Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Coming: Official Hunter S. Thompson Cannabis!

Hunter S. Thompson—an outsized character with an intellect to match—was a man with a keen appreciation for the finer things.
Though he is most famous today for Gonzo journalism—the hellbent brand of first-person, possibly drug-induced writing immortalized in Fear and Loathing and Las Vegas—and for having an insatiable appetite for most of the intoxicants known in the western world, Thompson was a very serious journalist. He is responsible for introducing the straight world to the Hell’s Angels (and to Tom Wolfe), wrote one of the definitive dispatches on the Haight-Ashbury’s Summer of Love, and possessed a prescient political acumen that rings true today.
He also had one of the finest marijuana supplies then in existence. Thompson’s head stash was so fine that he was happy to inform NORML founder Keith Stroup that Stroup’s supply was trash by comparison. “He always told me my marijuana was dirt-weed, something no reputable stoner would ever be caught smoking,” Stroup once wrote.
That must have been some epic shit. What, exactly, did HST have his hands on? The world will soon know—and will get to smoke it.
Following Thompson’s death by self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2005, his widow, Anita Thompson, held on to his weed supply. She apparently kept it in such good condition that she knows its genetic composition, and she’s partnered with cannabis producers who say that clones of the good doctor’s head stash will soon be available in Colorado dispensaries.
“I have found a legal method to extract the DNA from Hunter’s personal marijuana and hashish that I saved for 12-15 years,” she wrote in a recent Facebook post. “I am in the process of making the strains available to those who would like to enjoy the authentic Gonzo strains in legal states.”
Proceeds from the sales will go to help create a writers’ retreat and “private museum” on the grounds of “Owl Farm,” the modest home in Woody Creek, Colorado where Thompson lived and worked for almost 40 years.
Despite intense and probably everlasting interest in Hunter Thompson’s life and work—and his notorious lifestyle—Anita Thompson had until now resisted pasting her late husband’s name and likeness on whatever consumer products came along.
She has spent the last decade making sure his legacy is mostly about the work, and also negotiated a deal to take over direct ownership of Owl Farm earlier this year.
With the real-estate situation settled and scholarships now secure for journalism students at the University of Kentucky in his home state, and for military veterans at Columbia University, where Thompson briefly studied on the GI Bill in the 1950s, a turn to commercialism can begin.
Gonzo-branded cannabis will be the first such offering under the official HST label, an enterprise Anita Thompson is undertaking on her own terms after having rejected similar offers out of hand.
“Since it became legal I get approached probably once a month by cannabis growers, dispensaries,” she told the Aspen Times. “I’ve had probably 10 meetings in the last three years and I always ended up saying ‘No’ because it’s the same story every time: somebody wants to slap Hunter’s name on their strain.”
There’s no word on exactly what the strains are—hybrid? Indica? Sativa? Landrace?—or when they’ll be made available. Suffice to say interest will be intense—and aficionados of fine cannabis as well as appreciators of HST’s life and legacy can rest assured that proceeds from sales will go towards Anita’s efforts to preserve Owl Farm.
Mahalo.
Here’s the good doctor talking about one of his favorite subjects:

 



from http://ift.tt/2gHO86d
by Chris Roberts at High Times

STRAIN OF THE DAY 12/01/2016: CASEY JONES (HYBRID)

CANNABIS STRAIN OF THE DAY 12/01/2016: CASEY JONES (HYBRID)

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by Potbox, Inc.

Willie Nelson Smokes Out Loretta Lynn—at 84 Years Old

Being a country music legend comes with its occupational hazards. For example, if you’re Loretta Lynn—the Queen of Country, a star for five decades—you know Willie Nelson. And when you know Willie, you may find yourself invited onto his tour bus.
And… well, you can guess where this is going.
Lynn, who turned 84 years old this year, is still going strong. She’s still going out on tour, and earlier this year, she released an album featuring a track she cut with Willie, who she calls “one of the greatest people in the whole world.”
She is also suffering from a touch of glaucoma, one of the afflictions for which marijuana provides a measure of relief. So Willie does what we expect he’d do to anyone, least of which a treasured long-time friend: He offers her a hit, the very first toke of THC in the coal-miner’s daughter’s long and storied life.
It did not go well.
“I got glaucoma and they gave me one of these cigarettes,” Lynn told PEOPLE magazine. “I took one smoke off of it and it hit me right here in the chest. I like to have died!”
“Glaucoma is just going to have to take over.”
We’re sorry to hear that, but we suspect poor Loretta is not the first person to find herself overpowered by Willie’s daily tonic.
The pair are still friends, and she doesn’t seem to think any less of him for his prodigious cannabis habit, but hopefully he’ll start keeping some lower-octane stuff on hand the next time he’s introducing someone to cannabis. Or offer them a vaporizer.


from http://ift.tt/2gHBrrZ
by Chris Roberts at High Times

Cops: Weed in the Mail on the Rise

Picture this: You’re at home, trimming the Christmas tree, when you go to collect the mail. You find a package on your porch (one that the local Amazon-package-thieving crew missed that day). It doesn’t have your name on it, but it has your address.
Huh. Odd.
So you do what anyone would do—you open it. Maybe someone is sending you a Christmas gift, even if that someone isn’t quite sure what your name is.
And when you do, you find… four pounds of marijuana, shipped straight to you from sunny California!
So now what? Do you hold onto your newly received manna from heaven? If you’re one North Carolina woman, no way: You call the cops. And the local TV station.
According to WFMY, this was the predicament a “Mrs. Watson” in Greensboro, North Carolina found herself in. Watson was at home, waiting for her husband to come home from work, when she noticed an unexpected package on her porch.
It didn’t have her name, but it had her address—and it also had four pounds of vacuum-sealed weed inside, with a North Carolina street value estimated at between $2,000 and $6,000, the news station reported.
“I just could not believe that someone would send that amount of drugs to my house,” she told the television station. “I’m very frightened. I still am, a little.”
Watson called police, who arrived and seized the mysterious wayward contraband. They’re conducting an investigation, but say that they are certain the weed came from California, something deduced after inspecting the return address. (For her sake and her husband’s, we hope this wasn’t his.)
According to police in North Carolina, “unwanted weed in the mail” is now a regular thing—and for it, we have California to blame.
Ever since California voters passed Prop. 64 and legalized marijuana on Nov. 8, “police in Greensboro say there’s been an influx of marijuana deliveries here by mail,” according to the TV station.
That sounds like an interesting three weeks, but this may not be true—that weed may have been there all along, as a recent U.S. Postal Service audit found. 
So much marijuana is shipped via the mails that USPS inspectors intercepted 34,000 pounds of the stuff in 2015, with an unknown amount of it is diverted by postal workers.
Regardless. Watson is now telling her story to the media, with the intention of using it as a cautionary tale.
“I think it is something that people should be aware of especially during the holidays because I wasn’t expecting a gift and that should’ve kind of triggered something,” she said.
Shipping cannabis across state lines via the mails is, it should go without saying, a crime, and not something we recommend. But if you must ship it, get the address right—and make sure that anyone on the receiving end is inclined to not call police.


from http://ift.tt/2fMRksL
by Chris Roberts at High Times

Could Virtual Reality Help Fight Cannabis Use Disorder?

Cannabis isn’t the most addictive substance on earth—some argue whether it’s technically addictive at all—but it’s nevertheless true that people sometimes have difficulty reducing or stopping their consumption. Some studies suggest that a small portion of people are prone to what researchers call “cannabis use disorder,” which can interfere with daily life. Now, psychologists seeking to treat the disorder are exploring a new weapon in the fight: virtual reality.

A team led by Melissa Norberg, a psychology professor at Sydney’s Macquarie University, this month published a systematic review of cannabis cue-reactivity studies in the journal Addiction. Cues are the objects or actions that can trigger strong cravings in dependent drug users. Cue-reactivity is the combination of our responses to cues, related attentional biases, and craving.

“Our systematic review showed that individuals who regularly smoke cannabis pay a lot of attention to cues associated with use,” Norberg said. And virtual reality could be an important tool in helping reduce the impact of those triggers. “There may be potential for the use of VR for people who want to stop using cannabis.”

Replicating cues in virtual reality environments could be used in so-called non-use training. The idea is that subjects are shown the cues they associate with cannabis but then aren’t given an opportunity to consume. In theory, the training weakens the learned associations between a trigger and the desire to consume. Virtual reality could allow for realistic exposure to cues in controlled research and clinical environments.

“Therapists are not able to attend parties with their clients,” Norberg pointed out. “Thus, they are unable to directly help someone resist smoking weed at a party, but they could indirectly help someone with VR. Party paradigms can be created, and individuals can practice seeing cues in the VR environment and then not smoke.”

