Top 15 Cannabis Quotes

#1 Rosie Boycott, Independent on Sunday, 28 Sept 1997 "If alcohol is a tiger, cannabis is merely a mouse"

#2 Jon Owen Jones, UK MP "We have tried the prohibition route for 30 years and it obviously, patently isn't working."

#3 Judge James Grey, Orange County Superior Court, Santa Ana, CA, at the DPF Conference, November 1996: "If we continue as we have for the past 20 years in California, in the year 2020, everybody in the State will either be in prison or running one"

#4 President Jimmy Carter: "Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself"

#5 The Economist March 28th 1992: "Medicines often produce side effects. Sometimes they are physically unpleasant. Cannabis too has discomforting side effects, but these are not physical they are political"

#6 Volney Brown Jr., Federal Magistrate-Judge,(retired)., Los Angeles. At the DPF Conference, November 1996: "There is only one thing wrong with drug law enforcement, just one - it doesn't work. And when I tell you this I want you to believe me because I have done it"

#7 Detective Chief Inspector Ron Clarke, former member of Greater Manchester Police Drugs Squad: "I got tired of seeing otherwise innocent young kids from all walks of life getting criminal records for, in effect, doing nothing more than millions of other people in society were doing with alcohol"

#8 Sir Paul McCartney, Independent on Sunday, 28th September 1997: "I support decriminalisation. People are smoking pot anyway and to make them into criminals is wrong. It's when you're in jail you really become a criminal."

#9 Ontario Justice John McCart, 1997, (R. v Clay)"Cannabis is not an addictive substance; does not cause a motivational syndrome; and health related costs of cannabis use are negligible when compared to the costs attributable to tobacco and alcohol consumption."

#10 Professor Lester Grinspoon, Harvard Medical School, USA: "Marijuana is one of the least toxic substances in the whole pharmacopoeia"

#11 Edward Ellison, former Head of Scotland Yard's Antidrug Squad ''I say legalize drugs because I want to see less drug abuse, not more. And I say legalize drugs because I want to see the criminals put out of business.''

#12 Judge James Pickles, UK: "Cannabis never killed anybody and it's use is widespread. You can’t stop it. The law defeats itself because all the efforts to stop drugs coming in only drives up the prices and then gangsters move in to push the drugs. If they legalised there wouldn't be gangsters and huge profits...The police are gradually decriminalising the possession of cannabis because they realise there's not much point prosecuting"

#13 Sir Richard Branson, Independent on Sunday, 28th September 1997: "I'd like to see the government back a programme of research into the medical properties of cannabis and I do not object to its responsible use as a recreational relaxant."

#14 LaGuardia Commission Report, 1944 "Cannabis smoking does not lead directly to mental or physical deterioration... Those who have consumed marijuana for a period of years showed no mental or physical deterioration which may be attributed to the drug."

#15 Robert Sweet, U.S. District Judge, New York "Finally, the fundamental flaw, which will ultimately destroy this prohibition as it did the last one, is that criminal sanctions cannot, and should not attempt to, prohibit personal conduct which does no harm to others."

NEWS: Many Colorado cannabis dispensaries say they welcome regulation if it heads off LA-style crackdown

DENVER (AP) -- Colorado lawmakers have an unlikely ally in their first attempt to curb the state's booming medical marijuana industry: owners of the some of the shops that sell pot.

Many dispensary owners say they're on board with regulations if they give them uniform guidelines and avert a more severe crackdown like one approved this week in Los Angeles. Hundreds of Los Angeles pot shops face closure after the City Council voted Tuesday to cap the number of dispensaries in the city at 70.

The Colorado proposal - which a legislative committee approved 6-1 Wednesday - would make it more difficult for recreational pot users to become legal medical marijuana patients. It would bar doctors from working out of dispensaries, make it illegal for them to offer discounts to patients who agree to use a designated dispensary, and require follow-up doctor visits.

Most of the 150 people at the hearing opposed the bill. Many of them worry it will cost them hundreds of dollars on top of the $90 annual fee they pay to register as a medical marijuana user.

William Chengelis said he can't get his regular Veterans Administration doctors to sign off on medical marijuana and said buying pot illegally and paying the $100 fine would be cheaper than paying a private doctor for follow-up visits.

"I cannot afford this bill," Chengelis told lawmakers.

In response, the committee backed allowing the state to waive the $90 fee for those who can't afford it. Sponsor Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, said he would also see if there was a way to allow dispensaries to reimburse veterans for doctor visits.

While some advocates see any regulations as a violation of the medical marijuana law passed by voters in 2000, many dispensaries say they welcome the certainty that more regulation would provide.

"We're saying we really can't operate without any rules," said Matt Brown, a medical marijuana patient and leader of a coalition of about 150 dispensaries and over 1,000 patients.

Erik Santos, who operates a dispensary out of an office building in a trendy part of Denver's downtown section, thinks it makes sense to limit large marijuana growers to industrial areas and keep dispensaries out of residential areas. He wants lawmakers to pass laws now before even more dispensaries open up and prevent those with possible criminal ties from giving the industry a bad name.

Another bill still in the works could set up more regulations on dispensaries and suppliers.

Colorado cities are also looking to lawmakers to pass regulations. Hundreds of dispensaries have popped up across the state - in empty storefronts, office buildings and even a historic movie theater.

Some cities have passed moratoriums on pot shops as they figure out how to regulate them and wait for more guidance from the state. The Denver suburb of Centennial voted to ban dispensaries and close a shop that had already opened, but a court blocked that move.

"Everyone is waiting to see what happens this (legislative) session," said Mark Radtke, a lobbyist for the Colorado Municipal League.

Colorado already has some rules in place for medical marijuana dispensaries, including prohibiting dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools, day cares and other dispensaries. Felons convicted within the last five years would be barred from running shops. Dispensary owners would have to be licensed, pass a criminal background check and pay a $2,000 application fee along with $3,000 a year to renew licenses.

The rules are set to take effect March 1, although they could change depending on what state lawmakers to decide to do.

Fear that dispensaries would attract crime has been raised by those concerned about the growth of dispensaries. But police in Denver are discounting that.

Police say medical marijuana dispensaries were robbed or burglarized at a lower rate than liquor stores or even banks last year. A memo reported by The Denver Post on Wednesday says they were hit at about the same rate as pharmacies.

Source: Associated Press

NEWS: New superstore for growing medical cannabis opens in Oakland

OAKLAND — The place has the feel of the nursery at a Home Depot, but the house plants, barbecues and sheds are replaced with hydroponic equipment, fans and nutrients for growing medical cannabis plants.

It's called iGrow, and the owner of the 15,000-square-foot superstore, Dhar Mann, describes it as a one-stop shop for medical marijuana patients who want to grow their own cannabis plants.

"What we are doing is taking the black market out of the (medical cannabis growing industry)," said Mann, the 25-year-old son of the owners of Friendly Cab, an Oakland-based company for more than three decades.

The shop was made possible, in part, by a City Council resolution that allows medical marijuana patients to have a maximum of 72 plants indoors, a 36-square-foot growing area, 20 plants outdoors and up to three pounds of dried marijuana.

"If you come in here with valid California identification and you have a medical recommendation or patient identification card, we will be open to talking to you about growing cannabis," said General Manager Justin Jorgensen.

And even if you don't, iGrow will have a doctor on site to write recommendations for those who qualify.

"He is going to ask for supporting (medical documentation), and if you don't have it you may or may not get approved," said Jorgensen.

