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Medical Marijuana Legalization Not Associated With Increases In Youth Pot Use,
Study Says |
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Providence, RI, USA: The enactment of state laws allowing for
the limited use of cannabis by physician-authorized patients is not associated with increases in young people's
self-reported use of the substance, according to survey data presented last
week by researchers at the annual meeting of the American Public Health
Association.
A team of investigators from Brown University in
Rhode Island, Boston Medical Center, and the Oregon Health & Science
University compared trends in adolescents' use of cannabis in the states of
Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Rhode Island lawmakers enacted
medical marijuana legislation in 2006 while Massachusetts' law does not allow
for the legal use of the drug. Based on their analysis of 32,570 students,
investigators determined that while marijuana use was common throughout the
study period, there were no statistically significant differences in teens'
use of cannabis between the <continued
on page 3 > |
Members Of
Congress Condemn Obama Administration's Crackdown On Medicinal Cannabis
Providers
"No longer should the federal government's laws
supersede the wishes of local citizens who have decided that their fellow
neighbors ought ... to legitimately use medical marijuana" Washington, DC, USA: Members of Congress are urging President Obama to halt the Justice Department's
crackdown on California's medical cannabis providers and are calling on the <continued
on page 3 > _________________________________________ Federal Lawsuit Seeks To Halt Obama
Administration's Crackdown On California's Medical Cannabis Patients And
Providers
San Francisco, CA, USA: Members of the NORML Legal Committee, led by
Matt Kumin and David Michael from San Francisco and Alan Silber from
Roseland, NJ, filed suit on Monday against the federal government in an
effort to halt the Obama administration's <continued
on page 3 > |
Survey: Cannabis Use Associated With Reduced Intake
Of Prescription Drugs
Berkeley, CA, USA: Survey data collected from the members of a
prominent Berkeley, California medical marijuana collective indicates that
most patients reduce their intake of conventional medications following their
initiation of cannabis therapy. The results of an anonymous <continued
on page 4 > _________________________________________ California
Society Of Addiction Medicine Calls For The 'Constructive Regulation' Of Marijuana
San Francisco, CA, USA: The California chapter
of the American Society of Addiction Medicines (ASAM) has issued a paper calling for the legalization and regulation of the
adult use of cannabis. The preliminary paper, entitled 'Youth First:
Reconstructing Drug Policy, <continued
on page 4 > |
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* Volume 8, Issue 11 * November * 2011
* www.MercyCenters.org *
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* The MERCY News * |
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_____________________ The MERCY News Report is an
all-volunteer, not-for-profit project to record and broadcast news,
announcements and information about medical cannabis in Oregon, across
America and around the World. For more information about the MERCY News, contact us. Via
Snail Mail: The MERCY
News 1469 Capital
St. NE, Suite 100, Salem, Ore.,
97301 503.363-4588 E-mail: Mercy_Salem@hotmail.com Or
our WWW page: www.MercyCenters.org Check it
out! ___________________________ MERCY On The Tube!
in Salem,
Oregon area thru Capital Community Television, Channel 23.
