10/27/18--Some Arkansans hoping to use marijuana for medical use pleaded with the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission to approve dispensaries so the drug will be available. State voters approved marijuana use for certain medical conditions nearly two years ago, but no businesses have yet been approved to dispense the drug. Read
Tag: Medical
Growing access to medical marijuana in NY
11/19/18--The Medical Marijuana program first started four years ago in New York and since its conception, it has grown considerably. The Department of Health released its two-year report outlining some of the successes of the program and ways it can grow. Read Democratic marijuana lobbyist wins statewide race after Florida recount
11/19/18--Nikki Fried, a marijuana lobbyist seen as a rising star in her party, appeared to have narrowly won the race for state agriculture commissioner Monday, after her opponent, Republican Matt Caldwell, conceded. Democrats clung to Fried’s win as a sign that all is not lost for them in the nation’s largest battleground state. The race between Fried and Caldwell was the subject of a historic statewide recount. Read New momentum in veterans’ fight for medical marijuana
11/19/18--Military veterans lobbying for an end to federal classification of marijuana as a lethal substance with no redeeming medicinal value may be closer to that goal than ever before, given the midterm election results. Between the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives, last week’s forced resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and a federal lawsuit led by a 12-year-old girl with epilepsy, the marijuana prohibition drama is set to unfold on multiple fronts. Read Medical marijuana sales in Maryland set to blow through one expert forecast, reach $100 million
11/21/18--Sales of medical marijuana in Maryland this year are surpassing projections from one of the cannabis industry’s leading market research firms. New Frontier Data forecast last year — before Maryland’s market kicked off last December — that the state’s 2018 sales would be $46 million. However, sales have been $67 million, according to the latest data from the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission. Read Medical cannabis cardholders, growers dropping off in Oregon
11/5/18--Medical marijuana patients and growers across Oregon are abandoning the state’s MMJ program, according to reports. The number of patients registered with the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) is reportedly half of what it was a year ago. Statewide, registered patients dropped 41%, from 59,137 to 34,892. Read Missouri votes to legalize medical marijuana
11/6/18--Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment to allow medical marijuana, passed by a margin of 66 percent to 34 percent. Under the new law, qualified patients who have approval from their physicians will receive identification cards from the state that will allow them and their registered caregivers to grow up to six marijuana plants and purchase at least four ounces of marijuana from dispensaries on a monthly basis. Read Utah voters approve medical marijuana
11/7/18--With nearly three-quarters of precincts reporting, Utah's medical marijuana ballot measure was leading by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent, and NBC News and Salt Lake City's local Fox affiliate both projected that it was approved. Read Residents beg Commission to approve marijuana dispensaries
10/27/18--Some Arkansans hoping to use marijuana for medical use pleaded with the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission to approve dispensaries so the drug will be available. State voters approved marijuana use for certain medical conditions nearly two years ago, but no businesses have yet been approved to dispense the drug. Read
A list of local doctors (so far) ready for medical marijuana
10/27/18--The state map of physicians allowed to recommend marijuana treatment shows a cluster in Northeast Ohio. There are 319 doctors with a certificate to recommend (CTR), and the State Medical Board of Ohio adds more each month. The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program requires applicants to have an unrestricted Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) license and at least two hours of training. Read States’ rights and federal wrongs: The misguided attempt to label marijuana legalization efforts as a ‘states’ rights’ issue
5/3/18--Advocates for liberalization of the federal statutes outlawing marijuana have argued that the issue of whether and how to regulate marijuana should be left to the states to decide. Congress should re-examine how federal law regulates marijuana, but Congress should be guided by the judgment of the FDA as to the costs and benefits of liberalizing marijuana use. Read Pot Topics: Medical weed use up 80% in Illinois; Mormons back Utah pot plan
10/6/18--A new report from the Illinois Department of Public Health says marijuana for medical use has jumped by 80 percent in the state. Officials believe the number of medical marijuana patients in Illinois will continue to increase. In other news, the Mormon church joined lawmakers, the governor, and advocates to back a deal that would legalize medical marijuana in conservative Utah after months of fierce debate. Read Watch: Medical marijuana being harvested in Ohio
10/7/18--Agri-Med Ohio in Meigs County harvested its first crop of marijuana for medical use in early October. Video
Sheriff’s Office: $3.1 million of illegal marijuana seized in 3 months
