Antiviral pills have been able to provide treatment for viruses like HIV, influenza and more. The U.S. is now investing in a pill for COVID-19.
The COVID-19 vaccine was a worldly effort that resulted in the fastest vaccine ever made. The shot put a door stop in the pandemic and allowed millions of people to feel safe and return to a sense of normalcy.
Now that there’s a vaccine that drastically reduces the odds of contracting the disease, the U.S. government is interested in a pill that could treat COVID-19 infections.
As reported by the New York Times, the U.S. government is investing $3 billion dollars into researching a pill to fight COVID-19. This funding will speed up a program that will facilitate clinical trials of pills that are in development, with the goal of having a first generation of them ready by the end of the year. The program will also work on developing pills that can treat other viruses and prevent future pandemics.
Antiviral pills are used to treat a wide variety of conditions like HIV, influenza and more. While there’s a year of evidence and data to work with, during the bulk of the pandemic doctors had a hard time curing sick people with COVID-19.
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The pill would ideally work when taken early on in the progression of the disease, attacking the infection quickly and preventing its spread and propagation, which is when complications arise for the majority of people. Still, despite the promising pills in the program, it’s difficult to get a functioning pill on the first trial, so experts believe it will take a couple of years to get a functioning prescription for COVID-19.
The program would provide support for the development of pills that can treat coronaviruses, flaviviruses (transmitted primarily by ticks and mosquitoes) and more. Even if the pills are not effective right away, they create a groundwork that could help curb future pandemics and save millions of lives.
In a statement made following the vote, Gov. Lamont said it was fitting that cannabis legalization should happen on the anniversary of the war on drugs.
Connecticut is on the verge of becoming the 18th state to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes after lawmakers finally sent a cannabis reform bill to Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk on Thursday morning, the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s declaration of the war on drugs.
The state Senate passed the bill in a 16-11 vote following a debate over a provision on equity licensing eligibility.
Gov. Lamont, who previously threatened to veto it over the eleventh-hour amendment, is now expected to sign the bill that will legalize the use and possession of up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis by adults 21 and older as of July 1. However, the launch of commercial cannabis sales is not expected to begin until May 2022.
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On Tuesday, senators had approved an amendment, introduced by Sen. Gary Winfield, that would allow those with prior cannabis arrests and convictions and their family members to qualify for social equity status when applying for marijuana business licenses.
The Democratic governor objected to the amendment, arguing that it doesn’t adequately address equity issues. The governor’s chief of staff, Paul Mounds Jr., said in a statement that the rule “allows just about anyone with a history of cannabis crimes or a member of their family, regardless of financial means, who was once arrested on simple possession to be considered with the same weight as someone from a neighborhood who has seen many of their friends and loved ones face significant penalties and discrimination due to their past cannabis crimes.”
A second Senate amendment reportedly addressed the governor’s concerns by clarifying that only those with income equal to three times the state’s median income could qualify for social equity status.
However, House lawmakers removed Senate changes before passing the measure late Wednesday, after hours of floor debate in a 76 to 62 vote with 13 not voting.
The current bill, initially introduced by House Speaker Matt Ritter and Senate President Martin Looney, now includes a preference for people coming from low-income communities defined by census tracts.
In a statement made following the vote, Gov. Lamont said it was fitting that cannabis legalization should happen on the anniversary of the war on drugs.
“The war on cannabis, which was at its core a war on people in Black and Brown communities, not only caused injustices and increased disparities in our state, it did little to protect public health and safety. I look forward to signing the bill and moving beyond this terrible period of incarceration and injustice.”
Life has a way of creating stranger-than-fiction scenarios like this one: first, you get cancer. Then you become strong enough to fight it off and survive. Then, after all that, you decide to be noble and humane and share the medical insights you gained while struggling with your health issues and you end up facing a death sentence…this time not from cancer, but a firing squad.
This is the story of Amiruddin Nadarajan Abdullah, 62, better known as Dr. Ganja or Dr.G.
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After being diagnosed with a painful spinal cord tumor that caused him to lose a kidney, Dr. Ganja, who was struggling with chronic pain and chemo-related fatigue, decided to seek out alternative treatments that eventually led him to medical cannabis in the form of hemp seed oil. It worked wonders for him until he was arrested and charged for distributing chocolates and brownies made with hemp seed oil. Dr. Ganja is actually not an MD. He earned that nickname because of his habit of inviting people suffering from cancer and other ailments into his home and sharing his hemp oil medicine with them.
