Medical Marijuana
Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. September Agenda
Monthly Public Meeting Agenda
Held at the Lawrence Township Library
Tuesday, September 8, 2009; 7:00 PM â 9:00 PM
7:00 PM:  Call meeting to order. Approve minutes. Discuss:
àSee photos and video of the August 21 court house rally to support multiple sclerosis (MS) patient John Wilson, who faces 20 years in prison for growing marijuana to treat his disease. Wilson was forbidden by the judge to even mention his medical condition during the upcoming trial. This trial is drawing national attention. Tell the National MS Society; answer their survey. Will Wilson be the last NJ casualty of this inhumane policy?Â
ÃÂ Seton Hall Position Paper and Philadelphia Weekly article support NJâs Compassionate Use Act (S119).Â
ÃÂ CMMNJ is scheduled to appear at the following upcoming events:
·        Sun., 9/13, 10 AM - 4 PM; Hamilton Septemberfest, Veteranâs Park, Hamilton Twp., NJ;
·        Sat., 9/19, High Noon; Boston Freedom Rally, Boston Common, Boston, Mass.;
·        Thurs. â Sat., 9/24-26, National NORML Conference, San Francisco, CA.;
·        Sun., 10/4 12:30 PM â 4 PM, Lawrence Community Day, Village Park, Lawrence Twp., NJ;
·        Sat., 10/10, 10 AM â 5 PM, Ewing Community Fest, The College of New Jersey, Ewing Twp., NJ.
àThe New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, which was approved by the state senate in February, is due for a vote by the Assembly this fall, after the November elections. The Assembly Health Committee made significant, very restrictive changes to the bill. Tell your legislators that you want the Senate version of the bill that does not contain these restrictions, to pass into law. See CMMNJâs recent blog for talking pointsâbut tell your story in your own words. Donât let a possibly unworkable bill pass into law.
àCMMNJ is now a cause on Facebook! See Kenâs birthday wish. See NORML NJâs new web site.
àTreasury report: Current account balances: Checking: $4168.21; PayPal: $191.02. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) organization. All funds received go towards public education about medical marijuana. Donations may be made securely through Paypal or checks made out to âCMMNJâ and sent to corporate headquarters at the address below. Get a free t-shirt for a donation above $15âspecify size. Thank you for your support.
Scheduled meetings are Sept. 8, Oct. 13, & Nov. 10, 2009. CMMNJ meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the 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
844 Spruce St., Trenton, NJ 08648
(609) 394-2137
MS Patients to Speak at Pharmacy Board Medical Marijuana Hearing Weds. in Mason City
MEDIA ADVISORYÂ Â Â Â
SEPTEMBER 1, 2009
Â
MS Patients to Speak Out at Pharmacy Board Medical Marijuana Hearing Wednesday in Mason City
 CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications ............... 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205
 MASON CITY, IOWA -- Iowa multiple sclerosis patients who have benefited from medical marijuana, including one of four patients currently receiving medical marijuana from the U.S. government, will provide testimony Wednesday in Mason City at the second Iowa Board of Pharmacy hearing to examine the medical value of marijuana.
    WHAT: Iowa Board of Pharmacy hearing on medical marijuana.
    WHO: Patients providing testimony will include:
    Barbara Douglass of Storm Lake, one of four patients still receiving medical marijuana from the U.S. government in a program closed to new enrollment in 1992. As Douglass is too ill from multiple sclerosis to attend in person, her statement will be read by Jim Morrison. She will be available for phone interviews from 8 a.m. till noon on Wednesday, at 712-732-2919.
    Ray Lakers of Des Moines, MS patient who found relief from medical marijuana and was jailed for possession of less than a gram of marijuana in 2005.
    Ladd Huffman of Calumet, Vietnam veteran with MS who was approved for the federal medical marijuana program just as it was shut down, barring him from receiving medication. His statement will be read by Jim Morrison as Huffman is also too ill to attend, but he will be available for phone interviews from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, at 712-446-2463.
    WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 2, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
    WHERE: The Music Man Square (Reunion Hall), 308 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Mason City.
    With more than 27,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers 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 http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.
