Laws on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Cannabis Use are Changing

The new law is definitely an improvement over A6357, which doesn’t specify legal sources of medical marijuana in New York. A6357 only says people must first present a registered ID and a written recommendation from their doctor before they can go to medical marijuana dispensaries. Patients in need of the drug can rest easy once the new law is implemented as it would designate authorized places for drug distribution. The proposed law recommends that marijuana be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (DFA) instead of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), suggesting in effect that the drug be treated the same way as alcohol. Should the Act be passed into law, it would also rename the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) into the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Firearms and Explosives.
http://www.cannamedbox.com/blog/industry-news/laws-on-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-and-cannabis-use-are-changing/

For Some, Doses of Legal Medical Marijuana is their Only Hope to Live

At the very least, she hopes that a regular dose of the drug, which can be obtained from legal medical marijuana dispensaries, can minimize the seizures Nicolas experiences every day. Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) seems to think so as well; previous studies regarding the use of marijuana to suppress seizures reveal that the drug is effective on at least 84 percent of children with epilepsy. What Nancy hopes to obtain is a variant of the drug known as ‘Charlotte’s Web’, which is high on CBD, but low on THC. More research is needed to fully understand the effects of all variants of medical marijuana, as the drug can be cultivated to have certain levels of CBD, THC, and over 60 other cannabinoids to provide people with different benefits. The effectiveness of a pure THC marijuana plant in treating epilepsy is one of the things CURE intends to learn more about. This cannabinoid is responsible for the “high” that people experience when consuming the drug.
http://www.cannamedbox.com/blog/industry-news/for-some-doses-of-legal-medical-marijuana-is-their-only-hope-to-live/

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries: Using Marijuana for Cancer Treatment

Marijuana contains unique chemical compounds called cannabinoids that have the power to prevent many aggressive forms of cancer from metastasizing or spreading to other parts of the body. In addition, cannabinoids have also been proven to reduce cancer cells and enhance the immune system. The health benefits of marijuana are multiple, and the medical and scientific studies that confirm them are myriad. If you have a medical condition that you believe is treatable with marijuana, you can talk to a doctor who can advise you accordingly and issue a marijuana card that allows you to obtain the drug from licensed medicinal marijuana dispensaries.
http://www.cannamedbox.com/blog/industry-news/medical-marijuana-dispensaries-using-marijuana-for-cancer-treatment/

Legal Medical Marijuana: California Patients Say Pot is Helpful Indeed

California loves marijuana. Well, that’s not exactly true, and may in fact be an overstatement. However, if you ask legal medical marijuana users in The Golden State, you might come to the same conclusion. Doctors may prescribe medical marijuana to treat: muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis (MS); nausea from chemotherapy, poor appetite caused by chronic illness such as AIDS, HIV or nerve pain; seizure disorders; Crohn’s disease; and even depression. Yet in California, as well as other states where medical marijuana is legal, patients can only obtain the drug if the doctor believes it would help their condition, after which a patient will be given a card that permits him to buy marijuana from an authorized medical marijuana dispensary.
http://www.cannamedbox.com/blog/industry-news/legal-medical-marijuana-california-patients-say-pot-is-helpful-indeed/

Opening Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Illinois? Things to Remember

Owners of state-regulated dispensaries can only sell cannabis to registered patients who suffer from one or more of the 33 listed qualifying medical conditions, from cancer to glaucoma. To be registered, patients have to obtain a written certification from their physician recommending the use of medical cannabis and submit it to their state’s Department of Public Health. The current state of affairs in Illinois shows that opening a medical cannabis dispensary business here can be a smart venture. Illinois-based businesspeople would benefit from learning about state rules and regulations, and turning to experienced dispensary consultants like Medicine Dispensing Systems for guidance. Medical cannabis dispensary consulting companies can provide business owners with the necessary information regarding operations, legal compliance, and others.
http://www.cannamedbox.com/blog/industry-news/opening-medical-marijuana-dispensaries-in-illinois-things-to-remember/

Good News for Fired Marijuana Users in Michigan

Can an employee with a medical marijuana card who tests positive for marijuana consumption in a work-related drug test seek unemployment compensation if he/she is fired under his/her employer’s zero tolerance policy? Michigan’s state Court of Appeals says yes.

In an unprecedented decision, the Michigan Court of Appeals recently ruled that workers in the state who are legal medical marijuana patients should receive unemployment compensation if they were laid off from work for being marijuana users.

Legal Medical Marijuana: A Look into the Common Ailments It Treats

MS is a neurological disease that results in patients’ loss of muscle control, balance, and sensation. At times, MS can also lead to eye pain or blurred vision. Cannabis, in the form of cannabinoids, is believed to aid in the management of such symptoms. These are just a few of the ailments where cannabis can help. Enterprising individuals looking into a way to help others while making some profit can consider opening a medical marijuana dispensary. They can approach a full-service dispensary consulting firm like Medicine Dispensing Systems to learn how to go about it and to make sure they comply with state policies and regulations.
http://www.cannamedbox.com/blog/industry-news/legal-medical-marijuana-a-look-into-the-common-ailments-it-treats/

Legal Marijuana in Focus: Colorado

Just because pot is legal in a state doesn't mean dispensaries are, at least right away. Of the 24 pot-legal areas in the country, roughly half have working dispensaries. For the rest of the areas, some are welcome to grow their own marijuana but not to distribute them or allow consumption in public. There is a bill for legalizing pot and another for allowing dispensaries to do business in a state.

Colorado is one of a handful of dispensary-friendly states, but a closer look at its history reveals a milestone. It was in Denver that the first man in U.S. history was convicted of selling pot.

Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Facilitate Responsible Cannabis Use

Several papers pointed to marijuana as a gateway drug, allegedly eliciting the use of dangerous drugs like cocaine (MacCoun's paper being one of them). Although it's not unusual for heavy drug users to have smoked cannabis first, experts say it's not enough to implicate marijuana as the root cause of the perilous chain reaction. A recent peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of School Health also points out that some of the pro-gateway theories do not consider other factors such as where the users got their marijuana. In contrast, legal medical marijuana dispensaries make drug abuse almost impossible as dispensary systems like MedBox are designed to restrict the amount of marijuana distributed per patient.
http://www.cannamedbox.com/blog/industry-news/medical-marijuana-dispensaries-facilitate-responsible-cannabis-use/

Legal Medical Marijuana in Denver May Be Linked to Drop in Crime Rate

If legalizing marijuana can only spur criminal activity, as critics believe, then why is the crime rate in Denver dropping? Colorado's road to legalizing medical marijuana began in June 2001, when voters approved a referendum delisting its use and possession as a crime. Roughly 13 years later, the capital of Denver opened its doors to the legal medical marijuana industry after passing Council Bill CB13-0570. Various amendments were subsequently made to the Denver Medical Marijuana Code. Four months into the ordinance, crime in Denver has remained relatively static. The number of reported crimes has gone up and down for those months, according to state government data. In particular, based on Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) standards, homicide saw the greatest drop in crime rate at 42 percent compared with the first half of 2013.
http://www.cannamedbox.com/blog/industry-news/legal-medical-marijuana-in-denver-may-be-linked-to-drop-in-crime-rate/