A vast majority of America’s police officers are in favor of easing marijuana laws, according to a wide-ranging Pew Research Center survey released on Wednesday.
The national survey, titled of nearly 8,000 policemen and women from departments with at least 100 officers, revealed that 32 percent say marijuana should be legal for all adult use and 37 percent say it should be legal for medical use. Only 30 percent said that marijuana should remain illegal.
However, a larger share of the public than police favor legalization of marijuana for personal and medical use (49 percent vs. 32 percent). And more than eight-in-10 Americans support either legalizing marijuana (49 percent) or allowing only medical use of the drug (35 percent).
Other findings in the study show:
Police are twice as likely as all adults to favor an outright ban on the drug (30%).
As with younger adults generally, officers younger than 35 are more likely than those ages 50 to 60 to favor permitting personal and medical use of marijuana (37% vs. 27%). Among the public, a majority of adults (63%) under the age of 45 favor legalization.
Diane Goldstein, retired Lieutenant Commander for the Redondo Beach Police Department and a board member for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) , said the poll was in line with what her group has seen in recent years.
“Law enforcement continues to represent an outlier view on this issue because police are trained with outdated, unscientific, drug-war-oriented materials. But the poll reflects a positive attitude shift when you see that it’s only 1 in 3 police officers who believe marijuana should remain illegal.”
The survey also showed that officers do not believe their departments are adequately staffed. More than eight-in-ten officers (86 percent) say their department does not have enough police to adequately patrol their community.
One may to resolve the workload, Goldstein suggests, is to focus on more onerous crimes. “Police have more important crimes to fight than dealing marijuana infractions. I think this study makes that crystal clear,” she said.
The survey focused on law enforcement officers’ relationship with its community and race issues. As the authors of the survey write: “It comes at a crisis point in America’s relationship with the men and women who enforce its laws, precipitated by a series of deaths of black Americans during encounters with the police that have energized a vigorous national debate over police conduct and methods.”
What to make of Jeff Sessions as the nation’s next Attorney General? Well, first, if you oppose his nomination: Take a deep breath. He is going to be confirmed; he is going to be Attorney General. It’s fantasy to think Sessions’ nomination will be derailed.
Once you’ve achieved acceptance, it’s important to think about what he will be like as Attorney General. There is no doubt he will be a staunch opponent of immigration reform, work hard to deport as many undocumented individuals as possible, try to OK every abortion restriction the Congress can get passed, and make conservative orthodoxy mainstream in the Department of Justice.
But what will he do with marijuana policy? This issue is a tricky one because he has spent a career as a fierce drug warrior. However, after a question from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) about enforcement of CBD oil in states that have reformed their laws, Sessions responded:
“I won’t commit to never enforcing federal law, Senator Leahy. But absolutely it’s a problem of resources for the federal government. The Department of Justice under Lynch and Holder set forth some policies that they thought were appropriate to define what cases should be prosecuted in states that have legalized at least in some fashion some parts of marijuana. I think some of them are truly valuable in evaluating cases but fundamentally, the criticism I think that was legitimate is that they may not have been followed. Using good judgment about how to handle these cases will be a responsibility of mine.”
So, what does this mean? It’s a tap dance for sure. But it suggests that as Attorney General, Jeff Sessions knows that accounting is as important as enforcement. The Justice Department has an annual budget of over $27 billion — a ton of money, for sure. But it gets spent fast.
Jeff Sessions knows this. Every US government administrator — from the manager of a small division of a bureau to a cabinet secretary — has to make choices about how to spend funds. For an Attorney General, that means making hard choices about where, when, and to what extent to enforce laws. Prosecutors cut plea deals not only because they guarantee convictions, but because they also save money. Law enforcement officials make choices like these everyday, and Jeff Sessions will have to do the same.
On marijuana, Sessions faces choices. He can crack down on government officials, companies, investors, working within regulated industries in the states that have reformed marijuana laws. That’s low hanging fruit. It’s easy to know who these people are, where they are operating and the extent of their violations of federal law — because they are doing it in the open.
