Cannabis News

The Los Angeles City Council postponed a scheduled Wednesday vote on the ordinance, which would have regulated marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles. Another vote is scheduled for Nov. 24. Read More... Relief, Not Reefer, is Reason for Bill Posted by on November 20, 2009 at 04:59:51 PT By Jim Stingl Source: Journal Sentinel Wisconsin -- It's nothing more than coincidence that Cheech and Chong are coming to Wisconsin next week just as a bill to legalize medical marijuana begins to make its way through the Legislature.

The comedians' "Light Up America" tour celebrates the party-down use of the psychoactive plant. That's definitely not what the bill he authored is about, Sen. John Erpenbach, a Democrat from Waunakee, told me Thursday. Read More... Let Desperate Patients Have Pot Posted by on November 19, 2009 at 07:59:49 PT Editorial Source: Wisconsin State Journal Wisconsin -- A doctor should be able to recommend marijuana to a Wisconsin cancer patient suffering from severe nausea, loss of appetite and pain. More than a dozen other states have legalized medical marijuana. Wisconsin should, too.

Opponents say there's not enough evidence marijuana works. Tell that to the cancer and multiple sclerosis patients who swear by it - and to the doctors who have recommended the drug. Read More... What Would Marijuana Legalization Look Like? Posted by on November 19, 2009 at 04:54:41 PT By Malcolm Maclachlan Source: Capitol Weekly California -- With multiple initiatives in circulation and an Assembly bill gathering headlines, discussions about legalizing marijuana have become part of California’s political discourse.

Advocates on one side argue that the result will be an economic boon as tax revenues rolls in and jails rid themselves of nonviolent offenders. Defenders of prohibition say legalization would be a nightmare of stoned kids, addiction and highway deaths. Or maybe the reality would be a lot more mundane. Read More... L.A. City Council Puts Off Medical Marijuana Vote Posted by on November 18, 2009 at 20:19:58 PT By John Hoeffel Source: Los Angeles Times California -- The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday postponed a vote on a medical marijuana ordinance, with members saying they needed time to study numerous proposed amendments.

But council members, who will return to the measure Tuesday, pressed for a quick end to a drawn-out deliberation that has unfolded as hundreds of dispensaries opened. Read More... Panel To Discuss Effect of R.I. Law Governing MJ Posted by on November 18, 2009 at 19:53:04 PT By Katherine Gregg, Journal State House Bureau Source: Providence Journal Providence, R.I. -- Should Rhode Island decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, as some other states, including Massachusetts, have done?

Judging from the makeup of a newly created commission that met at the State House on Wednesday, that would seem a possible — if not likely — recommendation to state lawmakers when they return in January: roll back the state’s marijuana penalty laws to reduce the prison population and free the police to pursue other crimes. Read More... AMA Supports Medical Marijuana Studies Posted by on November 18, 2009 at 18:47:14 PT By Paul Boerger, Mount Shasta Area Newspapers Source: Mount Shasta Herald USA -- The American Medical Association has reversed its long standing opposition to medical marijuana as it has recommended in a recent position paper that marijuana be considered for reclassification from a Federal Controlled Substance Act Schedule 1 drug, where it resides with heroin and PCP as having “no currently accepted medical use.”

The AMA is also recommending that physicians be protected from prosecution for recommending marijuana and that further studies be conducted into marijuana's use as medicine. Read More... LA Weighs Curbs on Medical-Marijuana Dispensaries Posted by on November 18, 2009 at 12:03:30 PT By John R. Emshwiller Source: Wall Street Journal Los Angeles -- The city council here could vote today on a measure that seeks to rein in the estimated 1,000 medical-marijuana dispensaries that have sprung up locally, most within the last year.

Voters approved an initiative in 1996 to allow seriously ill individuals to use marijuana for medical purposes and a 2003 state law permitted the formation of collectives to distribute marijuana. But in Los Angeles, store-front marijuana dispensaries proliferated unchecked because the city council never set guidelines for how they should operate. Some aggressively promote themselves with billboards and neon signs. Others have opened up near schools. Read More... Employers Wonder If They Have To Chill Out Posted by on November 18, 2009 at 11:13:08 PT By Tresa Baldas, The National Law Journal Source: National Law Journal USA -- Medical marijuana laws are having an odd effect on many employers: They're dazed and confused about their obligations to workers who use pot for health reasons.

