Tag Archives: Medical marijuana

Public Listening Sessions Aim to Clarify Massachusetts MMJ Laws

February 16, 2013   mike

Public hearings on the future regulation of medical marijuana in Massachusetts are being held this month to bring clarity to the new law, which won by a landslide vote on the November 6th ballot.

On Wednesday evening in Worcester and Thursday in Boston, state officials from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health held a series public listening sessions before the implementation of medical marijuana regulations. The meeting, held at the Worcester Public Library, drew a large crowd and was standing room only. Another session is scheduled for February 27th at Holyoke Community College.

Under the law, which went into effect in January, the state has 120 days to hear comments and draft regulations on the use of medical marijuana. Alec Loftus, a spokesman from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, says that the Department of Public Health is looking for input on a few key areas.

Rick Gulla, a spokesman for the The Massachusetts Medical Society, a group that represents physicians across the Commonwealth, said that the Society will be meeting with the DPH to share their opinion. The Society is not opposed to medical marijuana use but would like to see a number of issues addressed. The Society is also asking the Department to reclassify marijuana, to allow it’s oversight by the state’s prescription monitoring program.

Some state lawmakers have also introduced pieces of legislation that would make changes to the medical marijuana law. State Representative John Sciback of South Hadley supports the legalization of medical marijuana, but also filed a bill that would make clarifications to the language included in the original ballot measure that was approved last November. Sciback said that he hopes the Department of Public Health will be able craft their regulations by their May 1st goal.

Those who are unable to attend the listening sessions but are interested in learning about the business side of the medical marijuana industry also have options thanks to DispensaryPermits.com. The Boston-based company is scheduled to host their inaugural “Green Rush” Conference on March 2nd where several successful medical marijuana entrepreneurs are set to speak. The event was originally scheduled for February 9th at the Westin Copley in Boston but was rescheduled due to the blizzard that hammered the Northeast last week.

Interested parties looking to attend the March 2nd conference at the Sheraton Boston Hotel from 9AM-6PM can register here.

 

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New Study Indicates Medical Marijuana Could Be A Cure for Cancer

December 30, 2012   mike
A recent medical marijuana study conducted by two Bay Area scientists has caught the attention of many suffering patients all over the country. For once, medical marijuana isn’t being hailed as a cure for glaucoma or back pain, but as an integral weapon against the most feared disease of all: cancer. 

Dr.Sean McCallister and Dr.Pierre Desperez of the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco have found that a compound derived from medical marijuana could stop metastasis in many kinds of aggressive cancer, offering the first legitimate hope for curing cancer in decades.

Despite years of government claims that marijuana has no medicinal properties, multiple studies have shown that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive ingredient of marijuana, is the mortal enemy of the cancer cell. That being said, not everyone that might like to utilize medical marijuana and its potential benefits are interested in smoking or ingesting the plant.

In 2007, Dr. McAllister, a scientist at the Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco who has been studying cannabinoid compounds for 10 years, found that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component of the marijuana plant, is a potent inhibitor of breast cancer cell proliferation, metastasis and tumor growth.

Apparently, cannabidiol kills breast cancer cells and malignant tumors by switching off expression of the ID-1 gene, a protein that appears to play a major role as a cancer cell conductor. The scientists say CBD offers hope of a non-toxic therapy that could treat aggressive forms of cancer without any of the painful side effects of chemotherapy.

The announcement has been hailed by medical marijuana legalization advocates as further proof that the government should stop restricting access to this medically-beneficial plant. Still, the scientists are quick to point out that just smoking a joint won’t cure cancer. ”We used injections in the animal testing and are also testing pills,” said Dr.Desperez.

“But you could never get enough Cannabidiol for it to be effective just from smoking.” In addition, the team has just begun the process of synthesizing the compound in the lab instead of using the  medical marijuana in plant  form in an effort to make it more potent.

