Category: Marijuana

Marijuana

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Lawmakers Call For Veterans Affairs Research Into Medical Marijuana

Veterans Affairs & Medical Marijuana

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Tim Walz (D-MN) and the nine other Democratic members of the committee sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Dr. David Shulkin urging the Veterans Health Administration Office of Research and Development to begin conducting and examining research into medical marijuana’s effects on veterans suffering from chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The letter notes that 13 percent of veterans prescribed opioids have formed an addiction to the drug.  As a response to the opioid epidemic, Congress passed The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) which directed VHA to continue its efforts to reduce VHA reliance on opioid medication for pain management.  The letter discussed concerns regarding veterans’ lack of access to alternatives to opioid-based treatments such as complementary and alternative medicine including medical marijuana and its cannabinoids.

“VA is uniquely situated to pursue research on the impact of medical marijuana on veterans suffering from chronic pain and PTSD…” reads the letter.  “VA’s pursuit of research into the impact of medical marijuana on the treatment of veterans diagnosed with PTSD who are also experiencing chronic pain is integral to the advancement of health care for veterans and the Nation.”

Read the full letter – Veterans Affairs Research Into Medical Marijuana.

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California Draft Medical Cannabis Regulations Withdrawn

Bureau Cannabis Control

California’s three cannabis licensing authorities have announced the official withdrawal of the draft medical cannabis regulations and will develop emergency regulations based on new laws passed this year.

The California Department of Consumer Affairs’ Bureau of Cannabis Control, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Department of Public Health released draft regulations for the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act of 2015 (MCRSA).  These licensing authorities held several public hearings to accept verbal and written comments regarding the draft regulations.   The licensing authorities had planned to move forward with a separate draft regulatory package for the implementation of California Proposition 64: The Adult Use of Marijuana Act of 2016 (AUMA).  However, in late June, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed into law the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA, also known as Senate Bill 94), which created one regulatory system for both medicinal and adult-use cannabis.  (Read more about state cannabis law at California Cannabis Law.)  As a result, the licensing authorities will withdraw the proposed medical cannabis regulations noticed for public comment on April 28, 2017, and May 5, 2017.

The three cannabis licensing authorities are in the process of drafting emergency regulations based on the new law for the commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis industries.  The licensing authorities will consider the public comments received on the draft medical cannabis regulations and use the feedback to inform the draft emergency regulations.  The emergency regulations are expected to be published in November 2017.