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Meet the Man Who Gets His Marijuana Directly from the Federal Government

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Miami Herald has a great profile of Irv Rosenfeld, one of four medical marijuana patients who still receive a monthly supply from the federal government. Yeah, you read that right. He gets a tin full of joints sent to him in the mail each month by the U.S. government. Irv's story has received some good coverage in the past, and you can bet that he'll continue making noise until everyone knows the truth.

Juarez
Juarez

Mexico Drug War Update

New year, new body count in Mexico's seemingly unending prohibition-related violence. It's up to 136 so far this year.
In the bull's eye at the state house (image via Wikimedia)
In the bull's eye at the state house (image via Wikimedia)

Synthetic Marijuana Ban Mania Continues

Despite a nationwide emergency ban by the DEA, some state legislators still feel impelled to ban synthetic cannabinoids at the state level.

Updated NORML Report Reviews Nearly 200 Studies on the Therapeutic Use of Cannabis

NORML has recently posted online the fourth edition of its popular and comprehensive booklet, "Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids: A Review of the Recent Scientific Literature." Updated and revised for 2011, this report reviews approximately 200 newly published scientific studies assessing the safety and efficacy of marijuana and its compounds in the treatment and management of nineteen clinical indications: Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), chronic pain, diabetes mellitus, dystonia, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, gliomas and other cancers, hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hypertension, incontinence, methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA), multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, pruritus, rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, and Tourette’s syndrome.

"I'm Dangerous with Love" Opening

 

Can a psychedelic plant release your demons?

I'M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE
An underground adventure into shamanic ritual

Opens at New York’s IFC Film Center on Wednesday January 12, 2011

"Bursts on the screen like a circus fire. A movie you'll never forget." 
- D A Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus

I'M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE is about addiction and rehabilitation, activism and shamanism. It features Dimitri Mugianis, once the heavily addicted front man for the band Leisure Class, who finally ended his long drug and alcohol addiction with an experimental treatment that uses the hallucinogen Ibogaine, and now devotes his life to helping others overcome addiction through the treatment.

African shamans have used Ibogaine in their rituals for centuries, but in the US it is classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance and illegal, so Dimitri must  work in underground networks to guide addicts through the same detox that he says saved his life.

I'M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE traces Dimitri's risky journey as he treats desperate drug users. It follows this man of edgy energy as he goes from one addict to the next without stopping to catch his breath. It also follows him on his own search for recovery when one session goes bad in a remote snowed-in Canadian home, and a quiet young man almost dies. Dimitri must decide whether or not to continue his mission. Is he serving the addicts or simply releasing his own demons? To find answers, Dimitri travels to Gabon, West Africa, to consult with Bwiti shamans, and puts himself through a punishing Iboga initiation. Filmmaker Michel Negroponte follows him on this journey to find his own answers.

"A haunting, visceral exploration of addiction and one contemporary man's fearless and determined quest for healing and redemption through the ancient wisdom of the Bwiti and their 'magical' plant, Iboga. For those seeking a path out of darkness, this film is not to be missed." Charles Shaw, AlterNet

“A powerhouse: brutally honest, hilarious, incisive, heroic. It capture’s a character who lives against the odds. Negroponte doesn’t just go the extra mile to capture story and character – he goes an extra light year and takes the audience with him. Its one of those docs that’s going to walk all over the festival circuit like it fucking owns the place.” -Sheffield Doc/Fest

"Laced with decidedly dark humor, I'm Dangerous with Love is both a compelling character study and an exciting excursion into an underground subculture." John Berra, Electric Sheep

"Negroponte turns a compassionate eye on the world of drug addiction, and one man's personal passionate crusade to rescue the addicted, one addict at a time.  An absorbing and at times exhilarating film that boomerangs from the underbelly of Manhattan to the jungles of Gabon and back again."  Ross McElwee

I'M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE
2009 85 minutes, USA, digital video, English, Color 
Directed by Michel Negroponte • Written by Nick Pappas and Joni Wehrli • Animation by Lisa Crafts • Music and Sound Design by Brooks Williams and Beo Morales • Photographed and Edited by Michel Negroponte • Executive Producers Julie Goldman, Krysanne Katsoolis, Caroline Stevens • Produced by Blackbridge Productions in association with Cactus Three

 

michelnegroponte.com/imdangerouswithlove.html

 

Two Border Towns Changed by Drug Prohibition War

Tornillo, Texas and Guadalupe, Mexico are two small towns separated by only a fence. In one, residents go about their daily business. In the other, the community lives in constant fear. KTSM in Texas reports on how the drug prohibition war has deeply changed the relationship between the border towns.

Your Turn to Comment on Medical Marijuana in Colorado (Action Alert)

Do you care about how medical marijuana is distributed?  Here's your chance to comment:

On January 27 and 28 the Colorado Dept. of Revenue is considering adopting wide-ranging rules governing medical marijuana stores and producers.  The proposed rules are available HERE (in highlights).

These rules embody the most comprehensive medical marijuana distribution system in history.  While considering this system, it is crucial that Department officials hear from patients and advocates about the importance of maintaining patient privacy and closely guarding patient health records.

Sensible Colorado and allies will be sending out suggested "talking points" on privacy and other issues soon.  In the meantime, please review the proposed rules and send comments to the Department by Friday Jan. 14 at:  [email protected] or

Colorado Department of Revenue
Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division
Attn: Mia Tsuchimoto - Rulemaking Public Comments
1881 Pierce Street – Room 108
Lakewood, CO 80214

If you would like to attend the Hearing and have an accessibility issue, send an email to: [email protected]

**Start off the New Year by supporting Sensible Colorado's quest to advocate for patients and reform marijuana laws for all adults.  Click HERE to help today!

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