Cannabis News

[grokit]

he's WAY WORSE than an idiot, he's a bury-your-head-in-the sand kinda guy who thinks he knows everything.

I have my own definition for this type of person, he' s a "the earth is flat person". I just know it is flat, period.

It's called "willful ignorance"; there's even a legal precedent called "willful blindness" that defines how "deliberate ignorance and positive knowledge are equally culpable". If a person seeks to intentionally keep himself or herself unaware of facts, that person can be held liable just as if that person was aware them. I'd say sessions fits the bill of staying intentionally unaware of many facts, regarding our favorite plant.

 

[macbill]

JAMA:
Association Between US State Medical Cannabis Laws and Opioid Prescribing in the Medicare Part D Population (us old folks)

Medical cannabis laws are associated with significant reductions in opioid prescribing in the Medicare Part D population. This finding was particularly strong in states that permit dispensaries, and for reductions in hydrocodone and morphine prescriptions.

======================

Families Coping With Autism Claim Medical Marijuana Is Lifesaver

A bill has passed a Colorado House committee that would legalize the use of medical marijuana for those with autism. Families that are already able to use it for that purpose say they have seen amazing results.

 

[C No Ego]

JAMA:
Association Between US State Medical Cannabis Laws and Opioid Prescribing in the Medicare Part D Population (us old folks)

Medical cannabis laws are associated with significant reductions in opioid prescribing in the Medicare Part D population. This finding was particularly strong in states that permit dispensaries, and for reductions in hydrocodone and morphine prescriptions.

======================

Families Coping With Autism Claim Medical Marijuana Is Lifesaver

A bill has passed a Colorado House committee that would legalize the use of medical marijuana for those with autism. Families that are already able to use it for that purpose say they have seen amazing results.

Good Ol THC to the rescue for KIDS= Damn what a world... and that thc is bad stuff Man= LOFL...

 

[Tranquility]

Good Ol THC to the rescue for KIDS= Damn what a world... and that thc is bad stuff Man= LOFL...

Should the legislature/bureaucrats determine what is medical usage? Isn't that the problem in the overall scheduling of cannabis? While the result is reversed here, the issue is the same. Should we go with medical evidence or not?

Because if we go with medical evidence, cannabis is descheduled and every doctor can go "off-label" if, based on individualized review of patient history, they determine it is in the best interests of that patient. While this decision by the legislative committee might make it through the legislature to become law and might make things a little bit better, what happens if it doesn't pass? All those who fled to CO to use it for their autistic kids have a specific legislative finding against their particular usage.

 

[florduh]

Should the legislature/bureaucrats determine what is medical usage? Isn't that the problem in the overall scheduling of cannabis? While the result is reversed here, the issue is the same. Should we go with medical evidence or not?

Because if we go with medical evidence, cannabis is descheduled and every doctor can go "off-label" if, based on individualized review of patient history, they determine it is in the best interests of that patient. While this decision by the legislative committee might make it through the legislature to become law and might make things a little bit better, what happens if it doesn't pass? All those who fled to CO to use it for their autistic kids have a specific legislative finding against their particular usage.

In this case, the legislature is attempting to remove an impediment and give parents more freedom. They are also following the science.

Sure it would be nice if we stopped the foolishness and decriminalized cannabis nationally. But that isn't happening in the near future. Given that, I applaud the bureaucrats for attempting to make suffering children a little more comfortable, now.

 

[Tranquility]

In this case, the legislature is attempting to remove an impediment and give parents more freedom. They are also following the science.

Sure it would be nice if we stopped the foolishness and decriminalized cannabis nationally. But that isn't happening in the near future. Given that, I applaud the bureaucrats for attempting to make suffering children a little more comfortable, now.

Except, they're not "following" the science, they are in front of it. They are following anecdotal evidence.

If the law does not pass, the attempt to make suffering children (Which is another can of worms. Some on the spectrum would not claim to be suffering.) will have made it worse. (Arguendo, human experimentation on non-neurotypical children is a good thing.)

