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A publication of the Ohio Patient Network (OPN).
The following new items are included in this month's OPNews:
ORGANIZATION NEWS:
1. Learn How to Get Your Letter Published at January 8 Patient Forum
2. Ohio Legislative Update
3. 15-Minute Mission Of The Month
4. The OPN Store Is Open!
5. Paper Trails
6. OPN Unveils New Web Look
7. OPN in the News
STATE NEWS:
8. Wrong Prescription on U.S. Drug Costs
NATIONAL NEWS:
9. Federal Appeals Court OKs Medical Marijuana in Some Cases
10. Congressman Says Federally Subsidized Transit Agencies Can't Accept Ads From Groups Backing Marijuana Law Reform
11. ACTION ALERT: Protect Free Speech and Your Wallet
12. Presidential Candidate Says Federal Law Should Treat Pot Like Alcohol
13. Parents Sue Over Drug Raid at South Carolina School
14. The Truth About Medical Marijuana - Forum Transcript Now Online
15. Dr. Donald Abrams Receives FDA Approval for First Human Vaporizer Research
INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
16. Canada Denies Refugee Status to US Medical Marijuana Exile
17. Supreme Court Upholds Marijuana Law
18. New Canadian Prime Minister to Revive Marijuana Decriminalization Bill
The following items are included in every OPNews:
* OPNews Disclaimer
* You Are Invited to OPN Meetings
* Help the OPN Support Patients
* 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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1. LEARN HOW TO GET YOUR LETTER PUBLISHED AT JANAURY 8 PATIENT FORUM
By: John Precup, OPN President
Have you ever wondered what it takes to get your letter to the editor published in a newspaper? If so, join us on Thursday, January 8 at 8:00 p.m. (e.s.t.) for OPN’s online Patient Forum.
OPN Vice President Jim White, who is a frequently published author, will advise us on how to get a letter picked for publication. This will be a great opportunity for us all to sharpen our writing skills and flex our power of the pen.
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2. OHIO LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
By: Joseph Zoretic
It has been a very exciting year for medical marijuana in Ohio. It is beginning to look like a real medical marijuana bill will be introduced this legislative session, which lasts for two years in Ohio. The eventual committee hearings, if the bill makes it that far, will surely be anticipated by many medical marijuana patients across Ohio. Representative Kenneth Carano will be giving the bill to Speaker of the House Larry Householder by mid-January, which will signify the actual introduction. After the bill is introduced, it is up to Representative Householder if and when committee hearings will take place. OPN is very confident of the bills’ eventual passage in the 125th General Assembly if we have the opportunity to show them the science and show them the people who benefit from cannabis.
Exciting things are also going on at the federal level as well. The most exciting by far is the decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to allow people to possess and grow marijuana in states that have enacted such legislation. This definitely clears up any confusion that elected officials may have regarding the rights of states to pass medical marijuana legislation.
Lastly, we have the first major candidate since the days of Jimmy Carter to endorse regulation instead of prohibition when it comes to marijuana. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has taken such a stance. His full position can be read online at http://www.kucinich.us/issues/marijuana_decrim.php
While we are on such a roll, lets keep it going by contacting the people who represent us in Ohio. Tell them what you think about medical marijuana and let them know that they represent you. You can find out who represents you at the state level by going to http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/search.cfm#reps_zip and typing in your zip code.
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3. 15-MINUTE MISSION OF THE MONTH
By: Deirdre Zoretic, Director of Patient Advocacy
As the New Year comes closer, our missions will be a lot more fun. As mentioned above, the New Year will bring the introduction of the Ohio Medical Marijuana Act.
This month we are going to educate and provide answers. One of the biggest excuses that Representatives and Senators have given me for not signing onto the OMMA is that Ohio would be in direct conflict with Federal law. Ladies and Gentlemen, not any more! We have a decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that says we will be protected from federal prosecution, if we have a state law allowing for the medical use of marijuana. See one of many articles about this decision at: http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=784.
Freedom is within sight for the first time.
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4. THE OPN STORE IS OPEN!
By: K.R. “Doc” Miller, OPN Director of Development
The Ohio Patient Network is proud to present its own line of merchandise at the new OPN online store at www.cafepress.com/OPNstore. Please help us by purchasing some of the quality items, such as T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Coffee Mugs, Tote Bags and other stylish items emblazoned with the OPN logo. Show who you support and what you stand for in Ohio and help OPN fight the good fight in 2004, since part of every purchase goes directly to help us help you!
Do you have any ideas, artwork, slogans or photos that explain the plight of medical cannabis patients in Ohio? We are looking for new and exciting designs to add to our store in 2004! Please submit any ideas or input you may have for our new store to krmiller@ohiopatient.net.
