tagged w/ Medical Marijuana
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Our view: Caught between the feds and marijuana users, local government just can’t win.
There are a couple of stories in Friday’s newspaper that provide a wonderful snapshot of the situation that has afflicted California since the passage of the incredibly vague Proposition 215 in 1996.Our view: Caught between the feds and marijuana users, local government just... more
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There are many that are fed up with those that have "been in charge" and are now using Social Media to help to spread knowledge... Social Media might just save the world! What then happens when Social Media starts to suppress those who are just trying to help? WE BECOME INTERACTIVE!
I work to spread knowledge and help others on a daily basis. Facebook has not allowed me to read, respond, or send messages. I no longer receive news feeds and have asked support for help. I have had certain options... just vanish. So we... Shona Banda & Friends have decided to answer questions through audio on the site. We are toying with the idea of starting our own podcast where anyone can call in, but we need some feedback!
Please let us know if this is what folks are looking for! Send us your own questions, or personal testimonial to share! We are trying hard and work daily to help as many as we can and are trying to find ways to reach more people to spread the word!
Please check out the site, and let us know what you think. After all it is YOU we are doing this for and without input... how can we do this correctly?
http://www.shonabanda.com/
Follow the SB& F tab to hear audio from Sunday, July 24th!
Thank You & Enjoy
Shona BandaThere are many that are fed up with those that have "been in charge" and are... more
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By KENNETH C. CURNOW, Saturday, July 23 9:00 PM
Medical Marijuana will no longer be available in the County of Kern, California, following an expected August 2 amendment to the county's ordinance code.
Emboldened by section 11362.768 (f) of the California Health and Safety Code — which states that cities, counties or both shall not be prohibited from enacting “ordinances or policies that further restrict the location or establishment of a medical marijuana cooperative, collective, dispensary, operator, establishment, or provider” — Kern County announced Friday that it will move to permanently “prohibit the operation of medical marijuana collectives, the outdoor cultivation of medical marijuana, and the sale and distribution of any edible products containing medical marijuana.”
An amendment to Title 5 of the Ordinance Code of the County of Kern has been proposed for the August 2 meeting of the county’s board of supervisors.
As the expiration of last years moratorium on new cooperatives and collectives draws near, the board of supervisors has moved to both extend that moratorium for another full year, and to enact new draconian legislation.
Although then governor Arnold Schwarzenegger decriminalized recreational marijuana possession in October 2010 — reducing the fine for the infraction to $100 — when he signed SB 1449, Kern County is moving to increase the fiscal penalty for operating a collective, cooperative or dispensary for medical marijuana to $1,000 and a possible six months in county jail.
The proposed enactment of the amendment follows a July 22 report from the California Employment Development Department that unemployment has risen to 15.3-percent. The amendment proposal does not outline the possible fiscal impacts of the legislation, nor does it mention the nearly 80 legally operating businesses which will be forced to close as a result of this legislative amendment.
"In less than two weeks this will all be illegal and these people will be criminals, and right now they have no idea," said the manager of one Bakersfield dispensary.
Furthermore, the county proposes to consider the amendment effective immediately after it is voted in at the August 2 meeting, and to consider each day that a business is in violation of the brand new legislation a separate crime — and to penalize accordingly.
Chapter 5.84 (f) of the proposed ordinance amendment alleges that public entities have documented “violence related to the operation of medical marijuana collectives,” but does not source this information. It also goes on to allege that medical marijuana collectives, in general, attract crime and associated violence, increased traffic, loitering, noise and a loss of trade for other businesses located nearby.
Ironically, section (i) of the same proposed amendment names “providing access to medical marijuana for ill residents” as one of the proposed intentions of the legislation.
Despite the fact that 55.6-percent of California’s voting population voted to allow medical marijuana in California in 1996, Kern County was one of the 31 counties which voted against proposition 215 — commonly called the Compassionate Use Act.
It is currently unclear whether or not this legislation will be opposed by any special interest groups, but the amendment states that anyone attempting to bring a civil suit can expect to pay for the County’s legal expenses if the County decides to counter sue.
The legislation says that “in the event any civil suit or action is brought by the County to enforce the provisions of this Chapter, the person responsible for such violation shall be liable to the County for costs of the suit, including, but not limited to, attorney’s fees.”By KENNETH C. CURNOW, Saturday, July 23 9:00 PM
Medical Marijuana will no longer be... more
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Adeo83
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10 months ago
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By Eric W. Dolan
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 -- 6:32 pm
New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie announced Tuesday that he would lift his suspension on implementing the state’s medical-marijuana program.
