Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 19, 2010

CONTACT: Tom Angell - (202) 557-4979 or [email protected]

National Black Police Association Endorses Marijuana Legalization

African American Cops Say California's Prop. 19 Will Protect Civil Rights & Public Safety

SACRAMENTO, CA -- A national organization of African American law enforcement officers has announced its endorsement of Proposition 19, California's initiative to legalize marijuana.

The National Black Police Association (NBPA), which was founded in 1972 and is currently holding its 38th national conference in Sacramento, is urging a yes vote on legalization this November 2.

"When I was a cop in Baltimore, and even before that when I was growing up there, I saw with my own eyes the devastating impact these misguided marijuana laws have on our communities and neighborhoods. But it's not just in Baltimore, or in Los Angeles; prohibition takes a toll on people of color across the country," said Neill Franklin, a 33-year veteran police officer and executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an international group of pro-legalization cops, judges, prosecutors and corrections officials who have been organizing to support Prop. 19. "This November, with the National Black Police Association's help, Californians finally have an opportunity to do something about it by approving the initiative to control and tax marijuana."

On Thursday, Franklin spoke alongside California NAACP president Alice Huffman at the NBPA conference on a panel about criminal justice issues like marijuana legalization.

Many cops and civil rights leaders are now speaking out against marijuana prohibition because it is not only ineffective at reducing marijuana use and results in the arrest and incarceration of people of color at a highly disproportionate rate, but also because making marijuana illegal has created a lucrative black market controlled by violent gangs and cartels. LEAP has organized a group of more than 30 California police officers, judges, prosecutors and other criminal justice professionals who support Prop. 19.

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) and its 30,000 supporters represent police, prosecutors, judges, FBI/DEA agents and others who want to legalize and regulate drugs after fighting on the front lines of the "war on drugs" and learning firsthand that prohibition only serves to worsen addiction and violence.

According to NBPA, there are 80,000 black law enforcement officials in the U.S.

For more information, visit http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com or http://www.BlackPolice.org

#       #       #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 17, 2010
Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana PA4MMJ
www.pa4mmj.org

CONTACT: Pittsburgh: Patrick Nightingale [email protected] 412-225-7959

Philadelphia: Derek Rosenzweig or Chris Goldstein [email protected] or 215-586-3483

Doctors, Police will support medical marijuana in Pittsburgh

Public hearings this week on Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana bill HB 1393 will feature powerful testimony in favor of legal access. The House Health and Human Services Committee will meet Thursday in Pittsburgh to address the topic. More info

The Committee will hear from medical doctors, retired police, a former Assistant District Attorney and medical professionals.

- Dr. Cyril Wecht, one of the nation’s most respected forensic pathologists, will testify at he hearing. Wecht said today, "I have personally performed approximately 17000 autopsies during my 50 year career as a forensic pathologist. I have reviewed, supervised or signed off on 36000 other autopsy reports, many of which have emanated from jurisdictions throughout the United States. I have never diagnosed as a cause of death ‘acute cannabinoid toxicity’, nor, in all the other cases that I have reviewed have I ever seen such a post-mortem diagnosis."

- Patrick Nightingale Esq. is a former Assistant DA in Pittsburgh. He is on the Board of directors at Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana PA4MMJ and co-founded PittsburghNORML. He commented today, “We are honored to add to the Legislative Record the testimony of such a renowned group of individuals.”

“We believe Dr. Wecht's testimony will provide compelling evidence that marijuana can and is used safely and does not pose the risks of overdose and death commonly associated with opiate based medications such as oxycontin, fentanyl, vicodin and percoset."

- Dr. Lester Grinspoon is Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Grinspoon has written extensively on medial marijuana including the book Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine. Grinspoon will appear at the hearing to testify via internet video conferencing.

- Jack Cole spent 26 years with the New Jersey State police. He worked for 14 years in narcotics, much of it undercover. Cole went on to found the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition LEAP and will testify in favor of medical marijuana.

- Sgt. Matt Rite is a 22-year-old Iraq war veteran. Ready to re-deploy with his unit, he was given a general discharge after testing positive for THC. The federal Veterans Affairs Administration recently addressed medical marijuana use. If vets are registered in a state authorized medical marijuana program they will face no internal sanctions.

In addition to the live testimony dozens of Pittsburgh area residents will submit written testimony to the HHS Committee.

Representative Mark B. Cohen introduced HB1393 and the first public hearings took place in Harrisburg last December.

A Franklin&Marshall poll conducted this year showed that 80% of PA residents support the medical marijuana legislation.

Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana (PA4MMJ) is a statewide non-profit advocacy group promoting passage of the bill.

