3/3 NORML E-Zine

NORML E-Zine
Volume 8
Issue 9
FMarch 3, 2005

The NORML E-Zine is a free weekly compilation of major news items
regarding marijuana policy. Text of archived stories is available on
NORML's website at:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3442
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TOP STORIES

Today's topics:

* US Appetite For Illicit Drugs Is World's Largest
* Company Accelerates Plans For US Approval Of Medi-Pot Spray
* Canada Offers Tax Break To Medical Cannabis Patients
* Australia: ACT Limits Cannabis Cultivation

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US Appetite For Illicit Drugs Is World's Largest, UN Report Says
NORML Director Calls For A "Regime Change" In US Drug Policy
Vienna, Austria: The United States is the "world's single largest
market" for illicit drugs, according to findings published this week in
the United Nations 2004 Report of the International Narcotics Control
Board (INCB).
The report further states that "the rate of drug abuse in the US
remains disturbingly high" despite federal and state governments spending
approximately $40 billion annually on illicit drug prevention efforts.
NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre called the UN's findings an
"indictment" of US criminal drug policy. "The United States spends more
money than any other nation to enforce its criminal drug policies, and
incarcerates a greater number of its citizens than any other nation for
anti-drug offenses, yet it remains the world leader in illicit drug use
and drug production," he said. "These disastrous results speak to the
need for an immediate 'regime change' in US drug policy."
Regarding US cannabis production, the INCB report states that US law
enforcement eradicated approximately 3.3 million cannabis plants in 2002
(excluding ditchweed), and that an estimated 2,500 tons of marijuana is
grown in the United States annually.
"A more rational US drug policy would cease arresting and prosecuting
the estimated 25 million Americans who use cannabis responsibly, and
instead call for taxing and regulating the use of marijuana by adults in a
manner similar to alcohol," St. Pierre said.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive
Director, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the 2004 INCB report is
available online at: http://www.incb.org/e/ar/2004/menu.htm

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Company Accelerates Plans For US Approval Of Medi-Pot Spray
Salisbury, United Kingdom: British biotechnology firm GW
Pharmaceuticals announced this week that it is accelerating plans to seek
US regulatory approval for its oral spray Sativex, a whole plant medicinal
cannabis extract containing precise doses of the cannabinoids THC and
cannabidiol (CBD).
According to published reports by Reuters News Wire, the company has
retained the services of the Apjohn Group, a 10-member organization
consisting of former US pharmaceutical company executives specializing in
US clinical drug development, regulatory affairs, and public policy. The
company is also considering applying for an Investigational New Drug (IND)
application from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In clinical trials, Sativex has been shown to reduce cancer pain and
MS-associated spasticity, among other symptoms, in patients unresponsive
to standard therapies.
Last December, Health Canada issued a "Qualifying Notice" for the
approval of Sativex for the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with
Multiple Sclerosis. However, British regulatory approval for the drug has
been delayed after an advisory body of the British Medicines and Health
products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced late last year that it
required further clinical evidence of Sativex's ability to alleviate
MS-associated spasticity in a "clinically relevant" manner.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre or Paul
Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500 or visit: http://www.gwpharm.com

____________________________________________________
Canada Offers Tax Break To Medical Cannabis Patients
Ottawa, Ontario: Canadians who buy cannabis for medicinal purposes
will receive tax relief under the nation's 2005 proposed budget,
introduced yesterday.
According to a review of the budget published by the Toronto Star,
patients who purchase medical cannabis from Health Canada or a designated
grower will now be eligible for Canada's 16 percent medical expense tax
credit. Canada is believed to be the first nation to offer tax relief for
medicinal cannabis users.
Under current law, qualified Canadian patients may legally possess and
grow medicinal cannabis and/or purchase it from the government. Last
year, Health Canada announced that it was also considering a pilot program
to make government grown cannabis available in pharmacies. A similar
federally run program has been in existence in the Netherlands since 2003.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre or Paul
Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.

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Australia: ACT Limits Cannabis Cultivation
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: The number of marijuana
plants that citizens may legally cultivate in the Australian Capital
Territory (ACT) will be reduced from five to two, under statewide
legislative changes taking effect this weekend. The changes amend the
ACT's Simple Cannabis Notice Scheme, which decriminalizes the use and
possession of minor amounts of cannabis.
Other changes to the ACT's law include an increase in criminal
penalties for the sale of commercial quantities of cannabis, as well as a
ban on the cultivation of "hydroponically grown" marijuana.
Possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis and/or the cultivation of up
to two marijuana plants will remain a non-criminal offense. In 2004, the
ACT Legislative Assembly enacted new legislation allowing for farmers to
commercially grow hemp for industrial purposes.
In recent years, several Australian territories - including Western
Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Victoria - have
adopted similar marijuana depenalization policies.
For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul
Armentano at (202) 483-5500.

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NORML Media Watch
NORML was featured prominently in several media outlets this week,
including The Columbia Daily Tribune, The Emory Wheel, and City Beat. To
read these articles or about other NORML media appearances, check out
"NORML in the Media" at:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5481

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