Tag

Medical Marijuana

Dec 12
0

Cannabis ‘could stop dementia in its tracks’

By | Medical Marijuana Law, News | No Comments

Cannabis ‘could stop dementia in its tracks’

By Fiona Macrae

11/19/11: Cannabis may help keep Alzheimer’s disease at bay.

In experiments, a marijuana-based medicine triggered the formation of new brain cells and cut inflammation linked to dementia.

The researchers say that using the information to create a pill suitable for people could help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s.

A medicine based on cannabis (right) could help to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s

The incurable disease affects 400,000 Britons, with around 500 new cases diagnosed every day as people live longer.

For some sufferers, drugs can delay the progress of devastating symptoms such as memory loss and the erosion of ability to do everyday things such as washing.

However, there they do not work for everyone and, with the number of patients forecast to double in a generation, there is a desperate need for new treatments.

The US researchers studied the properties of a man-made drug based on THC, the chemical behind the ‘high’ of cannabis.

When elderly rats were given the drug for three weeks, it improved their memory, making it easier for them to find their way round a water maze, the Society for Neuroscience’s annual conference heard yesterday (WEDS).

Researcher Dr Yannick Marchalant said; ‘Old rats are not very good at that task.  When we gave them the drug, it made them a little better at that task.’

Other experiments showed that the drug acts on parts of the brain involved in memory, appetite, pain and mood.

The Ohio State University experiments also showed that the drug cut inflammation in the brain and may trigger the production of new neurons or brain cells.

Researcher Professor Gary Wenk said: ‘When we’re young, we produce neurons and our memory works fine.

‘When we age, the process slows down, so we have a decrease in new cell formation through normal ageing.

‘You need these cells to come back and help form new memories and we found that this THC-like agent can influence the creation of these cells.’

Although the drug used was not suitable for use in people, the results could aid the creation of new medicines for Alzheimer’s.

It is likely such a drug would be taken to prevent the disease, rather than treat it.

Asked if those with a family history of Alzheimer’s should smoke cannabis to prevent them developing the disease, Dr Wenk said: ‘We’re not saying that but it might actually work.

‘What we are saying its that it appears that a safe, legal substance that mimics the important properties of marijuana can work on the brain to prevent memory impairments in ageing.  So that’s really hopeful.’

Dr Marchalant added: ‘We hope a compound can be found that can target both inflammation and neurogenesis, which would be the most efficient way to produce the best effects.’

The medicinal properties of cannabis have already been harnessed to treat multiple sclerosis.

Sativex, a cannabis-based drug, has been shown to ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, including pain, spasms, shaking, depression and anxiety.

The Alzheimer’s Society cautioned against using cannabis itself to stave off dementia.

Professor Clive Ballard, the charity’s director of research, said: ‘There are encouraging findings from studies with animals suggesting that some cannabis derivatives may help protect nerve cells in the brain.

‘We therefore look forward to robust clinical trials into potential benefits of non-psychoactive components of cannabis.

‘It is important for people to note that these treatments are not same as recreational cannabis use which can be potentially harmful.

Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd

Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1087544/Cannabis-stop-dementia-tracks.html#ixzz1gHp3Kv8U

Dec 04
0

Banking Problems Could Kill Medical Marijuana In Colorado

By | Colorado Medical Marijuana Law, General Medical Marijuana Information, Medical Marijuana Law, News | No Comments

By Steve Elliott

Colorado medical marijuana business owners are desperately writing letters to every bank in the country asking if they can please, oh please, just have a bank account.

About 150 dispensary owners across the state are looking for banks that will take their accounts, said Tanya Garduno, president of the Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council and owner of Medical Cannabis Center, reports Monica Mendoza at InsuranceNewsNet.
The medical marijuana industry has already survived regulations, licensing, security and thick stacks of almost impenetrable rules and legalese.

But the banking issue “could be the deal breaker,” Garduno said. “We have to account for everything — sales, patient lists — trying to put this together with no bank could really kill us.”

