Law Weird Cannabis News

[Baron23]

I think that Dodie's name was misspelled...its Dodo!


Lawmaker Cites Satirical Article To Argue Against Legalizing Cannabis
In Louisiana, a lawmaker cites satirical article to argue against legalizing cannabis. Yes, we are in fact serious

There’s been a lot of discussion about medical marijuana in the Louisiana legislature this year, and not everyone involved is as informed as they should be. Thursday, the reports rolled in: a lawmaker cites satirical article to argue against legalizing cannabis for people with post-traumatic stress disorder, intractable pain, severe muscle spasms and glaucoma.

Medical Marijuana Legislation Up For Debate In Louisiana House of Representatives
House Bill 579 would extend the list of conditions that merit medical marijuana access. Currently, anyone suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, intractable pain, severe muscle spasms and glaucoma is not eligible for medical marijuana. This legislation went to committee today, where lawmakers voted in its favor 8 to 4. Next, the Louisiana House of Representatives will consider the bill.

This isn’t the only change Louisiana lawmakers are hoping to implement in marijuana legislation. Last month, lawmakers voted on to give autistic children access to medical marijuana.

Arguing Against This Legislation, This Representative Quotes Satire
Representative. Dodie Horton does not support increasing access to medical marijuana, despite petitions from parents. To argue against passing this legislation, Republican Dodie Horton mentioned an article that originally appeared in the Daily Currant. The article jokes about the deadly consequences of legalization in Colorado.

It reads, “Colorado is reconsidering its decision to legalise recreational pot following the deaths of dozens due to marijuana overdoses.”

The article goes so far as to quote a fictional doctor: ” ‘It’s complete chaos here,’ says Dr. Jack Shepard, chief of surgery at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, ‘I’ve put five college students in body bags since breakfast and more are arriving every minute.’ ”


Before the committee voted on House Bill 579, Rep. Horton quoted this alarming fake news about legalization. Later, on Twitter, reporter Elizabeth Crisp accused her of quoting satire.

After this exchange, Horton blocked the reporter’s account.

In the committee meeting, bill sponsor Rep. Ted James brought up Rep. Horton’s ill-founded argument against medical marijuana. Though Horton admitted that the evidence was fake, she refused to correct the public record according to The Advocate.


There Is A Lot of Misinformation About Marijuana In Politics
As this lawmaker cites satirical article to argue against legalizing cannabis, it calls attention to a pattern of politicians misinforming the public about marijuana. With Rep. Horton, her poor knowledge of legalization appears to come from ignorance. This is common with even democratic politicians like New York Governor Cuomo who has publicly stated that marijuana is a gateway drug.

However, other politicians are not so innocent. In 2010, California’s Proposition 19 did not pass largely due to the effects of the liquor lobby. According to Wikileaks, Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America donated to political forces opposing recreational marijuana.

Final Hit: Lawmaker Cites Satirical Article To Argue Against Legalizing Cannabis
Though it’s alarming that someone with a prominent voice in legalization would be so ill-informed, we can rest assured that this medical marijuana legislation will be heard on the House floor. It does, however, suggest the number of occasions when lawmakers disparaged marijuana without being called out by politicians and reporters alike.

 

[ataxian]

I think that Dodie's name was misspelled...its Dodo!


Lawmaker Cites Satirical Article To Argue Against Legalizing Cannabis
In Louisiana, a lawmaker cites satirical article to argue against legalizing cannabis. Yes, we are in fact serious

There’s been a lot of discussion about medical marijuana in the Louisiana legislature this year, and not everyone involved is as informed as they should be. Thursday, the reports rolled in: a lawmaker cites satirical article to argue against legalizing cannabis for people with post-traumatic stress disorder, intractable pain, severe muscle spasms and glaucoma.

Medical Marijuana Legislation Up For Debate In Louisiana House of Representatives
House Bill 579 would extend the list of conditions that merit medical marijuana access. Currently, anyone suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, intractable pain, severe muscle spasms and glaucoma is not eligible for medical marijuana. This legislation went to committee today, where lawmakers voted in its favor 8 to 4. Next, the Louisiana House of Representatives will consider the bill.

This isn’t the only change Louisiana lawmakers are hoping to implement in marijuana legislation. Last month, lawmakers voted on to give autistic children access to medical marijuana.

Arguing Against This Legislation, This Representative Quotes Satire
Representative. Dodie Horton does not support increasing access to medical marijuana, despite petitions from parents. To argue against passing this legislation, Republican Dodie Horton mentioned an article that originally appeared in the Daily Currant. The article jokes about the deadly consequences of legalization in Colorado.

It reads, “Colorado is reconsidering its decision to legalise recreational pot following the deaths of dozens due to marijuana overdoses.”

The article goes so far as to quote a fictional doctor: ” ‘It’s complete chaos here,’ says Dr. Jack Shepard, chief of surgery at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, ‘I’ve put five college students in body bags since breakfast and more are arriving every minute.’ ”


Before the committee voted on House Bill 579, Rep. Horton quoted this alarming fake news about legalization. Later, on Twitter, reporter Elizabeth Crisp accused her of quoting satire.

View attachment 2933


After this exchange, Horton blocked the reporter’s account.

In the committee meeting, bill sponsor Rep. Ted James brought up Rep. Horton’s ill-founded argument against medical marijuana. Though Horton admitted that the evidence was fake, she refused to correct the public record according to The Advocate.


There Is A Lot of Misinformation About Marijuana In Politics
As this lawmaker cites satirical article to argue against legalizing cannabis, it calls attention to a pattern of politicians misinforming the public about marijuana. With Rep. Horton, her poor knowledge of legalization appears to come from ignorance. This is common with even democratic politicians like New York Governor Cuomo who has publicly stated that marijuana is a gateway drug.

However, other politicians are not so innocent. In 2010, California’s Proposition 19 did not pass largely due to the effects of the liquor lobby. According to Wikileaks, Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America donated to political forces opposing recreational marijuana.

Final Hit: Lawmaker Cites Satirical Article To Argue Against Legalizing Cannabis
Though it’s alarming that someone with a prominent voice in legalization would be so ill-informed, we can rest assured that this medical marijuana legislation will be heard on the House floor. It does, however, suggest the number of occasions when lawmakers disparaged marijuana without being called out by politicians and reporters alike.

At least she finish 3 grade!

 

[Baron23]

Six Examples of Fake News About Marijuana

Last August, when veteran reporter Peter Marcus announced that he was leaving the ambitious ColoradoPolitics.com project he'd helped launch the previous year in favor of a communications-director position with the rapidly growing marijuana dispensary chain Terrapin Care Station, he stressed that he wasn't leaving journalism behind, and that he planned to start a website that would mix original stories with posts intended to counter misinformation being spewed by pot enemies.

