In recent decades, medical researchers have investigated marijuana's effects on various kinds of pain -- from damaged nerves in people with HIV, diabetes and spinal cord injury; from cancer; and from multiple sclerosis. Marijuana has also been hypothesized to help with nausea induced by chemotherapy and antiretroviral therapy, and with severe loss of appetite as seen in people with the AIDS wasting syndrome. ... Bruce Mirken, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project -- a group that lobbies for the decriminalization of marijuana -- says he is all for research on the chemical components in marijuana with the goal of making more-purified and perhaps more-targeted drugs that do not deliver a "high," but does not see "criminalizing use of that plant by people who are ill when you are making its main psychoactive ingredient legal in the form of a very expensive pill." (August 18, 2008)

An overwhelming number of Bay Staters replying to a Suffolk University/WHDH Ch. 7 poll say the state’s marijuana laws should go up in smoke. The poll regarding questions set to appear on the Nov. 4 ballot shows that 72 percent of Greater Boston residents favor snuffing out criminal penalties for suspects carrying less than an ounce of pot, and replacing them with civil fines. Under the measure, a person stopped with marijuana would be given a $100 ticket and forced to forfeit the drug. “The public may be signaling that pursuing small-time marijuana users is a waste of taxpayer resources,” said David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Bureau at Suffolk University. (August 14, 2008)

Speakers at the Seattle festival [Hempfest] will try mightily to pull the weed from darkness. I agree with them that it makes sense to decriminalize marijuana use. ... Bring it out into the light, regulate it, tax it, put trafficking gangs out of business and let police and courts do more important work. ... Think of what we could do with the taxes on legal marijuana. And we'd save the $7.5 billion a year the nation spends enforcing pot laws. (August 11, 2008)

Why this country allows its citizens to consume alcohol, but not marijuana, is a bit of a mystery. ... both substances can be used responsibly and moderately, according to Rep. Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat. ... Frank announced recently that he would introduce a bill that would decriminalize the possession of less than a quarter-pound of marijuana. ... It would be nice if Frank's proposal sparked an honest debate about the effectiveness of the war on pot ... (August 10, 2008)

[Rep. Barney] Frank’s bill would end all prosecution of the personal use of marijuana, and [Rep. Lacy] Clay was one of only seven sponsors. ... Clay was surprised to start getting praise from complete strangers. ... "People are coming up to me saying this is a common-sense, sensible way to deal with the issue of personal use,” Clay said. So far, he said, his calls, mail and contacts are running 80-20 in favor of the bill. (August 4, 2008)

Federal agents raided a Culver City medical marijuana dispensary ... this afternoon, serving a search warrant that resulted in no arrests but left the shop in disarray. The federal operation came on the same day an appellate court in San Diego ruled that federal law does not preempt the state's law allowing the use of medical marijuana ... At the dispensary agents left behind trash, counters strewn with open and empty glass jars, piles of receipts thrown on the ground, upturned couch cushions, bits of marijuana on the edges of counters and an ATM with its doors torn open and emptied. In the residents' rooms a safe was cut open, dresser drawers pulled open, and rumpled clothes and knickknacks thrown on the ground ... Culver City police assisted federal agents at the scene. ... "This is an action with the federal government, which is sad," [Los Angeles Councilman Bill] Rosendahl said ... "We're incarcerating people by the tens of thousands, we're destroying peoples' lives ... This conflict is totally unacceptable." (July 31, 2008)

The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep. Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a quarter-pound, of the substance. ... Rob Kampia, director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said marijuana arrests outnumber arrests for "all violent crimes combined," meaning that police are spending inordinate amounts of time chasing nonviolent criminals. "Ending arrests is the key to marijuana policy reform," he said. ... If HR 5843 were passed by the House, marijuana smokers could possess up to 100 grams -- about 3½ ounces -- of cannabis without being arrested. It would also permit the "nonprofit transfer" of up to an ounce of marijuana. (July 30, 2008)

Elaine McKellian ... suffers from several chronic, debilitating maladies ranging from gastroparesis ... to restless leg syndrome. Nausea keeps her at home most of the time and when she does move it's in labored, deliberate steps with the aid of a cane. She employs a caretaker. Despite it all, she said life is better than before she started smoking prescription marijuana. ... She is sick and, in accordance with California law, wants her medicine. She also wants her medical records returned with an apology from Sheriff Patrick Hedges, who solicited federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents to raid the home of Charles Lynch and his Morro Bay business Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers...On June 20, she filed a lawsuit against the County of San Luis Obispo, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department, and Sheriff Hedges himself, seeking unlimited damages for his role in busting the dispensary. (July 23, 2008)

