A spokesman for the website said "The Canna Zine cannabis directory is a free service which forms part of the overall Canna Zine community experience. Its hoped that by bringing the worlds cannabis groups onto a single website, it will make it easier for those people who need to make contact with such organisations." Image

"For instance" he continued, "In the United States, the government at State level will allow a person with a medical marijuana "card" to grow or consume cannabis, at the behest of a doctor.

But if that person then needs to make contact with the legitimate medical marijuana market, they often have no idea which way to turn, and are informed its actually illegal to ask anyone for help or advice. Which puts people in a difficult position."

I just came back from the still very pot friendly San Francisco, so it seemed fitting to post this article from the San Francisco Chronicle about the various views on medical Marijuana from our current presidential candidates.

As the candidates prepare for a May 20 primary in Oregon, one of 12 states with a California-style law, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has become an increasingly firm advocate of ending federal intervention and letting states make their own rules when it comes to medical marijuana.

His Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, is less explicit, recently softening a pledge she made early in the campaign to halt federal raids in states with medical marijuana laws. But she has expressed none of the hostility that marked the response of her husband's administration to California's initiative, Proposition 215.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican nominee-in-waiting, has gone back and forth on the issue - promising a medical marijuana patient at one campaign stop that seriously ill patients would never face arrest under a McCain administration, but ultimately endorsing the Bush administration's policy of federal raids and prosecutions.

From what I can tell, Obama has a good stance on medical Marijuana, just look at these stickers on CelebStoner.com.

We very recently had a story about Timothy Garon. He was a medical marijuana patient who was in need of a liver transplant, but had been turned down due to the fact that his doctor had prescribed him medical marijuana. The "Seattle Times" is sadly reporting that Mr. Garon has passed away.

"Dr. Brad Roter, the physician who authorized Garon to smoke pot to alleviate for nausea and abdominal pain and to stimulate his appetite, said he did not know it would be such a hurdle if Garon were to need a transplant"

I simply can not believe that a man has died unnessiscarily due to the fact that he was legally prescribed marijuana by his physician in a state where voters had passed a law to allow its use. Please read more for how you can get involved and possibly stop this crime from happening in the future.

The Press Democrat has word that a Santa Rosa, California medical Marijuana dispensary owner was denied a move to Cotati, an adjacent town in Sonoma County, California. Here's a snip from the article:

The City Council unanimously rejected the Santa Rosa pot purveyor's bid for a license to operate on East Cotati Avenue, saying the building she had chosen did not meet parking requirements.

Now, Frank, the owner of the three-year-old Organicann dispensary on Santa Rosa Avenue, is looking at another location because the lease is set to expire.

Frank has applied for permits to set up shop in the unincorporated county on East Todd Road, about a mile from her current location, a Sonoma County planning official said.

I know Dona, she's a really nice lady and is out there to help everyone who needs it. I'm sad to see her leave that location, but I know she will thrive wherever she goes. Look for me at the Organicann booth at the Harmony Festival 2008 in Santa Rosa!

Planet Save posted an article on Congressman Ron Paul's push to keep the government out of medical Marijuana.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul today released a statement urging public support for a House Bill advocating the government stay out of the medical marijuana business and allow state sanctioned clinics the freedom to dispense pot without fear of being raided.

Paul has introduced the “Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act”, H.R. 5842, which would bar the Federal Government from intervening in doctor/patient relationships that violate no state law. This, by the way, is the second legislation co-sponsored by Congressman Paul dealing with the cannabis plant. More on that later.

Is it just me, or are more and more members of the U.S. Government pushing for Marijuana law reform?

We discuss one elderly mother who suffers from spinal problems and more creating unending, chronic pain, and takes several pain killers. She is concerned about addiction, but her doctor does not support medical marijuana's use. As she is in an assisted care facility, her daughter is attempting to learn how to help her mother without causing her legal issues.

Dr. Leveque points out that the mother is already addicted to the Vicadin she's taking, but that marijuana was once used to help people withdraw from opium and opiates, so it would be a good choice. Also discussed are options for ingestion of medical marijuana without smoking or vaporizers, as those create an odor, and in many cases that is not appropriate.

Medical marijuana users are being declined to be placed on the transplant list because their doctors are prescribing them medical marijuana! This AP story brought to you by Yahoo takes you through the hurdles that Timothy Garon (a medical marijuana patient diagnosed with hepatitis C) has been going through to get placed on the transplant list for a replacement liver.

"No one tracks how many patients are denied transplants over medical marijuana use. Pro-marijuana groups have cited a handful of cases, including at least two patient deaths, in Oregon and California, since the mid-to-late 1990s, when states began adopting medical marijuana laws."

"Dr. Jorge Reyes, a liver transplant surgeon at the UW Medical Center, said that while medical marijuana use isn't in itself a sign of substance abuse, it must be evaluated in the context of each patient. "The concern is that patients who have been using it will not be able to stop," Reyes said."

When I first read this story I could not believe what I was reading. I personally find it absurd that we would decline a patient the chance at life for taking any medication that their doctor has prescribed them. Not only is marijuana far less addictive that prescription pain killers, it does not damage a patient's liver like some prescription medications do. In this case where the patient is receiving a liver transplant it is actually better for the transplanted organ. I will be doing more research into this, and promise to bring you more.

Update: Here's an editorial on the subject. Thanks alapoet!

Here is a following to our previous post about recent court ruling that found employers had the right to fire an employee for using medical marijuana during non-work hours. In an effort to protect medical marijuana patients rights, Assembly Bill 2279 is headed to the Assembly floor for a vote in the near future. 

"The California Supreme Court decision said that an employer may fire someone solely because they use medical marijuana outside the workplace," said Leno in a previous statement. "Long ago, the legislature prohibited patient use of medical cannabis in the workplace or during working hours. AB 2279 is merely an affirmation of the intent of the voters and the legislature that medical marijuana patents need not be unemployed to benefit from their medicine."

Would your employer fire you for taking the Valium that your doctor prescribed you? I didn't think so. Why should they be able to fire you for utilizing any medicine that your doctor has given you a prescription for?

Last week, Hillary told Oregon's Willamette Week, "I don't think it's a good use of federal law-enforcement resources to be going after people who are supplying marijuana for medicinal purposes." She stopped short of her earlier pledge to end US Drug Enforcement Administration raids of medical marijuana establishments in states where it is legal, but said this would not be a high priority in her administration. So we might see a slight softening on some levels in America's longest war, the 100-year drug war, but overall we will still see more money spent on failed policies if Hillary moves back to the White House in 2009.