Sunday 2 November 2014
Seniors Could Be Key on Medical Marijuana in Fla.
The debate over legalizing medical marijuana in Florida constantly generates talk of young people potentially flooding the polls. But seniors are the most reliable voters and could be key to the outcome of the measure.
Though polling on Amendment 2 has been erratic, seniors have been showing a level of interest in the initiative that underscores the fact they may benefit most from its passage.
“You get older, you get sick, you start getting diseases, your bones stop working as well as they used to and you’re presented with this pharmacopoeia of different drugs that you have to take just to get through the day,” said Ben Pollara, who leads United for Care, the pro-Amendment 2 campaign. “To the extent that seniors can use marijuana to supplement or replace any of those drugs I think is a good thing.”
Similar arguments have been made by older people themselves, who have turned up at events across the state, even when they’ve been intended for more youthful crowds. Such was the case at a recent forum at Broward College: It was held at an on-campus theater, with a promise of pizza for the droves of young people who passed by. But inside, the audience was full of faces far older than expected.
Among those who attended was M.J. Seide of Hollywood, who pays about $450 for an ounce of marijuana every six weeks to help her avoid painkillers that left her incapacitated and worried about addiction. She begins to explain her congenital disease, countless surgeries and the pills doctors pumped her full of, when her phone brings things to a pause.
“My stuff is in,” she says, before adding: “At 64, I’m a criminal because I have to buy this stuff on the street.”
Around the state, similar voices have sounded from seniors who say they’ve used marijuana for everything from easing pain to helping them to sleep. If they end up being representative of the overall population of older voters, it would delight supporters of Amendment 2, which requires 60 percent approval to pass. To obtain marijuana, patients would have to get a doctor’s certification of their condition, which in turn would qualify them for a patient ID card they can use at licensed dispensaries.
In Florida and across the U.S., a greater percentage of seniors vote than any other age group, and their share of the total electorate is even more pronounced in years without a presidential contest. In the last midterm election in 2010, about 56 percent of Floridians 65 and older voted, far higher than any other age group. They represented nearly one-third of the total ballots cast.
Overall public opinion on marijuana has been shifting nationally and medical use enjoys far broader support than recreational use, though polls on Amendment 2 have varied widely.
A July survey by Quinnipiac University found 83 percent of Florida voters aged 65 and older supported medicinal marijuana. An October poll by the University of Florida found about 37 percent of voters 60 and older support Amendment 2. Experts agree seniors show less support than younger voters, and most observers believe senior support is somewhere in the middle of those two surveys.
“The seniors, to a degree, are being targeted in that this is a wonderful thing for them because they don’t have to use opiates, etcetera, etcetera,” said Jessica Spencer, who is leading the Vote No on 2 group, and who says seniors who read the amendment are becoming aware it is riddled with holes. “Seniors are, of course, interested in protecting our younger generations.”
Supporters of Amendment 2 have far outnumbered opponents at forums. But Spencer says she has found a sympathetic ear in seniors around the state who worry what its passage could mean.
Sandi Trusso, 73, of Ocala, has been opposed to marijuana for decades, since her 28-year-old brother was killed by a driver who was drunk and high. She believes many of Amendment 2’s younger supporters see it as a gateway to legalized recreational marijuana, or that medical permits will be so easy to obtain anyone can get them.
“If someone’s severely ill and they could control that, to limit it to that, and we knew that they could control that, who would have a problem with that?” she asked.
Steve DeAngelo, the executive director of Harborside Health Center, a not-for-profit marijuana dispensary in California, says a “reefer madness” mentality is common among older people, who initially bypassed his clinic. He launched an outreach program to seniors, and they now account for about a quarter of Harborside’s clients. Most opt against smoking, instead using capsules, lozenges, drinks, foods, lotions, face masks and all sorts of other products infused with cannabis, and he says he’s seen incredible turnarounds among seniors who were previously taking numerous other prescription drugs.
“One of the reasons that you see the high poll numbers that you do,” he said, “is seniors are sick and tired of taking pharmaceuticals that have a list of side effects that look like something out of a Stephen King novel.”
The most ardent supporters of medical marijuana say it hasn’t just cut out other drugs’ side effects, but has relieved symptoms in ways those drugs couldn’t. Beth Ann Krug, 61, of Delray Beach, traveled to Colorado earlier this year to see if marijuana could help her Parkinson’s disease. She was amazed: Within 20 minutes, she said, her tremors were gone for the first time in years. She has not used marijuana since because she refuses to get it illegally and worries her full-time volunteer position would be jeopardized because they do drug testing. She doesn’t understand the scare tactics that opponents have used.
“We’ve taken something and we’re making it be something evil when it’s something very, very, very good,” she said.
———
Associated Press writer Jennifer Agiesta in Washington contributed to this report.
———
Follow Matt Sedensky on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sedensky
Seniors Could Be Key on Medical Marijuana in Fla.
Police investigating marijuana find at Richmond officer's home
Just before Thanksgiving last year, a UPS Store employee turned over a box containing about 5 lbs. of marijuana to Richmond police officer Joe Avila.
Avila took the parcel and radioed to dispatch that a formal report of the incident would follow.
But the marijuana he carried from the shop that afternoon was never booked into evidence at the precinct. And the report he promised in follow-up to the call for service, which he had specifically asked dispatchers to assign to him, was never filed.
According to a search warrant issued by the Contra Costa Superior Court in September, the drugs didn’t make it to the Richmond Police Department’s property vault, but ended up at Avila’s home in Oakley, 44 miles away.
The warrant authorizing a search of Richmond Police Officer Joe Avila’s home (Photo by Parker Yesko)
Now Avila, a K-9 handler and 17-year veteran of the force, is on paid administrative leave. He has become the subject of an internal affairs investigation, one that clearly implies a breach of departmental protocol and possibly much more. Dozens of other unfiled reports raise questions about what additional evidence may have gone missing.
“It is [the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office’s] belief and opinion that Richmond Police Officer Joe Avila intentionally collected drug evidence from the Richmond UPS store on 11/25/13 and kept for his personal use or use for sale,” reads the search warrant’s statement of probable cause. “Individuals who posses more than 28.5 [grams] of Marijuana are commonly known to possess such amounts for sell [sic] for profit.”
In the search of Avila’s home on Sept. 23, investigators discovered an unknown quantity of a substance suspected to be marijuana “in plastic bags.” The contraband was stashed in a black Pelican case—the type of hard container law enforcement officers use to store weapons and equipment, according to court documents.
Sources close to the investigation cited by the San Francisco Chronicle have said that the search of Avila’s home returned a “large amount of marijuana.”
A cache of 5 lbs. of pot would contain roughly 80 times the amount that is legally punishable by jail time.
But Avila, who earned $209,350 in total compensation as a police officer last year, has an explanation for the marijuana that doesn’t involve plans to sell it on the side, according to the warrant.
Before they searched his home, Avila told investigators that he took the pot home to train his partner Bosco, a drug-sniffing dog.
Detective Hector Esparza, President of the Richmond Police Officer’s Association (POA), agreed that Avila’s explanation is plausible.
“There’s no criminal element in this whatsoever,” Esparza said. “In my opinion it’s a purely administrative matter. K-9 officers use narcotics for training their dogs, it’s how they keep them up to speed.”
The POA is a labor union that, amongst other mandates, advises police officers of their rights when they are under suspicion or facing termination. Members have access to free legal representation through the POA’s legal defense fund.
Avila’s attorney has not responded to requests for comment.
According to Esparza, who noted that he is not a K-9 expert, there is a process for obtaining evidence for training purposes that likely includes getting authorization, accounting for the drugs, and weighing them, none of which appear to have been done by Avila.
“I think administratively there might have been mistakes,” Esparza said.
Internal Affairs was first alerted to Avila’s possible misconduct in January, but it took investigators until early September to act on the allegations against him.
When they did, they discovered that Avila’s lack of follow up after the UPS call was not an isolated incident. The officer had failed to write up at least 36 other reports during the course of duty, according to the warrant.
