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1st Annual Jefferson State Hemp Expo a Huge Success By Keith Mansur Oregon Cannabis Connection The month of august brings many events, but the festival winning best NEW event was the Jefferson State Hemp Expo, organizeed by The State of Jefferson band. Held in Selma, Oregon, the venue was beautiful Lake Selmac on August 27th & 28th. Even the 7,000 acre Oak Flat Fire, only a few miles north east, couldn't keep the attendees away. Although the fire camp providing coverage
information, and of course everything hemp. The bands that performed were great, especially Pato Banton and The New Generation, singing marijuana songs The Frankie Hernandez performed with his band, and involving always supporting the hemp the crowd in and cannabis movement. their jam provided an uplifting vibe. Indubious also played to a very attentive crowd. They got the place rocking and raised the largest roars of the fest. Of course, The State of Jefferson also played, and got a raucous reception. Not only did they organize a great event, they got everyone singing and smoking, and having a great time. Many other performers entertained the crowd the entire time. A beer cart was there provide a selection of beers, including Hemp Ale. A variety of different food vendors provided food and drink, but there was a shortage of coffee in the morning Saturday for the large number of attendees and vendors looking for that morning jolt.
A large crowd filled the provided space at the JS Hemp Expo. Thousands of people shopped, ate and listened to great music
of the fire took over the original location of the expo, there was enough room near the lake to provide space for vendors and people. Erik, the State of Jefferson band, and the rest of their crew did a great job scrambling to provide everything that was needed. No problems arose, and luckily most of the fire crew left on Saturday morning. Starting on Friday afternoon, there were 2 stages providing music all day and into the waning hours of the nights. Camping was provided for vendors and attendees at the site, although campfires were not allowed (obviously). At least 50 vendors were there providing clothing, jewelry, pipes, tye dyes, food and beer, medical marijuana
Erik indicated that over 3,000 attendees had arrived by Friday afternoon, and 5,000 or more attended over the 2 days. He said "were looking for 500 acres for next years fest", so they can provide they space, parking, and amenities they need. More space will definitely be needed if the festival gets a foothold, which is likely here in Southern Oregon. The only minor drawbacks were the portable toilets being a bit full, and people, mostly vendors, awaking in the morning and letting their dogs out to do their morning business where ever they liked. But, Shit happens! I give the JS Hemp Expo kudos for a great event. Looking forward to next year.
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Portland's Hempstalk is Still Going Strong
Cont. from Page 4
By Keith Mansur Oregon Cannabis Connection
reported that Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca said the exact same thing, and just like the Clatsop County duo, presented no facts to support their claims.
The Portland Hempstalk was held this year in Kelly Point Park, where the Willamette and Columbia converge, on September 11th and 12th. As usual, The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation organized the festival and this year moved it to the new location, which allowed substantial parking (though a long walk or shuttle was involved) and plentiful space.
Kelly Point Park, at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette, provided a great venue for Hempstalk.
Although I didn't get an exact count, there were at least 75 vendors there, providing all the usual festival wares, with an addition of hemp, cannabis and marijuana everywhere. The vendors were arranged into "alleyways" named after prominent marijuana activists, such as Keith Stroup, Jack Herer, Willie Nelson, and others. There was an overriding tribute to Jack Herer for the entire event, due to him suffering a heart attack at last year's Hempstalk, and also his passing this past April. One prominent stage provided the entertainment,with bands playing late into Saturday night and speakers interspearsed throughout the day. The bands included The Herbivores, Los Marijuanos, The State of Jefferson, and Folk Uke. Speakers included locals such as Oregon legend Dr. Phil Leveque and Paul Stanford Dr. Leveque is introduced of THCF. A by Bonnie King, publisher few speakers of Salem-News.com travelled quit a distance, such as former Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico, and Robert Platshorn, author of The Black Tuna Diaries. A few speakers pushed Measure 74, many encouraged simply liberating your mind, and all seemed to agree on one thing, hemp is good! The Hemposium tent hosted a number of imformative panels. They covered many subjects, including industrial hemp and our future, cooking with cannabis, and Paul Stanford, Hempstalk organizer, medical – OMMP on stage anouncing Folk Uke 101, and an informative session called "Know Your Rights". The speakers provided information and fielded questions from listeners. The Hempstalk is very popular, and the new venue should be a good location for the event. More shuttles may need to be provided, since there is a very long walk involved, but the overall locale seemed great. I saw no cops and no one was hassled the entire weekend, either. The Hempstalk is still doing well, and getting bigger every year. I will definately return for next years event.
