13,000 Joints
That's what a South Dakota sheriff just told me you could get from one marijuana plant. Hmmm, if a joint is somewhere between one-half gram and one gram, that comes to somewhere between 6,500 and 13,000 grams, or 15 to 30 pounds.
Medical Marijuana
Canada Grows Medical Marijuana for Its Citizens
In case anyone forgot. CBC News now reports that demand for government marijuana is increasing. Since this particular marijuana isnât supposed to be very good, my guess is that Canadian patients simply prefer the convenience of not having to buy their medicine from criminals on the street.
So Canada spends tax dollars to provide medical marijuana to sick people, while here in America, we spend tax dollars trying to prevent sick people from getting medical marijuana.
So Canada spends tax dollars to provide medical marijuana to sick people, while here in America, we spend tax dollars trying to prevent sick people from getting medical marijuana.
The Deputy Drug Czar Comes to South Dakota
Scott Burns, deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, was in Sioux Falls, South Dakota's largest city, on Friday. The only apparent reason for his presence was to try to defeat the medical marijuana initiative on the November 7 ballot.
Another Reason to Get High With Grandma
The New York Times reports that the value of traditional Alzheimerâs medications has been dramatically overstated:
More and more often, it seems, drugs that were widely thought to be effective against serious illnesses turn out to show little or no value when tested in large, impartial clinical trials insulated from drug company influence.
â¦
These discouraging results speak mostly to the desperate need for effective new treatments for Alzheimerâs.
Desperate need for effective new treatment, huh? Look no further. In fact, marijuana may eliminate the need for Alzheimerâs treatments altogether, since it seems to actually prevent the onset of the disease.
I have enough experience with Alzheimerâs to know that families confronted with it will usually try anything. Itâs ironic to think that the family values fanatics who arbitrarily oppose medical marijuana may soon find themselves shoving a bong in grandmaâs mouth.
ONDCP Publicly Debates Drug Reform Leaders for the First (and Probably Last) Time Ever
Last night I attended the D.C. premiere of Jed Riffeâs film Waiting to Inhale, which was followed by a debate that pitted Special Assistant to the Drug Czar David Murray against MPPâs Rob Kampia, and DPAâs Ethan Nadelmann (Former ONDCP staffer Andrea Barthwell didnât show).
The film takes a compelling look at the history of medical cannabis and gives us a glimpse into the lives of several patients who depend on it. For those of us whoâve been following the issue, the plight of the patients depicted is all too familiar. Iâd bet that many people whoâve formed snap judgments about medical marijuana would be stunned to see the faces behind this controversy.
Dammit Bobby, You're a Prosecutor Not a Scientist!
For a quick laugh check out âReport Shows Marijuana Users Growing Olderâ from the Salem News in Ohio. (Update:Â now removed, hopefully for the reasons listed below. Full article appears in the comments section of this post).
We Told Them So...
Two weeks ago we that South Dakota medical marijuana patient Valerie Hanna had sued state attorney general Larry Long over a misleading (dishonest?) ballot summary of the state's upcoming initiative, charging the attorney general had violated state law.
Yesterday Judge Max Gors opined in favor of Hanna -- and the rule of law -- according to the Associated Press:
"The whole impression leads one to believe that the attorney general wants voters to reject the initiative. The attorney general should confine his politicking to the stump and leave his bias out of the ballot statement that is supposed to be objective," Gors wrote.The state is not appealing the decision because doing so would prevent them from meeting their ballot printing deadline of September 1. The AP story can be read for free on the web site of the Yankton Press & Dakotan, though you have to register first to get through. Score for our side! We told them so...
My South Dakota Medical Marijuana Lawsuit Research
Our article about the South Dakota medical marijuana initiative and the likely lawsuit against state Attorney General Larry Long over what initiative supporters contend is his biased and possibly illegal description of the initiative that will appear on the ballot, got bumped this week, but we expect it to happen next week. I held off for a couple of reasons: First, the lawsuit has yet to actually be filed. Second, I couldn't manage to make contact with South Dakotans for Safe Access sole spokeswoman Valerie Hannah until Friday morning. Hannah, a Gulf War veteran who suffers from nerve gas exposure, will fill me in on what's going on Monday.
What is going on with the DEA and the San Diego medical marijuana dispensaries?
On Friday, the DEA returned to the more than a dozen dispensaries in San Diego raided a couple of weeks ago and warned them to shut their doors. For the Drug War Chronicle this week, I'll be looking into that and what it might mean across the state.
I'm also waiting for the Portland "lowest law enforcement priority" initiative's signatures to be verified. I'll write about that this week if we get an official announcement.
Medical Marijuana in South Dakota
South Dakota will vote on a medical marijuana initiative in November, and it looks like it will be an uphill battle. According to my sources within the campaign, the measure is not doing well in internal polling, but it is early. The campaign is laying low for now, but has already found a patient spokesperson and a former policeman as a spokesman. Bob Newland, South Dakota's "Mr. Marijuana," the hemp/pot/medical marijuan activist responsible for the initiative has agreed to keep a low profile, while MPP's experienced cadres run the show.