Law The Cannabis Chronicles - Misc Cannabis News

[Baron23]

Google, Apple, Facebook...all posing as enlightened, new age, corporations with some sort of young/honest/ethical culture......but they are not.

Cannabis cleanse? Why big tech is giving pot businesses the boot
Submitted by Marijuana News on Mon, 08/27/2018 - 09:13

YouTube and others are erasing the accounts of marijuana brands, limiting their ability to advertise themselves.

Got a question about cannabis? If so, then YouTube has long been a place to go. The platform’s power was something Green Flower Media understood well. The California company, which produces cannabis content focused on health and wellness, had posted hundreds of videos with titles like “What is cannabis terroir?” and “How to use cannabis with intention”.

The videos racked up millions of views, says the company’s CEO, Max Simon. But then, a few months ago, “YouTube decided to go on a cannabis cleanse.” Simon says their channel disappeared and that they have been “provided absolutely no recourse whatsoever”. (A spokesperson for Google, which owns YouTube, said there is a way to appeal.)

Simon interprets the ban as a sign of the pervasive stigma against the drug. It likely also reflects a powerful company doing the safe thing while the technology industry faces unprecedented scrutiny surrounding privacy, free speech and other issues.

Neither Google nor Facebook, the two most important internet companies, accepts marijuana advertising and both have both been known to erase cannabis-related accounts without warning. Both companies say they want to allow discussions around the drug but not facilitate commerce. While attitudes about cannabis have been changing, it remains illegal almost everywhere they reach.

That approach has created problems for the marijuana companies trying to get their brand out.

Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, is the dominant platform in the cannabis world. It’s where aficionados go to discover the latest pipes, the dankest crops and endless memes of cartoon characters getting high. For those in the know, Instagram can also be a place to search for unsanctioned cannabis markets.

Facebook and the cannabis industry have more or less reached a detente where companies can post but not advertise. But there are exceptions, and enforcement can be spotty or arbitrary. A Facebook spokesperson said the company has been cracking down on opiate sales, which has likely resulted in a “shadow ban” that can make cannabis-related pages harder to find through Facebook searches, including those from mainstream media sources and government agencies.

At Facebook, the system for determining whether an ad is appropriate – which involves the judgement of both a human and the algorithm – is not exact, a spokesperson acknowledged.

For a time I advertised my cannabis newsletter, WeedWeek, on Facebook, until it stopped accepting my money. After I appealed the decision, someone explained: “The ad was disapproved correctly for facilitating or promoting illegal products, services or activities.” This isn’t exactly true, but as a private company they have broad leeway to determine who can advertise. Facebook and Google have also banned ads for tobacco and restrict ads for guns and other weapons.

The consequences of a ban can be disastrous for a business. Kyle Porter, the president of CMW Media, a cannabis marketing and PR firm, thought he was safe promoting a client that supplied hydroponic equipment frequently used by cannabis growers. He was wrong. Facebook banned him from advertising anything, for life. “As a marketing professional you can imagine how devastating that can be,” he said.

“There’s no further action that you may take here,” someone at Facebook wrote to Porter with Kafkaesque authority. “Please consider this decision final.” Porter added that Facebook is sophisticated and rigorous with its enforcement.

It has forced him to scramble for alternatives. “We just started Yahoo ads. I know that sounds silly but they’ll take us,” Porter said. They’ve also begun using influencers to market their products for them through social media, which he describes as a new form of guerrilla marketing.

The lack of receptiveness from Facebook and Google is a serious concern for pot companies, which are limited in their access to traditional advertising through print media, radio, television and billboards.

In response to marijuana’s internet problem, Christian Valdez started a cannabis digital ad network called Traffic Roots, which facilitates cannabis ads on about 300 cannabis sites and about 3,000 “cannabis-friendly” sites, many of them related to music, wellness and investment. Valdez got the idea when he was working at a pornography-oriented ad network and realized not even porn sites would accept pot ads.

For cannabis businesses, limited advertising options mirror the struggle to operate financially in a quasi-legal world. “A lot of people talk about banking being an issue, but to have money coming into the bank you need to be able to advertise effectively,” Valdez said. “Before you have a banking problem you have an advertising problem.”

 

[t-dub]

Looks like I will need a backup for all my vaping videos. This means that this site, and others, will have to allow multimedia content from different sources like real.video or BitChute . . .

 

[momofthegoons]

Marijuana Users Being Turned Away From Cannabis Industry Jobs

One of the first rules of operating a successful black market drug dealing operation is to never get high on your own supply. Well, it turns out this thug-life ethos is being practiced by parts of the legal cannabis industry. Medical marijuana cultivation facilities, dispensaries and other pot-based businesses operating in the post-prohibition landscape are reportedly rejecting job applicants with a strong admiration for weed. Even those marred by marijuana-related criminal convictions are often turned away. The overall message is that while stoners and potheads may be the ones responsible for the present state of pot reform in America, they are, in a lot of cases, not welcome to work in weed.

In Florida, where the state’s medical marijuana market is just now starting to build some momentum, cannabis operations are in a frenzy to hire budtenders, cultivation experts and various other team members to assist in serving the hundreds of thousands of patients expected to participate in the program. The state already has around 147,000 patients in the pool, so finding quality, reliable talent to run the show is top of mind for most human resources managers.

However, the process is not going as smoothly as expected. Many of these businesses are simply refusing to hire marijuana users and people with drug-related blemishes on their record -- regardless of their qualifications. Such high standards have disqualified the majority of job applicants. Roughly only about “10 percent” of those who apply for positions in Florida's cannabis market are employable, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

This is not entirely the fault of the cannabis industry. Florida law dictates that all employees of medical marijuana operations be felony free. So while it is conceivable that a job applicant with a misdemeanor for pot possession could receive the green light to grow and sell marijuana in the legal sector, anyone convicted of engaging in these activities on the pre-legal scene can be automatically blacklisted.

In an attempt to combat this borderline hypocrisy, some job recruitment firms, like Miami-based HempStaff, are telling people interested in securing a cannabis industry job that, “they should avoid bringing up any illegal activity regarding cannabis in an interview.” Bragging about growing primo black market bud or being the top selling weed slinger in the county are not things that should be listed on a resume.

The no-stoners-allowed policy is not as problematic in states that have legalized the leaf for recreational use. In fact, a study published earlier this summer in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found that a large percentage of cannabis industry workers in Colorado are getting high both before they go to work and during business hours. Researchers at Colorado State University found that 63 percent of the state’s cannabis industry employees showed up to the job high within the last month while another 45 percent admitted to getting stoned on the clock. So, obviously, there are plenty of cannabis companies hiring people passionate about maintaining a daily buzz.

Still, for those people not yet locked in to a lucrative pot job, it might be best to wait until after the interview to get high. The cannabis industry has been fighting hard to eliminate stoner stereotypes, so getting dabbed out of your gourd prior to discussing a career in cannabis with a company on the hook to investors for millions of dollars might not be the best way to make a solid first impression. The objective is to hear an HR manager say "you're hired," not "you're high...get out."

 

[Baron23]

7 Rights and privileges you can still lose by using legal marijuana


Marijuana is becoming legal in more and more places around the United States.

But just because buying or using cannabis is legal where you live doesn’t mean there won’t be punishments or repercussions for doing so, writes Joseph Misulonas.