To begin refuting the misinformation we must understand what has been misconstrued as legalization. Apparently the two opponents do not believe the herbal remedy should treat severe pain. To take this position insults over 90% of Oregon Medical Marijuana Patients and 3200 doctors because the vast majority of patients suffer from severe pain, and roughly one third of patients qualify for the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) for more than one qualifying condition. The truth is, Oregon has one of the most strict medical marijuana programs in the nation. Doctors must see that a patient has multiple visits to doctors and specialists and the documentation to prove treatment, not just complaints of pain. Because there is a registry system, doctors are held accountable. The media seems to believe that the 32,614 patients out of 3,825,657 Oregonians, less than 1% of our population, is too many. They never mind the fact that the 32,000 severe pain patients often qualify for another reason besides severe pain. Doctors have to check all that apply. 17,591 other conditions out of 36,380 patients qualify for medical marijuana for other reasons. Cancer is painful. Nausea is painful. Someone with muscle spasms is in immense pain. To question a patient’s diagnosis of severe pain is insensitive and arrogant. The Oregon Pain Management Commission stated in September of 2006 that they believe 20-30% of Americans suffers from chronic pain. Very few of these patients seek to be treated with cannabis. Oregon’s media coverage of medical marijuana is about as effective at covering a recent amputation with masking tape. Oregon media outlets such as The Oregonian, The Mail Tribune, The Bend Bulletin, network television news casts, and Clear Channel radio stations also perpetuate the myth that most OMMP patients are not legitimate. The Oregonian wrote an editorial about Measure 74, calling it a smokescreen to achieve legalization putting patients and medicine in quotes. August 31st on KXL’s Lars Larson Show, John Sajo, co-writer for Measure 74, was asked why there are so many severe pain patients when marijuana has not been proven to be an analgesic, or pain reliever. John responded there are numerous studies like the one published August 30, 2010 by the Canadian Medical Association. This double blind study concluded that smoked marijuana is an effective analgesic, and that marijuana smokers were in better moods and slept better than those who received placebos. Not to be outdone, the Bend Bulletin printed “We don’t need pot dispensaries” September 08, 2010. “Ballot Measure 74 would open Oregon to a torrent of marijuana dispensaries. These are necessary, the thinking goes, because it’s simply too hard for ‘medical’ marijuana users to supply their needs under current law. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.” I suppose no one let me in on their joke. Voters should not let law enforcement and media bought by interests like the pharmaceutical industry decide what medicine a doctor’s recommends. This issue is about Alice Ivany who had never used medical marijuana until after having a horrific industrial accident where she lost an arm and discovered her body did not tolerate pharmaceutical pain medicine. She didn’t know a grower and refused to support the black market. She went 17 months without medicine. The time has come to allow regulated dispensaries. Also, it’s time to let the corporate news go out of business. Sarah Duff is the Assistant Clinic Director for Oregon Green Free Clinical Services and serves on the Board for the Institute for Cannabis Therapeutics
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FOX Affiliate Airs Nation's First TV Ad For Medical Marijuana By Steve Elliott Toke of The Town Sacramento FOX affiliate KTXL, "FOX40," on August 30th ran a paid TV advertisement for a medical marijuana dispensary, thought to be the first time an ad for medical marijuana has ever aired on mainstream television. The 30-second ad, paid for by Sacramentobased CannaCare and produced by KTXL, features patients delivering testimonials on the benefits of medical marijuana, reports Matthew Keys at FOX40 News. Text at the bottom of the screen indicates that marijuana can be used to relieve symptoms of many illnesses, including diabetes, HIV, hepatitis C and hypertension, among others.