PA4MMJ welcomes the opportunity to put legislators and the media into contact with local patients and cannabis experts.

www.pa4mmj.org

CONTACT: Pittsburgh: Patrick Nightingale [email protected] 412-225-7959

Philadelphia: Derek Rosenzweig or Chris Goldstein [email protected] or 215-586-3483

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2010
CONTACT: Tom Angell at LEAP 202 557 4979 or Chris Goldstein 215 586 3483 [email protected]

Former undercover cop says legalize marijuana

8/12/2010 - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) is one of the most important national groups calling for an end to the war on drugs. http://leap.cc

LEAP Executive Director Neill Franklin will be in Philadelphia on 8/12/2010 taping a debate about legalizing marijuana on It’s your Call with Lynne Doyle on the Comcast Network.

PhillyNORML Communications Director Chris Goldstein will also appear on the program.

Major Neill Franklin retired from the Maryland State Police in 1999. His work as an undercover narcotics officer on the streets of Baltimore and then as a training instructor at the Maryland Police Academy give him a unique perspective on drug policy. Franklin is a leading African-American voice on the topic of prohibition reform.

Editorial Boards, reporters and other media are welcome to meet with Neill Franklin while he is in Philadelphia today.

Please contact Tom Angell at LEAP 202 557 4979 or Chris Goldstein 215 586 3483 [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 11, 2010
Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana PA4MMJ
www.pa4mmj.org

CONTACT: Pittsburgh: Patrick Nightingale [email protected] 412-225-7959

Philadelphia: Derek Rosenzweig or Chris Goldstein [email protected] or 215-586-3483

PA: Public hearing for medical marijuana bill scheduled

8/11/2010 - The Pennsylvania House Health and Human Services Committee will hold a satellite hearing on medical marijuana in Pittsburgh, PA on August 19, 2010.

HHS Committee Chair Representative Frank Oliver issued a memo yesterday:

Please be advised that on Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health at 130 Desoto Street, Room G-23, Pittsburgh, PA 15320, there will be a public hearing on House Bill 1393.

Representative Mark B. Cohen introduced HB1393 and the first public hearings took place in Harrisburg last December. Residents living with chronic medical conditions, doctors, medical professionals and attorneys testified in favor of the bill.

Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana (PA4MMJ) is a statewide non-profit advocacy group promoting passage of the bill. Patrick Nightingale Esq., a criminal defense attorney in Pittsburgh, serves on the Board of Directors for PA4MMJ and coordinates efforts in Western Pennsylvania.

Nightingale commented on the memo, “We at Pittsburgh NORML and Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana are thrilled to learn of the upcoming hearing. We have heard from dozens of current medicinal patients or potential medicinal cannabis patients - veterans, retired school teachers, young people, grandparents, professionals and blue collar workers - all united by the belief that marijuana can provide relief for their medical conditions.”

Nightingale added, “ We believe that passage of the Barry Busch Compassionate Use Act will greatly benefit the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania just as it benefits the citizens of 14 other states and the District of Columbia who's legislatures have enacted medicinal marijuana laws.”

A Franklin & Marshall poll conducted this year showed that 80% of PA residents support the medical marijuana legislation.

The twenty-six-member House HHS committee includes HB 1393’s sponsor Rep. Cohen and co-sponsor Representative Tony Payton Jr.

Senator Daylin Leach introduced the companion bill, SB 1350, earlier this year. Senator Jim Ferlo of the Pittsburgh area recently co-sponsored the medical marijuana legislation. Senate committee hearings are expected in the fall.

Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana will be holding rally events, information seminars and fundraisers across the Commonwealth to raise awareness for HB 1393 and SB 1350.

PA4MMJ welcomes the opportunity to put legislators and the media into contact with local patients and cannabis experts.

www.pa4mmj.org

CONTACT: Pittsburgh: Patrick Nightingale [email protected] 412-225-7959

Philadelphia: Derek Rosenzweig or Chris Goldstein [email protected] or 215-586-3483

For Immediate Release: August 5, 2010

Police Raid of Medical Cannabis Dispensary Puts Patients at Risk

Yesterday, Cannabis as Living Medicine (CALM), one of the most well- established medical cannabis dispensaries in Canada, was raided by police in Toronto for the second time in five months. In the last couple of months, a dispensary in Guelph, another in Iqaluit, and several in the province of Quebec were also raided.

Canadians for Safe Access, a national patient advocacy organization, is denouncing these raids. The result is that thousands of Canadians suffering from MS, Cancer, HIV/AIDS, arthritis and other critical and chronic illnesses have lost an important source of their medicine, laments Rielle Capler, a researcher and co-founder of the organization. They will have to go to the streets or suffer without their medicine. Capler adds, Rather than leave these dispensaries vulnerable to police raids, CSA is calling on Health Canada to work with them to develop regulations that would ensure their protection as well as the highest quality of care for patients. Our government should be supporting patients to access the best possible medicine, and supporting the organizations that are providing this vital service."