How?

CPS comes in to take a child because parent uses cannabis on them. In the hearing on the issue, the administrative judge or judge, when the parent tries to introduce some study will not consider it as the legislature considered the issue and found it wanting. Currently, a parent could have a chance if they followed a recommendation from a doctor. If the legislature does not pass the bill, they will not. In other words and from a legal point of view, while not passing a positive law does not make doing that thing illegal, it does indicate the law should not cover the thing and would be used against the parents.

The parents in CO who support the law and who have their autistic children use cannabis, better do all they can to insure passage. Because, if it doesn't pass, their legal position changes if they ever come in front of a tribunal.

 

[florduh]

You said,

Because if we go with medical evidence, cannabis is descheduled and every doctor can go "off-label" if, based on individualized review of patient history, they determine it is in the best interests of that patient.

That would be nice. But it isn't happening any time soon. Given that, what's the problem with letting parents try to help their children?

The parents in CO who support the law and who have their autistic children use cannabis, better do all they can to insure passage. Because, if it doesn't pass, their legal position changes if they ever come in front of a tribunal.

It's already illegal to give children THC oil in Colorado. This bill failing won't make it "super illegal".

I realize the parents are losing a possible defense in court. But I'd rather them not be charged with a crime in the first place. And I can't get too upset at Colorado for trying to make that happen.

 

[C No Ego]

Should the legislature/bureaucrats determine what is medical usage? Isn't that the problem in the overall scheduling of cannabis? While the result is reversed here, the issue is the same. Should we go with medical evidence or not?

Because if we go with medical evidence, cannabis is descheduled and every doctor can go "off-label" if, based on individualized review of patient history, they determine it is in the best interests of that patient. While this decision by the legislative committee might make it through the legislature to become law and might make things a little bit better, what happens if it doesn't pass? All those who fled to CO to use it for their autistic kids have a specific legislative finding against their particular usage.

No- politicians should stick to doing what the people tell them to do,,, not determining medical formulas or which medicines are OK... how much more power are we going to give others while expecting them to somehow comply with our needs from their perspectives?
even doctors- they are not taught plants in medical school so asking them about cannabis use= it is folly... only a few main stream medical doctors have taken their own time to research and have an interest in plant medicines while their licenses are in jeopardy the second they tell a patient about plants and non synthetic medication possibilities...

so, no- do not let politicians nor doctors determine it LOL= who's left over after avoiding their corrupt policies that determines our health? only the people of the world who are what matters are left in the end

 

[macbill]

Legal marijuana cuts violence says US study, as medical-use laws see crime fall

The introduction of medical marijuana laws has led to a sharp reduction in violent crime in US states that border Mexico, according to new research.

According to the study, Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations? The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on US Crime, when a state on the Mexican border legalised medical use of the drug, violent crime fell by 13% on average. Most of the marijuana consumed in the US originates in Mexico, where seven major cartels control the illicit drug trade.

 

[C No Ego]

Legal marijuana cuts violence says US study, as medical-use laws see crime fall

The introduction of medical marijuana laws has led to a sharp reduction in violent crime in US states that border Mexico, according to new research.

According to the study, Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations? The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on US Crime, when a state on the Mexican border legalised medical use of the drug, violent crime fell by 13% on average. Most of the marijuana consumed in the US originates in Mexico, where seven major cartels control the illicit drug trade.

it's not most- just east coast that still gets that dirt Weed.. the East Coast Cough is the Strain

 

[cybrguy]

Most of the marijuana consumed in the US originates in Mexico, where seven major cartels control the illicit drug trade.

Is this still true? I would think (just think, no data) with all the growing now going on in the US, legal and illegal, that we may well have gotten to the point where we produce more than we import. I have no problem believing that most of what we IMPORT comes from Mexico, but our own production has increased so much that I imagine we are at least approaching parity with imports if not surpassing them...

