Cannabis News

[Mulchmaker]

Judge tosses lawsuit challenging federal marijuana laws

A judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit challenging federal laws criminalizing marijuana as unconstitutional, saying the five plaintiffs had failed to pursue changes in the drug's legal status by first going through the Drug Enforcement Administration.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein did not address the plaintiffs claim that marijuana has medical benefits, but said the DEA has the authority to make that decision and not the courts.

As I understand it, there still may be hope for this suit. Basically, the plaintiffs didn't petition the DEA to drop cannabis from Schedule 1 before filling the suit. Everyone knows they'll say no, but process dictates they be given the opportunity to do so formally. Once the DEA officially says "go screw", the plaintiffs can challenge that decision in court. Details, details, details.

 

[MinnBobber]

The most annoying thing to me is the basic principle of Schedule One is that the substance HAS NO MEDICAL VALUE, yet the Govt HOLDS A PATENT on CBD based on it's MEDICAL VALUE! How does one reconcile that? You can't. It just puts a name to the lie. FRAUD!

.............................................................................................

X 2. The US dept of Human Scvs has the patent regarding its ability to prevent brain trauma damage and heal neuro brain damage if incurred, yet the DEA says it has absolutely no medical value.

Unfortunately, you could march a thousand parents in to testify how cannabis was a miracle for their epileptic child and DEA would still say----no medical value.

And that patent should be used to help the NFL brain injury epidemic. At least the NFL is looking at that--their players need some help from the massive hits they endure

 

[C No Ego]

As I understand it, there still may be hope for this suit. Basically, the plaintiffs didn't petition the DEA to drop cannabis from Schedule 1 before filling the suit. Everyone knows they'll say no, but process dictates they be given the opportunity to do so formally. Once the DEA officially says "go screw", the plaintiffs can challenge that decision in court. Details, details, details.

actually- you submit your query to DEA and it is then a nine year process of approval... 9 years... the kids in the law suit would be dead from seizures by then possibly... trying to get parliament to approve safe medication takes to damn long... plus- after 9 years the DEA B like- Nah, we do not approve your request at this time... thank you for contacting DEA- Buh Bye

 

[Tranquility]

I want a recount!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5455763/New-Yorkers-consuming-marijuana-city-world.html

Forget the Big Apple, New York is the Big Green with New Yorkers consuming more marijuana than any other city in the world.

New York is smoking. eating and vaping more than 77 tons of weed a year.

Los Angeles consumes just over 36 to be the second ranked US city....
​

 

[asdf420]

plus- after 9 years the DEA B like- Nah, we do not approve your request at this time... thank you for contacting DEA- Buh Bye

so I guess the DEA might be practically bypassing checks and balances and.. democracy?
Why not sue the DEA?..

 

[Tranquility]

so I guess the DEA might be practically bypassing checks and balances and.. democracy?
Why not sue the DEA?..

I think there was at least one suit out there asking what is known as a Writ of Mandamus for the DEA's dilatory tactics. Such a writ is, basically, a court demanding the executive act. They. Are. Rare.

Remember, the DEA covers all drugs and not just cannabis. They have been, seemingly, dilatory on many approval issues and large Pharma has tried for a Writ when they felt the delays were unreasonable. However, they have been sued on the exact same issue (delay) multiple times and they are getting good at delay that does not rise to the level that can only be solved by the Writ.

As a practical matter, unless the court wants to be the executive in a particular situation, they are not going to approve a Writ forcing the executive to act. Especially because of separation of powers issues, courts are very hesitant to say the DEA has to make a decision by a certain time if there is no statutory guidance on how long an approval might take.

 

[C No Ego]

so I guess the DEA might be practically bypassing checks and balances and.. democracy?
Why not sue the DEA?..

they have already admitted cannabis is their cash cow making up 70% of profits for their DEA- ness.... how would any of the legal requests handed to DEA favor the requester instead of DEA? since DEA can now determine our laws ( drug laws ) what next? next- start moving away from UN drug Treaty and give the power of law back to the land the laws are being enforced on... not from the UN nor the DEA acting on behalf of UN which is who they serve not America

 

[cybrguy]

A legal marijuana referendum will be on the Cook County ballot in March

By Zach Long

Photograph: Pixabay
Illinois still has a long way to go before recreational marijuana is legalized, but an advisory referendum on the upcoming primary election ballot could signal some major progress. The Chicago Tribune reported that Cook County commissioners unanimously voted to put the question to voters in the March 20 primary, allowing 40 percent of Illinois residents to weigh in.

Because the referendum is advisory, its approval won't immediately legalize weed in Illinois, but it could provide some crucial support for lawmakers who are trying to push the issue in Springfield. A Southern Illinois University poll conducted earlier this year found that 74 percent of Chicagoans are in favor of legalization—if those numbers are reflected at the polls, the referendum's approval seems likely.

With the repeal of the unpopular soda tax, Cook County is searching for new revenue streams, and the taxation of legal kush could be the motherload. Earlier this year, State Senator Heather Steans and Representative Kelly Cassidy introduced legislation (which was ultimately never brought to a vote) that would legalize recreational marijuana and tax the hell out of it, generating $699 million a year in new revenue for the state, according to a Marijuana Policy Project projection.

