Chronicle Herald, 30 Aug 2010 - Research Took Almost 10 Years to Complete Smoking pot can make some of the pain go away, without the patient getting high. The finding comes from what researchers in Montreal believe to be the first outpatient clinical trial of smoked cannabis, involving 21 people with chronic neuropathic pain.

Toronto Star, 30 Aug 2010 - Smoking pot can make some of the pain go away, without the patient getting high. The finding comes from what researchers in Montreal believe to be the first outpatient clinical trial of smoked cannabis, involving 21 people with chronic neuropathic pain.

Montreal Gazette, 30 Aug 2010 - Medical marijuana study by McGill University is the first of its kind to prove the pain-relieving benefits of cannabis Chris's pain relief lies in half a cookie made with marijuana, eaten every two hours, plus one or two puffs off a joint on the hour and the occasional pot lollipop.

Daily Breeze, 29 Aug 2010 - If there was ever an industry that cried out for more regulation, more oversight, more legitimacy, it's California's medical marijuana industry. Yes, we're calling it an industry. While those who proffer and use medicinal pot may call themselves caregivers and patients, and they may present their dispensaries as co-ops and collectives, the reality is that medical marijuana has become a business. People pay a doctor to get a "recommendation" to legally use pot. They pay a dispensary for the weed.

The Daily Inter Lake, 29 Aug 2010 - The wheels are in motion for changes to Montana's dubious medical marijuana industry (or should we say racket?), and changes are definitely in order. A legislative committee has approved a series of measures that would make it more difficult to get a medical marijuana card, set more stringent conditions for those who grow and sell medical marijuana, and make it easier for the state to track and regulate the industry.

Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 29 Aug 2010 - It took a few headlines around the state about how local communities were coping with the explosion in the use and sale of medical marijuana, but some Montana lawmakers are finally getting serious about regulating this burgeoning industry at the state level. On Tuesday, a legislative committee in Helena voted to OK proposed medical marijuana regulations that will be sent to the Legislature in January.

The Durango Herald, 29 Aug 2010 - In 2000, the voters of Colorado passed Amendment 20 in a supposed effort to make marijuana available to people suffering from serious pain or terminal illness. Then, after the 2008 election, the Obama administration said that it would not bring federal marijuana charges in situations where medical marijuana is legal under state law. The functional result has been a widespread proliferation of private and commercial marijuana growing operations and dispensaries - often in unprecedented densities equaling or exceeding those of coffee shops and liquor stores.

The Desert Sun, 29 Aug 2010 - With more than $300 million spent annually arresting more than 60,000 Californians, the majority of them young, black and brown, the California Medical Association accurately labels marijuana criminalization "a failed public health policy." Proposition 19 allows police to concentrate on real crimes, unclogs courts and reduces prison overcrowding. The California Board of Equalization estimates legalization will raise $1.4 billion for schools, health programs and essential government services.

Santa Cruz Sentinel, 29 Aug 2010 - Californians have a chance to make history in November when they vote on Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana for adults over 21. Polls collectively show voters split but leaning toward this momentous stand against failed marijuana prohibition. Ten weeks from Election Day, it's clear how much Prop. 19 has already accomplished for the drug policy reform movement. Prop. 19 is arguably the highest profile voter initiative in the nation and has unleashed a torrent of global interest. The initiative has generated thousands of international stories, explicitly discussing this alternative to our disastrous policies. In particular, Prop. 19 has radically accelerated the public's understanding of the relative harms of marijuana, tobacco and alcohol, validating the widespread suspicion that a fundamental hypocrisy lies at the heart of the outright ban on marijuana -- as evidenced by the endorsement of former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders.

The Orange County Register, 29 Aug 2010 - ANAHEIM - They came to learn about marijuana laws, how to start a medical dispensary business, what they could do to change the stigma of the drug. Inside a cavernous hall at the Anaheim Convention Center, more than 1,000 people gathered Saturday for Orange County's first medical marijuana convention, an all-day event called the Know Your Rights Expo.

Flint Journal, 29 Aug 2010 - GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan - Local governments across the county are playing catch up as the demand to bring medical marijuana businesses here grows. These establishments - from dispensaries to patient and caregiver clubs to medical marijuana schools - could either pump thousands into the local economy or draw crime and lawsuits, depending who you ask.

Sacramento Bee, 29 Aug 2010 - After a Rancho Cordova woman complained last year about the skunky smell of pot being grown by a medical marijuana-using neighbor, one City Council member suggested a ban on residential pot cultivation. That proposal went nowhere. But now Rancho Cordova is asking voters to make the city the first in California to approve a tax on home-grown pot for personal use.

The Bay City Times, 29 Aug 2010 - CARO - A state Court of Appeals has published an earlier opinion reinstating charges against a Tuscola County man accused of manufacturing marijuana. The published opinion now sets a precedent that is likely to affect cases involving the Medical Marihuana Act across the state.

Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug 2010 - It Seeks to Shut Those Whose Management Has Changed for Any Reason Since 2007 When the Los Angeles City Council adopted its medical marijuana ordinance, it aimed to rout unscrupulous dispensary operators whose unruly customers irritated residents and operators who opened up willy-nilly across the city, ignoring a ban on new stores.

Daily Camera, 29 Aug 2010 - Five years ago, I took a chance and relocated to Boulder from another state in hopes of providing a better living environment for my children and me. As a single mother, I wanted the best for my children in education, a small town environment, a sense of community, exposure to cultural arts and a fresh start all of which I had hoped Boulder provided. The public schools and associated sporting activities here in Boulder did not let me down and we are grateful for the education and friends we've made along the way. I've successfully seen one son through an area high school and am now faced with an unprecedented and unforeseen reality that is forcing me to consider leaving Boulder in order to best preserve the innocence of my middle-school son and give him the best opportunity for a productive and giving future.

Marin Independent Journal, 28 Aug 2010 - Fairfax, the first city in California to allow a medical marijuana dispensary, is considering a six-month moratorium on such shops amid a slew of requests to open more. Fairfax is already home to the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana, the oldest legally-sanctioned marijuana distribution center, which opened in 1997. Yet town officials say they want to wait on any new facilities until after the Nov. 2 election. That's when voters will consider Proposition 19, a ballot measure that would legalize marijuana for recreational use throughout California.

The Gazette, 28 Aug 2010 - Maketa Says Pot Moratorium Would Do Harm Monument Police Chief Jacob Shirk is a respectable, qualified lawman and a person of integrity. He would have made a good sheriff. But he didn't stand a chance in his recent primary race against Sheriff Terry Maketa.

Detroit Free Press, 28 Aug 2010 - Almost 2 Dozen Being Arraigned in Oakland County Felony drug and conspiracy charges were brought Friday against nearly two dozen people involved in raids of three medical-marijuana dispensaries this week in Ferndale and Waterford Township.

Montana Standard, 28 Aug 2010 - The number of those licensed in Butte-Silver Bow to operate as medical marijuana caregivers jumped this week in response to a proposed moratorium on the businesses. Planning officials said eight new licenses were issued Wednesday in the hours before council voted down the proposed moratorium.

Belgrade News, 28 Aug 2010 - It took a few headlines around the state about how local communities were coping with the explosion in the use and sale of medical marijuana, but some Montana lawmakers are finally getting serious about regulating this burgeoning industry at the state level. On Tuesday, a legislative committee in Helena voted to OK proposed medical marijuana regulations that will be sent to the Legislature in January.