substantial state taxes on the medical cannabis that they supply to patients in need. SB 829 corrects a hole in Proposition 64, which saddled these not-for-profit organizations with taxes. The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 made medical marijuana legal in California, which spurred the birth of compassionate-care programs for patients with serious health issues and financial restraints. According to NORML, these organizations have been able to donate product and function tax-free up until this year when recreational marijuana became legal.

What did recreational legalization have to do with medical marijuana patients and associated care programs? As our marijuana attorneys can explain, after voters approved Proposition 64, government representatives and officials began ironing out how the recreational program would work. It was determined a set of guidelines was needed that could pull together the medical marijuana industry (which had been active for 20 years) with the new recreational cannabis law. That is when MAUCRSA (Medicinal And Adult-Use Cannabis Regulatory Safety Act) was born. What was intended to streamline rules and make things easier for business owners, customers, and law enforcement officials ended up strapping medical marijuana institutions with a significant number of regulations they previously did not have to follow.Among those regulations was a stipulation that cannabis businesses must pay taxes on all marijuana products, which were already collecting a new level of taxes along each step of the supply chain. This rule applied even to medical marijuana businesses, and made no exception for not-for-profit institutions. Many patients with serious conditions, such as cancer and AIDS have come to rely on the help of compassionate-care organizations. Even patients who did not have financial difficulties before becoming ill often find themselves struggling once the expensive and constant medical bills start rolling in. In the case of patients with cancer and AIDS, each will often experience nausea and loss of appetite with certain treatments. Cannabis is used to effectively ease these symptoms, making it an important piece of the overall treatment program.

Compassionate-care programs receive marijuana through donations from retailers and cultivators. They then give it out for free to patients they have identified as being in need. As of late, though, these groups have been stifled or forced to go on a hiatus because of aggressive tax rates. There is not a way to mark certain cannabis as being meant for donation, so the groups are straddled with cultivation tax. If they were to give out 100 pounds of cannabis to patients, they would be charged an estimated $50,000 in taxes, even though the product is being given away for free.

Our Riverside marijuana attorneys applaud lawmakers for moving to remedy this situation. We know how critical cannabis can be for patients suffering from serious conditions. Organizations willing to help them should not be punished with insurmountable taxes. We continue to support common sense measures like this outside the courtroom while we fight for the rights of medical marijuana patients and businesses in the courtroom. Our team have both civil and criminal attorneys to best serve your needs.

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:

California Lawmakers OK Free Cannabis, Aug. 28, 2018, By Dan Mitchell, Leafly

More Blog Entries:

The Taxman Cometh: California Cannabis Businesses Unlikely to See Relief, May 29, 2018, Cannabis Law Group

grown for research purposes in the U.S. and decrease the amount of opioid drugs produced under the group’s watch. You heard that right. The same organization whose leaders for years have been wringing their collective hands over marijuana, who said we simply did not know enough about its effects, who defended its Schedule I classification, might finally be waking up to smell the coffee the rest of the country has been happily sipping for some time now.

According to a report from Forbes, a new Federal Register filing shows the agency increasing allowance of cannabis plants to 5,400 pounds in 2019, more than five times the 1,000 pounds the department OK’d this year. Representatives of the department said the move was necessary to meet the demands of the medical and scientific communities for research purposes. Of course this demand is nothing new. Health care providers, laboratories, and medical schools have been desperate for proper research on cannabis for decades. California medical practitioners have been using limited studies, anecdotal evidence, and trial and error to treat patients since medical marijuana was legalized in the state in 1996 under Proposition 215.DEA and other federal officials have long been playing a game of Catch-22, hiding behind Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 812, which places cannabis in the most restricted categories of drugs. Schedule I narcotics are labeled such because they are considered the most dangerous, the most addictive, and have no medicinal value. For comparison purposes, heroin also resides in this category. The risks these drugs pose make it extremely difficult to get approval for medical testing, particularly if the thesis is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the drug. Limited testing means little verifiable evidence to prove the effectiveness of the drugs in question, fortifying the stance that the drugs should remain banned. As our Riverside medical cannabis attorneys know, applying this logic to marijuana is preposterous. Cannabis has proven itself time and again to be a relief to patients with numerous medical conditions. Marijuana certainly is a desirable alternative, as well, to opioids, which kill more than 100 people every day in the U.S. — many of whom had a prescription.

It seems the DEA is finally waking up to this fact as well. Even Attorney General Jeff Sessions voiced support for cutting opioid quotas next year by 10 percent, citing the opioid epidemic as the worst drug crisis in American history. Sessions, infamous for his fervent anti-marijuana beliefs, is less apt to acknowledge how cannabis can play a role in fighting opioid addictions, though he will likely need to OK more facilities to handle the increased marijuana production. We all know how many patients have found pain relief from cannabis, with many choosing marijuana after they had become overly dependent on opioids, such as morphine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, and oxycodone. Our trusted legal team can only hope now that DEA is also pulling together this important piece of the cannabis puzzle and will soon release their grip they have on the throat of the marijuana industry in this country.

