Rio’s Governor Will Have Anyone Smoking Marijuana on the Beach Arrested

The debate on the drug decriminalization was scheduled for this month in the Federal Supreme Court but was adjourned.

By Contributing Reporter

 

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After a speech stating that the Government Secretariat would start collecting street dwellers, governor Wilson Witzel again offered a creative solution to the stabbing case in Lagoa, which resulted in two deaths.

Rio’s governor Wilson Witzel. (Photo internet reproduction)

Side by side with mayor Marcelo Crivella, in the room where he met this Tuesday, July 30th, with other mayors from across the state, the governor made an announcement on the new directive that he intends to implement:

“And now, mayor, I am going to arrest potheads on the beach. Whoever is smoking marijuana on the beach will be arrested.”

He will now need to assess how to deal with drug law 11.343/06. According to article 28, “those who purchase, store, hold, carry or bring with them, for personal use, illegal drugs or in disagreement with legal provisions are only subject to three penalties: warning, community service or educational measure.”

The debate on the drug decriminalization was scheduled for this month in the Federal Supreme Court but was adjourned.

New marijuana law in New York: Who’s eligible to clear criminal record? What about smoking in public?

Staff-Shot

New legislation will reduce public use or low-level possession of marijuana to a fine. (Staten Island Advance)

By Kyle Lawson 

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A new law to decriminalize marijuana in New York stands to have a big impact on some borough residents with a criminal record.

Bill A08420A was signed Monday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who emphasized the social justice aspect of the legislation.

Here’s a closer look at what the law means for residents with a record, and the new laws pertaining to possession or use of marijuana in public:

PAST CONVICTIONS

A criminal conviction for possessing an amount of marijuana with street-level dealing or personal use can have a huge impact on a person’s life.

Jobs, student loans and housing are just a few opportunities that in many cases are unattainable with a record.

The new bill lays the groundwork for clearing marijuana convictions for possession of up to 25 grams, meaning several hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers will be eligible.

“By providing individuals who have suffered the consequences of an unfair marijuana conviction with a path to have their records expunged and by reducing draconian penalties, we are taking a critical step forward in addressing a broken and discriminatory criminal justice process," said Cuomo after signing the bill Monday.

Prosecutors in other boroughs already have dismissed thousands of marijuana cases in their county’s court systems.

However, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon told the Advance in December he would continue to provide those with marijuana warrants a chance to clear their record through the Fresh Start program, which his office hosts on an annual basis.

His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest shift in policy.

SMOKING IN PUBLIC

In New York City, tens of thousands of marijuana arrests are made annually for public possession or use, and nearly 90% of people charged are either black or Latino, according to a recent study published by the Drug Policy Alliance.

The use or possession of marijuana in public will now be reduced from a criminal misdemeanor --punishable by up to 90 days in jail -- to a fine-only offense.

FUTURE ENFORCEMENT

Possession of up to one ounce (28 grams) of marijuana in New York will now be punishable by a $50 fine.

Possession of more than one ounce, but less than two ounces, will be reduced from a criminal misdemeanor -- punishable by up to three months in jail -- to a non-criminal violation, punishable by a $200 fine.

An offender’s prior criminal history has no bearing on the new enforcement policy.

Marijuana takes center stage at U.S. music festivals, expos

By Jean Lotus

 

A participant lights a blunt at the first sponsered 420 event in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on April 20, 2017.  File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

 

July 29 (UPI) -- Legalized marijuana is pushing into the mainstream this year at public music festivals and expos, where cannabis companies are visible event sponsors. Longtime "counterculture" public events are being overshadowed by splashy live cannabis displays and events such as "stoned yoga" and even cannabis wedding expos.

Nowhere has the mainstream marijuana wave been more evident than California this summer, where multiple music events have permitted live consumption of pot for the first time and sold cannabis products on the premises. This is possible under new permitting rules developed by the state's Bureau of Cannabis Control, which has issued 16 temporary cannabis event licenses so far, said agency representative Alex Traverso.

The new permit process allows sales of marijuana at outdoor events, initially only at county fairgrounds, but now expanding to other locations.

"Music and cannabis have been hand in hand forever," said Jon Capetta, vice president of content at High Times. The company hosts the "Cannabis Cup" expo event in multiple states with live music and competitions for the "best cannabis."

Under the new rules, this year's northern and southern California events featured live sales of the product, as well as open consumption.

In the past, California concert-goers could sometimes furtively smoke pot in a "proposition 215" corral, so-named after a law that allowed medical marijuana in public, Capetta said. But the new rules allow for marijuana to be consumed openly.

In California, these new cannabis events are being marketed as luxury experiences. Earlier this month, the Northern Nights Music Festival at the Mendocino County fairgrounds hosted a $260 three-night overnight/camping music festival where recreational cannabis was sold and on-site use was allowed. Concert-goers had the option to rent a "glamping" luxury tent and to participate in "stoned yoga."

The new big-money cannabis marketing is overshadowing weed's more countercultural history. For example, for decades, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park has held a hazy "420" event in April at a spot called "Hippie Hill."

But the park's upcoming Outside Lands Festival -- which draws about 210,000 people yearly -- may feature sales and consumption of cannabis this year. Organizers have applied for a cannabis events permit from the city's Office of Cannabis, the city said.

"Grass Lands," the festival's cannabis-themed area, provides "the perfect place to celebrate statewide marijuana legalization and educate people on how it can be a part of their daily lives," the festival's website says.

Cannabis companies are branching into other entertainment events such as comedy clubs and after-parties at the Coachella music festival this year, Capetta said.

"Anything that can be better with cannabis becomes 'cannabis content,'" he said.

The rise of cannabis festivals hasn't been completely smooth. Some recent marijuana-themed music events have crashed and burned when they failed to get buy-in from local authorities.

In Canada, where marijuana has been legalized across the country, the city council of Vaughan, Ontario voted in July against outdoor smoking, delivering a fatal blow to the "Journey" cannabis-themed music festival planned for the end of August at Boyd Conservation Park, north of Toronto.

In a Facebook post, the festival complained that Vaughan's city council was "on the wrong side of history." Journey organizer Murray Milthorpe couldn't be reached for comment.

