Patients And Doctors Go On Hunger Strike In Israel Over New Medical Marijuana Restrictions

 Posted by at 9:00 PM on May 18, 2013  Global Drug War, Medical Marijuana Policy  4 Responses »
May 182013
 
Patients And Doctors Go On Hunger Strike In Israel Over New Medical Marijuana Restrictions

The Israel Government has recently introduced new regulations on the medical marijuana program in the country, including limitations on what patients and conditions qualify for treatment. Now, doctors and patients are protesting the new restrictions. One of their methods; a hunger strike outside the home of Health Minister Yael German. The new list of qualifying conditions is short, and many illnesses, such as Parkinson’s disease, glaucoma and psychiatric disorders are left off. In addition to the hunger strike, Dr. Ilya Reznick of the Reut Hospital in Tel Aviv (Forum Chairman), Dr. Jonathan [Continue Reading]

Stop The IRS War On Medical Marijuana Providers

 Posted by at 7:23 AM on May 17, 2013  Medical Marijuana Policy  4 Responses »
May 172013
 
Stop The IRS War On Medical Marijuana Providers

By Clarence Walker Dispensaries providing marijuana to doctor-approved patients operate in a number of states, but they are under assault by the federal government. SWAT-style raids by the DEA and finger-wagging press conferences by grim-faced federal prosecutors may garner greater attention, but the assault on medical marijuana providers extends to other branches of the government as well, and moves by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to eliminate dispensaries’ ability to take standard business deduction are another very painful arrow in the federal quiver. The IRS employs Section 280E, a 1982 [Continue Reading]

Poll: 78% Of Kentuckians Support Medical Marijuana

 Posted by at 7:18 AM on May 17, 2013  Medical Marijuana Policy  6 Responses »
May 172013
 
Poll: 78% Of Kentuckians Support Medical Marijuana

According the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll, 78% of Kentuckians support the legalization of medical marijuana, and 25% say they would be okay with regulating recreational use as well. Only 38% oppose any form of legalization. Proponents were split when it came to legislative action. Almost half thought the decision should be left up to voters, 23% thought state legislators should change the law, and another 23% believed ending prohibition was the job of the federal government. Citizens of Kentucky will be happy to know that State Senator Perry Clark (D-Louisville) has been tireless [Continue Reading]

Despite The Risks, The Cannabis Community Still Speaking The Truth

 Posted by at 7:03 AM on May 17, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Medical Marijuana Policy  1 Response »
May 172013
 
Despite The Risks, The Cannabis Community Still Speaking The Truth

By Doug Fine In September, 2011, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms banned state law-abiding medical cannabis patients from owning firearms. A bureaucratic decider simply swiped away hundreds of thousands of Americans’ Second Amendment rights by way of an added item on a pre-sale questionnaire. Using an ancient herb as recommended by your doctor, one that any law enforcer will tell you makes people less aggressive? Sorry. Whacked on Oxycontin? Fire away. My friend Carl, a Vietnam veteran, concealed handgun permit holder, political conservative of the John Wayne [Continue Reading]

San Diego Judge Not Convinced Medical Marijuana Case Will Result In Guilty Verdict

 Posted by at 7:13 AM on May 16, 2013  Medical Marijuana Policy  3 Responses »
May 162013
 
San Diego Judge Not Convinced Medical Marijuana Case Will Result In Guilty Verdict

By Terrie Best – San Diego Americans for Safe Access Court Support Coordinator San Diego, CA – Robert “O.J.” Hudson is a forty-something medical cannabis patient who suffers from a host of sleep disorders leaving him debilitated and looking for non-chemical answers to his conditions.   Mr. Hudson has found the limited side-effects of cannabis tolerable and the plant to be of great benefit in treating his sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, insomnia as well as several other medical conditions.  Mr. Hudson lives with two other medical marijuana patients. On December [Continue Reading]

Study: Regular Cannabis Use Associated With Reduced Risk Factors For Type 2 Diabetes

 Posted by at 7:05 AM on May 16, 2013  Marijuana Science, Medical Marijuana Policy  7 Responses »
May 162013
 
Study: Regular Cannabis Use Associated With Reduced Risk Factors For Type 2 Diabetes

By Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director Subjects who regularly consume cannabis possess favorable indices related to diabetic control as compared to occasional consumers or non-users, according to trial data published today online in the American Journal of Medicine. Here is a summary of the study from the website diabetes.co.uk: Cannabis may prevent development of type 2 diabetes A new study has revealed that smoking cannabis may help protect against type 2 diabetes after researchers in the US found that regular users of the drug have better blood sugar control. Murray Mittleman, of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology [Continue Reading]

Study: Cannabinoids May Be Best Medication For Those With PTSD

 Posted by at 7:14 AM on May 15, 2013  Marijuana Science, Medical Marijuana Policy  4 Responses »
May 152013
 
Study: Cannabinoids May Be Best Medication For Those With PTSD

A new study by researchers at the New York University School of Medicine, and funded by theNational Institute of Health, has found a connection between the number of cannabinoid receptors in the brain and the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), paving the way towards an effective medication, according to an New York University press release. The study, which was published online in Molecular Psychiatry and will be presented at the Society of Biological Psychiatry’s annual meeting, is the first to use brain imaging to show that PTSD sufferers have lower concentrations of anandamide than the average person – [Continue Reading]

Nevada Bill Would Protect Medical Marijuana Patients From Unscientific DUI Law

 Posted by at 6:59 AM on May 15, 2013  Medical Marijuana Policy  2 Responses »
May 152013
 
Nevada Bill Would Protect Medical Marijuana Patients From Unscientific DUI Law

Last week, legislators in the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services heard compelling testimony on Assembly Bill 351. This modest and sensible bill would exempt Nevada’s medical marijuana patients from the state’s unscientific limit on how much THC they can have in their systems while driving. For medical marijuana patients – who can legally consume marijuana – prohibiting small amounts of THC from showing up in blood tests is patently unfair. Active THC can remain in the bloodstream for days after consumption, even when it does not affect a person’s [Continue Reading]

Alabama Safe Access Update: The Legislative Session In Review

 Posted by at 11:21 AM on May 14, 2013  Ending Marijuana Prohibition, Hemp, Medical Marijuana Policy  2 Responses »
May 142013
 
Alabama Safe Access Update: The Legislative Session In Review

This session, Alabama took giant leaps on the issue of marijuana reform. Although none of our legislation passed into law, we have set the stage for the future. In November, the Alabama House Representatives Committee on Health held a pre-session public hearing on what was supposed to be on “the issue of medical marijuana,” not on any specific legislation. This was nothing more than an attempt by Chairman Jim McClendon, (R) St. Clair Springs, to kill the bill. At the end of the hearing, Chairman McClendon said, “There would have [Continue Reading]

Study: Inhaled Cannabis Reduces Crohn’s Symptoms

 Posted by at 7:20 AM on May 14, 2013  Marijuana Science, Medical Marijuana Policy  No Responses »
May 142013
 
Study: Inhaled Cannabis Reduces Crohn's Symptoms

By Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director Inhaling cannabis reduces symptoms of Crohn’s disease compared to placebo in patients non-responsive to traditional therapies, according to clinical trial data published online ahead of print in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Researchers at the Meir Medical Center, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Israel assessed the safety and efficacy of inhaled cannabis versus placebo in 21 subjects with Crohn’s disease who were nonresponsive to conventional treatments. Eleven participants smoked standardized cannabis cigarettes containing 23 percent THC and 0.5 percent CBD (cannabidiol) twice daily over a period of [Continue Reading]

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