Despite a United Nations decision last year to recognize the medicinal properties of cannabis, many advocates hoped countries around the world would catch up with evolving attitudes towards the plant. Some did. Malayasia was not one of them. The southeast Asian country continues to have the harshest cannabis laws in the world, including the death penalty for convicted drug traffickers.
Dr. G, who served in the Malaysian army for 22 years, was arrested in 2017 and charged with 36 offenses under Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act.
“He isn’t a drug dealer or some drug lord,” his daughter Siti told VICE World News.
Malaysian Princess And The Last Prisoner Project Join Forces To Help Dr. Ganja
The Malaysian Princess Tengku Chanela Jamidah is collaborating with the Last Prisoner Project (LPP ) to support Dr. Ganja’s appeal, reported Forbes. Together they have launched an event to raise funds for his cause.
The fundraiser is the LPP’s first international cannabis project, but they’re all in.
“Last Prisoner Project holds a vision of freedom for every last cannabis prisoner around the globe,” said Mary Bailey, managing director of LPP, a non-profit involved in criminal justice reform.
Photo by Esmonde Yong via Unsplash
Princess Jamidah said Malaysia should allow cannabis as an inherent human right. As a well-known figure in the fashion, beauty and entertainment sectors, she has used her broad platform for the last two years to promote cannabis legalization. She is also the official patron of the Malaysian cannabis advocacy group MASA.
‘I Will Not Stop Until He Is Free’
The Princess explained to Forbes that Malaysians should be reminded that cannabis and hemp have been used by their ancestors for hundreds of years.
“I am aware that there are many within the family and outside of the family who oppose what I do. This is not what I fear. I fear living a life that is not in honor of my authenticity and truth, I believe the plant is extremely intelligent and she is our teacher and I would rather live my life in acknowledgment of that truth than live a life deprived of my soul’s path and mission,” Jamidah said.
The princess emphasized the larger picture and the many patients in need of medical marijuana.
“We must consider the epileptic child, the cancer patient, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients that are faced with pain, suffering and risk their lives every day deprived of this medicine that has been proven to heal. What are my risks compared to their courage and survival?”
The princess is as adamant about freeing Dr. G as she is about the cannabis plant.
“Let my voice and activism be a vessel for Dr. G as we believe in the same truths, I will not stop until he is free,” the Princess said.
Those who wish may contribute to Dr. G’s Crowdfunding campaign. All proceeds will be used to support his death sentence appeal and, hopefully, his release.
Whether he remembers it or not, President Biden has signaled support for drug decriminalization. It’s just a matter of getting Democrats and Republicans to stop fighting each other long enough to do some good for the country.
It was 50 years ago that President Nixon declared the drug war, a move that was supposed to keep America from sinking into the gutters of addiction and on the path to righteousness. However, that’s not what happened. Instead, millions of lives and families have been destroyed through the concept of policing a drug-addled nation.
The drug war is such a failed ethos that even President Joe Biden claims to support putting an end to the criminal penalties associated with low-level drug possession. Well, House Democrats want to test Biden on his word later this year.
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Earlier this week, Democratic Representatives Cori Bush of Missouri and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey introduced the Drug Policy Reform Act (DPRA). The bill was designed to decriminalize the possession of all illegal drugs while also clearing some convictions and allotting funds to drug addiction organizations. It pulls the responsibility of handling the drug problem out of the hands of the Justice Department and places it in the care of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It’s a push that goes beyond just legalizing marijuana for adults 21 and over, something that Senate Democrats have promised to consider this year.
To be clear, the bill does not call for the legalization of any dangerous drug. It would not create a taxed and regulated national market for marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or any other substance currently banned under Uncle Sam’s Controlled Substances Act. It would only ensure that drug users were no longer dealt with through the criminal justice system unless their crime was violent in nature.
The bill would continue to throw the book at drug dealers. Anyone involved in the illicit drug trade could still face criminal charges. But Mr. Average Heroin User who gets busted along the side of the highway holding a personal amount of the drug would no longer have to worry about going to prison. Not unless they were involved with more violations than just drug possession.
Portugal has had a similar policy in place for over two decades, and it has been largely successful. Since drug decriminalization was passed, the country has seen an overall decline in drug use in citizens 15-24. Not only that, but there has been a 60% increase in drug rehab cases. It stands to reason that the United States should borrow a chapter from Portugal and try a more common sense, health-centered approach to combating the drug war.
