This is the way it should be. If you are following state law, growing legal medical marijuana you should never be put in jail!

After California legalized medical marijuana, Charles Lynch opened a cannabis dispensary nearly two years ago in Morro Bay, getting a license from the city and joining the chamber of commerce.

A year later, U.S. drug enforcement agents raided his business. Now Lynch is worried that he’ll get at least five years in prison when he’s sentenced tomorrow in federal court in Los Angeles on five counts of distributing marijuana.

Whatever happens, Lynch said, he’ll appeal. “I don’t feel like I deserve going through life as a convicted felon for doing things the state of California allowed me to do,” he said.

Attorney General Eric Holder has said that there would be no more federal prosecutions of cases involving medical cannabis dispensaries. He said they would be left alone as long as they were complying with state laws.

Holder said that his department will focus on people and organizations growing or cultivating “substantial amounts of marijuana and doing so in a way that’s inconsistent with federal law and state law.”

As long as you follow the rules you can grow medical marijuana in states that allow you to do so, without fear of prosecution or jail time.

isn’t that beautiful?

Now when will it be coming to a state near you??? When will sick and dying people in states that have no protection, get some???

The decision affects California and 12 other states that have legalized marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington state.

Over the past 2½ years, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration has raided at least 80 dispensaries in California.

Yet criminal charges have been filed only in several of those cases against the biggest distributors accused of breaking both federal and state laws, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in the Central District of California.

If this does not prove to you that we need change in America, nothing will. Here is a woman trying to help her sick and dying aunt just to be able to eat a little bit of food so she doesn’t die hungry, and what does she get? Fired from her job as police dispatcher, this shows how desperate Americans are becoming to get safe access to medical marijuana.

Laura Llanes does not regret buying her aunt marijuana, even though it has cost her a job as police dispatcher.

She was stunned, nevertheless, when she was fired last week after admitting she bought the marijuana to help relieve her aunt’s suffering through breast cancer and chemotherapy.

Marijuana for medicinal purposes is legal with a prescription in 13 states; Illinois is not one of them.

This is happening all across the country and it needs to stop! Sick and dying people in states that do not have protection for medical marijuana users are being persecuted, and punished when all they are trying to do is use a natural, safe, and effective medicine to combat chemotherapy loss of appetite and nausea.

Llanes, 28, of Lake Villa remains adamant she did the right thing, saying her biggest mistake was telling a few co-workers what she had done: “They ratted me out.”

It seems her co-workers did not agree with her actions, which she did not do while on employers time, and told her boss. Should people be fired because co-workers rat them out for off-duty things? This is ridiculous, I smell a lawsuit!

Her aunt, who lives in Aurora, was “sick constantly, not eating, not having an appetite. She is diabetic. She has to eat. She was whittling away to nothing,” said Llanes.

“I thought I will get her some marijuana so it would get her to eat. It worked. She did get the munchies.”

Llanes has not been charged with a crime, but when confronted by her supervisor at CenCom E-9-11, she admitted she had bought marijuana and was promptly fired Wednesday.

“All that mattered was that I admitted to committing an illegal act,” she said.

It should not be illegal to purchase marijuana in America, especially for medical reasons. This is absurd and the employees who ratted her out should be ashamed, she is only trying to help her sick aunt. And now, she has declined to buy her more, and now this woman will suffer pain while the co-workers get a pat on the back for ratting out a compassionate family member.

I hope these people sleep well tonight knowing a woman will be laying in pain dying slow because of their actions.

We need to protect patients like this and shield them from persecution like this. We need change in America regarding marijuana laws, and now is the time!!!!

A prescription drug in pill form called Marinol contains synthetic THC, the main ingredient in marijuana. But it doesn’t work for everyone, and its results are slow-arriving and unpredictable, Mirken said.

“If you talk to cancer patients, they don’t want to get high,” he said. “They just don’t want to feel sick.”

meanwhile a woman lay dying, vomiting, cannot eat in her bed… while we fight over laws regarding her smoking three (yes count them) three marijuana joints.

