June 29, 2000

House Committee To Hold July 11 Hearing On ONDCP Payola Scandal
Salon.com Writer Who Broke The Story Will Face-Off Against Drug Czar

        Washington, DC:  The House Committee on Government Reform's Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources will hold a hearing about the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign at 9 am on July 11 in room 2247 Rayburn House Office Building.  Scheduled to testify at the hearing is Dan Forbes of Salon.com, who broke the payola scandal story and drug czar Barry McCaffrey.
        The NORML Foundation filed a complaint in February with the Federal Communications Commission alleging the ONDCP's program offering millions in advertising dollars to networks that include anti-drug messages embedded in programming without public disclosure may violate federal anti-payola laws.  The FCC sent formal inquiries to five major networks in April and after reviewing the network's responses, the FCC asked NORML to provide formal comments.  NORML filed those comments this week.
        For more information, please contact Tom Dean, Esq., NORML Foundation Litigation Director or Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director at (202) 483-8751.

Supreme Court Lets Stand Ruling That Louisiana Drug Testing Law Is Unconstitutional

        Washington, DC:  The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected an appeal by the State of Louisiana to overturn an appeals court holding that mandatory drug testing for elected officials is unconstitutional.
        In December, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 1998 U.S. District Court decision that found a Louisiana drug testing statute violates the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment protection against illegal search and seizure.
        The Louisiana law, which would have required 10 percent of state and local officials to be randomly drug tested each year, was passed in 1997 but has never been implemented due to the legal challenge.  Under the law, results of the first test would have remained private.  If drugs were detected, a second test would have been conducted within six months.  In the case of a second positive test for drugs, the results would have been made public and a refusal to submit to a drug test would result in a $10,000 fine and censure.
        In a similar case in 1997, the Supreme Court held a Georgia law requiring candidates for statewide office to take drug tests was unconstitutional.
        "The Louisiana legislature consistently spits in the face of the Constitution, and inevitably ends up wasting the taxpayers' money in the process," said William Rittenberg, Esq., a NORML Legal Committee attorney who challenged the Louisiana law on behalf of a state legislator.
        For more information, please contact William Rittenberg, Esq., at (504) 524-5555.

Oregon and Washington Add Ailments To Approved List For Medical Marijuana

        Seattle, WA:  Medical marijuana boards in both Washington and Oregon have added new ailments for which patients are legally permitted to use marijuana medically.
        Washington State's Medical Quality Assurance Commission this week added diseases that cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms and seizures or muscle spasms to the list of terminal or debilitating medical conditions for which marijuana can be used if the patient possesses a doctor's recommendation.
        The commission rejected a request to include insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder to the list. In the past, the board has added Crohn's disease and hepatitis C to the list of approved ailments.
        "They've (the commission) done more than any other state in the country in listening to patients' needs and allowing truly suffering people to have access to marijuana," said Rob Killian, M.D., who filed the petition to include the recent additions to the medical marijuana law.
        Last week, Oregon's Health Division added agitation from Alzheimer's disease to its list of medical conditions covered by the state's medical marijuana law.  According to the state's health officer, marijuana won't help patients with the loss of memory and other intellectual capacities associated with the disease, but it may ease patient's agitation, which is the inability to settle down, restlessness and pacing which leads to the patient's combativeness.
        The Oregon board rejected petitions to include anxiety, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia and adult attention deficit disorder.
        "Both Oregon and Washington can be commended for making an honest and credible attempt to make functional recently passed medical marijuana laws," said Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director.
        For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director at (202) 483-8751.

Dutch Parliament Approves Resolution To Allow Regulated Marijuana Cultivation

        Amsterdam, Netherlands:  The Dutch Parliament narrowly adopted a resolution this past Tuesday to allow regulated marijuana cultivation, which the government hopes will curb the illicit export of marijuana, an estimated $8.5 billion business.
        Legislators passed the resolution by a 73-72 vote.  The resolution now awaits the cabinet's consideration, which will likely come on Friday.  Coffee shops in the Netherlands are permitted to openly sell marijuana and hash, but it remains a crime to grow marijuana.
        "One of the main objectives is to fight crime," said Labor Party parliamentarian Thanasis Apostolou, who drafted the resolution.  "By regulating the supply we would know who is selling what and where it is going."
        "The Dutch are clearly in the lead in creating a more workable marijuana policy," said Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director.  "This is in stark contrast to the U.S. where most elected officials continue to look for new ways to punish marijuana smokers."
        For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre, NORML Foundation Executive Director at (202) 483-8751.

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