----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:23:46 -0700

Subject:Canada: Feds Pot Crop Not Up To Snuff Up TOC

Newshawk: CMAP
Pubdate: Wed, 08 May 2002
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Webpage:
http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/story.asp?
id={D8741319-7876-4144-A644-EB9B0D44D34B}
Copyright: 2002 The Edmonton Journal
Contact: letters@thejournal.southam.ca
Website: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Mark Kennedy

FEDS' POT CROP NOT UP TO SNUFF

Oops! The official supply of federal pot is bad weed.

So impure, in fact, that the first crop contains 185 different varieties of
pot.

Hardly the stuff a health minister would want to provide to a seriously ill
patient to relieve their symptoms.

Health Minister Anne McLellan revealed the "problem"

Tuesday, saying it's responsible for the delay -- which could last at least
several more months -- for getting the department's much-heralded plan off
the ground to provide marijuana to Canadians who need it for medicinal
purposes.

She said the unreliable pot stems from the seeds that were used.

Initially, the federal government had hoped to obtain a standardized seed
from the U.S. government, but officials in the American Drug Enforcement
Agency refused to share the stuff.

That meant our officially sanctioned grower, who harvested the pot at an
underground mine in Flin Flon, Man., was left using seeds obtained by
police, who confiscated it during their law enforcement work.

Not surprisingly, then, the first crop of nearly 2,000 plants -- which was
completed in the fall and was supposed to be distributed early this year --
contained a rainbow of varying potencies and purities.

The government is now having its pot tested to find the best strain so that
a "quality, standardized" seed can be used for the second crop of plants,
said McLellan. Until then, sick Canadians who were approved to smoke the
stuff and were counting on the official federal pot as their supply will
have to wait.

"It is a problem," McLellan told reporters about the delay. "I'm not here
to pretend."

But she said the government has an obligation to ensure that the marijuana
it provides people is of a consistent quality -- in part because the pot
would be given out as part of clinical trials to determine whether the
claims are true about the medicinal benefits. Without a standardized crop,
she said, researchers monitoring the sick patients would have no way of
knowing whether the marijuana is having the desired effects.

She urged people to remember that Canada is the first country in the world
to launch a program, based on compassionate grounds, to test the merits of
medicinal marijuana.

"So in fact, trial and error is going to be a part of this. I think people
have to be patient."

Nonetheless, the delay is an embarrassment for Health Canada. Its former
minister, Allan Rock, pushed the the department to adopt a more
compassionate approach to medical marijuana.

New regulations came into effect last summer that allow certain patients
with chronic or terminal illnesses to apply to Health Canada for permission
to use marijuana. The regulations apply to patients who have less than a
year to live; those suffering from AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, spinal
cord injuries, severe arthritis or epilepsy; and to patients suffering from
other conditions, if marijuana is recommended by two specialists.

In each case, the application must be signed by a doctor, who must, among
other things, agree that the "benefits from the applicant's recommended use
of marijuana outweigh any risks associated with that use."

Those who qualify can grow marijuana on their own, have another approved
grower do it for them, or get the weed from the government.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth

 
 


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web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:24:41 -0700

Subject:CA: Overturned Produce Truck Produces Pot Up TOC

Newshawk: Terry Liittschwager
Pubdate: Wed, 08 May 2002
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Webpage:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-iv0022480may08.story
Copyright: 2002 Los Angeles Times
Contact: letters@latimes.com
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)

OVERTURNED PRODUCE TRUCK PRODUCES POT

ONTARIO -- Apparently brownies are too fattening for this pair.

Police were looking Tuesday for two men who fled from an overturned produce
truck that was carrying cucumbers and more than two tons of marijuana
Sunday night.

The truck flipped over as it exited the 60 Freeway onto Euclid Avenue at
11:45 p.m., spilling the cucumbers and $2 million worth of marijuana onto
the road, Ontario Police Officer David McBride said. Witnesses saw two men
run from the wrecked truck, McBride said.

When officers arrived, they found 5,000 pounds of marijuana concealed
within the cucumber boxes.

Officers searched the area but could not find the men.

Investigators learned the truck was involved in a hit-and-run crash on the
60 Freeway moments before it overturned, McBride said. No one was hurt in
the hit-and-run.

Both men were described as Latino, in their 20s, about 5 foot 11 and 180
pounds. One had black hair, a white T-shirt and light-colored pants,
McBride said. The other had on dark pants and a zip-up, dark-colored jacket.

The off-ramp was closed until 6:30 a.m. Monday as officers cleaned up the
cucumbers.

The truck was owned by M&M Produce in Los Angeles, and had Galaviz Produce
LLC written on the side. Officers followed up with the companies but were
unable to identify any suspects.

Anyone with information about the driver or the passenger, and anyone who
may have witnessed the crash, is asked to call the Ontario Police
Department at 395-2001.

Witnesses may also remain anonymous by calling WeTip at (800) 78 CRIME
(782-7463)
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth

 
 


**




web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:28:28 -0700

Subject: Canada: B.C. Pot Growers Blast $6 Million Waste

Newshawk: puff_tuff
Pubdate: Sat, 11 May 2002
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: sunletters@pacpress.southam.ca
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Peter O'Neil, Vancouver Sun
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)

B.C. POT GROWERS BLAST $6 MILLION WASTE

Ottawa Ignored Expert Advice, Cannabis Community Says

OTTAWA -- B.C.'s cannabis community endorsed Friday Senator Pat Carney's
complaint in Parliament that the federal government wasted $6 million and
offended British Columbians by not relying on generations of pot-growing
experience on the West Coast.

They said Health Canada deliberately ignored advice and contract bids from
B.C. experts when it selected a Saskatoon fruit tree-growing operation two
years ago to be Canada's first state-sanctioned supplier of pot to be used
for medicinal reasons.

Prairie Plant Systems Inc., operating in an abandoned mine in Flin Flon,
Man., produced an initial crop that turned out to be bad weed, Heath
Minister Anne McLellan revealed this week.

"As the inept Flin Flon experiment proves once again to be flop, the
federal government has no one to blame but themselves," said Michael Hansen
of Delta, founder of the Canadian Hemp Growers Association.

"This $6 million [was] spent to educate the uneducated on how to grow,"said
Hansen, whose association, working with a Surrey grower in what he called a
joint venture, was one of the bidders of the Health Canada contract.

"This industry branches out from B.C. east, north, and south," Hansen said
of B.C.'s status among pot-growing regions.

"We have a world-wide reputation for being the best."

Hilary Black, founder of the Vancouver Compassion Club, said the fault
rests with the government, not the grower.

Black, who distributes pot to about 2,000 members suffering from everything
from HIV to arthritis, said she warned one of former health minister Allan
Rock's top advisers a year ago that the government was facing a fiasco by
relying on seed captured in police busts.

The warning was ignored, resulting in an initial crop being a flop because
it contained numerous varieties of pot.

The mixed-bag crop, which would make it impossible to conduct clinical
trials on pot's purported health benefits, was the result of Ottawa's
inability to acquire a genetically-consistent seed supply from the U.S.
National Institute on Drug Abuse.

B.C. growers were flabbergasted, saying Health Canada could have acquired
good seed from their community using the same special government exemption
that permitted the Flin Flon operation to be launched.

"I offered on numerous occasions to provide Health Canada with any specific
strain they want at no charge, and for that matter I could have grown it at
no charge," said Marc Emery, who is running for mayor of Vancouver under
the Marijuana Party banner.

"I'm familiar with dozens of grow rooms across B.C. I've got 540 different
strains in my catalogue. I'm the largest seed genetic distributor in the
world for marijuana."

Philippe Lucas, a spokesman for the Vancouver Island Compassion Society,
was one of several cannabis experts who portrayed the pot blunder as a
massive waste of tax dollars.

"We get told in the [media] that all you need to grow pot is a closet and a
light and an 18-year-old and you can make a million dollars," Lucas said.

"So I find it amazing that with two years behind them and untold millions
Prairie Plant Systems for some reason can't give us a safe product yet.

"Health Canada has really blown it."

Lucas, who smokes pot to deal with symptoms of hepatitis C, said McLellan
offended Canadians by saying people will just have to wait for Prairie
Plant to produce a better crop.

"I had a woman last week who came in to our organization, who is 25 years
old, she got diagnosed with cancer and this week she goes in for a double
mastectomy," Lucas said.

"For Anne McLellan to say we're all just going to have to be patient for
this product is to me really insulting and inappropriate."

Lucas and several other other advocates of liberal marijuana laws will
testify next Tuesday in Richmond at a hearing by a special Senate committee
studying Canada's drug laws.

Black said the $6-million cannabis boondoggle was a direct result of senior
federal bureaucrats being afraid to consult broadly because they'd be
dealing with law-breakers.

"They can't oppress us and persecute us if they're officially and overtly
using our information and our genetics," said Black, whose compassion club
has distributed marijuana to about 2,000 sick people from its outlet on
Vancouver's east side.

Health Canada spokesman Andrew Swift said the government was aware its
first crop wouldn't be useful for clinical research.

But he said the wide variety of strains produced in the Flin Flon operation
now give the grower an opportunity to narrow down the seed selection to the
strains of highest quality.

He said the government wasn't in a position to accept seeds from B.C. pot
suppliers.

"It has to be from a lawful source."

While scathing in their criticism of the federal government, B.C.'s
cannabis community now sees Carney as a heroine.

Carney, while praising B.C.'s world-class pot Thursday, said she wasn't
speaking from personal experience. Her drug of choice is single malt whisky.

But as a chronic sufferer of arthritis, she said she'd like to keep her
options open.

Scoring a high-quality weed supply on any of the Gulf Islands wouldn't be a
problem, Black said.

"I'm sure she has neighbours who could help her out."
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom

 
 


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web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:29:21 -0700

Subject:UK: Before I Can Get Cannabis On The NHS, I'm Made To Up TOC

Newshawk: puff_tuff
Pubdate: Sun, 12 May 2002
Source: Independent on Sunday (UK)
Copyright: Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.
Contact: letters@independent.co.uk
Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/208
Author: Charlie Courtauld

BEFORE I CAN GET CANNABIS ON THE NHS, I'M MADE TO REMEMBER SHOPPING LISTS

Sorry to disappoint all you dope smokers out there, but marijuana
legalisation isn't something I get worked up about. If it's legalised,
fine. If it isn't, so be it. So why was I sitting in the waiting room at
the Institute of Neurology on Monday, desperately hoping that I'd get free
dope from the cannabis-in-multiple sclerosis trial? I can tell you that it
wasn't in the hope of getting a safe supply of Lebanese White Widow. It
never did much for me.

