Cannabis News

Merced County Superior Court Judge Ron Hansen ruled that Matthews deserved $300 as compensation for the 26.5 grams of marijuana confiscated by Merced police and an additional $500 for the pain and suffering for the time he went without his medicine. Matthews had first sought $7,500. Read More... Marijuana May Up Heart Attack, Stroke Risk: Study Posted by CN Staff on May 13, 2008 at 04:45:03 PT By Will Dunham Source: Reuters Washington, D.C. -- Heavy marijuana use can boost blood levels of a particular protein, perhaps raising a person's risk of a heart attack or stroke, U.S. government researchers said on Tuesday.

Dr. Jean Lud Cadet of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, said the findings point to another example of long-term harm from marijuana. But marijuana activists expressed doubt about the findings. Read More... The Government's Sorta-Kinda-Maybe Logic Posted by on May 13, 2008 at 04:18:39 PT By David Harsanyi, Denver Post Staff Writer Source: Denver Post USA -- It could be argued that the most useless job in Washington, D.C., is held by John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. He's otherwise known as the country's Drug Czar. And when you consider the spectacular number of useless jobs in Washington, that's quite an accomplishment.

No one is saying, of course, that it's easy being a figurehead of a cost-inefficient organization charged with implementing the biggest domestic policy disaster since Prohibition. Read More... Hazy Thinking on Medical Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on May 12, 2008 at 19:25:11 PT By Debra Saunders Source: National Ledger USA -- To those with family members who rely on medical marijuana to relieve chronic pain, the federal government's crusade against the use of the drug is an outrage. According to a 2005 Gallup poll, 78 percent of Americans support allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana. Yet only one of the three major presidential candidates, Sen. Barack Obama, is calling for needed change in federal policy by stopping federal raids in the 12 states that have passed laws legalizing medicinal use of marijuana. Read More... Weed Advocates Aren't Socially Minded Posted by on May 12, 2008 at 15:38:14 PT By Stephen Heleker, Opinion Writer Source: Arbiter Idaho -- Last Saturday, roughly 6,000 students and community members gathered at the Student Programs Board's Spring Fling to watch reggae royalty, The Wailers, play a two-hour set. The marijuana legalization march and protest occurred at the same time as Spring Fling, which was completely unrelated, although a lucky coincidence for the marchers. Needless to say, there were plenty of hippies and hipsters present, many of them marijuana users. Read More... Turn Back Effort To Disguise Drug as Medicine Posted by on May 12, 2008 at 09:51:53 PT By Bob Bushman Source: Post-Bulletin Minnesota -- The organizations that represent Minnesota's police chiefs, sheriffs, county attorneys, police officers and narcotics investigators are united in opposition to legislation that would authorize the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

The adoption of this legislation will pose numerous problems for Minnesota's law enforcement officials and will endanger the public's safety. Read More... Marijuana Still Drug of Choice Posted by on May 12, 2008 at 06:05:22 PT By Mike Ford, The Delphos Herald Source: Delphos Herald Delphos, OH -- Throughout the counter-culture era, “Cheech and Chong” had “ganga” burning “up in smoke” as a war-weary nation laughed on.

No longer solely associated with sandals and tie-dyed T-shirts, marijuana has transcended all social demographics. Adults and teens alike smoke it in “bongs” and fire up “blunts.” Local police say the country’s most popular narcotic is abused by those of various income brackets and social status. Read More... Next President Might Be Gentler on Pot Clubs Posted by on May 11, 2008 at 20:27:57 PT By Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Source: San Francisco Chronicle USA -- Ever since California voters became the first in the nation to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, the state has faced unyielding opposition from the federal government, which insists it has the power to prohibit a drug it considers useless and dangerous.

