New Report Claims ‘New England’ Region Has Highest Rate Of Marijuana Consumption

The northeastern part of the United States possesses the highest rates of self-reported marijuana consumption, according to a new federal government report.

As a region, New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) rank in the top percentile for marijuana use in virtually every category surveyed — including ‘marijuana use in the past year among youths age 12 to 17,’ ‘marijuana use in the past year among persons age 18 to 25,’ ‘marijuana use in the past year among persons aged 12 and older,’ and ‘marijuana use in the past month among persons age 26 or older.’

Other states that consistently ranked in the top percentile of marijuana use in the United States are Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, and Oregon.

Nationally, the study reported “no increases in current illicit drug use occurred in any state” among those aged 12 to 17 between the years 2002-2003 and 2008-2009. The finding rebuffs claims recently made by the Drug Czar and other federal officials that the implementation of statewide medical marijuana laws – most of which were enacted between the years 1998 and 2004 — is encouraging increased use of cannabis and other illicit substances by young people.

A separate study published in June by the Marijuana Policy Project also reported, “[O]f the 13 states with available data, teen use rates have stayed the same or decreased since enacting medical marijuana laws.”

The state-by-state consumption data was compiled from the federal government’s annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which interviewed approximately 138,000 Americans age 12 and over in 2008-2009 on their use of licit and illicit substances.

Full text of the study, “State Estimates of Substance Use and Mental Disorders from the 2008-2009 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health,” is available online from the US Department of Health and Services.

For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500, or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.

R.I. State Police Want Medical Marijuana Grower Information

Photo: Ocean State Cannabis

​The new colonel of the Rhode Island state police wants state health officials to provide law enforcement with information about medical marijuana caregivers if they are targets of criminal investigations.

Col. Steven G. O’Donnell told The Associated Press that being able to verify whether an individual is authorized to grow cannabis at home would prevent unnecessary police search warrants and raids.

O’Donnell claimed it would save money on investigations and protect participants in the state’s medical marijuana program.

Regulations prohibit the Rhode Island Department of Health from publicly disclosing who is authorized to grow medical marijuana, or to use it to treat illness.

Medical marijuana patient advocates said they are not ruling out the involvement of law enforcement, but they want medical information to be kept private.

Medical marijuana is currently grown privately in Rhode Island. Governor Lincoln Chafee put plans for state-licensed dispensaries on hold after receiving a letter from the U.S. Attorney for the state that threatened to prosecute dispensary operators and landlords.

Pastor Indicated For Growing Medical Marijuana in Church

Photo: Ocean State Cannabis

Pastor Erik Johansson: “They killed all our plants in violation of state law”

The pastor of a Rhode Island parish was indicted May 11 on federal charges of conspiracy and cultivating more than 100 marijuana plants — in his church.

Erik Johansson, 48, an ordained minister for Prospect Ministries Inc., was arrested last September after police in Warwick, R.I., executed a search warrant at the church, reports W. Zachary Malinowski at The Providence Journal.

The cops confiscated 183 marijuana plants in several different grow rooms, $565 in cash and other supplies and items used to grow marijuana. Officers said they also discovered an extensive ventilation system to disperse heat and carbon dioxide.

Graphic: Greensboro News-Record

​ The police found two registration cards, dated 2009 and 2010, that allow Johansson to be a caregiver in the state’s medical marijuana program. However, Rhode Island law allows the licensees to grow no more than 24 plants for up to five patients.

Federal mandatory minimums of five years in prison also kick in with more than 100 plants.

Following his arrest, Rev. Johansson applied to open one of Rhode Island’s first medical marijuana dispensaries, to legally sell cannabis to registered patients in the state. The Health Department did not select his group, Rhode Island Compassion Center.

In his application, Johansson complained about his treatment by the police and their decision to destroy his marijuana crop.

“While we were locked up for over 24 hours, they killed all our plants in violation of state law,” Johansson wrote, reports ReLeaf. ”The amount of medicine lost and its effects on our patients has been excruciating. The physical, psychological and emotional effects have been devastating to us.”

“Basically, we assisted people and got them off pharmaceuticals,” Johansson said. “We got them off medicine that was killing them. There was so much demand in the community.”

