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.

Daily Messenger, 22 Jan 2012 - Teen marijuana use is a trend that appears to be spreading across the country, and according to Ontario County Undersheriff David Tillman, is also taking hold locally. According to a national survey conducted by the University of Michigan for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one in every 15 high school seniors reported smoking marijuana on a daily or near-daily basis, the highest rate since 1981. And locally, studies by Evalumetrics Research of Ontario County schools have shown a "slight increase in marijuana use among kids," says consultant Rob Lillis.

The National, 22 Jan 2012 - ABU DHABI // A young man sentenced to life in prison for drug dealing has had his sentence reduced to three years. F, a Jordanian, tried to sell Dh1,000 worth of hashish to an undercover officer. F, who was 17 when arrested, confessed to the charges.

Albany Democrat-Herald, 22 Jan 2012 - A Dozen Years After Fleeing the Valley, Bill Conde Remains As Pro-Hemp As Ever Editor's note: Today is the first installment in a monthly series that revisits and updates stories we reported on as the 21st century began a dozen years ago.

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.

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 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.

Winnipeg Free Press, 20 Jan 2012 - OTTAWA - If Liberals are serious about presenting voters with a credible plan to legalize and regulate cannabis in the next federal election, they have a lot of work to do. Even some of the most passionate advocates of an end to pot prohibition acknowledge that legalization is a much more complicated public policy than the "just say no" criminalization model that critics say is such an abject failure.

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.

Toronto Star, 20 Jan 2012 - A former pot dealer who claims he was savagely beaten by Toronto drug squad officers 14 years ago admits he once formally agreed that he started the incident by attacking an officer. But Christopher Quigley, 46, denied at a police corruption trial Friday that everything he admitted to when he pleaded guilty to marijuana possession 14 years ago was true.