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Marijuana news from around the world

Lady Gaga

Medical Marijuana Industry News September 28, 2012

chris brown

Probation Workers Find That Chris Brown Tests Positive for Marijuana…

It has been an eventful few weeks in terms of marijuana developments in regards to celebrity.  Lady Gaga publically smoked a joint onstage in Amsterdam and Fionna Apple was arrested in Texas for marijuana and hashish possession.  Enter Chris Brown.  The controversial star is again in the news.  Because of his conviction in 2009 for assaulting then girlfriend, Rihanna, Chris Brown was placed on probation for 5 years.  Mr. Brown failed a drug test in June while performing community service in Virginia.  However, the plot thickens a bit because he is medical marijuana card holder.  Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Patricia Schnegg, said that mandatory drug tests were not a part of Chris Brown’s sentence.  The judge scolded him and said “You are not an ordinary person who can sit in your living room and do whatever you want to do.  More importantly, a lot of people look up to you, a lot of kids. What you do and what you say impacts a lot of people.”  It appears this may just be grandstanding by authorities as Brown has not officially done anything that is in direct violation of his probation.

 

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Momentum Building in New York State For Marijuana Reform…

Several months ago New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he was seeking to change the controversial “Stop and Frisk” tactics used primarily by NYPD officers.  Now it appears there is a growing call to institute a medical marijuana program.  New York’s closet neighbors, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Vermont now have all either passed or started medical marijuana programs.  Additionally, at a recent forum in Syracuse, many speakers came out in support of marijuana for MS patients.  The forum received considerable media coverage and could be important to changing minds of upstate New York politicians.  New York City and Long Island residents support medical marijuana with upstate residents and lawmakers a bit more on the fence.  Even though the overall population of New York supports marijuana (61%), many upstate politicians work for residents in rural areas that are divided on the issue.  The result contributes to Albany’s epic reputation for stalemate politics.  The momentum appears to be changing and New York should be joining the growing list of states with medical marijuana within a few years.

 

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Arkansas Upholds Ruling for Medical Marijuana To Appear on Ballot…

Medical marijuana has typically been a coastal and Midwest conversation.  However, in a testament to compassion, economics, and widespread communication, Arkansas now may become the first state to legalize medical marijuana.  The ballot initiative has been successful due in large part to the efforts of Arkansas for Compassionate Care. The group contributed significantly to gathering enough signatures to get the issue to the ballots.  This seemed to have been decided months ago, however, a group named Coalition to Preserve Arkansas Values filed a lawsuit to remove the issue from the ballot on the basis that it mislead voters.  The Arkansas Supreme Court disagreed and ruled that “We hold that it is an adequate and fair representation without misleading tendencies or partisan coloring.  Therefore, the act is proper for inclusion on the ballot at the general election on Nov. 6, 2012, and the petition is therefore denied.”  Even if voters pass the measure, there will probably be resistance from the Governor who has previously stated his opposition to the bill.  However, as Arizona Jan Brewer has found, it may be a slippery slope to challenge the will of voters.

 

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Medical Marijuana Industry News September 21, 2012

lab research

New Evidence Showing Marijuana Fighting Cancer Emerges…

Marijuana.net has been providing updates on studies that highlight marijuana’s potential provide medical relief.  Many of these studies show pain relief, while others have demonstrated that cannabis may hold the ability to actually fight cancer.  Several years ago, there was a government study released showing this.  More recently, Rick Simpson’s California Tears Hemp Oil has received praise from many who have used it to help fight their own cancer.  Only months ago, Tommy Chong announced he would be seeking similar treatment.  Although many of these breakthroughs have not received the deserved attention, it appears a new study is gaining a little more visibility.  Huffington Post is reporting that two researchers from California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco identified a compound in marijuana that can stop the metastasis of many aggressive forms of cancer.  One of the researchers leading the study, Pierre Desprez, described the findings by saying “It took us about 20 years of research to figure this out, but we are very excited.”  The findings seem to revolve around cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid that has received a great deal of attention as of late.  This is also the cannabinoid found in the newly created Israeli marijuana that produces pain relief with no psychedelic effects.  Desprez has been studying the ID1 gene, which causes cancer to spread.  With the help of another scientist, Sean McAllister, who has studied CBD in depth, the two were able to determine that CBD can stop the spreading of cancer.  Desprez also said “What we found was that his Cannabidiol could essentially ‘turn off’ the ID-1… “We likely would not have found this on our own, That’s why collaboration is so essential to scientific discovery.”  Scientific collaboration on the issue can be difficult as experimenting with marijuana is often not allowed under current U.S. law.

 

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Fiona Apple Arrested for Marijuana Possession…

This week has been an eventful one in terms of musicians and marijuana.  Earlier this week we reported that Lady Gaga smoked a joint on stage during a performance in Amsterdam and praised the benefits of marijuana.  Now we have learned that longtime musician, Fiona Apple, has now been linked to marijuana.  However Fiona Apple was arrested at a border stop in Sierra Blanca Texas due to marijuana and hashish possession.  While the marijuana charge is a misdemeanor, possessing any amount hashish is considered a felony in Texas The singer has been on tour for her fourth studio album “The Idler Wheel”.  This particular border checkpoint in Sierra Blanca has also been a problem for other entertainers as Willie Nelson and Snoop Dog have also been caught with marijuana there.  It is unclear how severe her charges will be.