However, Sessions will be reminded constantly that every dollar he uses to shut down a legal recreational dispensary in Denver or raid a medical marijuana grower in San Francisco or arrest a cancer patient in Boston, is one less dollar he can spend on cracking down on illegal international marijuana supply networks; distributors of fentanyl; peddlers of heroin or other black market, unregulated sources of the world’s most dangerous drugs.
For an Alabama Senator, it is easy to group a state-legal, regulated marijuana operator, doling out bud in Seattle with a black market smuggler of fentanyl, nervously overseeing a shipping container crossing the Pacific. However, as Attorney General, it’s not that easy.
Sessions’ testimony blends a commitment to the rule of law with a pragmatic approach to governing — something geeks like me at the Brookings Institution call “enforcement discretion.” He was clear that he didn’t think the Holder/Lynch policies (likely meaning the Cole & Ogden Memos) were wrong. In fact, he called them “truly valuable.” His concern was that the DOJ hasn’t been faithful to those policies — something few would disagree with.
This is not to say Jeff Sessions will be a warrior for the status quo — what I call the “Obama Doctrine on Marijuana.” But, he’s not the marijuana industry’s angel of death either. Yes, he will join hands with the soon-to-be-named DEA chief and drug czar, at the pulpit of conservative government, and preach the gospels of prohibition. Yes, you’ll probably see some state-level crackdowns, as well.
But, as Marijuana Majority’s Tom Angell has pointed out, on marijuana, Sessions sounded a lot like Loretta Lynch did in her confirmation hearing. And if Attorney General Sessions behaves more like Loretta Lynch and Eric Holder than … well … Senator Sessions, the marijuana industry, its consumers and patients will breathe a sigh of relief.
John Hudak is deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Management and a senior fellow in Governance Studies. Hudak is also the author of Marijuana: A Short History, which offers a unique, up-to-date profile of how cannabis emerged from the shadows of counterculture and illegality to become a serious, even mainstream, public policy issue and source of legal revenue for both businesses and governments.
After hearing the news that possession of up to 25 grams won’t lead to an arrest in New York, Pete Davidson lead a mob of stoners to their newfound freedom on the streets of NYC.
It’s no secret that “Saturday Night Live” stays on top of the cultural pulse. What do they have to say about cannabis culture? Here are 10 times SNL was super silly — and sometimes a little serious — about marijuana legalization and smoker life.
Marijuana Policy’s Bright New Day
After hearing the news that possession of up to 25 grams won’t lead to an arrest in New York, Pete Davidson — who recently said that he uses marijuana to treat Crohn’s disease — leads a mob of stoners to their newfound freedom on the streets of NYC. At least, until they try to light up in public, and the cops shut them down. Considering marijuana is still a Schedule I drug in the DEA’s eyes, it might be a while before we enjoy that kind of freedom. In the meantime, enjoy a drug-rug wearing Woody Harrelson standing on a car in triumph.
Getting Your Vagina High
This Weekend Update from February 2016 included Michael Che announcing that a new marijuana-based vaginal suppository could help ease menstrual pain. He doesn’t make it through the punchline without getting the giggles. Read how we tried to get our vaginas high, here.
Bieber’s Hilarious Apology
The Biebs got caught on camera smoking in a Newport Beach hotel in 2013, stirring up a ridiculous controversy about how he was influencing his young fans. SNL turned out to be the perfect outlet for getting this issue out in the open, as he kinda-sorta apologizes in-character as a Miley Cyrus megafan.
Doctor Weed
This throwback to 1997 is still so great today. It was right after California made medical marijuana legal with Proposition 215, and opponents were no doubt imagining a world where Kevin Spacey’s weed-happy doctor would become a reality. They end with a PSA about saying no to medically prescribe marijuana, and keeping weed “on the streets where it belongs.” Genius.