The iGrow superstore, located at 70 Hegenberger Loop near the airport, isn't the first hydroponics store in the city, but Mannsays it's the largest in the Bay Area. Like other stores, the shelves are stocked with various types of grow lights, fans, plant nutrients and additives, and growing containers.

Many City Council members are supportive of the store.

"It's going to create new job opportunities for residents," said Councilmember Larry Reid (Elmhurst-East Oakland), who represents the district where iGrow opened Thursday.

Reid said he is confident the store has enough security to keep out criminals looking to steal valuable equipment and products. And he said he is excited that the store could appeal to gardeners looking to improve their vegetable or flower gardens.

"It can be useful for those that want to just grow tomatoes or any other vegetable in their backyard," Reid said.

But the main focus of iGrow will be selling supplies for and giving classes about growing medical marijuana.

A portion of the warehouse will be sectioned off for the 25 online classes offered by the University of Cannabis, also recently launched and run by Mann. Courses cover everything from the "Global History of Hemp" to "Sharpening Your Green Thumb" to "The Brain, the Body & the Bud." Classes, which run from $40 to $60, can be taken at iGrow or on your own computer, Mann said.

And then there's the Grow Squad, experienced indoor cultivators who will give three hours of complimentary in-person or over-the-phone advice to people interested in growing cannabis, Mann said.

"We want to educate you," Mann said. "And hopefully that education will cut down on some of the fires (in grow houses recently)."

Mann has been working on the $250,000 project, which included a new storefront and a complete overhaul of the long-vacant warehouse, since the fall.

Several hundred people attended Thursday's grand opening, which included speeches by Reid and Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan (at-large).

"The grow business is an economic opportunity for our city," Kaplan said. "We want to celebrate, we want to support and we want to uplift that to help pay for the parks, libraries and services that people need," referring to the fact that the business will generate tax revenue.

Dave Weddingdress, co-founder of the Harborside Health Center cannabis club in San Jose, also attended the event.

"We are happy to see these places open under reasonable regulations," he said.

Mann also had short videos from other elected officials, including Rep. John Garamendi, touting the project as a boon for urban agriculture and the city's economy.

"We're excited that iGrow was born in the epicenter of the cannabis movement," said Mann. "And we're even more thrilled to see the strong support that the city of Oakland and the community has shown us for the grand opening of our new business."

Source: San Jose Mercury News

NEWS: Judge orders Eagle Rock dispensary to stop selling medical marijuana

L.A. prosecutors believe it is the first legal ruling to conclude that state law does not allow collectives to sell pot. If upheld, it would have a dramatic impact on how the drug is distributed.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Friday ordered an Eagle Rock dispensary to stop selling medical marijuana in a decision city prosecutors believe is the first to conclude that state law does not allow collectives to sell the drug.

Judge James C. Chalfant's preliminary injunction applies only to Hemp Factory V, a small outlet on Colorado Boulevard near the Glendale border, but would have a dramatic impact on how medical marijuana is distributed if a higher court upholds it. The decision came in the pretrial phase of the city's lawsuit against the dispensary.

Hundreds of collectives in Los Angeles and throughout California sell marijuana, as Hemp Factory V does, to anyone who shows up with a doctor's recommendation and signs a form to become a member. The state's courts have ruled on many medical marijuana issues, but have not directly addressed whether this widespread practice is legal.

 Read the rest »

Source: Los Angeles Times

OP-ED: L.A.'s medical marijuana troubles hold lessons

The Obama administration gave Hawaii and other states that have legalized medical marijuana the freedom to go forward with their efforts to make it available to patients. The Legislature should provide for a distribution system with safeguards to protect against the kind of carnival atmosphere that has jarred Los Angeles.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced last October that the Justice Department would not waste energy prosecuting patients who use marijuana for medical purposes. The George W. Bush administration had hounded such state-allowed operations, mainly in California.

The Los Angeles City Council this week approved an ordinance that is expected to shut down 80 percent of the city's nearly 1,000 medical marijuana dispensaries. The action came after community groups had long complained about the numerous dispensaries near residential neighborhoods, schools and parks.

"These are out of control," said Councilman Ed Reyes, whose committee oversaw the writing of the ordinance. "Our city has more of these than Starbucks."

At the same time, Colorado state legislators are considering a bill that would bar doctors from working out of dispensaries or offering discounts to patients who agree to use a particular dispensary. It also would prohibit dispensaries within 1,000 feet of schools, day cares and other dispensaries, similar to the Los Angeles proposal that the mayor is expected to sign.

Hawaii legalized marijuana for medical purposes a decade ago. However, in the absence of medical marijuana dispensaries, the state's more than 4,000 patients have had to obtain marijuana from drug traffickers.

The medical marijuana program has been assigned to the Department of Public Safety's narcotics division, which has been accused of violating privacy by releasing the identities of patients and doctors.

Gov. Linda Lingle has ignored 2009 legislation directing her to create a task force at finding a way for patients to acquire it legally. Her administration has insisted on adhering to the federal law that the Justice Department has decided to ignore.

Bills before this year's Legislature would place the medical marijuana program under the Department of Health, where it belongs. Marijuana has been found to be effective in easing pain from such diseases at AIDS, cancer and multiple sclerosis. The department would license producers and dispensers.

The proposal importantly would create a task force assigned with developing a distribution system and identifying requirements for the licensing of producers and production facilities. The Los Angeles experience should be helpful in determining how such a system should operate.

Source: Star Bulletin

VIDEO: Actual vote taking place at the LA Council meeting on the medical marijuana ordinance (January 26, 2010)

NEWS: House panel rejects marijuana bills

RICHMOND - A House subcommittee on Wednesday rejected legislation that would have decriminalized marijuana possession and allowed doctors to legally prescribe the drug to their patients for various illnesses.

The criminal subcommittee of the House Courts of Justice Committee tabled two bills that Delegate Harvey Morgan, R-Gloucester, called part of a "compassionate and sensible drug policy" for Virginia.

Morgan's proposals drew support from former law-enforcement officials, legal professionals, members of the medical community and patients who have used marijuana. However, subcommittee members did not let either bill go forward for consideration by the full committee.

The subcommittee voted unanimously to table House Bill 1134, which would have decriminalized possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana.

The subcommittee voted 4-3 to table HB 1136, which would have allowed doctors to prescribe medicinal marijuana to treat a range of ailments and conditions.

The subcommittee's chairman - Republican Delegate H. Morgan Griffith of Salem - praised Morgan for introducing HB 1134, even though Griffith voted against it.

"I would congratulate Harvey for putting the bill in," Griffith said, "merely for the point that I think it's a subject that the public at large needs to begin thinking about."

Delegate David B. Albo, R-Springfield, also voted against HB 1134, which Morgan said would have saved much as $225 million a year in law enforcement and court costs by changing marijuana possession from a criminal to a civil offense.

But Albo said he might have voted differently if the savings could be earmarked for law enforcement.

"I can tell you, if we were somehow able to capture the money that is savings and use it to expand Alicia's Law or bust more bad guys, you'd have a convert," Albo said. (Alicia's Law refers to efforts to protect children against sexual predators on the Internet.)

Morgan offered to modify HB 1134 if doing so would help pass the measure.

"I would be willing to accept almost any amendments to at least get something that will make our situation better than it is today," Morgan said.

In voting to table HB 1134, several subcommittee members expressed concerns about decriminalization of marijuana. They also said the proposal would have reduced the punishment for large-scale distribution of the drug.

