Americans for Safe Access in partnership with Jed Riffe Films is pleased to inform you that the award winning documentary, WAITING TO INHALE, will have its national broadcast TV premiere on two cable networks in the coming weeks.
Last week, ASA brought you exciting news that our friends at CannabisPlanet.tv were to sponsor a NASCAR sanctioned race car at kick off of the K & N Pro Series West.
Unfortunately, we caught word over the weekend that NASCAR said “NO!”
CannabisPlanet.tv spokesperson Brad Lane thinks the logos weren’t allowed because of the marijuana leafs, but according to this article, NASCAR says it never received the paperwork required to approve Cannabis Planet as a sponsor.
Whatever the case, we hope Dynamic Motor Sports and CannabisPlanet.tv will try again!
Hey NASCAR Nation…. We’ve got some news for you!
Our friends at CannabisPlanet.tv will sponsor a NASCAR sanctioned race car at the All-American Speedway in Roseville, CA when the K & N pro series west kicks off their season this coming Saturday, March 27, 2010. Cannabis Planet sponsors on the NASCAR include: MedicalGro.com, Green Garden Directory, Advanced Nutrients, LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), and Americans for Safe Access!
Photo: CannabisPlanet.tv NASCAR
Check out the full I-report for more information.
See you at the races!
The National MS Society is “in the process of gathering information that will help us understand what needs to happen and what needs to change to help people affected by MS keep moving their lives forward. This data will help guide the Society’s direction for the next five years.”
Do you or someone you know use cannabis to control the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis? If so, we invite you to complete the National MS Society survey and use the opportunity to highlight your experiences with medical cannabis.
Last year, the National MS Society issued an opinion paper concerning the Society’s Recommendations regarding the use of cannabis in MS. The report suggests that cannabis may have the potential to treat the symptoms of MS and limit the progression of the disease, but stopped short of recommending that MS patients use the drug.
The MS Society wants to hear from you. Be sure to make your voices heard! It’s important for our readers living with MS to participate in the NMSS survey, and, when possible, please share your knowledge of or experiences with the therapeutic use of cannabis.
Yesterday, in an interview with National Journal, the Obama Administration’s Director for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (a.k.a., our nation’s “Drug Czar”) indicated that the therapeutic use of cannabis is not a particularly high priority on his agenda.
When asked directly about whether he plans to review and consider changes to the nation’s medical cannabis policies, Dir. Kerlikowske indicated that he had not yet spoken with the Attorney General, but planned on “following up with that pretty closely.” When pressed about whether ONDCP would consider conducting a study on the topic, Dir. Kerlikowske indicated that considering such a review “is a little premature” and further indicated that that increase of prescription drug use and related overdose deaths was “a little higher on my priorities right now than the medical marijuana issue…”
Thank goodness! In contrast to the fervor for misinformation campaigns lead by our previous drug czars, I welcome this commitment to re-prioritizing ONDCP’s focus. In particular, the limited use of cannabis for appropriate therapeutic purposes should never have been among ONDCPs priorities in the first place. And, while I respect the call for better direction by some of our allies, the reality is that until the drug czar is no longer required by law to lie, the best we can hope for at the moment is Dir. Kerlikowske’s silence.
You can bet that ASA will be monitoring this development closely.
I am blogging with good news from Washington, DC. Today, ASA helped to kill an amendment aimed at obstructing the effective implementation of duly enacted state medical cannabis laws!
Earlier this week, ASA’s National Office was notified that Sen. Coburn (R-OK) intended to add a medical marijuana amendment to S. 982, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Frustrated by the Obama Administration’s continued pledge to not interfere with state medical marijuana laws, Sen. Coburn (R-OK) attempted to slip in legislation designed to undermine these programs.
The text of Sen. Coburn’s amendment is as follows:
SEC._. MEDICAL MARIJUANA. The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall- (1) require that State-legalized medical marijuana shall be subject to the full regulatory requirements of the Food and Drug Administration, including a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy and all other requirements and penalties of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 USC 301 et seq.) regarding safe and effective reviews, approval, sale, marketing, and use of pharmaceuticals; and (2) require that any State-legalized marijuana likely to be offered to, or purchase by, consumers as marijuana intended to be consumed as a cigarette or through the oral cavity will be subject to section 900 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (as amended by section 101).”
At present, the ONLY way for medical marijuana to be properly evaluated by the FDA is for privately-funded sponsors to conduct FDA-approved clinical trials (like any other drug evaluation). If Senator Coburn’s intentions with regard to the medical efficacy of marijuana were genuine, he would consider first removing the monopoly imposed by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on licenses for the cultivation of medical-grade cannabis for research purposes. Currently, the DEA exclusively licenses the cultivation of medical-grade cannabis to the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), which primarily investigates only the negative effects of cannabis. This monopoly obstructs any investigation and research in the U.S. into the medical properties of cannabis and thwarts the normal drug approval process.
This isn’t the first time Sen. Coburn has attempted to add this amendment to unrelated legislation. Recall, he made a similar attempt in 2007 when he tried to append the amendment to an unrelated FDA prescription drug bill. In fact, then-Senators Obama and Clinton voted against the measure. While Sen Coburn managed to slip it in at committee level, ASA managed to get it removed during conference committee.
Today, in a 10-13 party-line vote, we managed to kill the amendment in Committee! Senators Dodd (D-CT) and Reed (D-RI) were key opponents to the amendment.
SEND YOUR THANKS and PRAISE to the each of the following offices:
Senator Bingaman (D, NM)
Phone: (202) 224-5521
Email: senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov
Senator Brown (D, OH)
Phone: (202) 224-2315
Email: http://brown.senate.gov/contact/
Senator Casey (D, PA)
Phone: (202) 224-6324
Email: http://casey.senate.gov/contact/
Senator Dodd (D, CT)
Phone: (202) 224-2823
Email: http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3128
Senator Hagan (D, NC)
Phone: (202) 224-6342
Email: http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact
Senator Harkin (D, IA)
Phone: (202) 224-3254
Email: http://harkin.senate.gov/c/
Senator Kennedy (D, MA)
Phone: (202) 224-4543
Email: http://kennedy.senate.gov/senator/contact.cfm
Senator Merkley (D, OR)
Phone: (202) 224-3753
Email: http://merkley.senate.gov/contact/
Senator Mikulski (D, MD)
Phone: (202) 224-4654
Email: http://mikulski.senate.gov/Contact/contact.cfm
Senator Murray (D, WA)
Phone: (202) 224-2621
Email: http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm
Senator Reed (D, RI)
Phone: (202) 224-4642
Email: http://reed.senate.gov/contact/contact-share.cfm
Senator Sanders (I, VT)
Phone: (202) 224-5141
Email: http://sanders.senate.gov/comments/
Senator Whitehouse (D, RI)
Phone: (202) 224-2921
Email: http://whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/
