Under the leadership of Cannabis Control Commissioner Shaleen Title, Massachusetts has revealed the “nation’s first statewide “social equity” program to help minorities and people convicted of drug offenses work in the legal marijuana industry.”
Massachusetts state law requires the Cannabis Control Commission to promote full participation in the industry by people disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement. The commission is already giving priority in review of licensing applications to “economic empowerment” applicants who come from areas and groups that have been overly affected by marijuana arrests. […]
There are four tracks in the program: one for owners/entrepreneurs; one for management and executive level careers; one for entry level jobs or people looking to re-enter society after incarceration; and one for people with existing skills that can be transferred to the cannabis business. The final track has separate categories for professional skills like law or accounting and trade skills, like drivers, plumbers or electricians. It is also designed to help inventors of cannabis accessories.
Each track will offer training on industry-specific challenges and skills.
This is impressive work. It’s so much harder to do it this way, but represents a desire to not just legalize, but partially make up for the decades of damage from marijuana prohibition.
Seems like a great idea.
So, how long before the “authorities†hijack the program and kill it? For our protection, you understand.
You can never convince a government employee to derail their own gravy train, and the war on cannabis is the biggest freakin’ government money grab in human history.
Massachusetts’ social equity program to assist minorities and drug offenders gain careers in the legal marijuana industry will decentralize the business in a way that supports small business entities while striking back at inequality in the U.S.
The program strikes back in a uniquely peaceful fashion—an unusual effect when correcting or reversing social inequality. Social equalizations have traditionally included serious violence. The Massachusetts cannabis program may be a rare example of a transformative revolution that doesn’t accrue through forcefulness.
Walter Sheidel at Stanford published a celebrated book in 2017, The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century, illustrating the history of income equality and its troubled corrections:
Wow. Now if only Washington had done something like that. Our system included cronyism and financial roadblocks as features. From the outset, that kept most of the old tyme growers and dealers out of the legal market and scrambling for new income streams….which isn’t working out well for many. Others began moving their product straight out of State. That will come as no surprise here, but the State is “‘Shocked to find gambling going on here’ ‘Sir, your winnings'”
Hope your leg is recovering well, Pete. Next time….don’t do that!
Thanks, darkcycle! I totally agree that I don’t want to do that again! It’s healing, but it’s such a long process – 13 weeks mostly in a wheelchair so far.
best wishes Pete. get well soon
The inequality of fortunes is often the result of never-ending war, and all things supporting the war. The so-called drug war has been ongoing for about 2000 years in some form or other, and until recently showed few signs of ending. Scientific investigations of prohibition exposing its true motives and assessments continues to dump sand into the gearbox driving the drug war machine.
It’s not as if American citizens weren’t forewarned about wars that don’t end. In an excerpt from Political Observations by James Madison, the father of the Constitution, and the fourth president of the U.S. — written on 4/20 no less — in the year 1795, Madison noted:
I heard that white landowners in Asia, Mexico, and South America created a gimmick to get their drugs to sell better. And that gimmick was prohibition, since, according to the Bible, every human is enticed by the forbidden fruit and that consumption rates increased under prohibition, as did profits for growers.
It still works that way. Increasing the price and/or decreasing the availability of a product makes it more desirable for many people. It’s why we desire Lamborghinis instead of Chevys. It’s how the diamond market operates; diamonds aren’t as rare as they’re made to appear by De Beers, the company that control the diamond market. The behavior is likely an evolutionary remnant of our species’ hunter-gatherer era.
“The behavior is likely an evolutionary remnant of our species’ hunter-gatherer era.”
That makes since. Hunting and gathering for diamonds.
On cruise ships, when you dock, you get a little ticket to take into a Diamonds International store and they give you a free little golden charm (each port’s different) with a tiny diamond in it. And does offering bud on cruises subject to the 1961 U.N. Single’s Laws since it’s out in open territory waters? I don’t think it can, since location/grid %$^%&* are non-members of the U.N. I think Virgin should offer a cruise lines that does bud. Ships named: Blue Dream, Acapulco Gold, Sour Diesel, Pineapple Express, etc.
I just proved your point, Servetus. Cruises are luxury and I don’t mind wallowing in it from time to time. All the food you can eat is a hunter gather’s wet dreeam, plus the shopping to simulate hunting. One day, they’ll use hemp diesel from the seeds to power such leviathans of leisure.
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Meet the new boss, same as the old boss?
Trump to appoint White House lawyer as next DEA chief
https://tinyurl.com/ybk8jwdc
Dr. Shaotong Zhu at the UT Southwestern Medical Center and colleagues have deduced the structure of the GABAA receptor:
First year of legal marijuana sales in Nevada sees a 10% drop in traffic deaths:
http://mynews4.com/news/local/nevada-traffic-deaths-dropped-10-percent-in-first-11-months-of-recreational-marijuana
But a significant increase in the number of drivers at red Stop signs, waiting for them to turn green…
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I wonder is the Nevada casinos have been giving away less “free” booze in the last 11 months. It strikes me that it is within the realm of the possible that regulated re-legalization made a substantial if not the entirety of the reduction in Nevada.
