... Turning over FREE a new leaf. www.WestCoastLeaf.com ISSN 1945-221X • Volume 2 No. 4 Winter 2010 AMA now recognizes medical marijuana New position calls on DEA to ment of cannabinoid-based medicines, and look at rescheduling cannabis alternate delivery methods.” The change of position followed a 2008 Kris Hermes, Americans for Safe Access resolution by the Medical Student Section The largest physician-based group in the of the AMA (SSAMA) in support of reclas- country, the American Medical Association sifying cannabis out of Schedule I. The past (AMA), voted Nov. 10 to reverse its long- year, the AMA considered three other reso- held position that cannabis has no medical lutions on cannabis. value. The AMA adopted a report drafted by its Council on Science and Public Health The November vote took place during (CSAPH) entitled Use of Cannabis for the organization’s annual Interim Meeting A Higher Medicinal Purposes which affirmed the of the House of Delegates in Houston, and plant’s therapeutic benefits and called for is a turnaround from the last AMA posi- further research. tion, adopted eight years ago, to keep cannabis in Schedule I. Chris Van Hook inspectsStandard an outdoor California medical garden. The report concluded that “short-term Crop certification programs and rising industry standards are helping controlled trials indicate that smoked “It’s been 72 years since the AMA has to ensure cannabis integrity. Story inside. cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, officially recognized that marijuana has improves appetite and caloric intake espe- both already-demonstrated and future- cially in patients with reduced muscle promising medical utility,” said Sunil mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain Aggarwal, Ph.D., the medical student who Cal legislative hearings look at legal cannabis in patients with multiple sclerosis.” The spearheaded passage of the 2008 resolution By Dale Gieringer, California NORML bition has failed, while law enforcement report urges that “the Schedule I status of and one of the CSAPH report’s designated The California Assembly’s Public Safety responded with claims that the problems marijuana be reviewed with the goal of expert reviewers. Committee held historic hearings on caused by prohibition would be made all facilitating clinical research and develop- “The AMA has written an extensive, cannabis legalization Oct. 28 for the first the worse by legal regulations. Sara well documented, evidence-based report time since cannabis was prohibited in 1913. Simpson, assistant chief of the Bureau of that they are seeking to publish in a peer- Narcotics Enforcement, at one point reviewed journal that will help to educate Sponsor Tom Ammiano (D-SF) chaired bewailed the evils of outlaw growers and Advocates plant the medical community about the scien- the first Committee hearings on AB390, violent Mexican drug gangs, then voiced tific basis of botanical cannabis-based which will be heard again in early 2010. concerns that legalization would somehow Please turn to page 17 Reformers argued that cannabis prohi- tighten their grip on California. hemp on DEA’s Retired Judge James Gray responded that a legal supply will undercut the crimi- nal market and protect children from expo- own front lawn Obama policy memo discourages Feds sure to crime. Judge Gray spoke against By Ryan Fletcher, VoteHemp.com allowing promotion and advertising. In a bid to get the Obama administration’s from going after state-legal cannabis Former San Francisco DA Terence attention and halt DEA obstruction, a By Allen Bartleman, Attorney at Law* possession of other illegal drugs or ties to Hallinan testified that pot arrests had taken North Dakota farmer, Vermont farmer and United States Attorney General Eric organized crime. Feds will still trace rev- up a lot of time in his office, despite the other American entrepreneurs dedicated to Holder outlined a new federal policy** enue to foreign operators and protect fed- city’s cannabis-friendly reputation. developing and marketing healthy, envi- about medical cannabis use and distribu- eral land from damage by illegal growers. Dan MacAllair of the Center on ronmentally friendly hemp products plant- tion last March. Deputy US Attorney Money laundering and organized crime Juvenile and Criminal Justice testified that ed industrial hemp seed Oct. 13 at the DEA General David Ogden clarified this Oct. 19, remain high federal prosecution priorities. possession arrests have soared while other headquarters and museum. directing US Attorneys in medical cannabis Any cannabis possession or use on fed- Please turn to page 9 This was one of the first times industri- states not to focus on individuals whose eral lands, even medical use, may be pros- al hemp advocates have used public civil actions are in clear and unambiguous com- ecuted. Yes, that nice ranger with the disobedience to protest the ban on hemp pliance with state medical cannabis laws. Smokey Bear hat is a federal agent charged Colorado ski resort farming in the United States. While the US That directive seems simple