10/5/18--The El Paso County Sheriff's Office seized about $1.5 million worth of processed illegal marijuana and $1.6 million illegal marijuana plants from July 1 to September 30. New numbers were made public on Friday for the office's third-quarter statistics on illegal and black market marijuana enforcement efforts. Read Effort to amend Oklahoma marijuana rules began before vote
9/27/18--Records show that efforts to amend OKlahoma's medical marijuana law began weeks before residents even voted on the issue. The public wasn't made aware of the potential amendments until a coalition of health professional groups held a news conference July 9. The state Board of Health then approved the amendments the next day. Read
Firm signs agreement to grade Arkansas marijuana applicants
9/27/18--Boston-based Public Consulting Group has signed an agreement with Arkansas to grade the more than 200 applications for the state's first medical marijuana dispensary licenses. The consulting firm was picked last month after it submitted a price of about $99,500 to review and score the applications. Read Opioid alternative? For some, marijuana helps control chronic pain
9/27/18--According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, which published its latest monthly report on the state’s medical marijuana program in August, more than 87 percent of medical marijuana patients suffer chronic pain as their qualifying medical condition — that’s nearly 155,500 people. Read 71 Ohio doctors approved to recommend medical marijuana in September
9/12/18--Ohio has added 71 physicians to the list of doctors able to recommend medical marijuana, bringing the total number to 293 certified since April. Read Northborough, Bellingham now told they cannot prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries
9/11/18--Six days after confirming approval of medical marijuana dispensary bans in Northborough and Bellingham, Attorney General Maura Healey’s office reversed its decision. Officials in the AG’s office said they revisited the earlier decisions and the law and determined an error had been made - municipalities are not allowed to ban medical marijuana establishments. The office wrongly treated marijuana for medical use issues like adult-use recreational marijuana. Read Why the adult cannabis market could kill its medical counterpart
9/11/18--As more states continue to legalize recreational marijuana, speculation among industry pundits is that this could be the precursor to a major slowdown, if not death knell, for the medical marijuana industry. According to estimates by leading cannabis researchers ArcView Market Research in partnership with BDS Analytics, the latest revenue projections for the U.S. medical marijuana industry in 2018 is $4.3 billion versus $6.7 billion for adult use. Last year, medical racked up $5.9 billion while adult use snagged $2.6 billion. Read 98 Michigan medical marijuana dispensaries will have to shut down
9/11/18--98 dispensaries that submitted initial applications by February 15, but didn’t submit the second step of the application in a timely manner or at all, will get cease and desist orders next week and must shut down. If they continue operating, the owners risk not being able to get a license at all. Read
How medical marijuana is opening the door to recreational cannabis
9/12/18--Marijuana for medical use seems to be the path by which societies have been normalizing the use of marijuana. Forbes contributing writer Jordon Waldrep points out in his article that the legalization of marijuana for medical use and marijuana-derived drugs represents a significant change in thinking for the societies that have chosen to allow its consumption by patients. As patients see benefits and more research is done, the concerns on the potential for high abuse or severe safety concerns come into question as well, thus opening a path to recreational marijuana over time. Read Lack of communication about marijuana for medical use between doctors and their patients
4/18/18--Marijuana for medical use is now permitted in most states, but it is not clear whether primary care physicians (PCPs) are aware of or recommend its use in their patients. A study was conducted to to assess the frequency of patient marijuana use and communication with PCPs about use. Although many have embraced the idea of marijuana as a medicine, this study suggests there is rarely an ongoing relationship between patients and the physicians recommending marijuana for medical use. Read Comparing medical and recreational marijuana use among employees
9/4/18-- As policies and laws regarding marijuana use rapidly change, concerns have arisen over employees’ use of marijuana, for both medical and recreational purposes. While extant workplace research has not distinguished between types of marijuana users, other studies have found that those who use marijuana for medical purposes are clinically and socio-demographically different from non-medical users. Read Your questions answered about Ohio’s law for marijuana for medical use
9/9/18--Dayton Daily News presents questions posed by readers and answers provided by the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program about the Ohio's law for marijuana for medical use. Read Glenpool Farm receives approval to grow and sell medical marijuana
9/1/18--Sage Farms in Glenpool received approval from the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority. It's one of about 40 of the first commercial businesses to get approved, and it's hoping to be one of the first to start growing and selling cannabis. Read
Medical marijuana is legal in Florida, but its high cost puts it out of reach for many
