Marijuana Blog

Medical marijuana advocates in Illinois won a big victory in the waning hours of the legislature's spring session.

The Illinois House passed a measure on Monday that would change the program's expiration date to 2020, expand the number of qualifying conditions and make it easier for patients to access medical marijuana.

In a rare display of bipartisanship, Republicans Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin reached an agreement with Democratic state Rep. Lou Lang to extend the medical marijuana pilot program.

Read More:http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160530/news/160539927/

Super Lemon Haze (Hybrid)

The Super Lemon Haze is a superstar. This strain swept first prize in Amsterdams Cannabis Cup for two consecutive years (2008 and 2009), also taking second in the Sativa Cup in 2009. The popularity of this strain stands on the shoulders of its predecessors. The father, Super Silver Haze, was already famous, taking high accolades and multiple prizes throughout the late 1990s. However, not all children of the famous go on to earn fame in their own right. It takes the right combination, and in this case, that combination involves a Lemon Skunk mother, a selection from a Citral x Skunk cross.

The campaign behind California’s ‘Adult Use of Marijuana Act’ has turned in more than 600,000 signatures to get the initiative on the ballot. 365,880 of those signatures need to be valid for that to happen. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) recently released poll results which found very strong support for marijuana legalization in California. Per PPIC:

Marijuana legalization. A majority (60%) of likely voters say that, in general, marijuana use should be legal, and 37 percent say it should not be legal. It is estimated that the initiative to legalize marijuana—if passed—would generate about $1 billion in tax revenue annually, most of which would be directed toward substance abuse prevention and treatment. Among likely voters, 43 percent say that spending the revenue this way is very important.

“California seems poised to show its blue state credentials in the fall,” Baldassare said. “Voters today are signaling their early support for Democratic statewide candidates, tax initiatives, and marijuana legalization.”

Read More:http://www.theweedblog.com/public-policy-institute-of-california-finds-60-support-for-marijuana-legalization/

The marijuana policy landscape changed rapidly between 2002 and 2013. During that time, 13 states passed medical-marijuana laws, 10 states relaxed penalties for marijuana use, and Colorado and Washington became the first states to fully legalize recreational pot use.

Opponents of marijuana liberalization warned that these changes would bring devastating consequences, particularly for kids: "But what about the children?" was the common refrain. The president of National Families in Action, an anti-drug group, warned that commercial marijuana would "literally dumb down the precious minds of generations of children." Psychiatrist Christian Thurstone, an outspoken opponent of Colorado's marijuana legalization,argued in 2010 that "the state's relaxed laws have made the drug widely available — and irresistible — to too many adolescents."

Read More:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/05/29/no-legal-weed-is-not-dumbing-down-the-nations-teens/