SFO, Oakland Travelers Can Carry Medical Pot

Air travelers are not allowed to bring most liquids, along with weapons and explosives past the security checkpoint. But you can bring medical marijuana, if you're traveling out of two Bay Area airports. It's not a case of security looking the other way, it's official airport policy.

Medical marijuana patients boarding flights out of Oakland and San Francisco International airports are allowed to take up to 8 ounces of pot along, but at their own risk.

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Colorado State Senator Chris Romer will introduce a medical-marijuana bill to clarify regulations

The Denver Post reports that Romer became upset when the owner of the health club he works out in told him there had been a $700,000 offer for the health club building - the new business - a medical marijuana dispensary.

The Cannabis Therapy Institute is encouraging patients and caregivers to
write to the Colorado State Legislature urging them not to restrict
patients' ability to safely obtain medical marijuana. Send them your
personal stories of how medicinal cannabis has helped you in your life.

Click here to contact them:

Is Justice paving the way for legalizing marijuana?

Marijuana smokers might be breathing a little easier thanks to a policy switch by the U.S. Justice Department. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that federal prosecutors would not spend limited time and resources on people who use or sell medical marijuana "in strict compliance with state law." Thirteen states have medical marijuana laws, which are controversial because federal narcotics laws trump state statutes.

Of course, the new federal policy doesn't prevent local prosecutors from cracking down on medical marijuana dispensaries. Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley has vowed to shutter the city's dispensaries, which he says cater to people who do not have legitimate medical reasons for using marijuana.
Is the Justice Department paving the way for legalizing marijuana? And is it crazy to think the Obama administration is more federalist -- that is, respectful of state and local government decision-making -- than the supposedly federalism-loving Republicans? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, attempt to cut through the haze.

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Medical Marijuana, Inc. Launches Seminar and Training Program in Ukiah, CA

Medical Marijuana, Inc. is currently offering free Informational Seminars in Mendocino County, CA. These two hour seminars will be held every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the remainder of 2009 at 7:00 PM at the Discovery Inn, 1340 N. State St., Ukiah, in the Corporate Room hosted by MJNA’s, CEO and “King of Pot”, Bruce Perlowin, who was featured in CNBC's most watched television documentary "Marijuana, Inc.". Additionally, beginning November 6&7, 2009 and every weekend after that MJNA will be conducting a series of two day paid seminars ($420 for the weekend course) in the Landmark Room at the Discovery Inn.

Among significant topics to be covered in the weekend courses are clarification of State, City and County laws and ordinances governing Medical Marijuana collectives in regards to dispensaries and cultivation. This is tied into Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s transparent patent pending Tax Remittance Card and Closed Loop Inventory Tracking System to ensure total compliance. Also discussed are the cottage industries that will sprout from the core medical marijuana industry beyond cultivation and collectives such as; cannabis kitchens and various franchises, testing facilities, distribution and logistics, delivery services, security and more. Dozens of other topics related to running any business – from internet marketing, advertising and media exposure, to trademarks, patents and proper accounting protocols – will also be taught in the weekend courses.

For more information contact: www.medicalmarijuanainc.com

Medical Marijuana Inc Begins Licensing of Its Patent Pending Tax Remittance Technology

MARINA DEL REY, CA--(Marketwire - October 22, 2009) - Medical Marijuana Inc (PINKSHEETS: MJNA) has entered into discussions with a publicly traded coffee distribution company for licensing of its patent pending tax remittance solution. Medical Marijuana Inc's tax remittance technology was originally designed to be industry and product neutral; it can be implemented in any industry. Execution of this agreement will launch phase one of Medical Marijuana Inc's multi-industry implementation strategy.

Once daily tax remittance becomes standard practice in the medical marijuana industry, government officials are likely to have a strong interest in implementing Medical Marijuana Inc's patent pending technology across all industries. The windfall to the government could be enormous, with sales taxes being delivered to government coffers on a daily basis versus the currently accepted practice of submitting taxes every ninety days or more.

For further information contact:
www.medicalmarijuanainc.com

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Commerce Online launches pre-paid debit, ID card for medical marijuana

Palm Beach, Fla., Oct. 21, 2009 -- Commerce Online Inc. (Pinksheets: CMIB - News) (www.commerceonlineinc.com ), a leading company specializing in both bricks and mortar and online merchant payment solutions, today announced the initial launch of a branded, pre-paid debit and ID card for licensed medical marijuana dispensaries and collectives operating within the states of California and Colorado.

"The Commerce branded, pre-paid debit and ID card will be marketed through our new Collective Card Services division, and may be loaded to any denomination of funds through a PCI compliant gateway, via the Internet, POS system or PayPal Account by the member of the collective or medical dispensary . Members of each collective will be provided a card as a registered member. The card will have a photo id, and act as a pre-paid debit card branded and recognized by the collective. Funds may be transferred by the registered user via internet, POS, or mobile phone. In case of theft or loss, the card may be cancelled immediately through an 800 number provided or online. The card will also act as the Collective member's identification having Picture ID, medical id number identifying him/her as a collective member, the collective name, and expiration date of membership. With recent economic issues and more stringent requirements within the banking industry, many Americans may no longer have or qualify for a credit card or checking account to pay for essential needs or medical services and do not want to exchange or carry large amounts of cash to these locations. The Commerce Online "GreenCard" will essentially be the logical choice as a low cost, effective cash alternative to regulated medical marijuana industry", further stated Mr. Gotshalk.

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Poll: L.A. Voters Oppose Plan to Close Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

LOS ANGELES — A new poll of Los Angeles County voters reports massive opposition to Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley’s announced plan for a wholesale shutdown of medical marijuana dispensaries, with only 14 percent backing Cooley’s effort. After Cooley made his statement, Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich proposed an ordinance that would effectively shut down all dispensaries in the city.

Asked whether they support or oppose California’s medical marijuana law, including patients’ ability to buy their medical marijuana, 74 percent said they favor it, with 16 percent opposed and 10 percent undecided. Following that question, voters were asked about Cooley’s assertion that all medical marijuana dispensaries in the county are illegal and should be closed. Asked, “Which of one these two alternatives come closest to your view: Prosecute or close all medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles County, or create and enforce uniform licensing requirements and regulations for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries within Los Angeles County,” 77 percent supported regulation, with only 14 percent backing a large-scale shutdown.
Support for regulating the dispensaries crossed all demographic groups, including a 62 to 30 percent margin among Republicans.

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Los Angeles could act on medical pot in early November

A proposal to ban all sales of medical marijuana in the city is unlikely to be taken up next week. Aides to Councilman Smith say he supports it and believes it would force most dispensaries to close.

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Mexican Drug Cartels Threatened by Medical Marijuana Laws in U.S.

The expansion of legalized medical marijuana has caused significant increases in local U.S. marijuana farms, which has resulted in intensified competition with large Mexican drug organizations. About half of the marijuana consumed in the United States is now grown domestically, and often by small “mom-and-pop” farmers. The decentralized nature of domestically grown marijuana has threatened Mexican drug lords in a far more effective manner than the efforts of anti-narcotics programs.

.....

Full legalization of marijuana would likely put an end to cartel involvement, just as the end of alcohol prohibition in 1933 knocked organized crime out of the business.

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Paypal Nixes California NORML Medical Marijuana Listings

Paypal, the well-known internet payment company has told California NORML that it will no longer accept payments to our "type of business" because we accept listing payments from cannabis-recommending physicians.

After years of offering free listings to physicians and collectives at our website http://www.canorml.org, CaNORML began charging a yearly listing fee to cover our costs last year.

PayPal froze CaNORML's account in June, saying that by accepting listing fees from collectives, we were violating their Acceptable Use policy, which says, "you may not use PayPal in the purchase or sale of narcotics." Although narcotics were not being sold over the CaNORML site, we reluctantly agreed to stop accepting listings fees from collectives that dispense medical marijuana, recognizing that even though they are legal under state law, they are illegal under federal law. However, we continued to accept payments online from doctors, attorneys, and members.

Now PayPal has stopped accepting payments from the CaNORML site because we continued to accept listing payments from physicians.

Under a ruling upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court (Conant v. Walters, 2003), physicians have the first amendment right to discuss and recommend medical marijuana for their patients, although they may not distribute it or help patients in finding it. PayPal was informed of this and wrote back, "We are not arguing the legality of this issue; we are simply stating that we have made the business decision to not be involved with this type of business."

Because of its discriminatory policy and disregard of physicians' first amendment rights, CaNORML submits that PayPal is not the "type of business" to be used by those who advocate for human rights. We will file a complaint with the federal banking committee over their practices.

Located in San Jose, California, PayPal was founded in 1998 and was acquired by eBay (California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's company) in 2002.

