Cannabis Cures Cancer

Medical Marijuana Advocates Protest Obama's San Francisco Visit

2011-10-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

Medical Marijuana Advocates Protest Obama's San Francisco Visit

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hundreds of marijuana advocates gathered in downtown San Francisco Tuesday to protest recent federal crackdowns on California's medical cannabis industry while President Obama attended a fundraising luncheon at the nearby W Hotel.

Among the demonstrators was an employee at a local marijuana collective. "I've worked there for years," the man, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Huffington Post. "But if the Feds close us down, I'll be out there on the street with the Occupy Wall Street protesters because I'll be out of a job. This is my career, my livelihood. What Obama has done to our industry is nothing short of entrapment."

Despite an earlier promise to leave medical marijuana laws to the states, federal officials recently launched a whirlwind crackdown on cannabis dispensaries throughout the state, threatening to shut down certain pot shops and targeting others with exorbitant IRS bills and other sanctions. At a press conference held prior to the demonstration, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) joined advocates, local lawmakers and business owners in calling on the Obama administration to intervene.

"It's a total overreaction by the U.S. attorneys and they need to be reined in," Ammiano said. "I don't know who let the dogs out, but they need to be called off."

San Francisco resident Misha Breyburg, who participated in the protest, said he was disappointed in Obama's regression from his campaign promises. "It's important for politicians to stand by their words," he said. "These people out here -- they've worked hard, they've saved their money and they've taken all of the legal steps -- and then to have their property taken away from them? Maybe in North Korea."

California voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 1996 with the passage of Proposition 215, later named the Compassionate Use Act, which allows patients to possess and cultivate cannabis with a doctor's permission. The law has been interpreted many times since its inception. In City of Garden Grove v. Superior Court in 2007, trial court sided with the patient, finding it "is not the job of local police to enforce the federal drug law." A California Supreme Court ruling in 2010 found residents may grow or possess "reasonable amounts" of marijuana with a doctor's blessing.

As a candidate, Obama promised to maintain a hands-off approach toward pot clinics adhering to state law, telling a 2007 town hall in Nashua, N.H., that a Justice Department prosecuting medical marijuana users was "not a good use of our resources." Now Ammiano, a self-described Obama supporter, is asking the president to "exercise some leadership on this issue."

"We have it on tape," Ammiano said of Obama's promise. "Eric Holder early in the campaign said that the Attorney General would not raid medical marijuana dispensaries -- there are around 16 states that have them -- then out of the blue comes this droid missile aimed at medical marijuana and the dispensaries, and there's a lot of untruth...to me this is kind of a 'Reefer Madness' mindset."

The crackdown comes even as 50 percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana, according to a recently released Gallup poll, up from just 36 percent in 2006.

Authorities estimated nearly 1,000 protesters descended on the W Hotel during the duration of Obama's appearance. In addition to the marijuana enthusiasts, the president was greeted by environmentalists, anti-war activists and a smattering of Occupy Wall Streeters. The most vocal demonstrators opposed the construction of the Keystone pipeline in the Midwest.

Rally signs ran the gamut, from "Yes We Cannabis" and "Obama Changed," to "No Pipeline For The One Percent" and "Bring Our Troops Home." Another group set up a loudspeaker and played clips of promises made during Obama's 2008 campaign speeches that have not yet been met.

The president stopped by San Francisco as part of a West Coast tour promoting his economic and jobs plans as well as his 2012 campaign.

Access to Medical Cannabis ATTACKED by FED's;

2011-10-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

http://www.kcra.com/news/29546818/detail.html

City May Lose Millions From Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

POSTED: 11:00 pm PDT October 20, 2011
UPDATED: 11:48 pm PDT October 20, 2011
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California Cannabis Association estimates the city of Sacramento has taken in more than $2 million in taxes, permits and fees from medical marijuana dispensaries in the last year. The cities Economic Development Department doesn’t dispute that number.

Each dispensary has to go through a lengthy permit process, consisting of three different phases and costing more than $20,000, according to the Economic Development Department. The city also receives a 4 percent sales tax on the dispensaries profits from selling medical marijuana, said Maurice Chaney a representative of the Economic Development Department.

So will it hurt the city if the revenue stream from the dispensaries stops?

“That source of revenue is new anyway,” said Angelique Ashby, a city council member. “So hopefully we haven’t become too reliant on it in the year that we have had the ordinance.”

The cities ordinance allowing medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in the city limits is only a year old. Chaney said 35 dispensaries are going through the permitting process.

Since the city froze the permit process after the federal crackdown on dispensaries in California, some are wondering what will happen to the money that the city has already received for permits from dispensary owners still in the permitting process.

“I don’t think it’s logical to keep to the money,” said George Mull, the president of the California Cannabis Association. “Hopefully (the city government) will do the right thing and give back the application money.”

Chaney said the city is keeping the money, because it has only frozen the permitting process, not ended it.

Read more: http://www.kcra.com/news/29546818/detail.html#ixzz1bRqNOo6o

Legalize Cannabis Says The California Medical Association

2011-10-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Legalize Cannabis Says The California Medical Association
Editor's Choice

The California Medical Association (CMA) has officially announced its new policy on cannabis and recommends legalization.

Their decision was taken after a white paper concluded that physicians need to have better access to research and information that is simply not possible under the existing policy.

James T. Hay, M.D., CMA President-Elect confirmed :

"CMA may be the first organization of its kind to take this position, but we won't be the last. This was a carefully considered, deliberative decision made exclusively on medical and scientific grounds ... As physicians, we need to have a better understanding about the benefits and risks of medicinal cannabis so that we can provide the best care possible to our patients."

The problem doctors face with Cannabis being in a gray area in California is that they are the ones that have to recommend use of cannabis and marijuana to patients, and yet lack proper guidelines, research, medical precedents and to further complicate matters there is no quality control and not even a stated dose or strength of the various products provided to patients. Not only does this mean that there is no standard of use or prescription, it leaves doctors with potential legal liabilities.

Paul Phinney, M.D., CMA Board Chair clarified :

"We need to regulate cannabis so that we know what we're recommending to our patients ... Currently, medical and recreational cannabis have no mandatory labeling standards of concentration or purity. First, we've got to legalize it so that we can properly study and regulate it."

Whilst California has decriminalized marijuana seeing that policy as the only sensible way to tackle widespread use and possible medical benefits, cutting law enforcement and court costs, and preventing pointless arrests, on a Federal level the herb is still illegal meaning that research, testing, clinical trials and even possession and supply of the drug is highly restricted.

Dustin Corcoran, CMA Chief Executive Officer concluded :

"Our physicians have looked at this issue closely and carefully over a significant period of time ... after months of research and collaboration, they have chosen to adopt this forward thinking, medically sound policy that will only further their ability to properly treat patients."

Written by Rupert Shepherd

Feds don't get it !!!

2011-10-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

Feds crack down on California pot dispensaries

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19056050

By Josh Richman and John Woolfolk
Staff Writers
Posted: 10/07/2011 06:07:07 AM PDT

Federal prosecutors are targeting medical marijuana dispensaries across California, warning them to shut down within 45 days or face federal criminal and civil penalties regardless of whether they are operating within state and local laws.

Prosecutors have sent letters to at least 16 dispensaries -- or their landlords -- warning them they are violating federal drug laws. There have been no reports yet of East Bay or South Bay dispensaries receiving the letters, although 12 in San Diego and a few in San Francisco and Marin counties have received them. The action marks a resurgence of the ever-present tension between federal law's blanket ban on marijuana and California's 1996 law permitting the drug's medicinal use.

The U.S. Attorneys for all four of California's federal districts have scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Friday in Sacramento to "outline actions targeting the sale, distribution and cultivation of marijuana in California." A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney in San Francisco didn't return messages Thursday, but a cannabis industry lawyer said he expects they'll announce a multipronged approach to squelch California's permissive stance on marijuana by any means necessary.

"What they're getting at is basically the Obama administration war on medical cannabis is exactly the same as the Bush administration war on cannabis," attorney Bill Panzer of Oakland said.

Panzer said these letters go hand-in-hand with Tuesday's
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news that the Internal Revenue Service wants Oakland's Harborside Health Center dispensary to pay $2.4 million in back taxes because it can't claim the same deductions as other businesses. "You've got a lot of things happening all at the same time, all trying to stem the tide of medical cannabis," he said.

Oaksterdam University founder Richard Lee, who bankrolled 2010's unsuccessful Proposition 19 for recreational marijuana legalization, says the federal action could be the result of cities and counties limiting medical cannabis to a few large, permitted dispensaries rather than a network of smaller, private-membership clubs that could stay under the federal radar.

Oakland has allowed only four dispensaries; Lee owns one, the Coffeeshop Blue Sky on 17th Street, but declined to say Thursday whether he or his landlord have recently received a federal prosecutor's letter.

The Drug Enforcement Administration some years ago made similar threats to some landlords renting space to medical marijuana outlets, yet rarely followed through, Lee noted. But Panzer said the new letters strike a different tone, both because they come from the U.S. Attorneys, who have authority to pursue asset forfeiture in federal court, and because they set a 45-day deadline for compliance.

"That's a little different from what we saw before," he said.

Panzer said he has one of the most recent letters, but attorney-client privilege prevents him from sharing it or identifying its recipient.

Activists said they weren't aware of any notices received yet in the San Jose area. The San Jose City Council last month approved regulations allowing up to 10 marijuana collectives in a city now believed to have as many as 140, and requiring them to grow all their product on site rather than buying it wholesale from growers -- a requirement that some complained would invite federal drug raids.

Marijuana collectives complain the city's rules would effectively force all of them to close, and so they have launched a drive to collect the required 30,000 signatures of city voters needed to qualify a referendum to repeal the city laws.

Rich Robinson, a San Jose political consultant advising the city referendum drive, said the effort would continue unabated. He called the federal prosecutors' letters a "scare tactic to get as many clubs to close down as possible" and predicted it would fail because "there's too many to enforce."

San Jose City Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio, who led the city effort to regulate and tax medical marijuana shops, suspected the move stemmed from President Obama's concerns his administration's previous tolerance for medical marijuana in states that allow it may hurt his re-election chances. His predecessor, George W. Bush, and other presidents have strongly opposed state efforts to legalize marijuana use even for the sick.

"This is Obama freaking out about his re-election," Oliverio said. "It sounds like they reverted back to the Bush policy of zero tolerance."

