NORML Video Blog Times

FDA rejects medicinal use of marijuana

2006-04-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Agency contradicts scientists, jumps into a political struggle

By GARDINER HARRIS
THE NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that "no sound scientific studies" supported the medical use of marijuana, contradicting a 1999 review by a panel of highly regarded scientists.

The announcement inserts the health agency into yet another fierce political fight.

Susan Bro, an agency spokeswoman, said that the statement resulted from a past combined review by federal drug enforcement, regulatory and research agencies that concluded that "smoked marijuana has no currently accepted or proven medical use in the United States and is not an approved medical treatment." She said that the FDA was issuing the statement because of numerous inquiries from Capitol Hill but would likely do nothing to enforce it.

"Any enforcement based on this finding would need to be by DEA, since this falls outside of FDA's regulatory authority," she said.

Opponents of efforts to legalize marijuana for medicinal uses suggest that marijuana is a "gateway" drug that often leads users to try more dangerous drugs and become addicted.

But the Institute of Medicine report concluded that there is no evidence that marijuana acts as a "gateway" to harder drugs. And it said that there was no evidence that medical use of marijuana would increase its use among the general population.

Dr. Daniele Piomelli, a professor of pharmacology at the University of California-Irvine, said that he had "never met a scientist would who will say that marijuana is either dangerous or useless." He said that studies clearly show that marijuana has some benefits for some patients.

"We all agree on that."

YouTube - 60 Minutes Prince of Pot - Mark Emery

2006-03-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

YouTube - 60 Minutes Prince of Pot - Mark Emery: ""

Transcript: The Prince of Pot

60 Minutes Web Site: Video/Transcript/Links and more

Alan Young Peace Summit 2 Speech - Google Video

2006-02-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

Alan Young Peace Summit 2 Speech - Google Video

Alan Young's speech at the Peace Summit in Toronto.

This is Marc Emery's speech at the Peace Summit.

This a well-spoken medical patient talking about the problems associated with having her medicine considered illegal.

This is Renee Boje at the protest

Here is Marc at the protest

YouTube - Legalize it

2006-02-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

Hempcar.org-Press

2006-01-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

Hempcar.org-Press: "If you're driving on the interstate this summer (2001) and you smell a strange odor don't worry: You're not having a flashback and that isn't a 'doobie' you smell, it's Hempcar! The exhaust won't 'catch you a buzz' but the car is creating one amongst hemp activists and environmentalists. It's a car powered by hemp seed oil and it will be touring the country to promote drug-law reform and environmental fuel technologies.

Grayson Sigler and Kellie Ogilvie created the project to demonstrate the utility of hemp to car crazy Americans. They are embarking on a 10,000 mile journey around the continent beginning in Washington D.C. on July 4, 2001. 'We've been pleasantly surprised by the attention the car is getting,' says Ogilvie. 'The website is starting to take off and we're getting a lot of support from the hemp industry.' " (more)

NOTE: Seeking HempCar videos...

Sam's Journey Animation - NORML

2006-01-09T12:05:00.000-08:00

NORML and the NORML Foundation are proud to announce the release of our first major Internet viral animation project. It¹s called Sam's Journey.

I think you¹ll enjoy this funny and poignant 90-second animation and will want to forward it on to ALL of your like-minded friends, family and co-workers. In fact, the only way the project can be successful is for you to pass the animation around.

Please don't Bogart Sam's Journey. Pass it around, and as always, thanks for the terrific support you provide NORML!

Rhode Island just became the 11th state to legalize medical marijuana so this year is already shaping up to be a dynamic one for marijuana law reform.

YouTube - SNL - The Chronic of Narnia Rap

2005-12-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

YouTube - SNL - The Chronic of Narnia Rap: ""

Comments

- This is especially funny if you live in NYC. Magnolia does have some damn tasty cupcakes. And of course everyone sneaks food into the theater... At $10+ per ticket, who wouldn't? For me, this is more a spoof on a typical nerdy/lame NYC Sunday rather than a rap spoof. (This video is almost exactly how my weekend went, including the debate about internet map sites). Bravo!

- Best SNL skit since Will Farrell's cowbell sketch.

NOTE: The Chronic of Narnia Rap was created by the Bing Bong Brothers

Reefer Madness - Now Available for Video iPod Download

2005-12-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, propaganda is so blatant, and so obvious, that it is impossible to take serious. Take the 1938 movie "Reefer Madness", for example.

A title that perfectly suits the movie, but not in the way it was perceived when this piece of propaganda was released.

A "reefer" is a spliff, or a joint. A "marihuana cigarette". And this movie is all about the dread marihuana, as they call it in the movie. And there's just too much madness in the movie.

Smoking weed is presented as the reason for a 16 year old boy to kill his entire family, for example. During the entire movie you're being presented to an extreme version of all the prejudice there is against marihuana.

Reefer Madness is a movie with players and a script. It's not a documentary. And that makes it an invaluable piece of comedy, even though it is never intended as such. But aren't these things the most funny, in some way?

The story is located in a little town. You're being introduced to a group of friends. They're being tempted into marijuana use.

As soon as they smoke a little bit, they completely change. One -ofcourse under the influence of marijuana- causes a car accident. You'll even witness a sexual assault caused by a few draws from the reefer. And murder.

A young man smokes a joint, and then loses all self-control which makes him rape the girl. the girl resists and the boy shoots her dead. Or didn't he? In court, he's found guilty and death sentence is put on him.

In another scene, the police enters the house of someone who is under the influence of marijuana and as a result kills the policeman. All the while, his girlfriend laughs her brains out...

This unintentional comedy shows the reefer madness. The people who believe that this great comedy really isn't a comedy at all. They would perfectly agree with this scene, where a judge sentences someone to a "house of the criminally insane" for the rest of his life on the basis of marijuana use.

And that's the true reefer madness.

However, there are some really great scenes, some great acting, and the story-line has some nice angles. (blog comment)

Jeff Steinborn

2005-12-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.: ""

Jeff Steinborn's talk at NORML's 2005 Key West Legal Seminar.

Hammer of Truth - Marijuana No Longer the Key Gateway Drug

2005-11-28T09:23:00.000-08:00

Hammer of Truth - Marijuana No Longer the Key Gateway Drug: "Not only might one argue that Viagra is frequently abused by people taking it for recreational use, but it also leads to more dangerous activities. The strength of the DEA argument against marijuana has always rested on the distortion fact that marijuana is a gateway drug. Viagra is much more of a gateway drug, as it is not only associated with the use of hard (no pun intended) drugs, but it also leads to such things as marital enhancement for those with erectile dysfunction and the restoration of healthy sex lives for our elderly. Like marijuana, it must be outlawed today before our society slips into further decay."

Comments

According to U. S. District Judge John L. Kane in: “The New Prohibition: Voices of Dissent Challenging the Drug War” edited by Sheriff Bill Masters, our so-called war on drugs began with the passage of the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914.

Back then, all types of recreational and self-medicating drugs were legally available on grocery store shelves for pennies per dose, with no questions asked. Back then, about 1.3 percent of our adult population were addicted to drugs.

Back then, the term “illegal drugs” didn’t exist. Back then, the term “drug related crime” didn’t exist either. Neither did drug lords or even drug dealers as we know them today.

Today, after 90 years of fighting our so-called drug war, we still have about 1.3 percent of our adult population addicted to drugs.

And in the process, we have completely wasted more than a trillion dollars and become the most incarcerated nation in the history of human civilization.

More

Drug Policy Reform Conference Long Beach November 10-12

2005-11-19T08:23:00.000-08:00

Halcyonpink and TassPink, Southern California video bloggers, interview a cross section of convention goers about mainstream media's drug coverage.

WATCH VIDEO (WMV, 22meg)

Full screen version available on VEOH Networks

Mark Levine's Radio Inside Scoop: This Bush Crony Has Blood on His Hands!

2005-11-18T08:35:00.000-08:00

This Bush Crony Has Blood on His Hands!
(broadcast stream) (.mp3 download Right-click,"Save Target as","Save")

THE INSIDE SCOOP on George W. Bush's Former Ambassador to Italy, Melvin Sembler, who ran a teen drug rehab center where thousands of American teens were physically and mentally abused in horrific, degrading ways.

Guest: Reporter John Gorenfeld

Comment Excerpts

I was a victim of straight inc in Sarasota Florida. I wish I could call in tonight but I have to work.

If I could have called I would have stated that these abuses have NOT STOPPED there is no regulation of these type of "mal"treatment centers and the directors need only grease the palms of the republicans and they are protected. HMM Hush money, Bribery? Does this smack of racateering?

Another point I think should be made is that "OPRAH" did an entire show on STRAIGHT in the 80s and the admin numbers jummped. To this day "OPRAH" has NEVER made an attempt to amend or take any responsability for being dupped into the STRAIGHT GAME.

And another point is that Alot of kids who left STRAIGHT and went into STATES CUSTODY were questioned and then hidden out of state during the investigation of the 80s. I was hidden in Devereux GA just 25 mins. from the ATLANTA program. As a matter of fact Kristen Stottelmeyer who came from Atlanta and was a victim of straight and also a victim of Devereux Killed herself. Alot of kids from the VA and Atlanta programs have attempted suicide, What the hell went on up there! I remember JR and SR staff from Sarasota were sent up there to start the program and I was threatened to be sent there. My mother tried to enrole my sister there 3 years after I escaped, It was by the grace of God that she was spared the heinous treatment I and all the other victims suffered.

It seemed the more Straight got away with the more they did to hurt us.