That site, TheNewsStation.com, is now live, and included among offerings that Marcus says "promote the positive business and economic impact of the cannabis industry" is a section in which he tears apart what he sees as marijuana "fake news."

One for-instance: According to TheNewsStation.com, Louisiana state representative Dodie Horton recently spoke about a 2014 satirical news article from The Daily Currant claiming that 37 people had died from "marijuana overdoses" in Colorado after legalization went into effect.

No, they didn't, as Horton has now admitted. She blamed the misinformation on "a so-called 'trusted' source."

Check out six more examples of fake marijuana news below.


1. NEW CANNABIS OPPOSITION GROUP TARGETS KIDS WITH #FAKENEWS

"Back in November, right around the five-year anniversary of marijuana legalization, a new group called the Marijuana Accountability Coalition announced they were setting up," Marcus notes. "They just put out the usual talking points about how marijuana is devastating kids with the same baseless, misleading statistics that have now been debunked. They like to use stats that have no correlation to marijuana legalization, using years that aren't really relevant.

"The most recent state and federal data shows that in the years since marijuana legalization, fewer teens are consuming. That's now just a fact. It's not a debatable topic, even though when MAC formed, it was under the assumption that marijuana was leading to an increase in teens using, and that would damage children. I wanted to point out that they're going to have a difficult time pushing that message in Colorado when we have clear evidence to the contrary.

"Our opponents are standing on the wrong side of history. It's very similar to the gay-marriage movement. A lot of people opposed it up until the day the Supreme Court approved it. But afterward, more and more people started to get to know gay people who'd gotten married and stopped caring about the issue altogether. Opposing gay marriage got to be passé. And the same thing is happening with the marijuana industry. As the roll-out expands nationally and continues to exceed everyone's wildest expectations, more and more Americans, and especially more and more Coloradans, are in favor of legal marijuana. That's what our opponents are up against."


2. I LEARNED A LOT WALKING INTO THE HEART OF CANNABIS OPPOSITION

"I went to a Colorado Christian University event that examined the consequences of marijuana legalization five years later. It was pretty much one-sided, this symposium. There were members of law enforcement who didn't like it, health care leaders who didn't like it, national opponents like Kevin Sabet [CEO and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana]. It was ground zero for the marijuana-opposition movement. But I was well-received. A lot of folks there knew me from my previous job as a reporter, and I was well-received.

"I had a great time listening to the forum by Smart Colorado, which is a group dedicated to keeping marijuana out of the hands of children — and we're similarly aligned with them in the cannabis industry. We, too, want to keep it out of the hands of children. So I sat through their forum, listened, took notes and didn't open my mouth until an older gentleman raised his hands and asked, 'Is everyone in the cannabis industry empowered by the Mafia?'

"At first, I chuckled to myself. But then I realized he was serious. So I raised my hand and said, 'Would you guys mind?' And one of the women from Smart Colorado who recognized me said, 'Yes, thank you.' And I ended up having a seven-to-ten-minute Q&A with the folks in the audience, where I just answered their questions. I assured them that I wasn't in the Mafia — that I was a reporter who'd just come over to the industry — and highlighted some of the public-education stuff we've been working on, and talked about how the cannabis industry is taking its own initiative on educating people on consumption: not driving while intoxicated, purchase limits, corporate responsibility.

"It ended up being really productive. Afterward, I was milling around, and people came up to me, shook my hand and said, 'We disagree with you on a lot of things, but thank you for coming.' And one woman came up to me and said, 'I've never met anyone who works in the cannabis industry before,' which just shows you how much of a sheltered bubble some of these opponents are in. I've been pushing them, when they have these kinds of events, to invite people from the cannabis industry, so they can point things out that aren't true. Because it's a problem when folks on both sides of the debate aren't even familiar with each other."

Cannabis industry leader Dan Anglin took on attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference.


3. CANNABIS INDUSTRY LEADER TO TAKE ON OPPONENTS FOR CONSERVATIVE CPAC

"Dan Anglin is a leader in the cannabis industry, and in February, he took on some marijuana opponents at CPAC [the Conservative Political Action Conference, another event staged on the Colorado Christian University campus]. It was kind of a big deal when you consider it. You had the most prolific conservative convention in America invite someone from the marijuana industry to debate Jeff Hunt, perhaps one of the most high-profile conservatives against marijuana right now.

"Kudos to CPAC for inviting Dan to have a fair debate. But we put it under 'Fake News' because of what the opponents were going to say — and why it was good to have Dan there to debunk it."

A Fox31 "Cannibals Tasting Room" screen capture.
Fox31 via TheNewsStation.com
4. CANNABIS, NOT CANNIBALS, TASTING ROOMS IN COLORADO

"This was more tongue-in-cheek. We have a bill in the legislature to have cannabis tasting rooms, but there was an error on Fox31, where they called it 'cannibals.'

"It was just a mistake. I've been in lots of newsrooms, and those kinds of typos happen. So we were just having fun. But, no, we're not trying to legalize tasting rooms for cannibals."


5. RHETORIC FROM MARIJUANA OPPONENTS COULD FUEL OPIOID EPIDEMIC

"Earlier this year, SAM and MAC released a five-page report that relied on outdated data — data that has mostly proved to be misleading. This is nothing new from our opponents. We've seen this kind of 'reefer madness' for a long time. But highlighting opioids in the report isn't reefer madness.

"The opioid epidemic is taking tens of thousands of lives, and studies like a recent one out of Minnesota show that in legal marijuana states, prescription drug abuse is down. And in Minnesota, it was down by an astonishing number — nearly 63 percent said they were either using fewer opioids or had stopped using them altogether after they started using medical marijuana for pain.

"So when our opponents say marijuana legalization has led to a spike in the opioid epidemic, that's the worst kind of fake news — because it's a dangerous statement to be making. In this country as a whole, we're trying to take a bite out of the opioid epidemic, and if medical marijuana can help even in the slightest — and early indications are that it's helping a lot — then it's completely irresponsible for opponents to use that as a negative message. They're discouraging people from finding an alternative and helping to fuel this epidemic.

"We're not talking about reefer madness. We're talking about people's lives."

6. STUDY: NO, MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION IS NOT LEADING TO A SPIKE IN HOMELESSNESS

"Chief Troy Davenport is a police chief in Pueblo, and he's going around saying that marijuana has led to a spike in homelessness there. But there's just been a very concrete, comprehensive study, the first of its kind out of Pueblo County, and the researchers couldn't find any connection between homelessness and marijuana [for additional details, see 'Sh*tstorm After Study Finds No Causal Link Between Marijuana, Homelessness'].

