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your National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
NORML Unveils 2005 "Truth Report"
Comprehensive Report Refutes White House's Top Marijuana Myths
Washington, DC: Government claims regarding cannabis are misleading, exaggerated, and undermine the administration's ability to effectively educate the public on the issues of illicit drugs and drug policy, concludes a comprehensive report issued today by The NORML Foundation.
The report, entitled "The 2005 NORML Truth Report: Your Government Is Lying To You (Again) About Marijuana," is a detailed analysis and refutation of the White House's more prominent allegations regarding marijuana and marijuana policy.
Among the government's claims examined in NORML's extensive report:
* "Nationwide, no drug matches the threat posed by marijuana."
* "The addiction to marijuana by our youth exceeds their addiction rates for alcohol ... and all other drugs combined."
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Feds Spend Nearly $4 Billion Annually On Failed Pot Policy, Economics Report Says
Washington, DC: Federal spending on marijuana-related activities - primarily enforcing criminal policies prohibiting the drug's use - cost taxpayers nearly $4 billion annually, but fail to influence the public's use or perception of the drug, according to an economic report released by the non-partisan Washington, DC think-tank Taxpayers for Common Sense. "Annual federal marijuana spending is at least $3.67 billion [per year,] yet little evidence indicates this spending accomplishes the government's stated goal of reducing marijuana use," concludes the report.
Of this total cost, the federal government spends $1.43 billion enforcing marijuana prohibition, $1.11 billion for marijuana use prevention (which includes funding for anti-drug media campaigns and school-based drug testing programs), $0.37 billion for marijuana treatment (which includes federal subsidies
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Domestic Pot Production Up, Cannabis Not Linked To Violence, Federal Report Says
Washington, DC: Domestic cultivation of cannabis is rising and is responsible for the majority of marijuana available in the United States, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center's (NDIC) latest "National Drug Threat Assessment" report.
The report states that domestic pot production levels are increasing and now range from 6,000 to 19,000 metric tons annually. Accordingly, the report notes that 98 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies describe the availability of marijuana in their area as "high or moderate."
Overall, the report estimates that anywhere from 12,000 to 25,000 metric tons of marijuana is available in the United States, up from previous estimates of 10,000 to 24,000 metric tons. Mexico remains the largest producer of cannabis imported into the US, followed by Canada, Colombia, and Jamaica, authors note.
The NDIC report also finds that few state and local law
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* Volume 1, Issue 8 * August * 2005 * *
* The NORML News Report *______
The NORML Monthly Newsletteris an all-volunteer effort to broadcast news, announcements and information about and for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
It is composed of the weekly NORML e-Zine available online at:
For content issues contact:
National NORML
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Washington, DC, 20009
(202) 483-5500
or visit their site at
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The NORML News Report is produced by the Librarians of OpdxNwoL - the Olde pdxNORML Website and Online Library for NORML Members, Affiliates and Interested Parties.
To get printed copies or help setting up your own contact them.
E-mail:
Check ‘em out! Visit and download from:
pdxnorml.org/news/NL / A Voice for Responsible Marijuana Smokers
Since its founding in 1970, NORML has provided a voice in the public policy debate for those Americans who oppose marijuana prohibition and favor an end to the practice of arresting marijuana smokers. A nonprofit public-interest advocacy group, NORML represents the interests of the tens of millions of Americans who smoke marijuana responsibly.
During the 1970s, NORML led the successful efforts to decriminalize minor marijuana offenses in 11 states and significantly lower marijuana penalties in all others.
Today NORML continues to lead the fight to reform state and federal marijuana laws, whether by voter initiative or through the elected legislatures. NORML serves as an informational resource to the national media on marijuana-related stories, providing a perspective to offset the anti-marijuana propaganda from the government; lobbies state and federal legislators in support of reform legislation; publishes a regular newsletter; hosts, along with the NORML Foundation, an informative web site and an annual conference; and serves as the umbrella group for a national network of citizen-activists committed to ending marijuana prohibition and legalizing marijuana.
Their sister organization, the NORML Foundation sponsors public advertising campaigns to better educate the public about marijuana and alternatives to current marijuana policy; provides legal assistance and support to victims of the current laws; and undertakes relevant research.
The oldest and largest marijuana legalization organization in the country, NORML maintains a professional staff in Washington, DC, and a network of volunteer state and local NORML Chapters across the country. Check ‘em out!
NORML's mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty.
When marijuana is enjoyed responsibly, subjecting users to harsh criminal and civil penalties provides no public benefit and causes terrible injustices. For reasons of public safety, public health, economics and justice, the prohibition laws should be repealed to the extent that they criminalize responsible marijuana use.
NORML supports the right of adults to use marijuana responsibly, whether for medicalorpersonal purposes. All penalties, both civil and criminal, should be eliminated for responsible use. NORML also supports the legalization of hemp(non-psychoactive marijuana) for industrial use. To find out more, like how you can help, call, write or visit their website. You’ll be glad you did!
