Our recent victory in Delaware brought the count of medical marijuana states up to 16.
Today, I’m happy to report that we’re also making incredible progress in other states and — with your support — we will remain on track to reach our goal of making medical marijuana legal in 27 states by 2014.
- We’re raising money to place a pair of medical marijuana initiatives on the November 2012 ballots in Arkansas and Idaho. The Arkansas signature drive has already started, and the Idaho drive will hopefully start in September.
- We’re now just a couple votes short of passing our bill in New York state, and the governor has recently improved his position. We’re ready to re-start our lobbying campaign in Albany as soon as we raise the money.
- In Illinois, our bill fell just three votes short in the state House. We’re now actively organizing to pick up those three votes, and we already have the support of the governor.
- Here in the District of Columbia, the city government will soon be accepting applications from business entrepreneurs who wish to grow and dispense medical marijuana. We’re now so close to having five dispensaries in our nation’s capital!
- In Maryland, the governor just launched a commission to formulate a medical marijuana bill that will be acceptable to key legislators and other powerbrokers, and one of MPP’s staff attorneys has been appointed to that commission.
I’m going to be blunt: MPP will be incurring $100,000 in monthly expenses to keep this “27 states by 2014” strategy on track. But it will be worth every penny.
The Discovery Channel announced today that it will produce a reality series about Oakland’s Harborside Health Center, the nation’s largest medical cannabis dispensary.
“Weed Wars,” scheduled to premiere this fall, “fearlessly pulls back the curtain on a once illegal and still controversial world,” according to a press release issued by Discovery.
In 2004, Oakland became the first city to license medical cannabis outlets. The Harborside Health Center, founded by Steve DeAngelo, serves over 80,000 patients. It recently extended its reach with a second location in San Jose.
In addition to DeAngelo and his staff, “Weed Wars” will follow the journey of the plant itself — from seed germination to harvesting, profiling growers and farmers along the way. “(The show) is a fascinating glimpse into this highly unique setting,” said Nancy Daniels, executive vice president of production and development for Discovery Channel.
Next year, the patent on Marinol—the synthetic version of THC—comes to an end, opening the market for synthetic THC distribution to all takers. Pharmaceutical companies know a cash cow when they see it and they are lining up en masse to produce their version of Marinol.
Sativex, produced by UK firm GW Pharmaceuticals, distributed in Canada and in many European countries and is in stage III trials in the U.S., utilizes naturally derived THC from the cannabis plant in its sublingual spray. A number of pharmaceutical companies have petitioned to use similar naturally derived THC rather than its more costly to produce synthetic version.
This is Big Pharma asking for legal medical marijuana now. With their legions of lobbyists on Capitol Hill and tens of millions of dollars pouring into the re-election war chests of politicians of both political parties, they are likely to get their way.
Now that may not seem fair that patients and small time collective operators get jail and fat cat corporate executives get to rake in billions for doing the same thing, but that’s the way it goes in this country. Giant corporations call all the shots in Washington and with the unfathomable number of deluded Americans enthusiastically supporting the corporate welfare-toting Tea Party pandering legislators, it’s only going to get worse.
Since the amount of money Big Pharma will make on the sale of medicinal marijuana will be directly proportional to the volume of marijuana consumed by patients, what do you think the pharmaceutical companies will do—instruct their lobbyist to seek legislation restricting the sale of marijuana only to people with one foot in the grave or start advertising on TV?
Since there will be no longer be an exclusive patent on producing THC derived medications, no one company can control the distribution and hence charge monopoly prices. With competition from a multitude of pharmaceutical corporations wanting their slice of this new multi-billion dollar pie, good old-fashioned American competition and innovation will drive prices down, down, down.
Of course, the widespread use of marijuana could cost pharmaceutical companies billions in lost sales of analgesics (painkillers), anti-psychotics and sleeping pills. Although these are amongst the most profitable drugs they produce, those loses will be dwarfed by the billions taken in from having total control of the legal marijuana market.
No one knows what form it will be in. Marinol is a pill, Sativex is a spray, but since it is going to be all about money, no doubt some innovative company will find some way to deliver this natural product in its natural form.
To obtain Big Pharma’s marijuana, you will get the old-fashioned prescription from a doctor instead of the new-fangled recommendation. Getting a prescription should be as easy as a getting a recommendation. Like Marinol, marijuana will be a Schedule III drug, which is much less tightly regulated than Schedule II drugs, which require special prescription pads with reporting to the DEA. Doctors hand out prescriptions for Schedule III drugs such as Vicodin like water, so it will be extremely easy to obtain a marijuana prescription from almost any doctor.
Not only will it be easy to get, but your insurance company will pay for the doctor visit. They might even pay for your marijuana. Why shouldn’t they? Insurance companies will save billions on the medications that doctors won’t have to prescribe because their patients have chosen to use marijuana instead.
Another major benefit for patients of having Big Pharma control marijuana distribution would be that since marijuana would be a prescription medicine, it would not be subject to taxes. The onerous prospects of a $50 to $100 per-ounce tax or the current business and sales taxes now being levied on collectives by cash-strapped cities would vanish. Since marijuana can be produced relatively cheaply if it is a legal crop, marijuana would become cheaper than aspirin.
Lanny Swerdlow, RN, LNC, hosts Marijuana Compassion& Common Sense every Monday at 6PM on Inland Empire talk radio station KCAA 1050AM and simulcast at http://www.kcaaradio.com. He can be reached at (760) 799-2055 or lanny@marijuananews.org.
Article from Culture Magazine and republished with special permission
The District of Columbia passed its first milestone in selecting who gets the much-coveted licenses for the city’s medical marijuana program, even as the federal government is taking a second look at its hands-off approach to those who legally grow and sell cannabis under laws allowing its medicinal use.
More than 80 individuals or businesses applied to cultivate or sell medical marijuana through letters of intent submitted to the Department of Health, reports Tom Howell Jr. at The Washington Times. The applicants range from entrepreneurial lawyers and gardeners in D.C., to medical marijuana professionals based in states like Colorado and Montana.
The city is expected to soon kick off its long-awaited program — put on hold by Congress 11 years ago — in earnest, joining 16 states in legalizing the medicinal use of marijuana for qualified patients.
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has approved final regulations for medical marijuana in the District of Columbia.
Democratic Mayor Vincent S. Gray and other D.C. officials were particularly worried about federal interference in their medical marijuana plans, because the District’s laws are subject to Congressional approval and marijuana is still illegal for any purpose under federal law.
A 2009 memo, issued by U.S. Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden, reminded federal prosecutors that “no state can authorize violations of federal law” while at the same time advising U.S. Attorneys not to target patients and caregivers acting in compliance “with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.”
Federal prosecutors for the first two years of the Obama Administration mostly looked the other way in states that had legalized medical marijuana, but a letter from the Department of Justice to U.S. Attorneys across the country last week seemed to signal that law enforcement still plans to go after those who cultivate or sell cannabis, according to a D.C. government source.
The U.S. Attorney for D.C. has not issued any such threatening letters so far, and is “studying the issue to see what input we can provide on the subject,” said Bill Miller, spokesman for U.S. Attorney Ron Machen.
A Congressional rider known as the Barr Amendment had banned D.C. from implementing a medical marijuana program since 1998, when an overwhelming 69 percent of District voters approved legalizing medicinal cannabis there.
The Barr Amendment was finally lifted in 2009, clearing the way for medical marijuana in D.C.
The mayor issued rules in April requiring persons who want to cultivate or sell medical marijuana in the District to send notification by June 17 to the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration, a branch of the city’s health department, ahead of a more formal application.
A host of applicants is vying for the permits for 10 cultivation centers and five dispensaries.
A Freedom Of Information Act request response showed 82 separate applicants for the program, many of them asking for permits to both grow and sell marijuana.
