cannabisnews.com: Center Supports Medical Marijuana Use Center Supports Medical Marijuana Use Posted by CN Staff on February 14, 2003 at 10:04:21 PT By Aaron Shakra, Pulse Reporter Source: Oregon Daily Emerald Nearly four years after the implementation of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act, there are still few support services for OMMA patients in Eugene. But the Compassion Center, a nonprofit corporation that opened in Eugene two years ago, is striving to create a "model organization" for the support of medical marijuana users that the rest of the state could follow. The center offers many services to its members, including classes on cultivation of the plant, confidential consultation and assistance for patients registering with Oregon Health Services. An "introduction" night that provides a basic understanding of the OMMA takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. the first Thursday of every month. Teaching patients how to grow marijuana is especially important, because while Oregon allows possession and use of the drug for medical marijuana card-holders, it's still a crime to buy the substance. The clinic, located at 1055 Bertelsen Road in Eugene, opened in December 2000. It is funded by donations, clinic revenue and membership dues. The center is also applying for non-profit status with the IRS, which will allow people to make tax-exempt donations. Compassion Center President Todd Dalotto, who co-founded the organization, said he's pleased with the progress of the center during the last two years. "We have people coming from all over the state for our services," said Dalotto, who has been involved with the nutritional and health aspects of marijuana use his entire adult life. "We're creating a model organization that we hope to duplicate in other places." Dalotto emphasized that one of the center's main goals is to educate the general public about the OMMA, which exempts patients from criminal penalties related to growing and possessing the herb. In order to apply for a medical marijuana card, patients must first be diagnosed with one of nine qualifying ailments, such as HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's disease and cachexia, a condition of severe malnutrition. Dalotto also said that he is in support of decriminalizing the drug. "The American public seems to favor legalization, but it relies on politicians to pass legislation, he said. "There is no reason there should be a law against the plant unless they're using it to hurt someone." Citing "Question 9," a recent Nevada initiative to legalize the drug, Dalotto said he believes money plays heavily into the politics of marijuana. "Any voter initiative for legalization always gets outspent by corporate and government initiates," he said. In spite of support from the Nevada Conference of Police and Sheriffs -- the state's largest police organization -- the measure failed, with 61 percent of voters rejecting it. National drug czar John Walters made two trips to speak against marijuana use before voters went to the ballot. But the Compassion Center has yet to raise ire from governing authorities in Oregon. Dalotto said he's received no interference from state officials and minimal intervention from federal officials. Last year, medical marijuana patient Leroy Stubblefield's plants were seized by Drug Enforcement Administration agent Michael Spasaro. Doctor Phillip Leveque, a physician at the Compassion Center for two days each month, also works at a variety of other OMMA centers across the state, including Voter Power in Portland. He has signed medical marijuana applications for more than 4,000 patients and said that the law's "strange" criteria cause confusion. "The biggest problem is that judges don't understand the law, the district attorney doesn't understand the law and the police don't understand the law," Leveque said. Medical marijuana user John Walsh, a Compassion Center patient and cannabis activist for many local organizations, said the law's gray areas make it "difficult for there to be enough available when they need it." A benefit for the Compassion Center and Emerald Empire Hempfest 2003 will be held Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Campbell Club Cooperative. Note: The Compassion Center offers cultivation classes, confidential consultations to patients.Source: Oregon Daily Emerald (OR)Author: Aaron Shakra, Pulse ReporterPublished: February 14, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Oregon Daily EmeraldContact: ode oregon.uoregon.eduWebsite: http://www.dailyemerald.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:Hemp & Cannabis Foundationhttp://www.thc-foundation.org/Patients Push Marijuana Reformhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12712.shtmlState Tightens Marijuana Policieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10047.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by p4me on February 14, 2003 at 14:00:19 PT Richard Cowan says... In his latest commentary at marijuananews.com RC talks of the Dutch prescribing cannabis and Steve Tuck making a cannabis creme- http://www.marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=624The International Association for Cannabis as Medicine reports that “A change of the Dutch law on controlled substances (Opium Act) will take effect on 17 March 2003. It includes regulations for applications regarding the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes and guidelines for cultivating cannabis.”RC includes these words about Steve Tuck and his cream in his latest commentary-Finally, to make matters even more interesting, Steve Tuck, the American medical cannabis refugee now living in Vancouver, has developed a cannabis cream that has remarkable analgesic qualities. People with arthritis, fybromyalgia, and other conditions are getting immediate and long lasting relief. We have formed a company to develop and market the cream. Until Health Canada gets its act together and comes up with a workable medical cannabis program, it will probably have to be sold in the gray market with other medical cannabis products. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 14, 2003 at 11:57:55 PT p4me I'll keep my eyes open for a current article and post it if I find one. I'll keep looking but I just checked and the CBC doesn't have one up so far. Thanks for the heads up. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by p4me on February 14, 2003 at 11:29:47 PT Stuff Today on pot-tv there was coverage of Steve and Michele Kubby getting their medical cannabis and growing equipment back from the raid last April. There was a film crew from Canadian Broadcast Corporation to document the event for broadcast across Canada. If FoM puts up a link to this coverage, it might help the cause to view it and show that their is a huge interest in the subject. I love Canadian freedom. It would be one great export. I'll take two. pot-tv for Feb14- http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-1783.htmlThe DEAwatch has a link to a story resulting from Thailand's program to make the country drug free in three months. Many people are being killed and the government says some of the killings are from other drug dealers and that if a government goon has to kill a drug dealer in his defense people should understand it. The UN body that desires a drug-free world seems kind of happy about it all. The biggest problem is meth- http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/EB14Ae01.htmlPeru has its own message for the United States(listed at DEAwatch and on Alternet)- http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N1323169613 Feb 2003 20:27 "Peru seeks to set US straight on drug report" LIMA, Peru, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Peru, the world's No. 2 producer of coca leaf, the raw material for cocaine, slammed a new U.S. report on Thursday that singled out Peru and its Andean neighbor Bolivia for lax efforts fighting illegal drugs.I put up the interest paid on the national debt last night. It was $332 billion. Continued huge deficits mean more interest for the children to pay and put pressure on interest rates themselves. Anyway, what might be called expense today may well be called waste tomorrow. The postings at DEAwatch reflect a fear of job loss that will make them compete for the $8 an hour temporary jobs with no benefits that the misadministration is forcing people into.This following is from http://members.aol.com/deawatch/daily.htm and is the first posting.13 Feb 2003 17:49 PSTDuct Tape Defense Strategy, con't:Although the highly charged media reports and panic fear spending results were never anticipated, our president can learn a lot by having members of his Administration say a few scary words once a week to get the s**theads (otherwise known our fellow citizens) to run out and buy something. The last few days' run on duct tape helped spur a lot of spending on other crap as well. Every dollar spent on duct tape and related fear spending fuels our economy, and we all know that our economy needs consumer spending now to help raise the money we need for our budget increase. None of us wants to see a cutback in federal employment, do we?Scare the hell of 'em, Mr. President, if that's what it takes to get the s**theads into the stores! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment