Medical Marijuana // Current

Common Sense Approach To The War On Drugs

Dear friend,

Maybe you are delighted by yesterday's election results; maybe you are disappointed. Either way, you hold the key to overturning our countrys punitive drug policies. Part of what makes the Drug Policy Alliance special is the fact that our members span the political spectrum and sometimes agree on nothing more than a shared commitment to ending the disastrous drug war.

While President-elect Obama is not going to make ending the drug war his #1 priority, he has said that America should start treating drug use as a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue. He supports repealing the federal syringe ban and ending the DEA's raids on medical marijuana patients. He is also co-sponsor of Senator Biden's bill to eliminate the 100-to-1 crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity.

Moreover, many Democrats in leadership positions in Congress support drug policy reform, ranging from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Representative Dana Rohrabacher.

In the months ahead, President-elect Obama will choose a new Drug Czar for our nation, and members of Congress will put together legislation to overhaul his agency. We have an opportunity to re-shape drug policy for a generation.

My enthusiasm is tempered, though, by the defeat of Proposition 5 in California. We knew from early polling that a substantial majority of Californians favored this major reform of the state's prisons and drug sentencing policies. But a sordid coalition of the prison guards' union, the beer distributors' association, gambling interests, fanatical anti-drug groups and craven politicians raised $3.5 million in the last few weeks of the campaign to run deceitful TV ads across the state. Ultimately we could not compete with their lies and scare tactics.

But I know from experience that theres opportunity to be found in every defeat. We built new coalitions and found new allies, injected new perspectives into the public debate, and increased our stature and ability to shape future policies. We also won respect throughout the state and the nation for taking on the Goliath of the prison-industrial complex.

I feel energized like never before, and so do my colleagues at the Drug Policy Alliance and our many allies in the growing movement to end the drug war. I hope you do, too.

Ethan Nadelmann
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance Dear friend, Maybe you are delighted by yesterday's election results; maybe you are disappointed. Either way, you hold the... more

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11 days ago

THE TRUTH IS FREE

AND THATS ALL PEOPLE WANT

sickinjersey
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9 responses

12 days ago

Sweet Leaf Gets a Little Sweeter

Two prized victories were won by the marijuana reform movement Tuesday as Massachusetts voters decriminalizing the possession of... more

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7 responses

13 days ago

2008 Ballot Initiatives MARIJUANA IS MAINSTREET

DENIAL IS NO LONGER AN OPTION

sickinjersey
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3 responses

13 days ago

High Times > Headline News

This country shall grow one step at a time.

sickinjersey
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1 response

13 days ago

Another cannabis victory in Hawaii

Cannabis is now the lowest priority for law enforcement in Hawaii.

Enjoy_Cannabis
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21 responses

13 days ago

Truth Prevails!

The politics of compassion have overcome the politics of fear. Tonight, Michigan became the thirteenth state to legalize the... more

Enjoy_Cannabis
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1 response

13 days ago

Marijuana Wins Big In Election

Voters in both Massachusetts and Michigan have approved measures easing the laws against the use of marijuana -- at least under... more

Future_America
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1 response

13 days ago

The Union: The business behind getting high.

BC's illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a business giant, dubbed by some involved as 'The Union',... more

Enjoy_Cannabis
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0 responses

15 days ago

THE ARMY OF GEORGE BUSH

THIS IS HILARIOUS AND SCARY. PURGE THE SYSTEM

sickinjersey
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4 responses

15 days ago

IT IS THAT TIME

WE MUST STOP MADNESS

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4 responses

15 days ago

Important marijuana study needs chronic pain patients; Travel and payment included

*To Join This Study You Must: -Have Ongoing Chronic Pain -Be 18 or older -Be on a stable twice-daily dose of... more

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2 responses

16 days ago

Montana Supreme Court okays use by probationers, parolees | Stop the Drug War (DRCNet)

Finally some folks that have good sence, we (USA) are all in the same country. If they can then we all can!
The Montana Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that courts there cannot order medical marijuana patients to refrain from using their medicine as a condition of probation or parole. The ruling came in the case of State v. Nelson, in which Timothy Nelson was convicted of growing marijuana and as a condition of his probation, was barred from using medical marijuana.

