Town officials vote to use marijuana tax for slavery reparations program

Tom Tillison

(Screengrab — Ald. Robin Rue Simmons)

Liberals are beginning to capitalize on what has long been a conservative principle, that being that all government should be local.

Just last week the town of Brookline, Mass., just outside of Boston, voted to allow 16-year-olds to vote in municipal elections and is seeking approval from the state An Illinois town is also implementing its own reparations program for black residents.

The race-based program intended to address lingering institutional effects of slavery and discrimination is to be funded by sales tax from legal weed, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The Democrat-led Illinois General Assembly passed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana in the state in May, and the law goes into effect on Jan, 1, 2020. Liberals in the town of Evanston, a suburb of Chicago, then voted to appropriate tax money from marijuana sales to “invest” in a dwindling black population.

(The black population dropped from 22.5 percent in 2000 to just under 17 percent in 2017.)

“We can implement funding to directly invest in black Evanston,” said Ald. Robin Rue Simmons, 5th Ward.

Simmons, an African American, proposed the reparations bill and a committee is now looking at how to support black residents.

Included in the proposed ideas are property tax relief, home repair and rehabilitation help, down payment and rental assistance to qualified residents.

The alderman said weed tax was especially appropriate, as many black residents were victims of the “war on drugs” and spent time in jail for smoking marijuana, according to the Tribune.

Simmons said the marijuana tax will “be invested in the community it unfairly policed and damaged.”

The reparations fund will reportedly be capped at $10 million and the city of Evanston estimates that the marijuana tax could generate $500,000 to $750,000 per year.

The Tribune noted that Simmons was “frustrated by the lack of action at the national level” when it comes to slavery reparations, and believes a local reparations program could gain traction quickly and have a more immediate impact.

At the state level, black lawmakers in New Jersey introduced a bill establishing a task force to examine its role in slavery and racial disparity that may have resulted from it. The legislation would potentially lead to paying reparations to black residents.

Several Democratic 2020 presidential candidates back reparations, including front-runner Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who has expressed support for reparations.

Warren said in a statement back in February: “We must confront the dark history of slavery and government-sanctioned discrimination in this country that has had many consequences including undermining the ability of Black families to build wealth in America for generations.”

Fading candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., has also supported reparations, as has former Obama administration HUD Secretary Julián Castro.

As for the town of Brookline, not only does the town want to allow teenagers to vote, it will also let them serve as town officials, according to CBS Boston.

“At the age of 16, they can start working and paying taxes on that work,” said board member Raul Fernandez. “There’s no reason why these young people should not have a say in our politics and actually giving them a say in our politics will make us even better.”

New research suggests daily cannabis use could be effective alternative to opioids for chronic pain

Brandon Wei

Sarah Blyth, founding member of High Hopes Cannabis Collective, which helps people get access to medical cannabis as a replacement for opioids, outside the facility in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, on Nov. 28, 2019.

Rafal Gerszak/The Globe and Mail

Don Durban has been using opioids for years to cope with chronic pain in his feet from diabetic swelling. He also once sought out the drugs to help with symptoms of pancreatitis.

But the Vancouver man and many others are now using cannabis as an alternative means to alleviate symptoms.

Mr. Durban, 66, said the herb has been an “awesome painkiller," especially in its edible form. “They helped cut back on my Dilaudid [an opioid] use when I was getting that prescribed.”

His experience is supported by science. New research from the University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use suggests that daily cannabis use could be an effective alternative to opioids for people suffering from chronic pain.

Researchers interviewed more than 1,100 people who reported having chronic pain between 2014 and 2017 and found that those who used cannabis daily were half as likely to use illicit opioids compared to those who did not.

The research comes as the dangers of opioids are increasingly evident. The Coroners Service of British Columbia, for example, released data last month showing at least 690 people died from illicit drug overdoses in the province this year as of Aug. 31.

The participants of the UBC and BCCSU study consisted of opioid users reporting chronic pain and included people who also used cannabis and those who did not.

Michael John Milloy, a research scientist at BCCSU and assistant professor at UBC, said while the study cannot confirm the participants were using opioids to mitigate their pain, previous research suggests illicit opioids usage is a common pain-management strategy. And, according to him, their findings are consistent with an increasing body of evidence that, for some people, cannabis can be a substitute painkiller for these opioids.

“We have studies from medical cannabis patients in California and across the United States, which report many patients being able to cut down on their use of opioids by using cannabis,” he said.

“But now this [study] is really an advance because this is data from individuals comparing cannabis users to non-users.”

Switching, however, isn’t always simple. For users such as Mr. Durban, access to safe, legal cannabis is “near impossible," he said.

While legalization of the substance last year has made people more socially comfortable consuming cannabis – medically and recreationally – Mr. Durban said, for some, the new government regulations have made the product impossible to afford or access, especially without the assistance of social organizers such as Sarah Blyth.

Ms. Blyth co-founded the Overdose Prevention Society and now runs High Hopes, a program in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that works to provide safe supplies of cannabis to its residents. Operating on donations of edibles, dried buds and tinctures from local, illicit dispensaries, they are now in the process of obtaining a business licence to become a legal social enterprise.

The program sets up tables in the neighbourhood and offers cannabis by donation. “If it wasn’t for Sarah, it would be so much more difficult," Mr. Durban said.

Ms. Blyth said the legal market is completely inaccessible to disadvantaged users.

“You can order it online, but people here don’t have credit cards,” Ms. Blyth said. “Legal shops are not close to down here, either. 

People are left with limited options.”

A former Vancouver bylaw prohibited cannabis retail shops from operating in the Downtown Eastside. That bylaw was only overturned this June.

“We’re trying to get a space, and we’re trying to work with licensed producers to get people something they can take [for their pain],” she said. “The better the quality, the better people feel.”

For Mr. Durban, access is crucial as the effects of the substance are stark. Now, he takes a cannabis edible to handle moderate to severe pain, occasionally combining them with opioids if severe pain persists. He said the frequency he takes opioids has dropped from daily use to weekly since he started consuming marijuana.

Ms. Blyth also said cannabis, however, isn’t for everyone – and opioids can’t be written off.

“We hear things like that all the time: people wanting to use it for their pain, for their trauma,” she said. “It doesn’t take away from the need of a safe supply of opioids because there’s a lot of people who won’t use cannabis. So it would be a small part in a bigger solution.”

Dr. Nicole Saphier: CBD’s safety is uncertain – There may be unknown risks from chemical in marijuana

By Nicole Saphier, M.D. | Fox News

You’ve likely seen or heard ads on the Internet, radio, TV and print publications touting the benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) – a chemical found in cannabis (marijuana) plants. Unlike the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana, CBD is non-psychoactive, meaning it doesn't cause the "high" associated with marijuana consumption.

The use of CBD has increased over the last several years. In fact, you can find CBD-containing products just about everywhere.

