News

Study: Marijuana Makes Bipolar Patients Smarter

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 15, 2010 Medical, News

Can marijuana actually make you smarter? Well, yeah, probably so, man. But if you’re bipolar, you now have some actual scientific research to back you up in that belief.

A recent study suggests that some patients with bipolar disorder who use marijuana actually performed better on certain tests involving cognitive functioning, reports Jessica Ward Jones, M.D., at PsychCentral.

Dr. Ole Andreassen of Oslo University Hospital in Norway studied 133 patients with bipolar disorder and 140 with schizophrenia. The patients were questioned about prior drug use; over the previous six months, 18 bipolar patients and 23 schizophrenia patients had used marijuana.

All of the participants then underwent several tests to assess neurocognitive function, including the logical memory test, the color-word interference set-shifting subset test, the digit span forward test, the verbal fluency test, and learning tests.

Woman Taped At Medical Marijuana Clinic; Sues Doctor

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 15, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: Andreas Fuhrmann/The Redding Record Searchlight

Dr. Cristal Speller, left, in the consultation with Tawnya McKee which resulted in a lawsuit

A Redding, California woman has sued a medical marijuana doctor, alleging the physician allowed a newspaper reporter to secretly interview and videotape her during a consultation in which she sought authorization to use cannabis.

The allegations are denied by both the newspaper, which wasn’t sued, and the doctor’s attorney, reports Ryan Sabalow at The Redding Record Searchlight.

Tawnya McKee alleges in a lawsuit filed late last month that on September 11, 2009, she went in Dr. Cristal Speller’s Natural Care for Wellness clinic in Redding.

Marijuana Legalization Measure Gets Big Union Endorsement

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 15, 2010 Legislation, News

Graphic: Labor Relations Institute, Inc.

California’s Proposition 19, the marijuana legalization initiative that will appear on November’s ballot, got a big boost Wednesday as it won the endorsement of the council which oversees the political work of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union in the state.

“I’m expecting to garner the endorsements of most of the major unions in California over the next several weeks,” said Dan Rush, who oversees special operations for the UFCW, Local 5, and has pushed efforts to gain union support for the measure, reports John Hoeffel of the Los Angeles Times.

Court Advisor Claims Dutch Cannabis Ban Justified For Tourists

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 15, 2010 Global, News

Photo: Briarpatch

It’s not going to be Easy Going for you if you want to buy hash at this coffee shop — unless you’re Dutch.

The Netherlands can ban over-the counter sales of marijuana in Dutch “coffee shops” to nonresidents to end drug tourism from other countries, a senior advisor to the European Union high court said Thursday, reports The Associated Press.

The advisor, Yves Bot, senselessly claimed a Dutch city’s ban on foreign customers in the shops is a “lawful and necessary measure” to cut crime and keep the peace, reports Stephanie Bodoni at Bloomberg.

“As drug tourism represents a genuine and sufficiently serious threat to public order in Maastricht, the exclusion of non-residents from coffee shops” is a “necessary” way of protecting residents, Bot said.

Montana Medical Marijuana Advocate Arrested

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 14, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: Missoula Independent

Jason Christ of the Montana Caregivers Network was arrested Monday afternoon.

Montana medical marijuana advocate Jason Christ, the polarizing founder of Montana Caregivers Network, was arrested in Missoula late Monday afternoon and charged with disorderly conduct and criminal mischief, both misdemeanors, reports Matthew Frank at the Missoula Independent.

“The incident that occurred was about marijuana, but his charges were not related to marijuana, if that makes sense,” said Sgt. Bob Bouchee of the Missoula Police Department.

Poll: Most New Yorkers Want To Legalize Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 14, 2010 Medical, News

Photo: Polls Boutique

A new poll has found that a solid majority of New Yorkers — more than 60 percent — are in favor of legalizing marijuana for medical uses.

According to the Cornell University Survey Research Institute poll, there is a marked difference between Democrats and unaffiliated voters on one side and Republicans on the other. Among Democrats, 66 percent support medical legalization, as do 68 percent of independents, reports Cara Matthews at LoHud.com.

But a plurality of Republicans — 48 percent — are against medical marijuana legalization.

Two Charged In Daycare Marijuana Growing Operation

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 14, 2010 Growing, News

Photo: KBOI

Police in Suffolk, Virgina have charged two adults in Friday’s discovery of an alleged marijuana growing operation in a home that doubles as a children’s daycare center.

Warrants for possession of marijuana were served Tuesday for Michael R. Cabrera, 26, and Angie M. Cabrera, 25, of Suffolk, reports Tracy Agnew at the Suffolk News-Herald.

Police answered a domestic disturbance call about 8 p.m. Friday in the Hillpoint neighborhood, according to city spokeswoman Debbie George.

MT: Pot Dispensary Applications Exceed Cap In Just One Day

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 14, 2010 Dispensaries, News

Graphic: KXLF

It took only one day after a cap was proposed for the number of medical marijuana dispensary applicants to exceed the number of available slots in Bozeman, Montana.

Eight medical marijuana providers applied Tuesday for licenses to do business in Bozeman, leaving the city with one more application than the 32-dispensary cap the City Commission has proposed.

“It’s too early to know what the final end game is because we’ll have to see what happens with those applications,” said Commissioner Chris Mehl on Tuesday afternoon, reports Amanda Ricker at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

If the city ends up with too many people competing for not enough dispensary licenses, “We’ll have to deal with that if and when it happens,” Mehl said.

Michigan’s Silverdome Slated For Major Marijuana Event

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 14, 2010 News, Products

Photo: ArchiThings

The Silverdome, in Pontiac, Michigan, is scheduled to host a marijuana expo on Halloween weekend. Organizer Bruce Perlowin said he expects 100,000 visitors.

What is being called “the largest cannabis/wellness event ever held in the Midwest” has been scheduled for Halloween weekend in Pontiac, Michigan, at the renowned Silverdome, according to Medical Marijuana Inc.

“The sheer size of the Pontiac Silverdome will allow for the sale of hundreds of exhibitor booths, a hundred thousand visitors and live band performances,” said Bruce Perlowin, the CEO of MJNA.

According to Perlowin, the experience his company has gained from the past year of doing small educational seminars has prepared MJNA to roll out large scale expos throughout the United States.

Cops, Judge Sign Pro-Legalization Ballot Argument For Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on July 13, 2010 Legislation, News

Photo: Judge Jim Gray

Judge James Gray: “We need a common sense approach to control marijuana”

A retired Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief, a previous San Jose chief of police and a former superior court judge from Orange County have all signed the official ballot argument in favor of Proposition 19, California’s statewide measure to legalize, tax and control marijuana.

“Outlawing marijuana hasn’t stopped 100 million Americans from trying it,” says the pro-legalization ballot argument from the veteran law enforcers. “But we can control it, make it harder for kids to get, weaken the cartels, focus police resources on violent crime and generate billions in revenue and savings.”

“We need a common sense approach to control marijuana,” the argument reads.

The signers, Los Angeles Deputy Chief of Police Stephen Downing (Ret.), San Jose Chief of Police Joseph McNamara (Ret.) and Judge James Gray (Ret.) are all members of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an international organization of police, prosecutors and judges who are working to change failed marijuana laws.

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