Patients have the right to sue drug companies.

The Supreme Court today upheld the right of patients who are hurt by a prescription or over-the-counter drug to sue the drug maker for damages.

The 6-3 decision rejected a strong move by the Bush administration and the pharmaceutical industry to shield drug makers from lawsuits if their products were approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

At issue were suits involving the more than 11,000 drugs on the market in the United States. The outgoing Bush administration told the court last fall that federal approval of a drug “preempts,” or bars, juries from deciding whether it is unduly dangerous.

But the high court, led by Justice John Paul Stevens, disagreed and said Congress had not taken away the consumer’s right to sue. He said the view of the Bush administration “does not merit deference,” particularly considering that the FDA prior to the Bush era had favored lawsuits as a means of protecting consumers from dangerous drugs.

Instead of using deadly, and potentially harmful (amputation) medication, why not use some of that natural, safe, and effective medical marijuana for nausea?

Well, if you are like most Americans, you are forced to use medicine that carries some fairly risky warnings. But this latest news shows why it is important for Americans to be informed and also have access to safe and natural forms of mediciation and not just harmful chemical compounds made and trademarked by drug companies.

Here is what happened to a patient who was suffering from nausea,…

Today’s ruling upholds a nearly $7 million jury verdict in favor of a Vermont musician whose right arm was amputated after she was injected with an anti-nausea drug made by Wyeth.

The injection struck an artery and caused gangrene, a rare but occasional complication from directly administering Phenergan, the anti-nausea drug.

Diana Levine, the Vermont woman, settled a suit against the clinic that gave her the injection and then sued Wyeth. She contended that the drug maker had not properly warned her and other consumers of the danger.

In its defense, Wyeth said the federally approved warning label told doctors and nurses to use extreme caution when injecting the drug. Levine and her lawyers said that was not sufficient. Who would take an injection to relieve nausea, she asked, if a patient knew she could lose her arm as a result?

The jury agreed with her and awarded her $6.7 million in damages.

The FDA has been under scrutiny for a very long time regarding its labeling of medication and also has been sued for its published lies regarding medical marijuana.

Considering the quote “the FDA prior to the Bush era had favored lawsuits as a means of protecting consumers from dangerous drugs” you can clearly see, the FDA has never stated its warning should protect from lawsuits.

Why does this matter?

Because nausea medicine like above are prescribed to cancer patients suffering from nausea, and medical marijuana should be more available as a safe and effective means for controlling nausea, rather than injecting yourself with chemicals than can result in you having limbs amputated, can’t you see this is exactly why we need medical marijuana in our communities. Because the medicine the drug companies want to sell us, is killing us, and the medicine that would help us, they are keeping illegal and out of our reach.

Well, not in all states. In California, you can have your medical marijuana and a police officer cannot take it away from you. Hurray for those free Cali folk.

With our new President, Barack Obama comes a new American policy regarding marijuana.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is sending strong signals that President Obama – who as a candidate said states should be allowed to make their own rules on medical marijuana – will end raids on pot dispensaries in California.

Asked at a Washington news conference Wednesday about Drug Enforcement Administration raids in California since Obama took office last month, Holder said the administration has changed its policy.

“What the president said during the campaign, you’ll be surprised to know, will be consistent with what we’ll be doing here in law enforcement,” he said. “What he said during the campaign is now American policy.”

This is good news, but what about states where there are no laws on the books to protect patients using cannabis?

There needs to be a federal rescheduling of cannabis so that all American citizens are protected, not just a percentage of those who are lucky enough to live in a state where abolitionists are not the majority!

During one campaign appearance, Obama recalled that his mother had died of cancer and said he saw no difference between doctor-prescribed morphine and marijuana as pain relievers. He told an interviewer in March that it was “entirely appropriate” for a state to legalize the medical use of marijuana “with the same controls as other drugs prescribed by doctors.”

