Policy

New Study Shows THC May Reduce Tumor Size

Most clinical research on cannabis has been focused on cannabidiols (“CBDs”) rather than tetrahydrocannabinols (“THCs”). Given their psychoactive effects responsible for the experience of “getting high”, THCs have been largely responsible for the failure of both medical and recreational legalization efforts for decades. The legalization of medical marijuana, however, has spurred an increase in research. […]

Washington DC Residents to Vote on Cannabis Legalization in November

Washington D.C. voters will have the opportunity to vote on the legalization of recreational marijuana after the D.C. Cannabis Campaign’s ballot initiative in Washington D.C. was approved by the D.C. Board of Elections and garnered enough signatures to qualify for the November general election ballot. Ballot Initiative 71 would let adults over the age of […]

New York Times Begins Running Full-Page Cannabis Ads

Shortly after the New York Times published an Op-Ed piece pushing for the national legalization of cannabis, the iconic newspaper published its first full-page for-profit marijuana advertisement. Leafy, a website and app that provides medical marijuana dispensary reviews and locations, took out the advertisement at a cost of around $180,000, according to the Times open […]

3 Ways Cannabis Legalization Impacts Real Estate Market

Cannabis legalization efforts have drawn widespread support throughout the United States, with 23 U.S. states adopting medical marijuana laws and two U.S. states adopting recreational marijuana laws. While many advocates and oppositionists argue over issues like safety and taxation, there are many other important considerations associated with legalization, such the impact on other industries. #1. […]

Dispensary Trucks May be Driving into Florida’s Market

Florida’s health regulators may revise the state’s medical marijuana regulations to allow dispensaries to truck their products to patients, according to a Wesh.com report. The rule would be a step closer to Health Canada’s newly implemented Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (“MMPR”) program, which only allows medical marijuana to be shipped via the post rather […]

Study: Cannabis Legalization Doesn’t Lead to Higher Teen Usage

The legalization of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes in many U.S. states has sparked concerns about adolescent usage. Federal officials believe that legalization encourages teenagers to use marijuana and have specifically targeted dispensaries operating within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, and playgrounds. A new study contends that these concerns aren’t always based in fact. […]

House Bill Aims to Legalize Charlotte’s Web Medical Marijuana

U.S. Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), and Paul Broun (R-Ga.) introduced a bipartisan bill to the House of Representatives this week to legalize a compound in marijuana used to treat severe epilepsy. The Charlotte’s Web Medical Hemp Act of 2014 would exclude therapeutic hemp and CBDs from the definition of marijuana in the […]

New York Times Calls for Marijuana Legalization

The New York Times recently wrote a bold editorial comparing marijuana to the Prohibition and calling on the federal government to repeal its ban on the drug. The Op-Ed piece cites the vast social costs of marijuana, including 658,000 arrests in 2012, compared to just 256,000 for cocaine, heroin, and other drugs and falling disproportionately […]

Senator Rand Paul Introduces Measure to Legalize State MMJ Programs

Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican lawmaker, filed an amendment to Senate Bill 2569 being considered in the Senate that would federally legalize and recognize state medical marijuana programs. The so-called Bring Jobs Home Act has 97 amendments added to it as it moved through the legislative process, although many experts view it as a […]

Oregon to Vote on Recreational Legalization in November

An initiative spearheaded by New Approach Oregon passed the minimum of 88,500 valid signatures required to quality for placement on Oregon’s November ballot, according to election workers this week. The measure will require a simple majority to pass and, if successful, would make Oregon the third state to legalize recreational marijuana, following successful initiatives in […]

Florida Could Become Key MMJ Battleground State

The Southern United States have largely rejected medical marijuana, with most approved states located in Western, Eastern, or Mountain regions. While there are many underlying reasons for these trends, advocates are hoping that Florida’s upcoming Fall elections will turn the tide in the region. The state has a large potential patient population and sizable potential […]

Colombia’s Liberal Party Supports New Bill to Legalize Cannabis

Colombia’s Liberal Party will support a new bill to legalize medical marijuana within the country, according to ColombiaReports.co. Liberal Party Senator Juan Manuel Galan indicated that the bill would open the door for the use of marijuana for medical purposes a few months after an official statement from the General Secretary of the Mayor of […]

Alaska to Vote on Recreational Marijuana in November

Alaska will vote on whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana on November 4, 2014 in order to capitalize on the greater voter turnout for general elections. If the Vote Yes On 2 campaign is successful, the state could join Colorado and Washington State in fully legalizing marijuana for both recreational and medical uses, after […]

Cannabis PTSD Study Canceled Due to Politics

Dr. Sue Sisley became the only academic in the U.S. and one of just 15 people to get approval to conduct a marijuana-related study over the last two decades in April of this year, with the goal of studying medical marijuana’s effect on post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) in U.S. veterans. Just three months later, Dr. […]

House Votes to Allow Marijuana-related Banking

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 236-186 in support of making it easier for cannabis-related businesses to work with commercial banks. In February, the Treasury Department issued guidance instructing banks how to report on their dealing with cannabis-related companies without breaking federal money-laundering laws. Rep. John Fleming, R-La, sought to block the Treasury Department from […]

