House and Senate lawmakers last week gave final approval to legislation, LD 1062, to allow patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, inflammatory bowel disease, and other debilitating disorders to be eligible to engage in the therapeutic use of cannabis.
There are four new videos worth checking out, two provide comic relief…two provide contrasting views…
After a nearly fifteen year legal and political odyssey–Washington DC voters like me voted at…
Governor John Hickenlooper has signed legislation, Senate Bill 241, into law creating a new program within the Department of Agriculture to oversee the regulation of commercial hemp production. Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant species cannabis sativa that contains only minute (less than 1%) amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Senate Bill 241 classifies cannabis possessing no more than three-tenths of one percent THC as an agricultural commodity and establishes a 9-member committee within the state Department of Agriculture to oversee the creation of regulations governing the licensed cultivation of hemp for commercial and research purposes. The Department must adopt regulations for the new program no later than March 1, 2014.
Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval has signed legislation, Senate Bill 374, authorizing the creation of up to 66 medical marijuana dispensaries. Under the new law, state regulators are tasked with overseeing the creation of licensed establishments to produce, test, and dispense cannabis and cannabis-infused products to authorized patients. Nevada voters enacted legislation in 2000 to allow for physician authorized patients to consume and grow cannabis. However, that law did provide for facilities where authorized patients may obtain medicinal cannabis. Approximately 3,800 Nevadans are presently authorized to grow and/or consume cannabis under state law
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has signed legislation, House Bill 1441, into law that criminalizes drivers from operating a motor vehicle if they have any detectable amount of THC and/or its inactive metabolites in their blood or urine. Under such internal possession statutes, known as zero tolerance per se laws, motorists who test positive for the presence of such compounds are guilty per se (in fact) of a criminal traffic safety violation, regardless of whether or not there exist supporting evidence that a defendant was behaviorally impaired by such compounds.
Preclinical study data published online in the scientific journal Nutrition & Diabetes reports that tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) — a naturally occurring analogue of THC — possesses positive metabolic effects in animal models of obesity. Researchers concluded: “Based on these data, it can be suggested that THCV may be useful for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes (adult onset diabetes), either alone or in combination with existing treatments.”
On Friday, marijuana reformers recorded the closest vote for a legalization measure on the floor…