Ex-President of Mexico in SF to support decriminalization… House OKs hemp research… Cannabis stocks slump… The dog ate your what?... and more!
LEGISLATION
HuffPost // Vicente Fox, former President of Mexico, was in San Francisco Monday to help launch an international partnership working to decriminalize cannabis. Steve DeAngelo of Oakland’s Harborside Health Center calls this “the first step in building a long overdue international coalition of activists and government officials.” Ideas will be advanced next weekend at an international summit in Mexico.
Rep. Jared Polis // The House of Representatives passed HR 2642 yesterday, calling for hemp to be grown for selected research purposes, after a permit is obtained from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The Senate must now approve the amendment before it can become law. Sponsors of the hemp amendment praised this “small but fundamental change” while roundly criticizing the farm bill as a whole.
BUSINESS
MMJ Business Daily // If there’s money to be made in cannabis, it’s not reflected in publicly traded stocks; nearly every company lost value or stayed flat in the second quarter.
Daily Camera // Stock trades aside, a marijuana venture capital group thinks there’s money to be made at cannabis farmers markets in Colorado, now that the plant is legal in the state. Potential investors need to remember that the federal law that prohibits growing or selling it is still in place.
MMJ Business Daily // In a related item, the Colorado legislature is projecting the value of recreational cannabis sales in Colorado to be $291 million in 2014.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
East Bay Express // Six large-scale illegal cannabis growers in four California counties will be serving time in federal prison. These were hardly “home grown” operations, but they also were not the fabled Mexican cartels often falsely credited with such activities.
OregonLive // Legalization of cannabis is not retroactive on the state level in Oregon. Cases filed before the law changed are still being processed.
New Times, AZ // A man charged with illegally growing cannabis claims the dog ate his medical marijuana card. He’s now in jail. And just a reminder: this excuse seldom works with teachers, either.
HEALTH
Irish Times // Cannabis is known to be beneficial in soothing symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), and the 8,000 – 10,000 people diagnosed with the condition in Ireland may be able to use a spray known as Sativex later this year, providing the Dept. of Justice goes along with the plan.
SFGate // I know someone who recently got a medical cannabis card, to relieve muscle cramps. He’s experienced with the herb, but said, “This stuff is way too strong, and I got the medium-grade.” It turns out this complaint is not unique, and CRAFT Collective in Berkeley is doing something to correct it.
Diets in Review // Pot use gives people the munchies, but a recent report suggests it might also help keep waist sizes smaller. [http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/07/infographic-will-smoking-pot-make-you-skinny-new-research-says-maybe/]
And adding foods containing hemp (not to be confused with cannabis) to your diet may also contribute to better health, as outlined here.
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