Medical Marijuana

FEDERAL: More Intimidation Aimed at LA’s Politicians and Patients FEDERAL: Congress Gets Two Votes Closer to Stopping DEA Raids CALIFORNIA: Kern County Patients Struggle with Access CALIFORNIA: Claremont Endorses Dispensaries NEW MEXICO: Medical Marijuana Program Gets Started CANADA: Patients Still Insist on Growing Their Own IN MEMORIAM: Reform Advocate Virginia Resner Dies ____________________________________________ FEDERAL: More Intimidation Aimed at LA’s Politicians and Patients Another set of coordinated DEA raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles proved again that federal action on the issue is less about law enforcement than it is politics. And it wasn’t just that the ten simultaneous raids came close on the heels of intimidating letters sent to at least 150 landlords renting to patient cooperatives, it was the day chosen. At the very moment federal agents were kicking down doors and detaining patients, two important political actions were in progress. The Los Angeles City Council was taking action on establishing regulatory ordinances for the operation of the dispensaries, and the US House was considering for the fifth year an amendment to stop funding for DEA raids on patients. Not only did LA -- under the leadership of councilman Dennis Zine, a former LAPD officer -- take a step toward regulation, it added a resolution urging Congress to stop federal interference in this local public health issue. Unfortunately, Congressional leadership failed to put their weight behind the bipartisan Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment, but it came two votes closer to passage than it did last year. ASA emergency response to the raids turned out hundreds of protesters within two hours, helping generate intense media coverage and, more importantly, secure the release of dispensary employees being held by the DEA. DEA raids 10 pot shops by Steve Hymon, Los Angeles Times The gap between state and federal drug laws became apparent again Wednesday when federal agents raided 10 local medical marijuana facilities only minutes after the Los Angeles City Council placed a moratorium on new facilities so rules could be drafted to better regulate them. DEA raids LA medical marijuana clinics by Andrew Glazer, Associated Press Federal agents raided 10 marijuana clinics Wednesday, the same day city leaders introduced a measure calling for an end to the crackdown on the dispensaries allowed under state law. DEA serves 10 warrants in LA medical marijuana crackdown Associated Press The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration served search warrants at 10 different locations throughout Los Angeles County in connection with its crackdown on medical marijuana facilities. DEA targets landlords in pot battle by William M. Welch, USA Today The U.S. Justice Department is unleashing a potent new weapon in its battle against California’s hundreds of medical pot clinics, threatening landlords with arrest and property seizures for renting to tenants who flout federal drug laws. Humboldt County ASA to hold protest Eureka reporter (CA) The Humboldt County chapter of Americans for Safe Access will hold a protest on the front lawn of Arcata City Hall tonight at 5, according to a news release from ASA. The demonstration will be held in response to raids conducted Wednesday by the Drug Enforcement Administration against medical marijuana dispensaries in the Los Angeles area. Medical pot stores' profits questioned by Dan Abendschein, Whittier Daily News (CA) The recent busts of medical marijuana dispensaries have raised questions about the revenue the operations collect. "A business grossing the kind of numbers released by the DEA is not making that much money," said Chris Fusco of the Americans for Safe Access organization. "Both the federal and state governments need to give clear guidelines so there is no confusion for dispensary operators."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2007 CONTACT: Bill Piper at (202) 669-6430 or Tony Newman at (646) 335-5384 On Day That Feds Raid and Shut down Ten Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in California, Congress Rejects Proposal to Protect Seriously Ill Patients and Their Caregivers from Federal Arrest House Rejects Amendment to Cut Off Funding to the Raids, 262 to 165 Majority of Democrats Vote for States’ Rights and Compassion, While Republicans Betray Both Their Principles and Their Grassroots Base As the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration raided and shut down ten medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives considered and rejected an amendment that would have prohibited federal law enforcement agencies from arresting and prosecuting terminally ill patients and their caregivers in states that have legalized marijuana for medical use. The amendment was voted down, 262-165. Offered by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), the amendment received 150 votes from Democrats and 15 votes from Republicans. “It is outrageous that members of Congress rejected a sensible amendment to protect sick people and their families ," said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. "We will make sure that voters in their districts know that they voted to send cancer and AIDS patients to federal prison for following their doctor’s recommendation." "With soldiers dying in Iraq, new terrorism threats emerging, and the federal defecit so large, both Congress and the Bush Administration