cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- September 23, 2004





NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- September 23, 2004
Posted by CN Staff on September 23, 2004 at 16:56:03 PT
Weekly Press Release
Source: NORML
Cannabis Holds Subjective Benefits For Parkinson's Disease, Study SaysSeptember 23, 2004 - Prague, Czech RepublicPrague, Czech Republic: Long-term use of cannabis mitigates symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD), according to survey data published in the current issue of the journal Movement Disorders.
Researchers at Charles University in Prague surveyed 339 patients with Parkinson's Disease. Twenty-five percent of respondents said that they had taken cannabis medically, and approximately half reported that it alleviated symptoms of the disease.Respondents most often replied that cannabis improved their bradykinsia (extreme slowness of movement and reflexes), as well as muscle rigidity and tremor. In addition, patients who reported having used cannabis for at least three months "reported significantly more often a mild or substantial alleviation of their PD symptoms in general" than those who had only used cannabis short-term.None of the patients reported having had previously used cannabis recreationally."The late onset of cannabis action is noteworthy," authors wrote. "Because most patients reported that improvement occurred approximately two months after the first use of cannabis, it is very unlikely that it could be attributed to a placebo reaction."Clinical studies of patients with other neurodegenerative disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis have also suggested that cannabis may provide more significant relief if used over long periods of time."Even though a possible placebo reaction and other cofounders ... have to be taken into account, it seems that various cannabinoids or other compounds targeting the endogenous cannabinoid system might be useful in the treatment of PD symptoms ... and this field definitely deserves further research," authors concluded.For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Abstracts of the study are available online at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/108070562/ABSTRACTDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6234Survey of Cannabis Use in Parkinson's Disease: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/cannabispd.pdfOctober 4-5: Washington DC Protest To Demand Rescheduling CannabisSeptember 23, 2004 - Washington, DC, USAWashington, DC: Patients, health professionals and drug law reform advocates from across the nation will converge in Washington DC on Monday, October 4, 2004 to participate in a two-day rally demanding that the US government reschedule marijuana so that doctors may legally prescribe it. Participants will hold a press conference at the National Press Club on Monday, followed by a demonstration outside the offices of the US Health and Human Services on Tuesday.For more information, please visit: http://safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=1295DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6237Majority Of Voters Back Pot LegalizationSeptember 23, 2004 - Oakland, CA, USAOakland, CA: Seventy percent of voters in the city of Oakland support the legalization of marijuana for personal use, according to the results of citywide poll conducted by David Binder Research.California NORML Coordinator Dale Gieringer said that the results signified "a turning point in public opinion," noting that it was "the largest margin for legalization ever recorded in any poll."Four hundred likely voters participated in the poll, which also found that 61 percent of voters believed that legalizing and regulating marijuana would dissuade users from trying harder drugs.Sixty-five percent of respondents also said that they favored Oakland's Measure Z, a citywide initiative that seeks to "make the investigation, citation, and arrest for private adult cannabis offenses the [city's] lowest enforcement priority." If approved by Oakland voters in November, the initiative will also require city officials to "establish a system to license, tax and regulate cannabis for adult use as soon as possible under California law."For more information, please contact either California NORML Coordinator Dale Gieringer at (415) 563-5858 or Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of the NORML Foundation, at (202) 483-5500.A summary of pending state and local ballot initiatives is available online: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6172DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6236Petitions in for Pot Legalization Measure http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19044.shtmlPot Initiative Backers Turn in 32,000 Signatures http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19043.shtmlOakland Pot Measure Seeks a Shift in Priorities http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19042.shtml Chicago Considers Marijuana Decriminalization PlanSeptember 23, 2004 - Chicago, IL, USAChicago, IL: Chicago Mayor Richard Daley voiced approval this week for a proposed plan to encourage police to ticket rather than criminally arrest adults found in possession of small amounts of marijuana. The measure was first proposed by a Chicago police sergeant, who estimated the proposal could annually raise $5 million in city revenue.Under the proposed scheme, police would impose non-criminal fines ranging from $250 to $1,000 for the possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana in lieu of making a criminal arrest. Twelve states - Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon - have enacted similar decriminalization policies, as have various municipalities, including Ann Arbor, Michigan and