Last summer, the Chalice music festival, which applied for a live-consumption event for the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds, was nixed by the Victorville, Calif., City Council.

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, where recreational marijuana is now sold, a decades-old "Freedom Rally" at Boston Common is still planned for the last weekend of September.

The 28-year festival's purpose is to "educate the public about cannabis, the war on cannabis, and to promote cultural and political changes through that education." Along with the Seattle's Hempfest, and Denver's Mile High 420 Festival, the event is one of the oldest pro-pot rallies in the country.

Massachusetts and Nevada, where legalization also took place recently, are becoming sites for high-end cannabis events, too, such as the Sensi Nights cannabis convention.

Boston and Las Vegas are also now sites for an expanded nationwide cannabis wedding expo, which advertises itself as serving millennials with "traditional wedding vendors plus specialty cannabis products and services."

"Throwing entertainment events infused with cannabis is definitely a new learning curve," Capetta said. "But there are still some gray areas, because history has been built around prohibition, and that needs to be sorted out."

 

Two groups fighting for legal marijuana in ND

By: Alexander Taylor

North Dakota will become the 25th state to eliminate jail time for low-level marijuana possession starting Aug. 1, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. Two groups are pushing recreational marijuana even further.

ND for Freedom of Cannabis Act, a sponsoring committee led by Jody Lynn Vetter of Bismarck, had a petition approved for circulation by Secretary of State Al Jaegar on July 22. The petition will need 26,904 signatures by Feb. 10 in order to be eligible for the statewide election on June 9, 2020.

The committee has several members from the area including Anthony Gurrieri, Megan McDonald and Zack Nordstrom from Jamestown, Eric Shuster and Dakota Rose from Carrington, and Johnny Lybrand from Gackle.

The petition is for the creation of a new section to Article 1 of the state’s constitution related to cannabis and would make it legal for an individual age 21 or older to:

• Possess, use, purchase or transport cannabis, accessories and cannabis-infused products
• Possess, grow and transport for personal use up to 12 plants, no more than six fully matured, that is not available for sale
• Consume cannabis not in a public setting
• Transfer cannabis to minors under 21 years old if medically prescribed by law

The amendment would require the Legislature to create laws for how to license and regulate commercial cannabis and any citizen in possession of marijuana would be required to first obtain a valid license.

The second group fighting for marijuana legalization, Legalize ND, is working on a second attempt with voters after a 2018 proposal was denied in the election by a margin of 59% to 41%.
“This year’s is far more regulated,” said David Owen, leader of Legalize ND. “There’s a specific control on amounts, no home growing option and there’s a clear tax provision. It’s a much clearer setup.”

Legalize ND’s proposal was written by criminal defense lawyer Scott Brand of West Fargo and is crafted based on past recreational marijuana bills that have passed in 11 other states.

“In terms of legalization, it’s a very state-by-state basis,” Owen said. “Michigan and Oklahoma are good comparisons, but no two marijuana bills are the same.

“After Measure 3 failed, we researched and we crafted the bill in response to what people said, what the public opinion was across the state,” Owen said. “We needed North Dakota based attorneys, and that’s what we have now. We have legislative support.”

Unlike Vetter’s group, Legalize ND will attempt to amend the North Dakota Century Code, rather than the state constitution.

“We don’t think marijuana belongs in the constitution,” Owen said. “Marijuana to me is not a constitutional issue … there’s a lot of things in there that I don’t think should be in there.”

Owen doesn’t look at other petitions as competition, but rather, a different approach to a similar campaign.

“The other group has a way they want to do things, and they are free to do it,” Owen said. “They have a very different vision than me, and they will be in a different election than we will.”
The ballot measure would include:

• A 2-ounce limit for individuals age 21 older. Marijuana cannot be in the passenger area of a car in an open container and, like alcohol, cannot be consumed in public.
• Existing penalties for driving impaired would remain.
• Home growth would be illegal and all marijuana purchases would be required to be from a licensed and state regulated facility.
• Cities maintain the right to reject and limit stores.
• Selling to minors would be a Class A misdemeanor.
• Child-proof containers would be required for amounts over 1 ounce.
• Limit on advertising and would ban marketing to minors.

• A three member Marijuana Control Commission would be created and the members would be appointed by the governor. The commission would oversee and act as the sole regulatory authority over stores and manufacturers.
• Governor may appoint up to 10 members to a Marijuana Advisory Board.
• On top of state and local taxes, a 10% excise tax would be implemented. The taxes would first cover the state commission costs, followed by 50% to the general fund, 10% to the Legacy Fund, 10% to North Dakota Parks and Recreation and 10% to the Department of Commerce.
• Employers can still restrict marijuana consumption.
• Low-level marijuana charges and paraphernalia charges could be expunged from an individual’s record after paying a small fee. Distribution charges would remain.

Legalize ND is in the process of reviewing the petition proposal among the 25 person committee before submitting the document to the Secretary of State's office. If approved, the group will need to obtain 13,452 votes, or 2% of the state population, before June 9 to be eligible for the Nov. 3, 2020, ballot.

“I think it will pass,” Owen said. “I thought the last one would pass, but I think this one will pass.”

Cannabis Activists Aren't Satisfied With NY's Latest Version Of Decriminalization

Sara Brittany Somerset

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 09: Don Cannon protests on the steps of New York City Hall in support of the proposed Fairness and Equity Act, which would attempt to reform racially biased arrests in regards to marijuana possession in New York state on July 9,

Getty Images

Albany, N.Y. — The Governor of New York signed a bill Monday that enhances the state's current cannabis decriminalization law. The new law decreases penalties for possessing small amounts of cannabis and allows for the expungement of some past convictions. 

Less expensive penalties
As of Aug. 28, getting caught in possession of under one ounce of cannabis will result in a $50 fine, statewide, or a maximum penalty of $200 for possession of one to two ounces.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the new legislation into law, making unlawful possession of cannabis a violation, similar to a parking ticket, rather than a crime.

Additionally, the law also requires that conviction records assigned to low-level or non-violent marijuana cases either be marked as expunged or destroyed.

Toeing the party line
Parroting the familiar rhetoric of the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other harm reduction and drug policy reform organizations, the governor said in a statement. “Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by laws governing marijuana for far too long, and today we are ending this injustice once and for all.”

