BY SENATOR MARK HUTCHISON

Senator Mark Hutchison
 
Medical Marijuana occupied substantial time and energy during the 77th Legislature in the form of Senate Bill 374. Governor Brian Sandoval signed SB 374 on June 12, 2013, and with the stroke of a pen created the framework for some new and unique business establishments in Nevada. Beginning New Years Day 2014, companies may begin servicing patients who are legally authorized to consume marijuana for medicinal purposes in treating health ailments. SB 374 authorizes medical marijuana dispensaries, cultivating facilities, marijuana-infused and edible products, and independent testing laboratories. These are known as medical marijuana establishments (“MMEs”) under the law
 
Full Article:
http://www.nevadabusiness.com/2013/07/the-new-business-of-medical-marijuana-in-nevada/

By Stephen C. Webster

 
A Pennsylvania woman whose infant daughter was taken away from her by state authorities when she was just three days old, all due to a false positive on a drug test, won a $143,500 settlement Tuesday.
 
Full Article:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/03/mom-settles-for-143000-after-infant-taken-away-over-faulty-drug-test/

By LAUREN GAMBINO  Associated Press
 
SALEM, Oregon — The state Senate has approved a bill that would legalize and license medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon.
The bill passed 18-12 Wednesday. It now goes to the House, which approved an earlier version of the bill but must agree to the Senate’s changes.
 
Full Article:
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/db101159170f42b3b4418f625be5dbe7/OR-XGR–Medical-Marijuana-Dispensaries

David Downs

Medical cannabis in a display case at Harborside Health Center in Oakland
 
The feds just got dealt a major blow in their fight to seize the property of the world’s largest lawful medical cannabis dispensary, Harborside Health Center in Oakland.
According to US Court records for the Northern District, Judge Maria-Elena James granted a motion to stay by the City of Oakland that effectively delays the feds’ case against Harborside for more than fifteen months.
 
Full Article:
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/LegalizationNation/archives/2013/07/03/oakland-wins-harborside-open-another-15-months-at-least

April 2013 research published by Trends in Pharmacological Sciences supports such a thesis. The abstract for “The endocannabinoid signaling system in cancer” notes: “The endocannabinoid system, comprising lipid-derived endocannabinoids, their G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), and the enzymes for their metabolism, is emerging as a promising therapeutic target in cancer.”
 
Full Article:
http://rockrivertimes.com/2013/07/03/%E2%80%98cannabis-papers%E2%80%99-author-time-to-talk-about-cancer-and-cannabis/

The Huffington Post  |  By Nick Wing
 
Starting Monday, Vermonters will not be arrested for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana.
The decriminalization law, signed by Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) last month, will remove criminal penalties on small amounts of cannabis and replace them with civil fines.
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/01/vermont-marijuana-decriminalization_n_3529294.html

by Joseph S. Diedrich
Photo: wikimedia
 
Wisconsin has a rich history in hemp cultivation. The state’s soil and climate are ideal for the growth of the crop. Unfortunately, due to federal regulation, hemp cannot be grown in the state, or in any other state.
Hemp was first planted in Wisconsin in 1908. Over the next four decades, the state’s fertile south-central region proved to be a favorable location for cultivation. For many years, Wisconsin stood behind only Kentucky in terms of hemp acreage.
Granted, much of the production of hemp in the twentieth century was dedicated to wartime use. The military employed hemp for a variety of purposes in both World Wars. L.H. Dewey of the USDA once stated that, “Wisconsin hemp is now used in sewing the shoes worn by American soldiers and hemp fiber is at the present time the only suitable fiber available in sufficient quantities for this purpose. It is also used as cordage in ship building, and hemp tow is the best available material for calking vessels.”
 
Full Article:
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/business-living/2013/jun/30/hemp-wisconsin/#ixzz2Y1oKwLbQ

The Associated Press
 
St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson has reversed course and will allow a veteran officer to moonlight as a lobbyist for a pro-marijuana organization.
 
Full Article:
http://www.abc17news.com/missouri-news/Officer-gets-OK-to-lobby-for-pro-marijuana-group/-/18421156/20821738/-/7yvfjl/-/index.html

Jake Ellison

A young, well educated lawyer named Andreas smokes a marijuana joint at an outdoor cafe in 2001 in Berlin, Germany.
 
In a large national study of drug use in Ireland and Northern Ireland, researchers for the state found many of the patterns of marijuana use that we’ve come to expect:

• More men than women use it
• It’s the most used illegal drug
• It’s easy to get
• … and a significant portion of the population used it at least once (25 percent in Ireland and 42.9 percent in the US).

Then came the surprise: “Rates were highest among people who were still in education over the age of 20 and lowest among those who left education before the age of 15,” reports the Independent.
The Irish Examiner added this factoid from the survey: “Rates for lifetime cannabis use were highest among professionals and managers, and lowest among the semi-skilled and unskilled.”
 
Full Article:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2013/07/03/a-predictor-of-marijuana-use-higher-education/

Morgan CJ, Das RK, Joye A, Curran HV, Kamboj SK.

Abstract