need to get their priorities straight," Piper continued. "America can not afford these raids on medical marijuana patients and their caregivers, not on fiscal terms, not on law enforcement and national security terms, and not on human terms. This ongoing assault on the will of California voters is an utter waste of federal resources, and it's causing great suffering to sick people and their families. If we don't stop this federal interference now, the feds could start interfering with the laws of Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and other medical marijuana states." Background and Key Facts: Twelve states passed laws allowing terminally ill patients to use marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation (Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington). More than 70 percent of voters support the right of patients to use marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation – including substantial majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents (Gallup, Time/CNN, Pew Research Center, other polls). In 1997, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) commissioned the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to assess marijuana’s medical value. After two years of reviewing the scientific data available “the study team found substantial consensus among experts in the relevant disciplines on the scientific evidence about potential medical uses of marijuana.” The study team concluded, “nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety…all can be mitigated by marijuana.” The esteemed medical journal, The Lancet Neurology, reported that marijuana’s active components “inhibit pain in virtually every experimental pain paradigm.” Health organizations supporting legal access to medical marijuana include: American Academy of HIV Medicine, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Nurses Association, American Preventive Medical Association, American Public Health Association, California Academy of Family Physicians, California Medical Association, Florida Medical Association, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Lymphoma Foundation of America, New England Journal of Medicine, New York State Association of County Health Officials, New York State Hospice and Palliative Care Association, New York State Medical Society, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic. Faith-based organizations supporting legal access to medical marijuana or state discretion on the issue include: Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, National Council of Churches, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Presbyterian Church (USA), Religious Society of Friends (Philadelphia Yearly Meeting), Union for Reform Judaism, United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist Association, and the United Methodist Church. No religious denomination opposes medical marijuana.

ASA ACTION: Voter Rights Protected by Initiative Case ASA ACTION: Fighting for the Truth about Medical Marijuana COLORADO: ASA Action for Better Access LOS ANGELES: City Trying to Regulate, Feds Trying to Intimidate FEDERAL: Rosenthal to Appeal Medical Marijuana Conviction CALIFORNIA: Orange County to Issue Medical Marijuana ID Cards HAWAII: Expansion of Medical Marijuana Protections Sought WASHINGTON: Program Expansion Sought There, Too VIRGINIA: Medical Use of Marijuana - Criminal or Not? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASA ACTION: Voter Rights Protected by Initiative Case A local California medical marijuana initiative that election officials say was narrowly defeated has become a test case for electronic voting machines. When proponents of the measure asked for a recount, Alameda County election officials said they could not provide data to prove that the machines had accurately tallied votes. ASA sued to make sure elections remain accountable to the people. “We’re trying to be good stewards of democracy,” said ASA’s Don Duncan. Medical marijuana election may head to revote by Henry K. Lee, San Francisco Chronicle An Alameda County judge said Friday she may void election results for a failed 2004 Berkeley medical marijuana measure and order it returned to the ballot because county election officials failed to hand over data from voting machines. Judge scolds officials for blocking vote recount by Ian Hoffman, The Argus (CA) Faced with accusations of lying, destroying public records and other chicanery, Alameda County officials — facing a lawsuit over their handling of a hotly contested election recount — instead protested to a state judge on Friday that they were victims of misunderstandings, bad decisions and their own ignorance of the multimillion-dollar machines used to conduct elections. Berkeley's Measure R Could Be Back In The Ballots ABC7 KGO-TV (San Francisco) A 2004 Berkeley ballot measure may be re-appearing on their 2008 ballot, that's according to an Alameda County superior court judge who found there was no way to accurately re-count votes because the registrar's office didn't back-up electronic data properly. Could it happen again? Judge Calls For New Vote After Data Loss by Bobby Carroll, Daily Californian A re-vote on a 2004 medical marijuana initiative appears likely after a judge issued a tentative ruling Thursday stating that electronic election data lost by Alameda County were critical to discerning the legitimacy of the Measure R voting results. New vote likely in California e-voting case by Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service A California judge is likely to order a Berkeley city initiative back on the ballot because of local officials' mishandling of electronic voting machine data, a public-interest lawyer arguing the case said Friday. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASA ACTION: Fighting for the Truth about Medical Marijuana ASA’s petition to correct the government’s denial of medical marijuana has gone to federal court. ASA wants the Department of Health and Human Services to end two years of delay and respond to the petition, which outlines the substantial scientific research and government reports showing the therapeutic efficacy of marijuana and asks the government to stop saying there is no medical use. Arguing on behalf of patients was co-counsel Alan Morrison, the founder of Public Citizen’s Litigation Group and currently a senior lecturer at Stanford Law School. More info about the petition and the case is at www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org/DQA. Pot Group Sues to Make Feds Eat Words by Matthew Hirsch, The Recorder Medical marijuana advocates and federal prosecutors have never agreed on whether the drug has medical value. Now, an Oakland, Calif.-based advocacy group, Americans for Safe Access, is trying to use a little-known Clinton-era law to make federal agencies take back statements about marijuana -- for example, that pot has "no currently accepted medical use." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COLORADO: ASA Action for Better Access Close on the heels of a victory in another Colorado caregiver test case, attorney Brian Vicente has convinced a state court to intervene on behalf of patient access and allow caregivers to help more patients. Vicente, who is director of the Colorado Campaign for Safe Access, a joint project of Sensible Colorado and ASA, also recently had an OpEd published in which he explained how medical marijuana dispensaries can both benefit the community and serve the most seriously ill and injured. Others in Colorado are hoping to help the patient collective model develop there. Judge: Colorado Medical-Marijuana Restriction Unfair Associated Press In response to a lawsuit brought by a man suffering from AIDS, a judge has temporarily blocked a state rule limiting the number of medical-marijuana patients that caregivers are allowed to oversee. Marijuana pain relief by Ted Holteen, Durango Herald (CO) Durango prides itself on being a "green" city, but two local men think it could be greener. Aamann Degarth and Eric Gay are spearheading an effort to open a local chapter of the Portland, Ore.-based The Hemp and Cannabis - or THC - Foundation, which advocates the use of medicinal marijuana in the 13 states that have legalized the practice.

For Immediate Release: July 19, 2007 Contact: Bill Piper at (202) 669-6430 or Tony Newman at (646) 335-5384 Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton Vows to End Federal Raids on Medical Marijuana Patients Remarks Come on Eve of Vote in House of Representatives to Stop Bush Administration’s Heartless Raids During a presidential campaign stop in New Hampshire last Friday, Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton pledged to end federal raids on medical marijuana patients. The pledge came in response to a question posed by Len Epstein, a volunteer for Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana (GSMM). After telling Clinton, "Twelve states allow medical marijuana, but the Bush administration continues to raid patients," she responded, "Yes, I know. It's terrible." Epstein then asked, "Would you stop the federal raids?" Clinton responded, "Yes, I will." Her remarks echo remarks she made in May in which she suggested the federal government was being “excessive” in its dealing with medical marijuana patients. Twelve states, (Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington) have adopted effective medical marijuana laws since 1996 - most of them by a vote of the people. Dozens of other states have adopted largely symbolic medical marijuana laws. The Drug Enforcement Administration, however, continues to arrest medical marijuana patients and their caregivers in those states. “Sen. Clinton has shown real leadership by pledging to stop federal medical marijuana raids,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. “I hope her colleagues in the House follow her lead and vote to prohibit the Justice Department from arresting medical marijuana patients and their caregivers in those states where marijuana is legal for medical use.” Next week, the House of Representatives will vote on an amendment that would prohibit the Justice Department from undermining state medical marijuana laws. Last year, 163 representatives (75 percent of Democrats; 18 percent of Republicans) voted for a similar amendment. In addition to Clinton's remarks, every other Democratic presidential candidate has vowed to end federal medical marijuana raids - except for Sen. Barak Obama who indicated in June that the raids shouldn't be a priority for the Justice Department, but stopped short of pledging to end the raids completely if elected president. Earlier this year Gov. Bill Richardson became the first U.S. presidential candidate in history to sign legislation legalizing marijuana for medical use. On the Republican side, only Rep. Ron Paul, Rep. Tom Tancredo, and former Gov. Tommy Thompson have indicated they would end the federal medical marijuana raids.

