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Six National Drug Policy Organizations Call on President Obama to End Unnecessary Assault on Medical Marijuana Providers |
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Coalition to President
Obama: "It is time for a new approach on marijuana policy." Washington, DC, USA -- In the wake of recent attacks on medical
marijuana providers and patients by multiple branches of the federal
government, including Monday's raids on Oaksterdam University in Oakland, CA,
a coalition of six national drug policy reform organizations is appealing to
President Obama and his administration to follow its own previously stated
policies respecting state medical marijuana laws. In the letter, posted in
full below, the organizations call on the Obama administration to bring an
end to the federal government's ongoing campaign to undermine state efforts
to regulate safe and legal access to medical marijuana for those patients who
rely on it. The Obama Administration's National Drug Control
Strategy Report 2012, reportedly being released in the coming days, is <continued
on page 3 > |
Obama Not
Going "To Turn The Other Way" Regarding Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Washington,
DC, USA: President Barack Obama is defending his administration's recent crackdown
upon medicinal cannabis providers in states that allow for its use in a
just-published Rolling Stone Magazine interview. <continued
on page 4 > ___________________________________________ THC Seldom Detected In Injured Dutch Drivers
Study; Ghent, Belgium: Belgian drivers injured in traffic accidents are far
more likely to possess drugs and alcohol in their systems than are Dutch
drivers, according to data to be <continued
on page 5 > |
Drug Czar Reiterates
Government's Opposition To
Domestic Hemp Production
Washington, DC, USA: The federal government continues to oppose allowing
licensed farmers the opportunity to cultivate industrial hemp for fiber
and other agricultural purposes, according to statements posted this week by Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske
on the whitehouse.gov website. <continued
on page 4 > _______________________________ Rasmussen Poll: Plurality Of Americans Support
Legalizing And Taxing Cannabis
Asbury
Park, NJ, USA: A solid plurality of Americans now support
legalizing and taxing the production and sale of cannabis, according to
nationwide Rasmussen poll of 1,000 adults.
According to the telephone poll, 47 percent <continued on page 5 > |
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* Volume 9, Issue 4 * April * 2012
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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! |
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<continued from ORGANIZATIONS CALL ON PRESIDENT TO END ASSAULT ON
MEDICAL MARIJUANA,
page 1 > expected to cling to failed and outdated
marijuana policies which further cement the control of the marijuana trade in
the hands of drug cartels and illegal operators, endangering both patients in
medical marijuana states and citizens everywhere. The
members of this coalition stand together with members
of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, current and former Latin
American leaders whose countries are being ravaged by drug cartels, state officials from five medical marijuana states, and
tens of millions of Americans in their call for a more rational approach to
marijuana policy. Contact: Allen
St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, (202) 483-5500 –or- Paul Armentano,
NORML Deputy Director, paul@norml.org _____________________________________________________________ THE LETTER
TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: April
4, 2012 President
Barack Obama Dear
Mr. President: Our coalition represents the views of tens of
millions of Americans who believe the war on medical marijuana patients and
providers you are fighting is misguided and counterproductive. As your
administration prepares to release its annual National Drug Control Strategy,
we want to speak with one voice and convey our deep sense of anger and
disappointment in your lack of leadership on this issue. Voters and elected officials in sixteen states and
the District of Columbia have determined that the medical use of marijuana
should be legal. In many of these states, the laws also include means for
providing medical marijuana patients safe access to this medicine. These laws
allowing for the cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana actually
shift control of marijuana sales from the criminal underground to
state-licensed, taxed, and regulated producers and distributors. Instead of celebrating - or even tolerating - this
state experimentation, which has benefited patients and taken profits away
from drug cartels, you have turned your back as career law enforcement
officials have run roughshod over |
some of the most professional and well-regulated
