cannabisnews.com: Campus NORML Organizes Medical Marijuana Week





Campus NORML Organizes Medical Marijuana Week
Posted by CN Staff on February 20, 2003 at 23:01:09 PT
By Joann Ku, The Daily Illini
Source: Daily Illini
Speakers, brownies and the showing of a documentary called "Grass" were among events celebrating the medical use of marijuana this week.This week, designated as Medical Marijuana Week, was sponsored by the campus chapter of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and SSDP, Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
NORML and SSDP began the week by selling brownies and passing out event flyers on the Quad on Tuesday and Wednesday. Danielle Schumacher, president of NORML, thought it was a good way to advertise and make a statement. "It's a clever way to get people's attention," she said. "A lot of people don't take this issue seriously. But our efforts seem to be paying off."She said some people have approached NORML and SSDP members with negative comments, but the organizations have received support from faculty and students.Frank Bryan Vazquez, senior in LAS, bought a brownie to support the medical use of marijuana."I am totally fine with the usage of medical marijuana," he said. "I see no reason why people are against it. I fully support it."In 1998, Congress passed an Anti-Medical Marijuana resolution. The resolution said marijuana is "a dangerous and addictive drug with research clearly demonstrating that smoking marijuana impairs normal brain functions and damages the heart, lungs, reproductive, and immune systems," according to the Marijuana Policy Project Web site.On Wednesday, Medical Marijuana Week continued with two pro-medical marijuana speakers, Bryan Berkner, director of Illinois NORML, and Jamie, a man with HIV that has been given state permission to use marijuana for medical purposes. Jamie is one of the few people who can legally take medical marijuana. Jamie declined to give his last name because of privacy issues.Berkner is currently involved in a lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Human Services and is working with the American Civil Liberties Union to represent individuals who aren't able to use marijuana for medical purposes. The ACLU is a nonprofit organization that fights civil liberty violations.The lawsuit concerns an Illinois 1971 law that makes marijuana legal for medical and research purposes. Sarah Delong, a member of the campus chapter of NORML, said marijuana is supposed to be approved and administrated by the Illinois Department of Human Services in Chicago, but they have been negligent and not doing their job."In actuality, medical marijuana is legal in Illinois. It's just not enforced," Delong said. "Federally, marijuana is illegal. If a doctor prescribes it, federal law overrides the state law."Thomas Greene, spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Human Services, said the department allows the use of medical marijuana only in special requested cases.The medical marijuana law in Illinois only allows for marijuana to be used in a case where a research project is approved by the state human services department, Greene said. The law doesn't allow for individual use of medical marijuana based on individual needs. "Nobody has ever requested the department to grant that permission," Greene said. "That's why there's never really been anything done to grant requests for medical marijuana."While Berkner gave many facts and statistics at Wednesday's meeting, Jamie brought a more personal perspective. He mentioned his participation in medical marijuana studies and how marijuana has helped with the pain from the effects of AIDS and harsh AIDS drugs."I don't think the government should play doctor," he said. "If they were my doctors, I'd be dead. Plain and simple."Some students left with a new perspective and more knowledge on the subject."Before coming here, I thought good things of it,"said Genevieve Stalla, a junior in LAS. "This event increased my awareness and my approval of it."Source: Daily Illini, The (IL Edu)Author: Joann Ku, The Daily IlliniPublished: Friday, February 21, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Illini Media CoContact: opinions dailyillini.comWebsite: http://www.dailyillini.comRelated Articles & Web Sites:MPP: http://www.mpp.org/SSDP: http://www.ssdp.org/NORML: http://www.norml.org/Illinois NORML: http://www.illinoisnorml.org/Medical Marijuana Awareness Weekhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/aware.htmProtesters Evict DEA To Legalize Marijuana Usehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15520.shtmlUS Should Arrest Pain, Not People Who Relieve It http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15506.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on February 21, 2003 at 04:06:44 PT
Been busy... HAS THIS BEEN POSTED?
Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club busted 
by Tyler MacDonald (19 Feb, 2003) Police arrest club's baker and webmaster 
http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2837.htmlAt around 4:20pm on Wednesday, Februrary 19th, 2002 police walked in the door of the Victoria, B.C. branch of the Cannabis Buyers' Clubs of Canada and started arresting people and stealing medicine. Both Ryan Fink, the club's former baker, and Scott Johnstone, the club's webmaster, have been arrested and taken into custody. The police offered to let them out early if they signed a statement saying that they would not communicate with Leon "Ted" Smith, or enter the premesis at 826 Johnson Street, Victoria, BC. Both refused to sign the agreement and are therefore were held overnight at the Victoria Police Headquarters on Quadra Street. The police also took paperwork, computer equipment, and an unknown amount of cannabis and cash. Today, (Thursday, February 20th, 2002), Scott and Ryan will appear before a judge at the Victoria Courthouse on Blanshard Street in Courtroom 101 for their bail and trail arrangement hearings. They will be appearing before court at 2pm. I strongly urge anybody who wishes to help Scott, Ryan, or the Club through this rough spot to show up at the courtroom and stand by our brave friends who have been so unjustly victimized for working hard to help people whose lives depend on the club's services.Please show up to the court if you possibly can. If you can think of any other ways to help, send me an email and let me know what you might be able to do.Thanks,
Tyler MacDonald
Director, International Hempology 101 Society
www.hempology.com- CBCC website: www.cbc-canada.com
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Comment #1 posted by Virgil on February 21, 2003 at 01:15:53 PT
Prohibition is part of systemic breakdown
Speakers, brownies and the showing of a documentary called "Grass" were among events celebrating the medical use of marijuana this week.I would have to say that the movie "Grass" is the movie to show. It is one movie I am sure they the library does not offer even though it educates a blind spot in most communities.I would say the big development that is coming is the strengthening of the alternative media. I do not watch the evening news anymore either local or national. I find it insulting and a waste of time. I used to look foward to "This Week" but now it is just another talking head show where the misadministration puts out the party line.I was wondering if any Cnewsers would have a story to tell of working towards putting Jim and Cheryl Miller's story on cable access. I aam going to give it a go as soon as I thaw out some. I will try to call Charter tomorrow. The Cheryl Miller content is available from http://www.nextplayvideo.com/ Any expenditure pretty much includes me out for now.I am just really dismayed the country and world have gone to hell. I read the story of the depleted uranium and how it is killing our soldiers and causing deformities in newbornes both here and Iraq. Yep, we are really interested in the welfare of the Iraqi people alright, taking back the same DU weaponary that will be there for 4.5 billion years. The UN ban was that would have eliminated DU was veoed by only two countries- the US and UK. We know Iraq did not use any biological or chemical weapons and the US does not investigate (which there is no reason, they know what is killing people, making them sick and causing the birth defects) and they say we don't know what caused it. Yea right and because we want to free a country where half of everyone is under 15 to see the deformed people that live grow up without Saddam, we will shoot somemore DU.http://news.bellinghamherald.com/stories/20030220/Opinion/129573.shtmlhttp://www.citypaper.com/current/mobs2.html - then you have the scandal of electronic touch screens ballot counters with no paper trail. It is insane on the surface of and the corrupt politicians act like it makes sense. It is stupid on the face of it. The above link will mention http://www.blackboxvoting.com/ which will mention Salon.com that ran a six-part series on the insanity that is going on without the press saying anything.Now you have veterans with sworn testimony the US military blew up the oil well in Kuwait in the last war.- http://thepowerhour.com/american_gulf_war_veterans_press-release.htmhttp://islandimage.net/oc/13myths/Factsheet.cfm?ID=5 - 13 myths.org list 13 lies about the Gulf War and call them myths They also do the tax cuts and the 2000 elections which make 39 lies they expose.The oil companies are keeping crude oil offshore so they can say inventory is down while people are paying $2 a gallon for gas and there is not an investigative reporter in sight to outline the gouging- http://news.bellinghamherald.com/stories/20030220/Opinion/129573.shtmlThey raised the national debt limit by $405 billion on June 28th and now they have spent it all already and must raise it again- http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20030220/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/debt_limitMichael Poweell wants to shrink the voices that report the news and the IMF is using usery to bankrupt most of South america and volunteers to bankroll the overthrow of a democratically elected president of Venezula while the american media and Venezulan media distort the story.Now, a lot of people are not upset by all this because cannabis is great cure for anxiety. The only ones that try to dispute it is the federal government. If it hlps with anxiety isn't that enough by itself to call it medicine?That "Grass" is the right movie alright. But when will NORML call the Schedule One Lie, the Schedule One Lie? That is what they need to teach the college kids.
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