A majority of them — 47 — listed mailing addresses in D.C. in their letters to the health department. Other applicants were from Maryland (18), Virginia (7), New York (3), New Jersey (2), and one each from California, Colorado and Montana.
A few of the out-of-state applicants boasted experience in medical marijuana in states where it is already legal. The health department could not be reached for comment on whether experienced growers and sellers from medical marijuana states would gain preference over applicants originating in D.C.
A panel of five members — one each from the Department of Health, Metropolitan Police Department, Office of the Attorney General, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, and a consumer or patient advocate — will score each of the eventual applications based on a 250-point scale examining criteria such as security and staffing at facilities, overall business plans and the opinions of local Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.
Beyond community approval, marijuana cultivation centers will be tightly regulated on size, a strict 95-plant limit, staffing, lighting and buffer zones between growing centers and schools.
Applicants must be at least 21 years old and may not have been convicted of any felonies or misdemeanor drug crimes.
You tip a waitress don’t you? So why not throw a couple of extra bucks for a person that takes care of your weedy needs? As a Cali MMJ patient, I’m able to frequent any number of collectives in California. It’s nice when I’m traveling within the state to visit a collective and pick up a local strain or bud. One of the local collectives I frequent here in Los Angeles, has had a sign behind the counter saying “Budtender’s Appreciation Day 7-11-11” forever, so I decided to ask what it was all about.
“I don’t really know” was the first answer one of them gave me. I later found out it was a day they had come up with on their own. It got me thinking. BudTenders DO provide a necessary service to MMJ patients and have to put up with a LOT of shit from patients and bosses, so why shouldn’t they have their own day?! . People may “think” a budtender’s job would be the tits having access to so much weed everyday. Wrong-O! Try waiting on people that are finicky, bitchy and abusive for 10 hours a day for pretty humble wages.
We have Secretaries Day so why not Budtender’s Appreciation Day?
If anyone can make this day a reality and a movement for all the budtenders out there, it’s Hail Mary Jane and OUR GREENIES!!
So this July 11th, when you are at your favorite collective picking up your meds, why not surprise your Budtender with a tip, a gift, a hug or just tell them how important they are. Make your Budtender feel special on their day! Remember 4:20 started somewhere too!
Tell them HMJ is showing the love for all Budtenders!
Let’s make “BudTender’s Appreciation Day 7-11-11” a real day!
Amendment Act B18-622was approved in a unanimous vote by the Council of the District of Columbia on May 4,2010; the act, which went into effect on July 27, 2010, removed state-level criminal penalties on the use and possession of medical marijuana by qualifying patients. Eligible patients are required to register with the medical marijuana program to obtain a medical marijuana card. The DC law prohibits home cultivation of cannabis and patients are required to obtain their supplies from DC-monitored dispensaries.
However, there has to date been little progress in the establishment of a medical marijuana program in the District of Columbia and it is unlikely that medical marijuana will be available to eligible patients before 2012. We will, of course, keep you updated.
In the meantime, we summarise the important points below.
Washington DC Medical Marijuana – Eligible medical conditions
HIV/AIDS
Glaucoma
Multiple Sclerosis
Cancer
Chronic renal failure
Any other condition, as determined by rulemaking, that is:
Chronic or long-lasting
Debilitating
Interferes with basic functions of life
Is a serious medical condition for which the use of medical marijuana is beneficial
Cannot be effectively treated by any ordinary medical or surgical measure
For which there is scientific evidence that the use of medical marijuana is likely to be significantly less addictive than the ordinary medical treatment for that condition
You may also qualify as a medical marijuana patient if you undergo any of the following treatments:
Chemotherapy
The use of azidothymidine or protease inhibitors
Radiotherapy
Any other treatment, as determined by rulemaking, whose side effects require treatment through the administration of medical marijuana in the same manner as a qualifying medical condition
Washington DC Medical Marijuana – How to Become a Medical Marijuana Patient (Eventually)
To qualify as a medical marijuana patient in Washington DC, you must:
Be a resident of Washington DC
Have been diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition, or
Be currently undergoing a qualifying medical treatment
Obtain an authenticated written documentation from a Washington DC licensed physician stating that you might benefit from the use of medical marijuana
Must have a bona fide relationship with the physician
Register with the Washington DC medical marijuana program
Obtain a Medical Marijuana card
Washington DC Medical Marijuana – Access to Marijuana and Allowed Amounts
When the program is finally up and running and you have obtained your card you will be required to purchase your cannabis from a District of Columbia registered dispensary. You will be allowed to possess up to two ounces of dried medical grade marijuana.
