The Future Of Cannabis In The World: June 2018

Friday, 22 June 2018

Proposal to legalize recreational marijuana set for November vote

Jack Kirwan

The proposal to legalize recreational marijuana throughout the state of Michigan is set to be on the ballot on Nov. 6, 2018.

Should this proposal pass, people 21 years of age and older will be able to purchase and use recreational marijuana in the state. A vote will determine if Michigan will follow in the footsteps of other states, such as Colorado and California, in legalizing marijuana for recreational use at the state level.

Josh Hovey, the communications director for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol, said that if the proposal passes, Michigan would see "a very similar licensing structure that is happening right now with medical marijuana."

"You're going to see very little difference from what happens today, but there will be a whole lot fewer arrests," Hovey said.

Though recreational marijuana could be legalized in November, Hovey said it would take "a couple years to get everything up and running."

"Once our initiative passes, people will be able to possess and consume legally, but the licensing structure will take probably a year to really get off the ground," Hovey said.

Hovey said that although legalization can take place next November it will take a while for "the state to create all the rules and the processes for applying for licenses."

"I support the ballot measure," Mayor Meadows said. "As long as cities, you know, villages, townships, counties are authorized to set their own course on this, I think that it's the right way to go. I don't think the state has to dictate everything to us."

"It'd be nice to see that pass, and us put the jailing of people for smoking marijuana behind us forever," Meadows said.

Meadows also added that he would personally be in favor of dropping the legal age to consume both marijuana and alcohol to 18 years of age, but since the legal age to consume alcohol is 21 years, it should be "consistent across the board."

Hovey added that this legislation will put an end "to law enforcement resources that go to police to regulate a plant that has proven to be less dangerous and less addictive than either alcohol or tobacco."

While the legalization of marijuana would certainly be significant for the state, East Lansing wouldn't see as much change since recreational marijuana was decriminalized here by a city charter amendment in 2015. One problem that is present with the current set up in East Lansing is that although it is decriminalized here, marijuana is still illegal at the state level. As a result, police in the area have to enforce two conflicting sets of laws.

East Lansing Mayor Pro-Tem Erik Altmann said that if legalization passes in November, "a little bit more clarity" will be provided to local police in the area because they will not have to work under conflicting laws at the local and state level.

"I am a solid supporter of decriminalization at all levels and I think prohibition has been a spectacular failure and the rest of the country and the rest of the world is moving towards legalization in one form or another," Altmann said. "It's such a waste of money and such a waste of, you know, human resources when people get prosecuted and thrown in jail for marijuana crimes, it doesn't make any sense."

"We think that this isn't really a Democrat or Republican issue, this is an issue that the time has come, and most people in Michigan agree that prohibition doesn't work and it's been a massive failure, and that a system of strong regulation is a much better option," Hovey said.

Mexico opium poppy growers see price drop, turn to marijuana

By MARK STEVENSON

TENANTLA, Mexico – Opium poppy growers in southern Mexico who helped fuel the U.S. heroin epidemic say prices for their product have been driven so low — apparently by the use of synthetic opioids like fentanyl — that they are turning in desperation back to another crop they know well: marijuana.

Beset by poverty and joblessness, farmers in the hills around the Guerrero state hamlets of Tenantla and Amatitlan say that prices for opium paste — which oozes from the bulbs of poppies after they're cut — have fallen so low they don't even pay for the cost of planting, fertilizing, irrigating, weeding and harvesting the raw material for heroin.

One local farmer points to a former opium poppy field tucked into the fold of steep hillside. The dried stalks of the poppy plants from last year's harvest can be seen sticking out among the 2- and 3-foot-tall stands of marijuana planted this year.

"We'll probably keep planting both," said the stocky farmer who asked not to be named for fear of arrest.

But a rail-thin grower with narco-style chain necklaces in the nearby hamlet of Amatitlan said he won't plant poppies again.

"If I'm working three months to make just 5,000 pesos ($250), I might as well do something else," he said. "It's easier to plant marijuana. It isn't so prone to pests."

What has him and other farmers in the region desperate is a huge drop in the prices that local drug gangs pay for a kilogram of opium paste. At its height a few years ago, the farmers say they could get 20,000 or 25,000 pesos ($1,000 to $1,250) per kilogram. This year, prices have dropped to 5,000 ($250) per kilo.

The farmer in Amatitlan blames the price drop on the "sinteticos" — synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Drug cartels are increasingly either selling fentanyl in pill form or cutting heroin with fentanyl to boost its potency, thus lessening their need for naturally grown opioids.

That's already having an effect on America's opioid problem as well, according to U.S. law enforcement.

"Some heroin indicators suggest fentanyl is significantly impacting market share and, in a few markets, even supplanting the heroin market," the Drug Enforcement Administration said in its 2017 National Drug Assessment report.

A U.S. official, who was not authorized to be quoted by name or agency, noted that for traffickers, there are advantages to synthetics. They are not affected by rainfall, raids or rival gangs and can be ordered by mail from Chinese labs, avoiding much of the labor and conflict involved in buying small amounts of opium paste from farmers and processing them into heroin and then smuggling it to the U.S. market.

Still, DEA figures indicate the flow of organic heroin has been high and rising in recent years, and the official estimated it could take five to 10 years for growth of fentanyl to put a significant dent in that.
There's still "plenty of heroin flowing north," the official said.

However, officials in Guerrero state — one of Mexico's largest growing areas, together with northern states like Durango, Chihuahua and Sinaloa — say that on the ground, they're already seeing the effects of the drop in opium prices.

"The increase in synthetic drugs is causing the price of naturally grown drugs like opium to fall, and that is hitting the income of the criminal groups," said Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez.

"The gangs are experiencing an economic crisis, which is causing criminals to diversify their activities," said Alvarez, noting that some gangs have taken to carjacking vehicles on the heavily travelled toll highway that runs from Mexico City to Acapulco, something that didn't use to happen.

"They are turning to extortion or kidnapping, as well," Alvarez notes. "All of a sudden they see their income drop and so they seek out other revenues, like kidnapping, extortion."

This month, for example, a city on the other side of the mountains in Guerrero saw its local PepsiCo distribution plant close because of gang extortion demands — just months after the Coca Cola plant there closed for the same reason. Such large companies had previously gone largely untouched by gang violence.

Government figures suggested opium eradication nationwide remains strong and may even be rising: In the first four months of 2018, soldiers destroyed 12,834 hectares (31,713 acres) of opium poppies, and only 720 hectares of marijuana.

But that also suggests that the Mexican army is placing a higher focus on eradicating poppies than on marijuana; after all, the army has seized an average of 850 tons harvested and dried marijuana annually in recent years, suggesting there are hundreds of thousands of acres under cultivation.

Anecdotally, farmers in Guerrero say authorities do focus more on eradicating opium. They point to at least one field in a narrow valley that was sprayed with an herbicide by a government plane about three months ago; no marijuana plots have been raided in the same valley.