Several citizens testified on behalf of the medicinal value of marijuana, saying the drug had numerous benefits in treating illnesses and was not addictive.

Virginia now permits marijuana only for the treatment of cancer and glaucoma. HB 1136 would have allowed doctors to prescribe the drug to treat other conditions such as AIDS, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.

Griffith, who voted in favor of HB 1136, noted that state law already allows doctors to prescribe "OxyContin, oxycodone, morphine derivatives and some of the other drugs that are far more powerful than marijuana plant material." So he supported a medicinal marijuana law.

But most subcommittee members appeared concerned that the HB 1136 did not limit what ailments could be treated with marijuana.

"I like this bill," Delegate Charniele L. Herring, D-Alexandria, said.

"But one of the things that I am concerned about, I'm hearing the medicinal purposes and that it helps, but I feel like I don't have enough scientific evidence in front of me."

Although his bills failed, Morgan ended up getting the last words.

"Chairman, we'll be back," he said.

Source: Star-Tribune

VIDEO: Michael Bachus comments before LA Council on marijuana ordinance January 26, 2010 (Los Angeles, CA)

NEWS: The Marijuana Cancer Cure Cult

By Bruce Mirken

It's not as far-fetched as it sounds, but some enthusiasts may be going too far.

In his 1971 State of the Union speech, President Richard Nixon declared war on cancer, prompting passage of the National Cancer Act, aimed at making the "conquest of cancer a national crusade." Just four years later, scientists from the National Cancer Institute published a study demonstrating that a group of compounds taken from a common, widely cultivated plant shrank lung tumors that had been implanted in mice, extending their survival.

In a world that made sense, this plant and the anticancer drugs it produced would have been rushed into further testing, and we'd have known in a few years whether they had potential as treatments for human cancers. Instead, research proceeded at a glacial pace, with almost no further progress till the 1990s. Since then, vast quantities of lab and animal data have confirmed those early findings, but studies of these plant compounds in actual human beings with cancer remain nearly nonexistent.

 Read the rest »

Source: AlterNet

NEWS: Congressman Ed Markey response to constituent regarding the Medical Marijuana Protection Act

Dear Joseph:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act. It was good to hear from you.

On June 11, 2009 Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced H.R. 2835, the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act. The bill would, among other things, provide for the medical use of marijuana in accordance with the laws of the various states, as well as move marijuana from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to schedule II of the Act and, therefore, allow it to be available by prescription for medical purposes.

Since 1996, thirteen states have enacted medical marijuana laws. In these states, if a doctor recommends patient use of marijuana for an ailment, then it is legal, under state law, for the patient to grow and use marijuana for personal consumption. In October 2009, the Justice Department announced that it will no longer raid medical marijuana dispensaries that have been established in accordance with state law. Despite the existence of state medical marijuana laws, marijuana remains an illegal drug under federal law.

In order to meet the standard of the Controlled Substances Act, a drug must have adequate scientific evidence of its safety and efficacy. It is my understanding that there is not sufficient medical evidence of the benefits of medicinal marijuana, though I look forward to the results of ongoing research. In the meantime, I believe it would be premature to adjust current federal regulations.

You may be interested to know that I voted in favor of the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment when it was considered on the House Floor on July 25, 2007. This amendment would have prevented the federal government from arresting AIDS, MS, and cancer patients who use marijuana for medical reasons in states that have medical marijuana laws. Unfortunately, this provision failed 165-262. I voted for the amendment because, while I have not yet seen conclusive evidence indicating that marijuana is safe or effective for use in treating medical ailments, I don't believe that patients with severe, chronic diseases should be arrested and federally prosecuted for medical use of marijuana where such use has been approved by the state government in which they reside.

Please feel free to contact me in the future about this or any other issue that concerns you. If you would like to receive updates from my office, please go to my website, http://markey.house.gov/, and click on "Newsletter Sign Up.

Sincerely,
Ed Markey
Member of Congress

--

Source: Examiner

NEWS: Medical Marijuana Faces Obstacles In LA

Despite sharp criticism and the threat of litigation on Tuesday, the LA City Council formally approved an ordinance that will close an estimated 800 medical marijuana collectives in the city.

Between 70 and 186 dispensaries would be allowed to remain open under new restrictions, though more than 75% of those would have to relocate. Opponents of the ordinance say these restrictions infringe on the right to the safe access afforded medical marijuana patients under the Compassionate Use Act of 1996

"Clearly you all don't understand," attorney Jennifer Sores told the City Council, "This is medicine. So treat it like medicine."

The new restrictions require dispensaries to locate far from churches, public schools, rehab centers and other "sensitive use" areas. Other stipulations in the ordinance include that dispensaries keep security footage on file for long periods, confine patients to membership at a single collective, require specific ID cards and offer patients' contact information to law enforcement without a subpoena.

Graham Berry, an attorney representing several of the dispensaries that may be forced to close, suggested that these restrictions imply that marijuana is being regulated as a dangerous or criminal substance rather than something with genuine medical uses.

"The needs of this particular medical group and patients should not be treated like gambling, sex, and liquor stores," said Berry. "Please stop playing politics with patients' rights and health."

While the ordinance ostensibly clarifies the use of marijuana as a medical substance under California state law, its provisions take more from the federal stance on marijuana as a criminal substance. There appears to be real confusion as to whether the city is regulating marijuana as medicine or a controlled substance and some ambiguity in the ordinance as to whether its users (as recommended by MDs) ought to be considered real patients or potential criminals.

One of the major problems with the ordinance, according to City Councilman Bill Rosenthal and others, is that it may not even help to reduce marijuana's role in criminal activity.

"Somewhere in the '80s," Rosendahl said, "the federal government turned [marijuana] into this thing worse than any other drug out there and then they began filling the jails. We saw gangs go from community neighborhood interactions into a serious territory marijuana distribution operation, and so funds would come in and they would enhance one's gang membership. What do they do? They fight with each other over territory in the selling of drugs."

Other LA residents agreed with Rosenthal's sentiment.

"If you want to keep crime off the streets," said Los Angeles resident Karen Elizabeth during public comment. "Keep the dispensaries open."

Mark Herd, a member of the Westwood neighborhood council, also urged the council to consider medical marijuana in the same way as other medicines, and protested that the ordinance's location restrictions would leave no dispensaries in Brentwood, the Pacific Palisades, Westwood and many other areas of the City.

"Bill Rosendahl," Herd said, "understands that we need more than one Walgreen's in Venice."

Source: The Huffington Post

NEWS: Los Angeles City Council approves medical marijuana ordinance that will shut down hundreds of dispensaries

In a 9-3 vote, the Los Angeles City Council today gave its final approval to an ordinance that will shut down hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries and impose strict rules on the location and operation of the dispensaries that are allowed.

The measure passed quickly, without debate.

The ordinance, which the council first began discussing more than 4 1/2 years ago, will cap the number of dispensaries at 70 but make an exception to allow all those that registered with the city in 2007 and have remained open. City officials believe that number is around 150.

Hundreds of dispensaries have opened in Los Angeles as the City Council debated its proposed ordinance and failed to enforce a moratorium on new dispensaries. City officials believe there are more than 500 that will be required to close under the ordinance, but some are already preparing to sue the city and collect signatures to force a referendum on the ordinance.

The ordinance also requires dispensaries to be at least 1,000 feet from other dispensaries and so-called sensitive uses, such as schools, parks and libraries. Among other restrictions, dispensaries will be required to close at 8 p.m. and will not be permitted to allow marijuana use at the stores.