"We're moving forward with the program as it was set up," said Christie at a press conference. "I believe that the need to provide compassionate pain relief to these citizens of our state outweighs the risk we are taking in moving forward with the program."
Former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill into law that legalized marijuana in the state for those with certain medical conditions, such as HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis. But Christie blocked the implementation of the law after taking office in 2010, claiming it needed to be amended.
Christie's announcement came in spite of threats from U.S. Attorneys (PDF) and a June 29th memorandum from Deputy Attorney General James Cole, which stated the Justice Department was "committed to the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act in all States."
The growth, sale and possession of marijuana is still illegal under federal law, even for medical use.
"If Governor Christie can implement his state's medical marijuana program in the face of recent attempts by the federal government to intimidate public officials, then states like Arizona, Rhode Island and Washington should be empowered to implement theirs as well," said Steph Sherer, Executive Director of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a medical marijuana advocacy group.
The governors of Arizona, Rhode Island and Washington have refused to implement medical marijuana laws due to threats of criminal prosecution by U.S. Attorneys.
TAKE ACTIONPetitions by Change.org|Get Widget|Start a Petition »"The State of Arizona has worked to follow the wishes of voters,” Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said in May after filing a lawsuit against the federal government over whether she can implement her state's medical marijuana initiative.
"But I won’t stand aside while state employees and average Arizonans acting in good faith are unwittingly put at risk," Brewer added. "In light of the explicit warnings on this issue offered by Arizona’s U.S. Attorney, as well as many other federal prosecutors, clarity and judicial direction are in order."
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana laws that conflict with federal law.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/07/19/governor-chris-christie-to-implement-new-jerseys-medical-marijuana-program/
"Wow... This Guy looks like he has had the Munchies for Years!!!"By Eric W. Dolan
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 -- 6:32 pm
New Jersey Republican... more
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KB723
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Just days after the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) insisted that there is no medical value to marijuana, the White House appeared to contradict the position, saying in a report that there may actually be "some" medical value to "individual components of the cannabis plant" after all.
The statement was just a small part of the Office on National Drug Control Policy's yearly update on the progress of the drug war and its goals moving forward. Overall, the document only serves to affirm the federal prohibition of marijuana and what it calls "'medical' marijuana," which it still views as illegitimate.
But a single passage, under their "facts about marijuana," seems to loosen a bit from the generation-old line that there is no value to cannabis whatsoever.
"While there may be medical value for some of the individual components of the cannabis plant, the fact remains that smoking marijuana is an inefficient and harmful method for delivering the constituent elements that have or may have medicinal value," the report says.
Still, today's medical marijuana patients and proprietors don't have much to cheer in the report, as it goes on to insist that smoking the marijuana plant itself is harmful and dangerous, especially for teens, and perpetuates the largely discredited "gateway drug" theory.
Critics are likely to see the passage as offering a bit of wiggle room for major pharmesutical producers looking to grow marijuana to extract its psychoactive ingredient, THC, or other cannabinoid compounds that have been demonstrated to help abate symptoms of some chronic diseases, like wasting syndrome in AIDS patients or nausea in cancer patients.
In 2007, GW Pharmaceuticals announced that it partnered with Otsuka to bring "Sativex" -- or liquefied marijuana -- to the U.S. The companies recently completed Phase II efficacy and safety trials testing and began discussion with the FDA for Phase III testing. Phase III is generally thought to be the final step before the drug can be marketed in the U.S.
Continued>>
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/07/11/white-house-admits-marijuana-has-some-medical-value/Just days after the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) insisted that there is no medical... more
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Marijuana Has No Accepted Medical Use, DEA Decrees
The feds have spoken:
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New Justice Department memo says medical marijuana growers will be prosecuted
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Illegal survival, My Story.
Hello, Today I would like to share with you the revelation that has reshaped my entire life.
Crohn's and Me, a bit of history
Until recently, and as far back as grade school I was plagued with stomach and bowel issues. Though It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that a doctor was finally able to give a name to what was wrong with me. Unfortunately what wasn’t known at the time (1997ish) was how severe or how many types of Crohn's disease I had. That would all play out in the years to follow, leading up to more recent events.
In the mean time, I had been on everything from asacol to steroids, 6mp, Remicade and worse. That was the easy part, I had undergone 33 surgeries total for Crohn's related issues including bowl resections, various forms of fistula repair, a mucosal flap, and a temporary colostomy.
After spending the last seven years in and out of doctors offices and on various medications, infusions, and home injectables I had yet to attain a reversal of my colostomy, which had since herniated. At this point I had all but decided It just wasn’t going to happen.