The Justice Department issued an October 2009 memo saying that prosecution of significant drug traffickers remained a priority but U.S. Attorneys shouldn't focus resources on those acting in compliance with state laws allowing for medical use of marijuana.

Another Justice Department memo from June seemed to portend a crackdown, saying that dispensaries and licensed growers in states with medical marijuana laws could face prosecution for violating federal drug and money-laundering laws.

Keith Stephenson, director of the Purple Heart Patient Center -- another of Oakland's permitted dispensaries -- said he hasn't received a federal letter and didn't expect to.

"We are optimistic," he said. "We're really low-key, we're a small mom-and-pop (operation)."

Obama bumps up drug war; Protest him when he arives in Cali ...

2011-10-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=6846

LA Medical Cannabis Emergency Response Rally & Protest Noon Friday

EMERGENCY RESPONSE RALLY & PROTEST
(Please distribute widely)

Who: All Supporters Of Medical Cannabis
What: Peaceful Rally & Protest
When: Friday, October 7, 2011 – High Noon
Where: Los Angeles Federal Building, 255 East Temple Street
Why: Federal Government Has Announced It Intends To Shut Down Every Collective In California – We Gather In Solidarity With The Emergency Rally In Sacramento Where Feds Will Make Their Official Announcement at 11 a.m.

Today, October 6, 2011, federal authorities announced that they intend to shut down every collective in California -http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/10/feds-cracking-down-on-california-medical-marijuana-dispensaries.html
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2096399,00.html

The DEA has teamed up with the IRS and ATF to attack medical cannabis patients across the country. You can read more news at PAN’s blog, Cannabis Patient Voice - http://panorg.blogspot.com/

The feds are going to announce their new policy to close collectives tomorrow, Friday, October 7, 2011, in Sacramento. We gather to voice our frustration with failed federal policy and the deceit by the Obama Administration.

Bring a friend (or two). Bring a sign. Be prepared to address the media.

PLEASE – Contact your Congressional Representative by phone or email and let them know how you feel about this new federal crackdown on medical cannabis patients and their rights under the Constitution. Find your representative here: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

The time for EVERY patient to get involved is now. Spread the word. Each one teach one. Congress has stated the reason that this battle continues is that THEY DON’T HEAR FROM PATIENTS. Let them hear from you loud and clear. In Solidarity.

Sincerely,

Degé Coutee
Education & Advocacy Director
Patient Advocacy Network

California NORML Press Release – Oct 7, 2011

SACRAMENTO - Medical marijuana supporters are rallying to protest the Obama administration's crackdown on medical cannabis dispensaries outside a press conference by U.S. Attorneys at the Sacramento Federal Court House this Friday, Oct. 7th from 10 AM to 1 PM.

US Attorneys in California have begun sending letters to landlords of dispensaries threatening them with property forfeiture and criminal penalties for violating federal law.

In a letter to the landlord of the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana, the longest-operating dispensary in California, the US Attorney of Northern California warned that MAMM was operating within "a prohibited distance of a park." MAMM, which is officially backed by the city of Fairfax, has been operating without complaint for 15 years. Federal prosecutors complain that it is located within 1,000 feet of Bolinas Park, but this is perfectly legal under state and local law.

"The federal government has no business dictating local zoning issues.," says California NORML Director Dale Gieringer. "This is government over-regulation run amok."

The DOJ forfeiture threats are the latest in an escalating series of federal attacks on medical marijuana by the Obama administration:

• The IRS has assessed crippling penalties on tax-paying dispensaries by denying standard expense deductions.
• The Department of Treasury has browbeaten banks into closing accounts of medical marijuana collectives.
• The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms has warned firearms dealers not to sell drugs to medical marijuana users.
• The DEA has blocked a 9-year old petition to reschedule marijuana for medical use, ignoring extensive scientific evidence of its medical efficacy.

• NIDA has blocked proposed research on medical marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

California NORML estimates that the state's medical marijuana industry generates $1.5 - $4.5 billion in business, over $100 million in taxes, and tens of thousands of jobs in the state.

""With the federal budget on empty, the economy in disarray, our prisons overflowing, and prohibition-related violence raging across the border, it's an outrageous misuse of federal resources to wage war on marijuana dispensaries," says California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer. "Federal anti-drug bureaucrats are afraid because the dispensaries are proving that it's possible for marijuana to become a safe, legal, tax-paying industry and so expose their own last-century policies as bankrupt and obsolete."

Supporters are urged to call on the President to respect state marijuana laws - White House Hotline: 202 -456-1111. A bill to let states regulate medical marijuana legally, H.R. 1983, has been introduced by Rep. Barney Frank and has several co-sponsors from California.

Release by Dale Gieringer, Director, California NORML

RALLY AGAINST DOJ CRACKDOWN
ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Friday October 7, 10 am-3pm
Sacramento Federal Courthouse
501 I Street

dale@canorml.org - (510) 540-1066 or (415) 563-5858

http://americansforsafeaccess.org/article.php?id=6846

Patient Advocates Accuse Obama of Hypocritical, Aggressive Policy on Medical Marijuana
Millions of taxpayer dollars spent undermining state and local medical marijuana laws

Sacramento, CA -- The Obama Justice Department (DOJ) held a press conference in Sacramento today announcing an array of enforcement actions against medical marijuana producers and distributors as well as landlords throughout California. Patient advocates are calling President Obama's enforcement effort harmful and unnecessary, representing a stark contradiction to his pledge of disengagement in medical marijuana states. The DOJ claimed it was carrying out civil and criminal enforcement actions against medical marijuana providers and sending "warning" letters to property owners leasing to dispensary operators.

"Aggressive tactics like these are a completely inappropriate use of prosecutorial discretion by the Obama Administration," said Joe Elford, Chief Counsel with Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the country's largest medical marijuana advocacy group. "President Obama must answer for his contradictory policy on medical marijuana." On the campaign trial and in the White House, President Obama pledged that he was "not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state [medical marijuana] laws."

California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) said in a statement issued today that the DOJ enforcement strategy was "a waste of scarce federal resources," underscoring "the need for Congress to pass H.R. 1983, the States' Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act." H.R. 1983 would reclassify medical marijuana at the federal level and allow states to develop, implement and enforce their own laws.

This attack is the latest in a long line of federal intimidation tactics employed over the past few months by such agencies as Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). President Obama's DOJ has conducted well over 150 federal raids in at least 7 states since taking office and his U.S. Attorneys sent letters earlier this year threatening local and state officials in 10 states with criminal prosecution if they adopted proposed medical marijuana laws.

By sending threatening letters to landlords, President Obama is taking a cue from his predecessor George W. Bush, whose Justice Department sent similar letters to more than 300 property owners throughout California in 2007. Despite the seriousness of letters sent by the DOJ under Bush, no criminal or forfeiture enforcement actions were ever pursued. It's unclear if the federal government has the resources or inclination to act on these new threats in a significant way, but for the price of postage they have engaged in wholesale intimidation of the medical marijuana community.

Advocates argue that states should be allowed to enforce their own public health laws, including those concerning medical marijuana. "It is unconscionable that the federal government would override local and state laws to enforce its will over the will of the people," said ASA spokesperson Kris Hermes. "States must be allowed to enforce their own laws without harmful interference from the Obama Administration." California Attorney General Kamala Harris was apparently not warned by the DOJ about the heightened federal enforcement effort before today.

The DOJ enforcement effort comes as hundreds of demonstrations against Wall Street are continuing to occur across the country. These protests are, at least in part, questioning the federal government's allocation of limited resources. Meanwhile, President Obama has chosen to expend federal resources to crack down on medical marijuana in states that have legalized its use. "By shutting down dispensaries, the Obama Administration is not only pushing legal patients into the illicit market," continued Hermes, "it's also wasting taxpayer dollars at a time of fiscal crisis."

Bad News; Governor Clown Reduces Patients Rights

2011-08-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2011/08/jerry-brown-gives-cities-powers-over-pot-shops.html

Save Collectives in Ca !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-08-30T20:21:00.001-07:00

Dear California ASA Members & Friends,

There are two bills on the Governor’s desk that will severely limit safe access to medical cannabis in California. Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is calling on supporters to contact Governor Jerry Brown today and ask him to veto SB 847 and AB 1300 to protect local access in our communities.

Can you take a few minutes right now to call or email Governor Brown? ASA’s online action center makes it easy!

Senator Lou Correa’s (D-Santa Ana) SB 847 requires that medical cannabis cooperatives and collectives be located at least 600 feet from any residential zone or use. This will force patients’ associations to the outskirts of most cities – if they can find a location at all! Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield’s (D-Van Nuys) AB 1300 explicitly authorizes cities and counties to ban cooperatives and collectives. That means access can be eliminated in some communities altogether! That is not what voters intended when they adopted Proposition 215 in 1996, calling on lawmakers “to implement a plan to provide for the safe and affordable distribution of marijuana to all patients in medical need of marijuana.”

These bills passed through the legislature easily. If we do not make a good show of opposition at the Governor’s office, he will sign SB 847 and AB 1300 into law. Research conducted by ASA and years of experience in implementing our statehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif law show that sensible regulations reduce crime and complaints around cooperatives and collectives. Tell Governor Brown we can work with lawmakers to adopt better laws than these.

Please act today. The bills could be signed at any minute!

Thank you for helping,

Don Duncan
California Director

http://lakeelsinore-wildomar.patch.com/articles/medical-marijuana-bans-get-a-lifeline

DRUG CZAR "TOO BUSY" TO MEET WITH FELLOW COPS

2011-08-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/norm-stamper/drug-czar-too-busy-to-mee_b_920218.html

Back in June, representatives of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a 40,000-member organization led by Executive Director Neill Franklin, marched from the National Press Club to the Office of National Drug Control Policy headquarters. Our mission: to hand-deliver a copy of our new report, "Ending the Drug War: A Dream Deferred," to the nation's drug czar.

We thought the 40th anniversary of President Nixon's famous declaration of the "war on drugs" would be a good time for reflection on what has been achieved -- or not -- over these past decades.

Common courtesy dictates that the head of ONDCP, Gil Kerlkowske, do what his aide promised on his behalf, namely that he would read the report and tell us what he thinks. Perhaps we weren't sufficiently "official" in our request. Perhaps this appeal will be more successful.
MEMORANDUM

Date: August 6, 2011

To: Gil Kerlikowske, Seattle Chief of Police (Ret.)

