The Weekly Weed

Medical marijuana dispensaries given green light

Jan 16, 2012Online IssueLeave a comment

PHOENIX (KPHO) - Gov. Jan Brewer has directed the Department of Health to begin accepting and processing dispensary licenses, according to a statement released by her office Friday.

Brewer filed a federal lawsuit that asked the court to evaluate if state employees could face prosecution for licensing marijuana dispensaries.

This came after she says the state got a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice threatening potential legal ramifications.

That case was dismissed by the U.S. District Court of Arizona earlier in January while the Governor now says the state will not re-file.

She is quoted saying that at this point she believes the best course of action is to complete the implementation of proposition 203.

A Valley attorney says the decision clears up an un-regulated gray area for a lot of card holders trying to find the medical marijuana and says the likelihood of state employees facing prosecution is unlikely.

“None of the U.S. attorneys have indicated that there will ever be a prosecution effort against a state employee simply for doing their job. So, we don’t think that’s the case and Governor Brewer in fact put a caveat in her statement that said if that develops as an actual risk, and she sees that being a possibility that she’ll shut it down and I think that’s the right thing to do,” said Ryan Hurley with Rose Law Group.

Hurley said that there are 124 dispensary applications available, and believes they could be processed by this summer.

SOURCE: KPHO

Canada’s Liberals back legalization of marijuana

Jan 16, 2012Online IssueLeave a comment

MONTREAL — Canada’s Liberal Party overwhelmingly passed a motion Sunday proposing the legalization of marijuana on the last day of its national convention, at which Michael Crawley was chosen as its new leader.

The motion says that, if elected, a Liberal government “will legalize marijuana and ensure the regulation and taxation of its production, distribution and use, while enacting strict penalties for illegal trafficking, illegal importation and exportation, and impaired driving.”

Under the motion, the Liberals also promised an amnesty for all Canadians previously found guilty of simple or minimal possession of marijuana and to clear the offenses from their criminal records.

The motion passed with 77 percent of the vote.

The convention also decisively rejected a motion that called for studying the election of Canada’s head of state, thereby severing all official links with the British crown. Queen Elizabeth II is currently the country’s head of state.

With his election, Crawley, an energy industry entrepreneur, takes over the leadership of the once-mighty party in the lead-up to the next federal elections.

“I am re-energized by all of you,” Crawley said at the convention in Ottawa. “The party is clearly focused on the future.”

SOURCE: GOOGLE NEWS

The Liberals, who governed the country of 34 million people for much of the last century, were reduced to a paltry 34 seats in May elections, forcing leader Michael Ignatieff to step down after losing his seat.

‘Gentle Ban’ on Medical Marijuana Moves Forward

Jan 16, 2012Online IssueLeave a comment

A proposed law to ban all medical marijuana dispensaries — but allow primary caregivers to dispense the drug and licensed patients to grow their own — cleared one hurdle today.

The City Council Public Safety Committee forwarded a draft ordinance prepared by City Attorney Carmen Trutanich’s office to the full City Council. The proposal also will make a stop at the Planning Commission to receive its recommendations.

“There are people in the City of Los Angeles that truly need marijuana as a medicine, not to get high, not to make money, but to get well,” City Attorney Carmen Trutanich told the committee.

The ordinance is a major reversal for the city, which has tried since 2007 to allow and regulate pot shops. That effort led to a boom in the number of dispensaries, estimated at above 800 at its peak, and more than 60 lawsuits against the city. Read More..

New medical marijuana dispensary opens in Maine

Jan 16, 2012Online IssueLeave a comment

HALLOWELL, Maine — From the brick sidewalk lining the main street of this tiny city of antiques and bistros, you can dodge up a wide alley and make a quick turn to see an unobtrusive white sign near a door.

You’ve found the Wellness Connection of Maine, the newest of the eight medical marijuana dispensaries allowed in the state following a referendum that passed in 2009.

The law expanded the conditions under which people could be prescribed the drug, and allowed retail dispensaries where patients may legally buy marijuana with a doctor’s prescription to ease the pain of chronic diseases.

But despite the 3-2 vote of support statewide, Maine towns and cities have not always welcomed medical marijuana facilities with open arms. Some slapped moratoriums on them, and worried residents effectively barred them from their neighborhoods.

In Hallowell, the city of 2,400 nestled in Augusta’s shadow, Mayor Charlotte Warren turned out to formally welcome the state’s latest dispensary in the spirit of its “good neighbor policy.” Read More..

Odor of burnt marijuana leads to motorcyclist’s arrest

Jan 3, 2012Online IssueLeave a comment

A motorcycle ride on the Monday after Christmas turned into a game of hide-and-seek with a Palm Beach police officer.

The officer was on patrol just before 2 p.m. when he spotted a “suspicious motorcycle” parked unattended in a private driveway in the 1900 block of South Ocean Boulevard. He got out of his patrol car and looked around in an effort to locate the driver.

“I then checked across the street on the private beach across from the lot and observed (a man) sitting on the rocks along the Atlantic Ocean smoking what appeared to be a marijuana blunt,” a term for marijuana rolled with the tobacco-leaf wrapper from a cigar.

“While standing approximately 15 feet above the subject on the private beach deck, I smelled the odor of burnt marijuana,” he said. Read More..

Synthetic marijuana use a growing problem for U.S. military

Jan 3, 2012Online IssueLeave a comment

U.S. troops are increasingly using an easy-to-get herbal mix called “Spice,” which mimics a marijuana high, is hard to detect and can bring on hallucinations that last for days.

The abuse of the substance has so alarmed military officials that they’ve started an aggressive testing program that last year led to the investigation of more than 1,100 suspected users.

So-called synthetic pot is readily available on the Internet and has become popular nationwide in recent years, but its use among troops and sailors has raised concerns among the Pentagon brass.

“You can just imagine the work that we do in a military environment,” said Mark Ridley, deputy director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, adding, “you need to be in your right mind when you do a job.” Read More..

How Marijuana May Drive the Brain into Psychosis

Jan 3, 2012Online IssueLeave a comment

Two ingredients in marijuana have opposite effects on certain regions of the brain, according to a new study.

One chemical, called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), increases the brain processes that can lead to symptoms of psychosis, while another compound, called cannabidiol, may negate such symptoms, according to the study.

Moreover, the findings are the first to use images of the brain to demonstrate that the reason symptoms of psychosis arise in marijuana users may be because THC interferes with the brain’s ability to distinguish between stimuli that are important, and those that aren’t, according to the study. Read More..