Senator Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield). The senator wanted to get on the books more concrete ramifications for dispensaries who sold marijuana to underage clients. The bill proposed a tiered system in which first offenders would receive a 15-day license suspension, second-time offenders within a three-year period would receive a 25-day suspension, and a third offense in three years would lead to a full license revocation. SB-1451, however, was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown, who called the bill “not necessary,” according tot a report from High Times. Gov. Brown pointed to the Bureau of Cannabis Control and cited their power to suspend or revoke licenses based on these exact kinds of violations and said he would rather the bureau be able to use their own discretion in determining punishment.

In the numerous discussions surrounding the issue of cannabis laws in California and other states across the country, there has been an extraordinary amount of focus on children. Can they be recommended marijuana by a doctor? What is the punishment for selling to a minor? How can marijuana businesses advertise in a way that would not be seen by or not be appealing to children? How do we make the packaging child safe? How does cannabis affect developing brains and bodies? How far should a business be located from schools? The list goes on and on, and many of these issues can be addressed simply with the guidance of a skilled marijuana legal counsel.Some of these questions are practical, common sense measures that must be taken seriously in the development of a marketplace that revolves around a controlled substance. Others are strawman arguments used to inject old-school fear tactics in order to derail any conversation about marijuana. “Think about the children” has long been a crutch on many issues in which there is not a strong enough argument on one side of the aisle. No one is against child safety, so implying that one side is not thinking of the safety of children is a sure way to win some easy points. We are currently seeing this argument play out in debates over whether marijuana delivery services should be allowed to bring product to private residences in cities with sales bans. One would think a child would be whisked away into a life of crime and drugs at the site of a marijuana delivery van the way some cannabis attackers paint the picture.

We’re finally seeing some sanity prevail, though, particularly in regards to medical marijuana and children with debilitating disorders. SB-1127, which would allow parents to administer cannabis-based medicines to their children on school grounds, is awaiting the governor’s signature. Currently, parents have to remove their child from school property to give them such medication and then bring them back to school, a terribly disruptive process. Furthermore, a discussion about cannabis and children simply cannot occur without noting that the absolute only marijuana-based medicine so far approved by U.S. Food & Drug Administration is one designed specifically for children with severe forms of epilepsy. This makes these children the most legitimized users of marijuana in the entire country. It’s safe to say if a family with an epileptic child lived in an area of California cut off from easy access to dispensaries, they would be pretty excited to see that delivery truck coming down their street with their much-needed medicine.

Our Orange County medical marijuana attorneys implore California’s leadership in their quest to protect children from marijuana that they also take equal time to think about the children who directly benefit from this life-changing medicine.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients, defendants, workers and those facing criminal marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

Governor Vetoes Mandatory Minimum Penalties for Pot Shops That Sell to Minors, By Patrick McGreevy, Sept. 10, 2018, Los Angeles Times

More Blog Entries:

Medical Marijuana for Children With Serious Medical Conditions, March 6, 2016, Cannabis Law Group

medical marijuana. Delaware News Journal reported an increasing number of parents are turning to cannabis for their children with especially serious or rare conditions. It’s no wonder then that California lawmakers recently passed a bill to allow medical marijuana on school premises.

SB-1127 was introduced by Calif. Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) and has passed both houses of the state legislature. Ultimately, the bill would leave it up to school districts and boards of education to decide whether or not to allow medical marijuana on school grounds. While it’s noble to allow school district to have some autonomy, this decision could lead to much confusion and unnecessary distress. Prop 64 allowed cities in California to maintain a ban on sales and cultivation at their own discretion, and it has led to a great deal of Californians not being able to full participate in the cannabis economies they voted to legalize. Similarly, the most vulnerable students and their parents could very well be pigeon-holed by rigid district officials and judgmental peers who can’t understand the complex decisions a parent must make to ensure their child has the best care possible. After all, cannabis generally isn’t recommended by physicians for children except in severe cases. Parents would still be required to administer the medication as needed, and it cannot be smoked or vaped, nor can it be stored at the school. The new bill, if signed into law, does eliminate one step parents must currently fulfill. As it stands now, parents must comes to the school and remove the child from the property before they can give them medical cannabis. Allowing parents to remain on campus at least eases that one burden. Ideally, nurses would be able to dole out medications to children, but public schools are bound by federal law, which still bans cannabis in all forms.

