Big Pharma Take-Over of Cannabis Industry in 2013?

Ignore the source, just read the content.  I pick sources based on content, not name and certainly not the supposed political affiliation of it's writers.

Toke of The Town has a new article pointing to the reasons why we'll see the Pharmaceutical companies (I won't say "big pharma" because I hate when people say that as if they're bad companies) takeover the medical marijuana in 2013.

The U.S. government is in an untenable position; the war on marijuana has failed completely, but the U.S. government also holds the sole medical marijuana patent ever granted, which proves that cannabinoids from cannabis are powerful medicines that can save thousands of lives annually and save the government billions of dollars in health costs, treating everything from cancer to neurological diseases. 

But after 75 years of misinformation and brainwashing the U.S. population, and the world, that marijuana is an evil drug that must be eliminated, how can it now do a 180 degree turn and sell marijuana as a medicine to the same population? The coming verbal somersaults will be amazing! . . .

Isn't it odd that President Obama, who is very thoughtful and very articulate, will not discuss the topic of medical marijuana and becomes tongue-tied when he tries to explain his administration's position on marijuana? He even had the nerve to blow off the White House petitions on marijuana that were on the whitehouse.gov website this past year. 

Isn't it odd that Romney, who is a Mormon and who doesn't even drink tea, coffee, or alcohol, and with his business history of corporate takeovers at Bain Capital as a vulture capitalist who would love to slice and dice, and transfer medical marijuana into the hands of a for-profit corporation, also stands with Obama on this same issue, refusing to take reporters' questions? . . . There wasn't even a ripple on the Republican side after the leaked story of Obama's marijuana use as a teenager and college student. So why aren't Republicans beating Obama over the head with this club? Isn't it odd that Republicans are not using this issue to their advantage? . . . . 

Also mentioned in the article is GW Pharmacuticals revolutionary new drug Sativex which is a 100% cannabis based medicine used to treat MS, neuropathic and "cancer pain."  Patients in MMJ states currently use cannabis flowers or homemade tinctures and preparations for this (at a much more lower cost). 

GW Pharmaceuticals has Sativex undergoing FDA trials and hopes to see approval in 2013.

Obama Lied About No More DEA Raids on MMJ?

So you probably didn't hear about this but last week DEA Agents raided a lab which does testing of medical marijuana strains in order to provide intelligent dosing guidelines for medical patients.

The raid at Full Spectrum Laboratories, just north of downtown Denver, occurred Wednesday, said Betty Aldworth, the lab's outreach director. She said agents took dozens of medical-marijuana samples — either small pieces of plants or test tubes of "extraction fluid" — but left the lab's equipment and did not arrest anyone....

The lab, which opened in November, conducts tests on different marijuana strains to determine their potency and help dispensaries provide dosing guidelines for patients.

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At least one source speculates that the DEA raid of Full Spectrum Laboratories had nothing to do with the distribution of medical marijuana but rather the flow of information regarding marijuana.

Last year, Attorney General Eric Holder promised to stop DEA raids on medical marijuana dispensaries and organizations which are in compliance with state laws regarding medical marijuana.

With more than 80% of Americans nationwide supporting medical marijuana and nearly half of all Americans supporting the decriminalization/legalization of marijuana it appears that the Obama administration is in the minority.

So is this most recent DEA raid just another promise broken? I think so.

Don't worry, some day we'll have a President that you can trust.

It's going to be a long 1,010 days until the next election.

AMA Reverses Position on Pot

The American Medical Association reversed their previous ruling on marijuana earlier this week. They are now pushing for marijuana to be rescheduled so that further clinical trials can be performed regarding the usefulness of marijuana cannabinoids as medicine. Currently marijuana is a schedule 1 drug. It resides in the same classification as heroin, LSD, and MDMA.

According to the Controlled Substances Act, schedule 1 drugs have:

• High potential for abuse
• Currently no medical use in the United States
• A lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

Read more about it on the NORML's Blogpost.

Our AMA urges that marijuana’s status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods. This should not be viewed as an endorsement of state-based medical cannabis programs, the legalization of marijuana, or that scientific evidence on the therapeutic use of cannabis meets the current standards for a prescription drug product.