Somewhere around 83,000 Americans have died since May 2020 from overdoses. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands continue to get jammed up in the criminal justice system every year because of their vices. This makes it difficult for people to clean up, get jobs, find places to live, receive federal assistance, and any number of opportunities provided to people without drug blemishes on their records.
The DPRA would change that.
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Unfortunately, the bill doesn’t stand a chance. Although it might find the support needed to clear the House, it won’t get far in the Senate. The upper chamber is so muddled with Republican retaliation right now that it’s going to be impossible for Democrats to get anything accomplished — much less heavy policy changes regarding illegal drugs. In reality, the DPRA would be a much better move for the nation than the MORE Act or any bill focused on legalizing marijuana.
But while the country has come to believe that legal weed makes sense — 90% think it should be legal, according to Gallup — it might be a hard sell to convince the more conservative population that removing criminal penalties from hard drugs is the right thing to do.
The U.S. just started experimenting with the concept of drug decriminalization. Oregon stopped prosecuting drug offenders in February of 2021 and focused $100 million in cannabis taxes on rehabilitation.
Whether he remembers it or not, President Biden has signaled support for drug decriminalization. “No one should be imprisoned for the use of illegal drugs alone. Instead, they should be diverted to drug courts and treatment,” reads the 2019 Biden campaign website. It’s just a matter of getting Democrats and Republicans to side with the issue and stop fighting each other long enough to actually do some good for the country.
Current COVID-19 hospitalizations are very different from what they were a year ago. But those who have been hospitalized have this in common.
As the pandemic progresses, doctors from across the country are reporting fewer hospitalizations. The one thing they all have in common? The patients hospitalized haven’t been vaccinated.
“Less than 1% of our hospitalized COVID patients are vaccinated,” infectious disease expert Dr. Mark Sannes told USA Today.
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Vaccinated people are very unlikely to get seriously sick and be hospitalized due to COVID-19, making it all the more pressing and important for unvaccinated people to get their shot.
According to recent hospital data, the hospitals with the highest hospitalization rates tend to be located in states with low vaccination. These include Idaho, Wyoming, Arkansas, and Missouri.
As the vaccine program develops, doctors are starting to see a marked change. A year ago, hospitalized patients tended to be seniors or people with underlying health conditions. Now, the majority of people in hospitals are young adults who haven’t yet gotten their shots.
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Despite the government’s efforts in trying to get people motivated to get the vaccine, there are some who remain reticent, whether that’s due to vaccine mistrust because they can’t get their time off work or due to an inconvenient location. Even though both shots of the vaccine are free, a small group of people believes that getting their shot will result in billed expenses later on.
While it’s up to every person to get their shot, vaccinations have a community impact. When people get their shot, they make it easier to protect their family members, from the people they live with to kinds who haven’t yet been vaccinated.
Despite the conspiracy theories and concerns over vaccine side effects, the one thing that data and evidence proves is how effective these shots are against the virus.
COVID-19 side effects are typically mild, but there are some exceptions. This particular reaction is obvious when you lie down.
While reactions like headache and fatigue are expected when getting the COVID-19 vaccine, there are some rare ones that have also been reported. From allergic reactions to blood clots, these reactions are concerning, even if they’re highly unlikely. One of these includes myocarditis and pericarditis, conditions that result in heart inflammation.
According to former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, one of the clearest ways to tell if you have this is if you lie down. “The signs and symptoms of pericarditis typically are a stabbing or a sharp chest pain that’s persistent. It’s positional. So it hurts more when you lay back,” he told CBS News.
“Sometimes it hurts when you take a deep breath because the pericardium, the lining of the heart, rubs against the chest wall, and it might be associated with a fever,” he said. In most cases, the appearance of these symptoms was relatively quick, “within probably the first two or three days, mostly after the second dose.”
These conditions express themselves through a variety of ways, with symptoms that include shortness of breath, stabbing chest pains, chest fluttering, and fever. While these symptoms remain unlikely, the CDC reports that they have been higher than expected in young adults.
Out of 20 million vaccinations, about 275 cases were reported amongst people between the ages of 16 to 24.
Due to how unlikely these side effects are, Gottlieb said that there was no reason why people should delay their vaccines. “I don’t think people should be nervous about it right now. I don’t think it changes the risk-benefit balance for this vaccine.”
