More than 100 applicants filed requests Thursday for a license to operate a medical marijuana dispensary in Massachusetts, but nearly two-thirds may ultimately be turned away. Under the state law approved by voters last November, the state may license up to 35 dispensaries this year. "We're glad that it was a highly competitive process," said Cheryl Bartlett, commissioner of the Department of Public Health. "It will ensure patients access to the medical use of marijuana in the Commonwealth." Bartlett said the department plans to choose the dispensaries before the end of the year after a careful review, and it could take several more months before the facilities begin operating. [continues 430 words]
The Massachusetts Medical Society, which steadfastly opposed the medical marijuana ballot question approved by voters in November, called on Friday for large-scale research of the drug's potential medical uses to ensure it is tested in the same rigorous way as prescription drugs. At the same time, the organization representing the state's doctors said it has dropped a push to change federal regulations and remove marijuana from a list of the most dangerous drugs - a classification that some scientists cite as an obstacle to the research. [continues 488 words]
The Foxborough woman could tell that her son had been using again. On that November day in 2011, he was hyper and overly affectionate. "Dear mother," he called her. She knew that he was at risk of an overdose. The weeks the 21-year-old had gone without heroin, as the family worked to get him into a treatment program, weakened his tolerance for the drug. When she awoke that night to screams, she was ready, as ready as she could be. [continues 1268 words]
The committee opposing a state ballot measure that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana submitted a web address for the state voters' guide created by the Secretary of State without registering it. Now that address is home to a spoof site declaring medical marijuana a gateway to "Twinkie addiction." "It's funny and upsetting, I guess, at the same time," said Kevin Sabet of Cambridge, a former Obama administration advisor on drug policy and a spokesman for the No on Question 3 committee. [continues 292 words]
The New Jersey Senate voted Monday to give state health officials 30 days to come up with a new plan for implementing the state's medical-marijuana program. Senators, in effect, rejected a compromise offered earlier this month by Gov. Christie, who continues to support rules more strict than the Legislature wanted. Sen. Nick Scutari (D., Union), a sponsor of the resolution, said he hoped to meet with Christie's senior advisers to "get to the point where we can allow a functional marketplace so people that want to be in this business and people that desperately need this medicine can get together in a way that's legal and viable." [continues 424 words]
Medical-marijuana Backers Call N.J.'s Draft Regulations Too Strict. The State Says It Just Wants To Be Careful. The wait for access to medical marijuana has been excruciating for Jennifer Lande. Long-untreated Lyme disease paired with genetic complications cause Lande chronic pain. Her muscles are wasting, and her digestive system doesn't work properly. On good days, the 28-year-old Medford woman, who once enjoyed camping and hiking, walks with a cane. On bad days, she's bedridden. Marijuana, she said, could ease the suffering and slow her weight loss. [continues 1211 words]
