Minnesota became the 22nd state
in addition to the District of Columbia with a medical marijuana bill
Thursday, with the signature of Gov. Mark Dayton (D). The new law will
allow the distribution and consumption of marijuana for medical
purposes, with one major caveat: You can’t smoke it, and you can’t
possess the plant in its natural form.
The compromise measure lost the support of many medical marijuana
advocates, who say consumption of the plant is the most natural and
effective method for managing particular conditions. The law will allow
the plant to be distributed only in oil, vapor, or pill forms, after the
oil is extracted from the plant through state-licensed manufacturers.
While the oil has been particularly value for children suffering from
seizures, marijuana is most frequently consumed in its leaf form,
particularly because patients can control dosing by taking one puff at a
time until they feel relief. Those who utilize this marijuana oil
cannot control its potency, and many have reported feeling “zombie-like”
after consuming it.
Read on...
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Showing posts with label medical marijuana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medical marijuana. Show all posts
Pot Shots: How to Smoke Medical Marijuana
You know how it is: first you get an assignment for Fortune
magazine, and the next thing you know, you're taking pictures of people
smoking pot. At least, that's how it worked for photographer Robyn Twomey. The Fortune
story focused on the business of medical marijuana, and mostly entailed
shooting pictures at pot dispensaries; but in the process Twomey got to
know and photograph Jordan, a 19-year old who has a rare form of
leukemia. This led to a series of over 30 portraits of medical marijuana
clients as they administered their medication.
In these images, the smoke becomes part of the portrait: it's a gesture, it's a visualization of the subjects' breath, it's their environment. The smoke competes with the subject for our attention, and the strength of these pictures comes from the tension between the two.
Read on...
In these images, the smoke becomes part of the portrait: it's a gesture, it's a visualization of the subjects' breath, it's their environment. The smoke competes with the subject for our attention, and the strength of these pictures comes from the tension between the two.
Read on...
Pot Legalization Effort Moves Eastward To Maine
Advocates of recreational marijuana use are
looking to an upcoming vote in Maine as an indicator of whether the
East Coast is ready to follow in the footsteps of Colorado and
Washington by legalizing cannabis.
Voters in Portland are being asked whether they want to make it legal for adults 21 and over to possess -- but not purchase or sell -- up to 2.5 ounces of pot. The Nov. 5 vote is being eyed nationally as momentum grows in favor of legalizing marijuana use.
The Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C.-based group that supports legalization, says it targeted Portland because it's Maine's largest city and because, unlike many other states and cities, it has an initiative process to get the referendum on the ballot. Organizers hope passage of the Portland initiative could spur similar results in other liberal Northeast cities.
"I think there's national implications, keeping the momentum that Washington and Colorado started last November in ending marijuana prohibition," said David Boyer, the organization's political director in Maine. "This is just the next domino."
Read on...
Voters in Portland are being asked whether they want to make it legal for adults 21 and over to possess -- but not purchase or sell -- up to 2.5 ounces of pot. The Nov. 5 vote is being eyed nationally as momentum grows in favor of legalizing marijuana use.
The Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C.-based group that supports legalization, says it targeted Portland because it's Maine's largest city and because, unlike many other states and cities, it has an initiative process to get the referendum on the ballot. Organizers hope passage of the Portland initiative could spur similar results in other liberal Northeast cities.
"I think there's national implications, keeping the momentum that Washington and Colorado started last November in ending marijuana prohibition," said David Boyer, the organization's political director in Maine. "This is just the next domino."
Read on...
Police Raid Home of Medicinal Marijuana Multiple Sclerosis Patient, Throw Her Kids in Foster Care
Three prominent advocates for medical marijuana in Idaho had their
children taken away last week after the police investigated them on
charges relating to marijuana trafficking. Their sons were considered to
be in “imminent danger” by law enforcement, and they were all taken
away and put in foster case, local news outlet KTVB reports.
The activists are Lindsey and Josh Rinehart and Sarah
Caldwell. All three of them are leaders in the group Compassionate
Idaho, which advocates for the legalization of medical marijuana in
Idaho. The activists were on a trip, but when they got back to the
Rinehart residence, their sons were gone. While Caldwell’s two sons are
back with her, the Rineharts’ sons remain in foster care.
“They took my children. Due to cannabis being present in
the house,” said Lindsey Rinehart, the executive director of
Compassionate Idaho. “They say their goal is to return our children to
our home once it is deemed safe. They say our children will be in foster
care for 30 days.”
‘The Fight Over Medical Marijuana’
Our federal marijuana policy is increasingly out of step with both the
values of American citizens and with state law. The result is a system
of justice that is schizophrenic and at times appalling.
This is an op-ed from the NY Times. Tom
Though the federal government considers marijuana a Schedule I
Controlled Substance and bans its use for medical purposes, a growing
number of states feel differently. Today, 18 states and Washington,
D.C., have legalized medical marijuana for people suffering from
debilitating medical conditions like cancer, epilepsy, severe nausea,
multiple sclerosis and chronic pain. And on Tuesday, Colorado and
Washington State voted to legalize marijuana for adult use, regardless
of medical condition. But these states cannot stop the federal
government from enforcing its own laws.
And federal drug laws are unjustifiably extreme. Consider the case of
Chris Williams, the subject of this Op-Doc video, who opened a marijuana
grow house in Montana after the state legalized medical cannabis. Mr.
Williams was eventually arrested by federal agents despite Montana’s
medical marijuana law, and he may spend the rest of his life behind
bars. While Jerry Sandusky got a 30-year minimum sentence for raping
young boys, Mr. Williams is looking at a mandatory minimum of more than
80 years for marijuana charges and for possessing firearms during a
drug-trafficking offense.
