CA: Q And A – New Medical Cannabis Rules Explained
California will soon be moving away from an unregulated marijuana marketplace to a state-regulated medical marijuana regime. The new licensing requirements will be the most comprehensive and complicated in the nation, attorneys say. At a recent meeting in Oakland, Lori Ajax of the Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation answered questions about how the new Medical […]
CA: Cannabis Company Sees Benefit In Pair Of Laws Covering Pot Manufacturing
Small-scale medical marijuana growers and businesses that manufacture medical cannabis products are set to get a boost from two new laws, both sought by California’s burgeoning medical pot industry. Both laws, signed last week by Gov. Jerry Brown, continue filling in the specifics of the state’s landmark medical pot law adopted last year, establishing a […]
MD: Sponsor Says Medical Cannabis Bill For Ag Areas Won’t Go Forward
The clock has run out on a proposal to allow medical cannabis to be grown in agricultural areas in Frederick County. A bill introduced by Council Vice President M.C. Keegan-Ayer (D) will die Wednesday under a provision of the county charter that requires bills to be enacted within 90 days of their formal introduction. Keegan-Ayer, […]
Law Enforcement Gather To Discuss Medical Marijuana In AR With Denver PD
North Little Rock – As part of a two-day summit, at Camp Robinson, put on by the attorney general’s office, law enforcement agencies gathered to discuss various challenges including the possibility of medical marijuana becoming legal. A Denver Police commander discussed various challenges and strategies when it comes to dealing with both medical and recreational […]
WA: Grays Harbor Co. Hopes New Pot Growing Warehouse Will be an “Economic High”
Near Elma, Wash. – A Grays Harbor County community, starved for jobs, is opening some of its publicly-owned space to a pot grower. The struggle for economic survival is now changing attitudes toward the cannabis industry. A big warehouse near Elma, that has struggled economically for a long time, will soon be filled with pot […]
Illinois Marijuana Sales Top $20M Since Program Began
Springfield, Ill. – Medical marijuana sales reached more than $3.8 million last month at licensed dispensaries throughout Illinois. The state released new monthly sales figures Wednesday. September’s sales figures bring the total retail sales in Illinois to $23.5 million since purchasing began in November last year, topping the $20 million mark for the first time. […]
OH: City Council Tables Medical Marijuana Ban
In a split vote Tuesday, Findlay City Council tabled legislation which would ban dispensing, cultivating or processing medical marijuana within city limits. Questions about whether to set a time limit on the ban, and zoning law changes needed to enforce it, stalled the new rule. Fourth Ward Councilman Tom Klein continued to push for a […]
How Medical Marijuana Could Help Boomers Get The Most Out Of Retirement
States that passed medical marijuana laws saw a significant boost to older Americans’ workforce participation, according to a new working paper from researchers at Johns Hopkins and Temple University. States with medical marijuana laws also saw improvements in overall health for older men, although the health effects for older women were more mixed. Like many […]
Pennsylvania’s Legalization Of Marijuana Gives Doctors Pause
As the Pennsylvania Department of Health works to finalize regulations for the state’s now-legal medical marijuana program, one important question looms: Will physicians be willing to participate? The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration classifies marijuana as an illegal Schedule I drug with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. With physicians’ opioid prescription […]
MA: Quincy Marijuana Dispensary Opens For Business Wednesday
Quincy, Mass. – The medical marijuana dispensary in West Quincy officially opens for business Wednesday, but the facility is taking patients by appointment only for the first two weeks. Donna Rheaume, a spokeswoman for Ermont Inc., the owner of the dispensary at 216 Ricciuti Drive, told the Patriot Ledger the state Department of Public Health […]
MT: Medical Marijuana Proponents Hoping Ballot Measure Will Save Dying Industry
Janice Williamson will lose two of her toes on Monday. The 57-year-old Manhattan woman has had rheumatoid arthritis for 34 years. It affects her entire body. Her hands are knotted, and the pain in her feet is such that she had surgery in June just so she could walk. But after the procedure, the necessary […]
