cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- February 6th, 2003





NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- February 6th, 2003
Posted by CN Staff on February 06, 2003 at 16:31:56 PT
Press Release
Source: NORML
New Dutch Regulations To License Prescription Pot Growers, Will Allow Pharmacies To Stock Medical Cannabis February 6, 2003 - The Hague, NetherlandsThe Hague, the Netherlands: Pending changes in Dutch law will allow federal health officials to license medicinal marijuana cultivators, and permit pharmacies to provide prescription-grade cannabis for medical use. The new regulations, which were first announced last April, are expected to be enacted by March 17, 2003, according to a spokesman from the Dutch Ministry of Health.
Licensing will be overseen by the Netherlands’ Office of Medicinal Cannabis (BMC) of the Health Ministry, which was established in 2000 to study and regulate the use of medical marijuana. All of the marijuana grown by state-licensed cultivators will be sold to the Office and eventually provided to Dutch pharmacies. Patients who possess a doctor’s prescription to use medicinal cannabis will be able to obtain marijuana at the pharmacies, just as they would any other prescription drug.Once implemented, the Netherlands will be the first nation in the world to regulate and distribute medical cannabis in pharmacies. Similar regulations enacted in Canada 2001 allow for the state to distribute medical marijuana to qualified patients, but to date Health Canada has not allowed any of its harvested cannabis to be available to the public.For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of the NORML Foundation at (202) 483-8751.DL: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5549Dutch to Legalize Medical Marijuana Cultivation http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15356.shtml Jurors In Rosenthal Case Reject Their Own Verdict; Demand New Trial For City-Sanctioned Medical Pot Provider February 6, 2003 - Oakland, CA, USA"I helped send a man to prison who doesn't belong there," Juror LamentsOakland, CA: Many of the jurors who convicted noted marijuana author and cultivation expert Ed Rosenthal are now protesting their verdict and demanding he receive a new trial. On Tuesday, jurors held a press conference to condemn their verdict, and announce that they would have acquitted Rosenthal had the judge allowed him to explain that he was authorized by the City of Oakland to grow medical marijuana under state law.Throughout Rosenthal’s trial, federal Judge Charles Breyer had prohibited the jury from considering any evidence pertaining to medical marijuana or Proposition 215, ruling, "The purpose for which the marijuana was grown is not a defense and is irrelevant." Jurors maintain that they were unaware of the context of Rosenthal's activities until after the trial.In a prepared statement presented Tuesday on behalf of eight of the 14 sitting jurors, foreman Charles Sackett III said, "I fail to understand how evidence and testimony that is pertinent, imperative and representative to state government policy, as well as doctor and patient rights, and indeed your own family, are irrelevant to this case."In a follow up editorial published by the San Jose Mercury News, juror Marney Craig wrote: "Last week, I did something so profoundly wrong that it will haunt me for the rest of my life. I helped send a man to prison who doesn't belong there. ... This is insane. ... All Ed Rosenthal did was grow some plants, but he wasn't allowed to tell us why."San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan called the jurors' demand for a new trial unprecedented. "I don't know if ever before in history have the majority of jurors held a press conference to say they were misled and misunderstood what they were doing when they rendered a guilty verdict."NORML Executive Director Keith Stroup - who was in San Francisco last week to testify as a character witness on behalf of Rosenthal, but barred by Judge Breyer from participating - agreed. "This has been an extraordinary case in several ways, from the enormous outpouring of public support in California and across the country for the defendant, to the reaction of the jurors when they realized what they had inadvertently done," Stroup said. "Ed Rosenthal has shown great personal courage throughout this ordeal, even as he faces the likelihood of a long prison sentence. We must not let this decision stand."Rosenthal faces five to 85 years in prison for marijuana cultivation. Judge Breyer ruled earlier this week that Rosenthal may remain free on bail until his sentencing, scheduled for June 4.For more information, please contact Keith Stroup, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500. Legal briefs in Rosenthal's case are available online in NORML's Brief Bank. Ed Rosenthal will be a featured speaker at this year’s