In the Trenches
New Ken Burns PBS Documentary Brings "Prohibition" Lesson to Modern America
New Ken Burns PBS Documentary Brings "Prohibition" Lesson to Modern America
More Politicians Joining the Call to End "War on Drugs"
Cops Who Fought "Drug War" Say It's Time for Legalization
WASHINGTON, DC -- As more politicians and world leaders declare willingness to consider ending the "war on drugs," a group of law enforcers who fought that war says a new Ken Burns PBS documentary about alcohol prohibition premiering Sunday provides an important lesson for today's prohibition on marijuana and other illegal drugs.
"Does anyone think making the dangerous drug alcohol illegal actually decreased the harm associated with its use, abuse and distribution?" asked Neill Franklin, a retired Baltimore narcotics cop who now heads up Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). "Just as then, today's prohibition on drugs doesn't accomplish much to reduce harmful use and only serves to create gruesome violence in the market where none would exist under noncriminal regulation. Legalizing these drugs will make our streets safer by reducing the crime and violence associated with their trade, just as when we re-legalized alcohol."
Many current and former elected officials are calling for a re-evaluation of the "war on drugs" and a growing number are even suggesting that marijuana and other drugs should be legalized. For example, last month, Mexican President Felipe Calderon made headlines by saying - in light of an uptick in cartel attacks - that the U.S. should look at "market alternatives" for drug supply if demand can't be reduced.
Advocates are pointing out the parallels between the repeal of alcohol prohibition and today's debate about ending the "war on drugs." For example, one factor that led to the demise of alcohol prohibition was its enormous pricetag for taxpayers during the Great Depression. Today's rough economic climate is leading more politicians to criticize the growing cost of the "war on drugs."
LEAP's Franklin said, "The one major difference between the two prohibitions is that our wise grandparents came to grips with the failure of their experiment to ban alcohol after just 13 years, while the 'drug war' that President Nixon declared 40 years ago is still being prosecuted, more harshly and expensively than ever. It's about time more of our political leaders start to think about an exit strategy."
Other influential leaders and groups recently issuing calls to move away from prohibitionist drug policies include the NAACP, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, the Washington State Democratic Central Committee and the UK's Liberal Democrat Party.
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) represents police, prosecutors, judges, FBI/DEA agents and others who want to legalize and regulate drugs after fighting on the front lines of the "war on drugs" and learning firsthand that prohibition only serves to worsen addiction and violence. More info at http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 29, 2011
CONTACT: Tom Angell - [email protected]
How Accurate is Cannabis Testing? Ring Test Assesses the Labs
How Accurate is Cannabis Testing? Ring Test Assesses the Labs
California NORML Release - Sep. 26, 2011
How Accurate Is Cannabis Potency Testing? California NORML and Project CBD release the results of the first "Ring Test" to assess the accuracy of analytical laboratories
Mixed findings show strengths and problems among analytic testing services
In the winter of 2010/11, California NORML and Project CBD initiated a "Ring Test" to assess the accuracy of the numerous analytical cannabis testing laboratories that have recently emerged to serve medical marijuana collectives, breeders, growers and patients.
Results of the study, which was coauthored by California NORML director Dale Gieringer and Dutch scientist Dr. Arno Hazekamp, are reported in the Autumn 2011 issue of O'Shaughnessy's, the Journal of Cannabis in Clinical practice on pages 17-18, posted at:
http://www.canorml.org/RingTestOShaughnessys_Aut11.pdf
"We embarked on a parallel study of cannabis testing labs to shed light on a significant, unresolved issue within the fledgling medical marijuana industry in California and other states," says Gieringer, "We wanted to know how reliable is the information provided by analytical cannabis labs? Are they adequately serving the needs of medical marijuana patients and providers?"
Ten cannabis labs in two states agreed to participate in an anonymous, side-by-side study to assess the accuracy and precision of their collective work. The participating labs employed a variety of analytical techniques and instrumentation to conduct their analysis.
Six samples drawn from the same sources were tested by each lab: four herbal samples, including one CBD-rich strain, and two tinctures (alcohol extracts).
