Where's Weed Marijuana News Blog

Thanks for joining us this weekend at the AMMP Expo! Check out our raffle ticket winners!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the American Medical Marijuana Professionals Expo this weekend in Detroit, Michigan. It was a fun filled weekend featuring tons of vendors, speakers, educational classes, and so much more. There was even a Magic Vapor bus that took patients back and forth between the medicating site!

We raffled off a few very nice pieces from Boro Boutique, including: a Chad G Mini Tube, a Hitman mini beaker, and a Relik dry pipe! Below are the winners for all of the glass pieces:

The Hitman Mini Beaker- Ticket # 754112

Chad G Mini Tube- Ticket #:753615

Relik Dry Spoon- Ticket #:753046

Chad G Lay Back Dry Pipe- Ticket #: 024006

The raffle winners have already been contacted via email, so make sure to go check yours!

Join us in Detroit, MI March 22nd-24th for the AMMP Expo

The 3rd Annual American Medical Marijuana Professionals Expo is kicking off this Friday in Detroit, MI! Join WheresWeed.com at the expo and experience hundreds of vendors, educational classes, speakers, and demonstrations. You can even catch a ride on the Magic Vapor Bus to the nearby medicating site!

The knowledgeable doctors will be there to quickly and easily evaluate atients to determine if medical marijuana is a viable treatment option. Their customer care representatives are there to help you through every step in receiving your medical marijuana card from the state of Michigan.

The expo will also have tons of live music from local bands, and a FREE concert featuring Afroman!

Be sure to stop by WheresWeed.com's booth to pick up loads of free give-a-way items, and enter into our raffle! We will be giving away a few amazing glass pieces from Boro Boutique, including an incredible Chad G worked mini tube.

The AMMP expo will take place from Friday, March 22nd until Sunday, March 24th at The Roostertail Event Center. Doors are open on Friday from 5pm-9pm, Saturday from 9am-9pm, and Sunday 9am-5pm.

We hope to see you there!

Colorado Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division Proposes Changes

The Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division has released the set of rules personnel hope to change over the next year in order tostreamline the state medical marijuana industry. See the full document below.

The seven page list, issued late yesterday, covers a wide range of subjects, ranging from cultivation standards to dispensary bookkeeping. There's a lot to cover, so here's a breakdown of the highlights:

The MMED wants to tackle issues in the area of licensing and application requirements, including laws concerning businesses in banned communities, validating the so-called 70/30 medicine rule, as well as licensing and application fees.

Transfer of ownership issues have been a problem for the MMED, as well as local municipalities, with dispensaries frequently changing hands over the last year. In addition to addressing them, staffers want to look at ownership interests like requirements for residency and reporting criminal history.

Vendor registration topics are on the list, as is laboratory registration -- something testing facilities have been requesting clarification about for quite some time.

The MMED is considering changes to existing video monitoring rules, with "more general, reasonable requirements requiring consistent and reliable video monitoring of specified areas of the licensed premises, with the corresponding obligation of providing video records to the division or local authority upon request and without unreasonable delay."

In regard to cultivation, the state wants to consider definitions for "cannabis plant: seed, seedling, cutting, grafting, immature plant-statutory definition, vegetation or sporophytic state, flowering or gametophytic state; stem, leaf, sweet leaf, trichomes, cannabinoid, Flower/Bud;Hashish/Hash, Kief, Bubble Hash, Hash Oil/Resin, concentrate, waste, etc."

Also on the table are guidelines authorizing extraction methods for MMJ (Hash/hash oil) that can't be defined as an MMJ-infused product, plus defining specific extraction processes like manual sifting, water hash and solvent-based extractions

Rules pertaining to prohibited processes, additives, chemicals and fertilizers are also on the list.

The MMED will be taking written comments from the public on the proposed changes until December 28, when employees will compile the suggestions and release draft language. That said, the MMED's release doesn't include where the suggestions should be sent. We've contacted the MMED for clarification, but in the meantime, its physical mailing address is:

Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division

455 Sherman Street, Suite 390

Denver, CO 80203

Public comment will be held January 11, February 15 and March 22 at the Jefferson County Courthouse. The final proposal will be available in early April.

"The division is hopeful that opening the discussion beyond the designated advisory panel will encourage the participation of those with valuable and constructive input," officials said in a release last week. "Before the meetings, the division will release the agenda and general guidelines for constructive participation."

Ireland pushes for legalisation of medical marijuana

Ireland has recently announced an initiative to bring legalisation of medical marijuana early next year. While the Misuse of Drugs Act currently prohibits possesion and distribution, the Irish Medicines Board has seeked permission to sell medical marijuana drugs.

While an exact timeline has not been set, legislators expect proposals in early 2013.

Source: Independent.ie

The Price of Legalization

Just as Prohibition bore Al Capones and strengthened the Frank Costellos and "Lucky" Lucianos, American drug prohibition has spawned a host of cartels south of its border. They wage war against each other for the rights to the most lucrative illegal drug market on Earth -- the United States -- which by some estimates, consumes two-thirds of all the illegal drugs in the world.

Yet there is a major difference between Capone's henchmen and the Mexican cartels: "The violence is not to the scale of what's going on in Mexico," Peck said.

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929, one of the most heinous crimes of the era, left seven dead. That many could be murdered in a Mexican border town on your average Wednesday.

How big a hit the cartels would take if the United States legalized pot is a matter of debate, and conclusions vary widely. While U.S. officials said in 2009 that 60% of cartel revenue came from weed, the RAND Corporation said the following year that "15-26 percent is a more credible range."

A report this month by the Mexican Competitive Institute predicted Mexican drug organizations, namely the Sinaloa Cartel, could lose almost $2.8 billion just with the legalization votes in Colorado and Washington.

When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, states saw two immediate benefits aside from neutering the criminal gangs, the first being that they could regulate the product.

Under Prohibition, unscrupulous bootleggers had manufactured moonshines and bathtub gins that could render tipplers blind or dead. Once alcohol was legal, you had a return to quality control, Peck said.

The second immediate benefit? They could also tax the hooch.

"It was a huge consideration. The Great Depression was going on at that point," Peck said. "FDR pays for the New Deal with excise taxes on alcohol and tobacco."

In President Franklin Roosevelt's first two terms, federal taxes jumped from $1.6 billion in 1933 to $5.3 billion in 1940.

How that might translate to marijuana taxation today is debatable, and the ends of the gamut are nowhere near middle ground.

"Medical marijuana helped save the economy in California ... The counties north of San Francisco survived the recession through marijuana," said Aldrich, the marijuana historian.

He was referring to the Emerald Triangle, which is known for producing and exporting some of the country's highest-grade cannabis.

