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1US CA: On the Road: Marijuana Smoking, Consumption Now Illegal InSun, 31 Dec 2017
Source:Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) Author:Bentley, Amy Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/31/2017

Each new year brings new driving or transportation-related laws in California and 2018 is no exception. We'd like to share these new laws with readers in the next few columns.

Marijuana and edible cannabis use in vehicles, Senate Bill 65: Recreational marijuana/cannabis is now legal to be purchased and consumed in certain places, but that doesn't mean you can light up a joint on your daily commute.

Consuming cannabis while driving or while riding as a passenger in a vehicle in California is illegal. This new law is similar to the "open container" laws that outlaw drinking alcohol while driving, though having some alcohol in your system while driving isn't outlawed.

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2 US CA: California Pot Shops Roll Out Hoopla As Recreational Sales SetThu, 28 Dec 2017
Source:Chicago Tribune (IL) Author:Spagat, Elliot Area:California Lines:118 Added:12/28/2017

Marijuana legalization arrives Monday in California with lots of hoopla, but only a handful of cities will initially have retail outlets ready to sell recreational pot.

By Thursday afternoon, California had issued only 42 retail licenses. Another 150 applications were pending and regulators planned to work a second straight weekend to review them.

Los Angeles and San Francisco were late to approve local regulations, meaning no recreational pot shops there will open their doors Monday.

The lucky few outlets with licenses -- mainly in San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, Palm Springs area and Santa Cruz -- think they have an edge being first out of the gate.

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3 US MA: Auburn Man Featured In High Times Faces Drug ChargesFri, 22 Dec 2017
Source:Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) Author:Barnes, George Area:Massachusetts Lines:41 Added:12/27/2017

SPRINGFIELD - Two Central Massachusetts men were charged in federal court in Springfield Friday with commercial growing of marijuana.

Federal agents learned of their operation when one of them was featured in a magazine article talking about his business. Mr. Vallee was featured in an article in High Times published in February.

In the article, Eric Vallee, 38, of Auburn, spoke of regularly harvesting 10 pounds of marijuana per month. Based on that number, federal agents determined that he was harvesting a substantial amount of marijuana per year. The article also noted he worked with Peter Molle, 35, of Holland.

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4 US CA: Federal Agents Can Still Seize Marijuana At CaliforniaWed, 27 Dec 2017
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA)          Area:California Lines:140 Added:12/27/2017

California legalizes marijuana for recreational use Monday, but that won't stop federal agents from seizing the drug -- even in tiny amounts -- on busy freeways and backcountry highways.

Marijuana possession still will be prohibited at eight Border Patrol checkpoints in California, a reminder that state and federal laws collide when it comes to pot. The U.S. government classifies marijuana as a controlled substance, like heroin and LSD.

"Prior to Jan. 1, it's going to be the same after Jan. 1, because nothing changed on our end," said Ryan Yamasaki, an assistant chief of the Border Patrol's San Diego sector. "If you're a federal law enforcement agency, you uphold federal laws."

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5 US CA: Editorial: The Lack Of Health Research Into Marijuana Makes ItWed, 27 Dec 2017
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA)          Area:California Lines:95 Added:12/27/2017

In advance of the legalization of recreational marijuana sales on Jan. 1, there have been lots of debates over the details of the cannabis business. How many feet should pot shops be from schools or daycare centers? How many acres may a marijuana farmer cultivate? Who should be eligible for a license to sell and who shouldn't?

But there's been much less discussion over an equally important question raised by the end of prohibition in California: What is the right public health message to send to adults who can now legally buy and use marijuana? Voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 64 last year and polls continue to show broad support for legalization. But just because marijuana is legal doesn't mean it is risk-free.

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6US CA: Legal Pot In California Brings Host Of Environmental RulesTue, 26 Dec 2017
Source:Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) Author:Knickmeyer, Ellen Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/26/2017

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - At a state briefing on environmental rules that await growers entering California's soon-to-be-legal marijuana trade, organic farmers Ulysses Anthony, Tracy Sullivan and Adam Mernit listened intently, eager to make their humble cannabis plot a model of sustainable agriculture in a notoriously destructive industry dominated by the black market.

In line with a 2017 study that found marijuana grows are more damaging, plot for plot, than commercial logging in Northern California forests, Anthony said he has seen too many destructive grows. Trash-strewn clearings. Growers heaping fertilizer at the foot of a centuries-old sequoia tree, needlessly endangering it. Wild streams diverted for irrigation.