I hold the STATE OF FLORIDA RESPONSIBLE along with all members of STRAIGHT Staff Directors Parents and volunteers. Any one who says "They didn't know" are FULL OF SHIT! there were reports, children bloodied AND bruised, hospital records when we were lucky enough to be brought to the hospital. I was brought there once to SARASOTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, Penny I forget her last name and Lisa Ringland accompanied me with a couple of other straightlings My shoulder was dislocated after being sat on for hours it is in the hospital report somewhere, I told them of the abuses at STRAIGHT, My mother was a nurse there. YET I WAS SENT BACK TO STRAIGHT.

Another STRAIGHTLING then LIFER Mary Azadian has stated that she would tell the truth about me being bloddied she remembers and she is a PRO LIFE/Straight person. try to find and talk to her. You see it was a terror camp a gulagh a time in my life that I wish I could forget but instead is burnt into my memory FOREVER. And every day I remember more.

Thank you for having the courage to expose STRAIGHT FOR WHAT IT WAS AN AMERICAN GULAGH KINDER JUGEN A TORTURE CAMP paid for by our parents and sponsered by the state and federal government.

Posted by: samantha monroe at November 10, 2005 01:06 PM

Thank you for doing this story. I was in Straight Dallas in 1989 for 5 months. I had smoked pot one time a year before. I was screamed at constantly, told that I was lying about everything, that I was a drug addict and that I was full of shit. I lived in fear of being stood up and confronted for god only knew what...whatever they decided to make up that day. I didn't understand what was happening, and I was too young to consider that the people running that place were crazy. I eventually "came to believe" (as in the the 2nd step I believe) that I was a drug addict. I grew to be in constant fear of being full of shit, fake, prideful, of thinking of running away (which was also against the rules), of singing any songs in my head, of looking the wrong way during raps. I learned how to lock up all of my "wrong" thoughts into a little box and keep them there. That place was deplorable and how it could stay open and have spin offs in operation even today is something I just can't even fathom.

Posted by: jane at November 12, 2005 12:34 AM

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CRRH's Hemp TV video archive: documentaries about cannabis

2005-11-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

Documentaries

SAN FRANCISCO / Supervisors OK S.F.'s first rules on medical pot / Compromises allow neighbors' input, limits on sales

2005-11-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO / Supervisors OK S.F.'s first rules on medical pot / Compromises allow neighbors' input, limits on sales: "San Francisco's first-ever medical marijuana regulations, approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors, will allow most of the city's 33 dispensaries to stay open while limiting the amount of pot a patient can buy and giving residents a say in where the clubs can operate.

The new rules, pushed through by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, appeared stalled at City Hall just a few weeks ago. An earlier version of Mirkarimi's legislation would have forced the closure of many clubs. He faced criticism from pot club advocates and fellow Supervisor Chris Daly that the ordinances would have limited access for about 8,000 medical marijuana patients registered in San Francisco. At the same time, Mayor Gavin Newsom and his political allies expressed serious reservations about clubs' selling marijuana near schools.

But after a flurry of amendments, Mirkarimi's critics changed their tune, and Tuesday supervisors voted unanimously to approve his legislation on a first reading of the ordinances. Medical marijuana advocates hailed the vote. " (more)

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > North County -- Man, 38, faces three years in jail on medical pot conviction

2005-11-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > North County -- Man, 38, faces three years in jail on medical pot conviction: "VISTA - A 38-year-old man faces the prospect of spending three years behind bars after being convicted of three drug charges in what is believed to be North County's first medical marijuana-related trial.

An eight-man, four-woman jury found yesterday that Dean Childers had more marijuana plants in a rented Fallbrook home than allowed under California's voter-approved Compassionate Use Act.

Childers was found guilty of possession of marijuana for sale, cultivation of marijuana and possession of more than 28.5 grams of the drug. He faces about three years in prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 14." (more)

Colorado State Collegian - Alaska legalized marijuana first

2005-11-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

As a student and daily reader of the Collegian it deeply disturbs me that on the front page of an issue of your paper that an (article) would be completely false and nearly devoid of fact. And that the writer of the (article) obviously did not research this as well as it should have been.

The city of Anchorage, Alaska as well as the whole state of Alaska would be the first to legalize possession and use of marijuana in 1975, a decision by the state Supreme Court. It was re-criminalized in 1990 but recently overturned, making pot legal. On a lesser note several other cities have de-prioritized possession of marijuana essentially making it legal to possess. Those cities are Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.; Amherst, Mass.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Madison, Wis., among other places.

This can all be verified here

(more)

Unofficial - NORML PSA

2005-11-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.: ""

Drug Policy Alliance: Building a Movement for Reason, Compassion and Justice: Pictures

2005-11-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

Drug Policy Alliance: Building a Movement for Reason, Compassion and Justice: Pictures: "Photo Gallery of the November 9th reception. Westin Hotel Long Beach, CA.

From left to right: Leah Rorvig, Alliance Director of Publications; George Zimmer, CEO of the Men's Warehouse and longtime supporter of drug policy reform; California Assemblyman Mark Leno; and Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Alliance.

Drug Policy Alliance Conference Blog - Long Beach Conference - First Impressions

Medical marijuana ID cards come with uncertainty

2005-11-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

DailyBulletin.com - News: "JOSHUA TREE - One hundred dollars, a chronic medical condition and a note from a doctor can get you free reign to possess and use marijuana.

Just don't get too happy -- Federal law trumps California's.

That's the lesson people learned in Joshua Tree on Thursday as public health officials announced future compliance under Senate Bill 420 and the issuance of a possible 7,000 Medical Marijuana ID cards.

Passed in 2003, the law imposed statewide guidelines outlining how much medical marijuana could be grown and possessed.
It also required the state's Department of Health Services to establish a voluntary medicinal marijuana patient registry and issue identification cards to qualified patients.

Individual public health agencies are responsible for issuance of those cards.

'The card is really going to be a driver's license-type in that it will be valid throughout the state of California,' said Jim Felten, the county's public health director during the special meeting organized by the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project.
The group has chapters in San Bernardino and Riverside counties." (more)

Bill Maher - NORML 2002 Conference

2005-11-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

Bill Maher Speech Transcript (Excerpt)

11 I mean, the problem with this drug
12 is complacency. It's not that it's too hard
13 to get. It's too easy. Let me quote you
14 Mr. Redman ---- magazine. He said, "Yeah, I
15 used to think let's legalize it so I could
16 smoke all day, but damn, I smoke all day
17 now." And that's the problem is that the
18 government is so ineffective, inconsistent,
19 and it lulls us into this sense of
20 complacency and we forget about the people
21 who really are suffering, who are arrested
22 for it. (read more)

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Traverse City, Ferndale voters favor medical marijuana

2005-11-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

Traverse City, Ferndale voters favor medical marijuana: "TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- Laura Barber says she's convinced good will come from a newly approved city ordinance instructing police to go easy on those who use marijuana for medical purposes, although critics dismiss it as a worthless gesture.

'I believe in my heart that it will have an effect,' said Barber, executive director of the Coalition for Compassionate Care, which led the petition drive to get the measure on the local ballot.

Her 32-year-old husband, Matthew Barber, was convicted of possession last year. Laura Barber says he uses marijuana to relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis. " (more)

Santa Cruz Okays City-run Medical Marijuana Distribution

2005-11-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

Santa Cruz Okays City-run Medical Marijuana Distribution: "The city council of Santa Cruz, California on Tuesday passed for the second time an ordinance paving the way for the nation's first-ever government-run medical marijuana distribution program. A portion of the ordinance would hold off enactment until federal courts resolve current cases dealing with the issue.

Under the measure, the Santa Cruz city government will set up an Office of Compassionate Use that will handle procuring and storing marijuana and dispense it to 'qualified patients' under California's nearly ten-year-old Compassionate Use Act. A council-appointed five-person board, made up of at least two approved medical marijuana users or caregivers and two medical professionals, will oversee the office's actions and report back to the council." (more)

SignOnSanDiego.com > Supervisors sue state over medical pot law

2005-11-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

SignOnSanDiego.com: "SAN DIEGO - Rather than wait to be sued for refusing to follow state medical marijuana laws, the county Board of Supervisors is going to force the issue by suing the state first.

The supervisors voted in closed session Tuesday to challenge the law that requires counties to provide identification cards to medical marijuana users exempting them from criminal prosecution.

"The focus is on whether or not the state mandate is legal" County Counsel John Sansone said after the meeting. "The argument would be that the state legislation is pre-empted by federal law."

The dispute is over Proposition 215, passed by the voters in 1996, and a follow-up measure by the state Senate in 2003. The laws permit users of medical marijuana to show identification cards that would keep them from being prosecuted under state laws." (more)

SignOnSanDiego.com > Oregon court hears case on medical marijuana in the workplace

2005-11-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

SALEM, Ore. – An attorney for Columbia Forest Products Inc. argued before the Oregon Supreme Court that voters who approved the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act never intended to force companies to let employees come to work with the drug in their systems.

But Philip Lebenbaum, an attorney representing a mill worker who was fired after failing several drug tests, told the justices Monday that his client's medical condition left him legally disabled, requiring his employer to make reasonable accommodations for him in the workplace under the Oregonians with Disabilities Law.

The case pits an employer's right to ensure a safe workplace against a worker's right in Oregon to use marijuana at home to treat pain. It started in 2001, when Robert Washburn was fired from the company's mill in Klamath Falls after several failed urine tests.

Washburn had a state-issued card allowing him to use marijuana to ease neck and muscle pain that disrupted his sleep. Washburn, who said he used the drug at home, sued the company, claiming it should have made an allowance for his disability.

A circuit court dismissed the lawsuit, citing a provision in the state medical marijuana law that employers don't have to "accommodate the medical use of marijuana in the workplace." (more)

Colorado State Collegian - An Interview with The Weasel About Ganja

2005-11-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

I know the legalization of cannabis (let's see how many different terms I can use today) is a high-priority grassroots issue for Coloradans (pun intended). With this in mind, I decided to write a column about the issue after interviewing a prominent member of the weed community here in Fort Collins who smokes "copious amounts of ganja" and also happens to be a good friend, known as the "Weasel."

