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70 Drug
Warriors Raid 4 MMJ Orgs While 911 Dispatcher Tells Woman About To Be
Sexually Assaulted There Are No Cops To Help Her Due To Budget Cuts |
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In what has to be an all-time prime example of
the pork-barrel boondoggle that is the Pot War - and what it fully costs
regular citizens, eighteen agencies took part in the latest raids of Medical
Cannabis Resource Centers across southern Oregon. Further, it's a
demonstration of the process that LEO puts us thru to (a) get the Legislative
and Levy items they want, to (b) distract folks from their anti-people budget
games and (c) be another suckling on the Drug War teat in general. In
Medford, Southern Oregon NORML (SOCCC),
The
Green Compass and Puffin
Stuff were raided, The Compass (affiliated with The Green Compass) in
Gold Hill, OR, and The Greener Side
in Eugene also were hit by LEO. A
Eugene area activist reported “Just went to the Greener Side. The door is
locked, one cameraman and reporter from KVAL who were not interested in
interviews, except for the cops. They were filming through the <continued
on page 3 > |
Science Over Ideology? And Yet The War On
Pot Continues – by Jim Greig for AAMC An
open letter to President Obama: I
am a disabled American worker who uses state approved marijuana for medical
reasons. I am offended that you choose to consider me a criminal. Mr.
President, we all know that you smoked a lot of weed as a youth, and that
your cannabis consumption did not prevent you from becoming this nation's
elected leader. <continued
on page 4 > ___________________________________________ ASA Takes Cannabis Classification Challenge to
Supreme Court Americans for Safe Access is taking its case on
cannabis rescheduling to the U.S. Supreme Court. This follows an April
decision by the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to deny
a petition for rehearing in Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement
Administration, a case that challenges the DEA’s refusal to acknowledge that
cannabis has currently accepted medical uses. <continued
on page 5 > |
Illinois House Passes Medical Cannabis Bill Springfield, IL: House and Senate
lawmakers have approved
legislation, House Bill 1, to establish a pilot program regulating the
state-licensed production and dispensing of therapeutic cannabis to qualified
patients. The measure now awaits action from Democrat Gov. Pat Quinn, who
recently stated publicly that he is "open-minded" about the legislation.
<continued
on page 5 > _______________________________ Maryland Legislature Approves Limited Bill The Maryland Senate last month overwhelmingly
approved a House of Delegates bill that extends protections for patients and
creates a framework for limited distribution through research hospitals in
the state. The Senate voted 42-4 in favor, despite objections from ASA and
other advocates that it does little to establish safe access, and a report
from the nonpartisan Maryland Department of Legislative Services that
questioned the plan’s feasibility. <continued
on page 6 > |
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* Volume 10, Issue 6 * June * 2013
* 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 1745 Capital
St. NE, 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 - 1745 Capital
Street NE, 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 – 1745 Capital Street NE,
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 70 DRUG COPS RAID 4 MMJ ACTIVIST ORGS, page 1 > front
door. The officer who came out said he couldn't say anything for four hours,
because there were several of these going on and things might change by then.
He was from the Interagency Narcotics Task Force.” The media response
is probably due to them being called there by the police before the raid so
they would be able to tape the cops dragging the activists before the camera
in chains, an officer on each side. Sometimes they'll shake them too,
shouting "Stop Resisting", all for maximum propaganda effect. In
all 18 Agencies dog-piled on these good, gentle people - who were only
serving the sick and dying, helping folks to a better quality of life if not
end of. They were raided for political purposes - to shut them up and it's
how they send a message - but also because it's fun and profitable for the
cops, much more so than going after real criminals and in general, beats
working for a living. They
must have jammed in the doorway like the Three Stooges as Drug Warriors from
Jackson County District Attorney's Office, Oregon State Police, Oregon
Department of Justice, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Jackson County
Community Justice, Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) team, Central Oregon
Drug Enforcement (CODE) team, Ashland Police Department, Central Point Police
Department, Eagle Point Police Department, Grants Pass Department of Public
Safety, Medford Police Department, Phoenix Police Department, Talent Police
Department, US Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of
Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the US Marshal's Service
--- 70 officers in all, stormed in on 4 citizen-groups totaling a dozen
harmless folks. One can only wonder how many cartel gardens and
gangs such a force could have taken out. It is believed charges are
all local, no federal charges. The charges in the official press release were
22 counts each (Lori and Lee at SO NORML) for delivery within 1000 feet of a
school. We need to support these good people who were - and still are! - just
trying to help patients. Raid,
Jail, Court Support | The folks in the pokey need Jail Support
while we work to re-open their places and otherwise help the Patients with
Raid Support. Then comes the trials,
potentially, which we should flood with Court Support. |
NOTEs: When attending Hearings and other Court
appearances - Please dress appropriately and leave everything
in the car; no medicine, pipes, weapons, contraband, etc. There are plans
to organize fundraisers in Eugene, as will Medford. Ways to Help Out with
Patient Networking, and Also, stay tuned for set up of Defense Fund where
