Open Thread

I’ve been busy on other projects. Still a lot of speculation out there regarding the directions that this administration will take… talk of eliminating the ONDCP, Spicer’s comments about enforcing federal laws against states that legalize marijuana, yet seeming support for state medical laws, etc.

The key value that we have is that for years now, we have worked across party lines and found ways to make drug policy reform attractive regardless of party affiliation. We found allies in forfeiture reform and prison reform in conservative camps and allies for leaving states alone in liberal camps. This makes it harder for someone to simply step in and ignorantly try to undo our efforts – they’ll find opposition from a variety of sides.

We need to keep up the effort, particularly in finding allies in seemingly unlikely places.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

73 Responses to Open Thread

  1. DdC says:

    When Retirement Comes With a Daily Dose of Cannabis
    http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread29045.shtml

    Ruth Brunn finally said yes to marijuana. She is 98. She pops a green pill filled with cannabis oil into her mouth with a sip of vitamin water. Then Ms. Brunn, who has neuropathy, settles back in her wheelchair and waits for the jabbing pain in her shoulders, arms and hands to ebb. “I don’t feel high or stoned,” she said. “All I know is I feel better when I take this.”

    Elderly Americans Overwhelmingly Support Legalizing Pot
    http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/topic/1853
    ~ Teaching Seniors the Benefits of Ganja
    ~ Seniors Using Ganja For A Good Night’s Sleep
    ~ Kansas Silver-Haired Legislature endorses medical marijuana
    ~ Marijuana and Seniors: America’s Underserved Could Benefit Most
    ~ Cannabis for Seniors

    cue spooky organ music…

    Will Trump and his Duck Dynasty actually SWAT down Granny”s door in the middle of the night? Then kick her out and forfeit her hone and furniture. Seize her assets and kick her off of the organ transplant list. Take her Medicare and Social Security? Lock her up? Or as I’ve suspected and potentially predicted if it comes to pass. Then if Fat Pharma doesn’t shelve it for more profits selling actually harmful white powders and w/p side effect “treatments”. To kill the people’s chance to bypass Wall St pollutants creating more profits “treating” the citizens. Hemp is still not addressed and remains a S#1. That’s 50,000 products not removing mountaintops, or fracking clean water aquifers or sending kids to die in Middle Eastern wars protecting Crude Oil plastic when Veggie oil does the same.

    Coal fired Steel or Hemp fiber steel? Exporting cattle grazing and sucking up water on public land and no affordable housing Hemp can also build. Cattle eating 10 -pounds of grass or grain for each pound of Micky D crap, also sucking up water. Hemp seed is the planets most nutritionally complete protein source and its oil’s EFA’s Omega 3 they push fish oil and flax while shunning Hemp that is also in balance with the Omega’s 6 and 9. Flax takes a year of re-dressing the soil while hemp aerates it and eliminates chemical poisons as most are used on Bible Belt cotton crops and Donny’s golf courses.Starving babies and Illegal food. 9 Goldman Sach’s, 5 Generals and a gaggle of Billionaires, Making America Grape Again.

    States Gird For Marijuana War With Jeff Sessions
    http://cannabisnews.com/news/29/thread29046.shtml
    The legal marijuana industry in the U.S. could create more than 250,000 jobs by the year 2020, according to a New Frontier Data report. That’s more than the projected job gains in the manufacturing industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    “Marihuana” is a very dangerous drug and even small amounts can cause hysteria, bed wetting and strokes among members of drug free America cults. If legalized their heads could potentially explode.

  2. PragMcMaticTV says:

    “They are just so pissed at me, you wouldn’t believe it,” Urquhart said. “But, I always come back to them (and say), ‘OK. The war on drugs didn’t work. What’s your solution?’ And nobody has another idea; nobody has a solution. All they want to do is criticize.”

    With that said, Urquhart has been less gung-ho about the safe injection sites. When asked if he thought the sites were a good idea, he made a heavy sigh before responding: “I am so upset that we are in this position now, as a police officer for 41 years, that we’re gonna provide a place for people to inject heroin. That really galls me. That being said, I’m also all about harm reduction and I think we can keep people from dying, we can keep people from catching hepatitis C or even AIDS by these safe injection sites, and we have a better chance of getting them into treatment if they are there in one place.”

    http://tinyurl.com/com-news-local

  3. Servetus says:

    Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found that given the choice, medical patients prefer cannabis to commonly prescribed drugs based on “reduced side effects, better symptom management and a feeling that cannabis is safer than prescription drugs ”:

    27-FEB-2017 — Chronic pain sufferers and those taking mental health meds would rather turn to cannabis instead of their prescribed opioid medication, according to new research by the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria. “This study is one of the first to track medical cannabis use under the new system of licensed producers, meaning that all participants had physician authorization to access cannabis in addition to their prescription medicines,” says UBC Assoc. Prof. Zach Walsh, co-author of the study.[…]

    Overall, 63 per cent of respondents reported using cannabis instead of their prescription drugs, which included opioids (to treat pain), benzodiazepines (sedatives) and anti-depressants.[…]

    AAAS Public Release: Given the choice, patients will reach for cannabis over prescribed opioids

    • Servetus says:

      Researchers discover more reasons medical patients might want to substitute cannabinoids for opioids for pain relief:

      2-MAR-2017 — An analysis of nearly 30,000 patients undergoing liver transplantation in the United States between 2008 and 2014 found elevated death and organ loss rates in the first 5 years after transplantation among recipients with the highest use of opioid pain medications while on the waiting list.

      Higher risks mainly emerged after the first transplant anniversary, a pattern that may in part reflect sustained opioid use. Sixty five percent of those with the highest level of opioid use on the waiting list continued moderate to high level use in the first year after transplantation.

      The findings indicate that transplant candidates who require high levels of opioids should be carefully assessed and monitored before and after transplantation. [Emphasis added]

      AAAS Public Release: Use of opioid pain medications may affect liver transplant patients’ survival

  4. Sessions: More violence around marijuana than ‘one would think’
    Attorney General says he doesn’t think America will be a better place with “more people smoking pot.”

    https://t.co/e7sZewzUvX

    Ignorance speaks for itself.

    Making reference to this article by Tom Angell seems appropriate:
    States Vow To Fight Feds On Marijuana
    https://t.co/dOv8LX7L6N

  5. Rep. Young’s Cannabis Caucus wants to ‘educate’ Trump administration on pot
    https://t.co/aa3F0tJM32

    They need to start with Jeff Sessions.

    • jean valjean says:

      Cully Stimson… what a hypocrite. He has a statement about the dangers of Big Government trampling on the Constitution at the end of his article and claims the importance of returning government to the people (unless they vote for legalization of course…) Good grief.

    • Will says:

      .
      .
      Cully Stimson appears to be advocating the Sabet ill-defined position of prohibition-lite (the vague ‘Third Way’ we never hear about anymore?). After listing the 11 ways the federal government should now act with respect to the marijuana industry, he says;

      None of these recommendations advocate criminal prosecution for simple possession of marijuana. Enforcing federal marijuana laws should not be about putting people in jail. In fact, that is not the current state of federal marijuana enforcement.