Nelson was not certified under Montana's medical marijuana law when arrested, but obtained that certification before sentencing. But after local prosecutors told the trial judge the state Department of Corrections would not allow him to use medical marijuana while under its supervision -- only synthetic Marinol -- the judge imposed the following condition (among others) on Nelson:

The Defendant will not possess or use illegal drugs or any drugs unless prescribed by a licensed physician. Although the Defendant states he has a medical use exception which allows him to possess marijuana, the Defendant may not possess marijuana except in pill form and only then by prescription from a licensed physician. The prescription may not be more than 6 months old. The Defendant may not have a prescription older than 6 months in his possession. The Defendant will not be in control of or under the influence of illegal drugs, nor will he have in his possession any drug paraphernalia.

Nelson appealed, and on Wednesday, the state Supreme Court agreed, finding that the trial judge had overstepped her authority. "The District Court unlawfully denied Nelson the right and privilege to use a lawful medical treatment for relief from a debilitating condition under the Montana Medical Marijuana Act," Justice Patricia Cotter wrote in the majority opinion.

The court also found that "when a qualifying patient uses medical marijuana in accordance with the (Medical Marijuana Act), he is receiving lawful medical treatment. In this context, medical marijuana is most properly viewed as a prescription drug."
more@linkFinally some folks that have good sence, we (USA) are all in the same country. If they can then we all can! The Montana Supreme... more

pokesmot
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18 days ago

VOTE THE TRUTH

Barack Obama is against federal interference in medical marijuana states, please vote in order to help the truth move forward. Not... more

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12 responses

19 days ago

Campaign Ads & Videos | Yes on Proposition 5: The Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act

Ya'll in Cali better get on the move, because they(your gov)are doing their best to STOP this.

pokesmot
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4 responses

21 days ago

Dr. Wagoner speaks from the heart

Please take four and a half minutes to watch this powerful video. This is who opponents of Proposal 1 say should go to prison... more

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21 days ago

Marijuana In Beer

"DON'T BOGART THAT BEER MY FRIEND" By Greg Kitsock It was called Brain Death, and it was a high gravity brew... more

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12 responses

23 days ago

Silver City woman faces eviction over two medical marijuana plants

"She can possess up to four mature plants," Busemeyer said. "She can also have up to 12 seedlings and up to six... more

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25 days ago

Drug Czar Busted — Again!

Like the Energizer bunny, Drug Czar John Walters’ lies just keep on coming. It was only one-month ago when the Czar made a... more

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5 responses

25 days ago

United Kingdom: Parliament To Vote On Enacting Stiffer Pot Penalties

London, United Kingdom: Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced plans this week to reclassify cannabis as a Class B drug under British law. If the change is approved by Parliament, it would increase the penalties for minor pot possession from a verbal warning (under current policy) to up to five years in jail.

Smith’s recommendation contradicts the findings of Britain’s Advisory Panel on the Misuse of Drugs, which issued a report this week calling for cannabis to remain classified as a Class C ‘soft’ drug. The panel determined that pot lacks the health risks of other Class B drugs such as amphetamines and barbiturates, and concluded that use of the drug is unlikely to cause mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

"The evidence for the existence of an association between frequency of cannabis use and the development of psychosis is, on the available evidence, weak," the Panel found. "The council does not advise the reclassification of cannabis products to Class B; it recommends they remain within Class C."

It is the third time in six years the Advisory Panel has recommended to Parliament that cannabis be classified as a Class C drug, a category that includes anabolic steroids and Valium.

Since taking office last June, Prime Minister Gordon Brown (Labour) has consistently pushed for increasing British pot penalties, claiming that marijuana’s use can be fatal. "[T]he cannabis on the streets is now of a lethal quality and we really have got to send out a message to young people," Brown stated last week. "[T]his is not acceptable."

Parliament downgraded cannabis possession to a non-arrestable offense in 2004. Since then, marijuana use by young people age 16 to 24 has fallen approximately 20 percent. According the statistics published by the British Home Office last year, only eight percent of Britons now report using cannabis, the lowest percentage ever recorded by the agency.

Home Office statistics also indicate that police seizures of cannabis have increased since 2004, though the total number of Britons arrested for pot-related violations has fallen.

A spokesperson for the Association of Police Officers told the UK Guardian newspaper that police would continue to issue verbal warnings to most minor pot offenders – regardless of whether Parliament eventually reclassifies cannabis. London, United Kingdom: Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced plans this week to reclassify cannabis as a Class B drug under... more