A study (pdf) concluded that alcohol sales dropped 15% in states with medical marijuana laws between 2006 and 2015. That’s with medical sales alone.
The beverages affected by the Nevada recreational cannabis industry appear to be recreational, beer and liquor; while wine merchants view their product as food and therefore unlikely to be affected by a recreational product. There are also health benefits for red wine as it contains tannic acid, a chemical known to prevent the formation of toxic amyloid structures that cause Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Had tannic acid been found in cannabis instead of red wine, it could have suffered the same fate as CBD. Things being different, the U.S. might just be emerging from a tannic acid prohibition while giving new hope to drivers with dementia.
Help Send the FBI to Rogers County Oklahoma.
https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/man-removed-from-meeting-by-rogers-county-sheriff-wants
If this goes favorably, it will break down the small town cop mentality in regards to citizens and their views on cannabis and use of unnecessary force. These kinds of members of LE are the biggest threat to our new law–bigger than our politicians. This could reduce them harassing lawful growers/vendors/patients.
I sent this to Senator Elizabeth Warren:
I have no trust in my representatives and senators to act, so I’m writing to you, an Oklahoma native. I am writing as a concerned resident in regards to an incident involving Chip Paul and Rogers County Sheriff, Scott Walton. During a meeting about a medical marijuana vote coming up, cell-phone footage caught Sheriff Walton with his hands on the back of Mr. Paul’s neck, forcing him out of the building. Sheriff Walton stated the man was disruptive and told to leave, though there appears to be no evidence to suggest it. The UCLA claims the Sheriff was using his authority to silence those who supported the medical marijuana bill coming to a vote at that time, as does Mr. Paul. Mr. Paul would like the FBI to investigate since he and a lot of others would never be able to trust any Oklahoma investigators and DAs. I like Mr. Walton for helping a veteran with a roof (I’m one too-Iraq), but I don’t want law enforcement to control political speech with their authority, therefore my oath to the United States Government still stands and this kind of force on a citizen during political speech is a domestic threat to my nation. Please help Oklahoma and Mr. Paul secure a proper investigation. We cannot allow law enforcement to keep undermining the rights of citizens when they feel that their bottom line is being threatened. I ask that you pay attention to this problem and monitor it. If the FBI comes, then it would tell the rest of Oklahoma Law Enforcement that they cannot do that or harass citizens and it would protect Oklahoma’s new Medical Marijuana law from law enforcement harassing those in compliance with the law. You know all about Oklahoma Mrs. Warren, which is why I’ve entrusted you to jump on board. And who better than you, a heavy weight champion, hailing from Oklahoma.
More good news is that is that Luxembourg and Vermont have also legitimized weed.
Luxembourg is too rich to give a damn about trivialities such as legality, so its current medical cannabis legalization is merely a symbol or a statement meant to reflect the reality of the situation that already exists. Vermont, too, fits this category.
For Oklahoma it’s different. What Oklahomans can now expect in their communities that medicate with medical or recreational pot will be ongoing reductions in suicides, traffic deaths, wife beatings, and homicides. Flowers will bloom. People will develop a better appreciation for nature and its gifts.
Obrador is now President of Mexico. “Hugs not bullets” . . . amnesty to drug dealers and the idea that crime cannot be fought if the government is corrupt and a part of human rights violations.
I hope this is a good thing.
Australians are encountering bottlenecks in the implementation of Australia’s medical cannabis program. Training of general practitioners in the use of cannabis is lacking, as is access to specialists for those who require prescription cannabinoids.
Despite the current setbacks, physicians are taking a lead in recommending marijuana for patients who inquire about treatment:
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It appears that Election Day 2018 in Colorado will be another referendum on regulated re-legalization. Jared Polis has the Democratic nomination for Governor. Of course Rep. Polis is a staunch supporter of regulated re-legalization. Walker Stephenson is the Republican nominee but if you’re rooting for a knock down drag out contest between the forces of good and evil it appears he’ll be a disappointment. While it does appear that he wants to muck up the medicinal cannabis side he appears to have no concern about cannabis intended for enjoyment. His problem with medical appears to be a problem with the lack of revenue generated. Perhaps now that he has won the nomination his position will become less opaque. But at this point it sure appears that Mr. Stephenson doesn’t think that an attack against the law previously known as Amendment 64 is a good bet.
Stage is set for an ‘angrier’ governor’s race than Colorado has seen in past years
PS: FWIW Rep. Polis was not the candidate endorsed by the Colorado Democratic Party.