Employment lawyers say employers are unsure about how far they have to go to accommodate medical marijuana users. Many question whether they're even required to tolerate medical marijuana use, which is now legal in 13 states. Another six additional states, including New York, Illinois and Massachusetts, are considering medical marijuana bills. Read More... LA Council To Consider Medical Marijuana Ordinance Posted by on November 18, 2009 at 05:32:57 PT By Greg Risling, Associated Press Writer Source: Mercury News Los Angeles -- Four years, six drafts and nearly 1,000 stores later, the City Council on Wednesday will consider a long-awaited, oft-debated medical marijuana ordinance whose provisions have shifted dramatically in recent days.

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich had sought to ban sales at dispensaries, but two city committees rejected the idea and suggested that cash could exchange hands as means for reimbursement but must comply with state law. Read More... D.A. Says He'll Target Pot Dispensaries Posted by on November 18, 2009 at 04:46:55 PT By John Hoeffel Source: Los Angeles Times California -- With the Los Angeles City Council poised to take up a medical marijuana ordinance after two years of contentious debate, L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley warned Tuesday that he intends to prosecute dispensaries that sell the drug even if the city's leaders decide to allow those transactions.

"The L.A. City Council should be collectively ashamed of their failure to grasp this issue," Cooley said, arguing that state laws do not allow medical marijuana to be sold. "Undermining those laws via their ordinance powers is counterproductive, and quite frankly we're ignoring them. They are absolutely so irrelevant it's not funny." Read More... Marijuana Dispensers Welcome Ruling Posted by on November 18, 2009 at 04:24:30 PT By Tim Hoover, The Denver Post Source: Denver Post Denver, CO -- They might be the only businesses in Colorado begging for their products to be taxed.

But a number of medical-marijuana dispensaries say taxation is critical for their industry's long-term health, and many say they've been collecting sales taxes for months — before a legal opinion issued Monday saying their products are taxable. Read More... Colorado To Tax Sales of Medical Marijuana Posted by on November 17, 2009 at 19:40:53 PT By Valerie Richardson Source: Washington Times Denver -- Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. on Tuesday directed the state's medical-marijuana dispensaries to pay sales tax and obtain retail-sales licenses, bringing the once-taboo product closer to mainstream respectability.

Colorado is now the second state, behind California, to tax and regulate medical-marijuana sales, a move that comes on the heels of the Obama administration's decision in October to leave enforcement of laws governing medical marijuana to the states. Read More... Ex-U.S. Attorney: Time To Change Pot Laws Posted by on November 17, 2009 at 11:39:24 PT By Levi Pulkkinen, SeattlePI.com Staff Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Seattle, WA -- Three years ago, former U.S. Attorney John McKay was somewhere near the front lines of the nation's drug war.

Directing federal prosecutions in Western Washington before he was fired in 2006 by the administration that appointed him, McKay's office sent marijuana smugglers and farmers to prison on decade-long terms. It indicted a loudmouth Canadian pro-pot activist for selling cannabis seeds by mail order. Read More... AG Suthers Says Colorado Can Tax Medical Marijuana Posted by on November 17, 2009 at 06:45:37 PT By Tim Hoover, The Denver Post Source: Denver Post Denver, CO -- In an opinion that could generate more revenue for cash-strapped governments and give additional legitimacy to a fledgling industry, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said Monday that the state can collect sales tax on medical marijuana.

"Medical marijuana is tangible property that is generally subject to state sales tax," Suthers, a Republican, wrote in response to a query from Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat. Read More... Council Committees Support Pot Dispensaries Posted by on November 17, 2009 at 04:50:56 PT By John Hoeffel Source: Los Angeles Times California -- Two Los Angeles City Council committees rejected the advice of the city attorney and voted Monday to approve an ordinance that allows marijuana dispensaries to continue to sell the drug to people with a doctor's recommendation.

