Group suing to repeal medical marijuana law says donations must pick up to continue lawsuit
May 8, 2012 Online Issue
HELENA, Mont. — Advocates suing for the repeal of the restrictive medical marijuana law passed by Montana legislators last year say donations must 
pick up for it to continue with the lawsuit.
Montana Cannabis Industry Association president Chris Lindsey said Monday that the organization has no plans to drop the case, and there is enough money to see it through a Supreme Court hearing later this month. But the advocacy group needs medical marijuana providers to increase their support, he said.
“We wanted to emphasize to the folks benefiting from the lawsuit that there is no free lunch,” Lindsey said. “Those who remain, who we support 100 percent, there is a price tag associated with keeping them operating.”
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Tags: Helena, marijuana legalization, medical merijuana, montana
California Medical Assn. calls for legalization of marijuana
Oct 17, 2011 Online Issue
Reporting from Sacramento— The state’s largest doctor group is calling for legalization of marijuana, even as it pronounces cannabis to be of questionable medical value.
Trustees of the California Medical Assn., which represents more than 35,000 physicians statewide, adopted the position at their annual meeting in Anaheim late Friday. It is the first major medical association in the nation to urge legalization of the drug, according to a group spokeswoman, who said the larger membership was notified Saturday.
Dr. Donald Lyman, the Sacramento physician who wrote the group’s new policy, attributed the shift to growing frustration over California’s medical marijuana law, which permits cannabis use with a doctor’s recommendation. That, he said, has created an untenable situation for physicians: deciding whether to give patients a substance that is illegal under federal law.
“It’s an uncomfortable position for doctors,” he said. “It is an open question whether cannabis is useful or not. That question can only be answered once it is legalized and more research is done. Then, and only then, can we know what it is useful for.”
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Marijuana Legalization Tops At White House’s Petition Page
Sep 26, 2011 Online Issue
The White House recently unveiled a new webpage called “We The People,” through which average Americans can start and distribute legislation-minded petitions.
“Our Constitution guarantees your right to petition our government. Now, with We the People, we’re offering a new way to submit an online petition on a range of issues — and get an official response,” said the White House on September 1st, ahead of the site’s official launch. “We’re announcing We the People before it’s live to give folks time to think about what petitions they want to create, and how they are going to build the support to get a response.”
Well, that site has gone live, and Talking Points Memo points out that three of the six most popular “We The People” petitions call for the legalization of marijuana.
About 5,000 people have signed a petition demanding the government “stop interfering with state marijuana legalization efforts,” a direct reference to the Department of Justice’s meddling in states like Montana.
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Tags: marijuana, marijuana legalization
Del. lawmakers submit medical marijuana bill again
Feb 14, 2011 Online Issue
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Medical marijuana proponents have filed another bill in the Delaware legislature to legalize medical use of the drug.
This is the third straight year Senate Majority Whip Margaret Rose Henry has introduced medical marijuana legislation and Henry says she is optimistic.
Rep. Helene Keeley, the House co-sponsor, says unlike California and 13 other states, the bill would not permit people to grow their own marijuana.
Senate Minority Leader Gary Simpson, R-Milford, says he is undecided, and concerned that marijuana is a gateway drug that leads to the use of more dangerous drugs.
The bill would allow possession of up to six ounces and Delaware’s health department would issue identification cards for patients and providers.
Source : NECN
Tags: legalize marijuana, marijuana laws, marijuana legalization
Pot Cola, Sodas Coming to Medicial Marijuana Outlets
Jan 30, 2011 Online Issue
Canna Cola is the new spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.
The beverage combines soda and THC, a psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana, to create a drink that co-brand-developer Clay Butler calls “medibles,” edible medicine.
“A lot of people simply don’t want to smoke,” says co-brand developer Clay Butler. “It’s very easy to take your medication in the form of a cookie, soda or brownie and you can do that without drawing attention to yourself.”
Why soda pot? “Some people prefer medibles because it’s better on the body than smoking or prescription drugs,” says Butler. The use of marijuana-infused cola “allows them to stay away from the prescription pain killers.”
Tags: marijuana, marijuana laws, marijuana legalization, Medical Marijuana, Medical Marijuana Policy, medicinal marijuana
18 groups apply to grow, sell marijuana
Jan 18, 2011 Vaporizers
PROVIDENCE — Former state Democratic Party chairman and congressional candidate William J. Lynch and Pawtucket’s recently retired 
police chief are among a group of public figures who want to open the state’s first compassion center to sell medical marijuana with a plan to grow cannabis in an ornate downtown Pawtucket building that formerly housed an exclusive old-time men’s club.
Theirs is one of 18 groups that have applied to the state for licenses. Among the other applicants is a pastor from West Warwick who is facing marijuana charges after the police raided his Providence Street church in September and found 183 marijuana plants.
The Pawtucket contingent submitted a proposal under the business name Rhode Island Center for Compassion and Wellness, which would operate its storefront dispensary at 26 Main St., in the city’s downtown.
Lynch lost in the September primary to then-Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline in the campaign for the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy. Cicilline won the seat in November.
Licenses to sell NJ medical marijuana cost $20K
Jan 15, 2011 Online Issue
Theories on the effectiveness of New Jersey’s medical marijuana program remain in question as the state health department and Legislature continue to battle over its rules.
The health department has just released a revised set of rules for New Jersey’s medical marijuana program. New Jersey’s medical marijuana law was first enacted in January 2010.
The state Department of Health and Human Services also released a how-to guide for entrepreneurs who want to bid on the licensing rights to run the six alternative treatment centers selling marijuana. Licenses cost $20,000, but $18,000 would be refunded if the bidder loses.
The new rules reflect an agreement Gov. Chris Christie reached with the law’s Assembly sponsor, Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer), that allow for six dispensaries to operate, instead of the four the administration initially sought.
