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Cannabis Now
The Surprising Truth About Driving While High
Angela Bacca
The following article first appeared in Cannabis Now Magazine.
As more and more states adopt medical and recreational marijuana policies, it seems the most feared outcome of legalization is that with the passage of laws that permit any sort of marijuana use, more impaired drivers will end up on the roads.
In fact, during the Denver 4/20 celebrations this year, tourists learned just how easy it was to get a ticket for smoking cannabis in public because of these concerns. Under Amendment 64, establishments designed for cannabis consumption (akin to a bar or lounge where alcohol is served) are prohibited.
Although loopholes have allowed some such clubs to exist (by charging a cover fee but not actually selling cannabis to guests) it's hard to find a place to get high in Denver legally as a tourist unless you just do it on the street, where you risk getting a citation.
The primary concern with opening cannabis bars and lounges is that people will ingest marijuana on-site and then drive high.
I am here to tell you that there are already people "driving high" all over this country and it's not a big deal.
There are also people speeding and racing, doing their makeup, eating, texting, talking on the phone, using their laptops or iPads, fighting with their children, drinking alcohol, popping pills, smoking meth, ghost riding, falling asleep, shooting guns at road signs or engaging in some sort of sexual behavior — all while operating a moving vehicle. These things are a big deal, they distract drivers and put the lives of the irresponsible driver and all others around them at risk.
Legislation cannot prevent bad behavior, but it can wrongfully send medical marijuana patients and recreational users all over the country to jail or prevent them from holding jobs they need to drive to get to just for exercising the newly-won human right of safe access to cannabis.
The problem is that the laws surrounding stoned driving are attempting to compare apples to oranges by assuming marijuana impairment can be measured or even should be measured the way alcohol is.
Alcohol is tolerated differently in every body, but generally we can look at someone's physical height, weight and body mass index compared with the amount of drinks a driver has had over time to accurately determine impairment.
Convenient charts are handed out at DMVs all over this country so that people understand the law considers them impaired after a certain number of drinks, and impairment is distinguishable by a person's blood alcohol content at the time the peace officer encounters the driver.
Photo BAC Chart:
The science lines up, and although we do our best to prevent it, people still drive drunk. In fact, drunk driving is still the leading cause for traffic fatalities in the nation.
In 1957, nearly 53,000 Americans died in car accidents. By 2012, that number dropped to less than half that—about 25,000 nationwide. Half of those were from drunk driving. Not only have traffic accidents been going down over time (regardless of alcohol's legality) states which have passed medical cannabis laws have actually seen a reduction in traffic fatalities.
The human body does not process cannabis the way it processes alcohol, nor can a person's tolerance level to the substance be measured similarly with accuracy towards actual impairment.
Human bodies all come equipped with an endocannabinoid system — a network of receptors found throughout the body (brain, organs, connective tissue, glands and immune cells) that have the explicit purpose of binding with the cannabinoids found in whole-plant cannabis to perform a variety of tasks where they are found.
When patients use medical cannabis, their ultimate goal is "homeostasis" a stable internal environment despite external influences, or in other words, patients are trying to consume as much cannabis as often as they can so they can saturate their endocannabinoid system with all the cannabinoids found in whole-plant cannabis.
People who use cannabis regularly have certain levels of cannabinoids present in their bodies even when they don't feel the effects of the use any more.
A patient or recreational user who uses cannabis frequently can tolerate higher levels of cannabinoids without being or feeling impaired in any way. Persons who have never used cannabis can become impaired drivers from just one hit.
Some users even say they drive better after using cannabis, mostly because they either feel relief from the symptoms of a chronic illness or because they are more focused. In fact, auto insurance provider 4AutoInsuranceQuote.com says their studies say cannabis users are better drivers.
There is no magic number or metric that can be used to adequately determine cannabis impairment and trying to do so without understanding the poor comparison with alcohol is setting the precedent for terribly written laws in places where cannabis is legal for medical and/or recreational use.
Some states, such as Washington, have set the legal limit of active THC in a driver's bloodstream at 5 nanograms per milliliter of blood. Many activists, industry leaders and medical marijuana patients decried this regulation doesn't reflect actual impairment and local news station KIRO TV even tested the limits with an actual Washington state highway patrol officer and driving instructor and found that the drivers could consume up to four times that legal limit without their driving becoming impaired.
Watch KIRO-TV tests Washington State marijuana impairment law:
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So what is the solution? Maybe we already have one.
According to California attorney Lauren Vazquez, states like California already have broad impaired driving laws on the books that cover impairment from marijuana intoxication to every other possible impairment.
"In California we have an impaired driver law, If you are driving with cannabis in your system, it doesn't have to be a certain amount to cause a violation, they have to actually show that you are driving impaired– that you are swerving, that you didn't stop at a stop sign, those types of things," says Vazquez. "[Under the impaired driving law] all kinds of things can get you in trouble: if you didn't sleep enough, if you are driving on prescription medications, if you are driving distracted because you are playing with your iPad in the front seat. Our law in California, by not specifically deciding what is an impairment, is actually broader and covers more misconduct, more reckless driving."
As we move into the era of legalized cannabis, it would be wise to look to the available research and legislation in regulating drivers impaired by cannabis consumption.
Arizona Lawmaker Proposes New Marijuana Legalization Bill
The following first appered in Cannabis Now:
In hopes of raising millions of dollars in revenue for the state, Republican Representative Ethan Orr plans to introduce a proposal that would fully legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults over the age of 21 in Arizona. Although the state does currently have a medical marijuana program for patients with qualifying illnesses, many advocates within the state feel a drastic change in legislation is long overdue.
The new proposal would potentially legalize cannabis throughout the entire state by as early as next year by circumventing a voter-approved measure. Some advocates are skeptical of the move to pursue legalization especially considering Orr's comments regarding the quick pace towards changes in legislation.
"I would rather us as elected leaders be the ones directing the conversation and the debate, and ultimately controlling the policy, as opposed to letting it go to a citizens' initiative where you can't change the law once it's in place," he said.
Past attempts from former representatives to legalize cannabis haven't been fruitful, but Orr could possibly be more successful in his efforts due to his history with trying to progress marijuana legislation. Last session, he sponsored a proposal that would allow the money from medicalmarijuana users and dispensaries to go towards studies that would research the effects of cannabis. The measure was approved by the House, but was rejected in the Senate.
If, for whatever reason, the proposal fails among lawmakers, residents may still be able to enjoy recreational marijuana. According to reports, the Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona (MPP) has launched their own campaign to legalize cannabis with plans to have the initiative ready to be placed on the 2016 ballot. If left up to the voters, there is a high chance that the initiative will pass. A recent study conducted by the Behavior Research Center shows that a majority of Arizona residents support legalizing marijuana. At a 56 percent support rate, that's higher than the national average of 52 percent according to a report from Pew Research Institute.
"We applaud Rep. Orr for taking a stand for a more sensible law," said Chris Lindsey, MPP's legislative analyst. "For the time being, while we wish the representative and his legislation every success, our plans to place a measure before voters in 2016 has not changed."
Cannabis Helps Prevent Death in Brain Trauma Patients
The following first appeared in Cannabis Now:
A new study published by the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute shows that cannabis plays a significant role in preventing death for people who have endured traumatic brain injuries. The report, titled "Effect of Marijuana Use on Outcomes in Traumatic Brain Injury" positively links marijuana to the reduction in mortality rates among sufferers of severe brain damage.
Researchers studied the records of trauma patients for three years before coming to their conclusion. Out of the 446 patient records that were reviewed, about 18 percent of them tested positive for having cannabis in their systems. According to reports, 97.6 percent of patients that showed previous marijuana usage survived surgery. Patients that tested negative for cannabis in their systems had a survival rate of 88.5. Researchers believe that cannabis is to thank for the difference.
"Previous studies in animals showed that giving tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound in marijuana, would improve survival after a traumatic brain injury," said David Plurad, an LA BioMed researcher and co-author of the report. "We've known that in humans this may also be the case."
This study provides further evidence of the neuroprotective properties of cannabinoids. Because cannabis is illegal on a federal level, researchers were not able to provide patients with pot but only test for previous, personal use. If physicians and researchers had more access to the plant, more controlled and deliberate experiments could be conducted that would further prove the medical benefits of marijuana. Although many companies have been developing products that mimic the effects of cannabinoids in the human system, there is no substitute for a naturally-occurring substance.
"This study was one of the first in a clinical setting to specifically associate THC use as an independent predictor of survival after traumatic brain injury," Plurad said. "It's illegal to give THC in its natural form for research purposes so this is really the best you can do in a natural environment. There's a big difference between synthetic forms of THC and the natural form."
How a Twitter Campaign Exposed the Madness of Banning Medical Marijuana
On August 29, 2013, Corey Hunt, his girlfriend and her family stood around her mother's hospital bed as the doctors overdosed her on morphine and she passed away. She had been fighting breast cancer and lost. Hunt was frustrated and began searching online for cancer cures.
"I knew there had to be something better out there and we found it. It was cannabis," he says.
Although his girlfriend's mother never tried cannabis, he often wished that she had and wanted to make sure other people didn't find out about cannabis medicines the same way he did—after it was too late.
"I felt the heartbreak and saw the heartbreak with how this cancer just tears the life out of people," Hunt says. "We were trying everything but we weren't trying cannabis. I partook, but I never really understood the medical aspects of cannabis, I thought people were just getting their medical cards because they wanted to get high legally."
Hunt and his family live in Arkansas, where cannabis is completely illegal. He's a professional creative director and media producer by trade, so when he came across the infamous youtube video "Rick Simpson: Run From the Cure," detailing how Canadian cancer patients were making and consuming highly-concentrated cannabis oil to cure their cancers, he quickly dove head first into the research. He gained a thorough understanding of cannabis and how it works in the body as a medicine. He decided he wanted to take the message mainstream, thus the #illegallyhealed campaign began.
"Illegally healed. Those are two words that just don't belong together," says Tony Baker, a co-founder of the campaign. "You should not have to do something illegal in order to become healed."
Hunt, Baker, and partner Kevin Quinn brought on Justin Kander, the webmaster for Phoenix Tears, a site promoting Rick Simpson's method for extracting cannabis oil for cancer treatment. Kander had authored the comprehensive Cannabis Extract Report while working as a sandwich runner for a Jimmy John's in Maryland. Kander is now the full-time press arm of #illegallyhealed as well as the group's pet project: Gateway to Healing.
Gateway to Healing is a professionally-backed documentary film with the support of entrepreneur Bernard Hicks, who has worked with Fortune 20 Companies such as Ford Motors, British Petroleum and Johnson & Johnson. Hicks became a cannabis advocate because he would like to use cannabis oil to treat his diagnosis of stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer.
