Marc Fogel pleaded guilty to smuggling, storing, transporting, manufacturing and processing narcotic drugs and was sentenced to serve his prison term at a maximum-security penal colony.
A Russian court has sentenced a former U.S. diplomat to 14 years in prison for “large-scale” cannabis smuggling.
Marc Fogel had previously worked at the U.S. embassy in Moscow, but was employed as an English teacher at the Anglo-American School in Moscow at the time of his arrest in August 2021.
“The American citizen Fogel has been found guilty,” a court in the Moscow suburb of Khimki announced in a statement. A news release said Fogel committed “large-scale drugs smuggling, large-scale illegal storage of drugs without a commercial purpose.”
Fogel was sentenced in the same jurisdiction that is hearing the case against WNBA superstar Brittney Griner whose pre-trial detention was recently extended. Griner was detained in February entering Russia for allegedly having vape cartridges with hash oil in her luggage.
From Diplomat To English Teacher To Penal Colony
As part of the investigation, Russian police released footage of searches conducted by investigators at the now closed school in Moscow.
The U.S. Embassy did not elaborate on Fogel’s case or on his diplomatic status, which he may have held, in that he was a staff member at the school when he was arrested. The school was previously run by the U.S. embassy.
Fogel, who is in his 60s, argued that a doctor recommended cannabis to him for treating pain after spinal surgery and that he was not aware that medical marijuana was illegal in Russia.
“He insists that it was medical marijuana and claims that a doctor prescribed it to him in the United States, which is allegedly confirmed by an entry in the medical record,” Alexander Khurudzhi, a member of a Moscow human rights committee, reported CBS News.
According to Russia’s Interfax news agency, Fogel pleaded guilty to smuggling, storing, transporting, manufacturing and processing narcotic drugs and was sentenced to serve his prison term at a maximum-security penal colony.
In addition to Griner, several Americans are detained in Russian prisons, and vice versa.
In April, the United States exchanged former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, sentenced by a Russian court to nine years in prison for violence, for a Russian pilot who had been in a U.S. jail since 2010.
Due to the spread of Monkeypox, the CDC is issuing some protective guidelines for sex to prevent more people from catching the virus.
It’s that time of the year again, when the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues some weird sex guidelines related to a viral disease.
Due to the spread of Monkeypox, the CDC has issued a list of safe activities for sexually active people to participate in.
The list recommends for sexually active patients with Monkeypox to avoid kissing, proposing they have sex with their clothes on or while “covering areas where rash or sores are present.”
Patients are advised to wash “hands, fetish gear, sex toys and any fabrics” after having sex. The guideline also suggests sexual activities like for patients “masturbate together at a distance of at least 6 feet.”
According to the CDC, there are over 2,000 cases of Monkeypox in over 32 countries around the world — not a large number. Still, the CDC is being extra careful with its precautions.
There’s been a lot of discussion regarding Monkeypox and sexual transmission, particularly for gay men, who have reported catching the disease with more frequency. But Monkeypox is not an STD. The disease is transmitted through close contact with people, with skin-to-skin contact. The CDC states that the most common way of contracting it is by people interacting with each other’s sores and scabs or by wearing clothes that were worn by someone who was infected.
First and foremost, the CDC recommends avoiding sex if sporting sores or rashes and getting these diagnosed. If adults are going to adult, the organization then provides a list with a thorough breakdown of possible activities and ways of preventing the spread of the disease when having sex.
The new CDC list is reminiscent of the guidelines that they issued at the start of the Covid pandemic, warning people to avoid kissing, encouraging masturbation, and proposing they wear face masks while having sex. Logically, these rules make sense, but they never stop being weird.
While the legislation is mostly focused on ensuring more rigorous marijuana testing, it also addresses the number of cannabis dispensaries in the state.
A bill advancing through the Arizona legislature will ensure that cannabis customers are getting what they paid for, reported Phoenix New Times.
