By Yvonne Wingett SanchezThe Republic | azcentral.com
In a very different kind of Memorial Day deal, a Phoenix business celebrated its grand opening by giving veterans deep discounts.
On medical marijuana.
Phoenix Relief Center, a medical-marijuana dispensary tucked into a shopping center at 35th and Southern avenues, sold marijuana to former servicemen and -women at a discount — 20 percent off — and gave away free pot cigarettes to treat illnesses and pain. Dozens of veterans with cancer, chronic pain and other illnesses have since flocked to the center for one-eighth-ounce bags of Tokyo OG, Hawaii Five-0 and other strains of marijuana.
Full Article:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/20130529aiming-legitimacymedical-pot-dispensaries-strive-mainstream-acceptance.html
Category: Cannabis News Corner
Cannabis Okayed for Parkinson and Tourette Treatment
A committee of the Health Ministry decided, Monday, to approve the use of cannabis – the active ingredient in marijuana – as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease and Tourette’s syndrome.
The decision was based on the results of studies on using the drug to treat these diseases, against the backdrop of the renewal of the struggle by patients who are not eligible for treatment. The recommendations will be passed to the professional staff to determined how they are implemented among physicians who treat these patients.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/269608#.Ua2a2tLOlLp
New York State Assembly Passes Bill to Allow Medicinal Use of Marijuana in New York State
New York–(ENEWSPF)–June 3, 2013.
Earlier today, the New York State Assembly passed the Compassionate Care Act (A.6357/Gottfried) by a vote of 95 to 38. The bill, which would create one the most tightly regulated medical marijuana programs in the country, would alleviate the suffering of thousands of seriously ill New Yorkers by allowing the use of marijuana to treat debilitating, lifethreatening illnesses under a doctor’s supervision.
The Compassionate Care Act – A.6357 (Gottfried) / S. 4406 (Savino) – would allow practitioners to talk to their patients about medical marijuana and certify those with serious, debilitating illnesses, so that they may have access to a small amount of medical marijuana to relieve their symptoms.
“New Yorkers living with cancer, multiple scleroses, HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses have waited long enough,” said Gabriel Sayegh, State Director of DPA’s New York Policy Office. “This is a simple matter of compassion. This is the fourth time the State Assembly has passed a medical marijuana bill. Now it’s long past time for the State Senate to act. The science is clear. The moral and ethical needs are obvious. The only thing holding this up is the Senate. Listen to the science, to healthcare practitioners, and to the vast majority of New Yorkers who support this proposal. It’s time for the Senate to pass the Compassionate Care Act.”
Full Article:
http://enewspf.com/latest-news/health-and-fitness/43709-new-york-state-assembly-passes-bill-to-allow-medicinal-use-of-marijuana-in-new-york-state.html
The Crazy, Unfair Ways People Are Being Screwed by Using Legal Pot
National Cannabis Coalition / By Doug Fine
Photo Credit: Shutter Stock
In September, 2011, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms banned state law-abiding medical cannabis patients from owning firearms. A bureaucratic decider simply swiped away hundreds of thousands of Americans’ Second Amendment rights by way of an added item on a pre-sale questionnaire.
Using an ancient herb as recommended by your doctor, one that any law enforcer will tell you makes people less aggressive? Sorry. Whacked on Oxycontin? Fire away.
My friend Carl, a Vietnam veteran, concealed handgun permit holder, political conservative of the John Wayne school and New Mexico medical cannabis patient, is apoplectic about the policy. “I can’t believe I lose my rights because I’m receiving treatment. I defended this country’s freedoms.”
This is just one example of key ancillary details that need to be fixed as America’s Longest War limps to its federal demise. Another is arbitrary limits on or zero tolerance of bloodstream THC when driving, even by locally-Kosher cannabis fans: if you legally used cannabis three weeks ago at the Ziggy Marley concert in Washington, you can, absurdly, be found to be impaired today.
