Tag: Cannabis

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Here’s Why California Still Hasn’t Legalized Pot

California has the oldest, most established cannabis industry in the US, so what gives? The following article first appeared in Cannabis Now:  California boasts the world’s eighth largest economy, larger than even Russia. San Francisco Weekly’s Chris Roberts recently estimated the demand for legalized marijuana in California to be $2.1 billion. The estimate, initially reported at $2.1 trillion, was based on the numbers coming out of Colorado scaled to fit the Golden State. California supplies the nation with food, wine, technology and entertainment, and its politics have controlled it thusly. This year alone billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper has financed a ballot initiative that would split the state into six smaller states, creating the wealthiest state in the nation — Silicon Valley. Californians have even elected two entertainers to the […] Read More

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No, Teens Don’t Smoke More Pot In Medical Marijuana States

A new national report dispels the common prohibitionist argument. The U.S. federal government stubbornly continues to classify marijuana as a Schedule I substance with no known medical uses. While our government blocks all research on the potential benefits of marijuana, clinical studies in Israel, Spain and elsewhere confirm what patients in the 23 U.S. states with medical marijuana programs already know: it’s a miraculous treatment option for many known diseases, with the potential to mitigate, and sometimes reverse, ailments ranging from cancer, PTSD and epilepsy to arthritis, skin abrasions, and chronic pain. Since so many of the arguments against cannabis medicine are crumbling, marijuana prohibitionists are resorting to fear-mongering about the “safety of the children” to defend their position. They insist that allowing marijuana in any form will give kids […] Read More

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Why Are Law Enforcement Officials Making More Marijuana Arrests Than Ever?

This uptick in arrests comes even though pot remains widely used, available, and perceived of as safe by most Americans. The following first appeared on the NORML Blog:  Law enforcement in many states are making a greater number of marijuana arrests than ever before despite polling data showing that the majority of Americans believe that the adult use of the plant ought to be legal. According to a just published report, “Marijuana in the States 2012: Analysis and Detailed Data on Marijuana Use and Arrests,” which appears on the newly launched RegulatingCannabis.com website, police made an estimated 750,000 arrests for marijuana violations in 2012 – a 110 percent increase in annual arrests since 1991. Yet, despite this doubling in annual marijuana arrests over the past two decades, there has not been any […] Read More

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2014: Historic: New York Times Calls for Marijuana Legalization

“The social costs of the marijuana laws are vast.” The New York Times’ editorial board agrees with the majority of Americans that marijuana prohibition has got to end. In an editorial on July 26 titled “Repeal Prohibition, Again” the board outlined the many reasons to legalize the herb, drawing comparisons with the nation’s 13 years of failed alcohol prohibition in the 1920s and ’30s. Following a “great deal of discussion … inspired by a rapidly growing movement among the states to reform marijuana laws,” the board came to the conclusion that the federal government should repeal its 40-year ban on marijuana. Marijuana has been criminalized as a “most dangerous” Schedule I drug for too long and the toll has been great. It is by far […] Read More

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House Voted (Twice) to Allow Marijuana Banking Services

Democrats were joined by a growing faction of Republicans. In a stunning change of tone on marijuana policy on Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives voted on a pair of measures affecting the legal marijuana businesses in Washington and Colorado and medical marijuana businesses in 23 states and Washington DC. Almost all Democrats were joined by a growing faction of Republicans in approving the access to legitimate banking services. The House also quashed an attempt to stop the Department of Treasury from allowing banks to do business with legal marijuana firms. “Though this isn’t as flashy a win as some other drug policy reforms of recent years, banking regulations have been one of the most significant obstacles to creating a well-run, safe legal marketplace,” said […] Read More

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Florida Seniors Are Among Medical Marijuana’s Biggest Supporters

Florida is considering medical marijuana in November. The following article first appeared in The Fix. Also on TheFix.com: The New Recovery; No Drugs, No Drink, No Problem—Straight Edge, Then and Now;CNN Reporter Clearly High While Talking to Anderson Cooper This November, Floridians will decide whether to legalize the medical use of marijuana in the Sunshine State. As both sides of the debate gear up for election day, a seemingly unexpected demographic has revealed itself as one of legalization’s biggest supporters—seniors. Many senior citizens favor the initiative, called the Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, or Amendment 2. “What we’re hearing from older voters is not a lot different from the electorate as a whole,” said Ben Pollara, campaign manager for United For Care, which landed the issue on the ballot. […] Read More

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Is Cannabis A Cure For Cancer?

Evidence points to yes, but research on humans is lacking. The following article first appeared on The Hemp Connoisseur Magazine. Find The Hemp Connoisseur on Facebook here. Does cannabis treat cancer? Does cannabis kill cancer cells? Does it cure cancer? We posed those questions, in that order, to one of the most knowledgeable people on Earth: Dr. Robert Melamede, a University of Colorado biology professor and world-renowned cannabis researcher. We also painstakingly reviewed dozens of preclinical studies on cannabis. Our goal is to understand whether cannabis could be the kiss of death for cancer and a panacea for the most feared diseases on the planet. There is no question that marijuana treats cancer symptoms, such as pain, inflammation, and nausea. The database for the National Institutions of […] Read More

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Why Growing Numbers of Pot Smokers Eat Mango Before Lighting Up

Not only are mangoes high in Vitamin C, they could be the secret to unlocking marijuana’s true potential. It’s not a proven scientific fact, but many pot smokers are consuming mangoes an hour before lighting up to boost their highs. According to Marijuana.com, there’s a good chance that the myrcene molecules found in mango can possibly “increase, strengthen and even lengthen” the euphoric feeling from smoking marijuana.   Marijuana already contains more than 100 terpene molecules that are responsible for affecting THC in the brain and giving highs their ebbs and flows. But marijuana contains the myrcene terpene more than any other kind. So, if you eat a mango rich in myrcenes, you can potentially improve the high for low-quality buds or give a high-quality […] Read More

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Bill Clinton: There Is ‘A Lot of Evidence’ for Legalizing Marijuana

Is former president finally ready to inhale? Back in ’92 when he was running for president, Bill Clinton was asked if he had ever smoked pot in college. In what became a running national joke, he famously answered that he’d tried it but he “did not inhale.” The political climate surrounding the infamous herb has changed drastically since then, and even the former president himself is singing a new tune about cannabis. NBC’s David Gregory asked Clinton during a recent interview at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Colorado whether he thought it was time to “give pot a chance.” Clinton came back with some comedy: “Rocky Mountain high?” he said. “Look, I think there’s a lot of evidence to argue for the medical marijuana thing. … […] Read More

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Despite Science, New Medical Cannabis Laws Prohibit Smoked Cannabis

Smoking bans are not backed by scientific research and they serve to proliferate a black market. A CBS poll taken in early January of this year concluded that 86 percent of the nation now supports safe access to cannabis at a doctor’s discretion and there are no signs of public opinion reversing on any other element of cannabis legalization. As public opinion changes, legislatures around the country have explored ways to meet local demand for safe access. As marijuana becomes incrementally more legal for all uses, states grappling with implementing legislation responding to constituent demand for cannabis in all its forms have passed various measures restricting cannabinoid content or strains available. As Minnesota and New York become the 22nd and 23rd states to implement medical cannabis laws, both states […] Read More