A federal judge will hear arguments from several high-profiled doctors in California next week on why the government should consider dropping their failed war on cannabis.
Their main point: scientific evidence shows that marijuana is not the harmful drug the feds say it is and cannabis has no place on the list of Schedule I substances like heroin and LSD.
Last time we checked, cannabis was still a Schedule I narcotic in Minnesota. Why? Because, according to the statute, it has, like heroin, “A high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.”
At least the last of those two is false. Minnesota is in the midst of establishing a medical cannabis program and 21 other states, plus D.C., have their own on the books. Other states, like Utah, allow for the use of CBD-rich oil to treat certain ailments.
Las Vegas city leaders could give the final nod for medical pot dispensaries to begin operating in the city by next week, though at least one councilmember says they should wait for further guidance from the state.
Sorry, Pennsylvanians in need of pain relief, suffering from seizures, wasting away from chronic nausea and dying of cancer or AIDS, you’re going to wait until next year at least for your state to allow you to access medical cannabis.
The State House of Representatives yesterday made it clear they aren’t going to vote on a medical marijuana proposal that has already been approved by the state Senate. House leaders say they have too many issues with the bill and need to hold hearings to iron things out – things they can’t accomplish by the end of today, when the legislature adjourns.
In August, recreational cannabis sales outpaced medical sales in Colorado for the second month in a row, with rec topping medical by about $730,000 en route to total sales of $32,999,068. All told, the state saw more than $65 million in pot sold in August. That beat the old record by about $4 million.
From those sales, the state collected $935,807 in medical pot sales taxes and $4.26 million in recreational pot sales tax in August. That brings the total sales tax revenue from recreational sales to more than $22 million so far this year.
| Flickr/perthhdproductions |
A new study from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance shows that people who had THC in their systems at the time that they suffered a traumatic brain injury were significantly more likely to survive the trauma. One of the study’s authors, surgeon Brian Nguyen, says that the results show yet again that the federal government should loosen the rules that restrict scientists and doctors from studying the effects of cannabis.
“There are medical benefits to marijuana that aren’t as robustly studied,” he says. “Further research needs to be done on this controversial compound.”
The election is exactly one month away, which means it’s time to crank things up to 11 to get people informed and involved. With that firmly the quest, United for Care has been hitting the road throughout Florida, holding rallies and garnering support for Amendment 2.
And the rally will be making its way to Broward and Palm Beach Today. There will be four events — student rallies, speeches, forums, and town-hall discussions — spread throughout the day.
Washington D.C. decriminalized cannabis last month in an effort to stop the criminalization of D.C. residents who get stuck with pot charges that follow them for life. That is great news for anyone caught going forward, but it left a huge group of people in the dark: those caught with one ounce or less prior to the law passing.
But councilmember David Grosso is working to change that. Under a proposal originally filed by Grosso last fall, criminal records for D.C. residents previously caught with an ounce or less will have their records sealed so long as the charges weren’t in relation to any violent crimes.
The Marijuana Enforcement Division has approved an updated set of rules for the recreational and medical marijuana industries. Many of the changes appear to be procedural and mostly clarify existing processes for things like converting a medical dispensary to a recreational or dual-use shop.
The timing was key, as new recreational marijuana producers can begin selling their own cannabis. And as of October 1, grows no longer need to be directly tied to a specific recreational dispensary — meaning they can wholesale to any state-licensed entity.
The Rocky Mountain Hemp Association is a non-profit that works as an advocate for the hemp industry in Colorado, with particular emphasis on the actual growth of the plant on farms. So it is especially fitting that it is raising money by auctioning a guitar autographed by Willie Nelson: Noted advocate of both farms and hemp (and its byproducts).
The guitar went on the market last week. The bidding is up to $2,000, and the estimated value has been set at $10,000. You have fifteen days, if you’re so inclined.