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5/22/13- PhillyNORML issued the following press release today.

CONTACT: Kevin Clough [email protected]

Supporters of N.A. Poe and Adam Kokesh will hold a brief press conference on May 23, 2013 at 2:30PM in front of the Byrne Federal Courthouse at 6th and Market Streets in Philadelphia.

Comedian/activist N.A. Poe and libertarian media host Adam Kokesh will appear for a detention hearing in Federal Magistrate Court on Thursday after they were targeted for arrest by National Park Rangers during a protest of America’s unjust marijuana prohibition laws in front of the Liberty Bell on May 18th, 2013.

Members of PhillyNORML, Adam vs The Man and The Panic Hour who witnessed the protest will be on hand at the press conference to discuss the events with the media.

Both Poe and Kokesh have been charged with a felony for resisting and/or impeding. Both were denied release or bail at their initial hearing on May20th.

Supporters are also gathering at the corner of 7th and ArchStreets for a solidarity demonstration at 10AM on May 23rd in front of the Federal Detention Center where the pair are being held.

Poe’s comedy/activism group The Panic Hour, PhillyNORML, PA Veterans for Medical Marijuana have gathered with hundreds of individuals for monthly “Smoke Down Prohibition” demonstrations since December 2012. Although many in the crowd participate in open cannabis smoking as an act of civil disobedience; there were no arrests, citations or encroachments by Park Rangers or Philadelphia Police at any of the four previous events.

The protests take place at Independence Mall National Historic Park on an area known as “The People’s Plaza” that is designated by the Park Service specifically for Free Speech. Poe and Kokesh were arrested next to a granite monument inscribed with the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

“We’ve engaged in many public events this year and the display of force from Rangers and Police I saw at the rally on May 18th was completely uncalled for,” said PhillyNORML Executive Director Kevin Clough.

The Panic Hour issued this statement: “These arrests only provide more evidence for the existence of a police state, the suppression of free speech, and failed drug policies. We are not deterred. We will continue to fight to get our friends removed from federal custody and continue to organize to legalize cannabis in PA.”

Clough assured that demonstrations to end cannabis prohibition will not stop in Philadelphia, “PhillyNORML has a long history of peaceful events calling for marijuana legalization, and there will be more in the future.”

Video of the May 18, 2013 protest http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ace_1368971649

Video of the April 20, 2013 protest http://youtu.be/kc3wP_gnBus

Freedomisgreen photo galleries on Facebook

7/16/2011 – Governor Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island and Gov. Chris Christie in New Jersey are maintaining their executive hold on opening approved medical marijuana facilities. This shines a spotlight on an important role emerging for Governors in regulating cannabis. Officials in both states told Freedomisgreen that they still have legal questions so the suspensions could remain indefinitely*.

Chafee and Christie say their primary concern is the notion that state employees could be at risk for federal prosecution. Of course, no such legal action that has been seen in America for over 100 years. A new memorandum from the US Department of Justice was issued about medical marijuana on June 30th but seems to have offered little direction.

New Jersey’s compassionate use law forces patients to access all of their cannabis (no home growing) from “Alternative Treatment Centers.” Six have been approved with each planning to serve thousand of patients. But since none are open there is currently no medical marijuana for NJ patients at all. There is currently no protection from arrest for qualifying NJ residents if they posses underground cannabis. Registry ID cards have not been issued and there is no way for physicians to officially recommend the legal therapy. So, it is not just dispensaries that Gov. Christie is suspending, it is the entire law.

Rhode Island has three state approved cannabis facilities on hold, yet the patients already have some options. Mike Trainor, a spokesman for Gov. Chafee, said today, “There are approximately 3,200 patients right now and they can grow plants at home or have a caregiver do it for them. So they do have access.”

Trainor said that the entire legal staff at the governor’s office was considering the situation. “He is looking to proceed very carefully. But the issue may be revisited in the next few weeks.”

That’s good news to the Thomas C. Slater Compassion Center in Providence. They have been alerting the local community to contact Gov. Chafee. A recent post on their Facebook page said,  ”He needs to hear from patients, doctors, and the general public about the importance of these centers. Please take a minute to call the Governor … and respectfully ask that he award the licenses for compassion centers so that patients can have safe access to medicine.”