When Internal Affairs Investigative Sgt. Eddy Soto confronted Avila about the marijuana in his possession, Avila appeared not to remember where he had tucked it away, according to the warrant.
“Avila told [Soto that] there might be some marijuana in [the] trunk of his K-9 vehicle… If it was not in the Pelican box in the trunk of his vehicle it would be at his home,” the warrant reads.
The Richmond Police Department Policy Manual has strict guidelines about packaging, labeling, storage, and chain of custody that are meant to safeguard evidence against tampering and ensure that it will hold up in court.
Officers are also required to complete reports for all calls on a shift before going off-duty, while their recollection of events is fresh. A supervisor can provide permission to delay only in special circumstances, according to the manual.
“Officer Avila was to write his report, as well as log the suspected marijuana into locked property as evidence or found property; this was never done and [is] a violation of RPD policy and procedure,” the warrant says.
When Avila admitted to using two pounds of evidentiary marijuana for K-9 training in February of this year he also said, according to the warrant, that he had “told his K-9 Sgt. that he had obtained the marijuana from the UPS on a previous case.”
Avila’s statement appears to implicate at least one other unnamed officer in his breach of protocol.
The Richmond Police Department has been reluctant to comment on the case due to disclosure restrictions on Internal Affairs investigations outlined in the Police Officers Bill of Rights.
“The fact that the officer is on administrative leave should not be viewed as a statement of guilt or a punishment,” said Cpt. Mark Gagan. “Paid administrative leave is an opportunity for our department to do a thorough fact-finding investigation.”
“The officer is fully cooperative,” said Gagan, who declined to identify Avila by name.
Esparza defended his colleague’s character, citing an instance when Avila used his own money to replace equipment stolen from a North Richmond baseball team.
“That’s the kind of officer Joe is,” Esparza said. “He’s from Richmond, he grew up here. He’s committed to the community.”
Good community relations haven’t always been a strong suit of the Richmond Police Department, but when Chief Chris Magnus took over the department in 2005, he made it a priority to rebuild trust between residents and cops. Under his leadership crime has dipped to its lowest level in decades.
Magnus expressed alarm over the fact that the actions of one long-time officer might undermine some of the force’s recent progress.
“I am deeply concerned about this matter and the negative impact it has on our department’s reputation,” Magnus said.
Police investigating marijuana find at Richmond officer's home
Report: C.J. Mosley disabled hotel smoke alarm, found with marijuana
Last Saturday, a day before the Lions were to face the Falcons in London, Detroit suspended defensive tackle C.J. Mosley for two weeks for conduct detrimental to the team and promptly sent him back to the States.
Coach Jim Caldwell has yet to offer specifics but sources tell ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that Mosley disarmed a hotel smoke alarm.
“Souces now say that after the Lions moved from their serene countryside hotel to a downtown London hotel near Hyde Park, a disconnected smoke alarm alerted the new hotel security staff to check Mosley’s room where he was found, yes, with marijuana,” Mortensen said Sunday morning.
Because the incident appears to fall under the league’s substance-abuse policy, Mosely and the NFLPA have filed a grievance against the Lions for levying a two-week suspension.
Report: C.J. Mosley disabled hotel smoke alarm, found with marijuana
Maine marijuana votes foreshadow statewide push
, Associated Press
By PATRICK WHITTLE, Associated Press
Updated 8:09 am, Sunday, November 2, 2014
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine might soon be going to pot.
Ballot questions about the legalization of marijuana in two Maine cities are a run-up to a statewide legalization drive in 2016, pro-marijuana activists say. They hope success in Tuesday’s election is a bellwether for a statewide vote to legalize the drug. Pro-pot activists are also following the votes to check on the prospects of Maine becoming the third state in the nation to legalize.
People in South Portland and Lewiston will vote on ballot initiatives that would legalize possession of marijuana. Activists also tried to get a question on the ballot in York but were denied by the town’s Board of Selectmen.
The ballot initiatives are designed to “build support in advance of our 2016 statewide initiative,” said David Boyer, Maine political director for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project. He said the statewide petition drive would likely take place in 2016 so the marijuana referendum would be on the ballot during a high-turnout presidential election year.
“We haven’t been shy about our plan to do a statewide initiative that would tax it in the same way as alcohol and tobacco,” Boyer said. “Marijuana is being sold every day in these communities. Is it going to be by drug dealers, or by licensed dealers?”
The petitions call for the municipalities to allow people age 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana without facing any penalty. Portland voters overwhelming approved a similar law in their city last year. It remains illegal to buy or sell marijuana or smoke it in public.
But not everyone is so high on the idea. Law enforcement officials are adamant that marijuana possession remains illegal throughout Maine under state law. Possession of marijuana under 2.5 ounces is a civil violation and 2.5 ounces to a pound is a misdemeanor. More than that can be a felony charge for possession with intent to distribute.
“Officers are duty bound to enforce state law, so long as that’s on the books, it’s a law that will be enforced,” said Roy McKinney, director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Officials in South Portland, Lewiston and York also have spoken out against legalization. Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald said he opposes legalization and city police will continue enforcing laws if it passes.
“It can pass, but if you light up out there, you’re going to get summonsed, just like now,” he said. “Nothing’s going to change, except in your mind it’s going to be OK.”
A 2013 Public Policy Polling poll said Maine residents think marijuana usage should be legal in the state by a 48 to 39 margin. Senior citizens were the only group opposed to it, while every other age bracket supported it by at least 15 percent.
State Rep. Diane Russell, who has made a handful of attempts to legalize marijuana through state legislation, said legalizing marijuana through a patchwork of city and town laws is not the right approach.
“I have no question that we will be legalizing. The question is when and how,” the Portland Democrat said. “Maine will be legalizing marijuana whether you like it or not, the question is whether we do it responsibly.”
Statewide legalization votes, and another in Washington, D.C., are planned in Oregon and Alaska this fall. They would join Colorado and Washington if passed.
The Maine city votes “will definitely give us a good read on where the public sentiment is” in the state, said Erik Altieri, spokesman for NORML, a nationwide pro-marijuana advocacy group.
Maine marijuana votes foreshadow statewide push
Cannabis makes the home smell nice
A cannabis leaf
Photo: Reuters
A mother whose son was arrested for possessing marijuana said that cannabis plants found in her home were kept because of their fragrance.
The interesting excuse was given to police when they found several cannabis plants at the property.
Police began the search after arresting three people on suspicion of using marijuana on Saturday evening and finding 49 grams of marijuana in the car. The plants were found in the home of one of the three suspects.
Police were not satisfied with the mother’s excuse and seized all of the plants.
Do not miss the news – sign up to receive the wort.lu newsletter in English delivered to your inbox six days a week.
Cannabis makes the home smell nice
Kim's Vegan Granola Cookies
About two weeks ago, I shared the release of a new dairy-free cookbook, Super Seeds: The Complete Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Chia, Flax, Hemp, Quinoa and Amaranth, by my friend Kim Lutz. Along with it, she shared a sample recipe from the book for Creamy Golden Corn Soup. Now that you’ve gotten a taste of the savory side of Super Seeds, I thought a sample sweet was in order. Kim agreed, and has offered these tempting, yet healthy, vegan granola cookies.
These vegan granola cookies pack all the goodness of super seed–loaded granola into a crunchy cookie that tastes great, travels well, and will quickly become your go-to lunch box and picnic cookie. Enjoy them with a tall glass of iced tea on a hot day or a warm cup of cocoa whenever you feel a chill setting in.
In addition to the Creamy Golden Corn Soup and Vegan Granola Cookies below, Super Seeds has over 70 additional recipes that incorporate chia, quinoa, flax, hemp, and/or amaranth with other wholesome ingredients. Just a few more samples include: Blueberry Coffee Cake, Amaranth Stuffed Acorn Squash, Lemon Basil Quinoa Salad, Hemp Seed Hummus, Pesto Veggie Burgers, and Massaged Kale Salad.
