Money | medical marijuana Patent Office Removes Marijuana Category After getting a call from the Journal about it... By Kevin Spak Posted Jul 19, 2010 12:04 PM CDT Copied A medical marijuana grower points to the part of the marijuana plant that will eventually flower near Santa Fe, N.M., on Thursday, July 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) For three tantalizing months, the medical marijuana industry thought it had a chance to finally be recognized by a federal agency. The US Patent and Trademark Office had created a new trademark category specifically for medical marijuana, and dealers from all 14 states where the stuff is legal bombarded it with would-be brands and business names. But last week, the office removed the category—right after getting questions about it from the Wall Street Journal. Coincidence? Perhaps. On Tuesday, after getting questions from the Journal, an office spokesman said the category would be gone by the end of the week. “It raises examination issues,” he said. “It was a mistake, and we removed it.” Entrepreneurs who had dreamed of protecting products like, “Keef Cola,” “Tartukan Death Weed” or “The Canny Bus” were devastated. “It looked like a positive step to me,” said one dispensary executive. Read These Next Trumps ends trade talks with Canada. Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. A man has been deported for kicking an airport customs beagle. Report an error