Freedom Leaf™ is Proud to be a Co-Promoter
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Founders Richard Cowan & Clifford J. Perry Publisher Freedom Leaf, Inc. Editor-in-Chief Richard Cowan Associate Editor Chris Goldstein Chief Executive Officer Clifford J. Perry Chief Operating Officer Ron Dennis Creative Director Dave Azimi Layout Jean Crow Fashion Coordintor Lillian Taylor Proofreader Leanna Harshaw TREASURER Felipe Menezes Legal Council Keith Stroup Contributing Writers Paul Armentano, Steve Bloom, Bill Buckman, Sabrina Fendrick, Chris Goldstein, Dr. Jahan Marcu, Beth Mann, Samantha Miller, Clifford J Perry Victor Pinho, Nikki Allen Poe, Bridget Saunders, Lillian Taylor, Keith Stroup Content and advertisements in this magazine are for information purposes only and is not representative, in any way, as a recommendation, endorsement or verification of legitimacy of the aforementioned herein. The opinions expressed here are those of the individual writers and may not be those of the publisher or staff of Freedom Leaf Inc. Advertisers and/or their agencies assume responsibility and liability for content within their advertisement. Freedom Leaf Inc. assumes no liability for any claims or representations contained in this magazine. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without written consent is prohibited. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.
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“When The People Lead, The Leaders Will Follow” -- Mahatma Gandhi. by Richard Cowan It is a common complaint in democracies that the “politicians just follow the latest polls.” If that is the case, they are certainly not leaders. What if, despite overwhelming public opposition to the violent suppression of marijuana (especially for medical use), politicians from the “Progressive” left to the “Religious” right, explicitly say that they support the police and not the people. And, what if much of the mass media while claiming to be the watchdogs of our liberty become the lapdogs of our oppressors? How then can the people lead? Well, just watch us! Freedom Leaf, the Marijuana Legalization Company, is focused on ending marijuana prohibition. But this is also a experiment in a new form of social – not just political – activism. We are combining the motivation of entrepreneurial spirit with a devotion to personal liberty. You can’t get more American than that!
And what could be less American than the poisonous fear of freedom that the prohibitionist propaganda machine has used for more than 70 years? This has been the main tool used to justify creating the world’s largest prison system in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Well, there is one thing that really is less American, and that would be surrendering to that fear. The fact is that “We the People” are winning, and now the prohibitionists are afraid of losing their power. Freedom Leaf has been created to promote, proclaim and celebrate our emerging freedom. For too long
the marijuana legalization movement has depended on the generosity of a few wealthy benefactors. God bless them, but now we must become the instruments of our own liberation. We will do that by supporting NORML, SSDP and other reform organizations. We will achieve our ultimate goal by creating ways that everyone can participate in. We will do this with interactive products and services that everyone can utilize and enjoy. Join us in this new evolution! Create a career in freedom through Freedom Leaf!
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Table of Contents 8.
Vision for Freedom Leaf by Clifford J Perry
12.
NORML: Mission and History by Keith Stroup
15.
SSDP Students for Sensible Drug Policy - Sweet 16 by Victor Pinho
18,
Patches and Gels Mary’s Medicinals A New Form of Medical Marijuana
22.
Profile: Dr. Genester Wilson-King MD
24.
Medicating in the NFL Players Embrace Marijuana for Pain Relief and Stress by Steve Bloom
28.
Exclusive Interview: On The Bus With Willie Nelson by Chris Goldstein
38.
Why 2014 is a Major Election Year for Marijuana Reform by Paul Armentano
43.
Interview: Ben Pollara at United Care Medical Marijuana in Florida
46.
Women of Change: Top Five Female Pro-Marijuana Political Candidates by Sabrina Fendrick
50.
Growing the Vote by Bridget Saunders
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58.
Pennsylvania’s Hemp History by Chris Goldstein
64.
Women Leading the Charge for a Needed Change
68.
Top Ten Buzz Kills by Beth Mann
70.
Pot Smoke Management 101 by Beth Mann
72.
What to do During a Police “Knock and Talk” by Bill Buckman
76.
Hemp on the Runway by Lillian Taylor
84.
10 Questions to Ask Your Local Cannabis Lab by Samantha Miller
86.
Pot and Pumpkin Pie: Enhancing Cannabis by Dr. Jahan Marcu and Chris Goldstein
88.
The Other Herb: Basil by Beth Man
90.
Newbies Stick with Doobies by Chris Goldstein
94.
How to Convince Your Grandparents Marijuana is Better Than Alcohol by Nikki Allen Poe
96.
