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Coalition for Medical Marijuana -- New Jersey, Inc.: March Minutes and Press Release

Monthly Public Meeting Minutes

Lawrence Township Library

Tuesday, March 10, 2009; 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

7:20 PM:  Meeting called to order.  February 2009 minutes approved.  Discussion:

Ø  CMMNJ supporters are urged to contact your assembly representative now to show your support for A804, “The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.”  The final steps to passing this bill into law will be the votes the New Jersey Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee and in the full assembly.  When will the NJ Assembly act on this Senate-approved bill that Gov. Corzine said he will sign into law when it gets to his desk?  There are no more assembly health committee hearings scheduled until May and June 2009.   The legislature then breaks for the summer and returns in the fall.  Let’s stop arresting patients and stop needless suffering as soon as possible.     

Ø  Chris Goldstein and CMMNJ gave a medical marijuana seminar at Rutgers University/Camden Law School on 2/18/09.  (CMMNJ plans to return to R.U./Camden for Law Day on 4/4/09 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM.)  Other medical marijuana seminars are planned for Collingswood Public Library on 3/21/09 from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM, and the PhillyNORML meeting on 3/19/09 at 7:30 PM.  Follow Goldstein’s blogs about medical marijuana in New Jersey at salon.com.  Jim Miller appeared on My9New York’s TV show, “New Jersey Now” on 3/8/09 at 12 noon.  You may listen to the live senate debate from 2/23/09 and hear CMMNJ’s comments on MyFoxPhillyChannel 29.  CMMNJ appeared on WIFI 1460 AM Talk Radio in Burlington County, NJ on 2/12/09 and plans to appear again on 3/12/09 at 4:00 PM.  CMMNJ has possible appearances scheduled for 4/18, 4/20, and 5/2/09.  Letters requesting support were sent to the national and NJ Elks (BPOE) and Communications Workers of America (CWA).      

Ø  The Drug Policy Alliance, Patients Out of Time  & NORML NJ  are actively supporting A804.  CMMNJ has new photos, etc. on Facebook and Facebook Friends of CMMNJ.

Ø  Treasury report: Checking account - $2,039.45; PayPal account - $640.15.  Help us raise funds by buying Wristbands/$2, T-shirts/$15, Lapel Pins and DVDs/$10 each. Also, consider a tax-deductible donation to CMMNJ, an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) organization.  Donations may be made securely through Paypal or checks made out to “CMMNJ” and sent to corporate headquarters at the address below.  At the March 10, 2009 meeting, CMMNJ received $136 in donations.  Thank you.   

9:00 PM Adjourn meeting.

Upcoming CMMNJ meetings are: April 14, 2009, May 12, 2009, & June 9, 2009.  CMMNJ meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM at the Lawrence Twp. Library, 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Twp., NJ (Tel. #609.882.9246).  All are welcome.  Snacks are served.  (Meeting at the library does not imply their endorsement of our issue.)  For more info, contact:

Ken Wolski, RN, MPA
Executive Director, Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey, Inc.
www.cmmnj.org

844 Spruce St., Trenton, NJ 08648

(609) 394-2137 [email protected]

In The Trenches

Sobin "Behind the Wall" 13

Dear Friends, The Prison Art Gallery is expanding in a way that will benefit up to ten nonprofits organizations across America. The success of the Prison Art Gallery in Washington D.C. has been overwhelming. We've sold an enormous amount of art over the last few years and our good reputation means that we have received even more art recently; hundreds of excellent pieces from the growing pool of imprisoned artists who have heard about our gallery and advocacy work. Rather than seek larger gallery space, we have decided to place this new art with up to ten established nonprofit organizations (at no cost to them) across the country. If your organization has office space and an active membership, you will qualify. The only expense incurred by these "satellite galleries" will be the packaging and shipping of the art pieces. There are no other expenses or obligations. When this gorgeous and unique art gets to you - complete with artist biography and prison location - you will display it in the reception areas of your offices and offer it to your membership, customer base or the general public. Each price has a suggested donation but you can negotiate any price you wish. Of the amount you receive, your organization will keep 40% while the remainder will be forwarded to us on a quarterly basis to be shared with the artists who created the art! We will send replacement art for the pieces you sell so you will always have a full and fresh display. Periodically their will be rotation of this art to make your collection new and interesting. More than an opportunity to earn excellent revenue at no expense or risk, you can expect good publicity as you will be tied into our national network of galleries. The Prison Art Gallery and the Prisons Foundation always generate interest from newspapers and journalists. We will also share with you press releases we have developed and grant proposals that have won us sizable grants from our city's grants agency (funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, now with a bigger than ever budget). All regions of the country have such agencies ready to give funds to nonprofits for unique, socially meaningful art. To be considered for this no-cost opportunity to have a branch of the Prison Art Gallery at your location under your organizations sponsorship, kindly provide the following information: 1. Name of your organization 2. Website 3. Location/Mailing address 4. Telephone number 5. Date founded 6. Square footage of your office 7. Hours and days your office is open 8. Mission Statement 9. Contact person/email/phone Please email this information to [email protected] or mail to: Prison Art Gallery, 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington, D.C. 20006. Yours for justice, Dennis Sobin #206757 C.T.F. D-3B #10 1901 E Street SE Washington, D.C. 20003
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Police Lobby for Harsh Marijuana Laws

