I am pleased to announce that today is the 17^th anniversary of the founding of the Marijuana Policy Project!

Since our formation in 1995, MPP has worked tirelessly to reform marijuana policies around the country and put an end to the harms caused by marijuana prohibition. It’s been a difficult struggle that does not appear to be getting any easier, but despite powerful opposition, we’ve made great strides. Here are just 17 of the things we’ve helped accomplish in the last 17 years:
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Have you ever noticed how prohibitionists in power keep fighting medical marijuana by saying that it is out of control, and somehow causing a breakdown in society, endangering the public, sending the wrong message to kids, etc.? Have you also noticed that they will freely spend time and taxpayer money trying to undermine medical marijuana programs and restrict the rights of patients?

We’re seeing it in Arizona with Gov. Jan Brewer’s egregious lawsuit to interfere with her state’s voter-approved medical marijuana law, which even the federal government thinks is a waste of time. We’re seeing it in Oregon, where a local sheriff is so hellbent on denying the 2nd Amendment rights of medical marijuana patients that he is willing to use state funds to take his case all the way to the Supreme Court.

Now, long-time medical marijuana foe Bill Schuette, attorney general of Michigan, has announced his plans to  introduce legislation this fall that would supposedly stop the abuse of the medical marijuana system there.

Hold on a minute. Aren’t law enforcement supposed to enforce the laws, not make them? That’s a topic for another time.

The main focus of the as-yet-unfinished bill will be curbing the amount of “drugged-driving” accidents by severely limiting the ability of medical marijuana patients to ever drive a car.

From the press release:

“Schuette noted confusing inconsistencies between the Michigan Motor Vehicle Code and the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act must be eliminated to preserve safety on Michigan roadways.  A longstanding safety provision in the Michigan Motor Vehicle Code prohibits driving with any amount of marijuana in your system.  In contrast, the MMMA references driving “under the influence of marijuana,” a term which is not defined in state law or by uniform scientific standards, and creates a different standard for medical marijuana users. …

Schuette cited statistics recently released by the Michigan State Police which indicate that marijuana-related fatalities remain the most common drug-related automobile fatality, and that such fatalities are on the rise in Michigan.

“Driving with marijuana in your system is unsafe and jeopardizes the safety of our roadways,” said Schuette.  “If you take drugs, don’t take the wheel.”

It is never a good idea to get behind the wheel while impaired by any substance. That being said, the statements of the attorney general can best be described as baseless fear-mongering.

First of all, multiple studies and mountains of anecdotal evidence have proven that merely having marijuana in one’s system is not an indicator of impairment, or even intoxication. Marijuana metabolites can stay in one’s system for up to a month after using it, and THC can stay in one’s system for a week. Yet the effects wear off within a few hours. The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act recognizes this by changing the wording of driving restrictions for medical marijuana patients to driving “under the influence,”, meaning that the patient has medicated recently and is still experiencing some intoxicating effects. Despite Schuette’s claim, “under the influence” is used in the provision of Michigan’s DUI laws that apply to all other prescription medications — MCL 257.625 (1)(a).

Under the changes proposed by Schuette, this difference would be removed, making it illegal for patients to operate a car with any marijuana in their system whatsoever. Most medical marijuana patients always have marijuana in their system. Even those who only use occasionally may have to use large amounts that can leave traces in the body for some time.

Basically, this amounts to saying that if a person finds that marijuana is the best medicine to treat their condition, he or she must forfeit their driving privileges or wait weeks after medicating to drive. This restriction is not applied to any other medicine in Michigan. This is medical bigotry, plain and simple. Patients are already dealing with trying to live normal lives and treat their conditions. They have it hard enough as it is. And Bill Schuette wants to make their lives even harder.

Secondly, the assertion that marijuana is involved in more automobile related fatalities than any other drug is completely false, unless one uses the definition that the Attorney General would like to apply to medical marijuana patients. The study cited in the press release used just that definition, however, and counted every fatal accident in which the driver had any marijuana in his or her system! This means that if someone smokes a joint, and three weeks later gets in a car (maybe after a few cocktails) and kills someone, it is a marijuana-related auto fatality.

It sure is easy to scare people when you don’t care about science.

This is illustrative of the need to get away from chemical intoxication testing and go back to physical impairment tests in driving situations. It should not matter what is in someone’s bloodstream, particularly for medical marijuana patients. Whether or not they are impaired should be the primary concern for law enforcement, and they don’t need fancy blood tests or saliva swabs to determine that. They’ve been doing just fine since the invention of the automobile.

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Are you a patient with a serious medical condition who might benefit from medical marijuana, a loved one of such a patient, a medical professional, or a member of law enforcement or the clergy who might be interested in speaking out? If so, please contact Noah Mamber, the Marijuana Policy Project’s legislative analyst for Delaware, at (202) 905-2025 or nmamber@mpp.org to learn how you can help pass medical marijuana legislation in Delaware this year. Please also search your personal contacts and if you know someone who falls into one of those categories and might be interested in helping, please also urge them to reach out to us.

Whether or not you are a patient, you can ask your legislators to support this sensible bill, S.B. 17, by visiting this page.

Although we need supporters from all over Delaware, we especially need people in the following areas:

* Western Newcastle county, northeast of Newark, Stanton, Marshallton, Dunlinden Acres, Hyde Park, Arundel, Sherwood II, Greenwood, Northpointe, Mendenhall Village, North Star, Meadowbrook, Milford Crossroads, Chanterelle, Paper Mill Park, Deacon’s Walk, Linden Way

* Southeastern Newcastle county, Newport, Dunleith, Wilmington Manor, Castle Hills, Collins Park, Penn Acres, Jefferson Farms, Newcastle, near Newcastle Airport, Bear

* Southwestern Newcastle county including Middletown, Wiggins Mill, Townsend, Blackbird, Delaney Corner, Clayton

* Dover and areas east, west, and southwest, including Rodney Village, Wyoming, Camden, Chaplecroft, Little Creek

* Northern Sussex county coast: Milford, Slaughter Beach, Argo Corners, Sandy Hill, Harbeson, Cave Colony, Zoar, Mt. Joy, Morris Mill, Long Neck, Hollymount, Fairmount, Angola, Marshtown, Jimtown, Belltown, Nassau, Carpenters Corner, Lewes, Lewes Beach, Green Hill, Broadkill Beach

Delaware’s carefully crafted medical marijuana legislation, S.B. 17, is expected to receive a Senate floor vote on March 31. S.B. 17 would allow the compassionate use of medical marijuana for chronically ill Delaware patients with their doctors’ recommendations. It would include tightly regulated, extremely limited distribution of medical marijuana by licensing three not-for-profit compassion centers, one in each of the Delaware counties.

We have a real chance at passing medical marijuana legislation in Delaware this year, but we can’t do it without your help. Delaware is a very small state where folks know each other. The best way to pass this legislation is to get more Delawareans involved! Delaware legislators need to hear from those whom this compassionate legislation would affect. Please share your stories, experiences, and support today!

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MPP’s Aaron Houston will be interviewed on CNN’s “The Situation Room” today regarding progress toward lifting the “Barr amendment,” which has blocked Washington D.C. from implementing its medical marijuana law passed by voters in 1998. The show airs at 6 p.m. Eastern time, 3 p.m. Pacific.

Bear in mind that TV news schedules are always subject to last-minute change if there’s breaking news, but they are pre-taping the interview even as I post this.

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The battle in L.A. is not over yet, but two City Council committees have rejected draconian and bad advice from City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, the Los Angeles Times reports.

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