Cannabis News

The three-day-long festival began Friday night with a benefit concert at the Cardinal Bar and continued through the weekend. Speakers and bands vocalized their support Saturday in Library Mall to “end the war on drugs” and urged listeners to vote for change. Read More... A Responsible Change To An Unfair Law Posted by on October 05, 2008 at 08:05:45 PT By Tom Kiley Source: Boston Globe Boston, MA -- By ending the creation of permanent criminal records for minor marijuana offenders, dealing with juvenile marijuana use in a stricter yet more responsible way, and saving taxpayers an estimated $30 million a year, Question 2 will work for Massachusetts.

Question 2 creates a civil penalty system for personal possession of an ounce or less of marijuana. It replaces arrest with a citation similar to a speeding ticket, and ends the creation of permanent arrest records known as Criminal Offender Record Information reports. CORIs are particularly damaging: Read More... Measure Opens The Door To More Problems Posted by on October 05, 2008 at 07:20:19 PT By Gerry Leone and The Rev. Jeffrey Brown Source: Boston Globe Boston, MA -- For the first time in years there is good news on drugs: Marijuana use among Massachusetts teens has declined significantly since 2001.

It's good news because kids who smoke marijuana are more likely to do poorly in school and engage in violence. It's good news because drivers who've smoked pot are 10 times more likely to be injured, or to injure others, in car crashes. It's good news because marijuana is more carcinogenic than tobacco, and young people who smoke pot are more likely to use other illegal drugs. Read More... Doc Says Pot Pill No Good Posted by on October 05, 2008 at 06:43:01 PT By Jim Totten, Daily Press & Argus Source: Livingston Daily Press Michigan -- There's a key reason why some groups want to make it legal for some seriously ill patients to smoke marijuana to ease vomiting and nausea.

Although there is a pharmaceutical version of marijuana called Marinol that comes in pill form, it doesn't work, according to Dr. Elaine Chottiner. She serves as section head of hematology and oncology at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, which runs the Saint Joseph Mercy Woodland Center in Genoa Township. Read More... Vote Yes on Proposal 1 for Medical Marijuana Posted by on October 03, 2008 at 08:13:22 PT Editorial Source: Detroit Free Press Michigan -- Marijuana has proven benefits in limiting pain and reducing the side effects of other medicines used to treat certain illnesses. Proposal 1 would allow the use of marijuana for these limited medical purposes. Voters should say yes to Proposal 1.

Proposal 1 would legalize doctor-prescribed marijuana. The Detroit News has reported that upwards of 500,000 Michiganians with "debilitating medical conditions" -- HIV/AIDS, cancer, Hepatitis C, Crohn's disease, Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis and the like -- will qualify. It can be useful, for example, in controlling nausea during chemotherapy in cancer treatments. Read More... State Rule Clarifies 60-Day Supply of Marijuana Posted by on October 03, 2008 at 07:17:53 PT By Sara Jean Green, Seattle Times Staff Reporter Source: Seattle Times Seattle, WA -- A new rule determining how much pot constitutes a 60-day supply for medical-marijuana users was finalized on Thursday, a decade after Washington voters passed an initiative legalizing marijuana for people suffering from terminal and debilitating illnesses.

The new state rule, which goes into effect Nov. 2, sets the supply limit at 24 ounces of usable marijuana plus 15 plants. Those who need more marijuana to manage their pain will have to prove they need it — though how they would do that remains unclear. Read More... How Much Pot Is Too Much? Posted by CN Staff on October 03, 2008 at 07:06:39 PT By Gene Johnson, The Associated Press Source: Associated Press Seattle, WA -- The state Health Department on Thursday defined a two-month supply of medical marijuana as 24 ounces of usable pot and up to 15 plants, a limit designed to end a decade of confusion over how much patients are allowed to have.