Special Diet Notes: Vegan Granola Cookies
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, optionally nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, vegetarian, and generally top food allergy-friendly.
Kim’s Vegan Granola Cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
- 1 cup oat flour (certified gluten-free, if needed), white whole wheat flour, or spelt flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups vegan granola (see note in summary above)
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips or dried fruit
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in granola.
- In a large bowl, combine applesauce and baking powder. Mix in sugar and coconut oil.
- Stir granola mixture into wet ingredients, half at a time. Stir in chocolate chips or dried fruit.
- Drop tablespoon-size dollops of batter onto cookie sheets.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let the cookies firm up for a minute or two before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
3.2.2807
Kim's Vegan Granola Cookies
Carson's Planning Commission denies new medical marijuana dispensaries
In an about-face from seven years ago when medical marijuana dispensaries were outlawed everywhere in Carson, Mayor Jim Dear asked planning commissioners to consider allowing a few to open.
But the Planning Commission last week narrowly rejected Dear’s request on a 5-4 vote, leaving the political hot-potato in the City Council’s court if it wants to pick the issue up later.
“If it’s a land-use issue, then send it back. But, if it’s a social issue, it’s not something we want before us,” Commissioner Charlotte Brimmer said when a proposed zoning amendment that would allow the pot shops was addressed Tuesday.
But four commissioners disagreed with Brimmer and the others opposed to the measure asked for more time to research the issue before voting.
Chairman Loa Pele Faletogo said the staff’s proposed ordinance was too vague and unconvincing. The ordinance was modeled on one recently approved in Long Beach, and it would have limited the number of dispensaries to three. It also would have required voters to approve sales taxes on marijuana before dispensaries could be opened.
“It seems to me that the essence of this ordinance is to find ways to help people,” Faletogo said. “But somebody’s got to tell me what are those ways. I don’t think we have enough information to just deny it right now.”
The request from Dear is surprising because he was on the council in 2007 when they unanimously banned dispensaries from opening anywhere in town. In 2010, Dear and the council went a step further and declared the city “drug-free,” erecting 10 drug-free zone signs. But, after three dispensaries approached him seeking to open, Dear asked planning commissioners to consider allowing them, according to a staff report.
Though Dear didn’t speak about the measure, longtime ally Zeke Vidaurri advocated for it Tuesday.
Advertisement
“We have 1.6 million people incarcerated as a result of nonviolent drug offenses,” Vidaurri said. “That’s preposterous. We’re arresting black and brown people disproportionately, and that’s what we should be looking at.”
Councilwoman Lula Davis-Holmes attended the meeting, asking commissioners to deny the change and suggesting that Dear received campaign contributions from dispensaries in exchange for his advocacy.
“It’s a federal offense to have these dispensaries,” Davis-Holmes said. “Don’t go into this blindfolded. We have an ordinance in place that we voted unanimously on that says we didn’t want marijuana dispensaries.
“How close are you going to put this to our kids? We just had our kids mobilize for Red Ribbon Week and we said we’re a drug-free city. What are we telling our kids? We’re drug-free until someone says they’ll fund your campaign.”
Carson's Planning Commission denies new medical marijuana dispensaries
Opinion: Legal marijuana use for adults - a smart idea
By Ken Wolski
A billboard on Route 1, near Trenton’s Olden Avenue, says teenagers will lose 7-8 IQ points if they use marijuana regularly. It uses this argument to oppose legalizing marijuana for adults in New Jersey.
Besides being illogical, the billboard misrepresents the New Zealand Dunedin study that it cites. First, the study showed only a correlation, not a cause-and- effect relationship, between marijuana use and IQ decline, and second, the study documented a 17-point IQ difference based on socioeconomic status.
The billboard misrepresents these facts to play on society’s passion to protect children as an argument against legalizing marijuana for adults. The bill in the New Jersey Legislature, S1896, proposes allowing adults, not children or teenagers, to use marijuana.
There is no scientific evidence that supports the claim that teenagers will decrease their IQ by using marijuana. Even Dr. Nora Volkow, the head of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and an arch-prohibitionist, admits there is no cause-and-effect relationship between teen use of marijuana and a subsequent, measurable drop in IQ. In reality, the only thing that distinguishes the marijuana user from the non-marijuana user is the use of marijuana — there is no difference in intelligence or achievement.
The billboard is yet another example of the rampant misinformation that has been the hallmark of the endless and severely misguided War on Drugs. Rather than helping to discourage teenage use, the continued illegality of marijuana significantly contributes to the problem of teenage drug use.
Nearly everyone agrees that, except for valid medical purposes, teenagers should not be using marijuana, just as they should not be drinking, smoking or engaging in risky sexual behavior. But more than 80 percent of high school seniors in New Jersey say that marijuana is “easy to get” or “fairly easy to get” and they have been saying that consistently for 30 years, according to survey by Monitoring the Future.
It is the current prohibitionist approach that has led to easy access for teens.
Teens say marijuana is easier to get that alcohol or tobacco. Regulating the sale of marijuana strictly to adults would make it more difficult for teens to obtain marijuana than it is now.
Our current law-enforcement approach only makes matters worse by failing to address underlying issues and by alienating and marginalizing teens with criminal records that can follow them for the rest of their lives.
Our laws against marijuana are outmoded and harmful not only to individual teens but to society as a whole.
If parents would actually like to prevent marijuana use by their children, lying to them is not the way to do it. Yet, this is exactly what the government does. In 1970, marijuana was classified by the government as a Schedule I drug. No drug in the world is more dangerous than a Schedule I drug. Schedule I drugs are not available in the pharmacy, and physicians are forbidden to write prescriptions for them. Heroin and LSD are also examples of Schedule I drugs, so they are considered as dangerous as marijuana, not more dangerous. Drugs in Schedules II through V are available by prescription and are considered less dangerous than marijuana. These drugs include cocaine, methamphetamine, tranquilizers, barbiturates, etc. In fact, every drug available in the pharmacy is considered less dangerous than marijuana.
The risk of misinformation is that teenagers soon discover the relatively benign effects of marijuana that they easily get illegally. This can lead them to experiment with far more dangerous and addicting drugs that are also provided by illegal dealers. Their thinking is, “Since you lied to me about marijuana, you are probably lying to me about heroin.” There are legitimate reasons to strongly discourage marijuana use by minors, but we don’t need to lie to them or to keep it illegal for adults.
Marijuana is a natural substance that has been used for thousands of years with no reported deaths from overdose. Thanks to convincing scientific research, it is now nationally recognized that marijuana has important health benefits, in addition to being a far safer alternative to alcohol. You can use all the marijuana you want and you will still wake up the next morning. That is not something that can be said about alcohol. Alcohol-related deaths on campus are a national tragedy that shows no sign of abating. And alcohol is not even a scheduled drug — the government absurdly considers it far less dangerous than marijuana.
By distorting a scientific study in order to oppose marijuana legalization, the billboard seeks to continue the wretched excesses of mass incarceration. Cities such as Trenton are ground zero for the War on Drugs. The current policies for drug offenses have destroyed families and left the inner cities of our state impoverished, devastated and crime-ridden.
Legalization would stop 22,000 marijuana arrests in New Jersey each year. Prison is what really lowers IQs. Prison can not only dumb down a person, it can lower the socioeconomic status of the entire family. The Dunedin study showed that a low socioeconomic status is a much stronger indicator of low IQ than marijuana use. When enough residents are incarcerated, the IQ of the entire community is affected.
If the people who put up the billboard are really concerned about the IQs of teenagers, they will work to raise their socioeconomic status and not oppose the legalization of marijuana for adults.
Ken Wolski, RN, M.P.A., is executive director of the Coalition for Medical Marijuana-New Jersey Inc.
Follow The Times of Trenton on Twitter @TimesofTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
Opinion: Legal marijuana use for adults - a smart idea
Six Month After Legislation, Obstacles Stand in Way of Cannabis Oil Trials
More than six months after Kentucky lawmakers passed legislation allowing limited trials for cannabidiol epilepsy treatments, doctors have not been able to begin them.