medical marijuana providers. We simply cannot understand why you have reneged
on your administration's earlier policy of respecting state medical marijuana
laws. Our frustration and confusion over your
administration's uncalled-for attacks on state-authorized medical marijuana
providers was best summed up by John McCowen, the chair of the Mendocino
County (CA) board of supervisors, who said, "It's almost as if there was
a conscious effort to drive [medical marijuana cultivation and distribution]
back underground. My opinion is that's going to further endanger public
safety and the environment - the federal government doesn't seem to care
about that." The National Drug Control Strategy you are about to
release will no doubt call for a continuation of policies that have as a
primary goal the ongoing and permanent control of the marijuana trade by drug
cartels and organized crime. We cannot and do not endorse the continued
embrace of this utterly failed policy. We stand instead with Latin American
leaders, members of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, and the vast
majority of people who voted you into office in recognizing that it is time
for a new approach on marijuana policy. With approximately 50,000 people dead in Mexico over
the past five years as the result of drug war-related violence, we hope that
you will immediately reconsider your drug control strategy and will work
with, not against, states and organizations that are attempting to shift
control of marijuana cultivation and sales, at least as it applies to medical
marijuana, to a controlled and regulated market. Sincerely, Drug Policy Alliance
(DPA) cc: Eric Holder, Attorney General, Department of
Justice; James Cole, Deputy Attorney
General, Department of Justice; Gil
Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy |
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<continued from OBAMA NOT GOING "TO TURN THE OTHER WAY"
REGARDING MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES, page 1 > In recent months, federal justice officials
have executed
raids on dozens of medical marijuana providers and related businesses, including
Oaksterdam University in Oakland, in various states. In some cases,
federal authorities have even targeted
establishments that were operating in accordance with a state license. The Justice Department has also ordered
lawmakers in various states - including Delaware, Rhode Island, and
Washington - to suspend plans to authorize cannabis providers under state
law. To date, three states - Colorado, Maine, and New Mexico - have issued
licenses to allow for the state-sanctioned production and distribution of
cannabis. Similar licensing legislation approved in Arizona, New Jersey,
Vermont, and Washington, DC has yet to be implemented by local lawmakers. Stated Obama in Rolling Stone: "What I
specifically said was that we were not going to prioritize prosecutions of
persons who are using medical marijuana. I never made a commitment that
somehow we were going to give carte blanche to large-scale producers and
operators of marijuana - and the reason is, because it's against federal law.
I can't nullify congressional law. I can't ask the Justice Department to say,
'Ignore completely a federal law that's on the books.'" He added: "The only tension that's come up -
and this gets hyped up a lot - is a murky area where you have large-scale,
commercial operations that may supply medical marijuana users, but in some
cases may also be supplying recreational users. In that situation, we put the
Justice Department in a very difficult place if we're telling them, 'This is
supposed to be against the law, but we want you to turn the other way.'
That's not something we're going to do." Obama's statements appear to contradict
those he made in March 2008, as a Presidential candidate, when he pledged to cease utilizing "Justice Department
resources to try and circumvent state laws" regarding medical cannabis. |
More recently, in December, US Attorney General Eric
Holder told members of Congress that the Justice Department
would only target medical cannabis operators that "use marijuana in a
way that's not consistent with the state statute." For more information,
please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Keith Stroup,
NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500. _____________________________________________________________ <continued from DRUG CZAR REITERATES GOVERNMENT'S OPPOSITION TO
DOMESTIC HEMP PRODUCTION, page 1 > Hemp is a distinct variety
of the plant species cannabis sativa that contains only minute (typically
less than .03 percent) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary
psychoactive compound in marijuana. According to a Congressional Research
Service (CRS) report, "The United States is the
only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established
crop." Farmers in Canada and the European Union grow hemp commercially
for fiber, seed, and oil for use in a variety of industrial and consumer
products, including food.
