Today, by a unanimous vote, the D.C. Council approved amendments to a medical marijuana law first passed in 1998 by 69 percent of District voters. Congress had blocked implementation of Initiative 59 for more than a decade, until it lifted its ban last year.

Mayor Adrian Fenty is expected to sign the bill, at which point Congress will have 30 days to review before it becomes law. Once that happens, the District of Columbia will join 14 states across the country in allowing qualified patients to use medical marijuana without fear of arrest.

This is a landmark victory for the nation’s capital and the potentially thousands of District residents who will benefit from safe and legal access to medical marijuana.

“It has taken nearly 12 years, but the District will at last have a law that recognizes the mounting scientific consensus that, for many conditions, marijuana can be safe and effective medicine,” MPP’s Karen O’Keefe said in a press release today.

Under the District’s law, physicians will be able to give medical marijuana recommendations to patients suffering from HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, and other serious conditions that can be alleviated through marijuana. Qualified patients will have safe access to their medicine through a limited number of dispensaries within the District.

There’s much more to be said about this very exciting news. Stay tuned to MPP’s blog for updates.

In a live televised debate Wednesday night between Oregon’s two Democratic candidates for governor, one — former Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury — said he thinks “it might be” a good idea to legalize and tax marijuana like we do alcohol. While his complete statement didn’t come off as a whole-hearted endorsement for marijuana policy reform, Bradbury’s answer was much more promising than that of his opponent, former Gov. John Kitzhaber, who said plainly, “I do not support legalizing marijuana or taxing it as a form of income to support schools and other important public services.”

Both candidates said they supported measures that would add dispensaries to Oregon’s medical marijuana law.

Here is Bradbury’s entire answer to the question of whether it would be “a good idea” to tax marijuana like alcohol:

“It might be. But you know, I have a feeling the federal government would pretty quickly step in and say, ‘Sorry, you can’t do that.’ […] I’ve got to tell you, I just don’t think that’s a very realistic solution to the significant revenue problem the state of Oregon is currently facing.”

You can watch a clip of both candidates’ responses by scrolling down on this link. The exchange about marijuana policy occurs in the third video, with about 5:13 remaining.

The L.A. Times recently reported that more than 22,000 people have been killed in cartel-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderon began a crackdown after taking office in late 2006. Now, after reviewing 20 years of scientific literature on drug-related violence, researchers at the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy issued a report finding that increased violence is the predictable result of a crackdown.

The former drug czar, John Walters, disagreed with their conclusion, claiming violence is a result of the cartels getting weaker. The Associated Press reports Walters “said the researchers gravely misinterpret drug violence. He said spikes of attacks and killings after law enforcement crackdowns are almost entirely between criminals, and therefore may, in a horrible, paradoxical way, reflect success.”

Walters himself has estimated that 60% of cartel profits come from marijuana. Yet while no one has ever died of a marijuana overdose, it’s clear that many thousands have been killed in prohibition-related violence. And despite billions of dollars in expenses each year, the trail of bloodshed, and 800,000 arrests per year, more than 80% of high schools seniors still report each year that marijuana is very easy or fairly easy to get. I guess John Walters and I have different definitions of success.

In breaking news out of North Carolina today, four members of the NC State football team were cited on “drug charges” for hanging out in an apartment smoking a little marijuana. Apparently, an off-duty police officer working in the apartment building smelled marijuana and decided he needed to protect the community by busting in and arresting as many people as possible.

Three of the four players were charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. All four, including one who apparently did not possess the marijuana but resided in the apartment with the other players, were charged with “maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of using a controlled substance.” Are they kidding? Do the police believe they specifically rented that apartment so that it would be a drug den?

Let’s review what was found on the premises:

[Police Sergeant R.E.] Hoffman said he found two homemade bongs, a multi-colored glass bong, three clear sandwich bags containing approximately six grams of marijuana and a blunt cigar containing marijuana in the apartment, according to the warrant. The warrant also stated the finding of Bryan’s BlackBerry, which contained images of a marijuana plant in growth.

Quite the drug den.

The article noted that the four players “were” expected to play substantial roles on the team next season. But their status may be in jeopardy because of this situation.

Here is the most troubling part of this story. We are only hearing about it because these individuals are college athletes. There are more than 800,000 marijuana arrests in the U.S. every year. Every single day in this country otherwise law-abiding citizens have their worlds turned upside-down because they made the rational decision to use a substance less harmful than alcohol one night. This is as absurd as our law gets.

Reversing this madness is the mission of MPP.

The multiple sclerosis patient in New Jersey who was sentenced to five years in prison for growing marijuana plants and has been incarcerated since March may be released today while he appeals his case.

A state appellate court ruled yesterday that John Wilson, who says he used marijuana to treat his condition, should be released on bail.

From MyCentralJersey.com:

“Family and supporters were optimistic, but pointed out that John spent three weeks in the Somerset County Jail, then a week in a Trenton [transfer] facility and had just been moved to a state prison complex in southern New Jersey. Some were growing concerned over his health.”

Two state senators have asked New Jersey’s governor to pardon Wilson, in part because the state passed a medical marijuana law during the course of his trial.

I got a call last week about this absolutely tragic story in Florida, which is as good an example of the senseless nature of our nation’s marijuana laws as any I have ever seen.

