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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
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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Marijuana Policy Project Alert | April 28, 2010 | |||||
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Last chance to act: D.C. medical marijuana law likely to be finalized Tuesday Please contact your councilmembers and ask them to offer needed amendments to the bill Dear friends: The wait is nearly over. Eleven years after D.C. voters demanded it, medical marijuana is finally coming to the District. And while weâre all excited to see the program finally approved, the bill now being considered includes a few areas of concern for patients who could benefit from medical marijuana and voters who approved a program now being altered by the Council. Please get in touch with your councilmembers and urge them to offer an amendment to address one or more of these potential pitfalls:
It will only take you a minute to use our simple automated program to send a message to your councilmembers, but please donât stop there. Call their offices and have a conversation â you can even request a meeting to discuss the bill in person. There are only a few days left for you to make a difference, so please take the time to get in touch with your councilmembers. At-large members Kwame Brown, David Catania, Phil Mendelson, Michael Brown, and Chairman Vincent Gray represent all D.C. residents. You can find your ward-specific member here. Thanks again,
Dan Riffle |
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We are required by federal law to tell you that any donations you make to MPP may be used for political purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates for federal office. | Â | |||||
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Marijuana Policy Project Alert | April 20, 2010 | |||||
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Your input needed: D.C. Council expected to vote on medical marijuana today Draft amendments to legislation answer some patient concerns, leave others unresolved. Dear friends: The D.C. Council may vote today on legislation to amend Initiative 59. The proposal would get a second vote in May. Please share your thoughts on implementation of medical marijuana with your councilmembers now. Those of you in attendance at Februaryâs hearing before the committees on Public Safety and the Judiciary as well as Health will be happy to know that this latest incarnation addresses many of the concerns you helped bring to the councilâs attention. For instance, the bill no longer requires patients to seek recommendations from "primary care physicians," ensuring access for those too poor to see the same doctor regularly or, like many veterans, whose doctors are federal employees. The amended bill also reduces the minimum distance from which dispensaries must be located from schools â down to 300 feet from 1,000 feet â easing zoning and location concerns. Still, several aspects of the bill now being considered raise concerns over the ability of patients to have safe, reliable access to medicine. For instance, the list of conditions for which medical marijuana could be utilized is needlessly restrictive. This would be only the second law in the country to completely exclude severe or chronic pain as a symptom or condition for which medical marijuana could be used as treatment. The bill would also mandate that patients use only marijuana or paraphernalia obtained from a District dispensary, and that they do so only in their own homes. A simple ban on smoking in public would be a much better and easier way to address legitimate concerns. Additionally, the bill limits the amount of marijuana that cultivation centers could grow to 95 plants, which would drive up costs and raise serious concerns about the ability of program supply to meet patient demand. Other concerns include:
If you havenât already, please do take just a minute or two to use our automated system to send your councilmembers a quick e-mail. When youâre done, go ahead and forward this on to a friend. Thanks for all your help in shaping this legislation. Weâll be sure to keep you posted as the process moves forward. Sincerely,
Dan Riffle |
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We are required by federal law to tell you that any donations you make to MPP may be used for political purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates for federal office. | Â | |||||
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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
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.
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