In addition to the mining of the harbor that such unacceptably policy represents among those sore losers, the retreating Drug Warriors, this again shows the risk that any cannabis enjoyer faces. These unscientific THC policies must be squashed in courts and state houses, and fast.
Full Article:
http://www.alternet.org/crazy-unfair-ways-people-are-being-screwed-using-legal-pot
In September, 2011, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms banned state law-abiding medical cannabis patients from owning firearms. A bureaucratic decider simply swiped away hundreds of thousands of Americans’ Second Amendment rights by way of an added item on a pre-sale questionnaire.
Using an ancient herb as recommended by your doctor, one that any law enforcer will tell you makes people less aggressive? Sorry. Whacked on Oxycontin? Fire away.
My friend Carl, a Vietnam veteran, concealed handgun permit holder, political conservative of the John Wayne school and New Mexico medical cannabis patient, is apoplectic about the policy. “I can’t believe I lose my rights because I’m receiving treatment. I defended this country’s freedoms.”
This is just one example of key ancillary details that need to be fixed as America’s Longest War limps to its federal demise. Another is arbitrary limits on or zero tolerance of bloodstream THC when driving, even by locally-Kosher cannabis fans: if you legally used cannabis three weeks ago at the Ziggy Marley concert in Washington, you can, absurdly, be found to be impaired today.
In addition to the mining of the harbor that such unacceptably policy represents among those sore losers, the retreating Drug Warriors, this again shows the risk that any cannabis enjoyer faces. These unscientific THC policies must be squashed in courts and state houses, and fast.
Full Article:
http://www.alternet.org/crazy-unfair-ways-people-are-being-screwed-using-legal-pot
Nevada bill paves way for medical pot dispensaries
BY MATT WOOLBRIGHT – ASSOCIATED PRESS
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Thirteen years ago, voters amended the Nevada Constitution to legalize the use of medical marijuana, but there has been no way of legally getting the drug in the state aside from growing it at home. The Legislature acted to change that Monday, advancing a proposal that would pave the way for dispensaries.
The Assembly voted 28-14 to pass the bill, which still needs a final procedural approval from the Senate. It then heads to Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who has said he will consider it.
“It’s time,” said Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, the measure’s primary sponsor. “People that are sick and need it – they’ll be able to buy it, and they don’t need to worry about violating the law.”
The bill, SB374, establishes the framework to make pot available to medical marijuana card holders, imposing fees and requirements for growers, processors and dispensaries of pot. It also contains provisions to continue to allow home-growing until 2016.
The taxes raised first would fund the regulatory structure for the state, and any remaining balance would go to education.
The Assembly voted 28-14 to pass the bill, which still needs a final procedural approval from the Senate. It then heads to Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who has said he will consider it.
“It’s time,” said Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, the measure’s primary sponsor. “People that are sick and need it – they’ll be able to buy it, and they don’t need to worry about violating the law.”
The bill, SB374, establishes the framework to make pot available to medical marijuana card holders, imposing fees and requirements for growers, processors and dispensaries of pot. It also contains provisions to continue to allow home-growing until 2016.
The taxes raised first would fund the regulatory structure for the state, and any remaining balance would go to education.
Full Article:
Time to Make History of Hemp Growing Bans
by Robert Vosburgh
June 3 kicks off the fourth annual Hemp History Week, with nearly 700 supermarkets around the country participating in special promotions of food, beverages and clothing made with this multifaceted oilseed crop. Whole Foods Market alone has signed up most of its stores to highlight products made with hemp.
Unfortunately, hemp has a checkered past, despite the fact that the father of our country, George Washington, grew fields of it at Mount Vernon. The problem has been that federal law enforcement never distinguished between hemp and its psychoactive cousin marijuana when agencies developed drug policies in the 20th century. They basically outlawed all forms of the plant.