Most U.S. Citizens Support Legalization, Says New Poll

The majority of U.S. citizens (51%) support the legalization of marijuana, while only 37% oppose the idea. In addition, 54% of those polled believe that the federal government should tolerate state laws legalizing marijuana, despite the fact that it’s still prohibited at a federal level, while only 29% believe that the federal government should prevent […]

Missouri Governor Signs Bill to Make Limited Marijuana Extract Available to Patients

Gov. Jay Nixon Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed a limited medical marijuana bill into law yesterday. HB 2238 allows some patients with intractable epilepsy access to products containing marijuana extracts. Those extracts must be limited primarily to a non-psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant called cannabidiol, or CBD. Many believe high-CBD marijuana extracts are effective in helping alleviate severe […]

Bill to Regulate California’s Medical Marijuana Businesses Continues in Assembly

A bill that would establish regulations and protections for a wide range of medical marijuana businesses in California continues to make progress in the legislature. Sen. Lou Correa’s bill SB 1262 recently emerged from the Assembly Public Safety Committee, and will next be considered in the Appropriations Committee in August. Sen. Correa’s bill has been heavily amended no less than five […]

In Ohio, Stances on Marijuana are Changing

Ohio has recently seen increased support for allowing adults to choose to consume marijuana, according to Cincinnati.com. Public opinion nationally is at an all time high, with 54% in support of making marijuana legal, and this has prompted many officials, including law enforcement, to reconsider the issue. Chris Lindsey, legislative analyst for MPP, attributes the […]

Chicago Committee to Implement Illinois’s Medical Marijuana Program

Until now, Chicago has been unable to take advantage of Illinois’s medical marijuana law. However, the Chicago Sun Times reports that the Chicago Joint Committee on Administrative Rules will meet tomorrow to discuss how they would implement the medical marijuana pilot program. If there are no objections in the committee, the process of registering patients, […]

The Smell of Marijuana is No Longer Justification for Searches in Massachusetts

The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled Wednesday that police officers cannot search vehicles based solely upon the smell of unburnt marijuana, Boston.com reports. The court had previously decided that warrantless searches of pedestrians or cars for the smell of burned marijuana were illegal in 2011. They believed that allowing unwarranted searches based on the […]

Comparing Colorado & Washington Cannabis Market Demand

Colorado’s legal marijuana market may be much larger than previously thought, according to a new study released on July 9, 2014. Researchers believe that the greater demand stems from the disaggregation of marijuana user types and the fact that Colorado has a high prevalence of heavy users compared to the national average, as well as […]

Arizona approves medical marijuana as a treatment for PTSD

Will Humble, the top health official in Arizona, has authorized the use of medical marijuana in cases of PTSD on the orders of a state judge, reports AZ Central. Starting January 1, 2015, sufferers of PTSD will be able to use medical marijuana for the palliative, but not as the primary, treatment of the disorder. […]

Arizona Approves Medical Marijuana as a Treatment for PTSD

Will Humble, the top health official in Arizona, has authorized the use of medical marijuana in cases of PTSD on the orders of a state judge, reports AZ Central. Starting January 1, 2015, sufferers of PTSD will be able to use medical marijuana for the palliative, but not as the primary, treatment of the disorder. […]

New Study Sheds Light on Colorado Marijuana Market

Total demand for marijuana in Colorado is estimated to be 121.4 metric tons for residents and 8.9 metric tons for visitors in 2014, according to a report prepared by The Marijuana Policy Group for the Colorado Department of Revenue. Potential demand could reach between 104.2 and 157.9 metric tons, according to the same report, driven […]

Montgomery County Council Urges Maryland Assembly to Decriminalize Paraphernalia

On Tuesday, the Montgomery County Council unanimously adopted a resolution de-prioritizing certain marijuana offenses and urging the state to decriminalize possession of marijuana paraphernalia. This is just the latest step towards humane and sensible marijuana policies in Maryland. The county’s resolution comes on the heels of Gov. Martin O’Malley signing into law SB 364, which will impose civil […]

Marijuana Ballot Initiative Gaining Support as Advocates Promote Oregon’s Campaign

A ballot initiative in Oregon is gaining support and local marijuana policy reform advocates describe it as their “number one priority,” the Oregonian reports. New Approach Oregon is working in conjunction with Drug Policy Alliance and others to raise awareness of their campaign to pass the ballot initiative, which would allow adults to possess up […]

Marijuana is Not a ‘Gateway Drug’ According to New Study

A study of Canadian cancer patients challenges the claim that marijuana is a so-called “gateway drug”, according to researcher Phillippe Lucas. Last week, Dr. Lucas returned from the annual International Cannabinoid Research Society conference where he presented the paper that has yet to be published. The findings are based on the Cannabis Access for Medical […]

Legal Marijuana Sales Begin TODAY Across Washington

One year and eight months after 55% of Washington voters chose to end the failed experiment of marijuana prohibition, regulated retail marijuana stores have finally begun opening to the public. Washington is the second state to allow adult-use marijuana sales; Colorado’s retail stores have been operational for the past six months. According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer, […]

New York Legalizes Medical Marijuana

New York became the 23rd U.S. state, along with the District of Columbia, to legalize medical marijuana in some form this week. At a news conference in New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo singed the Compassionate Care Act that enables doctors to prescribe nonsmokable marijuana to patients with serious medical conditions that are recognized by […]