I asked the Weasel about his thoughts on I-100 and the legalization of marijuana and he thought the I-100 measure would do little to help legalize marijuana other than making the issue a hotly discussed topic right now. The initiative hasn't done much more than that, because although the voters in Denver have spoken, state laws supersede city laws. Denver police will continue to write citations for the petty offense.

On the issue of the actual legalization, the Weasel said the hypocrisy at hand is that the state looks down on cheeba, but has no problem with alcohol. Indeed the I-100 campaign even raised these same talking points about being high versus being drunk.

The Weasel asserts being high is different for everyone, but it's not near as debilitating as being drunk. He also told me the government clearly has an alternate agenda with pot because of the propaganda they put out against the substance. (more)

By Tyler Whittman

Rocky Mountain News: Editorials: City must enforce state pot law

2005-11-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Rocky Mountain News: Editorials: "The decision by Denver voters to legalize the possession of a small amount of marijuana is more symbolic than real: Only 36 adults were charged last year under the now-defunct city ordinance prohibiting possession.

Meanwhile, 1,565 were charged under the state law, which remains intact.

But Mason Tvert, the executive director of the group that put the initiative on the ballot, insists Denver authorities should respect voter wishes and stop charging anyone under the state law, too.
'Right now,' he told one reporter, 'there are city officials denying the will of voters who put them in office, and I think that's disturbing.'

We understand Tvert's frustration, but the matter is not as simple as he makes it out to be. Yes, prosecution of even the state marijuana charges in Denver is left almost exclusively to city attorneys, who for such cases are deputized as special DAs. The regular district attorneys are too busy pursuing more serious crimes. In theory, the mayor could order Denver attorneys simply to stop pursuing such cases.

But it would be unwise for him to do so, for three reasons. " (more)

Rocky Mountain News: I-100 author smokes foes

2005-11-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Rocky Mountain News: Election: "It's not even noon and Mason Tvert already has hit seven television and five radio news shows in his post-election victory lap as the architect behind an effort to make Denver the first U.S. city to legalize adult marijuana possession.

Tvert has drawn international coverage by turning the tables on the drug war.

He calls marijuana the "safer alternative" for society and criticizes the "hypocrisy" of elected officials who condemn pot while condoning alcohol use, despite studies showing that alcohol fuels deadly violence, car wrecks and abuse.

He even hounded Denver's super-popular, brewpub-owning mayor, John Hickenlooper, to debate - a challenge the mayor ignored." (more)

By Alan Gathright
Rocky Mountain News

Pot considered 'murder weed' in 1937

2005-11-05T07:31:00.000-08:00

Rocky Mountain News: Election:

"On Oct. 2, 1937, in the somewhat shady Lexington Apartments at 1200 California St. in Denver, Samuel R. Caldwell became the first person in the United States to be arrested on a marijuana charge. Caldwell, a 58-year-old unemployed laborer moonlighting as a dealer, was nailed by the FBI and Denver police for peddling two marijuana cigarettes to one Moses Baca, 26.

If you're wondering why it took the U.S. government so long to bust a pot dealer, it's because until the Marijuana Stamp Act was passed - on you guessed it, Oct. 2, 1937 - cannabis wasn't illegal. Certainly, it had been vilified in newspapers with headlines such as 'Murder Weed Found Up and Down Coast: Deadly Marijuana Plant Ready for Harvest That Means Enslavement of California Children.'

Neither was it deemed as some benign recreational drug by the nation's law enforcement hierarchy.

Harry J. Anslinger, for example, commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, was a vociferous foe of cannabis. In his book, Assassin of Youth, he labeled marijuana "dangerous as a coiled rattlesnake," and anguished, "How many murders, suicides, robberies, criminal assaults, holdups, burglaries, and deeds of maniacal insanity it causes each year, especially among the young, can be only conjectured."

So great was the government's indignation over marijuana that it didn't seem to matter that, as McWilliams points out, "Marijuana is not even a narcotic."

And so, today, as proponents of Denver's Initiative 100 celebrate, it seems only fitting that they should perhaps pause, take a deep breath, and reflect upon the sad saga of Sam Caldwell." (more)

By James B. Meadow,
Rocky Mountain News

Assassin Youth - The Movie

Evidence reveals genuine health potential for cannabis

2005-11-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

Evidence reveals genuine health potential for cannabis: "Recent research and public opinion make a strong case for the legalization of medicinal and recreational hemp, or marijuana.

Denver residents voted 54 percent in favor of an ordinance decriminalizing city hemp laws, letting citizens possess up to one ounce, according to The Associated Press.

This is the latest in a hard-fought battle for changes in federal hemp policy, particularly the Angel Raich case over medical marijuana. Her case went to the Supreme Court in June, back-firing, with the high court saying local and state laws do not trump federal laws.

Denver residents did not negate state and federal laws by passing the city ordinance.

Recreational support relies on public opinion, but medicinal support weighs heavy on scientific analysis. Medical studies conducted in Canada by the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Calgary build a case for legalizing both forms of usage."

cbs4denver.com: Pot Users Say Initiative 100 Is Just The Start

2005-11-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

Access Video:

"DENVER Pot users were celebrating the passage of Denver's Initiative 100 Wednesday by lighting up a joint.

The initiative allows adults to possess small amounts of marijuana in the city. It passed Tuesday 54% to 46%.

Local authorities said the passage really means nothing. Marijuana is still illegal in Denver and all of Colorado under state law.

Denver police said they will still ticket pot users and dealers under that state law.

Bob Malamede is a Colorado professional who admits he likes to smoke pot. He's a biology professor at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

'I started smoking marijuana when I was 16-years-old, which is when I went to college,' Malamede said.

Malamede was a big fan of Initiative 100." (more)

FOXNews Denver Coverage

2005-11-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

Fox news coverage on Denver's new reformed marijuana law.

WATCH VIDEO

Denver Is First City to Legalize Small Amount of Pot - Los Angeles Times

2005-11-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

Story Excerpts

Denver on Tuesday became the first city in the nation to wipe out all criminal and civil penalties for adults caught possessing a small amount of marijuana.

The ordinance is more radical than pro-marijuana measures approved over the years in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and half a dozen college towns across the country. Most of those initiatives decriminalized marijuana for medical use, or replaced criminal penalties with small fines or directed police to make enforcement of marijuana laws a low priority.

Denver, by contrast, erased adult possession as an offense entirely.

In one stunt last month, (Mason) Tvert dragged a mock corpse in a body bag to City Hall and surrounded it with jugs from Wynkoop Brewery — which is owned by Denver's mayor, John W. Hickenlooper. He then piled bags of Doritos in a heap nearby. His point: Alcohol abuse can kill you. Marijuana gives you the munchies.

City officials reacted angrily to such tactics, warning that pot was a "gateway" to more dangerous drugs. They accused Tvert of confusing the public by using campaign signs that read "Make Denver SAFER." (The group's acronym stands for Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation.) Tvert insisted people understood his message.

"Success breeds success," said Paul Armentano, senior policy analyst with the pro-marijuana group NORML. "I think you'll see this campaign used as a model."

Even Hickenlooper, who opposed the measure, said he thought the vote might prove a bellwether.

"Peoples' attitudes [about marijuana] are changing," the mayor said. "We have one of the youngest populations of any city in the nation, so it makes sense that attitudes here might be changing faster." (more)

Press Release: Denver Votes To Abolish Pot Penalties

2005-11-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

Denver, CO: Denver voters yesterday approved a city-wide measure to eliminate all civil and criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by citizens age 21 and older.

Fifty-four percent of voters decided in favor of I-100: the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative. Campaign proponents, SAFER (Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation), argued that local laws should treat the private adult use and possession of marijuana in a manner similar to the private adult use and possession of alcohol, and that its use by adults should not be subject to criminal penalties.

"While cannabis is not harmless, its potential risks to the user and to society do not warrant the blanket imposition of criminal prohibition any more than alcohol's relative risks justify re-instituting alcohol prohibition," said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre. "Yesterday's vote illustrates that most Americans do not support arresting 750,000 Americans a year for minor marijuana offenses, and that they would prefer that society address cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol."

Last fall, voters in Oakland, California approved a similar ballot initiative that sought to "tax and regulate the sale of cannabis for adult use."

Next week, voters in Ferndale, Michigan will decide on Proposal D (Read Story), which seeks to "exempt" patients from local criminal penalties if they use medical cannabis under a physician's supervision.

Traverse City, Michigan voters will decide on Proposal 3, which would require police to make the prosecution of medical cannabis patients the town's "lowest law enforcement priority."

A Telluride, Colorado municipal proposal (Question 200) that sought to make "the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of marijuana offenses ... the town's lowest law enforcement priority" failed yesterday by 24 votes.

For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500.

Denver Votes to End Marijuana Prohibition

2005-11-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

Denver Votes to End Marijuana Prohibition: "In a vote expected to reverberate nationwide, Denver today became the second major U.S. city in less than a year to pass a measure aimed at replacing marijuana prohibition with policies designed to treat marijuana in a manner comparable to alcohol, passing I-100 by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent, with 83 percent of precincts reporting. A similar measure won by a wide margin in Oakland, California, in November 2004.

I-100 makes possession of less than one ounce of marijuana non-punishable under Denver city ordinances. The I-100 campaign, organized by Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), built its effort around the large volume of scientific evidence indicating that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol, America's most commonly used recreational drug. The initiative's language puts the city on record in support of treating private, adult use and possession of marijuana 'in the same manner as the private use and possession of alcohol.

