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5/10/2011 –Medical use of marijuana is not the only prohibition policy that states are changing.  Legislators in Connecticut continue their drive to make the adult possession of cannabis a civil offense. The General Assembly’s powerful Finance Committee passed a bill today to decriminalize adult marijuana possession. The measure passed the Judiciary Committee last month and now heads to the state Senate. 

More from the Hartford Courant

On a vote of 31 to 20, the committee approved the measure after about 45 minutes of discussion. The bill would make the penalty for possession of a half-ounce of marijuana or less akin to receiving a speeding ticket. Those charged would be assessed fines instead of facing criminal penalties.

State Sen. Toni Boucher, a Republican from Wilton who is one of the leading critics of decriminalization, offered up several amendments, including one that would have toughen the penalties. But she failed to garner enough support to amend the bill.

The bill would set the penalty for a first offense of possession of less than an ounce of pot at no more than $90, less than the fines for littering, illegal fishing, having a defective muffler or damaging trees on state property, Boucher said. READ FULL ARTICLE

Massachusetts decriminalized adult marijuana possession by a voter referendum in 2008.  Adults caught with one ounce (28 grams) of pot or less are now issued a ticket for $100 without a custodial arrest. Reports have shown the shift was successful for municipalities and the state

New York decriminalized marijuana in 1977 with legislation that includes provisions for a $250 fine and $100 court fee in cases where adults are caught with 25 grams or less. But in New York City police practices have seen pot possession arrests soar in recent years to over 50,000 annually, flouting state law.

Connecticut legislators passed a bill in 2009 to decriminalize marijuana only to have it vetoed by the previous governor Jodi Rell (R). But the issue has found a stronger path in 2011 with  Governor Daniel Malloy sponsoring the bill and a group of legislators eager to see the concept finally become a law.

Decriminalizing cannabis is a pragmatic option for the state because it frees up a massive amount tax dollars needed for law enforcement.

‘Decrim’ is also a tangible and positive shift for cannabis consumers; no more arrest, bail, court, parole or probation.  Even better, the civil citation means there is never a criminal record.

CONTACT LEGISLATORS IN CT HERE

Questions?  [email protected]

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.

7/4/2011 – This week the residents of the Constitution State are gaining back some of the liberty that was created 235 years ago. Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a law that removes criminal penalties for possession of up to 1/2 ounce of marijuana. Adults caught with 14 grams of pot or less are now given a $150 fine on the first occasion and $200-$500 for additional offenses. Those between the ages of 18-21 will need to appear in court and will also have their drivers’ license suspended for 60 days.

PHILADELPHIA by Chris Goldstein 7/4/2013

We are celebrating an incredible revolution of ideas this week, one that has a living pulse today.

The Philadelphia of 1776 housed the women and men who crafted a new future for freedom. In 2013 it is where the United States federal government is displaying the tremendous cost and energy it will spend to arrest Americans simply for smoking marijuana.

On Sunday June 30^th scores of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents and National Park Service (NPS) Rangers along with Philadelphia Police (PPD) participated in a coordinated disruption of the monthly “Smoke Down Prohibition” protest in front of the Liberty Bell.

The six-month old event is organized (loosely) by comedy crew The Panic Hour and reform group PhillyNORML.

At 4:20PM many in the crowd lit cannabis joints in a symbolic protest against federal laws…as they have each month (in the same spot) since December 2012.

This time more than eighty members of law enforcement (all with guns, some in riot gear) were sent into the group of about 100 peaceful cannabis consumers who had just respectfully marched all the way from City Hall (in the rain) without incident.

But when protesters arrived at The People’s Plaza over a dozen people were roughly dragged to the ground by police, agents and rangers. Eight people were issued citations. I was one of those cited.

Video – http://youtu.be/HJisWNBFaz0 Photo set – http://tinyurl.com/osk88l3

The strategies and tactics employed by the multiple agencies are a real window into the marijuana policy problem overall. More than 750,000 Americans will be treated the same way this year by police just for a small amount of pot; but most of the actual arrests won’t be so well documented.

President Obama, top-level politicians along with agency heads at the DEA, ONDCP and others claim that federal laws against possession of a few grams of weed isn’t on their radar. But that is a lie. We can see just how the federal government feels about marijuana legalization in their militarized response to a group of Americans openly carrying a little bit of cannabis.

Drug War Tour

Sunday’s event was much more positive than the 15 minutes of intense police action against us.

Around 2:30PM a dedicated group of marijuana reform activists gathered under drenching but not uncomfortable summer rain in Love Park. Among the tourists snapping pictures we handed out leafy signs and umbrellas, staying upbeat with the comedy of The Panic Hour and a talk from anarchist writer Larkin Rose…both are actually best enjoyed standing in the rain anyway…like a Nine Inch Nails concert.

