Statement of UN Representative and Medical Cannabis Patient Michael Krawitz

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Statement of UN Representative and Medical Cannabis Patient Michael Krawitz Statement - United Nations Commission Narcotic Drugs Agenda item #5(a) Cannabis Scheduling Thank you mister Chair, esteemed Members of the Commission, My name is Michael Krawitz and I am a disabled United States Air Force Veteran and voluntarily serve as Executive Director of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access. The community of military veterans in the United States has found Cannabis to be an invaluable medication that has helped us reduce our pill count from the mainstream hospitals system. Cannabis as an adjunct pain medicine has been proven to be an effective especially effective as an adjunct palliative treatment. As a medical patient myself, I know firsthand how well Cannabis works. Our current medicinal access laws are the product of decades of efforts at the state and national level and provide over 1/2 of our population medicinal access to a variety of useful and effective Cannabis medications. Patients in my country, the USA, have waited long enough. But patients in most of the world have suffered for a very long time. In 35 of the 53 voting members of the Commission the medical use of Cannabis ​is​ a traditional practice that is culturally accepted and documented by science and History. The treaty is often the sole reason cited to justify such strict control and lack of availability of Cannabis for medical use. 59 years after Cannabis was scheduled in the absence of scientific evidence, the WHO spent many years studying Cannabis medicinal use before releasing recommendations and another year as the WHO has engaged the CND process. Although we understand the need for Member States to properly assess and understand the recommendations of the CND process, I ask you, dear delegates serving on this Commission on Narcotic Drugs, fulfil the mandate of the international drug control system to ensure access to medicines, medicines capable of relieving human suffering. We have waited long enough. Thank you, Take care of yourself, and Ensure access for all. .
Recommended publications
  • The Razor Wire
    Autumn 2003 Vol. 7 No. 2 The Razor Wire Winter 2004 Nonviolent Offender Relief Act November 5th, 2003 introduced in House Time: 6:45 AM Stratford High School he Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Offender Relief Act of 2003, HR 3575, was introduced in the House of Representatives on November 21. Relief in the form of early release eligibility would come to prisoners at least 45 years of age who have served half their sentence, "Get on the ground! Get with no history of violence, or violations of institutional disciplinary regulations. (You will find the on the ground!" an full bill text on page 6.) officer yells as students The bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee where members will argue its fall to the floor. merits, listen to varied testimony from pro and con voices, and undoubtedly modify its language. If HR 3575 becomes law as it’s now written, its effects would be significant. Had a parole bill been introduced before, or simultaneously, it would have made comment easier for anyone attempting it formally. Many November Coalition members don’t expect HR 3575 to stand alone, or for very long. Thus, at this time of congressional interest, we encourage support for any bill offering relief to the imprisoned, assistance to former prisoners, and sentencing relief for ‘future drug offenders.’ There are bills in Congress in each broad category. That said, our members should appreciate how relentless pressure over the years has pushed proposed bills for early release into Congressional hearing rooms in 2003-4. This progress is "Hands on your head, evidence of a new era of popular democracy.
    [Show full text]
  • Cannabis Plant and Cannabis Resin
    World Health Organization Expert Committee on Drug Dependence 41st ECDD, November 12th - 16th 2018 Critical -Review - Cannabis Plant and Cannabis Resin Dear Esteemed Members of the 41st Expert Committee, We are a coalition of Civil Society Organizations that advocate for regulatory, distributive and redistributive public policy reform for ​Cannabis. Due to the commitments of the 186 state parties of the 1961 Single Convention, ​Cannabis​ remains classified within many National policies as a drug having no accepted medical value. These policies have disproportionate health, safety and economic impacts on traditional ​Cannabis farming regions, which are global. According the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), cannabis cultivation was reported by ​“145 countries (or 85 percent of countries reporting to UNODC) over the period 2010–2016, representing 94 percent of the world’s total population”​. (38)1 Cannabis cultivation was reported through direct indicators such as cultivation or eradication reporting; or indirect indicators including seizures and origin of seizures. North America accounted for roughly 39 percent of the global total of cannabis production. South America, Central America and the Caribbean accounted for nearly 23 percent, whereas Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania account for roughly 38 percent of cannabis production. (39)2 We offer this paper to the ECDD for your consideration of the medical and cultural value of Cannabis ​and geographic indication systems as a mechanism to support national regulation for traditional cannabis producing regions. Sincerely, Michael Krawitz​, Speaking for the Coalition of the Following Organizations: 1 World Drug Report 2018, ​Analysis of Drug Markets: Opiates, cocaine, cannabis, synthetic drugs,​ (United Nations publication, Sales No.
