Posts
New Jersey
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Diane Riportella did not take pain medication Friday, hoping she could make it through the day. By evening, however, the pain from not being able to move was unbearable, the anxiety and fear inconsolable.
Rather than have her husband Paul give her a few drops of cherry-flavored liquid morphine, the Egg Harbor Township resident instead asked that he light her pipe with medical grade marijuana. Almost instantly, she said, the pain dissipated, her anxiety gone and she felt the will to live come back.
Today, if everything occurs as expected, Diane Riportella will hear that the state Senate passed a resolution that could be the last hurdle in legalizing medical marijuana in New Jersey. Unfortunately, Diane, who is in the final stages of Lou Gehrig's Disease, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called ALS, won't be in Trenton to watch the vote in person.
Former Gov. Jon Corzine signed legislation into law in January, just days before he left office, that allowed New Jersey to become the 14th state in the nation to legalize some form of medicinal marijuana use. But Gov. Chris Christie requested that the program's implementation be delayed because he felt the law was too lenient and didn't do enough to prohibit recreational users from accessing pot.
Christie then proposed tight limits on the program, including reducing the number of dispensaries and growers and placing a tight limit on the amount of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, that could be allowed in legal medicinal marijuana.
But the resolution scheduled to be considered today instead says those limits are not in the spirit of the January law. The same resolution passed the state Assembly in November, but a Senate vote was halted after the bill's sponsor, Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, Somerset, Middlesex, said he did not have enough votes for it to pass.
Now, Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem, has said there are enough votes for the measure to pass. Riportella wanted to be there, but Friday afternoon an adviser with the advocacy group she works with said testimony would not be heard and urged her and her husband not to make the journey. Paul Riportella also said his wife has become too weak for the trip, but she still would want to go if she thought it would make a difference.
The couple was last in Trenton on Nov. 8, when Diane spoke before two subcommittees. She told state legislators the difference between marijuana and morphine. The legal drug, morphine, makes her sleep too much and dulls her already weak appetite. The marijuana, which she obtains illegally through an underground network that helps terminally ill patients obtain cannabis for medicinal use, improves her breathing, increases her appetite and doesn't force her to sleep more than she already does. The morphine makes her feel like an addict, she said, but the marijuana makes her feel like a criminal.
"Morphine, to me, equals death, it equals fading away on to your death bed," she said Sunday. "When I use the marijuana, I get to be the person I used to be. It makes me forget, it helps with the pain."
To illustrate the effect, she asked Paul Riportella to light a mechanical pipe that forces a puff of medical-grade marijuana from California into her lungs, which have little capacity these days. Within seconds, her voice became louder, her face brightened and her breathing improved from short, shallow gulps of air.
Diane was diagnosed with ALS in September 2007. The degenerative disease causes nerves to stop communicating with each other, ultimately causing muscles to wither and waste away. Diane's ability to move gradually weakened, to the point where she no longer can sit up. Her hands barely move, her fingers no longer have dexterity. The muscles on her backside have wasted away; she sits on skin and bone. She can't move, but she feels everything and her mind is completely present.
In just the past few weeks, her breathing weakened further and she now has trouble swallowing, Paul Riportella said. When the breathing machine she uses no longer is strong enough, she will die.
Even if the resolution passes today, Diane, who once ran marathons to raise money for cancer research, likely won't be around to see the results of her advocacy. The soonest marijuana will be available for medicinal use is July 2011. She and Paul say they doubt she will be alive to see that day.
Her advocacy in Trenton was not just about helping other terminally ill or chronically ill patients obtain the right to use marijuana, she said.
"I'm not just bringing awareness to cannabis, but bringing awareness to ALS when nobody mentions it. All this time, they mention everything else but ALS, and ALS is the most horrible disease out there."
