Cannabis in the News

San Ysidro, Calif. — Mexican traffickers are sending a flood of cheap heroin and methamphetamine across the U.S. border, the latest drug seizure statistics show, in a new sign that America’s marijuana decriminalization trend is upending the North American narcotics trade.

The amount of cannabis seized by U.S. federal, state and local officers along the boundary with Mexico has fallen 37 percent since 2011, a period during which American marijuana consumers have increasingly turned to the more potent, higher-grade domestic varieties cultivated under legal and quasi-legal protections in more than two dozen U.S. states.

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USA — The conservative wave of 2014 featured an unlikely, progressive undercurrent: In two states, plus the nation’s capital, Americans voted convincingly to pull the plug on marijuana prohibition. Even more striking were the results in California, where voters overwhelmingly passed one of the broadest sentencing reforms in the nation, de-felonizing possession of hard drugs. One week later, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD announced an end to arrests for marijuana possession. It’s all part of the most significant story in American drug policy since the passage of the 21st Amendment legalized alcohol in 1933: The people of this country are leading a dramatic de-escalation in the War on Drugs.

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Santa Rosa, Calif. — A tribe in Mendocino County plans to be the first tribe in the state to grow and distribute a large amount of medical marijuana.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported the announcement late last week by the 250-member Pinoleville Pomo Nation. The deal authorizes a Colorado-based investor, United Cannabis, and Kansas-based FoxBarry Farms to grow and distribute products from thousands of marijuana plants at the tribe’s rancheria north of Ukiah.

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Columbus — A new group today announced plans to place a ballot initiative before Ohioans in 2016 that would fully legalize marijuana. Cleveland-based Ohioans to End Prohibition proposes to allow anyone over the age of 21 to legally grow, purchase, possess and use marijuana while also granting merit-based licenses to commercial growers.

Another group, ResponsibleOhio, hopes to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would permit 10 businesses to grow and sell marijuana wholesale for personal and medicinal use by those over age 21.

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North Carolina Medical Cannabis Bill

Why has North Carolina been unsuccessful in passing medical cannabis legislation?

I have been talking with Republican leadership and legislatures. Which are in the majority, in North Carolina, from the state executive to both houses of legislature. The issues republicans’ have with the current draft bill, HB84 from 2014. Is that there are no control measures to prevent creep and leak. What do I mean by that? Creep and leak are terms I use to identify “leaking” of legal products into the black market and “creep” is a term I use to identify illegal products “creeping” into the hands of unqualified buyers. The most liberal of states at least have controls to prevent legal cannabis from falling into the hand of black market dealers. And there are no measures to protect children.

North Carolina needs a comprehensive law that establishes sensible regulation for the industry. Fair access for patients, legal protection for doctors. And a system that keep as much of the medical cannabis out of the black market and children’s hands. The truth is that you will never be able to keep 100% of the legally produced cannabis medication out of the wrong hands. But, it is the responsibility of legislators to enact laws that have controls and protections for it’s citizenry. Just as it is important that we the people put our legislator to task.

How can that be done? It seems like such a monumental task. Well, 20+ states have been doing it, some successfully and other states not so successfully. It would be in the best interest of the citizens and the bill its self. That a new bill is written taking the best from the most successful medical cannabis states. Modifying language to best represent the state of North Carolina and it’s citizens.

Let us discuss some of the blaring issues that will prevent the bill from passing.

A patient may grow outside, in a 250 square foot area. That is how the language reads. What do you see that’s wrong with this? The first issue, what prevents some one from walking in your back yard and stealing the plants? Nothing… there is no call for a regulatory system. This part of the legislation has 0% chance of garnering favor with republicans.  Solution? Only allow for a regulated production and sales through licensed growers, producers and medical cannabis centers. Require state licensed growers to track and serialize each and every living plant, seed or clone. Plus, require producers to to utilize BioTrackTHC software.