The last bank in Colorado to openly welcome dispensaries’ business — the Colorado Springs State Bank — sent notice to the shops almost two months ago that they had until the end of September to clear out their accounts. That ban is owned by parent company Herring Bank, based in Texas.
“Everyone is trying to make it work on a cash basis,” Garduno said. “It’s going to be a funky next three months. I’m sure there will be folks that will shut down.”
Medical marijuana businesses in Colorado Springs have generated about $23 million in sales and contributed $580,533 in sales taxes so far this year. That’s a 52 percent increase over last year’s numbers, and a sign that the industry continues to grow.
But most bankers won’t touch medical marijuana dispensaries with a 10-foot pole.
Banks fear federal charges of money laundering and drug trafficking. While use and sale of medical marijuana are legal in Colorado, the federal government does not recognize any legal use for cannabis.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), one of three banking regulators, hasn’t issued guidance for banks doing business with medical marijuana dispensaries. But federal law does require banks to report “suspicious activity.”
And in June, U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole issued a memo to U.S. Attorneys in medical marijuana states saying “Persons who are in the business of cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana, and those who knowingly facilitate such activities, are in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, regardless of state law.”
Colorado dispensary owners are planning to fight.
They plan to push for changes in federal law to take marijuana off Schedule I, which officially means it has no accepted medical uses, a high potential for abuse and addiction, and is too dangerous to use even under medical supervision — you know, like heroin. (Even cocaine and methamphetamine are considered by the U.S. federal government to be Schedule II drugs — officially “less dangerous” than marijuana.)
The dispensary owners and supporters want changes in banking rules that would allow banks to work with medical marijuana businesses without fear of conflicting with federal regulations.
And when the Colorado Legislature goes into session in January, they will push for a change in state law that would allow them to open their own bank, one that does not require federal insurance.
“There is a slight chance they will pass,” Black said. “But, I think we are knocking at the door.”
Without bank accounts, dispensary owners don’t have access to ATM machines and are paying bills in cash or are buying prepaid credit cards.
The dispensaries will be begging for a bank until federal laws change, according to Garduno.
“We need to cut off the short term bleeding,” Garduno said. “We will call every bank in the country to find a bank to give us a shot.”
Dec 04
0

Medical Marijuana Update

By | General Medical Marijuana Information, News | No Comments

by Phillip Smith, December 03, 2011, 05:11pm

So much is going on in the world of medical marijuana that we cannot adequately cover it all through news briefs and the occasional feature article. The news briefs and feature articles will, of course, continue, but beginning now, we will also include a weekly medical marijuana update at least noting all those stories we are unable to cover more comprehensively. This first update will itself be updated until the next Drug War Chronicle is published on Thursday, then the updates will appear as a regular weekly feature. Here we go:

National

On Wednesday, the governors of two medical marijuana states, Christine Gregoire (D) of Washington and Lincoln Chafee (I) of Rhode Island, called on the Obama administration to reschedule marijuana. The next day, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) said he would join them, but that same day, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) said he would not.

California

As of the end of November, the US Attorney’s Office in San Diego reportedthat more than 60% of the 222 dispensaries in the region have closed their doors since it began sending threat letters in October to the outlets and their landlords. That’s 139 dispensaries gone in far Southern California, and the feds said they expected another 20 or so to close in the next two weeks.

On Monday, a federal judge in San Francisco declined to issue a temporary injunction blocking a federal crackdown on dispensaries in the Bay Area. US Attorney Melinda Haag had ordered those clubs to close, because they were too close to schools on parks. Two of the targeted dispensaries, San Francisco’s Divinity Tree and Medithrive, have already shut down to avoid criminal prosecution or seizure of their properties. A third, the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Fairfax, may be about to follow (see below).

Also on Monday, the last dispensary in the Stockton area shut down after receiving one of those October threat letters from federal prosecutors. County officials had banned dispensaries. One other dispensary shut down in October, and two more are on hold as city officials await clarification from state and federal authorities.

Also on Monday, the city of Novato voted to renew its expiring moratorium on dispensaries for another year and said city staffers would move to shut down two dispensaries operating in violation of city zoning ordinances. The moratorium does not apply to the two dispensaries because they were grandfathered in, but staffers said they are prohibited under city zoning rules, which do not name marijuana sales as an allowed use.