This is an op-ed from the NY Times. Tom
New Study Finds No Correlation Between Medical Marijuana Shops And Crime Rates
Medical marijuana is already legal in 17 states and the District of Columbia, and seven more states will decide whether to legalize it by the end of this year. As public support for medical marijuana grows,
however, some misconceptions about marijuana remain — as illustrated in
a recent exchange with a Drug Enforcement Agent official who refused to admit that marijuana is less harmful than crack cocaine.
A new UCLA study helps to ease some of the misguided fears about the danger of medical marijuana, pointing out that medical marijuana dispensaries don’t lead to any increase in crime rates in the areas where they’re located. Although other environmental factors like unemployment are clear contributors to rising crime rates, the study concludes that medical marijuana shops are not linked to violent or property crime:
Read on....
A new UCLA study helps to ease some of the misguided fears about the danger of medical marijuana, pointing out that medical marijuana dispensaries don’t lead to any increase in crime rates in the areas where they’re located. Although other environmental factors like unemployment are clear contributors to rising crime rates, the study concludes that medical marijuana shops are not linked to violent or property crime:
Read on....
Medical Marijuana Patients, Supporters To Rally in Sacramento Against DOJ Attacks
Lively, peaceful protest called for Noon on Wednesday, Nov 9th at Sacramento federal building
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - November 7 - Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and a coalition of advocacy and labor groups are staging a demonstration at Noon on Wednesday, November 9th to protest federal government's escalated attack on California's medical marijuana laws. A lively rally of medical marijuana patients and supporters is set to occur in front of the Sacramento federal building and will feature state legislators, advocates, labor, and dispensary operators impacted by the recent Justice Department (DOJ) crackdown in California.
What: Protest against DOJ attacks on California's medical marijuana laws
When: Noon on Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Where: Sacramento federal building, 501 I Street
Read on...
Doesn't the DOJ have anything better to do? Tom
DOJ to Issue New Guidelines on Medical Marijuana Busts
By Jeralyn, Section Crime Policy
Bump and Update: Here is the text of the DOJ memo.
The Department of Justice is sending out a three page memo to prosecutors in the 14 states that have legalized medical marijuana with new guidelines for prosecutions. According to unnamed officials,
... [the memo] emphasizes that prosecutors have wide discretion in choosing which cases to pursue, and says it is not a good use of federal manpower to prosecute those who are without a doubt in compliance with state law.
Without a doubt? Sounds like there's some wiggle room. [More...]
At the same time, the officials said, the government will still prosecute those who use medical marijuana as a cover for other illegal activity. The memo particularly warns that some suspects may hide old-fashioned drug dealing or other crimes behind a medical marijuana business.
Read on...Progressive Voter Guide to Drug Issues
Find out how Obama and McCain compare on everything from drug sentencing laws to drug use in politicians' personal lives.
Twelve states now have medical marijuana laws on the rolls, and hardly a week goes by without the announcement of a medical study touting the healing effects of cannabis. Yet the drug war in the United States keeps on rolling: More than 870,000 people were arrested on charges relating to marijuana last year, and Congress approves larger budgets each year for the White House drug czar.
What can we expect from Obama on drug issues if he's elected? "Bottom line," marijuana policy expert Paul Armentano recently wrote, "no administration since Jimmy Carter's has proactively taken steps to liberalize federal drug penalties, and there's little indication that Obama and Biden will possess either the desire or the political will to buck this long-running trend." We can expect even less from John McCain, given his history of statements on issues relating to the war on drugs.
Read on...
Nice summary of drug issues in the U.S. Tom
Twelve states now have medical marijuana laws on the rolls, and hardly a week goes by without the announcement of a medical study touting the healing effects of cannabis. Yet the drug war in the United States keeps on rolling: More than 870,000 people were arrested on charges relating to marijuana last year, and Congress approves larger budgets each year for the White House drug czar.
What can we expect from Obama on drug issues if he's elected? "Bottom line," marijuana policy expert Paul Armentano recently wrote, "no administration since Jimmy Carter's has proactively taken steps to liberalize federal drug penalties, and there's little indication that Obama and Biden will possess either the desire or the political will to buck this long-running trend." We can expect even less from John McCain, given his history of statements on issues relating to the war on drugs.
Read on...
Nice summary of drug issues in the U.S. Tom
Lunatic Drug Warriors Still Ignore Powerful Pot Science
By Rob Kampia, AlterNet. Posted September 8, 2008.
Twenty years ago a DEA chief judge concluded that doctors should be allowed to prescribe pot -- and the government is still ignoring his ruling.
Indeed, most Americans don't know it ever happened.
In response to a petition asking that marijuana be moved from Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act, which bars medical use, to a lower schedule that would permit physician prescriptions, Judge Francis Young held extensive hearings that began in the summer of 1986. He heard from an impressive array of expert witnesses, resulting in thousands of pages of documentation.
Twenty years ago a DEA chief judge concluded that doctors should be allowed to prescribe pot -- and the government is still ignoring his ruling.
Twenty years ago, on Sept. 6, 1988, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's chief administrative law judge issued a landmark ruling, but don't expect any celebrations or commemorations in Washington, D.C. Our government has ignored this historic decision since the day it was issued, inflicting needless misery on millions.
Indeed, most Americans don't know it ever happened.
In response to a petition asking that marijuana be moved from Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act, which bars medical use, to a lower schedule that would permit physician prescriptions, Judge Francis Young held extensive hearings that began in the summer of 1986. He heard from an impressive array of expert witnesses, resulting in thousands of pages of documentation.
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