Marijuana advocates all over the world rejoiced at the news, and for good reason, since it is yet another piece of scientific evidence that helps prove to naysayers that cannabis has considerable health benefits. NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano stated, “The National Academy of Science’s conclusions that marijuana possesses established therapeutic utility for certain patients and that it possesses an acceptable safety profile when compared to those of other medications or recreational intoxicants are not surprising. This evidence has been available for some time, yet for decades marijuana policy in this country has largely been driven by rhetoric and emotion, not science and evidence.”

It continues to become more and more obvious that the only reason that cannabis hasn’t been legalized from coast to coast, all across the United States, is because the powers that be are benefiting heavily from the pharmaceutical drugs that are being peddled in its place. Should cannabis be legalized, Big Pharma will take a drastic hit, which is guaranteed to leave them scrambling. Considering the fact that President Donald Trump has already waged a culture war against the pharmaceutical industry, it should come as no great surprise that they don’t want their brand to be damaged any further.

The bottom line is that cannabis is a natural, healthy and effective alternative to chemical drugs that are created in a lab somewhere. Opioid addiction in America is through the roof, and few have the courage to address that fact because they are afraid of the wrath of those controlling the pharmaceutical industry. Thankfully, the truth is always on the side of justice and there is no way to keep the truth from coming out. Though the powers that be did their best to keep Americans in the dark on the health benefits of cannabis for as long as possible, that time is long gone. We are all waking up, and it’s only a matter of time before everyone knows that marijuana is actually considerably healthier than the drugs peddled at the pharmacy. (RELATED: Find more news about medical marijuana at MedicalMarijuanaUpdate.com)

This is going to be a year that welcomes many changes to the United States. With the inauguration of Donald Trump comes a lot of new ideas regarding freedom and liberty within our country. One of the issues that our politicians need to address immediately is the archaic manner in which the federal government views cannabis. If they are truly in the business of improving the lives of the American people, they need to stop banning a plant that is guaranteed to help many. Should they choose to continue living in the past, denying the truth and waging a war on reality, they will be preventing many from reaching their full potential.

Read more censored science news at Censored.news.

Sources:

TheDailySheeple.com

OpposingViews.com

WeedNews.co

Hundreds of new products are being marketed by a rapidly growing number of “cannabusinesses” throughout the country, and the evidence indicates that cannabis painkillers are beginning to replace opioid painkillers, thereby reducing the number of fatal overdoses from these dangerous and addictive pharmaceutical drugs.

In fact, the statistics are extremely encouraging. Although there’s no direct proof of a correlation, it would seem beyond mere coincidence that in states where medical marijuana has been made legal, opioid overdose deaths have decreased by nearly 25 percent.

From WiseMindHealthyBody.com:

“In states with a medical marijuana law, overdose deaths from opioids like morphine, oxycodone and heroin decreased by an average of 20 percent after just one year. After two years, they continued to decrease to 25 percent.

“In the meantime, opioid overdose deaths across the country skyrocketed.

“The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the death toll went from 4,030 in 1999 to 16,651 in 2010.  Apparently the majority, 3 out of every 4 of these deaths included prescription pain medications.”

Cannabis capsule relieves menstrual cramps

Numerous studies have proven the effectiveness of cannabis as a pain reliever – not to mention its many other therapeutic uses – and cannabusinesses are creating a wide range of products to meet the growing demand.

One such company, Foria, is now offering a cannabis capsule product designed for use as a vaginal suppository to relieve painful menstrual cramps.

The product, called Foria Relief (aka the “weed tampon”), is a cocoa butter-based insert containing THC and CBD. These compounds help to “relax muscles and release tension and cramping in the body,” according to the company’s website:

“Through the use of a suppository these antispasmodic and pain relieving properties go directly to the area in need of relief. The plant medicine works with your body to gently, yet profoundly, shift your unique experience in a holistic and natural way.”

Although the product contains THC – the psychoactive compound in cannabis that provides a “high” – most of it is delivered to the pelvic area and not to the brain, so there is little, if any, psychoactive effect.

Medical marijuana: a success story

As more states pass medical marijuana laws and attitudes continue to change, the market for cannabis products will continue to grow and expand. The fledgling industry is in the early stages and we can expect to see a lot of new and novel products targeted at a range of conditions, such as menstrual cramps, muscle pain and arthritis pain, to name a few.

