"One of the drug warriors' favorite arguments against state medical marijuana laws and initiatives is that the medical use of marijuana has not been approved by the FDA and that more scientific research must be conducted. What they don't say is that marijuana is treated differently than all other drugs. The federal government ... retains a monopoly on the supply of marijuana that can be used in FDA-approved research and has twice refused to supply it to privately-funded FDA-approved studies. Over two years ago the Medicinal Plant Program at UMass Amherst applied for a license to produce marijuana for research purposes only to be given the run around by the DEA.... A decision is expected shortly after the end of the public comment period on September 22, 2003. The DEA has indicated that it probably won't approve the application so we have to act now to stop the cycle keeping medical marijuana from sick and dying patients." Take action now!

The Marijuana Policy Project writes: "Since the WAMM raid, the DEA has conducted four more raids, including a raid on the Oregon home of Leroy Stubblefield, a quadriplegic Vietnam War veteran with a state license to grow marijuana. The most recent DEA raid, in May of this year, targeted patients Gary and Anna Barrett and occurred less than two weeks after a California court judge ruled that the two were 'legitimate medical marijuana users under the Compassionate Use Act and entitled to grow the marijuana they were growing.' The only way these raids will end is if Congress prohibits the DEA from carrying them out. If you would like to see this happen, Take Action today by sending a fax to your U.S. representative to support the Hinchey/Rohrabacher amendment to the Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations bill."

When the Supreme Court outlawed the purchase of medical marijuana through buyers' cooperatives, they were dooming thousands to needless physical suffering and mental and emotional stress. The Big Court said, in effect: Who cares if they're dying and in pain - we won't condone a bunch of goddamn hippies! But the Nevada Assembly rejected this knuckle-dragging position and voted 30 to 12 to allow the medical use of marijuana. In addition, the bill proposes a system to ensure patient access to the plant and also reduces possession of over an ounce of the substance from a felony to a misdemeanor. It makes no sense to have a felony grass possession law "when it is OK to drink beer until you cannot move," said Republican assemblyman Bob Beers (no, we are not making this up!).