Policy

New York Becomes the 23rd Medical Marijuana State!

On Saturday, July 5, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Compassionate Care Act into law, making New York the 23rd state with an effective medical marijuana law. The law goes into effect immediately, although patients are not expected to have legal protections or safe access to medical marijuana until 2016. The law’s passage is the product of many […]

MPP-backed initiative in York, Maine has been submitted to town hall

UPDATE: The York Board of Selectmen has scheduled a public hearing on the petition during their next meeting on Monday, July 28. A petition that would allow adults to use marijuana has gotten the required amount of signatures and has been submitted to the Board of Selectmen, Seacoast Online reports. The Board of Selectmen in […]

Gary Johnson, the Presidency, and Cannabis

[stockchart symbol=CBDS] Cannabis Sativa Inc. [stockquote symbol=CBDS], researcher, developer, and licensor of specialized natural cannabis products, recently appointed Gary Johnson as Chief Executive Officer following its acquisition of Kush. Mr. Johnson also serves on the Board of Directors of Medican Enterprises Inc. [stockquote symbol=MDCN], which he plans to continue in addition to his new role […]

Washington Cannabis Industry Faces Growing Pains

Washington became the second U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana, following Colorado’s move to do the same, but the former has experienced a much bumpier road. Many hopeful cannabis businesses failed to secure a retail license in the state’s lottery system, while many businesses that got lucky in the lottery have since been disqualified for […]

Arizona Medical Marijuana Researcher Fired, Cites Political Retaliation

Dr. Sue Sisley This week, University of Arizona professor and leading medical marijuana researcher Dr. Sue Sisley was fired from her position at the university. The University of Arizona refused to renew Dr. Sisley’s contract after advocates engaged in a contentious political struggle with state lawmakers to secure funding for her clinical study on the […]

Vermont’s Medical Marijuana Improvement Bill Takes Effect

The provisions of SB 247 took effect today, moving Vermont’s marijuana policies yet another step forward. This new law eliminates the cap of 1,000 patients who may access dispensaries, allows naturopaths to certify patients, and allows dispensaries to deliver marijuana to patients. But that’s not all: Legislators also authorized a study of whether post-traumatic stress […]

Colorado Retail Marijuana Application Rules Changed to Open Market

It’s been exactly six months since legal retail marijuana sales began in Colorado, and today is the first day that retail marijuana business licenses are open to all applicants — not just those who previously held medical marijuana licenses. Click here for an application checklist and the required application forms. Please note that these licenses would […]

Florida’s Push for Medical Marijuana Supported by Attorney John Morgan

Jacksonville-based attorney John Morgan has given a multi-million dollar donation to the medical marijuana campaign in Florida, Jacksonville.com reports, and will now invest even more in helping seriously ill Floridians find relief. Morgan has added $4 million of his own money in support of Amendment 2, a medical marijuana ballot initiative that will be voted […]

Cannabis Activists Sue Colorado Over Taxation

Colorado-based lawyer Rob Corry filed a 37-page lawsuit in Denver District Court asking a judge to issue an injunction ordering the State of Colorado and City of Denver to stop collecting taxes derived from its legal pot industry on behalf of several marijuana dispensary owners and end users. Mr. Corry argues that the law violates […]

Cannabis Cultivation Puts Strain on Electricity Grid

The legalization of cannabis in a handful U.S. states has led to concerns about energy usage given that most growing occurs indoors. For instance, in Colorado, Xcel Energy has already sent representatives to cannabis growing facilities to evaluate their energy use and develop rebate programs to promote more energy efficient technologies in a bid to […]

United Nations Says Cannabis Cases on the Rise

The number of cannabis users over age 12 in the U.S. rose from 10.3% in 2008 to 12.1% in 2012 according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. At the same time, the organization reported a 59% increase in cannabis-related hospital emergency room visits and a 14% increase in cannabis-related treatment admissions, signaling […]

Cannabis-Schizophrenia Link Could Be Misinterpreted

Many cannabis critics point to studies showing that the drug can cause serious long-term mental problems, such as schizophrenia and dementia. Since cannabinoids certainly affect the brain, these critics turned a strong correlation argument into a causation argument that has led to a lot of public misinformation. A new study conducted by the Institute of […]

Cannabis Gains Ground after Favorable GWPH Data & Ongoing MMJ Legalization

The Marijuana Index™ traded higher last week amid GW Pharmaceuticals plc’s (NASDAQ: GWPH) rally higher as well as broader gains across the industry. Top gainers included GW Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: GWPH), which rallied more than 20% last week after reporting favorable preliminary data on its clinical trials, and Novus Acquisition & Development Corp. (OTC: NDEV), […]

CBD-Only Laws Provide Political Cover for Lawmakers

CBD-only laws have been passed or nearly passed in 12 U.S. states, including Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. While these measures may seem like a victory for marijuana advocates, they might simply be providing politicians with cover to avoid the legalization of other forms […]

New York State Legalizes MMJ At the Last Second

Governor Andrew Cuomo and other government leaders agreed to legalize certain forms of marijuana for patients with a limited number of diseases this week, following decades of campaigning by marijuana advocates. The deal came after intense last-minute negotiations before lawmakers went home for the year and is now pending the signature of the governor to […]