House Bill 2050 would require the Department of Health Services to collaborate with an outside laboratory to check whether medical and recreational dispensaries are selling what they claim.
The measure, sponsored by Phoenix Republican Rep. Justin Wilmeth, passed earlier this week on a 25-2 margin, requires the DHS to grant nonprofit medical dispensary licenses in counties where dispensaries are more than 25 miles apart.
While the legislation is mostly focused on ensuring more rigorous marijuana testing, it also addresses the number of cannabis dispensaries in the state.
Sen. David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista said voters wanted to see dispensaries in each of Arizona’s 15 counties when MMJ was first approved in back in 2010. A 2019 law sought to ensure that by directing the health department to issue new licenses in any county that didn’t have one.
Arizona & Cannabis Legalization Efforts
In the meantime, results of a recent poll demonstrate a promising shift in opinion on federal cannabis reform in the Grand Canyon state.
The survey, conducted by Change Research, found that nearly 70% of registered voters in Arizona, as well as Utah and West Virginia support federal cannabis legalization and want their senators to vote in favor of federal reform this year.
A majority of Arizona voters voted “yes” for recreational cannabis and approved Proposition 207 in 2020 as part of the five-state green wave that occurred in last November’s elections. Since then, the state has stood out from the pack by quickly implementing and launching its adult-use market in February 2021.
Thailand decriminalized marijuana earlier this month. What does this mean for the country’s weed tourism?
Earlier this month, Thailand became the first Asian country to decriminalize marijuana. The news is huge and has prompted many to consider adding a new location to their cannabis travel map.
Still, there are a few things to keep in mind as a weed enthusiast considering a trip to Thailand.
In 2018, Thailand legalized the medical use of cannabis. In January of this year, it legalized home growing, even gifting a million cannabis plants to residents in order to encourage their home growth. For tourists, the topic is more complicated.
While decriminalization generally implies that people will no longer face penalties for something, when it comes to cannabis use in Thailand, the issue is much more complex.
Like Thai residents, tourists are allowed to use cannabis if it has a medicinal purpose. They’re also allowed to purchase cannabis-infused products in cafes and restaurants, as long as these have a THC content of under 0.2%. When it comes to smoking weed for fun, the Thai government has made it clear that recreational use remains illegal.
Thailand health minister Anutin Charnviraku spoke with CNN and clarified that cannabis could only be used with a medicinal intent. When discussing recreational cannabis, he said, “Don’t come. We don’t welcome you if you just come to this country for that purpose.”
People caught smoking for recreational uses will have to pay fines of up to $800 and could face up to three months in jail. Still, authorities state that cannabis possession won’t result in imprisonment, but it should be something that tourists keep in mind if wanting to travel there.
Despite the government’s stance on marijuana, there are still ways in which medicinal cannabis could produce revenue for Thailand. The country is a hotspot for wellness and medical tourism, meaning that it could reap the benefits of medicinal cannabis on a national and international level.
Not everyone can or prefers to smoke cannabis — not to mention that smoking or combusting cannabis is really not healthy.
Consuming edibles is often tricky, especially when you have no idea what your body can tolerate. We have different bodies; the way you react to a specific dose of cannabis edible may not be the way the next person does. Body chemistry is unique, and so many factors react with it to determine the intensity of an edible session.
Edibles could make you go from “Oh god, this isn’t working, let me have some more” to a delirious “I think I’ve had too much, where’s my head”? In recent times, the search for fast-acting weed edibles has intensified, whereas a better option could be learning how to hasten the effects of the edibles. Ironically, it’s entirely possible to get an edible labeled “fast action” and still experience the usual delay.
In all honesty, it’s almost impossible to determine whether or not an edible would react quickly in an individual on the first trial. People are instead encouraged to find a variety that does take as much time to induce the high as possible. Get prepared to learn about the various ways to hasten and intensify a high from cannabis edibles as we go along this trip together.
