Study: History of Cannabis Use Associated with Reduced Cancer Risk

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Cannabis use is inversely associated with incidences of bladder cancer in males, according epidemiological findings published in the February issue of the journal Urology.

Investigators at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, Department of Neurology assessed the association of cannabis use and tobacco smoking on the risk of bladder cancer in a multiethnic cohort of more than 80,000 men aged 45 to 69 years old over an 11-year period.

Researchers determined that a history of cannabis use was associated with a decreased risk of…

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Illinois Governor Awards Medical Marijuana Licenses Following Review

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SPRINGFIELD, IL — Medical marijuana will soon be grown in Illinois, after the office of Governor Bruce Rauner (R) began awarding permits for medical marijuana growers and dispensaries on Monday.

The surprise move to award the permits came following concern from medical marijuana patients and activists, who had been fearing that the new governor would stall the program indefinitely after the outgoing Quinn administration failed to meet its own deadline of issuing the permits by the end of 2014.

Last week, Rauner’s office said no licenses would be issued until a legal review of the process that began under former Gov. Pat Quinn (D), who announced on the morning of Rauner’s inauguration that he would leave the issue for the incoming Republican to decide, was completed.

In total, 18…

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American Academy of Pediatrics Says Medical Marijuana Could be Good for Some Kids

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WASHINGTON, DC — The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which has the largest pediatric publishing program in the world, recommends decriminalizing marijuana and says it could be good for some kids in a new policy statement.

“The AAP opposes ‘medical marijuana’ outside the regulatory process of the US Food and Drug Administration,” says the new statement. However, it recognizes certain situations could be benefitted by marijuana.

“Notwithstanding this opposition to use, the AAP recognizes that marijuana may currently be an…

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American Academy of Pediatrics Calls for Rescheduling Cannabis

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CHICAGO, IL — An updated policy statement issued Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls for the rescheduling of the cannabis plant under federal law to better facilitate clinical trial research and to promote the plant’s eventual pharmaceutical development.

The new position statement resolves: “The AAP strongly supports research and development of pharmaceutical cannabinoids and supports a review of policies promoting research on the medical use of these compounds. The AAP recommends changing marijuana from a Drug…

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Defendant Moves for Dismissal in Widely Watched Federal Medical Marijuana Case

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SPOKANE, WA — A motion to dismiss has been filed in a widely watched federal medical marijuana case involving a family from rural northeastern Washington State.

Larry Harvey, 71, of the Kettle Falls Five has moved for dismissal of his case or an order preventing further prosecution. The motion relies on a recently enacted Congressional measure that bans funding for medical marijuana enforcement by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“Prosecuting persons who may be operating in compliance with state medical marijuana laws prevents states from implementing their own laws,” reads the brief written by Harvey’s attorney Robert Fischer. Harvey’s motion argues that state law is undermined by discouraging lawful patients from accessing medical marijuana because of the threat of federal…

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Legalization in Washington: Marijuana Shortage Turns Into Pot Glut

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SEATTLE, WA — Washington’s legal marijuana market opened last summer to a dearth of weed. Some stores periodically closed because they didn’t have pot to sell. Prices were through the roof.

Six months later, the equation has flipped, bringing serious growing pains to the new industry.

A big harvest of sun-grown marijuana from eastern Washington last fall flooded the market. Prices are starting to come down in the state’s licensed pot shops, but due to the glut, growers are – surprisingly – struggling to sell their marijuana. Some are already worried about going belly-up, finding it tougher than expected to make a living in legal weed.

“It’s an economic nightmare,” says Andrew Seitz, general manager at Dutch Brothers Farms in Seattle.

State data show that licensed growers…

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Smoking Marijuana “Distinctly Different” on Lungs than Tobacco Use

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Study Finds That Long Term Cannabis Exposure “Not Associated With Significant Effects On Lung Function”

ATLANTA, GA — The inhalation of one marijuana cigarette per day over a 20-year period is not associated with adverse changes in lung health, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

Investigators at Emory University in Atlanta assessed marijuana smoke exposure and lung health in a large representative sample of US adults age 18 to 59. Researchers reported that cannabis…

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Surna, Inc. Secures $1.1 Million Tech Contract with Indoor Cannabis Grower CWNevada

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BOULDER, CO — Surna Inc. (OTCQB: SRNA), an engineering, manufacturing, and installation company specializing in commercial indoor cannabis cultivation technology, announced today it has finalized an exclusive $1.1 million contract to design, build and install the climate control systems for grower CWNevada.

