuana will reveal itself. Many House or Senate bills dealing with medical marijuana must eventually pass through the 12 person body that seems to be closely divided between supporters of repeal and reform.
Committee Chairperson Sen. Terry Murphy said he favors a reform of the initiative because of what he said is a medical need for the drug that can't be filled by anything else.
A number of measures for reform have survived through the first half of the legislative session. Several bills propose making it more difficult for minors to access marijuana, adding fees for marijuana card holders and increasing local authority over marijuana use.
Although Murphy wants reform, he said he see few workable reform bills in front of the Legislature currently.
"None of the bills I've seen individually seem to do the whole job that we would like to do, they are either overregulating or not covering every area that needs to be covered," said the Cardwell Republican.
Murphy said he would want to see his committee pull together a reform measure that incorporates the best of all the regulation measures in the legislature.
The question is whether amending and resurrecting such a Frankenstein-like blend is a feasible option to get through both chambers.
Sen. Jim Shockley sympathized with Murphy's position on medical marijuana reform but said he now doesn't see it as a viable measure.
"At this point we are not going to get a bill that is tight enough to satisfy me, and if we did we wouldn't get it through the House," said the Victor Republican who initially supported reform.
"The choice right now is to either repeal it or do what we've got now and what we've got now is not going to work," Shockley said.
The most probable measure for repeal is Republican House Speaker Mike Milburn's proposal that drew state officials, doctors, patients and teachers to line up for hours Friday to speak for a minute or two on his full repeal of medical marijuana bill.
Milburn said the ballot initiative that created the medical marijuana program "tugged on voters heart strings but it failed on almost all accounts."
The Cascade Representative and supporters of the measure say the medical marijuana industry is bringing dangerous organized crime to Montana and addicting the state's youth on the drug. They say the law is beyond reform.
Opponents speaking Friday said the concerns that marijuana is hurting the rest of society is exaggerated and the use of marijuana is the only way some people can live a normal life. Many opponents wore buttons encouraging legislators to "fix it, don't nix it."
"Medical marijuana is the only medication on this planet that will help me," said Daniel Decker, 39, who suffers from chronic pain. "The fact that I use this medication has nothing to do with other people."
The measure cleared the House handily last month on a 62-37 vote. It now faces the Senate committee vote and several more Senate votes before it could go to the governor to sign. Gov. Brian Schweitzer has not made clear how he would act on a medical marijuana repeal.
A looming specter over all of the legislation and debate around medical marijuana is indecision. If a repeal is viewed as too harsh, if reform is unworkable or a veto comes from the governor's office, the status quo could stand for another two years.
Chairman Murphy said few lawmakers see that as acceptable.
"If we do nothing we have the same situation for two more years and many, many thousands more of the (medical marijuana) cards out," he said.
Source: Associated Press (Wire)
Author: Stephen Dockery, Associated Press
Published: March 11, 2011
Copyright: 2011 The Associated Press
CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives
http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Arizona state lawmakers are moving to give some relief to employers who fear the new medical marijuana laws are going to leave them powerless.
Posted by CN Staff on March 12, 2011 at 17:11:28 PT
By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
Source: Yuma Sun
Phoenix -- State lawmakers are moving to give some relief to employers who fear the new medical marijuana laws are going to leave them powerless to fire or transfer workers who will soon be legally entitled to use the drug.
Legislation crafted by attorney David Selden would provide guidelines that companies could follow and not run afoul of the law. It also would provide some immunity from being sued by an unhappy employee.
That law, approved by voters in November, allows those with a doctor's recommendation to obtain up to 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks.
But the ballot measure also contains anti-discrimination provisions, including one that says an employer cannot make hiring, firing and disciplinary conditions based on a person's status as the holder of a medical marijuana card.
Potentially more significant for employers, that protection extends to someone who tests positive for drugs unless the company could prove the person used or possessed marijuana on the job or was “impaired” during work hours.
Only thing is, the law does not define exactly what constitutes impairment.
Selden, who specializes in labor law, said many companies maintain a zero-tolerance policy on drugs.
“In the medical marijuana statute, that may not be the appropriate policy because the person may have a prescription for that,” he said. “Yet there are still many jobs that are safety-sensitive jobs where the employer, to comply with OSHA and other responsibilities would not want a person who is on marijuana, even if it's lawfully prescribed, be operating things such as a forklift at Home Depot.”
As already approved by the House on a 56-3 vote, HB 2541 would give protections to employers who take actions against workers in these safety-sensitive positions who, in good faith, they believe may be impaired.
But the language of that “good faith belief” exception created heartburn for some legislators and forced proponents to make some changes.
Rep. Daniel Patterson, D-Tucson, pointed out, for example, the legislation as introduced would permit companies to act based solely on “information reported by a person believed to be reliable.” Selden defended that language.
“Employers today make countless decisions based on information from people believed to be reliable,” he said, which could include a supervisor, a co-worker or even security personnel.
“When sexual harassment allegations are made, employers investigate those and make those decisions,” Selden continued. Anyway, he said, these decisions always are subject to review.
Selden also said a worker could challenge any action which was based solely on the statements of someone who had reason to purposely make up a story.
More troubling, said Patterson, was language that exempted employers from being sued for taking action if they had a good faith belief that the worker “had consumed (drugs) in the recent past or intended to consume in the near future.” That would even include an employee with a medical marijuana recommendation who intended to smoke the drug after going home from work.
“People that may need medical marijuana as medicine are going to be unfortunately caught up in a bad situation,” Patterson said. “They could lose their jobs.”
And Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, said he was uncomfortable with the whole idea of immunity.
“Businesses should have the ability to do what this bill does,” he said. “But I think they act inappropriately they ought to be subject to the same kind of litigation everybody else is.”