    [Show full text]
  • The Handbook of Cannabis Therapeutics: from Bench to Bedside
    Handbook of Cannabis Therapeutics From Bench to Bedside 9780789030979 Handbook of Cannabis Therapeutics From Bench to Bedside Size: 212 x 152mm Spine size: 26 mm Color pages: Binding: Paperback THE HAWORTH PRESS® Haworth Series in Integrative Healing Ethan Russo Editor The Last Sorcerer: Echoes of the Rainforest by Ethan Russo Professionalism and Ethics in Complementary and Alternative Medicine by John Crellin and Fernando Ania Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential by Franjo Grotenhermen and Ethan Russo Modern Psychology and Ancient Wisdom: Psychological Healing Practices from the World’s Religious Traditions edited by Sharon G. Mijares Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Clinic Design by Robert A. Roush Herbal Voices: American Herbalism Through the Words of American Herbalists by Anne K. Dougherty The Healing Power of Chinese Herbs and Medicinal Recipes by Joseph P. Hou and Youyu Jin Alternative Therapies in the Treatment of Brain Injury and Neurobehavioral Disorders: A Practical Guide edited by Gregory J. Murrey Handbook of Cannabis Therapeutics: From Bench to Bedside edited by Ethan B. Russo and Franjo Grotenhermen Handbook of Cannabis Therapeutics From Bench to Bedside Ethan B. Russo, MD Franjo Grotenhermen, MD Editors Routledge Taylor &. Francis Croup NEW YORK AND LONDON First Published by The Haworth Press, Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580. Transferred to Digital Printing 2010 by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York NY 10016 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN For more information on this book or to order, visit http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sku=5741 or call 1-800-HAWORTH (800-429-6784) in the United States and Canada or (607) 722-5857 outside the United States and Canada or contact [email protected] © 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Highlife Nr 3 2018
    #1 CANNABIS LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE ® HighLifeJuni/Juli 2018 GRATIS GANJA YOGA IK BEN HE-LE-MAAL LOS Jean Pierre Voncken vecht voor zijn dochter CBD-OLIE VOOR KINDEREN COMMISSIE WIETPROEF Verslag van binnenuit # Opbrengst hennepkwekerijen anders berekend? 3 Silicium versterkt de Si Si Si Si Si buitenste laag van de Si Si Si Si bladeren en stam, verbetert de weerstand tegen ziektes en stress. Si Si Si Si Silicium creëert een sterkere en dikkere Si Si stam. Si Si Si NO Fe 3 Ca Silicium reguleert en verbetert de opname Mn K Ca K Mn van nutriënten. Fe NO 3 Ca Fe NO BEKIJK DE K 3 Mn PRODUCT ANIMATIE! ATAMI.COM SILIC BOOST Boost up the strength WWW.ATAMI.COM 8 % (&$#!'( "$ !(%%#!$ L_051 SALES ATAMI.COM fe_N @ ( if ighl H aanBurgemeesters zet In dit nummer het schrijnende verhaal van een kweekster die uit haar woning werd gezet nadat een politiemacht van achttien agenten vijf wietplanten in een kweektent vond. De vrouw kweekte de plantjes vanwege medicinale redenen, VOORWOORD maar de burgemeester van Emmen was onverbiddelijk. Ze VAN DE moest haar eigen koopwoning drie maanden uit. UITGEVER De Nederlandse overheid voert een Belachelijk natuurlijk. De vrouw ging in hoger afspreken dat niet langer bestuursrechtelijk liberaal beleid t.a.v. cannabis. Het beroep en trok aan het langste eind. Maar en strafrechtelijk wordt opgetreden tegen gebruik van cannabis wordt in de Nederlandse Opiumwet niet strafbaar de gemeente geeft niet op. Gefinancierd kleinschalige hennepteelt voor medicinale gesteld. Vele gemeenten gedogen door onze belastingcenten gaan ze in hoger redenen. Uiteraard moet de teler dan coffeeshops van waaruit hasj en wiet beroep.