Join Willie Nelson and the Marijuana Policy Project at a concert to raise money for marijuana policy reform! What: Austin Freedom Fest, featuring Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel Where: The Backyard in Austin, Texas When: August 10 You can buy regular tickets here (http://www.austinfreedomfest.com/) — but you might consider buying a VIP ticket. VIP tickets include dinner, open bar, seating in the exclusive tree deck, and the opportunity to network with special celebrity guests. But only 20 VIP tickets are available, so act fast if you want one. The concert will star legendary country singer Willie Nelson and the Grammy award-winning band Asleep at the Wheel — featuring MPP VIP advisory board member Ray Benson. Other special guests include Paula Nelson, Carolyn Wonderland, Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling, and Mark Stepnoski. Proceeds from the benefit will go to MPP, NORML, and WAMM. Earlier this week, the Austin-American Statesman reported that Nelson has cancelled many of his tour dates through August — except for MPP's and the annual Farm Aid concert. So if you want to see Willie Nelson in concert this summer, MPP’s event might be your only chance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 17, 2007 The DEA announced several indictments of medical cannabis operators in Southern California today. There was less to them than meets the eye, however, as they involved outstanding cases against dispensaries that had been previously raided or warned. Indicted were operators of: (1) Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers in Morro Bay, which had been raided last March; (2) Compassionate Caregivers, once the largest chain of dispensaries in California, closed by federal action in 2005-6 (one former CC employee was also arrested for having opened a new facility); (3) Healing Nations Collective in Corona, which had been fighting efforts by local authorities to close it, and (in a raid yesterday) (4) Nature's Medicinal in Bakersfield, a popular, high-traffic facility that was raided in May. None of the arrestees had been targets of the LA DEA's recent landlord warning letter, nor were any forfeiture actions announced against landlords of the arrestees. One twist was that the charges named a doctor, who allegedly wrote recommendations for the Morro Bay store's patrons. Significantly, the doctor was said to have received a finders' fee for referrals, which would exempt him from the federal Conant injunction that protects doctors so long as they don't help patients procure cannabis illegally. Although the Morro Bay dispensary was alleged to have sold cannabis to minors, sources close to the case say all the minors were either over 18 or accompanied by parents. Although the Bakersfield dispensary was charged with making millions of dollars, DEA did not mention that it was paying payroll and sales taxes like other legal businesses. Today's announcements were obviously timed to "send a message" along with the landlord warning letters. That does not mean that the government is about to send forfeiture notices to all the landlords. To do so would invite more backlash than this bankrupt administration can afford. The DEA is picking off a few ripe targets in a desperate attempt to slow down the medical marijuana stampede. Every day brings more scientific evidence for the medical efficacy of cannabis. When the dust settles, the government will be forced to concede Americans' right to medicine. In the next week or two, Congress is expected to vote on the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment to halt federal funding for medical marijuana raids. TELL YOUR CONGRESS MEMBER TO END THE FEDERAL WAR ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=9998376 - D. Gieringer, Cal NORML

Would you please take one minute to call your member of Congress and ask him or her to vote in favor of the medical marijuana amendment that the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting on next week? Rep. Dennis Moore is the only Kansas Representative to vote last year in favor of the Hinchey amendment [pronounced HIN-chee]. If he is your Representative please let him know you appreciate his vote to prohibit the DEA from wasting taxpayer money to arrest medical marijuana patients in the 12 states where it is legal, and hope he will vote Yea again. Please call now: (202) 224-3121 Give the operator your zip code and ask to be connected to your representative’s office or call them directly: Rep. Jerry Moran 202-225-2715, fax 202-225-5124 Rep. Nancy Boyda 202-225-6601, fax 202-225-7986 Rep. Dennis Moore 202-225-2865, fax 202-225-2807 Rep. Todd Tiahrt 202-225-6216, fax 202-225-3489 When the receptionist for the congressperson — not the Capitol switchboard operator — answers, say something like: "Hi, this is [name]. I live in [city], and I'm calling to ask that my representative vote for Rep. Maurice Hinchey's [HIN-chee's] medical marijuana amendment to the Justice Department's spending bill, which I understand will be considered on the House floor next week. The amendment would prohibit the Justice Department from spending taxpayer money to arrest medical marijuana patients in the 12 states where medical marijuana is legal." Then, please follow up by using the Marijuana Policy Project’s easy online legislative system to e-mail your member of Congress. Calling and e-mailing take only one minute each. The House of Representatives has voted on this amendment the last four consecutive summers, but — since last November’s midterm elections provided the most favorable conditions for passing federal medical marijuana legislation — this year the amendment has the best chance it has ever had of passing. Would you please take one minute to call your congressperson today? Doing so could have a huge impact on the outcome of next week's medical marijuana vote. Please help us promote innovative drug policies by sending your tax-deductible donation today. Become a member -- add yourself to our mailing list by going to our web site www.dpfks.org.

