Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act 2008 – Feds Need to Follow State’s Lead

Headline: April 23.2008 – Two Medical Marijuana Bills Introduced In House – This summer, the U.S. House of Representatives will again have a chance to affirm the rights of states to manage the health and welfare of their citizens. Let your representatives know how you feel about this legislation and these crucial issues.

HR 5842 – “The Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act“ was introduced on April 17th, 2008 by a MD – Dr. Ron Paul (R) TX, who is also running for president.  Rep. Barney Frank (D) MA is a co-sponsor of the legislation, having introduced similar bills in the past. HR 5842 would remove federal opposition to doctors prescribing Medical Cannabis and protect those patients in states that have legalized medical marijuana. The following video, featuring Rep. Frank and Rep. Paul speaking about this issue last year, shows that true conservatives and true liberals can agree on medical marijuana.Bi-Partisan Support for Medical Marijuana

HR 5843 – “Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults“ – This legislation could legalize small amounts of Cannabis (100 grams – about 3.5 ounces) at the federal level for everyone in America. Also, transfers of one ounce between friends, if no money changes hands, would also be legal. Public use of marijuana would be subject to a $100 fine. This legislation could also help defuse the conflict between the federal government and patients in legal medical marijuana states.

Meanwhile, several states are moving ahead on their own to protect their citizen’s right to use the best medicine and in one state, a jury has said it first:

Headline: March 3.2008 – MI: Pot for Medical Use on Ballot – This November, the voters of Michigan will have the opportunity to vote for a medical marijuana bill (time has elapsed for the state legislature to enact the proposal, per state law), as the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care has collected many more signatures than necessary for the initiative to move forward.

In this video, Irv Rosenfeld, a stock broker who has received legal medical Cannabis from the U.S. government for 25 years, testifies before the State of Michigan Committee on Government Operations last year.Irv Rosenfeld’s Michigan Medical Marijuana Testimony

Headline: March 6.2008 – IL: Lawmaker Lights Up Medical Pot Bill Again– A Senate committee in the Illinois State House has approved legislation that would establish a medical marijuana program in the state, administered by the Department of Public Health. Patients would receive ID cards after recommendations from their doctors.

Multiple Sclerosis patient Julie Falco, of Chicago,  testified to the committee that marijuana was more effective for her condition than pharmaceutical drugs, without causing negative side effects.  Still, there’s always the worry that she will get in trouble, she said. In the following video posted by Illinois Compassion Action, Julie chronicles her twenty year battle with MS, the pharmaceuticals she tried to take and their effects, the value of Cannabis for her symptoms and the support of her doctor.Illinois Cannabis Patient Julie

Headline: March 29.2008 – TX: Jury Finds Man Needed Marijuana for His HIV – In a state where “Medical Necessity” is not allowed as a defence for Cannabis possession, a jury has found otherwise, agreeing that an AIDS patient’s use of marijuana for nausea and vomiting was justified. 

In this video, a Multiple Sclerosis patient from Texas, Tim Timmons demonstrates his use of medical marijuana, observes the political support by candidates like Barack Obama and Ron Paul, and challenges the state of Texas to “Arrest me, Now!“, if the state really believes that jail is the appropriate measure for medical marijuana patients.Medical Marijuana – Texas – Tim Timmons

Headline: April 7.2008 – RI May See Legal Marijuana Sales– A year after Rhode Island became the 12th state to legalize marijuana for medicine and one of three states to do this through their legislatures (Hawaii, New Mexico), doctors and lawmakers are now moving to establish “compassion centers“, which would distribute medical Cannabis to the patients in the state program, as well as provide education to patients and their caregivers. Only California and New Mexico have provisions in their laws for state-run distribution systems. Here is a good news story about the issue in Rhode Island.Rhode Island Medical Marijuana Compassion Centers

A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement.
        -THOMAS JEFFERSON     First Inaugural Address,1801

“Legalize Marijuana on Federal Level”, says Rep. Barney Frank (D) MA

*** Update: April 18.2008 – Rep. Barney Frank has introduced this bill – H.R. 5843 -“Act to Remove Federal Penalties for Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults“. Please tell your representative to support this legislation! ***

Headline: March 21.2008 – Rep. Frank to File Bill to Legalize Marijuana – When the U.S. House of Representatives reconvenes shortly, Rep. Barney Frank (D) MA, has stated that he will introduce legislation to legalize small amounts of marijuana (Cannabis) on the federal level. Making the announcement on “Real Time”, hosted by Bill Maher (Friday night on HBO), Rep. Frank said that locking people up for smoking marijuana is “pretty silly.”

