Browsing Marijuana News

Nearly 90% of Americans support allowing medical marijuana use if prescribed by a doctor, according to the latest findings from a Quinnipiac University National poll released Tuesday. Among those surveyed, 54% also support the full legalization of marijuana use in the United States. Support for medical marijuana crossed party lines and demographic groups. The lowest level of support per demographic surveyed was among Republicans, where 81% of of those surveyed favor allowing medical marijuana. Ninety percent of Democrats support medical marijuana, as do 92% of independents. “Ninety percent of Democrats support medical marijuana, as do 92% of independents.” Voters also …

Lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly gave final approval to a bill that will extend the expiration of the state’s medical cannabis pilot program by two years. The bill, which awaits final approval from Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, also adds post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and terminal illness to the list of conditions that qualify to receive medical marijuana. Senate Bill 10 was co-sponsored by Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), who was the driving force behind House Bill 1, the act that created the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program in 2013. When the bill was …

More taxes may be soon be imposed on medical marijuana in California under two separate proposals that were approved by lawmakers last week, one in the Senate and one in the Assembly. Both bills will now be considered by members of the opposite chamber. Senate Bill 987 Imposes an Additional 15% Sales Tax Last week, lawmakers in the California Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve imposing a 15% sales tax on medical marijuana, passing the measure by a 27-10 vote on June 1. The bill, Senate Bill 987, now heads to the Assembly for consideration.

5/29/2016 UPDATE: The Israel National Institute For Health Policy Research has provided us with a copy of the initial results from the study Health Utilization and Characterization of Patients Using Medical Cannabis in Israel. Here are the real facts of the study: Israel is seeing a significant increase in the use of medical cannabis. The law approves its use for non-cancer and cancer pain, nausea and lack of appetite in cancer patients, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease and more. The number of licensed users in Israel currently reaches over 23,500 users. It was observed that no evaluation …

Although Eugene Monroe is a three-time Pro-Bowl football player, he isn’t exactly well known, especially outside the NFL – that is until now. In Baltimore, he is known as one of the guys who keeps Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco from being annihilated by defensive ends. Recently, Monroe is getting more attention in the public after becoming the first active NFL player to openly advocate for the use of medical cannabis to treat chronic pain and head injuries. Monroe has donated $80,000 to Realm of Caring, an advocacy group that is working with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, …

Germany is working towards legalizing marijuana for medical purposes by the spring of next year. Under a draft proposal introduced this week by German Health Minister Hermann Gröhe, seriously ill patients will qualify for medical marijuana if they have no other treatment options or existing treatments are ineffective. Under the proposal, which was given preliminary approval by the German government Wednesday, dried cannabis flowers and extracts will be available at pharmacies, and the cost will be covered by the patient’s public health insurance. “Our goal is that seriously ill patients are treated in the best …

Another victory was notched for medical marijuana patients last week when the US Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment aimed at protecting state medical marijuana laws from federal interference. “Medical marijuana patients obeying state law should not have to worry about federal arrest or losing their state-regulated source of medicine.” Sen. Mikulski Sec 537 of the bill, which can be read in full here, was offered by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and was approved by the committee by a vote of 21-8. It is an amendment to the 2017 Commerce, Justice, Science & Related …

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has given formal approval to a controlled clinical trial to study the effectiveness of whole-plant cannabis as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans, the California-based non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) announced last week. Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that impacts an estimated eight million Americans each year, including military veterans returning from combat. To date, there are no pharmaceutical treatments specifically designed or approved to target symptoms of PTSD. “This study is a critical step in moving our …

Assembled by Green Flower Media, the Virtual Cannabis Health Summit is the first of its kind. Many of the world’s top experts, scientists, doctors, and entrepreneurs from the cannabis industry will be gathering LIVE January 23-24 to share the most up-to-date cannabis/health information designed to improve your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Each expert will have 22-minutes to deliver an ultra-compelling TED-style talk about the most important cannabis and health topics today. According to Max Simon, the founder of Green Flower Media, “many experts will be presenting information and studies that have never been shared publicly before.” …

According to the latest Gallup Poll, a widely recognized barometer of American opinion, 58 percent of the US now supports marijuana legalization. These results match those of the CBS News polling and the Pew Research Center survey conducted earlier this year. Gallup polled 1,015 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, via telephone on Oct 7-11. The margin of error for the poll is ± 4 percent. Support for Cannabis Legalization Climbs Steadily For the third year in a row …