The ordinance will not take effect until after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signs it and the City Council approves the fees that dispensaries will have to pay to cover the city's cost of monitoring. City officials are studying those costs and expect to propose the fees soon.

Once the ordinance is in place, the city attorney's office will send letters to affected landlords and dispensary operators telling them that they must close immediately. If the dispensaries remain open, the city attorney's office likely will take them to court.

Source: Los Angeles Times

NEWS: Lake Elsinore, CA town hall meeting on medical marijuana packed a full house

Wayne Williams said his goal in holding the town hall meeting was to bring the community together to find a "sensible solution" to the concerns related to medical marijuana.

A standing-room-only crowd of more than 170 jammed the Lake Elsinore Cultural Center Monday evening for a town hall meeting that addressed the topic of medical marijuana.

Hosted by Wildomar resident Wayne Williams, who heads We The People, a local pro-cannabis organization, the meeting included seven guest speakers whose backgrounds included law, business, medicine, government and activism.

Williams said his goal in holding the town hall meeting was to bring the community together to find a “sensible solution” to the concerns related to medical marijuana, and said his organization sent emails invitations to Lake Elsinore registered voters, encouraging them to “join the dialogue” Monday evening.

He is also pushing to get a city ordinance passed that would legalize medical marijuana, which is on Lake Elsinore’s council agenda Tuesday. City council will decide whether or not to extend a moratorium banning all marijuana manufacturing activities in the city.

In December, council approved an urgency ordinance that immediately established a 45-day moratorium prohibiting the manufacturing operations that grow the drug for medical purposes.

If the ordinance extension is passed during Tuesday’s council meeting, it will go into effect immediately and could last as long as 10 months.

While Wildomar councilmember Sheryl Ade was in the audience during Monday’s meeting, Williams said none of the Lake Elsinore city council members were in attendance despite his assertion that he personally invited all of them to the event.

During Monday’s get-together, the seven guest speakers addressed issues ranging from cannabis regulation and medicinal benefits to how to obtain medical marijuana I.D. cards.

Guest speaker Charles Monson, a businessman and quadriplegic who founded the non-profit Wheels of Mercy, an organization that collects used wheel chairs for those who can’t afford them, said he supports legalization and pleaded with the audience to help those who need the drug for health reasons.

Monson cited problems with prescription drugs for pain relief, and said cannabis is a safer alternative.

“There has never been a fatal marijuana overdose,” he said. “Medical marijuana is a health issue, not a law enforcement issue.”

Guest speaker Cha Hanna from Americans for Safe Access’s, the grassroots organization working to legalize marijuana, encouraged pro-cannabis audience members to take action, by telling them, they “can affect change.”

Christopher Glenn Fichtner, M.D., spoke about his research on the medicinal benefits of cannabis. The Chicago-based psychiatrist said he has studied the issue of America’s policy on illegal drugs, specifically marijuana. He concluded that cannabis has medicinal merits and should be legalized.

“As a psychiatrist, I don’t recommend cannabis for treatment, but I do have patients who use it and report benefits,” he said. “I think it’s important that, as doctors, we listen to these people. There’s a lot more work to be done and we need to do research.”

Guest speaker James Gray, a retired Orange County trial judge who presided over drug courts during his time on the bench, said U.S. law on drug prohibition is “the largest failed policy next to slavery. What we’re doing isn’t working.”

Gray said illegal drugs are available to those who want them.

“Nobody is hanging out near the schools trying to sell our kids Jim Beam,” he said.

Instead, Gray said drug pushers are peddling illegal drugs to kids.

“This is caused by our prohibition on drugs,” he said. “We glamorize marijuana by making it illegal.”

Ed Rosenthal, a pro-cannabis advocate who writes about marijuana, said the majority of Americans favor legalization and that criminalization creates a police state.

“We are the majority,” he said, “not government.”

Rosenthal said that when comparing cannabis to legal drugs such as alcohol, tobacco and some prescription drugs, marijuana is much safer.

“People make the decision to use it and it’s not addictive,” he said. “People use marijuana to enhance their lives. Just like people use Viagra to enhance their lives.”

Among the speakers was also former Norco mayor, Herb Higgins who said it’s been his duty to “uphold citizens’ wishes.” During his council tenure, he voted to allow collectives in Norco.

Higgins said he was not familiar with all the issues surrounding medical marijuana in Lake Elsinore, but that council members are not “change agents.”

“If you disagree with what council members say, don’t sit at home,” he said. “Do something about your cause. I don’t use marijuana. I never have and probably never will. But it doesn’t stop me from saying, ‘it’s your right to do it.’”

Carolyn Lieber, who heads Riverside County Department of Health’s Medical Marijuana Identification Card Program said, “I don’t have a soapbox to stand on.”

Instead, Lieber provided information on the county’s medical marijuana card program.

Tuesday’s council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Cultural Center, 183 N. Main Street.

Source: Southwest Riverside News Network

NEWS: LA City Council set to approve pot ordinance

LOS ANGELES -- For the past five years, medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles have multiplied and gone largely unregulated as city officials struggled to adopt a law that would put clamps on a flourishing industry.

Not anymore.

With the expected passage of a medical marijuana ordinance by the City Council on Tuesday, hundreds of dispensaries would have to close their doors putting an end to the so-called "Green Rush" that swept through Los Angeles and much of the state.

Enforcing the ordinance, however, may take a Herculean effort by a cash-strapped city. No one is exactly sure how many pot clinics there are in Los Angeles - the best estimate is somewhere between 800 and 1,000 - and getting the owners to comply with the ordinance will likely be met with resistance.

"I don't want to say this is an impossible task, but it's going to take a lot more effort than maybe the city realizes at this point," said Robert Mikos, a law professor specializing in federalism and crime policy at Vanderbilt University Law School. "Just because the city says 'stop what you are doing,' doesn't mean they (dispensary owners) are going to give up easily."

One possible option for dispensaries is to seek an injunction that would stop the city from enforcing its ordinance. City officials could take similar action against unwilling pot clinics.

The ordinance would cap the number of dispensaries at 70, spreading them evenly throughout the city via its community districting plan. For instance, the Wilshire area west of downtown would have the most pot clinics - six - under the new law, while places such as free-spirited Venice, which has as many as 17 currently, would only have one.

City officials also would require dispensaries to be at least 1,000 feet from "sensitive uses" such as schools, parks and other gathering sites. Most clinics would have to relocate, presumably to industrial areas, a move criticized by some medical marijuana advocates who say patients will have to travel long distances to get their medicine.

The ordinance wouldn't take effect until city officials determine the registration fees collectives would have to pay. The city attorney's office estimates that enforcement won't take place for at least 45 days.

The number of clinics has exploded - more than 600 over the past 10 months alone - despite a 2007 city moratorium prohibiting new medical marijuana dispensaries. The shop owners took advantage of a loophole known as a hardship exemption that allowed them to open while awaiting city approval.

However, more than 180 clinics qualified to remain open because they came before the ban was enacted. About 137 of those dispensaries still exist and would be allowed to remain open if they meet other requirements in the new ordinance.

City council members have fumbled with an ordinance for years, trying to come up with language that jibes with state law. Only four dispensaries were open in 2005, when discussions first began.

The outlook for medical marijuana in Los Angeles remains hazy. Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley has said he will target pot clinics that profit and sell to people who don't qualify for medical marijuana.

While the ordinance says no collective can operate for profit, "cash and in-kind contributions" as well as "reasonable compensation" would be allowed.