folks can make a contribution and the like. Other
Actions and Activities - >
Raid and Arrest support; we want to be there when we can to video and witness
for Raid victims. Also support Center
members, get Resources to them and otherwise assist in re-opening closed
places. Places can
be utilized for meetinga and meet-ups for card-holders to network and as
central points for law reform action and activity. Good
time to start Organizing Raid Response Teams, here's some info on how to Set
up a raid response in your community and help stop government interference
with patients' rights. Visit ASA - http://www.safeaccessnow.org/section.php?id=457. Sign up for ASA instant text messaging
raid alerts: Visit - http://www.safeaccessnow.org/downloads/raid_text_alert_signup_sheet_2011.pdf
>
Jail support; Vigils outside and get what amenities we can to them while
imprisoned. Work to get them free and
support families as much as possible. We should set up Families to be able to take in children of
Activists when these happen also. >
Court support and Legal help; Media attention, Fully inform potential jurors thru
LTEs, Rallies and getting folks to contact local officials and protest in
general. >
De-Elect, Fire and otherwise Dis-Empower all officials involved; get
attention on these examples of mis-placed priorities and related
Prohibitionist Drug Warriors and Legislation. Also, You Can Sign the
"Peace for Patients" Petition |
Let your elected representatives know it’s
time to stop the war on patients! ASA’s "Peace for Patients" campaign lets you
show your support for seriously ill patients who are being prosecuted for
their medicine, go to -http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/peace
Another possibility is the
Consumers Division <continued on next page> |
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<continued
from previous page> which
gives a list of #s for various grievousness.
As patients those of us who are who are reading
this, maybe we should be complaining that our problem is with the fact that
these raids are taking away our source of medicine. This number gets you
started . . . (503) 378-4400 . . . So lets launch as many complaints as
possible against the LEOs involved in these raids as the ones taking the
medicine we need from us. More on Cops On Campaign, Raids Across Oregon
Relative to Legislature, Budgets When
it comes to publicity, Activists, like Joe and Jane Citizen, must do
something like get a good number of people together, hold an event or rally
and try to get the media there and themselves on TV with their message when
they want to campaign, get the word out. LEO, especially where
the Cannabis Law Reform issue is involved, beleive they accomplish the same
thing by calling up the media and inviting them along while they bust
activists, calling them "drug dealers". It is
no coincidence these folks were on TV, testified at hearings and otherwise
publicly spoke out and exercised their 1st Amendments rights. LEO will
undoubtedly be hoping to paint this places as major drug traffickers, hoping
to derail any law reform legislation. It would be great to have patients will
be hurt by these raids front and center. Of course, one could
say Oregon Prohibitionist LE is only emulating what their Drug Warrior
colleagues across America are doing – violate peoples Civil Rights under the
color of Authority. In Boise,
Idaho police wait til activists take a trip and sweep in to snatch their
kids. In Florida, a
Medical Cannabis patient is
practically followed home after a bill is introduced in her name and
raided by police that same day. What a waste of tax dollars and
resources. Watching this, the cartels have to be laughing their cuticles off
and then running down to the schoolyard with more dope to sell. This demonstrates the
importance of passing legislation so law enforcement will have to go
after real crime instead of pot-heads, especially the sick and dying
ones. <continued on
last page> _____________________________________________________________ <continued from SCIENCE OVER IDEOLOGY? AND YET THE WAR ON POT CONTINUES, page 1 > But what seems to be passing over your head, sir, is that had you been arrested for possession of pot, you most certainly would never have become president of the U.S. |
You should know that during your first four
years in office, while you dodged and dismissed the marijuana issue, some
three-quarters of a million people were arrested each year for possession -
about three million marijuana arrests just in your first term. I'm curious
how that fact fares when we consider your statement at Northwestern
University in 2004 that the "war on drugs has been an utter
failure." Mr. President, I'd really like to understand
where you're coming from. With 80 percent of U.S. voters supporting medical
marijuana legalization and a slim majority favoring adult use, I have a hard
time comprehending your reluctance to act properly. There is no risk to you - and certainly your
fellow Democrats in Congress could stand a boost in their popularity. Mr. Obama, may I remind you that when you
were elected, one of your initial points on how your administration would
operate revolved around supporting science rather than ideology. You said
"promoting science isn't just about providing resources - it's about
protecting free and open inquiry. It's about listening to what our scientists
have to say, even when it's inconvenient - especially when it's
inconvenient." Well sir, I'm not sure how to break this to
you, because it might be "inconvenient" but there is no scientific
legitimacy behind the illegality of cannabis in any of its forms. Surely you
must agree that the continued prohibition of industrial hemp is absurd. And to
deny patients like myself legitimate access to a non-toxic, non-addictive,
grow-it-at-home substance that greatly reduces my consumption of toxic
pharmaceuticals, is cruel and capricious. As our commander-in-chief you should know
that today 22 veterans will commit suicide. Tomorrow, 22 more. In this
country nearly two dozen veterans take their own lives every day. A lot of
them suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When University of Arizona psychiatrist Dr.
