[caption id="attachment_7750" align="alignright" width="201"] Hillary Clinton[/caption]

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seems to have changed her mind when it comes to marijuana policy, according to National Journal. Clinton had previously expressed that she did not want marijuana decriminalized, but thought research ought to be done into its benefits. On Tuesday, she appeared to be more acquiescent to a change in the law. Clinton called for more research to be done, without doubting the medical benefits. Hillary stopped short of making an endorsement, saying, “I think we need to be very clear about the benefits of marijuana use for medicinal purposes. I don't think we've done enough research yet.”

When she came to the issue of whether it should be legal for adults to use, Clinton said that states like Colorado and Washington have already reformed and that they are “laboratories of democracy.” Clinton claims to be holding out on forming her opinion until she has the evidence from the two states. Her change of heart mirrors that of the Democratic Party, which, as of late, has become more amenable to the case for making marijuana legal for adults to use, medically or otherwise.

The Board of Water Works of Pueblo County, Colorado is meeting later today to discuss two resolutions that would supply treated water to the county to grow marijuana within the city limits, the Pueblo Chieftain reports. The resolutions are an attempt to work within current law that forbids the use of public water, such as that from the county’s Lake Pueblo, from being used to grow marijuana. They would also allow for the sale of water from the water board’s direct flow rights in Pueblo Dam while not selling water with any federal links to growers. Though Colorado voters approved medical marijuana in 2003 and adult use was made legal in 2012, growing marijuana plants is still a federal crime.

The resolutions would allow the water board to supply marijuana growers while still adhering to federal policy. It would also clarify some of the water rights that are not subject to federal policy. However, the water board retains the right to terminate the use of water for marijuana growing if federal policy changes. The second resolution would make about 260 million gallons of raw water available to Pueblo County growers annually by lease. This, too, contains provisions to cancel contracts as they are subject to federal policy changes. Pueblo County hopes to raise about half a million dollars in additional revenue from these new policies.

Groups hoping to lessen the penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana have filed petitions in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, The New Mexico Telegram reports. Current New Mexico law allows for a $50 fine and up to 15 days imprisonment for a first offense. Additional offenses can amount to a $500 fine and up to 90 days in prison. The petitions would lower the fine to only $25 for less than one ounce of marijuana and completely eliminate incarceration for first-time offenders.

This current petition is the latest in a long series of efforts to change New Mexico’s marijuana policy. In 2013, a bill that would have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana narrowly passed the New Mexico House of Representatives but garnered little support in the Senate. Earlier this year, advocates tried to amend the New Mexico state constitution to make marijuana legal for adults, but the initiative was unable to gather enough signatures to be put on the state ballot. The current petitions are getting signatures from registered voters in both cities in order to be put on the local ballots. To be passed, the petitions would need 20% of the turnout of the last city election in Albuquerque and a third of the mayoral election draw in Santa Fe.

The Jamaican government announced Thursday that it is rethinking its marijuana policies, reports the Sacramento Bee. Justice Minister Mark Golding and the Cabinet are supporting legislation being drafted that would decriminalize possession of under two ounces of marijuana. In addition, a bill that would provide a path for those convicted under the current system of laws to having their criminal records expunged is in the works.

Debate regarding the loosening of marijuana laws in Jamaica has been ongoing for many years, as much of the island nation’s culture is tied to marijuana. The law is being changed mainly for religious reasons, as Rastafarianism, a prominent religion within Jamaica, uses marijuana in many of its ceremonial practices. Though the legislature has tried to decriminalize marijuana in the past, it was shot down because due to fear of backlash from Washington. Minister Golding believes now is a good time to pass the legislation, as the Obama administration is unlikely to push back against this proposed decriminalization.

Colorado is preparing to begin the largest state-funded study on the benefits of medical marijuana, The Denver Post reports. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill that will distribute about $9 Million in grants to researchers. These studies will be unique because clinical trials on the kinds of marijuana products that Colorado citizens consume will be among the research conducted. The purpose of these studies is to research the effects of marijuana on the people in a setting where they can consume it legally.

