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Holiday Preparations: Mistletoe Cannabis and Last Minute Laws

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The Christmas tree is decorated, stockings are hung by the fireplace, mistletoe is dangling from the kitchen doorway waiting for a lucky winner, cookies are baked, and the eggnog is favored with 9-delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with a sprig of cinnamon. Creative juices are stoked. How do I wrap a marijuana gift?

Do I wrap a picture with cash and say which dispensary to go to? Dispensaries do not give out gift cards. How about one bottle of infused beer? Which is better, dark chocolate or milk chocolate with THC? A topical is more universal, plus, it is easy to wrap. Or I can forget about wrapping and pay for a mail-order of fancy soap bombs, gummies, or flower. I can add in the instructions: “Do not open till Christmas.” I will try several of these ideas. Which will you try?

Feeble Federal Fortitude Attempts

If only the federal government would give America a gift and pass the M.O.R.E. Act that allows legal banking for marijuana, research access to quality marijuana products, and the prescribing of marijuana for PTSD by the veteran’s administration. Currently, state sales taxes are paid with multiple boxes of cash. Research uses the oregano-like substance cultivated and manufactured by the government at the University of Mississippi. And veterans are forced to opt-out of the Veteran’s Health Administration to buy medical marijuana for effective treatment.

The current plethora of pharmaceuticals has not arrested PTSD and the suicide rate for over twenty years. (Veterans 30/100,00 versus 17/100,000 in the general population). With post COVID rates and vaccination restrictions, the military is dying literally and figuratively. Instead, the House tacks amendments onto the military appropriations bill hoping the Senate will do the same. Promises made, promises unkept.

Another federal debacle is the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) locking horns over who is responsible for conducting an independent, peer-reviewed study on the medical potential of marijuana. The

Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) sent a letter to a division of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on December 1, 2021, asking that it settle a years-long dispute over an alleged violation of the Information Quality Act (IQA) regarding cannabis.

CEI has been pushing both agencies to facilitate a peer review of the scientific evidence that’s been used to deny petitions to reschedule marijuana. Federal law mandates such a review, but both agencies have deferred responsibility to one another. What is ironic is the Government has patents on cannabis CBD paid for with your tax dollars. Write to President Biden to fix this.

A bipartisan duo of congressional lawmakers filed a bill on December 2nd that would incentivize states and local governments to expunge cannabis records in their jurisdictions. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are sponsoring the legislation, titled the Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act.

It would encourage states to provide relief to people with non-violent marijuana convictions through federal grants—the State Expungement Opportunity Grant Program, run through the Department of Justice—that would help cover the administrative costs of identifying and clearing eligible cases. The negative reactions to “no bail” and “no prosecutions” for repeat criminals looting our stores during the holidays will relegate this bill to the dust bin of good intentions. The states do not need federal grants to expunge nonviolent cannabis possession.

On another note study data to be published in the print edition of The International Journal of Drug Policy shows that the legalization of marijuana is associated with improvements in police clearance rates for multiple types of violent crimes.

Researchers affiliated with the University of Utah assessed trends in crime clearance rates in Oregon versus control states in the years prior to and immediately following the enactment of adult-use legalization. Their finding largely aligns with the argument made by the proponents of marijuana legalization that legalization would improve police effectiveness in addressing serious crimes, and as a result, would increase clearance rates and generate a crime deterrence effect.

Will the Schumer-Booker-Wyden Proposal to Decriminalize Cannabis Succeed?

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Since Nixon enacted the Schedule I system that linked cannabis with the more deadly drugs like heroin, ecstasy, and LSD, the federal government effectively established a government business for combating drug deaths that poured massive amounts of money earmarked for enforcement. These yearly reauthorizations of monies mushroomed into the United States becoming the only country with the highest incarceration rate worldwide, but it is also home to the largest number of prisoners. Roughly 2.12 million people were incarcerated in the U.S. in 2020.

According to the ACLU report on The Tale of Two Countries, “more than six million arrests occurred between 2010 and 2018, and Black people are still more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people in every state, including those that have legalized marijuana.” Black people were still nearly 4 times more likely than white people to get arrested for marijuana possession, despite similar usage rates.
Both the Democrat and Republican parties, when they had majorities, failed to reverse the damage done to millions of citizens which led to the unnecessary incarceration of nonviolent convictions for simply the possession of marijuana. We all remember Alice Marie Johnson, who was incarcerated for life without parole for a nonviolent drug offense that was given a full pardon by President Trump. She heightened the exposure of the abominable practice of putting women in chains while in childbirth. For many years, pregnant inmates have been subjected to restraints as a security measure, despite the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and others warning that using restraints can put the mother and baby at risk. While the Federal Bureau of Prisons changed its policy in 2008 to bar the use of restraints on pregnant women, the “First Step Act” codified that into law by President Trump.

