Global Ganja Report

Months after Iowa's pharmacy board recommended the state approve a medical marijuana law, progress is stymied as a legislative leader and a board official each say the other needs to act.

US biotech firm Cannabis Science, Inc.  reports that Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer visited its latest acquisition, Montana Pain Management in Missoula, June 17. Governor Schweitzer reportedly praised the project; "You are doing it right."

Territorial Sen. Rory Respicio June 16 revised and reintroduced his bill that would allow for the medicinal use of marijuana on Guam. Among changes to the Compassionate Health Care Act, now Bill 423, language was added to state that doctors cannot write prescriptions for cannabis, but can recommend its use and certify that recommendation.

Oregon on June 16 became the latest state and the first in many years to officially reclassify cannabis from its status as a dangerous drug with no medical value. The Oregon Board of Pharmacy (BoP) voted 4-1 to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule II. The Oregon BoP decision comes after many months of deliberation and input from the public.

The California State Assembly Committee on Health voted 10-3 on June 15 to pass a resolution urging the federal government to end medical marijuana raids and to "create a comprehensive federal medical marijuana policy that ensures safe and legal access to any patient that would benefit from it."

In an interview with SFGate.com's Zennie62 blog June 4, Oakland City Attorney John Russo became the first elected official to openly support cannabis legalization, which will be on the November ballot in California. Why does he support legalization? "Well, first, number one I think marijuana prohibition has been a demonstrated failure at this point, no different than alcohol prohibition in the 1920s." Russo says it's also "cooler" for the young to use marijuana and that's it's time for us to get out of "this collective denial" of the situation.

Mexican navy officials June 9 confirmed the arrest of a Brownsville man near Matamoros who is accused of guarding a stash house with approximately 550 pounds of marijuana.

Humboldt County's Civil Liberties Monitoring Project will host a forum June 19 in Garberville, entitled "Cannabis Health and Safety: The Chemistry, the Economics and the Politics," featuring experts from California and Montana who have taken a "transparent" business approach to cultivating and dispensing marijuana. The Garberville Veterans Association is co-sponsoring this presentation, which will start 7 PM at Veterans Hall.