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Senate Says Taxpayer Money Cannot Be Used To Enforce Federal Marijuana Laws

Mary Schumacher
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Senate Says Taxpayer Money Cannot Be Used To Enforce Federal Marijuana Laws

Early Thursday, the U.S. Senate voted to pass an amendment in the Senate Appropriations Committee, effectively stopping the feds from using taxpayer moneys to enforce federal marijuana laws against cannabis in legal and medicinal states.

The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment passed and was voted in, despite disapproval from Attorney General Jeff “Good people don’t smoke marijuana” Sessions. Initially introduced in 2014, the amendment is aimed to protect those who use cannabis medicinally. Then in the summer of 2016 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the language stops law enforcement in their tracks at any juncture of a medical marijuana venture, grower to distributor to imbiber.

In May, Sessions drew up a letter to Congress, asking them to block the amendment, pointing to the county’s drug epidemic crisis. However, as ever, it’s not marijuana that’s the epidemic. Opioids are ravaging our country and cocaine isn’t very far behind. Both of which can be potentially lethal, while the only way pot can kill you is if a big bale of it lands on your head. Even then, you might just get a headache.

The Trump administration is behind Sessions on this one and they’re fighting hard for stricter enforcement of federal law against recreational. There are concerns that this could lead to on the ground conflict between the federal government and legalized states, but the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment gives one hope.

Battles are being won, but the war is far from over. Sessions’ stringent views on marijuana are well known and as Attorney General he may have influence, but it is Donald Trump who has been wishy washy on his cannabis stances. At June 2015’s CPAC, Trump referred to marijuana as “BAD,” but within a few months he backed it up and took a softer stance.

Earlier this year, Trump acknowledged the language of the amendment and stated, “I will treat this provision consistently with my constitutional responsibility to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” Though it could be taken in a few different ways, we can only hope that he plans to let state rights stand and leave the War on Plants alone.

Which City Has The Most Marijuana Enthusiasts In The US?

Terry Hacienda
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Which City Has The Most Marijuana Enthusiasts In The US?

A recent Gallup poll revealed that the number of Americans who say they have consumed marijuana at least once has reached 45 percent, a record high. The poll also showed that 12 percent currently use marijuana, up from 7 percent just four years ago. But which cities have the highest percentage of cannabis consumers?

According to data analysis from Cheatsheet.com, San Francisco tops the list with 15.46 percent of residents currently using cannabis. If you have visited the Bay Area recently, this should not come as a big surprise. But according to Cheatsheet.com, the Alaska cities of Denali, Fairbanks and Nome are close behind at 14.93 percent.

Here is how Cheatsheet.com tabulated the data:

To get an idea of which cities and regions in the United States have the most marijuana users, we took a look at data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA. The organization gathered data from 204,000 people ages 12 and older from 2012 to 2014 across the nation, asking them about a variety of behaviors including marijuana use. SAMHSA then outlined the regions in each state where pot use was the highest, based on people who said they had used cannabis in the previous month. Though some of those regions are reported as regions in the state, we took at look at the largest cities in those areas to determine the locations where marijuana use is the highest in the nation.

And here is h0w the site described San Francisco’s cannabis consumption:

Colorado might have the highest percentage of pot users on a statewide basis, but California has the highest rate when it comes to sheer numbers. According to 24/7 Wall St., the state boasts more than 4.6 million cannabis users, the highest number of any state in the nation. The state does have some of the largest variations in pot use by region, but San Francisco’s place at the No. 1 spot is truly impressive. Not only is the percentage the highest in the country — and beats out the No. 2 spot by almost a whole percentage point — but its population makes that an especially impressive feat. San Francisco is in the Top 15 largest U.S. cities by population, with more than 805,000 residents. To get the highest percentage of pot use, it means that the weed culture must be especially pervasive throughout the city. To put that rate in perspective, an estimated 124,500 people are frequently using pot at any given time within the city limits.

The top five cities are:

  1. San Francisco
  2. Denali, Fairbanks, and Nome, Alaska
  3. Charleston, Narragansett, and South Kingston, Rhode Island
  4. Aspen, Durango, Grand Junction, and Telluride, Colorado
  5. Denver and Boulder, Colorado

For a complete list, click here.

Why Does Cannabis Work For So Many Diseases?

Maria Loreto
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Why Does Cannabis Work For So Many Diseases?

Cannabis has many believers; people who’ve experienced some life changing experience with it that claim that the plant is a miracle drug, capable of fixing any and all diseases. While some of these claims are true and have been documented by the patient, a lot of them haven’t been backed by the necessary science and evidence. This is no one’s fault; legal restrictions on cannabis have made it impossible for interested parties to conduct the necessary research that could push marijuana into becoming a respected drug and a viable cure for many illnesses.

