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House Bill Proposes to Stop Federal Forfeiture
Actions |
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Nine Co-Sponsors Introduce HR
6335 To Protect State-Authorized Businesses
Federal property forfeiture actions targeting state-authorized
medical cannabis businesses would be stopped if a new House bill becomes law.
HR 6335, the States’ Medical Marijuana Property Rights
Protection Act, was introduced August 2 by Rep. Barbara Lee (D, CA-9) with
eight initial co-sponsors representing districts in Massachusetts, Oregon,
New York, and California. The bill comes in response to escalating forfeiture actions <continued
on page 5 > |
Study: Synthetic THC Analogue Mitigates
Diabetic Neuropathy, Is 'Well Tolerated' In Patients
Calgary,
Canada: The oral administration
of the synthetic THC analogue nabilone (brand name: Cesamet) mitigates
neuropathic pain and is well tolerated, according to clinical trial data
published online by the scientific journal Pain. <continued
on page 4 > ___________________________________________ Most Statewide Marijuana Initiatives Leading
In Polls, Former
DEA Heads Urge Justice Department To Oppose the Will Of The People Washington,
DC: Four of the six states with statewide
marijuana initiatives appearing on the November 2012 ballot are solidly
favored among likely voters. Those in
Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Montana, Oregon, and Washington will be
deciding on will be deciding on marijuana- <continued
on page 3 > |
Montana: Supreme Court Says Patients Possess
No Fundamental Right To Cannabis
Helena,
MT: Members of the Montana
Supreme Court ruled 6 to 1 on Tuesday that patients do not possess a
fundamental right to access and consume cannabis for therapeutic purposes.
The decision reverses a District Court ruling enjoining the state from
enforcing various <continued
on page 4 > _______________________________ First
New Jersey Distribution Center
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* www.MercyCenters.org *
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* The MERCY News * |
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_____________________ The MERCY News Report is an
all-volunteer, not-for-profit project to record and broadcast news,
announcements and information about medical cannabis in Oregon, across America
and around the World. For more information about the MERCY News, contact us. Via
Snail Mail: The MERCY
News 1745 Capital
St. NE, Salem, Ore., 97301 503.363-4588 E-mail: Mercy_Salem@hotmail.com Or
our WWW page: www.MercyCenters.org Check it
out! ___________________________ MERCY On The Tube! in Salem,
Oregon area thru Capital Community Television, Channel 23.
Call In – 503.588-6444 - on Friday at 7pm, or See us on Wednesdays
at 06:30pm, Thursdays at 07:00pm, Fridays at 10:30pm and Saturdays at 06:00pm.
Visit – http://mercycenters.org/tv/ |
About
MERCY – The Medical Cannabis Resource Center MERCY is a non-profit, grass roots organization
founded by patients, their friends and family and other compassionate and
concerned citizens in the area and is dedicated to helping and advocating for
those involved with the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP). MERCY is based in the
Salem, Oregon area and staffed on a volunteer basis. The
purpose is to get medicine to patients in the short-term while working with
them to establish their own independent sources. To
this end we provide, among other things, ongoing education to people and
groups organizing clinics and other Patient Resources, individual physicians
and other healthcare providers about the OMMP, cannabis as medicine and
doctor rights in general. The mission of the organization
is to help people and change the laws. We advocate reasonable, fair and effective
marijuana laws and policies, and strive to educate, register and empower
voters to implement such policies. Our philosophy is one of teaching
people to fish, rather than being dependent upon others. Want to get your Card? Need Medicine Now? Welcome to The Club! MERCY – the Medical Cannabis Resource Center
hosts Mercy Club Meetings every Wednesday at - 1745 Capital
Street NE, Salem, 97301 – from 7pm to 9pm to help folks get
their card, network patients to medicine, assist in finding a grower or
getting to grow themselves, or ways and means to medicate along other info
and resources depending on the issue.
visit – www.MercyCenters.org
- or Call 503.363-4588 for more. The Doctor is In ... Salem! * MERCY is Educating Doctors on signing for their
Patients; Referring people to Medical Cannabis Consultations when their
regular care physician won't sign for them; and listing all Clinics around
the state in order to help folks Qualify for the OMMP and otherwise Get their
Cards. For our Referral Doc in Salem,
get your records to – 1745 Capital Street NE,
Salem, 97301, NOTE: There is a $25 non-refundable deposit
required. Transportation and Delivery
Services available for those in need.
