ORGANIZATION NEWS:

* Cleveland Free Times Talks to OPN Members for Feature Story

OHIO NEWS:

* Proposed Constitution Change Would Treat Drug Users

* Taft Opposition to Drug Proposal Challenged

* King Taft Has No Use for Trivialities Such as Democracy

NATIONAL NEWS:

* DEA Okays First Medical Marijuana Trials in Nearly Two Decades

* MPP's Lawsuit Makes the News

* Congressmen Urge Legalization of Medical Marijuana, Condemn Crackdown on

California Pot Clubs

INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

* Legal Pot Available on Jan. 1

The following items are included in every OPNews:

* OPNews Disclaimer

* You Are Invited to OPN Meetings

* How to Get Your Information in OPNews

* How to be Removed from the OPNews List

* How To Contact Your State Representative And Senator

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CLEVELAND FREE TIMES TALKS TO OPN MEMBERS FOR FEATURE STORY

Reporter Sandeep Kaushik interviewed several OPN members while researching his upcoming article for Cleveland Free Times. The story includes a discussion of medical marijuana and will be featured on the front page of the January 2 issue.

According to Kaushik, the article will overview a broad array of marijuana issues. Topics include the impact of the Higher Education Act on college students, the effects of incarceration on the family, and the therapeutic uses of marijuana.

During his research on the medical aspects of this herb, Kaushik spoke with OPN members, including Eleanor Ahrens, Paula Mercer, John Precup, and Kenneth Schweickart.

Cleveland Free Times is a weekly publication that is available in and around the Cleveland/Akron area and via their website (http://www.freetimes.com/.)  

With a circulation of 90,000 newspapers, the Free Times can be found at free outlets in Cuyahoga, Summit, Lake, and Geauga counties.

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PROPOSED CONSTITUTION CHANGE WOULD TREAT DRUG USERS

California Group Tries to Put Issue on Ohio Ballot

Source: Toledo Blade, December 02, 2001. Copyright: 2001, Toledo Blade (http://toledoblade.com/).

By Dale Emch, Blade Staff Writer

A California organization backed by three multimillionaires wants voters to amend Ohio's Constitution to require that first or second-time drug offenders be sentenced to treatment rather than jail.

The Campaign for New Drug Policies, based in Santa Monica, Calif., soon plans to circulate petitions across Ohio to get voters to place the amendment on the November, 2002, ballot.

The amendment would not only supplant judicial discretion in sentencing, but would require the Ohio General Assembly to provide an unalterable funding stream of $38 million through 2009 for drug treatment programs.

Creating such mandates doesn't set well with several local judges, state officials already facing a cash crunch, and even some local drug treatment program directors.

But that doesn't bother the campaign officials, who need 335,000 signatures or 10 percent of the vote total in the last governor's race, in order to get the amendment on Ohio ballots. They believe that voters here will do what those in California did - ignore their elected officials and other naysayers and approve the amendment.

"The political establishment opposed us and many [newspaper] editorial boards opposed us, but we still passed with 61 percent of the vote," Dave Fratello, a campaign spokesman, said of the group's successful California effort.

The campaign plans to use big money from its backers to get their message across to voters in Ohio.

The trio who shepherded the win in California are Peter B. Lewis, of Cleveland, the recently retired CEO of Progressive Insurance; John Sperling, of Arizona, founder of the University of Phoenix, and financier George Soros of New York. They provide about 75 percent of the organization's budget.

Mr. Fratello said about $4 million was spent in California, and a substantial amount is expected to be poured into the Ohio drive as well. The cash will be used to warm voters to the idea that people with drug addictions should be treated rather than jailed.

Violent criminals and drug dealers would not be eligible for the program, he said.

About 1,600 inmates are in Ohio prisons exclusively for drug possession charges, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. At a rate of $22,200 a year to house a prisoner, it costs about $35.5 million to incarcerate that population.

Another 2,400 inmates who are jailed for drug possession and other nonviolent felonies might have been able to avoid prison under the campaign's proposal, depending on the nature of their charges and their criminal records.

Mr. Fratello said the organization doesn't think people should be jailed just for having a drug addiction.