But patient advocates criticized the limit as arbitrary and insufficient, saying it could leave sick people in danger of going to jail, and they threatened to sue to prevent the rule from taking effect. Read More... NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - October 2, 2008 Posted by on October 02, 2008 at 16:28:43 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML California: Governor Permits Employment Discrimination Of Medi-Pot Patients

October 2, 2008 - Sacramento, CA

Sacramento, CA: Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation this week that sought to protect Californians from being fired from their jobs for their state-licensed medical cannabis use outside of the workplace. Read More... Fight Against Medical Marijuana is On Posted by on October 02, 2008 at 16:15:54 PT By Megha Satyanarayana, Free Press Staff Writer Source: Detroit Free Press Michigan -- Calling it a “pot dream come true for drug dealers,” state law enforcement, medical professionals and antidrug coalitions have launched a campaign to shoot down Proposal 1, the medical marijuana initiative on the November ballot.

The initiative legalizes marijuana for pain relief from chronic illness as approved by a doctor. Users would carry state identification regarding their status, and would be exempt from prosecution. Proposal 1 also allows registered users to grow marijuana. Read More... Yes on Prop 1: Allow Relief Marijuana May Offer Posted by on October 02, 2008 at 05:50:29 PT Editorial Source: Detroit Free Press Michigan -- If people who are seriously or chronically ill can convince their doctors that using marijuana will make them feel better, the State of Michigan should not stand in the way.

Proposal 1 on the statewide ballot Nov. 4 would allow Michigan residents to cultivate and possess small amounts of marijuana for medical reasons with a doctor's approval. Voters should say yes to this proposal, which was placed on the ballot by a petition campaign that collected almost 378,000 signatures. Read More... Governor Vetoes Job Security for MMJ Users Posted by on October 01, 2008 at 20:42:45 PT By Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Source: San Francisco Chronicle Sacramento, CA -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a bill sponsored by medical marijuana advocates that would have protected most employees from being fired for testing positive for pot that they used outside the workplace with their doctor's approval.

The measure, AB 2279 by Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, would have overturned a state Supreme Court ruling in January that allowed employers to punish workers for using medical marijuana that was legalized by a state ballot measure in 1996. Read More... Group That Opposes MMJ Will Kick Off ‘No’ Campaign Posted by on October 01, 2008 at 15:08:02 PT By Dawson Bell, Free Press Lansing Bureau Source: Detroit Free Press Lansing, MI -- A proposal to legalize the cultivation and use of marijuana for medical purposes, which will be on the Nov. 4 ballot and has gone virtually unchallenged for more than a year, will have some organized opposition after all.

A coalition of medical, law enforcement and anti-drug organizations calling itself Citizens Protecting Michigan Kids has scheduled news conferences across lower Michigan for Thursday to kick off the campaign to encourage a “No” vote on Proposal 1. Read More... Enforcement vs. Regulation Posted by on September 30, 2008 at 12:45:02 PT By Hannah Guzik, Tidings Correspondent Source: Ashland Daily Tidings Oregon -- By the 1930s, using marijuana was illegal in Oregon and it has remained that way — except for medicinal use — ever since. A group of local residents is aiming to reverse history.

The Legalize Ashland organization hopes to make adult marijuana use the lowest law enforcement priority and legalize the production of industrial hemp by May 2009. Read More... Pro-Pot Backers Aim High Posted by on September 29, 2008 at 12:58:47 PT By Edward Mason Source: Boston Herald Boston, MA -- Activists who want joints sold over the counter like cigarettes are bankrolling a Bay State pot referendum backers claim will simply clear the air of piddling marijuana cases choking the court system.

The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which placed Question 2 on the November ballot, collected from the Marijuana Policy Project $200,000, about 30 percent of its total. Indeed, about 90 percent of the $635,000 the committee has raised comes from people who live out of state. Read More... Measure To Decriminalize MJ Goes On Mass. Ballot Posted by on September 29, 2008 at 05:35:28 PT By Peter F. Zhu, Crimson Staff Writer Source: Harvard Crimson Massachusetts -- While a recent poll showed that more than two thirds of Massachusetts voters favor relaxing laws against marijuana, State Representative Will N. Brownsberger ’78—a drug addiction and enforcement expert who represents parts of Belmont and Cambridge—said he has grave concerns about the wisdom of a November ballot initiative that would decriminalize possession of the drug. Read More... Activists Cite Support for Medical Marijuana Posted by on September 28, 2008 at 07:00:04 PT By Jim Totten, Daily Press & Argus Source: Livingston Daily Michigan -- Support appears to be deep and widespread for a measure on the Nov. 4 ballot that would allow for the medical use of marijuana in Michigan.

