RIPAC is holding a community meeting tonight for patients, caregivers, advocates, and anyone else interested in learning more about medical marijuana. Meeting starts at 7:00pm in the Arnold Lounge of Keeney Quadrangle at Brown University (Benevolent Street between Brown and Benefit Streets/ map). More information at RIPAC or call 401.861.1601.

Another thing you could do, you could join this weekly running/walking group for some exercise. They meet at Rhode Runner Sports at 6PM on Wednesdays. Afterwards, everyone jogs right next door to the bar of the Wild Colonial for refreshments — and tonight you can accidentally bump up against and drip sweat all over the earnest liberal weinies who will be caring and talking and pretending to listen to what the girls think about stuff while trying to see down their blouse.

6PM/Rhode Runner Sports/271 South Main Street/831.6346

And beer. The Department of Environmental Management has declared Saturday another Air Quality Alert Day. This means all RIPTA bus lines are free — including the beach routes (but not special services). So, you could go to the beach where they have sand and seaweed and sunburns OR you can just zip back and forth to the IndieArts Fest in Kennedy Plaza all day long.

Fest sched/1PM to 11PM/three music stages/a groovy light-show tunnel/ cute dj’s/a beer garden/a yard sale/did I mention the cute dj’s

This is a Community Meeting. RIPAC director Jesse Stout welcomes all Rhode Islanders interested in medical marijuana for a discussion of this topic and to meet other patients, caregivers, and advocates. The meeting will be held in the Keeney Quad at Brown University, in the Arnold Lounge.  For info call 861.1601.

7PM to 8:30PM/July 15/Benevolent Street near the corner of Brown Street

Good news, Rhode Islanders.  You’re less obese than people in 45 other states!

Although our ranking is almost a full percentage higher than last year, it’s good to know people in the Ocean State seem to be thinking about their health at least a little bit.  (Although, really, a one in five obesity rate isn’t exactly something to be excited about…)

Attention artists. Help RIPAC design their new T-shirt and if your entry is chosen you can win… a brand new T-shirt! Well, it’s all about the glory really. And the cause. RIPAC is the medical marijuana advocacy coalition that helped our enlightened legislators make marijuana possession legal for qualified patients. But the battle for availability continues. Our decidedly unenlightened governor has vetoed a bill that would have formed a study commission to look into the creation of Compassion Centers. (Musn’t have information… might be dangerous to learn things.) So the sale of the new totally awesome T-shirts will help fund RIPAC’s continuing efforts in this area. (And yes, we all love Harold and Kumar, but this is about medical marijuana.)

deadline for entries July 29/one or two colors only/send entries or questions to RIPAC, 145 Wayland Avenue, Providence 02906/or info@ripatients.org

Those of us who missed Mayor Cicilline at Saturday’s Pride festivities should be placated by news of how he spent that day. The U.S. Conference of Mayors, gathered for their 76th Annual Meeting in Miami from June 20-24, unanimously passed a resolution calling for city-coordinated drug overdose prevention efforts.

The Resolution championed several strategies to reduce fatalities from drug overdoses, including:

• Supporting the distribution of naloxone – an opiate antagonist medication effective in reversing the respiratory failure that typically causes death from opioid overdose;
• Urging state governments to adopt “Good Samaritan” immunity policies that shield people who experience or witness an overdose and contact 911 from prosecution;
• Calling on the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fund research to evaluate the effectiveness of overdose prevention interventions and develop model programs; and
• Calling on the FDA to take steps to facilitate the testing and approval of nasal and/or over-the-counter formulations of naloxone and to consider recommending prescription naloxone concurrent with strong opioid analgesics.

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Alright, alright, Rhode Island State Legislature, I get it.

I used to treat my finances the same way you are treating the budget. I liken it to the way I used to use my credit card. I’d charge and spend without really recognizing that eventually, I’d have to pay it all of. And I’d have to pay it with interest.

I remember the attitude I carried around with that credit card. And I get the sneaking suspicion that our elected officials have adopted the same ideas - Why pay now when you can pay later?

See, the framing of the budget issue makes it seem like the legislature is doing us a favor, like they are being fiscally responsible, like they are “cutting back” on unnecessary programs. In truth, they are screwing over, like, everyone in Rhode Island. Farmers, college students, any student, state employees, immigrants, and children, etc., etc., etc. (more…)

What’s crazier than a ten-year old giving birth?

A single human giving birth 18 times!

The Duggars’ oldest child, Josh, is 20, and the youngest, Jennifer, is nine months old.

The fast-growing family lives in Tontitown in northwest Arkansas in a 7,000-square-foot home. All the children—whose names start with the letter J—are home-schooled.

Duggar has been been pregnant for more than 11 years of her life, and the family is in the process of filming another series for Discovery Health.

While some people might try to stereotype a family in Arkansas with 18 kids, all of whose names start with the letter J, presumably in honor of their father, Jim Bob, I have to say that the couple seem happy, sane and wholesome on the youtubez:

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Please Join Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts for a Health Care Reform Community Meeting

Monday, April 28, 2008 — 6:30 PM

Temple Beth El — 70 Orchard Avenue, Providence

A discussion with Lt. Governor Roberts, other elected officials, community leaders, and your neighbors about how the problems in our health care system are affecting Rhode Island’s families, businesses, and communities. Lt. Governor Roberts will share the details of her Healthy Rhode Island Reform Act of 2008, which will transform the health care system in our state by putting in place a strong new structure for ensuring that all Rhode Islanders will have access to high quality health care at a price they can afford.