MA: Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Should Call College Campuses Home
The smell of marijuana often seems to waft freely through the streets of Boston. Students and residents alike smoke it, legally for those licensed to purchase medical marijuana and illegally for those who do so recreationally. Despite the method of purchase, marijuana is being smoked in the Commonwealth, and those who choose not to believe […]
OH: City Starting To Look At How It Would Handle Legal Pot Business
Like so many other cities, North Ridgeville is exploring placing a moratorium on any business related to the medical marijuana industry. Many cities are doing the same after Ohio lawmakers legalized the use of medical marijuana in the state but did not set up a “mechanism” to oversee it, said North Ridgeville City Council President […]
Inside Ruling That Guts Colorado's Medical Marijuana Doctor Policy
In July, four doctors were suspended for allegedly recommending cannabis to patients who didn’t need it for health-related reasons after being referred to the Colorado Medical Board by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Now, however, the CDPHE’s referral process has been struck down in Denver District Court. In a ruling on view […]
OH: Concord Twp. Bans Medical Marijuana
Concord Twp. – Concord Township Trustees approved a resolution to prohibit the location of medical marijuana cultivators, processors and retail distributors for one year in the unincorporated sections of Concord Township on Tuesday. “We are putting this resolution in place for one year,” said chairman Don Pence. “This action will go through Oct. 4, 2017. […]
NM: Council Grapples With Medical Marijuana Zoning
A proposed medical marijuana growing operation in Moriarty won’t be opening soon as the City Council grapples with how to zone such businesses. “If it’s legal by state law, we have to accept it,” Mayor Ted Hart said at a public hearing Sept. 28 on the issue. “We can’t zone them out.” The hearing at […]
Gov. Jerry Brown Licenses California’s Smallest Medical Pot Farmers
Gov. Jerry Brown provided a path to licensure for California’s smaller medical cannabis gardeners that want to sell their crop into the regulated commercial market. The governor signed the so-called “cottage” licensing bill, A.B. 2516, on September 29, creating a Type 1C, or “specialty cottage,” state cultivator license. A licensed cottage grower could have up […]
NH: Lawmaker Named In State House Pot Probe Wants Medical Marijuana Law Expanded
Manchester – One of the state representatives caught up in the attorney general’s investigation of pot sales at the State House says he plans to file legislation to expand the state’s medical marijuana law. Republican state Rep. Joe Lachance of Manchester told investigators he used the marijuana to treat a spinal injury, gastrointestinal illness and […]
CT: Children Begin Medical Marijuana Treatment
Linda Lloyd hopes that the small vial of amber liquid she picked up at a medical-marijuana dispensary this week will save her son’s life. Lloyd, one of the first parents to join the state’s expanded medical-cannabis program, is in the vanguard of a potential health care revolution for children suffering from extreme neurological disorders and […]
The Case For Cannabis In Arkansas
The simplest thing would be to do the horserace story on the effort to bring medical cannabis to Arkansas: the two competing proposals that will very likely be on the ballot before the voters in November; the pros and cons; the ins and outs; the numbers of dispensaries and the grow-your-own option; the lawyering up […]
OK: Enough Signatures For Ballot Status Ratified
Oklahoma City – Supporters of a proposal to legalize use of marijuana for medical purposes got some good news this week, clearing the way for an eventual vote on the statutory ballot initiative. As a ten-day period for challenges to petition signatures ended, no hurdles remained to clear the measure for a future statewide ballot. […]
Justin Bieber Calls Out Prescription Drugmakers Opposing Marijuana
Medical marijuana just got a major new ally in the bruising election battle: pop music icon Justin Bieber.Just in time to help swing pitched election fights for medical marijuana in Florida, and other states, Bieber called out prescription drug companies battling cannabis legalization Sunday, tweeting “This is important. … We all need to pay attention” […]
Could A Chemical Found In Marijuana Be A Treatment For Alzheimer's Disease?
