Cleveland NORML

Crohn's Disease Survivor Shona Banda Tells How Medical Marijuana Oil Helps Her "Live Free"

Feb 20, 2011 -

How the War on Drugs Is Destroying Black America

Feb 18, 2011 -

I would like to bring this new Cato publication to everyone's attention: "How the War on Drugs Is Destroying Black America," by John McWhorter. This is an excerpt from an address that he gave at a Cato seminar in October.  Although not a "new" observation, we thought he made the case so well that the speech deserved a much wider distribution.

How the War on Drugs Is Destroying Black America

Criminalization of drugs and drug users fuels HIV; laws should be reviewed, say experts (w/ Video)

Feb 10, 2011 -

Cleveland NORML takes the stance that harm-reduction methods, such as those taken up my Portugal, are a more effective and less costly method of dealing with highly addictive drugs. considering Portugal's %10 decrease in hard drug use in only two years, the proof of concept has been proven to work. But there are other costs to consider when examining the system of incarceration championed by government, the spread of deadly diseases.

From Physorg.com

Strict laws on the criminalisation of drug use and drug users are fuelling the spread of HIV and other serious harms associated with the criminal market and should be reviewed, say experts in a series of articles published in the British Medical Journal today to coincide with the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna, 18-23 July 2010.

Countries most affected include Russia and Ukraine, which operate strict drug laws and remain resistant to evidence-based harm reduction services like opiate substitution therapy and needle exchange programmes.Professor Tim Rhodes and colleagues estimate that Russia could cut HIV rates by up to 55% if it legalised and scaled-up opiate substitution therapy and call for legal change to enable such treatment to tackle drug related harms.Research shows that opioid substitution treatment can reduce risk of HIV infection by 60-84%, say Rhodes and colleagues. The World Health Organization promotes it as an "essential medicine" and methadone or buprenorphine substitutes are prescribed to over 650,000 people in Europe. Opioid substitution treatment is a core harm reduction intervention alongside distributing clean needles and providing easy access to HIV treatment.Yet Russia prohibits opioid substitution treatment and has only about 75 needle and syringe programmes for its two million injecting drug users. It also has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world. A strong emphasis on the criminalisation of drug users hampers HIV prevention.Using mathematical models, Rhodes and his team estimate that "Russia could substantially reduce the incidence of HIV infection if it permitted the use of opioid substitution treatment."

Read the rest at Physorg.com

Kids & Marijuana

Feb 08, 2011 -

Hot Source Willims and THC, Can There Be a Better Combination?

Feb 07, 2011 -

From Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Clevelanders know about Hot Sauce Williams' barbecue joints. Colorado is about to experience the restaurant's famous sauce in a whole new way - with a whole new name.
Pot Sauce Williams.That's no joke."We hope to make it the Heinz of medical marijuana sauces," said Norm Roulet, a Cleveland business consultant who got the idea off the ground.Roulet is working with Greg Williams to turn out a high-test, marijuana-laced version of the rib coating. And Williams, special projects manager for the Cleveland-based restaurant chain, with help from a Denver lab, has created a prototype of a new version of the chain's famous sauce. This one is infused with cannabis.Medical marijuana is legal in Colorado, for those who have a doctor's referral, which residents say is not difficult to get."Let's just say you don't have to prove you were run over by a threshing machine to get one," said Lory Kohn, chief inspirational officer for cannabis-commerce.com.Greg Williams said production might be months away.

Read the rest at Cleveland.com