cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - February 8, 2007 NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - February 8, 2007 Posted by CN Staff on February 08, 2007 at 14:49:07 PT Weekly Press Release Source: NORML More Campuses Moving Forward With Marijuana-Alcohol "Equalization" LegislationFebruary 8, 2007 - Washington, DC, USAWashington, DC: Legislation that seeks to reduce campus marijuana possession penalties so that they are no greater than university-imposed sanctions for alcohol was approved by George Washington University's Student Association Senate this week. The proposal, which was sponsored by the GWU chapter of NORML, must still be approved by the SA president and the GWU Board of Trustees before it can be enacted.Under current campus policy, a marijuana possession violation results in at a minimum expulsion from student housing. Students do not face similar sanctions for violating campus alcohol policy until at least their third offense. GW NORML's proposal requests the university to treat pot-related disciplinary matters in a manner similar to alcohol violations.GW NORML obtained 100 student signatures in favor of the proposal to place their resolution before the senate.Similar equalization proposals have been passed via student initiative at the University of Maryland, Florida State University, and at the University of Texas at Austin. However, school administrators have yet to implement those measures.Student government at Virginia Tech will also debate the merits of similar legislation this spring. Under current policy, students found in possession of cannabis may be suspended from attending the university.For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Erin Dame, NORML Outreach Coordinator, at (202) 483-5500. To listen to an interview with GW NORML President Greg Hersh on NORML's Daily AudioStash, visit:http://norml.org/audio/audio_stash/NORML_Daily_AudioStash_02_07_2007.mp3 DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7170 New Mexico: Senate Overwhelmingly Approves Medical Marijuana MeasureFebruary 8, 2007 - Santa Fe, NM, USASanta Fe, NM: Legislation seeking to establish statewide regulations permitting qualified patients to use medicinal cannabis was approved 34 to 7 by the Senate yesterday, and now moves to the House for consideration. Prior versions of the bill, known as the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act (SB 238), have previously passed both legislative chambers, but fell just short of becoming law. If enacted, the measure would order the state Department of Health to promulgate rules governing the use and distribution of medical cannabis to state-authorized patients.Supporters of the bill include New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D), who stated yesterday: "I continue to support a medical marijuana bill that includes proper safeguards to prevent abuse. I will work with legislators to get it passed this session to provide this option for New Mexicans suffering from debilitating diseases."For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500 or visit: http://www.drugpolicyalliance.org/ Additional information on SB 238 is available from NORML's "Take Action" center at: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=9327106&type=ML To listen to an interview with DPA New Mexico's Reena Szczperanski on NORML's Daily AudioStash, visit: http://norml.org/audio/audio_stash/NORML_Daily_AudioStash_02_06_2007.mp3DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7169White House Requests Increased Funding For Student Drug Testing, Anti-Pot AdsFebruary 8, 2007 - Washington, DC, USAWashington, DC: The Bush administration has requested significant increases in federal funding to randomly drug test student athletes and pay for public service announcements (PSAs) urging teens to avoid marijuana. According to budget requests, the White House is demanding $130 million in 2008 to fund the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, an increase of 31 percent over current funding levels. Studies of the campaign, which has spent over $2 billion in federal monies and matching funds since its inception in 1998, have consistently found that teens most exposed to the advertisements are more likely to try pot than their peers."It appears that ... anti-marijuana public statement announcements used in national anti-drug campaigns in the US produce immediate effects [that are the] opposite [of those] intended by the creators of the campaign," Texas State University investigators reported last year in the journal Addictive Behaviors.White House officials have also requested $17.9 million dollars in 2008 to pay for the implementation of random drug testing programs for students who participate in competitive extra-curricular activities.Since 2005, the Education Department has appropriated more than $20 million to various school districts to pay for random drug testing programs. Federal grant funds may not be used to pay for separate drug education and/or prevention curricula, nor may any funds be used to train school staff officials on how to implement drug testing. Only federal investigators are eligible to review data collected by the school programs, which will be evaluated as part of a forthcoming federal assessment of the efficacy of random drug testing to deter illicit student drug use.A previous evaluation of student drug testing programs conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation concluded, "Drug testing, as practiced in recent