Last week, Oregon's new law legalizing recreational marijuana came into effect, -making it the fourth state to legalize, following Alaska, Washington and Colorado. Recreational marijuana is also legal in the District of Columbia. Thousands of Oregonian growers, dispensary owners and marijuana enthusiasts gathered at the Weed the People event to celebrate what many called a historic moment. The main impetus for the event was a result of people seeing green-and I'm not talking about marijuana. As free doobies were passed around the event, so were business cards among the "ganjapreneurs" who gathered there to network. These eager capitalists are hoping to be ahead of the market when retail cannabis sales begin, likely next fall. [continues 722 words]
From "UA marijuana researcher fired unexpectedly" (by Hannah Plotkin, July 1) We should not be surprised. Our state and federal politicians are willing to throw our U.S. military veterans under the bus so we can continue our war on certain politically selected drugs. The DEA, the Drug Czar's office and the National Institute on Drug Abuse and its employees are all prevented by law to investigate or research any of the benefits of cannabis consumption. The above institution[s] are all huge bureaucracies and the goal of every bureaucracy is its continuation and expansion. The re-legalization of cannabis would result in huge budget cuts for all these agencies. Marijuana prohibition is the foundation of our drug war. Kirk Muse, Mesa, AZ [end]
Dr. Sue Sisley, a UA researcher who had designed an FDA-approved medical marijuana study, received notice of termination from the university on Friday. She was informed that she had been stripped of 100 percent of her salary support and her position as assistant professor as of Sept. 26. Sisley said she was not given a specific reason for termination, and that she had received no formal complaints leading up to her termination. The UA cannot discuss the reasoning behind Sisley's termination due to Arizona Board of Regents' policy, said Chris Sigurdson, senior associate vice president of University Relations. [continues 468 words]
Despite a recent amendment in Arizona law, a UA researcher must continue to wait for federal approval before conducting medical marijuana research. Dr. Sue Sisley, assistant director of interprofessional education and assistant professor of internal medicine and psychiatry, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration two years ago to study the effect of cannabis on veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. However, the FDA's approval is one of many regulations Sisley will need to get through in order to move forward with the study. [continues 646 words]
Much to the dismay of medical marijuana advocates and patients, the state of Arizona is once again working on making the drug illegal. A bill that would repeal the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act has been criticized across the country, as Arizona remains in a state of indecision. Since 2010, medical marijuana has been legal in Arizona. Legalization has been kicked around on legislative bills since medical marijuana was originally legalized back in 1996 and rescinded the following year. Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services recently wrote about the victims of the situation, saying that medical patients and dispensary owners are in an uproar about the possibility of the product becoming illegal once again. Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, is all for putting legalization back on the ballot in 2014. [continues 357 words]
The UA recently declared its support of amending a state statute to clarify that marijuana research, receiving the proper federal authorization, may be conducted at the university. The support, given in a UA statement, comes as a result of delays in a UA study intended to determine if marijuana will benefit veterans with post traumatic stress disorder. Currently, Arizona state law states that marijuana research may not be performed on state campuses. The study, run by Sue Sisley, a UA researcher and professor at the UA college of medicine's downtown Phoenix campus, is still waiting for the approval of two organizations. The UA Institutional Review Board and the Food and Drug Administration have approved the study; however the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Drug Enforcement Administration have not. [continues 625 words]
When Javier Sicilia's son was kidnapped and murdered in Mexico in March 2011, he decided he'd had it with Mexico's war on drugs. Sicilia, who was once a poet, put his pen down and instead ensured that his voice was heard through activism and peaceful protests. The world-renowned peace activist and poet spoke to the UA community on Monday in a talk titled "Mexico's Future: Peace or Endless War?" Sicilia addressed the issues of who is responsible for Mexico's drug war and what can be done to end it. [continues 598 words]
Why would you rely on government agencies who do not employ medical professionals but merely restate the old lies that have been passed around since the 1930s? Cannabis does not increase DUI statistics - in fact in the Medical Marijuana states, fatal car crashes are down over 10 percent. Studies at UCLA, Harvard and USF are showing through studies that patients show increased lung capacity, improvement in heart health and improvement in brain function. In fact, just Saturday, I listened, in Tucson, to several doctors explain how after head injuries, one of the most effective treatments would be cannabis, but modern medicine will not study it. The brain's reactions to cannabis and the healing and restorative properties are responsible for the benefit. [continues 270 words]
What a joke of an article you wrote about legalizing marijuana. Marijuana Prohibition is an outrage, and the biggest anti-libertarian law I have ever seen. Why is the government regulating what is put into our bodies? Marijuana users ARE NOT infringing on anyone else's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In these harsh economic times, billions of dollars are wasted on penalizing/incarcerating marijuana users for victimless "crimes." Money could be saved for the American taxpayers by making marijuana legal and taxing the sale of this medicinal plant. Your biased rhetoric against marijuana is totally false. You have no clue what you are talking about when you say that it will lead to nothing but negative impacts. I wish you would re-evaluate and help to end this irrational prohibition. - - Allen Carlisle, Vicksburg, Miss. [end]
Pushing for the legalization of recreational marijuana is a waste of time. The Tucson Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws held its annual protest on April 20. About 50 protesters made their way to Cheba Hut for the seventh annual protest, where they held up signs to flash at traffic about legalizing marijuana. It's sad how badly those people want recreational marijuana legalized. Medical marijuana helps people, but recreational marijuana can be dangerous. Marijuana is the most common illegal drug found in "impaired drivers and crash victims involved in 'drugged driving' accidents," according to the Alcohol Drug Abuse Help & Resource Center website. The drug interferes with the cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that controls coordination, according to the center's website. Legalizing this drug will do nothing more then increase the number of DUIs and fatal car accidents, as if Arizona needs higher numbers in that department. [continues 395 words]
From financial investments to lavish spring break trips, three drug dealers' experiences as independent businessmen Spending the past few months with drug dealers has been oddly uninspiring. The life of a drug dealer isn't an everlasting party. But all drug dealers have two desires in common: easy money and personal autonomy. Like a new business owner on crack, drug dealers face risks people can't possibly understand without personal experience. If the dealer conducts himself well and quits while he's ahead, he might avoid the law or getting stabbed in the gut. Other dealers stick with it too long, and eventually screw up, usually falling into debt or onto the hood of a police car. But there are many kinds of drug dealers, all of whom have varying levels of success. Here are the stories of three drug dealers I got to know during the past three months. [continues 2168 words]
It's revealing that the U.S. federal government will allow sick citizens to have highly addictive Class A narcotics like Oxycontin and Percocet on campus but the relatively safe God-given plant (see the 1st page of the Bible) cannabis (marijuana) is treated like a weapon of mass destruction (Medical Marijuana Ban To Hit Campuses, Feb. 23, 2012). Harmfully, government classifies cannabis a Schedule I substance alongside heroin while meth and cocaine are only Schedule II substances. The problems associated with that misclassification harm all North Americans in more ways than can be comprehended. - - Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
University Could Lose Federal Funding If Drug Use Is Permitted The UA may have to keep the bongs at bay, as a new bill would make medical marijuana on campus illegal, even if it is allowed in the state. The university already bans medical marijuana on campus in order to receive federal funding under the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989. House Bill 2349 would make it illegal for the ban not to exist. [continues 459 words]
College Student Experiences Firsthand The Pros And Cons Of Contraband, Offers Her Take On Drug Laws And What She Wished She Knew About Tripping Krystle Cole has tried more psychedelic drugs than all of the Beatles combined, personally knew the operators of the biggest LSD laboratory in history and lived through some of the most profound and darkest experiences a human being can have, such as run-ins with the law and bad trips. A native of Kansas and former Tucson dweller, Cole is a pursuing a master's degree in psychology from Capella University. Through her experience, she became an expert in psychedelics and safe drug use, penned a book called "Lysergic" and founded Neurosoup.com, a website that focuses on trying to educate people on responsible drug use. [continues 1150 words]
In response to Storm Byrd's column "A new kind of green party": If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are as inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. [continues 71 words]
Green is truly what's in. The recent passage of Proposition 203 in Arizona, and the near passage of Proposition 19 in California, have made an interesting blip on the radar and signify an unexpected acceptance of the ganja. Although Proposition 203 only allows marijuana to be used legally for medicinal purposes, it is still a clear sign of the acceptance of marijuana in the broader culture, and as some hope or fear, it is a step toward eventual legal recreational use. [continues 503 words]
Symposium Addresses Legalizing Pot For Medicinal Use The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy hosted a discussion with national medical experts on the legalization of medical marijuana Thursday as part of a two-day symposium. Five medical specialists, including Kevin Sabet, special advisor for policy and strategic planning for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, discussed whether medical marijuana should be legal. The goal of the event, held at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa, 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd., "is to raise awareness about various issues of medical development regarding marijuana and to discuss the experience of states and cities trying to wrestle around these complicated issues," Sabet said. [continues 203 words]
I am very concerned about pre-physiology freshman Zach M. Weinstein's Tuesday mailbag letter because I fear that many people share his opinions on marijuana policy ("'Medical Marijuana' an ironic cliche"). Even if it were true that marijuana cigarettes contain more carcinogens than their tobacco counterparts (a 2006 UCLA School of Medicine study found that they do not), there are many ways other than smoking the herb to ingest it, such as preparing it with food, which can prevent many of the harms usually associated with marijuana smoking. [continues 167 words]
I'm writing about: "Medical marijuana may make ballot" (10-1-09). One of the medications prescribed by my personal physician for my arthritis pain and inflammation has the rare potential side effect of death. In other words, if I take this medication as prescribed, I can die as a result. On the other hand, marijuana has never been documented to kill a single person in the 5,000 year history of its use. For me, marijuana is the more effective medication. Right now, if adult citizens opt for the safer and more effective medication, they are subject to arrest and being sent to jail with violent criminals. Is something wrong with this situation? I think so. Shouldn't adult citizens have the freedom to choose what goes into their own bodies in the privacy of their own homes? Kirk Muse, Mesa, Ariz. [end]
Marijuana reform advocates say patients in need of herbal pain medication are closer to relief, as efforts increase in Arizona to turn out support for a proposition in favor of the legalization of medical marijuana. To date, The Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project says it has collected more than 130,000 voters' signatures -- approximately 23,000 short of the 153,000 voter signatures required to get the proposition onto the November 2010 ballot. "There are thousands of sick Arizonans who need medical marijuana for pain relief," said Andrew Myers, campaign manager for the project. [continues 484 words]
