Medical cannabis >> I read in the UDJ's report (7/9) on the progress of Assemblyman Jim Wood's Marijuana Watershed Protection Act (AB 243) that he's basing his legislation on the estimate that "cultivators are making on a single plant, roughly $2500-4000."--Link that estimate or fantasy to Hezekiah Allen's "small medical cannabis farmer's" 1/4 acre under cultivation with 1000 plants and I get into an Ev Dirksen mood (he of "a billion here, a billion there" fame). We're talking about real money, here & now & in this county. (Itsall, 7/ 9&11, KZYX "The Cannabis Hour, 7/2-now on their Jukebox site.)--I hope Jane Futcher explores these numbers with supervisors McCowen and Woodhouse on "The Cannabis Hour" (TODAY, KZYX, 9 a.m.) and that Carol Brodsky has worked with the appropriate numbers in her 6-part UDJ series on the Pinoleville medical cannabis project. [continues 415 words]
NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of articles covering the establishment of one of the first tribal cannabis farming projects in the United States. The Pinoleville Pomo Nation is providing readers of The Ukiah Daily Journal with a first-hand, exclusive look at the people, the processes and the philosophical underpinnings of this groundbreaking medical cannabis project. Prana is a Sanskrit word roughly translated as "universal life force." It is the balancing and enhancement of the body's life force - - its prana, via the human endocannabinoid system that the medical cannabis products developed by United Cannabis Corporation are targeting. [continues 920 words]
The Colorado Board of Health voted 6-2 - amid shouts, hisses and boos from a packed house - not to add post-traumatic stress disorder to the medical conditions that can be treated under the state's medical marijuana program. The board voted Wednesday against the recommendation of the state's chief medical officer. A dozen of the veterans who testified said cannabis has saved their lives. Many said drugs legally prescribed to them for PTSD at veterans clinics or by other doctors - antidepressants, antipsychotics, opioids and others - nearly killed them or robbed them of quality of life. [continues 557 words]
Payette County Sheriff Chad Huff doesn't want to see his 72-bed jail filled with cannabis smokers. Before July 1's legalization of recreational marijuana across the Snake River in Oregon, Huff spoke with his deputies. He encouraged them to cite and release violators of Idaho's marijuana possession law. Possession of up to 3 ounces of pot in Idaho is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. "I've basically asked that they not overload our jail with marijuana arrests," Huff said. "We're going to take more of a citation in the field (approach) vs. an actual physical arrest on marijuana charges." [continues 2253 words]
Amendment Called for Federal Studies to Gauge Medical Benefits, Risks Medical marijuana is now sold in nearly half of all states, and even one red state has legalized it for recreational use. Veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are clamoring for access to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Loosening pot laws polls better in three swing states than any 2016 presidential candidate. But House Republicans have so far declined to keep pace with shifting public opinion. They did so again late Wednesday, when a rare bipartisan pot proposal died a quiet death in the House that would have reclassified marijuana so that national laboratories could conduct "credible research on its safety and efficacy as a medical treatment." [continues 950 words]
Last year, the federal government spent $5.2-million on medical marijuana for Canada's veterans. This year it will spend a lot more. Marijuana is a popular way to relieve the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and some veterans swear it saved their lives. Now consultation services designed to hook up vets with pot are spreading across the country. Marijuana for Trauma, founded by former Canadian Forces member Fabian Henry, has already helped hundreds of veterans in Atlantic Canada and is now expanding to Ontario. "I'm expecting thousands to be coming through the door in the coming years," he told the CBC. [continues 684 words]
In 2012 Colorado voters legalized the sale and consumption of marijuana for recreational purposes. Some ski towns have embraced marijuana, treating it little differently than alcohol. But others have been biding their time. To Vail and other towns, cannabis use by visitors and residents is an undeniable reality. But that doesn't mean they will allow stores selling THC-infused products. Here in Canada recreational marijuana use is still illegal though access to medical marijuana has been completely reinvented. This has come with its own headache. [continues 3301 words]
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]