That could all change with the next presidential election. Read More... Racial Inequity and Drug Arrests Posted by on May 10, 2008 at 05:24:42 PT Editorial Source: New York Times Washington, D.C. -- The United States prison system keeps marking shameful milestones. In late February, the Pew Center on the States released a report showing that more than 1 in 100 American adults are presently behind bars — an astonishingly high rate of incarceration notably skewed along racial lines. One in nine black men aged 20 to 34 are serving time, as are 1 in 36 adult Hispanic men.

Now, two new reports, by The Sentencing Project and Human Rights Watch, have turned a critical spotlight on law enforcement’s overwhelming focus on drug use in low-income urban areas. Read More... Drug Czar Links Marijuana Use and Depression Posted by on May 10, 2008 at 04:30:39 PT By James Hohmann, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Source: Los Angeles Times Washington, D.C. -- The White House drug czar said in a warning to parents Friday that depressed teens are medicating themselves with marijuana, running risks of even deeper depression.

A new report by the Office of National Drug Control Policy said that frequent marijuana ingestion doubles a teen's risk of depression and anxiety, based on data compiled from published studies. Read More... NYC's Staggering Arrest Rate for Pot Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 10:29:30 PT By Steven Wishnia, AlterNet Source: AlterNet New York -- New York City has been the pot-bust capital of the world for a decade, since Rudolph Giuliani's decision to make public toking a top police priority. A new study sponsored by the New York Civil Liberties Union says the city's cannabis crackdown is both racist and fraudulent.

New York police have arrested almost 400,000 people for misdemeanor marijuana possession in the last decade. Last year, there were 39,700 such arrests. The vast majority of those seized have been black and Latino men, most under 25. And according to the NYCLU study, released last week, thousands of them are the victims of police scams, falsely charged with possession of marijuana "burning or open to public view." Read More... Teen Marijuana Use Linked To Later Illness Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 08:49:17 PT By Lori Aratani Source: Washington Post Washington, D.C. -- Teenagers who smoke marijuana put themselves at risk for future mental illness and higher rates of depression, according to a report to be released today by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Although fewer teens overall are smoking marijuana, the report said, there is growing concern that those who do, particularly those who view the drug as a way to cope with depression, do not understand its consequences. It also is not clear whether their parents, who might have indulged when they were younger, understand the risks, experts say. Read More... Teen Use of Pot Can Lead To Dependency Posted by CN Staff on May 09, 2008 at 05:38:04 PT By Jennifer C. Kerr, The Associated Press Source: Associated Press Washington, D.C. -- Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday.

A teen who has been depressed at some point in the past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have not reported being depressed - 25 percent compared with 12 percent, said the report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Read More... This Bud's For You, and You, and You Too Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 05:02:45 PT By Joel Stein Source: Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, CA -- Sometimes I can't believe how Californian California is. Women walk around half-naked, waiters call patrons "dude," and medical marijuana is legal. But I wondered just how legal. Could anyone buy it? Even me, who doesn't have cancer, AIDS, arthritis, glaucoma or even any previous pot-smoking experience?

Medical marijuana isn't really legal -- in 2005, the Supreme Court said federal anti-drug laws trump state laws -- but California and 11 other hippie states have been flipping off Washington for years. Read More... NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - May 8, 2008 Posted by on May 08, 2008 at 11:56:31 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML Inhaled Cannabis Reduces Central And Peripheral Neuropathic Pain, Study Says

May 8, 2008 - Davis, CA, USA

Davis, CA: Cannabis significantly reduces neuropathic pain compared to placebo and is well tolerated by patients with chronic pain conditions, according to clinical trial data to be published in The Journal of Pain. Read More... Greed Stands In The Way of Decriminalization Posted by on May 08, 2008 at 11:20:57 PT By Orval Strong, Special To The DN Source: Red Bluff Daily News USA -- I would like to take this opportunity to write about a plant with an undeserved reputation. Everyone knows, or thinks they do, about this weed, but most really don't. If you haven't had any experience with this substance at one time or another, you probably know someone who has. I'm referring, of course, to marijuana.