From: Norm Stamper, Seattle Chief of Police (Ret.)

Subject: You Can Run But You Can't Hide

We didn't just drop by on June 14, Gil. We had sent emails and made phone calls asking for a meeting. Our requests went unanswered. So we decided to show up in person, and hope for an audience.

Instead, you sent your aide downstairs to head us off in the lobby. The man graciously accepted the report, promised to deliver it to you, and to convey our request that you get back to us with your reactions.

Just curious, have you read it?

It's a short report, only 19 pages. The print is large, there are lots of charts, graphs, photos, even an executive summary. Perhaps if you read only the executive summary?

As we told your aide, and the press, we were seeking an opportunity to present evidence of the sweeping failure of U.S. drug policy. History confirms that prohibition causes death, disease, crime and violence. It also contributes to addiction. Prohibition costs this country between fifty and seventy billion dollars a year. Think about the fiscal effect of replacing prohibition with a regulatory model. (Such a change may not have single-handedly staved off the debt-ceiling crisis, but it's hardly chump change.)

Think about the return on investment, human and financial, if we were to pump at least a portion of those savings into drug education, prevention, and treatment.

The "Ending the Drug War" report leaves no doubt about the absurdity of the country's drug policies. But, to this day, we have not heard from you. Is your silence because you lack an adequate answer to the points we've made?

From all outward indications, you are following in the steps of your predecessor, John Walters. A George W. Bush appointee, Mr. Walters rarely missed an opportunity to duck a debate with drug policy reformers.

Or, did you dodge us because, by law, the drug czar cannot support legislation or any other initiative that would legalize drugs?

Crazy as it seems, and as un-American and unscientific as it plainly is, it is true that you must oppose any and all attempts to legalize the use of currently illicit drugs. According to the "Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998," the director "shall ensure that no Federal funds appropriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy shall be expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical use or any other use) of a substance listed in schedule 1."

But we weren't there to ask for money, Gil. And we do understand that you haven't the authority to change laws.

Our expectation was that you'd at least be willing to have a grownup conversation about our drug laws.

In today's climate, with marijuana clearly on a course to legalization by popular demand, we were particularly interested in your personal view that cannabis has "no medicinal benefit," a position recently made official by the Drug Enforcement Administration. DEA? Narcs, not docs?

You've also asserted that marijuana should continue to be classified, along with heroin and crystal meth, as a "Schedule 1" drug, thereby buttressing the position that the feds, not the states, reign triumphant in the government's battle to keep recreational marijuana out of the hands of responsible adults, and medicinal marijuana away from patients suffering intractable pain, wasting and terminal illnesses.

These are issues that beg to be discussed, Gil. With all stakeholders, including your former colleagues in law enforcement.

LEAP repeats its request. Will you please sit down and have an open dialogue with us? We are, as you know, current and former chiefs, sheriffs, rank-and-file cops, prosecutors, judges, prison wardens, and agents of the FBI, DEA, Homeland Security.

We've come by our anti-drug war views honestly, through scholarship, research and real-world experience. Our point of view is increasingly in alignment with that of citizen-taxpayers across the country.

We're not going away, Gil. Talk to us.

Draft MMJ Cannabis Rules for 2011

2011-07-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/07/2011_ca_atty_gen_marijuana_guidelines_leaked_read.php

Cannabis Oil Fights Cancer

2011-07-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

Cannabis Oil Fights Cancer
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
A number of recent studies have confirmed the cancer-fighting, tumor-shrinking value of medical marijuana.

Although the first study to demonstrate that cannabis has anti-carcinogenic properties was done back in 1974 by the U.S. National Institute of Health, more recent studies, which began abroad in 1999, have shown that cannabis can effectively and safely treat many forms of cancer.

Since 1999, there have now been a number of studies that clearly demonstrate that cannabis has the ability to effectively shrink tumors, kill cancer cells, and safely treat many aggressive forms of cancer, including brain, breast, skin, prostate, and lung cancer.

However, due to the political controversy that surrounds medical marijuana, some physicians still remain unaware of these valuable studies, and mistakenly believe the misguided government reports that cannabis actually causes cancer. In some cases, it may be important to educate your doctor about the important research discussed in this column.

A study done at UCLA in 2006 showed that not only does smoking marijuana not cause lung cancer, as had been previously thought, but that smoking cannabis actually protects the lungs from cancer. The study followed four groups of subjects: nonsmokers, cannabis-only smokers, tobacco-only smokers, and cannabis and tobacco smokers.

The results showed that nonsmokers and cannabis-only smokers had the same amount of lung cancer, and that tobacco-only smokers had the highest rate of lung cancer. Those subjects that smoked both cannabis and tobacco had significantly less lung cancer than those who just smoked tobacco. In other words, smoking cannabis actually had a protective effect on the tobacco smokers’ lungs.

Recent talks by medical marijuana expert Valerie Corral at the Santa Cruz Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) meetings have focused on the valuable medical properties of highly-refined, therapeutic cannabis oil, which may be the most powerful cancer-fighting agent that has been developed from the cannabis plant to date.

Cannabis oil, also commonly known as “golden oil” or “honey oil,” is a concentrated extract from the cannabis plant that is highly refined and chemically standardized, so that the amount of bioactive components (known as “cannabinoids”) in the oil are of a consistent strength. The clear-golden oil is a resinous matrix of cannabinoids, which is similar to dark-colored hash oil, only more distilled and much more potent.

Rick Simpson, founder of Phoenix Tears, an organization which studies and promotes the medical use of cannabis oil, has become a leading spokesperson for the medicinal value of cannabis oil, after effectively treating himself with the oil to help heal from a serious head injury in 1997. For years, Simpson has been supplying the valuable oil to medical marijuana patients free of charge. According to Simpson, many of the cancer patients who have used his oil were cured or vastly improved, and that many other illnesses have been effectively treated with the oil as well.

Although the medical establishment and the mainstream media have largely ignored the evidence that cannabis oil has powerful cancer-fighting properties, it appears that this silence is beginning to end as more and more people are discovering the truth about this forbidden medicine.

For example, according to ABC News, a father in Montana, Mike Hyde, claims that cannabis oil helped to cure his two-year-old son of a stage 4, malignant brain tumor on his optic nerve. Hyde said that he secretly slipped cannabis oil into his son Cash’s feeding tube out of desperation, after the boy’s chemotherapy treatments were making him too sick to eat. According to ABC News, Cash, who is now 3 years old, has made “a miraculous recovery.”

Spanish researcher Manuel Guzman has done a whole series of studies since 1999 demonstrating the efficacy of cannabinoids to fight cancer. Studies have demonstrated that (isolated chemical components of cannabis), such as THC (tetrahydrocannibinal) and CBD (cannabidiol), can shrink tumors, and some reports suggest that the whole plant extracts are more effective than the isolated cannabinoids.

There is evidence that not only do some cannabinoids kill cancer cells, they cause healthy new cell growth in the brain--a process known as “neurogenesis”--and that the cannabinoids may have a protective effect on the nervous system as well.

WAMM is currently working with physicians and biochemists to develop the use of this enchanted oil further. Cannabis oil is extremely nontoxic, and unlike every pharmaceutical drug that is approved to treat cancer, there are no serious health risks associated with using it. In all of human history, no one has ever died from a cannabis overdose. It is arguably the safest, therapeutically-active drug known.

Cannabis oil can be vaporized, orally ingested with other oils, or used topically. Oral ingestion will produce the strongest effects, and would likely be the most effective for serious medical conditions.

And yes, the oil is also quite psychoactive. It can make you very high, and it can even bring on a full-blown psychedelic experience. I think that this (often-sought and sometimes-criticized) aspect of the healing herb’s effects should not be disregarded, trivialized, ridiculed, or (Heaven forbid) removed. I suspect that that the well-known mental effects--an improved mood and transcendent perspective--are vital aspects of the healing mind/body magic that cannabis can provide.

To find out more about cannabis oil see: http://phoenixtears.ca/

To find out more about WAMM see: www.wamm.org

Cannabis Protects the Brain From Aging

2011-07-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110712093856.htm

Obama; MMJ is a Drug; But Cigs ARE OK

2011-07-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama said Friday that the U.S. Would not be ending its war on drugs under his watch.

“Much is being asked of our generation,” a doctoral student named Steve told the president at a town hall event in Maryland. “So, when are our economic perspectives going to be addressed? For example, when is the war on drugs in society going to be abandoned and be replaced by a more sophisticated and cost effective program of rehabilitation such as the one in Portugal?”

“I have stated repeatedly — and it’s actually reflected in our most recent statement by our office of drug policy — that we need to have an approach that emphasizes prevention, treatment, a public health model for reducing drug use in our country,” Obama said. “We’ve got to put more resources into that. We can’t simply focus on interdiction because, frankly, no matter how good of a job we’re doing when it comes to an interdiction approach, if there is high demand in this country for drugs, we are going to continue to see not only drug use but also the violence associated with the drug trade.”

After several minutes of explaining U.S. Efforts to help Mexico fight transnational drug dealers, the president got to the point.

“Just to make sure that I’m actually answering your question, am I willing to pursue a decriminalization strategy as an approach?http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif No.”

“But I am willing to make sure that we’re putting more resources on the treatment and prevention side,” Obama added.

http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/07/obama-says-hes-not-willing-to-end-the-drug-war/

Doctors are providing proof; Cannabis Kills Cancer

2011-07-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Cannabis Science Announces Critical Cancer Patient Dr. Lynnice Wedewer, Ph.D., Cured Seven Times By Medical Cannabis

The Company Plans A Documentary Featuring Dr. Lynnice Wedewer, Ph.D., And Other Cancer Patients Being Treated with Medical Cannabis

June 29, 2011

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cannabis Science Inc. (NASD OTCBB: CBIS) a pioneering US biotech company developing pharmaceutical cannabis products, is pleased to announce that it has been contacted by Lynnice Wedewer, Ph.D. who is a 34 year multiple cancer patient survivor who has been cured of 7 of her 8 cancers in a major part because of medical cannabis. Dr. Wedewer wishes to share her story through Cannabis Science and help our case and education towards general acceptance of medical cannabis as a natural and viable treatment for cancer.

In 1979, Iowa passed a medical marijuana law which impacted five children suffering from cancer and who were placed into a cancer treatment program using medical cannabis under the supervision of the University of Iowa. Dr. Wedewer was one of those children and only 1 1/2 years ago did the law in Iowa finally change to allow these patients to finally speak out about their treatment and success stories in battling cancer with medical cannabis.

