Cannabis News

Illinois and New Hampshire are poised to pass some of the strictest medical-marijuana laws in the nation. They would join New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware in banning patients from growing their own pot, increasing oversight on commercial growers and distributors, and restricting doctors from prescribing the drug for general pain. Read More... New Hampshire Nears Approval of Medical Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on June 18, 2013 at 15:01:35 PT By Jason McLure Source: Reuters Littleton -- New Hampshire is set to become the final state in New England to allow medical marijuana after negotiators from the Republican-controlled Senate and Democratic-controlled House agreed Tuesday on a bill backed by Governor Maggie Hassan.

The law would allow up to four marijuana dispensaries to open as soon as 2015. Patients with cancer, HIV, glaucoma and other diseases would be eligible to purchase the drug with state-issued identity cards from a physician or nurse practitioner certifying that they need it to soothe pain. Read More... 3 Making Plans for Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Posted by on June 18, 2013 at 04:44:41 PT By Kay Lazar, Globe Staff Source: Boston Globe Massachusetts -- Jonathan Napoli has two young daughters, a farming background, and a garden shop in Roxbury�s Dudley Square. Eric Germaine, a retired South Shore veterinarian with a longtime family home in the Berkshires, has a daughter with experience starting new businesses. Catherine Cametti, known as Rina, is a Norwood native and owner of a local real estate appraisal company, with a degree in business management.

All three are preparing to apply for the first crop of licenses to operate a medical marijuana dispensary in Massachusetts. As state health officials finalize rules for what is expected to be a competitive process, a wide range of candidates are stepping forward. Read More... Dream of 'Cannabis Empire' Raises Fears, Hackles Posted by CN Staff on June 17, 2013 at 11:27:27 PT By Gene Johnson, Associated Press Source: Associated Press Seattle -- For the activists who led the effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Washington state last fall, Jamen Shively was one of their biggest fears: an aspiring pot profiteer whose unabashed dreams of building a cannabis empire might attract unwanted attention from the federal government or a backlash that could slow the marijuana reform movement across the country.

With visionary zeal, the 45-year-old former Microsoft manager described his plans to a conference room packed with reporters and supporters last month, saying he was tired of waiting for a green light from the Obama administration, which still hasn't said how it will respond to the legalization of recreational pot in Washington and Colorado. Shively vowed to quickly raise $10 million and eventually build his company, Diego Pellicer, into an international pot powerhouse. Read More... Trying To Sell Wall Street On Value of Marijuana Posted by on June 15, 2013 at 05:06:05 PT By E.C. Gogolak Source: New York Times USA -- Kalvin Savanh grew up in Portland, Ore., and, during high school, he said, he grew marijuana. About 15 years later, Mr. Savanh, 33, still helps grow it � but now it is legal.

On Friday, Mr. Savanh and a childhood friend, William Serafica, the co-founders of Dynamiq Lightning, a Portland-based company that sells products for indoor cannabis cultivation, met near Wall Street with about 40 potential investors to encourage them to enter the cannabis industry at a time when 19 states have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Read More... Colorado Localities Make Own Rules On MJ Sales Posted by on June 13, 2013 at 08:48:32 PT By Dan Frosch Source: New York Times Aurora, Colo. -- As Colorado moves closer to issuing temporary regulations on the sale of marijuana, now legal in small quantities here, some cities and towns are not waiting for the new rules to take effect.

More than a dozen municipalities across the state have decided to enact moratoriums on retail marijuana sales, restricting them for now or at least until after the rules are finalized later this year. Read More... The Many Different Faces Of Marijuana In America Posted by CN Staff on June 12, 2013 at 12:13:48 PT By Gene Demby Source: National Public Radio USA -- On Tuesday, Vermont moved to decriminalize the possession of marijuana for quantities up to an ounce, replacing potential prison time for arrests with fines.