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Stopping Medical Marijuana Raids
You Can Make a Difference |
Dear friends,
Congress has heard the evidence about the medicinal benefits of marijuana, but legislators still havenât changed federal law to reflect scientific fact. Tell them to end the federal medical marijuana ban now! While Congress ignores the science, patients like Eugene Davidovich, who operates a medical marijuana collective in San Diego, are criminalized. He complies with state law and the California attorney general's medical marijuana guidelines, but the San Diego district attorney is threatening to throw him in prison anyway. Bolstered by the federal ban on medical marijuana, the San Diego DA is systematically harassing patients, and Eugene now faces four felony charges. This is outrageous! Will you join me in asking Congress to end the federal medical marijuana ban? Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, has introduced legislation to make marijuana legal for medical use, but opponents are organizing to defeat it. Our message to Congress is simple: Federal law enforcement should stop harassing and arresting people for medical marijuana. Itâs cruel. Itâs capricious. And itâs a waste of precious taxpayer dollars. Enough is enough! Just like you and me, lawmakers know the truth about medical marijuana. Only you can hold your member of Congress accountable. Tell your representative to face the facts. Sincerely, Bill Piper |
Press Release: Seton Hall Center for Health & Pharm Law Supports NJ Medical Marijuana Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 27, 2009
CONTACT: Ken @ (609) 394-2137
Seton Hall Center for Health & Pharm Law Supports NJ Medical Marijuana Act
WHO: Seton Hall University School of Law Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law & Policy
WHAT: Published support for the âNew Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Actâ
WHEN: August 26, 2009
WHERE: A Position Paper in HEALTH REFORM WATCH available at: http://www.healthreformwatch.com/2009/08/26/position-paper-in-support-of-the-new-jersey-compassionate-use-medical-marijuana-act/
WHY: Because the legislation has been carefully drafted to allow New Jersey residents with debilitating medical conditions access to marijuana to ease their suffering without creating an undue risk of abuse or diversion.
The Seton Hall University Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law & Policy published a Position Paper today that supports the passage of the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. The Center said that the legislation has been carefully drafted to allow New Jersey residents with debilitating medical conditions access to marijuana to ease their suffering without creating an undue risk of abuse or diversion. The Center cited available medical evidence that supports the use of marijuana to treat each of the debilitating medical conditions set forth in the Act: AIDS/HIV; cachexia (wasting syndrome); cancer; glaucoma; severe and persistent muscle spasms; severe nausea; severe or chronic pain; and seizures.
The Center also addressed the issues of abuse and diversion. The Center noted that no state that has passed a medical marijuana law has subsequently experienced an increase in recreational marijuana use among its children and youth. The Actâs multiple safeguards against abuse and diversion of medical marijuana provide further reassurance, it noted. If passed, the Act would be among the most restrictive of all the statesâ medical marijuana laws. Thirteen states, covering about 25% of the U.S. population, currently have medical marijuana programs.
On February 23, the New Jersey Senate voted 22-16 to pass S119, the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. The Assembly health committee voted 8-1 to pass an amended version of the bill on June 4. The bill must now pass the full Assembly. If the amended bill clears the Assembly, it would return to the Senate for a second vote because of the changes before it goes to Gov. Jon Corzine (D), who has said that he will sign the bill if it makes it to his desk.
The mission of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is to educate the public about the benefits of safe and legal access to medical marijuana. The Coalition is grateful for this well-researched and well-written Position Paper. For more info, contact:
Ken Wolski, RN, MPA, Executive Director
Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. www.cmmnj.org
844 Spruce St., Trenton, NJ 08648
609.394.2137
[email protected]
Press Release: California Senate Urges New Federal Policy on Medical Marijuana
[Courtesy of Americans for Safe Access]
For Immediate Release: August 25, 2009
Contact: Kris Hermes at 510-251-1856 x307
California Senate Urges New Federal Policy on Medical Marijuana Recent enforcement actions in medical marijuana states underscore need for change
Sacramento, CA -- The California Senate voted 23-15 yesterday on a resolution that urges the federal government to end medical marijuana raids and to "create a comprehensive federal medical marijuana policy that ensures safe and legal access to any patient that would benefit from it." Recent federal enforcement activity underscores the need for Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 14, introduced in June by State Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). Although President Obama has signaled a willingness to change federal policy on medical marijuana, his Administration has yet to come forward with an actual implementation plan.
In a previous statement, Senator Leno stated that, "Patients and providers in California remain at risk of arrest and prosecution by federal law enforcement and legally established medical marijuana cooperatives continue to be the subjects of federal raids." Once passed, "this resolution will clearly state the Legislature's opposition to federal interference with California's medical marijuana law and support for expanded federal reform and medical research," continued Leno.