Skeptics say there has not been enough research on medical marijuana’s effectiveness on child patients, which is remarkably ironic considering the only cannabis-based drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration is specifically for children. Epidiolex passed the group’s rigorous standards in June and is expected to soon affect the federal scheduling of marijuana. The CBD-based drug is used to ease symptoms of severe forms of childhood epilepsy. As is the case when any medication is prescribed, doctors must consider whether the risk of the medication outweighs the immediate risk of the medical condition they are treating. In the case of debilitating and frequent seizures, the choice for many doctors as to whether to recommend medical marijuana clear.

Our Orange County medical cannabis lawyers are proud to fight alongside parents seeking the best medical options for their children. We hope school boards will see the intention behind this bill and be open to allowing parents the small luxury of being allowed to administer medical marijuana on school grounds. We hope they also will recognize what is best for the kids involved, whose lives are already so disrupted by serious medical conditions. Allowing a little normalcy in their lives by permitting them quick and efficient access to medicine is a small favor to ask.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients, defendants, workers and those facing criminal marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

Bill allowing medical marijuana at schools passes California Legislature, Aug. 28, 2018, CalCoast Times

More Blog Entries:

Students Who Need Medical Marijuana Deserve Easier Access, Feb. 28, 2018, Cannabis Law Group

involves cannabis. A joint project by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Toronto’s Scythian Biosciences Corp., and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis has led to the development of a “concussion pill,” which combines CBD and an NMDA amino acid anesthetic, according to UPI. Pre-clinical studies on rodents are showing improved cognitive function after traumatic brain injury, more so than either component of the pills does on its own. Trials also showed no adverse effects caused by either component individually nor in combination.

Traumatic brain injuries have made headlines in recent years as more attention has been brought to the dangers of aggressive contact sports, such as football, and the long-term damage caused by concussions. Meanwhile, football players have become some of the strongest advocates for medical marijuana. Cannabis, particularly CBD, has proven to be effective at treating chronic pain caused by sport-related injuries, and does not have the addictive properties of opioids, which are typically prescribed for such injuries. Other players suffer from conditions unrelated to sports, but using medical marijuana has made it possible for them to enjoy activities with fewer limitations. For example, medical marijuana is proving to be a breakthrough treatment for severe seizures, paving the way for people with epilepsy to perform at a competitive level like never before. All of these factors make athletes ideal for receiving the benefits of medical marijuana treatments. Yet continued backward thinking about the drug is holding us back. Time and again, these people face roadblocks in playing the sports they love and getting the treatments they need because of Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 812, which classifies marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic. Students seeking to compete at NCAA schools find themselves fighting zero-tolerance anti-drug policies, even in states where medical marijuana is legal (which is now a total of 30 states). Even NFL players and other professional athletes are subjected to drug testing that includes marijuana. Many report fighting opioid addiction because, although it’s well documented how dangerous overuse of these medications has become, they are still (in the eyes of federal law) considered preferable over cannabis, of which no overdose deaths have ever been documented.

Researchers who have been developing the “concussion pill” envision a future in which it would be kept at the sidelines of all full-contact sporting events to help control the immediate inflammation caused after trauma. First responders and emergency rooms could also be equipped with the medication to be administered as quickly as possible, addressing issues before their effects are potentially irreversible. First, though, there will be a small series of human evaluations, followed by an extensive three-year full clinical trial, and finally assessment by U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Our Orange County medical cannabis lawyers also dream of such a future. We only can hope evidence of the benefits of cannabis continues to grow, making it impossible for the powers-that-be to deny its beneficial properties any longer. Californians have known for some time the impressive benefits of this versatile plant, yet are continually restricted by the federal ban. It is time our federal leaders get on the right side of history and allow Americans to get the treatments they deserve.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients, defendants, workers and those facing criminal marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

‘Concussion Pill’ Shows Promise in Pre-Clinical Pilot Study, July 10, 2018, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

More Blog Entries:

Seizures Couldn’t End Football Dreams, But CBD Oil Might, May 27, 2018, Cannabis Law Group