Opposers of the plant discredit the current studies that have been conducted because there haven’t been any human trials, but the evidence and results they’ve provided are incredibly positive. Preclinical research has shown why cannabis is so versatile and why it provides relief for a variety of health problems.

This is all due to our cannabinoid receptors (our endocannabinoid system), which react to the different components of the plant and produce healing results. These receptors are located throughout the entirety of our bodies, which is why marijuana can have healing effects in different areas that, on the surface, have little to do with each other. The largest quantity of receptors are located in our central nervous system which spreads throughout different areas of our body, like our brains, spine, skin, bones, heart, liver, glands, reproductive organs, and more.

Research and studies claim that the endocannabinoid system affects vital functions, playing a big part in our sleep, mood, pain, movement, memory and cognition.

Having in mind that cannabis affects the previously mentioned areas, many researchers theorize that deficiencies and diseases can be attributed to a lack of endocannabinoids. Illnesses like fibromyalgia, migraines and irritable bowel syndrome, are believed to be caused by “clinical endocannabinoid deficiency.”

There are over 400 photo chemicals in the cannabis plant. An estimated 113 are cannabinoids, of which we still haven’t discovered their true potential. More research and scientific trials need to be conducted so some conclusive evidence can be gathered.

This Guy Was Busted Going 112 Mph While On Snapchat

Sam Jones
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This Guy Was Busted Going 112 Mph While On Snapchat

Friends don’t let friends Snap and drive — especially if they’re doing it for a cool filter. A Georgia man was trying to get the perfect Snapchat when he got caught by a cop with a radar gun. The app has a filter that shows the speed you’re traveling. It also has a “Don’t Snap and drive” warning, but apparently this guy ignored that warning.

He caught the attention of police when they saw him take off in his black Dodge Charger, blowing all other traffic away behind him.

According to AJC.com:

Police pulled the car over and made contact with its driver, Neal. Police asked Neal if he knew how fast he was going and he said yes, according to the report. Neal told the officer he was going home after spending time with a friend. He then told the officer he was driving that fast ‘for Snapchat.’

He was charged with reckless driving, speeding and using wireless communications while driving. The reckless driving charge, alone, could come with a year sentence, a $1,000 fine, and a suspended license.

Test How Well You Know ‘Clueless’ With This Quiz

Brendan Bures
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Test How Well You Know ‘Clueless’ With This Quiz

Clueless isn’t a movie you watch just once. No, it’s one of those compulsively rewatchable films you have seen two dozen times and can’t wait to watch three dozen times more. Because when you watch Clueless it feels like you’re dropped into a whole new world, one complete with its own catch phrases and outfits and way of existing.

Clueless recently became available on the Tribeca Shortlist, the streaming service for and by movie lovers. In honor of that event, they decided to put together a small quiz to test how well you know the movie.

Make sure you remember how long it takes to get anywhere in Los Angeles and what kind of physical activity plastic surgeons don’t want one character experiencing.

You can test your answers against actors Dominic Monaghan, Jay Ellis, writer/actor Jill Kargman, director Ry Russo-Young, and the Foster sisters. Don’t worry if you come up short, just watch the movie again. Because right now, Cher Horowitz might not be the hero we deserve right now, but she’s the one we need.

Denver Roofer Offers Reefer To Drum Up Business

Terry Hacienda
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Denver Roofer Offers Reefer To Drum Up Business

A Denver roofer is making offer cannabis lovers can’t refuse: ‘Get a roof, get some weed!”

Masterpiece Roofing, which has an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau, admits the marketing campaign is a gimmick, but promises to make good on the offer. According to Masterpiece Roofing & Painting‘s Facebook video post:

“Denver’s #1 roofing company is offering YOU some free ‘grass’ with every roof that we install. We are taking roofing to the next level, ‘higher’ if you will.”

The company posted the video on Saturday and it has garnered more than 125,000 views so far.

Is this even legal? Not really. But here is how the company is skirting the state regulations, according to Westword:

Because the promotion gives away vouchers, it’s not violating state laws regarding unlicensed marijuana sales or promotional giveaways.

As of Wednesday, nobody has jumped on the offer, but the company is pleased with the social media buzz.

“It’s sure driven up the SEO to my website,” owner Rex “the Roofer” Corley told Westwood. “One of my competitors came up to me over the weekend and said he was going to get a new roof from me now.”

Corley says he is not a marijuana consumer, but he supports those who do. “I don’t smoke weed, but if someone chooses to do that, that’s fine. It’s just like drinking a cold beer. I don’t have that stigma attached to it that other businesses would,” Corley told Westwood. “I just wanted to be the first at this.”

 

What Is Marijuana’s Entourage Effect And Why Should You Care?

Project CBD
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What Is Marijuana’s Entourage Effect And Why Should You Care?