2 * NORML* 1600 K Street, NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC 20006-2832 *
* Volume 1, Issue 8 * August * 2005
<continued from TRUTH REPORT, page 1 / <continued from 4 BILLION, page 1 >
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* The NORML News Report *
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* Volume 1, Issue 8 * August * 2005
continued from previous page / <continued next page>
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* The NORML News Report *
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* Volume 1, Issue 8 * August * 2005
* Ph: (202) 483-5500 * Fax: (202) 483-0057 * Email: * 7
From your National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
* The NORML Monthly News Report NORML* 1600 K Street, NW, Suite 501, Washington, DC 20006-2832 * Ph: (202) 483-5500 * Fax: (202) 483-0057 *
Email: * or visit: < *
US Seeks Extradition Of Marc Emery For Internet Seed Sales
Vancouver, British Columbia: Canadian law enforcement officers, acting on a warrant issued by federal officials in Washington state, arrested longtime cannabis activist Marc Emery and two others late last week for violating US marijuana laws. American officials are seeking to extradite Emery to the United States, where he could face ten years to life in prison on charges that he distributed cannabis seeds to various individuals within the US.
For nearly ten years, Emery had openly operated an online cannabis seed bank in the Hastings neighborhood of Vancouver, where he maintained a high profile in the area's business and political community as publisher of the magazine Cannabis Culture and founder of the BC Marijuana Party, among other activities. Vancouver police disregarded Emery's seed sales; however, a federal grand jury in Seattle indicted him in May on charges of "conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana seeds, and conspiracy to engage in money laundering." US law enforcement officials claim to have linked Emery's seeds to marijuana seizures in numerous states, including Florida, Indiana, and New Jersey.
Canadian law enforcement officers executed the arrest warrant against Emery and two colleagues, Gregory Williams and Michelle Rainey, on Friday in accordance with a US/Canadian treaty allowing for "mutual assistance on criminal matters." All three individuals have been granted bail and are expected to be free on bond imminently.
Extradition hearings for Emery, Williams, and Rainey could take up to one year or longer. None of the three defendants have been charged with violating Canadian drug laws.
NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre questioned why Canadian authorities would be willing to extradite Emery for activities that had been consistently ignored by local law enforcement and are punishable by little, if any penalty in his native country.
"Why are Canadian authorities, who had chosen not to prosecute Emery for his Internet seed business, now cooperating with US efforts to extradite and try him under America's far more stringent federal laws?" St. Pierre asked. "It's as if Canada has relinquished its sovereignty in regards to drug law enforcement to become a lapdog of the US Drug Enforcement Administration."
For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Keith Stroup of NORML at (202) 483-5500. Additional information on Marc Emery's arrest and extradition is available online at:
Cannabinoids Could Offer Relief For Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Bath, United Kingdom: Cannabinoids may stimulate healing in the inflamed lining of the gastrointestinal tract, according to clinical trial data published in the August issue of the journal Gatroenterology.
A research team at the University of Bath, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology found that human tissues from the gastrointestinal lining of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) contained large quantities of cannabinoid receptors. Activation of specific receptors promotes healing of the gastrointestinal membrane, and could offer therapeutic relief to patients suffering from inflammatory disorders such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, authors found.
The study's findings are "the first [clinical] evidence that very selective cannabis-derived treatments may be useful as future therapeutic strategies in the treatment" of inflammatory bowel disease, said lead author Karen Wright.
A previous 2003 review published in the journal Expert Opinion in Investigative Drugs noted that the human digestive tract contains various endogenous cannabinoids (marijuana-like compounds produced naturally by the body) and cannabinoid receptors, and theorized that cannabinoids may one day "provide new therapeutics for the treatment of a number of gastrointestinal diseases," including gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Differential expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human colon: cannabinoids promote epithelial wound healing," is available in the August issue of the journal Gastroenterology.
Marijuana And Cancer Risk Not Strong, Study Says
Lyon, France: Moderate use of cannabis not does appear to be associated with an increased risk of tobacco-related cancers, such as lung or colorectal cancer, according to an epidemiological review published in the current issue of the journal Alcohol.
Following the review of two cohort studies and 14 case-control studies, authors concluded, "Results of cohort studies have not revealed an increased risk of tobacco-related cancers among marijuana smokers, possibly because few users smoke enough marijuana to elevate their risk to a detectable level."
Authors did acknowledge an increased risk of certain cancers in a handful of case-control studies, but noted that the results were inconsistent, "highly unstable," and may reflect researchers having controlled poorly for other drug use, including tobacco and alcohol.
A 1999 review by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine found "no conclusive evidence that marijuana causes cancer in humans, including cancers usually related to tobacco use."
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Epidemiological review of marijuana use and cancer risk," is available in the August issue of the journal Alcohol.
"MARINOL VERSUS NATURAL CANNABIS"
New NORML Report Examines The Pros And Cons Of Synthetic THC Compared To Cannabis
Washington, DC: Oral synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), legally available in the US by prescription as the medication Marinol, often provides only limited relief to a select group of patients - particularly when compared to natural cannabis, concludes a comprehensive report issued today by NORML and The NORML Foundation.