Here are seven ways you can still be punished for legally using marijuana:

1. Gun Rights

The federal government forbids gun sellers from providing guns to people who use marijuana, and they can be punished for doing so. For some reason the NRA and anti-gun groups will fight any legislation to prevent guns from getting in the hands of criminals or violent people, but they don’t care that marijuana users can’t purchase firearms.

2. Employment

While marijuana may be legal in your state, that doesn’t mean it’s also allowed in your workplace. Countless court cases have upheld that businesses can still drug test and fire employees for using marijuana even in legal states, except for in states that have passed protections for cannabis using workers.

3. Children

Even if marijuana is legal in your state, Child Protective Services still considers it a crime since it’s illegal at the federal level, and they can remove your children from your home if you are caught using cannabis. Some states have passed laws to prevent this from happening, but there’s still a large chance you’re at risk.

4. Housing

Similar to employment, using marijuana can affect your housing in many different ways. You are definitely barred from living in federally-subsidized housing, and landlords can still evict you if you use cannabis and they’ve previously stated that you’re not allowed to do so on their property.

5. Insurance

Marijuana users can also be punished when it comes to insurance. There’s basically no restrictions on what an insurance company can use as a condition for refusing to cover you, and often medical or life insurance providers use previous cannabis use as a reason to refuse people.

6. Military Service

Active-duty military members are banned from using cannabis, even if they are in a state where it’s legal and their not on duty. And veterans can risk losing their benefits if they’re caught using marijuana, even if they do so in legal states. However the military is loosening some of its stances, as it no longer automatically disqualifies someone from joining if they admit to using marijuana in the past. Although that’s more because they’re struggling to find recruits and less because they suddenly have a more tolerant attitude.

7. Travel

Traveling with marijuana is also incredibly complicated. For instance, airports are considered federal jurisdiction, so if you are caught with marijuana in one, you’re probably not going to get the slap on the risk you would expect when you’re in a legal state. And even if you purchase your marijuana in a legal place, as soon as you cross into state lines, you’re under a whole new set of laws and can be charged with a crime for your perfectly legal purchase.

 

[momofthegoons]

There's a short video that couldn't be embedded at the beginning of this article. To view follow the title link.

U.S. BORDER AGENTS GEAR UP FOR CANADA'S MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION, VOWING TO ENFORCE FEDERAL LAW

U.S. customs and border agents are bracing for Canada’s legalization of recreational marijuana, saying they will continue to enforce federal law along the northern border.

“Although medical and recreational marijuana may be legal in some U.S. States and Canada, the sale, possession, production and distribution of marijuana all remain illegal under U.S. federal law,” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials told Detroit’s Local 4 news.

The unidentified officials said that anyone attempting to enter the U.S. with cannabis may have the products seized, as well as face fines and possible “apprehension.”

A U.S. Border Patrol agent uses a dog to look for drugs and hidden people at a highway checkpoint on August 1 in West Enfield, Maine. U.S. agents are gearing up for Canada’s legalization of recreational marijuana. SCOTT EISEN/GETTY IMAGES

 

[felvapes]

There's a short video that couldn't be embedded at the beginning of this article. To view follow the title link.

U.S. BORDER AGENTS GEAR UP FOR CANADA'S MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION, VOWING TO ENFORCE FEDERAL LAW

U.S. customs and border agents are bracing for Canada’s legalization of recreational marijuana, saying they will continue to enforce federal law along the northern border.

“Although medical and recreational marijuana may be legal in some U.S. States and Canada, the sale, possession, production and distribution of marijuana all remain illegal under U.S. federal law,” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials told Detroit’s Local 4 news.

The unidentified officials said that anyone attempting to enter the U.S. with cannabis may have the products seized, as well as face fines and possible “apprehension.”

A U.S. Border Patrol agent uses a dog to look for drugs and hidden people at a highway checkpoint on August 1 in West Enfield, Maine. U.S. agents are gearing up for Canada’s legalization of recreational marijuana. SCOTT EISEN/GETTY IMAGES

That dogs tongue is hanging out like he is, hanging out....needs a sesh poor fulla....

 

[Baron23]

If I comment on this article, I will get myself banned....so, read it for yourself, yeah?

Inside the Trump administration’s secret war on cannabis

The Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee wants to counteract positive marijuana messages and identify problems with state legalization initiatives, according to documents obtained by BuzzFeed News.

The White House has secretly amassed a committee of federal agencies from across the government to combat public support for marijuana and cast state legalization measures in a negative light, while attempting to portray the drug as a national threat, according to interviews with agency staff and documents obtained by BuzzFeed News. The Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee, as it’s named in White House memos and emails, instructed 14 federal agencies and the Drug Enforcement Administration this month to submit “data demonstrating the most significant negative trends” about marijuana and the “threats” it poses to the country.

In an ironic twist, the committee complained in one memo that the narrative around marijuana is unfairly biased in favor of the drug. But rather than seek objective information, the committee’s records show it is asking officials only to portray marijuana in a negative light, regardless of what the data show.

“The prevailing marijuana narrative in the U.S. is partial, one-sided, and inaccurate,” says a summary of a July 27 meeting of the White House and nine departments. In a follow-up memo, which provided guidance for responses from federal agencies, White House officials told department officials, “Departments should provide … the most significant data demonstrating negative trends, with a statement describing the implications of such trends.”

As several states have approved laws allowing adults to use and purchase cannabis, critics have contended lax attitudes will promote drug abuse, particularly among youth, and they have pressed for a federal crackdown. The White House at one point said more pot enforcement would be forthcoming, though President Donald Trump has never said he was onboard with that agenda and he announced in June that he "really" supports new bipartisan legislation in Congress that would let state marijuana legalization thrive.

However, the committee’s hardline agenda and deep bench suggest an extraordinarily far-reaching effort to reverse public attitudes and scrutinize those states. Its reports are to be used in a briefing for Trump “on marijuana threats.”

“There is an urgent need to message the facts about the negative impacts of marijuana.”

“Staff believe that if the administration is to turn the tide on increasing marijuana use there is an urgent need to message the facts about the negative impacts of marijuana use, production, and trafficking on national health, safety, and security,” says the meeting summary.

The White House declined to discuss the committee's process, but indicated it was part of an effort to remain consistent with the president's agenda.

“The Trump Administration’s policy coordination process is an internal, deliberative process to craft the President’s policies on a number of important issues facing the American people, and ensure consistency with the President’s agenda," Lindsay Walters, Deputy White House Press Secretary, told BuzzFeed News.

None of the documents indicate that officials are seeking data that show marijuana consumption or legalization laws, which have been approved in eight states, serve any public benefit or do a better job of reducing drug abuse.

Coordinated by White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the committee met on July 27 with many of the largest agencies in the federal government, including the departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and State. An unclassified summary of the meeting, obtained by BuzzFeed News, says the memo is “predecisional and requires a close hold.” And it says the notes were not to be distributed externally.

The White House followed up the next week by sending agencies and other departments — including the departments of Defense, Education, Transportation and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency — instructions to submit two-page, bulleted fact sheets that identify marijuana threats and issues with the initiatives by Aug. 10.

While spokespeople at those agencies declined to comment on the committee itself, asked if the Education Department had submitted its response to the White House, Liz Hill, a spokesperson for the agency, told BuzzFeed News this week, “I’m told we did turn it in on time to the WH.”