Despite shifting attitudes and changing laws about cannabis, there remain people—and entire industries—that staunchly oppose marijuana legalization.
☛ The Industries That Oppose Marijuana Legalization
☛ Five Years into Marijuana Legalization: What Didn’t Happen
Never before had any prohibitionist had to fight back against an actual legalization regime. For years, Sabet and his kind had issued dire forecasts of the bleak hellscape America would become under the seductive addiction to the devil’s lettuce. Now those predictions would be put to the test in the real world.
☛ California Dispensaries Must Destroy $350 Million Worth of Weed
Across California, compost bins are fuller and dispensary shelves are a little emptier than usual. If you knew the signs, you’d sense that something dramatic had just happened. And you’d be right.
☛ How Police Are Preparing to Catch Drivers Under the Influence of Cannabis
With recreational marijuana set to become legal on Oct. 17, police forces across Canada are stepping up efforts to train officers to detect drivers under the influence of the drug.
☛ Ex-Drug Czars Bill Bennett, John Walters:
Mr. Trump, please don’t legalize marijuana at the federal level
President Trump has spoken out forcefully about defeating the illegal drug problem—as powerfully as any recent president, including Ronald Reagan. Now he is urged to support marijuana legalization in the midst of the most deadly drug abuse epidemic in American history. President Trump should refuse—it’s a bad deal with unsustainable consequences.
Researchers at the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics have demonstrated that CBD extracts alone may not be responsible for all the anti-epileptic effects achieved by ingesting herbal cannabis with its multiple ingredients and entourage effect:
This study introduced me to the concept of “Placebo by proxy.” It seems parents giving cannabis oils to their children can sometimes bias their epileptic kids into a reduction of seizures.
Second-hand hope can be as good as dope. Who knew?
There is an intriguing opposite effect of a placebo, called a nocebo, that happens when taking a perfectly harmless but unknown substance such as a sugar pill triggers adverse symptoms simply because the person expects symptoms or harm to occur.
The nocebo effect can show up when cops clear out marijuana in a grow bust and later claim they experienced symptoms of being high just from inhaling the aroma of the plants. It’s also why some officers choose to wear hazmat suits when they’re near weed.
Scott Pruitt. Lest we forget:
“While attorney general of Oklahoma, Pruitt sued Colorado over the state’s decriminalization of marijuana. The suit alleged that Colorado’s marijuana industry harmed neighboring states by “draining their treasuries, and placing stress on their criminal justice systems.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.”
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/pruitt-confirmation-adds-another-strong-anti-marijuana-voice-to-trump-cabinet
Very glad to see this asshole, Christian Imperialist protector of Big Oil crawl home to his red state.
Scott Pruitt’s attitude toward drugs never wavered. He belongs to a religious sect that sees illicit drugs as demonic. It has nothing to do with biology or health—it’s aimed at soul saving and the persecution of drug heretics, except when it comes to executions.
Pruitt the polluting prohib began his legal practice after law school in Tulsa where he focused on defending Christians in religious liberty cases. His consequent interactions with drugs as a politician included:
Oh look, they want the war-mongering to continue under the pretext of the drug war:
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/08/obama-afghanistan-drug-war-taliban-616316
Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society is the man who stacks the courts for the extreme Catholic right. Among the many social disasters that result, one is he packs the courts with prohibidiots and prohibitches. Jay Michaelson has the story at the Daily Beast:
Leo’s current job is to pick the next member of the Supreme court for Trump and his political base. Within Federalist Society dogma, “there is no right to privacy implied by the due process clause of the Constitutionâ€, which means that anyone engaging in luxuria, i.e., smoking recreational marijuana, must be prohibited from doing so to comply with Catholic catechism 2291.
For the psychologically damaging cannabis disinformation being levied upon hapless Catholic children, see:
https://www.nwcatholic.org/spirituality/ask-father/catholic-belief-smoking-marijuana.html
https://lifeteen.com/blog/marijuana-is-it-wrong-to-light-up/
Dr. Mel Gurtov, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Portland State University, assesses U.S. world standing as a human rights advocate under the Trump regime. Not surprisingly, the nation’s standing on human rights has tanked:
Study funded by Oxycontin-maker finds marijuana doesn’t work for chronic pain
https://twitter.com/maiasz/status/1017022838438531072
A coke addiction gene has been discovered. Alban de Kerchove d’Exaerde at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and colleagues have discovered that Maged1 is required for cocaine addiction:
Tom Angell has an opinion article at the LA Times worth reading:
“Democrats still haven’t figured out that legal weed is a winning issue” https://t.co/j21imb20cV
Is it ignorance or conflict of interest? Sheer stupidity?
I think servetus is right on with the reference to the Federalist Society.
“Why Congressional Democrats Deleted Their Anti-Marijuana Tweet”
https://t.co/Jt1oDx4Tnt
Old habits die hard.