Back in the No-Garden State a top-level contact reached at NJ Attorney General Paula Dow’s office said that the Cole memo was “under review” but that the specific question about state workers was still considered unclear. Letters sent by Dow to NJ’s US Attorney Paul Fishman in April and again in May have gone without reply. (The letters were also sent directly to US attorney General Eric Holder.)

Instead of addressing Dow’s concerns point-by-point as federal prosecutors have done in other states, Fishman deferred to the head office at DOJ. The Cole memo was first released to the public after Fishman sent it to Dow, although it applies to all states. The contact at the NJ state AG’s office opened up the possibility that new letters could be sent to the feds requesting a direct response.

NJ Assemblyman Reed Gusciora said that time has already run out for seriously ill residents,“cancer patients who are being treated for chemotherapy and experience nausea will continue to suffer.”

The Christie Administration promised that the Alternative Treatment Centers would be licensed by July, in other words; now. Gusciora originally sponsored the compassionate use legislation and started a “Cannabis Countdown” today.  In a press release he noted that it was 15 days so far and called Christie’s demands for federal assurances “impossible to fulfill.”

“While I can understand the Governor’s reservations with the implementation of the program,” concluded Gusciora, “it is his duty to fulfill the legislative intent. I negotiated with him in good faith to get the program up and running. I hope that he lives up to his side of the deal.” Last year Gusciora allowed a 90-day delay for the program as a “compromise” to keep it on track.

Governors around the country are taking on a greater role in medical marijuana policy. Some are moving the issue forward with steady progress. Gov. Pete Shumlin in Vermont and Gov. Jack Markell in Delaware were congratulated this year when they signed medical cannabis legislation into law. In Maine, Governor Paul LePage signed a new law with expanded privacy protections for patients. LePage has not interfered with his state becoming the first on the East Coast to actually open dispensaries.

So there is a profound difference for this policy in just who holds a state’s top executive office. Chafee and Christie are not alone. Jan Brewer in Arizona is only allowing portions of the voter-approved medical marijuana law to go into practice. AZ patients can register and grow, but here again, dispensaries have been suspended. And again we hear the esoteric legal argument of a far-fetched risk to state employees.

Recently, a Doctor came out against using Cannabis for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Among oncologists, his opinion is probably in the minority. This Doctor claims that no HIV patients he knows, would benefit from Cannabis. Unfortunately, the Doctor only discussed his opinion and did not site any current research from controlled studies to support his stance. Current research  in HIV/AIDS and cannabinoids has been promising– practically every clinical trial that has looked at HIV/AIDS and THC has shown that cannabinoids may help patients.

Some of the first patients that were infected with HIV were treated at San Francisco General Hospital.  It was probably there, that the medical staff first noticed patients who used Cannabis seemed to be doing better. Notably, cannabis became known as an effective treatment for HIV/AIDS wasting syndrome.  Among the medical staff, was Dr. Donald Abrams who recorded his observations and would later go on to conduct some of the most important clinical trials in the history of cannabinoid research. Dr. Abrams demonstrated that smoked Cannabis could effectively alleviate neuropathic pain in HIV/AIDS patients. Videos of Dr.Abrams presenting his results can be viewed here: Cannabis & Neuropathic Pain, Dr. Abrams, pt 1 and Cannabis & Neuropathic Pain, Dr. Abrams, pt 2

Later, other researchers would show, in a similar group of HIV patients, that smoked Cannabis can modulate pain where conventional opiates were ineffective. The beneficial effect of cannabis on HIV/AIDS symptoms in humans has inspired other researches to take a closer look at the mechanisms behind these effects.

A research team from Virginia Commonweatlh University showed that natural Delta9- THC and synthetic CP-55,940 could inhibit the HIV inflammatory response through the Cannabinoid Type II (CB2) Receptor. Once HIV invades a cell, the virus makes the cell secrete many proteins to attract other immune cells and this leads to the ongoing infection of other cells. One such protein called Tat is important for viral replication and gene expression; the effects of this protein on cell migration appear to be inhibited by both synthetic and natural cannabinoids. The main finding of these researchers is that cannabinoids can slow the migration of uninfected cells towards the Tat protein and thus could inhibit the HIV infection process and the associated inflammation.