National News cannabis -- so there's no reason that broadcast rules applying to recreational substances should be applied to medicine. Marijuana is not shown at all in the TV ad, and the word "marijuana" is never used. Patients interviewed in the ad, along with the narrator, refer to pot as "cannabis." The CannaCare advertisement is likely the first such ad promoting medicinal use of marijuana to ever run on a mainstream television outlet, according to Mike Armstrong, KTXL's acting general manager. "It is a matter of record within the medical community that medical marijuana can have positive results in helping relieve nausea and vomiting among cancer patients receiving chemotheraphy and increasing appetites among AIDS patients," Armstrong said. According to Armstrong, the ad is "no different from that of any medicine" advertised by pharmaceutical companies on local television channels and cable networks for decades. "Like so many other products advertised legally in media, it is a drug," Armstrong said. "When viewers watch the [advertisement] on air, they can see it's simply identifying this as an avenue to take if your doctor thinks it will help you feel better." KTXL said it will air the ad during both morning and evening newscasts, and throughout the day.
Note that in a TV news report from FOX40 , reporter Elissa Harrington manages to miss the point when she compares marijuana ads to alcohol and tobacco ads. Neither alcohol nor tobacco is used for medicinal purposes as is marijuana -- and, of course, neither alcohol nor tobacco use comes with a doctor's legal authorization, as does
"I'm curious what viewers will think about this," said Brandon Mercer, news director at KTXL. "We believe in giving the viewers a strong voice in our news products, and we certainly are going to hear a lot of opinions." Mercer responded with a "no comment" when asked about how he felt about the ad airing during news programs, but later said the station would delve into more details surrounding the ad during KTXL's evening newscast, "FOX40 News at 10 p.m." The CannaCare ad is not running as a public service announcement, but instead as a fully-paid commercial advertisement, according to KTXL. As with most TV ads, the station won't disclose how much it was paid to produce and air the spot. Advertisements promoting marijuana use, or even just promoting a discussion on pot legalization, have come under debate since Facebook decided to stop running "Just Say Now" ads promoting the passage of Prop 19, California's November ballot initiative which would regulate and tax marijuana for adults. Reprinted from Toke of The Town, http://www.tokeofthetown.com - Copyright 2010 The Village Voice
Sidelined Because He Can’t Use the Medicine that Works By Mike Meno Marijuana Policy Project The idiocy of our country’s approach to medical marijuana was on full display for all to see at the Minnesota Vikings training camp on August 19th. Since the age of 10, Percy Harvin, a Vikings wide receiver, has suffered from chronic, debilitating migraines. Luckily, later in life, Harvin found a therapeutic substance that not only relieved his migraines effectively, but also allowed him to play football. It was marijuana. But during last year’s NFL combine, Harvin, a promising prospect, tested positive for marijuana, and was subsequently drafted much lower than expected. The Vikings finally picked him 22nd overall, Image from TOPPS® reportedly after a long talk about his marijuana use, and specifically, how it needed to stop if he wanted to keep playing. Harvin complied, and the migraines didn’t seem to be a problem for much of his breakout rookie season. “Questions about his ability as a receiver seem silly now,” Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated wrote at the time. “The only thing that has slowed him is migraines.” Toward the end of last season, the migraines got worse, and Harvin was sidelined. Except now he wasn’t able to use marijuana to treat them, and nothing else seemed to work. On August 16th, after another stint in the hospital, Harvin was finally back in uniform at Vikings training camp. Cindy Boren of the Washington Post describes what happened next: Harvin, who has battled migraines since he was 10 and sought treatment last year at the Mayo Clinic, had not practiced for two weeks because of migraines, returning to the field only Monday. Suffering another attack Thursday, he managed to return to the field and looked up to the sky to field a punt. He doubled over, vomited and seemed momentarily unresponsive and was taken to the hospital. The scene was so disturbing for players that the rest of practice was called off. If medical marijuana were legal in the United States, and treated like any other legitimate medicine by the NFL, then
C a n n a bi s C o n n e c t i o n Harvin could consult with a doctor about the best way to use marijuana to help relieve these awful migraines. (And anyone who is a migraine sufferer knows just how awful they can be.) More importantly, the Vikings could have a productive wide receiver. Instead, they’re forced to stand by idly as their $1.04 million investment is carted off the field in an ambulance, overcome by pain that could easily be relieved by a safe, non-toxic medicine. How’s that for sensible marijuana policies? Mike Meno is communications director for Marijuana Policy Project, and Scott Michelman is a staff attornet for the ACLU's Drug Law Reform Project.