Inhaled Marijuana May Keep Brain Cancer in Remission by Dr. Jahan Marcu Support Marijuana Reform. Donate to the cause by supporting NORML and SSDP at www.freedomLeaf.com/NORML-SSDP www.freedomleaf.com 7
Vision By Clifford J Perry, President, CEO and Co Founder
We are expanding the scope of our seminars and classes at CannaBizU.com™ and will take these to cities around the United States to help individuals in the industry build their businesses. 8 www.freedomleaf.com
The Freedom Leaf vision is to build brands associated with the legalization of marijuana. We are growing a marketing network from the roots up. Our goal is to support the movement. We are focused on advocacy and publishing stories that promote legalization, while appealing to the broader, non-consuming population at the same time. Freedom Leaf is here to make a profit to re-invest in reform. We are maintaining a considerable relationship with all of our stakeholders in this movement - from those who are in the marijuana industry to the nonprofits advancing the cause. Our efforts will benefit the entire community. Through strategic partnerships and a quality publication that will showcase exclusive products and services, we support the industry. Though publishing thoughtful content, we help those individuals who are interested in ending cannabis prohibition. By reaching new audiences, we are reaching out to Americans who have the potential to become interested in our common goal. In the near future, we will be launching Freedom Leaf as a public company. Our stockholders will see an increase in the value of their investment and enjoy a healthy return through appreciation and dividends. Our first product is the Freedom Leaf Magazine, both in print and online. Other ondemand publications will follow. Our approach is very different because our print edition will always be free and distributed across the country at no charge. We are utilizing the publication
to advance the company’s art, fashion, and lifestyle collections. We will provide original editorial content in this upscale magazine to people who are tuned in to the marijuana industry and want good news in cannabis politics. We are giving to the industry and, in turn, promoting our different products and services. As we expand our reach and presence, Freedom Leaf™ will license retail galleries across the country for our collections. These will also serve as local offices for Freedom Leaf™ and as recruiting centers for the “movement marketing” that will be structured in a direct sales methodology. Our model is for straightforward: “Build a career in Freedom, with Freedom Leaf” We are expanding the scope of our seminars and classes at CannaBizU. com™ and will take these to cities around the United States to help individuals in the industry build their businesses. We will be holding weekly seminars in Las Vegas at our corporate office. Larger venues will be engaged in key cities. We have already begun to work with localized groups with the purpose of licensing others to manage a local territory. These seminars and licensing agreements will be a major profit generator on their own, but through these public events individuals will become motivated to sell our products and services. Freedom Leaf™ is developing a line of “Hemp Inspired™” brick-and-mortar retail products. These will include: Original artwork, ranging from signed pieces and high quality lithographs to dorm room posters. Glass art will also be a focus, some of which can be enjoyed by cannabis connoisseurs. Wearable art, such as t-shirts, caps, etc, featuring variations on the Freedom Leaf™ theme, identifying
Through strategic partnerships and a quality publication that will showcase exclusive products and services, we support the industry.
personal liberty with the cannabis leaf. Hemp, and hemp blend (notably hemp/silk) fashions. Lifestyle products, including skin care products and vaporization devices. There is an ever-increasing majority of Americans and others around the world who are in favor of full marijuana legalization. This is not only for medicinal advantages but also for recreational use. They know that it is far less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. Therefore this is an ever growing market. There is a significant population of high-end consumers who are “closet” smokers of marijuana and/or users of medicinal marijuana therapies. Our publications and products are also geared to reach this lucrative market . Additionally, our product lines will appeal to a broad spectrum of consumers with interests in the culture. We are striving to be the mainstay company for education, information and lifestyle products. Follow us, like us and join us on the oath to victory with Freedom Leaf™.
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DC Legalize.
Cannabis Campaign
Washington D.C.
DCMJ.org On November 4th, Vote to Refocus Police Resources.
YES ON
71
www.dcmj.org/ballot-initiative
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ALASKA
Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol This November
VOTE YES ON 2
www.RegulateMarijuanaInAlaska.org www.freedomleaf.com 11
Mission and History By Keith Stroup, founder for NORML
The Mission NORML is a public-interest lobby founded in late 1970 to represent the interests of responsible marijuana smokers. For the last 44 years, we have focused on overcoming the exaggerated fears of marijuana left over from the “reefer madness” propaganda campaigns of the federal government, and reinforced by those who profit from prohibition. NORML is improving the public image and perception of responsible marijuana smokers. NORML is stopping the practice of treating marijuana smokers like criminals, regardless of why they smoke, and establishing a legally regulated market providing consumers with marijuana that is high quality, safe, convenient and affordable. Central to our mission, was the need to win the support of a majority of the non-smokers in America. Marijuana smokers make-up only about 14 percent of the adult population, while the remaining 86 percent hold the key to achieving our political goals. NORML has been the primary organization reaching out to the non-smokers, seeking to broaden the base of our support. This requires a program that is, at once cautious and credible, but also responsive to the concerns of non-smokers. All this 12 www.freedomleaf.com
while insisting on the underlying principle that there is nothing wrong with the responsible use of marijuana, and it should be of no interest or concern to the government. To help achieve this balance, in 1996, NORML developed a set of guidelines titled “The Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use” (found on our website). This list defines responsible use and calls on smokers to respect the rights of non-smokers. When NORML was founded, only 12 percent of the public supported our position. But following decades of work by advocates, much of it educational, and aided by the shifting demographics of older Americans being replaced by more pot-friendly younger Americans, three years ago the major national polls began to show public support for legalization – edging over the 50 percent level for the first time. That trend continues, with the latest Gallup Poll showing 58 percent support nationwide. We have finally won the hearts and minds of a majority of the general public, but we need to understand their support is not “pro-pot;” rather it is anti-prohibition. They understand that prohibition causes far more problems than the plant that is being prohibited.