Today CBD is the trending element in the growing field of cannabis research. But despite being widely promoted in dietary supplements, foods, cosmetics and animal wellness products, it has only been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in one prescription medication to treat two rare and severe forms of epilepsy.

This limited approval for the use of CBD is largely due to the fact there is not much information available about it, including its effects on the body.

Earlier this week the FDA published a revised Consumer Update regarding the safety of CBD-containing products. It also issued warning letters to 15 companies for illegally selling such products, in violation of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&CA).

The warning letter was issued because under the FD&CA, any product (other than a food) intended to treat a disease or have a medical use in humans or animals is considered a drug.  Since only one drug for seizures has been properly vetted with proven health benefits and declared safe, no other products can legally be marketed as such.

However, marijuana and products derived from marijuana are being sold in different states under different laws, despite the continued status of marijuana as illegal for most uses under federal law.

In some states so-called “medical marijuana” is legal, and getting a medical prescription for the drug is relatively easy. And some states have legalized recreational marijuana use as well, with varying restrictions. Federal authorities have not sought to stop the sale of marijuana and marijuana products in states that have legalized such sales.

Before the creation of the FDA in 1906, companies were free to market drugs in the U.S. without government regulation, resulting in the sales of drugs that were sometimes useless and sometimes harmful – even deadly. The FDA was created to test drugs to ensure they were safe and effective before they could be legally marketed.

There are plenty of question marks surrounding products containing CBD because of just the small amount of scientific tests that have been conducted on the chemical. In most cases, we just don’t know if these products are safe and effective.

CBD products may prove to be a vital advancement in medicine. However, we are still lacking the evidence that it is efficacious for certain conditions and safe to use.

Pure cannabidiol has demonstrated health benefits in small, limited research trials. Researchers have found it reduces inflammation, anxiety, insomnia, neurological disorders and other common ailments. But more extensive research is needed to validate these findings. 

It’s important to keep in mind that the CBD available for sale commercially may not be pure. And without proper vetting by the FDA, we may be subjecting people to harm by allowing unchecked consumption.

Although many reject the notion of government regulation and want to continue to use CBD products, safety remains an important issue yet to be resolved. There have been reports of some CBD products containing harmful contaminants, such as pesticides and heavy metals.

Additionally, we don’t actually know the most effective dose of CBD for medical conditions other than seizures.

The biggest concern I have as a physician (and mother) is that people, including adolescents, will use CBD without discussing it with their doctor first.  Although the risk of direct harm from using these products is likely small, there is a greater harm that could be caused by undertreating many medical conditions.

In other words, if a person believes CBD is treating his or her particular ailment, the person may not get safe and effective medical treatment that could do a better job.

If you are a believer in CBD or looking to try it as an alternative therapy in conjunction with prescribed medical treatments, make sure you are consulting your physician first to discuss whether it is something to be considered.

Until the FDA looks closely at each individual product and medical scientists further study long-term efficacy and safety profiles, there may be unknown risks.  So if you are going to consume CBD do so with caution and not in large quantities.

Michiganders can buy recreational marijuana December 1. Here’s what you need to know.

By Emma Winowiecki

It's happening. On Sunday, December 1, Michiganders over the age of 21 will be able purchase recreational marijuana from licensed retailers.

But you can’t just walk down to your nearest pot shop without a medical card and stock up. The licensing process is still in the very early stages, and only a handful of businesses will be open Sunday.

So who can sell recreational marijuana today, and who can buy it? Here’s what you need to know.

Who can sell
On December 1, only three businesses will be licensed to sell recreational marijuana: Exclusive Brands, Arbors Wellness, and Greenstone Provisions. All three shops are located in Ann Arbor.

The state Marijuana Regulatory Agency is allowing shops to move up to half of their 30-day medical marijuana inventory, which has already been tested and approved, to the retail side.

The MRA began accepting retail license applications November 1, and issued its first license to Exclusive Brands on November 19. Five non-retail licenses have also been issued, and 69 applications for various types of marijuana licenses are pending approval. Non-retail licenses include licenses for growing and processing, testing, and events.

As of November 22, 1,411 municipalities have opted out of the licensed establishment portion of the marijuana law, meaning they have chosen to not allow retail sales in their communities. That leaves just a handful of cities that are currently allowing businesses to receive licenses, including the cities of Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.

(Click here to see if your municipality has opted out.)

The Detroit city council voted to temporarily prohibit marijuana businesses until the details of the city’s marijuana ordinance can be finalized. The ordinance is currently set to expire January 31, 2020, but could be extended. Detroit has 39 licensed medical marijuana businesses, the most in the state.

Who can buy
Like alcohol, marijuana is legal to purchase and use for anyone over the age of 21.

There are limits to how much weed you can possess, and therefore purchase, at one time. Anyone with more than 2.5 ounces of marijuana on their person can face a fine of $100, and the punishments increase if you have two or more times that amount.

And even though anyone can now purchase marijuana, there are still rules about where you consume it. Essentially, it is still illegal to smoke weed in public spaces, such as walking down the sidewalk or in public parks. Also, like tobacco, landlords, leaseholders, and business owners are allowed to prohibit smoking within their premises.

What about medical marijuana?
There is some fear that the medical marijuana market may be negatively impacted by recreational sales. That’s why medical marijuana businesses and cardholders will see certain perks.

Existing medical dispensaries are being given priority in the recreational licensing process for the next two years. After that, all applicants will be on an equal playing field.

As for cardholders, it will be cheaper and easier for them to access marijuana.

Lisa Conine of Om Medicine in Ann Arbor explained to Stateside in October, “There will be… a [lesser] amount of tax that [people with cards] will have to pay at the register being in the medical program versus the tax structure for adult use sales. We anticipate that they’ll see shorter lines, wait times, and more attention on them.”

Medical and recreational customers will have slightly different purchasing experiences, and will be served separately, even if they are buying the same product from the same store.

Michigan stands to gain more than $1B as recreational marijuana shops open

Exclusive Brands receives first recreational marijuana license in Michigan

By Gus Burns

 

LANSING, MI -- With the roll-out of the first licensed recreational marijuana businesses this week, expectations are high for big profits and plush, new financial padding for public coffers.

“Everything in this space is new, so I don’t know if anyone can sit back and say it was easily predicted how we’d end up where we are but I think everyone is pleasantly surprised," Marijuana Regulatory Agency Director Andrew Brisbo said after presenting the state’s first licenses in Ann Arbor Nov. 19.

Michigan issued first recreational licenses

The state of Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 19, fully mandated the legal sale of marijuana with the issuance of the first recreational business licenses.

Michigan budget planners are projecting recreational marijuana to become a nearly $1 billion-per-year industry beginning in fiscal year 2021, which runs from Oct. 1, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2022. Revenues are projected to increase rapidly to $1.43 billion beginning in 2022 and eclipse $1.5 billion by the following year.