Sue Sisley put together a study to find how effective cannabis is as a
treatment for combat veterans with PTSD she first had to gain FDA and VA
approval. Green-lighted from both agencies, her next step was to gain
approval from the National Institutes of Drug Abuse. Since NIDA's mission is
to find only the harms of drugs, her application was quickly rejected. In February I was in Washington, D.C.,
attending the Americas for Safe Access Unity Conference. While there I had the opportunity to <continued on next page> |
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page>
meet
Dr. John Schwarz, a physicist best known as one of the "fathers of
string theory." In a November 2012 Huffington Post op-ed,
Schwarz, who's wife is a medical marijuana patient, criticized your
administration for "ignoring scientists' voices on medical marijuana
policy ... and severely restricting their ability to conduct new
research." He went on to say the "acceptance of
science has come a long way since Galileo was arrested as a heretic for
questioning the order of the universe. Yet today, the federal government
ignores scientific facts accepted around the globe - not to mention the will
of the American people - to cling to outdated ideological policies and
restrict marijuana research. This is hardly the 'free and open scientific
inquiry' President Obama touted in 2009." Please, Mr. President. I would like to
believe that you are not a hypocrite - that you believe in both science and
the will of the American people. You cannot lose, sir, you can only gain. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr.,
"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being
of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared
to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way." Jim Greig is an Organizer for Americans for
Safe Access and a member of the Board of Directors for the Voter Power
Foundation. Full text of original article - http://www.eugeneweekly.com/20130509/guest-viewpoint/science-over-ideology * SOURCE = American Alliance for Medical Cannabis (AAMC). May 2013 Newsletter * Contact
them at 44500 Tide Ave · Arch Cape, OR 97102 or by
visiting - http://www.letfreedomgrow.com <continued from ASA TAKES
CANNABIS CLASSIFICATION CHALLENGE TO SUPREME COURT, page 1 > ASA’s appeal to the Supreme Court asks that the
DEA be required to apply the same standard to evaluating cannabis that it
uses for other substances. The
DEA claims there are no “adequate and well-controlled studies” that show
cannabis has medical use, despite the many clinical trials and peer-reviewed
scientific studies that show cannabis to be a safe and effective medicine for
treating a wide variety of conditions. The D.C. Circuit decided that only large-scale
clinical trials involving hundreds of patients over many years would be
sufficient to prove cannabis has medical use, even though that standard was |
rejected in previous cases by the same court and
others. “The court said we have to meet a level of proof
more stringent than what the government argued,” said ASA Chief Counsel Joe
Elford, who argued the case. “Out of thin air, they decided “adequate and
well-controlled studies” means the Phase II and III studies required for FDA
approval for marketing new drugs.” The relatively low abuse potential of cannabis
is also grounds for moving it from Schedule I, even without any studies
showing medical efficacy, but the D.C. Circuit failed to consider that. ASA’s appeal follows more than a decade of legal
wrangling with the federal government over the medical efficacy of marijuana
and its relative safety, following a 2002 rescheduling petition from the
Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC), of which ASA is a member. After
the government stalled for nearly a decade, ASA sued for unreasonable delay,
and the DEA denied the CRC petition. That enabled ASA to challenge the
decision in court, citing the substantial scientific record and arguing the
DEA acted arbitrarily and capriciously. Congress placed cannabis in Schedule I in 1970,
defining it as a dangerous drug with a high potential for abuse and no current
use in medical treatment. More information: ASA petition for rehearing and en banc review - http://americansforsafeaccess.org/downloads/DC_Circuit_Petition_En_Banc.pdf
D.C. Circuit decision - http://americansforsafeaccess.org/downloads/DC_Circuit_Ruling_ASA_v_DEA.pdf
ASA appeal brief - http://americansforsafeaccess.org/downloads/CRC_Appeal.pdf
2002 CRC rescheduling petition - http://www.drugscience.org/PDF/Petition_Final_2002.pdf
_____________________________________________________________ <continued from ILLINOIS
HOUSE PASSES MEDICAL CANNABIS BILL page 1 > The
bill is now before the state Senate, which passed similar legislation in 2009
only to see it defeated in the House.