"That doesn't seem to matter to Chief Davenport. I've seen him speak on numerous panels and I've read what he's said in a lot of stories — and some of them went national. He's always been anti-marijuana, and he's still anti-marijuana, no matter what the study showed. And that's a problem. You'd think studies like this one would actually inform law enforcement and elected officials, so they could have a more educated understanding when it comes to marijuana and its impacts. But the chief chose to ignore it. He chose to use anecdotal evidence from a handful of the officers from his department, who tell him they see homeless people and they're in town because of marijuana.

"I tend to lean in the direction of data, statistics and researchers with doctorates who go to the trouble of getting to the bottom of these things, not random comments. But the chief ignored the study, and that's why it goes into the realm of fake news."

 

[Baron23]

So I have had to take piss tests before when working for companies where I was required to have a security clearance or ones which had work under Federal contract. As far as I remember, you were witnessed whipping it out and peeing....no opportunity to substitute fake.

And I wonder....how can they not tell "synthetic" from real given all the stuff in real?


States move to ban fake urine, a new challenge for drug testing in age of opioid epidemic, legal marijuana
With the nation’s opioid crisis raging, rates of cocaine and methamphetamine abuse soaring and recreational marijuana legalization spreading, the concern about clean drug tests, too, has increased.


As part of a routine drug test, Adam Randall handed a vial of yellow liquid to a probation officer.

Although it looked like a urine sample from the 31-year-old – who was required to submit to testing after a previous conviction – authorities in Queensbury, New York, say it was not. They allege that Randall turned over a synthetic liquid he had sneaked into the probation office via a bottle stuffed into his pants, a substance so in demand that states are now taking steps to ban it: fake pee.

With the nation’s opioid crisis raging, rates of cocaine and methamphetamine abuse soaring and recreational marijuana use becoming legal in nine states and the District of Columbia, the concern about clean drug tests, too, has increased. While people have long tried to cheat drug exams with an array of creative methods – such as providing other people’s urine, attempting to flush their systems with gallons of water or using herbal remedies – authorities say synthetic urine has become the new go-to trick.

So much so that states are enacting laws to ban the sale of fake urine, which retails for about $17 to $40 in head shops, truck stops and on the Internet, and is easy to purchase. The substance – made from chemicals and, some claim, uric acid – goes by names including “Monkey Whizz” and “UPass.” Authorities say the products give drug users a way to sidestep screening exams administered by police, courts and employers for safety and security.

Colorado starts “Cannabis Conversation” to drive honest dialogue about marijuana use behind the wheel

• Op-ed: Why are police departments still using drug field tests?

• Will legal marijuana kill the employment drug test?

• Op-ed: Fired baseball coach is right there’s a drug problem — but he’s off-base on marijuana

• Texas college baseball coach fired for Colorado marijuana comments to recruit

Laws making it illegal to sell or use synthetic urine or cheat on a drug test are on the books in at least 18 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Indiana and New Hampshire banned synthetic urine last year. Bills to do so were introduced this year in Missouri and Mississippi.

Mississippi’s bill was dubbed the “Urine Trouble Act,” drawing snickers and groans in the State House. But its sponsors and others said that the jokey name belies a real problem: Truck drivers, people who operate heavy machinery and others can use the synthetic liquid to easily thwart a drug test, potentially creating public risks.

“Our employers are reporting to us a concern that more and more of their employees are using synthetic human urine to cheat on a drug test,” said Dan Gibson, executive director of the Mississippi Association of Self-Insurers, which has lobbied for the bill.

Mississippi state Rep. Willie Bailey, D, speaking at a hearing in Jackson, held a bottle of fake urine that came with instructions suggesting that users could microwave it to achieve body temperature. He said the substance has been a “hot seller” in truck stops statewide.

“They can’t keep it in stock,” he said.

The bill passed the Mississippi House but died in the Senate. Gibson said his members were troubled that the legislation failed; the association plans to lobby for another effort next year.

“Maybe we’ll call it ‘urine trouble again,’ ” Gibson said.

David Powell, executive director of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, has heard numerous accounts of people on probation getting caught with fake urine. They often try to slip it into cups while in the bathroom, where they are supposed to be providing urine samples.

“People can basically use it to avoid consequence with their employers and probation officers,” Powell said. “There’s just no other legitimate purpose for it.”

Companies nationwide have reported having trouble finding workers who can pass drug tests. The Federal Reserve reported in a “beige book” survey of economic activity last year that manufacturers have had difficulty hiring experienced or qualified employees, “with some citing candidates’ inability to pass drug tests or to consistently report to work.”

And when people see their livelihood or ability to stay out of jail as being dependent on passing a drug test, it can create a strong motivation to cheat on it.

Related: Liquid gold — Doctors rack up profits by drug testing urine

“If it’s your job or you’re going to probation or you’re going to lose your kids, a lot of those folks will do anything to pass a drug test,” Powell said.

Randall was required to take a drug test as a condition of his probation. Police said the probation officer saw Randall holding a bottle of yellow liquid that he dropped into his underwear. Randall denied doing so, but police said he eventually turned the bottle over to the probation officer. Randall pleaded guilty to charges of tampering with physical evidence, a felony; his lawyer declined to comment on the case.

In some states, laws regarding fake urine have been spurred by tragedy.

Judy Tilton walked into her 21-year-old son’s room in 2015 and found him dead of a fentanyl overdose. Seth was cold to the touch, still sitting upright on his bed, a needle in his arm and a cellphone in his hand. He had been texting his drug dealer.

Overwhelmed with shock and grief, Tilton cleaned the room a few days later and stumbled upon an unopened bottle of synthetic urine, something that she didn’t even know existed.

“It just made me think and go, ‘Who else is using this?’ ” she said. “It could be a bus driver, it could be an aircraft pilot, a trucker driving down the road. They’re endangering everybody.”

Tilton, of New Hampshire, lobbied legislators to ban fake urine. She testified at the State House, showing lawmakers the box that she found in Seth’s room.

The U.S. Supreme Court first upheld the right to test for drugs in the workplace in 1989, and most of those tests now are conducted using urine samples. The federal government is looking at standardizing tests that use hair and saliva.

Barry Sample, director of science and technology for the Employer Solutions business of Quest Diagnostics, suggests that employers should rotate hair, saliva and urine tests to create an element of surprise for applicants and to make the options for possible cheats, such as fake urine, less useful.