“The recreational industry, once fully implemented, will have a significant impact on Michigan’s economy, with hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue flowing into state and local governments,” said Michigan Cannabis Industry Association Director Robin Schnedier, who worked alongside lawmakers,advocates and businesses to write the 2018 voter-passed legalization law. “We’ve already begun to see waves of hiring by cannabis businesses looking to fill these good-paying jobs, which will have a major impact on communities as these workers have money to spend on goods and services at their local small businesses.”

Michigan's first licensed recreational marijuana businesses

The state of Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 19, fully mandated the legal sale of marijuana with the issuance of the first recreational business licenses.

Short-term tax and business revenue projections remain more uncertain, especially with nearly 1,400 of Michigan’s 1,773 cities, townships and villages not allowing recreational marijuana business in their communities.

“I’ve been somewhat surprised with municipal participation,” Brisbo said. "I think we always assumed there would be a lot of municipal opt-outs, based on the way the ballot initiative is written, but I think it’s been somewhat surprising that even municipalities that allow for medicinal use haven’t necessarily been allowing for the adult use side of things.

“I think we’re starting to see municipalities get through those conversations and start to move ahead.”

Schneider believes communities will begin to shift after they see the “sky isn’t falling” in communities that have opted in to the market.

“An influx of hundreds of good-paying jobs in some of these smaller communities can be a game changer for the local economy,” she said.

Until Dec. 1, the only revenue for the state’s nearly 125-employee marijuana Regulatory Agency, which licenses and establishes rules for the medical and recreational marijuana markets, is the application fees, $6,000 per business, and licensing fees. Those cost $25,000 each for testing facilities, transporters and retailers, and $40,000 for processors and growers of 1,500 plants or more.

Brisbo said he believes there will be enough tax revenue generated in the first nine months of the recreational market’s existence to cover the nearly $10 million general-fund loan used to implement the program.

After that, $20 million, by statue, must go to U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved, non-profit-sponsored research of marijuana benefits in health care.

“I think that’s still possible in ... 2020, depending on how quickly things roll out and how quickly sales come to fruition,” Brisbo said.

Prior to legalization, the House Fiscal Agency forecast about $390 million in sales during the first year of implementation.

As of Nov. 25, the state had issued a total of eight recreational licenses, three of them for retail sales.

The latest tax and revenue projections were agreed upon at a January 2019 Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference by officials from the various branches state government.

Below are the projected tax revenues for fiscal year 2021, which runs from Oct. 1, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2021.

Marijuana industry projections by CREC for the 2021 fiscal year.

Of the $229 million in projected new tax revenue collected through a 10% excise tax and the existing 6% sales tax, the first $20 million for the first two years after sales begin is slated to be spent on research focused on marijuana use in health care. The breakdown of the remainder is: 15% to cities, townships or villages that allow recreational business, proportioned based on the number of micro-businesses and retailers; 15% to counties, proportioned based on the number of micro-businesses and retailers; 35% to the School Aid Fund for K-12 education and 35% to the Michigan Transportation Fund for road and bridge repair.

Rising marijuana use by drivers and growing prevalence among drivers in fatal crashes warrants concern

Source: Traffic Injury Research Foundation

Road Safety Monitor 2019: Trends in Marijuana use among Canadian Drivers

Download Road Safety Monitor in English: Road Safety Monitor 2019: Trends in Marijuana use among Canadian Drivers www.tirf.ca/road_safety_monitor_2019_trends_marijuana_use_canadian_drivers

Traffic Injury Research Foundation

Marijuana Use Among Drivers in Canada, 2000-2016

Download Fact Sheet in English: Marijuana Use Among Drivers in Canada, 2000-2016 www.tirf.ca/marijuana_use_drivers_canada_2000_2016

Traffic Injury Research Foundation

OTTAWA, Ontario, Nov. 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) announces the release of two new fact sheets on marijuana use by drivers in Canada. National trends in the use of marijuana among Canadian drivers are summarized in TIRF’s Road Safety Monitor 2019: Trends in Marijuana use among Canadian Drivers. The RSM is an annual public opinion survey conducted by TIRF and co-sponsored by Beer Canada and Desjardins. The presence of marijuana among fatally injured drivers involved in crashes is reported in a second fact sheet, Marijuana Use Among Drivers in Canada, 2000-2016, also sponsored by Desjardins.

Data indicate marijuana use as well as driving within two hours of using marijuana has substantially increased along with public concern just one year following the legalization of marijuana in Canada. This RSM data represents one of the first comparisons of self-reported driving after using marijuana in Canada one year prior to legalization and one year following it. The analysis reveals the percentage of drivers who report driving within two hours of marijuana use increased to 7% in 2019, up from 3.3% just one year ago.

“In the five years leading up to the legalization of marijuana, a generally increasing trend in use prior to driving has been clearly evident,” explains Dr. Heather Woods Fry, TIRF Research Scientist. “The significant increase in past-year, self-reported use prior to driving would suggest much more intensive education and enforcement are needed.”

Steady increases in public concern about drug-impaired driving generally and, more specifically, marijuana-impaired driving in recent years may be reflective of growing awareness about the impairing effects associated with marijuana. Seven out of 10 Canadians (71.3%) were very or extremely concerned about drugged drivers according to the 2019 poll, up from 59.5% in 2014. This concern is warranted in light of available evidence suggesting the drug is associated with increases in crash risk.

This concern is backed up by an examination of trends among drivers in fatal crashes between 2000 and 2016. During this timeframe, among fatally injured drivers tested for drugs, 15.9% were positive for marijuana in 2000 compared to 23.3% in 2016. In addition, almost two in five drivers killed in road crashes that tested positive for marijuana also tested positive for another substance which was most often alcohol. This pattern is worrying because research indicates the impairing effects of marijuana and alcohol combined are more impairing than either substance alone.

“To make an equitable comparison using 2016 data only, the fact that 2.3% of Canadians reported driving within two hours of using marijuana, but 23.3% of drivers killed in road crashes tested positive for the substance should give us all pause,” cautions Dr. Ward Vanlaar, Chief Operating Officer of TIRF. “In light of the increase to 7% in 2019, Canadians who doubt marijuana has some effect on crash risk should consider the math before getting behind the wheel.”

Continued monitoring of important indicators is essential to evaluate the effects of this legislation and ensure adequate resources are allocated to support intensive enforcement and public education initiatives. Much more concerted efforts are needed to inform Canadians about risks and challenge widespread misperceptions about marijuana use and driving.

About the Traffic Injury Research Foundation:
The mission of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) is to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries. TIRF is an independent, charitable road safety research institute. Since its inception in 1964, TIRF has become internationally recognized for its accomplishments in identifying the causes of road crashes and developing programs and policies to address them effectively.

