NORML's 1998 Weekly Media Releases

December 30, 1999

• Federal Court Of Appeals Halts Drug Testing Plan For Elected Officials
• Mayor Hinders Opening Of North Coast NORML Hemp Store
• Long-Time Voice For Drug Law Reform Is Silenced

December 22, 1999

• AZ Supreme Court Rules First Time Drug Offenders Cannot Be Sent To Jail
• MI initiative To Legalize Marijuana For Personal Use And Cultivation
• Study Shows Student Marijuana Use Remains At Last Year's Levels

December 16, 1999

• Hawaii Plants First Legal Industrial Hemp Since WWII
• Presidential Candidates Begin To Speak-Out On Medical Marijuana
• Senate Passes Bill Making Marijuana Information On The Net Illegal
• NORML Foundation and ACLU Fight For Rastafarian's Religious Rights In Guam

December 9, 1999

• Patients' Federal Class-Action Suit Dismissed
• New Zealand NORML Founder Elected To Parliament

November 30, 1999

• Governor Johnson Seeks To Revive Medical Marijuana Program
• British Police Show Lenient Attitude Towards Marijuana

November 23, 1999

• McCormick and McWilliams Accept Plea Bargains
• Mendocino County Initiative To Decriminalize Marijuana
• Trade Unions In Wisconsin Agree To Random Drug Tests

November 18, 1999

• DEA Lifts Hemp Seed Embargo
• Arkansas NORML Files Initiative To Decriminalize Marijuana
• Anti-Drug Organization Suggests Drug Testing Kids As A Way To 'Openly Communicate'

November 10, 1999

• U.S. District Judge Bars Medical Necessity Defense In Case Against McCormick and McWilliams
• Michigan Drug Testing Program Temporary Halted By ACLU Injunction
• Washington Adds Crohn's Disease Too Medical Marijuana Law

November 4, 1999

• Maine Voters Say 'Yes' To Medical Marijuana Question
• Australia Continues To Strive For Marijuana Decriminalization

October 28, 1999

• NORML Foundation Files FOIA With Five Federal Agencies On Anti-Marijuana Fungus
• Mainers To Vote On Medical Marijuana On Tuesday
• Federal Government Asks Appeals Court To Reconsider Medical Marijuana Ruling
• California Attorney General Reports Over 250,000 Marijuana Plants Seized This Year

October 21, 1999

• FBI Reports Marijuana Arrests Exceed Those For Violent Crime
• NORML Foundation Releases Report Detailing European Marijuana Policies
• NAPHP Report Calls Drug War A $150 Billion Failure

October 14, 1999

• Jamaican Parliament Approves Commission To Look At Decriminalization
• Survey Shows Marijuana Use Has Not Risen In States With Medical Marijuana
• Decriminalization Efforts Begin To Take Shape In Arizona

October 7, 1999

• FDA Approves Marijuana Study On Migraines, Final Approval Awaits NIDA Review
• Canadian Government Grants 14 More Patients The Right To Cultivate And Use Marijuana For Medical Purposes
• Gov. Ventura Asks For Federal Cooperation For Industrial Hemp Production

September 30, 1999

• DEA Seizes Hemp Seed Products; Threatens Hemp Industry
• Clinton Vetoes DC Appropriations Bill Including A Ban On Medical Marijuana
• Man Found Guilty Of Marijuana Trafficking, Receives One Cent Fine

September 23, 1999

• Federal Court Orders DC Government To Count, Release And Certify Last November's Medical Marijuana Vote
• Coloradans Will Vote Again For Medical Marijuana
• California Universities To Study Marijuana's Medical Value

September 16, 1999

• Federal Appeals Court Opens Door For Medical Marijuana Clubs

September 14, 1999

• Important Court Hearing On Medical Patients' Right To Plead 'Medical Necessity' For Marijuana...