Oklahoma Board of Health bans sales of smokeable marijuana http://www.oklahoman.com/article/5600886?access=e0a1dea3da497d10d96b3877820023ab
http://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-officials-slapped-with-lawsuits-after-approving-medical-marijuana-rules/22145033
Not without a fight.
Shit is getting weird in Oklahoma. Julie Ezell, “I’m so sorry.”
If you can’t win? LIE.
Oklahoma activists say they have so far collected more than 100,000 signatures on a petition to place a marijuana legalization measure on the state’s ballot. Roughly 124,000 valid signatures are needed. Meanwhile, medical cannabis advocates filed two lawsuits against new restrictive medical cannabis regulations. And gubernatorial candidates from all parties slammed regulators’ actions.
Lawyer quits after Oklahoma medical board vote on pot rules via @YahooNews
‘I’m so sorry’: Health department attorney confessed to faking threats about marijuana rules, OSBI says via @tulsaworld
Read the threatening emails investigators allege health department attorney sent to herself over marijuana rules
Oklahoma Board of Health Adopts Less Restrictive Rules for Medical Marijuana https://www.marijuana.com/news/2018/08/oklahoma-board-of-health-adopts-less-restrictive-rules-for-medical-marijuana/
Illinois Parents Can Now Give Medical Marijuana to their Children at Schools https://www.marijuana.com/news/2018/08/illinois-parents-can-now-give-medical-marijuana-to-their-children-at-schools/
Historic Day for Medical Marijuana in Pa.
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread29327.shtml
“There’s No Rational Way to Justify America’s Drug Laws”
By Maia Szalavitz
https://t.co/RTeJnuZTeA
True, but without these laws, we wouldn’t be allowed to wage war in Afghanistan against a drug money funded enemy armed enough to keep us there long enough to open up lithium and copper mines (A round of applause for the 1961 U.N. Single Laws). Persia, Greece, Mongolia, Great Britain, Russia, and now America. It set up oil contracts with Iraq when she was destabilized by America fighting drug money . . . after we took out their leader and opened up shop for organized crime to roam the streets of Baghdad. If we legalized drugs, we’ll never justify a scenario in which America saves the day again. Venezuelan is crying for our intervention. How dare we let that oil drip through our fingers and slowly through the embargo loopholes of Curacao. Let’s face it, in the words of HR Clinton, “There is just too much money in it”. Russia drops drug dollars onto Ukrainian separatists . . . Georgia as well. His BFF in Chechnya uses it to oil the machine and tighten the screws of his ‘country’.
…and without these laws how could the federal government exercise control over states yearning to grow and modernize their police departments – at the expense of states rights and the bill of rights. Drug wars act like built in immigration controls amongst minority populations (all non whites).
And more control and power to the feds over the states, and their commerce. Now the perfect excuse for class controls.
The lower classes, that is.
California regulators released proposed marijuana rules. Separately, officials released guidance saying that “the use of industrial hemp as the source of CBD to be added to food products is prohibited.” Meanwhile, State Controller Betty Yee was injured in a car crash involving a driver suspected of being under the influence of marijuana.
In 1974, US researchers A. E. Munson, L. S. Harris, M. A. Friedman, W. L. Dewey, and R. A. Carchman observed that cannabis had anti-cancer properties. The results were published a year later. Hysterically fearful that someone might have something good to say about marijuana that could lead to outing cannabis prohibition as a mere tool of social repression, the Ford administration buried the results.
In the post-Nixon era, the US continues to bureaucratically obstruct or willfully disrupt meaningful scientific research on cancer and treatments of other illnesses that are remediable using marijuana. Fortunately, saner foreign nations are not so predisposed. In Germany, at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Rostock University Medical Center, Burkhard Hinz and Robert Ramer just published a summary on the “Antiâ€tumoural actions of cannabinoids†in the British Journal of Pharmacology:
Cannabis Shrinks Tumors: Government Knew in 74 – 06/09/00 http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/topic/588
At Wolters Olters Kluwer Health, headquartered in the Netherlands, reporting 2017 annual revenues of €4.4 billion, a company serving customers in over 180 countries, maintaining operations in over 40 countries, employing approximately 19,000 people worldwide, today fired another silver bullet into the coffin of the opioid industries:
I used morphine for several years prior to hip replacement in 2004. No problems and still going strong. I could use another hip replacement on my non-operated side, but have decided to avoid surgery as long as possible by exercising and physical therapy.
When I was in the recovery room I thought I’d move things along by removing my breathing tube. I have no recollection of doing it cuz I was still sedated. Apparently hospital staff thought I still needed it, and when they replaced it in haste one of my vocal chords suffered nerve damage and remains paralyzed.
I asked why my throat was so damn sore after having hip replacement surgery. Before surgery I recall that a nurse seemed distracted from taking my BP. I asked her about it and she admitted she was actually counting my respirations. How much dope-juice could they apply during surgery and still keep me breathing?