One of the studies that was canvassed but ultimately excluded from Norberg’s review was a 2009 paper from a team of scientists led by Patrick S. Bordnick of the University of Houston. In that study, Bordnick played cannabis consumers five minutes of classical jazz (for reasons not explained in the paper), and then used virtual reality to expose them to cues—such as cannabis accessories or someone rolling a joint—associated with consumption.

The study found that exposure to such cues had a significant effect on self-reported cravings for cannabis compared to subjects shown “neutral” imagery.

Another study, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience in 2014, looked at how virtual reality might be used to meet “the unmet clinical need” of suppressing cravings among people struggling with substance disorders. The study found that across a range of substances, exposure to cues in virtual reality environments was successful in inducing cravings. As technology improves and virtual reality environments become more realistic, subjects will be able to interact with those in more complex and sophisticated ways, potentially opening the door to new treatment options.

In Australia, however, Norberg cautioned that virtual reality “as a standalone” may have some limitations. Among them is the difficulty of incorporating surprise, an important learning tool in exposure therapy. In other words, people expecting to be exposed to cues may not benefit from that exposure in the same way. It’s a phenomenon that hasn’t yet been tested with respect to cannabis, Norberg said, although “we definitely need research in this area to inform how and under what circumstances VR might be helpful to individuals who no longer wish to use cannabis.”

Joe Wilson

The post Could Virtual Reality Help Fight Cannabis Use Disorder? appeared first on Leafly.



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by Joe Wilson at Leafly

The Gonzo’s Ganja: Hunter S. Thompson’s Widow to Clone His Cannabis

There is, perhaps, no one quite as iconic and outrageous as the late Hunter S. Thompson. Known for his gonzo journalism, he boldly reported from the front lines, fearlessly pursuing stories no other journalist cared to touch. He went on the road with the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, and wrote about Las Vegas in a drug-soaked voice unlike any other.

Thompson made no compunctions about his extensive drug use, and substance references are scattered throughout his various writings.

The icon’s footloose and fancy free lifestyle caught up with him in 2005, and rather than waste away in a hospital, he went out in true gonzo fashion. Thompson committed suicide, and in accordance with his wishes, his ashes were fired out of a cannon in a celebratory ceremony.

In a fitting tribute, his widow, Anita Thompson, announced plans to clone the late author’s stash of hashish and cannabis, comprised of six strains he regularly consumed. “I have found a legal method to extract the DNA from Hunter’s personal marijuana and hashish,” she explained in a public post to her Facebook page.

She saved the plant material for 12 to 15 years and will be creating cloned hybridized strains through an extraction process that will be sold under the “Gonzo” brand name in stores across Colorado. Mrs. Thompson plans to use the funds from cannabis sales to transform Thompson’s ranch, Owl Farm, into a private museum and writer’s retreat devoted to his memory.

This is not the first time a Hunter S. Thompson cannabis brand has been considered. In fact, that’s precisely why Anita decided to create the line of strains.

“Since it became legal I get approached probably once a month by cannabis growers, dispensaries,” she told the Aspen Times. “I’ve had probably 10 meetings in the last three years and I always ended up saying ‘No’ because it’s the same story every time: somebody wants to slap Hunter’s name on their strain.”

Hunter S. Thompson was always a man ahead of his time. Long before legalization, he espoused his love of the herb.

“I have always loved marijuana,” he said. “It has been a source of joy and comfort to me for many years. And I still think of it as a basic staple of life, along with beer and ice and grapefruits – and millions of Americans agree with me.”

For millions of Americans who agree, let’s raise a joint in salute to the one and only true Gonzo.

Lisa Rough
Lisa is an associate editor at Leafly, specializing in politics and advocacy.

The post The Gonzo’s Ganja: Hunter S. Thompson’s Widow to Clone His Cannabis appeared first on Leafly.



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by Lisa Rough at Leafly

Five Lessons All Progressives Can Learn from the Pot Movement

Excerpted from: How to Smoke Pot (Properly): A Highbrow Guide to Getting High (Penguin / Random House – 2016)

When I first became involved in cannabis activism twenty years ago, people invariably asked: Why waste your time trying to legalize marijuana? It’s never going to happen. Well, it’s happening now, and the story of how an underfunded, widely-mocked, willfully disregarded movement came out on top should serve to inform and inspire any effort to take on the system and win.

So what lessons can other progressive political movements learn from pot?

 1) First you shift public opinion, then you change the law or reform the system, because without broad based political support it’s impossible to make serious political change. Thirty years ago, marijuana legalization made just as much sense as it does now, but at that time immediate legislative progress was not possible—only public outreach and education.

2) Have patience, faith and perseverance when going up against the government, big business, and entrenched interests. The public responds not just to facts and effective messaging, but to consistency as well, which means it may take a long time of using the same tactics before your message starts to break through.

3) Don’t change your position to reach a consensus; just stay firm and bring the consensus to you through clear, consistent framing of the issue. For example, by focusing on the fact that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol, and therefore should be treated the same, reformers in Colorado taught the public to view cannabis in a new way, and then form their own opinions.

 4) Nurture the grassroots, so they can spread your message. That’s how the marijuana movement has managed to prevail in America without the support of either major political party. Remember, most people will listen to a politician, but they will believe a friend, relative or co-worker, provided that you have a real command of the facts and convey them effectively.

 5) Activism works best when it’s fun; otherwise people burn out, or wander off. So the marijuana movement learned to use every political activity as a chance to socialize, and also to make sure every massive smoke-out has a political element.



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by David Bienenstock at High Times

State of the Leaf: Massachusetts Legalization Likely to Face Delays

U.S. News Updates

District of Columbia

Cannabis legalization advocacy group DCMJ is organizing a series of protests against the Trump administration’s nominee for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama. The protests, dubbed “Smoke Sessions” by the group, began with a meeting with Sessions’s congressional staff in the Russell Senate Office Building. Riffing on Sessions’s famous quote that “Good people don’t smoke marijuana,” volunteers arrived in bright red shirts bearing such phrases as “Great Americans use cannabis” and “Great Americans do not belong in jail for a plant.” Although its ultimate goal is to block Sessions from being confirmed, the group is also seeking clarification on the Trump administration’s stance on federal cannabis policy.

Iowa

Rep. Clel Baudler (R-Greenfield) announced plans to introduce a bill that would allow for the production and distribution of medical cannabis oil. The Legislature passed a law in 2014 that allows Iowans to possess cannabis oil for the treatment of epilepsy, but a separate law makes it illegal to manufacture or distribute cannabis oil. As such, patients have no legal avenues through which they can obtain the oil. The 2014 law will expire in July 2017, and several legislators have proposed solutions. Rep. Peter Cownie (R-West Des Moines) proposed a law for manufacturing and distribution, but it stalled in the Ways and Means Committee. Rep. John Forbes (D-Urbandale) has advocated expanded access, acknowledging that “We’re kind of under the gun right now, and we need to act.”

Maryland

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission announced that it will hire a diversity consultant to consider how to ensure licenses are distributed equitably. After the first round of license approvals, some lawmakers and community leaders spoke out against the chosen applicants, noting that the list did not include minority business owners despite an explicit requirement written into the medical cannabis law itself. The state paused the issuance of licenses after the initial approval of applicants seeking a cultivation or processing license, but the commission has continued reviewing applications and plans to announce the recipients of 102 dispensary licenses by Dec. 9.

Maine

After an extremely close vote in favor of adult-use legalization, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced that a recount will commence on Dec. 5. Opponents challenged the results after it became clear the measure would be decided by a razor-thin margin. The recount, which will take place at the Maine Department of Public Safety, will be open to the public and is expected to take four to six weeks.

Massachusetts

According to Secretary of State William Galvin, the results of Question 4 may not fully certified by Dec. 15, the day that the measure is slated to go into effect. Before a successful ballot measure can become law, it must be certified by the governor’s council, a panel of eight members that meets on Wednesdays. Legalization advocates have been frustrated, citing a lack of cooperation from lawmakers, who have discussed the possibility of delaying implementation of the new law until 2018.

Montana

Montana voted to lift crippling restrictions on medical cannabis dispensaries this month, but advocates are now pushing for the measure to take effect immediately. An apparent drafting error means the law takes effect July 1, 2017. Bozeman attorney James Goetz filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Montana Cannabis Industry Association asking District Judge James Reynolds to allow dispensaries to re-open immediately. Another advocacy group, Montanans Ensuring Access to Natural Medicine, is also updating a lawsuit filed in September to argue that dispensaries should be re-opened immediately.