This weed was outlawed in 1937. Do you know why? You would think it was because of complaints from the medical profession for having to treat so many marijuana addictions, or the police because marijuana was the main impetus behind so many violent crimes, but you would be wrong. Read More... Coalition Demands Legalization of Cannabis Posted by CN Staff on May 08, 2008 at 07:31:45 PT By Kelly Janis Source: Middlebury Campus Vermont -- According to Vermont Grassroots Party leader Denny Lane, when alcohol prohibition came to an end in the 1930s, the individuals who had once enforced the measure were left with a woeful quantity of time on their hands.

"So they all got together to create this boogey-man marijuana, this evil demon weed that will make you go berserk and rape your grandmother," Lane said. "What they didn't realize is that it's the most versatile, premiere plant on the planet." Read More... Conyers Asks DEA Why It's Going After MMJ Posted by on May 07, 2008 at 18:52:49 PT By Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Source: San Francisco Chronicle Washington, D.C. -- A congressional leader, citing complaints from Bay Area mayors and lawmakers, wants the Drug Enforcement Administration to explain its increased use of "paramilitary-style enforcements raid" and property forfeiture orders against medical marijuana patients and suppliers in California.

With drug trafficking and violence from international cartels on the rise, "do you think the DEA's limited resources are best utilized conducting enforcement raids on individuals and their caregivers who are conducting themselves legally under California law?" House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., said in a letter to the agency. Read More... Government-Supplied Marijuana Program Turns 30 Posted by on May 07, 2008 at 16:50:39 PT By Bruce Mirken, AlterNet Source: AlterNet USA -- Each month Irvin Rosenfeld goes to his pharmacy and picks up a special prescription, supplied to him by the U.S. government: a canister containing roughly 10 ounces of marijuana in pre-rolled cigarettes.

Rosenfeld, a Boca Raton, Florida stockbroker, suffers from a rare illness called multiple congenital cartilaginous exostosis, a painful genetic disease that causes tumors to grow at the ends of his long bones, causing unbelievable pain. He is also one of four surviving patients receiving government-supplied medical marijuana, in a program that was closed to new applicants by President George H.W. Bush in 1992. Read More... Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Receive Waiver Posted by on May 07, 2008 at 08:50:06 PT By Joshua Sabatini, The Examiner Source: San Francisco Examiner San Francisco, CA -- Although The City’s medical marijuana dispensaries were initially told to obtain permits nearly two years ago, the Board of Supervisors voted to grant another extension Tuesday.

City legislators adopted rules governing the marijuana dispensaries in November 2005 in response to resident complaints that there were too many pot sellers, and that the businesses were often clustered together in neighborhoods, in some cases near schools, attracting drug dealing and crime. Read More... Decriminalizing Marijuana Use One Step At a Time Posted by on May 06, 2008 at 09:00:52 PT By Brian Tschiegg, Staff Writer Source: Retriever Weekly Washington, D.C. -- Recently, legislation was introduced to the House of Representatives that would completely legalize the possession, use, and not-for-profit transfer of marijuana. The bill, known as the “Act to Remove Federal Penalties for Personal Use of Marijuana” or H.R. 5843, was introduced by Representative Barney Frank (D – MA) and is co-sponsored by Representative Ron Paul (R – TX). This bill is the first decriminalization bill introduced in 24 years. Read More... Reports Find Racial Gap in Drug Arrests Posted by on May 06, 2008 at 04:33:05 PT By Erik Eckholm Source: New York Times New York -- More than two decades after President Ronald Reagan escalated the war on drugs, arrests for drug sales or, more often, drug possession are still rising.

And despite public debate and limited efforts to reduce them, large disparities persist in the rate at which blacks and whites are arrested and imprisoned for drug offenses, even though the two races use illegal drugs at roughly equal rates. Read More... Decriminalize Marijuana Posted by on May 06, 2008 at 04:09:06 PT Editorial Source: Capital Times Wisconsin -- U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin has long been a leader in the fight for sane drug policies. So we hope that she will sign on to legislation proposed by Rep. Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who has emerged as a key member of the House Democratic leadership team, that would decriminalize marijuana.