But hair testing has been challenged in court, including by a group of black Boston Police officers who claim it is discriminatory because the texture of African-American hair makes it more likely to yield false positives.

Most specimens undergo what is known as a five-panel test, during which it is screened for amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, PCP and opioids.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration added a sixth – ecstasy – to the test administered to safety-sensitive workers. The agency approved testing federal workers for four prescription painkillers – OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet and Dilaudid – last year, along with tests for heroin metabolites.

But urine testing remains the main method of detecting drugs in the body, and its private nature can be problematic.

“Urine tests are not observed,” Sample said. “It does afford those who want to cheat the opportunity to try to subvert the testing process.”

 

[Baron23]

540 kilos = 1188 pounds. Dem were some fucking baked ass rats, yeah?

Police Blame Rats For Missing 540 Kilos of Weed
To shift responsibility for some cannabis that mysteriously disappeared, police blame rats for missing 540 kilos of weed.

When authorities in Argentina discovered that a stash of confiscated marijuana had gone missing, they came up with an interesting story to explain what happened. Local police blame rats for missing 540 kilos of weed. But is it even possible for rats to eat that much cannabis?

The Case of the Disappearing Marijuana
Last April, Commissioner Emilio Portero took charge of police forces in Pilar, a town in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province. As part of the transition between commissioners, Portero received a full inventory of everything in possession of the police.

In particular, Portero noticed that the cops had a stash of 6,000 kilos of weed that had been seized during drug busts. However, when Portero looked a little closer he discovered that the most recent count showed only 5,460 kilos. Somehow, 540 kilograms of cannabis had gone missing.

Portero filed a complaint and launched an investigation. The goal was to figure out exactly what happened to all that missing weed. In particular, Portero wanted to know if it had been stolen and sold by police officers.

As the investigation unfolded, local officials claimed that the missing marijuana had become “food for the rats.” But that explanation didn’t satisfy everyone. In fact, Portero and other authorities are continuing to investigate whether that claim is even plausible.


“Professionals . . . analyzed the case and explained that the rats could never have confused marijuana with any type of food” one expert told local news source Clarín.

“In the event that a large group had eaten [the marijuana], many corpses should be found.”

Final Hit: Police Blame Rats For Missing 540 Kilos of Weed
So far, experts haven’t been convinced by the rat food argument. After disproving that possibility, investigators proposed that maybe the weed had dried out. That could theoretically account for a drop in weight. But even that theory doesn’t account for the full 540 kilograms.

“One possibility was that marijuana would have lost volume because it dried up,” said Clarín’s sources. “But even though that phenomenon exists, even with the most [generous] calculations there was still a significant shortage.”

At this point, investigators are not convinced by the rat argument. Similarly, it appears that the dried out weed theory is also unconvincing.


As a result, the investigation remains ongoing. Investigators looking into the case are still concerned that the missing weed was stolen by cops.

Most recently, Judge González Charvay has issued formal summonses to two police chiefs and two police officers. Clarín reported that the cops are scheduled to testify on May 4.

It is illegal to grow, consume, and sell cannabis in Argentina. However, in 2009 the country’s Supreme Court decriminalized the use of small amounts of weed in private locations.

Similarly, in 2017, the country made headlines when it legalized cannabis oil and other extracts for medical uses. In particular, the program was notable for establishing a program through which the country could distribute medical marijuana to patients for free.

At the same time, the law drew criticism from advocacy groups in the country. Groups like Mamá Cultiva have critiqued the law for failing to legalize personal, at-home cannabis cultivation.


As part of the medical marijuana program, cultivation is legal for only state-approved, commercial growers. Many see this as too restrictive and have pressed the government to allow patients to grow their own marijuana.

 

[Killick]

North Vancouver school administrators have sent out an email to parents of high school students to clarify that their scheduling decisions do not endorse the use of marijuana.

Students at five of North Vancouver’s eight secondary schools are scheduled to have a day off from classes on April 20 while their teachers have a professional development day. April 20, of course, is also known as “4/20,” a day where marijuana use and culture is celebrated.

In an email sent to parents at the five schools on Tuesday, district principal Brad Baker called the scheduling a “coincidence.”

“This coincidence was not intended to promote student attendance at these events,” he writes. “The North Vancouver School District (NVSD) does not condone or support the use of cannabis.”

But with the day coming up, Baker encourages parents to have conversations “at home regarding the use of cannabis and other substances” and includes a series of links to informative websites “that can be used to begin the conversation about cannabis and other substances.”



http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/oops-north-van-schools-have-pro-d-day-scheduled-for-4-20

 

[Baron23]

I just had to put this under "Weird Cannabis News" because we don't have one titled "Abject Mendacity". Fucking Boner (yes, that is how his spelled name should be phonetically sounded out) who opposed any and all legalization efforts is now being paid by the industry. These people have absolutely no shame. You just can't humiliate them....they don't care.

“Over the last 10 or 15 years, the American people’s attitudes have changed dramatically,” he said in an interview. “I find myself in that same position.”​

The only position he's finding himself in is one with his hand out for money.

Like almost all of our so called politicians, Boner is once again leading from behind.


Ex-Speaker John Boehner Joins Marijuana Firm’s Advisory Board

The U.S. marijuana industry has a new spokesman: John Boehner.

The Republican former Speaker of the House has joined the advisory board of Acreage Holdings, a company that cultivates, processes and dispenses cannabis in 11 U.S. states. Boehner’s endorsement, after saying nine years ago he was “unalterably opposed” to legalization, could be considered a watershed event: Marijuana has gone mainstream.

John Boehner

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
“Over the last 10 or 15 years, the American people’s attitudes have changed dramatically,” he said in an interview. “I find myself in that same position.”

Sixty-four percent of Americans, including a majority of both Republicans and Democrats, want to legalize it, according to an October Gallup survey. That’s the most since the pollster began asking the question in 1969, when 12 percent of the population favored legalization.

Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld will join Boehner on the advisory board of Acreage, which holds 35 licenses for cannabis businesses in the U.S. Boehner, 68, was first elected to the House of Representatives from Southwest Ohio in 1990. He was Speaker from 2011 to 2015, when he resigned amid problems with an increasingly fractious Republican caucus.

Since then, he’s served as a board member for tobacco company Reynolds American Inc. and adviser for global law firm Squire Patton Boggs US LLP. Weld, 72, who was governor from 1991 to 1997, was the Libertarian Party’s candidate for vice president in 2016.

‘Immensely Positive’
“We view this advocacy that we get from these two gentlemen as immensely positive for the industry,” said George Allen, Acreage’s president.