Sometimes researchers come across a discovery purely by accident. They develop a hypothesis, perform a number of experiments and expect to see a series of results. However, at times, surprises happen within the petri plate or culture dish. This in turns opens up an entirely new avenue of curiosity and future experimental design. This type […]
OH: Law For Medical Marijuana Has Bexley Crafting Ordinance
Though a state law that took effect Sept. 8 allows people with certain medical conditions to purchase and use medical marijuana at the recommendation of a doctor, the city of Bexley is considering a moratorium on businesses that dispense medical marijuana. Ordinance 36-16, if City Council approves it, would place an 18-month moratorium on the […]
MI: New Marijuana Bills Won't Mean Immediate Dispensaries, City Attorney Says
Kalamazoo, MI – Though the ink has dried on three marijuana bills signed by the Governor, city attorney Robinson said dispensaries in Kalamazoo will be created slowly. Last month, Gov. Rick Snyder signed bills legalizing and regulating medical marijuana edibles and dispensaries. Robinson said he has received several communications from residents asking what the city’s […]
MT: Approving Medical Marijuana Is Common Sense
As a citizen of a progressive city like Missoula, it pains me to drive down Brooks and see an oversize billboard urging citizens to further prohibit access to medical marijuana in Montana. In fairness, the billboard is a gift from Safe Montana, an anti-medical marijuana movement stationed in Billings, and does not necessarily reflect the […]
IL: New Medical Marijuana Patch Fights Pain
Chicago – A new patch, to fight pain. It’s the latest product being rolled out at the states medical marijuana dispensaries. And as CBS 2’s Roseanne Tellez tells us in this Original Report, it offers relief – without the high. It’s the newest delivery method for medical marijuana. The patch can fight pain for up […]
How Marijuana's Medicinal Molecules Helped Me Cope With Serious Chronic Pain
High-CBD cannabis is the reason I can sleep at night. It’s the reason I can dance, camp, workout, relax and enjoy sex – because before I found it I was living my life in chronic pain. When I fell from a ledge in 2007, I fractured my L1 vertebrae and tore up ligaments and tissues […]
Without Early AIDS Patients, The Medical Marijuana Movement Wouldn't Exist
From 1994 to 1998, Dennis Peron ran one of San Francisco’s most successful marijuana businesses, openly flouting federal and state law by providing the drug to anyone who walked through the door of his Cannabis Buyer’s Club (CBC), with one catch: you had to be sick or disabled to get in. Modeled after buyer’s clubs […]
People's Pharmacy – Medical Marijuana Could Ease Neuralgia Pain
I have a question regarding trigeminal neuralgia. My mother suffers from this very painful condition. Carbamazepine is effective in stopping the pain, but it has side effects that she doesn’t tolerate, even at low doses. Surgery is not an option for her. Are there any other treatments that provide relief for the pain? I find […]
Cannabis-Based Drug Could Help Thousands Of Epilepsy Patients, New Trial Suggests
A drug derived from cannabis could dramatically improve the lives of people with epilepsy, new research suggests. Scientists at Great Ormond Street Hospital are currently testing the drug, called Epidiolex, on patients with a rare form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. Patients with this type of epilepsy can experience up to 80 seizures per day, […]
Research Suggests Cannabis Is Better For Back Pain Than Opiates
It’s no secret that cannabis can treat pain, but a recent study suggests it can be particularly effective in the treatment of back pain caused by anything from anxiety to injury. Since it’s also proven to be an effective anxiety treatment, it may even reduce anxiety-related back pain and treat both conditions at once. Natural […]
Doctors' Political Views Can Affect Advice Given To Patients, Says Survey
Doctors’ political beliefs can skew the advice they give patients on sensitive issues such as abortions and cannabis use, according to new research. A survey of more than 200 doctors found that those with conservative views were more likely than others to discourage patients from having an abortion in the future. They also handed out […]
MN: Children With Autism Could Soon Be Prescribed Medical Marijuana
Eagan, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Health is considering adding autism to the growing list of conditions in which the patients can be prescribed medical cannabis. The consideration carries with it a lot of emotion for families looking for something to help their loved ones with a condition where so little is known. In […]
California Medical Marijuana Extract Makers Get Historic Protections
California’s elite artisanal medical cannabis extract-makers will get the same legal shield as the patients and collectives they currently serve, under new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The California Cannabis Industry Association announced Sunday that Gov. Brown signed Assembly Bill AB 2679 on Sept. 29. The law is a legal bridge between the existing […]
A Look At Medical Cannabis In Florida
