Commercial Appeal, 23 Jan 2012 - British Will Seek FDA OK for Pain Spray SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A quartercentury after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself could soon be making their way to pharmacy shelves.

Seattle Times, 23 Jan 2012 - U.K.-Based Gw Pharma Is in Advanced Clinical Trials for the World's First Pharmaceutical Developed From Raw Marijuana - a Mouth Spray It Hopes to Market in the U.S. As a Treatment for Cancer Pain. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A quarter-century after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself could soon be making their way to pharmacy shelves, according to drug companies, small biotech firms and university scientists.

The Press Democrat, 22 Jan 2012 - Lake County law-enforcement and government officials fear property values and public safety will be threatened by a proposed ballot initiative that would allow up to 12 budding marijuana plants in residential backyards and 84 on parcels of seven acres or more. On rural parcels, "right to farm regulations" would apply, prohibiting the county or neighboring property owners from complaining the pot gardens are nuisances.

The Gazette, 22 Jan 2012 - The Gazette's recent editorial (Jan. 13 - "Suthers should defend MMJ law") lecturing me on my responsibilities as Colorado Attorney General reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the rule of law in America. As Colorado's Attorney General I take an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution. As part of this job, I frequently urge upon the state and federal courts a particular interpretation of these constitutional documents. But the final word on the meaning of the U.S. Constitution is the U.S. Supreme Court and the final word on the meaning of the Colorado Constitution is the Colorado Supreme Court. In a dispute on whether federal laws trump state laws under the Supremacy Clause, the U.S. Supreme Court has the final say.

The Daily Tribune, 22 Jan 2012 - DETROIT - Attorney and marijuana advocate Matthew Abel stood inside a hotel located on the Detroit River and reflected back to the 1920s when rum runners would smuggle booze into the United States from Canada during Prohibition. He and a group calling themselves the Committee for a Safer Michigan are trying to end another prohibition - this time against marijuana.

Chico Enterprise-Record, 22 Jan 2012 - ORLAND - As it looks now, there won't be any marijuana dispensaries in Orland, and people who grow medicinal marijuana will need to follow careful guidelines so the plants are away from the eyes and noses of their neighbors. Although California law allows use of marijuana for certain medical reasons, many communities have been watching closely to see how others have navigated the issue.

Record Searchlight, 22 Jan 2012 - The subject of marijuana and its use appears almost daily in the news, including, recently, three busloads of teens on a ski trip to Nevada caught with two large kitchen size trash bags of marijuana, plus alcohol and drug paraphernalia. And a commentary in this paper last month ("Anti-marijuana hysteria never made sense," Dec. 11) advocated the unrestricted use of marijuana "because there is no scientific evidence that it presents any hazard." But it may be worth noting that Colorado legalized "medicinal" marijuana in 2009, when about 5,000 became registered to purchase it. By 2011 that number jumped to nearly 130,000, and the state has seen a significant increase in the number who have entered drug-addiction programs. Why this craving for marijuana? And how does this relate to our culture, as developed over the past 50 years?

The Star Beacon, 22 Jan 2012 - Ohio's second proposed medical-marijuana statewide ballot issue took a step forward when it was certified by Attorney General Mike DeWine. The Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment to the Ohio Constitution contains a "fair and truthful" summary and has the necessary 1,000 signatures of Ohio registered voters, DeWine determined.

Detroit Free Press, 21 Jan 2012 - They wore suits and ties and said they hope to raise $1,000 apiece from 1,000 people -- $1 million dollars -- while gathering 322,609 signatures by July 9 as the first step toward legalizing marijuana in Michigan. At a news conference Friday at Roberts Riverwalk Hotel & Residence in Detroit, a dozen members of the Committee for a Safer Michigan announced the kickoff of their effort to put their legalization question on Michigan's November ballot.

Columbus Dispatch, 21 Jan 2012 - Ohio's second proposed medical-marijuana statewide ballot issue took a step forward yesterday when it was certified by Attorney General Mike DeWine. The Ohio Medical Cannabis Amendment to the Ohio Constitution contains a "fair and truthful" summary and has the necessary 1,000 signatures of Ohio registered voters, DeWine determined.

The Calgary Sun, 21 Jan 2012 - The feds want to phase out licencing individuals to grow medicinal marijuana in Canadian communities. Under proposed regulatory changes to the Marihuana Medical Access Program, a new supply and distribution system would be established using "only licenced commercial producers," which would be the "only legal source of dried marihuana."

Edmonton Sun, 21 Jan 2012 - CALGARY - The feds want to phase out licensing individuals to grow medicinal marijuana in Canadian communities. Under proposed regulatory changes to the Marihuana Medical Access Program, a new supply and distribution system would be established using "only licenced commercial producers," which would be the "only legal source of dried marihuana."

The Evening News, 21 Jan 2012 - A tentative proposal by the federal Liberals to legalize marijuana raises both interest and eyebrows. But would they ever go ahead with such measures if elected, or is it just a way of distancing themselves from the stodgy Conservatives and appearing edgy? At their convention last weekend, a proposal from the party's youth wing was to legalize pot, control sales, as with booze and tobacco, and enjoy the tax revenue.

The Macomb Daily, 20 Jan 2012 - Attorney and marijuana advocate Matthew Abel stood inside a hotel located on the Detroit River and reflected back to the 1920s when rum runners would smuggle booze into the U.S. from Canada during Prohibition. He and a group calling themselves the Committee for a Safer Michigan are trying to end another prohibition -- this time against marijuana.

Nebraska City News-Press, 20 Jan 2012 - Nebraska City, Neb. - Two seperate initiative petitions underway in Nebraska seek to legalize marijuana. A petition circulated by Frank Shoemaker of Holbrock, Neb., seeks to add proposition XIX to the Nebraska Constitution.

The Daily Tribune, 20 Jan 2012 - A man criminally charged in connection with raids on medical marijuana businesses was sentenced Thursday to a year of probation. Matthew John-Drinnon Miller of Waterford Township was also ordered to complete 30 days of community service.

Arizona Daily Sun, 20 Jan 2012 - Now that both a federal and a state judge have each told Gov. Brewer she lacks a legal reason to delay implementing the Medical Marijuana Act, it's time to focus on how to put meaningful rules in place and enforce them. By meaningful, we mean rules that will ensure that only patients who need marijuana for medical reasons receive it and that limits in the act on cultivation, possession and distribution are strictly enforced.

The Washington Afro American, 20 Jan 2012 - The D.C. Council has approved emergency legislation that would limit the number of medical marijuana cultivation centers to six to be located in any of the city's eight wards, The Washington Post reported Jan. 17. The council had been under pressure from residents in Ward 5, in the city's northeast quadrant, amid concerns that the ward would be overwhelmed by large, indoor pot-growing operations.

The Calgary Sun, 20 Jan 2012 - Several residents in a southwest community are not surprised to see a home where marijuana was being legally grown shuttered after being deemed unfit for human habitation. Despite it being an address Health Canada had licenced to produce medicinal marijuana, many neighbours of the Windsor Park home say they long suspected what was going on behind closed doors and are happy to see officials put an end the operation.

Coast Reporter, 20 Jan 2012 - Medical Marijuana Meeting Growers of medicinal marijuana for personal use don't want to be restricted to an industrial or agricultural area to grow because they can't afford it. That was the assertion from home growers who attended the District of Sechelt's medical marijuana zone consultation meeting Jan. 17.