While the group has investment money lined up, they are crowd-funding a portion of the film through Indiegogo to help supplement costs. The film will take a comprehensive global look at the history, science and modern medicine of cannabis. The aim of the film is to present a rebuttal to every prohibitionist argument against cannabis in a clean, accessible and mainstream way.
The entire crew at #illegallyhealed has one thing in common—they all come from regions without medical cannabis laws or safe access. Gateway to Healing will appeal to people in these places, where it is needed to most.
"If it was as dangerous as people say, then people who are using it medicinally would be having a lot more problems than they are having right now," Hunt says. "This is what intrigues me the most about this whole conversation, I want to know why people are so scared of this plant."
Maryland Decriminalizes Weed
[This week] marks the official start of Maryland's decriminalization law. Under Senate Bill 364, people can legally carry up to 10 grams of pot without the risk getting arrested and possibly facing jail time. Earlier this year, Democratic Senator Bobby Zirkin sponsored the bill, which reduces the severity of the charge for adults over the age of 18 being caught with marijuana. Shortly after, Governor Martin O'Malley signed the bill decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use into law.
Now, offenders over 21 will be fined $100 for a first offense and $250 for a second offense. Following a third offense, there will be a $500 fine and the offender will have to appear in court and possibly be assigned to mandatory time in a drug treatment program. People between the ages of 18 and 20, will have to go to court on the first offense and could be referred to a drug education course. Minors under the age of 18 are not protected under the decriminalization law.
Interestingly, the law doesn't cover the possession of paraphernalia associated with smoking marijuana including rolling papers, pipes, bongs, vaporizers or rigs, so residents can still potentially be arrested if these items are discovered on them. Penalties for paraphernalia may be reduced or eliminated by next year.
This change in legislation, reducing cannabis possession from a criminal offense to a civil offense, will potentially save the state large amounts money by allowing law enforcement to spend less of the state's finances on prosecuting people for small offenses. Additionally, thousands of Marylandresidents will no longer face harsh penalties for having legal amounts of cannabis in their possession.
"As a young prosecutor, I once thought that decriminalizing the possession of marijuana might undermine the public will necessary to combat drug violence and improve public safety," O'Malleysaid. "I now think that decriminalizing possession of marijuana is an acknowledgment of the low priority that our courts, our prosecutors, our police, and the vast majority of citizens already attach to this transgression of public order and public health."
Maryland joins the 17 other states that currently have decriminalization laws in place including Washington, D.C. and Vermont. Governor O'Malley also recently signed House Bill 881, which allows qualified patients to have limited access to cannabis under the state's medical marijuanaprogram, making Maryland the 21st medical state.
The Federal Government Is Looking to Hire Pot Farmers
The federal government is looking for pot farmers. Although it may seem like some sort of cruel hoax, it's not. It's been confirmed that the federal government has begun its search for the best and brightest in the world at growing pot.
A job listing was placed on a federal government business opportunities website earlier this week, soliciting proposals from qualified persons that are interested in possibly assisting them with cannabis research. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a research institute dedicated to studying the science of addiction, is seeking skilled, large-scale farmers to cultivate, harvest, process, analyze, store and distribute marijuana.
In order to qualify, interested applicants must currently be registered to handle Schedule II through V substances with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and be able to obtain permission to manufacture, research or distribute Schedule I substances. Applicants can choose whether they prefer to grow marijuana indoors or outdoors but must be able to prove that they possess a certain amount of space before any contracts can be awarded. Outdoor cultivators must possess 12 acres of secure land monitored by video. Indoor cultivators will need to possess facilities that have at least 1,000 square feet of space available with controls for light intensity, temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentrations.
Applicants will need to have a secured storage facility approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the DEA where they can maintain 400 to 700 kilograms of cannabis.
Although the advertisement doesn't commit the agency to fulfill the contract, they have some pretty interesting plans for advanced growers including developing methods of growing cannabis with altered levels of compounds: some high in THC and low in CBD, some high in CBD and low in THC and others of equal amounts of THC and CBD.
Shirley Simson, a spokesperson for NIDA, said that the organization is beginning a new bidding competition because its existing contract for marijuana farms is set to expire next year. They anticipate that contracts will be awarded for one year with the potential for four-year options after profitable first year.
"It's a free and open competition — we will consider proposals from any responsible offers," NIDA told Newsweek.
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Washington State Threatens to Shutdown Dozens of Marijuana Dispensaries
It was only a few months ago that the state of Washington allowed cannabis retail locations to open, but there might be some trouble brewing for the folks who have been a little too slow moving forward with their plans. Officials have begun to send out notices to 56 dispensaries statewide that won permits through their lottery process but never actually took steps to open up their doors to the public.
The Liquor Control Board is requiring the dispensaries applicants to make an appointment with a licensing inspector within 60 days as well as provide additional information to complete criminal and financial background checks. If the applicants aren't able to meet state regulations, their permits will be terminated.
Becky Smith, the Marijuana Licensing Manager for the Liquor Control Board, recognizes that many people have been halted in the process due to lack of proper financing or inability to find a proper location that adheres to state regulations. Others, though, had no intention of actually using their licenses and have encountered red tape that has prevented them from opening retail locations.
"A lot of people thought they'd be able to sell their license – they'd win the lottery and they'd sell it to the highest bidder," she said. "People were surprised they couldn't sell their license until they actually got licensed."
Under state law, licenses can't be sold or transferred until it's been fully awarded. Any owners hoping to sell their licenses must first complete the interview process issued by the Liquor Control Board.
"They need to set up an interview and have a place they're going to operate," Smith said. "It's time to provide us with names – who are their financiers, who are their true parties of interest."
Since opening dispensary locations in July, the state has collected $3.5 million in taxes off of more than $14 million in sales. As of this month, the board has issued 57 licenses for cannabis retail locations, but only 32 shops have opened statewide. If any applications are cancelled, there will be new openings for new applicants interested in opening marijuana retail locations.
Are Women More Sensitive to Cannabis?
Jillian Singh
With roughly half of men admitting to having tried marijuana and only a third of women saying thesame, it's no wonder the pothead image throughout society is often a male-dominated one. Is this with good reason? Or are women more private about advertising their weed use? There could be numerous explanations — either way, a recent study in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal suggests because of their estrogen levels, women may be more responsive to the key active ingredient in the plant.
In the study, funded by a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant, Washington state psychology professor Rebecca Craft found that female rats are at least 30 percent more sensitive than males to the pain-relieving qualities of THC, which is the ingredient in cannabis that leads to a high. The study also found the females developed a tolerance to THC more quickly.
"What we're finding with THC is that you get a very clear spike in drug sensitivity right when the females are ovulating — right when their estrogen levels have peaked and are coming down," she said.
Having the munchies appears to be the only THC reaction where males show more sensitivity than females, according to Craft who said studies in California found that THC stimulated the appetites of male animals more than those of females.
Despite the recommendation of the National Institutes of Health in 1993 to include more women in clinical drug trials, Craft said most THC tolerance evaluations have been done on males, who have more stable hormonal profiles. Is this just confirming that because of estrogen, women tend to be overall more emotional, vulnerable and — in this case — more susceptible to the side effects of drugs? Maybe.
But, even if they are biologically more sensitive to THC — culturally, women who use marijuana obviously enjoy partaking in it. Though perhaps they feel the effects more as the study suggests, maybe that's a good thing since they are using the drug in the first place to alter their mind state.
Besides the U.S., in general, becoming more accustomed to pot use, females particularly may have a growing presence in the marijuana community thanks in part to people such as Jane West. She is the owner of Edible Events Co., an organization that seeks to mentor female business executives in the emerging marijuana industry and stages monthly events and educational happenings around the country.
"I was observing that women weren't equally in positions of power in the industry," West told the National Journal. "There are a lot of eager young professionals and so little information about who enters it."
West's work to encourage more women to enter the weed industry includes an idea to rebrand the plant as more "luxury" and "cosmopolitan." Portraying the act of smoking as glamorous isn't exactly novel — look at how tobacco used to be — but in the case of marijuana it could be especially effective. As cigarettes mostly get vilified as death sticks nowadays, pot could be becoming more charming in general.
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Arizona's Flip-Flopping Stance on Marijuana and PTSD
Brian Penny
The following first appeared in Cannabis Now magazine:
It's been a great year for supporters of cannabis decriminalization. Both Colorado and Washingtonbegan selling recreational marijuana, each with its own rules and regulations. In addition, pro-cannabis groups throughout the U.S. have been gaining ground and marijuana awareness is at an all-time high.
The environment makes it difficult for border states in the southern U.S., which have traditionally fought the hardest in the drug wars, to make progressive moves. This has been especially highlighted in Arizona, where the stigmatized lawman Sheriff Joe Arpaio made a name for himself butting heads with Mexican drug cartels, and the University of Arizona became a battleground for the right to use cannabis to treat PTSD in soldiers.
The PTSD Study That Couldn't
When Suzanne Sisley gained approval from the federal government to study marijuana's positive effects on PTSD in March, it was the first time anyone had received approval to study the positive effects of THC and CBD, much less any other illicit drug. However, as the national media applauded the decision, Arizona State Senator Kimberly Yee blocked the study.
Senator Yee's move sparked outrage in the Arizona pot community and soon various groups, including a few veterans' groups, were calling for her to resign. The battle went to court and in early June, Arizona Judge Thomas Shedden issued his ruling that "a preponderance of evidence shows medical marijuana provides palliative benefit to those suffering from PTSD."
The Almost Legislation
This put the ball in the court of Will Humble, the director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. Humble was given until July 9 to either accept or appeal Judge Shedden's decision. He begrudgingly accepted, albeit with a slight stipulation that left Attorney Ken Sobol of the Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association so upset that he filed a lawsuit earlier this month.
Starting Jan. 1, 2015, Arizona residents can purchase medical marijuana for the treatment of symptoms of PTSD. To be clear on this slight wording discrepancy, Humble stated PTSD itself can't be treated with medicinal marijuana, however, symptoms caused by the PTSD (including anxiety, depression, etc.) can be.
The Cost of Progress
Public pressure appears to have swayed Arizona officials, but critics were left with a bitter taste from the consolation decision and wondered why the study was blocked in the first place. In fact, not only was the study terminated, so was Sisley, whose contract at the university wasn't renewed.
Sisley publically stated that she lost her job because of the study, although both school and state government officials deny such allegations. Sisley and her team at the university spent over 8 years pioneering research on PTSD and the medicinal applications of marijuana.