Those concerns made a difference.
The version eventually approved by the House removed any reference to consumption in the recent past or near future. Instead, action would be allowed -- and immunity granted -- only for current use of marijuana.
That provision allowing information from a reliable source was altered to add a requirement that there be a report from someone who actually witnessed the use or possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia at work. And anyone who acts with “gross negligence” is not entitled to the presumption of acting in good faith.
Rep. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix, who agreed to sponsor the legislation, said the bill, even as modified, offers valuable protection for companies.
“Employers want to comply with the law,” she said of the voter-approved statute. “But they do not want to see their workplace put at risk due to an employee who is unable to safely perform his or her job.”
The legislation still needs Senate approval.
AYES: 56 NAYS: 3 NOT VOTING: 1
Source: Sun, The (Yuma, AZ)
Author: Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services
Published: March 12, 2011
Copyright: 2011 The Sun
Website: http://www.yumasun.com/
URL: http://drugsense.org/url/enwFFKSo
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/afYuHROS
CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives
http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Not Your Typical Stoner.
Posted by CN Staff on March 12, 2011 at 19:47:16 PT
By W. Zachary Malinowski, Journal Staff Writer
Source: Providence Journal
Providence, RI -- Richard Collins doesn’t fit the profile of your typical stoner. He’s 67 years old, a Marine Corps veteran, and he said he’s never had a brush with the law.
But you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who smokes more marijuana than this Montana native. He tokes “all day, every day,” to ease a host of ailments including depression, back pain, headaches and arthritis. For the better part of 50 years, Collins, an artist, bought his dope on the street, often from unsavory characters he calls “crooks.”
Last year, he joined about 125,000 Colorado residents in the state’s booming medical marijuana program. Once a week, he drives 12 miles to Denver from his home in suburban Lakewood to buy his marijuana at Cannabis Medical Technology, housed in a brown stucco building near the Colorado Democratic Party headquarters in the city’s bustling Arts District.
“I never thought I’d see the day I’d be doing this,” said Collins, who bought one quarter ounce of marijuana and three blunts for $120 with a credit card. “I’m not going to apologize for smoking marijuana. I think it’s wonderful. I’m a good citizen. In the end, I’m legal.”
Colorado is one of 15 states, including Rhode Island, that have legalized the use of marijuana to treat certain medical conditions.
So far, just two of those states, Colorado and New Mexico, have state-regulated dispensaries that are legally selling marijuana. Maine is about to become the third — the first on the East Coast — and Rhode Island will soon join in.
On Tuesday, the Rhode Island Health Department is scheduled to select up to three applicants to open Rhode Island’s first marijuana dispensaries. The decision was delayed a week, after the department’s interim director sought additional time to review the applications. The dispensaries may open for business sometime this spring.
Rhode Island has more than 3,000 residents licensed to use medical marijuana.
Complete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/uEZkjxZf
Source: Providence Journal, The (RI)
Author: W. Zachary Malinowski, Journal Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, March 13, 2011
Copyright: 2011 The Providence Journal Company
Contact: letters@projo.com
Website: http://www.projo.com/
http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
The long-awaited debut of medical marijuana dispensaries in Rhode Island.
Posted by CN Staff on March 13, 2011 at 08:16:53 PT
By W. Zachary Malinowski, Journal Staff Writer
Source: Providence Journal
Providence, RI -- The long-awaited debut of medical marijuana dispensaries in Rhode Island this spring promises to help deal with the state’s projected $295-million budget deficit.
Last week, Governor Chafee proposed $157 million in new taxes on a wide array of items, including a 6-percent sales tax on medical marijuana sold at dispensaries. But just how much revenue could sales in the state’s growing medical-marijuana program deliver to the state’s coffers?
State Tax Administrator David Sullivan said that his office projects $802,000 in marijuana sales taxes for fiscal year 2012, which begins July 1. He said that the state expects the figure to climb to $1.3 million in the following fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2013.
Meanwhile, the state would also place a 4-percent surcharge on gross monthly dispensary sales, under the budget proposal. Assuming that the Health Department issues permits for three dispensaries, the state predicts that the surcharge would produce $1.4 million during the dispensaries’ first two years of business.
All told, that’s $3.5 million in new tax revenue over two years. The Health Department is expected to announce on Tuesday the names of operators for up to three dispensaries. They will be chosen from a list of 18 applications.
JoAnne Leppanen, executive director of the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, forecast that once the dispensaries open, 75 to 100 patients a week will apply to the Health Department for licenses to use medical marijuana, compared to about 30 now. There are now 3,271 Rhode Islanders licensed to use and grow medical marijuana, and 2,077 licensed to grow it for approved users.
Dispensary owners in Colorado expect that the opening of three dispensaries in Rhode Island would lead to a dramatic surge in medical marijuana patients. They say that the centers are safe, and they erase many of the stigmas associated with using marijuana.
Complete Article: http://drugsense.org/url/7cRBmQqK
Source: Providence Journal, The (RI)
Author: W. Zachary Malinowski, Journal Staff Writer
Published: Sunday, March 13, 2011
Copyright: 2011 The Providence Journal Company
Contact: letters@projo.com
Website: http://www.projo.com/
CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archives
http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Cannabis News Briefs
The Michigan Court of Appeals is deciding whether to review the case against Fredrick Wayne Dagit. It's unknown when a decision will be made. Section 8 of the state's medical marijuana act says charges should be dropped against a patient and primary caregiver, if any, if they "were collectively in possession of a quantity of (marijuana) that was not more than was reasonably necessary to ensure the uninterrupted availability of (marijuana) for the purpose of treating or alleviating the patient's serious or debilitating medical condition."