Results of the Ring Test
- In most cases, lab results were consistent to within plus or minus 20% on replicate samples (and often within 10%). For example, a sample with 10% average THC content might range from 8% to 12% in different tests. This is similar to the accuracy of the government's potency testing program run by NIDA's lab in Mississippi, as well as comparable government-regulated industries such as environmental testing. Conclusion: The precision and proficiency of a majority of cannabis testing labs compared favorably to other analytical testing industries.
- While a majority of labs performed within acceptable limits, some reported results that deviated substantially from the average, with unacceptable deviations of more than 25% from the mean. Three of the ten labs performed unacceptably on half of the tests. Conclusion: Not all cannabis testing labs are performing up to par; consumers are well advised to check the reputations and professional experience of labs they work with, and to arrange backup tests from more than one lab where accuracy is essential.
- Both gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) instrumentation yielded accurate results in testing of raw cannabis samples, with comparable and acceptable repeatability for identical samples. Conclusion: Both GC and LC instrumentation should be considered reliable for cannabis potency analysis.
- In the case of the tinctures (alcohol extracts), there were significant discrepancies in the results found by different labs, with GC generally reporting significantly higher potencies than LC. This made it impossible to reliably estimate the actual potency of the original samples. Conclusion: More work is required to assess the accuracy of current methods for testing cannabis tinctures, edibles and other extracts.
- No analytical testing lab demonstrated precision that supports reporting cannabinoid results to two decimal places. By unnecessarily reporting results to the one-hundredth percentile, some labs created an unrealistic illusion of precision that raises false expectations regarding the degree to which accuracy is possible, given the 20% variation observed. Conclusion: Labs should re-evaluate the precision level at which results are reported.
The Project CBD / CA NORML Ring Test report is accompanied by a list of ten questions that patients and providers might want to ask when choosing to work with an analytical testing lab.
"Analytical labs provide an important service for the medical marijuana community," says Sarah Russo, Project CBD's outreach coordinator. "We hope that cannabis labs, while competing for market share, will cooperate to improve their methods and maintain a high performance standard. Medical marijuana patients and providers would be well served by labs that share information and assist each other in a collegial manner."
For more information contact: Dale Gieringer at California NORML, [email protected] or Project CBD,[email protected]
Medical Marijuana Patient John Wilson Faces Bail Hearing Thursday
MEDIA ALERT: Medical Marijuana Patient John Wilson Faces Bail Hearing Thursday, September 29, 2011
WHO: Multiple sclerosis (MS) Patient John Ray Wilson
WHAT: Faces bail hearing
WHEN: 1:30 PM, Thursday, September 29, 2011
WHERE: Somerset County Courthouse – Somerville, NJ—with Judge Marino
WHY: Pending appeal to New Jersey Supreme Court
CONTACT: Ken Wolski, Chris Goldstein, William Buckman www.cmmnj.org
Multiple sclerosis (MS) patient and medical marijuana user John Ray Wilson will appear in the Somerset County Courthouse before Judge Marino for a bail hearing tomorrow, Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 1:30 PM. Wilson is currently imprisoned at CRAF, the Central Reception and Assignment Facility for the New Jersey State Prison system, located in Trenton, NJ. Wilson had been free on bond pending an appeal of his conviction and sentence of five years, but an Appellate Court upheld his conviction of “manufacturing” marijuana in late July. He was incarcerated on August 24, 2011. Attorney William Buckman has filed a petition to the State Supreme Court. The bail hearing tomorrow will determine if Wilson can remain with his family as the Supreme Court appeal is considered. Mr. Buckman’s office reports that the State intends to vigorously oppose the release of Wilson.
“New Jersey already has some of the most draconian laws in the nation with respect to marijuana, costing taxpayers outrageous sums to incarcerate nonviolent, otherwise responsible individuals-- as well as in this case -- the sick and infirm,” said Buckman. “As it stands, the case now allows a person who grows marijuana to be exposed to up to 20 years in jail, even if that marijuana is strictly for his or her own medical use. No fair reading of the law would ever sanction this result.”
Wilson’s conviction in January 2010 came just as New Jersey’s Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act passed into law. The state now recognizes MS as a qualifying condition for marijuana therapy; however, the state’s Medicinal Marijuana Program is not operational yet.
Depending on the outcome of the hearing, Wilson may be freed pending his appeal or must continue serving his sentence. Wilson’s father, Ray, reports that John is scheduled to be transferred from CRAF to maximum security Northern State Prison in Newark, NJ to serve the rest of his sentence.
