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Press Advisory: Press Conference Wednesday to Launch Final Drive for Medical Marijuana in Minnesota

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
FEBRUARY 10, 2009

Press Conference Weds. to Launch Final Drive for Medical Marijuana in Minnesota
Hearing in Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee to Follow

CONTACT: Former Rep. Chris DeLaForest..................................................................(763) 439-1178

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- Legislators and patients will launch what they expect to be the final push for passage of bipartisan medical marijuana legislation in Minnesota at a statehouse press conference at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee will hold a hearing on the bill, S.F. 97, at 12:30 p.m. A previous version of the bill passed the Minnesota Senate as well as every House committee, but did not receive a House floor vote.

    WHAT: Press conference to launch drive for final passage of medical marijuana legislation, S.F. 97 and H.F. 292, followed by Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee hearing.

    WHO: Bill sponsors Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina), Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing) and Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia); K.K. Forss of Ely, who has used medical marijuana to relieve pain from multiple neck surgeries; Dr. George Wagoner, physician from Manitee, Mich. (and formerly licensed in Minnesota), whose wife used medical marijuana during her battle with ovarian cancer and who campaigned for the Michigan medical marijuana initiative that passed in November with 63 percent of the vote.
    Also testifying at the hearing will be Joni Whiting of Jordan, whose daughter's battle with malignant melanoma was made bearable by using medical marijuana, and Kathy Rippentrop of Lakeville, whose mother used medical marijuana during her treatment for liver cancer. Written testimony from other patients will be presented to the committee and will be made available to the media.

    WHERE: Rm. 125, State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul.

    WHEN: Press conference at 11 a.m. Hearing at 12:30 p.m.
   

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Release: Congress Includes Billions in Stimulus Package for Controversial Grant Program Linked to Civil Rights Abuses

For Immediate Release: February 6, 2009 Contact: Tony Newman at 646-335-5384 or Bill Piper at 202-669-6430 Congress Includes Billions in Stimulus Package for Controversial Byrne Grant Program Linked to Racial Disparities, Police Corruption and Civil Rights Abuses More Byrne Grant Money Means More Arrests and Incarceration for Marijuana and other Low-level Drug offenses Funding of Program without Reform a Slap in the Face to Victims of Tulia and Hearne Scandals Last week the U.S. House approved a stimulus package including $3 billion for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants program, a controversial law enforcement grant program linked to racial disparities, police corruption and civil rights abuses. The Senate is currently considering the package. Critics say increased funding for the Byrne Grant program is going to backfire by increasing costs on one of the least productive sectors of the U.S. economy: the prison industrial complex. "The last thing we need in a stimulus plan is an incentive for more arrests, more jail time and more prisons," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug policy Alliance. "If Congress wants to give away billions to local law enforcement, it needs to make clear that the objective is public safety, not catching more young people for possessing a joint." Law enforcement agencies, especially narcotics taskforces, are often evaluated and funded based on how many people they arrest. Since low-level drug offenders are plentiful and easy to catch, it's easy for police to pad their numbers by arresting them, even as violent criminals roam free. The more nonviolent drug offenders the police arrest, the more federal money they receive. The number of Americans behind bars grows, and taxpayers are left footing the bill. It's no wonder, criminal justice reformers say, that the United States ranks first in the world in per capita incarceration rates, with 5% of the world's population but 25% of the world's prisoners. The U.S. locks up more of its citizens on a per capita basis than China, Cuba, Mexico, Russia or any other country in the world. Police made more than 1.8 million drug arrests in 2007 (the latest year data is available), about 775,000 were for nothing more than simple possession of marijuana for personal use. The Byrne Grant program is also at the center of some our country's most shocking civil rights abuses. The most notorious Bryne-funded scandal occurred in 1999 in Tulia, Texas where dozens of African-American residents (representing nearly half of the town's black population) were arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to decades in prison, even though the only evidence against them was the uncorroborated testimony of one white undercover officer with a history of lying and racism. The undercover officer worked alone, and had no audiotapes, video surveillance, or eyewitnesses to corroborate his allegations. Suspicions arose after two of the defendants accused were able to produce firm evidence showing they were out of state or at work at the time of the alleged drug buys. Texas Governor Rick Perry eventually pardoned the Tulia defendants (after four years of imprisonment), but these kinds of scandals continue to plague the Byrne grant program. In another Byrne-related scandal, a magistrate judge found that a regional narcotics task force in Hearne, Texas routinely targeted African Americans as part of an effort to drive blacks out of the majority white town. For the past 15 years, the Byrne-funded task force annually raided the homes of African Americans and arrested and prosecuted innocent citizens. The county governments involved in the Hearne task force scandal eventually settled a civil suit, agreeing to pay financial damages to some of the victims of discrimination. In a recent letter to House and Senate leaders, fifteen national civil rights and criminal justice organizations urged members of Congress to shift the Byrne Grant money in the stimulus bill to treatment, rehabilitation and other effective programs instead. The groups include included the ACLU, the National African-American Drug Policy Coalition, the National Black Police Association, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Justice Policy Institute, and the United Methodist Church. "The war on drugs is a new form of Jim Crow, systematically targeting communities of color and filling our prisons with nonviolent offenders at great taxpayer expense," Nadelmann said. "It is doubtful states could afford their punitive criminal justice polices without federal subsidies. Members of Congress who support the Byrne Grant program are perpetuating injustice and burdening taxpayers" ###

