Tag: All Medical Marijuana News

The Shake: 420 Gym to Open (With Smoking Deck), Rick Steves Backs Legalization Bid in Maine

If Kasich signs, Ohio will become the 25th medical-marijuana state. After the ResponsibleOhio snafu of last year, Ohio voters have been wondering if the time is nigh for cannabis to take a spotlight in the Heart of It All. The Ohio Legislature has been debating, amending and ultimately approving a medical-marijuana initiative, which is headed to Republican Gov. John Kasich for a signature this week. The bill has been hotly debated—particularly among cannabis supporters—as it contains several controversial clauses, including a provision that allows employers to fire employees for legally using MMJ. Ohioans for Medical Marijuana, a competing campaign, is collecting signatures for a more comprehensive medical cannabis amendment to be on the ballot this November, but the group will need to collect 305,591 signatures before July for the amendment to have a fighting chance.

Oregon wants you to start low and slow with edibles. The new “Try 5” campaign from the Oregon Responsible Edibles Council encourages first-time cannabis consumers to start with a low dose of 5 milligrams of THC to prevent novice cannabis consumers from trying too much, too fast. The campaign begins just in time for Oregon to start rolling out edibles for purchase by adults, which will be available in Oregon’s dispensaries starting June 2.

Rick Steves wants to see Maine legalize. Rick Steves, everyone’s favorite travel guide—and NORML board member—will be matching any and all donations, dollar for dollar, up to $50,000 to support Maine’s legalization initiative. He’s planning a tour in October to speak to Maine citizens about the benefits of legalization.

The VA refuses to let physician present lecture on cannabis. Dr. Sue Sisley is the only physician in the United States to have received a federal grant to study the effects of cannabis as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, but medical staff at the Phoenix Veteran Affairs Medical Center would not allow her to make a presentation, despite approval of her work from the Food and Drug Administration. The recent vote to allow VA doctors to discuss medical cannabis has not been signed into law yet, but if it does receive the go-ahead, the Phoenix VA said it would reconsider.

Federal cannabis-trafficking busts plunge since 2012. The number of people sentenced in federal court for moving cannabis has plunged since 2012, according to the United States Sentencing Commission. Christopher Ingraham has the story in The Washington Post.

Medical cannabis accounts for more than one-fifth of Canadian veterans’ drug reimbursements. Data from the Veteran Affairs Canada shows a sharp increase in the amount of money being reimbursed to veterans for prescribed drugs went to medical marijuana—of $91,557,485 in reimbursements, $20,583,153 was for cannabis for vets. America, please take note.

Teen cannabis problems dropping, study says. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report that the number of adolescents (age 12 to 17) who had problems related to cannabis—such as becoming dependent or having trouble in school or relationships—declined by 24 percent between 2002 and 2013. The number of kids who reported using cannabis in the past 12 months also dropped, by 10 percent in the same time period.

Is your property really returned if it’s destroyed? Pueblo County, Colorado, Sheriff Kirk Taylor is cracking down on suspected illegal cannabis farms, seizing hundreds of plants in the past few months. If those suspects are acquitted, the plants are returned—dead and desiccated. Now people are worried that exonerated suspects may sue over destroyed property, and cost the county a lot of money.

Toke up before you work out? A new 420-friendly gym is coming soon to San Francisco through Power Plant Fitness, and will allow members to experiment with cannabis consumption to enhance their workout in pursuit of optimal performance. The gym will incorporate a smoking deck, as well as other forms of cannabis consumption.

Oregon: ‘Right To Grow’ Cannabis Group To Sue Jackson County

By Keith Mansur,Oregon Cannabis Connection Right To Grow, USA, an organization representing cannabis growers in Oregon, is filing a lawsuit against Jackson County. The complaint, which will be filed in the next day or two, seeks an injunction to force the County into a different interpretation of the newly passed cannabis law that was adopted

BREAKING: Ohio MMJ Legalization Now on John Kasich’s Desk

A medical marijuana legalization bill has been sent to Ohio Gov. John Kasich in an effort by state lawmakers to offset support for a proposed fall ballot measure.

The measure cleared the Ohio Senate by just three votes, and the House followed by OK’ing Senate changes 67-28.

The proposal, which Kasich has not committed to signing, would bar patients from smoking marijuana or growing it at home, but it would allow its use in vapor form for certain chronic health conditions.

It garnered both support and opposition among Republicans and Democrats.

Supporters recalled emotional testimony from chronic pain sufferers and parents of sick children as influencing their decisions to support the legislation.

“There is no reason why we should make Ohioans suffer any longer,” said state Sen. Kenny Yuko, a Richmond Heights Democrat who worked with Republican Sen. David Burke, a pharmacist from Marysville, to clinch the bill’s Senate passage.

Lawmakers fast-tracked the measure as a way to head off a medical marijuana issue headed toward fall ballots.

But the Ohioans for Medical Marijuana campaign painted lawmakers’ approval as only bolstering its issue’s chances in the fall.

“Their support for medical marijuana speaks volumes for eliminating any remaining biases against allowing doctors to recommend this life-enhancing treatment to patients in need,” spokesman Aaron Marshall said in a statement.

Regardless of whether Kasich signs the bill, Ohioans for Medical Marijuana said it will move forward with a voter initiative that would legalize medical cannabis through a constitutional amendment. The campaign, which needs to collect more than 300,000 signatures by July to get the measure on November’s ballot, says the Legislature’s bill “omits a number of critical issues.” Some of the problems, the group says, are that the bill’s list of qualifying conditions is too limited and that patients and caregivers wouldn’t able to grow cannabis themselves.

Sen. Jay Hottinger, a Newark Republican, was among opponents of the measure. He said there is inadequate proof of the medical benefits of marijuana and expanding access runs too many risks.

Gov. John Kasich’s spokesman was noncommittal on the governor’s support, saying he would look at the bill in its final form.

It’s unclear which way Kasich is leaning today. Earlier this year he told Ohio voters, “medical marijuana, I think we can look at it.” But as a Presidential candidate, Kasich took a hard line against cannabis in general, and especially recreational legalization, calling it a “terrible idea.” When pressed by Stephen Colbert, in an infamous encounter earlier this year, Kasich said: “The problem with marijuana is this: We don’t want to tell our kids, ‘Don’t do drugs, but by the way, this drug’s okay.’”

Colbert replied: “Isn’t that what alcohol is?”

The measure assigns the State Department of Commerce to regulate marijuana cultivation and distribution and requires each dispensary to employ a registered pharmacist. The state medical board would oversee recommending doctors and provide them with continuing education.

The bill also sets parameters for the placement of dispensaries, including prohibiting them from being placed within 1,000 feet of a daycare facility and giving communities the ability to opt out of having one move in. Employers who want to maintain drug-free workplaces would be provided immunity.

Sen. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, urged fellow Republicans — especially conservatives — to support the measure. He pointed to a provision calling on the federal government to remove marijuana from its list of Schedule I dangerous substances as a move to restore states’ rights.

“Nobody with a straight face could actually claim that marijuana is more harmful than cocaine, yet marijuana is on Schedule I and cocaine is on Schedule II,” he said. “Now if that isn’t nuts, I don’t know what is.”

Leafly's Roadmap to 2016 Summer Music Festivals

Spring is in high gear and summer is fast approaching, which means we’re about to dive headfirst into one of the greatest times of the year: music festival season! We put together all the best music festivals happening from Memorial Day weekend through the first few days of fall, plus some strains and dispensaries to hit up while you’re there. Don’t miss this “baked dozen lineup” — we skipped over the mainstays like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and the Governor’s Ball in favor of some more diverse offerings.

Click on the map for an enlarged version

Going to be at any of these festivals? Keep your eyes peeled for Leafly and come say hello! In the meantime, be sure to stock up on rolling papers, sunscreen, comfortable shoes, and some stylish shades for maximum festival comfort and enjoyment. Now what are you waiting for, click on an event below to find out more about it!

• Sasquatch (May 27-30, WA)
• Movement: Detroit (May 28-30, MI)
• Boston Calling (May 29-30, MA)
• Roots Picnic (June 4, PA)
• What the Festival (June 17-20, OR)
• Taste of Chicago (July 6-10, IL)
• Northern Nights (July 15-17, CA)
• Panorama Music Festival (July 22-24, NY)
• Arise Music Festival (August 5-7, CO)
• Time Festival (August 6, Toronto)
• Project Pabst (August 26-28, OR)
• Decibel Festival (September dates TBD, WA)
• Austin City Limits (September 30-October 2, TX)

May 27-30: Sasquatch! Music Festival in Washington State

Big Grams (photo via Julio Enriquez)

Why we love this festival: Sasquatch takes place at the Gorge Amphitheatre in eastern Washington, and the venue is easily the most breathtaking on this list (and quite possibly the world),. In addition to enjoying the many acts performing, you can also hike nearby and swim in the Columbia River.

Acts we’re excited about: M83, Big Grams, Børns, Tacocat

Strain pairing: Monster Cookies are what we imagine Sasquatch eats (and smokes).

Dispensary shout outs: Ellensburg’s “cutest rec shop,” Cannabis Central, is also the closest to the Gorge Amphitheatre. Its super friendly service is worth the pit stop.

Festival tips: Bring sunscreen, a big hat, and a good canopy for your campsite. The Gorge is located in high desert, so things start heating up as early as 6:30 a.m. If you want to class up your festival, head just south of the campgrounds for a tasting at Cave B Winery, which has air conditioning (a hard-to-find luxury in Washington).

Event details: Sasquatch

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May 28-30: Movement Detroit in Michigan

Matthew Dear (photo via Concert Photos)

Why we love this festival: Pay tribute to electronic music history and the scene that changed it by checking out the three day Movement Detroit. There are some big hitters on the lineup, but make sure to attend the official after parties to really get the full experience.

Acts we’re excited about: Matthew Dear, The Black Madonna, Heidi, Caribou

Strain pairing: Really get your groove on with Euforia.

Dispensary shout outs: The ever classy Jazz Club is not only music themed, its building is super unique, making it a tourist stop on its own!

Festival tips: While this festival is outside, it isn’t a camping festival. Rather, it takes place on the Detroit waterfront, which means you have the opportunity for some urban exploration and as much sightseeing as you can manage. Movement: Detroit has offered up discounts with Metro Cars as well as Uber to get around while you’re in town. Also, did you know that as you look across the river while you’re cutting a rug, you’re staring at Canada? Wave to our friendly northern neighbors!

Event details: Movement Detroit

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May 29-30: Boston Calling in Massachusetts

Courtney Barnett (photo via Aurelien Guichard)

Why we love this festival: We feel like this festival has been flying under our radars, delivering an east coast sneak attack of amazing headliners. What Boston Calling lacks in underground bands, it makes up for with everyone knowing at least one song by every act on the lineup. There’s also a large number of ass-kicking female headliners each day — woo hoo!

Acts we’re excited about: Courtney Barnett, Robyn, Haim, Battles

Strain pairing: Don’t miss the tangy East Coast Sour Diesel.

Festival tips: This day festival prohibits large backpacks, so pack smart and come prepared with our Leafly drawstring bag.

Event details: Boston Calling

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June 4: Roots Picnic in Philadelphia, PA

The Roots (photo via Tibor Kovacs)

Why we love this festival: The Roots Picnic is basically exactly what it sounds like: the Roots get together a bunch of really amazing musician friends (like Usher) and play a festival. Talk about some hometown love!

Acts we’re excited about: The Roots (obviously), Leon Bridges, Ibeyi, Blood Orange

Strain pairing: Flo

Festival tips: This is where we don’t offer advice on the best Philly cheese steak, since there is no unanimous decision on that topic. Sorry if that was the tip you wanted.

Event details: The Roots Picnic

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June 17-20: What the Festival in Dufur, OR

Claude VonStroke (photo via Keisuke Shingu)

Why we love this festival: If you like Burning Man but prefer less dust and more budding SoundCloud artists, What the Festival is for you. Enjoy the magic of summer time in the woods of central Oregon with the festival’s splash parties and a lot of delightful food choices. If you’re coming from Portland or Seattle, hop on a Wolf Runner bus and find some camping friends before you even arrive!

Acts we’re excited about: Claude VonStroke, FKJ, Motez, Pomo

Strain pairing: Dance World

Dispensary shout outs: Make a quick stop in Hood River at Gorge Greenery and be sure to enjoy the scenery.

Festival tips: Be ready to enjoy nature, eating, and moving around. Don’t bother doing a pre-fest grocery store run — there are at least 23 food vendors offering everything from kombucha to poutine to a solar-powered shaved ice vendor. Also, take the capoeira class (it’s free!) and bust out your new dance-fighting moves on the dance floor later (just don’t actually fight anyone).

Event details: What the Festival

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July 6-10: Taste of Chicago in Illinois

Elle King (photo via Bruce)

Why we love this festival: Music and food are some of our favorite things, and both are in abundance at the Taste of Chicago. This isn’t your average “Taste” event, as it features a killer lineup and the iconic Chicago food scene. Rumor has it you can even get chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick!

Acts we’re excited about: Elle King, The Decemberists, The Isley Brothers

Strain pairing: Fill both your lungs and tummies with Cherry Pie while you rep a Leafly Cherry Pie strain tee.

Dispensary shout outs: Dispensary 33 is a intensely beautiful location that provides all the medical info you’ll need.

Festival tips: Come hungry. The fare for this fest is top-notch, with food trucks and pop up restaurants in addition to amazing tunes. For $45, you can attend a three-course celebrity chef dinner. That’s basically free compared to what you’ll pay in Vegas for the same thing.

Event details: Taste of Chicago

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July 15-17: Northern Nights in Garberville, CA

Gorgon City (photo via Steven PIsano)

Why we love this festival: When given the option, we prefer to enjoy music while also floating along a lazy river, so Northern Nights’ river stage is one of the best festival stages in existence. Better yet, become one with some of the highest beings of all while camping among the redwood trees of northern California.

Acts we’re excited about: GRiZ, The Knocks, Dawn Richard, Gorgon City, NoMBe

Strain pairing: Get down with GRiZ Kush

Dispensary shout outs: This fest is in the middle of the forest, so make sure to come prepared. Coming from the north? Arcata’s The Heart of Humboldt has a fantastic and knowledgeable staff. Heading up from the south or east? Check out NorCal Med2You in Chico for your medical needs.

Festival tips: Don’t forget some floaties! We recommend you and your camping buddies get a bunch of blow up pizza slices for a floating pizza party. You’ll make friends, we promise.

Event details: Northern Nights

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July 22-24: Panorama Festival in Randall’s Island, NY

LCD Soundsystem (photo via Emanuele Rosso)

Why we love this festival: Taking place on the same grounds as the Governor’s Ball, this will be the inaugural Panorama Music Art & Technology Festival. The Coachella-does-the-east-coast festival is zeroing in on the tech scene, so there will be no shortage of great interactive art and fun festival gadgets.

Acts we’re excited about: LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost!, FKA Twigs, AURORA

Strain pairing: NYC Diesel tastes like taxis smell.

Festival tips: First-year fests are always a gamble, but we have faith in this one thanks to its festival parents (the same folks behind Coachella). Be prepared for some hiccups and come with some patience, an open mind, and a good attitude.

Event details: Panorama Festival

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August 5-7: Arise Music Festival in Loveland, CO

Ziggy Marley (photo via Bruce Tuten)

Why we love this festival: Arise, which proclaimed itself to be “Colorado’s Best Music Festival,” is the only one on the list that’s serving up reggae, hip hop, and electronic music on the same bill. Plus, trying saying Punchy Drunk Munky Funk three times fast.

Acts we’re excited about: Jurassic 5, Del the Funky Homosapien, Dirtwire, Ziggy Marley

Strain pairing: Lamb’s Bread will get you in touch with your roots.

Dispensary shout outs: If you’re coming from Denver, stop by the Native Roots in Longmont on your way out of town. The wait will likely be shorter, and you’re still guaranteed high-quality service. If you’re coming in from the north, hit up Organic Alternatives in Ft. Collins, which also happens to be sponsoring the festival!

Festival tips: Remember, Colorado summers aren’t exactly known for having “predictable” weather, so make sure you pack a good rain jacket if there is even the slightest chance in the forecast (and maybe even if there isn’t).

Event details: Arise Music Festival

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August 6: Time Festival in Toronto, ON, Canada

Run the Jewels (photo via Treefort Music Fest)

Why we love this festival: Even though the Time Festival is only a day long, it packs quite a lineup.

Acts we’re excited about: Run the Jewels, TOKiMONSTA, Kehlani

Strain pairings: You’ll forget to stop dancing with Timewreck.

Dispensary shout outs: Hit up Toronto’s only female-owned dispensary Queens of Cannabis.

Festival tips: The Toronto fashion scene is fantastic, so don’t think that people are going to dress down for an all day event. Accessorize with some phenomenal Jane West jewelry, or check out our Leafly gear.

Event details: Time Festival

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August 26-28: MusicFestNW Presents Project Pabst in Portland, OR

Ice Cube (photo via Eva Rinaldi)

Why we love this festival: We like to keep it simple, so no longer having to choose between the two big summer festivals in downtown Portland is a big plus. With their powers combined, MusicFestNW and Project Pabst have booked what might be the most eclectic lineup of the summer.

Acts we’re excited about: It’s the only fest on the list where you can see Duran Duran, Ice Cube, and Andrew WK in the same place. Talk about eclectic!

Strain pairings: Make sure to smell like you belong in Portland courtesy of Oregon Diesel.

Dispensary shout outs: Visit our friends at Bridge City Collective’s southeast Portland location — they’re wicked friendly and are just across the river from the festival grounds.

Festival tips: Make sure to buy your Night Show tickets early! You don’t need to be a festival ticket holder to get access to tickets, and some of the showcases are really cool. We’d hate for you to miss out on someone like David Bazan or Digable Planets.

Event details: MusicFestNW Presents Project Pabst

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Mid-September (Dates TBD): Decibel Festival in Seattle, WA

The Decibel Festival (photo via Joe Mabel)

Why we love this festival: The ultra-hip Decibel Festival takes over the Seattle music scene for an entire week in September, meaning your chances of seeing phenomenal world-class talent are high whichever night you’re free. Take a few days off and don’t forget to attend the after parties, before parties, yoga parties and any other parties people end up stumbling into at 6 a.m.

Acts we’re excited about: While this fest doesn’t announce its lineup until mid-July, we already know we’re excited for it considering past epic performances from Lindstrom, Nicholas Jaar, Com Truise, Zola Jesus, Baths, Nils Frahm, and some girl you may have heard of who goes by Lorde.

Strain pairings: Dancehall will make you the happiest dancer on the floor.

Dispensary shout outs: Stash Pot Shop in Ballard definitely keeps the ultra-hip vibes rolling while also offering superior service.

Festival tips: Definitely buy the weekend pass; otherwise, before you know it, you’ve attended five shows and spent twice the cost of a festival pass. It’s happened to everyone at least once. Plus, you might not know a single name on the bill, but it’s totally worth it to head to some of the local music showcases and check out Seattle’s emerging talent.

Event details: Decibel Festival

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September 30-October 2: Austin City Limits in Texas

Bomba Estereo (photo via Clement Caron)

Why we love this festival: It gets a gold star for featuring the best lineup on the list. While Austin City Limits does the two weekend festival thing, it does vary slightly by weekend and feels like a more sincere outreach to bring great music to the residents of Austin. They don’t call it the live music capital of the world for nothin’!

Acts we’re excited about: Bomba Estereo, Die Antwoord, Foals, and, of course Willie Nelson

Strain pairings: Show Willie Nelson some respect.

Festival tips: Buy your tickets sooner rather than later, as it’s bound to be a completely sold-out fest. Seriously. Also, do more to support the Austin community and peruse the wares at the Art Market. You can also hit up Hatbox: A Modern Haberdashery and get a new festival hat for next year!

Event details: Austin City Limits

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Power Plant Fitness, The World’s First Cannabis Gym, Is Coming To California

In an era of health and fitness, as well as a national cannabis boom, The 420 Games has become the latest “it” event series. The athletic themed marijuana events have taken root and quickly become a national phenomenon. Ironically, when Jim McAlpine first came out with The420 Games many people were skeptical.“Most people would just

US CA: Column: The Trouble With Cannabis Reparations

SF Weekly, 26 May 2016 – For decades, being a marijuana advocate required that you be a combination of outlaw, policy wonk, and social-justice warrior. You were pushing illegal conduct, because ending an expensive and racially biased experiment was the right and sensible thing to do – a position backed by data. This came at a cost: The real problems of holding down a job – to this day, casual pot smokers remain closeted for fear of their employers’ legal, courts-upheld right to terminate them – while also avoiding undue attention from authorities in government and law enforcement meant most out-there cannabis advocates looked a certain way: mostly white, mostly male. (Quick: Name a female legalization advocate. Now name a black one.) These days, “cannabis advocates” are customers of a multibillion-dollar cannabis industry, which is attracting attention and investment from financiers in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street. Saying you like weed or want legalization barely gets a rise out of cops or lawmakers; these days, you have to have a business plan for anyone to take notice. Social justice has taken a clear back seat. And for those keeping score, the owners of most cannabis businesses look just like the advocates: white and male (although, generally speaking, much better-dressed).

US OR: Column: Who Hates Cannabis? And Why?

Portland Mercury, 26 May 2016 – It’s Easy to Forget About Anti-Weed Prohibitionists. Don’t. AS WE APPROACH the one-year anniversary of recreational cannabis legalization in Oregon, it’s easy to forget about the prohibitionist forces that aren’t happy about it. This is a mistake, though-these opponents are spending massive amounts of time, money, and energy to roll back the progress that’s been made.

State of the Leaf: Canadian Patients Get Same-Day Delivery, and Louisiana Expands Qualifying Conditions

Here’s the latest on cannabis legalization and legislation: In Kansas, the Republican governor acted to lower penalties for cannabis possession. In Louisiana, the state’s list of qualifying medical marijuana conditions was expanded. In Maryland, efforts to launch that state’s MMJ program have run into new delays, and dispensaries continue to struggle to get legal standing in Michigan. In New Jersey, with no MMJ program, lawmakers may be leaving $300 million in tax revenues on the table. And efforts to launch an MMJ program in North Carolina are scuffling for traction. Good news in Ohio, though, where lawmakers are attempting to craft MMJ legislation ahead of a public vote on this issue this fall.

Internationally, same-day MMJ delivery is coming soon to Canada—or, at least for now, Calgary and Toronto. And the Philippines, historically one of the harshest anti-cannabis countries, the president is—in the face of longstanding opposition from the nation’s Catholic leadership.

U.S. News Updates

Kansas

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback signed a measure that will reduce the penalty for a first-time cannabis possession charge from up to a year in jail to no more than six months. The penalty for a second offense would be reduced from a low-level felony to a sentence of up to a year in jail. Subsequent offenses would range from 10 to 42 months in jail, the current penalty for a second possession offense. Baby steps forward are better than no steps forward!

Louisiana

Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill into law this week to expand the state’s medical-marijuana program. Senate Bill 271 was introduced by state Sen. Fred Mills (R-St. Martin’s Parish), a pharmacist-turned-politician. The bill would broaden the law and expand the qualifying medical conditions, which were previously limited to glaucoma. The new MMJ conditions will be:

• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• A chronic, debilitating disease or treatment that may produce cachexia/wasting syndrome
• Seizure disorders
• Epilepsy; and
• Severe muscle spasms, including those characteristic of Crohn’s disease or multiple sclerosis

The bill also revises the language from the original medical marijuana bill to allow physicians to “recommend” medical cannabis. The previous language used the phrase “prescribe,” an act which is forbidden by the federal Controlled Substances Act, and which tied the hands of physicians who might otherwise be able to allow access for qualified patients.

Maryland

How do you solve a problem like Maryland? Maryland’s medical-cannabis bill was signed into law last May, but has faced numerous hurdles along the path to creating a workable infrastructure. The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission accepted applications for growers, processors and dispensaries through last November, but before the applications could be properly considered, Executive Director Hannah Byron unexpectedly resigned. The program did not get a new executive director until this month, when Patrick Jameson signed on and promptly gave conflicting statements on Maryland’s troubled timeline. He first claimed that the licenses will be issued in late summer or early fall, before backtracking and saying that the Commission will issue licenses within “weeks” of evaluating applications in July.

Michigan

Michigan’s dispensaries just took another blow when a ruling found that patients can only access MMJ through home cultivation or through a registered caregiver who can serve up to five patients at a time. Two men were charged with distributing MMJ and took a plea, which led to the ruling. They may take the case to Michigan’s Supreme Court, but in the meantime, the ruling could have dire implications for dispensaries. Michigan’s MMJ law is unique in that the law contains no mention of dispensaries, leaving dispensary owners and employees essentially operating in a legal gray area, and meaning store owners are at risk for closure and raids by law enforcement.

New Jersey

A new report from the New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform and New Jersey Policy Perspective showed that a legal cannabis marketplace could net the state a cool $300 million, if they were to legalize. Based on federal studies, about 365,900 New Jersey adults use cannabis illegally on a monthly basis, meaning that a 25 percent on cannabis sales could gain the state $300 million annually.

North Carolina

State Rep. Kelly Alexander, Jr. (D-Mecklenburg) has introduced a new bill that would legalize medicinal marijuana in the state of North Carolina. This is not the first time Rep. Alexander has proposed a bill for medical cannabis, but it has failed to gain traction last year in committee, leading to its inevitable demise. Unfortunately, supporters fear that the same thing may happen to House Bill 983 this year, due mostly to a short legislative session and lack of support from Republican lawmakers in the Committee on Health.

Ohio

The state’s MMJ initiative has passed through the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee, and is headed to the Senate floor for a full vote. The committee made several crucial changes to the bill before approving it, including putting the program back under the supervision of the state Commerce Department, rather than the Board of Pharmacy. The House plan will also create a nine-member Medical Marijuana Control Commission tasked with regulating the cultivation, distribution and licensing of cannabis businesses. Ohio lawmakers are rushing to approve the bill before the end of the legislative session in the hopes that this bill will reign supreme over a well-funded MMJ push for the ballot this November.

International News Updates

Canada

For the first time, medical cannabis will be legally available for same-day delivery through Health Canada’s Licensed Producer (LP) program. Patients have had to order from LPs and wait for the cannabis to arrive through the mail, but two LPs recently announced plans to offer same-day delivery as a service for registered patients. Aurora Cannabis and Bedrocan Canada will now deliver cannabis the same day in certain geographical areas. Aurora Cannabis will offer deliveries for orders placed before noon to residents of Calgary (and the surrounding region), while Bedrocan will make deliveries by 8 p.m. for orders placed before noon to Toronto. They will start accepting same-day orders on May 26.

Philippines

The Philippines have some of the harshest drug laws in the world—the possession of a joint can get you sent to rehab for six months, and subsequent offenses could land you between six and twelve years in jail. However, new President-elect Rodrigo Duerte has come forward in favor of medical marijuana, indicating that it is already an ingredient in modern medicine. House Bill No. 04477, or the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act was filed in 2014 by Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, which has sparked debates between the Philippine Medical Association and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. Interestingly, the Catholic association was more willing to accept MMJ than the Philippine Medical Association, who were quoted as saying that there is no sufficient evidence to prove its benefits.

The Shake: Is Cannabis the ‘Worst Kept Secret in Athletics’?

Steve DeAngelo calls cannabis the “worst kept secret in athletics.” The high-profile cannabis advocate and co-founder of Oakland’s Harborside Health Center (which recently came out on top in a long-running legal battle with the feds) has an op-ed post at The Weed Blog about the widespread use of cannabis by professional athletes and the leagues’ worrisome reliance on prescription opioids.

Trying to make it big in the cannabis industry? Willamette Week‘s “Potlander” has a roundup of 19 common traps that might torpedo your big idea.

How did the NYPD chief get cannabis so wrong? Earlier this week, Chief Bill Bratton said cannabis is behind “most of the violence we see” in the city. Advocates immediately challenged the claim, and now The Atlantic‘s Conor Friedersdorf is out with a piece about why Bratton’s logic is completely upside-down.

Los Angeles has lots of potholes, and they’re not all literal. Changes to state law, controversial local rules, and the impending possibility of adult-use legalization in California have combined to create a tense situation in Los Angeles, the L.A. Weekly‘s Dennis Romero writes.

Washington will allow out-of-state cannabis financing. Sort of. A new rule adopted last week by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board has confused industry stakeholders since it was proposed earlier this year, cannalawyer Hilary Bricken writes in a Canna Law Blog post that spells out the specifics.

2 Chainz digs into a half million dollars’ worth of cannabis products, because YOLO. For the latest season of GQ’s Most Expensivest Shit, the rapper sampled from a $500,000 collection of wares, including a $50,000 bong, THC crystals that cost $2,500 a jar, and an assortment of other opulent offerings. Check out the episode to immediately feel poor and sober.

What’s up in Wyoming? As part of a special, six-topic series, WyoFile is digging into the status of cannabis — medical and otherwise — in the Equality State. (Yes, the “Equality State.” Fun fact: Wyoming was the first U.S. territory to adopt women’s suffrage.)

Vietnamese quiz President Obama on past cannabis use, president waffles. On a recent state visit, a Vietnamese youth asked the president whether reports of his cannabis consumption as a young man are true. “I don’t know if that’s true,” Obama replied, according to ABC. “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”

And finally, this guy likes to dress up like a dog. You do you, sir.

Ohio Lawmakers Scramble to Pass Medical Cannabis Bill Before Recess

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A proposal to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio squeaked through a critical Senate panel Wednesday over opposition of some Republicans and Democrats, signaling a busy day of political deal-cutting ahead as lawmakers head into their summer break.

The Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee’s 7-to-5 vote set the stage for probable passage of the marijuana bill out of both legislative chambers by the end of the day. Many legislators were anticipating a long night, as the House and Senate planned votes on dozens of bills before they recess until after the November election.

Lawmakers are rushing the marijuana bill out before their summer recess as ammunition against a well-funded medical marijuana issue working its way to fall ballots.

The final bill bars patients from smoking or growing their own marijuana for medical use, but allows its use in vapor form for certain chronic health conditions.

Late changes to the measure bar dispensaries within 1,000 feet of a daycare center, rather than the earlier 500 feet, and prohibit housing discrimination against patients.

Cannabis Terpenes: The Benefits of Humulene, Caryophyllene, and Trans-Nerolidol

This article is sponsored by Tilray, one of the largest and most sophisticated producers of premium medical cannabis in the world. Tilray is dedicated to providing safe, consistent, and reliable products to patients and furthering clinical research.

Terpenes are a group of fragrant essential oils – secreted alongside cannabinoids like THC and CBD – that contribute to the complex aroma of cannabis. They are also generally responsible for many of the distinguishing characteristics of different strains, and this discovery has led to a sharp increase in interest among researchers, producers, and consumers alike.

Though cannabis contains up to 200 different terpenes, there are about 10 primary terpenes that occur in significant concentrations. We’d like to introduce you to three of those primary and secondary terpenes: humulene, caryophyllene, and trans-nerolidol.

What is Humulene?

Humulene naturally occurs in clove, basil, hops, and cannabis sativa. It carries a subtle earthy, woody aroma with spicy herbal notes you might recognize in some of your favorite strains. Though cannabis is commonly associated with appetite simulation, humulene is actually known to suppress hunger.

Humulene’s other potential effects include:

• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-tumor
• Pharmacokinetic

Some strains that are known to test high in humulene include White Widow, Girl Scout Cookies, and Headband. Among Tilray’s crop, high-humulene varieties include Pink Kush, Sour Diesel, and Skywalker OG.

What is Caryophyllene?

Caryophyllene (or β-Caryophyllene) is a spicy, peppery terpene found in many different edible plants. Spices like black pepper, cloves, and cinnamon, as well as herbs like oregano, basil, hops, and rosemary, are known to exhibit high concentrations of caryophyllene. Due to its affinity to the peripheral CB2 receptors, caryophyllene often appears in anti-inflammatory topicals and salves.

Caryophyllene has the following potential medical benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory and analgesic
• Alcohol craving reduction
• Anti-cancer
• Anti-anxiety and anti-depressant

Strains known to exhibit heightened levels of caryophyllene include OG Kush, Bubba Kush, and Chemdawg. Tilray currently carries Rockstar, Skywalker OG, and Sour Diesel, which are also shown to be high in this terpene.

What is Trans-Nerolidol?

Trans-nerolidol is a secondary terpene found in many strong aromatics like jasmine, tea tree, and lemongrass. As such, it delivers a subdued and nuanced floral aroma with notes of fruity citrus, apples, and rose. This terpene is believed to produce sedating effects, and is being investigated for the following medical benefits:

• Inhibits growth of leishmaniasis
• Antiparasitic
• Antifungal
• Antimicrobial

Tilray’s very own Island Sweet Skunk, Jack Herer, and Skywalker OG are known to contain high levels of this sweet and flowery terpene.

To view all Tilray strains, visit Tilray’s website.

As More States Legalize Marijuana, Adolescents’ Problems With Cannabis Decline

A survey of more than 216,000 adolescents from all 50 states indicates the number of teens with marijuana-related problems is declining. Similarly, the rates of marijuana use by young people are falling despite the fact more U.S. states are legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana use and the number of adults using the drug has increased. Researchers

Today: Barriers To Cannabis Research Expert Panel Event At UNLV

One of the first things that marijuana opponents offer up when railing against cannabis is to say ‘there needs to be more research first.’ Don’t be fooled, this is nothing more than a delay tactic. Opponents know that if they just drag their feet, that marijuana prohibition will stay in place because after all, if

NCIA To Launch Knowledge-Sharing Platform Connecting Industry Experts With Entrepreneurs

The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) and Brainsy, Inc., are collaborating to launch theCannabis Expert Calling Network (ECN®), a knowledge-sharing platform connecting cannabis industry experts with entrepreneurs and information-seekers online and via paid telephone consultations. NCIA members who are experts in their area of the cannabis industry will be invited to set up personalized profiles

Los Angeles Cannabis Task Force Responds To City Council’s Attempts To Fix Proposition D

The Los Angeles Cannabis Task Force issued a statement today responding to last week’s news that Los Angeles City Council president Herb Wesson had directed city staff to explore a ballot measure that would extend Proposition D’s gross receipts tax to all cannabis-related businesses. The LA Cannabis Task Force is a coalition of cannabis operators

Cannabis: The Worst Kept Secret In Athletics

By Steve DeAngelo, author of The Cannabis Manifesto For years, cannabis use has been the worst kept secret in athletics. It’s widespread in just about every amateur and professional arena from universities to the Olympics to the major leagues; it can be found in every sport imaginable from basketball and football, to swimming, snowboarding, martial

Ohio Scraps Plan for Pharmacy Board to Oversee Medical Cannabis

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A legislative proposal to regulate medical marijuana through Ohio’s pharmacy board was scrapped Tuesday over concerns the rare setup nationally would create an undue burden on the state.