On the other side, you have President Barack Obama's drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, who emphatically denied that marijuana legalization would prove a boon to state coffers. Taxes on alcohol, he told CNN in 2010, amount to $14.5 billion a year, where as the social costs are closer to $185 billion.

Ahead of the recent ballot initiatives in Colorado and Washington, the Colorado Center on Law & Policy estimated that legalization would yield $60 million in state and local revenue and savings by 2017, and perhaps double thereafter. And Washington's Office of Financial Management estimated that a "fully functioning" marijuana industry could bring in nearly $2 billion in revenue over the next five years.

"Fully functioning." Therein lies the rub.

Both the Colorado and Washington estimates came with caveats explaining the obvious: Any revenue projection is contingent on the federal government not enforcing the laws that still render possession of an ounce of marijuana illegal -- even in Colorado and Washington.

University of Virginia law professor Richard Bonnie, co-author of "Marijuana Conviction: A History of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States," said it's a tricky equation.

"There is something attractive about saying you've got this underground market that's not going away, that you're missing a tax opportunity," he said. "The amount of tax revenue you're going to derive from it is going to depend on what your regulatory approach is going to be."

Bonnie was part of the commission that futilely recommended marijuana decriminalization to President Richard Nixon in the 1970s, but he is quick to emphasize that states must step gingerly if marijuana is legalized.

There were many problems with regulating alcohol post-Prohibition, and there still are today. More than a third of eight-graders say they've used alcohol, and almost three-quarters of high schoolers have gotten drunk.

"You have to have a model that doesn't seem to actively encourage use in ways that are harmful to society and the individual," he said, noting the modern regulation of cigarettes provides an admirable model.

Though the Tax Policy Center reports state and local governments collected $17.3 billion in tobacco taxes in 2010, cigarette use, especially among youngsters, has dropped almost 33% since 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Colorado legalizes Recreation Marijuana with Amendment #64

November 6, 2012 11:00pm CST - Huffington Post shows voters are leading polls for passage of Amendment 64, legalizing marijuana in the state of Colorado. More specifically, this initiative legalizes the use and possession of up to one ounce of marijuana.

With 42% reporting, polls show 53.2% in favor of the amendment. This is in stark contrast compared to an earlier initiative just six years ago, where 59% of the Colorado population voted against a similar amendment.

However in the recent years Gov. Bill Ritter introduced into law a bill legalizing medical marijuana. While only a small step forward at the time, this has cleared the path for legalization of recreational marijuana across all boards, including State Senator Shawn Mitchell who stated, "It’s clear the War on Drugs isn’t working, and we need to try different approaches to this in society.”

How exactly these initiatives will move forward remains unknown, however what is clear is that Colorado will be one of the first states to forge the path ahead for legalization of recreational marijuana.

Edit: As of 11:00pm CST Colorado has offically passed Amendment 64, legalizaing marijuana in Colorado!

Israel pushes forward with Medical Marijuana

Safed, Israel — Moshe Rute survived the Holocaust by hiding in a barn full of chickens. He nearly lost the use of his hands after a stroke two years ago. He became debilitated by recurring nightmares of his childhood following his wife's death last year.

"But after I found this, everything has been better," said the 80-year-old, as he gingerly packed a pipe with marijuana.

Rute, who lives at the Hadarim nursing home outside of Tel Aviv, is one of more than 10,000 patients who have official government permission to consume marijuana in Israel, a number that has swelled dramatically, up from serving just a few hundred patients in 2005.

The medical cannabis industry is expanding as well, fueled by Israel's strong research sector in medicine and technology — and notably, by government encouragement. Unlike in the United States and much of Europe, the issue inspires almost no controversy among the government and the country's leadership. Even influential senior rabbis do not voice any opposition to its spread, and secular Israelis have a liberal attitude on marijuana.

Now, Israel's Health Ministry is considering the distribution of medical marijuana through pharmacies beginning next year, a step taken by only a few countries, including Holland, which has traditionally led the way in Europe in legalizing medical uses of the drug.

Marijuana is illegal in Israel, but medical use has been permitted since the early 1990s for cancer patients and those with pain-related illnesses such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients can smoke the drug, ingest it in liquid form, or apply it to the skin as a balm.

A hot topic in America

In stark contrast, medical use is still hotly contested in the United States, with only 17 states and Washington, D.C., permitting medical marijuana for various approved conditions. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says smoked marijuana is not medicine, and "has not withstood the rigors of science." In Europe, Spain, Germany and Austria have allowed or decriminalized some degrees of medical marijuana use.

The numbers of patients authorized to use marijuana in Israel is still far lower than those in the U.S. states, where it is legal. Colorado, for example, has 82,000 registered users in a population of 5 million, compared the 10,000 in Israel, a country of 8 million people.

But Israelis seem enthusiastic about advancing the industry.

"When push comes to shove, and people see how suffering people are benefiting, I'm sure everyone will get behind it," said Yuli Edelstein, Israeli Minister of Public Diplomacy, as he toured Israel's largest marijuana growing farm, Tikun Olam, on Thursday and lauded the facility as an example of Israel's technological and medical advancements.

The Hadarim nursing home, which encourages medical marijuana use, gives its patients cannabis produced at Tikun Olam farm, tucked away on nearly 3 acres in the picturesque Galilee region.

The company, one of around eight government-sanctioned grow-operations in Israel, distributes cannabis for medical purposes to almost 2,000 Israeli patients who have a recommendation from a doctor. The cannabis can be picked up at the company's store in Tel Aviv, or administered in a medical center.

This year, the company also developed a marijuana strain used by a quarter of its customers, said to carry all the reported medical benefits of cannabis, but without THC, the psychoactive chemical component that causes a high. The cannabis is instead made with high quantities of CBD, a substance that is believed to be an anti-inflammatory ingredient, which helps alleviate pain.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg. It's the future," says Zach Klein, head of research and development at Tikun Olam, whose logo reads "This is God's doing, and it's marvelous in our eyes."

Itay Goor Aryeh, director of the Pain Management Center at the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, noted that THC was first isolated in marijuana by Israeli scientists in 1964. "So we are really on the cutting edge of not just the growing and distribution, but also on the basic science of cannabis," he said.

Legalization allows research

He said legalizing medical cannabis allows authorities to conduct more research and learn more about how to regulate its use.

"It has to be researched more, it has to be regulated more, so we know what exactly we're giving the patient, which strains are better," Aryeh said. "If you don't allow it, you will never know."

Aryeh and other proponents say medicinal marijuana is cost-effective and dramatically reduces patients' needs for other pain medications, like morphine, that can produce unwanted side effects.