      -And;

      Thus, it has not been the case and should not be the case that people are criminally prosecuted and jailed for simple possession of small quantities of marijuana.

      Is Cully suggesting that people should have the right to cultivate their own cannabis as long as they don’t profit from the sale of some of it? Is he suggesting people should be able to consume cannabis products in the privacy of their own homes without fear of any law enforcement involvement? No specificity is given although the end game of all cannabis production is eventual consumption by individuals. What, if anything, should happen to those individuals? Then;

      However, the recommendations listed above provide a targeted approach to marijuana enforcement that focuses on protection, not punishment. These recommendations should be part of any commonsense approach that is consistent with an interest in public health and safety.

      Ah, well, “enforcement that focuses on protection, not punishment”. This is textbook Kevin Sabet vague-speak. Cully cowardly does not elaborate here, where specific elaboration is needed most. We can assume, ala past Kevin Sabet cowardice, that protection likely means protecting individual consumers from themselves through drug court diversion, forced rehabilitation, re-education and all the rest of it. But I’d prefer not assume anything and would rather these beacons of “public health and safety” put their cards on the table for all eyes to see, in detail. Cowards, though…

      • jean valjean says:

        “Protection” in Sabet’s world of Newspeak translates as “it’s all for your own good.”

      • DC Reade says:

        It’s phony temporizing, and logrolling. Blatant and obvious. Someone trying to kowtow to both sides.

        But make no mistake- it’s a sign of Drug Warrior weakness, not the political weakness of cannabis legalization advocates. To me, it has the hallmarks of a rear-guard action. Keep the pressure on, and we can push this paper tiger over.

      • DC Reade says:

        Those recommendations are dreadful, of course. Tantamount to returning the control over the marijuana trade to career criminals.

        Every time I suspect that there’s something inherently superior about “clean and sober” thinking, some virtue-signaling idiot doubles down on stupid…how witless does someone have to be to recognize that violence linked to marijuana is practically nonexistent, unless it’s connected to the illegalized trade?

        I’m counting on CO Gov. Hickenlooper to state the facts on this. Rescinding legalization would impact Colorado disastrously as far as criminal justice, local economy, employment, and possibly even public health impacts from more hard drugs use. A completely avoidable, man-made disaster.

  6. jean valjean says:

    A widely published Australian author gets the Homeland Security treatment when trying to enter the Land of the Free. Imagine what it’s like if you’re born in the wrong country like Iran…. or have ever been busted for drugs.

    “I am a human being, so I do understand that these people might not be well-trained, but they now have carte blanche to be as horrible and belligerent as they want. They’ve gone mad – they’ve got all the power that they want but they don’t have the training.
    They made me feel like such a crushed, mashed, hopeless old lady and I am a feisty, strong, articulated English speaker. I kept thinking that if this were happening to me, a person who is white, articulate, educated and fluent in English, what on earth is happening to people who don’t have my power?”
    To answer her question, they quickly find themselves in leg shackles on a plane back to where they came from, or in one of the new CCA private jails for “undocumented” immigrants.
    And, it was like this long before Trump came along.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/28/in-that-moment-i-loathed-america-i-loathed-the-entire-country

  7. Servetus says:

    Feds threaten Moapa Paiute tribe over a marijuana and trade show festival to be held on reservation land in Southern Nevada:

    Feb. 27, 2017 — One of the world’s largest marijuana festivals, which is expected to be held this week on tribal land outside of Las Vegas, has been facing a possible shutdown for the past two weeks, according to a letter sent by federal officials earlier this month.

    U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden, based in Las Vegas, sent a Feb. 16 letter to the Moapa Paiute Tribe reminding the tribe that the transport, possession, use and distribution of marijuana is illegal under federal law. The marijuana trade show and festival, planned for March 4 and 5, would be in violation of that law, according to the letter obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal.

    “I am informed that the tribal council is moving forward with the planned marijuana event referred to as the 2017 High Times Cannabis Cup because it is under the impression that the so-called ‘Cole Memorandum’ and subsequent memoranda from the Department of Justice permit marijuana use, possession and distribution on tribal lands when the state law also permits it. Unfortunately, this is an incorrect interpretation of the Department’s position on this issue.”

    http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2017/02/27/exclusive-feds-threatening-shut-down-giant-las-vegas-marijuana-festival-cannabis-cup/98487124/

    U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden has placed himself in the same predicament as the former, disgraced, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag. Here is some background on Bogden:

    Bogden was one of eight attorneys dismissed as part of the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy.* When Bogden was fired, Senator John Ensign, who had originally nominated him, was decidedly unhappy, particularly after hearing explanations by the Justice Department of the reasons. Ensign commented: “What the Justice Department testified yesterday is inconsistent with what they told me. I can’t even tell you how upset I am at the Justice Department.”[5] — Wiki. […]

    *US attorneys controversy: On December 7, 2006, the George W. Bush administration’s Department of Justice ordered the unprecedented[1] midterm dismissal of seven United States Attorneys. Congressional investigations focused on whether the Department of Justice and the White House were using the U.S. Attorney positions for political advantage. Allegations were that some of the attorneys were targeted for dismissal to impede investigations of Republican politicians or that some were targeted for their failure to initiate investigations that would damage Democratic politicians or hamper Democratic-leaning voters.[2][3] The U.S. attorneys were replaced with interim appointees, under provisions in the 2005 USA PATRIOT Act reauthorization.–Wiki

    Bogden’s pending raid against the Native American marijuana festival appears to side with recent statements made by Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III regarding recreational marijuana use. It may be some kind of political loyalty display, such that Bogden believes acting tough on marijuana means he won’t end up fired again for not being Republican enough to reignite the Indian Wars.

    • tensity1 says:

      Yeah, I just found out that the Cannabis Cup was going on in my neck of the woods, thought about going to it, then the next day found out that the Moapa Paiute nation decided to not allow cannabis consumption (or even the presence of cannabis) at the event due to the pressure of the fuckhead Feds. I guess I’ll go spend the money on a bag instead.

      • Servetus says:

        WTF is wrong with the Moapa Paiute Tribe? If the original plan was to smoke weed, it could have produced some useful new memes to fight the drug war. Like Bogden’s Raid. And Bogden’s last stand. The entire nation, united on every front, needs to challenge Bogden’s menacing allies at every level of the State.

  8. claygooding says:

    Once more into the breach!!!

    There are only two violent groups in the marijuana market.

    The cops arresting users and criminals fighting over turf.

    Legalization removes both groups from the marijuana market.

    It allows law enforcement to target the criminals instead of the entire population.

  9. Marijuana Policy Is Best Left Up to the States https://tinyurl.com/gs9sxy5

    “The Trump administration’s apparent desire to rekindle the federal war on pot is misguided.”

    “In withdrawing federal protection for transgendered students, the Trump administration paid tribute to our federalist system. “The president believes that this is a states’ rights issue,” said White House spokesman Sean Spicer, “We are a states’ rights party. The president in a lot of issues believes that these issues are states’ rights issues.” Yet, hours later, the administration had little use for federalism in announcing that it would “punish” states that legalized marijuana. According to Spicer, we should expect to see “greater enforcement” of federal marijuana laws, regardless of states’ marijuana laws. The president’s contradictory stances on these two issues are not just a matter of ideological inconsistency, either; a renewed war on pot would be bad policy.” …

    … “The good news is that so far, the Trump administration’s “war on pot” has been more talk than action. That means there is still time for the White House to realize that law enforcement’s treatment of drugs is still very much a “states’ rights issue.