Whether or not Sisley pursues action, and to what ends, remains to be seen. Still, because of her actions, Arizona joins nine states that allow medical marijuana for PTSD, including Connecticut,Delaware, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, Michigan and Nevada.
The State of MMJ in AZ
Despite the obstacles and setbacks, marijuana usage continues to gain social acceptance in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. The state is offering discounts to veterans and seniors who are prescribed the herb. Even people on probation have been cleared to use medicinal marijuana with a doctor's recommendation.
Neighboring state Nevada announced a proposed deal that would allow Arizona medical marijuana patients to use their cards for purchases at Nevada's medical dispensaries when they open for business. Details are still yet to be ironed out, as Arizona officials say their systems are not yet set up to accommodate POS networks in Nevada.
Arizona may not be the most progressive state in the union and marijuana may always be a stigmatizing issue in border states, where the drug war is a part of everyday life. Support fordecriminalization, however, continues to rise among the state's constituents. One day it maybe legal to roll a blunt in the Arizona desert without ending up wearing pink boxers in Sheriff Joe's world famous Tent City.
This Massachusetts School Is Helping Students Enter Budding Cannabis Industry
Dani Plotkin
The folloiwng first appeared in Cannabis Now magazine:
It was only seven years ago when Mickey Martin's lucrative cannabis edibles company in California was shut down and the longtime marijuana advocate pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture a mixture or substance containing marijuana. But, beginning this month, Martin will be given a second chance to educate people about the marijuana industry by opening the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis (NIC) in Natick, Mass.
Starting Sept. 15, students can take any of the 12 courses that the college's training program offers. Each course focuses on helping students become business professionals in the booming marijuana industry in Massachusetts and across New England. The curriculum covers the ins and outs of the cannabis business; NIC provides classes on cannabis history, cultivation, media training,Massachusetts law regarding marijuana, and the science of cannabis.
How Will It Work
Students will have the option to take courses separately or to enter the entire 12-course training program. A single course costs $199 and the full 12-course program goes for $1,500 and is expected to take a minimum of two to four weeks to complete; the training program could take longer depending on a student's schedule.
Those who complete the 12 classes will be receive certification from the institute and be given assistance with future job placement. According to Cara Crabb-Burnham, NIC's administrator, the institute plans to provide students with a better understanding about the regulations of the business.
While there will be no marijuana on site, Martin plans on using videos or live chats with approved dispensaries, and retaining experts who will be teaching classes on the 7,500-square-foot campus.
Current State Law
The Natick school hopes to offer more advanced courses as it grows, evolving with the Massachusetts law.
Current Massachusetts state law asserts that medical marijuana is legal for patients diagnosed with diseases such as cancer, ALS, AIDS, glaucoma, Crohn's disease and hepatitis C. The Massachusetts Department of Health continues to deliberate on dispensary applicants, as the first round of applications ended Aug. 29.
Approved Massachusetts patients are permitted to use, possess and grow up to a 60-day supply of the medicine, which is described as 10 ounces.
According to the Boston Globe, Martin said that the state's decriminalization and medical cannabis laws helped foster his decision to found NIC.
Recently, a marijuana advocacy group organized a ballot campaign proposal to introduce the question of legalizing cannabis to voters in 2016. Although medical marijuana is highly regulated in the state, Martin predicts that marijuana will become entirely legal if advocates are able to actually get a referendum on the ballot in 2016.
Martin plans to offer a less expensive, hour-long seminar for medical cannabis patients and caregivers who wish to learn the safety considerations in using the medicine. He also plans on having NIC share its office with a health clinic comprised of physicians who will focus on traditional medicine, along with alternative therapies including medicinal cannabis to treat patients.
Given his past run-in with federal agents during the raid of his marijuana edibles company, Martin feels that working with law enforcement through NIC is vital. He said that the school plans to host free classes for law enforcement officers on how to communicate with medical cannabis patients.
While NIC is not the only school of its kind in Massachusetts, Martin hopes to eventually introduce institutes in other areas, as he feels optimistic about creating a legitimate business model around the cannabis industry.
Barcelona Orders Shutdown of 50 Cannabis Clubs
There's no doubt that the folks in Europe have been enjoying the perks of all the social cannabis clubs that have been steadily rising in popularity throughout the continent. Places like London, Paris and even Slovenia have found loopholes in the system that have allowed them to provide patrons with cannabis without facing legal consequences.
For the last few years cannabis collectives springing up in Spain have been drawing lots of international attention to the country. It's been compared to Amsterdam as a haven for smokers even though the open sale of marijuana is still illegal. Barcelona, in particular, has been a hotbed for these cannabis social clubs and Catalan lawmakers have decided to step in to curb the rapid growth and end unregulated membership practices.
After inspecting 145 clubs, authorities supposedly found deficiencies that prompted Barcelona City Hall to issue an order to shut down 50 cannabis clubs, approximately one-third of the city's total locations. Officials cited issues such as poor ventilation, illegally selling cannabis and attempting to attract non-members and tourists to join.
A recent report claims that a New York Times article discussing the country's standing as a paradise for potheads may have triggered the changes. After the Spanish government caught wind of the article, a series of closures were ordered. Unclear regulations have also sparked intense public and political debates that have caused many to wonder if the rash of recent closures is an attempt to preserve Spain's national image.
The Catalan Federation of Cannabis Associations released a statement addressing the sudden shift.
"We are aware that the administration does its job well and ensures the common good but this situation would be easier if, before it acts, it sets clear rules for all cannabis associations" it read.
Many clubs have begun pushing the boundaries of the gray areas surrounding the legality of their social club model. Some collectives have started allowing people to register online, encouraging tourists from around the world to pre-register for membership so that they can smoke as much as they want following their arrival. It's also common for employees to hand out fliers for membership near and around their location.
Spain's Ministry of Health has plans to draft clear requirements that will regulate operating hours, maximum number of members and appropriate locations as well as health, safety and sanitation concerns. Many advocates of these associations are hopeful this will help with confusion between clubs and authorities.
"Regulation was a necessity because we have been operating with a lot of legal insecurity and things were getting out of hand," said Jaume Xaus, the spokesman for the Catalonia Federation of Cannabis Associations.
Why Some of the World's Greatest Thinkers and Artists Did Drugs
K. Richards
It's no secret that many of the world's greatest thinkers, creators and artists throughout history have indulged in mind or mood-altering substances from time to time. It was in those precious moments of utter relaxation and unparalleled lucidity that many new ideas, visions and innovations bubbled up the surface of their consciousness.
Denver-based painter Heidi Keyes has personal experience with the creative benefits of smoking pot. As an artist and creative type, she's been hip to the benefits of smoking for some time now.
"It's not the source of my creativity," she says when asked how smoking affects her art, "but it definitely helps."
She's been smoking since high school, but it wasn't until recently that her personal interest took a turn that would help her out professionally in the blossoming cannabis industry in Colorado.
Keyes opened her business Puff, Pass & Paint at the beginning of 2014 after a light-hearted comment from one of her friends who suggested that she start her own operation similar to Canvas and Cocktails events.
"I thought it was a crazy idea!" she says. "I definitely talked to a lawyer first."
After squaring away the legal aspects of the the business, Keyes was able to move forward with her operation. She began booking classes in January by referral at first. Friends and friends of friends were her first patrons, but as news spread by word of mouth, things began to take off and classes begin to fill up.
Classes usually take place in the evening and last for about two hours. Patrons are allowed to bring their own wine or beer but are, of course, heavily encouraged to bring some bud to smoke alone or share. Although Keyes cannot legally provide cannabis to patrons of her painting sessions, she can provide complimentary samples and often has a bowl packed for the attendees before they arrive.
"People are usually a little late," she says, laughing, "but I've gotten used to that from this sort of crowd. I don't mind."
Once inside and settled, Keyes uses a reference painting to instruct the class on how to paint their own masterpiece, but they don't have to follow her if they're inspired otherwise. One time, a woman came with a picture of her cat to paint and was allowed to do her own thing. For Keyes, there's no need to be rigid. She's more interested in helping people enjoy themselves while expressing their creative side — and taking in the beautiful results.
"At the end of every single class, I walk around and am amazed. Every single time," she says.
Casually enjoying a toke with friendly strangers and a cool art instructor are sure to allow for some interesting things to happen. Keyes tells an anecdote about a class session where someone mentioned Seinfeld quote that had the whole class laughing and trying to guess which episode it came from for nearly the entire session.
Another time, a woman in her late 20′s from Wisconsin brought her 80-year-old grandparents who hadn't smoked in over 40 years. Keyes says the pair was jovial and laughed and talked with the other participants in the class who didn't hesitate to include the couple in their conversations. Where else would you see grandmas and grandpas smoking with folks decades younger than them?
"I'm creating an atmosphere that is accepting of all types of people and their different types creativity," Keyes says.
Textbook definitions of creativity mention key words like imagination and originality, characteristics that are the foundation of inspired inventiveness. Yet, there's another aspect of creativity that marijuana has been shown to boost that may have a significant impact on how those revelations and sparks of insight come about.
Cannabis and creativity have both been explored by neuroscientists who successfully proven there is a positive link between the two. In a study conducted by the University of London, marijuana was shown to promote something call hyper-priming or semantic priming. This function of the brain uses the psychoactive ingredients of cannabis to help it connect seemingly unrelated topics to one another.
It's similar to those moments in cartoons where a light bulb luminously appears over the head of a character the second their brilliant idea pops into their head. It's the "a-ha" moment Oprah used to talk about — a moment in time where one experiences the type of clarity that actually allows for true thought, not just incessant brain chattering.
While in this mental space, artists of all stripes boost their ability to connect, conceptualize and create ideas that might help them improve their craft. Cannabis can even be helpful to people who aren't artists, as well. Professionals in all fields could benefit from having access to a broader sense of thinking. Disrupting patternistic thinking leads to new innovations, genius deviations from the status quo and significant shifts in society and culture that many people could benefit from.
Until this news hits more people beyond the art galleries, music venues and poetry readings, artists and other creative types might have the upper hand when it comes tapping into their source of creativity. If nothing else, there's someone in the world rooting for them.
"I think the kind of people who love to make art and smoke weed are the best people," Keyes says.
Of course there are people who don't agree with that sentiment. Recently, Keyes' partnered up with the MaryJane Group to create an event at the Bud and Breakfast at The Adagio in Colorado where patrons could puff, paint and enjoy catered food and wine. Although it was scheduled and widely-publicized ahead of time, the Denver Police Department stepped in and requested that the event be cancelled due to failure to follow proper protocol.