Locals say farmers have been planting both crops here since at least the 1970s, and prices for both have fallen steadily. Bulk marijuana that once sold for as much as $40 per kilo now sells for $10. Farmers don't make much money on either crop.

The deciding factor for many farmers is the cost and effort involved. Opium poppies must be irrigated, well-fertilized, must get regular applications of pesticides. Harvesting opium is a delicate, time-consuming task: the poppy bulb is cut and carefully scraped, often by farmhands who can collect only a small amount each day.

While some farmhands charge as little as $7 per day, poppy workers charge double that, eating up any potential profit. Marijuana isn't as prone to plant pests, and harvesting is simpler.

And there is also the possibility that marijuana growing might be legalized. Mexico has already approved some personal-use growing, though it hasn't legalized commercial crops.

Some think legalized, commercial marijuana growing might help these mountain villages, which have been plagued by violence since opium surged in price and warring gangs fought for control of the area. Heavily armed vigilantes with assault rifles now patrol hamlets like Tenantla 24 hours per day.

Humberto Nava Reyna, the head of the Supreme Council of the Towns of the Filo Mayor, a group that promotes development projects in the mountains, said, "We all know the economy of this region, the high mountains of Guerrero, has been based on growing marijuana and opium poppies. ... What we are asking is that be regulated and regularized."

In larger terms, it is all just another chapter in the desperation-driven, cyclical farming history of the tropics, with farmers living through booms in crops like coffee, only to see them bust because of plant diseases or price drops.

"Back in the 1970s, farmers planted more marijuana, and when the marijuana went down, opium poppies went up, and now they're looking to turn to regulated marijuana growing," said Nava Reyna.

Marijuana use by Colorado teens is decreasing, federal report says

By: Marianne Goodland,

A new report on teen behavior from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some good news for those concerned about marijuana use among teens. But its statistics on teen use of birth control and vaping pointed to some disturbing trends for youth health.

The CDC conducted the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in 2017.

The report shows about 19.6 percent of Colorado high schoolers said they had used marijuana one or more times in the past 30 days, down from 22 percent in 2011, the year before recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado. The state's 2017 rate is just slightly below the national average of 19.8 percent.

Use of drugs like Ecstasy, cocaine, inhalants (glue) and alcohol also dropped substantially between 2011 and 2017, according to the report.

More concerning is the report's first-ever look at vaping and e-cigarettes. The survey reported 26.2 percent of Colorado high school students had vaped or used an e-cigarette in the previous 30 days, and that's nearly double the national average of 13.2 percent.

And about 12 percent of Colorado teens surveyed who said they were sexually active said they did not use any form of birth control, up from seven percent in 2011.

The survey also had some concerning statistics about youth violence. Just under 5 percent of Colorado high schoolers reported they carried a weapon to school - primarily a gun or knife - in the 30 days prior to the survey. That's a full point above the national average of 3.8 percent.

And 5.8 percent of Colorado teens reported they had been threatened or injured by a weapon on school property in the previous 12 months. That's just slightly below the national average.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project said: "After five years of marijuana being legal for adults in Colorado, government surveys continue to find no increase in usage rates among high school students. This is very welcome news for Colorado, and it should be particularly welcome news for those who opposed the state's legalization for fear it would lead to an explosion in teen use."

Thursday, 21 June 2018

Support for Marijuana Legalization At Record High, New Survey Shows

By Kyle Jaeger

Support for marijuana legalization is at an all-time high across party lines, a new poll finds.
Sixty-eight percent of American voters now want to end cannabis prohibition, according to the survey released on Wednesday by leading progressive think tank the Center for American Progress (CAP) and the research firm GBA Strategies.
Breaking down the demographics, here’s who’s now on board with legalizing marijuana:

57 percent of Republicans
77 percent of Democrats
62 percent of independents
66 percent of men
69 percent of women
69 percent of whites
72 percent of African Americans
64 percent of Latinos

The poll, which surveyed 1,000 registered voters, also found sizable, bipartisan support for measures to seal the criminal records of nonviolent offenders who serve their sentences.

Other recent national surveys examining American sentiment toward cannabis reform have shown similar majority support for legalization: Gallup released a 2017 poll that found 64 percent of Americans support legalization, for example, and a Quinnipiac University survey this April showed 63 percent support.

But the CAP legalization numbers are the highest yet.

While the upward movement in public opinion with respect to legalization has been a consistent trend, especially over the past decade, the bipartisan nature of the new survey results is significant.

“In an era of increasing partisanship, public support for ending cannabis criminalization is an issue that crosses party lines,” Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, said in a press release.

“More and more, elected officials—and those who wish to be elected—must acknowledge that advocating in favor of marijuana policy reform is a political opportunity, not a political liability.”

Ed Chung, vice president of criminal justice reform at CAP, told Marijuana Moment that the message is clear: cannabis legalization is the will of the people, and lawmakers should take note.

“[Legalization is] certainly going to be, at least, a bipartisan issue,” Chung said. “I think you’ll see a lot of progressive [elected officials] who are going to be out front about this.”

“Now, I think that there’s a lot of work still to be done about how this plays out in different states and nationally as well, but the first step is getting the concept of this socialized among elected leaders—and oftentimes, unfortunately, elected leaders are not leading on this issues, but following.”

Looking ahead to the 2020 presidential election, Chung said “this is going to be one of those issues that’s going to speed up very quickly.”

“Two and half years from now is a lifetime for this issue and for other social justice-type issues moving forward,” he said. “The support is going to only increase from here—that’s me looking into my crystal ball here—but I don’t see how any candidate, any credible candidate, who wants to capture the majority of the American public is going to look at this issue… I don’t think anybody can keep with supporting current policy.”

The survey also demonstrated widespread support “for states to automatically seal the records of nonviolent criminal offenders, allowing people who have served their time and paid their debts to re-enter society and pursue work, education, and family life,” the survey authors wrote.

A solid 70 percent of respondents agreed that states should “automatically seal the records of individuals convicted of nonviolent felonies or misdemeanors if the person has completed his or her sentence and has not committed another criminal offense.” That includes 75 percent of Democratic voters and 66 percent of Republican voters.

Chung said that the results reflected growing bipartisan consensus on issues related to criminal justice reform.

“The American public is showing not only support for changing the way the country has approached issues regarding substance use or substance misuse, but also trying to do something to help people who have been previously dragged through the criminal justice system,” he said. “I think a lot of criminal justice issues have that kind of really strange bedfellows, where you have progressives leading on social justice and the conservatives—libertarians especially—being on the [side of] government should stay out of my business.”

Can your vagina get HIGH? More couples are using cannabis to boost their sex life, but does it really work?

Most people aren't opting for psychoactive cannabis but instead are using cannabidoil to relax their muscles

By Andrea Downey,

MORE couples are turning to cannabis to boost their sex life...but can your vagina really get high?

You'd be forgiven for thinking partners are smoking marijuana to help them relax in the bedroom, but actually more women are opting for cannabis sprays and creams applied directly down there.

