It is time for an update about marijuana and its various uses. Back on Election Day there were eight ballot iniatives. Two notable ballot initiatives were in Massachusetts and Michigan. In Michigan voters passed a compassionate use law allowing Michigan residents to use cannabis for medicinal purposes. That makes thirteen states with medical marijuana laws. Massachusetts passed a referendum making it no longer a criminal offense to be in possession of marijuana if the weight is less than one ounce (28gms). There is more on the ballot initiatives below. Also yesterday I received a press release from Patients Out Of Time (POT) announcing that my friend Irv Rosenfeld has become the patient longest to use federal supplied marijuana. POT’s press release will follow. Details about other changes in marijuana laws across the country will follow the press release.
So here is the press release:
For Immediate Release from Patients Out of Time:
When Noah started to give God some lip he was asked, "Noah, how long can you tread water?
The US government’s free for the asking (once) medical marijuana program has treaded in an ocean of medical cannabis hypocrisy for 30 years.
This hypocrisy is best personified by Irv Rosenfeld: husband, career stock broker, dog lover, champion handicap sailor, and recipient of 9 ounces of US government supplied medical cannabis every three weeks since 1982. Irv just passed the previous record held by the late Robert Randall, who in 1976 became the first patient to be supplied cannabis from the federal government for the treatment of glaucoma and received it for 26 years.
Irv Rosenfeld comments that, "Four of us in the federal medical cannabis program (IND) were examined for three days at St. Joseph's Hospital, Missoula, MT in 2001using private funds. All of us were found to be in fine physical and mental condition. (1). I am long passed feeling euphoria from my medical use but what I do feel is a lack of pain and discomfort and a frustration with my government for not allowing other citizens to have what is given to me with my gratitude."
Sitting in his Florida office Irv continued, "While the US government has been arresting patients and caregivers for using cannabis medically they have been sending it to four of the Directors of Patients Out of Time (POT). In my case I have gotten my medicine for over 26 years, the longest use of any medicinal cannabis patient. Federal myths about cannabis not being medically accepted, coupled with its world wide use as a medicine on every continent plus the 14 states that have accepted the medical community’s endorsement of medical value (1) has created a conundrum for US medical cannabis policy. Political whim versus hard science for the federal employees of the HHS and NIDA has been the mantra for making medical decisions concerning cannabis. That professional betrayal the Obama administration can correct. HHS needs to answer The Petition to Reschedule Cannabis in the affirmative. Meaning, declare my medicine may be good for all citizens and turn our medical use of cannabis over to the health care community instead of having us treated by the police and jailers."(2)
Mary Lynn Mathre, RN, President of POT and pioneer in the education of the health care community about the therapeutic uses of cannabis adds her comments from her VA office,
"Irv suffers from a rare disorder called multiple congenital cartilaginous exostosis and without the medical use of cannabis he would be crippled, unable to work and on numerous pharmaceuticals to manage his pain or maybe even dead. Cannabis is a safe and effective medicine for a variety of ailments. Irv and only 3 other US citizens can legally smoke cannabis supplied by our government. What about the rest of us? Why does our government forbid us this medicine? There is no honest justification for the prohibition of cannabis"
(1)www.medicalcannabis.com
(2)www.drugscience.org
IND=Investigational New Drug Program
Irv Rosenfeld
Newbridge Securities
(877) 447-9625
Al Byrne
Co-Founder Patients Out of Time
(434) 263-4484
My friend Naomi Long with Drug Policy Alliance passed along to me this information sent to her from Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). This is a list of the various ballot initiatives:
MICHIGAN: MPP's medical marijuana initiative passed by 63% to 37% in Michigan, making it the 13th state to protect medical marijuana patients from arrest and jail. While any new medical marijuana law is a great victory, this one is especially notable, since Michigan is now the first medical marijuana state in the Midwest, and the second largest medical marijuana state in the country (with California being the largest). See http://www.stoparrestingpatients.org/ for details.
MASSACHUSETTS: MPP's landmark initiative to decriminalize marijuana in Massachusetts passed by 65% to 35%. The measure removes the threat of arrest and jail for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana, replacing it with a $100 fine, which can be paid through the mail without lawyers or court appearances, just like a speeding ticket. This is the first time in history that voters have passed a statewide initiative to decriminalize marijuana! See http://www.sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/ for details.
CALIFORNIA: A measure that would have required the loss of public housing benefits for recent drug convictions lost by a 70% to 30% margin. (The measure would have also increased spending on prisons and law enforcement, as well as increased penalties for gang-related activities and other crimes.)
CALIFORNIA: A measure that would have expanded the number of drug offenders diverted from prison into treatment — as well as improving the marijuana decriminalization law that was originally enacted by the state legislature in 1975 — lost by 60% to 40%. See http://www.prop5yes.com/ for details.
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA: A measure (which received $5,000 from the MPP grants program) to expand the non-residential zones where medical marijuana dispensaries can locate, issue zoning certificates, and bring Berkeley marijuana possession limits in line with recent court rulings passed by 62% to 38%. See http://www.yesonjj.com/ for details.
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS: A measure (which received $3,972 from the MPP grants program) to make adult marijuana offenses the lowest priority for local law enforcement passed by 66% to 34%. See http://www.sensiblefayetteville.com/ for details.
HAWAII COUNTY, HAWAII: A measure (which received $19,800 from the MPP grants program) to make adult marijuana offenses the lowest priority for local law enforcement passed by 53% to 39%. See http://www.projectpeacefulsky.org/ for details.
FOUR DISTRICTS IN MASSACHUSETTS: Voters in four out of four state House districts passed four nonbinding public policy questions directing each district's state representative to vote in favor of legislation that would allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana if they have the approval of their physicians. See http://www.dpfma.org/ for details.
For those of you on facebook Students For Sensible Drug Policy Foundation has a petition up asking President-elect Obama to make specific changes in our nations drug policy. you can join the 5,748 other signatories at http://apps.facebook.com/...
Finally of interest to those who seek to change our marijuana laws is this video from MPP up on YouTube:
Thanks for reading and remember marijuana was medicine before it was a controlled dangerous substance.