The city attorney's office has maintained for a year and a half that Los Angeles has no choice but to ban sales because state law and court decisions are clear that collectives can only cultivate marijuana. That opinion had stalled the council's deliberations because dispensary operators insisted it would force them to close. Read More... Doctors Lighten Up on Marijuana Research Posted by on November 16, 2009 at 20:31:38 PT Editorial Source: Daily Breeze USA -- Amid the murky contradictions surrounding medical marijuana comes a dose of clear thinking from the nation's doctors. They say it's time for the feds to rethink the issue.

The doctors are right. While California and 11 other states have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes, the feds have stuck to the discredited position that marijuana is too dangerous to be of legitimate use. Read More... Medical Marijuana Bill May Have Chance of Passing Posted by on November 16, 2009 at 16:02:59 PT By Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel Source: Journal Sentinel Madison -- Advocates for medical marijuana say they have their best chance yet of passing a bill through the state Legislature.

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle said recently he supports the idea, and the lead co-sponsors of the bill on Monday announced committee hearings would be held Dec. 15 on the bill. "I do think the chances are pretty good for this to become law," said Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee), the chief Senate author of the bill. Read More... Wisconsin Democrats Support Medical Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on November 16, 2009 at 15:09:28 PT By Scott Bauer, Associated Press Writer Source: Associated Press Madison -- Legalizing medical marijuana will ease the cancer patients’ pain and help others who are suffering, supporters of legalization argued Monday.

Two Democratic state lawmakers, advocates and those fighting chronic diseases said at a news conference there is momentum nationwide to decriminalize the use of marijuana for medical reasons. Read More... NM's Medical Pot Program Has Slow, Cautious Start Posted by CN Staff on November 16, 2009 at 06:17:00 PT By Deborah Baker, Associated Press Writer Source: Associated Press Santa Fe, N.M. -- Businessman Len Goodman owns a company that makes hand-painted art tiles, but these days his office desk is strewn with the raw materials of a new enterprise: fat, sweetly pungent marijuana buds.

Newly licensed by the state to produce and distribute medical marijuana, Goodman must decide which strains he will grow in a steel-doored industrial building somewhere in Santa Fe County that will soon be converted into a high-tech indoor greenhouse. Read More... New Futures for Cannabis-Based Medicines Posted by CN Staff on November 16, 2009 at 04:52:36 PT By Gregory L. Gerdeman and Juan Sanchez-Ramos Source: St. Petersburg Times USA -- Medicinal use of cannabis is being discussed more actively than ever. Although prior to its prohibition in 1937 cannabis was used widely in pharmacies, there was little debate about its usefulness to treat various symptoms such as inflammatory pain. Cannabis remedies were well known, publicly advertised and widely prescribed.

"Marijuana," on the other hand, was virtually unknown Mexican jargon before becoming the "assassin of youth" in propaganda films. Such depictions led to an unceremonious vote by Congress to effectively criminalize Cannabis sativa in all of its forms. Read More... Boomers See Views Relaxing on Marijuana Posted by on November 15, 2009 at 19:23:01 PT By Steve Hendrix, Washington Post Staff Writer Source: Washington Post Washington, D.C. -- Smoking pot isn't what it used to be for Joe Lee, a 62-year-old vintage-record dealer in Rockville. Back in the late 1960s, as an art student in Baltimore, he kept his landlord in a constant state of suspicion, with clouds of marijuana smoke poorly masked by clouds of incense.

These days, after four decades of regular use, cannabis is a smaller deal. Lee takes a few hits every other day or so, when he wants to listen to music or laugh with a few friends on the porch. And he's happy to talk about it. Read More... Panel To Begin Research on Legalized MJ Funds Posted by on November 15, 2009 at 19:05:55 PT By Katie Mulvaney, Journal Staff Writer Source: Providence Journal Providence, R.I. -- The commission charged with exploring how much money the state could reap if it legalizes marijuana and taxes its sales will meet for the first time Wednesday.