Some 230 years after Washington’s last hemp harvest, bipartisan legislation wending its way through the halls of Congress promises to rectify this oversight. A pair of bills under consideration by both the Senate and the House would once again allow U.S. farmers to cultivate industrial hemp — defined specifically as “the non-drug oilseed and fiber varieties of Cannabis.” Congress may be deadlocked on many issues, but hemp farming isn’t one of them.
It’s estimated that sales of hemp products in U.S. stores total some $500 million every year, though virtually all the items sold in this country are made with crops grown in Canada. Legalizing hemp farming would bring many of those millions back into the hands of U.S. farmers.
Full Article:
http://supermarketnews.com/blog/time-make-history-hemp-growing-bans
Nevada Assembly mulls setting regulations, paving way for medical marijuana dispensaries
- By MATT WOOLBRIGHT Associated Press
CARSON CITY, Nevada — As a deadline loomed, medical marijuana advocates renewed their push for legal access to the drug in Nevada on Saturday during an Assembly committee meeting.
The chamber’s Judiciary Committee heard passionate support for SB374 for hours during the rare weekend hearing.
The proposal would establish a framework to make pot available to medical marijuana card holders, imposing fees and requirements for growers, processors and dispensaries of marijuana. The bill also contains provisions to continue to allow home-growing. The taxes raised would first fund the regulatory structure for the state — any remaining balance would then go to education.
The Senate already approved the measure which requires a two-thirds supermajority vote in both houses.
The bill faces a Monday night cutoff.
Full Article:
http://www.tribtown.com/view/story/9562841db43d4c4e9535febf4378472c/NV-XGR–Medical-Marijuana
UFC raises testing threshold for marijuana, NSAC panel considers similar move
by John Morgan
LAS VEGAS – In standing true to their stance on the regulation of cannabis use in the sport, UFC officials have decided to raise the testing threshold for marijuana metabolites from 50 ng/mL to 150 ng/mL – a mark the World Anti-Doping Agency also recently deemed sufficient.
UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner revealed the company’s decision during today’s meeting of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s Steroid and Drug Testing Advisory Panel, which took place in Las Vegas.
“When we self-regulate around the world, we are going to go the WADA standard of 150,” Ratner said. “So we’re starting that immediately.”
Full Article:
http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/05/ufc-raises-testing-threshold-for-marijuana-nsac-panel-considers-similar-move
Marijuana Legalization: The War On Drugs is Racist
Marijuana Legalization The War On Drugs is Racist
In past articles, I have shown that the War on Drugs is very profitable for politicians and some big businesses. I have also shown that it causes the police to become corrupted. However, I never talked about the reasonswhy there is such a “war.” While some might actually invoke reasons that sound acceptable – German philosopher Immanuel Kant said that drugs “make one taciturn, withdrawn, and uncommunicative” — most people will use their heart rather than their brain. Or, to paraphrase late Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier: “Drug prohibitionists don’t have opinions but only sentiments.”
And the most obvious sentiment is racism. Mass prohibition (which could be considered unconstitutional with respect to the Tenth Amendment) started with opium smoking in 1909. It was directed towards people of Chinese origin, who were the biggest opium smokers. It was believed that Chinese men lured white women to have sex in opium dens. However, the Anti-Opium Act did not forbid drinking and injecting tinctures of opiates, which were popular among whites.
Full Article:
http://www.policymic.com/articles/45731/marijuana-legalization-the-war-on-drugs-is-racist
New Study Shows Cannabinoids Improve Efficiency Of Mitochondria And Remove Damaged Brain Cells
by Arjun
A recent study conducted by Andras Biokei-Gorzo at the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn in Germany is suggesting that marijuana(or the activation of the brain’s cannabinoid system) triggers the release of antioxidants, which act as a cleansing mechanism. This process is known to remove damaged cells and improve the efficiency of mitochondria. Mitochondria is the energy source that powers cells. The study was published inPhilosophical Transactions Of The Royal Society, B. You can read the entire study here.
Full Article:
http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/05/30/new-study-shows-cannabinoids-improve-efficiency-of-mitochondria-and-remove-damaged-brain-cells/