Madison, Wisconsin.Under Illinois law, possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana is a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.Mayor Daley said that enforcing the criminal law needlessly burdens Chicago taxpayers and wastes police time and resources. Of the more than 15,000 Chicagoans arrested annually for minor marijuana possession, most eventually have their criminal charges dismissed, court records show.Ironically, recent public statements by US Drug Czar John Walters appear to back Chicago's decriminalization plan. On Wednesday, Walters said he believes that imposing a fine-only penalty upon marijuana smokers would not send a mixed message to the public. "Some people will read that fines downgrade our concern about the issue," he said. "I don't read that."Walters has previously lobbied against similar municipal efforts to deprioritize marijuana enforcement in Seattle, Washington and Columbia, Missouri. He has also vigorously campaigned against a Canadian plan to decriminalize the possession of 15 grams or less of marijuana, alleging that the enactment of such a measure would be "akin to Canada unilaterally setting up open air toxic waste sites."For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of the NORML Foundation, at (202) 483-5500. A summary of state-by-state marijuana laws is available on NORML's website at: http://www.norml.org/DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6235U.S. Neither For Nor Against Plan To Fine for Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19537.shtmlPolicing The Pot Patrol http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19536.shtmlDaley: Just Ticket Marijuana Users http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19525.shtmlSome Marijuana Arrests May Mean Just a Tickethttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19521.shtml Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: September 16, 2004Copyright: 2004 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Sept. 16, 2004 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19503.shtmlNORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Sept. 09, 2004 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19465.shtmlNORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Sept. 02, 2004 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19435.shtml
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on September 24, 2004 at 11:08:27 PT
dongenero
Thank you too. I didn't know that. Thanks for the advice. I find my stats for FTE interesting. They aren't as detailed as CNews stats but I can see the country where people are coming from. Every imaginable country has checked the site out practically. Even little tiny countries and that makes me smile. 
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Comment #14 posted by dongenero on September 24, 2004 at 10:56:42 PT
great job FoM!
great news......you're very dedicated FoM.
I urge everyone to follow the links in the CNews articles to the original article source. It draws attention to Cannabis News.
This is something the newspapers etc. can see in their web tracking. Cannabis News will show up as the referring source that linked the visitor to them.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on September 24, 2004 at 10:51:50 PT
BigDawg 
You're very welcome. We always wanted to have a voice and now it seems that CNews is becoming a platform for us to speak out against the laws concerning Cannabis. I think it's really great. We know that the tv media doesn't pay any attention but people are reading this site so I assume they are also learning. This is our chance to make a difference. That's how I feel. 
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Comment #12 posted by BigDawg on September 24, 2004 at 10:30:34 PT
No no no!
Thank YOU FOM!
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on September 24, 2004 at 09:42:41 PT
Just a Comment and a Big Thank You!
This is just something I wanted to say. Yesterday our stats for CNews were over 166,000 hits. If that isn't a record it sure is close to a record. Also yesterday my Freedom To Exhale ( which is my personal web site ) broke a record ( 750 page hits ). We are being read and we are being watched. That's why it is so important to try hard to show people how we care and why we care. We can win this war if we work together and value everyone's efforts. Thank you for making our web site such a success!http://www.cannabisnews.com/stats
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Comment #10 posted by dongenero on September 24, 2004 at 09:42:38 PT
good for you dr slider
I've read about the use of cannabis in overcoming alcoholism and other substance abuse problems. Obviously the potential harm of alcohol is far greater than that of cannabis by any stretch of the imagination. As you point out the primary danger of cannabis use is due to the criminalization of it.
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Comment #9 posted by dr slider on September 24, 2004 at 09:13:29 PT:
dongenero
The alcohol/cannabis comparison is particularly personal to me. Thanks to cannabis I'm no longer a drunk. The prohib crowd say's regulating cannabis would only compound the problem. I'm living proof that that is worse than wrong, and anyone who has spent any time around sober drunks knows that "marijuana maintenance" has been going on for years. So now we are left with either a sickness that is derided as "bad choices" or a cure that is illegal(in most states). Not much of a choice given that they lock us up either way. Only on the face has anything changed from the pre-40's lock-em in the asylum era.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on September 24, 2004 at 08:41:38 PT
siege
That's interesting but what does it have to do with our issue? 