The team is hopeful that this development will allow clinical trials to advance as soon as possible.  It is very likely that positive results with human, clinical trials could present the first ray of hope for those suffering from this debilitating disease that has affected many people all over the world. Although development of a synthesized cannabidiol medication would still ultimately benefit pharmaceutical companies,  it may also remove some of the unnecessary controversy that surrounds the use of medical marijuana by young cancer patients.


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Medical Marijuana’s Place in the November Election

September 04, 2012   Patrick


MMJBusinessDaily.com

With just two months left until the election, many medical marijuana professionals are still unsure which name to check in the ballot box. And the decision won’t get any easier in the days leading up to Nov 6. The bad news is, the only candidate who is certain to back the medical marijuana industry – Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson – stands very little chance of actually winning come November. Recent polls indicate that just 1% to 5% of likely voters will cast their ballots for Johnson as president. That could change, but the odds are extraordinarily slim that Johnson will win – meaning a vote for the Libertarian candidate could end up being more symbolic than anything.

That leaves Democratic incumbent Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Here, the industry faces another problem: Democrats are traditionally the party of choice for medical marijuana supporters, but many MMJ professionals are livid at Obama for the widespread crackdown on cannabis businesses under his watch. They feel betrayed by the president and cringe at the thought of backing him in the election. The future of the industry would be very murky if Obama remains in charge, as his policies towards MMJ have been vague and uneven.

However, the alternative could be far worse. Romney has steered clear of talking specifics when addressing medical marijuana, but he is clearly against the legalization of MMJ in general. He could choose to continue the crackdown but – like Obama – at least let some MMJ operations continue to exist. Or he could try to dismantle the industry entirely.

So the question becomes: Which is the lesser of two evils?

The industry is split on the issue. The United States Medical Marijuana Chamber of Commerce officially endorsed Obama this week, but the organization itself is not very well known in the industry and it’s unclear just how much influence it has. The National Cannabis Industry Association and other MMJ advocacy groups have not recommended a candidate yet to their members, and it’s unclear if they plan to do so (NCIA says it “is not endorsing any candidates at this time”).

Of course, the other option is to refrain from voting entirely. Some professionals have indicated that they’ll take this route, saying it serves as a way to punish Obama without directly supporting Romney. This strategy, however, won’t really accomplish much for the industry.

Comment and let us know your thoughts on the upcoming election this November.

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Only 8 Applications Submitted for New Colorado MMJ Business Licenses Since End of Moratorium

August 27, 2012   Patrick

MMJ Business Daily:

The state has received eight new applications for medical marijuana business licenses since lifting a two-year moratorium on new dispensaries and grow operations in early July, officials with the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division (MMED) said last night during a panel discussion in Denver.

Lewis Koski, MMED agent in charge, said two of the applications are for new dispensaries, while the remaining six are for marijuana cultivation sites (two of which are tied to the new MMJ centers).

The relatively low level of interest shows just how much the medical marijuana industry in Colorado and nationally has changed over the years. The state initially received 1,100 applications for dispensaries and marijuana-infused product manufacturers and 1,200 for grow operations before enacting enacting a moratorium on new MMJ operations in July 2010. Colorado lifted the moratorium this summer, and many existing dispensaries assumed there would be a rush of new players attempting to enter the market.

That’s not happening so far. Chalk up it up to the federal crackdown on MMJ – which has spooked entrepreneurs thinking about starting medical cannabis businesses – and new industry regulations in Colorado that make it much harder to open and operate a dispensary or grow operation. Additionally, the market in many areas of Colorado is already saturated, and a fair share of dispensaries are still struggling to turn a profit. At the same time, the MMED has a huge backlog of applications from existing dispensaries that it is still processing, so there’s really no rush by new businesses given that they might have to wait a long time for the agency to play catch-up.

The trickle of new applications is good news for existing MMJ businesses, as it eases their concerns about an influx of new competition. But it also signals that the industry isn’t as lucrative as it once was (or was thought to be) and could indicate that the market has plateaued.

During last weeks panel, officials with the MMED – the main agency charged with overseeing Colorado’s medical marijuana industry – also addressed the organization’s well-publicized financial struggles and provided an update on the licensing process.

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