http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/ Oakland County NORML en-us Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:23:40 GMT 1440 CPG-Nuke Dragonfly Oakland County NORML News http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/images/logo.gif http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/ http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=299 LAWMAN CALLS FOR ENDING POT PROHIBITION by Greg Francisco, (Source:Saginaw News) 22 Aug 2008 Michigan ------- Recently, while driving through Saginaw, I happened to tune into a radio program featuring an interview with , who was railing against the dangers of marijuana. Speaking as a former federal law enforcement officer, I would like to respond. We can argue from now until doomsday whether marijuana is a deadly gateway drug, a simple plant neither inherently good nor evil or a great boon to mankind given by a loving creator. And we can continue to completely miss the point. The real question should be, is prohibition the best way to deal with the dangers, real or imagined, of marijuana? Marijuana is here to stay, deeply ingrained in our society. Thinking we ever will achieve the utopian vision of a marijuana-free society is just so much wishful thinking. Read more. . . Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:23:40 GMT http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=298 Federal Court Rules U.S. Government May Not Deliberately Subvert California’s Medical Marijuana Laws (8/20/2008) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: media@aclu.org SAN JOSE, CA - In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a federal court today held that the U.S. Constitution bars deliberate subversion by the federal government of state medical marijuana laws. "Utilizing selective arrests and prosecutions, the federal government has sought to sabotage California’s reasoned approach to medical marijuana use," said Graham Boyd, Director of the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project. "For the first time, a court has recognized that a calculated plan by the federal government to undercut state medical marijuana laws is patently unconstitutional. Today’s decision forecasts an end to any organized federal effort to sabotage state medical marijuana laws." While previous high-profile cases affirmed the federal government’s power to enforce federal drug laws against individual medical marijuana patients and providers on a case-by-case basis, today’s ruling clearly recognizes that a calculated pattern of federal enforcement can render state medical marijuana laws effectively inoperable, which would violate the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. "It is obvious to anyone paying attention that federal officials have gone to great lengths to sabotage state efforts to allow for appropriate medical marijuana use," said Boyd. "The court made clear that this deliberate interference - once proved - would be unequivocally unconstitutional." Read more. . . Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:24:36 GMT http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=297 CA Attorney General Directs Law Enforcement on Medical Marijuana August 25th, 2008 Comprehensive recommendations include protection of dispensaries Sacramento, CA -- California Attorney General Jerry Brown issued long-awaited guidelines on medical marijuana today with support from advocates and law enforcement alike. The guidelines direct law enforcement on how to approach encounters with medical marijuana patients and establish a road map for local police policies. However, more significantly, the guidelines provide recommendations for operating medical marijuana dispensaries in accordance with state law. Specifically, the Attorney General states that, "a properly organized and operated collective or cooperative that dispenses medical marijuana through a storefront may be lawful under California law." The guidelines are the culmination of years of work by Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and other advocates to educate and urge action from the Attorney General and other state officials. "Today we stand beside the Attorney General of California in his effort to fully implement the state's medical marijuana law," said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford. "We welcome this leadership and expect that compliance with these guidelines will result in fewer unnecessary arrests, citations and seizures of medicine from qualified patients and their primary caregivers." Read more. . . Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:22:01 GMT http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=296 ELECTION 2008 Mich. voters to decide on medical marijuana, lifting stem cell research ban BY DAWSON BELL • FREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU • AUGUST 21, 2008 LANSING – The field of statewide ballot proposals for 2008 appears to be set at two – medical marijuana and embryonic stem cell research – following approval of ballot wording by a state elections panel today. The proposal to permit the cultivation, possession and use of marijuana by patients with certain debilitating illness, like muscular dystrophy and HIV-AIDS, was designated as Proposal 1 by the Board of State Canvassers. Read more. . . Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:54:13 GMT http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=295 CALIFORNIA WINS ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW (Source:Porterville Recorder) 13 Aug 2008 California ------- Fourth District Court of Appeal upholds validity of state law over federal supremacy On July 31 California's Fourth District Court of Appeal affirmed that California's medical marijuana laws are valid despite the fact that federal law does not make any provision for the medicinal use of marijuana. This means that state, county and local officials, whether they like the laws put in place by the people through the initiative process and later the Legislature, are duty-bound the implement those laws. For years various officials who don't approve of the laws that give bona fide patients the right to use, possess and grow marijuana have argued that because federal law places marijuana on Schedule I ( which prohibits any use, including medical ) under the 1974 Controlled Substances Act ( CSA ), that the California law is invalid. The doctrine of "federal supremacy," they have argued, doesn't allow states to have less restrictive laws. That argument was always disingenuous or worse. Read more. . . Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:14:28 GMT http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=294 Inhaled Cannabis Halts HIV Pain, Study Says Clinical Trial Results Undermine Feds' 'Flat Earth' Position That Pot Lacks Medical Efficacy August 13, 2008 - San Diego, CA, US San Diego, CA: Inhaled cannabis significantly reduces HIV-associated neuropathy compared to placebo, according to clinical trial data published online on the website of the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. Investigators at the University of California at San Diego, in conjunction with the University of California Center for Medical Cannabis Research, assessed the efficacy of inhaled cannabis in 28 HIV patients with neuropathic (nerve-related) pain not adequately controlled by other pain-relievers. Researchers reported that the proportion of subjects achieving a pain reduction of 30 percent or more was greater for those smoking cannabis than among those smoking the placebo. “Smoked cannabis … (1-8% THC) significantly reduced neuropathic pain intensity in HIV-associated DPSN (distal sensory polyneuropathy) compared to placebo, when added to stable concomitant analgesics,” authors conclude Read more. . . Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:09:28 GMT http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=293 Schizophrenics Report Subjective Relief From Cannabis, Study Says September 13, 2008 - Adelaide, Australia Adelaide, Australia: Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia report obtaining subjective relief from cannabis to control various symptoms associated with the disease, according to survey data published in the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. An investigator at Flinders University in South Australia interviewed 30 patients aged between 18 and 65 who had a DSM-IV comorbid diagnosis of schizophrenia and cannabis 'abuse.' The investigator reported that over half of the respondents reported using cannabis to control schizophrenic symptoms. Of those interviewed, 25 patients reported that smoking cannabis reduced their anxiety; 21 patients said that marijuana helped them to forget childhood trauma; and 12 stated that cannabis "enhanc[ed] their spiritual awareness." Read more. . . Fri, 15 Aug 2008 01:03:53 GMT http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=292 FBI LOOKING INTO POT RAID OF MARYLAND MAYOR'S HOME by Associated Press, (Source:Los Angeles Times) 08 Aug 2008 Maryland ------- Cheye Calvo and His Wife Appear to Be Innocent Victims of a Marijuana Smuggling Scheme. Their Two Dogs Were Shot Dead by Officers. BERWYN HEIGHTS, MD. -- Mayor Cheye Calvo got home from work, saw a package addressed to his wife on the front porch and brought it inside. Suddenly, police with guns drawn kicked in the door and stormed in, shooting to death the couple's two dogs and seizing the unopened package. Inside was 32 pounds of marijuana that evidently didn't belong to the couple. Police now say the mayor and his wife appear to have been innocent victims of a scheme by two men to smuggle millions of dollars' worth of the drug by having it delivered to about half a dozen unsuspecting recipients. Read more. . . Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:38:46 GMT http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=291 DNC NOT GREEN ENOUGH FOR DENVER by Mason Tvert, (Source:Denver Post) 04 Aug 2008 Colorado ------- Organizers of this year's Democratic National Convention have talked a lot about making it the "greenest" political convention ever. Yet one particularly popular green substance has been conspicuously absent from their plans and the public discussion: marijuana. After all, the convention is being hosted in Denver, a city known not only for its commitment to sustainability, but also for being the first municipality in the nation to make possession and private use of marijuana legal for adults. A solid majority of voters approved a ballot initiative doing so in 2005. Denver is not the only Democratic stronghold where people have called for change. And a 2006 Zogby poll found that a majority of citizens living on the coasts think the drug should be regulated like alcohol. Read more. . . Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:27:23 GMT http://www.oaklandnorml.org/cms/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=290 Members Of Congress Demand An End To Federal Pot Possession Arrests. The Use Of Cannabis “Ought To Be None Of The Government's Business,” Lawmakers Say At Capitol Hill Press Conference July 31, 2008 - Washington, DC, US Washington, DC: Members of Congress called on lawmakers to enact legislation that would limit the government's authority to arrest and prosecute adults who possess marijuana for their own personal use. The federal government should “not lock people up or use scarce federal resources to arrest people for using or possessing … marijuana,” Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) announced at a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday. “The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government's business. I don't think it is the government's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time.” Rep. Frank, along with Reps. William Lacy Clay (D-MO) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), called on lawmakers to support legislation, HR 5843, which would eliminate federal penalties for the possession and non-profit transfer of marijuana by adults. Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), William Lacy Clay, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ron Paul (R-TX), and Jim McDermott (D-WA) are co-sponsoring the bill, entitled “the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008.” Read more. . . Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:55:24 GMT