Luckily, Keyes will still be able to to hold her classes — just not in public, for now.
My Daughter's Growing Up Without a Father Because I'm Serving Time for Legally Selling Pot
Luke Scarmazzo
Jasmine is a typical 12-year-old girl. She's pretty, smart and loves cheerleading, Instagram and Katy Perry like most girls her age. But, what separates her from many of her classmates is the fact that Jasmine hasn't woken up to the presence of her father since she was 5 years old. She's become accustomed to gazing out into the crowded seats at piano recitals, school plays and graduations, seeing all of the mothers and fathers of her friends and knowing her sole supporter in the audience will be her mom and only her mom. Sometimes it makes her angry, oftentimes she cries, because she really doesn't understand why her dad has been absent for so long. What she does know is that it hurts and for some reason these events always feel like something is missing and that part never changes.
Jasmine was unlucky enough to have me as her father. A man unfortunate enough to have been arrested by drug agents for violating federal marijuana laws in 2006. My good friend, Ricardo Montes, and I operated a state-approved medical marijuana dispensary in Modesto, Calif. We paid our taxes, followed California law and it was the first time either of us had ever been accused of breaking any federal law, so it was assumed the mistake would be cleared up, or at worse, we would receive a minor penalty and carry on with our lives. We were wrong.
After a brief trial we were found guilty and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison. The assistant U.S. Attorney charged us with an drug kingpin statute that carried a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years. It was a tool created at the beginning of the drug war to prosecute drug cartel leaders. Our prosecutor, in her ambitious quest for a substantial conviction, discovered that it would also work against state-approved medical marijuana dispensaries four decades later.
For the past seven years, Ricardo and I have resided in these horrendous prisons. We are confined within a small concrete cage surrounded by the heinous, hopeless and forgotten. Prison is a place of few smiles, where some days are survivable and others are deplorable. We have exhausted all of our appeals and our only hope for an early release would be presidential clemency or for our nation's marijuana laws to change and some form of retroactive amortization to be granted to marijuana offenders. Though certainly we remain hopeful, either of these outcomes would be an exceptionally rare occurrence.
I wish I could say that our story is unusual and unique, but it is not. There are hundreds of men and women serving prison time with very similar stories, because there are hundreds of thousands of marijuana arrests each year. The financial cost to taxpayers for these Americans to go through our court systems, jails, probation offices and prisons is monumental.
According to the Bureau of Prisons the average annual cost to house one inmate is $29,291.25. In my case alone, it will cost taxpayers over $600,000 to house me for the duration of my sentence.
The greatest negative impact on our society is a statistic we do not track; the collateral damage the marijuana war causes to our communities and their children. There is a vast population of children with parents that cannot find gainful employment, receive aid to attend college or obtain safe housing because of a minor marijuana conviction. There is also a growing number of kids like Jasmine with mental and emotional damage that goes untreated or undiagnosed, because children of the drug war are not an official category that receive television airtime. These tragedies are exasperated disproportionately in communities of color.
In America the energy that turns the wheels of democracy is derived from the will of the people. The most frustrating aspect of this issue is that these atrocities continue despite the fact that the majority of the American people support legalization and the end to marijuana prohibition. It is long past time that we abolish these unnecessary and unjust laws.
There need not be any more Luke Scarmazzos or Ricardo Montes serving decades in prison for first time marijuana offenses. There need not be anymore Jasmines searching over empty seats in fatherless crowds because of unsupported and outdated laws. We, as a people, shouldn't tolerate a country where a white man in Denver can purchase a small amount of marijuana and receive a discount and a smile while a black woman in New Orleans who does the same receives a decade in prison. The injustice is egregious. It goes against the very foundation and principles our country was built upon. Who knows if marijuana legalization is the cure-all answer, but I am absolutely certain prohibition is not.
Medical Marijuana Means No Day Care In Oregon
Brandon Krenzler
The following article first appeared in Cannabis Now:
In a brazen show of discrimination, a special meeting took place in Salem, Ore. this week. This meeting was called into existence by state governor John Kitzhaber, M.D. Members of the governor-appointed Early Learning Council sat down to deliberate on a proposal to amend the background and registry rules for three types of state regulated childcare facilities: registered family childcare, certified family childcare and certified childcare centers.
The proposed rules were described as having the ability to strengthen the health and safety standards of childcare facilities relating to illegal controlled substances, including medical marijuana(which is legal in Oregon) alcohol and tobacco products.
It was decreed that all 65,000 plus Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) patients were prohibited from being on the property of a state-licensed daycare facility premises, while they are under the influence of marijuana, their medicine. The council also chose to make revisions that prohibit of individuals who hold a medical card from being a licensed childcare provider.
What does this mean for the pediatric cannabis patients in Oregon? Take for instance my family; we are all valid OMMP program cardholders – including our 9-year-old daughter Brave Mykayla, who has a diagnosis of leukemia. She takes 2 grams of full-extract cannabis oil every day, once in the morning and once in the evening. This ensures a near 24-hour reduction in chemotherapy side effects.
Based upon current event arguments concerning blood/THC levels, our daughter would be considered by the state to be under the influence of marijuana all 24 hours of each day. This proposal then effectively criminalizes daughter in the states eyes and prohibits her from stepping foot on the premises of any Oregon daycare facility. How is this new set of rules not discriminatory against families that have underage medical marijuana patients? Why should parents be burdened with not having adequate daycare for their children while we are at work?
Erin Purchase, mother of Mykayla and national advocate for pediatric cannabis therapy attended this Early Learning Council meeting and gave her testimony. She explained that when seeking quality daycare for her children, she is much more concerned about a daycare provider being under the influence of prescription medications (such as morphine, Vicodin and Seroquel) than being under the influence of cannabis.
This controversial debate all began around the end of June, when parents of children who attended Alphabet Academy Learning Center in Salem were notified that the center had its license suspended while the State Office of Child Care conducted an investigation into health and safety violations.
KOIN 6 local News team reported that the center's director and medical marijuana patient, Moriah Jaeger, was found smoking a bong at the facility with children nearby. The story quickly spread through the state garnering commentary and reactions from both sides of the debate.
"This effectively takes child care away from any parent that has a medical marijuana card," Anthony Taylor of Compassion Oregon said after watching the unusually fast paced nature of the proceedings. "The chair conveyed the message that we were saving the children from marijuana. It was a done deal and they were just doing what the governor wanted. While there were some members that seemed genuinely concerned about the hurried manner and repercussions of their actions, there were no dissenting votes."
What we have here is an attack based on opinions. The consequences of this attack and subsequent rulings are life-altering for thousands of Oregonians in many different ways. The evidence is mounting in favor of those opposed to these sudden biased and discriminatory amendments. Children are not placed into danger by being left with and cared for by a medical cannabis patient, far from it as many people proclaim the positive effects of the plant.
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber said, "Marijuana consumption should not and cannot be tolerated within a child care environment licensed by the state. We entrust our providers to maintain safe learning environments where our children can thrive. There is a loophole that needs to be closed. I want that addressed immediately, and have directed the early learning council to take the necessary regulatory action."
Attorney Lee Berger immediately jumped on the technicalities of the governor's rash move, watching the story circulating the local media, he began checking facts. What he found was that no professional licensing board may impose a civil penalty or take other disciplinary action against a licensee based on the licensee's medical use of marijuana in accordance with the provisions of Oregon Medical Marijuana Act.
Many children today are successfully using medical cannabis to treat a wide variety of illnesses like T-Cell leukemia, Dravet's Syndrome and Nephroblastoma. These children's stories are amazing and they are instilling new hope into parents across the country and world. Here in the state of Oregon parents of children such as these had a giant dash of salt thrown on their hopes with the new regulations.
Here's Why California Still Hasn't Legalized Pot
California boasts the world's eighth largest economy, larger than even Russia. San Francisco Weekly's Chris Roberts recently estimated the demand for legalized marijuana in California to be $2.1 billion. The estimate, initially reported at $2.1 trillion, was based on the numbers coming out of Colorado scaled to fit the Golden State.
California supplies the nation with food, wine, technology and entertainment, and its politics have controlled it thusly. This year alone billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper has financed a ballot initiative that would split the state into six smaller states, creating the wealthiest state in the nation — Silicon Valley. Californians have even elected two entertainers to the state's highest office twice — Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan. However, while one of the state's largest cash crops has long been marijuana, much of it is still produced for export on the black market and cannot be accurately counted in any of the state's formal financial estimates.
Northern California is so dependent on cannabis farming that the residents of those parts of the state fear their way of life hangs in the balance every time the question of legalizing marijuana is posed. In 2011, Humboldt County presented a conservative estimate of $400 million annually in marijuana revenues, or 25 percent of the total commerce of the county. The estimate was intentionally conservative, the actual numbers are likely far higher.
Considering California has the oldest and most established cannabis industry in the nation — it was the first to pass medical marijuana legislation nearly 20 years ago — it's curious that marijuana is not legal in the Golden State like it is in Washington or Colorado.
While drug war profiteering will, of course, always comprise the opposition, marijuana isn't legal in the state yet because legalization is a complicated term in California.
What Does Legal Mean?
What legal means seems to be the $2 billion question. While a majority of California voters support legalizing marijuana, there isn't exactly a unified vision on what that looks like.
In 2009, Oakland-based Oaksterdam University founder Richard Lee put up $1 million of his own money to collect signatures for a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in the state. Proposition 19, the "Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010", qualified for the ballot and became the center of contentious debate and infighting within the cannabis industry that ultimately resulted in its narrow loss. The schisms that formed in the cannabis industry and movement from that election still exist today.
"I think the issue can't wait," Lee told The Atlantic in 2009. "We've been proven right that the campaign has made this a legitimate political issue and it's been real nice to have a lot of the people who were against it last year call me up and thank me this year for doing it."
Prop 19 succeeded in making cannabis legalization a national conversation and two years later voters in two states passed similar legislation.
One of the major points of contention with Prop 19 was the "tax and regulate" portion. Many still fear that whatever profit to be made on legal cannabis would be made by very few, creating California-based corporate cannabis. Others felt that the windfall in taxes generated by a heavily-taxed cannabis industry would be the only way to convince those on the other side of the issue to vote in favor.
Money and control of capital has always been central to the debate over legalization. The price of a pound of marijuana has been steadily dropping since the Green Rush began in 2009. What used to be averages of $3,000/pound yields is now down to about $1,000/pound — the number Roberts used to estimate demand. Some farmers worry that as marijuana becomes "legal" the prices will drop further and they will be forced out of not just their business but also a way of life that spans generations in Northern California.