Also on Monday, the Amador County Board of Supervisors temporarily banned outdoor medical marijuana grows in the wake of a September killing during the attempted robbery of a medical marijuana grow. A task force drafting regulations for outdoor grows will meet later this month. Amador County Counsel Gregory Gillott said Fresno, El Dorado, Glenn and Lassen counties all have similar bans on outdoor growing.

A Marin County judge Friday declined to quash an eviction order aimed at closing the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana dispensary in Fairfax. The Marin Alliance is the longest operating dispensary in the state, but it could be doomed after being targeted by federal prosecutors in October. Founder and operator Lynette Shaw has until December 9 to answer the ruling and request a trial, but said this week she wasn’t sure she will stay open.

Also on Friday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said that any sales of medical marijuana are illegal. After raids last month that targeted a half-dozen dispensaries and more than a dozen other locations and persons, the department said Proposition 19 and laws passed to regulate medical marijuana in the state “do not authorize sales of marijuana.”

Also on Friday, Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich announced that his office is targeting nine dispensaries to be shut down because they’re within 600 feet of a school. He said he would seek $2,500 a day penalties if they stay open while being sued. Meanwhile the city reports that 372 marijuana businesses had filed to begin paying a city business tax by the October 31 deadline. An unknown number had not filed, but city officials said there could be as many as 500 dispensaries in the city, down from a peak of 850.

Massachusetts

The Committee for Compassionate Medicine, which is seeking to put a medical marijuana initiative on the ballot next year, announced Friday that it had had handed in more than 74,000 signatures and planned on handing in another 10,000 by next week’s deadline. They need 68,911 valid voter signatures to make the ballot, so even if they get that additional 10,000, it’s still going to be a very close call, given that some sizeable fraction of signatures gathered will be found to be invalid.

Michigan

An Oakland County circuit court judge Wednesday threw out a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and two medical marijuana patients against the cities of Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills, which had passed ordinances saying it is unlawful for anyone to engage in an activity contrary to state, local, or federal law. The judge dismissed the suit, saying the plaintiffs had not been charged with any crimes. The ACLU and the plaintiffs had hoped to force a ruling on whether state and local law enforcement had to obey the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, but they didn’t get it.

On Thursday, two Oakland County dispensaries were raided by the Oakland County Narcotics Enforcement Team. Police arrested three people at one dispensary and four at the other and seized a combined five pounds of medical marijuana and three pounds of edibles. No charges have been filed yet.

New Jersey

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released November 30 found overwhelming Garden State support for medical marijuana and high levels of support for marijuana law reform as well. A whopping 86% of respondents supported the availability of medical marijuana, while 60% thought penalties for pot use should be relaxed, just over half didn’t think pot possession should not be a crime, and one-third would completely legalize its sale and use.
 

The poll was released just a day after Gov. Chris Christie (R) announced that he had appointed a law enforcement figure, retired State Police Lt. John O’Brien to oversee the program, which has yet to actually serve a single patient nearly three years after it was passed into law. The first strictly-regulated compassion centers are set to open next year.

The state Department of Health and Human Services last month finally published rules and regulations for the program, which were roundly denounced by the Coalition for Medical Marijuna—New Jersey, the state’s leading patient advocacy group.

Wisconsin

At a Wednesday news conference at the state capitol in Madison, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison) announced that he is introducing  LRB-2466, the Jackie Rickert Medical Marijuana Act (JRMMA), named after the wheelchair-bound patient, activist, and member of Is My Medicine Legal Yet, the state’s most prominent medical marijuana activist group.