CONTACT: Ken Wolski, Chris Goldstein, William Buckman www.cmmnj.org
Veterans For Medical Cannabis Access Kicks Off Petition on White House "We The People" Site
For Immediate Release:
Veterans For Medical Cannabis Access Kicks Off Petition on White House "We The People" Site
The national Veterans service organization, Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access (VMCA), veteransformedicalcannabis.org on behalf of the Veterans across the United States has drawn up a petition to ask President Obama's administration to "Allow United States Disabled Military Veterans access to medical marijuana to treat their PTSD."
The petition may be viewed at the White House website:
http://wh.gov/4xd
Medicinal cannabis is recognized in DC and 16 states such as MD, OR and NM as having medical value including treatment for PTS(d) and TBI. Allies of the US in Iraq and Afghanistan - Canada, Czechoslovakia and Israel allow the use of cannabis to treat these injuries sustained in military service alongside US troops.
Co-founder of VMCA, Al Byrne, Lcdr. USN, ret. said, "I am a Virginia Veteran who uses cannabis for PTS. If I seek treatment in a VHA facility in Virginia the MD's and RN's can not even discuss this treatment option BECAUSE VIRGINIA LAW STILL DOESN'T ALLOW USE OF THIS IMPORTANT MEDICINE FOR PTS(d) . If I seek the same treatment say, as a Veteran resident of Maine (where cannabis is legal medicine) they say welcome and thank you for your service."
VHA Directive 2010-035 of July 2010 states clearly that if a Veteran gets a recommendation for cannabis from a civilian health care provider in a state that allows the medicinal use of cannabis, then the VA health care providers must treat cannabis as a medicine and the Vet as a valued patient. In Virginia the Vet is not so valued and the medicine for their needs is banned.
Veteran care based on geography is wrong. It is illogical. It is not the practice of medicine it is the practice of politics on the wounded and it is shameful.
Contact:
Mike Krawitz
Disabled United States Air Force Sergeant
Executive Director Veterans For Medical Cannabis Access
[email protected]
www.veteransformedicalmarijuana.org
Al Byrne
COO and Co-founder
Patients Out of Time
[email protected]
www.medicalcannabis.com
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Press Release: Elected Officials and Advocates Applaud Change to Marijuana Arrest Policy, Pledge Further Reform
For Immediate Release:
Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, And Council Members Melissa Mark-Viverito and Jumanne D. Williams Joined by Advocates in Front of Police Headquarters to Applaud Change in Policy for Marijuana Arrests
Policy Shift by NYPD Could End Tens of Thousands of Arrests in NYC, Save Tens of Millions of Dollars and Reduce the Funneling of Young Men of Color into the Criminal Justice System
Elected Officials and Advocates Affirm Support for Legislation in Albany that Standardizes Penalties for Marijuana Possession Offenses to Permanently Curb These Arrests Statewide
New York, NY– Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, joined by advocates from the Institute for Juvenile Justice Reform and Alternatives, VOCAL NY, and the Drug Policy Alliance, gathered in front of One Police Plaza today to celebrate an internal order issued by NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly to all precinct commanding officers to stop arresting New Yorkers for small quantities of marijuana if the marijuana was not in plain view.
In 2010, over 54,000 people – mostly black or Latino – were arrested for possessing small amounts of marijuana in New York State. Over 50,000 of those arrests occurred in New York City, making it the most frequent arrest citywide. On Monday, September 19th, responding to mounting public pressure from elected officials and advocates, NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly issued an operations order that clarified existing marijuana possession laws, instructing officers not to arrest people for marijuana in public view when complying with an officer's demand to "empty their pockets". This change could lead to the reduction of tens of thousands of arrests in New York City.
"The internal directive issued by Commissioner Kelly is a positive step toward a more equitable criminal justice system that treats everyone the same, regardless of race or socioeconomic status,” said Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries. “The NYPD's aggressive stop and frisk practices that have lead to the explosion of improper marijuana arrests in communities of color have helped poison the relationship between the community and police. We will continue to push for the passage of state legislation that changes public view possession of small quantities of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a violation.”