Ruth Gallily, a professor of immunology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has been studying the supposed anti-inflammatory effects of CBD for the past few decades. "We're finally reaching the stage where it's becoming accepted, and not thought of as 'bad,' but we still have a ways to go," she said. "Now the next challenge may be the major drug companies accepting the plant."

Inbal Sikorin, the head nurse at Hadarim Nursing Home, said the benefits of cannabis for her patients are undeniable.

"We know how to extend life, but sometimes it's not pleasant and can cause a great deal of suffering, so we're looking to alleviate this, to add quality to longevity," she said, while administering cannabis to a patient using a vaporizer. "Cannabis meets this need. Almost all our patients are eating again, and their moods have improved tremendously."

Rute, the nursing home resident, said the cannabis may not change his reality, but makes it easier to accept.

His small room at the residence is adorned with pictures of his deceased wife and figurines of chickens, which he collects because he sees them as a symbol of pain and hope from his years in hiding during the Holocaust.

"I've been a Holocaust child all my life," says Rute, recalling how his father died at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Germany, and how nights were cold in the barn where his neighbor kept him and his several siblings safely hidden.

"I'm now 80 and I'm still a Holocaust child, but I'm finally able to better cope."

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121104/NATION/211040303#ixzz2BHkOX5aZ

Marijuana and the 2012 Elections

On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, and our failed experiment with alcohol prohibition was put to rest. Americans grew tired of the ever-worsening violence associated with the rise of the criminal alcohol market that developed in the absence of a legally recognized and properly regulated industry. As a society, we came to realize that the dangerous and unavoidable collateral markets created by prohibition were in fact more detrimental to society than alcohol itself. On November 6, 2012, some 79 years later, many Americans will have the opportunity to strike the very important first blows against another failed prohibition: marijuana’s.

The upcoming General Election will allow millions of Americans to bypass the legislative process and decide for themselves whether prohibitive marijuana policies should stand. Three states – Colorado, Washington, and Oregon – will be voting on measures to end the state prohibition on adult marijuana possession and use. Two states – Arkansas and Massachusetts – will be voting on whether exemptions should be carved out of their state criminal codes to allow possession and use for the seriously ill. One state – Montana – will vote on a referendum to repeal a law that gutted their previously enacted medical marijuana law. Finally, a host of cities and towns across the country will be voting on measures that either reform city codes or send symbolic messages that greater reform is needed.

State measures to end marijuana prohibition

Three states will be voting on measures to tax and regulate marijuana, and odds are at least one will pass. There has been steady majority or plurality support for both Colorado’s and Washington’s initiatives, and Oregon’s question has seen a recent uptick in the polls as well. If any of the three do pass, it would represent a sea change in American marijuana policy.

While the minutia of all three measures differ – and I highly encourage voters in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon to read their measures – they are born of common goals. The idea is to devise a system where marijuana sales are brought out of the criminal market and instead subjected to careful regulation and taxation. With tight controls, marijuana would be legally grown and sold by law-abiding, tax-paying businesses, as opposed to the criminal enterprises that currently hold a monopoly over the lucrative marijuana market. Creating a legal and regulated market ensures safety and transparency with regard to potency by allowing cultivators to legally test their product. Strict age limits on sales will create barriers to underage consumption by imposing penalties on businesses that sell to minors (when was the last time a drug dealer asked for ID?). A taxed and regulated market also means that states will see added revenue that can help with funding education projects, medical research, etc. The current system ensures that states capture no revue on marijuana sales.

So what will the effect of passage be and what will the feds do? The first question is pretty easy: if one, two, or all three of these pass, millions of Americans 21 and older will no longer be subject to arrest for the possession or private use of a plant proven safer than alcohol. It is clear that states can, and do, create their own criminal laws. In addition, 99% of all marijuana arrests are made under state law. So if states remove their criminal penalties against marijuana possession and private use, we can expect to see a significant drop in marijuana-related arrests.

The second question – how the feds will react – is difficult to predict. The feds can choose to allow the states to proceed with implementation of the regulatory structure without interference. This would be what I like to call the ‘laboratory of democracy’ approach. We already know the results of the marijuana prohibition experiment: control in the hands of criminals, laced product, exposure to all kinds of other illicit drugs, violence, and no decrease in use or abuse. It’s high time a state tests a different approach. Although taxation and regulation may not lead to a decrease in use or abuse, it will certainly eliminate or greatly reduce the negative collateral consequences that are inherent in marijuana prohibition.

The feds could also sue to enjoin the implementation of the new regulatory schemes. At first blush, this may seem scary, but as Dominic Holden recently stated, this too represents a major opportunity for change. A suit against Colorado, Washington, or Oregon would force us to have a national dialogue about our current marijuana policies. With 50% of the population – not to mention an ever-growing list of opinion makers – arguing for the end of marijuana prohibition, it’s a conversation that needs to happen. Look at the increase in support for gay marriage after the first lawsuit was filed challenging California’s Prop 8. If we can have an open and honest conversation, we can expedite policy reform.

Either way, we’re not going to know until a state votes to change their marijuana policies. If you live in Colorado, please vote “yes” on Amendment 64. If you’re in Washington, you’re voting “yes” on I-502. For those of you in Oregon, please vote “yes” on Measure 80. To all of you, I’m envious of your ballot.

State medical marijuana questions

In addition to the three states voting on measures to regulate and tax the adult sales of marijuana, two states have initiatives on the ballot that will create medical marijuana programs. Arkansas and Massachusetts, if passed, will become the 18th and 19th medical marijuana states. They will join the District of Columbia and 17 other states that currently recognize the legitimate medical use of marijuana.

The number of medical marijuana states continues to grow despite obstruction and interference from the federal level, and for the most part, the previously enacted laws continue to thrive. Passage of one or two more laws come November 6 will not only protect citizens of Arkansas and Massachusetts from arrest and prosecution for using a medicine recommended by their physicians, but it will further the momentum and send a loud message to federal policy makers: reform your punitive and unscientific marijuana laws.

Unfortunately, the federal government’s attempt to undermine state medical marijuana laws worked in at least one state, Montana. This past legislative session, Montana lawmakers debated a series of bills that proposed severe restrictions and even outright repeal of the voter-approved medical marijuana law. The amendments the legislature settled on are onerous enough that many took to calling it “repeal in disguise.” After passage, enough signatures were gathered to put the new restrictive law to the voters as an up or down referendum. By rejecting the ‘repeal in disguise’ law, voters in Montana can once again affirm their desire to see sensible marijuana policies.

Reform on the local ballots

Reform comes not just from the state level, but from the local level as well. Municipalities across the country will have marijuana policy related questions – some binding, others not – on their ballots.

