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How a U.S. Marijuana Company Helped Legalize MMJ in Mexico

JON HILTZ ON MAY 12TH, 2017 AT 12:51 PM | UPDATED: MAY 12TH, 2017 AT 12:52 PM

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

There are many people and companies who stand to benefit from the upcoming legalization of medical marijuana in Mexico. First and foremost, the benefactors will be patients who need cannabis treatment now.

Coming a close second are companies in the MMJ space who stand to make incredible gains from medical legalization, and right now, there is only one company in Mexico poised for a huge win. That corporation is the American firm Medical Marijuana Inc.

Medical Marijuana Inc. is the first publicly traded cannabis company in America. The corporation also started HempMeds Mexico, their distribution arm for CBD products in the Latin nation. They were the first and are currently the only legal supplier of cannabis-based products in Mexico.

Marijuana.com sat down with CEO Dr. Stuart Titus to discuss the future of cannabis in Mexico and the role his company will be playing.

It must be incredible to see marijuana traded as a public commodity, with you and I having grown up in the era of prohibition.

It’s been absolutely amazing. It’s been exciting to see the growth here in the U.S. but also some of the Canadian licensed producers and the companies raising tremendous amounts of capital.

As of April 28th, Mexico is one signature away from having legal medical cannabis, is that still the case?

That’s still the case as best we understand. Quite exciting. Obviously, President Peña Nieto has changed his opinion on cannabis-based products. I think, in large part, this is due to one of the families that we’ve been able to assist over the last year and a half.

This gentleman, Raul Elizalde, whose daughter Grace went from having these terrible epileptic seizures to now becoming virtually seizure-free. Raul has been a very forward spokesperson. President Peña Nieto has seen how well our products have been received in Mexico since February of 2016.

Your company has been a catalyst for helping the medical marijuana industry move forward in Mexico. Can you outline how that is the case?

We had been servicing a number of families in Brazil, and of course, there are epilepsy children in Mexico whose families saw the great success in Brazil. [So they]  petitioned the government to allow the products in Mexico.

The Mexican Government was very pro-CBD, but because of their unfortunate war on drugs and cartel violence, they were very anti-THC. Our products that we ship to Brazil have a trace of THC, 0.3 or less, but even trace amounts the government of Mexico was very cautious about. They challenged us to develop a fully THC-free version.

So we went to our laboratory facilities in the fall of 2015 and developed this fully THC-free version.

So this was the first-ever CBD oil allowed in Mexico?

Yes, this was the first. It was allowed February 1st, 2016. We are still the only legal cannabis-based product within Mexico today.

It’s fair to say that Medical Marijuana Inc. is poised to benefit greatly with this legalization news in Mexico.

We’re very excited about it because to date we have only been able to bring our [one product,] the THC-free version, into Mexico.

Have you spoken with the President or anyone in the Mexican government about moving forward?

Our President of Mexico Operations has spoken with President Peña Nieto. We’ve talked about moving forward in terms of education for doctors. Coming up towards the end of June I’ll be lecturing in front of about 150 doctors to help them get more familiar with not only CBD but medical cannabis.

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More often than not, large corporations are dismissed for having a sole interest in their bottom line. But when speaking to Dr. Titus, you can hear the enthusiasm and passion he holds for his products, which help thousands of patients in desperate need.

Mexico is on the precipice of a whole new dimension of medicine which will help countless lives. It’s clear that the importance of this fact has not been lost on the individuals behind Medical Marijuana Inc.

Photo courtesy of Allie Beckett

Greece May Soon Legalize Medicinal Cannabis

By

 Kerry Kolasa-Sikiaridi

 -

 Apr 23, 2017

The production of cannabis in Greece for the legal consumption of medicinal purposes may soon be passed in Parliament.

Health Minister Andreas Xanthos has stated that measures are underway to approve such a bill and that once approved, doctors will be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis, which would be packaged and produced in Greece.

Greece would be one of several countries in Europe to legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes as Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain have already done so.

- See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2017/04/23/greece-may-soon-legalize-medicinal-cannabis/#sthash.hELJuhRd.dpuf

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Ministers endorse bill to export medicinal cannabis

Ministers on Sunday endorse a draft bill to legalize export of cannabis for approved medical use, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked’s office says, without elaborating.

Adoption by the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, which meets outside the full cabinet, means that the draft will now move forward as a government bill.

Shaked’s office says a scheduled debate on decriminalizing marijuana use in favor of fines and treatment was put back until next Sunday.

Although the recreational use of cannabis is currently illegal in the Jewish state, for the past 10 years its therapeutic use has not only been permitted but encouraged.

In 2015, doctors prescribed the herb to about 25,000 patients suffering from cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress and degenerative diseases.

Last month, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan announced his support for decriminalizing recreational use.