Complain to: PayPal, 2211 N 1st St, San Jose 95131 - (408) 376-7400

Statement of Paypal's Acceptable Use Policy below:

> Hello,
>
> We appreciate the fact that you chose PayPal to send and receive payments
> for your transactions.
>
> Under the Acceptable Use Policy, you may not use PayPal in the purchase or
> sale of narcotics, steroids, certain controlled substances, products that
> present a risk to consumer safety or drug paraphernalia. PayPal makes such
> decisions after reviewing laws, regulations and other actions by
> governmental agencies, other available evidence, and marketing content
> related to the product.
> The complete Acceptable Use Policy can be found at the following URL:
> http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/ua/use/index_frame-outside
>
> To learn more about the Acceptable Use Policy, please refer to our Help
> Center page here:
> http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/helpweb?cmd=_help
>
> We are hereby notifying you that, after a recent review of your account
> activity, it has been determined that you are in violation of PayPal's
> Acceptable Use Policy regarding your sales at
> http://www.canorml.org/prop/collectivetips.html. PayPal cannot be used to
> accept fees for listing information related to marijuana dispensaries,
> delivery services and cannabis physicians.

Is Marijuana a "Buy American" Program that Actually Works?

The cry of "Buy American" is being renewed as the nation tries to climb its way out of a recession. Often times those programs can fall short. But there's a surprising market where people are indeed increasing domestic purchases -- marijuana. And, in the process, it is hurting the bottom line for the murderous Mexican and Colombian drug cartels in a way that the official War on Drugs couldn't do.

There was a time when virtually all of the marijuana used in the United States came from Mexico or Colombia. Now, half of the pot being smoked is produced here, according to a report in The Washington Post.

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Medical Marijuana Inc., Prepares for CA Rollout with Completion of Custom Programming and Tax Compliance System

MARINA DEL REY, CA--(Marketwire - October 8, 2009) - Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA) continues to execute its business plan with the next step of their Tax Compliance System in place. MJNA now has over 30 collectives in 3 states and Canada signed on to use this tax system. These collectives are showing their intent to comply with proper business systems regarding tax remittance to the proper agencies. This puts these collectives in compliance with one of the most crucial aspects of Medical Marijuana and its proper distribution. Charles Larsen, President of MJNA, says, "With our fully scalable, robust processing platform, we are able to meet the most stringent requirements of any Government agencies requesting our system for their municipalities."

Medical Marijuana, Inc. is the first public company to recognize the vast and unequaled opportunities that exist in the rapidly expanding Medical Marijuana market. The scientific recognition of marijuana as a powerful medicine has brought marijuana to a new status, and opened the door for investment and opportunity.

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LA County DA Prepares To Crack Down on Pot Outlets

Los Angeles, CA — Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said Thursday he will prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries for over-the-counter sales, targeting a practice that has become commonplace under an initiative approved by California voters more than a decade ago.

“The vast, vast, vast majority, about 100%, of dispensaries in Los Angeles County and the city are operating illegally, they are dealing marijuana illegally, according to our theory,” he said. “The time is right to deal with this problem.”
Cooley and Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich recently concluded that state law bars sales of medical marijuana, an opinion that could spark a renewed effort by law enforcement across the state to rein in the use of marijuana. It comes as polls show a majority of state voters back legalization of marijuana, and supporters are working to place the issue on the ballot next year.

Law enforcement officials have been frustrated by the explosion in the number of dispensaries in Southern California, arguing that most are for-profit enterprises that violate the 1996 voter initiative legalizing medical marijuana and the 2003 state law permitting collective cultivation. Cooley’s announcement, coming at a news conference that followed a training session he and Trutanich conducted for narcotics officers, dramatically raises the stakes.

In the city of Los Angeles, some estimates put the number of dispensaries as high as 800. The city allowed 186 to remain open under its 2007 moratorium, but hundreds of others opened in violation of the ban while the city did nothing to shut them down.

..........

Cooley said he believes that under state law, collectives must raise their own marijuana and can only recoup their costs. “That’s absolutely legal,” he said. “We’re going to respect that.”

But he said none of them currently do that.

The district attorney’s warning could make the situation more chaotic in Los Angeles, where the City Council has struggled for two years to devise an ordinance to control the distribution of medical marijuana.

In addition to prosecuting dispensaries, Cooley said he would consider going after doctors who write medical marijuana recommendations for healthy people. Medical marijuana critics argue that some doctors freely recommend the drug to people who are not ill.

..............

When Californians voted for Proposition 215 in 1996, they made it legal for patients with a doctor’s recommendation and their caregivers to possess and raise pot for the patient’s medical use.

In 2003, the Legislature allowed patients and caregivers “collectively or cooperatively to cultivate marijuana for medical purposes” but said they could not do it for profit.

Cooley and Trutanich, after reviewing a state Supreme Court decision from last year, have concluded that the law protects collectives from prosecution only in the cultivation of marijuana, not for sales or distribution.

Medical marijuana advocates, however, note that the state currently requires dispensaries to collect sales taxes on marijuana, and that guidelines drawn up by the attorney general conclude that “a properly organized and operated collective or cooperative that dispenses medical marijuana through a storefront may be lawful.”

The guidelines allow collectives to take costs into account but do not deal directly with over-the-counter sales.

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Kelly McParland: Benign White House unleashes marijuana boom

Anyone with an interest in the debate over medical marijuana might want to keep an eye on California and Colorado, where prospects for the pot business have never been brighter. It’s not far-fetched to suggest a combination of financial need and the Obama administration’s benign neglect could make California the first state to legalize recreational use of marijuana next year.

Without making a big deal of it, the White House has made life a lot easier for pot enthusiasts. Although 13 states have approved the use of marijuana for medical purposes, it remains a crime under federal law, which means you may be free under state law to open a dispensary and start offering various types of pot, but can’t be sure a federal narcotics team won’t bust in and drag you off to jail anyway. If that happens, the U.S. Federal Court won’t let you use the state law in your defence....

Apart from its enthusiasm for liberal social policies -- the more high-profile the better -- California has another, more compelling reason to embrace legalized pot: It’s broke. The state budget is in such a crisis it chopped $15 billion in spending this year, largely on education, and was forced to send out 327,000 IOUs worth $2 billion.

Legalizing marijuana would allow it to be licenced, regulated and -- best of all -- taxed, producing a juicy new revenue stream. It would probably also make it all but impossible for other states to maintain more restrictive laws. With more than 30 million Californians able to fill their baggies at the corner store, attempting to staunch the flow across borders would become an expensive exercise in self-deception.

So the economic crisis may do for potheads what decades of lobbying, protesting and defiance failed to achieve. And if Obama succeeds in pushing though health care reform, marijuana users might even find a way to make him pay for their supply.

National Post

If History Repeats - Buy This Stock!

I am a shareholder of MJNA. I have known Bruce Perlowin since the early 90's and worked with him in several of his companies. Bruce is what I call a true pioneer. He gets into an industry early and positions the company as a leader simply by being there first and marketing on a very personal level. While others are still thinking about it, Bruce is already providing solutions.

In the medical marijuana industry, Bruce is called the "King of Pot" because of his historically large enterprise. But this time,he is doing it legally. His company, Medical Marijuana, Inc. provides payment solutions and a tax remittance system. This can help dispensaries to be in full compliance with the current tax laws. In addition, the stored value system provides other functionalities that benefit the dispensaries, such as customer loyalty, cashless transactions and more.

As the debate over medical marijuana heats up, it seems apparent that it is just a matter of time before this prohibition ends and it becomes a booming industry. MJNA has already planted its foot as an industry leader. I recommend to buy this stock while it is still affordable.

Check them out at: http://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com/

Pinnacle Digest: Looking For Shareholder Opinions On Medical Marijuana's Latest News

Oct 09, 2009 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- MJNA | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- www.PinnacleDigest.com is a performance-driven online financial magazine and social network with a proven track record. After yesterday's news from Medical Marijuana, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MJNA | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) announcing it continues to execute its business plan with the next step of their Tax Compliance System now in place, our team is inviting all shareholders to their exclusive investor controlled forum. Our staff and members have requested that all Medical Marijuana shareholders join our community and share their thoughts on the company, its development and future outlook. One of the most important aspects when we research for new investments is to understand the sentiment of the current shareholders; that is why we have released this announcement - we want to know your opinion.

Join The Medical Marijuana Investor Discussion Here: http://www.pinnacledigest.com/company/mjna

Dana Point heading to court over pot dispensaries' records

The city says it's seeking documents from five operations in town to figure out if they are legal. The dispensaries refused, in part, on privacy and constitutional grounds.

An Orange County Superior Court judge is expected to rule on Oct. 2 whether to enforce Dana Point's subpoenas for five medical marijuana dispensaries' records as part of a city investigation.

The dispensaries, among other objections to the subpoenas, say the city did not follow proper procedure to issue a subpoena.

The city in July served the subpoenas for records to those operating marijuana dispensaries following a request to amend zoning laws to permit dispensaries, city attorney Patrick Munoz said.

The city does not have a specific ordinance prohibiting medical marijuana dispensaries. But that does not mean the operations are permitted, like many other uses not specifically addressed in municipal codes, said Munoz.

Before making any decision, the council wanted to determine if existing dispensaries are complying with state laws or if they are operating illegally, he said.

The subpoenas followed, but the five dispensaries have not complied.