Related Links
The state's medical marijuana law is often described as ambiguous and poorly crafted.
An Oakland County judge called it "one of the worst pieces of legislation I've ever seen."
State lawmakers, prosecutors and legal experts believe the law, which voters passed in 2008 by a wide margin, is intentionally vague - because its supporters and authors want complete legalization.
Among those caught in the middle is Fredrick Wayne Dagit, who is facing prison time and whose case is on hold while the state Court of Appeals decides if it will consider whether his activities were protected under the statute.
"The ambiguity, to me, is extremely unfortunate not only for the community, but also for those people who are trying to take advantage of the statute - they're going to be sacrificial lambs," said Thomas M. Cooley law professor Gerald Fisher, an expert the state's medical marijuana law.
"The ambiguity cuts both ways, and some of them are going to jail."
Dagit, 61, is facing charges related to supplying marijuana to the Green Leaf Smokers Club, a medical marijuana club in Williamstown Township, as well as other related entities, including the Church for Compassionate Care Ministries.
Dagit is charged with two counts of possession with intent to deliver between 11 and 99 pounds of marijuana, growing 20 or more marijuana plants, and maintaining a drug house. He also faces a misdemeanor possession charge. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
According to court documents, Dagit bought 67 pounds of marijuana last May for the club, a cooperative that his attorneys say served more than 340 patients and 12 caregivers. He and the confidential informant who sold him the marijuana also agreed to set aside another 50 pounds to be purchased for the cooperative at a later time.
117 pounds for club
Dagit's attorney, James White, has argued that the purchase of 117 pounds of marijuana using the collective's money was protected under a provision of the medical marijuana law. That provision says charges should be dismissed if a patient and caregiver collectively possess enough marijuana that is "reasonably necessary to ensure uninterrupted availability" for treatment.http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110131/NEWS01/101310324/Marijuana-law-s-legal-ambiguity-unfortunate-?odyssey=nav|head
Michigan Medical Marijuana Law Already Under Attack.
On November 4, 2008, 63% of Michigan voters approved the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA) – MPP's campaign committee drafted the law and led the resoundingly successful campaign efforts. Since that time, nearly 50,000 Michigan residents have been certified by the Michigan Department of Community Health to legally use marijuana to treat debilitating conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV/AIDS. Now all eyes are on the Michigan legislature to see what changes, if any, are in store for the program.
In an opening salvo, Sen. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) has filed a bill – SB 17 – that would prohibit the operation of “marihuana clubs.” For his part, Jones says his intent is to prohibit abuses of the law; namely driving away from clubs moments after smoking marijuana. “If a dispensary is going to dispense, that’s fine,” Jones said. “(But) take the prescription home, don’t use it at the premises and drive away.”
The real test will come later when the legislature decides how, if at all, to regulate and tax dispensaries in the state. Jones is convening a task force to address the issue now, and patient advocates will play a role in the decisions made. “I think Senator Jones is a fair man," said Tim Beck, director of the Michigan Association of Compassion Centers. "We believe in his concepts, but the devil, in the end, will be in the details. We feel comfortable working with him.”
Marijuana laws in Michigan (non-medical)
Michigan law is unusual in that it includes separate penalties for the possession and use of marijuana. Possession of any amount of marijuana – whether several ounces or a single gram – is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. Separately, use of marijuana is also a misdemeanor, but punishable by 90 days in jail and a fine of not more than $100. Lastly, possession in or within 1,000 feet of a public or private park can land the offender in jail for up to 2 years.
http://www.mpp.org/states/michigan/
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Police Recommend Drug Trafficking Charges for B.C. Compassion Club Members
The RCMP raid – the third in a decade – came late Friday afternoon, but two members of the North Island Compassion Club deny police allegations that the Courtenay-based marijuana dispensary is a front for illegal drug dealing.
Bill Myers and Ernie Yacub, the club’s long-time manager, were arrested on the weekend and police have recommended they be charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking marijuana. Both deny the allegations, saying the club is strictly for users of medical marijuana.
“There is absolutely no illegal drug dealing going on, none, and I can verify that,” said Mr. Myers, 56. “We dispense medical marijuana to people who really need it, and both Ernie and I spend enough time with everybody to know if they’re coming in on a straight edge.”
RCMP executed a search warrant on the society’s Sixth Street headquarters around 4 p.m. Friday, arresting Mr. Yacub, Mr. Myers and two other club members who were questioned and released without charges.
Police seized several pounds of dried marijuana, as well as unspecified quantities of cookies, hashish and cash.
“We recognize there are conflicting views on the medicinal value of marijuana but it remains illegal to sell in the manner in which they were conducting business,” said Comox Valley RCMP Constable Tammy Douglas.
The investigation was triggered by complaints “from neighbours, from Crime Stoppers and from the city,” Constable Douglas said, noting that RCMP have raided the club on two previous occasions in its 10-year history.
In 2006, the club’s founder, Edith Noreen Evers, was charged when police seized and destroyed dozens of pot plants growing on her acreage in Black Creek, south of Campbell River.
Rather than plead guilty and accept a modest fine as punishment, Ms. Evers launched a lengthy legal battle and spent five months in custody before she was sentenced to time served and released last April.
Mr. Yacub, who has managed the club’s affairs for seven years, said relations with the community and the police have been trouble-free since the arrest of Ms. Evers. The club only distributes marijuana to people with applicable conditions whose diagnosis has been confirmed by a doctor, he said.
The North Island Compassion Club has retained Mill Bay lawyer Kirk Tousaw, who represented two members of the Vancouver Island Compassion Club after their 2004 arrest for marijuana trafficking.
In 2009, after dragging through the legal system for five years, the B.C. Supreme Court granted the accused in that case an unconditional discharge.