'A few years from now, this vote may well be seen as the proverbial 'tipping point,' the beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition in the U.S.,' said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. 'Replacing the failed policy of prohibition with common-sense taxation and regulation of marijuana has become a thoroughly mainstream issue, with the voters of two major U.S. cities endorsing such an approach within one year. Even the Denver Post, which opposed I-100, said in its editorial, 'We think it probably would be preferable for the state and federal governments to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana use.'" (more)

cbs4denver.com: Relaxed Pot Law Wins In Denver

2005-11-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

cbs4denver.com: Relaxed Pot Law Wins In Denver:

ACCESS VIDEO

"We educated voters about the facts that marijuana is less harmful to the user and society than alcohol,' said Mason Tvert, campaign organizer for SAFER, or Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation. 'To prohibit adults from making the rational, safer choice to use marijuana is bad public policy.'

Bruce Mirken of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project said he hoped the approval will launch a national trend toward legalizing a drug whose enforcement he said causes more problems than it cures.

He said government regulation -- and taxation -- of the drug would halt clandestine growing operations, make it more difficult for teenagers to obtain marijuana and free space in prisons." (more)

Resource

Denver LiveJournal Community Discusses Relaxed Marijuana Law

Denver passes pot issue

2005-11-02T06:10:00.000-08:00

DenverPost.com - POLITICS: "Denver residents Tuesday voted to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, but the state attorney general said the vote was irrelevant because state law will still be enforced.

PHOTO: SAFER Director Mason Tvert appeared on the local FOX station before the election.

The measure passed 54 percent to 46 percent.

'It just goes to show the voters of Denver are fed up with a law that prohibits adults from making a rational, safer choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol,' said Mason Tvert, executive director of Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, or SAFER.

The measure will change the city's ordinance to make it legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana in the city. " (more)

WONDERS OF CANNABIS - Ed Rosenthal - October 28 to 30, 2005

2005-10-30T07:30:00.000-08:00

Seeking video clips (5 minute max) from WONDERS OF CANNABIS in San Francisco this weekend.

Rick Steves Key Note Speaker At Wonders of Cannabis

2005-10-30T07:24:00.000-08:00

Fairfield firefighters get hefty federal grant for fitness training: "Travel writer and public television star Rick Steves is in the Bay Area this weekend with a special tip: Lay off marijuana smokers.
'
Steves, whose European guides have made him a near-household name in the Bay Area, is also a board member of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He'll be making an address in that role at this weekend's Wonders of Cannabis Festival in Golden Gate Park.

'Society has to make a choice to tolerate other lifestyles or build more prisons,'' Steves told us in a phone interview from his Seattle office.

Citing what he called the 'European perspective,' Steves said decriminalizing weed doesn't necessarily mean that use goes up. "

Denver Considers Easing Marijuana Laws

2005-10-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

Denver Considers Easing Marijuana Laws: "DENVER -- The nickname Mile High City could soon have an entirely new meaning.

Denver voters will decide Tuesday whether to make it legal for adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. Seattle, Oakland, Calif., and a few college towns already have laws making possession the lowest law enforcement priority.

Supporters in Denver have launched a "Make Denver Safer" campaign that contends the change will help curb domestic violence.

"There's no doubt that if people choose to use marijuana instead of alcohol we would not have the same number of problems," said Mason Tvert, the 23-year-old campaign organizer.

The argument has angered local officials.

"It's a deceptive and deceitful campaign," said Councilman Charlie Brown, who spent a recent Saturday night ripping the signs down from parks and medians _ where they are banned _ and throwing them in the garbage. "Domestic violence is not on the ballot. Alcohol is not on the ballot. Marijuana is on the ballot."

A "yes" vote probably won't make much difference. The city attorney's office said Denver police will simply file marijuana possession charges under state law, which carries up to a $100 fine and a mandatory $100 drug-offender surcharge." (more)

Hartford Drug Conference of October 21 & 22, 2005

2005-10-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hartford Drug Conference 10/21&22/05

Several of NORML's Board Of Directors spoke at the Hartford Drug Conference which was coordinated by NORML Boardmember Cliff Thorton.

Listen To Sessions

Sessions 1&2
Sessions 3&4

Red Ribbon rappin'

2005-10-28T06:59:00.000-07:00

Red Ribbon rappin':

photos by Pico Van Houtryve/THE PRESS-TRIBUNE Gates Elementary fifth-graders, from left, Sidney Raey-Gonzales, Tess Wenning, Andrew Greenblatt and Audrey Farris perform a "say no to drugs" rap during a Red Ribbon Week assembly Monday.

"If you want kids to learn about the danger of using drugs, leave it up to the big kids.

They won't just teach - they'll rap.

'You're too smart to start, listen to your heart, you know you've got to think, before you take a drink, yo,' recited Sidney Raey-Gonzales, one of four Gates Elementary fifth-graders who performed a 'Drugs Away - You've Got the Power' rap for the school during a Red Ribbon Week assembly Monday afternoon.

Gates Elementary, like many other schools across the country, is observing Red Ribbon Week with events aimed at promoting drug- and alcohol-free lifestyles.

'I think the emphasis is the awareness piece so the students will make healthy choices,' explained Janet Handley, Gates principal.

'Too Smart to Start' is this year's red ribbon theme, and it was acted out, rapped and pledged in an event led by Gates' three fifth-grade classes." (more)

NOTE: It is ironic that the Carpe Vino wine store's animated ad is featured in this anti-alcohol article.

Cannabis and Tobacco Smoke are not Equally Carcinogenic

2005-10-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

More people are using the cannabis plant as modern basic and clinical science reaffirms
and extends its medicinal uses. Concomitantly, concern and opposition to smoked
medicine has occurred, in part due to the known carcinogenic consequences of smoking
tobacco. Are these reactions justified? While chemically very similar, there are
fundamental differences in the pharmacological properties between cannabis and tobacco
smoke. Cannabis smoke contains cannabinoids whereas tobacco smoke contains nicotine.
Available scientific data, that examines the carcinogenic properties of inhaling smoke and
its biological consequences, suggests reasons why tobacco smoke, but not cannabis
smoke, may result in lung cancer. (more)

cbs4denver.com: Pro-Pot Billboards Go Up, Without Image (Access Video)

2005-10-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

cbs4denver.com: Pro-Pot Billboards Go Up, Without Image: "The group behind the pro-pot initiative on the Denver ballot has changed its controversial billboards.

The old one that had been scheduled to debut on Monday showed a battered woman, suggesting that if pot were decriminalized, there would be less domestic abuse resulting from alcohol. Those billboards were yanked, and the new billboard which has gone up carries the same message, but without the picture.

'We believe that if adults were provided with the alternative to use marijuana instead of alcohol, then we could cut back on quite a number of the incidents that occur,' marijuana use supporter Mason Tvert said.

Opponents say the group's entire ad campaign is deceptive, especially the Vote Yes yard signs that say 'Make Denver Safer.'" (more)

cbs4denver.com: Vet In Med Marijuana Flap Jailed

2005-10-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

cbs4denver.com: Vet In Med Marijuana Flap Jailed: "An Army veteran who fled to Canada to avoid prosecution for growing marijuana to treat his chronic pain was yanked from a hospital by Canadian authorities, driven to the border with a catheter still attached, and turned over to U.S. officials, his lawyer says.

He then went five days with no medical treatment and only ibuprofen for the pain, attorney Douglas Hiatt said.

Steven W. Tuck, 38, was still fitted with the urinary catheter when he shuffled into federal court for a detention hearing Wednesday, Hiatt said.

'This is totally inhumane. He's been tortured for days for no reason,' Hiatt said. " (more)

DEA Briefs & Background, Drugs and Drug Abuse, Drug Descriptions, Drug Trafficking in the United States

2005-10-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

"Marijuana is the most widely abused and readily available illicit drug in the United States, with an estimated 11.5 million current users. At least one-third of the U.S. population has used marijuana sometime in their lives. The drug is considered a 'gateway' to the world of illicit drug abuse. Relaxed public perception of harm, popularization by the media and by groups advocating legalization, along with the trend of smoking marijuana-filled cigars known as 'blunts,' contribute to the nationwide resurgence in marijuana's popularity.

The Internet also contributes to marijuana's popularity. Websites exist that provide information and links extolling the virtues of marijuana. These sites provide forums for user group discussions, post documents and messages for public discussions, and advocate the 'legal' sale of marijuana. Several web sites advertising the sale of marijuana and providing instructions on home grows have also been identified."

WATCH VIDEO - Administrator Karen P. Tandy Red Ribbon video address

Protesters Call for Medical Marijuana Use

2005-10-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

"Americans for Safe Access protested in seven U.S. cities yesterday asking the Department of Health and Human Services to take marijuana off the 'dangerous drugs' list or face a lawsuit. Twenty-five protesters showed up for the Washington D.C. rally while two hundred gathered in San Francisco. Hillary McQuie with Americans for Safe Access wants marijuana taken off the government's list of Schedule 1 drugs.
'Schedule 1 is reserved for drugs that are addictive, highly dangerous, and have no medical use. That does not describe marijuana at all.' " (more)

WNDU-TV: News Story: National Red Ribbon week celebrated with hats - October 25, 2005

2005-10-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

"It's National Red Ribbon week, and one local elementary school is saying 'hats on', to raise awareness for the anti-drug campaign.
Students at North Liberty Elementary were allowed to wear hats to class Tuesday.

Most took advantage of the opportunity, sporting hats of all shapes and sizes." (more)

WATCH VIDEO: Medical Marijuana - About WAMM

2005-10-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

Medical Marijuana - About WAMM: "WAMM has emerged as a unique model, a patient self-help alliance, and an alternative to the inflated prices of an illicit black market. Need rather than financial capability affirm the inherent value of medical marijuana. A handful of seriously ill patients has grown into a collective membership of more than 250 seriously intentioned citizens"

Active in education and research, we provide data regarding our findings. Information collected since 1993 regarding the efficacy of different marijuana varieties and measured effects on different symptoms is the basis for our study. I have recently completed a second paper, Differential Effects of Medical Marijuana Based on Strain & Route of Administration: A Three-Year Observational Study, peer reviewed and published in 2001. Our financial support is entirely dependent upon donations and funding.