Apparently cannabis helps some people with walking difficulties. And since
this is a rather cheaper and safer method than a clandestine meeting with
some spotty teenager with a Nirvana T-shirt in a Colchester subway, I
joined the trial queue. Acquiring the weed this way isn't simple. First you
have to be assessed. Hence last week's trip (pardon the pun) to Queen's
Square in London's Bloomsbury. The Institute of Neurology is a bit swankier
than the hospitals I've attended recently. It's got mosaics on the floor,
and lurid portraits of the late Princess of Wales on the walls. First I had
to see Emma the physiotherapist. Emma spent some time wiggling my arms and
legs around, scoring my limbs for spasticity. My right leg's a two,
apparently. She was undecided about my left, but gave it a one. Whatever
that means. Then it was time to see the doctor. He looked alarmingly
younger than me - but then so does Carter in ER, and he's good, so I
mustn't judge. Anyway, this doctor was called Rory, as is my one-year-old,
so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Rory asked some questions, then gave me the verdict. "I'm delighted to tell
you that you've been accepted for the trial." Delighted? So was I,
actually. I don't think I could have stood the rejection.

So much for the good news. Now for the bad. "You understand that you can't
go abroad while you're on the trial?"

"Abroad? No."

"We're going to provide you with sufficient quantity to merit arrest for
intent to supply. I'll give you this card you can wave at any UK policeman
- - but it won't impress foreign cops." Great. Not that I have any plans to
go abroad, mind. But the prospect of having my collar felt by a Turkish
rozzer was depressing anyway. "And you can't drive either. I'm going to
have to inform the Home Office of your intention to participate in the
trial. If you crash a car while taking an illegal substance, that's a
criminal offence."

So. No driving for three months. No foreign travel. David Blunkett gets a
file on me. And the ordeal wasn't over yet. There was still the
psychological test to endure.

Everyone knows that MS makes you fall over, bump into things and so on. But
it can also make you a bit... you know... thingy... whatchemacallit...
forgetful. And so can cannabis. Put the two together and what have you got?
Where was I?

So the sadists at Queen's Square dreamt up a series of trials to test
memory and speed of thinking. The first bit was a cinch - just a list of
hard-to-pronounce words to read out. Even though I work for the Independent
on Sunday, I don't use "demesne" very often, but it all seemed rather
easy-peasy.

Then the test got harder. A tape was played, with a relentless list of
numbers to add up. The tape went rather faster than my brain, and I think I
flunked that one. Finally, the decider. A shopping list. I've always been
bad at shopping lists. Even on a normal trip to Somerfield, I always forget
something. Usually the cheese. That unforgiving glare from my wife as she
unpacks... Oh God. And this list went on for ever. "Paprika, jacket, drill,
parsley, vest..." I tried doing one of those mind maps you often read about
in the silly season. A mental tour of Somerfield. (Paprika? It's by the
Maldon salt.) But that didn't work because there were so many items that my
local supermarket doesn't stock. They don't do jackets in Halstead
Somerfield. By this time, the psychologist was at the end of the list. And
she wanted me to repeat it. Five times. Images of my wife's scorning face
shimmered in front of my eyes. I remembered about three items. And I
haven't even started on the drugs yet.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom

 
 


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web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:30:00 -0700

Subject:UK: Cannabis Must Stay Illegal, MPs Say Up TOC

Newshawk: puff_tuff
Pubdate: Sun, 12 May 2002
Source: Independent on Sunday (UK)
Copyright: Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.
Contact: letters@independent.co.uk
Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/208
Author: Sophie Goodchild, Home Affairs Correspondent

CANNABIS MUST STAY ILLEGAL, MPS SAY

Cannabis should have the same status as Valium but possession must remain a
criminal offence, an influential committee of MPs has said.

An enquiry into Britain's drugs laws by the Home Affairs Select Committee
will conclude that decriminalisation of the drug would send out the wrong
message and lead to an increase in supply.

Full legalisation of cannabis - a step further - will also be explicitly
rejected by the committee in its report, which will recommend reclassifying
the drug from Class B to Class C.

However, it will endorse the use of cannabis-based medicines for patients
with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and nerve path damage.

Plans for more liberal changes to Britain's drug laws are understood to
have been blocked by some members of the committee. "Some members did
support legalisation of cannabis and others were completely opposed to the
idea," said a Westminster source.

The committee's report is also understood to be opposed to any softening of
laws on heroin and ecstasy.

The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, is expected to announce to Parliament
that he will downgrade cannabis to Class C once the committee's report is
made public later this month. This is in response to pressure for reform of
drug laws from drugs charities and politicians, as well as senior police
officers who want to concentrate their resources on fighting hard drugs
such as heroin and cocaine.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom

 
 


**




web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:30:51 -0700

Subject:Canada: Can't Get High on Their Own Supply Up TOC

Newshawk: puff_tuff
Pubdate: Fri, 10 May 2002
Source: National Post (Canada)
Webpage:
http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20020510/180990.html
Copyright: 2002 Southam Inc.
Contact: letters@nationalpost.com
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Peter Shawn Taylor, National Post
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)

CAN'T GET HIGH ON THEIR OWN SUPPLY

CanCan can't. Cannabis Canada, a.k.a. Canada's fully regulated, approved,
monitored and bonded medical marijuana program, has proven incapable of
actually supplying a usable product.

The drug's a bust.

Last year former health minister Allan Rock unveiled a new policy to
provide chronic pain sufferers and terminally ill patients with the right
to legally smoke marijuana.

