Articles Tagged with medical marijuana attorney

While there have been drug laws on the books for many years, it was the inclusion of marijuana as a Schedule I drug on the U.S. Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (USCSA) that has been the biggest obstacle to the cannabis business being treated like the successful business that it is.

marijuana budsA Schedule I drug is considered very dangerous, has a high rate of addiction, and has no acceptable medicinal use.  While this description is clearly ridiculous when talking about marijuana, this is where Congress has scheduled it and doesn’t seem willing to do anything about it, and there have been several attempts. Continue reading

As we trudge through the final weeks of this arduous, divisive election, there is at least one matter on the ballot that is likely to unite: Marijuana. white house

Voters in nine states – including California, Florida and Massachusetts – will vote on Nov. 8th ballot proposals that permit recreational and/or medical use of marijuana. These initiatives are likely to create a huge push toward legalization. In all likelihood, whoever is elected to the president’s office and Congress will be under pressure to overhaul the failed drug laws of this country.

This is a big deal because even just a few years ago, marijuana legalization was seen as something of a fringe movement. Today, the latest Gallup poll revealed 6 in 10 Americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. That’s huge, particularly when we consider than in 2000, only 31 percent supported legalization. Take it back to 1969, and only 12 percent of voters were in favor of it. Continue reading

A doctor in Maine who specializes in osteopathic medicine was reprimanded by the New Hampshire state Board of Medicine over allegations of professional misconduct for penning a permission slip to the employer of a patient. doctorpatientrelationship

The doctor, who practices family medicine in both Maine and across the state line in New Hampshire, received the reprimand as part of a larger settlement over the incident, which he signed off on last month and which was approved this month by the state board of medicine. In addition to the reprimand, the physician agreed to under 11 hours of continuing medical education, which is going to include three hours of medical records documentation as well as five hours on substance abuse and another three hours on ethics.

The patient was allegedly being treated by the doctor, who understood the patient had a history of drug abuse. In early 2015, the patient revealed to her doctor that she had smoked marijuana recently, and then shortly thereafter had to take a drug test for her job. The patient then asked the doctor to write her a note that would indicate she had a valid prescription for medical marijuana. The doctor acquiesced her requests, indicating that she would occasionally use the drug for the purposes of helping her to sleep, stimulate her appetite as well as to cope with anxiety. There is no documentation in the medical record, according to the state board’s report, that the patient was counseled against using marijuana as medicine, given her prior history of known substance abuse.  Continue reading

This November, voters will be presented with a ballot measure at the polls known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) which if passed, will legalize marijuana in the state of California for recreational purposes, as opposed to just medical marijuana which was legalized back in 1996.

policeline1It is interesting to consider that in 1996, legalizing medical marijuana made California the most progressive state in the nation in terms of helping patients get access to a drug they desperately needed.  This was also done at a time when the federal government, and especially the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made it very clear they would be not looking the other way.  There were cultivators, dispensaries, and even patients that were arrested and prosecuted for violating federal laws as marijuana is on Schedule I of the United States Controlled Substances Act (USCSA) of 1970. Continue reading

Many law enforcement officers and prosecutors are against the legalization of marijuana. One of the common arguments they make are that legalizing marijuana will increase crime, harm neighborhoods, and lead to more potentially deadly incidents of driving under the influence of marijuana.  This is also known as a DUI drugs.

waterfalls-1431191-mHowever, according to a recent news feature from Business Insider, one California sheriff’s office is issuing another warning to marijuana users about how they may be getting more than they bargained for when purchasing marijuana.  This sheriff for Stanislaus County has said while does not believe people should be smoking or cooking with marijuana at all, if they do, they should be washing it like they do any other plant they are eating.  Continue reading

There are many veterans being treated at one of the nation’s Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers that would probably benefit from medical cannabis in one form or another.  These are patients who have fought bravely for our nation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and many other foreign nations that now suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain.

peacekeeping-soldiers-1245571While many doctors are realizing that medical marijuana is a viable treatment options for these patients, the VA would not allow their doctors to prescribe medical cannabis, even in states were medical marijuana is legal.  If a doctor at the VA prescribes medical cannabis, he or she could be subject to discipline including a termination. A patient on medical marijuana could also be subject to discipline in some cases and risk VA benefits. Continue reading

California voters will have a chance to legalize marijuana for adult use, and this includes using marijuana for recreational purposes.  If this legalization of marijuana in California does occur, it will be accomplished through a ballot measure known as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA).  This ballot measure was put on the ballot as result of the drafters and proponents getting enough signatures to allow the measure a chance of being passed via direct voter action.

megaphoneAccording to a recent news feature from The Weed Blog, the Los Angeles County Democratic party has announced that it will be supporting the Adult Use of Marijuana Act.  This is significant because Los Angeles County Democratic party is the largest of its kind in the state of California and is the largest local Democratic organization in the United States. Continue reading

One of the strangest things about the fight against legalization of marijuana is, while they tend to paint marijuana as a serious threat to society in terms of crime, unemployment, and high school dropouts, these same people seem to have absolutely no trouble with people taking powerful opioid painkillers.

pillswhitePainkillers are very addictive, have a high potential for abuse, and can lead to serious health consequences, including overdose and death.  One of the more powerful opioid painkillers is OxyContin, which is commonly referred to as “oxy” on the street. It comes in various doses starting at 5mg and going up to doses higher than 80mgs.  There are even doses well over a hundred due to the high tolerance of some patients.  If a person without such a tolerance took an 80mg pill, there is a fairly high chance of an overdose.  According to a recent news feature from the Chicago Tribune, OxyContin has been responsible for nearly 200,000 deaths from overdose since it was first on the market in 1999.  Continue reading

The issue of marijuana has always been sensitive as far as youth are concerned. For years, the failed “War on Drugs” focused on the reported ill effects of marijuana, both in and of itself and as a gateway drug to harsher substances. Every recreational marijuana law that has passed has been careful to prohibit use of the drug by those under age 21. marijuanabuds

As a form of child medicine, marijuana has been even more controversial. Parents who sought relief for their children’s seizure disorders or chronic pain or nausea/ lack of appetite due to cancer were sometimes accused of child abuse. Some were forced to move out-of-state to obtain the treatment their kids so desperately needed.

Yet even in states where leaders have been forward-thinking on the issue, there have been hurdles to overcome. In Colorado, school officials had refused to dose medical marijuana to young patients on school grounds – even if those children had a prescription.  Continue reading

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