ACTIVISTS ASSEMBLE FOR CANNABIS CONFERENCE

Doctors, health care professionals and a famous talk-show host will
gather in Santa Barbara this weekend in an attempt to smoke out the
truth about medicinal marijuana use.

The Fourth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics,
hosted by Santa Barbara City College, began on April 6 and runs
through April 8. The conference meets from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
everyday and will feature lectures from doctors, health care
researchers and patients, such as talk show-host and medical marijuana
advocate Montel Williams.

Allan Byrne, co-founder of the nonprofit organization Patients Out of
Time, said the main goal of the event is to educate health care
professionals on the medical benefits of cannabis and lend scientific
validity to the use of medical marijuana.

Byrne said Patients Out of Time, the organization coordinating the
conference, advocates the legalization of medical marijuana in order
to help the terminally ill patients who need it.

"These patients aren't hippies; they could be your uncle or dad,"
Byrne said. "They use marijuana medically because they need it.
They're not using it recreationally just to get stoned."

The conference opened yesterday with a kickoff dinner hosted by UCSB's
chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
at Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort and Hotel. During the 7:30 p.m.
dinner, NORML gave an award to Dr. Todd Mikuriya for his work
advocating for the legalization of medical marijuana.

This weekend, the conference will feature nine guest speakers from
seven countries where research on marijuana is being conducted, Byrne
said.

"We're having lectures from doctors from Israel, the Netherlands,
Spain, Canada, the UK - anywhere you can think of," Byrne said. "The
United States is so woefully behind the curve in research that we need
to look internationally for education."

Rick Doblin, Founder of the Florida-based Multidisciplinary
Association of Psychedelic Studies, will speak at the conference as
well. Doblin said he will discuss the government's monopoly on the
production of marijuana for research. He said he was unable to receive
marijuana for his research, even after the Food and Drug
Administration approved his proposed studies.

"We're probably the only people in America that can't buy 10 grams,"
Doblin said. "Scientists can obtain LSD and MDMA for research, but we
can't get any marijuana."

Byrne said the conference will link anecdotal evidence from patients
such as Williams with scientific research to show that marijuana
serves a valid, medicinal purpose.

"We're accredited and blessed by the American Medical Association,
[so] how could [marijuana] not be a medicine?" Byrne said.

Registration information and a schedule of lectures and events for the
conference is available at www.medicalcannabis.com/conference.