Press Release: Poll -- 72% Want Obama to End DEA Medical MJ Raids

For Immediate Release: February 4, 2009 Contact: Dale Gieringer, Coordinator, California NORML (415) 563-5858 Zogby Poll: 72% of Voters Want Obama to End DEA Medical Marijuana Raids Los Angeles Protest Rally - Thurs. Feb 5th, Noon, Federal Courthouse While the DEA continues to stage medical marijuana raids in California, nearly three-quarters of voters think President Obama should honor his campaign pledge to end the raids, according to a poll of 1,053 likely voters by Zogby International. In a question sponsored by NORML, voters were asked: During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama said he would stop federal raids against medical marijuana providers in the 13 states where medical marijuana has become legal. Should President Obama keep his word to end such raids? Response: Yes - 72%, No - 21%, Not sure - 7%. Yes votes outnumbered No by over 2 to 1 in all geographic, political, and demographic groups. The poll, conducted January 29-31, had a margin error of +/-3.1%. In view of Obama's pledge to end federal medical marijuana raids, advocates have been disappointed by the fact that they have continued since Jan. 20th. Yesterday, the DEA raided four LA-area medical marijuana dispensaries: Venice Alternative Healing, Marina Caregivers, Alternative Caregivers Discount Dispensary, and the Beach Center Collective (contrary to initial reports, a fifth dispensary wasn't raided). The raids were all "smash and grab" operations, in which agents took medicine and cash, destroyed surveillance cameras, and grabbed computers, but did not arrest anyone. California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer denounced the DEA for "unprofessional and piratical conduct" and is calling on supporters to urge President Obama to end the raids. A rally to protest the DEA raids will be held on Thursday, Feb 5th at noon at the LA federal building, 255 E. Temple St. -- Dale Gieringer - [email protected] California NORML, 2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA 94114 -(415) 563- 5858 - www.canorml.org

Press Release: NY Sentencing Commission Releases Report to Governor on Rockefeller Drug Laws and Criminal Justice