To be honest I don't think I have seen any Mexican smoke around here for a few years. I am seeing mostly highly engineered US grown cannabis strains. Or at least so it seems. I don't even see Mex offered for cheap.

I don't even remember when I last saw cannabis with seeds, which was a giveaway...

(Then again my rememberer isn't what it used to be...)

 

[florduh]

According to the study, Is Legal Pot Crippling Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations? The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on US Crime, when a state on the Mexican border legalised medical use of the drug, violent crime fell by 13% on average. Most of the marijuana consumed in the US originates in Mexico, where seven major cartels control the illicit drug trade.

I'm pretty sure we can transform everyone's favorite Attorney General into a Legalization advocate.

Someone needs to sit him down and explain that us bad people are going to smoke weed no matter what. Who do we want profiting from it? Mexican Criminals, or taxpaying Christian Whites?

Jeff might throw a "Legalize It" sticker on his pickup truck immediately.

 

[cybrguy]

I'm pretty sure we can transform everyone's favorite Attorney General into a Legalization advocate.

Right, I'm sure you can do that. I'm guessing that will be right after you turn the flaming cheeto into an advocate for immigrants rights and abused women. And after Bolton promotes his seminar on peace on earth through love and cooperation...

I'll wait for the video, thanks...

Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions Want to Kill a $132 Billion Industry and 1.1 Million Jobs

• March 07, 2018

Legal marijuana is big business, and loose marijuana laws exist around the country. For now.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is no fan of marijuana, so it’s not surprising he’s erasing the Obama-era policy that allowed legal pot to flourish. There are several reasons why declaring war on legal marijuana is a bad idea, but one is very perplexing. Sessions’ boss, President Donald Trump, is a businessman, but industries are floundering during his presidency. And now the robust legal marijuana economy is threatened.

What exactly is at stake with Sessions’ renewed war on marijuana? More than your ability to go buy a joint at a dispensary. A huge segment of the economy and a plethora of jobs are at stake, too. Trump and Jeff Sessions are targeting the legal marijuana industry, which could kill billions in investment and millions of jobs. We’ll explain exactly what Sessions did first, discuss how it affects jobs and the economy, and finally let you know how states are already fighting back.

What did Jeff Sessions do?

Sessions flexed the power of the federal government over states’ rights. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

• Proving the pen is mightier than the sword

All Jeff Sessions had to do to reignite the war on marijuana was sign a memo. Deputy Attorney General James Cole wrote a memo during the Obama presidency that basically let the states decide how to prosecute marijuana crimes. As long as pot wasn’t getting into the hands of minors, crossing state lines, being used near schools, or being sold by drug cartels, it was OK. Sessions, Donald Trump’s handpicked attorney general, rescinded the memo, and now business owners and cultivators in states with legal marijuana can be prosecuted at the federal level.

Next: Sessions’ move wipes out more than your good time.

Literally millions of jobs might be at stake

Sessions could cripple a multibillion-dollar industry. | Lars Hagberg/AFP/Getty Images

• A huge swing in jobs numbers between legal and illegal marijuana

As is his wont, Sessions is going on the offensive against marijuana. The jobs market is collateral damage. Estimates from NORML show there were 123,000 jobs in legal marijuana at the beginning of 2017. Those jobs could be in danger, but there’s even more at stake with Sessions’ decision. If the federal government instead went the other way, toward full legalization, research by New Frontier Data shows there would be 782,000 jobs created instantly and 1.1 million jobs by 2025. That’s more jobs than the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts for utilities and mining at the same time.

Next: The job losses will accelerate another issue facing the United States.

The economy is going to suffer

These moves would drive a thriving legal industry back underground. | Chalabala/iStock/Getty Images

• Billions of dollars will go to the black market.