New Jersey

A group of New Jersey lawmakers, aides, and lobbyists visited Colorado last month to investigate the inner workings of the state’s cannabis industry. The trip included a tour of Medicine Man Technologies, one of the state’s largest cannabis growing and retail operations, as well as meetings with state legislators, tax officials, public health researchers, and entrepreneurs. A Rutgers–Eagleton poll from June  found that 58 percent of New Jersey residents support regulated, adult-use legalization. Gov. Chris Christie, however, remains in the 39 percent opposed, and has repeatedly vowed to block legalization efforts. Christie will be in office only for another 13 months, and although his successor has not been named yet, the current frontrunner, Phil Murphy, has expressed support for legalization, taxation, and an end to prohibition.

Oregon

During the general election, about 30 counties and cities voted to lift a moratorium on cannabis businesses, meaning those jurisdictions must now establish rules and regulations on everything from operating hours to security protocols. In order to cash in on the excise tax revenue, a strong incentive for local governments, the communities that opted in to the state’s cannabis program should have regulations finalized no later than January, when the opt-in measure go into effect.

Washington

A new bill is in the works to revive failed efforts to establish limited delivery service in Washington state, Leafly News reported last week. Although there is demand for Washington delivery services, retailers say they remain concerned about the safety of delivery drivers, who could be carrying large sums of cash and cannabis products. The newly proposed bill would disallow curbside sales and limit the amount of cash and product in the vehicle, but an issue still at stake are geographical limits to the delivery service areas. A previous bill would have offered a limited number of delivery endorsements to retailers in cities with a population of over 650,000 residents. The bill made it out of committee, but no action was taken on it before the voting deadline.

International News Updates

Ireland

A new opinion poll found that 92 percent of Irish respondents are in favor of legalizing cannabis for medical purposes. All surveyed areas were more than 90 percent in favor, with Munster counties expressing the most support, at 94 percent, and women responding more positively, with 93 percent in favor compared to 90 percent of men. The 2016 Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill is on the docket to be debated in the Dáil for the first time since it was submitted last July, and the Joint Committee on Health met earlier this month to discuss cannabis medical reform.

The Netherlands

The majority of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s political party, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), voted to support the regulation of cannabis, and have embraced plans to “redesign the entire domain surrounding soft drugs.” Although Rutte has been vocal about his distaste for cannabis, referring to it “garbage” and “shit,” 81.6 percent of the VVD party voted in support of making legalization an issue in the party platform. Although the move is purely a show of support at the moment, Dutch NGOs have been examining regulatory models from around the world and preparing to assist lawmakers should they decide to legalize and regulate more of the nation’s long-established cannabis industry.

Lisa Rough
Lisa is an associate editor at Leafly, specializing in politics and advocacy.

The post State of the Leaf: Massachusetts Legalization Likely to Face Delays appeared first on Leafly.



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by Lisa Rough at Leafly

Barack Obama’s Marijuana Legacy: Thanks for Nothing

Barack Obama was America’s first black president and America’s first Generation X president, yes, but he was more than that: He was the first president to have unquestionably been, even briefly, a legitimate stoner. The time “Barry” Obama spent hanging with the Choom Gang back on Oahu, intercepting joints mid-session and hotboxing Volkswagen vans, helps Obama’s cool factor—and proved beyond a doubt that if marijuana is a gateway drug, the gateway can lead to the White House—but it also gave drug-policy reform advocates hope.

Here, at last, was a guy who gets it. Here’s a president that gets that cannabis isn’t the big deal federal prohibition makes it out to be; gets that the drug war wrecks the lives of kids, poor people, and people of color for no good reason; and gets to correct all of the above while in the White House. And indeed, when Obama exits the White House in January, he’ll leave behind a landscape that is unrecognizable with regards to cannabis reform.

In 2008, California’s medical-marijuana industry was visible and vibrant but not on Wall Street’s radar, just a handful of other states had medical cannabis programs, and the idea of retail stores where anyone over 21 could come in and buy a joint felt far, far into the future. And now? Sixty-five million people live in the eight states where recreational cannabis is legal, medical marijuana is legal in some form in 26 states, and the multibillion-dollar cannabis industry is in the portfolios of institutional investors all over the country.

These are victories that would have thrilled most activists if you told them what the next eight years had in store for their pet issue. But what did Obama have to do with all of this, and what can the marijuana movement thank him for? In a word: Nothing. The best Obama did for weed was stand aside and do nothing—because when the federal government did choose to get involved, it wasn’t good.

To his credit, Obama the candidate never promised marijuana legalizers much in the first place. On the campaign trail, he expressed support for medical marijuana if prescribed in the same manner by a doctor as other prescription drugs—which, conveniently, it cannot be as long as federal prohibition stands.

He did draw a distinction between the Clinton and the Bush years, when doctors recommending the drug got in trouble and when federal agents raided six-plant gardens—this would not and could not be a top priority for a Justice Department in the age of terror—but he definitely didn’t say he’d do anything for the movement, good or bad.

See for yourself:

Today, Obama is credited for not interfering with the states where voters chose to break with the Richard Nixon-era federal policy that outlaws cannabis in all its forms. He did not do anything to subvert Colorado or Washington state’s first-in-the-nation legalization votes, and he did not do anything after to prevent the creation of a regulated-and-taxed recreational marijuana marketplace.

In short, he did nothing—and cannabis was very glad.

But before that, he did do something—and it wasn’t good.

In 2010, federal agents seized a record number of marijuana plants in California, which was at that time the unquestioned national leader in all things weed. That same year, with the first legalization measure with a legitimate shot at passing featured on California’s ballot, federal prosecutors informed cities and counties preparing to make money off of weed that they could face prison time.

And a few weeks before the actual vote, then-Attorney General Eric Holder announced the federal Justice Department would “vigorously enforce” the Controlled Substances Act if California legalized weed. In stark contrast to the scene six years later, no major politicians or media outlets came out in support, and Prop. 19 lost by six percentage points.

The following year, U.S. attorneys across the state started sending letters to the landlords of licensed medical-marijuana dispensaries, informing them that if the weed clubs weren’t shut down, the properties could be forfeited and the owners penalized with fines or jail time. It was a bluff—no properties were ever actually seized—but it was enough to shutter dispensaries all over the state and set the industry back a few years.

The legal leg the cannabis industry stands on is a literal piece of paper, a memo from a Justice Department official that suggests state-legal cannabis isn’t something that federal law enforcement should spend too much time on. That isn’t much. And on the other federal issues where the marijuana industry needs help—the ability to have a bank account; the privilege of claiming business expenses on federal taxes; the chance at interstate commerce—the federal government, under Barack Obama, has not moved an inch.

Banks still refuse deposits from marijuana businesses, forcing them to deal in cash; the IRS is still demanding back taxes from cannabis outlets who failed to comply with a section of the tax code that punishes them with the same stick intended for cocaine dealers; cannabis outlets in California or Colorado seeking to expand to other states have to jump through a serious of ridiculous hoops, helping Canadian marijuana firms become the continent’s leaders in weed. On all of these issues, what did Obama do? You guessed it: Nothing.

Obama recently granted Rolling Stone an exit interview, in which publisher Jann Wenner touched upon many parts of the 44th president’s legacy. Coming a few weeks after the election of Donald Trump and when four more states legalized cannabis, Obama touched on both, and stated—for the first time as president, with a little less than two months in the office to go—that he feels marijuana should be decriminalized. Or, if you really parse his words, that marijuana should be outright legalized.

“I am not somebody who believes that legalization is a panacea,” he said. “But I do believe that treating this as a public-health issue, the same way we do with cigarettes or alcohol, is the much smarter way to deal with it.”

But, as Reason pointed out, Obama will wait until he is a relatively powerless private citizen and not in the White House to voice his opinion on how this should be done.

I will have the opportunity as a private citizen to describe where I think we need to go. But in light of these referenda passing, including in California, I’ve already said…that it is untenable over the long term for the Justice Department or the DEA to be enforcing a patchwork of laws, where something that’s legal in one state could get you a 20-year prison sentence in another. So this is a debate that is now ripe, much in the same way that we ended up making progress on same-sex marriage.”

Marijuana was never going to be Barack Obama’s signature issue—not in 2009, when he inherited two foreign wars and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression; not in 2010-2012, when he was dealing with a Congressional revolt, trying to pass the Affordable Care Act, and stave off Mitt Romney; and not from 2013 to now, when most of his time and energy was spent, possibly in vain, to ensure that at least some of his legacy would survive a hostile and obstructionist Congress. In this context, the hopes that Obama would spend political capital on rescheduling cannabis at the federal level or reforming banking were far-fetched—especially when the states were doing most of the work.