If you'd like to see weed legalized in Illinois in your lifetime, make sure your pothead friends are registered to vote and remind them (frequently) to show up to the polls on March 20.

 

[macbill]

This scientist is testing a marijuana ingredient as a way to prevent relapse. It’s a daunting task

[Neuroscientist Yasmin Hurd] saw the opioid crisis coming. Ever since, she’s been trying to figure out how to intervene — could she modify or reverse the way addiction changed the brains being studied in her lab?

Hurd has homed in on cannabidiol, one of the two main compounds plucked from the marijuana plant. She thinks it might hold the potential to curb cravings for heroin and other opioids.

 

[cybrguy]

Wouldn't that be fucking outstanding. DO NOT let Sessions or ANYONE hold back research on this virtually miraculous substance THAT COMES FROM NATURE, not a laboratory!!!!!

 

[stardustsailor]

Estonian district votes to get cannabis leaf flag

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-43300521

 

[psychonaut]

Wholesale cannabis prices tumbled in 2017 — and they have yet to hit rock bottom

https://www.thecannabist.co/2018/03/08/marijuana-prices-2017-cannabis-benchmarks/100103/

 

[psychonaut]

Sessions: US prosecutors won’t take on small-time pot cases

https://www.apnews.com/5b27da207202...rosecutors-won't-take-on-small-time-pot-cases

 

[CarolKing]

New Jersey: Governor Reaffirms Support For Adult Use Legalization
Thursday, 15 March 2018


Trenton, NJ: Newly elected Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy reaffirmed his support for adult use marijuana regulation during his budget address on Tuesday.

The Governor acknowledged that the state currently spends upwards of $140 million per year adjudicating low-level marijuana possession offenses, and that those prosecuted are disproportionately young people of color.

"Legalization will allow us to reinvest directly in our communities - especially the urban neighborhoods hardest hit by the misguided war on drugs - in their economic development, in health care and housing, child care and after-school programs, and other critical areas. These investments will pay dividends far greater than the cost of mass incarceration," he said. "I did not come to this overnight, myself. ... But from the standpoint of social justice, and from the standpoint of protecting our kids and lifting up our communities, I could not arrive at any other conclusion."

The Governor's fiscal year 2019 budget proposal estimates that marijuana legalization will yield $80 million in new annual revenue.

According to statewide polling data released this week by Quinnipiac University, 59 percent of New Jersey voters support permitting adults to possess marijuana for personal use.

Currently, three separate pieces of legislation seeking to regulate the retail production and sale of marijuana are pending in the state legislature. A fourth bill, which seeks to depenalize adult marijuana possession and expunge past convictions, is also pending in the Assembly.

In January, Governor Murphy signed an executive order calling on regulators to review the state's eight-year-old medical cannabis access program and to recommend ways to increase participation from patients and physicians.

What a difference to what Chris Christy had said about cannabis as governor. Hopefully another legal state soon.

 

[cybrguy]

This is great news for New Jersey. Congratulations.

Hopefully, if we get Pritzker as Governor we will have a similar future. Fingers crossed...

 

[cybrguy]

Illinois Voters Approve Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure

Voters in the largest county in Illinois overwhelmingly approved a ballot question calling for the legalization of marijuana on Tuesday.


The measure in Cook County -- the nation's second-most-populous county -- is not binding, but its passage sends a strong message to state lawmakers that ending cannabis prohibition is an issue that voters want the legislature to address.

With 75 percent of precincts reporting, the question was ahead by a greater than two-to-one margin.

It reads:

"Shall the State of Illinois legalize the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products for recreational use by adults 21 and older subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance?"

Statewide, voters also went to the polls on Tuesday to select party nominees for governor and attorney general, contests in which the candidates' positions on marijuana legalization has been a key issue.

The Associated Press projected that JB Pritzker won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. During the course of the campaign, he promised to legalize cannabis.

“I also support legalizing and taxing recreational use of marijuana, which is estimated to generate as much as $700 million a year for the state," he said. "No more studies are needed to show it’s time for Illinois to safely move forward and legalize marijuana. As governor, I will modernize drug laws and move Illinois towards a criminal justice system that gives all Illinoisans a chance to reach their full potential."

“Criminalizing marijuana hasn’t made our communities safer, but has disproportionately impacted black and brown communities," Pritzker also said. "The criminalization of cannabis never has been and never will be enforced fairly, and it’s time to bring that to an end. To right past wrongs, we also have to commute sentences of people in prison who are there for marijuana offenses.”

Voters across Illinois may get a chance to weigh in on marijuana legalization in November. Earlier this month, the Senate approved legislation for a nonbinding statewide ballot question on the issue, which is now pending in the House.

In recent months lawmakers have also held a series of hearings on legislation that would end cannabis prohibition without referring the question to voters, but leaders have not yet scheduled House or Senate votes.

While incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) signed into law a measure to decriminalize cannabis possession last year, he opposes broader legalization. The issue is sure to be a focus of debate as the general election approaches.

 

[macbill]

A Dying Southern Town Needed a Miracle. Marijuana Came Calling.

Arkansas voters decided in 2016 to legalize the plant for medical use, giving the state an opportunity both to develop a new industry and to address nagging social problems. The state’s licensing program encourages legal marijuana growers to set up shop where the new jobs are needed most, in perennially poor communities.

 

[cybrguy]

I can't help but wonder what might be the effect of legalizing cannabis in towns that have a severe opioid addiction problem. Research has shown that for some pain patients opioid consumption has been significantly reduced with cannabis use. I would think this might be an effective effort to reduce opioid use for at least some addicts whose addiction is still pain related...

There are just so many things that could be tried if Cannabis could just be legalized...

 

[C No Ego]

I can't help but wonder what might be the effect of legalizing cannabis in towns that have a severe opioid addiction problem. Research has shown that for some pain patients opioid consumption has been significantly reduced with cannabis use. I would think this might be an effective effort to reduce opioid use for at least some addicts whose addiction is still pain related...

There are just so many things that could be tried if Cannabis could just be legalized...

people are tired of being guinea pigs for big pharma... legal cannabis at least adds a healthy option to already prescribed medications even taking cannabis along with other meds adds vital metabolism to our anatomy... metabolic plant metabolites will help metabolize other meds that do not metabolize well from being synthetic etc...

 

[howie105]

Sessions used his anti drug positions as major building blocks in his career and so he is unlikely to change his presentation during his tenure at the DOJ. What I do find interesting is his level of inactivity to this point, is it an acknowledgement of the futility of the old guard positions or is he waiting for the right time to unleash the beast for political advantage? As a card carrying cynic, I suspect it's all political as opposed to enlightenment at this point.

 

[Tranquility]

Sessions used his anti drug positions as major building blocks in his career and so he is unlikely to change his presentation during his tenure at the DOJ. What I do find interesting is his level of inactivity to this point, is it an acknowledgement of the futility of the old guard positions or is he waiting for the right time to unleash the beast for political advantage? As a card carrying cynic, I suspect it's all political as opposed to enlightenment at this point.

Sessions is not known for being lazy. He's doing something. If dealing with the states on immigration or dealing with the Opioid crisis doesn't fill his day, what is it?

If I were to make a wild-ass-guess, I suspect it might have to do with potential illegalities from members of the national security establishment in regards to data collection and use.

Some claim his nickname is the "Silent Assassin" and say he has been gathering data for indictments. Since there are a number of IG reports out there that are not finished as yet, I have no reason to disagree.

There really isn't a ton of data to decide. We know Trump has not fired him so he must be doing something he likes. (Even if that "thing" is being the first of main-stream politicians who endorsed him for president.) Since Trump is not praising him for anything, nor firing him, I just think it is out of loyalty or out of inside knowledge of something coming that Trump really likes. Since Trump is not as outspoken on the marijuanas as Sessions, I don't think a focus on that would please him as much as something having to do with immigration or with the so-called "deep state".

 

[macbill]

Solving the Dutch Pot Paradox: Legal to Buy, but Not to Grow
The government is taking steps to address the situation. It has proposed a pilot program to explore the effects of legalizing, standardizing and taxing the sort of professional-grade marijuana operation that was broken up in Best.

“To make the system logical again is to also tolerate the production of the cannabis,” said Paul Depla, the mayor of Breda and an outspoken proponent of legalization.

 

[grampa_herb]

Solving the Dutch Pot Paradox: Legal to Buy, but Not to Grow
The government is taking steps to address the situation. It has proposed a pilot program to explore the effects of legalizing, standardizing and taxing the sort of professional-grade marijuana operation that was broken up in Best.

“To make the system logical again is to also tolerate the production of the cannabis,” said Paul Depla, the mayor of Breda and an outspoken proponent of legalization.

In the 80's Amsterdam had a nightclub called the Melkweg (Milky Way) which sold pot, space cakes, etc. It was located on a square across from a police station. Die gekke kikkerlanders.

 

[macbill]

McConnell bill would legalize hemp as agricultural product

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced a new bill on Monday that would legalize hemp as an agricultural product.

The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 would legalize hemp, removing it from the federal list of controlled substances and allowing it to be sold as an agricultural commodity, according to WKYT.


Chemical from marijuana could help prevent drug, alcohol relapse

A non-psychoactive component of marijuana, called cannabidiol, or CBD, may help reduce the risk of relapse recovery for people addicted to drugs and alcohol, according to a preclinical study with rats.

Amid the ongoing marijuana debate concerning medical benefits of this form of CBD, researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., conducted tests in addicted rats to see if the substance could help them. The findings were published Thursday in Neuropsychopharmacology.

 

[macbill]

Spending bill includes continued protections for marijuana statute
The new budget will continue to prevent the Department of Justice from spending resources to target medical marijuana patients and providers who are in compliance with state law, protections that were put in place in 2014 and were set to expire on Sept. 30, according to the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project.