Widespread Racial Disparities in Marijuana Enforcement in California's 25 Largest Counties By Stephen Gutwillig Drug Policy Alliance The Drug Policy Alliance, the nation's leading organization advocating alternatives to the war on drugs, has released a report that documents widespread race-based disparities in the enforcement of low-level marijuana possession laws in California. Focused on the 25 largest counties in the state, the report finds that African Americans are arrested for marijuana possession at substantially higher rates than whites, typically at double, triple or even quadruple the rate of whites. Further, blacks are arrested for marijuana possession far out of proportion to their percentage in the total population of the counties. According to the report, “Targeting Blacks for Marijuana,” these disparities in marijuana possession arrest rates between whites and blacks cannot be explained by their patterns of marijuana use. U.S. government studies consistently find that young blacks consume marijuana at lower rates than young whites. The report was released to coincide with the official endorsement of Proposition 19, the Control and Tax Cannabis Initiative 2010, by the California State Conference of the NAACP. Proposition 19 will appear on the general election ballot November 3rd. “The findings in this report are a chilling reminder of the day-to-day realities of marijuana prohibition and the large-scale racist enforcement at its core,” said Stephen Gutwillig, California director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “Racial justice demands ending this policy disaster and replacing it with a sensible regulatory Cont. on Page 14
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Failed Marijuana Policies Are a Bi-partisan Boondoggle By Paul Armentano, Deputy Director of NORML Texas Rep. Lamar Smith claims that the Barack Obama administration is "soft" on marijuana. Here’s a reality check. Law enforcement officials prosecuted a near-record 858,408 persons for violating marijuana laws in 2009 – the first year of the Obama presidency. That total is the second highest annual number of pot prosecutions ever recorded in the United States. According to the arrest data, made public in September by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, some 88 percent (758,593 Americans) of those charged with marijuana violations were prosecuted for possession only. The remaining 99,815 individuals were charged with “sale/manufacture,” a category that includes virtually all cultivation offenses.
Does any rational person really think that arresting and prosecuting nearly one million Americans annually for their use of a substance that is objectively safer than alcohol exemplifies a ‘soft’ – or better yet, sound – public policy? Rep. Smith further claims that the administration has abdicated the enforcement of federal drug laws in the fourteen states that have legalized the physician-supervised use of marijuana since 1996. Not so. Despite promises from the U.S. Attorney General to respect the laws of these 14 states, the September 21 edition of DC’s Daily Caller reports that just the opposite is taking place. In an article entitled, ‘DEA, DOJ stay mum on medical marijuana raids,’ reporter Mike Riggs states: “Despite campaign promises to the contrary, the Department of Justice under President Barack Obama and Attorney General
National News Eric Holder hasn’t stopped raiding marijuana dispensaries operating in states where sale of the drug is legal for medical purposes. But the DOJ has demonstrated one marked change now that it’s under Democratic control: The department has stopped publicizing medical marijuana raids, both by requesting that more cases be sealed under court order and by refusing to distribute press releases.” The story goes on to cite details of over a dozen recent federal raids of medical marijuana providers in California, Colorado, Michigan, and Nevada – all states that have approved the cultivation and possession of medical marijuana. Of course, if the stricter enforcement of marijuana laws – as Rep. Lamar advocates – was really the solution to curbing Americans’ appetite for pot then how does one explain this? Since 1965, police have arrested over 21 million Americans for violating marijuana laws; yet according to the World Health Organization more Americans consume marijuana than do citizens of any other country in the world. Congress criminalized the personal use of cannabis in 1937 – and many states, like California and Massachusetts, initially did so decades earlier – yet today nearly one out of two Americans admit to having used the drug (including our three most recent U.S. Presidents), and an estimated ten percent of citizens admit to consuming it regularly. Does Rep. Smith really think that America would be a better place if all of these individuals were arrested, prosecuted, and jailed for their use of a non-toxic herb that was once described by a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration administrative law judge as “one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man?” Rather than scapegoating the new administration, which has done little to alter longstanding U.S. marijuana policy, Rep. Smith ought to reconsider the past 40 years of failed drug war policies – which as the Associated Press reported in March, have cost Americans $1 trillion dollars in taxpayers’ dollars, yet “has failed to meet any of its goals.” It is time to replace failed marijuana prohibition with a system of legalization, sensible regulation, taxation, and education. Paul Armentano is the Deputy Director of NORML. Used by permission from http://blog.norml.com
Page 13 Public at large.
Citizens and Activists Network at the Seattle Hempfest By Perry Stripling, Mercy Centers The Seattle HempFest (SHF), held the third week-end in August, is a unique international network opportunity where over 100,000 people come from around the world seeking hemp goods, tasty food, fine music and information. It is an annual event held in Seattle, Washington, the world's largest annual gathering advocating decriminalization of
Image cour tesy NORML One of the largest crowds ever attended this years Hempfest in Seattle. Some estimates were over 400,000 people during the 2 days.
marijuana. Since 2003, it has been a 2day event, doors open at 10 am and close at 8 pm and it is free to the public. And MERCY – the Medical Cannabis Resource Center – was there. Founded in 1991 as the Washington Hemp Expo, a self-described "humble gathering of stoners" attended by only 500 people, and renamed the following year as Hempfest, it has grown into a annual political rally, concert, and arts and crafts fair. The '92 and '93 festivals were also held in Volunteer Park and were straight-out celebrations of pot culture: the '92 festival, attended by 2,000, featured two sinsemilla plants on the stage. The 2008 Seattle Hempfest set a new record for attendance, topping 310,000 people. Now 20 years old, Seattle Hempfest boasts a terrific lineup of speakers and bands on five stages, and a cornucopia of stoner-themed products and food at the many vending booths. This year's event was dedicated to Jack Herer, who passed away in April. SHF enables Activists and Organizations (non-profits) to utilize this opportunity as well as commercial Vendors, and combined they offer an abundant set of Resources as well as Info. There were hundreds of booths along with MERCY providing bounty and variety whether one is a dedicated Hempster or just Jane/Joe
Information is mainly why folks come to the MERCY booth. For example, MERCY had promotional items - hats, tshirts, coffee mugs - but the bulk of our activity was information exchange that is HelpDesking and Networking. Helpdesking starts with, basically, listening to the people on issues surrounding getting their card, finding medicine now, finding a grower for the long-term, growing themselves and/or others, medicating, changes to the Program and other scenarios faced by the community. We then research and provide info on these matters as they apply, not just locally, but nationally and beyond. Networking means communicating with other Activists and Organizations about the issues their people are going through and the related solutions. The Seattle Hempfest gives us the opportunity to conduct this activity on a regional (northwest), national and even global scale as we even get a few Canadians among other countries - every now and then. Myrtle Edwards gets crowded quickly and it's slow going moving from stage to stage in the long, narrow park. But not to worry: bongs and a wide variety of glass are readily available and smoking is tolerated by the few police assigned to the events. Check it out and spread the word. And we’ll see you there, third week-end in August. Perry Stripling is a Business Consultant, Systems Architect, Artist and Cannabis Law Reform Activist who is Secretary of Willamette Valley NORML and Volunteers as President of MERCY - the Medical Cannabis Resource Center, in his spare time.
Image cour tesy Stoney Gir l Gardens
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Racial Disparity Cont. from Page 12 system that redirects law enforcement to matters of genuine public safety. Proposition 19 is California’s exit strategy from its failed war on marijuana.” Led by Queens College sociologist Harry Levine, researchers studied arrest records from 2004 through 2008 in California’s 25 largest counties, home to about 90 percent of the state's population and almost all of the state's African Americans. Highlights of the report include: In the 25 largest counties as a whole, blacks are 7% of the population but 20% of the people arrested for possessing marijuana. Teenagers and young people age 20 to 29 make up the great bulk –70% to 80% – of all the people arrested for possessing marijuana. These racially-biased marijuana arrests are a system-wide phenomenon, occurring in every county and nearly every police department in California, and elsewhere. The arrests are not mainly the result of personal bias or racism on the part of individual patrol officers. Marijuana possession arrests have serious consequences. They create permanent "drug arrest" records that can be easily found on the Internet by employers, landlords, schools, credit agencies, licensing boards, and banks. “Patrol and narcotics police face enormous pressure to meet arrest and ticket quotas. Marijuana arrests are a relatively safe and easy way to meet them, but they don’t reduce serious crime,” said Prof. Levine, primary author of the report. “However, these mass arrests can impact the life chances of young African Americans, who actually consume marijuana at lower rates than young whites.” The report’s specific findings include: In Los Angeles County, with nearly ten million residents and over a quarter of California's population, the marijuana possession arrest rate for blacks is 332% higher than the arrest rate for whites. Blacks make up less than 10% of L.A. County’s population, but they constitute 30% of the marijuana possession arrests. In San Diego and Orange counties, each with about three million residents, the marijuana arrest rates for blacks are 365% and 221% higher than the arrest rates for whites. In San Diego County, blacks are 5.6% of the population but 20% of marijuana possession arrests. In Riverside and San Bernardino counties, each with about two million people, the marijuana arrest rates for blacks are 265% and 255% higher than the arrest rates for whites. In Riverside County, blacks are 6.6% of the population, but
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C a n n a bi s C o n n e c t i o n
17% of the arrests. In San Bernardino County, they are 9.5% of the population, but 23% of the arrests.