This is the Choomer-in-Chief’s legacy on his onetime herbal friend and companion: At worst, he slowed things down. At best, he stood aside and watched as the world changed.

He wasn’t much of a friend, but he wasn’t much of an obstacle, either. If you’re a weedhead, you can thank Obama for the greatest gift he gave marijuana: nothing.



from http://ift.tt/2glUPKt
by Chris Roberts at High Times

Yo Dawg, Celebrate the Big Mac with a Big Mac and Some Big Mac

Our special sauce-clogged hearts are a little heavy today with the news that Jim Delligatti, the creator of the McDonald’s Big Mac, has died at the ripe old age of 98. His invention of the Golden Arches’ signature burger, featuring, as the jingle has permanently imprinted onto our brains, two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun, was invented 40 miles south of Pittsburgh and spread nationwide in 1968.

Although I was more of a Randy Marsh when it came to my McDonald’s order, I encourage all of you Mickey D munchie aficionados to celebrate one of the most iconic concoctions in fast food history via the following steps:

Step 1: Spark Up Some Big Mac

Leafly Big Mac indica cannabis strain

The indica-dominant strain appropriately named “Big Mac” stimulates both the mind and the appetite, making it the perfect bud to pre-funk with before you house 7.6 ounces of cheesy, saucy, burgery goodness. You’ll likely detect notes of berry and citrus while your limbs grow increasingly heavy and warm as you lift your burger for a big bite.

Step 2: Order a Big Mac

McDonald's Big Mac
Shell out $3.99 for the classic Big Mac, a 563 calorie gut bomb featuring 41% of your daily recommended sodium intake. If you’re on a tight budget, you can opt for this widespread “McDonald’s hack” and instead order a $1 double cheeseburger or McDouble and ask for special sauce, onion, and lettuce instead of pickles and ketchup. It’s smaller than a Big Mac, but it’s also cheaper!

Feeling crafty? Make your own Big Mac at home! This video tutorial omits the onions, or you could go full homage with this faithful recreation.

Step 3: Enjoy Your Big Mac and Big Mac with “Return of the Mac(k)”

Toke some Big Mac, take a bite of your Big Mac, and cue up Mark Morrison’s 1996 R&B jam “Return of the Mack.” The bumpin’ beat and nasally, mostly unintelligible lyrics are scientifically proven to help with digestion. (Okay, probably not, but it is a sweet throwback jam.)

If “Return of the Mack” ain’t yo thang, you can instead opt for Wesley Willis’ atonal ode to one of McDonald’s flagship locations in Chicago, “Rock n Roll McDonald’s.” Featuring the creepy Mac Tonight piano-playing moon man, a gyrating Ronald McDonald, Spongebob Squarepants clips, and a pickup truck exploding in a drive-thru, this horrifying ditty will have you swearing off Big Macs for a while…at least until your next smoke sesh awakens the munchies and gives you a hankering for three buns and some processed goodness.

Rebecca Kelley
Rebecca is a senior editor at Leafly, specializing in Cannabis 101 and lifestyle stories.

The post Yo Dawg, Celebrate the Big Mac with a Big Mac and Some Big Mac appeared first on Leafly.



from http://ift.tt/2gyPaym
by Rebecca Kelley at Leafly

Toasted Tweets | Nov. 30, 2016

Now that weed is becoming  legal in more states (and let’s hope it STAYS legal), maybe stores should cater to stoner shoppers. Where’s our Weed Wednesday for paraphernalia, our fave strains and scrumptious edibles? Maybe Black Friday and Cyber Monday can toss a nug of savings our way? After all, pot and its tools and accoutrements aren’t cheap. Not to mention, shopping sober totally sucks. And furthermore, if more people shopped stoned, Black Friday bad behavior would be a thing of the past. What stoners you know get into scraps with strangers? Pot is the peace and love drug, and ’tis the season to be jolly. So let’s all get jolly and take in this week’s sentiments, soliloquies, advice, thoughts and general tweets on the “buy stuff” season and shopping under the influence.

I’m avoiding Black Friday. I bought all my weed and liquor on Wednesday.

— Ron White (@Ron_White) November 25, 2016

Cyber Monday can I buy edibles on eBay

— Ali (@AlisaysHi) December 2, 2013

Some fully legalized weed distributors in Colorado will celebrate Black Friday by selling $1 joints.

— Awesome Facts (@FactsOverFlow) November 13, 2016

Living with all stoners sucks because ALL MY LEFTOVERS ARE GONE AND BLACK FRIDAY AINT OVER YET

— sean (@sean_guinan) November 26, 2016

I think the Home Shopping Networking is missing a huge opportunity not creating content targeted at stoners at 3am.

— holly wood???? (@girlziplocked) July 13, 2016

when everyone in the GM asks what we're bringing to the potluck on black friday and you say edibles

— ❁ (@_mandajorgenson) November 15, 2016

If weed dealers had cyber Monday deals everyone would be having a Merry Christmas.

— Kris V (@krisv_723) November 28, 2016

What I love doing high the most is #shopping I usually HATE it. But high? In and out in 5 minutes. #highlife #stoners #stonergirls

— Blazed Toontown (@blazed_toontown) October 16, 2016

sundays are for getting super stoned n taking baths n doing face masks n online shopping

— ???? (@liIangeI) November 27, 2016

My husbands advice for Black Friday shopping: 'if you get in any fights, make sure it's recorded horizontally' ????????

— Sara (@SaaraStone) November 25, 2016

Last week in Toasted Tweets: The Thanksgiving Edition



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by Jessica Delfino at High Times

Chill, America. Obama’s Rolling Stone Comments Mean Nothing.

My Twitter feed went full berzerker last night over President Obama’s cannabis comments in Rolling Stone. I wish it meant something. But it doesn’t.

In fact it may mean less than zero.

In case you missed it, President Obama gave a post-election interview to RS national political editor Matt Taibbi. After the obligatory Trump questions, Taibbi asked the President about cannabis legalization. An excerpt:

You can now buy marijuana legally on the entire West Coast. So why are we still waging the War on Drugs? It is a colossal failure. Why are we still dancing around the subject and making marijuana equivalent to a Schedule I drug?
Look, I’ve been very clear about my belief that we should try to discourage substance abuse. And I am not somebody who believes that legalization is a panacea. But I do believe that treating this as a public-health issue, the same way we do with cigarettes or alcohol, is the much smarter way to deal with it. Typically how these classifications are changed are not done by presidential edict but are done either legislatively or through the DEA. As you might imagine, the DEA, whose job it is historically to enforce drug laws, is not always going to be on the cutting edge about these issues.

[Laughs] What about you? Are you gonna get on the cutting edge?
Look, I am now very much in lame-duck status. And I will have the opportunity as a private citizen to describe where I think we need to go. But in light of these referenda passing, including in California, I’ve already said, and as I think I mentioned on Bill Maher’s show, where he asked me about the same issue, that it is untenable over the long term for the Justice Department or the DEA to be enforcing a patchwork of laws, where something that’s legal in one state could get you a 20-year prison sentence in another. So this is a debate that is now ripe, much in the same way that we ended up making progress on same-sex marriage. There’s something to this whole states-being-laboratories-of-democracy and an evolutionary approach. You now have about a fifth of the country where this is legal.

You got up there and said legalize same-sex marriage, and you pushed it right over the edge. …
Well, you know, no. I don’t think that’s how it works. If you will recall, what happened was, first, very systematically, I changed laws around hospital visitation for people who were same-sex partners. I then assigned the Pentagon to do a study on getting rid of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which then got the buy-in of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and we were then able to [repeal] “don’t ask, don’t tell.” We then filed a brief on Proposition 8 out in California. And then, after a lot of groundwork was laid, then I took a position.

So we’re in the groundwork stage?
One of the things that I think it’s important for progressives to do when we’re in a reflective mode after an election like this is, we can’t have it both ways. We can’t say, “Why aren’t you reaching out to the folks who voted against us? And by the way, why aren’t you maximizing getting 100 percent for the things that those of us, you know, who are already progressive and living on the coasts think should be done right away?” The point is that politics in a big, diverse country like this requires us to move the ball forward not in one long Hail Mary to the end zone, but to, you know, systemically make progress.

 

These comments are neither surprising nor helpful. They confirm pretty much what Obama has always told us about his take on legalization. In his eyes, it’s a mildly interesting question of legal and political theory. “Typically how these classifications are changed”: Those are not the words of a leader passionate about making that change happen.

Let’s give credit where it’s due: Adult-use legalization now covers one-fifth of the American population because President Obama allowed Colorado and Washington state to proceed. The instrument of that progress—the Department of Justice’s Cole memo—was done precisely “by presidential edict.”

Punting the question to Congress and the DEA is a cop-out. With the Cole memo, Obama did not completely block the progress others were making. If he truly wanted to push progress on legalization, he could have. But he chose to spend his energy and political capital elsewhere.

Given the incoming Trump administration’s reflexive opposition to all things Obama, it’s entirely possible that even these mildly pro-legalization comments by the outgoing president will do the movement more harm than good. A hearty condemnation of legalization, in fact, might jerk the knee of the Obama haters in the direction of positive cannabis reform. Obama’s against it?! That settles it. We’re descheduling on Day One.

Reflective and wistful comments are typical of public officials during the transition to private life. Earlier this year Obama’s former attorney general, Eric Holder, revealed that he was in favor of rescheduling cannabis. “We treat marijuana in the same way we treat heroin,” he said, “and that clearly is not appropriate.” This from the very person who once ran the agency—the DEA operates within the Department of Justice—that made sure law enforcement treated marijuana like heroin.

Holder offered those quotes, of course, once he was safely out of office and powerless to do anything about the situation. In politics, as in comedy, timing is everything. Eight years ago, Obama’s comments in Rolling Stone would have been earthshaking. Today they dissipate and float away like so much smoke in the breeze.

The post Chill, America. Obama’s Rolling Stone Comments Mean Nothing. appeared first on Leafly.



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by Bruce Barcott at Leafly

How to Pair Food and Drinks with Cannabis Terpenes

Cannabis and food: two substances with the power to make people very happy. Few things make a better pair, and with thousands of cannabis strains and the entire wide world of food and drink at our disposal, more pairings are possible today than ever before. The question is: how to go about matching a dish or beverage with its perfect cannabis counterpart?

Regardless of whether you’re a wine-and-cheese pro or completely uninitiated to the process, don’t be intimidated by pairings – they’re easier than you think.

Basic Tenets of Pairing Cannabis with Food

Basic Tenets of Pairing Cannabis with Food
No matter what you’re matching it with, the right cannabis pairing starts with an understanding of cannabis terpenes – the naturally occurring compounds that give individual strains their unique aromas and flavors. Terpenes are found in varying concentrations in different cannabis strains, with all strains containing at least a few different terpenes. Myrcene, for instance, is what gives Jillybean its tropical fruit flavor; a high concentration of pinene imparts a foresty flavor profile to Jack Herer. Terpenes are present in food, too: you’ll find them providing aromas, flavors, and health benefits in everything from oranges and tomatoes to seafood and herbs.

Matching these aroma and flavor profiles with other aromas and flavors that complement or accentuate them is what makes for a great pairing. Say you’re trying a new salmon recipe for dinner, and the recipe calls for a squeeze of lemon juice. A lemony strain, such as Super Lemon Haze, will help highlight those lemon flavors in the dish. Conversely, say you’ve made lemon bars for dessert; with plenty of lemon flavor packed into each bar, you might choose a strain with complementary flavors, like Blueberry, to balance out that intense citrusy sweetness.

Whether you choose comparable or contrasting flavors is up to you – there are no right or wrong answers, and pairing is all about personal preference. Do you like the pairing? Then it’s a good one. Just as everyone experiences the effects of different cannabis strains a little bit differently, everyone (even the pros) experiences flavors a little bit differently, too. Factors including your body chemistry, past experiences, and the region you’re from can all affect what you taste, so don’t waste time worrying about whether you’re doing it right.

How to Get Started with Cannabis Pairings

How to Get Started with Cannabis Pairings
If you’re a beginner, cannabis strains with high terpene levels are a great place to start; they’ll have the most pronounced aromas and flavors, which make them easier to match. Your budtender will be able to guide you toward strains with high levels of terpenes (between 2% and 4% total terpene content is generally considered high). Take a whiff of the flower and consider what you smell. Is it sweet? Citrusy? Spicy? Now, think about what foods or drinks those flavors would go well with. Sticking your nose in a jar of peppery Power Plant may be inspire you to whip up some lemon-pepper chicken. With citrus-laden Tangie, your first thought may be a big glass of iced tea.

Descriptively named strains can also clue you in to potential pairings. Agent Orange, for instance, is so named for its juicy orange aroma and flavor, so think of foods or drinks that might naturally be complemented by an orange slice, such as teriyaki chicken or a summery hefeweizen.

When pairing, the best means of consuming the strain you’ve selected is with a vaporizer compatible with cannabis flower. Vaporization lets terpene flavors shine through without burning them off like combustion does; you can even customize which terpenes you’re inhaling by tweaking the temperature settings on more advanced machines.

Regardless of your experience level, there’s simply no substitute for practice (good thing that’s the fun part). Pairing is far from an exact science, so the most important thing is to play around enough that you learn what you like. Whenever you try a new pairing, be sure to write down whether you liked it so you can learn from your experiences.

Basic Cannabis and Food Pairings to Try

Basic Cannabis and Food Pairings to Try
The following are a few basic pairings; use them to get you started, then strike out on your own!

  • Spinach Strawberry Salad with Blue Dream. A fresh, farmers market-inspired salad, particularly one with sliced berries, is only made better by this juicy, berry-forward hybrid.
  • Hawaiian Pizza and Pineapple Express. Everyone knows the pineapple chunks on a slice of Hawaiian pizza are the best part. Pair each bite with a hit of sweet, tropical Pineapple Express to highlight that flavor.
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sour Diesel. Offset the sweetness of this classic dessert with the pungent, earthy flavor of Sour Diesel.

One more great thing about cannabis pairing is that cannabinoids – particularly THC – will heighten your enjoyment of flavors, textures, and colors in most any food or drink. To make the most of your pairings, try choosing dishes that exhibit rich flavors, bright colors, and unique textures. Furthermore, most cannabis strains augment our desire to chow down (hence the munchies), so it’s hard to go wrong with whatever you decide to cook up or snack on.

Pairing Cannabis with Beverages

Pairing Cannabis with Beverages
When pairing cannabis with beverages, particularly alcoholic ones, there’s another element to consider in addition to flavor: how the effects of the cannabis pair with the effects of the beverage. This additional layer to the pairing process makes it a little more challenging but also lots of fun.

Indicas, sativas, and hybrids can beget a wide range of effects: some strains are uplifting and euphoric, while others are relaxed and sleepy. The best pairings consider both the flavors of each individual constituent and how the effects of one will offset or accentuate the effects of the other. If you’re holding a Russian imperial stout with 12 percent alcohol by volume, you’d probably better steer clear of potent, body-heavy indicas like Granddaddy Purple, unless you want to end up napping all afternoon in an armchair (though that can be enjoyable, too). On the other hand, pairing an after-dinner espresso with an energetic sativa might be a recipe for disaster if you don’t want to be up all night – so consider switching your strain choice, or brewing a shot of decaf.

Note: With pairing cannabis with alcohol, it’s imperative that you consume responsibly. Always practice moderation, and never drive under the influence of THC, alcohol, or both.

The post How to Pair Food and Drinks with Cannabis Terpenes appeared first on Leafly.



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by Brett Konen at Leafly

11 Gifts For the Beginner Pot Grower In Your Life (Even If It’s You)

Getting started growing your own pot can be quite a daunting process. There are so many styles, techniques and products to choose from that it can be difficult to know where to begin. That’s why we’ve compiled 11 low-cost, high-return products for the beginner grower that will make their first attempts at cultivation easier and hassle-free.

1. Fast Green Hand Clean – $16.48, 4 oz

Fast-Green-Promo-Photo

 

 

Sticky resins are the bane of both trimmers and dabbers lives, but we’ve finally found a product that works to clean hands, scissors and dab tools. Made in Humboldt County, Fast Green Hand Clean is a certified organic cleaner that effectively removes concentrates and oil residues from nearly anything. Simply spray it on and wipe it off to eliminate stubborn waxes. This product will keep your beginner grower and their growing area clean. 

 

2. Shield N Seal – Prices Vary

SNS 700

The next generation of heat-sealing technology has arrived! Try the variety of products available from Shield N Seal to lock in the freshness of your flowers. They use 5-mm-thick, BPA-free plastic in their bags and rolls, and the sealers themselves are top-of-the-line with three different grades and sizes to choose from. Long-term cannabis storage just got a whole lot easier with Shield N Seal.

