RIPAC E-News
October 2008 Edition
RI Patient Advocacy Coalition
October 2008 Edition
RI Patient Advocacy Coalition
Welcome to the monthly newsletter of the RI Patient Advocacy Coalition (RIPAC), Rhode Island's medical marijuana community! Visit our website, www.RIpatients.org.
In this issue:
1. CA GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER VETOES EMPLOYEE PROTECTIONS
2. REGISTER FOR SENIOR AGENDA COALITION 10/16 AGING CONFERENCE
3. "HOW TO REDUCE THE HEALTH RISKS OF SMOKING MARIJUANA"
4. NEW MEXICO HEALTH DEPT ISSUES DISPENSING REGULATIONS
5. FEATURED LINK: CSMP, DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA IN MASS.
6. OCTOBER REGIONAL, COMMUNITY, AND CARDHOLDER MEETINGS
1. CA GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER VETOES EMPLOYEE PROTECTIONS
2. REGISTER FOR SENIOR AGENDA COALITION 10/16 AGING CONFERENCE
3. "HOW TO REDUCE THE HEALTH RISKS OF SMOKING MARIJUANA"
4. NEW MEXICO HEALTH DEPT ISSUES DISPENSING REGULATIONS
5. FEATURED LINK: CSMP, DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA IN MASS.
6. OCTOBER REGIONAL, COMMUNITY, AND CARDHOLDER MEETINGS
1. CA GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER VETOES EMPLOYEE PROTECTIONS
- Last night, September 30, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed AB2279, which would have ended workplace discrimination against California's hundreds of thousands of medical marijuana patients.
- The governor’s veto means that California employers can still fire patients who follow state law – even those who only use medical cannabis in the privacy of their homes - but Americans for Safe Access has promised to take up this fight again next year.
- Register here now for the Senior Agenda Coalition's policy conference "Aging in a Senior-Friendly Community" on Thursday, October 16.
- RIPAC thanks the Senior Agenda Coalition for supporting medical marijuana for the past two years, and we'll be exhibiting at the conference - so please stop by to say hello!
- In the current Fall 2008 issue of Treating Yourself magazine, Connecticut patient Mark Braunstein has a great article about reducing the harms of smoking as a means of administering marijuana.
- Among other topics, the text discusses marijuana storage, marijuana purity, smoking devices, safe smoking techniques, and smoke filtration, all of which are important health considerations for medical marijuana patients.
- The New Mexico Department of Health's Medical Cannabis Program recently held a hearing on new regulations under which the state would license individuals and non-profit groups to grow medical marijuana for patients.
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If adopted this month, New Mexico will begin licensing non-profit organizations to distribute medical marijuana to patients in 2009 under these new regulations.
- The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy (CSMP, sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org) is organizing in favor of Massachusetts's ballot question 2, which would remove the threat of arrest for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana if passed this November.
- If you live in Massachusetts, make sure to register to vote by the deadline, October 4, in order to make your voice heard in the November 4 election!
- This month we'll have a RIPAC Regional Meeting for patients and caregivers in South County to meet each other. Contact RIPAC here if you are a cardholder there but haven't heard about your Regional Meeting.
- RIPAC's next open Community Meeting for patients, caregivers, advocates, and anyone else interested in learning more about medical marijuana will be 6:30pm-8:00pm, Tuesday, October 14, at East Providence's Weaver Library (41 Grove Ave, East Providence). Contact RIPAC for more information.
- Our next Cardholder Meeting for patients and caregivers licensed in the Medical Marijuana Program will be 7pm, Tuesday, October 28. If you are a licensed patient or caregiver and can attend, contact us for more details.