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7US CA: A Beginner's Guide To Buying Recreational Marijuana InTue, 26 Dec 2017
Source:Fresno Bee, The (CA) Author:Branan, Brad Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/26/2017

Cannabis 101: Here's what you need to know about recreational marijuana

With recreational marijuana becoming available for sale on New Year's Day, you may be asking yourself: Do I want to try this stuff?

If you have never used cannabis, or if it has been a long time since you have, you need to know that pot isn't just consumed through joints and bongs anymore. Consumers also use vape pens, edibles and other products.

And marijuana has higher amounts of THC -- pot's psychoactive ingredient -- than it once did. In the early 1990s, the average amount of THC in confiscated marijuana samples was roughly 3.7 percent, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Now, many retail strains test in the high 20s and some even top 30 percent.

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8US CA: Legalized Marijuana Will Be A Bit Different From Version ThatSun, 24 Dec 2017
Source:San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Author:Rosenhall, Laurel Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/24/2017

Some details of legalized recreational marijuana have changed since California voters approved Proposition 64 in 2016.

California is days away from launching a legal marketplace for adults to buy and sell recreational marijuana. On Jan. 1, the state will carry through on a vision voters endorsed by passing Proposition 64 last year.

Yet as legal cannabis moves from campaign pitch to reality - amid lots of lobbying by industry groups along the way - some details of the plan have changed. State regulators approved the official rules last month and will update them in about a year.

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9US CA: Jack In The Box Tests Munchie Meals For California Pot SmokersFri, 22 Dec 2017
Source:Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) Author:Giammona, Craig Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/22/2017

For Jack in the Box Inc., the warm smell of marijuana is rising in the air.

As California prepares for legal recreational pot on Jan. 1, the fast-food chain is partnering with a digital media company backed by rapper Snoop Dogg on a new "munchie" meal aimed at cannabis enthusiasts. While marijuana's connection to fast food is well-established, Jack in the Box will become the first national chain to explicitly embrace the drug.

The "Merry Munchie Meal," which will be available at three California locations for a week in January for $4.20, features two tacos, french fries, onion rings, five mini churros, three chicken strips and a small drink. The price isn't random: The number 420 is used as a code by potheads.

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10US VT: Several Doctors, Others Warn Vermont Not To Legalize PotFri, 22 Dec 2017
Source:Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) Author:Rathke, Lisa Area:Vermont Lines:Excerpt Added:12/22/2017

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - With the state Legislature expected to take up legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in the upcoming session, several doctors and other marijuana opponents on Friday urged the state not to legalize it.

The move would normalize the use of marijuana, leading to more people using it and in turn to more intoxicated people and more automobile crashes, said Dr. John Hughes, a University of Vermont psychiatrist and professor, at a Statehouse press conference on Friday.

"To me, we got it right with decriminalization," according to Hughes, who added that legalization and describing it as recreational use would send the wrong message.

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11US CA: Marijuana Activist Since 1960s Facing California Pot ChargesThu, 21 Dec 2017
Source:Tampa Tribune (FL)          Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/21/2017

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- A marijuana activist whose advocacy dates to the 1960s counterculture has been arrested in California toting 22 pounds of illegal marijuana, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Irvin Dana Beal, 70, of New York, was arrested Saturday in far Northern California after prosecutors said his rental car was spotted weaving across the road and driving 20 miles below the speed limit. James Statzer, 51, of Michigan, also was arrested.

The arrest occurred along a well-traveled highway in California's famed Emerald Triangle area, known for its high-grade pot. A police dog smelled marijuana during the stop and 22 pounds of the drug was found.

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12US CA: How Oakland Is Including Black, Brown People In MarijuanaThu, 21 Dec 2017
Source:San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Author:Taylor, Otis R. Jr. Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/21/2017

In a dark room, Jahful Price slowly worked a row of pungent plants guided by his headlamp.

He wore a white biohazard suit, methodically picking up cannabis plants by their stems and hanging them upside down on a rack with plastic clothes hangers.

Price, a 31-year-old Oakland resident who is black, is getting hands-on experience in cannabis cultivating that he hopes will help him run his own business one day.

Since July, he's had a paid internship at NUG, a cannabis business owned by Bloom Innovations, a horticulture consulting and management firm in Oakland. NUG chose Nine Mile Tribe, a business owned by Price's family, as one of its equity partners.

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13 US: Soaring Overdose Deaths Cut Us Life Expectancy For 2nd YearThu, 21 Dec 2017
Source:Philadelphia Daily News (PA) Author:Stobbe, Mike Area:United States Lines:114 Added:12/21/2017

A runaway teen to mother: 'I'll be fine mommy. I love you.' Hours later she and two others were dead

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. deaths from drug overdoses skyrocketed 21 percent last year, and for the second straight year dragged down how long Americans are expected to live.

