cannabisnews.com: Med Pot Proposal On Its Way To Michigan's Ballot





Med Pot Proposal On Its Way To Michigan's Ballot
Posted by CN Staff on March 04, 2008 at 05:21:03 PT
By Dawson Bell, Free Press Staff Writer
Source: Detroit Free Press
Michigan -- Michiganders with chronic or debilitating diseases would be able to possess and use marijuana legally under a proposal on its way to state voters in November.A state elections panel Monday certified petitions with 377,975 signatures backing the plan, well more than the 304,000 minimum needed to put the initiative before voters if the Legislature fails to act on it within the next 40 days.
Spokespeople for House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, said Monday afternoon that legislative action is unlikely."We will be letting the voters decide this one," said Greg Bird, an aide to Dillon and House Democrats.Dianne Byrum, a former lawmaker and spokeswoman for the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, the group that circulated the petitions, said she has no expectation the Legislature will take up the medical marijuana issue.The initiative would amend Michigan law to allow seriously ill patients to obtain a doctor's authorization to cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana.Lynn Allen, a 51-year-old Williamston resident who contracted HIV and hepatitis C from contaminated blood when he was being treated for hemophilia, said he would like to have the option of using marijuana as an alternative to the prescription drugs he takes, among them OxyContin."I think marijuana would help with the pain," said Allen, who has arthritis and frequently uses a wheelchair. "Right now, I'm forced to take an opiate. Marijuana is a much more benign kind of drug."The movement to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes has spread widely in the last decade. A dozen states permit it under some circumstances.The practice has been most controversial in California, where voters authorized the sale of small amounts of marijuana at licensed co-ops. Those operations have been targeted by U.S. law enforcement agencies under federal law. Byrum said the proposed Michigan statute is silent on the question of where the marijuana would come from, and does not authorize sales."We're just trying to protect the patient from prosecution," she said.The Michigan Coalition is backed by the national organization Marijuana Policy Project. It provided nearly all of the $1.1 million used to organize the campaign and collect petition signatures. Byrum said she expects the fall campaign to rely more heavily on Michigan resources, but no budget has been set.Traditionally, opposition to medical marijuana has come from law enforcement, especially national drug enforcement agencies. So far, no organized opposition to the Michigan campaign for medical marijuana has surfaced.Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)Author: Dawson Bell, Free Press Staff WriterPublished: March 4, 2008Copyright: 2008 Detroit Free PressWebsite: http://www.freep.com/Contact: letters freepress.comRelated Articles & Web Site:Stop Arresting Patientshttp://www.stoparrestingpatients.org/Medical Marijuana Proposal Advances in Michiganhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23724.shtmlMichigan Closer To Medical Marijuana Votehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23495.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on March 04, 2008 at 17:42:33 PT
benign kind - kind benign 
"Marijuana is a much more benign kind of drug."The prohibitionists hate it when we tell the truth like this. They prefer to use their own hate-filled words. We need to shape the public perception of cannabis medicine to counter the lies and exaggerations of the prohibitionists.There's always room for Freedom!
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Comment #3 posted by OverwhelmSam on March 04, 2008 at 09:21:34 PT
Mainlining Marijuana
What, it gives you ten times the munchies LOL! I love this analysis:"Marijuana is sufficiently mild in its effect that anyone attempting to vividly depict its horrors must resort to the most extreme and unrealistic experiments imaginable. Showing footage of normal marijuana users using marijuana normally would be utterly boring and insignificant. Thus, the choice to approach the subject under such bizarre conditions tells you everything you actually need to know about the integrity of marijuana's critics."Source: http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle_blog/2008/mar/03/people_dont_inject_marijuana_wit
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 04, 2008 at 07:48:37 PT
Press Release From EurekAlert
Small Study Shows Marijuana Does Not Increase Risk of Head, Neck Cancer***March 4, 2008New research from Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery
Alexandria, VA – Smoking marijuana (cannabis) does not increase the user’s risk of head and neck cancer, according to a new study published in the March 2008 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.The small sample study, authored by researchers from New Zealand and Great Britain, found that among 75 cases of head and neck cancer, the relative risk of smoking cannabis and contracting head and neck cancer in marijuana users was the same (1.0) as in those who had never smoked cannabis. These results differ from the relative risk of contracting cancer from smoking cigarettes (2.1) and the heavy consumption of alcohol (5.7), compared with those who abstained from those activities. However, due to the limits of the study, the authors cannot exclude other possible effects, and recommend a larger study.Cancers of the head and neck, with more than 500,000 new cases diagnosed each year worldwide, represent the fourth most common type of cancer. It is estimated that more than 13,000 people will die from head and next cancer each year in the United States alone.###Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery is the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS). The study authors are Sarah Aldington, BMBS; Matire Harwood, MBChB; Brian Cox, PhD; Mark Weatherall, FRACP; Lutz Beckertz, MD; Anna Hansell, PhD; Alison Prithchard; Geoffrey Robinson, FRACP; and Richard Beasley, DSc. The study was conducted on behalf of the Cannabis and Respiratory Disease Research Group.AAO-HNS will join in observing Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Week (OHNCAW) beginning April 21, 2008 and ending April 27, 2008. More information on the week’s activities can be found at: http://www.headandneck.org/Reporters wishing to obtain the full study may contact Matt Daigle at 1-703-519-1563, or at newsroom entnet.org. Experts are also available to discuss the treatment and prevention of head and neck cancer.About the AAO-HNSThe American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery - http://www.entnet.org - one of the oldest medical associations in the nation, represents more than 13,000 physicians and allied health professionals who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. The Academy serves its members by facilitating the advancement of the science and art of medicine related to otolaryngology and by representing the specialty in governmental and socioeconomic issues. The organization’s mission: “Working for the Best Ear, Nose, and Throat Care.” http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/aaoo-sss030408.php
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on March 04, 2008 at 05:57:34 PT
Amherst Rethinks Police Fee for Pro-Marijuana Fest
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1077645
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