As Barney Frank is a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, he knows full well the priorities faced by legislators regarding law and order. Here is a video post from Friday night’s “Real Time“, with Bill Maher and Barney’s bombshell:Rep. Barney Frank – Make Room For The Serious Criminals Bill

Barney Frank has realized for years that most politicians are way behind the American people on the marijuana issue, even ignoring the results of free and open elections in states that have legalized Cannabis for medical purposes.

In this video from a National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws conference in Washington, DC, 2001, Barney Frank questions the logic of “conservatives”, normally respectful of a state’s right to autonomy on the health and welfare of its’ citizens, in defying the will of the people and the Constitution.Rep. Barney Frank (MA): Marijuana, Politics & State’s Rights

Headline: March 23, 2008 – Rep. Frank Defends Proposal to Decriminalize Marijuana – Yesterday in the Boston Herald, Barney Frank  expressed concern about the federal raids on medical marijuana clubs in California, saying “I don’t think smoking marijuana should be a federal case”. Also, he insists that “the federal government shouldn’t have a law on the books that is rarely enforced and which doesn’t make sense to large portions of the public”.

*** Please Educate your Representatives in Congress, especially the House of Representatives, on the tragedy, enormous cost and ineffectiveness of the prohibtion of Cannabis. Tell your friends to tell their friends…to support Rep. Frank’s legislation. Call your elected officials on this – it’s your duty as a citizen.***

Cultural leaders like comedian and social critic Bill Maher, who take a stand on problems that the public seems unable to fix, are providing a service by sharing their stage with political leaders brave enough to challenge taboos. With a personal stake in the issue  (his friend Todd McCormick was in prison for researching medical marijuana production for a book project with Peter McWilliams), Bill Maher (then still hosting “Politically Incorrect”) spoke to a highly receptive NORML convention in San Francisco in 2002 on the tragic comedy of America’s war on marijuana.Bill Maher on Marijuana Legalization, NORML 2002

The inequities in our drug laws and the hypocritical politicians that dream them up have frustrated Americans for decades, especially as we export our convoluted, Neo-Puritan ideas out to the rest of the world – even alienating our neighbors in Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. Reforming our drug laws would go far in reforming our image in the eyes of the world and politicians in the eyes of Americans.

“It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.”
-Thomas Jefferson

Marijuana Decriminalization Debate in MA & NH

***Update*** – Nov 5, 2008 – Massachusetts is now the 13th state to decriminalize Cannabis (marijuana) and Michigan is the 13th state to legalize Cannabis as medicine! Read more on a post from NORML.

Headline: March 18.2008 – MA: Lawmakers Consider Marijuana Legalization– (Actually, the headline should read “Decriminalization” – more on the difference later)

Members of the Massachusetts legislature’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary are considering change in their state’s law on Cannabis possession, constitutionally bound to address an initiative brought by the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy(CSMP). The legislature has until May 6 to pass the initiative and send it to the governor, draft its own version to place on the ballot, or take no action and allow CSMP to continue the initiative process.

The initiative, House bill No.  4468, is titled “An Act Establishing a Sensible Marijuana Policy for the Commonwealth.”

