cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- April 21, 2005





NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- April 21, 2005
Posted by CN Staff on April 21, 2005 at 15:32:40 PT
Weekly Press Release
Source: NORML
Federal Bill Mandating 10 Years To Life For Pot Sales Reintroduced In CongressApril 21, 2005 - Washington, DC, USAWashington, DC: House Judiciary Chair F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) has reintroduced legislation in Congress that seeks to impose mandatory minimum sentences on defendants who furnish a controlled substance, including marijuana, to any individual under 18 years of age or who has previously been enrolled in a drug treatment program.
The bill, H.R. 1528, was approved last week by the House Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, and is now pending before the full Committee.Under H.R. 1528, any person age 21 or over who attempts or conspires to offer marijuana to someone younger than 18 years old shall face a mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison. The mandatory penalty for a subsequent violation of the statute is life in prison.Defendants found to have distributed marijuana near a drug treatment facility, or who have offered it to someone who is currently or has previously been enrolled in drug treatment, would receive a mandatory prison sentence of five years to life under the proposal.Sensenbrenner's bill also seeks to impose mandatory minimum sentences on defendants who have manufactured or distributed marijuana near various public and private establishments, including libraries, daycare centers, and video arcades, as well as impose life imprisonment upon individuals convicted of their third drug felony.NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre called Sensenbrenner's proposal "draconian," stating that it would shift sentencing discretion away from courts to prosecutors and would sharply increase the number of non-violent offenders in prison.For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre of NORML at (202) 483-5500. Additional information on H.R. 1528 is available on NORML's website: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=7419321DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6519Canada Approves First Ever Medical Cannabis Spray - Sativex-Maker Hires Former Drug Czar Deputy DirectorApril 21, 2005 - Salisbury, United KingdomSalisbury, United Kingdom: Health Canada granted regulatory approval this week to Sativex, an oral spray consisting of natural cannabis extracts, for the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with Multiple Sclerosis. The spray is expected to be available to the Canadian public by prescription later this spring.Produced by the British biotechnology firm GW Pharmaceuticals, Sativex is a whole plant medicinal cannabis extract containing precise doses of the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol (CBD), as well as naturally existing terpenoids (oils) and flavonoids (antioxidants). In clinical trials, Sativex has been demonstrated to alleviate numerous MS-associated symptoms compared to placebo, including pain, muscle spasms, and bladder incontinence."This event marks the world's first approval of a [natural] cannabis-derived medicine," said GW Pharmaceuticals Executive Chairman Geoffrey Guy. The company, along with its partner Bayer AG, is expected to begin negotiations with the Food and Drug Administration later this year regarding opportunities to bring Sativex to the US market.GW is expected to seek further approval from Health Canada to market Sativex for additional therapeutic indications. Recent clinical trials on Sativex found that it significantly reduced pain in cancer patients compared to placebo, and relieved urinary dysfunction in patients suffering from advanced Multiple Sclerosis.Although regulatory approval for Sativex in the United Kingdom remains pending, an advisory body of the British Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced in December that it required further clinical evidence of Sativex's ability to alleviate MS-associated spasticity in a "clinically relevant" manner before the agency would consider approving the drug for licensing in the UK.GW Pharmaceuticals also announced this week that it had hired former White House Drug Czar Deputy Director Andrea Barthwell in an advisory capacity. As Deputy Director, Barthwell lobbied against legislative efforts to legalize the medical use of whole smoked cannabis by qualified patients. "Having this product (Sativex) available will certainly slow down the dash to make the crude plant material available to patients across the country," Barthwell told the Los Angeles Times Wednesday.Responding to Barthwell's statement, NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, said, "We are pleased that Sativex may one day offer a legal option for US patients and physicians. However, patients who choose to use whole smoked cannabis therapeutically under their doctor's supervision should not have to live in fear of arrest or incarceration for using their chosen medication."For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6518Trial Set "Inhaled" Marinol And MigraineApril 21, 2005 - Miami, FL, USAMiami, FL: A newly formulated version of Marinol (synthetic THC) that may be administered via an inhaler rather than orally will be tested as a treatment for severe migraine headaches, Solvay Pharmaceuticals announced at last week's American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting in Miami.Marinol, an FDA-approved Schedule III drug, is consumed orally in pill form by patients suffering from HIV/AIDS and/or undergoing chemotherapy. However, Marinol's therapeutic effects may be delayed by as much as 1-2 hours following consumption because the drug is slowly metabolized by the liver, which converts it into various highly psychoactive chemical compounds.In a recent clinical trial, patients administered a new formulation of Marinol by a pressurized metered dose inhaler gained rapid systemic absorption from the drug. Solvay intends to test the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of inhaled Marinol for migraine in a placebo-controlled trial later this year, the company announced."Pulmonary Dronabinol (Marinol) has potential application in a variety of conditions, such as the treatment of migraines, nausea, pain management and spasticity ... and could offer an alternative for patients when a fast onset of action is desirable," the company said in a press release.For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6520Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: April 21, 2005Copyright: 2005 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Apr. 14, 2005http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20516.shtmlNORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Apr. 07, 2005http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20477.shtml
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on April 22, 2005 at 18:14:38 PT
Off Topic: A Video from John Kerry
http://www.johnkerry.com/action/valuesvideo/
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on April 22, 2005 at 08:49:54 PT
Ekim and Everyone Happy Earth Day!
http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/betherain.htm
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #13 posted by ekim on April 22, 2005 at 07:43:55 PT
woops wrong web site 
James Woosley ex CIA Dir was on NPR Thur. and said that Cellulose Ethanol is here now and should be looked at for the Nat'l Defence. This is a pdf overview of NREL/Genencor work from 2003.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/biomass/pdfs/genencor_esp_review.pdfHere is an NREL Press release about Genencor/NREL winning a Top 100 R&D
award in 2004.
http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2004/3404_technologies_lauded.htmlThere is a lot more information available with a simple web search. Google
"NREL genencor" for starters and review the results listing.I think you could get more specific information if you called NREL itself.
NREL Public Affairs: (303) 275-4090.
 http://www.ethanol-gec.org/fall2001/fall15.html
http://www.kzooearthday.org/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by ekim on April 22, 2005 at 07:37:59 PT
happy Earth Day to all
30 years working for a better world. put a little love in your heart.
http://www.kazooearthday.org/
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by Sam Adams on April 22, 2005 at 06:24:26 PT
St. Pierre
Good work, but I would tune my rhetoric differently. Every time Sativex is mentioned, I would never mention smoked MJ. Smoked MJ vs. Sativex will lose every time.  I would constantly beat the drum of natural cannabis offering a variety of consumption methods: food, tincture, vaporization. And the extremely low cost of growing your own. If that is the debate, we win.
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Comment #10 posted by PainWithNoInsurance on April 22, 2005 at 06:02:01 PT
Isn't the murder rate high enough in this poor US?
This legislation will bring in more bullets flying past our homes and will make this country a lot poorer. More shoot out with the police and drug dealers.
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Comment #9 posted by goneposthole on April 22, 2005 at 05:28:51 PT
let them write all of the laws they want
but don't bother to write them concerning issues that affect your life.You don't matter one iota to the most dishonored 534 members of Congress that has ever existed. The Honorable Ron Paul is the only member that I can think of the deserves the distinction of being a 'Representative'.Address all correspondence to the US Congress in his name only and ignore all of the rest.It is the only thing left to do. You don't matter... at all. Unless you join the empire as a bullet stopper, you're just chattel. All you can do anymore is ignore each and everyone of them, save Congressman Ron Paul.There is no other way. 
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Comment #8 posted by i420 on April 22, 2005 at 03:41:42 PT
What comes around...
What needs to be done is find any relative of this a-hole sensebrennere and narc on his pot smoking kin. When his own family is sittin in jail for 10 years he will have plenty of time to think about this absurd law while visiting his nephews in prison. 10 years for providing pot to someone under the age of 14 or 15 would be more reasonable.