Monday, December 13, 2010
Jamaica: Ganja Law Reform update
Jamaica
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It seems like only yesterday that a small group of like-minded persons including myself met with Professor Barry Chevannes at a Kingston hotel to discuss further ganja law reform for Jamaica. At our most recent meeting sometime ago, he showed in a uniquely humble fashion the ability to wade through some fairly complex issues with amazing clarity and fixity of purpose. He clearly had a deep desire to see substantive progress on a number of issues he had a burning interest in. His commitment to Jamaica and the advancement of its people was unquestioned. It didn't take much then for us to request the pleasure of having him chair our group named the Ganja Law Reform Coalition of which he accepted.
What we liked most of all was the fact that this man was, certainly in our discussions with him, a highly pragmatic intellectual. An intellectual who not only engaged in deep and analytical studies but also was at the helm of efforts to see his analysis, his research, and his conclusions escape the confines of academic literature and come to life. The issue surrounding ganja law reform was a prime case in point.
The 2000-2001 National Commission on Ganja chaired by Professor Barry Chevannes and its subsequent report is still as highly relevant today as it was then. It is one of those extremely valuable reports that came about under the P.J. Patterson-led administration, that never made it to the stage of implementation. It is no doubt a topic that spikes intense debate in some circles but it certainly appears as if negative attitudes towards ganja law reform are subsiding for the most part. World trends indicate a gradual softening of positions towards personal ganja ( marijuana ) use. In the United States of America, more than a dozen states have decriminalised possession of small amounts of marijuana. Additionally, marijuana is already legal for medical use in 14 states and Washington, DC. In California and Colorado alone, hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries have mushroomed over the years. Further, possession of small amounts of cannabis is decriminalised in! dozens of countries worldwide.
The growing chorus of ganja law reformers is getting louder and louder. And it is coming from varying angles. Law-enforcement officials, policymakers, academia, members of the medical community, human rights activists, politicians, business leaders, social activists and so on are in varying ways calling for a game-change. Former President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo; former President of Brazil, Fernando Cardoso; former President of Colombia, Cesar Gaviria and other Latin American leaders under their Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy in a report titled 'Drugs and Democracy: Toward a Paradigm Shift' called for the immediate decriminalisation of marijuana. With failing, deadly and expensive drug wars with no end in sight and certainly with marijuana being less harmful than cigarette smoking and alcohol, some rethink to marijuana ( ganja ) laws are desperately required.
In the case of Jamaica for more reasons than one, a shift needs to take place. The Chevannes-led National Commission on Ganja report pointed to a series of findings taken from the public that in a sense reflects the overall Jamaican population's thinking on the issue of the decriminalisation of ganja, notably within private space and restricted to adults.
These include:
Personal benefits ( to address a range of medical ailments );
God and natural order ( Ganja is a natural herb given by God );
Many Jamaicans don't see simple possession or use of ganja as a crime
That the laws are inequitable as alcohol and tobacco, which are more harmful, are legal while ganja is illegal;
Ganja use helps with stress alleviation, and;
Concerns that criminalising ganja criminalises non-criminals ( for example combining persons charged with ganja smoking with persons charged for very serious crimes )
The report also pointed to submissions from professionals clearly stating that:
There is indeed an inconsistency where tobacco and alcohol are concerned;
The fact that ganja is not manifestly harmful for the majority of people who use it in one form or another;
An inability to suppress it ( ganja use ) by legal means;
The wasteful use made of the criminal justice system, in terms of its human and financial resources; and,
The compromising of the anti-drug message ( cocaine, heroin also criminal ).
It is amazing that despite a very comprehensive report, which even went into assessing the local and international legal ramifications and bringing the issue to a joint select committee of Parliament, no substantive progress has been made. What is of primary concern to me is that this may be yet another lost opportunity for Jamaica. While country by country and in the case of the United States, state by state, relax their laws and regulations on personal ganja use, we continue to sit around nine years after an exhaustive but comprehensive report with clear recommendations and do NOTHING.