Tallahassee, FL – In July, Tallahassee became the first city in Florida to open a medical cannabis dispensary. This comes more than a year after the state legalized cannabis for specific medical treatments. The Tallahassee dispensary called Trulieve provides products state-wide but harvests the cannabis in Gadsden County. The company is one of just a […]
ME: Moms Talk About Treating Their Children With Medical Marijuana
I admire Susan Meehan. She’s a mom of four, formerly of Connecticut, now of Maine since 2013. Meehan moved to Maine to have access to cannabis oil used to treat her daughter, Cyndimae’s, Dravet Syndrome, a condition that caused severe daily seizures. Treated with cannabis oil, Cyndimae’s seizures slowed to one or two a week, […]
Queensland Medicinal Marijuana One Step Closer As Committee Report Tabled
Criminal history checks on doctors and patients should not be used to assess applications to access medical marijuana in Queensland, a parliamentary committee has argued. The Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Committee has delivered its report on a bill which would create a formal process for Queensland doctors to prescribe medicinal […]
MA: Marijuana Dispensaries Remain A Tough Sell In Many Communities
In Hopkinton, the Board of Selectmen proclaimed that a medical marijuana dispensary simply wouldn’t fit the town’s family-oriented image, and voted against a proposed store. In Seekonk, town leaders fretted that dispensaries would bring crime and an onslaught of marijuana smokers to their community, prompting two companies to withdraw their plans. In Southborough, selectmen faced […]
FL: Pro-Medical Marijuana Group Gets $1 Million Boost
Proponents of a constitutional amendment that would broadly legalize medical marijuana in Florida received a $1 million boost this week from a political committee focused on similar initiatives in other states. The committee, New Approach, is tied to the family of the late philanthropist Peter Lewis, the former head of Progressive Insurance, who died in […]
PA: Pitt Looks To Conduct Research On Medical Marijuana
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is interested in partnering with medical marijuana companies to do research on the benefits, and any possible hazards, of using marijuana to treat serious medical conditions. In a letter sent last week to School of Medicine colleagues, Art Levine, senior vice chancellor for health sciences and medical school […]
UT: Why Medical Marijuana? Because It May Be The Answer
As a physician, I want to help people. I see patients every day and night in the ER with pain, nausea, seizures, muscle spasticity and many other devastating conditions like cancer, paralysis and chronic pain. I am frustrated that we do not have better choices to treat them. • I want better medicines than what […]
OH: What If You Could Legally Take Medical Marijuana Across State Lines?
Columbus, Ohio – Medical marijuana is legal in 25 states, but none currently allow users to bring marijuana across state lines. That could change if a bill introduced last week passes: It would allow those with legal access to medical marijuana in Ohio to bring it into Pennsylvania. Ohio’s medical marijuana law, which took effect […]
MI: Medical Marijuana Regulation Among Bills Made Into Law
Lansing – With the Legislature only in session for three weeks after its summer break, there weren’t a whole lot of bills for Gov. Rick Snyder to sign. But he did sign long-stalled bills to regulate and tax the medical marijuana industry. The bills will allow communities to decide whether and where they want medical […]
New York’s Fledgling Medical Marijuana Industry Faces Hurdles
At a shuttered youth detention center, old dormitories now house the marijuana plants that town leaders hope will treat chronic economic downturn. At Vireo Health, the company occupying part of the former Tryon Detention Center in Perth, leaders are optimistic their business can bring a much needed boost to the local economy. “In the greater […]
New York’s Medical Pot Program Is An Obstacle Course
Jen McTamaney isn’t counting steps anymore. Her pain was once so unbearable that she knew how many excruciating steps it took to reach the bathroom and kitchen in her Plattekill home. These days, she dares to think of the day when she can ride her Harley again. McTamaney is one of 7,627 New Yorkers enrolled […]
Utahns Overwhelmingly Support Legalizing Medical Marijuana, Oppose Recreational Use
Two-thirds of Utahns want to legalize medical marijuana prescribed by doctors, a new UtahPolicy poll finds. Expect a medical marijuana bill to be introduced in the 2017 Legislature. Such a bill failed in the 2016 general session after LDS Church leaders warned that such a measure could do more harm than good. UPD pollster Dan […]
AU: Medicinal Cannabis Licencing System To Weed Out Bad Operators
Far Northerners interested in growing medicinal cannabis will soon be able to apply under a national licencing system that aims to weed out dodgy operators. The Federal Department of Health has warned applicants will have to prove they are “fit and proper” to cultivate the crop and that it won’t fall into the wrong hands. […]
Legalize Medical Marijuana In Florida
A majority of Floridians have already spoken. Two years ago, nearly 58 percent of voters said doctors should be able to prescribe medical marijuana for people with certain conditions. But because 60 percent is needed to pass a state constitutional amendment, the measure died. This year, the push to legalize medical marijuana is back as […]
