Cannabis News

“Marijuana Nation,” which airs tomorrow on National Geographic Channel at 10 p.m. New York time, is an intriguing look at the U.S. marijuana business, estimated to turn a tidy $65 billion annual profit despite an often perilous sales environment. Read More... How Weed Was Decriminalized Posted by on November 30, 2008 at 12:07:31 PT By William G. Brooks III, Guest Columnist Source: Metrowest Daily News Massachusetts -- The Nov. 4 vote to decriminalize marijuana possession says as much about ballot referendums as it does about drugs. According to material posted on the Web site of the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy (OCPF) raised over $1.2 million in support of Question 2. Over $1 million of that, or just over 83 percent, came from outside Massachusetts. The opponents of Question 2, the Coalition for Safe Streets, a group organized largely by the district attorneys, raised just over $60,000, or about 5 percent of what the proponents raised. Read More... Caregiver Must Do More Than Provide Marijuana Posted by on November 30, 2008 at 08:14:41 PT By Thadeus Greenson, The Times-Standard Source: Times-Standard CA -- A recent California Supreme Court ruling out of Santa Cruz adds a bit of clarity into the often murky world of the state's medical marijuana laws, but some worry the ruling could leave some patients facing more challenges accessing their medications.

The court's unanimous ruling upheld a Santa Cruz County Superior Court jury decision that found medicinal marijuana user and care provider Roger Mentch guilty of possessing and cultivating marijuana for sale. Read More... Researchers Find Oldest-Ever Stash of Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on November 28, 2008 at 07:48:55 PT Breaking News Source: Canadian Press World -- Researchers say they have located the world's oldest stash of marijuana, in a tomb in a remote part of China.

The cache of cannabis is about 2,700 years old and was clearly "cultivated for psychoactive purposes," rather than as fibre for clothing or as food, says a research paper in the Journal of Experimental Botany. Read More... Court Rules Unanimously Against Compassionate Care Posted by on November 28, 2008 at 05:55:43 PT By Tamar Todd, AlterNet Source: AlterNet CA -- California's State Supreme Court has voted unanimously to limit the ability of patients to obtain medical marijuana by narrowly defining who is a legitimate caregiver under California's Compassionate Use Act. As a result of the Court's November 24 opinion in People v. Mentch, many ill and dying patients who are unable to grow their own medicine will no longer be able to rely on individuals who assist patients with cultivation and administration of medical marijuana. Under the new ruling, these individuals are now more vulnerable to arrest and prosecution under California law. This places the burden on California's cooperatives and collectives to supply most of the medical marijuana needed in California by patients who are unable to cultivate their own. Read More... Caregiver Ruling Will Help Local Law Enforcement Posted by on November 27, 2008 at 06:02:13 PT By The Ukiah Daily Journal Staff Source: Ukiah Daily Journal Ukiah, CA -- This week's California Supreme Court ruling defining "caregiver" under the Prop. 215 medical marijuana law, will go a long way to helping local law enforcement in their jobs, according to local sources. Most also say that the ruling finally spells out what has always been very clear in the law.

"It will make a tremendous difference," Mendocino County District Attorney Meredith Lintott said Wednesday. "It's finally providing us with the tools we need to enforce the medical marijuana laws fairly, equitably, and without the kind of vagueness which has allowed things - in our county in particular, of course - to expand into an area where the county has been harmed. Read More... Caregivers Should Provide More Than Just Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on November 25, 2008 at 20:11:54 PT By Mike McKee, The Recorder Source: Recorder California -- Being a caregiver under the state's medical marijuana statutes, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday, requires more than supplying patients with pot or occasional trips to the doctor.

Instead, the court held, it requires consistently providing the "daily life necessities" of patients well before marijuana is considered an option. Read More... Medicinal Pot Caregivers Can Be Prosecuted Posted by on November 24, 2008 at 20:31:27 PT By Jennifer Squires, Sentinel Staff Writer Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel Santa Cruz, CA -- Medicinal marijuana caregivers may be prosecuted as drug dealers, according to a state Supreme Court ruling issued Monday.

