This Spring, the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Vermont’s College of Medicine will be launching what is believed to be a first: A college-level course dedicated entirely to medical cannabis.

Despite the drug being illegal to possess and/or distribute, and being notoriously difficult to research due to strict Federal scheduling, two of the University’s professors are determined to make medical cannabis a part of the curriculum. Karen Lounsbury, PhD, and Wolfgang Dustmann, PhD, hope to strip away the stigma surrounding cannabis in order to teach students the facts, without the fear.

A bill that would legalize marijuana and allow for regulated marijuana commerce is advancing.  Senate Bill 137  passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 4-1 vote.

The bill allows for marijuana to be sold in stores, but bans home cultivation. Only licensed commercial grows in safe, secure locations will be allowed.

[image:1 align:left]The Judiciary Committee vote to advance the measure came a day after six state physicians' groups came out against the bill, citing what they called the ill effects of marijuana.

The approach that Colorado, Alaska, and Washington have taken to legalizing marijuana can resemble the parking lot at a Grateful Dead show: a free-for-all that, while liberating, has produced only a hazy sense of where the party is going. Meanwhile, Vermont, contrary to its popular reputation for the free-wheeling life, is approaching the issue like the nerdy kid in an SAT prep course. Two years ago the state commissioned a massive RAND Corporation report on different approaches to legalization, and last year top state officials flew to Colorado to see for themselves how legalization has been working out in the Rocky Mountains.

As one of Vermont’s approximately 2,500 official medical marijuana patients, Robert Gwynn is excited his state lawmakers are considering legalizing cannabis. Born with neurofibromatosis type 1, a tumor disorder that has left him with debilitating nerve pain, limited appetite and ongoing fatigue, the 31-year-old has been part of the state’s medical marijuana program for the past two years. Medical marijuana, he says, has helped him halve his 14-pill-a-day pharmaceutical regimen, which had left him so mentally disconnected from reality he was afraid to drive. But he thinks a recreational market could encourage the sort of competition, proficiency and price constraints lacking in the state’s current system of four nonprofit dispensaries statewide.

As one of Vermont’s approximately 2,500 official medical marijuana patients, Robert Gwynn is excited his state lawmakers are considering legalizing cannabis. Born with neurofibromatosis type 1, a tumor disorder that has left him with debilitating nerve pain, limited appetite and ongoing fatigue, the 31-year-old has been part of the state’s medical marijuana program for the past two years. Medical marijuana, he says, has helped him halve his 14-pill-a-day pharmaceutical regimen, which had left him so mentally disconnected from reality he was afraid to drive. But he thinks a recreational market could encourage the sort of competition, proficiency and price constraints lacking in the state’s current system of four nonprofit dispensaries statewide.

Prohibition propagandists like the Joker to my Batman, Kevin Sabet of Project SAMUEL (Smart Approaches to Marijuana Use… Except Legalization), are desperately crying out to the media for attention to this report from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that explains how Colorado youth aged 12-17 now exhibit the highest rate of monthly teen marijuana use, now at 12.56%.

That’s one-in-eight teenagers toking at least once per month.

The marijuana movement has been practically unstoppable for two decades now. Since 1996, nearly two dozen states have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, and four states (along with Washington D.C.) now allow adults over the age of 21 to purchase marijuana for recreational purposes in licensed dispensaries. The thought of this would have been nothing short of laughable even as recently as a decade ago.

Access to medical marijuana means new potential treatment pathways for patients with glaucoma and certain types of terminal cancers. For states legalizing retail marijuana, it means added revenue that's primarily being used to fund education, bolster law enforcement, and go toward drug awareness programs.

Vermont’s Governor Peter Shumlin put out the following message and video on YouTube today:

The War on Drugs has failed when it comes to America’s marijuana laws. Almost one in seven Vermonters reported smoking marijuana last year, and twice as many teens report trying marijuana than cigarettes. Under the system we have now, the 80,000 Vermonters who use marijuana buy it from illegal drug dealers who don’t care about your age, what’s in their product or what else they sell you, let alone making a contribution to Vermont’s economy. Marijuana prohibition has failed. Governor Peter Shumlin wants to take a smarter approach.

MONTPELIER, VT. — The clock is ticking on a Senate committee considering whether lawmakers should move ahead with a bill that would legalize and regulate marijuana in Vermont.

If the Judiciary Committee decides to move forward with legalization, the five-member panel will need to approve a bill by Jan. 29, according to its chairman. The committee is considering two pieces of legislation: S.95, introduced last session by Sen. David Zuckerman, P/D-Chittenden, and S.241, from Sen. Jeanette White, D-Windham.