Call In – 503.588-6444 - on Friday at 7pm, or See us on Wednesdays
at 06:30pm, Thursdays at 07:00pm, Fridays at 10:30pm and Saturdays at
06:00pm. Visit – http://mercycenters.org/tv/ |
About
MERCY – The Medical Cannabis Resource Center MERCY is a non-profit, grass roots organization founded
by patients, their friends and family and other compassionate and concerned
citizens in the area and is dedicated to helping and advocating for those
involved with the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP). MERCY is based in the
Salem, Oregon area and staffed on a volunteer basis. The
purpose is to get medicine to patients in the short-term while working with
them to establish their own independent sources. To
this end we provide, among other things, ongoing education to people and
groups organizing clinics and other Patient Resources, individual physicians
and other healthcare providers about the OMMP, cannabis as medicine and
doctor rights in general. The mission of the organization
is to help people and change the laws. We advocate reasonable, fair and effective
marijuana laws and policies, and strive to educate, register and empower
voters to implement such policies. Our philosophy is one of teaching
people to fish, rather than being dependent upon others. Want to get your Card? Need Medicine Now? Welcome to The Club! MERCY – the Medical Cannabis Resource Center
hosts Mercy Club Meetings every Wednesday at - 1469 Capital
Street NE, Suite #100, Salem, 97301 – from 7pm to 9pm to
help folks get their card, network patients to medicine, assist in finding a
grower or getting to grow themselves, or ways and means to medicate along
other info and resources depending on the issue. visit – www.MercyCenters.org
- or Call 503.363-4588 for more. The Doctor is In ... Salem! * MERCY is Educating Doctors on signing for their
Patients; Referring people to Medical Cannabis Consultations when their
regular care physician won't sign for them; and listing all Clinics around
the state in order to help folks Qualify for the OMMP and otherwise Get their
Cards. For our Referral Doc in Salem,
get your records to – 1469 Capital Street NE, Suite
#100, Salem, 97301, NOTE: There is a $25 non-refundable deposit
required. Transportation and Delivery
Services available for those in need.
For our Physician Packet to educate your Doctor, or a List of Clinics
around the state, visit – www.MercyCenters.org
- or Call 503.363-4588 for more. Other Medical Cannabis Resource NetWork Opportunities
for Patients as well as CardHolders-to-be.
* whether Social meeting, Open to public –or- Cardholders Only *
visit: http://mercycenters.org/events/Meets.html ! Also Forums - a means to
communicate and network on medical cannabis in Portland across Oregon and
around the world. A list of
Forums, Chat Rooms, Bulletin Boards and other Online Resources for the
Medical Cannabis Patient, CareGiver, Family Member, Patient-to-Be and Other
Interested Parties. * Resources > Patients (plus) > Online
> Forums * Know any? Let everybody else know!
Visit: http://mercycenters.org/orgs/Forums.html and Post It! |
2 mercycenter@hotmail.com * |
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<continued from MEDICAL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION and YOUTH POT USE, page 1 > two states in any year. "Our study did not find increases in adolescent
marijuana use related to Rhode Island's 2006 legalization of medical
marijuana," stated the study's lead investigator in a press release. Researchers at the Texas A&M Health Science
center had previously published similar findings,
determining, "[C]onsistent with other studies of the liberalization of
cannabis laws, medical cannabis laws do not appear to increase use of the
drug." For more information, please contact Allen
St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500 or Paul Armentano,
NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. _____________________________________________________________ <continued from CONGRESS PROTESTS, page 1 > Administration to reschedule the plant in
recognition of its therapeutic utility.
Earlier this month, United States Deputy
Attorney General James Cole, along with the four US Attorneys from
California, announced
plans to escalate federal prosecutorial efforts targeting the state's
medical cannabis dispensaries and providers. Since their announcement, US
Attorneys have sent eviction notices to the landlords and the financial institutions of several cannabis providers
throughout the state. |
The Representatives' letter to Obama states:
"During your presidential campaign you repeatedly pledged to end federal
raids against the individuals and collectives authorized by state law to use
or provide medical cannabis. ... By pursuing the same harsh policies that
have been in place for years, we fear that the federal government will push
legitimate patients back into the uncertainty and danger of the illicit
market. For these reasons, it is more important now than ever to reschedule
marijuana as a legitimate controlled substance for medicinal purposes. ... No
longer should the federal government's laws supersede the wishes of local
citizens who have decided that their fellow neighbors ought to have the right
to legitimately use medical marijuana." The letter concludes, "We respectfully request
that your administration reschedule marijuana ... administratively, or
publicly support the adoption of legislation that would change the federal
statute to achieve this goal." In July, the United States Drug Enforcement
Administration formally denied
a nine-year-old petition calling on the agency to initiate hearings to
reassess the present classification of marijuana as a schedule I controlled substance without any 'accepted
medical use in treatment.' For more information, please contact Keith Stroup,
NORML Legal Counsel, at: (202) 483-5500. The full text of the US House
members letter to President Obama is available online at: http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/letter.pdf. _____________________________________________________________ <continued from LAWSUIT, page 1 > ongoing crackdown on medical cannabis producers and
providers in California.
