cannabisnews.com: NORML's News Bulletin - August 17, 2000 





NORML's News Bulletin - August 17, 2000 
Posted by FoM on August 18, 2000 at 10:48:48 PT
NORML's Weekly Update News
Source: NORML
Appeals Court Denies Government's Request For Emergency Order Halting Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative From Distributing Marijuana; Federal Government Immediately Appeals To U.S. Supreme Court:   Oakland, CA: The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Monday denied the federal government's request for an emergency order to stop the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative from distributing marijuana to patients who qualify as having a "medical necessity." 
The federal government filed the emergency order staying a July 17th ruling by District Court Judge Charles Breyer.   The federal government countered Monday's 9th Circuit ruling by filing an application to stay the decision with the U.S. Supreme Court.   The government previously filed a petition of certiorari asking the Supreme Court to review a September 19, 1999 decision of the 9th Circuit which allowed for the distribution of marijuana to patients who met the medical necessity defense.   "It is a travesty that the Clinton-Gore administration is trying to invoke the majesty and power of that august body, the highest court in the land, in an attempt to try to separate critically ill patients from a medicine they need," said Robert Raich, Esq., attorney for the OCBC.   Raich said the OCBC is "complying fully and faithfully" with the amended injunction.   For more information, please contact Robert Raich, Esq., at (510) 338-0700. Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperativehttp://www.rxcbc.org/ Appeals Court Approves Marijuana as Medicine http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6719.shtmlFeds Appeal Area Judge's Pot Decision http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6525.shtmlAnn Arbor Libertarians Attempt To Get Medical Marijuana Initiative Placed On City Ballot:   Ann Arbor, MI: A group of Ann Arbor libertarians have turned in the necessary signatures for a city-wide ballot initiative to legalize the medical use of marijuana for patients with a doctor's recommendation.   "Today, we struck a heavy blow for freedom," said Charles Goodman, the leader of the initiative and libertarian mayoral candidate in Ann Arbor. "This is not the end. This is just the beginning."   On Tuesday, the group turned in 5,970 signatures (1,600 more than necessary to appear on the ballot) to the city clerk's office for validation.   If the initiative appears on the November ballot and is subsequently approved, Ann Arbor would be the only city in Michigan which would allow patients to legally use marijuana for medicinal purposes.   "It is not surprising to see this initiative transpire in Ann Arbor which has been traditionally a marijuana friendly community," said Scott Colvin, NORML Publications Director. "If this initiative goes to the voters, there's every reason to believe that it will be approved."   For more information, please contact Scott Colvin, NORML Publications Director at (202) 483-5500 or contact Gregory Carl Schmid, Michigan NORML State Coordinator at (517) 799-4641. Voters May Decide Pot Issue http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6731.shtmlSeattle Hempfest 2000 Set For This Weekend:   Seattle, WA: The Seattle Hempfest 2000, one of the nation's largest and most political cannabis events, featuring the world's leading drug policy reform advocates, takes place from 10 am to 8 pm, on Sunday, August 20, at Myrtle Edwards Park, Pier 70 in downtown Seattle.   Founded in 1991, Seattle Hempfest has grown to become a respected local event and is anticipated to draw over 50,000 supporters. This year's event features keynote speaker, Thomas Jefferson as portrayed by humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson. Other featured speakers include: Krist Novoselic, Keith Stroup, Stephen Gaskin, Nora Callahan, Chris Conrad, Dennis Peron, Don Wirtshafter, Joanna McKee, Mikki Norris, Dan Skye, Sandee Burbank, Robert Lunday, Michele Miles and Chuck Armsbury.   There will also be live music, an arts and crafts fair and industrial hemp workshops and demonstrations.   For more information, please contact The Hemp Coalition/Washington NORML at (206) 781-5734 or visit: http://www.seattlehempfest.com/Amsterdam Internet Site Promises 30-Minute Marijuana Deliveries:   Amsterdam, The Netherlands: An enterprising duo in Amsterdam will open up a new internet-based marijuana delivery service on September 1st that promises to fulfill orders within 30 minutes.   The company, iToke, will allow customers to set up a user ID (keeping the person's name anonymous) and address profile through an internet browser or through Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) enabled wireless phones. The customer would then order marijuana from any participating Amsterdam cafe through their computer or WAP and pay for their orders with prepaid and rechargeable cards called "iTokens." Customers will be able to order two grams (approximately four "joints" at a time).   "iToke was a no-brainer," said Tim Freccia one of iToke's two founding partners along with Mike Tucker. "For years, Europe has been striving for a rational, balanced policy towards marijuana. With the advent of comprehensive e-commerce solutions, we have been able to demonstrate a distribution system to communities that not only allays fears about criminality, but also guarantees that users can enjoy our products safely and responsibly. Better yet, much like the state-sanctioned lottery in the UK, we have provided governments with a way to funnel tax revenue back into the community."   "In the Netherlands, these two gentlemen are entrepreneurs," said Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director. "In the United States, they would be treated as drug kingpins and subject to excessive criminal and civil charges. This is yet another stark difference between the United State's misguided marijuana policy and the Netherlands' effective and pragmatic approach."   For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director at (202) 483-8751 or visit:iTokehttp://www.itoke.co.uk/European Start-Up Banking on the Need for Weed http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6740.shtmlMedia Hype On-Line Site For Those Who Need Weedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6284.shtml Direct Link To News Bulletin:http://www.norml.org/news/index.shtmlCannabisNews NORML Archives:http://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on August 18, 2000 at 21:27:05 PT
Thanks Everyone
We don't have a policy to violate I sure don't think. I believe I'd know too. Everyone does a fine job. It's no problem at all. Very interesting reading today. You people are the best!Peace, FoM!