Advocates for adult-use cannabis legalization acknowledge the law is a step forward, but also criticize that it falls short of addressing a plethora of negative consequences that come with having a cannabis violation.

Deputy Director for the New York Drug Policy Alliance, Melissa Moore says, “This bill fails to address the collateral damages of prohibition, including affected individuals’ access to employment and housing, as well as address family separations, immigration rights, and other avenues to economic security. Given the extensive, life-changing inequities created by discriminatory and draconian enforcement policies, true justice requires the allocation of tax revenue to community reinvestment programs for impacted communities. We are incredibly proud of our communities and supporters for generating the momentum necessary to force legislators to pass a law authorizing automatic expungement.”

Under the decriminalization bill, the threat of probation violations and removal still looms large for people who are found in possession of marijuana. One gentleman who is married to a U.S. citizen and has two American-born children is on the ICE removal list for being in possession of a .2g of pot nearly two decades ago.

Just Say Know
Moore believes the latest incarnation of decriminalization (cannabis was decriminalized initially in 1977, in New York) will continue to allow authorities to target communities and people of color for cannabis enforcement. Her purview stems this version of decriminalization, like the previous version, is still left up to the discretion of law enforcement. “While it is disappointing that our leaders have once again failed to address marijuana criminalization wholesale, we will continue to fight on behalf of comprehensive marijuana reform in New York,” she says. “Decriminalization alone is not enough to deal with the full impact of marijuana prohibition and gives law enforcement discretion.

Addressing the legacy of harm from prohibition and targeted enforcement by comprehensively legalizing and reinvesting in communities is what policymakers need to deliver on. While it is disappointing that our leaders have once again failed to prioritize racial justice in New York, we will continue to fight on behalf of comprehensive reforms.”

Expungement
According to New York’s Division of Criminal Justice Services, at least 24,400 people will have their records expunged while more than 200,000 convictions for low-level marijuana offenses, will be sealed. State lawmakers attempted to legalize adult use cannabis this year. Fully legalizing marijuana was purportedly one of Gov. Cuomo’s top legislative goals for 2019. However, the legislation stalled after Democratic state leaders failed to reach a consensus on crucial details during the final days of the legislative session.

The St. Kitts And Nevis Government Is Filing A Marijuana Legalization Bill This Week

Kimberly Lawson

Leaders in the dual-island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis will introduce new legislation on Tuesday aimed at legalizing marijuana for “medicinal and scientific, religious and recreational purposes,” according to the Office of the Prime Minister.

“This is a major legislative achievement of the Team Unity administration, which has done in less than five years what could not be done in 20 years,” reads a statement released on Monday by the Caribbean nation’s government.

The move comes almost six months after a government-appointed National Marijuana Commission recommended that the country’s Drugs Act of 1986 be amended to take into consideration the latest research on the benefits of cannabis. Among its proposals, the Commission supported legalizing the use of marijuana and its derivatives for medicinal and scientific purposes, decriminalizing possession of 15 grams of cannabis or less and the expungement of criminal records for people convicted for similar amounts.

In response, lawmakers introduced the Cannabis Bill 2019 in May to create the necessary framework to allow for the cultivation and use of marijuana in St. Kitts and Nevis.

At the time, Prime Minister Timothy Harris lauded his administration’s ability to “cut across the three broad gamut that had been the subject of discussion regionally and elsewhere with respect to the issues to do with marijuana,” referring to its medicinal, for religious and recreational uses. He also called the bill “a reformist and enlightened piece of legislation that appropriately responds to the popular will of our population.”

Shortly after the bill’s introduction, however, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court ruled that parts of the Drugs Acts infringed upon citizens’ constitutional rights to freedom of religion and privacy, and called for lawmakers to “remedy [these] constitutional defects.”

The ruling came down in a lawsuit filed by a Rastafarian man who argued that his ability to practice his religion was obstructed when he was arrested in 2012 on charges of marijuana possession with intent to sell, as well as cultivation. Rastafarians often use cannabis in their religious practices.

According to the new government statement about the forthcoming bill, the “far-reaching legislative amendments” set to be unveiled during a National Assembly meeting on Tuesday will address the parts of the Drugs Act that were ruled unconstitutional. It also noted that the prime minister “has promised to give special support and priority to locals interested in pursuing marijuana cultivation and trade within the confines of the law.”

He also “warned that the country’s lands will not be ceded to foreign elements of nefarious character and disgraceful conduct,” the press release says.

Last year, a regional commission representing the interests of Caribbean nations, including the Bahamas, Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis, recommended replacing marijuana criminalization with legal regulation.

Antioxidant compound from soybeans may prevent marijuana-induced blood vessel damage

By American Heart Association

Summary:

Marijuana exposure damages cells of the inner lining of blood vessels throughout the heart and vascular system. In studies with human cells and arteries from mice, a compound found in soybeans blocked the damage and may have potential in preventing cardiovascular side effects of marijuana use.

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In laboratory tests, a compound found in soybeans blocked damage to the lining of blood vessels in the heart and circulatory system and may someday provide a way to prevent the cardiovascular side effects of recreational and medical marijuana use, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2019 Scientific Sessions.

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug worldwide and is increasingly being made legal for recreational and medicinal purposes. However, there have been studies that link marijuana smoking to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

There can also be cardiovascular side effects, including changes in heart rate and blood pressure, when people take FDA-approved medications containing a synthetic version of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the main compound in marijuana that gives the sensation of being high.

"These medications are prescribed to reduce the nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy and to increase appetite in certain people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome," said Tzu-Tan "Thomas" Wei, Ph.D., the study's lead author and assistant professor of pharmacology in the College of Medicine at National Taiwan University in Taipei City. "The goal of our studies is to investigate the mechanisms of marijuana-induced damage and discover new drugs to prevent those side effects."

The effects of THC occur after it binds to one of two cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) that are found throughout the brain and body and are also acted on by naturally occurring cannabinoids.

In the current study, the researchers used endothelial cells (like those that line blood vessels) derived from the stem cells of five healthy people. Exposing the cells to THC, they found that:

THC exposure induced inflammation and oxidative stress, which are known to affect the inner linings of blood vessels and are associated with the development of heart disease.

