Medical Marijuana Update (2014.03.19)

A federal agency has given the okay for researchers to buy marijuana from NIDA for a PTSD study, which is a first, those CBD medical marijuana bills keep moving in heretofore medical marijuana-unfriendly states, an effort to fold Washington state’s medical marijuana system into its general legalization scheme has failed, and more. Let’s get to it:

National

Last Friday, HHS granted permission for researchers to purchase marijuana from the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for a study of marijuana as a treatment for the symptoms of PTSD in US war veterans. That’s the first time this has happened. The research is sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). The DEA must still approve, but MAPS says it is “optimistic they will approve the study in a timely manner.”

Also last Friday, ASA announced its second annual conference. The Americans for Safe Access Unity Conference will take place in Washington, DC, on April 5-7. Click on the link for more details.

Alabama

On Tuesday, a CBD medical marijuana bill was approved by a House committee. The bill has passed the Senate after being amended to become a research bill on the impact of using a marijuana derivative. Senate Bill 174 passed the House Judiciary Committee and now awaits a House floor vote.

Arkansas

Last Friday, advocates for a medical marijuana initiative said they had collected 15% of the signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot. Arkansans for Compassionate Care said they have about 10,000 signatures. They need 62,000 to make the ballot, and have until July 7 to do so. A similar initiative was narrowly defeated there in 2012.

California

Last Wednesday, opponents of Butte County’s recent cultivation ordinance handed in some 12,000 signatures on a petition to abolish it. The February ordinance limited the size of outdoor gardens to 50 square feet on properties from a half-acre to five acres in size. Petitioners need only 7,600 of the signatures to be found valid, which would then force county supervisors to take up the matter again. In the meantime, enforcement of the ordinance is on hold.

On Tuesday, Shasta County supervisors voted to put a ban on marijuana growing to the voters. The supes had voted to ban all outdoor cultivation, but a successful petition drive to challenge the ordinance forced them to reconsider. They could have just repealed the ban, but instead voted unanimously to put it on the November ballot and let the voters decide.

Georgia

Last Wednesday, a CBD medical marijuana bill was approved by a Senate committee. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously approved House Bill 885, which would allow patients to use CBD-based cannabis oils. It also amended the bill to allow parents to bring the oil into the state without facing penalties. The bill has already passed the House and now awaits a Senate floor vote.

Iowa

On Monday, a new poll had support for medical marijuana at 81%. The Quinnipiac Poll results are dramatically different from a recent Iowa Poll, which found 59% of Iowa adults said they supported “legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.” But no matter what the polls say, medical marijuana bills get no traction in the Hawkeye State.

Kentucky

On Wednesday, a CBD medical marijuana bill passed the Senate. The Senate passed a bill allowing doctors to prescribe and patients to use CBD cannabis oil for medical reasons Wednesday. The bill passed with no opposition. Senate Bill 124 now goes to the House.

Maryland

On Tuesday, the House passed a full-on medical marijuana bill. The House overwhelmingly approved House Bill 1321, which includes dispensaries. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Nevada

Last Friday, the Board of Health approved regulations for dispensaries. They are allowed under a law passed last year, which goes into effect April 1. It’s not quite a done deal; they must undergo a final review by the Legislative Commission on March 28. After final approval, there will be a 45-day notice announcing the date applications will be accepted. Once the application period opens, there will only be a 10-day window for accepting them. After the application period closes, the state must make a decision on each application within 90 days of receiving it.

South Carolina

Last Thursday, a CBD medical marijuana bill won a Senate subcommittee vote. The bill must still pass a committee vote before going to the Senate floor. Meanwhile, companion legislation is advancing in the House. The bill would allow the use of CBD cannabis oil for those suffering from epilepsy.

Utah

Last Thursday, a CBD medical marijuana bill passed the Utah legislature. House Bill 105 now goes to the desk of Gov. Gary Herbert (R). It would allow children with epileptic seizures to use CBD cannabis oil.

Washington

Last Thursday, an effort to fold the state’s medical marijuana system into its marijuana legalization scheme died in the legislature. Lawmakers were seeking to establish regulation of the medical market as the state’s new voter-approved recreational market is about to take hold this summer. The week before, the Senate passed a measure that moved to merge the medical with the still-developing legal recreational market. It would have eliminated unlicensed dispensaries, established a patient registry, and reduced the amount of marijuana patients could grow and possess. That leaves the unregulated industry in a sort of limbo.

Article republished from Stop the Drug War under Creative Commons Licensing