I happen to be one person here in the Land of Lincoln, I have lobbied the state people to use the current law, I don't need to change even one word of our statute, just to convince enough people that the law actually exists right now! Unfortunately, when I came forward to talk about my own apparent "necessity" to abate the side effects of ritalin therapy for ADD, and to lobby for even "research" to commence to prove the point that I had learned for a few years, that somehow pot helped to avoid an overfiring of neurons, so that I could safely intake more of the ritalin, without debilitating headaches, (about 10 months ago), I have since then been engaged in a trench warfare even into the Illinois Supreme Court, and have been SUSPENDED as a lawyer, and in spite of absolute PROOF that these people have repeatedly committed PERJURY & FRAUD to take away my license and to disenfranchise me. Now, of course, from recent studies I now know that I had used cannabis to avoid toxicity to brain cells from the ritalin, which is, similar to cocaine, an "excitotoxin", and I continue to even try to find ears willing to hear my claims of PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT on the part of ARDC attorneys that routinely commit ethical breaches with apparent impunity, since no one here even wants to think about charging the "cops" with infractions of their own rules (how naive I used to think that truth and justice meant something here, in the Land of Lincoln.

I have a class action pending in the state courts. I have this web site started up. (ILLINOIS-MMI.org) I have a few test cases and I need a few good doctors willing to help to get these people "certified" 1) glaucoma 2) MS 3) muscle spasms from back/neck surgery 4) migraine headaches 5) bipolar-depression-anxiety & of course (moi) 6) ADD-side effects from some ritalin (15 other pills didn't work without their own side effects, like high blood pressure, joint pain).

MEDIA ADVISORY For Tuesday, March 19

Is Marijuana Really As Addictive As Heroin?

A Challenge to Federal Law Regarding Marijuana Scheduling to be Heard by the District of Columbia Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday, March 19th, at 9:30 am

Marijuana is considered equal to heroin and worse than cocaine -- in terms of abuse potential and lack of medicinal value, according to current federal law. It is a "Schedule I" drug, meaning it has a "high

potential for abuse" and "no accepted medical use". This classification is preventing many AIDS, cancer and other patients from legal access to marijuana as medicine.

On Tuesday March 19 this scheduling will be challenged in the D.C. Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. The Court is being asked to order the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider additional research and testimony in their scientific and medical evaluation of marijuana. This challenge is being brought to the Court by Jon Gettman, Ph.D., and High Times magazine, who argue that marijuana does not have a "high potential for abuse" and does have accepted medical use for people with certain illnesses.

Specifically, Gettman and High Times are asking the Court to order DEA and HHS to hold public hearings to consider the testimony of patients, doctors, and state health officials from jurisdictions that have accepted medical marijuana use under state law.

According to petition researcher Gettman: "Eight states and the District of Columbia have recognized the medicinal value of marijuana and almost every state distinguishes marijuana from narcotics; but the federal government still classifies this drug as equal in danger to cocaine and

heroin, thus prohibiting potential beneficiaries from access and obstructing its development.. High Times and I are asking the court to put an end to this charade."

Marijuana is presently a schedule I controlled substance. Under the Controlled Substances Act CSA) schedule I drugs and substances can only

be used for research under the most restrictive and expensive conditions. Schedule I drugs must have a high potential for abuse relative to other drugs regulated by the CSA and must also lack accepted medical use in the United States. In this case the federal government argues that

marijuana has a similar abuse potential to heroin and cocaine, lacks accepted medical use, and therefore must be maintained in Schedule I.

With the backing of High Times magazine, Gettman filed the original petition for this case in July, 1995. The DEA referred the petition to

HHS for a formal scientific and medical evaluation in December, 1997. DEA formally rejected the petition in March, 2001; the current case subjects DEA's decision to judicial review.

Jon Gettman and High Times are represented by the Law Offices of Michael Kennedy. More background information is available upon request.

But if mariuana has no medical value why are they doing all this?

Mich. and Wis. are also confronting this issue.

Was wondering what the Montanans (?) on C-news think are the chances of this working out legislatively?