The bill was introduced in January by state Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie),
who touts the bill as one of the most restrictive in the country. Patients with a "debilitating medical
condition" who have the approval of their physician would be able to possess
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<continued from previous
page> If
signed into law, Illinois will become the 19th state since 1996
to allow for authorized patients to possess and consume cannabis. The
Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act allows for
state-registered patients to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis over a
14-day period,
which they could obtain from one of 60 "registered dispensing
organizations". Patients must possess a physician's recommendation, be diagnosed with
one of some 40 "debilitating medical conditions" such as cancer,
HIV, multiple sclerosis, or fibromyalgia, and must not possess a felony drug
conviction to participate in the program. HB1
does not allow an affirmative defense for patients if they're arrested and
gives police unfettered access to patient records. Under
the proposal, patients will not be permitted to cultivate their own cannabis.
Rather, the measure requires patients to obtain cannabis from one of 60
proposed, state-licensed dispensaries w/ the sale of medical cannabis
taxed at seven percent. These facilities will be supplied by 22 state-authorized
cultivation centers. The Illinois Department of Agriculture, Department of
Health, and Department of Financial & Professional Regulation will
oversee the program. If
signed into law, the pilot program will officially take effect on January 1,
2014. Because the measure contains a sunset provision, it will expire in four
year from this date unless lawmakers act to extend it. Passage of HB1 came a day after nearly 250
Illinois physicians pledged their support for safe access to medical cannabis
and three physicians held a press conference calling on legislators to act. "The Illinois House has neglected to
address some of the most pressing needs facing patients today," said
Steph Sherer, ASA’s Executive Director. "We'll do our best to improve
the bill in the Senate, but even if it's enacted, advocates will have to pass
a new bill in 2017." A Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll in
February |
found 63 percent of Illinois voters support the
legalization of medical cannabis. More information: HB1, the Compassionate Use of
Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act - http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/98/HB/PDF/09800HB0001eng.pdf -
or, please contact Allen
St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Erik Altieri, NORML Communications
Director, at (202) 483-5500. _____________________________________________________________ <continued from MARYLAND
LEGISLATURE APPROVES LIMITED BILL
page 1 > The idea for distributing cannabis through licensed "Academic
Medical Centers" came from Maryland Health & Mental Hygiene
Secretary Dr. Joshua Sharfstein. His support, coupled with Governor Martin
O'Malley's agreement to sign the bill, saw HB1101 overwhelmingly pass both
houses of the legislature. Academic medical centers would have to apply to
participate in the program and would be responsible for not only dispensing
medical cannabis but also staffing the physicians who would provide
recommendations. The Department of Legislative Services (DLS) noted last
month that the most likely participants, Johns Hopkins University and
University of Maryland, have stated they will not be part of the program. DLS
estimated that even if an academic medical center chose to participate, the
regulatory hurdles would delay patient access until at least 2016. Their
analysis also found that the program would need substantial funding—at least
$400,000 next year and nearly $1 million the following, all of which would
have to come from the state’s general fund. "Patients' needs should not be pitted
against the needs of other Maryland taxpayers," said ASA Policy Director
Mike Liszewski, who testified on the bill’s limitations. "An internally
financed, self-sustaining medical marijuana program would benefit patients
and help the state." The Maryland legislature also recently passed