Johansson’s live-in girlfriend, Lydia Brindamour (preachers get to have live-in girlfriends now? cool), was also arrested. On Monday, she signed an agreement to plead guilty to a federal charge of aiding and abetting Johansson in the cultivation of marijuana.

Johansson faces from five to 40 years in prison if convicted.

He said he is ready to fight the charges in federal court. Johansson said if the case goes to trial, he will have about 15 of his patients take the stand and testify about how his marijuana gave them pain relief.

“There is no way they are going to convict me,” Johansson predicted. “[My patients'] lives have been saved. I don’t want to go to trial, I want to be left alone.

“This is a plant — God’s gift,” Johansson said.

Both he and Bindamour are free on unsecured bond.

States That Allow Medical Marijuana in 2011.

With the new year comes new laws, including those that apply to medical marijuana in the United States. With the rapidly changing social and political landscape more and more states are passing pro-marijuana legislation.

States that approved of marijuana friendly ballot initiatives (orange on the map), but who may not have officially approved marijuana for medical use include Arizona (Prop 203), Vermont (Governor Shumlin helped pass existing MMJ laws), Connecticut (Governor Malloy supports decriminalizing pot), and Massachusetts (all 9 jurisdictions in which the question was asked support taxing and regulating marijuana like cigarettes and alcohol).

On the other side of the table, states failing to move forward in support of marijuana law reform (in gray on the map) include South Dakota, which failed to pass Measure 13, allowing medical marijuana in the state. Similarly, Oregon did not expand their existing laws with lack of support for Measure 74. New Mexico elected a stated anti-marijuana advocate to to post of governor, and in California Proposition 19 did not pass, preventing the legalization of pot in the state.

States that do allow medical marijuana are listed below, and are shown in beige on the map.

As always it is important to remember that marijuana remains illegal federally, and if you use medical marijuana in your state, it is best to consult an attorney who is familiar with the most up to date legal standings. Below you can find the current states that allow medical use of cannabis and what the current law permits.

• Alaska – Nov 3, 1998.
  

  Initiative 8 passed with 58% of the vote and took effect Mar 4, 1999.

  Allows 1 oz usable; 6 plants (3 mature, 3 immature)

  Approved for: Cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy and other disorders characterized by seizures, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other disorders characterized by muscle spasticity, and nausea.

• Arizona – Nov 2, 2010.
  

  Proposition 203 passed, just barely, with 50.15% of the vote.

  Allows 2.5 oz usable; 0-12 plants

  Approved for: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms.

• California – Nov 5, 1996.
  

  Proposition 215 was the first in the country to allow medical marijuana and took effect Nov 6, 1996. SB1449 was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in October and took effect Jan 1, 2011 decriminalizing possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana. Proposition 19 failed to pass, and would have legalized marijuana for personal use.

  The current law allows: 8 oz usable; 18 plants (6 mature, 12 immature).

  Approved for: AIDS, anorexia, arthritis, cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, glaucoma, migraine, persistent muscle spasms, including spasms associated with multiple sclerosis, seizures, including seizures associated with epilepsy, severe nausea; Other chronic or persistent medical symptoms.

• Colorado – Nov 7, 2000.
  

  Ballot Amendment 20 garnered 54% support, and took effect Jun 1, 2001.

  Allows 2 oz usable; 6 plants (3 mature, 3 immature).

  Approved for: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS positive, cachexia; severe pain; severe nausea; seizures, or persistent muscle spasms.

• Hawaii – Jun 14, 2000.
  

  Senate Bill 862 passed the House 32-18, and more narrowly in the Senate 13-12. It took effect Dec 28, 2000.

  Allows 3 oz usable; 7 plants (3 mature, 4 immature).

  Approved for: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, conditions producing cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe pain, severe nausea, seizures, or severe and persistent muscle spasms (multiple sclerosis & Crohn’s disease.)

• Maine – Nov 2, 1999.
  

  Ballot Question 2 legalized medical marijuana, taking effect Dec 22, 1999.

  Allows 2.5 oz usable; 6 plants.

  Approved for: cancer, glaucoma, HIV, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s, nail-patella syndrome, chronic intractable pain, cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe nausea, seizures (epilepsy), severe and persistent muscle spasms, and multiple sclerosis.

• Maryland – 2003.
  