Even those who have supported medicinal cannabis all along must be pleasantly surprised to witness the plant’s unqualified success in replacing pharmaceutical painkillers, while also establishing its effectiveness in treating a broad range of ailments – including cancer and many other serious diseases.

What were once considered wild claims by weed activists have now been proven true – if anything, cannabis has exceeded all expectations and continues to do so. If any one plant could ever be considered a panacea, the winner would have to be marijuana – hands down.

At this point, even the hardcore deniers – the leftovers from America’s failed “war on drugs” – are having a difficult time defending their narrow-minded stance on marijuana.

A majority of Americans now support legalization – they know it works – and hopefully, soon even the federal government will be forced to accept the fact.

The battle won’t be over until all 50 states have passed medicinal marijuana measures and the feds agree to end the senseless marijuana prohibition once and for all.

Sources:

WiseMindHealthyBody.com

HigherPerspectives.com

ForiaPleasure.com

TrueViralNews.com

This past election season, a number of states loosened their restrictions on cannabis, but most still have a long way to go in that regard. Somewhat surprisingly, South Carolina may be the next state to legalize marijuana when it comes to medicinal use. While there is absolutely no reason why recreational use shouldn’t be legalized as well, these small victories should still be celebrated.

A new bill that is being called the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act has been proposed to the South Carolina House of Representatives and would completely regulate the production and sale of marijuana. One of the many supporters of the bill is House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, who stated, “Legalizing medical marijuana in our state is an essential step in reducing the rampant opioid addiction that many have fallen prey to after having been denied what doctors have deemed the best treatment for their medical condition. Seventy-eight percent of South Carolinians believe that marijuana should be allowed for medical use and I am happy to begin this first day of session as a member of a bipartisan effort to do what is best for South Carolinians.”

It is somewhat surprising to see, but it is still nice to see politicians actually listening to the voices of the people instead of pretending that they know better than everyone else. Hopefully, this will become a common trend — at least throughout South Carolina — and it won’t be long before medical marijuana is legalized. That, of course, will eventually lead to recreational use following suit. While it may seem like a small victory in the grand scheme of things, the widespread legalization of marijuana would be a massive step forward when it comes to achieving complete liberty in the United States.

Despite ending his presidency expressing his belief that marijuana should be legalized, Barack Obama did virtually nothing to speed up that process. In fact, he practically ignored the existence of cannabis during his time in the White House. If Donald Trump wants to immediately secure his legacy, one of the first things his administration needs to accomplish is ensuring that cannabis is legalized all across our great country.

Trump wants to make America great again. What would be a faster way to accomplish that than by destroying one of the most ridiculous laws that we currently have in place. We are heading towards having more freedom than ever before — this should be the next step in the process.

Sources:

NaturalBlaze.com

WeedNews.co

TheCannabist.co

As reported by the Sarasota Herald Tribune, despite the vote, some lawmakers and state officials say they are concerned about how medical marijuana will be regulated and whether, over the long term, “those 6.4 million residents made the right call.”

At a local Manatee Tiger Bay Club meeting recently, a proponent of medical pot, along with an addiction specialist who opposes legalization, debated about what will come next now that the electorate has (loudly and clearly) spoken.

The president of Advocate Inc., Bill Monroe, said he became involved in the medical marijuana issue some five years ago after researching a number of potential medications that could ease tremors being experienced by his elderly mother due to Parkinson’s disease, while also helping to boost her appetite.

‘Be a free thinker’

In doing so, Monroe said he discovered that a number of states and countries have legalized pot without undergoing major consequences.

“Be a free thinker,” he said during the forum. “Use your logical thinking. Are you seeing global chaos?”

Not from pot use; we’re seeing plenty of chaos from the abuse of prescription opioids, which has led to a dramatic increase in overdose deaths from them and from cheaper heroin, however.

Advocates, said Monroe, do not object to regulations pertaining to labeling, keeping cannabis out of the hands of children and other safety measures. In fact, he said he would prefer the state adopt a rule that pot from licensed growers be independently tested by free-standing labs to make sure that it is “free of heavy metals and pesticides.”

Monroe added that his group also “want the doctor-patient relationship,” thereby letting physicians “decide what the patients need.”