The government figures released Thursday put drug deaths at 63,600, up from about 52,000 in 2015. For the first time, the powerful painkiller fentanyl and its close opioid cousins played a bigger role in the deaths than any other legal or illegal drug, surpassing prescription pain pills and heroin.

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14 US: Report: 'Substantial' Hepatitis C Infection Increase Tied ToThu, 21 Dec 2017
Source:Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN)          Area:United States Lines:98 Added:12/21/2017

The United States' overall rate of hepatitis C infection more than doubled from 2004 to 2014 -- and among people under 40, it increased by 300 to 400 percent.

The reason for the jump? Transmission through injecting opioid drugs, said a report published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health.

Lead author Jon Zibbell, senior public health analyst in the Behavioral and Urban Health program of North Carolina-based RTI International, said public health officials have long presumed the link, but the research, performed in conjunction with a number of other agencies, provides data to back it up.

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15 US CA: This Colorado City Declined To Allow Pot Sales. Now It'sThu, 14 Dec 2017
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:Lee, Kurtis Area:California Lines:164 Added:12/18/2017

At the two malls in town you can buy key chains and Christmas ornaments shaped like marijuana leaves. Along a downtown shopping corridor, paintings of cannabis plants grace storefront windows.

Even Kmart stocks its shelves with T-shirts and mugs decorated with the signature green leaf and "Colorado est. 2012" -- the year the state legalized recreational marijuana.

But that is the one pot product you can't buy in Colorado Springs.

When Coloradans voted overwhelmingly to make non-medical marijuana legal, they left it up to cities whether to allow sales. Colorado Springs, home to five military bases and known for its conservative politics and religious values, blocked recreational cannabis sales. Now some in town want to change that, saying the state's second largest city is missing out on sales taxes that are enriching cities across Colorado.

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16US CA: Fresno Starts Process To Change Laws For Medical MarijuanaThu, 14 Dec 2017
Source:Fresno Bee, The (CA) Author:Sheehan, Tim Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:12/18/2017

Medical marijuana dispensaries and other portions of the medicinal cannabis supply chain could be legal in Fresno as the result of a unanimous vote Thursday by the City Council.

The 7-0 vote begins the process of rewriting the city's complete ban on commercial marijuana operations that was adopted earlier this year. It will likely be several months, however, before drafts emerge for ordinances and rules that will govern where and how businesses that cultivate, process, manufacture, distribute or sell medical marijuana can operate within the city.

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17 US TX: Cautious Texas Among Last States To OK Medical MarijuanaFri, 15 Dec 2017
Source:Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) Author:Weber, Paul J. Area:Texas Lines:116 Added:12/18/2017

MANCHACA, Texas -- When California rings in the new year with the sale of recreational pot for the first time, Texas will be tiptoeing into its own marijuana milestone: a medical cannabis program so restrictive that doubts swirl over who will even use it.

Texas is the last big state to allow some form of medical marijuana, albeit an oil extract so low in the psychoactive component, THC, that it couldn't get a person high. Though it might seem that Texas policymakers have softened their attitude toward the drug, bringing them more in line with the U.S. population as a whole, they have not. A joint could still land you in jail in Texas, and the state's embrace of medical marijuana comes with a heavy dose of caution.

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18 US MA: High ambitions: Pot Advocacy Group To Attempt To BuildFri, 15 Dec 2017
Source:Boston Globe (MA) Author:Annear, Steve Area:Massachusetts Lines:107 Added:12/18/2017

Beantown Greentown is trying to build a 100-foot-long joint this weekend at a marijuana expo event in Worcester. This is a practice run.

Keith Laham and his friends have been practicing for the past few months.

They have gathered in his cellar, in other people's cellars - you name it, the 42-year-old West Roxbury native said.

But this weekend will mark the true attempt, and Laham, cofounder of Beantown Greentown, a medical marijuana advocacy group, lifestyle brand, and cannabis club, has high ambitions for it.

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19 US MD: Kratom: An Old Plant Sparks A New ChallengeSat, 16 Dec 2017
Source:Baltimore Sun (MD) Author:Davis, Phil Area:Maryland Lines:109 Added:12/18/2017

When Anne Arundel police seized 158 grams of kratom, a plant from Southeast Asia used medicinally for centuries, it was the first time it was seized in a county investigation, according to police.