Many claim the substance relaxes their vaginal muscles while providing "warmth and comfort" down there, leading to better and more intense orgasms.

They're dubbed "cannasexuals" - people who are using cannabis products, often non-psychoactive, in the bedroom to enhance sexual pleasure.

Adam and Dounia, whose names have been changed, have been including cannabis in their sex lives for the last three years.

"Sometimes I use it to get rid of my anxiety in the bedroom," Dounia told the BBC.

"One of my favourite products is actually non-psychoactive; it’s a spray I use on – and in – my lady parts. I feel a warmth and comfort down there that I wouldn’t without it."

The term cannasexuals was coined by sex counsellor Ashley Manta, from California, who begun a sex therapy and education practice using cannabis in 2013.

She also teaches clients to focus on specific topics like oral sex, body confidence and dirty talk to keep things fresh in the bedroom.

"Essentially, it is about combining cannabis and sex mindfully," she said.

"Choosing what products or strains you want to consume or apply to your body, in order to enhance pleasure and intimacy, and to increase comfort and confidence."

Most people aren't opting for psychoactive cannabis but instead are using cannabidoil to relax their muscles.

Feeling at ease in the bedroom is essential for a woman to reach orgasm, sex therapist Louise Mazanti told The Sun Online.

"I know that cannabis in itself can really help relax the nervous system, which is the gateway to experiencing pleasure," she said.

"But applied topically is not something that is well known.

"If we are tense and anxious our body is in contraction and we are on alert, for women our ability to experience an orgasm depends on whether we feel safe enough to relax.

"In the moment of orgasm we shut down our vigilance, so if a woman is tense and monitoring a situation she won't be able to relax into a natural orgasm.

"It would either be impossible or she will need a lot of stimulation and friction to be able to get there."

If you are having trouble reaching heady heights Louise suggests taking things a bit slower and focusing on plenty of foreplay, making sure there is no distractions when you're getting down and dirty and focusing on your breathing to help you relax.

Although marijuana isn't legal in the UK, products containing cannabidoil (CBD) are and can be bought from some shops on the high street.

It's substances containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the stuff that gets you high - that are illegal.

Canada has just become the second country in the world to legalise recreational cannabis and the UK government is promising a review on the laws on medical cannabis.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has backed the legalisation of cannabis in the wake of the ordeal of epileptic Billy Caldwell, after his supply was confiscated at Heathrow Airport last Monday despite the 12-year-old having used the banned substance since 2016 to control his seizures.

Last year the World Health Organisation declared CBD safe to use with no risk of addition.

The problem with using cannabis oils you-know-where is that the effects haven't been studied.

Some studies have linked smoking cannabis to erectile dysfunction, but directly applying cannabis products is somewhat of an unknown territory.

We don't know how the vagina absorbs the substances, or even if it can.

That means controlling the dose is difficult and it's almost impossible to tell if the substances are having a negative effect on your vaginal health.

Dr Jen Gunter, a Canada-based gynaecologist, said it's hard to substantiate any claims about cannabis products used down there because there is limited research.

"Oral and mucosal delivery of THC is different from smoking. Mucosal delivery (like vaginal suppositories or an oral spray) is a slower reveal to the brain than smoking," she wrote on a blog on whether cannabis can ease period pain.

"Vaginal THC and CBD could affect the vaginal ecosystem (the good bacteria). Again, untested. One study has linked marijuana use with colonization of the vagina with yeast."

In other words, there is no telling how a cannabis product put on your vagina will affect your vaginal health.

Most gynaecologists will tell you that using a product down there that isn't specifically designed for a vagina can damage your levels of good bacteria and leave you at risk of infections.

Sask. preparing for pot legalization after feds announce official date

CTV Regina

Premier Scott Moe says Saskatchewan still plans to have all of its provincial pot bylaws in place by July 1, despite the prime minister’s announcement that it will become legal nationwide on Oct. 17.

Retailers say having a date in mind is welcome news, but getting ready for the legalization will still be challenging — even with the unexpected extension.

On June 1, the province announced the 51 retailers granted permits to sell cannabis. Applicants had 45 days to begin the permitting process.

Allen Kilback was one of the retailers approved to sell pot. He plans to open the doors for his store in the RM of Edenwold in the fall. But even though he’s been working on opening a legal pot store for a while, it still won’t be ready by Oct. 17.

“It couldn’t physically happen, even Oct. 17, we will not be open on that particular day,” he told CTV News. “It’s going to take us a little longer. The process we are going to go through in order to do our due diligence, it’s going to take about 17 weeks for that to happen.”

Regina police say they have been preparing for cannabis legalization by training officers and creating policies. But, there are some aspects of policing that couldn’t be finalized until the bill was passed.

Now that there is an official bill — police can smooth out some of the details.

Police are reminding the public that recreational marijuana use is still illegal.

“While it may feel like there is an interim period, the fact a date being set for the introduction of the new legislation around cannabis, it doesn’t negate the current legislation,” said Elizabeth Popowich with the Regina Police Service. “It’s important for people to understand and take to heart the fact that the current legislation is enforced until the new legislation is passed.”

Police say they will be working with the city and the province to prepare for marijuana legalization.

Canadians Who’ve Used Pot Can Be Forever Barred From Entering the United States

And that’s a problem, because Canada is about to make marijuana legal.

Brandon E. Patterson

Randy Risling/The Toronto Star/ZUMA

On Tuesday, the Canadian Senate voted to legalize the recreational use and sale of marijuana by adults. The House of Commons already passed the bill on Monday, which means Canada is poised to be the first industrialized nation with federally sanctioned pot shops. And while the potheads up north may see this as a reason to rejoice, it’s also a reason for them to be wary when traveling to the United States.

Under federal immigration law, foreigners can be refused entry or even permanently barred from the States for attempting to enter with a controlled substance, for violating the drug laws of the US or any other country, and even for admitting to past drug use.

Julie, a 56-year-old retired payroll administrator, was put on the inadmissibility list last August after admitting to American border agents that she’d been ticketed for marijuana possession in 1984, when she was 18. Julie, who asked that her last name not be used, was crossing from Vancouver, British Columbia, en route to Tuscon to visit her daughter at the University of Arizona, when she was pulled aside for a secondary inspection. After two rounds of questioning about her travel plans, an agent asked if she had ever used drugs or been arrested. When Julie mentioned the ticket, she says, she was questioned for at least another 40 minutes about the long-ago case and whether she still used narcotics.

By the time it was over, she’d also admitted to having once tried hallucinogenic mushrooms at age 16. She was issued a lifetime entry ban, and officials revoked her NEXUS card, which allows prescreened travelers expedited passage. “If it was something that happened recently, I’d understand it,” she told me. “I didn’t expect to be treated like a freakin’ criminal for something that happened so long ago.”

Refusals for merely admitting past drug use are somewhat rare. In 2016, there were more than 19 million arrivals to the United States from Canada, according to the American National Travel and Tourism Office, and just over 22,000 refusals—for all reasons—according to the Department of Homeland Security. (Complete data from 2017 is not yet available.)