Stated Kerlikowske on the White House's 'We the People'
website: "Federal law prohibits human consumption, distribution, and
possession of Schedule I controlled substances. ... While most of the THC in
cannabis plants is concentrated in the marijuana, all parts of the plant,
including hemp, can contain THC, a Schedule I controlled substance. The
Administration will continue looking for innovative ways to support farmers
across the country while balancing the need to protect public health and
safety." A white paper published by the North American Industrial
Hemp Council counters: "The THC levels in industrial hemp are so low
that no one could get high from smoking it. Moreover, hemp contains a
relatively high percentage of another cannabinoid, CBD,
that actually blocks the marijuana high. Hemp, it turns out, not only (isn't)
marijuana; it could be called 'anti-marijuana.'" In recent years, lawmakers in several states -
including North Dakota, Montana, and Vermont - have enacted legislation seeking to allow
state-licensed farmers the opportunity to grow <continued on next page> |
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<continued from previous page> hemp crops. However, according to
the CRS, "The US Drug Enforcement Administration has been unwilling
to grant licenses for growing small plots of hemp for research
purposes," even when such research is authorized by state law, because
the agency believes that doing so would "send the wrong message to the
American public concerning the government's position on drugs." In 2007, 2009, and again in 2011, federal lawmakers
have introduced in Congress, "The Industrial Hemp Farming Act," to
exclude low potency varieties of cannabis from federal prohibition. If
approved, this
measure would grant state legislatures the authority to license and
regulate the commercial production of hemp as an industrial and agricultural
commodity. The present version of this Act, House
Bill 1831, has 33 co-sponsors, but has yet to receive a Congressional
hearing. The measure is before the US House of Representatives, Subcommittee
on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. During World War II, the US Department of
Agriculture actively promoted the domestic cultivation of hemp during a
campaign known as 'Hemp for Victory." For
more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director,
at (202) 483-5500 or visit: http://votehemp.com. _____________________________________________________________ <continued from RASMUSSEN POLL: PLURALITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT
LEGALIZING AND TAXING CANNABIS, page 1 > of adults "believe the country should
legalize and tax marijuana in order to help solve the nation's fiscal
problems." Forty-two percent of respondents disagree, while ten percent
are undecided. The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted
on March 24-25, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is
+/- 3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence. In 2011, a nationwide Gallup
poll reported that 50 percent of Americans support legalizing the use of
cannabis for adults. Forty-six percent of respondents said they opposed the
idea. |
The 2011 Gallup survey results marked the first time
that the polling firm, which has tracked
Americans' attitudes toward marijuana since the late 1960s, reported that
more Americans support legalizing cannabis than oppose it. Commenting on the latest poll results, NORML
Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said: "For the second time in less
than a year we have pollsters from a national, well-respected firm reporting
that far more Americans now support legalizing marijuana than endorse
maintaining criminal prohibition. It is high time for state and federal
lawmakers to acknowledge this political reality and respond to the will of
their constituents." 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 STUDY: THC SELDOM DETECTED IN INJURED DUTCH DRIVERS, page 1
> published in the journal Forensic Science
International. Investigators from Belgium and the Netherlands
compared the prevalence of alcohol, licit and illicit drugs in the blood of
seriously injured drivers over 18 years of age. A total of 535 drivers - 348
from Belgium and 187 from the Netherlands - were assessed in the study. Researchers reported, "In Belgium, more drivers
were found positive for alcohol and drugs than in the Netherlands. ...
Alcohol was the most prevalent substance among the injured drivers in Belgium
(42.5 percent) and the Netherlands (29.6 percent). ... In Belgium there were
... more positives for THC (8 percent). ... In the Netherlands, almost no
positive findings for cannabis were recorded Investigators declared the findings
"remarkable" because "the sample of drivers in the Netherlands
(was) younger and included <continued on next page> |
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more men than in Belgium." They also noted that
cannabis use was far more popular among the Dutch general driving population
(2.1 percent) compared to that of the Belgian population (0.49 percent). They
concluded: "The lower prevalence of alcohol in the Netherlands is
associated with a much lower number of crashes and killed and injured
drivers. ... Despite the high prevalence of THC found in the general driving
population, surprisingly almost no THC was found in the Dutch injured driver
population." For more information, please contact Paul
Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of
the study, "Prevalence of alcohol and other psychoactive substances in
injured drivers: Comparison between Belgium and the Netherlands," will
appear in the journal Forensic Science International. NORML's white paper,
"Cannabis and Driving: A Scientific and Rational Review," is
available online at: http://norml.org/library/item/cannabis-and-driving-a-scientific-and-rational-review. _____________________________________________________________ Washington, DC: District Regulators Move Forward
With Plans To Dispense Medical Marijuana
Washington, DC, USA: Washington, DC Health Officials on Friday selected six companies to provide medical cannabis in
compliance with the District's nascent medical marijuana law. The companies must still apply for their business
license and building permits from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory
Affairs. That process is expected to take less than two weeks. All six
of the successful firms will open their cultivation centers in the northeast
quadrant of DC - five in Ward 5 and one in Ward 7 - although the latter
applicant may ultimately have to move its site. As reported by The Washington Times newspaper,
"The selected companies in Ward 5 are Abatin Wellness Center, a firm
affiliated with Montel Williams that will set up operations at 2146 Queens
Chapel Road; Holistic Remedies at 1840 Fenwick St.; Montana Apothecary doing
business as Alternative Solutions at 2170 24th Place; District Growers at
2417 Evarts St.; and Venture Forth doing business as Center City at 2210
Channing St. Phyto Management LLC was selected to open up across the
Anacostia River at 3701 Benning Road NE. However, it is expected to
relocate." |
District City Council members authorized the
establishment of medical cannabis facilities in May 2010 when they amended
the Legalization of Marijuana for Medical Treatment Initiative, a 1998
municipal ballot measure which garnered 69 percent of the vote yet was
never implemented. All of
the selected applicants signed a waiver releasing the City from criminal
liability if federal officials decide to take action against the facilities.
