Reply-To: "Las Vegas NORML" <lvnorml@yahoo.com> From: "Las Vegas NORML" <lvnorml@yahoo.com> To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;> Subject: NORML E-Zine Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 18:58:19 -0800 Organization: Las Vegas NORML MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0031_01C1A11B.42BDABC0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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NORML E-Zine Volume 5 Issue 3 January 17, 2002
TOP STORIES* Canadian Firm to Sue U.S. Government Over Hemp Foods Ban=20 * UK to Test Marijuana for Cancer Pain * Brazilian President Vetoes Landmark Legislation Decriminalizing=20 Marijuana, Other Drugs
Canadian Firm to Sue U.S. Government Over Hemp Foods Ban "Myopic and Absurd" Policy Violates NAFTA, Company ChargesChatham, Ontario: A Canadian firm that manufactures and=20 distributes hempen goods to the United States announced plans=20 this week to sue the U.S. government for more than C$20 million=20 ($12.7 million) in damages because of a recently enacted DEA ban=20 on certain hemp food and oil products.=20 =20 "We are filing this NAFTA action because the DEA, ... through=20 its recent ruling, seeks to effectively prevent Kenex from=20 accessing American markets for its hemp food products, on=20 which the firm depends for over three-quarters of its business,"=20 Kenex president Jean Laprise said in a statement. Kenex Limited=20 is Canada's oldest hemp manufacturing and processing firm,=20 producing an array of hemp seed, food and fiber products. =20 Canada legalized the commercial cultivation of hemp in 1998.
Last October, DEA officials announced new regulations=20 criminalizing the possession and manufacture of any edible=20 hemp seed or oil products - including snack bars, veggie=20 burgers and salad oils - that test positive for trace levels=20 of THC out of concern that such products might inadvertently=20 cause a consumer to test positive on illicit drug tests. By=20 contrast, Canada allows the sale and possession of edible hemp=20 goods as long as they contain amounts of THC below ten micrograms=20 per gram. =20
Kenex maintains that the DEA's ban conflicts with the North=20 American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) - which recognizes hemp as=20 a legal agricultural commodity - because: "The DEA did not=20 provide any notice and opportunity for U.S. trading partners=20 or foreign companies to provide input into its ruling; the agency=20 did not conduct a risk assessment or offer any other science-based=20 rational for issuance of the rule; the DEA did not seek to minimize=20 impact on international trade; and it has not similarly regulated=20 poppy seeds and their trace opiates."
A statement by the Canadian government (provided by Kenex)=20 backs the company's claims, declaring: "There is no evidence that=20 the effective ban on relevant Canadian food products on the U.S.=20 market is based on any risk assessment. Therefore, Canada objects=20 to these measures."
Last week, the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) and seven hemp=20 food companies filed a brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of=20 Appeals urging the court to enjoin the DEA ban.
For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML=20 Foundation Executive Director, at (202) 483-8751 or visit:=20 http://www.votehemp.com .
UK to Test Marijuana for Cancer PainLondon, United Kingdom: A London company licensed to grow and=20 test medical marijuana in clinical trials is set to begin=20 evaluating the drug's effectiveness on patients suffering=20 from cancer pain. The Phase III trial, to be administered by=20 GW Pharmaceuticals, will take place at more than 20 centers=20 throughout England and involve over 100 patients.
Patients in the trial will receive marijuana extracts via=20 a sublingual (under-the-tongue) spray. Previous studies by GW=20 Pharmaceuticals on Multiple Sclerosis and spinal cord injury=20 patients found that nearly 80 percent of those administered=20 cannabis extracts experienced a reduction in pain and an improved=20 quality of life.
The upcoming cancer pain study will be the first large-scale=20 trial to examine the analgesic effects of marijuana on=20 cancer-related pain. "The potential market is very significant=20 since approximately 40 percent of cancer sufferers at present=20 have unmet needs in pain suppression," GW Pharmaceuticals Chairman=20 Geoffrey Guy said.
In its year-end company report, Managing Director Justin Gover=20 reaffirmed GW's intentions to present its patient trial data to=20 UK regulatory authorities sometime next year. "We remain on=20 track to deliver our first products to market in 2004," Gover=20 said in a prepared statement. He added that GW had recently attained=20 approval from American authorities to import cannabis extracts=20 into the United States.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML=20 Director of Publications and Research, at (202) 483-5500 or visit:=20 http://www.gwpharm.com .