The Drug War Tour of Philly was organized by Mike Whiter, a US Marine combat veteran who wants Pennsylvania to legalize medical marijuana.

Participants included some seasoned activists like libertarian Adam Kokesh and Capt. Ray “Occupy” Lewis, the retired Philly Police Captain arrested at Occupy Wall Street. There were people of all ages and nearly every ethnicity, including a man in a wheelchair and a couple with a baby. We made for an excellent representative cross-section of our country.

Many were familiar faces to me; these are the people who have the courage to put forth a real effort for legalization. Everyone was there to walk twelve blocks in steady rain to ultimately enter a cage filled with federal agents for a joint smoking session.

The resolve and honest good nature of every single person involved remains an inspiration. Marching with them is always a privilege.

At 3:15PM we left Love Park with local comic Steve Miller-Miller on the microphone “1-2-3-4 End The Lunatic Drug War!”

The amplifier was on the back on an old Army pickup truck (driven by an affable Libertarian survivalist), fittingly at the lead of the parade.

The event had a permit and an official police escort along with a PPD Civil Affairs unit. About ten Philly cops on bikes and in SUVs were focused on politely closing off intersections for our street march.

Our first stop was the West side of City Hall where I gave a talk directed toward Mayor Michael Nutter.

“There are more than 4,000 arrests each year in Philadelphia for marijuana and more than 80% of those are black men and women – but Mayor Nutter could de-prioritize marijuana possession.”

“Marijuana reform doesn’t have to start in Washington DC, it doesn’t have to start in Harrisburg it can start right here at City Hall.”

A recent resolution passed by the National Conference of Mayors pleaded with federal authorities to allow cities to direct their own criminal cannabis policies – reducing penalties. But a recommendation by the ACLU in their report highlighting the racial disparity to pot enforcement could be enacted by the Mayor at any time: de-prioritization; this directs police and prosecutors to take on serious crimes instead of busting people for weed.

Chants of “END THE DRUG WAR!” and “What do we want? LEGAL WEED! When do we want it? NOW!” echoed from the faces of the Gotham-style structure of Philly’s City Hall as we made our way up Market Street.

We had one more stop on our journey that turned into a powerful visit.

At 7th Street we made a left went one block to land in front of the Federal Detention Center. This is where comedian NA Poe and broadcaster Adam Kokesh were held on felony charges after DHS, Park Rangers and Philly Police arrested them at the May 18, 2013 “Smoke Down Prohibition” rally. (Video – http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=594_1369103091 )

Kokesh and Poe were held in the same cell inside for five days and they both spoke in front of the FDC,

“A lot of people are locked up in there because of the Drug War,” said Poe, but then there were several, very welcome interruptions to their speeches.

At first I thought some heavy rain might be falling nearby or a low, persistent thunder. But it was the prisoners inside the FDC banging on the windows in response to the protest on the street.

This was a profound and unique moment. We raised our voices with the prisoners of prohibition; the communication of the message was acknowledged by both sides. I saw tears mixing with the rain as cheers mixed with banging; a choir of voices, unified; all for legal marijuana.

6/30 FDC Video – http://youtu.be/HGtTH4_D8hE?t=5m53s

Keeping on schedule to reach the Liberty Bell by 4:20 we moved on with the march. In the 8^tt Street underpass we took a break from the rain and listened to Ray Lewis give his view of drug laws.

The retired Philadelphia Police Captain used to respond to a lot of domestic violence calls, none of them he attributed to marijuana – but a lot of them seemed fueled by alcohol. The former cop joins a growing number of his colleagues who are taking the time to end a voice for change.

We continued our lively parade, a visible expression of a majority of Americans (likely even cops) in favor of legalization. We were energized by the brief respite and chanting for an end to cannabis prohibition.

In the distance we could see the massive police presence waiting for us.

Slowing leading the green camo truck up the center of a wet, reflective Market Street under cloudy skies to the small army of agents in front of Independence Hall was surreal. All of the protesters were calm.

 

Freedom cages and riot rangers

The area preserved for First Amendment activity at 5^th and Market Street was ringed by metal barricade fencing when we arrived at 4:12. It is usually left open. We called it a “freedom cage” and walked inside.

Several dozen (visible) Department of Homeland Security agents deployed to our pot demonstration were in full black tactical gear with bullet-proof vests festooned (presumably) with extra magazines and other lethal equipment.

The several dozen Philly Police were all wearing baseball batting gloves (really) along with their guns and handcuffs.

National Park Service Rangers wore bullet-proof vests and were all carrying guns but there were also some special Rangers literally in GREEN riot gear with batons and helmets.

Oddly the US Fish and Wildlife Service also had another officer (also with a gun) who actually laid hands on a protester.

A processing tent was erected off to the side and staffed by more DHS, Rangers, Police and even the US Attorney’s Office.