Kosair Children’s Hospital Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Director Karen Skjei said she is waiting on FDA approval for the trials. One potential obstacle is if the agency requires trials with animals before testing the treatment for people.
Skjei said she would like to begin the work as soon as she can, and that many of the families she works with continue to be patient.
“Most of my families are just happy honestly that I’m working on it because UK decided not to get involved. Cincinnati isn’t doing anything,” Skjei said. “But just since, you know, it is such a challenging trial from a legal standpoint not many institutions have really wanted to take on that challenge.”
Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana Co-founder Deb McGrath says not all families realized how long they would have to wait after the legislation passed this April. She understands their pain: her daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy 18 years ago.
“A number of families have been disappointed because they thought that it was going to be something that would be available immediately. But unfortunately it’s not,” McGrath said.
Another obstacle standing in Skjei’s way is sourcing the CBD for the trial.
“Right now shipping CBD across state lines is not legal so that’s going to make things a little more challenging,” she said.
Industrial hemp is a source of CBD, a non-psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. Industrial hemp is also low in THC, the compound that causes a high. Currently, hemp is only grown in small research pilot projects in Kentucky, like the one at Murray State University. Individual farmers are not yet allowed to grow the crop that the Drug Enforcement Administration considers a narcotic.
Skjei says there is currently no timeline for when trials could begin.
Six Month After Legislation, Obstacles Stand in Way of Cannabis Oil Trials
Northern Exposure
Pot growers work on rules
Pot farmers are asking for it.
Growers thinking more like bottom-line business owners than buzzed-out stoners convened a daylong gathering aimed at developing countywide regulations: taxes, land-use ordinances, business licenses. Working elbow-to-elbow with bankers, environmentalists and county officials, they staked out a process to regulate weed grows like any other crop.
Large outdoor cannabis cultivators want to comply with “best practices” that ensure “economic and environmental sustainability,” said Thomas Edrington, outreach director for the California Cannabis Voice Humboldt, which speaks for marijuana farmers.
With recreational pot expected to appear on the 2016 ballot, Humboldt growers hope to have regulations in place that enforce size, water diversion, trespass and chemical usage for cannabis cultivation, which represents 26 percent of the local economy.
The county’s mom-and-pop pot growers have emphasized their concern for the environment over many years, said Supervisor Estelle Fennell, who attended the meeting. “Keeping farms small and doing it properly are prerogatives,” she said.
Proving that government can speed with the proper incentives, an ordinance could be ready for public comment by January and adopted in time to serve as a model for statewide regulations. “We want to show California how to get its act together,” Edrington said.
Growers also want to protect their brand, the as yet-unregistered but highly touted Humboldt weed. And they are wary of an influx of large-scale money-grubbing outsiders taking advantage of a regulatory free-for-all at their expense.
Edrington, still high days later on the degree of agreement, called the energy generated “crackling.”
Town rings up a century
The grande dame of Young’s Market sat stoically on the counter as her 400 guests mingled around celebrating her 100th birthday. Her only utterances were the regular rings emanating from her 3-foot high oak case, made by National Cash Register in 1914.
Ask market owner Kelly Tan why she threw a party for her cash register and she’ll wax enthusiastic about the machine’s reliability: “She doesn’t break down. She doesn’t complain.”
And that’s the genesis of the gender Tan assigned: “Something that’s been working that long and that hard has to be a woman,” she said.
Considered the oldest mechanical cash register still in use in the West, the Taylorsville machine has been on the job since former store owners had her made to replace the predecessor, which robbers of a local stagecoach dynamited after they couldn’t open the cash drawers.
Adorned with ornate brass panels, the register operates by pushing buttons – red for dollars, black for cents – and pulling a crank, which opens one of three cash drawers. The only limitation is sales over $99.99; Tan has to ring them up twice.
These days the centenarian tallies purchases of local produce and gourmet cheese, Zantac and Seventh-Generation diapers, Fritos, Copenhagen and beer. Tan, who bought the market in 2012, eventually wants to open a restaurant with a pizza oven.
The grand old National register will remain, serving the community as its most indispensable and celebrated fixture. Besides, said Tan, “She’s adorable!”
Students plug into outdoors
In laid-back Loyalton, the kids are unplugging and ditching their classrooms.
No pads, no pods, no phones. Just journals, drawing paper and the great outdoors.
How better to encourage original writing and artwork than exposing them to local biomes, said Mark Fisher, Loyalton High School science teacher.
“These kids are quite used to just Googling and regurgitating meaningless facts. The goal is to break the technology cycle,” he said.
His earth-science students made a map of Smithneck Meadow – without Google Maps – by identifying landmarks and pacing off distances and angles. Biology students squatted streamside to identify a signal crawfish, smooth scouring rush and a long-jawed orb weaver.
The results are a charming montage of original field sketches surrounding a hand-drawn, four-color map identifying forests, cultivated land and the meadow near Smithneck Creek at the eastern edge of Sierra Valley.
Fisher’s students are among about 2,000 from elementary to high school who are part of Feather River Land Trust’s Learning Landscapes, a conservation and education program. Each of the 12 schools in the upper Feather River watershed has an outdoor classroom within five minutes from its campus, said Rob Wade, the program’s coordinator.
Teachers design their own outdoor programs. Fisher capitalized on his love of cartography.
The most practical lesson his students learned? Mastering the pattern of a trio of overlapping agricultural sprinklers well enough to make it out of the field without a soaking.
Northern Exposure
Man charged with possession of synthetic marijuana
A Gilbert man is facing several charges, including possession of a controlled substance (synthetic marijuana).
According to a complaint filed on Oct. 29, West Virginia State Trooper J.E. Garren was performing routine road patrol when he observed a silver Chevrolet Cruze traveling at a high rate of speed along Rt. 80. Garren confirmed that the speed of the vehicle was 70 mph in a 40 mph zone using opposite direction stationary RADAR.
Initiating a traffic stop, Garren identified the driver as Travis Shelton Abbott, 23, of Gilbert. While speaking with Abbott, Garren observed two small black baggies of what he knew to be synthetic marijuana lying in the front passenger seat. Abbot reportedly stated to
Garren that the baggies were synthetic marijuana.
Drivers query by Garren showed that Abbott’s operators had been revoked for unpaid citations effective Oct. 23, 2013.
Abbot was charged with possession of a controlled substance (synthetic marijuana), driving revoked non DUI and reckless driving. His bail was set at $5,000.
In other Magistrate Court news:
• Dwain Ernest Runyon, 52, was booked on Oct. 22, by the Logan County Sheriff’s Deputies for obstructing and public intoxication. His bail was set at $100.
• Adriene Michelle Robinson, 35, was booked on Oct. 26 by the WVSP for possession of a controlled substance. Her bail was set at $3,500.
• Allen Edward Bryant, 63, was booked on Oct. 26 by the WVSP for operating an ATV on a centerline road and driver’s license revoked for DUI. His bail was set at $1,000.
• Larry David Belcher, 47, was booked on Oct. 27 for public intoxication, obstructing and fleeing on foot. His bail was set at $2,000.
• Edward Golzy Smith, 37, was booked on Oct. 29 for shoplifting 1st offense and obstructing. His bail was set at $3,000.
• Brandon Keith Hatfield, 30, was booked on Oct. 30 by the WVSP for DUI and failure to render aid. His bail was set at $4,000.
———
Criminal complaints are public information. Charges listed in a complaint are merely accusations; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Man charged with possession of synthetic marijuana
Legal marijuana is (almost) at our borders
Oregon, Alaska and our next-door neighbors in Washington, D.C., appear set to become the second tier of jurisdictions to legalize marijuana. Voters will have their say on three ballot measures in those areas Nov. 4, leading Brookings Institution researchers John Hudak and Phillip A. Wallach to say the midterms of 2014 are the “most crucial year for cannabis in the United States,” in a blog post Wednesday on www.brookings.edu.
