More states seeking legalization … Montana court guts medical marijuana … Swarms of workers want jobs in California’s “green rush” … Painkiller deaths drop in legal states … Analysis, opinion, profiles, and more…
LEGALIZATION & LEGISLATION
20 more states look to legalize marijuana // East Bay Express
The most dramatic changes are in traditionally conservative states.
Australian cannabis legal for medical & scientific use // Inquisitr.com
“The Minister for Health says the move is unprecedented in Australia and a triumph for the many supporters who have been fighting to change the attitudes of the government towards medical marijuana. From now on, patients who use cannabis for medicinal purposes will not be treated as criminals.”
COPS & COURTS
Montana Supreme Court: only three patients per provider // ABC News
“The court's decision upheld other provisions of a 2011 state law that represents one of the most significant rollbacks attempted by the 23 states and Washington, D.C. that allow marijuana to be used for medical purposes.” [EDS. NOTE: See “Analysis” below.]
San Diego dispensary hit with $1.8 million fine // San Diego Union-Tribune
“The judges are sending a message, and so are we: Marijuana dispensaries can either follow the law or they will pay a high price for their actions,” City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said.
BUSINESS
Want a job in California’s medical marijuana field? Get in line // East Bay Express
“We pretty much can’t keep up with demand [from job seekers].”
A sure market for Kentucky hemp // Lexington Herald Leader
Nutiva, a brand of hemp superfoods, says the company will buy all the certified organic hemp that Kentucky farmers can produce.
HEALTH
Significant drop in painkiller deaths in legal pot states // SFGate
“A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the rate of deaths related to painkillers were 25 percent lower on average in states with legal medical marijuana laws, when compared to states where cannabis is still illegal.”
Athlete using marijuana as “a workout tool” // Washington Post
Actually, pro-wrestler Rob Van Dam says, “he doesn’t think of it as a performance enhancer so much as a ‘life enhancer’.”
The munchies explained, again // NPR.org It’s all about endocannabinoids. “Our bodies produce compounds that seem to act on the same parts of the brain as marijuana does.”
EVENT
Marijuana Investor Summit // sanfrancisco.marijuanainvestorsummit.com
“At the California Cannabis Business Expo, educational sessions will be led by industry experts that have helped shape state, local, national and worldwide views on marijuana. These include Ethan Nadelmann, Rob Bonta, Fiona Ma, Bruce Barcott, Tom Lackey and Ed Rosenthal among others.” The event takes place at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco, March 3-5.
ANALYSIS
Montana court’s gutting of medical marijuana // MJ Biz Daily
“It could happen anywhere.”
OPINION
Bill Maher: Don’t take legalization progress for granted (video) // Cannabis Business
“We can’t leave this up to the states... Legalizing pot is a long way from a done deal.”
IN OTHER NEWS…
Don Carmignani, dispensary king // SF Weekly
This well connected San Franciscan holds 16 medical cannabis dispensary permits, the most the city has ever awarded at one time.
The New Yorker profiles David Bronner // The New Yorker
“Over a hemp-infused banquet, which included hemp-portobello steaks, spaghetti and wheatballs, the friends discussed Hillary Clinton and marijuana,” among other things. Bronner is former head of Dr. Bronner’s Soaps.
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