For our Physician Packet to educate your Doctor, or a List of Clinics
around the state, visit – www.MercyCenters.org
- or Call 503.363-4588 for more. Other Medical Cannabis Resource NetWork
Opportunities for Patients as well as CardHolders-to-be. * whether Social meeting, Open to public
–or- Cardholders Only * visit: http://mercycenters.org/events/Meets.html ! Also Forums - a means to
communicate and network on medical cannabis in Portland across Oregon and
around the world. A list of
Forums, Chat Rooms, Bulletin Boards and other Online Resources for the
Medical Cannabis Patient, CareGiver, Family Member, Patient-to-Be and Other
Interested Parties. * Resources > Patients (plus) > Online
> Forums * Know any? Let everybody else know!
Visit: http://mercycenters.org/orgs/Forums.html and Post It! |
2 mercycenter@hotmail.com * |
Volume 9, Issue 9 *
September * 2012 |
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<continued from MARIJUANA INITIATIVES LEADING IN POLLS, page 1 > specific ballot measures this November. In Massachusetts, voters will
decide on Question
3, a statewide proposal that seeks to allow for the physician-recommended
possession and state-licensed distribution of cannabis for therapeutic
purposes. Arkansas voters will decide on a similar measure, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana
Act of 2012. Montana voters will decide on Initiative
Referendum 124, which is a referendum on Senate Bill 423 - a 2011 measure
that seeks to restrict the state's 2004 voter approved medical cannabis
law. Colorado
voters will decide on Amendment 64, which immediately allows for the legal
possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and/or the cultivation of up to
six cannabis plants by those persons age 21 and over. Longer-term, the
measure seeks to establish regulations governing the commercial production
and distribution of marijuana by licensed retailers. Oregon voters will
decide on Measure 80, the Oregon
Cannabis Tax Act, which provides for the state-licensed production and
retail sale of cannabis to adults. The measure does not impose
state-licensing or taxation requirements upon those who wish to cultivate cannabis
for non-commercial purposes. Finally, in Washington, voters will decide on Initiative
502, which seeks to regulate the production and sale of limited amounts
of marijuana for adults. The measure also removes criminal penalties specific
to the adult possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for personal use. According
to the most recently available polling, several of these measures hold firm
leads among likely voters. In Colorado, 51 percent of respondents say that
they are backing Amendment 64, according to the latest SurveyUSA telephone poll of 615 likely voters. In Massachusetts, a
strong majority of likely voters support Question 3. A newly released Suffolk
University/7News poll
of 600 likely voters finds that 59 percent of respondents support the
initiative versus 35 percent who oppose it. In Montana, a majority of likely
voters do not support enacting limits on the state's medical
marijuana law, according to a just-published poll of 656 likely voters. And in
Washington, nearly six
out of ten voters say they intend to decide in favor of I-502, according
to a Survey USA poll released late last week. Fifty-seven percent of
respondents said that they will vote 'yes' on the measure, versus only 34
percent who said they would vote 'no.' Nine percent remain undecided. In
Oregon, a July poll not specific to the initiative conducted by Public Policy
Polling reported that only 43 percent of Oregonians believed that |
cannabis use should be legal, versus 46 percent who endorsed it
remaining illegal. A more recent Survey USA poll of 552 likely voters reported that 37
percent of respondents favored Measure 80, while 41 percent said that they
opposed it. Democrat voters said that they backed the measure by a vote of 2
to 1, while Republicans opposed it by a margin of 4 to 1. No recent polling
is available for Arkansas. NORML has additional details about this November's statewide and
municipal ballot proposals here: http://norml.org/about/smoke-the-vote.
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<continued from previous page>
Holder's office previously spoke out in 2010 against
Proposition 19 in California after receiving a similar letter from past
chiefs of the DEA. That measure sought to allow for the limited possession
and cultivation of cannabis for adults. The measure was defeated at the polls
by a vote of 46.5 percent to 53.5 percent.
For more information, please contact Allen St.
Pierre, NORML Executive Director at (202) 483-5500. NORML has additional
details about this November's statewide and municipal ballot proposals here: http://norml.org/about/smoke-the-vote. _____________________________________________________________ <continued from STUDY: SYNTHETIC THC ANALOGUE MITIGATES DIABETIC
NEUROPATHY, IS 'WELL TOLERATED' IN PATIENTS, page 1 > Investigators at the University Researchers
reported that nabilone treatment of 2.9mg per day significantly reduced
subjects' pain compared to placebo, as well as participants' level of
anxiety. Improved sleep and patients' overall quality of life was also
positively associated with naboline treatment. Authors
concluded: "[N]abilone ... was effective in relieving diabetic
peripheral neuropathic pain (DPN) symptoms, improving disturbed sleep,
quality of life, and overall patient status. Nabilone was well tolerated and
successful as adjuvant in patients with DPN." Neuropathy is a difficult to treat pain condition that
is estimated to effect between five and ten percent
of the population. A literature review
of clinical trials data published in The Clinical Journal of Pain in
March reported that cannabis and its organic compounds have been demonstrated
to be safe and modestly effective treatments for neuropathy and |
other chronic pain conditions. Other studies have also reported that
the use of cannabis augments
the analgesic effects of opiates, potentially allowing users to eventually reduce
their use of opioid drugs. For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy
Director, at: paul@norml.org.