Lab techniques that block access to the CB1 receptor by THC eliminated the effects of THC exposure on endothelial cells.

Treatment with JW-1, an antioxidant compound found in soybeans, eliminated the effects of THC exposure.

In addition, the researchers used a laboratory technique called wire myography to examine the response of mouse arteries to THC, finding that JW-1 blocked THC's negative effects on the function of the inner lining.

An earlier attempt to gain health benefits from blocking the CB1 receptor proved problematic.

"Previously, a drug that blocked CB1 was approved in Europe for the treatment of obesity, but it had to be withdrawn because of severe psychiatric side effects," Wei said. "In contrast, as an antioxidant, JW-1 may have neuroprotective effects. Discovering a new way to protect blood vessels without psychiatric side effects would be clinically important with the rapid growth of cannabis use worldwide."

The researchers are currently extending their research by testing cells derived from regular marijuana users and those who smoke both cigarettes and marijuana. In addition, they are looking at the impact of THC along with the other main component of marijuana, cannabidiol.

"Meanwhile, if you have heart disease, talk to your doctor before you use marijuana or one of the synthetic THC-containing medications," Wei said. "Marijuana may cause more severe effects on the cardiovascular system in those with pre-existing heart disease."

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NY governor signs legislation further decriminalizing marijuana use

By Kate Sullivan, CNN

Washington (CNN)New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Monday further decriminalizing marijuana use in the state.

The legislation reduces the penalty for illegal possession of marijuana to a violation punishable by a fine, and allows those with certain marijuana convictions to have their records expunged, according to a news release from the governor's office. The bill, which will take effect 30 days after becoming law, comes as Democrats are pushing harder to decriminalize marijuana across the nation. 

 

"Communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by laws governing marijuana for far too long, and today we are ending this injustice once and for all," Cuomo, a Democrat, said. 

 

Gov. Cuomo supports recreational marijuana 

 

"By providing individuals who have suffered the consequences of an unfair marijuana conviction with a path to have their records expunged and by reducing draconian penalties," Cuomo continued, "we are taking a critical step forward in addressing a broken and discriminatory criminal justice process."

 

Democrats say the measure will correct decades of enforcement that targeted people of color, and Cuomo's office says the legislation aims to make marijuana enforcement "fairer and more equitable." 

 

The legislation removes criminal penalties for possession of less than two ounces of marijuana. 

 

It reduces the penalty for the possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana to a $50 fine, regardless of criminal history, and a maximum of a $200 fine for the possession of between 1 and 2 ounces.

Efforts to decriminalize marijuana are underway in Congress.

 

California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, a 2020 presidential contender, introduced legislation last week decriminalizing marijuana on the federal level. Rep. Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat, introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. 

 

Kamala Harris and Jerry Nadler team up on proposal to decriminalize marijuana, expunge convictions

 

Harris and Nadler both said people of color were more likely to be convicted of or arrested for marijuana-related crimes.

 

The New York state legislature passed its bill in June after a failed effort at marijuana legalization in the state. State leaders failed to reach a consensus on key details in the plan to legalize recreational marijuana.

 

Cuomo in December announced his support for legalizing marijuana in his state, after a primary challenge on his left from activist and actress Cynthia Nixon, who supported a number of progressive priorities, including marijuana legalization.

 

In January 2018, months before Nixon announced her candidacy, Cuomo directed the state's health department to conduct a study of a regulated marijuana program in New York to determine the potential health, economic and criminal justice impacts on the state, according to the governor's website. 

 

The report found the regulation of marijuana would have public health benefits with government oversight of production and distribution, would ensure quality control and consumer protection and would reduce racial disparities in criminalization and incarceration rates, the website stated.

 

The governor's position on the issue evolved since 2012, when he proposed the state move to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana that are in public view. He said the aim was to avoid unnecessary misdemeanor charges against thousands of New Yorkers.

He admits he once smoked marijuana, now U.S. won’t let him re-enter country

Southern California immigrant with DACA status travels to Mexico so he can become a legal permanent resident. But instead of getting the OK for a green card, he’s prevented from re-entering U.S.

Christine Palomar with her four children at their home in Corona on Thursday, July 11, 2019. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

By Roxana Kopetman 

 

Jose Palomar packed only a small suitcase because he thought his trip to Mexico would be brief.

Seeking legal permanent residency, he had no choice but to go.  But now, nearly two months later, he’s still in Mexico and barred from returning to his home in the United States.

The hold-up: Palomar admitted that he previously used marijuana, which is legal in California but isn’t under federal law.

The 26-year-old Corona resident, who grew up in Anaheim, has temporary legal status in the United States. He’s married to a U.S. citizen and is the father of American children. He traveled to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in June only to fulfill certain requirements needed to be granted a green card, which would identify him as a permanent U.S. resident.

Part of that process involved a physical. And, during that exam, Palomar was asked whether he had ever used any illegal substance. He answered truthfully: He used to smoke weed.

That answer put the brakes on his residence application – and on the life he’s built in Southern California.

The government has denied his request for a green card and refused him re-entry into the country where he’s lived almost all his life.

“Right now, I’m in a strange world,” Palomar said in a phone interview from Mexico.

Palomar is not alone. There is considerable confusion over marijuana use and its implications on immigration.

“It happens all the time,” said Los Angeles immigration attorney Ally Bolour, a board member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

American kid

Palomar was 6 when he arrived in the United States.

He grew up in Anaheim, where he said he worked hard to learn English and earn As in school.

He went to Sunkist Elementary, then Sycamore Junior High and later graduated from Anaheim High. He tried out for the basketball team but wasn’t tall enough, so he stuck with soccer and made it to the school’s junior varsity team.

In 2012, as soon as he learned about a then-new immigration program called DACA – or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – he applied. Because he’d been a child when he was brought into the country illegally, he qualified for the DACA protections advocated by then President Barack Obama.

Since then, Palomar has renewed his DACA status three times. That has allowed him to legally live and work in the U.S. without the threat of deportation hanging over him.

At about the time he was learning about DACA, Jose Palomar met Christine.  He thought she was cute, and the feeling was mutual. Soon, they started dating.

She had two children already, but that didn’t scare him off.

“I literally fell in love with the kids as well,” Palomar said.

