New Mexico House Passes Bill Decriminalizing Marijuana Possession

New_Mexico_flag

New Mexico’s House voted today to approve a bill decriminalizing cannabis possession.

Today, New Mexico’s House of Representatives, by a vote of 37-33, approved a measure that decriminalizes up to 4 ounces of cannabis, changing it from an arrestable misdemeanor, to a simple civil infraction of no more than $100.

Penalties for possessing 4-8 ounces would also be lowered to include no possibility of jail time, though the charge would remain a misdemeanor. Under current law, possessing 4-8 ounces will net someone up to a year in prison.

Continue reading

Wake Up Democratic Leaders, Your Constituency Isn’t Happy

Besides a few champion reformists on both sides of the aisle, neither the Democrats Sept_14_fs_dem_donkey_gop_elephant_Fox_Gfxor Republicans, especially on the national level, are known for being friendly to cannabis law reform. But with our nation’s Senate minority leader, a Republican, co-sponsoring legislation to end hemp prohibition, while the majority leader and president, both Democrats, remain mum, we obviously have a problem.

Continue reading

Kentucky Speaker of the House Kills Hemp Legalization Bill

In another example of an out-of-touch, power-hungry politician ignoring common-sense, as well as his constituency, Kentucky’s Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo made a public announcement today that Senate Bill 50, to legalize hemp, will not be getting a full House vote this session.

14209389_BG2

Kentucky Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo.

This news comes just days after Kentucky’s Senate approved the measure by a vote of 31-6; the measure passed its initial committee, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, unanimously.

Showing even further cowardice, Stumbo didn’t even oppose the measure getting a vote on his own accord, but instead tried to use the excuse that there “isn’t enough time”. A spokeswoman for Republican Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, who pushed the bill, told Kentucky.com that this is “hypocritical” Continue reading

Reminder: Marijuana May Help Fight Breast Cancer

In 2007 ABC News reported on a study which found that marijuana may be helpful in fighting breast cancer. Little research has been published since on the matter, but the results were encouraging, to say the least. breast-cancer-ribbon1

The study was conducted by researchers at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, and was funded by the California Breast Cancer Research Program. According to ABC News, researchers “have found at the cellular level, a compound in cannabis inhibits the gene that controls the spread of cancer.”

“The problem is not the cancer itself, the problem is the spread of the cancer,” said cancer researcher Yvez Desprez, Ph.D, who points to the gene ID-1 as the trigger. “When this type of gene is expressed, the cells basically go crazy and they’re very aggressive and they metastasize everywhere in the body,” said Desprez.

Continue reading

New Hampshire Lawmakers Pass Legislation to Legalize Hemp

New Hampshire’s House of Representatives have moved forward with House Bill pol_hemp07__01b__630x420153, which explicitly prohibits hemp from being listed as a controlled substance in the state. The legislation would make New Hampshire the 9th state in the U.S. to legalize hemp. The bill will be up for a full floor vote on Wednesday, where it’s expected to easily pass.

The measure was initially appointed to the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, where it was approved 17-2.

Continue reading

Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study Finds Vaporized Cannabis Helpful in Treating Neuropathic Pain

Recently a double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study looked at patients who suffered from neuropathic pain, and didn’t get much relief from traditional medication, to determine if vaporized cannabis could be helpful. It found, in clear terms, that it is.

Vaporizers heat cannabis to the point where it doesn't combust, but the compounds become smokable in mist form.

A Volcano vaporizer (though any standard vaporizer will work).

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California Davis Medical Center and published in The Journal of Pain, was given the title “Low-Dose Vaporized Cannabis Significantly Improves Neuropathic Pain”.

Participants were given doses of cannabis with either a really low amount of THC (3.53) or an extremely low amount of THC (1.29 percent, barely putting it above hemp). Some of the participants also received a placebo that contained no THC.

Continue reading

Missouri Police Sergeant Hired as Pro-Marijuana Lobbyist

show-me-cannabis-regulation-missouri-smcr

Sergeant Gary Wiegert is now a lobbyist for Show-Me Cannabis Regulations.

Sergeant Gary Wiegert has been a police officer in St. Louis for over 30 years. During this time he’s twice been president of the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association, and for years has been the head of the local police union.

Now, he’s lobbying to reform the city and state’s failed cannabis policies. He was recently hired by the non-profit, pro-legalization group Show-Me Cannabis Regulations, which has been attempting to legalize cannabis in Missouri for the past couple years. In addition to full legalization, the group has been working towards legalizing medical cannabis, as well as bringing city-level decrim in places like St. Louis.

This marks one of the first times in cannabis reform history where an active police officer is also an active lobbyist for a pro-marijuana group.

Continue reading

Medical Cannabis Legalization Bill Filed in Missouri

missouri-marijuana

TheWeedBlog.com

A bill that would legalize the possession and personal cultivation of medical cannabis in Missouri was recently filed, and assigned a bill number; House Bill 688. If the measure passes through the legislature, it would be put to a vote of the people in 2014.

According to Dan Viets, board member of the grassroots, pro-legalization group Show-Me Cannabis Regulations:  Continue reading

Oaksterdam University Holding Fundraiser to Recover from Federal Raid

Last year Oaksterdam University, the famous cannabis college in Oakland, was raided by federal officials. Despite this raid, the college has continued, though were obviously hit hard financially from the federal bullying. onthegreen_hp

To help recover from this, the college is holding a fundraiser on April 2nd, from 12PM to 8PM, titled Oaksterdamn on the GREEN. Continue reading

Maryland Lawmakers Vote to Decriminalize Marijuana

marylandmarijuana

Senate Bill 297 would decriminalize the possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis in Maryland.

On the same day a measure to legalize cannabis was scheduled for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee, Maryland’s Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee approved Senate Bill 297 to decriminalize the possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis.

The bill now moves to a full Senate vote, where its passage would send it to the House, then governor. If it becomes law, possessing up to 10 grams in the state would change from a misdemeanor, to a simple $100 ticket.

As-mentioned, lawmakers today also scheduled a hearing for a measure recently introduced that would legalize cannabis, House Bill 1453, which will be heard on Tuesday, March 19.

Continue reading