Five municipalities in Michigan will be voting on marijuana policy measures. Kalamazoo will be voting on whether to allow three medical marijuana dispensaries to operate within city limits. Residents of Detroit and Flint will decide if their city codes should be amended to remove criminal penalties for possession of less than one ounce of marijuana on private property. Grand Rapids will ask its residents if the code should be amended to replace the possibility of arrest for marijuana possession with a nominal civil fine. Finally, Ypsilanti voters will decide on a measure to make the use and/or consumption of one ounce or less of marijuana by adults 21 years or older the lowest priority for law enforcement personnel.

In addition to voting on medical marijuana, voters in certain districts in Massachusetts will also vote on non-binding public policy questions that direct elected officials to support taxing and regulating marijuana. While they do not have the effect of law, passage of the questions would send a strong message to the representatives of those districts that their constituents support taxing and regulating marijuana. Further north, voters in Burlington, Vermont will be asked if the city should “support the legalization, regulation, and taxation of all cannabis and hemp products?”

Finally, many cities and localities across California will be voting on measures to allow or ban medical marijuana dispensaries from operating in their municipality. Unlike most laws with regulated distribution, California’s medical marijuana law allows localities to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries as opposed to the state.

High-level political support for marijuana policy reform

It is worth pointing out that marijuana policy reform is not just relegated to a ballot issue. There are many top-level politicians who are starting to either speak up, or speak louder, on the need to reform our marijuana policies. For instance, Gov. Pete Shumlin in Vermont has long supported decriminalizing the possession of marijuana. The Democratic Attorney General and candidate for Governor in Montana, Steve Bullock, opposes the recent assault on patients rights’ and will vote against IR-124. More impressive is the fact that the entire political delegation representing Seattle, Washington, including Mayor Mike McGinn, supports taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol.

The beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition

We very well may remember Wednesday, November 7 as the morning we woke up to discover marijuana’s been legalized. If not, then we most certainly will have seen the most support for a regulation and taxation measure to date. Regardless of the outcomes of the various questions, we will have advanced the conversation in a major way. Marijuana policy reform is not about letting a bunch of people get high. It’s about adequately addressing the harms that are associated with marijuana use while stamping out the atrocities that were born from marijuana prohibition. The ballot measures in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon would do just that, while the medical questions being asked of the citizens in Montana, Massachusetts, and Arkansas and the various municipal questions would impact the marijuana policy conversation as well. As a nation, we are moving ever closer to acceptance of a taxed and regulated marijuana marketplace; it’s now just a matter of time.

New site Tracks Politicians & Celebrities Who Support Legalizing Marijuana

SAN FRANCISCO, CA --(ENEWSPF)--October 22, 2012. Just over two weeks before voters in three U.S. states decide on ballot measures to legalize marijuana, a new website launches on Monday that tracks prominent people and organizations speaking out in favor of changing marijuana laws. MarijuanaMajority.com allows visitors to see just how mainstream this debate has become by viewing and sharing visually appealing lists of elected officials, actors, medical organizations and business leaders who support solutions like decriminalizing marijuana possession, allowing medical marijuana or legalizing and regulating marijuana sales for adult use.

In addition to tracking prominent people who have already spoken out, MarijuanaMajority.com has a social component that lets individual supporters play a role in convincing even more opinion leaders to publicly say they favor reform. Visitors to the site will be able to easily send targeted tweets to celebrities and politicians with just a few clicks, encouraging them to speak out and join the Marijuana Majority. Among the initial "Get Out the Quote" targets are Ben Affleck, Mark Cuban, John Cusack, Van Jones, Bill Nye ("The Science Guy"), Shaquille O'Neal, Rihanna and Kanye West.

"At a time when polls show that a majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana and that mega-majorities support allowing medical marijuana or at least decriminalizing possession, it makes no sense whatsoever that so many national politicians look at this issue as some kind of dangerous third rail of politics," said Tom Angell, founder and chairman of Marijuana Majority. "By allowing people to see in one place the prominent, respectable and numerous supporters of changing these laws, we hope to convince more elected officials that there's political opportunity, and not political peril, in jumping on board the marijuana policy reform bandwagon."

The site launches as national polls show -- for the first time ever -- that a majority of U.S. voters support legalizing and regulating marijuana like alcohol. Polling also indicates that voters in Colorado and Washington are poised to make history by voting to legalize marijuana on Election Day.

Aaron Houston, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy and a Marijuana Majority board member, said, "Anyone who looks at the polls can plainly see that trends heavily favor the marijuana legalization movement. For a long time, young people have overwhelmingly supported replacing failed marijuana laws with a new approach. Savvy politicians who are looking to earn support should realize that a growing demographic wants them to speak out for marijuana reform, and that doing so can only help them at the ballot box."

Marijuana Majority advisory board member Sean Dunagan, who served as a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intelligence analyst for 13 years, added, "Ending marijuana prohibition enjoys support from religious leaders like Pat Robertson, business leaders like David Koch, entertainers like Morgan Freeman, world leaders like Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos and -- by the way -- the majority of U.S. voters. No one who realizes that our failed marijuana laws cause tremendous violence and waste should be afraid to say so. The time to speak out and join the Marijuana Majority is now."

ABOUT MARIJUANA MAJORITY:

Marijuana Majority exists to help people understand that replacing marijuana prohibition with solutions like legalization, decriminalization and medical marijuana are mainstream, majority-support positions, and that no one who supports reform should be afraid to say so. More info at http://www.MarijuanaMajority.com.

Colorado Legalization Opponents Sneakily Omit Portions of Materials to Voters

Proponents of a measure to legalize limited possession of marijuana say they have filed a lawsuit to delay the printing of this year's ballot- information booklet. The booklet, known as the blue book, is sent to every voter in Colorado and provides details on the initiatives on the ballot.

Proponents of the marijuana-legalization measure, Amendment 64, argue that a legislative committee underhandedly struck from the blue book's final draft key language in the section describing arguments in favor of the initiative. Several lawmakers didn't realize they were voting to excise the language, the amendment's proponents said.

It takes a super-majority of lawmakers on the committee to make changes to the blue book.

"It's really just incredibly unfair," said Mason Tvert, one of the leaders of the pro-marijuana campaign. "It's beyond unfair."

Tvert said the blue book was to be sent to the printer this week. Instead, Tvert said, initiative proponents will have a court hearing as early as Monday to ask a judge to delay the printing and restore the contested language.

The contentious editing took place Wednesday at a meeting of the Legislative Council Committee, which gives the final sign-off on the blue book's contents. After testimony from initiative opponents, Sen. Mark Scheffel, R-Parker, expressed reservations about language in two parts of Argument No. 1 in favor of the initiative.