Another research group also thought that the previous worked on HIV and cannabinoids was unbelievable. So, they sought to see if THC made the disease worse in monkeys. The researchers infected monkeys with SIV and studied them for 1 year. SIV is the equivalent of HIV in humans. Their research was published in September 2010 and the entire article can be found here:Molina Article on THC attenuates SIV.

Note that each monkey costs around $8,000.00 for the research study.

The researcher demonstrated that THC slows the progression of HIV in primates. See  Figure 4 below from the Article by Molina et al.

SIV THC Figure 4

In Figure 4, there are two groups of monkeys. The solid line is the THC group and the dotted line is the control group (no drug). Within 11 months, 80% of the control group died (dotted line). In the group that received the drug THC, no deaths were reported.

The authors conclude :”this study is the first to report in vivo experimental data demonstrating that chronic THC initiated prior to, and continued throughout the asymptomatic phase of SIV infection, does not impair the host’s ability to control viral load, and does not increase morbidity and mortality from the infection… THC treatment clearly did not increase disease progression, and indeed resulted in generalized attenuation of the classic markers of SIV disease (set point viral load/viral level in general)…based on our results and reports in the literature, we speculate that retention of body mass,attenuation of viral replication, and an overall immunosuppressant effect of cannabinoids may contribute to the amelioration of SIV disease progression seen in our study.”

However, THC is only part of the story. There are over 500 compounds on the Cannabis plant and some of these compounds may contain powerful medical properties which could treat a variety of diseases including Cancer and HIV/AIDS. For instance researchers have found that Cannabis extracts which contain Denbinobin can inhibit HIV replication in a petri dish. Denbinobin is found on the Cannabis and other plants as well.

The therapeutic promise of this plant remains high and some states have medical laws allowing the use of Cannabis for HIV. Furthermore, Marinol or synthetic THC in a capsule remains available by prescription in the U.S. GW pharmaceuticals has an extract available for the treatment of HIV symptoms but it is not allowed in the United States. It is available in Canada, UK, Spain, and soon to be available in South America.

Want to learn more about HIV/AIDS and cannabinoids? Here are two new studies on HIV/AIDS and cannabinoids:

The Medical Use of Cannabis for Reducing Morbidity and Mortality in Patients with HIV/AIDS

The CB2 Receptor May Weaken HIV

Jahan Marcu, Ph.D, 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) and was named Cannabis Researcher of the year for 2012. 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.

6/21/2011 by Jahan Marcu – Since 2001, Dr. Kirsten Muller-Vahl and colleagues have published research articles demonstrating the safety of Delta9-THC in patients with Tourette’s Syndrome. This is a disease characterized by involuntary movement and vocalizations (a.k.a. tics).  In 2003, the authors showed that, “Delta9-THC causes neither acute nor long-term cognitive deficits” in patients suffering from Tourette’s.

Recently this group of clinical researchers published a Letter to the Editor of Psychiatry Research outlining their findings in a Tourette’s patient given 15mg of delta9-THC per day.  The authors measured the patient’s driving ability with a computerized test and compared it to the patients performance with and without delta9-THC. The author’s state, “In comparison with the drug-free phase (of the treatment), there was a clear improvement in concentration and visual perception during THC therapy.”

The patient, a 42 year old truck driver referred to as Mr.H, first displayed symptoms of this disease at age 6. When he appeared at the clinic for this study he was suffering from multiple tics of the head, arm and leg: Not good symptoms to have for a truck driver. Furthermore, Mr.H’s medical history showed that all available drug treatments were ineffective including dopamine blocking agents, alpha-2 drugs, clonazepam, and terabenazine. Within 2 weeks of delta9-THC treatment Mr.H’s symptoms were reduced by 75%.

The authors call for more research on driving ability in patient’s with Tourette’s while they are under the effect of delta9-THC . The authors do not discuss the possibilities of Cannabis or delta9-THC on the driving ability of patients with other neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.

It is safe to assume that if you can stop chronic muscle spasms and involuntary jerking motions in a patient then you have made them a better driver. This new patient data comes after the DMV in California changed its policy on Medical Cannabis patients when it was successfully sued by American’s for Safe Access. CA DMV refused to renew the license of a medical cannabis patient, despite a “sparkling clean driving record.”

