Medical Marijuana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

JUNE 28, 2010

Rhode Island to Hold Hearings on Medical Marijuana Compassion Center Applications

Rhode Island Moves to Expand Patient Access Through Non-Profit Distribution Centers, While Patients in Nearby States Continue to Suffer Without Effective Relief

CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications …………… 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND — Rhode Island’s department of health will hold public hearings tomorrow to review and receive comments on 15 applicants to open the state’s first medical marijuana compassion centers, which will operate as nonprofit entities to safely and securely distribute medical marijuana to qualified patients in the state. According to recently released figures, Rhode Island has 1,562 medical marijuana patients who are currently required to grow their own medicine or have caregivers grow it for them. State officials plan to open up to three compassion centers to dispense medicine to qualified patients and improve their access.   

         WHAT: Public hearings on applicants to operate compassion centers in Rhode Island

         WHEN: Tuesday, June 29, at 10 a.m.

         WHERE: Department of Health auditorium, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, Rhode Island

         If necessary, a continuation hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, June 30, at the same time and location. Any applicants who are granted a compassion center license will be required to pay a $2,500 licensing fee. The health department is expected to announce the first grant recipients in about a month. Once applicants are approved, Rhode Island will join New Mexico and Colorado as medical marijuana states that have state-licensed dispensary systems. Similar regulated dispensary programs are planned to be implemented soon in Maine, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.  A bill that would create a dispensary system in Vermont passed through three committees this legislative session, but didn’t receive a floor vote.

         Since 1996, 14 states and the District of Columbia passed medical marijuana laws. New medical marijuana legislation was introduced in more than a dozen additional states this year, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, and Delaware. 

            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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MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                                                                                               

JULY 6, 2010

Colorado Petitioners Seek Medical Marijuana Access for PTSD Patients

At Rally Tomorrow, Veterans Will Submit Petition to Colorado Health Officials to Add PTSD to State’s Medical Marijuana Law

CONTACT: Brian Vicente, Sensible Colorado: 720-280-4067 or [email protected]; or Mike Meno, MPP director of communications: 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

SOUTH DENVER, COLORADO — Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 7, the medical marijuana advocacy group Sensible Colorado and local veterans will hold a press conference and rally to coincide with the official submission of a petition to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that would add post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, to the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana recommendations in Colorado. The petition is being filed on behalf of Denver resident Kevin Grimsinger, a retired Army sergeant who served in Kosovo, Operation Desert Storm and Afghanistan. As detailed in a recent Denver Post article, Grimsinger suffers from PTSD related to stepping on a landmine in Afghanistan. Numerous studies, including a 2007 study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, have found that marijuana can be an effective treatment for severe PTSD symptoms—a condition suffered by 20 percent of soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to 2008 RAND Corporation study.

         Despite such findings, earlier this year, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment actively lobbied members of the state legislature to oppose an amendment that would have allowed individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to have access to medical marijuana, if they have a recommendation from a psychiatrist. In 2009, the New Mexico Department of Health added PTSD to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana patients in that state after a recommendation of approval from an advisory board of eight medical practitioners, who examined the evidence and determined that the use of marijuana by patients with PTSD could be a beneficial treatment option, if used in accordance with a recommendation from a psychiatrist.

         WHAT: Press conference and rally to support medical marijuana access for PTSD patients

         WHEN: Wednesday, July 7, at 11 a.m.

         WHERE: 4300 Cherry Creek Drive, South Denver (CO Dept. of Public Health and Environment)

         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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Monthly Public Meeting Agenda
Lawrence Twp. Library (Mercer County) Room #3
Tuesday, July 13, 2010; 7:00 PM -- 9:00 PM

7:00 PM:  Call meeting to order.   Approve May 2010 minutes.  Discuss:

NJ Senate and Assembly approved a 90-day delay in implementing the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, which was scheduled to take effect July 1, 2010.  CMMNJ held a rally & press conference to oppose the delay on 6/17 in Jersey City.  More amendments to come? See NBC coverage of the issue.  Send a pre-written letter to your NJ legislator today opposing any more changes to the law.   CMMNJ received a reply from DHSS.

Report from Jahan Marcu, a cannabinoid researcher from Temple U. School of Medicine.

Cures Not Wars press conference at Manhattan City Hall steps, Thurs., 7/8, from 10-11 AM.

Upcoming CMMNJ events: MS Patients Support Group in Livingston, NJ, 7/12/10 @ 7 pm;  Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ, 7/31/10, 8pm--12 MN;  Rittenhouse Square Concert Series 8/6, 8/13 & 8/20; Stakeholders Meeting with ASA's Steph Sherer 8/21 10-4PM; NJ League of Municipalities, 11/15-18/10.  Volunteers needed for upcoming events.

