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
Use medical marijuana? You could lose your job.
2/15/19--Employees could be drug tested at work for medical marijuana under Senate Bill 227. The bill would allow employers to drug test employees and prospective employees for medical marijuana, and would give employers the discretion to take action based on the results. The bill would not make drug testing mandatory, so it would be up to the employers to do so, said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville. Read
Why medical marijuana patients are concerned about their safety
2/15/19--Thousands of Pennsylvanians have turned to medical marijuana since the drug became legally available last year, but dispensaries and their customers are living in fear. Since the federal government considers marijuana a Schedule 1 narcotic -- the same class as heroin -- banks and credit card companies are keeping their distance, meaning patients must carry large amounts of cash and go to great lengths to keep it safe. Read
Medical marijuana update: Trulieve’s edible deal and lawmakers debate smokable marijuana
2/14/19--Florida growers are working on deals to get edibles in the state, while lawmakers are again taking up the issue of smoking medical marijuana. Meanwhile, medical marijuana company Trulieve announced it has signed a deal to sell edible products in Florida from Colorado company Love’s Oven. Read Bill to expand conditions list for medical marijuana shot down before it could advance to house floor
2/13/19--A bill that would have opened the door for more people to qualify for medical marijuana in Arkansas failed to move past the House rules committee after it didn't get a motion to advance the bill on the House floor. This happened despite desperate pleas from people in support of the expansion. The bill would have added nearly 40 conditions to the list that was approved by voters in 2016. Conditions such as asthma, A-D-D and Autism failed in the committee. Read Medical marijuana sales slump in Maine
2/14/19--Medical marijuana sales are down in Maine for the second straight year, a decrease that some dispensary owners blame on unfair competition. They say competition from patients growing their own plants or using illegal delivery services has forced them to cut prices. Read
New York’s medical marijuana industry fears threat of legal recreational pot
2/13/19--New York supporters of medical marijuana claim that without protection for medical pot stores, they'll be driven out of business should recreational marijuana be legalized, as is likely. Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled his proposal for recreational pot last month. The medical industry argues it doesn't allow them to stay competitive. The governor's proposal is now being debated by the legislature, with an expected deal to be reached sometime before April. Read West Memphis officials optimistic about new medical marijuana dispensaries
2/11/19--Three medical marijuana dispensaries are set to open in West Memphis this year, the first of their kind in the Mid-South. Though medical marijuana is fairly new in the area, many have welcomed it with open arms, including city officials of West Memphis, who said it will do nothing but benefit the people and economy of the city. Read Opioid addiction, autism, four other ailments to get more study as qualifying conditions
1/9/19--Opioid addiction, autism, general anxiety, chronic anxiety, depression and insomnia were selected for more study as qualifying conditions for medical marijuana in Ohio. A committee of the Ohio State Medical Board met in Columbus to select those conditions as Ohio prepares for the first sales of medical marijuana. Read
Medical marijuana cards in Arkansas mostly white, middle-aged men
1/9/19--The number of Arkansans approved for medical marijuana cards has grown by about 400 since late October to more than 6,700, according to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. The ADH fiscal year 2018 Medical Marijuana report, released in July 2018, shows a majority of the 5,459 people approved for medical marijuana cards at the time were white, middle-aged men and the most prevalent qualifying medical condition was intractable pain unresponsive to medicines, treatment, or surgery for over six months. Read Medical marijuana: Five things you should know
1/4/19--Blade NewsSlide writer Jeremy Schneider presents five things to know about medical marijuana in Ohio. Read Medical marijuana dispensary opens in Roland
1/1/19--Pharm 788, a new medical marijuana dispensary, is now opened in Roland, Oklahoma. Staff members say they had a steady flow of traffic throughout the day. So far the response from the community has been positive. Currently, 805 dispensaries have been approved by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, and more than 1,300 people are now allowed to grow medical marijuana. Additionally, over 26,000 patients can legally buy the drug in Oklahoma. Read Patients should talk with their doctor about medical marijuana
1/1/19--Missouri doctors and patients have legal protections under the state’s constitution to discuss medical marijuana as a treatment option for the first time beginning on Dec. 6, the day the law went into effect allowing doctors to recommend medical marijuana to patients with serious and debilitating illnesses. As implementation of the law rolls out in Missouri, it’s important that doctors and patients begin their conversations about treatment early. Read State rejects marijuana research supplier permits
12/10/18--Eight applicants were denied permits to supply medical marijuana research projects late last week. A news release from Gov. Tom Wolf office said none of the eight applicants met the “rigorous requirements of the application review process.” Another permit application period will be held in early 2019. Read
How far would you drive for medical marijuana in Ohio? Wintersville dispensary may be first to open.
12/10/18--Cresco Labs' CY+ dispensary, the first medical marijuana retail shop in Ohio, is unlikely to be close to home for most Cincinnati-area residents. It's located about 240 miles northeast of Cincinnati, and it's so far the only one of 56 licensed medical marijuana retail outlets in the state to undergo final inspection for a certificate of operation. Read
Inside Michigan’s first medical marijuana mega growing operation
12/10/18--VB Chesaning, the first licensee under the Michigan Medical Facilities Licensing Act, has converted an old dairy farm into 20,000 square feet of space for growing, manufacturing, and packaging marijuana for medical use — and they’re still expanding. It holds permits to grow up to 6,000 marijuana plants at one time. Their product isn’t available for direct sale to the public. Rather, it is purchased by licensed retailers, who then sell it to medical marijuana patients. Read Emergency petition asks the Utah Supreme Court to undo the legislature’s medical marijuana bill
12/10/18--A pair of emergency petitions are asking the Utah Supreme Court to grant a referendum on the legislature's replacement bill for Proposition 2, the medical marijuana ballot initiative. The filings by a group called "The People's Right" asks the state's top court to allow a referendum on the legislature's action. It would allow them to go before voters to challenge the vote by lawmakers to swap out Prop. 2. They also seek to overturn the legislature's bill to keep Prop. 2 as the law of the land. Read State approves license for one Lansing medical marijuana dispensary
12/7/18--The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs' Medical Marihuana Licensing Board approved the state operating license application for HG Lansing. Lansing's medical marijuana ordinance limits the number of dispensaries that can operate citywide to 25. Read Groups sue to block medical marijuana compromise in Utah
12/6/18--A pair of advocacy groups in Utah sued to block a compromise agreement legalizing marijuana for medical use, accusing the Mormon church of unconstitutional domination and interference in a process that led to the gutting of a measure approved by voters. The lawsuit alleges the revised initiative creates overwhelming obstacles for suffering patients who want to obtain the drug. It also asks a judge to set aside the revision passed by lawmakers and keep the original version that won with 53 percent of the vote in November. Read Medical marijuana laws take effect in Missouri
12/6/18--Medical marijuana is now the law in Missouri. However, the drug won't be available to patients right away. The Department of Health and Senior Services is still working on rules and regulations surrounding the licensing of dispensaries and cultivators, as well as how patients will obtain licenses. Read 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