There are encouraging signs arising from our nation’s courts, the federal government, state governments and the collective will of the people, all pointing to a more relaxed attitude regarding the legalization of marijuana. But is Washington ready for such a monumental change in the country’s long established prohibition against marijuana? Many observers don’t think so. Not yet, anyways. Despite the many encouraging signs, and there are many, very few politicians

THE JOCULAR reference in the May 1 Clout column to the medical marijuana bill that I’ve introduced did not include any of the reasons why I believe this is a necessary and vital step. Many people, especially as they age, suffer from serious diseases for which existing prescription treatments are inadequate. Marijuana can slow the progression of glaucoma and make other dreadfully painful diseases, like cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis or

The argument to legalize marijuana is back in the news, after rock legend and Obama supporter Carlos Santana said that marijuana needs to be legalized, while also taking a hard swipe at California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, the Grammy-winning guitarist said, “I really believe that as soon as we legalize and decriminalize marijuana, we can actually afford a really good governor who won’t

ScienceDaily (Apr. 1, 2009) — Guillermo Velasco and colleagues, at Complutense University, Spain, have provided evidence that suggests that cannabinoids such as the main active component of marijuana (THC) have anticancer effects on human brain cancer cells. In the study, THC was found to induce the death of various human brain cancer cell lines and primary cultured human brain cancer cells by a process known as autophagy. Consistent with the

ANNAPOLIS — When a police officer asked her what she was doing behind a van in the park, Pamela Hughes told him the honest truth. “I said I was smoking a cannabis cigarette,” she said. She presented the stunned policeman with a written recommendation from her doctor and a copy of Maryland’s “Compassionate Use Act,” which reduces the penalties for possession of medical marijuana. “I honestly thought that I wasn’t