medical

San Francisco Pot Dispensaries Closing Under Threat of Federal DEA

karlis — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0800

Medical Marijuana Is LegitimateMedical marijuana in San Francisco may be going up in smoke. In late December, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sent letters to landlords of buildings that housed medical cannabis dispensaries in the city, telling them they face the loss of their property and possibly prison if the businesses stay open.

Canadian Medical Marijuana Constitutional Challenge Needs Your Help!

karlis — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

It is with great happiness that I bring good news in regards to the Vancouver Island Compassion Society (VICS) charter challenge of our federal medical cannabis program. Our counsel, Kirk Tousaw, had a meeting with the Crown attorneys and an acquittal was granted to Michael Swallow, one of the two defendants in the case, for lack of evidence.

Health Canada Unfairly Restricting Access to Medical Marijuana: Lawyers

karlis — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

The federal government must loosen unfair restrictions that are preventing seriously ill Canadians from obtaining the medical marijuana they need to treat their debilitating illnesses, lawyers for the sick argued Monday in Federal Court.

California Court Decisively Rules State Medical Marijuana Law Trumps Federal Law

karlis — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800

A California Appeals Court ruled Wednesday in favor of Felix Kha, a medical marijuana patient from Garden Grove seeking the return of his 8 grams of medical marijuana that was seized by police.

DEA Threatens Forfeiture of Los Angeles Compassion Clubs

karlis — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Evil Men versus Innocent Nature!In an attack on access to medical marijuana in the nation's second largest city, the LA DEA office has mailed notices to landlords of Prop 215 co-ops warning them that they are liable to forfeiture and criminal penalties for allowing medical marijuana facilities on their property.

Health Canada Orders Doctors to Keep Medical Marijuana Doses Under 5 Grams

karlis — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

OTTAWA - Health Canada has been contacting doctors who prescribe medical marijuana for their government-approved patients, advising them to keep the dosages low. Some users say that not only violates doctor-patient confidentiality, it's also wrong for bureaucrats to make judgments about the medical needs of people they've never seen.

Medical Marijuana Law Gains Momentum in Albany, New York

karlis — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700

ALBANY - Following in the footsteps of Connecticut's Legislature, New York State lawmakers are expected to approve legislation allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The Democrat-led Assembly could pass a medical marijuana bill as early as this week, according to the bill's main sponsor. The Republican-led Senate is expected to follow suit, lawmakers said.

Medical Marijuana Constitutional Challenge Begins

karlis — Fri, 11 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

VICTORIA, BC - A constitutional challenge to Canada's medical marijuana regulations began Thursday, part of the B.C. Supreme Court trial of two Victorians charged after a police raid of a compassion club grow-op. Defence lawyer John Conroy of Abbotsford said outside the courtroom that the constitutional challenge contends government regulations force Canadians onto the black market to buy marijuana.

Med-Pot Constitutional Challenge: Press Release

karlis — Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

In May of 2004, the Vancouver Island Therapeutic Cannabis Research Institute, a research and cultivation facility overseen by the Vancouver Island Compassion Society (VICS), was raided by the West Shore RCMP. Mat Beren and Michael Swallow were charged with multiple counts of cannabis production, and over 900 plants were seized and destroyed, temporarily leaving the critically and chronically ill members of the VICS without a safe source of medicine.

Medical Marijuana Martyr: Tennessee Senior Targeted by DEA

karlis — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0700

Bernie EllisLife came unglued for Bernie Ellis on the day drug agents raided his farm like it was the fortified villa of a South American cocaine kingpin. Ellis was bush-hogging around his berry patches when two helicopters swept low over the treetops. Then, rumbling in on four-wheelers, came 10 officers of the Tennessee Marijuana Eradication Task Force.

NY Congressman Condemns FDA Ruling on Medical Marijuana

karlis — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)Washington, DC -- One week after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a baseless, one page press release claiming that marijuana had no medical benefits, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) led a bipartisan group of 24 House members in calling on the agency to explain its reasoning and show scientific proof to support its view.

Police Violate Rights; $15,000 to Spinal Injury Med Pot Patient

karlis — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0700

James Blair with a portion of his returned property in 2004EMERYVILLE ? James Blair, a spinal injury patient arrested on marijuana cultivation charges in 2003, received a check today from the City of Emeryville for $15,000 for marijuana seized by the Emeryville Police Department.

Canadian government sued for end to prohibition

karlis — Fri, 24 May 2002 00:00:00 -0700

With Alan Young as their lawyer, medpot patients are suing the Canadian government in a civil case demanding that the court strike down Health Canada's Medical Marijuana Access Regulations (MMAR) as too restrictive for the sick and dying, that the court end prohibition, and that the court force Health Canada to distribute much needed pot from Prairie Plant Systems ? the government's grow contractor ? to the sick and dying.