About the poll:
These results are based on the RSM, an annual public opinion poll developed and conducted by TIRF. A total of 1,200 Canadians completed the poll in 2019. Results can be considered accurate within plus or minus 2.8%, 19 times out of 20. The majority of the questions were answered using a scale from one to six where six indicated high agreement, concern, or support and one indicated low agreement, concern or support.

Leukemia and medical marijuana: Here are the facts

Leukemia symptoms include chills, weakness, susceptibility to infection, weight loss, bruising, swollen lymph nodes and bone pain. 

By Kate-Madonna Hindes, The Fresh Toast

A study found that when chemotherapy was combined with cannabinoids, the potency of the drugs was “slightly improved” Dr_Microbe / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Few experiences are more devastating than a cancer diagnosis. A leukemia diagnosis can be especially jarring, given that we typically hear of it in movies as a predator of children, even though the medical community has found that children have the highest state of remission at 94 percent, with adults at up to 40 percent after five years.

A cancer of the blood, leukemia affects the bone marrow, red blood cells, white blood cells and the cells that cause clotting.

Its symptoms include chills, weakness, susceptibility to infection, weight loss, bruising, swollen lymph nodes and bone pain.

Chemotherapy and radiation are often suggested by care teams to help put the disease into remission; however, recent studies have also cited the benefit of cannabinoids or marijuana. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) even has a page dedicated to cannabis and cancer, explaining the benefits and risks of marijuana and CBD oil.

Better treatments for patients

A 2017 study in the International Journal of Oncology found that when chemotherapy was combined with cannabinoids, the potency of the drugs was “slightly improved.” Even more impressive, the research team found that even when used alone, THC and cannabidiol killed cancer cells. The authors of the study wrote: “Phyto-cannabinoids possess anticancer activity when used alone, and a number have also been shown to combine favourably with each other in vitro in leukemia cells to generate improved activity.”

An option for palliative care 

A 2013 study showcased the power of cannabis in palliative care, citing a case of a 14-year-old patient whose failing health wasn’t responding to chemotherapy and radiation treatment after being diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). The family started giving the patient cannabinoid extracts by mouth.

The cannabidiol seemed to help the patient in the weeks before she passed away / Photo: iStock/Getty Images Plus iStock / Getty Images Plus

Interestingly, after 15 days, doctors observed that the patient had a decrease in the need for morphine and an increase in euphoria and alertness. The cannabidiol seemed to help the patient in the weeks before she passed away. Researchers noted that the patient died of a secondary infection, and the patient’s leukemia seemed to be in remission.

Ultimately, whether or not to use cannabis in treatment comes to the all-important discussion between patient and doctor. With more clinical trials around the world focusing on marijuana, hopefully, new research will shed light on effective ways to combat the disease and keep loved ones around for many more years to come.
 

 

Miami-Dade Stopped Prosecuting Minor Pot Charges, but Cops Keep Making Arrests Anyway

Police departments have ignored Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle's directive to stop making low-level marijuana arrests.

Photo via Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office

 

Jerry Iannelli

 

On July 1, Florida seems to have, at least temporarily, decriminalized marijuana statewide. That day, the state bill legalizing the sale and possession of hemp went into effect — and, almost immediately, cops and prosecutors realized that the newly legal hemp looks, smells, and smokes just like actual weed. The only way to tell the difference is to test the substance in a lab for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, a test most local crime laboratories still aren't capable of doing.

As such, on August 9, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle sent a memo to the county's 35 police departments stating her office would no longer be prosecuting low-level marijuana cases until further notice.

But according to jail records reviewed by New Times, Miami-area cops kept arresting people for minor pot possession anyway. From July 1 to November 23, a total of 391 people were arrested for misdemeanor cannabis possession, according to the latest county jail data. Of those, at least 141 defendants were arrested after Rundle's memo was circulated. While low-level weed arrests have tapered off slightly since August, officers were still hauling people to jail for misdemeanor cannabis possession as recently as last week.

Most of those arrested after Rundle's memo were hit with weed charges amid other primary allegations. But of the 141 people charged with weed possession, 47 had marijuana listed as the primary charge for their arrest. Of those 47 people, 12 were charged with nothing other than possessing fewer than 20 grams of weed.

After New Times showed the data to Miami-Dade's chief public defender, Carlos Martinez, he cautioned local cops to follow Rundle's memo to the letter, lest they wind up in court themselves.

"Individuals should not be arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession because the prosecutor's office has stated they will not be prosecuting," Martinez said. "I imagine that, if an arrested individual sues, it could be costly for the departments who are arresting on charges that will not hold up in court."

Reached via email, Ed Griffith, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, said it is not the office's job to remind cops that it is no longer prosecuting small-time weed cases.

"The State Attorney and the State Attorney’s Office have no legal authority to direct any of Miami-Dade's 35 police agencies to do anything," Griffith said. "Those that do have the legal authority to direct a municipal police department to do something are the municipal governments that oversee the departments. I suspect your question would be most appropriately directed to those governmental entities. Acting appropriately, we can indicate to police and police departments (as was in the memo) what legal standards and issues may impact our legal ability to make formal charges in court."

Griffith did not respond to a follow-up email asking if Rundle's office had sent any additional reminders to police departments.

Though the arrests have been scattered across Dade County, many were made in Miami Gardens, Hialeah, and the City of Miami. The arrests appear to overwhelmingly impact people of color.

On October 10, for example, Miami Gardens Police Officer J. Ciceron says he watched a 20-year-old black man engage in a "hand to hand transaction" with another man standing on the corner of NW 17th Avenue and NW 155th Street. Ciceron says he suspected someone had just bought drugs, so he followed the alleged buyer as the man got into his car and drove for a few blocks. He says he then watched the driver run a stop sign and pulled over the car. Ciceron says he saw the defendant in the back seat, searched the car, and found less than 20 grams of weed.

"The defendant spontaneously said he left his mother's house and went to the dope man to buy drugs thats it  [sic]," Ciceron wrote.

State records show the defendant's charges — possession of less than 20 grams of weed and attempting to purchase marijuana — were dropped November 4, but not before he paid a $1,000 bond to leave jail.

In a different incident November 3, Aventura Officer Jeffrey Burns says he was driving through the garage at Aventura Mall when he spotted a white Dodge Charger sitting in a handicapped spot with no permit displayed. As he approached, he says a 26-year-old black man got out of the car and began walking away while leaving the car running. As the cop walked to catch up, he says, the man turned around and asked if the cop was there for the car. While talking, the cop says he smelled weed. Burns says the man consented to a search, which turned up a green container with roughly eight grams of weed inside, a few burnt joint roaches, and some rolling papers.

"Def does not have a medical marijuana card and stated the product was not hemp," Burns wrote in an arrest affidavit. Burns carted the man to jail on charges of misdemeanor cannabis possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. Prosecutors dropped the man's case later that same day.