September 9, 1999

• ACLU Report Urges End To Workplace Drug Tests
• Insurance Company Reimburses For Seized Marijuana
• Government Says 70 Percent Of Drug Users Are Fully Employed

September 2, 1999

• Swiss Government Promises Marijuana Decriminalization
• Kentucky Supreme Court To Hear Harrelson's Hemp Case in October
• Committee To Tell Maine Medical Association To Oppose Medical Marijuana Referendum
• Scottish Parliament Member Submits Motion To Examine Cannabis Legalization

August 26, 1999

• Marijuana Legalization Effort Grows In Pacific Northwest
• Nevada Pharmacy Board Wants Medical Marijuana Implementation Study
• Health Canada Will Spend $7.5 Million For Medical Marijuana Research
• Dutch Agency Will Make Marijuana Available For Medical and Scientific Use

August 19, 1999

• Household Survey Indicates Slight Decline In Marijuana Use
• NORML Foundation Launches Marijuana Ad Campaign In San Francisco
• CA Legislator To Introduce Industrial Hemp Resolution
• ACLU Sues OK School District Over Student Drug Testing

August 12, 1999

• MT NORML Files Suit On Killer Fungus Research
• Drug-testing Patch Provides Questionable Results
• California Medical User Sentenced To Prison By Federal Court
• Amendment To 'Meth Bill' Would Censor Marijuana Information On Internet

August 5, 1999

• MassCANN Files Decrim Initiatives for Massachusetts 2000 Ballot
• Kubby Case Begins in California; Interpretation of Prop 215 At Issue
• "NORML 2000" Conference Announced...Mark Your Calendar For Feb. 3-5, 2000

July 29, 1999

• "Barr-ing" Democracy: House Reinstates Ban On D.C. Medical Marijuana Vote
• D.A.R.E. Fails To Influence Teens From Drugs, 10-Year Follow Up Study Shows
• Florida Mulls Use Of Controversial Anti-Marijuana Fungus
• Jamaica: Lawmakers Consider Decriminalizing Pot, Medical Marijuana Research Facility

July 22, 1999

• Congress Considers Lifting Ban On D.C. Medical Marijuana Vote
• Hawaii: Gov. Signs Hemp Cultivation Bill, Legislators Anticipate Fall Planting
• Canada: Addictions Specialist Backs Medical Marijuana
• Drug Czar Attacks Calif. Medical Marijuana Task Force Recommendations, Bill

July 15, 1999

• Gov. Balks As Medical Marijuana Task Force Recommendations Move Forward In California Senate
• No Facts Behind CASA Report Attacking Marijuana Decriminalization, NORML Charges
• Police-Administered Drug Testing Program For Teens To Spread Statewide
• Canada: Marijuana In AIDS Treatment Study Likely To Begin This Year

July 12, 1999

• NORML Calls On Congress To Stop Arresting Marijuana Smokers: Urges An End To "Reefer Madness" Marijuana Policy

July 8, 1999

• Drug War Priorities Shift From Hard Drugs To Marijuana, Arrest Figures Reveal
• Feds Ease Restrictions On United States' Only Legal Marijuana-Based Drug
• California Panel Likely To Recommend Registering Medical Marijuana Users

July 1, 1999

• Minnesota To Apply For Federal Permits To Grow Hemp
• California County Issues ID's For Medical Marijuana Patients
• Jamaica: Farmers Told To Grow Hemp
• Independence Day: 30th Annual Rally, March To End Marijuana Prohibition

June 24, 1999

• Judge Places Gag Order On Convicted Medical Marijuana Patient
• New Mexico Governor Mulls Marijuana Decriminalization
• Scotland: Medical Association Backs Legalizing Marijuana
• NBC Affiliate Preempts Network News Special Criticizing Drug War For Prohibitionist Propaganda Video

June 17, 1999

• Judge Forbids State-Licensed Marijuana Patient From Using Pot While On Probation, Sentences Her To 10 Days In Jail0
• Canadian Senator Urges Drug Policy Review, Endorses Legalization Of Marijuana, "Soft" Drugs
• Politician Advocates San Francisco Hemp Gardens
• Parliament Committee Urges New Zealand Government To Consider Marijuana Decriminalization, Again