If approved, cancer chemotherapy patients suffering from nausea and vomiting would be able to use marijuana to ease those symptoms. Other patients who might seek this treatment would be those with HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma. Read More... Thousands Celebrate Medical Marijuana at WAMMfest Posted by on September 27, 2008 at 19:56:06 PT By Alia Wilson, Sentinel Staff Writer Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel Santa Cruz, CA -- Thousands of medicinal marijuana patients and supporters attended WAMMfest to celebrate and learn about the herbal medicine Saturday.

Though medical marijuana patients were able to smoke their medicine at the event that featured music, crafts and speeches, that portion of the festivities was in question until this week. After failing to muster the votes to lift the city smoking ban in parks in a prior meeting, the council Tuesday agreed to do so. Only those with a medical marijuana identification card were allowed to smoke in a specially-designated tent Saturday. Read More... Aging With a Drug Habit Posted by on September 27, 2008 at 11:24:00 PT By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times Source: Daily Press USA -- It has been four decades since the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, but aging baby boomers haven't stopped turning on.

The federal government's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released earlier in September, finds that as boomers move into their 50s in large numbers, drug use among older adults in the United States has hit its highest point ever. Read More... Mixed Bag Over Support of Medicinal Marijuana Posted by on September 27, 2008 at 10:46:04 PT By Noah Fowle, News-Review Staff Writer Source: Petoskey News-Review MI -- Michigan voters will decided whether or not to legalize medicinal marijuana in a state wide ballot initiative this November. Although polls show there is growing support for the move, getting people to speak openly about the subject can be bit more difficult.

According to a September poll by the Michigan Resource Group of Lansing, 67 percent of voters said they would support the proposal, while 29 percent said they opposed it. Read More... As We See It: What Happens in Santa Cruz ... Posted by on September 26, 2008 at 10:24:25 PT Editorial Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel Santa Cruz, CA -- Any misconception that Santa Cruz doesn't march to a different drummer should once again dissipate in a cloud of smoke. You can make your own conclusions about the origin of that smoke.

But, in a week where news headlines have warned of an imminent financial market meltdown, as a presidential campaign continues to veer into the slightly surreal, events and public life in the city of Santa Cruz provide a welcome respite from all the seriousness. Read More... NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - September 25, 2008 Posted by on September 25, 2008 at 19:38:22 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML NORML Recognized By Project Censored

September 25, 2008 - Washington, DC

Washington, DC: NORML's reporting on the rising number of marijuana arrests has received recognition from Project Censored, an internationally acclaimed media research and academic training program sponsored by Sonoma State University in California. Read More... Marijuana Vote Has Allies on Both Sides Posted by on September 25, 2008 at 16:01:51 PT By John Laidler, Globe Correspondent Source: Boston Globe Boston, MA -- Georgetown lawyer Steven Epstein supports the November state ballot question on decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, seeing use of the drug as a matter of personal liberty.

"We formed the government to protect the individual in the exercise of their rights, amongst which is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," Epstein said, adding that people should be free to exercise those rights as long as they do not harm others. Read More... Supporters of Initiative Deny Legalization Goal Posted by on September 25, 2008 at 15:57:30 PT By Edward Mason Source: Boston Herald Boston, MA -- Backers of a ballot question to decriminalize some pot possession fired back at charges that their initiative is a gateway for weaker drug laws - and took aim at the Herald for uncovering who’s funding the movement.