Republican Sen. David Burke, a Marysville pharmacist behind the idea, called the arrangement the most responsible way to oversee cannabis as medicine. He said changes introduced in the Senate Government Oversight Committee on Tuesday were needed to strike a workable compromise.

“This bill doesn’t give me everything I want, but it does give the people of Ohio what they need — and that’s the most important thing,” Burke said. The legislation comes as the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature seeks to head off a prospective medical marijuana ballot question this fall.

GOP Sen. Bill Coley, who chairs the committee considering the fast-tracked medical cannabis bill, said the new plan still requires pharmacists at dispensaries but leaves doctors under the medical board and places cultivation and processing under the state Commerce Department. Republican senators planned a caucus Tuesday evening; it wasn’t clear whether the compromise language would have the votes to clear the chamber.

The House plan, approved May 10, created a nine-member Medical Marijuana Control Commission to set rules for cultivating, distributing and licensing cannabis. That’s more in line with what other states have done and more closely mirrors the regulatory setup favored by medical cannabis advocates. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy says only Connecticut and Louisiana regulate medical marijuana through their pharmacy boards. Most states establish control commissions that distance federally licensed doctors and pharmacies from distribution.

The Drug Enforcement Agency licenses doctors and registers pharmacies that prescribe controlled substances. Those authorizations don’t currently allow prescriptions of marijuana because it hasn’t been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration. It is still a Schedule I substance, deemed unsafe and addictive by the FDA. For that reason, medical cannabis bills, including Ohio’s, generally call for physicians to “recommend,” not “prescribe,” medical cannabis.

Burke said pharmacies, not individual pharmacists, are certified by the DEA, so the requirement retained under Tuesday’s bill revisions for a pharmacist to be placed at every dispensary wouldn’t be risky. He said they’re not in jeopardy of losing a license or being prosecuted for distributing cannabis.

In prepared testimony Tuesday, Ohio Pharmacists Association director Ernest Boyd said his members had been on the fence about supporting pharmacists even working at dispensaries because of the drug’s legal status — let alone the pharmacy board overseeing the whole program. But it’s been decided that if medical cannabis legalization is inevitable, pharmacists have a role in keeping it safe, he said.

Carmen Catizone, executive director of the national pharmacy boards association, said despite the potential value of involving pharmacists in the process, the approach runs risks that many other states have been unwilling to take. He said the Justice Department’s current policy of selective enforcement against legalized marijuana is merely “a gentleman’s agreement” that could evaporate after President Barack Obama leaves office next year.

“The overriding principle for pharmacies and pharmacy boards is that, under federal law, it is still illegal,” he said.

NFL Player Eugene Monroe Calls Out League’s Opioid Use, Endorses Cannabis

You’ve heard that football players are pumped full of painkillers. Ever wonder what that looks like? Baltimore Ravens tackle Eugene Monroe wants to show you.

In a piece yesterday for The Players’ Tribune, Monroe demystifies what players call the T Train—“nothing more than a bunch of really large guys waiting to pull their pants down to get shot in the butt with Toradol, a powerful painkiller that will help them make it through the game and its aftermath.”

That’s just the beginning. After a concussion suffered during a game in Denver, Monroe was dosed with Tylenol, Ambien, and Topiramine to ease his headache and help him sleep. “They didn’t seem to do much,” he writes, and “their list of side effects seemed endless.”

“There has to be a better way,” he concludes. “There is a better way.”

In March, Monroe became the first active NFL player to openly advocate for the use of medical cannabis to treat chronic pain and head injuries. As he explains in the Players’ Tribune:

“The NFL relies heavily on opioids to get players back on the field as soon as possible, but studies have shown medical marijuana to be a much better solution; it is safer, less addictive and can even reduce opioid dependence. Some studies have also shown that cannabidiol (CBD) — one of the more than 100 cannabinoids found in marijuana — may function as a neuroprotectant, which means it can shield the cells in the brain from injury or degeneration. We need to learn more about this.”

A growing number of athletes have started pushing back against the league’s official restrictions on cannabis. But while other NFL players have held off until retirement to take up the cause, Monroe isn’t waiting. He wants the league to remove cannabis from its list of banned substances, fund research into cannabinoids and brain injuries, and curb the prescription of opioid painkillers.

“How can a league so casual about the use of addictive opioids take such a hard line on a drug that might provide a safer alternative?” Monroe writes.

The NFL, for its part, is borrowing a play from the federal government: stall, stall, stall.

“We believe it’s the correct policy, for now, in the best interest of our players and the long-term health of our players,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference in February. “I don’t foresee a change in that clearly in the short term, but we’ll continue to be in touch with our medical personnel. If that changes, we’ll discuss it.”

The league told ESPN that the policy on medical cannabis is guided by medical advisers who have not indicated a need to change it.

The Shake: Chong Gets Burned by Bernie Campaign, Canada to See Same-Day Delivery

Tommy Chong stood up by Sanders campaign. Hours before a rally in East Los Angeles yesterday, the Bernie Sanders campaign reportedly uninvited Tommy Chong as the event’s introductory speaker. “They don’t want to endorse what I stand for and what I’ve stood for all my professional career,” the comedian told The Hollywood Reporter. (Chong turns 78 today. Happy birthday, brother.)

Hope to continue my support, reschedule, and continue activism, political change and promoting peace anywhere possible.

— Tommy Chong (@tommychong) May 23, 2016

Ready for the Keurig of cannabis? Set to debut early next year, KannaCorp’s single-use cannabis “pods” promise to offer all the convenience and environmental headaches of the original K-Cup. (Folks over at The Influence wonder whether the launch is a sign that legal cannabis is getting “depressingly square.”)

GOP congressman in California admits to using cannabis. U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said he was given a cannabis-infused treatment for his arthritis — an admission that could make him the first sitting member of Congress to acknowledge using cannabis while in office, Tom Angell reports. Rohrabacher made the mention, first reported by Russ Belville, at a kick-off event for NORML lobbying push. “Now, don’t tell anybody I broke the law,” the congressman said. “They’ll bust down my door and, you know, and take whatever’s inside and use it for evidence against me.”

Should you brush your teeth with bud? Elite Daily’s latest lifehack is all about brushing with medicated coconut oil. Why? It doesn’t say. But here’s the recipe, prepared sous vide!

Canada to see same-day cannabis delivery. By law, patients have to get their medicine by mail, which can sometimes take a while. Aurora Cannabis wants to change that by offering same-day delivery in some markets.

New York’s police chief makes “dubious” cannabis claims. NYPD Chief Bill Bratton said on a local radio show that “the violence we see associated with drugs, the vast majority of it, is around marijuana.” Talking heads are trying to make sense of the claim, with doesn’t jibe with research around cannabis and violence. The Marijuana Policy Project’s Morgan Fox called the statement “extremely dubious” and says that if there’s any truth to it, it should be an argument for legalization, not against it.

Denver police issue 18 tickets for public consumption at rescheduled 420 Rally. That’s less than a third of the 60 they gave out on April 20, and far fewer than the 150 citations issued at last year’s two-day rally. Cops this year also wrote two tickets for flying drones in a public park.

Legalization could bring New Jersey $300M in tax revenue. That’s according to advocacy groups New Jersey United for Marijuana and New Jersey Policy Perspective. There’s a legalization bill before the Legislature, but Gov. Chris Christie has said he’ll never sign it into law. “I don’t care about the tax money that may come from it,” he said in 2014.

Cannabis crowdfunding is finally here. New rules at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission took effect yesterday, opening the floodgates for small-scale investment in cannabis ventures. The new rules allow companies to collect up to $1 million dollars per year in amounts as small as $2,000. Vince Sliwoski at Canna Law Blog has a brief explainer, and his firm’s putting on a webinar tomorrow ($40-65).

Going to the Cannabis Business Summit in Oakland next month? Consider hobnobbing with the cannabis movement’s future leaders by dropping in a night of drinks and dancing with Students for Sensible Drug Policy. You can RSVP on Facebook.

Barcelona's First Female Mayor Grants Amnesty to Cannabis Clubs, but Will It Stick?

Barcelona’s first-ever female mayor has just accomplished another first: proposing to keep the city’s famous Cannabis Social Clubs in business by implementing workable official regulations.

Last summer, Ada Colau became mayor in the historic Catalan capital. This week, she granted amnesty to existing clubs, allowing more than a hundred that were slated for permanent closure to remain open and continue shared cannabis cultivation and distribution.

But it’s an open question as to whether Mayor Colau’s move will allow the city to keep the title of Europe’s New Amsterdam, as the rules seem to change with each new municipal government.

The cannabis social clubs had their first golden years in the last decade. But lack of regulation led to bad operating procedures and conflicts with neighbors, and many locations were forced to shut down.

But the independent spirit of Catalan, it seems, can’t be kept down.

Catalonia is a state of Spain, but has its own language, a thriving economy, and its own way of doing things. Barcelona is traditionally cannabis-friendly and welcoming to small-scale grow ops, even as Spain’s criminal code strictly forbids cannabis cultivation, transportation, and public consumption. This means that, like Dutch coffeeshops, Barcelona’s clubs have had to break the law to operate.

Another wave of new clubs swept Catalonia in 2014 as operators said the new clubs, using the legal construct of associaciones culturales (cultural associations), are legitimate places for Spanish citizens to gather in private and do what they like.

The sharp rise in new cannabis clubs prompted former Barcelona Mayor Xavier Trias to try to shut them down.

Trias aimed to eliminate 112 of the 123 clubs that had been established quasi-legally in the city. To achieve this, he proposed a minimum distance of 150 meters between clubs and places frequented by minors, such as schools, libraries, and playgrounds. He stopped giving new licenses to clubs and promised a proper policy. That’s where his influence came to an end.

Colau inherited Trias’s plan. But instead of supporting repression, her municipal government presented a regulation proposal: The minimum distance between clubs and places frequented by minors will be reduced to 100 meters. More importantly, the rule will no longer be retroactive. This allows authorities to grant amnesty to most of the clubs that, under the old proposal, would have had to close.

Two federations of Catalan cannabis clubs, FEDCAC and CatFAC, have created a platform on which political parties, authorities and the clubs themselves discussed proposals.

Eric Asensio, spokesperson of CatFAC, the Federation of Cannabis’s Associations of Catalonia, welcomed the new plan. He blamed public disapproval of the clubs on “ignorance and malpractice by some associations.”

But authorities are also concerned by canna-tourism. Most Barcelona clubs cater mostly to tourists despite existing, from a legal perspective, to serve locals. Such clubs clearly violate the basic principles of the Cannabis Social Clubs, in which the members form a real club and should know each other at least casually. Some clubs in Barcelona have well over 10,000 members and operate like big, coffeeshop-style businesses, generating social unrest and controversy, especially in popular neighborhoods.

Whether politicians like it or not, Spain has become a new paradise for cannabis enthusiasts, including growers and patients, growshops and seedbanks, and clubs.

Colau’s move may simply be recognition that if Catalonia is to promote economic growth and contain youth unemployment — which in Spain is over 40 percent and among the highest in Europe — accepting cannabis businesses may be inevitable.

But time is of the essence. If the new plan is not approved by June 13, the city will return to the previous moratorium on new licenses. If that happens, more than a hundred clubs will be shut down, leaving the city to pay 14.4 million euros in compensation to club operators, according to Deputy Mayor Janet Sanz.

Marijuana Activist Toolbox Update: Cannabis And The Brain Research

While doing research for an article being featured in print later this year, I’ve accumulated a nice little body of quotes and research regarding the brain, its chemistry and the methods through which cannabis interacts with it- specifically, how cannabis can inspire creativity and thought. Quotes included are from the abstract and are not meant

Canopy Growth: Bedrocan to Offer Same Day Delivery

Canopy Growth (TSXV:CGC), parent company of Tweed and Bedrocan, announced that Bedrocan will be offering same-day delivery services in Toronto as of Thursday May 26.

As quoted in the press release:

Starting Thursday May 26th, Bedrocan Canada will be offering same-day delivery to its registered customers located within Toronto (i.e., a postal code starting with “M”). Customers who place their order by noon will receive their order by 8pm on the same day, while patients ordering after noon will be able to receive their order in the morning the following day. Same-day delivery builds on Bedrocan Canada’s commitment to focusing on patients’ needs, customer service, and affordability. Full details will be available shortly at www.bedrocan.ca.

Bruce Linton, chairman and CEO of Canopy Growth, said:

Torontonians who are seeking a reliable supply of medical cannabis can now turn to the most affordable solution in the City, delivered same-day to their door, and rest assured there is no question about the legality and origins of their cannabis supply. Working with partners like Canadian Cannabis Clinics, we can ensure that any patient who requires access to doctors specializing in cannabis as a treatment, can find the support they need to access the legal system where medically appropriate.

Click here for the full press release.

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Nasdaq Denies Cannabis Technology Company MassRoots And Shuns The Regulated Cannabis Industry

MassRoots, Inc. (OTCQB: MSRT), one of the largest and fastest growing technology platforms for the cannabis industry, received notification on Monday, May 23, 2016, that the Nasdaq has denied MassRoots’ application for listing, which was filed in August 2015. The Nasdaq determined that as MassRoots may be deemed as “aiding and abetting” the distribution of

Attend The Minority Cannabis Business Association Networking Rally In Portland Next Month

The need for diversity in the cannabis industry is great. That’s why I support the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA). MCBA is holding a networking rally next month. Below are the details, via the event’s Eventbrite page: Join MCBA and local cannabis leaders and government officials at the first MCBA Networking Rally. This event is

Pittsburgh NORML Endorses US Cannabis’ Seminars Coming To Pittsburgh In June

US Cannabis Pharmaceutical Research and Development is honored to announce a strategic partnership with Pittsburgh NORML for sponsorship of the US Cannabis Medical Marijuana Business Seminar Series being held in PittsburghJune 11thand 12th. Registration for all seminars is atuscprd.com. “We only work with the best, and NORML sets the standard for professionalism and results. They

California Teamsters to Oppose Cannabis Legalization in November

A new BuzzFeed News report highlights some of the hurdles faced in the fight to legalize cannabis in California in November.

Barry Broad, a representative from the California branch of the Teamsters union, tells BuzzFeed that the union was set to oppose legalization in the Golden State because of concerns around how cannabis would be transported and distributed. The Teamsters want it to be handled in much the same tightly regulated way as alcohol is now in California, he added.

The Teamsters union predominantly represents truck drivers and warehouse workers, with around 1.4 million members across the country.

Broad cited logistical concerns with the current proposal, and told BuzzFeed that the union could potentially endorse a legalization proposal if it were restructured. “We could be supportive of an initiative if the regulatory structure was one that we thought appropriate,” he said.

The Teamsters’ opposition joins police and prison guard associations, as well as the California Small Farmers Association, in opposing the legalization proposal and instead donating to John Lovell’s Coalition for Responsible Drug Policies.

The Shake: Reefer Badness in NYC and a Republican in South Carolina Touts Medical Cannabis

Cannabis is responsible for violence in New York City, says NY Police Commissioner. New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton spoke during a radio show this weekend, expressing his belief that recreational legalization in other states has caused a majority of the violence seen in the city. “Interestingly enough, here in New York City most of the violence we see–violence around drug trafficking–is involving marijuana and I have to scratch my head as we are seeing many states wanting to legalize marijuana or a liberalization of policies,” said Bratton on The Cats Roundtable Sunday radio show on AM 970 New York. “Which is ironic considering the explosion in the use of heroin.” Ironic, indeed.

Millennials want to grow their own cannabis. About 18 percent of millennial adults and 40 percent of self-identified gardeners responded to a Harris Poll saying that if it were legal in their state, they would want to grow their own cannabis.

Has the DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz finally turned the corner for medical marijuana? A new article examines the recent vote by the notoriously anti-cannabis Democratic leader in favor of increasing access to medical cannabis for veterans. Some advocates speculate that Wasserman Schultz is feeling pressure from the progressive wing of her party to evolve on the issue.

Melissa Etheridge will be headlining the High Times Cannabis Cup. In Vienna Township, Michigan on June 11 and 12, the singer and entrepreneur—who owns a line of cannabis-infused wines—will perform at the event. Attendees must be 18 or older and have a medical-marijuana recommendation.

Tugging at the heartstrings with medical cannabis patients. A South Carolina state senator—a straitlaced Republican—is introducing sad stories of citizens who would benefit from medical marijuana with the hopes that it will encourage his fellow lawmakers to pass the S.C. Medical Marijuana Program Act, which was already shot down once this year.

Nebraska delays petition for medical marijuana (again). State Sen. Tommy Garrett has repeatedly sponsored bills to legalize medical marijuana, but the time and expense of nearly $1 million for advertising and signature gathering has caused an inevitable delay, forcing advocates to look to 2018 for a renewed petition drive.

Canadian pharmacists want to dispense medical cannabis. A new op-ed from the director of professional affairs for the Canadian Pharmacists Association argues that cannabis ought to be dispensed by medical professionals through licensed pharmacies in order to avoid drug interactions and to provide counsel and oversight to patients.

High Times takes on the most notorious (untrue) cannabis rumors. An impressive compendium of a number of false, misleading, or almost-true myths are examined and debunked, thanks to the hard work and research from the good people at Snopes.

Should animals be treated with cannabis? Well-intentioned owners swap stories on the emotional trials and tribulations while veterinarians weigh in on the benefits and risks of treating a beloved pet with cannabis safely.

Prominent Physicians’ Organization Throws Support Behind Effort To End Marijuana Prohibition In Rhode Island

Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, an organization led by some of the most prominent physicians in the country, has formally endorsed the effort to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult use in Rhode Island. The addition of DFCR to the Regulate Rhode Island coalition comes at a pivotal time, just as state lawmakers are considering legislation

Macedonia Set to Become 14th EU Country to Legalize Medical Cannabis

The government of Macedonia, a small country in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe, announced this month that it will legalize cannabis for people suffering from serious illnesses. The move means a break from the purely repressive policies that have prevailed in the region for decades.

Macedonia was once one of the largest and most powerful empires in the world, for those who remember reading about Alexander the Great and his famous conquests. Nowadays it’s a small inland country in a poor and troubled region. Cannabis laws in the Balkan states are generally repressive and knowledge of the medicinal benefits has been slow to spread among authorities and the general public. But change is in the air.

On May 15, Macedonian health minister Nikola Todorov announced amendments to the Law on Control of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, making cannabis legal for “people suffering from serious illnesses, such as malignant diseases, multiple sclerosis, HIV, and childhood epilepsy.” Different from other medical cannabis programs around Europe, doctors will, at least in the beginning, prescribe extracts instead of dried herbal cannabis.

To find out more about the proposed changes, Leafly contacted Macedonian legalization activist Filip Dostovski, who lives in the capital city of Skopje. “A few years ago, most Macedonians didn’t know anything about medical uses of cannabis,” he said. “But the word started to spread quickly after we had organized a couple of seminars about the healing properties of cannabis extracts according to Rick Simpson’s method and experiences.” Simpson was living in the nearby Czech Republic at the time. It was real results, not just theory, that changed the minds of people and politicians, according to Dostovski. Thanks to cannabis extracts, hundreds of seriously ill Macedonians were significantly helped or even cured, and among them were a good few politicians and members of justice and law enforcement.

Dostovski added:

“We are a very small country of two million people where everybody knows everybody and nothing stays secret for a long time. This is the main reason why only 50 percent of Macedonians supported the legalization of medical cannabis some two years ago, while today it is more than 70 percent. And of course, politicians have suddenly realized they need to jump on the legalization train too.”

As for recreational use of cannabis in Macedonia, growing, distributing, and possessing any amount and the use itself is still illegal. “On the other hand, the judges are usually pretty liberal and decide case by case,” said Dostovski, “which means that being caught with smaller amounts will only lead to a a fine in 90 percent of all cases.”

There have been more signs of progress in Central and Eastern Europe recently, with Slovakia—another post-Communist country—finally moving from heavy repression to decriminalization of small amounts of cannabis and other drugs. Following the precedent-setting decision of a regional court in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava, Department of Justice spokesman Peter Bubla announced that “the government will introduce a more effective approach towards illegal substances with regard to distinguishing between small and large amounts and intention of use.”

How Austria Became Europe's Cannabis Clone Superstore

For those who want to legally grow huge amounts of cannabis in Austria, business is booming — but not yet blooming.

The Austrian Narcotics Act prohibits the cultivation of cannabis only for the purpose of obtaining narcotics, and THC can be obtained only from cannabis flower. But if you promise your intent isn’t for consumption or sale, and swear you won’t let the plants flower, you can buy truckloads of clones. More than 250,000 clones are sold annually in the capital city of Vienna alone.

The trade has made Austria, home of Mozart, chocolate cake Sachertorte, and deep-fried schnitzel, home to Europe’s only cannabis clone superstores. They attract locals and foreigners alike. In most European Union countries, cannabis seeds are legal and home growing is the name of the game. But Germany and Switzerland don’t allow the sale of cannabis seeds. So growers in these countries simply visit neighboring Austria, where not just seeds but cannabis cuttings are legal.

In Vienna, where the first cannabis growers opened their greenhouses more than a decade ago, sales by major vendors already surpass seven-digit figures. And numerous smaller vendors specialize in niche offerings, such as organic cuttings or breeding female seedlings from feminized seeds.

A Visit to “Hemp & Hemp”

When strolling through the storied cobblestone streets of Vienna, you may pass by Hanf & Hanf, one of Vienna’s premier clone shops. You’ll know you’re near when you catch a whiff of the sweet smell of freshly trimmed mother plants. And luckily, despite being home to many pungent garden centers, in Vienna there is no “Nasal Ranger” patrolling the streets like there is in Denver.

Strains prized in the U.S., like Bubble Gum, Cheese, Shiva Skunk, Herijuana or White Satin, exude their specific aromas, hinting at what’s to come once the baby plants are allowed to mature at home. But remember, the intention must remain pure — no abuse of narcotics.

In Europe’s “clone capital,” LED lights ensure short internodes on the seedlings, making the clones suitable for the Sea of Green growing method popular in large-scale cultivation operations. Outdoor strains and fully stocked growboxes are widely available. The staff at Hanf & Hanf has nearly 20 gardeners who grow cannabis legally in a facility thousands of square feet in size. The greenhouse extends over two floors in a contorted building behind the store. It’s home to a maze of mother, grow root, pre-grow, and fog rooms where more than 80 carefully selected varieties of the continent’s leading breeds are cultivated.

If visiting Vienna, come for a weekend. Once a month, it’s “Green Friday,” with special discounts on all cuttings. Business is so strong that Than Drazen, founder of Hanf & Hanf and an Austrian cannabis pioneer, sometimes has to lock the shop door despite long lines of people waiting on the sidewalk for clones. Sometimes vans with foreign license plates pull up to buy clones en masse.

A few subway stops away, you can even find flowering plants under artificial light in the Hemp Embassy. Stivi Wolyniec, owner of cannabis cultivation superstore Growcity, founded the Hemp Museum’s Club last year, which operates the Hemp Embassy in Vienna’s Esterhazygasse.

Austria is Simply Peculiar

Besides allowing clones but prohibiting the intent to consume, the country’s Narcotic Substances Act also defines when allowing your plants to flower is allowed. If the buds aren’t destined for consumption, cannabinoid extraction, or sale, the blooming plants are — at least theoretically — still legal by the letter of the law. That interpretation of the rules allows the Hemp Embassy to showcase lovely flowering cannabis plants sealed behind glass.

“It is not forbidden to possess or exhibit hemp flowers,” Wolyniec said of the Hemp Embassy’s permanent exhibition. “It’s about the purpose behind it. If the purpose is abuse, then both the growing and the flowering plant are prohibited. If the purpose is not abuse, but another — in our case an exhibition — cannabis buds are legal.”

But all good things must come to an end. Once the plants on exhibition lose their luster, they’re destroyed in an incinerator under a notary’s watchful eye.

The legal cannabis-clones business has spread across Austria. Only in the most conservative parts — such as Salzburg and Tirol in the Alps — does the justice system sporadically prosecute openings of so-called hemp greenhouses, as the stores are called in Austria. But only operators of really large, obviously commercial operations are punished with prison sentences — small-time growers usually face court hearings and probationary punishments.

Attend The Sensible Celebration At NCIA’s Cannabis Business Summit

I love Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Please show them some love next month if you are attending the Cannabis Business Summit (which you should be!). Below are details, via the event’s Facebook page: Enjoy a night of drinks and dancing to benefit Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the 4000-member international network of students dedicated

Can Cannabis Change Capitalism? VICE Columnist, Author Thinks So.

David Bienenstock was writing about cannabis when cannabis writing wasn’t cool. Or at least when it wasn’t so legal.

Bienenstock, a 41-year-old New Jersey native who escaped the East to become the West Coast editor for High Times, now writes the Weed Eater column for VICE and produces the video series, “Bong Appetit.”

For the past few weeks he’s been touring the country to promote his new book, How To Smoke Pot (Properly): A Highbrow Guide to Getting High, published by Penguin/Random House. Part how-to book, part political manifesto, and part memoir, How To Smoke opens a friendly door to the world of cannabis for readers new to the subject, and will inspire a hearty hell yeah from those who possess more experience.

I sat down with Bienenstock this week, a few hours before his reading at Third Place Books near Seattle, to ask how the book’s been received.

The most interesting thing he’s learned, he said, is how large the gap is between states that have a long history of legalization—California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon—and those that don’t, like New York.

“I’ve done book events in New York and D.C.,” he said, “and there’s a line in the book that I usually read. It’s a simple statement: ‘We’ve come to the beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition.’ And on the East Coast, that line gets a standing ovation. I mean cheering and stomping feet.”

“Whereas people here on the West Coast are like, ‘Yeah, man,’” he said, smiling broadly and slowly nodding his head like no big thing.

“I use that as an opportunity to remind people out here in legal states: It’s great that we’re used to this idea, but not everybody has the same freedoms,” Bienenstock added. “It’s incumbent on people who have that freedom to work even harder. Because it’s not as risky for them to come out, be honest, and be an advocate.”

The classic social justice line about “nobody’s free until everyone is free” definitely applies, he said.

Anyone who’s ever been to a cannabis book event can testify to the entertaining nature of the questions. So I asked Bienenstock: What’s the strangest question you’ve gotten?

He laughed. “They’re too weird to acknowledge with anything other than a nod of the head and a ‘Thank you for your question.‘ “

“But that would be true for any book reading,” he added. “I’ve checked with the people who run the events. Those questions are not unique to cannabis books.”

The most common question? That’s easy.

“It’s ‘What’s your favorite strain?’” he said. “That’s right up Leafly’s alley.”

His answer?

“Whatever you want to share.”

It’s kind of flippant, he said, but it’s the truth. “The difference between some and none dwarfs the difference between OG Kush and Sour Diesel.”

The biggest piece of advice he gives to readers is to take notes. Write down your experience.

“When you find something you like, or something you don’t particularly connect with, write that information down. Bring those notes to you with your retailer, or wherever you’re sourcing, and ask for the same stuff. Individualize the experience.”

Bienenstock has been writing about cannabis since the 1990s. His interest, he says, grew out of a personal awakening to both cannabis, the nonsense of prohibition, and the importance of fighting for social justice.

“Early on, my personal experience with pot didn’t match up to what I was being told,” he said. “And because of that, it became one of the first things I endeavored to research. I had such a positive experience with it, so I started to look into the details. Whatever information I could find. And by doing that I discovered that the claims against it just didn’t hold water.”

With a majority of Americans now favoring legalization, and more states setting up legal regulated cannabis markets, a once-united movement finds itself increasingly fractured. Some medical marijuana advocates resist recreational legalization. Old-school cannabis crusaders want to set the plant free for home growers, but balk at the commercialization of the product.

Bienenstock sees it as a natural outgrowth of success. “When we were all getting our asses kicked, everybody was on the same page,” he said. Now there’s room for disagreement. “We should be able to disagree without being disagreeable, though,” he added. He expects the upcoming campaign for California legalization to be tumultuous. “We’re going to see friction, just as we did with Prop 19,” the state’s failed 2010 legalization measure. “One thing I would ask is that we don’t gloss or dismiss the legitimate concerns that people are going to have.”

One of those concerns is about corporate America taking over an industry built by small entrepreneurs who risked their lives and liberty.

The legalized industry isn’t perfect, he said. But it’s emerging within the existing imperfections of American capitalism.

“We have to fight really hard to make this an inclusive industry,” said Bienenstock. “In the book I say that cannabis should transform capitalism, not the other way around.”

“Because this industry is just getting established, legally, and because there are progressive people involved, we have the opportunity to create a new industry that actually does work for workers, that nurtures small businesses, that uplifts these communities that have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs. But it’s going to be hard. Because the rules of capitalism still apply.”

“Capitalism has problems. It’s harder for people without capital to get into this industry, just as in other industries. It shouldn’t be.” And that’s the challenge, Bienenstock said. “Let’s use this industry as a model to change things we don’t like about capitalism.”

It starts with a basic ethic of sharing, he said. Capitalism is about competition, but cannabis culture is about collaboration. “This culture is about sharing and inclusion,” he said. “It’s about bringing people in, allowing them to be part of the shared experience. At its heart, pot culture is about this one simple gesture: This is what I have,” he said, mimicking the offer of a shared joint. “It’s not much, but I’ll share it with you.”

Tomorrow: Don’t Miss Day 2 Of The FREE Virtual Cannabis Entrepreneur Summit

The first ever Virtual Cannabis Entrepreneur Summit started today, streaming live on the internet for the world to see for free. I was not able to watch all of the event (which took place from 9 am to 5 pm PST), but the parts that I was able to catch were outstanding. I also followed

United Patients Group Conference Panel To Discuss Opiate Dependency, Brain Injuries, And How Cannabis Can Help

When someone gets hurt, chances are they are prescribed some type of painkiller or are directed to get an over the counter pain reliever to treat their injury/injuries. That was the case each time that I got hurt and had to see my doctor, usually for something that required x-rays. Every time they would try

US PA: Medical Cannabis Poised For Growth

The Times Herald, 22 May 2016 – Legalization Has Patients and Businesses Seeing Green Pennsylvania joined the growing list of states to legalize medical marijuana when Gov. Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 3, the Medical Marijuana Act, into law on April 17. To date, 23 other states and Washington D.C. have legalized either medical marijuana, recreational marijuana or both.

How Do Cannabis and Seduction Work Together?

Arden Leigh is a blogger and author of the book The New Rules of Attraction: How to Get Him, Keep Him, and Make Him Beg for More. During her talk about creating better relationships through the art of seduction, she said:

“Most human beings will spend more time studying calculus than studying how to intentionally be in a relationship with someone they love.”

People spend countless hours on education and job training, but comparatively little time is spent studying how to interact successfully with other humans in relationships. I sat down with Arden, who has devoted 10,000+ hours of study to relationships, and asked her to share some of the insight she has gleaned.

Arden Leigh, author of The New Rules of Attraction

Many people have negative associations with seduction and the pickup artist (PUA) community, but a recurring theme in Arden’s work is that seduction is an act of generosity. She explained, “Here’s one of the most important truths of seduction, what ultimately all good, successful PUAs learn: Tactics like manipulation, dishonesty, agenda-pushing, misogyny (or misandry), disparagement, deception, and general meanness are never actually seductive. And things like integrity, honesty, vulnerability, communicativeness, reliability, and candor are seductive in that along with just being generally good things to do, they’re also necessary to forming a functional relationship with any decent human being. Not only are such qualities not at cross-purposes with pickup, but they’re actually crucial to its most elevated levels as an art form.

“The worthiest part of seduction is engaging your curiosity about another human being, and allowing that curiosity to open up a space for them to be their truest selves with you, without fear of judgment or repercussion. Only then do you get to truly know someone. That is both seduction’s greatest gift and its greatest reward.”

How can cannabis fit into your seduction attempts? Arden graciously took some of the central tenants of seduction and expanded them so that cannabis can be integrated seamlessly. Here are some ideas:

Make a Proactive Approach and Pay Attention

Start a conversation with the person in whom you’re interested. People are often relieved when someone approaches them authentically (read: not with some cheesy line or a dick pic) because it’s so rare. As Arden points out, “The seducer makes all of the crucial first moves in order to shoulder the potential rejection and create a safe space in which to explore intimacy.”

Find out what motivates them, what activities they enjoy, and what books and films influenced them as they were growing up. These things will give you insights into what kinds of planned adventures will be most effective. For instance, if they share that they have asthma and are a strict vape-only user, offering them a rip from your 5-foot bong might not go over well.

Offer an Excuse to Be Alone (Together, of Course)

Since cannabis is still only recreational in four states plus D.C., and even in those states it’s illegal to imbibe cannabis in public, it’s vital to have a private space in which to retreat. Inviting your new object of affection to come over and smoke can provide them with a comfortable space to imbibe and a chance for the two of you to bond over a joint (or, better yet, flirtatiously teach your date how to roll one — more on that later).

Your place should offer an environment that feels both comfortable and can set a seductive mood. One of the things I enjoy most about visiting Arden’s apartment is the way I feel when I’m in it. She set out to create an oasis of pleasure and it’s clear she considered every possible detail. Soft leather couches, red velvet blackout curtains, and a gothic aesthetic that falls somewhere between Sherlock Holmes and a high-end whiskey and cigar bar create an atmosphere of decadence and escape. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors and an all-white bedroom with a four-poster bed offers her romantic interests a blank canvas on which to design their fantasies. As adults, we have the opportunity to create an aesthetic that mirrors our personalities and evokes an intentionally targeted reaction from our guests.