Some advocates argue that California's system is already better than a "legal" system because anyone who wants marijuana in California can get it and that Proposition 215 is actually a more realistic approach to safe cannabis access that is less complicated than defining "medical" versus "recreational" marijuana use.
According to Bay Area cannabis activist Dragonfly de la Luz, "California law [Prop 215] is centered around the concept that, rather than recreation or intoxication, all cannabis use is medical."
Proposition 215 co-author and proponent Dennis Peron says the nation's first medical cannabis legislation is based on the concept that all cannabis use is inherently medical. Peron says he hadn't actually heard the term "recreational use" until he and other activists began advocating for medical use.
"Millions of people take pharmaceuticals for the same reasons [they use marijuana]: to overcome anxiety, to get a good night's sleep, increase appetite, kick-start libido, reduce stress and induce relaxation," says Peron.
Legal wording matters and defining legalization in California also means drawing lines in the sand because there is no unified goal of legalization and no unified view of what it means. In the birthplace of the nation's cannabis industry some interests are political and some are humanitarian but most are financial.
Besides opposition from within the cultivation industry, many advocates believe Prop 19 failed because 2010 was a midterm election year which meant far less young, socially liberal voters turned out to vote than during a presidential election. The lack of unity between separate factions deterred any initiative qualifying for the ballot in the next presidential year, 2012, the year Colorado and Washington voted for adult use legalization. The same reason deterred funding behind four separate initiatives that would have been run in the state this year.
Unlike most states, California does not have one economic center and the interests within the cannabis industry are as diverse as the state's geography. If Draper's "Six Californias" proposal happens, expect most of the marijuana to travel across state lines from the State of Jefferson to get to the population centers in the new states of Silicon Valley and West California, complicating the entire industry further.
In the existing unified California, there are multiple groups throughout the Emerald Triangle, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Los Angeles Metropolitan region, Sacramento/Central Valley and San Diego that have established regional cannabis industries with their own different political and economic interests. It's fair to say there has been a struggle for control and special interests that prevail regionally.
"Ego and greed have stagnated cannabis legalization in California," says Susan Soares, executive director of Southern California-based non-profit advocacy group C.A.R.E. "That goes for the marijuana reform community, the cannabusinesses, the micro businesses and even the 'patients' themselves. Everyone wants to be on top."
Soares says greed plays an equal role to ego in the state's well-ingrained medical marijuana industry. She says while capitalism is to be expected in a lucrative industry like California cannabis, the industry has the opportunity to embrace its cultural roots and leverage the money it generates towards greater social good.
"California can craft elegant legislation, which would mean protecting the mom and pop businesses and the family farm, which is back to our roots as a nation," Soares continues. "We have an opportunity in California to make pot 'legal' here the right way."
What is the right way to legalize marijuana in California? That depends on whom you ask.
Which Voters Need to Be Targeted?
The issue at hand comes down to the stakeholders and shareholders of legal cannabis, the most profitable industry in one of the world's most profitable regions.
The stakeholders, or all those who have a personal stake in California's marijuana laws, include the cannabis cultivation industry; the cannabis dispensary industry and ancillary industries; medical users; Californians benefiting from programs fueled by cannabis tax revenues; advocates and prisoners opposed to the Drug War. The stakeholders also include the now-dwindling demographic of aging conservatives who believe marijuana legalization will result in the entire state being stoned all the time, on the roads, while performing open heart surgery or anywhere in public — at its core undermining the very fabric of society.
The shareholders will be whoever benefits the most financially from how the laws will be and are written, namely the State of California (or Californias) itself. Everyone wants their cut of the $2 billion pie.
Clearly, there will never be one initiative or bill that can please the diverse pro-cannabis groups in California. What legal means in California will depend on who defines it, where the money comes from and when it happens.
Millennials Overwhelmingly Oppose Drug War and Support Legal Marijuana
Millennials are generally considered to be persons entering adulthood in the new millennium or those born between 1980 and 2000. By 2020 they will all be old enough to vote and influence laws around the country, prompting some politicos to predict an overwhelming change in national political trends, including a drastic nationwide loosening of cannabis laws — medical, adult use and industrial hemp production.
According to a Reason-Rupe survey released earlier this month, the Millennial Generation overwhelmingly opposes what the survey calls the "nanny state," specifically the criminalization of drugs and particularly marijuana.
In a study conducted by market research firm YouGov, 2,000 respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 were interviewed about their opinions on specific substances.
The study revealed that 57 percent of Millennials believe the government should allow the use of marijuana, while 22 percent said it should allow the use of cocaine. More notably however, Millennials overwhelmingly oppose penalties, fines and imprisonment for the use of drugs. Of the respondents, 83 percent believed there should be no repercussions for the use of marijuana, 68 percent said the same for the use of ecstasy, 63 percent for cocaine and 61 percent for heroin.
Millennials, however, are generally pessimistic about their economic future, with 55 percent saying they would like to start a business some day but 46 percent saying they believe that overall, they will be worse off than their parents generation (Baby Boomers/Generation Jones and Generation X).
"There's a lot of noise in polls like this," writes Kevin Drum of Mother Jones, referring to a 2013 poll evidencing the nation's now majority-support for legal cannabis. "We might see a bit of regression to the mean in the next few years… So 2016 is hardly a sure thing. But 2020? That seems like a pretty safe bet in most of the country."
States like Colorado are great examples of how cannabis can positively benefit a state's economy, so it should come as no surprise that this generation embraces widespread marijuana-friendly laws. Legal cannabis presents a viable opportunity for Millennials in the 21st century economy.
How a Giant Medical Marijuana Dispensary Handles Its Huge Stash of Weed
Rick Pfrommer
Every single gram of bud, drop of tincture, crumb of medible, bottle of soda, swab of topical and grain of concentrate to pass through the doors at Harborside Health Center, (the self-proclaimed largest medical marijuana dispensary in the world located in Oakland, California), starts at one place: the purchasing department. In fact, even this exhaustive list doesn't cover the full range of products available at Harborside, but since flowers predominate the selection, this story follows the trail of a pound of bud on its journey through the building, from purchasing to inventory, on to processing, back to inventory and ultimately to sales, where patients can browse the final product.
Before it leaves the purchasing room, the cannabis must pass a rigorous examination including QuantaCann analysis to determine THC/CBD levels and moisture content. While waiting for this report to come back, the purchasing agent (PA) conducts a visual inspection using a 60X scope to examine trichome maturity and to double-check for molds, mildew or fungus. If deemed acceptable and desirable, payment terms are negotiated and the pound passes its first quality checkpoint.
Here the tracking system begins. The PA weighs the pound and marks it to the gram; then the pound is weighed all over again by the administration associate (AA). Any discrepancy starts the process over again. Both the PA and AA mark their measurements and initials on the Bulk Processing Sheet (BPS), a form which stays with the pound all the way through until processing. Before leaving purchasing, a third inventory worker triple-checks the weight and adds his or her initials to the BPS. Thus every pound is weighed at least three times before it even leaves the first room.
If everything checks out correctly, the pound moves on to the holiest of holies: the vault. Here the nation's largest dispensary can keep enough flowers and concentrates stocked to last its patients for several weeks, although turnover usually happens much more rapidly than that. Inventory associates restock the vault every morning, usually adding five to eight different flowers and a similar amount of concentrates, in a process called "building the board". Besides ensuring a steady supply of so-called "anchor strains" (including Grandaddy Purple, OG Kush, Red Congolese and Sour Diesel), the management always strives to stock a balance of indica, sativa and hybrid strains combined with a robust selection of sun grown. Every morning at opening the inventory team decides what to send to processing, based on restock needs as well as the shelf life of the vault's inventory. When chosen for transfer, the pound is stacked on a cart and wheeled down the hall. The Processing Manager (PM) immediately weighs the pound and adds her initials to the BPS; now the pound has passed four independent audits, for those keeping score.
If all the weights agree the PM assigns projects. All Harborside processors are trained to weigh all types of products but some specialize in one area or another, like oils or hash. The processor breaks the pound down into grams, eighths and ounces, removing any buds smaller than a nickel and relegating them to the bargain bin. Any extra stems or shake are removed and separately weighed. Every step of processing is recorded on the BPS sheet, which the PM now quintuple-checks, to ensure that every ounce, eighth, gram, small bud, stem and leaf weight add up to the first weight recording at purchasing. Video cameras, both visible and hidden, monitor every step of the process. Once all the weights have been verified, the PM signs the pound off to the inventory manager, who places every part of the original pound into a deep bin and returns it to the vault. Periodically the inventory staff will conduct a "cycle count" to independently verify the weight of every bag in the tin and double-check the weight against the BPS record – weigh-in number six in the pound's journey.
The last stop is the sales counter. Every morning each of the seven medicine cabinets is filled with bins containing the same amount of units. As they run low during the day inventory will refill them from the stock. If no more of a strain is available they will then replace it with another strain. The sales counter is also covered extensively with cameras and is under observation from the safety staff throughout the day. As items are sold a computer-powered POS system subtracts them from inventory so staff can verify inventory against sales at any time. The pound's exhaustive journey ends when patients make their purchases.
The result is a historical shrinkage rate of only 1.5 percent – not a perfect performance, but nevertheless a sharp rebuke to those who claim that dispensaries inevitably lead to large-scale diversion to illegal markets. The honest and hardworking employees at Harborside, meanwhile, are striving to make an already impressive shrinkage rate even better.
Written for issue 8 of Cannabis Now Magazine.
Oops! Seattle's Newly Legal Pot Shop Just Ran Out of Weed
Although there are 635,000 residents in Washington's biggest city, the state only allowed for one retail marijuana space to open in Seattle and now it's completely out of pot. Many predicted that Washington dispensaries would have issues with meeting the demands of their cannabis-consuming residents, but very few imagined it would only take three days for it to happen.
Cannabis City, ran by owner James Lathrop, is the lone dispensary that was licensed in Seattle and ready to begin selling marijuana on the first day it was legal in the state. Between the opening date on July 8 and Thursday July 10, the dispensary sold out of its entire stock of 11 pounds or 4,990 grams of marijuana despite its 2-grams-per-person policy.
Other dispensaries statewide are also expected to run into the same problems as Cannabis City with shortages planned to last for a few months until things get straightened out. As it stands, there were only five dispensaries that actually opened their doors on July 8 due to issues with receiving any marijuana to sell.
Reports reveal that the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) licensed less than 80 growers within the entire state despite receiving over 2,500 applications. And when it came to getting the goods lab-tested as required by law, only a fragment of the growers' supply had gone through the meticulous process in time for the legal opening of retail locations.