“(The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy) does not support marijuana ‘legalization’ or endorse or condone marijuana use, as the Herald is well aware” wrote campaign manager Whitney Taylor in an e-mail. Read More... Poll: Michigan Voters Lean Toward Approval of MMJ Posted by on September 25, 2008 at 15:39:38 PT By Charlie Cain, Detroit News Lansing Bureau Source: Detroit News Michigan -- A majority of Michiganians is inclined to legalize marijuana for sick people, but a second statewide ballot proposal to relax restrictions on stem cell research in Michigan is a closer contest -- and the advertising blitz has just begun on that measure.

The latest Detroit News-WXYZ Action News poll found that the voters, by a 59-37 margin, favor the ballot proposal to allow terminally and seriously ill people to legally use marijuana if a doctor certified the drug could ease their suffering. Read More... Blunt Object Posted by on September 25, 2008 at 06:02:16 PT By Chris Faraone Source: Boston Phoenix Massachusetts -- These days, Howie Carr is not the only smug bully stereotyping pot smokers as dangerously naive dingbats. With Election Day’s Question 2 ballot initiative threatening to reduce the penalty for less than one ounce of weed to a mere civil slap and $100 fine, Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe is leading a coalition of the Commonwealth’s heaviest hitters — including the other 10 Massachusetts district attorneys, Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Tom Menino, and Attorney General Martha Coakley — to stand united against marijuana reform. But, as the state’s fiercest civic power brokers are quickly finding out, the war over Question 2 is not your typical suits vs. stoners scrum. Read More... Attorney General's New Pot Rules Not Enough Posted by on September 24, 2008 at 06:32:56 PT By Benjamin Browning Source: Sonoma State Star CA -- California Attorney General Jerry Brown's new attempt to settle the nerves of medical marijuana dispensers and patients is a weak attempt to make proposition 215 stronger.

Attorney General Brown has introduced an eleven-page directive aimed at clearing up some issues between state and federal governments. He believes his new guidelines will minimize legal worries and ease patient worries. Read More... Council OKs Smoking Pot in WAMM Tent Posted by on September 23, 2008 at 19:08:19 PT By Genevieve Bookwalter, Sentinel Staff Writer Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel Santa Cruz, CA -- Medical marijuana patients will once again be allowed to smoke dope in San Lorenzo Park this Saturday, after city leaders temporarily lifted a smoking ban to allow for a festival celebrating the medicinal herb.

The decision came after testimony from more than 20 patients who reasoned and pleaded with the Santa Cruz City Council to allow them to inhale their medication while partaking in Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana's annual WAMMfest. Read More... Michigan's Proposal 1 Would Allow Ill To Grow Posted by on September 23, 2008 at 17:43:51 PT By Nathan Bruttell, Argus-Press Staff Writer Source: Argus-Press Lansing, MI -- Dianne Byrum has heard the stories about countless individuals in Michigan who are in pain. Byrum has listened to “dozens upon dozens” of terminally ill cancer patients, others dying of AIDS and others in severe pain from multiple sclerosis and glaucoma.

“You will hear all kinds of stories off the record,” Byrum said, “where you have constant vomiting and people who can barely move they are hurting so much.” Read More... No 'Question' About It Posted by on September 23, 2008 at 05:51:27 PT Staff Editorial Source: Daily Free Press Massachusetts -- This weekend, thousands of demonstrators from Boston and beyond converged at Boston Common to show their support for "Question 2," a proposition on the Nov. 4 ballot that would effectively decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in Massachusetts.

Decriminalization of marijuana would certainly free up millions of dollars for a needy law enforcement system. But decriminalization means more to the commonwealth than just freed-up funds and relaxed laws regulating the drug; it means preventing thousands of talented citizens from being from losing career opportunities because of frivolous criminal records. Read More... Rally Brings Thousands To Common Posted by on September 23, 2008 at 05:43:38 PT By Jennifer Eng Source: Daily Free Press Massachusetts -- Thousands of marijuana enthusiasts gathered at Boston Common Saturday afternoon for the 19th annual Freedom Rally to celebrate marijuana and raise awareness about "Question 2" on the November election ballots.