Use Ritual to Anchor Pleasurable Experiences

Many cannabis users have a specific way they prepare and consume. A dab user might have a heat-proof mat, an e-nail, and their dab tools laid out in advance. Someone who prefers joints might have their grinder, rolling papers, and tray set up and ready to go. You have the opportunity to incorporate the object of your attraction into your rituals, or even co-create a new ritual together.

While away with a lover this past weekend, I taught him how to dab. I showed him the rig, the torch, the tools, and the tiny container of CO2 oil from WVapes. I explained the order of operations and demonstrated for him so he would feel more at ease. Then I measured a miniscule dab for him and walked him through the process a second time. Because I took the time to initiate him into this ritual, not only does he now know the proper way to dab, but he also felt comfortable being vulnerable and exploring a new facet of his cannabis use with me. As a bonus, the next time he dabs, he’ll think of me and the fun weekend we had together. I’ve successfully anchored that pleasurable experience in his brain. Read more about rituals and social practices here.

What are some ways you mindfully incorporate seduction into your relationships and prospective relationships? Have you ever tried any pickup techniques? Share your experiences!

Arden Leigh is the founder of the Sirens Seduction Forum and the author of The New Rules of Attraction. She is a coach at the Interpersonal Attraction Institute, writes a regular advice column for Auxiliary Magazine, and maintains her blog at ardenleigh.typepad.com. She is currently at work on a memoir of her experiences in the BDSM community. Her band, Arden and the Wolves, has released two EPs. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Got a sex, relationships, or intimacy dating question for Ashley Manta? Send it to tips@nullleafly.com and we may address your request in a future article! (Don’t worry, we’ll keep your queries anonymous.)

Best Cannabis Strains for Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a difficult condition to live with, but as we’ve learned from Leafly reviewers, cannabis can offer respite. It makes sense when you look at some of the symptoms fibro sufferers face:

• Joint pain
• Fatigue
• Depression and anxiety
• Tenderness and generalized pain
• Insomnia
• Inability to focus

There isn’t a lot of research on cannabis as a treatment for fibromyalgia, but clinical studies using synthesized THC for symptom management shows promising results. Still, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence in Leafly’s strain reviews alone to show that cannabis is certainly providing much needed relief to many of those willing to experiment. These 10 strains, according to our user-submitted strain data, seem to be doing the trick.

Keep in mind, relief is not limited to these strains alone. There a lot – and we mean a lot – of strains that can treat pain, fight fatigue, reduce depression and anxiety, sharpen focus, and crush insomnia. Consider trying other high-CBD strains, or cannabis in various other forms like edibles, topicals, or ingestible oils. Everyone’s body is different, so the key is to try different strains and products to see what works best for you.

Blue Dream

Given the sheer volume of strain reviews available for Blue Dream, it’s no wonder that we found so many positive reports associated with this sativa-dominant hybrid from fibro patients. However, that’s not a reason to discount the therapeutic potential of this coveted berry-flavored flower; Blue Dream is known to exhibit high levels of the relaxing terpene myrcene as well as CBG, a cannabinoid known to reduce inflammation and fight insomnia. Not only that, Blue Dream delicately lifts the mood to new heights, letting you forget about the aches and worries that were keeping you down.

“Blue Dream is my go-to strain for my everyday fibromyalgia pain and muscle spasm medicine, it is gentle enough to use [every] day and throughout the day. It is a nice hybrid, with the muscle spasm easing effects of [an] indica, and the euphoric, headache easing effects of a sativa without anxiety effects. I use it when I wake up to get moving, and even use it to help me sleep.” – craig_DC

Harlequin

With the painkilling power of THC and CBD combined, this sativa is the perfect way to start your day. If you’re sensitive to THC, you’re in luck: Harlequin’s high-CBD content helps curb the psychoactive and anxious side effects of THC, letting you go about your day without that dizzying euphoria that some unaccustomed users find distracting or unpleasant.

“I take three puffs and get a wonderful body high that takes my pain away. It’s not that I don’t notice it anymore…it feels like it’s gone. It makes me SO happy to not feel my pain. Note that I have fibromyalgia and degenerative disc in my lower back, to for me to not be feeling my pain seems like somewhat of a miracle.” – chasmyn

Cannatonic

In further testament to the power of high-CBD strains, Cannatonic is the third most celebrated strain from Leafly users with fibromyalgia. It’s only mildly psychoactive due to its CBD dominance, making it an excellent choice for new users. However, even veterans will appreciate this hybrid’s ability to crush pain, anxiety, muscle spasms, and a myriad of other symptoms.

“I am taking this for Fibromyalgia. This has been the most helpful strain I have found in clearing my mind. Less mind clutter leads to more mental and physical energy.” – bearcubb

Critical Mass

Critical Mass is a heavy indica strain whose tingly full-body effects radiate throughout the body, swiftly bowling down pain and stress. This strain sometimes expresses itself with enhanced levels of CBD for even better pain relief. Also preferred for treating depression, insomnia, and muscle spasms, Critical Mass is definitely a strain you’ll want in your medicine cabinet.

“My body felt nice and relaxed for the first time in [I don’t know] how long and for sure helped me sleep. Helped with my TMJ too! If you have fibromyalgia issues like I do it’s definitely one to try!” –IrisLight

Tahoe OG

This is the strain you’ll need for when your fibromyalgia symptoms are keeping you up at night. Tranquilizing and dreamy, Tahoe OG is an indica-dominant strain that leads muscles into blissful relaxation, melting the pain and tension out of them.

“This will give the pain killing effects need for heavy pain, as well as give a sedative effect, so one can go to sleep. [It’s] one of the top ten strains I use for my condition.” – savagec3

Granddaddy Purple

Guiding you into relief with a sweet berry and grape flavor, Granddaddy Purple is a classic indica strain with potent painkilling properties. Like Blue Dream, GDP boasts high levels of myrcene and CBG to help relax muscles and control pain. Not only does this sweet-tasting indica treat physical symptoms, its pacifying euphoria loosens the grip of stress, anxiety, and depression to help you stay positive.

“I finally decided to roll a joint of this and some Tahoe OG, and now I’m free of cramps, muscle spasms, shooting pain, nausea, anxiety, etc…It’s rare that I find a strain that will completely help with medical problems, but also help me be happy, become more creative, and stay awake.” – GanjaGoddess410

Girl Scout Cookies

Coveted for its potency, flavor, and quality of effect, it’s no wonder that fibro patients also found something to love about this award-winning hybrid. Girl Scout Cookies is known to have a high THC content, so if you’re new to cannabis or sensitive to THC, be sure to dose low and slow with this hybrid powerhouse.

“I bought this strain for pain relief and it worked quite well. I suffer from fibro & arthritis and after smoking this for the first time, it seemed to work as well as some pain pills.” – TONYROSEITTI

Blueberry

Indicas are wonderful pain relievers, but it isn’t often you find one with a flavor as strong and sweet as Blueberry. Named for its unmistakable ripe berry aroma, this indica delivers a nuanced effects that mellows everything from physical pain to emotional anguish caused by fibromyalgia.

“Was in so much body pain today due to fibromyalgia, so I picked up Blueberry wax this afternoon…can safely say this is the best strain for body and migraine pain I’ve tried so far. I melted into my bed, very dreamy effect.” – cholladay

Bubba Kush

The symptoms of fibromyalgia are multifaceted, but thankfully, so are the effects of Bubba Kush. Muscles relax. Eyelids heavy. The mind goes from a running pace to walking. Bubba Kush bestows its gift of relief alongside a sweet, earthy coffee aroma with subtle woody notes that will keep you coming back for more even after your symptoms subside.

“Helps me sleep great which is godsend for severe fibromyalgia…working great for my awful bee stinging feeling nerve pain!” – Anonymous

Headband

Named for its hugging cerebral sensations some refer to as the “halo effect,” Headband is a favorite for those suffering from headaches. But that’s not the only type of relief this fragrant hybrid has to offer. Headband’s rich terpene profile gives rise to a spectrum of benefits, including stress reduction, mood enhancement, a feeling of wakefulness and focus, and muscle relaxation.

“It’s a great strain, knocked out my knee pain that is causing a fibromyalgia flare up. It’s definitely is easing the flare up as well and the migraine associated with it.” – Paraleash

The Shake: Next President Urged to Give Cannabis a Fair Shake

“Marijuana will impact almost every corner of your administration” says a new memo to the presidential candidates. The Brookings Institute published an open letter to the presumptive presidential nominees, Hillary Clinton and Donald Drumpf, earlier today. John Hudak, a Brookings fellow and Deputy Director for the Center for Public Management, makes a case for the importance of cannabis-policy reform in the new administration. Hudak warns: “A laissez-faire approach to cannabis is a dangerous stance that creates a bevy of policy problems at the federal, state and local levels.” Hudak urges the incoming president to carefully choose members of the administration who will directly affect drug policy—the drug czar, Attorney General, leaders of the FBI, the DEA, and Congress. A White House Summit on National Cannabis Policy would “elevate the conversation and signal a presidential commitment to better policy.” Hint, hint.

Anti-cannabis campaign claims Florida’s Amendment 2 will establish “more pot shops than Walmart and Walgreens combined.” While there are estimates that there could be as many as 440,552 patients in Florida who qualify for medical cannabis, which could lead to establishing 1,993 registered treatment centers, ultimately it would be up to the Department of Health and the Legislature. Nice try, fear-mongers.

So you’re saying cannabis is wholesome as pie? Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner will probably sign a recently passed bill that decriminalizes cannabis possession, but says he’s got more important things to do. “We get caught up in what our state pie is going to be, and how much marijuana is going to get sold,” Rauner said on Thursday. (Legislators gave pumpkin the nod last year.)

Growing pains in Denver’s light industrial neighborhoods. “The biggest fears that once preoccupied Denver city officials,” like crime, teen use, and dampened tourism “have not come to pass,” reports Politico. The problem now is that people living in light industrial neighborhoods don’t like so many grow operations moving into those warehouses.

Toronto tables dispensary crackdown until late June. Mayor John Tory asked the city’s licensing department to come up with ideas to regulate the medical-marijuana access points. That report is due by June 27.

A “suspicious odor” leads New Orleans police to Wheetos, Froot Poofs and Cannamon Toast Crunch. After noticing excessive traffic to a La Place hotel room, as well as a familiar scent permeating the air, deputies found the cannabis-infused snacks labeled for medical use as well as a large amount of cannabis. As Toucan Sam would say, “Follow your nose!”

NORML’s 2016 Congressional Lobby Day is May 23-24 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. If you want to do your part to end federal cannabis prohibition, join the CARE postcard campaign at No Prohibition to flood the mailbox of the Senate Judiciary Committee with postcards asking for action on S.2237 to deschedule cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.

“Wash your weed,” says the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department. Law enforcement removed some 20,000 cannabis plants that were growing in an area of the California county that’s contaminated with toxic chemicals, insecticides and pesticides. The boys in blue are now urging locals not to ingest the contaminated flower or to “please, at least wash the marijuana before using it.”

Who got into your stash? It was Grandma. More and more seniors are picking up their medicine from the pot shop. Cannabis use is up 53 percent among the 55-and-over crowd and it’s the fastest growing demographic of cannabis consumers in the country.

Home Cannabis Cultivation Laws: A State-by-State Guide

A common question for new medical cannabis patients and recreational consumers is whether or not home cultivation is permitted where they live. State cannabis laws vary, with some states permitting home grows while others do not. We put together a helpful guide outlining the home cultivation status for states that have legalized some form of cannabis. Check back as we continue to update the guide whenever a state law changes.

Click on a state to jump down to its cultivation guidelines.

• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Washington

Alaska

Possession/Use Limits: Persons 21 years of age or older may possess, use, display, purchase, and transport one (1) ounce or less of marijuana.

Grow Limits: An adult over the age of 21 may possess, grow, process, or transport no more than six (6) plants total, with no more than three (3) plants that are mature.

Resources:

• Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Division of Public Health – Know the Laws About Marijuana
• “An Act to tax and regulate the production, sale and use of marijuana”

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Arizona

Possession/Use Limits: A qualifying patient or designated caregiver registered with ADHS may obtain and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana in a 14-day period from a registered non-profit medical marijuana dispensary.

Grow Limits: A medical marijuana patient or the qualifying patient’s designated caregiver may cultivate up to twelve (12) plants if they live more than 25 miles from the nearest medical marijuana dispensary.

Resources:

• Arizona Department of Health Services for Medical Marijuana – FAQs – Cultivation

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California

Grow Limits: A medical marijuana patient shall not cultivate medical marijuana without obtaining a license, permit, or entitlement permitting cultivation from the city and/or county in which the cultivation will occur.

A medical marijuana patient may cultivate cannabis so long as the area they use to cultivate cannabis does not exceed 100 square feet.

This limitation does not apply to a primary caregiver cultivating marijuana if the area he or she uses to cultivate marijuana does not exceed 500 square feet and he or she cultivates marijuana exclusively for the personal medical use of no more than five (5) specified qualified patients for whom he or she is the primary caregiver and does not receive remuneration for these activities.

• Exemption from the requirements of this section does not limit or prevent a city and/or county from regulating or banning the cultivation, storage, manufacture, transport, provision, or other activity by the exempt person, or impair the enforcement of that regulation or ban (check the laws in your local jurisdiction).

Resources:

• Assembly Bill No. 243.

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Colorado

Possession/Use Limits: Colorado residents may purchase and possess up to one (1) ounce of marijuana at a time. Non-Colorado residents are limited to 1/4 ounce.

A patient’s medical use of marijuana is lawful within the following limits:

• No more than two (2) ounces of a usable form of marijuana;
• No more than six (6) plants, with three (3) or fewer being mature, flowering plants that producing a usable form of marijuana.

Grow Limits: Any adult resident of Colorado may grow up to six (6) plants per person, with no more than three (3) plants in the mature/flowering stage at any time. Non-Colorado residents may not cultivate cannabis.

No more than twelve (12) total plants are allowed per residence regardless of the number of adults living there. Cannabis plants must be kept in an enclosed, locked area.

Resources:

• Marijuana Retailers and Home Growers in the State of Colorado
• Medical Use of Marijuana for Persons Suffering from Debilitating Medical Conditions.

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Connecticut

Possession/Use Limits: The combined amount of marijuana possessed by the qualifying patient and the primary caregiver for palliative use does not exceed an amount of usable marijuana reasonably necessary to ensure uninterrupted availability for a period of one (1) month.

Grow Limits: Home cultivation is not permitted.

Resources:

• Chapter 420f – Palliative Use of Marijuana

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Delaware

Possession/Use Limits: Usable amount of medical marijuana for medical use is limited to six (6) ounces or less.

Grow Limits: Home cultivation is not permitted.

Resources:

• The State of Delaware Medical Marijuana Code

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District of Columbia

Possession/Use Limits: It is legal for a person who is at least 21 years old to:

• Possess two (2) ounces or less of marijuana;
• Transfer one (1) ounce or less of marijuana to another person who is at least 21 years old, so long as there is no payment made or any other type of exchange of goods or services;
• Possess marijuana-related drug paraphernalia that is associated with one (1) ounce or less of marijuana;
• Use marijuana on private property.

The maximum amount of medical marijuana any qualifying patient or caregiver may possess at any time is two (2) ounces or the equivalent of two (2) ounces of dried medical marijuana when sold in any other form.

Grow Limits: It is legal for a person who is at least 21 years old to cultivate within their residence up to six (6) marijuana plants, no more than three (3) of which are mature.

Resources:

• Facts on D.C. Marijuana Laws
• The District of Columbia Municipal Regulations for the Medical Marijuana Program

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Hawaii

Grow Limits: A registered medical marijuana program participant that indicates their intent to grow on their application may grow an “adequate supply,” or no more than seven (7) plants total and no more than 4 oz. of usable marijuana jointly between a registered patient and caregiver.

A qualifying patient may designate a caregiver on their application to grow no more than seven (7) plants total on their behalf. A caregiver may only grow for one patient at a time. Whosoever is designated to grow medical marijuana should tag each plant at the base with their 329 card number and expiration date.

Act 241 eliminates the ability of a caregiver to grow medical marijuana on behalf of a qualifying patient after December 31, 2018 (unless the patient is a minor or adult lacking legal capacity or resides on an island without a dispensary).

Resources:

• The State of Hawaii, Department of Health Medical Marijuana Program

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Illinois

Possession/Use Limits: Adequate supply means 2.5 ounces of usable cannabis during a period of 14 days and that is derived solely from an intrastate source.

Grow Limits: Home cultivation is not permitted.

Resources:

• The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act

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Maine

Possession/Use Limits: A qualifying patient may possess up to 2 ½ ounces of prepared marijuana.

Grow Limits: A maximum of six (6) mature plants per patient may be cultivated for medical use. A qualifying patient who elects to cultivate marijuana plants must keep the plants in an enclosed, locked facility unless the plants are being transported because the patient is moving or taking the plants to the patient’s own property in order to cultivate them.

Minors, incapacitated adults, homeless qualifying patients, and registered patients in hospice or nursing facilities may not cultivate his or her own marijuana. Only designated primary caregivers or designated dispensaries may cultivate on behalf of the qualifying patient in this case.

Resources:

• The Rules Governing the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program

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Maryland

Possession/Use Limits: Qualified medical patients may possess a sufficient 30-day supply of marijuana for medical use.

Grow Limits: Home cultivation is not permitted.

Resources:

• The Natalie LaPrade Medical Cannabis Commission

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Massachusetts

Grow Limits: A qualifying medical marijuana patient with a hardship cultivation registration may cultivate a limited number of plants sufficient to maintain a 60-day supply solely for that patient’s use. He or she may apply for a hardship cultivation registration if the patient can demonstrate that his or her access to a registered medical dispensary (RMD) is limited by:

• Verified financial hardship
• Physical incapacity to access reasonable transportation (an inability to use public transportation or drive oneself), lack of personal caregiver with reliable transportation, or lack of RMD that will deliver to the patient’s or personal caregiver’s primary address
• Lack of a RMD within a reasonable distance of the patient’s residence and lack of a RMD that will deliver marijuana to the patient’s or personal caregiver’s primary address

To obtain a hardship cultivation, a registered qualifying patient shall submit:

• A nonrefundable registration fee (unless waived due to financial hardship)
• Information supporting a claim that access is limited to one or more of the above circumstances
• An explanation including lack of feasible alternatives to mitigate limitations claimed
• A description and address of the single location that shall be used for the cultivation of marijuana, which shall either be the registered qualifying patient’s or personal caregiver’s primary residence
• A written explanation of how the qualifying patient will cultivate marijuana
• A description of the device or system that will be used to ensure security and prevent diversion of the marijuana plants being cultivated
• Written acknowledgement of the limitations on his or her authorization to cultivate, possess, and use marijuana for medical purposes

The Department shall review and approve or deny an application for a hardship cultivation license within 30 calendar days of receipt of a completed application.

Resources:

• The Implementation of an Act for the Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana

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Michigan

Possession/Use Limits: A qualifying patient who has been issued and possesses a registry identification card shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty in any manner, provided that the qualifying patient possesses an amount of cannabis that does not exceed 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana or twelve (12) plants kept in an enclosed, locked facility.

The privilege from arrest under this subsection applies only if the qualifying patient presents both a registry identification card and a valid driver license or government-issued identification card that bears a photographic image of the qualifying patient.

Grow Limits: A primary caregiver who has been issued and possesses a registry identification card shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty if the primary caregiver possesses an amount of marijuana that does not exceed 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana, or twelve (12) plants kept in an enclosed, locked facility for each registered qualifying patient that has specified that the primary caregiver be allowed under state law to cultivate marijuana for the qualifying patient.

Resources:

• Public Act 512 – Enrolled House Bill 4851

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Montana

Grow Limits: A registered cardholder may possess up to four (4) mature plants, twelve (12) seedlings, and one (1) ounce of usable marijuana.

A provider or marijuana-infused product provider may possess four (4) mature plants, twelve (12) seedlings, and one (1) ounce of usable marijuana for each registered cardholder who has named the person as the registered cardholder’s provider.

Resources:

• Montana Code Annotated 2015, Section 50-46-319

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Nevada

Possession/Use and Grow Limits: The holder of a valid registry identification card is prohibited from cultivating, growing, or producing marijuana if a dispensary opens in their county of residence. If the holder of a valid registry identification card resides in a county with no dispensaries, the holder of the card is exempt from state prosecution for:

• Possessing, delivering, or producing no more than 2 ½ ounces of usable marijuana
• Twelve (12) marijuana plants, irrespective of whether the plants are mature or immature

Resources:

• Chapter 453A – Medical Use of Marijuana

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New Hampshire

Possession/Use Limits: A qualified patient is not permitted to purchase more than two (2) ounces during a 10-day period, and is not permitted to be in possession of more than two (2) ounces of cannabis at any given time. If you have a designated caregiver, you and your designated caregiver combined cannot have more than two (2) ounces of cannabis at any given time.

Grow Limits: Home cultivation is not permitted.

Resources:

• The Therapeutic Cannabis Program General Program Information for Qualifying Patients

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New Jersey

Possession/Use Limits: A physician shall provide written instructions for a registered qualifying patient or his caregiver to present to an Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) concerning the total amount of usable marijuana that a patient may be dispensed, in weight, in a 30-day period, which amount shall not exceed two (2) ounces. If no amount is noted, the maximum amount that may be dispensed at one time is two (2) ounces.

Grow Limits: The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act does not authorize a qualifying patient or primary caregiver to grow or cultivate marijuana, or to possess a marijuana plant.

Resources:

• The NJ Compassionate Use Act

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New Mexico

Possession/Use Limits: Qualified patients are allowed to possess up to approximately eight (8) ounces (230 grams) of usable cannabis. Primary caregivers may transport up to 8 ounces for each patient listed on the caregiver ID card. (If an exception to the 8 ounce limit is granted, it is noted on the back of the patient ID card).

Grow Limits: Qualified patients may apply for a license to grow their own supply of medical cannabis. The license must be posted or kept near the growing area. A Personal Production License (PPL) allows patients to grow up to four (4) mature plants and twelve (12) seedlings at any given time.

Resources:

• The New Mexico Department of Health Law Enforcement Information Sheet

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New York

Possession/Use Limits: The marijuana that may be possessed by a certified patient shall not exceed a thirty-day supply of the dosage as determined by the practitioner, provided that during the last seven (7) days of any thirty-day period, the certified patient may also possess up to such an amount for the next thirty-day period.

Grow Limits: Home cultivation is not permitted.

Resources:

• The NY Compassionate Care Act

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Oregon

Possession/Use Limits: Recreational marijuana consumers 21 years of age and older may possess up to eight (8) ounces of usable cannabis. A registered Oregon medical marijuana patient may possess up to 24 ounces of usable marijuana.

Grow Limits: Recreational marijuana consumers 21 years of age and older may possess up to four (4) plants per residence. A registered Oregon medical marijuana patient may possess up to six (6) mature plants, which must be grown at a registered grow site address. Caregivers, or OMMP growers, cannot be growing for more than four (4) patients at a time, and cannot grow more than six (6) mature plants per patient.

Resources:

• The OLCC Recreational Marijuana FAQs
• The OMMP Growers FAQ

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Rhode Island

Possession/Use and Grow Limits: A patient cardholder who has in his or her possession a registry identification card shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty for the medical use of marijuana, provided that the patient cardholder possesses an amount of marijuana that does not exceed twelve (12) mature marijuana plants and two and one-half (2.5) ounces of usable marijuana. Said plants shall be stored in an indoor facility.

A primary caregiver cardholder, who has in his or her possession, a registry identification card, shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty for assisting a patient cardholder, to whom he or she is connected through the department’s registration process, with the medical use of marijuana; provided that the primary caregiver cardholder possesses an amount of marijuana that does not exceed twelve (12) mature marijuana plants and two and one-half (2.5) ounces of usable marijuana for each patient cardholder to whom he or she is connected through the department’s registration process.

A cardholder shall be allowed to possess a reasonable amount of unusable marijuana, including up to twelve (12) seedlings, that shall not be counted towards the limits of this section.

Resources:

• The Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act

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Vermont

Possession/Use Limits: A registered patient may comply with possession limits and possess up to two (2) ounces of usable marijuana. A designated registered caregiver for the purpose of assisting a registered patient may possess up to two (2) ounces of usable marijuana.

Grow Limits: A registered patient may comply with possession limits and cultivate no more than two (2) mature marijuana plants and seven (7) immature marijuana plants (if the registered patient elects to cultivate marijuana). A designated registered caregiver for the purpose of assisting a registered patient may cultivate up to two (2) mature marijuana plants and seven (7) immature marijuana plants for the registered patient who has named the person to serve as caregiver. The collective possession amounts between the registered caregiver and the registered patient must meet the total possession limit.

Resources:

• Rules Governing the Vermont Therapeutic Use of Cannabis Program

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Washington

Possession/Use Limits: As part of authorizing a qualifying patient or designated provider, the health care professional may include recommendations on the amount of marijuana that is likely needed by the qualifying patient for his or her medical needs. If the qualifying patient or designated provider with an authorization from a health care professional has NOT been entered into the medical marijuana authorization database, he or she may not receive a recognition card and may only purchase at a retail outlet.

If the health care professional does not include recommendations, when adding the qualifying patient or designated provider to the medical marijuana authorization database, he or she shall enter into the database that the patient may obtain at a retail outlet holding a medical marijuana endorsement a combination of the following:

• Forty-eight (48) ounces of marijuana-infused product in solid form;
• Three (3) ounces of usable marijuana;
• Two hundred sixteen (216) ounces of marijuana-infused product in liquid form;
• Twenty-one (21) grams of marijuana concentrate.

Grow Limits: The qualifying patient may also grow, in his or her domicile, up to six (6) plants for the personal medical use of the qualifying patient and possess up to eight (8) ounces of usable marijuana produced from his or her plants.

If the health care professional determines that the medical needs of the patient exceed those amounts, the health care professional must specify on the authorization that it is recommended that the patient be allowed to grow, in his or her domicile, up to fifteen (15) plants for the personal medical use of the patient, and may possess up to sixteen (16) ounces of usable marijuana in his or her domicile.

If the qualifying patient or designated provider with an authorization from a health care professional has NOT been entered into the medical marijuana authorization database, the qualifying patient may grow, in his or her domicile, up to four (4) plants for the personal medical use of the qualifying patient and possess up to six (6) ounces of usable marijuana in his or her domicile.

Resources:

• The Cannabis Patient Protection Act

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This Weekend: Check Out The Panels At The FREE Virtual Cannabis Entrepreneur Summit

The first ever Virtual Cannabis Entrepreneur Summit takes place this weekend. It’s a completely free (yes, FREE!) event that will be live streamed over the internet, and is being put on by Green Flower Media. If you like cannabis, you will like this event which will feature dozens of 22-minute presentations by leading cannabis industry

Frustrated Marijuana Legalization Supporters Head For The White House

By Phillip Smith A demonstration headed by the DC Cannabis Campaign and Weed for Warriors is set for the White House Friday after the Obama administration failed to respond to the groups’ requests for “higher level consultations” following an initial meeting with White House staffers last month. Headed by longtime DC political gadfly Adam Eidinger,

House Vote Brings Veterans a Big Step Closer to Medical Cannabis

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a major breakthrough earlier today that could change the way doctors treat military veterans when it comes to medical cannabis.

The House voted 233–189 in favor of approving the Veterans Equal Access Amendment, which would allow doctors in the Veterans Administration to recommend medical marijuana in states where it is legal. The amendment is part of the Fiscal Year 2017 Military Construction, Veteran Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.

The amendment was championed by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and co-sponsored by Reps. Joe Heck (R-Nev.), Sam Farr (D-Calif.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), and Jared Polis (D-Colo.).

Blumenauer has been a strong advocate for the adoption of this amendment and spoke on the enduring impact that this amendment could have on the lives of American veterans.

“One of the greatest tragedies of our time is our failure to adequately deal with the needs of our veterans returning home with wounds both visible and unseen,” Blumenauer said. “Giving them access to medical marijuana as an alternative treatment option to deal with chronic pain, PTSD, and other conditions is critical at a time when our veterans are dying with a suicide rate 50 percent higher than civilians and opiate overdoses at nearly double the national average. Medical marijuana can be a safer, more effective alternative.”

Blumenauer praised his compatriots in Congress. “I commend my colleagues for showing compassion and supporting our wounded warriors,” he said. “Today’s vote is a win for these men and women who have done so much for us and deserve equal treatment in being able to consult with, and seek a recommendation from, their personal VA physician about medical marijuana.”

Brandon Wyatt, a disabled Iraq War veteran and national policy spokesman for the Weed for Warriors Project, applauded the measure as well as the support from Congress.

“This is a significant step forward for our cause,” he said. “We appreciate the support and efforts of all involved.” He cautioned supporters not to get too complacent, however. “The job is not finished, because this legislation does not allow all veterans to be provided with the quality healthcare they need in order to be free of the fear of having to self-medicate. Easier access doesn’t equate to equal access.”

Wyatt is referring to the fact that the amendment only applies to states where medical cannabis is already legal, and does not allow for VA clinics to distribute cannabis. Nor would the VA cover the costs.

Although the House vote is an incredible step forward and echoes the vote from the Senate Committee on Appropriations, which passed a similar amendment in April to the Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2017 Military Construction, Veteran Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, the amendment is not quite out of the woods yet.

The Senate and House bills will need to be reconciled and passed by both chambers before being enacted into law.

How to Roll a Joint

The joint is one of the more iconic ways to consume cannabis, and it’s a great way to enjoy the flavor of your flower. Every cannabis smoker should learn how to roll a joint. There are countless opinions on how to create a functional joint, but whatever you do, make sure your creation burns smoothly and evenly.

To help you hone your own craft, we’ve prepared a simple seven-step guide to successful joint rolling. Begin by gathering supplies (cannabis, papers, and optional crutch/tip material and grinder).

Step 1: Grind

Break down your cannabis into shake. If your cannabis is dried well, it should break down easily. A grinder keeps your hand from getting sticky and thus sticking to the joint paper. If you don’t have a grinder, you can grind the herb down by hand, using scissors, or any number of other breakdown methods.

Step 2: Crutch

Make a crutch, also called a tip or filter. You can make a crutch out of just about anything, but thin cardboard or business cards are solid go-tos. A lot of joint papers also include crutch material with their packaging. Start with a few “accordion” folds at the end of the cardboard, then roll the material to the desired thickness of your joint. The crutch isn’t absolutely necessary, but it does help keep the shake from falling out of the end or into your mouth as you smoke. It also adds some stability to the joint and allows you to enjoy every bit of cannabis without burning your fingertips.

Step 3: Fill

Fill the paper with the shake and the crutch (if you’ve made one). Once the paper has the right amount of shake (a half gram to a gram usually does the trick), you can begin to form and shape the joint with your fingers. (A quick note on papers: There are a lot of different types and flavors of joint papers available. Many people prefer hemp papers because they tend to be thin but strong, and burn evenly without affecting the flavor of the cannabis.)

Step 4: Pack

Once you’ve loaded and shaped your joint, it’s time to roll it. Pinch the paper between your fingertips and roll it back and forth between them to pack the cannabis down into its final shape.

Step 5: Roll

This step can make or break the quality of your joint. Tuck the unglued side of the paper into the roll and use the glued edge to tack down one end of the paper, using just a little bit of moisture. (Pro tip: Start with the crutch side because it can help guide the paper as it rolls around itself.) Once the paper is tacked on one end, you can work your way down the rest of the seam by tucking and sealing the joint from end to end.

Step 6: Finish

Finally, pack the end of the joint to help ensure an even burn. A pen is great, but you can use just about anything. Some good options if you’re on the go: the tip of your shoelace, the drawstring on your hoodie, or a small stick. If you’re not planning on sparking your joint right away, you may want to close the tip with a twist.

Step 7: Enjoy (and Innovate!)

There are limitless ways to roll a joint. You can roll them big or small. Get creative! Some people have even transformed joint rolling into an art all on its own, rolling their cannabis into a unique mix of functional origami.

What’s your favorite way to roll a joint? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below and make sure to teach others this basic cannabis skill!

The Shake: California Police and Prisons Fight Legalization, and Vets Can Talk to Docs About Cannabis

California police and prison guards are some of prohibition’s biggest backers. Roughly half the money raised to fight California’s upcoming adult-use legalization initiative has come from police and prison guard groups, which The Intercept sees as a sign they’re “terrified that they might lose the revenue streams to which they’ve become so deeply addicted.” What does law enforcement stand to lose? Huge government grants, asset seizures that siphon money to local police departments, and the massive private prison profits that come with keeping drug offenders behind bars. Gawker’s Andy Cush encourages Californians to consider the push as they decide which way to vote:

“The law enforcement community’s flailing to stop legalization also happens to show exactly why it’s a good idea to support it, even if you don’t smoke: Fewer people imprisoned, and less policing for policing’s (and profit’s) sake. Go out and vote for pot this November, California.”

Congress to give veterans (in some states) the right to talk about medical cannabis with doctors. Lawmakers are expected to pass a bill that would allow military vets in states where medical marijuana is legal to discuss it with their doctors as part of treatment. “The death rate from opioids among VA health care is nearly double the national average,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), who introduced the bill. “What I hear from veterans is that medical marijuana has helped them deal with pain and PTSD, particularly as an alternative to opioids.”

Toronto dispensaries vow to fight mayor’s crackdown. The city’s Cannabis Friendly Business Association held a meeting Tuesday night at the Hotbox Café, The Globe and Mail reports. Many members felt Toronto Mayor John Tory, who’s threatened unlicensed dispensaries with $50,000 fines, simply doesn’t understand cannabis. “It’s not time to protest,” one attendee said. “It’s time to lobby.” But Tory doesn’t look all that receptive: Earlier today he postponed an effort to force a debate on licensing Toronto dispensaries, and he vowed to continue aggressive enforcement actions in the meantime.

The girl suspended for smelling like cannabis — even though she passed a drug test — is headed back to school. North Carolina school officials have reversed Tameka Johnson’s suspension, her mother says. Johnson was suspended after a school resource officer decided she smelled like cannabis despite a lack of evidence she consumed or possessed any at all.