One of the dispensaries argued that the city's request for records among other reasons violates medical and financial privacy rights of its members, the Fifth Amendment's protection against self incrimination and the Second Amendment protection of freedom of association.

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Dr. Donald Tashkin, Marijuana Lung Cancer Study

The Mainstream Media's 5 Favorite Marijuana Myths

Here are 5 recent stories the mainstream media doesn't want you to know about pot:

1. Marijuana Use Is Not Associated With a Rise in Incidences of Schizophrenia
Over the past few years, the worldwide media, as well as federal officials in the United Kingdom, Canada and the U.S. have earnestly promoted the notion that smoking pot induces mental illness.

Perhaps most notably, in 2007 the MSM reported that cannabis "could boost the risk of developing a psychotic illness later in life by about 40 percent" -- a talking point that was also actively promoted by U.S. anti-drug officials. So, is there any truth to the claim that pot smoking is sparking a dramatic rise in mental illness? Not at all, according to the findings of a study published in July in the journal Schizophrenia Research.

Investigators at the Keele University Medical School in Britain compared trends in marijuana use and incidences of schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005. Researchers reported that the "incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining" during this period, even the use of cannabis among the general population was rising.

"[T]he expected rise in diagnoses of schizophrenia and psychoses did not occur over a 10-year period," the authors concluded. "This study does not therefore support the specific causal link between cannabis use and incidence of psychotic disorders. ... This concurs with other reports indicating that increases in population cannabis use have not been followed by increases in psychotic incidence."

As of this writing, a handful of news wire reports in Australia, Canada, and the U.K. have reported on the Keele University study. Notably, no American media outlets covered the story.

2. Marijuana Smoke Doesn't Damage the Lungs Like TobaccoEveryone knows that smoking pot is as damaging, if not more damaging, to the lungs than puffing cigarettes, right? Wrong, according to a team of New Zealand investigators writing in the European Respiratory Journal in August. Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand compared the effects of cannabis and tobacco smoke on lung function in over 1,000 adults.

They reported: "Cumulative cannabis use was associated with higher forced vital capacity [the volume of air that can forcibly be blown out after full inspiration], total lung capacity, functional residual capacity [the volume of air present in the lungs at the end of passive expiration] and residual volume.

"Cannabis was also associated with higher airways resistance but not with forced expiratory volume in one second [the maximum volume of air that can be forcibly blown out in the first second during the FVC test], forced expiratory ratio, or transfer factor. These findings were similar amongst those who did not smoke tobacco... By contrast, tobacco use was associated with lower forced expiratory volume in one second, lower forced expiratory ratio, lower transfer factor and higher static lung volumes, but not with airways resistance."

They concluded, "Cannabis appears to have different effects on lung function to those of tobacco." Predictably, the scientists' "inconvenient truth" was not reported in a single media outlet.

3. Cannabis Use Potentially Protects, Rather Than Harms, the Brain
Does smoking pot kill brain cells? Drinking alcohol most certainly does, and many opponents of marijuana-law reform claim that marijuana's adverse effects on the brain are even worse. Are they correct? Not according to recent findings published this summer in the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology.

Investigators at the University of California at San Diego examined white matter integrity in adolescents with histories of binge drinking and marijuana use. They reported that binge drinkers ( defined as boys who consumed five or more drinks in one sitting, or girls who consumed four or more drinks at one time ) showed signs of white matter damage in eight regions of the brain.

By contrast, the binge drinkers who also used marijuana experienced less damage in 7 out of the 8 brain regions. "Binge drinkers who also use marijuana did not show as consistent a divergence from non-users as did the binge drink-only group," authors concluded. "[It is] possible that marijuana may have some neuroprotective properties in mitigating alcohol-related oxidative stress or excitotoxic cell death."

To date, only a handful of U.S. media outlets -- almost exclusively college newspapers -- have reported the story.

4. Marijuana Is a Terminus, Not a 'Gateway,' to Hard Drug UseAlarmist claims that experimenting with cannabis will inevitably lead to the use of other illicit drugs persist in the media despite statistical data indicating that the overwhelming majority of those who try pot never go on to use cocaine or heroin.

Moreover, recent research is emerging that indicates that pot may also suppress one's desire to use so-called hard drugs. In June, Paris researchers writing in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology concluded that the administration of oral THC in animals suppressed sensitivity to opiate dependence.

Also this summer, investigators at the New York State Psychiatric Institute reported in the American Journal on Addictions that drug-treatment subjects who use cannabis intermittently were more likely to adhere to treatment for opioid dependence.

Although a press release for the former study appeared on the Web site physorg.com on July 7, neither study ever gained any traction in the mainstream media.

5. Government's Anti-Pot Ads Encourage, Rather Than Discourage, Marijuana Use
Sure, many of us already knew that the federal government's $2 billion ad campaign targeting pot was failing to dissuade viewers from toking up, but who knew it was this bad?

According to a new study posted online in the journal Health Communication, survey data published by investigators at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania found that many of the government's public-service announcements actually encouraged pot use.

Researchers assessed the attitudes of over 600 adolescents, age 12 to 18, after viewing 60 government-funded anti-marijuana television spots. Specifically, researchers evaluated whether the presence of marijuana-related imagery in the ads ( e.g., the handling of marijuana cigarettes or the depiction of marijuana-smoking behavior ) were more likely or less likely to discourage viewers' use of cannabis.

Messages that depict teens associating with cannabis are "significantly less effective than others," the researchers found. "This negative impact of marijuana scenes is not reversed in the presence of strong anti-marijuana arguments in the ads and is mainly present for the group of adolescents who are often targets of such anti-marijuana ads ( i.e., high-risk adolescents )," the authors determined. "For this segment of adolescents, including marijuana scenes in anti-marijuana ( public-service announcements ) may not be a good strategy."

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Booming Medical Pot Sales Concern Officials

LOS ANGELES — Almost 13 years after California became the first state to allow the sale of marijuana for some medical conditions storefront purveyors of the drug are nearly as easy to find as a taco stand.

Yet police and prosecutors say the law is vague on who can sell pot and in what circumstances. They worry that the state unwittingly created safe havens for drug pushers who are doping the population with immunity.

"They appear to be run by drug dealers who see an opening in the market and a way to make a fast buck," says San Diego district attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who says every pot store her office has looked at is operating illegally.

The tangle of regulations and alleged criminality that has followed in the aftermath of California's first in the nation medical marijuana law is hardly restricted to the Golden State.

Thirteen states, from New England to the Pacific Northwest, have passed laws by ballot or legislative action permitting marijuana possession for some medical reasons even though the drug is illegal under federal law.

Some, like Rhode Island, where a medical marijuana law passed in 2006, officials are still trying to figure out how to set up places where people can buy the drug. In Colorado, which approved medical marijuana sales in 2000, cities are passing moratoriums to halt the blossoming of marijuana stores. New Mexico's lone non-profit licensed to distribute pot is overwhelmed by demand.

In Washington state, a legal dispute rages over whether the law permits people to just grow their own pot or also buy it from dispensaries.

Stewart Richlin, lawyer for more than 150 medical marijuana collectives in Southern California, says states that legalize medical marijuana must accept the commerce that follows.

"Once we acknowledge patients have a right to cannabis, they have to get it somewhere," he says.

The medical marijuana movement was begun by advocates who say pot can provide relief for a wide range of illnesses, from AIDS to arthritis. Why should people suffer when pot can help, they say?

"It's highly effective in certain circumstances," San Diego physician Bob Blake says.

Critics say a law meant to benefit a relatively few number of patients is being exploited by entrepreneurs who are making big money.

Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Torrence says the department investigated a clinic in the fashionable Venice area that was doing up to $140,000 in sales a month. In San Diego, where authorities this month shut down 14 medical marijuana sellers, Dumanis said at least one was operating on that scale as well, over $700,000 in six months.

City Council members Janice Hahn and Dennis Zine, in proposing Los Angeles tax medical marijuana sales, point to Oakland, where they say four licensed dispensaries had gross sales of $19.6 million in 2008.

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Blog Notes: Apparently, this is a bigger business than anyone really anticipated. With these kinds of sales, it is obvious that this industry is on the verge of exploding. Medical Marijuana, Inc. is providing solutions for both the government and the dispensary owner. Their Tax Remittance Card, allows the taxes to be automatically dispersed into a dedicated account for tax remittance. As the industry evolves Medical Marijuana, Inc. intends to be the market leader in providing quick, easy payment solutions.

Pot Advocates Think Legalization Is Nearer

The 38th annual national convention for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws wraps up today at the downtown Grand Hyatt, and groups of medical marijuana users have been casually passing joints on the outdoor patio. It’s probably what some visitors from Des Moines were afraid would happen when they landed in the marquee city of the Left Coast.
But NORML delegates, basking in the glow of their Barack Obama themed-convention motto - “Yes We Can-nabis” - are convinced this isn’t a fringe issue any more.

“There is no doubt that today, Sept. 25, 2009, is the moment of genuine zeitgeist to decriminalizing marijuana in America,” said Allen St. Pierre, the executive director of NORML. “This conference represents that we are at that tipping point.”