A State Department spokesperson told BuzzFeed News, “The State Department regularly coordinates with ONDCP on a wide range of drug control issues. For specific questions about the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee, we refer you to ONDCP.”

Neither the ONDCP officials or White House press office responded to requests from BuzzFeed News to comment on the committee.

Departments were told to “identify marijuana threats; issues created by state marijuana initiatives; and consequences of use, production, and trafficking on national health, safety, and security.”

The agencies should also provide an example of a “story, relating an incident or picture, that illustrates one or more the key areas of concern related to use, production, and trafficking of marijuana,” the White House guidance says. The agencies were asked to describe how the drug poses threats to their department and the consequences of marijuana “on national health and security.”

“We are asking each agency to provide information on marijuana,” White House ONDCP staffer Hayley C. Conklin wrote in an email to department leaders on Aug. 1. She cited the guidance document, saying, “it will assist you in providing the appropriate information.”

Contacted by BuzzFeed News about the committee, Conklin told BuzzFeed News, “Thank you so much for calling, but I cannot comment,” then hung up the phone.

A number of agencies also declined to comment — including the departments of Labor, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Transportation.

None of the 14 agencies BuzzFeed News contacted for this story, the DEA, or the White House denied the marijuana committee’s existence.

John Hudak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, blasted the committee’s slanted approach to the facts and the “alienating effort on behalf of the president. ”

“This is a terrible political move by the administration,” he told BuzzFeed, saying that the committee’s agenda betrays Trump’s pledges to protect states from federal intervention — a position with overwhelming public support.

Hudak added it would be “policy malpractice” to only collect one-sided data. “The coordination of propaganda around an issue that the president ostensibly supported is fairly unprecedented.”

“This is a president who is not serious about states rights and regulatory reform in areas like drug policy, and is not serious about telling the truth to the American people or members of Congress from his own party," Hudak said, pointing to Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican, who authored legislation that would protect states rights on marijuana and has praised Trump on the issue.

Gardner’s office did not reply to requests to comment on the committee.

Colorado Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat who is also running for governor this year, slammed the committee in a statement Wednesday. ”Pres. Trump is flailing on marijuana policy, sometimes saying the states should decide, while also allowing the Attorney General and other prohibition supporters in his purview to run amuck. If the White House is actually spreading misinformation about marijuana to undercut states’ rights, it’s appalling but not out of the ordinary for President Trump and his gang of prohibition supporters,” Polis said.

Although the White House said last year that it expected “greater enforcement” of marijuana in states where it’s legal, Trump has since suggested he'd support Gardner's legislation to allow states to legalize marijuana untouched by the Justice Department. The move seemed to jab at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has relentlessly threatened a pot crackdown. As leader of the Justice Department, Sessions has recited 1980s-style rhetoric about saying no to marijuana.

But Americans have diverged from the federal government’s hardline stance on pot prohibition — with eight states having now legalized its adult recreational use and authorizing systems to sell it like alcohol. A Quinnipiac University poll in April found that 63% of Americans support legalization.

While marijuana consumption rose in the 15 years before Colorado and Washington became the first states to start allowing adults to buy marijuana in 2013, according to JAMA Psychiatry, federal data indicate marijuana abuse disorder has dropped nationally since then.

 

[momofthegoons]

First they were worried about the children... now they say they're worried about the seniors....

With cannabis legalization, it’s not the teens we have to worry about. It’s seniors

Legal cannabis is upon us and the nation’s parents are paranoid.

More accurately, they are concerned, according to a survey commissioned by OrganiGram Inc., a Canadian medical marijuana producer, that they lack the resources necessary to educate their kids about the risks involved in lighting up, getting high, or as we said in my day, “blazing.”

According to the Canadian Science Policy Centre, “the percentage of Ontarians over 50 who used cannabis in the past year nearly tripled over the last 10 years, and rose fivefold since 1977.” (RICHARD VOGEL / AP)

Three out of five parents surveyed by OrganiGram are “concerned about legalization,” and 54 per cent “say there is not enough information available about risks.”

Risks involved in cannabis consumption include but are not limited to mood changes, impaired memory, impaired driving, delusions, eating everything in the fridge (expiration dates be damned) and, if you’re a teen who lives in the suburbs, spending way too much time hanging out in Tim Hortons parking lots — take it from someone who spent the greater part of her adolescence in one, these fears are understandable. But they may also be misplaced.

They may be misplaced because it’s hard to believe that teens (many of whom have been smoking pot illegally for years) will be in significant danger come legalization day in October — or that they will be significantly more stoned.

In fact, the opposite may be true. According to federal government research in the U.S., regular marijuana use among teens in Colorado actually declined after the state legalized cannabis sales.

Canadian parents then may want to shift some of their concern away from their adolescent progeny and lay it on a different set of family members: their aging parents.

According to another study, this one published in 2016 by the Society for the Study of Addiction, “the prevalence of cannabis use has increased significantly in recent years” among, guess who, U.S. adults 50 years and older. And according to the Canadian Science Policy Centre, “the percentage of Ontarians over 50 who used cannabis in the past year nearly tripled over the last 10 years, and rose fivefold since 1977.”

When you think about it, this makes perfect sense.

Teens don’t care and never did care that smoking weed is socially acceptable. The prospect of legalization isn’t likely a huge incentive for adolescents who are attracted to drug use in part because it’s frowned upon.

But respectability is a major incentive for older people who want to use cannabis but who aren’t rule-breaking types.

It may follow that unlike teenagers who already use cannabis frequently, older people who haven’t used it in decades but who want to smoke up in their golden years are potentially at a higher risk of abusing the substance. (It’s also worth noting that baby boomers are used to the less potent pot of their youth, and have been known to exclaim upon inhaling modern day marijuana “geez, that’s strong!”)

However, this problem doesn’t just occur around smoking strong weed, but eating it too.

According to the CBC, which published an investigation on cannabis overdose this month, a man in his late 50s recently collapsed at a Toronto jazz bar after ingesting a cannabis edible. In the words of the bar supervisor who witnessed the incident (which he originally assumed was the result of a heart attack or stroke), the collapsed bar patron “had eaten a (cannabis) edible and just couldn’t handle it.”

At the risk of being labelled ageist, I predict that if legalization harms any one demographic it won’t be rebellious teens, but older Canadians who buy their first gram in 35 years and discover the stuff packs a punch stronger than they had anticipated and heavier than they can handle.

Perhaps a series of government PSAs is in order that specifically target seniors who want to get stoned, but who fancy themselves too experienced to abuse marijuana. Be advised: you’re never too old to have a bad trip.

 

[momofthegoons]

There's a video interview with Vicente Fox that couldn't be embedded... might be worth a listen.

Marijuana Should Be Added to Nafta, Mexico’s Fox Says

Cannabis should be added to the North American Free Trade Agreement just like any other form of produce, says former Mexican President Vicente Fox.

Fox, who sits on the board of Vancouver-based medical marijuana producer Khiron Life Sciences Corp., said he expects Mexico’s new government to legalize recreational cannabis in 2019. The country legalized medical pot in 2017.

Fox has long advocated for legal cannabis, arguing that it will help defeat the cartel violence that has plagued Mexico for years.