Brazilian President Vetoes Landmark Legislation Decriminalizing=20 Marijuana, Other DrugsRio De Janeiro, Brazil: Brazilian President Fernando Henrique=20 Cardoso vetoed legislation last week that would have replaced=20 criminal penalties for marijuana possession and other drug=20 offenses with alternative sentencing measures such as community=20 service and civil fines.=20
Members of the Brazilian Congress had debated the drug=20 liberalization provisions for 10 years before finally approving=20 the measure in September. Brazil's current anti-drug laws=20 mandate that drug offenders, including those convicted of=20 first-time marijuana offenses, go to jail for a period of up=20 to two years. Brazilian drug-law reformers estimate that=20 drug offenders now constitute approximately one-third of those=20 who are sentenced to prison.
A spokesman for the President said that Cardoso vetoed=20 the drug liberalization provisions because they were=20 "unconstitutional." However, the President did sign into=20 law other provisions of the bill aimed at enhancing criminal=20 penalties for drug traffickers.
Despite rejecting Congress' "harm reduction" strategy,=20 the President does back non-criminal sanctions for first-time=20 drug offenders, his spokesman said. Cardoso is expected to=20 introduce an alternative measure to Congress later this spring.
For more information, please contact either Keith Stroup=20 or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500.
Support NORML's efforts to change marijuana policy and educate=20 the public to alternatives to marijuana prohibition. You can=20 join or donate online at: https://banqa.uaqa.com/norml/join
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2><FONT size=3D3>NORML E-Zine<BR>Volume 5<BR>Issue = 3<BR>January=20 17, 2002<BR><BR></FONT><FONT size=3D3>####################<BR>TOP = STORIES<BR><BR>*=20 Canadian Firm to Sue U.S. Government Over Hemp Foods Ban <BR>* UK to = Test=20 Marijuana for Cancer Pain<BR>* Brazilian President Vetoes Landmark = Legislation=20 Decriminalizing <BR> Marijuana, Other=20 Drugs<BR><BR>________________________________________________________<BR>= Canadian=20 Firm to Sue U.S. Government Over Hemp Foods Ban<BR>"Myopic and Absurd" = Policy=20 Violates NAFTA, Company Charges<BR><BR> Chatham, = Ontario: A=20 Canadian firm that manufactures and <BR>distributes hempen goods to the = United=20 States announced plans <BR>this week to sue the U.S. government for more = than=20 C$20 million <BR>($12.7 million) in damages because of a recently = enacted DEA=20 ban <BR>on certain hemp food and oil products. = <BR> <BR> =20 "We are filing this NAFTA action because the DEA, ... through <BR>its = recent=20 ruling, seeks to effectively prevent Kenex from <BR>accessing American = markets=20 for its hemp food products, on <BR>which the firm depends for over=20 three-quarters of its business," <BR>Kenex president Jean Laprise said = in a=20 statement. Kenex Limited <BR>is Canada's oldest hemp manufacturing = and=20 processing firm, <BR>producing an array of hemp seed, food and fiber=20 products. <BR>Canada legalized the commercial cultivation of hemp = in=20 1998.<BR><BR> Last October, DEA officials announced = new=20 regulations <BR>criminalizing the possession and manufacture of any = edible=20 <BR>hemp seed or oil products - including snack bars, veggie <BR>burgers = and=20 salad oils - that test positive for trace levels <BR>of THC out of = concern that=20 such products might inadvertently <BR>cause a consumer to test positive = on=20 illicit drug tests. By <BR>contrast, Canada allows the sale and = possession=20 of edible hemp <BR>goods as long as they contain amounts of THC below = ten=20 micrograms <BR>per gram. <BR><BR> Kenex = maintains that=20 the DEA's ban conflicts with the North <BR>American Free Trade Agreement = (NAFTA)=20 - which recognizes hemp as <BR>a legal agricultural commodity - because: = "The=20 DEA did not <BR>provide any notice and opportunity for U.S. trading = partners=20 <BR>or foreign companies to provide input into its ruling; the agency = <BR>did=20 not conduct a risk assessment or offer any other science-based = <BR>rational for=20 issuance of the rule; the DEA did not seek to minimize <BR>impact on=20 international trade; and it has not similarly regulated <BR>poppy seeds = and=20 their trace opiates."<BR><BR> A statement by the = Canadian=20 government (provided by Kenex) <BR>backs the company's claims, = declaring: "There=20 is no evidence that <BR>the effective ban on relevant Canadian food = products on=20 the U.S. <BR>market is based on any risk assessment. Therefore, = Canada=20 objects <BR>to these measures."