NFL player calls for medical cannabis research blitz. Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Eugene Monroe took to Twitter yesterday with a flurry of tweets in support of cannabis research. In 38 tweets and 6 retweets, Monroe went off on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and championed the expansion of research cannabis as it pertains to traumatic brain injury. Recent evidence suggests CBD is an effective treatment for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition the NFL only recently acknowledged is tied directly to football-related head trauma. Monroe went further, putting his money where his mouth is by donating $10,000 to cannabis research through the Realm of Caring Foundation. Kudos to Monroe for continuing a very important conversation!
Let's research how cannabinoids may help curb traumatic brain injury
— Eugene Monroe (@TheSeventyFifth) March 15, 2016
The saga of a raid gone wrong continues. Three California police officers are being charged with petty theft and vandalism after an embarrassing dispensary raid in Santa Ana last year. Officers Jorge Arroyo, Nicole Lynn Quijas, and Brandon Sontag all face charges for their alleged wrongdoing. The raid went public after surveillance videos showed officers consuming cannabis-infused edibles during the raid, kicking a disabled dispensary owner, playing darts, and destroying multiple other surveillance cameras. Unfortunately for Santa Ana’s finest, there were several hidden cameras that weren’t destroyed and caught the entire episode on film. When the video came to light, the officers apologized. Just kidding! They actually sued their own department to prevent the use of the footage as evidence, an effort later denied by the judge.
The University of Colorado will study effects of cannabis use by pregnant women. Dr. Torri Metz, a high-risk obstetrician, will conduct the study through a questionnaire about cannabis use for new mothers. Metz hopes the study will provide clarity and hard data on any associations between cannabis use and fetal growth restrictions, hypertension in pregnant mothers, stillbirth, spontaneous pre-term birth, or other conditions. Although most physicians advise expectant mothers not to use cannabis, there is little to no hard data to support the recommendation, and what little information is available on the correlation between cannabis and pregnancy is generally inconsistent.
Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana initiative is holding strong. Despite years of failed attempts to legalize, the support from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has been steady. The current proposal, Senate Bill 3, could receive a vote from the House as early as today. If it passes, SB 3 will return to the Senate for a final vote. Rep. Matt Baker (R-Tioga County) argued vehemently against the measure, having repeatedly blocked past attempts to legalize medical cannabis by not allowing the measure to be heard by the House Health Committee, which he chairs. If the measure wins approval from both houses, Gov. Tom Wolf has pledged to sign it into law.
QUICK HITS: Arizona courts are expecting a ruling that could have implications nationwide. White Mountain Health Center is locked in a legal battle with Maricopa County over whether the county has the right to ban the dispensary on the basis that the business is illegal under federal law. Questions of federal pre-emption have swirled around the industry for years. If the court rules in the county’s favor of the county, dispensaries in every state could be at risk. Denver police and DEA agents raided illegal grows. Multiple grow sites were raided as part of a two-year investigation, but the police haven’t yet reported any arrests. Basketball players are also joining the cannabis conversation. Former Chicago Bulls player Jay Williams estimated that 75 to 80 percent of NBA players use cannabis, and he says it’s time to become more open to cannabis in NBA. And finally, is cannabis the cure to your slow sex life?Maxim seems to think so (and we’re inclined to agree).