For Information Contact:
Brian Monteiro, Office of Lt. Governor Roberts
(401) 222-2371

Legislators and advocates seeking to expand the medical marijuana law to include the creation of marijuana dispensaries, or Compassion Centers, found “little support for this legislation at this time” after yesterday’s hearing before the House Health, Education and Welfare Committee. Democrat Thomas C. Slater, speaking to the Providence Journal, further stated “If I can’t get a commitment from the committee to pass the bill, I think it would be a good idea to form a commission to study it.” Testifying yesterday were Jesse Stout, executive director of RIPAC, the medical marijuana advocacy coalition, and Dr. David Lewis of Brown University. The legislation is expected to be approved by the Senate committee today, and sent on to a full vote on the Senate floor. Make sure that your representatives know where you stand on this issue.

First, if you haven’t heard about the Mental Health Parity bill, it’s an incredibly important measure that insurance companies are fighting tooth and nail, and that would stop insurers from shirking payment for mental health issues. Kennedy, who has suffered from addiction and depression, got a little play in the Times’ Week in Review, and the piece is worth a read.

Second, while not exactly a staunch defense of immigrant’s rights writ large, PK’s recent HuffPo piece is pretty interesting. It turns out he’s a sponsoring a bill “exempt anyone receiving a Ph.D. from an American university from numerical immigration limits.” Called the New American Innovators act, PK touts it as an economic growth strategy. The idea:

Well-known Stanford economist Paul Romer has discussed a “prospector theory” of high-skill immigration. As Mr. Romer describes it, “the more people you have prospecting, the more you will be stumbling on rich veins of gold.”

American universities regularly graduate American students of the highest quality, and our economy has reaped the benefits for decades. But American universities also produce foreign graduates of equally high quality. Our economy has benefited from their talents as well. In fact, between 1995 and 2005 one quarter of all start-up engineering and technology firms in the United States had at least one foreign-born founder. By 2005, these companies produced $52 billion in sales and employed 450,000 workers.

There’s gold in them thar hills!

Jesse Stout, Executive Director of RIPAC, the medical marijuana advocacy coalition, encourages all interested parties to attend today’s hearing at the State House to show support for the patients, doctors and experts testifying in front of the Senate’s Health and Human Services committee in favor of the ‘Compassion Center Bill’. Under this bill a non-profit organization would be licensed to grow and distribute marijuana to patients. And please remember the formality of the setting, seen here speaking at the 2007 National NORML Convention, Mr. Stout suggests “If you’re coming, please dress up a little — I’ll be in a suit, but as long as you’re not wearing jeans or sneakers you’ll be fine.” Call the RIPAC office (401.861.1601) with any questions.

Wednesday/4:15PM/room 212 State House/Smith Street/parking across the street in Dept. of Health lot

RIPAC will hold a Community Meeting Tuesday at 7pm, at AIDS Project RI, located at 232 West Exchange Street, Providence. All Rhode Islanders — patients, caregivers, advocates, and residents — are invited to come together to discuss the RI Medical Marijuana Program and share information and experiences.

The difficulties facing licensed patients and caregivers in procuring marijuana were addressed last month in the Phoenix as well as a sympathetic editorial in the Providence Journal.

RIPAC Executive Director, Jesse Stout, reports that on February 26, twin bills were introduced in the Rhode Island General Assembly by House Representative Tom Slater and Senator Rhoda Perry that would regulate distribution of medical marijuana by allowing a non-profit Compassion Center, an independent state-regulated facility, to distribute medical marijuana to Rhode Island’s licensed patients. Let your reps know you support these medical marijuana initiatives.

This bar crawl appears to be working its way west.  I caught up with it in a place that shall remain nameless because they refuse to remove the big Christmas wreath from the front window!  (It’s St. Patrick’s Day ferchrissake.)  At any rate, this crew is to be commended for not driving today.  And they were really nice to me.

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the harsh email Planned Parenthood sent out about me. I’m happy to get to direct your attention to their follow-up email, sent out on Friday. Ian covers it here.

We called on PPRI’s State Representative, David Segal, to sponsor and support this legislation for many reasons. Representative Segal has been a proven friend of the pro-choice movement and the clinic sits in his district. The email alert we sent to our members was intended as an opportunity for Rep. Segal, a Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island endorsed candidate, to hear from his constituents on this very important issue before he made a final decision on the legislation. The alert was not meant to disparage Rep. Segal’s performance as a legislator.

Rep. Segal is pro-choice and an advocate of women’s rights. PPRI depends on his unwavering dedication to protecting women’s health and safety. Please ask him to support this legislation.

As to the particular conversation about the buffer zone legislation — I continue to have strong concerns about the infringement on free speech that that legislation would represent. I cherish and frequently exercise my right to protest, and know just how fragile that right can be: I’ve been threatened with arrest for as little as handing out fliers downtown, and was involved in securing a restraining order against the police when they threatened to arrest janitors who were fasting peacefully outside of the Turks Head building a couple of years ago.

If we’re even going to seriously consider restricting speech, we need to do all we can between here and there first.  I’m hopeful that we can ameliorate the situation outside of PPRI by enforcing existing laws around harassment and obstruction of public rights of way.