The ruling upholds a Santa Cruz County Superior Court jury decision that found medicinal marijuana user Roger Mentch, 53, guilty of cultivating and possessing marijuana for sale. Read More... Court Opens Door for Prosecuting Med Pot Suppliers Posted by on November 24, 2008 at 14:48:57 PT By Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer Source: San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco, CA -- Someone who supplies marijuana to a patient who has a doctor's approval for it can be prosecuted for drug-dealing, the state Supreme Court ruled today in a narrow interpretation of California's medical marijuana law.

Advocates on both sides of the case agreed that the unanimous ruling would encourage Californians to obtain medical marijuana from patient cooperatives, which are authorized by a 2003 state law, rather than from an individual supplier. Read More... The Time Has Arrived To End War On Cannabis Posted by on November 24, 2008 at 08:09:52 PT By Joe Bertram III Source: Maui News Hawaii -- Thank you, South Maui, for your vote of confidence and congratulations, America, for voting for change. As the president-elect exhorted, let's move beyond the arguments of the past, old policies and perceptions that divide us and work together for solutions to our many challenges.

One of the biggest challenges is to end the wars based on lies, not just in the Middle East but also here at home - the generations-long, incredibly destructive war on cannabis. Read More... Officials: Medical Marijuana Law Hazy Posted by on November 24, 2008 at 07:33:40 PT By Brittany Kinstle, Capital News Service Source: Oakland Press Lansing, MI -- Voters made it clear that Michigan can allow marijuana to relieve patients suffering from cancer, glaucoma and other debilitating medical conditions.

Although the 63-37 percent ratio in favor of Proposal 1 makes the will of the public decisive, uncertainty reigns among state law enforcement agencies. The proposal takes effect Dec. 4. Read More... Hawaii Medical Pot Users Up 87 Percent Posted by CN Staff on November 24, 2008 at 06:16:36 PT By Christie Wilson, Advertiser Maui Bureau Source: Honolulu Advertiser Hawaii -- The number of medical marijuana patients in Hawai'i has grown 87 percent in the past two years, with the biggest gains on Maui and the Big Island.

According to the state Department of Public Safety, 4,200 patients were registered state-wide as of June 30, with 444 more signing up since then. Read More... Implementation of Michigan's Medical Marijuana Law Posted by on November 23, 2008 at 11:08:26 PT By Robert E. Martin & Greg Schmid Source: Review Magazine Michigan -- There are several keys to understanding the new Michigan Marijuana Law. Enacted by voters in a landslide election with a 63% margin on November 4th, Michigan now joins twelve other states that have decriminalized marijuana for medical purposes.

Prop 1 is now to be cited as the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act and for the first time in over 75-years, the 'criminal' element that has profiteered on this multi-billion dollar underground industry, along with the Pharmaceutical companies that also reap billions for creating synthetic pills that handle 'pain & suffering' are being opened to competition from providers and patients seeking treatment from the plant that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson harvested on a regular basis. Read More... Medical Pot User Sues DMV To Get License Back Posted by CN Staff on November 21, 2008 at 05:16:04 PT By Scott Jason Source: Merced Sun-Star California -- A 53-year-old Atwater woman will file a lawsuit against the DMV for revoking her license because she's a medical marijuana user. Her suit seeks to reinstate her license and also affirm that other residents can't lose the right to drive simply because they use medical marijuana, approved by California voters in 1996.

Rose Johnson uses marijuana at night to help her sleep because she has back and neck injuries that began after she was rear-ended in 1990, according to the civil complaint. Read More... Marijuana Should Be Legal for Medical Use Posted by CN Staff on November 20, 2008 at 19:57:51 PT By Eric Kittleson, UWIRE Source: The Voyager USA -- UC Berkeley is famous for a few things. One would be deeply depressed nerds bawling over their latest midterm - a stereotype I see a great deal of in the mirror.