It’s likely that all three ballot measures will pass, Hudak and Wallach say, especially the measure in Washington D.C., which is supported 2-1, according to polling data. Should passage be successful, Oregon, Alaska and the District will join prohibition repeals in Washington state and Colorado.
kAm~7 :?E6C6DE :D E96 :>A24E 2 DF446DD7F= G@E6 7@C s]r]’D x?:E:2E:G6 f` H:== 92G6 96C6 :? |2CJ=2?5[ H96C6 =2H>2<6CD 92G6 7@==@H65 2 D@7E=J[ D@7E=J[ H2:E2?5D66 2AAC@249 E@ =68:E:>2E6 >2C:;F2?2 FD6[ E9:D J62C 28C66:?8 E@ 564C:>:?2=:K6 A@DD6DD:@? — 2=36:E :? E96 >@DE :?6AE H2J :>28:?23=6 — @7 `_ 8C2>D @C =6DD @7 E96 5CF8[ >2<:?8 :E 2 4:G:= A6?2=EJ H:E9 2 S`__ 7:?6] (6 D2J :?6AE[ 3642FD6 E96 {68:D=2EFC6 ?68=64E65 E@ D:>:=2C=J 564C:>:?2=:K6 E96 244@>A2?J:?8 244@FEC6>6?ED @7 >2C:;F2?2 FD6[ 2 =@@A9@=6 2==@H:?8 >@C6 288C6DD:G6 ;FC:D5:4E:@?D E@ AC6DD 4C:>:?2= 492C86D 7@C A@DD6DD:@? @7 C@==:?8 A2A6CD[ 2 A:A6 @C @E96C A2C2A96C?2=:2]k^Am
kAmq6EE6C =2E6 E92? ?6G6C[ |2CJ=2?5 =68:D=2E@CD 2C6 D6E E@ 7:I E96 =2H :? E96 a_`d D6DD:@?] p3@FE `d DE2E6D 92G6 62D65 @77 AC@D64FE:@?]k^Am
kAmx? E96 s:DEC:4E[ E96 4@F?4:= 24E65 D:>:=2C=J[ 2=E9@F89 H:E9@FE E96 9:44FAD[ C65F4:?8 7:?6D E@ Sad 2?5 2 E:4<6E 7@C =6DD E92? 2? @F?46 @7 >2C:;F2?2] x?:E:2E:G6 f` H:== 8@ 7FCE96C[ 244@C5:?8 E@ E96 qC@@<:?8D D49@=2CD[ 3J C6>@G:?8 A6?2=E:6D 2=E@86E96C]k^Am
kAm%96 5:776C6?46 36EH66? s]r]’D =2H 2?5 E92E @7 @E96C DE2E6D H96C6 A@E 92D 366? =682=:K65 @C :D 36:?8 4@?D:56C65 7@C =682=:K2E:@? :D E92E E96 42A:E2= H@?’E :?:E:2==J 92G6 2?J C68F=2E@CJ 7C2>6H@C< E@ 4C62E6 2 >2C<6EA=246 @C E2I:?8 DECF4EFC6 3642FD6 @7 =:>:ED @? E96 32==@E :?:E:2E:G6 AC@46DD] #68F=2E:@?D 4@F=5 36 AFE :? A=246 3J E96 4@F?4:= 7@==@H:?8 A2DD286[ 9@H6G6C[ (2==249 2?5 wF52< HC:E6ik^Am
kAm“s2G:5 vC@DD@ Wx – pE {2C86X 92D DA@?D@C65 2 3:== E@ 5@ ;FDE E92E[ 4C62E:?8 3C@25 C68F=2E@CJ A@H6CD 7@C E96 p=4@9@=:4 q6G6C286 #68F=2E:@? p5>:?:DEC2E:@? 2?5 :>A@D:?8 2? 6I4:D6 E2I @7 `d A6C46?E @? C64C62E:@?2= 2?5 e A6C46?E @? >65:42= >2C:;F2?2 D2=6D] vC@DD@’D 3:== H@F=5 5:GGJ FA AC@4665D 36EH66? s]r] !@=:46[ J@FE9 42>AD[ J@FE9 4@FCED[ 2?5 AC6G6?E:@? AC@8C2>D 25>:?:DE6C65 3J E96 s]r] s6A2CE>6?E @7 q692G:@C2= w62=E9[” E96 C6D62C496CD D2:5 :? E96:C 3=@8 A@DE] (96E96C @C ?@E E96D6 C68F=2E:@?D H:== 36 AFE :? A=246 BF:4<=J 2=D@ 56A6?5D @? s]r]’D F?:BF6 C6=2E:@?D9:A E@ r@?8C6DD]k^Am
kAmw@H6G6C[ D9@F=5 E9@D6 DECF4EFC6D 36 AFE :? A=246 2?5 2 =682= >2C<6E 56G6=@A C:89E @? E96 DE2E6’D 3@C56C[ H6 42? 7@C6D66 >:==:@?D :? |2CJ=2?5 5@==2CD 962565 E@ s]r] 8@G6C?>6?E D6CG:46D] %2<6 2 =@@< 2E E96 2>@F?E @7 >@?6J C2:D65 3J r@=@C25@’D =682=:K2E:@? 7C@> y2?F2CJ E@ pF8FDE a_`c — C64C62E:@?2= D2=6D ?6EE65 Sbc]` >:==:@?[ 244@C5:?8 E@ 52E2 4:E65 3J r9C:DE@A96C x?8C292> @7 E96 (2D9:?8E@? !@DE’D (@?<3=@8 — 2?5 J@F 42? D66 E96 E6>AE2E:@? @7 =682= >2C:;F2?2 E@ |2CJ=2?5 =2H>2<6CD[ H9@ 2C6 2=H2JD 9F?8CJ 7@C ?6H DEC62>D @7 C6G6?F6]k^Am
kAmpD H6’G6 D2:5 367@C6[ E9:D :D 2 “H96?[” ?@E 2? “:7]” |2CJ=2?5 =2H>2<6CD D9@F=5 92G6 =62C?65 E96 =6DD@? @7 36:?8 369:?5 @E96C DE2E6D H96? E96J =682=:K65 82>3=:?8[ 2?5 AFE :? A=246 E96 7C2>6H@C< ?@H 7@C >2C:;F2?2’D :?6G:E23=6 =682=:K2E:@?]k^Am
Legal marijuana is (almost) at our borders
Medical marijuana group wants recreational expansion
PHOENIX — The people who brought medical marijuana to Arizona four years ago now want marijuana legal for everyone over the age of 21.
The Marijuana Policy Project has filed paperwork with state election officials to form a committee to begin raising funds for a 2016 citizens initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use. Arizona voters narrowly passed Proposition 203 allowing medical cannabis use in 2010.
Communications Director Mason Tvert said the group has plenty of support in Arizona despite the state’s traditionally conservative voting patterns.
“It appears most Arizona voters are ready to adopt a more sensible policy,” he said. “There were a large number of supporters who got on board (in 2010) and are ready to move forward.”
Tvert said the Arizona initiative would be modeled closely on a previous movement in Colorado, which became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012.
Washington was a close second.
According to Tvert, the medical marijuana business here needn’t worry about losing its 52,000 registered cardholders. Like Colorado, there likely would be a differentiation in the medical and recreational business models.
First, only people 21 and older could purchase recreational weed. In both Arizona and Colorado, the threshold for a medical card is 18 years old. Those under 18 can obtain a medical card if their legal guardian is their designated caregiver.
There could also be a marked difference in pricing.
In Colorado, recreational shoppers pay nearly 13 percent in general and special state sales tax, plus a 15 percent excise tax at the wholesale level. Meanwhile, medical cardholders pay the 2.9 percent state sales tax and any local taxes.
Dispensaries for recreational and medical marijuana are kept completely separate, even if the same owner operates both. Tvert said this separation as well as the different tax rates keep existing medical card holders from flocking to the recreational dispensaries en masse.
