Marijuana reduces tobacco use

Study: Cannabis Compound Reduces Cigarette Consumption In Tobacco Smokers

The inhalation of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD (cannabidiol) significantly mitigates tobacco smokers’ desire for cigarettes, according to clinical trial data published online in the journal Addictive Behaviors. Investigators concluded, “This is the first study, as far as we are aware, to demonstrate the impact of CBD on cigarette smoking. … These preliminary data, combined with the strong preclinical rationale for use of this compound, suggest CBD to be a potential treatment for nicotine addiction that warrants further exploration.”

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Vermont marijuana laws

Vermont: Cannabis Decriminalization Measure Now Law

Legislation reducing marijuana possession penalties in Vermont became law today. Under the new state law, penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and/or marijuana paraphernalia by a person 21 years of age or older have been amended from a criminal misdemeanor (formerly punishable by up to six-months in jail and a $500 fine) to a civil fine only — no arrest, no jail time, and no criminal record. The law also decriminalizes possession of less than five grams of hashish.

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Oregon marijuana laws

Oregon: Lawmakers Give Final Approval to Measures to Reduce Marijuana Possession Penalties

Members of the Oregon House and Senate have given final approval to two separate legislative measures, Senate Bill 40 and Senate Bill 82, to reduce penalties related to certain marijuana possession offenses. Both bills now await action from Democrat Gov. John Kitzhaber. If signed into law, the changes will take effect immediately upon passage.

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Maine marijuana laws

Maine: Medical Marijuana Program Expanded To Include Patients With PTSD, Other Debilitating Disorders

Patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, Crohn’s disease, and other debilitating disorders will now be eligible for cannabis therapy, under legislation approved yesterday absent the Governor’s signature. The new law expands the list of qualifying conditions for which a Maine physician may legally recommend cannabis to include “post-traumatic stress disorder,” “inflammatory bowel disease” (such as Crohn’s and/or ulcerative colitis), and “dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders and other diseases causing severe and persistent muscle spasms” (such as Parkinson’s disease and/or Huntington’s disease).

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Marijuana Lawyer

National Lawyers Guild Calls For Ending Cannabis Criminalization

The criminalization and prohibition of cannabis has been an abject failure and should be ended as a federal public policy, according to the findings of a new report issued this week by the National Lawyers Guild. The authors of the report recommend rescheduling cannabis from its present Schedule I illicit classification, revisiting the United State’s involvement in international drug control treaties, and ending the practice of civil asset forfeiture by law enforcement agencies.

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Hawaii marijuana laws

Hawaii: Governor Signs Measures Amending State’s Medical Cannabis Program

Democrat Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed two separate measures into law to amend the state’s 13-year-old medical marijuana program. House Bill 668 transfers the administration of the state’s medicinal cannabis program from the Department of Public Safety to the Department of Public Health. Senate Bill 642 increases the quantity of medical cannabis that may be possessed by qualified patients from three ounces to four ounces. It also increases the total number of mature plants that may be legally grown by qualified patients at any one time from three to seven.

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