The ordinance, if passed by the council and signed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, follows a recent California Supreme Court decision that struck down a law seeking to impose limits on the amount of marijuana a patient can have. It also comes months before a possible ballot measure seeking the legalization of marijuana in the Golden State.

Fourteen states, including California, permit medical marijuana. Pot, however, remains illegal under federal law.

Source: The Washington Post

NEWS: Patient Alert - Harmful Provisions In LA Draft Ordinance

This is a forward from an LA Activist. I hope to see all of you at L.A. City Hall tomorrow at 9:30am at 200 N. Spring Street (enter on Main Street side). There are parking lots around, they can be expensive, so car pool if you can. Please invite everyone you know. - Cheryl Aichele

Greeting Patient Advocates –
I write to alert you to the next upcoming LA City Council meeting where council members will vote on provisions within the city’s medical cannabis ordinance. I also want to point you to specific harmful provisions and how you can help.

I urge you to attend Tuesday’s meeting:
http://www.lacity.org/clk/councilagendas/clkcouncilagendas364527_01262010.pdf

I also urge you to read this brief draft ordinance:
http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2008/08-0923_misc_01-19-2010.pdf

Please consider the impact of the following provisions:

Provision – SEC. 45.19.6.3. REGULATIONS. A. 2. a. [Buffer Zones]
Page 9

Condition – "No collective shall be located within a 1,000-foot radius of a school, public park, public library, religious institution, licensed child care facility, youth center, substance abuse rehabilitation center, or any other medical marijuana collective(s)…"

Issue – Reports from the City’s planning department demonstrate that this strict provision will require almost all collectives in the City to move to industrial zones unconducive for patients. It appears there are fewer potential locations than permitable collectives creating bidding wars for leases. This provision is more restrictive than those regulating bars, strip clubs and other adult entertainment. The inclusion of religious institutions as a sensitive use also creates further issue.

Provision – SEC. 45.19.6.3. REGULATIONS. A. 2. b. [Residential Abutment] Page 10

Condition – “No collective shall be located on a lot abutting, across the street or alley from, or having a common corner with a residentially zoned lot or a lot improved with a residential use, including a mixed use residential building…”

Issue – Residential areas were never part of this ordinance until just recently. The planning department was not ready to provide thorough data on residential buffers but suggested this requirement is near impossible to meet. Despite being in appropriate commercial areas, almost every collective in the City abuts a residential area. Residential abutment should trigger a hearing where neighbors and patients voice their approval or displeasure with the impact of the collective on the community.

Provision – SEC. 45.19.6.3. REGULATIONS. B. 5. [Hours of Operation] Page 11

Condition – “No collective shall be open or provide medical marijuana to its members between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m…”

Issue – I have heard from many patients that access to a collective in the later evening hours is critical due to their health condition, job, transportation as well as other reasons.

Provision – SEC. 45.19.6.3. REGULATIONS. B. 13. [No On-site Consumption] Page 12

Condition – “Medical marijuana may not be inhaled, smoked, eaten, ingested, or otherwise consumed at the location…”

Issue – I have heard from patients who need their collective with a smoke/vapor lounge because it is a safe option due to their homelessness, government housing, assisted living home, children, etc.

Provision – SEC. 45.19.6.3. REGULATIONS. B. 15. [One Membership Only] Page 13

Condition – “No qualified patient, person with an identification card, or primary caregiver may be a member, at the same time, of more than one collective located within the City…”

Issue – This is one of the most harmful provisions to patients. I know so many patients who rely on multiple collectives to help them with care packages, food, rides, massage, etc. No patient should be limited to the number of collectives he/she joins.

Provision – SEC. 45.19.6.5. AUDITS AND TESTING. B. [Testing Required] Page 14

Condition – “The collective shall use an independent and certified laboratory to analyze a representative sample of dried medical marijuana…”

Issue – No collective will be able to meet this requirement, as no such laboratory exists. It is an outrage that no council member has moved to remove this provision. Much better language can be used to require collectives cultivate organic, medical grade cannabis.

What you can do:

Attend the meeting on Tuesday to show your support for reasonable regulations. Speak at the meeting to make your remarks part of public record. You will have one minute to speak. Contact your council member’s office directly to express your concerns.

Be accurate – provide only the facts. You want to be considered a resource not a nuisance. Be brief – stick to your point, focus on one issue. Officials have a short attention span. Be courteous. Despite the frustration with our local officials, you maintain your dignity by being respectful.

Speaking at City meetings is extremely important because one can only sue the City on issues that have been brought up during public comment. It’s your opportunity to speaking up on your concerns should the result of the Council’s actions cause damage.

I wish that I could report to you that our Council is even trying to do the right thing. However, they are failing the entire City on everything.

So, I guess we prepare ourselves for litigation. The State law is on our side and some recent court rulings only support this. I hope to see you at the meeting this Tuesday.

Sincerely,
Degé Coutee
Education & Advocacy Director
Patient Advocacy Network
http://www.CannabisSavesLives.com

OPINION: Allison Margolin: Follow spirit of pot law

ON Thursday, the California Supreme Court voted to safeguard the rights of medical marijuana patients. Meanwhile, in courtrooms across Los Angeles, the war against medical marijuana continues.

District attorneys are using the vagueness of the medical marijuana law to prosecute more people. And across the country, kidnappers are getting away, rape kits are not being tested due to funding problems, and murder cases are left unsolved - all evidence of scary misappropriation of resources fueled by district attorneys' passion to be drug warriors.

In the case of People v. Kelly, the California Supreme Court this month held that the quantity limitations in the medical marijuana statutes are unconstitutional. Other decisions have crystallized the standard by which a court or jury determines if a medical marijuana defendant's conduct was legal: Whether the quantity possessed is reasonable for that defendant given his medical needs.

In 1996, the voters of California passed the Compassionate Use Act, which provided immunity from prosecution for medical marijuana patients who cultivated or possessed marijuana. This referendum was codified in California Health and Safety Code 11362.5.

In 2004, the Legislature added 18 additional sections to the Health and Safety Code in order to promote more patient access to medical marijuana by explicitly immunizing possession for sale and sales. The Legislature also added language that allowed for collective cultivation among patients or their primary caregivers.

This language has been interpreted by the court of appeals to allow for medical marijuana storefront dispensaries so long as they are collective cultivation efforts. The statutes included 11362.77 of the Health and Safety Code, which contained language limiting the amount of marijuana a patient could possess to six mature plants, 12 immature plants, or 8 ounces - unless the doctor recommended more.

The state Supreme Court ruling on Kelly found that the Legislature unconstitutionally limited the rights afforded under the Compassionate Use Act (to have an amount that is consistent with medical needs). The case law relied upon by the court indicates that the Legislature may enact legislation in an area related to a voter referendum but may not amend a statute or take away rights given by the referendum.

Kelly also seems to suggest that defendants should acquire identification cards from their local boards of health if want to be immune from arrest if they are under the quantity limits or possess an amount of marijuana below what their doctor explicitly recommends.

Now, it's up to prosecutors to follow their obligation to do justice and follow the letter and spirit of the medical marijuana law to protect safe access to marijuana for patients.

The public should write to the Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley to say that they don't want resources being used to prosecute marijuana cases, and that they will not vote for him if the War on Marijuana continues to be top priority for Los Angeles.

By: Allison Margolin
Allison Margolin is a criminal defense attorney practicing state and federal criminal law in Los Angeles.