It is important to note that I am not and have never been a user of ganja. My position on the issue is based squarely on the facts, the need for fairness and equity and the huge benefits for Jamaica. Likewise, one shouldn't misjudge my position to mean that I am advocating for the use and/or misuse of marijuana. Further, just as how smoking a cigarette in some environments ( public offices, buses, schools ) is banned, the same should be applied for marijuana-smoking whenever it is decriminalised. Strict laws must govern on this score. No ganja law reformer is advocating for indiscipline and recklessness.
In honour of the late Professor Barry Chevannes, I end with the recommendations of the 2000-2001 National Commission on Ganja that should be acted on sooner rather than later:
That the relevant laws be amended so that ganja be decriminalised for the private, personal use of small quantities by adults;
That decriminalisation for personal use should exclude smoking by juveniles or by anyone in premises accessible to the public;
That ganja should be decriminalised for use as a sacrament for religious purposes;
That a sustained all-media, all-schools education programme aimed at demand reduction accompany the process of decriminalisation, and that its target should be, in the main, young people;
That the security forces intensify their interdiction of large cultivation of ganja and trafficking of all illegal drugs, in particular crack cocaine;
That, in order that Jamaica be not left behind, a cannabis research agency be set up, in collaboration with other countries, to coordinate research into all aspects of cannabis, including its epidemiological and psychological effects, and importantly as well its pharmacological and economic potential, such as is being done by many other countries, not least including some of the most vigorous in its suppression; and,
That, as a matter of great urgency, Jamaica embark on diplomatic initiatives with its CARICOM partners and other countries outside the region, in particular members of the European Union, with a view ( a ) to elicit support for its internal position, and ( b ) to influence the international community to re-examine the status of cannabis.
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It seems like only yesterday that a small group of like-minded persons including myself met with Professor Barry Chevannes at a Kingston hotel to discuss further ganja law reform for Jamaica. At our most recent meeting sometime ago, he showed in a uniquely humble fashion the ability to wade through some fairly complex issues with amazing clarity and fixity of purpose. He clearly had a deep desire to see substantive progress on a number of issues he had a burning interest in. His commitment to Jamaica and the advancement of its people was unquestioned. It didn't take much then for us to request the pleasure of having him chair our group named the Ganja Law Reform Coalition of which he accepted.
What we liked most of all was the fact that this man was, certainly in our discussions with him, a highly pragmatic intellectual. An intellectual who not only engaged in deep and analytical studies but also was at the helm of efforts to see his analysis, his research, and his conclusions escape the confines of academic literature and come to life. The issue surrounding ganja law reform was a prime case in point.
The 2000-2001 National Commission on Ganja chaired by Professor Barry Chevannes and its subsequent report is still as highly relevant today as it was then. It is one of those extremely valuable reports that came about under the P.J. Patterson-led administration, that never made it to the stage of implementation. It is no doubt a topic that spikes intense debate in some circles but it certainly appears as if negative attitudes towards ganja law reform are subsiding for the most part. World trends indicate a gradual softening of positions towards personal ganja ( marijuana ) use. In the United States of America, more than a dozen states have decriminalised possession of small amounts of marijuana. Additionally, marijuana is already legal for medical use in 14 states and Washington, DC. In California and Colorado alone, hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries have mushroomed over the years. Further, possession of small amounts of cannabis is decriminalised in! dozens of countries worldwide.
The growing chorus of ganja law reformers is getting louder and louder. And it is coming from varying angles. Law-enforcement officials, policymakers, academia, members of the medical community, human rights activists, politicians, business leaders, social activists and so on are in varying ways calling for a game-change. Former President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo; former President of Brazil, Fernando Cardoso; former President of Colombia, Cesar Gaviria and other Latin American leaders under their Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy in a report titled 'Drugs and Democracy: Toward a Paradigm Shift' called for the immediate decriminalisation of marijuana. With failing, deadly and expensive drug wars with no end in sight and certainly with marijuana being less harmful than cigarette smoking and alcohol, some rethink to marijuana ( ganja ) laws are desperately required.