The medical cannabis bill in Pennsylvania has been stalled in House and Senate committees but some procedural wrangling this week could put the issue back in motion. HB 1653 was first assigned to the House Health Committee chaired by Rep. Matthew Baker. At previous public hearings Baker was a vocal opponent of the measure. Today the bill was re-referred to the House Human Services Committee. This means much better chances that public hearings and/or a committee vote will be be scheduled.
This year the PA bill was also re-named The Governor Raymond P. Shafer Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act. This is to honor the former Republican governor who guided a commission for President Nixon on the topic of marijuana. In 1972 Shafer delivered a report that cannabis should not be classified with other narcotics and that personal possession should be decriminalized. There were also clear considerations about the medical use of cannabis in the report.
Previously the PA House Health and Human Services Commitee was combined and had 26 members. This year the committee was split into two separate entities.
At public hearings held in 2009 and 2010 testimony strongly favored the medical marijuana bill. Seriously ill residents, religious leaders, advocates, doctors and nurses spoke about the benefits of cannabis but the the bill never got a vote.
Patrick Nightingale, a Pittsburgh based attorney who serves on the Board of Directors at Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana (PA4MMJ), said today, ”Critically ill patients throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are begging merely that their voice be heard by their elected representatives.”
“The answer is not to ignore or bury the legislation but rather to give it a full and fair hearing,” Nightingale added.
Dr. Harry Swidler, an Emergency Medicine physician said at the 2009 hearings: “Marijuana is non-addicting. There is no physical dependence or physical withdrawal associated with its use. It is, from a practical standpoint, non-toxic. Marijuana is safer by some measures than any other drug. There is simply no known quantity of marijuana capable of killing a person.”
Derek Rosenzweig of Philadelphia spearheaded the PA4MMJ effort and testified at previous public hearings. He said in an email today: “With the introduction of legislation in the US Congress today that would remove marijuana from the federal Schedule I classification, states such as Pennsylvania may soon be free of federal interference in implementing medical marijuana laws. Activists across the state have been pushing for a vote. Everyone at PA4MMJ has been making phone calls and sending emails.”
For the past few years I’ve had the privilege and responsibility to be a Cannabis Assessor. It is my task or duty to sample medical marijuana for projective buyers. Thousands of dollars change hands based on my opinion of the herb.
My expertise is based on many decades of research and the ability to say what is good in one sitting. I’ve been a judge in a few cannabis cups and there are some who know me as an intelligent, sophisticated snob with a strong sense of separating the diggity-dank from the swag on the spot.
And just like Peter Parker found out from Spidey, I know that with great power comes great responsibility.
Today a regular customer enlisted my services. As always, I am brought blindfolded to someplace in the city where anxious gentlemen with dreadlocks imprisoned in wool caps sit with bulging military duffle bags at their sandals as they wait with prospective dispensary buyers for me, the Ganja Taster to arrive.
Years ago when I started assisting nervous buyers who were unsure of their senses when so much hinges on snap judgments, I dealt with growers more my age. Now the average seller is in his thirties or younger, the grandson of the typical Northern Cali farmer. They hate me. The looks on their faces say right away, “Why in the fuck do we have to get this old geezer’s opinion. We know we got the Shit!”
While most dispensaries have their own people, there’s a lot of shit floating through the City and let’s just say one’s taste buds can get over run by the quantity and quality of buds we’re seeing. That’s where I come in.
Today was different. Today I looked at some of the best bud I’ve ever seen. From the moment the twisties came off the turkey bags, I could tell I was looking at something different.
