cannabisnews.com: NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - February 21, 2008





NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - February 21, 2008
Posted by CN Staff on February 21, 2008 at 17:15:04 PT
Weekly Press Release
Source: NORML
  2nd Largest US Medical Association Calls for Rescheduling of Cannabis February 21, 2008 - Sacramento, CA, USASacramento, CA: The American College of Physicians (ACP), the nation’s largest organization of doctors of internal medicine and the second largest medical association in the country, called for easing the federal prohibition of marijuana in a position paper released Friday, February 15.
The ACP asked the federal government to review the inclusion of marijuana as a Schedule I drug, a classification it shares with drugs such as heroin and LSD. Schedule I substances are declared to have no medical use and a high potential for abuse by the federal government. Since its inclusion as a Schedule I drug in 1970, the scheduling of cannabis has been constantly challenged.The conflict between federal law and the twelve states where medical cannabis statutes have been enacted have made many doctors avoid recommending medical cannabis as a treatment. Dr. David Dale, president of the ACP, said that contributed to the ACP’s action: "We felt the time had come to speak up about this. …We’d like to clear up the uncertainty and anxiety of patients and physicians over this drug."Officials at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy panned the ACP’s move. "What this would do is drag us back to 14th century medicine," said Bertha Madras, the ONDCP deputy director for demand reduction."With the ACP now supporting rescheduling, the ONDCP can no longer claim that medical cannabis is not supported by science or the practitioners of modern medicine," NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said in response.With this action, the ACP joins the American Nurses Association, the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and many other medical associations calling for cannabis to be made a legal medicine.For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at: allen norml.org Full text of the ACP policy papers is available in PDF format at: http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/other_issues/medmarijuana.pdf DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7519  Idaho: Pot Measures May Appear Again On City Ballot February 21, 2008 - Hailey, ID, USAHailey, ID: Hailey voters will likely have an opportunity this May to once again decide on a series of municipal initiatives seeking to liberalize the city’s marijuana law enforcement policies. Hailey’s City Clerk’s office reported this week that it had certified four marijuana initiatives to appear on a special May 27 ballot. All four initiatives had been previously decided by voters in November, when Hailey residents endorsed language legalizing the use of medical cannabis and hemp, and called on police to make marijuana law enforcement its lowest priority.In January, Hailey city council members took legal action to nullify all three voter-approved provisions – claiming that they conflicted with federal law.The sponsor of the initiatives, the Liberty Lobby of Idaho, has said that they would remove the measures from the May ballot if city officials agree "to implement the spirit of the original initiatives."Hailey’s city attorney has previously said that the city is not legally required to accept the outcome of voter initiatives.For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, or Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel, at (202) 483-5500.DL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7520  Drug Law Reform Community Mourns Passing of John Morgan, M.D.  February 21, 2008 - New York, NY, USANew York, NY: Longtime marijuana law reform advocate Dr. John Morgan passed away Friday, February 15, in New York City at the age of 67. Dr. Morgan served on NORML’s Board of Directors from 1995 to 2004, and on NORML’s Advisory Board thereafter until his death. Morgan died after suddenly falling into a coma in the hours following an unexpected diagnosis of leukemia. Friends and family, some of whom had spoken to an apparently healthy Morgan just days prior, were stunned and saddened.Dr. John P. Morgan was a physician and professor of pharmacology at the City University of New York Medical School. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1965. Following training in internal medicine (at Syracuse) and clinical pharmacology (at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Rochester), he began a career in academic pharmacology and medicine at the University of Rochester. He began his work at City College in 1977, where his teaching included the topics of pharmacology, clinical pharmacology, and drug policy. Although perhaps best known to the drug law reform movement as coauthor (along with the late sociologist Lynn Zimmer) of Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts (The Lindesmith Center, New York, 1997), Morgan had been an active force in drug law reform for decades. Dr. Morgan published approximately 100 articles, book chapters, and books on the clinical pharmacology of psychoactive drugs. More recently, his research and writing involved issues such as urine testing in the American workplace, medical marijuana, the socio-pharmacology of crack-cocaine, alcohol prevalence during national prohibition, and physician prescribing practices.In a statement announcing his death, NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said, "John was a wonderful man, scholar, brilliant educator, author, researcher, lecturer and good friend to anyone who extended their hand to him. Every single man and woman in this country and around the world who cares about replacing prohibition-oriented policies with science/public health-based policies owes a man like John Morgan immense thanks and praise."A memorial service for Dr. Morgan will be held at 2:00pm, Saturday, February 23 at City College on 140th Street and Amsterdam in Manhattan. It will be in the Faculty Dining Hall in the North Academic Center at Amsterdam and 138th street (map). The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations in his name be made to support Stem Cell or Multiple Sclerosis research at Mt. Sinai Hospital. Call the hospital's Development Office at (212) 659-8500 or use their online gift form at: http://www.mountsinai.org/msh/ways_to_give_ms.jspDL: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7518Source: NORML Foundation (DC)Published: February 21, 2008Copyright: 2008 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 #6 posted by FoM on February 22, 2008 at 06:22:48 PT
Press Release From The Drug Policy Alliance
Ethan Nadelmann Remembers Dr. John P. MorganFriday, February 22, 2008Dr. John P. Morgan died February 15, 2008, of acute myeloid leukemia. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, remembers his friend and colleague: 
URL: http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/022208morgan.cfm
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by OverwhelmSam on February 22, 2008 at 04:55:28 PT
System Failure
I am reading a lot of actions pending in state legislatures that are intent on reducing the penalties for various drug offenses. I detect a potential system failure in the drug war that is reminescent of The Matrix. "Where we go from here, I leave to you."
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Paint with light on February 22, 2008 at 00:31:24 PT
Live on John
John Morgan, MD may be gone but his work and words will live on.Long live John Morgan, MD
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by Sam Adams on February 22, 2008 at 00:01:05 PT
another orwellian moment
Amazing! The ONDCP says that the ACP's scientific endorsement will take us back to the 14th century - yet that's exactly what they're doing - going back to the Inquisition days before the Renaissance where scientists were running scared & the high priests ruled everyone.  Decreeing that Galileo is wrong and throwing him in jail.It's fascinating to me the way the federal government has taken over the function of primitive churches in the Dark Ages before we entered the age of science. Humankind never really changes, does it?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 21, 2008 at 18:15:58 PT
Bill Would Protect Medical Pot Users' Jobs
By Josh Richman, Staff WriterFebruary 21, 2008A new Assembly bill with two Bay Area co-authors seeks to protect medical-marijuana users' jobs.AB 2279, introduced Wednesday, would prohibit employment discrimination against those who use marijuana as medicine in compliance with state law away from the workplace. It would leave intact already-existing provisions barring consumption in the workplace, and would protect employers from liability by carving out an exception for safety-sensitive jobs.Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, had vowed to introduce such a bill last month after the state Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that an employer can fire a worker solely because he or she uses medical marijuana outside the workplace.Complete Article: http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/ci_8326712
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on February 21, 2008 at 17:41:17 PT
My condolances to John Morgan, MD
John Morgan, MD was a good man, a tremendous asset to our movement, he will be missed by me and many others I'm sure.John Morgan, MD is a hero to me. Hey John, I hope you are at peace now and if possible help us from where you are now. We mortals are condemned to live in this crazy world that is getting crazier by the day.You can watch John Morgan, MD at the below link from YouTube. Peace!
On a mission from God!
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment