Hollywood, U.S.A. — Medbox company CEO, Dr. Bruce Bedrick commented on the recent admission by some Los Angeles City Councilmen that they are in favor of legalized medical marijuana. “We applaud the courage and conviction of belief shown by these city leaders,” Bedrick stated. “The weight of science validates that marijuana has significant medical efficacy. To ignore the evidence is to succumb to political tradewinds.”

Councilman Bill Rosendahl told The Los Angeles Times that he is in favor of legalizing marijuana and that he has had his own medical marijuana prescription for a decade, and relies on the drug to cope with neuropathy – a painful nerve disorder.

Paul Koretz, Councilman for the city’s Fifth District, told The Times that he is, “an unabashed supporter of medical marijuana.”

Both Koretz and Rosendahl said they share constituent concerns about the proliferation of marijuana, but disagree with the council’s latest strategy, which prohibits businesses from providing medical marijuana to even the most seriously ill patients.

Shortly after the Los Angeles City Council voted to ban medical marijuana, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit agreed to hear arguments challenging the federal government’s classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug with no medical value.

The appeal asserts that the federal government has acted arbitrarily and capriciously in its efforts to deny marijuana to millions of patients, and that the government cannot apply “different criteria to marijuana than to other drugs, ignore critical scientific data, misrepresent social science research, or rely upon unsubstantiated assumptions.”

Numerous studies have been published that show the medical benefits of marijuana for illnesses such as neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s. Last year, the National Cancer Institute added cannabis to its list of Complementary and Alternative Medicines, pointing out that it’s been therapeutically used for millennia.

A new, comprehensive study on the evidence that cannabis may be useful as medicine was published in May of this year in The Open Neurology Journal, a leading peer reviewed publication. The study concluded that marijuana’s federal classification as a Schedule I substance “is not tenable; (and) it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on safety is lacking.”

Medbox supports sensible regulations on the medical marijuana industry, including assuring that dispensaries maintain a proper distance from schools, parks and playgrounds; and that operators submit fingerprint samples to the City to insure that they are not convicted felons.

Medbox is also in favor of increasing legitimacy and transparency in the medical marijuana industry. The company has developed a patented system that tightly controls access of marijuana to only those patients that possesses a current doctor’s recommendation, and verifies the identity of the patient through both an identification card and a fingerprint scan. The Medbox system also maintains a permanent and unalterable record of each transaction to assure compliance with all regulations and for taxation purposes.

Bedrick summarized, “We believe that the Los Angeles City Council will construct sensible regulations regarding medical marijuana through the upcoming referendum or court challenges, if needed. This along with the upcoming federal hearing in October regarding reclassification of the drug, may allow access to this medicine without further legal ramifications for patients that rely on its

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Las Vegas, U.S.A. – Marijuana, incorporated is announcing its support of the third annual Hemp History Week which features more than 800 celebrations and promotions around the country. The campaign strives to educate consumers about the environmental advantages and nutritional benefits of hemp products.

The estimated annual retail sales of Hemp products in the United States are $419 million. Hemp products are sold in most major food stores and industrial Hemp is also used in textiles, skin care, building materials, and in bio-composites for auto parts such as in dashboards, seating, and doors. China is the largest producer followed by France and Canada is the closest hemp grower to the U.S.A. All money paid related to growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, and much of the shipping costs are paid to foreign countries because US farmers are not allowed to grow this crop. Every year demand grows and but while US retailers can participate, farmers are banned.

Hemp was legal to grow in the United States until 1937 when it was tied to its very different but similar variety, marijuana. According to Hemp, incorporated it remains committed to sharing the benefits of industrial hemp with the world and looks forward to the day when the American farmer can once again grow this crop and consumers can enjoy the benefits of locally grown nutritious hemp foods.

In honor of Hemp week and in accordance with the growth and evolution of Marijuana, Inc., the group has changed its name to Hemp, Inc. The change goes into effect immediately. The company’s business models and revenues will increasingly focus on the global market for hemp. CEO Bruce Perlowin stated, “With the acquisition of the exclusive licensing rights to the www.Hemp.com domain name providing a solid foundation for our stock symbol HEMP, it was a natural evolution. [The domain name] is a significant asset for Hemp, Inc. and they intend to implement a strategic marketing platform to greatly enhance the potential of website all the while working for the American farmers .”

Integral in the business plan is a new online store. The shopping cart will feature Hemp, Inc.’s Eco-Harmony Loyalty Card Rewards Program, offering consumers rebates on purchases. A significant portion of each sale will go to charities. “This is (r)evolutionary marketing,” said CEO Bruce Perlowin, “we can offer large rebates, giving our customers cash back while helping those who truly need it. One of the groups we support is Patch Adams’ charitable organization which is building a free hospital on 316 acres in Pocahontas county West Virginia. We take pride in promoting sustainable products and programs that improve the quality of life.”

The online store will showcase the Herbagenix line, a division of Hemp, Inc. Herbagenix Hemp Protein contains hemp, spirulina, AFA blue green algae, and a proprietary energy blend. Herbagenix also carries other products such as a male enhancement product.

Hemp.com will soon add a video platform for reporting breaking news, covering important events, and interviewing industry leaders, as well as creating media content for the entire industry. The seasoned filmmaking team that produces the video on www.MarijuanaInc.TV is expanding their roles to include work on www.Hemp.com.

“With this infrastructure now in place and operating smoothly, our name change reflects the fact we plan to replicate this achievement in the industrial hemp industry,” said CEO Perlowin.

President David Tobias claimed, “The innovative content of www.MarijuanaInc.TV has blazed a new path in the marijuana media and cannabis entertainment sector, and will continue to expand in all directions. Hemp, Inc. and www.MarijuanaInc.TV remain dedicated to all legitimate uses of the cannabis plant.”

As other Hemp, Inc. divisions roll out, the hemp theme will remain intact. Planned for later this year are a hemp clothing division, featuring a fashion line and a unique “back to the land” real estate division based on the popular Kin’s Domain movement. A beta test is underway for a Kins cottage industry producing hand crafted products from hemp and other sustainable materials.

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced his support for legalizing small amounts of marijuana. This decision comes only two months after he denied legalizing medical marijuana. His reasoning is not because he has changed his opinion about the drug itself but because he believes one of the biggest problems for police and prosecutors is that the laws are inconsistent and police officers are wasting their time arresting people for small amounts of cannabis. The greatest challenge in creating and passing this legislation will be the Republican majority in the New York Senate.

Beginning in 1977 the New York law stated that carrying twenty-five grams or less of marijuana is not a violation as long as the individual is a first-time offender. However, having the drug out in public is still a crime, including if it is removed from a pocket during a police search. By decriminalizing small amounts individuals will be able to possess these amounts, even if they are searched by the police. The maximum penalty would be a $100 fine.

In 2011 there were 50,000 arrests made in New York for twenty-five grams or less of marijuana. According to Cuomo this is costly for the taxpayer. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. also points out that there is a great human cost too. “The human costs to each defendant charged with a misdemeanor are serious. The simple and fair change proposed by Governor Cuomo will help us redirect significant resources to the most violent criminals and serious crime problems, and, frankly, it is the right thing to do.”

The change in policy on marijuana will also alleviate some of the charges that New York’s laws are racially prejudiced. Eighty-two percent of those arrested in 2011 for small amounts of marijuana were black or Hispanic. Many believe that this statistic demonstrates how the current marijuana policy in tandem with the New York ‘stop-and-frisk’ law are racially biased and demonstrates that police are racially profiling individuals.

New York City prosecutors and the Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly support Cuomo’s declaration. Cuomo’s proposal is very similar to a directive Mayor Bloomberg has given to the New York Police Department.

Other states are also attempting to change their policies on marijuana. Colorado will have legalization as a ballot initiative in November. Rhode Island will be discussing a bill similar to that suggested by Cuomo. The main difference between what Cuomo has proposed and what Rhode Island will try to pass is that Rhode Island would require minors found in possession of the drug to complete a drug awareness program and community service.

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On April 16, 2012, New Jersey issued its first permit to grow medical marijuana legally to Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair. This is their first step toward enacting medical marijuana distribution centers.

Greenleaf can begin to grow their first crop, which can take around three to four months, but they still face another obstacle before the full plan can be put underway.  The center needs another permit before it may begin distributing to patients.

New Jersey is one of 16 states, plus the District of Columbia, that has laws involving medical marijuana. An additional 12 states have pending legislation to legalize marijuana.  In New Jersey, marijuana is approved for a number of chronic conditions, including seizure disorders, severe pain, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease. Other states identify similar diseases, but vary in their laws for growing and distribution.

The New Jersey law, New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, was signed two years ago by Governor Jon Corzine, but the law has yet to move forward.  Greenleaf Compassion Center, with its CEO Joe Stevens, wrote a letter one month ago to the governor accusing him of purposefully delaying distribution unnecessarily.

According to the Star Ledger, Stevens had a verbal promise from John O’Brien, Jr., head of the legalization program, to begin growing under a preliminary permit.  The promise was later retracted and, to Stevens’ frustration, halted the implement of distribution centers once more.

Following this, a local doctor and his patient, who have been waiting for the centers to become active, sued the state for causing undue suffering to patients by purposefully dragging its feet to delay the program. Despite skepticism, Governor Chris Christie asserts that he is not against the law. However, the first permit was issued only a week after these events took place with no ‘preliminary permit’ needed.

As of now, the problem lies in individual governments that delay the placement of a distribution center in their town. According to NJ.com, Christie said, ‘If individual municipalities do not want an alternative treatment center in their town, I cannot force them to take one.”

There is also some miscommunication between the distribution centers and the government. According to spokesperson of the New Jersey health department, Donna Leusner, in an article on NJ.com, officials are trying to find a balance between ‘public safety and access for qualified patients.’

Some opponents, such as the state Fraternal Order of Police, believe that the care centers will send the wrong message to youths and become central crime hubs.  Supporters are happy to finally see legal rights for natural pain treatment, and many patients eagerly await the substance that could take their pain away.

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Competitors in the Medical Marijuana industry are not always concerned with the safety of patients and some seem more inclined to succeed in the short term. Marijuana.net realizes the need to help protect the patient and remove the negative stigmas and stereotypes associated with medical marijuana use.

Marijuana.net is a website designed to assist patients in safe access and connect all related facets of the medical marijuana community. Marijuana.net is the first premium domain to offer a platform that helps start-up businesses in the field gain exposure and grow within this emerging industry.

Also helping patients is the strain library, one of the largest and most detailed medical cannabis databases online. The Marijuana.net strain librarians have years of experience in the field and are able to provide constant updates. Pictures accompany strain descriptions, reviews, sharing, and a “Find it” feature.

This unique service locates the nearest dispensary carrying a strain and offers price comparisons for patients. The library includes unique search filters that isolate strains based on medical properties, taking the guessing game out of strain names for patients. Marijuana.net also works with established testing laboratories such as the Werc Shop to help ensure accurate data.

The site offers Interactive Strain and edible menus, reviews, storefront pictures, contact information, specials, couponing and more!  Members are given complete backend access to control all aspects of their pages from one easy to use control panel. Patients also have access to Marijuana.net’s original interactive menu-page “wish list” allowing for orders to be sent ahead to dispensaries.

Users can also comment on daily articles posted on the site covering many topics important to patients and businesses alike. Marijuana.net also connects with members at special events and social media sites such as facebook and twitter.

Marijuana.net provides detailed interactive listings and user ratings for doctors, lawyers, publications, massage therapy, chiropractors, substance rehabilitation centers, holistic doctors, yoga centers and many others. This also includes a drop-ship option for qualified businesses.

Marijuana.net’s mobile version allows for everyone to stay connected. All site features are available on both Android and Apple smartphones.

When sifting through the competition, marijuana.net ‘s natural alternative is the natural selection for Medical Marijuana businesses operating at the highest possible standard.

www.Marijuana.net

info@marijuana.net

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A new Michigan-based medical marijuana coalition —The National Patients Rights Association  (NPRA) — has been formed by some of the nation’s leading medical marijuana advocates to protect patient rights.

The group will encourage legislators, prosecutors, and local governments to fully honor the decision of voters that enacted laws to legalize medical marijuana in 16 states and the nation’s capital.  Michigan, whose Michigan Medical Marijuana Act (MMMA) passed by nearly two-thirds of voters (63 percent) in 2008, will be among the first states targeted through the NPRA’s efforts.

The NPRA is backed by patients, caregivers, businesses, and a range of other supporters.  Collectively, the coalition will work to broaden awareness, reach legislators in a targeted manner, and help mobilize patients and caregivers who are affected by these laws.  A key objective of the coalition is a push for definitive regulation in terms of standardization — ranging from safety and storage needs, document management requirements, privacy, and overall industry standards and procedures.

According to the NPRA, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette should not circumvent or undermine state laws for the sake of personal beliefs and should honor the will of Michigan voters by helping make implementation of the medicinal marijuana law clearer for all involved parties.  The NPRA believes the Michigan attorney general is:

• Consuming vital public resources by turning medical issues into criminal ones — all the way through our criminal justice system, from police officer to investigator to prosecutor’s offices to our court system
• Politicizing what are societal discussions and decisions regarding how we conduct and administer health care in our society
• Forcing ordinary citizens, many of whom suffer agonizing chronic or constant pain and other serious diseases and disabilities clearly defined by the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, to turn to unsafe and unsavory sources for marijuana
• Encouraging the current climate of enforcement in many individual jurisdictions, which has had a silencing or inhibiting impact on ethical Michigan medical practitioners (and their medical insurers)
• Leading to patients being prescribed much more dangerous (in terms of addiction and side effects), more expensive and less effective therapeutic agents

Legitimate business activity

The NPRA points out that the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act approved in 2008 by Michigan voters has helped to diversify the state’s economy and subsequently created a new class of entrepreneurs to serve it — many of these business owners understand that participating in the state economy means paying their fair share of taxes.

The NPRA believes that Michigan should consider taxation similar to Colorado.  In that state, medical marijuana dispensaries pay sales tax on all transactions, including other retail products they sell.  The dispensaries also must apply for a license to operate and pay application fees. These fees fund Colorado’s medical marijuana enforcement division, which regulates the industry.

“The reality is that not all patients and their caregivers have the interest, resources or skills to carefully grow therapeutic-grade medical marijuana. These patients need safe access to medical marijuana that meets the therapeutic objectives of their licensed health care practitioners,” said Paul Tylenda, a Grosse Pointe attorney.  “The Colorado model combines maximal benefit for patients, tax revenue generation and appropriate regulation of the program.”

Northern Lights Hydroponic & Garden Supply in Madison Heights, Mich., — offering a complete line of hydroponic, indoor and outdoor gardening supplies — is one example of a local business that has significantly grown its customer base as a direct result of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act.

Having served the area for more than 16 years as Jim’s Flowers, the company recently expanded its operations by taking over an 8,000-square-foot retail space that had been sitting vacant for more than four years.

“Medical marijuana has been beneficial to my horticulture business, because it has allowed me to add income year round,” said Joe Alfery, co-owner of Northern Lights.  “I also take pride in the fact that since our business has expanded into a once-empty building, we have helped play a role in both the beautification of our community as well as become a larger tax contributor to our state.”

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/michigancommunities/

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James Shaw, director of the Union of Medical Marijuana Patients, announced that the Union has provided the members of the Los Angeles City Council and City Attorney two motions to regulate medical cannabis dispensaries as an alternative to the City Attorney draconian solution to the city council’s concerns (the initial drafts are posted at www.Unionmmp.org).

“We have had extensive meetings with the council staff over the past two months and heard their concerns about neighborhood complaints about some dispensaries,” said Shaw. “At the same time, we argued that a total ban on patient associations and their dispensaries would have a significant downside.”

There are an estimated quarter million medical marijuana patients in the city using this for problems as varied as cancer and AIDS pain, multiple sclerosis, insomnia, and depression. A University of California Santa Cruz study found that 80 percent of medical cannabis users preferred this to the ineffectiveness and side effects of prescription drugs for the same ailments.

There is no data on how many patients are also recreational users, but since marijuana is inexpensive and widely available on the black market in Los Angeles, it seems unlikely that a large percentage of patients are purely recreational users, despite the assertions of critics of medical marijuana.

