cannabisnews.com: 42 Wash. Lawmakers Ask DEA To Reclassify Marijuana

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  42 Wash. Lawmakers Ask DEA To Reclassify Marijuana

Posted by CN Staff on January 31, 2012 at 04:30:17 PT
By The Associated Press 
Source: Associated Press 

Olympia, Wash. --  More than three dozen Washington state lawmakers sent a letter to the federal government on Monday, asking for marijuana to be reclassified as a drug that can be prescribed by doctors and filled by pharmacists. Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule II drug would allow it to be prescribed by doctors and handled by pharmacists. Marijuana is currently classified a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it's not accepted for medical treatment and can't be prescribed, administered or dispensed.
In the letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the lawmakers said they supported Gov. Chris Gregoire's previous request on the issue. Seven Republican lawmakers were among the 42 in both the House and the Senate who signed the letter. In addition to the letter, Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, introduced Senate Joint Memorial 8017 making the same request to reclassify medical marijuana. The joint memorial was scheduled for a hearing in the Health & Long Term Care Committee on Thursday. Gregoire and Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee filed the petition with the DEA last November. Washington and Rhode Island are two of 16 states and the District of Columbia that have laws allowing the medical use of marijuana. Washington voters approved a medical marijuana law in 1998 that gives doctors the right to recommend — but not prescribe — marijuana for people suffering from cancer and other conditions that cause "intractable pain." Last year, Gregoire vetoed most of a bill that made major reforms to the state's medical marijuana law, saying state workers could be prosecuted under federal law the way the measure was written. A separate bill this year is attempting to provide medical marijuana patients with easier access to the drug. The new proposal would allow local governments to regulate nonprofit patient cooperatives, which could grow up to 99 plants. Under the latest proposal, nonprofit patient cooperatives would be prohibited in counties with fewer than 200,000 residents — mostly rural areas — unless local jurisdictions enact ordinances allowing them. The cooperatives would be allowed in counties with a population of more than 200,000 unless local jurisdictions opt out through an ordinance. The plan would create a voluntary registry for patients.Source: Associated Press (Wire)Published: January 30, 2012Copyright: 2012 The Associated PressCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 

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Comment #19 posted by afterburner on February 11, 2012 at 11:56:08 PT
Best Option: Unschedule Cannabis; Second: Lowest 
"Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule II drug would allow it to be prescribed by doctors and handled by pharmacists. Marijuana is currently classified a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it's not accepted for medical treatment and can't be prescribed, administered or dispensed." As most regulars here know, this is just a big money grab by big pharma. There is no true justification for this Schedule 2 nonsense. Why is Marinol Schedule 3 since it is a strong drug and harder for patients to manage?A little history helps:{ "I introduced AB390 not only to address California's growing economic crisis but, more importantly, to begin a rational public policy discussion about how best to regulate the state's largest cash crop, estimated to be worth roughly $14 billion annually. Placing marijuana under the same regulatory system that now applies to alcohol represents the natural evolution of California's laws and is in line with recent polls indicating strong support for decriminalizing marijuana."To understand the reasoning behind AB390, it is helpful to understand how we got here. The state first prohibited marijuana in 1913. When Congress later passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970, marijuana was temporarily labeled a 'Schedule I substance' - an illegal drug with no approved medical purposes."But Congress acknowledged that it did not know enough about marijuana to permanently classify it as Schedule I, so it created a presidential commission to review the research. In 1972, the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse advised Congress to remove criminal penalties on the possession and nonprofit distribution of marijuana. }
--Regulation Would Take It Out of Criminals' Control.
Posted by CN Staff on March 02, 2009 at 20:42:02 PT.
By Tom Ammiano. 
Source: San Francisco Chronicle 
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/24/thread24533.shtml{ " 'Neither the marijuana user nor the drug itself can be said to constitute a danger to public safety,' concluded the commission, led by then-Gov. Raymond Shafer of Pennsylvania. President Richard Nixon and Congress ignored the report. Since then, more than 14 million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges and marijuana has remained listed as a Schedule I substance - actually treated by federal law as more dangerous than cocaine and methamphetamine. " } --same source as above.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on February 06, 2012 at 19:23:49 PT
Afterburner
Thank you for the update. I really mind seeing swat teams. I thought Weed Wars with Steve DeAngelo was good but some people could get in a lot of trouble for being in that series I fear.
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Comment #17 posted by afterburner on February 06, 2012 at 10:13:36 PT
FoM #15
"New Series: American Weed ~ National Geographic
Premieres on February 22nd.URL: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/american-weed/ "Thanks for the heads-up.National Geographic Canada channel jumped the gun and showed the first three episodes of this new show over the weekend just past. The coverage was balanced, but strong battle lines are drawn. The dispensaries methods and concerns were well-reported.However, the swat team approach of law enforcement also was graphically portrayed, obsessed with their theory that criminals are abusing the medical cannabis system.
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Comment #16 posted by ekim on February 03, 2012 at 10:31:45 PT
places to sign MI petition 
https://help.repealtoday.org/#petition
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on February 02, 2012 at 19:47:15 PT