Will the current proposal CANNABIS ADMINISTRATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT by Sens. Booker, Wyden, and Schumer finally succeed? The bill automatically expunges federal non-violent marijuana crimes and allows an individual currently serving time in federal prison for non-violent marijuana crimes to petition a court for resentencing. The legislation also creates an “Opportunity Trust Fund” funded by federal cannabis tax revenue to reinvest in the communities most impacted by the failed War on Drugs, as well as helping to level the playing field for entrepreneurs of color who continue to face barriers to access to the industry. Importantly, the legislation also ends discrimination in federal public benefits for medical marijuana patients and adult-use consumers

The CANNABIS ADMINISTRATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT treats cannabis like alcohol and allows states to determine their own cannabis laws, but federal prohibition will no longer be an obstacle. Regulatory responsibility will be moved from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as well as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect public health.

A 2019 Gallop poll shows one in eight Americans chooses to consume on a semi-regular basis, including nearly one in four veterans. We must end the practice of arresting over 500,000 Americans every year and denying countless others employment, housing, and other civic rights if we are truly to be the ‘Land of the Free’. Normal has a survey on their website requesting feedback on this law. Visit https://norml.org/act/what-do-you-think-about-the-schumer-booker-wyden-proposal/ and share.

Senators are also seeking feedback on the draft legislation through September 1, 2021. In an interview with the publication Politico in April, Sen. Schumer pledged that he would hold a floor vote on the bill “sooner or later” this term. The Senate has never held a floor vote on legislation pertaining to descheduling cannabis. Let us all not just talk about legalizing cannabis federally but ACT on our convictions. Send an email to Sen. Schumer and Senate Cannabis_Reform@finance.senate.gov. We need to crash the website of the Senate.

published in   July 21, 2021

Waste: A Cannabis Industry Fiasco

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The cannabis industry has a waste problem that is mainly due to the public treatment of the compound delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Because of THC, no cannabis product can touch anything in the waste. Thank your legislators for this environmental debacle. The law mandates every product no matter how small the item will need a large label that includes a health warning, identification numbers, soil, and other crop production inputs, as well as testing information and cannabinoid composition. It is estimated that one gram of weed can produce 100 grams of packaging waste. Is that the same information on a cigarette package? No of course not.

To open a preroll, I first, tear off the clear plastic cover that seals the cap. Remember it is child-resistant. I sometimes need a knife or scissors to loosen the machine-sealed barrier. To open the tube, my hands do not have the strength to squeeze the tube, I place the tube on the table edge and lean on it to force the cap open. These tubes are made of durable plastic that will not be crushed even if I run over them with my KIA. (my humble opinion)

It is appalling how much packaging is used to sell a few legal buds. A Canadian Broadcasting Company report suggested that a gram of weed sold at a licensed storefront in Canada can produce close to 100 grams of packaging waste.

Thirty-three and a half million units of cannabis prerolls were sold in California in 2020. California Cannabis Regulations require all cannabis products to be individually wrapped to meet child-resistant criteria. To date only one cannabis producer, CannaCraft has received child-resistant certification eliminating millions of single-use plastic tubes.

“With each plastic tube standing 5.5″ tall, 1 years’ worth of CannaCraft’s child-resistant tubes would reach over 900,000 feet if stacked. Or 30 times taller than Mount Everest. That’s a lot of waste that we’ll be eliminating,” says a CannaCraft representative.

Whether it is the solvents used in the manufacturing process, the leftover biomass that accumulates which must be destroyed, or the extra packaging required to make products impossible for a child (or an otherwise competent stoner) to open, legal cannabis creates tons of waste.

Regulators continue to demand every bit of biomass disposed of must be processed yet prohibit recycling with the belief that cannabis is a dangerous organic material. In Illinois, a cannabis waste producer must notify the agriculture department, the state police, and an employee must be present to supervise the disposal. What kind of nonsense is this, treating cannabis waste as radioactive?

