Uruguay to be first country with legal cannabis... Illinois is 20th medical cannabis state… Court case targets dispensaries using “pot docs”… Be cautious when “dabbing”… Hemp scooter in production… and more
LEGISLATION
BBC // Uruguay took a step towards becoming the world’s first country to regulate cannabis on the national level when the House approved cannabis draft legislation Wednesday.
The International Narcotics Control Board, a United Nations body, reminds the country that passage will put Uruguay “in complete contravention to the provisions of the international drug treaties,” which it has agreed to uphold.
SFGate // Illinois is now the 20th state with medical marijuana regulations, after the governor – quoting Nelson Mandela - signed HB1 into law yesterday.
HEALTH
Cal Courts // Dispensary owners who allow “pot docs” without medical licenses to evaluate patients could be “criminally charged with practicing medicine without a license” in a court case filed Wednesday.
SFGate // Many people have medical marijuana cards now, but British firm GW Pharma is the only company making traditional medicine from the plant. Italy recently became the eighth country to approve Sativex, their brand-name product, as a treatment for spasms from multiple sclerosis. Read more here.
Science Daily // While cannabis may help with spasms, THC is not effective for slowing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published in The Lancet Neurology, although “lower end” sufferers may benefit. There’s no mention of the effects of CBD, another component of cannabis, which is being promoted as more beneficial than THC.
New England Jrln. of Medicine // Meanwhile, an equally respected medical journal reports smoked cannabis reduced pain in five controlled trials (not related to MS).
Daily News & AtlanticWire // Whether it’s called honey oil, earwax or dabs, concentrated hash oil is highly potent – usually over 70 percent THC - which means caution is seriously advised when considering it. Read this useful information.
IT’S A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, SO KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL…
ASA // The size and location of cannabis dispensaries are regulated, but little is said about the quality of the products being offered. “Patients First Program” is an attempt to fill this void. Created by the Americans for Safe Access Foundation, the program has three components: 1) Developing & Adopting Industry Standards, 2) Industry Staff Training Program, 3) Certification.
The Atlantic // The mellow home-steading hippies growing cannabis in Humboldt County were outnumbered long ago by aggressive profit-oriented growers whose large operations are wrecking the environment. Now eco-friendly growers are banding together to target “pollution pot” and discourage indoor operations, along with establishing “best practices” guidelines.
BOOK
Emily Brady, author of “Humboldt; Life on America’s Marijuana Frontier,” spent over a year getting to know people in California’s Emerald Triangle, nearly all of whom work in the illegal cannabis economy that supports that part of the state. Four different perspectives are told through her characters, who are based on interviews.
AGRICULTURE
WSJ // Further south, Ill will is growing between Fresno area farmers and illegal pot growers, who are destroying legitimate crops to plant cannabis.
Huffington Post // State water boards regulate farmers and ranchers, so why don’t they go after illegal pot farmers? It’s simply too dangerous, according to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Mercury News // The drought that is impacting much of California is solving the problem in some areas, where illegal cannabis fields are being abandoned due to lack of water.
EVENTS
SFGate // Activities for next weekend’s Bay Area Hempfest include joint rolling and a “hemp hot dog” eating competition. The event takes place August 9-11 at Richmond’s Craneway Pavilion, site of the Medical Cannabis Cup less than two months ago.
ASA // A “summer lobby day” is planned Monday, August 12, in Sacramento. Advocacy groups Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and Californians to Regulate Medical Marijuana (CRMM) are coordinating the effort. Participants will meet with lawmakers or their staff members to talk about ideas for “better and more equitable regulation of medical cannabis statewide.” Registration information is found here. The deadline is August 2.
IN OTHER NEWS
Toke of the Town // A pro-marijuana ad sponsored by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) promoting cannabis as safer than liquor was pulled last weekend from near the Brickyard 400 auto race in Indianapolis after complaints from anti-drug groups. It seems that if NASCAR fans want a bud it has to be Budweiser, not cannabis.
WIRED // This eco-friendly hemp scooter may soon be buzzing around Amsterdam, if enough investors back it.
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