The Company is excited to feature Dr. Lynnice Wedewer’s cancer success story and testimonial in its upcoming documentary, along with other cancer survivors who were cured through the use of medical cannabis.

Dr. Wedewer runs a website www.lynnicewedewer.com where she provides her testimony, speeches, educational material, marijuana facts, interviews and documentaries, and other informational links regarding marijuana.

Dr. Robert Melamede, Ph. D., Cannabis Science Inc., President & CEO said, “These are exciting times to be part of a burgeoning medical marijuana movement and shedding light on patients who are telling their stories and opening up medical files to demonstrate the cancer curing power of medical cannabis. We are enthusiastic and hopefully that Dr. Lynnice Wedewer’s testimonial and cancer success along with other patient success stories, including profound medical evidence, will help to educate and finally open up the eyes of federal regulators to decriminalize medical cannabis; so more people’s lives can be saved by this natural herbal remedy and stop killing people with man-made pharmaceuticals."

About Cannabis Science, Inc.
Cannabis Science, Inc. is at the forefront of pharmaceutical grade medical marijuana research and development. The Company works with world authorities on phytocannabinoid science targeting critical illnesses, and adheres to scientific methodologies to develop, produce and commercialize phytocannabinoid-based pharmaceutical products. In sum, we are dedicated to the creation of cannabis-based medicines, both with and without psychoactive properties, to treat disease and the symptoms of disease, as well as for general health maintenance.

This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as "anticipate," "seek," intend," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "project," "plan," or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by thesehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.

http://www.cannabisscience.com/news-a-media/press-releases/229-cbis-announces-critical-canacer-patient-cured.html

http://www.cannabisscience.com/download/cancer_extract_kills.pdf#page=2

Hash Oil Saves Child From Cancer, Tumors, & Pharmaceutical Killers

2011-05-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

Father saves son secretly.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/05/05/2011-05-05_dad_says_medical_marijuana_helped_cure_2yearolds_cancer_pop_slipped_son_pot_oil_.html

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/offbeat/montana-dad-claims-cannabis-helped-his-two-year-old-beat-cancer-050511http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Happy 420 From SF 2011

2011-04-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Study shows cannabis helps cancer patients

2011-03-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

"Robert Melamede, Ph.D., Cannabis Science’s CEO stated, “As we’ve previously reported, one of the most interesting findings that has emerged since the discovery of the endocannabinoid system (marijuana like compounds produced by humans, and all vertebrates) is that cannabinoids have profound cancer-killing and anti-metastatic properties. There is strong scientific support, demonstrated in tissue culture and animal studies, of the potent cancer killing properties of cannabinoids for such deadly cancers as glioma, lung cancer, breast and prostate cancer, leukemias and lymphomas, and as well as skin cancers. "

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110331006640/en/Cannabis-Science-Reports-National-Cancer-Institute-Updates

Cali Cannabis Doc Explains the Law Calls for Inquiries 2/3 of Docs Fakes

2011-03-01T15:55:00.000-08:00

Fake Doctors and Illegal Clubs ...
http://www.potdoc.com/PDFs/mmpe-norml-meeting-jan2011-flyer-v4.pdf

Explains why prop 19 was a disaster ...
http://www.potdoc.com/PDFs/mmpe-prop19-overrides-prop215-v1.pdf

How Arnold cannabis infraction law can screw patients ...
http://www.potdoc.com/PDFs/mmpe-infraction-equals-v1.pdf

Why Not to Vote on Prop 19

2010-10-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Why Not to Vote on Prop 19 from Pro Cannabis Lawyers point of views.

http://palmspringsbum.org/blog/2010/09/what-marijuana-lawyers-have-to-say-about-californias-proposition-19/

“I was trying to figure out the best way to promote the idea of a cannabis industry,” Lee said, “instead of all this nonprofit cooperatives, a bunch of hippies, peace and love, sharing their bud together, like a Coca-Cola commercial — you know, teach the world to sing. No, this is like Budweiser and Jack Daniel's. It's a business.”
Richard Lee, Prop 19 Author, against the free market, and wanting all control ....

The Endocannabinoid System: An Osteopathic Perspective

2010-07-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

Explains how THC and CBD affect the body ...

http://www.jaoa.org/cgi/content/full/108/10/586

Happy 4rth

2010-07-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Obama Administration 'Firmly Opposed' to Pot Legalization

2010-05-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-armentano/obama-administration-firm_b_571858.html

So this is your administration on drugs. Any questions?

Obama drug plan 'firmly opposes' legalization as California vote looms
via The Hill

The Obama administration said Tuesday that it "firmly opposes" the legalization of any illicit drugs as California voters head to the polls to consider legalizing marijuana this fall.

The president and his drug czar re-emphasized their opposition to legalizing drugs in the first release of its National Drug Control Strategy this morning.

"Keeping drugs illegal reduces their availability and lessens willingness to use them," the document, prepared by Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, says. "That is why this Administration firmly opposes the legalization of marijuana or any other illicit drug."

Is anyone surprised? You shouldn't be. After all, this is the same Gil Kerlikowske that has said repeatedly that legalization is not in his vocabulary, and publicly stated, "Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit." And this is the same administration that recently nominated Michele Leonhart to head the DEA -- the same Michele Leonhart who overruled the DEA's own administrative law judge in order to continue to block medical marijuana research, and publicly claimed that the rising death toll civilians attributable to the U.S./Mexican drug war "a signpost of the success" of U.S. prohibitionist policies.

Yet, given that national polls now indicate that an estimated one out of two Americans nationwide support legalization, and that a solid majority of west coast voters and Californians back regulating the retail production and distribution of pot like alcohol, it seems politically counterproductive for the administration to maintain such a 'flat Earth' policy. So what could possibly be their reasoning?

It's actually spelled out here, in the White House's 2010 Drug Control Strategy:

We have many proven methods for reducing the demand for drugs. Keeping drugs illegal reduces their availability and lessens willingness to use them. That is why this Administration firmly opposes the legalization of marijuana or any other illicit drug. Legalizing drugs would increase accessibility and encourage promotion and acceptance of use. Diagnostic, laboratory, clinical, and epidemiological studies clearly indicate that marijuana use is associated with dependence, respiratory and mental illness, poor motor performance, and cognitive impairment, among other negative effects, and legalization would only exacerbate these problems.

There it is in black and white -- in less than 100 words: The federal government's entire justification for marijuana prohibition; their entire justification for a policy that has led to the arrest of over 20 million Americans since 1965, that is responsible for allowing cops to terrorize families and kill their pets, that has stripped hundreds of thousands of young people of their ability to pursue higher education, and that is directly responsible for the deaths of over 20,000 civilians on the U.S./Mexico border. And that's just for starters.

Yet the entire premise for maintaining the government's policy -- that keeping marijuana criminally prohibited "reduces [its] availability and lessens willingness to use [it]" -- is demonstrably false. Under present prohibition, more than 1/3 of 8th graders, more than 2/3rds of 10th graders, and some 85 percent of 12th graders say that marijuana is "easy to get." Even according to the stridently prohibitionist group CASA (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University), more teens say that they can get their hands on pot than booze, and one-quarter say that they can buy marijuana within the hour. That means, President Obama and Gil Kerlikowske, that 25 percent of teens can obtain marijuana as easily -- and as quickly -- as a Domino's pizza!

This is your "proven" method for "reducing availability?" Don't make us laugh.

By contrast, dozens of studies from around the globe have established, consistently, that marijuana liberalization will result in lower overall drug use. For example, no less than the World Health Organization concluded:

"Globally, drug use is not distributed evenly, and is simply not related to drug policy. ... The U.S. ... stands out with higher levels of use of alcohol, cocaine, and cannabis, despite punitive illegal drug policies. ... The Netherlands, with a less criminally punitive approach to cannabis use than the U.S., has experienced lower levels of use, particularly among younger adults. Clearly, by itself, a punitive policy towards possession and use accounts for limited variation in national rates of illegal drug use."

In fact, NORML has an entire white paper devoted to addressing this issue here.

Of course, the best option to truly reduce youth availability to cannabis is legalization and regulation. This strategy -- the same one that we employ for the use of virtually every other product except cannabis -- would impose common sense controls regarding who can legally produce marijuana, who can legally distribute marijuana, who can legally consume marijuana, and where adults can legally use marijuana and under what circumstances is such use legally permitted.

But we already know that this option isn't in the administration's vocabulary, now don't we?

I've written time and time again that this administration ought to view marijuana legalization as a political opportunity, not a political liability. They obviously aren't listening. Nevertheless, it is the voters who have led -- and will continue to lead -- on this issue, and it is the politicians who will follow. Could we expect it to be any other way?

After all it was the federal government that followed the states lead in 1937 -- federally criminalizing pot, but only doing so after virtually every state in the nation had already done so. California, for instance, outlawed marijuana use in 1913 -- nearly a quarter of a century before the Feds acted similarly. Likewise, it is going to be the states -- and California in particular -- that are going to usher in the era of re-legalization.

And it will be the Feds who eventually will have no other choice but to fall in line.

International Cannabis & Hemp Expo

2010-04-17T22:39:00.001-07:00

International Cannabis & Hemp Expo
www.intche.org/

Ask Ed

Richard Lee --- Trying to gain support for his badly written tax & regulate initiative

Seed Company's

http://www.gro4me.com/ Stoney Girl fighting cancer and winning ...

Race Car
;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wczZRENotMs/S8qcUxpc34I/AAAAAAAAAao/_PyNJl90tTM/s400/car.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461349378878660482" />
Raffle

Truck Togo

Spinney Light

Legalize

Fake Bubble Bags

Glass

Not Feeling Well? Perhaps You're 'Marijuana Deficient'

2010-03-25T11:43:00.001-07:00

http://www.alternet.org/story/146151/

2010-02-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

Calif. high court strikes down medical pot limits

2010-01-21T11:43:00.000-08:00

Calif. high court strikes down medical pot limits; Go only by Prop 215
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/21/BAEM1BLK5V.DTL

In The News

2010-01-11T14:16:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 1/13/2010 2pm Room 119c
San Jose City Council Rules Hearing

Tuesday 1/12/2010
State Hearing on State AB 390 Legalization Bill
Bill moves forward to next year ...