Peter Shumlin, the state's governor, made a telling distinction between weed and "harder" drugs when he announced the move. "This legislation allows our courts and law enforcement to focus their limited resources more effectively to fight highly addictive opiates such as heroin and prescription drugs that are tearing apart families and communities," he said. Read More... Seattle Wants Private Pot Clubs Posted by CN Staff on June 11, 2013 at 17:02:19 PT By Jonathan Kaminsky Source: Reuters Olympia, Washington -- Seattle officials are recommending that Washington state authorize private marijuana clubs and examine allowing home delivery of the drug, as they work out rules for a recreational pot market, according to a letter sent to state regulators.

The recommendations sent by the Seattle city attorney with the blessing of the city's mayor are among the hundreds received by the state's Liquor Control Board before a Monday deadline for public comment on draft rules issued. Read More... Bill Maher on The Greening of America Posted by on June 11, 2013 at 04:21:07 PT By Bill Maher Source: Rolling Stone USA -- It's a brave new pothead world. Until fairly recently, even a year ago, I would not have guessed that we would be at the place we are now � with 18 states legalizing medical marijuana and, according to one recent poll, a whopping 85 percent of the nation supporting medical use. For all our political rancor, it turns out, what ultimately unites us is pot. Weed is one of the few things that both hillbillies and hippies like. Rappers smoke pot, and country artists smoke pot. There's just as much pot on Willie Nelson's tour bus as there is on Snoop Dogg's tour bus. Marijuana is bridging the red and blue divide and becoming a purple issue. Read More... Five Myths About Legalizing Marijuana Posted by on June 08, 2013 at 14:45:51 PT By Doug Fine Source: Washington Post USA -- With 16 states having decriminalized or legalized cannabis for non-medical use and eight more heading toward some kind of legalization, federal prohibition�s days seem numbered. You might wonder what America will look like when marijuana is in the corner store and at the farmers market. In three years spent researching that question, I found some ideas about the plant that just don�t hold up.

1. If pot is legal, more people will use it. Read More... Patients Take Issue with Medical Marijuana Program Posted by CN Staff on June 08, 2013 at 05:20:14 PT By The Associated Press Source: Associated Press Trenton -- Patients, families, and advocates gathered Friday to highlight what they say is New Jersey's failure to meaningfully implement the state's medical marijuana program. They say the current system is restrictive and expensive. About two dozen people - many of whom spoke about troubles with the medical marijuana law - met to push lawmakers toward reforming regulations.

Many complained about there being only one fully functional dispensary in Montclair, which for some is a five-hour road trip. A second dispensary in Egg Harbor Township received a permit Thursday to start growing the crop. It is not expected to open until September. The state's medical marijuana law was signed in 2010. Read More... Colorado Regulators Ditch 'Absurd' Rule Posted by CN Staff on June 06, 2013 at 17:31:56 PT By Steven Nelson Source: U.S. News & World Report Colorado -- Marijuana-themed publications won't be treated like pornography in Colorado, state regulators announced Thursday in the face of lawsuits.

The rule would have forced stores to keep publications with a "primary focus" on pot away from shoppers under the age of 21, and was mandated by a package of legislature-approved marijuana regulations signed into law by Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper on May 28. Read More... Vermont Decriminalizes Possession of Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on June 06, 2013 at 17:09:30 PT By Jason McLure Source: Reuters Reuters -- Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed a bill Thursday that made the state the 17th in the United States to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Under the law, possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana (28.3 grams) would be treated as a civil penalty with fines akin to a traffic ticket. Previously, possession of up to two ounces (56.6 grams) of pot was a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail for a first offense and up to two years in jail for later offenses. Read More... Blacks Are Singled Out for Marijuana Arrests Posted by on June 04, 2013 at 05:04:39 PT By Ian Urbina Source: New York Times Washington, D.C. -- Black Americans were nearly four times as likely as whites to be arrested on charges of marijuana possession in 2010, even though the two groups used the drug at similar rates, according to new federal data.

