H E M P Y R E U M

Patients Oppose Strict Rules for Medical Marijuana

Grand Rapids, MI -- George Wagoner does not smoke marijuana, but he has seen firsthand the benefits it offered his late wife while she battled ovarian cancer.

While he cannot attend Monday's public hearing in Lansing on the proposed rules for those receiving medical marijuana, the 74-year-old retired obstetrician from Manistee wants state officials to know how important it is to make it available as a medicine.

"It's reasonable to have rules and, if we are a compassionate society, we should have a mechanism where legitimate producers can provide the medicine to those who need it," said Wagoner from his Florida home.

The Michigan Department of Community Health will hold a hearing at 9 a.m. Monday on the rules to carry out the medical marijuana proposal that was passed by voters in November. The rules take effect April 9.

A group of Lansing-area patients is expected to attend the hearing to argue the draft rules impose restrictions on medical marijuana users that exceed the department's authority, said Karen O'Keefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project.

"Among the rules considered problematic are requirements that patients or caregivers submit written inventory reports of medical marijuana they grow, that all medical marijuana -- not just plants -- be kept in an enclosed, locked facility, and a definition of public use that would make it illegal for patients to use medical marijuana in their own homes with the curtains open," O'Keefe said.

MJ Decriminalization Thrills Some, Worries Others

Massachusetts -- Ashby resident Dustin Rantala thinks the law decriminalizing the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana is a benefit to Massachusetts taxpayers.

"Such a small amount of marijuana really isn't a big deal," Rantala, 18, said Friday night outside of Market Basket on John Fitch Highway in Fitchburg. "I think it's going to be good because all our tax money isn't going to be going toward (prosecution)."

Massachusetts voters passed Question 2 in November, making possession of an ounce or less of THC -- the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, hashish or hash oil -- subject to civil penalties instead of criminal penalties in the state. The penalties include a $100 dollar fine and police confiscating the drug, and the law excludes distribution and driving under the influence. The law went into effect Friday.

Police chiefs and the state's 11 district attorneys opposed marijuana decriminalization.

They said it would ease access to what they consider a "gateway drug" and impede their ability to arrest drug traffickers and other criminals who often first become suspects because of marijuana possession.

Rantala said he did feel that marijuana was a "gateway drug," meaning if someone tries marijuana they would be more likely to try other drugs as well.

"But, I think if they're not strong enough to say no to other drugs, they'll also do the other drugs anyway," Rantala said.

Singapore: 20enne condannato a morte, ...

... trovato con 2,6 kg di cannabis.
3 gennaio 2009
Un giovane ghanese di 20 anni è stato condannato a morte, nella città-Stato di Singapore, per traffico di droga. È stato fermato con 2,6 chili di cannabis. Chijioke Stephen Obioha è stato condannato dopo un processo durato tre settimane. Il ragazzo era arrivato nel Paese nel 2005, per un provino in una squadra di calcio. La pena di morte è applicata a Singapore per chiunque venga trovato in possesso di 15 grammi di eroina, 30 di cocaina o 500 grammi di cannabis. Nel 2008 due africani sono stati uccisi per droga.
Fonte: Agr

Usa/ Massachusetts, da oggi possesso di marijuana non è più reato

Entra in vigore decisione presa con referendum a novembre

2 gennaio 2009

New York - Fumare marijuana da oggi non è più reato nel Massachusetts. Con il nuovo anno sono entrate infatti in vigore le regole stabilite dal referendum popolare del 4 novembre scorso, che prevede per i possessori di piccole quantità (un'oncia) di cannabis una multa amministrativa di 100 dollari anzichè il carcere. I cittadini del Massachusetts approvarono il quesito con il 65% dei voti favorevoli.

Secondo quanto stabilito dalle nuove regole i minori di 18 anni trovati in possesso di cannabis dovranno seguire dei programmi sui rischi dell'uso delle droghe e svolgere dei servizi per la comunità. Non cambia invece la regolamentazione per chi guida sotto effetto di stupefacenti, per chi coltiva o vende marijuana, a prescindere dal quantitativo.