years in American secondary schools, does not prevent or inhibit student drug use." Investigators collected data from 894 schools and 94,000 students and found that at every grade level studied -- 8, 10, and 12 -- students reported using illicit drugs at virtually identical rates in schools that drug tested versus those that did not.To date, an estimated five percent of schools randomly drug test student athletes, and only two percent of schools test students who participate in extra-curricular activities other than athletics. As a result, the White House is sponsoring a series of regional summits this spring to encourage middle school and high school administrators to implement federally sponsored drug testing. The 2007 summits are scheduled to take place in Newark, New Jersey (February 27), Honolulu, Hawaii (March 27), and Las Vegas, Nevada (April 24).For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7168Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: February 8, 2007Copyright: 2007 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/CannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 08, 2007 at 16:53:55 PT Toker00 I liked your comparison to the movie The Money Pit. I really like Tom Hanks. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Toker00 on February 08, 2007 at 16:36:31 PT The DEA and ONDCP are thouroughly being made fools of from every direction for their pure stupidity in continueing the War on Cannabis. Our movement spends far less than these fools and is gaining power and momentum. They are raising their budgets to prevent the Truth while the Truth is steadily kicking their asses. Talk about throwing good money after bad. The DEA/DRUG WAR should be re-named The Money Pit, and a movie made about it. It would probably be a bigger hit than The Money Pit/Hollywood movie. Toke. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Toker00 on February 08, 2007 at 15:06:41 PT Help save PBS! Dear MoveOn member,George W. Bush is trying—yet again—to slash funding for NPR and PBS. This week, Bush proposed a new budget with devastating cuts to public broadcasting. "Sesame Street" and other ad-free kids' shows are under the knife. So is the independent journalism our country needs.Enough is enough. We've fought this fight before and won—but we can't afford the risk anymore. With the new Congress, we can make sure this never happens again. We need Congress to insulate NPR and PBS from the political winds.We can make it happen if enough of us sign this petition: "Congress must save NPR and PBS once and for all. Congress should guarantee permanent funding and independence from partisan meddling." Clicking here will add your name to the petition:http://civ.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/o.pl? id= 9851-6910519-Wk2eBd3RD17NHBUtYkRWZw&t= 2After you sign, please forward this email to your friends, family, and co-workers to keep this campaign going. We'll deliver the petition to members of Congress as they consider Bush's budget—offering a public counterpoint to this dangerous attack.Congress can protect NPR and PBS from future cuts. The long-term solution to save public radio and TV is to: * fully restore this year's funding * guarantee a permanent funding stream free from political pressure * reform how the money is spent and keep partisan appointees from pushing a political biasBush's budget would cut federal funds for public broadcasting by nearly 25%.1 According to PBS, the cuts "could mean the end of our ability to support some of the most treasured educational children's series" like "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow," and "Arthur."2As telecommunications chair Rep. Ed Markey said, "In a 24-7 television world with content often inappropriate for young children, the public broadcasting system represents an oasis of quality, child-oriented educational programming. We owe America's children and their parents this free, over-the-air resource."1The cuts could also decimate one of the last remaining sources of watchdog reporting on TV—continuing the partisan war on journalism led by the ex-chair of public broadcasting, Ken Tomlinson.3 More people trust public broadcasting than any corporate news media.4 President Bush would rather undermine our free press than face reporters who are asking tough questions.Let's put an end to the constant threats to NPR and PBS. Let's ask Congress to guarantee funding and stop partisan meddling. Clicking here will add your name to the petition:http://civ.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/o.pl? id= 9851-6910519-Wk2eBd3RD17NHBUtYkRWZw&t= 3Thank you for all you do.–Noah, Marika, Eli, Adam G. and the MoveOn.org Civic Action Team Thursday, February 8th, 2007 P.S. Our friends at Free Press have more on how to save NPR and PBS once and for all:http://www.freepress.net/publicbroadcasting/= policySources: 1. "Bush Proposes Steep Cut to PBS Funding," TV Week, February 5, 2007 http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms? newsId= 115082. PBS' Ready to Learn program (funds "Sesame Street" and other children's shows) http://www.pbs.org/readytolearn/3. "Tomlinson Slinks Away," MediaCitizen, November 3, 2005 http://www.moveon.org/r? r= 2347&id= 9851-6910519-Wk2eBd3RD17NHBUtYkRWZw&t= 44. "2005 'Open to the Public' Objectivity and Balance Report," Corporation for Public Broadcasting, January 31, 2006 http://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/goals/objectivity/Toke. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment