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

60 Oregonians declare intent to use marijuana (The Oregonian says the Oregon
Health Division won't issue registration cards for patients protected by the
Oregon Medical Marijuana Act until May 1. But Dr. Grant Higginson, state
health officer, says 60 people have sent in the paperwork needed to get the
cards.)

The Oregonian
Contact: letters@news.oregonian.com
1320 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Fax: 503-294-4193
Website: http://www.oregonlive.com/
Forum: http://forums.oregonlive.com/

Wednesday March 17, 1999

60 Oregonians declare intent to use marijuana

*As a result of a public vote, state law permits use of the drug to relieve
symptoms of a number of diseases

By Patrick O'Neill
of The Oregonian staff

National medical experts are prepared to release a landmark scientific
review of the medical effects of marijuana today. But Oregon voters decided
for themselves in November that marijuana is good medicine, passing a law
that permits some sick people to use the drug.

So far, 60 Oregonians have formally declared their intent to use marijuana
for medical purposes under the law.

The Oregon Health Division won't issue registration cards, as required by
the new law, until May 1. But Dr. Grant Higginson, state health officer,
says 60 people have sent in the paperwork needed to get the cards.

"I'm not sure whether that represents anything close to the number we're
going to get when the registration system goes into effect," he said.

In July, Higginson estimated that 500 people would register to use marijuana
to relieve symptoms of such debilitating diseases as cancer and AIDS and to
alleviate the nausea of chemotherapy.

Under the law, sick Oregonians could begin using marijuana on Dec. 3, 1998,
even though the Oregon Health Division's regulatory machinery wasn't
scheduled to begin running until May 1.

The law provides a legal loophole for users of medicinal marijuana who are
arrested and charged with drug law violations. As of Dec. 3, the law
provided an "affirmative defense" to criminal charges brought against anyone
who otherwise qualified to receive a state registration card.

Higginson has recommended that medicinal marijuana users send his office the
necessary paperwork so that it would be on file in case they were arrested.

To be eligible for medicinal marijuana, a patient must supply documentation
from an attending physician stating that he or she has been diagnosed with a
debilitating medical condition and that marijuana might mitigate the
symptoms. The documentation must include the name, address and birthdate of
the patient and the name, address and telephone number of the attending
physician.

The law permits the patient to designate a caregiver, an assistant who will
help with marijuana cultivation. The name and address of the caregiver must
be included with the information sent to the Health Division. The law
requires the Health Division to keep the information confidential.

Specifically, the law permits marijuana to be used for cancer, glaucoma, HIV
infection, severe weight loss, pain, nausea, seizures and muscle spasms.

Higginson says there's a lot of confusion about what the law allows.
Although it permits certain people to use medicinal marijuana, it doesn't
answer two of the most important questions. He said the most frequent
questions he's asked are:

Where can I get medicinal marijuana?

What if my doctor doesn't believe in using marijuana for medical purposes?

Under the law, it's still a crime to buy or sell marijuana. The only way for
medicinal marijuana users to obtain the drug is for someone to give it to
them for free. Supporters of the measure have said that over time, the
number of medicinal marijuana users will grow and that they will be able to
share their plants and seeds with others.

Higginson said the Health Division can't give prospective medical marijuana
users guidance in finding supplies of the drug.

Nor will the agency maintain a list of physicians who will endorse the use
of marijuana for medical purposes, he said.

Geoff Sugerman, a spokesman for Oregonians for Medical Rights, said both
state and federal laws prevent his organization from helping patients
connect with sources of marijuana. And, like the Health Division, the
organization doesn't keep a list of doctors who will recommend marijuana.

But patients can call the organization's toll-free telephone number to ask
for help in persuading their physicians to recommend the drug. The number is
877-600-6767. The organization was the principal supporter of the medical
marijuana measure.

Today, the Institute of Medicine will issue a long-awaited report on
hundreds of marijuana studies. The review is expected to assess what is
known and not known about the medical applications of marijuana and to give
recommendations. The institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is
to provide independent advice to the federal government. A news report about
the study will be included in Thursday's newspaper.

You can reach Patrick O'Neill at 503-221-8233 or by e-mail at
poneill@news.oregonian.com.

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

City must explain 'trap and trace' or concede it's illegal, judge says (The
Oregonian says Multnomah County Circuit Judge Michael Marcus yesterday gave
Portland until March 29 to either disclose how its Marijuana Task Force used
a "trap and trace" telephone tap at the American Agriculture hydroponics
store to identify 20 defendants now charged with growing the herb - or to
concede that the practice was illegal. If the city refuses to reveal the
phone-tapping information and will not concede the practice is illegal, it
also could dismiss the cases or seek an immediate appeal of Marcus' ruling
that would take the proceedings to the Court of Appeals before the cases
proceed.)

The Oregonian
Contact: letters@news.oregonian.com
1320 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Fax: 503-294-4193
Website: http://www.oregonlive.com/
Forum: http://forums.oregonlive.com/

Wednesday March 17, 1999

City must explain 'trap and trace' or concede it's illegal, judge says

* Portland has to decide whether to disclose how its marijuana
force traced calls to identify 20 defendants now facing
charges

By Maxine Bernstein
of The Oregonian staff

Portland must either disclose how its Marijuana Task Force used a "trap and
trace" procedure to identify 20 defendants now charged with manufacturing
the drug or it must concede that the practice was illegal, a judge ruled
Tuesday.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Michael Marcus decided the defendants facing
marijuana charges that resulted from a police trap and trace method have the
right to examine the information that led officers to them and use it in
their defense.

Marcus gave the city until March 29 to announce how it will proceed. Deputy
City Attorney David N. Lesh and Deputy District Attorney Jason Feldman said
they needed time to consult with their bosses.

Marcus, who has seen the police documents on the phone tapping used to track
down suspected marijuana growers, said it was plausible that the actions
were legal, but he said the defendants have a right to challenge them.

"The trap and trace materials the defense seeks to obtain and the city seeks
to protect are clearly necessary to determine the lawfulness of trap and
trace evidence," Marcus said. "The defendants who are in fact here because
of a trap and trace lead are entitled to have that litigated."

According to documents the city provided the court, Portland's Marijuana
Task Force has been trapping the phone of a Portland indoor-growing supply
store, American Agriculture, since at least 1995. Police used the business'
phone records to track down suspected marijuana growers by using callers'
phone numbers to obtain their addresses.

Two additional defendants joined the case Tuesday, bringing the total to 20
who are demanding to review police and court documents to determine if the
trap and trace procedure is legal.

Defense lawyer Philip A. Lewis, who represents two of the defendants, said
he thought Marcus' decision was fair.

Feldman, after court, stood by the legality of the trap and trace procedure
and said he was not surprised by Marcus' ruling.

"Ultimately, I think it's going to be proved to be legal," he said.

If the city refuses to reveal the phone-trapping information and will not
concede the practice is illegal, it also could dismiss the cases or seek an
immediate appeal of Marcus' ruling that would take the proceedings to the
Court of Appeals before the cases proceed.

You can reach Maxine Bernstein at 503-221-8212 or by e-mail at
Maxinebernstein@news.oregonian.com.

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

Judge orders city to explain pot-tracking method or admit it's illegal (The
Associated Press version)

From: "Bob Owen@W.H.E.N." (when@olywa.net)
To: "_Drug Policy --" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: Judge orders city to explain pot-tracking method or admit it's
illegal
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 19:28:53 -0800
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

Judge orders city to explain pot-tracking method or admit it's illegal

The Associated Press
03/17/99 4:40 PM Eastern

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A judge has ordered police to disclose how its
Marijuana Task Force has used "trap and trace" phone taps to nab 20 suspects
or admit that the practice is illegal.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Michael Marcus decided the defendants facing
marijuana charges have the right to examine the information that led
officers to them and use it in their defense.

Marcus, who has seen the police documents on the phone tapping used to track
down suspected marijuana growers, said it was possible the taps were legal,
but he said the defendants have a right to challenge them.

"The trap and trace materials the defense seeks to obtain and the city seeks
to protect are clearly necessary to determine the lawfulness of trap and
trace evidence," Marcus said. "The defendants who are in fact here because
of a trap and trace lead are entitled to have that litigated."

The city has until March 29 to announce how it will proceed.

According to court documents, the city's Marijuana Task Force has been
trapping the phone of a Portland indoor-growing supply store, American
Agriculture, since at least 1995. Police used the business' phone records to
track down suspected marijuana growers by matching callers' phone numbers
with addresses.

Police checked with the utility company to see if the caller was using
enough electricity to sustain a grow operation, then knocked on the
suspect's door to gain consent to search the property, according to court
documents.

Two additional defendants joined the case Tuesday, bringing the total to 20
who are demanding to review police and court documents to determine if the
procedure is legal.

Deputy District Attorney Jason Feldman stood by the legality of the trap and
trace procedure and said he was not surprised by Marcus' ruling.

"Ultimately, I think it's going to be proven to be legal," he said.

If the city will neither reveal the phone-trapping information nor concede
the practice is illegal, it could dismiss the cases or seek an immediate
appeal of Marcus' ruling. That would take the proceedings to the Court of
Appeals before the cases proceed.

***

When away, you can STOP and RESTART W.H.E.N.'s news clippings by sending an
e-mail to majordomo@hemp.net. Ignore the Subject: line. In the body put
"unsubscribe when" to STOP. To RESTART, put "subscribe when" in the e-mail
instead (No quotation marks.)

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

Scientific Report Says Marijuana May Be Medically Useful (An Associated Press
article in the Argus Observer, in Oregon, summarizes the report on medical
marijuana released today by the Institute of Medicine.)

Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 23:30:09 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: MMJ: Scientific Report Says Marijuana May Be Medically
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Stormy Ray
Pubdate: Wed, 17 Mar 1999
Source: Argus Observer (Oregon)
Contact: argus@cyberhighway.net
Copyright: Argus Observer
Website: http://www.argusobserver.com
Author: AP

SCIENTIFIC REPORT SAYS MARIJUANA MAY BE MEDICALLY USEFUL

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The active ingredients in marijuana can help fight
pain and nausea and thus deserves to be tested in scientific trials, a
federal advisory panel said in a report sure to reignite the debate
over whether marijuana is a helpful or harmful drug.

The Institute of Medicine also said there was no conclusive evidence
that marijuana use leads to harder drugs.

In the past few years, voters in Alaska, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington have approved measures in
support of the medical marijuana, even through critics believe such
measures send the wrong message to youth.

Congress has taken a hard line on the issue, with the House last fall
adopting by 310-93 vote a resolution that said marijuana is a
dangerous and addictive drug and should not be legalized for medical
use.

Asked to examine the issue by the White House drug policy office, the
institute,which is an affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences,
said that because the chemicals in marijuana ease anxiety, stimulate
the appetite, ease pain and reduce nausea and vomiting, they can be
helpful for people with AIDS.

The panel warned, through, that smoking marijuana can cause
respiratory disease and called for the development of standardized
forms of the drug, called cannabinoids, that can be taken, for
example, by inhaler.

"Marijuana has potential as medicine, but it is undermined by the fact
that patients must inhale harmful smoke," Stanley Watson of the Mental
Health Research Institute at the University of Michigan, one of the
study's principal investigators said.

Even so, the panel said, there may be cases where patients could in
the meantime get relief from smoked marihuana, especially since it
might take years to develop an inhaler.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said it would
carefully study the recommendations.

"We note in the report's conclusion that the future of cannabinoid
drugs lies not in smoking marijuana, but in chemically defined drugs"
delivered by other means, the office headed by retired General Barry
McCaffrey said in a statement.

One patient called the findings long overdue.

"It's taken a long time, but I feel like now, people will stand up and
listen," Irvin Rosenfeld, a Boca Raton, Fla., stockbroker who has
smoked marijuana supplied by the federal government for 27 years
because of a rare medical condition said.

"When you have a devastating disease, all you care about is getting
the right medicine ... and not having to worry about being made a
criminal," Rosenfeld said. He suffers from tumors that press into the
muscles at the end of long bones. The marijuana relaxes those muscles,
keeping them from being torn by the tumors and allowing him to move
with less pain.

Rosenfeld is one of just eight people in the country receiving
marijuana from the government because of unusual diseases.

The panel urged clinical trials to determine the usefulness of
marijuana in treating muscle spasms.

While it has also been promoted as a treatment for glaucoma, the panel
said smoking marijuana only temporarily reduces some of the eye
pressure associated with that disease.

Daniel Zingale of AIDS Action said he is "pleased that the study
validates the benefits of medical marijuana."

Chuck Thomas of the Marijuana Policy Project said the report "shoots
down" claims that marijuana has no medical benefits.

Opponents of allowing medical use of marijuana long have claimed that
it is a "gateway" drug, giving people a start on the road to more
dangerous drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

The report concludes there is "no conclusive evidence that the drug
effects of marijuana are casually linked to subsequent abuse of other
illicit drugs."

In fact, the report concludes, most drug users did not begin with
marijuana but rather started by using tobacco and alcohol while they
were underage.

The New England Journal of Medicine has editorialized in favor of
medical marijuana and the American Medical Association has urged the
National Institutes of Health to support more research on the subject.

An expert panel formed by NIH found in 1997 that existing research
showed some patients could be helped by the drug, principally to
relieve nausea after cancer chemotherapy or to increase AIDS patients'
appetites. The drug also has helped some patients control glaucoma,
that panel found.

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

New Government Study Vindicates People's Vote on Medical Marijuana (A press
release on PR Newswire from Washington Citizens for Medical Rights summarizes
the Institute of Medicine report released today. Dr. Rob Killian, sponsor of
Washington state's successful 1998 state ballot proposal on medical
marijuana, says "The Federal Government can no longer make the claim that
marijuana has no medical value. The only issue that remains is for our
political leaders to find a way to provide this safe and effective medicine
to our patients who need it.")

Date: Sat, 20 Mar 1999 11:57:30 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US WA: Wire: MMJ: New Government Study Vindicates People's
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Wed, 17 Mar 1999
Source: PR Newswire
Copyright: 1999 PR Newswire

NEW GOVERNMENT STUDY VINDICATES PEOPLE'S VOTE ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

SEATTLE - "This report all but ends the debate on Medical Marijuana," states
the sponsor of Washington's Initiative 692 in reaction to the release of the
long-awaited study on Medical Marijuana by the Institutes of Medicine. "The
Federal Government can no longer make the claim that marijuana has no medical
value."

"This report vindicates what we have known for years -- that marijuana
has medical value for certain patients. The only issue that remains
is for our political leaders to find a way to provide this safe and
effective medicine to our patients who need it, " states Dr. Rob Killian.

The report, which was commissioned by Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey,
refutes much of what he and other opponents of medical marijuana have
been saying for years. It clearly states that it is a useful
medicine, specifically for reduction of nausea and pain, and increase
of appetite -- all important uses for cancer patients and people with
AIDS. Moreover, the authors state, "basic biology indicates a role
for cannabinoids in pain and control of movement," and "some of the
'side-effects' [of marijuana], such as anxiety reduction and sedation,
might be desirable for certain patients."