Dear ASA Supporters, My name is Toby. In 2005, my partner David Harde, a patient and caregiver, and I were raided by local authorities in an investigation. In light of the fact that case could not successfully be prosecuted given California state law, our case was turned over to the federal government. The reason I am sharing my story with you now is because the U.S. House of Representatives will soon debate the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment. This amendment could have prevented the devastating story I want to share with you. A few days prior to July 4, 2006, eight federal agents arrived at our door. We were handcuffed and carted off to the Federal Court House in Sacramento. The only thing this experience has taught me is that the federal government will use fear and intimidation to tear families apart. The details of this experience are still overwhelming. We are not dangerous people, or are we a threat to anyone. It's estimated that the federal government spent nearly $200,000 on the eight agents and other resources used to conduct this “sting” operation. This is why the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment is so important to both taxpayers and patients alike. Knowing that the federal government does not recognize state protection of medical marijuana patients and providers, David and I, like so many others made the difficult decision to resolve the case against him as quickly as possible. We chose to take a plea bargain. To my devastated surprise, David was sentenced to years of prison time, will have to serve a lengthy probation, pay astronomical fines. It feels like an eternity will pass before we will have our lives back. To David’s credit, his friends, relatives and local community members sent letters to the judge, appealing for a more lenient sentence. As a result, the judge issued a sentence for David well below the minimum sentencing guideline - the first time the judge had taken such action during his tenure on the federal bench. Still, 30 months is a long time to be away from those you love. Sadly, our story is only one of dozens of cases (http://www.safeaccessnow.org/section.php?id=184) that could have been prevented by the passage of the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment. It is up to compassionate people like you to educate your representatives on this amendment. On behalf of David, myself and all the victims of the federal attack on medical cannabis, I ask you to contact your representative today. We are under a time constraint so I am asking you to take action now. Here are two ways to contact your representative: 1. E-mail Your Member of Congress. Visit ASA’s action page (http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3471) to send your Congressional Representative an e-mail urging him/her to support the Hinchey-Rohrabacher Amendment. 2) Call Your Member of Congress. Every single phone call counts! Call your Congressional Representative and tell them if adopted this amendment will do two things: (a) Conserve taxpayers’ money by blocking funding for DEA raids in legal medical cannabis states against state certified medical cannabis patients and caregivers. (b) Protect legal medical cannabis patients from having their homes and workspaces unnecessarily raided by the DEA. For phone numbers of your representatives, visit www.house.gov or call the congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Give the operator your zip code and ask to be connected to your U.S. Representative. This experience has changed our lives, broken our hearts, mended our love and taught us to be open with our needs and know that family, friends, and community will respond with abundance and love. Please help prevent further stories like mine from happening to other patients and providers. Please do the compassionate thing and contact your representative today (http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3471). Thank you, Toby

COLORADO: Limits on Medical Marijuana Program Challenged NEW MEXICO: Medical Marijuana Law Takes Effect July 1 CONNECTICUT: Medical Marijuana Bill Vetoed But Issue Not Closed FEDERAL: Rosenthal Refuses to Accept Defeat TENNESSEE: No State Law, but Much Discussion FEDERAL: Opinion-Makers Weigh in on Medical Marijuana NEW YORK: State Lawmaker Explains Support for Bill OREGON: Doctor Discusses his Education in Medical Marijuana -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COLORADO: Limits on Medical Marijuana Program Challenged The Colorado Campaign for Safe Access, a joint project of ASA and Sensible Colorado, is leading the legal challenge to the state’s arbitrary limit of five patients per caregiver. Campaign director Brian Vicente is representing an HIV-positive medical marijuana patient who has had difficulty finding a caregiver to provide the medicine for which he is registered with the state. The amendment passed by voters that created the program does not limit the number of patients a caregiver may server, but the state health department created the five-patient limit in a closed door meeting that Vicente says violates both state rules and the Colorado constitution. Medical pot user, 47, with AIDS sues state by Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, Rocky Mountain News An AIDS patient who says he needs to smoke marijuana every day to ease nausea from his medications is suing the state of Colorado to expand access to marijuana providers. Medical marijuana user sues over Colorado state policy KJCT Channel 8 (CO) A Denver man who is registered to use marijuana for medical reasons is challenging a limit on how many people medical marijuana providers can serve. ______________________________________ NEW MEXICO: Medical Marijuana Law Takes Effect July 1 Thanks to the intervention of Governor and Presidential hopeful Bill Richardson – who has said it was just the right thing to do -- patients in New Mexico will be