“If you went into a business in Colorado that was doing both and said, ‘I want Product A, but it’s only on the medical side,’ then you can’t get it if you don’t have a license,” he said.
Sarah Philyaw, a manager at Arizona Organix in Glendale, one of the first medical dispensaries to open in the state, said she would definitely welcome recreational sellers to the fold, even if it meant more competition.
She said one way to differentiate the two business models would be to sell specific strains and products to medical cardholders and recreational users, as Colorado does.
One of the more popular medical products at Arizona Organix, Philyaw said, is a CBD, or cannabidiol, tincture. The sublingual oil doesn’t contain THC, or the main psychoactive property of cannabis.
“We have patients that buy the bottles for anxiety. They feel a decrease in anxiety and there’s other benefits,” she said. “It’s comparable to taking a vitamin C pill.”
Not everyone sees marijuana as so harmless.
The Arizona County Attorney and Sheriff’s Association signed a resolution in July opposing full legalization, citing various detrimental effects of marijuana use.
“It is demotivating, it hurts student achievement, it creates additional crime,” said David Leibowitz, spokesman for the Arizona Association of Counties.
The resolution was sponsored by MAT
FORCE, an organization aimed at reducing substance abuse in Yavapai County and statewide.
MATFORCE Executive Director Merilee Fowler said there is a lot of misinformation about marijuana use, particularly among young people.
“In kids’ minds, when you say that something is legal, the perception of risk goes down and youth use goes up,” she said.
Fowler also pointed to teens abusing legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco.
“Why would we want to add a third legal substance that’s going to cost our nation?” she asked.
State Rep. Ethan Orr, R-Tucson, disagreed with this perception that minors would be more likely to use marijuana if it was legalized.
“I believe it’s actually less likely to get in the hands of the minor because the people (licensed dispensaries) that are supplying it have an incentive to work with the state because they want to keep their license,” he said.
Orr, who is planning to introduce a proposal of his own to legalize recreational marijuana before the state Legislature next year, said one only has to look at Colorado to see the benefits of legalization.
“I think once they’re stabilized, they’ll be making $100-$150 million in tax revenue now that they’ve overcome some of the federal barriers,” he said. “In addition, I think that by decriminalizing it, you’re going to save $75-$100 million within your criminal justice system.”
Orr said that extra money could then be funneled back into law enforcement, education and possibly tax cuts.
Orr said he also favors a dual-track system that allows medical dispensaries to continue operating independent of the recreational side.
The Marijuana Policy Project’s Tvert said if recreational use passes Arizona, existing medical dispensaries could have first dibs on selling recreational products as long as the inventories are kept separate.
“Those businesses have established themselves and demonstrated they’re willing and able to follow the law,” he said.
“It certainly makes sense to let those businesses be among the first to start providing marijuana to adults if the initiative passes.”
Whatever happens with Arizona’s marijuana business, Tvert said the initiative coalition will be sensitive to local needs.
“It will constantly evolve,” he said. “It will be, ‘This is what we believe is the best possible policy right now.’ ”
Medical marijuana group wants recreational expansion
Farms Finest: Growing high-altitude organic marijuana
The tarantula reminded me of two things: first why I like cowboy boots and secondly that Colorado’s Wild West is still going strong — only the shootouts are now between state and federal marijuana laws.
In spite of the giant and hairy spider, I was thrilled to be looking at acres of sun-grown, organic marijuana, proof that sustainable and healthy growing practices can also be found in Colorado’s emerging agricultural crop.
The new “farmers” are growing marijuana in million-dollar greenhouses and hydroponic closets, which resemble gun safes. But, like food, ingredients in marijuana and edible products will begin to require more transparency.
The gold rush in the beautiful Rocky Mountains is on, but this time it is marijuana. I have wondered what products and methods are being used in growing. Healthy food comes from an equally healthy environment, so how could this be any different for marijuana from how it is for tomatoes? Why not be able certify some marijuana choices as organic like other foods?
My search for answers led to “Clean Green Certification” and owner Chris Van Hook, of Northern California. He is a licensed attorney and a certified inspector for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
I asked how Clean Green’s organic marijuana inspection evolved, and Van Hook responded: “In the past, several California marijuana growers asked me for an organic inspection that would mirror the USDA’s Certified Organic program. While there are no federal organic certifications for marijuana (federally illegal), a third-party certification, modeled after the USDA’s, is a positive step for organic growers. This certification allows organic methods and product-quality recognition, plus their compliance is already in place for federal when that day arrives.”
Wanting to know more, I arranged a day to observe the recertification of the only Colorado organically certified marijuana business, Maggie’s Farm.
We met in Denver, and the following dawn the owner picked us up, and for what seemed like hours we drove to Maggie’s Farm’s growing fields. We stopped at a desolate hilltop to stretch our legs and look over a valley — where a tarantula casually passed between us. Below us spread acres of meticulously clean rows of over 65 strains of organic marijuana, quietly extending to the horizon. All were planted in ground, spring-fed, full sun and naturally healthy.
We then continued down to the field and harvesting facility and began walking between the uniformly spaced marijuana rows. There, plants were carefully inspected under hand lenses, soil tests taken, irrigation reviewed, harvesting procedures recorded and all growing products listed. Together, employees, the owner and Van Hook took time to discuss industry news and cultivation practices.
By midday we were back on the road, headed for the inspection of two of Maggie’s Farm’s dispensaries. There, at each location, modern glassware displayed extensive varieties of edibles and bud strains. Professional sales associates gave the feeling you were with a hometown pharmacist as they described products in detail.
While Van Hook worked on the second location’s recertification, I spoke with the manager and was shown how every nursery plant is banded with a barcode and tracked from field to final point of sale. Precise accounting is the best compliance assurance for this rapidly changing industry.
The Clean Green Certification is a three-part program composed of legal compliance, growing methods and crop inspection. Combined, they distinguish the organic product quality from field to sale. Environmentally clean standards and sustainability methods are an important element in the review.
Consumers of medical marijuana naturally want to obtain the most pure product. As availability increases, even more consumers will look for product transparency.
All crops get lab-tested for THC and CBD levels and more, but there are no federal labs to test marijuana, and there’s no standardization. (This is why Van Hook uses federally licensed soil-testing labs.)
The day ended long after sunset, and while driving back to Denver, Van Hook energetically talked about the day and how important it is to help clients grow the very best organic product.
Exhausted, I said my thanks and goodbyes, and Van Hook cheerfully responded he was off to Wisconsin at 4 a.m. for a USDA cheese inspection.
Growing more agriculture crops will help put silent farmland into production, which is invaluable in countless ways beyond the obvious economics. “New” crops, whether marijuana or hemp, hopefully will be grown sustainably, not repeating the errors of Big Agribusiness. But, admittedly, it will be difficult to keep Skippy, Betty and Oscar from getting into this cookie jar.
Joni Keefe moved to the Roaring Fork Valley after a career in landscape design. She is passionate about local food and agriculture. For more information, visit www.farms finest.com, or follow her on Twitter. Connect at joni@farmsfinest.com.
Farms Finest: Growing high-altitude organic marijuana
Publisher's Notebook: No need to rush into the haze of legalized marijuana
We’ll have to wait for the smoke to clear Tuesday evening to see if Oregonians will follow Washington and Colorado into the haze of legalized marijuana.
My choice is to wait for the haze in those two states to clear before I can determine if legalizing pot will be good for Oregon.
And the jury is still out on that.
Some argue that legalizing marijuana has been the best thing to happen to Colorado since John Denver sang “Rocky Mountain High.”
Little did he know how high the Rocky Mountains would get.
They say Denver pot shops now outnumber Starbucks’ locations 2-to-1, which is good because there is nothing like a good cup of coffee to snap you out of a Purple Haze pot stupor.
They also say there is as much pot being smoked as before, only more openly.
How much pot is that, you ask? TEN TONS PER MONTH, according to a recent article in the Tampa Bay Times.