Officers arrested Michaela Elizabeth Gran, 21, and Chase Seven Gran, 23, both of Glen Burnie, on Tuesday after they said the two were found with small amounts of narcotics as well as the 158 grams of kratom. Its seizure caused some confusion, as the drug is legal in Maryland and can be bought for $1 for a pill-sized capsule in local smoke shops. That, and how many people have ever heard of kratom?

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20 US PA: Organ Donations From Fatal Drug Overdoses DoubleSat, 16 Dec 2017
Source:Philadelphia Daily News (PA) Author:Baldrige, Susan Area:Pennsylvania Lines:149 Added:12/18/2017

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - Charles Grugan's drug addiction took a toll on his family.

They tried to help him, but on Oct. 12, 2011, Grugan 33, overdosed on heroin. He never recovered.

While on life support in a regional hospital, doctors approached his family and showed them his driver's license.

Grugan had made the decision to be an organ donor when he was 18 years old.

His heart, liver and kidneys were successfully transplanted into three people.

"It was a silver lining for us," Grugan's' mother, Eileen Grugan, said. "Donating Charles' organs to others was the thing that kept our family together and pulled us through this grief.

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21 US MA: Pot Growers, Enthusiasts Gather In Worcester For First-EverSat, 16 Dec 2017
Source:Boston Globe (MA) Author:Adams, Dan Area:Massachusetts Lines:108 Added:12/16/2017

WORCESTER - Thousands of people gathered at a convention hall Saturday for the first-ever Harvest Cup, a friendly if spirited competition among home-growers of marijuana that doubled as a convention for the burgeoning cannabis industry and its consumers.

The event, taking place this weekend at the DCU Center, came the same week that marijuana regulators began drafting rules for the scheduled July start of recreational sales in Massachusetts. Many participants Saturday were overheard debating various policies and what they will mean for the small-scale cultivators at the heart of the Harvest Cup once millions of dollars of investment funds pour into the state.

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22US NJ: NJ Marijuana Legalization: When Will Weed Be Legal?Fri, 08 Dec 2017
Source:Asbury Park Press (NJ) Author:Davis, Mike Area:New Jersey Lines:Excerpt Added:12/08/2017

The grass is looking greener for New Jersey marijuana users.

The idea of legal pot was once a pipe dream for those who so indulged. Not anymore. Gov.-elect Phil Murphy has pledged to sign legislation legalizing pot within 100 days of his Jan. 16 inauguration, prompting speculation on what that hazy world would look like.

Among the particulars that have been largely agreed upon: New Jerseyans would be permitted to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana for personal use, and previous convictions for such possession would be eligible for expungement.

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23US TN: He Got 17 Years For Selling Drugs Near SchoolFri, 08 Dec 2017
Source:Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN) Author:Tamburin, Adam Area:Tennessee Lines:Excerpt Added:12/08/2017

Because the crime took place within 1,000 feet of a school, state law mandated a longer sentence, one that the council members noted "was more severe than the sentence he would have received for committing a violent crime such as rape or second-degree murder."

Twelve Metro Council members have signed a letter urging a criminal court judge to give relief to a Nashville man serving a 17-year sentence on a nonviolent drug conviction.

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24 US FL: This City OK'd Marijuana Dispensaries. Now It's Having SecondFri, 08 Dec 2017
Source:Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Author:Geggis, Anne Area:Florida Lines:127 Added:12/08/2017

Have they opened Pandora's box? Some Deerfield Beach city leaders worry that's what they might've done by allowing marijuana dispensaries in the city.

They're now trying to stop medical dispensaries from clustering citywide by keeping them out of commercial areas that also have homes, as well as setting rules to stop them from opening next to one another.

Mayor Bill Ganz said he doesn't want the city to become known as the place to buy pot, even if it's just the medical kind that doesn't get you high.

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25 US HI: HPD In Error Over Cannabis Patients With Guns, Chief SaysThu, 07 Dec 2017
Source:Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI) Author:Consillio, Kristen Area:Hawaii Lines:79 Added:12/07/2017

"Merely having a medical marijuana card doesn't mean you're using marijuana. We can't prove you're using marijuana. Our practice of having them turn in their firearms was incorrect," Honolulu police Chief Susan Ballard said of her department's controversial policy requiring medical marijuana patients to relinquish their guns.

Honolulu police Chief Susan Ballard said her department's controversial policy requiring medical marijuana patients to relinquish their guns was wrong.

"It is not illegal to possess the ones you already have," Ballard told the Honolulu Police Commission on Wednesday. "Merely having a medical marijuana card doesn't mean you're using marijuana. We can't prove you're using marijuana. Our practice of having them turn in their firearms was incorrect."