In 1973, Valerie Corral (left) was in an automobile accident that left her so severely epileptic. She often suffered from m five seizures a day, She began using marijuana as an adjunct medicine. This treatment replaced a rigorous pharmaceutical regimen. With deliberate application and mindful monitoring, marijuana was to eventually become the sole medication that has controlled her seizures for well over a decade.

WATCH VIDEO

Santa Cruz proposes medical marijuana department

2005-10-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz proposes medical marijuana department : "Some city leaders want to sell medical marijuana to ill residents by creating a new department within the city: an Office of Compassionate Use, with a five-member advisory commission and the capacity to archive patient records.
The office would provide the drug to people suffering from serious illnesses who have a note from their doctor.
'I see it as a real opportunity to do something that can help people,' Councilwoman Emily Reilly said Monday.
The city has long struggled with balancing strict federal marijuana laws with looser state and local laws.
'It's really a shame we should be in this position,' Reilly said. 'The people in this state made it clear medical marijuana is something we want.'" (more)

NOTICE: Seeking video blogger to cover this story.

Erowid Cannabis (Marijuana) Vault

2005-10-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Informational Resource Site

Erowid is a member-supported organization providing access to reliable, non-judgmental information about psychoactive plants and chemicals and related issues. We work with academic, medical, and experiential experts to develop and publish new resources, as well as to improve and increase access to already existing resources. We also strive to ensure that these resources are maintained and preserved as a historical record for the future.

Red Ribbon Coalition and National Family Partnership Themes

2005-10-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

RRW Theme: "2005 Red Ribbon Theme: Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Each Other emphasizes the idea that each of us must first commit to taking care of our own wellbeing and then we must reach out to others who might need some support. "

The Red Ribbon Coalition Website was created by ICDP in 1999 to assist school site prevention coordinators (parent, teacher and student volunteers) who are responsible for developing and hosting Red Ribbon Celebration activities at their school or in their community.

National Family Partnership Red Ribbon 2005 Theme

Why do two organization have different themes for the same thing?

Good News for Red Ribbon Week: U.S. Schools Massive Drug Prevention

2005-10-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Good News for Red Ribbon Week: U.S. Schools Massive Drug Prevention: "Millions of people are expected to join in Red Ribbon activities this week. According to Peggy Sapp, president of the National Family Partnership, - Red Ribbon Week is our way of reminding adults that drugs continue to pose a serious threat to our Nation and to the world.'

Results from the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reveal this to be true. 3.8 percent of youths aged 12 or 13 reported current illicit drug use, increasing to 21.7 percent amongst 18 to 20 year olds for the same period.

"A student with real knowledge of the dangers of drugs will make the difference," says Tony Bylsma, Director of the Narconon Drug Prevention programs in California, who will personally give presentations to over 3,800 kids in schools this week. "Red Ribbon Week has to be effective and we have to start young. A student truly educated about drugs is the only one who can make up his own mind on the subject." (more)

NBC 6 News - Helicopter kicks off Red Ribbon Week at local school

2005-10-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

Watch Video

"Some Waco elementary students got a big surprise Monday. McLennan County Sheriff's deputies arrived at Parkdale Elementary School in their helicopter as part of National Red Ribbon Week.

The deputies talked to the kids about staying away from drugs and alcohol.

Deputy Bob Summers says, 'We try to give a positive message. So many times the kids receive negative images in the media and other places that they see the negative effects. We want to show them what positives there are from having a good healthy lifestyle.'

Students are encouraged to participate in the D.A.R.E. program or drug abuse resistance education. About 3,000 McLennan County fifth graders graduate from the program every year. "

D'Alliance: Meth Today, Bongs Tomorrow

2005-10-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

D'Alliance: "This is a little late, but last week NPR's media-critique show 'On The Media' did a good segment on sloppy drug war journalism, especially when it comes to the 'next big drug scare' phenomenon. Nick Gillespie, editor-in-chief at Reason magazine who is interviewed for the segment, isn't afraid to name names, or at least newspapers and magazines, when it comes to especially bad drug war reporting. You can listen to the show archive here." (more)

Transcript Excerpt

BOB GARFIELD: - "this is what happens when you fool around with Mary Jane" kind of quality to it. And I guess we as reporters should be embarrassed about that. But where's the harm?

NICK GILLESPIE: Well, there's a lot of harm in this. First off, if you have hysterical over-reporting, both on the part of law enforcement and the media, everybody turns off. A great example of this is the Tennessee District Attorney's Association has a website called "Meth is Death," which they put up recently. I mean, this site is linked to prominently by the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, so it's giving it its imprimatur on some level. But this Meth is Death site says that one in seven high school students will try meth. Okay? And follow the kind of math on this. One in seven high school students will try meth; 99 percent of first-time meth users are hooked after just the first try, and only five percent of meth addicts are able to kick it and stay away. (more)

Red Ribbon Week

2005-10-24T05:59:00.000-07:00

The Moberly Monitor-Index Online: "The 2005 celebration of National Red Ribbon Week is October 23-31, 2005. Communities and students across America are coming together to commit themselves to live drug-free lives. It is very important to the men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to join with others to support eh goals and dreams of our children and to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice made by Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena on our behalf.

National Red Ribbon Week serves as a tribute to Special Agent Camarena who was brutally tortured and murdered by drug traffickers in Mexico. In honor of Camarena's memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. The National Family Partnership organized the first Nationwide Red Ribbon Campaign in 1988. Since that time, the campaign has reached millions of U.S. children. Over 80 million Americans are expected to participate in Red Ribbon events this year." (more)

During Red Ribbon Week, the school is decorated and each class is given large ribbons to sign and tie on a tree as a pledge to "Say NO to Drugs". The students are given bracelets and rewarded with licorice each day for wearing them. - 2004 Olive Elementary School

What does Red Ribbon Week mean to you?

Alva Review Courier

Alva Elementary School Counselor Brenda Dixon asks parents to take this opportunity to encourage youth to make good choices concerning all medicines and drugs.

"Talk with your child(ren) to help work through childhood questions and fears," Dixon said. "Remember, adults set the example so join the yearly promotion of Red Ribbon Week to symbolize commitment to the fight of illegal use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco." (more)

October 25 UPDATE:

Last night on the news, it was reported that 70 million doses of flu vaccine is available this season nationwide.

Yesterday, I called the national office of D.A.R.E. and was told that the national organization does not participate in Red Ribbon Week.

In the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) press release, it is stated that "Approximately 80 million people participate in Red Ribbon events nationally from October 23-31."

I don't understand how the DEA came up with 80 million 2005 Red Ribbon participants. In fact, it appears to be a totally made up number.

The press nationwide is using this false figure in their articles and the public is presented with a dishonest snapshot of the events support.

This is a good story for vlogger citizen journalists to check out.

The Hippy Gourmet TV Show: Episode 51 - Google Video

2005-10-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Hippy Gourmet TV Show: Episode 51
The Hippy Gourmet and ICFX-TV
17 min 59 sec - Sep 29, 2005

WATCH VIDEO (Google Video)

Baking Solar Pizza at the Institute for Solar Living in Hopland, California. The Hippy Gourmet uses a solar oven to create a set of Whole Wheat, Organic Veggie and Hemp Seed Crust Pizzas, using only the power of the sun! We also visit with Jon Schaeffer the founder of the Solar Institute and Eva one of their interns as she guides us through their organic gardens

US: Web: Transcript: Melissa Etheridge's Anthem of Hope

2005-10-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

US: Web: Transcript: Melissa Etheridge's Anthem of Hope:

Melissa Etheridge & Joss Stone Perform At the Grammys 2005

"If anyone can turn a bout with breast cancer into an anthem of hope, it's Melissa Etheridge. Etheridge is now cancer-free, and feeling stronger than ever. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it's the perfect time, we thought, to check in with a survivor who was diagnosed a year ago this month.

Eight months ago, Etheridge talked for the first time about her battle against breast cancer. In a recent interview, she reveals new details about her struggle, including her decision to use a controversial drug to help her get through chemotherapy.

Stone Phillips, anchor: The day you were diagnosed with cancer is not one to celebrate. But it's been a year. Is this a happy anniversary?

Melissa Etheridge: Happy? Yeah. Happy time to look back and go, 'Whoa, look at this year. What a year. My goodness. We can get through anything.'

Phillips: The hair is back.

Etheridge: How 'bout that?

Etheridge: I decided instead of signing up for the drugs that-well, there's the drug that you take for the pain. But that constipates you. So, you have to take the constipation drug. But then that actually gives you diarrhea. So, you need a little diarrhea drug. Instead of taking five or six of the prescriptions, I decided to go a natural route and smoke marijuana.Phillips: Medicinal marijuana.

Etheridge: Medicinal marijuana. Absolutely. Every doctor I talked to that I asked about it said that's the best thing to do. The doctors know.

Phillips: You spoke to your doctors about using marijuana?

Etheridge: Oh, yeah. From the surgeons to the oncologists to the radiation. Every single one was, "Oh, yeah. That's the best help for the effects of chemotherapy."

While the medical community remains divided, California is one of 10 states that allows seriously ill people to use marijuana, with a doctor's recommendation. But federal law prohibits the drug under any circumstances. So, Melissa's doctors didn't actually write a prescription. And Melissa used it, despite the risk of federal prosecution.

Etheridge: If they really wanted to come get me really, I mean, there's so much more going on. And I just-no, I didn't worry. But it was worth it.

Smoking the marijuana proved too harsh, so early on, she switched to a vaporizer to inhale it. She says it eased her pain, restored her appetite and lifted her depression.