The police raid on Martin Martinez, a Seattle man who uses marijuana to dull the chronic pain from a motorcycle accident, made the page-one headline last Thursday ... [Washington attorney Douglas] Hiatt is now exclusively a medical-marijuana lawyer. ... His clients are often broke, and typically they are merely trying to be left alone. ... I relate Hiatt's story partly because I believe in letting these folks alone, but partly also because I had an aunt who was in sharp pain from a pinched nerve. ... My aunt was the most un-stoned person I ever knew, but she told me she would have taken marijuana, or anything else, if it had killed the pain, and to hell with the government. I would be no different. (July 23, 2008)

SEATTLE -- The executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project will provide an overview of current marijuana policy reform efforts and their implications for Washington in a press conference during a media brunch at Seattle Hempfest, Saturday. He will also introduce a small panel of speakers who will highlight their work. Rob Kampia said voters and legislators will weigh in on several groundbreaking measures this year. ... include MPP's Michigan ballot initiative to become the 13th state to protect seriously ill patients from arrest and jail for using medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation ... U.S. Rep. Barney Frank's (D-Mass.) bill to remove federal criminal penalties for small marijuana violations ... [and] a Massachusetts ballot initiative to replace criminal penalties for minor marijuana violations with civil penalties ... (August 15, 2008)

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Medical marijuana patients and advocates will hold a demonstration before attending the county Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday to urge the board to drop its doomed lawsuit seeking to overturn state medical marijuana laws. San Bernardino and San Diego county officials have contended that federal laws prevent them from obeying state requirements to issue medical marijuana identification cards to qualified patients who desire them. Although the case has already been dismissed twice, most recently last week in a unanimous decision by the 4th District Court of Appeals, San Diego's Board of Supervisors has already voted to appeal the case again, this time to the California Supreme Court. (August 11, 2008)

WASHINGTON, D.C.- A series of new radio public service announcements being distributed today to stations nationwide seeks to educate the public about the effects of U.S. marijuana laws, and about recent developments regarding medical marijuana. The new spots, produced by the Marijuana Policy Project Foundation, feature Gary Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico, and California Superior Court Judge Jim Gray. (July 31, 2008)

WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and representatives of organizations supporting reform of marijuana laws will hold a press conference on Wednesday to discuss Frank's "Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008." The bill, H.R. 5843, would remove federal criminal penalties for personal possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana or the nonprofit transfer of up to an ounce of marijuana. It would not change federal statutes forbidding cultivation, import, export or for-profit sale of marijuana. (July 29, 2008)

SAN FRANCISCO - With both the state and federal budgets awash in debt, reform advocates are urging California to rethink its annual Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) as the annual CAMP season prepares to launch. "Record-setting busts each year have done nothing to reduce the marijuana supply or keep marijuana out of the hands of kids, but they have succeeded brilliantly in driving the growers to more dangerous locations, putting national parks and residential communities at risk," said Bruce Mirken, the Marijuana Policy Project's San Francisco-based director of communications. "If you want marijuana to be more potent and produced in the most dangerous way possible, CAMP is a roaring success," Mirken said. "If you want to solve these problems, it's time to put aside the fantasy of 'eradication' and regulate California's marijuana industry like we regulate our wine industry." (July 9, 2008)

FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno County Board of Supervisors will conduct a public hearing on the local implementation of the statewide Medical Marijuana Identification Card Program, July 8, 9 a.m., in the County Board Chambers in the Hall of Records at 2281 Tulare St. To help educate the community about this and other medical marijuana issues facing Fresno, MPP will host a free screening of the award-winning medical marijuana documentary "Waiting to Inhale," followed by a panel discussion, July 7, 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 2672 E. Alluvial Ave., in Clovis. (July 3, 2008)

FRESNO, Calif. - A free screening of the award-winning medical marijuana documentary, "Waiting to Inhale," takes place July 7, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno in Clovis, followed by a panel discussion with local medical marijuana patients, advocates and medical experts. Winner of several awards, including the Worldfest Houston 2005 Goldfest Special Jury Award, Best Documentary 2005 New Jersey International Film Festival and winner of the Eureka! International Film Festival, "Waiting to Inhale" examines the debate over marijuana's use as medicine in the United States. (June 25, 2008)

ALBANY, NEW YORK - The New York Assembly passed a bill today that would protect New Yorkers with life threatening or debilitating conditions from arrest for using medical marijuana when their doctors believe it would be the best treatment option, 79-48. The bill is similar to the medical marijuana bill the Assembly passed last year. The version passed today was modified to address concerns voiced by members of the Senate, who have until June 23 to pass the bill before the legislature recesses. (June 18, 2008)