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Comment #7 posted by siege on September 24, 2004 at 08:35:19 PT
          off tpoic
 Republicans Admit Mailing Campaign Literature Saying Liberals Will Ban the Bible     http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/24/politics/campaign/24bible.html      
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Comment #6 posted by dongenero on September 24, 2004 at 07:24:15 PT
Some booze stats for the cannabis prohibitionists
Found this on a Reuters link FoM: snippedAlcohol Tied to 75,000 Deaths a Year in U.S. - StudyThu Sep 23, 3:39 PM ETBy Paul Simao ATLANTA (Reuters) - Alcohol abuse kills some 75,000 Americans each year and shortens the lives of these people by an average of 30 years, a U.S. government study suggested on Thursday. 
 
 Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States after tobacco use and poor eating and exercise habits.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites), which published the study, estimated that 34,833 people in 2001 died from cirrhosis of the liver, cancer and other diseases linked to drinking too much beer, wine and spirits.  Another 40,933 died from car crashes and other mishaps caused by excessive alcohol use. Now, tell me harmful cannabis is again John P?
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Comment #5 posted by siege on September 24, 2004 at 07:08:53 PT
      What is wrong with THIS
 school principal And evidence has emerged for the first time that some of William Bennest's pornographic material included photos and videos he made of a young boy "with an often-erect penis" who knew and trusted him.B.C. provincial court Judge William Kitchen declined last Friday to sentence Bennest to jail.
http://www.walnet.org/csis/news/vancouver_97/province-971009.htmlVANCOUVER - A provincial court judge refused to grant bail Wednesday to Carole Gwilt, whose Da Kine cafe on Commercial Drive was openly selling marijuana over the counter for months. http://www.mapinc.org/newsnorml/v04/n1353/a07.html. Judge William Kitchen jailed medical marijuana
Carole Gwilt,cafe owner. 
and lets a child pornographic GO,GO,go.
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on September 23, 2004 at 20:58:06 PT
Recent Canadian News from the NORML Website
CN BC: Canada Post Says Pot Busts Up To Cops
http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v04/n1347/a01.htm 
 CN ON: Post Office Won't Police Pot By Mail
http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v04/n1345/a08.htm 
 Canada: PUB LTE: Pot 'Problem' Is Political 
http://www.mapinc.org/norml/v04/n1344/a10.htm?134 
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Comment #3 posted by medicinal toker on September 23, 2004 at 20:48:21 PT
Parkinson's
Janet Reno, Pope John Paul 2 and Michael J. Fox should pull a Montel and stick up for medical cannabis like he does. It could be a good thing if the pope smoked dope, lol.
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Comment #2 posted by mayan on September 23, 2004 at 17:59:55 PT
unrelated...
If Bush gets "re-selected" there will be plenty of jobs. The only problem is that they will all be in the military! Bush’s Impending Draft:
http://www.blatanttruth.org/draft.phpDraft?
http://copvcia.com/free/ww3/092204_draft_truthout.shtmlPeople Against The Draft:
http://www.nodraft.info/
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Comment #1 posted by mayan on September 23, 2004 at 17:54:04 PT
70%!!!
From the third article on the bulletin, "Majority Of Voters Back Pot Legalization"...Oakland, CA: Seventy percent of voters in the city of Oakland support the legalization of marijuana for personal use, according to the results of citywide poll conducted by David Binder Research.California NORML Coordinator Dale Gieringer said that the results signified "a turning point in public opinion," noting that it was "the largest margin for legalization ever recorded in any poll."70% support outright legalization!!! Support for medical use must be approaching 90%! Is the public coming to it's senses or is this just backlash against the moron? The government's bogus propaganda has definitely backfired! The way out is the way in...The Big Wedding: 9/11,Whistleblowers, and the Cover-Up: 
http://drenchkiss.com/whistleblowers.htmlSander Hicks Reviews The 9/11 Commission Report:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/archive/scoop/stories/73/48/200409230802.cd069f02.htmlRumsfeld Sold Stakes in Pentagon Contractors:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6308610The Pentagon Renovations Completed on 9/11/01:
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/911_pentagon_renovations.html
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