Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2006.8.31

http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6650

Weekly News in Audio

August 31, 2006

Chris Goldstein
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DEA Criticized For Financing Opposition To Colorado Marijuana Initiative

South Dakota: AG's Ballot Summary Is Prejudicial, Judge Rules

Montana: Missoula Voters To Decide Pot "Deprioritization" Ordinance

Cannabinoids May Offer Novel Therapy For Cancer Pain

Denver, CO:
DEA Criticized For Financing Opposition To Colorado Marijuana Initiative

Colorado media outlets are roundly criticizing an effort by federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials to spend taxpayers' dollars and use paid staff time to campaign against Amendment 44, "the Alcohol-Marijuana Equalization Initiative."

Correspondences from DEA officials seeking to hire a professional campaign manager to organize opposition to the initiative were cited by several Colorado media sources, including the Boulder Daily Camera and the Associated Press, on Monday.

Sponsored by Safer Alternatives For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), Amendment 44 would revise state statutes to make the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis legal in Colorado for anyone age 21 or older. Last year, voters in Denver passed a similar municipal initiative by 54 percent.

Several Colorado papers, including the Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News, and the Aurora Daily Sun and Sentinel, immediately opined against the DEA's tactics, warning that taxpayers' funds should not be used to influence local elections. "Federal agencies ... have no business using their muscle to influence state ballot races," opined the Rocky Mountain News. "That's why we hope the DEA will abandon this campaign and that next year, Congress will enact legislation that would prevent any federal agency from pursuing this sort of mischief."

While federal law prohibits using public resources to influence local partisan activities, US government officials are not forbidden from campaigning on non-partisan political issues. By contrast, Colorado law forbids state employees from using state resources to advocate for or against any political activity.

Pierre, SD:
South Dakota: AG's Ballot Summary Is Prejudicial, Judge Rules

The state attorney general's description of a proposed ballot initiative to legalize the physician recommended use of cannabis is prejudicial and must be rewritten, a South Dakota Circuit Judge has determined.

As initially drafted, the state's summary of Initiated Measure 4 implied that "the attorney general wants voters to reject the initiative," Circuit Judge Max Gors ruled. "The attorney general should confine his politicking to the stump and leave his bias out of the ballot statement that is supposed to be objective."

The initiative, sponsored by South Dakotans for Safe Access, would allow state-qualified patients to possess up to six plants and/or one ounce of cannabis for medical purposes. Qualified patients must possess a physician's recommendation to use cannabis and must register with the state Department of Health. Non-registered patients, or those who possess greater quantities of cannabis than allowed under state law, would have the option of raising an 'affirmative defense' of medical necessity at trial.

Proponents of the measure criticized the attorney general's ballot explanation because it falsely stated that physicians who comply with the law would be subject to federal prosecution, among other issues.

Eleven states Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington have enacted similar laws. Eight of these did so by voter initiative.

Missoula, MT:
Montana: Missoula Voters To Decide Pot "Deprioritization" Ordinance

Missoula county election officials confirmed last week that a municipal initiative that seeks to make marijuana law enforcement the city's "lowest priority" has been certified to appear on the November 2006 ballot.

Sponsored by Citizens for Responsible Crime Policy, Initiative 2 directs municipal police to make activities related to the investigation, citation, and/or arrest of adult cannabis users their lowest priority. It would also appoint a Community Oversight Committee to monitor police activity as it pertains to marijuana law enforcement. Seattle voters passed a similar proposal in 2003, which has led to a 75 percent reduction in citywide marijuana arrests.

Voters in Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, and Santa Cruz, California will decide on similar "deprioitization" initiatives this fall.

Gainesville, FL:
Cannabinoids May Offer Novel Therapy For Cancer Pain

Natural and endogenous cannabinoids may offer therapeutic advantages over currently prescribed medications for the treatment of cancer pain, according to a scientific review published this month in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy.

"Cannabinoid agonists have been described as having efficacy in nociceptive, neuropathic, and inflammatory pain states, all of which can commonly occur in cancer patients," the review's author states. "There are currently no pharmacological agents consistently effective against all three pain types, potentially giving cannabinoids a unique therapeutic advantage."

An estimated 25 percent to 40 percent of cancer patients experience some type of neuropathic pain, for which commercially available analgesics are not consistently effective.

Clinical trial data published in 2005 by GW Pharmaceuticals reported that cannabis extracts significantly reduced pain compared to placebo in 178 patients with advanced cancer pain.

Health Canada recently granted regulatory approval for the prescription use of Sativex, an oral spray consisting of natural cannabis extracts, for the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with Multiple Sclerosis.

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