With backing from Texas Republican Ron Paul, a 2008 presidential candidate, Frank's HR 5843 seeks to eliminate all federal penalties, including arrest, jail time and civil fines, prohibiting the personal use and possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana. Read More... Fiscal Pressures Lead Some States To Free Inmates Posted by on May 05, 2008 at 19:53:00 PT By Keith B. Richburg and Ashley Surdin, WP Writers Source: Washington Post New York -- Reversing decades of tough-on-crime policies, including mandatory minimum prison sentences for some drug offenders, many cash-strapped states are embracing a view once dismissed as dangerously naive: It costs far less to let some felons go free than to keep them locked up.

It is a theory that has long been pushed by criminal justice advocates and liberal politicians -- that some felons, particularly those convicted of minor drug offenses, would be better served by treatment, parole or early release for good behavior. Read More... Missouri Congressman Backs Bill To Decriminalize Posted by CN Staff on May 05, 2008 at 14:58:36 PT By Sam Hananel, The Associated Press Source: Associated Press Washington, D.C. -- A bill that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana is garnering support from Missouri Rep. William Lacy Clay.

Clay, a Democrat from St. Louis, has signed on as a co-sponsor of the measure to eliminate federal penalties for possessing up to 100 grams — or about 3.5 ounces — of marijuana for personal use. Read More... Mannix Drops Anti-Marijuana Ballot Initiative Posted by on May 05, 2008 at 14:01:24 PT By James Pitkin Source: Willamette Week Oregon -- Conservative ballot-measure supremo Kevin Mannix just told WWire he and his cohorts are dropping a proposed ballot initiative to kill the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program.

"That petition's going to stop this week," Mannix says. There was not enough time or money to gather the 82,769 valid signatures needed, he says. Read More... How Measure B Will Help Posted by on May 05, 2008 at 11:14:18 PT By Mike Sweeney Source: Ukiah Daily Journal Ukiah, CA -- The latest ploy by the opponents of Measure B is to claim that it won't do any good.

Tell that to people who live next door to a marijuana grower and you'll learn otherwise. Listen to the anguish in their voices as they describe the overpowering odor of the neighbor's plants, filling the air night and day, and the fear that it will attract armed robbers. Imagine their frustration at the futile attempts to get help from law enforcement, only to be told that nothing can be done. Read More... Texans Convene To Support Legalization of MJ Posted by on May 05, 2008 at 04:55:59 PT By Teresa Mioli Source: Daily Texan Texas -- Amid the incense aromas and reggae beats, several hundred Austinites rallied at the Capitol on Saturday for the legalization of marijuana for personal and medical use.

The Texas branch of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and Outgrow Big Bro, a cannabis-user advocacy organization, hosted Sunday's Texas Cannabis Crusade. Read More...

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Highlights
MMJ News & More MMM News CommonSense for Drug Policy Drug Policy Forum of Wisconsin WarOnSomeDrugs Drug Policy Alliance Drug Reform Coordination Network Maximizing Harm Cures Not Wars Marijuana The Forbidden Medicine Patients Out of Time