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26 US MD: FAQ: What You Need To Know About Medical Marijuana In MarylandThu, 07 Dec 2017
Source:Baltimore Sun (MD)          Area:Maryland Lines:196 Added:12/07/2017

Medical marijuana is now available in Maryland. Here's what you need to know about it.

Medical marijuana is now available in Maryland, more than four years after the General Assembly passed a law legalizing it.

Standing up the industry -- with growers, processors, dispensaries and doctors -- took longer than expected. The law needed to be tweaked, rules needed to be written and legal battles needed to be fought over who won licenses.

Here's what prospective users need to know about medical marijuana.

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27 US HI: HPD Reviewing Policy On Marijuana And GunsFri, 01 Dec 2017
Source:Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI) Author:Consillio, Kristen Area:Hawaii Lines:94 Added:12/06/2017

The Honolulu Police Department is reviewing a controversial policy that requires legal marijuana patients to turn in their firearms.

The reconsideration follows community backlash since the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported earlier this week that HPD has sent letters to at least 30 medical cannabis users who are permitted gun owners telling them to surrender their firearms.

The new police chief, Susan Ballard, hasn't said what her position is on the issue. HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said Ballard is reviewing the policy.

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28 US OH: Lawsuit Threatens Medical Marijuana TimelineFri, 01 Dec 2017
Source:Blade, The (Toledo, OH) Author:Provance, Jim Area:Ohio Lines:98 Added:12/06/2017

COLUMBUS - One day after Ohio announced its choices for larger growing sites that would fuel a fledgling medical marijuana industry, a legal challenge was announced that could throw a wrench into the works.

Ironically, such a lawsuit would be filed by some of the chief players behind 2015's failed ResponsibleOhio ballot initiative that would have legalized marijuana for both medical and recreational use.

"Whether we end up with a license or we don't end up with a license, that's not what this is about..." said Jimmy Gould, chairman and chief executive of CannAscend Ohio. "I care that this process is broken. I care that there should have been better oversight over this process, and I care where this ends up....

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29 US TX: Editorial: Get The Ball Rolling To Expand Medical Marijuana InFri, 01 Dec 2017
Source:Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX) Author:Christopher, Jared L. Area:Texas Lines:81 Added:12/06/2017

Within weeks an estimated 150,000 Texas patients suffering from untreatable epilepsy will have a new means of relief.

Cannabidiol (CBD), a form of medical marijuana, will finally be delivered to patients who qualify under the state's very strict guidelines. The CBD reduces or halts convulsive epileptic seizures but doesn't get the patients stoned.

Right now, the treatment will be available only for certain epilepsy patients, and it's highly controlled.

We believe availability should be expanded for treatment of other conditions when there's evidence those patients can be helped. We urge state lawmakers to begin work through the political and medical hurdles now so they can make that happen when they meet in 13 months.

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30 US FL: What Is Kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa)?Fri, 01 Dec 2017
Source:Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)          Area:Florida Lines:29 Added:12/06/2017

Kratom is an herb from Southeast Asia related to the coffee family.

For centuries, people have used the kratom plant as a traditional medicine for energy, alertness and pain relief.

It's typically either chewed or dried, ground and ingested in capsule, smoked or served as tea.

The key psychoactive compounds that produce a "kratom high" are mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.

A low kratom dosage produces stimulant effects making people more talkative, alert and energetic, according to a DEA fact sheet. At high doses, kratom users can experience the drug's sedative effects, the report shows.

People can buy kratom online and at head shops, vape shops and more recently at kava bars that serve herbal drinks.

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31 US: Smoked Pot? Want To Go To War? No ProblemSat, 02 Dec 2017
Source:Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)          Area:United States Lines:107 Added:12/06/2017

As more states lessen or eliminate marijuana penalties, the Army is granting hundreds of waivers to enlist people who used the drug in their youth - as long as they realize they can't do so again in the military.

The number of waivers granted by the active-duty Army for marijuana use jumped to more than 500 this year from 191 in 2016. Three years ago, no such waivers were granted. The big increase is just one way officials are dealing with orders to expand the Army's size.

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32 US HI: HPD Won't Take Guns From Medical Marijuana UsersWed, 06 Dec 2017
Source:Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI)          Area:Hawaii Lines:33 Added:12/06/2017

The Honolulu Police Department will not enforce a controversial policy requiring legal marijuana patients to turn in their guns.