This was necessitated by an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that called on
Ottawa to either change its rules for palliative marijuana use or watch the
court strike down the nation's illicit drug laws as contrary to the
Charter. In typical fashion, Ottawa responded with what it does best -- by
creating a bewildering, centrally controlled and ultimately inefficient
bureaucracy. The Office of Cannabis Medical Access was created. Application
forms drawn up and doctor approval requirements set. In fact, the actual
regulations have proven so complicated and onerous that Terry Parker, the
man whose court case forced Ottawa to create the policy in the first place,
has been unable to obtain a permit to possess his own pot. He was in court
two months ago getting a unique personal exemption due to his inability to
surmount Ottawa's red tape.

Then there was the actual growing facility.

A movie-set style impregnable fortress inside an abandoned copper mine in
Flin Flon, Manitoba. There were rumours that the marijuana farm, run by a
Saskatchewan company on a $5.7-million contract, had better security than
the federal virus laboratory in Winnipeg. (You can just imagine the federal
functionary reviewing his notes as the whole project comes to fruition.
"New mind-numbing regulations? Check. Application forms and processing
bureaucracy at the Office of Cannabis Medical Access? Check. Cool
high-security laboratory? Check. Hey everybody, were in the medical
marijuana business!")

The only thing they forgot was the product.

Rebuffed in their attempts to get standardized seeds from the Drug
Enforcement Agency in the United States, the feds decided to cull what they
could from police raids on grow houses around the country.

This meant a huge collection of different strains and of wildly varying
quality.

The first crop, which was to have been distributed months ago, reportedly
included 185 different varieties and was declared useless. "It's a problem,
I'm not here to pretend," the new health minister, Anne McLellan, told
reporters after delivering the bad news to the House of Commons health
committee this week that the entire crop was too impure to hand out.

If the Health Department had bothered to troll downtown Vancouver, the back
pages of High Times magazine or even a few high schools, they could
probably have come up with better stuff than what the police provided.

Five minutes on the Internet provides numerous suppliers of Dutch Passion,
Northern Light and Big Bud. Quality guaranteed. Some even offer free
world-wide delivery -- right to your mineshaft.

But perhaps I'm being too hard on those Ottawa bureaucrats. For the only
thing keeping the entire medical marijuana program afloat right now is the
fact that someone had the foresight to allow private competition to the
federal pot crop. As Ottawa struggles with its Flin Flon dope factory,
medical marijuana users are allowed to grow their own. Of the 255 users
licensed under the new regulations, 164 are permitted to smoke their own
product. Those folk can now enjoy legal medical relief.

Anyone who chose to rely on Ottawa's entrepreneurial abilities will have to
wait for the next crop.

No surprise that Ottawa has proven incapable of doing openly what thousands
of individuals do secretly all the time in their own homes.

Regulating an activity to death doesn't improve the product or serve the
customer better. In fact, it diverts attention away from what the consumer
wants by distorting market signals and interposing technocrats into the
process.

And if the medical marijuana program can only be saved by a private,
parallel system that is more efficient, costs nothing to taxpayers and is
better attuned to customers' needs, then why not apply this lesson to the
rest of the country's medical problems as well?

We could start by abolishing the fifth principle of Canada Health Act --
that only governments can fund essential health services.

Keith Martin, a Canadian Alliance MP and practising doctor, has long made
the heterodox argument that a private health-care system entirely separate
from medicare could solve most, if not all, of Canada's health-care issues.

Canadians who wish to buy private health insurance or pay for private
treatment out of pocket would remove themselves from the public system.

Those still in the public system would get quicker treatment in a less
crowded, though still inefficient, system.

The door would be open for treating foreign patients as a new and
profitable business in Canada.

"We could enjoy the efficiencies of private enterprise, provide people with
choice and competition and a greater array of health services," says Dr.
Martin of his private health-care plan. "And anyone who can't afford
private health-care would still get better access." Like the potheads
always say, we should let Ottawa's marijuana experiment unclutter our minds
and simplify our lives.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jackl

 
 


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web:     http://www.crrh.org/

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Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:31:22 -0700

Subject:Canada: Prison pot smokers may get a break  Up TOC

Newshawk: puff_tuff
Pubdate: Sunday, May 12, 2002
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Feedback: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/letters_to_editor/index.html
Address: 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg Manitoba R2X 3B6
Contact: letters@freepress.mb.ca
Copyright: 2002 Winnipeg Free Press
Fax: (204) 697-7288
Author: Canadian Press

Prison pot smokers may get a break

TORONTO -- The Correctional Service of Canada has put together a proposal to
turn a blind eye to some positive tests for marijuana and hashish use among
prisoners and offenders released in the community, the Globe and Mail
reported yesterday.

The correctional service, which has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and
alcohol, would continue to test for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active
ingredient in marijuana. But it would act on positive tests only when the
drug use is considered to be a problem for an offender and there is concern
about increased criminal risk. The proposal might, for example, lead to
fewer people returned to prison for using marijuana after their release and
fewer disciplinary measures against prisoners who test positive.

The paper describes THC as a soft drug that sedates prisoners, reduces their
propensity for violence and does not impair cognitive functions and
perception as other drugs and alcohol do.

 
 


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web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:32:15 -0700

Subject:IACM-Bulletin of 12 May 2002 Up TOC

* Canada/USA: U.S. authorities refused to provide Canada access to
cannabis seeds
* USA: Medical cannabis club has no right to distribute the drug,
federal judge says
* Science: Dexanabinol effective in brain trauma
* Canada: Negative health effects of cannabis are weak, a Senate
committee says

1.

Canada/USA: U.S. authorities refused to provide Canada access to
cannabis seeds

Last year U.S. drug-enforcement authorities refused to provide the
Canadian government access to their research-quality supply of
marijuana seeds, it emerged on 7 May for the first time. A Canadian
cannabis program was intended both for research reasons and to
allow patients access to legal cannabis. Former health minister Allan
Rock announced details of the program in April 2001, saying the
marijuana was supposed to be available by January 2002.

