cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- March 03, 2005





NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- March 03, 2005
Posted by CN Staff on March 03, 2005 at 15:39:51 PT
Weekly Press Release
Source: NORML
Company Accelerates Plans For US Approval Of Medi-Pot SprayMarch 3, 2005 - Salisbury, United KingdomSalisbury, United Kingdom: British biotechnology firm GW Pharmaceuticals announced this week that it is accelerating plans to seek US regulatory approval for its oral spray Sativex, a whole plant medicinal cannabis extract containing precise doses of the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol (CBD).
According to published reports by Reuters News Wire, the company has retained the services of the Apjohn Group, a 10-member organization consisting of former US pharmaceutical company executives specializing in US clinical drug development, regulatory affairs, and public policy. The company is also considering applying for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).In clinical trials, Sativex has been shown to reduce cancer pain and MS-associated spasticity, among other symptoms, in patients unresponsive to standard therapies.Last December, Health Canada issued a "Qualifying Notice" for the approval of Sativex for the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with Multiple Sclerosis. However, British regulatory approval for the drug has been delayed after an advisory body of the British Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced late last year that it required further clinical evidence of Sativex's ability to alleviate MS-associated spasticity in a "clinically relevant" manner.For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500 or visit: http://www.gwpharm.comDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6467Canada Offers Tax Break To Medical Cannabis PatientsMarch 3, 2005 - Ottawa, CanadaOttawa, Ontario: Canadians who buy cannabis for medicinal purposes will receive tax relief under the nation's 2005 proposed budget, introduced yesterday.According to a review of the budget published by the Toronto Star, patients who purchase medical cannabis from Health Canada or a designated grower will now be eligible for Canada's 16 percent medical expense tax credit. Canada is believed to be the first nation to offer tax relief for medicinal cannabis users.Under current law, qualified Canadian patients may legally possess and grow medicinal cannabis and/or purchase it from the government. Last year, Health Canada announced that it was also considering a pilot program to make government grown cannabis available in pharmacies. A similar federally run program has been in existence in the Netherlands since 2003.For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6468Australia: ACT Limits Cannabis CultivationMarch 3, 2005 - Canberra, AustraliaCanberra, Australian Capital Territory: The number of marijuana plants that citizens may legally cultivate in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) will be reduced from five to two, under statewide legislative changes taking effect this weekend. The changes amend the ACT's Simple Cannabis Notice Scheme, which decriminalizes the use and possession of minor amounts of cannabis.Other changes to the ACT's law include an increase in criminal penalties for the sale of commercial quantities of cannabis, as well as a ban on the cultivation of "hydroponically grown" marijuana.Possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis and/or the cultivation of up to two marijuana plants will remain a non-criminal offense. In 2004, the ACT Legislative Assembly enacted new legislation allowing for farmers to commercially grow hemp for industrial purposes.In recent years, several Australian territories - including Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Victoria - have adopted similar marijuana depenalization policies.For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6469US Appetite For Illicit Drugs Is World's Largest, UN Report Says -- NORML Director Calls For A "Regime Change" In US Drug PolicyMarch 3, 2005 - Vienna, AustriaVienna, Austria: The United States is the "world's single largest market" for illicit drugs, according to findings published this week in the United Nations 2004 Report of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).The report further states that "the rate of drug abuse in the US remains disturbingly high" despite federal and state governments spending approximately $40 billion annually on illicit drug prevention efforts.NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre called the UN's findings an "indictment" of US criminal drug policy. "The United States spends more money than any other nation to enforce its criminal drug policies, and incarcerates a greater number of its citizens than any other nation for anti-drug offenses, yet it remains the world leader in illicit drug use and drug production," he said. "These disastrous results speak to the need for an immediate 'regime change' in US drug policy."Regarding US cannabis production, the INCB report states that US law enforcement eradicated approximately 3.3 million cannabis plants in 2002 (excluding ditchweed), and that an estimated 2,500 tons of marijuana is grown in the United States annually."A more rational US drug policy would cease arresting and prosecuting the estimated 25 million Americans who use cannabis responsibly, and instead call for taxing and regulating the use of marijuana by adults in a manner similar to alcohol," St. Pierre said.For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the 2004 INCB report is available online at: http://www.incb.org/e/ar/2004/menu.htmDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6466Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: March 03, 2005Copyright: 2005 NORML Contact: norml norml.org Website: http://www.norml.org/ NORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Feb. 24, 2005http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20285.shtmlNORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Feb. 17, 2005http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20257.shtmlNORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Feb. 10, 2005http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20222.shtmlNORML's Weekly News Bulletin -- Feb. 03, 2005http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20192.shtml
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on March 10, 2005 at 19:19:23 PT
NORML: Don't Bogart This Marijuana Arrest Report! 