Phillips: How often were you using it?

Etheridge: Oh, every day. I was doing a lot of it at the time, for my pain and for my symptoms. And the minute I didn't feel it, it I stopped.

Phillips: As a rock star, your position on this does not come as a complete surprise.

Etheridge: I know, I know.

(Access Video, more)

prohibitioncontest ; Drug Warriors

2005-10-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.: ""

At first the video is a little fuzzy but soon smooths out.

Anita T. Mayfield
President, Mississippi Marijuana Party

NORML On The Street Interviews Part 1

2005-10-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.: ""

Passerbys are asked their opinions regarding medical and recreational marijuana use by two 18 year-olds on Water Street, Port Townsend, WA.

Everybody Must Get Stoned - Techno Re-Mix

2005-10-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

Video of the Technohippies remake of the Bob Dylan classic: Everybody Must Get Stoned

StonerNet

Marijuana Arrests in the U.S. Hit Record High

2005-10-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

"Police arrested an estimated 771,608 persons for marijuana violations in 2004, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report, released today. The total is the highest ever recorded by the FBI, and comprised 44.2 percent of all drug arrests in the United States.

'These numbers belie the myth that police do not target and arrest minor marijuana offenders,' said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, who noted that at current rates, a marijuana smoker is arrested every 41 seconds in America. 'This effort is a tremendous waste of criminal justice resources that diverts law enforcement personnel away from focusing on serious and violent crime, including the war on terrorism.'

Of those charged with marijuana violations, 89 percent - some 684,319 Americans - were charged with possession only. The remaining 87,289 individuals were charged with 'sale/manufacture,' a category that includes all cultivation offenses - even those where the marijuana was being grown for personal or medical use. In past years, approximately 30 percent of those arrested were age 19 or younger.

'Present policies have done little if anything to decrease marijuana's availability or dissuade youth from trying it,' St. Pierre said, noting that a majority of young people in the U.S. now report that they have easier access to pot than alcohol or tobacco.

The total number of marijuana arrests in the U.S. for 2004 far exceeded the total number of arrests in the U.S. for all violent crimes combined, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault." (more)

Arrest of Juveniles for Drug Abuse Violations from 1994 to 2003

Percent Distribution of the Estimated Number of Drug Arrests of Juveniles
by Drug Type, 1994-2003

Zach describes his drugtest

2005-10-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.: ""

prohibitioncontest entry: Annie's Scarlet Letter

2005-10-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.: ""

A video created with pictures from the November Coalition and music by Carolyn Wonderland.

NORML Video Blog Cash Prize Contest

How To Make A Mic Flag - A 12 Step Pictorial

2005-10-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Microphone flags add a professional touch to your video production when doing field reporting.

Here is a step-by-step photo tutorial on how-to make a "mic flag" using two standard NORML 5 inch stickers.

At OlyHempFest, we attached a clip on wireless mike to a bong that was used for interviews. It was an interesting idea, but didn't add anything appealing to the production. (More OlyHempfest Photos)

Watch Video : Debbie, from Spokane, sits down with 2005 Global Marijuana Music Award Winner Paul Bullock. Paul recites his award winning poem, "Car Pool Mom."

Marijuana may spur new brain cells

2005-10-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Marijuana may spur new brain cells: "Scientists said Thursday that marijuana appears to promote the development of new brain cells in rats and have anti-anxiety and anti-depressant effects, a finding that could have an impact on the national debate over medical uses of the drug.

Other illegal and legal drugs, including opiates, alcohol, nicotine and cocaine, have been shown to suppress the formation of new brain cells when used chronically, but marijuana's effect on that process was uncertain.

Now, a team led by Xia Zhang of the department of psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon may have found evidence the drug spurs new brain cells to form in a region of the brain called the hippocampus, and this in turn reduces anxiety and depression.

Paul Armentano, senior policy analyst with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, told UPI he thought the findings "would have a positive impact on moving forward this debate, because it is giving ... a scientific explanation that further supports long-observed anecdotal evidence, and further lends itself to the notion that marijuana, unlike so many other prescription drugs and controlled substances, appears to have incredibly low toxicity and as a result lacks potential harm to the brain that many of these drugs have."

The DEA Web site, however, contends that "marijuana is a dangerous, addictive drug that poses significant health threats to users," including cancer and impaired mental functioning.

Armentano said this is a distortion of what scientific studies actually show. Studies in animals indicate marijuana actually may protect against many forms of cancer, rather than cause the disease, he said. In addition, studies in marijuana smokers have found little evidence of cognitive deficits, and even when they do, the defects disappear if the person stops smoking for 30 days." (more)

By STEVE MITCHELL

The Globe and Mail: Study turns pot wisdom on head

2005-10-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

The Globe and Mail: Study turns pot wisdom on head:

Rhiannon Rose, right, and Heidi Farnola enjoy pot yesterday at Marijuana Party bookstore in Vancouver.
Photo: Lyle Stafford/The Globe and Mail

"Calgary - Forget the stereotype about dopey potheads. It seems marijuana could be good for your brain.
While other studies have shown that periodic use of marijuana can cause memory loss and impair learning and a host of other health problems down the road, new research suggests the drug could have some benefits when administered regularly in a highly potent form.

Most 'drugs of abuse' such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine and nicotine suppress growth of new brain cells. However, researchers found that cannabinoids promoted generation of new neurons in rats' hippocampuses.

Hippocampuses are the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, and the study held true for either plant-derived or the synthetic version of cannabinoids.

'This is quite a surprise,' said Xia Zhang, an associate professor with the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.
'Chronic use of marijuana may actually improve learning memory when the new neurons in the hippocampus can mature in two or three months,' he added." (more)

Online NewsHour: Supreme Court Rules Medical Marijuana Users Are Subject to Prosecution -- June 6, 2005

2005-10-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

GWEN IFILL, PBS NewsHour, discusses the Supreme Court ruling on medical marijuana, June 6, 2005, with Jan Crawford Greenburg of the Chicago Tribune.

ACCESS VIDEO

GWEN IFILL: So the court today, did they just flat outlaw medical -- medicinal use of marijuana?

JAN CRAWFORD GREENBURG: What they said today was that federal law, federal drug laws that outlaw the use of medical marijuana trump laws in up to 11 states that had allowed terminally ill patients to smoke marijuana for medical purposes.

The court's ruling today means that terminally ill patients who choose to use marijuana for medical reasons can now be subject to arrest and prosecution for violating the federal drug laws.

GWEN IFILL: But is it the federal drug laws or the federal commerce laws which were the controlling laws of this case?

JAN CRAWFORD GREENBURG: The federal drug laws. And Congress got authority to pass those federal drug laws from the U.S. Constitution and the commerce clause, and it argued -- the Justice Department in defending the application of those laws in these kind of cases -- argued that Congress was well within its authority to regulate the use of medical marijuana, even in states like California and others thought it should be allowed for those purposes.

And the court in its decision today, 6-3 decision, agreed that Congress was within its power under the commerce clause of the Constitution to pass these kind of laws, even though they didn't -- you know, when it looked at it on its face, it didn't look like they had much to do with interstate commerce.

A state or federal government right to legislate?

Interpretations of the Supreme Court ruling

GWEN IFILL: Now, two interpretations of today's ruling. They come from Calvina Fay, executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation, an organization that favors tougher drug laws and enforcement; and Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group favoring legalization of medical marijuana and changing other drug laws.

CALVINA FAY: I think it remains to be seen how each one of those states will address this issue now with this ruling, but I think it definitely will have a chilling effect on the states that are being targeted. Those that are advocating for the out and out legalization of all drugs, including the organization that Mr. Nadelmann represents, have said they're targeting 23 states in our country this year to legalize marijuana as a medicine. And I think those states will think twice about it, and I think they will look more carefully at the issue, and I do want to encourage the viewers to look at those organizations that he claims have endorsed marijuana as medicine.

ETHAN NADELMANN: Well, I mean, first of all most of the studies -- you can go to the Web site, drugpolicy.org; you can go to the web site of the National Institute of Health and pop in "therapeutic cannabis" and you can find ample documentation for what I'm talking about.

The bottom line is thousands of doctors, New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal, the Lancer, have all said very clearly that marijuana works. In the pill form which Calvina is talking about, it works for some people. But there are good studies to show that smoking it or eating the cannabis form actually works a lot better. People are able to titrate their dose; they're able to limit their intake. That drug Marinol can make people just as high or even higher.

The bottom line is this is an effective medicine that works. And the notion that people should be criminalized or should be persecuted that because they find this medicine most optimal, that's a horrific thing. The Bush administration talks about compassionate conservatism this is a place where they can lay it on the line and really show what they're talking about. (more)

Visitors from beyond our world come and let us know the obvious truth about marijuana prohibition.

2005-10-13T22:45:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.: ""

Houston NORML PSA

USATODAY.com - Drug agents can't keep up with pot growers

2005-10-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

USATODAY.com - Drug agents can't keep up with pot growers: "NORTHERN MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. - In the waning days of a record season, a helicopter buzzes treetops here in a remote corner of the 'Emerald Triangle,' redwood country notorious as the USA's premier producer of marijuana.

State narcotics officers from CAMP — Campaign Against Marijuana Planting — are searching for "gardens" to eradicate and find six on a warm, cloudless day.

They strap onto a 150-foot cable dangling from the chopper, drop into the pot patches, hack down the plants and bundle them for the chopper to haul back to a landing zone.

CAMP's critics equate the program with Prohibition in the 1930s.

"Look at the amount of economic value we're destroying," says Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "This could be legally taxed and regulated and we could all be making money off it. We never saw this lawlessness until there were drug laws and CAMP." NORML estimates that Californians' pot consumption could yield at least $250 million a year in sales taxes.

Gieringer also says that, despite the government's assertion, there is no evidence that Mexican cartels are involved in the cultivation.