8/31/18--Medical marijuana use is on the rise in Florida, but the process required to gain eligibility for use of the low-THC cannabis, as well as the cost of physician evaluations and the drug itself, can be prohibitive for some. Dispensaries put the average dose at about 100 milligrams, which would cost patients between $500 and $750 per month. Read Pot Topics: Illinois opioid patients may soon have medical cannabis alternative
8/25/18--Gov. Bruce Rauner is expected to take action on a bill that would give opioid patients the option to use medical cannabis to treat their pain. The bill, dubbed the Alternatives Opioids Act, would significantly expand the state’s medical cannabis pilot program by giving people who have been prescribed opioids the opportunity to obtain a temporary medical cannabis card. Read Oklahoma awards first medical marijuana patient licenses
8/25/18--More than 1,600 people and businesses applied for Oklahoma medical marijuana licenses on the first day that applications were made available. Oklahoma State Department of Health spokesman Tony Sellars said that by Saturday evening, the agency had received 1,054 patient, 634 business, and three caregiver applications. Officials awarded 23 licenses to patients Saturday to test the approval process and will resume approving applications Monday. Read Oregon slashes daily purchase limits for medical cannabis patients
8/27/18--In a bid to stem the flow of marijuana product to the black market, Oregon regulators have ordered a steep cut over the next six months in the amount of cannabis that medical MJ patients can buy on a daily basis. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) last Thursday reduced purchasing limits for Medical Marijuana Program cardholders to 1 ounce of cannabis per day, down from the previous limit of 24 ounces per day. Read Believe it or not, medical marijuana sales could fall
8/12/18--Based on the continued expansion of countries and states that allow legal medical marijuana, it may be assumed that global medical marijuana spending will keep on growing in 2018 like it has in previous years. However, Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics project that global medical marijuana spending will drop by more than 19% year over year in 2018. Yet, medical marijuana sales are expected to increase again, and the growth rate over the next four years should be nearly as impressive as the period between 2014 and 2017. Read With marijuana legal, California flooded with dubious health claims about the drug
7/9/18--Marijuana is increasingly described online as a magical elixir for virtually every disease that afflicts humans. The claims are often unattributed and are rarely tied in a substantive way to mainstream science. Six months ago, it became legal in California to sell recreational marijuana in licensed pot shops, and many customers have been turning to the store’s “bud tenders” to tell them which strain of weed can alleviate their aches and pains or help them to sleep. Most bud tenders have no formal training in medicine or science. Read
Medical industry won’t rule out lawsuit on medical marijuana if smokables aren’t banned from dispensaries
7/9/18--The Oklahoma State Department of Health has kept intact proposed limits on the potency of medical marijuana in its most recent iteration of proposed rules regarding State Question 788, but medical industry leaders, in asking for additional restrictions, wouldn’t rule out a lawsuit in their mission to ban the sale of smokable products. Read Autism, 10 other medical issues, now qualify patients for medical marijuana
7/9/18--People with autism may now legally use medical marijuana to treat their condition under new rules approved by a Michigan regulatory agency. Autism was one of the 11 new medical issues state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Director Shelly Edgerton approved Monday for inclusion on the list of debilitating medical conditions that can qualify someone for a medical marijuana license. Read
Medical marijuana a hit with seniors
7/5/18--Seniors are giving rave reviews for medical marijuana. In a new survey, those who turned to it for treating chronic pain reported it reduced pain and decreased the need for opiod painkillers. Nine out of 10 liked it so much they said they'd recommend medical pot to others. Read Slow growing: North Louisiana’s first medical marijuana clinic preps for patients
7/3/18--Medical marijuana is still a risky, early stage business here in Louisiana, but a Shreveport counselor is teaming up with a group of doctors to open north Louisiana’s first medical marijuana clinic. Kathryn Thomas and five local doctors have launched The Healing Clinic. It hasn’t opened yet, but the clinic’s web site is encouraging people to pre-register for an appointment. Read Ruling throws cold water on smokable marijuana case
7/3/18--An appellate court on Tuesday refused to allow smokable medical marijuana while a legal fight continues to play out. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal came in a lawsuit initiated by Orlando trial attorney John Morgan and others who maintain that a Florida law barring patients from smoking their treatment runs afoul of a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana. Read Medical marijuana troubles Ohio doctors: ‘Although it’s natural, (it’s) not like a vitamin’
3/18/18--Doctors say they are bombarded with questions about medical marijuana and are concerned because they don’t have all the answers. There is an information gap on questions such as how effective marijuana is for specific disorders, how the compounds affect children, and how it interacts with other medications. Read Colorado lawmakers consider allowing school nurses to distribute medical marijuana