Mr. Tousaw predicted a similar result for Mr. Yacub and Mr. Myers.
“There’s almost a decade of case law now, all standing for the proposition that bona fide medical marijuana producers and distributors ought to be granted full discharge,” Mr. Tousaw said.
The North Island Compassion Club’s storefront location has been closed until further notice, but Mr. Yacub said legal troubles or not, he and other members remain determined to serve the club’s clients.
- Article from The Globe and Mail.
Compassion Club raided
Spencer Anderson, Comox Valley Echo
The North Island Compassion club, a medical marijuana group, was busted by Comox Valley RCMP last week.
On Friday, police executed a search warrant on the club's headquarters on Sixth Street in Courtenay.
They seized several pounds of marijuana, and arrested four people. RCMP spokeswoman Const. Tammy Douglas confirmed two were charged and released on a promise to appear in court.
"Police are concerned the club has become a front for marijuana dealing," said Douglas in a statement. "We recognize there are conflicting views on the medicinal value of marijuana but it remains illegal to sell in the manner in which they were conducting business."
Ernie Yacub is a director for the club and claims to be one of the two persons charged.
He said the bust shook up a lot of his fellow club members, many of whom he said are already nervous when it comes to getting hold of medicinal marijuana.
"We're talking about people who are sick in the first place, who are having all kinds of similar issues anyway, people who are afraid to talk to their doctors about marijuana ... ," said Yacub. "... So here we have a legal program where some people can access [medical marijuana] while the rest of us are criminalized, and the access is denied."
The Compassion Club has been operating for 10 years and has been at its current location for the last seven. Before that, Yacub said the club was dispensing marijuana at the train station.
He said police were civil and respectful during the bust on Friday but added, "If there's something they don't like about our operation, they can talk to us, instead of coming in here and taking all our medicine..."
Yacub said the club's members - there are 200, by his estimate - depend on the marijuana for pain relief. Yacub himself suffers from spinal stenosis.
"Imagine if the cops raided the only pharmacy in town and took everything. That's what it is for some of our members. Many of them are already on pharmaceuticals, but they also use [marijuana], because it works."
- Article from Canada.com.
The active ingredient in cannabis can improve the appetites and sense of taste in cancer patients.
ScienceDaily (Feb. 25, 2011) — The active ingredient in cannabis can improve the appetites and sense of taste in cancer patients, according to a new study published online in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology.
Loss of appetite is common among cancer patients, either because the cancer itself or its treatment affects the sense of taste and smell, leading to decreased enjoyment of food. This, in turn, can lead to weight loss, anorexia, a worse quality of life and decreased survival; therefore, finding effective ways of helping patients to maintain a good diet and consume enough calories is an important aspect of their treatment.
Researchers in Canada ran a small pilot study from May 2006 to December 2008in 21 adult patients with any advanced cancer (except brain cancer) who had been eating less as a result of their illness for two weeks or more. All were either being treated with chemotherapy or had been in the past. The patients were randomly assigned to receive medication from a pharmacist in a double-blind manner, which meant that neither the patients nor the doctors knew which treatment they were receiving. Eleven patients received oral capsules containing delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis -- and eight patients were assigned to the control group to receive placebo capsules. The active capsules contained 2.5mg of THC and the patients took them once a day for the first three days, twice a day thereafter, and they had the option to increase their dose up to a maximum of 20mg a day if they wished; however, most followed the dosing protocol, with three patients in both groups increasing their dose to three times a day. The treatment ran for 18 days.
From patient answers to questionnaires conducted before, during and at the end of the trial, the researchers found that the majority (73%) of THC-treated patients reported an increased overall appreciation of food compared with patients receiving placebo (30%) and more often stated that study medication "made food taste better" (55%) compared with placebo (10%).
The majority of THC-treated patients (64%) had increased appetite, three patients (27%) showed no change, and one patient's data was incomplete. No THC-treated patients showed a decrease in appetite. By contrast, the majority of patients receiving placebo had either decreased appetite (50%) or showed no change (20%).
Although there was no difference in the total number of calories consumed by both groups, the THC-treated patients tended to increase the proportion of protein that they ate, and 55% reported that savoury foods tasted better, whereas no patients in the placebo group reported an increased liking for these foods. (Cancer patients often find that meat smells and tastes unpleasant and, therefore, they eat less of it).
In addition, THC-treated patients reported better quality of sleep and relaxation than in the placebo group.
Dr Wendy Wismer (PhD), associate professor at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada), who led the study, said: "This is the first randomised controlled trial to show that THC makes food taste better and improves appetites for patients with advanced cancer, as well as helping them to sleep and to relax better. Our findings are important, as there is no accepted treatment for chemosensory alterations experienced by cancer patients. We are excited about the possibilities that THC could be used to improve patients' enjoyment of food.
"Decreased appetite and chemosensory alterations can be caused by both cancer and its treatment; untreated tumours cause loss of appetite, and by itself, chemotherapy also causes loss of appetite. In any individual patient, some part of both of these effects is usually present.
"It's very important to address these problems as both appetite loss and alterations to taste and smell lead to involuntary weight loss and reduce an individual's ability to tolerate treatment and to stay healthy in general. Additionally, the social enjoyment of eating is greatly reduced and quality of life is affected. For a long time everyone has thought that nothing could be done about this. Indeed, cancer patients are often told to 'cope' with chemosensory problems by eating bland, cold and odourless food. This may well have the result of reducing food intake and food enjoyment."
The researchers say that larger, phase II trials should test their findings further, but, in the meantime Dr Wismer thinks that doctors could consider THC treatment for cancer patients. "It could be investigated for any stage of cancer where taste and smell dysfunction and appetite loss has been indicated by the patient," she said. In addition, treatment would not necessarily have to be limited to the 18 days of the study. "Long term therapy with cannabinoids is possible, however, in each case this would be up to the patient's physician to determine."