Maybe in the Bay Area, but I doubt voters in conservative Orange County will be thrilled to vote for the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010.

The cannabis act was endorsed Friday by Oakland mayoral candidate and former Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata. Perata was supposed to appear at the conference, but was ill and was not available for comment.

The act would make it lawful for anyone over the age of 21 to “possess, share, or transport not more than one ounce of cannabis.” The act is currently gaining signatures in a petition drive to make the ballot, but it seems more like a first step than a popular vote winner.

The same can be said about State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s bill, the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act, which he says could raise as much as $1 billion. Ammiano insists that even right-wingers will see the benefits of legal pot.

“It’s not the wedge issue it once was,” he said after speaking to hundreds of delegates at the NORML morning session. “When they see that the sales of pot to adults is financing a health clinic, they will see why it will work.”

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Twitter High: California Group Sells Medical Marijuana Online

Artists Collective, a non-profit California medical marijuana delivery service, is now Twittering out its goods, and all it takes to get high is a doctor's note. They've got everything from brownies to blunts and the delivery is free. Rather than whispering "weed" to passersby, the solicitation is like this:

ArtistsCollectve BB Kush, NY Soma, SD Strom, Forrest G, Green C, Baby Crunch, Spy Diesel, buy 1/4 get gram free. Baked goods, Grams, Joints avail.

4:06 PM Jun 29th from web

Dann Halem, 34, started the project about 18 months ago to raise money for California artists, and it's entirely legal, under California's medical marijuana laws. However, the Artists Collective could still be raided at any time by the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents. Medical marijuana operations are still technically in violation of federal law, despite being legalized by more than a dozen states.

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STUDY SHOWS SMOKING MARIJUANA MAY PREVENT ALCOHOL-RELATED IMPAIRMENTS

A study conducted at the University of California-San Diego discovered that marijuana is not only safer than alcohol, but also protects the brain from damages caused by excessive drinking.

Patrick Stack, director of counseling at Webster University, said any individual has the risk of misusing these types of substances.

"The problem of any type of drug usage originates when a person abuses a drug," Stack said. "As a result of this abuse, the drug has more influence on the person than the person has over him-or herself."

Bruce Mirken, director of communications of the Marijuana Policy Project ( MPP ), said he encourages the legalization of marijuana. MPP is an organization founded in 1995 that advocates regulated use of marijuana in the U.S.

Mirken said marijuana is a less addictive, less toxic and less threatening drug than alcohol.

"According to the Institute of Medicine, 15 percent of people who drink ( it ) become dependent on alcohol," Mirken said. "For marijuana, the figure is 9 percent."

Furthermore, Mirken said marijuana doesn't have the typical effects alcohol has on people.

"Unlike alcohol, marijuana doesn't make people reckless, aggressive and violent," Mirken said.

Not only did Mirken say he believes marijuana is safer than alcohol, he said he also believes it presents great medical value to patients with AIDS, cancer and Multiple Sclerosis.

CLICK ON TITLE FOR FULL STORY...

WAMMfest: Santa Cruz Medical Marijuana Festival Goes Off Without A Hitch

SANTA CRUZ -- Although smoking was not allowed at the WAMMfest on Saturday due to a planning mix-up, the annual celebration of medical marijuana still filled San Lorenzo Park with hundreds of patients and supporters.

Without an exemption to the city's no-smoking rules in the park, WAMMfest organizers patrolled the park and handed out fliers stating that smoking was not allowed this year. In the past, organizers have set up tents in the park where medical marijuana patients could inhale their medicine.

"What we're trying to do is respect the laws and keep it safe and fun," WAMM board member Suzanne Pfeil said. "We don't want anyone to receive a citation."

Santa Cruz police said they would not increase the number of officers on duty Saturday afternoon for WAMMfest. However, they said those on duty would issue citations if the park's no-smoking rules were not followed.

"Organizers of the event were very respectful and responsive to any inquiries park staff had who were doing their regular patrols of the park," Santa Cruz police Lt. Rick Martinez said. "There was a small smoking tent but it wasn't located on park property. We estimated the crowds to be around 200-300 people. Overall I think it was a success for the organizers."

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420 Times Launches eNewsletter For Medical Marijuana Users

September 29, 2009 -- The 420 Times, Southern California’s leading magazine of medical marijuana and natural healing, has launched the Smoke Signal, its email eNewsletter aimed to benefit users of medicinal marijuana.

The Smoke Signal eNewsletter covers a wide range of content, including the latest news on medical marijuana legislation, coupons for dispensaries and cooperatives, as well as tips and advice regarding medical marijuana use.

“With so much misinformation on the internet, it’s hard to find a reliable resource to keep track of what’s happening in the world of medical marijuana,” notes Brian Lancer, editor of The 420 Times. “We conceived the Smoke Signal eNewsletter as a trustworthy source of the latest medical marijuana news and legislation, things every medical marijuana user should know.”

Also keeping in mind the lingering economic recession, the eNewsletter provides exclusive coupons to save money on medical marijuana. “We understand that the faltering economy has put everyone, including users of medical marijuana, in a financial pinch,” explains Lancer. “That’s why we’ll be including local coupons, offers and upcoming events for medical marijuana dispensaries and cooperatives—we want to give back to our readers.”

Furthermore, people who sign up for the eNewsletter are eligible to win a Volcano™ Vaporizer. The Volcano Vaporizer system is known for being the most technologically advanced professional vaporizer available with its precision air temperature control and reliability.

People interested in the Smoke Signal eNewsletter can sign up at: www.the420times.com.

The 420 Times reports monthly on the latest legal, medical, and business trends in the emerging field of medical marijuana and natural healing. Focusing primarily on the needs of medical marijuana users in Southern California, The 420 Times and its companion web site, The420Times.com, are also among the most informed sources of information for readers from The High Desert to Long Beach and all of Los Angeles County.

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Feds to seize home of Mara Lynn Williams a medical marijuana patient's widow

Royce Williams used medical marijuana for chronic pain after multiple surgeries. The U.S. attorney's office accused him of growing marijuana on his Chilton County, Alabama land with the intent to sell it. While awaiting the verdict, he commited suicide.They now are attempting to seize his land -- about 40 acres -- and the house where his wife Mara Lynn Williams still lives.

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Bruce Perlowin Interview of Medical Marijuana Inc. with Tim Connolly

Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Medical Marijuana Inc.(OTC:MJNA) was interviewed on "Corporate Strategies with Tim Connolly". He discussed the advantages of their tax remittance, stored value card that Medical Marijuana, Inc. is marketing to the medical marijuana industry.

Medical cannabis businesses call for self-regulation

Boulder, CO -- The Boulder County District Attorney's office will attend
a public meeting of a group of cannabis businesses to discuss
self-regulation and developing standards in the medical cannabis industry.

The meeting will take place: Wednesday (9/30)@ 7:30 pm
VFW Meeting Hall - 206 S. Main Street, Longmont, CO
Open to anyone concerned about regulation in the medical cannabis industry.

Larry Hill, owner of the Apothecary, a medical cannabis dispensary in
Longmont, organized the Wednesday meeting. He believes medical cannabis
self-regulation is the best way to ensure that patients have safe,
consistent, access to quality, affordable medicine. "Our standards tend to
be higher than government standards anyway," he says. "Industry
self-regulation will ensure the highest standards of care, which is what
our patients need and deserve. Physicians regulate themselves, and medical
cannabis businesses should do the same."

In August, the Cannabis Therapy Institute formed the Medical Cannabis
Policy Group to develop model legislation that clarifies issues regarding
medical cannabis businesses, including business models, zoning issues,
taxation, patient rights, and economic development potential.
http://www.cannabistherapyinstitute.com/news/policygroup/
"There is no other medicine that treats as many conditions as effectively
and safely as cannabis does. The communities that encourage research and
development of cannabis medicines will benefit the most from this economic
boom," says Laura Kriho, education director for the Cannabis Therapy
Institute. "If Boulder County were to designate a Cannabis Research Park
zoning district and encourage caregivers to develop the industry in a way
that provides 100% patient security and satisfaction, the economic
potential would be staggering."

CLICK ON LINK FOR FULL STORY....

Tell President Obama That Legalizing Marijuana Is No Laughing Matter

Asked this morning whether he "would ... support the bill currently going through the California legislation to legalize and tax marijuana, boosting the economy and reducing drug cartel related violence," the President responded with derision.

"There was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and job creation, and I don't know what this says about the online audience," he laughed.

"The answer is no, I don't think that [is] a good strategy."

Please take a moment to tell the President that marijuana law reform is no laughing matter, and that the millions of Americans who support this issue deserve to be treated respectfully. For your convenience, a pre-written letter will be e-mailed to President Obama when you follow this link and enter your information. The President's phone number is also listed there and you can call to leave him a message.

CLICK ON TITLE FOR LINKS AND FULL STORY...

ABC, CBS, Fox Censor Medical Marijuana Ads-but Pharmaceutical Ads are AoK

September 17, 2009 – New York City is the marijuana arrest capital of the world, which makes it harsh terrain for seriously ill patients who rely on medical marijuana for relief. An effort is under way to legalize medical marijuana in New York and remove sick people from the drug war battlefield.

