Libertarians: Supreme Court Medical Marijuana Decision a 'Death Sentence' Contact: Juan Ros of the Libertarian Party of California, 818-782-8400; E-mail: director@ca.lp.org; Web site: http://www.ca.lp.org PANORAMA CITY, Calif., Aug. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A Supreme Court order handed down today barring the distribution of medical marijuana to sick and suffering patients in California is tantamount to a death sentence for those patients, the Libertarian Party of California charged today. According to the Associated Press, the court voted 7-1 to grant an emergency Clinton administration request and postpone the effect of a prior federal court ruling that permitted the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative (OCBC) to distribute medical marijuana to patients. [continues 293 words]
AUBURN, Calif., Aug. 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following Tuesday's grant of a continuance in the medical marijuana trial of Steve and Michele Kubby due to complications with Mrs. Kubby's pregnancy, Placer County law enforcement officials are moving to seize the couple's assets. According to Truckee Attorney Dale Wood, who represents Mr. Kubby, Placer County Deputy Sheriff Michael Lyke telephoned today to discover where he could serve the Kubbys with papers to initiate civil asset forfeiture proceedings. On Tuesday, Judge Robert G. Vonasek found good cause that Michele Kubby, 33, could not proceed to trial for medical reasons. He ruled to continue the trial to Feb. 15, 2000, over the objection of prosecutors. [continues 186 words]
Medical Reasons Force Delay AUBURN, Calif., Aug. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The medical marijuana trial of Steve and Michele Kubby in Placer County was put on hold today after medical complications made it impossible for Michele Kubby to adequately participate in her own defense. After presenting reports from two doctors Sacramento attorney Joe Farina today moved for a continuance. Farina was joined in his motion by Placer County attorney Dale Woods who represents Steve Kubby. Judge Robert G. Vonasek, a visiting retired Glenn County judge from Orland who is presiding, found good cause that Michele Kubby. 33, could not proceed to trial. He ruled to continue the trial to February 15, 2000. [continues 222 words]
WASHINGTON - A first time study that portrays the degree of illicit drug, alcohol, and tobacco use in selected popular movies and music was released today by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The study examined the 200 most popular movie rentals and 1000 of the most popular songs from 1996 and 1997. Findings revealed that 98 percent of movies studied depicted substance use. Illicit drugs appeared in 22 percent of the movies studied. Twenty-seven percent of the 1000 songs contained a clear reference to either alcohol or illicit drugs. This is the first national study of its kind to quantify the frequency and nature of substance use in entertainment media. [continues 724 words]
AUBURN, Calif., Jan. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- What happens when you don't win an election for Governor in California? Like many third world nations, you go directly to jail without passing Go. In a morning raid yesterday, 1998 Libertarian Party gubernatorial candidate Steve Kubby and his wife, Michele, were arrested at their Olympic Valley home and incarcerated in the Placer County Jail in Auburn. According to the Kubbys' attorney, Dale Wood, officials apparently "stacked" felony marijuana cultivation charges to bring bail up to $100,000 for each of the Kubbys. [continues 145 words]
The move to legalize the medical use of marijuana continues to grow across the nation. This move has been presented on ballots as ``medical'' marijuana. The Auxiliary to the National Medical Association opposes the legalization of the medical use of marijuana through a ballot initiative. Marijuana is an addictive drug. The second-hand smoke properties of marijuana can adversely affect infants and small children. The United States has invested time and energy in removing alcohol, tobacco and other drugs from the hands of our youth. What messages are we sending when we tell our children to ``say no'' to drugs but yes to ``medical marijuana?'' [continues 211 words]
[Continued from Part 1] Let's consider now how drug epidemics can vary by geographic location and subpopulation and how local knowledge of substance abuse trends can be useful for crafting an intervention. Methamphetamine remains a problem primarily in the western United States. The green bars that you see are almost exclusively found on the left side of the map, and the green bars represent methamphetamine. San Diego, where nearly 40 percent of the adult males and females combined tested positive for methamphetamine, has been extraordinarily hard hit. In fact, methamphetamine is now the most prevalent drug among arrestees in San Diego, surpassing that of both cocaine and marijuana. [continues 2582 words]
WASHINGTON, July 11 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is the transcript of a White House press briefing on Friday, July 10, by Jeremy Travis, director of the National Institute of Justice, and Dr. Jack Riley, director of the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program, released today by the White House: BY JEREMY TRAVIS, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE; DR. JACK RILEY, DIRECTOR OF THE ARRESTEE DRUG ABUSE MONITORING PROGRAM The Briefing Room MR. TOIV: Our briefers are Jerry Travis, who is Director of the National Institute of Justice -- that is the research arm of the Department of Justice -- Dr. Jack Riley, who is the Director of the ADAM program in the National Institution of Justice, and that is the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program. And they will brief on the study that is going to be released tomorrow, as well as on some grants that the President will be announcing. And also available to answer questions on some elements of that will be Harry Kramer, Director of Congressional and Public Affairs for the Office of Justice Programs. [continues 2609 words]
WASHINGTON, June 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Today, the National Association of Police Organizations, Inc. (NAPO), representing more than 4,000 police unions and associations and over 220,000 sworn law enforcement officers from across the nation, submitted a legal brief in support of law enforcement officers in the case of Patrick Knowles v. State of Iowa, a Fourth Amendment vehicular search and seizure case. This case directly bears on the authority of law enforcement officers to protect themselves and the public by conducting a search for weapons, whenever they stop a motor vehicle for a traffic violation and issue a citation instead of making an arrest (assuming there is authority to do both). NAPO and its members have a significant interest in the resolution of this case. The Iowa State Police Association is a member of NAPO, with approximately 3,000 police officer members, whose safety during traffic stops will be impacted by the Court's decision. In addition, NAPO is vitally concerned with the impact that this case will have on the safety of law enforcement officers throughout the nation. NAPO's amicus brief provides the Court with the perspective of the police profession and an insight into the serious danger inherent in routine traffic stops. [continues 1185 words]
U.S. Newswire : BEDMINSTER, N.J., July 16 /U.S. Newswire/ Americans for Hope, Growth and Opportunity (AHGO), a national issues advocacy organization, today announced a radio campaign in Washington, D.C., to mobilize public opinion against Initiative Measure Number 57. The measure, which would legalize the "possession, use, cultivation and distribution" of marijuana in the District of Columbia, needs 16,763 valid signatures by Dec. 8, 1997, to qualify. Steve Forbes, honorary chairman, called on President Clinton, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott to take a bold lead against the initiative, which would make marijuana available even to minors under the age of 18, without a doctor's prescription. [continues 1210 words]