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5. PAPER TRAILS
By: K.R. “Doc” Miller, OPN Director of Development
Though we try to be as conscious as we can about wasting paper, each of us still manages to generate about 3.5 pounds of rubbish every day - mostly paper! If only some of the money we spend on paper could make a difference for OPN.
Well, guess what? You can make that happen just by buying your paper products, office supplies, greeting cards, stationary and just about anything you can imagine at iGive.com. At the Mall at www.iGive.com/OPN, you get a free membership (no costs or obligations) to shop at 400+ stores, and without even knowing it, you’ll be helping OPN at the same time.
So, instead of feeling down, do a little shopping at some great stores, like OfficeDepot.com, OfficeMax.com, Staples, Handspring, and SharperImage.com, and up to 26% of every purchase you make will be donated directly to OPN.
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6. OPN UNVEILS NEW WEB LOOK
By: Jim White, OPN Vice President and Web Administrator
Welcome new members and web greetings to our regular members. The new year promises to be a big one for the OPN as we anticipate introduction of our bill into the Ohio House in January! Check the Ohio Legislative Update for more information on this.
Thanks to DrugSense and the hard work of webmaster Deb Harper, the OPN website http://www.ohiopatient.net has a new look and feel. The navigation has been improved to make finding your way around the site much easier, and the new Google search feature is operational. Though the site is not entirely complete -- we're planning on more content in the coming year including a sign-on letter to representatives and a professional letter of support for doctors, nurses, and other academic professionals -- everything you need as an active member is at your fingertips!!
We're also adding more content to our electronic library including published studies and papers on the medical utility of marijuana and new forms and flyers so you can become more involved in spreading the word to your neighbors, friends and colleagues.
So don't forget to visit our new site soon!
Happy Holidays to one and all!
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7. OPN IN THE NEWS
Sandy Cote, who is Co-Founder of the Ohio Marijuana Party Political Action Committee also had her letter, A MATTER OF TIME, published by the Cleveland Free Times. Sandy is a patient who recently joined the Ohio Patient Network. At least four of Sandy’s letters have been published by Ohio newspapers in December alone.
“To the editor: I'd like to comment about Rush Limbaugh's drug addiction - repeated use of dangerous painkillers, which can lead to dangerous side effects, such as constipation.
Guess what Rush Limbaugh has been full of all these years?”
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8. WRONG PRESCRIPTION ON U.S. DRUG COSTS
Source: Akron Beacon Journal - Letter to the Editor, December 5, 2003.
By: Sherrod Brown, U.S. Representative, 13th District of Ohio (Lorain)
William Safire asserts that drug prices are high in the United States because prices in other countries are too low to cover the cost of research and development ("Drug-research costs: Pay now, or forfeit the future," Commentary, Oct. 28). The Bush administration has made the same claim to justify its laissez faire attitude toward skyrocketing U.S. drug costs and its efforts, on behalf of the drug industry, to undercut negotiated prices in other countries. It's an easy answer. It's also the wrong one.
If the drug industry "needs" to charge U.S. customers more to make up for shortfalls in foreign prices, why is this industry raking in profits three times higher than the Fortune 500 average? Foreign drug prices are adequate.
U.S. prices are outrageous.
The drug industry has donated $40 million to President Bush and other Republicans in the past three years, with tens of millions more certain to come before the 2004 election. Let's hope the administration's misguided attempts to blame other countries for America's prescription drug crisis is a case of faulty logic, not political influence.
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9. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT OKS MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN SOME CASES
By: David Kravets, AP
(San Francisco, CA) A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that a congressional act outlawing marijuana may not apply to sick people with a doctor's recommendation in states that have approved medical marijuana laws.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that prosecuting these medical marijuana users under a 1970 federal law is unconstitutional if the marijuana isn't sold, transported across state lines or used for non-medicinal purposes.
"The intrastate, noncommercial cultivation, possession and use of marijuana for personal medical purposes on the advice of a physician is, in fact, different in kind from drug trafficking," Judge Harry Pregerson wrote for the majority.
The court added that "this limited use is clearly distinct from the broader illicit drug market, as well as any broader commercial market for medical marijuana, insofar as the medical marijuana at issue in this case is not intended for, nor does it enter, the stream of commerce."
The decision was a blow to the Justice Department, which argued that medical marijuana laws in nine states were trumped by the Controlled Substances Act, which outlawed marijuana, heroin and a host of other drugs nationwide.
The Justice Department was not immediately available to comment on the ruling from a court some call the nation's most liberal appeals court.