Pete Guither points out that police don't just enforce harsh drug laws. They actively try to convince legislators to support laws that give them more power to put people in jail. Something to keep in mind the next time police say they're "just enforcing the law."
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Pennsylvania Liquor Store Employees Will Now be Nicer to You

Via Radley Balko, the irony is truly staggering:

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania liquor store clerks need to be more bubbly when they're selling Champagne.

The state's Liquor Control Board is spending more than $173,000 to try to make workers friendlier and more well-mannered at the nearly 650 stores it operates. The board says it wants to make sure clerks are saying "hello," "thank you" and "come again" to customers shopping for wine and spirits. [Comcast.net]

Seriously, alcohol users don’t need you to be nicer to them. Just be glad you can buy alcohol in a safe place, with products labeled for purity and no fear that you'll be charged with "intent to distribute" if police find a case of beer in your trunk.

Instead of being nicer to alcohol users, can we finally stop destroying people's lives for choosing other intoxicants instead?
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Police Shoot Unarmed Marijuana Suspect

As long as the war on marijuana continues, police will continue shooting harmless people:

GRAND RAPIDS -- The family of a Grand Valley State University student shot by police said he did nothing to provoke gunfire in a drug raid at the student's off-campus apartment.

"All he had time to do was cover his face from a flashlight in his eyes, and they shot him," George Copp said today. [MLive.com]

Police haven’t even announced what, if anything, was found in the raid. Of course, the shooting was reprehensible either way, but it's just another reminder that police use these violent, confrontational tactics without even having good information. Believe me, if there was more than a pinch of dope in that apartment, the police would have told everyone about it by now.

The one thing we do know about Derek Copp is that he's a hippie and he smokes pot. We know this because some intrepid journalist got into his Facebook page and published portions of it in the newspaper. Great job! Now that you're done frolicking on Facebook, can you please go find out why the hell the cops shot this guy?
In The Trenches

Last chance for discounted tickets to MPP's party at the Playboy Mansion

Dear Friends:

If you've ever wanted to go to the Playboy Mansion, here's what could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

MPP will be holding a star-studded party at the Playboy Mansion in L.A. on June 4 — and we're offering you a final chance to buy discounted tickets at an early-bird rate of $700. That rate is only good for a few more ticket purchases — because once we've sold 100 tickets, the price for the next 100 tickets will increase to $800, and all tickets remaining after that will cost $900. So reserve now to lock in the lowest rate.

As a guest at the party, you'll be able to explore the Playboy Mansion's famous grounds. Playmates will give personal tours as you mingle with VIPs and enjoy fire performers by the pool area, waterfalls, and the legendary grotto.

You can see photos and video from last year's party here and here.

Be a part of MPP's biggest charity event and help us raise much-needed funds for our work: Please reserve your tickets today.

Thank you,
Kampia signature (e-mail sized)

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.
In The Trenches

420 NEWS 03/16/09

Today Marks 36,553 Days of DRUG WAR! 4:20 Drug War NEWS from 90.1 FM in Houston 60+ radio affiliates in the US, Canada and Australia & at www.kpft.org. 4:20 DWN 03/16/09 to 03/22/09 now online (3:00 ea:) Select online at www.drugtruth.net Sun - ABC III w/ Charles Lynch + CNN-Ron Paul Sat - Stossel w/ cannabis dispensary owner Charles Lynch Fri - ABC Special, John Stossel w/ Melissa Etheridge Thu - Terry Nelson of LEAP reports from UN conference in Vienna Wed - Mirken visits Maddow II + Liquid heroin for the kids? Tue - Bruce Mirken of MPP on the Rachael Maddows show Mon - Rachael Maddows takes a look at the drug war Next - Century of Lies on Sunday, Cutural Baggage on Wednesday: - Cultural Baggage 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 AM CT, 10:30 AM MT & 9:30 AM PT: Lady Niedpath of Beckley Foundation - Century of Lies 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT, 5 PM PT: TBD Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, and www.audioport.org Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, Drug Truth Network Producer Dean Becker 713-849-6869 www.drugtruth.net