NORML's 1997 Weekly Media Releases

December 17, 1997

• Court of Appeals Reinstates Injunction Against San Francisco Cultivators' Club: Ruling Threatens Existence Of Clubs Throughout State
• Canadian Court Strikes Down Medical Marijuana Prohibition
• California NORML Testifies Before Institute Of Medicine Expert Panel On Marijuana's Medical Utility

December 11, 1997

• AMA Okays Doctor's Right To Discuss Medical Marijuana With Patients, Urges Federal Government To Undertake Research
• Key West Medical Marijuana Club Founder Freed After Judge Okays First Ever "Medical Necessity Distribution Defense"
• Marijuana Users Report Few Health, Social, Or Legal Problems, Study Shows
• French Health Minister Favors Legalizing Medical Marijuana

December 2, 1997

• Researchers Tout Marijuana's Medical Benefit As Pain Reliever, At Annual Neuroscience Conference
• British Doctors Praise Marijuana's Medical Properties, Argue For Change In Law
• New Hampshire Legislator Prepares To Introduce Bills Allowing For Medical Marijuana, Domestic Hemp Cultivation In 1998

November 20, 1997

• Key West Cannabis Buyers' Club Founder To Appear In Court: Will Present First Ever "Medical Necessity Distribution Defense"
• California County Okays Going Ahead With Plan To Distribute Medical Marijuana In Government-Run Facilities
• Ohio Supreme Court Strikes Down Auto Search Despite Driver's Consent

November 13, 1997

• NIH Deals Medical Marijuana Proponents Setback Rejects Proposed Study Examining Use Of Marijuana In Acute Migraine Treatment
• Fifty-One Percent Of Canadians Support Decriminalizing Marijuana Possession
• California Migraine Sufferer And Caregiver Set Free Under Proposition 215
• Washington D.C. Mayor Announces He Will "Probably" Support Medical Marijuana

November 6, 1997

• Medical Marijuana Initiatives Filed For 1998 In Maine, Colorado, Elsewhere
• Washington State Voters Reject "Drug Medicalization and Prevention Act"
• Judge Denies AIDS And Cancer Patient Opportunity To Use Defense Of "Medical Necessity" Against Pot Charge

October 30, 1997

• Washington State Voters To Decide On "Drug Medicalization and Prevention Act" Next Week
• Judge Allows Best-Selling Author To Use Defense Of "Medical Necessity" Against Pot Charges
• DEA Demands Names Of Marijuana Book Buyers

October 23, 1997

• Ingestion Of Legal Hemp Seed Oil Can Cost You Your Job, Two Recent Studies Reveal
• California County Supervisor To Meet With Attorney General Regarding Plan To Distribute Medical Marijuana In County-Run Facilities
• Washington D.C. Political Leaders Sign On To Medical Marijuana Petition Drive
• New York City Political Candidate Runs On Marijuana Reform Platform

October 15, 1997

• NIDA Okays Study On Marijuana Use In HIV-Positive Patients: San Francisco Researcher Gets Go Ahead After Five Year Struggle
• Jury Votes 9-3 To Acquit In Hawaii Hemp Seed Trial
• Cures Not Wars Wheelchair March Underway In Northeast

October 7, 1997

• Marijuana Arrests For 1996 Most Ever: FBI Data Confirms Clinton's Marijuana War To Be Toughest In Nation's History

October 2, 1997

• NORML Board Member, Others Testify Before Congress In Favor Of Medical Marijuana: Republicans Balk, Voice Strong Opposition Toward Allowing Medical Marijuana Research
• Reformers Expect To Turn In Twice The Signatures Necessary To Freeze Marijuana Recriminalization In Oregon

September 25, 1997

• Congress To Hold Hearing On Medical Marijuana: NORML Board Member, Others Scheduled To Testify
• Florida Voters Favor Legal Access To Medical Marijuana By Nearly 2-1 Margin
• Nation's Fourth Largest School District To Administer Random Drug Tests To Students
• Yale University Releases Revised Version Of Harvard Medical Professor's Book On Medical Marijuana
• Paul McCartney Advocates Marijuana Decriminalization

September 18, 1997

• Backers of Washington Drug Reform Initiative Charge Opponents With Illegal Use of Federal Funds
• Hawaiian Legislator Calls For Boycott of Alabama Following Hemp Bust
• California Legislature To Wait Till Next Year Before Deciding on Medical Marijuana Research Center

September 11, 1997

• Definitive Book On Marijuana Research And Public Policy Hits Stores This Month
• Second Medical Marijuana Wheelchair Trek Begins Today In Wisconsin
• Percentage Of Workers Testing Positive For Drugs Drops Overall, Rises For Marijuana
• 8th Annual Mass/Cann NORML Rally Expected To Draw More Than 70,000