He further noted that synthetic THC—the chemical that produces marijuana’s psychological effects—has been legal in the U.S. since 1985 and is even available in many pharmacies. All that is being discussed since the Nov. 8 ballot measure approval is “organic THC,” he said, adding that he believes reports that claim outsized dangers over pot use are exaggerated.

Jessica Spencer, the policy director of the group “Vote No on 2,” which opposed the state constitutional amendment, stressed that doctors are still not able to legally prescribe marijuana because the federal government has not approved of it. Pot is still a Schedule I drug and Congress has so far not taken up the measure legislatively to get that changed.

Spencer said the amendment only allows doctors to “recommend” medicinal cannabis, while patients would then obtain it from approved dispensaries instead of pharmacies.

Concerns aside, it is time to move forward with the intent of the amendment

In recent days the Manatee County Commission and the Bradenton City Council both adopted a six-month moratorium on considering applications from dispensaries while they ponder land-use regulations about where such businesses would be permitted to operation. Other jurisdictions in the state have adopted similar moratoriums. That, of course, has angered many voters who see state and local officials as attempting to thwart their approval.

Spencer said that eventually, the number of dispensaries could total nearly 2,000—far more than the number of McDonald’s and Starbucks restaurants, as well as 7-Eleven convenience stores in the state, combined. She said the wording of the amendment was “very crafty.”

She also claimed that because there are a number of medical conditions for which doctors could prescribe cannabis—including cancer, epilepsy, and glaucoma—the wording on the amendment was open-ended, meaning doctors are open to prescribing it for just about any similar condition.

“Any 18-year-old can complain about test anxiety, an athletic injury or a migraine and receive a medical marijuana recommendation without their parent’s consent,” Spencer said.

Still, despite these concerns, the people have spoken. State and local governments are now obligated to move ahead with the implementation of the amendment.

Sources:

HeraldTribune.com

MedicalMarijuana.com

NativeHempSolutions.com

Around the world there is a growing push for the legalization of medical and recreational cannabis, especially as the therapeutic value of the plant becomes more widely documented and acknowledged by the medical and scientific community.

Currently, Uruguay is the only nation that has completely legalized cannabis for recreational and medical use, but several other countries have decriminalized marijuana use, and in some, medical and/or recreational marijuana is either already legal or legalization is under consideration.

More than 20 countries are now introducing legislation allowing either medical or recreational cannabis use; in 2017, Canada plans to legalize and regulate both.

From CNN:

“Ireland, Australia, Jamaica and Germany approved measures this year for its medicinal use, while Australia also granted permission for businesses to apply for licenses to manufacture or cultivate marijuana products for medicinal purposes and to conduct related research. Decisions are still pending in South Africa.”

Testing the waters

Because legalization is such a new issue – there are few road maps in terms of regulation, taxation and public safety, for example – other nations are looking to the United States and other countries where the herb is already legal or decriminalized as examples, and are carefully monitoring how things are working out there.

So far, the experiments have been working. In the United States, legalization has largely proven to be a success. States like Colorado, for example, have seen dramatic tax revenue increases and a decrease in drug-related crime. And there have been surprising and unexpected benefits as well, such as the fact that traffic fatalities in many states have dropped significantly since legalization went into effect.

As in the United States, where marijuana laws differ from state to state, marijuana policies abroad also differ from country to country, but with the same general results. In other words, countries that have either decriminalized or legalized cannabis have seen positive results.

An interesting example is Portugal, which in 2001 decriminalized all drugs for personal use. Since then, that country has seen crime and hard drug addiction rates drop dramatically, proving that decriminalization works – and not just for marijuana use.

In the Netherlands, where weed has been more or less legal for 40 years, the percentage of the population who use marijuana is far lower than that of the United States. Incidentally, the rate of incarceration in the Netherlands is one-tenth that of the United States.

The truth shall prevail

Decades of drug war propaganda brainwashing is slowly beginning to wear off, particularly as new scientific evidence pours in documenting the nearly-miraculous properties of cannabis in treating a wide range of conditions.

Videos showing Parkinson’s sufferers and children with epilepsy obtaining instant relief from their symptoms after taking a few drops of cannabis oil are going viral, and after watching such videos it’s difficult to imagine anyone being opposed to the use of cannabis as medicine.