But now it emerged at a committee meeting that U.S. authorities
refused last year to supply Canada with seeds from the U.S.
National Institute of Drug Abuse. The U.S. decision wasn't
announced at that time, nor was it mentioned by Rock. That left
Health Canada to use seeds police had confiscated, which have
produced cannabis containing at least 185 different varieties. It will
take some time now to establish a standardized supply of cannabis
that is eligible for research.

"We remain committed to ensuring that eligible Canadians have
access to a standardized supply of research-grade marijuana for
medical purposes," Anne McLellan, the new health minister, told the
Commons health committee. "While our policy has not changed, our
time lines have."

(Sources: The Canadian Press of 7 May 2002, Ottawa Citizen of 8
May 2002)

2.

USA: Medical cannabis club has no right to distribute the drug,
federal judge says

A federal judge ruled on 3 May that the Oakland Cannabis Buyers'
Cooperative (California) has no constitutional right to distribute
cannabis to the sick. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that
the group had no right to sell marijuana to patients under California's
1996 voter-approved medical marijuana law.

The cooperative had sought to reopen the 5-year-old case under new
legal arguments, but U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer rejected
them at the government's urging. "With or without medical
authorization, the distribution of marijuana is illegal under federal
law," Breyer wrote.

Robert Raich, the club's attorney, said he would appeal the decision
to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

(Source: Associated Press of 3 May 2002)

3.

Science: Dexanabinol effective in brain trauma

All six Israeli neurosurgical intensive care units were involved in a
double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the safety of
intravenous dexanabinol in severe head injury. 67 patients aged 16-
65 years received a single administration of dexanabinol (48 or 150
mg) or only the vehicle.

A highly significant reduction in the percentage of time with pressure
within the head of above 25 mmHg, perfusion pressure within the
brain of below 50 mmHg, and systolic blood pressure of below 90
mm Hg was observed in the drug-treated group. A trend toward
faster and better neurological outcome on the Glasgow outcome
scale at 3 and 6 months was also observed.

The nature and incidence of adverse medical events were similar in
the two groups. Dexanabinol is a non-psychotropic THC-derivative
with neuroprotective properties.

(Source: Knoller N, et al. Dexanabinol (HU-211) in the treatment of
severe closed head injury: A randomized, placebo-controlled, phase
II clinical trial. Crit Care Med 2002;30(3):548-554)

4.

Canada: Negative health effects of cannabis are weak, a Senate
committee says

The Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs is planning to hold a
series of public hearings across the country in May and June to ask
Canadians if they think the government should decriminalize
marijuana, says a report released on 2 May.

After studying the effects of cannabis use for 14 months, the
committee said scientific evidence suggests that marijuana "may
have some negative effects on the health of individuals," but that
these effects would be "relatively benign" and that it is no gateway
drug to the use of hard drugs. Only approximately 10 percent of the
users would become chronic users and 5 to 10 percent would
become addicted.

A final report will be released in August. The preliminary report is
available at the web site of the parliament:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/illegal-drugs.asp.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency of 2 May 2002)

5.

News in brief

***Germany: Bionorica manufactures dronabinol
On 3 May the phytopharmaceutical company Bionorica announced
that it manufactures dronabinol (THC) that is available from now on
for pharmacists to produce dronabinol based medicines. Bionorica is
the second manufacturer of dronabinol in Germany. The Frankfurt
firm THC Pharm manufactures dronabinol since 1998. (Source:
Press conference of 3 May 2002)

***Italy: Northern region back medical cannabis
The council of Italy's northern region of Lombardy approved on 30
April a motion in favour of cannabis-based medicines, asking the
Italian government and the parliament "to regulate the medical use of
cannabis and its derivatives." (Source: Reuters of 1 May 2002)

***World: Million Marijuana March
About 160 cities in more than 30 countries participated in this year's
Million Marijuana March on 4 May. (Source: PA News of 4 May
2002)

***Science: Teenage use of drugs
A caring mother is the single most important factor in preventing
teenagers from abusing illegal drugs and alcohol. This is the result of
a survey among 4000 pupils aged 14-15 years from cities in England,
Ireland, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. (Source: McArdle P, et
al. Addiction 2002 Mar;97(3):329-36)

***USA: Hunger strike in Montana
A 45-year-old woman from Missoula is on a hunger strike since 20
April protesting her inability to have legal access to cannabis in
Montana to treat her immunological disorder. Her illness does not
have a name. Robin Prosser cannot go out in the sun anymore and
suffers from symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis. (Source:
Missoula Independent of 9 May 2002)

***Science: Huntington's disease
In an animal model of Huntington's disease the administration of an
endocannabinoid uptake inhibitor (AM404) reduced motor
hyperactivity. Huntington's disease results from genetically
determined degeneration of nerve cells in the brain, which causes
uncontrolled movements and emotional disturbance. (Source:
Lastres-Becker I, et al. Synapse  2002 Apr;44(1):23-35)

***Science: Effects on cytochrome P450 enzymes
Blood plasma levels of the antipsychotic medications clozapine and
olanzapine are lower in smokers of tobacco and cannabis than in non-
smokers, which is mainly due to induction of CYP1A2, an enzyme
of the cytochrome P450 complex, by some smoke constituents.
Cessation of smoking may result in an unexpected increase of
plasma levels and stronger effects. The clinical implication of these
observations is that smoking patients treated with medication, that
use CYP1A2 for metabolism, should be monitored with regard to
their smoking consumption in order to adjust doses. (Source: Zullino
DF, et al. Int Clin Psychopharmacol 2002;17(3):141-143)

6.