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<continued
from previous page> (Northern),Sacramento (Eastern) Los Angeles
(Central), and San Diego (Southern). In recent weeks, US Attorneys have threatened
to criminally and civilly prosecute Californians who operate medical cannabis
facilities and to seize the property of those landlords who rent to
dispensary owners. Plaintiffs are seeking a temporary restraining order
barring the Justice Department from taking further action against
state-authorized patients and their providers. They argue that the government's actions are in violation of
the Ninth, Tenth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States
Constitution. Plaintiffs also argue, using the theory of judicial
estoppel, that the Justice Department had previously affirmed in federal
court (WAMM et al v. Eric Holder et al.) that it would no longer use
federal resources to prosecute cannabis patients or providers who are
compliant with state law. Reversing that policy is tantamount to entrapment,
the suit contends. The defendants in the suits are Eric Holder,
Attorney General of the United States, Michelle Leonhart, Administrator of
the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and the US Attorneys from the four
federal districts in California. Justice Department officials have threatened to
begin closing and prosecuting various California dispensary operations and/or
their landlords this weekend. A separate
constitutional challenge, filed last month on behalf of the organization
Americans for Safe Access, is also pending.
For more information, please contact Keith Stroup, NORML Legal
Counsel, at (202) 483-5500. Text of plaintiffs' complaint for declarative and
injunctive relief is available online at: http://norml.org/pdf_files/brief_bank/2011_11_03_DOJ_Lit_Complaint_EDCA.pdf.
_____________________________________________________________ <continued
from CANNABIS USE ASSOCIATED
WITH REDUCED INTAKE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, page 1 > survey found that 66 percent of respondents
said that they consumed cannabis as a prescription drug substitute.Many
respondents |
said that they health side effects than conventional
medications. Some 70 percent of respondents said that they used
cannabis to treat a chronic condition, such as diabetes or arthritis. Just
over half said they used marijuana for pain relief, including arthritis,
migraines, and accident-related injuries. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said that they
possessed health insurance coverage. For
more information, please visit: http://www.berkeleypatientsgroup.com/. _____________________________________________________________ <continued from CALIFORNIA SOCIETY OF ADDICTION MEDICINE CALLS FOR
THE 'CONSTRUCTIVE REGULATION' OF MARIJUANA, page 1 > Regulating Marijuana,
and Increasing Access to Treatment in California,' was initially
presented at CSAM's State of the Art Conference in October. It states: "Adolescents in California have easy
access to purchasing and using marijuana. California's current medical
marijuana laws have not had significant impact on access, and have made
physicians de facto gatekeepers for access to both medical and recreational
cannabis. CSAM therefore recommends that the best course at this point is to
replace the current system of medical marijuana dispensaries and physician
recommendations with a more strictly regulated system in which physicians are
no longer gatekeepers for access, and fees and taxes from marijuana sales
preferentially support education, prevention, and intervention for youth with
marijuana-related problems." Authors add: "A system of constructive
regulation will assure that individuals are never jailed solely for possession
or use of marijuana, more youth will <continued on next page> |
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<continued
from previous page> sequestered and directed toward a multi-level Youth
First program." CSAM's call for cannabis regulation follows a
similar resolution issued last month by the California Medical Association
that recommended
lawmakers legalize and tax marijuana "in a manner similar to
alcohol." According to the Associated Press, board
members at the American Society of Addiction Medicines did not respond favorably to CSAM's report, stating:
"We oppose any changes in law and regulation that would lead to a sudden
significant increase in the availability of any dependence-producing drug.
This policy includes marijuana, a mood-altering drug capable of producing
dependence as well as serious negative mental, emotional, behavioral and
physical consequences." For more information, please contact Allen St.
Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of CSAM's
'Youth First' report is available online at: https://www.csam-asam.org/fckfiles/csam_youth_first_draft-lo-res.pdf. _____________________________________________________________ California:
State Appeals Court Says Cities Can Ban Cannabis Dispensaries
Riverside, CA, USA: A three-judge panel of the 4th District
Court of Appeals has upheld a citywide ordinance prohibiting the establishment
of brick-and-mortar facilities that engage in the distribution of cannabis to
state-authorized persons. The judges opined: "Riverside's zoning code ... states that any
(activity) which is prohibited by state and/or federal law is strictly
prohibited in Riverside. ... Where, as here, there is no clear indication of
preemptive intent from the Legislature, we presume that Riverside's zoning
regulations, in an area over which local government traditionally has
exercised control, are not preempted by state law. ... [W]e conclude
Riverside's prohibition of medical marijuana dispensaries (MMDs) in Riverside
through enacting a zoning ordinance banning MMDs is a lawful method of
limiting the use of property by regulating and restricting the |
location and establishment of MMDs in the
city." The opinion (City of Riverside v. Inland Empire
Patients' Health and Wellness Center, Inc.) is believed to be the first
to unambiguously state that local jurisdictions possess the legal authority
to outlaw such establishments through the passage of restrictive zoning
regulations. The Riverside decision follows a separate
appellate court opinion in October (Pack et al. v. Long Beach) determining that the city of Long Beach could not
legally license or authorize medical cannabis dispensaries because marijuana
remains illegal under federal law. In that case, the 2nd District Court of
Appeals ruled: "The City's ordinance, however, goes beyond
decriminalization into authorization. ... [I]t provides permits to
operate medical marijuana collectives. .... A law which 'authorizes
[individuals] to engage in conduct that the federal Act forbids ... stands as
an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and
objectives of Congress' and is therefore preempted." Both decisions are expected to be appealed to the
California Supreme Court. For more information, please contact Keith Stroup,
NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500. _____________________________________________________________ Justice Department Raids Several Washington
State Cannabis Dispensaries
Washington, DC, USA: Federal Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) agents, working in conjunction with local law enforcement officials, executed a series of raids on Tuesday on over a dozen
storefront cannabis dispensaries operating in Washington state. The raids
targeted operations in six cities in the state: Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia,
Puyallup, Lacey and Rochester. The statewide sweep comes on the heels of
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<continued
from previous page> down on the proliferation of medical cannabis
providers in
California and in Montana. The Department of Justice had previously coordinated
raids of some 26 dispensaries operating in 13 cities in
Montana this past March. Washington state voters decided in 1998 in favor of
allowing for the use and cultivation of cannabis for therapeutic purposes.
However, the law did not legalize retail dispensaries. State law does allow collective medical marijuana
gardens of up to 45 plants, or a maximum of 15 plants per patient.