    • NorCalNative says:

      I watch Thom Hartmann on Free Speech TV. An older caller to his show recently said: “I’ve got a son in Oregon growing marijuana.” “He said if the feds tried to stop it, bullets would start flying.”

      Hope things are okay with you.

      • DdC says:

        “I’ve got a son in Oregon growing marijuana.” “He said if the feds tried to stop it, bullets would start flying.

        ”

        Hey NCN,
        Sounds like that’s what the Feds are looking for,

        Prohibitioninnies actually believe with gusto it is a crusade to rid the world of evil. By killing all of their god’s creations, especially Cannabis that threatens their puny plastic livelihood polluting the planet or caging its citizens. With a Neocongress willing to let Americans die and ban them from protecting their homes, families and business. Letting the most vulnerable sick citizens fend for themselves. Where is the NRA? Defending Schizophrenics rights to bear arms. Seems like a one sided battle without having lots of support nearby. Phonebank? WAMM held off the DEA after ransacking and terrorizing patients and stealing the crops. Blocking the exit gate, with the Sheriff arbitrating. In the 90s. Without guns. Now with gun ban laws as bogus as the CSA extending the police state no one hears about with all the side shows on TV. Hypocrites aren’t usually so blatently obvious about it.

        A federal government ban on the sale of guns to medical marijuana card holders does not violate the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court said Wednesday.
        ☛ Federal court upholds gun ban
        for medical marijuana card holders

        The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals applies to the nine Western states that fall under the court’s jurisdiction, including California, Washington and Oregon. 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says in decision that Congress reasonably concluded that marijuana and other drug use ‘raises the risk of irrational or unpredictable behavior with which gun use should not be associated’

        ATF doubles down on marijuana gun ban, adds warning to firearm
        “raises the risk of irrational or unpredictable behavior with which gun use should not be associated.”

        As part of an effort to roll back Obama-era regulations, The rule estimated in January 2016 that about 75,000 people would have their records submitted for background checks each year that applies to recipients of disability insurance and supplemental security income who require a representative to manage their benefits because of a disabling mental disorder, ranging from anxiety to schizophrenia.
        ☛ Congress to challenge gun ban for some mentally impaired
        The rule was hard fought by gun-rights advocates who feared it would impinge on Second Amendment rights. The NRA lobbied for its reversal, arguing it stripped the right to keep and bear arms without due process from “some of the most vulnerable Americans.” They say it is the result of a political agenda, and it would keep those in distress from seeking mental health assistance for fear of losing their rights.

        ☛ DEA Bans Armored Cars From Picking up Pot Shop Cash
        Medical marijuana is legal in California, but the combination of valuable drugs and what is often a cash-only business can attract some rough characters. That’s why some dispensaries use armored car companies to get their money to and from their favorite bank (or elsewhere). But the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says no more. The federal authority has told armored car companies they can no longer work with some, perhaps all, cannabis retailers in California and Colorado. August 23, 2013

        ☛ Heavy Marijuana Use Doesn’t Damage Brain
        Analysis of Studies Finds Little Effect From Long-Term Use
        The marijuana users in those 15 studies — which lasted between three months to more than 13 years — had smoked marijuana several times a week or month or daily. Still, researchers say impairments were less than what is typically found from using alcohol or other drugs.

        ☛ NRA Silent On Medical Marijuana Patients’ Gun Rights
        When there’s a policy development that affects gun rights you can usually count on the National Rifle Association (NRA) to have something to say about it. But the firearms lobby’s most powerful organization had nothing to say this week after a federal court upheld a policy preventing medical marijuana patients from purchasing guns. Last year, the NRA spoke out against what is saw as the Obama administration’s favoring marijuana businesses over gun businesses.

        Prisons: America’s Newest Growth Industry
        Private prison companies have some powerful allies in the fight for stiffer sentences and more prison spending. For example, the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, which has grown from 4,000 to 23,000 in the last decade, gave more than $1 million to various California state politicians in 1996. The prison lobby is also supported by the National Rifle Association. Armed with an agenda of deflecting public fear away from guns and toward people, the NRA successfully lobbies for prison construction and three-strikes-and-you’re-out laws.

        The NRA strikes Back
        An important and largely overlooked force driving the prison boom in the United States is the National Rifle Association. With a membership of some 3 million, an estimated war chest of $140 million, and paid lobbyists in ail 50 states, the NRA has thrown its weight behind so-called “get tough on crime” measures and prison-building initiatives.

        NRA’s Mandatory Minimum Sentencing campaigns
        Congress enacted mandatory minimum sentencing laws to catch drug “kingpins” and deter drug sales and use. But the laws undermine the American tradition of justice by preventing judges from fitting the punishment to the individual’s role in the offense. Because of mandatory sentencing laws, the population of federal prisons has soared and they are filled with low-level, nonviolent drug law violators – not the “kingpins” mandatory sentences intended to apprehend.

    • WalStMonky says:

      .
      .

      Mr. Spicer is a loose cannon. People are confused because the White House Press Secretary had a job which was completely scripted. But Mr. Spicer has no worries about conflating his personal opinions with White House policy and regurgitating those opinions as if they were vetted policy statements.

      /snip/
      U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reiterated his opposition to marijuana legalization while addressing the annual meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. “I, as you know, am dubious about marijuana. States can pass whatever laws they choose, but I’m not sure we’re going to be a better, healthier nation if we have marijuana being sold at every corner grocery store. I just don’t think that’s going to be good for us, and we’ll have to work our way through that.”
      /snip/
      https://www.c-span.org/video/?424665-1/attorney-general-jeff-sessions-delivers-remarks-national-association-attorneys-general&start=1446

      This couch has become a nest of nattering nabobs of negativism, and it truly sucks.

    • Just in case their is any question about Trump having said he would support states rights in legal marijuana states:
      http://thinkinglookingclearly.blogspot.com/2017/03/true-during-campaign-trump-pledged-to.html

  10. Servetus says:

    Are you a troublemaker? Would your boss fire you if your workplace gained knowledge of your “radical politics” involving public or private protests against drug enforcement activities and policies?

    Demonstrators, along with free speech and free expression, are under attack as part of an FBI program that keeps employers up-to-date on a person’s law enforcement encounters. From Ava Kofman at The Intercept:

    Feb. 4, 2017 — THE FBI’S RAP BACK program is quietly transforming the way employers conduct background checks. While routine background checks provide employers with a one-time “snapshot” of their employee’s past criminal history, employers enrolled in federal and state Rap Back programs receive ongoing, real-time notifications and updates about their employees’ run-ins with law enforcement, including arrests at protests and charges that do not end up in convictions. (“Rap” is an acronym for Record of Arrest and Prosecution; “Back” is short for background.) Testifying before Congress about the program in 2015, FBI Director James Comey explained some limits of regular background checks: “People are clean when they first go in, then they get in trouble five years down the road [and] never tell the daycare about this.”[…]

    In Utah, for instance, anytime an immigrant with a driver’s license generates any sort of criminal record, the state’s Rap Back program will notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement, possibly triggering deportation proceedings.[…]

    Lynch said it’s possible that employees could be fired for an arrest where they were exercising their First Amendment rights: filming public officials, attending protests, blocking streets. “It’s unclear if an employer that takes action based on the arrest would know the arrest is tied to First Amendment protected activity.”[…]

    FBI and state databases are not known for their accuracy. As the National Employment Law Project reported in 2013, as many as 50 percent of the FBI’s arrest records fail to include information on the final disposition of a case — that is, whether a person was convicted, acquitted, or if charges against them were dropped. Because many people who are arrested are never charged or convicted, a high percentage of the FBI’s records incorrectly indicate a subject’s involvement with a crime.