The department issued a notice Tuesday, saying it is consulting with other governmental agencies, as well as reviewing recent court rulings regarding the issue. HPD said it will, however, continue to deny new firearm permits to applicants with medical marijuana cards.

"This is a new area of concern for cities across the country, and we in Honolulu want to develop a policy that's legally sound and serves our community," HPD Chief Susan Ballard said in a news release. "Formulating the policy will take time, but we want to do it right."

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33 US CA: Lawmakers Say California's Proposed Marijuana Rules Will HurtTue, 05 Dec 2017
Source:Los Angeles Times (CA) Author:McGreevy, Patrick Area:California Lines:43 Added:12/05/2017

Two legislators called Tuesday for changes to regulations for growing marijuana in California to better protect small family farmers from being driven out of business by big corporate cultivators.

Initial proposals to cap licensed marijuana farms at one to four acres were discarded by the state Department of Food and Agriculture, which has since proposed new rules without any cap, according to a letter of complaint to the agency by State Sen. Mike McGuire (D-San Rafael) and Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg). McGuire and Wood support a one-acre cap.

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34 US OH: UT Researchers Study Effects Of Ecstasy On The BrainMon, 04 Dec 2017
Source:Blade, The (Toledo, OH) Author:Collins, Stuart Area:Ohio Lines:93 Added:12/04/2017

For someone caught up in the heat of the moment at a local dance club or rave scene, taking ecstasy may not seem like a life-changing event. But as studies have shown, this decision may indeed be life-altering.

A frequent consequence of taking ecstasy is a trip to the hospital. This is because the short-term effects of ecstasy can produce life-threatening increases in temperature and heart rate, and hallucinations.

Stuart Collins is a PhD student in the neurosciences and neurological disorders at the University of Toledo college of medicine.

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35 US MD: Maryland, After Delays, Begins The Sale Of Medical MarijuanaFri, 01 Dec 2017
Source:Baltimore Sun (MD)          Area:Maryland Lines:78 Added:12/01/2017

Maryland began the sale of medical marijuana to residents in pain on Friday, ending years of delays by embarking on a program that features some of the most liberal policies in the nation on who can qualify for the prescribed cannabis.

Dozens of people stood outside a licensed dispensary in Montgomery County, Potomac Holistics, where owners began making sales soon after receiving their first shipment Friday afternoon.

"You can tell there's a buzz, and we're excited for so many reasons," Askinazi said. "We're giving care to people who need it."

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36 US NJ: Legislation Calls For 'drugged Drivers' Test If MarijuanaFri, 01 Dec 2017
Source:Herald News (West Paterson, NJ) Author:Westhoven, William Area:New Jersey Lines:105 Added:12/01/2017

Two Republicans representing Morris County in Trenton want to 'put breaks' on legalization of marijuana by governor-elect.

Two Republicans representing Morris County in Trenton are pushing back against the promise by Governor-elect Phil Murphy to sign a bill legalizing marijuana in the first 100 days of his administration.

Murphy and the Democratic majorities in the Senate and Assembly have said they want marijuana legalized in early 2018, which could generate up to $300 million in annual taxes to the state.

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37 US MA: PUB LTE: Congressman Should Lead On MarijuanaTue, 28 Nov 2017
Source:Salem News (MA) Author:Epstein, Steven S. Area:Massachusetts Lines:38 Added:11/29/2017

Last March, I wrote Congressman Seth Moulton asking him to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 975, the "Respect State Marijuana Laws Act." He responded that, "The federal government ought to respect the will of the voters in states like Massachusetts, Colorado and Washington that have approved marijuana legalization."

Yet, instead of signing on as a co-sponsor, he chooses to leave federal enforcement up to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Mr. Sessions understands the proper roles of Congress and his office. He stated at his confirmation hearing, "I think one obvious concern is that the United States Congress made the possession of marijuana in every state and the distribution of it an illegal act. If that's something that's not desired any longer, Congress should pass a law to change the rule. It is not the attorney general's job to decide what laws to enforce. We should do our job and enforce laws effectively as we are able."

By "able," he is referring to budgetary constraints of attempting to enforce federal prohibition of a plant that grows in every state.

Mr. Moulton, leaders lead. Get off the fence and sponsor the legislation.

Steven S. Epstein

West Street Georgetown

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38US CA: Power Broker's Involvement In S.f. Pot Club Hits ResistanceTue, 28 Nov 2017
Source:San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Author:Swan, Rachel Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:11/29/2017

When a rising Chinese American power broker became a partner in a proposed cannabis dispensary in San Francisco's Outer Sunset, he knew it would hit resistance.

