Tagged With: medical
California: Governor Signs Emergency Legislation to Discourage Enactment of Local Medical Marijuana Bans
Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday, February 3, signed legislation that seeks to dissuade California cities and counties from enacting municipal restrictions on the cultivation and dispensing of medical marijuana. The measure takes immediate effect. Assembly Bill 21 amends a drafting error in the The Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act by removing an apparent March 1, 2016 deadline … Continue reading
New Mexico: Senate Declines to Move Measure to Prohibit Medical Marijuana Insurance Reimbursements
After extremely compelling testimony from injured workers in earlier committees, the Senate Judiciary Committee never scheduled a hearing for House Bill 195, which sought to prohibit workers compensation insurers from reimbursing employees who qualify for medical cannabis access for injuries sustained on the job. This means that the measure, which had been narrowly approved by members … Continue reading
NORML National Board Endorses Medical Cannabis Act in Arkansas
At our board meeting in Boson held this past Friday, in conjunction with the Boston Freedom Rally, the board voted to endorse the 2016 Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, sponsored by the Arkansans for Compassionate Care. This initiative would establish 38 non-profit medical cannabis centers across the state, and would function like most of the standard … Continue reading
South Dakota: House Votes Down Senate-Backed Medical Marijuana Measure
Members of the House have voted down Senate Bill 171 by a vote of 43 to 25, killing the measure for this session. Members of the Senate had previously approved the measure, but significantly amended it so that it only only sought to permit patients with intractable epilepsy to possess cannabidiol with a ‘prescription.’ The amended measure … Continue reading
Study: Opioid Prevalence Falls Following Medical Cannabis Legalization
The implementation of medical marijuana programs is associated with a decrease in the prevalence of opioids detected among fatally injured drivers, according to data published in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers at Columbia University in New York and the University of California at Davis performed a between-state comparison of opioid positivity rates in … Continue reading
New Jersey: Legislation Seeks to End Workplace Discrimination Against Medical Marijuana Patients
Assembly Bill 2482 seeks to halt employers from taking adverse employment actions against authorized medical marijuana patients who engage in the plant’s use during their off-hours. The legislation states, “Unless an employer establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that the lawful use of medical marijuana has impaired the employee’s ability to perform the employee’s job … Continue reading
Mississippi: Medical Marijuana Legislation Never Acted On
Senate legislation to permit qualified patients to legally possess and cultivate cannabis was never acted on by members of the Public Health and Welfare committee this legislative session. Senate Bill 2358 sought to permit patients with a “debilitating medical condition” to engage in marijuana therapy in accordance with a physician’s recommendation. The measure would have also rescheduled … Continue reading
Illinois: Lawmakers Fail To Act On Measure Seeking To Provide PTSD Patients With Medical Marijuana Access
This legislative session, lawmakers failed to consider legislation, HB 6199, to make post-traumatic stress patients eligible for medical cannabis treatment and to protect patient’s 2nd Amendment rights. The bill sought to amend the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act so that the definition of a ‘debilitating medical condition’ includes post traumatic stress. It … Continue reading
Maine: Governor Signs Measure Permitting Patients to Use Medical Cannabis in Hospitals
Governor Paul LePage has signed legislation, LD 726, into law permitting qualified patients to use medical marijuana while admitted in Maine hospitals. This measure does not require hospital staff to administer medical marijuana to a patient and will only allow for patients to consume cannabis preparations in a smokeless form. The law states, “If the … Continue reading
Federal: Urge Congress To Reauthorize Provisions Protecting Lawful Medical Marijuana Programs
For the past two years, Congress has passed annual spending bills which included a provision protecting those who engage in the state-sanctioned use and dispensing of medical cannabis from undue prosecution by the Department of Justice. However, members of Congress have yet to taken action to reauthorize this provision and therefore the law is set … Continue reading