The DEA is being dragged “kicking and screaming” into the world of legal cannabis. That’s the takeaway from Christopher Woody’s Business Insider piece, which takes a look at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s obstinate opposition in the face of new science, changing public perception, and state-by-state legalization.

Another example of the DEA being difficult: Agents raided one of Montana’s biggest medical dispensaries yesterday, taking Montana Buds and its neighbors by surprise. A DEA agent on the scene refused to answer observers’ questions, saying, “This is now a federal investigation.” Saying that probably makes you feel pretty badass as a narc, but what gives? The state Supreme Court ruled most dispensaries in their current form are illegal, but that ruling doesn’t take effect until August.

Cannabis could be coming to wine country. Napa city leaders are warming to the idea of allowing dispensaries among the valley’s vineyards. It’s part of a broader thawing of attitudes toward cannabis among some cities in the state, as the Orange County Register reports.

“Say Why to Drugs,” a U.K. newspaper urges. The Guardian is doing a series on the myths, harms, and benefits of various drugs (updated “fortnightly” because it’s a British publication). Today’s installment: cannabis.

A former DEA agent says there’s “real potential” for rescheduling this year. But don’t get your hopes up for more meaningful reform. “We are certainly preparing for the possibility of it moving from Schedule I to Schedule II,” Charles Feldmann, now a Colorado attorney, tells MJ Biz Daily, but “I don’t see it moving past that at this stage.”

Vermont cannabis entrepreneurs: “The market’s coming and we’re ready for it.” Forget that an ambitious legalization bill crashed and burned in the statehouse last month. As the Burlington Free Press reports, many are still bullish on the cannabis economy.

Florida legalization opponents launch first attack ad. Cannabis advocates, pushing to allow medical cannabis use for individuals with “debilitating” conditions like cancer, glaucoma, and HIV, describe the hit as “not a very accurate ad at all.” Surprised? Me neither.

Cannabis is changing the real estate game. Oregon writer Mohammed Alkhadher takes a look at what Washington and Colorado might show us about cannabis and location, location, location.

And finally, a Michigan man was busted for having a gun, some cannabis, and a box of baby squirrels. I’m not thrilled to see a headline tying medical cannabis to a lethal weapon, but I don’t mind the association with baby squirrels one bit. Squeeeee!

How Does Cannabis Consumption Affect Autism?

Autism and Cannabis at a Glance

• Autism is a collection of disorders that impact brain development, characterized by communication difficulties, social interaction problems, and repetitive and sometimes injurious behaviors
• Autism is caused by a combination of genetic mutations and environmental factors, such as advanced parental age and pregnancy problems
• Autism management focuses on therapies over drugs, including behavioral modification and social-skills coaching
• There are no clinical studies on cannabis and autism, but there is a growing body of positive anecdotal evidence from doctors and parents
• Lack of scientific data keeps doctors from endorsing cannabis in treating autism, but some promising ancillary research exists
• The many active compounds in cannabis may make proper dosing for children difficult to pinpoint, creating controversy in the medical community over its use

The Dilemma with Cannabis Treatment for Autism

It’s a chicken-and-egg thing: Doctors won’t prescribe cannabis to treat autism in children because no data exists to support such a course of treatment.

But the research doesn’t exist because of medical establishment fears about testing cannabis—with its many active compounds seen as potentially uncontrollable variables—on children.

In the absence of empirical data, however, is a growing body of anecdotal evidence that cannabis is making children with autism happier and healthier. And some doctors are listening.

“Anecdotes should not be dismissed,” said Dr. Daniele Piomelli, one of the world’s top neuroscientists and endocannabinoid researchers. The University of California-Irvine faculty member won’t consider prescribing cannabis at this time, but is aware of the growing clamor for it. “An anecdote is a pointer. It’s something that suggests something needs to be either proven or disproven.”

One researcher attempting to do just that is Dr. Giovanni Martinez, a clinical psychologist in Puerto Rico. His alternative therapy bona fides include his creation of SURF4DEM, a foundation that introduces children and families affected by autism to the therapeutic benefits of surfing.

Martinez is researching the therapeutic possibilities of treating children who have autism with CBD oil, and reports positive results. He recounted one particular case in which a child he treated spoke his first words after receiving a twice-daily spray of hemp oil. After three weeks, the child went from being non-verbal to developing significant language skills.

Moreover, Martinez reported that “initially the child would become so frustrated with his inability to communicate, he would would act out and injure himself. But, now that he can express himself, he laughs and enjoys life.” He added:

“It’s incredible to see a child go from being non-communicative to achieving a significant improvement in quality of life—for both the child and his family.”

Another success story comes from Mieko Hester-Perez, founder of the Unconventional Foundation for Autism, advisory board member to Cannabis Science. Coming from a conservative family with deep roots in law enforcement, she’s an unlikely cannabis advocate, But she is also the mother of Joey, the boy for which Aaron Justis of Buds and Roses Collective and master cultivator Kyle Kushman developed Joey’s Strain.

Hester-Perez’s conversion to cannabis came when Joey, who has autism, was later diagnosed with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, a rare and aggressively degenerative muscular disorder. He was given six months to live, and in that time, would need to take a cocktail of FDA-approved medications with a severe degree of documented toxicity. At the time, he was already taking up to 13 different meds each day.

After researching less impactful, life-extending alternatives, Hester-Perez came across cannabis. Curious, she experimented with giving her son cannabis-infused edibles. Soon after, Joey began making eye contact—always a struggle for children with autism—on a more consistent basis. The edibles seemed to stimulate his appetite and he put on weight. Six years after that six-months-terminal diagnosis, Joey is happy, sociable and thriving.

Despite the results, some professionals in the medical and scientific communities criticized Hester-Perez for treating a child with cannabis, Her response:

“Until you’ve walked in my shoes. Until you’ve walked in Joey’s shoes. Until you’ve seen where a child was before cannabis, how much progress they’ve made after cannabis, and how much their lives can improve, who is anyone to pass judgment?”

What is Autism?

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder, refers to a collection of complex disorders that affect brain development. As a “spectrum,” ASD affects individuals in varying degrees, but generally a person with autism will suffer from three core symptoms:

• Communication difficulties
• Difficulties in social interaction
• Repetitive—sometimes self-injurious—behaviors

While some ASD children may be characterized as having an intellectual disability, some—often characterized as “high-functioning”—excel in music, math, and art. Symptoms may also improve as they get older. However, other ASD children are unable to speak and may engage in self-harming behaviors.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1.5 percent—or 1 in 68—of children in the U.S. have been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. The number of children diagnosed as being on the spectrum has increased tenfold over 40 years, with boys four to five times more likely to be diagnosed than girls.

What Causes Autism?

Until recent years, the answer was, “We don’t know.” Now we know that while there is no single cause, research tells us that autism can be traced to early brain development.

Within just the last few years, researchers have identified a number of mutations, or rare gene changes, a few of which may act as a catalyst for autism. In other cases, autism may be caused by a combination of environmental factors and a genetic predisposition, which affect early brain development.

The most obvious signs of autism surface between ages 2 and 3, so groups like the Organization for Autism Research have been funding research efforts to help detect autism at earlier ages—as early diagnoses may improve the effect of treatment options.

Other risk factors may include:

• Age of a parent (or parents) at time of conception
• Maternal illness during pregnancy
• Difficulties during pregnancy or birth—for example, oxygen deprivation to a baby’s brain

Independently, none of these factors causes autism; however, in conjunction with genetic factors, the risk increases. There is encouraging evidence that a woman may decrease the chances of autism in her child if she follows a diet that includes folic-rich foods and prenatal vitamins before and after conception.

What are Current Treatments for Autism?

Every child and his or her autism is unique, so what works for one child may have adverse effects in another.

The least controversial treatments are behavioral and may include target social-skills training or parent led therapy sessions under the supervision of a therapist. Evidence-driven studies demonstrate the benefits of two early behavioral intervention methods, including:

• The Lovaas Model based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
• The Early Start Denver Model

Other studied and validated behavioral therapies that may be effective include:

• Pivotal Response Therapy
• Floortime
• Verbal Behavior Therapy

As children grow older, other methods such as extensive structured and therapeutic activities, social skill development, daily living, motor skills development, and communication coaching can be valuable.

There are an astonishingly few approved medical treatments for autism. In fact, there are currently just two drugs approved by the FDA to treat irritability associated with autism, yet no drug has been approved to treat autism’s three core characteristics—communication difficulties, social challenges, and repetitive behaviors.

The two approved medications are:

• Risperidone (brand name Risperdal)
• Aripiprazole (brand name Abilify)

While these two drugs can provide relief by reducing irritability, self-injuring behaviors, and aggressive outbursts, there can be significant side effects, including diabetes, significant weight gain, gynecomastia (development of male breasts), movement disorders, and heart problems.

Numerous other medications are “experimental” or “off-label.” “Experimental” drugs can carry significant unknown risks, while “off-label” drugs have been approved for conditions that appear related to autism such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression, or sleep disorders.

Some of these drugs include:

• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
• Stimulant medications like Adderall or Ritalin
• Naltrexone, an FDA-approved medication to treat alcohol and opioid addictions; it has shown success in some patients by alleviating disabling repetitive and self-injurious behaviors

It’s important to note that there have been no significant clinical trials to demonstrate risk or efficacy of these drugs in children with autism. Moreover, predicting which drug (and what dosage) may be effective has proven to be problematic.

Can Cannabis Treat Autism?

Increasingly, parents of children with severe autism, frustrated with the lack of options, have turned to cannabis. Many have heard anecdotal reports of success; others have read of promising results with epileptic children. However, clinical research remains nonexistent.

While you can now find 562 clinical studies (studies outside the lab on humans) involving cannabis listed on ClinicalTrials.gov—none involve epilepsy or autism.

However, that doesn’t mean there is no promising research:

• A 2013 study conducted by Dr. Dario Siniscalco found indications that certain compounds—namely the CB2 receptor—found in cannabis may be helpful in managing autism.
• A study published in 2013 by Dr. Csaba Foldy at the Second University of Naples in association with Stanford University Medical School found that alterations in endocannabinoid signaling may contribute to autism.
• According to the Autism Research Institute, some of the symptoms that MMJ have improved include “anxiety, aggression, panic disorder, generalized rage, tantrums, property destruction, and self-injurious behavior.”
• Dr. Daniele Piomelli and Dr. Olivier Manzoni discovered that certain chemicals found in cannabis may help behavioral issues in children with autism or Fragile X syndrome.

Piomelli has presided over some groundbreaking discoveries, including the potential of cannabinoids—specifically one endocannabinoid called anandamide. He demonstrated it could be used to treat autism by regulating social reward.

According to Piomelli, his team discovered endocannabinoids appear not only to be important in regulating normal social behavior, but also to be possibly involved in the dysfunctional behavior that accompanies at least certain forms of autism spectrum disorders. “The endocannabinoids offer hope that one could—by interfering particularly with their destruction and by boosting their activity—normalize social behavior in children with autism,” Piomelli said.

Is Cannabis Therapy Worth the Risk?

Because scientists are driven by data, few doctors or researchers are willing to recommend cannabis to treat autism. In contrast to epilepsy, which has references dating back as far as 1843, there just isn’t a sufficient body of evidence for most physicians to feel comfortable recommending cannabis as a treatment.

Piomelli cautions that dosing can be problematic, that many parents may not be equipped to assess or monitor proper dosing, and that attempting to do so without the guidance of a qualified professional could have serious consequences:

“[P]harmacology is all about doses. Low doses can be good, while high doses can be bad. One thing people need to understand is that if the endocannabinoid system has a protective role, it doesn’t mean that activating this system may not be harmful.”

He cautions there is a possibility one risks “messing up the endocannabinoid system. Even though the intent is to enhance social behavior, one may end up actually having the opposite effect.

“Further, because we’re dealing with plants, there are added layers of complexity. Whereas, with most pharmacological drugs, there is usually a single active compound to treat a condition, cannabis contains potentially hundreds. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. Many attribute the efficacy of cannabis to an entourage effect—or a synergy between ingredients. While this may be an overall positive, it doesn’t lessen the complexity of determining which component may be helping, and which may be counterproductive or harmful.”

Piomelli, like most doctors, would not recommend cannabis as a treatment, because there is little scientific research to base it on. Unlike epilepsy, the research on autism is in its infancy. However, recognizing that parents who’ve tried everything see cannabis as a last defense, “I certainly would not pass judgment on a parent who is desperate and would do it. I’m just saying be very, very careful what you do.”

Other professionals privately admit that for parents who feel they’ve exhausted all other options, the unknowns and potential risks may be acceptable. According to the late Bernard Rimland, founder of the Autism Society of America and former director of the Autism Research Institute, “the benefit/risk profile of medical marijuana seems fairly benign” when compared to Risperdal or what Dr. Rimland considers the least useful and most dangerous: psychotropic drugs.

“Moreover, the reports we are seeing from parents indicate that medical marijuana often works when no other treatments, drug or non-drug, have helped,” Rimland added.

State of the Leaf: Alaska OKs Cannabis Clubs, and Vancouver Licenses its First Dispensary

Here’s the latest new legalization legislation: Alaska just released retail cannabis regulations that will make it the only state to allow legal, on-site consumption in recreational shops. Michigan legalization is this close to earning a spot on the November ballot, Ohio tweaked the rules in its medical marijuana initiative in a big way, Oklahoma started gathering signatures for a medical cannabis push, and one Tennessee congressional candidate was caught with cannabis — and refuses to apologize.

Internationally, Australia’s New South Wales may extend medical cannabis to non-terminally ill patients, Vancouver, B.C., just issued its first marijuana business license, and Macedonia could start allowing medical marijuana in pharmacies by the end of the month!

U.S. News Updates

Alaska

The Alaska Marijuana Control Board has released draft regulations for cannabis consumption in the state’s soon-to-be-licensed retail cannabis shops. Customers will be able to purchase up to one gram of cannabis, edibles containing up to 10 mg of THC, and up to a quarter-gram of cannabis concentrates for on-site consumption. The regulations include stipulations that there be security, ventilation, and separation between the retail purchasing area and the area for consumption. The regulations also allow consumption of food and beverages not containing cannabis, which could open the door for cafes and eateries to join the cannabis industry (or vice versa).

The Marijuana Control Board began accepting applications on Feb. 24, with the intent to begin handing out licenses within 90 days. The latest target to begin issuing licenses is June 9, but the process may take more time in Anchorage, which requires special land-use permits and local licenses.

Michigan

The group hoping for a legalization bid is facing a June 1 deadline to submit the 252,523 signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot. MILegalize has already gathered more than 300,000 signatures. They’re hoping to submit a total of 350,000 before the deadline. Extra signatures are crucial, as a portion of signatures in any petition drive are inevitably disqualified. Maine’s legalization efforts were nearly thwarted when more than 20,000 signatures were nixed due to a signature discrepancy. The next few weeks will be important for Michigan’s chances at full legalization. If you’d like to show your support, you can find the nearest MILegalize petition locations here.

Ohio

A new tweak to Ohio’s medical marijuana bill would allow qualified patients to use cannabis from other states during the implementation process. The Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee made several changes to House Bill 523 that would spur the timeline forward and encourage patient participation. The committee moved the program from the Department of Commerce to the state Pharmacy Board, which would begin licensing cultivators six months earlier than previously anticipated. Unfortunately, the bill still contains a clause that would allow employers to maintain drug-testing programs and fire workers who fail, even employees are registered under state law.

In an effort to avoid a monopoly (one of the complaints about the ResponsibleOhio amendment last election cycle), there is a requirement that minority businesses owners receive 15 percent of all cannabis business licenses. “It’s not an intent to have a monopoly,” said Sen. Dave Burke (R-Marysville), “but to have a market of equity and equal participation.”

Oklahoma

Oklahomans for Health held a rally for medical marijuana support last week and are launching a petition drive to gather signatures. May 14 was the first day the group could begin collecting signatures to gain a spot on the November ballot. Oklahomans for Health will have 90 days to collect the needed 65,987 signatures for the initiative to make the cut. If you’d like to see medical cannabis come to Oklahoma, you can find petition locations here.

In the meantime, Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill to expand the medically supervised use of cannabidiol for patients who experience epileptic seizures. The previous law allowed only children under 18 to access the medicine. The new law removes the age restriction.

Tennessee

East Tennessee Democrat Florence “Flo” Matheson is running for a seat in the 6th Congressional District, but she could face criminal charges after a cannabis growing operation was found in a barn on her property. Matheson maintains she was unaware of the growing operation and says the 180 plants belong to Stephen Harrington, a disabled veteran and tenant in her home. Matheson admitted to possessing two ounces of cannabis for personal medical use but refused to back down from her congressional bid, telling media that the incident would motivate her to “work even harder now” for decriminalization in Tennessee.

International News Updates

Australia

Premier Mike Baird announced that the state of New South Wales has submitted an application to grow medicinal marijuana under the new licensing infrastructure being put in place by the federal government. Trials are already under way in New South Wales, and the state is hoping to get one of the first licenses available for cultivation to ensure a steady supply for the trials. The trials are currently limited to individuals suffering from epilepsy, undergoing chemotherapy, or diagnosed with terminal illnesses. However, Baird recently revealed that the state government is considering expanding medical marijuana to non-terminal patients. Baird addressed attendees of the Medicinal Cannabis Symposium in Western Sydney by saying, “I can assure you with everything I have, and every resource in government, we are doing everything we can to move as quickly as we can.”

Canada

Vancouver just issued its first business license to a marijuana dispensary as the city begins the enforcement of municipal bylaws aimed at regulating cannabis businesses. The Wealth Shop was granted a license to operate in the Point Grey neighborhood, near the University of British Columbia. For-profit stores that are awarded a license must pay an annual licensing fee of $30,000 (or $1,000 if the shop operates as a non-profit “compassion club”). Since the bylaws have been enforced, 30 shops have closed and 139 have been issued tickets for remaining open without a license. Unfortunately, even storefronts operating within the bounds of the bylaws put themselves at risk by operating, as any cannabis sold in stores is technically illegal because it is produced through individual patient production licenses and not businesses.

Macedonia

Macedonian Health Minister Nikola Todorov announced that medical cannabis will soon be available in pharmacies. New amendments to the Law on Control of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances legalized the use and possession of cannabis products for patients suffering from serious illnesses, such as malignant diseases, multiple sclerosis, HIV, and childhood epilepsy. The Macedonian Health Ministry and the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices are planning to invite foreign experts to help train pharmacists and medical specialists on the safe and effective uses of cannabis. Medical cannabis products are expected to be available on the market by the end of May this year.

Hope you’re all having a fantastic week!

The Shake: Oakland Aids Drug War Victims, Grover Norquist Calls for Cannabis Tax Reform

Oakland offers licensing leg up to applicants jailed for cannabis. Controversial? You bet. But it’s also a bold effort to address some of the racial discrepancies plaguing the cannabis industry. While women have wrangled an appreciable share of the market boom — at least compared to other, stubbornly male-dominated industries — people of color have largely been left out. Much of that is the result of laws that bar people with criminal records from landing local licenses. Those laws grew out of public safety concerns, but they disproportionately exclude people of color: Even in legal states, black people are far more likely to be arrested for cannabis than whites, despite similar rates of use. As David Downs writes in the East Bay Express, “Recent reports show that minorities are both: under-represented among legal cannabusiness owners; and over-represented in the criminal justice system for pot.” That mismatch spurred Oakland’s program, which the City Council said is aimed to reward neighborhoods and individuals hardest hit by the war on drugs. Expect to hear more on this as word makes its way across the country.

Anti-tax icon calls for cannabis to be taxed fairly. Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform are calling for Congress to address some of the disparities still faced by the cannabis industry. One big one: IRS Rule 280E, which prevents cannabis companies from deducting most normal business expenses.

Vancouver issues its first dispensary business license. The Wealth Shop won a license to operate in the city’s swank Point Grey neighborhood, The Globe and Mail reports. It’s the first business license the city’s granted to a dispensary as the city works to reform its local bylaws.

Kids still can’t get medication in Mississippi. Two years ago little Harper Grace Durval, who suffers from Dravet syndrome, became the face of Mississippi’s debate over cannabis oil. Advocates won, and the governor signed a medical legalization bill. Today Harper Grace still awaits her first dose. Her seizures are coming more often and lasting longer, her mom tells local news WAPT, and she now takes seven different medications to keep them at bay.

Portland will rein in cannabis events featuring free samples. Officials in the Oregon city are investigating at least three large-scale gatherings, Noelle Crombie writes in The Oregonian, though they won’t say which ones. Authorities are concerned the events might violate clean-air rules, as well as regulations preventing public consumption and sale.

Pittsburgh NORML hits back against crummy concentrate coverage. “Simply stated, this is absurd ‘reefer madness’ nonsense,” the group said in a blog post this week, referring to a lazily reported story on extracts by local news station WPXI. It’s more mediocre journalism by East Coast outlets more interested in selling salacious stories about shatter than informing their audiences. (We’re looking at you, New York Times.)

The squeeze is on in Michigan. Advocates are running out of time to collect signatures to qualify an adult-use legalization measure for November’s ballot, John Schroyer reports. “We’re in a mad dash and scramble to get as many signatures as we can,” says Jeff Hank, chairman of MILegalize. The group faces a June 1 deadline.

Meanwhile, Detroit’s dispensary crackdown is underway. Twenty-two shops have reportedly closed, and CBS Detroit says officials want to shutter 66 more in the near-term. (City authorities say many are operating in drug-free school zones.) Zoning laws in Detroit are complicated: Just try making sense of this map.

Want tickets to the gun show? Tough luck if you’re in San Francisco. The city’s last remaining gun store is about to become a medical marijuana dispensary. Toodles, High Bridge Arms. Hello, High Bridge Cannabis Club. Not everyone’s happy: “Take a shop that was good for the neighborhood for those of us who actually use guns and have guns,” resident Jo Lein told KTVU. “And now, we have to go all the way to San Mateo.”

“Synthetic marijuana” continues to confuse people and piss off cannabis advocates. Luckily the International Business Times knows the difference — a sign of nuance that’s missing from much mainstream media coverage these days. “Spice is not marijuana, but actually a designer drug that emulates its effect,” writes Vittorio Hernandez. (Never heard of spice? Here’s a good primer.)

And you thought cannabis was legal in California. Local cops raided San Diego-based Med-West Distribution back in January. Police had previously claimed the vape-cartridge company’s manufacturing process was illegal, but no charges have been filed yet against the lab or its employees, and the San Diego District Attorney’s office is keeping mum. “We just thought that we were part of the responsible marijuana industry,” CEO James Slatic tells the Huffington Post.

Washington state legislators are short-changing teen drug-prevention programs. Legalization “has, by some measures, been an immediate success,” writes the Seattle Times editorial board. But the state Legislature has been diverting cannabis taxes earmarked for education and steering them into the state’s general fund. C’mon, Olympia.

Washington has “enough” cannabis? It may not be so simple. A recent report suggested the current amount of cultivation would be more than sufficient to cover both medical and recreational demand in the state. But Tobias Coughlin-Bogue talked to patients for The Stranger and reports that many are struggling to track down high-CBD strains. Not all cannabis is created equal, people.

Local attitudes toward cannabis in legal states continue to ebb and flow. In Yakima, Wash., the City Council last night voted to undo the city’s ban on cannabis businesses. As the Yakima Herald reports, the ban has been in place since 2014. It’s an encouraging sign, but it’s a mixed bag across legal states. In Oregon’s election yesterday, Grant and Klamath counties voted down efforts to allow cultivation and sales. The state allows local jurisdictions to opt-out of the regulated state market, and more than 100 cities and counties have done so.

A book on cannabis won an Independent Book Publishers Association award. Congratulations to Jorge Cervantes, whose title, The Cannabis Encyclopedia, picked up the IBPA’s Benjamin Franklin Award last month.

And finally, want my job? UC Berkeley now offers a cannabis journalism extension course.

US OR: Christen Ties Cannabis To Economic Development

Grants Pass Daily Courier, 16 May 2016 – Shayne Christen is a man of few words. Asked what he would do about economic development, if he were elected to the Josephine County Board of Commissioners, he replied, “We need to do something about more jobs. There’s a lot of possibilities.”

The Shake: Urine Tests Wash Out Tech’s Best and Brightest, and Cannabis ‘Twinkie’ Defense Used

Imagine a world where working for someone else didn’t mean peeing in a cup. Employers have it tough these days, says The New York Times: “They are struggling to find workers who can pass a pre-employment drug test.” Screenings have become ubiquitous, the piece notes, not only in industries like trucking where federal law mandates testing, but also “at corporations with big human resources departments” and “increasingly at smaller companies.” Indeed, a recent survey found that 48.2 percent of working adults in the U.S. said their employers performed drug tests of some kind. Sometimes the tests actually prevent an employer from hiring the best and brightest: The FBI in 2014 complained it couldn’t land crucial cybersecurity personnel because, as The Wall Street Journal put it at the time, “A lot of the nation’s top computer programmers and hacking gurus are also fond of marijuana.”

Let that sink in. These drug tests aren’t weeding out bad actors — they’re actively preventing organizations from hiring the best people. “This is a problem with a very simple solution solution,” Gawker’s Andy Cush writes in a reply to the NYT story: “Stop drug-testing your workers.” He’s right. While it might seem sensible on some level, it’s not clear it does any good. In a deep dive into the history of America’s obsession with examining urine, Daniel Engber notes that there’s not much evidence that workplace drug testing does anything at all, at least aside from cost companies money, keep testing labs employed, and occasionally scare the crap out of people like me.

There are, obviously, good reasons to want your employees to stay sober at work. But take a look at a more reasonable approach: After critics like Tom Angell called it out for drug-testing workers, Denver-based vape pen company O.penVAPE changed its workplace policy to expressly forbid impairment at work rather than penalize workers’ decisions to consume on their own time. Roughly the same goes for truckers and alcohol use, writes Gawker’s Cush: “The DOT handles this by subjecting commercial drivers to random breathalyzer tests while they’re working. That last part is crucial. If an employee is directed to take an alcohol test while he’s off-duty, federal law considers that test ‘improper’ and bars employers from using it against him.”

Students are going to college on cannabis’ dime. Colorado cannabis is helping to send 25 students to college with the first scholarships in the U.S. to be funded by revenue from legal cannabis sales.

There’s money for homelessness, too. In Aurora, Colo., officials expect to take in $8 million in cannabis tax in 2016, which is $3 million more than they expected. So they’ve pledged $4.5 million to homeless programs. Nice.

A new study says states are losing billions by not legalizing. A study from the Tax Foundation, and independent think tank, concludes that federal and state governments lose an estimated $28 billion from not legalizing cannabis. Hot damn, that’s a lot of cash!

Ontario student gets insurance coverage for the ultimate study aid. Jonathan Zaid uses cannabis to concentrate on his studies, but couldn’t afford $30 a day to access it. The private Canadian health insurance provider eventually decided to cover the drug, which could open the door for insurance providers to cover medical marijuana in Canada.

NFL should legalize it, says Chicago Tribune. “There is no good reason for weed to be on the list of banned substances — any more than alcohol, which the NFL is more than happy to embrace in advertising,” writes Trib editorial columnist Steve Chapman. This is what happens when players like Baltimore Ravens lineman Eugene Monroe speak out (and donate $80K to research). The Guardian, The Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Fortune have more on the Monroe fallout.

Cannabis is the new Twinkie defense. The Daily Beast reports on the latest in the Richard Kirk case, in which Kirk’s attorneys are laying the groundwork for a “cannabis made me do it” defense. Kirk allegedly murdered his wife in 2014 in Denver.

Stop mailing cannabis, Texas. Just legalize it. KEYE-TV in Austin reports that far too many consumers in Texas are receiving cannabis via the U.S. Postal Service. Postal Inspector Mike Sullivan kind of takes it as a point of pride: With USPS, he said, “it usually gets there and it’s really dependable.” But seriously. Don’t mail it.

NCIA Hosts The 3nd Annual Cannabis Business Summit In Oakland June 20-22

TheNational Cannabis Industry Association, the only national trade association representing the businesses of the legal marijuana industry, will hold its third annual national conference, theCannabis Business Summit and Expo, in Oakland, CA,June 20-22, 2016, at the Marriott City Center. California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom will deliver the policy keynote address on Tuesday, June 21. Newsom,

Cannabis Advocates in Italy Down but Not Out After Disappointing UN Summit

The takeaway from April’s United Nations meetings on international drug policy, at least in Italy: We’re ready to culturally embrace cannabis and other recreational drugs, but we’re bureaucratically hamstrung when it comes to making it happen.

Marco Perduca, Italy’s permanent representative to the U.N. from the Radical Party, said that while many countries are calling for sensible policy and seeking to regulate and legalize cannabis, other countries continue to violate human rights in the suppression of the cannabis trade — and thus stymie progressive efforts worldwide.

“The result therefore represents a weakened consensus. The final 24-page document (summarizing the final agreed position of the entire U.N. delegation) contains a series of vague declarations of intent that marks a certain distance from past attitudes, but continues to focus on demand and supply reduction,” Perduca said.

Perduca spoke earlier this month at a gathering of Italy’s drug-reform activists in Florence earlier this month to discuss the future following the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on drug policy in New York. In Italy, calls for action and the long-sought establishment of sensible rules regulating cannabis and other controlled substances are only getting louder.

There appears to be a three-year window of opportunity to make progress. The next edition of UNGASS is proposed for 2019. After that, nothing is planned before 2030.

Italy used to be a leader in Europe in offering harm-reduction facilities to drug users, but recent conservative governments have made those efforts more difficult.

Italian Justice Minister Andrea Orlando told representatives in the U.N. plenary that now is the time to establish drug policies that really work, and to cut away from demagogic approaches on the road to the 2019 summit.

Perduca, a former Italian senator, noted that the most interesting part of the April summit were the discussions that took place in the underbelly of the U.N. headquarters in Manhattan. Topics ranging from cannabis regulation, harm reduction policies or the necessity to reduce or end the criminalization of the drug users created an atmosphere more like a symposium than a decision making event.

Perduca said that the Italian people need to raise their voices above those of the nation’s political dawdlers if Italy hopes to build on its drug-policy successes, such as the nation abandoning its drug-policy alliance with Russia and Japan, two nations that have always opposed the decisions and policies of the European Union.

“The government should start carrying out policies that really work and review existing laws and policies,” Perduca said. “It’s time to promote what really works.”

Policy developments in the United States, Canada and elsewhere — leading to regulated cannabis markets with a strong emphasis on safety—should continue to serve as models for best practices in Italy and the European Union, Perduca added.

7 High-Energy Strains to Help You Get Active and Fight Fatigue

Certain cannabis strains can actually provide a good deal of energy, allowing you to keep active and crush the fatigue keeping you down. This realization can be life-changing for those susceptible to daytime lethargy, whether that comes from depression, stress, insomnia, a genetic predisposition, or another disorder. Getting out of bed can seem like a monumental task when fatigue itself is a force of gravity, but the right strain can provide a boost of motivation to get those legs moving.

Maybe fatigue isn’t a problem and you just prefer a good energizing strain in lieu of a morning cup of coffee, or to pair with hiking or exercise. Some researchers theorize that sativas contain more uplifting, revitalizing cannabinoids and terpenes than indicas, and high-CBD strains are shown to keep energy high as well. Finding the perfect one for you often requires a good deal of experimentation, so hopefully this list narrows down a few starting places.

More energizing strains can be found in the Leafly Explorer – just search the “energetic,” “uplifted,” and “fatigue” tags for an extended list.

Durban Poison

Late one night, I was struggling to finish an article and my eyes were beginning to heavy. I fired up my vaporizer, loaded some Durban Poison, and breathed in its sweet and spicy vapor. Within minutes, I found myself hammering away at the keyboard with resurrected creativity and engagement. To no one’s surprise, this uplifting sativa is known to contain high levels of the energizing cannabinoid THCV.

“Durban Poison is like the “espresso” of cannabis. The raciest sativa I know of, it’s a stimulating and clearheaded high with no trace of numbing or “stoning.” It wakes you up, cuts through the bleary fog and leaves you clearheaded and bright, gives you energy to go and seize the day.” -MrTibet

Jillybean

The moment you unscrew the lid on Jillybean’s jar, the room fills with a sweet fragrance of oranges, honeyed mangoes, and sweet wildflowers. The aromatherapy provided by Jillybean is just a bonus to the uplifting effects that make your mind soar with newfound inspiration.

“Great daytime fix for when you need to be social or productive. Gives a nice uplifting head buzz, but doesn’t ever weigh down your body. Leaves you motivated, happy, energetic, and focused.” -vinylvixen

Harlequin

Some people are sensitive to THC. It can make them anxious, paranoid, sleepy, dizzy, or dry out the mouth and eyes. Luckily, not every energizing strain contains high levels of THC. Take the high-CBD sativa Harlequin for example. This strain provides a weightless sensation with very minimal psychoactive effects, making it an excellent choice for any tasks that require clearheaded cognition. Plus, it’s great for treating pain.

“During my daily workouts I smoke a little Harlequin before strength training. It keeps me focused through the pain and helps to maximize my workout. It keeps me up and feeling good on my days off (I work graveyard shift).” – naturallyjass

Chocolope

My go-to favorite for staying active, Chocolope is a fiercely cerebral sativa whose uplifting effects will keep motivation flying high. Its earthy flavor pairs perfectly with coffee, and it just so happens that the strain’s energizing effects complement each other nicely. Long touted as the perfect “wake-and-bake” strain, Chocolope will leave you feeling unencumbered and motivated to take that long hike or hit the gym.

“A great all-around daytime strain, Chocolope eases my worries and helps me get stuff done that I would be otherwise too stressed to handle. All of a sudden doing laundry, cooking, cleaning and running errands doesn’t feel like too much. This strain lifts the weight of the world off my shoulders and makes me want to do stuff!” – PhantomSpaceman

Ghost Train Haze

This speedy sativa is best saved for cannabis veterans and heavyweights. With a THC high enough to put this strain on our list of top 10 strongest cannabis strains, you can count on quite the euphoric ride when you hop aboard the Ghost Train. For those of you who can hang with an extra-potent sativa, expect to feel a trippy buzz that inspires appreciation of your surroundings, especially while outdoors.