It’s important to know that, as of now, there’s no way of knowing if the vaccine caused these heart palpitations. It’s possible that young adults developed their disease for other reasons, be that through other viruses or through the vaccine’s effect on people’s immune systems.
The bill eliminates the possibility that being arrested for possession of small amounts of cannabis will result in prison time, which cannabis reform advocates typically demand.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed off on House Bill 652 to decriminalize small amounts of cannabis possession for personal use.
Possession of up to 14 grams will now be categorized as a misdemeanor rather than a felony. Those caught violating the law face up to a $100 fine without jail time.
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“It essentially provides for the officer to write a ticket with no jail time,” Shreveport Rep. Alan Seabaugh told the Daily Advertiser about the bill, signed on Tuesday.
Only possession was revised under the legislation. Laws against distribution and unlicensed cultivation remain in effect.
Governor Signs Off Despite Cannabis Concerns
In a Twitter statement, Gov. Edwards, who has stood out as one of the few remaining democratic governors leery of cannabis legalization, said he did not take the decision lightly. He stated that the bill passed with bipartisan support after “a robust discussion” regarding the effects of the ongoing drug war against cannabis.
Gov. Edwards released the following statement today, upon signing House Bill 652 by Representative Cedric Glover, which reduces the penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. #lagov#lalegepic.twitter.com/HqjoBa0WZv
The governor pushed back on the notion that the bill decriminalized cannabis, noting that small fines remain. Still, the bill eliminates the possibility that being arrested for possession of small amounts of cannabis will result in prison time — a substantial step — which cannabis reform advocates typically demand.
Cannabis advocates believe the influence of the Mormon church in Utah has led to the creation of a recreational-proof cannabis model that conservative states might want to reference.
A handful of states across the nation still do not have any kind of marijuana program on the books. A lot of these areas of prohibition are in the conservatively driven Deep South and Great Plains, where lawmakers continue to believe the Bible is the only law of the land they really need.
For them, even therapeutic marijuana is like opening the first gate to Hell. Many are worried that cracking the door to medicinal use will lead to the eventual legalization of marijuana for adults 21 and older and subsequently tarnish their moral compass and drive it South of Heaven.
And they’re right, at least for the most part.
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Cannabis advocates believe the influence of the Mormon church in Utah has led to the creation of a recreational-proof cannabis model that conservative states might want to reference. “Some of the legislators who are opposed to medical marijuana are opposed based on concerns that it somehow will lead to legalization,” Karen O’Keefe, director of state policy at the Marijuana Policy Project, told Politico. “[Utah is] a good example of a state that has a medical program that’s limited, where there’s not any eye to adult-use legalization, and where there was actually active involvement from the medical society in working out the details of the program.”
Although the Mormons initially rejected the concept of medical marijuana, they eventually jumped on board with a compromise, and it only passed because the church wanted it to. The Church of the Latter-Day Saints has so much pull in Utah that the whole of society is forced to live mostly sober in an area where drinking and drugs are really the only things to do.
Try traveling through the endless emptiness of the Beehive State without a cocktail or two, and let’s just say, coming out on the southern end, the debauchery of Las Vegas is amplified. It’s enough to turn stuffed-shirt moderates into wild animals. Still, if medical marijuana was going to happen in Utah, the Mormons wanted it to look, uhm, medical. So that’s the policy they went with.
Utah’s medical marijuana program doesn’t allow weed to be smoked, only vaporized. There are also strict purchase limits, and every dispensary must staff a licensed pharmacist to make sure the rules are adhered to. Although the restrictive nature of the program has made it expensive for the cannabis industry to operate, Utah’s medical marijuana program is often considered the most successful. Why? Because there is no pathway to full-blown legalization, and patients are okay with that.
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“Utah … probably will be one of the last states to legalize marijuana recreationally,” O’Keefe said. “There is no push at all, even to decriminalize simple possession of marijuana.”
But is this medical marijuana model really what the United States is buying? Not really. The concept of medicinal cannabis has been losing ground ever since the CBD craze resulted in so-called “therapeutic products” being sold in truck stops. We don’t even hear much about medical marijuana at the federal level these days.
Senate Democrats want to bypass this step and work towards a fully legal market like alcohol and tobacco. How will the nation continue to argue the need for medicinal use when marijuana is being sold to adults 21 and over across the country like beer? Well, it’ll get much harder to do. Because while states like Utah might forge a conservative path for marijuana consumption, this position is no match for pot progressives and capitalism.