While the use of cannabis for medical purposes is constitutionally legal in Canada, the Federal Governments program, which provides licenses to patients for legal possession of cannabis, does not provide an adequate legal source of this medicine. Government statistics show that only about 800 of the 4000 licensed medical cannabis users access the governments supply, which is considered by many to be inferior. Research indicates that over half of license holders acquire their cannabis from dispensaries, which currently supply high quality medicine to an estimated 20,000 Canadians with critical and chronic medical conditions.

Medical cannabis dispensaries, also know as compassion clubs, have played a vital role supplying safe access to cannabis for the critically and chronically ill in Canada for over 12 years. These organizations provide access to a variety of high quality cannabis strains and preparations that can effectively alleviate pain, muscle spasms, nausea, anxiety, and other serious symptoms. Compassion clubs are also at the forefront of academic peer-reviewed research on medical cannabis in Canada. Well-run dispensaries are appreciated by patients, accepted within communities, and their work has been lauded by various court  rooms across the country.

Contacts:

Rielle Capler 604-818-4082- [email protected] Philippe Lucas 250-884-9821 [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

AUGUST 6, 2010

D.C. Unveils Draft Medical Marijuana Regulations

Mayor’s Order Stalls Implementation Until January 2011, Advocates Say Delays Come at Cost to Patients

CONTACT: Dan Riffle: 202-905-2026 or [email protected]; Mike Meno: 202-905-2030 or 443-927-6400

WASHINGTON, D.C. — According to a series of proposed regulations released today by Mayor Adrian Fenty and the City Administrator, various agencies tasked with overseeing the District’s recently approved medical marijuana law will not have the authority to begin licensing providers or accepting patient applications until January 1, 2011. That means patients suffering from conditions such as cancer and HIV/AIDS will be unnecessarily forced to wait even longer for relief. The District still needs to consider and license potential applicants to manage medical marijuana dispensaries before patients can legally obtain medical marijuana to alleviate their symptoms. Under the District’s law, qualified patients will only be allowed to legally use marijuana that comes from a licensed dispensary. 

         “It was 1998 when District residents overwhelmingly approved Initiative 59, and the District Council has been considering this legislation since February, so there’s no reason for the mayor’s office to be dragging its feet,” said Dan Riffle, a legislative analyst with the Marijuana Policy Project. “Patients in the District who could benefit from medical marijuana have already had to wait 12 years for this law. Why should they be needlessly forced to wait another five months?”   

         Nearly 70 percent of District voters passed a referendum on medical marijuana in 1998, but Congress blocked its implementation until this past year. The D.C. Council approved an amended initiative in May, and last month Congress declined to take action to block the bill. 

         “The proposed regulations released today are detailed and comprehensive, but there are several issues that we hope are addressed before they are finalized,” Riffle said. “For example, the draft regulations call for applications from prospective dispensary or cultivation center owners to be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis, which could lead to the first applicants being awarded licenses, rather than the best applicants. Also, the lack of a competitive, scored application process—such as those utilized in Maine and other medical marijuana jurisdictions—raises questions of transparency and fairness. However, patients will benefit from the regulatory prohibition on the use of pesticides or contaminants, and the detailed packaging and labeling requirements for medical marijuana products.”

         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.

####

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

JUNE 28, 2010

Rhode Island to Hold Hearings on Medical Marijuana Compassion Center Applications

Rhode Island Moves to Expand Patient Access Through Non-Profit Distribution Centers, While Patients in Nearby States Continue to Suffer Without Effective Relief

CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications …………… 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND — Rhode Island’s department of health will hold public hearings tomorrow to review and receive comments on 15 applicants to open the state’s first medical marijuana compassion centers, which will operate as nonprofit entities to safely and securely distribute medical marijuana to qualified patients in the state. According to recently released figures, Rhode Island has 1,562 medical marijuana patients who are currently required to grow their own medicine or have caregivers grow it for them. State officials plan to open up to three compassion centers to dispense medicine to qualified patients and improve their access.   

         WHAT: Public hearings on applicants to operate compassion centers in Rhode Island

         WHEN: Tuesday, June 29, at 10 a.m.

         WHERE: Department of Health auditorium, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, Rhode Island

         If necessary, a continuation hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, June 30, at the same time and location. Any applicants who are granted a compassion center license will be required to pay a $2,500 licensing fee. The health department is expected to announce the first grant recipients in about a month. Once applicants are approved, Rhode Island will join New Mexico and Colorado as medical marijuana states that have state-licensed dispensary systems. Similar regulated dispensary programs are planned to be implemented soon in Maine, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.  A bill that would create a dispensary system in Vermont passed through three committees this legislative session, but didn’t receive a floor vote.

         Since 1996, 14 states and the District of Columbia passed medical marijuana laws. New medical marijuana legislation was introduced in more than a dozen additional states this year, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, and Delaware. 

            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.

####

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                                                                                               

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 State’s 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 — 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 symptoms—a 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.

####