[snip]
NOTE: For more details about the Raich v. Ashcroft case see:
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10. CONGRESSMAN SAYS FEDERALLY SUBSIDIZED TRANSIT AGENCIES CAN'T ACCEPT ADS FROM GROUPS BACKING MARIJUANA LAW REFORM
(Washington, DC) House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee chairman Ernest Istook (R-Okla) this week added language to a federal transportation appropriations bill barring federally subsidized transit agencies from giving ad space to organizations that endorse marijuana law reform, including the legalization of medicinal marijuana.
The language states that federal funds will not be available if a transit agency "is involved directly or indirectly with any activity ... that promotes the legalization or medical use" of marijuana or other illegal drugs.
Istook's provision is in response to a decision made earlier this year by Washington, DC Metro to run public service announcements on public busses calling for legalizing and taxing marijuana. The ads were sponsored by the Massachusetts based group Change the Climate http://www.changetheclimate.org/ ...
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11. ACTION ALERT: PROTECT FREE SPEECH AND YOUR WALLET
Congress Wants to Tape Your Mouth Shut, Steal Your Wallet
*** Congress to ban private advertising in support of marijuana law reform
*** At same time, to spend $145 million in tax money on government anti-marijuana ads
It's finally happened. Not content with arresting 700,000 Americans a year for marijuana offenses, Congress now wants to make it illegal even to talk about marijuana. Drug war extremists are trying to ban private advertising on buses, subways, or trains that calls for the reform of marijuana laws. Worse still, the same bill also spends $145 million in taxpayer money on anti-marijuana government propaganda.
That's right. Congress wants to run anti-marijuana ads with your tax money, while at the same time banning you from using your own money to run ads in support of marijuana law reform. They want to prohibit you from spending money on things you believe in, while taking money out of your paycheck to spend on things you don't believe in.
Without being able to advertise on buses, trains, and subways, it will be very difficult for drug policy reformers to get our message directly to the American people - which is exactly what the drug war extremists fear. They want to shut us up! And they will get away with it if you don't act right now!
ACTIONS TO TAKE...
The Drug Policy Alliance is urging voters to contact their U.S. Representatives and Senators and tell them to vote against the omnibus spending bill (HR 2673) because it was put together in an undemocratic manner and contains provisions that suppress free speech.
***Fax your Members of Congress for free***
For a Washington Post news story on the controversial provision, see:
The full text of the very large omnibus bill can be viewed by going to
Excerpts from the conference report can be viewed here:
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12. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SAYS FEDERAL LAW SHOULD TREAT POT LIKE ALCOHOL
Kucinich Promises To End Marijuana Arrests; Establish "Guidelines Similar To Those Already In Place For Alcohol"
(Washington, DC) If elected, Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) would end federal criminal prohibitions on the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, and establish national guidelines to regulate it like alcohol, according to a recent position paper posted on the "Kucinich for President" http://www.kucinich.us/index.php website.
"Current drug policy ... regards all users as abusers, and the result has been the creation of an unnecessary class of lawbreakers," Kucinich states in his position paper, entitled "Marijuana Decriminalization." "A Kucinich administration would reject the current paradigm of 'all use is abuse' in favor of a drug policy that sets reasonable boundaries for marijuana use by establishing guidelines similar to those already in place for alcohol."
Kucinich has previously spoken out strongly in favor of allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and recently stated that he supported decriminalizing marijuana at a November 4, 2003 Presidential debate aired live on CNN.
[snip]
NOTE: Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana GSMM has ranked all of the candidates based on their position on Medical Marijuana. See http://www.granitestaters.com/home/ for a voters guide.
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13. PARENTS SUE OVER DRUG RAID AT SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL
Source: Reuters (Wire) Updated 4:30 PM ET December 15, 2003
(Charleston, SC) Parents of students at a South Carolina high school charged in a federal lawsuit on Monday that their children were terrorized by armed police and drug-sniffing dogs during an illegal search at the school.
The lawsuit stems from the surprise commando-style drug search of 107 students at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina, on Nov. 5.
A widely televised surveillance tape of the raid showed police with guns drawn, handcuffing students with plastic cuffs and ordering them not to move while officers and dogs searched them. No drugs or weapons were found and no arrests were made.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Charleston, South Carolina, on behalf of 20 Stratford High students aged 14 to 18. It accuses police and school officials of violating the students' constitutional rights by conducting an illegal search and seizure, using excessive force, committing assault and battery and subjecting students to false imprisonment.
Officials at the Goose Creek Police Department and Berkeley County School system in South Carolina could not immediately be reached for comment. Police said earlier the raid was prompted by allegations of drug sales on school property.
The lawsuit asks the court to declare the raid unconstitutional, block future raids and award unspecified damages to the students involved.