Join the ASA ...
New Silicon Valley ASA Chapter
Contact Lauren Vazquez
lvazquez821@yahoo.com
Next San Jose ASA Meeting Wed. January 27, 2010
2175 Stone Ave., Building #1

http://svga.marijuanaresearch.org/

AMA Report Recognizes Medical Benefits of Marijuana, Urges Further Research

2009-11-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

AMA Report Recognizes Medical Benefits of Marijuana, Urges Further Research

AMA Report Recognizes Medical Benefits of Marijuana, Urges Further Research
Largest and oldest U.S. physician-based group reverses long-held position on medical marijuana

Houston, TX -- The American Medical Association (AMA) voted today to reverse its long-held position that marijuana be retained as a Schedule I substance with no medical value. The AMA adopted a report drafted by its Council on Science and Public Health (CSAPH) entitled, "Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes," which affirmed the therapeutic benefits of marijuana and called for further research. The CSAPH report concluded that, "short term controlled trials indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, improves appetite and caloric intake especially in patients with reduced muscle mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis." Furthermore, the report urges that "the Schedule I status of marijuana be reviewed with the goal of facilitating clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods."

The change of position by the largest physician-based group in the country was precipitated in part by a resolution adopted in June of 2008 by the Medical Student Section (MSS) of the AMA in support of the reclassification of marijuana's status as a Schedule I substance. In the past year, the AMA has considered three resolutions dealing with medical marijuana, which also helped to influence the report and its recommendations. The AMA vote on the report took place in Houston, Texas during the organization's annual Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates. The last AMA position, adopted 8 years ago, called for maintaining marijuana as a Schedule I substance, with no medical value.

"It's been 72 years since the AMA has officially recognized that marijuana has both already-demonstrated and future-promising medical utility," said Sunil Aggarwal, Ph.D., the medical student who spearheaded the passage of the June 2008 resolution by the MSS and was one of the CSAPH report's designated expert reviewers. "The AMA has written an extensive, well-documented, evidence-based report that they are seeking to publish in a peer-reviewed journal that will help to educate the medical community about the scientific basis of botanical cannabis-based medicines." Aggarwal is also on the Medical & Scientific Advisory Board of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the largest medical marijuana advocacy organization in the U.S.

The AMA's about face on medical marijuana follows an announcement by the Obama Administration in October discouraging U.S. Attorneys from taking enforcement actions in medical marijuana states. In February 2008, a similar resolution was adopted by the American College of Physicians (ACP), the country's second largest physician group and the largest organization of doctors of internal medicine. The ACP resolution called for an evidence-based review of marijuana's status as a Schedule I controlled substance to determine whether it should be reclassified to a different schedule. "The two largest physician groups in the U.S. have established medical marijuana as a health care issue that must be addressed," said ASA Government Affairs Director Caren Woodson. "Both organizations have underscored the need for change by placing patients above politics."

Though the CSAPH report has not been officially released to the public, AMA documentation indicates that it: "(1) provides a brief historical perspective on the use of cannabis as medicine; (2) examines the current federal and
state-based legal envelope relevant to the medical use of cannabis; (3) provides a brief overview of our current understanding of the pharmacology and physiology of the endocannabinoid system; (4) reviews clinical trials on the relative safety and efficacy of smoked cannabis and botanical-based products; and (5) places this information in perspective with respect to the current drug regulatory framework."

2009-09-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

Suport the MERP Model

War breaks out within the marijuana legalization movement (part 1)
September 26, 12:54 PMDetroit Drug Policy ExaminerBruce Cain

A war is breaking out between the Cannabusiness Community, that hopes to profit from draconian regulation of Marijuana, and the pillars of the drug reform movement that insist that the self cultivation of Marijuana become an untaxed, unregulated sacred right. The first shots were fired by a speech by Jack Herer and the firing of Dennis Peron from Oaksterdam University. Could this be our "Concord" moment?

Click here for the rest for the article ...

Peron says no to tax and regulation, find out why ....

Support the true Re-Legalization of cannabis with the Jack Herer Initiative !!!

If you feel it has to be taxed the http://www.californiacannabisinitiative.org/ initiative is way better than the Tax Cannabis 2010 / from Oaksterdamn University that is all profit motivated and limits patients.

Boycott Blue Sky & Oaksterdam University

Legalize In California

2009-09-15T04:20:00.000-07:00

Let non violent cannabis smokers out of jail, save taxpayers $$$$$$$$$$$$.

http://www.examiner.com/x-14883-Santa-Cruz-County-Drug-Policy-Examiner~y2009m7d31-Alcohol-marijuana-tobacco-taxes-medicine-cannabis-and-confusion

Why not to vote for the http://www.taxcannabis2010.org/ initiative. The people at Oaksterdam University should be ashamed ... Please go back to school ....

http://www.examiner.com/x-14883-Santa-Cruz-County-Drug-Policy-Examiner~y2009m8d8-Marijuana-legalization-and-California-intiatives

http://www.examiner.com/x-14883-Santa-Cruz-County-Drug-Policy-Examiner~y2009m8d16-Oaklands-marijuana-legalization-initiative-is-still-a-Trojan-Horse

San Diego Medical Clubs Raided

2009-09-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

ASA NEWS LINK When will the local DA get a clue with the federal government?

Stop The War On Drugs

2009-08-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

Juries can't be prosecuted for their verdicts ... Just Say "Not Guilty" ... If the law is unfair.

Rehabilitation not prison

Legalize cannabis for all patients in need / Stop arresting medical patients / Improve Access

Stop the Police & Government from violating people’s civil and state rights

“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”
"Some of my finest hours have been spent on the back of my veranda, smoking hemp and observing as far as the eye can see."
-Thomas Jefferson

"Those that give up Liberty to have temporary Security deserve Neither......"
-Benjamin Franklin

Join our online social networking group ... To express your self and to help ...

http://stopthedrugwar.org/in_the_trenches/2009/aug/05/medical_marijuana_accepted_to_di

Stop The Drug Raids Stop The Drug Raids Stop The Drug Raids Stop The Drug Raids Stop The Drug Raids

Happy 4 / 20 / 2009

2009-04-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

In Pot We Trust

2009-03-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

The best documentary of the bunch. It focuses on how cannabis helps people, instead of the negative / profit aspects.

Parts are sad ... must watch for anyone ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqWtYyL94IE

Cannabis Health Benifits

2009-02-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

Ending federal medical marijuana raids "is now American policy"

2009-02-26T20:14:00.001-08:00

Speaking at a press conference on Feb. 25 with DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters that ending federal medical marijuana raids "is now American policy." The Attorney General’s comments are the latest sign of a sea change in federal policy prompted by a groundswell of grassroots pressure by Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and our allies. They came as a response to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raids carried out by Bush Administration holdovers in California in January and February.
ASA needs your support to keep grassroots pressure on the Attorney General. Please support ASA today.
President Obama indicated he would end the DEA raids during his presidential campaign, a position reiterated by the White House following DEA raids in raids which took placeon February 4. In response to a question last night about DEA raids at medical marijuana facilities in California, Holder said, "What the President said during the campaign...is consistent with what we will be doing here in law enforcement. He was my boss in the campaign....He is my boss now. What he said in the campaign is now American policy."
Medical marijuana patients and advocates, who have mounted a massive grassroots campaign to influence the new Administration’s policy, cheered the Attorney General’s comments. 72 million Americans live in states where medical cannabis is legal, but federal law prohibits its use under any circumstances. More than 100 Americans are currently facing prosecution, sentencing, or serving time in prison for medical cannabis offense right now. ASA needs your help to ensure that the emerging change in federal policy signals an end to prosecutions and brings those already serving time for medical cannabis offenses home to their families.
ASA has provided recommendations for a new national medical cannabis policy to President Obama and the 111th Congress earlier this year. We are working overtime now to be sure those recommendations are heard in this new era of compassionate federal policy. Please support ASA in this effort.
Sincerely,

Don Duncan
California Director
Americans for Safe Access
Americans for Safe Access is the nation's largest organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

Become an activist

2009-02-24T12:18:00.000-08:00

Join the http://cannabiscurescancer.ning.com/ social group and help spread this info to other people.

Marijuana Has Anti-Inflammatory That Won't Get You High

2009-02-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

Read the Article by Natural Geographic ....

Presidents Day

2009-02-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

Learn how THC and Anandamide work and their Effects on Health and the Brain

2009-02-13T11:07:00.000-08:00

THC and Anandamide and their effects on Health and the Brain

Please download and listen to this powerpoint presentation.

Please share this info with others ...

Support True Americans ...

2009-01-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

"Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica." - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

"Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country."
- Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President

"Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere."
- George Washington, U.S. President

"We shall, by and by, want a world of hemp more for our own consumption."
- John Adams, U.S. President

"Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marihuana in private for personal use... Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marihuana." - Jimmy Carter, U.S. President

The extent of cannabis smoking during the Colonial era is still subject to debate. President George Washington wrote a letter that contained an oblique reference to what may have been hashish. "The artificial preparation of hemp, from Silesia, is really a curiosity." 38 Washington made specific written references to Indian hemp, or cannabis indica, and hoped to "have disseminated the seed to others. " 39 His August 7, 1765 diary entry, "began to separate the male from the female () plants," describes a harvesting technique favored to enhance the potency of smoking cannabis, among other reasons. 40 Hemp farmer Thomas Jefferson and paper maker Ben Franklin were ambassadors to France during the initial surge of the hashish vogue. Their celebrity status and progressive revolutionary image afforded them ample opportunities to try new experiences. Jefferson smuggled Chinese hemp seeds to America and is credited with the phrase in the Declaration of Independence, "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Did the Founding Fathers of the United States of America smoke cannabis? Some researchers think so. Dr. Burke, president of the American Historical Reference Society and a consultant for the Smithsonian Institute, counted seven early presidents as cannabis smokers: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce. 41 "Early letters from our founding fathers refer to the pleasures of hemp smoking," said Burke. Pierce, Taylor and Jackson, all military men, smoked it with their troops. Cannabis was twice as popular among American soldiers in the Mexican War as in Vietnam: Pierce wrote to his family that it was "about the only good thing" about that war.

Central and Western African natives were farming and harvesting cannabis sativa in North America as slaves. If they did smoke on the plantations, that would be kept secret. 42 By the time of the Louisiana purchase in 1803, New Orleans had a mixed Spanish, French, Creole, Cajun, Mexican and Black population. The city teemed with adventurers and sailors, wise to the ways of cannabis. It was mixed with tobacco or smoked alone, used to season food 43, to treat insomnia and impotence, and so on.