For Immediate Release: February 3, 2009 For More Info: Tony Newman at (646) 335-5384 or Gabriel Sayegh at (646) 335-2264 New York Sentencing Commission Releases Report on Rockefeller Drug Laws and Criminal Justice Commission Caves to Prosecutors, Issuing Report That Fails to Address Real Reforms to Draconian Laws, Does Not Restore Judicial Discretion, Maintains Failed Criminal Justice Approach to Drug Policy Advocates Applaud Speaker Silver and the Assembly for Slamming Report and Reaffirming Commitment to Reforming Drug Laws by Advancing a Public Health Approach The Sentencing Commission, established in 2007 by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer, was tasked with reforming New York's convoluted and complex sentencing system. The Commission's report of recommendations was released today to Governor Paterson. Advocates were dismayed to see that the report did not include any substantive recommendations for reforming the Rockefeller Drug Laws, despite previous claims that the laws were a top priority. "True overhaul of the Rockefeller Drug Laws requires the restoration of judicial discretion in all drug cases, the expansion of alternative-to-incarceration programs, reductions in the length of sentences for all drug offenses, and retroactive sentencing relief for all prisoners currently incarcerated under the Rockefeller Drug Laws," said Gabriel Sayegh of the Drug Policy Alliance. "The Commission caved to the District Attorney's Association, which has a vested interest in maintaining this failed criminal justice approach to drug policy and addiction." Enacted in 1973, the Rockefeller Drug Laws mandate extremely harsh prison terms for the possession or sale of relatively small amounts of drugs. Supposedly intended to target major dealers (kingpins), most of the people incarcerated under these laws are convicted of low-level, nonviolent offenses, and many of them have no prior criminal record. Despite modest reforms in 2004 and 2005, the Rockefeller Drug Laws continue to deny people serving under the more punitive sentences to apply for shorter terms, and do not increase the power of judges to place addicts into treatment programs. Nearly 14,000 people are locked up for drug offenses in New York State prisons, representing nearly 22 percent of the prison population, costing New Yorkers hundreds of millions of dollars every year. After the reforms of 2004, there were more people sent to prison under Rockefeller Drug Law offenses than in previous years. Advocates are not alone in their frustration with the Commission's lackluster proposals. Earlier today, Speaker Sheldon Silver released a letter and fact sheet outlining his opposition to the Commission's report. The Speaker notes that the report "ignores" how the failed laws have led to horrific racial disparities in incarceration rates for drug offenses in New York-over 90% of those incarcerated are Black and Latino, even though white and people of color use drugs at approximately equal rates. The Speaker goes on to criticize the report for maintaining mandatory minimum sentences and failing to include retroactive sentencing relief for people currently incarcerated. The Speaker issued his first major policy paper two weeks ago, focused on reforming the Rockefeller Drug Laws (http://assembly.state.ny.us/ssspolicy/Rockefeller.pdf). "Without including key elements of real reform-many of which are outlined by the Speaker in his letter-the report is a taxpayer-funded paperweight," said Sayegh. "Just two weeks ago, the Governor's office, the Speaker and members of the Assembly, numerous State Senators, members of the New York City Council and hundreds of doctors, lawyers, advocates, people in recovery, drug treatment specialists, criminal justice experts and more gathered at the New York Academy of Medicine to develop a public health approach to drug policy (www.newdirectionsnewyork.org). Perhaps the Commission doesn't realize that in addition to the Assembly leading a charge for reform, we have a new President, a new Governor, a new State Senate, and a tidal wave of advocates and community members all calling for a new direction in our drug policies." "My son did not benefit from the so-called reforms of 2004," said Cheri O'Donoghue, who's son, Ashley, was incarcerated for 7 - 21 years on a first-time, nonviolent offense. "When do families like ours finally get justice? The Commission's mandate was clear, and they failed to meet it. The status quo has failed, and we need comprehensive reform."

Press Release: Vermont Lawmakers to Consider Bill to Make Small Marijuana Possession a Civil Penalty

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   
FEBRUARY 3, 2009

Vermont Lawmakers to Consider Bill to Make Small Marijuana Possession a Civil Penalty

Recent Poll Shows 63 Percent Support for Modest Reform; Plurality of Vermonters Would Go Further, End Marijuana Prohibition Completely

CONTACT: Nancy Lynch, Vermont Alliance for Intelligent Drug Laws (VALID), 802-279-2486

MONTPELIER, Vt. — A bill to replace criminal penalties for personal possession of small amounts of marijuana with a simple fine was introduced in the statehouse today, coming on the heels of a recent poll showing overwhelming support among Vermonters for the reform.