It was gnarly. It was crispy. I didn’t need anything extraneous like a magnifying glass or light to see that the trichomes glistened like stacked glass balls on a moonlit night. The coloring was perfect with dark reds wrapped tight around lime-green dense tops. Trimmed and manicured in an asymmetrical pattern allowed the buds to jut out like baby Matterhorn Mountains.
One of the seller dudes said the classic hippie retorts, “Smooth, huh?”
That’s what us stoners used to say in the old days when smoking that Mexican rope that we first had in Sixties. After taking a hellacious hit and virtually spitting up a lung, your buddies would taunt you with, ‘Smooth,” while you tried not to lose your cookies.
Today was different. I coughed because I was smoking indoor grown marijuana. After the first drag I said, “This is indoor, right boys?”
I got nothing but big smiles and nodding heads acknowledging validating that the Old Guy might know something after all.
For the most part because of my affection for the part of California called the Emerald Triangle and the philosophies that are involved with that kind of lifestyle, I prefer and have partaken in mostly outdoor grown medicine. More to the point, lately I’ve been partial to rainwater-fed, clean-green grown cannabis. Its part of the slow crawl to the world of organic living that I’m trying to reach. For me, alongside of the food I put into my body, I worry about what I’m smoking.
I am not against indoor marijuana; I grew up in a place where it is winter for nine months out of the year. People will find a way.
All I’m saying that in the last five years, my taste buds have changed and I now can tell the difference between indoor and outdoor. Until today.
The stuff I smoked today was definitely indoor grown, but only the most experience palette is going to be able to tell that. If the sellers were to say it was grown outdoors, by the appearance, density and smell, most buyers would be all over this shit like it came in directly from a field somewhere in Mendo.
But there was that cough. The tell-tale cough that some saw as a sign of its awesomeness. The Cough that becomes like a rodeo ride and you’re a pussy if you fall or try to get off before the bell goes rings. The Cough that says it takes a real man to handle to this shit.
Then after a couple of tokes, I could feel the real ride begin. The roller-coaster ups and downs that many take as being really, really stoned; I took for additives. The juice they add in their gardens to give the buds these days that power-lift that the young connoisseurs are beginning to expect from what they call, boutique bud. The high-end medicine that does exactly what it is supposed to do. Which is to get you higher, more stoned than you’ve ever been.
‘Cause that’s what you want to tell your friends. How good your bud is.
Buds these days are high in THC and will get you higher than anything in the Day did. But is it good?
Do people really know what they’re smoking besides for that fact that they’re getting ripped?
What happens if all stuff that makes you go zoom-zoom is from the deep labs of Monsanto and DuPont and Gro-Master? What if the Ganja Scientists of Green Dank Industries discovered how to make Johnny higher in order to sell that bud?
What happens when you don’t need the Sun anymore?
I will state again. I am not against indoor. I am boycotting the High Times Cannabis Cup this month because it allows only indoor grown pot or else, last year’s not so fresh harvest. I digress about High Times. I make that point because I favor the harvest cups that happen in winter that allow for the outdoor growers. You know the ones that have been supplying the country for the last fifty years.
After today, I think I could be for nuclear energy. I might even be able to be talked into voting Republican. I’ve been converted to believe that indoor marijuana is just as good as outdoor.
The only drawback for me is that carcinogenic thing that comes with even the most “organic”sounding chemicals and that subtle cough that feels like brandy going down the wrong pipe.
The young guns who were selling the beautiful bud guaranteed me that one sure-fire way you can tell if the medicine is good, is that it will make you cough.
END OF STOCK SALE!! All 10*gs are now 8*! Both 8*gs are now 5*!! Don't forget about our edible specials & glass… wp.me/p1r6rh-1bG1 year ago
END OF STOCK SALE!! All 10*gs are now 8*! Both 8*gs are now 5*!! Don't forget about our edible specials & glass specials! Stop by before 10p 1 year ago
Rob Kampia