New Series: American Weed ~ National Geographic
Premieres on February 22nd.URL: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/american-weed/
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on February 02, 2012 at 10:51:40 PT

ekim
That would be a good thing.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on February 02, 2012 at 10:49:52 PT

Afterburner
That was great! Thank you.
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Comment #12 posted by afterburner on February 02, 2012 at 10:03:00 PT

FoM #6
"If Obama said to legalize marijuana he would not get re-elected. That's just the facts. Our agenda is not the only agenda."I agree with FoM. Here's why:Picador Press / By Thomas Frank.
65 COMMENTS.
Why We Got Ayn Rand Instead of FDR: Thomas Frank on How Tea Party 'Populism' Derailed a New New Deal.
After a brutal recession was brought on by Wall Street greed, it looked for a moment like we'd rejected the Right's economic mythology. Then the "Tea Party" came along.
February 1, 2012 | Editor's note: { In late 2007 and early 2008, the house of cards came crashing down around us, and all of the economic doctrine we'd been fed by the pundits and politicians of both parties over the past few decades was laid bare for all to see. The deregulated cowboy capitalism that was supposed to release unbridled prosperity had led instead to widespread economic pain – hardship that would spread globally and remain with us to this day.It was a moment ripe for a populist uprising. Many observers expected the pendulum to swing back from the rightward lurch authored during the “Reagan Revolution” – perhaps a new New Deal would emerge as America elected its first black president in a dramatic rejection of George W. Bush's business-friendly ideology.But something happened on the way to this much-anticipated swing back to the left. Instead of FDR, we got Ayn Rand. Rather than calling for programs that might alleviate some of working America's suffering, we saw the emergence of the Tea Parties, which demanded that ordinary Americans feel every bit of pain they had coming to them – and also that we leave the Wall Street hustlers who had precipitated the crash alone.It was an ahistoric reaction to a recession caused by Big Finance, and it captured the imagination of author and columnist Thomas Frank. In 2005, Frank wrote the now-classic book, What's the Matter With Kansas? in which he detailed how the “Backlash Right” used social issues to hoodwink many Americans into voting against their economic interests. It was a classic bait-and-switch – they voted for politicians who promised to overturn Roe v. Wade, and got tax breaks for the ultra-rich, deregulation for Wall Street and trade deals that took down barriers to corporate offshoring.In the aftermath of the crash, Frank returns to the topic to discover that the “New New Right” had once again offered Americans a bait-and-switch, but of a different kind. The result is Frank's new book, Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Come-Back of the Right. AlterNet is proud to bring you this [following] excerpt from the book. }
more...
http://www.alternet.org/story/153973/why_we_got_ayn_rand_instead_of_fdr%3A_thomas_frank_on_how_tea_party_%27populism%27_derailed_a_new_new_deal?page=entireWelcome back, Max Flowers. We regulars always wonder about those we haven't heard from in a while.
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Comment #11 posted by ekim on February 02, 2012 at 09:26:31 PT

what has Rep Issa requested from the DEA

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/world/americas/lawmakers-to-open-inquiry-on-undercover-dea-operation.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on February 01, 2012 at 20:07:51 PT

Max Flowers
It's so good to see you. I will send you an e-mail.
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Comment #9 posted by Max Flowers on February 01, 2012 at 19:39:41 PT

Hey Folks
Sorry to bust in... wow, I haven't been here in years.Nice to see it's still going strong. I hope you've all been well.I need to contact FoM, how can I do that (still can't find a contact form)? Or could you please contact me, FoM? You can get me at rhizomorph at gmail.comcheers! (sorry for the interruption)
MF
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Comment #8 posted by The GCW on February 01, 2012 at 14:32:57 PT

Mr. President
US DC: Marijuana Backers Muscle Into The 'Conversation'http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n092/a01.html?397When President Barack Obama tonight takes voters' questions submitted via YouTube, the marijuana lobby could be his toughest audience. Many of the top-ranked questions -- as voted on by the public -- for Obama's post-State of the Union "conversation" titled "Your Interview with the President" have come from people who urge pot legalization. It's just the latest example of drug policy dominating a presidential request for questions or proposals from the public. And it reveals how advocacy organizations of all types work to gin up questions or public support for their queries to get their message in front of the president. "I think there is a lot of frustration on the part of people that care about this issue and haven't heard it addressed in a serious way," said Tom Angell, media relations director for the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Angell's group has the top-voted video question on the White House's YouTube channel, which says 228,009 people have submitted 133,215 questions and cast 1,630,632 votes for which question they'd most like the president to answer. Most of the questions are text, however. In the video, Stephen Downing, a retired deputy chief of police from the Los Angeles Police Department, tells the president that he sees "our country's drug policies as a failure and a complete waste of criminal justice resources" and notes a Gallup Poll saying more Americans agree with him. He asks the president: "What do you say to this growing voter constituency that wants more changes to drug policy than you have delivered in your first term?" Cont.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on February 01, 2012 at 12:51:36 PT