Pocan and state Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee) will be the lead sponsors of the bill, which died without a committee vote last session. Activists in Wisconsin have been working for a decade to pass medical marijuana legislation. Whether it will happen this session, given the bitter political atmosphere and Republican nomination at the state house remains to be seen.

by Phillip Smith, December 03, 2011, 05:11pm

Nov 17
0

the journey continues

By | Batch Tracking Application, Marijuana Cultivation, Medical Marijuana Application, Medical Marijuana Technology, pfmmj Journey | No Comments

Developing an application can be a huge project. From website to application development the process is daunting. To capture the most important features first I have selected to start with the mobile application. I have completed 38 screens so far and I’m projecting to mock up 100-125 more. Since the name delta 9 has been used to death I am leaning towards Quantum 9. I had a long conversation with an advanced grower that blogs heavily on TCH Farmer and he mentioned the ability to derive at a quantum state for light measurements. I have started working on the website now and should have some compositions up shortly. Here is a sneak peak at what the mobile home screen will look like.

Quantum 9 Mobile Home Page

Oct 25
0

What Republican Presidential Candidates Say About Legalizing Marijuana

By | General Medical Marijuana Information, Medical Marijuana Law | No Comments


Lucia Graves: Huffington Post
WASHINGTON — Fifty percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana, according to a recently released Gallup poll. That number, up from just 36 percent in 2006, marks a record high and could have significant implications for candidates on the campaign trail, advocates say.

Republican presidential candidate Gary Johnson has already come out in favor of legalizing marijuana, announcing on Wednesday that he would even consider issuing a full presidential pardon for anyone serving a prison sentence for a nonviolent marijuana crime. Such pardons are part of what he envisions as a broader “rational drug policy.”

“Pot smokers may be the largest untapped voting bloc in the country,” he said in an interview with Outside Magazine. “A hundred million Americans have smoked marijuana. You think they want to be considered criminals?”

Though Johnson has been excluded from recent GOP debates and polls show he garners less than 1 percent of the national vote, recent surveys suggest that, if current trends persist, legalization of marijuana could indeed become a hot-button topic by election 2016.

Support for legalization is as high as 62 percent among Americans under the age of 30, and Gallup has found that Americans are especially likely to favor legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. According to a Gallup survey last year, 70 percent favored making it legal for doctors to prescribe marijuana to reduce pain and suffering.

What’s more, Republicans could exploit pot advocates’ anger at President Barack Obama, who as a candidate promised to maintain a hands-off approach toward pot clinics adhering to state law. At a 2007 town hall meeting in Manchester, N.H., Obama said raiding patients who use marijuana for medicinal purposes “makes no sense.” At another town hall in Nashua, N.H., he said the Justice Department prosecuting medical marijuana users was “not a good use of our resources.” Yet the number of Justice Department raids on marijuana dispensaries has continued to rise.

“The fact that presidential candidates are now actively pointing out the need to end marijuana prohibition, combined with the new Gallup poll showing that more Americans support legalization than oppose it, shows that the time for reform has arrived,” said Tom Angell, spokesman for the legalization advocacy group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, in an email to HuffPost.

With so many Americans in support of legalization, how long can the rest of the Republican presidential field stay silent on the issue? HuffPost has compiled a slideshow highlighting GOP candidates’ positions.

Oct 20
0

Statute 0-4-287 – ARTICLE XVIII – Miscellaneous Art. XVIII – Miscellaneous

By | General Medical Marijuana Information | No Comments

What is this law?

This law lets you know what is considered a debilitating medical condition, use of medicine, laws pertaining to possession, physician/ patient interaction and caregiver/ patient interaction.

0-4-287 – ARTICLE XVIII – Miscellaneous Art. XVIII – Miscellaneous

Section 14. Medical use of marijuana for persons suffering from debilitating medical conditions. (1) As used in this section, these terms are defined as follows:

(a) “Debilitating medical condition” means:

(I) Cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or treatment for such conditions;

(II) A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition, or treatment for such conditions, which produces, for a specific patient, one or more of the following, and for which, in the professional opinion of the patient’s physician, such condition or conditions reasonably may be alleviated by the medical use of marijuana: cachexia; severe pain; severe nausea; seizures, including those that are characteristic of epilepsy; or persistent muscle spasms, including those that are characteristic of multiple sclerosis; or

(III) Any other medical condition, or treatment for such condition, approved by the state health agency, pursuant to its rule making authority or its approval of any petition submitted by a patient or physician as provided in this section.