Scheffel said he objected to language in the first half of the argument that said marijuana legalization is a "more logical" approach. He also objected to language in the second half of the argument that stated marijuana is safer than alcohol and that penalties for marijuana crimes are too severe.

His initial attempt to strike both sections of Argument No. 1 failed. Trying again later in the meeting, Scheffel said lawmakers should split up the debate about the contested language in the two halves of Argument 1.

"You're trying to make two different arguments?" asked Rep. Lois Court, D-Denver.

"Correct," Scheffel said. "I'm just trying to divide this so we can tackle this paragraph in two parts."

Scheffel's subsequent motion, though, deleted both sections of Argument No. 1. That motion passed unanimously. Some lawmakers said they expected Scheffel to make a second motion to restore modified language about marijuana being safer than alcohol.

"I thought we were then going to go ahead and fix the next couple of sentences," Court said during the meeting.

Scheffel said that wasn't his intention.

Scheffel could not be reached for comment.

Rep. Mark Ferrandino, who did not want to delete the language, said he does not believe Scheffel was trying to pull a fast one. Still, Ferrandino was disappointed with the outcome.

"I don't think he was trying to cause confusion," said Ferrandino, D-Denver. "But it did cause confusion."

Court Rules Long Beach Marijuana Dispensary Ban Illegal!

A Los Angeles Superior Court ruling may have far reaching consequences for Long Beach's ban on medical marijuana dispensaries.

According to a press release issued today by the law offices of Matthew J. Pappas, L.A. Superior Court Judge James R. Dunn struck down the city's ban of marijuana dispensaries, arguing that such a ban conflicted with state law, which allows medical marijuana patients to collectively cultivate and consume cannabis.

The two-page ruling, which the Weekly obtained from Pappas, is dated Aug. 17, and specifically overrules the city's prohibition of pot clubs, a civic ordinance known as 5.89. In it, Dunn wrote that the ban is "virtually identical" to an L.A. county ban that had already been struck down and "is therefore preempted by state law." The ruling gave the city 15 days to respond, and it is unclear if the city bothered to do so and if so, how the court responded to that effort.

Pappas had filed the case in Dunn's court back in May, alleging that his daughter, plaintiff Victoria Pappas, had been severely injured in an assault the previous year, and unlike patients who can easily obtain oxycontin and other addictive painkillers at the local pharmacy, had to risk being subjected to Long Beach's policy of raiding pot clubs just to obtain medication she was entitled to use via California's Compassionate Use Act.

After allowing cannabis clubs to apply for an expensive lottery system that was later ruled illegal in a case filed by Pappas himself, the city banned pot clubs on Feb. 14 of this year, allowing a select group of lottery-winners to remain open for six months, a deadline that expired in August, by which time most of those clubs had shuttered as well.

In an email, Pappas said that his secretary hadn't opened the ruling and had placed it in a large stack of mail, which is why he didn't discover it until yesterday. "Now, we'll go in to get an injunctive relief order, but the finding by the judge is substantive and it is a finding that 5.89 is preempted and invalid," Pappas stated.

In other words, Pappas, who represents numerous cannabis clubs in Long Beach, including many that were either shut down by the city or closed voluntarily after being raided, hopes to use Dunn's ruling that the city's ban violates state law to obtain a court order that would prevent the city from raiding any of his clients.

Stay tuned, since we'll be updating this story as more information--most importantly whether the city has responded to the ruling--becomes available. For now, however, it appears that Long Beach's ill-fated foray into medical marijuana policy has just become even more expensive for city hall.

Paul Ryan: Don't interfere with legalized medical pot

DENVER (AP) Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan says the federal government shouldn't interfere with states that have legalized medical marijuana.

The Wisconsin congressman tells KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs that he personally doesn't approve of medical marijuana laws. But he says that states should have the right to choose whether to legalize the drug for medical purposes. In response to a reporter's question, Ryan said: "It's up to Coloradans to decide."

The interview was taped while Ryan campaigned this week in Colorado Springs and aired Friday.

Colorado is one of 17 states, plus the District of Columbia, that allow medical marijuana.

The Obama administration at first signaled that it wouldn't interfere with state-sanctioned marijuana distribution. But the Justice Department has since angered marijuana activists by shutting down dispensaries in California and Colorado

78 year-old billionaire backs medical marijuana

Last week, Massachusetts unveiled the questions that will be asked on the ballot this November. While these proposals no doubt faced stiff competition against 2008′s queries in the excitement category — remember dog racing and the misguided attempt to ditch the income tax? — the decision on whether to legalize medical marijuana will likely stir up debate and discussion. And it already has. A few left-wing organizations and hippie activists have stepped up to support the cause (shocker, right?), but so far it’s Peter Lewis, a nearly octogenarian billionaire and former chairman of Progressive Insurance, who has been the main financial backer.

In the initial campaign to reach the ballot, Lewis donated $525,000 to the Committee for Compassionate Medicine, the organization supporting the proposed bill. Their complete fundraising haul from that January report? $526,000, or about 99.8 percent of their total budget. So why has Lewis been bankrolling this campaign? Lewis admits to smoking pot recreationally earlier in his life, but after an infection took his lower left leg, Lewis realized firsthand the value of marijuana as a pain killer. On his experience in the hospital dealing with that pain, Lewis writes, “I was very glad I had marijuana. It didn’t exactly eliminate the pain, but it made the pain tolerable — and it let me avoid those heavy-duty narcotic pain relievers that leave you incapacitated.”

Lewis believes that the federal War on Drugs is partly to blame for “outdated, ineffective, and stupid” marijuana laws, and has tried to bring reform on a state by state level. It’s been estimated that Lewis has donated at least $40 million to all types of marijuana reform in different states. This election year alone Lewis has donated to reform efforts in Washington, Colorado, and his home state of Ohio.

But do Lewis’ past attempts to legalize weed bode well for the Commonwealth? Currently 17 states and the District of Colombia allow medical marijuana, and 10 of those laws were prompted by successful ballot initiatives. So Lewis has had success in the past, and getting the question on the ballot should be considered a good sign for proponents of reform. Recent polls show that between 57 percent and 64 percent of Massachusetts voters would favor such a law.

Though it’s a ways to go until November, the early indicators look good for those of us who favor allowing medical marijuana. Not to jinx anything, but thank you, Peter Lewis.

Tommy Chong says hemp oil is working to cure his prostate cancer!

It's official, Tommy Chong's prostate cancer numbers are looking better! Cannabis and hemp are amazing plants with so many valuable healing properties. It's time we take a serious stand and demand fair, safe access and appropriate legal classifications for a substance we all know could be improving the lives of countless men and woman across the global. Go Tommy Chong, we wish you the best, and this weekend - we're rolling a fatty just for you!