able to join a state medical marijuana program beginning next week. The state is the first to mandate a government-operated production and distribution system for medical marijuana, but that system is not yet in place, so the state Health Department has just modified the rules to allow patients and caregivers to also grow their own. State to let patients grow their own pot by Diana Del Mauro, The New Mexican When lobbyists rallied this year at the Roundhouse to legalize medical marijuana, they distinctly said patients wouldn’t be growing this mind-altering herb. Rather, the state Health Department would create a secure production and distribution system — the first state to do so. But in a surprise move Thursday, the Health Department unveiled a provision that allows patients to grow a limited number of marijuana plants with protection from state prosecution. Medical marijuana to be legal next week in N.M. Associated Press New Mexicans with HIV-AIDS and certain other diseases will be able to apply for a new medical marijuana program as of July 1st. New Mexico patients may apply for medical marijuana on July 1 by Donald Jaramillo, Cibola Beacon (NM) The New Mexico Department of Health will begin accepting applications for the medical marijuana program starting July 1. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONNECTICUT: Medical Marijuana Bill Vetoed But Issue Not Closed With a University of Connecticut poll showing 83% of voters supporting medical marijuana legislation in the state, the governor’s decision to veto has left the public sorting out what happened. In Rhode Island, where the governor also vetoed a state measure this session, lawmakers quickly voted to override. If Connecticut’s lawmakers voted in line with their constituents, the same would happen there. Legislators fall on two sides of the medical marijuana fence by Jordan Fenster, Fairfield Minuteman (CT) Last week, Gov. Jodi Rell vetoed a bill that would have legalized the use of marijuana for some medical purposes. The bill, which passed both houses of the Connecticut state legislature, was particularly divisive in Fairfield, where local legislators came down strongly on both sides of the issue. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FEDERAL: Rosenthal Refuses to Accept Defeat The retrial of author and medical marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal may have ended with his being found guilty again, but he is not about to go quietly. He has filed a motion for a new trial saying that the court should have allowed him to present a defense that explained that he was growing marijuana as an officer of a city of Oakland program, as well as information about the medical benefits for patients. 'Guru of Ganja' wants new trial by Henry K. Lee, San Francisco Chronicle Ed Rosenthal, the self-described "Guru of Ganja" convicted for a second time last month of violating federal drug laws by growing marijuana for medical patients, wants a new trial.

[Courtesy of the Marijuana Policy Project] At least 10 of the 18 Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are now on the record in favor of ending the DEA's raids on medical marijuana and/or the federal government's prohibition on medical marijuana. Thanks to MPP's work, seven candidates have publicly pledged to end the DEA's raids in states where medical marijuana is legal — Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM), and former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R-WI). In addition, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has voted in favor of medical marijuana legislation on the House floor four out of four times, former Sen. Mike Gravel (D-AK) said on C-SPAN, "That one is real simple. I would legalize marijuana," and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said, "I will let states decide that issue." That's right: Even Sen. McCain, when given the opportunity to comment on medical marijuana publicly, said something positive, not negative. It has been only two months since MPP began lobbying the presidential candidates to take strong, public, positive positions on medical marijuana during the presidential primary race in New Hampshire, which is the first state to hold a primary (on January 22, 2008). One particular success story involves Sen. Edwards. In 2003, we trailed him around the state, relentlessly questioning him about medical marijuana access. At the time, Sen. Edwards insisted it would be "irresponsible" to end the DEA's raids on sick and dying people. Now, four years later, his position has changed from vowing to continue the raids to vowing to end them. A majority of the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates are supportive of medical marijuana access. Our favorite quote so far is from former Gov. Thompson, who told MPP's Stuart Cooper in Manchester, "No, they should not be arrested. They should not be arrested. They should not be arrested. I would do away with the DEA raids!" And this doesn't even count the support that other candidates — including every Libertarian Party candidate, as well as potential candidate Ralph Nader — have expressed for ending marijuana prohibition entirely. Of the two Democratic candidates I haven't yet mentioned, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is studying the issue, and we haven't yet spoken with Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) this year, although he told me personally in the fall of 2004 that he supports medical marijuana. Of the six remaining Republican candidates, they're all bad so far, but we'll keep working on them: Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R-VA), former Mayor Rudy Guiliani (New York City), former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), and former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA). Again, you can read about the specifics of their comments by visiting our Web site at www.mpp.org.