    “Often this is because states fail to update their own records, and the FBI does not proactively verify the accuracy of information coming from the states,” Lynch explained.

    THE FBI IS BUILDING A NATIONAL WATCHLIST THAT GIVES COMPANIES REAL-TIME UPDATES ON EMPLOYEES

  11. DdC says:

    Sessions Wants to Know the Science on Marijuana
    http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread29051.shtml

    • Will says:

      Sessions neglected to reveal that the science receptors in his brain shriveled and died the day he became a politician (in Alabama these receptors are removed if they don’t die first — it’s the law).

  12. strayan says:

    At least one academic thinks smokeless cannabis is “extremely problematic”. I read the whole article and still can’t figure out why: https://theconversation.com/edible-marijuana-what-we-need-to-know-70898

  13. Servetus says:

    Duterte says he is starting up his drug war again. With this announcement, the drug war bites the hand that fed it for the last 1600+ years, beginning with the raid on the Temple of Eleusis in 395 CE. In this case, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the Catholic Church was “full of shit” about drug war criticism in a speech last week.

    Rodrigo Duterte’s comment was in response to the condemnation of his drug war by Father Amando Picardal, who said there is a “‘blood lust’ in the country, encouraged by propaganda, deceit and a President with ‘a messiah complex.’ At the Baclaran Church in the capital, he preaches against the killings” :

    According to CNN affiliate, CNN Philippines, [Duterte responded by saying] priests should help him by speaking out about addiction instead of attacking him on the issue of extrajudicial killings.

    He brought up the child abuse scandals that have plagued the church, asking “What will you do about homosexuality in the seminary? What have you done to minors there?”

    http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/31/asia/philippines-priest-duterte/index.html

    Fr. Picardal concedes that 84% of Filipinos, who are 80% Catholic, support Duterte’s drug war:

    “Our churches can be full, but the moral sense of right and wrong, it doesn’t seep deeply into the hearts and minds of people,” he says.—ibid

    Picardal could be describing anyone who supports drug wars, including the Holy See, infamous for condemning recreational drug consumers–a clergy who once called on a UN meeting at the Hague to define all drug smugglers as terrorists under international law. Despots and demagogues such as Duterte, Trump, and Att. Gen. Sessions will continue to use drug enforcement to achieve greater power through the repression and murder of drug scapegoats, as well as the innocent.

  14. DdC says:

    ☛ Jeff Sessions Marijuana Math: 2+2= Potato
    http://marijuanastocks.com/jeff-sessions-marijuana-math-22-potato/
    From Conway to Sessions, it is very tough to believe what you hear from the White House anymore. The number of alternative facts being reported from the White House is disheartening and yesterday’s comments by Sessions is a perfect example of it.

    ☛ Nevada Keeps Date Set For Cannabis Sales In Spite Of Crackdown Warning

    ☛ Julianna Carella: Brightening Lives with CBD-Infused Pet Treats

    ☛ Santa Cruz sheriff’s deputies stormed a Monterey County pot grow. Why?
    In the end, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney declined to prosecute; deputies apparently offered the case to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, which had no interest in getting involved.

    ☛ Santa Cruz County cannabis cultivation takes small but important step forward
    Ahead of an environmental impact report regarding commercial cannabis cultivation, Santa Cruz County is looking to receive input on a number of concerns ranging from air and water to neighborhood safety and traffic.

    • jean valjean says:

      Sessions caught lying under oath. Great start for an A.G. If he doesn’t resign over this it means the Trump coup d’etat is complete.

      • DdC says:

        Now Trump sounds like Bill Clinton weaseling on what the word “is” is. Legalsleaze defining “sexual relations” as excluding blow jobs, as abominations. So he didn’t have “sexual relations”, so he didn’t commit perjury by claiming it. Or Rayguns not remembering Iran Contra. That isn’t as hard to buy since he was nodding out a lot of the time. Beauregard is trying to weasel out of his confirmation Denial about no exchanges with Russia, to now he meant no exchanges (communication) during the campaign.

        Then two were disclosed during the campaign. The Ghost of Obama. Already a partisan finger pointing match. This is who will investigate Trumplestiltskin.

        Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III reminds me of Henry Gibson in the Blues Brothers as the Illinois Nazi Party Leader. “An organization of decent law-abiding white folk.”
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTT1qUswYL0

        ☛ Obama Administration Rushed to Preserve
        Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking

        In the Obama administration’s last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about possible contacts between associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump and Russians — across the government.

        American allies, including the British and the Dutch, had provided information.
        meetings in European cities between Russian officials and associates of President-elect Trump.

        The disclosures about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s ties to the Russians. Appeared to contradict testimony Mr. Sessions provided Congress during his confirmation hearing in January when he said he “did not have communications with the Russians.”

        ☛ Democrats Demand Attorney General
        Jeff Sessions Resign Over Russian Meetings

        ☛ Jeff Sessions facing calls to resign as attorney general over conversations with Russian envoy during campaign

      • Will says:

        .
        .
        Sessions was asked by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., how he would respond “if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign.”

        “I’m not aware of any of those activities,” answered Sessions, one of Trump’s earliest and most prominent supporters during the campaign. “I have been called a surrogate a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians, and I’m unable to comment on it.”

        ————————-

        Since Franken asked about communications with Russians “in the course of this campaign” and not about communications “about this campaign” Sessions was given the perfect out — and screwed up royally. All Sessions had to do was mention that as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee he talks to foreign diplomats all the time — including Russian ones — and that any communications in that capacity are a part of his job. He could have added that as a Trump campaign surrogate no communications with Russian diplomats would have ever occurred about the Trump campaign itself. He could have then flashed that creepy Yoda-like smile and moved on to the next question. I mean, he’s a former prosecutor and state AG for crying out loud, he should have known how to handle this question with ease. Even if there were improper campaign discussions, he could have used his Senate Armed Services Committee membership as a shield and a dodge. Now that he’s saying he will recuse himself of any Russian/Trump campaign investigations — “if appropriate” — he’s making himself look even worse. Unbelievable.

  15. CasualtyTV says:

    Brazilian guy blows away most of his braincells but still has impressive ‘endpoint control’.

    https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a38_1488299676#FDJGYbxHQ4uI10X8.99

  16. Tony Aroma says:

    I’d hope (unrealistically) that EVERY Representative from ALL 28 states with legal medical and recreational mj would sign on in support of this bill. If they did, it would easily pass. It seems crazy to me that a majority of states have some form of legalization, but a majority of their federal representatives are still voting against it. Any reps from those states who don’t support this bill are clearly going against the wishes of their constituents, and should be called on it.

