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Medical Marijuana

Ask your D.C. Councilmembers to stand up to Congress!

Ask your D.C. Councilmembers to stand up to Congress!

Dear Friends:

Although 69% of Washington, D.C. voters approved a medical marijuana initiative in 1998, Congress passed the Barr Amendment, which blocked the law from being implemented. As a result, seriously ill District residents continue to be treated as criminals simply for using their doctor-recommended medicine.

We now have the opportunity to get Congress to remove this anti-medical marijuana language from the D.C. appropriations bill along with other ideological social policy riders. Please take a moment to call and urge the D.C. City Councilmembers to pass a resolution calling on Congress to stop overriding the will of D.C. voters and not include these riders in the FY2010 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bills. While calling is more effective, you can also e-mail your councilmembers if you prefer.

District councilmembers need to know that their constituents care about the fate of seriously ill District residents and D.C.'s ability to self-govern. This cannot happen without your help. Also, please forward any responses from councilmembers back to me at [email protected] so that we can identify a sponsor and get the resolution passed in a timely fashion.

All patients suffering from a condition that could benefit from medical marijuana, medical professionals, law enforcement, or clergy please contact me at [email protected] to see how you can be of special help in passing this resolution.  Other activists can pitch in too by reaching out to supportive patients, medical professionals, law enforcement, and clergy and encouraging them to contact me.

The result of Congress' interference is tragic. On September 24, 2004, 27-year-old Jonathan Magbie, a quadriplegic who used marijuana for his medical condition, died while serving a 10-day sentence in the D.C. jail after being convicted of marijuana possession and the jail failed to attend to his medical needs. Had the will of the District of Columbia and its voters been implemented, he would likely not have faced criminal penalties for relieving his symptoms, and he could still be alive today.

A resolution calling on Congress to stop this and other interference has been drafted and is awaiting a sponsor. In addition to calling on Congress to remove the Barr Amendment, it also urges Congress to remove other ideological social policy riders that limit the District's ability to self-govern and make its own policies regarding abortion, domestic partnerships, and contraceptive coverage.

Please take a moment now to call and e-mail your councilmembers. We need the Council to send the clear message to Congress that it must stop thwarting D.C. residents' ability to determine their own policies, including their decision to protect medical marijuana patients.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project.

Sincerely,

Noah Mamber

Noah Mamber
Legislative Analyst
Marijuana Policy Project

Press Advisory: Medical Marijuana Hearing Tuesday in House Public Safety Policy & Oversight Committee

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MEDIA ADVISORY   
MARCH 22, 2009

Medical Marijuana Hearing Tuesday in House Public Safety Policy & Oversight Committee
Former Seattle Police Chief Expected to Dispel Myths About Medical Marijuana Laws


CONTACT: Former Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-Andover)........................................................(763) 439-1178

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- The House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on the House version of Minnesota's medical marijuana bill, H.F. 292, at 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24. Among the scheduled witnesses is Norm Stamper, former chief of police for Seattle, whose testimony is expected to dispel many common myths about medical marijuana laws.

    WHAT: House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee hearing on the medical marijuana bill,     H.F. 292.

    WHO: Scheduled witnesses include:
      -- Norm Stamper, former chief of police, Seattle
      -- Robert Youcha of St. Francis, a paramedic who suffered spinal injuries in a 1998 ambulance accident, leaving him in constant pain

     WHERE: Rm. 10, State Office Building, St. Paul.

     WHEN: Tuesday, March 23, 12:45 p.m.
   

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Press Release: NH House Committee Passes Medical Marijuana Bill 13-7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
MARCH 18, 2009

NH House Committee Passes Medical Marijuana Bill 13-7

Bill Would Make New Hampshire 14th State to Protect Seriously Ill Medical Marijuana Patients from Arrest

CONTACT: Matt Simon, NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, (603) 391-7450

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE — The New Hampshire House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee voted 13-7 to recommend passage of a bill today that would allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana if their doctor recommends it. The vote by the full committee came after a three-member subcommittee voted 2-1 in favor of the bill.

    Today's vote means the bill, HB 648, will now go to the House floor for a full vote by the chamber with the committee's "ought to pass" recommendation. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Evalyn Merrick (D-Lancaster).

    The committee's strong statement of support provided medical marijuana patients with a boost of confidence. Clayton Holton, a muscular dystrophy patient from Somersworth, said the vote made him feel hopeful that he'd be able to live the rest of his life in New Hampshire. "I'm happy that my family may not have to move to a state that allows medical marijuana," he said.