That one kind of stopped me in my tracks. Let’s see, there are roughly 5.2 million residents of Colorado and 32,000 ounces in a ton, so that’s 320,000 ounces of weed consumed by 5.2 million residents — every 30 days!
When you consider that an ounce of marijuana contains as many as 30 to 40 “joints” (for those who don’t know what a “joint” is, think cigarette), that’s more than two joints per month for every man, woman and child in Colorado.
No wonder they can’t keep Ben and Jerry’s ice cream on the shelves.
Add the “Mile High” altitude to the 10 tons of high-quality pot being ingested every month and it’s a wonder Denver is awake by 10 in the morning.
I’d hate to operate an assembly line in Colorado right now.
“We need to make 100,000 widgets by noon!”
“Dude. I don’t see that happening.”
“Well how many widgets do you think we can roll through the plant by lunch?”
“I’d say three or four max.”
Some of the popular marijuana name brands include, “Train Wreck, Green Crack and AK-47.”
“Yes. I’m on my way to work in the Ebola lab. Can I buy an ounce of Green Crack please?”
Oregon sawmills would have an absolute hoot trying to manage employees.
“How many fingers am I holding up?” one worker might ask.
“None!” his colleagues would shout. “You cut them off yesterday!”
“Yeah, but I didn’t feel it!” he’d boast.
I would love to watch a stoned choker crew on a clear-cut operation.
“Jump over to the next log!” the foreman would scream.
“I can’t feel my legs!” the choke setter would reply. “And I need some potato chips!”
Critics of Colorado’s legalized pot policy told the Tampa Times (Florida is also considering legalizing marijuana) that there have been some not-so-great downsides.
“Emergency room visits have increased with people facing adverse reactions, mostly those who have tried harmless-looking edibles,” read the story.
Marijuana, you see, can also be purchased as candy and given out for the holidays.
Imagine eating a piece of chocolate laced with some AK-47 pot and not knowing it.
“I can’t feel my face!!!”
There were billboards up last week in Colorado warning children and parents to be on the lookout for pot-laced trick-or-treat candy.
A city filled with lost and stoned trick-or-treaters would be perfect B-rated movie fodder.
You can also give out candy for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter without drawing much suspicion.
“Sorry I’ve been mean to you this year,” you might say to an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend. “Here’s a box of chocolate.”
Then watch as they wonder what is happening to their eyeballs.
Oregon’s cities have been rushing to set tax rates on the pot, should it become legal to sell it. Roseburg recently decided to tax pot sales at 10 percent, for example.
Problem is, they really don’t know how to collect taxes, since Oregon doesn’t have a sales tax.
My guess is that we’ll hire lots of government tax collectors who will eventually get too stoned to count past 10.
If I’m a pot shop owner I’m sending lots of candy to City Hall (ATTENTION TAX DEPARTMENT) for the holidays.
“FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT JEFF’S MARIJUANA BARBECUE AND BOUTIQUE.”
I’m not sure how legalizing marijuana will help Douglas County much. The unemployment rate is still among the highest in the nation and we already have a pretty good meth problem on our hands.
If you don’t believe me, look out the window and watch the Zombies walk past.
And last I checked nearly 20 percent of Douglas County families were living below the poverty level.
There are many things we can probably do to address that. Legalizing marijuana isn’t on that list.
Let’s wait a year or two to see if Colorado and Washington can still function in two years. If so, I have five acres that would be perfect for some Train Wreck.
Jeff Ackerman is publisher of The News-Review. He can be reached at 541-957-4263 or jackerman@nrtoday.com.
I’m not sure how legalizing marijuana will help Douglas County much. The unemployment rate is still among the highest in the nation and we already have a pretty good meth problem on our hands.
Name
Attribution
Publisher's Notebook: No need to rush into the haze of legalized marijuana
Saturday 1 November 2014
Q&A: A guide to medical marijuana in Florida
Should Amendment 2 pass with 60 percent of the vote on Tuesday, The Florida Department of Health (DOH) and likely the legislature in Tallahassee will have to iron out how marijuana will be grown, transported and sold. Local municipalities and leaders will then have to fine tune any road map handed down from Tallahassee, but some details about how some of that would work is in the amendment’s language already.
Q. Who will have access?
A. A doctor will have to sign off on any resident’s access to medical marijuana. The amendment states the DOH will issue a special card to patients who qualify, which would let police know that the person possessing it is in compliance. The amendment states that those with “debilitating medical conditions” meaning, “cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or other conditions for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.”
Q. When can I start buying medical marijuana?
A. The amendment states Jan. 6, but it appears Florida lawmakers, the DOH and local governments will likely not be ready by that time. The DOH has six months to make regulations and is supposed to begin issuing ID cards in nine months. Key West council members will vote at their Nov. 5 meeting on whether to implement a six-month moratorium on accepting any new business applications seeking to open a medical marijuana clinic so they can hammer out zoning and other ordinances.
Q. How much medical marijuana can I legally possess?
A. No one knows yet. That’s one of the questions the DOH or the legislature will have to answer after Tuesday. The amendment language states what is “reasonably presumed to be an adequate supply.” Edibles, oils and smokeable plant products will be allowed under the amendment.
Q. Can I grow it at home or elsewhere on my property?
A. The short answer is no. That would remain illegal as it is currently, but the legislature could change that. The DOH is expected to iron out who will be eligible to grow medical marijuana and under what conditions. Experts watching the issue expect the state will issue specific identification cards to growers. How those farms and production areas will be monitored has yet to be officially sorted out.
Q. Where can I buy it?
A. At specially licensed stores that the amendment states will be called “Medical Treatment Centers.” Where those stores will be located will likely fall on the DOH and then on local governments as per local zoning ordinances. How many stores will be allowed in a given area will also likely fall on local governments.
Q.Is there an age restriction?
A. Only those 21-years-old and older will be allowed to buy and handle medical marijuana on behalf of up to, but not more than, five patients. Caregivers will be issued a special identification card issued by the DOH. Experts expect patients under 21 will likely have to have parental consent as is common in other states with medical marijuana.
Q. How would the prescription process with my doctor work?
A. Technically, it would not be prescribed in the legal sense. It will be more like buying over-the-counter medication, but one that requires “physician certification,” as marijuana is not a FDA-approved drug. The amendment states: “‘Physician certification’ means a written document signed by a physician, stating that in the physician’s professional opinion, the patient suffers from a debilitating medical condition, that the potential benefits of the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks for the patient, and for how long the physician recommends the medical use of marijuana for the patient. A physician certification may only be provided after the physician has conducted a physical examination of the patient and a full assessment of the patient’s medical history.”
Q. What about insurance?
A. That will likely be up to the patient and their insurance provider. Medicare likely won’t cover its use as the amendment states: “Nothing in this section shall require any health insurance provider or any government agency or authority to reimburse any person for expenses related to the medical use of marijuana.”
Q.Can my boss ban medical marijuana use at work?
A. Yes. The amendment states: “Nothing in this section shall require any accommodation of any on-site medical use of marijuana in any place of education or employment, or of smoking medical marijuana in any public place.”
Q. Can I get a DUI while on medical marijuana?
A. Yes. That would remain the same as it is now with prescribed drugs and alcohol.
Source: Florida Division of Elections
Q&A: A guide to medical marijuana in Florida
Police search two Gatewood houses in marijuana investigation
November 1, 2014 at 9:33 pm | In West Seattle news, West Seattle police | 1 Comment
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
Seattle Police investigators spent hours at two houses in the 3500 block of SW Rose in Gatewood this afternoon and evening, confirming to WSB’s Christopher Boffoli at the scene that it’s a marijuana investigation.
They also confirmed what we had heard via the scanner earlier, that when they arrived with warrants, one house was occupied and one was not; they made forcible entry into the latter. Neighbors told Christopher they saw one person in handcuffs; police told him “no one will go to jail tonight” but that “both cases will be referred to the prosecutor’s office.”
