ORGANIZATION NEWS:

* Kenneth Schweickart Wins Democratic Primary

* OPN Welcomes New Members

* OPN to Release Study of Medical Marijuana Polls

OHIO NEWS:

* June 6 Protest in Cleveland Will Support the National Day of Direct Action

NATIONAL NEWS:

* Medical Marijuana Bill Makes Progress In Congress

* MPP/SSDP Conference on November 8-10

* Two New Medical Marijuana Studies Seek Patients

INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

* Government Approval For Medical Pot Spray One Year Away

* Canadian Government Study Blows Lid Off U.S. Pot Propaganda

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

***************************************************

***************************************************

KENNETH SCHWEICKART WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

(Columbus, OH) OPN Director of Development Kenneth Schweickart won the Democratic Nomination for House District 22 and will square off against Republican incumbent Jim Hughes in the November election. Outspent 14 grand to a mere 300 bucks, Schweickart won by 40 votes, proving that the underdog can win. He also confirmed that Democrats in House District 22 approve legalizing medical marijuana.

The basic strategy is this:  Knowing we will get almost all of the Democrat’s votes, which is approximately 40 percent, we need to focus on capturing the independents in the suburbs and steal about 5 percent of the Republican votes. With these strategies, in addition to registering new voters, we will win.

Columbus voters are ready for a change. In 2000, Hughes beat the Democrat by a very slim 2 percent margin.

OPN Proud! Now is our chance to make the Ohio Medical Marijuana Act a reality. We need crew, money, and spirit to win in November.

Sign up now at dpeo@earthlink.net to help rock the vote in November.

***************************************************

OPN WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

The OPN is growing everyday. However, on May 4 we experienced our largest ever single-day growth spurt.

Thanks to the efforts of OPN volunteers who staffed Million Marijuana March events around the state, the OPNews added nearly 100 new subscribers. These new members are also encouraged to join OPN’s electronic discussion list, which provides a way to get informed and involved on a daily basis.

Through the email discussion list, you can converse with other medical cannabis patients, caregivers and health professionals from the Ohio Patient Network.  You can also keep up to date on OPN activities. 

Whether or not you are a new member, show your support for medical cannabis by encouraging patients, caregivers and health professionals you know to sign up for the monthly OPNews or the more active discussion list at http://ohiopatient.net/Become_an_OPN_member.htm.

***************************************************

OPN TO RELEASE STUDY OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA POLLS

"The People Have Spoken," a meta-analysis of medical marijuana public opinion polls, will be officially released this June 6th. Not surprisingly, the public is highly in favor of protecting patients who use cannabis therapeutically.

Mary Jane Borden, OPN Director of Public Relations, conducted the statistical analysis and found:

*Since the passage of California Proposition 215 in 1996, 66 scientific polls and studies have been conducted about medical marijuana both nationwide and in more than 30 states, representing the opinions of more than 50,000 respondents.

*Of those respondents, more than two-thirds (68%) aggregately support the medical use of cannabis. Those who oppose medicinal cannabis represent only one quarter of the populace.

The entire report, including detailed findings and data tables, will be posted to the OPN website (www.ohiopatient.net) this June 6th. Concurrently, the OPN Public Relations committee will send press releases to media outlets throughout Ohio and the nation.

Borden explained, "We want to use this analysis as a tool to pry politicians from their seat of resistance. Once they realize the overwhelming public support for medical marijuana, politicians will see the advantage in joining with us."

***************************************************

JUNE 6 PROTEST IN CLEVELAND WILL SUPPORT THE NATIONAL DAY OF DIRECT ACTION

Source: Ohio Cannabis Society update by John Hartman, May 21, 2002.

Keep medical marijuana safe and legal!

June 6th is a nationwide day of action to push back DEA attempts to re-criminalize medical cannabis! On or after June 6th, 2002 the DEA will attempt to shut down dispensaries now legally providing medical cannabis to patients in California. To respond, activists in cities across the nation will use creative, nonviolent tactics to disrupt DEA offices and post their own "cease and desist" orders at DEA outposts. Through this action, we will build an "emergency response" network of committed activists to escalate our resistance to the Federal Government’s expanding war on democracy and patients in need of safe access to medical marijuana.

The Ohio Cannabis Society will participate in this direct action by conducting a protest at the DEA outpost at 310 Lakeside Ave (West 3rd & Lakeside Ave) in downtown Cleveland at 11:30 am on June 6th (rain or shine).  Please bring signs and as many friends as possible.  This protest is very important and the future of medical cannabis in California and other states may hang in the balance if we fail to motivate our base of support for this protest.

Contact the Ohio Cannabis Society at 216-521-9333 for more information and for flyers for the Cleveland protest.

Further information about the nationwide protests, which are scheduled in more than 40 U.S. cities, is also available from the Americans for Safe Access website at: http://www.safeaccessnow.org.