Legislation introduced this year that sought to regulate and license the
operation of storefront dispensaries was ultimately vetoed by Democrat Gov. Christine Gregoire. To date, the federal government has not taken
similar prohibitive actions against cannabis dispensaries or state-authorized
providers in Colorado, Maine,
New
Mexico -- each of which explicitly license such operations under state
law. A spokesperson for the DEA said
that the federal government is not targeting "individuals with serious
illness," but rather "those operating commercial storefronts
cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana under the guise of state
medical marijuana laws. The DEA remains committed to the enforcement of the
Controlled Substances Act in all states." In March 2009, as a Presidential candidate, Barack
Obama pledged to cease utilizing "Justice Department
resources to try and circumvent state laws" that allowed for the
physician recommended use of cannabis. For more information, please
contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Keith Stroup, NORML
Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500. _____________________________________________________________ Cannabinoid Improves Locomotor Function,
Reduces Injury In Animal Model Of Spinal Cord Injury
Sao Paulo, Brazil: The administration of the non-psychotropic cannabis
plant constituent cannabidiol (CBD) improves mobility in rats |
with spinal cord injuries, according to preclinical data
published in the journal Neurotoxicity Research. Investigators at the University of Sao Paulo in
Brazil assessed the impact of CBD
on motor function in rats with cryogenically induced spinal cord injury. The
animals received injections of a placebo or CBD immediately before, three
hours after and daily for sixdays after surgery. Researchers reported that cannabidiol-treated rats
exhibited higher locomotor skills at the end of one week. "Cannabidiol improved locomotor functional
recovery and reduced injury extent, suggesting that it could be useful in the
treatment of spinal cord lesions," investigators concluded. Previous studies of CBD have documented the
cannabinoid to possess a variety of therapeutic abilities, including
anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-epileptic, anti-cancer, and
bone-stimulating properties. For more information, please contact Paul Armentano,
NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of
the study, "Cannabidiol-treated rats exhibited higher motor score after
cryogenic spinal cord injury," appears in Neurotoxicity Research. _____________________________________________________________ Study: Vaporized Cannabis Augments The
Analgesic Effects Of Opiates In Human Subjects
San Francisco, CA, USA: Cannabis administration significantly
augments the analgesic effects of opiates in patients with chronic pain,
according to clinical trial data published online in the journal Clinical
Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Investigators at the University of California, San
Francisco assessed the use of vaporized
cannabis over a five-day period in 21 chronic pain subjects who were on a
regimen of twice-daily doses morphine or oxycodone. Participants in the trial inhaled cannabis
vapor on the evening of day 1 of the study, three <continued on next page> |
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<continued from previous page> times a day on days 2
through 4, and in the morning of day 5. Subjects' extent of chronic pain was
assessed daily. Researchers determined that subjects' pain "was
significantly decreased after the addition of vaporized cannabis" and
surmised that cannabis-specific interventions "may allow for opioid
treatment at lower doses with fewer [patient] side effects." They concluded: "The participants experienced
less pain after 5 days of inhaling vaporized cannabis; when the morphine and
oxycodone groups were combined, this reduction in pain was significant. This
is the first human study to demonstrate that inhaled cannabis safely augments
the analgesic effects of opioids. ... These results suggest that further
controlled studies of the synergistic interaction between cannabinoids and
opioids are warranted." For more information, please contact Paul Armentano,
NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of
the study, "Cannabinoid-Opioid interaction in chronic pain,"
appears in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. _____________________________________________________________ Study: Alcohol Is "More Than Twice As
Harmful As Cannabis"
London, United Kingdom: Alcohol consumption causes far greater
harms to the individual user and to society than does the use of cannabis,
according to a review published online in the Journal of
Psychopharmacology, the journal of the British Association of
Psychopharmacology. Investigators at the Imperial College of London
assessed "the relative physical, psychological, and social harms of
cannabis and alcohol." Authors reported that cannabis inhalation,
particularly long-term, contributes to some potential adverse health effects
-- including harms to the lungs, circulatory system, as well as the
exacerbation of certain mental health risks. By contrast, authors described
alcohol as" a toxic substance" that is responsible for an estimated
five percent "of the total global |
disease burden." Researchers determined, "A direct comparison of
alcohol and cannabis showed that alcohol was considered to be more than twice
as harmful as cannabis to [individual] users, and five times more harmful as
cannabis to others (society). ... As there are few areas of harm that each
drug can produce where cannabis scores more [dangerous to health] than
alcohol, we suggest that even if there were no legal impediment to cannabis
use, it would be unlikely to be more harmful than alcohol." They concluded, "The findings underline the
need for a coherent, evidence-based drugs policy that enables individuals to
make informed decisions about the consequences of their drug use." For more information, please contact Paul Armentano,
NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of
the study, "Popular intoxicants: what lessons can be learned from the
last 40 years of alcohol and cannabis regulation," will appear in the
Journal of Psychopharmacology.
