Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. Monthly Public Meeting
Please join us! Here's the agenda:
7:00 PM: Call meeting to order, approve May 2010 minutes, discuss:
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Medical Marijuana Press Conference
On Friday June 4, 2010 at 1:00 pm local medical marijuana advocacy groups will hold a press conference at the State House steps in Trenton, NJ.
In The Trenches
Media Advisory: Medical Marijuana Press Conference at Trenton State House on 6/4/10 at 1:00 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more info, contact: Ken @ (609) 394-2137
Medical Marijuana press conference at Trenton State House on 6/4/10 at 1:00 pm
WHO:Â Â Â Â Patients, professionals and medical marijuana advocates
WHAT:Â Â Plan a medical marijuana press conference
WHEN:Â Â June 4, 2010 at 1:00PM
WHERE: Trenton, NJ State House â State Street entrance steps
WHY:Â Â Â Â Â Â To urge the timely implementation of the medical marijuana law
On Friday June 4, 2010 at 1:00 pm local medical marijuana advocacy groups will hold a press conference at the State House steps in Trenton, NJ. Doctors, nurses, potential medical marijuana patients, and supporters of the new law will address recent news of a proposed delay in implementing the program.
The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was signed into law in January 2010. As passed, the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) was to issue regulations in July and patients were anticipating access to the program by the fall. Last week a request was made by the Christie administration for an additional 6 to 12 months before the medical marijuana regulations would be issued. The extension would require legislation. Ken Wolski, a registered nurse and Executive Director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey said, âIf the Department of Health cannot write these regulations in 6 months, there is no guarantee they will be able to write them in 18 months. There is no need for this delay. Patients are suffering continuously as they wait for this program.â
Anne M. Davis, Executive Director of NORML-NJ said, âThis is a law and there are no exceptions. There are patients with chronic or even terminal illnesses that cannot get an extension on life.â
Wolski continued, âMarijuana is recognized as medicine in New Jersey and patients deserve timely access to it. The recent trial and conviction of MS patient John Wilson in Somerville amply proves that patients desperately need regulated access to marijuana that is legal in the eyes of police, prosecutors, judges and juries around the state.â
Ken Wolski, RN, MPA, Executive Director
Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc.
219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJÂ 08618
609.394.2137 www.cmmnj.org  [email protected]
Additional contacts for further information:
Anne M. Davis: [email protected] 732 477 4700
Chris Goldstein: [email protected] 505 577 5093(cell)
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Margaret Polovchak Wants to Put Cancer Patients in Jail
Why? Because she thinks it will help save the children:
It's wrong on so many levels, one scarcely knows where to begin. But I guess we'll start with the fact that teen marijuana use declined for 10 years straight after the national debate over medical marijuana emerged in the mid-90's.
You see, Illinois isnât the first state where this conversation has taken place. There's actually an abundance of empirical data to consult before spouting off mindless speculation. Here, check out this helpful chart showing how almost every state that legalized medical marijuana experienced a subsequent decline in teen marijuana use.
Now you'll never find me arguing that passing medical marijuana laws makes kids less likely to try it. But the fact that rates of use have fluctuated similarly in states with and without such laws really just massacres the idea that having a public debate about marijuana policy somehow endangers children. If you want to see an endangered child, check out this video of a SWAT team shooting two dogs in front of a 7-year-old during a bust for a small bag of pot.
Anyone who's concerned about children getting mixed messages in the medical marijuana debate should stop lying about medical marijuana. You know it's medicine because the Institute of Medicine said so. You know it's medicine because its main ingredient is approved by the FDA and the manufacturer even marketed it as "legal marijuana." You know it's medicine because seriously ill patients continue to turn to it for relief, even when doing so places them at risk of being raided and imprisoned simply for trying to make their cancer suck a little less.
The effort to protect children from the dangers of drugs is a noble one, but taking medicine away from people who need it is one strategy that shouldnât even be on the table.
A discussion of legalizing medical marijuana in Illinois is likely fueling an increase in the number of Park Ridge teenagers using the substance, the Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation contends.
Margaret Polovchak, executive director of MCYAF, said increased dialogue about marijuana legislation in the state leads to a greater public perception that the substance is not harmful, resulting in a growing number of users.
It's wrong on so many levels, one scarcely knows where to begin. But I guess we'll start with the fact that teen marijuana use declined for 10 years straight after the national debate over medical marijuana emerged in the mid-90's.
You see, Illinois isnât the first state where this conversation has taken place. There's actually an abundance of empirical data to consult before spouting off mindless speculation. Here, check out this helpful chart showing how almost every state that legalized medical marijuana experienced a subsequent decline in teen marijuana use.