HB180, a bill that would extend an affirmative defense to medical marijuana
caregivers, which is strongly supported by ASA and other advocates. Further information: Text
of HB 1101 - http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2013RS/bills/hb/hb1101T.pdf
DLS
Fiscal and Policy Analysis of HB 1101 - http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2013RS/fnotes/bil_0001/hb1101.pdf
ASA
HB1101 Fact Sheet - http://americansforsafeaccess.org/downloads/MD_HB1101_Fact_Sheet.pdf |
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Discovering the Benefits of Marijuana – by
Joan Bello, for AAMC It
is hard to believe that I lived for 30 years without even knowing there was
such a thing as being high. I had no idea what a different way of
perceiving meant. Any altered state of my youth was numbing via alcohol
which I never could yield to completely. But with marijuana, I was awake, saw
more clearly, felt more deeply and understood more globally. From being
straight-laced and ever so proper, I became tolerant, laid-back and no longer
concerned with superficial material goals. The
childhood yearning to understand the mysteries of life lost along the
way of normal competitive trivia returned. Kindness, justice and lofty
ideals, compartmentalized under philosophy, burst forward. All the principles
and promises of my Catholic schooling that had proven to be such dismal
failures become real possibilities from the experience of The Marijuana
Consciousness. The world was new again with hope and holiness. I was happily
reintroduced to the real me, who had been hiding for years. I
had yet to study the science of the plant so I didn't know I was breathing
deeper than usual. I didn't understand that there were connections in my
brain that had been lost years before. All I knew was the freedom, relaxation
and the feeling of well-being that gently overtook my whole being whenever I
was under the influence of marijuana. The
first time I smoked marijuana, I knew it would cure my son. I could never
even try to explain this revelation, but it was as clear as anything had ever
been. Steven was five and suffered from Grande Mal seizures at least three or
four times a week. He was very hyper active and was being shamefully drugged
by the doctors with dangerous poisons who offered little hope for this incurable
disease. I was a desperate mother with no answers. It was 1973. The
stigma of marijuana was strong although the laws were not as gruesome as they
became over the next decades. I
was a teacher in NYC and knew that giving my child marijuana would endanger
my job. I was very afraid, but more determined. I rented a hotel in Manhattan
and took my little boy for his first introduction to the plant. The bed was
very high and he was very little. I picked him up onto the side of the bed
and I sat in front of him in a chair. I still remember saying, "mommy
has something for you." We shared our first joint. I gently blew the
smoke in his face as he became noticeably calmer. Then we went out shopping.
He didn't have any more |
seizures
for about ten days. It was the longest span between spells since they first
began when Steven was two. I
continued the forbidden medicine and it continued to help. Of course, we told
no one. It was our family secret. That's when and why I began my search in
earnest to discover how marijuana worked. At the outset, I never imagined
that it would take thirteen years. With
our new found cure and my newly acquired mindset, we left NYC for the hills
of Pennsylvania. We grew our own marijuana, worked at odd jobs while I
continued to hunt down the effects of this beautiful and maligned plant that
had saved my son. At
the time, there was so little information about marijuana that it was obvious
that it was either purposefully hidden or destroyed. My husband and I drove
to every library within 500 miles with books that might reference marijuana.
I read bibliographies to locate traces that mentioned Cannabis as medicine in
scientific papers and ordered every available study. Sometimes it took months
to obtain the inter-library loan. But nothing explained how marijuana worked.
I did learn that it was an ancient herb, glorified in the earliest religions.