The Art of Eating Edibles
When edibles are consumed, the food material, as well as the cannabis, has to be digested and broken down in the stomach before the cannabinoids can make their way into the bloodstream. This is unlike smoking and vaping, when the inhaled smoke or vapor moves from the lungs and delivers the cannabinoids into the bloodstream immediately, causing the user to feel the buzzing effects of weed in less than 10 minutes.
If you’re new to edibles, here are the factors that determine how long it takes an edible to be broken down and metabolized.
Tolerance
Tolerance describes the amount of cannabinoids the body is used to. If you are a regular weed user, a certain amount of cannabinoid may not be sufficient to induce an effect. For example, if you consume about 7 mg of edibles regularly, at a point, it might not give you the expected strong results. However, if you rarely smoke or vape, that same quantity may seem more than enough.
Basically, you may need to ingest more than the usual quantity to feel a strong effect.
Type of Edible
Some edibles kick in faster than others. Edibles such as infused beverages, baked goods, and gummies take about 50 to 60 minutes to hit. In contrast, sublingual edibles like lozenges, lollipops, or mint strips kick in within 15 to 30 minutes, as the cannabinoids are delivered directly into the bloodstream.
Metabolism and Body Weight
At the end of the day, the delivery rate is mainly dependent on the user’s rate of metabolism and body weight. This determines how long it takes for the edibles ti kick in, how long the buzz would last, and how intense it would be.
Photo by SageElyse/Getty Images
Tricks to Make Edibles Kick in Faster
We’ve come a long way from when you had to wait for an hour or two for your edibles to kick in. With these options, you can hasten up the onset of cannabinoid effects.
While this method results in a hastened onset of the buzz, the effects will fade faster than regular edibles. This is because these sublingual edibles aren’t fat-based.
Consider Infused Drinks
Cannabis- Infused beverages and other drinkables go through the normal digestive system cycle. However, drinks are less bulky and move faster through the route, causing the cannabinoids to be delivered earlier.
You can make your infused drinks with beverages and juices, or you could purchase premade products. Either of these works and is guaranteed to get you high faster than usual edibles.
Take Edibles on an Empty Stomach
This is one of the surest tricks to make an edible hit faster. When you consume edibles alone on an empty stomach, your digestive system has no choice but to process them. When your stomach and digestive tract is filled with food, your body has to process all the food first. There’s no way to modify the digestive process; you have to wait.
As good as this trick is, it’s best practiced by experienced smokers. If you’re a novice cannabis lover with little or no experience, you may be putting yourself at a disadvantage by doing this.
It would be best if you had more than the calories from a dose of edibles to handle the expected high. Rather than enjoy the buzz, you may be left with an unpleasant experience. This is the same regardless of the method of consumption. So, if you’re a regular cannabis user, the best time to consume a THC edible is when you’re hungry. When your body asks for food, you settle it with edibles, i.e., food and some cannabinoids.
Take a Tolerance Break
Try to take a brief break away from consuming cannabis. It could be for a day, weeks, or even a month. The next time you take an edible after this break, expect the effects to kick in faster and feel more intense.
Bottom Line
Edibles for medical purposes are getting more popular by the day. Not everyone can or prefers to smoke cannabis — not to mention that smoking or combusting cannabis is really not healthy.
Gone are the days when edible lovers have to accept the status quo of waiting for one or more hours as unchangeable. Sure, that’s how edibles work, but still, you can improve the products or hasten their effects with the above tips without compromising the amount of time you’ll remain noticeably high.
“The solutions to this situation are beyond obvious at this point, and they don’t involve law enforcement officers putting themselves at risk by dropping out of helicopters or conducting armed raids.”
Federal law enforcement agents and their partners seized over 5.5 million cultivated marijuana plants and made more than 6,600 marijuana-related arrests in 2021, according to annual data compiled by the DEA, reported the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).
According to figures published in the DEA’s Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program Statistical Report, agents and their partners confiscated approximately 5.53 million cultivated cannabis plants last year — a 20% increase over 2020’s totals. Law enforcement also reported making 6,606 marijuana-related arrests, a 25% increase over the prior year’s totals (when agents reported 4,992 arrests).