    This New Bill Seeks to End the Federal Prohibition of Marijuana

    Per H.R. 1227, the bill would “limit the application of federal laws to the distribution and consumption of marijuana, and for other purposes; to the committee on Energy and Commerce.” Thereby removing marijuana from the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) and doing away with marijuana’s current scheduling under federal law.

  17. DailyHeil says:

    And it’s the same nausea I had Wednesday night, when the Washington Post let loose its latest scoop, that Sessions had lied multiple times to the United States Senate when during his confirmation hearings he had said he had no contact with Russian government officials.

    The corruption of Alabama politics has broken loose from its handbrake and is now tearing havoc through America’s yard.

    >>

    For such a long time, the corruption of Alabama politics was something we thought we had under control, or at least, contained. Our graft, buffoonery and ineptitude had become a Dixie Ouroboros, too busy eating itself to hurt anyone else. Or so it seemed. But then the slimy serpent of Alabama corruption unclenched its fangs from its own backside and slithered to more hearty climates in the Washington swamp it now calls home.

    http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/03/the_alabamafication_of_america.html

    • Will says:

      .
      .
      “America, you’ve been Alabamafied. That’s our car in your yard.”
      —————————
      ^^^This is why I miss some of the Deep Southerners I went to college with so many years ago. Always coming up with odd, self deprecating word combinations that never failed to make me chuckle a little. The only thing missing is hearing that drawling accent that bordered on being beautifully charming and quite annoying.

      Anyway, Sessions has flubbed BIGLY. But I’m not so sure he’ll go anywhere. You can see the palpable glee on his face at being confirmed as US AG. He looks like he’s forever peeing his pants. And with Republicans controlling any punishment(s) that might be handed down, they’ll likely grimace and let the little imp slide as best they can. I could be wrong, we’ll see.

      Even if Mr. Sessions survives this mess lightly scathed, he is forever compromised as the primary truth teller/gatherer in all the land. When he said that experts told him that there is more violence surrounding legal marijuana than most people realized, everyone knew it was a lie. But now it’s a lie coming from a congressional hearings perjurer, which amps up and gold plates every other lie he tells in the future. The poor, pee stained bastard.

      • jean valjean says:

        Will, are you from Austin? I want to tell you that you’re the kind of Texan I like…. if Sessions isn’t totally fucked by this revelation we’re all in big trouble because it means that the fascists have won…. just look at the Mussolini chin-jutting going on in Trump’s speech.
        Had a conversation with a student from Pennsylvania the other day about the Alabamafication of Appalachian PA…. Pittsburg in the west, Philly in the east and Alabama in the middle… now the whole damn country is being Alabamafied and reduced to the role of extras in Deliverance…squeal piggy, squeel.
        Oh, and Heil… are you who I think you are? And how the hell did you get a swastika avatar? Any one for rat pie? Not much rat in it…

        • Will says:

          .
          .
          jean, I’m not from Austin originally but I do live in what is described as the “greater Austin area” (though not downtown). I’ve lived in other parts of Texas as well but I’ve never fully assimilated and wouldn’t describe myself as a “naturalized Texan”.

          Back to Sessions, his credibility has taken a huge hit. It looks like he has recused himself from any Russia/Trump investigations. But I noticed many Republicans were reluctant to call for his recusal themselves. And Paul Ryan (“I locked my balls in a safety deposit box when Trump got elected”) even suggested he would defer to Sessions about whether he should recuse himself. Such a even handed ethical guy, that Ryan.

          He will be dogged the entire time he is AG and he brought it on himself. I saw a headline — but haven’t read the article — where Sean Spicer declared that Sessions was “100% straight on Russian communications” (JESUS Spicer, we know you’re full of shit, we don’t need you reminding us every five minutes). We all know politicians and their minions love to contort, spin and obfuscate the truthiness of things. But so far the Trump administration has taken to outright lying as their primary mode of communication like no other administration I’ve witnessed. And I remember the Nixon years (note to Bill Clinton: Stop smiling dirtbag, you were also one of the worst).

  18. Servetus says:

    Trump’s election has inspired fascists in Eastern Europe to crack down on non-government organizations (N.G.O.s) funded by George Soros, an American financial backer of medical marijuana and drug law reform through his Open Society Foundation and the Drug Policy Alliance formerly directed by Ethan Nadelmann.

    Countries in dire need of more freedom, such as Macedonia, Hungary, China, Russia, Poland, Slovakia, and Bulgaria are hopping on Trump’s fascist bandwagon by targeting foreign N.G.O.s that advocate for human rights and democratic values. Soros’ Open Society Foundations operate:

    … as an umbrella group for his philanthropy and has given more than $12 billion to date. His philanthropic work promotes democracy, government accountability and freedom of expression — and, he has said, is driven by his memories of life under the Nazis.

    New York Times: After Trump Win, Anti-Soros Forces Are Emboldened in Eastern Europe

    Anti-Semitism is one motivator in the crackdown, as Soros’ family were Hungarian Jews who adopted a Greek surname to escape the Holocaust:

    March 1, 2017 — “You couldn’t come up with a better enemy figure today,” said Jan Orlovsky, director of the Slovak branch of the Open Society Foundations. “George Soros brings up all of the stereotypes we have lived with all our lives — about Jews, bankers and, in Slovakia, also about Hungarians.”[…]

    “Demonic forces of evil, represented by Soros, the Clintons, the Bush family and others, have not come to terms with losing the election, so they keep attacking Trump and want to get rid of him,” said a recent article in Hlavne Spravy, a right-wing Slovak daily.[…]

    In Bulgaria, both Mr. Soros and organizations that defend human rights have come under attack. A local newspaper, shortly after Mr. Trump’s victory, described Mr. Soros as a “liberal terrorist.” In Serbia, local right-wing and pro-Russian publications have linked Mr. Soros to the Rothschilds, highlighted his Jewishness and described his efforts as an “anti-Trump radical movement.”[…] – Ibid, NY Times.

    Lines are forming. The attacks on George Soros and his foundation will backfire. Criticizing Soros and his work to bring about drug law reform, democratization, and the freedom to be open-minded, can be viewed as the equivalent of tattooing one’s forehead with a swastika. The drug law reform movement itself can now be considered decidedly anti-fascist. Kudos go to the European fascists for making it happen.