“By creating a civil penalty system for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, the initiative will greatly reduce the human and financial costs of current laws.  Massachusetts’ taxpayers spend $29.5 million a year just to arrest and book these offenders.  Even more costly is the creation of a criminal record for the approximately 7,500 offenders arrested every year”, stated Whitney A.  Taylor, campaign manager for CSMP

Predictably, the wailing and gnashing of teeth has begun, as seen in this video of a MA state representative regurgitating the “gateway drug” myth and even suggesting that alcohol could be prohibited again. This video provided by The Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition (MASS CANN):MA State Rep- Martin “Mental Institution” Walsh on Decrim

Ironically, the only way Cannabis (marijuana) can be considered a “gateway drug” is in the context of its’ prohibition. That is, to obtain marijuana, one must contact a dealer in the “black market” – exposing one to the whole gamut of illegal drugs. If it were legal, no such connection need be made. Indeed, in European countries where Cannabis is legal or decriminalized, its’ use among teenagers is lower than in the U.S. Every American teen knows that it’s easier to buy marijuana than beer.

Scientifically, it has been shown that physically addictive drugs like tobacco and alcohol actually wire the brain for addiction, especially in the young, thereby setting the stage for more addictions.  Real world data shows that marijuana users tend to not use hard drugs. Unfortunately, drug testing is driving more and more people to narcotics like methamphetamine, cocaine and alcohol, as these drugs pass out of the system quickly – enabling one to keep ones’ job.

A legimate concern for the citizens of Massachusetts is law and order, as some think that prohibition keeps crime down – contrary to logic and experience. Organized crime; drive-by shootings; corruption of law enforcement and other government institutions; impure, contaminated products; lack of respect for the law – all these societal horrors were experienced during alcohol prohibition and our “drug war” alike.

 Jack Cole, a former undercover narcotics officer and an original signer of the initiative, is a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and will be testifying at the hearing for MA House bill 4468. Dean Becker of the Drug Truth Network interviewed Jack Cole for this video:Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Interview

 If Massachusetts decriminalizes marijuana, it will join twelve states that have done so since 1973. Amazingly, civilization has endured and life goes on in these states.

Meanwhile, north of the boarder in New Hampshire…

 Headline:March 19.2008 – N.H. House OKs Marijuana Bill – Sparked by a backlash against tragic consequences resulting from the Higher Education Act (HEA), New Hampshire’s House of Representatives has voted to decriminalize possession of up to a quarter-ounce of marijuana (Cannabis). Currently, possession is a criminal misdemeanor that can result in up to a year in county jail and/or fines up to $2,000. If  HB 1623 makes it past the state Senate over the opposition of Governor Lynch, citizens of New Hampshire would  face a $200 fine for a 1/4 ounce or less.

“Our representatives in the House did the right thing for New Hampshire and especially for New Hampshire’s young people”, said Matt Simon of the NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy.

The New Hampshire Coalition has been working for three years to change state marijuana laws, but an infamous “drug warrior”- Rep. Mark Souder (R)IN, author of overreaching and unfair provisions in the HEA, is getting some of the credit for drawing attention to inequities needing remedy. The fact that a college student can lose access to student loans for a minor drug violation, while perpetrators of much more serious crimes face no such penalty,  is an inequity in dire need of correction and has been opposed by Students For Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and many other education advocacy organizations.

 SSDP has a Students for Sensible Drug Policy “Channel” on You Tube that features videos educating the public about the HEA provisions, including this one from the viewpoint of Rep. Mark Souder:Mark Souder expresses his love for NORML and SSDP

The Ridley Report on You Tube has several videos folowing this issue in New Hamphire:NH: State House passes marijuana decrim, but…

It is important to remember that alcohol was decriminalized during all of the prohibition of the 1920’s, so decrim’ is certainly not a satisfactory conclusion to Cannabis law reform.  (Decriminalization means that only dealers and manufacturers of a substance face criminal prosecution, whereas users face “only” fines, somtimes quite substantial.)

Many drug warriors will assert that few people go to jail just for small amounts of pot. Although these arrests/prosecutions are wildly arbitrary throughout America,  there is a “de facto” acceptance of decriminalization, even in non-decrim states.  In fact, the large fines Americans shell out for pot “offences” fill county coffers and long probations ensure warm bodies for the prohibition/industrial complex to consume for years to come. 