“What this means is that if the city bans dispensaries that all these patients will be forced to take the six plants they are legally entitled to grow to their homes, creating mini-marijuana farms, and their associated dispensaries in every neighborhood in the city, each of which will potentially attract robberies,” said Shaw. “This would be a disaster after all the progress made in recent years in reducing violent crime.”

Many patients will find the attempt to grow marijuana very frustrating and expensive, since it is a complicated process in the dry climate of Southern California, requiring a great deal of water and electricity, he pointed out. The result: many patients will be forced back to the black market.

The city attorney has not addressed the fact that closing 350 dispensaries and dispersing the plants will have an undetermined impact on the environment. “In October, we filed a lawsuit because the original medical cannabis ordinance did not come with a study required by the California Environmental Quality Act assessing its impact on things like traffic, water usage, and pollution concentrated in neighborhoods where the 70-100 mega-dispensaries would be as envisioned by the ordinance,” said Shaw.

“The city attorney never provided a serious answer, and the lawsuit is ongoing. He now proposes to deal with this and the more than 60 lawsuits about other aspects of his fatally-flawed ordinance by banning dispensaries entirely. But in his proposal for the ban, he fails to recognize that dispersing up to 1.5 million plants and associated dispensaries into every neighborhood creates an environmental impact that needs to be assessed.”

The Union has proposed two motions for the city council to consider. The first, “public nuisance abatement,” proposes that city officials start enforcing current laws to deal with complaints like loitering and sales to minors, just as the police handle such problems around liquor stores.

There has been little effort to do this, Shaw said, which is why neighbors of dispensaries sometimes complain. The city would then wait until the state Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of a ban and on the extent to which it can regulate without being accused of “authorizing” a substance that is on the U.S. government’s Schedule I of Controlled Substances (cocaine is on the less serious Schedule II). This would avoid further expensive litigation.

The second motion calls for a “ban with abeyance”, or a soft ban, which would create a ban that allows patient associations to prove that they are operating in compliance with local and state law, allowing the ban to be held in abeyance as long as they continue to be in compliance. This would provide due process and have none of the negatives of the proposed total ban, while giving patients safe access to their medicine.

“Our attorneys have determined that this would be a way of having strict regulation without issuing permits, which are considered ‘authorization and forbidden by federal preemption,’ if the so-called Pack decision is upheld by the state Supreme Court,” said Shaw.

“We have provided the Council with the rewording for the ordinance to be able to implement this, and we have recommended third party verification an option that would provide law enforcement the information it needs, while protecting patient privacy and Fifth Amendment rights, neither of which is addressed in the original ordinance.”

The Union welcomes debate on these and other motions and believes a rush to a total ban would be a disaster for the city, the police, neighborhoods, patient associations, and medical cannabis patients.

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The U.S. federal government ruled last week that marijuana has no accepted medical use, despite the growing body of evidence suggesting otherwise. Proponents of medical marijuana have advocated for nine years that the drug be declassified. Instead, the D.E.A. decided to leave marijuana in the same class as heroin, classifying marijuana as a “highly dangerous drug.”

This is the third time that the federal government has rejected appeals to reclassify marijuana. The first was filed in 1972 and denied 17 years later. The second was filed in 1995 and denied in 2001. Both decisions were appealed, but the courts sided with the federal government.

Worldwide research has suggested that marijuana has a number of medical uses, including treating devastating diseases like multiple sclerosis. Research has suggested that marijuana also helps ease symptoms of chemotherapy. Advocates for marijuana were critical of the ruling. However, they were pleased that the Obama administration has finally acted, allowing them to appeal to the federal courts.

The FDA’s decision came less than two months after advocates asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to force the administration to respond to their petition.”We have foiled the government’s strategy of delay, and we can now go head-to-head on the merits,” said Joe Elford, the chief counsel for Americans for Safe Access and the lead attorney on the lawsuit.

Elford and other proponents were not surprised by the decision. “It is clearly motivated by a political decision that is anti-marijuana,” he said.

In a June 21 letter to the organizations that filed the petition, DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart said she rejected the request because marijuana “has a high potential for abuse,” “has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States” and “lacks accepted safety for use under medical supervision.” The letter and 37 pages of supporting documents were published Friday in the Federal Register.

The Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis filed its petition in October 2002. In 2004, the DEA asked the Department of Health and Human Services to review the science. The department recommended in 2006 that marijuana remain classified as a dangerous drug. Four and a half years then elapsed before the current administration issued a final denial.

“The regulatory process is just a time-consuming one that usually takes years to go through,” said Barbara Carreno, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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The strange battle over marijuana continues. Despite many states legalizing, at least, medicinal marijuana, the stigma continues to prevail. Employers who cannot dismiss a person for being prescribed Xanax or morphine can dismiss an employee for testing positive for marijuana, even if the drug is prescribed.

A Washington State Supreme Court decision concluded that the medical marijuana act in the state protects users from criminal prosecution but it offers no protection from employer’s dismissals. The court ruled on a case that began back in 2006. A woman was fired from her job at a Bremerton customer service firm for failing a drug test. The woman testified that she uses medicinal marijuana for debilitating migraines.

The Washington state Supreme Court issued an 8-1 decision last week, pointing out that while it was legal to use marijuana for medical purposes, the state’s medical marijuana law did not make it mandatory for employers to accommodate pot use outside of work. While the law gives employers the authority to prohibit the use of pot while at work, it does not specifically define how the use of marijuana outside of work will be treated.

In addition, the Supreme Court ruled that the Human Rights Commission, which looks into cases of employee discrimination in Washington State, cannot mediate in medical marijuana cases, as marijuana use – medical or otherwise – is still considered illegal under federal law.

The case exposes ongoing inconsistencies in legislation regarding the rights of medical marijuana users. Michael Subit, the plaintiff attorney in this case, stated he would be “flabbergasted if qualified patients could lose their jobs simply for using medical marijuana at home in accordance with the act.”   The problem with marijuana and drug testing is that there is no accurate test to determine if someone is actually under the influence. Marijuana has such a slow half life that the drug will show up in someone’s system long after the effects have worn off. Employers over the last decade or so have made drug testing the norm, dismissing potential employees for positive drug testing. However, the standard drug test does not work in states where marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes. The drug will show up in drug tests and can be used to unjustly discriminate against those individuals with disabilities. Doesn’t the American with Disabilities Act protect against just this sort of thing?  The inconsistencies and the new challenges suggest that this dilemma may have to be solved by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Vermont is the latest state to legalize marijuana dispensaries, passing the legislation with bi-partisan support earlier this month.  Governor Peter Shumlin signed the bill on June 2, despite pressure from the federal government to not pass the controversial legislation.

S. 17 permits up to four medi-pot dispensaries to be established in Vermont, making the Green Mountain State the eighth in the nation to legalize dispensaries.  Maine, Rhode Island, Colorado, New Mexico, New Jersey, Delaware and Arizona all allow dispensaries. Vermont already allows patients and/or caregivers to grow pot, but added the dispensaries for those unable to grow the drug for themselves. Nationwide, 15 states and the District of Columbia allow the medical use of marijuana.

The Vermont Department of Public Safety will oversee the application process and conduct background checks of viable candidates applying to establish one of the four dispensaries. The department is expected to issue licenses for the state dispensaries within a year. Dispensaries will be permitted to grow 28 mature plants, 98 immature plants and possess 28 ounces of usable medicine. Dispensaries with more than 14 patients can grow two mature plants and seven immature plants and possess two ounces of medi-pot for each patient.

Last month, U.S. attorney for Vermont, Tristram J. Coffin, sent letters to state lawmakers warning them against voting for S. 17.  His threat did not stop the bill from passing with bi-partisan support. Gov. Shumlin signed the bill the same day that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was in Rhode Island promising that the U.S. Justice Department will work with governors in states that have legalized medical marijuana in order to reach a “satisfactory solution” in establishing medical marijuana dispensaries and to reach “clarification” on the issue “sooner rather than later.”

Bianca Slota, spokeswoman for Shumlin, said the governor does not minimize the threat from Coffin but he still feels that patients need safe places to buy marijuana to cope with medical ailments.“Obviously, it gives us something to think about,” she said. “We are not brushing [Coffin’s letter] aside, but it’s going to be a year before the dispensaries open. We will have to see what happens at the federal level.”

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