Now you'll never find me arguing that passing medical marijuana laws makes kids less likely to try it. But the fact that rates of use have fluctuated similarly in states with and without such laws really just massacres the idea that having a public debate about marijuana policy somehow endangers children. If you want to see an endangered child, check out this video of a SWAT team shooting two dogs in front of a 7-year-old during a bust for a small bag of pot.
Anyone who's concerned about children getting mixed messages in the medical marijuana debate should stop lying about medical marijuana. You know it's medicine because the Institute of Medicine said so. You know it's medicine because its main ingredient is approved by the FDA and the manufacturer even marketed it as "legal marijuana." You know it's medicine because seriously ill patients continue to turn to it for relief, even when doing so places them at risk of being raided and imprisoned simply for trying to make their cancer suck a little less.
The effort to protect children from the dangers of drugs is a noble one, but taking medicine away from people who need it is one strategy that shouldnât even be on the table.
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The fact that FOX has created a platform for these sorts of discussions is significant. I wouldn't have thought it possible even a couple years ago.
The fact that FOX has created a platform for these sorts of discussions is significant. I wouldn't have thought it possible even a couple years ago.
In The Trenches
We are all Arizonans
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| Dear friends: Can you help a "fellow" Arizonan out? Since 1996, 14 states and the District of Columbia have passed effective medical marijuana laws. Whether you live in one of these states or not, you can certainly appreciate the benefits enjoyed by patients who do. And we hope this appreciation makes you care as much as we do about adding another state to that list. As it turns out, a golden opportunity to add another state is before us. Yesterday, the Arizona Secretary of State informed the MPP-backed Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project that its medical marijuana initiative has qualified for the November ballot! This initiative would establish a system of 120 dispensaries throughout the state, ensuring that patients have safe and reliable access to the medicine they need. Each time another state makes medical marijuana legal, we get closer to a day when it becomes generally accepted and legal across the country. So if Arizona wins, we all win. With that thought in mind, through November of this year, we are all Arizonans in spirit. As an honorary Arizonan, your help is needed. Specifically, the campaign needs to raise funds for a basic expense: yard signs. Each sign costs approximately $2.50, so a contribution of $10 will put 4 signs on the ground and a contribution of $25 will cover 10. Even $5 will pay for a couple of signs that hundreds of voters will see! Please visit the AMMPP campaign site and make a contribution to our yard sign fund to help us reach our $5,000 goal. Thanks,Steve Fox  Director of State CampaignsMarijuana Policy Project Washington, D.C. |   |
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Supreme Court Limits Right Against Self-Incrimination
Dear friends, Flex Your Rights' Associate Director and 10 Rules for Dealing with Police Co-creator Scott Morgan drafted this analysis of yesterday's decision. As is the case with most police-friendly court decisions, the key message is that asserting one's rights is a do-it-yourself job. ---------------------------------- The Supreme Court ruled today in Berghuis v. Thompkins that a criminal suspect must specifically invoke the right against self-incrimination in order for constitutional protections to apply. The case centered around the interrogation of murder suspect Van Chester Thompkins, who remained virtually silent for hours, before giving a few brief responses to police questions. Most significantly, Thompkins answered "yes" when asked, "Do you pray to God to forgive you for shooting that boy down?" The statement was introduced at trial and Thompkins was convicted. In a 5-4 ruling, the Court held that criminal suspects who do not clearly state their intention to remain silent are presumed to have waived their 5th Amendment rights. Ironically, suspects must literally open their mouths and speak in order for their silence to be legally protected. The new rule will defer to police in cases where the suspect fails to unambiguously assert their right to remain silent. Naturally, Flex Your Rights is concerned about any retreat from the basic principle that criminal suspects should not be compelled or coerced into incriminating themselves. Today's ruling will undoubtedly create additional challenges for suspects who already understand too little about how their constitutional rights apply during police interrogations. Fortunately, however, the Berghuis decision leaves intact the best strategy for handling any police interrogation: keeping your mouth shut. Requiring suspects with limited legal knowledge to clearly assert their rights may seem a bit strict, but it's irrelevant if the suspect never says a word to begin with. The point of the 5th Amendment isn't to protect you after you've foolishly incriminated yourself; it's to remind you that you're not obligated to answer police questions in the first place. Ultimately, the burden is on each of us to understand our rights and use that information to make the best decisions. It's unlikely that any Supreme Court decision will ever change the fact that remaining silent is your best and only strategy if police ask you incriminating questions. ---------------------------------- Sincerely, Steve
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Our Heroes are Rebels with Just Cause!
As we remember fallen soldiers this year, please consider those heroes, who have given their lives for this country, died for freedom and for making this world a better place will have died in vai