This disparity had grown steadily from a decade before, and in some states, including Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois, blacks were around eight times as likely to be arrested. During the same period, public attitudes toward marijuana softened and a number of states decriminalized its use. But about half of all drug arrests in 2011 were on marijuana-related charges, roughly the same portion as in 2010. Read More... Opening of D.C. MMJ Dispensaries Delayed Posted by on June 03, 2013 at 09:53:39 PT By Eric P. Newcomer, The Washington Examiner Source: Washington Examiner Washington -- D.C. marijuana dispensaries thought they'd be open a month ago, but a slow-moving District Department of Health still needs to give doctors the authority to recommend marijuana to their patients.

"If you drove by now you'd see the signs are up and everything is ready -- except the doors are locked," said Rabbi Jeff Kahn, owner of the Takoma Wellness Center on Blair Road in Northwest Washington. Two marijuana dispensaries and three cultivation centers have been approved by the District. Kahn has rented the property since April 2011 and said it's been fully ready to go since the beginning of May. Read More... Bloomberg: MMJ One Of The Greatest Hoaxes Posted by on May 31, 2013 at 17:40:50 PT By The Huffington Post Source: Huffington Post New York -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks arguments for legalizing medical marijuana are half-baked. "Medical, my foot," Bloomberg-- who has admitted to enjoying smoking weed when he was younger-- told John Gambling during his weekly radio show.

"There is no medical. This is one of the great hoaxes of all time," he said, suggesting legalizing medical pot would just make it easier for recreational users to light up. Read More... 76 Percent of Doctors Would Approve Med Marijuana Posted by on May 31, 2013 at 15:27:02 PT By Kristen Butler, UPI.com Source: United Press International USA -- According to a survey in the New England Journal of Medicine, a majority of physicians would approve the use of medical marijuana. Doctors were given the hypothetical case of Marilyn, a 68-year-old woman with breast cancer which had spread to her lungs, chest and spine. When asked whether she should be prescribed marijuana to help ease her symptoms, a majority of respondents said yes.

The survey included responses from 1,446 doctors from 72 different countries and 56 different states and provinces in North America. In addition, 118 doctors posted comments about their decision on the survey. Read More... MMJ Ingredient Prevents Brain Damage in Mice Posted by on May 31, 2013 at 06:54:34 PT By Geoffrey Mohan Source: Los Angeles Times Israel -- The words �marijuana� and �brain damage� usually go in that order in medical literature. An Israeli researchers has flipped them around, finding that THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, may arrest some forms of brain damage in mice. The loco weed already is favored by those who suffer from chronic diseases, not to mention fans of Cypress Hill, Bob Marley and the Grateful Dead.

But pharmacologist Josef Sarne of Tel Aviv University found that a minuscule amount of tetrahydrocannabinol may protect the brain after injuries from seizures, toxic drug exposure or a lack of oxygen. Read More... Ex-Mexico President Praises Wash. Pot Businessmen Posted by CN Staff on May 30, 2013 at 19:14:14 PT By Gene Johnson, Associated Press Source: Associated Press Seattle -- Washington state businessmen who say they're trying to create the first national brand of marijuana received some heartfelt support Thursday from the former president of Mexico, Vicente Fox.

Fox appeared at a news conference in Seattle, where he recounted how the war on drugs has ravaged his country and praised the states of Washington and Colorado for voting to legalize the recreational use of marijuana last fall. Read More... Former Microsoft Manager Has Big Ideas About Pot Posted by on May 30, 2013 at 07:59:33 PT By Bob Young, Seattle Times Staff Reporter Source: Seattle Times USA -- Former Microsoft manager Jamen Shively wants to create the first national brand of retail marijuana and to open pot trade with Mexico. Shively plans to announce that and more in a Thursday news conference he says will feature Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico. �Let�s go big or go home,� Shively said. �We�re going to mint more millionaires than Microsoft with this business.�

He�s acquiring medical-marijuana dispensaries in Washington and Colorado, he said, and plans to become the leader in both the medical and adult-recreational pot markets. He sees the marijuana market as the only one of its size in which there does not exist a single established brand. Read More... Finding a Place for Medical Marijuana Posted by on May 30, 2013 at 05:26:09 PT By Lisa Kocian, Globe Staff Source: Boston Globe Boston -- The legalization of medical marijuana is prompting cities and towns across the region to consider zoning restrictions to limit where dispensaries may open. With state regulations in effect as of Friday, and the dispensary application process scheduled by the state for this summer and fall, many communities are feeling time is short to regulate what some see as an unwelcome neighbor.