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:

The DEA Wants to Grow More Marijuana, Aug. 20, 2018, By Joseph Misulonas, Civilized

More Blog Entries:

DEA Chief Woefully Unaware of Medical Marijuana Facts, May 21, 2018, Cannabis Law Group

than opioid addiction. Both U.S. and Canadian governments have dubbed the rapid increase in overdoses to be a crisis or epidemic. Meanwhile, cannabis has demonstrated itself to be the potential key to unlocking the addictive cycles, adding to the urgency in passing more effective medical marijuana laws. In New York, emergency rules have been put in place to allow medical marijuana as an opioid replacement. Yet in Ontario, where medical marijuana is permitted at the federal level for a variety of conditions, workers are still having opioids pushed on them.

New York state Department of Health recently added opioid dependency to the list of 12 other conditions that qualify patients for medical marijuana recommendations, according to Marijuana Moment. Chronic pain, one of the key issues opioids are used to treat, is already on the list, but specifically adding opioid substitution gives doctors the freedom to recommend cannabis to those with opioid addictions regardless of the reason they started taking them. Officials are hoping this strategy reduces the number of opioid deaths, noting that states with pro-medical marijuana laws on the books have seen a 30 percent drop in opioid prescriptions for Medicaid users.Statistics as of March 2018 from National Institute on Drug Abuse show more than 115 people die of opioid overdoses every day in the U.S. In Canada, numbers are also on the rise with an average of almost 8 deaths per day in 2016 and a push for better data collection across the provinces. Meanwhile, cannabis has continued to hold strong at zero deaths from overdose year after year. Hard to fathom, then why marijuana remains a Schedule I narcotic (considered the most dangerous) compared to opioids which are Schedule III, according to Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 812.

These anecdotes and evidence make it more confounding what’s happening in Ontario. Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is denying medical cannabis claims from patients licensed to use it to treat their injuries and manage pain. Other private insurers in the country have gotten on board with covering their patients, but WSIB has opted to favor opiates. Despite citing a concern over the addition crisis, WSIB has reportedly denied patients who have found pain relief from CBD and other cannabis compounds and want to free themselves of their opioid addictions. We’re used to these types of games in the U.S. because insurers have to be wary of federal laws, but it’s disappointing to see professionals still dragging their feet even when law is on their side.

So long as misconceptions and falsehoods about cannabis continue to prevent people from accessing the care they need, our Riverside medical marijuana attorneys will keep fighting for your rights. Our law firm protects patients, advises business owners, and even offers defense in criminal cases related to cannabis. We take pride in our work to defend medical marijuana users in Southern California and educating people about the truths and benefits of this substantially useful drug, especially in the face of the international opioid epidemic.

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:

Injured Workers in Ontario Advised to Seek Opioids Instead of Cannabis, July 12, 2018, By A.J. Herrington, High Times

More Blog Entries:

Study: Legal Marijuana is Saving Lives Amid Opioid Epidemic, Oct. 23, 2017, Cannabis Law Group

Rep. Sheryl Delozier (R-Cumberland) is working on a bill that would exempt medical marijuana patients from an overbearing law that prevents them from ever being allowed to drive, according to The Inquirer. The move comes as Pennsylvania Department of Health is in the process of implementing the state’s medical marijuana program.

PA Code Title 75, Sec. 3802, as it currently stands, states: “An individual may not drive, operate or be in actual physical control of the movement of a vehicle … (if) there is in the individual’s blood any amount of a Schedule I controlled substance.” Just as under the federal Controlled Substances Act, Pennsylvania also has cannabis listed under their own Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act as a Schedule I narcotic, right alongside heroin, peyote, mescaline and the like.To call the current law far-reaching is a wild understatement. Unlike many other substances, marijuana can stay in a person’s blood for up to 15 days, which means anyone who consumes cannabis in any quantity would be barred from driving in Pennsylvania for about two weeks. Of course it’s absurd to believe that because the drug is simply in one’s blood that they remain high for the entire duration. It has been documented that the effects of cannabis will last roughly a few hours, depending on the quantity consumed, how it was ingested, and the tolerance level of the person. Edibles, for example, might still be having an effect six hours later. Meanwhile, the effects of inhaling could wear off in as little as one hour, according to Herb, though even that can vary between smoking and vaping.

