#1 Obama
Administration: Don’t Focus On Medical Marijuana Prosecutions
United States Deputy Attorney General David Ogden issued a
memorandum
to federal prosecutors in October directing them to not “focus
federal resources … on individuals whose actions are in clear
and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing
for the medical use of marijuana.” The directive upheld a
campaign promise by President Barack Obama, who had previously
pledged
that he was “not going to be using Justice Department resources
to try to circumvent state laws on this issue.” Read the full
story here.
#2 Public Support For
Legalizing Pot Hits All-Time High
A majority of U.S. voters now support legalizing marijuana,
according to a
national poll of 1,004 likely voters published in December
by Angus Reid. The Angus Reid Public Opinion poll results echo
those of separate national polls conducted this year by
Gallup,
Zogby,
ABC News,
CBS News,
Rasmussen Reports, and the
California Field Poll, each of which reported greater public
support for marijuana legalization than ever before. Read the
full story
here.
#3 Lifetime Marijuana Use Associated With
Reduced Cancer Risk
The moderate long-term use of cannabis is associated with a
reduced risk of head and neck cancer, according to the results
of a population-based control study published in August by the
journal Cancer Prevention
Research. Authors
reported,
“After adjusting for potential confounders (including smoking
and alcohol drinking), 10 to 20 years of marijuana use was
associated with a significantly reduced risk of head and neck
squamous cell carcinoma.” Read the full story
here.
#4 AMA Calls For Review Of
Marijuana’s Prohibitive Status
In November, the American Medical Association resolved that
marijuana should longer be classified as a Schedule I prohibited
substance. Drugs classified in Schedule I are
defined as possessing “no currently accepted use in
treatment in the United States.” In a separate action, the AMA
also
determined, “Results of short term controlled trials
indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, improves
appetite and caloric intake especially in patients with reduced
muscle mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in patients
with multiple sclerosis.” Read the full story
here.
#5 California: Lawmakers Hold
Historic Hearing On Marijuana Legalization
State lawmakers heard
testimony
in October in support of taxing and regulating the commercial
production and distribution of cannabis for adults age 21 and
older. Additional hearings, as
well as a vote on
Assembly Bill 390: the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and...,
are scheduled for January 12,
2010. Read the full story
here.