Scanner traffic indicated that illegal marijuana growing was suspected. We don’t know yet exactly what police found and/or confiscated, but helmeted police, wearing black, arrived at mid-afternoon to serve the search warrant; evidence-gathering followed.
The two houses under investigation are separated by one house that police confirmed is not related or involved. The resident of that house told Christopher he often saw people going between the two houses. Just about all of the neighbors who talked with Christopher said they had smelled marijuana from the houses. We’re not likely to find out more about the raid before Monday.
Police search two Gatewood houses in marijuana investigation
Law pushes medical marijuana in rental housing
With the start of a new month, a new law goes into effect – which gives Hawaii medical marijuana users more protection. In the past, landlords could evict renters who used legal pot, but now Act 60 allows registered patients with the state’s medical marijuana program to be protected from eviction by their landlords. :58-1:11 “RAFAEL KENNEDY, MEDICAL CANNABIS COALITION: MEDICAL CANNIBIS PATIENTS HAVE BEEN SOMETIMES TREATED LIKE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS. THEY HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING A PLACE TO LIVE AND WHEN THEY DO THEY’RE ALWAYS A BIT ON SHAKY GROUND” The new law does not override existing smoking regulations, so if cigarette smoking is banned — so is cannabis smoking. It also doesn’t change protections for renters in federally-subsidized
Law pushes medical marijuana in rental housing
What will voters do? Down to the wire for medical marijuana
Legalized medical marijuana groups, once well ahead in polls, now hope to hold on as scales tip toward nonpassage (Photo: Getty Images/Zoonar RF )
Amendment 2 is a toss-up instead of a shoo-in.
The poll numbers for the measure to legalize medical marijuana have been see-sawing over the past few months, but the percentage in favor has been dropping.
The latest poll Thursday showed 59 percent in favor. A poll on Wednesday showed 50 percent in favor.
That’s not good enough. Unlike typical races, the amendment needs a 60 percent super-majority to pass.
At least 17 polls taken by various organizations and institutions since November 2013 show a wide range, from a high of 88 percent in favor to a low of 48 percent. Why the drastic slide?
Political experts say it’s the October infusion of millions by the Vote No on 2 campaign to fund hard-hitting TV ads that raise fear and doubt about amendment language. Also, people have focused much more closely on the issue as summer waned and fall’s high season of politicking began.
Some pollsters are convinced the amendment will fail Tuesday. They say it will get more than 50 percent of the vote, but fall short of 60. Others are on the verge of saying nay.
But major players in the for and against campaigns say the result is up for grabs.
“It’s done. It can’t pass. How does it pass?” said Doug Kaplan, political consultant and president of Gravis Marketing, which released the poll showing 50 percent in favor on Wednesday. Earlier Gravis polls in April and January showed 60 percent and 57 percent approval, respectively.
It’s like a football game when one team is behind, but you know they have the momentum and they’re going to pull it out, Kaplan said. The pro Amendment 2 camp no longer has that momentum.
Pot opinions narrowing
Since late last year, polls have shown that those in favor of Amendment 2 outnumber opponents, but as the election nears the gap is narrowing.
Sponsored by
FAVOR
OPPOSE
POLLS BY DATE
What are the odds
Susan MacManus, professor of public administration and political science at the University of South Florida, is less adamant. “The odds of it failing are greater than the odds of it passing,” she said.
Meanwhile, attorney John Morgan of Orlando, the main face, voice and funder behind the amendment, referred to the race as a tie in an email blast to supporters last week.
In what may be the only time the two sides agree, Sarah Bascom, spokeswoman for Vote No on 2, also called it neck-and-neck. “Yes, the race right now is a tossup,” she said. “It’s very close.”
The polls also show a range of 2 percent to 18 percent undecided. In the past two months, the highest number of undecided was 13 percent, in a Survey USA poll taken Sept. 12-15. The lowest number of undecided was 3 percent in a poll taken by the Anzalone Liszt Grover Research during the same period, from Sept. 12-18.
Some say the polls are more confusing than enlightening in depicting the true state of the race. Yet, they pay attention.
Ben Pollara, manager of United for Care, the campaign for Amendment 2, said if he hadn’t stopped paying attention to the polls a month ago, he’d pull out his hair. However, he notes polling done for the campaign consistently shows 61 percent in favor.
He is cautiously optimistic. “It’s very much ours to lose at this point,” Pollara said.
Scenes from The News-Press’ Medical Marijuana Town Hall on Tuesday at The News-Press in downtown Fort Myers. Kinfay Moroti/news-press.com
Jessica Spencer, state coordinator for Vote No on 2, also said she doesn’t pay attention to the polls. She pays attention to what voters tell her as she travels the state. Education is the key to why the “no” side has gained so much, she said.
“Floridians are smart. Once they receive the information and have an opportunity to read the amendment,” they see the loopholes, she said. “They see the need to vote no.”
In polling, “the nature of the question will determine oftentimes what kind of response you get, positive or negative,” said Peter Bergerson, FGCU political science professor. Polls may also use different methodologies and different sampling sizes.
The high of 88 percent favorability for Amendment 2 came from two Quinnipiac University polls in late April and late July. The sample size was 1,413 in April. The sample in July was 1,251.
The low of 48 percent in favor is from a mid-October poll by the University of Florida Graham Center. The sample size was 781.
Bergerson, who has analyzed and studied political campaigns for more than 40 years, doesn’t buy the 88 percent high. “The 88 percent mark was unrealistic from the very beginning, and even the 60 percent is a threshold that for an issue that is controversial like this, is a very high threshold,” he said. “I didn’t believe it would be reached. Nothing has changed my mind.”
The Quinnipiac poll asked the question: “Do you support or oppose allowing adults in Florida to legally use marijuana for medical purposes if their doctor prescribes it?” The poll did not ask specifically about Amendment 2.
That was on purpose, to make the questions consistent when polling about medical marijuana in other states, said Peter Brown, assistant director for the university poll.
If you ask the question whether it should be constitutionally OK for individuals who have incurable diseases to use medical marijuana approved by a physician, you’re going to get a yes, Bergerson said. “Why? Well, it’s compassionate and personalized. Who wants to see people suffer?” If you ask a question like, ‘Would you approve an amendment that could allow medical marijuana dispensaries next to Fort Myers High School?’ you’re going to get a no, he said.
MacManus said there’s also been a lot more attention on TV and in print about the problems states that have legalized marijuana for general use are having. They include the fallout of not being able to control kids from getting ahold of it, she said. “That makes people a little bit nervous about voting for it.” (Amendment 2)
Pulling out stops
The amendment is being viewed as in essence, a de facto legalization of marijuana, not just medical marijuana, Bergerson said. “That lens has been presented by the anti-legalization group. The emotion generated, in particular fear, can go a long way in politics, he said. The negatives are backed up by the general medical community and law enforcement, “and they lend credibility to it,” Bergerson said.
United for Care sent a “cease and desist” letter last week to all TV stations broadcasting Vote No on 2’s latest ad, titled “It’s Nuts.” The ad recaps all of what Pollara called “the ‘greatest hits’ of all the falsehoods medical marijuana opponents have perpetuated throughout the campaign.” The letter lists the complaints, starting with the opponents’ claim that Amendment 2 in effect means the general legalization of marijuana.
“By law, television broadcasters have a public obligation to refuse to run demonstrably false advertisements,” Pollara said in a statement. “We strongly believe that No on 2’s most recent ad violates this standard.”
Meanwhile, Morgan has been pulling out all the stops to get the amendment over the top, including an appearance on the Today Show on Thursday with his brother, Tim, who is a quadriplegic. Morgan has said his reason for contributing $4 million to get the amendment on the ballot is the fact Tim and their late father, who had esophageal cancer and emphysema, benefited from medical marijuana.
Morgan should get kudos for his efforts, Kaplan said. Getting more than 50 percent yes on Amendment 2 would be an accomplishment, he said. “Getting 60 percent of anything is very hard.”
Read or Share this story: http://newspr.es/1tOhu24
What will voters do? Down to the wire for medical marijuana
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)