Commissioner Kelly’s operations order can be made permanent, and apply to all of New York State, by passing A.7620 (Jeffries) and S.5187 (Grisanti, R-Buffalo). This legislation would standardize penalties for marijuana possession offences, protect New Yorkers from illegal searches, save taxpayer dollars, and bring down the disproportionately high number of arrests among black and Latino men for marijuana-related crimes by eliminating the misdemeanor charge.
"The New York City Police Commissioner did the right thing when he issued his directive not to arrest people who produce small amounts of marijuana in public view when compelled by police," said New York State Senator Mark Grisanti (R- Buffalo). "Unfortunately, this order does not impact people in Buffalo who experience these same situations every day. We can make this order permanent and have it apply statewide by passing legislation in Albany that will help put an end to these racially biased, fiscally wasteful, and unlawful arrests for small amounts of marijuana."
Council Member Mark-Viverito introduced a City Council resolution that Council Member Williams is sponsoring that supports the passage of this legislation.
“The directive issued by Commissioner Kelly is a huge victory for communities of color in the city of New York, who for years have been disproportionately targeted for small-time marijuana arrests” said Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Finally, the NYPD will be respecting the intent of the State law that de-criminalized small amounts of marijuana decades ago, and our youth will no longer face arrest for this small-time offense. I personally raised this issue with Commissioner Kelly at two different Council hearings earlier this year as a major concern for my district and communities like mine across the city. I applaud the Commissioner for acting on the concerns that so many of us in the Council and beyond have been expressing about this policy. We will continue to closely monitor how stop and frisk policies are carried out in our city and to advocate for the passage of the State legislation introduced by Senator Grisanti and Assemblyman Jeffries.”
Marijuana has been decriminalized since 1977, making possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana a violation, punishable by a $100 fine, not arrest and jail. However, possessing or burning marijuana in public view is a criminal offense punishable by arrest and jail.
"Commissioner Kelly has finally answered the alarm sounded by advocates and our communities,” said Council Member Jumaane D. Williams. “However, it will take continued vigilance on all of our parts to make sure that officers are patrol are heeding the message and bringing an end to the racial inequality and fiscal waste of this disturbing trend of illegal arrests. We also must continue to push for the bipartisan state legislation that will ensure this order is made permanent for all New Yorkers.”
Since 1996, the New York City Police Department has made over 535,000 arrests for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Although the “public view” provision was meant to criminalize public display and smoking of marijuana, most of these arrests were not for that offense, but instead the result of complying with an officer's demand to disclose contraband or from a police search and being improperly charged for "marijuana in public view" instead of the non-criminal violation offense. Although marijuana use is higher among whites, 86% of those arrested for marijuana possession were young Black and Latino youth.
Advocates who have worked for years to address the out of control marijuana arrests by NYPD weighed in on the significance of the recent directive.
“It must be noted that these spurious arrests are largely a result of a racially biased and improper stop and frisk practice that often result in illegal searches, and this order does not address this injustice,” said Kyung Ji Rhee, director of Institute for Juvenile Justice Reform and Alternatives. “We will continue to hold NYPD accountable on this front.”
“It’s about time!,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “I just want to give a belated thanks to Ray Kelly for agreeing at last to comply with both the spirit and letter of the marijuana decriminalization law that New York enacted back in 1977.”
"We can't talk about marijuana arrests without bringing up why they happen in the first place - stop and frisks and illegal searches that are targeted in communities of color," said Alfredo Carrasquillo, a community organizer for VOCAL-NY who has been arrested in the past for marijuana possession. "That won't necessarily change as a result of this new policy, but it should. Mayor Bloomberg must also seal the records of people who have been convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana in the past given that he knows how difficult it can make finding a job or housing."
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Latin Judges on Drugs and Human Rights -- Rome Declaration of 2011
DOCUMENT OF LATIN JUDGES
ON PUBLIC POLICY IN THE AREA OF DRUGS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
ROME DECLARATION OF 2011
Three years after the Document of judges, prosecutors, and defense counsel of Buenos Aires, published by the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, two years after the Declaration of Latin Judges in Oporto, both in line with the recently published report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy in June 2011 (made up of, among others, Paul Volcker, Ruth Dreifuss, Thorvald Stoltemberg, George P. Shultz, Kofi Annan, Maria Cattaudi, Richard Brenson, Carlos Fuentes, George Papandreou, and three former Latin American presidents), we once again insist that the “global war on drugs” has been a failure in view of the very serious consequences it has entailed for individuals and society worldwide.