The Radical Origins of NORML
Photo credit: Lee Snider Photo Images / Shutterstock.com
I was raised in the 1950’s in southern Illinois by Southern Baptist parents. There was nothing in that environment that would cause one to challenge authority or attempt to change the prevailing cultural values. But then came the Vietnam War. Like many young men of my generation who came of age during that era, I had been radicalized by the war, or more specifically, by the threat of being drafted and sent to fight in Vietnam - a war few of us understood and even fewer wanted to die for (58,000 Americans eventually died in Vietnam). My primary focus at the time was avoiding the war in any way possible – a “draft dodger” was the derogatory term used for those of us who did not wish to serve. Back then, before the draft lottery had even been established, all young men, by the time they were 18 years of age, were required to register for the draft, and unless they were a fulltime student, were promptly inducted.
So many of us stayed in school for as long as possible, but we remained subject to the draft until we turned 27 years of age. So when I graduated law school in 1968 at 25, I immediately received my draft notice, passed my physical, and was only two weeks away from my report date, when, with the help of some dedicated lawyers working with the National Lawyers’ Guild, I managed to get what was called a critical-skills deferment. This allowed me to spend my two years working at a presidential commission in Washington, D.C., instead of getting shot in Vietnam. The commission was called the National Commission on Product Safety, and it had been created by Congress, largely as the result of the work of Ralph Nader, a public-interest lawyer. Those of us on the commission staff worked closely with Nader and the early “Nader’s Raiders,” groups of four or five graduate students who devoted a few years of their lives to advancing the cause of product safety. Because of my frequent visits to the Nader offices, I soon became friends with the “Raiders” and was inspired by their willingness to spend a few years of their lives trying to impact public policy, instead of just trying to make money.
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When the commission expired in 1970, I was 27 years old and no longer subject to the draft. I was free to do whatever I wanted, and what I wanted was to become a public-interest lawyer, like my friends. But the issue I wanted to attack was the legalization of marijuana. I had first smoked marijuana when I was a freshman at Georgetown Law School, and had become a regular smoker. So I began meeting with a group of friends who shared my interest and we decided to form NORML and get to work. Of course we were a bit naïve. We did not realize at that time that it might take more than four decades to begin to reach our goals. But a degree of naivety is a required element when deciding to take-on the establishment. Otherwise, one would feel overwhelmed with the enormity of the task and likely give up before starting!
Still A Lot of Work Needed Even in the states that have legalized marijuana, either for medical use or for full legalization, we still have a lot of work to do to end the unfair treatment of some smokers. For example, in most states an individual can still be fired from his/her job for testing positive for THC, without any showing (or even an allegation) that the worker was impaired on the job. That is simply unfair and must be fixed. Similarly, many states continue to consider a driver with any THC in their system as guilty of a DUID offense, without any showing of impairment. We all oppose driving while impaired, regardless of the substance. But firing a good employee for legally smoking marijuana over the weekend is stupid and self-destructive. And parents regularly have to fight 14 www.freedomleaf.com
to retain custody of their minor children if the child welfare agency learns one of the parents smokes marijuana. There is some misinformed presumption that a parent is no longer fit to raise a child simply because they smoke marijuana, without any showing of neglect or abuse. That is an incredibly harmful policy that must change.
But we also have much to celebrate. President Obama has given the legalization movement a wonderful gift by insisting that his Justice Department stand back and allow the 23 states that have legalized medical use, and the two that have legalized marijuana for all adults, regardless of why they smoke, to implement those new laws without federal interference is as long as reasonable efforts are made to minimize diversion of marijuana to other states where it remains illegal and to minimize adolescent marijuana smoking. That Continued on page 93
Sweet at 16 By Victor Pinho Formed in 1998, Students for Sensible Drug Policy is the largest campus-based policy reform organization in the United States. Changing local policies for marijuana and working on ending prohibition has always been part of our goal. Our origins are pure grassroots. Our network is growing. Our activism is changing the world.
Born Out of Necessity Ask any baby boomer about the 90’s and they will paint a picture of rapid economic growth and financial stability in America. America had just recently emerged from the first Gulf War, the economy was on an upswing, and the nation was doing well. But behind the curtain of all this post-war moneymaking and prosperity,
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America was waging a war on its own people. Enter the “The War on Drugs.” This misguided effort was born in the 70’s under President Richard Nixon and entrenched in the 1980’s with the Reagan administration and the “Just Say No” campaign. This spawned another great failure of our American education system — the Drug Awareness Resistance Education Program, commonly known as DARE. The DARE Program misinformed the youth of an entire generation about drugs, telling boldface lies about the harms and consequences of trying anything (including marijuana) — even just once. Their only honest facts were about locking people up, especially for marijuana. DARE taught an entire generation of young minds that if you do drugs (again, even once) your brain will shrivel up and/ or you will go to jail and/or will die. Of course, the folks who came up with the DARE curriculum did not base any of it in science or social psychology. But, as it turns out, if you lie to millions of kids about drugs, when they finally figure out the truth on their own, the result is a generation of angry youth. They are appalled that their innocence and trust has been undermined by images of your egg-brain in a frying pan. By 1998, the first wave of the DARE generation of youth had reached their college years. And many of them had fallen victim to the escalating War on 16 www.freedomleaf.com
Drugs. That same year, the Higher Education Act of 1965 was up for re-authorization. The act contained, within it, a provision which denied federal financial aid to students with marijuana or other drug convictions. The HEA was the subject of fierce debate and criticized for disproportionately affecting minorities, working-class, and disabled students. But the young adults were about to fight back. Through the power of an early version of the internet it was students at two schools, Rochester Institute of Technology and George Washington University, who united to form a coalition in response to the anti-drug provisions of the HEA.