June 15, 1999

• NORML Tells Congress: Legalize Marijuana! Says There Is Nothing Wrong With Responsible Marijuana Use By Adults

June 10, 1999

• Health Canada Authorizes Patients To Use Medical Marijuana, Announces Plan To Grow Pot For Medical Research
• Georgia DUI Law Targeting Marijuana Smokers Found Unconstitutional
• UK Drug Czar Says Marijuana Can Help Patients

June 3, 1999

• Canada's House Declares Support For Medical Marijuana
• Florida High Court Dismisses State's Challenge To Medical Marijuana Necessity Defense
• NIDA Solicits Would Be Pot Farmers For Marijuana Research Projects
• England: Nearly 100 MPs Support Bill To Legalize Medical Marijuana

May 25, 1999

• Policy Change May Allow For Non-Government Funded Medical Marijuana Research
• American Drivers Association Campaigns Against Traffic Searches
• Californian With Pot Prescription Convicted By Feds For Cultivation
• Arizonans 2 to 1 Back Pot By Prescription

May 20, 1999

• Alaska Legislature Limits Voter-Approved Medical Marijuana Law
• Illinois Adopts Legislation To Study Hemp Production
• Australian Medical Association Endorses Medical Marijuana Trials, Decriminalization For Personal Use
• Marijuana-Like Drugs Could Treat Schizophrenia, Study Suggests

May 13, 1999

• Long-Term Marijuana Smoking Doesn't Impact Cognition, Study Says
• Medical Marijuana Patient Exempt From Criminal Prosecution, Canadian Appellate Court Rules
• U.K. Government To Subsidize Hemp Housing
• Police May Not Detain Passenger During Traffic Stop, Florida Appellate Court Rules

May 6, 1999

• Michigan First State To Force Welfare Applicants To Pass Drug Tests
• Mounties Back Canadian Marijuana Decriminalization Effort
• Medical Marijuana Patients Open With Their Doctors, Survey Shows
• Congress Spends $349,000 Building, Opening DEA Museum

April 29, 1999

• Reform Party, Canada's Top Cops Back Removing Criminal Pot Penalties
• California High Court Says Police Must Return Medical Marijuana To Patients
• Oregon First State To License Medical Marijuana Patients
• Swiss Government Committee Says Legalize Marijuana
• House Reps. To Introduce Student Drug Testing Bills In Congress

April 22, 1999

• North Dakota Becomes First State To Legalize Hemp Cultivation
• Drug Czar's Office Endorses Arresting, Jailing Medical Marijuana Smokers Despite Report Backing Drug's Value
• Hawaiian Hemp Research Cultivation Bill In Final Stages
• Canada's Parliament Resumes Historic Medical Marijuana Debate

April 15, 1999

• NORML Foundation Family Custody Project Victorious In New Jersey Parenting Rights Case
• Nevada Decriminalization Legislation Clears First Hurdle
• Hawaii Medical Marijuana Resolutions Move Forward In Senate
• U.K. Researchers To Use DNA Technology In Drug Testing, Tracking Marijuana
• New Hampshire Lawmakers Say No To Marijuana Decriminalization Measure, Halt Further Debate Until 2001

April 8, 1999

• Marijuana Like Chemical Could Hold Key To Treating Movement Disorders
• Illinois Bill Criminalizes Marijuana Information On The Internet
• California County Submits Medical Marijuana Research Proposal To Federal Government
• Nearly Eight Out Of Ten Canadians Favor Medical Marijuana

April 1, 1999

• Marijuana Induces Minimum Driving Impairment Compared to Alcohol, Toronto Study Says
• Gallup Poll Shows Americans Support Medical Marijuana By 3 To 1 Margin
• California Democrats Adopt Resolution Supporting Hemp
• Senate Okays Bill Forcing Michigan Cities To Impose Criminal Penalties For Marijuana Offenders
• Crime Committee Kills Minnesota Hemp Bill