Seattle Lawyer Kurt Boehl of KB Law Group PLLC shed some light on the situation.
"Hundreds of growers are still waiting for initial contact from the state to even begin the licensing process," he says.
According to Reuters, the WSLCB didn't begin issuing licenses to growers until March. Because it takes months to harvest marijuana, it was too late for growers to even attempt to meet the July deadline in enough time for retailers to have it on the shelves for sale.
Edibles have also been nixed from the equation, at least in these beginning stages, because there were no manufacturers and processors licensed to produce infused goods. Once manufacturing applicants are approved and edibles are introduced to Washington residents, strict regulations will limit the type of edibles dispensaries can sell and how they must be packaged.
"The real experience will likely be in late fall and early winter, when premium genetics are available and unique extractions and infused products fill the shelves," Boehl says. "As more producers and processors are licensed, we'll start to see some incredibly exciting and innovative products hit the shelves, but that won't be for 2-6 months."
A Reflection on Medical Marijuana's San Francisco Roots
Anna Foster
It was 1983 in San Francisco's Castro district. Esposito was 23 years old and had just moved to the city at a time when HIV/AIDS was ravaging the gay community, earning it the nicknames "gay virus" and "gay cancer." It was a new illness no one understood.
"We didn't know what was happening, what were parties turned into funerals," he said. "The wasting away stages were the beginning symptoms."
It was during this crisis that Esposito first met "Brownie Mary" Rathbun, a grandmotherly woman known for handing out marijuana laced brownies to AIDS patients in San Francisco.
By the early '90s, Esposito had opened his home and kitchen to Brownie Mary as her safe haven. She had been arrested several times and as punishment for these arrests, she often volunteered to perform community services at Ward 86, the ward at San Francisco General Hospital exclusively designated for AIDS patients.
"She was a little angel in the middle of a horrible time," divulges Esposito.
Those who had been affected by HIV/AIDS were well aware of how cannabis helped. It provided instant relief for the incurable illness. Inspired by friends and loved ones within their community, Brownie Mary, alongside Dennis Peron, the gay rights and cannabis activist behind California's landmark Proposition 215, wanted to help those suffering and not be labeled as criminals or arrested for providing marijuana.
The terms "medical cannabis," "compassionate use," "safe access" and "cannabis clubs" all stem from their activism and push for public policy to create medical marijuana legislation. In 1992, Peron co-founded the San Francisco Buyers Club, which was the first medical marijuana dispensary.
From the outset, the club was completely illegal. The first floor of the SF Buyers Clubs became a sanctuary for AIDS patients and the headquarters for Prop 215. Many supporters for the newly proposed cannabis legislation were AIDS patients themselves and spent many hours collecting signatures, advocating for cannabis while risking being criminalized for using cannabis as a form of relief. These pioneers helped make California the first state in the nation to legalize medical cannabis.
Now, Esposito is Chairman of the Board with Project Inform, this year's lead beneficiary for the San Francisco AIDS Walk. As lead beneficiary, Project Inform will use proceeds raised from the walk to support essential services and advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS. Currently, Project Inform assures that 38,000 plus Californians that cannot afford treatment get free HIV medications, as well as leading efforts to make sure national healthcare reforms includes the needs of HIV/AIDS patients, in addition to community education and research participation provided. Project Inform's mission is to create an HIV/AIDS free generation within the next decade.
Recently, Project Inform, reached out to local Bay Area cannabis businesses for event support and the community heard their call! The Barbary Coast, Berkeley Patients' Group, Dark Heart Nursery, Grassroots, Harborside Health Center and Elemental Wellness teamed up this year to contribute over $30K towards the AidsWalkSF event.
For nearly 30 years, cannabis activist and HIV/AIDS activists have fought side-by-side to ensure patients battling HIV/AIDS have indispensable access to safe, effective cannabis. While the industry has changed, going far beyond California and medical use, it's important to remember how it all started. With the AIDSwalkSF event approaching, now is a perfect time to bring the awareness of their coinciding history back into the communities.
Marijuana Farmers' Market Debuts in LA on 4th of July
From July 4-6, medical cannabis consumers will have the opportunity to purchase buds of their choice directly from growers at the California Heritage Market. Between 25 and 50 growers are expected to attend West Coast Collective's medical marijuana farmers market in East Los Angeles. Growers from all over the state will be there with an abundance of fresh medicine straight from the farm that consumers can see and touch before they choose to buy — bypassing the dispensary experience altogether.
Paizley Bradbury, the executive administrator at the California Heritage Market, envisions the market as a way to revive the roots movement. In an interview with TIME, Bradbury said, "It's going to be so much easier for patients to get their medicine at a more affordable rate, and something that they can trust. They can say 'How did you grow this? Is it organic? What kind of nutrients did you use? What kind of strain is this?' There's just so much more behind it."
Although the market is free, it is not open to the public. Shoppers will be required to provide adequate identification as well as their medical marijuana recommendations in order to enter the event. Once granted admission into the 15,000 square foot, open-air structure, buyers will have access to an abundance of marijuana strains not only from West Coast Collective, but from competing dispensaries as well. There will also be concentrate companies and edible bakers on-site with goods for sale.
West Coast Collective is a part of the 135 dispensaries that are allowed to operate and sell goods in LA given that they adhere to city laws regarding proximity to schools, churches and neighborhoods. Thanks to their pre-ICO license, the collective is essentially granted limited immunity from the interim control ordinance that banned dispensaries within the city in 2007. In LA Weekly, Dennis Romero points out that in the city of Los Angeles growers and edible bakers are not legally allowed to distribute products to more than three people unless they are part of a dispensary that is operating under a pre-ICO license.
That won't deter the California Heritage Market from moving forward with their plans.
"With this industry, you just never really know how things are going to turn out until after you do it," Bradbury says.
Bradbury reports that she has been working with an in-house lawyer in order to avoid any major bumps in the road and intends to keep the market open every weekend without any legal objections.
The Growing Republican Gap on Marijuana
Errin Reaume
A growing rift in the Republican party is finding key social issues at its heart. Many young Republicans are breaking away from the parties traditional stance on things like marijuana and gay marriage and are potentially forming a new face of the party.
Sporting an orange and aqua mohawk, earrings and a pinstripe suit at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, Ian Jacobson, known as Rooster, conveyed his views on his party's opposition marijuana legalization and of and same-sex marriage to the New York Times: "It's ridiculous, it's time-consuming and it's taking focus away from where it should be — on economic issues."
Many young Republicans are in line with Jacobson's beliefs, stating issues like marijuana and gay marriage should not be of concern to political parties or the government at large.
Tampa Bay Young Republicans President Anibal Cabrera told the Denver Post: "We've grown up in a time where everything's much more open. We want to talk about more things, we're willing to listen to the other point of view. We're willing to have an opposite opinion."
The live-and-let-live approach to social issues for young Republicans compared to their conservative elders was confirmed in a recent New York Times Poll, the results found 56 percent of Republicans under age 45 indicated support for same-sex marriage rights, compared with just 29 percent among older Republicans.
This growing rift inside the party may be a key strategy for candidates in the upcoming 2016 elections.
"Whether the split on social issues forces the GOP to change its platform or risk alienating younger voters probably won't be answered until after the 2016 presidential election," said Matthew Corrigan, a University of North Florida political science professor, said to the Denver Post. "If the nominee of the Republican Party signals less of an emphasis on social issues than in years past, that leaves an opening for these young Republicans who may have more libertarian leanings, but there's a lot of seniors within the party that I don't think are ready to give up on those positions."
For Alexander McCobin, 27, the head of a libertarian student group, how this may affect the party is clear, "They [older Republicans] need to start embracing libertarian issues or it's going to start really hurting them in elections."
Alex Holzbach, a Tallahassee-based Republican political consultant who served as president of the Florida State University College Republicans before graduating this year, told the Huffington Post: "When it comes to issues like gay marriage or marijuana legalization, younger Republicans often find themselves asking, 'Why is government involved in this at all?"
While it's no surprise marijuana issues have helped Democratic leanings in the past, this new generations of Republicans could potentially help widen marijuana legalization on the whole, as well as narrow the deep gap between the two parties. After so much strife, a little unity seems like a much needed thing.
$9M to Go to Medical Marijuana Research in Colorado
In an effort to bridge the gap between science and politics, Colorado has just approved the largest ever state-funded grant allocating $9 million towards medical marijuana research. The grant money is planned to be dispersed over the next five years and will be used to conduct clinical trials that will provide further indisputable scientific evidence of the medicinal properties of cannabis. This research will build on published studies conducted over a 12-year period by California's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research that confirmed that cannabis or its isolated components could effectively be used in managing pain, nausea, inflammation and a host of other ailments.
The Colorado Department of Health and Environment, headed by Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Larry Wolk, will begin accepting grant applications this year with tentative plans to start funding about 10 to 15 studies as early as the beginning of 2015. An oversight committee is currently being assembled to act as a scientific advisory council that will evaluate research proposals, approve grant studies and ensure against biased results whether positive or negative. The committee will include a medical toxicologist, a psychiatrist, a neurologist, a pediatrician and other specialized clinicians.
In an interview with the Denver Post, Dr. Wolk said, "Our intent is to be rigorous scientifically, but to also act with some expediency because these are products that a large percentage of our population is using today. We want to make sure that what's happening out there in everyday practice isn't harming people."
Governor John Hickenlooper signed the bill allocating the grant money in May with the hope that it will benefit the more than 100,000 Coloradans engaging in the use of marijuana for its medical benefits. The grant program will go into effect on July 1 of this year and will be funded by the cost of registration fees paid by medical marijuana patients.
Through the results of the research, new debilitating conditions will be added to the medical marijuana law and provide scientific information to aid physicians in improving their understanding of the biochemical effects of medical marijuana on their patients. Other states will also have access to this information to refer to in defense of eliminating prohibition in the future.
Hershey's Sues Seattle and Denver Pot Shops Over 'Reefer's Cups,' 'Mr. Dankbar' and 'Hashees'
The following article originally appeared in Cannabis Now:
The Hershey Company has filed a federal lawsuit against Seattle Conscious Care Cooperative for trademark infringement, citing issues with their edible products called Reefer's Cups and Mr. Dankbar.
Jeff Beckman, a spokesperson for The Hershey Company, told KIRO 7: "The Hershey Company's trademarks are iconic and among our company's most important assets. They are recognized by consumers around the world, and our company has spent as many as 120 years building the trust and equity in these iconic brands. Consumers depend on our brand names to represent a level of quality and dependability. These entities have used Hershey's trademarks, without authorization, to trade on Hershey's goodwill and reputation, and to draw greater attention to their products; these unauthorized uses of Hershey's trademarks also make the products more appealing to children.