Did my doc’s fear of over-sedation (based on opiate tolerance) result in under-sedation instead? Is that why I removed my breathing tube before a nurse could do it?
Tobacco smoke inhibits bone healing and my doc told me not to smoke after surgery. I only smoke weed and asked him about it. He said don’t do it but couldn’t provide any evidence to support his claim. Of course I ignored his advice.
Big Pharma’s opioid anti-solutions and the US federal government’s anti-cannabinoid stance fall under Lysenkoism, a doctrine “that…promised a biology based on a plastic view of life that was consistent with the plastic view of human nature insisted upon by Marxist-Leninist dogma.” [Wiki]
@DdC
Have you seen this?:
http://fornits.com/SIBS/
Sounds like Calvina and Sabet’s wish list…
Dr. Fucktard and the Staff at Straight Inc. by the Sea
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Well here’s an instant classic:
New Jersey state senator fears ‘sex toy oils with marijuana’ after pot is legal
While highly annoying it’s still fascinating to see the prohibitionist brain at work. Just when you think that they have reached the outer limits of stupidity they manage to push the envelope even further.
A University of North Carolina Chapel Hill study reveals excessive opioid fatalities among released NC prisoners:
The authors cite a number of potential remedies, but avoid the obvious ones.
Former prisoners in South Carolina are likely under some kind of conditional release that restricts their access to cannabinoids; a prohibition enforced through drug testing. Opiates, by contrast, are available through legitimate doctor prescriptions, making the drug an allowable medical treatment for appeasing probation or parole authorities.
The medical paradigm must change. Cannabis, as well as magic mushrooms, should be viewed as exit drugs for imprisonment, especially for drug offenses.
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Mama take this badge off of me
I can’t use it anymore
The end is near and I just can’t believe
That I can’t break down a pothead’s door
Can’t go breaking down pothead doors
Can’t go breaking down pothead doors
Mama put my guns in the ground
I can’t shoot dogs anymore
That skunkweed cloud is all around
And I can’t break down a pothead’s door
Can’t go breaking down pothead doors
Can’t go breaking down pothead doors
Can’t go breaking down pothead doors
Can’t go breaking down pothead doors
Do you want YOUR child to end up in a marijuana lube rainbow party?
https://reason.com/blog/2018/07/20/dispensaries-will-sell-sex-toy-oils-with
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Then again let’s not lose sight of the fact that dispensaries are already selling not just THC infused lube but also a CBD infused lube. While it isn’t sold as sex toy lube per se I think that’s because the cost would be prohibitive.
Foria FAQ
We should send some to Sen. Ron Rice’s SO and see if that doesn’t make him flip flop on this issue.
No, send it to “Santorum.” He’s so frothy, man!
***Holds up lighter***
Remember the Wiggler.
Could somebody check out that smell from the attic? He might still be up there…ugh. 😉
No, he’s not up there. I saw him at the truck stop outside of Indianapolis with a giant size Mazola, whipping up the batter for the pancake of his flock [Copyright F. Zapper],,,, wiggle dude, where art thou now?
The Motley Fool publicly endorsed marijuana investing on Consuelo Mack’s Wealth Track. I think they are going to open up a portfolio and stick it in with one of their funds or make it into a fund/etf. Canopy Growth has a good balance sheet.
Coloradans haven’t got any problems with the law. It’s not even an issue in the 2018 gubernatorial race. Colorado’s Democratic voters snubbed the Party’s preferred nominee by a vote count of 2:1 in the primary, giving the nod to Jared Polis. US Representative Polis is an outspoken proponent of ending the stupidity of cannabis prohibition. Walker Stapleton is the Republican nominee and doesn’t even mention cannabis in his list of issues on his campaign’s web site:
https://www.stapletonforcolorado.com/issues/
PROPRAGANDA ALERT: Researchers from Lancaster and Lisbon Universities studied the effects of the cannabinoid WIN 55,212-2 in mice and found that long-term exposure affected long-term memory. They also state (incorrectly) that “it is already known that heavy, regular cannabis use increases the risk of developing mental health problems including psychosis and schizophrenia.â€
The researchers didn’t bother to hide their agenda, which is to make cannabinoids appear harmful. Alternative interpretations were available. For instance, if the biological memory function of the mice translates equally to human biology (85-percent of mouse studies don’t), then forgetting with regard to problems involving PTSD would not be considered harmful.
The researchers also failed to mention that forgetting is crucial to normal brain functioning. Some recent research examples from AAAS Public Releases include:
Scripps Florida scientists discover a new protein crucial to normal forgetting
Students may forget relevant information in order to protect their own psyches: UCLA-led study suggests people often don’t recall memories that threaten the way they want to see themselves
Forgetting can make you smarter
Michael Pollan: Cannabis,
the Importance of Forgetting
https://townsendcenter.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/publications/OP27_Pollan.pdf
https://youtu.be/iF1EYLuyKy4
http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/topic/1620
Scripps Florida scientists discover
a new protein crucial to normal forgetting
https://t.co/1AQeQufunf
Propaganda indeed.