They married about two years later, on Valentine’s Day. They had a baby of their own by then, Emily, and they’ve since had another baby girl, Melanie, who is six months old. The older kids, April and Joshua, are now pre-teens and Palomar said he considers them his children as well.

Palomar worked in construction. But when his wife got a promotion, in advertising sales, he took a night job at a warehouse, freeing him for child-care during the day.

Five years of marriage passed and Palomar qualified to apply for a green card. Once he gets that, he can later apply to become a naturalized American.

“I have bigger goals,” Palomar said. “I want to become a citizen.”

Telling the truth

Palomar admits to having smoked pot, though it’s been awhile.

Christine Palomar, meanwhile, never really approved. She doesn’t even like the fact that, two years ago, California voters approved the recreational use of cannabis.

So, while getting ready for his trip and a physical in Mexico, Jose Palomar said he’d stopped smoking pot almost three months before leaving. Not just because of his upcoming test, he said, but because he was looking to stop altogether.

To make sure the drug was out of his system, he tested himself – four times.

“Every test came out negative,” Christine Palomar said.

Still, he was advised by his attorney that when asked anything he should answer truthfully. So he did.

“I admitted to have used (marijuana) in the past,” Palomar said. “I was told by my lawyer that during the process in Juarez to speak about nothing but the truth as it would hurt me to lie. So I was honest, but apparently it still affected my case.”

Refusing to lie meant he lost his I- 601 waiver, the paperwork that would allow Palomar to re-enter the country.

“Does the government want us to be truthful, or does the government want us to lie?” Christine Palomar asked.

“If you’re truthful, look what happens. (But) if you lie, you can still get in trouble,” she added. “It’s not fair.”

The use of cannabis for medical purposes is now legal in 33 states plus the District of Columbia.

Eleven states, including California, and D.C., allow recreational use of the drug.  But for immigration – which follows federal laws – marijuana presents a thorny issue.

“You can’t use it. You can’t work in a dispensary. And even if you’re a U.S. citizen working in the cannabis industry and your income is cannabis related, that income is not eligible to satisfy the affidavit of support to become a sponsor,” said Bolour, the L.A. immigration attorney.

“You won’t get a visa. You won’t get a green card. You won’t get a waiver,” he added. “It happens a lot.”

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center advises non-U.S. citizens to not use marijuana or work in marijuana shops. The San Francisco-based organization also warns immigrants against carrying a medical marijuana card, keeping text messages on their phones that might connect them to marijuana, or even wearing a t-shirt that bears a pro-pot image.

According to a January 2018 advisory from the center: “A real danger posed by state legalized marijuana is that immigrants will wrongly believe that it is ‘safe’ to disclose apparently lawful conduct to federal officials, when in fact this can result in catastrophic immigration consequences.”

That’s why the center says immigrants should be advised that “there are very few instances when it is advisable to admit to having possessed or committed other conduct relating to marijuana.” It is better to decline to answer the question, even if it means a denial, according to the advisory.

‘Bar is extremely low’

In the case of Jose Palomar, it’s unclear whether government officials are claiming he tested positive for marijuana or if they’re relying solely on his honest responses.

“Even if they admitted to drug use just once, say back in high school, it makes them inadmissible to the federal government,” said Bolour, who is not representing Palomar but has seen similar situations.

“The panel physician may determine – at their discretion – that the applicant is an abuser. They will relay the information to the visa office, which will result in a finding of inadmissibility based on drug use and/or trafficking, depending on other facts,” Bolour said.

“The bar is extremely low for such a finding.”

That may be just what happened in Palomar’s case.

The U.S. Consulate office in Ciudad Juarez reported that a doctor established that Palomar was a drug abuser or addict, according to the office of Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, who is looking into the case at the request of Christine Palomar. Calvert’s office said such cases are determined by medical tests and the applicant’s statements. In this case, no evidence was presented by the Consulate office that Jose Palomar tested positive.

“This is the first incident in my Congressional district that’s been brought to my attention where an immigrant has had their legal status impacted, at least in part, because of the conflicting legal classification of marijuana under state and federal law,” Calvert said in an e-mailed statement.

“I think this situation only further underscores the inherit problems with the contradictory legalization of marijuana. Until something is passed to change the federal classification of marijuana, individuals, businesses and even state/local governments should be mindful that the use, distribution and sale of marijuana continues to be crime in the eyes of all federal agencies,” Calvert wrote.

Calvert’s office is looking to see what waiver options may be available to allow Jose Palomar to return home.

Meanwhile, Christine Palomar said she’s at a loss without her husband.

“I’m all alone. My in-laws were helping me, but they will be leaving… I can’t do this by myself,” she said, choking back tears.

“I cry myself to sleep every night.”

Jose Palomar, in a separate interview, also broke down as he described his life in Guadalajara.

He’s living with a relative he doesn’t know well, and in a country where he has to use Google to translate words he doesn’t remember in Spanish.

“I miss my family,” he said. “And I can tell they’re struggling without me.

“I have never been unemployed. I (pay) my taxes,” he added. “I did everything like every other American. And when this happened, it crushed me.”

“Because of that one thing, I’ve basically lost my family.”

Christine Palomar says this of her husband: “He’s an American…He doesn’t know anything about Mexico.

“This is crazy this is happening.”

Unless he finds some option, Jose Palomar stands to stay in Mexico for at least a year, possibly many more.

Marijuana legislation for Parliament by September

Marijuana activist Nazma Muller.

By Julien Neaves

ATTORNEY General Faris Al-Rawi said legislation to decriminalise marijuana is scheduled to be in Parliament by September. Speaking at the post-Cabinet media conference last week at the Diplomatic Centre, Port of Spain he said the draft legislation has nearly been completed and, following Cabinet approval, will be laid in Parliament during the sittings in September.

“We worked on it up to yesterday in its near completed form.” Al-Rawi also commented on the announcement by National Security Minister Stuart Young at the Carenage Police Station sod-turning ceremony on Tuesday that attorneys from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will be working with police similar to the district attorney system in the US or the crown prosecutorial office in the UK.

He said the DPP Tobago office has been opened, the DPP San Fernando office at Gulf City was about to be outfitted and yesterday the Cabinet considered the outfitting of the DPP north office. He added about 95 per cent of the positions for legal officers in the lowest category have been filled by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission (JLSC) and the gap in between officers two, three and then senior officers was being worked upon by the DPP’s recommendations for promotions.