[Snip]

NOTE: View this article in its entirety, including responses from Ohio officials, by using the search feature at http://toledoblade.com/. (You can find the article easily by searching for a unique word, such as "Sperling.")

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TAFT OPPOSITION TO DRUG PROPOSAL CHALLENGED

Source: Columbus Dispatch, December 20, 2001. Copyright: 2001, The Columbus  Dispatch (http://www.dispatch.com/). This article is archived at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n2122/a05.html?1321.

By: Alan Johnson

Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment on drug treatment want an investigation of the Taft administration's alleged misuse of public employees and resources to oppose the campaign.

Edward J. Orlett, a lobbyist, former lawmaker and manager of the Ohio Campaign for New Drug Policies, yesterday asked state Auditor Jim Petro to conduct a special audit.

The use of "public employees and resources in an attempt to prevent a citizen initiative from reaching the ballot and/or to campaign to defeat the issue is unlawful'' under state law, the Ohio and U.S. Constitution, Orlett wrote to Petro.

Petro spokeswoman Kim Norris said the request will be reviewed by an internal committee that includes Petro, his chief legal counsel and other top staff members.

The committee will meet Jan. 2, she said. Gov. Bob Taft's spokeswoman, Mary Anne Sharkey, defended the administration's behind-the-scenes activities. She acknowledged the administration has been planning opposition to the proposed November 2002 ballot issue asking voters to amend the constitution to sentence nonviolent, first- and second-time drug-use offenders to treatment instead of jail.

"We feel it's perfectly proper for the governor, the governor's staff, and the first lady to discuss and plan strategy to combat something that they feel is contrary to the policies of this administration.'' Sharkey said if the issue reaches the ballot, Taft and his wife, Hope, will help form a committee, raise money and campaign against it.

Orlett said that is improper.

"Ohio voters have the right to engage to change the constitution and to enact laws. What they are doing by trying to stop us is trying to deny us our constitutional rights.''

Orlett said paid circulators will begin gathering names on petitions "shortly after the first of the year.'' The committee must gather 335,422 valid signatures of registered voters from at least 44 of the 88 counties to be certified to appear on the ballot.

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KING TAFT HAS NO USE FOR TRIVIALITIES SUCH AS DEMOCRACY

Source: The Athens NEWS, December 20, 2001. Copyright: 2001, Athens News (http://www.athensnews.com/).

By: Terry Smith, Athens NEWS Editor

After all these years, His Highness Bob Taft still has an arrogant disregard for democracy, as reflected in his ongoing efforts to scuttle a proposed amendment to treat drug offenders instead of jailing them.

[Snip]

On Friday, the Columbus Dispatch reported that the Taft administration has mounted a behind-the-scenes effort to torpedo a constitutional amendment that deals with drug offenders. If Taft's efforts succeed, Ohioans will not have an opportunity to vote on a proposal that received substantial public support in California where voters approved Proposition 36 in 2000.

According to the article, backers of the amendment, the Ohio Campaign for New Drug Policies, charged that the Taft administration broke the law by using tax-funded state employees and facilities in its campaign against the amendment drive. Taft defenders denied any illegality, pointing out that campaign laws cannot be violated as long as the drug amendment hasn't been certified for the ballot.

Whether their sneak attack violates the law or not, it subverts the interests of Ohio citizens who should have a say in this matter. The Taft anti-amendment campaign also violates common sense. Repeated studies show that drug treatment is much less costly and much more effective than imprisonment.

[Snip]

This doesn't just apply to the simple cost of treatment versus jail. A 1994 study by RAND's Drug Policy Research Center showed that every additional dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers $7.46 in societal costs.

[Snip]

Meanwhile, according to a Nov. 15 report in the L.A. Times, California prison officials report that between July 1, when [Proposition 36] took effect, and Nov. 4, the incarcerated population fell by 2,400 inmates, a drop attributed mainly to Prop. 36.

It will take time for California to shift its resources from prisons, which cost $25,000 per inmate annually, to a range of treatment alternatives, but the end result will be less money better spent. The same would apply in Ohio, which has the added benefit of being able to learn from California's example.