Unfortunately, three of the biggest TV stations in New York City don’t want you to know about it. ABC, FOX, and CBS affiliates all refused to run ads in support of protecting medical marijuana patients. This is the message they don’t want you to hear:





Kevin Smith, M.D., of Saugerties, who appears in the second spot and who suffers severe pain from a genetic disorder known as ankylosing spondilitis, was angered by the stations’ rejection of the ads. “As a patient whose well-being would be dramatically improved by the medical marijuana bill, I am appalled that these TV stations won’t even let us tell our stories to their viewers,” Smith said. “These stations are out of touch with the public, 76 percent of whom support protecting patients.”

These are seriously ill patients fighting for compassion and equality. To silence them is an act of appalling cruelty and ignorance. Whatever petty political considerations might motivate these TV stations to censor the medical marijuana debate are trivial compared to the real human suffering that will continue if patients are denied the opportunity to speak up.

Medical marijuana is supported by 76% of New Yorkers, so to suggest that there’s anything inherently offensive about airing that viewpoint is just pure fiction. According to MPP’s Bruce Mirken, CBS stated that they rejected the ad because they’re “concerned about viewer reaction.” Really, CBS? Is there anything objectionable about the idea of not arresting people with auto-immune disease? The most likely “viewer reaction” is that people will agree to support legislation that protects patients from arrest.

Please help us show these TV stations that their censorship is what’s offensive, not the effort to protect seriously ill patients. Click to contact ABC, FOX, and CBS and let them know that silencing patients is both politically and morally wrong.

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Cannabis Featured in Fortune Magazine

Dr. Phil Leveque Salem-News.com (MOLALLA, Ore.)

Fortune Magazine, certainly one of the most prominent high class magazines, published the article How marijuana became legal on September 15, 2009.

The story is a far cry from muggles[1] and potheads to this magazine article written by Roger Parloff, an admitted pot smoker of some thirty years ago (and today also).

He did his work well but I give him a B minus (I’m a retired Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology with 50 years of Cannabis research and some 4000 medical marijuana patients).

His article should be devastating to the Federal lying bureaucrats but they are hardshell liars and will shrug off the facts.

Author Parloff made some significant omissions in his article but interviewing Irv Rosenfeld, Dr. Grinspoon, Allen St. Pierre of NORML, and Stephen DeAngelo (of the $20million a year Marijuana dispensary in Oakland) was truly a Tour de Force.

His biggest mistake was not referring to Dr. Tod Mikuriya’s [2] book Marijuana Medical Papers 1839 – 1972.

He relates ALL of Eli Lilly’s Cannabis medicine history, referring to Jack Herer’s encyclopedic Cannabis book The Emperor Wears No Clothes, and a short schrift of O’Shaugnessy, the current best Pharmacology and Therapeutic reference magazine, establishing Cannabis/Marijuana as an excellent medicine.

Parloff also overlooked Granny Storm Crow's outstanding reference of ALL of the medical conditions for which Cannabis/Marijuana is useful or even lifesaving.

He still puts Marinol, a very poor substitute for the real thing, as a Schedule II drug. Surprise, it is Schedule III – a glaring error.

He also minimizes the use of vaporizers while giving free advertising to the most expensive one. Good vaporizers can be bought for less than $200.

One thing in Parloff's favor; he does quote DEA Administrative Judge Francis Young's statement, “Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man” - while castigating John C. Lawn, Administrator of the DEA, who reversed Judge Young's decision.

I guess Mr. Lawn was a patron of the cheap liquor stores in Washington D.C.

Don’t get me wrong, this Fortune article about Legal Cannabis/Marijuana is good-- but it is not as good as it could be.

Click on title for link....

NORML's 38th Annual National Conference

The 2009 NORML Conference will be held Thursday, September 24 through Saturday, September 26 at the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco, CA. Join NORML's staff and Board of Directors – and over 500 policy activists, medical patients, cultivators, doctors, politicians, and clinical investigators – as we congregate and celebrate in one of America's most 'cannabis friendly' cities.

Medical marijuana program may need revision if shortage goes on

ALBUQUERQUE – The New Mexico medical marijuana program, whose sole provider recently sold out of the drug, may need to be revised if patients can’t be guaranteed access to their medicine, critics say.

The state allows patients to grow their own supply of medical marijuana, but it prohibits caregivers from doing it for patients who may be too sick to do so. And that’s a flaw in New Mexico’s law, said Tamar Todd, staff attorney with the Washington D.C.-based Drug Policy Alliance.

Of the 504 approved medical marijuana patients in New Mexico, 109 have a license to produce their own plants, but the other 395 patients are reliant on one state-licensed nonprofit to provide their medicine, and that nonprofit—the Santa Fe Institute for Natural Medicine–is limited to growing 95 plants.

Moreover, as NMI reported last week, the nonprofit ran out of its product within weeks after finally announcing it had some ready for sale in August.

“It seems as of right now, there are a significant number of patients who aren’t growing their own and can’t obtain it from any legal source. The intent of the law isn’t for them to have to rely on the black market,” Todd said.

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Open Letter to San Diego DA

To read the entire letter, click on the title.....

This letter was sent to the San Diego DA, after the comments and raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. It addresses the many mistakes and misquotes made by Bonnie M. Dumanis and her office.

The tax heard round the world

Since the passage of Oakland's Measure F, which taxes medical marijuana the same as alcohol, the media has been in a feeding frenzy. Articles gushing over the revenue potential of marijuana have appeared in Time, The Atlantic, The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Economist, and Forbes.

Notably absent from this blitz is any criticism of the taxation of medicine. And there is some, by some of the most notable voices in the medical marijuana movement, such as Ed Rosenthal and Dennis Peron.

Click on the title to read the quotes from these people.

Notes from the writer of this blog:

In looking at what we determine to be medicine, I think there are two categories here. One is the medical industry, including pharmaceuticals, which it not taxable under current laws; and the other is alternative medicine, which includes, herbs, vitamins, homeopathy and other over the counter medicine, which is taxable. For those who choose the more natural and alternative direction, we are taxed on this "medicine". So if medical marijuana is categorized as alternative, then it is liable to taxes the same as herbs and vitamins. If this is the case, then marijuana should be changed from the Schedule 1 drug that is it currently listed under. If it is categorized as a "pharmaceutical medicine", then under the current laws, it should not be taxed.

In addition to the comments regarding taxes, the author of this article has yet again mentioned Bruce Perlowin and his company Medical Marijuana, Inc. The author seems to have taken the tax remittance aspect of the payment system out of context, inferring that MMI is making money off of the taxes, which it can not do. The tax remittance feature only allows dispensaries to be more transparent and in compliance with the CURRENT LAWS. There are many more features and benefits of the card, for example, eliminating the cash transactions which put both the dispensary and client at risk for theft. Other important information may be stored on the card, as well.

To set the record straight, Medical Marijuana, Inc. does not promote that medical marijuana should be taxed, but is a solutions oriented company that offers a simple way for dispensaries to monitor their sales and easily comply with the tax remittance laws.

Cannabis: Is medical marijuana a worthwhile stock market investment?

In recent article published on Cannazine, the differences between the British and the US mindset towards the legalization of Medical Marijuana were observed. The article also looks at several companies that have gone public. One of the companies mentioned, is run by Bruce Perlowin, the King of Pot.

Perlowin's new company Medical Marijuana, Inc., is the first company to go public in this industry (OTC: MJNA). The company offers medical dispensaries and collectives an electronic payment card, which the clients use to buy their cannabis from the dispensary.

This creates a system which the IRS (or even the FBI) can plug into at any time to keep a check on exactly how much trade a dispensary is carrying out, showing the authorities that the dispensary owner wishes to do everything in his power to comply with state laws regarding medical marijuana.

After a slow start it was announced recently that Medical Marijauan Inc. has signed up 5 more dispensaries for a total of 28 to date, in the US and Canada. Like any new idea it takes a little time to catch the imagination. But Medical Marijuana Inc. is well on their way and it would be a foolish person who was to bet against Bruce Perlowin creating another $100 million dollar marijuana business.

Share Price
Following a 1 for 10 forward split of its stock, Medical Marijuana's share price dropped from over $1.00 down to $0.25 cents.

What that means is the company wanted to generate some new stock, and to do so it takes one share worth $1.00 dollar, and turns it into 10 shares worth $0.10 cents each. Generating a whole bunch of new stock, albeit at a lower price. But the value remains in the company all the same.

Over the last 4 months the stock price has fluctuated from a high of almost $0.70 to a low of around $0.28. As we go to press today the price stands at around $0.38 cents, but knowing Bruce Perlowin and his track record this is not a reason to think this stock won't succeed even if it does rollercoaster every now and then.

Summary
Cannabis? Get on it, regardless of what the British government tells us about how dangerous it is. The truth is 25 million American citizens who have legal access to medical marijuana know otherwise, and it can only be a matter of time before the UK comes up with its own version of a national medical cannabis operation. Maybe not this year or next, but its sure to happen, just as sure as politicians will help themselves to public money.