3/13/18--The Colorado Legislature is considering allowing school nurses to administer doses of medical marijuana to students. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, said he believes there would be no negative consequences of allowing school nurses to administer the medical marijuana. Roberts’ amendment would give school nurses the authority to possess and administer cannabis in a “nonsmokeable form” to students with a prescription from a doctor. Read Israel may be first country to approve marijuana vaporizer for medical use
3/13/18--The Ministry of Health recently gave its stamp of approval to an Israeli company producing marijuana vaporizers, possibly becoming the first country in the world to certify the piece of paraphernalia for medical purposes. Tel Aviv-based Kanabo Research, a medical cannabis R&D firm, announced that the ministry certified the company’s VapePod vaporizer product for the use of medical cannabis extracts and formulations, reportedly breaking international precedent. Read Cedar Rapids to be site of medical marijuana manufacturing facility
6/29/18--Cedar Rapids will be the site of Iowa’s second medical marijuana manufacturing facility, officials confirmed Friday. The Iowa Department of Public Health announced it intends to award the license to Iowa Relief LLC. The company is a subsidiary of New Jersey-based Acreage Holdings, which already grows, processes, or dispenses medical marijuana in 12 states. Read
With new Deltona dispensary, medical marijuana coming to main street
3/10/18--Surterra Wellness is one of 28 medical dispensaries now operating under Florida’s legalized system to provide access to the drug. Early projections suggest there is a market of at least 500,000 Floridians who could benefit from medical marijuana. Surterra, like some other companies, has plotted out the goal of opening a location in every metro area in the state. Read Maine bill would make it easier to qualify for medical marijuana
3/9/18--A bill to make it easier for Mainers to qualify as medical marijuana patients is getting some legislative backing. Maine Public reports that the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee voted Wednesday to support a bill that allows caregivers to expand while accepting tighter regulations. The bill now faces House and Senate votes. Read New studies show that legal cannabis access reduces opioid abuse
3/4/18--Scientific data is growing nearly by the day in support of the notion that legalized cannabis can mitigate opioid use and abuse. For instance, among states where medical cannabis access is permitted, patients routinely lessen their opioid intake. According to data published this week by the Minnesota Department of Health, among those patients known to be taking opiate painkillers upon their enrollment into the program, 63 percent “were able to reduce or eliminate opioid usage after six months.” Read Increasing study data indicates medical cannabis Can reduce opioid use, deaths
3/4/18--Libertarian think tank The Cato Institute last week posted an article citing a study report issued by the Minnesota Department of Health. Study results, which surveyed data from 2,000 first-time medical marijuana users with intractable pain, said 42 percent of those patients reported a 30 percent decrease or more in their level of pain. Perhaps, more importantly, the study also found that of those patients taking opioid medications for pain, 63 percent were able to reduce or curtail their opioid use, once treated with medical cannabis. Read Federal health official says “There is no such thing as medical marijuana”
3/5/18--As health officials, law enforcement, and politicians carve a path forward through interdiction, treatment, and opioid alternatives, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar has already dismissed medical cannabis as an option, even in the face of continued research showing the controversial plant's immense ability to wean users off pain pills and heroin. According to Azar, there is no such thing as medical marijuana, and there is no FDA approved use of marijuana. Read Fox 16 anchor announces participation in marijuana application
2/28/18--Donna Terrell, anchor on Fox 16, disclosed on last night's news broadcast that she was one of the members of a group seeking a medical marijuana cultivation permit. She's reportedly a part of the top-ranked application from Natural States Medicinal Cultivation, but she didn't reveal that on-air. Terrell said she'd decided to get involved because of the death of her daughter seven years ago from colon cancer. She said the availability of medical marijuana then would have made her last days "much more tolerable." Read Arkansas names 5 companies picked to grow medical marijuana
2/28/18--Arkansas took the first step toward launching its medical marijuana program, as state regulators named the five businesses they intend to license to grow the drug. The companies are Natural State Medicinals Cultivation in Jefferson County, Bold Team LLC in Woodruff County, Natural State Wellness Enterprises in Jefferson or Jackson County, Osage Creek Cultivation in Carroll County, and Delta Medical Cannabis Company Inc. in Jackson County. Read New group forms to help set medical marijuana regulations
6/29/18--The members who make up the Oklahoma Cannabis Trade Association pushed for the passage of State Question 788, allowing medical marijuana to be used in Oklahoma. They now want to continue their push for the proper use of marijuana when it becomes legal. The trade organization is made of groups like Oklahomans for Health, Green the Vote, and CanTek Labs. Read First medical marijuana grower gets green light to start planting in Ohio
