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   . . . a weekly service for the media on news items related to marijuana
                                prohibition.
                                July 10, 1997
          British Medical Association Says Yes To Medical Marijuana
          July 10, 1997, Edinburgh, Scotland:  The British Medical
Association (BMA) overwhelmingly called for the legalization of marijuana
for medical use at a July 2 conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.
          More than 400 doctors voted in favor of the resolution following
presentations from members of a BMA working committee that described some
patients' experiences with the drug.  Leading the charge was Dr. Uprenda
Pati, a northwest England physician and medical marijuana advocate.  Pati
told conference attendees that many cannabinoids have therapeutic value in
the treatment of nausea, spasticity disorders, and other serious diseases.
"We don't want our patients to use unlicensed cannabinoids that could be
dangerous," Pati explained.
          Since 1971, doctors in England have been forbidden by law to
prescribe marijuana.  Currently, British physicians may prescribe only two
marijuana derivatives for medical treatment.  These drugs may solely be
prescribed in hospitals and may be distributed only to patients undergoing
cancer chemotherapy.
          Harvard medical professor Dr. Lester Grinspoon praised the BMA for
addressing the issue of legal access to medical marijuana.  "The BMA appears
to be quicker than the American Medical Association (AMA) to recognize not
only the medical usefulness of cannabis, but also to overcome the hoary
myths surrounding the drug," he said.  "It is just a matter of time before
organized medicine everywhere recognizes the many uses of this valuable
medicine."
          The association stressed that it did not favor legalizing
marijuana for recreational use.
          For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or
Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.
        Prosecutors Drop Charges In Interstate Medical Marijuana Case
          July 10, 1997, Carson City NV:  Nevada state prosecutors dismissed
felony marijuana possession charges against a California cancer patient on
June 16 after the district attorney conceded that the marijuana was for
medical use only.
          Law enforcement officials arrested Douglas Burton in February
after he purchased marijuana from the Cannabis Cultivators Club in San
Francisco and drove to Nevada to visit his parents.  Burton's lawyer,
Richard Sears, argued that his client suffers from thyroid cancer and uses
marijuana to help cope with pain and nausea.  Sears also said that his
client was unaware that California law permitting the legal use and
cultivation of marijuana with a doctor's recommendation did not extend
beyond the state's borders.
          The dismissal order followed a pre-trial hearing last week during
which District Judge Mike Fondi rejected a prosecution move to block
reference's to Burton's cancer.  Fondi called the prosecution's request
"absurd."  District Attorney Noel Waters later admitted that Burton could
make an adequate "medical necessity" defense and conceded that he probably
wouldn't be able to get a conviction in the case.
          "On balance, it is respectfully submitted that the interests of
justice would best be served by dismissal," Waters said.
          Legal analysts emphasize that this case is the first interstate
proceeding involving medical marijuana purchased in California.  In a
similar case scheduled to take place later this month, best-selling author
Peter McWilliams will stand trial in Michigan for marijuana possession.
McWilliams, who is a California resident, uses marijuana medicinally to
alleviate the side effects of both AIDS and cancer.  He was arrested last
December at Detroit's Metropolitan Airport after an officer asked if he was
carrying marijuana.  McWilliams' trial will begin on July 18.
          For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre of The NORML
Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.
State Law Must Distinguish Between Marijuana And Hemp,Kentucky Judge Affirms
          July 10, 1997, Irvine, KY:  A Kentucky circuit court judge upheld
a trial court decision declaring that there exists a legal difference
between industrial hemp and marijuana.
          The decision was the second victory for Hollywood actor and
industrial hemp proponent Woody Harrelson, who was arrested last June for
planting four hemp seeds.  Harrelson planted the seeds to deliberately
challenge the state law forbidding the cultivation of all varieties of
cannabis sativa.  Harrelson called the law excessively broad and argued that
marijuana prohibition never intended to outlaw legitimate hemp farming.
          In January, Lee District Judge Ralph McClanahan II agreed with
Harrelson and ruled that Kentucky's ban on marijuana was "unconstitutionally
defective due to its overbroad application."  McClanahan called the current
law "an arbitrary exercise of power by the General Assembly over the lives
and property of free men."
          Circuit Court Judge William Trude upheld the lower court's
decision on July 3.  Lee County Attorney Tom Jones said he will take the
case to the Kentucky Court of Appeals.
          Standing on the steps of courthouse shortly after the ruling,
Harrelson declared the day as "Independence day for Kentucky's farmers."
Harrelson explained that Kentucky was once the number one hemp producer in
America and expressed confidence that it would soon be again.
          Often described as marijuana's misunderstood cousin, industrial
hemp is from the same plant species that produces marijuana.  Unlike
marijuana, however, industrial hemp has only minute amounts of delta-9
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient that gives marijuana
its euphoric and medicinal properties.  Currently most of Europe and Asia
grow hemp for industrial purposes.  Both Australia and Canada engage in hemp
cultivation for research purposes.
          Recently, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) representative
Gregory Williams testified before the Kentucky General Assembly that the
agency remains strongly opposed to the legalization of industrial hemp.  He
also stated that anyone seeking to grow plots of industrial hemp must first
receive approval from the federal agency, regardless of whether such
cultivation is permitted under state law.  Williams testified that the DEA
has rejected all recent applications.
          For more information, please contact either Burl McCoy, attorney
for Woody Harrelson and a member of NORML's National Legal Committee, @
(606) 254-6363 or Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.
  European Union Proposes Paying Morocco Millions To Stop Growing Marijuana
          July 10, 1997, Rabat, Morocco:  European Union (EU) officials hope
to steer $610 million worth of investment projects toward Morocco to
dissuade the country from growing marijuana, Reuters News Service reported
on Tuesday.
          Leaders and ambassadors from EU nations and Morocco established a
joint "guidance council" to encourage funders to invest in the
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