It can be hard to get the blessing of a health care provider for cannabis use during pregnancy, but we found two moms-to-be who have. "My health care provider believes that there are circumstances in which the benefits outweigh some risks, and I fall under that category," explained a Texas mom-to-be. "Recently, we acquired a vaporizer known as a volcano. The marijuana is heated to super high temperatures, and the vapor then fills a plastic bag. It has a mouthpiece you can attach to it to inhale it. There is absolutely no smoke. Since I gave in and started smoking again I've had almost no issues with morning sickness, and my appetite has returned. My anxiety level, which is normally extremely high, is about as level as it can be during pregnancy which I believe has had an enormous benefit. With my son I spent so much time scared and crying and in a panic, now the same problems (chronic bleeds, high blood pressure, so on) are either resolving or healing, and I attribute that greatly to not stressing my body out for no need."
A woman looking for work in the cannabis industry fills out a form in front of a marijuana plant at the CannaSearch job fair in downtown Denver March 13, 2014. O.penVAPE, a Denver manufacturer of cannanbis filled cartridges and vaporizers sponsored the event which attracted thousands of job applicants. - Reuters
An Israeli woman is buying cannabis at the Tikun Olam company store on March 03, 2011 in Tel Aviv, Israel. In conjunction with Israel's Health Ministry, Tikon Olam are currently distributing cannabis for medicinal purposes to over 1800 people in Israel. - AVAX News
The NORML Foundation has made progress in decriminalizing marijuana related offenses in the U.S. Additionally, it is working toward legalizing recreational and medicinal use of weed.
We can stop thinking of Cannabis in the modern sense and instead chose to see it from a very human perspective. In modern terms, yes, Cannabis is nothing more than a filthy plant that makes you hungry and stupid for a few hours. Those effects have apparently earned it a place next to Heroin as a Schedule 1 narcotic. In ancient terms, however, Cannabis is celebrated the world over and has been for many thousands of years. There is no doubt it helped influence, at least in some small way, the development of mankind. It was very revered and celebrated and sacred. Used to meet with Gods face to face.
Just two states, Colorado and Washington, have fully legalized marijuana while an additional 15 states have decriminalized certain amounts of marijuana possession. More broadly, this comes at a time when a bipartisan group of senators is sponsoring a bill to reduce mandatory minimums for many federal drug crimes. Recently, Attorney General Eric Holder called on the United States Sentencing Commission to reduce mandatory sentences for certain low-level drug offenses. On a statewide level, 40 states have taken some action to ease their drug laws since 2009, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
On the federal level, we are winning the hearts and minds of individual congress people. What does that mean about what is going to happen, who knows? You can have every single congress person smoking pot, if the President doesn't want things to change they won't change. Even though he has made comments about how he doesn't think marijuana is any worse than alcohol, he doesn't think we should be sending people to jail and he thinks it's great that Colorado and Washington are having these experiments, he is also denying the fact that he has the power to change it out of Schedule I. - Cannabis Now - Amanda Reiman
Orlando began with what was billed as the largest medical marijuana business event to hit the state of Florida. CannaBiz Day was held at the Caribe Royal Hotel with the goal of blending education, motivation, and consultation to help Florida business owners and individuals prepare for the possibility that medical marijuana becomes a reality after a vote on the November ballot. Speakers included business owners, legal experts, and real estate professionals with real world cannabis business experience. - CBS Tampa
Denver's marijuana job fair, aptly named "Cannasearch," will take place for the first time this Thursday, March 13, 2014. The career fair currently boasts a line-up of 15 employers related to the marijuana industry. These companies range from specializing in vaporizers, medical marijuana, online cannabis education, weed related tours, and more. Clearly, the opportunities are more wide and diverse than one may have expected in the marijuana business. As recreational use of marijuana becomes more common legislation in North America, careers in the marijuana field will not seem far fetched or silly. This is a booming industry, and those looking to hop on now will catch this success. - The Examiner
Yes! Even though we are in this place where it is very male gendered and there is a lot of sexism we are now missing the mark. What cannabis is really about is alternative health, natural medicine. I feel that is a very feminine idea and we should be framing cannabis more as a goddess than as a sex symbol. Now, if we are waiting around for a heterosexual cisgendered male to decide that he is tired of seeing a girl with big boobs and booty shorts holding a bud in a magazine, that day is never gonna come. As women, we need to start changing the conversation. We need to start giving the terminology, we need to start using the vocabulary. It is probable that this image of sex and cannabis won't go away, but it doesn't mean that is the way it needs to go culturally. Culturally, I think we as women can raise the plant above the fray, to where we are. - Cannabis Now - Amanda Reiman
