Urge Obama Admin to Clarify Position on Medical Marijuana.

Urge Obama Admin to Clarify Position on Medical Marijuana.

I pledge to...

<b>Hold the White House Accountable</b></p>
<p>9/28/10 UPDATE ---&nbsp; <b>"</b>You did it! The Obama Administration clarified its position on medical marijuana by issuing new guidelines that direct federal prosecutors not to arrest patients complying with state law.<b>"&nbsp;&nbsp; DPA ACTION CENTER: <a href="https://secure2.convio.net/dpa/site/Advocacy?page=UserActionInactive&amp;id=422">https://secure2.convio.net/dpa/site/Advocacy?page=UserActionInactive&amp;id=422</a></b></p>
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<p>President Obama said on the campaign trail that medical marijuana should be treated the same as prescription medicine and that he would stop federal law enforcement from arresting people for medical marijuana in states where it is legal. <br /><br />Since taking office, however, the Obama administration has been sending mixed messages on medical marijuana, and providers still live in fear of federal raids. Write to the White House, and tell the president that people should not be punished for making doctor-prescribed medical marijuana available to the people who need it.&nbsp;</p>
<p><i><b>Ask him to take a clear stance on medical marijuana.</b></i><a href="http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=AsHMsx5Do5GycP175Zd8mA.."><br /><br />Email the president</a></p>
<p>Earlier this month, AUGUST, &nbsp;we told the Obama administration to stop sending mixed messages on medical marijuana. <br /><b>The drug czar has responded, but he still has his facts wrong.<br /></b><a href="http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=ZdMUUV2jHYs9XByvJGHh8w.."><b>Let's ask President Obama to set his drug czar straight on medical marijuana.</b></a><br /><a href="http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=ol5-syBOCWkPoJJZj82vEQ">http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=ol5-syBOCWkPoJJZj82vEQ</a>..</p>
<p>In a recent news interview, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske tried to amend his claim that "marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit,&rdquo; saying that he was referring only to smoked marijuana.</p>
<p>That's not good enough, because it&rsquo;s still not true. The science is clear: marijuana can be highly effective as a medicine when it&rsquo;s smoked. For some patients, that&rsquo;s the easiest and most effective way to consume it,&nbsp;and the harms of smoking it pale compared to the benefits.</p>
<p><b>The president has repeatedly said that science should trump politics</b>. <br />He&rsquo;s also acknowledged that marijuana can be an effective medicine. We hoped this drug czar would be different from his predecessors. We still hope so, but he needs to abandon the falsehoods and rhetoric of the past.</p>
<p><b>Our job&nbsp;is to hold the White House and its appointees accountable </b>both to fulfill the promises made by candidate Obama and to ensure that the lies of the drug war become a thing of the past. <br /><a href="http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=B7g-L6ZuJJlQRLtJCNLIIw.."><b>Write to the president today and ask him to make clear that politics will no longer trump science when it comes to medical marijuana.</b></a><br /><a href="http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=6GQYyrqHcniRiz4gAioXYQ">http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=6GQYyrqHcniRiz4gAioXYQ</a>..</p>
<p>Sincerely,<br />Bill Piper, Director, Office of National Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance Network</p>
<p><b>Date</b>: 20 августа 2009 г. 9:09</p>
<p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ <br />EDITABLE PETITION TEXT&nbsp; <br />Your message will be sent to: President Barack Obama<br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p><b>SUBJECT: </b>Clarify Your Position on Medical Marijuana</p>
<p><br />I commend both you and Attorney General Eric Holder for saying the Justice Department should no longer arrest medical marijuana patients and providers who are following the laws of their state. Drug Czar Kerlikowske, however, has said on numerous occasions that marijuana has absolutely no medical value. This not only conflicts with your stated views on medical marijuana, it is factually incorrect.</p>
<p>In a report commissioned by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Institute of Medicine concluded that nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety "all can be mitigated by marijuana." The esteemed medical journal, The Lancet Neurology, reports that marijuana's active components "inhibit pain in virtually every experimental pain paradigm." Health organizations supporting legal access to medical marijuana include the American Academy of HIV Medicine, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Nurses Association, American Preventive Medical Association, and the American Public Health Association.</p>
<p>In a recent committee report, the U.S. House of Representatives urged the Justice Department to state clearly what its position is on medical marijuana and state medical marijuana laws. I urge the Obama administration to issue this report quickly and to include within it a clear position on where the drug czar's office stands on medical marijuana and Justice Department policy, as well as the administration's position on the medical value of marijuana.

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