The Year in Pot:

TOP 10 EVENTS THAT WILL CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT MARIJUANA

There Has Been a Tidal Shift in Politics and on Marijuana Laws in
America, From Obama Lightening Up on Pot Prosecutions to the
Recognition of Cancer Prevention Properties.

#1 Obama Administration: Don't Focus On Medical Marijuana Prosecutions

United States Deputy Attorney General David Ogden issued a memorandum
to federal prosecutors in October directing them to not "focus
federal resources ... on individuals whose actions are in clear and
unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the
medical use of marijuana." The directive upheld a campaign promise by
President Barack Obama, who had previously pledged that he was "not
going to be using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent
state laws on this issue." Read the full story here.
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7998

#2 Public Support For Legalizing Pot Hits All-Time High

A majority of U.S. voters now support legalizing marijuana, according
to a national poll of 1,004 likely voters published in December by
Angus Reid. The Angus Reid Public Opinion poll results echo those of
separate national polls conducted this year by Gallup, Zogby, ABC
News, CBS News, Rasmussen Reports, and the California Field Poll,
each of which reported greater public support for marijuana
legalization than ever before. Read the full story here.
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8054

#3 Lifetime Marijuana Use Associated With Reduced Cancer Risk

The moderate long-term use of cannabis is associated with a reduced
risk of head and neck cancer, according to the results of a
population-based control study published in August by the journal
Cancer Prevention Research. Authors reported, "After adjusting for
potential confounders (including smoking and alcohol drinking), 10 to
20 years of marijuana use was associated with a significantly reduced
risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma." Read the full story
here. http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7944

#4 AMA Calls For Review Of Marijuana's Prohibitive Status

In November, the American Medical Association resolved that marijuana
should longer be classified as a Schedule I prohibited substance.
Drugs classified in Schedule I are defined as possessing "no
currently accepted use in treatment in the United States." In a
separate action, the AMA also determined, "Results of short term
controlled trials indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic
pain, improves appetite and caloric intake especially in patients
with reduced muscle mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in
patients with multiple sclerosis." Read the full story here.
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8020

#5 California: Lawmakers Hold Historic Hearing On Marijuana Legalization

State lawmakers heard testimony in October in support of taxing and
regulating the commercial production and distribution of cannabis for
adults age 21 and older. Additional hearings, as well as a vote on
Assembly Bill 390: the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education
Act, are scheduled for January 12, 2010. Read the full story here.
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8002

#6 Maine Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Measure;
Dispensaries Coming To Rhode Island, Washington, DC In 2010

Voters in November decided in favor of a statewide measure that
allows for the state to license non-profit facilities to distribute
medical cannabis to qualified patients. The vote marked the first
time that citizens ever approved a statewide ballot proposal
authorizing the creation of dispensaries. In June, Rhode Island
lawmakers enacted a similar measure. In December, Congress lifted
federal restrictions to allow for the DC City Council to implement
provisions of a ten-year-old medical marijuana law that would allow
for the use and distribution of medicinal cannabis in the District of
Columbia. Read the full story here. http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8011

#7 Oakland: Voters Approve First-In-The-Nation Medical Marijuana Business Tax

In July 80 percent of municipal voters approved Ballot Measure F, the
nation's first ever business tax on the retail sales of cannabis. The
tax, which takes effect on January 1, imposes an exclusive tax for
"cannabis businesses" of $18 for every $1,000 of gross receipts. Read
the full story here. http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7937

#8 Rasmussen Poll: Majority Of Americans Say Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol

More than half of American adults believe that alcohol is "more
dangerous" than marijuana, according to the results of a national
telephone poll of 1,000 likely voters published in September by
Rasmussen Reports. Fifty-one percent of respondents, including a
majority of women, rated the use of marijuana to be less dangerous
than alcohol. Only 19 percent of those polled said that cannabis is
the more dangerous of the two substances. Read the full story here.
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7965

#9 Many Teens See Medical Cannabis As Alternative Treatment Option

Some one-third of adolescents view their use of marijuana as
therapeutic rather than recreational, according to survey data
published in May by the journal Substance Abuse, Treatment,
Prevention and Policy. Teens most commonly reported using cannabis
therapeutically to counter symptoms of depression, stress and
anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), physical
pain, and sleeplessness. In November several mainstream media
outlets, including The New York Times and Good Morning America,
featured stories on adolescents using marijuana as a medicine. Read
the full story here. http://drugsense.org/url/IYu2EwV6

#10 Oregon NORML Opens 'Cannabis Cafe,' Media Frenzy Follows

In November Oregon NORML opened the state's first cafe catering to
state-authorized medical marijuana patients. Unlike conventional
marijuana dispensaries that operate in states like California and
Colorado, medical cannabis is not sold on the premises, nor is the
primary function of the cafe to dispense marijuana. "This is not a
medical marijuana dispensary with a cafe; this is a cafe for medical
marijuana patients," said Madeline Martinez, Oregon NORML Executive
Director. The Associated Press, Reuters, USA Today, The New York
Times, and Democracy Now were among the hundreds of media outlets
that covered the story. Read the full story here.
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8024