March 25, 1999

• Bill To Restore Student Loans To Minor Drug Offenders Introduced In Congress
• Nevada Legislature Mulls Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana Possession
• Marijuana-Like Drug To Receive Patent For Use Treating Multiple Sclerosis
• IOM Findings Strengthen Administrative Challenge To Repeal Marijuana's Prohibitive Status

March 16, 1999

• Politics, Science Clash In IOM Medical Marijuana Report Committee Praises Therapeutic Value Of Marijuana, But Offers "No Clear Alternative For People Suffering From Chronic Conditions ... Relieved By Smoking Marijuana"

March 11, 1998

• Judge Denies California AIDS Patient's Urgent Plea For Medical Marijuana
• Marijuana Successfully Treats Tourette's Syndrome, Study Shows
• New Hampshire Considers Medical Marijuana, Decriminalization Legislation
• Federal Judge Allows Medical Marijuana Class Action Suit To Proceed; Questions Why Government Supplies Medical Marijuana To Some Patients, Not Others

March 5, 1999

• House Of Commons Holds First Ever Debate On Medical Marijuana: Considers Motion To Legalize Drug For Medical Purposes
• British MP Backs Marijuana By Prescription
• House Rejects South Dakota Governor's Plan To Impose Mandatory Jail Time For Pot Offenses
• Alaska Medical Marijuana Law Takes Effect This Week

March 2, 1999

• Federal Bill Reintroduced To Legalize Medical Marijuana

February 25, 1999

• U.N. Calls For Medical Marijuana Research, Maintains Hardline On Recreational Use
• Body Shop Owner Sends White House Hemp, Congratulations
• South Dakota Governor Proposes Mandatory Jail Time For Pot Offenses
• South Carolina Mulls Making Sale Of Urine A Felony Offense

February 18, 1999

• AIDS Coalition Demands White House Legalize Medical Marijuana
• Medical Marijuana Opponents Mount Challenges In Oregon, Washington
• Medical Marijuana Gains Ground in Hawaii

February 11, 1999

• Employee Fired For Legal Marinol Use Can Sue, Federal Appeals Court Rules
• No Link Between Miscarriages And Marijuana Use, Study Says
• County Requests Federal Okay To Conduct Medical Marijuana Study
• Air Force Forbids Use Of Legal Hemp Seed Oil
• Congressman Introduces Bill Banning Research On Drug War Alternatives

February 4, 1999

• Post-Arrest Approval For Medical Marijuana No Protection, California Appeals Court Rules
• Increased Penalties, Prison Sentences Don't Deter Drug Use, ABA Study Finds
• Athletic Association Mandates Drug Testing For Louisiana High School Students
• Oregon Schools Offer Students $1,000 Incentive To Snitch On Classmates

January 28, 1999

• Justice Department Rejects Judge's Request To Expand Medical Marijuana Distribution Program
• Minnesota Pins Agriculture Hopes On Hemp
• Governor Rejects Parole For Medical Marijuana Patient Will Foster
• California A.G. Won't Intervene In High Profile Medical Marijuana Bust

January 21, 1999

• Advocates Anticipate Reopening San Francisco Medical Marijuana Facility
• State Marijuana Eradication Program Poses Environmental, Human Hazards, Residents Testify
• American Farm Bureau Drops Opposition To Hemp

January 14, 1999

• Body's Own Marijuana-Like Agents Holds Hope For High Blood Pressure Patients
• Marijuana For Pain, MS Trials Approved In England
• Support for Medical Marijuana, Industrial Hemp Strong, State Survey Shows
• Oklahoma Governor To Decide Medical Marijuana Patient's Fate This Month

January 7, 1999

• Dutch Marijuana Use Half That Of America, Study Reveals
• One In Seven Drug Prisoners Serving Time For Marijuana Offenses
• Pot Use No Higher Among California Kids After Passage Of Prop. 215, State Study Finds
• Washington Lieutenant Governor Busted For Illegally Opposing Drug Reform Initiative