collect no money", then added "nobody would pay that tax. It's a punitive tax, and I think it would be thrown out by the courts."
them online to donate and for updated information at www.cannabistherapyinstitute.com.
Four other heavily populated counties – Santa Clara, Sacramento, Contra Costa, and Fresno – each with a population from just under two million to just under one million, arrest African Americans at double to triple the rate of whites. In Santa Clara County, blacks are less than 3% of the population but 11% of the arrests. In Sacramento County, blacks are 10.4% of the population but 38% of the marijuana possession arrests.
The Colorado Governor Raids Medical Marijuana Fund
Illinois Warming Up to Medical Marijuana
Police in other California counties, even those with relatively few blacks or relatively low rates of marijuana arrests, still arrest blacks at much higher rates than whites. African Americans are arrested for marijuana possession at nearly three times the rate of whites in Solano County, and at three to four times the rate of whites in Sonoma, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco counties. Steve Gutwillig is the California State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance. Reprinted by permission from www.drugpolicy.org/news/pressroom
National News Nugs California Town To Tax Home-grown Pot for Personal Use Rancho Cordova California is having voters decide on a tax on inddor pot grows inside the city. The proposal would impose an annual tax of $600 per square foot, or $900 per square foot for anything larger than 25 Sq Ft. Entitled the Personal Cannabis Cultivation Tax measure, it will appear on the ballot November 2nd. The tax makes no distinction between medical and recreational cultivation, preparing for Proposition 19 a victory on the 2nd as well. Don Duncan, California Director of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), said, "I think that will have the effect of essentially banning legal cultivation." The cost would be prohibitive for most growers, leading to the effective ban. "I don't know anyone who is prepared to pay $600 a square foot," He added. It would cost a resident $15,000 a year to cultivate pot in a 5-foot-by-5-foot growing space indoors. California Director of the National Organization to Reform of Marijauna Laws (NORML),Dale Gieringer, believes the tax to be punitive and unconstitutional. Gieringer said to the Sacramento Bee, "At that level, the city would
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter doesn't like medical marijuana, but he sure likes the tax money that comes from it. Gov. Ritter said on Monday that the state is using $9 million from medical marijuana registrations to help the state meet a $60 million "fiscal emergency." Ritter said the state expects to end the year with 150,000 applicants for medical marijuana licenses, up from 41,000 in 2009, reports The State Column. Colorado marijuana cards cost $90 per year. "I was not in favor of medical marijuana, but I'm also a lawyer and the governor, and I believe in the law," Ritter said, reports Tim Hoover at The Denver Post. "And it's the law in this state." The governor said he believes it's constitutional to use medical marijuana revenues to help balance the budget, leaving only $1 million in the fund collected from cannabis fees. "Ritter's not unlike most politicians in his position," sniffed conservative pundit Shannon Bell at the overweeningly moralistic Rightpundits.com. "When faced with a tough situation (like a $60 million budget gap) they'll abandon principle every time." Last year, Colorado used about $3 million from the medical marijuana fund, reports Bell, who got in a righteous right-wing lather about all that dirty pot money. This News Nugget Reprinted from Toke of the Town, www.tokeofthetown.com copywrite 2010 Village Voice Media.
Child Abuse for Growing Medical Marijuana?