We have always vigorously protected our brands and will continue to do so whenever we believe that others have infringed on these valuable intellectual assets."
KIRO 7 reports the company has filed a similar lawsuit in Colorado.
However, an employee of the Seattle Conscious Care Cooperative told Raw Story, that the Co-op isn't the one to blame: "It's not even our product," said the employee, who wished to remain anonymous, "it's just something that we carry. So it's a vendor, it's not even us."
The company that produces the Reefer's Cup appears to be Seattle Finest Edibles, who also makes a Kush Krispie Treat and infused jellies that are sold in several locations around Washington. A message for Seattle's Finest was not returned at this time.
Colorado legislators are in the midst of drafting new laws to prevent this type of logo duplication in the state's edible products. House bill 14-1366, which passed on May 7th of this year, states: "Current law prohibits a retail marijuana products licensee (manufacturer) from adding marijuana to a trademarked food product unless the trademarked food product is part of a recipe and the manufacturer does not represent that the final product contains a trademarked food product. The bill expands this prohibition to knowingly adding marijuana to food products that a reasonable consumer would confuse with a trademarked food product. It also prohibits knowingly adding marijuana to a product that is primarily marketed to children."
[Editor's Note: Hershey's also filed a trademark violation suit against two affiliated companies in Denver, Colorado, both of which make chocolate-infused marijuana candy that bares the names "Hashees," and "Ganja Joy," among others. Those companies are TinctureBelle LLC and TinctureBelle Mari'juanka LLC. Hershey's alleges that they package their treats to look like similarly named Hershey's candies.
The lawsuit against the Denver companies states: "Defendants, who are well aware of the fame and popularity of these Hershey products and marks, are manufacturing and selling cannabis- and/or tetrahydrocannabinol-laced chocolate and candy products using names, marks and designs that are knock-offs of Hershey's famous Reese's, Heath, Almond Joy and York trademarks and trade dresses, in order to increase sales of defendants' cannabis and tetrahydrocannabinol candy products, draw additional attention to their products, confuse consumers as to the source of their products, call to consumers' minds Hershey's famous and beloved brands, and otherwise to trade on the goodwill of Hershey and its brands."]
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Pot Dealing Game Tops the iTunes Chart Before Removal
So, this is what happens when The Sims get stoned.
There is no way of denying that the world is ready for legal marijuana when the top featured game on the iTunes charts is one that allows players to step inside the simulated shadow of the black market marijuana trade. Either that or everyone just secretly wants to be a pot dealer. Take your pick.
Regardless of the felonious tendencies of the American public, Weed Firm has been building agar-ganja-uan following since its release for the iPhone in early May. So much, in fact, the game, which takes player on a underworld journey of growing and selling marijuana, paying off gangsters, and getting lap dances with less than desirable strippers, managed to smoke out other popular apps to become Apple's leading free download before it was removed from iTunes entirely one week later.
In the game, players are challenged to cultivate a single plant and turn it into cash. From there, the goal is expansion: growing a better quality product, additional plants, and ultimately turning your modest cannabis grow operation into a thriving black market empire.
"Follow the story of an expelled botany sophomore Ted Growing as he inherits a growing operation and expands it," reads the Weed Firm website. "Learn to grow weed, plant new varieties to increase your yields, expand your customer base and interact with the characters to become the biggest weed dealer in town. Complete tasks to open new shelves in the store and become a more efficient and prosperous weed grower and seller."
Interestingly, the Apple Store has been catching some heat for permitting a game involving illegal drug activity, while at the same time rejecting an app focused on female masturbation.
"Masturbation is a legal, private practice in most states, but private, weed exchanges are typically not," writes Inside Mobile Apps. "This hasn't prevented iTunes from taking a stand on whether it favors one or the other."
Reports indicate that Apple initially allowed Weed Firm to be distributed on the iTunes store because the developer added a disclaimer at the beginning of the game that reads, "The creators of this game do not encourage the cultivation or use of cannabis. The plot of this game is solely a work of fiction and should be viewed only as such."
Incidentally, the fact that Apple has seemingly chose doobies over dildos should be enough proof that marijuana is destined to become a household item in the no so distant future.
Chicago Police Make Marijuana Arrests Regardless of Decriminalization
Despite changes to Chicago pot laws allowing police the option of issuing citations as opposed to arresting those caught in possession of small amounts of marijuana, new research concludes that most cops are still opting to throw misdemeanor pot offenders in jail.
Earlier this week, the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University released a disturbing analysis, which indicates that only a small number of Chicago's misdemeanor drug offenders are being issued tickets – 7 percent – while the remaining 93 percent are being familiarized with the inside of a jail cell.
The study shows that while Chicagoland has experienced a 23 percent decrease in marijuana-related arrests since the city council enacted a decriminalization measure nearly in 2012, it still remains a significantly poorer result than other municipalities throughout the state that have adopted similar measures.
Lead researcher Kathleen Kane-Willis says the study is a cautionary tale about a city struggling to follow through with its newfound pot laws and its crass aversion to progress.
"If we really want marijuana reform, we have to have a consistent policy across the state," Kane-Willis said during a recent interview with the Chicago Tribune. "Otherwise people end up with different punishments, and the consequences cause more harm. This is not a good way to do policy."
In an emailed statement to the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Police Department spokesperson Adam Collins retaliated against the study's findings by maintaining that the department is on the road to progress.
"From 2012 to 2013 to the early numbers from 2014, CPD is continuing to make progress in implementing the city's cannabis ANOV [Administrative Notice of Ordinance Violation] ordinance, and there were nearly 5,000 fewer people arrested for low-level cannabis possession in 2013 than in 2011," writes Collins. "Like any new process, it has taken time to implement the ordinance, and we believe there's certainly much more work to be done on full implementation."
There is speculation that Chicago police have continued to arrest petty marijuana offenders because the city has not generated as much revenue from misdemeanor pot possession as originally predicted, and it has been unsuccessful at collecting fines for those offenses.
Last October, Chicago officials reported the city had only managed to collect 21 percent of the $310,755 in issued pot fines. During the same time frame, Fraternal Order of Police President Mike Shields told the Associated Press that ticketing for pot-related offenses was problematic, and that it was easier just to make the arrest.
How to Grow Pot During a Drought
As we head into what is sure to be a long hot summer in California the topic of truly sustainable cannabis production comes up frequently.
Many believe outdoor cultivation is less energy intensive and therefore a "better " way to grow. This is true when it comes to energy usage and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. One aspect of sun-grown medicine that is frequently overlooked though is water usage.
A fully mature plant in full sun can take up to 15 gallons of water or more, per day. An average garden of 50 or so plants is using 750 gallons a day or a whopping 22,500 gallons per month.
If you multiply this by the thousands of people growing cannabis, the amount of water used is staggering. This tremendous water usage has had the effect of drying up streams all across Northern California, endangering critical salmon habitats and affecting the whole food chain.
During the summertime in grow country, virtual convoys of water trucks can be seen hauling their precious cargo deep into the wilderness. Less scrupulous growers dam up and divert natural water sources further endangering critical wild life habitats.
An idea that Ed Rosenthal has floated for years is that people should be allowed to grow as much cannabis as they have water for. If you live on a property with a strong spring you should be able to grow more than if you are buying water all summer.
Water doesn't just magically appear in all those trucks, it has to come from somewhere and that frequently means public sources, often illicitly obtained. There are ways to mitigate water usage. Drip irrigation is effective as is growing in the ground as opposed to grow pots, which evaporate water off of their sides.
The stark reality of sun-grown is that many places in California are simply too arid for sustainable cannabis growth.
Simple age-old conservation techniques should also be employed. Catching and storing rainwater in the winter and spring and also drawing from springs during those heavier flow periods can go a long way toward mitigating water demands during the peak of summer.
A grower should be using all available roof space to catch and collect water and tarping (lining planting holes with plastic) can also be set up to catch water that would otherwise go to waste.
Yes, it is an investment in infrastructure to have enough storage capacity to hold the amounts of water needed. But, with the payoff in the long run as far as environmental impact, reduced water bills and the lessened need for expensive truck deliveries — the value is incalculable.
If California is going to be the nation's grass basket we all need to learn to practice much more sustainable methods of production. None of these techniques are complicated and we should practice what we preach when it comes to producing our favorite plant in a way that respects the earth where it comes from.
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New York Plans to Legalize Medical Marijuana - But Who's Getting Left Out?
Enrique Grijalva
On May 20, the Compassionate Care Act, New York's latest bill to push for medical marijuana legalization, took a huge step forward when the Senate Health Committee voted to pass the bill.
Senator Diane Savino, the bill's Democratic sponsor, considers this achievement to be an "enormous milestone," however; last month she revised the bill to cater to Republicans within the state Senate. The most notable amendment was an alteration to the list of illnesses which medical marijuana could be prescribed, curiously leaving out glaucoma.
When explaining her reason for modifying the list of illnesses, Savino was vehement on not mimicking California's reckless approach of prescribing medical marijuana to anyone without a "serious, debilitating, life-threatening condition." She also noted that ophthalmologists have suggested that there are superior alternatives available that can treat glaucoma.
Glaucoma is an eye condition that is caused by high pressure within the eye, commonly known as intraocular pressure (IOP), and over time this causes optic nerve damage which leads to loss of vision. Glaucoma can be treated by lowering IOP levels, but treatment is necessary 24 hours a day.
Research conducted by the National Eye Institute has supported the notion that marijuana can lower a glaucoma patient's IOP levels. The argument ophthalmologists point to is the amount of marijuana that would need to be smoked for it to have any effect.
Marijuana is said to lower the IOP levels for a short amount of time—roughly ranging between three to four hours. Due to the necessity to treat glaucoma around the clock, a patient would have to smoke six to eight times a day.
"This bill is really about a simple concept, which is to alleviate suffering," said Sen. Brad Holyman.
Yet, excluding an illness which has been proven to be alleviated by marijuana seems odd. It is particularly puzzling when the federal government has even acknowledged marijuana's effects.
Elvy Musikka is the most prominent glaucoma patient in the country, because she is one of four people to receive medical marijuana from the federal government. In 1988, as a last resort to obtain marijuana legally, she had to prove to the Food Drug Administration, DEA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse that marijuana was (and still is) the safest and most reliable treatment for her glaucoma.
Today, Musikka still continues to use the medical marijuana she receives, which is cultivated at the University of Mississippi.
The reason behind the exclusion of glaucoma from the list of treatable illnesses, while unusual, appears to be logical. Especially when taking into consideration that Savino and company are looking at the bigger picture. They're fighting to have the Compassionate Care Act legalized by any means.
