From NORML.org:
Join NORML Next Week For The 29th Annual Key West Seminar
California Society Of Addiction Medicine Calls For The ‘Constructive Regulation’ Of Marijuana
Recent Action Alerts:
Tell The Obama Administration to Halt Its Attack on Medical Marijuana
Tell Your Representatives to Co-Sponsor HR 2306: The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2011
Massachusetts Legislature Considers Medical Marijuana Measure
Join NORML Next Week For The 29th Annual Key West Seminar
Washington, DC: NORML is accepting last minute registrations from criminal defense attorneys who wish to attend the organization’s 29th annual Key West Legal Seminar.
This year’s seminar will take place Thursday, December 1, through Saturday, December 3, 2011 at the Pier House Resort and Caribbean Spa in Key West, Florida. Join NORML’s staff and many of the nation’s top criminal defense attorneys in one of America’s most ‘pot-friendly’ cities.
Presentations at this year’s seminar include: ‘Intellectual Property Rights in the Medical Marijuana Field,’ ‘Defending Forfeiture Actions, Both Civil and Criminal,’ ‘Using the Latest and Best Science to Beat a DUI Marijuana Prosecution,’ ‘The Latest Tips for Using the Internet for Legal Research,’ ‘Prosecutorial Ethics: What Prosecutors Can and Cannot Do, and How a Defendant Can Use That to His Advantage,’ and ‘Raising a Medical Necessity Defense in Non-Medical Use States.’
Speakers at this year’s conference include: Paul Armentano, NORML’s Deputy Director and the co-author of the book Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? (Chelsea Green, 2009); Gerald Goldstein, past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and legal counsel for the late-Hunter S. Thompson; John Wesley Hall, past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Norm Kent, author of The Pot Warrior’s Manifesto and a member of NORML’s Board of Directors; Jeralyn Merritt, founder of TalkLeft.com and a frequent television legal analyst for Fox News and MSNBC; David Michael, co-counsel for Angel Raich and Diane Monson before the United States Supreme Court in Raich v. Gonzales; Kyndra Miller, west coast coordinator of the NORML Women’s Alliance and President and CEO of CannaBusiness Law, Inc.; and NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre.
Social events at this year’s seminar include an opening night reception, an afternoon sailboat cruise, and a NORML benefit dinner at Camille’s Restaurant.
Conference agenda and registration information for the 29th annual NORML Key West Legal Seminar is available online at: http://norml.org/about/norml-key-west-legal-seminar. The Key West Legal Seminar is fully accredited in every state that requires continuing legal education (CLE) for attorneys.
California Society Of Addiction Medicine Calls For The ‘Constructive Regulation’ Of Marijuana
San Francisco, CA: The California chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicines (ASAM) has issued a paper calling for the legalization and regulation of the adult use of cannabis.
The preliminary paper, entitled ‘Youth First: Reconstructing Drug Policy, Regulating Marijuana, and Increasing Access to Treatment in California,’ was initially presented at CSAM’s State of the Art Conference in October.
It states: “Adolescents in California have easy access to purchasing and using marijuana. California’s current medical marijuana laws have not had significant impact on access, and have made physicians de facto gatekeepers for access to both medical and recreational cannabis. CSAM therefore recommends that the best course at this point is to replace the current system of medical marijuana dispensaries and physician recommendations with a more strictly regulated system in which physicians are no longer gatekeepers for access, and fees and taxes from marijuana sales preferentially support education, prevention, and intervention for youth with marijuana-related problems.”
Authors add: “A system of constructive regulation will assure that individuals are never jailed solely for possession or use of marijuana, more youth will be kept in school through community-based education, prevention and early intervention; and, referral to treatment will occur when needed. … CSAM will support a system of marijuana regulation if sufficient funds from tax and fee revenues are sequestered and directed toward a multi-level Youth First program.”
CSAM’s call for cannabis regulation follows a similar resolution issued last month by the California Medical Association that recommended lawmakers legalize and tax marijuana “in a manner similar to alcohol.”
According to the Associated Press, board members at the American Society of Addiction Medicines did not respond favorably to CSAM’s report, stating: “We oppose any changes in law and regulation that would lead to a sudden significant increase in the availability of any dependence-producing drug. This policy includes marijuana, a mood-altering drug capable of producing dependence as well as serious negative mental, emotional, behavioral and physical consequences.”
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director, at (202) 483-5500. Full text of CSAM’s ‘Youth First’ report is available online at: https://www.csam-asam.org/fckfiles/csam_youth_first_draft-lo-res.pdf.
NORML and the NORML Foundation: 1600 K Street NW, Mezzanine Level, Washington DC, 20006-2832
Tel: (202) 483-5500 • Fax: (202) 483-0057 • Email: norml@norml.org