The implications for these findings adds to the on going argument regarding THC levels in the blood and driving ability. While there is still a great debate on the effects of Cannabis and driving in healthy subjects, it appears that persons suffering neurological disorders may have an improved ability to drive.

Despite the remarkable effects delta9-THC can have on the driving ability in a patient with Tourette’s, don’t expect law enforcement or the DMV to treat medical cannabis patients any differently from recreational users.

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.

Medical marijuana growing in CA

6/2/2011 – The most common plant varieties of Cannabis in North America are THC-rich strains. These have have dominated the underground market for 100 years because THC is the main cause of the euphoric effect or ‘high.’  But the Cannabis plant is more than just tetrahydrocannabinol (THC); it is a treasure trove of potentially therapeutic compounds (Mechoulam 2005).

‘THC tunnel vision’  in America has prevented the identification and capitalization of the other, extremely valuable cannabinoids. Scientists are now taking on more research to look closer at the mechanics of these no-high cannabinoids.

The Cannabis plant can produce a rich mixture of active ingredients, these unique compounds are called cannabinoids. Everyone knows THC, but it is important to be aware of some other 3-letter compounds that are showing great promise for medical applications. These include: cannabidiol (CBD), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), to name only a few. Many of these compounds have been shown in laboratory studies to produce greater therapeutic effects than THC, without unwanted side effects (Russo-Guy 2006).

CBD varieties possess many ancient and unique genetics required to produce medically relevant cannabinoids. Plants containing a high amount of CBD have also become the second most popular choice in the supply of medical cannabis. A recent surge in demand for CBD-rich medical cannabis has also spurred an even greater interest in the identification and exploration of other cannabinoid varieties.

CBG has been shown to have pain-relieving and anti-depressant effects that are greater than THC (Evans 1991, Musty-Deyo 2006). CBG does not interact with CB1 and CB2 receptors like THC but instead interacts with different receptors, some that multi-billion dollar drugs target. These include adrenoreceptors and serotonin (5-HT_1A) receptors (Cascio 2010).

Even though CBG was first isolated in 1964, the first report of a high CBG-producing plant wasn’t until the 1980’s, when it was discovered in a French hemp population. In 2005, a team of researchers identified a CBG plant in Italy.

They crossed this CBG plant with other THC and CBD plants of “good breeding value.” With the help of genetic analysis and chromatography, they were crossbred with different varieties and cultivars, until they identified a strain that produced high amounts of CBG, with little to no THC (de Meijer et al.2005).

Today, the only known high-yielding CBG variety is presently in the greenhouses of GW Pharmaceuticals, where CBG makes up a small but consistent portion of Sativex, a cannabinoid mouth spray. So while CBG and other varieties exist, they’re current exploration and usage seem to be sparse or under lock and key.

In America, there is a proliferation of cultivars (clones) of THC varieties given many different names (e.g., Skunk, Silver Haze, White Widow). Patients are given the illusion of variety where there may be none.

Fortunately, CBG, THCV and other unique strains may organically surface, either directly from the natural proliferation of CBD varieties or due to the plant’s “hypermorphic genetics” which can jump around spontaneously – Cannabis is a weed after all.

Potency testing may be able to identify cannabinoid compounds post-harvest, but only genetics and careful selection will allow the medical cannabis industry to track heritability. This will greatly enhance the generation of new and therapeutically useful strains of Cannabis, just like those that have been created over the last 20 years in Europe.

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.

The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office is calling a new set of procedures for minor pot cases a success and plans to continue with the Small Amount of Marijuana (SAM) program.

Last year the Pennsylvania Supreme Court worked with the new DA, Seth Williams, to make a pragmatic change in how the justice system deals with marijuana possession of 30 grams or less. A new program was created that includes a diversion court appearance, an education class and fees of $200. The major difference is that there is no longer an instant criminal prosecution. The offender pleads to a non-drug related charge that is automatically expunged from their record.

In January PhillyNORML’s Chris Goldstein spoke with Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Joe McGettigan about the new marijuana policy. McGettigan said that the SAM program is working, “Look, certainly this was a much better option than sending all these people into the criminal court last year for misdemeanors.”