View the original tweet: http://twitter.com/tommychong/status/223866867062800384

Maine resident may lose housing because of medical marijuana plants

Cannabis seems to have many different allures. It can produce a “high.” It can give the feeling of munchies. Now, it can possibly help combat obesity. Scientists recently revealed that they found two compounds from cannabis leaves that could up the total energy that the body burns.

Previous studies of two specific compounds demonstrated that they could be used to treat type-two diabetes. The compounds were also discovered to have the ability to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood stream and decrease fat in important organs such as the liver. With the aim of treating patients who have “metabolic syndrome,” the researchers are currently conducting clinical trials in 200 patients with the drug. With “metabolic syndrome,” diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity combine to heighten the risk of heart disease and stroke in patients.

“We are conducting four Phase 2a clinical trials and we expect some results later this year,” commented Dr. Steph Wright, director of research and development at GW Pharmaceuticals, in a Telegraph article. “The results in animal models have been very encouraging. We are interested in how these drugs effect the fat distribution and utilization in the body as a treatment for metabolic diseases… Humans have been using these plants for thousands of years so we have quite a lot of experience of the chemicals in the plants.”

GW Pharmaceuticals was given a license to grow cannabis in greenhouses that were specially constructed for project. The company produces cannabis plants that have a number of cannabinoids, which are varied compounds of cannabis. They are already working on creating drugs that can assist in treating epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. Interesting enough, when the scientists studied two specific compounds, THCV and cannabioidoil, they found that they had the ability to suppress appetite but the effect lasted for a short amount of time. Upon further examination, the investigators discovered that the compounds could influence the fat level in the body as well as its effects to the hormone insulin.

Likewise, the studies of the compounds in mice showed that they increased the metabolism of the animals, causing decreased levels of fat in livers and minimized levels of cholesterol in the blood stream. In particular, THCV showed the ability of boosting the animals’ sensitivity to insulin but also shielding the insulin-producing cells. With these actions, the cells were able to work at a longer and more durable pace.

The researchers hope that the findings will help in the development of treatments for obesity-related illnesses and type-two diabetes.

“Overall, it seems these molecules increase energy expenditure in the cells of the body by increasing the metabolism,” noted Professor Mike Cawthorne, director of metabolic research at the University of Buckingham and animal studies researcher, in the Telegraph article.

Recently, there have been other studies related to marijuana. For example, a team of scientists at the University of Haifa used animal studies to investigate how cannabinoids may possibly help patients who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. As well, researchers at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry at Plymouth University discovered that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a type of marijuana, has varied effects on subjects diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Those who participated in the study stated a 50% decrease in pain.

Source: redOrbit (http://s.tt/1hqLQ)

The researchers hope that the findings will help in the development of treatments for obesity-related illnesses and type-two diabetes.

Source: redOrbit (http://s.tt/1hqLQ)

Don LaRouche of Portland, Maine, suffers from glaucoma and Crohn's disease. For the past five years, the 50-year-old has turned to medical marijuana to help treat the effects of his ailments, growing the plants in his residence as permitted by state law. But LaRouche has also relied on federal housing assistance to help pay rent on his trailer home, and the organization that issues his vouchers now says he must stop cultivating the plants or lose his aid.

As Maine's WCSH6 reports, LaRouche's dilemma is the product of a discrepancy between state law -- which has legalized the use and cultivation of medical marijuana -- and federal law, which still lists the plant as an illegal Schedule I drug.

Officials in charge of overseeing the assistance program say that violation of federal law within a residence paid for by its vouchers is grounds for termination of aid, regardless of the practice's status under state law.

"The decision we're presented is whether to terminate or allow them to continue to receive that voucher," Denise Lord, director of the Maine State Housing Authority's Voucher Assistance Program, told WCSH6. "I think given Maine law and federal law we try to find the best possible solution for everyone."

LaRouche told WCSH6 that he has grown the plants in his trailer because its the cheapest method of getting his medicine. He has until July 23rd to stop growing marijuana or lose his assistance and has reportedly already reached out to Gov. Paul LePage (R) and other members of the state's congressional delegation to explore other avenues.

Similar confusion over the conflicting state and federal laws arose earlier this month when the Oregonian reported on a little-known provision of that state's law allowing some food stamp recipients to deduct medical marijuana costs from income when calculating their eligibility for the federal program. Maine reportedly contains a similar measure on these type of deductions.

Medical marijuana reaches several ballots

Massachusetts residents will vote on a ballot initiative in November that would make cannabis available for certain registered users. Residents of Arkansas, North Dakota and Ohio may vote on similar ballot measures to join 17 other states and the District of Columbia in legalizing the drug for medical use.

"It is totally possible the presidential election can swing on the marijuana issue," said Morgan Fox, communications manager at Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington-based lobbying group.

He cited Colorado where 2 percent of residents are registered marijuana users and several polls find the presidential race a near tie. A candidate’s view on the issue could gain or cost him the state, Fox said.

For the past year, Arkansans for Compassionate Care has gathered signatures for a petition asking to put a medical marijuana law on the November ballot. The deadline to file with the state is Friday.

Campaign Director Ryan Denham said there is a good chance Arkansas’ initiative could make it to the ballot and pass, which would make it the first southern state to support the movement.

"It is going to send a strong message on a national level to Congress," Denham, 29, said. "It'll show that even folks in the South support medical marijuana use. This is a state and local campaign, but we are fighting for a national issue too."

The group has collected more than the 62,507 signatures needed to put the measure to a vote. The state has until August to decide if the initiative qualifies.

Citizens of 26 states cannot petition for initiatives, forcing the issue into state legislatures. In June, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, vetoed a bill to legalize medical marijuana. The state Senate was three votes shy of overriding the veto.

In his veto message, Lynch said he sympathizes with the need for those suffering from serious illness to use marijuana as a treatment, but the bill did not provide for tightly controlled production.

"While SB 409 requires that marijuana for medical use be cultivated in a ‘locked and enclosed site," Lynch said, "neither state nor local law enforcement is authorized to generally inspect and confirm that these conditions are being maintained."

Lynch’s reservations confirm Fox's comment that opposition is expressed "almost entirely from law enforcement."

"Law enforcement has a history of drumming up fears and using straw-man arguments,"Fox said. There is a misconception that it is a dangerous drug. If you ask how many times marijuana was a cause for violence, you’ll see almost none.

In Colorado, penalties for non-medical marijuana use are similar to those for alcohol misuse. The state, along with 12 others, eliminated jail time for possessing small amounts of the substance.

"I think that in the near future we are going to see Congress passing a law removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, or possibly putting it under the purview of the tobacco and alcohol act," Fox said.