In recent months, agents from the US Department of Justice, the Internal
Revenue Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration have targeted
multiple medical cannabis dispensaries, including in some instances those
licensed by state and local officials. For more information, please
contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director or Keith Stroup, NORML
Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500. _____________________________________________________________ . Cessation Of Cannabis Smoking Associated With
Declines In Chronic Respiratory Symptoms
Los Angeles, CA, USA: Chronic cannabis smokers who cease using
the substance report experiencing fewer adverse respiratory symptoms compared
to those who continue their use, according to a longitudinal cohort study
to be published in COPD, the Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease. Investigators at the David Geffen School of Medicine
at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) assessed the long-term
impact of cannabis smoking on symptoms of chronic bronchitis. Researchers
reported that cannabis smoking "significantly increased" the
likelihood of having chronic bronchitis compared to both never smokers and
former smokers. However, former smokers were "no more likely to have
chronic respiratory symptoms at follow-up than never smokers." Authors concluded: "Findings from this
longitudinal cohort study indicate that continuing smoking of marijuana,
either alone or with tobacco, is associated with a net persistence of symptoms
of chronic bronchitis, similar to the findings in continuing smokers of
tobacco alone. In contrast, complete cessation of smoking by former habitual
smokers of either marijuana or tobacco alone or of marijuana plus tobacco was
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accompanied by substantial declines in chronic respiratory
symptoms. ... These findings provide, for the first time, documented evidence
of the benefit of marijuana smoking cessation with respect to the resolution
of pre-existing symptoms of chronic bronchitis." Separate studies
have previously linked long-term marijuana smoking to an increased risk of
bronchitis, cough, phlegm, and wheezing. A 2007
study published in the Harm Reduction Journal found that
cannabis consumers who vaporized the substance reported fewer adverse
respiratory symptoms compared to those who smoked it. For more
information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.
Full text of the study, "Impact of changes in regular users of marijuana
use and/or tobacco on chronic bronchitis," will appear in COPD. _____________________________________________________________ New Jersey:
NORML Lawyers File Constitutional Lawsuit Over State's Failure To Implement
Two-Year-Old Medical Cannabis Law
Trenton, NJ, USA:
Members of the NORML Legal Committee filed
suit yesterday against the State of New Jersey over regulators' failure
to implement the Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act.
On Wednesday, April 4, NORML
Legal Committee attorneys William H. Buckman of Moorestown and Anne M.
Davis of Brick filed a lawsuit on behalf of a New Jersey medical patient who
qualifies for cannabis access under state law. The suit also represents a
physician who has registered with the state to recommend medical marijuana.