ALBANY - A newly updated analysis released today, co-authored by Dr. Mitch Earleywine, associate professor of psychology at the Albany campus of the State University of New York, shows that state medical marijuana laws have not increased teen marijuana use, despite fears that have been raised when such measures are considered. Teen marijuana use has consistently declined in states with medical marijuana laws, and generally more markedly than national averages. (June 16, 2008)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Two just-released federal reports indicate that regulation of tobacco continues to produce a steady drop in teen cigarette use and teen access to tobacco, with current cigarette use by high school students dropping markedly faster than use of marijuana. The just-released 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports rates of current cigarette use and current marijuana use among teens in grades nine through 12 in a statistical tie at 20 percent and 19.7 percent, respectively. The cigarette use figure represents a sharp drop from the 2005 survey, when it was 23 percent. Marijuana use, at 20.2 percent in 2005, showed a much smaller decline. (June 4, 2008)

ALBANY, NEW YORK — Hoping to build support in Albany for legislation to protect seriously ill New Yorkers from arrest for using doctor-recommended medical marijuana, patients at a press conference today unveiled a new TV ad that begins airing today across the state. The bill has passed the Assembly, but has not been acted on in the state Senate. Bill sponsor Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried called on his Senate colleagues to finish the work the Assembly started last year when it passed a medical marijuana bill, 95-52. Following the press conference, patients from across the state joined Aldrich to lobby senators to support medical marijuana legislation. (June 3, 2008)

Patients from the across the state will join Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard N. Gottfried (D, WF – Manhattan) to unveil a new TV ad campaign urging the Senate to pass medical marijuana legislation before its June 23 adjournment. Right after the press conference, patients with serious conditions will lobby their senators on the issue. Journalists are invited to follow along. (June 2, 2008)

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Sen. Tom Roberts (D-Trotwood) introduced legislation today that would make Ohio the 13th state to permit medical use of marijuana by seriously ill patients without fear of arrest. The measure, S.B. 343, comes in the wake of growing support for medical marijuana nationwide and is similar to a Michigan ballot initiative that is heavily favored to pass in November. (May 23, 2008)

SACRAMENTO -- In what advocates hailed as an important step toward protecting California law, the Assembly Appropriations Committee passed AB 2743 by a vote of 9-7 today. The measure, authored by Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego), would protect the integrity of California's medical marijuana law by making it the policy of state and local law enforcement agencies not to cooperate with the Drug Enforcement Administration or other federal agencies in raids on state-legal medical marijuana patients and caregivers. (May 22, 2008)

Fifty religious leaders throughout the state are urging the Minnesota House to pass a bill to allow seriously ill patients to use medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. Denominations with official positions supporting medical marijuana include the United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), Union for Reform Judaism, Episcopal Church, and United Church of Christ. In addition to clergy from these denominations, medical marijuana supporters in Minnesota include clergy from Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran, and Baptist congregations. (May 12, 2008)

MINNEAPOLIS — Proponents of a bill to protect seriously ill patients from arrest for using medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation released their latest TV ad today featuring former Fillmore County sheriff and state representative Neil Haugerud, who suffers from severe, intractable pain due to inflammation of the spine. (May 8, 2008)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A little-known federal government program that supplies medical marijuana to a handful of patients will mark its 30th anniversary on May 10. The federal medical marijuana program -- referred to as a Compassionate Investigational New Drug (IND) program -- resulted from a lawsuit filed by glaucoma patient Robert Randall, who successfully showed that his use of marijuana was a medical necessity. (May 6, 2008)

CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE — After being rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 4-0 vote last Thursday, HB 1623 was defeated this afternoon in a voice vote by the full Senate. The bill, which would have reduced the penalty for possessing less than a quarter ounce of marijuana, had been marked for death since it received a rare veto threat from Governor Lynch following passage by the House. (May 1, 2008)

SPRINGFIELD, IL. – After a meeting with law enforcement officials to address their specific objections to Illinois' medical marijuana bill, advocates will announce significant changes to the legislation in a Wednesday press conference at the statehouse. ... At the press conference, patients will also unveil their latest effort to convince legislators to support the medical marijuana bill under consideration in both chambers of the General Assembly: personal online video testimonies. (April 29, 2008)

MINNEAPOLIS — In a press conference held today at the statehouse, advocates offered a point-by-point refutation of misleading-to-outright false statements made by some law enforcement officials during testimony before the legislature and in the media regarding the medical marijuana bill pending on the House floor. (April 29, 2008)