Comparing full agonists at CB1 to cannabinoids (weak partial agonists) and/or endocannabinoids is misleading. WIN 55, 212-2 is a full agonist and has an affinity (i.e, potency) of almost 20x higher than THC.
THC: (Ki= 1.9 nM), WIN 55, 212-2 (KI= 41 nM).
This difference in receptor affinity, PLUS the fact little mousies aint human is kind of significant.
The ECS is all about protecting cells and keeping the body’s functions in balance. Italy’s Vicenzo di Marzo uses a five-word phrase to explain it, Eat, Sleep, Relax, Protect, and FORGET.
This study uses the term “cannabis-based medicines,” Supra potent THC synthetics would be a better term.
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Am I a man or am I a mouse?
Synthetic cannabinoids haven’t killed enough people? How the heck does someone justify testing one chemical and claiming the results for a different substance and avoid the derisive laughter?
—————————
Targeted advertising has certainly come a long way. Until I read about the “research” in the article linked above I had never heard of WIN 55,212-2 mesylate so last night I did a web search to learn more about it. Today I’m getting ads from people who want to sell it to me. I’m not really interested but thought that some people might like to see that company’s web site. Fair warning: clicking the link below is likely to get offers for that and other synthetic cannabinoids directed to your browser.
https://www.tocris.com/search?keywords=WIN+55%2C212-2+mesylate
Recommendations that police focus on real crimes instead of harassing marijuana consumers is now a reality in the legalized recreational cannabis states studied by researchers David Makin, et al., at Washington State. Some results are in:
Old assumptions, like those of Rudolf Giuliani’s broken windows policies that posited marijuana arrests reduce other crimes, are shown to be incorrect. Cannabis consumers aren’t the criminals the prohibs believed them to be.
Someone please define sanity. I dare you.
The U.S. Senate, by unanimous consent, approved a resolution congratulating the Drug Enforcement Administration on the occasion of its 45th anniversary.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and local police raided a Texas vape shop and seized CBD oils.
The U.S Senate bill to deschedule marijuana and devote funding to leveling the economic playing field and research got one new cosponsor, for a total of eight.
Oklahoma regulators will meet on August 1 to revisit widely criticized restrictive medical cannabis rules. Meanwhile, it seems unlikely that lawmakers will go into special session to deal with medical marijuana implementation. And an advocacy group unveiled draft legislation it would like to see enacted.
WOMP WOMP.
https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/marijuana/pharmacy-board-terminates-executive-director-amid-bribe-investigation/article_cd366c10-71c7-5be1-bfa8-00567ae06645.amp.html#top
https://tinyurl.com/SparkedZizzled
Benjamin Franklin encountered opposition to his invention of the lightning rod from theologians such as Pastor Pearce, who doth speak BS, and who neglects to inform us of the embarrassing continual failure of Christianity to come to terms with effects of weather and climate:
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Dope Queen? Is that you RuPaul?
‘If ya light the dope, you’ll go up in smoke’
Doesn’t even rhyme….like his reasoning.
Editor’s note: This is a satire piece from The Collegian’s opinion section. Real names may be used in fictitious/semi-fictitious ways. Those who do not read editor’s notes are subject to being offended.
Research at McGill University on cannabis and its effects on breathlessness due to COPD plus exercise proves inconclusive:
Researchers published a cannabis study that’s dangerously misleading https://t.co/np9lr1PDwi
“Here’s what happened, per a Lancaster University press release: “Researchers from Lancaster and Lisbon universities studied the effects of the cannabinoid drug WIN 55,212-2 in mice and found… †the press release then goes on to say that WIN 55,212-2 appears to demonstrate long term negative effects in the brains of mice. To paraphrase them, this stuff makes mice dumb and forgetful — and not in a funny way.”
“Basically, if you’re a habitual cannabis user, this is your worst nightmare. Except it isn’t, because the “cannabinoid drug WIN55,212-2†isn’t THC or CBD – the chemicals in natural cannabis that do what good weed does – it’s actually a synthetic cannabinoid designed to work on the exact same parts of the brain as THC and CBD.” …
“Let’s be fair: The researchers never said they used real cannabis, and they certainly disclosed that the testing was done on mice. They even pointed out in the white paper that the trials were conducted for 30-day periods. So, while they never said they conducted “long term†research on “humans†using “cannabis,†they did say “The study has implications for both recreational users and people who use the drug to combat epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.†And that would lead a reasonable person to assume they mean cannabis, not K2 or Spice. Even the press release is titled “Lancaster University research shows cannabis affects memory.â€
“This isn’t just a misunderstanding, it’s a huge issue. Legitimate cannabis research is hard to come by. It’s not legal everywhere and it’s difficult to get funding because of the stigma surrounding its position as an illegal drug in many areas.”