Driving while under the influence to the point of impairment is never ok, and such laws should be enforced in all states. By nature marijuana is different than alcohol, however, in that it is difficult to test for on the spot. This inexact science has made lawmakers overly cautious, leading to blanket laws like this one that try to hide behind the classification of a whole group of drugs to strip the privileges of swaths of people rather than develop a proper testing system.

Though it’s true cannabis levels cannot be easily determined, impairment tests can still be administered, which is really the issue at hand. If a police officer believes a person should not be driving a vehicle, it’s likely because they have demonstrated some sign of impairment. California Highway Patrol train their officers in a 12-step examination, including field sobriety tests, blood pressure, and pulse. Just like alcohol, there are levels of cannabis that can be present without impairment, but it will take more fine tuning to be able to screen for and determine these levels.

The inexact measurements law enforcement officials are using make it essential that you speak with our experienced Riverside marijuana DUI lawyers should you find yourself facing criminal charges. Free and loose standards for enforcement are not fair to responsible marijuana users, and you deserve the best defense possible. Don’t let a judge or jury decide your fate without one of our trusted attorneys by your side.

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:

For Police, Catching Stoned Drivers Isn’t So Easy, March 22, 2018, By James Queally and Sarah Parvini, Los Angeles Times

More Blog Entries:

Marijuana DUI Enforcement in Los Angeles, Nov. 4, 2017, Cannabis Law Group

is bringing their findings to the global stage. WHO was tasked by secretary general of United Nations to deliver a recommendation on the level of international control necessary for cannabis, according to a Mother Jones report. It is of no surprise to our cannabis law firm that the first report from WHO described marijuana as a “relatively safe drug.”

An international team of marijuana experts contributed to the report, which was presented to the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence. The report analyzed both THC and CBD and found evidence it has medical benefits, particularly in relieving symptoms of cancer treatments, pain relief, and anxiety. It also concluded that driving under the influence of cannabis is risky, but not as risky as alcohol. Marijuana use also can also be risky for pregnant women and children.Americans have been all abuzz about cannabis for many years now, with California first to legalize medical marijuana in 1996 when voters passed Proposition 215. Yet it is still illegal at the federal level thanks to its classification under the Controlled Substances Act. Not only is marijuana considered a Schedule I narcotic in the U.S., but it also was identified as a Schedule I narcotic under the treaty of the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, also known as the ’61 Convention. WHO’s findings could potentially change all that. Rescheduling cannabis internationally wouldn’t change any laws, but it would demonstrate a change in mindset that could get productive conversations started.

When you think of cannabis in other countries, maybe you think of the infamous coffee shops in the Netherlands, though for the most part marijuana is still illegal there. It was decriminalized and allowed to be consumed in restricted locations. Only recently did the country ease up on some of the growing and smoking laws. You’ll be more likely to have a green-friendly vacation visiting one of the hundreds of cannabis smoking clubs in Spain. Or simply plan a trip in the near future to our neighbor’s the north. Canada is on track to become the second country to fully legalize marijuana, Uruguay being the first.

As with California, our Riverside medical marijuana attorneys know other countries might need to be eased into a new understanding of cannabis. Even though the drug has been used for healing purposes for centuries, because of intense and politically motivated anti-marijuana campaigns, we all must re-educate ourselves on this highly beneficial drug. Once people see for themselves the good it can do, they open up to at least exploring medical marijuana legalization. In addition to Canada and the Netherlands, Chile, Australia, Germany, Peru, Israel, and Australia allow cannabis for medical use. The findings from WHO could open the doors for many more to follow.

Rescheduling marijuana internationally would not only be a victory for countries around the world, but also for medical marijuana users and dispensaries right here in Southern California. If medical professionals globally can agree that cannabis is safe and beneficial, it bolsters the arguments advocates, like our experienced legal team here in Riverside, have been making all along.

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:

The Countries With The Most Relaxed Weed Laws, Feb. 28, 2018, By Burgess Powell, High Times

More Blog Entries:

Medical Marijuana Study in Israel Lights Way for Cancer Treatments, April 2, 2018, Medical Marijuana Lawyers Blog

treatment from their vet?

A vast majority of rational Americans agree that the use of marijuana as a treatment for medical purposes is a decision that should be made between and doctor and patient. Recent polls show more than 90 percent of respondents favor medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. And California has long been a defender of patient rights by leading the nation in medical marijuana legalization with the Compassionate Use Act of 1996.

So why should the decision be any different when it comes to animals and veterinary professionals?

As it stands, California law does not extend to veterinarians the ability to recommend marijuana as a treatment for animals. But AB-2215, introduced by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-27), is looking to change that. The bill would put the power in the hands of the Veterinary Medical Board by calling on them to set the standards for state-licensed veterinarians to discuss marijuana treatment for animal patient clients, and it would also prevent veterinarians from being punished for having such discussions.