 

3. Breakdown Active Bacteria Odor Eliminator – $83.97 for a case of 12

p-2763-BRK-229-2

Whether it’s in your growroom, smoking area or car, certain telltale smells must be avoided in order to keep law enforcement and nosy neighbors oblivious to your activities. Safe and non-toxic, Breakdown Active Bacteria Odor Eliminator doesn’t just cover up or mask odors, it actually eliminates them entirely. Simply spray the stinky surface, and organic offending scents disappear for good.

 

4. Safer Soaps – Prices Vary

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Conscientious marijuana growers are always looking for natural, organic ways to combat pests and avoid using poisonous products on their pot plants. For decades, Safer Soaps have provided many chemical-free ways to control and eliminate insect populations and plant diseases without hurting the environment or your family and pets. So before you resort to going nuclear, try a safer alternative.

 

5. Just For Coir – Prices Vary

JustForCoir-Bloom-2.5-Gallon-1

Organic pot growers have long relied on the fine products from Earth Juice. Now, they’ve introduced a new formula specifically for cultivation in coconut coir and coir-based mixes. Their Just For Coir line of nutrients consists of two parts for the vegetative stage and two parts for flowering and promotes vigorous growth and flower production in this popular growing medium.  

 

6. Chikamasa Garden Shears – $29.99

ChikamasaShears

Hand-trimming with improper scissors can lead to slower trim times and hand issues such as carpal tunnel and even crappy-looking leafy buds that don’t taste right. From Japan, land of Bonsai cutting experts, comes these Chikamasa shears that are made from stainless steel and are super sharp and lightweight. They’re ergonomically designed specifically for up-close and detail-oriented trimming that results in properly clipped flowers every time. The slightly curved blade and comfortable handle ensure a timely and accurate trim job.

 

7. Clean Roots – 15-inch, $8.99; 8-inch, $5.99

2014-07-12_SPRINT-Systems_Planterdrain-139Plants in pots with roots that sit in stagnant salty water quickly begin to deteriorate. The platforms from Clean Roots elevate pots two inches over runoff trays and greatly improve aeration to the root zone—a vital factor in plant health. They’re innovative and affordable as well as made in America. Beware of cheap knockoffs if you want truly clean roots.

 

8. TrimBin Filter – $44.99

filter_1

Clipping leaves from buds can be tedious work. The new TrimBin Filter from the people who brought us the original TrimBin makes this work easier and even sorts the different grades of dry sifted trichome glands that you can later press into your own premium-grade hash. Ergonomically designed to reduce stress on the body and mind, these bins are light, easy to travel with and simple to clean.

 

9. D.O. Dissolved Oxygen – $57.99 per quart

DODissolvedOxygen

Experienced growers know the value of dissolved oxygen for explosive growth rates. The new first-of-its-kind D.O. Dissolved Oxygen is a concentrated non-peroxide liquid form of oxygen that’s non-toxic, eco-friendly and pet-safe. You can use it as a foliar feed or add directly to your reservoir or nutrient solution soil drench for a huge increase in essential oil production. It even shortens the rooting times of clones!

 

10. Revolution HPS x Transition from Method Seven – $169.00

Revolution-Product-Image-front

 

 

With the increasing amount of cheaper plastic grow glasses entering the market, we’re all the more gung ho on the superior products from Method Seven. Their new Revolution HPS x Transition shades provide proper color-balancing indoors under HPS lighting and then change to dark grey-blue outdoors within three minutes in full sun. Comfortable and stylish, these glasses feature a proprietary photochromic lens that allows growers to see the true colors of their plants leaves and protect eyes from bright light.

 

11. Gas Act – $39.99, Enhancer; $24.99, refill pack

enhancer1_cf6a128e-16b9-4029-874b-f9fc829de764_large

Not all indoor growers can afford CO2 tanks or generators, but they all know that adding carbon dioxide boosts yields substantially. Now even small-scale farmers and micro-growers can organically enlarge their plants with the Enhancer CO2 Dispersal Canisters. All you need to do is add warm water and shake. Handy refill packs ensure that you can re-use these canisters time and time again.

More Holidazeee:
11 Psychedelic Gifts for Your Hippie Friends
11 Great Gifts for Joint Lovers
11 Gifts for Students Stuck Smoking in Their Dorm Rooms
11 Ganja Gifts for Residents of States That Just Legalized
11 Perfect Gifts for Pot-Loving Pet Owners
11 Great Ganja Gifts for Gamers
11 Extravagant Gifts for the Stoner Who Has It All 
The High Holiday: How to Toke Safely on the Road
A Stoner’s Guide to Staying High for the Holidays
6 Tips for Being Stoned at Your Family’s Holiday Gathering
Baked Treats for Getting Santa Baked

For all of HIGH TIMES’ grow coverage, click here.



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by Danny Danko at High Times

MDMA Approved for Final Stage of Clinical Trials

People suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could soon be prescribed MDMA, commonly referred to as ecstasy or molly, to help ease the debilitating symptoms of this severe anxiety disorder.

A report from the New York Times indicates that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug for clinical trials in an effort to study its effects on patients struggling with PTSD. The latest phase of research, which is being funded by the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), will involve more than 200 patients—mostly veterans, sexual assault victims and others living with the disorder.

Phase 3 clinical trials—the final step before the FDA considers the drug for market—comes after MDMA was shown successful in calming the intensity of PTSD in preliminary studies. If the latest study provides similar results, it is distinctly possible that a wide variety of patients living with this disorder could be using MDMA therapeutically within the next five years.

Some of the patients who were involved in MAPS’ previous studies of the drug say it is more effective than standard therapies.

“One of the first things I said when it kicked in was ‘this is what I’ve been looking for,'” Tony Macie, an Iraqi War veteran, said in a video. “I reconnected with myself and did a lot of internal work, and afterwards, it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.”

The latest statistics show 83 percent of the participants in the MDMA trials thus far no longer seem to suffer from PTSD after completing two months of treatment. MAPS says the results became more permanent when the patient followed through with a long-term mental health plan, including outpatient check ups with a psychotherapist.

Although it is still too early to tell whether MDMA will land on the shelves of pharmacies all across the nation in the near future, researchers are so far encouraged by their work.

“We can sometimes see this kind of remarkable improvement in traditional psychotherapy, but it can take years, if it happens at all,” researcher Michael Mithoefer told the Times. “We think it works as a catalyst that speeds the natural healing process.”

The latest research is scheduled to begin in 2017, and it is expected to take up to five years to complete. It will then be up to the FDA to determine whether MDMA is safe and effective medicine.

You can keep up with all of HIGH TIMES’ news right here.



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by Mike Adams at High Times

DC Advocates Take Their Case to Jeff Sessions—and He Listens. Sort of.

Politics  The latest in cannabis legalization including laws and policies, legislators’ views, election coverage, and more.

DC Advocates Take Their Case to Jeff Sessions—and He Listens. Sort of.

Lisa Rough
November 30, 2016

DCMJ, the Washington, DC, advocacy group that led the effort to legalize cannabis in the District, is at it again.

Adam Eidinger, leader of DCMJ, took a group of 17 volunteers to the Capitol Hill office of Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Trump’s nominee for attorney general. There the group met with two Sessions staffers, including communications director Chris Jackson.

Leafly caught up with Adam Eidinger earlier this morning to get his take on the meeting.

“They were aware that we were coming,” Eidinger said, “but they thought we were coming to smoke marijuana in their office. I’m sure they thought they would look perfectly reasonable, but because we didn’t smoke, that somehow made it less newsworthy.”

“As the staff members said themselves, they do not make decisions for Sen. Sessions and I don’t know if marijuana activism will soften his stance.”
Steven Nelson, US News & World Report

The group showed up in red T-shirts that bore various slogans based on Sessions’ most famous anti-cannabis quote, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.” The shirts, emblazoned with bold white letters on a bright red background (in the “Make America Great Again” style), were printed with the words “Great Americans Use Cannabis,” and “Great Americans do not belong in jail for a plant.” Some were more specifically geared towards the groups they represented: “Great Americans know the value of medical cannabis,” and “Great Americans, like veterans, use cannabis.”

“The staff was polite, but they were adamant that no media be allowed in the room,” Eidinger said.

One journalist, Steven Nelson, with US News & World Report, quietly followed the group into the meeting. He remained in the room until the staffers realized who he was and asked him to leave.

RELATED STORY
White House Officials Offer “Nods & Smiles” in Meeting with D.C. Legalization Advocates

Nelson told Leafly he was generally optimistic about the meeting. “It’s hard to say a negative thing about the two Sessions staff members,” he said. “They were respectful, welcoming, and sought to show DCMJ members that they cared about their personal stories and political perspectives.”