Lawmakers voted to create the nine-member panel in July, the day before the General Assembly began its summer recess. Its first meeting is slated for 3:30 p.m. in Room 212 of the State House. Read More... AMA Urges Feds To Reclassify Marijuana Posted by on November 15, 2009 at 05:45:17 PT By Thadeus Greenson, The Times-Standard Source: Times-Standard USA -- The nation's largest doctors group took a step toward supporting medical marijuana last week, urging the federal government to review marijuana's status as a controlled substance in order to facilitate more medical research on the drug.

”This has, I think, profound implications,” said Greg Allen, a local attorney and longtime medical marijuana advocate. Read More... American Medical Association Making Right Moves Posted by on November 15, 2009 at 05:35:28 PT Editorial Source: Times-Standard USA -- It seems strange that we are just now, in the 21st century, applauding a call by the American Medical Association to see marijuana classified as something other than a Schedule 1 controlled substance, in the same category as heroin, ecstasy and LSD.

The association believes the change would allow scientists and medical professionals to begin much more rigorous testing of the drug to determine once and for all what its medicinal benefits might be. Read More... Medical Marijuana Industry's Growth Spurs Backlash Posted by on November 14, 2009 at 20:26:34 PT By Erica Meltzer, Camera Staff Writer Source: Daily Camera Colorado -- Todd Young is concerned.

His lawyer assures him the grow operation and members-only dispensary he runs from a nondescript North Boulder warehouse is on the right side of the ambiguous regulations that constitute medical marijuana law in Colorado today. That doesn't stop him from worrying about what will happen if he's pulled over on the way home and the police officer catches a whiff of the plants he spends his days tending. Read More... Romer's MMJ Bill Would Target Dispensaries Posted by on November 14, 2009 at 20:17:02 PT By Erica Meltzer, Camera Staff Writer Source: Daily Camera Colorado -- If state Sen. Chris Romer has his way, the medical marijuana industry will look quite a bit different a year from now.

The legislation the Denver Democrat plans to introduce in January would require all caregivers with more than two patients to obtain a license from the state. The conditions of the license would require that caregivers develop health care plans for their patients and offer more services than selling marijuana to patients. Read More... A Few Years Ago, I Would Have Been a Criminal Posted by on November 14, 2009 at 20:11:25 PT By Erica Meltzer, Camera Staff Writer Source: Daily Camera Colorado -- With Tibetan art on the walls, a spacious sitting area with tasteful, modern couches, a small display of hand-blended herbal teas and salves, and complementary snacks and teas on a low table, there's little to indicate the Boulder Wellness Center is a marijuana dispensary.

Just the unmistakable smell of cannabis and a magazine on the coffee table touting the latest research into medical applications for the drug. Read More... Lafayette Patient Credits Marijuana for Her Sight Posted by on November 14, 2009 at 20:04:45 PT By Erica Meltzer, Camera Staff Writer Source: Daily Camera Colorado -- Cheryl Crosby believes she would be blind today if it weren't for marijuana. The 70-year-old Lafayette resident was diagnosed with glaucoma in 1994. Despite taking two medications on a daily basis and having two surgeries, the pressure in her eyes -- an indication of fluid build-up -- continued to be higher than recommended.

She knew about the research that showed marijuana could slow the progression of glaucoma, an incurable eye disease that damages the optic nerve and eventually leads to blindness. Read More... Marijuana Moves Into the Open in a Ski Town Posted by on November 14, 2009 at 06:23:40 PT By Kirk Johnson Source: New York Times Breckenridge, Colo. -- High-altitude partying is a deeply carved tradition in ski country, where alcohol in the open and illicit drugs in the shadows have been intertwined for years.

Even before last week’s town vote here that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, one of the best-selling T-shirts at Shirt and Ernie’s on Main Street winked at what it means to live and play 9,600 feet up in the Rockies. “Dude,” the shirt says, “I think this whole town is high.” Read More...