[Snip]

NOTE: This article is archived in its entirety at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n2113/a08.html?1412.

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DEA OKAYS FIRST MEDICAL MARIJUANA TRIALS IN NEARLY TWO DECADES

Agency Grants Approval to Three Studies After Nine-Month Delay; Eight Other FDA-Approved Trials Still Under DEA Review

Source: NORML Weekly News Bulletin, December 13, 2001. Available at http://www.norml.org/news/archives/01-12-13.shtml.

(Washington, DC) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials recently gave final approval for three state-sponsored patient trials on the therapeutic potential of smoked marijuana. The decision reverses a nearly two decade federal de facto prohibition on medical marijuana research. All three patient trials will take place at University of California's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR), headquartered at the Universities of California at San Diego (UCSD) and San Francisco (UCSF). One study will examine the safety and efficacy of smoked marijuana versus placebo for the alleviation of peripheral nerve pain associated with HIV infection. Another will examine the efficacy of inhaled marijuana versus placebo for the treatment of muscle spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis patients. A sub-study of the latter cohort will also examine the impact of marijuana on psychomotor skills using driving simulator assessments. Each study will use federally approved pot from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Patient recruitment for the trials is expected to begin early next year. Patients interested in participating in the studies should visit the CMCR website at: http://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/partinfo/index.htm for more information.

The CMCR, established in August 2000 and funded by the state of California, supports and coordinates research assessing the use of cannabis as a medicine. Last February, the Center's independent Scientific Review Board approved four medi-pot clinical trials. After more than nine months of review, federal regulatory agencies and the DEA have finally signed off on three of the trials. The fourth - a proposed inpatient study on the effectiveness of smoked marijuana on HIV-related neuropathy by noted UCSF AIDS researcher Dr. Donald Abrams - still awaits final approval from the DEA, though a CMCR spokeswoman said that they expect authorization for that study within a matter of weeks. Abrams has been attempting to gain federal permission to conduct such a study for more than five years. A previous study by Abrams found that smoked marijuana does not disrupt the effectiveness of anti-retroviral drugs in HIV patients. Subjects who smoked marijuana in the study were also found to have gained significantly more weight on average than those receiving placebo, and had slightly lower viral levels.

Presently, seven additional FDA and NIDA-approved medical marijuana studies - including three on cannabis and analgesia - are also awaiting approval from the DEA. It remains uncertain if and when the DEA will approve the research, without which none of the clinical trials may move forward. Of the recently approved protocols, all three received FDA and NIDA authorization to proceed several months before the DEA finally endorsed them.

"While it is encouraging to see that the federal government is finally taking the necessary steps to allow legitimate research into the medical utility of marijuana, it is disturbing to think that one agency - the DEA - may be needlessly delaying this research because they fear the results may undermine their flat Earth-like position that marijuana has no medical

value," said Paul Armentano, director of publications and research for the NORML Foundation. "By waiting until now to finally get serious about unlocking pot's therapeutic potential, thousands of seriously ill patients have unnecessarily suffered at the hands of politicians." 

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MPP'S LAWSUIT MAKES THE NEWS

Source: Marijuana Policy Project (http://www.mpp.org), December 21, 2001. 

By: Rob Kampia, Executive Director, Marijuana Policy Project

I realize it's the holiday season, but the Marijuana Policy Project is not resting. On Tuesday [December 18], MPP filed a lawsuit against the government for the right to run a medical marijuana ballot initiative in the District of Columbia.

Please see http://www.mpp.org/lawsuit/news.html for an excellent article that The Washington Post ran the next day. As you may know, Congress passed legislation not only to overturn the medical marijuana initiative that 69 percent of D.C. voters passed in 1998, but Congress also passed a second amendment that seeks to prevent D.C. citizens from ever doing so again. It is this second amendment that we are challenging. If MPP succeeds in federal court -- which is extremely likely -- then our signature drive will take place this spring, and our medical marijuana question will appear on the November 2002 ballot.

[Snip]

Please visit http://www.mpp.org/lawsuit for more information and to make a tax-deductible, year-end donation to MPP's lawsuit against the government.