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Comment #3 posted by Symmetric on August 18, 2000 at 21:11:14 PT
Supreme court
Any chance they will throw out the law, like the court did here in Canada?Your gov sure didn't waste any time appealing that one.
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Comment #2 posted by dddd on August 18, 2000 at 18:40:38 PT
Hempman
I dont recall ever having a "policy violation" incident here. I,once again must say that I think your commentaries are outstanding...Dont stop..............Sincerely.....dddd
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Comment #1 posted by Hempman on August 18, 2000 at 14:10:01 PT:
Appeals Court Denies Government's Request
Appeals Court Denies Government's Request For Emergency Order Halting Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative From Distributing Marijuana; Federal Government Immediately Appeals To U.S. Supreme Court:This is exactly the outcome that heroes can extact. The prohibitionists are sniveling cowards. If we stand up to them, we will defeat them.At the risk of being repetitious, I reprint the core of a previous post, below. I hope that this is not a policy violation. I hope my message can remain.We need regular people to become heroes. We also need to recognize our heroes. Heroes like Todd McCormick, who is in solitary confinement for asking for marinol (a legal drug) to ease his suffering while he is in prison. We need to recognize heroes like Peter McWilliams, who was murdered by the prison system. He was denied cannabis despite his doctors plea for it, and even denied marinol. He choked to death on his own vomit that was caused by the medication he had to take for AIDS.We especially need to recognize the heroes in the street. We must recognize that most heroes go unrecognized. We need the hero in the street as much as, if not more than spokespeople like Mr. Maher and Mr. Harrelson, and yes, even more than heroes like Todd and Peter.Any ordinary person can thrive when there is prosperity and comfort. It takes a real hero to deny themselves that comfort. A real hero wakes up every day knowing that they must fight through the day and may never see any progress or reform.A hero is someone who is ordinary, maybe even a coward. But the hero refuses to give in to thier fear, refuses to be lulled by the actions of being ordinary. The hero longs for freedom from fear, the hero thirsts and aches for the possibilities and do not shrink in fear from thier responsibility to the future.A hero not only has inner morals, inner values, but defies fear and his own ordinariness. A hero knows that they are responsible to act on thier inner values.Heroes know that the future will judge them by thier acts or thier lack of acting. A hero understands the sheer weight of responsibility that comes with thier own freedom and acts to see change come about.We despartely need heroes. We need people who understand that the government is insane. We need people who know that those who run the government are madmen who pursue mad, perverse ends. We need heros because they understand that the insane will try to declare them insane to shut them up, but refuse to be oppressed by all the madness.I know many ordinary people who know that we are governed by madmen. But they will never be heros, because they are already slaves to insanity. They are far too willing to "go along to get along."They are willing to give up thier freedom and liberty to insane men so that they can have a moment of imaginary prosperity and comfort. They have been put into such deep fear of loosing thier imagined prosperity, comfort and minimal freedom and liberties that they can not understand or even see the great possibilities if they were to take back thier lives from the madmen.I, for one, will not stop until we beat the madmen or they murder me. Won't you join me and the other heroes like Todd McCormick, Peter, Ann McCormick, The Journey for Justice, Walk and Roll for Medical Marijuana?We do not offer pay, food, nor clothing. All we have to offer is hunger for freedom, thirst for liberty, marches, battles, imprisonment and yes, even death. Let those who love thier country with thier hearts, and not merely thier lips, follow me.We can, indeed, beat the drug warriors, but only by becomming warriors ourselves. Take a chance, become a hero.
Delaware Cannabis Society
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