The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the Prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this.
Albert Einstein, My First Impression of the U.S.A., 1921

Cannabis Hemp Extract Cures Disease – Inventor Sentenced to Time Served!

Headline: March 18.2008 – Hemp Oil Supplier Slams Laws– A man from Nova Scotia, Canada, is attracting world-wide attention from the concentrated medicinal oil he makes from the Cannabis Hemp plant (marijuana).  Rick Simpson founded “Phoenix Tears” to manufacter the concentrated oil – pressed from the female flower tops, not the hemp seed oil now well known for it’s Essential Fatty Acid profile.

“Mr.  Simpson is in an unusual position, because unlike other people engaged in the drug trade, he was not engaged in trafficking for financial gain,” Judge Beaton said Monday.  “He was engaged in an altruistic activity and was firm in his belief that he was helping others.”

“The resin is the medicine”, says  Simpson, on “Run From the Cure“, a documentary about the amazing healing herb, his battle with the authorities to continue making the medicine for people with “incurable” illnesses and some of the three hundred patients who report “miraculous” cures from many conditions, including cancer. “Run From the Cure – The Rick Simpson Story“, by Tidal Lake Prductions can be viewed in seven parts on You Tube:RUN FROM THE CURE – The Rick Simpson Story (Part 1 of 7)

“Phoenix Tears“, being a natural extract of Cannabis flowers, features two key ingredients – “Trichomes” – tiny Cannabinoid-laden, crystal-clear stalks sometimes refered to as “Kief”, that bristle like hairs on the mature flowers; and “Terpenes” – medicinal oils that coat the surface of the flower. These oils are now recognized to be a very important component of the therapeutic profile of Cannabis.

At the 2002 Cannabis Therapeutics Conference in Portland OR, Dr. Geoffrey Guy, Founder and President of GW Pharmaceuticals, U.K.,  a company that grows large amounts of high and low THC Cannabis for whole plant extracts, refers to the medicinal value of terpenes and Cannabinoids in his presentation on medicinal strains of Cannabis:Medical Cannabis Strains – Geoffrey Guy, MD

Cannabis Therapeutics Conferences sponsored by Patients Out of Time

Like Rick Simpson, GW Pharmaceuticals is growing Cannabis to extract the concentrated essence of the plant, not a synthetic isolate like Marinol (pure THC). Whole extracts of Cannabis have been trusted for centuries as a safe, effective and amazingly non-toxic herbal medicine. Our ancestors in America knew it well, as Cannabis tinctures and other compounds were in one third of all medical preparations in the 1800’s, making it the most prescribed medicine of that century.

In 21st century, exciting new science has confirmed the miraculous healing powers of the Cannabis Hemp plant, as well as the “Endo-Cannabinoid system” – the mechanism in all mammals that maintains balance in many systems in the body, including immune; respiratory; neuromuscular; gastrointestinal; reproductive and more.

Dr. Robert Melamede, Professor of Biology at the University of Colorado, eloquently explains the intricate workings of the Endo-Cannabinoid system and it’s role as “homeostatic regulator” – facilitating neurotransmission and balance in inbalanced conditions like auto-immune diseases and cancers.Cancer Cure – Cannabis & Cannabinoids,by Robert Melamede,PhD 

Calling Cannabis a “Miracle Drug”, Dr. Melamede postulates that Cannabinoids from the plant act as a suppliment to the body’s own Cannabinoids, especially when the Endo-Cannabinoid system is over-taxed by biological or biochemical stresses, like the increasing plethora of toxins in our environment that elevate free-radical production.

Ironically, the first commercial end-product from GW Pharmaceuticals, “Sativex“, has been licensed for trials and distribution in Canada. Like Rick Simpson’s “Phoenix Tears“, Sativex is a whole plant extract with a remarkable safety profile. However, Rick Simpson faced prosecution for providing Cannabis medicine compassionately, while a corporate pharmaceutical company is allowed to market essentially the same thing for profit.