In the case of Jamaica for more reasons than one, a shift needs to take place. The Chevannes-led National Commission on Ganja report pointed to a series of findings taken from the public that in a sense reflects the overall Jamaican population's thinking on the issue of the decriminalisation of ganja, notably within private space and restricted to adults.
These include:
Personal benefits ( to address a range of medical ailments );
God and natural order ( Ganja is a natural herb given by God );
Many Jamaicans don't see simple possession or use of ganja as a crime
That the laws are inequitable as alcohol and tobacco, which are more harmful, are legal while ganja is illegal;
Ganja use helps with stress alleviation, and;
Concerns that criminalising ganja criminalises non-criminals ( for example combining persons charged with ganja smoking with persons charged for very serious crimes )
The report also pointed to submissions from professionals clearly stating that:
There is indeed an inconsistency where tobacco and alcohol are concerned;
The fact that ganja is not manifestly harmful for the majority of people who use it in one form or another;
An inability to suppress it ( ganja use ) by legal means;
The wasteful use made of the criminal justice system, in terms of its human and financial resources; and,
The compromising of the anti-drug message ( cocaine, heroin also criminal ).
It is amazing that despite a very comprehensive report, which even went into assessing the local and international legal ramifications and bringing the issue to a joint select committee of Parliament, no substantive progress has been made. What is of primary concern to me is that this may be yet another lost opportunity for Jamaica. While country by country and in the case of the United States, state by state, relax their laws and regulations on personal ganja use, we continue to sit around nine years after an exhaustive but comprehensive report with clear recommendations and do NOTHING.
It is important to note that I am not and have never been a user of ganja. My position on the issue is based squarely on the facts, the need for fairness and equity and the huge benefits for Jamaica. Likewise, one shouldn't misjudge my position to mean that I am advocating for the use and/or misuse of marijuana. Further, just as how smoking a cigarette in some environments ( public offices, buses, schools ) is banned, the same should be applied for marijuana-smoking whenever it is decriminalised. Strict laws must govern on this score. No ganja law reformer is advocating for indiscipline and recklessness.
In honour of the late Professor Barry Chevannes, I end with the recommendations of the 2000-2001 National Commission on Ganja that should be acted on sooner rather than later:
That the relevant laws be amended so that ganja be decriminalised for the private, personal use of small quantities by adults;
That decriminalisation for personal use should exclude smoking by juveniles or by anyone in premises accessible to the public;
That ganja should be decriminalised for use as a sacrament for religious purposes;
That a sustained all-media, all-schools education programme aimed at demand reduction accompany the process of decriminalisation, and that its target should be, in the main, young people;
That the security forces intensify their interdiction of large cultivation of ganja and trafficking of all illegal drugs, in particular crack cocaine;
That, in order that Jamaica be not left behind, a cannabis research agency be set up, in collaboration with other countries, to coordinate research into all aspects of cannabis, including its epidemiological and psychological effects, and importantly as well its pharmacological and economic potential, such as is being done by many other countries, not least including some of the most vigorous in its suppression; and,
That, as a matter of great urgency, Jamaica embark on diplomatic initiatives with its CARICOM partners and other countries outside the region, in particular members of the European Union, with a view ( a ) to elicit support for its internal position, and ( b ) to influence the international community to re-examine the status of cannabis.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
CNBC Marijuana USA | December 2010 - Part 4 of 4
CNBC Marijuana USA | December 2010 - Part 4 of 4
Free Streaming High Quality Full video
The Teapot Party
The Teapot Party
We lean a little to the left
Meetup.com -http://www.meetup.com/TeapotParty/Facebook –http://www.facebook.com/TeapotParty
Twitter -http://twitter.com/TheTeapotParty
We lean a little to the left
Meetup.com -http://www.meetup.com/TeapotParty/Facebook –http://www.facebook.com/TeapotParty
Twitter -http://twitter.com/TheTeapotParty
CONTACT: teapotmedia@celebstoner.com
MEDIA NOTE - The Teapot Party is launching a Meetup Everywhere community and encouraging nationwide gatherings on 12/15/10 and 1/18/11
Teapot Party announces first nationwide event
The recent arrest of music legend Willie Nelson for marijuana possession by the US Border Patrol in Texas has sparked a new national political effort called The Teapot Party.
