Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2007.6.7

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Weekly News in Audio

June 7, 2007

Vermont Expands State Medi-Pot Law -- Legislatures In Connecticut, Rhode Island Also Endorse Medical Cannabis

Marijuana "Worth Its Weight In Gold," US Government Says

Hawaii: County Council Rejects Federal Funding For Pot Eradication Efforts

Montpelier, VT:
Vermont Expands State Medi-Pot Law -- Legislatures In Connecticut, Rhode Island Also Endorse Medical Cannabis

Legislation to amend Vermont’s nearly three-year-old medical cannabis program became law last week after Democratic Gov. James Douglas allowed the measure to become law without his signature. It is the second time since 2004 that state lawmakers have approved medical cannabis legislation without the Governor’s backing.

Under the amended law, which takes effect in July, patients with chronic debilitating conditions 窶� not just life-threatening diseases 窶� may use cannabis legally under the advice of their physician.

Senate Bill 7 also increases the number of plants that patients may legally cultivate under state law, and reduces the annual fee associated with the state's medical cannabis patient registry.

Vermont’s medical marijuana program is generally considered to be the most restrictive in the nation. To date, fewer than 30 patients are registered with the state to use cannabis legally under state law.

Dozens of additional patients are expected to register with the program once SB 7 takes effect this summer.

Legislators in Connecticut also approved legislation last week that seeks to enact statewide legal protections for patients who use cannabis under a doctor’s supervision. House Bill 6715 now awaits action from Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell. If enacted, Connecticut will become the thirteenth state since 1996 to legalize the use of medical cannabis, and it will be the second state legislature to do so this year.

In Rhode Island, Republican Gov. Donald Carcieri vetoed legislation this week that seeks to make the state’s one-year-old medical marijuana law permanent. More than 80 percent of state lawmakers had previously affirmed the measure. Under state law, support of three-fifths of the state's elected officials is necessary to override the Governor's veto.

Unless amended by the legislature, Rhode Island’s medical marijuana law will expire at the end of the month. Currently, nearly 300 patients and caregivers are registered to possess cannabis under the law.

Leadership in both the House and Senate chambers said that they expect to consider overriding the Governor’s veto before the adjournment of the 2007 session.

Washington, DC:
Marijuana "Worth Its Weight In Gold," US Government Says

Black market prices for pot rose steadily in the 1980s, declined during the 1990s, and are once again increasing, according to a federal report tracking the price and purity of controlled substances.

Authors of the report analyzed over 20 years of data collected from the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) System to Retrieve Information from Drug Evidence (STRIDE) database.

According to the DEA’s data, "marijuana price trends are not highly correlated with trends in process of other drugs over time." For example, authors note that street prices for cocaine and heroin fell during the 1980s while the price of marijuana rose steadily, peaking in 1991.

Authors report that the average price for pot fell in the 1990s, but began rising once again after 2000.

"This recent price increase leaves current marijuana prices near their 20-year averages," the study concludes. "Marijuana is quite literally worth its weight in gold."

The report did not analyze long-term trends in marijuana’s potency because STRIDE fails to document the drug’s purity. However, a 2006 report by the US National Drug Intelligence Center states that "most of the marijuana available in the domestic drug markets is lower potency commercial-grade marijuana."

Hilo, HI:
Hawaii: County Council Rejects Federal Funding For Pot Eradication Efforts

Hawaii County Council members unanimously voted last week to reject more than one-half million dollars in federal grant money earmarked to pay for helicopter-based marijuana eradication efforts.

Council members elected to remove the funding from the county’s 2007-2008 budget, noting that the 30-year-old "Green Harvest" program 窶� which utilizes low-flying helicopters to search for outdoor marijuana gardens 窶� had elicited numerous complaints from Big Island citizens.

Prior to the vote, nearly 70 members of the public told the Council that the aerial-based program upsets their livestock, disrupts local wildlife, and is highly disruptive to residents’ quality of life.

The Council had previously rejected funding for the program in 2000, but elected to resume funding in 2001.

Despite last week’s vote, police administrators are still expected to ask the Council for permission to accept the federal funding later this year.

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