Further, the study states that marijuana could be allowed for medical
use, without increasing non-medical use. The report tackles the
suggestion by opponents of medical use that approving marijuana as a
medicine "sends the wrong message." The authors say there is "no
convincing data to support this concern," and they note that "this
question is beyond the issues normally considered for medical uses of
drugs."

"This report shows that until now, the federal government's position
has been too extreme -- officials claimed there was 'no' medical use
for marijuana; they've called it a 'joke' and a 'hoax' -- that kind of
denial is going to be impossible now," says Killian. "I am proud that
Washington voters were able to see through the rhetoric and illogic of
our government's treatment of seriously ill patients."

Federal law still says there is "no" medical use for marijuana, which
is the only reason it remains classed with heroin and LSD, instead of
prescribable drugs like morphine and valium. "We are calling for the
immediate reclassification of medical marijuana which will allow
patients access to safe and legal forms of marijuana. It is time for
politics to get out of the way of medicine and good science," says
Killian.

For more information on the scientific background of medical
marijuana, visit the newly released website "The Science of Medical
Marijuana" at http://www.medmjscience.org.

SOURCE Washington Citizens for Medical Rights Web Site:

http://www.medmjscience.org

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

Socal Group Expects Good News From Drug Report (According to UPI, Americans
for Medical Rights, in Southern California, says it's expecting good news
from the report to be issued this morning by the National Academy of
Science's Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C.)

Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 09:02:16 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: Wire: Socal Group Expects Good News From Drug Report
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: General Pulaski
Pubdate: Wed, 17 Mar 1999
Source: United Press International
Copyright: 1999 United Press International

SOCAL GROUP EXPECTS GOOD NEWS FROM DRUG REPORT

SANTA MONICA, - The group Americans for Medical Rights,
which advocates the medical use of marijuana, says it's expecting
good news from a report to be issued this morning by the National
Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. The group says the report was
ordered in 1997 and will base its conclusions about marijuana's
medical value and its future on scientific studies and testimonials.
AMR officials say they hope today's report will help the ``overdue
process of change'' in federal government policy regarding medical
marijuana.

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

Institute of Medicine Confirms Medical Value of Marijuana, Sidesteps Critical
Drug Policy Concerns (California NORML says the $1.1 million review of the
scientific literature on medical marijuana commissioned by the White House
drug czar in 1997 confirms the herb offers potential therapeutic benefits for
a broad range of symptoms, including pain relief, nausea and vomiting, and
appetite stimulation. While dismissing the notion that marijuana is a
gateway to drug abuse, or that its medical use sends a dangerous message to
children, it refrains from judgments about current marijuana laws. The full
report is online at http://www2.nas.edu/medical-mj/index.html.)

Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 00:19:30 -0800
To: dpfca@drugsense.org
From: canorml@igc.apc.org (Dale Gieringer)
Subject: DPFCA: Re: IOM Report - A Small Step Forward
Sender: owner-dpfca@drugsense.org
Reply-To: canorml@igc.apc.org (Dale Gieringer)
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/

Institute of Medicine Confirms Medical Value of Marijuana, Sidesteps
Critical Drug Policy Concerns

March 17, 1999: In a report released today, the national
Institute of Medicine confirms that medical marijuana offers potential
therapeutic benefits for a broad range of symptoms, including pain relief,
nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation. While cautioning against
the hazards of smoked marijuana and urging development of safer delivery
forms, the report acknowledges that smoked marijuana can be the only
alternative for patients suffering chronic complaints such as pain, nausea
and AIDS wasting syndrome.

"The IOM report vindicates the judgment of California voters that
marijuana is medicine," says California NORML coordinator Dale Gieringer,
"The federal government has no choice but to revise its policy."

The report, commissioned by Drug Czar McCaffery following passage
of Prop. 215, focuses narrowly on research issues and avoids broader drug
policy concerns. While dismissing the notion that marijuana is a gateway
to drug abuse, or that its medical use sends a dangerous message to
children, it refrains from judgments about current marijuana laws.
Instead, it calls for research and development of non-smoked cannabis
derivatives, a project that is sure to require several years.

California NORML called the IOM's recommendations a welcome, but
timid step forward. "Unfortunately, the report says nothing about those
patients who need medical marijuana now," says Gieringer. "Despite
passage of Prop. 215, countless patients continue to be arrested for
medical marijuana. The sad fact is that we are currently spending more to
imprison medical marijuana offenders than to implement Prop. 215.

"California already has a record number of marijuana prisoners. We
don't need any more. If marijuana makes patients feel better - even if
they aren't on death's doorstep - they should be allowed to use it, just
like tobacco or alcohol."

The IOM report is posted at http://www2.nas.edu/medical-mj/index.html.

***

Dale Gieringer (415) 563-5858 // canorml@igc.apc.org
2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA 94114

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

Data Supports Medical Pot Argument (The Oakland Tribune summarizes the
Institute of Medicine report released today.)

Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 18:54:47 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US: MMJ: Data Supports Medical Pot Argument
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Gerald Sutliff (gsutliff@dnai.com)
Pubdate: Wed, 17 Mar 1999
Source: Oakland Tribune (CA)
Page: 1
Copyright: 1999 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers
Contact: eangtrib@newschoice.com
Address: 66 Jack London Sq., Oakland, CA 94607
Website: http://www.newschoice.com/newspapers/alameda/tribune/
Author: Matthew B. Stannard

DATA SUPPORTS MEDICAL POT ARGUMENT

High-Level Report A 'Sane Step Forward'

A long-awaited report to be released today supports the contention of
medicinal marijuana advocates that the controversial drug may be an
effective pain reliever, nausea suppressant and appetite stimulant.

The Institute of Medicine came to that conclusion after spending more
than a year analyzing past studies and talking with patients,
prescribers and physicians on both sides of the medicinal marijuana
debate.

That debate could be reshaped after the institute's report lands on
the desks of legislators caught between a public that favors medicinal
marijuana and a federal government that continues to ban the drug.

The report deals only with scientific data, and does not make any
policy recommendations. But as the most thorough synthesis of data on
medicinal marijuana to date -- the institute last studied marijuana in
1982 -- the report tops the reading list for policy-makers such as the
Office of National Drug Control Policy, which sponsored the study.

In a prepared statement, the office promised to study the institute's
conclusions carefully and seek responses from the nation's health
officials. The Food and Drug Administration, which is doing its own
report on medicinal marijuana, would decide whether cannabis could be
used as a prescription drug. FDA officials could not be reached for
comment.

Still, advocates of medicinal marijuana cheered the new report, saying
it's a vindication of their position and a rejection of government
policies that list cannabis among drugs with no accepted medicinal use
and a high potential for abuse.

"I think the IOM report is going to be hailed as a sane step forward
when it comes to national policies for dealing with patients," said
Jeff Jones, director of the defunct Oakland Cannabis Buyers
Collective. "It's over. The federal government lost."

Cannabis researchers, while not as effusive as Jones, agreed the new
report could be helpful -- assuming it helps smooth the way for
additional research.

The report calls for further study of the physiological and
psychological effects of cannabinoids, the active components of
marijuana. It also calls for more research into possible dangers of
marijuana smoke -- including cancer and pregnancy complications -- and
recommends limiting tests in which marijuana is smoked to short-term
trials involving terminally ill patients who do not respond to other
medications.

"It's exactly what we're trying to do, is provide some more scientific
rigor to the potential benefits -- if there are any -- of smoking
marijuana," said Dr. Scott Morrow, public health officer for San Mateo
County, which has applied to the National Institute of Drug Abuse for
permission to conduct its own $500,000 study of marijuana's
effectiveness.