In the last two weeks, federal agents conducted multiple raids on medical marijuana providers in both California and Colorado. On August 12, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service, and local police carried out a paramilitary-style raid on a medical marijuana provider in Los Angeles. The government claimed that the raided facility had failed to submit state sales tax revenues despite a lack of corroboration by the California Board of Equalization.
Then, on August 14, during an investigation on an unrelated matter, FBI agents raided a medical marijuana provider in Denver, Colorado, causing the facility to shut down. Most recently, on August 18, five people were arrested in Upper Lake, California on federal charges after DEA agents seized 154 plants from what defendants claim was a medical marijuana cultivation site. The search warrant in the Upper Lake raid has been indefinitely sealed, preventing any scrutiny of the government's actions.
These and at least a half-dozen other actions that have occurred since President Obama took office seem to contradict repeated statements made by the Obama Administration about a new federal policy with regard to medical marijuana. "Not only do we need an end to these harmful federal raids and unnecessary interference in state medical marijuana laws," said Don Duncan, California Director with Americans for Safe Access, the nationwide medical marijuana advocacy group and sponsor of SJR 14. "The entire country would benefit from a sensible, comprehensive medical marijuana policy."
SJR 14 urges President Obama and Congress to "move quickly to end federal raids, intimidation, and interference with state medical marijuana law."
But, it goes further by asking the government to establish "an affirmative defense to medical marijuana charges in federal court and establish federal legal protection for individuals authorized by state and local law..."
Because of the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Gonzales v. Raich, federal medical marijuana defendants are prevented from using a medical or state law defense. "With more than two dozen of these defendants currently being prosecuted by the Justice Department, each of them facing many years in prison, such a change to Justice Department policy would be timely, relevant and critically important," continued Duncan.
The resolution also addresses the need to expand research into the medical benefits of marijuana, a recommendation of the White House-commissioned Institute of Medicine report from 1999. Currently, a federal monopoly on the cultivation of marijuana for research purposes has stifled the ability to conduct FDA-approved scientific studies. To address this, the resolution urges the President and Congress "to adopt policies and laws to encourage advanced clinical research trials into the therapeutic use of marijuana."
SJR 14 now proceeds to the California Assembly, and if passed the non-binding resolution will become law without needing the approval of Governor Schwarzenegger.
Further information:
Senate Joint Resolution on medical marijuana:
http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/SJR_14.pdf
ASA fact sheet on SJR 14:
http://www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/SJR14_Fact_Sheet.pdf
Yesterday's Senate vote count:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sjr_14_vote_200908
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You Call That Change?
You Can Make a Difference |
Dear friends,
Earlier this month, we told the Obama administration to stop sending mixed messages on medical marijuana. The drug czar has responded, but he still has his facts wrong. Let's ask President Obama to set his drug czar straight on medical marijuana. In a recent news interview, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske tried to amend his claim that "marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit,â saying that he was referring only to smoked marijuana. That's not good enough, because itâs still not true. The science is clear: marijuana can be highly effective as a medicine when itâs smoked. For some patients, thatâs the easiest and most effective way to consume it, and the harms of smoking it pale compared to the benefits. The president has repeatedly said that science should trump politics. Heâs also acknowledged that marijuana can be an effective medicine. We hoped this drug czar would be different from his predecessors. We still hope so, but he needs to abandon the falsehoods and rhetoric of the past. Our job is to hold the White House and its appointees accountable both to fulfill the promises made by candidate Obama and to ensure that the lies of the drug war become a thing of the past. Write to the president today and ask him to make clear that politics will no longer trump science when it comes to medical marijuana. Sincerely, Bill Piper  |
Doctors, Patients to Testify at Pharmacy Board Medical Marijuana Hearing Wednesday
MEDIA ADVISORYÂ Â Â
AUGUST 18, 2009
Doctors, Patients to Testify at Pharmacy Board Medical Marijuana Hearing Wednesday
CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications ............... 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205
DES MOINES, IOWA -- Medical experts from Iowa and around the country as well as patients and others will testify Wednesday at the first of a series of Iowa Board of Pharmacy hearings to examine the medical value of marijuana and whether marijuana's classification under state law should be changed.
   WHAT: Iowa Board of Pharmacy hearing on medical marijuana
  Â
   WHO: Witnesses expected to testify include:
      Dr. Joseph McSherry, neurologist at Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, Vt., who has testified before Vermont's legislature and has extensive experience with Vermont's medical marijuana law. Scheduled to speak at 10:30 a.m.