Again this entire operation was staged because a group of Americans announced that we would smoke a joint at 4:20PM. (It probably even had a snappy code name…)

The federal response to this peaceful protest was way out of proportion.

I helped to lead the 4:20PM countdown at the first “Smoke Down Prohibition” in December and again at the largest gathering (so far) on April 20, 2013. There were only a few regular Rangers off in the far distance on those occasions. There was no metal fencing. One Ranger was close-by on 4/20/13 smiling and holding a video camera; not (visibly) armed with a gun.

A tolerant pragmatism on both sides and respectful détente seemed to be in effect among the local protesters and Rangers. So the disproportionate new tactics rolled out in May and June are clearly coming somewhere from the top -down.

Members of our group, including yours truly, were ready to take part in a civil disobedience action (openly smoking a marijuana joint) and to receive a citation. Smoking pot in public is something a reasonable person (even law enforcement) can agree is a minor issue, especially in the context of civil disobedience.

But Homeland Security, Park Rangers and Philly Police did not come with books of tickets, pepper spray and zip-ties; they appeared with loaded guns and metal handcuffs.

The world can now see the truth of US cannabis prohibition policy each month in Philadelphia. All of our federal AND local law enforcement resources are being aggressively deployed just to bust people with a joint.

Getting Cited

Mike Whiter and I stood next to each other sharing a bullhorn with Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion at 4:19PM inside the federal freedom cage. Mike was wearing an olive green t-shirt with “Marines” emblazoned across it; I was in a pinstripe Ralph Lauren suit.

The rain stopped and the sun had just broken through the clouds over Independence Hall for the first time that day. The crowd huddled around Mike and me, not by design but by instinct.

We counted down from 20 seconds, the crowd got tighter but there was a small open circle right in front of me. People were already being pulled away from the edges and the atmosphere grew tense. Still I knew everyone was non-violent and sensed that everyone was prepared for the action.

As I got down from 10 seconds I put a joint in my mouth and when we reached “4:20” several lighters were held aloft and I lit it. Immediately squads of law enforcement weaved throughout the crowd. The young man on my left was pulled roughly away. I kept smoking the joint and told everyone to remain calm though the bullhorn.

I saw a tall Black man with long dreads holding only a video camera getting dragged to the ground by Rangers and Philly Police. Civil Affairs officers were rushing through the crowd as well. They seemed to be observing and even directing some arrests while ignoring others.

Those assembled made a powerful and poignant protest raising awareness for marijuana legalization. As their friends were roughly handled the Smoke Down participants shouted “No Victim; No Crime!” and many kept smoking.

I kept on toking my skinny but fragrant joint, catching the toughest buzz of my life. Mike got on the bullhorn pointing out that we were openly smoking marijuana…and that it was “really good” cannabis. Finally a local National Park Service Ranger approached me.

Since 2010 I’ve been peacefully protesting at 5^th&Market for a variety of good causes. This particular Ranger and I had cordially interacted before. He wore a bark-brown and dark green uniform and reached up with a black leather glove to take the joint asking, “Is that marijuana?”

I smiled and said, “Yes, of course!” easing the joint from my right hand into his fingers as he seized my left elbow. He led me on a half-turn and we calmly walked over to the processing tent; a Philadelphia Police officer was at my right elbow and a Homeland Security agent followed behind.

Two separate Philly cops asked that I be handcuffed, but the Ranger replied that it was not necessary to both.

Mike continued smoking his joint for a few more puffs but was seized just after me in the same calm manner. Our interactions did not appear to be the norm. Many of those seized were needlessly manhandled and most were immediately released with no citations and no apology.

Over at the processing tent a man who had been carried over in handcuffs was yelling in pain saying his shoulder hurt from the position. His cuffs were eventually removed and he was sent away on an ambulance. Some of those detained were cited for “interference” not marijuana possession because they were seized while smoking tobacco cigarettes. Those cases could end up in court.

The Ranger briefly patted me down and asked for identification. I gave over my driver’s license and silently waited my turn.

I could see a Deputy US Attorney along with other higher-ups. Suddenly the Chief Ranger at Independence Mall National Historic Park, Patrick Suddath, came up and asked for me by name, then remarked that I was “overdressed.”

Suddath and I have interacted (cordially) before; during the local Occupy Wall Street encampment I traded my suit for cold weather gear.

“Liberty Bell tie; it’s for media appearances here,” I said.

The tie was a gift from fellow cannabis activist Colleen Begley; she bought it at the Independence Visitor Center gift shop. I hope Suddath noticed. He was quickly pulled away in another conversation.

Twenty minutes later the Rangers had filled out my citation for possession of a controlled substance and put the remaining ¼ of a joint into a plastic evidence bag. My name was then run for outstanding warrants and a Ranger took a digital photograph of me with the citation.

