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Dutch Parliament to Be Lobbied to Legalize All Recreational Drugs

The recently formed Dutch coalition government is expected to be handed a 40,000-signature petition in the next few months aimed at opening a debate in parliament on the legalization of all recreational drugs. The petition is being promoted by the Netherlands Drugs Policy Foundation, and has high-profile support from former EU commissioner Fritz Bolkestein and former deputy prime minister and scientist Dr. Els Borst-Eilers.

Medical Marijuana Called Boon to Ailing Seniors

Proponents of medical marijuana touted its benefits for aging baby boomers at a weekend conference in California. Speakers, including physicians and researchers, described the benefits of medical cannabis and efforts at quality control and self-regulation.

Cannabinoid Conference 2011

The International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines and the European Workshop on Cannabinoids are sponsoring the Cannabinoid Conference 2011. This will be a very worthwhile conference for scientists, physicians, interested patients and caregivers in a very pleasant city with excellent public transportation. Many scenic areas, such as the Rhine Valley, are close by the conference site.

For complete information, including registration, see http://www.bonn2011.org/home?lng=en

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.

Drug Wars and Drug Laws: Addiction Treatment Through the Lens of Politics, Race and Culture

Featured speakers:

Cheryl Grills, PhD, Loyola Marymount University, President of the Association of Black Psychologists

Ethan Nadelmann, JD, MA, PhD, Executive Director and Founder of Drug Policy Alliance

Race, class and culture are integral aspects of any clinical treatment; they particularly impact the treatment of addictive disorders.  Just recently we have seen the repeal of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, the implementation of Mental Health Parity and National Health Reform.  The country is in economic crisis, and we are in the midst of political sea change.

We will examine how these issues impact drug users and problematic drug use, and how they enter into the clinical situation, especially as expressed in transference and counter-transference experience. The conference is designed to help clinicians better address issues of race, culture and politics in their work with substance users.

For more information, and to register, please visit http://www.nyspa.org/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=257&extmode=view&extid=184.

Medical Cannabis Conference

The Orange County Chapter of NORML, and Apothecary Genetics and GGECO University will be holding a one day Medical Cannabis Conference for Seniors, Medical Professionals and the Community. Tickets on sale at www.cbdconference.com.

California voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996, which allowed qualified patients with a physician’s recommendation to use medical marijuana legally. In 2003 Senate Bill 420 was passed and allowed patients who are not able to grow their own medicine to join patient collectives providing safe access to their medicine. In the last couple years there has been an increase in medical cannabis. In an effort to help further state, county, and city agencies educate and protect the public, about the proper safe use and governing legislation regarding medical cannabis. Educating the public about safe use with various routes of administration, dosage forms, and methods of usage are known and that correct information is being received by the public and medical community this conference is being held.

The Medical Cannabis Conference will be bringing two renowned Physicians to Orange County for their first presentations ever in this area, Dr. William Courtney and Dr. Donald Abrams.

William Courtney, M.D., has an extensive medical education; he received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan, his Doctor of Medicine from Wayne State University, and his Post Doctorate in Forensic Examination and Forensic Medicine. Dr. Courtney currently has a private practice in Mendocino County, California. Dr. Courtney is currently a member of International Cannabinoid Research Society, the International Association of Cannabis as Medicine, the Society of Clinical Cannabis and Vice President of the Association Luxembourgeoise des Methodes Preventives.

Donald Abrams, M.D., is Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California San Francisco and Chief of Hematology/Oncology at San Francisco General Hospital. He provides Integrative Oncology consultations at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. He is a member of the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center Executive Committee and is co-chairing the Center's developing program in Symptom Management, Palliative Care and Survivorship.