The second is that the condition and disease list. It looks similar to California. As we have seen in California, their medical cannabis law basically allows doctors to prescribe for anything. Thus creating a pseudo legalization through the medical system. Which I believe puts doctors in precarious situations and discredits the medical system in general. Thus, under the California system a qualified doctor can prescribe cannabis to any patient they think needs medical cannabis. Solution? A defined list of ailments that the state recognizes as conditions treatable with cannabis. This is how it works with pharmaceuticals. But, there needs to be a petition system. A system that allows doctors and patients to ask the state to consider their condition be added to the list. This is how Michigan, Colorado and Washington State dwelt with this issue and has had much success.

There is noting regarding edibles. How will they be packaged? How to prevent accidental ingestion by minors? Whats the solution? Using currently available pharmaceutical packaging for small edible candies. Require markings that identify the item as a medical cannabis product. Require patients to keep cannabis medications locked and unavailable to unqualified people and minors.

We have some work to do in North Carolina. But, it is not a bridge to far.

Sincerely,

veteransforcannabis

WEED 2 – Cannabis Madness – Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports

Cannabis and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Throughout its prohibition, cannabis has been considered a self-medicated “coping” drug, especially in individuals with anxiety disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Government funded studies examining the link between cannabis and PTSD frequently use the term “marijuana abuse disorder,” a co-occurring problem in need of rehabilitation.

There is overwhelming evidence that PTSD and cannabis go hand-in-hand. But while most studies point out the prevalence of marijuana abuse among PTSD patients, a minority of emerging research is looking at the question in reverse: could cannabis be effectively treating PTSD?

Living with PTSD

PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is an anxiety condition caused by disturbing episodes, such as military combat or sexual assault. Three classes of symptoms characterize PTSD: re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyper arousal (e.g., flashbacks, social isolation, insomnia). The persistence of PTSD over time is attributed to changes in brain chemistry that occur at the time of the trauma, when adrenaline and stress hormones are hyper-responsive.

Since age nine, Ben Nichols has experienced debilitating PTSD symptoms, and with it came a tangle of other issues like insomnia and ADD. Ben takes Adderall to help with concentration difficulties caused by PTSD, but turns to cannabis to treat the anxiety.

“It helps with daily tasks like school, work, and relationships,” Ben said. “My mind races and cannabis helps me slow down and think through the trauma rather than hide from it. I can tell it’s helping me because my sleeping patterns are normal and I don’t have anxiety attacks.”

Ben is fortunate to live in a state with legal medical cannabis, but not all PTSD sufferers have access to its unprecedented relief. Combat veterans have an especially high propensity for PTSD, and statistics show that about 1 in 5 military personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan experience it. Given cannabis’ federally prohibited status, veterans are instead steered toward antidepressants and antipsychotics, medications that have had very little success in treating severe PTSD symptoms.

“The drugs that they were giving them … they couldn’t get up in the mornings,” said Army first sergeant Gregory Westbrook. “Most of the guys weren’t the type of soldiers who had issues before Iraq or even in Iraq, but they bring them back and put them on these drugs, and they’re falling asleep in the chair. There was no way they could function, especially in a civilian job. So maybe marijuana is an alternative.”

How Cannabis Can Help Treat PTSD

Currently there are no specialized, effective medications available for PTSD patients, but with new discoveries in our body’s therapeutic hotspot — the endocannabinoid system — research is beginning to pave new avenues of understanding and treating PTSD.

One investigator of PTSD and cannabis is the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Martin Lee is a MAPS affiliate and director of Project CBD, and has studied PTSD and cannabinoids in depth.

“Researchers found that people with PTSD had lower levels of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid compound, compared to those who did not show signs of PTSD,” Lee wrote, “Innate to all mammals, anandamide (our inner cannabis, so to speak) triggers the same receptors that are activated by THC and other components of the marijuana plant.”

In other words, one pillar of PTSD is an endocannabinoid deficiency: the body stops producing enough endocannabinoids to fill receptor sites, and this is where the cannabinoids found in marijuana play a therapeutic role. By replenishing these missing endocannabinoids with those found in cannabis, researchers think marijuana pharmaceuticals might bring PTSD patients relief from their memories.

