Chronicle AM: DC Opposition Emerges, Edibles Awareness Campaign, NJ Opiate Bill Package, More (9/17/14)

Organized opposition has arrived in DC, MPP launches a "Consume Responsibly" campaign, polls suggest a tough fight for the Florida medical marijuana initiative, New Jersey solons roll out a package of bills aimed at opiate use, and more. Let's get to it:

DC Initiative Gets Organized Opposition. Opponents of the DC marijuana possession and cultivation legalization initiative, Measure 71, have formed an organization to try to defeat the measure. "Two. Is. Enough. DC." has been formed to fight "the scourge of a third legal recreational drug" in the nation's capital, according to its front-man, Will Jones III. A Wednesday new conference unveiling the group featured former US Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a member of the anti-legalization campaign group Project SAM, which has also been active in opposing the Alaska and Oregon initiatives.

Marijuana Policy Project Launches "Consume Responsibly" Campaign. With a nod to newspaper columnist Maureen Dowd, who famously got way too high on marijuana edibles in Colorado, the Marijuana Policy Project is rolling out a series of hand-outs and Internet ads urging marijuana users to "Consume Responsibly." One of the images features a woman resembling the red-headed columnist sitting on a hotel room bed. There is a new web site, too: Consume Responsibly. Check it out.

House Passes Bill Barring Use of Welfare Benefits Cards at Marijuana Shops. The Republican-controlled House last night passed the Preserving Welfare for Needs Not Weed Act (HR 4137) on a voice vote. The bill bars people from using EBT cards at marijuana stores or withdrawing cash from ATM machines at businesses that sell marijuana. The bill passed after 18 minutes of floor debate.

Medical Marijuana

Florida Initiative at 56% in Latest Poll, But It Needs 60% to Pass. The latest SurveyUSA/WFLA tracking poll has the Amendment 2 medical marijuana initiative at 56%, which would be good news except that, because it is a constitutional amendment, it needs 60% to be approved. Other recent polls have shown the initiative hovering on the cusp of passage.

Hemp

Industrial Hemp Farming Act Picks Up New Sponsor. The bill, SB 359, would remove a serious obstacle to hemp production in the US by removing hemp from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. It now has five cosponsors -- two Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent. The latest sponsor is Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA).

Drug Policy

Brookings, OSI, LSE to Hold Global Drug Policy Discussion in DC on Monday. The Latin America Initiative (LAI) at Brookings, the London School of Economics (LSE), and the Open Society Foundations will host a discussion on global drug policy trends and effectiveness. Experts will address among other issues the security and organized crime implications, the effectiveness of supply-side policies, as well as mass incarceration and the public health dimensions. Click on the link to see the panelists and for further information.

Opiates

New Jersey Legislators to Introduce Package of Bills to Address Opiate Use. Led by state Sen. Joe Vitale (D), a bipartisan group of solons is today introducing a package of bills that would expand funding for drug treatment, increase oversight of state facilities and doctors, create a mandatory prescription monitoring program, and require colleges to provide substance abuse recovery options. There are 21 bills in all; here's the complete package.

International

Israeli Health Ministry Will Allow Family Doctors to Prescribe Some Medical Marijuana. Responding to a heavy burden on pain clinics and the 30 doctors currently allowed to prescribe medical marijuana, the Health Ministry will temporarily allow family doctors to write prescriptions for medical marijuana, but only if it is an extension to an existing treatment and only if it does not increase the dosage. There are currently some 18,000 Israelis with permission to use medical marijuana.