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The NORML |
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. . . a weekly service for the media on news items related to marijuana
prohibition.
August 28, 1997
Attorney General, Law Enforcement Back California Medical
Marijuana
Research Bill
August 28, 1997, Sacramento, CA:
Attorney General Dan Lungren, the California Narcotics Officers Association, and the
California District Attorneys Association announced their support on Monday for
legislation to establish a Medical Research Center at a campus of the University of
California. S.B. 535, currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, would
provide $1 million for the first year of study and recommend similar financing over the
next two years.
The endorsement increases the likelihood that the
Legislature will approve S.B. 535 this session. Additional supporters of the
legislation include the American Cancer Society and the California Medical Association.
California NORML Coordinator Dale Gieringer said he
welcomed the Attorney General's endorsement. "We are glad to stand on common
ground with Attorney General Lungren and law enforcement in support of S.B. 535. We
have no doubt that honest research will lead to federal approval of marijuana as
medicine. Thanks to the passage of Prop. 215, California is breaking the federal
roadblock against medical marijuana research."
The bill's sponsor, Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-Santa
Clara), said he appreciated Lungren's cooperation. "After two months of
negotiations, we have an agreement that maintains the integrity of the bill's research
goals while responding to law enforcement concerns. The Attorney General and I share
a commitment to pure, unbiased research, a goal which S.B. 535 embodies."
Negotiations between Lungren and Vasconcellos resulted
in some modifications of the bill. Major amendments to S.B. 535 include the
following:
* The state program must comply with research
guidelines developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) unless NIH fails to
provide such guidelines within six months of the state's request.
* The program must use marijuana supplied by either the
National Institute on Drug Abuse or alternative sources approved by the Attorney General.
* Private donations to research are prohibited if they
come with any conditions or restrictions.
* Research protocols must be reviewed and approved by
the state's existing Research Advisory Panel.
"California needs a definitive study,"
Lungren announced at a news conference. "I do not fear the findings of an
unbiased research project."
Lungren's endorsement contrasts his vocal opposition to
Proposition 215 prior to last year's election. Lungren incurred the ire of medical
marijuana proponents last August when he ordered state agents to raid San Francisco's
largest cannabis buyers' club.
Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of The
NORML Foundation, said he was cautiously optimistic about the recent developments
in California. "The broad coalition backing medical marijuana research in
California is a positive step toward the passage of S.B. 535," he said.
"However, recent modifications to the bill -- specifically those mandating the state
program to comply with federal guidelines and supply sources -- may stall necessary
research from taking place." St. Pierre noted that similar proposals in
Washington and Massachusetts have been delayed indefinitely while awaiting federal
cooperation.
The California State Senate overwhelmingly approved
S.B. 535 on June 6.
For more information, please contact either Allen
St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation @ (202)
483-8751. Dale Gieringer of California NORML is available @ (415) 563-5858.
New Book Links Marijuana To Melatonin Production
August 28, 1997, Washington, D.C.:
Smoking marijuana stimulates melatonin production in the human body at greater levels than
any other known method, allege authors of a new book entitled Your Body's Natural
Wonder Drug: Melatonin.
Authors J. Reiter, Ph.D. and Jo Robinson cite an
Italian study that discovered significantly higher melatonin levels in subjects who
consumed marijuana within the last half-hour than those who abstained. The authors
speculate that some of marijuana's therapeutic properties could be linked the increased
production of melatonin.
"The fact that smoking marijuana is accompanied by
a dramatic increase in melatonin production may explain some of the drug's positive
effects, [including] ... being used to counteract the toxicity of chemotherapy, treat
migraines, reduce intraocular pressure, minimize pain, treat menstrual cramps, and
moderate wasting syndrome in AIDS patients," the authors state.
Federal Court Upholds Unlawful Prosecution Suit By Hemp Activists
August 28, 1997, Hilo, HI: A
federal appeals court upheld a $3 million lawsuit brought by hemp activists Roger Christie
and Aaron Anderson against Hawaii County prosecutors for unlawful prosecution.
Anderson and Christie were indicted for
"commercial promotion" of marijuana in 1992 after Anderson ordered sterilized
hemp seeds from China. Current law allows individuals to import and possess such
seeds. Prosecutors subsequently dropped criminal charges against Christie, but have
scheduled a September 23 trial date for Anderson.
During an early hearing in Anderson and Christie's
suit, Deputy Prosecutor Kay Iopa testified that her office would not prosecute a
"little old lady" if she possessed hemp seeds. Iopa did suggest that she
would prosecute an individual who "is very vocally, very outwardly, advocating the
legalization of marijuana." The U.S. District Court in Honolulu later dismissed
charges against Iopa and her superior Jay Kimura, but allowed the case to stand against
the county. The recent appeals court ruling reaffirms that decision.
"We are grateful for the light shining on the
cannabis plant," said Christie. "We are hoping this becomes the last
marijuana trial in Hawaii."
County attorney Steve Christensen said that he plans a
new appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. "Anderson will be an old man
before we conclude this," he said.
For more information, please contact Roger Christie
@ (808) 961-0488.
Canadian Activist Vows To Take Constitutional Challenge To Supreme Court
August 28, 1997, London, Ontario:
Canadian marijuana activist Chris Clay -- who two weeks ago lost his bid to strike down
federal laws outlawing the use of marijuana -- says that he will take his case to the
Supreme Court. "This is just the first round," Clay told reporters last
week.
Clay's lawyers, Toronto law professor Alan Young and
attorney Paul Burstein, expect to file an appeal by mid-September. "We've come
this far, so we won't stop now," Young said.
Clay launched his constitutional challenge after law
enforcement officials raided his retail store in London, Ontario in December 1996 for
selling non-sterilized marijuana seeds. Clay admitted during the trial that he was
on a campaign to change the marijuana laws when arrested. He will be sentenced on
criminal possession and trafficking charges on September 5.
Although agreeing with Clay that marijuana is
relatively harmless and does not cause criminal behavior, Justice John McCart ruled that
elected politicians -- not the courts -- must lead the way in establishing public policy
on such issues. McCart did admit, "The national governments of Canada and the
United States appear to be somewhat out of step with most of the western world [in regards
to their marijuana laws.]"
For more information, please contact attorney Paul
Burstein @ (416) 204-1825 or visit the Hemp Nation website at: www.hempnation.com.
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