Weekly Wrapup: Record Support for Medical Pot, MA Moves Forward While CO Town Backtracks

Although most of us skipped out early last week to celebrate Thanksgiving, the medical marijuana world still generated
plenty of meaty news ahead of the holiday.

First, the good: A CBS poll found that the vast majority of Americans support medical cannabis. We’re talking 77
percent, or more than three-fourths of the population. Tell the anti-MMJ crowd to put that in their pipes and smoke it. The findings highlight the tectonic shift in the public’s views toward medical pot in the U.S. The average American now supports the use of MMJ by seriously ill patients, which bodes well for the future of the industry.

But there’s a caveat: Most people are skeptical that “medical” pot actually winds up in the hands of patients. And they’re
right, at least to some degree.

Continuing with the positive developments, a pro-cannabis group in Massachusetts submitted a petition calling for the
legalization of medical marijuana. If enough signatures are validated, the issue could appear on the 2012 ballot.

Unfortunately, there was a bit of negative news last week as well (this is the medical pot industry, after all). Officials in Fort Collins, Colo., set Feb.14 as the date that all dispensaries in the city must close. The move comes after voters backed a measure in November to ban medical pot businesses from the city, continuing a disturbing trend that is playing  out across the nation. It’ll be a sad Valentine’s Day for the Fort Collins MMJ industry.

In other developments:

- The recent raids in Washington State and Montana targeted more than just dispensaries. Grow operations, financial institutions, private homes and even a car-customization company found federal officers at the front door.

- A medical marijuana collective in Phoenix continues to provide patients with pot a week after its launch, no small feat considering that local authorities have shut down similar operations in the past.