(b) “Medical use” means the acquisition, possession, production, use, or transportation of marijuana or paraphernalia related to the administration of such marijuana to address the symptoms or effects of a patient’s debilitating medical condition, which may be authorized only after a diagnosis of the patient’s debilitating medical condition by a physician or physicians, as provided by this section.

(c) “Parent” means a custodial mother or father of a patient under the age of eighteen years, any person having custody of a patient under the age of eighteen years, or any person serving as a legal guardian for a patient under the age of eighteen years.

(d) “Patient” means a person who has a debilitating medical condition.

(e) “Physician” means a doctor of medicine who maintains, in good standing, a license to practice medicine issued by the state of Colorado.

(f) “Primary care-giver” means a person, other than the patient and the patient’s physician, who is eighteen years of age or older and has significant responsibility for managing the well-being of a patient who has a debilitating medical condition.

(g) “Registry identification card” means that document, issued by the state health agency, which identifies a patient authorized to engage in the medical use of marijuana and such patient’s primary care-giver, if any has been designated.

(h) “State health agency” means that public health related entity of state government designated by the governor to establish and maintain a confidential registry of patients authorized to engage in the medical use of marijuana and enact rules to administer this program.

(i) “Usable form of marijuana” means the seeds, leaves, buds, and flowers of the plant (genus) cannabis, and any mixture or preparation thereof, which are appropriate for medical use as provided in this section, but excludes the plant’s stalks, stems, and roots.

(j) “Written documentation” means a statement signed by a patient’s physician or copies of the patient’s pertinent medical records.

(2) (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (5), (6), and (8) of this section, a patient or primary care-giver charged with a violation of the state’s criminal laws related to the patient’s medical use of marijuana will be deemed to have established an affirmative defense to such allegation where:

(I) The patient was previously diagnosed by a physician as having a debilitating medical condition;

(II) The patient was advised by his or her physician, in the context of a bona fide physician-patient relationship, that the patient might benefit from the medical use of marijuana in connection with a debilitating medical condition; and

(III) The patient and his or her primary care-giver were collectively in possession of amounts of marijuana only as permitted under this section.

This affirmative defense shall not exclude the assertion of any other defense where a patient or primary care-giver is charged with a violation of state law related to the patient’s medical use of marijuana.

(b) Effective June 1, 2001, it shall be an exception from the state’s criminal laws for any patient or primary care-giver in lawful possession of a registry identification card to engage or assist in the medical use of marijuana, except as otherwise provided in subsections (5) and (8) of this section.

(c) It shall be an exception from the state’s criminal laws for any physician to:

(I) Advise a patient whom the physician has diagnosed as having a debilitating medical condition, about the risks and benefits of medical use of marijuana or that he or she might benefit from the medical use of marijuana, provided that such advice is based upon the physician’s contemporaneous assessment of the patient’s medical history and current medical condition and a bona fide physician-patient relationship; or

(II) Provide a patient with written documentation, based upon the physician’s contemporaneous assessment of the patient’s medical history and current medical condition and a bona fide physician-patient relationship, stating that the patient has a debilitating medical condition and might benefit from the medical use of marijuana.

No physician shall be denied any rights or privileges for the acts authorized by this subsection.

(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, no person, including a patient or primary care-giver, shall be entitled to the protection of this section for his or her acquisition, possession, manufacture, production, use, sale, distribution, dispensing, or transportation of marijuana for any use other than medical use.

(e) Any property interest that is possessed, owned, or used in connection with the medical use of marijuana or acts incidental to such use, shall not be harmed, neglected, injured, or destroyed while in the possession of state or local law enforcement officials where such property has been seized in connection with the claimed medical use of marijuana. Any such property interest shall not be forfeited under any provision of state law providing for the forfeiture of property other than as a sentence imposed after conviction of a criminal offense or entry of a plea of guilty to such offense. Marijuana and paraphernalia seized by state or local law enforcement officials from a patient or primary care-giver in connection with the claimed medical use of marijuana shall be returned immediately upon the determination of the district attorney or his or her designee that the patient or primary care-giver is entitled to the protection contained in this section as may be evidenced, for example, by a decision not to prosecute, the dismissal of charges, or acquittal.

