Month: June 2015

Marijuana and Teens

Federal Study: Passage Of Medical Marijuana Laws Don’t Increase Teen Use

The enactment of state laws legalizing the use and distribution of cannabis for medical purposes has not caused an increase in marijuana use by adolescents, according to the results of a federally funded study published this week in Lancet Psychiatry. Investigators concluded, “[T]he results of this study showed no evidence for an increase in adolescent marijuana use after the passage of state laws permitting use of marijuana for medical purposes. … [C]oncerns that increased marijuana use is an unintended effect of state marijuana laws seems unfounded.”

Read More
Colorado Marijuana Laws

Colorado: Supreme Court Affirms Employees Can Be Fired For Off-The-Job Marijuana Use

Members of the Colorado Supreme Court have unanimously affirmed lower courts’ rulings that employers possess the authority to fire employees for their off-the-job use of marijuana. The Court found that the plant’s legal status under state law does not make the act of consuming cannabis “lawful” under the state’s Lawful Off-Duty Activities Statute.

Read More
US Congress and Marijuana Legalization

Senate Appropriations Committee Votes To Protect State Medical Marijuana Laws

Members of the United States Senate Appropriations Committee voted by a margin of 2 to 1 today in favor of language limiting the Justice Department’s ability to take criminal action against state-licensed operations that are acting in full compliance with the medical marijuana laws of their states. The Senate amendment mirrors language approved by the House last week in their version of the CJS bill.

Read More
Marijuana Patient

Survey: Nearly One Out Of Six MS Patients Use Cannabis Therapeutically

One-quarter of patients with multiple sclerosis report having used cannabis therapeutically and nearly one out of six (16 percent) currently use it to treat symptoms of the disease, according to survey data commissioned by the North American Research Committee on MS. Those with more advanced symptoms of MS were more likely to report using cannabis therapeutically.

Read More