The recent arrest of music legend Willie Nelson for marijuana possession by the US Border Patrol in Texas has sparked a new national political effort called The Teapot Party.
Rather than stay quiet about the 11/26/2010 bust, Willie sent an email to Steve Bloom of CelebStoner.com: “Let’s start a new party. There is the Tea Party. How about the Teapot Party? Our motto: ‘We lean a little to the left.’ Tax it, regulate it, legalize it. And stop the border wars over drugs. Why should the drug lords make all the money? Thousands of lives will be saved.”
With Willie’s blessing, a page for Willie Nelson’s Teapot Party was created at Facebook. Tens of thousands of people have stopped by to voice their enthusiastic support for our core position: It’s time to end the war on marijuana smokers.Over 35, 000 people joined the Facebook group in just one week. Teapot Party groups have already formed in all 50 states and some international chapters are developing.
The administrators of the Teapot Party Facebook page are now using the free and open internet platform Meetup Everywhere as their main organizing tool.
LINK http://www.meetup.com/TeapotParty/
Two meet-up dates have been scheduled: December 15, 2010 and January 18, 2011.
Two meet-up dates have been scheduled: December 15, 2010 and January 18, 2011.
The Teapot Party is in its nascent stage. We want our own candidates who support legalizing marijuana and hemp as their main issue.
It’s time for us to take back America to restore our economy and return our liberties, the most important of which is the freedom to responsibly use marijuana.
We’re looking forward to getting feedback from you, the people, the pot-smokers of America. So let’s all join together, one nation under a marijuana cloud, and get this Teapot Party started!Democrats Shape Marijuana Law A Challenge to Gov. Christie's Approach
Democrats Shape Marijuana Law
A Challenge to Gov. Christie's Approach
source:
New Jersey Senate Democrats are pushing ahead with a challenge to the Christie administration's rules for the state's new medical marijuana program, despite a supposedly bipartisan compromise the governor announced earlier this month.
Democrats are unhappy with regulations to implement the program, saying it falls short of a law already described as the most restrictive in the country. The rules would limit the potency of marijuana, among other specifications contrary to the law signed in January just before Mr. Christie took office.
In putting his own stamp on the program, Mr. Christie says he is trying to make sure New Jersey doesn't become another California or Colorado, where critics say it is too easy for healthy people to buy pot intended for those with medical problems.
On Dec. 3, Gov. Chris Christie held a news conference with the program's top supporter in the Assembly, Democrat Reed Gusciora, saying they had agreed to change some, but not all, of the regulations. For example, Mr. Christie said he was comfortable with allowing six locations as outlined in the law to grow and dispense pot, instead of two growers and four dispensaries.
"This is a way to get the program up and running in the soonest amount of time as possible," Mr. Gusciora said at the time. "The program can only grow in the future."
But the announcement took many Democrats by surprise, and it was unclear what power Mr. Gusciora had to make a deal. The Assembly already passed a resolution to repeal the regulations, and the Senate plans to vote on Monday. The administration would have 30 days to rewrite the rules.
Charles Kwiatkowski, 39 years old, of Hazlet said he has multiple sclerosis and uses marijuana to replace 41 pills that are either ineffective or have debilitating or embarrassing side effects. He said the proposed regulations would make it difficult for his doctor to recommend the drug, and the diminished potency would lead people to make illegal purchases.
"Patients would still have an ability to buy something better on the street, and still have to take those risks," he said.
A spokesman for the Senate Democrats, Derek Roseman, left the door open for further compromise but said some lawmakers still had significant concerns with certain of Mr. Christie's changes, such as taking away home delivery of the drug. Supporters say that is key to making sure everyone has access.
Mr. Roseman said it was still possible to come to an agreement in time to make the drug available in the summer.
Friday, December 10, 2010
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