_____________________________________________________________ Folks Gather For NORMLs 29th Annual Key West
Legal Seminar
This year's seminar took place Thursday, December 1,
through Saturday, December 3, 2011 at the Pier House Resort and
Caribbean Spa in Key West, Florida. Join NORML's staff and many of the
nation's top criminal defense attorneys in one of America's most
'pot-friendly' cities. Presentations
at this year's seminar included: 'Intellectual Property Rights in the Medical
Marijuana Field,' 'Defending Forfeiture Actions, Both Civil and Criminal,'
'Using the Latest and Best Science to Beat a DUI Marijuana Prosecution,' 'The
Latest Tips for Using the Internet for Legal Research,'
'Prosecutorial Ethics: What Prosecutors Can and Cannot Do, and How a
Defendant Can Use That to His Advantage,' and 'Raising a Medical Necessity
Defense in Non-Medical Use States.' <continued on next page> |
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<continued
from NORML LEGAL SEMINAR, previous page> Speakers at
this year's conference included: Paul Armentano, NORML's
Deputy Director and the co-author of the book Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving
People to Drink? (Chelsea Green, 2009); Gerald
Goldstein, past president of the National Association of Criminal
Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and legal counsel for the late-Hunter S. Thompson; John
Wesley Hall, past president of the National Association of Criminal
Defense Lawyers; Norm Kent, author of The Pot Warrior's
Manifesto and a member of NORML's Board of Directors; Jeralyn
Merritt, founder of TalkLeft.com
and a frequent television legal analyst for Fox News and MSNBC; David
Michael, co-counsel for Angel Raich and Diane Monson before the
United States Supreme Court in Raich v. Gonzales; Kyndra
Miller, west coast coordinator of the NORML Women's Alliance and President and
CEO of CannaBusiness Law, Inc.; and NORML Executive Director Allen
St. Pierre. Social events at this year's seminar included an
opening night reception, an afternoon sailboat cruise, and a NORML benefit
dinner at Camille's
Restaurant. Conference agenda
and registration information for the 29th annual NORML Key West Legal Seminar
is available online at: http://norml.org/about/norml-key-west-legal-seminar.
The Key West Legal Seminar is fully accredited in every state that requires
continuing legal education (CLE) for attorneys. _____________________________________________________________ Bi-coastal, Bipartisan
Governors Petition to Reclassify Cannabis
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As
a result, in April, Gov. Gregoire vetoed sections of a bill that would have
permitted dispensaries in Washington because of federal threats, and in September,
Gov. Chafee suspended implementation of Rhode Island's dispensary licensing law. "It
is time to show compassion and common sense," said Gov. Gregoire.
"The people getting Gov.
Chafee called today's filing a "bi-coastal, bipartisan effort." The
two say they have briefed other governors on their strategy and urged them to
join the petition. Connecticut Governor Dan Molloy has indicated he will add
his name, and they seem confident more will come on board. Sixteen states and
the District of Columbia currently have medical cannabis laws. "Many
medical marijuana patients are too sick to grow their own," noted Gov.
Gregoire. "There is still not clear and safe access." In the rescheduling petition,
the governors cite nearly 700 peer-reviewed research studies and reports on
medical cannabis, and ask for public hearings "so that the government
can hear from doctors and scientists." “We're relieved to see these
two governors standing up for the doctors and patients in their states,” said
ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer. "State laws and medical science
deserve more respect than they are getting from this Administration.” Federal prosectors have sent
threatening letters to state and local officials throughout the nation. Many
officials, such as those in Maine and many cities in California, have forged
ahead despite the intimidation tactics. “Elected officials everywhere
have a duty to uphold their laws on medical cannabis," said Sherer. “And
compassion demands that we protect the most seriously ill and injured among
us.” This latest petition follows
the DEA’s denial of another petition in July after a delay of nearly a
decade, which ended only when ASA sued the government for unreasonable delay.
Americans for Safe Access, in collaboration with the Coalition for
Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC), has appealed the federal government's denial;
the case is pending in the D.C. Circuit. |
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