As with any political meeting, however, that optimism is tempered by a dose of reality. “As the staff members said themselves, they do not make decisions for Sen. Sessions and I don’t know if marijuana activism will soften his stance,” Nelson said. “Sessions’ comments show consistency and a strong anti-legalization zeal, which is why some groups like DPA [the Drug Policy Alliance] outright oppose his nomination.”

RELATED STORY
Trump Picks Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, Stoking Fears of Cannabis Crackdown

The day after the event, Eidinger expressed disappointment with national marijuana advocacy groups that have expressed dismay with the appointment of Sessions but haven’t yet taken direct action.

“We need to speak up,” Eidinger said. “We are all terrified, and we need to go on the offensive, in fight or flee mode. I just visited Las Vegas for the MJ Biz conference, and it was all businesses and no activists.” He urged those in the industry to speak out, but said he didn’t expect a lot of response.

“They’re just interested in making money, no one is putting their necks out there. These businesses are all disconnected and not taking action. This is not a time to be sitting on the sidelines. One year from now this could all come crashing down.”

RELATED STORY
Post-Election Interest Overwhelms Sold-Out Las Vegas Biz Show

Eidinger said DCMJ has further actions in store in the coming weeks and months.

“We haven’t announced it yet, but we’re planning to lawfully distribute 1,000 joints on Inauguration Day. It will all be legal; no person will have more than two ounces of joints to distribute, and we’ll have a list where volunteers can sign up. And we’ll only pass them out to those who are over 21.”

“This might be the last chance we have,” he said. “But we’re gearing up and we’re mobilized and we’re not backing down.”

Lisa Rough
Lisa is an associate editor at Leafly, specializing in politics and advocacy.
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The post DC Advocates Take Their Case to Jeff Sessions—and He Listens. Sort of. appeared first on Leafly.



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by Lisa Rough at Leafly

3 Stoners Arrested for Trying to Steal Hops They Thought Were Weed

Three Prince Edward Island residents were arrested last weekend after breaking into a hops farm and causing extensive damage.

The reason? They apparently thought the 20-foot tall hop bines were huge marijuana plants and were intending to walk away with the stash of the century.

The hops farmer called the police when he saw three people wandering around near his farm buildings, according to CBC News.

When police arrived, they found two men and one woman, who had already caused “extensive damage” to the farm’s crop, which was packaged for shipping.

Their excuse to police?

“The three adults told RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] members that they thought there was marijuana growing on the farm,” the police said.

Were these folks so stoned that they confused hops and weed? Actually, they are related, sort of. Hops and marijuana can be similar in taste, smell and appearance.

The chemical reason for these similarities is strongly founded in the terpenes, which are the compounds that give both marijuana and hops their unique smell.

People can often identify different strains of marijuana by their smell. The same goes for hops and beer.

Even though hops and marijuana are closely related species, they grow in completely different ways.

Therefore, one would assume that with a cursory glance at a hops farm and just the slightest knowledge of what a pot plant looks like, one would clearly see the difference between a bush and a tall, climbing vine.



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by Maureen Meehan at High Times

Scientists Develop New Life-Saving Vaccine That Destroys Opioids Before Reaching the Brain

As the United States government struggles to come up with effective methods to combat the opioid crisis, scientists have emerged with a new vaccine designed to not only prevent folks from suffering a fatal overdose, but one that will also stop prescription painkillers from producing the feel good effects that keeps the junkie brain coming back for more.

The scientific minds at the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI)—one the largest, private non-profit research facilities in the world—have developed what is being called a “oxy/hydro vaccine,” which is a mega-defense drug-serum intended to prevent drugs like oxycodone and hydrocodone from producing the highly sought after pain-numbing effects that lead to addiction. The vaccine could also be used to prevent opioid overdose deaths, according to a study published in the latest edition of the journal ACS Chemical Biology.

“We saw both blunting of the drug’s effects and, remarkably, prevention of drug lethality,” Kim D. Janda, the Ely R. Callaway Jr. Professor of Chemistry and member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at TSRI, said in a statement. “The protection against overdose death was unforeseen but clearly of enormous potential clinical benefit.”

The study, which was supported through a grant provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, shows the vaccine is different from other opioid antidotes in the way that it is more of a preventative measure rather than a last ditch effort to keep a drug addict alive.

Researchers explain the vaccine as a force that inspires the immune system to detect, hunt down and eliminate any and all opioid medications that enter the body. Essentially, the antibodies contained in the injection cleverly persuade the immune system to consider opioids the enemy, which prompts it to launch a full-blown, seek and destroy mission to eradicate the drug’s presence before it ever reaches the brain.

“The vaccine approach stops the drug before it even gets to the brain,” said Cody J. Wenthur, who co-authored the study. “It’s like a preemptive strike.”

Interestingly, the vaccine does not appear to be a weak concoction by any stretch of the imagination. Researchers reported that the antibodies injected into mice were still coursing through their veins after 60 days. They believe the vaccine even has the capacity to survive beyond that timeframe—potentially making it a revolutionary discovery in combating addiction.

The study authors said more research is needed in order to properly understand this phenomenon, but they feel confident that once they have a better grip on this aspect of the vaccine, it could then evolve into something even more effective than what they believe it to be at this point.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 80 Americans die each day from overdoses of prescription drugs like oxycodone and hydrocodone. In fact, the mortality rate stemming from overdoses of these types of medications have quadrupled since 1999.

You can keep up with all of HIGH TIMES’ news right here.



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by Mike Adams at High Times

Prosecutors in Portland Change Drug Conviction Policy

A guilty plea for drug possession will no longer stand in Oregon’s Multnomah County, which includes Portland, unless the test used by arresting officers has been confirmed in a lab.

For years, these pleas—whether actually guilty or made by people wanting to get out of jail at a preliminary hearing—were among the most routine proceedings in criminal court in Portland, Oregon.

Defendants would often serve time or end up in addiction treatment centers while the drug kit results that sent them there were never confirmed by a lab.

However, following the publication of an article called “Busted” by ProPublica and the New York Times Magazine, Portland’s DA Office decided to change the way it secured guilty pleas in drug possession cases and to stop sending people down the river based on bogus test kits.

Now, when a defendant pleads guilty before the lab analysis is performed, prosecutors still have the field test results double-checked.

“Our DDAs [deputy district attorneys] are always looking to make sure we’re using the very best practices,” said J.R. Ujifusa, the deputy district attorney in Portland who oversees drug prosecutions.

Drug field tests have been used for decades by police departments across the country. Officers drop suspicions material into a pouch of chemicals and look for changes in colors that might indicate the presence of illegal drugs. The tests were typically used to establish probable cause for an arrest. Courts across the country have routinely barred them from being used as evidence at trial, demanding results confirmed by certified labs.

According to the Innocence Project, at any given time there are an estimated 40,000 to 100,000 innocent people in U.S. prisons. This does not include the number of people locked up for non-violent drug possession.

Tens of thousands of people every year are sent to jail based on the results of a $2 roadside drug test. Widespread evidence shows that these tests routinely produce false positives, according to the New York Times.

In the case of Portland, prosecutors say they want to make sure they are not allowing innocent people to be saddled with wrongful convictions, said Ujifusa, according to ProPublica. He added that the office has mandated lab confirmation of field test results even after guilty pleas.

J. Russell Ratto, head of conviction integrity at the district attorney’s office, reviewed cases from 2009 to the present in which the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory determined suspected drugs were not drugs to see if any of those cases had resulted in drug possession convictions.

Ratto discovered five wrongful convictions based on inaccurate field test results. Ujifusa said the DA’s office has already had those convictions vacated.



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by Maureen Meehan at High Times

Pot Matters: Trump’s Reactionary Anti-Pot HHS Secretary

President-elect Donald Trump is nominating Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) to be the new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Price is adamantly opposed to the medical use of marijuana and marijuana law reform in general, having voted against several reform amendments in the House of Representatives.

In July 2014, Price voted against House Amendment 1086, sponsored by Denny Heck (D-WA), to HR 5016, which would have congressionally appropriated funds from being used to penalize financial institutions because they provided financial services to marijuana businesses authorized under state law. The amendment passed 213 to 192, with 186 votes from Democrats and 45 votes from Republicans.

Earlier, Price voted against House Amendment 748, sponsored by Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) to HR 4660. This amendment prohibited the Department of Justice from using appropriated funds to interfere with state medical marijuana laws. The amendment passed 219 to 189, with 170 votes from Democrats and 49 votes from Republicans.