  While technically illegal, the Medical Marijuana Affirmative Defense Law has been in place since 2003. Medical marijuana is considered a mitigating factor in state trials, and the maximum penalty for medical use is a $100 fine.

• Michigan – Nov 4, 2008.
  

  Proposal 1 passed with 63% of the vote and took effect Dec 1, 2008.

  Allows 2.5 oz usable; 12 plants.

  Approved for: “debilitating medical conditions” – cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, nail patella, cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, epilepsy, muscle spasms, and multiple sclerosis.

• Montana – Nov 2, 2004.
  

  Initiative 148 legalized medical marijuana with 65% approval and took effect that day.

  Allows for 1 oz useable and 6 plants.

  Approved for: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, conditions which produce cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms, (multiple sclerosis or Chrohn’s disease)

• Nevada – Nov 7, 2000.
  

  Ballot Question 9/Assembly Bill 453 legalizing medical marijuana passed with 65% of the vote, and took effect Oct 1, 2001.

  Allows 1 oz usable; 7 plants (3 mature, 4 immature).

  Approved for: AIDS; cancer; glaucoma; and any medical condition or treatment to a medical condition that produces cachexia, persistent muscle spasms or seizures, severe nausea or pain

• New Jersey - Jan 18, 2010.
  

  The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act took effect Oct 1, 2010.

  Allows 2 oz usable.

  Approved for: Seizures, intractable skeletal muscular spasticity, glaucoma; severe or chronic pain, severe nausea or vomiting, cachexia, or wasting syndrome resulting from HIV/AIDS or cancer; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), multiple sclerosis, terminal cancer, muscular dystrophy, or inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease. Maybe prescribed for any condition which leaves the patient less than one year to live.

• New Mexico - Apr 2, 2007.
  

  Senate Bill 523 took effect on Jul 1, 2007.

  Allows 6 oz usable; 16 plants (4 mature, 12 immature).

  Approved for: severe chronic pain, painful peripheral neuropathy, intractable nausea/vomiting, severe anorexia/cachexia, hepatitis C infection, Crohn’s disease, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with intractable spasticity, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, and hospice patients.

• Oregon – Nov 3, 1998.
  

  Measure 67 legalized medical marijuana and passed with 55% of the vote and took effect Dec 3, 1998. Measure 74 would have expanded the scope of the existing laws, but failed to pass.

  Current law allows: 24 oz usable; 24 plants (6 mature, 18 immature).

  Approved for: cancer, glaucoma, positive status for HIV/AIDS. Any medical condition or treatment for a medical condition that produces cachexia, severe pain, severe nausea, seizures (epilepsy), or persistent muscle spasms (multiple sclerosis)

• Rhode Island – Jan 3, 2006.
  

  The Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act passed the state House (52-10) and Senate (33-1) with a super majority, enough to override the governor’s veto. Another super majority vote (House 51-12, Senate 28-5) gave the amendment permanent status as state law Jul 21, 2007.

  Allows 2.5 oz usable; 12 plants.

  Approved for: cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, any ailment that produces cachexia or wasting syndrome, chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures (epilepsy), or severe and persistent muscle spasms

• Vermont – May 26, 2004.
  

  Senate Bill 76 (passed 22-7) and House Bill 645 (passed 82-59) went into effect Jul 1, 2004.

  Allows 2 oz usable; 9 plants (2 mature, 7 immature).

  Approved for: Cancer, AIDS, HIV, multiple sclerosis, or a disease, medical condition, or its treatment that is chronic, debilitating and produces severe, persistent.

• Washington – Nov 3, 1998.
  

  Measure 692 legalized medical marijuana passed with 59% of the vote and took effect immediately.

  Allows 24 oz usable; 15 plants.

  Approved for: Cachexia, cancer, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, glaucoma, intractable pain, and multiple sclerosis.

• Washington, DC – 1998.
  

  Medical marijuana was first passed in the federal district in 1998 with a record high vote of a approval coming in at 69%, however funding for the program was blocked by an act of Congress. A new measure was passed in May, 2010 and with the Democratically controlled Congress failing to intervene within 30 days, plans for 8 approved dispensaries are now in progress.

  Allows for 2 oz useable, other forms TBD.

  Approved for: HIV, AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, cancer, other chronic conditions, or medical conditions for which the use of medical marijuana is beneficial (chemotherapy)