(3) The state health agency shall create and maintain a confidential registry of patients who have applied for and are entitled to receive a registry identification card according to the criteria set forth in this subsection, effective June 1, 2001.

(a) No person shall be permitted to gain access to any information about patients in the state health agency’s confidential registry, or any information otherwise maintained by the state health agency about physicians and primary care-givers, except for authorized employees of the state health agency in the course of their official duties and authorized employees of state or local law enforcement agencies which have stopped or arrested a person who claims to be engaged in the medical use of marijuana and in possession of a registry identification card or its functional equivalent, pursuant to paragraph (e) of this subsection (3). Authorized employees of state or local law enforcement agencies shall be granted access to the information contained within the state health agency’s confidential registry only for the purpose of verifying that an individual who has presented a registry identification card to a state or local law enforcement official is lawfully in possession of such card.

(b) In order to be placed on the state’s confidential registry for the medical use of marijuana, a patient must reside in Colorado and submit the completed application form adopted by the state health agency, including the following information, to the state health agency:

(I) The original or a copy of written documentation stating that the patient has been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition and the physician’s conclusion that the patient might benefit from the medical use of marijuana;

(II) The name, address, date of birth, and social security number of the patient;

(III) The name, address, and telephone number of the patient’s physician; and

(IV) The name and address of the patient’s primary care-giver, if one is designated at the time of application.

(c) Within thirty days of receiving the information referred to in subparagraphs (3) (b) (I)-(IV), the state health agency shall verify medical information contained in the patient’s written documentation. The agency shall notify the applicant that his or her application for a registry identification card has been denied if the agency’s review of such documentation discloses that: the information required pursuant to paragraph (3) (b) of this section has not been provided or has been falsified; the documentation fails to state that the patient has a debilitating medical condition specified in this section or by state health agency rule; or the physician does not have a license to practice medicine issued by the state of Colorado. Otherwise, not more than five days after verifying such information, the state health agency shall issue one serially numbered registry identification card to the patient, stating:

(I) The patient’s name, address, date of birth, and social security number;

(II) That the patient’s name has been certified to the state health agency as a person who has a debilitating medical condition, whereby the patient may address such condition with the medical use of marijuana;

(III) The date of issuance of the registry identification card and the date of expiration of such card, which shall be one year from the date of issuance; and

(IV) The name and address of the patient’s primary care-giver, if any is designated at the time of application.

(d) Except for patients applying pursuant to subsection (6) of this section, where the state health agency, within thirty-five days of receipt of an application, fails to issue a registry identification card or fails to issue verbal or written notice of denial of such application, the patient’s application for such card will be deemed to have been approved. Receipt shall be deemed to have occurred upon delivery to the state health agency, or deposit in the United States mails. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no application shall be deemed received prior to June 1, 1999. A patient who is questioned by any state or local law enforcement official about his or her medical use of marijuana shall provide a copy of the application submitted to the state health agency, including the written documentation and proof of the date of mailing or other transmission of the written documentation for delivery to the state health agency, which shall be accorded the same legal effect as a registry identification card, until such time as the patient receives notice that the application has been denied.

(e) A patient whose application has been denied by the state health agency may not reapply during the six months following the date of the denial and may not use an application for a registry identification card as provided in paragraph (3) (d) of this section. The denial of a registry identification card shall be considered a final agency action. Only the patient whose application has been denied shall have standing to contest the agency action.

(f) When there has been a change in the name, address, physician, or primary care- giver of a patient who has qualified for a registry identification card, that patient must notify the state health agency of any such change within ten days. A patient who has not designated a primary care-giver at the time of application to the state health agency may do so in writing at any time during the effective period of the registry identification card, and the primary care-giver may act in this capacity after such designation. To maintain an effective registry identification card, a patient must annually resubmit, at least thirty days prior to the expiration date stated on the registry identification card, updated written documentation to the state health agency, as well as the name and address of the patient’s primary care-giver, if any is designated at such time.