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Dennis Peron sacked by Oaksterdamn U for opposing marijuana tax

Dennis Peron announced on Tuesday 15 Sep 09 that he returned from Burning Man to discover he had been fired from Oaksterdamn U because of his opposition to taxing and regulating medical marijuana.

Oaksterdamn U has announced it intends to spend a million dollars to promote an initiative that would tax, regulate and control marijuana by city and county, as well as at the state level.

Peron has been hailed as the father of the medical marijuana movement and was the guiding force and co-author of California's Proposition 215.

He became a marijuana dealer after returning from Viet Nam to San Francisco in 1969 and through the 70s he ran the Big Top marijuana supermarket from his home.

Groups Running Medical Marijuana Ads

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and New Yorkers for Compassionate Care are running ads in New York to push a medical marijuana bill sponsored by Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan, and Senate Health Committee Chairman Thomas Duane, D-Manhattan.

The group said the ad is running on WNBC in New York City and on cable outlets around the state, including the New York City, Buffalo, Rochester and the Hudson Valley.

The group said other major networks refused to run the ads. One ad features Conservative Party member Joel Peacock of Buffalo, who suffers from chronic pain after a serious accident. The other includes Saugerties doctor Kevin Smith, who suffers severe pain from a genetic disorder known as ankylosing spondilitis.

You can see the ads here

DECRIMINALIZING MARIJUANA WOULD HELP US

By Johnny Harpter (Fourth-year marketing student)

South Carolina
-------
Prisoners charged with possession should face alternate punishment that doesn't charge taxpayers

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 12.4 percent of federal inmates are serving for marijuana related charges. For the conservatives who are so ardent about supporting Joe-taxpayer but at the same time want to crack down on marijuana users, it seems a bit hypocritical. Luckily, not a lot of voters go that far in the thinking process when casting their ballot.

They've been programmed to think taxes, marijuana, gay marriage and France are all evil. It isn't just conservatives who should take a closer look at the issue, however. According to the latest Gallup poll concerning how many Americans support marijuana legalization in 2005, 60 percent of Americans were in favor of continued illegalization. 77 percent of conservatives and 60 percent of moderates are against legalization while 36 percent of moderates and 54 percent of liberals in favor of legalization. Keep in mind, though, this is not decriminalization, but legalization.

Marijuana has been branded with a stigma we have yet to shake. Compared with the legal drugs available over the counter, it would boggle an outsiders mind as to why alcohol is readily available while marijuana can come with jail time, yet the U.S. is spending $42 billion a year to crack down on this plant. Think of all the good you could do with that much money as far as funding education, cancer research or lowering taxes.

I think the biggest mistake people on this side of the argument make is pushing for marijuana to be legal, which scares the other side off before even hearing their points.

There needs to be a collected, sincere political movement first for a decriminalization of the drugs, something with actual plans for dealing with the offenders in a way that doesn't cost Americans more money.

Instead of prison service, I would have no problem seeing marijuana users punished in a way that suits the crime. Why not have them plant trees? These adopt-a-highway programs are nice for local groups wanting to get some free publicity and feel good about themselves, but how about making marijuana users clean up the litter on the side of the roads. The roads would be cleaner, because people like their weed, and they could clean it more often. If taxpayers are going to pay for these "criminals" anyway, they might as well see something good come out of it. Community service seems like a logical way to deal with marijuana users.

These are just a few points about how to deal with the war on marijuana. If you are serious about getting some change or want to know more, then you should really educate yourself on the issues.

All it takes is a couple Google searches and you'll pick up official government statistics and tax-spending and organizational Web sites for marijuana reform like NORML. Remember, you don't have to be a marijuana user to see the damage it does to your wallet.

Click title for story link....

Netherlands: Dutch Lawmakers May Limit Coffee-Shop Access

The Hague, Netherlands: Dutch Ministers are contemplating legislation to impose restrictions on who may legally visit and purchase cannabis at licensed 'coffee-shops,' according to a memorandum leaked to several international media sources on Wednesday.

According to the memo, Dutch lawmakers may introduce legislation that would limit access to the shops to 'members-only' Dutch citizens. Such 'members-only' restrictions are scheduled to begin on a trial basis this fall in the border city of Maastricht.

A legislative committee recommended in July that Dutch 'coffee-shops' begin catering to 'locals only.'

Under Dutch law, licensed business establishments may sell up to 5 grams of cannabis to patrons age 18 years or older. Proposed amendments to the law may limit future sales to 3 grams.

Click title to see full story....

DON'T BOGART THAT RESEARCH

When the federal Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a request for proposals, seeking competitive applications for the production, analysis and distribution of "marijuana cigarettes," the request might have seemed a bit unusual to those unfamiliar with Washington's dance around cannabis research. The federal government, after all, is not widely known to support marijuana cultivation.

But those in the know just shrugged. The department has issued similar requests every few years to select a contractor to conduct government-approved marijuana research, and with depressing regularity it has then awarded an exclusive contract to the University of Mississippi. For 40 years now, Washington has sought such "competitive applications" and Mississippi "wins" every time.

Even if the university were running a perfect program, one institution cannot fulfill the country's research needs. In February 2007, when Administrative Law Judge Mary Ellen Bittner recommended that the Drug Enforcement Administration grant a license to cultivate marijuana for research purposes to a botanist at the University of Massachusetts, she said she had concluded that the supply of marijuana from the University of Mississippi program was of insufficient quality and quantity for research purposes.

The deadline for this latest round of applications is Oct. 9. The government should take the opportunity to break the University of Mississippi's monopoly and choose a different institution. That step alone would be a sign that the Obama administration will prioritize science over politics. Merely shifting the contract from one institution to another, however, won't change the status quo. That will only happen when the federal government changes policy and awards multiple contracts for this important research.

For full Story click on title....

California Insurance Agents Cater to Medical Marijuana Clinics

Ever since President Barak Obama came into office and his attorney general said the administration would not pursue medical marijuana dispensaries, the number of such businesses has exploded.

Now, a few insurance agents are catering to them.

Medical marijuana "is a huge, huge business," says Rich Pitto, a broker at Hayes Insurance Agency, El Sobrante, Calif. "There's a lot of Johnnies-come-lately. It's actually getting somewhat ridiculous."

Pitto, who has been writing policies for medical marijuana dispensaries for 14 years and whose agency advertises to marijuana businesses, says that at least three dispensaries in California have revenues of over $20 million a year and hundreds of employees.

Estimates are that California now has at least 1,000 medical marijuana dispensaries, many of which have opened up in recent months. In fact, a number of cities, worried about these businesses popping up with the fecundity of Starbucks outlets, have imposed a moratorium on new ones until they can investigate what limitations might need to be imposed and what requirements they might have. Those cities include Sacramento and Oakland.

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NY Times Reports Cannabis Quietly Spreading in TV

LOS ANGELES — Tips for cultivating marijuana. Testimonials by patients about its medical benefits. Cannabis cooking lessons. Even citations for award-winning strains of pot. Viewers here can now watch, every week, what amounts to a pro-weed news program.

Booted off one skittish TV station but quickly picked up by another, the low-budget “Cannabis Planet” show is televised evidence of how entrenched marijuana has become in California’s cultural firmament and a potent example of the way the pot subculture has been edging into the national mainstream.

“We’re trying to show the legitimacy of this plant,” said Brad Lane, the executive producer of the half-hour program.

Mr. Lane pays for the twice-weekly air time on the independent station KJLA — Thursday and Saturday nights at 11:30, sandwiched between “Bikini Beach” and “Jewelry Central” — and says he is now breaking even, almost two months after the show’s premiere. “Cannabis Planet” focuses on medical, agricultural and industrial uses of the hemp plant, purposely ignoring marijuana’s recreational aspects. Viewers, for instance, see very little actual smoking, even though the hosts and producers are known to inhale between takes. “We’re walking on eggshells here, to be honest,” Mr. Lane said.

Still, “Cannabis Planet” remains on the air — with not a single complaint from viewers, according to the station. “It’s really blown up,” said Jay Peterson, a production executive at Original Productions, which is working with Blue Dream Media to create a reality show set at a pot collective, or distribution center, in Hollywood. The show, “Top Bud,” is envisioned as a cross between “LA Ink,” the TLC show produced by Original about a lively tattoo parlor, and “Weeds,” the Showtime hit drama about a dope-dealing mother of two.

“While the drug is illegal in most states, the idea is to show that there’s a world somewhere where it’s legal, and where people are doing this,” Mr. Peterson said.

The producers are now trying to sell “Top Bud” to networks. Mr. Peterson acknowledged there was some hesitancy at first but said his company already had “solid interest.”

Click on title for full story.....

The Results Are In -- Medical Marijuana Works

"There's no proof that medical marijuana works. It needs more study. There's only anecdotal evidence. It doesn't treat specific conditions. People just want to get high." Every cannabis advocate and medical marijuana patient has run into these arguments, threadbare as they are in 2009. Even from professionals who should know better -- such as many medical doctors -- the same tired arguments come up again and again.