Milford passed zoning restrictions last week; Framingham and Natick are looking at working together on zoning that could allow dispensaries on Route 9 in the neighboring towns; and Newton, amid several inquiries from prospective dispensary operators, is reviewing its zoning bylaw to see whether it is adequate for dealing with the new state law. Read More... Governor Signs Marijuana Regulations Into Law Posted by CN Staff on May 29, 2013 at 13:39:42 PT By Keith Coffman Source: Reuters Denver -- Governor John Hickenlooper on Tuesday signed into law measures to regulate the recreational use of marijuana in Colorado, including blood-level limits for motorists and setting up a voter referendum to impose a tax on the non-medical sale of cannabis.

Colorado House of Representatives Assistant Majority Leader Dan Pabon said the legislation reflected the "will of the voters" who charged lawmakers with setting up the regulatory system after approving legalization in a vote last November. Read More... How America Learned To Stop Worrying & Love MJ Posted by on May 28, 2013 at 05:19:31 PT By Christopher Matthews Source: Time USA -- For nearly a century, the United States has been one of the fiercest advocates and practitioners of marijuana prohibition in the world. At the height of the America�s anti-pot fervor in the 1950s and �60s, one could even receive life imprisonment for simple possession of the drug.

But the puritanical fervor that once dominated the national discussion surrounding cannabis has been conspicuously absent of late. Earlier this month, the Colorado State legislature, by order of a November referendum, passed bills to implement the legalization and regulation of recreational marijuana use. Washington State voters also approved legalization by referendum on election day. And these events have recently been followed by more good news for supporters of cannabis law reform. Read More... Study To Look at Whether MMJ Really Helps Users Posted by on May 27, 2013 at 10:59:32 PT By Robin Erb, Free Press Medical Writer Source: Detroit Free Press Michigan -- A $2.2-million federally funded study soon will help answer the question: Does medicinal marijuana really help? The grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse funds a four-year project that began this monthat the University of Michigan. Researchers will track the progress of 800 recipients of medicinal marijuana prescriptions.

Michigan, where more than 135,000 patients are now in a 4-year-old statewide registry of approved medical marijuana users, is one of 20 states in which medical marijuana is used to ease pain and symptoms from cancer, seizures, glaucoma and other conditions, according to the researchers. Michigan voters approved a measure allowing medical marijuana in 2008. Read More... Ohio Backers Optimistic on Medical Marijuana Posted by on May 27, 2013 at 05:04:04 PT By Jim Provance, Bureau Chief Source: Toledo Blade Columbus, Ohio -- Backers of the third attempt in less than two years to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio insist the latest effort will take root as it did in Michigan. �There�'s far more interest in people backing this one, particularly those who want to bring people into the political arena in 2014 said Bob Fitrakis, a member of the Ohio Rights Group behind the latest effort.

The group just cleared two hurdles to get petition circulators out. Both Attorney General Mike DeWine and the Ohio Ballot Board have signed off on language that would be shown to potential petition signers. Read More... Rabbi Set To Open DC Medical Marijuana Dispensary Posted by on May 25, 2013 at 15:02:00 PT By Will Wrigley, Huffington Post Source: Huffington Post Washington, D.C. -- When you think of a rabbi, several words and phrases may come to mind, but "medical marijuana dispensary owner" is perhaps not one of them. That, however, is exactly what former Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn is.

