Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news - Tue, 08 Sep 2015 04:20:21 PST
Study: Marijuana Genetics Often Mislabeled
Nova Scotia, Canada: Strains of cannabis sativa and cannabis indica possess relatively few significant genetic differences and are often mislabeled by breeders, according to an evaluation of marijuana taxonomy published online in the journal PLOS ONE.
Investigators from the University of Manitoba, the University of British Columbia, and Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia evaluated the genetic structure of a diverse range of commonly cultivated marijuana and industrial hemp samples.
Researchers reported, "We find a moderate correlation between the genetic structure of marijuana strains and their reported C. sativa and C. indica ancestry and show that marijuana strain names often do not reflect a meaningful genetic identity." They added, "This observation suggests that C. sativa and C. indica may represent distinguishable pools of genetic diversity, but that breeding has resulted in considerable admixture between the two. ... Our results suggest that the reported ancestry of some of the most common marijuana strains only partially captures their true ancestry."
By contrast, authors determined, "[M]arijuana and hemp are significantly differentiated at a genome-wide level, demonstrating that the distinction between these populations is not limited to genes underlying THC production. ... [This] difference between marijuana and hemp plants has considerable legal implications in many countries."
United States federal law makes no legal distinction between hemp and cannabis.
Authors concluded: "Achieving a practical, accurate and reliable classification system for cannabis, including a variety registration system for marijuana-type plants, will require significant scientific investment and a legal framework that accepts both licit and illicit forms of this plant. Such a system is essential in order to realize the enormous potential of Cannabis as a multi-use crop (hemp) and as a medicinal plant (marijuana)."
Full text of the study, "The genetic structure of marijuana and hemp," appears online in PLOS ONE.
Legal Marijuana States Collect Over $200 Million In New Tax Revenue
Denver, CO: Taxes on the legal production and sale of cannabis in the states of Colorado and Washington have yielded over $200 million in new revenue since going into effect in 2014, an assessment by The Huffington Post reports.
Retails sales of cannabis began in Colorado on January 1, 2014. Since then, regulators have collected an estimate $117 million in marijuana-related tax revenue. An estimated $24 million of this total has been designated for public school construction funding while another $8 million is being used to fund clinical studies of cannabis's efficacy.
Washington initiated retail sales of cannabis on July 1, 2014. To date, the state has collected about $83 million in tax revenue.
Retail sales of cannabis to those over the age of 21 will begin in Oregon on October 1, 2015.
Wisconsin: Nine Of Ten Largest Cities Have Decriminalized Marijuana Possession
Madison, WI: Nine of the state's ten largest cities impose local ordinances decriminalizing minor marijuana possession offenses, according to review published this week by Gannett Central Wisconsin Media.
Local lawmakers in Madison enacted the state's first local decriminalization law in 1977. The ordinance imposes a maximum fine-only penalty of $100 for those found in the possession of up to 28 grams of cannabis. Most recently, lawmakers in Stevens Point amended local law to define violations involving the possession of up to five grams of marijuana as offenses punishable by no more than a $100 fine.
Additional cities in the state that have adopted municipal decriminalization ordinances include Appleton, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Kenosha, La Crosse, Marshfield, Milwaukee, Racine, Waukesha, and Wausau. Milwaukee imposes the smallest fine ($50.00) for marijuana violations while Green Bay imposes the highest ($1000 maximum fines). Most citywide ordinances do not impose criminal sanctions unless the quantity of cannabis possessed exceeds 25 grams.
By contrast, state law classifies the possession of any amount of marijuana as a criminal misdemeanor punishable by up to six-months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Subsequent offenses are classified as felonies punishable by over three years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.
Legislation seeking to decriminalize marijuana possession offenses statewide is pending in both the Assembly and the Senate but neither bill has yet been scheduled for committee hearings or a vote.
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