“When I smoke this, I really want to get up and go on adventures. I feel aware of my surroundings and can even focus very well. But, at the same time, feel very chill and carefree. Carefree is the best word to describe the feeling. You just feel ALIVE. You feel perfect.” – Shock_T

Green Crack

I had to do it. I had to include Green Crack because despite having an eyebrow-raising name, this sativa is a godsend for those of us who need a giant kick in the butt to get active. Though the raciness of its high can be too much for the paranoia-prone, imbibing this sativa in a comfortable setting yields astonishingly stimulating effects. You’ll find your body humming with liveliness, fueling your desire to get out with friends and lose yourself to nonstop laughing fits.

“OMG, this stuff made me want to rearrange my furniture for four hours. LOVE IT!” – itsmemsj

XJ-13

I can hardly resist snagging this sativa-dominant hybrid when I see it on the shelf. Led by an astoundingly pungent aroma of lemon, lime, and tropical fruit, XJ-13 is as much a pleasure in flavor as it is in effect. XJ has a way of simplifying life, encouraging you to let go of stress and emotional baggage. Unencumbered by mental weight, XJ-13 leaves you buzzing with newfound energy and allows you to take genuine pleasure in conversation, art, and activities.

“This instinctively feels like an amazing strain for those with social anxiety as it brings your energy levels and creative thinking up. This may be a new favorite for the sativa lover in me.” – Koensayr

What’s your go-to strain for getting up and out? Share your favorites in the comment section below!

Pittsburgh NORML Responds To Media Reefer Madness Hysteria Over Cannabis Concentrates

It is with utter dismay that we awakened this morning to salacious reports from WPXI about a dangerous “new” form of marijuana that has arrived in Pittsburgh. WPXI seeks to warn us of the “dangers” of hash oil concentrates, also know as “wax”, “oil” “shatter” and “butter.” The alleged journalists at WPXI would have us

Louisiana Clears Legislative Hurdle to Dispensing Medical Marijuana

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An effort to speed up and expand the dispensing of medical marijuana in Louisiana won final legislative passage Monday, spurred by personal stories of people with seizures and severe pain that bill advocates say would be eased with MMJ.

Lawmakers created the framework for an MMJ program in Louisiana last year, but regulatory hurdles built into the law have slowed its start.

The bill by Republican Sen. Fred Mills, a St. Martin Parish pharmacist, will broaden the program to cover more diseases and make regulatory changes aimed at getting cannabis—in an oil form that can’t be smoked—into patients’ hands more quickly.

Senators agreed to House changes made to Mills’ bill with a 22-14 vote and no debate. The measure heads next to Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has said he will sign it into law.

In sending the bill to the governor’s desk, lawmakers spurned opposition from local sheriffs and district attorneys who described the bill as a step toward unfettered, recreational use of cannabis.

Those arguments failed to gain traction against stories from parents who described children struggling with uncontrollable seizures, who talked of moving to Colorado to lessen their children’s suffering, and who launched billboards and social media campaigns for the bill.

During debates, lawmakers told personal stories of their own family members with cancer, epilepsy and other medical conditions that could be treated with MMJ.

The law passed last year will eventually get MMJ to people suffering from cancer and a severe form of cerebral palsy. Mills’ proposal will add seizure disorders, HIV, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and other diseases to the list.

The bill also sets a Sept. 1 deadline for LSU and Southern University to decide if they want to be the state-sanctioned grower of the product, in an effort to speed the decision-making since the schools get first right of refusal to grow the plant.

It also reworks some of the regulatory language to address doctors’ concerns about running afoul of federal drug regulations, allowing a physician to “recommend” use of therapeutic cannabis, rather than prescribe the drug.

Mills has estimated Louisiana is about two years away from getting MMJ to patients. The state-sanctioned grower needs to be selected, along with 10 licensed distributors

At a High-End Amsterdam Restaurant, Gourmet Food and Vapes Sit Side-by-Side

A new restaurant concept in Amsterdam proves the Dutch can still innovate when it comes to cannabis. Recently I paid a visit to The Green House Kitchen, where every table contains a top range vaporizer and you’re free to vape cannabis and other herbs while you eat.

The Green House Kitchen is located on Haarlemmerstraat, within walking distance of Amsterdam’s central station. The street has been a hot spot for cannabis coffeeshops for decades and these days it looks more attractive than ever, with lots of small specialty stores, bars, and restaurants. The name “Green House Kitchen” and the presence of a Green House coffeeshop right next door are no coincidence: the canna-friendly restaurant is run by Celester Roskam. Celester is the daughter of Arjen Roskam, self-appointed “King of Cannabis” and founder of Green House coffeeshops and seed company and the popular “Strain Hunters” series.

The Green House Kitchen looks wonderful, the interior balanced between cozy and stylish. On every table there’s a VapirRise 2.0 vaporizer and a wooden board with porcelain bowls containing different herbs. The name tags indicate the recommended temperature range for vaporizing. Hops—the aromatic sister of cannabis–should be vaporized at a temperature between 175 and 200 degrees Celsius, peppermint at 125 to 165. Other available herbs include chamomile, passion flower, lemon leaves, and rosemary.

I first visited The Green House Kitchen a few weeks after it opened, in the company of fellow journalists and cannabis connoisseurs. Our extra-long table also contained little glass jars with three cannabis strains: Super Lemon Haze, Pure Kush, and Lavender Kush. But this was just for the occasion: the Green House Kitchen is not allowed to sell any cannabis to its clientele. Not a real problem, since the Green House coffeeshop is right next door.

All adult customers are allowed to vaporize cannabis at the restaurant. The Dutch law that bans smoking in public places only concerns tobacco and the possession of cannabis by adults is one hundred percent legal (unlike in most European countries). Nevertheless, it was a new experience for me to vape copious amounts of primo herb while families with young children were having dinner two tables down from ours.

Vaporizing itself is still a rare phenomenon in the Dutch cannabis scene: the vast majority of consumers still favor the old tobacco and cannabis mix joint rolled in the classic Europe cone shape. The Green House Kitchen is doing its bit to popularize the healthy alternative, working together with Vaposhop, the company providing the vaporizers. It’s clear that the Roskam family wanted to maintain the quality standards that have brought the Green House coffeeshops and seed company their huge success.

As for the menu, all food is organic and there are options for vegetarians, vegans, and patrons on a gluten-free, raw, or paleo diet. The courses would have tasted good even without the appetite-stimulating vapors we enjoyed before and during the meal. The food was exquisite and looked marvelous too: munchies taken to the next level.

For me the real eye-opener was mixing cannabis with herbs and leafs like peppermint and rosemary in the vaporizer. It certainly added to the atmosphere, with people recommending combinations to each other, passing vaporizers and generally having a splendid time. One of the journalists present later wrote:

“I believe this concept is a solid attempt at changing the way not only we, but also the mainstream looks at cannabis consumption. The whole experience felt like something from the 21st century, whereas coffeeshops are a thing of the 20th century and thus (perhaps) the past.”

Maybe that’s going too far. Perhaps because I’ve been smoking “European style” joints for over 25 years. Or maybe because I love coffeeshops. But I do agree with sociology professor Egbert Tellegen, who has called the cannabis coffeeshop “the most important Dutch social innovation of the last fifty years.”

The Vape & Dine concept, like vaporizing in general, is a welcome addition to the range of ways to benefit from the plant. From a political perspective, innovative and well run places like The Green House Kitchen help to improve the public image of cannabis. Something that’s urgently needed, unfortunately. The Netherlands, once the proud front-runner in progressive cannabis policy, has seen an unprecedented wave of repression and bad press around cannabis since the turn of the century.

Despite the Dutch government’s repressive measures stifling the cannabis industry and generating negative media attention, progress is afoot. It’s so good to see a place like The Green House Kitchen breaking new ground in Amsterdam. Sure, things are tough, but the Dutch won’t give up their cannabis culture. They will continue to innovate, like they always have.

Colorado’s Smaller Communities Finding Cannabis Costs, Benefits in Uneasy Balance

DENVER (AP) — The mayor of a tiny Denver-area town looks forward to filling pot holes with pot revenue. The prospect of cannabis-tax proceeds also has raised spirits in a Colorado mountain county facing the closure of a major mine.

But across the state that has been a legal-cannabis pioneer, small communities are finding costs as well. Staff can barely keep up with licensing applications and keep tabs on the new businesses.

Jason Warf, head of the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, an industry group, said cannabis can be revitalizing for small towns that most need an economic boost.

“It creates jobs that just aren’t there or replaces jobs that are about to be lost,” Warf said.

At a conference this week organized by the Denver Regional Council of Governments, Englewood Deputy City Clerk Stephanie Carlile was among officials from around the state who shared cannabis experiences, some of them cautionary tales.

Marijuana has “definitely been a tap on our resources,” Carlile said in an interview on the sidelines of the conference. “We’re a smaller municipality. We have been stumbling through.”

Englewood, a 7-square-mile Denver bedroom community of 32,000, allows medical marijuana but bans recreational cannabis sales. Officials were surprised to read last year in a magazine that the city was hosting a private club in which dues-paying members could consume recreational cannabis, Carlile said. Neighboring Denver had banned such clubs, but Englewood, which is almost entirely residential, hadn’t yet turned its attention to that aspect of cannabis.

Carlile said the sight of people on the streets with “huge” bongs got officials’ attention, as did questions ranging from whether the cannabis club had adequate parking to the advisability of its staff consuming cannabis on the job.

The cannabis club is still in business. But Englewood’s city council is considering a ban on such enterprises.

Meetings like the one Carlile attended in Denver to brainstorm about cannabis management also have been held in Washington, the state where recreational cannabis shops debuted a few months following Colorado. Candice Bock of the Association of Washington Cities said many of her state’s 281 cities and towns fall into the “small” category, adding some officials assume no cannabis entrepreneur would see opportunity in their towns, so they haven’t taken up zoning and other questions. Others are more proactive.

Prosser City Planner Stephen Zetz said his community of about 6,000 in southeastern Washington’s wine country left the licensing to the state and didn’t revamp its zoning regulations for the one cannabis shop that came to town. But it has drawn up regulations for cannabis growers, though none are present yet. Zetz said he hopes cannabis tourists stop at wineries and other businesses in town.

In Colorado’s mountains, the one Clear Creek staffer charged with processing cannabis licenses — a paralegal in the county attorney’s office — sometimes feels overwhelmed. The cannabis industry is licensed and regulated by the state, but local governments can require separate licenses and collect their own fees.

Recreational and medical marijuana shops are scattered along the stretch of Interstate 70 running through Clear Creek County, home to 10,000 people, and connecting weekenders to ski resorts and hiking trails. A number of growers are in the county, even though its altitude and lack of water hadn’t made it attractive to other kinds of agriculture. Some growers are trucking in water, said Fred Rollenhagen, the county official in charge of development.

Tim Mauck, one of three Clear Creek County commissioners, said the industry is small enough now that officials know all the players and feel they can manage oversight. Cannabis is growing just as Clear Creek has learned that Henderson Mine — for decades its main source of property tax revenue — will be closing in a few years.

Back down I-70, Edgewater has six recreational shops that stay open until midnight, five hours later than Denver permits. Edgewater Mayor Kristian Teegardin predicts the boom for his town of 5,000 people will slow as other municipalities embrace cannabis. But he doesn’t expect that to happen before he repaves all Edgewater’s streets with cannabis-tax proceeds.

Liberal Laws but Hostile Policing for Czech Republic’s Cannabis Community

The Czech Republic’s drug policy was praised as a “great example of a successful liberal approach to drugs” during last month’s UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in New York City. But the actions of the National Anti-Drug Agency, the Czech equivalent of the DEA, toward the country’s cannabis community reveals a painful gap between cannabis theory and practice.

The first sign that something was changing in the Czech Republic came in the summer of 2013, when police accused a journalist of “spreading and encouraging drug abuse.” Why? He made an innocent joke about the improvement of sight after smoking a joint. It did not come to a trial, because the jurisdictional district court judge refused to open such a case.

A few months later the cannabis community was shaken by the “Black Day.” On Nov. 4, 2013, hundreds of police stormed dozens of the hundred-plus dispensaries spread across the country. The biggest such raid in Czech history was masterminded by Col. Jakub Frydrych, head of the National Anti-Drug Agency. Frydrych, a hardcore, Harry Anslinger-type drug warrior, decided that the vague language in Czech law against “spreading and encouraging drug abuse” gave his agency the right to destroy legitimate businesses that had been legally operating for up to fifteen years.

Mainstream media, members of the public and a majority of Czech drug experts condemned the raids as unnecessary, costly, useless and even illegal. The government’s top drug-policy adviser, Dr. Tomas Zabransky, told online newspaper Idnes.cz that “growshops selling growing equipment and cannabis seeds operate all around Western Europe, Canada, and the U.S., because that’s how democracy works. … This kind of police action is actually helping the black market.”

The raids led to a series of trials against dispensary owners. To the surprise of many, all were found guilty. The judges sided with the police and considered “selling pots, lamps, rolling papers and books about cooking with cannabis under one roof” a crime.

Nobody was sent to jail, though. The owners lost all confiscated goods, but got off on probation — provided they pleaded guilty. A few brave owners refused the plea bargain, and one eventually won his trial. Prague District Judge Helena Chaloupkova heavily criticized the police in this case for “acting cowardly and inconsistently,” and stated that “the owners did not encourage cannabis use” by selling the above-mentioned goods.

But the story does not end there. Last week, in an unprecedented move, the Czech Republic’s highest district attorney, Pavel Zeman, intervened. He asked for the case to be reopened, because in his opinion, the owners were indeed spreading drug abuse. Zeman’s statement was riddled with Reefer Madness cliches.

The dispensary raids aren’t the only examples of police hostility toward the cannabis community in the Czech Republic. In the fall of 2015, a group of legal-hemp harvesters were beaten and jailed. The “accident” gained international attention for its absurdity: Young police officers from a little town some 100 miles north of Prague were bored and decided to check legally approved fields of hemp that was properly registered with customs and contained no THC.

More repression came this May at the annual Konopex cannabis trade fair in Ostrava. Local police concluded that the hemp farmers and hemp clothes producers posed a threat to public safety and staged dozens of heavily armed officers around the exhibition grounds and the after-party club. Police harassed visitors with time-consuming searches, and they confiscated bongs, roaches and industrial hemp plants. Leopold Svaty, one of the country’s most prominent hemp producers, told Leafly: “Although I presented all necessary paperwork and documents proving my hemp and hemp products are 100 percent legal, the police confiscated everything, simply to prevent me from exhibiting at the fair and to damage my business.”

So what are the results of the dispensary raids and other police actions directed against the Czech cannabis community? “The number of growshops went down temporarily, but it’s on the rise again,” says Robert Veverka, director of NGO Legalizace.cz and editor of Legalizace magazine. “Many owners basically split their companies into more than one, so one only sells pots and lamps, the other just seeds, and a third one sells smoking accessories and cannabis literature. By not offering everything under one roof, they hope to avoid police accusations of ‘encouraging drug abuse.’ Legitimate businesses selling stuff that’s freely available all over Europe have been destroyed, dozens of people lost their jobs, growshop owners lost millions worth of legal goods. Hundreds of millions of taxpayers money have been wasted during these maneuvers and the same can be said of the human resources of the police and justice system.”

The rate of cannabis use and production has not gone down in the Czech Republic since the raids. What has been going down, rapidly, is respect for the police within the cannabis community. As Albert Einstein pointed out in 1921, regarding the prohibition of alcohol: “The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced.”

The Shake: Alaska’s VIP Bags Raise Hackles, Reefer Madness Meets Fargo, and the Clash of the Cannabis Titans

Tongues wag over swag bags in Alaska. Last weekend’s cannabis hot spot was the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage, which hosted the Northwest Cannabis Classic trade show for the second—and possibly last—time. Alaska is famously legal, of course. Adults may possess and gift up to one ounce of cannabis. But that doesn’t mean local authorities have to like it. Last year the Anchorage Assembly prohibited cannabis giveaways inside municipal buildings during trade shows, a measure aimed directly at the Cannabis Classic. This year’s show, which took place over the weekend, saw Anchorage Police patrolling the Dena’ina to keep the air clear and the edibles unmedicated.

Any trouble? Just a house manager irritated by swag bags. A $299 VIP ticket got you a gift bag with party passes, breakfast and dinner tickets, and a few samples of actual cannabis. “They can’t do that,” said Steve Medina, the Dena’ina Center operations manager. But show organizer Cory Wray said it was all legal and by-the-book. “If Dena’ina wants to sue me because I broke their contract, then that’s up to Dena’ina,” Wray said. Anchorage Dispatch News has the full story. Extra tip o’ the cap to Radical Russ Belville, who kept us entertained all weekend with his live tweets from the show.

California and Canada battle over cannabis supremacy. Everybody wants to be the Napa Valley of cannabis. Canada thinks it’s got a shot. California laughs at the notion. The Guardian makes the case for the Great White North, while the Los Angeles Times shows why California remains the once and future king.

Maine hosts impaired driving summit today. On the heels of its groundbreaking report on cannabis and impaired driving — which concluded that science doesn’t support impairment charges based on THC blood levels—the AAA hosts an impaired-driving summit in Maine, which will vote on cannabis legalization in November.

Cannabis comes to West Virginia. But not in the way you’re thinking. For the first time in 70 years, cannabis will be planted legally in West Virginia, in the form of hemp. West Virginia University researchers will sow the hearty fiber as part of a project to investigate the plant’s ability to remove contaminants from the soil.

Legalization fights racism but doesn’t end it. It’s a point we’ve made before, and others have rightly highlighted. The London-based Independent carries the news overseas.

Speaking of which… Prohibiting people with criminal records from receiving cannabis licenses is an ongoing problem that extends the racism inherent in the drug war. Now California is considering an initiative that would end this barrier to market entry. The Christian Science Monitor has the story.

Prohibitionists emerge in Florida. The Vote No on 2 campaign announced itself earlier this morning by releasing a video alleging the state’s proposed medical marijuana amendment would lead to the opening of dispensaries. “Looks like Amendment 2 is still a scam to legalize pot,” the ad says. Interesting side note: Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who gave $5.5 million to defeat the MMJ measure in 2014, is now a leading contributor to the Donald Trump campaign, which raises questions about his financial commitment to Florida’s 2016 cannabis race.

Relax, Fargo, it’s not marijuana. An alert dog walker in North Dakota’s glamour capital spotted what he thought might be a sprig of cannabis peeking through the soil. Alarmed, he called the cops. They checked it out. Turned out it was just a tree putting up shoots. You betcha.

And finally… USA Today is on the case when it comes to cannabis moving beyond the borders of Colorado. But it appears that they missed the larger story here, which is Colorado’s clandestine takeover of its northern neighbor, Wyoming. Never bury the lead, folks.

Image Source: USA Today (since updated)

Industrial Hemp Producing Solid Revenue Opportunities for Cannabis & Agriculture Industries; Company Announces Product Sales of Raw Kenaf

CORAL SPRINGS, Florida, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ —

The Cannabis industry’s applications continue to grow with the increasing demand for hemp-based and other natural fiber composite products. U.S. consumers are likely to find kenaf fiber in carpet backing and padding, a fiber mat in automobiles, biofuels applications while the US government is starting to recognize the difference between marijuana and hemp. Legislation is being passed in many states to allow industrial hemp with a THC content of 0.3% or less to be grown in research studies.

In hemp operations of importance in the markets today:  As Hemp, Inc.‘s (OTC: HEMP) multi-purpose industrial hemp decortication facility nears completion, executives are shifting their focus to sales and marketing and are pleased to announce the sale of approximately 7,000 pounds of raw Kenaf to a Tennessee company involved in the biofuel industry. According to David Schmitt, COO of Hemp, Inc.’s wholly owned subsidiary, Industrial Hemp Manufacturing, LLC (IHM), the company purchased the raw kenaf for testing and evaluation. “We are extremely optimistic that this sale will lead to even more sales of our raw kenaf,” said Schmitt. “We are also currently working with several Fortune 500 companies on various projects involving either kenaf or industrial hemp.”  Last week’s sale of kenaf (a cousin plant to hemp in the hibiscus family) has definitely kicked Hemp, Inc.’s product sales into action. Schmitt says the company is currently negotiating a five-million-pound potential sale of raw kenaf. “We received a serious inquiry and price request for five million pounds of the raw kenaf we have on hand. If we finalize this sale, we could be looking at $1,250,000.”

Read the full Hemp Inc. (HEMP) Press Release at:  http://www.financialnewsmedia.com/profiles/hemp.html

Schmitt went on to say, “We are in a very advantageous position because Industrial Hemp Manufacturing, LLC is the only company in America with millions of pounds of kenaf on hand, ready to sell and we are the largest facility capable of outputting forty million pounds per year. Not to mention, we have 400 acres of kenaf planted this year, but if we sell more, we plan to increase this year’s planting from 400 acres to approximately 2,000 acres.”  Once the, now fully funded, North Carolina Industrial Hemp Commission creates the guidelines for the cultivation of hemp, Hemp, Inc. will kick its hemp fiber sales into high gear and process massive quantities for distribution… an easy feat for the 70,000 square foot commercial multi-purpose industrial hemp decortication facility. Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc. (OTC: HEMP) said, “Right now, we are focused on kenaf. That is what we are planting now. However, next year we expect to plant hemp.”

The raw kenaf is one of the company’s six initial products for sale. SpillSuck™, another one of the six products, is available for sale now. It is a super absorbent, environmentally friendly product made from the core of kenaf and hemp plants which is considered one of the world’s most absorbent natural materials. It’s generally used for oil, chemical and other liquid spills. It’s easy to handle and is thirty times more absorbent than clay. As mentioned in Hemp, Inc.’s previous press release, 25,000 pounds of SpillSuck™ are in the final stages of packaging.

In other Hemp/Cannabis operations, news and recent developments:  Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA) recently announced that the Company and its portfolio company HempMeds® participated as exhibitors and speakers at the U-T’s Successful Aging Expo on Saturday, April 30 in San Diego. An estimated 8,000-10,000 was expected to attend the event, which is focused on education, entertainment and healthy aging solutions. Dr. Stuart Titus, Chief Executive Officer of Medical Marijuana, Inc., presented on cannabis-based anti-aging research and information on cannabinoids such as THC and CBD that are capturing global news headlines. Dr. Titus also provided insightful facts about non-psychoactive hemp cannabidiol (CBD)-based solutions available to any consumer without a medical marijuana card.

In other industry developments of note:  HempTech Corp. (OTC: HTCO), a provider of advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) with sophisticated automation and analytical tools for the cultivators of legal industrial hemp and cannabis, announces today that it has signed an exclusive MVA (Master Vendor Agreement) with Tinkerer’s Obsession Labs (TOL) to be an exclusive provider of containerized grow systems (grow.droid II) for TOL in the following jurisdictions: Alaska, Continental United States and First Nations in Canada. TOL agrees to purchase from HempTech a minimum of 1000 “grow.droid II” systems between 2016 and 2022, primarily to satisfy the growing needs of the people of the Indian Reservations.  HempTech has also signed an exclusive agreement with FutureLand Corp (OTC: FUTL) to obtain financing and consultation support for the life of the MVA agreement to better service the agreement with TOL. HempTech will compensate FutureLand through revenue sharing on the project.

Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA) announced this month to shareholders and the public that the Brazilian government has approved its hemp cannabidiol (CBD) oil product Real Scientific Hemp Oil™ (RSHO™) from HempMeds Brasil™ for a fourth indication for import as a prescription medication for the treatment of cancer.  The first three indications approved for HempMeds Brasil™ to import are: epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and chronic pain.  “We are right now tempering our excitement because this is a process and it needs to be approached carefully and scientifically,” states Dr. Stuart Titus, CEO of Medical Marijuana, Inc. “The opportunity within Brazil may open doors for the Company to explore our RSHO™ product as an adjunctive, potentially post-chemotherapy prescription medication, by assisting patients with their recovery. Further, this may even allow us to enter into pre-clinical work to see if there may be merit for botanical cannabis and its derivatives as a primary treatment option for certain types of cancers in those places in our world that may allow such alternative and integrative treatment options.”

Greengro Technologies, Inc. (OTC: GRNH), a world class provider of ecofriendly green technologies, announced in late April that it has acquired growcameras.com, a revolutionary way to monitor crop health. The Grow Camera is a self-contained, WiFi enabled, five megapixel NDVI camera and temp/humidity sensor. It can be used with most modern DVR equipment that support networked cameras while also featuring monitoring capabilities through Android, iOS, or Windows devices using the mobile application. The Grow Camera NDVI technology is traditionally used in space imaging and weather satellites, and can be used to quantify vegetation health and provide an early indicator to problems in the grow room.

GW Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: GWPH), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform, announced that Justin Gover, GW’s Chief Executive Officer, will present at the 2016 UBS Global Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, May 24, 2016, at 8:00 a.m. (EDT) at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.  A live audio webcast of the presentation will be available through GW’s corporate website in the investor relations section from the investor’s calendar of events page at http://www.gwpharm.com. A replay will be available soon after the live presentation..

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Chicago Tribune Editorial Board To Illinois Governor – Expand Medical Marijuana Program

Illinois has one of the most restrictive medical marijuana programs in the country, allowing only those that suffer from a short list of conditions to become patients. Multiple times now the IllinoisMedical Cannabis Advisory Board has endorsed expanding the list of conditions for the program, and both times Illinois’ Governor, Bruce Rauner, has squashed the

Learn From Arcview’s Best At The Upcoming Virtual Cannabis Entrepreneur Summit

The ArcView Group was founded the same year this blog was founded (in 2010). I have watched the company grow over the years into the most respected cannabis industry investment network on the planet. Led by CEO Troy Dayton (previous Weed Blog CEO of the Year award winner), the ArcView Group helps investors find the

US CA: Column: Marijuana Is Going Mainstream

Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2016 – California Looks Poised to Emerge As the Center of the Cannabis Economy in November SANTA CRUZ – The other day, in a seaside cafe here, veteran cannabis journalist David Bienenstock gamely fielded my attempts to catch up on a subject I have failed to appreciate for far too long: the coming end of marijuana prohibition.

3 Cannabis YouTubers You Should Check Out

In the ever-changing social media landscape surrounding cannabis, video is quickly becoming a key player. A large reason why can be attributed to video streaming platforms like YouTube remaining flexible with their community guidelines, allowing users to post cannabis content on their channel without the fear of repercussions such as the removal of content or account deactivation. Conversely, competing social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook share a history of discriminating against cannabis-related content, thus stifling information sharing and suppressing an entire body of of voices within the community.

YouTube, however, has taken a slightly different approach wherein it simply encourages age restrictions for adult-oriented content. There, creators are free to post cannabis-related content without fear of removal. As a subsequent result, cannabis information sharing has flourished on YouTube over the last half decade, allowing users to upload cannabis content freely, amass followers, and use their platform to push cannabis activism forward to whole new levels.

Below is a list of three YouTube channels that have truly exemplified this movement to push video forward as a viable medium for cannabis activism and information sharing. Each of these profiles offer a unique take in facilitating a totally new perspective on sharing cannabis news and information. Whether you’re looking for videos on current events, strain and/or product reviews, recipes, grow tips, or historical information, you’re bound to find a spectrum of content in these three channels that’s guaranteed to grab your interest.

Bubbleman’s World

Ask almost any solventless hash enthusiast where to find a quality online video covering proper technique and chances are you’ll get referred to Bubbleman’s World. Marcus Richardson, founder of Bubblebags and FreshHeaddies.com, took to YouTube in 2007 to create Bubbleman’s World. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, his instructional videos offer an unrivaled openness to previous “proprietary” concepts in hash making, capturing nuances within the various processes that you simply can’t find anywhere else.

In September of 2014, Marcus set out to create a weekly online symposium for cannabis activists and enthusiasts by utilizing YouTube Live streaming in Google Hangouts to create a Sunday morning discussion series appropriately titled, “Hash Church.” These unedited discussions involve a rock star panel of speakers including long-time cannabis activist Todd McCormick of HempXXX.com and Berkeley Patients Group founder Etienne Fontan. Every week, new guest speakers are invited to join in.

Notable past guests include Dr. Lester Grinspoon, famed Harvard professor and author of Marijuana Reconsidered. Lifelong activist and researcher Robert Clark has also made appearances, as well as activist Rick Doblin, who appeared just last week. Discussions on the show range from current events within the industry to extraction techniques, patient testimonials, product R7D discussion, and much more. Anyone with a little free time on Sunday morning should tune in and check out the weekly 9AM-12PM show.

RuffHouse Studios

RuffHouse Studios is a cannabis culture video production company that began posting videos on YouTube in 2007. Today it boasts a body of over 300 videos packed full with high production quality content spanning from segments on cooking with infused cannabis to concentrate reviews and even cannabis themed parody movie trailers.

Popular videos on the channel include demonstration and tutorial pieces on joint rolling, canna butter recipes, and DIY hack videos that range from making water pipes out of household items to tutorials on various extraction techniques.

“Tips & Tricks,” a video series featuring RuffHouse Studios host Bogart, offers up a very polished and professional set of tutorial videos. Here you can learn how to roll various styles of joints, or how to extract kief from cannabis flowers with the use of dry ice. Each of these videos are between 8-10 minutes long, making them the perfect length for a quick look without being too lengthy or dense.

If you’re looking for some lighter entertainment, check out the cannabis movie trailer parody videos for a good laugh. There you can find gems such as “The Smoking Dead” and “Bongzilla.”

Green House Seed Company

Founded in Amsterdam in 1985 by Arjan Roskam, the Green House Seed Company and Coffeeshop has grown to become one of the most notorious seed banks in the world. In 2006, Green House Seed took its brand to YouTube by posting grow tutorials and Cannabis Cup coverage videos.

Two year later, in 2008 Green House Seed’s YouTube presence expanded with the introduction of a series called “Strain Hunters”, wherein Arjan and his partner Franco Loja traveled the world curating rare landrace seeds from remote destinations. Aside from being wildly entertaining, these hour long segments offer a unique perspective into the lives those behind the global cannabis trade.

After eight years and over 100 videos, The Green House Seed company is still posting exciting high-production content on a regular basis. Its series “Grow Sessions” gives one of the most polished and analytically sound analysis of any strain-specific cultivation journal currently available on the internet. In this series, Arjan and Franco analyze growth patterns of some of their most famed strains and seed offerings, even detailing disparities between certain strains grown hydroponics versus in organic soil mediums. Every week they chronicle further with lab tested terpene and cannabinoid profiles, macro photographs of trichome formation, and cultivation tips. This level of care and dedication to cannabis-related videography is practically unrivaled, and the Green House Seed Company has consistently pushed the bar forward by advancing its platform with quality content.

Looking for more great cannabis video content? Check out Leafly’s YouTube channel, where you’ll find strain spotlights, cannabis 101 features, our Cannabis Craftsmanship series, and more.

Trouble in Bogota: How the Risks of Homemade Cannabis Remedies are Being Felt in Colombia

These days, it feels like everyone in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, is talking about cannabis.

The revolution has come to Latin America, and Colombia is now a hotbed of cannabis entrepreneurship. The country’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, signed a decree in December to legalize and regulate medical marijuana. After the decision, Colombian media coverage of medical cannabis surged, and seemingly everyone in Bogota began to talk about the companies producing homemade cannabis remedies to cure a long list of ailments.

Amateur enthusiasts have jumped at the business opportunity, motivated in part by internet postings and activists like Canadian-in-exile Rick Simpson. Simpson, who spent three years in the Czech Republic after leaving Canada, has played a major role in the reintroduction of medicinal cannabis oil. Millions around the globe have watched his Run From the Cure documentary and learned to produce oil using simple kitchen tools and techniques.

Simpson has traveled all around the Czech Republic, giving lectures, helping patients and promoting homemade cannabis oil. His work tapped into an ancient culture: Before prohibition and communist rule, cannabis medicines were a traditional part of Czech folk medicine, practiced by female shamans. The availability of high-quality genetics, combined with the “Rick Simpson effect” resulted in a surge in the production of kitchen meds. Not just oil, but also creams and tinctures with cannabis soaked in Slivovitz, the national spirit, made of plums.

Colombia has witnessed a similar boom in homemade cannabis remedies since the presidential decree last December. Colombians are brewing their own home remedies and some have started underground medical cannabis companies in precarious kitchen labs. Since it is relatively easy to extract the essential oils from cannabis flowers, these amateur entrepreneurs feel confident about their preparations.

But too often, they play doctor without considering the risks. Properly medicating people with serious health issues like epilepsy is not an easy task. Knowing the precise cannabinoid contents and proper ratios among the various active compounds is fundamental to achieve a desired effect.

Cannabinoids affect each body and mind differently, and their benefits or uncomfortable psychoactive side effects, such as anxiety, are enhanced or diminished by the interaction between cannabinoids. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is the antagonist of THC, meaning it can reduce some negative effects and it can extend the duration of the sought-after ones. It’s not hard to find THC in Colombia, and it’s very cheap, but CBD is lacking. Hobby chemists would need to import it, and it’s expensive.

The result: Many kitchen meds in Colombia are lacking this important cannabinoid. The knowledge and experience offered by trained medical personnel and physicians is required to treat patients properly and avoid complications. Too often hobbyists ignore drug interactions with other pharmaceuticals or simply ignore preexisting medical conditions. Such factors need to be evaluated for any serious treatment regime. Monitoring the efficacy of medical cannabis preparations in each case is an important step that should be carried out by doctors or properly trained caregivers.

Homemade cannabis tinctures that are high in THC but lack CBD can lead to uncomfortable psychoactive effects and increased blood pressure. What’s more, even benign substances carry risks. Different kinds of vegetable oils, such as olive oil, used to prepare the medicines can lead to a high level of triglycerides, a type of fat in your blood that increases the risk of heart disease.