“We can change criminals for businessmen, we can change underground, illegal non-taxpayers into an industry, a sector of the economy,” he said Thursday in an interview in Toronto, where he met with Khiron’s board. “I think it should be part of Nafta and that’s what I’m pursuing.”

If that happens, Mexico could become a major exporter of legal cannabis to the U.S. and Canadian markets, Fox said.

“On vegetables, on fruits, on avocados, Mexico produces and provides up to 70 percent of the U.S. and Canadian market so we are efficient in producing, we’re efficient in farming and we’re low-cost and competitive,” he said.

Canada is currently locked in negotiations on revampingNafta after the U.S. and Mexico signed a preliminary deal on Monday.

 

[felvapes]

Lol
Stop those old people getting stoned

Since when do they care bout the old ppl?

 

[Baron23]

Why the Trump administration's plot to derail marijuana momentum will flop

Marijuana stock investors shouldn't worry about the federal government's secret plans to whack weed before it grows too much support.

Call it a buzzkiller from BuzzFeed.

On Wednesday, online news site BuzzFeed reported that the Trump Administration is engaged in a "secret war on weed." BuzzFeed stated that the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee told multiple federal agencies to submit "data demonstrating the most significant negative trends" about marijuana use. The goal appears to be to try to prevent further support for relaxing federal anti-marijuana laws.

If the committee is successful in its efforts, companies with U.S. marijuana operations such as Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE:SMG), CannaRoyalty (NASDAQOTH:CNNRF), and Kush Bottles(NASDAQOTH:KSHB) could see their hopes of operating in a fully legal environment dashed.

But don't go shorting these stocks. Here are three reasons why this plot to derail marijuana momentum will flop -- and do so bigly.

1. It's not coming from Trump
Love him or hate him, one thing pretty much everyone will agree on about President Trump is that he marches to his own beat. He stated in his presidential campaign that his top adviser was himself. So far, that statement appears to be pretty accurate.

The effort to cast marijuana in a negative light isn't coming from Trump. Instead, it's being coordinated by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). Jim Carroll is the head of the ONDCP, a position also known as the "drug czar." Carroll isn't a close confidante of the president. He wasn't even Trump's first pick for the position.

President Trump has publicly expressed his view that states should be allowed to make and enforce their own marijuana laws. In April, he pledged to support legislative efforts led by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) that would prevent federal interference in states that have legalized marijuana (like Gardner's home state of Colorado). The Denver Post reported that Sen. Gardner's spokesman stated that the senator "remains confident in the commitment the president made to him to support a states' rights solution to the current disconnect on marijuana law."

2. It's a bad political move
Coming out swinging against efforts by states to legalize marijuana is a bad political move on multiple fronts. First, President Trump would be blatantly going against what he has publicly stated he supports. I know, what a shock it would be for a political figure to do a 180. But Trump would catch a lot of flak -- and he knows he would.

Speaking of flak, a major reason why the president came out in favor of relaxing federal marijuana laws earlier this year was that Sen. Gardner was holding up confirmations of political appointees. If Trump breaks his word, you can bet that Gardner will resume the logjam that worked pretty effectively in the past.

It's no secret that the American public has grown increasingly supportive of the legalization of marijuana. I doubt that a report from a group called the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee based on data collected from more than a dozen federal agencies is going to sway public opinion. Quite honestly, the committee itself sounds like a creature from the swamp in D.C. that Trump has promised to drain.

3. The cat's out of the bag already
The nail in the coffin for the "secret" effort to derail the momentum for marijuana is that it's not a secret anymore. The cat's out of the bag already thanks to the reporting by BuzzFeed. And because it appears that the committee's report will be intentionally biased, I suspect that it will be largely discredited from day one.

More important, though, the cat's out of the bag already with respect to legalized marijuana in general. Thirty states plus the District of Columbia allow legalized medical marijuana. Nine states allow the legal use of recreational marijuana. More are likely to follow in their footsteps.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even recently approved a marijuana-based drug for treating rare forms of epilepsy. That would make it hard for the committee's report to convincingly argue that there aren't medical benefits associated with marijuana.

After the flop
I suspect the official report from the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee will end up where lots of reports from federal committees and agencies go -- the trash can. Investors appear to be betting that's what will happen. Scotts Miracle-Gro stock moved higher the day after the BuzzFeed story went public.

CannaRoyalty's share price was up, too, while Kush Bottles stock was basically flat. If investors thought the president would renege on his commitment to Sen. Gardner, these stocks would have fallen.

There's still a long way to go before federal marijuana laws are revised. But I don't think the odds of that happening are one smidgen lower now that the committee's anti-marijuana campaign has made the news. I continue to believe that it's only a matter of time before the federal government gets out of the way and allows states to make their own decisions with respect to marijuana.

Even if this view proves to be correct, though, it doesn't mean that all marijuana stocks are smart picks. Investors still need to do their homework before buying any marijuana stock. However, I think that the U.S. cannabis industry is here to stay. Companies like Scotts Miracle-Gro should be winners over the long run. The Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee won't be.

 

[Baron23]

This disgusting article needs no further comment....the inhumanity is beyond description, IMO.

Man denied liver transplant due to medical cannabis use

According to his family, Rolando Rosa was denied a liver transplant after the hospital detected cannabis in his bloodstream. He uses medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids.

A man is trying to crowdfund money after being denied a liver transplant at a hospital in Texas for having CBD and THC in his system, according to his family. The man is named Rolando Rosa, and his family claims that the operation is urgent and would be “life-saving,” suggesting that without the implant, Rosa may not have much time left.

According to the crowdfunding page, the liver coordinator who was looking after Rosa at the Methodist Dallas Medical Hospital Liver Institute initially told the family that he was being denied a liver transplant due to the CBD and THC found in his bloodstream. But now that the family is pursuing the matter through advocacy groups and the media, they claim the coordinator has switched their story, saying that Rosa was denied a liver transplant due to “non-compliance/non-disclosure” for reasons unrelated to cannabis.

The family claims that Rosa was already on his way to receiving a liver transplant and that that only changed after the results came in that showed the presence of CBD/THC in his bloodstream.

“It’s a hard pill to swallow because we were so close to having everything done,” said Rosa’s daughter, Monica Garcia in an interview with ministryofhemp.com, where this story first appeared.

The issue of medical cannabis users being denied potentially life-saving organ transplants has largely been overlooked during the legalization process in states like Massachusetts and Maine. In some states, laws have been passed that make it illegal for medical providers to discriminate against compliant, licensed medical cannabis users seeking an organ transplant. But even then, despite these laws being in place, health care providers have been reported to occasionally refuse organ transplants to medical cannabis patients anyway.

Many medical professionals believe that performing organ transplants on medical cannabis users can be risky, due to the general lack of research around cannabis and the potential for contaminated cannabis to infect immunocompromised patients, such as post-organ-transplant patients. These infections can be fatal, and given the major lack of available organs compared to the number of patients in need of a transplant, many healthcare professionals may see medical cannabis patients as too high a risk.

According to Garcia, her father used CBD/THC medications to alleviate his pain, as the alternative, opioid medications, were “inducing his hepatic encephalopathy.” This is a condition that can affect those with liver diseases and leads to a loss of brain function.

The funds that the Rosa family is trying to raise will allow them to afford the necessary medical and travel expenses associated with seeking out a hospital that will perform a liver transplant.