Another may be the amazing scientific research that goes on in the laboratories all around campus, or the infectious activist spirit, the large homeless population, a fantastic academic environment and last, but certainly not least, marijuana. Read More... Marijuana is Still Illegal Posted by on November 20, 2008 at 12:47:17 PT Editorial Source: Tufts Daily Massachusetts -- On the night of Nov. 4, in the midst of the various festivities at Tufts commemorating the election of Barack Obama, some students found something else to celebrate. Instead of -- or maybe just before -- heading to one of the impromptu Obama rallies, they lit up their joints and smoked away in honor of the passage of Question 2.

These students smoked with a noticeable lack of discretion, believing they no longer had to fear the big, bad Five-O. While this sort of conduct might not jam offenders up with a felony anymore, that does not equate to a free pass. Read More... Weed, Pot, Green… Marijuana Posted by on November 20, 2008 at 09:28:41 PT By Jes Scheinpflug, Columnist Source: Daily Vidette Illinois -- Just because marijuana is illegal, that does not mean that it is immoral. Slavery was legal, yet immoral. Many other contradictory cases exist. It is easy to believe that one should not do something because the law prohibits it; but sometimes that is not enough.

Imagine something other than drinking, driving or smoking. Imagine skydiving, rock-climbing, or any other extreme sport. All of them have inherent danger. Read More... Obama Must Keep Marijuana Promise Posted by on November 20, 2008 at 08:18:37 PT By Dana Johnson Source: University Chronicle Minnesota -- There is one campaign promise that President-elect Barrack Obama made that will easily be overlooked if America does not hold him to his word.

Obama promised to cease the federal arrest and prosecution of law-abiding medical cannabis patients and dispensaries by appointing leaders at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney General's office who will respect the will of the voters in the thirteen states that have legalized the physician-supervised use of medicinal marijuana. Read More... New Law Has Drug Counselors Retooling Strategy Posted by on November 20, 2008 at 06:33:07 PT By Erica Noonan, Globe Staff Source: Boston Globe Boston, MA -- If society says smoking marijuana is OK - or at least not the crime it used to be - how do parents, school health counselors, and police officers get youths to keep saying no?

This month's passage of a state ballot question that decriminalizes possession of up to an ounce of marijuana has created a troubling new landscape, according to area drug-abuse educators. Read More... How Will Medical Marijuana Program Work? Posted by on November 20, 2008 at 06:16:24 PT By Deb Merion for Ann Arbor Business Review Source: Ann Arbor Business Review Michigan -- Now that a 63 percent majority of the Michigan voting public has given the green light to the green leaves of medical marijuana, the question is: how will the program work? Forget the misleading images of California-like "potshops" that were pictured on the website opposing the bill.

"The law says you can possess marijuana, you can grow marijuana, but doesn't tell you how you can acquire the drug legally," said James McCurtis, spokesperson for Michigan Department of Mental Health, which will administer the medical marijuana program. Read More... Marijuna Reduces Memory Impairment Posted by on November 19, 2008 at 09:15:26 PT Report Source: Newswise Newswise -- The more research they do, the more evidence Ohio State University scientists find that specific elements of marijuana can be good for the aging brain by reducing inflammation there and possibly even stimulating the formation of new brain cells.

The research suggests that the development of a legal drug that contains certain properties similar to those in marijuana might help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Though the exact cause of Alzheimer’s remains unknown, chronic inflammation in the brain is believed to contribute to memory impairment. Read More... Legalize It Posted by on November 19, 2008 at 07:09:38 PT By Michelle Lamont Source: Cavalier Daily USA -- Imagine you or someone you love is suffering from a chronic, painful illness. When the pain becomes intolerable, you head to your doctor, begging for something to ease your suffering and restore your quality of life, something to make you feel like your old self again. Your doctor offers you two options: a synthetic, potentially addictive narcotic, or a natural remedy derived from a plant. The choice seems pretty simple — until you realize that the first option is the popular painkiller Vicodin, and the second is the illegal drug marijuana. Read More... Legal Marijuana Poses Pot Puzzle Posted by on November 19, 2008 at 06:07:40 PT By Matthew Miller, Lansing State Journal Source: Lansing State Journal Michigan -- Though medical marijuana soon will be legal in Michigan, patients and their caregivers still will have to break the law to get it, at least the first time.