Dr Weil Backs Medical Pot

karlis — Wed, 13 Oct 1999 00:00:00 -0700

Dr Andrew Weil wrote a long article in the July issue of Self Healing, called "Why I support medical mairjuana". In it, the influential naturopath wrote "It's unbelievable to me that it is still illegal to use marijuana medically in this country.

Pot Promo Question - Health Minister allows 14 medical users.

karlis — Thu, 07 Oct 1999 00:00:00 -0700

Another 14 Canadians are free to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes today ? as the government takes an epileptic [Terry Parker] to court for supressing his seizures with therapeutic pot.Health Minister Allan Rock's announcement yesterday in Ottawa, that 14 new exemptions have been granted under the Controlled Drugs And Substances Act, was greeted wtih cautious optimism and open cynicism by medicinal-pot activists.

Second Constitutional Challenge

karlis — Sun, 26 Sep 1999 00:00:00 -0700

Ken Kirk and his partner Amy von Stackelburg, medical marijuana users, continue to fight their second constitutional challenge of marijuana laws in Edmonton, Alberta, on September 20-28.They are challenging charges stemming from a raid on January 20, 1998 (see CC#14). Kirk suffers from epilepsy, bipolar disorder and chronic inflammation between the tailbone and the pelvis for which marijuana is a wide-spectrum medicine. Stackelburg uses marijuana to relieve asthma, back pain, menstrual cramps and stress.

Lamb's Breath Medicinal Shop Closed by Police

karlis — Mon, 20 Sep 1999 00:00:00 -0700

Lamb's Breath closedThe Lamb?s Breath, a medical marijuana outlet across the street from Vancouver?s Hemp BC (see CC#19), has also been closed. Ernest Standing, the store?s owner, was unavailable for comment.

Cannabis Calculations

karlis — Fri, 23 Jul 1999 00:00:00 -0700

As Canadian medical cannabis is becoming a real possibility, it?s worth noting that all the pot thousands of patients would ever require could be grown by a handful of farmer-ceutical workers on a few hectares of land.

The following rough calculations suggest that the entire legal medical marijuana farming proposal will not be a big deal, certainly much smaller in scale than many med-pot watchers may imagine.

CC journalist has pot charges dropped

karlis — Fri, 16 Jul 1999 00:00:00 -0700

On January 21, 1999, a group of armed criminals invaded my home, determined to find evidence that would implicate me and Libertarian Party candidate for governor Steve Kubby in a non-existent marijuana conspiracy.

Suing California state for enforcement

karlis — Fri, 16 Jul 1999 00:00:00 -0700

Oakland-based activist attorney Bill Simpich is suing California Attorney-General Bill Lockyer for not implementing medical pot Proposition 215, passed by referendum in 1996. Simpich is angry that patients and caregivers are still being harassed and arrested for growing medicinal marijuana.

"Lockyer and his predecessor Dan Lungren have violated their oaths of office by their handling of 215," Simpich says. "As elected constitutional officers, they have the responsibility to ensure that the will of the people is implemented.

California's med-pot law under attack

karlis — Wed, 14 Jul 1999 00:00:00 -0700

California Senator John Vasconcellos, acting upon the recommendations of a medical marijuana task force commissioned by Attorney General Bill Lockyer, recently released Senate Bill 848 (SB 848), a bill that seeks to enact laws governing the implementation of Proposition 215.

Following is a critique of the proposal based on the perspective of the law's primary author, Dennis Peron, and other medical marijuana activists who oppose SB 848 either all or in part. ?

US Government eases restrictions on Marinol

karlis — Mon, 05 Jul 1999 00:00:00 -0700

WASHINGTON - The government on Friday eased restrictions on Marinol, a byproduct of marijuana that doctors can prescribe to counter some symptoms of AIDS andside effects of chemotherapy.

Barry McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the capsulized form of Marinol is the "safe and proper way" to make a form of marijuana available to the public.

"This action will make Marinol, which is scientifically proven to be safe and effective for medical use, more widely available," McCaffrey said.

Medical marijuana in Britain

karlis — Tue, 08 Jun 1999 00:00:00 -0700

Cannabis Culture: HotpotMedical marijuana in BritainPharmaceutical pot plants

On December 30, British company GW Pharmaceuticals began harvesting the first crop of legal marijuana grown in modern England.

US Studying Pot & AIDS

karlis — Sun, 16 May 1999 00:00:00 -0700

Cannabis Culture: HotpotUS Studying Pot & AIDS

Cannabis Thrives in Neutral Swiss Soil

karlis — Fri, 02 Jan 1998 00:00:00 -0800

CC11: Cannabis Thrives in Neutral Swiss Soil