Those arrests occurred despite the fact that police can legally issue a $100 civil citation for misdemeanor weed possession instead. But in 2018, New Times found low-level marijuana arrests actually went up after the county decriminalized cannabis possession in 2015.

Multiple departments failed to issue any weed tickets at all. Miami-Dade Police did start a citation program, but cops gave most of the tickets to white people. After New Times' story, the Miami Police Department promised to start issuing weed citations, but records show MPD is among the multiple departments that have arrested people for small-time pot possession after Rundle's memo went out.

Miami-Dade records suggest the vast majority of low-level pot charges, especially those filed after August 9, were later dismissed. But that doesn't mean the charges are nothing to worry about. Defendants are still arrested, carted to jail, and left looking for legal representation. Even a non-prosecutable arrest for marijuana possession creates a permanent, searchable public record that could impact someone's ability to find or keep a job. Low-level drug charges can also impact someone's immigration status. And, as New Times wrote last month, more than 60 percent of people still pass through Miami-Dade's misdemeanor court system with no public defender present to provide legal advice.

The arrests are also a gigantic waste of police time. Cops are arresting nonviolent offenders, filling out paperwork, and transporting people to jail, all for charges that prosecutors have explicitly said they will drop. In the meantime, Miami-area officers are horrible at solving actual crimes — Florida Department of Law Enforcement data shows local cops solved just 16.8 percent of reported crimes in 2018, the lowest rate in any of Florida's 67 counties.

Florida's hemp issues are not unique. As Salon wrote in September, 47 states have now legalized hemp, but only 11 have legalized recreational marijuana use. Currently, the only way to differentiate between cannabis and smokeable hemp is by testing for THC levels — a test that is costly, comparatively time-consuming, and not widely conducted in most state or local crime labs. On August 1, for example, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation issued a statewide memo saying it currently does not have the tools to differentiate between illegal pot and legal hemp. Some cannabis advocates have suggested legalizing hemp could be a backdoor to legalizing recreational weed nationwide.

Illinois city to use legal marijuana tax dollars to fund reparations for black residents

Recreational marijuana will be legal in Illinois next year

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker celebrates after signing into law a bill to legalize marijuana in Illinois next year, on June 25 at the Sankofa Cultural Center in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Aaron Colen

 

One Illinois city has approved a plan to use tax revenue from legal marijuana sales to fund reparations that will benefit black communities, according to the Chicago Tribune.

City aldermen in Evanston, Illinois, approved the creation of a local reparations program Monday with an 8-1 vote, with recreational marijuana legalization set to take effect in the state in January.

"The War on Drugs and mass incarceration have devastated the black community and although policy is being corrected, the impact will remain," said Alderman Robin Rue Simmons, according to The Daily Northwestern. "It is appropriate that sales tax revenue from recreational marijuana be invested in the community in which it unfairly policed and damaged.

"It is time we lead our city past ceremony and apology and into the overdue commitment to a reparative policy," Rue Simmons continued. "With this fund, we can implement programming to directly invest into black Evanston. Our measurements of success can include increased black household income, increase in revenue for black-owned businesses, and improved infrastructure for historically black and redlined neighborhoods."

The city expects marijuana sales to generate between $500,000 and $750,000 annually. The fund will be capped at $10 million.

The city's Equity and Empowerment Commission, which Rue Simmons leads, is studying the most effective ways to use the funds.

Areas of focus to direct the funds include housing, education, and economic incentives. Those involved with establishing reparations for black Evanston residents emphasized that the process was not divisive, as some on the national level have said it could be.

"You did not get to this decision through a battle between the black community and the white community," said Kamm Howard, a midwest regional representative for the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, to those gathered at the meeting.

"You got to this decision through reason, through understanding, through rational and well thought-out action. This is important because the number one contention for reparations in America is that it will divide the community, it will divide the nation. You have shown, with your leadership, that is not true."

Marijuana Legalization Opponents Admit Federal Law Is Blocking Research

By Kyle Jaeger 

Legalization advocates aren’t the only ones who recognize that marijuana’s current restrictive federal classification inhibits research.

Recently, a group involving several of the nation’s leading prohibition supporters raised this issue with Congress.

Friends of the National Institute On Drug Abuse (FNIDA) submitted recommended language on the issue to a Senate committee, voicing concern that the the status of cannabis and other drugs as a Schedule I controlled substances is preventing scientists from conducting valuable research.

It also contained text calling NIDA, a federal agency, to issue a report on research barriers related to marijuana’s scheduling status.

FNIDA describes itself in a newly published Senate document as “a coalition of over 150 scientific and professional societies, patient groups, and other organizations committed to preventing and treating substance use disorders as well as understanding their causes through the research agenda of NIDA.”

The group aimed to have the language adopted into a fiscal year 2019 spending report for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies. It’s not clear when FNIDA submitted the statement, but theirs and other recommendations were released by the Government Publishing Office earlier this month.

Here’s what FNIDA urged the committee to adopt: 

“Barriers to Research—The Committee is concerned that restrictions associated with Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substance Act [CSA] effectively limit the amount and type of research that can be conducted on certain Schedule 1 drugs, especially marijuana or its component chemicals and certain synthetic drugs. At a time when we need as much information as possible about these drugs, we should be lowering regulatory and other barriers to conducting this research. The Committee directs NIDA to provide a short report on the barriers to research that result from the classification of drugs and compounds as Schedule 1 substances.”

Similar language made it into an Appropriations Committee report that was approved in September.

Notably, several members of FNIDA have publicly contradicted the submission, arguing that rescheduling isn’t necessary to support research efforts. That includes Kevin Sabet, president of the prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), who serves on the group’s Board of Scientific Advisors, according to a 2019 FNIDA letter that expressed support for a congressional cannabis research bill that seeks to amend the CSA.

Sabet’s group said in 2015 that rescheduling would not “solve the problem of the need for more research, and instead would likely encourage illegal operators to continue to manufacture inferior products.”

In a Huffington Post piece, he wrote that discussion about reclassifying marijuana is “distracting and essentially meaningless” and doing so would “mainly serve as a symbolic victory for marijuana advocates.”

In a 2013 law review article, Sabet argued that “it is not necessary for marijuana to be rescheduled in order for legitimate research to proceed. Schedule I status does not prevent a product from being tested and researched for potential medical use” (though he did acknowledge that “additional Schedule I restrictions can delay a research program”).

The FNIDA letterhead also lists vocal legalization opponents such as former White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey, former NIDA Director Robert DuPont and former Office of National Drug Control Policy Deputy Director Bertha Madras as scientific advisors.

As drug czar, McCaffrey argued that marijuana “can’t be moved to Schedule two.”

Madras has applauded the Drug Enforcement Administration for denying a rescheduling petition, calling it “a victory for science that, to me, is very comforting.” She also said that moving marijuana to Schedule II would be “conceivably unethical.”

Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), a cofounder of SAM, also sits on FNIDA’s Board of Scientific Advisors, and representatives of the Partnership for a Drug-free America, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America and the American Society of Addiction Medicine are members of the group’s executive committee.

Kennedy and DuPont joined Sabet in signing a 2014 SAM letter asking the Obama administration not to reschedule marijuana, claiming that a change in status would be “scientifically dubious” and “is not necessary to facilitate research.”

Despite the vocal anti-rescheduling advocacy of several of its members, this is at least the third year in a row that FNIDA has implored Congress to integrate its recommended language on marijuana research into spending reports, and each year, similar text has appeared.

NIDA Director Nora Volkow acknowledged in April that “the moment that a drug gets a Schedule I, which is done in order to protect the public so that they don’t get exposed to it, it makes research much harder.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat said earlier this month that while her agency provides testing guidance to state health departments, cannabis’s federal scheduling status has presented “some challenges” and delays in efforts to effectively test vaping products that contain THC amid an outbreak of severe lung injuries.

SAM and FNIDA did not respond to Marijuana Moment’s requests for comment for this story.
 

New Jersey Governor Backs Marijuana Decriminalization Ahead Of 2020 Legalization Ballot Vote

By Kyle Jaeger

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) announced on Tuesday that he will be working with lawmakers to advance legislation to decriminalize marijuana possession after the legislature failed to produce a passable bill to more broadly legalize cannabis.

While the question of legalizing and regulating sales is now expected to go before voters as a referendum on the 2020 ballot, removing criminal penalties for mere possession could prove more palatable to some lawmakers in the interim.

“Decriminalization of adult-use marijuana cannot be our long-term solution, but we now must turn to it for critical short-term relief while we await a ballot measure on legalization next November,” Murphy said in a press release. “Maintaining a status quo that sees roughly 600 individuals, disproportionately people of color, arrested in New Jersey every week for low-level drug offenses is wholly unacceptable.”

Governor Phil Murphy ✔ 

I look forward to working with Senate and Assembly leadership, as well as members of the New Jersey Legislative Black and Latino Caucuses, to pass sensible decriminalization legislation as soon as possible.

             Governor Phil Murphy ✔

            Although I remain disappointed in the Legislature’s inability to legislatively legalize adult-use marijuana, I am optimistic that     the people of New Jersey will vote to do so. And, when they do, we will take a critical and long overdue step for real criminal justice reform.

The governor said he would coordinate with both chambers to ensure that decriminalization passes “as soon as possible.”

Previously, Murphy expressed skepticism about enacting simple decriminalization without having a regulated market for consumers, arguing that removing penalties for possession alone could give the illicit market a boost.

However, with the prospect of a legalization ballot initiative on the horizon, Murphy said he’s ready to achieve the modest reform in the meantime. He also said last week that he’s interested in pursuing expungements of past records in the lead up to next year’s election.

“Although I remain disappointed in the Legislature’s inability to legislatively legalize adult-use marijuana, I am optimistic that the people of New Jersey, who overwhelmingly support legalization, will vote to do so,” he said. “And, when they do, we will take a critical and long overdue step for real criminal justice reform.”

NJ.com first reported about ongoing discussions to pursue decriminalization in New Jersey on Monday evening, with sources saying they are uncertain about the proposal’s prospects for passage.

On Tuesday, Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D) said he’s “open to doing something because it’s gonna be a before we get [legalization] done. We’ve got to figure something out.”

“I don’t know what it looks like. I’ve got to understand how it’s gonna look,” he said. “My largest concern is that we just make the black market that much stronger.”

Meanwhile, Murphy is also in talks with the governors of other states in the region about ensuring that when they legalize cannabis, it’s done in a coordinated way to promote public safety and deter people from going across state lines to obtain different marijuana products taxed at varying rates. It remains to be seen how approaching legalization through the ballot process will impact that regional process. 

MAJOR WEED POLICY

By Bert Wilkinson

Faris Al-Rawi

Trinidad and Tobago’s Attorney General, Faris Al-Rawi.

Three influential member nations of the Caribbean Community have made significant moves to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in keeping with a region-wide recommendation for governments to act sensibly on this issue, putting pressure on others such as Guyana to get progressive with the program.

Authorities in Barbados, Trinidad and The Bahamas have all in the past week made major policy decisions to deal with a community decision to decriminalize marijuana use for limited amounts and to cease arresting people possessing weed for personal or sacramental purposes.

In Trinidad, the administration of Prime Minister, Keith Rowley, facing general elections by next September, introduced a decriminalization bill in the house, allowing for possession of up to 30 grams for personal or sacramental use. The bill will forbid police from arresting such persons.

As a safeguard, government has banned use in public spaces like workplaces and schools and fines of up to US$40,000 and a five-year jail term have been proposed for violators of these safeguard clauses.

A special cannabis authority will be established to administer a licensing and registration regime aimed at legitimizing, establishing accountability and transparency for people using marijuana for religious, sacramental, medicinal commercial purposes. The authority will also deal with issues of research, farm cultivation, processing, retail systems, the transportation of marijuana and export among other areas.

“These bills represent the work of a progressive government dedicated in the mission of getting it done. Whilst others have slumbered we’ve toiled. We shall get it done,” Attorney General Faris Al Rawi said as he debated in parliament. “While cannabis growth and its use has desirous implications for the national purse and will surely be welcomed by the medical patient and religious communities, government will curtail opportunities for abuse of the new licensing regime. This is effected through the criminalization of behaviors which adversely impact the administration, breaches of confidentiality, unlawful disclosure of information, and undisclosed interest in businesses seeking a license and dealing with cannabis without a valid license.”

CARICOM governments had back in 2014 decided to establish a commission to study the issue and recommend a way forward both in keeping with worldwide trends to decriminalize and commercialize marijuana use and cultivation and to stop the criminalization of youths for possession for a mere spiff of marijuana for personal use rather than trafficking.

In neighboring Barbados, a major row has broken out between government and the Rastafarian community because of a proposal from AG Dale Marshal that Rastas will have to obtain a special permit to cultivate the herb for their own use. The document will also cover the use of marijuana away from places of worship. Authorities are also considering legislation for medicinal purpose use.

But even as the row rages on, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said that the time is not necessarily near for the island to legalize or decriminalize recreational use without a referendum.

“We said in this same manifesto that we were going to legalize medicinal cannabis and go to referendum on recreational cannabis. Mr. Speaker, it is to my knowledge that the leader of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) supports the decriminalization of recreational cannabis. The leader of the opposition and myself have spoken but I am confident that the truth is that there is far more consensus on these issues in this country than people might think,” Mottley said. “All Barbadians will have a chance to be able to go and to vote and they will have the chance to say, ‘Yes, it should be decriminalized or no, it should not be decriminalized. With everything else, we shall live by the result of that verdict.”

