Medical Pot Use Legal, Confusing in Michigan

Worker sacked for using prescribed pot for cancer

(NEWSER) - The ACLU is suing Wal-Mart on behalf of a Michigan man fired for using medical marijuana to ease the symptoms of sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor. Joseph Casias, a 30-year-old father of two, was fired after failing a drug test. Casias—a legally registered user of medicinal marijuana who was prescribed the drug by his doctor—says he only used marijuana outside working hours, but Wal-Mart insists that pot use is an issue of safety. More»

(NEWSER) - Instead of hotspots, IPhone users can now find pot spots, thanks to a new app that locates legal medical marijuana outlets, reports Mashable. Apple has approved the $2.99 iPhone app, Canabis, which seeks out legal pot clinics, collectives, advocacy organizations, and prescribing docs throughout the US. The smokin' application also directs travelers to international sites. More»

Sativex for cancer pain already in advanced clinical trials

(NEWSER) - A company developing a marijuana-based mouth spray for cancer pain is hoping for FDA approval by next year. British firm GW Pharma is already carrying out advanced clinical trials for Sativex, the first pharmaceutical developed from raw marijuana, reports AP . Sativex contains marijuana components delta 9-THC and cannabidiol, and has already been approved in eight European nations and Canada and New Zealand for easing muscle spasms linked to multiple sclerosis. FDA approval would be a major breakthrough in the stalemate between federal drug enforcement and the 16 states where medical marijuana is legal. More»

Gov. Jan Brewer needs to implement the law, judge rules

(NEWSER) - An Arizona judge has told the state's government to get out of the way and let people have the medical marijuana dispensaries they voted for in 2010 . The judge ordered Gov. Jan Brewer, a consistent opponent of medical marijuana, to fully implement the law and allow dispensaries to open, reports the Wall Street Journal . He also struck down restrictions requiring dispensary operators to be state residents with no history of bankruptcy or "government debts" like unpaid taxes or outstanding parking tickets. More»

And Heather Donahue has written a book about it

(NEWSER) - Remember the fear-stricken, hat-wearing girl from the Blair Witch Project? She's an actor no longer: Heather Donahue abandoned the screen for a new career growing medical marijuana, notes the Filmdrunk blog via Philly.com . After a year, she stopped doing that, too; her latest endeavor is an upcoming memoir about how her "life went to pot," in a good way. It all started when she met a man from "Nuggettown," a weed-growing mecca in northern California. More»