Growing cannabis uses a lot of energy, according to a report by EQ Research LLC, an organization that provides clean energy analysis for businesses and nonprofits. According to the report, cannabis grow facilities have energy needs similar to those of data centers.

The reason cannabis cultivation is so energy intensive, says Rachael Speegle, director of operations at the Verdes Foundation, New Mexico's highest-grossing medical cannabis producer, is because the plants are usually grown inside.

A New Mexico police sergeant accused of unwittingly recording himself on a lapel camera taking marijuana from his office and giving it to his girlfriend has been released from jail.

KOB-TV in Albuquerque reported Saturday that Grants police Sgt. Roshern McKinney is out of jail.

It wasn't immediately known Sunday under what conditions he was released.

State police say McKinney was arrested Wednesday. An investigation was requested in July after the video recording was found.

McKinney was arrested on marijuana distribution, conspiracy and felony embezzlement charges in Albuquerque, NM. (Police Handout)

He faces charges of distribution of marijuana, conspiracy and felony embezzlement.

The New Mexico Department of Health came under fire Thursday for its handling of a backlog of applications for medical marijuana identification cards, with one Democratic senator suggesting the agency could face court sanctions in the case of a lawsuit and the state auditor calling the situation a “public health emergency.”

The average time for processing a medical marijuana ID card is now 43 days, continuing to exceed the 30-day limit set by state law, according to DOH.

But an agency spokesman said the department is making progress in processing a surge of requests for the state-required ID cards – both from new patients and those seeking renewals.

New Mexico's state auditor is investigating the state Department of Health for making chronically-ill patients wait for their medical marijuana cards.

Health officials admit that for the last several months, people have waited up to 60 days for their cards. By law, they're supposed to process those within half that time.

The department has said they lack the staff to keep up with applications, but State Auditor Tim Keller said he finds that hard to believe.

Keller said after reviewing the department's finances, it appears they have more than enough money to hire all the employees they need.

Study from: 

Projectknow.com (http://www.projectknow.com/)

original study here :

http://www.projectknow.com/discover/high-school-drug-use/

American teenagers are more likely to smoke marijuana than binge drink, a new report reveals.

Meanwhile in Europe, marijuana consumption is minimal while drinking levels are far higher than in the United States.

The data, published in a recent report by addiction-awareness firm Project Know, will reignite the national debate on marijuana legalization as the election approaches.

As a primary care and addiction medicine physician, I never thought I’d be suggesting marijuana use to my patients, given its unknown potential for physical, emotional, social and developmental harm. However, the opiate overdose epidemic has radically shifted my thinking.

The June 26 Sun-News editorial about legalizing cannabis for tax revenue missed a critical benefit: the possibility of fewer overdose deaths.

Since prescription pain pill overdoses exceed those of both heroin and cocaine combined, at about 40 daily (and over 14,000 yearly), this is no small point. Gun homicides and car crashes kill fewer. The crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s killed 800 to 2,400 yearly, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Ultra Health, a national provider for the healthcare cannabis industry with operations and facilities in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, and retail dispensaries to commercial-scale cannabis production in New Mexico and Las Vegas, has become the title sponsor for the Gathering of Nations Pow wow for 2017.

In addition to the sponsorship, the official name of the event will be the "Ultra Health - Gathering of Nations." 

This marks the first time a medical cannabis company has sponsored such an event. Ultra Health has agreed to the title sponsorship for the next five years and holds an option to consider sponsorship through 2027.

Delays in renewing medical marijuana cards in New Mexico have grown so long that some seriously ill patients are resorting to purchasing marijuana on the black market, according to some patients and advocates.

The state Department of Health says the backlog was caused by a surge in demand from new applicants, reported The Santa Fe New Mexican (http://bit.ly/28LdVDt) . Although state law gives the department 30 days to approve or deny an application, spokesman Kenny Vigil said by email that the current wait is about 40 to 50 days.

International Business Times sat down with former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian party's nominee for president, to hear about his stance on legalizing marijuana. Only four states and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana. 

See the video and below for Johnson's thoughts.

Rachael Speegle, 34, left a full-time job as a critical care nurse last year to work at an Albuquerque medical marijuana dispensary and growing operation started by her husband.

Speegle quickly discovered that people who came to the Verdes Foundation dispensary in Albuquerque had lots of questions that called for her nursing skills.