Progress, Questions As Ohio Legalizes Medical Marijuana
Columbus – Life under Ohio’s fledgling medical marijuana law remains hazy. With every action, a new question seems to arise. The state Medical Board has advised doctors not to recommend marijuana to patients while Ohio’s program is being crafted, which could take up to two years. But an author of the law questions that advice. […]
AU: Thanks To Cannabis, I Survived Terminal Stage 4 Lung Cancer
Ever since the mid 70s, medical scientists have been well aware of the beneficial effects of cannabinoid compounds over cancerous cell. Further evidence to support the effects of cannabis extract on malignant cells comes from the real life experience of individuals who have successfully overcome cancer by using cannabis oil. Sharon Kelly was diagnosed with […]
Saturday Night Live Cast Member Says He Uses Marijuana For Crohn's Disease
If you use marijuana medicinally, you are in good company. Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson says he smokes marijuana as a way of managing his Crohn’s disease. “I found that the medicines that the doctors were prescribing me and seeing all these doctors and trying new things… Weed would be the only thing […]
Editorial – Utah Should Do Its Own Medical Marijuana Research
No, Utahns whose pain, nausea, seizures and debilitating stress could be relieved by the judicious use of marijuana or its by-products should not have to wait for a long and complicated scientific study before the state takes the humane step of allowing it. But, if putting the state’s backing and money behind such a study […]
FL: Herald Recommends Yes Vote On Amendment 2 For Medical Marijuana
Vague language and other flaws doomed the medical marijuana amendment put before voters in 2014, though that proposal only lost by a slim margin, garnering 58 percent of the ballots. Amendment 2 returns on the November ballot much improved. United We Care, the grassroots organization behind the amendment, rewrote the proposal to address the loopholes […]
Saturday Night Live Cast Member Says He Uses Marijuana For Crohn’s Disease
If you use marijuana medicinally, you are in good company. Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson says he smokes marijuana as a way of managing his Crohn’s disease. “I found that the medicines that the doctors were prescribing me and seeing all these doctors and trying new things… Weed would be the only thing […]
CA: Fight Looms Over Location Of Medical Marijuana Farms In Sonoma County
Sonoma County is putting out a welcome mat for the medical marijuana industry, but it may not be as big as the industry would like as it emerges from the legal shadows. Under California’s new medical marijuana law, cities and counties are allowed to regulate the location of pot-growing sites and other cannabis-related businesses, which […]
FL: Medical Marijuana Money – Supporters Raise $222K, Opponents $250
Last week, fundraising for the group opposing medical marijuana slowed, while supporters continued raising money. But campaign finance disclosures for Sept. 17-23 show that Drug Free Florida, which opposes a constitutional amendment expanding medical marijuana, spent another $392,919 placing TV ads. For its part, pro-Amendment 2 group United for Care has filmed its first ad, […]
WA: My Interview With “Terminal” Brain-Cancer Patient/Mother Saved By Cannabis
During the pregnancy of her 5th child, a young Washington mother named Jessamyn Way developed terrible migraine headaches, fainting spells, and blood pressure problems. After the birth of her child, she was sent to a Hospital ER where a CAT scan revealed that she had a brain tumor deep within her skull. She was told […]
Cannabis Superior To Drugs For Crohn’s Disease
When drugs fail and surgery is the only remaining option on the horizon, cannabis may provide an effective and safe natural alternative intervention for the debilitating inflammatory bowel disease known as Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease is a debilitating inflammatory bowel disease that chronically affects the lining of the digestive tract and is usually resistant to […]
CA: City First In Kern County To Permit Commercial Cultivation Of Medical Marijuana
California City, Calif. – California City is about to break new ground as a pioneer as the first city in Kern County to permit medical marijuana cultivation on a commercial scale. The city in the eastern part of the county has made a dramatic break from others in Kern County who have taken a conservative […]
Medical Marijuana Advocacy
“There was a time in the United States when extracts of cannabis were almost as commonly used for medicinal purposes as is aspirin today,” wrote Solomon Snyder in a 1971 book entitled Uses of Marijuana. In fact, the history of marijuana medical use predates the written word. Every civilization since the dawn of man has […]
Congress Won’t Let Veterans Access Medical Marijuana After All
An effort to allow veterans to access medical marijuana in states where it’s legal died Wednesday night when Congress passed a spending bill without the provision included. The Veterans Equal Access Amendment would have nullified a Department of Veterans Affairs standard that keeps its doctors from recommending medical cannabis as treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, […]
Is The Acceptance Of Marijuana Reaching A Tipping Point?
