December
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:
State senator to introduce Ohio medical Marijuana bill
This year is
already shaping up to be another banner year for the OPN. With our membership
over 1,000 now, we will be even more powerful. I knew it was going to be a good
year for OPN when I received an email from State Senator Robert Hagan's aide
Gregory Paul on December 15. In his message I was informed Senator Robert Hagan
(D-33) is "interested in introducing legislation originally drafted, but
not introduced, by Rep. Ken Carano that would permit the use of marijuana for
medicinal purposes." He went on to say, "We plan on introducing
this legislation when the General Assembly convenes in January" of 2005.
I have already
been in contact with Senator Hagan's office and OPN will continue to work with
them toward our mutual goal of ending the persecution of medical cannabis
patients.
We will need to
gather all of our resources and expertise for the up-coming legislative
session. Keep and eye on the OPN list and the newsletter for future updates.
Only together can we make significant change.
Casino Night Fundraiser
Calling all members! We need you. Tanya Davis a dedicated Activist and Active
member of OPN has been working very hard at planning our First ever Casino
Night. This will be a great Event to meet other members, to get involved and
have a great time while doing it. As soon as Tanya gets 20 people to commit to
helping us by giving of your time. She will get started on the pulling this all
together with an actual date and time, place ect. She will need dealers, food
and drink handlers, door person, prize handler, a couple speakers to share
their stories What a neat way to educate the public on MMJ and start getting
involved. To make this happen Tanya will need to hear from you. She will need
20 volunteers at least to make this happen. If we can count on you support
please contact Tanya at Tanya you can count on me. For questions please email
Tanya at Playaett@aol.com
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State
News:
Letter to the
Editors
MANY BENEFIT
FROM MEDICAL MARIJUANA
It seems the
Bush administration is opposed to medicinal marijuana. Well, that's fine they're
entitled to their opinion even if it's wrong or completely without merit. Let's
keep track of all those opposed, and when they come down with a period of
ailments that marijuana eases, then they should be barred from the benefits.
Years ago at least 20 very sick people testified to Congress how marijuana
reduced their misery. This is not about a harmless giggle; it's about very ill
in-dividuals in wheelchairs getting some relief. Reid Vogelman Hamilton
http://www.mapinc.org/newsopn/v04/n1819/a02.html?224259
THERE'S NO
PROFIT IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA
In the Supreme
Court's consideration of states' rights versus federal authority regarding
marijuana use for medical reasons, the government refuses to disclose the real
reason for its opposition. The big pharmaceutical manufacturers can't claim
they invented it, get a patent on it or make huge profits selling it.
Therefore, no politician is going to get drug company campaign contributions by
allowing for the possibility that an easily homegrown plant might be more
effective than the ineffective pain management being prescribed. Dan Wagner
West Chester Township
http://www.mapinc.org/newsopn/v04/n1762/a05.html?224259
QUESTIONS
MESSAGE
To the Editor,
It's a little insulting to be reading propaganda prepared by tax exempt
so-called "anti-drug" organizations, disguised as a letter to the
editor. Any effects that marijuana has on the developmental abilities and/or
the cognitive functions are temporary based on the evidence presented through
scientific research. Any educator out there will tell you that there is a
specific "learning curve" in any given population of students. Some
students will be at the top of the curve with all A's, and some will be at the
other end, possibly, with something lower than a D. However, most will be
somewhere in between, and none of that has anything to do with marijuana use
whatsoever. Consider the implications.
http://www.mapinc.org/newsopn/v04/n1619/a06.html?224268
DRUGGED DRIVING
SENATE BILL 215
OPN is pleased to
see that Senate Bill 215 died at the end of the legislative session. Please
comment on a counter proposal authored by OPN member Robert Ryan at
http://www.robryan.org/SB215
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National News:
PATIENTS CAN NOW REGISTER FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA TREATMENT
Montanans who
want to use marijuana to treat serious illness can begin registering with the
Department of Public Health and Human Services immediately, state officials
announced Tuesday. The office has already received more than 30 requests for
application forms. "We're ready to implement the will of voters, who
passed Constitutional Initiative 148 in November," said Roy Kemp, chief of
the department's licensure bureau. "We've got a registry system
established, and application forms are now available." Kemp said there has
been a lot of interest in the program since the initiative passed from both
people who are ill and from people who want to be caregivers. Montana voters passed
I-148 by a 62 to 38 percent margin.
Effective
immediately upon passage, the initiative allows certain patients with specific
medical conditions to alleviate their symptoms through the limited use of
marijuana under medical supervision. The new law also allows qualified patients
and their caregivers to grow and possess a restricted number of marijuana
plants. Montana is the 10th state to pass a medical marijuana law. Under
federal law, it is still illegal to grow, sell, purchase or use marijuana, even
for health-related reasons.
The U.S. Supreme
Court is considering when and if federal law takes precedence over state law
with regard to the use of marijuana for health reasons. A decision is expected
in mid-2005. To be eligible for the program, people must suffer from a
debilitating medical condition defined in the Medical Marijuana Act. Such
illnesses include, cancer, glaucoma, HIV or AIDS, or a chronic debilitating
disease that produces cachexia or waiting syndrome, severe or chronic pain,
severe nausea, seizures or severe or persistent muscle spasms.
http://www.mapinc.org/newsopn/v04/n1850/a05.html?227559
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International News:
EUROPEAN UNION PASSES REFORM
Strasbourg, 15 December
2004
“ The European Parliament approved today the “Catania Report” on the EU
Strategy on Drugs. The document criticizes the failure of current
prohibitionist policies on “drugs” and urges a revision of the overall European
strategy along the lines of alternative strategies implemented by some EU
Member States. In particular, the EP denounces the repressive policies that
cause the marginalization of narcotic users and “frequently violate human
rights”. The Parliament urges the Council not to approve the new 2005-2012
strategy without having considered the results concerning the evaluation of the
past policies also in terms of cost-benefits.
A series of amendments introduced by Marco Pannella, already approved by the
Committee on Public Liberties, were confirmed by the vote in the plenary. In
addition to the denouncing the fact that none of the targets set by the EU has
been met, the document urges the Union to:
- base its policies on “drugs” on scientific data and evaluations;
- give priorities to the health of people that use illicit substances;
- support substitution substances, in particular in prisons;
- promote alternative measures to incarceration for consumption of illicit
substances;
- carry out a scientific study on the costs and benefits of current policies on
narcotics (cannabis and its therapeutic potentials; distribution of heroin
under medical control for therapeutic reasons; costs of prohibitionist
policies; impact on third – producing - countries);
- favor the production for medical and scientific reasons of opiates, and
launch pilot projects to industrialize derivatives of cannabis and coca leaf.
For more see http://www.antiprohibitionist.org/press.html
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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