If passed, "Question 2" would decriminalize the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana for individuals over 18 years of age, decreasing the maximum fine for possession from $500 to $100 and eliminating jail time altogether. Individuals under the age of 18 must complete a drug awareness program and provide community service along with the fine. 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 Brings Thousands To Common CU Police Return Marijuana To Student Medical Marijuana Debate Going To Ballot On The Common, They Like The Grass Just Say 'No' To WAMMfest Medication Pot Rally Has Cops Fuming Attorney General's MMJ Guidelines Change Little Should Marijuana be Legalized? Yes or No As We See It: Be Consistent on Pot Smoking Ban Marijuana Proponents Take on State Attorneys Palin's Double Standard on Marijuana NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - September 18, 2008 Mass. Marijuana Measure Draws Heat Officials Unite To Fight Marijuana Initiative New Medical Uses Found for Marijuana Drug War's Latest Tally: 872,721 Pot Arrests A Question of Possession Marijuana, a Growing Battle Judge Says Feds Violated 10th Amendment WAMMfest Facing Major Downer NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - September 11, 2008 Medical Marijuana Controversy Marijuana Could Be a Gusher of Cash Growing Marijuana Legal Under State Law Medical-Marijuana Rules Go Under The Microscope Council Could Lift Smoking Ban for Pot Fest Drug Warriors Still Ignore Powerful Pot Science Real Commander Needed for The War on Drugs Medical Marijuana's Eco Boomtown NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - September 4, 2008 New Drug Survey Demolishes Drug Czar's Claims Prosecutors Threaten Pot Dispensaries Guidelines for Medicinal Pot Report: U.S. Drug Use Shows Little Change in 2007 California Govt. Offers Guidelines for Pot Smokers Medical Marijuana Progress Calif. MMJ Guidelines Aim To Flesh Out Vague Law Effort To Clarify Medical Pot Laws Pot On The Ballot New Marijuana 'Road Map' Still Has Detours MJ Ballot Question Awaits Signature Confirmation California Politics Drive Cannabis Club Crackdown Pot Protesters Kick Back, Light Up; March Can Wait NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - August 28, 2008 DA Compliments AG for Clearing The Haze Around 215 Attorney General Proposes Sensible Rules on Pot Soros Behind Mass. Effort To Decriminalize Pot Brown Doesn't End Pot Debate Brown's Rules on Medical Marijuana Jerry Brown Gets Tough on Medical Pot Clubs Medical Marijuana Gets Another Look Attorney General's Office Releases MMJ Guidelines State Extends Time for Comments on MMJ Limits California Attorney General Issues MMJ Guidelines Some Medi-Pot Dispensaries May Be Illegal Time To Prune The Weed Laws Police Told To Ignore Pot During Convention Feds' Medical Pot Challenge Tossed Federal Judge Backs Medical Pot Activists' Suit NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - August 21, 2008 Federal War on Medical Pot Challenged Supreme Court To Consider Marijuana Limits DEA Letter Targets Medical Marijuana Will The DNC Go To Pot? Big Isle Vote Could Lessen Marijuana Enforcement Decisions Force New Look at Medical Marijuana Pot Power Play Revelry, Politics Mix at Hempfest Hempfest To Feature Edmonds Writer Rick Steves Medical Marijuana: What Does Science Say? Measure B Plant Limits Can't Be Enforced Hempfest's Grass is Greener This Year State Top Court To Review Medical Pot Limit NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - August 13, 2008 Marijuana Law Changes Sought Pulling The Lid Off Pot Hempfest Ad on Bus Criticized by Some NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - August 7, 2008 Nation's Drug Czar Makes Stop in Tulare County America's Never-Ending Prohibition Medicinal Marijuana Eases Neuropathic Pain in HIV The End of Reefer Madness Puff, Puff, Pass This Bill Local Buzz from Marijuana Bill Surprises Clay An Ancient Look at a New Medical Approach for Pain Do Not Legalize Pot Time To Weed Out Pot Laws? Congress Moving on Reforming Pot Prohibition Marijuana Takes on Colon Cancer Milks Stoner Stereotypes in Anti-Pot Film

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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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