Most animal studies with cannabidiol utilize synthetic, single-molecule CBD produced by biochemical laboratories for research purposes. In contrast, whole plant extractions typically include CBD, THC, and more than 400 trace compounds. Many of these compounds interact synergistically to create what scientists refer to as an “entourage effect” that magnifies the therapeutic benefits of the plant’s individual components—so that the medicinal impact of the whole plant is greater than the sum of its parts.

It is important to consider the entourage effect (or lack thereof) when extrapolating data based on animal studies: 100 milligrams of synthetic single-molecule CBD is not equivalent to 100 milligrams of a CBD-rich whole plant cannabis extract.

“Cannabis is inherently polypharmaceutical,” Dr. John McPartland notes, “and synergy arises from interactions between its multiple components.”

Terpenes

Consider the role of terpenes, for example. Terpenes are volatile aromatic molecules that evaporate easily and readily announce themselves to the nose. Various researchers have emphasized the pharmacological importance of terpenes, or terpenoids, which form the basis of aromatherapy, a popular holistic healing modality. Marijuana’s compelling fragrance and particular psychoactive flavor are determined by the predominate terpenes in a strain.

Around 200 terpenes have been found in cannabis, but only a few of these odiferous oily substances appear in amounts substantial enough to be noteworthy, or nose worthy, as it were. Among them are monoterpenes, diterpenes, and sesquiterpenes, which are characterized by the number of repeating units of a 5-carbon molecule called isoprene, the structural hallmark of all terpenoid compounds. The terpenes in marijuana have given the plant an enduring, evolutionary advantage. Pungent terpenoid oils repel insects and animal grazers; others prevent fungus.

RELATED: Science Answers The Question: Why Does Marijuana Smell Like Lemon, Skunk And More

Terpenes, it turns out, are healthy for people as well as plants. A September 2011 report by Dr. Ethan Russo in the British Journal of Pharmacology discussed the wide-ranging therapeutic attributes of terpenoids, which are typically lacking in “CBD-only” products.

A Primer On The Science Of Cannabis Terpenes And Cannabinoids
Photo courtesy of Trail Blazin’

Beta-caryophyllene, for example, is a sesquiterpene found in the essential oil of black pepper, oregano, and other edible herbs, as well as in various cannabis strains and in many green, leafy vegetables. It is gastro-protective, good for treating certain ulcers, and offers great promise as a therapeutic compound for inflammatory conditions and auto-immune disorders because it binds directly to the peripheral cannabinoid receptor known as “CB2.”

RELATED: 8 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About CBD

In 2008, the Swiss scientist Jürg Gertsch documented beta-caryophyllene’s binding affinity for the CB2 receptor and described it as “a dietary cannabinoid.” It is the only terpenoid known to directly activate a cannabinoid receptor. And it’s one of the reasons why green, leafy vegetables are so healthy to eat.

Terpenoids and cannabinoids both increase blood flow, enhance cortical activity, and kill respiratory pathogens, including MRSA, the antibiotic-resistant bacteria that in recent years has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Americans. Dr. Russo’s article reports that cannabinoid-terpenoid interactions “could produce synergy with respect to treatment of pain, inflammation, depression, anxiety, addiction, epilepsy, cancer, fungal and bacterial infections.”

The terpenoid profile can vary considerably from strain to strain. Patients who abandon a suitable strain for one with higher THC and/or CBD content may not get more relief if the terpenoid profile is significantly different.

The nose knows: Choose a cannabis strain that smells good to you.

Gossip: Everyone Is Freaking Over Justin Trudeau’s ‘Rolling Stone’ Cover; People Are Discussing Four-Year-Old Prince George’s Sexuality

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Everyone Is Freaking Over Justin Trudeau’s ‘Rolling Stone’ Cover; People Are Discussing Four-Year-Old Prince George’s Sexuality

There isn’t a leader in the world who isn’t divisive, and that even includes Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, otherwise known as the internet’s dreamboat. Trudeau has a complicated record when it comes to his work on oil pipelines and with promises he made on the campaign trail to the First Nations people.

But right now, compared to Donald Trump, he seems like a fantasy dream man to many Americans. In a new profile, Rolling Stone asks, “Why can’t he be our president?”

People Are Discussing Four-Year-Old Prince George’s Sexuality

Last weekend photos hit the web of Prince George posing in a helicopter, and remarks made online went straight to how effeminate he looked.

When we initially heard that people had been commenting on Prince George’s (just four years-old) sexuality, our first thought was: ugh, just leave the kid alone, he’s a child! Why is this even a discussion? Let him grow up before you start trolling him at the very least.

But after seeing the tweets, (that mostly came from other gay men), you can quite easily read that they’re comments were either in jest, or complimentary.

Personally, we don’t think that the commenters meant any harm, and if anything, were probably just excited at the prospect of having a gay queen king.

But a number of people stepped forward to claim it made them feel “uncomfortable”. But is that discomfort their issue? Or that of the initial tweeters? It’s a tough call!!!