Although the study was unable to show that THC treatment could increase total calorie intake, Dr Wismer said this was unsurprising. "In the healthy adult population, we know from personal experience that we usually eat more of something if it tastes better. However, in this advanced cancer population, there is a real struggle with appetite; normal appetitive pathways do not seem to be functioning. We know from our earlier work that individuals with advanced cancer have diminished appetite and have to make a big conscious effort to eat; they are motivated to eat simply to survive. So, although THC did not significantly increase total calorie intake, the fact that it improved appetite and protein intake is important."
This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alberta Cancer Board, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Friday, February 25, 2011
High.
As you guys might or might not know, Cannabis Liberation Day will once again take place in Grand Circus Park in Detroit, the Motor City, on Sat. May 7, 2011. This year there's reportedly 420 cities who have expressed interest in sponsoring an event, and we're sure it will be one of the biggest yet. Our esteemed colleague, Jay Hayburner, who started Detroit Liberation 11 years ago, is not available since he's incarcerated for, you guessed it, cannabis. So this year the field is wide open.
I would like to get every compassion center, every grower, every activist out there on Woodward, and at 4:20 give Detroit the biggest Pro-Cannabis March ever. I am open to ideas from anyone to make this an awesome day of celebration. If you know anyone who is a pro-cannabis performer (musician, poet, artist, mime) please ask them to attend this event. We'll give them a chance to perform for the crowd. Anyone who wants to come down and say a few words about their own experiences will have an open mic at our event.
As to vending, each vendor will have to work that out with the city of Detroit. I would recommend doing that before April 20. (Puff Puff). I will update everyone on the status of our event as information becomes available. Peace.
For More Info: www.cures-not-wars.org
Paranoia Will Destroy Ya!
Who is an activist's #1 enemy? Go ahead make a list. Then cross them all off. Because an activist's #1 enemy is...Himself!
Activism is a tough gig. It requires sticking to your guns when everyone around you is calling for your head. It asks for a lot and gives back very little. Nowhere is this felt more than in the cannabis movement. Just like the Christians they are being thrown to the lions for no good reason. They're being brutalized, locked up, & persecuted. Their property is being taken away from them. They're losing their families, their dignity, their freedoms. All because they smoke cannabis. A plant.
For a cannabis activist this is a hard pill to swallow. And so they make a commitment to defend the persecuted, to stand up when necessary. That's what Free De Herb is all about. It's about innocent people being destroyed by unfair laws. It's about being subject to an evil rule, where police and courts look at you as another number on a docket. It's about ending the War On Cannabis once and for all. And you just don't hedge on that bet.
I'm an activist. And I intend on seeing cannabis legal in my lifetime. I am so tired of 'potheads' who, in addition to confirming stereotypes about our culture, don't want to get involved. And these are oftentimes the biggest whiners after a run-in with the Five-O. They'll bitch when it's their precious freedom on the line, but when you ask them to step up for the cause they somehow have better things to do. (How many of these award winners do you know?)
For Cannabis Legalization the time is now! And every single smoker, grower, patient, and advocate needs to get on the legalization train (Boarding at 4:20). We'll win your battle for you, but please step back if you're paranoid. We don't need another obstacle in our way. People who are paranoid are concerned with one thing: Themselves. It's a totally selfish condition brought on by purely selfish desires. Paranoid people never question why they live in fear. They just do. Once paranoia is a part of you it becomes a cancer. This 'cancer' is usually what stops all forward progress. It effectively gives us reasons not to try.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that paranoia is all in our minds. Are there enemies out there? Of course. But do they really give a crap about you posting something on a Facebook group? Maybe you're afraid they'll cancel your Facebook page. Sorry, but Facebook's got a thousand reasons to cancel your account, none of which have anything to do with cannabis. So what are you afraid of?
Ironically, your fear is what the Cannabis Nazis are looking for. Because as long as you 'fear' them they can control you. Why do you think they raid legitimate compassion centers all the time? It's part of the Mind-Fuck, to keep you on our toes. Well they can't arrest all of us. And there was a time when the cannabis culture recognized that.
Where's My Real Freedom Fighters?
“Is The War On Cannabis Over? Not Even Close!”
After my morning coffee and a bowl of Sour Diesel I started thinking; About The War On Drugs, and how cannabis doesn’t belong anywhere near it. That cannabis is a plant. A PLANT. And a plant is not a drug regardless of the dictionary you’re using. So why is it still being called a drug, even though there’s no evidence to support such a claim? Stupidity. Arrogance. Control. Take your pick. But the important fact is, cannabis isn’t a DRUG.
So it’s inclusion in the War On Drugs is completely bogus. Every cannabis arrest, prosecution, & imprisonment is EVIL. If you support the War On Cannabis you’re EVIL. I for one am not going to sit by while EVIL people run our state, our country, our world. So you’ll have to pardon me if I sound angry, but I'm fucking pissed. And I’m not going to take it anymore!
And I’m not calling out anyone. Not law enforcement, not the courts, not the police.
I would rather change things through reasonable dialogue, support the idea of the community participating in cannabis issues, sit down with Law Enforcement and talk to them face to face. And I still support such ideas. But the cannabis culture has gotten soft. The activists who used to tell the Pigs to Fuck Off are now voting Republican. And everyone’s afraid to say anything for fear of Big Brother kicking in their door.
A Global Internet Community has given way to mass-paranoia and one-dimensional conversations. Face it. We’ve become our own worst enemy. And it’s time to return to those days of yesteryear, when the word Revolution didn’t cause mass hysteria and there was such as a thing as community organizing. We are all we got people. If we don’t support each other, who will?