The totals are the highest reported by the agency since 2011 when it made an estimated 8,500 weed-related arrests and seized some 6.7 million plants via its domestic eradication program. Since that time, annual arrests have generally trended below 6,000 per year, while cannabis seizures fell to an all-time low in 2018 (when an estimated 2.8 million plants were confiscated).
Commenting on the data, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “At a time when the overwhelming majority of voters support legalization, and when more and more states — and even members of Congress — are moving toward this direction, it is troubling to see federal agents and their local partners reversing course and reinvigorating their marijuana-related enforcement activities.”
NORML’s Political Director Morgan Fox added: “The fact that these interdiction efforts are growing — at great cost to the taxpayer — despite increasing momentum for legalization is a testament to the failure of federal prohibition and unnecessarily burdensome state regulatory policies.”
An Opportunity For Policy-Makers
Fox explained that the lack of access to banking services and capital, high barriers to entry into legal cannabis markets, and exorbitant tax rates at all levels of government is clearly hampering the ability of licensed cannabis businesses to compete with the unregulated market.
“The solutions to this situation are beyond obvious at this point, and they don’t involve law enforcement officers putting themselves at risk by dropping out of helicopters or conducting armed raids. It is incumbent on policymakers to pursue evidenced-based, market-oriented, and justice-focused policies to minimize unregulated cannabis activity,” Fox said in a press release.
“Federal agents and their local partners also reported seizing $103 million in assets in 2021 as part of the program — more than double the amount seized in 2020. As in past years, the overwhelming percentage of plant seizures (86%) and arrests (60%) nationwide took place in California. Law enforcement also reported confiscating large quantities of cultivated plants in Kentucky (317,621) and Oklahoma (158,124),” NORML reported.
As first reported by TheNation Thailand, a farming community near the northern Thai city of Lampang teamed up with scientists from Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Agriculture to see if chickens would benefit from excess cannabis leaves. The results were promising and could lead to farmers reducing their dependence on antibiotics when raising chickens.
Per the TheNation Thailand, the farmers, who just happened to be licensed to grow medical cannabis, put their chickens on this weed diet after their flock was ravaged by avian bronchitis despite all of the birds being injected with antibiotics. Would surplus cannabis be the fix they needed?
Researchers explained that chickens were fed cannabis in different forms, mixing it in with their feed or boiling the leaves and giving them the resulting cannabinoid water. All forms of cannabis that were fed to chickens had a low grade of THC, ensuring that they wouldn’t feel high or have an adverse reaction.
The results have yet to be published, but researchers have spotted some positive signs that suggest a way of raising chickens while decreasing their exposure to antibiotics. The chicken that ate cannabis experienced less avian bronchitis and had better meat quality. Unlike when using antibiotics, the meat and eggs that the chicken produced had no traces of cannabinoids in them, thus proving more healthy for human consumers.
It’s not clear why these benefits appeared. Researchers agree that more studies are needed and they theorize that perhaps cannabis boosted the chickens’ gut microbiome, improving their overall health.
The country remains stern in its recreational cannabis policies though, warning tourists and having fines of up to $800 and three months in prison if people are caught smoking or consuming cannabis with an intent that’s not medicinal.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Department of Justice resources are not put to the best use prosecuting marijuana-related offenses whether or not states have cannabis legalization laws on the books.
Could the DOJ make some waves with a cannabis reform announcement soon? According to Seeking Alpha and Marijuana Moment, Attorney General Merrick Garland clarified the department’s stance on prosecuting cannabis crimes in legal and non-legal states. He says the department’s resources are better spent on violent crimes and actions that harm society more than cannabis.
Seeking Alpha summarized Garland’s released interview:
Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Department of Justice resources are not put to the best use prosecuting marijuana-related offenses whether or not states have cannabis legalization laws on the books.
Garland, who appeared before a Senate subcommittee in April where marijuana issues were brought up, made the comments as part of written responses to Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). Marijuana Moment first reported Garland’s responses.