Until now, the only way to obtain cannabinoids legally in Colombia is by growing them yourself in a garden of fewer than 20 plants. This home cultivation also allows for minimal contaminants on the flowers and therefore in the resulting medicine. In the optimal scenario, a home producer in Colombia can monitor the process to avoid pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, fertilizers, and even poisonous substances that the plant absorbs from contaminated soils.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to produce a meaningful supply of medicine from just 20 plants. That’s why black market and illegally cultivated cannabis ends up being used to produce most of the homemade cannabis meds increasingly being used to treat the ill in Colombia. Patients are putting themselves at risk, as there are no tests nor controls over the “medicines,” nor are they certified by any health organization or tested by a serious laboratory.

While Colombia waits impatiently for much-needed regulation to bring safety, reliability, and validated methods to the local market, recreational users and self-made cannachemists will continue to make the most of their legal, 20-plant supplies. Yet those who need healing could become victims of fake products, similar to the snake oil peddling of unregulated CBD products that goes on every day in the United States. Risk from irresponsible or even dangerous advice abounds.

Learn What The Best Practices Are For Operating A Licensed Dispensary At The Cannabis Business Summit

There was a time in America when simply opening a dispensary was enough to succeed. All one had to do in a lot of areas was just be the first to open a dispensary in that area, and success was almost guaranteed. Times are a lot different now. States seem to fall in one of

Delaware: June 7 Town Hall Scheduled To Discuss Cannabis Regulation

I received the following alert out of Delaware. Neill Franklin is one of my personal heroes. Attend if you are in the area, and spread the word: I am pleased to inform you that the Coalition to Regulate Cannabis in Delaware is holding a town hall forum on Tuesday, June 7 at 7 p.m. Come

Alaska: Proposed Cannabis Café Rules Now Available For Comment

I received the following alert out of Alaska: Thanks to pressure from advocates and the public, Alaska will become the first state to allow regulated cannabis cafés later this year! The Marijuana Control Board recently published proposed rules governing the cafés and is accepting public comments. We encourage you tocheck out the rules and weigh

What Will Happen to Office Drug Testing Post-Legalization? Cannabis Attorneys Weigh In

A group of cannabis attorneys and industry advocates participated in a recent Reddit AMA, or “Ask Me Anything,” in which notable figures or persons of interest make themselves available to answer questions submitted by Reddit users. The lawyers weighed in on a variety of topics, from boating with blunts to post-legalization workplace drug testing.

Here’s a recap of the AMA featuring the following participants from Gleam Law, which practices in Washington and Oregon:

• Representative Roger Goodman, a five term Washington state representative and a long-time drug policy reform advocate
• Mike Herron, managing attorney of the Oregon Gleam Law office and its primary corporate attorney
• Rachel Kurtz, drug policy reform advocate and policy wonk
• Ammon Ford, Gleam Law clerk who started the Cannabis Law Society (CLAW) at Seattle University School of Law

What does the future look like for office drug testing in the states where it has been legalized? Can people looking to get a job still be penalized for using a recreational and legal substance?

Gleam Law (Neil): While it is federally illegal, an employer can still discriminate against cannabis users, even if it is permitted by state law.

What do you think the most difficult obstacle will be in making cannabis into a commodity that is comparable with alcohol in terms of ease of distribution and regulation?

Gleam Law (Neil): The current issue is that the agencies are trying to adapt alcohol regulation to cannabis. It is not an easy application for numerous reasons. Unlike alcohol, which is based upon one (-OH) group with predictable effects, we don’t understand how or why different strains and different administration methods have different effects. Commodification is much more difficult with such a wide variation in the product/medicine.

Do you see federal legalization for recreational or medical purposes on the horizon? If so what sort of timeline for it happening do you approximate?

Gleam Law (Neil): It is definitely coming. It will be determined by the next president. We have an inter-office betting pool on when it will occur. There are few bets on less than 12 months.

How does patenting strains work? Is that a possibility, or can you copyright a name for your strain?

Gleam Law (Neil): Technically it is possible. Plant patents have two main requirements: Novel and Non-obvious. The hurdle to overcome here is the obviousness rejection. Simply crossing two known strains is obvious. One would want to find a variation that is substantially different and not an obvious variation to already existing strains.

I’ve heard anecdotally that states are struggling with marijuana from the legal market being diverted to the black market, where it can be sold while avoiding taxes or regulation. Do you actually see this a lot in your business, and do you think it is a major unaddressed problem with legalization?

Gleam Law (Mike): Diversion into the black market is always a concern for legitimate cannabis business. What gets talked about less is the concern for diversion into the legal market from the black market. If you are going to break the law either way, which makes more sense: produce at a lower cost in an unregulated/unlicensed grow, and then try to sell for much higher prices into the regulated market, or produce at a much higher cost on the regulated market and sell at a much lower cost on the black market?

But to say either type of diversion is unaddressed is a vast understatement. The Department of Justice issued the Cole Memorandum in 2014, outlining the key factors any state’s regulatory system needs to address in order for the DOJ to take a less “hands on” approach to enforcing federal drug laws in that state as they apply to marijuana. Oregon’s regulatory framework was created with these factors in mind. Seed-to-sale tracking is an important element of that system, but it is not the be-all, end-all of anti-diversion measures. At some point a self-policing element will enter the industry and those who are set on operating a legitimate, law abiding business will have a lot of incentive to ensure their competition is playing by the same rules. Prices will also continue to drop in the regulated market, placing additional competitive pressure on black market operations, but we have to give these things time to work.

Neil: In WA and OR, there are traceability systems in place to track the plant from seed-to-sale. This mitigates some of the risks. My worry is that if we overtax and over-regulate it, closet grows will persist and undermine the new regulatory system. To use the alcohol system as an analogy, we do not see basement distilleries causing any major issues.

In addition, legal regulated marijuana provides some benefits that black market does not – proper testing, proper labeling showing cannabinoid content, proof that the product is made without harmful chemicals, and infused products created in sanitary conditions, to name a few.

There was a study recently done by some group on how hard it is to determine how much THC is in one’s blood stream and how the effects of the THC vary from person to person. In your opinion, does this hinder or help the [cannabis] community, and what would the laws on the amounts look like in the future?

Gleam Law (Ammon): The difficulty of determining the THC content in the blood is coupled with the difficulty of determining how much THC renders the user “high,” for different people it is different.

This comes into play most in drugged driving cases. Here in Washington, it is illegal to drive while under the influence or affected by an intoxicating substance. Statutorily, this is satisfied if the driver has a blood THC content of 5 nanograms per milliliter or greater. In order to determine this, the police need to take a blood sample at the station and then present that evidence in court.

These can be very difficult to beat, but we know trial lawyers who have successfully beat these cases by relying on the weak science. 5ng in the blood doesn’t tell you when the driver smoked. It doesn’t tell you whether they were high while driving. it doesn’t tell you that they were impaired or affected by the drug. If there was no affect by the drug, then arguably the act was not illegal.

What does this mean the future of the industry? It means that the science will continue to get better and law enforcement will continue to get smarter. Hopefully, as everyone gets smarter we will also get safer.

Can I take a [cannabis] vape pen on a plane from CA to NV? I have a CA prescription. I don’t plan on bringing it home with me on the return flight. Just wondering if it [is] ok to take with me on the flight from CA or will law enforcement be waiting for me when I land in NV.

Gleam Law (Roger): You can certainly take a vape pen on a flight – but only WITHOUT the cannabis oil cartridge. Transporting cannabis in any form across state lines, as well as in airspace, is a federal crime. It is not likely that you will be federally prosecuted, especially for traveling between two cannabis-friendly states, but it’s still illegal at this point. Your vape pen, if detected, would probably just be confiscated – but there’s no guarantee…

Ammon: The vape pen itself is not illegal to transport across state lines because vape pens are not only used for cannabis, they’re also used for tobacco products. If it were used only for cannabis then it would qualify as prohibited “paraphernalia” under the Controlled Substances Act. Your CA prescription will not apply in NV unless NV law specifically honors MMJ authorizations from other states. Since we do not currently practice in NV we cannot definitively say what NV law permits [Leafly note: Nevada does accept out-of-state medical marijuana authorizations]. The cannabis oil/wax/shatter inside it is the controlled substance that should not be transported across state lines. Doing so is a federal felony that could result in serious and long-lasting legal problems for you.

How are dosage sizes determined and is that something that accounts nationally or just regionally?

Gleam Law (Neil): It is almost arbitrary. In Washington state, the dosage is 10mg, which is about right for most users. In Oregon, the dosage was just set at 5mg, which is probably a little low. We need more research into proper dosage sizes, which is difficult with the Controlled Substances Act.

Ammon: Dosages in Washington were determined by state law. A single dose is 10mg of THC. They determined this amount with the unwitting user in mind…they don’t anybody to suffer through a Maureen Dowd incident.

There has been a lot of controversy over how they determined this dosage. Many, especially MMJ patients, take much more than 10mg. How your body processes it depends on many factors, including how often you use, your body chemistry, weight, etc. But for the average user, limiting the doses limits the risk of overconsumption.

Are you allowed to take a boat out and smoke a blunt on the water without repercussion?

Gleam Law (Roger): We have an “open container” law in Washington which disallows smoking cannabis or possessing an opened package in the passenger compartment (I sponsored that bill – sorry). However, it does NOT apply to boats, so it is permitted to use cannabis while boating – as long as law enforcement does not believe you are impaired – which can get tricky.

Neil: Also, it depends on which waterways you are on. The Coast Guard enforces federal law.

Can people with Christian beliefs fight marijuana charges? In the Bible there’s a verse, Genesis 1:29: “Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you.” Isn’t a marijuana arrest going against 1st amendment rights?

Gleam Law (Ammon): That would be a very interesting 1st Amendment Free Exercise of Religion case. You have a constitutional right to freely practice your religion, but that right is not absolute. The government may pass laws that limit religious practice only if that law is religiously neutral, applies generally to everyone, the government has a compelling purpose/interest for imposing the law, and the restrictions of that law are as narrow as feasibly possible to achieve that governmental purpose. If they satisfy this test then their reasoning only needs to be rational, even if you and I think it is BS.

Marijuana prohibition is not specific to any religion and applies uniformly to all people. Its purpose, to protect the public health from this “dangerous” drug, is legally rational even if it is factually wrong.

For comparison, take a look at the Supreme Court Case Employment Division v. Smith, where the court held that the state could deny unemployment benefits to a person because they tested positive for smoking peyote, despite the fact that they only smoked peyote as part of a religious ceremony.

My best guess is that courts would extend this reasoning to include marijuana prohibition even if it infringed on your free exercise of religion.

And finally, on a lighter note:

I for some stupid reason read the title as cannibal attorneys… so I don’t have any questions at the moment except.. how are you doing today?

Gleam Law: Hungry.

My Partner is Religious: How Do I Talk To Them About Cannabis?

Parker* is a 21-year old man who grew up in Utah in the Church of Latter Day Saints, and after having some medical issues that required treatment in California, he found that medical cannabis was a useful tool for managing his symptoms. Now Parker’s back in Utah and has to medicate in secret due to the stigma associated with cannabis use, which he feels is especially taboo due to his Mormon upbringing.

He started dating a young woman and hasn’t “come out” to her about his cannabis consumption. He asked me, “How do you bring up cannabis in a relationship where they might have a very different, if not extreme, point of view? Furthermore, how do you bring up stuff like this with close friends without accidentally destroying the pre-built relationship?”

These questions are complicated and multi-faceted. I reached out to a few people, including a writer, a budtender, and a friend who grew up in a conservative family, for their insight. First, you might want to check out Leafly’s suggestions on how to disclose your cannabis consumption to a family member, as many of the strategies are applicable in this scenario.

Shape Your Approach

The second step comes from H.D. Roslin, writer and communication ninja. She suggests beginning with a personal inventory by asking yourself the following:

• What motivates the desire to share this aspect of your life with this person? In what ways do you envision it serving you?
• If they respond in ways that are not charitable, are you prepared for that and have supports in place?
• Could their rejection harm you in any way?

After answering Roslin’s questions for yourself, you may find that cannabis is not actually a subject you want to broach with this person, which is an entirely valid choice.

Listen to Your Partner

If the answers to these questions positively reinforce your decision to broach the subject, Roslin advises, “[The listening phase] is crucial. What do you need or want from them? Open with that, explicitly. Be prepared for either response (positive or negative), and accept their response as certain the first time–in other words, don’t keep revisiting the subject on multiple occasions hoping they’ll change their mind. Allow them to express their needs and preferences regarding your private use if they have any (e.g., “Please don’t come to dates with me high,” or “Don’t bring substances into our sex life”). Honor those preferences, or if you are unwilling to do so, terminate the relationship or your cannabis use.”

For more on creating relationship agreements with a non-cannabis using partner, check out my article on navigating discordant cannabis use in intimate relationships.

Honesty is the Best Policy

I also spoke with Andrew Mieure from Top Shelf Budtending, who suggests being as honest as possible. “Make sure to tell them that you are medicating and that it isn’t just to be ‘high.’ Talk about your accomplishments and how cannabis has helped you achieve them. Perhaps show data supporting cannabis use as a positive thing, share a story, or put them in contact with other patients who can explain it better than you could. Sometimes a support network can go a long way.”

Mieure brings up a great point here–social proof is a powerful convincer, so being able to cite studies, articles about public figures, or even just a mutual friend who is a cannabis consumer can go a long way toward normalizing it. You could even use some of the tenants of Christianity (or the applicable religion) to support your position. Mieure shared his insights gleaned from coming out to his Christian family members, noting, “Having a Christian upbringing, you could argue the fact of ‘every seed’ being used for humanity from the Book of Genesis. Once I was able to get that off of my chest and stopped hiding it, it started to become normal, even around them.”

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Picky

The final option, and the one I choose to employ in my own dating life, is to select partners based at least in part on their willingness to accept the part that cannabis plays in my life. I have a “potential deal breakers” conversation on my first date with a prospective partner. Some may suggest waiting longer, but the first date has always worked best for me. Getting things out on the table up front saves time and reduces the chances that Person A starts to develop feelings, only to find out that the Person B has made lifestyle choices that the Person A cannot abide.

Have you ever come out to a partner about your cannabis use? How did you approach the conversation?

Got a sex, relationships, or intimacy dating question for Ashley Manta? Send it to tips@nullleafly.com and we may address your request in a future article! (Don’t worry, we’ll keep your queries anonymous.)

*Name changed upon request

IRS Agent Sentenced to 2 1/2 Years for $20K Bribe From Cannabis Company

A dramatic story on the complicated relationship between the IRS and cannabis businesses came to a conclusion Friday when former Internal Revenue Service agent Paul G. Hurley was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for accepting a bribe from a cannabis company last summer.

Hurley was working for the IRS, running a routine audit on Have a Heart Compassion Care in July 2015. Hurley worked with owner Ryan Kunkel to ensure that all of the company’s taxes were in order. He determined that Kunkel owed the IRS $292,175.41 for fiscal years 2013–2014.

The amount was much higher than it would be for a non-cannabis business due to IRS tax code section 280E, which doesn’t allow businesses that deal with a federally illegal substance to write off major business expenses.

The audit seemed cut and dried.

Afterwards, Hurley and Kunkel stepped outside to smoke cigarettes. That, according to court testimony, is when Hurley mentioned that he’d saved Kunkel “over a million dollars,” and that he himself was living paycheck to paycheck. Hurley implied that he deserved a kickback by rubbing his fingers together in the universal hand gesture for cash.

Kunkel was taken aback, but agreed to pay Hurley $20,000, out of fear that he would otherwise lose his business.

The deeper Kunkel became embroiled in the situation, the more nervous he became that he was being set up. He contacted a lawyer and eventually the U.S. Attorney’s office. At that point the FBI got involved. Kunkel arranged to hand off an envelope of cash while under video and audio surveillance.

Hurley was charged with soliciting and receiving a bribe. He was acquitted of the more serious charge, soliciting, but was convicted of receiving a bribe.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office sought a seven-year prison term. Hurley’s defense team requested a one-year term.

U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour chose a middle-of-the-road sentence of 30 months, calling Hurley’s crime “a tremendous breach of public trust,” as well as “an affront to the United States, the IRS and all law-abiding tax payers.”

Have a Heart Compassion Care continues to serve patients and recreational customers at seven locations throughout Washington, with another recreational shop opening soon in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood.

City Attorney Halts SpeedWeed Operations in L.A., but is the Delivery Service Done?

As part of an ongoing effort to eradicate medical cannabis delivery services, the city of Los Angeles on Friday announced it has secured the closure of one of the region’s largest operators, SpeedWeed.

According to a press release issued by City Attorney Mike Feuer’s office, the company and its officers have entered into a judicially enforced agreement to shutter their operations on June 6.

But while Feuer’s presser talks of “the shutdown of SpeedWeed,” it’s not clear the setback to the company is so sweeping. Court documents suggest it will cease operations only within Los Angeles city limits — just one piece of its broader Southern California territory. SpeedWeed claims to serve more than 25,000 customers across Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The city’s success in curbing SpeedWeed’s local operations, however, has other delivery services nervous. In February, Feuer announced his intention to root out and close the businesses, which the city maintains are illegal under Proposition D, a controversial local zoning measure adopted in 2013 to limit the number of dispensaries in the city.

SpeedWeed is the second delivery service to formally halt its L.A. operations in response to Feuer’s crackdown. In March another delivery company, Nestdrop, failed to overturn a lower court’s ruling that barred it from operating in the city. A handful of other services have received letters from city officials warning them to close.

“This is another successful step in our sustained effort to uphold the voters’ will under Proposition D,” Feuer said in a statement Friday.

Delivery services nationwide have boomed in recent years, nearly tripling between 2012 and 2015, according to California Lawyer magazine. In Southern California, where many cities have used zoning laws to ban storefront dispensaries, some dispensaries have reopened as delivery services in an effort to skirt enforcement.

SpeedWeed was founded in 2011 by A.J. Gentile, according to the L.A. Times, which notes that Gentile “studied operation manuals for Domino’s Pizza, Papa John’s Pizza and FedEx. He learned how to build a network of hubs to limit the amount of marijuana or cash that any one driver carries, a precaution against robbery.”

A person who answered SpeedWeed’s main phone line on Friday declined to comment for this story. A call to Jenna Schuck, chief operating officer of Aquarius Cannabis, which announced last month that it had agreed to buy SpeedWeed, wasn’t immediately returned.

The Shake: NYT Discovers Dabbing and Colorado Cops Crack Down on Craigslist Sales

New York Times discovers dabbing, cowers in fear. It’s becoming all too common: East Coast media outlet discovers a new “super potent” drug called shatter, investigates by quoting a police official and DEA agent, then publishes some shocking exposé. We reported on the phenomenon back in January, when a flurry of alarming reports hit TV stations in New Jersey. Sadly, it continues. Today’s New York Times contains an atrocious bit of Reefer Madness that hits all the classic drug-war tropes. When reporter Sarah Maslin Nir “discovers” high school students vaping some wax on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, she investigates and finds that the substance they’re inhaling is “a potent and little-studied drug made from distilled marijuana,” one that has caused medical experts to “raise alarms,” because it “could pose unknown health risks.” The NYPD reports that they have no records of their officers encountering the drug, but federal officials are on the case! “We monitor any type of new twist on drug use in order to warn the public of its danger,” says the local DEA special agent.

This isn’t just bad reporting. It’s offensive and embarrassing. Cannabis extracts have been widely known, and legally sold elsewhere for years. Why not quote an expert from one of New York State’s legal MMJ dispensaries? Or anybody at all who knows the first thing about extracts? The kicker was Nir’s use of students from an elite private boarding school, which plays into one of the worst media stereotypes — the idea that some new moral panic is newsworthy only when it affects the privileged children of the wealthy. Underage use of cannabis in any form is not OK, cool, or legal. But Nir’s use of those kids to stir up old fears about demon drugs manages to be at once naïve and cynical. If this sort of junk journalism dealt with politics or business, it wouldn’t be allowed in the NYT. The same standards should apply for cannabis, Editor Dean Baquet.

Cannabis industry leaders lobby Congress. Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Ed Perlmutter, and Denny Heck joined the National Cannabis Industry Association for a press conference yesterday kicking off the NCIA’s annual two-day lobbying effort. Let’s get after that 280E problem, folks!

Baltimore Ravens player donates $80,000 for cannabis research. Eugene Monroe, left tackle for the Ravens, made the donation to researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania to study the impact of cannabinoid therapies on current and retired NFL players.

New Jersey still arresting a lot of people for cannabis. Like, a lot of people — 24,689 in 2014, according to the latest statistics. “Of all the crimes listed in the State Police’s Uniform Crime Report, none resulted in more arrests than marijuana possession in 2014,” reports New Jersey 101.5.

Colorado cops cracking down on Craigslist sales. Hey, Colorado, you’ve got the world’s greatest legal cannabis system, with hundreds of beautiful stores. So why are you selling and buying on Craigslist? Colorado police are wondering too — and they’re starting to arrest people for it. So cut it out.

Coconuts: How not to smuggle 1,423 pounds of cannabis. Earlier this year we brought you news of the misguided attempt to smuggle cannabis across the Mexican border inside a truckload of broccoli. Having failed with the green super-vegetable, smugglers have moved on to other food products. Like coconuts. Hollowed and stuffed. Those didn’t work either.

What Would Actually Happen if the DEA Rescheduled Cannabis?

In a 25-page memo to Congress last month, the DEA quietly announced it would make a determination on whether to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I — drugs the DEA considers as having high potential for abuse and no medical value — to a lower schedule. Since the announcement, cannabis advocates have been celebrating at the prospect of the federal government finally acknowledging what the medical community and patients have known for years: cannabis has therapeutic value and should not be classified alongside heroin as one of the most dangerous drugs known to mankind.

The wild-eyed optimism, however, of many pro-cannabis advocates could use a reality check. First, given the fact this is hardly the first time we’ve been down this path with the DEA, how likely is it that the DEA will finally embrace science and popular support? Second, if the DEA does decide to reclassify cannabis, what impact will its decision possibly have?

How Likely is a Cannabis Rescheduling?

Contrary to what has been popularly reported in the media, the DEA memo gave no indication as to how likely it would be that it would reschedule cannabis. The administration only stated it had received the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) scheduling recommendation and that it “hopes to release [its] determination in the first half of 2016.”

And, if anything should give us pause for unbridled enthusiasm, it’s acting DEA head Chuck Rosenberg’s famous proclamation last November that “the notion marijuana is also medicinal” is a “joke.”

Despite the fact the DEA has ignored the advice of the medical and scientific communities, and even its own administrative judges, numerous times over the last 40 years, Wall Street analyst and managing director of GreenWave Advisors, Matt Karnes, is optimistic:

“I believe the current petition to reclassify cannabis stands a much better chance than previous efforts, because medicinal cannabis has overwhelming support, not only from the public, but from politicians on both sides of the aisle and the science and medical communities. There’s too much inertia for the DEA not to reschedule.”

Bill Piper, Senior Director of National Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, is cautiously optimistic, and says, “I believe at the very least, the DEA will reschedule non-psychoactive CBD — if not remove it from scheduling altogether, and chances are good that they will also reschedule THC.” But, Piper cautions that while rescheduling would be a logical move on the part of the DEA, “it doesn’t solve the conflict between the states and federal government. De-scheduling would be ideal, but ultimately what we need is overall reform of the [antiquated], non-scientific scheduling system.”

What Impact Would Rescheduling Cannabis Have?

As Piper noted, ideally the DEA would de-schedule cannabis (like alcohol and tobacco), or reschedule at Schedule III or lower. However, given the DEA’s history, neither of those options are probable. If the DEA does move forward in the right direction, chances are it will proceed cautiously and move cannabis to Schedule II. Schedule II drugs are considered “dangerous” and having a “high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence.” Basically, cannabis would join an elite group of substances that includes OxyContin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, which, while potentially “dangerous,” have “medical value.”

While classifying cannabis along with drugs that claim tens of thousands of lives every year in North America may seem absurd — and it is — it would be a step in the right direction. Below is what rescheduling likely would or would not do:

Research

Cannabis research on human subjects would become easier. Currently, researchers must navigate an onerous bureaucratic system that since 2010 has approved on average just eight to nine cannabis studies per year. And, many people complain that the approval process is biased towards anti-cannabis studies.

Rescheduling, however, would not remove all barriers to research that are afforded to other clinical drug studies that would be required for cannabis products to become approved by the FDA. The DEA and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have a monopoly on cannabis production. Critics argue that the monopoly limits supply; predictably, the DEA disagrees.

Criminal Justice

Contrary to popular belief, rescheduling doesn’t automatically ease federal criminal penalties, nor would it make the manufacture, possession, or distribution of marijuana legal. Patients and caregivers could still be prosecuted and their assets seized. However, according to attorney and drug policy reformer Luke Zimmerman, Esq., “If the DEA reschedules cannabis, it would send a powerful message to law enforcement and the courts in many of the more conservative municipalities, and that could result in more clemency and broader policy reform.”

Business

Rescheduling cannabis would solve the tax and banking issues cannabis businesses face. Currently, IRS rule 280(e) prohibits business from deducting most expenses. Likewise, the banking industry has been reticent to work with cannabis businesses, compelling much of the industry to operate only in cash.

Medical Community

Arguably, one of the most significant changes — and one that has been rarely discussed in the media — is that physicians would be legally permitted to prescribe cannabis. Under current law, because Schedule I drugs “technically” have no medical value, doctors are prohibited from prescribing them. This is why doctors in states where medical marijuana is legal will only issue recommendations, rather than prescriptions.

Bottom line: rescheduling marijuana would be a step in the right direction towards adopting a more sensible regulatory framework while expanding safe access to cannabis for patients who can benefit. Further, that the federal government has finally officially acknowledged cannabis’s medical value would be a significant victory. However, rescheduling is simply an incremental step in the fight; ultimately, we need to take a hard look at our current drug laws and move towards broader and more comprehensive reforms.

Cannabis Regulation in the Wild West: The San Jose Takeaway

How tough is it for cities to craft workable dispensary regulations? Consider the conundrum in San Jose, California.

The de facto capital of Silicon Valley struggled for years to create a system to regulate medical cannabis within its borders. Now, after exhaustive negotiations among local officials, industry representatives, and members of the public, the city finally has one in place. It requires stringent product testing and police inspections, establishes a strict vertical-integration system unlike anywhere else in the state, and limits the city to 16 total dispensaries.

And in less than a month, it could all come crashing down.

Measure C, a city ballot initiative set for June 7, would undo the hard work that dispensary operators and local lawmakers have put into building a workable system in a state where the Legislature has historically offered little guidance to municipalities. Critics of the current regulations complain the system shortchanges the needs of patients. After all, they say, San Jose’s 1 million citizens make up America’s tenth largest city. Denver has two-thirds the population and 25 times the number of shops. Measure C would address that by allowing a virtually unlimited number of dispensaries in most parts of the city.

San Jose could have banned dispensaries altogether, but it didn’t. Instead, city officials created regulations meant to shield dispensaries from the federal raids that have plagued access points in other municipalities.

“There’s no doubt that just banning it was by far the easiest way to deal with the issue,” former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said in a recent interview with Leafly. “Most cities say, ‘We’ll just wait for the state to figure it out, and we’ll ban it in the meantime.’” That’s exactly what happened throughout most of Silicon Valley.

Consider this: For the majority of the two decades that medical marijuana has been tolerated in California, nobody knew for sure whether storefront dispensaries were even legal. State law said only that patients could associate “collectively or cooperatively,” not that they could give money to a store employee in exchange for products made by yet another business. It was a matter left to the courts, and judges had a broad range of interpretations.

Facing the threat lawsuits as well as the looming watch of federal authorities, who would eventually launch a coordinated crackdown on the state’s cannabis businesses and end up shuttering hundreds, cities across the state threw up their hands and enacted bans on dispensaries. Some ordinances were successfully challenged, but most stuck.

In San Jose, the City Council voted multiple times on a ban, but it never had the numbers to adopt one. In the meantime, storefront dispensaries multiplied. Beginning in 2011, city officials pushed various ordinances to cap the number of shops, but for years they failed. “We struggled,” Reed said. “We struggled and struggled.” An estimated 120 dispensaries operated across the city at one point, all in a legal gray area.

“Six, seven years ago, we were really behind,” Greg Brodick, who manages Haze dispensary in San Jose, said of the city’s situation. “It was just a free-for-all.”

Finally, in 2014, Reed’s final year as mayor, he and others at City Hall wrangled an ordinance past the finish line. By today’s standards, it was a bit of an odd duck. It required every registered dispensary to be vertically integrated — in other words, every shop had to grow their own flower, infuse their own edibles, extract their own concentrates, and so on. Pretty much everything needed to be done in-house.

Reed, a practicing lawyer, said the unusual design of the regulatory scheme was driven by guidance from the U.S. Department of Justice, which had issued a memo aimed at clarifying federal enforcement efforts in states that had legalized medical cannabis. Both the city and dispensary operators had a stake in “keeping the federal government out of our business,” he said.

“Remember, we’re dealing with the federal government. You’ve got to control this stuff all the way through the process,” Reed explained. “The best way to control it is to have a vertically integrated system.”

The new law did more than just set up strict vertical integration. It also set rules for zoning and inspections, an effort to demonstrate to the feds a “strong and effective regulatory system,” Reed said. Perhaps most important, it set a cap on dispensaries: Today, only 16 storefronts operate with the city’s blessing.

Those 16 dispensaries have scrambled to come into compliance with some of the most onerous local regulatory schemes in legal cannabis. They’ve courted investors for millions of dollars and engaged in elaborate construction projects to house commercial kitchens and extraction equipment.

They did so somewhat begrudgingly. “There’s not a single industry in the world that requires retail business to manufacture all their products,” said Brodick at Haze. “What they tried to do was remove vendors entirely.” If you had a favorite chocolate bar available elsewhere in the state, San Jose’s ordinance meant it couldn’t be sold in the city — not legally, at least.

One of the dispensaries that struggled hardest to follow the new rules was Airfield Supply Co. Marc Matulich, who founded the collective in 2010, said it’s cost about $2.9 million to bring the storefront into compliance.

“We had to find a building that was, at a minimum, 20,000 square feet,” he said. “All the zoning stuff limited available real estate to maybe about 1 percent of the city, and with all the landlords to deal with, there were only a handful of properties that would work.”

Airfield found a building and, in December 2014, won zoning approval from the city. The vertical-integration deadline was set to take effect the coming July. “They basically gave us seven months to do a complete gut and remodel and try to be fully vertically compliant.”

In the meantime, the city worked to slowly shutter the unregistered dispensaries. Reed, despite no longer being mayor, has worked to protect his hard-won regulations, and he keeps close tabs on developments. Today, he estimates the city has just a dozen or so illegal businesses, including both storefronts and delivery services.

“Looking back on it, I think it was worth the effort,” Reed said, “because now we have a system that’s in place and will serve us well.”

Well, unless it doesn’t.

Critics of Reed’s elaborate regulatory scheme say its 16-dispensary ceiling fails to offer patients adequate access to medicine. Attorney James Anthony, the lead proponent of Measure C, said in his official argument for the measure that San Jose should have at least as many shops as Denver, a smaller city, which counts upward of 400.

Measure C, which voters will weigh in on come June 7, would lift the current cap. It would also undo zoning rules, allowing dispensaries to locate more freely across the city — “including near public schools,” warns the local Mercury News editorial board in its argument against the measure.

Anthony didn’t respond to phone and email messages seeking comment, but he told San Jose Inside that Measure C’s passage would mean the currently registered dispensaries “would compete in a more competitive market against mom-and-pop dispensaries.”

“They’ve become part of the establishment,” he said. Anthony also told the paper, “I don’t think any of them would be too brokenhearted if Measure C does pass.”

That’s a position some of the registered dispensaries take issue with. Matulich, at Airfield, called Measure C “a threat to medical cannabis access within our city.” Deregulating the market, he said, “invites federal intervention.”

“Right now our medicine is tested,” he continued. “We’re inspected by the police department. There’s a lot of checks and balances.

“If Measure C passes, we will lose a lot of that compliance and oversight, which in the end is bad for patients because there will be less accountability.”

Skeptics counter that the licensed dispensaries stand to profit from the exclusive arrangement, but Brodick, at Haze, said the existing regulations are about more than the number of dispensaries in town. The strict standards are also an opportunity to show observers in San Jose and around the country that cannabis can be a legitimate industry and finally shed its longtime stigma. “When it eventually does go recreational in California,” he said, “I want it to be a positive thing, not a negative thing.”

Brodick and others also pointed out that while San Jose’s 16 dispensaries might seem scant compared to the 400-plus in Denver, the city of Oakland, Calif. — roughly half San Jose’s population — currently caps its number of dispensaries at eight. And even that didn’t manage to help dodge the hammer of federal authorities: Oakland and its largest dispensary only last week managed to escape a four-year legal attack by U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag.

Here’s what might be the most interesting part of the whole story: As the situation on the ground has changed, cities like Oakland and San Jose have revised their local ordinances. Oakland this month moved to raise its dispensary cap, allowing up to eight more shops per year as well as delivery services in a bid to become the cannabis capital of California.

San Jose is also showing signs of compromise, and that has business owners like Matulich optimistic. “Now that we’ve come into compliance, there’s an open dialogue” with the city, he said. “It’s a joint effort to improve the system.”

Brodick noted how many other cities have opted to enact bans rather than work with dispensaries. “Cities like Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz — people should feel very lucky that these towns have even accepted this,” he said. “We’re all still just learning what’s going to work and what’s not going to work. I give kudos to the city of San Jose for allowing this to happen.”

San Jose has already been responsive to registered dispensaries’ concerns over tight deadlines for complying with vertical-integration requirements. And Reed, who’s still keeping watch over his regulations, said those requirements will likely ease now that state lawmakers have finally passed more comprehensive laws around medical cannabis, establishing a complicated system of licenses and other mandates. The changes allow cities such as San Jose to keep their existing regulations, but Reed said the fact a statewide system will finally exist means local laws can be revised more freely without fear of federal intervention.

And if California passes an adult-use legalization measure this fall? “There’s always been a potential ballot measure on recreational use waiting in the wings. That was part of our thinking in doing this,” said Reed, more a pragmatist than a friend of cannabis. “If the state decides in November that you don’t need a medical recommendation to use marijuana, I think our system will work fine.”

Until clarification from state lawmakers finally came, California was widely seen as the Wild West of cannabis. While it was the first state to legalize, it’s also emerged as the most chaotic. San Jose, lacking guidance, tried to plot its own course. But the severity of its early regulations are now fueling a backlash that could undo the whole system.