Kahn and his wife, Stephanie Reifkind Kahn, hope to open the Takoma Wellness Center after Memorial Day weekend. It would be the second licensed medical marijuana dispensary to open in the nation's capital since the D.C. Council voted to make pot legal for medicinal purposes in 2010. Read More... Marijuana Greens The Colorado Economy Posted by on May 25, 2013 at 06:15:28 PT By Sherry Robinson, Syndicated Columnist Source: Farmington Daily Times Colorado -- Last week, a family wedding occasioned a visit to Colorado, marijuana capital of the nation. I'd been wondering how our northern neighbor's bold legalization was playing out. So far, the feared consequences haven't materialized, but some unintended consequences have.

Observation No. 1: There is no big uptick in teenage marijuana use. As my youngest brother explained, "If your mom can smoke weed, it isn't cool any more." Observation No. 2: It's been great for the state's economy. Read More... Colorado Offers Window Into MMJ Industry Posted by CN Staff on May 25, 2013 at 05:20:02 PT By Peter Frost, Chicago Tribune Reporter Source: Chicago Tribune Denver -- At Leela European Cafe, a quirky, 24-hour coffee shop and bar in the heart of downtown, a bartender was quick with her thoughts on Colorado's experience with the legal sale of medical marijuana.

"It's really easy to get," said Cara Wanek, 25, who says she uses it to calm her anxiety, boost her appetite and help her sleep. "And it's delicious." That's exactly what Illinois is trying to avoid. While Colorado is not quite the Wild West of medical marijuana, it offers a window into the opportunities and consequences that arise when a state allows the legal sale of a long-banned drug. Read More... Marijuana Tied To Better Blood Sugar Control Posted by CN Staff on May 24, 2013 at 07:28:57 PT By Genevra Pittman Source: Reuters New York -- People who had used marijuana in the past month had smaller waists and lower levels of insulin resistance - a diabetes precursor - than those who never tried the drug, in a new study.

The findings, based on surveys and blood tests of about 4,700 U.S. adults, aren't enough to prove marijuana keeps users thin or wards off disease. And among current pot smokers, higher amounts of marijuana use weren't linked to any added health benefits, researchers reported in The American Journal of Medicine. Read More... MMJ Ballot Issue OK'd for Signature Collection Posted by on May 23, 2013 at 18:06:04 PT By Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch Source: Columbus Dispatch Columbus -- The Ohio Ballot Board today gave backers of a proposal seeing to legalize use of medical marijuana and growing hemp the go-ahead with a 5-0 vote to begin collecting signatures for a statewide campaign.

OhioRights.org, the group backing the Ohio Cannabis Rights Act, must gather 385,253 valid signatures from registered voters in 44 of Ohio's 88 counties in order to qualify for the ballot as a constitutional amendment, most likely in the fall of 2014. The deadline is July 6 for submitting issues for the November ballot this year. Read More...

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Highlights
CommonSense for Drug Policy Drug Policy Forum of Wisconsin WarOnSomeDrugs Drug Policy Alliance Drug Reform Coordination Network Maximizing Harm Cures Not Wars Marijuana The Forbidden Medicine Patients Out of Time

