Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Expo
The Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Expo is sponsored by The Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council.
Latest
Event
In The Trenches
Sensible Colorado: Activist Events Next Week
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
In The Trenches
Press Release: Medical Marijuana Expected to Qualify for Arizona Ballot
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 14, 2010
Medical Marijuana Expected to Qualify for Arizona Ballot
Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project will turn in more than 250,000 signatures today to place initiative on November ballot
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
PHOENIX, ARIZONA â Today, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project will submit more than 250,000 signatures to the Arizona Secretary of Stateâs office in order to place medical marijuana on the November ballot in Arizona. The initiative requires 153,365 signatures to qualify for the ballot. Once the initiative qualifies, Arizona voters will be asked on November 2 to vote yes on the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, which would allow terminally and seriously ill patients who find relief from marijuana to use it with their doctorâs approval.
        âWe are proud to turn in these signatures today on behalf of the thousands of patients in Arizona who will benefit from this law once it is enacted,â said Andrew Myers, campaign manager for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project. âPeople suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS, and other serious illnesses should not be forced to seek on the streets the medicine they and their doctors know they need. This initiative proposes instead a dispensary system that will give patients safe and reliable access to medical marijuana if they possess a doctorâs recommendation to use it. We look forward to qualifying for the ballot and bringing our message to voters over the coming months.âÂ
        Upon its passage, medical marijuana will be regulated by the Arizona Department of Health Services and will permit qualifying patients or their caregivers to legally purchase their medicine from tightly regulated clinics, as they would any other medicine â they need not purchase it from the criminal market. It will protect seriously ill patients from arrest and prosecution for the simple act of taking doctor-recommended medicine.
        If the initiative qualifies, Arizona will join South Dakota in having medical marijuana initiatives on the ballot this November. Currently 14 states have effective medical marijuana laws, and more than a dozen other states, including New York, Illinois, and Delaware, are considering medical marijuana laws this year.
        AMMPP receives significant support and funding from the Marijuana Policy Project. 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.
####
In The Trenches
Press Release: MPP Urges Furlough of Marijuana Offenders Before Violent Convicts
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 14, 2010
MPP Urges Furlough of Marijuana Offenders Before Violent Convicts
In Congressional Testimony, MPP Calls for Prioritizing Release of Marijuana Offenders When States Furlough Prisoners to Save Money
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C. â Today, Aaron Houston, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project, testified before the U.S. House of Representativesâ Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. In that testimony, he asked the subcommittee to urge the Department of Justice to encourage states that furlough prisoners because of budget crunches âto certify that no inmates convicted of crimes of violence, including sexual abuse and assault, will be released before non-violent offenders whose sole offense relates to the possession, sale, or manufacture of marijuana.âÂ
        On March 31, the Associated Press reported a disturbing trend: âInmates convicted of violent crimes are among those being freed early from California jails to save money, despite lawmakersâ promises that they would exclude most dangerous prisoners and sex offenders ⦠An Associated Press review of inmate data shows that some of the freed criminals were convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, battery, domestic violence, and attacks on children and the elderly.â The A.P. noted that similar programs were initiated or expanded in a dozen other states: Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.Â
        Houston asked the subcommittee to urge the Department of Justice to consider conditioning grant awards to states and municipal correctional systems on their certification that no inmates convicted of crimes of violence will have been furloughed before non-violent marijuana offenders.
        âPrioritizing the release of people whose only crime is marijuana-related just makes sense,â Houston said.
        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.
####
Latest News
Latest News
Blog
Teachers for Marijuana Legalization
More of this please:
This "adding another substance to the list" argument just kills me every time. It's such a classic prohibitionist fantasy to pretend as though marijuana is just a theoretical concept, the dangerous risks of which remain entirely unknown thanks to prohibition. Please, oh please, can we legalize marijuana so I can finally give it a try?
The longer folks like the Partnership for a Drug-free America continue spouting such nonsense, the more we can expect to hear from prominent educators like Randi Weingarten who aren't buying it anymore.
Teachers union boss Randi Weingarten thinks it's high time marijuana is legalized.
Weingarten - head of the American Federation of Teachers and former president of New York's United Federation of Teachers - came out in support of a California proposition to legalize pot for personal use.
â¦
While advocates of legalization have applauded Weingarten, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America blasted her stance.
"Legalizing marijuana would just add another substance, along with alcohol, to the menu of intoxicants that are already too available - and harmful - to kids," said Partnership spokeswoman Josie Feliz. "It's hard for us to look on legalization as a positive." [NYDailyNews]
This "adding another substance to the list" argument just kills me every time. It's such a classic prohibitionist fantasy to pretend as though marijuana is just a theoretical concept, the dangerous risks of which remain entirely unknown thanks to prohibition. Please, oh please, can we legalize marijuana so I can finally give it a try?
The longer folks like the Partnership for a Drug-free America continue spouting such nonsense, the more we can expect to hear from prominent educators like Randi Weingarten who aren't buying it anymore.
Blog
Dr. Drew Endorses Planting Evidence on Drug Users to Get Them Locked Up
Celebrity addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky is someone I used to respect as a teenager. Too bad he sold-out and became a dangerous quack who'll say anything to make headlines:
You see, Dr. Drew is really concerned about her safety:
Something terrible? Like getting framed for a carload of drugs by your own family!? Maybe they don't cover this in medical school, Dr. Drew, but you should really make yourself aware of the fact that many people have been accidentally shot by drug cops, sexually assaulted in jail, and otherwise mercilessly screwed over by the criminal justice system in ways that you and your massive ego don't have the luxury of predicting.
Planting drugs on anyone is a serious crime that could go wrong in more ways than you can possibly imagine. Anyone who endorses screwing around like this has no business practicing medicine, parenthood or friendship. You can get people killed with this sort of idiocy, and as much as it would reveal about the stupidity of the war on drugs, "Hollywood Starlet Shot in Face by SWAT Team" is a story no drug policy blogger wants to write.
There is a real drug war going on in America and the men and women who come to save you from your "illness" don't wear white coats; they come in body armor bearing machine guns with the safety off. So when you sell Beverly Hills addiction therapy as pop-culture entertainment media, you forget that those same rules don't apply in Ohio and any parent taking Dr. Drew's reckless advice is putting their family in the drug war's deadly crossfire.
When drug cops start making their own rules, it's time to take away their badge and gun. When celebrity addiction doctors do the same, it's time to take away their license and, more importantly, their microphone.
While Lindsay Lohan continues to party until the wee hours of the morning, and her family and friends grow increasingly concerned for her, Dr. Drew Pinsky, who is not treating Lohan, has some candid advice for the people closest to her.
The board certified addiction specialist tells RadarOnline.com, "If she were my daughter, I would pack her car full with illegal substances, send her on her way, call the police, and make sure she was arrested. I would make sure she was not allowed to get out of jail. I would then go to the judge and make sure she was ordered to a minimum of a three year sobriety program." [Radar]
You see, Dr. Drew is really concerned about her safety:
"I absolutely wish no harm to her, but I just have a feeling that something awful is going to happen to her, like she is going to lose a limb. I hope Lindsay gets help before something terrible happens."
Something terrible? Like getting framed for a carload of drugs by your own family!? Maybe they don't cover this in medical school, Dr. Drew, but you should really make yourself aware of the fact that many people have been accidentally shot by drug cops, sexually assaulted in jail, and otherwise mercilessly screwed over by the criminal justice system in ways that you and your massive ego don't have the luxury of predicting.
Planting drugs on anyone is a serious crime that could go wrong in more ways than you can possibly imagine. Anyone who endorses screwing around like this has no business practicing medicine, parenthood or friendship. You can get people killed with this sort of idiocy, and as much as it would reveal about the stupidity of the war on drugs, "Hollywood Starlet Shot in Face by SWAT Team" is a story no drug policy blogger wants to write.
There is a real drug war going on in America and the men and women who come to save you from your "illness" don't wear white coats; they come in body armor bearing machine guns with the safety off. So when you sell Beverly Hills addiction therapy as pop-culture entertainment media, you forget that those same rules don't apply in Ohio and any parent taking Dr. Drew's reckless advice is putting their family in the drug war's deadly crossfire.
