Marijuana causes kids to kill themselves! It makes IQs drop!! If children accidentally eat edibles, they will be poisoned!!! OK, now that I have your attention, I just want to say that none of the above is proven to be true. But Sheila Polk, Yavapai County attorney, and her anti-drug MATForce group has spread such propaganda in statewide programs and billboards. As legalization spreads across this country, many of the early biased studies requiring a negative end result to obtain funding are being disproven. For instance, the assertion that marijuana impacts IQ has been shown untrue by a long-term Australian study and a recent Harvard University report. The Harvard study shows the impact of heavy marijuana use on learning and memory disappears within 28 days of stopping use. Heavy alcohol users, by comparison, have memory deficits for months, or even years. [continues 533 words]
With so little scientific evidence that medical marijuana does what it is purported to do, it may be time to retire the medical model - at least in states like Colorado where marijuana can be legally purchased by any adult. A recently released comprehensive review of dozens of clinical trials on medical marijuana found scant reliable evidence to support the drug's use for all but a handful of maladies. Medical marijuana proponents argue the results don't tell the whole story because of federal barriers to legitimate research. That may be true. Both the state and feds should support and encourage more research so decisions around medical pot can be guided by high-quality evidence. [continues 294 words]
(AP) - This week, Minnesota will be the latest state to enter the world of medical marijuana. Patients and advocates already have changes in mind, and clinics don't start selling the medicine until Wednesday. The state has some of the tightest restrictions in the country. Smoking the plant is banned, and only oils and pills are allowed. The drugs are being sold in only eight locations. Maren Schroeder helped her mother, Kathy Schroeder, get signed up for access in the hope of treating multiple sclerosis and glaucoma. She says the issues have been worse than she had anticipated. Some advocates hope the state will add more dispensaries and allow people suffering chronic pain to get medical marijuana. [end]
Ours is a hard-headed world cemented over with firm convictions. Whether you're a green environmentalist or a doubting "denier." Whether you're convinced of the medical virtues of marijuana or are determined to keep pot illegal. Whatever your perspective on the issues of the day, a defining characteristic of your viewpoint is that it is absolute. Beyond dispute. An analysis of 79 studies on the efficacy of marijuana did not turn out well for medical marijuana advocates. It shows pot provides little help to patients with medical disorders. [continues 404 words]
CHICAGO (AP) - Medical marijuana hasn't been proved to work for many illnesses that state laws have approved it for, according to the first comprehensive analysis of research on its potential benefits. The strongest evidence is for chronic pain and for muscle stiffness in multiple sclerosis, according to the review, which evaluated 79 studies involving more than 6,000 patients. Evidence was weak for many other conditions, including anxiety, sleep disorders and Tourette's syndrome. The analysis is among several medical marijuana articles published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They include a small study suggesting many brand labels for edible marijuana products list inaccurate amounts of active ingredients. More than half of brands tested had much lower amounts than labeled, meaning users may get no effect. [continues 360 words]
CHICAGO (AP) - Medical marijuana has not been proven to work for many illnesses that state laws have approved it for, according to the first comprehensive analysis of research on its potential benefits. The strongest evidence is for chronic pain and for muscle stiffness in multiple sclerosis, according to the review, which evaluated 79 studies involving more than 6,000 patients. Evidence was weak for many other conditions, including anxiety, sleep disorders, and Tourette's syndrome and the authors recommend more research. [continues 633 words]
However, the Drug Has Been Shown to Alleviate Pain From Chemotherapy and Multiple Sclerosis. Despite medical marijuana's unquestionable worldwide momentum, it hasn't yet been proven scientifically to remedy most of the conditions governments have authorized it to treat, according to an influential new analysis of existing research. While pro-legalization advocates don't disagree with the analysis' findings, they point out that the barriers to legitimate research on cannabis' medical efficacy have been so substantial in the U.S. that President Barack Obama's administration this week slashed some of those bureaucratic hurdles in a historic action - and yet marijuana still remains more difficult to study than cocaine or heroin. [continues 947 words]
The Supreme Court of Canada has opened Pandora's cookie jar by blessing pot-infused ginger snaps and cannabis derivatives, causing a fuming federal health minister to insist that patients must smoke their bud. In a unanimous decision, stinging in its brevity and common sense, the country's highest court said Thursday medical marijuana patients should not be restricted to just the dried plant. The seven justices said the national medical pot program was flawed, impinged on patients' rights, and was not saved by the section of the Constitution that allows reasonable infringements for worthy societal goals. [continues 997 words]
HB 321 Could Lead to a $65 Million a Year Industry and Hundreds of New Jobs, They Say Medical marijuana promoters say dispensaries in Hawaii could create a lucrative new market with up to 800 jobs and $65 million a year in sales. House Bill 321 - which allows for 16 dispensaries to open in Hawaii on July 15, 2016, and potentially many more the following year - is now in Gov. David Ige's hands. If he signs it into law, the race will be on to see who can get the eight licenses allowed, build their greenhouses and open retail spaces to begin selling marijuana legally in Hawaii for the first time. [continues 1355 words]
State legislatures across the country are legalizing medical marijuana, but the nation's physicians aren't requesting these laws. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society of Addiction Medicine are both against medical marijuana laws. The American Medical Association doesn't support them either. Groups representing patients aren't behind these laws. The American Cancer Society hasn't demanded them, and the Glaucoma Foundation even warns patients against using the drug. Instead, the demand comes from groups like the Drug Policy Alliance and Marijuana Policy Project. These are not medical organizations. They are part of a pro-legalization lobby supported by pro-marijuana billionaires. And they've apparently convinced state legislators to ignore some very serious problems. [continues 663 words]
