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Medical Marijuana

US Capitol
US Capitol

Medical Marijuana Now Legal in DC

More than a decade after District voters approved it, medical marijuana is now legal in the nation's capital. But operating dispensaries are still months away.

Medical Marijuana Stakeholders Meeting

The Coalition for Medical Marijuana--New Jersey (CMMNJ) is proud to announce that a medical marijuana stakeholders meeting will be held in conjunction with the national patient advocacy organization, Americans for Safe Access (ASA).  Medical marijuana patients, their families, advocates, potential alternative treatment center owners, and health care professionals should attend the meeting.

Steph Sherer, Executive Director of ASA, will be the featured presenter at the stakeholders meeting.  Steph is an international leader and expert in medical cannabis advocacy who aids in drafting legislation and advises governments around the globe. She has been a guest lecturer at University of California, Berkeley and George Washington University, DC.

CMMNJ has worked with ASA as a resource throughout the medical marijuana legislative effort in New Jersey.  Now that the Garden State has passed a compassionate use law it is vital for local advocates to learn from seasoned experts how to proceed forward. New Jersey’s medical cannabis patients and volunteers can also be an important part of the national discussion about safe access.

ASA has ambitious national, regional and local Goals and Objectives for providing medical marijuana to patients. The stakeholders meeting will look at the following topics:


1. Creating the political playing field necessary to pass federal, state, and local legislation.
2. Implementing medical cannabis laws with methods that meet the needs of patients.
3. Passing meaningful legislation that creates safe and legal access in additional states.

Also presenting on the status and details of New Jersey’s medical marijuana law will be CMMNJ’s Ken Wolski RN and Chris Goldstein.  Jahan Marcu, a cannabinoid researcher from Temple University School of Medicine will discuss his work on cannabinoids eliminating cancer tumors.

The cost to attend the all-day conference is $20. There is limited seating. To secure a place at this important meeting, send a check made out to "CMMNJ" to 219 Woodside Ave, Trenton, NJ 08618. Or, pay through PayPal at www.cmmnj.org make sure to put “Stakeholders Meeting” in the note.

A benefit dinner with CMMNJ’s volunteers, Board members and ASA’s Steph Sherer will also take place on Friday night, 8/20/10 at 7:00 PM for $100.00. A separate payment is required for dinner reservations.

Media passes are available. A brief press conference will be held.

Medical Marijuana Groups Oppose Michele Leonhart for DEA

Medical marijuana advocacy groups have called on President Barack Obama to withdraw his nomination of Michele Leonhart to be DEA administrator. The coalition feels that Leonhart, who is currently the DEA’s acting-administrator, has not demonstrated that she is capable of leading the agency in a thoughtful manner at a time when 14 states have enacted medical marijuana laws, and science is increasingly confirming the therapeutic benefits of the substance. Under Leonhart’s leadership, the DEA has staged medical marijuana raids in complete disregard of Attorney General Eric Holder’s directive to the Justice Department to respect state medical marijuana laws.

MAPS/WAMM Day @ Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing

Join MAPS (http://www.maps.org/) and WAMM (http://www.wamm.org/) at the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing (http://www.santacruzmountainbrewing.com/).

SCMB will be donating $1 for every beer sold to our organizations, so this is a great way to enjoy a local, organic beer while supporting two great organizations at the same time!

Meet your favorite staff members!
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Come for the beer, stay for the good feeling of helping. Don't forget to tell your friends and bring them along too!

Sacramento cannabis kumbaya: Marijuana shops get reprieve

Good news for Sacramento's patients! After long tumultuous debate, the Sacramento City Council voted to pursue the most liberal of three options for permitting and governing dispensaries. In the end, all 39 dispensaries that registered with the city by last summer have a chance to obtain special permits to stay in operation.
Steve Deangelo and James Anthony, Oakland City Council Meeting
Steve Deangelo and James Anthony, Oakland City Council Meeting

Oakland Okays Indoor Medical Marijuana Mega-Farms (FEATURE)

The city of Oakland is about to take medical marijuana production to a new level. It just passed an ordinance that will allow for four city-permitted industrial-scale cultivation operations. Small- and medium-scale growers have not been included in the scheme yet, and while council members have said they will address that, the community is concerned and speaking out about it.

Press Release: Rhode Island to Hold Hearings on Medical Marijuana Compassion Center Applications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                 

JUNE 28, 2010

Rhode Island to Hold Hearings on Medical Marijuana Compassion Center Applications

Rhode Island Moves to Expand Patient Access Through Non-Profit Distribution Centers, While Patients in Nearby States Continue to Suffer Without Effective Relief

CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications …………… 202-905-2030 or [email protected]

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND — Rhode Island’s department of health will hold public hearings tomorrow to review and receive comments on 15 applicants to open the state’s first medical marijuana compassion centers, which will operate as nonprofit entities to safely and securely distribute medical marijuana to qualified patients in the state. According to recently released figures, Rhode Island has 1,562 medical marijuana patients who are currently required to grow their own medicine or have caregivers grow it for them. State officials plan to open up to three compassion centers to dispense medicine to qualified patients and improve their access.   

         WHAT: Public hearings on applicants to operate compassion centers in Rhode Island

         WHEN: Tuesday, June 29, at 10 a.m.

         WHERE: Department of Health auditorium, 3 Capitol Hill, Providence, Rhode Island

         If necessary, a continuation hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, June 30, at the same time and location. Any applicants who are granted a compassion center license will be required to pay a $2,500 licensing fee. The health department is expected to announce the first grant recipients in about a month. Once applicants are approved, Rhode Island will join New Mexico and Colorado as medical marijuana states that have state-licensed dispensary systems. Similar regulated dispensary programs are planned to be implemented soon in Maine, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.  A bill that would create a dispensary system in Vermont passed through three committees this legislative session, but didn’t receive a floor vote.

         Since 1996, 14 states and the District of Columbia passed medical marijuana laws. New medical marijuana legislation was introduced in more than a dozen additional states this year, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, and Delaware. 

            With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org.

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