As baffling as it may be, just listening to the patients (what a concept!) isn't considered "proof" by the medical establishment, which considers such evidence interesting, but "merely" anecdotal.

But after a new groundbreaking round-up clinical evidence for the efficacy of medical pot, however, such misconceptions are going to be a lot easier to shoot down.

In the landmark article, published in the Journal of Opioid Management, University of Washington researcher Sunil Aggarwal and colleagues document no fewer than 33 controlled clinical trials -- published over a 38-year period from 1971 to 2009 -- confirming that marijuana is a safe, effective medicine for specific medical conditions.

"The most common misconception among doctors and the general public regarding medical marijuana is that its effectiveness claims are substantiated only by compelling anecdotes from patients," Aggarwal told SF Weekly. "What is not acknowledged is that 33 separate controlled clinical trials with patients - at least a third of which are of gold standard design - have been conducted and published in the United States by investigators at major research centers using the same federal cannabis supply and mode of delivery.

"In fact," Aggarwal and colleagues write, "nearly all of the 33 published controlled clinical trials conducted in the United States have shown significant and measurable benefits in subjects receiving the treatment."

Additionally, the article documents the growing acceptance of the therapeutic use of marijuana among organized medicine groups. More than 7,000 American physicians (in the 13 states where medical marijuana is legal) have signed medical marijuana authorizations for a total of 400,000 patients, according to Aggarwal and colleagues.


Notably absent from medical marijuana patients in the published trials -- and in glaring contrast to opiate drugs -- are withdrawal symptoms and other signs of drug dependence. Adverse effects were relatively rare, and "the vast majority of reported adverse effects were not serious... It is clear that as an analgesic, cannabis is extremely safe with minimal toxicity."


Unfortunately, ignorance regarding marijuana still remains widespread, even in the medical community, according to the article. "There remains a near complete absence of education about cannabinoid medicine in any level of medical training," Aggarwal writes.

"This is arguably the most thorough review of the literature on medical marijuana since the Institute of Medicine report over a decade ago, with a trove of data that wasn't available to the IOM," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, which works for legalization. "It is simply incomprehensible that a medicine that is so clearly safe and effective remains banned from medical use by federal law and the laws of 37 states."

Under current federal law, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, defining it as having high potential for abuse, unsafe for use even under medical supervision, and lacking currently accepted uses in the U.S.

Click on title for link to story.......

WAMMfest Asks for Smoking Exception, Again

Santa Cruz — Santa Cruz leaders should decide Sept. 22 whether to lift the city’s smoking ban in San Lorenzo Park for the third year in a row and allow medical marijuana patients to smoke in designated tents during the annual WAMMfest celebration.

The decision comes two weeks after the City Council passed sweeping no-smoking bans for the entire city, including Pacific Avenue, Beach Street, Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and all city parks. Some parks, including San Lorenzo, already were off-limits to smoking.
WAMM’s request includes permission to errect a special tent to accommodate members of its nonprofit collective — many of whom are terminally ill — if they need to light up during the event. Another tent would be available to medical marijuana patients with proper patient identification.

“We just hope to have a great time in the park,” said Valerie Corral, co-founder of Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, which sponsors the annual WAMMfest. “Create a day where there’s low stress and fun for people.”

However, Corral acknowledged the group is rebounding from last year’s event, where city leaders nearly denied WAMM’s request for an exception to the smoking ban as the festival has a reputation for attracting out-of-town visitors who spoke pot recreationally on the park’s expansive lawn. In addition, after the event a child-care provider for WAMMfest was identified as a registered sex offender. Corral said WAMM has vowed those problems won’t happen again.

Meanwhile, some city leaders are noncommittal on whether they would grant a third exception. Last year the council first split the vote on whether to grant a similar request, as one member was out sick and others said they supported the cause, but not the venue. After much discussion WAMM’s request was granted the following week.

This year, “we’re going to have to make sure they reduce their impact of secondhand smoke as much as everyone else,” Councilman Ryan Coonerty said. “The law was meant to cover all secondhand smoke, and secondhand smoke at WAMMfest is part of it.”

WAMMfest also pits two of Santa Cruz’s competing values against each other, as Council members two weeks ago unanimously approved expanding no-smoking rules to overwhelming public approval. But seven years ago Santa Cruz allowed WAMM to hand out medical marijuana on City Hall steps after federal drug enforcement agents raided their North Coast farm, and voters in 2006 directed police to make marijuana enforcement their lowest priority.

Police at last year’s event said they had no problems, and WAMM provided its own security. Corral said the group will do the same this year. Police spokesman Zach Friend said on Monday that his department does not plan to increase patrols for WAMMfest.

Click on title for story link.

Medical Marijuana Raids, But No Answers Yet

The District Attorney's Office is expected to announce the results of the undercover operation at 10 a.m.

More than a dozen medical marijuana dispensaries were raided in a chaotic scene Wednesday. Authorities scheduled a 10 a.m. press conference today to announce the results of an undercover operation -- but would give no further details on the raids until then.

“Help me, help me, I am being arrested,” one man said as he was handcuffed in his wheelchair at Hillcrest Compassion Care. One-by-one employees of the medical marijuana dispensary were arrested. “Help me up, I need help. My leg is busted, I need help,” another man said as he was arrested. At least four people were taken into custody, according to volunteers.

“The police came in and raided us and told us to get our hands up, pushed us against the wall, started handcuffing people. All they said was that they had a search warrant, but they didn't tell us what is was for,” Sara Sanders said.

There were more arrests at another raid in Pacific Beach at 929A on Turquoise Street and boxes of evidence were confiscated.

At the same time, law enforcement stormed Nature's in Linda Vista. Witnesses said that officers had guns drawn and bashed the door in.

"They put me against the wall, and did a search. I ended up cuffed before they even checked my bag and I am a med patient with a legal card. So, I felt like I was harassed by being cuffed," medical marijuana patient Stacey Gant said.

Volunteers say the raids are unnecessary and that they are abiding by the law. “We have a lot of patients that are ailing and they need medicine and that’s what we are here for, doing this, doing the right thing by what the voters of San Diego, California decided on,” marijuana dispensary volunteer Booker Sanders Jr. said.

More local raids on California medical marijuana providers

NEW FLASH FROM MPP
Several San Diego-area medical marijuana collectives were raided today in a county-wide sweep apparently coordinated by the district attorney’s office. It’s unclear at this time whether or not any arrests have been made or exactly what — if any — state law violations are being alleged in these cases.

Given San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis’ dismal record of circumventing California’s medical marijuana laws and prosecuting patients, this recent action is unfortunately not very surprising. MPP is continuing to keep a close watch on the situation in San Diego; we’ll provide an update if more relevant information becomes available.

LA Times Editorial on Federal Marijuana Research

Kudos to the Los Angeles Times for publishing an editorial on medical marijuana that gets at the heart of the federal obstruction of meaningful research into one of the most promising therapeutic substances.

Despite a press release recently issued by Americans for Safe Access on the federal solicitation of proposals for the production and distribution of medical marijuana, and a report published in April highlighting the government’s monopoly on marijuana research, mainstream media coverage has been scant.

For more than 40 years, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has awarded an exclusive contract to the University of Mississippi to produce and distribute marijuana for research purposes. And, although several studies in the United States have amply illustrated the medical efficacy of marijuana, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has funded most studies, favoring a focus on the supposed negative effects of marijuana. Because of a general resistance by the federal government to better understanding the medical benefits of marijuana, numerous countries have surpassed the United States on this issue.

Pointing out the government’s charade of competitive applications for the production and distribution of research grade marijuana, the Times recognized that the “rigged contest has successfully thwarted meaningful academic inquiry into marijuana’s medicinal value.”

Perhaps more importantly, the Times discerned that, “Even if the university were running a perfect program, one institution cannot fulfill the country’s research needs.” And, the Times is not alone in reaching that conclusion. The DEA’s own Administrative Law Judge ruled in 2007 that the marijuana produced by the University of Mississippi was of insufficient quality and quantity for research purposes.

By issuing a public request for applications, the government can feign a position of fairness and impartiality with respect to medical marijuana research. But, the Times rightly concluded that:

Merely shifting the contract from one institution to another, however, won’t change the status quo. That will only happen when the federal government changes policy and awards multiple contracts for this important research.

Let’s hope that editorials such as this one place the requisite pressure on the DEA and the federal government to break the monopoly on the supply of research marijuana and bring to bear the importance of better understanding all of the therapeutic benefits of marijuana.

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Reefer-A-Friend is Master Agent for Medical Marijuana Inc.'s Tax Remittance Card In SF

Medical Marijuana Inc.'s master agent Reefer-A-Friend is offering the new patented tax management system to all medical marijuana dispensaries, collectives, co-ops, and delivery services. They claim that now you don’t have to worry about raids or local officials anymore.

Currently in in the BETA phase, the master agent has 6 more FREE set-ups to provide for interested parties. The system manages the accountants and directs the appropriate fees to the designated agency accounts, making compliance a breeze. The dispensary can have an image of their store or business logo on the front of the card, to promote customer loyalty.