    H. 150, sponsored by Rep. David Zuckerman (P-Burlington) and 18 other representatives, would end the arrest of adults caught with an ounce or less of marijuana, instead treating the infraction as a civil violation punishable by a $100 fine. Zuckerman said that under the bill, marijuana possession would still be illegal, but the punishment would more reasonably match the violation. He said the reform would also save tax dollars and law enforcement resources that would otherwise be wasted arresting those with small amounts of marijuana.

    "There is no reason an otherwise responsible adult should face the life-altering consequences of a criminal arrest for what amounts to a minor indiscretion," Zuckerman said. "This modest reform will allow our police to quickly deal with these situations so that everybody can move on to more important matters."

    According to a Mason-Dixon poll of 625 Vermont voters commissioned by the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., and conducted by phone Jan. 9 and 10, 63 percent of respondents supported "a change in the law to provide for a $100 civil fine without jail time for those who possess an ounce or less of marijuana for personal use." This past Election Day, Massachusetts voters passed a law similar to the one introduced in Vermont today with 65 percent of the vote.

    The poll, which has a margin for error of plus or minus 4 percent, suggests that a plurality of Vermont voters would actually go much further in reforming the state's marijuana laws. Forty-nine percent of the respondents said they would favor "making marijuana legal for adults over 21, and regulating it similarly to alcohol," while only 37 percent said they would oppose the idea.

    "This poll supports what we've known all along," said Nancy Lynch, executive director for VALID. "Vermonters don't want to see people ensnared in our criminal justice system for possessing a small amount of marijuana, and they see decriminalizing these violations as a modest, uncontroversial solution. Our representatives should take note – passing this bill quickly is not only responsible, it's politically popular."

    If the bill passes, Vermont would become the 13th state to decriminalize small marijuana possession. According to government figures, marijuana use rates in decriminalized states are indistinguishable from those in states that arrest those caught with small amounts of marijuana.

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Press Release: CA Student Survey -- MJ Use Stable, RX Abuse High

