Monthly Archives for February 2011

Nebraska Lawmakers Consider Dangerous ‘Drugged Driving’ Legislation

Please urge Nebraska lawmakers to reject Legislative Bill 659, which seeks to improperly define marijuana consumers as “drugged drivers” even if they are neither under the influence nor impaired to drive.

LB 659 makes it a criminal offense for any person to operate a motor vehicle if any level of marijuana or non-psychoactive marijuana metabolites (byproducts) are present in their blood, saliva, urine, or any other bodily fluid. Because marijuana’s main metabolite, carboxy THC, remains detectable in certain bodily fluids, particularly urine, for weeks or even months after past use, this legislation punishes drivers for simply having consumed marijuana at some previous, unspecified point in time.

This proposal is neither a safe nor sensible way to identify impaired drivers; it is an attempt to misuse the traffic safety laws in order to identify and prosecute marijuana consumers, including medical patients.

Members of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee are scheduled to hear testimony regarding LB 659 on Monday, February 28, at 1:30pm in Room 1113 at the Nebraska Capitol Building. You can contact the Committee here.

Please contact your state representative and urge him or her to oppose LB 659 by entering your zip code at
http://www.capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=23746511

Oppose LB 659! Continue reading →

Risk of marijuana’s ‘gateway effect’ overblown, research shows

“We were somewhat surprised to find the gateway effect wasn’t that strong during the transition to adulthood,” Van Gundy says. “It really didn’t matter if someone used marijuana or not as a teen.”

Specifically, the study found illicit drug abuse in young adulthood to be much more closely linked to stress during the teen years and whether or not the young adults were employed. Source

ScienceDaily (Sep. 2, 2010) — New research from the University of New Hampshire shows that the “gateway effect” of marijuana — that teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to move on to harder illicit drugs as young adults — is overblown. Continue reading →

Pot helps cancer patients sleep, enjoy food: study

EDMONTON – A University of Alberta study has concluded that medically induced munchies can improve life for people with advanced cancer.

In a finding that will surprise few with any experience with the therapy, a researcher has found that small doses of marijuana’s active ingredient, THC, will improve the appetite of terminal cancer patients.

Wendy Wismer acknowledges there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence concerning marijuana’s effect on the desire for food. But her pilot study is the first to be conducted under rigorous, double-blind scientific controls.

Nearly three-quarters of patients who got THC pills said their food tasted better. Only 30 per cent of patients given placebos reported similar effects.

Appetite loss is a serious issue for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Continue reading →

Montel Williams on The Doctors – “Marijuana pipe was for my medication”

“I use that pipe as a tool to administer my medication,” Williams says, “I should have safe access to it.”

In an episode of “The Doctors” set to air on Wednesday, Montel Williams candidly discusses his recent arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia, an arrest Williams still maintains was unjust.  Williams, who has long since suffered from multiple sclerosis, says the marijuana pipe he was cited for at a Milwaukee airport last month is used solely for medicinal purposes. Source