Israeli government approves guidelines for medical marijuana
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's media adviser said "the Health Ministry will – in coordination with the Israel Police and the Israel Anti-Drug Authority – oversee the foregoing and will also be responsible for supplies from imports and local cultivation."
Of approximately 6,000 Israelis currently being treated with medical cannabis (aka medical marijuana), most suffer from chronic pain and terminal illnesses. The therapeutic potential of cannabis has been known for many years and is recognized by the Health Ministry.
Canada: Ontario closer than ever to legalization of marijuana
Ontario is one step closer to the legalization of marijuana after the Ontario Superior Court struck down two key parts of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that prohibit the possession and production of pot.
The court declared the rules that govern medical marijuana access and the prohibitions laid out in sections 4 and 7 of the Act “constitutionally invalid and of no force and effect” on Monday, effectively paving the way for legalization.
If the government does not respond within 90 days with a successful delay or re-regulation of marijuana, the drug will be legal to possess and produce in Ontario, where the decision is binding.
The ruling stemmed from the constitutional challenge of Matthew Mernagh, a man who relies on medical marijuana to ease pain brought on by fibromyalgia, scoliosis, seizures and depression.
Medical marijuana is becoming a lucrative business in Hawaii
Legal users soared to more than 8,000 over the past decade from 255 in 2001, the program's first year.
$38 million a year, with patients consuming an average of 1 ounce per month at a street price of $400.
It's a burgeoning business for doctors, who charge as much as $300 to certify medical marijuana patients. The consultation typically lasts an hour and often is not covered by medical insurance.
There were 175 physicians licensed to certify medical marijuana patients as of June, up from 35 in 2001, according to the Narcotics Enforcement Division of the state Department of Public Safety.
The state charges a $25 processing fee for a medical marijuana certificate. Patients are required to be certified annually.
Hawaii's medical marijuana law allows patients with a debilitating condition — such as cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, severe pain or nausea — to use the drug if they are certified by a physician registered with the state. It is still illegal to buy marijuana, but patients can grow it legally.
Most polled in Montana prefer to repeal marijuana regulation
A slim majority of Montanans favor repealing the law legalizing medical marijuana, but in response to another question, a much larger percentage support tightening regulations on the industry rather than terminating the law, a new Lee Newspapers poll shows.
When asked whether they would support or oppose repealing the 2004 state law legalizing medical marijuana, 52 percent said they’d support repeal and 38 percent opposed it. Ten percent were undecided.
In response to another question, however, 83 percent of voters said they favor enacting stricter regulation and licensing requirements for medical marijuana in the state. Thirteen percent opposed tightening the law, while 4 percent were undecided.
New Hampshire House passes bill allowing medical marijuana
The New Hampshire House on Wednesday passed a bill that allows the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes by terminally and seriously ill patients.
The bill, HB 442 (click to view status and text), is much like one Gov. John Lynch vetoed two years ago. It includes a provision for treatment centers that would be licensed to distribute marijuana to approved patients.
Rhode Island lawmakers consider legalizing marijuana
Will Rhode Island become the first state to legalize pot? Just days after three applicants have been approved to run medical marijuana dispensaries in RI, lawmakers are looking over legislation that would make marijuana legal for anyone over the age of 21.
Rep. Edith Ajello, the primary sponsor for the bill, tells 630 WPRO that legalizing marijuana would save money in courts and "make drug smugglers obsolete and raise new revenue for the state."
Medical marijuana issue heats up in Montana Legislature
The Montana Medical Marijuana Act is once again coming under fire in the state legislature. More than 150 people crowded into the Capitol in Helena on Friday as the Senate Judiciary committee addressed a bill which would repeal the Medical Marijuana Act.
The bill is sponsored by MT State Representative Mike Milburn (R-Cascade), who says there is no way to rein in the medical marijuana industry. Milburn says the rapid increase in the number of medical marijuana cards is out of control. He says it is a strain on law enforcement and it is getting into the hands of children.
Milburn's bill has already passed the House in a 63-37 vote. Now the bill is before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Cannabis whets appetite for cancer patients
People with advanced cancer said food tasted better when they took the active ingredient in cannabis compared with sugar pills, a small Canadian study showed.
Cancer patients commonly report decreased appetite and changes in their sense of taste and smell that can lead to weight loss, anorexia, a poorer quality of life, and decreased survival, according to several short-term studies.
To explore whether tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis — actually improves taste and smell perception and appetite, researchers in Montreal and Edmonton tested THC and placebo capsules in 21 adults with cancer. Of these, 11 were randomly assigned to THC and 10 to placebo.
Oregon medical marijuana activists protest new restrictions
Medical-marijuana activists demonstrated at the Capitol on Wednesday, protesting proposed legislation that would put new restrictions on legally permitted medicinal cannabis.
A rally on the Capitol steps drew about 60 participants. Some held signs reading "Cannabis is my friend" and "Don't tread on medicine."
Demonstrators decried a flurry of bills introduced in the 2011 legislative session that seek to narrow participation in the state's 13-year-old medical-marijuana program or enact other changes.
Montana House votes to repeal medical marijuana
State lawmakers are halfway to repealing Montana's medical marijuana law. By a vote of 62-to-37, legislators voted to advance the bill out of the House to the Senate.
House Speaker Mike Milburn says law enforcement can't control the sudden growth of the multi-million dollar industry and its rampant proliferation.
"It's going well beyond what people in Montana thought they were voting for," said Milburn, (R-Cascade). "Lots of support from the community, from the schools, from the law enforcement agencies, even from out of state law enforcement, that you can't control it. You can't put sideboards on it. You can't regulate it when it's gone this far."