Colorado is following suit in its research after California became the first state to fund medical marijuana research more than 12 years ago, and studies there have yielded results about the analgesic effects of certain doses. Dr. Larry Wolk is the executive director and chief medical officer of Colorado’s health department. While emphasizing that Colorado would mainly fund research on approved medical conditions, Wolk also stated that the state would look into funding other kinds of studies as well. Wolk hopes to begin accepting applications later this year, with funding starting in early 2015.

This is especially good news in light of a report released this week showing that the federal government has consistently stymied research into the potential benefits of marijuana.

New Mexico is considering rule changes that would make the medical marijuana program less transparent and less accountable. The proposed rules would also make it harder for patients — many of whom are disabled veterans suffering from PTSD and chronic pain — to access their medicine. Thousands of seriously ill patients are worried that their medicine will be taken away.

Hearings are scheduled for next Monday, June 16.

The proposed rules would reduce the number of plants that patients could grow from twelve currently to six. They would also create a new $50 patient application fee, force patients to pay for their own criminal background checks, and remove necessary checks and balances in the system. They would also triple the annual fees licensed producers must pay, which would surely be reflected in medical cannabis prices.

A University of Minnesota research group, led by chief researcher Kalpna Gupta, has found that the cannabinoids in marijuana can help treat pain caused by sickle cell disease, reports Minnesota Daily. The group has been running tests on mice and it has yielded good outcomes from those tests. The study says the next step is to move onto human trials; however, it is running into issues with Minnesota’s laws.

In order to take this next step, the research will be moved to California, where medical marijuana became legal almost 20 years ago. Minnesota, on the other hand, has a stricter medical marijuana law that will take effect next summer. This research may actually affect the Minnesota law, however, by providing evidence that could help add sickle cell disease to the qualifying health conditions for the program.

The conditions currently approved by Minnesota law include cancer, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, and seizures. The Department of Health in Minnesota is presently creating a task force to investigate the therapeutic effects of marijuana. Dr. Gupta’s research is being funded by the National Institute of Health’s grant, and is intended to test the effects of vaporized marijuana on 35 sickle cell disease patients at the beginning of July. Minnesota’s medical marijuana laws are some of the strictest in the nation, but the research Dr. Gupta is doing may be able to help more patients find relief.

On Tuesday, Democratic primary voters in South Carolina approved a non-binding medical marijuana question. With all counties having reported, the unofficial results show the question was supported by an overwhelming 75%-25% margin! The question asked voters if “medical marijuana [should] be legalized for use in cases of severe, chronic illnesses when documented by a physician.”

While this was a non-binding question, meaning it does not change the law at all, the overwhelming support sends a clear message to South Carolina lawmakers, and Democrats specifically, that their constituents support compassionate laws.

Earlier this spring, the South Carolina Legislature took a step toward sensible marijuana laws by passing legislation allowing a limited class of patients to use marijuana low in THC, but it is so incomplete that MPP does not consider South Carolina a medical marijuana state.

On Tuesday, MPP and allied advocates launched a ballot referendum committee to make marijuana legal, taxed, and regulated for adults in Massachusetts. The committee is called the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Massachusetts and will allow MPP to begin raising money within Massachusetts. Massachusetts voters have shown a desire to reform their marijuana laws, first by decriminalizing simple possession in 2008, and then by approving a medical marijuana ballot initiative in 2012. In addition, a recent poll taken by WBUR/MassINC Polling Group found that 49% of Massachusetts voters support making marijuana legal.

MPP’s Mason Tvert weighed in on the future of MPP’s involvement in Massachusetts in Commonwealth Magazine, stating, “We’re going to be spending the next year working to build a coalition. We really want to replicate the Colorado process, and not just the winning part. We spent six months drafting the best possible initiative, and the most effective system we felt was possible. That’s our goal in Massachusetts: to get a large group of stakeholders, and write the best possible law. If the legislature wants to participate in drafting the law, they’ll have the opportunity. And if not, and if we believe it’s something the voters want, we have no choice but to take it to the ballot.”