medicinal

Some self-defense for medical providers after high court turns down handgun case

Posted on February 22nd, 2012 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , .

Two men wearing clown masks and wielding handguns burst into the Creme de Canna medical marijuana dispensary in Santa Cruz Feb. 2, forcing employees to turn over the contents of the safe before fleeing. The hit mirrors one on Dec. 15, when two men wearing carnival masks held up the city's Herbal Cruz dispensary. (San Jose Mercury News, Feb. 2) The heists come amid growing concerns about gunplay in the West Coast cannabis industry, exacerbated by the frequent refusal of local authorities to issue concealed handgun permits to medical marijuana users. Such policies by mostly rural counties on the West Coast and elsewhere were dealt a blow by the US Supreme Court's recent refusal to hear an appeal of a lower court decision upholding the rights of permit-holders who use cannabis legally under state law.

Passage of medical marijuana laws correlated with fewer suicides

Posted on February 21st, 2012 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , .

medical marijuanaThe enactment of state medical marijuana laws is associated with reduced instances of suicide, according to a discussion paper published recently by the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn, Germany. Researchers at Montana State University, the University of Colorado, and San Diego State University assessed rates of suicide in the years before and after the passage of medical marijuana laws. Authors of the discussion paper, entitled "High on Life: Medical Marijuana Laws and Suicide," found:

San Diego: trial prepared in controversial cultivation case

Posted on February 20th, 2012 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

CaliforniaJury selection is set to begin in the trial of San Diego area medical marijuana patient Benjamin Gasper—a case that has local advocates outraged over what they call a vindictive crusade against legal cannabis users by San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. The charges were dismissed last year on procedural grounds, but re-filed by Dumanis. Because Gasper never actually stood trial, this does not constitute double jeopardy.

Montana constitutional initiative would legalize in Big Sky country

Posted on February 15th, 2012 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , .

MontanaThe group Montana First is seeking signatures for a ballot initiative that would legalize cannabis in the state. Constitutional Initiative No.110 (CI-110) would add two sentences to the state constitution: "Adults have the right to responsibly purchase, consume, produce, and possess marijuana, subject to reasonable limitations, regulations, and taxation. Except for actions that endanger minors, children, or public safety, no criminal offense or penalty of this state shall apply to such activities."

San Jose suspends restrictive medical ordinance

Posted on February 5th, 2012 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , .

San JoseMayor Chuck Reed issued a memo Jan. 27 calling for the city of San Jose to suspend its controversial medical marijuana ordinance. He cited the California Supreme Court's decision to review four medical marijuana cases dealing with localities' power to regulate, as well as a referendum that has qualified for the ballot to repeal the ordinance. He said the city will remain in talks with dispensaries and will continue to collect taxes on them. "We're just in a position where we can't fix this without some clarification on this unsettled area of the law," Reed said. "It's just impossible for local government to do. So, we’re just going to have to wait." The City Council still has to act on Reed's memo.

NJ Supreme Court: five years in prison for MS patient

Posted on February 5th, 2012 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

medical marijuana Multiple sclerosis patient John Ray Wilson must complete his five-year prison term for growing cannabis after New Jersey's Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal on Jan. 20, in what attorney William Buckman called a "wrongheaded and a vicious travesty."

Patient advocates file brief in federal case to reclassify cannabis

Posted on January 26th, 2012 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , .

medical marijuanaThe country's leading medical marijuana advocacy group, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), filed an appeal brief Jan. 26 in the DC Circuit to compel the federal government to reclassify cannabis for medical use. In July 2011, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) denied a petition filed in 2002 by the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC). The petition was denied only after the coalition sued the government for unreasonable delay. The ASA brief is an appeal of the rescheduling denial.

California high court to review controversial cannabis cases

Posted on January 19th, 2012 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , .

The California Supreme Court issued an order Jan. 18 indicating its intent to review two controversial medical marijuana cases that have resulted in the suspension of several local dispensary ordinances across the state. As a result of the order, Pack v. City of Long Beach and City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patient's Health and Wellness Ctr., Inc. have both been vacated in anticipation of the high court's ruling. The Pack decision held that dispensary regulations may be preempted by federal law, and the Riverside decision held that localities could legally ban distribution altogether.

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