My interaction was boring, civil and by-the-book. But like all pot prohibition enforcement, they did not treat everyone the same way.

Video – http://youtu.be/HJisWNBFaz0 Photo set – http://tinyurl.com/osk88l3

Rolling forward

Plans are already in the works for the July edition of “Smoke Down Prohibition.” Fundraising will take place to cover some of the citation fines from June and remain active for future events. Organizers and participants are determined to grow the action, swelling the number of cannabis consumers.

It is bizarre to be targeted by federal law enforcement in this fashion. Philadelphia Police Civil Affairs officers made a point tell us they had been briefed about the protest earlier in the week by federal agencies. This was likely a mild intimidation tactic but also an insight into the intense planning that went into the interruption of our protest.

Although fully armed and with just under one hundred cops, agents and rangers (don’t forget US Fish and Wildlife) law enforcement did not wait until 4:20PM but immediately encroached upon the protest – pulling people away before any joints were lit.

They interrupted our ability to peacefully gather and seek redress of our government. All of the officers who pledge to protect the US Constitution stood next to a monument to the First Amendment and willfully ignored it. Ultimately this is the length to which the federal government has always gone to defend and enforce this harmful policy – but now it is out in the open, symbolically and tangibly, for all to see.to

The heavily armed; grandly choreographed efforts against this awareness campaign for legal marijuana should be disturbing to all Americans.

Perhaps this is a hint into the Department of Homeland Security’s future tactics against cannabis consumers in Washington and Colorado. Or the reality could be that federal agencies take this approach to disrupt many groups simply for organizing around a political issue.

That is why I plan to continue participating in these monthly actions. We are not afraid to embrace our freedom.

My Green Pledge

The ability for The People to use the cannabis plant as we wish is a Civil Right and a Natural Right.

When the government insists on pursuing destructive forms against its own citizens it is our responsibility to dig deep and empower the foundations of our principals as a nation.

We the People hold unquestionable Civil and Human Rights to alter our United States government and organize it for our Safety and Happiness.

For seventy-five years we have endured the Prohibition of Cannabis at tremendous cost to our Lives and Liberties. We experience the current enforcement of these unreasonable laws as a modern tyranny.

We have diligently employed every legal and legislative avenue for decades to combat this injustice only to have all tiers of Government alter their form to maintain a policy that makes us suffer – by the millions – each year.

We The People of the United States of America are declaring our Right to utilize Cannabis.

Many of us will publicly exercise our liberties each month in front of Independence Hall, peacefully upholding the best of all American traditions in the face of armed federal troopers, until prohibition comes to an end.

One day I hope that same National Park Service Ranger can take a joint out of my hand not to cite me, but to share.

The Drug War Chronicle reported yesterday on some striking new polling in Connecticut. Voters are heavily favoring a variety of marijuana reforms and legislation is currently active,  giving the poll results even more importance.

DRCNet – A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday showed strong support for medical marijuana and marijuana decriminalization among Connecticut voters. The poll comes at state legislators consider medical marijuana and decriminalization bills.

The plant is getting popular in Connecticut.

Medical marijuana had the support of a whopping 79% of respondents. Support was above 70% in every demographic, with even 72% of Republicans favoring it.

“There is a near consensus on the medical marijuana law with about eight in 10 voters supporting it,” said Quinnipiac poll director Dr. Douglas Schwartz. “It’s rare to see such a level of support for any issue.” Read full

Connecticut residents can use the NORML CAPWIZ tool to contact your legislators: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues

Hospitals routinely screen new born babies for drugs. If a mother uses a drug, such as Cannabis then the baby may drink the plants ingredients or metabolites in breast milk, thus baby urine or feces can provide evidence of the mother’s drug use and allow the state to take control of the child. Cannabis should be an easy drug to detect, THC can stay in the body for an extended period of time, unlike cocaine or speed or alcohol. However, detecting THC in babies just got a little bit trickier.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry demonstrated that baby urine containing a tiny amount of baby soap would give a positive result on a drug test for THC, the active ingredient in the plant. A positive test for your baby can result in child abuse allegations and the involvement of social services. Hence, the authors suggest that laboratories, which conduct drug tests for THC should be aware of these potential sources of error that exist in the real world.

So, what do you do when your baby tests positive for marijuana? We know what the consequences of the failing the tests are…but what does the science say about pregnancy, babies, and breast milk?

The science demonstrates that cannabinoid receptor activation (i.e. CB1 and CB2 receptors) is a natural and important component for proper development. Mammals, including humans, produce endocannabinoids, which are THC-like compounds. These THC-like compounds include anandamide and 2-AG. Anandamide and 2-AG activate the same receptors as THC, and are found in bovine and human breast milk. Adding THC to the mix of endocannabinoids in breast milk may lead to changes in development but scientists just aren’t sure if any of these differences in animals translate into long term changes in human development.