Photo by jp26jp via Pixabay
No, Mormon marijuana won’t be catching on anytime soon. Eventually, the industry will require more to stay functional. Seventeen states, many of which began with restrictive medical marijuana programs, have already taken the leap into adult use. It’s a matter of straight economics.
And history repeats itself.
Alcohol was once prescribed in this country for a variety of medical conditions. By 1933, however, the federal government brought it back around for adult use. Conservative states fought this concept. Mississippi waited until 1966 to embrace the legal drink. So, while states like Utah will presumably fight the real marijuana movement for decades more, they can’t hang on forever. The real future of legal weed in the U.S. is a taxed and regulated market. Sin always wins.
The approved proposal comes after state Senators heard feedback from advocates and municipalities harboring concerns over how many stores they would have to host.
On Monday afternoon, Rhode Island‘s Senate Judiciary Committee approved an adult-use cannabis bill, marking the first time a cannabis proposal of its nature has ever reached the state General Assembly floor.
The bill, expected to reach the Senate today (Tuesday), is the first of three in the state making its way through the legislative process.
Photo by Flickr user Taber Andrew Bain
Gov. Dan McKee previously submitted his version during his annual budget proposal. A House bill proposed by Rep. Scott Slater and several cosponsors was introduced in late May.
As Marijuana Moment notes, the bill approval comes days after House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi indicated that legalization would likely need to wait until the summer or fall for discussion.
Gov. McKee is expected to sign the legalization bill when it reaches his desk.
Bill Highlights
If passed, the bill would create an independent commission to oversee programs and licensing. The approved proposal comes after state Senators heard feedback from advocates and municipalities harboring concerns over how many stores they would have to host.
To address the latter concern, revisions were raised, capping retail licenses to one for every 20,000 citizens in town. Each municipality is permitted a minimum of three retail permits unless it opts out of the marketplace.
Photo by Add Weed via Unsplash
The proposed bill would temporarily cap cultivation licenses to roughly 60 until 2023.
The bill also aims to address social equity. Under the submitted guidelines, one-third of all retail licenses would be reserved for those disproportionately affected by the drug war.
The stated number of reserved permits adds specificity to the previously proposed plan while maintaining the original bill’s social equity assistance fund.
The progressive language of the new bill takes an important step towards addressing the harms of the Drug War. But passing it is still a long shot. Here’s why.
By Janve Sobers
Second verse, same as the first, a whole lot louder and a lot MORE woke.
The House of Representatives passed the first version of the MORE Act, which would deschedule cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, at the end of 2020. The bill promptly died in the Republican-controlled Senate. This blog tracked the evolution of the bill’s original version:
The House reintroducedthe second version of the bill on May 28th, 2021. This version is the same as the first with the addition of some progressive upgrades. Most notably, drafters of the bill removed language that barred applicants with felony cannabis convictions from federal permitting. This languageproved controversial at the time of the passage of the 2020 MORE Act. Denying federal permitting to those directly impacted by prohibition seemed counterintuitive to the stated intention of the bill, “to provide for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the War on Drugs.” Removing this language shows that Congress aims for an even more progressive vision of legalization this time around.
Notably, the MORE Act 2021 has received resounding support from Amazon. The company offered its formal support for not only the new MORE Act, but for cannabis legalization in general. Amazon’s representative even promised that it would change its drug testing policy for some employees to allow for cannabis use. Amazon’s support for the MORE Act speaks volumes and suggests that the company may see profit-making potential in federal legalization. What’s more, the corporation’s size and ubiquity could compel other companies, Congress, and the President, to broaden support for federal legalization.
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So, you might be wondering if there is hope for this new bill. Unfortunately, even with a Democratic majority in both houses, a Democratic President, and support from Amazon, the short answer is still no, not really.
The bill needs 60 votes to pass the Senate. That’s a vote from every Democrat plus ten Republicans. The progressive language of the new bill takes an important step towards addressing the harms of the Drug War. But progressivism probably won’t appeal to the reluctant centrist Democrats and the 10 Republicans needed to pass the bill in the Senate. As it stands, conservative legalization bills have a better chance of passing, bills such as the Common Sense Cannabis Reform for Veterans, Small Businesses, and Medical Professionals Act (an unfortunate name with far less pun-tential than MORE).
Barring some political miracle (such as ending thefilibuster), the MORE Act most likely won’t make it to President Biden’s desk. We will keep you posted.