She argued that the 30 lawmakers in the house cannot sufficiently represent the island on the issue of recreational usage so the nation would be asked to vote on it in the near future.

In The Bahamas meanwhile, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis wants criminal records of people convicted for possessing and using small convicted removed from their and the official records as he became the first Bahamian head of government to back decriminalization.

Antigua, Jamaica and Belize have already completed that process while community member states like St. Vincent and St. Lucia are way ahead on upturning the status quo regarding use, possession and commercial cultivation. The Caricom commission of 2014 had had town hall meetings in almost every member nation.

“Some of these people have been burdened with criminal records, making travel and finding work more difficult. I have seen firsthand how our current laws especially harm young people from modest backgrounds. Reforming our marijuana laws and changing how we treat people with small possession convictions is a matter of social justice. I support expunging the records of Bahamians convicted of possession of small amounts of marijuana. They deserve to move on with their lives free and clear of a criminal conviction. I eagerly await the release of the report by the Bahamas national commission on marijuana,” the PM said.

Chronic Pot Use Possibly Linked to Testicular Cancer

But meta-analysis finds association less clear for other cancers

by Christina Bennett

Chronic marijuana smoking may be linked to the development of testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT), specifically of the nonseminoma histologic subtype, a systematic review and meta-analysis found.

But the evidence was considered low strength because it was based on a pooled analysis of three case-control studies that had a moderate risk of bias, Deborah Korenstein, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, and colleagues reported in JAMA Network Open.

Their pooled analysis revealed that exposure to a minimum of 1 joint per day for 1 year -- also known as "ever use" -- was not significantly associated with TGCT (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.81-1.53; I²=48%). Yet, more than 10 years of marijuana use, which was not reported in joint-years, was (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03-1.81; I²=0%).

A subgroup analysis further revealed that of the two major histologic types that comprise TGCT, over 10 years of marijuana use was only significantly associated with nonseminoma TGCT (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.10-3.11; I²=0%).

"I agree that the summary of the three testis cancer studies show that the evidence is of low strength," Leslie Bernstein, PhD, of the Division of Biomarkers of Early Detection and Prevention at City of Hope in Duarte, California, told MedPage Today.

A principle investigator on one of the three testis cancer studies, Bernstein said that one of the issues that concerned her when designing and conducting that study was underreporting the cases' and controls' exposure to marijuana due to it -- as well as nearly all of the other recreational drugs evaluated in the study -- being an illegal substance. "We buried cocaine and marijuana within the list of the other recreational drugs in the hope that we might have honest reporting."

Bernstein said the other two studies had "shortcomings" similar to her group's and believes that the evidence is "suggestive" of an association that should be examined in a well-designed and sufficiently-powered study.

"We cannot yet conclude that chronic marijuana use increases risk of TGCT," she said.

Including a total of 25 studies published from January 1973 to April 2019, the systematic review and meta-analysis also evaluated other cancer types, such as head and neck, oral, and lung, but the findings were even less clear due to limitations, such as flaws in the study methodology and inadequate adjustment for confounders.

A total of eight studies evaluated the risk of lung cancer, all of which had a moderate to high risk of bias, and the results were mixed, leading the study authors to conclude that the evidence of an association between marijuana use and lung cancer was "insufficient."

As for head and neck cancers, four studies evaluated risk of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, one of which had a low risk of bias and the rest moderate risk, and ever users of marijuana had a similar risk for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma as nonsmokers did (OR 1.26, 95% CI 0.88-1.80; I²=55%). Another four studies evaluated risk of oral cancer, all of which had a moderate to high risk of bias, revealing no evidence of an association between ever use of marijuana and oral cancer.

In addition, studies evaluated risk of prostate cancer, bladder cancer, malignant primary adult-onset glioma, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and melanoma, and still no sufficient evidence of associations were found with marijuana use.

Except for TGCT, the study authors concluded that the evidence of associations between marijuana use and cancer was "insufficient" and that large-scale longitudinal studies are needed. However, this approach may not be the best, according to Bernstein.

"Assessing exposure in a cohort over time with sufficiently long follow-up to obtain a sufficient number of cancer cases is difficult and I would not suggest starting any new studies," she said. She explained that doing such cohort studies would require convincing current cohort study lead investigators to add valid questions on marijuana "immediately" and to include these questions in most subsequent questionnaires. "A potential problem in cohort studies is the constant fight for space on the questionnaire for such detailed questions."

For testicular cancer, she recommended conducting a large case-control study of young men with testicular cancer to serve as cases and similarly age-, race- and residence-matched healthy men to serve as controls, and that neither cases nor controls should have ever smoked cigarettes.

The study was funded by grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

Korenstein disclosed grant funding from the National Cancer Institute while conducting the study and that her spouse has relationships with industry. One co-author reported grant funding from the National Institutes of Health while conducting the study.

Bernstein reported having no relevant conflicts of interest.

Residents rally in support of legalizing marijuana

By Gillian Mencken

"MONONGALIA COUNTY", W.Va (WDTV) -- Some Morgantown residents rallied tonight to give support of the decriminalization of marijuana.

Starting on the streets then ending in the city council meeting where they found not all council members are convinced of it's benefits.

"Go green, keep it up, go green, keep it up go green," cheered the residents and officials gathered on Spruce Street.

As residents stood with raised fists and signs in hand, officials grabbed the mic and gave their take on the issue.
First up, Patient Advocate, Rusty Williams, who says the stigmas for marijuana users has got to go.

"Cannabis for 100 years there's been a lot of propaganda and I think that people have this preconceived notion that it's hippies and stoners that are using it, but this is not at all true their are doctors, pharmacists, nurses, professionals, teachers who use this medically without any negative affects to their life what-so-ever," said Williams.

The group then marched took their cause to the city council meeting where an ordinance was being considered.

Although the mood was light, some council members voiced their concerns about its legalization.

"There was a time when I believed that this weed could cure a wide variety of illnesses, however the newer data that I'm hearing is not promising, it's not promising for some of the things we were hopeful that this drug would work for," said Deputy Mayor, Rachel Fetty.

But State Delegate, Danielle Walker says many people rely on cannabis for health concerns.

"We know prohibition does not work, why would you prohibit someone the right to live, the right to function."

Morgantown resident, Theodore Webb also said he foresees some benefits for West Virginians.

"I think that time has shown that prohibition of marijuana to be a total failure, we could turn this total failure around, we could get our legal system straightened out, we can bring jobs to all 55 counties of West Virginia."

Rally officials says they hope the city council will have a final decision for the ordinances third reading in February of 2020.