Il Massachusetts diventa così il 13simo Stato americano a decriminalizzare l'uso di cannabis. I promotori del referendum hanno speso nella campagna prima del voto circa 1 milione di dollari e hanno dovuto superare l'opposizione delle principali autorità dello Stato, compreso il governatore del Massachusetts, il democratico Deval Patrick, che ha invece sostenuto per mesi che la decriminalizzazione avrebbe favorito gli spacciatori.

Fonte: Apcom

Police Should Simply Enforce Pot Law as Written

Massachusetts -- On Nov. 4, a majority of voters in Massachusetts chose to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Those in possession of less than an ounce of marijuana are no longer charged with a criminal offense but instead face a $100 fine.The new law officially takes effect tomorrow. Yet some police departments across the state say they are uncertain as to how to enforce it, noting they do not have the proper citations and raising other questions. Indeed, the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security just Monday issued guidelines for police departments regarding local enforcement of the new mandates.

So, why is this so difficult? It's been nearly two months since 65 percent of Massachusetts voters, amid a record turnout, opted to change the law. Yes, law enforcement officials across the state opposed it, and we at the Times endorsed a "no" vote to the changes ourselves. But the voters indeed had their say, and won the day.

Lawmen Decry New Mass. Law

Boston, MA -- Law enforcement officials say there are many loopholes, unintended consequences and other problems in the new law that decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The law replaces criminal penalties for possessing an ounce or less of marijuana with a civil fine of $100, about the same as getting a traffic ticket. Sixty-five percent of Massachusetts' voters approved the ballot law on Nov. 4, and it takes effect on Jan. 2.

Law enforcement officials still have many doubts about the law. Among the concerns are that some people will not be required to identify themselves if stopped for marijuana, that police officers cannot be disciplined for possessing an ounce of less of marijuana, and that state laboratories which test narcotics for criminal cases will no longer test small amounts of marijuana seized in a civil matter.

In addition, guidelines issued by the state for the law's enforcement say possession of an ounce or less of THC - the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, hashish or hash oil - may now be decriminalized as well.

"The law is very confusing," said Holyoke Police Chief Anthony R. Scott this week. "The law presents a lot of problems for law enforcement."

Street dealers now will probably carry less than an ounce to elude arrest, he predicted. Under the new law, he said, police will no longer be able to arrest people for possessing an ounce or less and use them for information to go after dealers.

Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless, who is president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, said the sponsors of the law hoodwinked the public.

La marijuana per curare l'Alzheimer

Ornella Lodin

30 dicembre 2008

Marijuana sì. Marijuana no. Infinite le polemiche che hanno origine dal suo uso e legalizzazione. Da sempre quando si parla di questo tipo di sostanze si parla di droghe che bruciano i neuroni del cervello.
I filo-pannelliani saranno contenti di sapere che, secondo uno studio effettuato da un team di ricercatori, presso l'Ohio State University, si sarebbe arrivati alla conclusione che, contrariamente a quanto si è sempre creduto, fumare marijuana non creerebbe danni alla memoria, anzi, aiuterebbe a mantenere il nostro cervello più giovane; il tetraidrocannabinolo -- ovvero il THC - in essa contenuto, ridurrebbe le infiammazioni al cervello e forse sarebbe utile anche a stimolare la formazione di nuove cellule.
La ricerca suggerisce che, legalizzare un farmaco contenente il THC -- non ovviamente in quantità tale da indurre allo "sballo" -, potrebbe aiutare a curare malattie come l'Alzheimer, dal momento che si pensa che l'infiammazione cronica al cervello contribuisca alla perdita della memoria. Il Professor Gary Wenk, psicologo, uno degli autori della ricerca, ci tiene a precisare "Non è, ovviamente, un invito per coloro che hanno casi di Alzheimer in famiglia a fumare la marijuana per prevenire la malattia. Diciamo solo che farmaci con il giusto quantitativo di THC, potrebbero essere un buon aiuto per combattere la malattia".
La ricerca, presentata alla Society for Neuroscience, è stata condotta su dei topi da laboratorio a cui è stata somministrata una dose costante di THC, per tre settimane consecutive. In un test sulla memoria, il gruppo di topi trattati con il THC avrebbe ottenuto risultati migliori rispetto ad un altro gruppo di topi non trattati.

