Pubdate: Fri, 21 May 2010
Source: Statesman Journal (Salem, OR)
Copyright: 2010 Statesman Journal
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/QEzJupzz
Authors: Stacey Barchenger and Peter Wong, Statesman Journal
Cited: Voter Power http://voterpower.org/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis – Medicinal – U.S.)

PETITIONERS SEEK MEDICAL MARIJUANA OUTLETS

Ballot Measure Would Let the State License Dispensaries for the Drug

Advocates of medical marijuana on Thursday submitted 110,000 signatures, more than the amount required, for a ballot measure to allow state-licensed pot dispensaries in Oregon.

The proposed measure would not change the medical conditions under the law for which medical marijuana may be used.

If such a measure ever becomes law, Oregon would join California and a few other states that allow dispensaries.  But supporters of the measure argue that reported problems with dispensaries in California are precisely what the Oregon measure is trying to avoid.  And one marijuana reform-minded group says it will remain neutral on the issue.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10.n374.a15.html

Pubdate: Tue, 18 May 2010
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2010 The Denver Post Corp
Contact: [email protected]
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis – Medicinal – U.S.)

WILL FEDS ALLOW STATE POT LAWS?

Colorado and Other States That Have Enacted Medical Marijuana Laws Should Be Allowed to Proceed Without Federal Interference.

Now that Colorado is poised to begin regulating medical marijuana dispensaries, it makes sense to consider how the potential state law jibes with the long arm of federal law.

Though President Obama’s administration is taking a tolerant view toward the 14 states with medical pot laws, future administrations might decide to strictly enforce federal laws, which don’t recognize the drug as anything other than illegal.

Colorado’s Rep.  Jared Polis, D-Boulder, has co-sponsored a measure that says as long as the doctors who prescribe, patients who use, dispensaries that sell and growers that provide medical marijuana follow state laws, federal drug agents would not be allowed to arrest or charge them with drug crimes.

That’s an important exception to make because unless Gov.  Bill Ritter surprises lawmakers with a veto, Colorado is on its way to sanctioning dispensaries and creating a vast new regulatory framework for the burgeoning new industry.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10.n368.a07.html

ubdate: Tue, 18 May 2010
Source: Providence Journal, The (RI)
Copyright: 2010 The Providence Journal Company
Contact: [email protected]
Author: W. Zachary Malinowski, Journal Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis – Medicinal – U.S.)

FIFTEEN APPLICATIONS TO RUN MARIJUANA ‘COMPASSION CENTERS’

PROVIDENCE – The state Department of Health received 15 proposals by Monday from applicants seeking to establish the state’s first compassion center, or store, to sell marijuana to patients registered in the medicinal-marijuana program.

Two of the applications had been submitted through Friday, while 13 more came in just before the deadline passed at 4:30 p.m., health officials said.

Annemarie Beardsworth, Health Department spokeswoman, said that the department will not release the names of the applicants or other details of the proposals, including proposed center locations, until department officials review the applications.

“If we asked for a security plan, we want to know whether a security plan is enclosed,” she said.

In the coming weeks, the department will post the proposals for public view.  A public hearing on the proposals is scheduled for June 21 at the department, 3 Capitol Hill.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n368/a04.html

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA)
Copyright: 2010 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc
Contact: [email protected]
Author: Chris Goldstein
Note: Chris Goldstein is the communications director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Philadelphia Chapter. For more information, see www.phillynorml.org
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?261 (Cannabis – United States)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/NORML (NORML)

LYNNE ABRAHAM’S COSTLY REEFER MADNESS

The Ex-D.A.’S Drug Demagoguery Made for Bad Policy.

In recent testimony before a U.S. Senate subcommittee, former
Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham displayed dangerous
ignorance about America’s marijuana market, engaged in bombastic
Reefer Madness rhetoric, and made demeaning generalizations about
marijuana users.

The truth is that countless area residents choose cannabis for
medical therapy or as a form of recreation that’s safer than
drinking. They are otherwise law-abiding citizens who represent every
neighborhood, class, ethnicity, and walk of life.

Abraham also implied that local marijuana consumers are funding
cartels. But much of the pot consumed in the United States,
particularly in the Northeast, is grown within the country.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10.n367.a06.html

Pubdate: Sun, 16 May 2010
Source: Monroe Evening News (MI)
Copyright: 2010, The Monroe Evening News
Contact: [email protected]
Website: http://www.monroenews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2302
Author: Ray Kisonas
Referenced: Michigan Medical Marihuana Program http://drugsense.org/url/nDFeNDPs
Referenced: Michigan’s law http://drugsense.org/url/8mvr7sW8
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Michigan+medical+marijuana
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis – Medicinal – U.S.)