  19. DC Reade says:

    As an attempt to obtain some context about Rodrigo Duterte’s death-squad Drug War in the Philippines, I’ve just done some reading on the Philippine drug (mostly meth) problem. Duterte’s killing regime is frequently defended as a response to an out-of-control street drug scene that’s brought the society to the edge of chaos. But I haven’t yet turned up any information that calls for for all the high drama of declaring a “crisis” and slaughtering people in the streets. It looks more like an exercise in burning witches to me. The biggest societal problem appears to be connected with corruption of law enforcement and politicians by the criminal cartels, which is predictable. But that isn’t anything the drugs did!
    2% of Filipinos between the ages of 16 and 64 are said to be using methamphetamine. That’s a lower percentage of the population than adult users of legally prescribed amphetamines in the USA. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/168143/un-drug-report-philippines-has-highest-rate-of-shabu-use-in-east-asia

    A comparison of the crime rate of the Philippines and the USA shows that the US rate is 23% higher!
    http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Philippines/United-States/Crime

    As for annual deaths per capita due to illegal drugs, the Philippines has one of the lowest rates of drugs-related death in the world- .41 deaths per 100,000. 130th place, out of 172 countries.
    http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/drug-use/by-country/
    By contrast, the USA is 3rd in the world- 6.96 deaths per 100,000.
    (South Africa is 2nd place, with 8.36 deaths per 100,000. Estonia is in 1st place- 10.10 deaths per 100,000.)

    It’s possible that the Philippines is doing a poor and incomplete job of tabulating the statistics. But even if the officially provided stats underestimate Filipino drug deaths by a factor of 4, the added deaths would only bring their drug-related death rate up to rough parity with Ireland (1.61 deaths per 100,000.)Those are indications of a witchhunt, to me. Street drug dealers and users as scapegoats for corruption. Corruption engendered by drugs prohibition.

    It’s worth noting that historically speaking, intense campaigns supposedly directed at illegal drugs and drugs-related corruption have often as not been carried out by leaders who are themselves corrupted. They’ve worked more like cutthroat business competition than as an effective reset to government honesty and integrity. I can’t say if that’s true for the Philippines. But to judge from the statistics I’ve found, this is definitely more like a hot-button issue exploited for political gain than a crackdown motivated by an authentic crisis.

    • DdC says:

      US Government: “
      Duterte is clearly behind the Davao Death Squad”
      http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/sreply/1158

      The Mayor of Davao City has done nothing to prevent these killings, and his public comments suggest that he is, in fact, supportive.
      — April 2009 UN General Assembly of the Human Rights Council, the UN report (Eleventh Session Agenda item 3, par 21),

      KILLERS ON THE LOOSE
      Source: Mindanao Times (Philippines) 27 Aug 2004
      http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04.n1229.a03.html
      We should listen closely to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte when he said there are groups who are using the same modus operandi as the media-tagged Davao Death Squad – motorcycle, 45 cal. pistol – in shooting suspected illegal drugs users and traders, petty criminals and recently, a human rights worker. [snip]

      The pronouncement of government officials that killings do not detract from the image of the city and has in fact propped it up, sends a message to the killers that what they are doing – getting rid of the so-called dregs of society – is good. Such callous and insensitive remarks are secretly shared by a lot of people.

      This kind of justice harks back to primeval times, the law of the jungle, yet most people do not seem to care if the pavement is awash in blood. Most have become too indifferent

      Davao Death Squad
      http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Davao

      The Davao Death Squad (DDS)
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davao_Death_Squad
      The group is allegedly responsible for summary executions of individuals suspected of petty crimes[citation needed] and dealing in drugs in Davao. It has been estimated that the group is responsible for the killing or disappearance of between 1,020 and 1,040 people between 1998 and 2008

      In 2004 then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had announced Rodrigo Duterte as her special adviser on crime, an appointment which was viewed as signifying her approval of extrajudicial killings.

  20. Whew. Its hot in that kitchen.

    “Sessions reassures senators: No pot crackdown imminent”
    https://tinyurl.com/jby4yjx

    • DC Reade says:

      I’m not all that happy with the word “iminent.” I should have a word with my elected representatives about that.

      Still, no way is that bad news.

  21. DailyHeil says:

    Are we really hurtling through the vacuum of space? Are there Russians for a reason? Is everything chaos? Why do we vape? What is it about those 72 virgins? If you’re in a vehicle going the speed of light, what happens if you try to wind down the window? How the hell did I get a swastika avatar?

    Are these even the right questions?

    Records show attorney general used campaign account for travel expenses to Cleveland, where he met Russian envoy

    http://tinyurl.com/HempNooseTightens

    • Will says:

      .
      .
      After watching an interview with Sen. Al Franken, it looks like Sessions is caught in a lie he didn’t even have to tell. The key exchange between Franken and Sessions;

      Franken: “CNN just published a story alleging that the intelligence community provided documents to the president-elect last week that included information that quote, ‘Russian operatives claimed to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump.’ These documents also allegedly say quote, ‘There was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump’s surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.’

      “Now, again, I’m telling you this as it’s coming out, so you know. But if it’s true, it’s obviously extremely serious and if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do?”

      Sessions: “Senator Franken, I’m not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I didn’t have — did not have communications with the Russians, and I’m unable to comment on it.”

      ————————

      See Sessions mistake? Notice that Franken’s question is not about whether Sessions himself had met with Russians, but rather as AG what would he do if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign. Sessions answered the question as if Franken was asking about him specifically. He wasn’t. Sessions offered up information about himself that was not relevant to the question. Again, this guy is a former prosecutor and former state AG. It’s as if someone said, “Jefferson, you have to traverse this football field without stepping in the one pile of dog shit on it. You have the rest of the entire field to avoid it”. And then Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III proceeded to step right in it…

  22. Will says:

    .
    .
    You would think that in a state as conservative as Texas the one group the governor would meet with would be one composed of veterans. Or perhaps the family of an ill 11 year old girl? Uh, no;

    Abbott ducks medical marijuana talk with Texas veterans

    http://tinyurl.com/CowardAbbott

  23. What Trump didn’t want you to see him signing
    https://tinyurl.com/h9g8jrn

    … “While the press corps was distracted and the cable channels aired footage of Trump surrounded by a bipartisan group of smiling women, behind closed doors and with no fanfare the president quietly signed a measure that killed a regulation enacted by the Obama administration to tighten gun background checks.” …

    … “The rule required the Social Security Administration to send over the names of people who receive government checks for being mentally disabled and others who have been deemed unable to handle their own financial affairs to the FBI office that runs the national background check database. This is a universe of about 75,000 people.” …

    … “The National Rifle Association says the rule curtails the Second Amendment rights of these people and persuaded GOP leadership to use the Congressional Review Act to undo it. Under the Constitution, Trump had 10 days to sign off. By waiting until the day before the deadline to do so, when there were so many big stories in the mix, he ensured it got minimal coverage.” …

    You can be crazy or dead drunk in America and still own a gun. -But not if your doctor suggests that you use marijunana and you use it legally in your state. Use pot = no gun. This is bullshit.

    Read the whole article and be enlightened.