The developmental effects of THC exposure remain unclear, but the blocking of cannabinoid receptor activation during early development is considered to have “catastrophic” effects. Studies by Ester Fride and colleagues have demonstrated the importance of having an endocannabinoid system that is functioning properly. For example, one of the studies by Fride et al. showed that the administration of SR141716A, a drug which prevents CB1 receptor activation, will kill 50% of baby mice within 2 days, due to a disruption of feeding behavior. In another experiment from the same study, THC was able to reverse the disruption in feeding behavior induced by SR141716A.

Additional studies in mice and rats have shown that prenatal or postnatal exposure to cannabis or cannabinoids may lead to subtle changes in breast milk and development. However, many of these animal studies do not have much, if any human data to corroborate them. Always keep in mind that drugs abuse studies are difficult to interpret, as most subjects use multiple drugs and socioeconomic status seems to play the biggest role-money, health care, and your parents level of education can have a bigger impact on healthy development than Cannabis. Interestingly, a study found that among poor mothers living in the northeast, marijuana was the least common drug used and the health of a newborn seem to be most affected by polydrug use, including: alcohol, tobacco, and cocaine.

Many studies have looked at the effect of Cannabis use during pregnancy and the results suggest that there are not clear consequences. A review article published by Dr. Ethan Russo walks the reader through the human studies on pregnancy, here are of some of the examples from his article:

• “A variety of studies have demonstrated transient effects of cannabis on endocrine hormone levels, but no consistent effects seem to occur in chronic settings (Russo et al.2002).”
• “Studies are hampered by the obvious fact that laboratory animals are not human in their responses. Estrous cycles and behaviors in animals are not always analogous to menstrual cycles and other physiological effects in women.”
• “In a study of 171 women, 25% of pregnancies ended spontaneously within 6 weeks of the last menses. Cannabis exposure seemed to have no observable effect in these cases (Wilcox, Weinberg, and Baird 1990).”
• “In 1987, the Ottawa group compared effects of cannabis, tobacco, alcohol and caffeine during gestation (Fried et al. 1987). Whereas tobacco negatively affected neonatal birth weight and head circumference, and alcohol was associated with lower birth weight and length, no effects on any growth parameters were ascribable to maternal cannabis usage.”
• “In a subsequent study (Witter and Niebyl 1990), examination of 8350 birth records revealed that 417 mothers (5%) claimed cannabis-only usage in pregnancy, but no association was noted with prematurity or congenital anomalies. The authors suggested that previously ascribed links to cannabis were likely confounded by concomitant alcohol and tobacco abuse.”
• “A group in Boston noted a decrease in birth weight of 79 g in infants born to 331 of 1226 surveyed mothers with positive using drug screen for cannabis (p =0.04) (Parker and Zuckerman 1999), but no changes in gestation, head circumference or congenital abnormalities were noted.”
• “The largest study of the issue to date evaluated 12,424 pregnancies (Linn et al.1983). Although low birth weight, shortened gestation and malformations seemed to be associated with maternal cannabis usage, when logistic regression analysis was employed to control for other demographic and exposure factors, this association fell out of statistical significance.”
• “Dreher has extensively examined prenatal cannabis usage in Jamaica (Dreher 1997; Dreher, Nugent, and Hudgins 1994), wherein the population observations were not compounded by concomitant alcohol, tobacco, or polydrug abuse. This study is unique in that regard, no less due to the heavy intake of cannabis (“ganja”), often daily, in this cohort of Rastafarian women. No differences were seen between groups of cannabis-using and non-cannabis-using mothers in the weight, length, gestational age or Apgar scores of their infants (Dreher, Nugent, and Hudgins 1994). Deleterious effects on progeny of cannabis smokers were not apparent; in fact, developmental precocity was observed in some measures in infants born to women who smoked ganja daily.”

The research on this subject doesn’t end there. Researchers have administered cannabinoids to children; cannabinoids may have a role in pediatric medicine as young children do not appear to get “high” from cannabinoids such as THC. Below Ester Fride discussed two of the clinical trials on cannabinoids and children:

“The gradual postnatal increase of anandamide and its CB1 receptors (see Video of Pre- and postnatal development of the endocannabinoid CB receptor system below) is accompanied by a gradual maturing response to the psychoactive potential of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol and anandamide in postnatal mice between birth and weaning (Fride and Mechoulam, 1996b).

