Colorado Wellness Association--Medical Marijuana Trade Group--Announced

Colorado medical marijuana providers formed the Colorado Wellness Association Wednesday, a trade group that its founders hope will help regulate the industry. The group's creator, marijuana attorney Rob Corry, told 9news that he hopes the organization will "create some labeling requirements; some quality control. This is going to be a self-regulating group. We're going to police our own industry and we're going to hope to police it well so the government doesn't come in and do it for us,"

The group's founders told the Denver Post that the Colorado Wellness Association will "produce a regular magazine and perhaps even start an online medical-marijuana commodities market for dispensary owners to purchase their product."

Comments

[humanbeing-rick]

BRAVO!!!

[Mort]

Some competition for organized crime, but instead of ruling by fear these guys will be more mellow and have snack food all over the office.

[kikomnipotent]

Being a border state w/ NM, glad to hear about their progressiveness. Now if only we can get AZ & UT on board! Yeah right, both are still zero tolerance states. Anyway, was wondering what 'Ol Governor Gary (correct?) thinks about all this, seeing as he got run out for mentioning it 6 years ago. Not harshing on Bill, I think he's awesome for the state. NM is lucky he got railroaded regarding the Transpo Sec job. Good luck with the weed!

[Nicon]

Each step we take towards normalcy and sanity brings a smile to my face.

Legal marijuana benefits everyone while harming no one.

Yes We Cannabis!

this fits the mood here well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aKurjW-e_o

[robbyJ]

The declaration of independence was written on a substance that we can be arrested for. It's a crazy world.

Here's a song for you. One of my personal favs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye3ecDYxOkg

[fleaba]

Um, someone already beat them to the punch on this magazine idea...."High Times" ring any bells?

[wadenelson1]

So alongside gold futures and pork bellies we're gonna have Marijuana bales?

Instead of "Light Sweet Crude" it's "Nasty Humbold Skunkweed?"

Where do I sign up?

[LogicNow]

I wish them much success. It is about time, and we really need to stop the nonsense and legalize this herb once and for all.

[Bradson]

Please keep the lawyers and bureaucrats out of our gardens.

[Kiri sute gomen]

Good for them, best of luck!

[Z-Liberator]

I better become a member as soon as I can.

[kikomnipotent]

A step in the right direction. The reason counties & states want to step in is simple. It's literally like the Wild West out here when it comes to the laws on pot now. I spoke with people at a medical mj online organization in Denver, & they couldn't tell me anything. How does one become a provider? Can a person be a provider to individuals AND clinics, so they could conceivably make a living as a provider? Seriously--now it's legal for clinics and patients, there's talk of more generalized legalization, why can't someone make a damn good income being an independent provider? Will the fed step in change all the laws and zoning requirements, and tax structure in 9 months, completely screwing up a simple plan? Right now there are no answers, and a person could get burned after investing a ton of money & time, so it would be a risky venture to say the least.

[Hank007]

In NM only non-profits can grow. Hopefully soon, anyone will be able to grow a certain amount. In Holland every one is allowed up to 4 plants for personal use, which can actually mean a very high yield. I feel it should be like tomatoes, which farmers grow as a crop, and individuals can grow as a hobby.

[Allwx]

My wife with cancer is in the application process in NM now. NM is a little more organized than CO appears to be, and the effect here in NM is that the approval process is convoluted and, in places, self-contradictory. To home grow, a patient and caregiver can grow up to 16 plants, four of which can be producing at any one time. A separate application has to be submitted for home growing. Recently a lady in Albuquerque, on the medical cannabis program, had her three plants confiscated by police because she hadn't been approved to grow. This is the sort of technicality that needs to be gotten rid of.

[RevRayGreen]

ouston, TX (ASA)– The American Medical Association (AMA) voted today to reverse its long-held position that marijuana be retained as a Schedule I substance with no medical value. The AMA adopted a report drafted by its Council on Science and Public Health (CSAPH) entitled, “Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes,” which affirmed the therapeutic benefits of marijuana and called for further research. The CSAPH report concluded that, “short term controlled trials indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, improves appetite and caloric intake especially in patients with reduced muscle mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis.” Furthermore, the report urges that “the Schedule I status of marijuana be reviewed with the goal of facilitating clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods.”

The change of position by the largest physician-based group in the country was precipitated in part by a resolution adopted in June of 2008 by the Medical Student Section (MSS) of the AMA in support of the reclassification of marijuana’s status as a Schedule I substance. In the past year, the AMA has considered three resolutions dealing with medical marijuana, which also helped to influence the report and its recommendations. The AMA vote on the report took place in Houston, Texas during the organization’s annual Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates. The last AMA position, adopted 8 years ago, called for maintaining marijuana as a Schedule I substance, with no medical value.