Blog Voices from the Frontlines
Geoffrey Marshall
Activists see marijuana as solution to opioid crisis - Americans for Safe Access
By Willis Scott for KSNT News
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Bleeding Kansas Advocates along with Americans for Safe Access are hosting vigils to honor people who die from opioid overdose. Around 90 people die from an opioid overdose each day.
Beth Collins
Trump Declares Opioid Crisis a Public Health Emergency, but Falls Short on Substance - Americans for Safe Access
Americans for Safe Access to Launch National Campaign to Combat Opioid Deaths and Addiction Nov 1st
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. While this is good news, this declaration does not carry the same weight as the national emergency declaration the President promised in August because it does not include the necessary provisions for new funds which states need to combat the crisis. Nor does the Administration have a substantive plan for helping the states implement a concerted effort to combat the crisis.
Geoffrey Marshall
Dr. Jahan Marcu: Science-Based Cannabis Education Is Essential - Americans for Safe Access
By Jesse Carpender for Cashinbis
Commercialization of cannabis has increased the need for quality control and science-based education within the industry. The Patient Focused Certification Program, a project of Americans for Safe Access, aims to address both of these needs.
Jahan Marcu, Ph.D., has helped set worldwide standards for the cannabis industry as director for the Patient Focused Certification Program. Dr. Marcu is also Chief Scientific Officer for Americans for Safe Access. He serves on the board of directors of the International Association for Cannabinoids as Medicine (IACM). He received his Ph.D. for significant contributions to the study of the structure and function of the CB1 receptor, and the role of the endocannabinoid system in bone.
For Marcu, science-based education is essential to cannabis businesses.
“Consistency and quality of information is a liability for operations if staff are providing information to patients that is not based in scientific literature,” he said.
David Mangone
The Tom Marino Roller Coaster: Three Days of Drug Policy Changes - Americans for Safe Access
On October 15, 2017, the Washington Post and 60 Minutes released a scathing report on the pharmaceutical industry’s influence of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This report, in large part, scrutinized Representative Tom Marino (R-PA) and his potential appointment as the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) also known as the Drug Czar because of his ties with and sponsorship of legislation favoring the pharmaceutical industry.
Marissa Valeri
4-Year Trend of Rising Opioid Deaths Reversed in Colorado After Marijuana Legalization - Americans for Safe Access
Since legal recreational marijuana sales began in Colorado in January 2014, the state has seen a 6 percent drop in opioid deaths, according to research published in the American Journal of Public Health. The drop follows 14 years of rising opioid deaths, going back to the first year for which the researchers had data.
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Debbie Churgai
Medical Marijuana Expert Ethan Russo Joins Center of Excellence - Americans for Safe Access
(Prague, 16th October 2017) International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI) welcomes Ethan Russo, MD as the new Director of Research and Development. ICCI is the first-ever international Center of Excellence for the advancement of cannabis and cannabinoid treatments located in the Czech Republic. ICCI identifies, coordinates, and supports global research priorities for the advancement of cannabis and cannabinoid treatments through a multidiscipline evidence-based approach that incorporates innovative tools and approaches.
William Dolphin
ASA Activist Newsletter - October 2017
In the October 2017 Issue:
- ASA Weighs in as World Health Org Considers CBD
- PFC Educating Doctors, Conducting Trainings in 3 States
- American Legion Urges VA Secretary to Back Medical Cannabis Study
- New Bipartisan Bill to Aid Cannabis Research
- DC May Expand Access to Medical Cannabis to Stem Opioid Crisis
- Acting DEA Chief Resigns, Longtime Deputy Appointed
- ASA Activist Profile: Amy Mellen, Maryland
- ACTION ALERT: End Pain, Not Lives – Sign the Petition Today
Marissa Valeri
Tweet a Thank You to Co-Sponsors and Sponsors of the CARERS Act of 2017 - Americans for Safe Access
Too often we forget to thank Members of Congress who show their support for medical cannabis patients and their access to medicine. Please take a moment today to use the links below to tweet a quick "thank you" to the original sponsors and co-sponsors of the CARERS Act of 2017. Members in yellow are the newest co-sponsors.
If your Member of Congress is not a co-sponsor yet, send them a message and ask them to co-sponsor CARERS today!
Marissa Valeri
The opioid epidemic, explained - Americans for Safe Access
If nothing is done, we can expect a lot of people to die: A forecast by STAT concluded that as many as 650,000 people will die over the next 10 years from opioid overdoses — more than the entire city of Baltimore. The US risks losing the equivalent of a whole American city in just one decade.
Marissa Valeri
The use of cannabis in response to the opioid crisis: A review of the literature - Americans for Safe Access
A staggering number of Americans are dying from overdoses attributed to prescription opioid medications (POMs). In response, states are creating policies related to POM harm reduction strategies, overdose prevention, and alternative therapies for pain management, such as cannabis (medical marijuana). However, little is known about how the use of cannabis for pain management may be associated with POM use.
State Advocacy Resources
