As early as the 19th century, doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals noticed that many people who returned from military service had serious difficulty coping with the horrors of war. So many men (mostly) became disabled by combat experience – unable to continue fighting – that the US government set its best mental health professionals […]
Smoke Signals
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Pot Tax Revenues Are Sky High in Colorado
Denver is quickly becoming known as “The town that smells like weed.” Many visitors report, and most residents acknowledge, that smelling the strong and unique odor of cannabis is a common experience when walking around the neighborhoods of central Denver. The culprit is usually a retail store or an indoor growing operation, but occasionally it’s […]
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Federal Government Lags Behind Common Sense Cannabis Voters
One of the main reasons that cannabis has been legalized in more and more states, both for medicinal and so-called recreational uses, is a major shift in public perception about the benefits and harms of the drug. Indeed, all five of the jurisdictions that currently have a legal non-medicinal cannabis industry—Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, and […]
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Deschutes County Will Lift Ban on Rural Cannabis
Deschutes County Commissioners last week confirmed that they will eventually lift the temporary ban on cannabis businesses in unincorporated areas of the county. After receiving recommendations from the county Planning Commission, Marijuana Advisory Committee, and the public, the commissioners have concluded what even they described as lengthy deliberations and have begun the process of adopting […]
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Legal Cannabis is a Boon to Oregon’s Economy
Legal sales of so-called “recreational” cannabis have been ongoing in Oregon for only about eight months. Non-medicinal cannabis became legal on July 1, 2015, but sales through existing medical marijuana dispensaries did not begin until Oct. 1, 2015. Data from those initial sales are starting to become public, and show that Oregon’s new legal cannabis […]
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Around the USA in Cannabis News
This week brings sad news from Hawaii, where Woody Harrelson’s application to open a medical marijuana dispensary was rejected by state officials. The state approved eight applications out of 60 submitted. The eight stores permitted under state law in Hawaii will consist of three in Honolulu, two on the Big Island, two on Maui, and […]
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Canada Announces Plans for Recreational Cannabis Legislation
April 20 has been an informal holiday for cannabis enthusiasts for years, but “420” seems to be going mainstream. In addition to the celebratory clouds of odoriferous smoke in cities such as Denver, Seattle, and Portland, Canada’s new government used the opportunity to announce plans for recreational cannabis legalization. Last year, now-Canadian Prime Minister Justin […]
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Oregon’s U.S. Senators Urge Removal of Barriers to Cannabis Research
On April 15, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer and 24 other members of Congress urged President Obama to remove barriers to research on medical marijuana. This would facilitate new medical research on cannabis and its derivatives that has not been possible in the U.S. under current federal law […]
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Marijuana Policy Experimentation Goes Nationwide
America’s federal system of government allows states to function as “laboratories of democracy.” Under the U.S. Constitution, states have the authority to “try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country,” as esteemed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Bandeis so eloquently said in 1932. That is exactly what is happening […]
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Cannabis and Athletic Performance
Uncle Spliffy is the nickname of former Portland Trail Blazer and 18-year National Basketball Association-veteran Cliff Robinson. Robinson admits he was blazing while playing for the Blazers in the early 1990s, and says that smoking cannabis helped calm his nerves. Robinson also thinks team doctors should treat player pain with cannabis when indicated. In the […]