But that calculus could soon change. Pierre-Hughes Boisvenu, one of three Canadian senators who in April met with American law enforcement and drug policy personnel in Washington, DC, to discuss the matter, says he was told Canadian travelers will face heightened border scrutiny when Canada legalizes pot.

Most Canadians who have been barred from the States for pot-related reasons have had a past criminal conviction. But Boisvenu says US officials told him that travelers who merely admit to past use may be permanently barred, and that they should expect to see more drug-sniffing dogs at high-traffic ports of entry post-legalization. “We wanted to know if they will change their policy to control Canadians that will cross the border after they legalize marijuana. They said no,” the senator told me. “We asked them, ‘Will you increase the control?’ They said yes.”

Canadians on the no-entry list who want to visit the United States can apply for an inadmissibility waiver, but each waiver costs about $585 (US) and lasts one to five years, and so the process is a lifelong headache and a significant financial hurdle for people who cross frequently for business or family matters.

Indeed, America’s border policies around marijuana were a point of contention in Canada’s legalization debate. A poll conducted last September suggested that nearly 40 percent of Canadian adults—more than 11 millions people—intended to consume pot, at least on occasion, once it is legal.

Conservative lawmakers, largely opposed to legalization, accused the administration of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of not being forthright about how pot use could affect travel to the States. US immigration attorneys and drug policy experts testifying before Canada’s Legislature similarly warned of problems travelers may encounter.

The Canadian Senate’s Committee on National Security and Defence, of which Bosivenu is a member, held hearings earlier this year to discuss border matters related to legalization. In April, he and two colleagues traveled to DC to get answers from US officials. Among those present at the meeting, Boisvenu says, were Michael Dougherty, the Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary for border, immigration, and trade policy; and Andrew Coffey, executive assistant to President Donald Trump at the White House Office of National Drug Policy. Coffey, reached by phone, declined to discuss the meeting, and Homeland Security did not respond to questions about the meeting or border policy. A representative from Customs and Border Protection told me enforcement “will remain unchanged” post-legalization.

But several immigration attorneys based in Washington state told me that as more American states legalize pot, they have seen an increasing number of Canadians being put on the inadmissibility list simply for admitting to past use. When attorney Len Saunders started practicing in 2001, he says, he would get calls about such cases once or twice a year. After 2012, when Washington legalized marijuana, the calls increased to one or two a month. Since the Trudeau administration began discussing legalization seriously, he says, he’s fielded one or two such calls a week.

Saunders says he filed paperwork for at least 200 inadmissibility waivers last year, about 25 of them for Canadians permanently barred for copping to marijuana use. “More than 95 percent of my waiver cases used to be old criminal convictions,” he says. “But the growth in my waiver business is for people who admit to using it.”

“I tell my clients, you will be my client for life,” he adds. “I’m building up a huge repeat business, and the only person who benefits from this is me.”

Enforcement style varies by location. A New York state immigration attorney whose clients are mostly Canadians told me waivers for people who admit to pot use are a small fraction of her cases.

A border lawyer in Vermont, where pot is now legal, says she hears about such cases but rarely handles one. A third immigration attorney, based near a major port of entry in Detroit, was unaware of the phenomenon.

The Washington state attorneys I interviewed said clients barred for prior pot use tend to be younger travelers, often stopped while coming in for a concert or festival. “They’ve got a marijuana leaf on their phone case or a decal on their car,” says Greg Boos, a lawyer based in Bellingham.

Julie received a five-year waiver in April, but she had to cancel a trip with her husband to the British Virgin Islands last November because there was a flight connection in the States. Although she lives only minutes away from the border, her ordeal last August left her so shaken that, in spite of the waiver, she has vowed to avoid the United States “unless I absolutely have to.” She used to visit about 20 times a year for business and pleasure—or sometimes just to go shopping.

Canadian Jim Schram, 62, landed on the no-entry list in the 1980s for a pot-possession conviction he picked up in his early 20s. Schram says he’s spent at least $7,000 obtaining seven or eight waivers. His latest one was revoked last September after he admitted to border officials that he had smoked pot without a prescription a week earlier to ease the pain of his arthritis. He’s applied for another waiver but has yet to receive one, so he hasn’t been able to visit the trailer he owns at a Washington state campground where he used to spend one or two weekends a month. He also has American friends he can no longer visit. “It’s burning me up on the inside,” Schram says. “I haven’t bothered anybody. The whole thing is just so stupid.”

A former CBP officer who worked at Washington ports of entry from 2007 to 2016 told me that some Washington border agents started questioning travelers about pot use more frequently after the state legalized pot in 2012. He did not recall seeing any official directive instructing officers to ask travelers about past pot use. The agents who did were simply “overzealous,” he says. “Officers knew that you might have travelers coming down to smoke it in Washington, or even to buy some and take some back.”

Serge Joyal, chair of the Canadian Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, told me his colleagues worry that American border officials will start engaging in “extreme vetting” of Canadians “in relation to consumption of cannabis.” A recent report from Canada’s Senate Committee on National Security and Defence urged the Trudeau administration “to clarify [with American officials] whether Canadians who admit to having previously used cannabis will face inadmissibility.”

The committee also asked the administration “to make it clear to US authorities” that travelers should not be punished “for activities that are legal in Canada,” including “working for a company that legally produces cannabis.”

The Trudeau administration has promised a campaign to educate Canadians on the implications of marijuana use for international travel. The National Security and Defence Committee report urged the administration “to install signs and posters at border crossings” reminding Canadians that it’s illegal to cross the border with pot, even when entering into a state where the drug is now legal.

Trudeau administration officials have told legislators they’re certain legalization won’t cause problems at the border, and have made TV appearances urging Canadians to be honest with US border officials when asked about past use. Saunders thinks that’s a bad idea and told the National Security and Defence Committee as much when he testified at one of its hearings this past March.

“As an attorney, I can’t advocate for people to lie,” he told the chamber. “What I tell them is, ‘This is not a question that you are bound to answer.'”

The worst that can happen, he says, is that the agent won’t let you in on that day—but at least you won’t be banned for life.

How Billy Caldwell case could end UK's medical marijuana ban

By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

Charlotte Caldwell and her son Billy are seen outside the Home Office in London ahead of a meeting over the confiscation of cannabis oil used to treat his severe epilepsy.

London (CNN)The suffering of a 12-year-old boy with epilepsy could lead to the UK legalizing the medicinal use of marijuana, after outrage over his case prompted the government to announce a review.

Billy Caldwell's name hit the headlines last weekend when Home Secretary Sajid Javid intervened to allow him access to medicinal cannabis oil following the boy's hospitalization in London after multiple seizures.

Days earlier, Billy's mother, Charlotte Caldwell, had attempted to bring medicinal cannabis oil back from Canada for her son but it was confiscated at Heathrow Airport. She has campaigned for a change in the law to help Billy, from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, and other children like him.

