Marijuana Blog

It’s fairly rare to see a state medical marijuana program decrease in enrollment. It happened once in my home state of Oregon. That dip in patient enrollment was due to a doubling of the enrollment fee for the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. Michigan saw a dip in patient enrollment for the second straight year, which is interesting considering the fact that Michigan has one of the most established programs in the country. Per Detroit News:

 

The number of patients in Michigan’s medical marijuana program declined for the second year in a row in 2014, according to state statistics reviewed by The Detroit News.

 

Last year, the number of identification cards for patients in the program totaled 96,408, according to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. That compares with 119,470 patients in 2011, and 118,368 in 2013.

 

The downward trend continued in Metro Detroit, too, with the number of medical marijuana patients falling in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties for a third straight year.

 

There’s no clear reason why the numbers are decreasing in Michigan. Some point to overzealous law enforcement in some parts of Michigan. Some patients feel that the medical marijuana law in Michigan doesn’t necessarily protect them, and that it’s better to operate in the shadows. Others blame the fact that there are no clear rules for medical marijuana dispensaries in Michigan, which has left them open to attacks by law enforcement. Whatever the reason is, it’s a trend that could continue into 2015.

 

Source: http://www.theweedblog.com/michigan-medical-marijuana-program-enrollment-decreases/

Mississippi is not a friendly place when it comes to marijuana policy. Get caught with even a little bit of marijuana for a second offense, and you could be looking at 3 years in prison and a hefty fine. Selling a small amount results in a similar penalty. Distributing or cultivating within 1500 feet of a school or church doubles the penalties. Penalties get even harsher as the amount of marijuana involved increases. It’s because of those harsh penalties that marijuana legalization is so important in Mississippi.

 

Fortunately, there is an effort underway to legalize marijuana in Mississippi. Supporters are currently gathering signatures. Per Marijuana.Com:

 

The latest example of this activism can be seen in the deep south. Discontent with Mississippi’s currently harsh and outdated cannabis laws, activists in the state have begun traversing the state to gather signatures and fight for legalization.

 

Over 800 volunteers in the state have dispersed to hopefully obtain the needed 107,000 signatures that would place a referendum to legalize marijuana on Mississippi’s 2016 ballot. Titled Ballot Initiative 48, the initiative would legalize the “production, sale and use of recreational and medical marijuana and industrial hemp”  much like Colorado has done.

 

Recreational cannabis would be taxed at a 7 percent rate and all proceeds would go to Mississippi’s public school system. Moreover, marijuana use and possession would also become decriminalized, keeping the state’s smokers out of prison and the state’s cops from persecuting marijuana use.

 

It would be nice to see the volunteer effort gain enough traction to get the attention and backing of a national organization. 107,000 signatures won’t be enough, as valid signature rates can vary greatly. Still, it’s an effort very much pursuing, and I tip my hat to those fighting for reform in Mississippi. It will be an uphill battle no doubt, but it’s a battle fought in the name of justice.

 

Source: http://www.theweedblog.com/effort-to-legalize-marijuana-in-mississippi-is-underway/

It’s been almost three years since Massachusetts passed an initiative to implement medical marijuana in the state. It took almost two years for officials to award licenses for the first 20 that were approved. Now, Massachusetts health officials granted the state’s first certificate of registration for the growth and distribution of medical marijuana to a group in Salem called Alternative Therapies Group Inc. 

 

 

“Selecting dispensaries that meet our high standards takes time, but ensuring a launch of this new industry the right way for the people of Massachusetts if a top priority,” said John Polanowicz, Secretary at Health and Human Services. ATG is currently in the inspection phase of the process, where the state conducts unannounced inspections to ensure “safe patient access” to medical marijuana. 

 

 

“I am very pleased that ATG has received the first Certificate of Registration in the Commonwealth,” says Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll. “From the outset the team at ATG has been forthright and professional. They went out of their way to meet with neighbors, officials, and other in Salem, to introduce themselves and explain what they will be doing.” By doing this, ATG has secured their spot in Salem, Massachusetts, as being the first medical marijuana dispensary in the state. 

 

 

Hopefully, the process of the dispensary implementation doesn’t take as long as it has been. The state had set a goal of opening the dispensaries in the summer of 2014 but a lack of initial oversight put a roadblock in their way. Some of the dispensaries that applied had to be retracted due to legitimacy issues, public support of the neighborhoods where the clinics wanted to open, and just conflicts of interest. Public health officials have spent months conducting interviews of each of the dispensaries, hoping to weed out the ones that will not be operating according to state standards. 

Many families struggle with living in illegal states while their children suffer for afflictions like cancer and epilepsy. What’s even more frustrating is waiting for the laws to change in a state, counting down the days to when the government lets these parents use a medicine that actually works for their kids. This is the reality of Angie and Josh Weaver, who are waiting for July 1, 2015, when marijuana will be available for their daughter, who is currently fighting Dravet syndrome.

 

 

On July 1st, Minnesota will begin to implement medical marijuana laws. The bill was put in to motion by legislator Carly Melin. But the law enforcement groups in the area were strongly against any sort of marijuana legalization and Gov. Mark Dayton said that he refused to sign a bill regarding the plant without the support of law enforcement. The Weavers, along with a handful of other families, worked hard to change the idea of the officers whose support they desperately needed. The inspiration was Amelia, their 8 year old daughter, who suffers from a devastating form of epilepsy. 

 

 

While Amelia managed to learn to walk and say the ABCs, along with counting to 20 at age 2 1/2, she began to have the seizures. Now, she cannot communicate verbally, walks aimlessly, falls frequently, and can’t handle a fork or spoon. A year ago, Amelia was suffering from anywhere between 20 and 30 severe seizures a day. The little girl would fall to the ground and shake, losing muscle control completely. Her parents say her condition has only worsened since then. She now has between 30 and 50 seizures a day, paired with as many as 10 grand map seizures. Even though the parents have tried numerous medicines, even those that sometimes help with Dravet haven’t worked for Amelia. 

 

 

“When Minnesota passed the medical cannabis law, our family didn’t have enough money to move to Colorado,” Weaver wrote. “During this year, we’ve been working with Amelia’s neurologist to provide the best care until cannabis is available to us.” Children like Amelia absolutely deserve treatment such as cannabis in hopes that they can develop and live life normally. Minnesota Department of Health selected two companies to manufacture and distribute medical marijuana in the state. The one that will be supplying LeafLine Labs, plans to have a distributor for Hibbing no later than July 1, 2016. Until then, the Weavers will travel to the Twin Cities as necessary to get the supplies for their daughter.