Treasury report: Checking: $4,387.71; PayPal: $2,017.43.  Tax-deductible donations to CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) public charity may be made through Paypal on our web site, or send a check made out to "CMMNJ" to the address below.  Get a free t-shirt for a donation above $15—specify size.  (100 new t-shirts received--$700; 500 magnets ordered--$170.)
  
CMMNJ's scheduled meetings are the second Tuesday of each month at the Lawrence Twp. Library from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM.  All are welcome.  Snacks are served.  The library is at 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Twp., Tel. #609.882.9246.   (Meeting at the library does not imply their endorsement of our issue.)  For more info, contact:

Ken Wolski, RN, MPA
Executive Director, Coalition for Medical Marijuana—New Jersey, Inc. www.cmmnj.org
219 Woodside Ave.
Trenton, NJ 08618    
(609) 394-2137 [email protected]



 
 
Monthly Public Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, June 8 2010; 7:00 PM -- 9:00 PM
Lawrence Twp. Library, Mercer County, NJ

7:00 PM:  Call meeting to order.   May 2010 minutes approved.   Discussion:

The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act is scheduled to take effect in July 2010.  Gov. Christie asks for 6 -- 12 month delay.  CMMNJ held a press conference June 4, 2010 on the State House steps in Trenton to say "no" to the delay.  Chris Goldstein gave a review of the media coverage. 

CMMNJ's supporters are asked to tell NJ state officials to implement the law as written.  Contact Governor Christie: http://www.nj.gov/governor/contact/
Contact DHSS Commissioner Alaigh: http://www.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/dhss/contact/contact.pl?page=marijuana  CMMNJ is sending another letter to DHSS. 

NORML will be asked to provide a Capwiz letter to send to legislators.  (Request to have a Roll Call of legislative supporters on web site.)  Steve C.
detailed how he suffers from Crohn's Disease without access to marijuana while paying exorbitant prices for less effective pharmaceuticals.  Several LTE's already published.  Diane Forrnbacher is coordinating Patients Advisory Group.  Svet Milic, Peter Rosenfeld & Frank Fulbrook are coordinating the ATC Advisory Board.

Events:  New Jersey State Nurses Assn. "Medical Marijuana Breakfast" was postponed.  Excellent front page article in the May/June 2010 edition of The American Nurse, "Exploring the science of medical marijuana."  Report of successful Gay Pride Parade on 6/6/10 in Asbury Park.  

Upcoming CMMNJ events:; Jersey City Press Conference, 6/17/10 at City Hall, 1:00 PM; Southern Shore Music Festival, 6/19/10, Bridgeton, NJ, noon to 8 PM; Project Freedom Wellness Fair, Lawrence Twp., 6/22/10 3 pm to 7 pm; MS Patients Support Group in Livingston, NJ, 7/12/10 @ 7 pm;  Dingbatz in
Clifton, NJ, 7/31/10, 8pm--12 MN;  NJ League of Municipalities, Atlantic City, 11/15-18/10.  Board to discuss Rittenhouse Sq. Concert series.

Treasury report: Checking: $2,789.79; PayPal: $2640.34. More magnets & t-shirts ordered. 

CMMNJ's scheduled meetings are the second Tuesday of each month at the Lawrence Twp. Library from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM.  All are welcome.  Snacks are served.  The library is at 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Twp., Tel. #609.882.9246.   (Meeting at the library does not imply their endorsement of our issue.)  For more info, contact: Ken Wolski, RN, MPA, 219 Woodside Ave., Trenton, NJ 08618     (609) 394-2137 [email protected] www.cmmnj.org

 

PUBLIC STRATEGIES, LLC

www.publicstrategiesllc.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE           

JUNE 29, 2010

Montel Williams to NY Legislators: Pass Medical Marijuana Now

Former Talk Show Host, MS Patient Urges Albany Lawmakers to Act Without Delay

CONTACT: Vince Marrone ……… 914-912-0526 or [email protected]

ALBANY, NEW YORK — At a press conference in Albany on Tuesday, former talk show host, U.S. Navy officer and New York City resident Montel Williams urged New York Governor David Paterson and members of the Legislature to act quickly in order to pass New York’s medical marijuana bill. 

            The New York bill would create one of the best-regulated systems in the country for providing seriously ill patients with safe and effective access to medical marijuana. Mr. Williams suffers from multiple sclerosis, and uses medical marijuana to help ease the effects of his condition.

            “New York needs to act now to make marijuana legally available for medical use. Every day that we delay is another day of needless suffering for patients like me all across the state,” Williams said.

            “Thousands of New Yorkers suffer from serious medical conditions that could benefit from the medical use of marijuana,” said Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee and sponsor of the Assembly medical marijuana bill. “If the patient and the doctor agree that the most effective medicine is marijuana, the government should not stand in the way.  It is cruel to turn suffering patients into criminals when they are following what their doctor recommends.”