Full text of the study, "An enriched-enrolment, randomized withdrawal, flexible-dose,
double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel assignment efficacy study of
nabilone as adjuvant in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathic
pain," appears online in the journal Pain. _____________________________________________________________ <continued from MONTANA: SUPREME COURT SAYS PATIENTS POSSESS NO
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO CANNABIS, page 1 > provisions of a 2011 state law that limits the public's access to medical
marijuana. "In pursuing one's health, an individual has a fundamental
right to obtain and reject medical treatment," Justice Michael Wheat opined for the majority. "But, this right does not
extend to give a He
added, "A patient's 'selection of a particular treatment, or at least a
medication, is within the area of government interest in protecting public
health,' and regulation of that medication does not implicate a fundamental and sparked an outcry from local and state officials. The
majority concluded, "[T]he plaintiffs cannot seriously contend that they
have a fundamental right to medical marijuana when it is still unequivocally
illegal under the (federal) Controlled Substances Act." The
Court's decision allows for the state to fully implement Senate
Bill 423, a 2011 law that sought to significantly limit the use,
production, and distribution of cannabis among patients who possess a
physician's authorization to consume the substance. Montana
voters will decide
in November on Initiative Referendum 124, which seeks to repeal SB 423. Montana
voters in 2004 approved patients' use of medical cannabis for qualified
illnesses by a vote of 62 percent. <continued on next page> |
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<continued from previous
page> Full text of the decision,
Montana Cannabis Industry Association et al. v State is available online at: http://missoulian.com/montana-supreme-court-ruling-on-medical-marijuana/pdf_af1ddf04-fc7e-11e1-9a80-001a4bcf887a.html. _____________________________________________________________ <continued from HOUSE
BILL WOULD STOP FEDERAL FORFEITURE ACTIONS, page 1 > HR
6335 would prohibit the Justice Department from using the civil asset
forfeiture statute, 21 U.S.C. 881(7), against real property owners only if
their tenants are in compliance with state medical cannabis law. While property owners have an opportunity to
retrieve seized property in civil court, they are not afforded many of the
constitutional rights granted to criminal defendants, such as the right to an
attorney and a jury trial. In addition, the burden of proof is on the
property owner to show their innocence rather than the government having to
prove their guilt. Source = Americans for Safe Access (ASA) Monthly
Activist Newsletter - Volume 7, Issue 9 -
for SEPTEMBER, 2012 * Americans for Safe Access * 1322 Webster
Street, Ste. 402 * Oakland, CA 94612 * info@AmericansForSafeAccess.org*
510-251-1856 * AmericansForSafeAccess.org _____________________________________________________________ Republican
Vice Presidential Nominee Vacillates On Medical Marijuana Issue
Colorado
Springs, CO:
Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan (R-WI) has expressed
conflicting views in recent days |
regarding his position on the state-authorized use
of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Speaking with a local Colorado Springs television
station on Friday, Ryan said that he personally opposed the use of cannabis for
any purpose, but also acknowledged that the issue "is up to (each
individual state) to decide." Seventeen states
- including Colorado - and the District of Columbia have enacted laws Immediately following Ryan's public remarks, however, campaign aids told reporters that Ryan "agrees" with
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney views opposing any liberalization of
cannabis prohibition. Romney has previously stated:
"I would not legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. ... I know there
are some on the Democratic side of the aisle who will be happy to get in your
campaign. But I'm opposed to it, and if you elect me president, you're not
going to see legalized marijuana. I'm going to fight it tooth and nail." In Congress, Rep. Ryan in May voted
against legislation that would have limited the federal government from
interfering in states that allow for the physician-authorized use of cannabis.
