Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news - Tue, 05 Aug 2014 04:20:21 PST
New York Times Editors Opine In Favor Of Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition
New York, NY: The New York Times editorial board has called upon federal lawmakers to end the criminalization of cannabis for those over the age of 21.
On Sunday, the papers' editors opined: "The federal government should repeal the ban on marijuana. ... That will put decisions on whether to allow recreational or medicinal production and use where it belongs - at the state level."
The editorial further stated: "There is an honest debate among scientists about the health effects of marijuana, but we believe that the evidence is overwhelming that addiction and dependence are relatively minor problems, especially compared to alcohol and tobacco. Moderate use of marijuana does not appear to pose a risk for otherwise healthy adults. ... [W]e believe that on every level, ... the balance falls squarely on the side of national legalization."
Commenting on the editorial, NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said: "The opinion of the influential New York Times editorial board mimics the opinion of the majority of Americans nationwide who seek to replace the failed policy of cannabis criminalization with legalization and common sense regulation. It makes no sense from a public health perspective, a fiscal perspective, or a moral perspective to perpetuate the prosecution and stigmatization of those adults who choose to responsibly consume a substance that is objectively safer than either alcohol or tobacco."
Study: Legalized Medical Marijuana Doesn't Impact Teen Use Rates
Denver, CO: The passage of state laws legalizing the physician-recommended possession and consumption of cannabis by qualified patients has not led to an increase in adolescents' use of the plant, according to a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research - a non-partisan research organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Investigators from the University of Colorado at Denver, the University of Oregon, and Montana State University assessed federal data on youth marijuana use and treatment episodes for the years 1993 to 2011 - a time period when 16 states authorized medical cannabis use.
Authors reported, "Our results are not consistent with the hypothesis that the legalization of medical marijuana caused an increase in the use of marijuana among high school students. In fact, estimates from our preferred specification are small, consistently negative, and are never statistically distinguishable from zero."
A separate analysis published in April in the Journal of Adolescent Health similarly determined, "This study did not find increases in adolescent marijuana use related to legalization of medical marijuana. ... This suggests that concerns about 'sending the wrong message' may have been overblown."
Full text of the study, "Medical marijuana laws and teen marijuana use," is available @ https://papers.nber.org/tmp/80514-w20332.pdf
Poll: Majority Of Floridians Support Legalized Marijuana; Super-Majority Endorse Medicalization
Tallahassee, FL: Nearly nine out of ten Florida voters support legalizing the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, and a majority of Floridians support allowing adults to possess the plant for any purpose, according to the results of a statewide Quinnipiac University poll of registered voters.
Fifty-five percent of voters support "allowing adults in Florida to legally possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use." Forty-one percent of respondents opposed the idea.
Voters between the age of 18 and 29 (72 percent), Democrats (64 percent), and men (61 percent) were most likely to endorse legalization, while Republicans (41 percent) and respondents over the age of 65 (36 percent) were least likely to do so.
When asked whether patients ought to be able to access cannabis for medicinal purposes, public support rose to 88 percent, including super-majority support from respondents of all age groups and political affiliations. Seventy-one percent of respondents also expressed support for the establishment of medical cannabis dispensaries in their neighborhoods.
This November, Florida voters will decide on a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to legalize and regulate the dispensing of cannabis to authorized patients. Because the measure seeks to amend the state constitution, 60 percent of voters must decide in favor of it before it may be enacted.
The survey possesses a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points.
Maine: Nurse Practitioners Now Permitted To Recommend Cannabis Therapy
Augusta, ME: Nurse practitioners may legally authorize cannabis therapy, according to new legislation that takes effect this Friday.
The legislation, LD 1739, expands the pool of those who can legally advise patients on the use of medicinal marijuana from physicians to 'medical providers' - a classification that includes certified nurse practitioners.
Washington state law also explicitly allows for nurse practitioners to recommend medical marijuana to patients.
A resolution approved by the American Nursing Association supports "the right of patients to have safe access to therapeutic marijuana/cannabis under appropriate prescriber supervision [and] supports the ability of health care providers to discuss and/or recommend the medicinal use of marijuana without the threat of intimidation or penalization."
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