Roger Rodoni is a cattle rancher and registered Republican who has represented a conservative district in Humboldt County — conservative by local standards, anyway — on the board of supervisors since 1997. He calls CAMP "an exercise in futility."

"It's a vast expenditure of public funds that for all practical purposes does no good," Rodoni, 65, says. Demand for marijuana keeps growing, and CAMP has done little to stem the supply, he says. As evidence he points to a drop in the price of "the quality stuff'" from $6,000 a pound a few years ago to $3,000 today." (more)

Apple Announces the Video iPod

2005-10-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

WATCH VIDEO of Steve Jobs presentation today. (QT7)

The new Apple iPod. The 20GB version is selling for $299 and the 60GB iPod for $399. The display measures 2.5 inch. Resolution is 320x240 pixels. Battery life is up to 20 hours.

New iTunes 6.0 (available now) features music videos, movies and TV shows for downloading at $1.99 each.

Set your music in motion

First, iPod put music in your pocket. Now it puts on a show. With support for up to 15,000 songs and up to 150 hours of video on a 2.5-inch QVGA color display, iPod gives you the ultimate music experience — sight and sound — in a lighter, thinner design. Available in classic white and dramatic black. (More)

Apple Introduces Video, TV Playing IPod

By MAY WONG
The Associated Press / Washington Post
Wednesday, October 12, 2005; 2:34 PM

Apple Computer Inc. unveiled Wednesday an iPod capable of playing videos, evolving the portable music player of choice into a multimedia platform for everything from TV shows to music videos.

Videos will now be sold alongside songs on Apple's iTunes Music Store.

Fueled by record sales of its iPod players and strong back-to-school computer sales, Apple Computer Inc. said Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005, its fourth-quarter net income surged more than 300 percent to $430 million, marking the company's highest ever earnings and sales for a quarter and year.

Citing a groundbreaking deal with ABC Television Group, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said the online iTunes store will sell episodes of hit shows "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" for $1.99 each, making them available the day after they air on television. (more)

SPEEDTV.com - Smoking A Joint and Driving on Camera

2005-10-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

SPEEDTV.com

In a controlled test for a BBC film crew, a British graphics designer smokes a joint and gets behind the wheel to see how marijuana affects his driving abilities.

Fifth Gear
An exciting and informative motoring magazine series from the team who appeared in the BBC's hugely popular Top Gear. Topics include the best of new car reviews, second-hand bargains and industry news with a different feature piece in every episode.

ACCESS VIDEO
Search: Pots effect on driving

USA TODAY Live Debate Show - Allen St. Pierre Vs. Drug Free America's Calvina Fay (MP3)

2005-10-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

USA TODAY Live Debate Show

Allen St. Pierre Vs. Drug Free America Foundation's Calvina Fay

Listen To Debate (MP3)

Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. is a drug prevention and policy organization committed to developing, promoting and sustaining global strategies, policies and laws that will reduce illegal drug use, drug addiction, drug-related injury and death.

Drug legalization and permissive drug policies will lead to a greater availability of dangerous drugs in our communities and undermine each nation's commitment to law enforcement, health care, education, commerce and the family. (Marijuana View-Point)

The Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. mission statement tells only half the story.
For more background on the DFAF, check out the following...
http://thestraights.com/reports/dfaf-and-drug-policy.htm
http://drugfreeamericafoundation.blogspot.com/

Current Studio // MelodyProductions // Current Issue: Drug Laws

2005-10-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

ACCESS VIDEO

People's opinions on the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
Producer: Allison Melody Biggar (Photo)

Current Comments:

This issue is important to me because my aunt has multiple sclerosis and smoking has helped ease her physical and mental state. I would like to see more on this issue, maybe interview a doctor. Good film.

posted by JustJames on 11 aug

I am happy to see this video. Perhaps backing it up with some survey visuals would assist in getting across the idea that all kinds of people think it is ok for medicinal purposes. My personal opinion is, if any government official has been through chemo themselves or been in the same room with a loved one, they would pass the law in a heartbeat. My significant other found instant relief from nausea and that was enough said. Can someone else please define "abuse their medical marijuana prescriptions", from the previous post?! And, hey, god forbid you or I get cancer and have to deal with it, but I don't want to have to go down to some street corner and risk the rest of my life on picking up a bag. That is the crime. Legalize it for everyone already, geez.

posted by kit on 5 sep

BBC - Science & Nature - Hot Topics - Cannabis - Index Page

2005-10-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

BBC - Science & Nature - Hot Topics - Cannabis - Index Page

Video: medical trials, one man's story (Real Media Player Required)

Key Points

Cannabis contains more than 400 chemicals. The main psychoactive ingredient is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or 'THC'

Cannabis contains more tar than tobacco, and has a higher concentration of carcinogens (cancer-causing agents)

Cannabis became a controlled substance in Britain in 1928

44% of 16 to 29 year-olds have tried cannabis at some point in their lives. Half of them have used it in the last year

In 1998, 76% of people arrested for drugs offences in Britain were charged with possession of cannabis

Smoking marijuana is more popular in America than surfing the Internet

'Debate' on HDnet Makes Its Debut

2005-10-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

'Debate' on HDnet Makes Its Debut : "Debate' on HDNet, a weekly television program in which guests question each other on controversial topics, made its debut Monday October 4th. In the program, Allen St. Pierre of N.O.R.M.L. squared off against Calvina Fay of the Drug Free America Foundation in a debate over whether or not marijuana should be legalized.

Debate's moderator takes hot national issues and triggers intellectual discussion, bringing about heated dialogue between guests from opposing sides of the issues. Guests have the opportunity to override the moderator and ask questions directly to one another as well. In upcoming programs, Debate's topics include: abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, sex education, the war in Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina. The program attracts a wide variety of guests, including respected authors, heads of national organizations and U.S. Congressmen.

Content and topics for Debate are chosen from the editorial pages of USA TODAY. The show's moderator is Lauren Ashburn (photo), managing editor and anchor for USA TODAY LIVE. USA TODAY reporters and editors offer journalistic expertise on selected topics. USA TODAY's reader editor Brent Jones wraps each episode with feedback from viewers and readers. Alex Walworth, formerly of The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, is executive producer. For more information on "Debate," please log on to http://www.usatoday.com/debate." (more)

MegaTokyo - Tree Free, Clothing Free Cartoon

2005-10-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

click cartoon 2 make bigger

NORML Player - Listen 2 Marijuana Music

2005-10-05T06:45:00.000-07:00

NORML Player - NORML: "Now on the NORML player, you can hear some great music donated by musicians who care about marijuana law reform. Fire up the NORML player, listen to the tunes, read the latest news headlines, and get active!

We will be updating the music as often as we can, and the news will update everyday, so we hope you'll enjoy the NORML player regularly." Listen to Music

ClickPress | NORML Launches First Video Blog (Vlog) Cash Prize Contest On Free Community Sites

2005-10-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

Organization Commemorates 68th Anniversary of Marijuana Prohibition By Recruiting and Rewarding ‘People Power’ To Change Laws
‘Prohibition’ is the first theme for 5-month multi-theme $5,000 Competition

Washington DC - NORML, The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, announced today the NORML Video Blog Cash Prize Contest with YouTube.com, a free video hosting community, and Veoh, the first Internet Television Peercasting Network.

To acknowledge that October 3, 1937 is the first day of marijuana prohibition in America, “Prohibition” is the theme of the October contest with $500 in prize money.

To participate in the NORML “Prohibition” Video Blog Cash Prize Contest, individuals must become members of either YouTube or Veoh (membership is free), upload their videos (not longer than 5 minutes) and tag their entries:

-norml
-prohibitioncontest
-marijuana
-hemp
-cannabis

The “Prohibition” theme relating to marijuana’s prohibition can include:

-Being told to do something you don't want to do
-Being told to NOT do something you want to do
-Analogies and comparisons to alcohol Prohibition
-Marijuana Prohibition
-Absurdness of banning industrial hemp along with marijuana

Undesirable content:
-Children using marijuana
-Irresponsible use of marijuana (i.e., consuming marijuana and driving or use in the workplace)
Contest videos will be showcased throughout the month of October 2005 on the NORML Video Blog

More

WATCH VIDEO: Rick Steves' Keynote Speech NORML 2005 Conference

2005-10-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

Rick Steves' Keynote speech at the NORML 2005 Conference, San Francisco, California, March 31-April 2.

Watch Video

Buy Rick's DVD

Rick Steves - Best of Travels in Europe (British Isles/France/Spain & Portugal/Germany, Austria & Switzerland/Italy/Greece, Turkey, Israel & Egypt)

NORML Releases Most Comprehensive Analysis Of State-By State Marijuana Penalties and Launches The New 'NORMLcast'

2005-10-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

Commemorating America’s 68th year of Marijuana Prohibition

Washington, DC: Can a state legally prosecute minor marijuana offenders for failing to pay "sin taxes" on their contraband? Can failing a urine test after an auto accident land you in jail? Can possessing cannabis near school grounds result in 20 years in jail? In many states, the answer is "yes." The details may be found in NORML's 2005 Guide to State-By-State Marijuana Penalties.

-Cutting Edge Cannabis Law Reform-

Also today, NORML announces the launch of its New PodCast. (more)

Pot Is Not Heroin

2005-10-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.:

The hyperbole surrounding the drug war is causing more harm than good. When you tell a kid that pot is as bad as heroin, you lose the credibility to warn them of more serious drugs.

Costs of Marijuana Prohibition: Economic Analysis

2005-09-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

Costs of Marijuana Prohibition: Economic Analysis: "Milton Friedman, 500+ Economists Call for Marijuana Regulation Debate; New Report Projects $10-14 Billion Annual Savings and Revenues
Savings/Revenues Projected in New Study by Harvard Economist Could Pay For:

**Implementing Required Port Security Plans in Just One Year

**Securing Soviet-Era 'Loose Nukes' in Under Three Years

Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation similar to that used for alcoholic beverages would produce combined savings and tax revenues of between $10 billion and $14 billion per year, finds a June 2005 report by Dr. Jeffrey Miron, visiting professor of economics at Harvard University.