 

[Baron23]

From The Hill


Government has lost its credibility to talk pot

It’s been a long time since the public has been willing to, “Just Say No,” but that doesn’t mean the government is done saying it.

The long history of United States drug policy has been to pursue political agendas and ideology rather than promote sound public policy. The public has questioned the motives behind the government’s drug policies well before Reagan’s, “War on Drugs.” At this point, it is doubtful that a pollster could find an issue where the federal government has less credibility than marijuana reform.

The worst part of the leaked memo that the White House has created a Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee to gather “data demonstrating the most significant negative trends” about marijuana legalization in order to “turn the tide” is that we doubt few people will be surprised that this is where the government chooses to spend its resources.
It is a cliché you will hear from every communication expert: credibility takes a lifetime to gain and a moment to lose. Sadly, the federal government has spent the last several lifetimes ensuring it has no credibility with the public when it comes to the issue of marijuana.

This lack of credibility is probably why legalization has occurred in the first place. The marijuana legalization movement is the most remarkable display of a populist revolt in our modern system of representation. Instead of deferring to our elected officials and our institutions of public health and public safety, citizens in state after state have decided to defy federal law and move forward with a tax and regulate system in order to abandon prohibition.

The leaked memo shows that the government has learned the exact wrong lesson from this movement. The White House believes they must cherry-pick negative data from legalized states because “[t]he prevailing marijuana narrative in the U.S. is partial, one-sided”. Advocates for legalization have been able to push their narrative precisely because government has been obstinate, reactionary, and hyperbolic with marijuana messaging.

When the government declares there is no medicinal value to marijuana, advocates get to show a 5-year-old who no longer has constant seizures. When government says marijuana will ruin your brain, advocates get to point to the countless examples of contributing members of society who also partake in marijuana.

And when the government wants to tell you that states that have legalized marijuana have become a hellscape, advocates get to point out that Colorado remains consistently ranked as one of the healthiest and economically robust states in the nation.

Unfortunately, there are very real harms that come from the government losing credibility. Marijuana legalization is a complicated process, with a mixed bag of challenges and opportunities. While the substance is not nearly as harmful as past government campaign ads would have you believe, there are plenty of ways it can be used irresponsibly and harmful to public health.

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should know that marijuana does travel into the child’s body. Users should know that there are some troubling statistics coming from the fatal accident reporting system showing more drivers involved in fatal accidents testing positive for marijuana.

Marijuana, like any other substance, can be abused by heavy users and have a real impact on their ability to lead a healthy, productive life. And, of course, marijuana on a developing brain can have both short term and long-term detrimental effects.

The vast majority of the public simply wants to remain safe and healthy, even if they choose to take the edge off at the end of a day with a glass of wine or a joint. Those people are looking for trustworthy information about how to do so responsibly.

It should be government's’ job to credibly produce this information. The White House’s Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee appears poised to ensure this does not happen.

Andrew Freedman is the former director of Marijuana Coordination for the state of Colorado; and a principal at the consulting firm, Freedman & Koski, Inc.

 

[Baron23]

How Many Americans Can Hold A Joint Of Marijuana Without Fear Of Going To Jail?

A new Marijuana Moment analysis finds that a majority of Americans now live in places where first-time, low-level possession of cannabis will generally not result in jail time.

Fifty-five percent of the population—nearly 179 million people—reside in a decriminalized area where adults mostly don’t have to worry about being put behind bars for being apprehended a first time with a small amount of marijuana, even if they don’t have a doctors’ recommendation for medical use.

Many statistics have been thrown around about how many Americans live in a state where some form of marijuana is legal. How these states are tallied is up for debate, largely because of differing language and laws for medical cannabis. Depending on how one counts, 30 or 31 states have comprehensive medical marijuana programs, and an additional 15 or so allow certain patients to access low-THC cannabis extracts.

For recreational marijuana, only nine states and Washington D.C. have passed laws legalizing possession (and most, but not all of those, allow commercial sales and home cultivation). Seventy million people live in these adult-use states or jurisdictions, or 21.5 percent of the U.S. population.

Aside from these places where marijuana is legal for medical or non-medical use, additional states and municipalities have embarked on decriminalization efforts that generally allow people to avoid jail time for low-level possession, even as the drug remains formally prohibited.

That includes a renewed effort by officials in New York City to stop prosecuting low-level cannabis offenses. Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said in 2014 that police would begin issuing summonses, rather than arrests, in those cases. But police have since continued to arrest an average of 17,000 people per year for possession, 87 percent of whom are black or Hispanic.

This summer, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. declared that, as of August 1, his department would no longer be prosecuting marijuana possession or smoking cases.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez made a similar move. And the NYPD instituted its own policy of avoiding arrests for low-level cannabis offenses in many cases, an approach that went into effect on September 1.

While marijuana is technically decriminalized in all of New York State, a loophole in the law has allowed police to make arrests for cannabis that is in “public view.” If these new initiatives are successful, the 43 percent of New York State residents who reside within New York City will have a little more freedom.

Which caused us to wonder:

How many Americans now live somewhere they can carry around a joint in their pocket, without an accompanying medical cannabis recommendation, and not have to fear being arrested and sent to jail?

Marijuana Moment decided to tally up all the states and localities where possession of a joint containing the average one gram of weed is, at least in theory, not supposed to result in time behind bars, even if someone had multiple encounters with law enforcement for possession over time. We used NORML’s and the Marijuana Policy Project’s resources for local and state laws.

In addition to the nine legal states and the District of Columbia, at least some jurisdictions in 23 states, plus Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands have passed laws to decriminalize marijuana possession. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has passed a legalization bill that is now awaiting the governor’s signature.

We define “decriminalized locations” as ones in which in most circumstances, possession by adults of small (and in some cases large) amounts of cannabis will result in either no penalty, or an infraction or misdemeanor charge plus fine, without the threat of jail time.

We found that at least 146 million Americans live in such legal or decriminalized locations, or 45 percent of the population of the United States. (An additional 1.2 million Michiganders in 16 cities are protected—but only if they are on private property, so are not counted in this total.)

The Impact of Multiple Apprehensions
In addition to the roughly 146 million Americans who live in places where they don’t have to worry about being locked up for low-level cannabis possession no matter how many times they are caught, a further 32.7 million live in a state, county or city where, if it is their first (or in some cases, second or third) time being apprehended, they would face only a civil infraction or misdemeanor charge without jail time. Subsequent offenses carry escalating penalties where incarceration is a possibility.

Several large cities within otherwise criminalized states have opted to enact local decriminalization ordinances. In Florida, for example, six cities and seven counties have decriminalized possession of up to 20 grams of cannabis. Thirty-nine percent of the state’s residents live in those locations. A sizable 34 percent of Texans live in a decriminalized jurisdiction, while 31 percent of New Mexico residents and 27 percent of Wisconsinites are protected by local laws.

If these states (Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island) and localities are included, 55 percent of Americans who haven’t seen a possession charge before would be “safe” from the threat of being put behind bars for initial run-ins with the police over cannabis.

“Jailing people for consuming cannabis is not only unpopular, but widely viewed as a ludicrous idea,” Karen O’Keefe, state policies director for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), told Marijuana Moment. “It is no longer just voters calling for decriminalization, but also police chiefs, prosecutors, and other officials at every level of government.”