Speaking to Sky News last weekend, she described her son's case as "a wake-up call for our country" and said she was determined no other child should undergo the same "horrendous experience" that had left her son's mind and body "completely broken" and in a "vulnerable state."

On Tuesday, Javid told the House of Commons that it was "time to review the scheduling of cannabis" for medicinal use, in light of cases like that of Billy and 6-year-old Alfie Dingley, who also has severe epilepsy.

"It has become clear to me since becoming Home Secretary that the position we find ourselves in is not satisfactory," he said. "It is not satisfactory for the parents, it is not satisfactory for the doctors and it is not satisfactory for me."

However, Javid made clear that the government had no plans to relax its stance on the recreational use of marijuana -- unlike Canada, which on Tuesday voted to legalize its use across the country.

Six-year-old Alfie Dingley poses before meeting with UK lawmakers in Parliament on March 20.

What happens next?

Under UK law, marijuana is currently categorized as schedule 1, defined as having no medicinal value and therefore unable to be prescribed by doctors. Javid said this schedule would be reconsidered under a two-part review.

The first part, led by the government's chief medical officer, Professor Sally Davies, will weigh the evidence available for the medicinal and therapeutic benefits of cannabis-based medicines, Javid said.

Your brain on marijuana 01:39

The review will decide which forms of cannabis or cannabis-based medicines should be considered in the second part of the review, led by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. This will assess "based on the balance of harms and public health needs" what may need to be rescheduled, Javid said.

"If the review identifies that there are significant medical benefits, we will reschedule. We have seen in recent months that there is a pressing need to allow those who might benefit from cannabis-based products to access them," he said.

At present, Sativex, an oral spray used as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, is the only cannabis-based medicine recognized in the UK to have medicinal properties.

Former UK Conservative Party leader William Hague, who now sits in the House of Lords, called for the UK government to "embrace a decisive change" in the law on medicinal and regulated recreational cannabis use, in an opinion piece in Britain's Telegraph newspaper.

Billy's case "provides one of those illuminating moments when a longstanding policy is revealed to be inappropriate, ineffective and utterly out of date," he wrote.

"It must now be asked whether Britain should join the many other countries that permit medical-grade marijuana, or indeed join Canada in preparing for a lawful, regulated market in cannabis for recreational use as well."

But Javid ruled out the latter step as he announced the review, saying the government has "absolutely no plans to legalize cannabis, and the penalties for unauthorized supply and possession will remain unchanged. We will not set a dangerous precedent or weaken our ability to keep dangerous drugs off the streets."

American doctor Frank D'Ambrosio, author of the book "'Cannabis Is Medicine: The A-Z Of Medical Marijuana," will on Wednesday brief British lawmakers who are seeking to change the law on the medicinal use of cannabis.

What is the case for medical marijuana use?

The benefits are attributed to two main components of cannabis: the psychoactive component THC or the plant's extract, the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) oil.

The latter is linked to easing anxiety as well as epileptic seizures, which could be life-saving for children with a severe form of epilepsy.

Tom Freeman, senior academic fellow at King's College London, said Billy's case highlighted the urgent need for cannabis to be rescheduled.

"Removing cannabis from schedule 1 would facilitate the treatment of many more young people experiencing debilitating symptoms like Billy," he said. "It would also help scientists to develop new and more effective cannabinoid-based medicines for a range of other conditions."

David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, said he believed the government should act to move the control of drugs from the Home Office, which is responsible for policing, to the Department of Health, which is able to evaluate medical claims.

"There will be many other people in the UK with severe epilepsy who are likely to benefit from medical cannabis and provision must be made to stop them suffering brain damage and death from cannabis-treatable seizures," he said.

However, Dr. Michael Bloomfield, clinical lecturer in general psychiatry at University College London, cautioned that while the current laws are too strict in certain cases, like Billy's, the issue of medicinal marijuana use is far from straightforward and "needs a scientific evidence base in the form of medical trials."

He warned that medical marijuana use "has become for many jurisdictions a potential way of decriminalizing cannabis through the back door in a way that may be associated with reductions in the perceived harm of the drug" and increased heavy use by young people.

The issues currently confronting UK lawmakers have already prompted policy changes elsewhere in the world.

Canada this week became the second country in the world -- and the first G7 nation -- to implement legislation to permit a nationwide marijuana market. In the neighboring US, nine states and the District of Columbia now allow for recreational marijuana use, and 30 allow for medicinal use.

Uruguay was the first country to legalize marijuana's production, sale and consumption in December 2013.

Australia, Germany and Ireland have all legalized medicinal marijuana, while other European nations such as Portugal and the Netherlands have decriminalized personal possession of marijuana.

Canada to Legalize Recreational Marijuana Use in Mid-October

Nation will become the biggest national government to legalize cannabis

By Paul Vieira

OTTAWA—Recreational marijuana use in Canada will be legal in mid-October after legislation cleared its final hurdle Tuesday night, marking what officials here say is a wholesale shift in how the country approaches cannabis use.

When the legislation kicks in, Canada will be the biggest national government to legalize cannabis.

Drug-policy experts have said they expect countries in Europe and elsewhere to look to the Canadian experience for guidance on cannabis legalization.

“We are very pleased to have reached this point in delivering on this progressive policy promise to legalize and strictly regulate cannabis,” said Judy Wilson-Raybould, Canada’s justice minister.

She said the legislation marks a “wholesale shift in how our country approaches cannabis. It leaves behind a failed model of prohibition that’s made organized crime rich and left our young people vulnerable.”

Canada’s approach stands in stark contrast to the Trump administration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has vowed to use federal law to get tough on marijuana, and he brought an end to Obama-era protections for the pot industry. However, since January, his own prosecutors have yet to bring federal charges against pot businesses that are abiding by state law. Eight states plus the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana.

Marijuana legalization was among the high-profile promises Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made during the 2015 election campaign, which resulted in his Liberal Party winning a majority of seats in the lower house of Canada’s parliament. Mr. Trudeau has said legalizing and regulating marijuana will help prevent abuse, noting it has been easier for youth to buy a marijuana cigarette than a bottle of beer.

Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001 for patients with valid prescriptions.

The legislation means across Canada, adults will be able to purchase nonmedicinal marijuana from authorized dealers, and possess as much as 1.1 ounces of the drug when in public. Households will also be able to grow as many as four cannabis plants for personal use, from seeds or seedlings from a licensed supplier.

The government has also proposed legislation aimed at further cracking down on drug-impaired driving, in an effort to alleviate concerns from legalization.

The Canadian government estimated last year it expects to initially collect roughly 400 million Canadian dollars ($301 million) a year in tax revenue from marijuana. Canada’s provinces will get three-quarters of the annual receipts.

It will be up to Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories to regulate the distribution system and determine the legal age at which someone can buy the drug. For instance, in Ontario, Canada’s largest province, the plan is to set up government-run stores to sell cannabis, and buyers must be 19 years of age.