SSDP arose. Nurtured and Nurturing Over the last 16 years, SSDP has flourished and reshaped itself into the powerhouse that it is today. Under the leadership and direction of Executive Director Betty Aldworth and Deputy Director Stacia Cosner, the organization has become international. SSDP is nurturing a huge new surge in awareness - educating and spreading its message to its widest audience ever. SSDP functions primarily through a network of mostly autonomous chapters in universities, colleges, and high schools around the world. SSDP promotes activism for policy changes and works on orchestrating a stronger shift
in attitudes toward marijuana prohibition, drug use and drug abuse, and laws. We are focused on empowering not just students, but teachers as well. Today, there are more than 200 chapters of SSDP worldwide, with the largest concentrations in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and the UK. SSDP remains a completely student-run organization. SSDP’s national headquarters keeps a full-time staff in Washington D.C. It is 2014 and we are proud of our robust student and alumni network that continues to support and help grow the organization.
Our Work Today Our fight for a fair Higher Education Act continues, but our platform is diverse. Current efforts include: ■ Working on campaigns, include
the promotion of Good Samaritan Policies for those who call 911 about heroin overdoses
■ Changing campus drug policies ■ Promoting drug education and
counseling
■ Ending zero tolerance policies ■ Advocating the end of the interna-
tional War on Drugs
■ Promoting an end to ineffective
government anti-drug advertising
■ Influencing President Obama ■ Lowering the drinking age
■ Coaxing politicians to go on the
record about drug policy,
■ Removing educational barriers for
students in prison,
■ Working against student drug
testing
■ Lobbying politicians for national
marijuana policy reform.
As if all that work wasn’t enough to keep SSDP students, staff, and board members busy, the organization also continues to hold consultative status with the United Nations. SSDP even wrote an amicus curiae brief for the Supreme Court case Morse v. Frederick.
SSDP: Into Adulthood Perhaps most important, SSDP now has alumni in almost every branch of government from interns at the White House to politicians’ office and even in the military. SSDP members and chapter leaders cut their teeth in politics by working on these issues. Our first generation of activists are now well into their 30’s. They are becoming the policymakers and government officials. Now as the newest members of SSDP go out to advocate for change, they may find some of their own across the desk. As SSDP evolves past its 16th birthday, we can expect the organization to tackle new and interesting challenges, including paving the way for marijuana legalization in more and more states. Visit us online www.ssdp.org
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Patches and Gels
A New Form of Medical Marijuana By Freedom Leaf Staff Humans have been consuming can- patch is effective within the first 10 nabis for about 10,000 years. It’s not minutes and can last up to 10 hours. “If you are very active you are going that often that a truly unique innovation comes along to drastically change how to burn through the medication very people utilize the plant. However, Mary’s rapidly,” Smith explained. “But it will be Medicinals of Colorado has done just much slower if you are sleeping.” Mary’s Medicinals is not some big that with their exclusive trans-dermal pharmaceutical company with an army cannabinoid patch. Similar to a nicotine patch, this can- of robots in a warehouse. The small nabis product can be worn under cloth- business has just 10 employees at their ing for discrete and long lasting relief laboratory and production center. “We make everything by hand here for patients. The patch is an even more in Colorado. We use a combination of efficient delivery method than vaporizapharma grade adhesives along with the tion. It also allows for precise dosing. Freedom Leaf got a chance to speak medicinal ingredients. Then it’s onto with CEO Nicole Smith about this excit- sheets and cut down, again, by hand.” How did the concept develop? ing development. “We manufacture 2-inch by 2-inch Smith has a background in business patches with 10 to 20 milligram and marketing and saw an opportunity to branch out into this doses,” said Smith. new realm. “They contain carrier “I was having a disagents comprised of All of the products cussion with a friend, fatty acids and terpenes that allow the contain very strict and who is a grower, on New Year’s Eve. He cannabinoid profile in carefully formulated mentioned that more each product to cross the blood barrier.” cannabinoid ratios. and more people were entering the cannabis The trans-dermal 18 www.freedomleaf.com
market and the price for plants was going down. He asked my advice and I said I would make a product that would make the best use of the material. I had worked with another company using a nutreticutial product. A trans-dermal patch would use less of the product; so why not use it for cannabis?” “We went to the lab and did a lot of research and a lot of constructing, looking at the extracts and the terpenes. Now we can get a 10 milligram patch and deliver 99 percent directly to the bloodstream.” The efficiency is particularly important for certain cannabinoids that are in constant demand. “CBD is hard to come by,” said Smith. “High CBD plants produce less and have a longer growing cycle.” So finding a way to get the most CBD into the patient’s body is essential. The patch may also be the most consistent and reliable dose. “As we started to bring this product to market, we also started getting feedback. I spoke with so many parents who just did not know how much of a dose they were giving their child using
oils and oral syringes. Now, with our patches, these families have something accurate.” Terpenes and terpinoids are the organic chemicals that we smell and the major component of plant resins. They have been extracted by humans for millennial for essential oils or from flowers for perfume. Nicole Smith explained that Mary’s Medicinals found it important not to cut terpenes out of the patches. “We always put back everything nature put into the products but in some cases even better,” Smith was careful to note. “What we can’t do in the growing rooms, we can overcome in the lab.” “Terpenes have medical benefits such as myrcene which is found in black pepper. There have been studies at great length about myrcene in cancer mediation; it enhances anandamide which is part of our natural, endogenous cannabinoid system to fight cancer,” Smith explained, “So the terpenes cant be ignored.” “Most of the extraction methods [for oils] totally eliminate the terpenes. But they are in the whole plant.