NORML Director Allen St. Pierre: Don't Bogart This Marijuana Arrest Report! View NORML's Arrest Report http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6411March 10, 2005Dear NORML supporter:Soon, many in the United States and around the world are going to be reading the NORML Foundation's comprehensively updated 'Marijuana Arrest and Use Report/Analysis'.Relevant and crucially important reports that document the costs to taxpayers and the great need to substantively overhaul America's cannabis policy are prime projects for cannabis consumers and NORML members to support with their financial donations. Right now NORML is busier-then-ever tracking and lobbying on state legislative bills which effects cannabis policy and cannabis consumers—medical and recreational alike.Donations to NORML/NORML Foundation, along with the purchase of NORML-related products and apparel, contribute to supporting NORML's important legislative lobbying efforts and criminal justice research.Please donate to NORML/NORML Foundation at: https://secure.norml.org/join/Your sneak preview of the updated NORML marijuana arrest report is found at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6411The truly invaluable criminal justice information contained in NORML's 'Marijuana Arrest and Use Report/Analysis' is found no where else. Period.Please share the information with your like-minded friends, family and co-workers who, like you, greatly benefit from NORML's latest marijuana arrest report. Again, please do not 'Bogart' this new report from NORML ... "Pass it around!"Ever higher,Allen F. St. Pierre Executive Director NORML Washington, DC www.norml.orgP.S. The new 'NORML Marijuana Arrest and Use Report/Analysis', along with other fascinating and interesting panel topics and famous speakers will next convene at the fast approaching national NORML conference. Space and rooms are still available, but you and your 'buds' need to act soon. For more info on how to attend NORML 2005 in San Francisco: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6437
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on March 10, 2005 at 16:00:25 PT
Texas Decriminalization Hearing Rescheduled 
WHAT: Marijuana Decriminalization Bill To Receive Hearing Next Tuesday!WHERE: Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee State Capitol Room E2016 Austin TX 78768-2910WHEN: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 at 2:00 PMAs we informed you yesterday, a hearing on House Bill 254, which would reduce penalties for possession of marijuana to a civil infraction, similar to a traffic ticket, was postponed earlier this week. NORML has just learned that the hearing will now take place on Tuesday, March 15 at 2:00 PM, before the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.If you have not done so already, please take a moment today to write your Representative and tell him or her to support House Bill 254. Pre-written letters are available online from NORML at: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=6847791&type=STIn addition, if your Representative serves on the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, it is vital that you call him or her ASAP, and voice your support for marijuana decriminalization. The committee is expected to vote on this proposal immediately following the hearing.The following Representatives serve on the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee:Representative Terry Keel (R-TX 47th), Chair - (512) 463-0652 Representative Debbie Riddle (R-TX 150th), Vice-Chair - (512) 463-0572 Representative Mary Denny (R-TX 63rd) - (512) 463-0688 Representative Elvira Reyna (R-TX 101st) - (512) 463-0464 Representative Aaron Pena (D-TX 40th) - (512) 463-0426 Representative Terri Hodge (D-TX 100th) - (512) 463-0586 Representative Paul C. Moreno (D-TX 77th) - (512) 463-0638 Representative Juan Escobar (D-TX 43rd) - (512) 463-0666 Representative Richard Raymond (D-TX 42nd) - (512) 463-0558The bill's sponsor has requested that supporters not show up in person the day of the hearing, other than those people who are approved to testify. However, if you would like to follow the proceedings, they will be broadcast live on the internet at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlo/house/broadcast.htmTo help support NORML's state legislative efforts, please donate today at: https://secure.norml.org/join/Thank you again for your support of NORML's legislative efforts in Texas.Regards,Kris Krane, Associate Director NORML
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on March 10, 2005 at 15:58:06 PT
Vermont Considers Taxing and Regulating Marijuana 
Take Action Now! http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=7192121&type=MEFriends:NORML is pleased to announce that Vermont State Rep. Winston Dowland (P-Derby Line) has introduced an historic bill in the Vermont Legislature that seeks to end marijuana prohibition in the state. If passed, House Bill 390 would replace Vermont's criminal marijuana laws with a system that taxes and regulates marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol.In a prepared statement, Rep. Dowland underscored the need for such legislation, "Prohibition simply has not worked. [A]fter 90 years of prohibition, nearly 10% of Vermonters use [marijuana] each month. Nationally, arrests for marijuana possession are running over 660,000 per year -- more than the entire population of Vermont -- and what is the result? Eighty-seven percent of high school seniors tell government survey-takers that marijuana is easy to get. How many more billions of dollars are we going to spend on this failed policy before we stop and consider whether there might not be a better way?"NORML applauds the efforts of Rep. Dowland and his co-sponsor Rep. David Deen (D-Westminster). Though they understand that this bill is not expected to receive a hearing or a vote this year, they are confident that they can begin to build grassroots momentum so that it can move forward in 2006. Local activists from Vermont NORML and the Vermont Marijuana Policy Project are already hard at work garnering local support.In light of this fact, NORML is requesting that you refrain from sending letters of support to your state Representative at this time. Instead we ask that you please send a letter to the editor of your local paper in support of H. 390. NORML has provided pre-written letters that you can send to your local papers by visiting: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=7192121&type=METo help support NORML's state legislative efforts, please donate today at: https://secure.norml.org/join/Thank you for your help in this important matter.Regards,Paul Armentano, Senior Policy Analyst NORML
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on March 07, 2005 at 08:09:40 PT
Oh man!