But David Ho sees himself as the perfect emissary to the mostly older Chinese residents and merchants who are deeply skeptical of the pot trade.

"I'm the working-class, westside Asian American story," said Ho, who is a co-owner of the Barbary Coast medical cannabis dispensary that has applied to open at 2161 Irving St., on a block lined with grocery stores, dry cleaning shops and banks.

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39US FL: Deland Officer Fired, 2 Others Disciplined Over Missing MethTue, 28 Nov 2017
Source:Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL) Author:Balona, Patricio G. Area:Florida Lines:Excerpt Added:11/29/2017

A DeLand police officer was fired, another suspended without pay and a third reprimanded this month after they lost methamphetamine collected as evidence at a home over the summer, Internal Affairs documents show.

Officers Michael Mirino, John Rutherford and Thomas Gillan responded to a home on July 14 to stand by as members of Probation and Parole searched the Lazy River Lane home of Cameron Rando, 19, who was on probation for grand theft and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling according to reports released this week.

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40 US CA: Extreme Marijuana Use Linked To Vomiting SyndromeTue, 28 Nov 2017
Source:Fresno Bee, The (CA) Author:Bartolone, Pauline Area:California Lines:143 Added:11/29/2017

For 17 years, Chalfonte LeNee Queen suffered periodic episodes of violent retching and abdominal pain that would knock her off her feet for days, sometimes leaving her writhing on the floor in pain.

"I've screamed out for death," said Queen, 48, who lives in San Diego. "I've cried out for my mom who's been dead for 20 years, mentally not realizing she can't come to me."

Queen lost a modeling job after being mistaken for an alcoholic. She racked up tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills, and her nausea interrupted her sex life. Towards the end of her illness, Queen, who stands 5-foot-9, weighed in at a frail 109 pounds.

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41 US: Veterans Are Key As Surge Of States OK Medical Pot For PTSDSun, 26 Nov 2017
Source:Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) Author:Peltz, Jennifer Area:United States Lines:118 Added:11/29/2017

NEW YORK -- It was a telling setting for a decision on whether post-traumatic stress disorder patients could use medical marijuana.

Against the backdrop of the nation's largest Veterans Day parade, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this month he'd sign legislation making New York the latest in a fast-rising tide of states to OK therapeutic pot as a PTSD treatment, though it's illegal under federal law and doesn't boast extensive, conclusive medical research.

Twenty-eight states plus the District of Columbia now include PTSD in their medical marijuana programs, a tally that has more than doubled in the last two years, according to data compiled by the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project. A 29th state, Alaska, doesn't incorporate PTSD in its medical marijuana program but allows everyone over 20 to buy pot legally.

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42US CA: Editorial: A Marijuana Prohibition That Makes SenseSun, 26 Nov 2017
Source:San Francisco Chronicle (CA)          Area:California Lines:Excerpt Added:11/29/2017

There's hardly a more receptive or captive audience for marketing an intoxicant than the beleaguered commuters crowded onto a rush-hour Muni bus (except perhaps the ones packed onto a rush-hour BART train). But unlike many of the dopey regulations proliferating ahead of California's legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes in 2018, Muni's decision to ban cannabis advertising makes sense.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's board voted Tuesday to ban recreational marijuana advertising and stop accepting medical marijuana ads once current contracts expire. The policy is in keeping with Muni's refusal of alcohol, tobacco and firearms advertising in light of the number of children who ride city buses and trains. It's also in line with statewide regulations that prohibit cannabis advertising that targets children or reaches audiences with large numbers of young people.

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43US NJ: Legal Marijuana Could Be Coming Soon To New JerseyFri, 24 Nov 2017
Source:Asbury Park Press (NJ) Author:Nash, James Area:New Jersey Lines:Excerpt Added:11/28/2017

The Garden State could soon become a bit more green.

Proponents of legalized marijuana in New Jersey are lining up in the aftermath of Phil Murphy's election as governor, anticipating no-questions-asked pot sales to adults by late next year with an ally in the governor's office.

Murphy has named the head of a marijuana trade group as his chief of staff, and a new association for marijuana retailers has formed. The governor-elect vowed during his campaign to legalize the drug, and the growing industry is counting on him to quickly make good on the pledge.

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44 US TX: Medical Marijuana Will Be Sold In Texas Before End Of 2017Fri, 24 Nov 2017
Source:Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX) Author:Tinsley, Anna M. Area:Texas Lines:95 Added:11/28/2017

In just a few weeks, medical marijuana will legally be sold in Texas.