Also scheduled to speak is William Britt Founder of the Association of Patient Advocates and Court Qualified Cannabis Expert, Debby Goldsberry one of the Founders of Americans for Safe Access and Berkley Patients Group, Lanny Swerdlow Director of Marijuana Anti Prohibition Project, Jeffrey C. Raber, Ph.D. of The Werc Shop, Sytze Elzinga, Ph.D. Netherlands Cannabis Research, Bret Bogue from GGECO University, Brett Stack of Marijuana Saves Lives, Cheryl Shuman from Kush Magazine, Lonnie Painter from Laguna Woods Medical Cannabis Collective, Anna Boyce, R.N. a community activist, Marla James from OC Americans for Safe Access, Mieko Hector-Perez and Attorney Jeremy Joseph from the Unconventional Foundation for Autism.  

At the conclusion of the Medical Cannabis Conference there will be a screening of “What If Cannabis Cured Cancer” and a question and answer session with the documentary’s Director Len Richmond.

The Orange County chapter of NORML is a nonprofit organization working since 2003 to spread knowledge about alternatives to the drug war and working to protect the rights of California medical marijuana patients.  Apothecary Genetics is a multi-faceted corporation which includes GGECO University that strives to bring the most up to date information to educate people on the properties of cannabis and its medical uses, as well as the properties of hemp and our need to have these plants legalized in the United States.

Advocates, Scholars and Activists to Gather in Washington, DC on January 14 to Demand Exit Strategy from 40-Year-Long War on Drugs (Press Release)

For Immediate Release: January 6, 2011

CONTACT:  Tony Newman at (646) 335-5384 or Yolande Cadore at (646) 508-1790

Civil Rights, Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Reformers to Hold Town Hall Forum to Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King’s Legacy

Advocates, Scholars and Activists to Gather in Washington, DC on January 14 to Demand Exit Strategy from 40-Year-Long War On Drugs

Participants to Address Racial Profiling, Mass Incarceration, Prohibition-Related Violence, and Their Impact on Black Communities

WASHINGTON, DC— Is the disparate impact of the war on drugs on black communities the next big civil rights struggle? Why are black men imprisoned for drug offenses at 13 times the rate of white men despite equal rates of drug use and selling across races? How do we begin to address the connections between astronomical rates of incarceration, disintegration of black families, and the war on drugs?

These questions and many more will be addressed at a town hall gathering to commemorate Dr. King’s birthday in Washington, D.C, on Friday, January 14 at First Baptist Church (712 Randolph St. N.W., Washington, DC) from 6:30-9p.m. The town hall is organized by the Drug Policy Alliance, the Institute of the Black World 21st Century / Black Family Summit, the National Conference of Black Lawyers, and the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS of DC and Vicinity.

The town hall meeting – “Ending the 40 Year Drug War: Promoting Policies That Rebuild/Reclaim Our Families and Communities” – will bring together a diverse group of scholars, community activists, social service providers, and religious and political leaders. They will discuss viable alternatives to the quagmire of the misdirected war on drugs, which has torn apart the fabric of many communities. 

Speakers and panelists include:

*Dr. Tricia Bent-Goodley, Professor, Howard University, School of Social Work
*Dr. Annelle Primm, Director of Minority and National Affairs, American Psychiatric Association
*Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director, Drug Policy Alliance
*Judge Arthur Burnett, Executive Director, National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Howard University School of Law
*Dr. Ron Daniels, President, Institute of the Black World 21st Century
*Dr. Divine Pryor, Executive Director, Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions
*Rev. Frank D. Tucker, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church
*Asha Bandele, Director, Advocacy Grants Program, Drug Policy Alliance
*Nkechi Taifa, Esq., Senior Policy Analyst, Open Society Institute

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the failed war on drugs. The casualties of this war have come from low-income and communities of color.  High rates of incarceration, fueled in large part by the war on drugs, have led to a breakdown in trust between law enforcement and the communities that they strive to serve and protect. The war on drugs is also responsible for premature deaths from preventable diseases such as Hepatitis C and HIV among injecting drug users.

The collateral damage of the drug war has resulted in overwhelming barriers to the creation of vibrant, sustainable and healthy communities. Today, civil rights advocates are honoring Dr. King’s legacy by standing up against the “new Jim Crow” – mass incarceration and the racially disproportionate war on drugs.