Love the fresh dirt we bring over daily from Naughty Gossip? Let us know in the comments!

The AP Puts The Kibosh On Stigmatizing Language Involving Drugs

Sheila P. Vakharia
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The AP Puts The Kibosh On Stigmatizing Language Involving Drugs

Earlier this year, the Associated Press announced over 200 changes to their Stylebook – including some guidance on how to write about addiction. Words like ‘addict’ and ‘abuser’ were to be avoided and replaced with more person-first and stigmatizing language. Many have lauded this move as a step in the right direction- to help increase compassion and understanding for people who struggle with their substance use.

However, it is apparent that not all publications are following suit and that a change in the language is not enough to shift our deeply-ingrained cultural stigma against people who use substances. We as a society still have clear ideas of who substance users are, what they are like, and whether they are worthy of dignity and respect, even though these are often inaccurate and misinformed. We don’t have to look far to find clear examples in our media that perpetuate these deep stigmas. Here are just two recent examples:

Last week, Mother Jones published a piece by Kevin Drum, which was likely intended to poke fun at the not-so-surprising (in his opinion) results of a recently published study on public attitudes towards policies impacting the homeless.

The study found that, despite supporting programs to help the homeless, many respondents also backed prohibitive policies which disproportionately impact the homeless such as bans on sleeping outdoors or panhandling. The researchers believe that these opposing feelings can be explained by the feeling of disgust – that the public may have compassion, but they also have a desire to maintain a distance from this population.

In Drum’s attempt to minimize the significance of the study’s findings, he wrote: “No kidding. About half the homeless suffer from a mental illness and a third abuse either alcohol or drugs. You’d be crazy not to have a reflexive disgust of a population like that. Is that really so hard to get?” Drum’s point being- of course people with mental illness and/or problems with substances are viewed as disgusting. Not a big deal.

The New York Times is another publication not yet ready to promote changes in word usage around addiction. Just this weekend they published a piece in their business section entitled, “The Lawyer, The Addict” in which a woman described how she spent the past several years trying to understand and put together the story of her ex-husband’s addiction after his tragic death. She wrote, “Peter, one of the most successful people I have ever known, died a drug addict, felled by a systemic bacterial infection common to intravenous users.”

The piece shifted between two main areas: one, her disbelief that someone like her ex-husband would use drugs or become addicted, and two, that problematic substance use is woefully unaddressed amongst legal professionals. While her second area of focus was an important one, my concerns lie with the assumptions embedded in her first.

Although it was apparent that she deeply cared about her ex-husband and saw him as a caring father, she struggled to see how he could also have developed an addiction. He didn’t fit the traditional narrative of a drug user she (and others) had been led to believe- he was a professional, a family man, and smart. Because of this, they never saw that he was a sensitive person working in a stressful environment who was burning out on the job and trying to find a way to cope with so many competing demands.

All of this is to say that media still has an important role to play in larger societal discourse and the choices they make can have real consequences- whether it’s a choice in language, phrasing, or even in deciding which stories to run and how to frame them. The two stories I highlighted above both reflect the same problem we have had in how we represent people who use substances- we have been taught to view them as outsiders and people from whom to maintain a distance, rather than people worthy of compassion and dignity. People like us.

Powerful Senate Committee Ties Sessions’ Hands

Tony Newman
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Powerful Senate Committee Ties Sessions’ Hands

Powerful Senate committee ties Session’s hands. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday voted by voice vote to approve an amendment that would block the Department of Justice from spending any funds to undermine state medical marijuana laws.

The amendment – led by Senator Leahy (D-VT) – is a striking rebuke of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had personally requested that Congress eliminate the amendment and allow him to prosecute medical marijuana providers and patients. The amendment passed with strong Republican support, a sign that Sessions is isolated politically as rumors of a crackdown on marijuana businesses abound.

“The Senate is sending a clear message to Jeff Sessions – keep your hands off states that have reformed their marijuana laws,” said Michael Collins, Deputy Director of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of National Affairs. “Today’s vote is a huge win for the marijuana reform movement, because in the face of real pressure from the Department of Justice, the Senate has opted to block Jeff Sessions from interfering with any medical marijuana law.”

The amendment still has to make the final appropriations bill, but it has been added to the final government funding bill each year since 2014. The amendment is currently in effect after being signed into law this year, despite only receiving a vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee. The amendment – also known as Rohrabacher-Farr – has also been litigated in court with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that, while the amendment is in effect, DOJ cannot prosecute individuals who follow state law on medical marijuana. Currently, 29 states have full medical marijuana laws.

The vote comes one day after the Department of Justice announced that the Attorney General would implement DOJ task force recommendations on a rolling basis. It is expected that one of the task forces will develop guidance on how DOJ will deal with states that have legalized marijuana.

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