WASHINGTON — Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan is the Republican lead on a new bipartisan bill that would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to research how medicinal cannabis could help ailing veterans.

The bill will allow the VA secretary to "conduct and support research relating to the efficacy and safety of forms of cannabis … on the health outcomes of covered veterans diagnosed with chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions."

Marijuana is legal in Alaska for both medical and recreational purposes. But it remains illegal under federal law as a Schedule 1 narcotic—one with no accepted medical use. There is disagreement now about whether the law allows research.

The bill "clarifies … that research on medical marijuana is within the VA authority," Sullivan said.

Read more

Iowa could get a second medical marijuana growing facility after all.

Eight organizations told state regulators they might seek a license to grow marijuana plants and process the plants into medications. But they still have two weeks to decide whether to apply.

One of the unidentified companies could join MedPharm Iowa, which has the state’s sole medical marijuana production license and is expected to start selling medications in December. 

MedPharm leaders, who have invested more than $10 million in their Des Moines production facility, have complained Iowa’s new medical marijuana law is too restrictive.

Read more

Top photo courtesy of Adobe Stock

TALLAHASSEE -- In dramatic testimony, two patients who treat their debilitating diseases with marijuana testified in court Wednesday that although they qualify to receive the drug legally, they are alive only because they break the law and smoke it.

Diana Dodson of Levy County, who has HIV and neuropathy, and Cathy Jordan of Manatee County, who has Lou Gehrig's disease, urged Leon County Circuit Court Judge Karen Gievers to overturn the state's ban on smoking medical marijuana, arguing that the forms the state allows don't do them any good.

"In '86, I was given three to five years to live and I'm still here,'' said Jordan, 68, seated in a wheelchair in the front of the court, her voice scratchy and weak from her ailment.

Read more

New Orleans – PRESS RELEASE – The Cannabis Certification Council, a national non-profit whose mission is to promote organic and fair trade production and standards in the cannabis industry, launched its first consumer facing educational campaign as part of the MJBizCon NEXT show in New Orleans.

Designed to draw parallels between food buying habits and cannabis, the #Whatsinmyweed campaign inspires consumers to expect the same of their cannabis as they do of their food. The campaign was part of the Sustainability Exhibit at the NEXT show in New Orleans that also included Resource Innovation Institute (RII) and Urban-Gro.

The #Whatsinmyweed campaign features colorful video and still ads that remind people how much they care about the production method of their favorite fruits and vegetables and suggest they demand the same of their cannabis. The website will feature a first-of-its-kind clearinghouse of cannabis certifications currently available in the market, information about each and where consumers can find certified product.

“This campaign is long overdue and much needed to alert consumers about the quality of their cannabis and begin to reward producers of organic, fair trade, sustainable and other high quality and integrity products just as they are in other consumer categories,” said Amy Andrle, owner of L’Eagle Services in Denver and board member with the CCC. “We believe the campaign and accompanying website will drive demand and increase transparency in the cannabis industry.”

To learn more about the #whatsinmyweed campaign please visit  www.whatsinmyweed.com/ or www.CannabisCertificationCouncil.org

The #Whatsinmyweed campaign is made possible by the following founding supporters:
– L’Eagle – Yerba Buena – Grow Sisters– GrowCentia – Bud Fox – 1906 – Mammoth LP – Organic Alternatives – High Country Healing – Verde Natural – Dawa Detroit – Grasslands