As a
Presidential candidate in 2008, President Obama pledged to cease utilizing "Justice Department
resources to try and circumvent state laws" - a position he has failed
to uphold while in office. Obama's running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, sponsored
legislation as a Senator to institute the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, among other anti-drug laws and drug sentencing provisions. For more information, please contact
Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive Director at (202) 483-5500. NORML has additional
details about the federal Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates here:
http://norml.org/about/smoke-the-vote _____________________________________________________________ North Dakota: Statewide Medical Cannabis
Proposal Will Not Appear On 2012 Ballot Bismarck,
ND: A statewide proposal to allow for the possession
and state-licensed distribution of cannabis for therapeutic purposes will not
appear on the November 2012 ballot, the Associated Press reported
this week. The measure was one of two
citizens initiatives rejected by the Secretary of <continued on next page> |
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<continued from previous page> States
office on Monday. According to the AP, paid petitioners falsified thousands of names that they purported to have
collected from registered voters. Eight players on North Dakota State University's The
citizens initiative, proposed by North Dakotans for
Compassionate Care, sought to eliminate statewide criminal and civil
penalties regarding the physician-recommended use, possession and/or cultivation
of cannabis for various qualifying medical conditions, including cancer,
Crohn's disease, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Voters in six states
- Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, Montana, Oregon, and Washington - will be deciding on
marijuana-specific ballot measures this November. In Massachusetts, voters
will decide on Question
3, a statewide proposal that seeks to allow for the physician-recommended
possession and state-licensed distribution of cannabis for therapeutic
purposes. Arkansas voters will
decide on a similar measure, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act of 2012. Montana voters
will decide on Initiative
Referendum 124, which seeks to repeal amendments enacted by lawmakers in 2011 to restrict the state's 2004, voter approved medical
cannabis law. Colorado voters will
decide on Amendment
64, which immediately allows for the legal possession of up to one ounce
of marijuana and/or the cultivation of up to six cannabis plants by those
persons age 21 and over. Longer-term, the measure seeks to establish
regulations governing the commercial production and distribution of marijuana
by licensed retailers. Oregon voters will decide on Measure
80, the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, which provides for the
state-licensed production and retail sale of cannabis to adults. The measure
does not impose state-licensing or taxation requirements upon those who wish
to cultivate cannabis for non-commercial purposes. Finally, in Washington,
voters will decide on Initiative
502, which seeks to regulate the production and sale of limited amounts
of marijuana for adults. The measure also removes criminal penalties specific
to the adult possession of up to one ounce of cannabis for personal use. NORML
has additional details about this November's statewide and municipal ballot
proposals here: http://norml.org/about/smoke-the-vote. |
<continued from FIRST NEW
JERSEY DISTRIBUTION CENTER TO OPEN IN SEPTEMBER, page 1 > qualified patients at its Montclair
location this month. The center is producing the medicinal plants in a secure
5,000 square-foot warehouse in a secret location. Another center, the
Compassionate Care Foundation, expects to open by November, but finding
suitable locations to operate for the other four has proven difficult, in
what has turned into a battle over land use with local zoning officials. State lawmakers want
answers on why implementation of the program has been so delayed from the
original July 2011 projected launch. Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Trenton) in
July called for hearings. Gov. Jon Corzine signed the Compassionate Care Act
in January 2010. Source = Americans for Safe Access (ASA) Monthly Activist Newsletter - Volume 7, Issue 9 - for SEPTEMBER, 2012 * Americans for
Safe Access * 1322 Webster Street, Ste. 402 * Oakland, CA 94612 * info@AmericansForSafeAccess.org*
510-251-1856 * AmericansForSafeAccess.org _____________________________________________________________ Study:
Non-Psychotropic Cannabinoid "Proven To Be Safe" In Humans
London, United Kingdom: The oral
administration of the non-psychotropic cannabis plant constituent cannabidiol
(CBD) is safe and well tolerated in humans, according to clinical trial data
published online by the journal Current Pharmaceutical Design. Investigators at Kings College in London assessed
the physiological and behavioral effects of CBD and THC versus placebo in 16
healthy volunteers in a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial. Investigators reported that the oral administration
of 10 mg of THC was associated with various physiological and behavioral
effects - such as increased heart rate and sedation - whereas the oral
administration of 600 mg of CBD was not. They concluded, "There were no differences
between CBD and placebo on any symptomatic, physiological variable. ... In
healthy volunteers, THC has marked acute behavioral and physiological
effects, whereas CBD has proven to be safe and well tolerated." A previous review of the use of CBD in
human <continued on next page> |
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subjects, published in the scientific journal Current
Drug Safety last year, similarly
concluded that the compound was safe, non-toxic, and well tolerated. Separate
investigations of CBD have documented the cannabinoid to possess a variety of therapeutic properties, including
anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-epileptic, anti-cancer, and
bone-stimulating properties. In recent years, patients in states that allow
for the use of cannabis therapy, particularly California, have expressed an interest in
plant strains that contain uniquely high percentages of the
compound. Cannabidiol
is presently classified under federal law as a schedule I prohibited substance. Such substances are
required by law to possess "a high potential for abuse," "a
lack of accepted safety ... under medical supervision," and "no
currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States." For more
information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.