(Click on title for link to site)

For more details please e-mail: reeferafriend@yahoo.com, or visit the website at: www.reefer-a-friend.com, or call Brett at (650)290-0789.

HURRY WHILE SUPPLY LASTS

Medical marijuana good for kids with ADD & ADHD - video

Dr. Claudia Jensen of the University of Southern California recommends medical marijuana for children with ADD and ADHD. It is a life debilitating condition for a lot of children who have an inability to focus and a short attention span. The most commonly perscribed drug is Ritalin, which has many known side effects including death. What is the best way to administer cannabinoids to children? In a cookie or on a piece of toast with cannabis peanut butter.

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Cannabis Health Fair Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

The Cannabis Health Fair is a full-day patient outreach event designed to answer all your questions about cannabis as medicine and how to become a legal patient in Colorado. Cannabis has been used safely for over 10,000 years as medicine by humans. It is only in the last 70 years that citizens have not been able to enjoy the benefits of cannabis and the many conditions it treats. The Cannabis Health Fair is designed to educate people on the best ways to legally take advantage of this wonderful plant for the treatment of many symptoms and diseases.

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2009
Time: 10:30 am to 4:00 PM
Location: University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

CLICK ON TITLE FOR FULL STORY AND LIST OF SPEAKERS

Medical marijuana ban extended

CHULA VISTA — The moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries that was set to expire on September 9, 2009, has been extended for 10 months while city officials monitor a related appellate court case, study information they have gathered and decide how or whether to regulate pot collectives.

City officials said they need more time to figure out how to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries because there are no ordinances that govern them now.
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This story is a classic case of the "out-of-the-box" issue of Medical Marijuana. Has the allowance of dispensaries created a situation of putting the "cart before the horse"? What I find funny is the response by the City Counselman, Rudy Ramirez. I wonder if he intended this pun when he stated, “I don’t feel a burning need to move forward on this quickly. I feel it would be better to let other jurisdictions move quickly on this.”

Is this what they are all waiting for? No one wants to be the first to step out of the box and suggest a place to begin. If they just do something, then they will know what works and doesn't work.

Interview Bruce Perlowin of Medical Marijuana, Inc.

Click HERE to watch the interview with Bruce Perolowin of Medical Marijuana, Inc.

Medical Marijuana Inc. May Assist Collectives to Keep Within the Guidelines

Medical Marijuana, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: MJNA) offers tracking and management solutions that keep collectives within the boundaries of CA Proposition 215 and SB 420 in regard to supply side and distribution.
According to The Metropolitan News-Enterprise, on August 18, 2009, California's Fourth District Court of Appeals reinstated felony charges against Stacy Hochanadel, John Campbell and John Bednar, the operators of CannaHelp, a medical marijuana dispensary located in Riverside County, CA.

The decision that a Superior Court judge erred in ruling that CannaHelp was a "primary caregiver" under Proposition 215 gave prosecutors a new opportunity to convict the defendants.

Judge Gilbert Nares explained that it is not sufficient for a person or entity to be designated a primary caregiver by an authorized medical marijuana user. There must be an independent relationship between the parties aside from and preceding the supplying of medical marijuana. "There is no evidence that CannaHelp or the defendants had such a relationship with the customers who purchased marijuana from them," Nares wrote. "A storefront dispensary that merely provides walk-in customers with medical marijuana does not provide the type of 'consistent' relationship necessary to achieve primary caregiver status."

A collective, Nares explained, cannot operate for profit and cannot sell marijuana obtained from other than its own membership. And, he continued, the fact that CannaHelp operated on a cash-only basis gave detectives the probable cause to believe that CannaHelp was a criminal enterprise.

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51% Rate Alcohol More Dangerous Than Marijuana

Do American alcoholics have more freedom and better representation in this democracy than the elderly and chronically ill who suffer severely and need medical marijuana?

51% Rate Alcohol More Dangerous Than Marijuana

19% disagree and say pot is worse.

But 25% say both are equally dangerous. Just two percent (2%) say neither is dangerous.

Those are the findings of the most recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. click here to read the report

Try this search on Google News "alcohol legislation." Up comes everything from retail sales to taxation to Breathalyzer testing to online sales regulation to drunk driving. But it appears that nobody is trying to introduce alcohol prohibition. If they were it would be hard to hide it from Google!

MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE: Legal process requires paperwork, overcoming physician resistance

Medical Marijuana subject hits Las Vegas

The debate over the legalization of marijuana in Nevada overlooks one significant detail: It's already legal.

An estimated 1,530 Nevadans have obtained permission to lawfully possess and use pot since NRS-453A was signed into law in 2001, according to the Nevada State Health Division. (Nevada is one of 13 states with a medical marijuana program.)

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Marijuana Moving into the Mainstream

(Marijuana has had a prominent place in LA discussion lately because of the City’s issues with Medical Marijuana Dispensaries. The MMD has spawned discussion of legalizing and taxing marijuana. This LA Times report suggests that pot my be a much more accepted part of American life than some of us may be aware.)

In June, an estimated 25,000 people attended the inaugural THC Expo hemp and art show in downtown Los Angeles, an event that pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy -- including a $22,400 payment directly to the city of Los Angeles for use of its convention center. Barneys New York in Beverly Hills is celebrating the Woodstock spirit by selling $78 "Hashish" candles in Jonathan Adler pots with bas-relief marijuana leaves; Hickey offers $75 linen pocket squares or $120custom polo shirts bearing the five-part leaf; and French designer Lucien Pellat-Finet is serving up white-gold and diamond custom pot-leaf-emblazoned wristwatches for $49,000 and belt buckles for $56,000.

After decades of bubbling up around the edges of so-called civilized society, marijuana seems to be marching mainstream at a fairly rapid pace. At least in urban areas such as Los Angeles, cannabis culture is coming out of the closet.

The One Essential Article on Medical Marijuana

We’ve all heard the claims before – from federal officials, police groups opposing state medical marijuana bills, etc. – that there is no evidence that marijuana is a legitimate medicine. Readers of this blog know that’s nonsense, but there’s been a need for an article in the peer-reviewed scientific literature that lays out the scientific case in a clear, tightly-focused way.

Recently, a group of scientists published a review article in the Journal of Opioid Management that does just that. The article, “Medicinal Use of Cannabis in the United States: Historical Perspectives, Current Trends, and Future Directions,” is one every medical marijuana activist should keep handy.
The authors, led by Sunil Aggarwal of the University of Washington, walk readers through the massive body of medical evidence for marijuana’s safety and efficacy, including “the 33 completed and published American controlled clinical trials with cannabis.” They note that “nearly all of the 33 published controlled clinical trials with cannabis conducted in the United States have shown significant and measurable benefits in subjects receiving the treatment.”

They also point out that the federal government has conducted only one long-term study of medical marijuana, the IND program that still provides marijuana to four patients. But it’s a study in name only, as “no clinical response data in the patient cohort have ever been systematically collected or disseminated.”

Translation: If officials don’t know that marijuana is a safe, effective medicine, it’s because they don’t want to know.

Medical Cannabis Management Off to a Fast Start

CARDIFF, Calif., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rapid Fire Marketing (Pink
Sheets: RFMK) d.b.a. Medical Cannabis Management (MCM)
(http://medicalcannabismanagement.com ) announced today that the first few
weeks have been very successful with regards to new dispensary management
leads as well as connecting with significant organizations for collaborative
ventures. Proposition 215, passed in November of 1996 makes medical cannabis
legal in the state of California and is being considered in other states. MCM
is in the business of providing full service marketing, consulting and
management services to this newly emerged industry, which includes medical
doctors and cannabis dispensaries.

Many of the businesses MCM is seeking to manage are run by small business
entrepreneurs. MCM's plan is to integrate tailored management services with
dispensaries as well as helping physicians with marketing and office space to
manage increasing patient loads. Rapid Fire Marketing will announce a name
change in the near future to better reflect the new business model. A new
website has been posted at http://medicalcannabismanagement.com

For full story click title....

Colorado’s Marijuana Economy: An Explosion of Ganjapreneurship

What can only be rightly described as an explosion of ganjapreneurship is currently underway in Colorado, sparked by the Obama Administration’s new policy announcement in February, which directed federal agencies to defer to state law enforcement on the issue of medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana has been technically legal in Colorado since 2000, when residents voted to add Amendment 20 to the state’s constitution. The Bush Administration, however, always maintained a rigid stance that federal anti-drug laws took precedence over state rights. Regular DEA raids on medical marijuana distributors in states that legally permit such commerce effectively intimidated citizens who would have otherwise officially registered as patients or caregivers.

At the beginning of this year, only 2000 people had applied for Colorado’s Medical Marijuana Registry since the system was established on 2001. In the past six months, the registry has grown to nearly 10,000. The registry card is actually optional under Colorado law–a doctor’s note is sufficient–so it’s difficult to determine the precise number of medicinal users. About thirty dispensaries currently operate to provide verified patients with locally-grown kind bud, up from just a handful in previous years. And the number of dispensaries is expected to double to 60 by the end of 2009.

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