Regardless of discussion of recreational or adult use marijuana coming soon, it is a relief to see companies like Columbia Care staying focused on the availability and research of medical marijuana. Columbia Care now has multiple locations in New York, Massachusetts, Arizona and Washington DC. Nick Vita, the CEO of Columbia Care was interviewed last week regarding the company’s new Rochester, New York dispensary.

CEO Nicholas Vita said he expects a reasonable ramp-up for patients.

The clusters of chairs and small tables in the waiting area bring to mind a hotel lobby. The counters and islands in the pharmacy make the well-lit, airy space look more like the interior of a high-end jewelry store than a place to buy medication.

Unlike other areas where it took days or weeks for patients to arrive, Columbia Care of New York officials said patients arrived at its medical marijuana dispensary at Eastman Business Park within hours of Thursday’s opening.

The company did not release a figure, but the turnout bested opening days in other locations.

“Just to give you a little background, we managed the first dispensary that opened in Washington, D.C.,” Columbia Care chief executive officer Nicholas Vita said Thursday morning. “We were open for a month before we saw our first patient. That’s not unexpected.”

The Rochester dispensary, the third of Columbia Care’s four in the state, officially opened in Building 28, (Theatre on the Ridge) by appointment only on Thursday afternoon. The pharmacy is accessible only to patients who are registered with the state, and patients will be accompanied by a staff person once they are in the dispensing area.

Columbia Care also operates in Arizona and Massachusetts. Vita addressed the political climate in New York surrounding medical marijuana , the potential for research and the cautious approach of the area’s medical establishment and other topics before the pharmacy opened, which was three weeks after the state launched the medical marijuana program.

 Dr. Len Vilensky, who runs Vilensky Upstate Medicine, a private practice in Pittsford, is debating whether to stay listed on marijuanadoctors.com.

In the first few days his name was on the site, he said his office received about a dozen calls.

“You cannot be too cautious,” said Vilensky, who is aware that some patients may shop around for a doctor to certify that they qualify. “We need proof of every diagnosis.”

Vilensky, who has practiced pain management for about 10 years, said he plans to discuss medical marijuana with the 30 percent to 40 percent of his existing patients could qualify for the treatment.

Asked about the seeming secrecy surrounding the program, Vita said, “When you’re looking at a traditional industry, that may be a reasonable conclusion. But the reality is this is a brand new program, it is a brand new product, it’s a different area of health care than anyone has seen in New York state before.”

Vita said there still is a stigma that medical marijuana is a “gateway to a recreational program and that’s just not the case. Everything we do is designed around the idea that we are treating patients as part of health care solution.”

Now that the dispensary is open, Columbia Care’s next goal is to finalize a research partnership with URMC that focuses on how effective marijuana is at helping patients.

Read the full article and see video of the interview with Nick from the Source: Rochester’s medical marijuana dispensary, Columbia Care, opens at Eastman Business Park, Democrat and Chronicle. 1/28/16

Floridians will decide this November whether to allow medical marijuana in the state.

On Wednesday, a constitutional amendment to legalize the drug gained enough signed petitions to qualify for the ballot next November. If passed, the amendment would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for people with “debilitating conditions” such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy or multiple sclerosis.

“This November, Florida will pass this law and hundreds of thousands of sick and suffering people will see relief,” Orlando lawyer John Morgan said in a written statement. “What Tallahassee politicians refused to do, the people will do together in this election.”

Legalizing medical marijuana has been a contentious issue for years in Florida politics as 23 states and Washington, D.C., have approved the drug for medical use and voters in four have legalized it for recreation.

A similar amendment gained the support of 58 percent of voters in 2014, falling just shy of the required 60 percent threshold to amend the state constitution.

 

Read more from the Source: Medical marijuana will be on Florida’s ballot in November | Miami Herald

Instagram users who post pictures of themselves smoking marijuana could unknowingly be getting themselves into a lot of trouble.

As marijuana laws get looser around the country, the trend is becoming more and more prevalent. And though Instagram guidelines prohibits people from posting “unlawful” photos and other content, users are posting the pictures fast than the site can take them down. “Even though 23 states have legalized medical marijuana and four states have legalized recreational marijuana, marijuana remains illegal federally,” said former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Patricia D’Orsa-Dijamco to Fox News.

A man smokes marijuana.Photograph by — Sean Gallup Getty Images

A six-digit fine and jail time, to be exact

Instagram users who post pictures of themselves smoking marijuana could unknowingly be getting themselves into a lot of trouble.

As marijuana laws get looser around the country, the trend is becoming more and more prevalent. And though Instagram guidelines prohibits people from posting “unlawful” photos and other content, users are posting the pictures fast than the site can take them down. “Even though 23 states have legalized medical marijuana and four states have legalized recreational marijuana, marijuana remains illegal federally,” said former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Patricia D’Orsa-Dijamco to Fox News.

Though the consequences could be different depending where you are, social media strategist Shannon Self told Fox that in states with harsh laws against marijuana, “a photograph of someone smoking weed documents a possession felony.” In Arizona, for example, that alone could cost you a $150,000 fine and an 18-month jail sentence.

