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N.J. Medical Marijuana Rules Called “Kafkaesque” By Advocates

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 13, 2010 Legislation, Medical, News

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie claims he’s trying to ensure that medical marijuana will be used only by approved patients, and “won’t become as easily accessible for recreational use in the Garden State as it has in California and Colorado.”

But on Monday, state senators, led by Sen. Nick Scutari, will vote on a resolution which would require the Department of Health and Senior Services to nullify Gov. Christie’s proposed rules and make the regulations more patient-friendly.

None of the governor’s concerns about other states’ leniency regarding medical marijuana have anything to do with New Jersey’s law, according to registered nurse Ken Wolski, executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ).

“We think he’s absolutely wrong in comparing the programs,” Wolski told Erika Bleiberg of Baristanet. “The law itself has safeguards to protect New Jersey from the excesses that occur in California and Colorado.”

THC Reduces Aggressive Behavior In Schizophrenics: Study

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 10, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: TalkTalk

The administration of oral synthetic THC is associated with improved symptoms of psychosis in patients with refractory schizophrenia, according to the findings of four case reports published in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Investigators at the Rockland Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, New York, the Columbia University Medical Center, and the New York University School of Medicine assessed the efficacy of oral THC (Dronabinol) on eight patients with refractory psychosis, reports the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). The subjects in the trial had a history of symptomatic improvement when using cannabis and had been unresponsive to conventional medical treatments.

Proposed Medical Marijuana Database Worries Some Patients

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 9, 2010 Legislation, Medical, News

Graphic: Blogzilla

It looks as if Colorado’s medical marijuana grow rooms and dispensaries will soon have live cameras with state employees watching on the other end. But that’s not the worst of it, according to some patient advocates.

One item among the 90-something pages of regulations and procedures for Colorado’s medical cannabis industry unveiled this week by the Department of Revenue is making some patients particularly nervous — the plan for a massive new database of patients who enroll in the Medical Marijuana Registry. The list will be available around the clock to law enforcement agencies.

Currently, the registry is maintained by the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, reports Greg Campbell at Face The State, and it can only be accessed by police officers when they need to confirm the enrollment status of a person in custody.

New Poll Shows 65% National Support For Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 8, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: KEZI

A national poll conducted by the University of Iowa shows overwhelming support to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, but broad opposition to recreational use.

The poll, released December 7, showed 65 percent of adults — almost two-thirds — favor legalizing medicinal cannabis, while just 30 percent favored legalization for recreational purposes, reports Cindy Hadish at KCRG-TV.

“Medical marijuana is becoming a less controversial issue for Americans,” said Amanda Keller, UI graduate assistant for the Hawkeye Poll Cooperative and for the independent study class that conducted the poll. “We see quite a bit of support.”

Medical Marijuana Expo Coming To Arizona In April

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 6, 2010 Medical, Products

Graphic: Green Relief Medical Marijuana Convention

It’s coming to Glendale, Arizona, April 14, 15 and 16, 2011

It’s only been a month since Arizonans voted to legalize medical marijuana in the Grand Canyon State, but positive economic effects are already being felt. The Green Relief Medical Marijuana Convention & Expo is coming to Glendale, Ariz., April 14 through 16, 2011.

“Since Arizona voters passed Prop 203 in November, businesses have been scrambling to take advantage of the opportunities medical marijuana offers,” said Rick Ells, co-founder of Big Truck Media Group, which is overseeing the show.

Presidential Hopeful Gary Johnson: I Smoked Pot 2005-2008

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 6, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: Steve Elliott/Reality Catcher

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson at Portland Hempstalk 2010 in September

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a likely 2012 Republican presidential candidate, is already known as a supporter of cannabis legalization, and has said he smoked pot during his youth. “I never exhaled,” he joked recently. But now Johnson has admitted publicly for the first time that he smoked marijuana more recently — from 2005 to 2008 — for medicinal purposes.

“It’s not anything I volunteer, but you’re the only person that actually asked about it,” Johnson told reporter John McCormack of The Weekly Standard. “But for luck, I guess, I wasn’t arrested,” said Johnson, who was Governor of New Mexico from 1994 to 2002.