Reed said he stands by the years of effort, regardless of what happens in coming months. “I think it was the right thing to do,” he said.

Matulich, an outspoken critic of the city’s early efforts to rein in dispensaries, now agrees with his former rival. “Nothing’s ever perfect the first time around,” he said. “I guess a part of the message is, it’s in everyone’s best interest to start with something, even though it’s not perfect.”

Congresswoman Lee Joins National Cannabis Industry Association’s Press Conference

Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined several of her colleagues and members of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) for a press conference on Capitol Hill demanding respect for state laws and fairness for the industry. She prepared this statement: “Today, I’m pleased to join my colleagues and the National Cannabis Industry Association in making one

US CA: Column: The Age Of Cannabis Money In Politics

SF Weekly, 12 May 2016 – If the Mission District manifested its own member of Congress – and if this representative were a he in his late 60s – he would look exactly like Earl Blumenauer. A mix of Bernie Sanders and Bill Nye the Science Guy, decked out in a bright-patterned bow-tie and plaid-checked sportcoat – and with a bicycle lapel pin – Blumenauer cut a natty, professor-like figure as we shared coffee on the patio of a Sixth Street cafe (a phrase that still feels unreal to type).

Washington State Faces No Cannabis Crop Shortfall, Say UW Researchers

A new study released by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board in conjunction with the Cannabis Law and Policy Project (CLPP) at the University of Washington found that the current amount of cannabis grown by state-licensed producers should be enough to satisfy the demand for both the medical and recreational markets.

In other words: No product shortage in your future, Washington state.

The study was commissioned by the WSLCB to determine if the square footage of “grow canopy” allotted to currently licensed cannabis producers will be enough to supply the medical market as it’s absorbed into the state’s retail system. The UW researchers estimate that between 1.7 million and 2 million square feet of grow canopy is needed to satisfy the medical cannabis market. The total grow canopy approved by the WSLCB is currently 12.3 million square feet and, according to the report, is enough to supply the state’s entire cannabis demand.

By the numbers:

• Of the 343 licensed retail cannabis stores, 81 percent sought medical marijuana endorsements.
• There were 273 medical marijuana dispensaries in Washington as of January 2016.
• Medical marijuana dispensaries must obtain a state license or close by July 1, 2016.
• Dispensaries sell an average of 9.55 pounds of cannabis flower per month.
• The average medical price per gram is less than $10.
  • Raw cannabis flower comprises 60 percent of all dispensary sales.
  • Concentrates make up 22 percent of sales.
  • Edibles represent 18 percent of sales.
• The potential market value of 10 million square feet of grow canopy is more than $8 billion.

CLPP Executive Director Sam Mendez and UW law professor Sean O’Connor authored the report along with five UW law students: Ada Danelo, Harry Fukano, Kyle Johnson, Chad Law, and Daniel Shortt.

Leafly spoke with Shortt, a third-year law student and a member of the Cannabis Law & Policy Project, about how to interpret the report.

“This is an ever-changing market. It’s hard to say at one given time how many dispensaries there are, because they could be closing their doors as we speak,” he said, explaining the challenges of trying to compile precise data in such a dynamic environment. “It’s more of a snapshot. That’s just the nature of monitoring a gray market.”

Asked about estimating the amount of cannabis needed for concentrates and edibles, one of the more difficult estimations in the report, Shortt noted that “This is an industry where not everyone is operating on an equal playing field.”

“If you have a sophisticated, well-run business that’s doing extractions or doing edibles, they’re going to have a different output and different methods of extracting cannabis. Just like not all car manufacturers are the same — some cars are better than others — I think that’s true of the cannabis industry. It’s difficult to figure out, and that’s why we used things like estimates to piece it together. There’s just so many factors.”

Shortt wanted to ensure that those reading the report are aware of its intentions.

“I think the report speaks for itself and is pretty clear, but this is not the end-all, be-all. There are more steps before any of this becomes law or regulations,” he said. “This is just an estimate.”

NYPD’s ‘200 Pounds of Marijuana’ Tweet Inspires Critical Backlash

Police departments around the country have discovered the PR value of Twitter. A lot of cops are fond of posting trophy pics, especially when it comes to cannabis.

So it wasn’t too surprising when the New York Police Department’s 62nd Precinct, based in Brooklyn’s Bensonhurst neighborhood, put up a shot of the booty from a weed bust yesterday.

“Ever wonder what 200 lbs of marijuana looks like? Nice arrests & recovery today by narcotics unit today in the 62,” posted @NYPD62Pct.

The photo showed a table piled high with dozens of gallon-size zip-loc baggies filled with cannabis.

Ever wonder what 200 lbs of marijuana looks like? Nice arrests & recovery today by narcotics unit today in the 62 pic.twitter.com/qEe5pxFSBo

— NYPD 62nd Precinct (@NYPD62Pct) May 12, 2016

Hah-hah, nice one, NYPD62Pct.

Except here’s the thing. Two hundred pounds of cannabis translates into 3,200 ounces, or 89,600 grams. So at current market prices, that “recovery” represents around $1.1 million in legal, state-licensed product in Washington, Oregon, and Colorado.

Here’s what that would support in those legal states:

• A full time farming operation (200 pounds will fetch $250,000 to $350,000 wholesale in a legal market), which supports the farmer and his or her family, farm staff, trimmers, curing staff, packagers, administrators, and local supply stores.
• One month of operations at a fully staffed, state-licensed retail store. That includes store owner, manager, budtenders, compliance officials and security staff.
• Roughly $407,000 in state taxes in Washington State, or $308,000 in Colorado. That money goes to build new schools, hire police officers, staff drug-education programs. Tax revenue has also paid for new sidewalks in Pueblo County and helped fund a new recreation center in Denver.

The point was not missed by followers of @NYPD62Pct. If the 62 thought its tweet would inspire attaboys from the locals, it was sorely mistaken. Among the replies:

• “Medicinal cannabis oil cured my brain cancer so this really must stop”
• “Cannabis is safe in Colorado, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, DC…NY must have scary dangerous ‘reefer’”
• “Disgraceful. These resources should be directed toward meth/heroin enforcement, not harassing cannabis users.”
• “I’d add this is absolutely not freedom. Shameful, and shameful you would gloat about this arrest on Twitter.”
• “What a waste of taxpayer money.”
• “200 pounds of pain relief for #ChronicPain sufferers.”

Word to Capt. Anthony V. Sanseverino, commanding officer of the 62: Your citizens believe their tax dollars could be put to much better use.

Berlin’s Cannabis Coffeeshop is Rejected but Inspires German Legalization Movement

Chances are you’ve seen media reports on a cannabis coffeeshop opening up in Germany’s capital, Berlin. While the idea is widely debated, it’s still a long way from being realized. The good news is that more German cities are joining in and developing their own plans for how to regulate cannabis.

“Hasch, Gras, Koks [hash, grass, cocaine] — what do you need?” This is a common refrain you’ll hear in the “Görli,” or the Görlitzer Park, in Berlin’s alternative district of Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain.

While such offers may be enticing to clubbers on their way home from a weekend of partying, or to frustrated medical cannabis patients looking in desperation for supplies, it’s definitely not what city officials want to hear. Which is why the German Hemp Association (DHV) has suggested a different approach to cannabis regulation in the area: opening a Dutch-style coffeeshop right in Görlitzer Park.

It would be a big change from past precedent. Back in 2013, a girl found a package of cocaine in the children’s playground there, and since then things have only gotten worse. That’s despite Berlin’s minister for domestic affairs adopting a new zero-tolerance measure, which punishes possession of any amount of cannabis in the park.

Just a few steps off the Görli, you get only a written warning if caught with less than 15 grams (about half an ounce) of cannabis. So street dealing has shifted to nearby streets and to the underground metro station. The Berlin government and other voices jawboned for more police, more surveillance and even a neighborhood watch. In short, the first instinct was more repression.

But officials, activists and the citizenry eventually recognized that chasing away the peddlers will only drive the problem to a new location. This mechanism is known as the waterbed effect: Push down a phenomenon in one place, and it will pop up somewhere else. It was this realization that led to local officials to the coffeeshop idea.

District Mayor Monika Herrmann, from the left-wing Green Party, picked up the idea to have adult-use cannabis sales regulated on the municipal level, proposing a trial-opening of a coffeeshop directly adjacent to Görli. After several meetings with drug addiction and prevention experts, representatives from the youth welfare and the DHV, the district government worked out an application. When it was announced, national and international media jumped on the news, simplifying it into a message of “Berlin will open a coffeeshop.” But a district or municipal government cannot influence federal drug laws, and the application for the regulated cannabis sales in Berlin was rejected.

The Plan Behind the Plan

Of course, Hermann was realistic enough to anticipate the rejection. But she kept encouraging other cities or even states to follow her example. The result? A growing coalition of towns and municipalities across Germany are now calling for a fact-based approach to drug policy and for federal institutions to give local administrations leeway in setting public-health policy goals.

Shortly after the Berlin application was announced, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Münster, the District of Hamburg-Altona, and Cologne’s city district decided to work out their own applications. The city of Bremen is going one step further. Alongside a coffeeshop trial, the city’s governing coalition of Social Democrats and Greens wants to decriminalize home cultivation for personal use and adopt a more liberal DUI measure. German consumers currently lose their driver’s license with as little as 1 nanogram of THC in their system. In other countries or U.S. states where cannabis is legal and regulated, the standard value is generally 5 ng.

Change takes time. The introduction of heroin-assisted treatment for longtime addicts in 2009 would have been impossible without the first successful pilot projects in the city of Frankfurt almost 20 years ago. The Frankfurt experiments succeeded because they were supported by local communities after numerous previous failures. They eventually led to a federal law and a significant drop in the number of heroin-related deaths in Germany. The Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain coffeeshop trial follows the same tactic: the more cities join in, the earlier it can be implemented.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD), Germany’s second biggest political party, holds the key to change. On a local and state level, the SPD has started to rethink its zero-tolerance stance on recreational cannabis, but it remains inflexible on the federal level. Since regulation of cannabis is an increasingly popular topic, the party could benefit from using it in the next federal election campaign, in 2017. State elections in Berlin, Bremen, and Thüringen have shown that cannabis no longer scares voters off. These days, the opposite is true.

What Cannabis Strains Do Women Like? Our Readers Weigh In

If you recall, recently I explored the increase in women exploring cannabis strains and products and shared both growth trends and some insights as to which types of strains they may find appealing. My completely unscientific findings sparked a fantastic debate in the comments, with women weighing in and sharing their go-to strains. Some pointed out that the data I highlighted isn’t very accurate because it only indicates which strains women are looking at, not purchasing. I completely agree — perusing a strain’s details page doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what you’re consuming, but it does show interest, which led to some speculative leaps in logic on my part.

My previous article wasn’t meant to boil down all women’s preferences to CBD strains or sativas with uplifting, anti-anxiety effects and sweet, fruity flavors; rather, my colleagues and I noticed some interesting patterns in our analytics that we felt were compelling enough to share and discuss. And discuss you did! Below is a summary of your feedback and reactions:

“Yes, We Do Love Sativa Strains!”

“I [have hypothyroidism] now too since having radiation therapy for being hyper. I cannot smoke anything but sativa strains because indica just makes me feel groggy and tired.” – Linda Vee Sado

“I like sativa the best. It gives me much energy, puts me in a great mood and it doesn’t give me the munchies!!!!!!!” – Christina Ervin Bailey

“I am a sativa girl myself. Indica just makes me feel groggy and puts me to sleep. When I scroll thru what is available I always bypass all indica. I am hypothyroid though and wonder if that affects anything since your metabolism is so slow.” – Linda Vee Sado

“I’m a 50 year old woman, and smoking for a few decades now. I need energy, happiness, and the ability to get things done. These [sativa] strains help me accomplish it all, with a smile on my face.” – Jacquline Mitchell

“I always gravitate to the sativa strains.” – Holly Martin

“Can’t bear indicas unless [I have] trouble sleeping.” – Margo MacFarlane

Sativa Strains Suggested by Female Leafly Readers:

“Are You Crazy? We’re Indica Lovers!”

“I am a woman with anxiety and I always go for the relaxing indica strains.” – Samantha Killheffer

“…the article is completely missing mention of strains best suited for nighttime. An uplifting, creative, happy flower can put a bright spin on the day but if I had to [choose], I would never give up the pain relieving, body relaxing, insomnia fighting effects of certain indica leaning strains.” – Haley Ensley

“I am a chronic pain sufferer, and I prefer indica and indica heavy hybrids. My favorite strain is Blackberry Kush. It knocks my pain out completely, and [lets] me relax. I have hypertonia, which is just a fancy way of saying that my muscles don’t relax like they should. When not using medicinally, I still prefer indica for the couch lock type of sedating effects.” – Laura Waite

Indica Strain Suggestions by Female Leafly Readers:

“We Love Both! And Hybrids!”

“Nice article, I agree, although some sativas give me a headache (terpenes maybe?). I want an indica on hand to take me down from my anxiety. I also love a great giggly strain. I tend to forget my frustrations and there is not much better than a big belly laugh!” – Jennifer Giantvalley

“I’m a female who loves a great indica. I did find that Strawberry Cough is a nice sativa.” – Andrea Nixon

“I find the indica strains make my anxiety worse, a well balanced hybrid works much better for me. I also like a [nice] cerebral high than a panic inducing couch lock.” – Esthero Etro

Hybrid Strain Suggestions by Female Leafly Readers:

“Three Cheers for CBD!”

“I am a woman and I prefer high CBD’s that are indica, hybrid, then sativa.” – Thistle Mikami

“I also prefer indica dominant strains. I buy the CBD [tincture] separately for pain. This also has a tendency to give me too much energy so I cannot slow my brain enough to sleep and this is where the heavier indicas come in. I too have looked at Charlotte’s Web because of the name and never purchased because it was not what I was looking for.” – Chris Kelly

Do More Women Turn to Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes?

A few women wondered whether women are more likely than men to consume cannabis medicinally vs. recreationally:

“Seems about accurate for me. I’ve personally purchased all but two strains on the first chart. I think there are two distinct categories of users though, recreational and medical. I think women tend to fall in the medical category more often than men, only because most diseases and pain syndromes so tend to [affect] more women than men. I think it’s true we seek out high CBD strains and ones for anxiety. A recreational user might not necessarily agree with that. But as a chronic pain patient who suffers from anxiety and THC-induced anxiety, I definitely fit this conjecture of sorts! I prefer high CBD strains because I don’t like the ‘high.’ Harlequin is my favorite right now!” – Lolo Rose

“[I had] surgery for cancer in the throat, and [have] other medical concerns [so I use] edibles since smoking is a horrible idea for me […] heavy indica tones is what I require for healing [to] put me on the couch or to bed. I have been having lots of trouble getting what I need […] at recreational stores. [The] medical stores I went to are gone, the recreational stores are expensive, and I am also having trouble replacing my mmj card since legalization of marijuana in Washington. I am surprised to have this problem. There is a big push in the stores for sativa and hybrids.” – Ruanda Morrison

What’s Your Take?

Ladies, what are your go-to strains and products? Give your input in the poll below:

Ladies, which strains and products do you prefer? (check all that apply)

The Shake: Colorado Cops Can’t Keep Up with Cannabis Laws

“No mas!” say Colorado cops. Leaders of the state’s three main law enforcement associations wrote a letter to lawmakers asking for a two-year pause in new cannabis laws. Local police, they say, “cannot keep up with the quantity and speed of constantly-changing marijuana law.” And yet somehow everybody else — including cannabis companies themselves — seems to find a way to keep up. We’re just saying.

Louisiana House approves a medical cannabis bill. Now it moves to the Senate. The bill allows access only through pharmacies. But pharmacies can’t handle federal Schedule I drugs without jeopardizing their DEA licenses. So Louisiana would allow a limited number of state-licensed “marijuana pharmacies.” Which are just dispensaries, right?

Yep, 12 million square feet oughta do it. A University of Washington study released today finds that the 12.3 million square feet of growing canopy currently approved by state regulators should be sufficient to satisfy Washington state’s entire cannabis market. The study was undertaken in part to determine if enough farming space was available to supply the state’s medical marijuana patients as they’re folded into the state’s regulated retail system.

Colorado cannabis sales up 30 percent over 2015. That’s the word from the state Department of Revenue, which reports that Colorado shops sold more than $270 million in products during the first three months of 2016.

Toronto mayor looking into licensing dispensaries. The city’s ongoing MMJ dispensary boom has Mayor John Tory fretting over the impact on the city. He’s asked for a staff report on licensing options, and could act as early as June.

Kentuckians shun ancient fibrous plant grown in local fields. The owner of the Kentucky Cannabis Company, which is growing the fiber as part of the state Department of Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Program, finds himself in a bind. He’s had to slow production of the CBD oil made from his hemp because local business owners are refusing to sell him butane, which he uses to extract the CBD. “Uhh, we don’t deal with cannabis companies,” some have told him.

Corporate shenanigans at TheWeedBlog. Can’t get enough of the struggle over Sumner Redstone’s state of mind (sound, surprisingly) and the fight for control of Viacom? Then check out the drama at TheWeedBlog, where columnists Johnny Green and Jay Smoker are apparently in a dustup with a third member of the company, Steven Travis Maurer. Green’s password “has been changed without my authorization, again,” he writes. Which is so not cool, Steven. Play well with others, boys — we’re all fighting for the same cause.

Jane’s Domain: It’s Time to End the Canna Ban, Facebook

Social media shutdowns have become a hazard in the legal cannabis industry. In recent months major companies — Oakland’s Harborside Health Center, the social network MassRoots, Boulder retailer The Farm, and the Denver-based edibles makers Dixie and Incredibles — have had their Facebook and Instagram accounts shut down without notice.

Those accounts represented years of investment in brand building and community development. For legacy brands like Coke or BMW, social platforms remain secondary plays. Those old-school companies were built on television buys and splashy print ads. But in the cannabis space, social media isn’t an ancillary part of marketing. It is marketing. Television remains closed to us. Print buys are largely limited to specialty mags like Dope, or alt weeklies like The Stranger and Westword. Some cannabis companies are turning to billboards — a throwback medium — to reach a mainstream audience.

It’s not just about advertising, though. Social media is a powerful force for progress and normalization in the cannabis space. We can’t control the lame choices of mainstream media photo editors. But on social media we each are our own photo editor.

When we Instagram or Facebook pictures of women consuming in normal situations, responsibly and elegantly, we counteract the stereotype of stoner bros hitting a skull bong.

Last week, my friend and colleague Lauren Gibbs pushed back. Her social media consulting group, Rise Above Social Strategies, launched the #EndTheSocialCannaBan campaign with an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg.

Gibbs asked the Facebook founder to recognize the disconnect between his own concerns about the drug war and his company’s ongoing efforts to shut down the social media accounts of legal cannabis businesses. She wrote to Zuckerberg:

“After your visit to San Quentin State Prison, your followers heard your thoughts on the racial bias of the war on drugs. Yet your companies — Facebook and Instagram — regularly and capriciously shut down accounts with cannabis content. Many of those companies are operating within the laws governing their state. Many of those companies are involved in efforts to end the profound racial injustices of the drug war.”

Gibbs is asking Zuckerberg’s social media platforms to adapt their terms of use to accommodate state-legal cannabis companies. She’s not naive. She knows that using the tag @zuck could bring extra scrutiny to cannabis accounts, which already face the daily threat of shutdown. Even with that possibility, Gibbs asks: “Can we take the risk together? Our silence is not helping. And I will surely make some noise over any accounts that are shut down in retaliation for even asking Zuckerberg to revisit the terms of service!”

The #EndTheSocialCannaBan campaign comes at a moment when Facebook officials are confronting hard questions about their company’s role in politics and culture. On Monday, Gizmodo reported that Facebook news curators routinely suppressed politically conservative stories from its “trending” news section. Now Facebook faces issues ranging from political bias to its very purpose as a company. Is it truly a neutral social media platform? Some cannabis-related posts are forbidden, while others — such as those put up by Snoop Dogg and Miley Cyrus — are allowed. By warping its trending items, and selectively erasing legal cannabis accounts, Facebook has entered a space somewhere between editing and censorship.

Why does it matter? Because social media has become more than just an app. Spaces like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Snapchat are our modern public forums. They’re meeting spaces. Importantly, social media accounts are opt-in. You choose who to like. You choose who to follow. It’s an organic process.

Social media is where many consumers are choosing to come out of the cannabis closet. I see it every day on my own feeds. People share with me how much thought (and worry) went into their first Facebook or Instagram post about their own cannabis use. For many women, that first shared pic of a joint or pipe during flower hour — no different than many moms sharing pics of wine glasses at a Friday happy hour — comes with worries about judgment, social repercussions, and in some states real risk to their careers and their families.

The war on drugs won’t end through the mainstream political process alone. Smashing prohibition requires all the tools we have at our disposal, most importantly social media. Pictures and posts are normalizing responsible cannabis use. Facebook and Twitter build communities. They allow people to share personal stories, compare strain preferences, recommend products, and help a patient in need find the care they deserve. Connect with @zuck today and #EndTheSocialCannaBan.

Louisiana House Votes to Expand Medical Marijuana Program

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Medical marijuana advocates won a significant victory Wednesday in their efforts to jumpstart Louisiana’s medical marijuana program.

The House voted 62-31 to expand the program to cover more diseases and to make regulatory changes aimed at getting medicinal-grade cannabis into patients’ hands more quickly.

The bill by Republican Sen. Fred Mills, a pharmacist from St. Martin Parish, has received Senate backing. Wednesday’s vote sends the bill back to the Senate for consideration of House changes. If it gets final passage there, Gov. John Bel Edwards has said he will sign it into law.

Lawmakers created the framework for a medical marijuana program in Louisiana last year, but regulatory hurdles built into the law have slowed its start.

Bill supporters describe children struggling with uncontrollable seizures and patients coping with horrible pain. They said the program only allows medical marijuana in an oil form that can’t be smoked. Local sheriffs and district attorneys oppose expansion, calling it a gateway to unfettered, recreational use of marijuana.

Rep. Reid Falconer, R-Mandeville, talked of his “precious daughter,” who has epilepsy and who has been unable to find medications that end her seizures.

“This bill will enable our doctor to have another tool to treat my baby girl,” he told his colleagues.

During the evening debate, bill supporter Katie Corkern sat in the back of the House chamber with her son Connor, who uses a wheelchair and has a rare brain disorder that causes uncontrollable seizures.

As he urged passage, Rep. Sam Jones talked of Corkern’s son: “Since we began this debate, there is one child in this chamber who has had eight seizures.”

Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray, said federal drug regulators haven’t approved medical marijuana, so doctors won’t have guidance on dosage or standards to apply.

“How is it that the doctors are going to know what to give to the patients?” she asked.

Rep. Scott Simon, R-Abita Springs, voted against the proposal, saying he worried about public safety, “that we’re working our way toward legalization of marijuana.”

His colleague, Rep. Terry Landry, a former state police superintendent, dismissed such concerns as “nonsense” and “fear-mongering.”

“We’re really talking about suffering here,” said Landry, D-New Iberia. “We’re not talking about a gateway to a legal drug.”

The medical marijuana law passed last year will eventually get medical-grade cannabis to people suffering from cancer, glaucoma and a severe form of cerebral palsy. Mills’ proposal would add seizure disorders, HIV, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and other diseases to the list. It would remove glaucoma, in response to opposition.

The bill also would set a Sept. 1 deadline for LSU and Southern University to decide if they want to be the state-sanctioned grower of the product, in an effort to speed the decision-making since the schools get first right of refusal to grow the plant. It also would rework some of the regulatory language.

Mills has estimated Louisiana is about two years away from getting medical marijuana to patients. The state-sanctioned grower needs to be selected, along with 10 licensed distributors.

What Topics Will Be Covered At The Virtual Cannabis Entrepreneur Summit?

Earlier this week I posted an article about the upcoming Virtual Cannabis Entrepreneur Summit. The online event is taking placeon May 21-22, and is being put on by Green Flower Media. I am a huge fan of Green Flower Media and I look forward to everything that they put together because it’s always polished, professional,

State of the Leaf: Support Up in Florida and Pennsylvania, Moderate in Massachusetts

New this week: A national poll found major support for medical cannabis in Florida and increasing support for recreational in Pennsylvania, while the reception in Massachusetts seems more lukewarm than ever. Ohio’s chances for a medical marijuana amendment are holding strong with support from the House, and Rhode Island may double its number of dispensaries. On the international front, the Global Cannabis Campaign saw traction in Colombia and South Africa, while Canada’s cracking down and Australia introduced medical legislation.

U.S. News Updates

Alaska

The Alaska Marijuana Board is preparing to issue licenses to cannabis businesses and many community councils are hearing from prospective business owners during council discussions with the public. After receiving applications and hearing testimony from community members and neighbors, the councils will provide feedback to the Marijuana Control Board and send letters to residents informing them of the changes. None of the licenses have been issued so far, and Bruce Schulte, chairman of the Marijuana Control Board, says he doesn’t expect to begin issuing licenses until June. Retail stores a projected to open this fall.

Florida

Florida is gearing up for another medical marijuana showdown this November, but supporters are nervous about their chances. John Morgan, an Orlando attorney and one of Florida’s top political fundraisers, has funneled $6.8 million into efforts to legalize medical cannabis since 2013, but he anticipates 2016 could be a “tipping point” for the state. The latest poll numbers from Quinnipiac University show that 80 percent of Florida respondents support medical marijuana and plan to vote in favor of the upcoming measure in November.

Massachusetts

A new report from the Massachusetts Health Department shows the sluggish and long-suffering medical marijuana program earned only $320,610 during fiscal year 2016. That was difference between the $3.3 million in revenue and the $2.98 million that was spent to implement the program. It reflects the growing pains and hurdles the program has faced during the years since medical marijuana was legalized in 2012. The program took more than three years to be fully implemented, and lawsuits were rampant during the process due to inconsistent rules and contradictory guidelines. The pittance of revenue this year doesn’t bode well for the upcoming push for legalization, which already faces tough opposition from Gov. Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and Attorney General Maura Healey.

Ohio

The proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical cannabis passed through the House with flying colors. House Bill 523 earned a 70–25 vote of support after hours of testimony from prospective patients ranging from children who suffer from uncontrollable seizures to a veteran whose post-traumatic stress disorder has been helped by the use of cannabis. The bill would allow the limited use of cannabis for those who suffer from among 20 qualifying medical conditions. The bill would not allow smoking cannabis or home growing, and it would set up a nine-member commission to enact regulations and allocate dispensaries and cultivation facilities. The bill now heads to the Senate for a vote.

Pennsylvania

A new poll out of Quinnipiac University shows a major jump in support for adult-use legalization in Pennsylvania. The survey found that between 2015 and 2016, support for the legalization rose from 47 percent to 57 percent. The last poll was conducted in October 2015 and showed voters split on the topic of legalization. However, since then, Pennsylvania became the 24th state to legalize medical marijuana, which likely played a factor in the growing movement of support for cannabis in the Keystone State.

Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a number of cannabis bills. Up for consideration are measures around regulation, taxation, law enforcement, and the issue of driving under the influence. Law enforcement officers in Rhode Island are currently trained to detect cannabis impairment, but the legislation is considering a test for levels of THC in the system, although recent research shows the blood tests are not effective or scientifically accurate.

In the House of Representatives, lawmakers introduced H. 7808, which would increase the number of medical marijuana dispensaries, known as compassion centers, from three to six statewide.

International News Updates

Australia

Minister Cameron Dick just introduced legislation to legalize the medicinal use of cannabis in Queensland. The Public Health (Medicinal Cannabis) Bill 2016 will not legalize recreational cannabis use or home cultivation, but it will create a legal path for the lawful production of medical marijuana for qualified patients. The move to introduce the bill was spurred into action after the death of a child who was given cannabis oil treatments illegally to combat cancer. Adam Koessler, father of Rumer Rose, was fined and put on a two-year good behavior bond in Brisbane after pleading guilty to supplying his daughter with the oil. Rumer died this week just days before her fourth birthday, inspiring the official announcement from the Queensland government.

Canada

City inspectors in Vancouver initiated a crackdown on medical cannabis storefronts operating without a license. The Vancouver City Council began the regulation process for cannabis businesses last year, issuing business licenses at the cost of $1,000 for compassion clubs and $30,000 for medical dispensaries. However, the regulations required stores to comply with certain criteria, including operating only in commercial zones at least 300 meters from schools, neighborhood homes, community centers, and other cannabis businesses. At least 140 dispensaries didn’t make the cut and were warned that they had six months to comply or face fines. A major cause for concern is that the board of variance has a backlog, so many dispensary owners who are still in the midst of the appeal process are being forced to shut their doors.

Colombia

The laws related to cannabis use and possession are fairly lax in Colombia, but that didn’t stop protesters from marching in the streets of Bogota and Medellin to call for the legalization of cannabis on a worldwide scale. The Global Marijuana March encouraged marches around the world, although Colombia’s protest had a specifically funky, fruity twist. Many protesters were seen smoking homemade devices carved from various fruits, such as apples, papayas, pineapples, and even watermelons.

South Africa

Thousands of pro-cannabis protesters marched on Cape Town to demand the government ease drug laws and allow the medical and recreational use of dagga, as cannabis is known in South Africa. As many as 3,000 protesters took part in the procession, which is part of a larger orchestration of marches around the world through the Global Cannabis Campaign. South African opposition lawmaker Mario Oriani-Ambrosini submitted draft legislation calling for the legalization of cannabis in 2014, but it died before moving forward.

The Shake: Hockey Night With Cannabis

“Cannabis saved my life,” ex-NHL player says. Larry DePalma, who played in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the Minnesota North Stars, San Jose Sharks, and Pittsburgh Penguins, took to YouTube to describe how traumatic brain injuries led him to consider suicide — and how the medical use of cannabis helped curb those feelings. Fun fact: The NHL is the only one of the four major American men’s professional sports leagues to not test its players for cannabis.

Cannabis would crush Clinton, trounce Trump at the polls. Legalization is more popular than any of the current presidential candidates, at least in three key swing states. A new poll shows majority support for adult-use legalization in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. That’s markedly higher than candidates are polling, Tom Angell reports.

Michigan legalization looks to be headed for the ballot. MILegalize, the organization behind the push to legalize adult use in the Mitten State, says its ballot measure has more than enough signatures to qualify for the November election. The group is holding a rally in Lansing on Friday, May 20, to build further support.

Emerald Triangle cannabis farmers want to borrow a play from the wine industry. You can drink a Bordeaux or a Willamette Valley Pinot. What if you could light up some Dos Rios OG Kush? The Mendocino Appellations Project hopes to designate specific regions of California’s Mendocino County in an effort to protect the area’s longtime culture of small-scale cultivation. Alison Malsbury of Canna Law Group calls the plan “one of the best branding ideas we’ve heard in a while.” Get ready to read more about craft cannabis.

Toronto mayor visits dispensary, warns of coming crackdown. Mayor John Tory told reporters that while he respects the fact that legalization is coming, the growing number of dispensaries in the city is “not acceptable.”

Florida’s under fire for limiting the state to five legal growers. Lawsuits are beginning to challenge the state’s exclusive licensing scheme, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

Cannabis billboards go up in Louisiana. The Marijuana Policy Project put up messages in Baton Rouge and Shreveport as state lawmakers approach a key vote. (Why always billboards? Here’s one explanation.)

What does Pennsylvania’s new MMJ law mean for employers? According to a pair of employment lawyers, the answer is still “hazy.”

And finally, looking for an edible that’s savory, not sweet? Cannabis jerky is now a thing in Colorado — but maybe not for long. Sheriff Joe DiSalvo of Pitkin County, where the jerky company’s based, is weighing a recommendation that would limit edibles to pill form.

How Bologna Became the Hemp Capital of Europe

The city of Bologna, home to the oldest university in Europe and famous for its gourmet food, has a long and rich history in cultivating hemp for fiber that’s connected, curiously, to cycling.

The northern Italian city’s hemp heritage isn’t trapped in the past, either. It’s on rise once again, and today the city hosts one of the country’s numerous, newly established cannabis trade fairs that support the reviving industry. On May 20, the fourth edition of the IndicaSativa Trade fair kicks off at the Unipol Arena.

For centuries hemp production was one of the main features of Bologna. By the end of the Middle Ages, about a third of all cultivated land in the region, from Bologna towards Ferrara and Venice, was used to grow hemp. Traces can still be found in the countryside today. Scattered between Bologna and Ferrara, you can find remnants of artificial ponds that were used to ret hemp stalks. Retting, or soaking the stalks in water or exposing to moisture, enables the separation of fiber from woody tissue. These ponds are now being repurposed as small wildlife reserves that make for an idyllic location for a traveling toke. [Leafly advises visitors to respect all local regulations.]

In its hemp heyday, Italy was Europe’s second biggest cannabis producer, trailing only Russia. The Bolognese countryside produced dozens of different hemp varieties used to make ropes, gorgeous clothes, and linen; the Italian fibers were praised as the best on the world market. By 1930, more than a million tons of fiber was produced annually, of which around 65 percent was exported.

As the industry grew, locals crossbred landraces for better yields, a precursor of today’s modern cannabis breeding that’s led to hundreds of strains of both hemp and the prized, THC-rich strains savored by modern cannabis connoisseurs.

Apart from the main hemp producing areas around Bologna and Naples, hemp fields were scattered all over Italy. The name of one the provinces of the Piedmont region, Canavese, is derived from the Bolognese words for the plant, caneva. Around Bologna, old folks still say they sometimes smell a fragrant, hempy scent on the plains — a sign of something positive about to happen. It could be new love, a noteworthy achievement, or an unexpected adventure.

Antonio Pezzoli with his bicycle

Antonio Pezzoli, who lived from 1870 to 1943, was a predecessor to modern cannabis entrepreneurs. He was a cannabis industrialist and founder of the Touring Club, the first and most powerful bicycle organization in Italy. A keen photographer and one of the first to depict life in the cannabis fields, Pezzoli took a collection of photos that can be found in the book Passion and Profession: Hemp Cultivation in the Work of a Cycle-Tourist, published by the Institution Villa Smeraldi, a museum of peasant culture. Located in San Marino di Bentivoglio, just 15 kilometers from Bologna, the institution houses a Hemp Museum and makes for a good day trip for cannabis tourists in the region.

