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Florida: Still Work to Do Though Gov. Charlie Crist's Clemency Board reinstated voting rights to non-violent offenders last month, the task is "not complete," Mark Schlakman wrote in the Orlando Sentinel. Schlakman's op-ed pointed to a letter Sen. Al Lawson (D-Tallahassee) addressed to Gov. Crist asking for his legislative action "to remove what appears to be a major obstacle to more substantial rights restoration reform by passing a bill to implement [former Gov. Jeb Bush's] Ex-Offender Task Force recommendations to separate employment and licensing from rights restoration." Schlakman said state agencies and boards are "well positioned" to set up eligibility requirements to facilitate job placement for formerly incarcerated individuals and address public safety concerns. "Once employment eligibility issues are redirected and properly addressed, the path to more comprehensive rights restoration reform would no longer be onerous," Schlakman stated. Wisconsin: Individuals on Parole and Probation Charged with Vote Fraud The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is diligently covering the stories of those who have been charged with voter fraud as a result of voting while on probation, parole or extended state supervision. These individuals include a 43-year-old grandmother whose first vote in the 2004 presidential election was deemed fraudulent, and who received a two-year prison sentence. In Wisconsin, citizens are banned from voting until probation and parole sentences have been completed. The cases were brought up in the aftermath of the close presidential election in 2004, according to the Journal Sentinel. In 2005, Republican officials challenged the legitimacy of 5,600 addresses in the state. Ultimately, 14 cases were brought; six were dismissed before trial and five resulted in convictions to date. The Journal Sentinel also reported that State Rep. Joe Parisi (D- Madison) proposed this week to change state law to re-enfranchise citizens after release from prison or jail. "One of our biggest challenges in corrections is reducing recidivism, and one of the most important aspects of this process is reintegrating a person back into mainstream society after they leave prison," Parisi said in a statement. "Restoring a person's voting rights is one tool we can use to help us reach that goal." For more coverage, see the Journal Sentinel. - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information: Email: [email protected] web: http://www.sentencingproject.org

For immediate release: May 24, 2007 Contact: ASA Legal Campaign Director Kris Hermes at 510-251-1856 x307 or ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford at 415-573-7842 Medical marijuana group moves to hasten outcome in federal lawsuit Patients file motion for summary judgment today to correct government misinformation San Francisco, CA – A national medical marijuana patients’ rights group filed a motion for summary judgment today in its lawsuit against the federal government in an attempt to accelerate a decision in the case. The plaintiff, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), filed a lawsuit in February 2007 challenging statements by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that marijuana has no accepted medical value. The lawsuit followed a two-year administrative petition process using a little-known law called the Data Quality Act (DQA), which allows parties to challenge the science used in regulatory policy. By filing the motion for summary judgment, ASA will force the case to be heard in roughly 90 days. This rare legal move, where judgment is requested from the court before the government has a chance to answer the lawsuit complaint, indicates confidence in the amount of scientific evidence demonstrating marijuana’s medical efficacy. “We are taking an aggressive legal approach for two reasons,” said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford. “Not only do we believe we have science on our side, but by quickening the pace with which the federal government recognizes that science,, seriously ill persons who might benefit from medical marijuana will no longer be discouraged from using it.” The exhibits filed in support of the motion for summary judgment include more than a dozen domestic and international peer-reviewed scientific studies that show the effectiveness of marijuana in treating pain, nausea, muscle spasticity, and many other conditions. The evidence provided by ASA is meant to refute claims by the federal government that “there have been no studies that have scientifically assessed the efficacy of marijuana for any medical condition.” (66 Fed.Reg. 20038, 20052; April 18, 2001.) In addition to the overwhelming evidence, a lack of disputed facts will also help to secure a speedy decision by the court. The plaintiff’s case was affirmed by a recent editorial in Science Magazine, a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which posited that HHS had “violated its own DQA guidelines.” The Science editorial followed a February publication by the peer-reviewed journal Neurology of a human trials study in the U.S. clearly showing that marijuana relieved neuropathic pain in people living with HIV/AIDS. If successful, ASA’s case will be the first in which a court has recognized the necessity of reviewing disputes filed under the DQA. Two other courts have already denied review in lawsuits filed under the Act by large corporations. Review the Motion for Summary Judgment at http://www.safeaccessnow.org/downloads/DQA_Summary_Judgment_Motion.pdf. Review info on the Data Quality Act and ASA’s lawsuit against the federal government at http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?list=type&type=160. # # # With over 30,000 active members in more than 40 states, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. ASA works to overcome political and legal barriers by creating policies that improve access to medical cannabis for patients and researchers through legislation, education, litigation, grassroots actions, advocacy and services for patients and the caregivers.