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Comment #7 posted by BGreen on April 21, 2005 at 21:08:27 PT
How about this alternative?
How about a mandatory life sentence for anybody under 18 or who has been in a drug treatment program who tries to acquire a substance they should know better than to mess with?The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #6 posted by potpal on April 21, 2005 at 20:48:42 PT
Nonsensenbrenner
What if a 16 year old gets a bud off a 16 year old, will the supplier go to jail for 10 years? Is a DUI program considered a drug treatment program, I know many people who have been through that mill. Passing them a joint is now punishable with a 10 year sentence?Anyway, we need to make 4/20 everyday. To get it done we need campuses to come together simultaneously every week each putting a 1000 bodies on the line, sit ins, this is bullsh*t. Make more absurd laws that cannot be enforced, or selectively enforced, crazy. If they had the manpower and a fresh new prison, would they have arrested every student that smoked pot yesterday? At this pace, someday, half of America will be in jail and the other half will be guarding them...or is it that way now?
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Comment #5 posted by runderwo on April 21, 2005 at 20:25:49 PT
stupid
I talked to a friend of mine about this. He used to use cannabis but has not for years. Surprisingly he agreed with the legislation, even when faced with the hidden agenda behind the bill (there's a reason why the criteria for violating it are so vague and broad), the costs of imprisonment, and the societal repercussions of putting nonviolent individuals in prison - a life-destroying event. The point is, if someone who has used cannabis (and thus knows that addiction is a choice of the user and not an inherent property of the plant) so easily falls prey to whatever these lawmakers' glittering intentions produce, what could possibly be said about the average voter who knows nothing about cannabis besides what is told to them? They will take one look at this bill, think of their child, and support it, because that is the trained response to drug war actions. When in fact, their child's best interests would be supported by a legalized, regulated market in place of the current black market, and tolerance of medical and recreational users to grow their own cannabis.
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Comment #4 posted by cloud7 on April 21, 2005 at 19:59:52 PT
"de-elected"
That's putting it nicely.
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Comment #3 posted by OverwhelmSam on April 21, 2005 at 19:26:39 PT
Sensenbrenner?!
This guy needs to be de-elected along with Souder.Overwhelm Uncle Sam
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Comment #2 posted by mayan on April 21, 2005 at 18:17:13 PT
Marinol Isn't Perfect?
Marinol, an FDA-approved Schedule III drug, is consumed orally in pill form by patients suffering from HIV/AIDS and/or undergoing chemotherapy. However, Marinol's therapeutic effects may be delayed by as much as 1-2 hours following consumption because the drug is slowly metabolized by the liver, which converts it into various highly psychoactive chemical compounds.What? Marinol isn't perfect? Sounds like they had to create "Marinol II" to keep up with Sativex. I wonder what the prohibitionists think of Sativex and "whole cannabis extracts" which prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that cannabis has medical efficacy (as if we didn't already know). If Americans aren't pissed off yet they never will be!The cannabis plant is of the earth, as are we. It's our plant. The governments and corporations that are playing God had better hope there is no God. THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...FBI Protects Osama's "Right to Privacy" in Document Release - Judicial Watch Investigation Uncovers FBI Documents Concerning Bin Laden Family and Post-9/11 Flights:
http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20050421172907693The Smell Of Death Surrounds You: 
http://www.rense.com/general64/w3sm.htmACLU Files Emergency Motion to Open Hearing in Case of FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0504/S00327.htm9/11 Was An Inside Job - A Call to All True Patriots:
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
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Comment #1 posted by b4daylight on April 21, 2005 at 15:56:50 PT
Is 
Defendants found to have distributed marijuana near a drug treatment facility, or who have offered it to someone who is currently or has previously been enrolled in drug treatment, would receive a mandatory prison sentence of five years to life under the proposal.I wonder if they will include alcohol or tabbaco, naw that would be to logical.
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