When drug cops start making their own rules, it's time to take away their badge and gun. When celebrity addiction doctors do the same, it's time to take away their license and, more importantly, their microphone.
Event
Drugs, Pregnancy and Parenting: What the Experts Have to Say Part II
Time: 4 Hour Half Day Program
Credits: Continuing Education Credits in the areas of Law, Social Work & CASAC
Event
Congressional Hearing: ONDCP's Fiscal Year 2011 National Drug Control Budget: Are We Still Funding a War on Drugs?
This Congressional hearing looks at the Obama Administration's drug war policies.
In The Trenches
Press Release: Drug Czar and DPA's Ethan Nadelmann Testify on Obama's Drug War Policies
For Immediate Release: April 13, 2010
Contact: Tony Newman, tel: 646-335-5384 or Bill Piper, tel: 202-669-6430
Wednesday: Congressional Hearing Looks at Obama Administration's Drug War Policies
Both Nation's Drug Czar, Gil Kerkikowske, and Nation's Leading Critic of Drug War, Ethan Nadelmann, to Testify
Despite Significant Reforms, Administration's 2011 Budget Criticized for Mirroring Bush's Emphasis on Arrests and Incarceration over Treatment
The U.S. House Domestic Policy Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), will hold a hearing Wednesday morning on the White House's drug war budget and forthcoming 2010 National Drug Control Strategy. The Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (also known as the drug czar), Gil Kerlikowske, and the executive director of the anti-drug-war Drug Policy Alliance, Ethan Nadelmann, will both be testifying.
Mr. Nadelmann testimony will focus on:
* The drug war's flawed performance measures;
* The lop-sided ratio between supply and demand spending in the national drug budget;
* The lack of innovation in the drug czar's proposed strategies;
* The Administration's failure to adequately evaluate drug policies.
The hearing comes in the wake of significant drug policy reforms under the Obama Administration, including a directive urging federal law enforcement agencies to stop arresting medical marijuana patients and caregivers in compliance with their state's medical marijuana law, and the repeal of the two decade old federal syringe funding ban, which prohibited states from funding syringe exchange programs with federal money to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. Additionally, a few weeks ago a White House backed bi-partisan bill reforming the crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity passed the U.S. Senate unanimously.
The Administration's drug war budget, however, is still focused overwhelmingly on failed supply side policies and ignores important harm reduction measures. Director Kerlikowske told the Wall Street Journal last year that he doesn't like to use the term "war on drugs" because "[w]e're not at war with people in this country." Yet 64% of their budget - virtually the same as under the Bush Administration - focuses on largely futile interdiction efforts as well as arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating extraordinary numbers of people. Only 36% is earmarked for demand reduction. The budget also ignores life-saving harm reduction measures such as naloxone-distribution and heroin assisted treatment, widely viewed around the world as a necessary part of any balanced, evidenced based drug strategy.
"Congress and the Obama administration have broken with the costly and failed drug war strategies of the past in some important ways," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "But the continuing emphasis on interdiction and law enforcement in the federal drug war budget suggest that ONDCP is far more wedded to the failures of the past than to any new vision for the future. I urge this committee to hold ONDCP and federal drug policy accountable to new criteria that focus on reductions in the death, disease, crime and suffering associated with both drugs and drug prohibition."
What: Congressional hearing titled, "ONDCP's Fiscal Year 2011 National Drug Control Budget: Are We Still Funding a War on Drugs?"
When: 10:00AM, Wednesday, April 14th.
Where: 2154 Rayburn HOB
###
In The Trenches
Race & Justice News: Disparities in the Media, Policing
| |||||||
| |||||||
In The Trenches
Press Release: Hearing on Bill to Tax and Regulate Marijuana RESCHEDULED for Wednesday
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 13, 2010
Hearing on Bill to Tax and Regulate Marijuana Rescheduled for Wednesday
H 7838 Would Create Regulated Marijuana Market Similar to Alcohol, Allow Adults to Purchase Marijuana From Licensed Retailers
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND â Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee will receive testimony on H 7838, a bill that would tax and regulate marijuana similar to alcohol, allowing adults 21 and older to purchase up to an ounce of marijuana from registered retailers. The hearing was originally scheduled for today but has been postponed until tomorrow.