So once again, I send out a message of good will to my Real Cannabis Brothers & Sisters. If you hear me say, “Hell Yeah!” Then roll a phat one.
“Medical Marijuana – Who Really Won?”
In 2008 63% of Michigan voters approved The Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, effectively making it legal for residents with certain medical conditions to cultivate, smoke, and bake their favorite buds. This was celebrated throughout the cannabis community as it signified a new day for the sick and depressed among us who chose cannabis over mass-produced drugs. And in spite of the fact that this law has benefited all cannabis users just by existing, it has also given us a number of additional challenges.
#1. Mind Fuck=Paranoia. The System’s favorite ally. Sure they’ll give you something. But then they’ll weasel their way out of it, and even sabotage you once you’re not looking. It’s also called the old Bait & Switch. We’ve been hornswoggled for so long, a lot of us are used to it. But if you get used to being compromised, you’re doomed. Even though medical marijuana has been legal for more than 2 years, sick patients and their caregivers are still being taken down and their lives still disrupted. Is there no relief?
#2. Us & Them. Additional pressures are being put on the recently liberated. Under the Michigan law you can be cited and jailed for sharing your medicine with a non-card carrying person. Which means they can set up a narc in your midst, and if you pass them a joint of that bad-ass bud your grower just laid on you, you could be on your way to the hoosegow. What has been the effect of this thus far? Certified medical patients are scared shitless and they close themselves off in hopes of remaining undetected. So, let’s review. The voters approved medical marijuana (by a substantial margin I might add), and sick patients are now more closed off and paranoid than ever before. Funny thing, laws. Eh?
#3. A bill is already circulating in the Michigan Senate that will harass and eventually forbid compassion centers from coming into your neighborhood. After all, who wants a bunch of sick people in wheelchairs gumming up the place? Many local authorities have referred to compassion clubs as ‘criminal enterprises’, setting up task forces to close them down. And to the average American you’re still just a “burner’. What we learn here is this: Our fight is as one culture. Not medical and recreational users separate, but Cannabis Smokers United. Union 420! You may think you’ve been liberated, but the slave owners are already working on getting their slaves back.
#4. The list of acceptable conditions to become “Legal” reads like the log at a Hospice Center. You pretty much have to be at death’s door or on the road to ruin. The MMMA, while well-meaning has addressed only part of the War On Cannabis. I would argue that its main redeeming value is instead of smoking Regos we’re now huffing Sour Diesel. Whoops. There goes that criminal element again!
In summary, medical marijuana is being challenged at all levels, in every municipality. Prejudice against cannabis users is still being felt, and some might say it’s getting worse. Voters seem to be OK with Medical uses but bring up Recreational and the thumbs start twitching downward. As long as cannabis is being classified as a drug, it will be treated as such. And I don’t want to have to contract a serious condition to enjoy de herb. Do you?
The Bash
Michigan's Hash Bash is a celebration of the cannabis culture, held each year on the first Saturday in April.
This year the date to put on your calendar is April 2nd. As is tradition the event kicks off at "High" Noon on the Diag at U of M, and moves on to Monroe St. at approx. 1:00pm, where the Monroe Street Fair takes place. This is a wonderful gathering of heads, lovers of cannabis, and activists, all showing love for their fellow human beings. In fact, if you’d like to attend the Hash Bash for the first time, just show up on April 2nd and follow the beautiful people. It’s that easy!
Begun in 1972 after the John Sinclair rally/concert “ten for two”, which lit a fire under cannabis supporters everywhere, the Hash Bash has become an Ann Arbor tradition. And don’t think that members of Ann Arbor’s law enforcement community haven’t recognized this. They are known for objecting to the event, and some have even sought to end it. But it continues, and for one good reason: People show up to support it. The Hash Bash is nationally recognized, and it’s here to stay.
For those of you afraid to attend this event because you think the place is surrounded (It probably is. Sorry optimists), there are certain guidelines you can follow NOT to get busted.
#1) The cops are looking for the obvious. They’re looking for potheads firing up a “J”. They’re looking for the hippies, the burners, the dealers. Don’t give them an easy look. What a trip it would be if all the attendees at the Bash wore three piece suits one year instead of jeans and t-shirts. It would totally fuck their heads up. So don’t be a burnout. Be a productive citizen who just happens to smoke cannabis. Those people do exist don’t they?
#2) Cannabis possession is a civil offense in the city of Ann Arbor, although State & Federal laws still apply, so BE SMART. Smoking on or near any U of M property will be looked at as a cardinal sin. And after getting taken down for smoking a joint in 2000, I can tell you they go out of their way to humiliate and embarrass you. Smoke on the Diag at your own risk.
#3) This is a pro-cannabis event, and city residents expect the “freaks” to come out on Hash Bash day. This is our strength. They’re expecting us. And no matter what you say about cannabis supporters, they bring money to spend, and they’ll buy food and drinks galore. The centerpiece of Monroe St. is Dominics, and they clean up every year. So there’s a kind of love-hate relationship going on. Play up the Love and play down the Hate.
#4) We all love each other. We’re there to have a good time. Doesn’t everyone want to support love?
The Hash Bash is the kickoff for Cannabis events world-wide. It is an Icon, a Tradition, and an American Original!
Dear Mike Bouchard
I'm not a resident of Oakland County, but I can't help but see how hostile you are to the Medical Marijuana law which voters overwhelmingly approved. If I didn't know any better, I'd guess you have a hidden hostility towards the cannabis culture and you're using your lofty position to push your own agenda. The voters don't want you to keep busting marijuana users. So why are you still doing this with alarming frequency? Why are your troops still kicking in doors and busting people for a plant? A PLANT! Do you know Mr. Bouchard? Or are you so drunk with power that you can't see anything reasonable? I think it's the latter.