Al-Rawi said the district attorney-type arrangement has been allowed to prosper now only because Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith took the advice of the Cabinet and introduced a special prosecutorial unit in the TT Police Service (TTPS).

“So having 42 forensic auditors and accountants and specialist prosecutors from the UK who are in TT now come into the TTPS allow the DPP’s office to have a little bit more space to operate in a better operation.”

Asked if the system will require any legislative amendment Young said the arrangement was an administrative decision and the DPP pledged his full support. He explained an officer or officers from the DPP will be assigned to investigations and will walk police investigators through the process of gathering evidence.

He said the DPP’s office has been working with the Office of the Attorney General in terms of getting more resources. He added a lot of the problem with the appointment of attorneys was because of having to wait on the JLSC.

Marijuana activist and former journalist Nazma Muller sent an email to the Office of the President indicating she wanted to meet with President Paula-Mae Weekes to discuss the issue of legalising marijuana.

The founder of the Caribbean Collective for Justice, a registered NGO that advocates for social and environmental justice, said in her email that the group had started an online petition to legalise cannabis, which has 12,000 signatures now. It was presented to the Prime Minister last year in July.
Dr Rowley, Muller said in her email to the President, promised to decriminalise cannabis for personal and medical use by June 30 this year. He says he will do so in September. In the meantime cancer patients are dying and some are desperate to try cannabis oil because it is their last hope.

“I am imploring the President to intervene and ask the Minister of Health to issue licences to allow me to supply them with life-saving medicine. This is already permitted by law, according to a clause in the Dangerous Drugs Act. As an accomplished lawyer the President can use her immense powers to help these citizens. I would like to meet with Her Excellency as soon as possiblr to discuss how we can be of service to our fellow citizens in their time of need. Bless,” Muller said.

It just got easier to wipe that weed conviction off your record in WA. Here’s how

A new Washington state law lets people vacate their misdemeanor marijuana convictions, with no questions asked.

by

• Melissa Santos                                                                                                                                  
  More than six years have passed since Washington voters approved legalizing marijuana use for adults 21 and older. Yet for thousands of people, past convictions for possessing the drug continue to follow them.
  
  For many in Washington state, that won’t have to be the case anymore. Starting this week, a new state law will allow people convicted of possessing marijuana before it was legalized to wipe their records clean.
  
  Under Senate Bill 5605, those convicted of marijuana possession in Washington state can apply to have those misdemeanor convictions vacated from their record, as long as they were 21 or older at the time of the offense.
  
  Unlike in the past, courts will be required to vacate the convictions — regardless of whether people have had other convictions vacated before, or if they’ve committed additional criminal offenses since.
  
  More than 68,000 people in Washington have misdemeanor marijuana convictions on their records and are eligible to have those convictions vacated under the new law, according to the Washington State Patrol.
  
  The change in law took effect Sunday.
  
  The process is straightforward, said state Sen. Joe Nguyen, D-West Seattle, who sponsored SB 5605 in the Legislature earlier this year.
  
  To get started, a person needs to visit the court where the criminal sentence was handed down and fill out a formal petition.
  
  “You go there, you apply to vacate the conviction, and they have to give it to you,” Nguyen said.
  
  Nguyen said it was important to pass the measure to help address the disproportionately high rates at which people of color — especially Black people — have been prosecuted for drug offenses over the years. “I just believe that was the most egregious examples of inequality in our society,” Nguyen said this week.
  
  For state Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Seattle, it simply didn’t make sense to have people continue to face serious consequences for an offense that Washington state law no longer considers a crime.
  
  “There are a lot of people who have a conviction on their record that makes it harder for them to do a lot of things that we take for granted, like get an apartment or apply to college,” said Fitzgibbon, who sponsored a version of the legislation for several years in the state House.
  
  “If the voters of the state have decided this isn’t a crime any more, why are we still holding this against people, when the voters have decided it is not a serious offense?”
  
  Under Washington’s legal marijuana law, adults over 21 can purchase up to an ounce of marijuana flower.
  

  
  

  That same amount would have been enough to charge someone with misdemeanor possession before Initiative 502 passed in 2012.
  
  Most of the misdemeanor marijuana convictions eligible to be vacated were handed down in county district courts or in municipal courts. People unsure of where they were charged and convicted usually can look up their sentencing court online using the search function at www.courts.wa.gov. A directory of courts in Washington state, organized by city and county, can be found here.
  
  Upon arriving in person at the sentencing court, a person looking to vacate a judgment needs to file a formal motion — that’s the application Nguyen spoke of. This form should be available through the court clerk's office. A generic version is also available online.
  
  A court hearing will then be scheduled. Yet there shouldn’t be much suspense involved. Under the new law, as long as a person was over 21 at the time of the original offense, the hearing’s outcome essentially will be predetermined. When the applicant appears before the judge, the court must grant the request to vacate the conviction.
  
  The bill to make it easier to vacate past pot convictions didn’t receive universal support this year. A fair number of lawmakers — mostly Republicans — opposed it, as did the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC).
  
  Steve Strachan, WASPC’s executive director, said the group preferred the older system, in which judges had discretion when deciding whether to vacate a conviction.
  
  “With this bill, there is no examination of the circumstances,” Strachan wrote in an email. “There may have been multiple offenses, or as is often the case, the misdemeanor may have been pled down from a felony.”
  
  The group’s other objection to the bill was more philosophical. “It was illegal when the offenses occurred, and even though now it is legal, that does not change the act at the time it was committed,” Strachan wrote.
  
  While there have been other efforts to help Washington residents clear their records of marijuana convictions, those initiatives affected fewer people than the new state law.
  
  In January. Gov. Jay Inslee offered to pardon certain people convicted of misdemeanor marijuana offenses. But the governor’s offer extended only to those with a single conviction, leaving out those who may have multiple offenses on their record.
  
  A pardon is also different than vacating a conviction: While a gubernatorial pardon removes the conviction from the criminal history records accessed by the public, the conviction remains in official court files. Unlike people whose records have been vacated, those who are pardoned do not have the legal ability to say they have never been convicted of a crime when applying for a job.
  
