Medical marijuana is gaining acceptance, but could it even help kids? Dr. William Courtney has seen it happen, and on Friday, told HuffPost Live host Alyona Minkovski about it. Saying he was “quite a skeptic 5 or 6 years ago”, Dr. Courtney continued that “my youngest patient is 8 months old, and had a very massive centrally located inoperable brain tumor.” The child’s father pushed for non-traditional treatment utilizing cannabis.
“They were putting cannabinoid oil on the baby’s pacifier twice a day, increasing the dose… And within two months there was a dramatic reduction, enough that the pediatric oncologist allowed them to go ahead with not pursuing traditional therapy.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/01/cannabis-for-infants-brai_n_2224898.html

Dana Nigro

At Château Maris, Robert Eden decided to build the new winery out of lightweight hemp brick.
 
When he started planning a new winery for Château Maris in southern France’s Languedoc region, Robert Eden looked at natural options such as stone, rammed earth and even straw. What he ended up choosing was something that, at least in certain crowds, elicits quips about marijuana—hemp. But it’s no joke: The new Maris winery is built almost entirely from large, sturdy “bricks” of organic hemp straw. Those bricks not only reduced carbon emissions from construction, they also continue to capture carbon dioxide from their surroundings.
“This is the first winery in the world like this,” claimed Eden of the 9,000-square-foot building, finished just in time for the 2012 harvest after eight years of work, five of them devoted to planning and research. “We’re in unknown waters here.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/47729

Brian Lockhart

BRIDGEPORT — Mayor Bill Finch wants zoning commissioners to speed up economic growth and that includes approving a medical marijuana farm.
“We’ve got to move things quicker,” Finch, a Democrat, said in an interview Wednesday following his weekly “brown bag lunch” with constituents.
Finch spoke at length on the challenges faced by the Park City and also criticized the Planning and Zoning Commission.
“We don’t want the zoning board creating road blocks,” Finch said, adding, “Part of it’s my fault. I appoint them.”
Asked afterward to elaborate, Finch said, “I just think in general zoning in every city takes too long. And people get way far afield.”
Full Article:
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Bridgeport-mayor-backs-medical-marijuana-farm-for-4078726.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mbNXQw8Xk2w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gP5QOvkv77Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YR_lFMGo6H0

By CARY ASPINWALL World Staff Writer

 
OKLAHOMA CITY — Patricia Spottedcrow once faced 12 years in prison, but on the morning she was released on parole, it took less than 20 minutes to walk free.
Spottedcrow had to call a friend to pick her up from Hillside Community Corrections Center in Oklahoma City, her mother hadn’t even arrived from Kingfisher yet when corrections guards asked Spottedcrow to leave the prison’s grounds.
Her friend drove her to a nearby pharmacy parking lot, so she could reunite with her mother, Delita Starr, and her attorney, Laura Deskin.
“Oh, man, this is wonderful!,” Spottedcrow said. “I’m so excited I can’t take it!”
She was released Thursday morning after completing the community corrections-level portion of her sentence required by Gov. Mary Fallin as a condition of her parole. She entered prison Dec. 22, 2010.
Spottedcrow’s 12-year prison sentence for selling $31 worth of marijuana garnered widespread attention after her story was featured in a 2011 Tulsa World series on women in prison.
 
Full Article:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20121129_12_0_OKLAHO612232
 

Rebecca Richman Cohen

 
While millions of Americans spent Thanksgiving weekend around the dinner table with family and friends, Chris Williams spent it behind bars, coming to terms with the fact that he may be there for the rest of his life. A single father who has never been convicted of a violent crime, Chris probably never imagined himself becoming one of the 2.5 million people incarcerated in America. He wrote this from prison:

Sitting here in Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby, Montana, it might be hard to believe how thankful I am. I enjoy my mornings every day, sitting in a peaceful awareness. I focus on this world inside prison with an open mindfulness. After some time of thought of nothing in particular, I am overwhelmed by gratefulness, gratitude and thanks. Although life in prison is no walk in the park — we have fights, stabbings, suicide attempts and guards being attacked and that is just in my first month — I still find many reasons to be thankful. Your letters and support are the things I appreciate the most. As I strive to face the struggle ahead, to know I have support and people out there who keep me in their meditation and prayers, strengthens my resolve to do what is right.

By now Chris’ story is well known. Chris was a co-owner of Montana Cannabis, a medical marijuana growhouse serving hundreds of state-legal patients across Montana. After a statewide federal crackdown last year, Chris and his business partners were indicted on federal charges despite their concerted efforts to follow Montana’s state medical marijuana law. He is now facing a mandatory minimum sentence of more than 80 years in federal prison. I told his story in a New York TimesOp-Doc video published on November 7, which made it to #2 on reddit.com and helped inspire tens of thousands of supporters to sign petitions asking for Williams’ pardon or release.
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-richman-cohen/marijuana-drug-war_b_2200625.html

Steph Sherer – Executive Director, Americans for Safe Access

 
Thank you to the show Parenthood for your portrayal of someone becoming a medical marijuana patient.
During the Thanksgiving holiday, my procrastination on home projects led me to getting caught up on the fall season of a few shows, including NBC’s Parenthood. I was moved to watch the main characters Kristina and Adam Braverman and their family struggling with her cancer and all that the disease brings. At my patients’ advocacy organization, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), we see thousands of our members and families embark on a similar struggle. The story of Kristina Braverman’s cancer spills into several story lines as the family experiences the news in their own ways.

 
In the episode “One More Weekend with You,” aired November 20, Kristina Braverman’s character, played by Monica Potter, tries to stay strong for her family, but becomes violently ill after receiving chemotherapy. Her husband Adam, played by Peter Krause, finds her on the bathroom floor and panics. He cleans her up and then packs all the kids into the car to visit his musician-producer brother, the first person he could think of who might have marijuana. His brother produces some from his sock drawer and warns that it was not the same pot from when they were kids, it was “genetically engineered” (a common misunderstanding of the decades of modern breeding of the plant for human consumption).
In the next scene Kristina Braverman’s character is laying in bed smoking a joint. She is visibly better. She says it is strong and puts it out, saying “Save that for later.” Her husband asked if it helped, and he is visibly relieved to see her smile. She acknowledges the relief she’s found from marijuana, and says her husband will need to get “a lot more.” She settles back into her pillow and finally sleeps.
This episode reflects a situation that thousands of cancer patients and their caregivers are experiencing, but not always with the same ending. As a medical cannabis advocate I see this story play out in many ways. Many caregivers don’t have a pot-smoking brother and instead find themselves asking for marijuana from friends, family members or even their children. Over the past decades I have heard heartbreaking stories of people having no idea where to look and who to ask for this medicine.
But even for those patients who can find a supply of marijuana for their needs, many questions still arise. What if their source runs out? What if their source gets into a legal entanglement? What if there is mold or mildew on the medicine? What should they do if they live in public housing?
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steph-sherer/parenthood-medical-marijuana_b_2205693.html

 
by Steve Elliott

Wikipedia
Deepak Chopra: Newest member of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Honorary Board
 
Becomes Newest Member of Drug Policy Alliance Honorary Board

 
Full Article:
http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2012/11/deepak_chopra_joins_movement_to_end_war_on_drugs.php