Florida Approves Limited Medical Marijuana Use

Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a bill this week permitting a non-euphoric strain of marijuana to be used for the treatment of epilepsy, cancer, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”). The Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act achieved bipartisan support and will go into effect in January 2015, when doctors will be able to prescribe a medicinal strain […]

Hillary Clinton Lightens Stance on Marijuana Legalization

Hillary Clinton supports medical marijuana “for people who are in extreme medical conditions” and wants to “wait and see” what happens with recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington, according to a recent interview with CNN international correspondent Christiane Amanpour. These statements represent a change from her 2007 statements coming out against decriminalization. In 2012, Colorado […]

Teen Marijuana Use Flat Despite Broader Legalization

The argument that legalizing marijuana would increase usage among teens may be losing some steam after a recent survey showed that marijuana use remained virtually unchanged between 2011 and 2013. The biennial High School Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey from the U.S. CDC found that marijuana use increased just 0.3% over the two-year period, […]

Colorado Embarks on Largest State-Funded MMJ Research Effort

The Colorado Department of Health will dole out approximately $9 million in grants over the next five years to study the effects of medical marijuana under a new bill signed by Governor John Hickenlooper. The research includes clinical trials on marijuana products in use in Colorado, which differs from the substances that are commonly studied […]

Study Finds Cannabis Reduces PTSD Symptoms in Some Patients

Cannabis can be used to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) symptoms in some patients, according to a new study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. The New Mexico-based researchers collected data from 80 psychiatric evaluations of patients who applied to New Mexico’s Cannabis Program over a two-year period and concluded that there was a […]

Mexico May Follow U.S. Lead in Cannabis Legalization

President Enrique Pena Nieto recently indicated that Mexico and the U.S. couldn’t pursue diverging policies on marijuana legalization, suggesting that the country may be open to relaxing its marijuana laws. More liberal policies could help reduce the gang violence that continues to plague the country by reducing cartel profits and raising tax revenue that could […]

Colorado’s Cannabis Banking Fix is Largely Symbolic

Many marijuana dispensaries have no access to the legal banking sector, since the drug is considered by the federal government to be an illegal Schedule I Controlled Substance. Without banking access, these dispensaries are forced to keep large amounts of cash or product on hand, which puts them at a high risk for crime. Colorado […]

FDA Gives Fast Track Status to GW Pharma’s Cannabinoid Treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) hasn’t exactly won widespread praise among the investment community. Clinical trials are notorious for eating up millions of dollars and taking many years to complete, thereby raising the costs associated with pharmaceuticals and medical devices. But, the administration’s approach to cannabis may finally be taking a turn for […]

Crime Falls 10%, Taxes Up Big after Colorado’s Legalization

Crime in Denver has fallen by 10.6% since last year, despite the state’s legalization of recreational cannabis. At the same time, taxpayers have benefited from about $3.5 million in tax revenue from legal cannabis sales. These trends have continued as cannabis sales have risen over the past few months, signaling that the drug isn’t as […]

House Moves to Prevent DEA from Targeting Medical Marijuana

A bipartisan coalition of House members voted to restrict the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) from using funds to target medical marijuana operations that are legal under state laws. The move represents an ongoing transition towards legalization in the government’s stance on the cannabis industry following earlier actions to open up the banking sector and restrict […]

Cannabidiol (CBD) May Be Useful in Treating Social Anxiety Disorder

Brazilian researchers believe that cannabidiol (“CBD”) – the non-psychoactive component of cannabis – could be beneficial in treating Social Anxiety Disorder (“SAD”). After gathering ten SAD patients, the researchers used neuroimaging to measure blood flow to various parts of the brain before and after CBD consumption, finding that CBD reduced anxiety with effects on the […]

More LatAm Countries Could Join Uruguay in Legalizing Cannabis

Uruguay’s legalization of adult-use cannabis spawned tens of thousands of Argentines to protest against the prohibition in the streets of Buenos Aires. In Chile, efforts to legalize cannabis have been around for some time, with ten of thousands taking to the street to protest last year. And in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilians took to the […]

Quinnipiac Poll Suggests Medical Cannabis is a “No Brainer” in NY

The majority of voters in New York believe that medical cannabis should be decriminalized, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll released on May 23, 2014. Between May 14th and 19th, the university surveyed 1,129 New York State voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.9% via live phone calls. The researchers reached some […]

Israel Could Serve as Medical Cannabis Role Model

The United States government continues to classify cannabis as a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance along the same lines as heroin and cocaine. Despite the tough stance, it has allowed the drug to be legalized for medical – and even recreational – use in many U.S. states. These conflicting laws have made it very difficult for […]

Cannabis Growers Face Challenges with Water Access

Cannabis growers in Colorado and Washington state could face an uphill battle after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation indicated that it wouldn’t allow any federally controlled water to be used on cannabis crops. Under federal law, cannabis remains a Schedule I Controlled Substance alongside drugs like heroin or cocaine, which means that federal assets wouldn’t […]