The report, entitled "Marinol Versus Natural Cannabis: Pros, Cons and Options for Patients," is a comparative analysis of the therapeutic efficacy of cannabis and the pharmaceutical drug. Citing more than 50 published studies and clinical trials, the report finds:
* Marinol lacks several of the therapeutic cannabinoids (naturally occurring compounds) available in cannabis.
* The synergism of these cannabinoids is likely more efficacious than the administration of Marinol alone.
* Marinol is far more psychoactive than natural cannabis.
* Cannabis vaporization offers distinct advantages over the oral administration of Marinol.
* Marinol is more expensive than natural cannabis.
* Patients ultimately prefer natural cannabis to Marinol.
NORML Senior Policy Analyst Paul Armentano, who authored the report, said, "Despite Marinol's legal status as the only FDA approved synthetic cannabinoid medicine, many patient populations continue to risk arrest and criminal prosecution to use natural cannabis medically, and most report experiencing greater therapeutic relief from it."
He continued: "The active ingredient in Marinol is a synthetic analogue of only one of the compounds in cannabis that is therapeutically beneficial to patients. The federal prohibition of the possession and use of natural cannabis unnecessarily burdens patients to use a synthetic substitute that lacks much of the therapeutic efficacy of cannabis and its cannabinoids."
Armentano concluded: "Marinol should remain a legal option for patients and physicians and the development of additional cannabis-based pharmaceuticals should be encouraged. However, federal and state laws should be amended to allow for those patients who are unresponsive to synthetic THC, or simply desire an alternative to oral dronabinol, the ability to use natural cannabis and its cannabinoids as a legal medical therapy without fear of arrest and/or criminal prosecution."
August 11, 2005
"MARINOL VERSUS NATURAL CANNABIS"
New NORML Report Examines The Pros And Cons Of
Synthetic THC Compared To Cannabis
View the entire report and extensive footnotes at:
Washington, DC: Oral synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), legally
available in the US by prescription as the medication Marinol, often
provides only limited relief to a select group of patients -- particularly
when compared to natural cannabis, concludes a comprehensive report issued
today by NORML and The NORML Foundation.
The report, entitled "Marinol Versus Natural Cannabis: Pros, Cons and
Options for Patients," is a comparative analysis of the therapeutic efficacy
of cannabis and the pharmaceutical drug. Citing more than 50 published
studies and clinical trials, the report finds:
* Marinol lacks several of the therapeutic cannabinoids (naturally
occurring compounds) available in cannabis.
* The synergism of these cannabinoids is likely more efficacious than the
administration of Marinol alone.
* Marinol is far more psychoactive than natural cannabis.
* Cannabis vaporization offers distinct advantages over the oral
administration of Marinol.
* Marinol is more expensive than natural cannabis.
* Patients ultimately prefer natural cannabis to Marinol.
NORML Senior Policy Analyst Paul Armentano, who authored the report, said,
"Despite Marinol's legal status as the only FDA approved synthetic
cannabinoid medicine, many patient populations continue to risk arrest and
criminal prosecution to use natural cannabis medically, and most report
experiencing greater therapeutic relief from it."
He continued: "The active ingredient in Marinol is a synthetic analogue of
only one of the compounds in cannabis that is therapeutically beneficial to
patients. The federal prohibition of the possession and use of natural
cannabis unnecessarily burdens patients to use a synthetic substitute that
lacks much of the therapeutic efficacy of cannabis and its cannabinoids."
Armentano concluded: "Marinol should remain a legal option for patients and
physicians and the development of additional cannabis-based pharmaceuticals
should be encouraged. However, federal and state laws should be amended to
allow for those patients who are unresponsive to synthetic THC, or simply
desire an alternative to oral dronabinol, the ability to use natural
cannabis and its cannabinoids as a legal medical therapy without fear of
arrest and/or criminal prosecution."
View the entire report and extensive footnotes at:
-end-
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano at (202) 483-5500. Read the report online at:
(HTML version) or
(PDF version).
THC Selectively Inhibits Tumor Cell Growth Better Than Synthetic Alternative, Study Says
San Francisco, CA: The administration of the cannabinoid THC selectively inhibits the proliferation of malignant cancer cells more effectively than does the use of a synthetic cannabinoid agent, according to clinical trial data published in the August issue of the Journal of Neurooncology.
Researchers at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute reported that the administration of THC on human glioblastoma multiforme (brain tumor) cell lines decreased the proliferation of malignant cells and induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) more rapidly than did the administration of the cannabis receptor agonist WIN-55,212-2. Researchers also noted that THC selectively targeted malignant cells while ignoring healthy ones in a more profound manner than did the synthetic agonist.
Previous trials have found that cannabinoids selectively induce tumor regression in rodents and in human cells, including the inhibition of lung carcinoma, glioma (brain tumors), lymphoma/leukemia, skin carcinoma, prostate cancer, and breast cancer.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, "Cannabinoids selectively inhibit proliferation and induce cell death of cultured human glioblastoma multiforme cells," appears in the August issue of the Journal of Neurooncology.