    Thirteen states already have medical marijuana laws which effectively protect qualifying patients from arrest and help them safely access marijuana. Michigan became the most recent last year when 63 percent of voters passed its medical marijuana law by ballot initiative. Of the 11 states that have collected such data, not one has seen youth marijuana use rates increase after establishing a medical marijuana law. In fact, each of those states, including California, has actually seen youth marijuana rates decline, in some cases dramatically.

    In 2007, a bill similar to the one currently under consideration was defeated by only nine votes – an incredibly slim margin considering it had been negatively recommended by the committee that today voted to approve HB 648. However, a 2008 Mason-Dixon poll showed that 71 percent of New Hampshire voters support such a law, and medical marijuana advocates say legislators have learned a lot in two years about both medical marijuana and medical marijuana policy.

    "The committee studied the bill very diligently, and now it has placed its stamp of approval on a well-written, responsible bill," said Matt Simon, executive director of NH Common Sense Marijuana Policy, which supports the bill. "It was a good day for democracy." 

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Medical Marijuana: Have a Piece of History and Help Change Federal Policy

Have a Piece of History
and Help Change Federal Policy

Dear ASA Supporter,

ASA was born in the midst of the federal government’s attacks on medical cannabis dispensing collectives in 2002. On January 22nd of this year we were all shocked and disappointed to see the DEA raid another dispensary during the first days of the new administration. Thousands of us voiced our outrage by calling the White House. Less than two weeks later, the White House responded by issuing a strong statement to the Washington Times, clearly indicating that the raids would soon end. It was a day so many of us will never forget.

Just a few weeks after the White House made its initial statement, Attorney General Eric Holder followed up to assure the public that policy would be changing. "What the president said during the campaign, you'll be surprised to know, will be consistent with what we'll be doing in law enforcement," Holder said. "What he said during the campaign is now American policy."

And so far, President Obama and Attorney General Holder have held true to their words. The DEA has not raided a medical cannabis provider since February 4th.

But that does not mean that our fight is over. There are still dozens of defendants awaiting federal trial on medical cannabis charges, several others who are already serving time and hundreds of thousands of Americans that live without safe access to their medication. There is obviously a lot of work left to do to protect safe access in this country and we need your help to do it! Please make a commitment now to the next phase of our fight by donating now.

I am excited to present a limited offer that will help you remember the day the White House came to its senses. The first 40 people to donate $1,000 will receive one of the last copies of the issue of the Washington Times featuring the White House statement in a front page story and a copy of the Los Angeles Times editorial supporting Attorney General Holder’s statement.

Act now!

Sincerely,


Steph Sherer
Executive Director
Americans for Safe Access

Medical Marijuana: 10 years ago ...

Dear Friends:

Ten years ago yesterday, the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its landmark report that forever changed the public debate on medical marijuana.

In November 1996, California became the first state to pass a medical marijuana ballot initiative. The following month, the Clinton administration struck back, threatening doctors if they recommended medical marijuana to patients. But the American Medical Association and the American public responded with outrage and condemnation, throwing the Clinton administration off-balance. The next month, in January 1997, the White House drug czar's office attempted to deflect attention by awarding $1 million in taxpayer money to the Institute of Medicine to conduct a two-year study of medical marijuana.

In 1997 and 1998, MPP brought dozens of patients to a series of IOM hearings to testify about their fear of being arrested. Indeed, many of the patients had already been arrested and/or incarcerated for using medical marijuana.

Then, on March 17, 1999, the Institute of Medicine finally released a report that was not at all what the drug czar's office had hoped for. The report contradicted the claims of the drug czar and other federals officials on a number of fronts:

1. It showed there is scientific evidence indicating that marijuana has medical uses.

2. It recommended that people with AIDS, cancer, and chronic pain who have an urgent need for marijuana be provided with immediate legal protection while further research is done on marijuana's medical uses.

3. It debunked the "gateway theory," saying that there is no evidence that using marijuana will "lead" someone to use cocaine and other drugs.

4. It said there is no evidence that allowing sick people to use medical marijuana will cause an increase in the recreational use of marijuana.

That report has been used as the intellectual foundation of most medical marijuana efforts in the decade since.


MPP co-founder Chuck Thomas with IOM investigators in 1998

The release of that report was the first time that MPP received a barrage of national media coverage, all over the course of just two weeks. But that media coverage pales in comparison to the coverage that MPP and the broader marijuana policy reform movement has been receiving over the last four months.

This is now a lesson in "be careful what you wish for." As the marijuana issue continues to explode across the political landscape in nearly all 50 states, MPP and our allies are getting stretched more and more thin ... as we attempt to capitalize on the opportunities that are presenting themselves in the news, in state legislatures, in Congress, and at the ballot box.

Anything you can give to help fund these exploding efforts would be greatly apprecated.

Thank you,
signature

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $2.35 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2009. This means that your donation today will be doubled.

Coalition for Medical Marijuana -- New Jersey, Inc.: March Minutes and Press Release

Monthly Public Meeting Minutes

Lawrence Township Library

Tuesday, March 10, 2009; 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

7:20 PM:  Meeting called to order.  February 2009 minutes approved.  Discussion:

Ø  CMMNJ supporters are urged to contact your assembly representative now to show your support for A804, “The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.”  The final steps to passing this bill into law will be the votes the New Jersey Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee and in the full assembly.  When will the NJ Assembly act on this Senate-approved bill that Gov. Corzine said he will sign into law when it gets to his desk?  There are no more assembly health committee hearings scheduled until May and June 2009.   The legislature then breaks for the summer and returns in the fall.  Let’s stop arresting patients and stop needless suffering as soon as possible.     

Ø  Chris Goldstein and CMMNJ gave a medical marijuana seminar at Rutgers University/Camden Law School on 2/18/09.  (CMMNJ plans to return to R.U./Camden for Law Day on 4/4/09 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM.)  Other medical marijuana seminars are planned for Collingswood Public Library on 3/21/09 from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM, and the PhillyNORML meeting on 3/19/09 at 7:30 PM.  Follow Goldstein’s blogs about medical marijuana in New Jersey at salon.com.  Jim Miller appeared on My9New York’s TV show, “New Jersey Now” on 3/8/09 at 12 noon.  You may listen to the live senate debate from 2/23/09 and hear CMMNJ’s comments on MyFoxPhillyChannel 29.  CMMNJ appeared on WIFI 1460 AM Talk Radio in Burlington County, NJ on 2/12/09 and plans to appear again on 3/12/09 at 4:00 PM.  CMMNJ has possible appearances scheduled for 4/18, 4/20, and 5/2/09.  Letters requesting support were sent to the national and NJ Elks (BPOE) and Communications Workers of America (CWA).      

Ø  The Drug Policy Alliance, Patients Out of Time  & NORML NJ  are actively supporting A804.  CMMNJ has new photos, etc. on Facebook and Facebook Friends of CMMNJ.

Ø  Treasury report: Checking account - $2,039.45; PayPal account - $640.15.  Help us raise funds by buying Wristbands/$2, T-shirts/$15, Lapel Pins and DVDs/$10 each. Also, consider a tax-deductible donation to CMMNJ, an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) organization.  Donations may be made securely through Paypal or checks made out to “CMMNJ” and sent to corporate headquarters at the address below.  At the March 10, 2009 meeting, CMMNJ received $136 in donations.  Thank you.   

9:00 PM Adjourn meeting.

Upcoming CMMNJ meetings are: April 14, 2009, May 12, 2009, & June 9, 2009.  CMMNJ meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM at the Lawrence Twp. Library, 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Twp., NJ (Tel. #609.882.9246).  All are welcome.  Snacks are served.  (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]

Press Release: Medical Marijuana Passes House Civil Justice Committee Without Dissent

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
MARCH 11, 2009

Medical Marijuana Passes House Civil Justice Committee Without Dissent


CONTACT: Former Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-Andover)......................................................(763) 439-1178

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- The House version of Minnesota's medical marijuana bill passed the House Civil Justice Committee this morning in a voice vote with no dissenting votes. The vote came after powerful testimony from Joni Whiting, whose adult daughter's suffering was relieved by medical marijuana while she was undergoing treatment for the melanoma that eventually took her life.

    "It really feels like the momentum is building and this is the year we're going to get this done," said Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing), sponsor of the Senate version of the bill. "One-quarter of the country now protects medical marijuana patients from arrest, and there is simply no reason to use Minnesota's police resources to arrest the sick for trying to relieve their suffering."

    A previous version of the bill passed the Senate and every House committee in the 2007-2008 session, but was never brought up for a vote on the House floor.

    Thirteen states, comprising approximately one-quarter of the U.S. population, now permit medical use of marijuana under state law if a physician has recommended it. The newest such law was enacted by Michigan voters last November, passing with a record-setting 63 percent "yes" vote. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder reaffirmed on Feb. 25 that the Obama administration intends to pursue a policy of non-interference with these state laws. A number of other states are considering medical marijuana legislation this year, including New Jersey, Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire.

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Press Advisory: Medical Marijuana Bill Faces House Civil Justice Committee Hearing Wednesday

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MEDIA ADVISORY   
MARCH 10, 2009  

Medical Marijuana Bill Faces House Civil Justice Committee Hearing Wednesday

CONTACT: Former Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-Andover)......................................................(763) 439-1178

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- Fresh off of a resounding 6-2 victory in the Senate Health and Human Services Budget Division, Minnesota's medical marijuana bill faces its next House committee test in the Civil Justice Committee this Wednesday. If passed, the measure would make Minnesota the 14th state to permit medical use of marijuana by seriously ill patients with a physician's recommendation. The newest such law, in Michigan, was passed by voters in November with a record-setting 63 percent "yes" vote.

