The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, October 30, 2009 - 7 MARK RALSTON/AP A policeman removes crime scene tape from the entrance to the underground car park at the Adat Yeshurun Sephardic Congregation where two Jewish men were shot and injured, in Los Angeles on October 29, 2009. The two men were wounded at the Los Angeles synagogue in what police said was being investigated asa possible hate crime. Police seek shooter who wounded two worshippers at LA synagogue Gunman opened fire just before morning services yesterday LOS ANGELES (AP) - A gun- man escaped after wounding two men in the parking garage of a Los Angeles synagogue yesterday, frightening worshippers who heard gunshots and screams before the bleeding victims stumbled in dur- ing morning services. Police briefly held a teenager Who matched a vague description of the attacker. But they released the 17-year-old a short time later and continued their hunt for the assailant. Mori Ben-Nissan, 38, and Allen Lasry, 53, were shot in the legs in the parking garage underneath the Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic nagogue in North Hol- lywood, in the San Fernando Valley. They arrived in separate cars for the morning service shlrtly before 130 aTmi nd were in a stairwell" LAWSUIT From Page 1 a button on a copier in the manner described is of no significance," Cohn wrote in the judgment. "Excel's assertion that it has no inventory and simply offers copy- ing services is not correct - it has an inventory oftopyrighted materi- als given to it by professors, some of whom even state in their course syl- labi that the material is available for 'purchase' at Excel." Miller wrote in an e-mail that he MARIJUANA From Page 1 re-evaluation of the federal govern- ment's use ofresources. Michigan became the 13th state to legalize marijuana for medici- nal purposes when 63 percent of its residents voted to pass Proposal 1 in November 2008. The legislative initiative, which went into effect in April of this year, allows Michigan residents to use marijuana to treat chronic illnesses and debilitating diseases, but does not identify a way for both patients and caregiv- ers to legally obtain the drug. Last week's change to federal reg- ulations offered some encourage- ment for medical marijuana patients and their supporters, according to Dennis Hayes, an Ann Arbor crimi- nal defense attorney and co-founder of the Ann Arbor Medical Marijua- na Patient Collective. Hayes said the move will lead to greater tolerance and acceptance of the drug's use in medicine and it could help erode the drug's stigma. "Once people are aware this is not a boogeyman drug like they've tried to make it for 50 years, the tolerance of it goes up," Hayes said. "Once they know somebody who's a medical marijuana patient, who receives some comfort from the chemotherapy or the HIV, or any of the other debilitating conditions that qualify with the law, people will be more informed." "The more informed you are, the more likely you are to figure out * that the government's been lying to us for 50 fucking years," he added. Oneofthemostimportanteffects of this new federal policy is the peace of mind it will give medical marijuana patients and caregivers, said Paul Stanford, who started the Hemp and Cannabis Foundation. leading up to the synagogue sanc- tuary when a gunman shot them several times. The gunman then fled on foot. Police immediately beefed up patrols of Jewish communities as part of a citywide alert before say- ing the attack appeared to be iso- lated. Even as investigators tried to find a motive, Mayor Antonio Vil- laraigosa and other officials moved to calm fears that the attack was part of any organized anti-Semitic violence. "We certainly recognize the loca- tion and we're sensitive to that," Deputy Police Chief Michel Moore said. "But we do not know that this was a hate crime at all." The victims, who were hospital- ized in good condition, told police the attacker did not speak or take anything from them. One worshipper, Yehuda Oz, said he and about 14 others were praying in the temple when they heard four gunshots and screams from the parking area. Two men stumbled into the temple, Oz said, atidpeople would not comment on the court's decision without speaking to his attorney for fear of damaging his legal case. But he was willing to share his thoughts on the fair use clause of the law. "As I read it, the fair use exemp- tion to copyright law was originally written to promote the general wel- fare through the advancement of science and learning," Miller wrote in the e-mail. "These lofty and ben- eficial goals cannot be achieved if students, professors, and research- ers are denied convenient mecha- nisms for obtaining their copies." One of the foundation's medical clinics, which was established in Southfield, Mich. after the proposal was passed, helps patients assess their medical marijuana needs. "They can sleep a lot easier knowing that the federal govern- ment isn't going to investigate or prosecute as long as they're in com- pliance with the Michigan medi- cal marijuana law," Stanford said. "That's a large relief for medical marijuana patients." In states like California, where medical marijuana is legalized and dispensaries - or marijuana stores - are allowed in Los Angeles County, more people have been prosecuted for usingthe drug for medicinal pur- poses because of federal government intervention, according to Hayes. Cases in which patients or care- givers possess more than 100 mari- juana plants or 100 pounds of the drug are referred to the federal government from the local or state police, Hayes said. But these federal cases have not been as prevalent in Michigan since the law just came into effect six months ago, Hayes said, though there have been cases of state law violations. Since the medical marijuana law in Michigan is new, state law enforcement officials have not yet compiled information on the num- ber ofviolations of state and federal medical marijuana laws, according to Melody Kindraka, spokeswoman for the Michigan State Police. The Ann Arbor Medical Mari- juana Patient Collective has seen a surge in the number of people attending meetings in recent months, a sign of the recent rising support for medical marijuana, Hayes said. "The wave is building," Hayes said. "Little ripples may be a little wave by the end of the year, maybe $3 