Legalization Makes It Easier for Teens to Get It, and We Have Other Drug Options. Legislatures across the country are legalizing medical marijuana, but the nation's physicians aren't requesting these laws. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society of Addiction Medicine are both against medical marijuana laws. The American Medical Association doesn't support them either. Groups representing patients aren't behind these laws. The American Cancer Society hasn't demanded them, and the Glaucoma Foundation even warns patients against using the drug. [continues 705 words]
Many Uncertain About Navigating the 'New Normal' Like the parent of any toddler and kindergartner, Jared wants to keep certain things out of reach. Liquor is stored out of sight in a cupboard. The household cleaners are safely kept behind childproof locks. And the marijuana is stashed high on a shelf in a fireproof lockbox. Evenings fall into a familiar routine. Family dinner. Baths. Then, after their daughters are snuggled in for the night, Jared slips out onto the back deck of their District apartment and a now-legal bowl of marijuana. [continues 1623 words]
State legislatures across the country are legalizing medical marijuana, but the nation's physicians aren't requesting these laws. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Society of Addiction Medicine are both against medical marijuana laws. The American Medical Association doesn't support them either. Associated Press Groups representing patients aren't behind these laws. The American Cancer Society hasn't demanded them, and the Glaucoma Foundation even warns patients against using the drug. Instead, the demand comes from groups like the Drug Policy Alliance and Marijuana Policy Project. These are not medical organizations. They are part of a pro-legalization lobby supported by pro-marijuana billionaires. And they've apparently convinced state legislators to ignore some very serious problems. [continues 662 words]
Yasmin Hurd raises rats on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that will blow your mind. Though they look normal, their lives are anything but, and not just because of the pricey real estate they call home on the 10th floor of a research building near Mount Sinai Hospital. For skeptics of the movement to legalize marijuana, the rodents are canaries in the drug-policy coal mine. For defenders of legalization, they are curiosities. But no one doubts that something is happening in the creatures' trippy little brains. [continues 3003 words]
Neighbors Worried About Security A proposed medical marijuana greenhouse is causing some worry among residents of the Loma Parda subdivision near Mountainair and Abo. Property owners in the subdivision were notified about the plans by the operator, Trevor Reed. "He offered to meet with (the neighbors) and was very forthcoming with information," Loma Parda Subdivision resident Susan Oviatt said. Oviatt was at the Torrance County Commission on May 13 to express her concerns with the proposed operation. "We have no moral issues with growing a controlled substance, but we are concerned that the development seems to be proceeding as if no neighbors exist and the local zoning rules are not important. [continues 335 words]
Last week, Gov. Inslee signed a bill that will essentially destroy Washington's medical-marijuana system. You might not care, but you should. When the team behind Initiative 502 wrote their marijuana law, they left the already well-established medical dispensaries and collective gardens out of the equation, assuming they'd be dealt with at a later date. Well, they were dealt with, all right-last week the Governor signed a bill to eliminate both entirely. Lawmakers in Olympia had been looking to overhaul the parallel medical- and recreational-marijuana systems, and agreed on a bill (from hell) that will close each and every medical-marijuana dispensary. I'm not going to get all policy-wonky on this and lose my audience in the third sentence. (Still with me?) So lemme just break this down with one simple point: [continues 786 words]
Now that medical marijuana is legal in Minnesota and disbursement is set to begin July 1, employers should review their policies regarding such workplace procedures as drug testing and the Americans With Disabilities Act to ensure they protect the business, as well as the employee. Minnesota's law authorizes the use of medical marijuana for patients suffering from several medical conditions including glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, certain cancers, seizure disorders, Crohn's disease and illnesses causing severe and persistent muscle spasms. Individuals eligible for the medication are required to enroll in a statewide registry. [continues 687 words]
Several years ago Tony May and I wrote a side-by-side column in support of medical marijuana. At the time I mused that agreeing with Daylin Leach, one of the most liberal legislators, should cause me to re-think my position. That was before state Sen. Mike Folmer, one of the legislature's most conservative members, added his strong support to Leach's proposals. A lot has happened since then. Support for the legalization has grown across the commonwealth and within the General Assembly. [continues 676 words]
Medical marijuana will soon be legal in Georgia, and that's a good thing. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Friday signed the hard-fought bill that was two years in the making. Now state agencies will prepare to implement it. The Peach State becomes one of 24 states plus Washington, D.C., to legalize marijuana for certain medical uses. The Georgia House voted 160-1 to approve a Senate compromise. The bill originally made people with nine medical conditions eligible for treatment with cannabis oil that has a minimal level of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical that makes pot users feel high. The compromise deleted one illness - fibromyalgia. The remaining eight conditions are seizure disorders, sickle cell anemia, cancer, Crohn's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis, mitochondrial disease and Parkinson's disease. [continues 173 words]
With the passage of Proposition 215, California became the first state in the nation to legalize medical marijuana. Nearly two decades later, it has fallen behind. As other states have moved to regulate the cannabis industry, California's industry remains the Wild West. The absence of a clear set of state regulations leaves a wildly inconsistent set of local ordinances that can literally vary from block to block. To the growing frustration of consumers and neighbors alike, this semi-legitimacy has also left workers vulnerable to a host of potential hazards. [continues 463 words]
