A year after the District legalized medical marijuana, nobody is legally growing or selling it. Patients once thought they would be receiving the drug by early 2011, but bureaucratic delays and the city’s caution in implementing its drug law have caused some would-be patients and entrepreneurs to fume.

But things appear to be picking up. District regulators are forging ahead despite a recent Justice Department memo that has worried state medical marijuana program coordinators nationwide, and city officials on Tuesday said dozens of individuals and businesses will be allowed to apply for licenses to operate five dispensaries and 10 cultivation centers.

The city now expects patients to have access to medicinal marijuana, which advocates say can relieve pain and stimulate appetite, by May 2012. [Washington Post]

Events in the Nation’s Capital are of particular interest to industry participants around the country. Although D.C. is a small market compared to other medical marijuana states, it has the potential to set a strong example and help to educate the nation’s most powerful political leaders about what a responsible medical marijuana program looks like. A successful program in Washington, D.C. could do a great deal to legitimize the medical marijuana industry at the national level.

Sensible and Humane

There is no good reason to deprive patients with cancer or H.I.V. or Lou Gehrig’s disease of the relief from pain or extreme nausea that could come from using marijuana.

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who once opposed his state’s medical marijuana law, has changed his mind, deciding earlier this month to allow six alternative treatment centers to begin dispensing the drug to those in need, possibly by early next year. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York needs to change his mind as well.

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Mr. Cuomo should champion a similar and humane system and ensure that New York’s residents coping with illness have the same chance at relief. [New York Times]

With the support of the New York Times, it may be just a matter of time before New York joins the growing list of medical marijuana states. Interest in the New York market will be considerable, and would represent another significant forward step for the medical marijuana industry, even under a restrictive approach like that of neighboring New Jersey.

Gov. Chris Christie gave the green light to New Jersey’s medical marijuana program on Tuesday, saying he believes the state’s narrow initiative would not run afoul of federal prosecutors.

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In response to New Jersey and other states with budding medical marijuana programs, the Justice Department issued a memo on June 29 reiterating that small, focused state programs would not be a top priority for law enforcement.

“It is likely not an efficient use of federal resources to focus enforcement efforts on individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or their caregiver,” the department said.

Mr. Christie said that while the memo did not directly address the issue, his experience as a former U.S. attorney allowed him to read between the lines.

“They were clearly trying to send us a signal,” he said. He also cited then-candidate Barack Obama’s comments to an Oregon newspaper in 2008, when he said prosecution of medical marijuana users and dispensers would not be “real high” on his priority list as president. [WSJ]

New Jersey’s decision to move forward sends an important message to other states that have delayed implementation in response to conflicting messages from federal officials. Medical marijuana is an industry that continues to move forward at the state level, but is not likely to receive an unequivocal pledge of support from Washington, D.C. in the immediate future. That’s just the nature of the business and Gov. Christie deserves credit for making the right move.

Medical marijuana advocate Scott Morgan has a piece at Huffington Post explaining why the medical marijuana market will thrive with or without the support of the federal government:

Obama and his drug war army may have the force of federal law on their side, but they know that to fully execute it means they must risk shocking the conscience of the American people. That is something they literally and figuratively cannot afford to do. In the end, the success of the medical marijuana movement depends only on the willingness of patients, providers, advocates, and even state officials to continue pushing cautiously, but constantly, forward.

Read the whole thing here.

It’s a well-researched piece and worth the read for both patients and industry professionals.

Marijuana laws should be set at the state, not federal, level, Reps. Ron Paul and Barney Frank argued in a bill they introduced Thursday.

The goal of the bill, HR 2306, is not to legalize marijuana but to remove it from the list of federally controlled substances while allowing states to decide how they will regulate it. (Los Angeles Times)

Participants in the existing medical marijuana industry need not worry about new competition just yet. The effort is almost certainly ahead of its time and very unlikely to become law, but it’s another sign of the increasing political acceptance that operates alongside the rapid growth of the medical marijuana market.

Debate over the proposed legislation is likely to touch on the economic benefits of current medical marijuana markets around the country. Even if unsuccessful, this legislative push could certainly increase interest in the numerous economic opportunities that already exist in the medical marijuana field. Moreover, the sense that broader legalization lies somewhere on the horizon will likely serve to further motivate anyone with an interest in the marijuana industry.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. has long sold weed killer. Now, it’s hoping to help people grow killer weed.

In an unlikely move for the head of a major company, Scotts Chief Executive Jim Hagedorn said he is exploring targeting medical marijuana as well as other niches to help boost sales at his lawn and garden company.

“I want to target the pot market,” Mr. Hagedorn said in an interview. “There’s no good reason we haven’t.”

The story also quotes See Change President Kris Lotlikar, who gives some context based on our research:

Sixteen states have legalized medical marijuana, the largest being California and Colorado. The market will reach $1.7 billion in sales this year, according to a report by See Change Strategy LLC, an information data services company.

While the report focuses on revenue from growers and dispensaries, Kris Lotlikar, president of See Change, said the market for companies selling hydroponic equipment and professional services is also thriving.

“We see very good growth for these types of companies as the medical-marijuana business grows,” he said.

Scotts Miracle-Gro is taking a forward thinking approach to the medical marijuana market, but they’re really just one of many companies with the relevant experience to explore new opportunities in this industry. As the industry continues to grow, it will be interesting to observe how new participants approach the market.

The state Department of Health Services received 110 electronic applications – nearly 60 percent of them for chronic pain – and authorized at least 44 people to use marijuana as treatment. Their cards will be mailed today, allowing them to possess up to 2 ½ ounces of pot every two weeks and grow up to 12 plants.
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Eighty-two percent of the applicants were men and their ages ranged widely. There were no applications on behalf of children.

Things are only going to get busier for Arizona’s Dept. of Health Services. Registration cards will be in even greater demand once dispensaries begin opening their doors later this year.