  24. Servetus says:

    Trump is considering Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu to head the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. However, Sheriff Babeu…

    … is being investigated by federal authorities over his former agency’s use of RICO funds, or money and assets seized during criminal investigations. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scandal-plagued former Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu.[…]

    Babeu … frequently appears on cable news channels as a hawkish expert on border enforcement — despite the fact that the county he oversaw for eight years covers precisely none of the U.S. border with Mexico (it does include a preferred corridor for drug and human smugglers, including the Vekol Valley, a prime avenue for criminal activity that originates below the border.) For years he was a conservative darling and a rising star in Republican politics who talked tough about immigration and even appeared in a 2010 campaign ad for Senator John McCain advocating for a border fence.[…]

    From 1999 to 2001, Babeu was the headmaster and executive director at the DeSisto School in Massachusetts, where allegations of physical and sexual abuse were rampant. ABC 15, in Phoenix, Arizona, investigated the allegations and unearthed [a] video of Babeu bragging about abusing students, some of whom had psychological disorders. A state investigation of the school found that in addition to physical abuse, students “strip searched” each other and “routinely took group showers”…“leading to sexual abuse.” In an even more shocking allegation, made by Babeu’s own sister, she claimed the former sheriff had a sexual relationship with one of the students from the school. Lucy Babeu told ABC 15 that she found her brother living with the young man.[…]

    As for his latest brush with scandal, local media outlets in Arizona reported on Monday that FBI agents seized a number of items from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office that were related to Babeu’s time as sheriff. According to Pinalcentral.com, the items include a number of hard drives and cell phones that belonged to members of Babeu’s administration. It’s unclear what federal authorities are investigating, but the publication points out that it “comes months after an organization with ties to PCSO was subpoenaed by the FBI.”

    http://www.vocativ.com/407046/border-patrol-fbi-paul-babeu/

    Like most sadomoralists and henchmen, Sheriff Paul Babeu, reigns supreme among the ranks of prohibitionists and wall builders. His lack of prosecution for human rights abuses mirrors that of Mel and Betty Sembler. That anyone would ever consider such a man to fill the role of chief of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a clear indication of the rot at the center Donald Trump’s neo-fascist agenda.

  25. Goblet says:

    Haven’t seen this here yet:
    Sessions was a shill for big Tobacco

    http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/jeff-sessions-anti-weed-crusader-was-a-shill-for-big-1792831457

  26. Stephen Colbert on Jeff Sessions: ‘You’ve already f–ed yourself’:

    https://tinyurl.com/zmkbkp3
    https://youtu.be/7TdUqdh9D-M

  27. נִקּוּדTV says:

    Shaddai will carry you to many worlds.

    Sir Patrick Stewart reveals why he uses medical marijuana

    http://tinyurl.com/PicardoBongo

  28. Deep Dish says:

    Since 4/20 is coming up, I just want to say you can now order a marijuana leaf pizza.

    This 3D Printer Will Literally Print Out A Pizza For You In Any Shape

    http://www.foodbeast.com/news/3d-printed-pizza/

  29. Servetus says:

    Conus regius, a lethal sea snail that produces a pain-killing chemical, an analog of which is called KCP-400, could possibly replace Big Pharma’s opioid industry with a non-addictive systemic pain treatment. It’s the subject of a feature article at Salon.com. Shawn Iadonato, CEO of Seattle biotech company Kineta, explains:

    Mar 4, 2017 — It’s really interesting because animal venoms in general are very complex. They have a lot of different components — protein components and chemical components — and a lot of these things are neurologically reactive. So a lot of the things you hear about, like serotonin and related molecules, you find those things in venoms. You find a lot of neurotransmitter-like molecules in venoms. It’s really people like Professor Olivera who have worked so hard over many decades to take these very complex mixtures and isolate all of the different components and study them and really look at what they do.

    It’s a good thing Conus regius kills people instead of getting them high. Otherwise all chemicals in the venom would then be off limits to US researchers.

  30. נִקּוּדTV says:

    The government of Israel approved on Sunday (just now) a proposal to decriminalize marijuana possession for first-time offenders. People caught with illegal cannabis will incur fines, rather than face jail time, after the proposal is implemented. Users may face jail time only after their fourth offense.

    The proposal has many powerful supporters including Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. When the decriminalization was first proposed, Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg, said, “Israel is advancing toward a new era, and it seems that legalization of marijuana is just a matter of time.”

    The governmental committee will prepare its recommendations on how best to implement the decriminalization within the next two months.

    http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Israel-approves-proposal-to-decriminalize-marijuana-483262

  31. NeddyNunchuck says:

    If you find things lurking in your mattress, raise them as your own.

    Because, the killings caused by the drug trade is not the only damage done. The illegality of the trade and the sheer volume of drug dollars has corrupted governments from Argentina to Mexico.

    So, rather than blaming Colombia’s coca farmers, I suggest the US government admits their utterly retarded War on Drugs was lost ages ago. Instead, for the sake of us all in this hemisphere, DC should start looking for an alternative that actually works in reducing drug abuse and crime.

    http://colombiareports.com/blaming-colombia-americas-excessive-drug-habit/

  32. Servetus says:

    The mystery of possible financial connections between Smart Against Marijuana (SAM) and the drug treatment industry is revealed by David Armstrong via Tom Angell. Payments are being collected by Patrick Kennedy, who along with Newt Gingrich is working as a lobbyist to get insurance to cover the treatments:

    March 3, 2017 — A company that sells a new opioid-addiction medication is a secret funder of an advocacy group fronted by Newt Gingrich and Patrick Kennedy that is pushing for more government funding and insurance coverage of such treatments…. Trump confidant [Gingrich], and Kennedy, a former congressman and son of former US Senator Edward Kennedy, are paid advisors to Advocates for Opioid Recovery.[…]

    [The secret funder is] Braeburn Pharmaceuticals Inc. The private company, based in Princeton, N.J., won approval last year to market an implant that continuously dispenses the opioid addiction medicine buprenorphine.[…]

    Kennedy declined to be interviewed this week….

    https://www.statnews.com/2017/03/03/kennedy-gingrich-group-funder/

  33. skootercat says:

    I’m working with a patient’s group in NC to pass medical marijuana. A bill has been introduced recently (NC HB185) and disseminating it has us crazy. It uses “sovereign immunity” and what amounts to the state going into the medical marijuana FEE business with no liability. Has anyone seen the same language?

    GW Pharmaceuticals has moved to the Research Triangle Park. Philip Morris (Rock the Vapor) invests $20M in an Israeli cannabis research company for inhaler research. http://www.reuters.com/article/pmi-israel-idUSL8N153292 Rock the Vapor bought Freedom Smokeless, a vaporizer and cartridge manufacturer. An unknown entity coerced the entire NC General Assembly pass a HEMP bill in two (2) days in bi partisan agreement last year. The general assembly reduced corporate income tax to 3%, yet the FEES (our proposed bill is FEES, not TAXES) being passed to the cannabis MEDICAL consumer (sick people) for access total of over 45%.

    There are 22 patents for consumable hemp as a tobacco replacement.

    Information gleaned from HB 185 Strategy Group of the North Carolina Cannabis Patients Network.

  34. WalStMonky says:

    .
    .

    All of this chatter about the Federal AGs perjured testimony at his confirmation hearings has me waxing nostalgic about a song my sainted mother used to sing to me at bed time and has caused me to identify him as an arch villain. Of course that gets him a special, unique identifier. My mom would sing:

    Ring around the mulberry bush
    Da Monky chased The Weasel
    The Weasel thought it was all in fun
    Pop goes The Weasel!

    The Miami Vice episode which guest starred Frank Zappa as a high level vendor in the “weasel dust” industry also helped. But here, take a look at this video of the AG explaining how much he wants Bill Clinton to prove that he didn’t commit perjury when the POTUS testified before Congress subsequent to Fellatiogate:
    Six times [expletive deleted] talked about perjury, access and recusal — when it involved the Clintons
    Now who in their right mind can’t see the family resemblance?