In the meantime, the waste accumulates. One solution by Sana Packaging is using 100% plant-based hemp plastic, 100% reclaimed ocean plastic, and other non-petroleum-based materials to create a closed-loop business model that generates no waste.

TerraCycle, from New Jersey, developed a national recycling program for vape cartridges however many states prohibit recycling cannabis. The scope of the recycling problem is difficult to assess. Many places do not track cannabis waste recycling. California has three different agencies. In Canada, they do not track it at all.

Some producers tried to have a bring-back program for vape cartridges, but the misguided regulations made the proposal unfeasible. California tried to address single-use packaging for the tobacco vape industry, but it has gone nowhere. (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB424)

Three innovated dispensaries have launched a first-of-its-kind recycling program in which cannabis packaging will be converted into fuel to help power delivery vehicles. Airfield Supply Co., a San Jose storefront is the first dispensary to sign on for the pilot program that could prevent as many as 5,000 plastic items from entering the state’s waste stream each day. CannaCraft, a Sonoma County manufacturer, and Resynergi, a Sonoma County company that converts plastics into oils, are partners in the program.

The aim is to place Resynergi, recycling bins throughout its facilities and to also provide customers with special “exit bags” they can use to store their plastics ahead of recycling. The industry is succeeding, hopefully, the legislators will begin to evaluate cannabis as an herb rather than a radioactive substance.

Published on June 16, 2021

 

The Nation Celebrates Our Frontline Warriors

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A fitting theme for Nurses Week in 2021 is “Frontline Warrior ” to honor the challenges the CCP (Wuhan virus) brought to our country. This article will mention a few of the leaders in nursing who continue to advocate for safe, equal, access to health care.

Florence Nightingale pioneered the groundbreaking practice instituted by Ignaz Semmelweis, a 19th-century Hungarian doctor. During an experiment in a Vienna hospital’s maternity ward Semmelweis discovered the wonders of the now-basic hygienic practice as a way to stop the spread of infection in 1847. Nightingale considered the home, to be a crucial site for disease-preventing interventions. This was the place where most people contracted and suffered from infectious diseases. (The same is true today: in Wuhan’s coronavirus outbreak, around 75-80% of transmissions were reportedly in family clusters).

Nightingale transformed nursing into the disciplined, compassionate profession that it is today. She suffered severe disapproval from her father and family who viewed her need to help the sick as degrading and beneath her station in life. It can be an arduous task to appreciate the difficulty of a woman who chooses to be cut off from her family. Woman of stature were to be a wife and mother. Undeterred she persisted and went on to win renown recognition for her discipline and cleanliness in caring for the British soldiers during the Crimea War. She started the first school for training nurses.

Clara Barton, “The Angel of the Battlefield,” witnessed the sad state of battle-weary soldiers in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War. She lobbied in 1862 for permission to take bandages and other supplies to a battlefield hospital after the Battle of Cedar Mountain in Northern Virginia. From then on, she traveled with the Union Army. Barton also founded The American Red Cross.

It was a nurse, while on assignment in the Peace Corp, that devised a way to deliver sterile fluids intravenously to sick patients in Africa. It was Roxana Reyna who combined different types of wound dressings to promote healing and keep the tissue clean and stable until surgery could be performed. Reyna’s discovery was used on children born with their intestines outside the abdomen.

It took a nurse, Mary Brown Rathbun, a cannabis advocate, to push the California legislators into passing the first state law that legalized medical marijuana. Rathbun foresaw the coming chaos of states required to add a new diagnose to the law every year. Her efforts led to the inclusion of two sentences in the law that ensures physicians not legislators decide the medical need for marijuana/cannabis into the future as the cannabis science changes.

It took Alice O’Leary Randall to form the Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics, a lobbying group, in 1976, formed to secure medical access from the federal government for her husband to use marijuana for his glaucoma. Nurse innovators like Al Byrne and Mary Lynn Mathre, transformed the Alliance into a non-profit educational organization called “Patients Out of Time.”

The National Commission of State Boards of Nursing’s extensive research into the endocannabinoid system led to the development of standards of practice for patients using cannabis. While the American Medical Association continues to ignore the science behind the endocannabinoid system castigating 33 million users as illegal drug users, nurses are the pioneers educating on safe use.

Nurses don their infection control outfit of gown, mask, gloves, shield for ten minutes as they provide care, only to discard it all and don it again for the next patient. Over and over with sweat pouring down her brow she compassionately denies a woman entry to say goodbye to her dying spouse. With trepidation she jabs you with an experimental drug knowing there is no true informed consent. She cannot reveal the many health professionals who refuse to be “vaccinated.”

