OPNews August 2004 Edition

August 2004 Edition

Organizational News:

State News:

National News:

International News:

Regular Features:

OPNews Disclaimer

You Are Invited to OPN Meetings

Help the OPN Support Patients

How to Get Your Information in OPNews

How to be Removed from the OPNews List

How to Contact Your State Representative and Senator

Organizational News Items:

OPN's Annual Membership Meeting and Elections

The OPN annual meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September 18, 2004 from 12:00 noon until midnight with the meeting at 2:00 pm. and will be held at Outdoor Wilderness Center in Camp Mary Orton 7925 N High St, Columbus, OH 43235.

Pot Luck dinner, bring a large dish to share. OPN will provide soda, chips and tableware, BYOB.

Elections will be held as the first item of business at the meeting.

Currently we are accepting nominations for OPN board member positions.

Please send the name(s) of person(s) you wish to nominate, and the position for which your nominating them to; jwhite@ohiopatient.net Please use the subject line of "OPN Nominations" Nominations by email should be received by September, 11, 2004.

Nominations will also be accepted at the meeting prior to the election.

The positions open are: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Director of Development, Director of Patient Advocacy, and Director of Public Health.

Current officers of the OPN are as follows;

President: John Precup

Vice President: Jim White

Secretary: Rob Ryan, MS

Treasurer: Mary Jane Borden, MBA, APR

Director of Development: K.R. "Doc" Miller

Director of Patient Advocacy: Deirdre A. "Dee Dee" Zoretic

Director of Public Health: Norman Jentner, PhD

OPN bylaws state:

>> Article V � ELECTIONS

Section 1: Board Elections. Election of new directors or re-election of current directors to another term will occur as the first item of business at the annual meeting of the organization. Directors will be elected by a majority vote of the current members present, or in a manner to be prescribed by the Board of Directors prior to the annual meeting.

Section 2: Voting. Each member shall have, and may cast at the annual election of the board of directors one (1) vote for each available position.

Section 3: Proxy Vote. Any member may at his or her discretion utilize the right of proxy to permit another member or officer to cast a valid vote on his or her behalf, provided that the board of directors is given written notification of intent at least three (3) days prior to an election. Electronic submissions are acceptable. Any member may rescind his or her permission for proxy at any time before a proxy vote is cast. Once cast a proxy vote shall be considered valid and may not be rescinded. <<

Anyone wishing to utilize a proxy vote may send the notice to jwhite@ohiopatient.net with a subject line of "Proxy notice"

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State News:

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National News:

FAMILIES BACK MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL

Sean McGrath was what his father Don called a "health freak," a member of the "straight-edge" community, embracing a wholesome life that never included drug abuse or smoking. He was a vegetarian who regularly exercised, an animal rights enthusiast who never wore leather.

FEDS BACK DOWN IN MEDICAL POT CASE

Marijuana-Growing Supplies to Be Given Back to Aurora Man. An Aurora man suffering from chronic pain won a major victory Thursday when the federal government agreed to return all of his marijuana-growing equipment.

CLOSED POT CLUB SUES CITY

Council broke up cluster of clubs in 'Oaksterdam'

A shuttered Oakland medical marijuana club filed a lawsuit against the city Tuesday, saying it was unfairly denied a permit under an ordinance that cracked down on a downtown enclave known as "Oaksterdam."

PUSH TO LEGALIZE MEDICINAL POT STALLS IN CONGRESS

Advocates for the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes have seen their efforts go largely up in smoke on Capitol Hill. No votes have been held or are contemplated to legalize medicinal marijuana by the House or Senate, although voters in several states are considering measures to make it easier to use marijuana for legitimate medical purposes.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS COORDINATE MASS COURT ACTION

On Tuesday, more than three dozen patients across the state will be in their respective county courthouses filing motions for return of nearly a million dollars' worth of marijuana. Humboldt County's Courthouse will most likely be one of them.

REVISIONS TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW POLARIZE SIDES

One Side Sees Criminals; the Other Sees Pained Patients Consensus talks recently broke down between medical-marijuana advocates and statewide law enforcement, setting up a potential voting-season battle this fall. The latter said they withdrew after it became clear that no consensus would be reached on the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act.

MARIJUANA IS GOOD MEDICINE

Voters in the city of Detroit this month approved a measure written to eliminate restrictions on the use of marijuana by medical patients whose conditions can be aided by consuming the substance.

TWO LOMPOC RESIDENTS MAKING USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA ID CARDS

In the first month of availability, Santa Barbara County's Public Health Department has issued 14 medical marijuana identification cards, including two to Lompoc residents, and has received two more applications from people in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.

PLAN HAS CITY OFFERING MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

Minneapolis voters could get the chance in November to approve a citywide distribution system of marijuana for medicinal uses.

A group called Citizens Organized for Harm Reduction announced Thursday that it has more than enough signatures to put a referendum on the ballot that would require the City Council to run medicinal marijuana distribution centers.

COPS SNUFF SMITHS FALLS MEDICINAL POT GROWER

A Smiths Falls business that has been growing medicinal marijuana since February was raided by police yesterday. Smiths Falls police confiscated 221 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of about $220,000 and said charges are pending.

U GRADS, MINNEAPOLIS GROUP PETITION TO LEGALIZE MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

The Group Needs About 8,000 Signatures to Get the Issue on the City Council Ballot.

Former University students are petitioning in Minneapolis to legalize medicinal marijuana.