In addition to having less crime, states with legal marijuana are making tons of money. Legal sales in North America reached $6.9 billion in 2016, which is good. The bad news is close to 90% of marijuana sales and hundreds of billions of dollars went to the black market at the same time. The United States won’t be the world’s No. 1 economy forever. Legal marijuana is one way to stem the tide. The Netherlands collected $520 million in tax revenue in 2008 because of its permissive marijuana laws. The United States’ and its larger population is clamoring for legal weed. By fighting a war on marijuana, the government is spending money when it could be making tons of money instead.

Next: This is the legal marijuana revenue stream everyone knows about.

Potential sales tax revenue goes up in smoke

The feds would miss out on billions in potential revenue. | Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

• The government loses out on billions of dollars in sales tax.

Full marijuana legalization would provide an instant revenue stream in the form of sales tax. Assuming a 15% rate on marijuana sales nationwide, New Frontier Data estimates $51.7 billion into federal coffers from 2017 to 2025. That’s $6.4 billion per year, and it doesn’t even take into account other taxes that could be going to the government.

Next: Sessions would like the look of legal pot each April.

More jobs mean more payroll taxes

Job creation (and tax collection) would take a hit. | iStock.com/alfexe

• Up to $5.9 billion could be left on the table by the war on marijuana.

Just think about the frustration you feel when you look at your paycheck and see all the taxes taken out. Now imagine that times the 1.1 million jobs that could be created because of legal marijuana. New Frontier Data estimates as much as $5.9 billion in payroll taxes would be created by an open and legal market. Considering people are already figuring out ways to game the new GOP tax plan, adding revenue from payroll taxes couldn’t hurt.

Next: Even Jeff Bezos’ fortune pales in comparison to the lost tax revenue.

 

[cybrguy]

More

The grand total is staggering

Jeff Bezos may be the richest human ever, but the feds could collect more than he’s worth just by taxing pot. | David McNew/Getty Images

• Add up the tax revenue and you’re looking at a lot of zeros.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is the richest American alive, but his fortune pales in comparison to what the U.S. could make from legal weed. Add up the sales taxes, payroll taxes, and business taxes, and you get $131.8 billion potential revenue through 2025, according to New Frontier Data estimates. It’s a lot of money being lost, and some people aren’t happy about it.

Next: Pot smokers aren’t the only ones frustrated with Sessions’ decision.

Politicians aren’t pleased with the move

Republican Senator Cory Gardner is against Sessions’ anti-pot measures. | Alex Wong/Getty Images

• One senator openly disagrees with the revived war on marijuana.

Colorado Senator Cory Gardner isn’t very popular now, but his reaction to Sessions might change some minds. He’s threatening to block Department of Justice nominees in the Senate. He also blasted the decision on Twitter, writing, “With no prior notice to Congress, the Justice Department has trampled on the will of the voters in [Colorado] and other states.” The voters’ free will and money going to Colorado (and other legal marijuana states) is just part of the problem. In nearly every measure, legalization in Colorado is a rousing success.

Next: The battle is just beginning.

The fight is far from over

Unsurprisingly, people aren’t happy about Sessions’ war on drugs. | Theo Wargo/Getty Images

• States aren’t going to take Sessions’ decision sitting down.

The rescinding of the Cole memo by Jeff Sessions is bad for job growth, and it’s bad for the economy. Even the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Economics at Harvard calls it terrible news. The states aren’t going to accept Sessions’ decision without a fight. Bob Ferguson, the attorney general in Washington state, is vowing to fight it, and he’s hardly alone. While Sessions is bringing uncertainty to the states with legal marijuana, it is certain those states are ready to fight back.

 

[macbill]

Feds Want Input On Marijuana Reclassification

FDA is inviting input on the "abuse potential, actual abuse, medical usefulness, trafficking and impact of scheduling changes on availability for medical use of" cannabis and its compounds, the agency wrote in a Federal Register notice scheduled to be published on Monday........

Last month, UN Secretary-General António Guterres used a speech before the body's narcotics commission to tout the drug decriminalization law his home country of Portugal enacted when he was prime minister.