Although marijuana was illegal for medical or any other purposes in New Mexico until 2007, Johnson said he needed cannabis after a 2005 paragliding accident in Hawaii. His sails got snared in a tree, and Johnson fell about 50 feet to the ground, he said, suffering multiple bone fractures.

“In my human experience, it’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt,” Johnson said.

“Rather than using painkillers, which I have used on occasion before, I did smoke pot,” Johnson said, “as a result of having broken my back, blowing out both of my knees, breaking ribs, really taking about three years to recover.”

Cannabis Trade Association Formed In Washington

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 3, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: Cannabis Fantastic

In a sure sign of the growing public acceptance of the medical marijuana industry in Washington State, two dozen members of the community have joined forces to create the Washington Cannabis Association.

The new trade group said in a statement that it “intends to be an active participant in shaping forthcoming legislation to reform Washington State’s medical cannabis law […] and to give the industry a public face as it seeks to provide safe, consistent access to medicine for qualifying legitimate medical patients in Washington State.”

“The medical cannabis industry has matured dramatically over the past year, and our new Washington Cannabis Association is proof,” said Philip Dawdy, WCA’s media director.

“The WCA is putting all of its resources into fixing our state’s vague laws governing how patients can get their medicine,” Dawdy said. “Patients are better served and our communities are safer when there are regulated and licensed operations which monitor quality and adherence to state laws while serving patients.”

Patient Advocates Protest LA County Marijuana Dispensary Ban

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 2, 2010 Dispensaries, Medical

Photo: Natl NORML

Don Duncan, ASA: “It’s not acceptable to marginalize the patient community in Los Angeles and deprive them of access to this important medication”

In a move called unnecessary and hurtful by patient advocates, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to take a final vote Tuesday on an ordinance that would ban medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas of the county, rescinding dispensary regulations adopted by the board in 2006.

Members of the medical marijuana community, frustrated by the imminent passage of a ban on access to their medication, are planning to protest the board’s vote on Tuesday. They hope to draw attention not only to the need for access in unincorporated areas of L.A. County, but also a failure by the board to provide sufficient cause to rescind its existing regulatory ordinance.

Workplace Battles Coming For Arizona Medical Marijuana Law

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 1, 2010 Legislation, Medical

Photo: Arizona Capitol Times

Perhaps inspired by the plight of employees such as Joseph Casias, a Michigan Wal-Mart worker who was fired for legally using pot for medicinal purposes, Arizona’s new medical marijuana law prohibits employers from discriminating against medical marijuana cardholders.

But zero tolerance of “drug use” is the workplace norm in the state, and some say the new law clouds what had been a clear-cut issue for workers and employers.

Employment attorneys say the new Arizona law does allow employers to fire or discipline workers who use medical marijuana on t he job, or whose work is impaired by pot, reports Jahna Berry at The Arizona Republic.

But important questions remain. If a supervisor suspects that a medical marijuana patient’s pot use affects the quality of his or her work, how should they respond? If employees who are medical marijuana patients get injured on the job are they eligible for worker’s compensation? And what happens if a legal medical marijuana patient fails a company’s drug test when applying for a position?

ACLU Sues Michigan Cities That Have Banned Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 1, 2010 Medical, News

Graphic: WWJ

Saying the rights of patients are endangered, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan on Wednesday filed lawsuits against three metro Detroit communities that have passed ordinances banning medical marijuana.

The ACLU filed the suit against the cities of Livonia, Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills on behalf of a Birmingham couple who want to use medical marijuana in their home, take it to private clubs in Bloomfield Hills and grow it in the husband’s warehouse in Livonia, reports Bill Laitner of the Detroit Free Press.

The suit, filed on behalf of Linda and Robert Lott of Birmingham, alleges that the three cities have each adopted ordinances that effectively ban the couple and other patients from legally using medical marijuana as overwhelmingly approved by 63 percent of Michigan voters in 2008, reports RoNeisha Mullen of The Detroit News.

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