#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConnection Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Tue, 23 Aug 2016 04:20:21 PST
DEA Report: Fewer Marijuana Seizures In 2015
Washington, DC: Seizures of indoor and outdoor cannabis crops by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) fell slightly in 2015, according to annual data compiled by the federal anti-drug agency.
According to the DEA's Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Statistical Report, agents confiscated 4.25 million marijuana plants nationwide in 2015. That total is less than the total reported by the agency for the year 2014 (4.3 million) and continues the ongoing decline in eradication totals since 2010, when the agency reported eliminating some 10.3 million plants.
As in past years, the DEA's eradication efforts primarily targeted California. Of the total number of plants confiscated nationwide by the DEA in 2015, 62 percent (2.64 million) were seized in California. By contrast, DEA agents seized fewer than 150 total plants in three states (Delaware, New Hampshire, and New Jersey) and reported zero seizures in Utah.
Only about seven percent of all of the marijuana plants seized by the DEA in 2015 were confiscated from indoor grows.
The DEA reported making some 6,300 arrests in conjunction with their cannabis eradication efforts - a total that mirrors 2014 figures. By contrast, the agency reported making nearly 10,000 marijuana arrests in 2010 and 8,500 arrests in 2011.
The agency also reported seizing nearly $30 million in related assets during their confiscation operations.
Study: Marijuana Use Not Associated With Adverse Outcomes In Transplant Patients
Baltimore, MD: A history of marijuana use is not contraindicated in kidney transplantation, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Clinical Transplantation.
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine evaluated the association between marijuana use and treatment outcomes in 1,225 kidney recipients from 2008 to 2013. Compared to non-users, those patients who tested positive for cannabis experienced no greater risk of adverse outcomes after one year.
"[R]ecreational marijuana use should not be considered a contraindication to kidney transplantation," authors concluded. "[R]ecreational marijuana use should be systematically evaluated in a larger setting before a decision is made on what, if any, degree of use or abuse should be considered a relative or absolute contraindication, or whether use or abuse should be considered a contraindication."
Hospitals routinely disqualify patients with a history of marijuana use from being eligible for organ transplants, even in jurisdictions that permit its medicinal use under state law. Last year, California lawmakers approved legislation, Assembly Bill 258, explicitly making such patients eligible for receiving transplants.
A prior evaluation of liver transplant candidates reported that marijuana use possessed no adverse effects on mortality outcome. A 2015 clinical trial reported that CBD administration was effective at mitigating certain potential adverse effects of stem cell transplantation.
Full text of the study, "Recreational marijuana use is not associated with worse outcomes after renal transplantation," appears in Clinical Transplantation.
North Dakota: Medical Marijuana Measure Certified For November Ballot
Bismarck, ND: Voters will decide this November on a statewide ballot measure to regulate the use and dispensing of cannabis for therapeutic purposes.
The Secretary of State's office has confirmed that initiative proponents, North Dakota Compassionate Care, submitted a sufficient number of signatures from registered voters to qualify the measure for the November ballot.
The act permits patients with an eligible debilitating condition to possess and obtain marijuana (up to three ounces) and marijuana-specific preparations under a doctor's written certification. The measure also establishes a statewide regulatory system for the creation of licensed 'compassionate care centers.' Patients (or their caregivers) who do not live in close proximity to such centers may cultivate up to eight marijuana plants in an enclosed, locked facility.
Voters in Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, and Montana are expected to also decide on medical use measures in November. Voters in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada will decide on adult use measures.
A summary of 2016 statewide ballot measures and their status is online. For more information, please visit North Dakota Compassionate Care.
Washington: State Surpasses $1 Billion In Retail Marijuana Sales
Olympia, WA: Licensed retail facilities in Washington state have sold over $1 billion in marijuana flowers and cannabis-infused products since regulators began first permitting such sales two years ago.
Data compiled by the state's Liquor and Cannabis Board reports that legal sales have now yielded over $275 million in tax revenue.
Last month, state-licensed marijuana sales in Washington totaled $121 million - the highest monthly total yet reported by the Board.
In Colorado, retail sales of cannabis have totaled over $1.1 billion in the past 18 months.
In Oregon, where retail marijuana outlets began operating in January, regulators are estimating that marijuana sales will yield $43 million in new tax revenue by year's end.