ONE YEAR AGO:
- - Science/UK: Four phase II trials with cannabis successful
- - France: Medical use of cannabis before the court
- - Canada: Concerns by the Canadian Medical Association

TWO YEARS AGO:
- - Science/Germany: Clinical study on THC in Tourette's syndrome
- - Canada: Health Ministry looking for source of supply for marijuana
- - Science: First issue of Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics

(More at the IACM-Bulletin archives: http://www.cannabis-med.org/)

International Association for Cannabis as Medicine (IACM)
Arnimstrasse 1A
D-50825 Cologne
Germany
Phone: +49-221-9543 9229
Fax: +49-221-130 05 91
Email: info@cannabis-med.org
http://www.cannabis-med.org

If you want to be deleted from or added to the IACM-Bulletin
mailing list or if you want to change your e-mail address please visit
  www.cannabis-med.org/english/subscribe.htm. You may choose
between different languages (English, German, French, Dutch,
Italian and Spanish).

 
 


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Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:33:01 -0700

Subject:CA: So Cal Raid Produces More Than 30,000 Marijuana Plants Up TOC

Newshawk: The GCW
Pubdate: Fri, 10 May 2002
Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO)
Webpage:
www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/home/article/0,1299,DRMN_1_1138863,00.html
Copyright: 2002, Denver Publishing Co.
Contact: letters@rockymountainnews.com
Website: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371

SO CAL RAID PRODUCES MORE THAN 30,000 MARIJUANA PLANTS

TEMECULA, Calif.- Authorities found more than 30,000 marijuana plants worth
about $170 million at 17 locations in the hills west of here.

The seven-day raid by the Riverside County Sheriff's marijuana eradication
team that ended Tuesday is one of Southern California's biggest crop
seizures in recent years, federal investigators said.

Last year, team members destroyed 117,000 plants in Riverside and San
Bernardino counties, a popular spot for marijuana growers because of good
conditions.

"There is a free flow of nutrient-fed water and easy places to hide
plants," said sheriff's Sgt. Andrew Nielson. "For a couple of thousand
dollars, some people are making millions."

Deputies made only one arrest this week. A transient from Mexico, Vianey
Medrano, 31 watched over 4,600 plants, authorities said.

Investigators have been watching the area overlooking Temecula. Most of the
marijuana farms were difficult to access. Some had small camps set up,
complete with stoves, dug-out bathrooms and beds.

Deputies found the farms by staking out the same spots they found in last
year's sweep. Each plant can produce a pound of marijuana, which has a
street value of about $5,500, authorities said.

The plants, now in Palm Springs, will be buried with chemicals that
decompose the marijuana.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth

 
 


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Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:34:02 -0700

Subject:NV: Constitutional Amendment Would Legalize Marijuana In Up TOC

Newshawk: krinklyfig
Pubdate: Sat, 11 May 2002
Source: Nevada Appeal (NV)
Copyright: 2002 Nevada Appeal
Contact: appeal@tahoe.com
Website: http://tahoe.com/appeal/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/896
Author: Geoff Dornan

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT WOULD LEGALIZE MARIJUANA IN NEVADA

A Las Vegas group named Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement wants to
amend the state constitution to legalize possession and use of marijuana.

The petition drive was begun Friday by filing with the Secretary of State's
Office, but it has just five weeks to collect more than 61,000 valid
signatures.

Nevada's Constitution already requires the Legislature to provide for the
legal use of marijuana for medical purposes. That language was put in by
voters two years ago.

The proposed amendment would greatly expand the scope of that section to
make Nevada treat marijuana much like it now treats the sale and use of
alcohol.

It would add that "the use or possession of three ounces or less of
marijuana by a person who has attained the age of 21 years is not cause for
arrest, civil or criminal penalty, or seizure of forfeiture of assets."

The petition would require the state to provide for cultivation, taxation
and sale of marijuana including licensing stores to sell pot to those over 21.

Those sales could be taxed, but at no more than the rate imposed on tobacco
products. It would require that pot be provided at low cost to patients who
need it for a medical condition and even protect an individual's supply of
marijuana from being confiscated by law enforcement.

But the petition would allow the state to maintain penalties for driving
under the influence of pot, sales or distribution to anyone under age 21
and special penalties for the sale, use or possession of the drug in a
jail, prison or public school.

It would also bar smoking pot in a public place or gaming establishment and
bar advertising of the drug.

The petition's organizers say similar drives are being started in several
other states as well and that they feel the public is behind the plan.

They will start collecting signatures in Las Vegas this weekend and then
move to Northern Nevada.

To get on this November's ballot, the petition must get at least 10 percent
of the total votes cast in the 2000 elections and reach that same
percentage in at least 13 of Nevada's 17 counties.

That would require a total of at least 61,336 valid signatures. The
deadline for submitting those signatures is June 18 -- just five weeks from
now.