Source: Daily News - Los Angeles

MUST SEE VIDEO: Councilman Rosendahl's passionate speech supporting the medical marijuana community 01/19/10

NEWS: Cannabis Therapy 101 in Boulder provides pointers on medical marijuana business

Check cannabis buds for evidence of spider mites by breaking one open and looking for husks or cobwebs. Make sure fertilizer residue wasn't left on marijuana by seeing if it burns to gray ash (good) or black ash (not so good).

Check the Web site of the state Department of Public Health and Environment regularly to learn about new regulations and public hearings. Make sure you give your new patients time to tell their story of dealing with a chronic condition that has led them to seek out medical marijuana.

Those are just some of the topics covered in Cannabis Therapy 101, the first in a series of four classes offered by the Cannabis Therapy Institute, a Boulder-based advocacy and education group.

Students who complete all four courses can call themselves certified cannabis therapists, trained in various treatment methodologies, the attributes of some of the 10,000 cannabis strains and the effects of cannabinoids on the body and the mind.

Robert Melamed, a professor of biology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs who has published more than a dozen papers on marijunana's effects on the body, teaches one of the classes.

The Cannabis Therapy Institute has pushed back strongly against proposed legislation that would regulate the industry (members say they aren't anti-regulation, but most of what was proposed would restrict patients' rights). At the same time, its members advocate for increased professionalism among caregivers and dispensary owners. It's good for patients, and it's good for the industry, they say.

The class and the certification are part of that effort.

The institute also offers classes taught by lawyers on how to stay on the right side of the law. That's no small feat in an environment where regulations vary from town to town, court decisions lead to changing interpretations of the constitutional amendment that legalized medical marijuana and the whole business remains illegal at the federal level.

Timothy Tipton, a patient and caregiver with the Rocky Mountain Caregivers Cooperative, and Deanna Gabriel, a certified clinical herbalist and clinical nutritionist, teach the 101 class. In a neat, spare conference room at the Best Western Boulder Inn, more than a dozen students listen closely as they cover topics ranging from which state forms require black ink and which require blue to how to chart patients' symptoms and find a strain that works best for them.

Women with neatly trimmed white hair and practical fleece jackets take notes beside long-haired, passionate activists. There was a student of Chinese herbalism, another of integrative medicine, a registered nurse, a massage therapist. They came from across the Denver metro area, including Englewood and Highlands Ranch.

Their questions indicate the legal uncertainty that hangs over the industry. Would adding a cannabis therapy certificate to other medical credentials decrease a practitioner's legitimacy? Is there a risk of federal prosecution? Would my patient records be protected, like other medical records, if there were a raid on my business?

In all cases, the answer boils down to "maybe."

Tipton, who has testified in court as an expert on medical marijuana and has experience dealing with a wide variety of strains and methods through the caregivers collective, focused on understanding the properties of different types of marijuana.

Indica strains work on the body, but can make some people sleepy. Sativa strains act more on the head and can help patients who need to feel alert and functional in the morning.

Hybrid strains need to be used with caution in patients with bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.

"If a patient is having body issues, you want to make sure they're not having cerebral effects that are uncomfortable or unpleasant," Tipton said.

Edibles can provide long-lasting symptom relief. Honey oil extractions, sometimes in the form of hard candies, can help stimulate appetite in patients with wasting conditions. Patients in assisted living facilities probably shouldn't smoke their marijuana because of the oxygen tanks.

"That's where you as a caregiver come in with really knowing you arsenal of therapies, what preparations and what treatments are most effective," Tipton said.

Gabriel drew on her experience as an herbalist to talk about developing a patient in-take process, researching diseases common among users of medical marijuana and walking the line walked by all alternative practitioners.

Don't overstep your area of expertise, maintain a good list of referrals to other specialists and don't be afraid to say "I don't know," she told the students. That protects the patients -- and the caregivers.

"There is a real danger of being slapped with a charge of practicing medicine without a license," she said.

"It's a loaded word to say you're healing someone," she added. "You're there to help them understand their bodies and the understand the medicine that you understand."

Source: Daily Camera (Boulder, CO)

VIDEO: Kristen Yoder discussing medical marijuana ordinance issues before the LA Council 01/19/2010

NEWS: Medical cannabis advocates: Boycott Starbucks

Proponents of legalized marijuana in Colorado are calling for a nationwide boycott of Starbucks because they say the Seattle-based coffee company supports an organization that is trying to thwart the use of pot for medical purposes in that state.

On Thursday a pro marijuana group held a news conference in front of a Denver Starbucks to draw attention to what it says are ties between the company and the Colorado Drug Investigators Association.

"It's no surprise that law enforcement organizations and their leaders -- whose jobs are dependent on maintaining the war on marijuana -- are lobbying to kill state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. But Starbucks and other companies' funding of this war should strike any marijuana consumer or reform supporter as truly appalling. It's time to stand up and send them all a message," Mason Tvert, head of SAFER (Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation), said in a statement.

Starbucks says the effort is misguided. The company does not provide financial support to the Colorado law enforcement group, Starbucks said in a statement.

"This organization is apparently targeting us because a local law enforcement organization in Colorado posted our logo on their website. Starbucks has not taken a position on their issue," the statement said. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for the men and women of local law enforcement. However, we have not sponsored this particular organization through our foundation. It is up to the discretion of our local teams to support those groups that are relevant in their neighborhoods. Our stores often support organizations in their community by donating coffee for their events."

The Colorado Drug Investigators Association Web site, which apparently listed other national and Colorado companies besides Starbucks as backers, is no longer working.

This week the Washington state Legislature killed bills that would've legalized and decriminalized marijuana use in this state, however local voters may get a chance to weigh in on this issue this fall. Proponents of a citizens imitative that would ask state residents whether they want to legalize pot are trying to get enough signatures to put the question before voters in November.

Source: Hearst Seattle Media

NEWS: Patients' rights need to be protected

The Los Angeles Collective Association appreciates the comments on the efforts to legalize marijuana in California. Much of the collective wisdom around this issue consists of the old “wink-wink, nod-nod” communication about what is “really” going on.

The marijuana collectives in Los Angeles are the antithesis of those jokes. We are a part of the medical community and we are legitimate businesses. There is a lot of misinformation about exactly what a patient collective is. A patient collective is a legitimate office where a patient visits after receiving a recommendation that medical marijuana can help his condition. It is our mission to help establish patient collectives in Los Angeles as a legitimate industry.

The LACA was formed to deal with the city of Los Angeles illegally trying to extend a moratorium on collectives beyond the two-year limit of the interim control ordinance. It filed a lawsuit to end the moratorium and, after winning a preliminary injunction against the city, we prevented it from enforcing the moratorium.

Currently, we find ourselves facing a City Council determined to discriminate against our members and create unacceptable ordinances that would drastically decrease the number of collectives. If it continues to discriminate against the majority of the collectives, we will challenge the city again in court.

It has become clear that the City Council will continue to treat us unfairly and with disdain. It seems not to have a clear understanding of the industry. Most council members have not entered a collective and those who have, have a limited understanding of how a collective operates.

They receive wrong information from the city attorneys as to what is legal. The city attorney ignores the guidelines set by the state attorney general in response to Proposition 215, the Medical Marijuana Act passed by voters in 1996.

We find that our best recourse is to continue to challenge the city in court, to turn to the voters of Los Angeles and to create our own referendum.

LACA has four goals:

— To represent patients by helping them to form and operate a collective, using whatever model they choose, be it a dispensary, a collective cultivation, religious congregation, elder-care collective, an assisted medicating lounge or delivery service.