There is a lot of talk about women in the marijuana movement coming to the mainstream media and questions about women's roles within the emerging industry. We caught up with Amanda Reiman, PhD, California Policy Manager for Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) to talk about medical marijuana policy here and abroad as well as how women will shape the legal industry. Reiman leads DPA's marijuana reform work in California and is a decade long resident of Oakland. Reiman joined DPA in 2012 after working with Berkeley Patients Group as director of research and patient services. Not only is Reiman a well respected researcher specifically on medical marijuana dispensaries and using marijuana as a treatment for addiction, she also served as the first chairwoman of the Medical Cannabis Commission for the City of Berkeley. - Cannabis Now
"Weed Country," a new six part series premiering Wednesday, February 20 at 10 PM E/P on Discovery Channel, will go inside the world of growers and dealers looking to engineer some of the most powerful marijuana on earth and doing their best to keep out of jail. Today 18 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized medical marijuana. Washington state and Colorado recently approved marijuana for recreational use and at least 10 more states are expected to consider similar legislation this year. But for the pot farmers in states that have harsh laws, the risks are great. A marijuana farm with over a thousand plants could land someone in jail for up to 40 years. Many of the growers believe it's their duty to supply the plant for much needed medicinal purposes. "Any other flower that had these medical properties would be treated as the greatest discovery to happen in this century," said Nate Morris, who began growing marijuana at just 14 years old and hopes to turn the plant into a medical game changer. - National Geographic
Since the 1970s, studies have called medical marijuana an effective treatment against glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. Researchers say marijuana helps reduce and relieve the intra ocular pressure that causes optic nerve damage, but the proponents say it helps reverse deterioration, too.
The Vancouver 420 event is generally peaceful and police presence is typically muted, with officers not there to crack down on minor offenses, Vancouver Police Department spokesperson, Brian Montague told News1130. Proponents of legalizing cannabis in B.C. are upping their rhetoric as campaigning continues for the May 14 provincial election. Earlier this week, a survey suggested that nearly 75% of B.C. adults would support a research trial to pilot a regulated market for recreational marijuana use. Forty-four per cent of survey participants admitted if a political party announced their support for a regulated marijuana market pilot it would improve their opinion of that party. Twelve per cent said it would negatively impact their view. "Consistently, our polling results are showing the public is demanding a new approach and turning away from strategies like mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana offenses," said Mario Canseco, vice president of Angus Reid Public Opinionto CBC News. - The Huffington Post
A study performed by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University discovered that ingredients found in natural marijuana play a critical role in controlling spontaneous seizures in epilepsy. Dr. Robert J. DeLorenzo, professor of neurology at the VCU School of Medicine, added that "Although marijuana is illegal in the United States, individuals both here and abroad report that marijuana has been therapeutic for them in the treatment of a variety of ailments, including epilepsy."
Even as some vendors begin pitching their services to the cannabis industry, others still shy away, and not even a woman's touch can change that. Genifer Murray said it took her 10 phone calls to find a waste management company willing to take her trash, and some scientific companies refuse to sell her lab equipment. "Shame on them," she said. "It's going to be a billion dollar industry." - Karma Jello
In Canada, the pot smoking movement took on marijuana prohibition with rallies across the country. Police estimated that more than 2,000 people gathered on the lawn on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Hundreds turned out at rallies in Vancouver and Toronto. Pot activist Jodie Emery said there's been a huge spike in interest as the experiment plays out in Colorado and Washington state. "I can tell you from my spot as being a pot activist for 10 years in Vancouver, the last year has been insane, even in Canada, with respect to licensed providers and all these companies trying to be the next big thing," Emery said. - Mail Online
It's long been believed that smoking pot helps MS patients, and a study published as recently as May provided yet another clinical trial as evidence of marijuana's impact on multiple sclerosis patients with muscle spasticity. Even though the drug has been known to cause dizziness and fatigue in some users, most MS patients report marijuana not only helps ease the pain in their arms and legs when they painfully contract, but also helps them just feel good. How many prescription drugs can say their side effects include happiness?
I think it starts from the compassionate side of medical marijuana. We were able to take care of people and allow them an alternative way to medicate outside of pharmaceuticals and what their doctors were recommending for them. - Jaime Lewis, chief operating officer of Good Chemistry. - Karma Jello
Marijuana proves useful for many types of chronic pain conditions, but patients with rheumatoid arthritis report less pain, reduced inflammation and more sleep. However, this is not to say that arthritis patients should exchange their medication with pot, marijuana eases the pain, but it does nothing to ameliorate or curb the disease.