The report has been endorsed by more than 530 distinguished economists, who have signed an open letter to President Bush and other public officials calling for 'an open and honest debate about marijuana prohibition,' adding, 'We believe such a debate will favor a regime in which marijuana is legal but taxed and regulated like other goods.'

Chief among the endorsing economists are three Nobel Laureates in economics: Dr. Milton Friedman of the Hoover Institute, Dr. George Akerlof of the University of California at Berkeley, and Dr. Vernon Smith of George Mason University.

Dr. Miron's paper, 'The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition,' concludes:

**Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of legal regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement -- $2.4 billion at the federal level and $5.3 billion at the state and local levels."

Marijuana Prohibition Facts - 2005

2005-09-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

* Very few Americans had even heard about marijuana when it was first federally prohibited in 1937. Today, between 95 and 100 million Americans admit to having tried it. 1,2

* According to government-funded researchers, high school seniors consistently report that marijuana is easily available, despite decades of a nationwide drug war. With little variation, every year about 85% consider marijuana “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain. 3 Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more U.S. high school students currently smoke marijuana, which is completely unregulated, than smoke cigarettes, which are sold by regulated businesses. 4

* There have been over seven million marijuana arrests in the United States since 1993, including 755,186 arrests in 2003—an all-time record. One person is arrested for marijuana every 42 seconds. About 88% of all marijuana arrests are for possession—not manufacture or distribution. 5

* Every comprehensive, objective government commission that has examined the marijuana phenomenon throughout the past 100 years has recommended that adults should not be criminalized for using marijuana. 6

* Cultivation of even one marijuana plant is a federal felony.

(more)

Marijuana Law Reform - Stop Stupid Marijuana Laws - PSA

2005-09-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Marijuana Law Reform - NORML

WATCH VIDEO

Thanks for the heads-up, Paul...

CBS News | Montel: Pot Decision 'Crazy' | June 7, 2005

2005-09-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

CBS News | Montel: Pot Decision 'Crazy' | June 7, 2005: "A visibly frustrated Montel Williams says the Supreme Court's decision that patients can be prosecuted for using prescribed marijuana medicinally is 'crazy.'

The Emmy Award-winning talk show host told The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm Tuesday that he uses the drug himself 'every single evening' to fight the pain from multiple sclerosis.

The high Court ruled that federal authorities may prosecute patients who use marijuana on doctors' orders, but said Congress could change the law to permit pot use for medical reasons. The action was in response to a Bush administration appeal of a case it lost in 2003. "

"I'm paying my taxes so I can work every day. If you come after me for this, I'll stop working. I don't know what else to say."
Talk show host Montel Williams

Oil, What If We Didn't Need It?

2005-09-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

Oil, What If We Didn't Need It? .:

Imagine not having to fight wars for oil. Imagine a natural resource that can replace or, at least, drastically reduce our dependance on oil for energy.

Uncle Sam vs. Mary Jane - Google Video

2005-09-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

Uncle Sam vs. Mary Jane - Google Video

Uncle Sam vs. Mary Jane
Riverrun Films
59 min 57 sec - Sep 8, 2005

a discussion of the history of US government's positions on marijuana use. also briefly discussing medical marijuana, pros and cons of use. Presented at the Unitarian Fellowship of Athens, Georgia.

NORML: Weekly News in Audio

2005-09-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

September 16, 2005
September 9, 2005
September 2, 2005
August 25, 2005
August 18, 2005

Chris Goldstein is a 29-year-old father, author and broadcast veteran. Originally from New Jersey and based in Santa Fe, Chris has been a talk-radio personality for about 10 years; interviewing State Senators, Governors, and local political activists as well as internationally recognized authors and journalists such as Sut Jali and Greg Palast. He was also proud to serve on the Northern New Mexico Radio Foundation Board of Directors from 2001-2004. Chris has broadcast NORML News on public radio for over 8 years.

Video On Demand: Alison Burns Reports On Local Medical Marijuana Advocate Angel Raich Efforts On Capitol Hill

2005-09-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

Video On Demand: Alison Burns Reports On Local Medical Marijuana Advocate Angel Raich Efforts On Capitol Hill

WATCH VIDEO

My name is Angel McClary Raich. I have been permanently disabled since September 1995. I was one of 14 'medical necessity' patients that the Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative was fighting for in the United States Supreme Court in 2001. I am a mother of two teenage children. My children know more than anyone how medical cannabis brought their mommy back to them. The hardest part of being disabled is watching the suffering in your children’s eyes as they watch you endure such suffering with no end in sight.

Angel's Story

WATCH VIDEO: Speeches - NORML: Gov. Jesse Ventura

2005-09-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

Windows Media
56K
ISDN
Cable/DSL

Gov. Jesse Ventura said Wednesday that he "fully supports" legalizing marijuana for medical use. "Medical marijuana? I fully support it, absolutely. Who is government to tell someone if they have AIDS or cancer, what they should be taking?" Ventura said in response to a question from a student at University of St. Thomas.

Ventura cited an illness suffered by his mother, who was given a mix of narcotics to help her pain.

If marijuana provides the same sort of relief to others who are suffering, the Independence Party governor said, he's all for it. (more)

Article Source
Post-Bulletin (MN)
Published: April 4, 2001
Cannabis News

Access Video of Speech

Current Studio // jklamm // Marijuana Vs. Hemp:Good or Bad

2005-09-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

Current Studio // jklamm // Marijuana Vs. Hemp:Good or Bad:

"InformNation examines the acute differences between marijuana and industrial hemp. Dude? Where's my ability to breathe? "

16th Annual Freedom Rally @ Boston Common On Saturday September Seventeenth

2005-09-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

MASSCANN/Norml, working to build a consensus for a more moral and rational public policy regarding all uses of the cannabis plant

Listen To PSA (MP3)

Google Blog Search - Launched Today

2005-09-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Google Blog Search

Check It OUT: Search for NORML or NORML Video

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Blog Search?

Blog Search is Google search technology focused on blogs. Google is a strong believer in the self-publishing phenomenon represented by blogging, and we hope Blog Search will help our users to explore the blogging universe more effectively, and perhaps inspire many to join the revolution themselves. Whether you're looking for Harry Potter reviews, political commentary, summer salad recipes or anything else, Blog Search enables you to find out what people are saying on any subject of your choice.

Your results include all blogs, not just those published through Blogger; our blog index is continually updated, so you'll always get the most accurate and up-to-date results; and you can search not just for blogs written in English, but in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese and other languages as well.

How do I find Blog Search?

There are a few different ways you can get to Blog Search:

- blogsearch.google.com (Google-style interface)
- search.blogger.com (Blogger-style interface)
- The Blogger Dashboard
- The Navbar on any Blog*Spot blog

It's the same search in each place, no matter how you get to it. The Navbar, however, provides two buttons: one to search the blog you are currently viewing, and one to search all blogs. (more faq)

Video On Demand: Montel Williams Makes Impassioned Plea For Federal Medical Marijuana Laws

2005-09-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Video On Demand: Montel Williams Makes Impassioned Plea For Federal Medical Marijuana Laws

Montel's Mission

Montel Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999. Since then, the TV talk-show host has tried a variety of drugs -- everything from morphine to Vicodin -- to ease the constant pain he feels in his lower extremities.

The drug that has proved most effective for Williams is marijuana, which is why he paid a visit to Capitol Hill recently on behalf of the Marijuana Policy Project.

Williams was on the Hill (Watch Video) to try to persuade lawmakers to pass bills pertaining to medicinal marijuana, such as the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act, which allows patients who have recommendations from their doctors in California and nine other states where the medical form of the drug is legal, to grow marijuana without fear of arrest. This was Williams' third visit to Capitol Hill. So far, he has met with a total of eight lawmakers. He lives in Manhattan. (more)

By Betsy Rothstein,
The Hill
Posted May 13, 2005.

You Bet Video - NORML

2005-09-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

A compilation video featuring television coverage regarding the 2002 NORML ad campaign featuring NY Mayor Bloomberg.

ACCESS VIDEO

WATCH VIDEO: Daily Show Medical Marijuana

2005-09-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.: ""

Pot TV: The US Marijuana Party: Seattle Hempfest 2005

2005-09-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

Pot TV Network

2005 Seattle Hempfest shoutouts of goodwill to Marc Emery. The 47 minute video features speeches from Dominic Holden of Sensible Seattle, Tony Bowles of the California Marijuana Party and Loretta Nall of the United States Marijuana Party.

ACCESS VIDEO

NORML Video Blog Animated Feed Banner

2005-09-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

Add the NORML Video Blog Animated feed banner to your blog or website.

Add NORML Video Blog Headline Feeder to your blog or website.

CODE

[script src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/NormlVideoBlog?format=sigpro" type="text/javascript"][/script][noscript][p]subscribe href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/NormlVideoBlog"]

NOTE:

[=< ]=>

WATCH VIDEO: Pots Greatest Hits Interview and Preview Clip

2005-09-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.: ""

Lee Allen, a stand up comic and a producer of Potsgreatesthits.com, talks about the CD/DVD in an exclusive interview at Seattle Hempfest 2005.

Current.tv Video Clip From the Pots Greatest Hits DVD

CannabisExpo.com: Hemp TV

2005-09-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

CannabisExpo.com (tm) Cannabis Expo (tm)

Paul Stanford Show in Oregon
#289 Oct 22, 2004

Don Du Pay and Dr. Leveque are present. Truth about marijuana & the politics (and lies) behind its prohibition!