    Holy Saltines Batman, it’s The Weasel!

    Yes Robin and he’s up to his old tricks…again. Using “the children” as political pawns and regurgitating bald faced lies, half truths and hysterical rhetoric all over the citizenry. To the Batmobile and hurry, we must save Gotham City!

    PS Evidently Bill didn’t convince him because The Weasel voted to convict Mr. Clinton and cashier him from beingthe POTUS

  35. DdC says:

    “The National Academy of Science’s conclusions that marijuana possesses established therapeutic utility for certain patients and that it possesses an acceptable safety profile when compared to those of other medications or recreational intoxicants are not surprising. This evidence has been available for some time, yet for decades marijuana policy in this country has largely been driven by rhetoric and emotion, not science and evidence.
    NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano

    NORML Responds To National Academy of Sciences’ Marijuana Report
    The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a comprehensive report today acknowledging that “conclusive or substantial evidence” exists for cannabis’ efficacy in patients suffering from chronic pain, and sharply criticized longstanding federal regulatory barriers to marijuana research – in particular “the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance” under federal law.

    National Academy of Sciences
    Contact: Phone (202) 334-2352
    Email: HMD-NASEM@nas.edu

    3 Big Risks for Marijuana Stocks in 2017

    From the Motley Foolish…
    1. Too much competition
    2. Federal crackdown

    3. Erosion in public support

    A recent study released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine casts significant doubt on many of the supposed benefits of marijuana use. This study, for example, found limited evidence that marijuana is effective for increasing appetite and decreasing weight loss associated with HIV/AIDS, for treating Tourette syndrome, for easing anxiety, and for treating post-traumatic stress disorder.

    Even worse, the study found substantial evidence of a statistical link between smoking marijuana and serious respiratory symptoms. Compelling evidence was also found for a link between marijuana use and increased risk of motor vehicle crashes. Perhaps most troubling, the study reported substantial evidence linking marijuana use to the development of schizophrenia and other psychoses.

    The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research Released: January 12, 2017

    “Professionals” are more of a problem, than solution
    http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/sreply/481
    Riding their Laural’s of Ignorance by Censorship and blind Obedience.

  36. Servetus says:

    British research reveals cannabidiol’s role in altering and suppressing “fear-and-drug related stimuli”, as well as memory of anxiety leading to PTSD, or PTSD related addictions. Shortened abstract:

    May 7, 2017 –…Studies show that cannabidiol, the main non-psychotomimetic phytocannabinoid found in Cannabis sativa, reduces anxiety via serotonin1A and (indirect) cannabinoid receptor activation in paradigms assessing innate responses to threat. Accumulating evidence from animal studies investigating the effects of cannabidiol on fear memory processing also indicates that it reduces learned fear in paradigms that are translationally relevant to phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. Cannabidiol does so by reducing fear expression acutely, and by disrupting fear memory reconsolidation and enhancing fear extinction, both of which can result in the lasting reduction of learned fear. Recent studies have also begun to determine the effects of cannabidiol on drug memory expression using paradigms with translational relevance to addiction. Emerging evidence suggests that cannabidiol reduces the expression of drug memories acutely and by disrupting their reconsolidation….

    Cannabidiol regulation of emotion and emotional memory processing: relevance for treating anxiety-related and substance abuse disorders, Authors Jonathan L. C. Lee, Leandro J. Bertoglio, Francisco S. Guimarães, Carl W. Stevenson; British Journal of Pharmacology, doi: 10.1111/bcp.13724.

  37. DdC says:

    In fact, less than 10 percent of marijuana users ever exhibit symptoms of dependence (as defined by the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-IV criteria.)

    Motley Foolish fear mongering again…

    ☛ The Marijuana Industry Has Some Brand-New Opposition
    Higher THC content means a greater likelihood of dependency and overdose, It’s worth pointing out that researchers at AAP aren’t completely opposed to the idea of cannabis being used for medical purposes. Some studies have suggested that cannabis and/or cannabinoids can be helpful in reducing seizures.

    ☛ Making a Killing – The Untold Story of Psychotropic Drugging

    ☛ Why the Media’s Fearmongering on Marijuana Effects on the Brain Is Faulty

    ☛ Your Government Is Lying To You (Again) About Marijuana

    • NorCalNative says:

      The terms “dependence” and “abuse” have been replaced by “substance use disorder” in the new DSM-V.

      I was in the middle of a nice beer buzz last night while transcribing an article on this from O’Shaugnessy’s archives to place in the comment section, and I freaking deleted the damn thing by mistake after a half-hours worth of typing.

      Fred Gardner lists the new 9 cannabis-related criteria and has a rebuttal for each criterion. No link, but you can find it easily by typing DSM-V into O’Shaughnessy’s online search engine.

      The beer was to celebrate finally getting my new 9 x 9 grow tent in place for setting up cultivation.

      I’ve found the propaganda coming from the Motley Fool quite interesting. Based on the fake-news quality I suspect it’s a really great time to purchase GW stocks.

      • DdC says:

        Hey NCN

        O’Shaughnessy came out with his book around 1850 and these numbnuts are still looking for medicinal value?

        I’m hesitant to buy penny stocks for Hemp or Medicinal.
        GW is fickled, up 5 Wed and down 5 Thur and today its 124.
        9 Thur 125.44 -4.15 (3.20%)
        8 Wed 130.07 +2.67 (2.10%)

        I don’t know if Motley had anything to do with fear mongering the price. I heard someone bought a million shares the other day. I don’t know if that has an effect. If they drop to 120 I’m selling and buying these.

        Today MTN – Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE) is
        189.47 +9.14 (5.07%)

        Yesterday this was 180.44 -1.36 (0.75%)

    • DC Reade says:

      The document you linked to- “Making A Killing” -is in demise, 404.

      I know there are other articles in your entry, but that’s one that I wanted to check out.

      Something I stumbled on while doing a search on related topics: https://mikemcclaughry.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/volume-9_update-peer-interviews-pharmacology.pdf

      which includes a memoir by a long-time researcher into mood-altering and mind-altering chemicals in the mid-to-late 20th century, who worked for a time at Lexington and did a lot of collaboration with Dr. Harold Isbell of MK-ULTRA fame. No reference to psychedelics experiments, but many evaluations and observations on a wide range of other pharmaceuticals. Some of which I find valid, and some not.

      In my reading, one thing that comes through in the psychologist’s comments is his scary level of detachment, and adherence to a mechanistic paradigm. Most of his observations center on a given pharmaceutical substance, not the human beings being treated. They’re viewed more like vectors for gauging product efficacy than people. As a result, the psychologist also comes off that way.

      also, a couple of book recommendations, which you may already have read: Anatomy of an Epidemic, by Robert Whitaker http://robertwhitaker.org/robertwhitaker.org/Anatomy%20of%20an%20Epidemic.html

      Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal, by Tom Shroder https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=Gq4TAwAAQBAJ&source=productsearch&utm_source=HA_Desktop_US&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=PLA&pcampaignid=MKTAD0930BO1&gclid=CKjYu9PUzNICFdOqNwod3oECVQ&gclsrc=ds

Comments are closed.