Cannabis was mentioned as a medicinal agent in a formal American medical text as early as 1843. 44

http://www.jackherer.com/chapters.html

Please check out the SETH group, & Important News For MMJ Rights

2008-08-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

Please check out the SETH group, they show cannnabis stopping cancer!!!
http://www.sethgroup.org/project.php?project=cannabis

Workers MMJ Rights Bill

How to make Cannabis Milk

2008-07-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is copied from Marijuana Saves Lives
Lactose Free Cannabis Milk

Needed Ingredients

4 quarts goats milk ( If lactose is wanted...use Cows milk)
2 tbs goat milk butter (get European style goat milk butter since it has a higher fat content)

1 to 3 ounces trim or buds

anywhere from 1 oz of good sugar trim or buds to 3 oz. or more if you like it to be really potent...then also you can vary the strain for different effects. A strong sativa can make a great day time or morning....

Indica for pain or sleep and so on..

Note: If the Milk containers are plastic then save them to pour the milk back into them for storage in the fridge... A sealed container would be best for the milk for preservation.

The best method yet I have found is using a pressure cooker. put the ingredients listed above and place them into the pressure cooker and soak for 4 days in the refrigerator stirring everyday then placing it back into the fridge.... on the 4th day take the pressure cooker out of the fridge and place on the stove on low temp.

Make sure the dial is almost as low as the dial can turn.

Then let it warm up...... after it is warm almost hot start the 4 hour timer.

make sure it does not boil or even simmer for that matter...you do not want it to get to hot....The heat will degenerate the medicinal properties... I think I remember hearing cannabinoids degenerate after 200 degrees F ....but please do not quote me on that....

After 4 hours when the timer has gone off, strain out the milk and press out the milk from the material in the strainer. Pour milk into the container then let the milk cool then place into the fridge...

Your done... Very Strong Do Not Drive

BHANG LASSI; Traditional Medicinal Indian Drink

2008-07-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

BHANG LASSI
In India cannabis leaves and milk are made into extracts known as Bhang.
Bhang is used often to make drinks with a buzz , such as traditional lassi.

So lets begin ;)
1 cup of high fat milk or goats milk
1 gram to 4 grams of powdered sinsemilla flowers
F or best results cook this in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes or more, so the milk does not curdle. You can also strain out the cannabis with a cheese cloth)
Now Add;
2-3 Tablespoons of Natural Sugar
1/2 cardamom (get this spice at India grocery stores )
1 teaspoon Rose water :p
a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg , or clove ( your choice)
Heat to near boiling, Simmer 30 min. or more

Cool & Strain.

Mix in :
2 cups of Natural Organic Yogurt (plain)
Serves : 2
Enjoy,

Very Medicinal DO NOT DRIVE !!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhang
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango_lassi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEhXjnoGriI

Medical marijuana bill heads to Assembly floor

2008-05-23T08:02:00.001-07:00

Today, MPP-sponsored legislation that would direct California's state and local law enforcement agencies not to assist in federal raids on medical marijuana patients and their caregivers made significant progress in the state legislature. In a 9-7 vote, the Committee on Appropriations approved A.B. 2743, sending it to the floor for a final vote of the entire state Assembly.

Please help us pass this important bill by e-mailing your state Assembly member today.

Taking action is easy. Just visit MPP's action page, enter your information, and send an e-mail to your legislator. If you are a patient or medical professional, please modify the message to include that information.

If approved, A.B. 2743 — authored by Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) — will dramatically improve protections for California's medical marijuana patients and providers.

Most federal raids on California's medical marijuana facilities rely on significant help from local law enforcement agencies; in many cases, local agents have even asked federal agents to raid patients and providers. A.B. 2743 will create a policy of respecting the state's protections for medical marijuana patients and their providers.

Passage of this landmark bill will not be possible without your participation. Making contact with state policy-makers is one of the most effective ways to help change the laws.

Thank you for taking action to support our state's right to self-determination and safe access to medical marijuana for seriously ill and injured patients.

According to our records, you are not yet signed up for MPP’s California e-mail alerts. Please consider subscribing now so that you can keep abreast of the progress of this bill and our other efforts in California.

To sign up for state-specific alerts, click here, fill out the required fields, and make sure that you select the option for California alerts. You can also simply reply to this e-mail with "subscribe" in the body.

Please don't forget to forward this message on to friends, family, and co-workers in California, so that they too can take action.

Sincerely,

Aaron Smith
California Organizer
Marijuana Policy Project

THC Kill's Cancer !!! Shrinks Tumors

2008-05-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

Watch THC Kill Cancer in less than 20 hours

The major active component of the medicinal plant cannabis, Δ9-THC, has been shown in experiments with rats to have therapeutic potential against brain tumors. SETH Group scientists Garret Yount, Ph.D. and Sean McAllister, Ph.D. designed experiments in a time-lapse microscope to test whether Δ9-THC can stop the growth of human glioblastoma multiforma (GBM) brain cancer cells. Using the same tests that are used to judge new chemotherapies, the team discovered that the herbal compound kills human GBM cells at a concentration that is nontoxic to normal brain cells. Click here to see Featured Experiment.

Cannabis shrinks Tumors, the Government knew in 1974

Franjo Grotenhermen, Books

2008-05-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

All Books

Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential

Cannabis Therapeutics in HIV/AIDS

Handbook of Cannabis Therapeutics: From Bench to Bedside

Are Humans CBD Defficaint?

2008-05-07T13:56:00.001-07:00

I can’t help by think that all humans are Cannabinoids deficient, and this is what leads to sickness, cancers and tumors. Cannabinoids help regulate the immune system, and when they are not present, the body is not able to fight off the modern chemicals and toxins in our body. In an article on Treating Yourself magazine, it shows how Cannabinoids can help inhibit the bird flu. This is the reason why it is illegal; it is a medication better than anything on the market and can help almost all conditions.

Helps Arthritis Patients
http://arthritis-research.com/content/10/2/R43

FREE THE CURE

2008-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

GROW AS MUCH POT AS YOU CAN IN PROTEST;
Get your prescription

The Goverment wants people to suffer; In Pot We Trust; Why they won't pass the MMJ Protection Act.

The Republicans are unanimously against cannabis except for a few patriots such as Ron Paul, please vote Democrat this year for the good of our country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sativex
http://www.gwpharm.com/sativex.asp
50% CBD (Stops Cancer, Tumors, Autoimmune Diseases)
50% THC Stops the pain.
Please write and pressure Congress to get this drug approved in the US!!

Here is some very good books on how to test for CBD's and the making of pure oil.
Marijuana Chemistry

Cannabis Chemistry

Cannabis Medical Extracts

Write to Congress !!!!!

2008-05-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Freedom Grower

Thank you for contacting me in support of more sensible drug laws. I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts, and I agree with you.

I agree that our current policy regarding non-violent drug offenders is not working. In addition to supporting states' rights to medical marijuana, I also believe that treatment, not incarceration, is the proper way to handle non-violent drug users. Incarceration for these recreational drug users is inefficient and ineffective. You may be interested to know that I have also consistently opposed mandatory minimum sentencing, which is often applied to non-violent drug offenders. Should any legislation come before the full House of Representatives for a vote, I will be sure to keep your views in mind.

Again, thanks for being in touch. If I may be of assistance to you or your family, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely

Zoe Lofgren

Member of Congress

Distractions in Society

2008-04-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

*Lacking of Education.
*Lacking of acceptance of ideas and people, you’re individual FREEDOM, what our forefathers fought for.
*The widespread infatuation with Media, Sex, Drugs, Money, and Greed.
*Corporations are corrupting the government for profit, hoarding profits, and bringing down the lower and middle class standards. They are slowly driving our economy down and causing inflation on food and gas prices. They have also put our young citizens at risk in a war they know they can not win for the profits of defense and oil corporations. Some politicians wish for a North American Union and are trying to lower the middle and lower class standards for Americans to meet that of other counties.

The problem is people don’t care, are distracted, and uneducated. The media has been taken over by corporations, and is putting fear and pushing for more government control in our society. Our society has become to content.

The medical industry wants to make money off of dying people instead of curing them? Is this in the public’s interest? They use money donated to Research Company’s to push for more and new drugs for increased profit margins.The government stops real research like genetic and stem cell research, in the name of God and religion, but our forefathers made that definitely separated in our constitution.

Speak up for your rights, and free speech, do you really want to become slaves?

Spread the word;

www.cannabiscurescancer.org
www.cannabiscurescancer.com

LSD Doc, Inventor, Creator, Dies

2008-04-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hNDRiP53gl6YPZEcojTe2sK6ERWwD90C9KS80

Comical Video on Cannabis Effects;

2008-04-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.superhighmemovie.com/

http://www.torrentreactor.net/torrents/1789151/Super-High-Me-DVDScreener-XViD

Determined to find out the true effects of marijuana on the human body, stand-up comedian and former Stoner of the Year Doug Benson documents his experience avoiding pot for 30 days and then consuming massive amounts of the drug for 30 days. More than just an amusing story of one man's quest to get superhigh, this documentary also examines the hotly contested debate over medical marijuana use.

HAPPY 420, GGP SF

2008-04-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act Introduced Yesterday in Congress

2008-04-18T10:35:00.001-07:00

Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act Introduced Yesterday in Congress

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Americans for Safe Access
For Immediate Release:* April 18, 2008

*Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act Introduced Yesterday in Congress */HR 5842 would reschedule marijuana for medical use, end federal
interference in state laws/

*Washington, D.C. *-- Congressional Representative Barney Frank (D-MA)
introduced the "Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act," HR 5842,
yesterday, a bill co-sponsored by Representatives Maurice Hinchey
(D-NY), Sam Farr (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Ron Paul (R-TX).
The act would change federal policy on medical marijuana in a number of
ways. Specifically, HR 5842 would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I
drug, which cannot be prescribed, to a Schedule II drug, which would
recognize the medical value of marijuana and create a regulatory
framework for the FDA to begin a drug approval process for marijuana.
The act would also prevent interference by the federal government in any
local or state run medical marijuana program.

Similar versions of HR 5842 have been introduced in prior Congressional
terms, but have never made it out of committee. "It's time that the
federal government take this issue seriously," said Caren Woodson,
Government Affairs Director with Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a
nationwide medical marijuana advocacy group working with Mr. Frank and
other Members of Congress to change federal policy. "By disregarding
marijuana's medical efficacy, and undermining efforts to implement state
laws, the federal government is willfully placing hundreds of thousands
of sick Americans in harms way."

