Sunday, March 31, 2013

Michigan medical marijuana law changes kick in Monday

from freep.com




7:24 AM, March 31, 2013   |  
5 Comments
A marijuana plant is shown growing at a medical marijuana dispensary.
A marijuana plant is shown growing at a medical marijuana dispensary. / Associated Press
Some of the first big changes to Michigan's medical-marijuana law since it was approved by voters in 2008 are set to begin.
Democratic Rep. Phil Cavanagh of Redford Township in Wayne County says the changes that go into effect Monday clarify and lend credibility to the act.
The measures define the type of doctor-patient relationship that is needed before medical marijuana use can be certified. For example, a doctor must complete a face-to-face evaluation of the patient. Cavanaugh says lawmakers had concerns certificates were being given out too liberally, like over the Internet.
Among the many other changes is that state-issued cards given to people who have a doctor's endorsement for medical-marijuana use will be good for two years instead of one.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Revised medical marijuana bill picks up speed in Illinois House

from rrstar.com




Photos

(photo) MEDICAL MARIJUANA EDIT
JAMES WOODCOCK | BILLINGS (MONT.) GAZETTE

Todd Wagner, a medical marijuana caregiver from Bozeman, Mont., sits with other vendors and shows his display of marijuana buds to medical marijuana patients Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010, during the Medical Marijuana Clinic at Billings Hotel and Convention Center in Billings, Mont. This year, more than 12,000 medical marijuana users are registered in Montana, up from 826 two years ago.

(photo) MEDICAL MARIJUANA EDIT
(photo) lang medical pot IL 2012
(photo) medicinal marijuana
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By Melissa Westphal
Posted Mar 30, 2013 @ 04:20 PM
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ROCKFORD — Jessica balances the fear that she could be arrested for using medical marijuana against the fear that the cancer in her body won’t let her live to see her 5-year-old daughter grow up.
The Rockford resident — whose last name is being withheld to protect her privacy — has struggled with health problems since her teenage years.
In November 2011, doctors told her she had stage 4 neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer, a rare and less aggressive but still serious cancer.
Last summer, she had surgery to rebuild her digestive system, and she smokes and eats medical cannabis to kill the nausea that frequently surges through her body.
Jessica is 27.
“I want to see my baby grow up,” she said. “It’s hard to think about it ... If something helps my quality of life, then why not use it? I’m not drinking and making my husband and daughter miserable because it’s legal.”
Jessica benefitted from legal access to marijuana when she lived for a short time in California. She’ll travel to Springfield next month to lobby for a bill that would legalize the use of medical marijuana in Illinois.
Bill sponsor Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, has said he thinks the legislation is a few votes shy of approval in the House. Advocates say there’s more momentum for this version than others.
The outlook
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana.
Dan Riffle, deputy director of government relations for the Washington-basedMarijuana Policy Project, said there are more Democrats in the General Assembly this year, so there’s a need for increased education about legalizing medical marijuana, but also the chance for greater support.
Riffle also said the legislation is stricter this time around, not allowing patients to grow their own medical marijuana, for instance, and there are a finite number of medical conditions that would qualify patients to use it.
“All signs point to this is the year,” Riffle said.
House Bill 1 creates a four-year pilot program that would give people with certain medical conditions — like cancer,multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS — access to medical marijuana if their doctors and the Illinois Department of Public Health approve.
Cultivating medical marijuana would be taxed at 7 percent of the sales price per ounce.
Pro/con
Medical marijuana is cheaper and has fewer side effects than the 11 medications Jessica was on at one time to manage her symptoms. She doesn’t smoke around her daughter and keeps the supplies out of sight.

Senator: Nevada's Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Could Open in a Year

from newsmax



Saturday, 30 Mar 2013 01:28 PM

By Sandy Fitzgerald
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A lawmaker pushing for medical marijuana dispensaries in Nevada says they could be open within a year if legislators pass a bill to allow them this session.

Medical marijuana is already legal in Nevada, but state law does not allow for dispensaries, reports the Las Vegas Sun. On Friday, most members of the state's Senate Judiciary Committee voiced support for a bill sponsored by Democratic State Sen. Tick Segerblom.

Segerblom said he hopes the first clinics will open in a year, but lawmakers must vote by mid-April for that to happen. He said there are 3,500 registered medical marijuana users in Nevada, but the number could grow to 35,000.

Through marijuana dispensaries, registered users could buy the drug for $10 an ounce, and would be limited to two ounces of marijuana in any 14-day period.

Lawmakers are still questioning whether people with medical marijuana cards from other states will be able to buy the drug in Nevada, and how the dispensaries will obtain their supplies. It's likely both issues will be addressed in amendments to Segerblom's bill.

Police departments are also seeking stiffer penalties for people who sell and use marijuana illegally.




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Maine medical marijuana workers unionize

from sfgate.com




Updated 6:15 am, Saturday, March 30, 2013
HALLOWELL, Maine (AP) — Employees at Maine's largest medical marijuana dispensary group have unionized, but the head of the company that employs more than 40 people won't say if they'll recognize the union.
Barbara Heap, an employee of the Wellness Connection of Maine, who works at the connection's Auburn growing facility, says a majority of the employees have joined the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, a national group with 1.3 million members, mostly in meat and food-packing industries.
The announcement came days after the Maine Department of Health and Human Services determined Wellness Connection violated 20 state laws and rules, many surrounding pesticide applications.
Maine Today Media (http://bit.ly/10ohOTJ ) reports Wellness Connection Executive Director Becky DeKeuster wouldn't say if the company would recognize the union.
___
Information from: Kennebec Journal, http://www.kjonline.com/


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Maine-medical-marijuana-workers-unionize-4396682.php#ixzz2P2vSHa1a