I read the government backed studies, the foreign mentions and the newspapers
filled with reefer madness. But there was no satisfactory simple, holistic
description of how marijuana produced its mind expanding and body
relaxing effects. Meanwhile,
the years went by. Steven was no longer hyperactive and thankfully his
seizures were rare. We smoked together every day; he did well in school; had
a greater capacity for all things philosophical than most adults; was strong
and healthy and of course, was not taking any more of those dangerous
poisons. At
40 years old, I returned to school for a Master's Degree in Holistic Health
and Eastern Studies. Swami Rama was a Tantric Master. He founded The
Himalayan Institute for the purpose of bringing the ancient wisdom of the
East to the West. His library was full of Indian texts, many of which
referenced Cannabis Sativa, as an esteemed medicinal herbal tonic and Bhangi,
the Hindu name for the venerated plant. I became a very devoted volunteer
librarian and spent hours upon hours doing my research, secretly of course,
The main teaching at the Institute was Yoga Science. Essentially, Yoga is a
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<continued from previous page> geared to raise the vibration of the participant. Refinement of the entire personality is what is meant by raising the vibration. Mentally, it is (evidenced in) a loss of self-centeredness, negativity and worldly striving which is then replaced by cheerfulness, compassion and acceptance. When the Yogic methods are successful, the pattern of the breath is regular and unrestricted, creativity increases and the body relaxes. The mind is quiet. No fear. The
program at The Institute was very demanding. The course of study was
brilliantly integrated, comprised of experiential practice, self observation,
Eastern philosophy and holistic physiology. It was incredibly familiar
although I don't know why. The tests were four or five hours long, tediously
encompassing and very easy for me since I made sure to be especially high. In
the Spring of 1986, as graduation approached, I finally had the answer to how
marijuana imparts its magic. At an opportune time during one of my classes, I
nonchalantly asked a teaching physician how LSD affected the body and the
mind. It seemed too dangerous to ask about marijuana since growers were being
arrested every day. I thought that I would be able to make the necessary
substitution to the effects of marijuana. "Oh that's simple he said, it
floods both sides of the Autonomic Nervous System." There
it was! The goal of Yoga Science is to balance the Autonomic Nervous System.
If one can do that, then there is no thinking, the body is relaxed, the brain
is in sync with a unified vibration, the breathing is deep and uninhibited
and timeless values emerge, along with superior health. The effects of
marijuana fit perfectly with all I had learned about the opposing physical
and psychological modes of a balanced ANS. The accumulated knowledge and pieces
of information of 13 years of research that were floating in my brain were
synchronized in that instant. There
is a place or space termed the objective witness in all teachings
about the inner human world. It is not taught in school, not mentioned on the
news and hardly admired by friends or family. It has nothing to do with
success as defined in our society. The objective witness emerges when
a certain plateau of being is attained that corresponds to an energetic
fluidity which indicates an important milestone in Yoga Science, as well as
in all genuine spiritual disciplines. It can be described as when the person
steps outside herself and sees what is timeless rather than what is
self-serving. It |
happened
to me and it happens to all of us who know what "high" really
means. Steven is
nearly 50 and has been cured of his incurable disease for over 40 years. I am
over 70 and am in perfect health. Of course, we both have been blessed with
the benefits of marijuana since 1973.
SOURCE = American Alliance for Medical Cannabis (AAMC). May 2013 Newsletter * Contact them at 44500
Tide Ave · Arch Cape, OR 97102 or by visiting
- http://www.letfreedomgrow.com _____________________________________________________________ Hawaii: Lawmakers Approve Measures To Amend
State's Medical Cannabis Program
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Volume 10, Issue 6 *
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<continued from previous
page> According
to the poll, released last week, 85 percent of voters agree that adults ought
to be allowed to use cannabis for therapeutic purposes if a physician
authorizes it. The total marked an increase in support of four percent since
Fox last polled the question in 2010 and is the highest level of public
support for the issue ever reported in a scientific poll. Despite
the overwhelming public support for medical marijuana law reform, legislation
in Congress to amend federal law to allow for its use in the 18 states which permit
it -- House
Bill 689, the States' Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act -- only
has 16 co-sponsors out of a total of 435 House members. The bill has been
referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health
and to the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism,
Homeland Security, and Investigations -- neither of which have scheduled the
bill for a public hearing. 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.
