[caption id="attachment_6849" align="alignright" width="180"] Dr. Sanjay Gupta[/caption]

CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has spent the last year creating an investigative report on marijuana, and the former critic of marijuana policy reform has changed his mind drastically on the subject.

On Wednesday night, Dr. Gupta told Piers Morgan that "We've been terribly and systematically misled in this country for some time and I did part of that misleading,” when it comes to marijuana and its medical applications.

You can watch the segment here:

Dr. Gupta’s documentary, “Weed,” will premiere on CNN Sunday, August 11 at 8:00 pm ET.

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A recent investigation into drug treatment centers in southern California found rampant financial corruption and inflated reporting of patient attendance.

The investigation, conducted by the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting and CNN, found that dozens of clinics showed signs of deception and questionable billing practices. The two worst offenders, Able Family and GB Medical Services, were virtually empty storefronts run by convicted criminals that bribed clients and submitted fake names to a government insurance provider in order to collect millions in taxpayer money. Over the past two years alone, the clinics indicted by the investigation received $94 million in public funds.

According to CNN’s interviews with former state officials, California’s Department of Health Care Services has “fielded concerns about rehab clinic fraud for at least five years yet has done almost nothing to combat it.”

While these findings demonstrate the need for reform in California’s regulation of drug treatment centers, they also provide additional evidence that the number of people in treatment for marijuana use is inflated.

A 2010 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that a majority (57%) of participants in drug treatment programs for marijuana were referred there by the criminal justice system. In other words, users who were arrested for simple possession were offered the choice of “treatment” or jail time.

With all of the money to be made from these programs – through forced attendance or unscrupulous government agencies forking over taxpayer money for fake clients – it is of little surprise that some of the most vocal critics of marijuana policy reform own and operate treatment clinics.

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[caption id="attachment_6842" align="alignright" width="183"] District Attorney Mitch Morrissey confused by science[/caption]

At a Denver City Council hearing held on Monday to discuss implementing a 5% marijuana sales tax, Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey held the floor to claim that medical marijuana dispensaries are a haven for assaults, robberies, and murder.

“We have had 12 homicides related directly to medical marijuana,” Morrissey told the council. “We have had over 100 aggravated robberies and home invasions. Many of you probably didn’t read about the double-execution-style homicide that we had here in Denver… This is an ugly secret.”

Several council members expressed their shock and concern over the DA’s previously unheard-of claims. When questioned about the validity of his statistics on Tuesday, though, Morrissey clarified that he’d cited “loose figures” and that none of the homicides actually occurred at a medical marijuana facility. In reality, most of the homicides happened during home invasions, and in some cases, it is uncertain whether marijuana played a role.

Mason Tvert, communications director at MPP, spoke to The Huffington Post to help set the record straight:

 “Morrissey’s suggestion that the state- and locally-regulated medical marijuana industry is somehow at fault for crimes that occurred entirely outside of its scope is ludicrous and irresponsible. I cannot imagine any other instance in which he would place blame for violent crimes on law-abiding businesses and citizens who have fallen victim to them.”

Tvert’s claim that dispensaries are not causing violent crime is backed by police statistics. In 2009, the Denver Police Department found that robbery and burglary rates at dispensaries were lower than area banks and liquor stores and on par with those of pharmacies. In 2010, police in Colorado Springs found that robbery and burglary rates at area dispensaries were no higher than at non-marijuana-related businesses. Discussing the findings, Sgt. Darrin Abbink said, “I don’t think the data really supports [dispensaries] are more likely to be targeted at this point.”

Of the robberies and assaults that have occurred, industry representatives say that medical marijuana dispensaries may only be targeted because current banking laws force them to deal in cash rather than credit.

Tvert continued, “If Morrissey is truly concerned about enhancing public safety, he should be testifying in support of policies that will eliminate the underground marijuana market and replace it with a system in which marijuana is regulated like alcohol. He should not be resorting to scare tactics and reefer madness.”

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Following the city’s first medical marijuana sale earlier this week, Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said that the city should discuss the possibility of legalizing marijuana.

“I don’t have a position on whether to legalize it or not, but we should have that discussion,” Gray told News Channel 8.

[caption id="attachment_6838" align="alignright" width="220"] Mayor Vincent Gray[/caption]

He said that the topic is an important one because current prohibitionist policies result in harmless young people getting criminal records.

The mayor’s statement comes after growing call for reform in the District. On July 10, D.C. Councilmember and mayoral candidate Tommy Wells proposed legislation to remove criminal penalties for the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

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The Marijuana Policy Project is gearing up for a 2016 campaign to tax and regulate marijuana in another Southwestern state, Nevada.

Although a recent poll found that a majority of Nevada residents (54%) support legalizing marijuana for adults and 39% voted in favor of legalization on a 2002 ballot, MPP’s communications director Mason Tvert said that there are several reasons to wait until the November 2016 election to launch a petition. By 2016, Tvert said, the campaign will almost certainly have the funds and public support necessary to launch a successful petition drive and secure a victory.

“Given the costs, is it worth trying in 2014 and getting 49.9% of the votes when if we wait until 2016 [we can] get well over 50%?,” Tvert said.

[caption id="attachment_6834" align="alignright" width="158"] Assemblyman Joe Hogan[/caption]

Politicians in Nevada have already expressed their support for ending the current prohibitionist regime. Assemblyman Joe Hogan introduced a bill to tax and regulate marijuana in March, saying that the state wastes barrels of money “spoiling teenagers’ lives.” Assemblyman Andrew Martin testified in favor of legalization, arguing that it could secure nearly $500 million a year in tax revenue for schools.