And so, as the blinders come off and the truth about cannabis becomes more widely disseminated, governments and citizens throughout the world are beginning to embrace the fact that marijuana is not a dangerous substance that should be outlawed. In fact, its use is beneficial and should be made completely legal, without any accompanying social stigma or criminal penalties.

At this point, the only people who oppose legalization are the ones who have either been duped by decades worth of “war on drugs” rhetoric, or those who continue to profit from cannabis prohibition, i.e. law enforcement agencies, drug cartels and industries like Big Pharma and for-profit prisons.

Sources:

Edition.CNN.com

News.Vice.com

DrugWarFacts.org

TheCannabist.co

Now the DEA has gotten even worse as they’re trying to shame individual states for legalizing the recreational and medical usage of cannabis. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise since the federal government seems determined to slowly destroy states’ rights, but that doesn’t make it any less disgusting. They clearly do not care about states or individuals and this further proves that.

Jason Barker of Weed News reports, “Prohibition of cannabis is not a fundamental right that should be imposed on the states by the federal government, it’s a choice that states should be allowed to make based on their culture and their values-allowing states to once again be laboratories of democracy.” Barker is absolutely correct. The federal government should not be infringing on the rights of the states, but that hasn’t stopped them yet.

The DEA continues to try and convince everyone that they know more than all of us. All of the scientific evidence that has been revealed that helps prove all of the health benefits that come with the consumption of cannabis are completely disregarded by the DEA and other sects of the federal government. When people speak out against their lies, they are silenced immediately. After decades of this happening over and over, the American people are finally opening their eyes to what is really going on — and they clearly are not pleased.

It is time for the federal government to respect the rights of the people and the individual states. Instead of refusing to accept that they may have the wrong vision for what is the best future for the people, they need to realize that we want and need change — especially when it comes to the way cannabis is viewed in our country. If it is legalized across the country, the lives of many will improve overnight.

The health and economic benefits of cannabis are endless and allowing the states to determine whether or not it should be legalized is vital. With that system in effect, it is only a matter of time before legalization occurs.

Sources:

TheDailySheeple.com

WeedNews.co

Gazette.com

Article by Kim Kuizon

But, don’t expect doctors to be handing out marijuana immediately. There are strict rules in place that make getting access to the drug a timely – and expensive – process.

Under the new law, doctors and state health officials have up to six months to create a plan for distributing the drug.

There are two types of cannabis products that may be ordered by qualified physicians who have completed an eight-hour training course regarding medical marijuana. Patients with cancer or a condition that causes chronic seizures or muscle spasms may qualify to receive low-THC cannabis, which has very low amounts of the psychoactive ingredient THC and does not usually produce the “high” commonly associated with cannabis.

If a patient is suffering from a condition determined to be terminal by two physicians, they may qualify for medical cannabis, which can contain significant levels of the psychoactive ingredient THC and may produce the “high” commonly associated with the drug.

Some conditions that may qualify a patient for one of the treatments include cancer, seizures, muscle spasms, AIDS, Glaucoma, and Parkinson’s Disease.

Hundreds of Florida doctors have already completed the training required to see patients regarding medical marijuana. A complete list of those physicians can be found at floridahealth.gov.

Dr. Barry Gordon of Venice has opened a compassionate care clinic where he can give patients referrals for medical marijuana. He says his calendar is already fully booked with appointments for the entire month of January.

Gordon is a retired ER doctor who worked in Ohio for 32 years. He became qualified under the state of Florida and will operate the Compassionate Cannabis Clinic of Venice.  For the first day, he’ll see 18 patients.  For the rest of the month, he’ll see nearly 300.

“We are seeing one patient every half hour or two per an hour. That gives me a good amount of time to spend time with the patient. We don’t want to rush people through,” he explained.

The initial visit will cost patients $250.  Under Florida law, patients must be established within the practice for 90 days. They will need checkup visits every 45 days.  It’ll cost patients nearly $500 for a yearly medical plan.

Dr. Gordon will only offer a referral for medical cannabis for those who qualify. He will not operate as a distributor.

“I think anybody that wants to recreationally use cannabis right now, in order to get a bogus recommendation from me, it’s much more difficult to come in. You should see the stack of papers they need to sign,” he said.