Full text of the study, "Acute effects of a single, oral dose of
d9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) administration in healthy
volunteers" appears online in Current Pharmaceutical Design. _____________________________________________________________
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The Pack decision has
been used by several municipalities, including Los Angeles, to suspend or ban
the distribution of medical cannabis. Several
other cases concerning medical cannabis distribution remain before the state
Supreme Court, including one in which ASA has filed an amicus brief arguing
that local governments cannot ban dispensaries that state law permits. Source = Americans for Safe Access (ASA) Monthly
Activist Newsletter - Volume 7, Issue 9 -
for SEPTEMBER, 2012 * Americans for Safe Access * 1322 Webster
Street, Ste. 402 * Oakland, CA 94612 * info@AmericansForSafeAccess.org*
510-251-1856 * AmericansForSafeAccess.org _____________________________________________________________ Advocates
File Referendum to Overturn Los Angeles Dispensary Ban
The Los Angeles ban on
medical cannabis dispensaries is on hold after medical cannabis advocates
filed petitions for a voter referendum. Less than a month after the Los
Angeles City Council reversed itself and replaced the city’s regulatory
ordinance with an outright ban on dispensaries, a coalition called the
Committee to Protect Patients and Neighborhoods filed more than 50,000 signatures
opposing the change. The City Council has
up to 30 days to either rescind the ban or call a special election and put
the decision to Los Angeles voters early next year. Depending on timing, the
city may be forced to hold a separate election in addition to the March primary
and May mayoral election. "The California
Supreme Court has said the ban has no legal foundation," said ASA
California Director Don Duncan. "The city should work with patients
instead of shutting the door on them." The legal basis for a
ban is in question after the California Supreme Court voided the court
decision on which it was predicated, Pack v. City of Long <continued on next page> |
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<continued from ADVOCATES FILE REFERENDUM TO
OVERTURN LOS ANGELES DISPENSARY BAN, previous page> Beach, which The
Los Angeles City Council's decision to adopt an outright ban came after more
than four years of failed attempts to regulate distribution of medical
cannabis. The Council received
more than 10,000 letters from Angelenos supporting sensible regulations and
opposing a ban. The Council enacted a
regulatory ordinance for medical cannabis dispensaries in April 2010, but the
measure was quickly mired in legal challenges that city officials had not
followed proper procedures. A judge ruled that portions of the ordinance were
unconstitutional, forcing the city to amend the rules. The
Los Angeles City Council has directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance
that would regulate a limited number of facilities. Source = Americans
for Safe Access (ASA) Monthly Activist Newsletter - Volume 7, Issue 9 - for SEPTEMBER, 2012 * Americans
for Safe Access * 1322 Webster Street, Ste. 402 * Oakland, CA 94612 * info@AmericansForSafeAccess.org*
510-251-1856 * www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org _____________________________________________________________
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On August 8, Gov. Jan
Brewer authorized the state's attorney general to pursue closing all
dispensaries in the state under the legal theory that the state cannot
authorize activities illegal under federal law. Implementation
of the state’s dispensary program, authorized by voter initiative in 2010,
was stopped by Gov. Brewer over concerns about federal threats to state
officials implementing the law but was restarted after a federal court dismissed
the state’s challenge to the law. Source = Americans for Safe Access (ASA) Monthly
Activist Newsletter - Volume 7, Issue 9 -
for SEPTEMBER, 2012 * Americans for Safe Access * 1322 Webster
Street, Ste. 402 * Oakland, CA 94612 * info@AmericansForSafeAccess.org*
510-251-1856 * www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org _____________________________________________________________ Michigan
Supreme Court Bars Bans, Lawmakers to
Vote on Changes
Meanwhile,
state legislators are preparing to vote on several bills that would modify
the state medical cannabis law. The four measures have passed the state house
as well as senate committees and are awaiting a vote by the full senate. The bills would variously restrict what
qualifies as a doctor-patient relationship required for medical cannabis
cardholders, allow law enforcement officers or other officials to access
patient information, and regulate the transportation of medical cannabis in
vehicles. Source = Americans for Safe Access (ASA) Monthly
Activist Newsletter - Volume 7, Issue 9 -
for SEPTEMBER, 2012 * Americans for Safe Access * 1322 Webster
Street, Ste. 402 * Oakland, CA 94612 * info@AmericansForSafeAccess.org*
510-251-1856 * www.AmericansForSafeAccess.org |
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* The MERCY News
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mercycenter@hotmail.com > (503)
363-4588 <
www.MercyCenters.org * |
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