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It’s not that often that a truly unique innovation comes along to drastically change how people utilize the plant. That’s why different strains work for different people.” Along with the trans-dermal patches, Mary’s Medicinals manufactures a gel pen that comes with 50 doses at 2 milligrams each. So do the patches and gels have an odor? Smith says, “It is very, very faint at best. The gels have a lovely citrus, basil fragrance.” All of the products contain very strict and carefully formulated cannabinoid ratios. Smith explained that having a
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variety of products with different ratios lets patients and their caregivers find the right harmony. “CBN is a muscle relaxer while CBD is an anti-inflammatory. So for someone with multiple sclerosis something with CBD and CBN might work best. Each cannabinoid has unique neuropathic effects. We wanted to make it easier for patients to find the right balance.” The products are taxed under the same scheme as other cannabis products. Smith also noted that their products transcend demographics, stretching across gender and age groups, as well as recreational and medical consumers. “We have seen skiers and snowboarders who use them because they cracked down on having marijuana on chairlifts. Recreational consumers will wear the patch and it will extend the experience of the smoking or vaping.” But the focus of the company is to provide relief for medical patients. “The main thing is for symptom relief
and pain relief,” said Smith. “We have patients as young as 22 months up to 92 years old using the patches and gels for conditions from epilepsy to ALS.” “Innovation drove us to market, but we have been motivated by our experience with patients. We have a young lady now who is 11 years old. She uses a patch each day, using 1/3 in the morning 1/3 mid-day and 1/3 in the evening. She went from having ninety seizures per day to less than ten. This year she’s playing soccer.” “It’s rewarding to me to help these parents who have decided to use cannabis, sometimes as last resort. But the only way to medicate their kids was with oils and they weren’t sure how much they were giving every day. The patches really offer an exact dose.” Children with seizure disorders aren’t the only people that Smith has encountered who have benefited from her patches and gels. “We started going to events and talking with people. Patients don’t want to be high all the time. They don’t want to be incapacitated every day.” Americans who have been put on opioid pharmaceuticals for pain and prescription medications for other conditions that cause a dizzying array of side effects are looking to cannabis therapy as a solution. “There are so many patients who want an alternative pain medication that doesn’t alter their mental capacity or ability to function. Seventy percent of the products we make are non-psychotropic and that is by design. They are faster acting and longer lasting, but also not as hard hitting.” Mary’s Medicinals just launched their product line in Washington State and are looking to expand across the country.
Smith pointed out that current laws in a number of states require low THC in the final products could offer a venue for her gels and patches. “We take high THC plants and convert them to CBN. So as long as the states don’t prevent the cultivation of the plants, there still is a lot of good that can be done for patients.” The future looks very bright for the company as even more states consider passing medical marijuana legislation in 2014 and 2015. Smith said they will stick to their principles and their business model as they expand.
“Innovation drove us to market, but we have been motivated by our experience with patients. Continued to page 82 www.freedomleaf.com 21
Profile: Dr. Genester Wilson-King MD Freedom Leaf’s Health Writer By Freedom Leaf Staff In a monthly column that will debut in the November issue of Freedom Leaf, Dr. Genester Wilson-King will explore topics of health and science. Dr. Wilson-King is a board certified OB/GYN, certified Hormone Specialist and a member of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine and Society of Cannabis Clinicians in Lake Mary, Florida. She has spent her career focused on individual patient care. She is the Founder, CEO and Medical Director of Victory Rejuvenation Center. We spoke with Dr. Wilson-King in late September about her work and joining the Freedom Leaf editorial team. Freedom Leaf: When do you first become aware of medical cannabis?
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Dr. Wilson-King: In the last 10 years I have been looking at cannabis doing my own research. I began attending conferences in the last 3 years. As an OB/GYN, I dealt with a lot of women and their hormones. I have been prescribing bioidentical hormones since the 90s. My practice made a smooth transition to a Functional Medicine practice. In my research on medical cannabis, I discovered the endocannabinoid system. Then I discovered the relationship between the endocannabinoid system and the hypothalamus. The endocannabinoid system is responsible and essential for homeostasis in the body and the hypothalamus is the area of the brain that is the control center for most physiologic processes in the body including the endocrine system. Hence, it made sense that medical cannabis be a part of my armament. Over the past year, I have had discussions about cannabis with my patients. We do not have a legal dispensary system in Florida yet, but I am encouraged by the possibility it will happen soon though ballot Amendment 2.