Older News
Rally Calls for End To Pot Prohibition Medical Marijuana Advocates Pledge New Effort Seattle's March for Marijuana Today Is MMJ Use Reason To Deny Someone a Transplant? Medical Marijuana as a 'Wonder Drug' Should MMJ Be a Factor in Transplant Decisions? Hemp Bill Moves To Full Senate Vote MMJ User Dies for Lack of Liver Transplant NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - May 1, 2008 The Deceit Of Marijuana Mayor's Letter Calls For Hearings of DEA Will Pot Ever Be Legal in This Schizoid Country? Effects of Marijuana-Use Not as Harmful as Alcohol NYCLU: City Is World’s ‘Marijuana Arrest Capital’ Low-Dose Pot Eases Pain While Keeping Mind Clear Medical Marijuana Mix-Up Marijuana Activists Sense Something In The Air Albert Hofmann, The Father of LSD, Dies at 102 Albert Hofmann, 102; Chemist Discovered LSD Medical Marijuana Group Plans Ad Campaign Michigan To Vote on Legalizing MJ for Medical Use Getting Sensible About Marijuana Laws Clearing The Haze An Alternative To Medicinal Marijuana New Target in Fight Against Indoor MJ Growing Mendocino County Rethinks Marijuana Regulation Narrowly Tailored Bill Would Provide Help To Ill Marijuana is Not An Accepted Remedy Medical Marijuana is Snake Oil Remedy Medical Marijuana Patients Face Transplant Hurdles What It's Like To Buy Medical Marijuana Future of Cannabis Clubs Debated Marijuana Bill Drubbed in Committee NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - April 24, 2008 Two Medical Marijuana Bills Introduced in House S.C. Students Celebrate 4/20 on the Porter Meadow Of Bongs and Bongos Lighting Up for Mother Earth Criminally Ill Pot Bill Authors Look To Appease Critics Pot-Smoking Event 'a Moral Slap In The Face' Weed In The Wings The Latest Marijuana Propaganda Campaign American History in Hemp UMass Prof Fights For His Right To Grow 10,000 Gather at CU's Norlin Quad for 4/20 Marijuana Debate: Both Sides Can Point To Science Thousands of Students Gather for Potfest at UCSC CU’s 4/20 Pot Smoke-Out Draws Crowd of 10,000 No Hazy Goals at CU's Annual Pot Rally 10 Things You Didn't Know About Pot Marijuana Advocates Hope For Legalization Local Rep Backs Bill To Legalize Medical Marijuana '420' Events Not Just Grass-Roots Allow Medical Marijuana Legality of Marijuana Debated at Kenyon Rep. Frank Wants To Legalize Pot Lifting The Haze From 'High' Holiday Myths Students Who Get High Suffer Financial Aid Loss Pro-Dope Holiday Puts Spotlight on Local Attitudes A Grassroots Effort UCSC Takes Security Measures for 4/20 Calif. Judge Deals Blow To Medical Pot Movement Frank Wants To Drop Federal Penalties for Pot NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - April 17, 2008 Advocacy Groups Back Efforts To Defeat Pot Measure Make Room in Minnesota for Medical Marijuana 4/20 Bogus, Dude No on B, Yes on B Backers State Case Sides Being Chosen Over Marijuana Initiative Medical Marijuana Merits State Support Let's Be Blunt Capitalist Buzz Surrounds Stoner ‘Holiday’ Doctors Back Increased Pot Restrictions Mayor Backs Pot Clubs in Dispute With Feds Mendocino Doctors Back Pot Measure Hillary's Uninspiring Drug Reform Plan Germany: Marijuana Smokers Were Poisoned With Lead Preparing for 4/20 Pot Smoke-Out Anti-Measure B Argument Heard Council Unanimously Endorses Measure B D.C. Gets a Perfectly Legal Hemp Store UI Seeks Pot Smokers for Study Marijuana Foes See Through Smoke Screen NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - April 10, 2008 Rick Steves Speaks Candidly on Pot Topic Marijuana Bill Nears House Vote Medical Marijuana: A Politically Risky Vote? Medical Marijuana Bill on Its Way To House Vote House Panel May Snuff Pot Bill

News Topics
America Clinton DARE DEA FBI McCaffrey MAP News NIDA NORML arrests cannabis cannabisnews.com drug_testing hemp justice medical narcotics paraphernalia police science surveillance violence

Resources
NIDA - Common Drugs of Abuse lists commonly abused psychotropics. U.S. National Library of Medicine is an execellent resource for medical information. For recreational use of psychotropics one will find Hyperreal informative. Drug Sense, Marijuana Policy Project, Drug Reform Coordination Network, and NORML are among the many organizations seeking to reform cannabis laws.

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