— To help develop acceptable practices for running collectives.

— To stand up for patients’ rights. We believe they have the freedom to form collectives in ways that best serve their members. There will be no master list of patients; there will be no limits on the number of collectives to which a patient can belong; there will be no limits on the number of outlets of a particular collective; patients can trade or share their medicine with other patients or groups of patients (collectives); and LACA believes we have the freedom to create collectives in any manner that best serves our patients.

— To steer the industry in a compassionate direction.

— Dan Lutz is president of the Los Angeles Collective Association.

Source: Ventura County Star

NEWS: Researchers Find Study of Medical Marijuana Discouraged

Despite the Obama administration’s tacit support of more liberal state medical marijuana laws, the federal government still discourages research into the medicinal uses of smoked marijuana. That may be one reason that — even though some patients swear by it — there is no good scientific evidence that legalizing marijuana’s use provides any benefits over current therapies.

Lyle E. Craker, a professor of plant sciences at the University of Massachusetts, has been trying to get permission from federal authorities for nearly nine years to grow a supply of the plant that he could study and provide to researchers for clinical trials.

But the Drug Enforcement Administration — more concerned about abuse than potential benefits — has refused, even after the agency’s own administrative law judge ruled in 2007 that Dr. Craker’s application should be approved, and even after Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in March ended the Bush administration’s policy of raiding dispensers of medical marijuana that comply with state laws.

 Read the rest »

Source: The New York Times

VIDEO: Kim Quiggle on medical marijuana at the Long Beach City Council meeting, Jan. 19, 2010

VIDEO: Richard Eastman on medical marijuana at Long Beach City Council Meeting - January 19, 2010

NEWS: AMA wants more research on medicinal pot

The American Medical Association has taken a giant step by asking the federal government to take marijuana off its most restrictive list of controlled substances while the AMA conducts research into the potential medical uses of cannabis.

By listing pot on “Schedule 1,” the federal government officially labels marijuana a dangerous drug with no accepted medical use, even though California law allows the use of medicinal marijuana under certain circumstances.

“The idea that cannabis has no medical use is absurd on its face, because I know every materia medica (pharmacology text) that has been written has included cannabis as a medicine. The first medical textbook, written by Sir William Osler, said marijuana relieved migraines,” said Dr. David Bearman, a Goleta physician widely known for his advocacy of medical marijuana.

However, the American Academy of Family Physicians argues that marijuana decreases coordination, damages the lungs and increases the risk of infection, in addition to its cardiovascular and cognitive effects.

California voters legalized the medicinal use of marijuana in the state by passing Proposition 215 in 1996, and its acceptance as a medicine — or at least a drug that isn’t as dangerous as advertised — seems to be growing.

Even though medical marijuana remains illegal under federal law, the Obama administration has told federal narcotics agents not to arrest users and providers of medical marijuana who are abiding by state laws.

And a new initiative to tax and regulate adult use of marijuana in Nevada by licensing retail stores and growers was filed Jan. 6 with the secretary of state’s office, according to the Associated Press. If enough signatures are collected to put it on the ballot, it would be the fourth attempt in the last decade to legalize marijuana in Nevada.

In the Pacific Northwest, five activists filed a ballot initiative this week to legalize all adult marijuana possession in Washington state, saying that state government is wasting money on police, court and jail costs for people who use or produce marijuana.

Criminal penalties for juvenile possession and for providing the drug to juveniles would remain in place, and marijuana would also remain illegal under federal law.

And in Oregon, medical-marijuana advocates are seeking to put on the November ballot a measure to create a system in which state-licensed pot growers would distribute their crops to dispensaries where people could buy the drug to treat their ailments.

Santa Barbara has a city ordinance that allows medical-marijuana dispensaries, though its rules are being revised, but all other cities in the area prohibit such operations.

The Coalition to Promote Drug Free Youth, based in Solvang, has no position on the medical use of marijuana but the volunteer group is concerned about Santa Ynez Valley youth and about how marijuana is regulated and perceived, according to the coalition’s Mary Conway.

“There needs to be more research on the best way to get medical marijuana into the hands of those who need it, and not on our streets,” she said.

In changing its long-standing policy, the AMA said in November that its goal was to conduct clinical research, devise alternative ways to deliver the drug, and develop cannabis-based medicines, according to Report 6 of the Council of Scientific Affairs within the AMA.

“I have patients with incredible medical problems that express that they have had a miraculous response to the therapeutic use of cannabis,” Bearman said. “The occupations (of those people) are impressive, including people from around the state in law enforcement, district attorneys — not necessarily in this county — to grandmothers and retired military.

“I have found with some of my patients who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, marijuana is very effective in decreasing patients’ quick-to-anger reactions and anxiety. Marijuana causes sleep without nightmares,” he continued.

Both the AMA and Bearman suggest that marijuana can be effective against:

• HIV-wasting, which can include involuntary weight loss, chronic diarrhea and weakness;
• chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting;
• anorexia and other eating disorders, by stimulating the appetite;
• glaucoma, by reducing intraocular pressure;
• multiple sclerosis;
• spasticity, and ;
• nerve-related movement disorders.

Bearman said he has also used medical marijuana in treating patients with arthritis, fibromyalgia, epilepsy and seizures.

Source: Santa Maria Times

California Supreme Court strikes down limits on medical marijuana possession

The California Supreme Court today struck down the state's limits on how much medical marijuana a patient can possess, concluding that the restrictions imposed by the Legislature were an unconstitutional amendment of a 1996 voter-approved initiative.

The decision means that patients and caregivers with a doctor's recommendation to use marijuana can now possess as much as is "reasonably related to the patient's current medical needs," a standard that the court established in a 1997 decision.

"I'm very pleased. They gave us exactly what we wanted," said Gerald F. Uelmen, a law professor at Santa Clara University who argued the case for Patrick K. Kelly, a medical marijuana patient from Lakewood who was convicted of possession and cultivation. "This makes it very clear that all of the rights of patients under the Compassionate Use Act are fully preserved."

The initiative did not limit the amount of marijuana that a patient could possess or cultivate other than to require it be "personal medical purposes."

In 2003, the Legislature passed a law intended to clarify the initiative and give guidance to patients and law enforcement officials. The Legislature decided that patients could have up to 8 ounces of dried marijuana and grow as many as six mature or 12 immature plants. The law also allowed a patient to have more if a doctor stated that amount was insufficient.

The court concluded that those restrictions improperly amended the Compassionate Use Act, which was approved by voters and includes no provision that allows the Legislature to amend it.

Source: Los Angeles Times

NEWS: LA City Council Votes to Close 800 Marijuana Dispensaries

The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to close roughly 800 medical marijuana dispensaries in the city by passing the first reading of an ordinance which would also require 75% of remaining dispensaries to relocate. The vote, to be confirmed in a second reading of the ordinance next Tuesday, will radically change the landscape of medical marijuana distribution in Los Angeles, which has been largely unregulated since dispensaries were first authorized by state law in 1996.

If the ordinance takes effect later this spring, medical marijuana dispensaries will have to find locations more than 1000 feet from various 'sensitive uses' -- including churches, public parks, schools, rehab centers, and other dispensaries. They will also be required to grow all their cannabis on-site, test it for pesticides, provide written notice of their existence to all neighbors within 1000 feet, maintain 24-hour complaint hotlines, hire unarmed security guards to patrol a two-block radius, keep 90 days of security footage and fulfill a number of other registration requirements with the city.