(g) Authorized employees of state or local law enforcement agencies shall immediately notify the state health agency when any person in possession of a registry identification card has been determined by a court of law to have willfully violated the provisions of this section or its implementing legislation, or has pled guilty to such offense.

(h) A patient who no longer has a debilitating medical condition shall return his or her registry identification card to the state health agency within twenty-four hours of receiving such diagnosis by his or her physician.

(i) The state health agency may determine and levy reasonable fees to pay for any direct or indirect administrative costs associated with its role in this program.

(4) (a) A patient may engage in the medical use of marijuana, with no more marijuana than is medically necessary to address a debilitating medical condition. A patient’s medical use of marijuana, within the following limits, is lawful:

(I) No more than two ounces of a usable form of marijuana; and

(II) No more than six marijuana plants, with three or fewer being mature, flowering plants that are producing a usable form of marijuana.

(b) For quantities of marijuana in excess of these amounts, a patient or his or her primary care-giver may raise as an affirmative defense to charges of violation of state law that such greater amounts were medically necessary to address the patient’s debilitating medical condition.

(5) (a) No patient shall:

(I) Engage in the medical use of marijuana in a way that endangers the health or well-being of any person; or

(II) Engage in the medical use of marijuana in plain view of, or in a place open to, the general public.

(b) In addition to any other penalties provided by law, the state health agency shall revoke for a period of one year the registry identification card of any patient found to have willfully violated the provisions of this section or the implementing legislation adopted by the general assembly.

(6) Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) (a) and (3) (d) of this section, no patient under eighteen years of age shall engage in the medical use of marijuana unless:

(a) Two physicians have diagnosed the patient as having a debilitating medical condition;

(b) One of the physicians referred to in paragraph (6) (a) has explained the possible risks and benefits of medical use of marijuana to the patient and each of the patient’s parents residing in Colorado;

(c) The physicians referred to in paragraph (6) (b) has provided the patient with the written documentation, specified in subparagraph (3) (b) (I);

(d) Each of the patient’s parents residing in Colorado consent in writing to the state health agency to permit the patient to engage in the medical use of marijuana;

(e) A parent residing in Colorado consents in writing to serve as a patient’s primary care-giver;

(f) A parent serving as a primary care-giver completes and submits an application for a registry identification card as provided in subparagraph (3) (b) of this section and the written consents referred to in paragraph (6) (d) to the state health agency;

(g) The state health agency approves the patient’s application and transmits the patient’s registry identification card to the parent designated as a primary care-giver;

(h) The patient and primary care-giver collectively possess amounts of marijuana no greater than those specified in subparagraph (4) (a) (I) and (II); and

(i) The primary care-giver controls the acquisition of such marijuana and the dosage and frequency of its use by the patient.

(7) Not later than March 1, 2001, the governor shall designate, by executive order, the state health agency as defined in paragraph (1) (g) of this section.

(8) Not later than April 30, 2001, the General Assembly shall define such terms and enact such legislation as may be necessary for implementation of this section, as well as determine and enact criminal penalties for:

(a) Fraudulent representation of a medical condition by a patient to a physician, state health agency, or state or local law enforcement official for the purpose of falsely obtaining a registry identification card or avoiding arrest and prosecution;

(b) Fraudulent use or theft of any person’s registry identification card to acquire, possess, produce, use, sell, distribute, or transport marijuana, including but not limited to cards that are required to be returned where patients are no longer diagnosed as having a debilitating medical condition;

(c) Fraudulent production or counterfeiting of, or tampering with, one or more registry identification cards; or

(d) Breach of confidentiality of information provided to or by the state health agency.