    [Show full text]
  • Doctors to Study Effectiveness of CBD by Fred Gardner
    “Good and bad in every group.” O’Shaughnessy’s $5.95 The Journal of Cannabis in Clinical Practice Summer 2010 Doctors to Study Effectiveness of CBD By Fred Gardner Tod Mikuriya, MD, did not live to see “Placeholder” Questionnaire it, but his dream of investigating the Why is this plant different medical potential of compounds in the from all other plants? INTRODUCING PROJECT CBD cannabis plant other than THC is now within the grasp of his successors. Our collective is involved in a research project to assess the The Society of Cannabis Clinicians, effects of strains relatively rich in cannabidiol (more than 4% the group Mikuriya founded in 1999, has CBD). Collective members who medicate with CBD-rich can- drafted a “Strain Evaluation Survey” to nabis are encouraged to take part in this research by report- collect data from patients who medicate ing your observations on the back of this form with cannabis in which cannabidiol Is CBD-rich Cannabis right for you? (CBD) is predominant Research suggests that CBD could be effective in easing CBD-rich cannabis will be available the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, nausea, and at California and Colorado dispensaries inflammatory bowel disorders, among other difficult-to-con- by late summer —and soon thereafter, trol conditions. CBD is non-psychoactive and may counter inevitably, in other states where patients certain effects of THC. Patients who want the anti-inflamma- can legally use cannabis as medicine. tory, anti-pain, anti-anxiety, or anti-spasm effects of cannabis Twelve strains rich in cannabidiol delivered —possibly— without disconcerting euphoria or se- (CBD) have been identified in the year dation might prefer CBD-rich Cannabis.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Agenda
    8/10/2020 @ 10AM PST Veterans Cannabis Group Conference Call Update CONFERENCE CALL AGENDA Speaking Members; o Aaron Augustis Founder - Veterans Cannabis Group US Army Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom www.veteranscannabisgroup.com o Michael Krawitz Sergeant, disabled-retired USAF Executive Director VMCA http://www.veteransformedicalcannabis.org/ o Cherissa Jackson, is a Combat Veteran Nurse starting to engage in taking care of the female Veteran voice and now for cannabis and is AMVETS Chief Medical Officer. o Veterans Cannabis Coalition Eric Goepel https://www.veteranscannacoalition.org/ o COVID-19 updates from Veterans on the call from around the country NOTES WHO – World Health Organization, international treaty agreements regarding cannabis Michael Krawitz has been attending meetings and representing Veterans Changing their position on medical cannabis Voting in December – over the counter use for medical cannabis without a prescription Veterans Cannabis Coalition – community reinvestment grants, equity programs, etc. The More Act - https://www.cannabisdispensarymag.com/article/cannabis-industry-awaits-us-house- vote-more-act/ The Community Reinvestment Grant Program: Provides services to the individuals most adversely impacted by the War on Drugs, including job training, re-entry services, legal aid, literacy programs, youth recreation, mentoring and substance use treatment The Cannabis Opportunity Grant Program: Provides funds for loans to assist small businesses in the marijuana industry that are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals The Equitable Licensing Grant Program: Provides funds for programs that minimize barriers to marijuana licensing and employment for the individuals most adversely impacted by the War on Drugs Take Action: Drug Policy Alliance | NORML Decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level by removing the substance from the Controlled Substances Act (de-scheduling), applies this retroactively to prior and current convictions, and enables states to set their own policies.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Bulletin 100801
    RAO BULLETIN 1 August 2010 Note: Anyone receiving this who does not want it request click on the highlighted automatic “Change address / Leave mailing list” tab at the bottom of the message this is attached to or hit reply and place the word "Remove" in the subject line. THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES == Vet Insurance ~ Life ---------- (Practices under Investigation) == Minnesota Veterans Business Program -- (Loan Availability) == VA Presumptive VN Vet Diseases [09] -- (Funding in place) == VA Funding 2011 ------------------------ (Approved by House) == DoD Benefit Cuts ----------------------------------- (First Step?) == DoD Benefit Cuts [01] ------------ (BDD Initial Observations) == VA Pension [03] ---------------------------------- (Income Rules) == VA Burial Benefit [09] -------------- (Hmong Bill Introduced) == Mobilized Reserve 27 JUL 2010 ---------- (17,458 Decreases) == Tricare Overseas Fraud/Abuse [02] - (PI Indictment Dropped) == Tricare Overseas Program [03] ------------ (Transition Letters) == VA Prosthetics [06] -------------------------- (New Technology) == Americans with Disabilities Act ------------- (Time to Update) == Arlington National Cemetery [13] ------- (Mislabeled Graves) == Military Stolen Valor [18] ------ (Act Ruled Unconstitutional) == Military Stolen Valor [19] -------------------- (John Rodriguez) == Military Stolen Valor [20] ------------ (Ex-Walter Reed CSM) == Florida Veterans Homes [03] ----------- (New Home Opening) == Merchant Marine WWII Compensation [05] --- (Doc Rqmts) == Tricare
    [Show full text]
  • Cannabis Americana As “Cannabis Sa- by Physiological Methods
    —4— O’Shaughnessy’s • Spring 2006 Rare booklet reveals— Parke, Davis Marketed Cannabis Extracts To Doctors With “Buy American” Pitch By O’Shaughnessy’s News Service “Repeated tests have con- Archivist Michael Krawitz has ob- Drug Company Promotion tained via ebay a promotional booklet vinced us that Cannabis Ameri- attesting to the widespread medical use cana properly grown and cured is of cannabis in the U.S. almost a century fully as active as the best Indian ago. drug, while on the other hand The handsomely designed and printed we have frequently found Indian 16-page booklet was published by Parke, Davis & Co. to market its “Cannabis Cannabis to be practically inert.” Americana” to doctors and pharmacists —just as drug companies nowadays do describe as state-of-the art. when they have a potential “blockbuster” “Several years ago we began a emerging from the pipeline. systematic investigation of American Just as drug companies do nowadays, grown Cannabis Sativa. Samples from Parke , Davis knocks the competition, a number of localalities (sic) were ob- which in this instance was cannabis im- tained and carefully investigated. From ported from India. And just as they do these samples fluid and solid extracts nowadays, they invoke science to peddle were prepared according to the Pharma- their wares, although the science is not copoeal method, and carefully tested entirely rigorous (to put it mildly). upon animals for physiological activity, Under a first-page headline defining and eventually they were standardized Cannabis Americana as “Cannabis Sa- by physiological methods. Repeated tiva Grown in America,” the marketing tests have convinced us that Cannabis department gets right to the point: Americana properly grown and cured now consider the two plants to be iden- “Much has been written relative to the is fully as active as the best Indian tical.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin 160501 (PDF)
    RAO BULLETIN 1 May 2016 PDF Edition THIS BULLETIN CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Pg Article Subject * DOD * . 04 == Stars and Stripes [01] -------------- (May Be Silenced by Funding Cuts) 05 == DoD Religious Expression [04] ---------- (U.S. Court of Appeals Case) 07 == Commissary Prices [04] ------- (Draft Bill Eliminates At-Cost Pricing) 08 == Selective Service System [17] --- (May be Headed for the Scrap Heap) 09 == Selective Service System [18] -------- (HASC | Women Must Register) 09 == BRAC [47] ------------ (DoD Sends Congress Excess Capacity Report) 10 == BRAC [48] -------------------- (Pentagon May Start Unilateral Closures) 11 == BRAC [49] --------------- (HASC Democrat Seeks Base Closures Law) 12 == Toxic Exposure | Wurtsmith AFB ------------------ (PFC Tainted Water) 15 == State Sponsored Terrorism ----------- (State Linked to Act can be Sued) 16 == Arlington National Cemetery [58] --- (38 Acre Expansion Assessment) 17 == POW/MIA [72] ----------------- (North Korea Hands Over 17 Remains) 18 == POW/MIA Recoveries ------------------ (Reported 16 thru 30 Apr 2016) * VA * . 21 == VA Prosthetics [14] -------- (A Giant Step for Veteran Amputees | POP) 22 == VA Appeals [23] ------------------ (COA Rules in Favor of Staab | $48k) 24 == VA Commission on Care [04] -- (VA Leadership Updates Commission) 25 == VA Commission on Care [05] ----- (MOAA | Fix, Don’t Dismantle VA) 26 == VA Privatization [03] ---------------- (Evidence Does Not Support Need) 27 == VA Medical Marijuana [19] --------------- (DEA Approves PTSD Study) 28 == VA Women
    [Show full text]