In addition to rescheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances
Act (CSA), HR 5842 would provide protection from the CSA and the federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) for qualified patients and
caregivers in states that have legalized the use of medical marijuana.
Specifically, the act prevents the CSA and FDCA from prohibiting or
restricting: (1) a physician from prescribing or recommending marijuana
for medical use, (2) an individual from obtaining, possessing,
transporting within their state, manufacturing, or using marijuana in
accordance with their state law, (3) an individual authorized under
State law from obtaining, possessing, transporting within their state,
or manufacturing marijuana on behalf of an authorized patient, or (4) an
entity authorized under local or State law to distribute medical
marijuana to authorized patients from obtaining, possessing, or
distributing marijuana to such authorized patients.

In December, U.S. House Judiciary Chair John Conyers stated publicly his
concern about the tactics being used by the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) and promised oversight hearings. Since then,
several California mayors have written to Conyers expressing their
support for hearings, including the mayors of San Francisco, Oakland,
West Hollywood, and Santa Cruz. Opposition to federal interference in
state medical marijuana laws has also come from multiple city councils,
members of the California Board of Equalization and the state
legislature, as well as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

Further information:
Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, HR 5842:
http://americansforsafeaccess.org/downloads/HR5842.pdf
ASA Fact Sheet on the Escalation of Harmful DEA Tactics:
http://americansforsafeaccessnow.org...escalation.pdf
December 2007 Statement by House Judiciary Chair John Conyers:
http://judiciary.house.gov/newscenter.aspx?A=889
Letter from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to Conyers:
http://www.americansforsafeaccessnow...to_Conyers.pdf
Letter from NM Governor Richardson to President GW Bush:
http://safeaccessnow.org/downloads/r...son_letter.pdf

# # #

With over 30,000 active members in more than 40 states, Americans for
Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of
patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens
promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and
research. ASA works to overcome political and legal barriers by creating
policies that improve access to medical cannabis for patients and
researchers through legislation, education, litigation, grassroots
actions, advocacy and services for patients and the caregivers.

April 20, 2008 "Bay Area" Fun

2008-04-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hippie-hill-san-francisco

Cannabis Medical Articles & Studies

2008-03-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_marijuana

Highlights of the Studies (http://medmjscience.org/Pages/science.html)

New Mexico: This study involved 250 patients.The study compared marijuana to THC capsules. The research protocol was approved by the FDA in 1978. In order to participate in the research the patient had to be referred by a physician and had to have failed on at least three other antiemetics. Patients were permitted to choose marijuana or the THC pill.

Both objective (e.g., frequency of vomiting, amount of vomiting, muscle biofeedback, blood samples and patient observation) and subjective measures were made to determine the effectiveness of the drug.

The study concluded that marijuana was not only an effective antiemetic but also far superior to the best available conventional drug, Compazine, and clearly superior to synthetic THC pill." The study found that [m]ore than [90] percent of the patients who received marijuana . . . reported significant or total relief from nausea and vomiting." The study found no major adverse side effects. Only three patients reported adverse reactions, none of these reactions involved marijuana alone. The 1984 report concluded . . . the data accumulated over all five years of the program's operation do show that marijuana smoked resulted in a higher percentage of success than does THC ingested."

California: California conducted a series of studies from 1981 through 1989. Annual reports were submitted to the FDA, state legislature and Governor. Each year approximately 90 to 100 patients received marijuana. The California research was described as a Phase III trial."

The study protocol preferred THC pills by making it much easier for patients to enter that portion of the study. Patients who received marijuana had to be over 15 years of age (the THC pill patients had to be over 5 years of age); had to be marijuana experienced, use the drug on an in-patient basis (patients could only use marijuana in the hospital and not take the medicine home) and had to be receiving rarely used and severe forms of chemotherapy. Thus, the design of the study did not favor marijuana.

Even with this built in bias against marijuana, the study consistently found marijuana to be an effective antiemetic. In 1981 the California Research Advisory Panel reported: "Over 74 percent of the cancer patients treated in the program have reported that marijuana is more effective in relieving their nausea and vomiting than any other drug they have tried." In 1982, a 78.9 percent effectiveness rate was found for smoked marijuana. By 1983 the report was conclusory in its findings stating:

The California Program also has met its research objectives. Marijuana has been shown to be effective for many cancer chemotherapy patients, safe dosage levels have been established and a dosage regimen which minimizes undesirable side effects has been devised and tested.

The California Research Advisory Panel continued to review data on marijuana until 1989 with similar results.

Michigan: The Michigan research compared marijuana to Torecan. It involved 165 patients. Upon admission to the program patients were randomized into control groups with some randomized on the conventional antiemetic Torecan and the remainder randomized to marijuana. When failure on the initial randomized drug occurred, patients could elect to crossover to the alternate therapy. This procedure allowed the Michigan Department of Health to evaluate how well patients responded to both drugs and allowed patients to register their preference.

The Michigan study reported 71.1 percent of the patients who received marijuana reported no emesis to moderate nausea. Ninety percent of the patients receiving marijuana elected to remain on marijuana. Only 8 of 83 patients randomized to marijuana chose to alter their mode of antiemetic therapy. This was almost the inverse of patients randomized to Torecan, there more than 90 percent - 22 out of 23 patients - elected to discontinue use of Torecan and switched to marijuana.

Very few serious side effects were found related to marijuana use. The most common side effect was increased appetite - reported by 32.3 percent of patients - this was a positive effect. The most common negative effects were sleepiness, reported by 21 patients and sore throat, reported by 13 patients.

Tennessee: This study involved an evaluation of 27 patients. The patients had all failed on other forms of antiemetic therapy including oral THC. The study found an overall success rate of 90.4 percent for marijuana inhalation therapy. In comparison it found a 66.7 percent success rate for THC capsules. In the under 40 age group, the study found a 100 percent success rate for marijuana inhalation therapy.

The report concludes:

We found both marijuana smoking and THC capsules to be effective anti-emetics. We found an approximate 23 percent higher success rate among those patients administered THC capsules. We found no significant differences in success rates by age group. We found that the major reason for smoking failure was smoking intolerance; while the major reason for THC capsule failure was nausea and vomiting so severe that patient could not retain the capsule.

New York: In describing the purpose of the marijuana research program the New York Department of Health stated: [t]he program is a large-scale (Phase III) cooperative clinical trial . . . ." The central question addressed is [h]ow effective is inhalation marijuana in preventing nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy in patients . . . who have failed to respond to previous antiemetic therapy?"

By 1985, the New York program had extended marijuana therapy to 208 patients through 55 practitioners. Of that, 199 patients were evaluated. These patients had received a total of 6,044 NIDA-supplied marijuana cigarettes which were provided to patients during 514 treatment episodes.

In percentage terms the results were stunning:

* North Shore Hospital reported marijuana was effective at reducing emesis 92.9 percent of the time;
* Columbia Memorial Hospital reported efficacy of 89.7 percent;
* Upstate Medical Center, St. Joseph's Hospital and Jamestown General Hospital reported 100 percent of the patients smoking marijuana gained significant benefit.

The report concludes: "Patient evaluations have indicated that approximately ninety-three (93) percent of marijuana inhalation treatment episodes are reported to be effective' or highly effective' when compared to other antiemetics." The New York study reports no serious adverse side effects. No patient receiving marijuana required hospitalization or any other form of medical intervention. See, Evaluation of the Antiemetic Properties of Inhalation Marijuana in Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy Treatment," New York Department of Health, Office of Public Health (Annual Reports).

Georgia: The Georgia program evaluated 119 patients. It compared THC to standardized smoking of marijuana and with patient-controlled smoking. To enter the program a patient had to have failed on other antiemetics. Patients were randomized to either patient-controlled smoking of marijuana, standardized smoking of marijuana or THC pills.

The report found that both THC and marijuana were effective in providing antiemetic relief for patients who were previously unresponsive to antiemetics. The rate of success was 73.1 percent. Patient controlled smoking of marijuana was successful in 72.2 percent, standardized smoking was successful in 65.4 percent and THC was effective in 76 percent of the cases. In comparing the reasons for failure between marijuana and THC the report found:

The primary reasons for failure of THC capsules were due to either adverse reaction (6 out of 18) or failure to improve nausea and vomiting (9 out of 18). The primary reason for failure of smoking marijuana were due to smoking intolerance (6 out of 14) or failure to improve the nausea and vomiting (3 out of 14).

Beaconsfield, D., Ginsburg, J., and Rainsbury, R. (1973). Therapeutic potential of marihuana. New Eng. J. Medicine 289, 1315.

Therapeutic Aspects. 1974. Marijuana and Health, Fourth Annual Report to the U.S. Congress, Nat'l Institute on Drug Abuse, 134-143.

Therapeutic Aspects. 1975. Marijuana and Health, Fifth Annual Report to the U.S. Congress, Nat'l Institute on Drug Abuse, 117-132.

Bhargave, H. (1978). Potential therapeutic application of naturally occurring and synthetic cannabinoids. Gen. Pharmac., 9, 195-213.

Ungerleider, J. (1979). Marijuana as a good medicine: Its uses against disease. Lecture delivered to UCLA Center for the Health Sciences, August 21, 1979.

Zinberg, N. (1979). On cannabis and health. J. Psychedelic Drugs, 11, 135-144.

AMA Council on Scientific Affairs. (1980). Marihuana reexamined: Pulmonary risks and therapeutic potentials. Conn. Medicine, 44, 521-523. Cohen, S. (1980). Therapeutic aspects. Nat'l Inst. Drug Abuse. Res. Mono. Ser., No. 31, 199-216.

Council on Scientific Affairs. (1981). Marijuana: Its health hazards and therapeutic potentials. JAMA, 246, 1823-1827.

DuQuesne, J. (1981). Cannabis and the Rule of Law. Lancet, Sept. 12, 1981, 581.

Rose, M. (1981). Cannabis and the rule of law. Lancet, July 18, 1981.

Therapeutic potential and medical uses of marijuana. (1982). In Marijuana and Health, Inst. of Medicine, 139-155.

Schurr, A. (1985). Marijuana: Much ado about THC. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 80 C, 1-7.

Ungerleider, J. and Andrysiak, T. (1985). Therapeutic issues of marijuana and THC., Int'l J. Addictions, 20, 691-699.