upcoming National NORML Conference in San Francisco, which will take place on April 17-19.DL: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5548Ed Rosenthal's Trial Pictures & Articleshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/trialpics.htm White House Slams DEA, Drug Czar's Office For Poor PerformanceFebruary 6, 2003 - Washington, DC, USAReport Grades DEA a Zero; Finds "No Evidence" of Ad Campaign's Effect On Youth Drug-Related Behavior Washington, DC: A performance report released this week by the White House Office of Management and Budget gives failing grades to the government's anti-drug efforts.The review specifically targets the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign as ineffective programs that have poor accountability and have not achieved desired results.According to the report, the DEA "is unable to demonstrate its progress in reducing the availability of illegal drugs in the US. While DEA has developed some strategic goals and objectives, these goals lack specificity in targets and time frames."Authors added that the agency’s directors "are not held accountable for achieving results." On a scale of zero to 100, the report rated the DEA a zero in the category of "results/accountability," and recommended that "new measures [are] needed" if the agency is to be effective in the future.The report gives equally low marks to the ONDCP's ongoing ad campaign, which recently spent more than $4 million dollars to air a pair of anti-drug public service announcements (PSAs) during January's Super Bowl broadcast. Authors noted that the campaign, which since 1998 has spent some $2 billion dollars in taxpayer dollars and matching funds to buy print and television ads demonizing marijuana and other drugs, has had no measurable impact on teens' use of illicit substances.There is "no evidence that paid media messages have a direct effect on youth drug-related behavior," the White House concluded.NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre called the anti-drug agencies' performance "embarrassing," but added that each continue to be funded by Congress at record levels despite their abysmal results. "If these federal anti-drug agencies were private companies, they'd both be permanently out of business," St. Pierre said. "Instead, Congress keeps giving their 'CEOs' a raise."According to the report, the DEA's annual budget for fiscal year 2004 is $1.6 billion, more than double it's budget in 1995. Congress recently re-approved $875 million in funding for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, despite a federally commissioned review published last spring concluding that teens were more likely to experiment with marijuana after viewing the PSAs.For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of The NORML Foundation, at (202) 483-8751. The Office of Management and Budget Report, "Performance and Management Assessments: Budget of the United States Government Fiscal Year 2004," is available online -- http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2004/pdf/PMA.pdfDL: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5547White House Report Stings Drug Agency on Abilities http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15377.shtmlSource: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: February 06, 2003 Copyright: 2003 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/CannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml
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Comment #16 posted by afterburner on February 06, 2003 at 20:32:18 PT:
Bless CNN for not Burying Ed's Story.
It would be easy to do with the Columbia tragedy and the Dogs of War howling. But "the times they are a changin'."Go, Connie and Aaron. Thanks for the media support of Ed Rosenthal and for bringing the jurors dissatisfaction into the mainstream consciousness/conscience.ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question.Marketing the New 'Dogs of War'
http://www.publicintegrity.org/dtaweb/icij_bow.asp?Section=Chapter&ChapNum=3Jury Nullification steps: The Feds vs. Ed Rosenthal http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread15383.shtmlSupport Ed Rosenthal's appeal: Green-Aid.com
http://www.green-aid.com
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Comment #15 posted by AlvinCool on February 06, 2003 at 20:25:59 PT
Talk about dumb and dumber
Can you believe this crap????As a result, troopers used the going rate for cocaine of $2,841 an ounce, or nearly $45,500 a pound, to estimate the street value of the marijuana at $16 million. Here's how they did the math: Cocaine is valued at $100 a gram on the street and a kilo equals 1,000 grams, so a kilo of cocaine is worth $100,000. The 352 pounds of seized marijuana, divided by 2.2 pounds ( a kilo ), represents 160 kilos. At $100,000 a kilo, the 160 kilos of marijuana would be worth $16 million. 
Marijuana Seized In Turnpike Drug Bust
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Comment #14 posted by FoM on February 06, 2003 at 19:58:16 PT
It Was Very Good
What a gentle man Ed Rosenthal seems to be. They showed all the good people who were protesting. I just love those people for their dedicating. They are an inspiration to me.
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Comment #13 posted by Patrick on February 06, 2003 at 19:52:20 PT
FREE ED
He is on right now LIVE CNN
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on February 06, 2003 at 19:36:54 PT
Robbie
I didn't miss it! It's coming on soon. Got my VCR ready to tape! Thanks!
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on February 06, 2003 at 19:28:00 PT
Robbie
I didn't know there was anything on Aaron Brown so I quick turned it on. I hope I didn't miss it!
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Comment #10 posted by Robbie on February 06, 2003 at 19:25:25 PT
it's on Newsnight with Aaron Brown
I didn't realize there was a segment on Connie Chung as well. I will catch the replay.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on February 06, 2003 at 19:12:00 PT
Robbie 
Don't miss it! It was very good!
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Comment #8 posted by Robbie on February 06, 2003 at 19:08:36 PT
CNN doing piece on Ed Rosenthal (2/06 10:44PM EST)
It was in the opening teaser of the show.
CNN Main
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Comment #7 posted by The GCW on February 06, 2003 at 18:47:17 PT
FoM, consider this one... it is worthy of comment.
Canada buys pseudo-pot from US Activists claim that US government schwag isn't even really marijuana.http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2770.html"...NIDA marijuana had the THC extracted and then artificially added. She didn't mention other cannabinoids."
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on February 06, 2003 at 18:25:42 PT
mayan & Alvin Cool
I do hope you get to see it. I have the copyright info set up for the transcripts already! I have the site bookmarked and am chomping at the bit! LOL! They blame Ashcroft and said more or less the attitude is: To Hell with State's Rights!
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Comment #5 posted by mayan on February 06, 2003 at 18:19:08 PT
Aw Shucks!
I think I missed it. They are talking about a Pepsi boycott and it's almost over. Thanks for the heads-up though, FoM! Yesterday's transcript is already up so hopefully today's will be up tomorrow. Here is the link for the transcripts...
http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/cct.htmlThe way out is the way in -FOUR MORE 9/11 TERRORISTS LINKED TO RUDI DEKKER'S FLIGHT SCHOOLS:
http://www.madcowprod.com/RUDI DEKKERS DITCHES HELICOPTER IN WATER OFF FORT MYERS, FL. - Is someone trying to kill the Magic Dutch Boys?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/e4/ac/200301280005.404f8e57.html"'9/11' Facing Our Fascist State & What a Plot"(Book Review)
http://onlinejournal.com/Books___Reviews/Conover020603/conover020603.htmlKaminski's Best 9/11 Sites - 4th Edition:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0302/S00024.htm9/11 Prior Knowledge/Government Involvement Archive: http://www.propagandamatrix.com/archiveprior_knowledge9/11 Truth Alliance: http://unansweredquestions.org/alliance/index.html
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Comment #4 posted by AlvinCool on February 06, 2003 at 18:17:44 PT
Thanks!
Thanks FoM, I'll be sure to catch it. Comes on again at 10pm and 3am central time
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 06, 2003 at 17:30:53 PT
It Was Great
I hope you all get to see it! God Bless The Jurors!
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 06, 2003 at 17:04:54 PT
It's Going to Be ON!
Check it out!
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 06, 2003 at 16:58:49 PT
Heads Up: Connie Chung at 8 PM ET Maybe!
I have seen that maybe Ed Rosenthal might be on Connie Chung but on the web site it doesn't say. I'm going to watch the program just in case it is on and thought some of you might want to check it out too.http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/connie.chung.tonight/
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