Study: “There Is Now Clear Evidence That Cannabinoids Are Useful For The Treatment Of Various Medical Conditions”
Written by NORML
Hurth, Germany: Scientific findings from over 100 controlled clinical trials involving either cannabis or its constituents provide “clear evidence that cannabinoids are useful for the treatment of various medical conditions,” according to a just published review in the German scientific journal Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.
Investigators from the nova-Institute and the Hannover Medical School in Germany reviewed over 100 controlled trials assessing the safety and efficacy of cannabis and cannabinoids.
Researchers reported: “Knowledge about the therapeutic potential of cannabis products has been greatly improved by a large number of clinical trials in recent years. … There is now clear evidence that cannabinoids are useful for the treatment of various medical conditions,” including chronic neuropathy (nerve pain), multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, and other indications.
U.S. Attorney, ACLU clash over medical marijuana warnings
A U.S. attorney’s office opinion on a medical marijuana measure in Del Mar has led to a robust debate over whether the opinion was more of a threat than an impartial perspective.
At issue is a November ballot measure that would force Del Mar to allow medical marijuana dispensaries. Voters will be deciding similar measures in Solana Beach and the East County city of Lemon Grove.
U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy, in a July 17 letter addressed to Del Mar City Attorney Leslie Devaney, said city employees “who conduct activities mandated by the ordinance are not immune from liability under the (Controlled Substances Act.)
“The United States Attorney’s Office will evaluate all potential civil and criminal enforcement actions on a case-by-case basis in light of the priorities of the Department of Justice and the (U.S. Attorney’s Office’s) available resources,” the letter said.
That prompted a response last week from the ACLU’s San Diego office saying Duffy had overreached her authority.
ACLU attorneys David Loy and Novella Coleman told Duffy in an Aug. 2 letter that her action was “unprecedented and amounts to unjustified interference in local legislative matters, if not thinly veiled intimidation of city officials and thus potentially of voters.”
Pot advocates rally ahead of Obama visit
By: Matthai Kuruvila, Jaxon Van Derbeken and Demian Bulwa
At SFGate.com
On a street corner in Oakland on Monday, one man wore a T-shirt bearing the images of President Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. with the message “45 years later … at last.” Another man held a sign comparing Obama and George W. Bush, with the words “Crimes are crimes, no matter who does them.”
Obama’s fundraising visit to the politically charged city brought out the extreme views on his leadership. But the debate was not between right and left, but rather left and left, between people who see the president as a transformative figure and those who feel betrayed.
Downtown protests were led by several hundred medical marijuana advocates angered by the U.S. Justice Department crackdown on dispensaries. They were joined by antiwar demonstrators, people opposed to drilling in the Arctic and Occupy activists, among others.
But outside the 2,800-seat Fox Theater, the site of an evening campaign stop, excited supporters of the president lined up for hours. Some wore Obama T-shirts, or Obama pins on their formal wear, as they dished out at least $100 per person, or up to $7,500 per ticket if they wanted a photo with the president.
Romney Recently in NH.
Unfortunately Obama isn't much better:(
Medical marijuana hub Los Angeles moves to ban dispensaries
By: Eric Kelsey
At: Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Los Angeles City Council decided unanimously on Tuesday to ban all storefront medical marijuana shops, in a blow to a industry that operates in violation of federal law but has become the largest collection of pot dispensaries in California.
The 14-0 vote by the council comes after conflicting court decisions on how far local jurisdictions in California can go in cracking down on the cannabis shops. Some observers say the issue could end up before the state’s Supreme Court.
The state’s voters in 1996 became the first to allow the drug as medicine, which inspired dispensaries to open.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia now allow medical marijuana, but the federal government holds that pot is a dangerous and illegal narcotic and has shut down dispensaries in several states.
Even in Los Angeles, where some officials support the right of patients with cancer or AIDS to have easy access to the drug, city leaders have sought for years to control dispensaries amid complaints about acrid smoke around very profitable, neon-lit storefronts that critics say supply recreational users. And parents have expressed worries their children are being drawn to pot.