Proposal 1 will allow approved patients and their caretakers to possess and grow the drug, but there won't be a legal way to get marijuana seeds or seedlings. Read More... San Francisco Disputes Federal Pot Claims Posted by on November 18, 2008 at 18:34:33 PT By UPI Source: United Press International San Francisco, CA -- San Francisco officials dispute U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy's claims the city has more medical marijuana outlets than Starbucks coffee shops.

The office said in a posting on its official blog, pushingback.com, that San Francisco is home to 98 medical marijuana dispensaries and only 71 Starbucks, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday. Read More... US Govt's Patent on Pot & End To The War on Drugs Posted by CN Staff on November 18, 2008 at 12:15:11 PT Editorial Source: Salon USA -- If we can hope for one thing in the upcoming Obama presidency it is a serious rethinking of the sinister, decades long War on Drugs. For those who dismiss this as a stoner wet dream, or a trivial, peripheral issue, I would suggest that this war is one being waged directly upon the citizens of this country, not by terrorists, or drug cartels, but by our own government, purely for profit and control, and it impinges on all our lives. Read More... Prospects for Drug Reform in Obama's Washington Posted by on November 18, 2008 at 11:00:14 PT By Phillip S. Smith, Drug War Chronicle Source: AlterNet USA -- The political landscape in Washington, DC, is undergoing a dramatic shift as the Democratic tide rolls in, and, after eight years of drug war status quo under the Republicans, drug reformers are now hoping the change in administrations will lead to positive changes in federal drug policies. As with every other aspect of federal policy, groups interested in criminal justice and drug policy reform are coming out of the woodwork with their own recommendations for Obama and the Democratic Congress. This week, we will look at some of those proposals and attempt to assess the prospects for real change. Read More... The Grass is Always Greener Posted by on November 18, 2008 at 09:46:06 PT By Kerianne Okie Source: Tufts Daily Massachusetts -- Barack Obama’s Election Day victory made his message of change a reality. But the widespread media attention surrounding his triumph overshadowed some of the other results on Nov. 4.

As it turned out, the citizens of Massachusetts, and by default Tufts students, received an extra dose of change — Question 2, which proposed decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, was passed by a solid majority of the vote. Read More... Mass. Police Groups Say No Point in MJ Enforcement Posted by on November 18, 2008 at 05:51:05 PT By Chelsea Pech, The Daily Free Press Source: Maneater Boston, U -- Nearly two weeks after voters overwhelmingly approved Question 2, a measure to decriminalize possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, police groups that have publicly opposed the measure have their own follow-up: Why bother?

Under the law, which will take effect Dec. 4, officers in Massachusetts will issue a fine to individuals in possession of an ounce or less of marijuana instead arresting them. Read More... Mary J’s Medicine Posted by on November 18, 2008 at 05:10:32 PT By Alex Coffman Source: Daily Nexus USA -- Cannabis is one of the oldest medicines known to man. The Chinese recognized the medicinal and “magical” properties of which many are fond. Ancient Egypt, India, the Middle East and later Europe all have left documents of the uses of cannabis. In the 1700s, an English medical text describes applying hemp to the skin to reduce inflammation, to promote joint health and to dissolve tumors.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp. The Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper. Read More...

Search

Highlights
MMJ News & More MMM News CommonSense for Drug Policy Drug Policy Forum of Wisconsin WarOnSomeDrugs Drug Policy Alliance Drug Reform Coordination Network Maximizing Harm Cures Not Wars Marijuana The Forbidden Medicine Patients Out of Time

