New York has become the 23rd state across the United States to legalized medical marijuana. The law was signed on July 7th and is known as New York’s Compassionate Care Act. This will allow individuals stated under the law to be able to possess and consume medical marijuana. This medical marijuana law is quite different from the others however because of the stipulations behind it. The rules behind the law include the following. • No more than 5 private organizations will be licensed for production and distribution of the medical marijuana, each of those organizations can have up to 4 […]

On March 20th a bill called “Charlee’s Law” was signed by the governor of Utah, the bill was signed after the death of one of the children on the waiting list to receive the non-intoxicating cannabis oil. This bill allows for the children on this waiting list to receive this non-intoxicating cannabis oil from Colorado for their medical issues. Children on this list suffer from epilepsy and related disorders. This bill is to take effect on July 1st which will allow the parents of these children to receive the oil to help their children. The parents and children on this […]

According to the Denver Post, Colorado is about to spend $9 million to research the effects of marijuana. Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill this year that will allow the state health department to give out $9 million in grants for the next five years for marijuana studies. These studies are expected to include clinical trials on the marijuana products specifically sold in Colorado. Since medical marijuana first came into thought nearly 20 years ago, research on it has been very polarized. These new studies will be used to help determine if the marijuana being used in Colorado has different […]

Proponents of medical marijuana have a few victories to celebrate this month. Despite the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado back in January, the number of Colorado cannabis patients continues to rise. In March alone, the MMJ patient registry grew by over 1,760 patients. Currently, there are over 115,000 active MMJ members. The majority of MMJ patients (around 94 percent) are being treated for severe pain due to a number of factors. More than half of MMJ patients have designated a caregiver or dispensary to cultivate their medical marijuana. In addition to the rise in the MMJ patient registry, the […]

As the 420 rally came to a close in Denver this past weekend, the support for marijuana use – both medical and recreational – appears to be growing across the country. As many as 80,000 people are estimated to have been in Denver this past weekend to celebrate 420 on April 20. Participants were more varied than most people would imagine – from young college students to middle aged businessmen to elderly women campaigning for MMJ reform on behalf of senior citizens. Visitors flocked to Denver from all over the United States to participate in 420. Dina Compassion, a manager […]

Although marijuana was legalized for recreational use in January, Colorado health officials have recently enacted a crackdown on medical marijuana patients who grow more than the standard number of marijuana plants. Medical marijuana law in Colorado allows MMJ patients to grow up to six plants for their own use. If more is medically necessary, then patients are allowed to grow more plants. Now, the Colorado Health Department is requiring doctors who recommended the extra plants and the patients who grow them to provide more medical documentation on why they need extra marijuana plants. In addition to providing medical information about […]

More and more parents are moving to Colorado for the sake of their children’s health. Almost 3 million Americans are affected with epilepsy, a neurological condition that causes recurring seizures. Around 1 million of those people experience seizures unaffected by medication. Two-year-old Addyson Benton is one of these people. In an interview with USA Today, Addyson’s mother Heather Benton said “Not one part of me is afraid to give Addyson medical marijuana, but I’m terrified to keep giving her the medications she’s been prescribed, that haven’t worked and have all these horrible side effects.” Adam Benton, Addyson’s father, recently moved […]

Although there are many strides being taken towards the acceptance of medical marijuana, there is still a long way to go before its stigma is removed. One of the biggest arguments against MMJ is the impression that marijuana is a gateway drug to harder drugs like heroin and cocaine. Dr. Andrew Kolodny, president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing and the Chief Medical Officer of Phoenix House, a nonprofit addiction treatment organization, argues that there is no evidence to support the idea of weed being a gateway drug. In 1970, President Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act into law, which […]

News reports across the country seem divided between supporters and opponents of medicinal marijuana use. But, as of late, there’s an undeniable movement towards MMJ benefits to young patients whose parents may feel the quandary of proof that despite the stigma of its use, MMJ actually brings relief to their small child or loved one. In November 2000 Coloradans confronted possible ridicule by passing AMD 20 and since proved the rest of the country that MMJ does indeed help patients who suffer the ails of cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS positive, cachexia; severe pain; severe nausea; seizures, to include those that are […]