<BR><BR> Last week, the = Hemp=20 Industries Association (HIA) and seven hemp <BR>food companies filed a = brief=20 with the Ninth Circuit Court of <BR>Appeals urging the court to enjoin = the DEA=20 ban.<BR><BR> For more information, please contact = Allen St.=20 Pierre, NORML <BR>Foundation Executive Director, at (202) 483-8751 or = visit:=20 <BR></FONT><A href=3D"http://www.votehemp.com"><FONT=20 size=3D3>http://www.votehemp.com</FONT></A><FONT=20 size=3D3>.<BR><BR>____________________________________<BR>UK to Test = Marijuana for=20 Cancer Pain<BR><BR> London, United Kingdom: A London = company=20 licensed to grow and <BR>test medical marijuana in clinical trials is = set to=20 begin <BR>evaluating the drug's effectiveness on patients suffering = <BR>from=20 cancer pain. The Phase III trial, to be administered by <BR>GW=20 Pharmaceuticals, will take place at more than 20 centers <BR>throughout = England=20 and involve over 100 patients.<BR><BR> Patients in the = trial=20 will receive marijuana extracts via <BR>a sublingual (under-the-tongue)=20 spray. Previous studies by GW <BR>Pharmaceuticals on Multiple = Sclerosis=20 and spinal cord injury <BR>patients found that nearly 80 percent of = those=20 administered <BR>cannabis extracts experienced a reduction in pain and = an=20 improved <BR>quality of life.<BR><BR> The upcoming = cancer pain=20 study will be the first large-scale <BR>trial to examine the analgesic = effects=20 of marijuana on <BR>cancer-related pain. "The potential market is = very=20 significant <BR>since approximately 40 percent of cancer sufferers at = present=20 <BR>have unmet needs in pain suppression," GW Pharmaceuticals Chairman=20 <BR>Geoffrey Guy said.<BR><BR> In its year-end company = report,=20 Managing Director Justin Gover <BR>reaffirmed GW's intentions to present = its=20 patient trial data to <BR>UK regulatory authorities sometime next = year. =20 "We remain on <BR>track to deliver our first products to market in = 2004," Gover=20 <BR>said in a prepared statement. He added that GW had recently = attained=20 <BR>approval from American authorities to import cannabis extracts = <BR>into the=20 United States.<BR><BR> For more information, please = contact=20 Paul Armentano, NORML <BR>Director of Publications and Research, at = (202)=20 483-5500 or visit: <BR></FONT><A href=3D"http://www.gwpharm.com"><FONT=20 size=3D3>http://www.gwpharm.com</FONT></A><FONT=20 size=3D3>.<BR><BR>_______________________________________________________= ________<BR>Brazilian=20 President Vetoes Landmark Legislation Decriminalizing <BR>Marijuana, = Other=20 Drugs<BR><BR> Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: Brazilian = President=20 Fernando Henrique <BR>Cardoso vetoed legislation last week that would = have=20 replaced <BR>criminal penalties for marijuana possession and other drug=20 <BR>offenses with alternative sentencing measures such as community = <BR>service=20 and civil fines. <BR><BR> Members of the Brazilian = Congress=20 had debated the drug <BR>liberalization provisions for 10 years before = finally=20 approving <BR>the measure in September. Brazil's current anti-drug = laws=20 <BR>mandate that drug offenders, including those convicted of = <BR>first-time=20 marijuana offenses, go to jail for a period of up <BR>to two = years. =20 Brazilian drug-law reformers estimate that <BR>drug offenders now = constitute=20 approximately one-third of those <BR>who are sentenced to=20 prison.<BR><BR> A spokesman for the President said = that=20 Cardoso vetoed <BR>the drug liberalization provisions because they were=20 <BR>"unconstitutional." However, the President did sign into = <BR>law other=20 provisions of the bill aimed at enhancing criminal <BR>penalties for = drug=20 traffickers.<BR><BR> Despite rejecting Congress' "harm =
reduction" strategy, <BR>the President does back non-criminal sanctions = for=20 first-time <BR>drug offenders, his spokesman said. Cardoso is = expected to=20 <BR>introduce an alternative measure to Congress later this=20 spring.<BR><BR> For more information, please contact = either=20 Keith Stroup <BR>or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202)=20 483-5500.<BR><BR>####################<BR>Support NORML's efforts to = change=20 marijuana policy and educate <BR>the public to alternatives to marijuana =
prohibition. You can <BR>join or donate online at:<BR> = </FONT><A=20 href=3D"https://banqa.uaqa.com/norml/join"><FONT=20 size=3D3>https://banqa.uaqa.com/norml/join</FONT></A><BR></FONT></DIV></B= ODY></HTML>
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