“But, veterans with PTSD, parents with children who suffer from crippling seizures, people contemplating a cannabis cream instead of an opiate pill, or anyone else weighing the decision to try cannabis shouldn’t be tricked into using information that doesn’t pertain to them when they make important life decisions.”
“An observation, no matter how scientifically accurate, on how a mouse reacts to a chemical that’s not cannabis doesn’t indicate that “long-term use of either cannabis or cannabis-based drugs impairs memory†as that press release from Lancaster University begins.”
“The conversation on the health benefits of cannabis is muddied by this misleadingly presented research. And it isn’t fair to those who end up needlessly suffering. A cancer patient shouldn’t have to be ashamed of easing their pain with cannabis because a bunch of scientists determined that synthetic weed is dangerous to mice.”
That was a nice catch by Servetus.
If only we had hundreds of thousands of humans willing to partake in their own N=1 studies.
Here’s a bit of Weed Porn for Weed Nerds.
This is from Adrain Devett-Lee at Project CBD in an article titled “Mitochondria Mysteries: Homeostasis, renewal and the endocannabinoid system.
Then there’s this: Symbiosis
And this:
In brief, it’s the mitochondria that are the primary agents against oxidative stresses that cause diseases. They provide most of the anti-oxidant and neuroprotection effects of cannabinoids, Very complicated and interesting stuff that deserves a real pro explaining all of it. I’m not that guy.
The Weed Nerd stuff I wanted to point out is this: The CB1 cannabinoid receptor has to be at LEAST as old as the mitochondria before symbiosis. Too me, one-and-a-half to two billion years old is pretty fucking ancient.
CB1 receptors are one of a family group of around 800 G-protein coupled receptors and they are the most common of these receptors in the brain and spinal cord. Very cool. However, if mitochondria are in every cell except red blood cells, that means almost EVERY cell in our body has the CB1 receptors.
Talk about therapeutic potential!!!!!
For those interested in digging deeper, the 1998 US patent 6630507: Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants, explains how it all works.
Mitochondria Mysteries
https://www.projectcbd.org/cannabinoids-and-mitochondria
Scientific data indicates that CBD & THC can affect mitochondria, the energy adaptors that power every multicellular organism. How do cannabinoids influence cellular function?
.
“Never let the facts get in the way of disseminating an effective piece of hysterical rhetoricâ€
~~ The Prohibitionist’s Motto
Servetus, your drugwarrant musings are spot on!
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If this is old news to many here, I apologize, but it was news to me that the Rick Simpson oil treatment for cancer has been advocated by Corrie Yelland, (who cured herself that way six or seven years ago), on a podcast that went for a year daily (with Ian Jessop) from Victoria, Canada as Cannabis Health Radio. They did about 220 shows, and those shows can be found on Youtube, or on their website. With Rick now in Europe somewhere (?) I’d been wondering if anyone in this hemisphere was still carrying that torch, and I was happy to find that they had been. (The shows are not live anymore: they ran from fall 2016 until fall 2017.) That was really great work they did. Glad to find that this info is still available.
(This may be a little off topic, but I just needed to hop in and say something, after being silent for a long time.)
Hope you’re still healing nicely Pete.
Greetings all.
https://twitter.com/Simpson_Rick
http://endingcannabisprohibition.yuku.com/topic/1757
Thanks DdC
The drug war has a new drug war villain, and he is militarizing Argentina’s drug war. Brian Saady at Counterpunch reports:
This pony’s name be Schedule I.
@NormStamper
https://twitter.com/i/status/1022828960067903489
A battle over pot pits the Mormon Church against an unlikely group: other Mormons http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-utah-mormons-marijuana-20180729-story.html
British Library EThOS: Investigating the mechanisms of action of phytocannabinoids and a novel cognitive enhancer to target the comorbidity of temporal lobe epilepsy http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.747303 …
Extra, extra, read all about it! Manhattan DA announces end of ‘needless criminalization of pot smoking’
from the article:
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on Tuesday unveiled a new policy ending almost all prosecution of marijuana possession and smoking.
The New York district attorney’s office will no longer prosecute the cases as of Wednesday, except in cases where marijuana is being sold or if an individual involved “poses a significant threat to public safety.â€
and…
Vance said in a statement that the “needless criminalization of pot smoking†prevents prosecutors from being able to carry out their duties, and urged lawmakers to legalize marijuana fully.
“Our research has found virtually no public safety rationale for the ongoing arrest and prosecution of marijuana smoking, and no moral justification for the intolerable racial disparities that underlie enforcement,†Vance said.
