Medical Marijuana in the News: 6/2

ASA’s Summary of Medical Marijuana Media for the Week Ending 6/2
a.. SOUTH DAKOTA: Initiative Qualifies for Fall Ballot
b.. FEDERAL: Research Materials Not Up to Snuff
c.. FEDERAL: FDA Debacle Still Debated
d.. FEDERAL: Dispensary Owner’s Bank Box Searched
e.. CALIFORNIA: Federal vs. State Powers at Issue
f.. CALIFORNIA: Patient Concerns Affecting Local Politics
g.. CALIFORNIA: Quantities in Question, Voters’ Intent Not


_____________________________________________

SOUTH DAKOTA: Initiative Qualifies for Fall Ballot
Like their neighbors to the west, the Midwestern states have a tradition of
self-sufficiency and independence that makes them inclined to not just look
critically at the federal prohibition on medical cannabis but to take action
to protect their citizens. Voters in South Dakota will now have a chance to
pass a medical cannabis measure when they go to the polls this fall.



Proposed Amendments: Two More Make Fall Ballot
by Chet Brokaw, Associated Press
South Dakota voters this fall will decide the fate of ballot measures that
seek to boost the tax on cigarettes, allow marijuana for medical purposes,
prohibit an early starting date for school and limit the use of state
airplanes, a state official announced Thursday.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3476



Medical Marijuana: South Dakota Initiative Makes the November Ballot
Drug War Chronicles
South Dakota electoral officials Wednesday certified that a petition drive
to place a medical marijuana initiative on the November ballot submitted
enough signatures to qualify. Sponsored by South Dakotans for Medical
Marijuana, the initiative, if successful, would make South Dakota the 12th
state to pass a medical marijuana law, and the first in the Midwest.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3475



_____________________________________________

FEDERAL: Research Materials Not Up to Snuff
The marijuana the federal government grows to supply the few remaining
medical marijuana patients in its Investigational New Drug program has long
been ridiculed for its poor quality. But as bad as that is for those
patients, it is a whole different issue for researchers trying to understand
the plant’s complexity and potential uses. A professor at UMass is suing for
access to better research materials than the government provides.



Weed control
by Jessica Winter, Boston Globe
Lyle Craker has a number of plants on his mind. An agronomist and professor
in the Department of Plant, Soil & Insect Sciences at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst, he's currently analyzing the active ingredients in
black cohosh, which is used to alleviate symptoms of menopause. He is also
studying goldenseal, a native American plant that shows promise as a
treatment for some skin irritations, and exploring the possibility that
certain Chinese medicinal plants could be cultivated in Massachusetts for
research purposes.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3482

_____________________________________________

FEDERAL: FDA Debacle Still Debated
Yes, the FDA pronouncement denying medical uses for cannabis, despite a
scientific consensus to the contrary, continues to draw comment, though at
this point it is more comment about the comments. Meanwhile, Health and
Human Services still stalls on responding to ASA’s scientific petition
challenging its misinformation.



Medical marijuana: leave choice to patients
by Ernestine Olsen, OpEd, Asbury Park Press (NJ)
I read with interest the opposing views of the medical marijuana issue and
was appalled by the arrogance and smugness of the anti-marijuana commentary
written by David Evans of the Drug-Free Schools coalition. ("Medical
marijuana support not backed by scientific studies,'" May 17.)
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3481



_____________________________________________
FEDERAL: Dispensary Owner’s Bank Box Searched
Despite assurances from the Justice department that medical marijuana
prosecutions would not be a priority after the Raich decision, raids
continue in California. In the latest action, agents searched the private
safety deposit box of a southern California dispensary operator.



DEA searches dispensary's deposit box
by Marie McCain, Desert Sun (CA)
Federal agents, armed with a warrant, searched a safe deposit box belonging
to a Palm Desert medical marijuana dispensary earlier this week, prompting
accusations of harassment from the dispensary’s owner.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3478

_____________________________________________

CALIFORNIA: Federal vs. State Powers at Issue
The attorney who argued Angel Raich’s case before the U.S. Supreme Court,
Prof. Randy Barnett, likes to say that federalism is not just for
conservatives anymore. Issues such as medical marijuana have led many of the
most populous and progressive states to enact laws that put them at odds
with federal policies and legislation. Allowing the states the chance to act
as laboratories of experiment honors longstanding constitutional principles
and provides for growing popular consensus.



Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Immigration, and Medical Marijuana
by Kenneth Michael White, opinioneditorials.com
Where is Gov. Schwarzenegger on the state's conflict with the federal
government over medical marijuana? Why hasn’t he prevented California’s
resources from being used by the Federal Government to criminalize medical
marijuana? Why hasn’t he asked the Bush Administration to recognize
federalism when it comes to medical marijuana?
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3477



Medical marijuana protest comes down to federal-state question
by Robert McCockran, Times-Herald (CA)
About a dozen medical marijuana advocates held an orderly protest Wednesday
in front of the Solano County courthouse, saying local law enforcement has
been ignoring state law and arresting patients for having marijuana.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3479



_____________________________________________

CALIFORNIA: Patient Concerns Affecting Local Politics

When the attitudes of public officials are at odds with public opinion,
there is often a political price to pay, and the issue of medical cannabis
is no different. It may not be at the top of the political concerns for all
voters, but many voters recognize that candidates’ positions on protecting
patients say a lot about their underlying attitude toward their
constituents.



Mayoral race frets backers of pot clinics
by Matt O'Brien, ANG Newspapers
Medical marijuana proponents consider the Hayward mayoral election one of
the "crucial" political races in California this Tuesday, though both
mayoral hopefuls beg to differ.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3474



_____________________________________________

CALIFORNIA: Quantities in Question, Voters’ Intent Not
The judge in this case was right to note that the state law in California
does not explicitly limit the amount of cannabis a patient or caregiver may
grow or possess. But he arguably erred in then setting fixed amounts for two
patients who came before him, and he certainly defied the intent of the law
when he sentenced each to jail time.



Judge issues advice with sentences in medical marijuana cases
by Rebecca Wolf, Red Bluff Daily News
Superior court judge Dennis Murray attempted to clarify the medical
marijuana laws that he called ambiguous in two separate cases Tuesday.

http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3480





___________________________________________________________
FOR MORE MEDICAL MARIJUANA NEWS
Previous News Summaries are archived. The complete text of all these
articles and more is available by clicking the links on the article
headline. You can also see the latest news for the week by selecting "News
Articles" under the Press Room menu at http://www.SafeAccessNow.org.

A national coalition of 25,000 patients, doctors and advocates, Americans
for Safe Access is the largest organization working to secure the rights of
patients and doctors to use marijuana medicinally. To learn more, see
http://www.SafeAccessNow.org