"Maybe it has no benefits. Maybe everything we hear is all anecdote
and it doesn't benefit people. Or maybe it does. We should answer that
question."

That perspective resonates on the other side of the fence, among
health professionals who have opposed the medicinal use of marijuana.

Dr. Eric A. Voth, director of the International Drug Strategy
Institute and co-author of one of the ballot arguments against
California's 1996 medicinal marijuana initiative, said he hopes the
new report will help separate cannabis science from the politics of
smoking pot.

But Voth also predicted the report could signal the beginning of a new
war, between those who feel marijuana should be broken down into its
individual components and reformulated as pills or sprays, and those
who insist the plant be made freely available for smoking --
regardless of the risks.

"I think that the proponents of marijuana will continue to push for
legalization," he said. "But what I really hope that this report does
is clearly paint in the mind of the public that (raw) pot is not
medicine. You don't smoke medicine."

SIDEBAR - Findings and recommendations included in the Institute of
Medicine report on marijuana and medicine:

CANNABINOID drugs may relieve pain, control nausea and vomiting, and
stimulate appetite. Other medications are usually more effective, but
cannabinoids may be better treatment for certain conditions, such as
nausea caused by chemotherapy and appetite loss in AIDS patients.

THE RISKS of regular marijuana smoking include respiratory tract
damage and increased exposure to cancer, lung damage and low fetal
birth weight.

SOME MARIJUANA smokers experience mild and short-lived withdrawal
symptoms, including restlessness, irritability, insomnia, nausea and
cramping. There is no conclusive evidence that marijuana leads to
other drug abuse.

THE GOAL OF of clinical trials should be to learn more about how its
cannabinoid ingredients work and how best to provide them to patients
without smoking. Because that could take several years, however,
clinical trials should be designed to last six months or less for
patients with debilitating symptoms who could get some relief from
smoking marijuana.

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

Medical pot gets cautious kudos (The San Francisco Examiner version)

Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 21:21:15 -0600
From: "Frank S. World" (compassion23@geocities.com)
Organization: Rx Cannabis Now!
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/7417/
To: DPFCA (dpfca@drugsense.org)
Subject: DPFCA: US CA SFX MMJ: Medical pot gets cautious kudos
Sender: owner-dpfca@drugsense.org
Reply-To: "Frank S. World" (compassion23@geocities.com)
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/
Source: San Francisco Examiner
Contact: letters@examiner.com
Website: http://www.examiner.com
Pubdate: March 17, 1999 (c)1999 San Francisco Examiner

MEDICAL POT GETS CAUTIOUS KUDOS

Ulysses Torassa EXAMINER MEDICAL WRITER

Elite panel finds marijuana helpful but smoking it harmful

In what amounts to a consensus of scientific opinion, a prestigious panel
has found that marijuana probably helps a number of ailments, but because
smoking it is also hazardous, it should be used sparingly.

At the same time, research on marijuana should get under way to isolate
compounds that could eventually be given to patients via inhalers or other
fast-acting delivery systems, the National Academy of Sciences said in a
report released Wednesday.

The long-awaited review was done by the academy's Institute of Medicine at
the request of White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey, who has been under
pressure to reverse the federal government's opposition to medical use of
marijuana. Advocates have pinned their hopes on the report, expecting it
would show that the drug has enough promise to persuade McCaffrey and others
to loosen regulations.

Among the report's findings:

*It makes sense to let patients with severe symptoms, such as intractable
pain or vomiting, smoke marijuana for short periods - less than six months.
But it should be a last resort after other medications fail, patients should
be informed of the risks, and data should be collected from their
experiences to gain more insights into marijuana's effects.

*Marijuana should not be used to treat glaucoma, its most frequently cited
medical application. Although it can reduce some of the eye pressure, it
works for only a short time, and the limited benefits don't outweigh the
hazards. There also is not enough evidence to support its use for migraine
headaches or for movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

*Studies show marijuana smoke is an important risk factor for the
development of respiratory disease.

*Cannabinoids, the class of compounds that includes marijuana's active
ingredient, most likely have a role in pain modulation, control of movement
and memory.

*The brain develops a tolerance for cannabinoids, and there is a potential
for dependence. However, it is less powerful than nicotine, cocaine, opiates
or the class of sedatives that includes drugs such as Valium. Withdrawal
also is less intense than with opiates and Valium-like drugs.

*There is no conclusive evidence that marijuana is a "gateway" to harder
drugs. The concern that allowing marijuana for medical treatment will induce
more people in the general population to use it also appears unfounded.

Synthetic future

The report's principal investigators wrote that while cannabinoids showed
promise, their future as a medicine was in a synthesized form, not in smoked
marijuana.

"For patients, such as those with AIDS or undergoing chemotherapy, who
suffer simultaneously from severe pain, nausea and appetite loss,
cannabinoid drugs might offer broad-spectrum relief not found in any other
single medication," they wrote.

However, smoking marijuana exposes users to more tar than tobacco, as well
as to cancer-causing compounds similar to ones found in cigarettes.
Furthermore, deeply inhaling and holding in the smoke tends to concentrate
harmful substances in the lungs, John A. Benson, one of the report's
principal investigators, said Wednesday.

"While we see a future in the development of chemically defined cannabinoid
drugs, we see little future in smoked marijuana," he said.

Not surprisingly, both sides in the medical marijuana debate are claiming
victory.

"The report gives clear support to the claim that marijuana is medically
useful," said David Zimmerman, director of Americans for Medical Rights,
which sponsored successful ballot initiatives in California and several
other states to allow medical use of the drug.

But Terry Hensley of the Drug Free America Foundation said the report
supported his group's position that "crude, smoked marijuana" wasn't a real
treatment.

"What they endorse is research, which is what we've been endorsing," Hensley
said.

Meanwhile, McCaffrey isn't ready to budge just yet. He issued a statement
saying he awaited further responses from public health officials.

Howard L. Fields, a UC-San Francisco researcher and director of the Wheeler
Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, was one of the 11 scientists who
produced the report.

While on the one hand their conclusions probably won't satisfy those who
think the drug should be available as the equivalent of an "herbal remedy
for pain," they did find enough evidence to justify using it in some
circumstances, he said.

"At least people can't say, "This is all baloney, there is no medical uses
for marijuana, and it shouldn't be available at all,' " Fields said.

Treats nausea

Fields, who has studied cannabinoids in animals, said it showed real promise
for treating pain. For one thing, it tends to alleviate nausea, a common
side effect of other painkillers such as morphine.

McCaffrey and other federal officials have been under increasing pressure to
ease up on the medical use of marijuana since 1996 when California passed
Proposition 215, the nation's first initiative to make it possible for sick
people with a doctor's recommendation to use it.

In November, well-funded advocates managed to win all six similar
initiatives on ballots in Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Washington and
the District of Columbia. And last month, 20 AIDS groups wrote to McCaffrey,
calling on him to allow HIV-positive patients access to the drug.

State marijuana advocates have been cheered by the election of Attorney
General Bill Lockyer, who is reversing his predecessor's adamant opposition
to Prop. 215. Lockyer has convened a task force to help figure out how to
construct a system so patients can get access to the drug.

Meanwhile, a few marijuana clubs are operating openly in such places as
Santa Cruz and Los Angeles. Clubs in Northern California were shut down by
federal prosecutors.

However, well-known marijuana activist Dennis Peron has been operating a
marijuana farm in Lake County, where he grows plants for 200 members of a
cooperative who have doctors' recommendations and pay $20 per month. They
either come to the farm to collect their plants, or Peron delivers them to
their Bay Area homes.

Farm raided

Twice last year, federal agents raided the farm and made off with the
plants, but no one was arrested, Peron said.