- We endorse the document of the Global Commission, when it notes that criminal law reforms and the excessive use of emergency legislation have only increased the niches of corruption in the political and judicial realms, and especially in the forces of law order and crime prevention in the last 30 years, to the detriment of social-health policies and the guarantees that every government under the rule of law should uphold, in keeping with the various international commitments to which our countries are signatories in the areas of human, social, and health rights.
- The emergency legislation on drugs, as well as organized crime and money laundering (issues addressed in the 1988 Vienna Convention, respecting the domestic law of each signatory country) has been modified in the last 20 years in conventions and statutes that violate the principle of legality, creating laws of dubious constitutionality that violate the principles of pro hominedefense, the principles of harm and the proportionality of penalties for the most petty cases, saturating the judicial and prison system with small cases, distorting the function and role of the judiciary worldwide, and serving the interests of criminal organizations and corruption.
- Laws on drugs, organized crime, and money laundering associated with drugs, insofar as they do not affect clear legal interests, confuse an attempted crime with consummation of the crime, using inadequate legislative techniques with a proliferation of verbiage and concepts. In the last 30 years such laws were created for political reasons in many countries using foreign arguments, without any basis in established legal doctrine, without any empirical confirmation whatsoever, impacting on the health system and on the prison system, causing problems of overcrowding at high rates that countries such as Italy and Spain did not have, and that violate international commitments in this area.
- While we already knew that drug policy is a complex issue due to experiences with psychoactive drugs in the 1970s, that this worsened with cocaine bursting on the scene in the 1980s, and escalated in the 1990s, with lassitude in the controls of complex crimes that entail movements of proceeds from crimes to be transformed into legal money, today these concerns are all the more pertinent. We are facing a social and health emergency.
- The lack of preventive policies on socio-health and cultural issues, together with the lack of oversight of the state agencies involved, the lack of a clear criminal justice policy on the part of the state aimed at complex crime (bribery, corruption of public officials, tax evasion, flight and transfer of foreign exchange, contraband of arms, money laundering, and trafficking, among others), makes it clear that criminal justice reforms have only been and are merely a public relations ploy which in the best of cases not only did not resolve the serious problem of mounting demand but also did not reduce supply, and have become functional to large-scale movements of money worldwide that make it difficult to know precisely how much is generated by the illegal circuit of drug-trafficking or whether more white collar crime or corruption-related crime is being committed.
- There has been confusion in recent years between the role of security and defense and the proper role of police forces in searching for evidence to enable a judge to conduct a fair trial. The use in some countries of the Armed Forces in the Americas to pursue drug crimes opens up room for discretion that makes possible all type of violations of due process, human dignity, and the fundamental rights of persons that cannot be reconciled with the role these should be accorded in a democratic state, and are based on the by-now well-known national security doctrine.
- The lack of clear criminal policies towards trafficking and clear social and health prevention policies has been accompanied by the dissemination of mass media, which in propagandistic fashion clear the way for repression and statutory reforms which, on ending in failure, only serve to deteriorate institutions. Similarly there is abundant publicity encouraging consumption among youth.
- The application of an absolute prohibitionist approach to such a complex phenomenon, and which therefore should be flexible and open to all kinds of social, educational, health, and labor policies, without discriminating against any possible alternative, and that have yielded such positive results in Canada, Portugal, and Uruguay, should lead the highest-level political authorities to reflect on the seriousness of punishing petty consumption, an approach that only removes abusers or addicts from the health system, and the users of the system, and stigmatizes the first, deteriorating the function and role of the judge or prosecutor, leaving on a secondary plane administrative and family law, which has better tools than the last resort of the law.
- The area of international criminal justice cooperation and the implementation and signing of international conventions appear to ignore the notion that international law is also subject to the application of the guiding principles of human rights instruments such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. There is no international law insulated from the basic axioms of human rights instruments; thus one should recall the relevance of the preamble of the United Nations Charter and all the precedents respectful of the principle of humanity and the role of some United Nations agencies.