“Scientists have determined that normal CB-1 receptor signaling deactivates traumatic memories and endows it with the gift of forgetting,” Lee said, “But skewed CB-1 signaling, due to endocannabinoid deficits (low serum levels of anandamide), results in impaired fear extinction, aversive memory consolidation, and chronic anxiety, the hallmarks of PTSD.”

Accessing Medical Marijuana for PTSD

PTSD patients are advised to first consult a medical professional before treating symptoms with cannabis. Consumers unaccustomed to marijuana may find that THC aggravates anxiety symptoms. Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is a marijuana cannabinoid that counteracts some of THC’s effects, including paranoia and anxiety. Further research examining the relationship between THC and CBD could lead to more tolerable variants of cannabis pharmaceuticals for high anxiety individuals.

The damage caused by PTSD cannot be fully unraveled by any medication, but for some, cannabis provides respite when nothing else can. Despite a strong need for development of more effective medication without adverse side effects, the promising pharmaceutical possibilities in cannabis are continually dismissed by government-backed research organizations. However, forward momentum builds as education about cannabis’ healing properties spreads.

Culture High: The Riveting Truth Behind Marijuana Prohibition

If watching the trailer for The Culture High doesn’t put you on the edge of your seat, there’s not much that will. It features some of the foremost names in the marijuana legalization movement and is sure to land with a major impact when it hits theaters. Check out the trailer and be sure to check out the full film later this month:

About the film:

Journeying across the North American landscape, The Culture High is the riveting story that tears into the very fiber of modern day marijuana prohibition to reveal the truth behind the arguments and motives governing both those who support and oppose the existing pot laws. With budgets to fight the war reaching billions and arrests for simple possession sky rocking to nearly a million annually, the debate over marijuana’s legality has reached epic proportions. Utilizing the quirky yet profound nature of its predecessor, The Union: The Business Behind Getting High, The Culture High raises the stakes with some of todays biggest names, unprecedented access to footage previously unobtainable, and incredibly moving testimonials from both sides of the spectrum. Top celebrities, former undercover agents, university professors and a slew of unforgettable characters from all points of view come together for an amusing yet insightful portrait of cannabis prohibition and the grasp it has on society as a whole. The Culture High will strip search the oddity of human nature and dare to ask the question: What exactly is going on here?

The film will premier is on Oct 11 and the public theatrical release is on Oct 17th.

A look at the key marijuana legalization votes in 2014

November 2014 High Times, page 102 Narc Shadow

In the November 2014 of High Times. There is an article called Narc  Shadows.  I found several things in the article in regard to the individuals being interviewed, military background. I have spent 25 years in military service.  Specifically, the last 15 years in units across the United States Army Special  Operations Command. I believe that gives me the credentials to scrutinize this article and the interviewee [Darth Raider].

So I felt it was my obligation to send The Editor of High Times an email expressing my concerns in regard to the military service claimed by the interviewee. I immediately received an email response back from the editor of High Times, Chris’s Simunek. I was really surprised that he replied back to me so quickly. But, I had so many questions. That I thought a phone call would be more appropriate. South he called me and we had about an hour long conversation.

I believe Chris wrote an outstanding article.  I believe Chris wrote the article with the information provided.  Chris told me he did not have a military background. Which put Chris at a disadvantage of being able to identify a BS storyline. Not his fault. But, I don’t believe the interviewee divulged the entire truth of his military service. Over the years I have seen fraud after fraud claiming to have served in the military. Or, they served but, work in a career field that is less sexy and exciting. And they embellish their actual service.  This is just as wrong and dubious lying about or embellishing their service.

I believe this interviewee to be an absolute fraud.

I am by no means questioning the interviewees service. I am questioning what he actually did. A few things I identified that need further explanation.

There is a difference between being  Ranger qualified and serving in Ranger Regiment. Becoming a ranger qualified is around 52 to 54 day process. It is a school. But being in Ranger Regiment requires an additional selection process. Which is much more rigorous  then the school itself. And if you mash with your team members you may wind up being in Regiment for several grueling demanding years.

Rangers are not part of special forces. The Ranger Regiment is part of the United States Army Special Operations Command. But they are not part of special forces.

