Erik Altieri | November 15, 2017 During a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions admitted his Department of Justice would be required to abide by budget amendments that restrict their use of funding to go after state-legal medical marijuana programs. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN) grilled Sessions on a number of his Reefer Madness talking points including his comments stating marijuana …
Lawmakers Demand the VA Study Medical Marijuana
Approximately 8 million adults suffer from PTSD, including many military veterans. (WikiMedia Commons/USMC) NORML | November 3, 2017 WASHINGTON, DC — Members of the US House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs are demanding that the Department of Veterans Affairs facilitate protocols to assess the efficacy of medical cannabis in veterans suffering from chronic pain conditions and post-traumatic stress. Minnesota Democrat Tim Walz, along with …
Parkinson's Patients Report Long-Term Benefits from Medical Marijuana
(Sonya Yruel/Drug Policy Alliance) NORML | October 28, 2017 TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — Patients with Parkinson’s disease report long-term therapeutic benefits from the daily use of medical cannabis, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Clinical Neuropharmacology. Investigators at Tel Aviv University in Israel conducted a retrospective assessment of the daily use of cannabis in 47 patients with Parkinson’s …
Congressional Lawmakers Demand the VA Study Medical Marijuana
Paul Armentano | October 30, 2017 Members of the US House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs are demanding the Department of Veterans Affairs facilitate protocols to assess the efficacy of medical cannabis in veterans suffering from chronic pain and post-traumatic stress. Minnesota Democrat Tim Walz, along with nine other Democrat members of the Committee, authored an October 26, 2017 letter to …
Medical Marijuana Programs Associated With Reductions in Violent Crimes
NORML | October 19, 2017 HAVERFORD, PA — Medical cannabis regulatory programs are associated with reductions in the prevalence of certain types of violent crimes, according to a thesis paper published online on the International Scholar website. The paper evaluates the relationship between state-sanctioned medical cannabis programs and violent crime rates over a two-decade period. It finds that cannabis medicalization laws are …
Study: Cannabis Use Inversely Associated With Fatty Liver Disease
(Sonya Yruel/Drug Policy Alliance) Paul Armentano | October 20, 2017 Adults with a history of cannabis use are less likely to suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) than are those who have not used the substance, according to data published online in the journal PLoS One. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most prevalent form of liver disease, affecting …
Study: Cannabis May Be Protective Against Liver Disease
A medical cannabis patient’s supply of medicine in their home. (Sonya Yruel/Drug Policy Alliance) NORML | October 12, 2017 MARSEILLE, FRANCE — Cannabis may be protective against liver disease in subjects infected with both the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to data published online ahead of print in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis. French investigators assessed the …
Congressman Earl Blumenauer: Medical Marijuana Is Safer Than Opioids
Justin Strekal | October 12, 2017 On Wednesday, October 11th, Congressional Cannabis Caucus Co-Chair Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) testified before the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health on how to deal with the opioid crisis in America. In his testimony, the Congressman makes the case for medical cannabis as a safer alternative to highly addictive opioids, especially for our veterans—as …
VA Secretary Shulkin Still Hasn’t Responded to The American Legion’s Call for Marijuana Research
VA Secretary David Shulkin NORML | October 6, 2017 The American Legion has been calling on the federal government for over a year – specifically the Veterans Affairs Department – to support research into the therapeutic benefits of cannabis in treating veterans with PTSD. Many veterans have said that they have been able to eliminate or reduce their dependency on …
Marijuana Dispensaries Can Lead to Decrease in Painkiller Abuse: Study
NORML | October 6, 2017 ATHENS, GA — Cannabis dispensaries are associated with reduced levels of opioid-related treatment admissions and overall drug mortality, according to a study published online on SSRN.com. A University of Georgia economics professor assessed the relationship between the opening of medical cannabis dispensaries and drug treatment admissions. Dispensary openings are associated with “a 20 percentage point relative decrease in …