  Inslee’s office said 26 eligible people have applied for pardons so far under his initiative; all of those requests have been granted.
  
  Meanwhile, Seattle officials have already vacated misdemeanor possession convictions for 542 people prosecuted in the city’s municipal court. Those people represented everyone convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession in the municipal court from 1996 to 2010, the year the city attorney stopped prosecuting the offense, a spokesman for City Attorney Pete Holmes said.
  To vacate those convictions, Holmes and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan petitioned the court on behalf of the people convicted.
  
  By contrast, under the new statewide law, people looking to clear their records need to petition the sentencing court themselves.
  
  More information about vacating convictions can be found at the King County District Court's website (some of the listed conditions won't apply to vacating marijuana convictions under the new law). The necessary forms can be downloaded from the state courts website.
  

U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden’s marijuana reform includes decriminalization, but not legalization

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden remains out of step from his opponents in stating unequivocally that he would not legalize marijuana.

By Brendan Bures, The Fresh Toast

Democratic party candidate Joe Biden gestures while meeting with patrons at Tamales Lilianas restaurant in Los Angeles, California on July 19, 2019 Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

On the same day when his opponent Sen. Kamala Harris announced a progressive marijuana decriminalization proposal, it appears former Vice President Joe Biden will respond with cannabis reform of his own. Most Democratic presidential candidates have already endorsed or expressed interest in substantial reform at the federal level around marijuana.

Biden remains out of step from his opponents in stating unequivocally that he would not legalize marijuana. But in a plan released by his presidential campaign, Biden released a criminal justice plan that includes expungement of all past marijuana use convictions. This plan would remove cannabis from its Schedule I classification, which characterizes a drug of having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Heroin, LSD, and MDMA are also classified as Schedule I drugs.

Again, many top-tier presidential candidates have called for the total declassification of cannabis.

Instead Biden intends to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug, which would put on the same level as fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamines. This would serve as an important step, as it would open the federal government to research cannabis more freely.

“He very much believes that we need more research and study the positive and negative impact of cannabis use,” an aide, speaking anonymous, told VICE News. “There are a number of negative side effects of cannabis or side effects that we don’t fully understand. But he is here saying no one should be in jail because of cannabis use.”

That said, Biden wouldn’t stand in the way of states legalizing recreational cannabis and would support the legalization of medical marijuana at the federal level. According to his plan, Biden would also follow in Obama’s footsteps by commuting the sentences of non-violent drug offenders.

In addition, his proposal would call for the end of sentencing criminals for drug use alone. Instead federal court would be required to divert those convicts to drug courts, where they’d receive referrals for treatment options. State courts would also be encouraged to do the same, thanks to a federal grant worth $20 billion that Biden would offer.

Cannabis to be 'fully legal in UK within years'

‘I want the market legalised, regulated and taken away from crime gangs,’ says Labour MP David Lammy after trip to Canada

Adam Forrest

A group of cross-party MPs said the UK could completely legalise cannabis use within a decade following a research trip to Canada.

Labour’s David Lammy, the Liberal Democrats’ Sir Norman Lamb and Conservative MP Jonathan Djanogly visited the country to study the legal weed market, set up after the drug was decriminalised there last year.

Both Sir Norman and Mr Lammy, who funded their own flights and accommodation, said they believed the drug would be legalised in about five years.

The Tottenham MP said he had changed his stance on the drug, deciding to back legalisation in a departure from his party’s official position.

“I want the market legalised, regulated and taken away from crime gangs,” the Tottenham MP told BBC’s Newsbeat. “I want to see the strength of the stuff reduced, labelled and properly organised in this country.”

Sir Norman has become the first serving British MP to openly take a cannabis product on camera after sampling the drug’s oil – which unlike its form in the UK included THC – for Newsbeat’s documentary on the Canada trip.

The Lib Dem, who has led his party’s official backing for the legalisation of cannabis, spoke openly about how he uses cannabis oil “for sleeping” and “for relaxation”.

He said it was “ridiculous” he had to flush cannabis oil containing THC down the toilet before returning home because bringing it back into the UK would have been a criminal act.

Sir Norman Lamb seen talking cannabis oil on BBC documentary (BBC Newsbeat)

THC is a compound within cannabis which gets users high. Cannabis is illegal for recreational use in the UK, although it can be prescribed for medicinal purposes.

Mr Djanogly differed in his estimations of the length of time it would take for the UK to allow recreational use of cannabis, predicting legalisation would take at least 10 years and possibly as long as 15 years to happen.

“I think we have got a lot to learn before the legalisation of recreational cannabis, which I think will happen at some point,” he said.

The Tory MP said building legal cannabis factories in the UK could help boost employment in former industrial cities. “I don’t know about the scale involved, but cannabis is now roughly half a per cent of GDP, so it must be creating jobs somewhere,” he said.

The MPs’ research trip was organised by UK harm reduction group Volte Face.

How many Nigerians use drugs?

Claims

Two claims on drug use in Nigeria
Source: Dr Lolu Ojo, chair of the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy’s committee on drug and substance abuse (June 2019)

checked

Verdict

One correct, one mostly correct

• Dr Lolu Ojo, chair of a national committee on drug and substance abuse, said about 14.4 million Nigerians were currently on drugs and 25% of them were women.
• A UN report based on the country’s first comprehensive survey of drug use found an estimated 14.3 million Nigerians – not 14.4 million – aged 15 to 64 used drugs in 2017.
• The report estimated that 3.4 million, or 25%, of these drug users were women.

by Motunrayo Joel

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Flasks and other paraphernalia confiscated from a clandestine methamphetamine lab busted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Obinugwu village in southeast Nigeria in November 2018. Photo: STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP

After a BBC Africa Eye documentary exposed Nigeria’s codeine cough syrup crisis in April 2018, the government banned the import and production of the opioid-containing mixture.

But this will only have short-term benefits, according to Dr Lolu Ojo, chair of the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy’s committee on drug and substance abuse.

“Right now, there are so many products that are being abused,” Nigeria’s Guardian newspaper quoted Ojo as saying in June 2019. “Are we going to ban all of them?”

Ojo said in the interview that “about 14.4 million Nigerians are currently on drugs and 25% of them are women”.