(9) Not later than June 1, 2001, the state health agency shall develop and make available to residents of Colorado an application form for persons seeking to be listed on the confidential registry of patients. By such date, the state health agency shall also enact rules of administration, including but not limited to rules governing the establishment and confidentiality of the registry, the verification of medical information, the issuance and form of registry identification cards, communications with law enforcement officials about registry identification cards that have been suspended where a patient is no longer diagnosed as having a debilitating medical condition, and the manner in which the agency may consider adding debilitating medical conditions to the list provided in this section. Beginning June 1, 2001, the state health agency shall accept physician or patient initiated petitions to add debilitating medical conditions to the list provided in this section and, after such hearing as the state health agency deems appropriate, shall approve or deny such petitions within one hundred eighty days of submission. The decision to approve or deny a petition shall be considered a final agency action.

(10) (a) No governmental, private, or any other health insurance provider shall be required to be liable for any claim for reimbursement for the medical use of marijuana.

(b) Nothing in this section shall require any employer to accommodate the medical use of marijuana in any work place.

(11) Unless otherwise provided by this section, all provisions of this section shall become effective upon official declaration of the vote hereon by proclamation of the governor, pursuant to article V, section (1) (4), and shall apply to acts or offenses committed on or after that date.

Enacted by the People November 7, 2000 — Effective upon proclamation of the Governor.

Oct 12
0

The Journey Starts

By | pfmmj Journey | No Comments

As founder of Patients for Medical Marijuana I have personally been affected by many of the positive medicinal uses of medical marijuana. With this being said I am actively working on doing more for patients that have a weakened immune system due to illness. I am currently working on an application development project that will revolutionize the way batch tracking is done for the medical marijuana industry. The application will be able to track batches of marijuana that is cultivated from the moment it starts the germination process to the day it is sold to a patient. My goal is to make dispensaries responsible for keeping tabs on all of the nutrients and chemicals that are used during the cultivation of medical marijuana. From time to time patients will be allergic from a nutrient that was used during the cultivation of the medicine. I would like patients to have the ability to ask the dispensary for a detailed report of all the chemicals and nutrients that were used during the cultivation process. Reports can be delivered to physicians when requested to help determine the cause of the allergic reaction.

Where I am with the process

I have currently engaged I few different people to help me with this application development project. Last week I flew to California to meet with an application architect. He has expressed interest in the project and will more than likely be the lead architect on the project. Things are moving in the right direction. I am 85% done with my business plan and I have already completed the following marketing tasks:

  • Created a name for my company
  • Created a logo
  • Launched a website
  • Launched a blog site
  • Launched a Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn social pages
  • Created a 30 second promotional video

The company has already started to get some notoriety within the industry. I am confident that I will be able to reach my goal of getting the application in production by the end of 2012. There are many hurdles that stand in front of me but I am willing and able to tackle these issues one at a time.

Oct 08
0

One voice for patient choice

By | Featured | No Comments


The Most Up-to-Date Medical Marijuana Information

This site has been created to help readers stay up to date with medical marijuana information across the nation.

Currently, marijuana is classified under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the most tightly restricted category reserved for drugs which have “no currently accepted medical use”. This is simply not the case. Currently, marijuana shares this scheduling classification with heroin- this is not a correct classification. Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. No one has ever died from an overdose, and it has a wide variety of therapeutic effects, including:

  • Relief from nausea and appetite loss
  • Reduction of intraocular (within the eye) pressure
  • Reduction of muscle spasms
  • Relief from chronic pain

The stories that are submitted will be published by pfmmj in the next petition to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I classification to a more appropriate scheduling. The ability to communicate why the medicine should be considered for rescheduling helps provide visibility into the positive effects.

Oct 08
0

Rhode Island scraps Medical Marijuana

By | News | No Comments

Rhode Island: Governor Lincoln Chafee scrapped the plan for fear it was illegal under federal law. “Federal injunctions, seizures, forfeitures, arrests and prosecutions will only hurt the patients and caregivers that our law was designed to protect,” the governor said in the statement late Thursday (9.29.2011). Rhode Island considered state run facilities called “compassionate centers” but will no longer pursue the plan in fear of federal involvement. Patients and caregivers will still be able to cultivate their own medicine but state run facilities will no longer be an option. There are currently around 2,500 licensed caregivers in the state.

All rights reserved PFMMJ | Patients for Medical Marijuana