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Boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Tests Positive for Marijuana

Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. comes from a family of boxers with a rich history.  His father, Julio Cesar Chávez is often mentioned as the best fighter to ever come out of Mexico.  Chavez Jr.’s brother is also a professional boxer.  Chavez junior was a champion in his own right and only lost his WBC championship belt to Sergio Martinez only days ago, a title he held since June of 2011.  Unfortunately for Chavez Jr. he may be at risk to lose more as he recently tested positive for marijuana.  Because his previous fight was in Las Vegas, Chavez Jr. will face a review from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.  Chavez Jr. has prior issues such as a DWI so it is unclear how the commission will rule.  In theory they could revoke his license to fight or make him forfeit the entire $3 million purse from the Martinez fight.  Chavez Jr.’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, tried to calm the situation down.  He said “I can’t really get excited about it. There’s no promoter in boxing who could pass the marijuana test, including myself.  “Julio is going to have to explain to the commission what happened and the commission will be guided accordingly. If there was a trace of marijuana, to me, it’s not the same as using a performance-enhancing drug. That is cheating.”  The issue of treating marijuana as a performance enhancer has come under fire especially as recent Olympians were banned from the games solely based on testing positive for marijuana.

 

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Lady Gaga Adds Marijuana To Her List of Causes

lady gaga

It may be easy to mock high profile entertainers and actors when they decide to take a public stand.  Sometimes stars have been known to get themselves in over their heads when engaging on social issues.  The most recent case and point may be Clint Eastwood’s debate with a chair that should have been a far easier conversation for “Dirty Harry” to win.  However, there are times where stars use their notoriety push issues forward.

Marijuana has caused many famous individuals to come out of the shadows.  It appears Lady Gaga will be joining this group.  The famous pop star has traveled the world performing songs such as “Born This Way” and come across many different cultures.  She seemed to be embracing Amsterdam’s culture in a recent tour stop.  She was handed a joint on stage and lit up saying “I want you to know it has totally changed my life and I’ve really cut down on drinking.  “It has been a totally spiritual experience for me with my music.”

Lady Gaga has an extremely loyal and engaged fan base worldwide.  This is not to say fans will start smoking marijuana around the world but many may be encouraged to get the real facts on marijuana.  Additionally Lady Gaga has a history of caring about social causes.  In order to protest the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy (President Obama has ended the controversial policy) Lady Gaga donned the now famous “meat dress” at the 2010 MTV Music Awards.  She has also donated large sums of money to many charities has also created The Born This Way Foundation, which according to the foundation website, was designed “to foster a more accepting society, where differences are embraced and individuality is celebrated. The Foundation is dedicated to creating a safe community that helps connect young people with the skills and opportunities they need to build a kinder, braver world.”

This is not to say that Lady Gaga or any entertainer can bring about marijuana reform alone.  However, the chorus of those who support reform is growing louder.  The issue has built up momentum and supporting marijuana in public is no longer a scarlet letter.  Normally we see a wedge between entertainers and the working class, however, as marijuana gains acceptance we may bear witness to one of the few times where the two are aligned.

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Lady Gaga Adds Marijuana To Her List of Causes

lady gaga

It may be easy to mock high profile entertainers and actors when they decide to take a public stand.  Sometimes stars have been known to get themselves in over their heads when engaging on social issues.  The most recent case and point may be Clint Eastwood’s debate with a chair that should have been a far easier conversation for “Dirty Harry” to win.  However, there are times where stars use their notoriety push issues forward.

Marijuana has caused many famous individuals to come out of the shadows.  It appears Lady Gaga will be joining this group.  The famous pop star has traveled the world performing songs such as “Born This Way” and come across many different cultures.  She seemed to be embracing Amsterdam’s culture in a recent tour stop.  She was handed a joint on stage and lit up saying “I want you to know it has totally changed my life and I’ve really cut down on drinking.  “It has been a totally spiritual experience for me with my music.”

Lady Gaga has an extremely loyal and engaged fan base worldwide.  This is not to say fans will start smoking marijuana around the world but many may be encouraged to get the real facts on marijuana.  Additionally Lady Gaga has a history of caring about social causes.  In order to protest the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy (President Obama has ended the controversial policy) Lady Gaga donned the now famous “meat dress” at the 2010 MTV Music Awards.  She has also donated large sums of money to many charities has also created The Born This Way Foundation, which according to the foundation website, was designed “to foster a more accepting society, where differences are embraced and individuality is celebrated. The Foundation is dedicated to creating a safe community that helps connect young people with the skills and opportunities they need to build a kinder, braver world.”

This is not to say that Lady Gaga or any entertainer can bring about marijuana reform alone.  However, the chorus of those who support reform is growing louder.  The issue has built up momentum and supporting marijuana in public is no longer a scarlet letter.  Normally we see a wedge between entertainers and the working class, however, as marijuana gains acceptance we may bear witness to one of the few times where the two are aligned.

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