He expects the report's findings to persuade the government to reclassify
marijuana from Schedule 1, which means it has no medical use, to Schedule 2,
which would allow it to be dispensed with a prescription.

Getting access to marijuana, even for legitimate scientific research, has
been an arduous process. The only government-funded clinical trial under way
in the United States using smoked marijuana is at UCSF, where the effects on
HIV-positive patients are being investigated.

It took principal investigator Donald Abrams six years to get approval from
the federal government for his study, which began last year and is still
seeking volunteers.

Abrams' study compares the effects of smoked marijuana with that of Marinol,
an FDA-approved drug that contains THC, marijuana's active ingredient.

Many people continue to resort to smoked marijuana because they say Marinol
takes too long to become active and has unwanted side effects, including an
excessively intense "high."

Abrams said it had long been known that marijuana contains enough
potentially useful ingredients to warrant further study. He said he hoped
the climate for conducting medical research on it would improve from having
yet another prestigious scientific body call for investigation.

"I know of a few investigators who have submitted proposals to the
government. I don't know how they've fared," he said. "I hope the Institute
of Medicine report would stimulate more people to investigate."

(c)1999 San Francisco Examiner Page A 1

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

Lockyer on medical marijuana (A list subscriber forwards a press release
about the IOM report from California Attorney General Bill Lockyer.)

Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 23:54:06 -0800
To: "dpfca@drugsense.org" (dpfca@drugsense.org)
From: "Jeff W. Jones" (jeffj@rxcbc.org)
Subject: DPFCA: Fwd: Lockyer on medical marijuana
Sender: owner-dpfca@drugsense.org
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/

***

Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 23:07:28 -0800
To: ljohnson@amandla.org
From: Lara Johnson (ljanklip@concentric.net)
Subject: Lockyer on medical marijuana

***

From: William Maile (MaileW@hdcdojnet.state.ca.us)
Subject: [PRESSLIST] ATTORNEY GENERAL LOCKYER ISSUES STATEMENT ON
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE REPORT ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 1999

Contact: Nathan Barankin
(916)324-5500

(Sacramento)-- Attorney General Bill Lockyer issued the following
statement in response to the Institute of Medicine*s report titled,
"Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base":

"The Institute of Medicine report takes an important step toward answering
questions about the medical benefits of marijuana. The report suggests
that there is scientific evidence to support its use and encourages
further research. Current federal law prohibits doctors from prescribing
marijuana and has made medical research difficult. We look forward to the
federal government building on this report*s findings so that we can wisely
implement Proposition 215."
	
***

Jeff W. Jones

Officer of the City of Oakland for the
Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative
P.O. Box 70401, Oakland, CA 94612-0401
(510) 832-5346
Fax (510) 986-0534
Web: http//:www.rxcbc.org
Email: jeffj@rxcbc.org

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

Institute of Medicine Report on Medicinal Cannabis to Be Released March 17,
1999 (The Colorado Hemp Initiative Project forwards a summary of the IOM
report by Jeff Jones of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative, who asks
you to call today requesting the resignation of the White House drug czar,
General Barry McCaffrey, based on his statement in 1996 to the effect that
"marijuana has no shred of medical evidence to show it has therapeutic
qualities." Plus, a request from the Marijuana Policy Project, in Washington,
D.C., asking you to call your U.S. seantor and representative, seeking
support for H.R. 912, the medical-marijuana bill recently introduced by Rep.
Barney Frank.)

Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 23:22:56 -0700 (MST)
From: "Colo. Hemp Init. Project" (cohip@levellers.org)
To: "Colo. Hemp Init. Project" (cohip@levellers.org)
Subject: IOM Cannabis Study Released (3/17/99)

National Academy of Sciences
Institue of Medicine Report on Medicinal Cannabis to Be Released
March 17, 1999

(This was the organization conducting an 18-month study designed to evaluate
the therapeutic value of marijuana and its chemical components, particularly
cannabinoids such as THC)

***

Subject: Lets all do just one thing on St. Patricks Day
From: Jeff Jones, Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative

Hello Everyone:

I am writing to let everyone know that the IOM report is going to be
released on March 17th at 11:00 EST, at the IOM web site
http://www2.nas.edu/medical-mj/index.html

Please check out this report and find out for yourself how inhuman the
government has been acting with respect to allowing patients safe access to
medical cannabis.

I ask for one action to be taken on March 17th and that is for everyone
and their friends to call Barry Macaffrey's office at (202) 514-2000 (I
spoke with Wanda) and ask for his resignation to be turn in IMMEDIATELY.
This is based on his outright lie to the American public in 1996 when he
made statements to the effect that "marijuana has no shred of medical
evidence to show it has therapeutic qualities" (LIE, LIE, LIE LIE).

Some of the items covered summarized:

- No major know effect with Immune suppression

- Social concern that changing federal policy would increase illicit
cannabis use, no data to support this claim

- Recommendation to do more research, clinical trials short term less
than six months, with patients only that shown efficacy to help their
condition, all research should be approved by FDA and Peer Review committees

- Smoking to be the only major health risk associated with cannabis
use, all other risks mirror those of other medicines given out by Doctors.

"We know what we need to do. Let's get out there and change the world!"

Jeff W. Jones

Officer of the City of Oakland for the
Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative
P.O. Box 70401, Oakland, CA 94612-0401
(510) 832-5346 Fax (510) 986-0534
Web: http//:www.rxcbc.org
Email: jeffj@rxcbc.org

***

Marijuana Policy Project Alert
Federal Medical Marijuana Bill Introduced

TO: Interested persons
FROM: Robert D. Kampia, MPP director of government relations
DATE: Friday, March 5, 1999
SUBJECT: Please ask your U.S. representative to co-sponsor H.R. 912

***

This alert is available at http://www.mpp.org/912alert.html

On March 2, 1999, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) introduced H.R. 912
which -- if enacted -- would allow states to determine their own medicinal
marijuana policies without federal interference. This bill is nearly
identical to the medicinal marijuana bill that Rep. Frank introduced in the
1997-98 Congress, which the Marijuana Policy Project helped draft.

MPP is encouraging its members and other allies to do the following:

1. Please write to your U.S. representative, asking him or her to
co-sponsor H.R. 912. For help writing the letter, please click here.
http://www.mpp.org/912ltrs.html

2. Please submit a supportive letter-to-the-editor to your local
newspapers. If you need help writing this letter, please click here.
http://www.mpp.org/912lte.html

3. Please distribute this message widely to your friends, family, and
colleagues.

4. If you have extra time, please write a letter to each of your two U.S.
senators asking them to "introduce legislation similar to H.R. 912, the
medicinal marijuana bill."

H.R. 912 is currently pending in the House Commerce Committee. In the
short run, MPP has two goals: (1) persuade the U.S. representatives who sit
on this committee to voice their support for holding a hearing on medicinal
marijuana; and (2) persuade as many U.S. representatives as possible --
whether or not they sit on this committee -- to co-sponsor H.R. 912.

***

Resources

- list of U.S. representatives and U.S. senators who have supported
medicinal marijuana
http://www.mpp.org/mmj-supp.html

- how House members voted on the anti-medicinal marijuana resolution
http://www.mpp.org/117votes.html

- list of U.S. representatives on the House Commerce Committee
http://www.mpp.org/hcomsub.html

- full text of H.R. 912
http://www.mpp.org/hr912.html

***

To find out the name of your U.S. representative and two U.S. senators:

- First, find out your ZIP+4:
http://www.usps.gov/ncsc/lookups/lookup_zip+4.html

- then, use it to get the name of your U.S. representative:
http://www.house.gov/zip/ZIP2Rep.html

- and finally, get the names of your two U.S. senators:
http://www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm

U.S. Rep. [name]
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

U.S. Senator [name]
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

TO CALL: To call your U.S. representative's office, please call the
congressional switchboard operator at 202-225-3121. The operator will ask
you for your zip code if you do not know who your U.S. representative is

TO FAX:To fax your U.S. representative, please call your U.S.
representative's office for his or her fax number.