Fonte: Tifeoweb

Goddard Poses Legalizing Pot

Phoenix, AZ -- Attorney General Terry Goddard said Tuesday that he might be willing to consider legalizing marijuana if a way can be found to control its distribution — and figure out who has been smoking it.

Goddard's comments came after a press conference Tuesday announcing the breakup of a major ring police said has been responsible for bringing about 400,000 pounds of marijuana across the border and into Arizona each year since 2003.

The attorney general said marijuana sales make up 75 percent of the money Mexican cartels use for their other operations, including smuggling other drugs and fighting the Army and police in that country.

He said that makes fighting drug distribution here important, to cut off that cash.

Goddard acknowledged those profits could be slashed if possession of marijuana were not a crime in Arizona. But he said a number of other hurdles remain before that even becomes a possibility.

Phoenix police Lt. Vince Piano said the operation was sophisticated, complete with specially designed heavy-duty trucks to surmount the border fence.

The smugglers also had solar-powered radio towers and a network of lookouts who told the trucks, each carrying up to 2,500 pounds of marijuana, when to move and when to hide under camouflage. He said there even was a system of "food drops" to supply the drivers.

Goddard said the move to break up the ring has so far led to the indictment of 59 people and the arrest of 39 of them, some in this country legally and others who were not.

Piano said the operation was one of several under contract to Mexican drug lords to transport the marijuana from the border through the Tohono O'odham Reservation to Phoenix.

Medical Marijuana Pondered in Jersey

Three years after it was introduced in the Legislature, the proposal to legalize marijuana for medical use in New Jersey gets its first test in a Senate committee tomorrow in what is expected to be a contentious process that will spill into an election year.

New Jersey would become the 14th state to create a sanctioned medical marijuana program, although the upcoming vote in the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee is just the first step. The prime Senate sponsor of the bill (A804/S119) said he feels confident.

"This is groundbreaking stuff, and I'm excited about the prospect of taking the next step," Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) said.

The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act would require the state Department of Health and Senior Services to evaluate requests from physicians who recommend marijuana to their patients to help alleviate a "debilitating medical condition," defined as cancer, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS, or chronic illnesses that cause "wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, seizures and severe and persistent muscle spasms."

Medical marijuana
For Scott Ward, the only relief he gets from his MS is medical marijuana. Will New Jersey be the next state to legalize pot? (Video by Brian Donohue)

Patients the health department deems worthy would receive a state identification card verifying their enrollment. Patients, and their primary caretakers who do not have a history of drug convictions, "shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution or penalty" provided they possess the card and no more than six marijuana plants and 1 ounce of "usable marijuana."

Marijuana Law To Be Handled on Case-By-Case Basis

Michigan -- Effects of the use of medical marijuana remain to be seen in Mason County. Voters in Michigan approved Proposal 1 in November, which gives the Michigan Department of Health the duty to issue registry ID cards to qualifying patients.

A registered qualifying patient or primary caregiver may possess 2.5 ounces of marijuana for medical use, and can cultivate 12 plants, kept in a locked facility.

The law specifically bars arrest, prosecution, criminal or civil penalty, disciplinary action, and bars seizure or forfeiture of medical use marijuana, according to - http://www.Qualifyingpatient.com - a site that calls itself a legal help desk for the Michigan Marijuana Act.

Some of the debilitating medical conditions specified in the statute include cancer, glaucoma, positive HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis C.

At Memorial Medical Center, Bill Kerans, public relations coordinator, said he hasn’t heard of any discussions with anyone at the hospital about it or of any doctors who may recommend marijuana usage.

He says the law is in its very early stages of implementation and the hospital will need to prepare new implementation plans.

“We will need to plan to develop standards and policies as part of compliance with the new law,” he said.

Kerans said Memorial Medical Center will want to study the law’s regulations, which don’t have to be completed until April 4, so that they are consistant with state guidelines. There have been no issues that have arisen in the hospital concerning the new law, Kerans said.

“There have been no requests from patients, physicians or staff concerning medical marijuana,” Kerans said.

“Obviously this is going to be a big issue and more will be developing as time goes along.”