New DrugScience.org Web Site Released

July 31, 2006 For Immediate Release: The DrugScience.org web site (www.drugscience.org) has been revised, redesigned, and developed in a showcase on science and the marijuana issue. Now DrugScience is set to introduce features in political science to supplement its longstanding archives on the cannabis rescheduling petition and the recent history of marijuana research. The redesigned DrugScience.org is the home of the Cannabis Rescheduling Petition and background on the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis. The content of both the 1995 and the 2002 Rescheduling Petitions are available in easily accessible html, along with considerable background and archival materials including the original evaluations of THC and Marijuana by HHS prior to the historic hearings before Judge Francis Young in the 1980s. Created by Jon Gettman, DrugScience presents material on the history of rescheduling efforts as well as detailed explanations of the scientific research behind the legal and medical arguments for medical cannabis. The segmented presentation of the material from the two rescheduling petitions provides a rich source of subject matter to link to in various contexts, such as a short explanation why cannabis has low toxicity or a review of the Gateway Theory, all accessible through browsing the contents of the petitions or use of our powerful search engine. Some of the recommended features of DrugScience.org include:

• Marijuana research summaries
• Scientific and legal arguments for medical marijuana
• Search engine for research reports on marijuana and health;
• Cannabis rescheduling petition
• Commentary, history, and analysis of marijuana reform issues
• Comprehensive drug policy research links
• Marijuana research bibliographies
• A Guide to marijuana's legal status under the federal Controlled Substances Act

Coming soon to DrugScience.org: The Bulletin of Cannabis Reform. The purpose of the Bulletin of Cannabis Reform is to report on marijuana policy and the efforts to change it but more to the point the purpose of the Bulletin is to circulate and promote new thinking about cannabis reform. The premier issue of the Bulletin includes a tribute to Bob Randall, the first legal medical cannabis patient in the United States and founder of the medical cannabis movement, as well as an excerpt from Arnold Trebach's new book and a detailed analysis of the recent unsuccessful congressional vote of the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical cannabis amendment with detailed regional maps of voting by Congressional District. The Bulletin will an on-line journal supplemented by a subscriber newsletter for announcements, background material responding to current events, and notices about the progress of the Cannabis Rescheduling Petition. The scientific and research focus of the Bulletin is directly influenced by the Cannabis Rescheduling Petition now under review by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This HHS review is part of an ongoing administrative process that could ease restrictions on legal access to cannabis for medical patients and must address all relevant scientific literature on the subject of marijuana use in the United States. The Bulletin of Cannabis Reform seeks to compile a record of the most recent scientific findings as preparation for challenges to any attempt by HHS and other federal agencies to deny legal, regulated access to medical patients throughout the United States. The wider focus on cannabis reform seeks to apply the critical perspective of the rescheduling process to the reform movement itself. The Bulletin will seek to address these central questions: what has been learned from decades of reform activity and how can contemporary reform efforts address the social, economic, and political needs of both marijuana users and the general public. An informed public benefits from diverse points of view, and so will the cause of cannabis reform. The goal of the Bulletin is to encourage creative and successful approaches to marijuana's legalization. The Bulletin of Cannabis Reform will be a public, independent forum. These new features and the overall redesign of DrugScience.org have produced a new showcase for the cause of cannabis reform with appeal to many different segments of the general public, such as students, academics, researchers, professionals, businessmen and women and parents. DrugScience provides access to the scientific, policy, and research materials that make the case for the reform of cannabis laws in the United States, and provides a new standard to the cause of marijuana reform. For more information: Jon Gettman: [email protected] DrugScience.org: http://www.drugscience.org/bcr/ The Bulletin of Cannabis Reform: http://www.drugscience.org/bcr/