Funny. You don't look like a fanatic. But your deeds and actions tell otherwise. What are you hoping to achieve? Some Social Utopia? Or are you just living in the past, holding onto the old myths that cannabis is a "gateway drug"? Have you ever studied cannabis Mr. Bouchard. Do you know anything about it besides the fact that it's illegal? I'm betting you don't. Because if you did the necessary research you would find that in 5000 years of use cannabis has NEVER caused a single death, has never been proven to be physically addictive, and cures or helps hundreds of health disorders, including cancer.You can choose not to believe these claims, but you cannot ignore their existence.
Where did you get your medical degree Mr. Bouchard? From a cereal box? Are you seriously telling the residents of your county that this glorified Witch Hunt on cannabis users is necessary, let alone fiscally responsible? Oh, I forgot. Oakland County has so much money to spare that it can choose to engage in these sort of Gestapo tactics. Well then, go ahead Mr. Bouchard. Heaven knows I can't do anything to convince you otherwise. But remember one thing. You war on our culture is an abomination, and if you continue you are betraying your residents, the voters, and your own conscience.
Good Day
Medical Pot Bust A New DEA Strategy
The DEA, now unable to raid legal cannabis clubs, has turned to targeting the activists who supply them. Cures Not Wars, founded by Dana Beal, has been involved in supplying cannabis clubs in New York and across the East coast for as long as they have existed. Two of his associates, Chris Ryan and Jay Statzer have pled no contest to felony charges for aiding legal cannabis clubs. Dana had been busted for medical pot before in '91 en route to patients in Boston. He is currently up on similar charges.
The drug war line is that medical cannabis will be diverted into the illegal market. The reality is the opposite says Statzer, "The DEA didn't take that 180 pounds off the street, I did! This is a friendly fire incident in the war on drugs." This operation was purchasing in the Southwest at distributor cost so the patients on the East coast could buy their medicine below wholesale cost. Considering the quantity restrictions poisoning many medical cannabis laws, this service is often an illegal one. One needing activists, not dealers. For example, the Michigan law provides for caregivers to enter the illegal market to divert pot into the hands of their legal patients.
However, a limit of two and a half ounces forces the caregiver to pay inflated retail prices. You need to buy at least a pound to get a wholesale price break. Like the (passed by Republicans to bankrupt Medicare) poison pill of Medicare Part D, there is no ability to negotiate the drug prices in the law and that hurts the patients. This is a need that should go away once everybody's plants are matured and cured but there can be that need for many months for every new patient. When Jay was arrested, it was by two K-9 officers who were assured by their guidance to lie their way into the stop and search. Then, the DEA was right there for the booking. The DEA wrote a lie into the report that Jay had refused to do a controlled delivery. "I would have been happy to lead the DEA right to the door of the compassion club knowing they couldn't raid.
They knew too and that's why no such offer was made. I only refused their one attempt to get a statement before they flew back to DC. They deliberately jacketed me as a dealer to hide their motive." Unfortunately for Statzer he will not be allowed to bring the DEA agents, the director of the club he was delivering to, or any other evidence to prove his intention before an Ohio jury and is forced by 18 years of mandatory minimum time to take a plea.
The core questions remain to be tested. Can legal medical cannabis be transported from one legal state to another? Will the DEA continue to target activists as if they were drug dealers for taking pot off the streets? If a patient can't afford the medicine is there really a right to the medicine? How can any law be legal if it contains racist hate speech like "marihuana" in its text?
Jay Statzer
www.cures-not-wars.org
Get It Legal!
We now know that cannabis legalization is entirely possible and that the persecution of our culture, which is nothing more than social genocide, will have to end. Yes, Johnny Law is still cracking us in our heads for doing nothing more than smoking a harmless herb, but the lies and deception that have permeated US policy on cannabis is beginning to wear thin. Even the public is getting tired of spending countless tax dollars on busting kids for smoking pot and incarcerating thousands of adults for their chosen medicine and beliefs.
Eventually it will be necessary for those in power to acknowledge that this War On Drugs is a War On People, and our leaders would never continue such practices, let alone support them. With a major vote in California barely getting defeated, and subsequent votes being proposed daily, the march for cannabis liberation carries on. And it's never been more important for all pot smokers and supporters to rally together and help push this thing over the edge. In Michigan, where medical marijuana is now a reality, the fight will be even more heated.
Voters have elected a Secretary Of State, Bill Schuette, who has expressed an interest in repealing the Medical Marijuana Legislation, and it's anybody's guess what new governor Rick Snyder will do to either hinder or help our cause. But one thing is clear. We must follow the example of our good friends Gatewood Galbraith and Jack Herer, and incessantly promote the cannabis cause. Rep De Herb, Mon. And don't think that just because you're not a "user" you can't help with the struggle. We know a lot of people who aren't afraid to let their freak flag fly, to celebrate the counter-culture. And to those brave souljahs we say, "Damn Right!"
Liberation Is Coming!
MAY 7th, 2011 IS "J" DAY!
For the 11th consecutive year Cures Not Wars is sponsoring a Cannabis Liberation Day march and rally in Detroit, Michigan at Grand Circus Park, 1601 Woodward Ave, directly in front of Comerica Park. The purpose for this event is to decriminalize adult use of cannabis world-wide and free up government resources that are being devoted to prosecuting cannabis related offenses.
Cures Not Wars would like anyone who has been affected by today's oppressive anti-cannabis laws to attend, as well as anyone who believes in personal freedom. We plan to have music, speakers and much more, and there is no admission to attend. Medical marijuana patients & compassion centers will have a special place at our event, and they can consider themselves our guests of honor. We'll kick off the day's festivities at "High" Noon, and plan to go until 6 or 7pm. A march is planned for 4:20pm on the streets of Woodward Ave., in one of Detroit's busiest metropolitan areas, and we ask that you bring signs to carry or materials to make signs, such as poster boards, markers, etc.
