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Browsing: Medical

Pot Collectives: Road To The Future Or Path To Frustration?

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By on Dispensaries, Medical

Photo: Humboldt County News

​Exclusive Interview: Humboldt County Growers Find Collectives Bring Complications
By Jack Rikess
Toke of the Town
Northern California Correspondent
“It seemed so much easier when it was illegal,” my knowledgeable friend told me candidly. “You basically had to hide what you were doing and find your own way to get your crop to market. Trying to do this legally with others and letting the government and the law in? It’s a headache.”
Toke of the Town spoke with a grower in Humboldt County who, along with others, has taken the steps to establish a farmer’s collective, primarily a way to come out of the shadows legally in an effort to develop safe and fair practices for the distribution of marijuana.
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Illinois House Defeats Medical Marijuana Legalization

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By on Legislation, Medical

Graphic: The Fresh Scent

​The Illinois House on Tuesday defeated a measure that would have made Illinois the 16th state to allow patients to use medical marijuana with a doctor’s approval.

The medical marijuana bill got 53 votes, but needed  60 to pass, report Ray Long and Monique Garcia at the Chicago Tribune. Voting against the bill were 59 lawmakers, and one voted “Present.”
The measure was aimed at helping people with cancer, AIDS and other illnesses have a better quality of life, particularly after doctors have tried multiple medications that have not helped, according to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie).
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Montel To Illinois Lawmakers: Legalize Medical Marijuana Now

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By on Legislation, Medical

Photo: Marijuana Policy Project
Montel Williams: “Illinois lawmakers should act without delay to make marijuana legally available for medical use”

​Former talk show host Montel Williams will meet with members of the Illinois House of Representatives on Tuesday to urge them to vote in favor of SB 1381, a bill that would make Illinois the 16th state to allow chronically ill patients to use marijuana legally with the recommendation of their doctor.

The Illinois Senate passed the bill — which would create one of the most tightly regulated medical marijuana programs in the country — last year.
Williams, a former U.S. Navy officer, uses medical marijuana to help ease the effects of multiple sclerosis.
“Illinois lawmakers should act without delay to make marijuana legally available for medical use,” Williams said, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. “Every day that they delay is another one of needless suffering for patients like me all across the state.”
“Fifteen other states have already passed medical marijuana laws, and Illinois’s lawmakers now have an opportunity to ensure that those suffering in their state will be treated with the same compassionate care,” Williams said.
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Medical Marijuana Advocates Claim Victory In Cali AG Race

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By on Medical, News

Graphic: NotCooley.com

​You Lost, Cooley.

k, thanx, bye

Medical marijuana patient advocates finally exhaled Wednesday as Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley acknowledged defeat in his bid for California Attorney General.
Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a medical marijuana advocacy organization, partnered with the American Cannabis Research Institute (ACRI) to strongly oppose Cooley’s campaign with a website, NotCooley.com, as well as video clips indicating how Cooley was bad for medical cannabis, the environment, and marriage equality.
“A defeat for Steve Cooley is a tremendous victory for patients,” said ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer. “Not only will we have an ally in Kamala Harris to be able to advance civil rights protections for patients, but we have also shown that medical marijuana advocates are a powerful political force.”
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Search Of Med Pot Business Finds Blank, Signed Authorizations

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By on Medical, News

Photo: Michael Gallacher/Missoulian
Jason Christ, founder of Montana Caregivers Network, fires up a bowl

​Police who searched the Montana medical marijuana business run by Jason Christ last week claim they found 729 physician-signed medical marijuana recommendation forms with no patient information filled in.

Law enforcement also seized a laptop computer and other documents last Thursday during a search of the Montana Caregivers Network, which is run by Christ, reports Gwen Florio at The Missoulian.
Several former MCN employees told authorities that Christ kept such pre-signed patient forms, and law enforcement officers who searched the business last week did so based on those allegations, among others.
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70-Year-Old Cancer Patient Punished For Legal Medical Pot

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By on Medical, News

Photo: Santa Fe Reporter
Robert Jones: “I certainly am not engaged in drug-related criminal activity”

​A hearing officer on Wednesday will take up the case of a 70-year-old New Mexico cancer patient who lost his federal housing subsidy because he legally uses medical marijuana.