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    No. ================================================================ In The Supreme Court of the United States ------------------------------------------------------------------ CARL ERIC OLSEN, Petitioner, v. DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION, Respondent. ------------------------------------------------------------------ On Petition For Writ Of Certiorari To The United States Court Of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Circuit ------------------------------------------------------------------ PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI ------------------------------------------------------------------ CARL OLSEN 130 E. Aurora Ave. Des Moines, IA 50313-3654 Tel: (515) 343-9933 Email: [email protected] Pro Se Petitioner i QUESTION PRESENTED Whether the Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”) may lawfully conclude that marijuana has “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States” under the federal Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C §§ 801-904 (“CSA”), when marijuana’s medical use is currently accepted by 20 states and the District of Columbia? ii PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDINGS BELOW Carl Olsen intervened in a petition to reschedule marijuana filed with the Respondent DEA by Petitioners Americans for Safe Access William Britt, the Coalition to Reschedule Cannabis, Cathy Jordan, Michael Krawitz, Rick Steeb and Patients Out of Time. ------------------------------------------------------------------ CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT Olsen reports that he is an individual who does not have a parent corporation. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS QUESTION
    [Show full text]
  • ISPUB.COM Volume 12 Number 1
    The Internet Journal of Law, Healthcare and Ethics ISPUB.COM Volume 12 Number 1 The Ethics of Medical Marijuana: Government Restrictions vs. Medical Necessity (An Update) P Clark, J Dubensky, A Evans, H Bhatt, A Ayala, S Umapathy Citation P Clark, J Dubensky, A Evans, H Bhatt, A Ayala, S Umapathy. The Ethics of Medical Marijuana: Government Restrictions vs. Medical Necessity (An Update). The Internet Journal of Law, Healthcare and Ethics. 2018 Volume 12 Number 1. DOI: 10.5580/IJLHE.53690 Abstract Cannabis, a genus of plant that includes several species, is more commonly referred to as marijuana. Cannabis has a long history of being used for recreational purposes, but in recent years there is growing support for its use in the medical arena. Because cannabis is considered an illegal substance on a federal level and has not been as extensively researched as other well established drugs, the implications of utilizing marijuana medicinally are complex not only from a clinical perspective but also from a legal and even ethical perspective as well. Marijuana has long been stigmatized due to its national prohibition, and this stigma remains even with changes in legislation across the country and advances in scientific research. However, despite any perceived immorality in using medical marijuana as a treatment modality, there are many proponents that argue that cannabis (and compounds derived from it) has the potential to become an important part of patient care across a variety of different medical specialties. In this paper we will discuss the established medical uses of marijuana and its derivatives (including pharmacological considerations) as well as current political and legal barriers to accessing medical marijuana.
    [Show full text]
  • USCC GR Weekly Review
    GR Weekly Review Week Ending July 9, 2021 Confidential: Not for Dissemination Outside of Membership THE WEEK AHEAD: 1. Administrative 2. Federal Priorities 3. Appropriations Lobbying 4. Policy Working Groups 5. Bi-Weekly States Update 6. This Week: Who said What on Cannabis 7. What’s the Word on Weed? 8. USCC Spotlight 9. Pioneers in Cannabis 10. The 101 (new section) Thanks to everyone who is contributing resources to the USCC! This includes not only helping with our upcoming lobbying around descheduling and SAFE Banking, but in the generous offers of support as the USCC continues to ramp up. 1. Administrative ● Stay tuned for a big announcement coming next Wednesday! We have an exciting development coming. ● The GR teams involved in our D.C. lobbying efforts around descheduling and SAFE Banking are meeting on July 21 at the Brownstein Hyatt offices. If you are part of this effort and need any info, please reach out to [email protected]. 2. Federal Priorities ● The USCC GR team began meeting with member GR folks this week to go over our vote counts and make assignments on descheduling and SAFE Banking. These meetings continue next week. We continue to hear of coming hearings for MORE and a desire for a hearing on SAFE, but nothing set. ● We heard through Hill staff Wednesday that BWS is planned for release and comment “before the August recess.” 1 3. Appropriations Lobbying ● The most likely win for SAFE in the near term is the inclusion of some of its basic protections in the appropriations process. The provision was added by a key House committee and will very likely be part of the budget sent to the Senate.
    [Show full text]