MPP expects that by 2017 as many as seven states will allow for legal marijuana, including Rhode Island, Alaska, Maryland, and Hawaii.

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The Uruguayan House of Representatives voted yesterday to approve a bill that would tax and regulate marijuana for adults. The measure will now move to the Senate where, if it passes as expected, will make Uruguay the first country in the world to create a fully legal and regulated marijuana market.

All 50 members of the ruling Broad Front coalition approved the measure yesterday after more than 13 hours of passionate debate. Lawmakers in the Senate have stated that they have achieved a comfortable majority in favor of the bill.

“Uruguay appears poised, in the weeks ahead, to become the first nation in modern times to create a legal, regulated framework for marijuana,” said John Walsh, a drug policy expert at the Washington Office on Latin America. “In doing so, Uruguay will be bravely taking a leading role in establishing and testing a compelling alternative to the prohibitionist paradigm.”

Legalizing marijuana has been a popular anti-drug trafficking strategy for some of Uruguay’s most prominent political figures. President José Mújica has been a staunch, long-time advocate for replacing marijuana prohibition with taxation and regulation.

If the bill passes, Uruguayans over the age of 18 would be allowed to buy a limited amount of marijuana per month from state-sanctioned distributors.

Predictably, the International Narcotics Control Board, which oversees United Nations drug policy, is not amused.

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[caption id="attachment_6823" align="alignright" width="240"] Gov. Pat Quinn[/caption]

In another historic victory for patients, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) just signed MPP’s medical marijuana bill into law. This makes Illinois the 20th state to allow safe and legal access to medical marijuana!

The measure was approved in the Senate (35-21) on May 17 and in the House (61-57) on April 17. It was endorsed by the Illinois Nurses Association and the Illinois State Bar Association, and more than 270 doctors from across the state signed on to a statement in support of safe access to medical marijuana for patients with serious illnesses.

We put nearly 10 years of hard work into passing this bill. MPP deployed staffers to testify at hearings, hired lobbyists in the state capital, provided grants to local activist organizations, aired TV and radio ads, and mobilized supporters to put pressure on state legislators and the governor.

Once this law goes into effect, patients will be able to obtain marijuana at 60 dispensaries -- which will be served by 22 grow locations -- creating the third-largest, state-regulated medical marijuana system in the country.

This enactment of the Illinois law is MPP's third major legislative achievement this year. (We also passed a medical marijuana bill in New Hampshire and a decriminalization measure in Vermont.)

As a result, 40% of the U.S. population now lives in states with workable medical marijuana laws, and 17 states have decriminalized or legalized marijuana possession. This is a huge feat, but we cannot rest yet!

Unfortunately, people in more than half of the states still face criminal penalties for marijuana possession -- including medical marijuana patients.

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[caption id="attachment_6819" align="alignright" width="230"] President José Mújica[/caption]

Uruguayan President José Mújica is pushing for a bill that would tax and regulate marijuana in Uruguay.

The bill, which is scheduled for a vote on July 31, is just one vote short of the 50 required to pass the Lower Chamber. The Broad Front, a left-wing coalition behind the bill, is in the process of talking with additional potential supporters in the legislature.

Mújica has been a staunch advocate for legalizing marijuana in Uruguay for some time in order to fight drug trafficking. In 2012, the New York Times wrote, “Mújica has promoted the legalization of marijuana as a way to reduce the addiction and crime associated with harder drugs.” Earlier this week, the president met with José Miguel Insulza, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, to discuss the conclusions of a recent report on drug consumption in the Americas. The report favored decriminalizing marijuana.

If the bill passes, Uruguayans over the age of 18 would be allowed to buy a limited amount of marijuana per month from state-sanctioned distributors.

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MPP's video ad that began airing Friday on a jumbotron outside the NASCAR Brickyard 400 was pulled later that afternoon by the media company that owns the video screen. Grazie Media, which had solicited the ad from MPP, approved its content, and accepted payment for it, reportedly came under fire from marijuana prohibitionist organizations such as Save Our Society From Drugs, which claimed the ad's message that marijuana is safer than alcohol was false and misleading.

In a statement, MPP's Mason Tvert said:

We find it odd that this company is willing to run ads at an alcohol-fueled event, yet unwilling to run an ad that simply highlights the ways in which marijuana is less harmful than alcohol. This is the exact type of hypocrisy that motivated us to run this ad. We wanted to make people think about the absurdity of laws that allow adults to use alcohol but punish them for making the safer choice to use marijuana instead, if that is what they prefer.

Despite only airing at the race for a few hours, the ad generated a wealth of national and local media coverage, including two segments on CNN and one on CNBC. The video has already received more than 550,000 views on YouTube.

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NASCAR fans attending this weekend's Brickyard 400 races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be greeted by an MPP video ad in support of making marijuana legal for adults. It is scheduled to air dozens of times on a jumbotron outside the entrance of the speedway, which will be "the epicenter of American stock car racing and North American sports car racing" this weekend, according to the event's website.

The ad, which is already getting national media attention, is reminiscent of a beer commercial and highlights the relative safety of marijuana compared to alcohol by characterizing marijuana as a "new 'beer'" that is less harmful to the consumer and to society.

Watch the ad below:

MPP released the following statement from communications director Mason Tvert:

"Our goal is to make this weekend's event as educational as it will be enjoyable. We simply want those adults who will be enjoying a beer or two at the race this weekend to think about the fact that marijuana is an objectively less harmful product."

"Marijuana is less toxic and less addictive than alcohol, and it is far less likely to contribute to violent and reckless behavior. We hope racing fans who still think marijuana should be illegal will question the logic of punishing adults for using a safer substance than those produced by sponsors of NASCAR events and racing teams.”

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