        Sponsored by Rep. Edith Ajello (D-Providence) and Rep. Rod Driver (D-Charlestown, Exeter, Richmond), H 7838 would prohibit advertising marijuana or using it in public places. It would also create a $50 an ounce excise tax on all marijuana sold by wholesalers. Revenue produced from the tax would go toward maintaining regulations, into the state General Fund, and also be used to fund drug and alcohol abuse treatment and prevention programs.
        WHAT: Hearing for H 7838, a bill to tax and regulate marijuana in Rhode Island
        WHO: Rep. Edith Ajello, the billâs sponsor, and others will testify
        WHERE: Room 313, State House
        WHEN: WEDNESDAY, April 14, Rise of the House
           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.
####
In The Trenches
Speaking Out on 4/20
You Can Make a Difference |
Dear friends, This war wonât end if you stay silent. 4/20 is an important day for many people in our movement. You may be one of the thousands of people gathering next week at rallies in Boston, Boulder, New York, Santa Cruz, Seattle and other cities. Or maybe you just believe our countryâs backwards marijuana laws need a major overhaul. Whatever your plans on 4/20, letâs use the day to join together and declare our support for ending marijuana prohibition. Click here to show your support for legalizing marijuana and help us reach 10,000 signatures by midnight, 4/20. Maybe you smoke marijuana and are tired of being considered a criminal. Maybe youâre a teacher or public health advocate tired of politicians cutting money for education and health to pay for new jails and prisons. Maybe youâre a civil rights activist appalled by racial disparities in marijuana law enforcement. Or maybe you just donât want your tax dollars wasted on ineffective policies. Now is the time to make your voice heard. Sign our pledge and make a commitment to help legalize marijuana. After you sign, tell 10 friends to add their voice. Our movement includes people who love marijuana, people who hate marijuana, and people who donât care one way or the other. But we all agree on one thing â marijuana prohibition is doing more harm than good. The tide is quickly turning against the war on marijuana. Lawmakers across the country are introducing legislation to regulate marijuana like alcohol. Newspapers are calling for major reform. Sting and other prominent people are speaking out. In November California voters will have the historic opportunity to vote on ending marijuana prohibition. More Americans support legalizing marijuana than ever before, and itâs time for us to speak out. Help us reach 10,000 signatures by midnight, 4/20 by signing our pledge to legalize marijuana. Sincerely, Bill Piper  |
In The Trenches
Press Release: Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana Gets Hearing in Rhode Island Tomorrow
MEDIA ADVISORYÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 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 13, 2010
Bill to Decriminalize Marijuana Gets Hearing in Rhode Island Tomorrow
Bipartisan H 7317 Would Remove Criminal Penalties for Possession of Less Than One Ounce of Marijuana, Replace With $150 Fine
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND â Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 14, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on H 7317, a bill that would remove criminal penalties for adults found possessing less than one ounce of marijuana and replace them with a $150 civil violation. Under current law, those found possessing small amounts of marijuana face up to a year in prison and a $500 fine.
        Introduced by Rep. John Edwards (D-Portsmouth, Tiverton), H 7317 is co-sponsored by 48 percent of the House of Representatives. In 2008, 65 percent of voters in neighboring Massachusetts voted to decriminalize marijuana. Last month, a bipartisan state Senate commission tasked with studying the effects of marijuana prohibition in Rhode Island voted 11-2 to recommend removing criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana. In February, the editorial board of the Providence Journal endorsed decriminalizing marijuana as a way to relieve strain on the judicial system.
        WHAT: House Judiciary Committee hearing on H 7317, a bill to decriminalize marijuana in Rhode Island  Â
        WHO: Experts will testify in favor
        WHERE: House Lounge
        WHEN: Rise of the House
        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.
####