Research Database
Scientific Studies of Marijuana
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting
Jul 06, 2011 - Pittsburgh Norml
The most widely used justification for the purchase of heavily armored war machines is that violence against police officers has increased exponentially, necessitating the tank and swat for the protection of the men and women who serve our communities. But examination of the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report, a database that tracks the number of law enforcement officers killed and assaulted each year, reveals that this is simply not true. According to the UCR, since 2000 an average yearly toll of about 50 police officers have been feloniously killed, the highest reaching 70 in 2001. So the notion that militarization is a necessary reaction to a growth in violence against police officers is absurd, considering that violent crime is trending downward.
State-by-state breakdowns of drug prohibition Costs
Jul 02, 2011 - Chris Goldstein
The Cato white paper includes state-by-state breakdowns of drug prohibition related costs in an analysis from Harvard University economist Jeffery Miron and co-author Katherine Waldock.
The History of the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the United States
May 18, 2011 - http://www.druglibrary.org
ANYBODY who intends to be active in the Medical Cannabis activism in today's world has GOT to read this! It is a MUST to understand exactly what we have to UNDO!
Yes Felons can Vote
May 11, 2011 - http://felonvoting.procon.org/
An estimated 5.26 million people (as of 2004) with a felony conviction are barred from voting in elections - a condition known as disenfranchisement. Each state has its own laws on disenfranchisement. While Vermont and Maine allow felons to vote while in prison, nine other states permanently restrict certain felons from voting.
Deaths from Marijuana v. 17 FDA-Approved Drugs
May 10, 2011 -
Much of the medical marijuana discussion has focused on the safety of marijuana compared to the safety of FDA-approved drugs. On June 24, 2005 ProCon.org sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to find the number of deaths caused by marijuana compared to the number of deaths caused by 17 FDA-approved drugs. Twelve of these FDA-approved drugs were chosen because they are commonly prescribed in place of medical marijuana, while the remaining five FDA-approved drugs were randomly selected because they are widely used and recognized by the general public.
About Marijuana
May 08, 2011 - Norml
Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly 100 million Americans. According to government surveys, some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 14 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use. Our public policies should reflect this reality, not deny it.
Active State Medical Marijuana Programs
May 08, 2011 - Norml
Fifty-eight percent of voters approved Ballot Measure #8 on November 3, 1998. The law took effect on March 4, 1999. It removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess written documentation from their physician advising that they "might benefit from the medical use of marijuana." Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act: cachexia; cancer; chronic pain; epilepsy and other disorders characterized by seizures; glaucoma; HIV or AIDS; multiple sclerosis and other disorders characterized by muscle spasticity; and nausea. Other conditions are subject to approval by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess no more than one ounce of usable marijuana, and may cultivate no more than six marijuana plants, of which no more than three may be mature. The law establishes a confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients. The medical use provisions in Alaska do not include reciprocity provisions protecting visitors from other medical use states.
Drug dogs false alert over 200 times in UC Davis study
May 08, 2011 - "Radical" Russ Belville
The study, published in the January issue of the journal Animal Cognition, found that detection-dog teams erroneously “alerted,” or identified a scent, when there was no scent present more than 200 times — particularly when the handler believed that there was scent present.
Marijuana Decriminalization Talking Points
May 08, 2011 - Norml
60,000 individuals are behind bars for marijuana offenses at a cost to taxpayers of $1.2 billion per year. REFERENCE: Marijuana Arrests and Incarceration in the United States. 1999. The Federation of American Scientists' Drug Policy Analysis Bulletin.
Government & Private Commissions Supporting Marijuana Law Reform
May 08, 2011 - Norml
"Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use." -President Jimmy Carter: Message to Congress, August 2, 1977.