Cannabis is a sacred plant, as are many other plants. It has been used medicinally for over 3,000 years. Dr. William O’Shaughnessy, an Irish physician famous for his work in pharmacology, introduced the therapeutic use of Cannabis Sativa to Western medicine. In the late 1800s cannabis was the most prescribed medicine in the country. This is history that we all should know. There is a lot that we now know about cannabis. There is so much more we need to know. Freedom Leaf: What will you be writing about in your column here at the magazine? Dr. Wilson-King: I would like to make sure readers have factual information about cannabis; explain why some myths are myths, review past scientific research and introduce new scientific research. For example, could autism be caused by an inherent endocannabinoid deficiency? I do not know, but we will have fun keeping a close eye on new research. More about Dr. Wilson-King’s practice can be found online at www.victoryrejuvenationcenter.com/
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: L F N e h t n i g n i t ca
Medi
a n a u j i r a M e c a r b m E s s Players e r t S d an f e i l e R n i for Pa By Steve Bloom, CelebStoner.com
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Lost in all the controversy swirling around the NFL in September was the Players Association’s decision to increase the testing threshold for marijuana. The current threshold is 15 ng/ ml. They want to increase that number to 35 ng/ml. The league must approve this change before it goes into effect. Considering the depth of the NFL’s problems with abusive players – Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, et al – Commissioner Roger Goodell may not deal with the NFLPA’s proposal right away. “This is a historic moment for our players and our league,” NFLPA president Eric Winston said about the proposal. “We have collectively bargained drug policies that will keep the game clean and safe, but also provide our players with an unprecedented level of fairness and transparency. Players should be proud of their union for standing up for what was best for the game.” What’s best for the game is to stop reprimanding players who smoke pot. Right now, if you violate the Substances of Abuse Policy by failing a drug test for marijuana, cocaine, MDMA, PCP,
More than 500 former players have signed on to a class-action lawsuit that charges the NFL with providing players with drugs rather than dealing with their injuries.
opiates or amphetamine, you’re placed in the Intervention Program. Another positive test or failure to fulfill treatment requirements results in a four-game suspension and fine; a third positive test is punishable by six games; a fourth and you’re banned for the entire season. Three players, two of them AllPros, entered the 2014 season with season-long suspensions. Last year’s NFL leading receiver, Cleveland’s Josh Gordon, has tested positive for marijuana and Adderall multiple times. According to the collective-bargaining agreement between the NFL and the Players Association, he would receive the harshest penalty. After losing his appeal, Gordon said he was “disappointed that the NFL and its hearing office didn’t exercise better discretion and judgment in my case.” While Arizona’s All-Pro linebacker Daryl Washington accepted his suspension for failing numerous tests for pot, he called the policy “very strict.” Overall, 15 players were suspended going into the new season, mostly for failed marijuana tests. Denver’s leading receiver Wes Welker, who was docked
four games for an amphetamine positive test (reportedly, he took Ecstasy, or Molly, back in May at the Kentucky Derby), said about his suspension: “That’s a joke. I don’t do marijuana, I don’t do drugs. I don’t do any drugs. I wouldn’t have any idea where to get a Molly or what a Molly is.” In a sport that requires large men to slam into each other for 60 minutes once a week from September to December (and then into January and February for teams that go to the playoffs and ultimately the Super Bowl), marijuana is proving to be an elixir. “A lot of it is stress relief,” says Washington’s safety Ryan Clark. “A lot of it is pain and medication. Players feel like if it can keep me away from maybe Vicodin, it keeps me away from pain prescription drugs and things that guys get addicted to. Guys look at this as a much more natural way to heal themselves.” Clark contends “the testing isn’t stringent.” Players are tested once during the off-season. “After that there are no more tests. Guys understand the ways to get around failing a drug test.” Former Broncos receiver Nate
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For the league to accept the Players Association’s proposal to increase the threshold for marijuana in drug tests, it may require a new man at the top. Jackson claims he “weeded as needed” during his NFL career that ended in 2008. “Pain is a constant,” Jackson relates. “You’re always battling your body. Marijuana is something that helped me as the season wore on. My body would start to break down. It offers relief. Pain pills were not good for me. I felt sluggish, I felt depressed, I felt slow. Marijuana doesn’t do any of those things to me.” Former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe calls cannabis “an alternative. It’s not like there’s the smoker’s corner where everyone goes and talks about what strain you smoked last night. It wasn’t about I’m going to get blazed and tear up the town. I smoked a bit, then I went and passed out on the couch because I felt like crap after practice.” Kluwe says “a lot of guys see what happened with the older generation of players. A lot of those guys got addicted to pain pills.” Like former NFL receiver J.D. Hill, who during his career playing for Buffalo and Detroit in the 1970’s “became a junkie in the NFL. I was provided uppers, downers, you name it while I was in the NFL. I became addicted and turned to the streets after my career and was homeless.” The same goes for Super Bowl quarterback Jim McMahon, who during his playing days with the Bears, popped as many as 100 Percocets per month. He 26 www.freedomleaf.com
didn’t become homeless, but did acquire a major habit, thanks to teams handing out pills like sticks of chewing gum. More than 500 former players have signed on to a class-action lawsuit that charges the NFL with providing players with drugs rather than dealing with their injuries. One of the lawyers for the players, Steven Silverman insists, “The NFL knew the debilitating effects of these drugs on all of its players and callously ignored the players’ long-term health in its obsession to return them to play.” Commissioner Goodell, who may no longer have his job by the time you read this, has said about marijuana, “We will obviously follow the signs. We will follow the medicine, and if they determine this can be a proper usage in any context, we will consider it.” For the league to accept the Players Association’s proposal to increase the threshold for marijuana in drug tests, it may require a new man at the top. Until then, players will continue to self-medicate, attempt to beat drug tests and try their best to not get busted.