John Haring, 45, is a quadriplegic who suffers daily from chronic pain, arthritis, spasm attacks, and depression. He uses marijuana to treat his condition, and after two marijuana arrests in two years, he’s now heading to jail for 90 days, after which he’ll be forced to undergo three years of probation and drug testing. If he tests positive for marijuana in just one of those tests, he could face up to five years in jail.

Haring and his relatives say legal prescription painkillers left him “drugged, depressed and in an angry stupor.” Using marijuana, on the other hand, “allowed him to live his life,” according to the St. Petersburg Times. “He could drive his pickup and earn extra money hauling boats and classic cars. He had relationships again. Five years ago, he had children of his own.”

As this compelling article goes on to point out, “Prescription drugs kill six Floridians a day … and the number of deaths is increasing at five times the rate of illegal drugs.”

I’d try to boil down the idiocy of laws that punish Haring for using marijuana, a safe drug with proven medical efficacy, and instead push him toward more harmful prescription drugs, but Haring’s lawyer has already done a pretty good job: “They take away from him the one thing that has worked and force him to take something more toxic,” John Trevena told the Times. “There's no logic to it.”

A Bay Area CBS affiliate recently released a poll showing that 56% of California adults believe that the state should legalize marijuana. This finding is consistent with last year’s Field Poll showing the same support for including marijuana reform as part of California’s budget solution.

Age appears to be significantly correlated to support for marijuana legalization. An overwhelming 74% of respondents age 18 to 34 said marijuana should be legal, but only 46% in the 35 to 49 range thought so. Support is at 49% for baby boomers and only 39% for those over 65.

The survey, conducted on April 20, found majority support in every geographic region in California and across all ethnic groups except for Hispanics.

This data underscores the need for a high voter turnout – especially among younger people – for California’s Control & Tax Cannabis initiative on November 2. Young people are disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition; let’s hope they turn out in high numbers to end that injustice.

California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton seems to think that the marijuana issue might just be the key to reaching these young voters who are also more likely to vote Democratic during this mid-term election.

A PDF of the Survey USA poll can be downloaded from our website.

For anyone who hasn’t yet read “Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?” tomorrow is your chance.

In recognition of 4/20, Chelsea Green Publishing will be offering free downloads of this important book, which examines the relative harms of marijuana and alcohol and asks why our nation’s laws seek to punish people who make the sensible choice to use the less harmful substance: marijuana. April also happens to be National Alcohol Awareness Month.

“Marijuana is Safer” is co-authored by MPP’s Steve Fox, Paul Armentano of NORML, and Mason Tvert of SAFER. The book will be available for free download on www.scribd.com April 20 from 12 a.m. to April 21, 12 a.m. EST.

Yesterday, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project submitted more than 250,000 signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State’s office, all but guaranteeing that medical marijuana will appear on Arizona’s ballot this November. The initiative needs 153,365 to qualify for the ballot.

“Right now, Arizona patients battling cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening diseases face prison for trying to find relief for debilitating conditions,” said Andrew Myers, campaign manager for the MPP-backed AMMPP, who spoke at a news conference in Phoenix yesterday. “By passing the ‘Vote Yes on the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act,’ we can stop this cruel and unnecessary policy.”

Once the initiative qualifies, Arizona will join South Dakota in having medical marijuana initiatives on the ballot this November. Upon its passage, qualified patients who have a doctor’s recommendation in Arizona will be given safe access to their medicine through dispensaries, as well as protection from arrest and prosecution.

Read more about the campaign at www.StopArrestingPatients.org.

Lisa Kirkman has spent the last two years trying to regain custody of her 12-year-old son, Noah, and have him returned to their home in Calgary, Canada. Her dilemma, according to the Calgary Sun, is “on the verge of becoming an international incident.”

The saga stems from a 2008 trip Noah made to his visit his stepfather in Oregon. Noah, who reportedly suffers from several mental health issues, was stopped by police for riding a bike without a helmet, and through a still unclear chain of events and red tape, ended up being placed in a series of American foster homes.

Here’s the kicker: The reason authorities have been hesitant to give Noah back to his mother is because of her history with marijuana activism and a 2003 conviction for growing medical marijuana without a permit.

“As a result,” the Calgary Sun reports, “the court has forced her to undergo psychiatric evaluations, and parenting tests. Most telling of all, the court says she must swear off drugs before Noah can come home.”

This Friday, a judge in Oregon will decide if Noah can go back to his mother. Canadian MP Rob Anders has said he is ready to travel down to the States and bring Noah home, depending on the ruling.

Oregon, which passed medical marijuana through a ballot measure in 1998, recognizes the rights of patients to use medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. From all reports, Lisa Kirkman is a legal patient in Canada—her conviction is for growing her medicine without a permit. So why would they make her “swear off” a medicine recognized by both her native country and the state in which her son is being held? Furthermore, how can a judge deprive a mother custody of her son for being politically active on any issue? It wasn’t like she was exploiting her son by making him wear protest gear, which the last time I checked isn’t illegal in the U.S. either.

Lisa Kirkman is being interviewed on CNN later this afternoon. Hopefully they can bring her back Friday when she gets to experience a long overdue reunion with her son.