September 4, 1997

• Use Of Medical Marijuana Not A Probation Violation, Iowa Judge Affirms

August 28, 1997

• Attorney General, Law Enforcement Back California Medical Marijuana Research Bill
• New Book Links Marijuana To Melatonin Production
• Federal Court Upholds Unlawful Prosecution Suit By Hemp Activists
• Canadian Activist Vows To Take Constitutional Challenge To Supreme Court

August 21, 1997

• Netherlands Hospital To Begin Research On Medical Marijuana And Multiple Sclerosis
• California Jury Deadlocks Over Whether Marin County Doctor Qualified Under Proposition 215
• Prison Beating Caught On Video The Result Of War On Marijuana Smokers

August 14, 1997

• Activist Loses Challenge To Have Marijuana Removed From The Canadian Criminal Code
• NIH Report Supports Marijuana's Medical Potential, Recommends Future Trials
• New England Journal Of Medicine Opines For Immediate Legal Access To Medical Marijuana

August 7, 1997

• Wheelchair Trek For Medical Marijuana Scheduled For Wisconsin Next Month
• Latest Survey On Drug Use Indicates Slight Dip In Adolescent Marijuana Use

July 31, 1997

• NORML Report Highlights Failures Of Marijuana Prohibition On 60 Year Anniversary Of The Marihuana Tax Act

July 25, 1997

• Washington State High Court Overturns Seeley Medical Marijuana Decision
• (Meanwhile) Politics Surrounding Medical Marijuana Heat Up In The Nation's Capitol: Clinton Administration Defends Medical Marijuana - While Trying To Defeat It At The Same Time

July 17, 1997

• Drug-Law Reform Advocates Turn In Twice The Signatures Necessary To Resurrect Proposition 200
• Former Presidential Candidate Funds Campaign Opposing Washington D.C. Medical Marijuana Initiative
• White House Says Weld Ambassadorship Will Move Forward Despite Senate Objections Over Medical Marijuana
• Award Winning Teacher, Hemp Proponent Fired By Kentucky School Officials

July 15, 1997

• Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Luke Skywalker Wants To Put AIDS-Cancer Patient In Jail For Medical Marijuana Possession

July 10, 1997

• British Medical Association Says Yes To Medical Marijuana
• Prosecutors Drop Charges In Interstate Medical Marijuana Case
• State Law Must Distinguish Between Marijuana And Hemp, Kentucky Judge Affirms
• European Union Proposes Paying Morocco Millions To Stop Growing Marijuana

July 3, 1997

• Oregon Legislature Ends 24 Years Of Marijuana Decriminalization
• NORML Responds To Recent Marijuana And Brain Studies

June 26, 1997

• Millions Of Taxpayer Dollars To Be Used To Fund Local Anti-Drug Groups
• (Meanwhile) Drug Czar Announces Youth Drug Use Still On The Rise, Advocates More Funding
• Sweeping Drug Testing Bill Passed By The Louisiana Legislature

June 19, 1997

• National Association Of Broadcasters Enlists In War On Marijuana
• Governor To Decide Fate Of Marijuana Re-Criminalization Effort In Oregon
• Drug Medicalization Initiative Pushes For Ballot In Washington

June 12, 1997

• House Judiciary Members Voice Support For Forfeiture Reform Bill
• Oregon Bill To Recriminalize Marijuana Moves One Step Closer To Becoming Law
• Site Of Marijuana Festival Could Be Subject Of Forfeiture
• Weld's Support For Medical Marijuana May Jeopardize Nomination

June 5, 1997

• H.R. 1782 -- The Federal Medical Marijuana Bill -- Introduced In Congress
• California Senate Overwhelmingly Approves Medical Marijuana Research Bill
• Florida Medical Association Endorses Medical Use of Marijuana
• Oakland City Council Passes Resolution Protecting Medical Marijuana Users
• Connecticut To Emerge As One Of Few States Willing To Extend Welfare Benefits To Marijuana Felons

June 3, 1997

• Best Selling Author Peter McWilliams To Stand Trial on Medical Marijuana Possession

May 29, 1997

• Congressman Barney Frank To Introduce Federal Medical Marijuana Legislation Next Week

May 22, 1997

• Medical Marijuana Proponents Growing Anxious Over Delay In Release Of NIH Report
• Milwaukee Moves To Decriminalize Marijuana
• Maine Legislature Kills Medical Marijuana Defense Bill
• (Meanwhile) California Medical Association Backs Medical Marijuana Research Bill

May 15, 1997

• Regular Marijuana Users Have No Higher Rates Of Mortality, Long-Term Study Concludes
• (Meanwhile) New "Study" Rejecting Medical Marijuana Not Really A Study At All
• Arizona Tax Stamp Repealed By Legislators, May Be Challenged By Referendum
• Milwaukee aldermen cite fairness in easing marijuana punishment

May 8, 1997

• Medical Marijuana Supporters Challenge Arizona Measure Restricting Physicians' Ability To Prescribe Marijuana
• NORML, Others Testify Against D.C. Effort To Re-Impose Mandatory Marijuana Penalties
• Activists Charge Oregon's Largest Newspaper Sides With The DEA In Promoting Marijuana Recriminalization Bill