rushed to stop their bleeding. No one in the temple saw the attacker, he said. "Maybe it was crazy person," Oz told the Los Angeles Times. "Maybe he was drugged up. Maybe it was a Jew. We don't know." Initial security camera footage from the synagogue shows the sus- pect but not the shooting, and the quality is too poor for investigators to identify the man, Cmdr. Jorge Villegas said, but detectives later found more security cameras at the synagogue and were reviewing those tapes. Detective Steve Castro said a slew of possible motives was being considered, including attempted robbery or a personal business dis- pute. The attack occurred 10 miles from a Jewish community center where white supremacist Buford Furrow wounded three children, a teenager and an adult, in 1999. Furrow later killed a Filipino let- ter carrier on another street, and is serving a life sentence without Miller told The Michigan Daily in 2007 that the most expensive coursepacks at Excel cost between $70 and $80, while other stores offer similar coursepacks for up to double that. Associate History Prof. Mat- thew Countryman is one of many faculty members who sends his coursepacks to Excel. "I use Excel because I believe it provides excellent service to stu- dents and I like supporting locally- owned businesses," Countryman said. Countryman added that he had a bigger wave next year." Despite this step by the federal governmentto take a backseat in the prosecution of the medical use of the drug, Hayes said the inconsistencies in Michigan's law still remain a big hurdle for many medical marijuana patients and caregivers. "In Michigan, once you get a reg- istration card, the first thing you have to do as a patient is break the federal lawtogetyour plant," Hayes said. "And it's functionally unable to allow the state to do something that is a violation of the federal law, so you're always going to have this psychological hurdle for the local units of government." James McCurtis, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Com- munity Health, said the new fed- eral guidelines will not affect how the state regulates usage and care of medicinal marijuana. McCurtis said as long as patients and caregivers are still comply- ing with state law, there will be no surge in state prosecutions or regu- lation due to the federal changes. "Our role will still be the same," McCurtis said. "The law is still going to be the same here, and what that federal guideline basically says is as long as people follow the state law, the federal government is not going to hassle them, bother them, that sort of thing. So the state law is going to remain intact, it's not changing any time soon." As of last week, the Michigan Department of Community Health has received 8,093 applications for medical marijuana cards, 6,987 of which were issued. Of these, 4,956 cards were given to patients and 2,031 were given to caregivers. McCurtis said because the state law is not changing, prosecutions in the state will not become more moderate. "The state law is going to be what it chance of parole. The synagogue is in an area of long boulevards with commercial districts, tree-studded blocks of post-World War II stucco homes and apartment complexes on the north side of the Hollywood Hills. It has the second-largest concentra- tion of Jews in the city, said Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish rights group with more than 400,000 members in the United States. About 6,000 Jews live within walking distance of the synagogue, Cooper said. The Sephardic syna- gogue attracts primarily Jews from Morocco, Yemen, Israelis, some Persians. Cooper said he was immediately curious about the time and loca- tion of the shooting: It happened very early, and the synagogue is not on a busy thoroughfare. He said if the assailant had been casing the synagogue, he would have known that 10 to 30 men show up there for a morning service every weekday before work. no knowledge of the lawsuit and that he would continue to send his coursepacks to Excel, regardless. The parties are currently involved in settlement talks. Strong said the publishers are seekingmon- etary compensation from Excel. He would not discuss specific amounts that the publishers are asking for, as the discussions are ongoing. "We will seek some damages as the law entitles us to because the publishers have lost quite a bit of money over the years from his (Miller's) failure to pay copyright," he said. is," McCurtis said. "And if you break the law, then you're subject to arrest and other type of prosecution, and if you follow the law, you should be fine. And I think that's exactly what the federal guidelines are saying, too." LSA junior Francesca Bardinelli, executive director of the Univer- sity's chapter of Students for Sen- sible Drug Policy, said the new guidelines represent an important step by the Obama administration in giving states more rights regard- ing drug laws and will propel other states to move forward with medi- cal marijuana legalization. "It's really great to see that the federal government is leaving it up to states' plans," Bardinelli said. "(It) gives more freedom to other states who are contemplating medi- cal marijuana policy. So it's a great step in that sense." While the policy is an important step in the medical marijuana cru- sade, because it's not completely fool-proof, the results of the change remain to be seen, Andrew Kent, president of the University's chap- ter of the National Organization of the Reform of Marijuana Laws, wrote in an e-mail interview. "Their position still gives the government leeway to interfere on a case-by-case basis," wrote Kent, an LSA senior. "It remains to be seen if the government will follow their own guidelines." Despite a similar policy change announced several months ago, federal government officials failed to respect their own declarations, accordingto Kent. "(U.S. Attorney General) Eric Holder initially announced an end to federal raids on medical mari- juana patients months ago, but the DEA continued to raid patients and dispensaries," Kent wrote. "With the guidelines in writing hopefully the policy will be more respected." Official says that despite Dingell's efforts, office could still be cut From Page 1 Students like LSA senior Qian Wang, who regularly sends letters of communications for the Detroit and packages using the South Uni- district of the