2 caregivers in Colorado we're charged in August for child abuse for growing their medical marijuana plants in the basement of thier home. Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the Colorado District Attorney's office, said "It was pretty clear that the circumstances in that home had put the children at risk". No charges were filed in connection with the grow operation, since the couple are legal medical marijuana caregivers under Colorado law. Local activists are fighting back. Riah McBee of Medical Marijuana Family Advocates Cultivating Truth (MMFACT) said, "The Denver Police are trying to send the message that you will have your children seized even if your medical cannabis is legal under state constitution." She also mentioned " Parents should be very concerned about these perversions of the laws and infiltration into their families [lives]". Cannabis Therapy Institute, a medical marijuana lobbying group, has set up a defense fund. Visit
Medical marijuana is getting closer and closer to becoming a reality to the citizens of Illinois. Illinois House and Senate bills filed in 2009 — titled the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act — both call for a three-year legalization of marijuana for patients who obtain a doctor’s approval and suffer from one of a list of conditions or illnesses. The Illinois Senate bill passed 30-28 last year. And according to State Rep. Lou Lang, could be up for discussion in the Illinois House by January. Lang said he has two choices: he could either bring up the bill for vote during the November and December veto sessions (which would require 71 votes to pass) or bring up the issue in January before the new legislators take their seats in the General Assembly (which would take only 60 votes to pass). “I don’t know how a person who is an elected official can ignore the simple fact that there are people in the world who have tried all other means of getting relief from really debilitating diseases and can’t find the relief needed,” Lang expressed. He also contends he has as many as 90 fellow state representatives who support the measure. But up to this point, only 58 are willing to signify that support with a vote. So it appears that Illinois could very well be one of the next states to endorse medical marijuana in the near future. We at The Weed Blog are hoping for good news coming this November or January, and that those in Illinois who need medical marijuana to help them live with their ailments won’t have to wait long for relief. This Nugget from the weed blog, www.theweedblog.com.
Cannabis Connection
Language of Cannabis: The Endocannabinoid System By Jay Freeman NW Resource Center Inside each and every living being there lies a delicate System, a System so sophisticated and advanced that science and biology missed it for thousands of years and actually labeled it an inactive part of our body. That is, until millions of people around the world started to recognize its benefits and started to really question what was happening when we got “high”. This universal interest led us to the discovery of our bodies own cannabis factory, the Endocannabinoid System. The Endocannabinoid System or ECS is comprised of 3 main aspects. Endocannabinoids, which are cannabis like molecules metabolized all over our body. Receptors, located in the Central (CNS) and Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) to catch these molecules, along with the chemical processes that mediate these actions which has been dubbed the “entourage effect“. Exo-cannabinoids are produced outside the body and usually come from the plant itself and behave in just the same way as endocannabinoids. Both endo and exocannabinoids act specifically on a set of custom built chemical receptors in our body called CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB receptors are part of the biggest family of receptors expressed in the body, G-Coupled Protein Receptors. The signals created and received by our own bodies in response to traumatic injury or pain are the same signals we're aiming
Medical News for when we smoke or ingest cannabis. When our body is in pain or stressed the ECS naturally produces Anandamide and 2-AG, two endocannabinoids that are identical to the cannabis compounds we inhale or eat and act in just the same way. Interestingly, these endocannabinoids aren’t in storage somewhere waiting for activation; they’re produced instantly on demand the moment we need them, sending a chemical cascade of therapeutic treatment all over the body. Anandamide, along with 2-AG and smoked or ingested cannabinoids acts as a messenger to the CB1 and CB2 receptors inside our body and either say "open up" ,"shut up" or “just a little bit” . A signal like 2-AG or CBD can have two completely different effects on the same receptor. This is why the same strain can have different effects on the same person. For instance, small doses of THC can induce a fridge raging craze, whereas high doses of THC can lead to a lack of appetite or reduce the reward experience of eating foods. Cannabis is never this way or that way, she is bi-phasic, meaning she can exhibit different expressions in each person at different times on both end of the spectrum, stimulation or sedation. Indica and Sativa are very generic ways of referring to cannabis and when we stop there, at that level of understanding we opt to miss the most important aspect of cannabis, the fact that she it has been inside us all along since the beginning of time. The cannabis plant is the only plant in the world that can activate and deactivate these receptors, no other plant has this unique characteristic. The way in which these cannabinoids bind to receptors is like that of a perfect synchronicity, a universal match, a perfect acceptance of each other’s chemistry.
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The ongoing research of the Endocannabinoid System by universities, private researchers, pharmaceutical companies and cannabis growers is in a frenzy to discover more receptors, their signals and the processes that mediate their therapeutic values.
Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said at the Third Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics in May 2004 that “we should not think of forgetting as less important than recalling because we must forget or we will be in a constant state of trauma if we did not forget.”
What do we make of this new System, what does all this mean for your cannabis use? Well, I can tell you it's more than just Indica-Sativa or frosty nug and skunky smell. It's much deeper than that, much more beautiful than that. Cannabis and living beings have a true relationship both physiologically and emotionally that cannot be denied any longer. The use of cannabis is doing much more than just getting us high, it's actually talking with our body, through a language, constantly trying to therapeutically treat our pain and discomfort.
The New York Academy of Sciences states that “damage to the hippocampus from stress can not only cause problems in dealing with memories and other effects of past stressful experiences, it can also impair new learning.” Hohmann et. al., contends that PTSD patients suffer from stress induced analgesia, which is when the brain does not allow someone to feel pain, and makes the person withdraw from their memories. Cont. on Page 19
Jay Freeman is the Director of the NW Resource Center in Portland Oregon.
Canadian Researchers Establish Scientific Basis For Medical Use Of Cannabis
Marijuana is Medicine for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) By Sarah Duff Oregon Green Free and Institute for Cannabis Therapeutics Marijuana is medicine in Oregon, but only legal for those that suffer from cancer, HIV/AIDS, cachexia, glaucoma, agitation due to Alzheimer's disease, severe pain, severe nausea, seizures, persistent muscle spasms or any other medical conditions adopted by the Department of Human Services. Sadly for our state’s veterans, and other citizens that have suffered through unspeakable horror, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is not a qualifying condition, in spite of extensive research and a well prepared petition to include psychiatric conditions by Edward Glick, through his attorney, Leland Berger. The petition included the latest scientific research and was supplemented from testimony from dozens of witnesses. The Mayo Clinic defines PTSD as a type of anxiety disorder that is triggered by a traumatic event. You can develop PTSD when you experience or witness an event that causes intense fear, helplessness or horror. Marijuana’s cannabiniods can alleviate the symptoms of PTSD by helping patients forget traumatic memories, extinguish anxiety and prevent depression. All three of those psychiactric conditions are ignored by Oregon’s Department of Human Services. In August of 2004 the Molecular Neurogenetics Group and the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry Kraepelinstrasse published the “Endogenous Canabinoid System Controls Extinction of Aversive Memories” in August, 2004. Their studies of the human endocannabinoid system showed that our brains house endocannabinoid receptors that work to protect us from traumatic experiences and also process the cannabinoids when someone consumes marijuana. Cannabinoids affect our body in the same way that our endocannabinoid system would naturally. Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, Professor at
By Steve Elliot Toke of The Town There's now more scientific evidence for what many patients have known for awhile: Smoking marijuana can ease chronic neuropathic pain and help patients sleep better, according to a team of researchers in Montreal. The new study, published August 30th in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that pain intensity among patients decreased with higher-potency marijuana, reports Caroline Alphonso of The Globe and Mail. The study represents an important scientific attempt to determine the medicinal benefits of cannabis. "A single inhalation of 25 mg of 9.4 percent tetrahydrocannabinol herbal cannabis three times daily for five days reduced the intensity of pain, improved sleep and was well tolerated," the study concludes. "Further long-term safety and efficacy studies are indicated." "We're not saying that this is the final solution for chronic pain management," said lead the study's lead author, Mark Ware, director of clinical research at the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit of McGill University Health Centre. "All that this does is open the door to the cannabinoid being another tool in the toolbox in treating chronic pain," Dr. Ware said. Patients suffering from neuropathic pain often use opioid pain medication, antidepressants and local anesthetics, but all of those drugs have limitations, and the side effects of these substances can rival the conditions they are supposed to treat. Unlike "normal" pain, which results from stimulation of pain receptors in the body, neuropathic pain results from damage to or dysfunction of the central or peripheral nervous system, reports Deborah Mitchell at EmaxHealth. But many politicians and medical personnel have been reluctant to advocate medical marijuana because, even though patients champion its use, there have been calls for more scientific studies. Twenty-one adults with post-traumatic or post-surgical chronic pain took part in the study. They randomly received marijuana at three different strengths: with a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of 2.5 percent, 6 percent and 9.4 percent, and a