[NOTE: View the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s feature article on Ohio Cannabis Society Director John Hartman at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n961/a09.html?1255.]

***************************************************

MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL MAKES PROGRESS IN CONGRESS

Source: Marijuana Policy Project update from Rob Kampia, May 14, 2002.

In just the past month, five new U.S. House members have co-sponsored the federal medical marijuana bill -- U.S. Representatives Jim McDermott (D-WA), Mark Udall (D-CO), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albert Wynn (D-MD), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The medical marijuana bill, H.R. 2592, now has a total of 36 House sponsors, including three Republicans.

Voice your support for H.R. 2592. Visit http://www.mpp.org/USA to learn more about the bill and to fax your congressional representatives.

***************************************************

MPP/SSDP CONFERENCE ON NOVEMBER 8-10

Source: Marijuana Policy Project update from Rob Kampia, May 14, 2002.

The registrations are still rolling in for MPP's first-ever conference, to be held on November 8-10 in Anaheim, California. On Saturday night, Bill Maher will be doing a benefit for MPP and SSDP. Please consider registering today at http://www.mpp.org/conference.

***************************************************

TWO NEW MEDICAL MARIJUANA STUDIES SEEK PATIENTS

Source: Marijuana Policy Project update from Rob Kampia, May 14, 2002.

Dr. Donald Abrams is looking for patients to participate in two new marijuana studies he is conducting at San Francisco General Hospital. If you have HIV-related painful neuropathy or cancer and are interested in participating in one of these studies, please see http://www.mpp.org/abrams.html.

***************************************************

GOVERNMENT APPROVAL FOR MEDICAL POT SPRAY ONE YEAR AWAY

Source: NORML E-Zine, Volume 5, Issue 17, May 9, 2002. Text of archived stories is available at: http://www.norml.org/news/archives/index2002.shtml.

Non-smoked, cannabis-based medicines could receive British regulatory approval as early as next year, GW Pharmaceuticals President Geoffrey Guy announced at the Second National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics in Oregon last week. The London company is currently testing the efficacy of various marijuana extracts for analgesia and symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis in Phase III patient trials.  Trial subjects administer the extracts via a sublingual spray.

GW expects to submit their results for government approval as early as this fall, Guy said at the conference, which was sponsored by Patients Out of Time.  If the British government licenses the drugs, it is expected that other Western European nations and Canada will do the same.

In previous Phase II trials, nearly 80 percent of patients sustained "clinically significant therapeutic benefit" from cannabis - including relief from pain, bladder-related symptoms and tremor, as well as a 50 percent average reduction in their use of opiates.

***************************************************

CANADIAN GOVERNMENT STUDY BLOWS LID OFF U.S. POT PROPAGANDA

Marijuana Not A Gateway, Effects "Relatively Benign," Senate Report Finds

Source: NORML E-Zine, Volume 5, Issue 17, May 9, 2002. Text of archived stories is available at: http://www.norml.org/news/archives/index2002.shtml

(Ottawa, Ontario) Marijuana is a relatively harmless drug that has little impact on public safety, according to the findings of a preliminary government report from the Canadian Senate's Special Committee on Illegal Drugs. Among the Senate's findings:

* Marijuana is not a gateway to the use of hard drugs.  "There is no convincing evidence to establish the gateway hypothesis.  Data from population surveys show that out of 100 cannabis users in adolescence, about 10 will become regular users and 5 will move to using other drugs."

* Marijuana users are unlikely to become addicted.  "Research conducted internationally shows that between 8 to 10 percent of cannabis users may develop some psychological dependency, a much smaller portion than for many other drugs, illegal and legal, and comparable to some prescribed medications.  ... For most dependent users, stopping use for a few days is usually sufficient to eliminate any symptoms of addiction."

* Marijuana prohibition has little impact on marijuana use.  "Whether countries are prohibitionist such as Canada, Sweden or the USA or more liberal as in Australia, The Netherlands or Spain, levels and patterns of use vary according to other factors and are little influenced by the policy."  For example, Americans by percentage use marijuana at rates nearly twice as high as their Dutch counterparts, the study found.

* Marijuana use does not lead to the commission of crime.  "Cannabis use does not increase aggressive or anti-social behavior ... [or] ... induce users to commit other forms of crime."

* Marijuana is a not a serious health risk.  "Cannabis may have some negative effects on the health of individuals, but considering the patterns of use, these effects are relatively benign."

The committee's full report, which is expected to recommend decriminalizing marijuana, will be released in August.  The preliminary report is available online at: http://www.parl.gc.ca/illegal-drugs.asp.

***************************************************

***************************************************

The following items are included in every OPNews:

***************************************************

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).

***************************************************

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.

***************************************************

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.

***************************************************

HOW TO BE REMOVED FROM THE OPNews LIST

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

***************************************************

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.