Leading up to the legalization date, Canadian stock markets have been courting marijuana company listings from around the world—with Toronto emerging as a hotbed for cannabis firms to raise capital on the Toronto Stock Exchange and its smaller rival, the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Wednesday, 20 June 2018

What is cannabis oil and how does it work?

Your questions about the medical use of cannabis oil answered

Ian Sample

In Brazil cannabis oil is given to children with microcephaly. Photograph: Saulo Santiago for the Guardian

What is cannabis oil?

Cannabis oils are extracts from cannabis plants. Unprocessed, they contain the same 100 or so active ingredients as the plants, but the balance of compounds depends on the specific plants the oil comes from. The two main active substances in cannabis plants are cannabidiol, or CBD, and delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Oil extracted from hemp plants can contain a lot of CBD, while oil from skunk plants will contain far more THC. THC produces the high that recreational cannabis users seek, while oils for medical use contain mostly CBD.

How is it different to cannabis?

Other forms of cannabis are solid and are usually sold either as resin or dried plant material. In commercially-produced medical cannabis oils, the concentrations of CBD and THC tend to be well-controlled, which makes it easy to calculate doses.

Does it work as a medicine?

CBD is an anticonvulsant, and some other compounds in the plant, including THC and cannabidivarin, may be too. There is good evidence from clinical trials in the US and Europe that pharmaceutical preparations of CBD can treat two severe forms of childhood epilepsy known as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Both forms of epilepsy often fail to improve with existing epilepsy drugs. CBD is generally considered safe, but some trials have reported side effects including dry mouth, lightheadedness and altered liver enzyme activity.

Don’t we already have cannabis-based drugs?

Four drugs based on cannabis compounds are already on the market in Europe. Among them are Nabilone, a synthetic compound that mimics THC, is prescribed for nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, and Sativex, an oil that contains equal parts THC and CBD, is used to treat muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis. Both contain too much THC to administer to children. “The only medicines that are approved in the UK would get children stoned,” said David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College, London.

Is cannabis oil illegal?

Cannabis oil can only be sold legally in Britain if it contains less than 0.05% THC. But the nation’s medicines regulator, the MHRA, announced recently that even pure CBD could not be sold as a medicine without first going through the usual clinical testing and safety checks required for all new medicines. This month, the US Food and Drug Administration will consider the approval of Epidiolex, a CBD-based medicine from GW Pharmaceuticals, which has completed such clinical trials. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will rule on the drug early next year. If the EMA approves Epidiolex, it could be available to prescribe to named patients in Britain next year, Brexit notwithstanding.

Is it legal in other countries?

Europe is a patchwork of cannabis legislation. In the Netherlands, doctors can prescribe cannabis and cannabis preparations for symptoms caused by multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, cancer, long-term pain and the tics associated with Tourette’s syndrome. Other European nations are following suit. In the US, at least 29 states allow medical uses of cannabis, and earlier this year, California became the eighth state to permit recreational use of the drug, too.

Young Marijuana Users Face Psychosis Risk

By Pauline Anderson

Marijuana use directly increases the chance of psychosis in teens, new research suggests.

A large study of teens shows that "in adolescents, cannabis use is harmful" with respect to psychosis risk, says study author Patricia J. Conrod, PhD, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal.

The effect was seen for everyone in the study, says Conrod, not just teens with a family history of schizophrenia or something biological that makes them more likely to be affected by it.

"The whole population is prone to have this risk," says Conrod.

Recreational marijuana is legal in eight states and Washington, D.C. In Canada, a marijuana law is set to go into effect this year.

But evidence about whether marijuana causes psychiatric diseases has been limited.

Finding out marijuana’s role in mental illness is especially important during adolescence, a period when both psychosis and marijuana use typically start.

"One of the problems in trying to assess a causal relationship between cannabis and mental health outcomes is the chicken or egg issue. Is it that people who are prone to mental health problems are more attracted to cannabis, or is it something about the onset of cannabis use that influences the acceleration of psychosis symptoms?" says Conrod.

The study included 3,720 adolescents representing 76% of all seventh-grade students at 31 secondary schools in the greater Montreal area.

For 4 years, students completed an annual web-based survey in which they provided self-reports of past-year marijuana use and psychosis symptoms. Researchers assessed symptoms with the Adolescent Psychotic-Like Symptoms Screener, and students showed how often they used marijuana with a 6-point scale (0 indicated never, and 5 indicated every day).

Survey information was confidential, and there were no consequences of reporting marijuana use.
"Once you make those guarantees, students are quite comfortable about reporting, and they become used to doing it," says Conrod.

The first time point occurred at a mean age of 12.8 years. Twelve months separated each assessment.

Marijuana use, in any given year, predicted more psychosis symptoms a year later, says Conrod.

This type of analysis is more reliable than measures such as blood tests, says Conrod. "Biological measures aren't sensitive enough to the infrequent and low level of use that we tend to see in young adolescents," she says.

In light of these results, Conrod said high school students should have more access to marijuana prevention programs.

"It's extremely important that governments dramatically step up their efforts around access to evidence-based cannabis prevention programs,” she says.

Teen marijuana use is "very prevalent," she says. Surveys suggest that about 30% of older high school students in the Canadian province of Ontario use cannabis. In the U.S., close to 24% of 8^th, 10^th and 12^th graders reported using pot in the previous year.

Cutting access to and demand for marijuana among young people could lead to lower odds of getting major psychiatric conditions, she says.

A limitation of the study was that marijuana use and psychosis symptoms were self-reported and were not confirmed by doctors.

Robert Milin, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, addiction psychiatrist, and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Ottawa, said the study is at "the vanguard" of major research investigating marijuana use in adolescents over time that is being carried out by that National Institute on Drug Abuse in the United States.

The fact that the study investigated teens starting at age 13 is unique, says Milin. In most related studies, the starting age of the participants is 15 or 16 years. He emphasized that the study examined psychosis symptoms and not psychotic disorder, although having psychotic symptoms makes a psychotic disorder more likely.

Some parents fear changes to state laws as FDA weighs use of CBD pharmaceuticals

FDA expected to issue a decision by the end of the month on the drug Epidiolex

By The Associated Press

COLORADO SPRINGS — Some American parents who for years have used cannabis to treat severe forms of epilepsy in their children are feeling more cautious than celebratory as U.S. regulators near a decision on whether to approve the first drug derived from the marijuana plant.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to issue a decision by the end of the month on the drug Epidiolex, made by GW Pharmaceuticals. It’s a purified form of cannabidiol — a component of cannabis that doesn’t get users high — to treat Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes in kids. Both forms of epilepsy are rare.

Cannabidiol’s effect on a variety of health conditions is frequently touted, but there is still little evidence to back up advocates’ personal experiences. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has long categorized cannabis as a Schedule I drug, a category with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” That strictly limits research on potential medical uses for cannabis or the chemicals in it, including cannabidiol, or CBD.

But for years, parents desperate to find anything to help their children have turned to the marijuana-based products made legal by a growing number of states.