    WHAT: House Civil Justice Committee hearing and vote on medical marijuana legislation.

    WHO: Expected witnesses include Joni Whiting, whose adult daughter benefited from medical marijuana during treatment for the melanoma that eventually took her life, and Robert Youcha of St. Francis, a paramedic who suffered spinal injuries in a 1998 ambulance accident, leaving him in constant pain.

    WHEN: Wednesday, March 11, 8:30 a.m.

    WHERE: Rm. 10, State Office Building, St. Paul.

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Press Release: 10 Years After Institute of Medicine Recognized Medical Marijuana, Policy Catches Up With Science

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

MARCH 9, 2009   

10 Years After Institute of Medicine Recognized Medical Marijuana, Policy Catches Up With Science
Big Progress on State, Federal Levels; MPP's Rob Kampia to Debate at Cato Institute Forum March 17

CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications ............... 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As the 10th anniversary of the Institute of Medicine's historic report recognizing marijuana's value as a medicine approaches, medical marijuana patients and advocates are celebrating remarkable progress that has accelerated rapidly in recent months. A decade after the report's release on March 17, 1999, medical marijuana supporters see policy finally beginning to match scientific reality.

     In late February, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed that President Obama's campaign promise to end Drug Enforcement Administration attacks on state medical marijuana laws "is now American policy." In November, Michigan voters passed a medical marijuana law by the largest margin ever racked up by such an initiative, and medical marijuana bills are moving steadily forward in legislatures across the country, including Minnesota, Illinois and New Jersey.

     After California voters passed the nation's first effective medical marijuana law in November, 1996, the Clinton administration asked the Institute of Medicine to review existing research and report on potential medical uses of marijuana. The report, "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base," while cautiously and carefully written, clearly acknowledged marijuana's therapeutic value for some seriously ill patients, stating, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting and all can be mitigated by marijuana."

     The report acknowledged the drawbacks of smoking and urged creation of a "rapid-onset, nonsmoked cannabinoid delivery system," but added, "In the meantime, there are patients with debilitating symptoms for whom smoked marijuana might provide relief." Studies published since 1999 have verified that marijuana vaporizers provide just the sort of rapid, nonsmoked delivery the IOM suggested.

     Until recently, federal officials ignored the findings, prompting co-author Dr. John Benson to tell the New York Times in 2006 that the government "loves to ignore our report. ... They would rather it never happened."

     "For 10 long years the federal government waged a war against science, and against the sick and suffering, but the Obama administration has clearly signaled that this insane war on patients is going to end," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. "With medical marijuana bills advancing nationwide, it's clear a new day has dawned."

     Kampia will join University of California researcher Dr. Donald Abrams, whose studies have further documented marijuana's medical value, and opponent Robert Dupont for what should be a lively discussion of the report's 10th anniversary hosted by the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., on March 17 at noon. For reservations for this free event, call 202-789-5229. The Cato Institute is located at 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW.

     Studies published since the IOM report was released have confirmed that medical marijuana can safely relieve neuropathic pain, a particularly hard to treat type of pain that afflicts millions with HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and other illnesses. Other studies have shown that use of medical marijuana to relieve nausea and other drug side effects is associated with better adherence to life-saving treatment regimens for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.

     With more than 26,000 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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CO: Vote on Medical Marijuana POSTPONED

**ALERT**

Grassroots power forces Board of Health to postpone vote on medical marijuana

 

March 18 Hearing date is delayed

GOOD NEWS!    The Colorado Board of Health has officially postponed its vote on restricting medical marijuana patients rights.  This vote was previously scheduled for March 18th and will be moved to a date to be announced-- likely in June.

This delay is a direct result of the overwhelming grassroots response the Board received when it announced this vote-- including the hundreds of emails and letters sent by supporters like yourself.  

After receiving this response, the state decided to delay the vote to secure a room large enough to accommodate the many, many patients and supporters that care about this issue.  

Click HERE to support Sensible Colorado's important-- and effective-- work.   

On behalf of Colorado's over 5000 medical marijuana patients, thank you for responding to Sensible Colorado's action alerts (and those of our partners at MPP, ASA, SAFER, and Norml). 

For now, medical marijuana patients in Colorado can breathe a sigh of relief.  But we will need your help again in June.  Keep an eye out for further action alerts and donate today to support our work.  Every dollar we raise allows us to keep fighting this threat to safe access.   

In solidarity,

Brian Vicente

Executive Director 

www.sensiblecolorado.org Â