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Photo credit: Josh Withers / Shutterstock.com
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Exclusive Interview:
On The Bus With Willie Nelson Music, Politics And Cannabis With The American Legend
By Chris Goldstein Sometimes you get lucky in Atlantic City. That’s what crossed my mind as I stood next to a sleek tour bus outside of Harrah’s Casino on September 19, 2014 with my friend Steve Bloom of CelebStoner. com. We were about to sit down for an interview with Willie Nelson. At 81 years old, Willie is at the top of his game as both a musician and a cannabis advocate. He is an American treasure but not locked away behind glass like a copy of the Constitution. Warm and approachable with long braids around his shoulders and eyes sparkling with a wry sense of humor, Willie has always been open to a conversation with his friends, his fans and the press. This was the second time I have been invited on the bus. The first was in August 2007 when Willie held a benefit concert in Austin, Texas for a variety of marijuana reform groups, including NORML. I was producing a daily podcast for NORML at the time. Keith Stroup, Allen St. Pierre and I enjoyed a long conversation on that blisteringly hot and humid summer day aboard the blessedly cool, www.freedomleaf.com 29
air-conditioned bus. There were wooden salad bowls on the counter filled with marijuana. We all shared in a fragrant joint, hand-rolled by the man himself. Willie has been a friend to NORML almost since it began in 1972. He remains an active member of National NORML’s advisory board. The 2007 benefit was one of the many ways he has helped the cause over the years. I thought that experience would be a one-off. But a few years back I began helping with a clever social media project that began an ongoing activism relationship with Nelson. In 2010 Willie’s tour bus caravan was stopped in Louisiana and the Red Headed Stranger was charged with marijuana possession. Bloom sent him an email just after the encounter and got this reply from Nelson: “There’s the Tea Party. How about the Teapot Party? Our motto: We lean a little to the left. Tax it, regulate it and legalize it. And stop the border wars over drugs. Why should the drug lords make all the money? Thousands of lives will be saved.” 30 www.freedomleaf.com
Steve created a Facebook page called Willie Nelson’s Teapot Party and asked me to get involved as a page administrator. It took off like a cannabis fueled rocket ship. Tens of thousands of Americans answered the call. We started coordinating local Teapot Party meet-ups in cities across the country. Then, via email, we began pitching promarijuana political candidates for Willie’s endorsement. All of the sudden people running for Congress, seats in state legislatures and even in mayoral races began to seek the coveted Teapot Party seal of approval. Today the Facebook page has over 120,000 likes. We stopped doing the direct endorsements for a spell but we are considering revisiting that concept next year. The last time our Teapot Party trio got a chance to hang out was at the 2012 Farm Aid concert in Hershey, Pennsylvania. So, when I saw he was playing in Atlantic City, just an hour away from my home near Philadelphia, I thought it would be fun for us to spend some time together in person. Willie welcomed us to come down.
This time would be a little different for me though. I am now serving twoyears of federal probation for lighting a joint during a protest in front of the Liberty Bell in 2013. So, no smoking... for me at least. The sun was setting on Atlantic City as we were ushered onto the bus nicknamed The Honeysuckle Rose. Steve and I set up the audio recorder and sat down in the small booth across from the kitchenette. The layout on the bus is simple and homey with dark wood trim. It feels like a country cabin on wheels. On the wall is a cork board with dozens of pictures of Willie’s family. Willie came out from the back smiling and shook our hands. Steve offered him a puff from a CloudVape pen and Willie gladly accepted; pushing the button and tasting the sweet vapor. I explained that our new magazine Freedom Leaf would be going out to all the NORML and Students for Sensible Dug Policy Chapters and Willie was pleased. Then we launched into the interview. Willie is constantly on the road, touring across the country. I asked if he sees support growing for the issue of legalization today. “We see and hear from people every night and do songs like ‘Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die’...the enthusiasm for that has grown throughout the years...who would have thought things would have gone so far within our lifetime? It has surprised me.” Although the tour has not taken him through Colorado since Amendment 64 went into place earlier this year Willie commented, “I have some friends there telling me all about it. It’s the way to go!” We chatted for a minute about the legalization ballot initiatives in Alaska,
Willie has been a friend to NORML almost since it began in 1972. He remains an active member of National NORML’s advisory board. The 2007 benefit was one of the many ways he has helped the cause over the years.