State/Territory Status
Alabama criminalized everywhere
Alaska legal for adults
American Samoa criminalized everywhere
Arizona criminalized everywhere
Arkansas some cities/counties decriminalized
California legal for adults*
Colorado legal for adults*
Connecticut decriminalized
Delaware decriminalized
District of Columbia legal for adults*
Florida some cities/counties decriminalized
Georgia some cities/counties decriminalized
Guam decriminalized
Hawaii criminalized everywhere
Idaho criminalized everywhere
Illinois decriminalized
Indiana criminalized everywhere
Iowa criminalized everywhere
Kansas criminalized everywhere
Kentucky criminalized everywhere
Louisiana two cities decriminalized
Maine legal for adults*
Maryland decriminalized
Massachusetts legal for adults*
Michigan some cities/counties decriminalized
Minnesota decriminalized
Mississippi 1st offense only decriminalized
Missouri 1st offense only, three cities decriminalized for subsequent offenses
Montana one county first offense decriminalized
Nebraska 1st offense only decriminalized
Nevada legal for adults*
New Hampshire decriminalized
New Jersey criminalized everywhere
New Mexico two cities decriminalized
New York 1st and 2nd offense decriminalized, New York City not prosecuting
North Carolina 1st offense only decriminalized (jail time suspended for 2nd to 5th offenses)
North Dakota criminalized everywhere
Northern Mariana Islands legalization bill awaiting governor’s signature
Ohio decriminalized, some cities no penalty
Oklahoma criminalized everywhere
Oregon legal for adults*
Pennsylvania some cities decriminalized
Puerto Rico illegal everywhere
Rhode Island 1st and second offense decriminalized
South Carolina criminalized everywhere
South Dakota criminalized everywhere
Tennessee criminalized everywhere
Texas some cities/counties decriminalized
U.S. Virgin Islands decriminalized
Utah criminalized everywhere
Vermont legal for adults*
Virginia criminalized everywhere
Washington legal for adults*
West Virginia criminalized everywhere
Wisconsin some cities decriminalized
Wyoming criminalized everywhere
*No jail time for those under 21

Decriminalization Often Still Involves Penalties
Decriminalized doesn’t mean “fine-free.” In New Hampshire, if you are caught possessing four times in three years, you won’t go to jail, but you could be fined up to $1,200. Several Wisconsin locales have passed laws where jail time is omitted, but you might have to shell out up to $1,000. Minnesota has a hefty fine of $1,000 if more than 1.4 grams of cannabis is found inside a vehicle (not secured in the trunk).

The patchwork of policies across the country and within individual states, and the unclear terminology often attached to these proposals (“decriminalization,” “lowest law enforcement priority,” “civil violation”) means that these laws are often poorly understood by consumers and inconsistently enforced by police. The uncertainty surrounding those terms and the policies they apply to also meant that Marijuana Moment had to make some decisions about which jurisdictions to include in our analysis; generally, we counted places where the clear intent of policymakers was to let people avoid jail time for possessing small amounts of cannabis in most cases.

A further wrinkle is the fact that in many municipalities that have enacted decriminalization ordinances, local police can continue to enforce and charge people under overarching state marijuana criminalization laws, and state law enforcement agencies can of course continue to bring charges that come with jail time. People living in or visiting those cities shouldn’t necessarily be too brazen about possessing small amounts of cannabis—or consuming it in public, which is legal exactly nowhere.

“The rate of local governments acknowledging the futility of marijuana criminalization has accelerated greatly in the last few years,” Justin Strekal, political director for NORML, told Marijuana Moment. “But sadistically, many in law enforcement still will seek any justification possible to escalate a confrontation with a civilian that they have made a personal judgement upon—and can still rely on state-level criminalization statutes to do so. While the policy of local decriminalization is a step in the right direction, even in those jurisdictions, many consumers still live under threat by uniformed officers who allegedly are sworn to protect and serve those very communities.”

What’s more, in some “decriminalized” jurisdictions, a conviction still may result in a criminal record which can carry life-altering collateral consequences—including making it harder to get employment or housing—even if time behind bars isn’t a possibility.

It should also be noted that some states where adult-use sales have been legalized actually have more stringent possession laws than states that have merely decriminalized possession. In Colorado, for example, penalties—including jail time—are on the books for possession of more than two ounces. In Ohio, where cannabis prohibition is still in effect, up to 100 grams (roughly 3.5 ounces) is a misdemeanor with no incarceration.

“While public policy and the public’s perceptions are moving in the right direction, there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done,” O’Keefe, of MPP, said. “Marijuana is still illegal in 41 states, and consumers are still subject to potential jail time and life-altering criminal records in about half of U.S. jurisdictions.”

The Big Cities
Citizens and visitors to any county in 18 states, Puerto Rico and American Samoa face jail time for any amount of cannabis on their person. But possession of a joint is legal or effectively decriminalized in 24 of the 35 largest cities in the United States:

City State Population (July 2017
Census estimate) Legal or
Decriminalized
New York New York 8,622,698 Y
Los Angeles California 3,999,759 Y
Chicago Illinois 2,716,450 Y
Houston Texas 2,312,717 Y
Phoenix Arizona 1,626,078 N
Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1,580,863 Y
San Antonio Texas 1,511,946 Y
San Diego California 1,419,516 Y
Dallas Texas 1,341,075 Y
San Jose California 1,035,317 Y
Austin Texas 950,715 Y
Jacksonville Florida 892,062 N
San Francisco California 884,363 Y
Columbus Ohio 879,170 Y
Fort Worth Texas 874,168 N
Indianapolis Indiana 863,002 N
Charlotte North Carolina 859,035 Y (first-strike)
Seattle Washington 724,745 Y
Denver Colorado 704,621 Y
Washington District of Columbia 693,972 Y
Boston Massachusetts 685,094 Y
El Paso Texas 683,577 N
Detroit Michigan 673,104 On 2018 ballot
Nashville Tennessee 667,560 N
Memphis Tennessee 652,236 N
Portland Oregon 647,805 Y
Oklahoma City Oklahoma 643,648 N
Las Vegas Nevada 641,676 Y
Louisville Kentucky 621,349 N
Baltimore Maryland 611,648 Y
Milwaukee Wisconsin 595,351 Y
Albuquerque New Mexico 558,545 Y
Tucson Arizona 535,677 N
Fresno California 527,438 Y
Sacramento California 501,901 Y

The totals in Marijuana Moment’s analysis seem poised to grow later this year and into 2019 as more cities and states vote on reform measures. In November alone, Michigan and North Dakota have legalization measures on the ballot, while Missouri and Utah voters will consider medical cannabis initiatives.

 

[momofthegoons]

Wow... and we think things are bad here....

Death Sentence for Malaysia Man Who Gave Patients Free Cannabis Oil

Source: Pascal Volk/Flickr

A man has been sentenced to death in Malaysia for processing cannabis oil and distributing it to patients in need.

On 30 August, the Shah Alam High Court sentenced Muhammad Lukman to death by hanging, after he was convicted of possessing, processing, and distributing cannabis oil. Three litres of cannabis oil and 279 grams of compressed cannabis were found in his home, according to local sources.

Lukman, a 29-year-old father of one, provided cannabis oil to patients who were suffering from ailments that were difficult to treat with legal medicines. Lukman did not profit from this, and would provide cannabis oil for free to patients who could not afford it. Despite the lack of financial gain from his endeavour, his offences fall under section 39B of Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. This stipulates that “Any person who [traffics an illegal drug] shall be guilty of an offence against this Act and shall be punished on conviction with death”.