This observation has important implications for cannabinoid therapy in children, since psychoactive side effects may be expected to be minor when treated with cannabinoids at a young age. Indeed, very high doses of D8-tetrahydrocannabinol (approximately 0.64 mg/kg/treatment) were given to children between the ages 3 and 13 years who were undergoing chemotherapy for the treatment of various hematologic cancers, over long periods of time (up to 114 treatments, based on 4 treatments/24h during the days of chemotherapy). The anti-emetic effects were impressive, whereas the side effects were minimal (Abrahamov and Mechoulam, 1995). In a case report study (Lorenz, 2003), eight children (ages 3–14 years) with a variety of severe neurological diseases were treated with D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (0.04–0.12 mg/kg/day). Significant improvements in behavioralparameters including reduced spasticity, improved dystonia, increased interest in the surroundings and antiepileptic activity were reported without notable adverse effects.

It is not clear, how, in the first study, the anti-emetic effects were achieved (presumably via the area postrema) and in the second, positive neurological benefit was derived in the absence of adverse psychological effects.

Is it possible that a differential CB1 receptor distribution appears during development, or that differential maturation of brain pathways is responsible for the clinical success? Clearly, further animal experiments and clinical investigations of cannabinoid treatment in the developing organism are warranted.”

The scientific evidence discussed here suggests that Cannabis may be used during pregnancy with little risk or consequence to your health or the baby’s health (One parenting website suggested that the biggest risk to a child is the parents state of mind after use).

Regarding Cannabis use, the most severe consequences to the mother and her baby appear to result from interactions with law enforcement, social services, and baby soap.

VIDEO: Pre- and Postnatal Development of the Endocannabinoid System by Ester Fride Ph.D

Jahan Marcu is currently investigating the pharmacology of cannabinoid receptors. He was working at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute when exciting discoveries were made showing enhanced anti-cancer effects with THC and CBD from the Cannabis plant. The findings were published in the Journal of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. In 2009 he received the Billy Martin Award from the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS). Jahan is currently the vice-chair the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board at Americans for Safe Access (ASA). Questions?   Contact   [email protected]

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent any University, business or affiliates. While the information provided in this blog is from published scientific studies it is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.

6/5/2011 – The Connecticut Senate passed Governor Dan Malloy’s decriminalization bill on June 4th. Time is running short for the legislative session and the bill is getting one last push. Recent amendments lowered the amount of cannabis adults can posses from one ounce to half an ounce.  Offenders would pay a $150 fine the first time and $200-$500 on further occasions. Those under the age of 21 would also have their driver’s license suspended for 60 days.

All of the Republicans in the Senate voted against the bill. The legislation must still pass a floor vote in the House.

More from the CT Mirror:

Backers of the bill said it would allow law enforcement to shift priorities to more important matters.

“This would free up court time, probation officer time, police time, to focus on the much more serious stuff,” said Malloy’s chief criminal justice adviser, Michael Lawlor.

They also argue that the lower penalties for small amounts of marijuana-roughly 30 joints by their estimate-will still deter use as much the current penalties do.

Sen. Eric D. Coleman, D-Bloomfield and co-chairman of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, said the current penalties don’t deter use. What they do is saddle people caught with a small amounts of marijuana with a criminal record that harms their job, education and military opportunities.

Read full article

Governor Malloy, a Democrat, is a former prosecutor and crafted the decriminalization bill. His Republican predecessor, Jodi Rell, vetoed a similar bill that passed both houses in 2009. There are thirteen US States that treat small amounts of marijuana as a civil offense.

See NORML’s decrim map here

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

Amy Winehouse, who reportedly has used weed in the past as a way to suppress her urge for harder drugs, is found dead in her London flat. The singer/songwriter has had well-known battles with addiction over the years.

LONDON — Amy Winehouse, the beehived soul-jazz diva whose self-destructive habits overshadowed a distinctive musical talent, was found dead Saturday in her London home, police said. She was 27.

Winehouse shot to fame with the album “Back to Black,” whose blend of jazz, soul, rock and classic pop was a global hit. It won five Grammys and made Winehouse — with her black beehive hairdo and old-fashioned sailor tattoos — one of music’s most recognizable stars.

Police confirmed that a 27-year-old female was pronounced dead at the home in Camden Square northern London; the cause of death was not immediately known. London Ambulance Services said Winehouse had died before the two ambulance crews it sent arrived at the scene.

An ambulance could be seen parked beneath the trees outside her London home, and the whole street was cordoned off by police tape. Officers kept onlookers away from the scene.

Last month, Winehouse canceled her European comeback tour after she swayed and slurred her way through barely recognizable songs in her first show in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. Booed and jeered off stage, she flew home and her management said she would take time off to recover.

Read more.