Meagan Patrick is among the parents using CBD to treat symptoms in their children. She moved from Maine to Colorado in 2014 so she could legally get CBD for her now-5-year-old daughter, Addelyn, who was born with a brain malformation that causes seizures.

“My child was dying, and we needed to do something,” Patrick said.
As for the potential approval of a pharmaceutical based on CBD, she said fear is her first reaction.
“I want to make sure that her right to continue using what works for her is protected, first and foremost. That’s my job as her mom,” Patrick said.

Advocates like Patrick became particularly concerned when GW Pharmaceuticals’ U.S. commercial business, Greenwich Biosciences, began quietly lobbying to change states’ legal definition of marijuana, beginning in 2017 with proposals in Nebraska and South Dakota.

Some worried the company’s attempt to ensure its product could be legally prescribed and sold by pharmacies would have a side effect: curtailing medical marijuana programs already operating in more than two dozen states.

The proposals generally sought to remove CBD from states’ legal definition of marijuana, allowing it to be prescribed by doctors and supplied by pharmacies. But the change only applies to products that have FDA approval.

Neither Nebraska nor South Dakota allows medical use of marijuana, and activists accused the company of trying to shut down future access to products containing cannabidiol but lacking FDA approval.

Britain-based GW Pharmaceuticals never intended for the changes to affect other marijuana products, but they are necessary to allow Epidiolex to be sold in pharmacies if approved, spokesman Stephen Schultz said.

He would not discuss other places where the company will seek changes to state law. The Associated Press confirmed that lobbyists representing Greenwich Biosciences backed legislation in California and Colorado this year.

“As a company, we understand there’s a significant business building up,” Schultz said. “All we want to do is make sure our product is accessible.”

Industry lobbyists in those states said they take company officials at their word, but they still insisted on protective language ensuring that recreational or medical marijuana, cannabidiol, hemp and other products derived from cannabis plants won’t be affected by the changes sought by GW Pharmaceuticals.

Patrick Goggin, an attorney who focuses on industrial hemp issues in California, said the company would run into trouble if it tried to “lock up access” to marijuana-derived products beyond FDA-approved drugs.

“People need to have options and choices,” he said. “That’s the battle here.”

Legal experts say the changes are logical. Some states’ laws specifically prohibit any product derived from the marijuana plant from being sold in pharmacies. The FDA has approved synthetic versions of another cannabis ingredient for medical purposes but has never approved marijuana or hemp for any medical use.

A panel of FDA advisers in April unanimously recommended the agency approve Epidiolex for the treatment of severe seizures in children with epilepsy, conditions that are otherwise difficult to treat. It’s not clear why CBD reduces seizures in some patients, but the panel based its recommendation on three studies showing significant reduction in children with two forms of epilepsy.

Denver-based attorney Christian Sederberg, who worked on the GW Pharmaceuticals-backed legislation in Colorado on behalf of the marijuana industry, said all forms of marijuana can exist together.

“The future of the industry is showing itself here,” Sederberg said. “There’s going to be the pharmaceutical lane, the nutraceutical (food-as-medicine) lane, the adult-use lane. This shows how that’s all coming together.”

Alex and Jenny Inman said they won’t switch to Epidiolex if it becomes available, though their son Lukas has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Alex, an information technology professional, and Jenny, a preschool teacher, said it took some at-home experimentation to find the right combination of doctor-prescribed medication, CBD and THC — the component that gives marijuana users a high — that seemed to help Lukas with his seizures.

“What makes me a little bit nervous about this is that there’s sort of a psyche amongst patients that, ‘Here’s this pill, and this pill will solve things,’ right? It works differently for different people,” Alex Inman said.

The Inmans moved from Maryland to Colorado in 2015 after doctors recommended a second brain surgery for Lukas’ seizures. The couple and other parents and advocates for CBD said children respond differently to a variety of strains.

The Realm of Caring Foundation, an organization co-founded by Paige Figi, whose daughter Charlotte’s name is attached to the CBD oil Charlotte’s Web, said it maintains a registry of about 46,000 people worldwide who use CBD.

For Heather Jackson, who said her son Zaki, now 15, benefited from CBD and who co-founded the foundation, Epidiolex’s approval means insurers will begin paying for treatment with a cannabis-derived product.

“That might be a nice option for some families who, you know, really want to receive a prescription who are going to only listen to the person in the white coat,” Jackson said.

Canada Legalizes Recreational Marijuana Use

Sales expected to begin later this summer

Canada voted to legalize the recreational use and sale of marijuana, with a market expected to open later this summer. Arindam Shivaani/REX/Shutterstock

Analysis: Will the NYPD Really Stop Frivolous Marijuana Arrests?

David Downs

New York City, New York - May 19, 2011 : The crest on the jacket of a New York City Police Officer while on patrol.

Thin Blue Line: The NYPD could book 10,000 less people a year for marijuana smoking. Critics want bigger reforms. (tillsonburg/iStock)

The city of New York promised to wind down its decades-old war on marijuana Tuesday, with Mayor Bill De Blasio announcing a new policy limiting trips to a police station over cannabis possession.

“New Yorkers with no priors will receive a summons instead of an arrest for smoking marijuana publicly,” the mayor said. “We believe this will result in thousands of fewer arrests. In fact we think at least 10,000 fewer New Yorkers will be arrested under this policy.”

The change is another step towards ending what critics call a failed war on marijuana, but the reform remains a policy and lacks the force of law. A 63% majority of New York state residents endorse adult-use legalization, but they lack a direct democracy option like California, Colorado, and other states that have used the initiative process to legalize.

New York City makes about 17,500 arrests for marijuana each year, the New York Times reports. Black people in the city are eight times as likely as whites to face a marijuana arrest, despite similar usage levels.

De Blasio has long promised an end to the city’s failed enforcement policy, but marijuana arrests have continued under his administration.
The announcement does not alter cannabis law in New York state or NYC, but rather it offers guidance to NYPD officers, advising them to cite and release most people found with cannabis.

No further state law alterations will be made this year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s spokesperson reportedly said.

Critics pounced on the modest change as proof of past dereliction of duty. Pro-legalization gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon stated: “It shouldn’t have taken Cuomo eight years and the #CynthiaEffect to understand the ‘facts have changed.’”

Because it’s only a mayoral directive, the new policy can be reversed by the next mayor or ignored by the NYPD’s rank-and-file, who may bristle at any limit on their discretion. Earlier this year, police officials told the New York City Council that cannabis arrests are complaint-driven, and that minority communities often complain the most. Indeed, some of legalization’s most vocal critics are faith-based minority leaders, as well as paternalistic progressive Democrats, both of which New York prides itself on. An analysis by the New York Times, however, challenged the complaint-based explanation.

Critics say data shows police prioritize cannabis complaints from neighborhoods of color over white areas. Under the new policy, past drug war victims—people on probation, or parole, or with a record—can still get cuffed and taken to the station over a small amount of cannabis in their possession.