Shaked has reportedly indicated she will support it.



Ministers endorse bill to export medicinal cannabis

Cannabis Science Inc (OTCMKTS:CBIS) Takes A Step Forward

By Steven Goodstein / in Marijuana, Medical / on Tuesday, 13 Dec 2016 12:12 AM

Dr. Wilfred F. Ngwa, the Harvard Director of Global Health Catalyst at the DF/HCC, stated that Cannabis Science Inc (OTCMKTS:CBIS) presentation was a huge success. This development will lead to beneficial partnership opportunities between the firm and Harvard Medical School.
The expert view

Dr. Ngwa said that they were pleasantly surprised with the clearly targeted missions, direct plan of action and knowledge depth offered by Cannabis Science. They discussed the drug development success and advancement the company had made so far. Partnerships between renowned scientists and CBIS team at the DF/HCC are anticipated to bring in-depth knowledge of the potential effectiveness of cannabinoids in the cancer treatment and also other chronic diseases. Dr. Ngwa added that they will outline the motivations for research partnership with a viewpoint of successfully publishing details in a renowned peer-reviewed medical journal.

Mr. Dabney participated in the talks, and together with Melvin F. Foote and Dr. Allen A. Herman, the CMO of Cannabis Science delivered a comprehensive overview of the firm and its “Cannabis Science Research” Foundation. It covered details on cannabinoids treatment, targeting different critical ailments and validating the ability to destroy cancer cells and improve the therapeutic management of different types of cancers. It engaged the Harvard faculty members in deliberating approaches to establishing a research and drug development alliance between Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Cannabis Science.

Dr. Herman commented that during the roundtable talks, they received an opportunity to discuss prospective pre-clinical, and clinical research plans and objectives with the DF/HCC scientists. The drug advancement targeting will be implemented by the new association and is projected to alter the dynamics of phyto-pharmaceutical progression, particularly in the segments of clinical study design and program implementations.

Raymond C. Dabney, the CEO and President of Cannabis Science, said that with the support of renowned team of scientists of a prestigious cancer research institution, the company hopes to launch new therapies from research to FDA nod much more quickly. The partnership strength is underscored by an in-depth knowledge of the acceptance procedures at the Food and Drug Administration.

420 Colorado Cannabis Week April 2016

Jimmy Carter: “Medical Marijuana Cured My Cancer”

While speaking to ABC News about the remission of his cancer, former President Jimmy Carter credited marijuana for killing of his cancer cells.

The nobel winner thanked his doctors and family for their support through his brain cancer ordeal. He also thanked Terrance ‘Scooby’ Williams of Dr. Green’s Greenery, a pot dispensary in Oakland, CA, for helping him find the right strain of cannabis.

Carter told his medicinal regiment to Sawyer“I smoke two joints in the morning, I smoke two joints at night, I smoke two joint in the afternoon, and it makes me feel all right.
“Edibles are also good when traveling when smoking is not permitted.”

The future is bright for the 91-year-old humanitarian. Carter has resumed his house building for Habitat for Humanity and continues his weekly prayer service. “Marijuana is God’s medicine. I find indica is better than sativa, but there are plenty of good hybrids.“

Carter wasn’t endorsing pot smoking for everyone. “There is the right place and the right time to spark up a bowl. Don’t be a pothead but also be aware of the potential benefits of cannabis when used in moderation with the right music.

“I was never of big fan of alcohol but weed is the medicine I need. It also revived my love for peanuts. Have you ever eaten a peanut… on weed?”

With legal weed available in Colorado and Washington State and several states likely to pass the legalization next November during the Presidential elections, Carter will help support the cause in California, Oregon, and Massachusetts.

“Help build a house for those that need one and peace and sex above all else. I forget, what were we talking about?”

Iowa Business Leaders Backing Bill Expanding Medical Marijuana Law

Influential Iowa business leaders are urging state legislators to pass a bill that would expand the state’s medical marijuana laws.

The Des Moines Register reports that more than 90 business leaders sent lawmakers a letter, asking them to debate and pass comprehensive medical cannabis legislation.

“Now is the time to help suffering Iowans and their families get legal access to this medicine, and we hereby call on Iowa lawmakers to debate and pass Comprehensive Medical Cannabis legislation this session,” the letter reads.

The signers span several industries, including banking, insurance, publishing and real estate.

It’s been legal for Iowa residents with epilepsy to use cannabis oil since 2014, but proponents argue that the change was useless in practice because of a separate state law that makes it illegal to manufacture or distribute it.

The proposed legislation would grant the state authority to establish two growing facilities and distribute medical cannabis oil to people who suffer from cancer, intractable epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

State Rep. Peter Cownie, R-West Des Moines, who introduced the measure, said he brought the issue forward after hearing stories like those from West Des Moines Mayor Steve Gaer and his wife, Sally, who have a daughter with epilepsy. The Gaers have obtained cannabis oil for their daughter and say it’s made a dramatic improvement.