“Tomorrow, our Office will exit a system wherein smoking a joint can ruin your job, your college application, or your immigration status, but our advocacy will continue,†he continued.
As has been said for so long here, neither economics nor demographics support continued cannabis prohibition. The only people who do are those who are making a buck off of it, and those they use as low mental wattage foot-soldiers to continue to clamor for it. Thankfully, both groups are shrinking in size and effectiveness, as witnessed by this latest development.
Getting weird, but a nice weird.
Georgia’s High Court Removes Marijuana Possession Penalties
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/georgias-high-court-removes-marijuana-possession-penalties/
People can’t be punished for possession of marijuana in Georgia, the small nation on the shores of the Black Sea in the Caucasus region, following a ruling by the country’s highest constitutional review court on Monday.
Georgia’s Constitutional Court ruled that “consumption of marijuana is an action protected by the right to free personality†and that citizens can no longer be assessed administrative penalties—citations, like the penalties issued for traffic violations or parking tickets—for cannabis possession.
This makes Georgia “the first country in the post-Soviet space†to legalize cannabis consumption, boasted Zurab Japaridze, the leader of Girchi, an opposition political party and a plaintiff in the lawsuit that led to Monday’s ruling. continued
Prohibidiots getting shot down in every battle…
Colorado Legalization Didn’t Increase Teen Marijuana Use, Another Study Finds – https://www.marijuanamoment.net/colorado-legalization-didnt-increase-teen-marijuana-use-another-study-finds/
The Georgian Orthodox Church is calling for the country’s Constitutional Court to be abolished after it invalidated marijuana penalties. https://marijuanamoment.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2b103be7b5d7ad4abd40bfebc&id=be74051482&e=8bff18e77b
Marijuana is a Gift from God
https://twitter.com/DendeCannabist/status/1024054030513790976
Governor stands up in his lunatic tunic:
https://tinyurl.com/GreenmantleBifta
“The Government’s Solution To The Opioid Crisis Feels Like A War To Pain Patients” https://tinyurl.com/yahud4tc
“As the feds crack down on opioid prescriptions, patients are taking their own lives, doctors are losing their jobs and overdose rates continue unabated.”
It’s the war on drugs that is being used to criminally ostracize any patient (or doctor) when the patient becomes addicted.
Doctors trying to help are being prosecuted and having their licenses yanked, either for prescribing or for giving drugs to an addict. Patients are suffering.
This strict approach is drug war oriented and makes criminals out of otherwise law abiding citizens, doctors and patients alike.
Harm Reduction methods not justice department prosecutions can help lead us out of this mess. End this war. The Nixonian classification system used by the DEA is the problem.
Using the Justice Department to stop drug abuse is the wrong solution to the problem. Hell, they can’t (or won’t) even stop the fentanyl: the real source of the current overdose problem. It does not work.
Americans’ Legal Opioid Use Hasn’t Budged Much Over the Past Decade https://tinyurl.com/yd9rdpl7
Someone needs to study why. Sure are a whole lot of suffering patients whose only relief is a black market and legal pot. Let me say this too: cannabis will never do anything but run a not too close second behind the pain relieving qualities of opiates. As to safety, pot is #1.
Agree with your thoughts about cannabis versus opiates. Your previous link from HuffPo was heart-wrenching and tragic. Imagine sitting next to your spouse while they commit suicide due to overwhelming and under treated pain. Is this the “new” American nightmare?
Something that’s intrigued me for awhile are animal studies showing THC can potentiate morphine by a factor of 3x and codeine a whopping 9.6x. Not only can THC increase opiate analgesia, but combining sub-therapeutic doses of THC and morphine creates a similar effect to therapeutic doses of THC alone or morphine alone.
Of perhaps greater interest is the fact that a 1:1 combo of THC/morphine doesn’t induce normal cellular tolerance, as each will do separately. No need to continually adjust medication load upwards in response to tolerance.
In the study I’m currently reading, .75 mg/kg THC and .75 mg/kg morphine was used on mice. This area of study seems to hold some promise for humans embroiled in the opiate wars. It’s silly for medicine to ignore pharmacological synergy. When medical math, 2 + 2 = 5, that’s the shit.
Typical of animal studies, THC was used. Could we create something even better by adding CBD, possibly other cannabinoids and terpenes? The endocannabinoid system and the body’s endogenous opiate system work differently on pain. Combining the two psychoactive analgesics makes sense.
I think we possibly discussed some related thoughts some time ago, NorCalNative.
I am (as a cancer patient) on doctor prescribed codeine/tylenol for pain. Also doctor recommended cannabis. I have not needed a stronger opiate and do not seem to be developing a tolerance that would necessitate stronger dosing, going on about two years like this. Haven’t tried it yet but I believe I could quit the tylenol 4’s without discomfort.
My personal experiences are completely in line with the info in your post.