D.C. Council approves medical marijuana!
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Dear friends: Â Today, in a historic win, the D.C. Council has approved medical marijuana in the District! Executive Director |
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Dear friends: Â Today, in a historic win, the D.C. Council has approved medical marijuana in the District! Executive Director |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
MAY 4, 2010
D.C. Council Approves Medical Marijuana Law
Measure Finally Implements 1998 Initiative Supported by 69 Percent of District Voters; Adds D.C. to List of Medical Marijuana Jurisdictions
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C. â Today, by a unanimous vote, the D.C. Council approved amendments to a medical marijuana law first passed in 1998 by 69 percent of District voters. Congress had blocked implementation of Initiative 59 for more than a decade, until it lifted its ban last year. With todayâs vote, the District of Columbia joins 14 states across the country in allowing qualified patients to use medical marijuana without fear of arrest. Â
        âToday marks a long overdue victory for D.C. voters and potentially thousands of chronically ill residents who will benefit from legal access to medical marijuana,â said Karen OâKeefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project. âIt has taken nearly 12 years, but the District will at last have a law that recognizes the mounting scientific consensus that, for many conditions, marijuana can be safe and effective medicine.
        âA well-working medical marijuana program in the nationâs capital will also provide members of Congress who have never seen such programs up close with a unique opportunity to do so,â OâKeefe said. âOnce they see for themselves that these laws do nothing but provide compassionate care for seriously ill patients, hopefully they will understand the need to create a federal policy that no longer criminalizes patients in any state who could benefit from this legitimate treatment option.â
        Under the Districtâs law, physicians will be able to give medical marijuana recommendations to patients suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, and other serious conditions that can be alleviated through marijuana. Qualified patients will have safe access to their medicine through a limited number of dispensaries within the District.
        Currently, 14 states have effective medical marijuana laws and more than a dozen others are considering them. In November, South Dakotans will vote on a medical marijuana ballot initiative, and Arizona is expected to have one on the ballot as well. Eighty-one percent of Americans support medical marijuana laws, according to a January ABC News/Washington Post poll.   Â
        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.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
MAY 4, 2010
Rhode Island Committee Holds Hearing Today on Marijuana Decriminalization Bill
S 2786 Would Remove Criminal Penalties for Adult Possession of One Ounce or Less of Marijuana and Replace with a $150 Fine
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND â Today, May 4, the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on S 2786, a bill that would remove the stateâs current criminal penalties for adult possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and instead replace them with a civil fine of $150.
        In March, a Senate commission tasked with studying the effects of marijuana prohibition in Rhode Island voted 11-2 to recommend that the state decriminalize marijuana possession in order to free up law enforcement and reduce costs. Decriminalizing marijuana could save the state up to $11 million annually in law enforcement, judicial and corrections costs, according to Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, who testified before the commission.
        Last month, the state House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a similar marijuana decriminalization bill.
WHAT: Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on S 2786, a bill to decriminalize marijuana possession in Rhode Island
WHEN: Rise of the Senate, Tuesday, May 4.
        WHERE: State House
WHO: Several speakers will testify in support of the bill, including Sen. Josh Miller (D-Cranston), the billâs sponsor, who chaired the Special Senate Commission to Study the Prohibition of Marijuana.
The entire text of S 2786 can be read at http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText10/SenateText10/S2786.htm
        With more than 124,000 members and supporters 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. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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We have many proven methods for reducing the demand for drugs. Keeping drugs illegal reduces their availability and lessens willingness to use them. That is why this Administration firmly opposes the legalization of marijuana or any other illicit drug. Legalizing drugs would increase accessibility and encourage promotion and acceptance of use. Diagnostic, laboratory, clinical, and epidemiological studies clearly indicate that marijuana use is associated with dependence, respiratory and mental illness, poor motor performance, and cognitive impairment, among other negative effects, and legalization would only exacerbate these problems.
These have been tough times for White House drug czar R. Gil Kerlikowske. After spending much of his first year in office crafting a new anti-drug strategy, he had hoped to unveil it two months ago with President Obama. But Kerlikowske couldn't get on Obama's schedule. When he pressed, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel directed him to Vice President Joe Biden, say two Kerlikowske advisers who asked not to be identified talking about an internal matter. But after agreeing to a joint announcement, Biden had to cancel at the last minute when the health-care bill landed on the president's desk. Appearing before a House subcommittee recently, Kerlikowske got hammered for not having yet produced the drug-control strategy that his office was charged with releasing by last Feb. 1.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
APRIL 30, 2010
D.C. Council Expected to Vote on Medical Marijuana Law Early Next Week
Vote Will Finally Implement 1998 Initiative Passed By Nearly 70 Percent of District Voters; Advocates Still Concerned Over Details
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C. â As the D.C. Council prepares to approve and enact amendments to a medical marijuana law first passed in 1998 by 69 percent of District voters, advocates for sensible, compassionate, and responsible medical marijuana programs remain concerned with several components of the current proposal. Â
        âIn crafting this legislation, the Council has been responsive to many concerns raised by the community, so we thank and congratulate them for their work thus far. Still, a few amendments are needed in order to create a medical marijuana program that reflects the will of District voters,â said Dan Riffle, a legislative analyst with the Marijuana Policy Project. âBy adding these proposed amendments, the District would implement one of the best medical marijuana laws in the country, balancing the needs of patients with the safeguards necessary to prevent abuse.âÂ
        MPP believes the Districtâs law would be greatly improved by the following changes:
Remove the language prohibiting patients from using marijuana or paraphernalia not obtained from a licensed dispensary. The law should not criminalize use of items patients might already own, nor should it criminalize patients for using medicine not obtained at a dispensary, since it could take several months for dispensaries to begin distribution. Â
Remove the limitation to home consumption in favor of a simple public smoking ban. Obviously, no one should be permitted to use marijuana in the workplace or undertake sensitive or dangerous tasks while under the influence. But those who take Oxycontin, Ambien, or any number of more dangerous drugs are allowed to do so at a friend, relative, or caregiverâs home, and thereâs no legitimate reason to saddle medical marijuana patients with more onerous restrictions.
Include severe, chronic pain as a qualifying condition for patients. Thirteen out of the 14 current medical marijuana states include chronic pain among qualifying conditions. Given the strong scientific consensus in support of marijuanaâs efficacy in pain relief, this legislation cannot be truly evidence-based if it criminalizes patients seeking relief from debilitating pain.
Do not limit cultivation centers to 95 plants. Such a low cap could make operating a cultivation center impracticable, drive up the cost of medical marijuana, and likely result in an inadequate supply, as has been the case in New Mexico, which has an identical restriction.
Increased possession/purchasing limits. Two ounces per month will not be enough medicine for some patients with chronic conditions, or those who choose to ingest medical marijuana through edible means such as baked goods. It is less than ¼ the amount of marijuana the federal government sends four patients each month pursuant to a program that is closed to new patients.
Include home cultivation. Nearly 70% of District voters approved Initiative 59, which included home cultivation. Allowing patients to cultivate their own medicine would not only respect the democratic process, but would help alleviate pressure on the program to produce enough supply to meet patient demand. All but one of the 14 medical marijuana states allow patient cultivation.
        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.
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