Lukman’s defence team called upon patients who had successfully used his cannabis oil to treat their illnesses, and emphasised that he produced and provided the medicine on a non-profit basis for their wellbeing. The prosecution argued that, regardless of intent or revenue, Lukman produced and distributed an illegal drug that is not recognised for its medical uses by the Ministry of Health or any accredited Malaysian physician. This lack of recognition, the judge concluded, invalidated Lukman’s defence.

Although it has not been approved in Malaysia, cannabis oil is used to medically treat a range of ailments among adults and children in Canada, many US states, and several European countries.

Despite Lukman’s lawyers’ plea for a reduced sentence, his mitigation was rejected and he was sentenced to death by hanging. Lukman will appeal his sentence at the Court of Appeal.

“This is not the fault of the judge, he only performed his task in accordance with the written law,” Lukman said. “It’s clear that he was unaware about the truth [of medical cannabis]. I believe this is not the final verdict. If it is, Malaysia laws are cruel.”

Lukman’s case is not unique in Malaysia. A former military captain, Amiruddin Nadarajan Abdullah, is currently on trial for providing medical cannabis products to as many as 800 patients, Free Malaysia Today reports. Former patients, including young children and grandparents, are among those who have come to court to show their support for Abdullah – known among his patients at Dr. Ganja. If convicted, Abdullah also faces the death sentence.

Malaysia is one of at least 33 countries that retains the death penalty for drug offences.

 

[momofthegoons]

What a shock....

A startup with ties to Bayer has inked a $122 million deal to make lab-grown marijuana — and it's eyeing the pharma industry

• Ginkgo Bioworks, a startup known for its work turning bacteria into consumer goods, is partnering with marijuana producer Cronos to make lab-grown cannabis.
• The $122-million deal, announced this week, will allow Ginkgo to use Cronos' Canadian lab space to make several different marijuana compounds without a farm.
• Ginkgo's CEO told Business Insider the deal could have big potential for the pharmaceutical industry, who's been hard at work turning marijuana compounds into medications.

After months of searching, it was love at first sight for Jason Kelly, the CEO of a startup known for its work turning bacteria into consumer goods such as fragrances.

Kelly's company, called Ginkgo Bioworks, had been looking for a marijuana production partner so it could apply its technology to cannabis. Using a process similar to that which it uses to make flavors and scents, the company aimed to make lab-grown marijuana strains with pharmaceutical potential.

Then it discovered Cronos, a Toronto-based cannabis producer founded in 2013.

"They had green rooms, automated tracks to move plants around, A to B testing on various light configurations — everything. It was exactly what we'd been looking for," Kelly told Business Insider.

As part of a $122-million deal announced this week, Ginkgo will use Cronos' Canadian lab space to play with marijuana's DNA. Ginkgo aims to manufacture a handful of the plant's better-known compounds like CBD (the non-psychoactive compound that's not responsible for a high) and THC, as well as some of its lesser-known components, such as THCV, which staunches appetite but is only present in the plant in very low quantities.

Using its technology, Ginkgo could make all of these ingredients at a lower cost and in desired quantities, Kelly said.

If successful, the work would be of major interest to pharmaceutical companies, which have long been eyeing marijuana's compounds for use in medications and have recently begun turning them into federally-approved drugs.

"There' so much new discovery work on the pharmaceutical side that' possible using our approach," Kelly said. "That' definitely an area that we're excited about."

Kelly's company — which has also partnered with big names like Bayer AG and Cargill — hopes to use the processes it has already perfected using yeast and fragrances to create eight marijuana compounds in Cronos' Canadian labs.

Marijuana-based pharmaceuticals grown in labs instead of farms
For years, pharmaceutical companies have been actively searching for ways to turn marijuana's compounds into medications. There's been a hint of progress in recent years.

In June, the federal government approved Epidiolex, a CBD-based epilepsy drug; last year, it green-lit Marinol, a drug made with lab-grown THC that treats nausea and other side-effects of chemotherapy and AIDS.

But drug makers continue to face high costs for conventionally-grown marijuana. In addition, they must navigate a confusing web of state and federal laws in order to get their products approved.

The potential to solve these problems with marijuana that's grown in a lab rather than on a farm was a big impetus behind Ginkgo's deal with Cronos, said Kelly.

"Beyond THC and CBD, there's a whole class of rare cannabinoids in [the plant], but accessing them at a remotely reasonable cost hasn't been feasible," he said.

Through the deal with Cronos, he aims to change that.

"Cronos had a view that what matters is ingredients and cost — and the technology to prove it."

 

[Shredder]

Lab grown cannabinoids? Like marinol (that no one likes) and spice ( from china with love)

Is it the tomatoes that make the spaghetti sauce? Or is it all the ingredients, and tomatoes?

 

[Baron23]

Marijuana bill will receive a vote in congress this week


After nearly every marijuana bill that appears in Congress gets ignored for a vote, this week one major cannabis proposal will finally get its day. The Medical Cannabis Research Act is set to receive a vote this week by a House panel that oversees federal drug enforcement, writes Joseph Misulonas.

The bill would require the federal government to issue more licenses to grow cannabis for medical research. The bill has over 40 co-sponsors from members representing both parties and would be the first cannabis bill to make it through the House Judiciary Committee under the current Republican-led Congress.

While you would think this would be a major cause for celebration among marijuana advocates, some are actually not pleased with this bill and there are two reasons. One is that the bill bars anyone with a felony or misdemeanor conviction from being affiliated with the marijuana cultivation for research purposes. So people who have been harmed by America's ridiculous drug laws would be barred from taking part in the benefits of changing policies.

The other reason is that the bill requires that whoever gets the new licenses to grow marijuana for research have "good standing" with their local law enforcement. However, many local law enforcement agencies do not approve of marijuana legalization, so there may be many companies who are cut out simply because local police don't like cannabis.

Many also note that this bill doesn't really address the bigger issues related to marijuana, such as protections for legalized states or helping people who have been harmed by the War on Drugs.

So basically Republicans are letting the weakest possible cannabis bill get a vote.

 

[Baron23]

How medical marijuana is opening the door to recreational cannabis

On October 17, 2018, Canada will become the first G-7 Country to allow citizens to consume recreational marijuana. This is the fulfillment of a campaign promise of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as the culmination of the cultural normalization of cannabis that has been ongoing since medical marijuana was approved in 2002.

While this is a tremendous event for the cannabis industry in Canada, it is by no means the end of the story and it is fair to say that trends across the globe would indicate that Canada will not be alone in legalization for very long.

For many of our readers, the trend in the United States is personally the most pertinent. We have discussed why we predict that the US will likely not be far behind Canada here. We will not rehash the feedback loop that is in place in the US and, in our opinion, leads towards more relaxed views and laws concerning cannabis. However, similar trends in voter perception, political willpower, and legislature construction that we see here in the US are present in countries worldwide.

Medical marijuana is an early sign of the change in the view of cannabis. As we discussed in our prior article, medical marijuana normalizes the social view of cannabis from a drug that is inherently dangerous to a medicine that is possibly safe for recreational consumption. When we look at US law, the Controlled Substances Act designates cannabis as a Schedule I drug, meaning that it has “high abuse potential, no medical use, and severe safety concerns”.

