Marijuana Reaches New Highs – Reduced restrictions will make it easier for scientists to study pot’s potential

By Alexandra Ossola

 
It’s now easier to buy marijuana in the U.S. for personal consumption than it is for scientists to procure it for research: 23 states and D.C. have legalized it (at least as medicine), and several others may have it on the ballot in 2016. Researchers hope the barriers to studying the plant will likewise crumble so they can finally probe its full therapeutic potential.
 
Full Article:
http://www.popsci.com/big-idea-marijuana-reaches-new-highs

Japan’s First Lady Touts Revival of Hemp Culture

JUN HONGO

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and first lady Akie Abe arrive in Malaysia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit last month.Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
 
There seem to be few dull moments in the life of first lady Akie Abe, who sometimes spends her time hosting a web-based talk show, harvesting honey from a bee farm and even paying occasional visits to the contentious Yasukuni Shrine.
Most recently, Ms. Abe raised eyebrows after telling a Japanese magazine that she has considered becoming a hemp farmer to help revive the traditional culture.
 
Full Article:
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/12/15/japans-first-lady-touts-revival-of-hemp-culture/

The Italian army has unveiled its first cannabis farm, which has been established to drive down the cost of medical marijuana in the country.

Christopher Hooton @christophhooton

 
The Italian army has unveiled its first cannabis farm, which has been established to drive down the cost of medical marijuana in the country.
The government announced the initiative back in September, which will see the army producing 100kg of the drug every year.
It opened the doors to its secure growing room in a military-run pharmaceutical plant in Florence for the first time this week, with its crop flourishing.
“The aim of this operation is to make available to a growing number of patients a medical product which isn’t always readily available on the market, at a much better price for the user,” Colonel Antonio Medica told Corriere della Sera.
 
Full Article:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-italian-army-has-grown-its-first-successful-crop-of-weed-10218851.html
 

N.J. Senate panel approves job protection for medical marijuana patients

By Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

New Jersey employers would be prohibited from firing people because they participate in the state medical marijuana program unless they can show these employees are impaired and unable to do their jobs, according to a bill approved by a state Senate committee Monday.
The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee voted 6-0 with one abstention to release the bill to the full 40-member Senate.
 
Full Article:
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/12/senate_panel_approves_job_protection_for_medical_m.html

Pittsburgh decriminalizes pot possession

By Chris Potter / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh City Council is ending its 2015 legislative session on a high note, having voted Monday morning to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana within city limits.
Council voted 7-2 in favor of a bill, sponsored by Councilman Daniel Lavelle, that allows police to levy a fine of up to $100 against anyone possessing up to 30 grams of marijuana or 8 grams of hashish. In the case of minors, parents or guardians will be notified of the offense and must pay the fine.
 
Full Article:
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2015/12/21/PIttsburgh-City-Council-votes-to-decriminalize-possession-of-small-amounts-of-marijuana/stories/201512210150

Mexican cardinal says church doesn’t oppose medicinal pot, disagrees with president

Fox News Latino

 
Cardinal Norberto Rivera, the Catholic Church’s top authority in Mexico, said he has no problem with the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
The cardinal said Sunday that the church has never had a problem recommending the use of “all elements from nature that can be used to help improve health.”
He recalled that when he was a child the plant was commonly used for health reasons such as relieving pain, said Cardinal Rivera, who also serves as the archbishop of Mexico City.
 
Full Article:
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2015/12/20/mexican-cardinal-says-church-doesnt-oppose-medicinal-pot/

I’m a “Real Housewives” fanatic and I’m so glad to see Yolanda Foster is trying cannabis oil for her lyme disease!

Mary Jane
Yolanda Foster
 
Yolanda Foster has tried just about everything to find a cure for lyme disease. She has traveled the world to find a cure for her struggles, but she hasn’t found something that has put her on the path of healing. Foster has become the face of lyme disease and she’s using The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills to share her health journey. And it sounds like she’s willing to try just about anything.
According to a new report, Yolanda Foster is now revealing that she’s experimenting with cannabis oil to see if this is something that could possibly help her. “Have you tried cannabis oil? #FightsLyme,” one person wrote to Yolanda, who replied with, “Just started last week.” Of course, Foster has tried many things, both traditional medicine and western medicine.
 
 
Full Article:
http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2015/12/20/yolanda-foster-talks-health-improvemen

Moroccan Opposition Party, PAM, Wants Public Agency to Sell Cannabis


 
Rabat – Morocco’s Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) called for the establishment of a public agency for the sale of cannabis. Leaders of the PAM at the House of Councilors introduced a bill to create a “national agency for the culture of cannabis,” according to Yabiladi news website.
The agency should be in charge of selling cannabis in its crop state to industrial and pharmaceutical companies.
 
Full Article:
http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2015/12/175416/moroccan-opposition-party-pam-wants-public-agency-to-sell-cannabis/

The Indian Hemp Industry Wants You to Take it Seriously

Divyani Rattanpal

 
Hemp equals hippie. Does it not? Only bearded dudes talk about all things leafy.
But this inquiry is purely from an environmental perspective. With carbon being pronounced a dirty word after the Paris Summit, the hemp industry in India and elsewhere is asking to be taken seriously as a producer of environmentally sustainable material.
 
Full Article:
http://www.thequint.com/india/2015/12/18/the-indian-hemp-industry-wants-you-to-take-it-seriously

Feds Want Nebraska, Oklahoma To Quit Harshing Colorado’s Mellow

Cristian Farias

MARK WILSON VIA GETTY IMAGES
 
The federal government has asked the Supreme Court to stay out of a controversial lawsuit the states of Nebraska and Oklahoma filed last year challenging the constitutionality of Colorado’s legalization of marijuana.
In court papers filed Wednesday, U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli urged the justices to throw out the case because hearing it “would represent a substantial and unwarranted expansion” of the court’s power to settle disputes between states.
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/supreme-court-marijuana-legalization_567307e5e4b0648fe3029b5d