Dispensary owners, patients and medical marijuana advocacy groups all say the bill is overly restrictive, and that it relies on the false assumption that medical marijuana dispensaries are a magnet for crime and a menace to residential neighborhoods. Several speakers alluded to LA Chief of Police Charlie Beck's comments last week that "banks are more likely to be robbed than medical marijuana dispensaries," though Beck supports the present ordinance.

Patient William Lahey said that the bill's supporters overstate marijuana's influence on quality of life.

"We've been desensitized by the fact that we have 15,000 liquor stores and 9,000 restaurants that serve liquor [in Los Angeles]," Lahey said.

Though the ordinance would theoretically allow for as many as 186 dispensaries to remain open, some of its provisions threaten to make the actual number far lower. Don Duncan, California Director of Americans for Safe Access, argued that a 1000-foot buffer "may be sort of a de facto law against most of the facilities that would otherwise have qualified," since "it fences off a significant amount of the territory into which dispensaries could locate."

Tarek Tabsh, who owns a dispensary in Venice, said that the city hasn't considered how much of the property that meets location restrictions for dispensaries under the ordinance is actually vacant, meaning the dispensaries that are forced to relocate may have to close simply because they could not obtain a lease on a suitable property. Tabsh and others argue for a "good neighbor variance," which would exempt certain dispensaries from the new location requirements.

"If this ordinance works the way we write it," he said at the meeting on Tuesday, "we won't need those restrictions. Responsible operators should be allowed to stay where they are if they've developed a relationship with their community and if they can prove it to their councilmen, the neighborhood councils and the local law enforcement."

Council member Bill Rosendahl, who represents Tabsh's district, was one of two no-votes. He called the ordinance "insane" and "unworkable," and said that he believes it should be left up to each neighborhood to decide where dispensaries can operate.

"If a neighborhood has a problem with it, it shouldn't exist, but there have to be legitimate petitions from people in the community,' said Roshdahl.

But Council member Richard Alarcon, who represents the 7th district, claims that the effect of the location restrictions are greatly diminished by a provision that would allow collectives to open under the auspices of residential, elderly and licensed care facilities, all of which, he argues, are well-equipped to form patients' collectives and correctly monitor the distribution of medicine.

Source: The Huffington Post

NEWS: Pot glut - As the state and feds loosen their grip, California’s marijuana supply has grown to new heights

Marijuana is worth money, and in case you haven’t noticed, there seems to be an overabundance of cannabis from this year’s outdoor harvest. In fact, supply is outstripping demand in this multibillion-dollar market, and the price on the street is dropping like a stone.

We’re certainly not seeing the prices enjoyed before the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting program in 1983, when a 1-ounce “lid” sold for $10. However, the long-standard street price of $50 for one-eighth of an ounce has fallen to as low as $35 in recent months. Steep discounts are available for those who buy larger amounts.

What’s behind this apparently dramatic increase in the supply of marijuana? Two things. Since Proposition 215 passed in 1996, the number of people cultivating their own stash has increased every year. Precise numbers are notoriously hard to come by, but according to the DEA, the number of plants seized by CAMP per year from 1996 to 2006 increased sixteenfold, from 94,221 plants to 1,675,681 plants. One marijuana study estimates the value of last year’s crop at $14 billion in California alone.

The second factor leading to the state’s present pot glut was the Obama administration’s announcement last year that the DEA would no longer conduct raids on growers, collectives and patients operating within their state’s medical-marijuana statute. As soon as that statement hit the airwaves, people rushed to obtain medical-marijuana recommendations and lined up at the hydroponics stores in hopes of cashing in on the movement, especially in light of the economic downturn and the real-estate market collapse.

But now, the folks who’ve rushed in to capitalize on the new leniency have a conundrum. Patients who thought they’d grow enough for themselves and sell the rest, on the street or to a collective, have suddenly discovered there’s too much pot. Many outdoor growers are just sitting on their crops, which grow older and staler by the minute. The newbies didn’t consider the time it took their old dealer to build his or her customer base, or the rigors of competing in a business that remains both inside and outside the law.

That said, how can a newbie cash in?

This was an issue that an acquaintance of mine tried to solve by going out of California to another medical-marijuana state. Unfortunately, he was told his outdoor weed was “too good” and wasn’t grown locally, so they would not be able to purchase it from him. Cashing in on something you have no market for is a crapshoot at best.

In contrast to the street, the cost of pot at medical-marijuana collectives, where both the bud and the prices are somewhat stickier, has remained relatively unchanged, and ranges from $50 to $65 per eighth of an ounce for what is mostly weed grown indoors. The cost of cultivating indoors has not changed, and most good indoor pot is worth what reasonable growers are charging for it.

But what strikes me in the gut is when I walk into a so-called “medical dispensary” and they are charging indoor prices for outdoor medicine, which is not as potent and wasn’t raised in a sterile environment. I am sure a lot of other patients have been shocked as well. It’s the inevitable result of too many new growers and too many new collectives all coming online at the same time.

How does the new medical-marijuana patient determine indoor from outdoor? First, in general, indoor weed is much brighter green in color. Outdoor weed generally has more leaf matter, and the bud stalks are more rugged. Lastly, when in doubt, don’t hesitate to ask the person behind the counter.

Ultimately, I believe the state needs to step in to regulate the labeling of "medicinal" and "recreational" marijuana. Patients and caregivers need a centralized quality-control center that can test marijuana for levels of medicinal value. Set an acceptable minimum level, and you’d weed out the number of nonmedical growers that infest California under the guise of the law.

There is no denying that marijuana has been demonized by Western culture, and long will be the days before pot is traded openly and accepted as medicine, not a gateway to harder illicit substances. When the people in this country who haven’t opened up their minds realize that pot is safer than alcohol and many prescription and over-the-counter medications, we’re going to have a bona fide bonanza on our hands. Never mind the textiles …

Source: Sacramento News & Review

NEWS: Edinburgh study shows cannabis spray relieves pain

A University of Edinburgh research team hopes that a cannabis-based spray may be used alongside traditional pain removers after a study showed the spray reduced pain by 30 per cent.

The spray would be used in cases where traditional analgesics such as morphine do not suit the palliative needs of patients.

Professor Marie Fallon said: "Prescription of these drugs can be very useful in combating debilitating pain."

The tests were trialed on 177 patients over a two week period.

The spray works by triggering molecules in the body called cannabinoid receptors. Although these are the same receptors triggered by recreational cannabis use, the spray has been developed in such a way that it does not affect the mental state of the patient.

According to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), recreational cannabis’ effects derive from the chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.

This chemical mimics the action of naturally occurring neurotransmitter substances called endocannabinoids.

That said, there are over 60 cannabinoid substances present in cannabis and it appears that these have been specially tailored in the spray to act merely as a palliative.

Prof Fallon, who headed the study, said that the "early results are very promising" and her optimism is shared by the team.

Prof Fallon is currently the Chief Investigator of a multicentre research into managing cancer pain funded by Cancer Research UK. She also advises the World Health Organisation (WHO) on guidelines for cancer pain.

The research comes after the controversial dismissal of David Nutt from the ACMD. It may also serve as a rallying point for campaigners seeking to de-criminalise marijuana for personal use.

However, the research team is keen to highlight “the difference between their medical and recreational use.”

They warn that the reports do not support the recreational smoking of cannabis as it can raise the risk of cancer.

Source: The Edinburgh Journal Limited