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Sacramento Bee, 02 Mar 2010 - A Rancho Cordova-based insurer Monday launched what it calls the first nationally available insurance coverage designed specifically for the medical marijuana industry. Only 14 states allow use of medical marijuana today, but Statewide Insurance Services is nonetheless offering coverage in all 50 states.

Denver Post, 02 Mar 2010 - Young adults who used marijuana as teens were more likely to develop schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms, including hallucinations and delusions, than those who didn't, an Australian study has found. Those who used the drug for six or more years were twice as likely to develop a psychosis such as schizophrenia or to have delusional disorders than those who never used marijuana, according to research released online by the Archives of General Psychiatry. They were also four times as likely to score high on a list of psychotic-like experiences. The findings build on previous research and show that marijuana use isn't as harmless as some people think, lead study author John McGrath said. The authors said the study was the first to look at sibling pairs to discount genetic or environmental influence and still find marijuana linked to later psychosis.

Ottawa Citizen, 02 Mar 2010 - Young people who smoke cannabis or marijuana for six years or more are twice as likely to have psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions than people who have never used the drug, scientists said on Monday. The findings adds weight to previous research which linked psychosis with the drug and will feed the debate about the level of controls over its use.

Vancouver Sun, 02 Mar 2010 - Those Who've Smoked For At Least 6 Years Are Twice As Likely To Have Delusions As Non-Users Young people who smoke cannabis or marijuana for six years or more are twice as likely to have psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions than people who have never used the drug, scientists said Monday.

The Province, 02 Mar 2010 - Young adults who started using cannabis at an early age and used it for several years are at increased risk of being diagnosed with a form of psychosis, of hallucinating or having delusions, a study published Monday found. The study conducted at the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland in Australia asked more than 3,800 young adults, aged around 20 years, about their cannabis use, and assessed them for psychoses, delusional behaviour and to see if they had hallucinations.

The Standard, 02 Mar 2010 - A top narcotics advisor says expanding the school drug testing scheme to all districts would be too costly. Action Committee Against Narcotics chief Daniel Shek Tan-lei said schools themselves, rather than the government, should take the lead if the scheme is to be extended.

The Clarion-Ledger, 01 Mar 2010 - Also, Legislation Would Allow More To Earn Their Freedom The economic squeeze on the Mississippi Department of Corrections means hundreds of nonviolent inmates could see fewer days behind bars. MDOC Commissioner Chris Epps said he has asked the state Parole Board to review the files of some 2,100 inmates who have been denied parole.

Daily Camera, 01 Mar 2010 - Medical Marijuana Industry Creates New Job Categories, Passionate Advocates Here's a job title that didn't exist around here a couple of years ago: budtender. That would be the person helping a medical marijuana patient select the proper strain to treat his or her ailment. It's a job that requires a mix of mundane skills such using a cash register and making change, a little science nerdism to talk about the brain's cannabinoid receptors and the like, a familiarity with terms such as "couch lock" (since stoner descriptives can creep into a serious medical discussion), a passing knowledge of agronomy to explain hybrid strains, empathy, good communications skills, and generally -- assuming the budtender has a medical marijuana card -- some firsthand knowledge.

The Pretoria News, 01 Mar 2010 - The mother whose two children were removed from her following claims that they were neglected and exposed to "ganja" (dagga) as their parents belonged to a nomadic cult, desperately wants them back. The young mother, only identified as *Sandra to protect the children, spoke for the first time on Sunday after all her children were taken away by family members following interim court orders.

The Fresno Bee, 01 Mar 2010 - A year after the Fresno Police Department disbanded its major narcotics squad, a criminal case under way in federal court is shedding light on what may have gone wrong. The case involves Theresa Martinez, who is on trial in U.S. District Court in Fresno, accused of selling drugs to a police informant.

Dallas Morning News, 01 Mar 2010 - NUEVO LAREDO - Longstanding tensions between the Zetas paramilitary group and their old employers, the Gulf drug cartel, have exploded into a full-blown war, worrying U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials that a likely protracted battle will further threaten this stretch of the Texas-Mexico border. Parts of it are already under heightened security. The resumption in violence shatters a three-year uneasy truce in this region and represents a potential menace to places such as North Texas where the Zetas and a rival drug trafficking organization known as La Familia are entrenched, according to a U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Denver Post, 01 Mar 2010 - More than two years after Denver voters approved a measure making minor marijuana crimes the city's lowest law-enforcement priority, city officials continue to prosecute marijuana cases at a steady clip. Denver city attorneys last year prosecuted 1,696 cases in which possession of less than an ounce of marijuana was at least one of the charges. In 2008, 1,658 cases were prosecuted. In 2006 - the year before the initiative was approved - prosecutors handled 1,841 marijuana cases.

Summit Daily News, 01 Mar 2010 - DA To Start Local Drug Court With Similar Aim SUMMIT COUNTY - Legislation introduced last week at the state Capitol aims to reduce drug offense sentences while improving rehabilitation programs; meanwhile, local District Attorney Mark Hurlbert is making progress toward starting a drug court this year.

Times Recorder, 28 Feb 2010 - Illegal drugs are everyone's problem, said the program manager for HIDTA, the federal agency known as the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Agency. Or at least everyone should be willing to step up and help fight the issue.

Beccles & Bungay Journal, 28 Feb 2010 - Hundreds of drug dens - from industrial-scale factories to smaller operations in criminals' own homes - are uncovered in East Anglia each year, an EDP investigation has found. More than 550 drug-growing operations have been raided by police in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire over the last three years.

Great Falls Tribune, 28 Feb 2010 - The Fort Benton School District is one of the latest schools statewide looking to update its policy on drugs and alcohol use by students participating in extracurricular activities. Most high schools around the state have policies issuing some sort of punishment for students involved in athletics or extracurricular activities who choose to consume alcohol or drugs, or use tobacco. The degree of punishment depends on the district.

Summit Daily News, 28 Feb 2010 - DENVER - The deadline has come for Denver medical marijuana dispensaries to apply for an operating license without an interruption to their businesses, and city officials say the number is lower than expected. But the 235 applications received by Friday are still more than the number of liquor stores in Denver. However, the number of applications submitted is significantly lower than the nearly 500 sales tax licenses issued to Denver dispensaries by the first week of February.

The Post and Courier, 28 Feb 2010 - Legislature Weighs Early Release Of Prisoners To Help With Budget Woes COLUMBIA -- Word that the state's latest cost-cutting plan included possibly dumping 3,000 prison inmates on the streets sent shivers through South Carolina last week, but experts say millions could be saved with little danger to the public.

The Times of India, 28 Feb 2010 - Teens smoking marijuana at increased schizophrenia risk (Getty Image) Teens who smoke marijuana are at a greater risk of developing schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms in the future, a new study has found. After observing more than 3800 youngsters, researchers learnt that people who used the drug for six or more years were twice as likely to suffer from delusional disorders than those who never used it.

Lansing State Journal, 27 Feb 2010 - Williamston-Area Spot For Medicinal Users, Owner Says WILLIAMSTON - It's not exactly the fictional bar from TV's "Cheers." But Wayne Dagit envisions his new club as a place where medicinal marijuana users can belly up to a table, light up a joint and share herbal remedies with other patrons who know their name.