Robert Jones, who joined New Mexico’s medical marijuana program in October 2008 when he was diagnosed with cancer, is appealing San Miguel County’s decision to revoke the subsidy, reports The Associated Press. Jones, a retired political consultant, said he told county housing authority officials that he used marijuana medically before signing a statement agreeing not to “participate in drug-related criminal activity.”
“I wanted to make sure they didn’t think that was criminal,” Jones said. “They said, “No, no, Mr. Jones, that’s fine.”
But apparently it wasn’t so “fine,” after all. On October 12 the housing authority sent Jones a letter telling him that he’d be dropped from the housing program as of November 30.
Although medical marijuana is legal in New Mexico, it’s illegal for any purpose under federal law, and his use violated the rule against “drug-related criminal activity,” the letter claimed.
“I certainly am not engaged in drug-related criminal activity,” Jones said.
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Medical Marijuana Industry Forming First Trade Association

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By on Dispensaries, Medical, News

Graphic: NCIA

​With growing financial clout and an eye on expanding to more states beyond the 15 that have already legalized medicinal cannabis, leaders of the medical marijuana industry are forming a national trade association.

While there are smaller, local trade groups, organizers said this will be the first business organization working on the national level, reports Dan Frosch at The New York Times.
Organizers of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) said it is the first national trade group representing the interests of the cannabis industry and its consumers. More than 20 professionals from various sectors of the marijuana industry make up the initial board of directors of NCIA, which organizers said was formed with the express purpose of improving business conditions for the industry.
Based in Washington, D.C., the group will focus mainly on lobbying, but will also help medical marijuana businesses navigate the labyrinth of laws that differ depending on state, county, and city.
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Medical Marijuana Caregivers Form Trade Group In Maine

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By on Dispensaries, Medical

Graphic: Maine Marijuana Policy Initiative
About 100 of the state’s 500 caregivers have already joined the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine trade group.

​Medical marijuana patients looking for information about the state’s new dispensary law, or checking out options on getting their medicine have a new resource: the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine, a trade association that plans to adopt cultivation standards, keep prices low and advocate for safe access in the Legislature.

None of Maine’s eight licensed dispensaries has opened yet, reports Susan Sharon at The Maine Public Broadcasting Network. But according to the Department of Health and Human Services, about 100 medical marijuana patients have registered with the state and another 100 are in the process.
Hundreds more patients are expected to sign up by year-end, according to Jonathan Leavitt, board chairman of Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine.
“Realistically the number probably is somewhere between 750 to 1,250 qualified patients in this state,” Leavitt said. “And I think those numbers will bear out by the end of the year when people are actually required to register.”
Many patients will soon access their medicinal cannabis at one of the eight new dispensaries allowed after Maine voters expanded the state’s decade-old medical marijuana law. But for those who prefer anonymity, getting marijuana through a licensed caregiver is another option.
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DEA Nominee Promises To Ignore State Medical Marijuana Laws

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By on Dispensaries, Medical, News

Photo: Freedom To Exhale

​“If confirmed as administrator, we would continue to enforce the federal drug laws.“

~ Michelle Leonhart, November 17, 2010

It’s not looking good for marijuana advocates after day one of the Senate confirmation process for Michelle Leonhart, President Obama’s nominee to head the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Acting DEA director Leonhart is nominated to officially fill the position she’s already held for three years, and after being prodded by reactionary Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, she had no compunctions about pledging to continue to enforce federal drug laws in states where medical marijuana is legal.
Such a pledge is remarkable in view of the fact that just last year, the Justice Department issued a memo instructing federal attorneys to back off on enforcement against medical marijuana patients and providers who are following their state laws.
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Sheriff Investigating Theft Of $15,000 Worth Of Marijuana

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By on Growing, Medical, News

Photo: Gallatin County, Montana
Sheriff Jim Cashell: The case is being investigated and detectives “may have some leads”

​About $15,000 worth of cannabis was stolen from a medical marijuana grower’s building Sunday night near Bozeman, Montana, Gallatin County Sheriff Jim Cashell said Tuesday.

The building, in the town of Four Corners, was damaged during the break-in, although law enforcement declined to discuss details, reports Jodi Hausen at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
This is the second time in two weeks the business had been burglarized, Sheriff Cashell said. He did not have any details about the first burglary.
The case is being investigated and detectives “may have some leads,” according to the Sheriff.
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