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Highlights
MMJ News & More MMM News 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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Marijuana Moves Into the Open in a Ski Town CO Justice Commission Suggests Lighter Penalties LA Submits New Draft Ordinance on Med Marijuana Colorado Medical-Pot Backers Form Trade Group The Growing Pot Economy AMA Calls for Feds to Review Marijuana Restriction MMJ Gets a Boost from Major Doctors Group Michigan's Cannabis College is Quite a Joint Judge Overturns Colorado Medical Pot Restrictions Judge Tosses Out Health Board Decision on Med Pot Cities, Counties No Longer Mellow About Pot New Mexico Approves 5 Medical Marijuana Producers Grassley Proposing Limits To Federal Drug Study Lawmaker: End Medical Pot Free-For-All Right Call on Medical Marijuana Will Florida Be Next To Allow Medical Marijuana? A Heady Debate on Medical Pot Boulder Considers Medical Marijuana Regulations Colorado Senator Seeks Crackdown on MMJ Industry Panel of 14 To Design Medical Marijuana System Medical Marijuana Users Can Breathe Easy Legalizing Marijuana for Dummies Save The Pot Dealers! Medical Marijuana Shops Abound in California The Futility of Pot Prohibition More Ski Towns May Vote To Change Pot Laws States Should Decide Usage Laws Medical Marijuana Access Law OK’d A New Era for U.S. Drug Policy? Maine Becomes 5th State To Allow Pot Dispensaries Colorado Alters Pot Rule, Alarming Some Medical Marijuana Proposal Approved Breckenridge Voters OK Marijuana Decriminalization CO Health Board Backs Off Medical Marijuana Rule Health Department Changes Marijuana Caregiver Rule Look at Problems with Medical Pot in California Medical Pot Creates Workplace Dilemma Drug Czar: Marijuana Clinics Difficult To Regulate Boulder Targets Medical Marijuana The End of Prohibition Rockies Ski Town To Vote Tuesday on Legalizing Pot Stop The Medical Marijuana Madness It's Time To End This Modern Prohibition Cash for Kush? Medical Pot: a Tangled Proposition Legislature Must Address Pot Laws Court Says MMJ Growers Must Have Patient Contact The Green Light Putting a Lid on Pot Sales in L.A. Why Is Pot Legalization Still Taboo? Calif. Lawmaker Holds Hearing on Legalizing Pot Calif. Marijuana Legalization Debate at Capitol House Overrides, Senate Upholds MMJ Veto CA MJ Ban Gets Legislative Review After 96 Years Push To Legalize Marijuana Gains Ground in Calif. Montana Issues License To Grow Hemp One City's Insane Fight Against Obama's Pot Policy Farr Seeks Additional Protection for MMJ Users Override Lynch on Medical Pot Bill Q& A: With MMJ On The Back Burner What Do We Know? Questions About Pot States Pressed Into New Role on Marijuana Alaska's Medical Marijuana Policy Stays Intact Legalized Marijuana? We May Already Be On The Way Legal Walls are Mounting Against War on Drugs Pennsylvania Should Move Now on Medical Marijuana As We See It: The Real Criminals Marijuana Should Be Approved For The Seriously Ill Easing Their Pain Medicinal Pot Issue Lingers in Maine First Give The Okay To MMJ Then Find a Safe Supply Reefer Reform The Need for Unambiguous Legislation Fed Memo Renews MMJ Push on Beacon Hill LA Could Act on Medical Pot in Early November Clear The Air on Marijuana Rules Reining in DEA Will Help Those Who Rely on MMJ From Obama, Sanity on Marijuana Policy Feds Limit Prosecution for Medical Marijuana LA City Council To Rush Vote on Medical Pot Law A Brief History of Medical Marijuana Good Sense On Medical Marijuana Up In Smoke Medical Marijuana Advocates' Hope Renewed Official Won’t Fight Medical Pot Users A Woman's Crusade To Legalize Marijuana U.S. Backs Off Medical Marijuana Policy Judge Rules Ban on New MMJ Dispensaries is Invalid U.S. Eases Stance on Medical Marijuana Looser Guidelines Leave Questions Justice To Stop Pursuit of Medical Marijuana Use

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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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