I'd love to dismantle their misbegotten system!Walters like to warn of "Trojan Horses". What about that humongous "Cash Cow" he's nurturing with all his might?
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on March 07, 2005 at 08:04:41 PT
$40 billion annually 
Imagine that money spent on schools and something useful.Right now it's going to some sort of perverted welfare system for all the prohibs.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on March 07, 2005 at 07:32:41 PT
Oregon Senate Considers Amending Medical Marijuana
Take Action Now! http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=7152361&type=STWHAT: Medical Marijuana Bill To Receive Hearing Tuesday!WHERE: Oregon Senate Human Services CommitteeState CapitolHearing Room D900 Court Street NESalem, OR 97301WHEN: Thursday, March 10, 2005 at 3:00 PMThis Thursday, March 10 at 3:00 PM, the Senate Human Services Committee Committee will hold a hearing regarding Senate Bill 772, which seeks to modify Oregon's medical marijuana act so that bonafide patients have greater access to medicinal cannabis and enjoy expanded legal protections under state law. Senate Bill 772 would increase the amounts of cannabis that medical marijuana patients may legally possess, and allow for the establishment of licensed, non-profit medical cannabis collectives. The bill would also allow for the administration of medical marijuana by trained health care professionals in public health facilities such as nursing homes or hospices.If this bill is to move forward in the state legislature, Senators must hear an overwhelming message of support from Oregon residents. Please take a moment today to write your Senator and tell him or her to support Senate Bill 772. Pre-written letters are available online from NORML at: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=7152361&type=STIn addition, if your Senator serves on the Human Services Committee Committee, it is vital that you call him or her ASAP, and voice your support for medical marijuana and Senate Bill 772. The committee is expected to vote on this proposal immediately following the hearing.The following Senators serve on the Human Services Committee Committee:Senator William E. Morrisette (D-OR 6th), Chair - (503) 986-1706 Senator Jeff Kruse (R-OR 1st), Vice-Chair - (503) 986-1701 Senator Rick Metsger (D-OR 26th) - (503) 986-1726 Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson (D-OR 25th) - (503) 986-1725 Senator Charles Starr (R-OR 13th) - (503) 986-1713Since this will be a public hearing, if you reside in the vicinity of the State Capitol in Salem we encourage you to attend this hearing in person. In order for the bill to be taken seriously, Senators will need to see a large show of support for the bill.To help support NORML's state legislative efforts, please donate today at: https://secure.norml.org/join/Thank you again for your support of NORML's legislative efforts in Oregon.Regards,Kris Krane, Associate Director NORML 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 03, 2005 at 18:29:12 PT
mayan
I watch Lou Dobbs tonight and from what I got out of it the Draft will have to come back. They are falling short of new recruits and understandably so.
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Comment #1 posted by mayan on March 03, 2005 at 18:22:25 PT
FAILURE
From the last article on the bulletin...Vienna, Austria: The United States is the "world's single largest market" for illicit drugs, according to findings published this week in the United Nations 2004 Report of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).The report further states that "the rate of drug abuse in the US remains disturbingly high" despite federal and state governments spending approximately $40 billion annually on illicit drug prevention efforts.If that's not indicative of complete failure then there is no such thing as failure!unrelated...Reinstatement of the draft is likely soon, despite what the politicians say:
http://copvcia.com/free/ww3/030305_world_stories.shtml#0 THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...9/11 Was an Inside Job - A Call to All True Patriots:
http://www.911sharethetruth.com/
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