- International instruments overlap, confuse drug trafficking with terrorism, are hardly operative when it comes to obtaining swift cooperation in relation to crimes of trafficking, laundering, or complex crimes, fail to include judges and prosecutors in their drafting; other such instruments are openly repudiated, which clearly obstructs the work of the courts and prosecutors in cases involving large-scale transnational and complex crimes not limited to drug trafficking, including corruption.
- The judiciary lacks the technological tools and resources for obtaining, in a timely manner and in proper form, information valuable for taking cognizance of suspicious operations, bribery, flight of foreign exchange, large-scale fraud, trafficking, and offenses that involve the political authorities such as corruption, or evasion of foreign exchange controls, demonstrating that mere legislative change is only a formality, lacking substance.
- Hence the need for legislative reform and harmonization that call for differentiated criminal justice responses based on the nature and seriousness of complex crimes and drug trafficking crimes (adjusted to the Vienna Convention), seeking to have the punishment be proportional to the wrong, and to the personal conditions of the participants, making possible, where called for, release from prison, the implementation of alternative measures, the imposition of conditional sentences, and the use of administrative law and civil code law.
- The strategy of the States should heed and consider the need for comprehensive assistance for drug users, and major non-specific prevention campaigns which address not only illegal substances but legal ones as well, and in particular that put in place policies for genuine inclusion in society and employment.
Rome, June 11, 2001
Signatures:
Martín Vázquez Acuña, Appellate Judge of Criminal Court No. 1 of the City of Buenos Aires. (Argentina).
Mónica Cuñarro, Prosecutor of the Argentine Republic and Professor at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina).
Graciela Julia Angriman, Judge of Criminal Court No. of Morón, Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina).
Rubens Roberto Casara, Judge of Rio Janeiro (Brazil).
José Henrique Rodrigues Torres, Appellate Judge of the Court of Justice of Sao Paulo (Brazil).
Antonio Cluny, Deputy Attorney General before the Court of Accounts of Portugal.
José Pedro Baranita, Alternative Prosecutor of Portugal.
Luigi Marini, Member of the Court of Cassation and President of Magistratura Democratica (Italy).
Piergiorgio Morosini, Judge of the Court of Palermo, Secretary General of Magistratura Democratica (Italy).
Carlo Renoldi, Judge of the Court of Cagliari, Executive Member of Magistratura Democratica (Italy).
Francesco Maisto, Presidente of the Court of Oversight of Bologna (Italy).
Guiseppe Cascini, Alternate Prosecutor of the Republic, Rome (Italy).
Tiziano Coccoluto, Judge of the Court of Latina, Secretary of Magistratura Democratica, Roma (Italy).
Members of Congress to Introduce Historic Legislation Ending Marijuana Prohibition (Press Release)
MEDIA ADVISORY June 22, 2011
Thursday: Members of Congress to Introduce Historic Legislation Ending Marijuana Prohibition
The Legislation, Modeled after the Repeal of Alcohol Prohibition, Comes on the 40th Anniversary of the Failed War on Drugs and on the Heels of a Global Commission Report Recommending Marijuana Legalization
Teleconference: Rep. Barney Frank and Leading Organizations Working to End the Failed War on Marijuana Explain the Significance of the Legislation
CONTACT: Morgan Fox, communications manager………………......(202) 905-2031 or [email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) will introduce bi-partisan legislation tomorrow, June 23, ending the federal war on marijuana and letting states legalize, regulate, tax, and control marijuana without federal interference. Other co-sponsors include Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). The legislation would limit the federal government’s role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or inter-state smuggling, allowing people to legally grow, use or sell marijuana in states where it is legal. The legislation is the first bill ever introduced in Congress to end federal marijuana prohibition.
Leading critics of the war on marijuana will explain its significance for state and national marijuana policy at a national tele-press conference on Thursday.
What: Tele-Press Conference on the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011
When:Thursday, June 23. 2:00pm EST / 11am PST
Call-in Info: 1-800-311-9404; Passcode: Marijuana
Who:
· Representative Barney Frank (D-4th/MA)
· Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)
· Aaron Houston, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)
· Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)
· Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA)
Last week marked the 40th Anniversary of President Nixon declaring a war on marijuana and other drugs. In an oped in the New York Times last week, timed for the 40th Anniversary, former President Jimmy Carter called for reforming marijuana laws.