Named in the suit are the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS)
Commissioner Mary O'Dowd and the newly appointed director of the Medicinal
Marijuana Program John O'Brien. Stated attorney Buckman in a press release, |
"Today we are filing suit to require the DHHS
to do what every other citizen must do - follow the law." Added Davis: "Our neighbors with
AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and the worst of medical conditions have
testified before the legislature and changed the law. Now, patients and
doctors have to go to court to win the rights that they should have already
been afforded." State-licensed
medicinal cannabis dispensaries are presently operational in Colorado, Maine, and New
Mexico. For more information,
please contact Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500. Attorney
William Buckman may be contacted at (856) 608-9797. Attorney Anne Davis may
be contacted at: (732) 477-4700. _____________________________________________________________ Study: Baby Products Linked To False
Positive Drug Test Results In Newborns
Chapel Hill, NC, USA: Commercially
available baby soaps and other wash products that are commonly used with
newborns may interfere with the accuracy of immunoassay drug screens,
according to data published in the journal Clinical Biochemistry. Investigators at the University of North
Carolina, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, assessed the
impact of various baby wash products on drug-free urine samples after a
number of false positive cannabinoid screening results were suspected at
their institution's newborn nursery. Researchers determined: "Addition of
Head-to-Toe Baby Wash to drug-free urine produced a dose dependent
measureable response in the THC immunoassay. Addition of other commercially
available baby soaps gave similar results, and subsequent testing identified
specific chemical surfactants that reacted with the THC
immunoassay."Overall, researchers reported that four out of seven of the
commercial baby soaps tested caused false positive results when added to
drug-free urine samples. They
concluded: "We have identified commonly used soap and wash products used
for newborn and infant care as potential causes of false positive THC
screening results. Such results in this population can lead to involvement by
social services or false child abuse allegations. Given these consequences,
it is important for laboratories and providers to be aware of this potential
source for false positive screening results and to consider confirmation
before initiating interventions." For more information, please
contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.
Full text of the study, "Unexpected interference of baby wash products
with a cannabinoid (THC) immunoassay," will appear in the journal
Chemical Biochemistry. |
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Federal Agencies Target Oaksterdam
University
Oakland, CA, USA: Agents from the US Marshalls, the Internal Revenue
Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration on Monday raided Oaksterdam University
- a brick-and-mortar cannabis trade school - and several other properties
rented by the facility's founder Richard
Lee. Lee, who was detained but later released without being arrested,
bankrolled Proposition 19 in 2010, which sought
to regulate the adult use, possession, and sale of cannabis to adults. Spokespersons for the office of the US Attorney of
Northern California, Melinda Haag, would not comment on the federal government's actions. The
warrant executed in the raid was filed under seal in federal court. Over a
hundred citizens protested on Monday outside of Oaksterdam as the federal
raid took place. Several hundred additional protestors, as well as six San
Francisco City Supervisors, gathered on Tuesday at San Francisco City Hall and
outside of the offices of the Melinda Haag. Speaking
to news media on Monday, Oakland City Councilmember At Large Rebecca Kaplan
said that Lee's "involvement in Oakland has been overwhelmingly
positive. ... He's been an exemplary community member." She added that
the city of Oakland "was not involved" in the decision to target
the Oaksterdam facility. US
Attorneys in California had previously stated that their offices would only
become involved in instances where proprietors were in clear violation of
state law or in cases where federal law enforcement were summoned at the
behest of local officials. In a prepared statement released following the raid, Lee said,
"This was a senseless act of intimidation. But I've been an activist far
too long to become intimidated." Spokespersons
for Oaksterdam University have pledged to reopen the school imminently. 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. |
Register Now For NORML's Seventh Annual
Aspen Legal Seminar
Washington,
DC, USA: NORML is still accepting
registrations from criminal defense attorneys and the general public to
attend its seventh annual Aspen
Legal Seminar. This three-day Topics of discussion at this
year's symposium include: 'Medical Marijuana and the Workplace,'
'Transitioning from Medical Use to Full Legalization,' 'Defending
Paraphernalia and Spice (K-2) Cases,' 'Jury Selection in a Marijuana Case,'
and 'How to Use the Latest and Best Science to Defend Against a DUID
Marijuana Prosecution.' Speakers include: NORML
Deputy Director Paul Armentano; Gerald Goldstein,
past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
(NACDL) and legal counsel for the late-Hunter S. Thompson; Jeralyn
Merritt, founder of TalkLeft.com and 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 Gonzales
v. Raich, Marjorie Russell, chair of the Litigation
Skills Department at the Thomas Cooley Law School in Michigan, and NORML
Executive Director Allen St. Pierre. Social
events include a Thursday night opening reception and a Saturday benefit
banquet at the home of Gerald Goldstein.
NORML's Aspen Legal Seminar is open to attorneys requiring continuing
legal education (CLE) credits as well as to the general public. "NORML is proud to
make this once-a-year legal seminar open to the public," said NORML
founder and Legal Director Keith Stroup. "Don't miss this rare
opportunity to join NORML's staff and some of the nation's top marijuana
lawyers and activists in this unique and intimate setting." Registration information and this
year's conference agenda are online at: http://norml.org/about/aspen-legal-seminar. |
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363-4588 <
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