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CONGRESSMEN URGE LEGALIZATION OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA, CONDEMN CRACKDOWN ON CALIFORNIA POT CLUBS

Source: NORML Weekly News Bulletin, December 6, 2001. Available at http://www.norml.org/news/archives/01-12-06.shtml.

(Washington, DC) Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) are intensifying their efforts to rally Congressional support for House Bill 2592, the "State's Rights to Medical Marijuana Act," which would allow physicians to legally prescribe marijuana under federal law and permit state legislatures to establish distribution systems for the drug.

In a "Dear Colleague" letter distributed to House Representatives Wednesday, Frank and Paul said that recent actions taken by the federal government against California's medical cannabis providers underscore the need for Congress to back HR 2592 and respect the rights of states to follow their own medical marijuana policies.

"We do not believe that there is widespread support in the Congress for the use of federal law enforcement officials to override state law in this regard, and we note that no one has pointed to any pattern of abuse that has resulted from these state policies," they state. "But with the Supreme Court  having ruled that the supremacy clause of the US Constitution allows the Executive Branch to override state policy on [the] matter [of the manufacture and distribution of medical marijuana,] and since the Executive Branch has shown a willingness, if not an eagerness, to do exactly that, the Congress is the only branch of the federal government that can act to preserve the rights of states to make their own decisions."

They continue: "The regulation of medical practice has long been a state matter, and we think that, in this instance, it should remain so. We therefore ask that you join us in sponsoring legislation which has the sole purpose of allowing states which decide to reclassify marijuana so that it may be prescribed for medical purposes the ability to do so."

Presently, 20 members of Congress are signed on to the bill, which awaits action from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health. To learn more about the "State's Rights to Medical Marijuana Act," please visit: http://www.norml.org/laws/fedleg2001.shtml. Full text of the bill is available at: http://thomas.loc.gov. To send a letter to your congressman urging support of HR 2592, please visit http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=23972&type=CO.

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LEGAL POT AVAILABLE ON JAN. 1

Source: Montreal Gazette, December 22, 2001. Copyright: 2001, The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc. (http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/).

By: Aaron Derfel

Health Canada announced yesterday the first batch of medicinal marijuana will be available as of Jan. 1, and is of "good quality." The government will be contacting the more than 680 Canadians authorized to possess marijuana for medical purposes to determine whether they are interested in purchasing the weed. However, there are two questions that haven't been answered: the price, and how it will be distributed. 

[Snip]

NOTE: The Montreal Gazette archives its news stories for 14 days. View this article in its entirety at http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/.

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The following items are included in every OPNews:

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OPNews DISCLAIMER

OPNews, a publication of Ohio Patient Network (OPN), provides medical cannabis news that affects Ohio patients, caregivers, and health professionals. Articles are intended for information purposes and do not reflect an official position by OPN or the OPN Board of Directors.

For more information, contact Jean Taddie, Editor (editor@ohiopatient.net).

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YOU ARE INVITED TO OPN MEETINGS

The OPN Board of Directors invites you to participate in the OPN planning meetings. Electronic voice/text meetings are held at the OPN chatroom in PalTalk.

To receive PalTalk and meeting room instructions, as well as date and time information, contact info@ohiopatient.net.

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HOW TO GET YOUR INFORMATION IN OPNews

OPNews is published monthly. To have your information considered for publication, submit your story to editor@ohiopatient.net.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ATTACHMENTS. Please do not boldface or italicize text. Include a contact name with a phone number and/or e-mail address with submissions.

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You may sign off this list at any time by using the webform at www.ohiopatient.net.

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HOW TO CONTACT YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATOR 

Find your Representative in the Ohio House at http://www.house.state.oh.us/jsps/Representatives.jsp

Find your Ohio Senator at http://www.senate.state.oh.us/senators/

Write to your officials care of their district office, or send your letter to their Columbus office at:

The Honorable (name)

Ohio House of Representatives

77 South High Street

Columbus, Ohio 43266-0603

-or-

The Honorable (name)

Ohio Senate Building

Columbus, Ohio 43215

Telephone calls and emails are also persuasive, especially when the constituent contacts the district office.