Other pro-marijuana groups, such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, lobby for legalizing the drug for all uses.

Denham said people often mix up NORML's mission and that of pro-medical marijuana groups. That is why Arkansans for Companionate Care is continuing its campaign to Friday's deadline.

"Ultimately, for me, this is an education campaign," Denham said. "We really have changed the mind of a lot of people out there."

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act would require people with "qualifying medical conditions" such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV, Crohn’s disease and other illnesses to register with the Arkansas Department of Health.

The department could charge a registration fee and limit the number of dispensaries.

"Marijuana is already available anywhere in Arkansas," Denham, a junior at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, said. "The only thing this law is going to do is the people who need it are going to be able to get it."

The act would allow counties and cities to ban dispensaries, just as they can ban alcohol, but any registered user who lives more than 5 miles from a dispensary could grow up to six marijuana plants. Those users could not sell or distribute their crop.

The Marijuana Policy Project helped write the act, basing it on Arizona’s successful 2010 proposition. The group is also helping North Dakotans for Compassionate Care get an initiative on the November ballot.

In Illinois, the group is pushing to keep alive a bill that would initiate a three-year pilot program. The bill barely failed and could be reconsidered in November.

While Fox anticipates some states will continue to resist medical marijuana laws, he said it could become a national issue within four years.

"For states to treat patients like criminals just for trying to live a normal life and using a medicine that is far safer than most prescriptions is inexcusable," he said.

Source: Scripps Howard Wire Foundation

New Study: Weed is NOT a Gateway Drug - Alcohol Is!

A study in the August edition of The Journal of School Health finds that the generations old theory of a “gateway drug” effect is in fact accurate for some drug users, but shifts the blame for those addicts’ escalating substance abuse away from marijuana and onto the most pervasive and socially accepted drug in American life: alcohol.

Using a nationally representative sample from the University of Michigan’s annual Monitoring the Future survey, the study blasts holes in drug war orthodoxy wide enough to drive a truck through, definitively proving that marijuana use is not the primary indicator of whether a person will move on to more dangerous substances.

“By delaying the onset of alcohol initiation, rates of both licit substance abuse like tobacco and illicit substance use like marijuana and other drugs will be positively affected, and they’ll hopefully go down,” study co-author Adam E. Barry, an assistant professor at the University of Florida’s Department of Health Education & Behavior, told Raw Story in an exclusive interview.

While Barry’s study shows evidence that substance abuse behaviors can be predicted with a high degree of accuracy by examining a subject’s drug history, he believes that the persistent and misguided notion of marijuana as the primary gateway to more harmful substances went awry because its creators — who called it the “Stepping Stone Hypothesis” in the “Reefer Madness” era of the 1930s – fundamentally misread the data and failed to conduct an adequate follow-up.

“Some of these earlier iterations needed to be fleshed out,” Barry said. “That’s why we wanted to study this. The latest form of the gateway theory is that it begins with [marijuana] and moves on finally to what laypeople often call ‘harder drugs.’ As you can see from the findings of our study, it confirmed this gateway hypothesis, but it follows progression from licit substances, specifically alcohol, and moves on to illicit substances.”

“So, basically, if we know what someone says with regards to their alcohol use, then we should be able to predict what they respond to with other [drugs],” he explained. “Another way to say it is, if we know someone has done [the least prevalent drug] heroin, then we can assume they have tried all the others.”

And while that standardized progression certainly doesn’t fit every single drug user, the study took that into account too. “There were a low enough number of errors that you are able to accurately predict [future substance abuse behavior]… with about 92 percent accuracy,” Barry said.

By comparing substance abuse rates between drinkers and non-drinkers, they ultimately found that seniors in high school who had consumed alcohol at least once in their lives “were 13 times more likely to use cigarettes, 16 times more likely to use marijuana and other narcotics, and 13 times more likely to use cocaine.”

Barry also noted that the rates of tobacco and marijuana use among all 12th grade high school students were virtually the same, confirming a report the Centers for Disease Control published in June, and an analysis Raw Story published in May.

The study should give pause to anyone involved in youth drug awareness programs, as its findings suggest that making science-based alcohol education a top priority could actually turn the tide of the drug war — but only if lawmakers and leading educators decide to use that same science as a foundation for public policy and school curriculum.

“I think [these results] have to do with level of access children have to alcohol, and that alcohol is viewed as less harmful than some of these other substances,” Barry added.

That social misconception, largely driven by the sheer popularity of alcohol and the profits it generates for private industry, is diametrically opposed to the most current science available on drug harms. A study published in 2010 in the medical journal Lancet ranked alcohol as the most harmful drug of all, above heroin, crack, meth, cocaine and tobacco. Even more striking: The Lancet study found that harms to others near the user were more than double those of the second most harmful drug, heroin.

In its last Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the CDC found (PDF) that about 71 percent of American students have had at least one alcoholic beverage in their lifetime, and almost 39 percent reported having at least one drink within the last 30 days.

“This is a time of budget tightening,” Barry concluded. “Many social services are being cut. If you take [our findings] and apply them to a school health setting, we believe that you are going to get the best bang for your buck by focusing on alcohol.”

Medical marijuana needs rules to drive by

Let's start by stating that driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol is a crime and must be punished. All 50 U.S. states have clear laws prohibiting this activity.

But there is one intoxicant that is trickier than the others: marijuana, especially when used for medical purposes.

During the past two years, Colorado and Montana, along with more than a dozen other states, have proposed laws that set a strict threshold for determining when a marijuana user is deemed too impaired to drive. These would consider a concentration of more than 5 nanograms of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC (the psychoactive component of marijuana) per milliliter of blood, as hands-down proof of intoxication or impairment.

The result would be an automatic guilty verdict, with all that entails: a temporary loss of driving privileges, fines, lawyer's fees, possible jail time and greatly increased insurance premiums. By some estimates, a conviction for driving under the influence can cost a driver as much as $10,000.

Several states are going further and have either adopted or are considering zero-tolerance laws for THC levels. This means any THC in the blood would result in a conviction.

Here's the problem with these laws: There are questions about how, and at what level, cannabis use impairs driving ability. For a patient in one of the 17 states where marijuana has been legalized for medicinal use, how are you to know when it's legal to drive? After consuming marijuana, should you wait 12 hours to drive or one day? When will your THC level be below the 5-nanogram threshold? The answer is complicated.

Although marijuana is readily detectable in toxicology tests of blood, hair, urine or saliva, what isn't clear is just how quickly THC passes through the body. We know, for example, that THC may be detected in the blood of occasional users several hours after ingesting. But in some chronic users there may be traces for days after the last use, long after any performance-impairing effects have subsided.