Marijuana is a smoking hot topic in the United States this fall. Residents in nine states will be voting on referendums in November that call for legalization of the ancient herb. For a single nationwide election, that’s an all-time high. Five states – Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada – will decide whether to legalize […]
CA: Lynwood Considers Proposed Ordinance On Marijuana Grow Houses
Lynwood residents joined in a small, but strong protest against the opening of medical marijuana grow houses in their city. “We just strongly feel that opening a manufacturing cultivation plant would potentially be a distributor for the local dispensaries, we do not want that in Lynwood,” resident, Mayra Hernandez, said. There are no dispensaries in […]
Guam: More Input Sought On Medical Marijuana
Lisa Dames, a longtime legislative staffer and the mother of a 37-year old man who was diagnosed with cancer a year ago, told legislators Wednesday night that she did not believe Bill 343-33, the measure that would amend the “Joaquin ‘KC’ Concepcion II Compassionate Cannabis Use Act of 2013,” was patient focused. Dames said the […]
AR: Forums On Medical Marijuana Set At UCA
Here’s an e-mail from the office of the president of the University of Central Arkansas,Tom Courtway: On October 3, 2016 at 6:30 pm, Senator Jason Rapert will host Arkansas Surgeon General, Dr. Greg Bledsoe and Dr. Nate Smith, Director of the Arkansas Department of Health for a public forum on the proposed medical marijuana ballot […]
OH: Legal Pot Drawing Firms To Sell Tools
Johnstown, Ohio – Now that Ohio has legalized medical marijuana, dozens of businesses are lining up to cash in. Andy Joseph’s Apeks Supercritical is one of them. The Licking County company, which sells fully automated machines that extract oils from plants – including from cannabis – gets a bump each time a state legalizes marijuana. […]
Medical Marijuana Grows As Topic In Arkansas
Memphis, Tenn. – Whether it’s cancer or lupus, one group thinks medical marijuana is what the doctor should order. “I think Americans, Arkansans are starting to understand medical cannibas is real,” said Ryan Denham, deputy director of Initiative 7. “It’s safe, it’s effective and there’s no reason a doctor shouldn’t be able to recommend it […]
FL: Will Second Time Be A Charm For Medical Marijuana?
There are several constitutional amendments on the November ballot. One of them, Amendment 2 – Use of Marijuana for Debilitating Medical Conditions – is a retread from the 2014 election. Two years ago, the slightly different version of the amendment received 58 percent of the vote, falling just short of the 60 percent needed to […]
MA: Our Opinion – Lack Of Consistency For Medical Marijuana Clinics
While it seems unlikely that there would be an adequate patient base to support three or four medical marijuana clinics in Pittsfield, applicants for special permits should be treated consistently. That wasn’t the case with Happy Valley Compassion Center, whose bid to convert the former Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on East Street into a medical […]
Maryland Lawmaker Helped Shape The Medical Marijuana Industry And Joined It
Around the time that the Maryland legislature’s longtime champion for medical cannabis joined a company looking to dispense the drug, he urged state regulators to remove a restriction on the sale of edible marijuana products. Two months later, Del. Dan K. Morhaim sought feedback from regulators for his plans to introduce legislation allowing dentists, podiatrists […]
GW Pharmaceutical Gets Closer To Forcing FDA On Cannabis
British biotech company GW Pharmaceuticals announced positive results on its latest Phase 3 clinical trial for its drug Epidiolex. The drug is cannabidiol-based and is used to treat children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare form of childhood epilepsy. The results from the test were very positive. Patients taking 20mg of Epidiolex saw their seizures on […]
Progress In Neurology For Celgene And GW
It’s been a week notable for developments in neurology medicine, with Celgene exercising an option to buy a potential multiple sclerosis drug, as GW Pharma prepares a filing for a phase 3 epilepsy drug derived from the cannabis plant. Celgene has exercised a $20 million option to obtain ex-US rights to Abide’s first-in-class endocannabinoid system […]
Hawai’i Cannabis Awareness Expo 2016
Mahalo for Being You. We couldn’t fit all the gratitude on one page so we create a special mahalo page. Please check it out and give thanks for all the attendees, patients, caregivers, sponsors, presenters, volunteers, vendors, artists and other local businesses who made this event successful. Visit the Hawaii Cannabis Gratitude page. Educational Conference Classes […]
CA: State And Medical-Cannabis Industry Meet To Create New Regulations
The Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, home of rock-ribbed American ideals of law, order and country, played host to a most curious road show last week. Officials from California’s Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation (BMCR) and Office of Medical Cannabis Safety (OMCS) convened the third of eight pre-regulatory workshops they are holding across the state […]