Older News
Mary J’s Medicine Marijuana Expert Speaks at University We’ve Cut Cigarette Smoking by Half Prop. 1's Implications Unclear, Concern Some Michigan Approves Medical Marijuana Explained: Since Prop 1 Passed, Can I Grow Pot? Massachusetts, Michigan, Marijuana, and Priorities Putting The 'War on Drugs' Behind Bars Paradise Lost Medical Marijuana Policy Undetermined Medical Marijuana Examined NM Not Alone in Lacking Marijuana Dispensaries MA Ballot Initiative Makes Pot a Civil Offense Between The Lines: The Pot Test Pot’s a Gateway Drug That Leads To Heartache Police Fear New MJ Law Will Lead To Increased Use Question 2 Landslide Opens Drug Policy Debate Majority Agrees That Some Users Unduly Punished Police and DA's Not Sure How To Proceed Marijuana Law Advocates Seek Wider Change Police, DEA: Vote Won't Stop Pot Busts Pot Policy at The Federal Level A Misguided Joint Initiative Questions on Ballot Initiatives Remain Pot Wins in a Landslide MA Scrambles To Adapt To Marijuana Initiative Hampden County D.A. To Drop Marijuana Charges High Expectations Officials Hurry To Hash Out New Marijuana Law Initiatives Provoke Ire, Joy Officials Look for Guidelines on MJ Initiative Voters Approve Medical Marijuana Voters Approve Marijuana Law Change Voters Pass Prop 1, Letting Severely Ill Grow Pot Voters Say Yes to MJ in Massachusetts and Michigan Mass. Voters OK Decriminalization of Marijuana Question 2 Passes Muster of Q&A Claims Voters To Consider Relaxing Marijuana Laws Sides Align Over Pot Decriminalization Question Q&A: Let Sick People Use Marijuana? Move To Legalize MMJ Supported by 2-1 Margin Top Law Enforcers Call For 'No' Vote on Marijuana NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - October 30, 2008 Michigan's Medical Pot Law Prompts Airwaves Fight Supco Sides with Man in Medical Marijuana Case Medical Marijuana Relieves Suffering Group Defends Itself, Pot Prop Medical Marijuana Up North Local Measure Seeks To Lessen Restrictions on MMJ Marijuana Would Be Unhealthy and Troublesome Going Green: An Alternative Culture Column Proposal 1: Medical Marijuana CA Officials Warn Michigan on Dangers of Marijuana Question Resurrects Old Debate 2 Sides To Pot Question Medical Pot's Side Effects Business Group Takes Aim at Pot Law Talk of Marijuana Sparks Lively Debate Question 2: Possession of MJ Decriminalization Marijuana Helps 1 Man Despite Doctor's Verdict Is Marijuana Good Medicine? Half of Voters Want Marijuana Decriminalized Eviction Over Pot Plants Gets Attention ACLU Keeping Eye on Medical Pot Eviction Proposal Doesn't Contain Enough Safeguards Silver City Woman Faces Eviction Over Marijuana Hub Rips Cops Featured in Soft-On-Marijuana Ads NORML's Weekly News Bulletin - October 23, 2008 Medical Marijuana Marijuana Reform Right for Bay State Question 2 on Marijuana Possession Heats Up Debate Legalizing Marijuana for Medical Use Hot Topic Vote 'Yes' on Question 2 Millionaire Puffs Up Hemp Uses No on Question 2 Proposal 1 Offers Relief, Compassion, Safeguards Proposal 1's Mixed Message Would Hike Drug Use Reefer Madness Continues McCain Would Focus on Law Enforcement Police Chief Critical of Marijuana Measure DAs Fight Bid To Ease Penalty for Marijuana Pot Initiative is a Hot Topic Budget Cutting? Take a Hatchet To The War on Drugs Patients Need Relief Marijuana Gives Cruz, Keating Urge ‘No’ Vote on Marijuana Question Marijuana Proposal on Ballot Vote 'Yes' on Medical Marijuana Plan Manistee Doctor Supporting Marijuana Initiative Officials Ask Voters To Nix Pot Proposal U.S. 'Drug Czar' Criticizes Prop 1 in Lansing

News Topics
America Clinton DARE DEA FBI McCaffrey MAP News NIDA NORML arrests cannabis cannabisnews.com drug_testing hemp justice medical narcotics paraphernalia police science surveillance violence

Resources
NIDA - Common Drugs of Abuse lists commonly abused psychotropics. U.S. National Library of Medicine is an execellent resource for medical information. For recreational use of psychotropics one will find Hyperreal informative. Drug Sense, Marijuana Policy Project, Drug Reform Coordination Network, and NORML are among the many organizations seeking to reform cannabis laws.

Book Reviews