Marijuana Blog

Three-quarters of D.C. voters support decriminalizing marijuana and nearly two-thirds support fully legalizing the drug, according to poll released Wednesday by legalization advocates.

 

The Public Policy Polling survey found 63 percent of District residents would back legalizing marijuana by giving it the same legal treatment of alcohol, similar to what passed in Colorado and Washington state last November. Only 30 percent would oppose such a proposal. Support for decriminalizing the drug and making possession punishable by only a fine of up to $100 was higher, at 75 percent.

 

Majorities also supported allowing D.C. residents to own up to three marijuana plants for personal use without the threat of jail time and a maximum fine of $300 and changing the city’s existing medical marijuana laws to allow doctors to be prescribe the drug for any affliction. The law currently limits the prescriptions to cancer, AIDS, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis patients.

 

Mason Tvert, the communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, told POLITICO the group and others were considering putting legalization or decriminalization on the ballot in 2014.

 

“It’s clear that voters in the District are looking for a new approach to the marijuana policy and we are committed to bringing that about.”

 

Read more: http://www.politico.com

It seems like one of the greatest fears of the medical marijuana community is slowly being realized, as corporations quickly adopt cannabinoids into their vast profile of patented medicines. Leading the charge is GW Pharmaceuticals (1), a UK- based pharmaceutical company who manufacturers Sativex, an outrageously overpriced oral spray that relies on THC and CBD for its medical effects.

 

Although Sativex is not currently available to patients in the U.S., it can be prescribed in Canada, the UK and other European countries, at a price of £175 per bottle. As crazy as it sounds, the only difference between a £175 bottle of Sativex and a $20 bottle of marijuana extract from your local dispensary are the patents that GW Pharma has been all-too-quick to file.

 

Just last month, GW Pharma’s newest patent application (2) was published with the title “Phytocannabinoids in the treatment of cancer.” That’s right, the makers of Sativex are trying to patent the compounds of marijuana for treating all forms of cancer. But is that even allowed?

 

Probably not, since medical marijuana’s cancer-fighting effects have been well known since the 70s, not to mention prominent spokespeople of the movement, such as Rick Simpson, who have provided personal testimonies of marijuana’s ability to cure cancer. As a result, it is unlikely that a patent would be granted on medical marijuana itself or common extracts like hemp oil.

 

Even still, pharmaceutical companies are well aware of the loopholes in patent laws that can easily be exploited by slightly altering a chemical or formula, which is what seems to be the case with GW Pharma. In their most recent patent, all GW Pharma had to do to claim exclusive rights to the cancer-fighting effects of cannabis was to call it a “botanical drug substance”, which they define as a mixture of cannabinoids and non-cannabinoid materials. As a result, GW may just be holding the golden ticket to a cutting-edge cure for cancer, something that has eluded medical research for decades.

 

Read more: http://www.theweedblog.com

Alaska voters may get the chance next year to make their state the third in the country to approve the recreational use of marijuana by adults 21 and older.

 

Backers of the move on Tuesday took the first step toward getting the measure on the August 2014 primary ballot. Three prime sponsors of the effort filed their application for an initiative petition along with signatures from what they say are at least 100 other supporters with the state lieutenant governor's office.

 

The group is led by Tim Hinterberger, an associate professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The other two prime sponsors are Bill Parker and Mary Reff, according to Gail Fenumiai, state elections director.

 

The measure would tax and regulate marijuana sales and allow Alaskans to cultivate marijuana for personal use. Among other things, it would allow the Legislature to create a Marijuana Control Board, though until then, the Alcohol Beverage Control Board would regulate marijuana sales. Alaskans age 21 and older could legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana under the proposal, or six marijuana plants, three of which could be mature.

 

Read more: http://www.adn.com