“Deliver the pizzas”
Seth Myers nails in with this hot mess of a story about a drug bust on a pizza restaurant. Follow the pizza. Or don’t, and let the stoners live their happy lives.
Time Out For A Haiku
Keenan Thompson delivers an eloquent haiku for the class, titled “Where my weed at?”
What About The Babies?
Kate McKinnon and Drake take on an anti-marijuana Nancy Grace, played by Noel Wells. McKinnon’s bake shop owner goes hilariously into detail about her bakery’s newfound niche, and Drake’s Kat Williams is spot-on.
The Mellow Show
Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews, played by Adam Samberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, sit and chat a while for “The Mellow Show.” Have you seen their gecko? He can roll AND smoke doobies.
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Margot Robbie’s Fashion Statement
The Suicide Squad and Wolf of Wall Street actor knows how to turn heads, but on this SNL cold open, she appeared in a dress with bold detailing: Marijuana leaves. As Fashionista reports, the dress is one of Alexander Wang’s cannabis-inspired fall 2016 floral lace numbers.
What could trump a cheese latte in the realm of weird food trends? How about mushroom coffee? All we need now is ham espresso and we’ve got ourselves a Denver omelette, amiright?
Mushroom coffee, which isn’t actually coffee at all, is shaping up to be the new health drink of 2017. We first heard about the suspect elixir last year, but it seems to be gaining traction. Tis the season for diet formulas.
Four Sigmatic has come up with a powder made from dried mushrooms that gives you the brain energy of coffee without the jitters and addiction. Each serving contains about half the caffeine of a regular cup of drip. There’s also mushroom hot cocoa.
Using antioxidant-rich mushrooms in common foods is nothing new. There’s a tasty raw chocolate made from a mixture of superfoods, including a potent raw mushroom blend, which you can’t even taste.
As for Four Sigmatic, people seem to be eating it up.
@FourSigmatic Mushroom Coffee is unbelievable! Highly recommend to anyone looking for enhanced cognitive ability. #timeferrisseffect
Back in August, Business Insider did a taste-test and said the mushroom powder tastes better than instant coffee, especially when a little creamer is added. On the downside, they found the mushroom coffee to taste completely different than actual coffee, and not in a good way.
Now, for the obligatory mushroom joke:
What do you call your male co-worker who drinks mushroom coffee every morning?
Eugen Merher, a student at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany, created this spec spot for Adidas running shoes. It manages to make us laugh and cry, in a matter of 110 seconds.
In the ad, an elderly man reflects on his days as a marathon runner from inside the drab confines of a retirement home. While his neighbors water the television and dance alone, he dreams of his glory days and running races. Younger people dash past his window. Why can’t he be free? The staff at the home refuse to let him run, even after multiple attempts at getting laced up and out the door. What kind of abusive retirement community is this?
After months of watching him sulk, those kooky neighbors of his come to the rescue, handing his shoes and running shorts over and forming a cheering section so he can break to freedom. The end is beautiful and victorious, and we dare you not to get the warm fuzzies over it. Next, maybe our hero will be ready to take on one of 2017’s gnarliest obstacle course races. Once he’s broken free, the world is his sneaker shaped oyster.
Adidas apparently didn’t agree, however: “We tried sending it to [Adidas’] communications department but they didn’t really react,” Merher told The Huffington Post. Their loss!
Despite the fact that Congress has taken it upon itself to ensure that District of Columbia cannot establish a retail marijuana market, one local lawmaker has thrown caution to the wind by introducing a piece of legislation intended to allow the District to start selling marijuana.
Councilmember David Grosso submitted a bill (Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Act of 2017) to the D.C. Council on Tuesday aimed at creating a taxed and regulated cannabis market that would give people the freedom to buy weed in a manner similar to beer.
This is the first attempt to legalize retail marijuana sales since Congress approved a rider a few years ago that prevents the city from using federal funds to enact legislation of this kind.
“It would be a violation of federal law to move this bill forward,” Grosso told The DCist. “But I believe, quite passionately, that is what is called for in the District of Columbia when our rights are trampled on a regular basis.”
