From: "Gregg Strom/BRYX Int'l" 

Michigan Lawmakers Proposes A Public Drug Offender Directory

    Lansing, MI: A bill has been introduced in the Michigan House of
Representatives that would create a public directory of drug offenders.
    House Bill 5796, known as the "Controlled Substance Offenders
Registration Act," was introduced by Rep. Eileen DeHart (D-Westland).
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Criminal Law and
Corrections.
    Anyone convicted of a drug charge anywhere, but living in Michigan, will
have to register for the directory, which will be given to state law
enforcement agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The directory
will contain the offender's name and any aliases, addresses, physical
descriptions and date of birth.
    The public will be able to view the directory at police departments, and
the bill also calls for an electronic version of the directory to be made
available to the public.
    The legislation requires drug offenders to register for whatever term is
longer, either 25 years following the date of initially registering or for
10 years after release from a state correctional facility.
    "Anyone who does not think that marijuana prohibition has to stop has
not read about this newest phase in the war on drugs," said Greg
Schmid, Esq., a Saginaw lawyer who is attempting to get a marijuana
legalization initiative (Personal Responsibility Amendment 2000) on the
2000 ballot and Michigan NORML Coordinator. "Is an official blacklist
something we can live with? Try getting a job, or even an apartment."
    For more information, please contact Greg Schmid, Esq., Michigan NORML
Coordinator, at (517) 239-9000.


Researcher Finds No Link Between Marijuana And Head, Neck or Lung Cancer

    Baltimore, MD: A researcher from Johns Hopkins Medical School has found
evidence that marijuana smoking does not increase the risk of head, neck or
lung cancers, and based on his findings, says cancer prevention efforts
should "remain focused on tobacco and alcohol, two known
carcinogens."
    Daniel E. Ford, M.D., who conducted the study, said he was trying to
discover if cancer patients were more likely to smoke marijuana or tobacco,
or to drink alcohol as opposed to healthy, 'control' patients. Ford said he
thought "[T]he association (between marijuana smoking and cancer)
would fall away when we corrected for tobacco use. That was not the case.
The association was never there."
    Ford also found that "daily marijuana use for a month or more was not
associated with increased risk, even among those who never used tobacco."
    This study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
    "It's puzzling why scientific studies which contradict erroneous
government assertions about marijuana garner virtually no major media
attention," said Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive
Director. "Yet, similarly non peer-reviewed reports such as a recent
one concerning the effects of marijuana use as it relates to potential
heart attacks make for splashy news leads on television and lurid headlines
in newspapers. If marijuana is, as it appears to be, a product that is
safer than nearly any drug humans consume -- the public should be duly
informed."
    For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation
Executive Director at (202) 483-8751.


Maryland Governor Signs Industrial Hemp Bill; Study Can Begin In July

    Annapolis, MD: An industrial hemp bill establishing a four-year pilot
program was signed by Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D) on May 18th.
    The pilot program will begin on July 1, 2000. The legislation requires
that the state's secretary of agriculture administer the pilot program in
consultation with state and federal agencies, including the Drug
Enforcement Administration, which would have to approve any cultivation
plots. According to the legislation, only state owned land may be used to
cultivate industrial hemp during the duration of the study.
    "Legislators and other policy makers in Washington, D.C. will now be
forced to at least co-exist with industrial hemp," said Scott Colvin,
NORML Publications Director. "Whether they like it or not, hemp will
now be in their backyard and they will hopefully learn more about its
utility."
    The bill passed the Maryland House of Delegates on March 31st with a
128-8 vote, and unanimously passed the Maryland Senate on April 2nd.
    For more information, please contact Scott Colvin, NORML Publications
Director at (202) 483-5500.


San Francisco To Implement Medical Marijuana ID Cards To Protect Patients

    San Francisco, CA: San Francisco will be joining the growing list of
cities in California that issue medical marijuana identification cards to
protect patients from criminal prosecution under state law.
    San Francisco officials announced that the city Department of Public
Health (DPH) will begin to issue the cards to patients within the month.
The cards will be valid for two years at a cost of $25. Patients over age
18 will need to show the DPH proof of residency and a valid doctor's
recommendation. Patients under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a
parent or guardian when applying for the card.
    The San Francisco city government passed Supervisor Mark Leno's proposal
for the ID cards in January and since then have been finalizing details
with the DPH, city lawyers and medical marijuana activists.
    Patients who possess the card will be able to get their marijuana supply
from any of the several marijuana buyers' cooperatives operating in the San
Francisco Bay area.
    For more information, please contact Dale Gieringer, State Coordinator
of California NORML at (415) 563-5858.

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