Passion and Profession shows the development of different modern phenomena and how they coincided with the modernization of cannabis production. Leafing through the pages, you witness the explosive growth of the bicycle organizations that brought an influx of tourism into Italy. Best of all, you also get a detailed photographic account of the life of the hemp peasants in the Bolognese countryside.

While cannabis production was commonplace at the time, the bicycle was a new mode of transportation at the time, and it was seen by some as suspect.

Catholic leaders in Rome considered it immoral to show the lower parts of the body in public, so legs exposed while pedaling where problematic. Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso feared the bicycle as a new instrument of crime, having received reports about purse-snatching in Paris by the Apaches, a mysterious group of outlaws on bicycles.

But as with cannabis, opposition to bikes eventually gave way to appreciation. The Catholic Church changed its position after bicycles proved to be a useful tool in World War II and as people of all backgrounds increasingly enjoyed pleasant two-wheel cruising for work or pleasure.

Pezzoli remains a great figure in the history of Bologna. He’s remembered both as auccessful and progressive industrialist as well as talented photographer and producer of cannabis. His body of work gives testimony to the past — and now, the future — of the gracious and lively town of Bologna, where hemp was, is, and will be in the air.

Image Source: Hemp Now and Then in Bologna, Italy

Thursday: Members Of Congress Join Cannabis Business Leaders For NCIA’s Annual Lobby Days Kickoff

This Thursday, members of Congress will join cannabis industry leaders from across the country for a press conference to kick offNational Cannabis Industry Association‘s sixth annual Lobby Days. More than 100 cannabis business professionals will travel to Washington, D.C., to take part in policy discussions and citizen lobby meetings to advocate for fair treatment of

10 Ways to Break Up Your Cannabis if You Don't Have a Grinder

Having a grinder on hand is commonplace for many cannabis enthusiasts, but when you go a few times without one, you see why this product is a must-have for breaking down buds in a pinch. Don’t worry, though — when you need to deconstruct some nugs and find yourself without the help of our cylindrical toothed companion, remember that the ingenuity of a cannabis enthusiast knows no bounds.

From simple old school tricks and techniques to a few MacGyver-worthy hacks, here are 10 ways you can bypass the grinder by utilizing nothing more than a few (relatively) easily assessable household items and a bit of creativity.

1. Your Hands

This may seem obvious, but going back to the basics is sometimes the way to go. Breaking down cannabis by hand can be a very intrinsically rewarding experience despite its few downsides. Yes, cannabis is sticky, and breaking it down by hand can be a bit tedious. But those fingers of yours can sure do some work when it comes to flower picking.

“Getting your hands dirty,” so to speak, is a terrific way of building a relationship with your buds. It allows you to get a true feel for your bud’s structure and trichome saturation, and it also affords you the opportunity to get up close and personal with your strain’s unique bouquet of aromas. Your fingers won’t want to let go!

2. Parchment Pressing

To bypass getting your hands sticky, try using a piece of parchment or wax paper as a barrier between you and your buds. This eliminates the burden of having to worry about removing the sticky and aromatic resin from your hands afterwards.

Most paper products have what it takes to get the job done with this hack, but parchment works especially well because its waxy surface helps keep everything from sticking. Cut a few pieces up and place them between your fingers before you begin, or use the pieces to create a barrier when smashing buds with heavier objects.

3. Keys and Cards

Not everyone has parchment on hand, but most of us have a set of keys we can utilize in a pinch. It’s a super simple concept: simply use the keys’ (after you clean them, of course) serrated edges to cut way at your buds. You may end up getting your keys a bit sticky as a result, but this isn’t something a little alcohol swab can’t handle.

Another quick fix involves digging into your wallet for a credit card. They tend to be firm enough to break down buds without snapping. Plastic cards are also perfect collection tools for your finished product, making them very useful to have around for the aftermath.

4. Blunt Force

For those times when your bud is a bit more on the dry side and the aforementioned hacks are not within your means, use blunt force to break down your buds. This works well in both medicine containers and plastic baggies; just make sure your container is sealed before you get started. Hard containers can be shaken vigorously (letting the buds smash against the surface over and over), while baggies can be smashed against a hard surface such as a counter or wall. Stickier and/or denser flowers may have a hard time breaking apart using this hack alone, but my next tip can help with that.

5. A Coin and Container

Drop a clean coin inside of your hard container before giving it a good shake; the coin will thrash around and tear through your buds. Dense and sticky buds stand much less of a chance against a thrashing coin in a confined space. Prescription bottles and breath mint tins are ideal candidates for this hack. Make sure you give your can a solid shake, and be sure not to overpack it — you want to leave enough room for the coin to do its job in there.

6. Scissors and a Shot Glass

Scissors are already the perfect companion for trimmers, but they can also be used post-processing as a neat way of breaking down your larger buds. A shot glass makes for a great catching container for your clippings. You can also place your buds inside of the shot glass and use your scissors in a pestle and mortar fashion, grinding and cutting your buds as they sit within the shot glass.

Both tricks have their pros and cons: clipping over a shot glass affords you the opportunity to cull unwanted stems from your final product, but may leave larger “budlets” which can be undesirable for rolling joints. Using the pestle and mortar technique is much quicker but also leaves you less control in picking out stems.

7. A Knife and Cutting Board

Don’t be afraid to get a little fancy in the kitchen by pulling out a knife and cutting board for a bit of good old fashioned cannabis carving. Serrated knives obviously work a bit better due to their ability to pull and tear as your knife glides along, but any knife can really do the trick. A cutting board helps keep everything contained so that you can get back to your business without an extensive cleanup. Treat the process very much as if you were slicing vegetables, letting the knife do the work as you go.

8. A Pizza Cutter/Rolling Slicer

Rolling herb slicers and pizza cutters are both very useful tools to keep in mind if you find yourself sans grinder. Like knives, wheeled cutting devices provide a sharp surface for slicing, though their design makes cutting sticky buds a much easier task than if you were to simply use a knife.

Also, for sewing enthusiasts, rotary blades work perfectly well as a substitution. These blades tend to be much sharper as they are designed to cut though multiple types of fabric.

9. A Microplane

Otherwise referred to as graters, microplanes make for a perfect alternative to knives. Running some buds through a microplane makes for a fine, even grind. If you’re thinking about rolling and want consistency, microplanes are a great solution. They come in all shapes and sizes, so if you have one laying around, give it a try. This can be a huge time save for anybody looking to grind slightly larger amounts of cannabis into a consistent finished product.

10. A Coffee Grinder

If you’re working with a larger quantity, these first nine hacks may prove to be less efficient, but if you’re in the presence of a coffee grinder or some other small food processor, you’ve just scored the mother load. Many hardcore grinding aficionados will skip the traditional hand grinder altogether and opt for a larger setup such as a coffee grinder to automate the entire process. A coffee grinder may just be the ultimate hack for somebody looking to break down a large amount of cannabis into a finely ground, consistent end product. It requires very little effort, and can grind large amounts in no time at all.

Image Sources: Levi DeVos via Flickr Creative Commons and Patrick Bennett

The Shake: Hemp Convertibles, Debunked DUI Tests, and Loopr’s Denver Debut

The AAA Foundation for Safety Traffic says tests for THC are bunk. Six states currently have blood tests in place to determine whether a driver is under the influence of cannabis, but AAA’s traffic safety foundation concluded that none of those tests has scientific merit. The study found that it’s not possible to set an accurate blood-test threshold for THC to reliably determine impairment, but the laws on the books nevertheless presume guilt if a driver tests above the limit. The foundation warned that this could result in unsafe drivers going free, while others may be wrongly convicted. The study came to the recommendation that a more reliable alternative might be a field test by trained officers, using indicators such as pupil dilation and tongue color in conjunction with a test for the presence of THC. The report could spur state legislatures to look into better ways to keep our streets and highways safe.

Legal cannabis courier services may be coming soon to Colorado. A new bill from the House would create a new licensing system for “marijuana transporters” for cannabis couriers, specifically tasked with moving cannabis from warehouse to retail and dispensary shelves.

Denver’s got a new 420-friendly mode of transportation for riding high in style. Loopr is an Uber-like luxury coach that picks up and drops off passengers at various dispensaries and retailers around the city. Loopr is streamlined with all of the amenities: restrooms, wifi, refrigerator, glassware, a dab bar, and even a laser show!

This herbal chef is stepping up the gourmet game with new, five-star meals that incorporate cannabis in delightful and subtle ways. “You’ll never taste the cannabis in my cooking unless I specifically want you to taste it,” cannabis chef Chris Sayegh says of his new and mouth-watering style of infusion.

Check out this cute little convertible made entirely from woven hemp. Renew is a sporty prototype based on the design of a Mazda Miata, but with a resilient, lightweight and eco-friendly cannabis twist.

The world’s first luxury 2-in-1 electronic and manual cannabis grinder now exists. Could be a great innovation for those who suffer from arthritis or have limited dexterity.

Orlando decriminalizes possession of small amounts of cannabis. Rather than risk arrest or jail time, offenders will now receive a simple $100 fine for less than 20 grams of cannabis, an ordinance that will go into effect Oct. 1.

Image Source: Loopr

The Atlantic’s ‘Failed’ Legalization Story is a Lie. Here’s Why. 

If you’re a writer who’s been in the game long enough to enter the word “journalist” on a tax form, you have had this experience: After toiling long and hard on a piece, crafting subtle-yet-devastating arguments, marshaling evidence, paring quotes, and delivering a killer conclusion, you wake up on the morning of its publication to find the entire enterprise destroyed by a thoughtless headline. Or a silly headline. Or a stupid, nonsensical headline. Or a headline that is diametrically opposed to the very point you were trying to make.

That is what I imagine Tom James experienced on Monday morning.

James is the author of the Atlantic Monthly feature that dropped yesterday under the headline “The Failed Promise of Legal Pot.”

Nice headline. Provocative. Clickable. And false to the bone.

James’s 4,500-word piece gets at a couple of undeniable truths. In America’s three legal, regulated, commercial states, the black market for cannabis has winnowed considerably but hasn’t completely disappeared. And the racial disparities in arrests that existed during prohibition still exist after prohibition’s end. Colorado, Oregon, and Washington arrest far fewer people now than they did in 2011, but people of color still face higher rates of arrest than white people.

That’s it. That’s the “failed promise” of legal pot.

The successful promise of legal pot is this: In Washington, arrests for cannabis possession have dropped by 98 percent. In Colorado, they’ve fallen by 95 percent. Cannabis taxes in both states are generating tens of millions of dollars a year for education and public health. In Oregon, the legal cannabis industry has created 2,156 jobs and $46 million in wages.

Legalization has not increased underage access, as studies have shown again and again and again.

Many of those positive notes were taken from Tom James’s own piece in The Atlantic. In fact, James himself makes it clear that the very headline of his piece is false:

“It would be a mistake to call marijuana legalization a failure, even in the loosest sense of the word.”

Here’s the rest of that paragraph:

“After all, nationally, just fewer than one in eight marijuana arrests on average are for distribution; the other seven are for simple possession. That means that out of eight marijuana arrests that would have happened tomorrow in Colorado, seven of them won’t, because possession is legal. That means seven Coloradans who could have lost everything—from their jobs to their housing to their college financial aid—as a result of an arrest or conviction will instead simply go about another day of their ordinary lives. But the persistence of that eighth arrest—the roughly 12.5 percent of marijuana arrests that are for distribution—means that legalization isn’t a complete success, either. Those few distribution arrests cause the majority of marijuana-related incarcerations, and still disproportionately affect black men.”

So yes, there are still challenges to overcome regarding the racial disparities in the arrest rates for cannabis. But to acknowledge that and then blaze the header “Failed Promise” is not just an error. The Atlantic editors are spreading a falsehood that has real consequences for millions of Americans. Voters read headlines like that and decide to vote against legalization measures in states like California, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Nevada. Politicians glance at the Atlantic piece and decide to turn against regulated legalization in states like Vermont.

When they do, they allow good people to be destroyed by senseless arrests and outrageous prison sentences. Say their names. Bernard Noble, 49-year-old father of seven, wasting away in prison for 13 years for two joints in Louisiana. Lee Carroll Booker, 75, now serving life without parole for growing his own medical marijuana plants in Alabama. Raymond Schwab, the Gulf War veteran whose five children were taken by the state of Kansas because he wanted to move to Colorado to treat his PTSD with legal medical marijuana.

Here’s another name to say: Scott Stossel. He’s the editor of The Atlantic. I don’t know if he approved the headline, but I know he has the power to change it. He’s @SStosel on Twitter. Let him know how you feel.

Image Source: The Atlantic

Blood Testing Drivers for THC is Nonsense, AAA Study Says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Six states that allow cannabis use have legal tests to determine driving while impaired by the drug that have no scientific basis, according to a study by the nation’s largest automobile club that calls for scrapping those laws.

The study commissioned by AAA’s safety foundation said it’s not possible to set a blood-test threshold for THC, the chemical in marijuana that makes people high, that can reliably determine impairment. Yet the laws in five of the six states automatically presume a driver guilty if that person tests higher than the limit, and not guilty if it’s lower.

As a result, drivers who are unsafe may be going free while others may be wrongly convicted, the foundation said.

The foundation recommends replacing the laws with ones that rely on specially trained police officers to determine if a driver is impaired, backed up by a test for the presence of THC rather than a specific threshold. The officers are supposed to screen for dozens of indicators of drug use, from pupil dilation and tongue color to behavior.

The foundation’s recommendation to scrap the laws in Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington comes as legislatures in several more states consider adopting similar laws.

At least three states, and possibly as many as eleven, will also vote this fall on ballot measures to legalize marijuana for either recreational or medicinal use, or both. Several legislatures are also considering legalization bills.

“There is understandably a strong desire by both lawmakers and the public to create legal limits for marijuana impairment in the same manner we do alcohol,” said Marshall Doney, AAA’s president and CEO. “In the case of marijuana, this approach is flawed and not supported by scientific research.”

Determining whether someone is impaired by cannabis, as opposed to having merely used the drug at some time, is far more complex than the simple and reliable tests that have been developed for alcohol impairment.

There’s no science that shows drivers become impaired at a specific level of THC in the blood. A lot depends upon the individual. Drivers with relatively high levels of THC in their systems might not be impaired, especially if they are regular users, while others with relatively low levels may be unsafe behind the wheel.

Some drivers may be impaired when they are stopped by police, but by the time their blood is tested they have fallen below the legal threshold because active THC dissipates rapidly. The average time to collect blood from a suspected driver is often more than two hours because taking a blood sample typically requires a warrant and transport to a police station or hospital, the foundation said.

In addition, frequent cannabis users can exhibit persistent levels of the drug long after use, while THC levels can decline more rapidly among occasional users. Nine states, including some that have legalized marijuana for medicinal use, have zero-tolerance laws for driving and marijuana that make not only the presence of THC in a driver’s blood illegal, but also the presence of its metabolites, which can linger for weeks after use.

That makes no sense, said Mark A. R. Kleiman, a New York University professor specializing in issues involving drugs and criminal policy. “A law against driving with THC in your bloodstream is not a law you can know you are obeying except by never smoking marijuana or never driving,” he said.

He said rather than switching to a new kind of law as AAA recommends, states should consider simply making it a traffic violation.

Studies show that using marijuana and driving roughly doubles the risk of a crash, Kleiman said. By comparison, he pointed out that talking on a hands-free cellphone while driving — legal in all states — quadruples crash risk. A blood alcohol content of .12, which is about the median amount in drunken driving cases, increases crash risk by about 15 times.

Driving with “a noisy child in the back of the car” is about as dangerous as using cannabis and driving, Kleiman said.

The exception, Kleiman noted, is when a driver has both been using marijuana and drinking alcohol because the two substances together greatly heighten impairment.

The foundation also released a second study that found the share of drivers in fatal crashes who had recently used cannabis doubled in Washington after the state legalized it for recreational use in December 2012. From 2013 to 2014, the share of drivers who had recently used marijuana rose from 8 percent to 17 percent.

While it stopped short of blaming the crashes on that increase, AAA traffic safety director Jake Nelson said traffic fatalities went up 6 percent in Washington during that same period while the fatalities nationally declined.

Image Source: Why Kei via Unsplash

“Cannabis Saved My Life” Says Ex-NHL Enforcer Larry DePalma

While music thumps and people laugh in the background, tough guy Larry DePalma talks about how he tried to kill himself several times since leaving the National Hockey League in a new video called, “Cannabis and Concussion.” Inthe YouTube video, DePalma, who played professional hockey for teams in San Jose, Pittsburgh and Minnesota, lays out

Myrcene, Linalool, and Bisabolol: What are the Benefits of These Cannabis Terpenes?

This article is sponsored by Tilray, one of the largest and most sophisticated producers of premium medical cannabis in the world. Tilray is dedicated to providing safe, consistent and reliable products to patients and furthering clinical research.

Terpenes are fragrant essential oils secreted in differing concentrations in different cannabis strains alongside cannabinoids like THC and CBD. These compounds are what impart cannabis varieties with distinctive aromas and flavors such as berry, pine, pineapple and diesel. Besides affecting aroma and flavor, there is some evidence suggesting that they may also modify cannabis’s effects.

Terpenes are beginning to pique the interest of cannabis consumers more than ever before. While the spotlight has largely been on cannabinoids, web searches related to terpenes have grown steadily since Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis in 2012.

While over 200 different terpenes can occur in varying concentrations in any given strain, there are about 10 primary terpenes that occur most commonly in the greatest concentrations, and about 20 more secondary terpenes that occur in lesser concentrations. Myrcene and linalool are among cannabis’s primary terpenes, while bisabolol is considered a primary terpene by some and a secondary terpene by others. All of these terpenes display unique effects in various strains of cannabis.

What is Myrcene?

Myrcene (or β-myrcene) is a terpene that occurs often in highly fragrant plants and herbs such as mangoes, hops, bay laurel leaves, thyme, lemongrass, and basil. Myrcene is produced by numerous cannabis strains, and some have suggested that it lends sedative, indica-like effects (including “couch-lock”) to strains containing more than 0.5% of this terpene.

Another place you’ll find myrcene is in mangoes. Anecdotal evidence suggests that eating a ripe mango prior to consuming cannabis may accentuate or extend the psychoactive effects of cannabis; some have suggested that this is due to the fruit’s concentrations of myrcene, which is naturally synergistic with THC and allows cannabinoids to more easily bridge the blood-brain barrier.

Myrcene’s effects include:

• Anti-inflammatory
• Analgesic (pain relief)
• Antibiotic
• Sedative
• Antimutagenic

While strains like Pure Kush, White Widow and Himalayan Gold frequently display pronounced concentrations of myrcene, these terpene levels can vary from grower to grower and plant to plant. Case in point: at Tilray, myrcene is currently expressed most highly by the strains Jack Herer, Warlock CBD and Pink Kush.

What is Linalool?

Linalool is a naturally occurring terpene found in many flowers and spices including lavender and coriander. It gives off a complex yet delicate floral aroma, and while its effects are myriad, it is in particular one of the substances used most widely to reduce stress.

Humans have inhaled the scent of certain plants, including many containing linalool, since ancient times to help lower stress levels, fight inflammation, and combat depression. Linalool has been the subject of many studies, including a recent one in which scientists allowed lab rats to inhale linalool while exposing them to stressful conditions. It was reported that linalool returned elevated stress levels in the immune system to near-normal conditions.

Linalool’s effects include:

• Anti-anxiety
• Antidepressant
• Sedative
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-epileptic
• Analgesic

Strains that frequently display high levels of linalool include Amnesia Haze, Lavender, and LA Confidential. At Tilray specifically, strains currently producing high concentrations of linalool include Master Kush, Pink Kush, and OG Shark.

What is Bisabolol?

The terpene bisabolol (also known as α-Bisabolol or levomenol) is a fragrant chemical compound produced by the chamomile flower and other plants such as the candeia tree in Brazil. It is also produced by various cannabis strains.

While it has long been widely used in the cosmetics industry, bisabolol has more recently become the subject of research for the medical benefits it displays in cannabis. Its effects include:

• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-irritant
• Antioxidant
• Anti-microbial
• Analgesic

Strains that are said to display high levels of bisabolol include Harle-Tsu and ACDC. At Tilray specifically, several of Tilray’s most popular strains express high quantities of this terpene, including Pink Kush, Headband, OG Shark, Rockstar and Master Kush.

To view all Tilray strains, visit Tilray’s website.

Image Source: Tilray

See Kara Bradford Of Viridian Staffing Speak At The Upcoming Cannabis Business Summit

Probably the most common question I get from readers, and also from people I know, is ‘how do I get a job in the cannabis industry.’ I am always quick to point out that while the marijuana industry can be an exciting place to be at times, it might be the hardest industry to crack

Is Hillary Clinton Bluffing On Her Marijuana Policy Stance?

Hillary Clinton wants to remove Cannabis Marijuana from Schedule 1 Federal Classification. Taking it off the same schedule as such dangerous recreational drugs with the highest potential for abuse and addiction, among them heroin and cocaine. This is what the MMJ industry has been waiting for! Getting weed off of Schedule 1 should be a

The Definitive Cannabis Travel Guide to Toronto

Welcome to Leafly’s travel series, our definitive cannabis-infused guides to the best cities in the world.

The Six: It’s not because Toronto has a “6” in its area code, or even its postal code. Back in the late nineties, the Province of Ontario combined the six cities in the greater Toronto region into one. The resulting megalopolis is now the 4th largest city in North America. What do they love in Toronto? Drake, for one. Boy, do they love them some Drake. The week I was there I read, saw, and heard Drake news every day of the week. And he didn’t even do anything newsworthy.

They also love poutine, which is a fancy word for French fries smothered in gloppy gravy and sprinkled with cheese curds. Other things Torontonians dig: pronouncing their city “T’ronnnah,” really expensive parkas with fur-lined hoods, surviving cold winters, rooting for a hockey team that almost never wins, and raising some of the world’s funniest comedians.

Toronto is currently experiencing a dispensary boom: where once there were a handful of MMJ outlets, now there are nearly 90 (although the exact count is uncertain, as more open every day). Word to the wise: Canada (and Toronto) remains legal for medical marijuana but not recreational. (Yet.) So arrive with your Health Canada card if you expect to be served.

Toronto Vitals

Cannabis legality: Medical only (doctor authorization required)

Nicknames: T.O., Queen City, The Six

Population: 6,055,724

Pop culture claim to fame: Did I mention Drake yet?

Dispensaries on Leafly: 88

For the record: City law makes it illegal to swear in a public park. Canadians value politeness, eh.

Day One

At 4:20 p.m., you are: Checking into the King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto, because you feel like indulging in old money luxury. The Eddie, as it’s known around the Six, is a grand old barn built by a whiskey baron who founded the distillery that would go on to produce Canadian Club. A recent $40 million renovation has the Eddie looking spit-spot once again, with guests enjoying the hushed elegance of the Consort Bar, high tea on weekends, and royal high-backed lobby chairs for private tet-a-tets. At the Eddie you’re within walking distance of the Entertainment District and the Air Canada Centre, home of the NBA’s Raptors and the NHL’s Maple Leafs. Bonus: Plenty of royal portraits (King Eddie himself, Queen Elizabeth, et al).

At 4:40 p.m., you are: Cabbing it to Queens of Cannabis, Toronto’s only woman-owned and operated dispensary, in the city’s Bloorcourt neighborhood. Hang out and talk medical strains with co-owners Brandy Zurborg and Tania Cyalume, enjoy an aromatherapy massage in the back studio, or purchase chocolate edibles or cannabis-infused guacamole.

Distinctive dispensaries in other neighborhoods: Cannawide Dispensary and Cannawide Top Shelf, one company with two locations within a block of each other in Kensington Market, Toronto’s world-famous vintage district; The Toronto Dispensary on Church Street, east of the U of T campus; and 416 Medicinal Health Center near Stanley Park.

Hot local pick: Don’t forget a box of delicious Mary’s Wellness infused tea (peppermint, chamomile, or chai) while you’re at Queens of Cannabis. You’ll want this Toronto specialty later tonight for a sleepytime sip.

At 5:35 p.m., you are: Perusing the glassware at the Toronto Hemp Company, Canada’s most complete cannabis accessories emporium. Owner Dom Cramer opened his Yonge Street shop in 1994, and since then the joint has become known nationwide for its selection of pipes, papers, vaporizers, and all things desired by the cannabis consumer. The main floor overflows with consumption tools; the basement is all about grow supplies. Whatever your needs, Dom’s got you covered.

At 6:25 p.m., you are: Settling in for a cocktail and appetizers at Signs Restaurant & Bar, one of North America’s most unique eateries. Signs is an easy four-block walk down Yonge Street from Toronto Hemp Co., and you’re going to be telling your friends about this place. It’s staffed with deaf servers, bartenders, kitchen staff and hosts. Your menu contains helpful instruction in American Sign Language (ASL), which you’ll use to communicate with your server. (Hint: The sign for “martini” is one of the easiest in the book.) Pasta dishes are among their specialties, along with, of course, the Toronto staple: poutine. Ask for the check early, because you’ll need to hustle to make curtain at your next stop.

At 7:31 p.m., you are: Laughing your ass off at The Second City, the cradle of North American comedy. It seems churlish to call this the Toronto offshoot of the original Second City in Chicago because the Toronto stage has created its own legends since first opening in 1973. Gilda Radner, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Mike Myers, and hundreds of others cut their comic teeth here. Do yourself a favor: plunk down $30, yuk it up, and lay bets on which of tonight’s comics will be on Saturday Night Live next season.

Inside tip: Stick around after the show when members of the cast indulge in a little improv, just to strengthen their chops.

At 11:15 p.m., you are: Shaking it and making it at one of the city’s hot nightclubs. Check out Wayward (skews young, trendy, dressed to kill, bottle service); Apt. 200 (more relaxed, informal, hang out and play some pool or video games with your craft cocktail); Ballet; or Uniun.

At 2:15 a.m., you are: Enjoying a soothing cup of Mary’s Wellness infused tea. Seriously. This stuff is awesome. You will sleep like a baby. A baby who really, really likes to sleep.

Day Two

Late the next morning, you are: Rising and shining at the Dineen Coffee Company, on Yonge Street, if you’re looking for expertly pulled java and a pastry; or at Le Petit Déjeuner, on King Street, if you’re looking for a fuller menu with mind-blowing French specialties.

Local tip: The toast champignon, a halved bagel topped with sautéed mushrooms, onions, and bacon, at Le Petit Déjeuner is to die for.

At 12:15 p.m., you are: Walking off that breakfast with a stroll through the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is, I kid you not, located in a Toronto shopping mall. Take a gander at the most famous trophy in professional sports, the Stanley Cup, which contains the name of every member of every championship team, hand-tooled into the trophy’s collars. Marvel at hockey memorabilia like Wayne Gretzky’s battered Edmonton Oilers helmet and Jim Craig’s goalie pads from the US Hockey Team’s “Miracle On Ice” win over the Soviets in 1980.

At 1:34 p.m., you are: Thinking about visiting the top of the CT Tower, but come on, you’ve got better things to do, such as checking out some of the world’s most beautiful, expensive, exotic, and rare footwear at the Bata Shoe Museum. This cobbler’s paradise was founded in 1995 by Sonja Bata, the businesswoman and philanthropist who, along with her husband Thomas J. Bata, ran the family-owned global footwear and fashion accessory company. The building itself is an architectural gem, and its collection of more than 13,000 shoes includes indigenous footwear from all over the world. I know. You’re saying “A shoe museum? Really?” Trust me. It’s completely worth it.

At 2:43 p.m., you are: Shopping in the vintage boutiques of the Kensington Market, Toronto’s justifiably famous funkytown. If secondhand jeans and throwback jerseys aren’t your style, stroll a few blocks to Queen Street West, named one of the 15 coolest neighborhoods in the world. Enjoy the abundance of trendy boutiques, indie patisseries, and art galleries there.

At 4:19 p.m., you are: Feeding loonies and toonies into the Biblio-Mat, the world’s first randomizing vending machine for used books, at Monkey’s Paw bookstore on Dundas Street. Now you’ve got your reading material for the flight home. Time to catch a cab to the airport!

Image Sources: Omni Hotels, Queens of Cannabis via Instagram, Toronto Hemp Company, Signs, Dineen Coffee Co., Hockey Hall of Fame, and Bata Shoe Museum via Facebook, The Second City, and BlogTo

US NJ: Column: Too Much Attention Paid to Toking, Not Enough

The Trentonian, 10 May 2016 – A marijuana legalization supporting friend frequently delivers this insight. “It’s a plant, L.A. People should not be arrested for smoking a plant,” she says. Her potted observations includes the same allowance for Cannabis oil, butter, gummy bears, coffee, etc. Her observation attracts a certain appreciation except for the fact that smoking such plant remains a violation of New Jersey law.

5 Myths About Cannabis in the Czech Republic

There are plenty of misconceptions about cannabis laws in European countries. The Czech Republic is a striking example: most foreign visitors think cannabis is legal in this small country in the heart of Europe. But alas, it is not, at least not in the way most international media report. Here are the five biggest myths you should know before you set out on a trip to Prague.

Myth #1: You Can Smoke Cannabis in Public in the Czech Republic

While it is possible to smoke cannabis freely outdoors, and thousands regularly do, this activity is illegal. Of course, you can do it, but don’t get caught by police. If you get caught, the police officer will most likely just give you a fine. However, the officer can also search you for more drugs. Having more than 10 grams (0.35 oz) of dried buds on you is considered a crime, not an offense, which means you can face criminal charges.

The popularity of smoking cannabis in public is testament to the rebellious soul of the Czechs, who have gotten used to ignoring and despising police and state authorities in general from 40 years of oppressive communist rule. Especially in the countryside, local policemen either do not recognize the smell of burning cannabis or, in most cases, do not care to intervene, if only because they know that every second granny in their village grows a few plants and makes creams and tinctures for sick members of the local community.

If you decide to light up outdoors in the Czech Republic, be discreet enough to avoid direct contact with police (don’t blow smoke in their faces) and you should do fine. (NOTE: Leafly strongly recommends you follow local laws — don’t gamble on a police officer’s good nature, as that’s not a bet you’d want to lose.)

Myth #2: Prague is the New Amsterdam

It’s true that there are many places, bars, pubs, and clubs where you can buy various high THC strains in the Czech capital, but none of these businesses are or ever were operating legally. Prague does boast a lot of coffeeshops, but they definitely don’t sell cannabis, just coffee and muffins. Selling any cannabis product containing over 0.3 % THC is simply illegal.

Myth #3: Czech Drug Laws in General are Not Repressive

Czech politicians and their advisors like to point out that the country is very liberal in terms of its drug laws and should serve as an example to the rest of the world. We can agree that these laws are more liberal than in many neighboring countries or in many U.S. states, yet growing more than five cannabis plants or possessing over 10 grams of dried flowers is still considered a crime. Growing one to five plants or possessing up to nine grams is an offense punishable with a fine of up to $650. So…still pretty repressive and not that liberal at all. Another myth busted.

Myth #4: Medical Cannabis is Legal and Widely Available

According to Czech legislature, medical cannabis has been technically legal for three years now. Most international media keep reminding us of how progressive the Czechs are in this respect. But the sad and bitter reality is that even today cannabis is practically unavailable to patients. It’s not covered by medical insurance, very few doctors are knowledgeable in this area, and the ones who are must be willing to go through a very complicated bureaucratic process to be able to prescribe it. There’s currently just one “super THC strong” strain available and no CBD-rich strains whatsoever. On top of all this, patients under 18 are not allowed to use any medical cannabis products. Maybe because the lawmakers think that children do not get sick?

Myth #5: Czechs Love the Herb

Okay, this one is actually not a myth. Czechs do love their cannabis, preferably the homegrown variety, which explains why our use of cannabis is one of the highest in Europe and even in the world. One of the most amazing and positive things about this country is that the vast majority of Czechs who don’t really like cannabis have absolutely nothing against people who do.

The Shake: One Presidential Candidate is a Cannabis Consumer. Does It Matter?

The upcoming ruling in a cannabis case could have federal implications. Washington medical marijuana patient Rolland Gregg has been fighting federal drug charges for more than three years, maintaining that his family-owned collective garden containing 68 plants was compliant under state law. He was convicted last year, but now he’s claiming the federal government broke the law by prosecuting him. The issue at stake here is the scope of the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, which was passed in 2015 and 2016 and forbids the use of federal funds for prosecuting those who comply with state marijuana laws. Conflicting interpretations of the amendment has been a point of contention for defense attorneys and the Department of Justice alike. The 9th Circuit is set to rule on three different cannabis cases and will be forced to clarify the language on the amendment, either in favor of the defendants or in favor of the Department of Justice.

Legal cannabis has failed to eliminate the black market or the racial divide in the drug world. The Atlantic posts a piece that finds the black market still exists after legalization, the cops still make cannabis arrests, and those arrested are largely African-American individuals. The cycle continues on even in the closing days of the Drug War…

Another fear-mongering story skews the numbers. “Rise in children selling cannabis” proclaims the U.K.’s Daily Mail. However, as VICE pointed out, the rise was over the course of nine years and involved an increase of only 61 cases of children from 10 to 17 years of age selling cannabis. Compare that to the massive drop in juvenile possession convictions between 2010 and 2014 – 61 percent, from 4,466 down to 1,751. Do your research!

The Libertarian nominee for president, Gary Johnson, is a cannabis consumer. Does that matter? Not really, says National Review.

The first cannabis-tax-funded education course happened in Colorado. Seventh grade students were the first to experience the cannabis education course designed by school counselor Molly Lotz and teacher Sarah Grippa. Tax revenue from legal cannabis sales are funding the project in an effort to educate students on the dangers of underage use and its impact on the developing brain.

Legalization poll in Massachusetts finds a tight race. Massachusetts seems to have a good chance, but how does the public feel? A new poll from Suffolk University finds 46 percent in favor of legalization and 43 percent against.

Image Source: Gage Skidmore via Flickr Creative Commons