Are his figures on point?

Claim

“About 14.4 million Nigerians are currently on drugs”

Verdict

mostly-correct

Ojo told Africa Check his data was from the latest United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report on drug use in Nigeria, published in January 2019.

“I was rightly quoted by the newspaper reporter and all facts are correct and ‘currently on drugs’ means drug users,” the pharmacist said.

‘First comprehensive nationwide survey’

The UNODC report comes out of Nigeria’s first comprehensive nationwide drug use survey, Dr Isiaka Olanrewaju, director of household statistics at the National Bureau of Statistics, told Africa Check. The bureau worked with other organisations to carry out the survey, with technical support from the UNODC.

Field workers visited 38,850 households and randomly selected one household member aged 15 to 64 to interview. The person was asked whether he or she had used a psychoactive substance for non-medical purposes in 2017.

The researchers also used a “network scale-up method”, in which respondents had to write down the number of people they personally knew who used a specific drug, Olanrewaju said.

This was supplemented by another survey on problem drug use and interviews with key informants.

Marijuana use most common

The report estimated that 14.4% of people had used at least one drug at least once in 2017, which worked out to 14.3 million people. (Note: This was based on the UN Population Division’s estimate of 98,882,000 people in Nigeria aged 15 to 64 in 2017.)

The figure excluded alcohol and tobacco use. An estimated 376,000 people were seen as high-risk drug users, defined as “those who had used opioids, crack/cocaine or amphetamines in the past 12 months as well as used for at least five times in the past 30 days”.

Marijuana use was most common with over 10 million people estimated to have used it. This was followed by the non-medical use of prescription opioids and cough syrups at 4.6 million. 

Based on a set of five questions, 20% of the people who reported using a drug were considered dependent on it.

Out of the six geopolitical zones, the southwest recorded the highest prevalence of drug use with 22.4% of people there having used at least one drug. This was followed by south-south zone, at 16.6%. North-central had the lowest prevalence of drug use at 10%.

Closest glimpse of number of drug users

Olarewaju said that while the survey was based on self-reported responses, it was nationally representative and the best estimate of how many people could still be current drug users.

Sylvester Atere, a UNODC communications officer, added: “Reliable survey report must be scientific and evidence-based. Until another survey is carried out, the existing report remains the reference point.”

The data is for 2017, so it is not entirely accurate to say it shows the number of people “currently” on drugs. Also, Ojo referred to 14.4 million people, while the report estimated 14.3 million.
We therefore rate his claim as mostly correct.

Claim

25% of drug users in Nigeria are women

Verdict

correct

The report estimated that one in four drug users in Nigeria was a woman. This worked out to 3.4 million women aged 15 to 64 in 2017.

Women reported having less control than men over how and from whom they acquired mostly illicit drugs. They were also far more likely to be supplied drugs by a male partner. 

And while more men were estimated to inject drugs, “women were more likely than men to report injecting heroin”.

Dr Nneka Unaogu, a consultant psychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, said people used drugs for a number of purposes, such as recreation, peer pressure and pain relief. 

“Another factor is depression. People believe taking drugs would get them out of their depressed state.”

Treating Opioid Addiction With CBD

By Brandon Manns

 

Many people see CBD as a miracle cure for all their problems. While this is expressly false, CBD has been shown to be a useful remedy for a host of illnesses, from epilepsy to cancer, and, more recently, addiction.

CBD oil is legal in all 50 states in the US, as long as it’s extracted from hemp – the same plant that gives us hemp oil. When extracted from the marijuana plant, the laws around it are fuzzy at best, but as long as it doesn’t contain more than 0.5% THC, you’re in the clear.

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What really sets apart the effect of CBD oil on addiction to, say, chronic pain relief is the fact that it’s backed up by a scientific clinical study carried out at the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Are current methods ineffective?
Addiction is poorly understood, at best, and there are tens of known factors that influence both the addiction process and the recovery phase – a lot of them environmental, and more still physical.

In this study, the kind of addiction under study was to opioids. Heroin is the best-known opioid, but other legal drugs that fall under this category include OxyContin, a powerful painkiller.

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The US is currently struggling with an opioid epidemic that has claimed over 300,000 lives so far, and we need more solutions. The most common and effective opioid addiction treatments are buprenorphine and methadone, which can be used to treat any kind of opioid addiction, including heroin and legal painkillers. But if they’re so effective, why don’t people use them?

Two reasons: the drugs used to treat addiction have their own addiction risk and there is a lot of stigma regarding opioid rehabilitation. Most people would rather not face these factors.

Additionally, the two drugs are very highly regulated and won’t easily reach even patients that require them

In the search for an alternative treatment, all the rage around CBD and its benefits caught the radar of these researchers.

How CBD helps cure addiction
The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, is the most concrete evidence we have to date of CBD’s effectiveness with treating addiction. It involved 42 people with the heroin-use in their recovery phase, as they tried to abstain from the drug.

Before the lab session, participants of the study were either given a CBD tincture or a placebo. They were then shown cues that were intended to trigger drug cravings. This includes videos of people using heroin, for example. In an uncontrolled setting, seeing such cues have been known to trigger relapses.

Lower drug cravings were reported in people that received the CBD oil as compared to those that had the placebo, in response to the cues. The link between CBD and addiction is further improved since the results were somewhat durable – they lasted more than a week – and other benefits included lower anxiety.

Is it now safe to take CBD oil for opioid addiction?
Far from it, no. This was only a preliminary study, and the results are far from being definitive.

The new findings suggest that CBD could be a useful remedy in the future for treating heroin-use disorder, but more tests, including one to find out the effectiveness of CBD outside a controlled setting, still need to be conducted.

If anything, self-treatment using any form of CBD is not advised at this time, a sentiment echoed by leading CBD vendors such as Greenleaf Farms. A lot of research regarding how CBD interacts with other drugs, particularly with strong medicines such as buprenorphine, still need to be conducted.

The risk is even greater considering the CBD industry is highly unregulated and might not contain the advised amounts of CBD or high amounts of THC (which is known to react with several drugs).

It’s always advisable to buy CBD oil from outlets with independent third-party verification such as Greenleaf Farms, and even then, consult a doctor before self-medicating.