That all sounds great, but the bill is receiving criticism from the Veterinary Medical Board for not being broad enough, according to American Veterinarian. The board recently voted 4-2 not to support the bill, citing a primary concern over the word “discuss.” Board members felt this language was too soft, and still didn’t empower vets to “recommend” marijuana for pets. They also voiced concerns over the disciplinary restrictions in the bill, asking that they still be given authority to punish a veterinarian who recommends a dangerously high dosage of cannabis for treatment.

Our Riverside medical marijuana attorneys hope this bill is revised to reflect the concerns of the board and that it paves the way for man’s best friend to get the best treatment. Without the board’s support, this bill is pretty much dead in the water. We know veterinarians are the ones best equipped to make these decisions and should be the ones setting the rules. We also know that all too often, without the guidance of vets, people will turn to the Internet for answers. This is an easy way to put animals in harm’s way by misdiagnosing their symptoms or giving them too high of a dose or allowing them to consume the wrong form of marijuana, all problems that could be avoided with the help of a veterinary specialist.

We also know the challenges that veterinarians face as the travel down this uncharted path. Even though we are learning more every day about the medical benefits of marijuana, there is still limited research due to the drugs classification as a Schedule I narcotic in the Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 812. The research is even more limited when it comes to the effects on animals. But handing these decisions over to veterinary professionals is a good first step.

As laws continue to progress to expand medical marijuana use across the country, our team of trusted lawyers will be here to protect the rights of patients … even four-legged ones.

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:

California Bill Would Let Veterinarians to Discuss Cannabis with Clients, March 1, 2018, By Kerry Lengyel, American Veterinarian

More Blog Entries:

The Legality of Marijuana for Pets in Los Angeles, Oct. 29, 2017, Medical Marijuana Attorneys Blog

ignore marijuana crimes so along as alleged violators were in compliance with state laws. This step gave states the space to figure out how they wanted to handle recreational and/or medical cannabis laws without interference from the federal government.

Sessions, however, has made it clear he intends to revive marijuana prosecutions based on the drug’s current Schedule I controlled substance designation under the Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 812. By rescinding the 2013 order, Sessions has given federal officials the freedom to pursue charges against anyone for these violations – even if they follow state and local laws to the letter. Our marijuana attorneys in L.A. encourage all cannabis business owners in California to seek prompt legal counsel to best protect themselves and their livelihood.

Some don’t see this as an immediate threat, citing the lack of resources to go after so many operations. They also point to a lack of support among citizens to pursue such charges, meaning juries will be more reticent to convict. Others are less optimistic.This is especially true in states with brand new marijuana laws, such as Maryland, which only recently launched a medical marijuana program. When Sessions spoke out a few weeks later, many doctors in the state panicked, according to a Washington Post report. The Maryland State Medical Society even said some doctors who had already registered to offer marijuana to patients withdrew after Sessions’s announcement, despite the top prosecutor in Maryland stating he had no plan to go after participants in medical marijuana.

This hesitation by the medical community is nothing new though, especially on the east coast, where awareness and education on the benefits of marijuana are not as prevalent as they are here in California. In Massachusetts, for example, just over 200 doctors in the whole state have registered to recommend cannabis to patients. Perceptions in the state could change this year after it becomes legal for residents to have limited personal plants in their home and possess marijuana for personal use. Question 4, which was voted on by residents in November 2016, also allows for licenses for commercial sale. It is scheduled to go into effect July 1 of this year.

Our Riverside medical marijuana attorneys hope to continue to see the country push back on this unwarranted and outdated federal classification of marijuana. There is far too much evidence of its benefits medically to continue to treat it the same as drugs like heroin.

In the meantime, education is a top priority. Some doctors are hesitant to recommend marijuana not only because of federal oversight, but also based on lack of knowledge. Unlike other drugs, its treatment potential was not discussed during medical school, nor are there set dosages and guidelines for how to use it to best treat various ailments. In a field that prefers precision, doctors are often not so inclined to recommend trial and error to their patients if other options are available. Other doctors rely on dispensaries to know the best strain to offer the patient, but this puts a lot of pressure on dispensary owners, who are knowledgeable in the different strains, but not the different medical issues.

But for those doctors who are moving forward, many say the rewards of seeing the suffering of their patients alleviated has outweighed the risks. We hope more research and education will help move the medical field and the country forward.

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:

Doctors Backing Out of Recommending Medical Marijuana in Response to Sessions Memo, Feb. 2, 2018, By Steve Hendrix, Washington Post

More Blog Entries:

An Aging Population Trades in Pills for Marijuana, Sept. 8, 2017, Riverside Medical Marijuana Attorney Blog