“For me personally, I’ll be very disappointed for this legislative session if we don’t get this bill passed into law,” Cownie said. “From people coming up to me on the street with how supportive they are, around town, around my district, I think Iowans are ready for the change.”

The bill has cleared the House Commerce Committee and is headed to the Ways and Means Committee.

Iowa Business Leaders Backing Bill Expanding Medical Marijuana Law

USA - Cannabis terapeutica. Apre il primo dispensario di New York

Ha aperto i battenti a New York il primo dispensario di marijuana medica. Il punto vendita, gestito dalla società' sanitaria 'Columbia Care', e' situato nei pressi di Union Square, una delle zone più' frequentate di Manhattan. Secondo quanto riferisce la stampa americana, contrariamente alle aspettative non si tratta di un posto dove vengono distribuiti spinelli, bensi' e' una vera e propria farmacia, nonché' studio medico, dove i pazienti terminali o affetti da malattie debilitanti avranno accesso a prodotti a base di marijuana, sotto forma sia liquida, che in pillole o vaporizzata. Tutti i pazienti inoltre dovranno essere regolarmente registrati e forniti dell'autorizzazione di un medico. Secondo Nicholas Vita, presidente di 'Columbia Care, prima di aver accesso ai prodotti, i pazienti vengono prima visitati per una ventina di minuti poi potranno acquistare quanto viene ritenuto necessario. Il costo delle bottiglie di marijuana liquida varia tra i cento e i 300 dollari.

"Le persone - ha spiegato Vita - saranno messe in condizioni di capire che questo posto e' come casa loro. Non avranno nulla da vergognarsi, anzi dovranno sentirsi orgogliosi di far parte di una opportunità' pionieristica che cambierà il modo di come funzionano le cure mediche".  

USA - Cannabis terapeutica. Apre il primo dispensario di New York

Snoop Dogg visits Seattle

Senator Harry Reid Signs On To Marijuana Banking Bill

Harry Reid

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) today signed on as a co-sponsor to the Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act of 2015 (S.1726), bipartisan legislation originally introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), which would give state-compliant cannabis businesses access to the banking system. Sen. Reid’s support for the banking measure comes as Nevada’s medical marijuana program has begun serving patients around the state.

“Medical cannabis providers in Nevada are giving compassionate care to critically ill patients, and they shouldn’t be putting themselves in danger to do it,” said NCIA executive director Aaron Smith. “We thank Senator Reid for supporting a fix to an irrational policy that puts people at risk and forces businesses and state officials to deal with massive logistical issues.

“Ending the banking crisis would be a win for everyone from patients to regulators to small business owners, and we appreciate Senator Reid standing up for his constituents.”

S.1726 would open up banking access for state-legal cannabis businesses by protecting financial institutions against prosecution or asset forfeiture for providing services to those businesses. Sen. Reid and Sen. Merkley are joined on the bill by Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Rand Paul (R-KY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

Source: National Cannabis Industry Association

Senator Harry Reid Signs On To Marijuana Banking Bill

Cannabis chemistry grows at the ACS

A small but growing movement to establish a division for cannabis chemists within the American Chemical Society (ACS) has scored a major victory with the establishment of a cannabis chemistry subdivision (CANN). The development comes in response to substantial recent growth in the medical and commercial cannabis industries in the US.

The new subdivision is in the chemical health and safety (CHAS) division and started life as the cannabis chemistry committee within the ACS’s small chemical business division. That committee came about as a result of a campaign that began in September 2014, when Ezra Pryor – an ACS member and president of Ezchem cannabis consultancy – started a petition to create a division.

The subdivision’s location within the CHAS should be useful because that division provides expertise in laboratory safety, chemical management and chemical safety practices. Pryor also emphasises that members of CANN will have a say in what kind of cannabis programming is presented at ACS meetings, and they will be able to voice opinions on society policy recommendations.

Since 2011, the number of cannabis testing laboratories in the US has grown from two to more than two dozen. Pryor is concerned about the current lack of knowledge on approved methods for analysing cannabis, noting that there are several sets of standardised procedures.
Cannabis chemistry grows at the ACS

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Congress Quietly Puff, Puff, Passes on the Feds’ Medical Marijuana Ban

The feds can no longer rain all over states where medical marijuana is legal, ending an era of raids on dispensaries and the patients who depend on their medicine.

Basically, a measure to end the federal government’s ban on medical MJ was included in a 1,603-page spending bill passed by Congress the weekend of December 13th. According to the new rules, which Obama will sign into law this week, the government can no longer use their funding to mess with marijuana pharmacies.