6/29/18--The state of Ohio has issued its first certificate of operation to a medical marijuana cultivator in Ravenna in Portage County, according to a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Commerce. FN Group Holdings, one 25 cultivators to receive provisional licenses to grow medical marijuana in Ohio, is one of 12 so-called "Level 2" growers that received provisional licenses from the state to grow medical marijuana in up to 3,000 square feet of space. Read
Board to consider adding opioid addiction to medical marijuana conditions list
2/23/18--On Monday, a board of Connecticut doctors will hear appeals to add four more conditions to the list of diagnosed conditions that can qualify someone for a medical marijuana card has grown from 11 to 22, including one not allowed in any other states with medical marijuana programs: opioid addiction. Read Experts challenge claims about medical marijuana’s impact on teen recreational use and opioid deaths
2/22/18--Two papers published today look at the current evidence of the effects of medical marijuana laws and conclude there is little support that such laws increase recreational marijuana use among adolescents or reduce opioid overdose deaths. Read Maine lawmaker wants kids to have more access to medical marijuana
1/9/18--According to the Associated Press, Republican politician Deborah Sanderson has proposed a bill that would allow children to be prescribed medical marijuana. Sanderson’s perceived bill mentioned the child would need to have a strong relationship with the medical provider in order to receive the plant as treatment. The incumbent law permits the child’s caregiver to possess and supervise the allocation of medicinal cannabis at the child’s school, provided that it remains in a non-smokable form. Read Medical marijuana dispensary opens joint in Harvard Square
12/31/17--Healthy Pharms Inc., a registered nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary, is the first medical marijuana dispensary ever to hit Harvard Square. The Cambridge location marks the second dispensary run by Healthy Pharms, a Georgetown, Mass.-based business that cultivates and processes its own marijuana. Read Philly hospitals, medical schools jockey for marijuana partners
12/19/17--Six Pennsylvania medical schools have struck deals to partner with marijuana growers, according to industry insiders. Those include Drexel, Temple, and Thomas Jefferson Universities, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). The potential revenues, and opportunities for research, have spurred smaller schools and independent hospitals to jockey for arrangements of their own. Read Helping settle the marijuana and alcohol debate
12/11/17--Data on purchases of alcoholic beverages in grocery, convenience, drug, or mass distribution stores in US counties for 2006-2015 was gathered to study the link between medical marijuana laws and alcohol consumption, in addition to focusing on settling the debate between the substitutability or complementarity between marijuana and alcohol. Read Could Ohio, other states lose exemption from marijuana prosecution?
12/10/17--A little-known federal budget amendment that protects growers, processors, sellers, and the professionals who work with them might expire this year at the behest of the Trump administration. Now known as the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment, the measure prohibits the U.S. Justice Department from enforcing federal law against medical marijuana in places where it's legal, as it's been in Ohio since last year. Read Medical marijuana providers, patients raise concerns about proposed Montana regulations
12/1/17--More than 100 medical marijuana patients and providers from around Montana attended a public hearing on the proposed rules at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services offices to raise concerns about proposed new regulations for their industry. Many said the rules will put too great a burden on providers, especially those serving fewer patients. Read Friday appears to be the day medical marijuana will go on sale in Maryland
12/2/17--Maryland’s medical marijuana is set to go on sale bringing relief to patients who have waited nearly five years for access to the drug — and have hundreds of dollars available to pay for it. Dispensaries were scheduled to receive the first pot shipment on Friday, and at least two out of 10 licensed stores planned to open their doors to patients later that day. They are Potomac Holistics in Rockville and Allegany Medical Marijuana Dispensary in Cumberland, near the Pennsylvania border. Read Who won Ohio’s big medical marijuana grow licenses? 5 things to know
12/1/17--The last of Ohio's 24, highly sought-after medical marijuana cultivation licenses were awarded Thursday, ending months of anticipation but leaving many applicants and industry observers with more questions about the process. The Ohio Department of Commerce winnowed 185 applicants down to 24 winners -- 12 level I licenses for up to 25,000 square feet of grow space and 12 level II licenses for up to 3,000 square feet. Read Hawaii medical school cannabis seminar includes doctor’s advice about who shouldn’t use MMJ
11/24/17--The medical school at the University of Hawaii held its first seminar on medical marijuana with a panel of doctors and lawyers discussing the drug and the regulations governing its use. At the recent event, the panel shared highlights of research on the topic to an audience of about 150 people consisting mostly of health professionals. Read