Although a 2014 ballot measure known as Initiative 71 made it legal for DC residents to cultivate, possess and give away marijuana without suffering the wrath of a law enforcement shakedown, the directive did not come with a provision that allows weed to be sold in the same way they are currently doing in states like Colorado and Washington.
But before DC lawmakers could step in and pass legislation in favor of creating a retail cannabis trade, Congress, at the request of Maryland Representative Andy Harris, passed a pesky amendment tucked inside a federal spending bill that has continued to prevent the city from so much as even considering legal pot sales in the backyard of the White House.
After three years of sandbagging, however, Grosso believes the time has come for the District to stand up to the bullies on Capitol Hill.
“D.C. has spoken when it comes to marijuana policy and it’s our obligation as the city’s elected leaders to carry out the will of the people,” he said. “I think we ought to go ahead and violate the federal law.”
Unfortunately, while other lawmakers in the DC Council are fully prepared to go up against Congress this year in an effort to bring legal marijuana sales to the District, city officials, specifically Attorney General Karl Racine and Mayor Muriel Bowser, are reportedly less than enthusiastic about fighting federal lawmakers on the issue.
Grosso says this apprehensiveness could be problematic, since it is going to take a unified effort in order to get Congress to back down.
If the Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Act can somehow find its way out of the cracks of legislative purgatory, the DC pot market could be worth an estimated $94 million by the year 2020, according to a recent report from ArcView Market Research and New Frontier. Other projections claim the haul could be much more significant, suggesting the District could see $130 million a year from the sale of marijuana.
In the 20 years since California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis, the pressing question in the political debate has obviously been Is weed good for human health? But there is another practical consideration that might even be more likely to get legislators and the public to take notice: Could legal medical marijuana also be good for our economic health?
A new study from the University of Georgia has run the numbers, and its conclusion is a resounding yes.
Using Medicare figures from 2013, when 17 states plus the District of Columbia had provisions for medical marijuana, researchers found that patients switching from prescription pharmaceuticals to medical pot saved the program an estimated $165 million. If all 50 states legalized medical cannabis, the report projected a savings of $468 billion—about 0.5 percent of total prescription drug spending by Medicare Part D.
The news gets even better: Since Medicare Part D coverage is limited almost entirely to seniors, the demographic most resistant to marijuana in any context, the actual savings could be higher.
The goal of the study was to approach the medical marijuana debate from a novel angle. Says study co-author W. David Bradford, a professor of public policy at the UGA, “We realized this question was an important one that nobody had yet attacked.”
Nevertheless, the study provides indirect evidence of public opinion on medical marijuana laws. “The results suggest people are really using marijuana as medicine and not just using it for recreational purposes,” says lead author Ashley Bradford. In other words, they see dispensaries as providing a medical service and not as a backdoor to complete legalization.
To reach their conclusion, Bradford’s team sifted through 87 million data points, winnowing them down to concentrate on nine categories with at least one FDA-approved cannabinoid treatment: anxiety, depression, glaucoma, nausea, pain, psychosis, seizures, sleep disorders, and spasticity.
The same UGA team is planning to look next at Medicaid, which serves a more diverse population.
You’ve probably heard it all — but I’m hoping you haven’t heard this. As The Fresh Toast’s sex columnist, if I really had to distill my top tips for you to improve your sex life — stat — these would have to be the five ideas I suggest you try first. They work for me, every time — hopefully they work for you too!
Maybe you already have one, in which case, good job. But if you’re still using that Pocket Rocket, it’s time to join the modern era and invest in a high-quality sex toy. If you have a vagina or sleep with vaginas, my top suggestions are either the LELO LILY2 (great for clitoral stimulation during penetrative sex, or on its own), or The Womanizer (an innovative new toy that simulates oral sex for those of us with clitorises, and gives a great show. If you’re a penis-owner who wants a toy of his own, there’s plenty out there for you too! Try the unfortunately-named Hot Octopus Pulse II, or enjoya couple’s toy, like the classic WeVibe.