I decided on nothing more than faith in God that he would see me through and went again to the GI doctor for yet another test hoping for his approval to go forward with a reversal surgery. I returned home with pictures of ulcerations, narrowing of my bowl, and a recommendation for further testing and medications.
Shona Banda
Having discovered the benefits of smoked marijuana in 2005 I have a few friends “In the circle”. I logged onto my FB and noticed Radical Russ (host of NORML show live) had added a new friend, Shona Banda Live free or Die. Being that my wife had already brought her video to my attention, I just had to investigate.
Upon arriving at Shona's FB page I clicked the first available link, It was a video titled “Shona Banda – Live free or die”. It was The first time I had heard of ingesting the oil extractable from the cannabis plant, stems, seeds etc. I immediately watched the other videos available from Shona as well as Rick Simpson's “Run from the cure”, documenting the benefits of this oil for cancer patients.
I took a chance and contacted Mrs. Banda regarding some questions I had about the process. I have to admit I was very surprised not only at the warm response but at how quickly it came. Shortly after our contact I began extracting oil from saved stems and seeds as well as roaches and fresh herb.
Where I am now
After only about a month of treatment with oil I had an appointment with my surgeon to discuss the repair of the hernia. Upon his inspection it was obvious that the colostomy site had to be repaired, or taken down and relocated. He sent me for another series of tests to determine my best options, of which a colostomy reversal was the least likely.
It was 10 days before I could be squeezed in for a follow up appointment to reveal my test results, and discuss my options. Much to my surprise I was called out of the exam room I was waiting in. The films showed no signs of blockage or inflammation of any kind, and he wanted me to see them. After a few awed moments peering at those images I was encouraged back into the exam room. Once settled back inside the room I heard the words I had been waiting 7 years to hear. He would reverse my colostomy completely so long as I understood the risks.
As of the time of writing this, I am recovering from surgery at home. Using what I learned from Shona Banda I was able to accomplish in a month what doctors had not for seven years. For the first time in my 14 year fight with this horrible disease I can finally say that I am in control.
Special Thanks
First and foremost I must thank God! Only through faith, and many blessings was I able to outlast this disease to be given the knowledge and wisdom to cure myself by his provided means. I must also thank my wife, who has never left my side, no matter the hardship, I love you. Thank you also to Shona Banda who’s courage has inspired me to not only cure myself, but share this with you today. And lastly thank you for reading. Spread the word, The cure is real, and can be made in the comfort of your own home!
Jay Wolf×
http://thenewamericanrevolutionblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/illegal-survival-my-story.htmlIllegal survival, My Story.
Hello, Today I would like to share with you the... more
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MTCIA Still Working for Clarity Following Ruling
On July 1, 2011, by Kate Cholewa ....
Urgent Update: Get your patients to fill out the form to make you a provider NOW.
Need help understanding process to switch patients from you as “caregiver” to “provider”? MTCIA member Bob Cypers is willing to help: 406- 459-3104
Judge Reynolds’ ruling was a partial victory. The new law slated to go into effect yesterday would have essentially ended access to medical marijuana in Montana. Access has been preserved. However, given that it was a partial injunction, many provisions are still going into effect. For a comparison of what the law would have done without the injunction compared to the situation with the injunction, go here.
In terms of functionality, the biggest issue is that caregivers were eliminated as of midnight. Yes, growers can still have medical marijuana businesses, but they must be registered as “providers” as per the requirements of the new law. So, according to the letter of the law, if you had 15 patients yesterday as a caregiver, you would be operating against the law if you were serving them today. You must undergo the paperwork to become a provider. The patients must name you as such.
This, of course, temporarily breaks down the entire system. Yet, it was clearly the judge’s intention to allow commercial activity.
The judge’s ruling came out at the end of business hours yesterday. Little could be done last night to seek clarifications. No guarantees, but the MTCIA and their attorneys are working to see what might be done about this transition.
And don’t forget, the new law can still be stopped in its entirety through the referendum process.
.If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!MTCIA Still Working for Clarity Following Ruling
On July 1, 2011, by Kate Cholewa... more
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We wait for Judge Reynolds’ ruling on the new medical marijuana law passed by the legislature that destroys access to cannabis in Montana. The new law’s effective date is midnight tonight, June 30. The ruling will determine whether an injunction will be granted and the law be kept from going into effect until the courts can examine the constitutionality of the new law more thoroughly.
So, what’s it going to be? Hacked up gardens, hidden mothers, and shock? Some mix of enjoined provisions and permitted provisions that will need to be sorted out in short order so to be compliant by midnight? Or, will it be a full injunction and celebration tempered by calculation – what to do next? Will an injunction mean federal guns, Montana’s constitution be damned?
