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Breaking News: Massachusetts Has Not Been Taken Over by Drug Maniacs

I visited Boston this weekend for the Northeast Regional SSDP Conference and was curious to observe that no one was smoking marijuana on the sidewalks. Weird, huh? It's been months now since Massachusetts decriminalized small-time marijuana possession and yet it almost felt as though I wasn't surrounded by hippies in a skunky smoldering ashtray from hell.

Good thing I kept the receipt for that gasmask. This is great news for everyone, especially all the police officials who were genuinely concerned that life in Massachusetts would be at least partially destroyed if the punishment for marijuana was reduced slightly.

Those cops must really be glad that no one listened to them and everything worked out this way, because now we've got the best of both worlds: 1) fewer people have their lives messed up by getting a criminal record for pot, and 2) nobody blows bong hits in your face when you're trying to hail a taxicab.

It's really beautiful to see that the collective goodness of mankind can somehow prevent an intoxicating plant from utterly destroying the world.
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Idiotic Drug Policy Reporting Remains a Problem

This post from Pete Guither made me laugh twice. Just because a story is about drugs doesn’t mean you can get away with mind-blowing factual errors or unnecessary slang. The news is supposed to make people smart, not turn us into morons.
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Flex Your Rights

I've posted a couple new items in the Flex Your Rights blog recently that are worth checking out. We've got an awesome site upgrade coming out soon, so I'm trying to get back into the habit of doing at least a couple posts a week.

The focus is on 4th Amendment and police misconduct issues rather than drug policy specifically, but I'd love to see some of you commenting over there if you're interested.
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A Drug-Free World -- Reloaded

The matrix of global drug prohibition was reloaded in Vienna last month -- the only change being a new target date for making the world drug free. Video from the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union:
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In The Trenches

Press Release: Report: Federal Monopoly Obstructs Medical Marijuana Research, Conflict of Interest by University of Mississippi Professor Exposed

PRESS RELEASE Americans for Safe Access For Immediate Release: April 7, 2009 Report: Federal Monopoly Obstructs Medical Marijuana Research, Conflict of Interest by University of Mississippi Professor Exposed Washington, D.C. -- Medical marijuana advocates issued a report today aimed at drawing attention to the federal government's monopoly on the production of marijuana for medical research. The 14-page report, entitled "Obstruction of Medical Cannabis Research in the U.S.," highlights the federal effort to impede therapeutic research on marijuana and exposes a conflict of interest for University of Mississippi professor Mahmoud ElSohly, who holds an exclusive cultivation license issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the national medical marijuana advocacy group that issued the report, draws attention to the ways in which the federal monopoly impedes meaningful research and points to the need for a new policy that can be implemented under the Obama Administration. "In the United States, research is stalled," said Caren Woodson, ASA's Government Affairs Director. "And, in some cases, research is blocked by a complicated federal approval process, which restricts access to research-grade marijuana." Specifically, the report emphasizes the way in which government agencies -- namely the DEA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) -- selectively delay the process by which researchers obtain marijuana for FDA-approved studies. The report also highlights a federal "double standard" on medical marijuana illustrated by testimony from public officials who concede to marijuana's therapeutic efficacy as long as it is produced in pill. The report also emphasizes a 2007 ruling by the DEA's own Administrative Law Judge Mary Ellen Bittner that "the existing supply of marijuana [for research] is not adequate" and that an expansion of such research is "in the public interest." Judge Bittner's recommendations were in response to an application by University of Massachusetts at Amherst professor Lyle Craker to be another cultivator of marijuana for FDA-approved studies. The application was denied by the DEA in the final weeks of the Bush Administration and is currently being appealed. In March 2009, the Los Angeles Times editorialized that, "The attorney general (Holder) should heed calls to end the DEA's obstruction of serious research into the medicinal value of marijuana." Perhaps most alarming is the report's exposure of the federal license that enables professor ElSohly to exclusively produce marijuana for the pharmaceutical company Mallinckrodt, a subsidiary of Tyco International. This arrangement appears to be for the purpose of bringing to market a generic form of Marinol (a pill of THC, the active compound in marijuana, suspended in oil) due to go off-patent in 2011, thereby directly enriching ElSohly at a price that he and/or the federal government sets. To enable this scheme, the U.S. government has requested the United Nations increase a quota (from past years) for marijuana production by 900 percent. The request to increase federal marijuana production is a requirement of the U.N. Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Recommendations outlined in the report include, implementation of Judge Bittner's 2007 recommendations, streamlining the approval process for obtaining research-grade marijuana, and ultimately a removal of marijuana from the list of Schedule I substances, so that it can be made available to all who would benefit from its therapeutic properties. "The current research challenge is to conduct large-scale human clinical trials that evaluate the remarkable range of potential applications for cannabis-based treatments to specific medical conditions," continued Woodson. Further information: ASA report on the obstruction of medical cannabis research in the US: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/Research_Obstruction_Report.pdf DEA Administrative Law Judge Bittner 2007 ruling: http://www.maps.org/ALJfindings.pdf # # #
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In The Trenches

