Iowans for Medical Marijuana Blog

River Cities' Reader - July 6, 2010

Carl Olsen — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:37:40 GMT

Bumps in the Road to Medical Marijuana: The Current Iowa Stalemate Doesn’t Change the Endgame -- Federal Legalization

Iowa City Press Citizen - June 23, 2010

Carl Olsen — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 20:56:10 GMT

I received this on June 23 from Debbie Jorgenson at the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, so I assume the Board agrees with it. She said it was sent from former Board member Paul Abramowitz, with "Good Job" in the subject line.

Our View - Don't pass the buck on medical marijuana

http://m.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100623/OPINION03/6230304/1018/OPINION&template=wapart

More News - June 21, 2010

Carl Olsen — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:17:51 GMT

Coverage from Eastern Iowa

The Hawk Eye - Burlington, Iowa

Officials bicker over medicinal marijuana laws

The Muscatine Journal - Muscatine, Iowa

Local legislator lends an ear and a compassionate heart for medical marijuana

Oregon reclassifies marijuana

Carl Olsen — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:55:48 GMT

Momentum is building - Oregon reschedules marijuana

http://www.pharmacy.state.or.us/Pharmacy/Marijuana-Rescheduling.shtml

Oregon: Marijuana - Controlled Substance Information

Oregon: Marijuana - Press Release

Oregon: 2009 - Senate Bill 728

More News - June 16, 2010

Carl Olsen — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:58:44 GMT

I was interviewed by Radio Iowa on Tuesday

Medical marijuana backer plans to petition Board of Pharmacy

The Board of Pharmacy Responded on Wednesday

Regulators: Marijuana question needs lawmakers' views

McCarthy: No need for interim panel on medical marijuana

Carl Olsen — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:03:57 GMT

June 14, 2010

Des Moines Register - McCarthy: No need for interim panel on medical marijuana

June 15, 2010

Des Moines Register - Medical marijuana study called off by lawmakers

U.S. Senate Candidate Bob Krause

Carl Olsen — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:01:09 GMT

This just absolutely amazed me. We actually had a candidate for U.S. Senate from a major party who gets it.

Here's what Mr. Krause had to say about medical marijuana:

A number of states have created medical marijuana laws, and all are in technical violation of federal drug laws. These vary significantly in structure and in enforcement mechanisms. I favor acknowledging reality, and setting a federal standard that state medical marijuana laws need to comply with.

Krause On The Issues: Medical Marijuana

I haven't been keeping up

Carl Olsen — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 01:56:27 GMT

Sorry, I haven't been keeping up with the blog. Here's some articles from April and May.

Des Moines Register - Doctors: OK pot for health studies

TheReader.com | Omaha Weekly Reader - Upfront: Marijuana Already Legal in Iowa?

Prarie Fire - Medical marijuana and Nebraska

Rescheduling in Oregon - March 29, 2010

Carl Olsen — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 22:41:26 GMT

Here's an interesting video from the Oregon Board of Pharmacy saying they just got back from speaking with the DEA in Washington, D.C.

Oregon Board of Pharmacy Set to Reschedule Marijuana from Art Witkowski on Vimeo.

The strategy moving forward

Carl Olsen — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:09:18 GMT

I received an email from Americans for Safe Access a moment ago. I've been meaning to write this post, but this email got me moving on it:

ASA will build the federal framework that will bring safe and legal access to all Americans by 2013.

For too long the medical marijuana movement has been forced into a reactionary and defensive position, constantly having to push back against outrageously unjust legislation our movement has been so busy fighting for what we don't want, we lost sight of how to fight for what we need. That ends today.

I don't know why, and ASA doesn't say, but I suspect that ASA's strategy is quite different than mine. I hope I'm wrong and pleasantly surprised (maybe ASA has a clue), but I just haven't spoken with anyone who has my perspective on this situation. So, here goes with my strategy moving forward.

The federal framework that will bring safe and legal access to all Americans by 2013 is already in place. The federal drug law classifies marijuana as having no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and yet 14 states have accepted the medical use of marijuana since 1996. What's wrong with this picture?

Well, here it is in a nutshell, folks. None of those 14 states has bothered to officially tell the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to remove marijuana from its current classification. Furthermore, all 14 states tell patients they are in violation of federal law and there is nothing the state can do to protect them from the DEA.

Sure, President Obama has issued a memo to federal prosecutors telling them not to prosecute medical marijuana patients in states that have enacted medical marijuana laws, but that was only necessary because the states have not been doing their part under the federal drug law.

That is what is so critical about my work here in Iowa. Iowa should not be the 15th state to enact a state medical marijuana law that leaves patients to the mercy of the DEA. The DEA really is not obligated to do anything unless a state uses the administrative procedures set out in the federal drug law to have marijuana federally reclassified.

I suspect ASA is going to tell us they have a legislative solution and they are going to have a new law enacted. Well, a new law is not the answer. The answer is simply obeying current federal law and following the procedures set out in the federal drug law. I predict that Iowa is going to do that in 2012 and we'll have safe and legal access to medical marijuana by 2013 as the result.