[snip]
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14. THE TRUTH ABOUT MEDICAL MARIJUANA -- FORUM TRANSCRIPT NOW ONLINE
Four experts on medical-marijuana policy shared their insights at the October 2nd Independent Policy Forum, "The Truth about Medical Marijuana." ...
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15. DR. DONALD ABRAMS RECEIVES FDA APPROVAL FOR FIRST HUMAN VAPORIZER RESEARCH
FDA has approved Dr. Donald Abrams' study comparing cannabinoid blood levels, carbon monoxide levels, and subjective effects in human subjects who smoke marijuana and (at a different time) inhale vapors from the same amount of marijuana in the Volcano vaporizer ( www.vapormed.de ). This historic study will begin in early 2004.
The only remaining milestone that is required before it makes financial and political sense to initiate a major medical marijuana drug development effort is for MAPS to break NIDA's monopoly on the supply of marijuana that can be used in FDA-approved research. We plan to do this either by obtaining a DEA license for the UMass Amherst project (most desirable) or by obtaining a DEA permit to import marijuana from the Dutch Office of Medicinal Cannabis (less desirable). DEA is still leisurely reviewing applications for both of these sources of supply.
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16. CANADA DENIES REFUGEE STATUS TO U.S. MEDICAL MARIJUANA EXILE
Prominent American medical marijuana activist Steve Kubby http://www.kubby.com , who fled the U.S. saying an impending jail sentence would cause his death, has been denied refugee status by the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board. An adrenal cancer patient, Kubby has smoked a dozen joints a day for year, which he says keeps him alive, and would have been denied that medication while serving a misdemeanor sentence in California. But Kubby did not have a well-founded fear of being persecuted or tortured, nor was there any risk to his life if he returned to his home state of California, the board ruled Monday.
He has said he will appeal, but the clock is ticking for Kubby and his family, whose requests for refugee status were also denied. Under Canadian law, he has 15 days to apply to the Supreme Court for a review of the decision, and if the court chooses not to review his case, he and his family would have to leave the country within 30 days.
[snip]
NOTES:
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17. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS MARIJUANA LAW
(Ottawa) The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that possession of marijuana will remain a criminal offence until the government decides to change the law.
The highest court has rejected the appeal of three B.C. men who argued it is unconstitutional to use the law to punish a harmless activity.
The court ruled 6-3 that making marijuana possession a criminal offence does not violate Charter of Rights guarantees of liberty and security of person.
Lawyers for the three B.C. marijuana users - David Malmo-Levine, Chris Clay and Victor Caine - had argued that the government has no right to tell people what they can put in their bodies.
[snip]
NOTES:
See the following links to read the decisions.
**R. v. Malmo-Levine; R. v. Caine
For more articles about the cases, see
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18. NEW CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER TO REVIVE MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION BILL
New Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, who replaced Jean Chretien today, supports Chretien's cannabis decriminalization bill and will allow members of parliament (MPs) to vote on it next month, his spokesmen told reporters in Edmonton, Alberta, Tuesday. But that vote will be a "free vote," where MPs are not bound by party discipline, and enough ruling Liberal Party MPs could vote against it to kill it.
The Chretien decriminalization bill would remove criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana, but would increase penalties for all but the smallest marijuana grow ops. It has received a lukewarm reception from marijuana reform advocates, while exciting opposition from the US government.
[snip]
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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.
All articles are intended for educational purposes and do not reflect an official position, either positive or negative, by the OPN or its Board of Directors.
Ohio Patient Network does not endorse any candidates running for office. The reports of campaign-related activities are for educational purposes only.
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YOU ARE INVITED TO OPN MEETINGS
The OPN Board of Directors invites you to participate in OPN patient forums, which are held at 7:30 p.m. (eastern time) the first Thursday of each month. You are also welcome to attend the weekly OPN business meetings.
These electronic voice/text meetings are held at the OPN chatroom in PalTalk http://www.paltalk.com/ . To receive further information, including instructions for the PalTalk meeting room, contact info@ohiopatient.net .
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HELP THE OPN SUPPORT PATIENTS
The Ohio Patient Network's goal is to provide a voice for Ohio's medicinal cannabis patients and create an environment where this vital medicine becomes an accepted and legitimate therapy. To do this, we need your help.
If you'd prefer, you can also support medicinal cannabis and what we are doing by contributing monetarily to OPN. Please note that the Ohio Patient Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in the State of Ohio. Donations to OPN are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.
If you would prefer to donate by check or money order, please make them payable to the "Ohio Patient Network" and mail to P.O. Box 26353, Columbus, OH 43216.
Thank you for supporting the Ohio Patient Network.
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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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HOW TO BE REMOVED FROM THE OPNews LIST
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HOW TO CONTACT YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATOR
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.
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