Grinspoon, L. and Bakalar, J., (1995). Marihuana as Medicine, A Plea for Reconsideration, JAMA, 273: 1875-1876.

Medical Marijuana and Nausea, Vomiting and Appetite

Hollister, L (1970) Hunger and appetite after single doses of marihuana, alcohol and dextroamphetamine. Clin. Pharmacol. and Therapeutics, 12, 44-49.

Sallan, S.E., Zinberg, N.E., Ferei, E., III, (1975), Antiemetic effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy. N. Eng. J.Med., 293, 795-797.

Greenberg, I., Kuehnle, J., Mendelson,J.H. and Bernstein, J.G. 1976. Effects of marihuana use on body weight and caloric intake in human. Journal of Psychopharmacology (Berlin) 49: 79-84.

Harris, L. (1976). Analgesic and antitumor potential of the cannabinoids. In Therapeutic Potential of Marijuana. (Cohen and Stillman, eds., 299-309.

Harris, L. Munson, A. and Carchman, R. (1976). Antitumor properties of

cannabinoids. In The Pharmacology of Marihuana (Braude and Szara, eds.), 749-762.

Chang, A. et al. (1979). Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol as an antiemetic in cancer patients receiving high-dose methotrexate. Annals of Internal Medicine, 91, 819-824.

Sallan, S.E., Cronin, C. Zelen, M., Zinberg, N.E. (1980). Antiemetics in patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer. A randomized comparison of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and prochlorperazine. N. Engl. J. Med., 302: 135-8.

California State Reports, Therapeutic Cannabis Program, Annual Report to the Governor and Legislature, California Research Advisory Panel (1980-1986).

Bateman, D.C., Rawlins, M. (1982). Therapeutic potential of cannabinoids. Br. Med. J., 284, 1211-1212.

Cannabinoids for nausea, (1981). Lancet, Jan. 31, 1981, 255-256.

Frytek, S., Moertel, C.G., (1981), Management of nausea and vomiting in the cancer patient, JAMA, 245, 394-396.

Neidhart, J., Gagen, M., Wilson, H. and Young, D. (1981). Comparative trial of the antiemetic effects of THC and haloperidol. J. Clin. Pharmacol., 21, 385-425.

Michigan Department of Public Health Marijuana Therapeutic Research Project,

Trial A 1980-81," Department of Social Oncology, Evaluation Unit, Michigan Cancer Foundation (March 18, 1982).

Ungerleider, J., Andrysiak, T., Fairbanks, L., Goodnight, J., Sama, G. and Jamison, K. (1982). Cancer chemotherapy and marijuana.

Ungerleider, J., Andrysiak, T., Fairbanks, L., Goodnight, J., Sama, G. and Jamison, K. (1982). Cannabis and cancer chemotherapy: A comparison of oral delta-9-THC and prochlorperazine. Cancer, 50, 636-645.

Sensky, T., Baldwin, A., and Pettingale, K. (1983). Cannabinoids as antiemetics. Br. Med. J. , 286, 802.

Kutner, Michael H., Evaluation of the Use of Both Marijuana and THC in Cancer Patients for the Relief of Nausea and Vomiting Associated with Cancer Chemotherapy After Failure of Conventional Anti-Emetic Therapy: Efficacy and Toxicity" as prepared for the Composite State Board of Medical Examiners, Georgia Department of Health, by physicians and researchers at Emory University, Atlanta, (January 20, 1983).

Annual Report: Evaluation of Marijuana and Tetrahydrocannabinol in the Treatment of Nausea and/or Vomiting Associated with Cancer Therapy Unresponsive to Conventional Anti-Emetic Therapy: Efficacy and Toxicity," Board of Pharmacy, State of Tennessee, July 1983.

The Lynn Pierson Therapeutic Research Program," the Behavioral Health Sciences Division, Health and Environment Department, March 1983 and 1984.

Foltin, R.W., Brady, J.V. and Fischman, M.W. 1986. Behavioral analysis of marijuana effects on food intake in humans. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. 25: 577-582.

Foltin, R.W. et al., 1988 Effects of Smoked Marijuana on Food Intake and Body Weight of Humans Living in a Residential Laboratory," Appetite 11:1-14

Vinciguerra, V., Moore, T., Brennab, E., Inhalation marijuana as an antiemetic for cancer chemotherapy, (Oct. 1988) N.Y. State J. Medicine, 525-527.

T.F. Plasse, R.W. Gorter, S.H. Krasnow, et al., 1991. Recent clinical experience with dronabinol. Pharmacology, Bichemistry and Behavior 40: 695-700.

Doblin, R., Kleiman, M., Marijuana as antiemetic medicine: A survey of oncologists' experiences and attitudes, (1991), J. Clin. Oncology, 9:7, 1314-1319.

Abrams, D. 1995, Marijuana, the AIDS Wasting Syndrome, and the U.S. Government (Response to Letter) New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 333 (10): 670-671.

Grinspoon, L, J, and Doblin, R. 1995. Marijuana, the AIDS Wasting Syndrome, and the U.S. Government (Letter to ed.) New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 333(10): 670-671.

Wesner, B. 1996. The Medical Marijuana Issue Among PWAs: Reports of Therapeutic Use and Attitudes Toward Legal Reform. Drug Research Unit, Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Medical Marijuana and Glaucoma

Hepler, R. and Frank, I., (1971). Marijuana smoking and intraocular pressure. JAMA, 217, 1932.

Hepler, R., Frank, I. and Ungerleider, J. (1972). Pupillary constriction after marijuana smoking. Am. J. Ophthalmol., 74, 1185-1190.

Shapiro, D. (1974). The ocular manifestations of the cannabinoids. Opthalmologica, 168, 366-369.

Hepler, R. and Petrus, R. (1976). Experiences with administration of marijuana to glaucoma. In The Therapeutic Potential of Marijuana. (Cohen and Stillman, eds.), 63-75.

Perez-Reyes, M., Wagner, D., Wall, M. and Davis, K. (1976). Intravenous administration of cannabinoids and intraocular pressure. In The Pharmacology of Marihuana (Braude and Szara, eds.), 829-832.

Goldberg, I., Kass, M. and Becker, B. (1978-1979). Marijuana as a treatment for glaucoma. Sightsaving Review, Winter issue, 147-154.

Crawford, W., and Merritt, J. (1979). Effects of tetrahydrocannabinol on arterial and intraocular hypertension. Int'l J. Clin. Pharmacol. and Biopharm. 17, 191-196.

Merritt, J., Crawford, W., Alexander, P., Anduze, A. and Gelbart, S. (1980). Effect of marihuana on intraocular and blood pressure in glaucoma.Ophthalmology, 87, 222-228.

Merritt, J., McKinnon, S., Armstrong, J., Hatem, G. and Reid, L. (1980). Oral delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in heterogenous glaucomas. Annals of Ophthalmology, 12, No. 8.

Zimmerman, T. (1980). Efficacy in glaucoma treatment-the potential of marijuana. Annals of Ophthalmology, 449-450.

Green, L., (1984) Marijuana effects on intraocular pressure, Applied, Pharmacology in the Medical Treatment of Glaucomas, (S.M. Drance, ed.), 507-526.

Merritt, J., et al. (1981). Effects of topical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on intraocular pressure in dogs. Glaucoma, Jan./Feb., 13-16.

Merritt, J., Perry, D., Russell, D. and Jones, B. (1981). Topical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and aqueous dynamics in glaucoma. J. Clin. Pharmacol., 21, 467S-471S.

Merritt, J., Olsen J., Armstrong, J. and McKinnon, S. (1981). Topical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in hypertensive glaucomas. J. Phar. Pharmacol., 33, 40-41.

Merritt, J. (1982). Glaucoma, hypertension, and marijuana. J. Nat'l Med. Ass'n., 74, 715-716.

Merritt, J., Cook, C. and Davis, K. (1982). Orthostatic hypotension after delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol marihuana inhalation. Ophthalmic Res., 14, 124-128.

Merritt, J. et al. (1982). Topical delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol as a potential glaucoma agent. Glaucoma, 4 253-255.

Merritt, J. (1984). Outpatient cannabinoid therapy for heterogenous glaucomas: Guidelines for institution and maintenance of therapy. Marijuana 84: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Cannabis, 681-683.

Merritt, J., Shrewsbury, R., Locklear F., Demby, K. and Wittle, G. (1986), Effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and vehicle constituents on intraocular pressure in normotensive dogs. Research Communication in Substances of Abuse, 7, 29-35.

Medical Marijuana, Muscle Spasm and Convulsion

Carlini, E., Leite, J., Tannhauser, M. and Berardi, A. (1973). Cannabidiol and cannabis sativa extract protect mice and rats against convulsive agents. J. Pharm. Pharmac., 25, 664-665.

Karler, R., Cely, W., and Turkanis, S. (1973). The anticonvulsant activity of cannabidiol and cannabinol. Life Sciences, 13, 1527-1531.

Dunn, M. and Davis, R., (1974). The perceived effects of marijuana on spinal cord injured males, Paraplegia, 12, 175.

Turkanis, S., Cely, W., Olsen, D. and Karler, R. (1974). Anticonvulsant properties of cannabinol. Res. Comm. Chem. Path. Pharmacol., 8, 231-246.

Consroe, P., Wood, G., and Buchsbaum, H. (1975). Anticonvulsant nature of marijuana smoking. JAMA, 234, 306-307.

Karler, R. and Turkanis, S. 1976. The antiepileptic potential of the cannabinoids. In The Therapeutic Potential of Marijuana, (Cohen and Stillman, eds.), 383-396.

Feeney, D.M., Marihuana and epilepsy: paradoxical anticonvulsant and convulsant effects, Marijuana Biological Effects: Analysis, Metabolism, Cellular Responses, Reproduction and the Brain, (Nahas, GG., Paxton, M., Bruade, J.C., Hardillier, and Harvey, D.J. eds.) Pergamon Press, Oxford, England, 643-657.

Petro, D., (1980), Marihuana as a therapeutic agent for muscle spasm of spasticity, Psychosomatics, 21: 81, 85.

Cunha, J., et al. (1980). Chronic administration of cannabidiol to health volunteers and epileptic patients. Pharmacology, 21, 175-185.

Petro, D., Ellenberger, C., Jr., (1981). Treatment of human spasticity with delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol, J. Clin. Pharmacol., 21:413S-416S.

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