For Immediate Release: Jan 30, 2009 CALIFORNIA SURVEY SHOWS STUDENT MARIJUANA USE STABLE, PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE HIGH The newly released biennial Attorney General's Survey of Student Drug Use in California shows that marijuana use among 7th. 9th and 11th graders remained stable during 2007-8, but reports an "alarming rate" of prescription drug abuse. "The survey confirms that California's medical marijuana law has had no adverse impact on youth marijuana use," comments California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer. "At the same time, it shows that youth prescription drug use has been seriously underestimated in the past." Marijuana use been declining to stable ever since passage of California's medical marijuana law in 1996. For a graph, see http://www.canorml.org/prop/studentMJuse.html. According to the latest report, "Since 2003, use in the past six months has remained stable at 7% in 7th grade, 20% in 9th and 31% in 11th grade." "The most significant but disturbing overall finding of the 12th biennial survey is - because of underassessment of recreational use of prescription and over-the-counter drugs - we have previously underestimated actual levels of youth substance use. New data shows that 37 percent of 9th and 50 percent of 11th graders used either an illicit/illegal drug or a diverted prescription drug to get high at least once in their lifetime. Taking this into consideration, total lifetime use of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) use is estimated at 52 percent and 69 percent respectively. Including use of cold/cough medicines to get high, lifetime AOD 9th- grade use rises to 60 percent and 11th- grade use to 74 percent." http://safestate.org/index.cfm?navId=254 CALIFORNIA STUDENT SURVEY (CSS) 12TH BIENNIAL CALIFORNIA STUDENT SURVEY, 2007-08 Welcome to the 12th biennial California Student Survey (CSS) that was conducted during the 2007-08 school year by the Crime and Violence Prevention Center, California Attorney General's Office. This statewide biennial research continues the important work, which started in 1985, of collecting substance use data from the students themselves. Participating in the 12th CSS were 13,930 students from 115 public middle and high schools. From the reported data, the preliminary findings indicate three major trends of the 2007-08 CSS: (1) Prescription drug use by California youth is occurring at an alarming rate. (2) First-time data collected on the use of over-the-counter drugs indicate many teens are taking them to get "high." (3) Heavy users of illicit substances are still a significant group in California, a trend noted as early as the 1999 CSS. The most significant but disturbing overall finding of the 12th biennial survey is - because of underassessment of recreational use of prescription and over-the-counter drugs - we have previously underestimated actual levels of youth substance use. New data shows that 37 percent of 9th and 50 percent of 11th graders used either an illicit/illegal drug or a diverted prescription drug to get high at least once in their lifetime. Taking this into consideration, total lifetime use of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) use is estimated at 52 percent and 69 percent respectively. Including use of cold/cough medicines to get high, lifetime AOD 9th- grade use rises to 60 percent and 11th- grade use to 74 percent. The preliminary 2007-08 findings support a couple of conclusions reached in our 2005 CSS report: Prevention efforts may be "bottoming-out" and further reductions in overall prevalence may be more difficult to achieve; also, there should be specific intervention aimed at youth who are at risk of heavy and problematic substance use. Download: 12th biennial California Student Survey's Report of Highlights 12th biennial California Student Survey's Compendium of Tables 12th biennial CSS - Current Substance Use Among California Secondary Students - PowerPoint Presentation Excerpt from report at http://safestate.org/documents/CSS_12th_Highlights_Report.pdf Marijuana As shown in Figure 3, among 7th grade students there is relatively little difference between lifetime, six- month and 30-day prevalence of marijuana use (9%, 7% and 7%, respectively), reflecting that many 12- and 13-year-olds had tried marijuana only recently. Predictably, lifetime use increases dramatically to 25% in 9th grade and 42% in 11th, while differences between lifetime and current use rates widen. Current rates, in past 30 days, were 15% in 9th and 24% in 11th, about 60% of lifetime use in both grades. Since 2003, use in the past six months has remained stable at 7% in 7th grade, 20% in 9tand 31% in 11th. (Tables 2.2, 2.6-2.9, & 2.13) -- Dale Gieringer - [email protected] California NORML, 2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA 94114 -(415) 563- 5858 - www.canorml.org

Press Release: CA Student Survey Finds Drug Use More Prevalent than Previously Thought

For Immediate Release: January 29, 2009 Contact: Rod Skager at 831-594-0483 or Tony Newman at 646-335-5384 California Student Survey Finds Drug Use More Prevalent than Previously Thought 3/4th of 11th Grade Students Report Using at Least One Drug Abstinence-Only Drug Education Failing Students; Need for Comprehensive Drug Education with Focus on Safety The 12th biennial California Student Survey (CSS) released this week by the Attorney General's Office's challenges the nation to reassess the nature and frequency of youth drug use. This statewide survey, founded by Professor Rodney Skager in 1985, collected substance use data from 13,930 students from 115 public middle and high schools in the 2007-08 school year. The report concludes that both state and national surveys, including the National Monitoring the Future Survey, have significantly underestimated true levels of substance use among secondary school students. The primary reason has been failure to provide a measure of total use that includes alcohol. The current (2007-2008) CSS combines for the first time alcohol, illicit drugs, diverted prescription drugs and cold/cough medications (used to get high) into a total percentage of respondents who tried at least one such drug in their lifetime. The result is that 60% or 9th and 74% of 11th grade students reported using one of the substances at least once. It is important to note that the great majority of youth who experiment do not become regular drug users and for a significant number of substances once was apparently sufficient. Professor Skager points out that, "By taking into account the entire range of drugs, of which alcohol is by far the most commonly used, it is obvious that the social climate among youth tolerates widespread drug experimentation and use, though not necessarily use that causes problems to self or others. We need to take this cultural reality into account in our approach to drug education and other approaches to prevention. In this climate simplistic abstinence messages, as well as accurate, information, are met with skepticism and may result in an oppositional or 'boomerang' effect." Rodney Skager, Professor Emeritus in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, is the author of Beyond Zero Tolerance: A Reality-Based Approach to Drug Education and School Discipline published by the Drug Policy Alliance. The educational booklet advocates for educating students through comprehensive, interactive and honest drug education with identification of, and assistance for, students whose lives are disrupted by substance use. "To prevent adolescents who do experiment from falling into abusive patterns, we need to create fallback strategies that focus on safety," Skager said. "Putting safety first requires that we be careful to provide our young people with credible information and resources. We also need to teach our teenagers how to identify and handle problems with alcohol and other drugs -- if and when they occur-and how to get help and support." The new Obama Administration has the opportunity to replace failed Bush Administration strategies such as the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and the Random Student Drug Testing Grants Program. Research shows both programs are not only ineffective, but also counterproductive to promoting healthy behaviors in students. The Obama Administration should replace fear-based approaches with programs that promote honest, open and respectful discussion with teens about their experiences and the realities of drugs and drug use today. * The 2007-2008 California Student Survey is available online at: http://www.safestate.org/index.cfm?navID=254 * Beyond Zero Tolerance: A Reality-Based Approach to Drug Education and School Discipline is available online at: www.safety1st.org.