After the federal Drug Enforcement Agency raided a marijuana dispensary at South Lake Tahoe on Jan. 22, two days after Obama’s inauguration, and four others in the Los Angeles area on Feb. 2, White House spokesman Nick Schapiro responded to advocacy groups’ protests by noting that Obama had not yet appointed his drug policy team.

“The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws” and expects his appointees to follow that policy, Schapiro said.

The federal government has fought state medicinal pot laws since Californians voted in 1996 to repeal criminal penalties for medical use of marijuana.

And if they held votes in more states, the majority of states would have legal access to marijuana. If the people of California can vote pot in, the rest of the country should be allowed to vote on it too!

Obama is having to reverse the past…

President Bill Clinton‘s administration won a Supreme Court case, originating in Oakland, that allowed federal authorities to shut down nonprofit organizations that supplied medical marijuana to their members. Clinton’s Justice Department was thwarted by federal courts in an attempt to punish California doctors who recommended marijuana to their patients.

President George W. Bush‘s administration went further, raiding medical marijuana growers and clinics, prosecuting suppliers under federal drug laws after winning another Supreme Court case and pressuring commercial property owners to evict marijuana dispensaries by threatening legal action.

All Americans deserve safe access to this natural medicine. But what this does mean is that Obama has stepped up and is attemoting to hold true to his promise to stop these raids. Stop arresting people using marijuana for medicinal purposes now!

TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine says he’ll “absolutely” sign a medical marijuana bill for chronically and terminally ill patients if it gets to his desk. This is stark contrast to another Governor who thinks he can personally stop medical marijuana. And this shows how a difference of opinion of governors can have an impact on sick and suffering people. Thank you Corzine.

On Monday the New Jersey State Senate passed the “New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act” by a 22-16 vote.

The bill proposed by Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) would permit terminally and chronically ill patients to get permission to grow, possess and smoke weed.

In total patients could possess up to six plants and one ounce of weed, according to the bill.

More and more governors will have to accept the fact that patients have the right to use medical marijuana.

Thirteen states have medical marijuana laws on the books.

Corzine (who, by the way, is running for reelection) told New York radio host Brian Lehrer that he would “absolutely” sign the medical marijuana bill if it made its way to his desk.

The bill could be structured to allow patients safeguards and prevent abuses, said Corzine.

The bill specifically targets patients suffering from debilitating symptoms including cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses that cause “wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, seizures and severe and persistent muscle spasms.”

Before the bill ever reaches Corzine’s desk it must first go through the State Assembly where it faces an uncertain fate.

More and more states will join the voice of compassion and reason over the war on drugs and arresting sick people for using cannabis.

California will lead the way in terms of addressing American laws regarding the recreational use of cannabis.

Marijuana would be sold and taxed openly in California to adults 21 and older if legislation proposed Monday is signed into law.

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, said his bill could generate big bucks for a cash-starved state while freeing law enforcement agencies to focus on worse crimes.

“I think there’s a mentality throughout the state and the country that this isn’t the highest priority – and that maybe we should start to reassess,” he said.

Critics counter that it makes no sense for a Legislature so concerned about health that it has restricted use of trans fats in restaurants to legalize the smoking of a potentially harmful drug.

“I think substance abuse is just ruining our society,” said Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley. “I can’t support that.”

Maybe Paul Cook should start his ban on alcohol if he is so concerned about “substance abuse.” These old abolitionist ways of dealing with things will not work for this country, the problem is too big now. It is time to legalize the use of cannabis.

In regards to “smoking a potentially harmful drug,” these Republicans must not know that doctors have verified the non carcinogenic method of medically partaking in cannabis through the use of vaporizers, which is unlike smoking as the plant is not burned while you consume it. Vaporizers do not have the same negative effects such as smoking.

By bringing up the aspects of “smoking cannabis” this lawmaker is just trying to obscure the facts. Doctors stand by the use of vaporizers as the doctor accepted method of medical marijuana intake.

As the lawmakers said, they are not interested in medical use of marijuana, they just want to “stop the bill.” Not once caring about those who need access to marijuana.