The Minneapolis group, Citizens Organized for Harm Reduction, will bring the petition to the City Council on Tuesday to decide how the measure will be worded on the November ballot. Minneapolis voters will then decide if they want to legalize medicinal marijuana.

FEDERAL COURT ORDERS BAIL FOR CHICO MAN IN CANNABIS CLUB CASE

San Francisco - A federal judge in Sacramento was ordered Friday to release Bryan James Epis from prison while the U.S. Supreme Court weighs the fate of state-sanctioned medical marijuana cooperatives that operate wholly within California.

MEDICAL POT VICTORY SIGNALS APPETITE FOR BROADER REFORM

Lawmakers should follow up Detroit win with a discussion about updating state's marijuana laws

The victory of Detroit's medical marijuana initiative Tuesday signals that voters are becoming increasingly impatient with drug laws that punish people who are doing no harm, or at least doing no harm to anyone but themselves. Michigan lawmakers should take the cue and start talking about broader drug reform

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International News:

IDF TO TREAT SHELL SHOCK WITH CANNABIS

The IDF will soon begin using cannabis to treat soldiers suffering from combat stress, the military said Wednesday. An army statement said the military medical corps and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem would begin treating victims of post-traumatic stress - commonly known as shell shock - with THC, the active ingredient in the cannabis plant. It said the treatment would begin on an experimental basis. "The use of THC as part of the treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder was approved by military and civilian committees relevant to the subject," the statement said.

A DOPEY SCHEME GONE TO POT

Men Of The Deeps "We're Canada's forgotten men," gripes Ernie, reporting for day shift at Zippadeedoodah Mines, the government's underground marijuana grow-op in Flin Flon, Man. "Even Rita MacNeil doesn't know we're down here. We're pot miners."

TOWN BACKS AWAY FROM POT-GROWER'S PLAN

SMITHS FALLS, ONT. - The town of Smiths Falls says it won't consider a rezoning request from a company that wants to grow medicinal marijuana there. Carasel Harvest doesn't have a licence from the federal government to grow marijuanna. Town council has decided that, without that licence, there's no decision to be made.

CANNABIS PREFERRED BY THE SICK

Nearly two-thirds of people using marijuana for medical reasons had decreased or stopped taking other medications early, results of a State Government survey show. The survey, an Australian first, was conducted by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.

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Regular Features:

OPNews DISCLAIMER

OPNews, a publication of Ohio Patient Network (OPN), provides medical cannabis news that affects Ohio patients, caregivers, and health professionals.

All articles are intended for educational purposes and do not reflect an official position, either positive or negative, by the OPN or its Board of Directors.

Ohio Patient Network does not endorse any candidates running for office. The reports of campaign-related activities are for educational purposes only.

For more information, contact editor@ohiopatient.net .

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YOU ARE INVITED TO OPN MEETINGS

The OPN Board of Directors invites you to participate in OPN patient forums, which are held at 8:00 p.m. (eastern time) the last Thursday of each month. You are also welcome to attend the weekly OPN business meetings.

These electronic voice/text meetings are held at the OPN chatroom in PalTalk http://www.paltalk.com/ for further information, including instructions for the PalTalk meeting room, visit: http://ohiopatient.net/join/index.htm#meetingscontact or contact info@ohiopatient.net .

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HELP THE OPN SUPPORT PATIENTS

The Ohio Patient Network's goal is to provide a voice for Ohio's medicinal cannabis patients and create an environment where this vital medicine becomes an accepted and legitimate therapy. To do this, we need your help.

We'd like you to personally become involved in OPN by donating your time. Please check out our various committees and activities at http://ohiopatient.net/donate/index.htm#volunteers . Respond with your interest to our Membership Coordinator, Doc Miller, at KRMiller@OhioPatient.net.

If you'd prefer, you can also support medicinal cannabis and what we are doing by contributing monetarily to OPN. Please note that the Ohio Patient Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in the State of Ohio. Donations to OPN are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

Please visit our donations page at http://ohiopatient.net/donate/index.htm to make a contribution using your credit card. Please note that these donations will be processed through Paypal.

If you would prefer to donate by check or money order, please make them payable to the "Ohio Patient Network" and mail to P.O. Box 26353, Columbus, OH 43216.

Thank you for supporting the Ohio Patient Network.

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HOW TO GET YOUR INFORMATION IN OPNews

OPNews is published monthly. To have your information considered for publication, submit your story to editor@ohiopatient.net .

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ATTACHMENTS. Please do not boldface or italicize text. Include a contact name with a phone number and/or e-mail address with submissions.

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HOW TO BE REMOVED FROM THE OPNews LIST

You may sign off this list at any time by using the web form at http://ohiopatient.net/join/index.htm#disclist .

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HOW TO CONTACT YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATOR

Find your Representative in the Ohio House at http://www.house.state.oh.us/jsps/Representatives.jsp .

Find your Ohio Senator at http://www.senate.state.oh.us/senators/ .

Write to your officials care of their district office, or send your letter to their Columbus office at:

The Honorable (name)

Ohio House of Representatives

77 South High Street

Columbus, Ohio 43266-0603

-or-

The Honorable (name)

Ohio Senate Building

Columbus, Ohio 43215

Telephone calls and emails are also persuasive, especially when the constituent contacts the district office.

� A publication of the Ohio Patient Network (OPN) Contact editor@ohiopatient.net

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Ohio Patient Network - P.O. Box 26353 - Columbus, Ohio 43226-0353

1-888-OH-Patient (1-888-647-2843) info@ohiopatient.net