MD: Hancock Having Tough Time Getting Medical Marijuana Plant Up-And-Running
Hancock, Md. – Hancock and Harvest Dispensaries, an Arizona based company, are partnering-up to bring medical marijuana to Washington County. The partnership means the town will have a 5% stake in the company, but won’t have a say in their day-to-day operations. That is because marijuana is still federally illegal. However, by holding a 5% […]
Texas Family Seeks Cannabis As Autism Treatment
Austin, Texas – The push to expand medical marijuana use in Texas continues. Last session, lawmakers approved the use of CBD oil, a marijuana extract, to help those with intractable epilepsy. While that was viewed as a step forward among people wanting to use the plant as medicine, some advocates say it’s leaving many patients […]
Canada: How Medicinal Cannabis Helped A Cancer Survivor Live Again
Radiation treatment for Kelly Oliphant’s Stage 4 prostate cancer left him with radiation colitis and cystitis. “I have, from one hip to the other in the front, a six-inch belt that burns constantly,” Oliphant explains. “It’s like having a sunburn on the inside of your skin. One doctor related it to having shingles.” Oliphant endured […]
Guam: Physicians Remain Silent On Medical Pot Program
A pair of bills to establish guidelines for Guam’s stalled medical marijuana program are likely to go before lawmakers for debate during their October session. Voters approved the Joaquin KC Concepcion II Compassionate Cannabis Use Act in the 2014 General Election, and the Department of Public Health and Social Services drafted the rules and regulations […]
CA: Supervisors Pass Urgency Medical Marijuana Cultivation Ordinance
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an urgency ordinance that adds a new chapter to the county code to restrict and regulate marijuana cultivation within the county. The ordinance will exempt marijuana crops that can be proven to have been under cultivation as of Sept. 27, 2016, but will terminate once they […]
UNM Establishes Medical Cannabis Research Fund
The Medical Cannabis Research Fund (MCRF) at the University of New Mexico was created by Associate Professor Jacob Vigil in the Department of Psychology to support wide-ranging scientific research on medical Cannabis across all areas of the social and biomedical sciences. The MCRF was designed as a publicly-generated funding mechanism, comprised of faculty, students, and […]
Maui Pot Dispensary Prepares To Open In Early 2017
Wailuku, Hawaii – One of the state’s eight licensed medical marijuana dispensaries says it plans to begin selling its products by early next year. Maui Wellness Group LLC spokeswoman Teri Freitas Gorman said the business is in its final phase of permitting and will begin cultivating as soon as it receives final approval by the […]
Maine’s ‘Clean’ Medical Marijuana – ‘Organic’ In Disguise
Framington, Me. – In a suite one flight above the bustling main street of Farmington, a university town in the foothills of western Maine, LoveGrown Caregiver Services is a marijuana lover’s delight. Large glass jars contain potent buds called Blue Cheese and Headband, with high-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content. Another jar holds an aromatic strain of Critical […]
MI: New Law Clears The Legal Haze Over Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Gov. Rick Snyder recently signed a law that legalizes medical marijuana dispensaries. While medical marijuana has been legal in Michigan since 2008, many dispensaries exceeded the 12-plant, five-patient limits imposed by the 2008 legalization, one of the new law’s sponsors in the Michigan House of Representatives, Rep. Mike Callton (R-Nashville), said. The risk of closure […]
OH: Bexley, New Albany Considering Medical-Marijuana Moratoriums
Bexley and New Albany could soon join more than a dozen Ohio municipalities banning or placing a temporary hold on medical-marijuana operations. Both suburbs recently introduced legislation to adopt moratoriums temporarily restricting the activity – New Albany on Sept. 20 and Bexley on Tuesday. The New Albany City Council could approve its ordinance as early […]
Florida’s Medical Marijuana Measure Gains Momentum, Poll Shows
Despite opposition from drug warriors, doctors, sheriffs and Catholic bishops, Amendment 2 is gaining support, according to a poll released Wednesday by Saint Leo University. It shows 68.8 percent support for Amendment 2 in September, up from 67.8 percent in August and 65.1 percent in June. The amendment needs 60 percent of the vote to […]
MI: Officials May Re-Examine Local Medical Pot Laws
New state laws permitting medical marijuana dispensaries take effect Dec. 20, but local officials said it will be longer than that before they open in their towns. Local municipalities may choose to ban or to allow dispensaries, and may regulate their number and location under the new laws. “Even if I have language ready today, […]
Idaho Pot Activists Launch New Campaign For Medical Marijuana