Garland noted that the department’s resources are better spent on “violent crimes and other crimes that cause societal harm and endanger our communities.”
The attorney general also indicated that DOJ may be tackling marijuana issues more generally soon. “The Department is examining a range of issues that relate to marijuana and its production, sale, and use, and we intend to address these issues in the days ahead.”
“We estimate that legalizing medical cannabis reduces annual auto insurance premiums by $22 per household, a reduction of 1.7 percent for the average household,” experts wrote in the study.
More than 40% of U.S. drivers who use both alcohol and marijuana admitted they drive under the influence of one or both of the substances, according to a recent study. However, nearly half of those surveyed said they did not get behind the wheel while intoxicated.
Still, some cannabis consumers claim that driving while high does not affect their ability to operate an automobile despite warnings from law enforcement that the number of fatal car crashes involving cannabis has more than doubled in the past several years. Although, it apparentlymakes them better drivers.
According to new driving simulator data published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention, those who use marijuana regularly drive better compared to occasional users.
“Those with a pattern of occasional use were significantly more likely to experience a lane departure during distraction periods after acute cannabis use relative to baseline, while those with daily use did not exhibit a similar increase,” said researchers from the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus and the University of Iowa. “Participants with a pattern of daily use decreased their speed, which may be interpreted as a drug effect or as a compensatory strategy.”
As part of a driving simulated performance test, participants used their own cannabis, which contained between 15 and 30% THC.
Interestingly, the new research only confirmed findings from previous studies that proved that cannabis exposure is associated with either partial or even full tolerance in cognitive and psychomotor performance.
“This may indicate that those who use daily may perceive a potential adverse impact of acute cannabis use on driving performance and may attempt to compensate by slowing down to have more time to react to changes in the roadway,” researchers said, adding that more research on the subject is needed.
Photo by JasonDoiy/Getty Images
Medical Cannabis, Traffic Safety & Lower Insurance Rates
Meanwhile, a team of economists associated with Temple University and the Universities of Arkansas and Eastern Kentucky found that states with legalized medical cannabis enjoyed reduced insurance premiums as well as improved road transport environment.
“We estimate that legalizing medical cannabis reduces annual auto insurance premiums by $22 per household, a reduction of 1.7 percent for the average household,” experts wrote in the study. “Extending our results to other states, we find that medical cannabis legalization has reduced auto insurance premiums by $1.5 billion in all states that have currently legalized, with the potential to reduce premiums by an additional $900 million if the remaining states were to legalize.”
Sugary drinks impact your health, whether you consume them often or not.
Sugary drinks are one of the easiest ways of packing extra calories without realizing it. According to Healthy Food America, sugary drinks like sodas and juices are the country’s number one source of added sugars, packing thousands of empty calories that provide little energy and alter your body in unhealthy ways.
A new study shows that drinking even one sugary drink a day can impact the health of your liver, increasing the odds of cancer.
The study was conducted by researchers from a variety of institutions and was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nutrition, held on June 14 – 16. The research had access to data from over 90,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79, and followed up for 19 years, painting a thorough picture of their health.
The study wanted to spot patterns between sugary drinks and liver cancer. It found that women who consumed at least one of these drinks a day had 73% higher odds of developing liver cancer when compared to women who had three or fewer sugary drinks a month.
Researchers believe sugary drinks are a risk because of sugar’s effects, which affect insulin levels and drive weight gain. All of these factors affect liver health.
Longgang Zhao, the lead author of the study, said that the results were helpful since they showed that cutting back on these drinks is an effective preventative measure. “Replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water, and non-sugar-sweetened coffee or tea could significantly lower liver cancer risk,” said Zhao in a press release.
It’s important to note that the study had limitations, like the fact that it was conducted solely on older women and that it was observational. While a link between sugary drinks and liver cancer was found, the research doesn’t prove that one causes the other. It just suggests that it increases the risk.
