Arizona’s First Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens


 
TUSCON, AZ — Over two years after Arizona voters authorized the use of medical marijuana, the first dispensary in the Grand Canyon State has finally opened in Tuscon. Southern Arizona Integrated Therapies opened this weekend to pre-register patients and caregivers, and will begin dispensing medical cannabis  on December 11.
The road to opening the first dispensary in Arizona was a long one, facing strong opposition from the governor, local prosecutors, and police, but the final hurdle was cleared last week when inspectors from the state Department of Health gave the green light to open for business.
“Walking into the dispensary is much like walking into a doctor’s office or a pharmacy, with privacy and security being our highest priority,” said Dr. Steven Shochat, the dispensary’s director.
Medical marijuana products will be laboratory tested for patient safety, and the office employs armed security guards for patient protection.  Patients must have an appointment to enter the dispensary.
 
Full Article:
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2012/13600/arizonas-first-medical-marijuana-dispensary-opens/

Cannabis For Infant’s Brain Tumor, Doctor Calls Child “A Miracle Baby”

Medical marijuana is gaining acceptance, but could it even help kids? Dr. William Courtney has seen it happen, and on Friday, told HuffPost Live host Alyona Minkovski about it. Saying he was “quite a skeptic 5 or 6 years ago”, Dr. Courtney continued that “my youngest patient is 8 months old, and had a very massive centrally located inoperable brain tumor.” The child’s father pushed for non-traditional treatment utilizing cannabis.
“They were putting cannabinoid oil on the baby’s pacifier twice a day, increasing the dose… And within two months there was a dramatic reduction, enough that the pediatric oncologist allowed them to go ahead with not pursuing traditional therapy.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/01/cannabis-for-infants-brai_n_2224898.html

Château Hemp?

Dana Nigro

At Château Maris, Robert Eden decided to build the new winery out of lightweight hemp brick.
 
When he started planning a new winery for Château Maris in southern France’s Languedoc region, Robert Eden looked at natural options such as stone, rammed earth and even straw. What he ended up choosing was something that, at least in certain crowds, elicits quips about marijuana—hemp. But it’s no joke: The new Maris winery is built almost entirely from large, sturdy “bricks” of organic hemp straw. Those bricks not only reduced carbon emissions from construction, they also continue to capture carbon dioxide from their surroundings.
“This is the first winery in the world like this,” claimed Eden of the 9,000-square-foot building, finished just in time for the 2012 harvest after eight years of work, five of them devoted to planning and research. “We’re in unknown waters here.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/47729

Bridgeport mayor backs medical marijuana farm for city

Brian Lockhart

BRIDGEPORT — Mayor Bill Finch wants zoning commissioners to speed up economic growth and that includes approving a medical marijuana farm.
“We’ve got to move things quicker,” Finch, a Democrat, said in an interview Wednesday following his weekly “brown bag lunch” with constituents.
Finch spoke at length on the challenges faced by the Park City and also criticized the Planning and Zoning Commission.
“We don’t want the zoning board creating road blocks,” Finch said, adding, “Part of it’s my fault. I appoint them.”
Asked afterward to elaborate, Finch said, “I just think in general zoning in every city takes too long. And people get way far afield.”
Full Article:
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Bridgeport-mayor-backs-medical-marijuana-farm-for-4078726.php