Letter demands that businesses apply for state licenses that don't exist, city offers no choice to dispensaries but closure Paul Marini | October 23, 2014 Seattle, WA -- More than 300 medical marijuana businesses received cease and desist letters from the City of Seattle this week. While the move appears to be consistent with a local law requiring medical marijuana businesses to obtain state-issued licenses... Read more
Recent Police Raids on Medical Marijuana Gardens in California Cut Off Treatment for Children Living with Epilepsy Paul Marini | October 22, 2014 Mendocino Co. / Modesto, CA -- As promising results from clinical trials are announced in the use of cannabis (medical marijuana) to treat intractable epilepsy, those lawfully cultivating the plant in California are being raided by local law enforcement. Two... Read more
New tool makes political candidates' positions, records on medical marijuana more accessible to voters Paul Marini | October 16, 2014 Washington, DC -- The medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) has produced a new 30-second online TV advertisement to launch its groundbreaking, election-cycle voter education campaign "Vote Medical Marijuana." The ad will also air on this Sunday's... Read more
Surveys seeking positions on medical marijuana are widely disseminated in first-of-its-kind voter education campaign Paul Marini | October 09, 2014 Washington, DC -- The medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) has produced a new 30-second online advertisement to launch its survey drive for for this year's election-cycle educational campaign. The ad will also air on this Sunday's... Read more
92% of participants reported that "medical marijuana helped alleviate symptoms or treat a serious medical condition" Paul Marini | October 01, 2014 Sacramento, CA -- A new landmark study published last week by the peer-reviewed journal Drug and Alcohol Review refutes the long-held belief that abuse of California's medical marijuana law is ubiquitous. The study, "Prevalence of medical marijuana use in California,... Read more
Americans for Safe Access and Leafly team up to educate public on therapeutic effects of cannabis for chronic pain Paul Marini | August 11, 2014 Washington, D.C. -- The country's leading medical marijuana advocacy organization, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), has teamed up with the world's largest cannabis information resource, Leafly, to run advertisements starting yesterday in USA Today's NFL Special Edition, which will be... Read more
Botanical medicine standards released as Colorado medical marijuana business sees first product recall in U.S. Paul Marini | July 22, 2014 Washington, D.C. -- The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) released its long-awaited medical marijuana manufacturing guidelines today, completing its compendium of industry standards which include regulatory recommendations for cannabis from seed to sale. The AHPA manufacturing guidelines come as licensed... Read more
Budget bill amendment would restrict Treasury funds from being used to interfere in medical marijuana states Paul Marini | July 16, 2014 Washington, D.C. -- Medical marijuana patients hailed another landmark victory today when the U.S. House voted 231-192 to restrict Department of Treasury funds from "being used to prohibit or penalize a financial institution from providing services to a marijuana-related business... Read more
New York's law receives an "F+" grade in a new report evaluating medical marijuana laws in the U.S. released today Paul Marini | July 07, 2014 Albany, NY -- Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law today that makes New York the 23rd medical marijuana state. Patient advocates celebrated a deal struck last month between Gov. Cuomo and the state legislature that will protect qualified... Read more
A similar measure to curb errant DOJ enforcement won an historic 219-189 vote in the House last month Paul Marini | June 19, 2014 Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) announced today their plan to introduce a budget amendment to curb Department of Justice (DOJ) enforcement in medical marijuana states that has resulted in numerous, costly federal prosecutions,... Read more