More changes are coming. Manhattan’s district attorney announced his office would not prosecute low-level pot crimes starting Aug. 1. And New York state’s health department is set to issue a report showing cannabis legalization’s pros outweigh its cons.

“When we were done we realized that the pros outweighed the cons.”

Howard Zucker, New York State Health Commissioner

“We looked at the pros, we looked at the cons,” Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said. “When we were done we realized that the pros outweighed the cons.”

Zucker said the evaluation came at the behest of the governor. That has echoes of the famed LaGuardia Committee report of 1944, which opposed prohibition, finding that “Marihuana is not the determining factor in the commission of major crimes” and “The practice of smoking marihuana does not lead to addiction in the medical sense of the word.”

The LaGuardia report was prepared by the New York Academy of Medicine in 1939 on behalf of by New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, who was against the weed war before it even started.

History is a wheel, and almost 80 years later, New York cannabis consumers are still going round and round.

Tuesday, 19 June 2018

Can You Fly With Weed You Bought Legally?

Cannabis lawyers share how things really work.

By Casey Bond,

Buds, oils, tea, brownies, cookies, gummies, lollipops ― today, you can get THC in just about any form.

What a time to be alive.
Marijuana is legal in some capacity in 29 states and Washington, D.C. As long as you adhere to local laws, you don’t have to worry about the cops harshing your buzz. That is, unless you’re headed to the airport.

The rules surrounding domestic air travel and marijuana possession can seem confusing and contradictory. For example, if you bought weed legally in Colorado, can you take your leftovers home to another legal state like California? The answer might surprise you.
We talked to several experts in Los Angeles ― one of the largest weed-friendly U.S. cities and home to one of the busiest airports in the world ― about what you should know before attempting to fly with legally purchased marijuana.

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The tangle of laws is “total chaos.”

On the federal level, marijuana is considered a controlled substance, just like cocaine or heroin. So even if marijuana is legalized in your state, it’s still technically illegal in the eyes of Uncle Sam.

And though airports are owned by the city, “the feds are authorized to operate it … so federal law prevails,” said criminal defense attorney Jonathan Mandel. “Once you enter security, federal law trumps state law.”

That means even if you purchased your weed legally, it becomes illegal as soon as you flash your boarding pass to a Transportation Security Administration agent.

“It is total chaos in terms of congruence between federal law and state law,” said Irán Hopkins, an attorney in the cannabis industry group at the national law firm Akerman. Not only are federal and state laws contradictory, she said, but rules surrounding the possession and use of marijuana vary across states and even airports.

But will you actually get in trouble?

The TSA’s primary job is to make sure another 9/11 never happens. Agents are more concerned about whether there’s a bomb in your shoe than a little weed in your bag.

“TSA’s focus is on terrorism and security threats to the aircraft and its passengers,” said TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers in a statement to HuffPost. “TSA’s screening procedures, which are governed by federal law, are focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers.”

In other words, they’re not looking for drugs. That’s the job of local law enforcement and federal drug agents. You’re likely to cause more of an uproar with the TSA by leaving a water bottle in your backpack.

That said, it doesn’t mean you’re in the clear.

“As has always been the case, if during the security screening process a TSA officer discovers an item that may violate the law, TSA refers the matter to law enforcement,” Dankers said. According to the TSA website, illegal items include marijuana and cannabis-infused products such as CBD oil.

Nor does the TSA take into account your originating and destination airports, Dankers added. So if you run into a particularly grouchy TSA agent or attempt to get through security with an egregious amount of weed, you will likely be handed over to airport police no matter where you’re coming from or going.

According to Dankers, however, what happens next is up to local law enforcement’s discretion.

When you get busted...

Once the police are involved, there are a number of possible outcomes. In some airports, such as McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas or Aspen-Pitkin County Airport in Colorado, where recreational use is legal, you might be asked to dump your marijuana in an “amnesty box” or simply toss it in the trash, according to Mandel.

In other cases, the officer might decide to allow you through security with your marijuana, especially if you have a prescription.

It’s pretty clear it’s an extremely low priority. Jonathan Mandel

Then again, you could be arrested.

“It is still illegal under federal law,” said Akerman attorney Michelle Lee Flores. Although local law enforcement might not pursue any charges, “there is a possibility to be arrested and prosecuted under federal law.”

Even so, it’s unlikely you’d be charged with a federal crime unless you attempt something especially brazen.

“Under California law, for example, it’s still a felony to transport for-sale marijuana out of state,” said Allison Margolin, one of the nation’s leading attorneys in cannabis law. “Usually, I can get the charge dismissed if I can persuade the DA that they were using it for personal use,” she said.

Cases that do make it to court are typically tried on the state level, according to Margolin. “Usually, it can be resolved relatively favorably for [the defendant],” she said.

In most cases, law enforcement simply isn’t interested in prosecuting travelers carrying small amounts of marijuana, according to Mandel.

“They’re not going to do anything unless there’s such huge poundage or money involved that they believe it’s … for profit rather than personal use,” he said. “It’s pretty clear it’s an extremely low priority.”

Bottom line: Carry at your own risk.

Even though catching travelers with marijuana is low on the TSA’s list of priorities, there’s no way to predict how TSA and local law enforcement will handle the situation.

“It’s really a risk assessment and an assumption of that risk by the passenger,” said Hopkins. “Our conservative advice is to be super careful and don’t expose yourself unnecessarily to breaking the law.”

If you do decide to take the risk of flying with legally purchased marijuana, the attorneys shared factors you should consider first.

You’ll want to lie low.
“Minimize anything that would get the attention of the TSA” while going through security, Flores said. That includes carrying bottled water, contact lens solution and other liquids. Don’t pack anything that could be considered a weapon. And it might go without saying, but being noticeably under the influence is another red flag.

Edibles are less obvious.
Rather than the plant or oils, edibles “would be harder to detect,” said Flores, since most products are discreetly packaged to look like everyday food items. Oils or other liquids will undoubtedly catch an agent’s eye, while marijuana in plant form will likely give off a scent.

Some moves could make you look like a dealer. That’s bad.
Many of the cases that end up in court do so because it appears the passenger intended to distribute. According to Margolin, you should avoid separating your stash into multiple packages or carrying a lot of cash. It’s also best if you’re carrying only a small amount of marijuana.

“The lowest amount [of marijuana] I’ve seen prosecuted is a pound,” she said, referring to airport arrests.

There are legal options too.
If you’re not interested in breaking the law but don’t want to travel without some form of relief, Margolin suggested talking to your doctor about Marinol, a drug containing synthetic (and therefore legal) THC.

“It’s a Schedule III drug and you can get it prescribed by a doctor,” Margolin said. “It’s like eating an edible, but it doesn’t have all the other cannabinoids.”

It’s best to stay quiet.
If you do find yourself in hot water, simply keep your mouth shut and cooperate.

“You should not try to talk your way out of the situation to the TSA, the police or anybody,” Margolin said. “There isn’t an actual defense for any interstate transportation.”

Instead, she said, “hire an attorney.”