Price also opposed marijuana reform measures in 2007 and 2005. In 2007, Price voted against House Amendment 674, sponsored by Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), which unsuccessfully sought to prohibit federal funds from being used to undermine state medical marijuana laws.  This amendment lost 262 to 165, with the majority composed of 182 Republicans and 79 Democrats.  In 2005, Price voted against House Amendment 272, also sponsored by Hinchey, an earlier attempt to prevent federal funds from being used to interfere with state medical marijuana laws. This amendment lost 262 to 161.

Price has also voted against allowing military veterans to take advantage of state medical marijuana laws. The only pro-reform measures Price has supported concerned expediting the availability of low-THC/high-CBD preparations and industrial hemp.

As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Price will have an influential platform to attack the medical use of cannabis and obstruct efforts to conduct meaningful research in support of expanded access for patients throughout the country.

Furthermore, he will have an important role is rallying support against marijuana legalization efforts. Price can use his office to encourage and support opposition to marijuana law reform, especially through emphasis on any and all research findings about negative effects of marijuana (regardless of their validity).

Trump is generally in favor of medical marijuana, and his administration faces several obstacles in reversing state-level legalization policies.

Nonetheless, this will not prevent his officials in HHS and other departments from opposing further reforms. Indeed, a major priority for anti-marijuana forces is to hold the line against further reforms. They will work hard to produce a new argument to rally public opposition, and as has been often the case in the past, this new argument will be based on so-called “new evidence” based on the “latest science” that marijuana is much more harmful than popularly believed. Tom Price will be in position to play a key role in facilitating this reactionary process.

While seemingly moderate on marijuana issues, Trump has embraced an old-fashioned, Nixonian, hard-line position on other illegal drugs. It may be that the heroin and opiate addiction problem will have a greater priority for the Trump administration than obstructing marijuana reform. But it is just as likely that the heroin problem will be used as an excuse to place marijuana reform on hold, that the crucial nature of fighting opiate addiction will be used to justify efforts to curtail any illegal drug use. This has always been a key facet of the old-school approach to justifying drug prohibition.

Key players in the Trump administration’s approach to drug policy will be the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Director of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).  Despite Trump’s apparent populism, his cabinet picks to date demonstrate two characteristics—a preference for loyalists and the influence of Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Pence, like Price, is no friend of the marijuana reform movement.

Just as Attorney General-designate Jeff Sessions will have to face the immigration issue, Tom Price will have his hands full fulfilling Trump’s campaign promise to repeal and replace Obamacare. However, all the early signs point to a resumption of the reactionary approach to the drug war that has characterized earlier Republican administrations.

It may not be possible to reverse recent reforms, but based on the nominations of Sessions and Price, the Trump bureaucracy will likely seek to hold the line, prevent further change and rally their supporters around a renewed effort to perpetuate prohibition.

Previously in Pot Matters: Sessions for Attorney General? Game On!

For all of HIGH TIMES’ culture coverage, click here.



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by Jon Gettman at High Times

Mexico Catches Sinaloa Cartel Operator in Guerrero State

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican prosecutors say they have caught a leading opium trafficker for the Sinaloa cartel in the southern state of Guerrero.

The Attorney General’s Office says the man is suspected in the killings of law enforcement officers and a local politician. He was identified as Vicente Carrillo Salmeron.

Prosecutors allege that Carrillo Salmeron oversaw the growing and trafficking of marijuana and opium and that he was “one of the main causes of violence” in the region.

Federal police said Tuesday that Carrillo Salmeron was arrested along with his bodyguard in the resort city of Acapulco in possession of guns, cocaine and methamphetamines.

His gang was apparently linked to the April 25 shooting death of local politician Rey Hernandez of the opposition Labor Party.

You can keep up with all of HIGH TIMES’ news right here.



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by Associated Press at High Times

The Essential Guide to Vaping Science

Everything you ever wanted to know about the science behind vaping, brought to you by the founder of the Global Drug Survey, Dr. Adam R. Winstock.

What does it mean when we say a drug is vaped?

Vaping is short for “vaporizing,” which in this context unsurprisingly refers to the process of heating a substance to create a vapor. Sometimes this vapor may be the drug in its gaseous form, or it may be a suspension of liquid particles in the air as they cool after evaporating. The effect is the same though—it allows the drug molecules to be inhaled (breathed in) so they can be absorbed by the enormous surface area of the lungs directly into the blood, bypassing the digestive system. Drugs used this way, just like smoking, will hit your brain in about five seconds (which is almost as quick as injecting).

What’s the difference between vaping, smoking and sniffing glue or poppers (amyl nitrite)?

The essential science is the same—heating a drug to evaporate the molecules so they can be inhaled. The difference is in the detail. Smoking uses combustion (the reaction of oxygen and oxidizable material) to generate heat and evaporate molecules. The temperatures involved tend to be very high and often mean that some of the drug and most of the plant matter reacts with oxygen, destroying it and creating harmful compounds. Such approaches offer the worst of all worlds—expensive, ineffective and harmful.

Poppers and glue also rely on evaporating to be inhaled, but these compounds have such a low boiling point that they do not need heat to evaporate—they are volatile enough to create vapor at room temperatures. Of course, poppers and solvents are two separate classes of drugs which have their own harms unrelated to the fact that they are being inhaled as vapors.

Why the development of electronic vaping devices?

Vaping, as has become familiar in recent years, uses an electric heating coil to heat air around a substance or liquid containing a substance. Because it’s electronic, you have better temperature control and there is no chain reaction with oxygen in the air, so the process is more efficient and less harmful. That’s not to say it’s harmless, but it’s better than setting things on fire and inhaling the smoke in the hope that some of the drug you want to get high on has evaporated without burning.

What are the properties of a drug that allow it to be vaped?

To be vaporized, a drug needs to be stable enough that it will evaporate before it reacts with oxygen in the air around it. This means a lower boiling point is beneficial, so smaller molecules tend to vape more easily than bigger ones. Methamphetamine is an example of this—it is actually quite a small molecule and evaporates easily. Please don’t think that vaping will make a drug like methamphetamine safe however. The intrinsic properties of a particular drug to get you high and cause mental and physical health harms that are due to the pharmacological action of the drug on your body remain—what changes are the route-related harms.

Many drugs in their common forms are not readily used in vaping devices. This is because most drugs are sold as salts. Just like when hydrogen chloride and sodium react to give sodium chloride (which is ‘salt’ as in salt and pepper) and create crystals, drugs behave similarly and when made into salts are easier to handle, more stable and have a higher evaporation point. This means a drug in its chemical salt form will struggle to evaporate because the tight crystal structures make molecules more strongly connected to each other. In order to overcome this reluctance to evaporate, such preparations are mixed with weak alkalis to create so-called freebases. Cocaine, DMT and heroin are all examples of this, where the water soluble salt has to be converted to the freebase to allow it to evaporate without burning.

Dissolving into a liquid can help separate molecules before they are heated, making them easier to vaporize. Liquid-fill vapes (ecigs) capitalize on this effect by dissolving active compounds into vegetable glycerine before heating them (e-liquid). This also means that it’s possible to spread the liquid over a large surface area (a wick) to make sure it’s heated very evenly, ensuring even better temperature control.

What drugs can be vaped?

All of the above means that with some scientific tweaks there is a very wide range of drugs that can be inhaled. But just because it’s possible, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Some drugs require very large doses to induce a desired effect (alcohol for example), so it would be very hard to inhale a significant amount of if you still wanted to get oxygen in too. Others are irritants (GBL), so inhaling them is very difficult because they cause coughing and choking. Some molecules are too large to evaporate in one piece, so they tend to be very inefficient or completely ineffective (LSD).

Does vaping make drug use safer?

The only real difference with vaping and oral/nasal dosing is how quickly the drugs are delivered to the blood and therefore the brain. This can be a negative because it increases the brain’s association between action and reward, increasing the addiction potential. But it can also be a positive because with some drugs it allows the user to immediately gauge how high they are. If they decide they are high enough, then stopping inhaling will limit any further intoxication, giving them greater control over their dosage. If they do not normally weigh drugs when eating or snorting, then this can improve safety by eliminating the “I’m not coming up, I’ll take some more” effect. It also means the drug effects are much shorter, so for stimulants, it could mean they are more able to get a good sleep after a night out. Of course, shorter more intense effects can also increase the risks of overuse and dependence.

So, do you vape drugs (editor’s note: we vape weed!) and want to help us conduct the biggest study of drug use in the world, take part in the Global Drug Survey anonymously and confidentiality on your phone, tablet or laptop HERE.

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Dr. Adam R. Winstock is the founder of Global Drug Survey and a consultant psychiatrist.

Related: The HIGH TIMES 2016 Vape Pen Review

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by Dr. Adam R. Winstock at High Times