The American Cannabis Nurses Association, an organization that prioritizes educating nurses to become coaches for patients on safe use was started in 2015. In the footsteps of Florence Nightingale, today’s nurses are innovating, implementing, and influencing health policy in America. Hug your warrior today.

WHAT DO VETS KNOW ABOUT CBD

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Four years ago, the landscape for veterinarians educating or recommending cannabis for pets was abysmally absent. State laws legalizing cannabis allowed Medical Doctors, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Doctor of Podiatric Medicine to verify that a patient has a serious medical condition that would benefit from the use of marijuana. But it excluded a Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine. Just the mention of marijuana for pets sent a veterinarian to shiver in silence and run in the other direction. That changed in September of 2018 when CA became the first state to protect veterinary license-holders from disciplinary action solely for discussing the therapeutic use of cannabis in animals. With 10,000 research studies on cannabis mostly with human use, veterinarians sent a Paul Revere signal for research on dogs, cats, and the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in animals.

In last week’s article, I discussed the ECS, discovered in 1992 for all living Animalia except insects. The animal and human ECS are similar in response to cellular processes. The differences are in the distribution of the receptors. CB1 receptors in the hindbrain structures of canines create a unique neurological action “static ataxia” when stimulated by delta9- Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). While not fatal it is scary for the dog and owner and often sends the animal to the emergency room.

In a study of seven representative species of invertebrates, McPartland 2006, evaluated seven species of invertebrates by a tritiated ligand binding assay and identified cannabinoid receptors in non-mammalian species including birds, reptiles, and fish. Stephen Cital a Registered Veterinarian Technician (RVT), researches, writes, and lectures on how to treat all pets with broad spectrum hemp that contains all the cannabinoids, enzymes, and terpenes in the plant devoid of THC.

A researcher from Colorado State University recently reported finding 89 percent of epileptic dogs had fewer seizures when taking the chicken-flavored CBD oil, as compared to about 20 percent that were on a placebo. Another project, conducted at Cornell University,  appeared to show that dogs treated with CBD oil have a clinically significant reduction in pain and increase inactivity.

Many pet owners do not take seriously the complications of using cannabis with THC. Pet cannabis products in the dispensaries can be used in concentrations of CBD:THC 30:1 or CBD:THC of 20:1 for intense pain or cancer. Severe pet conditions like cancer need to have medical personnel involved. There are many hemp products that would be more advisable due to their low percentage of less than 0.3% THC or the hemp will be illegal. If, a batch of hemp tested by regulators contains more than 0.3% THC the whole batch will be disposed of.

Pets arrive unconscious at a veterinarian’s office with owners who are reluctant to fess up when questioned about cannabis use. The most frequent conditions discussed were pain management, anxiety, seizures, and storm/fireworks phobias.

Medical cannabis for pets usually comes as a liquid oil or as treats. Liquids are preferable because the dosing can be accurately controlled and because CBD may be better absorbed through the tissues of the mouth rather than through the digestive tract.

Vaporized or smoked cannabis should NEVER be used with pets. This can damage their lungs and can lead to accidental overdose. Another renown veterinarian, Robert Silver, has researched the ECS of pets. Silver recommends a dosage of hemp oil supplementation (based on body weight of feline and canine candidates) to be followed. His recommendation is a range of hemp based on weight: 0.1mg/kg to 0.5mg/kg for anxiety.

Similarly, edibles for humans should not be given to your pet as they are impossible to dose accurately and they may contain ingredients (such as raisins, chocolate, etc.) that are toxic to animals. If you put the dropper in the pet’s mouth, remember to wipe the dropper off or you will get mold or a variety of microorganisms contaminating the bottle. For more information go to https://www.projectcbd.org/medicine/cbd-cannabis-pets-pain

For questions email info@ruthahillrn.com

Honoring International Women in the Cannabis Industry

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March 8th was International Women’s Day. This article will honor the women who are pioneering the science of our newly discovered endocannabinoid system.

Patient activists, suffering near death yet recuperating with cannabis, are pushing for legalization. Carly Barton, a British woman, established a program with a holographic ID card (Cancard) indicating patients have a health condition for which they are using cannabis medicinally (and can present if they are stopped by the police). Since its launch in September last year, 15,000 patients have registered for a card, and it has widely been supported by police forces across the UK.