The politicians are a sign of a watershed moment for the industry, according to Vahan Ajamian, an analyst at Beacon Securities Ltd.

“It is difficult to overstate the impact of this monumental event for the U.S. cannabis sector,” he said in a note Wednesday after Bloomberg broke the news.

The two former Republican politicians join Acreage as current officeholders vacillate on their support for weed. President Donald Trump has gone back and forth, while Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a longtime opponent. The Justice Department in January rescinded the Obama-era policies that allowed state legal pot markets to flourish.

William Weld

Photographer: Sergio Flores/Bloomberg
Both Boehner and Weld say they’ve never tried the drug, but adult recreational use is legal in nine states and Washington, D.C. That means more than one in five American adults can partake. Twenty additional states allow for some form of medical marijuana. The legal market is expected to reach $75 billion by 2030, according to the investment bank Cowen & Co.

Still, the drug remains federally illegal and is classified as a Schedule I narcotic, the harshest of five government ratings.

Supported Referendum
Weld said he’s been in favor of medical marijuana since 1992 and supported the referendum that legalized recreational pot use in his home state in 2016.

“I was a little bit ahead of the field there,” he said in an interview.

Even so, his belief in the functionality of the plant has grown, he said, especially when it comes to easing the opioid crisis.

“Cannabis could be perceived as an exit drug, not a gateway drug,” he said.

Boehner said his perspective shifted after he saw the plant’s efficacy in helping a close friend deal with debilitating back pain. Marijuana’s potential use as a treatment for veterans helped sway him, too. Plus he’s been studying the problems of the U.S. criminal justice system for years.

“When you look at the number of people in our state and federal penitentiaries, who are there for possession of small amounts of cannabis, you begin to really scratch your head,” Boehner said. “We have literally filled up our jails with people who are nonviolent and frankly do not belong there.”

10th Amendment
On top of all those reasons to support the plant, Boehner and Weld say the debate over legalization is, at its core, a discussion of the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which allows states to do what they want.

“If some states don’t want marijuana to be legal, that’s their prerogative,” Weld said. “But that shouldn’t be dictated by the nanny state in Washington.”

Despite the GOP mostly lauding the amendment, Republican politicians have been split on the cannabis issue. Sessions’ harsh words for marijuana, and his decision to roll back Obama-era protections, didn’t deter Boehner or Weld’s decisions to get involved with the industry, they said.

“When I saw the announcement, I almost chuckled to myself,” Boehner said, referring to the policy reversal. “I don’t know why they decided to do this. It could be that the attorney general is trying to force the Congress to act.”

Winding Road
The politicians’ years in public office may help the company navigate the winding road to federal legalization.

“When it comes to an issue like this, that has what I’ll call murky legal issues and political issues, we’re there to provide advice to Acreage in terms of how they work with state and federal governments, how they work with local governments and advice on what states look promising,” Boehner said.

Neither Boehner nor Weld has made a financial investment in Acreage, though Weld says he’s considering it.

“Millennials who will inherit the kingdom before long, they are even more positive about cannabis than the populous at large,” Weld said. “You can look at the trend of millennial opinion and you can see the future.”

 

[Killick]

In the words of HST - insert fuckery here...
PS - there's a video of the incident in the article...

With his mental health declining in the preceding months and weeks, Phillips smoked three or four joints before driving to London and then to nearby St. Thomas on Dec. 7, 2017, getting into arguments with people he believed to be Muslims targeting him along the way, his lawyer Steven Skurka told Justice John Skowronski.

A psychiatrist who has been working with Phillips since his arrest said the personal injury lawyer "had no insight that his marijuana use was affecting his mental state." Once he stopped smoking, Phillips was able to have clear thoughts, the psychiatrist wrote in a report.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/st-thomas-ontario-mark-phillips-baseball-bat-attack-1.4612507

 

[momofthegoons]

In the words of HST - insert fuckery here...
PS - there's a video of the incident in the article...

Wow. Yeah... clearly it was the cannabis.

 

[Baron23]

"“Sonic b snitchin. We welcome the reekin n geekin.”

Love it....



Denver’s Cheba Hut Claps Back At Sonic’s Weed Intolerance
Sandwich chain Cheba Hut claps back at Sonic’s weed intolerance after the latter formally forbids customers from smoking on site.

This week in munchie fast food wars: Denver’s Cheba Hut claps back at Sonic’s weed intolerance. Last week, a Sonic drive-thru in Mississippi threatened not to serve blazed customers. And Cheba Hut won’t stand for discrimination against the stoned from other fast-food chains. We don’t know about you, but we’re stoked to hear that some fast food restaurants know they have the herb to thank. Here’s the story.

Sonic Begs Customers To Stop Smoking Weed
Last week, this Mississippi location of Sonic sought to clamp down on lit clientele. After repeatedly dealing with the super stoned, the Sonic restaurant manager decided to put an end to drive-thru customers toking up in the car. The last straw? A customer rolled down the car window to blow smoke in an employee’s face before ordering their food.

Manager Yasman Freeman of this Sonic location in Gulfport, Mississippi put up a sign to communicate the store’s distaste for the dank. The sign says: “If you are smoking weed in the drive-thru you will not be served! Please show some common courtesy and smoke and air out before pulling up to order.”

Apparently, the herb repeatedly inspired customers to enjoy a quick meal at Sonic. The smoke blowing was only the last in a series of hot-boxing incidents.

Cheba Hut Calls Sonic Out

Reddit user Cosmoguyral

But Sonic’s plea fell on deaf ears, at least in Denver. Cheba Hut, a sub shop that specializes in “toasted” subs, wasn’t too pleased with Sonic’s 420-intolerance.


Their sign at 638 E Colfax Ave in Denver reads loud and clear: “Sonic b snitchin. We welcome the reekin n geekin.”

Cheba Hut Marketing manager Matt Morocco told High Times that after reading our piece on Sonic, they knew they had to respond. Morocco explains, “Our owner texted me and said we have to do something about this. We got good feedback so far.”

Denver’s Cheba Hut claps back at Sonic’s weed intolerance because they understand that weed and fast-food are the perfect match. The whole concept behind Cheba Hut—which has locations in Colorado, California, Nevada and Oregon where recreational weed is legal—is “curing munchies since its start in 1998.”

Cheba Hut’s delivery even caters to the stoned in the name of safety. Their website reads: “We deliver! If you’re high—we’ll fly! Safety first.”


Fast Food and Weed Have An Illustrious History
Everyone knows that nothing pairs better with weed than food. This is why the market for weed-infused chocolates, cannabis-theme dinners and marijuana-infused diets is blowing up.