Amy Winehouse, the artist:

Another Study Confirms Anti-Cancer Effects of THC and CBDby – Jahan Marcu, Science EditorExcerpt below- read in full at Jahan’s blog: The Philadelphia Medical Marijuana Examiner

Last year, the journal of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics published research demonstrating that combination’s of THC and CBD, the two most abundant cannabinoids on the plant, can lead to a greater-than-additive or synergistic inhibition of cancer growth. Now, nearly a year to the date, the journal has published another article studying the anti-cancer effects of THC and CBD. The new article takes the next steps towards getting this therapy in to the clinic by testing THC and CBD in animals along side a common brain tumor drug TMZ (temozolomide).The study was conducted in Spain, and the experiments analyzing the effects of cannabinoids were conducted with tumors or brain cancer cells from human samples and a tumor xenograft mouse model. A tumor xenograft model is basically a cancer that is induced into an animal that has a compromised immune system. This allows researchers to give a mouse a tumor consisting of human cells, thus a promising anti-cancer treatment can be tested on a human tumor in a more natural environment, than a petri dish.The plant cannabinoids used for this study were “kindly provided by GW pharmaceuticals.” THC and CBD were also provided as plant extracts or “botanical drug substances,” meaning they contained small amounts of other cannabinoids. Allowing these researchers to construct a custom anti-cancer, Sativex-like substance. Other synthetic cannabinoids such as SR141716A and SR144528 were donated by Sonafi-Aventis.In the figure provided it shows that THC and TMZ can drastically inhibit the size of tumor. The pictures on the graph are of tumors after 15 days of treatment.

Read in full at Jahan’s blog: The Philadelphia Medical Marijuana Examiner

William Buckman is a criminal defense attorney in New Jersey who recently published an excellent blog about how to handle police encounters:  Always Remain Silent… What To Do When Questioned By Police.  Bill is a prominent member of the national NORML Legal Committee and serves on the Board of Directors at NORML-NJ. The wisdom he shares is important reading for all cannabis consumers.

From In Bill’s Words March 2011 – I have practiced criminal law for over 30 years. I am still mystified as to why people under investigation speak to police. To try to help my clients I have placed on the back of my card the following:

My lawyer has told me not to talk to anyone about my case, not to answer questions, and not to reply to accusations. Call my lawyer if you want to ask me questions, search me or my property, do any tests, do any lineups, or any other identification procedures. I do not agree to any of these things without my lawyer present and I do not want to waive any of my constitutional rights. If I am being charged with DUI, I agree to a breath test.

Unfortunately too many people reach my office after they have spoken.

Let me be succinct: Of those of my clients convicted of an offense, 90% or more are convicted, at least partially, by something that came from their own mouths. The reasons clients give me for speaking are legion: “I just wanted to be cooperative; the police threatened me; I had nothing to hide;” etc.

Yet all excuses beg the question: Can you severely prejudice your case – guilty or innocent– if you speak to police. The answer is an emphatic “YES.”

I would note that a common misunderstanding among Americans is the fear that refusal to answer implies guilt. Whether this is true or not or what people may think of your decision to exercise your Fifth Amendment right (i.e. silence), should be dramatically overshadowed by the fact that what you consider a simple answer could land you in prison.

Read the full piece here, but the closing statement is worth emphasizing:

So if ever you are approached by police for “simple questioning”- please – JUST SAY NO or insist that your lawyer be present no matter how intimidating, threatening or even violent the encounter may be. It is far better to take abuse up front than to make a statement that can be used to hurt you for a much longer period of time.

Now that is some sound advice from one of America’s top lawyers for civil rights/criminal defense. Thank you Mr. Buckman!

Buckman Law Firm: http://www.whbuckman.com/

NORML Legal Committee: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3402

Don’t wait to get busted to help NORML legalize pot – make a donation today!

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey. He enjoys old-school hip-hop, vintage airplanes and changing the world. Contact chris { at } freedomisgreen.com

3/28/2011 – On March 29, The Dr. Oz Show airs the new program “Medical Marijuana: Is it Time to Make it Legal?” and I had the chance to participate. But being on the set of a major network television show at 30 Rockefeller Center is a lot different than watching it at home. The audience you see clapping and cheering or booing and hissing has been carefully selected. This was no puff-piece either because in the studio with us were some of the oldest and meanest anti-marijuana prohibitionists left in the country.

The production staff used different channels to reach out to New Jersey’s medical cannabis groups; that’s when I got the call. Many of us were rather excited at the prospect of telling our stories about the struggle that patients and advocates face here in the Garden State. A few of us were even promised we would have direct interaction with Dr. Oz.

The associate producer asked us to start a chain of calls and emails to help her find the perfect audience filled with people who are pro-medical marijuana. She also mentioned that she wanted to feature a patient that fit this description:
“We are looking for a woman in the age range of 35-50 (or around those ages) who currently uses medical marijuana. She should have one of the conditions that it is known to help and will speak openly about the cause, how frustrating it is to not have it available and how important it is to her condition to have this.”

They decided to go with Sandy Faiola, a Multiple Sclerosis patient and medical marijuana advocate from Asbury Park, NJ. Sandy has shown up to press conferences, protests and to testify before the Legislature in Trenton demanding her right to have the medicine works best for her illness.