If they can raise the signatures, the ballot question would then have to be
approved by a majority of voters in two successive general elections --
2002 and 2004 -- to become part of the Nevada Constitution.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth

 
 


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Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 10:51:21 -0700

Subject:Canada: Senate Sparks Up Up TOC

Newshawk: puff_tuff
Pubdate: Thursday, May 09, 2002
Source: NOW Magazine (Canada)
Website: http://www.nowtoronto.com/
Address: 189 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5B 1Y7
Contact: letters@nowtoronto.com
Copyright: 2002 NOW Communications Inc.
Forum: http://www.nowtoronto.com/buzz/messages/board-topics.html
Fax: 416-364-1166
Webpage: http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2002-05-09/news_story4.php

SENATE SPARKS UP

PAPER ON POT PUSHES WONDERS OF WEED

The Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs released a discussion paper on
pot last week, and in the process exploded many of the marijuana myths that
have kept policy-makers in a fog when it comes to decriminalization. Will it
help cure the Grits of their reefer madness? Here's an excerpt.

Everyone has opinions on cannabis. Yet opinions are often biased, based on
myths and lack of information. Indeed, some of our own opinions were just
that when we began our study.Cannabis may well be one of the most studied of
all plants. Yet even scientific evidence is contradictory.

Some of the conclusions that emerge from the research may shock some of you.

Studies indicate that the vast majority of cannabis smokers never progress
to other drugs.

While it is true that most users of hard drugs have also used cannabis
before these other drugs..., other factors, mainly psychosocial, would
better explain progression to other drugs.

Between 8 and 10 per cent of cannabis users may develop some psychological
dependency, a much smaller proportion than for many other drugs, illegal and
legal, and comparable to prescribed medications.

For most dependent users, stopping use for a few days is usually sufficient
to eliminate any symptom of addiction.

Cannabis, like any other drug, has potential negative health effects. But
(it) also has positive effects. These include relaxation, euphoria and
sociability. Cannabis also has therapeutic applications.

Many of us perceive that a significant proportion of ordinary criminality is
related to drugs. Nevertheless, the relationship between drugs and crime is
more complex. This relationship does not apply in the case of cannabis.

It is impossible to estimate the total costs of cannabis criminalization.
The most recent Auditor General's Report mentions that the annual cost of
fighting illegal drugs for federal agencies alone is over $500 million.

Cannabis, like other drugs, impairs motor and coordination abilities.

Drivers under the influence of cannabis are more cautious and less
aggressive and drive more slowly than drivers under the influence of
alcohol.

Some witnesses before the committee and individuals writing to us are
concerned that a more "liberal" drug policy would mean increased use,
especially by youth.

Studies show that in the Netherlands, despite a more liberal approach than
other countries', the proportion of youth using cannabis is not higher. In
fact, it is in the middle of the pack.

Does cannabis use affect academic performance or social abilities? Studies
indicate that problem young cannabis users are also problem alcohol users,
manifesting other "risk-taking" behaviour. These are therefore symptoms of
other underlying problems rather than causes.

Much to our surprise, public policies have little impact on use levels and
patterns.

Prohibition and criminalization entail a criminal record for simple cannabis
possession, fuel a black market that brings young people into contact with
criminal elements and force them to hide to avoid police scrutiny.

Public policies also entail other negative effects. Prohibition makes public
health approaches, balanced information, prevention and quality control of
substances difficult, if not impossible.

National policies on drugs find much of their legitimacy in the
international conventions and treaties.

Yet these international agreements evolved in the absence of any significant
drug problem in the developed countries that pushed them.



 
 


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Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 15:47:58 -0700

Subject:Australia: Roll Up For Mardi Grass Up TOC

From:  hempsa-news@yahoogroups.com

Newshawk: WI Norml <http://www.winorml.org/>www.winorml.org
Pubdate: Sat, 11 May 2002
Source: Australian, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2002 News Limited
Contact: ausletr@matp.newsltd.com.au
Website: <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/>http://www.theaustralian.com.au/
Details: <http://www.mapinc.org/media/35>http://www.mapinc.org/media/35
Author: Emma Tom

ROLL UP FOR MARDI GRASS

THE judges of the Cannabis Cup share many characteristics with wine
tasters. Spitting out the entries isn't one of them.

"How can you tell how good the dope is if you don't inhale?" says one
seasoned adjudicator. "Obviously we all end up terribly stoned =AD but=
 that's
the price we're willing to pay."

The Cannabis Cup "smoke-off" is the high point of the annual Nimbin Mardi
Grass, held in far north NSW last weekend. This idiosyncratic and at times
uproarious gathering attracts up to 10,000 people and started back in 1992
as a political rally against helicopter raids and drug laws.

In an interesting parallel with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, some
Nimbinites are complaining that the event has become flippant and
mainstream, a party rather than a protest.

Old-timers bemoan the $10 a day entry fee (up until this year it was free),
the emphasis on cannabis rather than all drug law reform and the inflated
prices of modern-day marijuana.

The youngsters, meanwhile, would be happy if there was more dance music and
less of that 1970s May the Long Time Sun Shine Upon You hippie shit.

"Last year, my son Romany and [the son of the founder of Mardi Grass]
organised a doof party during Mardi Grass more or less as a direct response
to what they viewed as the commercialisation and trivialisation of pretty
important issues," says Neil Pike, a local musician and activist.

"Many of the young people that had come to Mardi Grass were looking kinda
worried before this. Some were starting to think that maybe pot did cause
irreversible brain damage, turning you into the sort of boring zombie that
really got off on bad Neil Young covers and endless marijuana minutiae."

To outsiders unfamiliar with local politics, the idea of an illegal drug
festival becoming too commercial is kinda amusing. In fact, the closest
thing to commercialism on the main street of Nimbin last Saturday morning
is the barbecued-sausage spruiker.

"Sausages only $2," he bawls. Not that he really needs to spend so much
energy on promotional stunts. His only real competition in the
non-vegetarian stakes is the house up the road advertising $1 kittens.