Press Release: DEA Defies Obama Pledge, Raids Medical Marijuana State, Denies Marijuana FDA Research

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 29, 2009 CONTACT: Dan Bernath, MPP assistant director of communications, 202-462-5747, ext. 2030 DEA Defies Obama Pledge, Raids Medical Marijuana State, Denies Marijuana FDA Research Medical Marijuana Advocates Call on New President to Rein in Rogue Drug Enforcement Administration WASHINGTON — Officials at the Marijuana Policy Project today accused the Drug Enforcement Administration of defying President Barack Obama's stated position by raiding a California medical marijuana dispensary and called on the president to immediately replace Bush administration holdovers at the DEA. The DEA raided a medical marijuana dispensary in Lake Tahoe, Calif., Jan. 22 – only two days after President Obama's inauguration. During the presidential campaign, Obama repeatedly promised not to waste federal resources interfering in states with laws protecting medical marijuana patients from arrest, and he told Southern Oregon's Mail Tribune editorial board on March 28, 2008, "I'm not going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue." MPP also urged President Obama to instruct the Bush-appointed current administrator of the DEA to delay a final ruling on a Motion to Reconsider its Jan. 12 decision to deny an application by a University of Massachusetts-Amherst researcher to grow research-grade marijuana in a secure facility, arguing that Obama's own administrator should get to make that decision once in place. The DEA's Jan. 12 denial was one among a series of unrelated 11th-hour regulatory actions the Bush administration attempted to finalize before leaving office. The DEA could rule on the motion as early as Monday unless the White House stops Bush holdover, Michele Leonhart, the DEA administrator. The DEA's Jan. 12 decision came nearly two years after the its own administrative law judge, Mary Ellen Bittner, ruled that approving the application would "be in the public's interest" and after years of delay on the part of the Bush administration. "On the first day of the new administration, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel issued a memo to departments and agencies directing them to hold off on issuing final regulations until President Obama's appointees have a chance to review them," said Aaron Houston, MPP director of government relations. "We're just asking for the same thing here. We'd like a fair hearing from new leadership at the DEA." With more than 26,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org. ####