Carola Peres from Spain, after an eleventh surgery left her unable to continue working as a band manager, formed the Spanish Observatory of Medicinal Cannabis with whom she has been lobbying for the legislation to allow users to grow their own medicinal cannabis.

Francesca Brivio, from Peru, is instrumental in lobbying for better legal access to medicinal cannabis, through her nonprofit ‘Cannabis – Gotas de Esperanza’ (Cannabis Drops of Hope).  She also founded Cannahope, a clinic with Dr. Max Alzamora, a medical cannabis specialist in Peru. Francesca’s struggle is more heroic when taken in the context of the culture in Peru that thinks women should be silent, procreate, and manage the cooking.

For over 5,000 years cannabis was used medicinally. But it was not until 1964 that Rafael Mechoulam, an Israeli scientist, decided to research the chemistry behind marijuana’s psychological effects. He isolated delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). It was followed in 1988 by scientist Allyn Howlett, from the St Louis School of Medicine in MI, who discovered the CB1 receptor in a rat.

Mechoulam again in 1990, identified cannabinoid receptors and named them CB1 and CB2. In 1992, he identified the two endocannabinoids in a rat linked to memory, emotion, movement, sleep, pain. They were called Anandamide (Sanskrit for Bliss), and 2-AG. Anandamide has the exact same molecular structure as THC and 2-AG is the exact structure for CBD. The science of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) was born.

International Women lauded as research pioneers include Howlett who is now at the Lake Forest School of Medicine NC, studying the intricate molecular responses to the CB1 receptor. Cecilia Hillard, in WI, is researching how endocannabinoids influence the immune system. Heather Bradshaw in Indiana is studying how the ECS influences female reproductive neurophysiology.

Andrea Hohmann from the University of Indiana, Dr. Cristina Sánchez from the University of Madrid, Mary Abood from the University of Philadelphia,  Patricia Reggio from the University of NC, Linda Parker from the University of Guelph in Canada, Michelle Glass, from the University of Otago in New Zealand are all studying the ECS’s molecules that mimic THC and CBD.

Do not let anyone tell you there is no research done on these structural molecules. University labs are chemically isolating anandamide and 2-AG to understand the interactions of ECS with pathophysiological illnesses. Research and anecdotal reports on many psychedelic plants like mushrooms that treat chronic depression.

All the research about our ECS is done in the university labs around this county and the world but the research on the plant itself, cannabis, is done outside the US due to the federal prohibition on cannabis.  Chemical lab research will only lead to expensive pharmaceuticals instead of allowing the free license to grow our own. But big government wants pharmaceuticals.

Epidiolex is a GW pharmaceutical grade biosynthetic cannabidiol (CBD) approved by the FDA to treat seizures. It cost $32,000/yr. reimbursed by insurance. A high grade phytocannabinoid like CBD, purchased in your favorite legal dispensary would only cost $5,000-10,000/yr. paid by the parents. It will take women who are more cognizant of health costs than men, to forcefully pressure our legislators into boldly changing the health care landscape to include phytocannabinoids reimbursed by insurance.

We have a lot more to do before full legalization occurs for this miracle plant. Let us rejoice for the many women who have taken up the torch to end this discriminatory prohibition. Learn more about these famous women by visiting their websites. For more on international women go to https://www.projectcbd.org/ 

previously published in 

 

2 DAY ONLINE CANNABIS SUMMIT

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register for conference
The Cannabis Conference 2021

Join 1000’s worldwide, for this unique online experience in which we will delve deep into all things Cannabis. This is a full circle event that will go live online for 2 full days with over 16 presenters on a range of Cannabis related topics. Learn about the ancient history of Cannabis, the what that happened during prohibition, legalization vs. decriminalization, healing properties of CBD & THC, medical studies and breakthroughs, regulation, and much more!

SPONSORED BY PORTAL ASCENSION 

 

 

Cannabis Just Got Personal

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In December of 2020, Mode introduced its flagship product, the world’s first universal smart cannabis dosing device and companion app for 510 cannabis cartridges. Izzy Kirsh and Mark Wagner, both CEO’s, were interviewed by Ruth Hill from CannaAngel and Alex Gomez from Aloft Magazine. Kirsh and Wagner who have developed other business products successfully for over ten years, partnered with another co-founder Steven Bates to, “set out to solve the dosing dilemma for people requiring cannabis to teat injuries, ailments and other health-related matters.” [Read more…] about Cannabis Just Got Personal