“I think it’s a slippery slope,” Assemblyman Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto, said of easing pot laws. “We’ll do everything we can to defeat it.”

But they couldn’t STOP a bill when California citizens voted for it, and the people of California should not let them stop this one either! How can an “assemblyman” try and go against the vote of the California people? He should be removed from office!

Medical use of marijuana already is legal in California, but the new legislation would go a step further by allowing recreational use.

Stop letting these guys take billions of your tax dollars to arrest you for smoking marijuana!!!!!

Assembly Bill 390 would charge cannabis wholesalers $5,000 initially and $2,500 annually for the right to distribute weed.

Retail outlets would pay fees of $50 per ounce of cannabis to generate revenue for drug education programs statewide.

The bill would prohibit cannabis near schools. It also would ban smoking it in public places or growing it in public view.

Adding $50 to the cost of an ounce if going to be felt, most people who use want to grow their own so you can tax all you want, but those who grow their own will never pay taxes on it.

More progress being made in Palm Springs, California. Bravo.

Medical marijuana collectives and cooperatives will now be allowed in Palm Springs, following a vote Wednesday by City Council.

How many are allowed?

The approval means Palm Springs is the first city in Riverside County to allow these facilities.

The ordinance is expected to go into effect in 30 days following its second reading, officials said.

“This is an incredible first step,” Councilwoman Ginny Foat said.

The Palm Springs City Council voted 3-1, with Councilman Lee Weigel voting no and Mayor Pro Tem Chris Mills absent, in favor of the ordinance, which allows two collectives and/or cooperatives to operate within city limits.

However, seven already are in operation… why set the limit so low if there are already more existing medical marijuana cooperatives than would be allowed? The Mayor voted “absent” no doubt he is not a medical marijuana supporter, which is why he tries to portray the co-ops as illegal…

This means several of the estimated seven dispensaries now operating in the city Palm Springs illegally will have to close.

City Attorney Doug Holland said the city is close to filing lawsuits against two of the existing dispensaries and is still gathering evidence against five more.

“If they are illegal, they ought to be shut down as soon as possible,” Mayor Steve Pougnet said.

Patients need to be able to have safe access to their medication. Why are they trying to portray legal medical marijuana co-ops as “illegal?” Just because they changed the amount of allowed co-ops to two within city limits? That does not mean they are doing anything “illegal!”

Patients and medical marijuana advocates need to voice their support here.

State law allows medical marijuana its time for these city council members to stop trying to delay the process and portray legal medical marijuana co-ops as “illegal.”

Minnesota is moving closer to securing protection for medical marijuana patients.

“Medical Cannabis Bill Passes Senate Committee in Bipartisan Vote, 8-3″

One of those testifying was Joni Whiting of Jordan, a disabled Vietnam veteran who had strongly disapproved of marijuana use until her daughter was diagnosed with melanoma and began suffering unbearable nausea and pain from the treatments. “I was opposed to marijuana,” Whiting said, “but the nausea my daughter suffered from the chemotherapy was so bad she lost a lot of weight, and the pills the doctor prescribed didn’t help — including Marinol, the THC pill. Marijuana allowed her to eat and also helped ease her pain, and she looked better than I’d seen her in months. I would have rather spent the rest of my life in prison than have denied her the medicine that kept her pain at bay and allowed her to live 89 more days.”

This is exactly why medical marijuana needs to be approved. Even marinol pill does not work as effectively, and safely as the natural cannabis.

Minnesota’s medical marijuana bill, S.F. 97, cleared its first major hurdle this afternoon, passing the Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee in a bipartisan vote of 8 to 3. The committee received spoken and written testimony from a number of patients and family members describing the relief provided by medical marijuana when conventional treatments had failed.

“I believe this will be the year medical marijuana becomes law in Minnesota,” said Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing), a sponsor of the bill. “We’ve seen now from the experiences of 13 states — one-quarter of the country — that these laws work well, and that the dire warnings of opponents simply don’t come true. The voters understand that there is no reason to subject suffering patients to arrest and jail for using a doctor-recommended medicine.”