            “Medical use of marijuana for patients with acute conditions like HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and glaucoma relieves chronic pain and nausea and increases appetite,” said Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn), a former New York City police captain. “When our fellow humans are burdened by the dire effects of life-threatening illnesses, we must not allow insubstantial ideological arguments to increase their suffering. The proposed medical marijuana legislation contains the critical safeguards needed to guard against diversion or abuse and establish access for patients in need.  It is our moral and ethical duty to alleviate misery in our fellow human beings. Any other substance shown to have such beneficial effect would already be in the arsenal of medical practitioners. I wholeheartedly urge passage of this legislation.”

            Also joining Mr. Williams was Craig Burridge, executive director of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York (PSSNY). PSSNY recently came out in support of New York’s medical marijuana bill.

            “New York has the opportunity to provide a model on how to mainstream medical marijuana to those patients who so desperately need it,” Burridge said. “For those of us who have seen the suffering of a loved one, passage is long overdue.”

The New York bill would:

 * Allow patients facing serious, life-threatening or debilitating illnesses to get marijuana upon the recommendation of their physician.

 * Limit patient possession to no more than 2.5 ounces.

 * Grant the Department of Health the authority to license medical marijuana producers and dispensers, consistent with rules mirroring the state Controlled Substances Act.

 * Allow the Department of Health to establish fees sufficient to cover the cost of administering the program.

 * Allow state-licensed organizations, including pharmacies, to dispense medical marijuana to qualified patients.

 * Allow state-licensed organizations to produce marijuana for sale to dispensers only.

            Since 1996, 14 states and the District of Columbia have passed medical marijuana laws. More than a dozen state legislatures considered the issue this year, and in November, citizens of Arizona and South Dakota will vote on medical marijuana ballot initiatives. Under New York’s bill, the state department of health would play an active role in regulating pharmacies and dispensaries that would be licensed to provide medical marijuana to qualified patients.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

JULY 21, 2010

Following Recent Raids, Medical Marijuana Advocacy Groups Call on Pres. Obama to Withdraw Nomination of Michele Leonhart to be DEA Administrator

Obama’s DEA Head Must Follow Stated Medical Marijuana Policy, End Obstruction of Marijuana Research, and Base Marijuana Rescheduling on Science Rather Than Ideology

CONTACT: Steve Fox: 202-905-2042 or [email protected]; or Mike Meno: 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, a coalition of organizations supportive of medical marijuana patients and providers (see list of organizations below) is calling on President Obama to withdraw his nomination of Michele Leonhart to serve as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Ms. Leonhart, who is currently the DEA’s acting-administrator, has not demonstrated that she is capable of leading the agency in a thoughtful manner at a time when 14 states have enacted medical marijuana laws and science is increasingly confirming the therapeutic benefits of the substance.

            Under Leonhart's leadership, the DEA has staged medical marijuana raids in apparent disregard of Attorney General Eric Holder's directive to respect state medical marijuana laws. Most recently, DEA agents flouted a pioneering Mendocino County (CA) ordinance to regulate medical marijuana cultivation by raiding the very first grower to register with the sheriff. Joy Greenfield, 69, had paid more than $1,000 for a permit to cultivate 99 plants in a collective garden that had been inspected and approved by the local sheriff.

            Informed that Ms. Greenfield had the support of the sheriff, the DEA agent in charge responded by saying, “I don’t care what the sheriff says.” The DEA's conduct is inconsistent with an October 2009 Department of Justice memo directing officials not to arrest individuals “whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.”

            Ms. Leonhart has also demonstrated that she is unable to be objective in carrying out the duties of the administrator as it relates to medical marijuana research. In January 2009, she refused to issue a license to the University of Massachusetts to cultivate marijuana for FDA-approved research, despite a DEA administrative law judge’s ruling that it would be “in the public interest” to issue the license. This single act has blocked privately funded medical marijuana research in this country. The next DEA administrator will likely influence the outcome of a marijuana-rescheduling petition currently before the agency. It is critical that an administrator with an open mind toward science and research is at the helm.

            “With Leonhart’s nomination pending, one would expect her to be more — not less — respectful of the Department of Justice and the rights of individuals in medical marijuana states,” said Steve Fox, director of government relations at the Marijuana Policy Project. “Such behavior is an ominous sign for the future of the DEA under her leadership. Moreover, she has continually demonstrated her desire to block privately funded medical marijuana research in this country. The Obama administration has reversed many Bush administration policies over the past 18 months. It is time to transform the culture at the DEA by either withdrawing Leonhart’s nomination or directing her to change her attitude toward medical marijuana.”

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The following organizations are calling on President Obama to withdraw the nomination of Ms. Leonhart if she does not end the attacks on individuals acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws and commit to making decisions related to medical marijuana based on science, not a personal anti-marijuana bias:

 

California NORML

Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)

Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)

 

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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