Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2007.6.21

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Weekly News in Audio

June 21, 2007

Connecticut: Governor’s Veto Means Arrest, Jail For State’s Medi-Pot Patients

Federal Suit Challenges Government’s Jurisdiction Over Hemp

Canada Grants Preliminary Approval For Cannabis Extracts For Cancer Pain

Hartford, CT:
Connecticut: Governor’s Veto Means Arrest, Jail For State’s Medi-Pot Patients

Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed legislation this week that would have enacted statewide legal protections for authorized patients who use medical cannabis under their doctor’s supervision.

House Bill 6715 sought to allow state-registered patients to possess and cultivate small quantities of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. House lawmakers had approved the bill by an 89 to 58 margin. State senators had voted 23-13 in favor of the proposal. The majority votes are just shy of the number necessary to override the Governor’s veto.

If enacted, Connecticut would have become the thirteenth state since 1996 to implement statewide legislation protecting patients from prosecution for their use of medical cannabis.

In her veto message Gov. Rell, a cancer survivor, said that passing the bill would send "the wrong message" to young people. Rell further claimed that there’s no proof of cannabis' effectiveness and that "legal alternatives" to pot are available to patients by prescription. The Governor also claimed that the bill would potentially place patients at risk of federal prosecution because cannabis remains illegal under federal law.

NORML Senior Policy Analyst Paul Armentano called the Governor’s comments cynical and insincere. "Governor Rell’s supposed concern for patients’ well-being rings hollow," he said. "The Governor is well aware that federal prosecutions for state-authorized medical marijuana patients are exceedingly rare, even in state’s like California where it is estimated that several hundred thousand patients are currently using cannabis with their doctor’s approval. Ironically, Gov. Rell’s veto assures that the state and local police can keep arresting Connecticut patients so the Feds won't have to."

Under state law, Gov. Rell had the option of allowing HB 6715 to become law without her signature.

According to a 2004 University of Connecticut poll, 83 percent of state voters support the use of medical cannabis when authorized by a physician.

Bismark, ND:
Federal Suit Challenges Government’s Jurisdiction Over Hemp

A state representative has filed suit in federal court in North Dakota against the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), alleging that the federal controlled substances act improperly denies state-licensed farmers the legal ability to cultivate hemp for industrial purposes. Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa that contains only minute (less than 1%) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana.

"Congress did not intend to ban cultivation of industrial hemp where there is no risk of diversion into the market for drug marijuana," states the suit, which was filed by North Dakota state representative David Monson and farmer Wayne Hauge. Both plaintiffs are licensed under state law to cultivate hemp, but have not been granted federal permission to do so. Their suit seeks an injunction barring federal law enforcement officials from taking criminal actions against them for engaging in hemp cultivation.

"The regulated parts of industrial hemp plants could not possibly be diverted into and ‘swell’ or increase the supply of drug marijuana," the suit charges. "Therefore, there is no potential for any effect on interstate commerce in drug marijuana. Intrastate cultivation of industrial hemp thus has no connection or effect whatsoever on the interstate commerce [of the] drug marijuana that Congress has determined to regulate."

In 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit ruled that the federal government could prohibit the cultivation of hemp on Native American land because "problems of detection and enforcement easily justify a ban broader than the psychoactive variety of the plant."

In February, US Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and nine Democrat co-sponsors introduced legislation in Congress seeking to grant states the "exclusive authority" to license and regulate the commercial production of industrial hemp.

According to a 2005 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, "The United States is the only developed nation in which industrial hemp is not an established crop."

Ottawa, Ontario:
Canada Grants Preliminary Approval For Cannabis Extracts For Cancer Pain

Health Canada granted preliminary regulatory approval this week to Sativex, an oral spray consisting of natural cannabis extracts, for the treatment of advanced cancer pain.

The agency issued a Qualifying Notice for the cannabis-based drug, confirming that it qualifies to be considered for regulatory approval. Final approval is expected within approximately 60 days.

Sativex is already available in Canada by prescription for the treatment of pain associated with multiple sclerosis. Regulators in Great Britain and Spain have also granted limited regulatory approval for the drug.

Produced by the British biotechnology firm GW Pharmaceuticals, Sativex is a whole plant medicinal cannabis extract containing precise doses of the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol (CBD), as well as naturally existing terpenoids and flavonoids.

Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Sativex to enter into Phase III clinical trials in the US for the treatment of cancer pain. The first US trial is expected to begin later this year.

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