_____________________________________________________________ Study: Inhaled Cannabis Reduces Crohn's
Symptoms
Tel
Aviv, Israel: Inhaling cannabis reduces
symptoms of Crohn's disease compared to placebo in patients who have not been
responsive to traditional therapies, according to clinical trial data
published online in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Researchers
at the Meir Medical Center, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in
Israel assessed the safety and efficacy of inhaled cannabis versus placebo in
21 subjects with Crohn's disease who failed to respond to conventional
treatments. Eleven participants smoked standardized cannabis |
Investigators
reported, "Our data show that 8-weeks treatment with THC-rich cannabis,
but not placebo, was associated with a significant decrease of 100 points in
CDAI (Crohn's Disease and activity index) scores." Five of the eleven
patients in the study group also reported achieving disease remission
(defined as a reduction in patient's CDAI score by more than 150 points). Researchers
reported that "no significant side effects" were associated with
cannabis inhalation. The
study is the first placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the
consumption of cannabis for the treatment of Crohn's. Israeli
researchers had previously published observational
trial data reporting that Crohn's patients require fewer disease-related
surgeries following their use of cannabis. According
to survey
data published in 2011 in the European Journal of
Gastroenterology and Hepatology, some one-half of Crohn's disease
patients acknowledge having used cannabis to mitigate
their disease symptoms. For more information, please contact Paul
Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Cannabis Induces a Clinical Response
in Patients with Crohn's Disease: a Prospective Placebo-Controlled
Study," appears online in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. _____________________________________________________________
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<continued from previous
page> Researchers at
Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston
assessed the relationship between marijuana use and fasting insulin, glucose,
and insulin resistance in a sample of 4,657 male subjects. Investigators
reported: "[S]ubjects who reported using marijuana
in the past month had lower levels of fasting insulin and HOMA-IR [insulin
resistance], as well as smaller waist circumference and higher levels of
HDL-C [high-density lipoprotein or 'good' cholesterol]. These associations
were attenuated among those who reported using marijuana at least once, but
not in the past 30 days, suggesting that the impact of marijuana use on
insulin and insulin resistance exists during periods of recent use." Writing
in an accompanying commentary, American Journal of Medicine
Editor-in-Chief Joseph S. Alpert, MD stated: "These are indeed
remarkable observations that are supported, as the authors note, by basic
science experiments that came to similar conclusions. ... I would like to
call on the NIH and the DEA to collaborate in developing policies to
implement solid scientific investigations that would lead to information
assisting physicians in the proper use and prescription of THC in its
synthetic or herbal form." Observational
trial data published in 2012 in the British Medical Journal
previously reported
that adults with a history of marijuana use had a lower prevalence of type 2
diabetes and possess a lower risk of contracting the disease than did those
with no history of cannabis consumption, even after researchers adjusted for
social variables such as subjects' ethnicity and levels of physical activity. For more
information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.
Full text of the study, "The impact of marijuana use on glucose,
insulin, and insulin resistance among US adults," appears in The
American Journal of Medicine. _____________________________________________________________ Study: Synthetic THC Mitigates HIV Infection
|
in the Journal
of Leukocyte Biology. Macrophages are one of the first type of cells
infected by the HIV virus when it enters the body. Investigators
at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia assessed the impact
of three commercially available synthetic THC agonists on HIV-infected
macrophage cells. Following administration, researchers sampled the cells
periodically to measure the activity of an enzyme called reverse
transcriptase (RT), which is essential for HIV replication. By day 7,
investigators reported that the administration of all three compounds was
associated with a significant decrease in HIV replication. Stated a
Temple University news release: "The results suggest that selective
CB2 (cannabinoid 2 receptor) agonists could potentially be used in tandem
with existing antiretroviral drugs, opening the door to the generation of new
drug therapies for HIV/AIDS. The data also support the idea that the human
immune system could be leveraged to fight HIV infection." Patients
living with HIV/AIDS frequently report using cannabis to counter
symptoms of anxiety, appetite loss, chronic pain, and nausea, and one
study has reported that patients who consume cannabis therapeutically are 3.3
times more likely to adhere to their antiretroviral therapy
regimens than non-cannabis users. In preclinical models, the long-term
administration of delta-9-THC has recently been associated with decreased
mortality and ameliorated disease progression in monkeys. In clinical models,
cannabis inhalation is associated with decreased
neuropathy and increased levels of appetite hormones in the blood of
subjects with HIV infection. For
more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Attenuation of HIV-1 replication in
macrophages by cannabinoid receptor 2 agonists," appears online in the
Journal of Leukocyte Biology. _____________________________________________________________ Study: Cannabinoids Offer Likely Therapeutic
Option For Patients With Post-Traumatic Stress
New
York, NY: Future research targeting
cannabinoids and their receptors may lead to evidence-based treatments for
patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to
clinical trial data published in May in the journal Molecular
Psychiatry.
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<continued
from previous page> Investigators at the New York University School of
Medicine reported that subjects diagnosed with PTSD typically
possess elevated quantities of endogenous cannabinoid receptors in regions of
the brain associated with fear and anxiety. Investigators also determined
that many of these subjects experience a decrease in their natural production
of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter, resulting in an
imbalanced endocannibinoid
regulatory system.
