State & Local Government
Press Release: Colorado Petitioners Seek Medical Marijuana Access for PTSD Patients
MEDIA ADVISORYÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
JULY 6, 2010
Colorado Petitioners Seek Medical Marijuana Access for PTSD Patients
At Rally Tomorrow, Veterans Will Submit Petition to Colorado Health Officials to Add PTSD to Stateâs Medical Marijuana Law
CONTACT: Brian Vicente, Sensible Colorado: 720-280-4067 or [email protected]; or Mike Meno, MPP director of communications: 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
SOUTH DENVER, COLORADO â Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 7, the medical marijuana advocacy group Sensible Colorado and local veterans will hold a press conference and rally to coincide with the official submission of a petition to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that would add post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, to the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana recommendations in Colorado. The petition is being filed on behalf of Denver resident Kevin Grimsinger, a retired Army sergeant who served in Kosovo, Operation Desert Storm and Afghanistan. As detailed in a recent Denver Post article, Grimsinger suffers from PTSD related to stepping on a landmine in Afghanistan. Numerous studies, including a 2007 study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, have found that marijuana can be an effective treatment for severe PTSD symptomsâa condition suffered by 20 percent of soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to 2008 RAND Corporation study.
        Despite such findings, earlier this year, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment actively lobbied members of the state legislature to oppose an amendment that would have allowed individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to have access to medical marijuana, if they have a recommendation from a psychiatrist. In 2009, the New Mexico Department of Health added PTSD to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana patients in that state after a recommendation of approval from an advisory board of eight medical practitioners, who examined the evidence and determined that the use of marijuana by patients with PTSD could be a beneficial treatment option, if used in accordance with a recommendation from a psychiatrist.
        WHAT: Press conference and rally to support medical marijuana access for PTSD patients
        WHEN: Wednesday, July 7, at 11 a.m.
        WHERE: 4300 Cherry Creek Drive, South Denver (CO Dept. of Public Health and Environment)
        With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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Help Vets: Reform Events THIS WEEK
Get Active! Marijuana Reform Events this Week.
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Press Release: Colorado Health Department Lobbies Against Access to Medical Marijuana For Veterans
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
MARCH 19, 2010
Colorado Health Department Lobbies Against Access to Medical Marijuana For Veterans
CDPHE rushes to legislature to oppose compassionate amendment for Colorado veterans; ignores example set in New Mexico
CONTACT: Steve Fox, MPP director of state campaigns â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2042 or 202-905-2030
DENVER, COLORADO â On Monday, March 22, the Colorado House Judiciary Committee will consider HB 1284, a bill to regulate the distribution of medical marijuana in the state. Rep. Sal Pace will offer an amendment to allow individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to have access to medical marijuana, if they have a recommendation from a psychiatrist. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is actively lobbying members of the legislature to oppose this amendment.
        The actions of the Colorado Health Department stand in stark contrast to the thoughtful process followed by its counterpart in New Mexico, which added PTSD to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana patients in that state in February 2009. The New Mexico Department of Healthâs decision followed a recommendation of approval from an advisory board of eight medical practitioners, who examined the evidence and determined that the use of marijuana by patients with PTSD could be a beneficial treatment option, if used in accordance with a recommendation from a psychiatrist.
        âWe are frankly disgusted by the actions of the Colorado Health Department,â said Steve Fox, director of state campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project. âAfter a review of the evidence, health professionals in New Mexico agreed that medical marijuana could be beneficial for patients suffering with PTSD. By contrast, health officials in Colorado are attempting to deny veterans and other individuals with PTSD a legitimate treatment alternative based on nothing more than fear mongering and misinformation. We demand that officials in the department publicly release the studies they have reviewed to determine that the risks of using marijuana for PTSD patients outweigh the potential benefits.
        âWe are further outraged by reports that Colorado Health Department officials are telling state legislators that allowing psychiatrists to recommend medical marijuana to PTSD patients is like giving alcohol to an alcoholic,â Fox continued. âThe sad irony is that many PTSD patients have serious alcohol problems that worsen their overall state of health. As we have seen in New Mexico, the psychiatrist-advised use of medical marijuana can actually help PTSD patients reduce their alcohol intake, dramatically increasing their quality of life. Moreover, it is widely known that both alcohol and many of the pharmaceutical drugs given to PTSD patients increase the risk of suicide. Marijuana use does not. The Department officialsâ callous disregard of this fact alone should make them ashamed of their actions.â
        With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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New Reports Find Trend in Reform Policies, Prison Downsizing
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BREAKING: A Legal Victory for Patients
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DrugSense FOCUS Alert #417: Los Angeles Prepares for Clash Over Marijuana
MS Patients to Speak at Pharmacy Board Medical Marijuana Hearing Weds. in Mason City
MEDIA ADVISORYÂ Â Â Â
SEPTEMBER 1, 2009
Â
MS Patients to Speak Out at Pharmacy Board Medical Marijuana Hearing Wednesday in Mason City
 CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications ............... 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205
 MASON CITY, IOWA -- Iowa multiple sclerosis patients who have benefited from medical marijuana, including one of four patients currently receiving medical marijuana from the U.S. government, will provide testimony Wednesday in Mason City at the second Iowa Board of Pharmacy hearing to examine the medical value of marijuana.
    WHAT: Iowa Board of Pharmacy hearing on medical marijuana.
    WHO: Patients providing testimony will include:
    Barbara Douglass of Storm Lake, one of four patients still receiving medical marijuana from the U.S. government in a program closed to new enrollment in 1992. As Douglass is too ill from multiple sclerosis to attend in person, her statement will be read by Jim Morrison. She will be available for phone interviews from 8 a.m. till noon on Wednesday, at 712-732-2919.
    Ray Lakers of Des Moines, MS patient who found relief from medical marijuana and was jailed for possession of less than a gram of marijuana in 2005.
    Ladd Huffman of Calumet, Vietnam veteran with MS who was approved for the federal medical marijuana program just as it was shut down, barring him from receiving medication. His statement will be read by Jim Morrison as Huffman is also too ill to attend, but he will be available for phone interviews from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, at 712-446-2463.
    WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 2, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    WHERE: The Music Man Square (Reunion Hall), 308 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Mason City.
    With more than 27,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.
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CO: Vote on Medical Marijuana POSTPONED
**ALERT** Grassroots power forces Board of Health to postpone vote on medical marijuana
March 18 Hearing date is delayed |
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SAFER: Breaking DNC/marijuana news
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