Combat awards can only be given out during a conflict that has been illegally recognized by Congress. Thereby giving the secretary of defense the authorization to issue combat awards. So, if the interviewee was awarded a Bronze Star. It would not nor could not be awarded for what he claims it was awarded for.

Not to mention the myriad of issues involving title 10 of the US code, which is the law that regulates active duty soldiers. Title 32 of the US code Is the law that regulates National Guard soldiers. And then there is that pesky law regarding Posse Comitatus.

I believe the interviewee was in the business of  destroying marijuana.   And I believe he truly feels remorseful for being in the business of eradicating marijuana.

Having been there and done that. I don’t believe any of the stories he told the High Times writer.

Poll: D.C. voters poised to legalize pot, elevating national debate over marijuana

Washington, D.C., voters appear to be ready to legalize marijuana, according to a new poll that puts support at 65 percent.

The NBC4/Washington Post/Marist poll’s finding that district voters support legalization by amost a 2-1 margin “is the highest support ever for a marijuana legalization ballot initiative,” Adam Eidinger, chair of D.C. Cannabis Campaign, the group backing the legalization measure, said in a statement. “It vindicates the work of this campaign so far, but we still have more work to do turning out the vote come Election Day.”

On Nov. 4, D.C. voters will decide Initiative 71, which would legalize adult marijuana use, possession of up to two ounces, and home cultivation of up to six marijuana plants for personal use. The sale of marijuana would remain illegal. The D.C. Council is considering a separate bill that would allow the regulation and taxation of marijuana.

The new poll suggests D.C. will join Washington state and Colorado in legalizing recreational marijuana. Just days before Washington state voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, Public Policy Polling found 53 percent support for the measure. The day before Colorado voters approved marijuana for recreational use by adults, PPP found 52 percent support.

“Voters are relating to the message that legalization will end D.C.’s rampant discrimination when it comes marijuana enforcement,” said Dr. Malik Burnett, D.C. Policy Manager for the Drug Policy Alliance, in a statement.

According to the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, arrest statistics from 2009 to 2011 revealed that nine out of 10 people arrested for drugs in Washington were black, though blacks make up just slightly more than half of the city’s population. Yet government surveys show that blacks are no more likely than whites to use the drug.

A marijuana activist criticized The Washington Post for editorializing against legalization.

“At the very moment this Washington Post poll was in the field, the paper’s own editorial board was circulating a ‘Reefer Madness’-style, error-laden screed urging D.C. voters to reject legalization,” Marijuana Majority’s Tom Angell told The Huffington Post. A Sunday Post editorial urged D.C. voters to “reject the rush to marijuana.”

“It looks like that didn’t work,” Angell said of the editorial. “No matter how hard prohibitionists try to spread scare stories about legalization, poll after poll confirms that this is a mainstream issue supported by a growing majority of the public.”

Kevin Sabet, co-founder of anti-legalization group Project SAM, said he sees the poll numbers differently.

“I think it represents the fact that the ‘Yes’ side has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars raised outside the District on its messaging,” Sabet said. “As voters hear more about why marijuana and marijuana businesses are not good for the District, I expect the gap to narrow.”

The ballot measure builds on several recent moves to remove restrictions on marijuana in Washington. The District’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened last year. Earlier this year, the D.C. Council decriminalized the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana. The District legalized marijuana for medical use in 2010. Twenty-three states also have legalized medical marijuana.

Voters in three states will decide on new marijuana laws in November. Oregon and Alaska voters will cast ballots on the legalization of recreational marijuana, while voters in Florida will decide on a medical marijuana ballot measure.

Bill to Add PTSD to New Jersey Medical Marijuana Program Filed in Assembly

Jay Leiderman, Ventura's Premier Marijuana Lawyer

TRENTON, NJ — A bill to add post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana in New Jersey was filed Monday.

The bill, Assembly Bill 3726, is sponsored by Vincent Mazzeo (D-Atlantic) and Linda Stender (D-Middlesex, Somerset and Union).

Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that is estimated to impact some eight million Americans annually, including many military veterans returning from combat as well as victims of violent crimes, such as rape.

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