Marijuana Policy Project Launches Nevada Chapter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
APRIL 7, 2009

Marijuana Policy Project Launches Nevada Chapter

CONTACT:  Neal Levine, director, Marijuana Policy Project of Nevada ............... 702-727-1081

LAS VEGAS -- The Marijuana Policy Project today announced the opening of an official Nevada state chapter, the Marijuana Policy Project of Nevada. Headquartered in Las Vegas, MPP-NV will work to educate Nevadans about the harm caused by marijuana prohibition, with the goal of ending marijuana prohibition in the state in the near future.

     MPP-NV is headed by Neal Levine, who managed the campaign for Question 7, the marijuana regulation initiative that received a record-setting 44 percent "yes" vote in November 2006.

     "MPP has been working to try and end marijuana prohibition in Nevada since 2001," Levine said. "After the enormous progress we made when Question 7 was narrowly defeated, we took a little time to retool and reassess our strategy in the state. MPP has made a long-term commitment to this community and this state. This is the beginning of the end for marijuana prohibition in Nevada.

     "We now arrest almost 20 people every day in this state for simply possessing marijuana," Levine continued. "We have always said this was a failed policy and an egregious waste of tax dollars and police resources. Now with our economy in the toilet and violence raging out of control on our southern border, it has never been more obvious that marijuana prohibition simply does not work. Marijuana is a safer substance than alcohol, and it's long past time we put it into a legally regulated, taxed and safe market. We feel it is irresponsible to do otherwise."

     With more than 26,000 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. The Marijuana Policy Project of Nevada is MPP's only statewide chapter in the country. For more information, please visit http://www.mppnv.org.

####

In The Trenches

MPP moves medical marijuana bills forward in Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New York

Dear Friends:

MPP is moving medical marijuana bills forward in Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New York, with very real chances of each passing this year. This would be the most progress we've ever made in state legislatures in a single year … and if all four bills pass, a full 38% of Americans would live in states with medical marijuana laws (up from 25% currently).

This spring, MPP needs to keep pushing hard to propel these bills to passage. Would you please consider automatically donating $5 or more on your credit card each month to support our long-term state legislative efforts?

  • In Minnesota, MPP's medical marijuana bill has made significant progress: The bill was recently passed by the toughest committee it had to face in the Minnesota House, despite local law enforcement's efforts to stop it. The bill is now on the brink of being sent to the full House for consideration — and on the Senate side, it's heading for a vote from the full Senate, where its chances of passing are strong.
  • In Illinois, for the first time ever, a medical marijuana bill passed out of the House committee, and we expect the full Senate to vote on the bill within weeks. We have legislative leadership on our side: Last year's Senate sponsor is now the Senate president, the current Senate sponsor is a former prosecutor, and the primary House sponsor is the deputy majority leader.

    We have a real shot of enacting the law this year, but we don't yet have all the votes we need. We've generated more than 1,500 calls from supporters, put up hundreds of yard signs, and generated more than 1,300 e-mails to legislators. We need to ramp up the pressure with TV ads and even more grassroots support, but we need to raise the funds to do it. You can watch a video of some of the patients who are counting on our help here.
  • In New Hampshire, for the first time ever, a medical marijuana bill has passed the House. The bill, sponsored by a legislator who is a former medical marijuana patient herself, passed with 63% of the vote. MPP has retained a top lobbying firm and funded a skilled grassroots organizer who has debated the attorney general's office, generated compelling patient testimony, and mobilized hundreds of supporters. Now, the bill will make its way through the Senate.
  • In New York, in both 2007 and 2008, the state Assembly overwhelmingly passed MPP's medical marijuana bill, but the Senate's then-Republican leadership refused to bring it to a vote. However, control of the Senate has shifted to the Democrats, who overwhelmingly support the bill, so we're pushing hard to get it passed. Additionally, virtually the entire state medical community, including the state medical society, nurses' association, and the deans of the state's medical schools, support medical marijuana access. And 76% of New Yorkers also support the bill, including 55% of Conservative Party members (the state party to the right of Republicans).

As you can see, MPP has been extremely busy — and making progress — this legislative session. Our lobbying efforts in Minnesota, Illinois, New Hampshire, and New York are costing quite a bit of money, but it's all paying off. Would you please donate today so we can continue pushing hard in these states?

Make a one-time donation to our work

Become a monthly pledger to provide us with ongoing funding for our work

Together, we're on the path to victory, but we need your help to keep going.

Thank you,

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $2.35 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2009. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

In The Trenches