Weekend Round Up -- September 29, 2014

Vets Line Up for Free Marijuana in Colorado:  "A marijuana giveaway for veterans attracted about 1,000 people to a Colorado Springs hotel.  The "Grow 4 Vets" giveaway aimed to bring cannabis-based treatments to veterans with service-related conditions as an alternative to pain medications.  The [Colorado Springs] Gazette reports that veterans were given a bag of items that included cannabis oil, an edible chocolate bar and seeds to grow plants."

Polls Show Decline in Legalization Support in Colorado, Nation:   "Two recent polls show that support of legalized marijuana have waned, and that there is unhappiness in the way regulations are handled by the state.   A Suffolk University/USA Today poll found that about half of Coloradans are not happy with the new marijuana law and how it is administered."

Hundreds Show Up for WA  Cannabis Industry Job Fair:  Thirty businesses and 500 job-seekers converged on a Bellevue hotel.  Report is that businesses were recruiting for 140 jobs.

Illinois Issues First Patient Medical Marijuana Licenses:  "Seriously ill Illinoisans are starting to find out if they’ll be able to legally use medical marijuana.  Jim Champion, who was the first person to apply to be part of the state’s Medical Cannabis Pilot Program, got an acceptance letter last week telling him he’s in the program, he said.  Champion, of Somonauk, led the pack of more than 2,000 seriously ill Illinoisans who applied to the program in the first few days applications were accepted.   Those accepted into the program will receive registration cards, which will be needed to buy marijuana at a dispensary. No dispensary is yet open."

British Royal Botanic Gardens to Offer "Psychoactive, Mind-Altering" Plants to Visitors: "Kew Gardens are giving visitors the opportunity to sample mind-altering plants as part of a new season focusing on intoxication and drugs.  The Plant Connoisseurs’ Club, a workshop which will be run by what Kew Garden calls architectural foodsmiths Bombas & Parr, will give visitors the ‘opportunity to try an unusual plant’ [such as betel nut, kola nut, raw guarana, and blue lotus tea.]  Visitors taking part in the workshop will be required to sign a disclaimer confirming that they have read and understood the medical guidelines associated with the tester."

Medical Cannabis Gaining Steam in Australia:  "The [Australian] federal government would be given oversight over the production and distribution of medical cannabis under new legislation to make the make the drug available to patients with chronic pain.  The push to legalise medical cannabis is gathering pace, with Greens Senator Richard Di Natale, chairman of the cross-party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy and Law Reform, now finalising a bill that is set to be introduced into Parliament next month."

British Dad Launches Marijuana Business After Watching Breaking Bad:  "A real life Breaking Bad father of three started a cannabis factory [in Ystradgynlais in South Wales] to support his family after losing his home and livelihood following a tumour operation.  Shane Cousins, a 40-year-old father of three, was hoping to copy US crime drama chemistry teacher Walter White, who builds a Class A drug crystal meth empire after he is diagnosed with cancer."