       Dr. Ed Hertko, retired internal medicine specialist from West Des Moines and founder of Camp Hertko Hollow, a residential camp for youth with diabetes. Scheduled to speak at 11:10 a.m.
      Dr. Alan Koslow, vascular surgeon from West Des Moines and founding member of the Iowa Pain Institute, who served on the Governor's Task Force for Early Childhood Care and on the board of the American Diabetes Association. Scheduled to speak at 2:10 p.m.
     Jeff Elton of Des Moines, who suffers from gastric paresis, causing severe nausea and vomiting.
   WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 19, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
   WHERE: Iowa State Historic Building (auditorium), 600 East Locust St., Des Moines.
   To arrange interviews with the above witnesses or with Marijuana Policy Project staffers who can place Wednesday's hearing in a national context, contact MPP director of communications Bruce Mirken at 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205.
    With more than 27,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers 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 http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.
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Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc. August Agenda and Rally Info
Monthly Public Meeting Agenda
Held at the Lawrence Township Library
Tuesday, August 11, 2009; 7:00 PM â 9:00 PM
7:00 PM: Call meeting to order. Approve minutes. Discuss:
? Multiple sclerosis (MS) patient John Wilson, who faces 20 years in prison for growing marijuana to treat his disease, was forbidden by the judge to even mention his medical condition during the upcoming trial. Attend a rally to support John Wilson at the court house in Somerville on Fri., 8/21 from 11AM to 2PM.
? CMMNJ will appear at the following upcoming events:
⢠Wed., 8/19 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM; Northeast Regional Library, 2228 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA;
⢠Fri., 8/21, 11 AM to 2 PM; Somerset Co. Court House rally for John Wilson, 20 N. Bridge Street, Somerville, NJ;
⢠Wed., 8/26, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM, Levittown Regional Library, 7311 New Falls Road, Levittown, PA;
⢠âVasagrassâ Music Festival; 8/29, 1:00 to 9:30 PM in Hackettstown, NJ; http://tickets.createavibe.com/;
⢠Boston Freedom Rally, Sept. 19, 2009 & NORML Conference, San Francisco, Sept. 24-26, 2009.
? The NJ Assembly Health Committee passed along the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act to the full Assembly for a vote this fall. The committee inserted last minute "substitutions" making significant changes to the bill, such as eliminating home cultivation, restricting physicians who can recommend marijuana, and nearly eliminating Chronic Pain as a qualifying condition. Tell your legislators that you want the Senate version of the bill that does not contain these restrictions, to pass into law. See CMMNJâs recent Op Ed for talking pointsâbut tell your story in your own words. Speak out now! Donât let an overly restrictive and possibly unworkable bill pass into law.
? CMMNJ has new photos, etc. on Facebook and Facebook Friends of CMMNJ.
? Treasury report: Current account balances: Checking: $4129.89; PayPal: $133.23. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to CMMNJ, a 501(c)(3) organization. All funds received go towards public education about medical marijuana. Donations may be made securely through Paypal or checks made out to âCMMNJâ and sent to corporate headquarters at the address below. Get a free t-shirt for a donation above $15âspecify size. Thank you for your support.
9:00 PM Adjourn meeting.
Scheduled meetings are August 11, Sept. 8, & Oct. 13, 2009. CMMNJ meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the 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
844 Spruce St., Trenton, NJ 08648
(609) 394-2137 [email protected]
More Change, Please
You Can Make a Difference |
Dear friends,
"Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit,â President Obamaâs drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, told an audience in California last month. Thatâs some pretty classic drug war rhetoric for someone who announced just a few months earlier that the United States is no longer fighting a war on drugs. Ask President Obama where he really stands. Obamaâs Attorney General has said the federal government will not arrest patients and providers following their stateâs medical marijuana law. Yet, his drug czar continues to say marijuana has no medical value, and those who own or work in medical marijuana dispensaries still live in fear of being raided by federal law enforcement simply for providing doctor-recommended medicine to sick people. The administration owes us an explanation. Where exactly does the White House stand on medical marijuana?  A key House committee recently urged the administration to finally define its medical marijuana policy in no uncertain terms. Now, the White House needs to hear from you too. Write to President Obama today and urge him to make a clear statement on medical marijuana. Tell him that people shouldnât be denied the medicine they need because of backwards drug war politics. If President Obama is serious about putting science before politics, he needs to make clear that his administration wonât fall back on the same old drug war lies about medical marijuana. And he needs to make sure his drug czar gets the memo. Sincerely, Bill Piper  |