The cannabis extract movement has largely been pioneered by those not in the medical profession. This is mainly due to the Schedule I placement of cannabis, which restricts research and limits the ability of doctors to provide meaningful guidance. Thankfully, some physicians have found a way to directly treat patients and become cannabis specialists.

On February 28 some 75 tribal leaders from across the country met to discuss forming the first “Tribal Cannabis Association” at the Tulalip Resort Casino on the Tulalip Reservation in Washington State.

This followed a packed day on February 27 of “Tribal Marijuana Conference” presentations and panels with speakers as diverse as former U.S. Attorney Troy Eid (current chair of President Barack Obama’s National Indian Law and Order Commission) to the city attorneys of both Seattle and Boulder, Colorado, who gave in-depth overviews of how implementation of state laws legalizing marijuana possession and usage is proceeding in their respective cities.

When voters passed Proposition 215 in 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical pot. There was only one problem. Scientists still hadn't firmly established marijuana's effectiveness as medicine.

"It'll cost you some money but these studies have not been done before," he told the legislators."My recommendation was, look, establish a center to study this," said Grant, who'd previously looked into whether moderate marijuana use causes long-term brain damage (conclusion: it doesn't).

The United Nations has renewed its warnings to Uruguay and the US states of Colorado and Washington that their cannabis legalisation policies fail to comply with international drug treaties.

The annual report from the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board, which is responsible for policing the drug treaties, said it would send a high-level mission to Uruguay, which became the first country to legalise the production, distribution, sale and consumption of cannabis for recreational purposes.

The UN drug experts said they would also continue their dialogue with the US government over the commercial sale and distribution of cannabis in Colorado and Washington state.

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Murders are up nearly 17% from last year [PDF], shootings have increased by 23%, and the marijuana trade is to blame, according to NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton. "In this city, people are killing each other over marijuana more so than anything that we had to deal with an '80s and '90s with heroin and cocaine," Bratton told reporters yesterday. "The seemingly innocent drug that's been legalized around the country."

DENVER — The City and County of Denver made a motion to set a limit to the number of marijuana plants being grown in a non-residential zone on Tuesday.

The proposed change will allow no more than 36 marijuana plants to be grown in a non-residential area, with the exception of licensed marijuana cultivation facilities, according to Dan Rowland, Denver’s representative for marijuana policy.

This change will not affect the 12-plant limit already in place for residential dwelling units.

“After careful consideration, we have concluded that this is a necessary change to protect the health and safety of Denver residents,” said Ashley Kilroy, the city’s executive director of Marijuana Policy.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Investors have raised at least $36 million to fund ResponsibleOhio's plan to legalize marijuana and purchase the commercial growing sites promised to investor groups.

Investors contributed $4 million to each of nine limited liability corporations tied to ResponsibleOhio last year, according to securities offering filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. ResponsibleOhio officials have said they expect to spend more than $20 million to get their constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot and passed by a majority of voters in November.

SALT LAKE CITY — New poll results indicate that a strong majority of Utahns support medical cannabis, with widespread support across every demographic. A Y2 Analytics Poll (see topline results here) shows that 72% of likely voters in Utah believe certain doctors should be able to recommend medical cannabis to their patients with serious conditions—an even higher number of Utahns support Healthy Utah or "Right to Try" legislation that has received near-unanimous support from the legislature.

Additional findings from the poll, jointly sponsored by Drug Policy Project of Utah and Libertas Institute, include:

Health regulators are on the defensive about their latest attempt to get the state's medical-marijuana industry up and running, rejecting criticism from a legislative oversight panel while trying to assuage concerns of parents of sick children.

At a hearing Monday, the Florida Department of Health's Office of Compassionate Use Director Patricia Nelson fielded questions from investors and nursery owners eager to become one of five operators authorized to grow, process and dispense non-euphoric cannabis believed to eliminate or dramatically reduce life-threatening seizures in children with rare forms of epilepsy.

The emerging legal marijuana economy will see explosive growth in the coming years. Insurers should be prepared to adopt policies that spell out coverage for legally grown marijuana plants and medical marijuana property. The cannabis industry is expected to grow to nearly $15 billion over the next four years. In states where manufacture, sale and use is legal for recreational purposes, legalization will have a profound impact on not only personal lines insurance, but also commercial coverage, workers’ comp, product liability, healthcare insurance and more.