 

[analytika]

Federal legalization was not a priority for the Democrats when they had absolute control of the Congress in 2009-10. State nullification of federal law (and international treaty) in the case of cannabis has no more principled leg to stand on than state preemption of immigration law, the 2nd amendment of the Constitution, or Obamacare. It's time to make repeal of federal law easier, instead of giving the minority party the power to lock in spending, regulation and law, or to demagogue by cutting funding for enforcement of laws on the books. All sides are at fault here, but for the most part, the bias had been for bigger more intrusive government year after year. If federal laws against cannabis were enforced even a little bit on one day, they'd be repealed the next day. In that sense, attorney general of the United States Jeff Sessions has done more for federal cannabis law reform than the previous 10 AGs.

 

[macbill]

Legal cannabis on pace to match U.S. soda sales by 2030

Pot may be on its way to beating pop. (Editor’s note: Yes, we know it’s called “soda” out here on the West Coast, but we didn’t want to mess with this writer’s lead.)

The U.S. legal cannabis industry is expected to reach $75 billion in sales by 2030, according to research firm Cowen & Co. That’s almost as large as the North American carbonated soft drink market in 2017.

 

[analytika]

Legal cannabis on pace to match U.S. soda sales by 2030

Pot may be on its way to beating pop. (Editor’s note: Yes, we know it’s called “soda” out here on the West Coast, but we didn’t want to mess with this writer’s lead.)

The U.S. legal cannabis industry is expected to reach $75 billion in sales by 2030, according to research firm Cowen & Co. That’s almost as large as the North American carbonated soft drink market in 2017.

I'm more interested in knowing what percentage of the markets will overlap by 2030

 

[cybrguy]

That’s almost as large as the North American carbonated soft drink market in 2017.

Without adding to the obesity epidemic or rotting peoples teeth. Personally I think fatty and sugar rich foods need regulation quite a bit more than cannabis does. It is certainly a lot easier to follow a direct path from them to medical/health issues that need interdiction and/or resolution.

 

[macbill]

Six Examples of Fake News About Marijuana

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.

 

[howie105]

Without adding to the obesity epidemic or rotting peoples teeth. Personally I think fatty and sugar rich foods need regulation quite a bit more than cannabis does. It is certainly a lot easier to follow a direct path from them to medical/health issues that need interdiction and/or resolution.

The will have to pry the double meat cheese burger out of my cold dead....wait...never mind.

 

[Tranquility]

Not that The Man will listen; but if you want to comment to the FDA on potential scheduling changes to:

Cannabis plant and resin; extracts and tinctures of cannabis; delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; stereoisomers of THC; and cannabidiol (CBD).​

You have until April 23, 2018 to do so electronically.

https://www.federalregister.gov/doc...opic-substances-single-convention-on-narcotic

 

[cybrguy]

For any who DO comment, please be sure to include the cognitive dissonance (hypocrisy without being insulting) of holding patents on the medical benefits of certain components of cannabis while simultaneously claiming, by the schedule one definition itself, that cannabis has no medicinal value. Maybe when they figure out we all know about this particular hypocrisy they will decide it matters.

I wouldn't count on it tho...

Edited for the pedant

 

[Tranquility]

For any who DO comment, please be sure to include the cognitive dissonance (hippocracy without being insulting) of holding patents on the medical benefits of certain components of cannabis while simultaneously claiming, by the schedule one definition itself, that cannabis has no medicinal value. Maybe when they figure out we all know about this particular hippocracy they will decide it matters.

I wouldn't count on it tho...

Might want to run your submission through a spellcheck first. Just in case. (That being said, I'm not sure I disagree with @cybrguy as to the proper word.)

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hippocracy

Hippocracy
What Democracy turns into when all of the politicians in your country are Hippos.
After my trip to Hungry Hungry Island, I was impressed by the sophistication of the constitutional Hippocracy there.​

 

[macbill]

In the new Jamanji, Hippos are carnivores one must evade.