The DA’s office provided the following figures related to the SAM program:

June 2010 to September 2010

1636 marijuana possession cases less than 30 grams TOTAL

339 bench warrants issued for failure to appear

1297 marijuana possession cases less than 30g are heard

1025 enter the Small Amount of Marijuana diversion program ( 79% )

81 went to trial

187 statuses continued

4 cases withdrawn

The procedural shift has eased penalties and a particularly harsh process for offenders. For the last two decades anyone in Philadelphia who was caught with a single joint on up to 30 grams was held for bail then prosecuted in a criminal court. This involves a tremendous amount of the justice system’s resources and the expensive procedure was almost unique in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

There are over 4,500 such cases in Philly every year (the largest concentration of pot arrests in PA) so minor marijuana offenses were literally clogging holding cells, bail officer, printing machines, court reporters, clerks, judges and courtrooms. The real world cost savings for the city this year by eliminating those expenses could tally into the millions.The shift also made a significant, tactile change; residents who consume marijuana and run afoul of prohibition laws have a less traumatic experience.

PhillyNORML’s Chris Goldstein said, “This was a positive shift for the city. Still minor marijuana possession arrests are increasing and continue a disturbing trend of being extremely racially disparate.”

An average of about 325 black men, 50 black women, 95 white men and 8 white women will be arrested every month this year in Philadelphia.

On March 17th at high noon things with get a little greener in Manhattan: Empire State NORML will remind New Yorkers that marijuana is a safer alternative to alcohol for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.  A rally and a press conference are planned for City Hall Park.

Douglas Greene of Empire State NORML organized the event. He was inspired by the book Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? by Steve Fox, Paul Armentano and Mason Tvert.

“While scores of New Yorkers are out getting hammered, we want to remind the Big Apple that there is a safer, greener and cleaner choice for adults: marijuana.”

The State of New York decriminalized minor marijuana possession in 1979. But the city has since enacted municipal codes that spur all of the arrests. For instance, Marijuana in Public View is a criminal misdemeanor.

SEE:CORRECTIONS: NYC Rally, East Coast Gets Serious

“New York City made over 50,000 marijuana possession arrests last year alone, and over 500,000 since 1996,” Greene said today.  “Why are we wasting all of this money and why is the Bloomberg Administration continuing to push New Yorkers to drink?”

According to Greene the NYPD is now handling nearly 1,000 arrests a week just for pot or 15% of all arrests in New York City. This is no small matter, with 2.7% of the U.S. population; New York City alone now represents a striking 6% of all the marijuana arrests in the country.

Press conference speakers include:
· Dr. Julie Holland is a psychiatrist specializing in psychopharmacology, with a private practice in New York City established in 1996. She is the editor of The Pot Book: A Complete Guide to Cannabis, and Ecstasy: The Complete Guide.  Holland is the author of Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Nightshift of the Psych ER.  She has frequent appearances in news media as an expert guest on drug issues.

· Dr. Harry Levine: is a professor of sociology at Queens College, City University of New York.  He has won awards for his writing about the history of addiction, about alcohol prohibition and regulation, and about crack cocaine and the war on drugs. His current research examines the epidemic of racially-biased marijuana arrests in the U.S and why, since 1997, New York City has arrested more people for possessing small amounts of marijuana than any city in the history of the world.

· Tony Newman, Director of Media Relations for the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), the nation’s leading organization calling for alternatives to the drug war and policies based on science, compassion, health, and human rights.

· Daniel Jabbour: New York State Coordinator for Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities.

· Chris Goldstein:  Chris worked on behalf of PhillyNORML with city officials in Philadelphia to urge for a change in procedures. A new marijuana diversion court was employed in 2010.  Goldstein is also on the Board of Directors at NORML-NJ and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana-NJ (CMM-NJ). He recently launched www.freedomisgreen.com to cover East Coast cannabis reform.

More information:

Facebook Event Page

PRESS CONFERENCE: Marijuana is Safer than Beer for St. Pat’s
Empire State NORML
New York State Chapter – The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
WHEN: St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 17th, 2011 at high noon
WHERE: City Hall Park – Broadway between Park Place and Barclay (east side)
WHO: Empire State NORML, national marijuana policy experts
WHAT: Press Conference
CONTACT: Douglass Greene (516) 242-4666 doug{ at }empirestatenorml.com

[Editor’s Note from Jahan Marcu] – This guest post was written by Sunil Aggarwal, M.D., PhD. Sunil Kumar Aggarwal is a graduate of the University of Washington’s NIH-supported Medical Scientist Training Program. He received his M.D. in 2010 and his Ph.D. in Medical Geography in 2008. He completed his internship in Preliminary Internal Medicine at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington and is currently continuing his Residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at New York University’s Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine.