The legislation also comes on the heels of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which released a report on June 2 calling for a major paradigm shift in how our society deals with drugs, including calling for legal regulation of marijuana. The report sent a jolt around the world, generating thousands of international media stories. The commission is comprised of international dignitaries including Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations; Richard Branson, entrepreneur, founder of the Virgin Group; and the former Presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Switzerland. Representing the U.S. on the commission are George P. Shultz, Paul Volcker, and John Whitehead.
46.5% of Californians voted last year to legalize marijuana in their state, and voters in Colorado, Washington and possibly other states are expected to vote on the issue next year. In the past year at least five state legislatures have considered legalizing marijuana, including California, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington. 16 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use, but the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) continues to arrest people under federal law and U.S. Attorneys have in recent months sent threatening letters to state policymakers in an apparent attempt to meddle in state decision-making.
Rep. Frank’s legislation would end state/federal conflicts over marijuana policy, reprioritize federal resources, and provide more room for states to do what is best for their own citizens.
With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.
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85% of Grandparent Respondents Favor Marijuana Legalization, According to GRAND Magazine Reader Poll (Press Release)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 26, 2011
CONTACT: Rosa Mangiardi at (415) 728-2113
85% of Grandparent Respondents Favor Marijuana Legalization, According to GRAND Magazine Reader Poll
Online Magazine for Grandparents Releases Response Results to Op-Ed Question Posed in its March/April Issue
St. Petersburg, FL. (PRWEB) Attitudes about the criminalization of marijuana may be changing among the elders of our society, as the more than 70 million of the baby boomer generation, one to widely experiment with recreational drug use, have and will become grandparents.
GRAND Magazine, the online magazine for today's grandparents, released today results from their poll question which appeared in the March/April issue. It asked readers if it was time to legalize marijuana. 85% responded that they agreed it was.
The reader respondents who are pot proponents argued in their responses that it is hypocritical to outlaw pot when cigarettes, alcohol and fat-laden foods are legal but account for so many health issues among our population. They point out that marijuana is used to treat medical symptoms such as pain and nausea, and that in some states it is legal for shops to dispense medical marijuana. The billions that are spent in the U.S. on policing and courts related to this issue could be spent on better schools or infrastructure.
Grandparents who are part of the baby boomer generation (those born from 1946 to 1964)(1) have a unique perspective on marijuana, having come of age during a time when pot use became mainstream. 21st century grandparents are a group with a significant influence on the country’s youth as they are the primary caregivers for more than 6 million children(2). In fact, approximately 75 percent of all non-parental care of children is provided by a grandparent(3), representing a large shift in family dynamics. Now it seems that as they guide and influence new generations, they view marijuana use increasingly as a harmless indulgence rather than a gateway to a lifetime of drug abuse.
Among the reader response comments were:
“I am a grandparent strongly in favor of decriminalization. I would much rather my grandkids smoke pot than use cigarettes or alcohol. I expect I will need cannabis for my health soon and don’t want (it) to be illegal. The whole charade needs to stop; we are blowing far too much money on the drug war and have no positive results to show for it. The whole approach is counterproductive,” said D.W., Guysville, OH.
“I am a grandparent of a 17 year-old granddaughter who has been struggling with drug addiction since she was 14 years old. I believe that marijuana is a gateway drug and it has always been her reluctance to give up pot that has brought her back again and again to more dangerous drugs. I understand that the same arguments that have been used for years with the responsible adult consumption of alcohol apply to responsible adult use of pot. … I would vote against legal sale of marijuana…,” said A.C.
To read additional reader responses, click here
The link to the page in the GRAND magazine March/April online edition op-ed reader poll that asks, ‘Is it time to legalize marijuana?’ is: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/grand/20110304_v3/index.php#/51/OnePage
GRAND Magazine
GRAND magazine is an online bi-monthly magazine that serves the more than 70 million U.S. grandparent market. It is delivered exclusively in digital format. It is published by GRAND Media, LLC, which was established in 2004. For more information about GRAND magazine visit: http://www.GRANDmagazine.com.