In Florida this is uncharted territory.  Dr. Gordon remains adamant his practice will focus on patient care, education and advocacy.

“The patients that are reaching out to me tend to be legitimate that have chronic and debilitating disease,” he added.

There are several requirements for patients to qualify to receive the drug:

• A patient must have been diagnosed with a qualifying condition.
• A patient must be a Florida resident.
• If under the age of 18, a patient must have a second physician agree to the use of low-THC cannabis or medical cannabis in order to obtain an order from a qualified physician.
• A patient must have tried other treatments without success.
• An ordering physician must determine the risks of using low-THC cannabis or medical cannabis are reasonable in light of the benefit to the patient.
• A patient must be registered with the Compassionate Use Registry by their ordering physician.

But even if a doctor determines that a patient qualifies for medical marijuana today, it will be another three months until that patient can actually receive the drug. A qualified patient must first seek treatment from a qualified physician for at least three months immediately preceding their order for low-THC or medical cannabis.

Once the ordering physician inputs the patient’s information and the order information into the Compassionate Use Patient Registry, the patient or the patient’s legal representative will then be able to contact one of the six licensed dispensing organizations and fill the order.

Florida’s six currently licensed dispensing organizations are:

• CHT Medical (Chestnut Hill Tree Farm)
• The Green Solution (San Felasco Nurseries)
• Trulieve (Hackney Nursery)
• Surterra Therapeutics (Alpha Foliage, Inc.)
• Modern Health Concepts (Costa Nursery Farms)
• Knox Medical (Knox Nursery)

For more information on the medical marijuana law and restrictions, visit floridahealth.gov.

Read more at: fox13news.com

Wait a sec… Crack cocaine is an illegal substance, right? So now the police are going to possess it, manufacture it, sell it and then arrest citizens who buy it from them?

Yep. That’s how some police tell themselves they are the “good guys” when they manufacture crack cocaine to sell to the “bad guys” who were making the crack cocaine before the police started making it.

In other words, the Albuquerque Police Department will now be engaged in the manufacture and distribution of Schedule I Controlled Substances, meaning it is no longer deniable that “the cops are the drug dealers.”

It’s now right out in the open.

See the documents obtained by BurqueMedia

The story first broke on BurqueMedia.com, which explains, “An affidavit obtained by Burque Media from a confidential source spells out plans by the Albuquerque Police Department to go after low-level drug users in a reverse buy-bust operation. In a reverse buy-bust, undercover agents sell drugs to citizens, and then arrest them for possession.  Part of that operation involves APD manufacturing crack cocaine from powdered cocaine.”

Just as I was writing this story for Natural News, the “Affidavit and Motion to Release Evidence” document was removed from Scribd. But we have screen shots below, grabbed before the document was memory holed.

It says:

…the State of New Mexico, through its Assistant District Attorney and Affiant Detective Marc Clingenpeel, and hereby request this Court’s order to allow detectives to obtain heroin, methamphetamines, cocaine base (commonly referred to as crack), and/or cocaine from the Alburquerque Police Department’s Evidence Unit for the purpose of an undercover operation as set below in quantities listed in order

…powered cocaine may be taken into APD’s Criminalistics Unit to be made into crack cocaine.

…The Alburquerque Police Department’s Narcotics Unit will use the heroin, methamphetamine, crack cocaine and/or cocaine… to sell to individuals who are seeking to purchase drugs within the City of Alburquerque.

Article continues below these documents (scroll down to keep reading):

“Nodding” or “shrugging the shoulders” to ensnare citizens and charge them with felony drug possession

As part of the APD’s manufacture and distribution of crack cocaine, they’re planning on ensnaring citizens by using what they call “gestures that are commonly used in the area to make contact with someone for the purpose of purchasing drugs.” These gestures include nodding and shrugging the shoulders, meaning if you simply nod at one of these undercover APD crack dealers, you could be just moments away from being arrested and charged with attempting to purchase crack.

After a nod or shoulder shrug, “the person will be escorted to a discreet location,” says the document. “The detectives will sell the person the requested amount of drugs,” it explains, after which the person will be “arrested and charged with felony Possession of a Controlled Substance.”

You mean the same substance the police just manufactured and sold them?