Video: Joan Rivers and Medical Marijuana
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WevTQKeTKoc
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on February 01, 2012 at 08:07:56 PT

The GCW
If Obama said to legalize marijuana he would not get re-elected. That's just the facts. Our agenda is not the only agenda. Young people like Obama because he is trying to help young adults have hope and dream. Young people worry about their future and rightfully so. I believe we will progress because more and more of our mostly Democrat leaders are getting on board. Change happens slowly like a tree starting to come to life in the Spring. One day not even a bud on a tree and then the next thing we know is the tree is in full bloom. I look at life and marijuana reform as an interesting journey and an eye opener for many people not just our community. The times they are a changin. Bob Dylan - Times They are a-Changin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWdCKPtnYE
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Comment #5 posted by The GCW on February 01, 2012 at 07:45:42 PT

Calculated
Romney and the newt are so bad there is very little chance they will win. Obama may have calculated He does not need Us, due to that fact.Of course I didn't think the Texnoid would have won anything either.But Obama doesn't need Us so We are expendable. The young voters don't matter as much, He must think.Of course as Legalizing cannabis sits on state ballots, He may comment in favor to help cover bases and not take things for granted.Obama is being a stinker but Romney represents vomit.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 01, 2012 at 07:15:42 PT

Romney or Obama?
I would be so disappointed if Romney became our next president. Romney is against medical marijuana and didn't even know what hemp was. We'd be back in the 50s again with Romney. I really hope Republican soon won't be very important. They are so darn angry.
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Comment #3 posted by runruff on January 31, 2012 at 23:23:33 PT

Federal Government's National Montra?
CYA is not just a slogan, it is a religion as Mister Obama is demonstrating.What cannot be explained, ignore. If it is in any way harmful to the power or wealth of the power elite then, officially it does not exist. It is a Bureaucratic Bastille of silence, denile and lies. 
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Comment #2 posted by Hope on January 31, 2012 at 21:06:07 PT

Oooooh. 
This makes me so uneasy. I prefer that a doctor recommends cannabis... not prescribes.This could make full legalization harder, I fear.
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on January 31, 2012 at 12:38:34 PT

Washington good: Obama: I don't know.
YouTube Ignores Cop's First Place Marijuana Legalization Video Question for Obamahttp://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2012/01/30/YouTube-Ignores-Cops-First-Place-Marijuana-Legalization-Video-Question-ObamaSite Finds Time for Questions About Dancing, Late-Night Snacks and Playing TennisToday YouTube ignored a question advocating marijuana legalization from a retired LAPD deputy chief of police that won twice as many votes as any other video question in the White House's "Your Interview with the President" competition on the Google-owned site. They did, however, find the time to get the president on record about late night snacking, singing and dancing, celebrating wedding anniversaries and playing tennis. Stephen Downing, the retired LAPD police officer and a board member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), had this to say about the site ignoring his question: "It's worse than silly that YouTube and Google would waste the time of the president and of the American people discussing things like midnight snacks and playing tennis when there is a much more pressing question on the minds of the people who took the time to participate in voting on submissions. A majority of Americans now support legalizing marijuana to de-fund cartels and gangs, lower incarceration and arrest rates and save scarce public resources, all while generating new much-needed tax revenue. The time to discuss this issue is now. We're tired of this serious public policy crisis being pushed aside or laughed off."The top-voted video question from Downing is as follows: "Mr. President, my name is Stephen Downing, and I'm a retired deputy chief of police from the Los Angeles Police Department. From my 20 years of experience I have come to see our country’s drug policies as a failure and a complete waste of criminal justice resources. According to the Gallup Poll, the number of Americans who support legalizing and regulating marijuana now outnumbers those who support continuing prohibition. What do you say to this growing voter constituency that wants more changes to drug policy than you have delivered in your first term?" The question can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0IpiATxdR4.Downing's question came in first place for video questions and ranked second out of all questions (with the overall top spot going to a text question about copyright infringement). Many of the other top-ranking questions were about marijuana policy or the failed "war on drugs," as has been the case every other time the White House has invited citizens to submit and vote on questions via the web. Voting in the YouTube contest wrapped up Saturday at midnight EST. In addition to the top-voted marijuana and drug policy questions mentioned above, there were a number of other similar questions that received thousands of votes but were mysteriously deleted after being marked "inappropriate."CONT.
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