May 1, 1997

• Government Report From The Netherlands Criticizes Marijuana's Label As A "Gateway" Drug
• Federal Government Must Keep Hands Off California Doctors Who Recommend Medical Marijuana

April 24, 1997

• Federal Government Raids California Medical Marijuana Club: NORML Calls DEA Action "Federal Piracy"
• (Meanwhile) San Jose City Council Opts To Regulate Medical Marijuana Clubs
• American Incarceration Rates Still Highest In World... And Rising

April 17, 1997

• Doctors Free To Recommend Medical Use of Marijuana, Federal Judge Rules
• High Court Strikes Down Law Mandating Drug Testing Of Political Candidates
• State Legislature Puts The Breaks On Voter-Approved Medical Marijuana Provision

April 10, 1997

• Virginia Legislature Likely To Study Industrial Hemp: Other Bills Still Alive, Gaining Momentum In States
• Status of Industrial Hemp Legislation in Other States: Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon
• Medical Marijuana Research Efforts Moving Forward In California, Massachusetts

April 3, 1997

• Heavy Long-Term Marijuana Use Does Not Impair Lung Function, Says New Study
• American Medical Association Demands Clinical Trials To Determine Marijuana's Medical Effectiveness
• North Dakota To Conduct Year-Long Study On Industrial Hemp
• Maryland Brewing Company Gets OK To Distribute Hemp Beer In 23 States

March 27, 1997

• Oklahoma Legislature Ready To Approve Aerial Spraying Of Controversial Anti-Marijuana Herbicide
• Hearing Held In Case Of Arkansas Couple Extradited To America To Face Marijuana Cultivation Charges
• Hawaii Court Case To Argue For Religious Use Of Marijuana

March 20, 1997

• Long-Term Marijuana Users Suffer Few Health Problems, Australian Study Indicates
• AMA Revises Medical Marijuana Guidelines For Doctors
• Connecticut Lawmakers Discuss Medical Marijuana Legislation
• Colorado Hemp Bill Struck Down By Appropriations Committee

March 14, 1997

• Republican Crime Bill Targets Doctors Who Recommend Medical Use of Marijuana
• Nebraska Decriminalization Bill Under Attack
• Ohio Legislature Repeals Medical Marijuana Defense

March 6, 1997

• Second Federal Lawsuit Challenging Administration's Prohibition Of Medical Marijuana Filed In U.S. District Court
• Medical Marijuana Bills Heard Before Maine, Missouri Legislatures

February 27, 1997

• Latest National Poll Shows Strong Support For Medical Marijuana
• Health Organizations Support Medical Marijuana Lawsuit
• California Congressional Delegation Urged To Support Prop. 215 And Stave Off Federal Assault On Physicians And Their Medical Patients

February 20, 1997

• Doctors, Researchers Call For Clinical Trials On Medical Marijuana At National Conference; NORML Voices Concern Over Methodology Of Future Studies
• Charges Dismissed Against Key West Cannabis Buyers' Club
• Virginia Votes To Maintain Marijuana Prescription Law

February 13, 1997

• NORML, Others Respond To Upcoming NIDA Conference On Medical Marijuana
• (Meanwhile) Senators Introduce Anti-Medical Marijuana Bill In Congress
• Drug Czar Rejects Offer To Settle Medical Marijuana Lawsuit...

February 6, 1997

• Record Number Of State Legislatures To Decide On Industrial Hemp in 1997
• State Senator Proposes Cultivating Marijuana For Medical Research
• NORML Testifies In Support Of Marijuana Decriminalization Bill In New Hampshire

January 30, 1997

• New England Journal Of Medicine Argues For Medical Marijuana: Proposed NORML Bill Echoes Medical Journal's Sentiments
• Federal Study Concludes That Marijuana's Main Active Ingredient Does Not Cause Cancer
• Medical Marijuana Legislation Hot Topic For State Legislators

January 23, 1997

• Massachusetts Introduces Regulations To Legalize Medical Marijuana
• Oklahoma Man Sentenced to 93 Years For Cultivating Marijuana
• Vermont Study Demonstrates Strong Support For Domestic Hemp Production

January 16, 1997

• Class Action Suit Blocking Federa Sanctions Against Physicians Who Recommend Medical Marijuana Filed In Federal Court
• New Hampshire Legislator Introduces Marijuana Decriminalization Bill
• California Doctor Threatens Drug Czar With Lawsuit
• Court Ruling Allows San Francisco Cannabis Buyers' Club To Reopen

January 9, 1997

• ONDCP To Fund Review Of Scientific Evidence On Medical Marijuana; NORML Expects Institute Of Medicine To Reaffirm Marijuana's Therapeutic Value.

January 2, 1997

• Clinton Plan Attacks Medical Marijuana Initiatives, Targets Doctors