The petition language for the referendum to stop the new law and place it on the 2012 ballot was approved on Tuesday. The next step is training for signature gatherers. The petition should be on the streets probably within a week. At the national level, petitions have been circulating this week directed at U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Holder has said the Obama administration will be clarifying federal policy on states with medical marijuana laws. The petitions encourage policy that has the feds back off and leave states to sort out this issue without their guns and the confusion they cause when they arrest citizens obeying their state laws.
The wager is that Holder’s announcement will come late Friday afternoon. Late Friday afternoon is when the White House makes announcements that they don’t want to get a lot of play during the news cycle. But whether that means good news or bad news for states with medical cannabis laws, don’t know.
But Montana has their own state announcement they’re awaiting.
It was no surprise to see indictments come down this week from the March raids, timed to the judge’s deliberations, just as the raids were timed to occur simultaneously with a vote in Senate Judiciary to table medical marijuana repeal. The efforts of the feds to pressure decision-making by our legislature and judiciary is off-the-charts shocking. They don’t even feel the need to be subtle. They are the source of the fear, scandal, and violence when it comes to medical marijuana in this state, not Montanans, whether one thinks all of them should have a card or not.
But we’ll get our ruling today.
What if the worst possibility came to pass (I don’t think it will) and the judge allowed the new law to go into effect?
What it would mean is a rough couple months, panicked patients, and a lot of people getting real quiet or out of town,
that is,
until we collect the signatures, put a stop to the law, and stare down the ignorant once more.
(see previous post, Access, June 28, 2011)We wait for Judge Reynolds’ ruling on the new medical marijuana law passed by... more
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Cannabis (medical marijuana) can be a perfectly good and safe medicine when used correctly. But there are always people who find fault with everything, and they complain:
It’s unsafe (not really)
It’s illegal (not in 16 states)
It’s not effective (that’s not what dozens of studies have shown)
People will pretend they are sick to get it (that never happens with prescription drugs?)
Smoking joints isn’t medical (I agree: use a vaporizer or edibles)
But, but…people are getting high from it! (generally, no, but what if they are? It’s just a harmless side effect)
Perhaps I can’t solve all the world’s problems, but there’s one thing I know how to do and that is put ideas together. So I put together Canna Caps, added a cannabis strain that’s high in CBD, mixed with an irresistable predilection for alliteration and got Pot Painkiller Pills*.
Pot Painkiller Pills take a lot of objections out of the discussion. They’re safe, effective, inexpensive, provide a consistent dosage and predictable effects, are in a form that most people associate with “real medicine”, and will not get the average person high with a single dose. So, once you’re familiar with the effects, you might just be able to go about your day pain-free without having to worry about being too loopy to drive, work, or talk to people without giggling.
For the rest of the story, see http://beyondchronic.com/2011/06/how-to-make-pot-painkiller-pills-dont-get-you-high/Cannabis (medical marijuana) can be a perfectly good and safe medicine when used... more
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The state’s highest court has agreed to hear two cases in which people have been charged with crimes for their medicinal use of marijuana. This will be the first time the court weighs in on the 2008 state law that legalized the drug for medical use.
Mlive reports:The state’s highest court has agreed to hear two cases in which people have been... more
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I was at one time bed ridden and suffering the terminal stages of Crohn's disease after battling it for almost 8 years. I chose the medical system because "they should know best" or so I thought. I let them cut on me and take many organs completely out of my body,(15 surgeries). Painful swelling arthritis started to take hold and forced me to use braces for my joints and walk with a cane. I had almost given up all hope when the illegal town I lived in went dry and all that was found was dirty and seedy medication that made me vomit. I pulled out a handy glass dome vaporizor much like this one and pinched off that hose a little too long... realizing oil forming on the dome... my husband went out and got a spatula. After watching "Run from the Cure" the Rick Simpson story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0psJhQHk_GI
I knew I should take it at least 3x a day. I was so amazed by my results and personal experimentation by this medication that I started to journal my progress. I knew it was very important to get it all down on paper so that others can and will know my story and understand the absolute importance this information may have, affecting millions around the world... to learn to be FREE!
http://medicalmarijuana411.com/mmj411_v3/?p=10119
Please Join many on this absolute fight against IGNORANCE!!
Shona Banda Book Bomb on Facebook!!