CWNevada is one of the largest indoor cannabis cultivation facilities in Las Vegas, and was recently granted a Nevada grow license as the state prepares its infrastructure for the growth and distribution of legal medical marijuana in 2015. The Company’s 48,000 square-foot facility requires more than 700 tons of cooling equipment. Surna will provide CWNevada with their proprietary climate control technology which lends greater latitude and precision to the cultivation process…

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Federal Judge Weighing Constitutionality of Marijuana’s Classification

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SACRAMENTO, CA — A federal judge in California is weighing the constitutionality of a 45-year-old act that classifies marijuana as a dangerous drug along with LSD, cocaine and heroin.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller in Sacramento held a five-day fact-finding hearing on the classification question late last year, and final arguments are scheduled for next month, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday. Her ruling is expected later this year.

The case marks the first time in decades that a judge has agreed to consider marijuana’s designation as a Schedule 1 drug under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, the newspaper said. Under the act, Schedule 1 drugs have no medicinal purpose, are unsafe even under medical supervision and contain a high potential for abuse.

Mueller’s

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Study: Pain Patients Report Cannabis Augments Efficacy Of Opiate-Based Medications

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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Cannabis is often administered as an analgesic agent by chronic pain patients, many of whom report that it augments the pain-relieving properties of opiods, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

An international team of investigators from Australia and England assessed the use of cannabis among a cohort of 1514 Australians who had been prescribed pharmaceutical opioids for chronic non-cancer pain.

Researchers reported that one in six (16 percent) of the patients…

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Surna Acquires Majority Interest in Leading Cannabis Seed-to-Sale Tracking Platform

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BOULDER, CO — Surna, Inc. (OTCQB:SRNA) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling interest in Agrisoft Development Group, a privately-held company that is one of the leading software developers of seed-to-sale tracking systems for state regulated cannabis cultivation and distribution companies. The deal will provide Surna with additional technology and capabilities to complement its current technology portfolio.

Agrisoft is led by Charles Ramsey, CEO, and Matt Cook, COO. Cook authored and implemented Colorado’s medical marijuana regulatory structure, led the Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division and is widely regarded as the leading regulatory and implementation expert for cannabis. Cook has personally assisted with drafting and implementing state regulated…

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Mainstream Venture Capital Firm Invests in Marijuana Busniess

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NEW YORK, NY — Founders Fund, the $2 billion San Francisco venture capital firm run by Silicon Valley stars including Peter Thiel, co-founder and former CEO of Paypal, is investing in Privateer Holdings, a marijuana company that owns several pot-related brands.

The companies declined to disclose the size of the investment Thursday, but described it as a “multi-million dollar” participation in a $75 million fundraising effort by Privateer. The deal had been rumored last year.

Privateer, based in Seattle, owns the Canadian medical marijuana producer Tilray and the pot information service Leafly. It is also launching a brand of marijuana and products with the family of Bob Marley called Marley Natural.

Founders Fund partner Geoff Lewis, who is leading the firm’s investment in…

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Oklahoma Republicans Encourage AG to Drop Lawsuit Against Colorado Over Marijuana Legalization

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Citing concerns that it could undermine their own state’s fight to govern themselves under the 10th Amendment, several Republican lawmakers in Oklahoma are urging Attorney General E. Scott Pruitt to drop his lawsuit against the state of Colorado’s legalization of marijuana.

The lawsuit, titled States of Nebraska and Oklahoma v. State of Colorado, was filed in December by Pruitt and Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning and asks the United States Supreme Court to strike down Colorado’s law legalizing marijuana on the basis that it is “fundamentally at odds” with the federal Controlled Substances Act.

The suit, filed directly with the US Supreme Court, alleges that marijuana is being diverted into their states from Colorado, causing plaintiffs to suffer…

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Montana Judge Blocks Enforcement of Medical Marijuana Restrictions

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HELENA, MT — A state district court judge last Friday dealt a hard blow to provisions of a restrictive state medical marijuana law passed by the Republican-dominated legislature seven years after Big Sky voters approved a more open initiative allowing for medicinal use and a wide open dispensary scene.

District Judge James Reynolds in Helena permanently enjoined the implementation of certain key provisions in the law. Those provisions have never actually taken effect because Reynolds blocked them with a temporary injunction back in 2011.

Reynolds blocked provisions that ban medical marijuana advertising, forbid the commercial sale of marijuana to authorized patients, restrict caregivers from growing for more than three patients, and require the state to report the names of doctors who…

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