1. U.S. Census Bureau
2. American Community Survey, 2007, U.S. Census Bureau
3. State Fact Sheet for Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children, 2007, AARP Foundation, Brookdale Foundation Group, Casey Family Programs, Child Welfare League of America, Children’s Defense Fund, and Generations United
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Bills to Ensure Fair Treatment of Medical Cannabis Industry Members Are Introduced in U.S. House (Press Release)
National Cannabis Industry Association
For Immediate Release -- WEDNESDAY, MAY 25
Bills to Ensure Fair Treatment of Medical Cannabis Industry Members Are Introduced in U.S. House
The logic behind the introduction of the “Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2011” and the “Small Business Banking Improvement Act of 2011” stands in sharp contrast to the actions of U.S. Attorneys who hope to keep medical cannabis sales underground, untaxed and unregulated
CONTACT: Steve Fox, NCIA dir. of public affairs at 202-379-4861 ext. 2 or [email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, for the first time in history, two bills that would benefit members of the medical cannabis industry were introduced in Congress. The introduction of the bills, which address banking and tax issues faced by medical cannabis providers, follow months of advocacy by the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). The bills were part of a coordinated introduction of three bills to protect and support medical marijuana patients and providers in states where the use of medical marijuana is legal. The third bill, the “States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act,” would modify federal law so that individuals acting in compliance with state law are immune from federal prosecution.
The industry bills were introduced with bipartisan lead sponsors. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) are the lead sponsors of the “Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2011,” which would amend Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code so that medical marijuana providers can take standard business deductions like any other business. The “Small Business Banking Improvement Act of 2011,” sponsored by Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), would allow financial institutions to work with medical marijuana businesses without the fear of running afoul of federal banking regulations.
These bills have been introduced at a time when the nation is witnessing a strange reaction by U.S. Attorneys to the development of state-regulated systems of medical marijuana distribution. In October 2009, the Department of Justice issued a memo to federal prosecutors, instructing them to de-prioritize the prosecution of individuals acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws. This has given states like New Mexico, Colorado and Maine the ability to establish tightly regulated system. Yet some U.S. Attorneys, faced with the prospect of sensible regulations being established in other states, have issued misleading and threatening letters to sidetrack legislative and administrative progress.
“There are hundreds of thousands of medical marijuana patients in this country who benefit when they are able to purchase their medicine from safe, reliable and regulated establishments,” said Steve Fox, NCIA’s director of public affairs. “It is time for the federal government to acknowledge that these businesses are providing a service to their communities, not causing them harm. Without these regulated, tax-paying businesses, all medical marijuana sales would occur underground. The profits would bolster the criminal market and local, state and federal governments would receive no tax revenue. These medical marijuana providers are not looking for special treatment. They just want to be able to function in a manner similar to any other legal business. That is what these tax and banking bills would allow.”
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The mission of the National Cannabis Industry Association is to defend, promote and advance the interests of the cannabis industry and its members. NCIA publicly advocates for the unique needs of the emerging cannabis industry and defends against those aiming to eliminate the legal market for cannabis and cannabis-related products. For more information, please visit www.TheCannabisIndustry.org.
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A Big Day on the Hill (Action Alert)
Dear friends,
It’s not often that three bills related to medical marijuana are introduced in Congress on the same day. In fact, it has never happened in history – until today!
This is big news, and we are hoping you will help spread the word in Washington.
All three bills would benefit medical marijuana patients and their providers. The “States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act,” which has been introduced in past sessions of Congress, would modify federal law so that individuals acting in compliance with state law are immune from federal prosecution.
The other two bills – the “Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2011” and the “Small Business Banking Improvement Act of 2011” – have never been introduced before and address critical tax and banking issues faced by medical marijuana centers and dispensaries as they attempt to serve patients, comply with statewide regulations, and pay their fair share of taxes.
Having lobbied Congress for years on these issues, MPP is excited to see the sponsors of these pieces of legislation sending a strong message to the rest of the nation about the need for the federal government to respect state medical marijuana laws and to treat fairly the individuals following them.
Now that these bills have been introduced, we need members of the House to sign on as co-sponsors. This is where you come in. We have drafted an email for you to send to your U.S. representative. With less than two minutes of your time, you can let your representative know that his or her constituents care about this issue. This really makes a difference.
The tides of history are turning in our favor. But with people like you speaking out, they will turn even faster.
Thanks for taking action!
Sincerely,
Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.
To contact MPP, please click here or reply to this e-mail. Our mailing address is Marijuana Policy Project, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20002. Any donations you make to MPP may be used for political purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates for federal office.
