South Carolina is the latest state to move forward with legislation that would allow children to access high-CBD oils to help control major seizure disorders. Or, at least that’s what lawmakers would like their constituents to believe. The reality is that they are wasting their time on a bill that won’t help anyone and gives false hope to suffering South Carolina families.
A new report published in the medical journal Neurology proves what thousands of multiple sclerosis patients already know: cannabis can help considerably alleviate some of the symptoms of MS. And actually, that’s exactly what Dr. Pushpa Narayanaswami, lead researcher on the report, says got him interested in the plant in the first place. The report is meant to be a guideline for physicians with patients seeking alternative treatments.
Mason Tvert, founder of SAFER and father of Amendment 64, showed up outside the Colorado Governor’s mansion last Friday to call Governor John Hickenlooper a hypocrite for installing craft-beer taps there and turning it into Colorado’s version of Animal House.
But while Tvert’s protest outfit — a bed-sheet toga — was intentional — he swears the timing was a coincidence. After all, the members of the Colorado Brewers Guild who paid for the tap system and the governor himself weren’t showing up until 6 p.m., so Tvert was all alone except for a few cameras. Denver Westword has more.
| Flickr/Anupam Kamal |
A St. Louis Metropolitan Police officer with three years on the force shot a robbery suspect during a foot chase Thursday night near Fairground Park, striking him in the thigh.
Turns out, suspect Keon Davis wasn’t involved in the robbery police were investigating. But a department-issued bullet in the leg didn’t stop the Circuit Attorney’s Office from charging the seventeen-year-old with unlawful use of a weapon, possession of up to 35 grams of marijuana and resisting arrest.
| VoteKaleka.org |
| Amardeep Singh Kaleka |
Amardeep Singh Kaleka didn’t see politics in his future five years ago, nor did the Indian-American filmmaker think he would become a face for the compassionate use of cannabis. The Wisconsin-raised Kaleka instead was focusing on an Emmy-award winning career. But all of that changed in 2012 when his father, founder of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, was gunned down along with five others by a white supremacist that had entered the temple apparently in an attempt to start a holy war.
In his grief, Kaleka – living in California at the time – turned to medical cannabis to help his anxiety, panic-attacks and complete lack of appetite that comes with the tragic loss of a loved one.
The language of an Arkansas ballot initiative that would legalize limited cannabis use, sales and cultivation was shot down by Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel for being to ambiguous this week, forcing supporters back to the drawing board. Read the entire proposal below.
| New Jersey state Sen. Nicholas Scutari. |
New Jersey is wasting millions of dollars on the enforcement marijuana laws and blowing millions in tax revenue that could be generated if the plant was taxed and regulated. Because of that, New Jersey state Sen. Nicholas Scutari says that New Jersey should follow the lead of Colorado and legalize the use, sales and cultivation of limited amounts of cannabis for adults 21 and up.
Of course, as long as Chris “Tollbooth” Christie is in office, actually getting the measure passed and signed into law is a very long shot.
| Zander Welton. |
In a ruling with wide impact on the Arizona medical-marijuana program, Zander Welton and his family have won their battle to provide extracts to the boy for his seizures.
The East Valley family sued on October 29 in Maricopa County Superior Court, receiving legal help from the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, after threats of possible felony prosecution by County Attorney Bill Montgomery.
Judge Katherine Cooper sets Montgomery straight in a ruling filed on Friday, telling him and the state plaintiffs that the Arizona Medical Marijuana Law “authorizes qualifying patients to use extracts, including CBD oil, prepared from the marijuana plant.”
All signs point toward Floridians approving a medical marijuana proposal on November’s ballot, but the legislature could ease the Sunshine State toward some legalized pot all on their own during this month’s session.
One measure, which would kick start research funding into medical marijuana and legalize a non-euphoric strain for epilepsy patients, passed through a House committee with no opposition last week.
Miami New Times has the full story.
| Levi Welton. |
Was marijuana a contributing factor in the death of two-year-old Coloradan Levi Welton earlier this year?
Expect this to be among the arguments made against his parents, Julia and Chris Welton. More than two months after Levi died following a fire in the family’s Sterling, Colorado home, his mother and father have been accused of negligent child abuse resulting in death, among other charges — and pot smoking appears to be central to the case against them.