Despite all these newfangled ways to combine food and marijuana, most people still opt for the classic weed and fast food pairing. And with more people smoking weed than ever before, it’s time for chains to embrace, rather than deny, crucial stoner business. Just look at Lyft’s partnership with Taco Bell.

Denver’s Cheba Hut claps back at Sonic’s weed intolerance is only one example of fast food embracing the herb. In Washington, two drive-thru employees were fired for accepting dabs as payment. A woman once (allegedly) found marijuana in her fries from Wendy’s. In New Hampshire, two Burger King employees sought to save customers the effort of showing up high by selling weed at the drive-thru.

Final Hit: Denver’s Cheba Hut Claps Back At Sonic’s Weed Intolerance
Sonic’s refusal last week to serve the stoned was heard all the way in Denver. As Cheba Hut welcomes the blazed (and even caters to them specifically), other businesses are fighting the tide of legalization. Let’s see if Sonic responds to Cheba Hut’s fighting words.

 

[Baron23]

Sorry, but I'm going to keep hammering Boner about this crap. Yeah, everybody who comes to our side of this debate is a welcomed addition, but please don't let this guy claim any virtue about switching positions here...its all self-interest (what else is new, eh?).

"Spokesman David Schnittger said Boehner's evolving position has been the result of close study after leaving office."​

The only thing he studied to make this decision is his bank account. sigh


John Boehner was a longtime opponent of marijuana reform. Here’s what changed his mind.

John A. Boehner, the former Republican speaker of the House who once said he was “unalterably opposed” to decriminalizing marijuana laws, has joined a board of directors for a cannabis company with an eye on rolling back federal regulations.

The former Ohio congressman has been appointed to the board of advisers of Acreage Holdings, invoking the need for veterans to access the drug legally to explain his change of heart, Boehner said in a statement Wednesday. The company grows and sells legal weed and operates in 11 states.

Boehner’s acceptance of marijuana tracks with evolving beliefs about the drug and its uses among Americans and even Republican lawmakers, Erik Altieri, executive director for the Washington-based marijuana advocacy group NORML, told The Washington Post.

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But, Altieri said, Boehner probably would have been more influential if he supported marijuana use for veterans while he was speaker. The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to struggle with treatment options for post-traumatic stress and other mental health conditions.

“It would’ve been more helpful for him advocating for this 10 years ago,” Altieri said.

The move is a stark reversal for the former speaker, who in 2011 wrote a constituent that he was against “legalization of marijuana or any other FDA Schedule I drug,” adding, “I remain concerned that legalization will result in increased abuse of all varieties of drugs, including alcohol.”

Boehner reiterated his opposition to legalization as recently as September 2015. Nearly half a million people were arrested for selling weed during Boehner's term as speaker from 2011-2015, Quartz reported.

“I have concluded descheduling the drug is needed so that we can do research and allow VA to offer it as a treatment option in the fight against the opioid epidemic that is ravaging our communities,” he said.

Spokesman David Schnittger said Boehner's evolving position has been the result of close study after leaving office.

Nine states plus Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational use of the drug, while many others allow some sort of medical use. The Justice Department has been prohibited from using federal funds to target state-legal medical marijuana businesses since 2014.

Boehner is joined on the board of advisers by former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, a Republican who left office in 1997 and was former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson's running mate in 2016 on the libertarian party ticket. As governor, Weld advocated for medical marijuana legalization since 1992.

It is unknown whether Boehner or Weld hold paid positions on the board. Acreage Holdings spokesman Lewis Goldberg declined to discuss salary or benefits of its executives. Weld told Bloomberg he was considering an investment in the company.

Legal marijuana sales topped $9 billion in 2017, according to one industry estimate. Worldwide, legal marijuana could be a $57 billion industry by 2027, according to a report by Arcview Market Research.

Weld, a former federal prosecutor, said the conventional wisdom about marijuana during the Reagan administration was that it acted as a “gateway drug” to more harmful substances.

“Now there’s some evidence that it can become an exit drug” and an alternative to opioid addiction, which has become the primary public health concern in Massachusetts, Weld said in an interview with The Post.

Weld said his advocacy will likely find appeal among conservatives who champion state laws to regulate issues without federal interference. A number of Republican lawmakers criticized a recent move by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to roll back a long-standing policy of federal noninterference with state-legal recreational marijuana laws.

Morgan Fox, a spokesman for the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project, told the New York Times that Boehner “should be actively working to reform federal marijuana laws to allow states to determine their own policies, rather than just consulting with a business to navigate the conflicts between state and federal law.”

In a joint statement, Boehner and Weld focused on a long-standing concern among veterans and advocacy groups — federal law classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, the same as heroin and ecstasy.

Current prohibitions have stymied research at Veterans Affairs to evaluate the drug's efficacy in treating post-traumatic stress and physical pain as the result of military service, then-VA Secretary David Shulkin said earlier this year. Critics of restrictions say a tangle of federal laws that regulate research and funding have confused VA and lawmakers on what it can evaluate.

Veterans advocating for decriminalizing marijuana have spoken with Boehner in the past, Schnittger said. “It was an argument he heard as a member, considered and never dismissed,” he said.

Descheduling cannabis would not legalize it nationally, but it would end federal marijuana enforcement and allow states to set their own marijuana policies without federal interference.

Polls show that more than 60 percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana completely, with well over 90 percent in favor of legal medical use. Democrats eyeing a 2020 presidential run have grown increasingly vocal about the shortcomings of current federal law, and the cannabis industry has stepped up lobbying lawmakers in both parties.

Acreage Holdings, a main player in the increasingly white-collar marijuana trade, will expand its research initiatives among universities as it seeks to “demystify” cannabis, chief executive Kevin Murphy told The Post. The company cultivates, processes and distributes marijuana in the growing, billion-dollar industry, according to its site.

The company focused on veterans in its messaging, because they are “passionate” about broadening marijuana options available to former troops, Murphy said.

The American Legion, the largest veterans group in the country, found in a 2017 survey that veterans overwhelmingly support marijuana use for medical reasons. About 22 percent of veteran households said they use weed for medical reasons.

Altieri said he hopes Boehner will use his influence within the GOP to extend acceptance of marijuana, which may lead to legalization laws for veterans and nonveterans alike. VA has said 20 veterans commit suicide every day.

“Think of the number of veterans who could’ve had relief sooner,” he said.