You can read more of my tips for high sex in a different column, but I think this one is the tops. Get high, and decide on a limit — like being able to do anything but kiss, or touch each others’ genitals, and go at it until one person “loses” and the winner gets to decide their (consensual) prize. The tease will get both of you hot and giggly.
If you think you look bad, all the more reason to create some good candle-lighting and overcome that noise! Watching yourself have sex with someone is arousing, and it will get you both off. I promise. We are visual creatures.
If you think it’s too intense to ask a partner about a fantasy they’ve been having that might involve someone else, try asking them to recount a past romp they had before they met you the next time you’re getting down. Hearing about them having sex with someone else might hurt a little — but it will hurt in a good way, so long as you promise not to use any of it against them in a fight someday. Start off with someone safe, like an ex you know you won’t be jealous of, or having them recount a one-night stand, and work your way up from there. Soon, you might be able to even hear their fantasies about that hottie at the party they were flirting with — or even feel open to inviting them home!
Set some mellow lighting and music, get high, and cuddle. Extend the conversational foreplay as long as you can, and only mess around when you really can’t stand not to any longer. Take it slow, focus on your breath, and make sure to start early enough in the night that you know you have hours and hours in front of you. It will feel downright luxurious just to make date night about being each other’s best friends and lovers.
We just completed the amuse-bouche of 2017 and resolutions are already dropping like flies. While you might have already slipped up on a few of your 2017 goals it isn’t too late to rein it in and make 2017 the year of a fitter healthier you.
Here are three things you can do this year to move your fitness journey forward by leaps and bounds, and the third one is a game changer.
If I could do only one exercise for the rest of my life it would be squats. Weighted, unweighted, balet, high bar, low bar, box, front, back or overhead. You can’t go wrong. I know “functional” is quite the buzzword these days, but in this context we are talking about movements that are built right into our DNA.
Whether you are three years old or 93, everybody squats. Maybe it is just to get up and down off the toilet, but we have to squat. Squats promote mobility, balance, coordination, and these benefits translate into more efficient movement in the real world. And if none of that motivates you, squats are one of the best ways to get a nicer butt.
I hope you are sitting down because you are about to get some tough news. If you don’t drink water you will die. Actually you are going to die anyway, but if you don’t drink water you will die a whole lot sooner. Water is truly one of the best things you can do for your body. Your muscles are composed of 75 percent water. Dehydration can lead to weakness, fatigue, dizziness, and electrolyte imbalance. And don’t let the word dehydration fool you into a false sense of security. The moment you have the sensation of being thirsty you are mildly dehydrated. Thirsty signals two percent dehydration, and cognition, coordination, and will power can all be adversely affected at this stage. Avoid this trap, and drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. If you weigh 180# pounds, you should be drinking at least 90 ounces of water.
Get more sleep. And if you are like most people you should be getting a LOT more. At least eight hours. Sleep is one of our most essential internal rhythms. Muscular health, immune health, hormone levels, brain function, and even sex drive are all connected to how much sleep we get. It isn’t just old folks and babies that need a lot of sleep. We all do. You may feel like you are still crushing it with 5 hours of sleep and a couple of Red Bulls, but I promise you that your productivity, wellness, and longevity will all be increased by getting more sleep.
Have you ever memed before? Have you ever been memed? It’s a weird feeling, those big, blocky white letters covering your face or directed your way. Perhaps someone placed the Crying Jordan meme atop a loved one’s visage; maybe that “someone” was you, meme-ing an uncle after your younger generation squad finally won in the holiday football game.
Whatever your stance, memes are an reality-blurringundeniable aspect of culture, a specific brand of culture. Hold that thought.
Donald Glover won two Golden Globes Sunday night. As creator/director/writer/actor in FX’s reality-blurring Atlanta, Glover was on stage to receive awards for Best Television Series—Comedy or Musical and Best Television Actor—Comedy or Musical. During his show’s acceptance speech for the former, Glover took time to thank Migos, who appear in an episode. But that’s not why Glover was shouting them out. He was just appreciative they made “Bad and Boujee.”