Unfortunately for the states where even recreational weed is legal, the new law won’t have an effect on nonmedical marijuana shops. Sorry, Colorado/Washington/Oregon/Alaska/Washington, D.C. Your time will come.

While Obama’s been proceeding this way for a while now, the new strategy wasn’t yet written into law. By making it official, the government’s making a permanent move away from old rules that many saw as oppressive.

Medical marijuana is currently legal in 32 states, although the DEA continues to classify it among the most dangerous narcotics, saying it has no medical use. However, cannabis has gained quite a reputation for treating kids with seizure disorders, helping cancer patients retain their appetites, and even decreasing suicide rates among young male smokers.

According to the ACLU, 52 percent of all drug arrests in 2010 had to do with marijuana — and black people are almost four times as likely as Caucasians to be arrested for pot. In other words, this new bill has the potential to save the United States a whole lot of money while ending a few seriously harmful policing practices along the way.

Could this be the beginning of the end for marijuana prohibition?


ryot.org: Congress Quietly Puff, Puff, Passes on the Feds’ Medical Marijuana Ban

‘Designer strains’ of cannabis could cure more ills

An Israeli crop developer aims at maximizing marijuana’s medical benefits while reducing its high

BY DAVID SHAMAH December 7, 2014, 5:39 pm

A patient purchases medicinal cannabis in Tel Aviv (photo credit: Abir Sultan/Flash90)

Two Israeli companies that have been working to improve medical marijuana have submitted applications for the approval of two new cannabis strains genetically bred to manage medical conditions more effectively than those current available.

Israel is one of about a dozen countries and US states that allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and one of the few where growing cannabis for use in medical treatment is legal. Under rules adopted last year, patients who want to use marijuana to relieve chronic pain or treat other conditions (such as psychosis) apply to one of 31 authorized doctors for a prescription, which is dispensed at authorized pharmacies.

There are eight licensed growers in Israel, one of which is a company called Seach Ltd. Seach has teamed up with an Israeli software developer called BreedIT, which has devised a technique to help breeders modify crops to emphasize specific traits. The new joint development project, formed in August, is called KanaboSeed.

The BreedIT system is based in part by research conducted by Professors Haim Rabinowitch and Nachum Kedar of Hebrew University, most famous for their work in developing popular strains of cherry tomatoes and perfecting long-life tomatoes that contain a ripening inhibitor gene to guarantee a longer shelf life.

The new technology, according to BreedIT CEO Dr. Oded Sagee, is essential to the development of the medical marijuana industry – which Sagee believes is set for a major worldwide expansion. “We decided to develop an organized breeding program to assist breeders to develop new breeds of cannabis,” Sagee said in an interview earlier this year. Currently, he said, the available strains are not optimized for medical use. “We believe that with our knowledge and background we will be able to develop new breeds that will be more effective,” he added.

Sagee, along with the other researchers working in the nascent medical marijuana business, is hoping to develop strains of cannabis that have improved CBD-to-THC ratios. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, and is the component of cannabis that most interests casual users of cannabis; the more THC, the better the high. Those who use marijuana to relieve chronic pain also seek strains with higher levels of THC than CBD; those strains are more effective at masking pain.

CBD, or cannabidiol, has been shown in many studies to have important medical benefits, such as in the treatment of schizophrenia, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, liver inflammation, heart disease and diabetes. A good example of engineered cannabis is Avidekel, a strain developed by Israeli cannabis breeder Tikun Olam, which has a very high level of CBD and a very low level of THC. Sagee said that KanaboSeed is working with researchers to develop “designer strains” of cannabis that will contain components to treat specific medical issues, without the psychotropic effects of THC.

The applications submitted by KanaboSeed, said Sagee, “are just the first of what we anticipate will be a line of new potential cannabis varieties that KanaboSeed is developing to address specific medical uses. We intend to capitalize on the commercialization of new varieties, as allowed by the laws and regulations, in Israel and other countries where regulation permits the use of medical cannabis.”

The Agriculture Ministry and the Rural Development Plant Breeders’ Rights Council will review the applications. Hearings will be held about granting the license (no date has been set), with the public invited to give their opinions. The company will grow the new strains (on land belonging to Seach), which will be evaluated by the agencies, and once approved, the company will be granted a registration (the equivalent of a patent) for the strains.

Shay Avraham Sarid, KanaboSeed’s manager of Research and Development, said that the applications were “an important milestone for KanaboSeed. The BreedIT team contributes significant value to our development efforts, most notably the ability to streamline the breeding process. In addition to saving time, we are also developing new varieties more cost-effectively. Together we are building a product pipeline that will provide numerous opportunities for revenue growth going forward.”

Read more: 'Designer strains' of cannabis could cure more ills | The Times of Israel