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NH Senate Passes Bill Legalizing Medical Marijuana Council Panel OKs Zoning for Big Pot-Growing New L.A. Law on MMJ Shops Faces Hazy Future Sharp Limits on L.A. MMJ Businesses Approved Michigan Driver Who Uses MMJ Wins Appeal Medicinal Pot is Coming One L.A. Marijuana Measure Smokes Two Others CA Senate Acts To Clarify Legality of Med Cannabis How Much Will a Legal Marijuana Habit Cost You? Blurry Line on Pot-DUI Cases Americas Coalition Suggests MJ Laws Be Relaxed Illinois Senate Approves Medical Marijuana Bill Is Marijuana Booming Among Boomers? MMJ Could Jinx Recreational Pot Market Medical Marijuana Shouldn't be for 'Adults Only' MMJ Company Accused of Anti-Union Retaliation Vermont Moves Toward Decriminalizing Marijuana Lt. Gov Supports Medical Marijuana Federal Crackdown Busts Montana's MMJ Industry The Marijuana Measures Medical Marijuana Bill Clears Senate Panel Massachusetts To Require Labs To Test Marijuana Legislature Gives Final Approval To Historic Bills N.H. Senate Panel Removes Home-Grow Option CO Legislature Gives Final OK To MJ Driving Limit Colorado Measure To Halt Marijuana Sales Dies Colorado Senators Oppose Stoned Driving Limits Judge Rules Cities Can Outlaw MMJ Dispensaries Aurora To Consider Running The Show Proposals Would Legalize Marijuana in Ohio Hearing on Bill To Legalize Marijuana Medical Marijuana Bill Outlined, But Debate Waits Federal Suit Claims Police Distort MJ Searches Marijuana Taxes Prove Sticking Point in Colorado Marijuana Repeal Considered in Colorado A Smarter Federal Path on State-Voted MJ Laws Colo. Pot Legalization Could Be Short-Lived Advocates Eye Legalizing Marijuana in Alaska Federal Law Trumps Colorado�s on Medical Marijuana 7 Key Questions on Marijuana Legalization Pot Legalization Won�t Change Mission Legalization in Colorado May Not Pay for Itself States Push To Get The Most Out of Marijuana Taxes Speakers Debate Legalizing Marijuana Court Rules for Immigrant in Deportation Case Marijuana Possession Not a Deportable Offense Rival MMJ Measures Thrown Into The Electoral Pot Colorado Hemp Grower To Plant Historic First Crop High Security for Denver Marijuana Celebration Bill Introduced to Define Drug-Endangered Children Marijuana Tourism Divides State Eric Holder Urged By Republican To Decide On MJ Legislature Unveils Long-Awaited MJ Regulation Marijuana Poll Finds Majority Support Legalization Mysterious Player Shakes Up Marijuana Game Illinois House Passes Medical Marijuana Bill Marijuana Groups Kick Off DC Legalization Campaign Backers of Marijuana in Alaska Want 2014 Vote Doctors Ask for Medical Marijuana Legalization Medical Pot for Illinois Patients Reduction in Marijuana Penalties Approved MJ Research Funding Cut as Support for Drug Grows Poll Breaks for Legalized MJ: What Happens Now? Bill Introduced in Congress Would Fix MMJ Conflict Send 'Em To Jail That Day! NH Medical Marijuana Bill Gets Senate Hearing Cannabis Sales are Months Away Marijuana Eradication Plummets Over 60 Percent Legal Marijuana Sales Set To Quadruple By 2018 Maryland Lawmakers Pass Medical Marijuana Bill Thousands Rally for Marijuana Legalization Support for Legal Marijuana Reached Tipping Point Marijuana Wins Majority Support in Nationwide Poll WA State Marijuana-Bars Issue Prompts Crackdown Liquor Board To Make Rules Against Pot Bars GOP Should Stand Firm Against Drug Legalization Marijuana's Celebrity Stigma Goes Up in Smoke Marijuana DUI Bill Passes Colorado House Legal Protections Passed for MMJ Caregivers Weed Won�t Make State a Lot of Money Vermont House Considers MJ Decriminalization State Releases Draft Rules on Medical Marijuana New Stricter State Proposal Would Allow MMJ Bill To Legalize in Maine Gains 35 Co-Sponsors On Pot Laws, Respect The States Reform Marijuana Law Medical Marijuana Bill Passes House Washington�s First Medical Marijuana Dispensary Colo. Hemp Legislation Would Launch Industry Wall Street Sees Opportunity in Marijuana

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Resources
NIDA - Common Drugs of Abuse lists commonly abused psychotropics. U.S. National Library of Medicine is an execellent resource for medical information. For recreational use of psychotropics one will find Hyperreal informative. Drug Sense, Marijuana Policy Project, Drug Reform Coordination Network, and NORML are among the many organizations seeking to reform cannabis laws.

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