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State & Local Legislatures

Wait for Medical Marijuana in NJ Frustrates Terminally Ill Patients

Legislation approving at least six non-profit alternative treatment centers to dispense medical marijuana in New Jersey was approved in January. Politicians have delayed the implementation date until January 2011. Meanwhile, terminally ill patients are in pain and dying.

Doctors, Police Will Support Medical Marijuana in Pittsburgh (Press Release)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 17, 2010
Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana PA4MMJ
www.pa4mmj.org

CONTACT: Pittsburgh: Patrick Nightingale [email protected] 412-225-7959

Philadelphia: Derek Rosenzweig or Chris Goldstein [email protected] or 215-586-3483

Doctors, Police will support medical marijuana in Pittsburgh

Public hearings this week on Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana bill HB 1393 will feature powerful testimony in favor of legal access. The House Health and Human Services Committee will meet Thursday in Pittsburgh to address the topic. More info

The Committee will hear from medical doctors, retired police, a former Assistant District Attorney and medical professionals.

- Dr. Cyril Wecht, one of the nation’s most respected forensic pathologists, will testify at he hearing. Wecht said today, "I have personally performed approximately 17000 autopsies during my 50 year career as a forensic pathologist. I have reviewed, supervised or signed off on 36000 other autopsy reports, many of which have emanated from jurisdictions throughout the United States. I have never diagnosed as a cause of death ‘acute cannabinoid toxicity’, nor, in all the other cases that I have reviewed have I ever seen such a post-mortem diagnosis."

- Patrick Nightingale Esq. is a former Assistant DA in Pittsburgh. He is on the Board of directors at Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana PA4MMJ and co-founded PittsburghNORML. He commented today, “We are honored to add to the Legislative Record the testimony of such a renowned group of individuals.”

“We believe Dr. Wecht's testimony will provide compelling evidence that marijuana can and is used safely and does not pose the risks of overdose and death commonly associated with opiate based medications such as oxycontin, fentanyl, vicodin and percoset."

- Dr. Lester Grinspoon is Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Grinspoon has written extensively on medial marijuana including the book Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine. Grinspoon will appear at the hearing to testify via internet video conferencing.

- Jack Cole spent 26 years with the New Jersey State police. He worked for 14 years in narcotics, much of it undercover. Cole went on to found the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition LEAP and will testify in favor of medical marijuana.

- Sgt. Matt Rite is a 22-year-old Iraq war veteran. Ready to re-deploy with his unit, he was given a general discharge after testing positive for THC. The federal Veterans Affairs Administration recently addressed medical marijuana use. If vets are registered in a state authorized medical marijuana program they will face no internal sanctions.

In addition to the live testimony dozens of Pittsburgh area residents will submit written testimony to the HHS Committee.

Representative Mark B. Cohen introduced HB1393 and the first public hearings took place in Harrisburg last December.

A Franklin&Marshall poll conducted this year showed that 80% of PA residents support the medical marijuana legislation.

Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana (PA4MMJ) is a statewide non-profit advocacy group promoting passage of the bill.

PA4MMJ welcomes the opportunity to put legislators and the media into contact with local patients and cannabis experts.

www.pa4mmj.org

CONTACT: Pittsburgh: Patrick Nightingale [email protected] 412-225-7959

Philadelphia: Derek Rosenzweig or Chris Goldstein [email protected] or 215-586-3483

Detroit skyline
Detroit skyline

Detroit Marijuana Legalization Backers Appeal Ballot Rejection

Will Detroiters be able to vote in November on legalizing marijuana? Petitioners gathered the required number of signatures to put the question onto the ballot, but an unexpected roadblock thrown up by a city commission has sent them to the courts.
DC City Hall
DC City Hall

DC Issues Draft Regulations for Medical Marijuana [FEATURE]

District of Columbia voters overwhelmingly passed medical marijuana but waited 12 years for it to become law. Now the DC government is making them wait an extra five months before even beginning to set up a medical marijuana system, and the framework they've crafted has problems.

Boulder's Medical Marijuana Shops Struggle with 'grueling' Paperwork

Following legislation passed earlier this year, medical marijuana businesses in Colorado must apply for operating licenses through both the state and the municipalities in which they operate. As of today, none of the estimated 100 dispensaries and greenhouses doing business in Boulder has turned in a completed application, which some business owners say is lengthy, complicated and expensive to put together.

Marijuana Business Bans Hurt More Than Just Business Owners

To the detriment of their seriously ill citizens, several cities across Montana have banned or are considering banning medical marijuana businesses. That's forcing some patients to turn to the dangerous black market to get their medicine, exactly what medical marijuana laws are intended to guard against.

ACTION ALERT: Denver to BAN Caregivers (in most areas)

Sensible News header

Sensible Colorado - working for an effective drug policy

 

Poor patients need caregivers; Don't let Denver destroy them!

 

ACT NOW: 

Stop Denver from limiting safe access!

 

On Monday August 9th, the Denver City Council will hear a first reading of an ordinance to BAN caregivers from growing medical marijuana for any patient in any residential zone district. The ordinance will make it a zoning violation for anyone to grow more than 12 plants in any residential zone district. In addition, the 12 plants can only be grown for patients who live at that address. This ordinance will effectively ban the caregiver model of safe access in Denver!

It gets worse.....

Ordinance C10-0607 is being introduced by Councilmember Jeanne Robb, who admits that she did notconsult a single patient during the drafting process!

The ordinance will be heard for a first reading on Monday night at 5:30p. If it passes first reading, a public hearing will be scheduled for sometime in September, along with a final vote.

Please call you city council representative TODAY and tell them to vote NO on Ordinance C10-0607. The city council should send the ordinance back to the drawing board and draft an ordinance that regulates - not bans - small time caregivers in Denver.

Important Targets:

Councilwoman Jeanne Robb:  303 377 1807

Councilman Chris Nevitt:  720 865 8900

Councilwoman Carla Madison:  303 298 7641

Message:  Please vote NO on C10-0607.  This change will hurt medical marijuana patients who rely on small caregivers to provide them with low cost medicine.  Please don't act to limit patient access to medicine in Denver! 

**Support Sensible Colorado's efforts to help patients and caregivers by clicking here.

Sensible Colorado | PO Box 18768 | Denver CO 80218

Florida smoke shops sue state over new law restricting pipe sales

Smoke shops throughout Florida are hoping a new law that regulates what they can sell will be repealed. The law makes it a misdemeanor for a smoke shop to generate more than 25 percent of its sales from pipes or smoking devices. Thirty businesses have sued to block enforcement of the rules, which took effect in July.

D.C. Rules for Medical Marijuana Program

Citizens of Washington, DC have waited more than 12 years to see the implementation of I-59, the medical marijuana law passed by more than 69% of voters. District officials released regulations today that will govern the city's implementation of its medical marijuana program.
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