Gosh, and during what part of this elaborate operation do the detectives just pocket the cash and let a few buyers walk? Oops! Looks like a few kilos of crack never made it back to the evidence locker… strange how that happens.

When cops become drug manufacturers and street dealers, something has gone terribly wrong with the failed “War on Drugs”

Now, you see, the police are making the drugs, dealing the drugs and potentially profiting from the drugs. It won’t be long before the APD finds it needs to plug a “revenue shortfall” with some extra cash. And what do you know… hundreds of citizens are lining up just to hand them cash for their self-manufactured crack cocaine!

The temptation for abuse in this racket is too juicy to ignore. When a detective can make more untraceable cash profit in a single week than they might pull in an entire year on the city’s payroll, it’s not difficult to imagine some of these cops going “freelance.”

And if you have a police-run operation that can manufacture crack cocaine, sell it to people on the street, then arrest those people for buying the very same “illegal substance” the police department is manufacturing, just how long will it be before fringe police departments start running sex slave rings in order to “sell” slaves to buyers who are promptly arrested? (Hint: This is already going on. The cover-up is intense because the “customers” of such activities often tend to be among the political elite.)

What can you do about all this? For starters, don’t buy crack cocaine. More importantly, if you live in Albuquerque, don’t nod or shrug at anybody on the street, or you may find yourself dragged into a dark alley by undercover cops who claim you “signaled” them with an intent to purchase illegal drugs. If they persist, just tell them you aren’t interested in cocaine… you were actually hoping to buy a good time and you thought the undercover cops were transgender prostitutes. That should work amazingly well. Try it yourself and see!

“There is a lot of anti-opioid sentiment,” says John Stewart. “And certainly based on the social disruption that we’ve seen it’s understandable.”

Stewart still believes that there is a place for powerful opioids in relieving severe and chronic pain, but he now clearly sees how dangerous and addictive these drugs truly are.

In 2013, he left his powerful position with Purdue Pharma, and is now the co-founder of a medical marijuana company called Emblem Cannabis located in Paris, Ontario. Stewart’s shift to the medical marijuana industry is important. It’s a safer medicine for dealing with a multitude of health problems, including seizures, glaucoma and problems associated with the immune and nervous systems. One cannot become physically addicted to cannabis. There are no records of overdose deaths from cannabis, either. In states where medical marijuana is legal, doctors prescribe fewer opioid painkillers. The shift away from opioids to medical marijuana is one that will continue to save lives.

Prescription opioid deaths set to plummet in Canada, as medical marijuana goes mainstream

Stewart became curious about medical marijuana while working at Purdue Pharma. After delving into research, he even considered bringing a drug to market, but his plans never came to fruition. His research did, however, spark a passion to find better ways to deliver the therapeutic properties of cannabis to patients.

Now, his new business, Emblem, has joined Canada’s booming marijuana market, becoming the 35th business to receive its license to grow and sell medical marijuana in Ottawa.

As an investor, Stewart believes that the company can generate $74 million (U.S.) in revenue each year. The commercial cannabis industry is flourishing in Canada because in 2014 the government began requiring that patients buy medical marijuana straight from large scale, licensed growers. Investors are flocking to Canada because the government there (according to many) is on the verge of legalizing recreational marijuana across the entire country. This will ultimately help the estimated 15 percent of Canadians who have prescriptions for opioid painkillers.

Stewart plans to invest his time and money in the pharmaceutical side of Emblem Cannabis. He is spending money on research into different plant strains and dosing, and is investigating the market for various delivery methods including pills, patches, sprays and gel caps.

Stewart says that many of the people in the marijuana industry are skeptical of a former pharmaceutical executive coming in. He says that they are afraid that big Pharma is going to take over the industry.

“These days nobody wants big pharma, particularly in the United States, to do anything,” he says.

He has also met other pioneers in the industry who embrace the opportunity of new capital to strengthen research and improve consistency and quality control.

Starting with cannabis, the shift back to nature’s medicine will begin to cut away at Big Pharma’s violence against humanity. Let’s just hope that the medical marijuana industry doesn’t get overrun with greed. Let’s hope that the profits the industry generates will be used for expanding research into the countless other therapeutic properties of plants on our planet.

Sources include:

BBC.com

ASAM.org^[PDF]