Cannabis reduces headache and migraine pain by nearly half

Source:

Washington State University

Summary:

Inhaled cannabis reduces self-reported headache severity by 47.3% and migraine severity by 49.6%, according to a recent study. The study also found no evidence that cannabis caused 'overuse headache,' a pitfall of more conventional treatments. The researchers did see patients using larger doses of cannabis over time, indicating they may be developing tolerance to the drug.

Inhaled cannabis reduces self-reported headache severity by 47.3% and migraine severity by 49.6%, according to a recent study led by Carrie Cuttler, a Washington State University assistant professor of psychology.

The study, published online recently in the Journal of Pain, is the first to use big data from headache and migraine patients using cannabis in real time. Previous studies have asked patients to recall the effect of cannabis use in the past. There has been one clinical trial indicating that cannabis was better than ibuprofen in alleviating headache, but it used nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid drug.

"We were motivated to do this study because a substantial number of people say they use cannabis for headache and migraine, but surprisingly few studies had addressed the topic," said Cuttler, the lead author on the paper.

In the WSU study, researchers analyzed archival data from the Strainprint app, which allows patients to track symptoms before and after using medical cannabis purchased from Canadian producers and distributors. The information was submitted by more than 1,300 patients who used the app over 12,200 times to track changes in headache from before to after cannabis use, and another 653 who used the app more than 7,400 times to track changes in migraine severity.

"We wanted to approach this in an ecologically valid way, which is to look at actual patients using whole plant cannabis to medicate in their own homes and environments," Cuttler said. "These are also very big data, so we can more appropriately and accurately generalize to the greater population of patients using cannabis to manage these conditions."

Cuttler and her colleagues saw no evidence that cannabis caused "overuse headache," a pitfall of more conventional treatments which can make patients' headaches worse over time. However, they did see patients using larger doses of cannabis over time, indicting they may be developing tolerance to the drug.

The study found a small gender difference with significantly more sessions involving headache reduction reported by men (90.0%) than by women (89.1%). The researchers also noted that cannabis concentrates, such as cannabis oil, produced a larger reduction in headache severity ratings than cannabis flower.

There was, however, no significant difference in pain reduction among cannabis strains that were higher or lower in levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), two of the most commonly studied chemical constituents in cannabis, also known as cannabinoids. Since cannabis is made up of over 100 cannabinoids, this finding suggests that different cannabinoids or other constituents like terpenes may play the central role in headache and migraine relief.

More research is needed, and Cuttler acknowledges the limitations of the Strainprint study since it relies on a self-selected group of people who may already anticipate that cannabis will work to alleviate their symptoms, and it was not possible to employ a placebo control group.

"I suspect there are some slight overestimates of effectiveness," said Cuttler. "My hope is that this research will motivate researchers to take on the difficult work of conducting placebo-controlled trials. In the meantime, this at least gives medical cannabis patients and their doctors a little more information about what they might expect from using cannabis to manage these conditions."

As US Cannabis Industry Grows, States Search for New Ways to Enforce DUI Laws

by Alex Graf

                                                                                  A pro-cannabis activist holding up a joint during a rally on Capitol Hill. Photo: Mandel Ngan, AFP                                        

Cannabis is becoming recreationally or medically legal in a growing number of states in the United States, as neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico have either legalized the drug or are well on their way to doing so. 

As it enters the mainstream, more people are using cannabis than ever before. But the shift poses a serious challenge to law enforcement officials tasked with deterring drugged driving. 

DUI arrests are commonplace in the U.S. In 2016 alone, more than 1 million people were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol in the U.S. according to the Center for Disease Control.

As more states have legalized cannabis and the drug has become more accessible, more Americans say they are using cannabis on a daily basis.

At the same time, more Americans report driving while under the influence of marijuana, and law enforcement officials in states like California which have legalized the drug, are seeking new ways to test for its presence.

Jennifer Harmon is the director of the San Diego Sheriff Department’s Crime Lab and told The Globe Post that while law enforcement in California has been working to understand cannabis impairment since the state made cannabis medically legal in 1996, there is still more work to be done.

“We do expect with increased access, we’re going to have increased use,” Harmon said. “There is additional work that’s being done to train more officers, to train more teachers, to improve the testing capabilities of the laboratories, and to ensure that they have the ability to test for cannabinoids.”

The challenge for law enforcement is that testing for Cannabis impairment or the presence of the drug in a person’s body is not as simple as it is with alcohol.

Part of the problem is the standard field sobriety tests and breathalyzers police use to test the blood alcohol levels and alcohol impairment of drivers don’t necessarily work for detecting cannabis impairment. 

When forensic toxicologists test for traces of cannabis in samples of blood, urine, or saliva, there are two different compounds they look for. The first is delta-9 THC – the psychoactive compound in cannabis that only remains in the body for a short time after initial cannabis use.

If tests find delta-9 THC in blood or saliva samples, it indicates someone may be impaired. The other is carboxy THC, which can remain in fluid samples long after the initial use of cannabis and is especially prevalent in regular users.

The results of tests can differ substantially depending on which fluids are tested. Urine samples only yield carboxy THC and saliva samples only yield delta-9 THC while blood samples can yield both.

“Say you use several times a day, several days in a row, and then you stop. While the delta-9 goes away pretty quickly, that carboxy metabolite can stay there for quite some time, but it’s not impairing,” Amy Miles, the forensic toxicology section director at the University of Wisconson told The Globe Post.

Because delta-9 levels decline so quickly, another challenge for law enforcement is the time delay between pulling over a suspected impaired driver and actually testing their blood or oral fluid quickly enough to detect the compound.

“There’s usually a time delay from when the stop or the crash occurs and when the blood is drawn,” Miles said. “The number we get is not representative of what the person was when they were driving.”

One problem that cannabis shares with alcohol in determining impairment is the level of tolerance an individual might have depending on how regularly they drink or smoke. A person who smokes every day won’t be as impaired as someone who smokes only once every 6 months, and the same holds true for alcohol. 

While there is a standardized federal blood alcohol level for legal impairment (the federal standard of a 0.08 blood alcohol level for legal impairment is known as a “per se law”), Cannabis does not yet have any per se laws in place in most states, and impairment is often determined in large part by the officer who pulls over the driver in question.

“The impairment can be all over the place for somebody at eight nanograms and then somebody else at eight nanograms can show less impairment,” Miles said. “While we can do the testing and tell you how much is there, we can’t really say at this nanogram level we know people are impaired because it’s so dependent on the person.”

Robert Solomon, a law professor at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, where the government passed a per se law for cannabis impairment last year, told The Globe Post the law was necessary to create a “bright-line indicator” for law enforcement.

“If you have more than two nanograms of THC in your blood, regardless of how you’re driving, that’s a federal criminal offense,” Solomon said. “If you drive at 110 kilometers an hour (68 MPH) …and you are a fabulous driver and I am a crappy driver, the fact that you’re a better driver in violation of the law doesn’t matter because we need a bright line indicator looking at it.”