TO E-MAIL:Please do not e-mail your U.S. representative unless you have
already called, faxed, or written.

***

Marijuana Policy Project
P.O. Box 77492
Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C. 20013
Email: mpp@mpp.org
Web: www.mpp.org

***

Re-distributed as a public service by the:
Colorado Hemp Initiative Project
P.O. Box 729, Nederland, CO 80466
Vmail: (303) 448-5640
Email: (cohip@levellers.org)
Web: http://www.welcomehome.org/cohip.html
http://www.levellers.org/cannabis.html
"Fighting over 60 years of lies and dis-information
with 10,000 years of history and fact."
ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE???

***

To be added to or removed from our mailing list,
send email with the word SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE in the title.

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

Backers Call Medical Marijuana Report a Victory (The Arizona Daily Star
interviews several locals who offer "pro" and "con" views about today's
release of the Institute of Medicine report, "Marijuana and Medicine:
Assessing the Science Base.")

Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 09:02:12 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US AZ: MMJ: Backers Call Medical Marijuana Report A Victory
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: March 17, 1999
Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ)
Contact: letters@azstarnet.com
Website: http://www.azstarnet.com/
Author: Christina Leonard, The Arizona Republic

BACKERS CALL MEDICAL MARIJUANA REPORT A VICTORY

Valley medical marijuana proponents are calling today's federal report
on pot's positive effects for pain relief, nausea control and appetite
stimulation a victory.

"This is just one more push - one more bit of pressure on the feds in
Washington," said Dr. Jeffrey Singer, spokesman for Arizonans for Drug
Policy Reform.

"This is exactly what we've been saying all along. It's a shame the
government has spent millions and millions of dollars on a literary
search."

The study's release comes months after voters in Arizona, Alaska,
Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado and the District of Columbia
approved initiatives allowing doctors to prescribe pot for sick people.

However, ever since California and Arizona voters first approved the
measure in 1996, federal authorities have threatened to yank the
federal licenses of any doctors who prescribed marijuana.

After Arizona passed a second medical marijuana initiative in
November, drug policy director Barry McCaffrey, the nation's most
visible opponent of such initiatives, said he would not try to
overturn such laws but wait for results of a Food and Drug
Administration study and research from the National Institutes of Health.

The Institute of Medicine report, titled, "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing
the Science Base," concludes that although cannabinoid drugs may offer
therapeutic relief not found in other medications, smoking marijuana
delivers "harmful substances." It suggests the development of alternative
means of ingestion.

"Until such drugs can be developed and made available for medical use,
the report recommends interim solutions," it says.

Singer doesn't buy it.

"They said that marijuana is medicine, and smoking marijuana works,"
he said. "They just have a problem recommending people smoke it. Maybe
they should get over that problem, because these are people suffering
from terminal diseases.

"Smoking marijuana gets relief to these people. Are you saying these
people can't get relief until somebody comes up with an invention for
another way to administer it?"

But Dr. Philip Kanof, medical director of the substance-abuse program
at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Tucson and an associate professor
of pharmacology at the College of Medicine at the University of
Arizona, said the active ingredient of marijuana - THC - has been
approved by the FDA for years.

"What are the advantages of smoking it over using the oral form?" he
asked.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy ordered the
report in January 1997 to review the scientific evident and assess
potential health risks and benefits. Information was gathered through
scientific literature, workshops, site visits to cannabis buyers'
clubs and HIV/AIDS clinics, and consultation with biomedical and
social scientists.

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

Backers Praise Report On Pot Medical Uses Cited By Federal Study (The Arizona
Republic summarizes the Institute of Medicine study on medical marijuana.)

Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 07:09:15 -0800
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US AZ: Wire: Backers Praise Report On Pot Medical Uses
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: General Pulaski
Pubdate: Wed, 17 Mar 1999
Source: Arizona Republic (AZ)
Copyright: 1999, The Arizona Republic.
Contact: Opinions@pni.com
Website: http://www.azcentral.com/news/
Forum: http://www.azcentral.com/pni-bin/WebX?azc

BACKERS PRAISE REPORT ON POT MEDICAL USES CITED BY FEDERAL STUDY

A federal report on the medical uses of marijuana recognizes pot's
positive effects for pain relief, nausea control and appetite
stimulation but falls short of recommending that it be smoked.

The report, to be released early today, may help remove obstacles to
medicinal marijuana initiatives approved by voters in Arizona and elsewhere.

Valley medical marijuana proponents call the report a victory.

"This is just one more push - one more bit of pressure on the feds in
Washington," said Dr. Jeffrey Singer, spokesman for Arizonans for Drug
Policy Reform.

"This is exactly what we've been saying all along. It's a shame the
government has spent millions and millions of dollars on a literary
search."

The study's release comes months after voters in Arizona, Alaska,
Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado and the District of Columbia
approved initiatives allowing doctors to prescribe pot for sick people.

However, ever since California and Arizona voters first approved the
measure in 1996, federal authorities have threatened to yank the
federal licenses of any doctors who prescribed marijuana.

After Arizona passed a second medical marijuana initiative in
November, drug policy director Barry McCaffrey, the nation's most
visible opponent of such initiatives, said he would not try to
overturn such laws, but wait for results of a Food and Drug
Administration study and research from the National Institutes of Health.

A spokeswoman for McCaffrey's office declined to comment Tuesday night
until the report's official release.

White House spokesman Mike Hammer said late Tuesday that the White
House will carefully review the report.

"Our primary focus in this area must be to prevent youth use of
marijuana by ensuring that youth know about this drug's dangers," he
said. "We will continue our youth drug-prevention efforts including
the anti-drug media campaign and continue to send the clear message
to kids that drugs are wrong, dangerous and can kill you."

The Institute of Medicine report, titled, "Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing
the Science Base," concludes that although cannabinoid drugs may offer
therapeutic relief not found in other medications, smoking marijuana delivers
"harmful substances." It suggests the development of alternative means of
ingestion.

"Until such drugs can be developed and made available for medical use,
the report recommends interim solutions," it says.

Singer doesn't buy it.

"They said that marijuana is medicine, and smoking marijuana works,"
he said. "They just have a problem recommending people smoke it. Maybe
they should get over that problem, because these are people suffering
from terminal diseases.

"Smoking marijuana gets relief to these people. Are you saying these
people can't get relief until somebody comes up with an invention for
another way to administer it?"

But Dr. Philip Kanof, medical director of the substance-abuse program
at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Tucson and an associate professor
of pharmacology at the College of Medicine at the University of
Arizona, said the active ingredient of marijuana - THC - has been
approved by the FDA for years.

"What are the advantages of smoking it over using the oral form?" he asked.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy ordered the
report in January 1997 to review the scientific evident and assess
potential health risks and benefits. Information was gathered through
scientific literature, workshops, site visits to cannabis buyers'
clubs and HIV/AIDS clinics, and consultation with biomedical and
social scientists

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

Medical marijuana bill hits snag (The Minneapolis Star-Tribune says a state
senate committee held a hearing Tuesday on a medical-marijuana bill
introduced by Sen. Pat Piper, DFL-Austin, which would allow adults with a
physician's recommendation to possess 1 ounce of marijuana. The committee
meets again tonight to try to reconcile differences.)

Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 10:13:42 -0600
From: "Frank S. World" (compassion23@geocities.com)
Reply-To: compassion23@geocities.com
Organization: Rx Cannabis Now!
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/7417/
To: DRCNet Medical Marijuana Forum (medmj@drcnet.org)
Subject: US MN MMJ: Medical marijuana bill hits snag
Sender: owner-medmj@drcnet.org
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Website http://www.startribune.com/
Feedback http://www.startribune.com/stonline/html/userguide/letform.html
Forum http://talk.startribune.com/cgi-bin/WebX.cgi
Published Wednesday, March 17, 1999

MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL HITS SNAG

Bill McAuliffe / Star Tribune

Marijuana helps relieve pain, stress, nausea and numerous other discomforts
of cancer and other debilitating diseases, patients and doctors told a
Senate committee Tuesday.

But it's also illegal for doctors to prescribe it and for anyone to possess
or use it.

A Senate committee may look for a way to reconcile those factors today when
it revisits a bill that would protect patients and doctors from criminal and
civil penalties in connection with the medical use of marijuana. The bill
was tabled Tuesday for more research.

It's at least the third time since 1993 that the Legislature has addressed
the issue. Previous attempts to provide for the medical use of marijuana
failed because they established a system of production and prescription that
relied on a federal change in the substance's drug classification, which
hasn't occurred yet. A bill in Congress seeks to reclassify marijuana as a
Schedule II drug, meaning it could be prescribed by doctors under certain
conditions.

The Minnesota bill, sponsored by Sen. Pat Piper, DFL-Austin, would allow
adults with a proven malady and a physician's recommendation -- not a
prescription -- to possess 1 ounce of marijuana.

Under the plan, patients under 18 would need a parent's consent.

Possession is still a felony under federal law; the bill relies on federal
authorities not prosecuting cases involving amounts of that size, which is
generally the case now.

Two cancer patients and two physicians, one a University of Minnesota
professor, told members of the Senate Health and Family Security Committee
that marijuana often makes it easier to live with a range of debilitating
diseases, as well as with the discomfort of chemotherapy and other
treatments.

Marsha Tollefson, 47, a grandmother from St. Peter, Minn., told of how
marijuana helped her endure cancer treatment and the effects of systemic
scleroderma, in which excess collagen stiffens her skin, muscles and organs.

"I don't want to be forced to choose between leaving Minnesota to reside in
a state that recognizes the benefits of medical marijuana or stay here and
be considered a criminal for taking care of my health," she said in a
statement.

Dr. Dennis Dykstra, a University of Minnesota professor of physical
medicine, said he has noted that marijuana also relieves spasticity in palsy
patients. He said current law unfairly restricts physicians from helping
ease their patients' conditions.

Five states -- California, Oregon, Arizona, Washington and Alaska -- have
varying provisions for medical use of marijuana. But for it to occur in
Minnesota, an authorized system of experimental research and distribution,
under the auspices of the state Board of Pharmacy and the University of
Minnesota, would have to be established, said state Public Safety
Commissioner Charlie Weaver. That would allow physicians to prescribe
marijuana legally under federal permits, he said.

Gov. Jesse Ventura supports medical marijuana use, Weaver said, but only
under a workable system. Weaver said he opposed the bill because it didn't
allow for the state-authorized research and distribution.

"We wouldn't support anything that decriminalizes marijuana," he said.

Sen. Dan Stevens, R-Mora, opposed the bill, saying it would send the wrong
message to the public about smoking in general. And an ophthalmologist
testified that there is no scientific evidence that marijuana relieves the
discomforts of glaucoma, despite broad claims to the contrary.

The bill may return to the same Senate committee for a hearing scheduled at
6:30 tonight.

(c) Copyright 1999 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

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

Panel delays decision on medical marijuana (The St. Paul Pioneer Press
version says the Minnesota Senate Health and Family Security Committee
postponed a vote on the medical marijuana bill in order to allow the bill's
sponsor and top officials in Gov. Jesse Ventura's administration to try to
negotiate compromise amendments addressing the concerns that Public Safety
Commissioner Charlie Weaver said Governor Ventura has with the bill. The
committee is tentatively scheduled to resume debate on the bill 7:30 p.m.
tonight at the Capitol.)

Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 15:10:40 -0600
From: "Frank S. World" (compassion23@geocities.com)
From: "CRRH mailing list" (restore@crrh.org)
Reply-To: compassion23@geocities.com
Organization: Rx Cannabis Now!
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/7417/
To: restore (restore@crrh.org)
Subject: US MN MMJ: Panel delays decision on medical marijuana
Source: PioneerPlanet / St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press
Contact: http://web-db.pioneerpress.com/feedback/editor.cfm
Website: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/
Published: Wednesday, March 17, 1999

PANEL DELAYS DECISION ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Senate sponsor, Ventura may re-tool over distribution, enforcement issues

PATRICK SWEENEY STAFF WRITER

(Patrick Sweeney, who covers state government and politics, can be contacted
at psweeney@pioneerpress.com or (651) 228-5253.)

In less than one minute of testimony to a state Senate committee Tuesday,
Nancy Briggs argued an emotional case for allowing patients with
debilitating medical conditions to smoke marijuana.

Briggs, who calls herself a ``cancer survivor,'' described suffering intense
nausea and severe headaches that accompanied chemotherapy and radiation
treatments she underwent after breast surgery last spring.

``I tried a dozen different prescription medicines to combat the side
effects,'' said Briggs, 44, of Golden Valley. ``Nothing worked, nothing even
came close. . . . Someone then gave me a marijuana cigarette. It stopped the
nausea, it stopped the headaches. The relief was thorough, immediate and
quite extraordinary.''

Briggs was one of string of witnesses who testified for and against a bill
that would allow a patient -- with a note from his or her physician -- to
possess up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana without having to worry about facing
state criminal charges.

The Senate Health and Family Security Committee postponed a vote on the bill
to allow the Senate sponsor and top officials in Gov. Jesse Ventura's
administration to try to negotiate compromise amendments addressing concerns
Public Safety Commissioner Charlie Weaver said Ventura has with the bill.

The committee tentatively is scheduled to resume debate on the bill at 7:30
tonight in Room 15 of the Capitol.

As the bill stands, its chances of passage are not good in the
Democrat-dominated Senate, and even weaker in the Republican-controlled
House.

Sen. Dan Stevens, R-Mora, a committee member and opponent of the bill, said
it would send a ``terrible message'' to children that recreational, as well
as medical, use of marijuana is acceptable.

But the bill's prospects will improve significantly if it's endorsed by
Ventura and Weaver, a respected former Republican House member who was a
law-and-order candidate for attorney general.

``What the governor supports,'' Weaver said, ``is figuring out a way to
allow people who are terminally ill, or seriously ill, access to marijuana
without creating a nightmare for law enforcement.''

Weaver said he envisioned amendments that would allow the state Health
Department or the University of Minnesota to seek federal permission for
marijuana to be tested in a strictly controlled research project.

Weaver said he and Ventura also want to tighten the bill's language about
who could qualify to use marijuana. ``The governor doesn't want this to
apply to just anybody with a bad back,'' Weaver said.

The bill's author, Sen. Pat Piper, DFL-Austin, and an official of the Bureau
of Criminal Apprehension were expected to resume meeting today to try to
negotiate acceptable language.

Darrell Paulsen of South St. Paul, who has cerebral palsy and attended the
hearing Tuesday to support passage of the bill, said he thought the changes
proposed by Weaver would gut Piper's bill.

Paulsen said he met briefly with Ventura after the hearing and urged him to
overrule the position Weaver took in the hearing.

``I think he is missing the boat when he thinks we can design a pilot
project so these people can get it,'' Paulsen said of Weaver.