U.S. Postal Service. versity post office, are excited to The South University location know the location will remain open will remain on the list until the due to its comparatively low costs. commission reviews it in the next "At FedEx and UPS, the price few weeks, Moore said. He added is much higher than the postal that the location was one of 11 in office," Wang said. "If this place the Detroit district originally put closed, I don't know - I have no on the list due to a reduction in idea if there's another place on the mail volume. campus that can provide this ser- This decrease in mail volume vice." has been a nationwide trend, with Other students like Nursing the U.S. Postal Service processing senior Irene Casillas, said she is only 170 billion pieces of mail this happy to hear the South Univer- year, a decrease of about 40 bil- sity post office will remain open lion pieces from 2007, according due to its ideal location. to Moore. "I'm glad because it's so much "We're looking to trim costs, more convenient than driving to be more efficient and maximize Stadium (Boulevard) and some our floor space," he said. "So that's people don't even have a car on why those locations are looking to campus," Casillas said. "It's very he consolidated." convenient." better care at a better price, the HEALTH CARE researchers argue, tackling both From Page 1 the health and financial concerns within the health care reform make your hair grow back," Mar- debate. tin said. "We're in a situation now V-BID was established in where costs are going to continue 2005 by University faculty mem- to escalate if we don't do some- bers Dean Smith, Allison Rosen, thing," Martin said. "No matter Michael Chernew and Fendrick, what happens, we want there to who came together to combine be some clinical nuance so that their clinical and economic exper- health is not sacrificed, so that we tises. They set out to apply their enable people to still get the high skills to produce leading research value services they deserve - put- on the health and economic out- ting health back into health care comes of innovative insurance reform." designs. Fendrick explained that After publishing many articles although the debate has focused in academic peer-review jour- almost exclusively on the eco- nals, the researchers, under the nomic impact of the health care guidance of the School of Public system, Obama's track record in Health's Director of Government the reform process shows that Relations Jennifer Martin - who his main concern was health care spent much of her career in Wash- improvement. ington, D.C. working on Capitol Although his actions in the Hill and in theWhite House - debate have strayed from that goal were able to share their findings and demonstrated more concern with national newspapers and, for cost, Fendrick said there is most recently, on the Senate floor. hope that he will ultimately help "We brought this to the Michi- redirect the discussion. gan Congressional Delegation and "The focus of the health care others so that as this idea became conversation is on money," Fen- better known it would be known drick said. "Everyone is focused as a University of Michigan idea," on the deficit and the budget and Martin said. "The idea was that the cost. What we're trying to do our Michigan constituents and is remind people why we have representatives would say 'this is health care in the first place." an idea out of my state.'" "Reducing healthcare spending Through their research, Fen- should not be the exclusive objec- drick, an associate professor of tive of health care reform efforts," health management and policy, he later wrote in an e-mail. "We and his colleagues determined must not forgetthat the goal of the that reducing patients' co-pay- health care system is to improve ments increases their medication health, not save money." adherence. Because legislators are still Results from one of their stud- debating health care reform bills ies yielded a 7- to 14-percent in the House and Senate and reduction in non-adherence - amendments to legislation can be meaning that with lower prices made, several specifics are still on co-payments, more people will unknown about how the logistics actually get the drugs they need. of V-BID would get carried out if The underlying principle ofval- the bills are passed in a different ue-based insurance is that people form. will buy more of the health ser- However, Fendrick said the vices that they need. issue is further complicated by "You give somebody their asth- language and enforcement differ- ma drugs, you keep them out of ences between the two bills. the ER," Fendrick said. "It's pretty Introduced by Sens. Kay Bailey intuitive." Hutchison (R-Texas) and Debbie Pricing in the current system Stabenow (D-Mich.), U.S. Senate prevents patients from making Bill 1040 "actually makes V-BID decisions that have their best concepts legal - so no one can health interests in mind. challenge it," Fendrick said. "We're not providing any kind "In the House bill it says that of structural incentive for high- every health plan can do it," he value health services," Martin added. said. "It's aboutcgetting the patient If the national legislation pass- to access the care they need. The es, insurers will have the option of more you increase the co-pays, the creating a pricing plan and offer- less they buy the stuff they need." ing a quality of service tailored to In order to provide patients V-BID principles. with more of the care that benefits "There is really no one V-BID them the most, V-BID researchers intervention," Fendrick said. "It are working to help bridge the gap really comes down to how much between patients and health care you're willing to spend on it and providers. how much you're willing to do." "We view V-BID as a demand- Although a value-based insur- side initiative," Fendrick said. "If ance design would give insur- doctors continue to make a ton ers more leeway to determine of money by doing the low-value a pricing plan that meets their stuff, they're not goingto care. We financial needs, its setup would need to bring together the supply still offer a better value to the and demand side." policyholders. Through a value-based insur- "We guarantee more health at ance design, patients can get any price point," Fendrick said. WRITE FOR THE DAILY'S NEWS SECTION. Send an e-mail to smilovitz@michigandaily.com