Read more from the Source: Marijuana Photos on Instagram Could Cost You Big – Fortune

California marijuana growers face new crop of local bans – Hawaii News Now – KGMB and KHNL

Medical Marijuana legalization is spreading throughout the country. As additional medical research is completed and data on usage is collected, additional conditions are being added to the list of qualifying conditions.

“A bill introduced Thursday in the New Hampshire state assembly seeks to add post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of ailments eligible for medical marijuana treatment, which was legalized in 2013 but remains hard to obtain in the Granite state.

The proposed legislation comes as New Hampshire grapples with an opioid and heroin addiction and overdose crisis.

Medical marijuana advocates argue that better access to cannabis would offer an alternative means of pain relief to people now using painkillers or heroin. In 2015 the state’s medical examiner attributed 385 deaths to opiates, almost double the 192 fatalities in 2013, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.

Also, adding PTSD to the list of illnesses approved for cannabis treatment could provide another option to people who’ve found no relief with standard anti-anxiety or antidepressant medication, advocates say.

A University of New Hampshire poll last year found strong backing for the legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana, with support levels growing each year.”

Read more from this Source: PTSD Latest Battleground for Medical Pot | Al Jazeera America

Just as it is important for us o continue medical research, it is important for marijuana businesses to be collecting information, not just from seed to sale, but from seed to use.

To discuss strategies for collecting additional data on patients, contact us.

Medical Marijuana Establishment licenses are currently being reviewed by the Maryland Medical Marijuana Commission.

The Commission anticipates medical cannabis could become available to patients in Maryland in the second half of 2016. Awardees will have 1 year to complete all license requirements including a request for final inspection by the commission.

Meanwhile this week, Md. Lawmakers Override Veto of Marijuana Paraphernalia Decriminalization. A Press Release by the Medical Marijuana Policy Project also reports a recent poll indicating 53% of Maryland voters support regulating marijuana like alcohol. 

This is sure to be a busy year for Marijuana Businesses in Maryland developing seed to sale practices.

Arizona’s nearly 88,000 medical marijuana patients smoke, ate or otherwise consumed more than 19 tons of the drug last year. An estimated $184 million was spent on the drug legally. This is just the beginning of the medical marijuana consumed in Arizona.

The disclosures come as the Marijuana Policy Project, which successfully got voters to enact the medical marijuana law in 2010, is now trying to open the door for legal recreational use.

It also comes as several legislators are trying to curb the ability of some patients to obtain the drug as well as who can write the legally necessary recommendations.

 That 2010 law allows those with certain specified medical conditions and a doctor’s recommendation to obtain up to 2½ ounces of marijuana every two weeks. Those conditions include glaucoma, seizures, nausea as well as Alzheimer’s disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The 2015 sales numbers are nearly double what was purchased in 2014.

Health Department figures also show the vast majority of what was purchased was in whole marijuana form, meaning leaves and flowers that could be smoked or made into tea. Less than 10 percent of the sales were edibles, including candy bars and drinks.

Source: 19 tons of medical marijuana consumed in Arizona last year

By the end of the year, Oregon’s cannabis industry will look a lot different from what we currently have.

Although the state is accepting business license applications, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission — which will oversee the state’s recreational marijuana business solely starting in January 2017 — doesn’t plan to approve any of the retail store applications until at least the fourth quarter of 2016.

After getting the growers licensed, Oregon plans to license laboratories, processors, wholesalers, and — lastly — retailers.

Until retail marijuana stores do open, licensed medical marijuana stores in Oregon can continue to sell recreational marijuana products — but only until Dec. 31. On Jan. 1, 2017, medical stores will no longer be able to conduct recreational sales.

Recreational stores will be able to sell the same types of products currently sold at medical marijuana dispensaries when the former begin opening later this year.

And even though the recreational stores can technically sell products like edibles, creating labeling standards could delay those products from Oregon’s retail shelves until sometime in 2017.

Read the full story from the source: Big Changes Come To Oregon’s Marijuana Industry In 2016 . News | OPB

Limiting legalization, even for medicinal use, to cannabidiol (CBD) only is extremely limiting to patients who benefit from the multiple medical effects of TCH and other cannabinoids.

Senate Bill 73, from Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Saratoga Springs, directs the Utah Dept. of Agriculture to license and regulate cannabis cultivation and processing facilities. It would also direct the Utah Dept. of Health to give out medical marijuana cards to patients who meet a list of qualifying ailments (including cancer, AIDS, epilepsy, PTSD, chronic pain and, if a physician determines someone would be “at risk of becoming chemically dependent on, or overdosing on, opiate-based pain medication”).

The bill is backed by advocates who claim it allows for “whole plant” usage, including marijuana with THC, but Madsen has said in the past smoking marijuana would be illegal. It would only allow medicinal cannabis to be used in forms like oils and gummies. A competing bill by Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, and Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, would have similar regulations on distribution but only allow cannabidiol.

Read the rest of the story from the Source: ‘Whole plant’ medical marijuana bill unveiled in the Utah State Legislature | fox13now.com

“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” –Alexander the Great

Read: The 12 Most Important Things I’ve Learned About Leadership