A new initiative petition seeking to reform Idaho’s stringent marijuana laws has hit the streets. Earlier this month, the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office approved a petition that, if passed into law, would create a medical marijuana program in the Gem State. Current Idaho law takes a particularly harsh approach to marijuana compared to neighboring […]
CA: Small Medical Marijuana Cultivators Fear County Rules Exclude Them
Santa Cruz – Ken Wing, a high-tech retiree who founded the Georgiana Bruce Kirby School, and Larkin Valley nurseryman Jon Friesell share the same problem: They want to get a license to grow medical cannabis but under the proposed Santa Cruz County cultivators ordinance, they do not meet all the criteria. Wing has 4.97 acres, […]
Family Frustrated With Slow Pace Of Medical Marijuana In Ohio
Dayton, Ohio – Medical marijuana is now the law in Ohio but parents with sick children, especially those suffering from debilitating seizures, said they were frustrated because it may still take up to two years before they have access to the drug. Lindsay Sandlin was just 9-years-old when her parents started pushing for the passage […]
MI: Medical Marijuana Industry Likely To Expand
Three bills signed by Gov. Rick Snyder on Sept. 21 likely will grow Michigan’s medical marijuana industry substantially and could contribute millions in revenue for the state. Earlier this month, the Michigan House approved a package of bills that enhances Michigan’s 2008 Medical Marijuana Act. The bills previously were approved in the Senate. The new […]
MI: Like Them Or Not, New Laws Provide Framework For Dispensaries, Extracts
We know where marijuana law and access in Michigan is going in the short term. Two recent legal developments have laid it out. The first development is that there will be no vote on legalizing recreational use of marijuana on this year’s ballot. It’s been lingering on life support as MI Legalize went through various […]
New Hampshire Pushes To Clear Medical Marijuana Card Backlog
Concord, N.H. – Some medical marijuana patients in New Hampshire are waiting more than 40 days before they receive authorization to use cannabis dispensaries. The Concord Monitor reported that a backlog of applications at the Department of Health and Human Services means more than 100 identification cards have been approved but haven’t been sent to […]
Retail Marijuana Could Hurt Medical Marijuana
Could recreational marijuana hurt the medical marijuana community? A new report from GreenWave Advisors believes that legalized retail marijuana will disrupt the emerging medical sector. In states where recreational marijuana has been legalized, medical marijuana patient counts have dropped. It was long suspected that many people who just wanted to smoke pot claimed a medical […]
CA: Cannabis Dispensary To Be Considered By Nevada City Council
Nevada City could be the site of the first medical marijuana dispensary in the county as soon as February, if council members choose to move forward with the issue at their meeting today. There are many steps the city would have to take, though, before medicinal cannabis users could walk away from a city storefront […]
CA: No Cannabis Registrations Approved Yet
There’s a flowchart that lays out the process for medical cannabis farm registration in Calaveras County. That flowchart is included with a report that Planning Director Peter Maurer will present Tuesday to the Board of Supervisors. Maurer will explain why his department has yet to complete the processing of even one cannabis farm registration more […]
CO: Longmont Debuts Online Marijuana Survey, Considers Open Forum
Following feedback from medical-marijuana users and direction from council to gather more information, Longmont has opened a survey asking residents about their marijuana use. The survey relates to a proposed ordinance that would limit marijuana home grows to six plants per residence. Medical-marijuana proponents, patients and caregivers have told the council repeatedly for the last […]
Guam: Public Health Concerned About Home Cultivation In Marijuana Bills
Just as it approaches the two-year mark since voters approved medicinal marijuana, a pair of revised bills related to its implementation is firing up concerns from the Department of Public Health. It’s been more than one month since the rules and regulations were officially rejected, and now another go-around for a set of revised rules […]
CT: DCP Rolls Out Guidelines For Medical Marijuana Research Proposals
The Department of Consumer Protection will begin accepting applications for Medical Marijuana research proposals on Oct. 1. The Legislature’s decision to allow for in-state research will strengthen Connecticut’s Medical Marijuana Program and open opportunities for high-tech employment in the state. In addition, rigorous scientific studies will strengthen the medical community’s ability to assess the safety […]
MI: Don’t Use Regulatory Authority To Deny Compassion
Municipal officials are right to move cautiously on new regulation in response to the state’s latest patch of its medical marijuana laws. New state laws fix much of what was wrong with the citizen-written and voter-passed medical marijuana statutes. Defects in the law left police, prosecutors, patients and caregivers all guessing what was legal. Unlike […]