enough. It with enforcing federal anti-cannabis laws. is the largest market for hemp products in is good news for legitimate California med- Collectives may better protect them- the world, and industrial hemp is farmed ical patients and cannabis collectives. selves from federal prosecution by dealing legalizes adult use throughout Europe, Asia and Canada, not Under the new policy, federal agents, only with collective members, by comply- By Brian Vicente, Sensible CO Executive Director a single American farmer can legally grow including the DEA, FBI, IRS and other fed- ing with all state laws, organized as the In a decisive victory for equality, a high- the versatile crop, which is used for food, eral agencies would not act against California Attorney General-suggested: profile Colorado ski tourist destination clothing, body care, paper, building materi- patients, caregivers, and collectives that “non-profit, mutual benefit” corporations. voted to legalize adult possession of als, auto paneling and more. follow state laws, unless there is evidence California cannabis collectives should cannabis. Breckenridge voters on Nov. 3 North Dakota farmer Wayne Hauge, of a commercial, profit-making enterprise, closely follow Health & Safety Code passed Measure 2F by a 73 percent vote to Vermont’s Cedar Circle Organic Farm or to enforce other federal laws. 11362.5 (Proposition 215), HS 11362.7 (SB remove from the Town Code criminal founder Will Allen, Hemp Industries Assn. However, US Attorneys are directed to 420, esp. 11362.775), Court rulings and the penalties for private possession of up to (HIA) President Steve Levine, Dr. continue to act in state cases involving state Attorney General’s guidelines. When one ounce by adults 21 and older. Bronner’s Magic Soaps President David unlawful possession, unlawful use of in doubt, consult an experienced attorney. In a cutting-edge move, the ordinance Bronner, Vote Hemp Communications Dir - firearms, violence, sales to minors, finan- * Bartleman a criminal defense attorney since 1980, advises also removes criminal penalties for the pos- patient collectives. ector Adam Eidinger, and Livity Outer - cial activities inconsistent with legal use session of drug paraphernalia. This is the ** Posted online at blogs.usdoj.gov/blog/archives/192 national Hemp Clothing founder Issac (money laundering or financial gains), first ordinance change in Colorado — and Please turn to page 14 larger than permitted quantities, sales or likely national — history to remove penal- ties for both cannabis and associated para- Maine voters choose phernalia. “This vote demonstrates that our state-run dispensaries Breckenridge citizens overwhelmingly By Phil Smith, DRCNet believe that adults should not be punished Voters approved the Maine Medical for making the safer choice to use marijua- Marijuana Act (MMMA), an initiative na instead of alcohol,” said Sean instructing the state government to set up a McAllister, Breckenridge attorney and system of state-licensed cannabis dispen- chair of Sensible Breckenridge. saries, with 59 percent of the vote. It was “As state and national focus grows on sponsored by Maine Citizens for Patient this important issue, the popular ski town Rights (MCPR) and the Maine Medical of Breckenridge has taken center stage on Marijuana Policy Initiative, and primarily marijuana reform — and not just for med- funded by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA). ical purposes,” said Brian Vicente of Maine is the first state to approve state- Sensible Colorado, the statewide nonprofit licensed dispensaries through a popular which assisted the local effort. “With this vote rather than legislative or initiative historic vote, Breckenridge has emerged as processes. Such long-time Maine activists a national leader in sensible drug policy.” SEEDS OF DISSENT — (left to right) Levine, Allen, Eidinger, Hague and Bronner planted hemp seeds on the DEAʼs front lawn Oct. 13 using engraved ceremonial shovels. Photo by Ryan Fletcher Please turn to page 21 Please turn to page 19 Winter 2010 Page 2 West Coast Leaf Washington patients seek collective rights By Martin Martinez, CannabisMD.net patient basis, not per location. West Coasterdam Report Thanks to the efforts of ACLU Attorney At that point, representatives of SPD Alison Holcomb, ranking members of the and the prosecutor’s office verbally agreed Office of the King County Prosecutor, that when a garden involves more than one Feds ordered to return $186,000 to Los Angeles dispensary along with a narcotics division captain and patient, they shall revise their limitation to other officers from the Seattle Police reflect the number of valid patients. They A Federal Appeals Court ordered the US government to return $186,000 that had been ille- Department (SPD) and East Side Task indicated that they would consider the gally seized from a Los Angeles cannabis dispensary. In March 2005, a local police sergeant Force, sat down with representatives from total number of patients at a garden before visited United Medical Caregivers and observed qualified patients purchase cannabis.