MARIJUANA FARMING IN MONROE?

There’s an eye-popping proposal that’s a bit unsettling to some
community leaders even though it could produce much-needed revenue
for Monroe County.

An entrepreneur from Florida has set his sights on a large vacant
building in Frenchtown Township that he hopes to convert into a
marijuana-producing facility. It could house close to 25,000 plants
in an operation that is sure to produce million of dollars.

But the big question remains: Is it legal?

It is, by far, the most ambitious venture regarding medical marijuana
being discussed in Michigan since voters in 2008 passed into the law
allowing its use among patients.

James McCurtis, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Community
Health in Lansing, the agency that oversees the state’s medical
marijuana industry, said the Frenchtown Township proposal is huge.

“I must say, it is creative,” Mr. McCurtis said. “I have not heard of
something like that, not in Michigan. But that has a chance of being
legal.” What is legal and illegal under the law is being discussed
and researched by local law enforcement officials, attorneys and
community leaders.

Continues:  http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10.n366.a03.html

Pubdate: Sun, 16 May 2010
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 2010 The Sacramento Bee
Contact: http://www.sacbee.com/2006/09/07/19629/submit-letters-to-the-editor.html
Author: Peter Hecht
Image: http://www.mapinc.org/images/forumgraphic.jpg
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis – Medicinal – U.S.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?261 (Cannabis – United States)

The Conversation:

RESEARCH OFFERS CONTRASTING VIEWS OF MARIJUANA

Rickey Yuhre didn’t need an $8.7 million California medical marijuana study to tell him that pot eased his suffering.

The 53-year-old former diesel truck mechanic and welder has pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic and debilitating disease of the lungs.  He has fused vertebrae in his neck due to severe nerve damage.

Pain meds and relaxants – Oxycontin, Vicodin, Neurontin, Valium – only turned his insides out with nausea.  And so he started using a special “vapor box” to medicate with marijuana without smoking.

“It brought things to a tolerable state,” said Yuhre, of Sacramento.

His experiences seem to support findings of state-funded research that asserts that marijuana provides relief for a range of ailments, including neuropathic pain caused by injuries, infections, diabetes, strokes and other conditions affecting the nervous system.

[snip]

[sidebar]

MEDICAL MARIJUANA: PANACEA OR PROBLEM?

A community health forum, presented by Capital Public Radio and The Bee, will feature a panel of experts to discuss the medical, legal and community impact of medical marijuana.  Insight host Jeffrey Callison will moderate the forum and Bee reporter Peter Hecht will join the panel of experts.  A one-hour live broadcast will begin at 6 p.m.  Wednesday on 90.9 FM in Sacramento, 90.5 FM in Tahoe/Reno, and 88.1 FM in Quincy and 91.3 FM in Stockton/Modesto.  A Web chat will begin at 6 p.m.  at www.secondopinions.org.  For more details, see graphic above.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10.n365.a03.html

Pubdate: Sat, 15 May 2010
Source: Lake Wales News (FL)
Copyright: 2010 The Lake Wales News
Contact: http://www.lakewalesnews.com/forms/letters/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?261 (Cannabis – United States)

TIME FOR FLORIDA TO TALK ABOUT MARIJUANA LAWS

If there were a way for Florida to save tens of millions of dollars annually, would you want to know about it? If more than a dozen other states were already enjoying these cost savings and a more than a dozen more were exploring ways to join them, would you want to know what Florida is doing?

If Florida, in fact, were doing the exact opposite of more than half the states in the country, would you want to know why?

We’re guessing you answered yes to all of the above questions, but we admit they were framed in a way that it would be hard to say no.

If you knew the questions involved marijuana laws, we suspect your answers might change.  That’s understandable.  Marijuana is illegal.

Many believe it is a dangerous “gateway” drug that leads its users to use even more dangerous drugs and to commit crimes to support their drug use.

We’re not convinced past policy toward marijuana use has been effective.  Florida and its counties are spending far too much money enforcing existing laws and incarcerating offenders.

At a time when state and county resources are scarce, Florida should join other states in exploring its marijuana laws.

Decades of marijuana law reform across the country and stacks of studies examining the impact of those reforms provide ample evidence on which a reasoned, rational policy could be crafted.

Almost all the studies show relaxing marijuana laws does not lead to increased use among any age group, a common red herring argument against decriminalization.

Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10.n363.a10.html