This is not just a gathering of cannabis advocates, but a celebration of the cannabis culture as well as Michigan's recent medical marijuana legislation. We offer a peaceful and positive way to show the community that wasting tax dollars on busting potheads is a drain on all citizens, and that such laws need to be repealed.
What makes this event special is the people. Much like Ann Arbor's Hash Bash, which attracted thousands of cannabis supporters last year, Detroit's Liberation Day will be teeming with the young, the old, and everything in between. So won't you please be a part of it. We welcome anyone who would like to speak or perform at this year's event. The exposure factor should be pretty sweet and your contribution will be greatly appreciated.
Any questions? Check out our official website at: www.detroitliberation.us. or www.cures-not-wars.org
PEACE.
Overgrow The Government!
Did You Know?
- In Canada, there are two precedents for selling marijuana seeds:
1) R. v. Hunter in the year 2000, the BC Court of Appeals found that a $200 fine, not jail time, is the appropriate punishment for selling seeds.
2) On March 7th, 2008, the BC Appeals Court released a decision that the punishment for selling cannabis seeds should not be more severe than one month in prison and one year of probation, the punishment handed to a marijuana seed retailer in BC who was selling to Americans.
- Marc Emery, Michelle Rainey and Greg Williams never went to the United States. The seed business, "Marc Emery Direct Marijuana Seeds", was Canadian-based and run by Marc Emery. There were no US-based employees, and only regular mail was ever sent across the border from Vancouver, BC to Americans who made orders online or through the mail.
- According to a 2005 survey done by the Strategic Counsel & Angus Reid Polling, 58% of Canadians opposed extradition in this case. In the years since, public opposition to extradition has only grown, with national newspaper editorials, local news columnists, and even Members of Canada's Parliament all urging the Justice Minister to refuse extradition in this case.
- Marc Emery paid Income Tax to Revenue Canada and Revenue BC on all of his income generated from his seed business. He paid more than $500,000 in taxes between 1999 to 2005, and put his occupation on the income tax declarations as "marijuana seed vendor".
- Marc Emery's magazine "Cannabis Culture" was sent to every Member of Parliament for over 12 years, and still is today. Every issue of Cannabis Culture up to #57 (the issue printed on the very same day as the raid on Marc Emery's seed business, July 29th, 2005) included the entire seed catalogue in it, so Parliament knew about the business.
- Health Canada, when it first began licensing medical marijuana users, recommended to Members of Parliament and licensed users that new cannabis growers should purchase seeds online from Canadian seed sellers such as Marc Emery Direct. Svend Robinson, the New Democratic Party Health Critic in Canadian Parliament, will testify to that fact.
- Marc Emery brought a capitalist approach to the marijuana legalization movement by starting "radical retail" outlets such as Hemp BC, and got politically involved by helping organize the Canadian Marijuana Party and creating the BC Marijuana Party, the latter which he still leads today.
- Marc Emery created his seed business with the purpose of using the profits to fund the cannabis movement worldwide. Through the sale of cannabis seeds, Marc was able to finance numerous drug law reform groups and events around the world, mostly in Canada and the United States. He funded global rally/march promotion, American and Canadian ballot initiatives, election campaigns, lobbying groups, conferences, drug rehab clinics, class action lawsuits, protests, patient bills and bail fees, and more. In total, over $4,000,000 was contributed to various activities and organizations.
FREE MARC EMERY!
Be A Champion-Smoke Cannabis!
Early in 2009, 8-time Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps was photographed smoking a water bong containing, GASP!, marijuana. This set off a storm of controversy created mostly by America's media outlets, and before he knew it, the man who just months earlier was declared the greatest Olympian athlete ever became America's scapegoat. Why? Because he decided to smoke marijuana. The only relevant question here is, "Does mainstream America really believe that Michael Phelps is now a common criminal because he smokes De Herb, or was this just more smoke and mirrors by the Pro-Republican media?" I tend to think the latter.
Recent state-wide votes on marijuana have been considerably favorable, even winning out in prehistoric drug states like Michigan. (Oh yeah, Thank You Voters!!) So I think the public are actually supporting decriminalization of marijuana for medical purposes. It's the politicians who invest heavily in the justice system, with its over-the-hill judges who look at crime and punishment as a way to avenge their own shortcomings, who are against it.
Marijuana related offenses are the easiest to prosecute and drug offenses represent the biggest profit for state governments. But they don't stop there, Oh No. Once they put you in prison, then they go after everything that's in your name. Cars, RVs, property, your home. And once you do get out, to nothing by the way, then society doesn't want to give you a job because now you're an ex-con. All because you like to smoke a little bud. I'm sorry, but what the government is allowing to happen to its citizens is as close to Nazi Germany as we're going to get. Does it really matter that instead of leading us to a gas chamber they're leading us to a cell? It doesn't matter to me.
This war on marijuana is a war on people. It's a war fought for greed and power, a war funded by America's Conservative Front so they can continue their prison state mentality and enslave us all. While this might sound like a far fetched idea, think for a second about what happened to Michael Phelps. This man did nothing more than make a bad judgement call and he lost one of his biggest endorsers, Kelloggs. If you listen to Kellogg's side of the story, making a mistake is not part of Kellogg's philosophy. Neither is forgiveness or restraint. Kelloggs is part of that Republican funded prison state and we, the productive pot smokers of America should not spend our money on any of their products. There's just way too many brands of cereal out there.
And to Michael Phelps, I wish you many happy bong hits.
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