When we arrived they took us up to MSNBC .com Digital Café to register with the audience coordinator. As we lined up to take our seats we could see that the entrances were strategically coordinated; we were waiting only with audience members who held the same opinion. Peeking into the studio decorated with fake green houseplants and monitors reading “Medical Marijuana” we were all becoming quite enthusiastic for this novel experience. It probably helped that the stage manager was loudly blasting party hits from the 80’s and 90’s to drum up the enthusiasm.

I was seated next to my good friend and fellow activist Charles Kwiatkowski; we both volunteer with The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey. Carina Cialini, a friend and a colleague with the NORML Women’s Alliance, was seated in the row behind us. By the time the cameras were ready to roll people in the audience were singing along loudly and some were even dancing in the aisles.

A comedian named “Steve” came out and started to tell jokes, hyping up the audience and going over the rules of the show. He encouraged us to boo anything we didn’t like then cheer for what we loved and do it loudly too. But we were told not interrupt the host if we could help it, especially during the guest interview process.

Steve counted down, the audience revved up the applause on cue and Dr. Oz made his big entrance. He introduced the topic and a video montage was displayed. I was quite pleased to see that Cheryl Miller, our medical marijuana hero here in New Jersey was shown in her reclined wheelchair. It was quite difficult for me not to weep seeing her image, I very much wish she were alive so she could see how far we have come for patients.

After the introductory segment, I noticed that a much bigger portion of the audience was on the opposing side than we originally expected. However, we were very quickly distracted because after Dr. Oz sat down once the surprise guest came out on stage. It was none other than Montel Williams! Immediately patients, advocates, and general admission audience members got excited.

Montel is a former talk show host and, like our friend Sandy, he is battling Multiple Sclerosis. He was recently arrested for possession of a pipe at the General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. He has also been very active within the medical marijuana community, testifying and holding media events in states trying to pass laws for patient access.

Montel shared his very emotional story, and at times had to pause to collect himself. He stressed the importance of patients being allowed to choose to use what works best.  However, at his most candid moments Montel was rudely interrupted by  prohibitionist David Evans of Flemington, NJ and two of his cohorts. They were placed in the audience just to heckle the pro-medical marijuana guests. Dr. Oz himself was cut off several times along with anyone in favor of medical marijuana.

I was angered and appalled at the lack of manners by these prohibitionists. Those of us who came to advocate and educate waited our turns to speak and were very respectful. But being polite and logical was a disadvantage for getting time on the air during this show.

Dr. Oz and guests like Dr. Donald Abrams went on to discuss the difference between the medical marijuana laws in the west specifically California and Colorado versus the east and especially in my home state of New Jersey. Allen St. Pierre, the Executive Director of NORML elaborated on how the laws aren’t perfect in California but before he could continue Allen was interrupted by rude outbursts coming from incredibly arrogant individuals on the prohibitionist side.

Overall, there seemed to be a negative approach toward the California medical marijuana industry. Dr. Oz showed a video clip of a show correspondent in a warehouse grow facility somewhere in CA, when the camera panned back Oz reflected that he was “repulsed” by it.

Also featured as an “expert” on the show was Dr. Andrea Barthwell, who worked in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George W. Bush. Unsurprisingly she keep in line with her former employers, parroting the mantra that medical marijuana “sends the wrong message to our young people” and “there are plenty of other ways to help those who suffer from these (ailments) than using marijuana.”

Carina Cialini of the NORML Women’s Alliance had this to say about her experience as a member of the audience and the overall feelings about the medical marijuana show:

“I would like to thank Dr. Oz for doing the show. The program will spark an increased mainstream discussion about medical marijuana…this is always a good thing. At the same time I have to admit some disappointment with the taping. I found that the opposition was completely out of line not to mention some of the rudest people I have ever encountered in my life. Their behavior wasn’t even close to abiding by audience guidelines that the studio manager provided us.  All of it made me question if the producers really cared about the sick and terminal medical marijuana patients given that David Evans and his crew were never asked to stop their outbursts.”

Carina added, “It is critical now more than ever that our nation is educated properly and correctly regarding the use of medical cannabis.”

Watch video of the show online http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/medical-marijuana-hot-debate-pt-1

[Editor’s Note – We got an email over the weekend informing us that Sandy Faiola’s feature was cut from the final program .]

Diane Fornbacher has been a cannabis law reform activist for 15 years. She has worked with some of the top reform organizations (NORML, Drug Policy Alliance, ASA, The November Coalition). Fornbacher is the current Vice Chair of the NORML Women’s Alliance and serves on the board of The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ). When she isn’t working to change the cannabis laws, she enjoys photography and writing/performing poetry.  Contact grassroots {at} freedomisgreen.com