Medical Marijuana in the News: 6/16

ASA’s Summary of Medical Marijuana Media for the Week Ending 6/16


ASA IN THE NEWS: Weighing in on San Diego and Bakersfield

WASHINGTON: Patients’ Housing Rights at Issue

NEW JERSEY: Research Initiative Subject of Suit

CANADA: Government Cannabis Program Criticized

OPINION: Federal Prohibition an Assault on Science

CALIFORNIA: Dispensary Policies Evolving



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ASA IN THE NEWS: Weighing in on San Diego and Bakersfield

Expert spokespersons from ASA were in the midst of public discussion this
week on two issues: dispensary monitoring in Kern County and San Diego
County’s suit seeking to overturn state medical marijuana law. In both
cases, ASA is working to protect patients and doctors.



San Diego pot case a go
by Kia Momtazi, San Diego City Beat
San Diego County won a big victory last Friday in its attempt to overturn
Prop. 215, the California law that allows sick people to use marijuana for
medicinal purposes with a doctor’s recommendation.... “We’re confident that
federal law does not preempt [Prop. 215],” said Kris Hermes, legal director
at Americans for Safe Access.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3510



Sheriff's Department proposes ordinance on medical marijuana
by James Burger, Bakersfield Californian
An administrative cocktail of pot, privacy concerns and police powers
stopped the Kern County supervisors in their tracks Tuesday.... Amanda
Brazel, Los Angeles county field coordinator for Americans for Safe Access,
said the collection and retention of patient and business records is
unprecedented and unjustified.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3503



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WASHINGTON: Patients’ Housing Rights at Issue

The rights of medical cannabis patients who rely on public housing or public
subsidy were part of the question before a state court in Washington. The
state judge ruled that because the housing is provided through federal
funds, it is the federal prohibition that applies, not the state law with
which this patient complied.



Judge sides against tenant on use of marijuana as medicine
by Gordon Weeks, Anacortes American (WA)
A judge has dismissed an Anacortes man’s $5 million lawsuit against the
Anacortes Housing Authority, which charged the agency with violating his
family’s civil rights by trying to evict him for keeping two 7-foot snakes
and smoking marijuana for medical purposes on the premises.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3507



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NEW JERSEY: Research Initiative Subject of Suit

A lawsuit seeking to provide for better research is going forward in New
Jersey, where the statre legislature is considering a medical marijuana
bill. The federal prohibition has not only prevented patients from accessing
the medicine their doctors recommend, it has even blocked basic research
that could unlock more of the plant’s potential.



Around NJ: Medical Marijuana Goes to Court
by Bob Groves, The Record (NJ)
Medical marijuana advocates have gone to court to force the state to help
patients participate in research studies on the drug.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3509



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CANADA: Government Cannabis Program Criticized

Health Canada has been under court order to make cannabis available to
patients who need it, and it has created a program for cultivation and
distribution, but many patients complain that it is a difficult program to
use and the cannabis the government provides is contaminated with heavy
metals and of questionable quality.



Medical marijuana still not widely available: report
CBC News (Canada)
The federal government's medical marijuana program doesn't work, the
Canadian AIDS Society said in a report released Wednesday.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3501



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OPINION: Federal Prohibition an Assault on Science

As disturbing as the consequences of the federal prohibition on medical
cannabis has been for patients, its implications for other areas of science
are perhaps even scarier. The public relies on federal agencies such as the
FDA to protect their wellbeing with sound science and honest information.
When health agencies allow politics to drive their policies, we all pay the
price.



The Science of Medical Marijuana Prohibition
by Kenneth Michael White, opinioneditorials.com
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently opined that smoked marijuana
has no scientifically accepted medical uses. The FDA received much criticism
for this decision because in 1999 the Federal Government’s own scientists
concluded that even in smoked form marijuana has medical uses.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3504



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CALIFORNIA: Dispensary Policies Evolving

Santa Cruz stands firm behind their second dispensary; Whittier dispensary
gets a little breathing room; Kern County puts off decision – they are all
part of the continuing evolution of local dispensary rules. Dispensaries
remain a critically important point of access for patients around the state.



Santa Cruz pot shop gets green light
Santa Cruz Sentinel
In a 6-1 vote Tuesday night, the Santa Cruz City Council denied two appeals
aiming to halt opening the city's second medical marijuana dispensary.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3505



Pot center stays - for now
by Mike Sprague, San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Whittier's only medical marijuana dispensary has won a temporary reprieve
from a city proposal that would have required it to shut down within two
years.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3506



Supervisors Delay Marijuana Vote
KERO -TV23 (Bakersfield)
Supervisors delayed a vote to determine whether the sheriff's department can
regulate local medical marijuana dispensaries.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3502



Supervisors set to discuss nurses, medical marijuana
by James Burger, Bakersfield Californian
It's nurses today and medical marijuana on Tuesday. The Kern County Board of
Supervisors will meet to do business the first two days of this week.
http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=3508





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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