This inbalance in justice bodes ill for Canada, whose citizens would benefit from a safe, economical herbal preparations, made with loving care by people with intimate knowledge and experience with the Cannabis Hemp plant. Expensive products like Sativex will be welcomed by the medical community and will undoubtedly be highly effective. But to deny the people equal access to this precious gift from nature – a birthright like all natural medicines – would be nothing short of a sin.

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”   –  Genesis 1:29 (KJV)

Rick Steves & ACLU Urge Marijuana Law Reform

Headline: Feb.14.08 – Steves, ACLU Join Forces for Pot Law Reform – The host of the popular PBS travel series, “Rick Steves’ Europe” is working with the American Civil Liberties Union to educate the public to the urgent need for change in America’s marijuana laws. Together, they have produced, “Marijuana: It’s Time for a Conversation“, a new television broadcast debuting in the state of Washington:Marijuana: It’s Time For A Conversation [Part 1 of 3]

Now on the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Rick Steves’ experience in Europe is the primary reason he feels compelled to criticize America’s war on marijuana, having seen firsthand that a decriminalization approach is superior and that we need to follow the European trend of differentiating between “hard” and “soft” drugs.

In this video from the 2007 NORML Convention in Los Angeles, CA, Rick Steves speaks to Dean Becker, a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and the Drug Truth Network, about concerns of law enforcement,  the European model of treating Cannabis use as a health issue – not a criminal one, and his  view of the general use of marijuana as a civil rights issue.Rick Steves Smokes Pot – DrugTruth.net

The American Civil Liberties Union has also seen the civil rights issue in the drug war, including racial disparities and violations of the Bill of Rights. According to ACLU research,  $7.5 billion is spent annually for marijuana law enforcement in America, with 830,000 arrested each year.

Formerly Executive Director of the ACLU, Ira Glasser is now President of the Drug Policy Alliance, a reform organization working for reform of all drug laws. The DPA held it’s 2007 annual convention in New Orleans, drawing attention to the racial unfairness of the drug war. In this video from DPA, Ira Glasser speaks to a local television reporter about these issues.War on Drugs is the New Jim Crow in New Orleans

Rick Steves has been an outspoken advocate of change in marijuana laws for five years, even appearing at the Seattle Hempfest, the largest gathering of Cannabis advocates and culture in the world. In this video, Rick Steves tells the 2007 Hempfest crowd last August that we need to “Get Smart about Drugs”Rick Steves at Seattle HempFest 2007

Rick always points out that the current “War on Drugs” is nothing but prohibition all over again, with no better results than alcohol prohibition. Indeed, the drug war is in many ways worse than alcohol prohibition (which actually was decriminalization) and has no easy way out, like repeal in 1932. The current prohibition/industrial complex is an entrenched bureaucracy of titanic proportions, consuming around a billion dollars per week (combined state and federal). As federal funding winds down due to lack of resources, the American public must find creative ways out of the mess wrought by the drug warriors. If we don’t, chaos will ensue as we are left with the lawlessness of the prohibition, with no tools to confront it and no guidance to find our way out.

There never was a good war or a bad peace.
Benjamin Franklin (1773)

Cannabis Legal Issues, Jan.08 – Will of the Voters in CO & MA

Denver, CO – Jan.29.08: Pot Vote May Get Backing– In accordance with Initiative 100, passed by 57% of Denver voters last year, the Mayor’s “Marijuana Policy Review Panel” is preparing to recommend that “…the Denver city attorney will not seek convictions in city prosecutions for petty offenses of possession of less than an ounce of marijuana”. This follows attempts by some to scuttle the initiative.Denver City Council might enact marijuana reform initiative

Boston, MA – Jan.27.08: Marijuana Measures Head to Voters, Hill – The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which is sponsoring a ballot effort to decriminalize the possession of less than an ounce of pot in the state of Massachusetts, has submitted over 81,000 petition signatures to the Secretary of State. If the Statehouse doesn’t respond by May 6th, then 11,099 more signatures will be needed to place the initiative on next November’s ballot.MA Governor Deval Patrick Has More Important Things To Do! –Decrim hearings at MA Statehouse.

