CONTINUED....
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HAWAII: AG Clarifies State Law; New Dispensary to Open
As in California, Hawaii’s attorney general issued a statement stressing that the Raich ruling has no effect on state law, despite the widely reported comments of the U.S. Attorney there. Patients there will soon have better access to cannabis, thanks to a new dispensary planned for Oahu.
Medical Use of Marijuana Will Continue in Hawaii
by Mark Bennett, Hawaii Attorney General, Hawaii Reporter
The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that the federal government may criminally prosecute individuals for the possession, distribution, or use of marijuana, even if a state has legalized such possession, distribution, or use for medical purposes. Gonzales v Raich, 125 S.Ct. 2195 (2005). This ruling does not overturn Hawaii’s law regarding medical use of marijuana. The State of Hawaii will continue its medical marijuana program.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2344
Medical marijuana clinic to open on Oahu
Associated Press
A mainland marijuana advocacy group plans to open a Honolulu clinic designed to help people become certified for Hawaii's medical marijuana program.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2342
Medical marijuana clinic set for O'ahu
by Timothy Hurley , Honolulu Advertiser
In a move that could add patients to the state's medical marijuana program, a Portland, Ore.-based marijuana advocacy group is planning to open a clinic in Honolulu designed to help people become certified for the program.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2341
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OREGON: State Program Resumes
Clarification from the state attorney general about the limited reach of the Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for Oregon to resume its medical marijuana program.
Oregon's top lawyer OKs medical marijuana use
by Teresa Carson, Reuters
Oregon's attorney general gave the state the go-ahead on Friday to resume issuing cards that allow sick patients to smoke marijuana despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling the federal government could prosecute medical use of the drug.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2355
Oregon resumes medical marijuana cards
Associated Press
Oregon resumed issuing medical marijuana cards today, after a review by Attorney General Hardy Myers.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2356
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CALIFORNIA: Interpretation of Ruling Vexing Cities
While California Attorney General Bill Lockyer was quick to point out that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Raich did not have any effect on state law or the obligations it imposes on local governments to protect safe access for patients, some local officials have nonetheless been citing federal law as an excuse to not fulfill their sworn duty to the people of California. Others, like those in Ukiah, have been attempting to move forward.
Amador Supervisors nullify medical pot ordinance
by Terry Grillo, Amador Ledger-Dispatch
“Sometimes we get our priorities mixed up,” said Richard Vinson (Third District) at the Amador Board of Supervisor’s meeting Tuesday. “We permit alcohol and tobacco sales … but medical cannabis that can relieve pain and suffering has to be outlawed.”
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2354
Mission Viejo extends ban on medical-marijuana outlets
by Maria Hsin, Orange County Register
The City Council agreed unanimously Monday night to extend the city's moratorium on medical-marijuana dispensaries to May 2006.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2353
Roseville repeals medical marijuana ordinance
by Jason Probst, Auburn Journal (CA)
By a 5-0 vote, the Roseville City Council on Wednesday repealed an ordinance that allowed but governed the placement of medical marijuana dispensaries. The action hopes to eliminate the curious dilemma Capitol Compassionate Care brought when it opened the city's first medical marijuana business in January 2004.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2358
A case for medical marijuana
by Tony Anthony, Ukiah Daily Journal
On the surface it may seem ironic that Sergeant Rusty Noe of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department is busy on one end of town teaching techniques for spotting illegal pot gardens from government supplied helicopters while at the other end of town members of local law enforcement are participating in an open forum about the distribution of medical cannabis in Mendocino County.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2331
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SOUTH DAKOTA: State Initiative in the Works
Voter initiative is likely to add South Dakota to the growing list of states with medical marijuana laws. Patients and activists there have begun the process for qualifying a ballot initiative for next fall.
South Dakotan completes cross-state tour for medical marijuana
by Dirk Lammers, Aberdeen News (SD)
A Hermosa, South Dakota man has completed a cross-state bicycle tour aimed at gathering signatures to put a medical marijuana measure on the 2006 ballot.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2352
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RESEARCH: Scientists Identifying Why Cannabis Eases Pain
As the CBS News timeline of 4000 years of medical use indicates, the beneficial properties of cannabis have long been known. But scientists are now beginning to identify the brain chemistry involved in pain control and other biological processes, and finding that natural cannabinoids play a critical role.
Brain's Marijuana-like Chemicals Postpone Pain
by HealthDay News, Yahoo News
Experts have long known that the brain has the ability to suspend the pain response in times of injury and great stress, even after traumatic incidents such as gunshot wounds. Now, a new study in rats suggests marijuana-like neurochemicals called endocannabinoids may be key to this process.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2361
The History Of Marijuana As Medicine
KCBS - TV (San Francisco)
Timeline on the medicinal use of cannabis, from 2737 BC to the present.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2351
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CANADA: Prescription Cannabis Spray On Shelves
The long-awaited and much heralded cannabis-spray Sativex is now available in Canadian pharmacies. While there has been some debate over the spray’s similarities and differences to the cannabis a patient might grow in their backyard, the drug is confirmation of the plant’s medical efficacy.
Spray alternative to pot on the market in Canada
by Wendy Koch, USA Today
Canadians now have access to a legal spray alternative to medical marijuana. Beginning this week, multiple sclerosis patients with constant tingling pain can get a doctor's prescription for a new drug, Sativex, derived from the marijuana plant.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2357
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NATIONAL: Raich Ruling Debate Continues
The impact and implications of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on medical marijuana will be discussed and debated for some time, from the underlying questions of economics to the need for better national policy.
Half-Baked Economics
by Idan Ivri, LA City Beat
This spring, a few months before the Supreme Court ruled in Raich v. Gonzalez that the Federal government has authority over state marijuana laws, a high school economics lecture broke out in the courtroom. Justice John Paul Stevens wanted to know whether the medical marijuana marketplace would affect the price of pot on the black market.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2350
The Nation Needs a Medical Marijuana Law
EDITORIAL, Arizona Daily Star
Despite a ruling by the Supreme Court, Congress can pass a law to allow the sick and dying access to medicinal marijuana. The Supreme Court's decision does not have to be the last word on the use of medical marijuana by sick and dying patients. Congress can and should take up the cause for marijuana as a remedy for patients who cannot find relief elsewhere.
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=2348