More and more law makers are choosing the side of compassion and reason…

“I’m pleased to co-author this important legislation that will empower doctors and patients while protecting sick and dying Minnesotans from the threat of criminal prosecution,” said Sen. Debbie Johnson (R-Ham Lake). “Most FDA-approved drugs assist in managing short-term pain. Chronically ill and terminal patients need alternatives. Medical marijuana is one of those alternatives.”

Even Republicans are behind the effort to legalize medical marijuana.

Thirteen states, including one-quarter of the U.S. population, now permit medical use of marijuana under state law. The newest such law was enacted by Michigan voters last November, passing with a record-setting 63 percent “yes” vote. Medical organizations which have recognized marijuana’s medical uses include the American Public Health Association, American Nurses Association, American Academy of HIV Medicine, and American College of Physicians, which noted “marijuana’s proven efficacy at treating certain symptoms and its relatively low toxicity,” in a statement issued last year.

The Assocaited Press reports today:

Civil liberties groups, medical marijuana supporters and a smattering of music festival-goers may have reason to rejoice: The Legislature is considering a proposal that would effectively decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

A bill proposed by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, would reduce the penalty for possessing marijuana in quantities of 1.4 ounces or less to a civil infraction carrying a $100 fine.

“Marijuana has been demonized and has been demonized in such an overboard manner,” Kohl-Welles said Tuesday.

Currently, possession of small amounts of the leafy drug is a misdemeanor offense, warranting arrest and carrying the possibility of punishment with fines and jail time.

If Kohl-Welles’ bill is approved, possession of marijuana would no longer be an offense subject to arrest. However, teenagers younger than 18 would still be subject to current law.

Civil liberties groups support the measure, saying law enforcement officers should focus on more serious crimes.

Possession of marijuana should not be subject to arrest, and law enforcement should focus on more serious crimes taking place in our cities.

Kohl-Welles said she has friends and family who have been seriously ill that have used the marijuana to ease suffering and rekindle appetites.

Washington has a medical marijuana law on the books, but Kohl-Welles said she thinks her bill could give medical marijuana users more protection from possible arrest.

Lawmakers at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee seemed confused over how great of a quantity 1.4 ounces of marijuana is.

“We’re talking dried stuff?” questioned Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood.

A man at the back of the hearing room used his hands to demonstrate the size of the quantity — about the size of a can of soda.

Americans should be allowed to possess at least 71 ounces of medical grade marijuana. This is equivalent to a three month supply of medicine, which is quite normal for people who need certain and specific types of medicine for their specific medical needs.

Most people who use medical marijuana do so not by “smoking the plant,” which can be bad for cancer patients, but by either using a vaporizer or by eating the plant in cooked form. Using a vaporizer or cooked form, a patient can use an ounce or more per day if daily dose is needed.

The law makers went on to joke about marijuana:

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, joked that marijuana was in fact a gateway drug:

“My own experience shows that marijuana is. I used to grow my own dope and now I brew my own beer.”

The room erupted into laughter and clapping before Kline added: “Just kidding.”

Its good to see senators pushing forward with bills like this. And it is up to us to support those who have the courage to do it!

The pot possession bill is Senate Bill 5615.

These law makers need to be more informed about how much medical marijuana is needed for patients. We encourage their effort, but the amount you are allowed to possess should be much larger.

A plan to let seriously ill patients smoke pot is back at the Minnesota Legislature.

A plan to let seriously ill patients smoke pot is back at the Minnesota Legislature. The bill from DFL Senator Steve Murphy gets its first hearing of the session in a Senate health panel on Wednesday. The legislation would allow those with cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and other debilitating conditions to use marijuana to control pain and other symptoms. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has stood against the proposal and has said it would make enforcing drug laws harder. Lawmakers have considered medical marijuana bills going back a decade, without signing off. However, two years ago, the full Senate passed the bill.

Its time to stop allowing politically motivated Governors to stop people in pain from getting medical marijuana.