As originally drafted, the bill would remove the already-small state
criminal penalties for use and possession of less than 1.5 grams of
marijuana by people who have demonstrated to their doctors they need the
drug for the treatment of cancer, AIDS, Crohn's disease, scleroderma,
chronic pain or similar ailments.

The bill also would protect doctors from any criminal penalties for
prescribing marijuana.

But the legislation would not have created a mechanism for anyone legally to
sell the marijuana. And, according to Weaver, the bill would have done
nothing to protect patients from federal anti-drug laws.

People selling the marijuana would be committing felonies, Weaver said. He
said he and Ventura do not want patients seeking marijuana for medicinal
purposes to have to rely on street purchases of marijuana of widely varying
potency.

The committee Tuesday approved an amendment that calls for the state Health
and Public Safety departments to create a system for the distribution of
marijuana under the auspices of the state Board of Pharmacy. But Weaver said
that amendment would not fix the problem of patients potentially facing
federal charges.

Two physicians testified in favor of the bill on Tuesday; one opposed it.

Dr. Dennis Dykstra, a University of Minnesota Medical School professor, said
the active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydro-cannabinol or THC, helps
reduce spasticity in patients who have suffered spinal cord injuries or who
have cerebral palsy. He said he thinks that for many patients, smoking
marijuana produces better results than taking an oral version of the drug.

``Some of my patients are smoking cannabis -- marijuana -- and they're
getting far better results than with the oral medicine,'' Dykstra said.

A psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Willenbring, who directs an addiction treatment
program at the Veterans Administration Medical Center at Fort Snelling, said
smoking marijuana can help patients suffering from nausea and vomiting.
``There is more evidence for medical marijuana than for many other medicines
we use,'' he said.

But a third doctor, Dr. Mary Bhvsar, an ophthalmologist, urged the committee
members not to believe that marijuana is the only, or best, treatment for
patients suffering from glaucoma. Some new medicines work better, she said.

Briggs, the breast cancer survivor from Golden Valley, said she tried
marijuana several times two decades ago when she was in college, but did not
use the drug again until a friend offered it as an antidote to the side
effects of her chemotherapy, which included loss of appetite and open sores
in her mouth.

After she tried the marijuana, it never occurred to her let the law deter
her from using it, she said.

``It never concerned me,'' she said. ``My relief was so extreme that I would
have been willing to do anything.'

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Medical marijuana use still mired in politics (Minneapolis Star-Tribune
columnist Doug Grow describes the hearing Tuesday for a medical-marijuana
bill before a Minnesota senate committee. The witnesses poured out their
pain. They explained that marijuana had comforted them when other drugs had
failed. They were passionate and powerful. But the unhearing drug warriors
mouthed the same old canards. The people who testified about their horrific
pains only could shake their heads at the old, cold words they were hearing.
It's 1999 in most of the world, but in government, we're still in dense, dark
times whenever the subject is medicinal use of marijuana. Even Gov. Jesse
Ventura's cabinet was sending mixed messages.)

Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 10:11:41 -0600
From: "Frank S. World" (compassion23@geocities.com)
Reply-To: compassion23@geocities.com
Organization: Rx Cannabis Now!
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/7417/
To: DRCNet Medical Marijuana Forum (medmj@drcnet.org)
Subject: US MN MMJ OPED: Doug Grow: Medical marijuana
use still mired in politics
Sender: owner-medmj@drcnet.org
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Website http://www.startribune.com/
Feedback http://www.startribune.com/stonline/html/userguide/letform.html
Forum http://talk.startribune.com/cgi-bin/WebX.cgi
Published Wednesday, March 17, 1999

DOUG GROW: MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE STILL MIRED IN POLITICS

Doug Grow / Star Tribune

The witnesses poured out their pain for a Minnesota Senate committee. They
explained that marijuana had comforted them when other drugs had failed.
They were passionate and powerful.

Then it was time to hear from those opposing a bill that would allow
marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes.

There was a spokesman for the Minnesota Family Council, Aaron Frederickson,
who acted as if he hadn't heard the pained people who'd just spoken.

"Now is the time to enforce drug laws, not soften them," Frederickson read,
monotone, from a prepared statement.

And there was the wit and wisdom of Sen. Dan Stevens, R-Mora. Stevens said
if the Legislature passed a bill allowing marijuana to be used to comfort
the afflicted, some Minnesotans would think legislators must be using
marijuana themselves. Chuckle, chuckle.

"I'll vote against this," Sen. Wit said after his little laugh.

The people who testified about their horrific pains only could shake their
heads at the old, cold words they were hearing.

It's 1999 in most of the world, but in government, we're still in dense,
dark times whenever the subject is medicinal use of marijuana.

Even Gov. Jesse Ventura's cabinet was sending mixed messages at Tuesday's
hearing. Ventura supposedly supports legalization of marijuana for medical
purposes. But at Tuesday's hearing, Charlie Weaver, commissioner of public
safety and presumably Ventura's voice on the issue, filled the air with
"ummmms" and "buts" and "maybes" on the subject of legalization. (What do we
have here, Jesse [the Vacillator] Ventura?)

So, for purely political reasons, good people continue to suffer more than
they need to.

Darryl Paulsen, who is in a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy, was at the
hearing to tell how marijuana has helped him control his spasms; how
marijuana gives him some control over his body that no other drug does.

But there's a tough price to pay for his medicine. Three years ago, Paulsen,
who lives in South St. Paul, was busted for possessing that which he needs
to live decently. He says that 14 police officers from the East Metro Drug
Task Force busted into his one-room apartment, guns drawn.

"They came in yelling, 'Where is it? Where is it?' " Paulsen recalled.

He was charged with possession of marijuana, found guilty and put on
probation. To find the drug he needs, he must associate with dealers, who
sometimes frighten him, and he must keep looking over his shoulder to see if
he's being tracked by police or task force members.

"Absurd," he said, sadly, after the meeting.

This is how absurd it is: Two physicians who testified Tuesday were
ever-so-careful to say that they were speaking as individuals, not for their
employers. Despite the fact that each has patients who have had positive
results from marijuana, they were cautious, lest some crusading politician
get the idea their institutions were soft on drugs.

After the hearing, Dennis Dykstra, a University of Minnesota physician who
helps patients who have physical disabilities, said he is often frustrated
working with people who have run out of hope, because there seem to be no
medications that work.

"I see people who are at the end," he said. "They come to me and say, 'I've
gone everywhere. I've tried everything. Can't I sign up for research? Isn't
there something I can do?' "

Dykstra said that a law allowing physicians at least to discuss marijuana as
an option would give him the chance to be honest with desperate patients.

"This would be a choice that would be far down on a list," Dykstra said. "I
would be able to say, 'Here's something that has worked for some people.' "

Now what happens between a doctor and patient when all the mainstream
medicines have failed and the doctor knows that some have been helped by
marijuana? What happens when doctors know of patients who have relieved
their pains, increased their appetites, finally been able to sleep because
of marijuana?

Dystra said he can't legally discuss the marijuana option with patients.
Sometimes, though, he suggested that physicians go to quiet corners with
their patients and speak in vague terms.

Supporters of legalization say they think there's a chance that some
watered-down version of the bill will pass this session.

Sen. Pat Piper, DFL-Austin, is leading the push for legalization in the
Senate. (Rep. Karen Clark, DFL-Minneapolis, is her counterpart in the
House.) After Tuesday's hearings before the Senate's Health and Family
Security Committee, she walked into the hallway and nodded toward the
witnesses who had shared their stories.

"How can we deny them?" she wondered.

Simple. If it's expedient politics to deny them, they will be denied.

(c) Copyright 1999 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

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