Hemp Industry News – Jan, 08 – Hemp in the U.K.

Headline: Work Under Way On Suffolk Hemp Factory (U.K.)– Hemcore has begun construction on what is to be the largest hemp factory in the world, eventually processing 50,000 tonnes on hemp fiber per year.  More hemp farmers and acreage will be put under contract to supply the plant, producing materials used in the automobile industry and insulation.

America used to have regional hemp processing mills, producing environmentally-friendly, high-quality industrial fiber produscts. In this video, you can see the types of products produced by Hemcore. Craig Lee, of the Kentucky Hemp Museum, demonstates a traditional, hand – operated “hemp break”, producing long fibers, short fiber “tow” and the “hurds” – rich in cellulose.Hemp Break with Craig Lee & KY Hemp Museum

Headline: – Jan.23.08 – VT: Proposed Legislation Would Permit Cultivation of Hemp – Vermont has joined five other states authorizing farmers to return to hemp farming, now a growing industry in neighboring Canada. Unfortunately, the federal government has given the DEA authority over hemp, because of marijuana prohibition, and the agency has so far refused to issue any permits to hemp farmers.

The 1942 documentary, Hemp for Victory, shows the history and potential of the hemp industry in America. This film was discovered by historian Jack Herer in the Library of Congress, which denied it’s existence.Hemp For Victory

Medical Cannabis, Jan.2008 – Cannabinoid Cancer Cure Redux

Cannabinoid Cancer Cure – U.S. Government Knew in 1974!

Seeing the headline out of Germany this week, “New Study Shows Marijuana May Fight Cancer“, I checked if it was Groundhog Day, as I’d heard this before. I flashed all the way back to 1974, when the U.S. government sought to prove something bad about marijuana, only to prove something good instead –that THC inhibited cancer tumor growth! And forward to the 2000, when Dr. Manuel Guzman of Complutense University, Madrid, Spain and his research team announced success in destroying incurable cancer tumors in the brain’s of rats. If that’s not paradigm-shaking enough, surrounding brain tissue was protected, raising amazing possibilities for Cannabinoids used in combination with other cancer therapies and demonstrating their neuroprotective properties. Dr. Guzman has released a fascinating overview of the Madrid studies, available as a PDF,”Cannabinoids: Potential AntiCancer Agents”

I will get to hear and film Dr. Guzman himself this April in California, when he presents his findings to the Fifth Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, hosted by Patients Out of Time. For the meantime, Cannabis TV has posted an interview of Dr. Robert Melamede, biology professor at University of Colorado (Colorado Springs), explaining how the body’s own Endo-Cannabinoid system and plant derived Cannabinoids play a modulatory role as “global homeostatic regulator” in many body systems and their role in cancer tumor growth inhibition.  “Cancer Cure – Cannabis & Cannabinoids, by Dr. Robert Melamede, PhD“

Headline: Cannabis Pill On Horizon – The Netherlands– The race is on to corner a potential $5.8 Billion global market for Cannabis-based pharmaceuticals, even as the prohibition of marijuana in Europe escalates and people attempting to use whole, natural Cannabis for medicine continue to be forcibly compelled to use only legal medications.

The United States allowed a marijuana pill to be developed in the early 1980’s. Marinol (dronabinol), synthetic THC, is a “Schedule Three” drug (under the Controlled Substances Act), able to be prescribed for various symptoms, including wasting syndrome associated with chemotherapy and AIDS and chronic pain. Marinol is expensive, marginally effective and makes users uncomfortably “high”, lacking the chemical buffers and balance of the natural plant. Cannabis (marijuana) remains on Schedule One (having no medical use).

At Second Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, 2004 in Portland, OR, hosted by Patients Out of Time, Dr. Ethan Russo examines the effectiveness of Marinol in this video segment,  a study of several patients receiving natural marijuana, grown by the U.S. government.Chronic Medical Cannabis Use by U.S. Legal Patients, Part 3

If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.
– Thomas Jefferson