 

[BD9]

A traffic stop leads to bust of nearly 80 pounds of weed in Indiana, undoubtedly ruining someone’s 4/20 celebration.

https://hightimes.com/news/traffic-stop-leads-bust-pounds-weed/

From there, what initially appeared to be a routine traffic stop took an unexpected turn. At some point, after officers approached the vehicle, they discovered that the entire SUV was packed full of cannabis.

They subsequently seized what sources said was 78 pounds of marijuana. Authorities said the weed was worth $250,000 on the illegal market.

 

[Killick]

Hey! Thats as much as my dog weighs! Wonder what he'd be worth on the illegal market?

 

[Baron23]

A traffic stop leads to bust of nearly 80 pounds of weed in Indiana, undoubtedly ruining someone’s 4/20 celebration.

https://hightimes.com/news/traffic-stop-leads-bust-pounds-weed/

From there, what initially appeared to be a routine traffic stop took an unexpected turn. At some point, after officers approached the vehicle, they discovered that the entire SUV was packed full of cannabis.

They subsequently seized what sources said was 78 pounds of marijuana. Authorities said the weed was worth $250,000 on the illegal market.

Look at this and tell me these guys aren't complete and utter morons. Wow

 

[momofthegoons]

Look at this and tell me these guys are complete and utter morons. Wow

Stealth was not a factor here....

 

[Baron23]

Broccoli? Never heard that one. Actually, I have never...in 50 years of using MJ...ever heard anybody call it "Mary Jane" LOL Weed, pot, skunk, dope...but mostly weed.

Why legal marijuana is abandoning weed’s old slang

by Frank Nuessel April 24 at 7:00 AM
Frank Nuessel is a professor of Spanish, Italian and linguistics at the University of Louisville.

For decades, the marijuana industry operated underground, outside the confines of the law.

But even though at the federal level possession and the use and sale of marijuana remain illegal, 29 states and the District of Columbia now allow medicinal marijuana to be sold for the treatment of specific diseases. Moreover, nine states now permit its recreational use.

As a linguist, I’ve been interested in exploring how legalization has changed the way we talk about the drug — specifically, how new dispensaries are marketing their product.

Marijuana terminology is vast, with as many as 1,200 slang words used to describe the drug and its various strains.

Slang develops for several reasons. It’s a form of in-group signaling — a way for people who share a similar set of interests to communicate with one another. But it also allows people engaged in criminal activities to conceal their illegal pursuits.

Slang can quickly change. Once the general population becomes aware of the meanings behind certain words — and they become adopted in everyday speech — users feel compelled to create new lingo to remain subversive (or mask unlawful behavior).

Given marijuana’s decades-long status as an illegal drug — and its popularity relative to other drugs — it’s no surprise that a rich lexicon has developed over time.

Some of marijuana slang is ephemeral, while others have endured for decades and tend to still be used in popular culture. They can be organized into six categories: strains that reference geographical designations (Kona gold, Texas tea); names that reflect the strand’s color (blue sage, green goddess); terms derived from the word “marijuana” (Juanita, Mary Jane); words that reference the effects of the strain (giggle weed, dry high); how the marijuana is packaged (bale, doobie); and deceptive code words (astro turf, broccoli).

These words are metaphoric and graphic, conjuring up striking images that allude to the distinctive features of the drug and its iterations.

But now that marijuana has become legalized, there’s been a shift in the way the drug is marketed and sold. No longer is it peddled in parking lots and apartments. Instead, storefronts are cropping up on main streets in cities and towns across the country. And many of these dispensaries have vague, clinical-sounding names that are the exact opposite of weed’s vibrant, slangy jargon.

A few years ago, linguist Will Styler wrote about a gift certificate he had received from a family member for a “Wellness Center” in Denver. He immediately thought it was a gift certificate to a marijuana dispensary, but it was actually for a therapeutic massage. He wondered why he had made the assumption. After looking up how often the word “wellness” was used by dispensaries, he found that 65 out of Colorado’s 424 dispensaries (at the time) used the word.

His blog post inspired me to write an article that analyzed the names of Colorado’s medical marijuana dispensaries.

I found that many have vague names that don’t exactly alert the passersby to the product being sold. If you were to drive by “Advanced Medical Alternatives,” “Alameda Wellness Center,” “Kind Pain Management,” “New Age Management” or “Colorado Care Facility,” you might think you were passing a doctor’s office, physical therapist or homeopathic treatment center.

Other dispensaries allude to the organic nature of marijuana — the fact that it’s a plant cultivated just like tomatoes and corn that you purchase at the market: Emerald City Organics, Lucky Farms and LEAF Locals Emporium Farms.

Why are dispensaries advertising themselves this way?


Terms that make reference to the organic nature of marijuana might be signaling the fact that the marijuana is locally grown, which is good for the community and environment. Other dispensary names — those that include words like “wellness” and “care” — could be highlighting the product’s medicinal value. Together, they signal that stores are serious, legitimate enterprises — which is a way to avoid antagonizing locals who might not be fully on board with legalization.

Nevertheless, there are still subtle nods to the drug’s linguistic tradition of deception. For example, two dispensaries — Tender Healing Care and Total Health Concepts — have the initials “THC,” an abbreviation for tetrahydrocannabinol, the active substance in marijuana.

And because Colorado was at the forefront of the legalization movement — in 2012, it was the first state to authorize the legal sale of marijuana for recreational use — some of the state’s dispensaries have quirkier names that could appeal to tourists: Happy Camper Cannabis Company, Smokey’s 420 House and Bud Hut.

The potential branding of marijuana and its strains creates another new aspect of the language of cannabis. A brand name assigns a specific and unique personality to a product; it also creates a stable image so consumers know exactly what they are purchasing.

But since marijuana is an illegal drug at the federal level, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office doesn’t grant requests from marijuana producers for trademarks.

Nevertheless, as a 2017 Forbes article points out, even though the trademarking of cannabis isn’t legal, the issue of branding will need to be addressed at some point. Without rules in place, it will be too easy for competitors to deceive consumers and advertise knockoffs, especially as competition grows.

In the meantime, from a linguistic perspective, these language tweaks taking place signify changes not only in how the public views marijuana, but also how marijuana marketers want the public to view their product: as a safe substance used to alleviate pain, nausea and anxiety.

As a once-illicit drug becomes folded into the mainstream, so does the language used to describe it. And so while people once needed to buy “dimebags” from their “kushman,” they can now purchase a package of cannabis cookies at their local “wellness center.”

 

[deep_meditation]

Look at this and tell me these guys aren't complete and utter morons. Wow

I remember reading a a different story about a guy who was smuggling a similar load of weed. He was busted because he was driving around with his window down while smoking a blunt. I think it happened in NY.

 

[Baron23]

I remember reading a a different story about a guy who was smuggling a similar load of weed. He was busted because he was driving around with his window down while smoking a blunt. I think it happened in NY.

All them boys need to be put up for a Darwin Award:

http://www.darwinawards.com/

 

[Baron23]

This goes into the category of "WTF were they thinking". By they, I mean regulators and manufactures.

In my state's medical program, edibles are not really allowed. Tincures and the like, no problem. But no pre-prepared foods and looking at the way some of these edibles have been packaged I can understand the concern.

I believe that edibles can be packaged in such a way as to eliminate any ambiguity that its a medical product and eliminate "shelf appeal" to kids from looking like innocuous snack food.

But infused Cheetos with a name and packaging of Weetos? sigh



Middle Schooler Arrested For Bringing Weed-Infused Cheetos To School
In Florida, a middle schooler arrested for bringing weed-infused Cheetos to school has parents nervous about their own kids.


With the inception of legal marijuana throughout the majority of the United States (at least on a medicinal scale), cannabis products have become increasingly easy to acquire. So much so, that it’s beginning to fall into the wrong hands. And in this bizarre case, wrong equates to underage, with a Florida middle schooler arrested for bringing weed-infused Cheetos to school.

Not Your Grandfather’s Cheetos
The incident, which occurred Wednesday at a Broward County middle school, resulted in three students falling ill, one of whom ended up hospitalized.

According to WSVN.com, the snack food was labeled ‘Weetos,’ and closely resembled the classic crunchy Cheetos. Of course, there was one difference—the Weetos were strongly laced with THC.

Despite it’s close resemblance to the cheese-flavored snack food, two of the three students were, in fact, aware that they were laced with THC.

The 15-year old girl that was accused of bringing the snack food to Driftwood Middle School has since been arrested and charged with possession of THC. She was later released to her parents but faces a 10-day suspension, as well as the possibility of expulsion.

While such an incident isn’t a frequent occurrence, this is far from the first time such a mishap has happened on school grounds.

Back in November, in the French town of Mennecy, a teacher was unknowingly dosed by a piece of space cake after a student’s ill-conceived prank. The student was suspended for just eight days because of the matter, but there were plenty of unhappy parents and faculty members following the ordeal.

Then, back in January, a fight grader accidentally handed out weed-infused gummies to her classmates, resulting in a call to 911 and an ensuing visit by the paramedics. While that incident was an earnest mistake, it was still somewhat traumatizing for the children involved.

And most recently, a woman was arrested after her toddler was accidentally fed THC-infused Mac and Cheese. While this didn’t technically occur in a school facility, the theme of the story is concurrent with the others, nonetheless.


Cannabis and Kids
This latest issue is just another example of an issue that plagues the legal marijuana industry— most commercial cannabis products are designed to closely resemble,e and to a lesser degree, taste, like normal food.

While in this case, the girl suspected of supplying the Cheetos was, in fact, aware that it was laced, one of the victims was not. And clearly, she couldn’t tell until it was too late.

Although edibles certainly provide a fun alternative for veteran smokers, often times they can lead to mishaps by inexperienced or unaware consumers. California has even outlawed the sales of gummy bear-shaped edibles, just to preemptively avoid additional fiascos like this one.

We certainly have no problems with edibles, but perhaps a similar approach by other companies moving forward could lead to fewer instances like this in the future.

 

[Baron23]

This is a shame. The Cannabist was one of my favorite sources for articles and news on MJ legalization. I did note that about a week ago the format had changed and the content just looked like a bot clipping service vice the OG content it used to have.

Really too bad as it was a great source.


Denver Post Reportedly Cuts All Editorial Staff at The Cannabist

Reports out of Colorado this morning claim the Denver Post has eliminated all editorial positions at its trailblazing cannabis vertical, The Cannabist. Jake Browne, the managing editor of Colorado-based Sensi Magazine, posted the news on Twitter:

Reached by phone, Denver Post editor Lee Ann Colacioppo said she was unable to confirm the report. “We don’t talk about personnel decisions,” she told Leafly.

Asked about the future of the Cannabist itself, Colacioppo said, “We’re going to keep to the care and feeding of it. There will be stories posted. We’re not killing The Cannabist, is what I’m saying.”

Another employee, who did not give his full name, said the number of employees who work on The Cannabist was relatively small. “I don’t know the exact number of people on staff for The Cannabist, but I wouldn’t imagine it’s more than four,” he said. “I do know one person is leaving today. One person’s last day was two days ago.”

No More Original Content
Some predict that the site going forward may longer produce original content:

Leafly has reached out to The Cannabist’s current editor, Alex Pasquariello, whose last day at the paper is today. We’ll update this story as more information becomes available.

Baca: ‘Absolutely Gutted’
The Cannabist’s founding editor, Ricardo Baca, who recently left the paper to establish a cannabis communications firm, Grasslands, released the following statement Friday:

“I am absolutely gutted today,” says Baca, who founded Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agency in early 2017 after resigning from The Post, where he worked as a reporter, critic and editor for 15 years. He continued:

“We were so lucky to know The Cannabist as we did, and The Denver Post was lucky that we caught this lightning in a bottle during those historic days. We avoided the blind, pro-legalization activism of publications like High Times, and we also were an objective news source to counter prohibitionist misinformation that had plagued so much of the mainstream media’s irresponsible coverage of cannabis throughout the last eight decades.

“But it’s devastating to have helped create a news and culture site that changed the way so many people, journalists included, talked about marijuana—and to watch it fall apart, especially now that legal cannabis is increasingly becoming the law of the land. Now more than ever, we need serious journalists covering these state-legal marijuana markets, but this trend is not encouraging, as we’re also seeing staff reductions at the San Francisco Chronicle’s Green State vertical and elsewhere. If The Post’s most recent staff reduction broke my heart, which it unquestionably did, this news about The Cannabist losing its dedicated staff is thoroughly drubbing the rest of my internal organs with a meat tenderizer.

“These layoffs are putting The Cannabist on life support and destroying The Post’s ability to comprehensively cover Colorado, and it is entirely to blame on Alden Global Capital, the black-hearted hedge fund that owns Digital First Media and 100 American newspapers, including The Post. These vulture capitalists are literally hated throughout Denver, and while everyone from Gov. John Hickenlooper and Mayor Michael Hancock stands in support of The Post, we need to continue to let Alden Global Capital know that they are not welcome in Colorado, and they need to sell The Denver Post to a more responsible owner who will finally curb this undemocratic bloodletting.”

Leafly will continue to follow this story as it unfolds. For now, the news has sent a wave of disappointment through the cannabis media.