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.

5/17/2011 – Representative Evalyn Merrick of New Hampshire is keeping up the fight for medical marijuana. She is a cancer survivor who is sponsoring the compassionate use bill. Backed by a strong grassroots network and many of her peers in the NH General Court, they have seen the effort get close to victory.  But a major hurdle was thrown up last week.

Under threat of veto by Governor John Lynch, the Senate stopped the bill from going out to a floor vote. The legislation had already passed the House; the Senate vote would have sent the bill to the governor’s desk. Two years ago a similar bill cleared committees and floor votes in both houses with bi-partisan support, only to be vetoed by Lynch.

“I was hoping with all hope that it would pass,” said Merrick in a phone call to Freedomisgreen on Friday.

But her reaction was that of a pragmatic and seasoned legislator, “I knew that they were against the bill passing the Senate,” said Merrick. “Especially since the Governor discussed the bill with the majority caucus. In light of that knowledge a tabling vote was probably the best thing, because the bill isn’t dead and will come back in the session next year. “

However, the reaction from local activists was more biting. They feel that Senators should not have kowtowed to Lynch.

Sarah Levesque is a vocal advocate in New Hampshire who attended the Senate session on May 11, 2011. She emailed this report and her reaction:

HB 442 was voted on in the House and passed with an overwhelming majority and was introduced to the senate on March 23, 2011. The Senate Health and Human Services committee held their public hearing on April 14th; it was well attended, with standing room only. There was again, extensive testimony in support of the bill. Veterans, doctors, legislators, patients, all gave honest first hand testimony of the benefits of medicinal cannabis, while the Attorney General’s office portrayed the bill using presumptions and gross over exaggerations.

The Senate was then set to vote on HB 442. Sponsors, advocates, supporters and patients took the time to come to watch the proceedings on May 10^th to show their support. Clayton Holton, a Muscular Dystrophy patient, took the time and energy to travel from Somersworth to attend the proceedings.

Clayton previously testified that he weighed 79 pounds at six feet tall prior to using cannabis. He explained that within two months he had gained eight pounds. He credits his life to cannabis.

Clayton is confined to a wheelchair and was denied access to the voting session. The Gallery to view the Senate Chambers is accessible only by stairs. The Senate Chambers themselves would have been accessible, but he was not allowed the exception.

Just before the bill was introduced, a recess was called. The Republican Senators congregated in one area, while the Democrats in another.

The Senate reconvened, and the bill was introduced. Sen. Molly Kelly spoke in favor of the bill. Senator Raymond White stood and spoke about Clayton and urged support.

Levesque continued:

A motion to table the bill was introduced and the Senate jumped on it. They displayed an appalling level of cowardice by avoiding and ignoring the patients affected by this bill. To not have the decency to face this man while determining his fate is despicable.

Rep. Merrick was still hopeful that they might be able to reach some compromise on the bill’s language that would move Gov. Lynch to support it.

“As disappointed as it was, I know that we’ve brought in so many different stakeholders in this process in order to have something that the Governor will sign. I’ve been working on this bill for 6 years I think that’s why it has become a model for other states.  And we can make it better. I’m not giving up on this.”

Then she added, “Who knows, maybe the federal government will figure this out too?”

I could not resist asking a follow-up to that final point.

So do you think it would be a good idea for state elected officials like yourself to travel to Washington DC in order to ask Congress to re-schedule marijuana at the federal level?

Merrick responded quickly, “Absolutely, without any hesitation of doubt. It has been proven with all of the science. We need the federal government to change the schedule [of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act] in order for people, to have access safely … and for the right reasons.”

So, as advocates stride to clear this new obstacle for medical marijuana in New Hampshire they may also have some positive influence on the national debate. State legislators like Merrick, the well-educated champions for local patients, could have a significant impact in DC.

More info at http://nhcompassion.org/

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.