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   . . . a weekly service for the media on news items related to marijuana
                                prohibition.
                               August 28, 1997
    Attorney General, Law Enforcement Back California Medical Marijuana
                                Research Bill
          August 28, 1997, Sacramento, CA:  Attorney General Dan Lungren,
the California Narcotics Officers Association, and the California District
Attorneys Association announced their support on Monday for legislation to
establish a Medical Research Center at a campus of the University of
California.  S.B. 535, currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee,
would provide $1 million for the first year of study and recommend similar
financing over the next two years.
          The endorsement increases the likelihood that the Legislature will
approve S.B. 535 this session.  Additional supporters of the legislation
include the American Cancer Society and the California Medical Association.
          California NORML Coordinator Dale Gieringer said he welcomed the
Attorney General's endorsement.  "We are glad to stand on common ground with
Attorney General Lungren and law enforcement in support of S.B. 535.  We
have no doubt that honest research will lead to federal approval of
marijuana as medicine.  Thanks to the passage of Prop. 215, California is
breaking the federal roadblock against medical marijuana research."
          The bill's sponsor, Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-Santa Clara), said
he appreciated Lungren's cooperation.  "After two months of negotiations, we
have an agreement that maintains the integrity of the bill's research goals
while responding to law enforcement concerns.  The Attorney General and I
share a commitment to pure, unbiased research, a goal which S.B. 535
embodies."
          Negotiations between Lungren and Vasconcellos resulted in some
modifications of the bill.  Major amendments to S.B. 535 include the
following:
          * The state program must comply with research guidelines developed
by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) unless NIH fails to provide such
guidelines within six months of the state's request.
          * The program must use marijuana supplied by either the National
Institute on Drug Abuse or alternative sources approved by the Attorney
General.
          * Private donations to research are prohibited if they come with
any conditions or restrictions.
          * Research protocols must be reviewed and approved by the state's
existing Research Advisory Panel.
          "California needs a definitive study," Lungren announced at a news
conference.  "I do not fear the findings of an unbiased research project."
          Lungren's endorsement contrasts his vocal opposition to
Proposition 215 prior to last year's election.  Lungren incurred the ire of
medical marijuana proponents last August when he ordered state agents to
raid San Francisco's largest cannabis buyers' club.
          Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of The NORML Foundation, said
he was cautiously optimistic about the recent developments in California.
"The broad coalition backing medical marijuana research in California is a
positive step toward the passage of S.B. 535," he said.  "However, recent
modifications to the bill -- specifically those mandating the state program
to comply with federal guidelines and supply sources -- may stall necessary
research from taking place."  St. Pierre noted that similar proposals in
Washington and Massachusetts have been delayed indefinitely while awaiting
federal cooperation.
          The California State Senate overwhelmingly approved S.B. 535 on
June 6.
          For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or
Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751.  Dale Gieringer of
California NORML is available @ (415) 563-5858.
              New Book Links Marijuana To Melatonin Production
          August 28, 1997, Washington, D.C.:  Smoking marijuana stimulates
melatonin production in the human body at greater levels than any other
known method, allege authors of a new book entitled Your Body's Natural
Wonder Drug: Melatonin.
          Authors J. Reiter, Ph.D. and Jo Robinson cite an Italian study
that discovered significantly higher melatonin levels in subjects who
consumed marijuana within the last half-hour than those who abstained.  The
authors speculate that some of marijuana's therapeutic properties could be
linked the increased production of melatonin.
          "The fact that smoking marijuana is accompanied by a dramatic
increase in melatonin production may explain some of the drug's positive
effects, [including] ... being used to counteract the toxicity of
chemotherapy, treat migraines, reduce intraocular pressure, minimize pain,
treat menstrual cramps, and moderate wasting syndrome in AIDS patients," the
authors state.
      Federal Court Upholds Unlawful Prosecution Suit By Hemp Activists
          August 28, 1997, Hilo, HI:  A federal appeals court upheld a $3
million lawsuit brought by hemp activists Roger Christie and Aaron Anderson
against Hawaii County prosecutors for unlawful prosecution.
          Anderson and Christie were indicted for "commercial promotion" of
marijuana in 1992 after Anderson ordered sterilized hemp seeds from China.
Current law allows individuals to import and possess such seeds.
Prosecutors subsequently dropped criminal charges against Christie, but have
scheduled a September 23 trial date for Anderson.
          During an early hearing in Anderson and Christie's suit, Deputy
Prosecutor Kay Iopa testified that her office would not prosecute a "little
old lady" if she possessed hemp seeds.  Iopa did suggest that she would
prosecute an individual who "is very vocally, very outwardly, advocating the
legalization of marijuana."  The U.S. District Court in Honolulu later
dismissed charges against Iopa and her superior Jay Kimura, but allowed the
case to stand against the county.  The recent appeals court ruling reaffirms
that decision.
          "We are grateful for the light shining on the cannabis plant,"
said Christie.  "We are hoping this becomes the last marijuana trial in
Hawaii."
          County attorney Steve Christensen said that he plans a new appeal
to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.  "Anderson will be an old man before we
conclude this," he said.
          For more information, please contact Roger Christie @ (808)
961-0488.
  Canadian Activist Vows To Take Constitutional Challenge To Supreme Court
          August 28, 1997, London, Ontario:  Canadian marijuana activist
Chris Clay -- who two weeks ago lost his bid to strike down federal laws
outlawing the use of marijuana -- says that he will take his case to the
Supreme Court.  "This is just the first round," Clay told reporters last
week.
          Clay's lawyers, Toronto law professor Alan Young and attorney Paul
Burstein, expect to file an appeal by mid-September.  "We've come this far,
so we won't stop now," Young said.
          Clay launched his constitutional challenge after law enforcement
officials raided his retail store in London, Ontario in December 1996 for
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