Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2006.7.20

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Weekly News in Audio

July 20, 2006

New Zealand Relaxes Regulations for Industrial Hemp

NORML Announces 22nd Annual Key West Legal Seminar

NORML Advisory Board Member, Travel Author Rick Steves Contacts Washington Policy-Makers With Message: Decriminalize Marijuana Possession For Adults

Wellington, New Zealand:
New Zealand Relaxes Regulations for Industrial Hemp

Beginning August 1, the New Zealand Health Ministry will introduce a new regulatory system for the processing, cultivation and distribution of industrial hemp as an agricultural crop, according to a press release issued by the Director-General of Health.

The new system will allow individuals and organizations to apply for a license to cultivate approved varieties of industrial hemp, and will allow growers to apply for other varieties to be considered for research and cultivation. Approved varieties of hemp will include only those containing less that 0.5 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis.

Derek Fitzgerald, director of Medsafe, the medicine regulatory agency overseeing the new program, commented that, "The new regulations ... take into account the low drug [THC] content of hemp, which was previously subjected to the same strict controls as those placed on illicit cannabis". The new regulations come after a two year trial period to determine if industrial hemp has a potential as a cultivation crop, and if the cultivation can be controlled and regulated.

However, Fitzgerald did note that, "the new regulations still classify industrial hemp as a controlled drug and consider it an offense to advertise hemp for psychoactive purposes or to supply it to unauthorized persons". Further, the new licensing system will cover only hemp, while other varieties of cannabis will continue to be regulated under the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1975.

Industrial hemp can be used for everything from food and body care products, to building materials, paper and textiles, and as an alternative renewable energy source. Currently over 30 other countries have laws allowing the cultivation and production of industrial hemp.

Washington, DC:
NORML Announces 22nd Annual Key West Legal Seminar

This annual seminar for practicing criminal defense lawyers, scheduled for November 30 - December 2, will once again be held at the Pier House Resort and Caribbean Spa, located at the foot of Duval Street on the Gulf of Mexico. The hotel offers a full-service Caribbean Spa with therapeutic body massages and island facials. They are holding a block of reduced-rate rooms for those attending the NORML Legal Seminar.

We have a faculty of outstanding defense attorneys lined-up to provide the continuing legal education (CLE) program each morning, with the afternoons free for exploring the island, enjoying the beaches, or just hanging out with friends and colleagues. Program topics to include:

-Advance DUI Motions
-Wrongful Convictions and Govt. Leak Cases
-State Constitutions and Motions To Suppress
-Practice Tips for Young Lawyers and Pushing The Envelope
-Anti-Terrorism and The War on Drugs
-Federal Sentencing

Registration fee includes the three-day seminar, a continental breakfast each morning, and the opening reception on Thursday evening. The Saturday night NORML benefit banquet is an optional event, although we encourage everyone to attend.

Edmonds, WA:
NORML Advisory Board Member, Travel Author Rick Steves Contacts Washington Policy-Makers With Message: Decriminalize Marijuana Possession For Adults

Best selling author, travel show host and NORML Advisory Board Member Rick Steves has sent a letter to every state and federal elected policymaker in his home state of Washington asking them to immediately change state and federal laws such that marijuana possession and responsible adult use be decriminalized.

Mr. Steves decided to contact his state's politicians after recently participating in two public lectures sponsored by NORML in Seattle and on Bainbridge Island. After the public lectures received heavy media coverage in the Seattle-area, Steves received dozens of positive replies and notes of encouragement. Steves decided to share his experience with legislators in Washington State:

"I've been on the advisory board of NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) for several years so I see our marijuana laws as overly harsh and prohibition taking a negative and needless toll on our society as alcohol did back in the early 1930s. In the interest of wise drug policy and harm reduction, I am a proponent of taking the European approach and treating marijuana as a health rather than a criminal problem.

I've always found the both politicians and the media secretly agree with my stance. While politicians may agree with me, they understandably fear political fallout if they are considered "soft on drugs". The point of my communication with you is that I have never had such over-whelming and positive feedback from a controversy that I've stepped into. Everywhere I've gone in the last week, people have thanked me for bravely addressing what is generally considered a painful prohibition in our society. After reviewing this, let me know if I can be of any help in supporting you to speak out to get America to take the crime out of Marijuana."

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