Reporters asked Glover to clarify his comments later backstage. Some had never heard of these Migos or their record “Bad and Boujee.” Why shout them out?
“I think they’re the Beatles of this generation and they don’t get a lot of respect,” he said, hinting at a long-gestating internet argument/troll. “Sort of like the YouTube generation I kind of came up with, there’s a generation of kids that are growing up on something that’s completely separate from a whole group of people—and honestly, that song’s just fly. There’s no better song to have sex to.”
That “Bad and Boujee” would end here wasn’t a foregone conclusion, but it isn’t all that surprising. The track is a firestorm of catchiness and catch phrases, attributes of any great Migos song. From its first moody guitar strum, it throws you into a tidal wave of hype that only swells throughout the record. It signals youthful anarchy through cooled condescension: My life’s better than yours, I can afford whatever I want, but I still eat Cup of Noodles. Who cares if you care?
It’s the Kardashian-Jenners eating Popeye’s in their PJs but, you know, genuine and fresh.
https://www.instagram.com/p/2rnaVrnGk2/
Not only do you love the song, you love to love this song. It excites you and everyone around you instantaneously. A drug in audio form. Just watch this crowd in Nigeria lose their mind and spirits when Migos performs “Bad and Boujee.”
Part of the success and bigness of that record—its own merit well-established—must be attributed to memes. Nothing spreads faster and transforms the meaning of art like memes. They create this sense of instant memories, imbuing well-worn nostalgia into songs and moments not even weeks old. But within an always-accelerating culture, days are months and weeks are years. So when a meme-generating track like “Bad and Boujee” plays, you’re not only celebrating the song, you’re reveling in reliving these mini digital moments you previously experienced, too.
This type of joy can compound infinitely. Such was evidenced by Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles,” the unofficial anthem of last year’s Mannequin Challenge. Before its attachment to the challenge, it was just an underground hit. Then it blew up. What’s perhaps surprising to learn is that pairing “Black Beatles” to the Mannequin was such a concerted effort behind the scenes by Interscope, Rae Sremmurd’s label, and Pizzaslime, a music blog/branding power.
“[It] was really just a vessel for people to hear the music for the first time,” Interscope’s Gunner Safron said. “I think a lot of our technique is really just trying to find content and build content around the music that’s shareable, which then gives people a chance to discover on their own.”
A significant part of music culture now is the ability to participate with your favorite artist as they release projects. It’s remix culture on steroids. Think of how Kanye’s Life of Pablo album cover became a meme, fans writing their own all-caps versions, usually instructing Ye to release the album. It solidified as meme thanks in part to Kanye joining, playfully blaming Chance for Life of Pablo’s delay. Kanye memed himself. (Whenever someone claims Kanye needs to be “more humble,” remember he’s one of our most self-deprecating artists.)
No one actively feeds meme culture like Drake. His “Hotline Bling” music video capitalized on the power of internet parody artists long before others understood their voracious hunger. His “Hotline Bling” music video, especially in retrospect, seems specifically crafted to pull GIFs, meme, screenshot, and share in various ways. Drake either realized, or stumbled into the idea, that these people weren’t discrediting or truly making fun of him. (Okay maybe a bit.) But what really happens is everyone feels part of the moment, something they can reference and remember forever.
As Safron said, it’s a “vessel.” None of this would matter if the art itself couldn’t withstand the scrutiny. Artists and labels will chase creating those moments for fans, if they haven’t already. This will become the new marketing—people becoming commercials for content without ever realizing it. Though that’s a cynical thought, we do, after all, live in an era where people call themselves brands instead of human beings.
The national survey, titled of nearly 8,000 policemen and women from departments with at least 100 officers, revealed that 32 percent say marijuana should be legal for all adult use and 37 percent say it should be legal for medical use. Only 30 percent said that marijuana should remain illegal.