This attitude towards cannabis severely limits the ability of doctors, researchers and drug companies to explore the possible benefits of the wide array of psychoactive chemicals in the plant and then optimize them for specific patient benefits and outcomes. The legalization of medical marijuana and cannabis-derived drugs represents a significant change in thinking for the societies that have chosen to allow its consumption by patients.

Then, as patients see benefits and more research is done, the concerns on the potential for high abuse or severe safety concerns come into question as well, thus opening a path to recreational marijuana over time.

An employee sorts bags of marijuana for shipment at the Canopy Growth Corp. facility in Smith Falls, Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. Canadian medical marijuana is setting the stage to go global. The country's emerging legal producers have a chance to seize opportunities in other countries that could make them worldwide leaders, according to Canopy Growth Corp. Chief Executive Officer Bruce Linton. Photographer: Chris Roussakis/Bloomberg

Medical Marijuana and the path to recreational cannabis is by no means only a Canadian phenomenon. The trend towards legalization is apparent across the globe with the possible exception of Asia. As we said, medical marijuana seems to be the path by which societies have been normalizing the use of cannabis.

Germany realistically legalized medical marijuana in 2017 and allows patients with a prescription to use marijuana. German demand has been so high that the government is working to increase Canadian imports so patients do not have to pay higher costs. Australia legalized medical marijuana in 2016, though the process to obtain it is rather difficult.

Italy approved medical marijuana in 2013 and the Italian Army, who is responsible for production, has been unable to keep up with demand prompting access to be granted for Canadian cannabis there as well. Globally, additional countries have legalized the use of cannabis-derived drugs and oils. In total, 39 countries allow medical marijuana or cannabis-derived drugs. That does not include the United States where marijuana is illegal at the federal level but 31 states have approved medical use and 15 other states allow cannabis-derived oils of some form or another.

This global opportunity is the reason Canadian cannabis companies are trading at high valuations. The top 4 cannabis companies by market cap are valued at over $30 billion. The explosive growth of cannabis stocks is not simply due to the opportunity in Canada starting October 17th.

It is the global opportunity that is developing and Canadian cannabis producers are at the leading edge of supply to this growing global market. As we said above, there are 39 countries that allow medical marijuana or cannabis-derived drugs. The future global market for cannabis is in these countries that are on the path towards greater legalization. As it stands today, there are 1.29 billion people in the world who live in countries that have relaxed their cannabis laws in some manner or fashion. That is a lot of future consumers.

 

[Baron23]

Last pic in article looks like a spin trimmer....frakin HATE spin trimmers....bud looks like it got a crew cut by a 6 y.o. Much prefer hand trim and don't mine a few sugar leaves left on in order to spare the trichs on the surface. Just my opinion.

Why the adult cannabis market could kill its medical counterpart

As more states continue to legalize recreational marijuana—the current tally is nine and Washington, D.C.--speculation is afoot among industry pundits that this could be the precursor to a major slowdown, if not death knell, for the medical marijuana industry, which has 30 states and D.C. allowing its use.

According to estimates by leading cannabis researchers ArcView Market Research in partnership with BDS Analytics, the latest revenue projections for the U.S. medical cannabis industry in 2018 is $4.3 billion versus $6.7 billion for adult use. Last year, medical racked up $5.9 billion while adult use snagged $2.6 billion. Much of the steep drop in the medical market and surge in recreational use has to do with users gaining wider access to the substance, says Tom Adams, managing director of industry intelligence at BDS Analytics. He also blames the dip on California, a state legendary for not effectively regulating medical cannabis, which it legalized back in 1996 (the first state in the U.S. to do so).

Although the state was a $3 billion medical market in 2017, sales are estimated to sink to $293 million in 2018 due to adult use becoming legal, as of January 1. Now, users do not have wade through red tape to buy cannabis. They can go to any store and purchase the substance on their own. Plus, with significant tax breaks imposed on sales for medical patients, many stores have stopped selling medical marijuana, adds Adams.

Does that presuppose that the medical cannabis business is doomed? Not quite. ArcView/BDS, estimates that for 2022, sales for adult use could skyrocket to $15.7 billion while medical might pull in $7.7 billion. Considering that figure is a $3.4 billion increase from the 2018 projection, the projection is not terrible; it’s not especially robust either, considering how many states have legal medical markets in contrast to those that have legalized adult use.

Industry experts are divided when it comes to forecasting the demise of the medical marijuana industry. Says Giadha Aguirre de Carcer, CEO of New Frontier Data, a cannabis researcher. “The idea that the legalization of recreational cannabis will kill the medical market is misguided and not fact-based.” She attributes her bullishness to the tremendous growth in the international market, “which have overshadowed investment levels in adult-use recreational markets.” Okay, that’s fine, but what about here in the U.S?

Dalton Edwards works with marijuana plants in a flowering room at Compassionate Cultivation, a licensed medical cannabis cultivator and dispensary, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in Manchaca, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Although New Frontier Data projects adult-use sales to surpass those of medical by 2025 in the U.S., the Washington, D.C.-based firm is predicting a double-digit compound annual growth rate for both the medical and adult-use markets—11% and 18% respectively. “The reality is that adult-use in the U.S. is enjoying its ‘honeymoon’ stage,” says de Carcer. “Over time, many of the same variables driving global growth of medical, which include rising quality standards, growth of CBD and increased research on efficacy, will likely create a resurgence in medical growth alongside a stabilizing adult-use market.

Some are not so convinced. Diane Czarkowski, founding partner of Canna Advisors, a Boulder, Colorado-based consulting firm that helps emerging businesses in the space, feels it’s inevitable that medical and adult/recreational use will merge into one system. “It is too burdensome for businesses--whether cultivation, processing, or dispensary--to maintain two separate business structures,” says Czarkowski, a veteran cannabis entrepreneur. “Also, as long as medical programs specify which conditions are recognized, there will always be patients who are excluded from access.”

With Epidolex, a non-synthetic cannabis drug recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for epilepsy and various CBDproducts flooding the market, the medical cannabis industry has lucrative potential, says Ryan Kocot, a cannabis lawyer/consultant from Sacramento, California. There’s a catch, though. “Even if we hypothetically put aside the countless legal hurdles companies face due to cannabis’s classification as a Schedule 1 drug, it’s much more expensive to bring a medicinal product to market when it comes to clinical testing and dealing with the FDA--not to mention patents.”

Employees inspect and sort marijuana buds for packaging at the Canopy Growth Corp. facility in Smith Falls, Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. (Chris Roussakis/Bloomberg)
Kocot sounds a counterintuitive note by suggesting the increased interest marijuana businesses are generating for larger companies as either investment opportunities or takeover targets could usher in the end of the medical market. To bolster his point, Kocot offers as evidence Corona brewer Constellation Brands’ recent jaw-dropping $4 billion-dollar investment in Canadian marijuana grower Canopy Growth.

“Bigger companies getting involved translates into more lobbying dollars being spent on federal legalization,” he explains. “When federal legalization inevitably occurs, the question becomes: Will larger companies be interested in targeting the medicinal market? One may also argue that the medical market could be the next frontier for Big Pharma, particularly since federal law changing will open the intellectual property floodgates, with patents, for example. Reasonable minds could certainly disagree, but my guess is that the recreational market will be the main target of big business.”