Down in the mud bath of Peace Park, the starter's pistol fires for the Hemp
Olympix. First up is the speed roll, which involves manufacturing a
three-paper standard joint at a cracking, F1 pace. Next comes the artistic
roll, in which competitors use unlimited papers to craft space shuttles,
dolphins and weird lumps, which make sense only if you are really, really
wasted (one entrant claims her lump is "the potential of a harmonica"). All
entries are then tested for smokeability.

The growers iron person event, meanwhile, is best categorised as a blood
sport. This gruelling contest replicates the rigours of growing bush
marijuana, with contenders required to race through a punishing obstacle
course carrying 40kg bags of fertiliser before scrabbling through a leech
and tick-infested lantana tunnel with buckets of water.

"You got a nice patch somewhere out there, son?" the comperes call at one
lurching athlete. "Come on, stoner!" The crowd seems unperturbed by the
sight of pale, iron-deficient vegan-types collapsing under the weight of
whoppin' great sacks of Dynamic Lifter. Fortunately, St John ambulance
volunteers are on hand to revive the fallen.

"Growing dope is like that =AD it's really hard," says organiser Michael
Balderstone from Nimbin's HEMP Embassy. "You don't see many fat hippies."

Out-of-towners stick out like greyhound balls in Nimbin, so I sign up for
the bong throw to prove I am not an undercover narcotics operative or
sniffer dog in disguise.

The exact purpose of the bong throw is unclear. Some say it is supposed to
simulate the rapid disposal of marijuana apparatus during raids, but
Balderstone maintains it's a public health warning about the dangers and
general tackiness of Orchy bottle bongs.

"Our message is 'throw out your second-rate bongs'," he says. "When plastic
heats up it releases a lot of chemicals, but there's also the garden hose
issue. You can't leave a hose in your front yard in Nimbin. It'll disappear
three inches at a time." At first glance, my fellow bong throw competitors
seem a motley bunch with their dreads, tie-dyed singlets and mud-caked
thighs. But their knowledge of the physics involved in hurling a plastic
bottle full of fetid bong water through foggy mountain air is second to=
 none.

"Underarm or overarm doesn't seem to make a difference as long as you keep
the water in the bong for as long as possible," says one elite thrower. His
demonstration toss is not a good example. It arcs wildly to the left and
hits a bunch of spectators on the head. Their delayed and somewhat drowsy
reaction suggests outrage is beyond them.

"That's the great thing about running this festival," notes Balderstone.
"Once everyone gets stoned, they don't care what happens." Even if they did
care, the HEMP Embassy has it all covered. Unlike so many other Australian
events, Mardi Grass has been able to secure public liability insurance for
nearly all its program.

Despite at least five minutes of rigorous preparation, my bong throw is a
limp and wayward affair that nearly wipes out a couple of middle-aged women
dressed as ganja faeries.

Not that anyone is watching. The weekend is drawing to a close and there is
a frisson of excitement around the $5 raffle ticket vendor. The prizes are
not crap meat trays. They're coveted seats on the judging panel of the
Cannabis Cup =AD the infamous competition designed to identify and honour=
 the
growers of the region's best pot.

At 5.30pm on Sunday, the raffle is drawn and 12 winners are driven to a
secret location with a handful of guest judges and industry representatives.

"We got off the bus and walked into this absolutely beautiful house coming
face to face with two big tables, one covered in an absolutely amazing
smorgasbord and the other groaning under the weight of the biggest
marijuana heads I have ever seen in my life," reflects Bob Tissott, a judge
from Nimbin's community FM radio station.

"They were 15ft long [4.5m] and as thick as your wrist. We walked round the
table squeezing, sniffing and scratching, then the call came to start
smoking and there was a melee, an absolute feeding frenzy. After that,
everyone got very, very quiet." The winner was No 2, an "indoor organic"
entry grown by a couple of brothers about 300km west of Nimbin. According
to pundits, the strain's distinguishing characteristics are a soft and
furry appearance and a flavour redolent of Juicy Fruit gum.

Marijuana enthusiasts will be gratified to know that =AD for the time being,
at least =AD this award-winning product remains out of police custody.
The only Mardi Grass participant who ran foul of the law last weekend was a
parade-goer who'd dressed as a policeman. Apparently his fake sniffer dog
was unregistered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HEMP SA Inc - Help End Marijuana Prohibition South Australia
PO Box 1019 Kent Town South Australia 5071
Email:mailto:hempSA@va.com.au
Website:http://www.hemp.on.net>
Check out our on-line news service - HempSA-News!
To subscribe to HempSA-News
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Date: Sun, 12 May 2002 19:09:23 -0700

Subject:FL: Dionne Warwick Faces Pot Charg Up TOCe

Dionne Warwick Faces Pot Charge

.c The Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) - Singer Dionne Warwick was arrested Sunday when baggage screeners
at Miami International Airport said they found 11 suspected marijuana
cigarettes inside her lipstick container.

Warwick, 61, of Miami Beach, was charged with possession of less than 5 grams
of marijuana. She signed an affidavit promising to appear in court and was
released.

Warwick was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles when screeners at Concourse D
noticed a suspicious item in her carry-on bag at about 7:30 a.m. She missed
the flight.

The five-time Grammy award winner and cousin to Whitney Houston became famous
in the 1960s for such songs as ``Walk on By'' and ``I Say A Little Prayer.''

More recently she been a spokeswoman for the ``Psychic Friends Network.''


    05/12/02 17:57 EDT

Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news
report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed
without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.  All active
hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

 
 


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