Authors concluded: "The data reported herein
are the first of which we are aware of to demonstrate the critical role of
CB1 (cannabinoid) receptors and endocannabinoids in the etiology of PTSD in
humans. As such, they provide a foundation upon which to develop and validate
informative biomarkers of PTSD vulnerability, as well as to guide the
rational development of the next generation of evidence-based treatments for
PTSD." Anecdotal evidence and case study reports have
increasingly indicated
that cannabis may mitigate traumatic memories and anxiety. However, clinical
trial data remains unavailable, in large part because federal officials have blocked
investigators' efforts to study cannabis in PTSD subjects. In 2011 federal
administrators halted efforts by investigators at the University of Arizona
to complete an FDA-approved, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the use of cannabis in 50
veterans with treatment-resistant PTSD.
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.
Full text of the study, "Elevated brain cannabinoid CB1 receptor
availability in post-traumatic stress disorder: a positron emission
tomography study," appears in Molecular Psychiatry .
_____________________________________________________________ Three Medical Cannabis Bills in California
Legislature A
bill to create statewide regulations for medical cannabis distribution was
approved by the California Assembly's public safety committee last month. |
AB
473, introduced by Assembly Member Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), would
create a Division of Medical Marijuana Regulation and Enforcement that would
establish statewide standards and fees for licensing medical cannabis
businesses, as well as penalties for violating the standards. The new
division would be part of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). Licensed
businesses and individuals would be issued identification cards to shield
them from arrest and prosecution. The rights of individual patients and their
primary caregivers would be unaffected by the new law, if passed. The California Senate is meanwhile
considering two bills that would affect patients—one aimed at drugged drivers
and one that would better define medical cannabis distribution. The
first, SB 289, would make it a crime to drive with any detectable amount of a
drug in your system if you do not have a prescription. Since federal
prohibition means medical cannabis cannot be prescribed, only recommended,
and cannabis is detectable for days after use, medical cannabis patients
would be vulnerable to prosecution, even when they are not under the
influence. The second, SB 439, would clarify how
cooperatives and collectives may legally operate in California under
Proposition 215 and the 2008 Attorney General guidelines. This bill would help
resolve the conflicting interpretations of current law and create the basis
for more uniform access in the state. Two Medical Cannabis Measures before LA Voters Proposition
D is a medical cannabis measure placed on the May 21 ballot by the City of Los
Angeles. Proposition D would limit the number of dispensaries that can
operate in LA to the 135 that originally registered with the city and would
prevent new ones from opening. Prop. D also raises the tax on medical
cannabis to 6%, a 1% increase over the current rate. It was endorsed by the
Los Angeles County Democratic Club at the urging of ASA, the Greater Los
Angeles Collective Alliance and UFCW Local 770. The other measure, Initiative F, allows all dispensaries
currently operating to remain open and places no limits on the number of new
ones. Both
limit hours of operation and say dispensaries must be at least 1,000 feet
from schools. Prop. D says they must also be at least 600 feet from
libraries, childcare centers, parks, places of worship and other
dispensaries; Initiative F puts the limit at 500 feet. SOURCE = Americans for Safe Access (ASA) - Monthly Activist Newsletter - May 2013; Volume 8, Issue 5* * 1322 Webster Street, Ste. 402
* Oakland, CA 94612 * info@AmericansForSafeAccess.org*
510-251-1856 * AmericansForSafeAccess.org |
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911 Dispatcher Tells Woman About To Be Sexually
Assaulted There Are No Cops To Help Her Due To Budget Cuts - She Should Have
Told Them It Was a Sick / Dying Pot-Head Instead JOSEPHINE COUNTY, Ore. (CBS Seattle) - An Oregon
woman was told by a 911 dispatcher that authorities wouldn't be able be able
to help her as her ex-boyfriend broke into her place because of budget cuts. Oregon
Public Radio reports that an unidentified woman called 911 during a
weekend in August 2012 while Michael Bellah was breaking into her place. Her
call was forwarded to Oregon State Police because of lay-offs at the
Josephine County Sheriff's Office only allows the department to be open
Monday through Friday. "Uh, I don't have anybody to send out
there," the 911 dispatcher told the woman. "You know, obviously, if he comes inside the
residence and assaults you, can you ask him to go away? Do you know if he's
intoxicated or anything?" Visit - http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2013/05/23/911-dispatcher-tells-woman-about-to-be-sexually-assaulted-there-are-no-cops-to-help-her-due-to-budget-cuts/ - More info, links, comment
board, here > http://mercycenters.org/news/2013/Drug_War_OR.html
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* The MERCY News
>
mercycenter@hotmail.com > (503)
363-4588 <
www.MercyCenters.org * |
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