Still, there is hope that glaucoma can one day make the list if the bill is passed on the Senate floor.
The Daily News reports that the bill will have the ability to appoint an advisory panel to expand or reduce the list of illnesses based on scientific and medical recommendations.
The bill is now headed to the Finance Committee. If passed, it could be brought to a full Senate vote before the session ends next month.
Why Marijuana Works Better Than Opiates to Control Pain
Kylie "Tee" Toponce
One compelling argument for the legalization of medical marijuana is its ability to ameliorate intense pain. Currently available technologies have helped us gain understanding of cannabis, as well as its more-commonly-accepted opioid counterparts, and the affects they have on pain.
In 2010, as an attempt to gain insight on pain's function in the brain, Oxford University conducted a study using fMRI machines and the standard tricks of psychology. Volunteers were monitored during zaps of pain to their feet.
Some areas, they were told, had the potential to be unsafe. In those spots, the volunteers reported their pain levels as being higher. In reality, all of it was safe. Interestingly, in the fMRI machines, the anterior insula lit up before they were ever zapped. Thinking about, anticipating and fearing pain caused their brains to assume—caused them to feel—the physical sensation of pain.
It's all in the way human brains are hardwired. The parts of the brain where emotions are processed (the limbic system) are directly connected to the parts where physical stimuli are detected (the somatosensory cortex).
This wiring is what gives us the definition of pain, as according to The International Association for the Study of Pain: "An unpleasant and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage." In essence, it is your brain telling you that somewhere in your body, something is wrong.
Let's first take a look at the federally recognized, legal remedy for pain: opiates.
As it stands currently, opiates are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States. This is regardless of the fact that they only have a 30-40 percent success rate for reducing pain. Moreover, 80 percent of the time, they are accompanied by horrible side effects—hormonal imbalance, constipation (often leading to fecal impaction), nausea, and intense drowsiness just to name a few. In order to combat these side effects, patients often have to "take drugs to offset the drugs."
Although it can be argued that these side effects are relatively small, potentially just inconveniences, the number of people who die from overdoses is not. That is, 125,000 lives in the last decade. The body will build up a tolerance and require higher doses over time, resulting in addiction, illegal drug use and possibly death.
"It started with a snowboarding accident; my knee got really messed up. They had me on Morphine and OxyContin for a while, but eventually the prescriptions ran out. As soon as they stopped giving me a legitimate source, I got into the underground scene," says Randall*. "I was pronounced legally dead once, but I still didn't clean up. My eight-year addiction didn't stop until it eventually landed me behind bars."
Cases like Randall's are not uncommon; roughly 6 percent of people who take legitimately-prescribed opiates try heroine within ten years.
In 2007, Purdue Pharma (producer of OxyContin) was sued in regards to the built-in time-release OxyContin, which opiate abusers ardently seek. Their marketing led doctors to believe that it had a lower risk of addiction. Abusers discovered they could crush or chew the drug and get the full dose (which is meant to last hours) all at once. Purdue's defense? They hadn't advertised to customers, only to doctors. They lost the case and paid $634 million in fines.
Medical cannabis, unlike opiates, doesn't alleviate pain; it alleviates your emotional response to pain.
Upon observation, it is recognized that higher THC strains do this more effectively. THC is received in your emotional center (the limbic system), which is what causes the relaxation effect.
Marijuana as pain relief? It's all in the way our brains are hardwired.
*indicates names have been changed to protect identities
The following article first appeared in Cannabis Now Magazine:
In fact, during the Denver 4/20 celebrations last weekend, tourists learned just how easy it was to get a ticket for smoking cannabis in public because of these concerns. Under Amendment 64, establishments designed for cannabis consumption (akin to a bar or lounge where alcohol is served) are prohibited.
In 1957, nearly 53,000 Americans died in a car accident. By 2012, that number dropped to less than half that—about 25,000 nationwide. Half of those were from drunk driving. Not only have traffic accidents been going down over time (regardless of alcohol's legality) states which have passed medical cannabis laws have actually seen a reduction in traffic fatalities.
Here's Why Advertisers Should Embrace Marijuana
Ben Owens
With the majority of Americans in favor of marijuana legalization and the recent legalization of marijuana in Washington and Colorado, Obama's decision to allow such business models to operate legally within their states and his recent concession that the substance is no more harmful than alcohol and tobacco, it's safe to expect these newly legal enterprises will eventually have a need for advertising and marketing efforts.
Attorney General Eric Holder is even positing that the administration is about to allow banking reforms for these legal businesses and has come forward saying that he would work on the rescheduling of cannabis should congress decide to move in that direction.
Recently, Google, Facebook and Twitter have all come out against these enterprises using existing ad networks and solutions, such as AdWords, Sponsored Tweets, FBX campaigns, etc., citing that, while the Colorado and Washington experiments are legal in their respective areas, companies operating on a global scope cannot afford to allow the promotion of items that are illegal elsewhere. Therefore, they voted no to pot ads.
When an industry leader such as AdWeek is open to the discussion of a newly regulated industry, advertisers should be as well, and here's why: alcohol and tobacco clients are big bucks for advertising. When alcohol prohibition ended in 1933, within a year advertisers from in-house marketing arms and standalone marketing establishments were churning out ads such as the one below to no end.
Right now, sales for the newly legal vice are being driven by novelty. Tourism companies have popped up and are promoting "Pot-Tours" and "Cannibitions." These are not uncommon in any big tourism destination (think Vegas and Central Park). What is uncommon is the lack of balance, due to the lack of support for the industry.
With gross sales of cannabis in Colorado exceeding $1 million on the first day alone, companies who have the willingness to invest in this new industry can potentially be viewed as "Big Canna," the next Big Tobacco, Big Alcohol and Big Pharma collective. They're the people with the money, with the guts, and willing to take the risk to be the next Phillip Morris and Anheuser Busch of the marijuana movement.
With alcohol and tobacco industries clearing advertising budgets in the multiple billions per year, this next year will be the experiment in cannabis regulation. With 23 states allowing legal marijuana in some form or another, and initiatives being proposed for the coming elections in at least six states, the time to accept changing trends is now.
Advertisers love us some untapped wells of ad dollars, and the newly legal addition to the incredible mass of vice advertising is going to be a cash cow. From consumer packaged goods for companies like Cheeba Chews and Zig Zags, to local dispensary and cultivation campaigns, the demand for advertising is most certainly going to pot, in the most positive way possible.
Advertisers willing to take the next step and take business from these companies may, worst case scenario, take a short-term hit in their reputation, but will become harbors for the growing industry and its growing ad budget.
As cannabis becomes no more buzz-worthy than "beer" and "wine" were in 1934, these advertisements and advertisers will eventually have clients look over their portfolios without the smirks and munchies-focused jokes.
Companies won't be mocking the existing target demographic to sell ads, they'll be driving creativity to be less "Hi, I'm high"-focused, and more "This is a product. These are its benefits."
The mad men and women of the world love their vices. It's time for them to include daily vices in their client portfolios. It's time to seize unclaimed ad territory. Annoté supports this conquering belief; we treat all clients, whether they sell Lip Balm or Lip Bong, as clientele in need of advertising experts. We look forward to watching as the Colorado and Washington marketers bring high-performing campaigns to this experimental stage, and hopefully egg on their peers to do the same.
Inside the 'Secret' Ingredients That Give Marijuana Its Incredible Aromas and Flavors
Franco Loja
Cannabis is used around the world both as a medicine and a recreational drug, but the more subtle aspect of it being an aromatic plant goes too often unnoticed. The herbs we use in our kitchen are considered aromatic plants because they contain a particular terpene profile that gives them a distinctive flavor and effect.
Cannabis is so complex from this point of view that the possible combinations are endless, we have the ability to create a broad spectrum of aromas and flavors that differ with the strains and the way they are cultivated. We are opening a new way of breeding, a new frontier for all growers with a sweet tooth.
The Green House Seed Company has started a real breeding revolution by providing customers (and anyone interested) with terpene profiles of the resin of all its strains. It is truly an innovative step away from the effect-only approach to cannabis and into the world of smell and flavor, the conoisseur way, "a la carte".
Terpenes are the building blocks of essential oils and are produced primarily by plants (conifers and cannabis) and more rarely by insects. Terpenes are the major components of resin, oils and extracts and they function as the smell and taste molecules. The terpene profile is the most accurate fingerprint we have to define strains and a great way of determining medical effects of the plant before it is even used.
Enough with the science, let's see how these terpenes are affecting cannabis in the process of breeding on flavor.
The list of 16 terpenes analyzed by Green House Seed Company is a selection of the most recognizable ones, the ones involved in the distinctive flavor of any strain of cannabis.
A few examples:
Alpha-Pinene is an organic compound, found in the oils of many species of pine trees. It is also found in the essential oil of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). Two types of alpha-pinene exist in nature, one more common in European pines, the other more common in North America. A mix of the two is present in the oil extracted from the eucalyptus tree. In the strains we produce, we find the highest levels of alpha-pinene in Super Silver Haze. So, if you like pine-tree smelling and tasting weed, think of growing this strain, or use it for crossings.
Limonene is a hydrocarbon, classified as a cyclic terpene. It is a colorless liquid at room temperature with an extremely strong smell of citrus, particularly oranges. It takes its name from the lemon because lemon and other citrus fruits contain high quantities of this compound, which is responsible for much of their smell. In the strains we produce, you will find elevated levels of limonene in the Lemon Skunk and the Big Bang.
Sabinene is a natural monoterpene and it is isolated from the essential oils of a variety of plants, mostly oak trees. Sabinene is one of the chemical compounds that contributes to the spiciness of black pepper and is a major constituent of carrot seed oil. It also occurs in tea tree oil at a low concentration. Again, this terpene is high in the Super Silver Haze and in the Arjan's Ultra Haze #1.
Myrcene, or β-myrcene, is also an organic compound. It is classified as a hydrocarbon and a monoterpene. It is obtained from the essential oil from various plants: bay, verbena, myrcia (from which is gets its name) and others. Myrcene is one of the most important chemicals used in the perfumery industry. Because of its pleasant odor, it is occasionally used directly. But it is also highly valued as an intermediate for the preparation of flavor and fragrance chemicals such as menthol, citronella, and geraniol. It is extremely high in the White Widow.
Many more terpenes are present in the resin and analyzed, as we learn more about them we are learning how they shape the effects, both for medicinal and recreational users.
Want to learn more about terpenes? Check out Issue 11 of Cannabis Now Magazine, on stands May 2014.
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