Media Advisory: Maryland Legislature to Consider Criminalizing Salvia Divinorum

MEDIA ADVISORY: January 27, 2009 Contact: Naomi Long (202) 669-6071 Maryland Legislature to Consider Criminalizing Salvia Divinorum Both Senate and House to Hold Hearings on Bills to Outlaw the Currently Legal, Psychoactive Plant What: Hearings for bills to criminalize salvia - House Bill 8 and Senate Bill 9 When: Tuesday, January 27, 1 p.m. Where: HB 8 – House Judiciary Committee room 101; SB 9 – Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee room, Ste. 2E Maryland state legislators are seeking to make salvia divinorum a Schedule I drug which would make the substance illegal and out of the realm of research. Opponents say the bill will have the consequence of making it easier for minors to obtain salvia by putting an outright ban on the drug and driving it underground rather than seeking to bring the sale and use of the drug under state regulation and control. Schedule I designations are reserved for substances with the highest potential for abuse and the lowest medicinal value. “We are very concerned about youth drug use, including the use of Salvia, but by outlawing and prohibiting it legislators will make the problem even worse,” said Naomi Long, Director, of the Drug Policy Alliance, D.C. and Maryland Project. “We can curb youth access to Salvia by enacting age controls and placement restrictions similar to our strategies to reduce teenage smoking. We didn’t have to criminalize tobacco or create prison sentences to achieve success. Criminalizing drugs makes it easier for young people to obtain them because the underground market doesn’t check an ID to see if someone’s an adult.” Neither the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) nor Congress have taken any action on Salvia Divinorum. Studies have shown that Salvia has no known potential for abuse and may be a candidate for treating addiction, eating disorders, and even HIV infections. The bills, House Bill 8 and Senate Bill 9 are scheduled for hearings in the Judiciary Committee room 101 and Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee room Suite 2E on January 27 at 1 p.m. The bills to criminalize salvia, a psychoactive herb, have been introduced by Delegates Addie Eckardt (R) Jeannie Haddaway(R) and Senator Richard Colburn (R). The Drug Policy Alliance opposes both bills.

Press Release: First Medical Marijuana Raid by DEA under Obama Administration Advocates call on president Obama to quickly change harmful, outdated policy

[Courtesy of Americans for Safe Access] For Immediate Release: January 22, 2009 Contact: ASA Media Liaison Kris Hermes at 510-681-6361 First Medical Marijuana Raid by DEA under Obama Administration Advocates call on president Obama to quickly change harmful, outdated policy Oakland, CA -- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raided a medical marijuana dispensary today in South Lake Tahoe, California, in the first days of the new Obama Administration. Even though President Barack Obama had made repeated promises during his election campaign to end federal raids in medical marijuana states, many high-ranking Bush Administration officials have yet to leave office. For example, still at the helm of the DEA is acting Administrator Michele Leonhart, who has been responsible for numerous federal raids in California, following in the footsteps of her predecessor Karen Tandy. Neither Eric Holder, President Obama's pick for U.S. Attorney General, nor a new DEA Administrator, have taken office yet. "Whether or not this unconscionable raid on a medical marijuana provider is the fault of federal officials from the previous administration, President Obama has an opportunity to change this harmful and outdated policy," said Caren Woodson, Director of Government Affairs for Americans for Safe Access (ASA). "We are hopeful that these are the last remnants of the Bush regime and that President Obama will quickly develop a more compassionate policy toward our most vulnerable citizens." Medical marijuana and an unknown amount of cash was seized during the raid today from Holistic Solutions, but no arrests were made. This first DEA raid under the new Obama Administration is another example of more than 100 raids on medical marijuana providers that have occurred in California over the past two years. While the greatest federal enforcement has occurred in California, the DEA has been active in other states as well. Federal agents raided the Washington State offices of a medical marijuana advocacy group that was supplying starter plants to hundreds of authorized patients. In Oregon, a federal grand jury was used by the DEA to obtain the medical records of several patients, an effort that was later rejected by a federal court. The DEA also went as far as to threaten New Mexico officials for planning to implement that states medical marijuana distribution program. "I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users," Senator Obama said in an August 2007 statement. "It's not a good use of our resources," he continued. This statement was followed up by Obama in other public events in the run up to the election. "President Obama must rise to the occasion by quickly correcting this problem and by keeping the promise he made to the voters of this country," said Woodson. ASA has been working with the new Administration on changing federal law around medical marijuana, which has included providing a comprehensive set of policy recommendations. Further information: Comments by Obama on ending medical marijuana raids: http://granitestaters.com/candidates/barack_obama.html ASA medical marijuana recommendations for incoming president Barack Obama: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/PresidentialRecommendations # # #
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