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120987797979955
Send "Live Free or Die" to your local Representatives and Lawmakers, your local Clergyman and Police Officers, to your Teachers and even your Grandmother! On this July 4th, we can once again Gain our INDEPENDANCE by educating those around us!! JOIN in on this MASSIVE GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT through education, IGNORANCE can easily be OVERCOME!! This book is what WILL WAKE the sleeping GIANT we have all been waiting for! Lets JOIN together to END PROHIBITION through education! This book is the key that can and will UNLOCK the door, not only for HOPE, but also TRUTH we as the people of the WORLD need to know... NOW!
On JULY 4th Pick your Person!! Send them a Book!! Spread the word and share the message! Pay-it-Forward for FIRECRACKER DAY!!
This is going to be a ton of FUN! Make sure to leave feedback on the book and on any responses you may get from picking your person!
GO GRASSROOTS!
http://www.authorhouse.com/Bookstore/BookSearchResults.aspx?Search=shona+bandaI was at one time bed ridden and suffering the terminal stages of Crohn's disease... more
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Michigan voters said yes to lighting up, but the debate over medical marijuana is far from settled. The ACLU of Michigan is fighting ordinances they say makes patients and their caregivers criminals even if they grow the pot in accordance with the state law.Michigan voters said yes to lighting up, but the debate over medical marijuana is far... more
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Addictions & Answers: The war on drugs in the age of medical marijuana
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David Schwartz
Reuters US Online Report Domestic News
Jun 01, 2011 22:02 EDT
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Some local wags are calling it the "Wal-Mart of Weed" or "Home DePot."
Seeking to capitalize on Arizona's newly enacted medical marijuana law, a California-based company on Wednesday opened a superstore-sized garden center in Phoenix catering to those who want to grow their own cannabis.
"We sell everything but the plant itself," said Dhar Mann, founder of weGrow, the company that began franchising its big-box stores with outlets in Oakland and Sacramento, California. "We sell the products and the services for people to safely and responsibly cultivate their medicine."
The 21,000-square-foot store offers some 2,000 products, including soil, grow lights and irrigation trays, specially designed for effective marijuana growing, Mann told Reuters.
A doctor also is on site to furnish eligible patients the initial medical approval needed to apply to the state health department for cards authorizing them to legally grow and use marijuana as treatment for a variety of qualifying ailments.
Alluding to some of America's leading big-box chains, the company's own press materials describe the weGrow franchise as the "Wal-Mart of Weed," while various media reports have referred to it as "Home DePot."
The store's opening came on the same day that Arizona was to have begun accepting applications from individuals seeking one of 125 permits the state plans to grant for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. But that process was put on hold last week.
On Friday, the state went to federal court seeking to clarify whether its citizens were at risk of federal prosecution for participating in activities sanctioned under Arizona's medical marijuana act, passed by voters in November.
Arizona is the 16th state in the nation, plus the District of Columbia, to decriminalize marijuana for medical purposes.
But Dennis Burke, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, warned in a letter to state health officials last month that the cultivation, sale and distribution of cannabis, classified by the U.S. government as an illegal narcotic, remains a federal crime.
Since April, state officials have been accepting applications from patients and caregivers looking to grow and use marijuana for medical purposes.
Figures show that 3,696 people have obtained cards allowing them to possess and grow marijuana for a range of medical issues, chronic pain chief among them. Males account for more than 75 percent of those approved.
Mann said his Oakland-based company has big expansion plans for Arizona and nationwide as it looks to tap into what some have estimated to be a market worth billions of dollars.
He said the next franchise store will open in the District of Columbia in July, with additional outlets slated for Denver, Detroit and possibly Los Angeles by the end of August.
(Editing by Steve Gorman and Peter Bohan)
Source: Reuters US Online Report Domestic News
"With all the Violence in Arizona as of Late... I do hope more folks that need
Medical Marijuana for what ever needs, are granted a License to purchase, Medicine
rather than a Gun..."David Schwartz
Reuters US Online Report Domestic News
Jun 01, 2011 22:02 EDT... more
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KB723
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12 months ago
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Despite the US government’s staunch opposition to medical cannabis farms in Oakland and elsewhere, the feds have begun licensing a whole lot of large legal pot grows throughout the country. But this weed is not for cannabis dispensaries and their patients; it’s for Big Pharma.Despite the US government’s staunch opposition to medical cannabis farms in... more
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Medical Marijuana From Sea to Shining Sea? A Lawsuit Wants to Force Feds to Say Yes to Pot
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In what may be the first law suit of its kind, two medical marijuana providers from Montana filed a federal lawsuit last Tuesday against the U.S. Government citing civil rights violations for the federal raids on medical marijuana operations in the state of Montana.
http://www.politicalfailblog.com/2011/05/medical-marijuana-providers-in-montana.htmlIn what may be the first law suit of its kind, two medical marijuana providers from... more
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