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“The legalization of marijuana is moving fast in parts of the United States and it looks as though the domino effect could quickly move to other states such as Hawaii,” said former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Project SAM chairman. “We decided to bring SAM to Hawaii to spur discussions about marijuana use and misuse.”

The bill’s death concluded weeks of debate about the drug that attracted fervent testimony from both marijuana advocates and law enforcement officials.

To track information about the rules concerning medical marijuana in Massachusetts, visit this page on the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services’ website.

The 52 pages of regulations that were approved unanimously by the state Public Health Council will allow patients approved for medical marijuana to receive up to 10 ounces as a 60-day supply, though some acutely ill patients could receive more with permission from their doctors.

As Boston magazine reports, the official medical marijuana regulations crafted by the Department of Public Health aren’t even fully in effect, and already, activists are planting the seed for the next step in the pot saga — full legalization of the drug.

“While the current conversation in Vermont about marijuana is decriminalization, the legalization of marijuana is moving fast in parts of the United States, and it looks as though the domino effect could quickly move to other states such as Vermont,” said former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Project SAM’s chairman.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed a bill that decriminalizes marijuana, making possession of less than an ounce of the drug punishable by a small fine rather than arrest and possible jail time. Under the new law, those under age 21 who are caught with marijuana will be required to undergo substance abuse screening.

SAM Co-founder Kevin Sabet, a former senior White House drug policy advisor, responds to The Washington Post’s publication of Doug Fine’s column, headlined: “Five Myths About Legalized Marijuana:” In recent years, The Washington Post has managed to strike a balance between pro- and anti-legalization opinion pieces (e.g. Rauch’s “Let’s Go Down the Aisle Toward Legalized […]

Legalization advocates have been crying foul since SAM Director Kevin Sabet quoted directly from a report by Seattle Schools saying that 39% of kids who used marijuana received their drug from a medical marijuana dispensary. It’s not so strange that some advocates responded that way – after all, the first bit of data released showed […]

An Organization of American States study is calling for a serious discussion about marijuana policy. The report, issued today, is a good first step, but should not be construed as an endorsement of marijuana legalization or policies outside United Nations drug control treaties, said two former top U.S. drug policy officials who served on the […]

At meeting with state legislators in Atlanta, Ga., today, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said the dichotomy of “punishment versus rehabilitation” oversimplifies the issue of marijuana legalization. He said he worries about legal marijuana being marketed to kids; presumes marijuana revenues will be outweighed by the costs of abuse; and favors arrests for users that […]

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