Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2006.2.2

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Weekly News in Audio

February 2, 2006

Evidence Rebuts Supposed Cannabis And Aggression Link

Alaska: Governor's Bid To Challenge State's Long-Standing Pot Policies Stalls

New Mexico Senate Approves Medical Cannabis Measure

Washington, DC:
Evidence Rebuts Supposed Cannabis And Aggression Link

Allegations published in the current issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry stating that "the use of cannabis is ... strongly associated with delinquent and aggressive behavior" are a cynical attempt to falsely imply that marijuana is a causal factor in violent behavior and are not supported by the scientific record, said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre.

"No credible research has shown cannabis to be a contributory factor in violence, aggression or delinquent behavior, dating back to United States government's 'First Report of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse' in 1972, which concluded, 'In short, marijuana is not generally viewed by participants in the criminal justice community as a major contributing influence in the commission of delinquent or criminal acts,'" St. Pierre said.

More recent scientific reviews affirm this conclusion. For example, a 2002 inquiry by the Canadian Senate found: "Cannabis use does not induce users to commit other forms of crime. Cannabis use does not increase aggressiveness or anti-social behavior."

A 2002 report by the British Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs also concluded, "Cannabis differs from alcohol in one major respect. It does not seem to increase risk-taking behavior. This means that cannabis rarely contributes to violence either to others or to oneself, whereas alcohol use is a major factor in deliberate self-harm, domestic accidents and violence."

Most recently, a logistical regression analysis of approximately 900 trauma patients published in the Journal of TRAUMA Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, determined that the use of cannabis is not independently associated with either violent or non-violent injuries requiring hospitalization. By contrast, alcohol and cocaine use are associated with violence-related injuries, the study found.

Clinical trials during which volunteers are administered marijuana also fail to demonstrate that cannabis intoxication increases hostility in a competitive setting, said NORML advisory board member Mitch Earleywine, author of Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence.

Earleywine said that a forthcoming study investigating aggressive behavior among 4,700 long-time adult concomitant marijuana and alcohol users finds, "Marijuana use does not lead to aggressive behavior in adults, even among frequent, long-time users." That study is now under review by the journal Aggressive Behaviors.

Juneau, AK:
Alaska: Governor's Bid To Challenge State's Long-Standing Pot Policies Stalls

House representatives voted this week to reject Senate provisions that sought to overturn a 1975 Alaska Supreme Court ruling (Ravin v. State) upholding the right of citizens to possess up to four ounces of marijuana in the privacy of their homes.

The Senate had approved the provisions, which would make the possession of less than four ounces of marijuana a misdemeanor and the possession of greater amounts a felony, as amendments to House Bill 149, which primarily addresses the manufacturing of methamphetamine.

However, last night the House voted 23 to 15 to send the bill back to the Senate, ordering them to withdraw the changes. If the Senate refuses to do so, a conference committee of representatives and senators will try to reach a compromise that both chambers can agree on.

A similar, 2005 stand-alone version of the marijuana bill failed to garner a vote in either chamber.

NORML's Legal Counsel Keith Stroup praised the House for voting down the Senate's anti-marijuana provisions. "These provisions, introduced at the behest of the Governor, had not been properly debated by House lawmakers," he said. "The Senate's attempt to merge these provisions with a popular anti-methamphetamine bill that had been previously approved by the House was a cynical attempt to try and recriminalize cannabis without engaging in any substantive legislative debate."

If the conference committee approves the proposed marijuana penalties, it will likely force the Court to revisit its 1975 ruling.

If that happens, the Court will likely rebuff the legislature, Stroup predicts. "The right to privacy is more important to the Court and to most Alaskans than the Governor's ill-advised war on marijuana smokers," he said.

In 2004, the Alaska Supreme Court rejected a petition by the state attorney general's office to reconsider a September 2003 Court of Appeals ruling finding that the possession of marijuana by adults within the home is constitutionally protected activity.

Santa Fe, NM
New Mexico Senate Approves Medical Cannabis Measure

Senators overwhelmingly approved legislation this week to exempt seriously ill patients who use medical marijuana under a physician's supervision from state criminal prosecution. The Senate voted 34 to 6 in favor of the measure, which now moves to the House.

If passed, Senate Bill 258 would exempt authorized patients from state criminal prosecution for the possession and use of medicinal cannabis. Qualified patients would be issued identification cards by the state Department of Health. The proposal also encourages the health department to develop a "distribution system" for medical cannabis that provides for "licensed cannabis production facilities."

State Governor Bill Richardson (D) has stated that he will sign the bill.

Similar legislation passed the state Senate last year but stalled in the House.

To date, eleven states - Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington - have enacted laws exempting physician-supervised marijuana patients from arrest and criminal prosecution.