The plants are nearly finished growing in South-Central Texas, which means workers will soon harvest and cultivate them, drying them out and preparing to extract low-level cannibidiol.

Once that medicine is in a liquid form, and packaged in drops, the first sales of medical marijuana -- geared to help Texans with intractable epilepsy -- will occur before the end of this year.

"It's very, very exciting," said Jose Hidalgo, chief executive officer of Cansortium Holdings, the Florida-based parent company of Cansortium Texas. "Nothing in life ever goes as planned.

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45 US IN: Indiana Students Say They Caught Teacher Using Cocaine InSat, 25 Nov 2017
Source:Detroit Free Press (MI)          Area:Indiana Lines:39 Added:11/28/2017

An Indiana high school teacher was arrested on drug charges Wednesday after her students said they saw her using cocaine in her classroom.

Lake Central High School junior Will Rogers told WGN9 he shot video of the incident through a classroom window.

"She's in the corner, hiding with a chair and a book and what appears to be cocaine, putting it into lines," Rogers told the TV station. "When I actually watched the footage again and again and I just realized that my english teacher just did cocaine."

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46 US MI: Marijuana Butter Case Tossed Out By Michigan Appeals CourtThu, 23 Nov 2017
Source:Detroit Free Press (MI)          Area:Michigan Lines:49 Added:11/28/2017

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A Michigan judge has thrown out a case against two former corrections officers who lost their jobs after being arrested and charged with possession of marijuana-infused butter.

Michael Frederick and Todd VanDoorne were charged in 2014 following an early-morning, warrant-less search of their homes. Both were registered under the state's medical marijuana law to use the butter to control pain. Police allege they didn't comply with the law. They subsequently lost their jobs in Kent County.

[continues 186 words]

47 US MA: State Pot Commission Aims To Have First Draft Of Rules Set ByTue, 21 Nov 2017
Source:Boston Globe (MA) Author:Adams, Dan Area:Massachusetts Lines:74 Added:11/23/2017

Pot sales are expected to begin around July 1 in Massachusetts.

The Cannabis Control Commission is pushing to write a first draft of new rules permitting the legal sale of marijuana in Massachusetts by the end of the year, setting up a frenetic month that will shape the recreational pot industry.

The commission announced Tuesday that it plans to file initial regulations by Dec. 29. Among numerous details, they will spell out the criteria for winning dispensary licenses, rules for marijuana consumption bars, and a plan for ensuring diversity in the industry.

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48 US NJ: Editorial: Opioid Crisis Outlook Grows More BleakTue, 21 Nov 2017
Source:Herald News (West Paterson, NJ)          Area:New Jersey Lines:71 Added:11/23/2017

In this divided nation, we should be able to at least find common cause in the fight to stop and treat opioid addiction, a scourge that knows no single identity, and that does not respect geographic boundaries or common socio-economic factors. This is a fight we must all take up, arm in arm, because in one way or another it affects all Americans.

Indeed, the more we know about this menace to our national health, the worse it seems. According to a new analysis released by the Trump White House, the opioid addiction crisis may already be much worse than previously thought. According to the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the true cost of the crisis, as of 2015, stands at $504 billion, a figure more than six times the most recent estimate.

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49US WA: Report: Opioid Overdoses Kill Two In Washington Every DayTue, 21 Nov 2017
Source:Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA) Author:Connelly, Joel Area:Washington Lines:Excerpt Added:11/23/2017

Opioid overdoses are killing two people in Washington each day, and Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Tuesday urged legislation that will limit new legal opioid prescriptions and monitor those receiving the drug.

The extent of the state's opioid epidemic was outline in a report released by the AG's office, the Washington State Patrol and the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, detailing its legal and illegal roots.

It urges action on prescription opioids, "often the source of initial exposure to opioids."

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50 US MA: Mass. Marijuana Board Moving Toward First Draft Of RegsTue, 21 Nov 2017
Source:Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) Author:Young, Colin A. Area:Massachusetts Lines:116 Added:11/23/2017

BOSTON - Genuine debate on marijuana policy and how the legal pot industry should look in Massachusetts is likely coming from the Cannabis Control Commission during the middle two weeks of December, which are shaping up to be the CCC's busiest yet as the agency tries to file the first draft of its regulations by Dec. 29.

The CCC has tentatively penciled in public meetings for policy discussion and debate on the draft regulations each day of the week of Dec. 11, chairman Steven Hoffman said Tuesday. The following week will begin with three days of private stakeholder meetings and then at least one public meeting for the CCC to vote on acceptance of the draft regulations.

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