This is a very clear contrast with alcohol. There is a firm understanding of the rate at which the body metabolizes alcohol and there are well-known guidelines on how much time must pass after drinking before one is fit to drive. Tests can easily be administered in roadside stops. Those who fail simple benchmarks of sobriety — not to mention breath tests — are usually convicted or plead guilty.

The research on how marijuana affects driving is far less conclusive, though.

Testing done on drivers under the influence of alcohol often show that drivers display more aggressive behavior behind the wheel, and errors are more pronounced than when sober. The opposite tends to be true when drivers are under the influence of THC; they tend to have heightened awareness — rather than diminished sensitivity as they do after drinking — to their surroundings. As a result, they tend to compensate by driving more cautiously.

A 2007 control study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health reviewed 10 years of U.S. auto-fatality data. Investigators found that U.S. drivers with blood-alcohol levels of 0.05 percent — a level below the national 0.08 percent legal limit — were three times as likely to have been driving unsafely before a fatal crash, compared with individuals who tested positive for marijuana.

What this means is that we need more research before new DUI marijuana laws are enacted. Setting an absolute impairment standard for THC bloodstream levels is premature. And these laws, which target marijuana use and associated medical marijuana patients, are discriminatory.

I say this at a time when there is an absence of legislation dealing with the use and well-documented abuse of prescription painkillers, which can dangerously impair the judgment needed for safe driving. State legislatures aren't setting arbitrary and scientifically unproven blood-level standards for these drugs. So why are they focused on marijuana?

Driving while intoxicated must anywhere and everywhere be illegal, whether that impairment is caused by prescription drugs, alcohol purchased at a liquor store or marijuana used on the recommendation of a doctor. Under current standards, someone can be charged with DUI for marijuana use based on roadside sobriety tests and observations by the arresting officer in conjunction with blood samples. Those tests serve their purpose at this point.

But if states are going to turn to strict threshold laws, they should answer this question: Based solely on THC concentrations in blood from marijuana, when is a driver too impaired to drive safely?

Until the evidence is in, it's hard to see why any state needs to lower the burden of proof necessary to convict someone of a DUI marijuana charge.

Medical Marijuana minus the high- Isreali company perfects buds high in CBDs

An Israeli company says it is growing medical marijuana with a special twist -- it offers some of the same therapeutic benefits without the high.

According to Reuters, the company, Tikun Olam, is cultivating a type of cannabis plant that has high levels of a substance called Cannabidiol (CBD) believed to have anti-inflammatory properties.

What the plants do not have is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the compound that gives many marijuana users the characteristic high.

Medical marijuana advocates tout the drug as an effective remedy for numerous symptoms, including pain and nausea. Studies have also found marijuana to be effective in relieving symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Zack Klein, Tikum Olan's director of development, said the company's THC-free marijuana offers symptom relief without the mind-altering effects.

"Sometimes the high is not always what they need. Sometimes it is an unwanted side effect. For some of the people it's not even pleasant," Klein told Reuters.

Experts in the U.S. say there has been very little research on how the specific compounds in marijuana affect people's health, so it is difficult to predict how well this type of marijuana will work.

"With just regular marijuana, there is a mix between THC -- the more neurologically active component -- and CBD," said Dr. Igor Grant, director of the University of California San Diego's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research. "There is still ongoing research to try to understand the actions of THC and CBD and how they interact."

There is, however, ample evidence to suggest that CBD is not psychoactive, he added.

THC has a number of physiological effects. It binds to cannabinoid receptors throughout the body to produce its effects, including the high.

"There are receptors all over the place -- in the heart, lungs, belly, brain -- and they control all sorts of things," said Dr. Timothy Fong, associate professor of psychiatry at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

It is particularly powerful as an anti-nausea remedy and is available in synthetic form as a drug called Marinol. A combination of THC and CBD, known as Sativex, is available in some countries outside the U.S.

One very small study of 16 human volunteers that compared THC to CBD found that CBD had fewer negative side effects than THC.

Would Marijuana Without THC Be Legal?

Right now, federal law considers THC, CBD and entire marijuana plants to be illegal according to ProCon.org, an independent charity that provides information on a number of different issues. Marinol, the drug that contains synthetic THC, is legal.

The mass cultivation of a plant similar to the Israeli-grown cannabis could create complicated legal and political issues, according to Robert MacCoun, a psychologist and professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley.

While it remains to be seen whether or not CBD is effective against certain disease symptoms, many medical marijuana advocates believe it is the entire plant that provides therapeutic benefits.

"They have long argued that the substances in the plant collectively bring about the medical benefits," said MacCoun, who is not an attorney, but has done extensive research into policy issues surrounding medical marijuana.

If CBD turns out to also be therapeutic as THC, MacCoun explained it may change the legal and political dynamic, since the argument can be made that only certain ingredients should be legal.

Medical marijuana for research purposes must be obtained from the federal government, so it can be difficult to get, which MacCoun said limits the ability to study its effects.

And more research is exactly what experts who work with these compounds say is needed.

"This is an area that is very underdeveloped and underresearched," said Fong. "We need more ways to explore how the cannabinoid system works."

More Crazy From Synthetics? Crazy Man Goes On "Ninja" Rampage in Indianapolis

We don't normally post this kind of stuff, but it's just another example of the idiotic things that happen because a harmless substance is kept illegal. Those in legal states, be glad you have access to safe, quality medication - and the rest of you PLEASE stay away from this harmful synthetic crap!

A naked man went on a rampage last month in the streets of Indianapolis, doing “ninja” somersaults and karate-like kicks to evade the police officers and bystanders who attempted to wrangle him.

Recently-posted video shows David Martin, the nude 27-year-old, yelping in pain after police attempted to subdue him with a taser. But within seconds, Martin is back up again, kicking and punching his way through officers.

“This guy’s like a ninja, man. Holy crap!” the unidentified cameraman said as Martin performed a somersault during his evasion of the police.

“No way! That guy’s strong, he’s got to be on something,” the cameraman added.

According to the New York Daily News, Martin allegedly injured a female officer when he pushed her into a building; and injured a male cop after punching him in the face several times.

At the end of the video, Martin is seen running off after being tasered several times and kicking and flipping his way through police. Eventually police caught up and arrested him, charging him with battery, resisting law enforcement, and public indecency.

The Daily News reports that Martin later admitted to being high on Spice, a type of synthetic marijuana.

Naturally, a synthetic marijuana ban is coming down the pike in Indiana (and many other states), due to crazy stories like this one. But little do ban-happy politicians realize that potentially dangerous synthetic cannabinoids like this exist largely because the real stuff is illegal.