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Oregon and Washington DC. Willie had some strong advice, “Well the main thing is is go vote! It is one of the major problems we have... we get a little lax...we think it’s a great idea but on election day we’re busy or something. Just remember: Go vote! If you can vote early then vote early.” With his music career spanning several generations Willie has a wide age range to his fan base. Being so outgoing about marijuana I ask what advice he has for kids who are tuned into the issue. He became thoughtful and serious saying, “I also saw a few reports that marijuana use in children and teenagers has gone down,” showing that he stays well on top of the latest news related to cannabis. He added, “If they can stay away from it forever well that’s great too. But it’s a good medicine for stress and that’s all I’ve ever said about it.” Sitting just inches away, my eyes begin to follow the lines of Willie’s well-known face. At times he looks 32 www.freedomleaf.com
grandfatherly but he certainly looks much more youthful than a man in his 80’s. I asked if he thought smoking marijuana helped keep him feeling young and even looking young. “Well personally, for my example I think it has. It’s kept me more relaxed and kept me from doing things that weren’t good for me. Like smoking cigarettes. Like drinking alcohol. I was into both of those pretty heavy at one point in my life.” Then Willie told us about the technique he used to quit tobacco, a story I had never heard before. “One day I had a pack of Chesterfields and I took all the cigarettes out and rolled up 20 big fat joints and put those in the cigarette pack, put them in my pocket and I haven’t smoked a cigarette since. And today I feel a whole lot better.” Makes sense. Consuming cannabis has evolved a lot since Willie first took up marijuana for health and recreation. There are
Photo credit: Christopher Haloran / Shutterstock.com
now Volcano Vaporizers, hash oil pens anytime. She actually took him up on and well-manufactured edibles. What is the offer just a few days before this his preferred method? interview while Willie was in WashingWithout skipping a beat Willie ton DC. enthusiastically replied, “I’m and old Steve Bloom asked how Farm Aid fashioned joint smoker ya know.” fared in 2014. Then he quickly “Farm aid went added, “Edibles are great! Had a great good for people who With his music career crowd ...a sell out can’t smoke. I know crowd. Everybody did spanning several there are a lot of a great job.” people who fall in “Everybody” generations Willie that category. Just means John Mellenread the label and has a wide age range camp, Neil Young, make sure you know Jack White, Dave to his fan base. what you’re doing!” Matthews,Tim ReynWillie was, no olds and a cadre of doubt, referencing musicians who play New York Times columnist Maureen the annual, all-day concert. Farm Aid Dowd. She, infamously, ate too much is the biggest grassroots organization of a cannabis infused chocolate bar in supporting American agriculture and Colorado resulting in an 8 hour panic their efforts go on year-round. Farm attack in her hotel room. After reading Aid offers hot-lines to help farmers and her column about the experience Willie even disaster relief. All of it is funded by invited Dowd to get high on his bus the annual concert.
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Willie is close to the issue and he spoke about the future for those involved. “Farmers are beginning to have a little more positive outlook on themselves and their livelihoods. They are seeing some breaks here and there. They’re doing a little more organic farming. The people who buy farmed supplies are finding that it is better to go to a farmers market and deal directly with farmers. If you get look at your breakfast in the morning and look your bacon and eggs, well where did that come from? A thousand miles away? Or could your farmer next door could have raised those for you? People are beginning to think about that more. So this year’s Farm Aid reflected that a lot.” Steve asked how hemp might figure into the future for local farmers and I mentioned there was now a legal hemp crop underway in Kentucky. Willie got excited about the topic. He was a
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longtime supporter of Gatewood Galbraith, a constitutional attorney who ran for governor of Kentucky. “Go Gatewood! I think it is a matter of time as people see more uses for hemp. We are talking about hempcrete to replace concrete. It is just as good, just as strong. You can grow it. It’s good for the soul, it’s good for the farmer... everything is good about it.” Willie has also delved into bio-diesel with some truck stops in Texas. I asked how hemp could come into play there. “Well bio fuels are something I got into a few years ago. It’s an alternative to oil and gas. Not planning on putting anybody out of business...but there are alternative fuels you can use; wind and water, bio-fuels. I think we should look at all of them.” As a musician Willie Nelson is prolific, releasing new albums like clockwork. Steve asked about his upcoming projects.
“We have an album coming out called ‘December Day.’ It’s a small band. Sister Bobby, Mickey, Raphael and a bass player. Sparse, but we’re doing tunes like a couple of Irving Berlin songs and eight original songs. I’m writing a bit lately. I’m writing a new album now and we’ll start recording in a few weeks. But there’s also a book they’re doing on me – a guy named David Ridgely – writing a book called ‘It’s a Long Story.’ So were writing some songs to go along with it.” Ever the political junkie I decided to take a chance and ask about some national figures. Hillary Clinton visited Willie here on the bus the last time she made a presidential run. So I asked about her. “Oh, I’ve known Hillary for a long time and I’ve met her a few times on the road,” Willie said with a broad smile, “I hear she’s headed down to Texas here in a few weeks.” I quipped that she might be going to Iowa and New Hampshire soon too. Willie joked, “Well she does have an airplane...” Steve went straight to the point, asking if Willie would support her for President. “Oh, I’d support her in anything she does,” he replied. So does Willie Nelson think Hillary Clinton would be a friend to marijuana reform? “I don’t know. I’ve heard her talk about it. It hasn’t been negative … it hasn’t been completely positive either.” Willie used some gentle diplomacy and wouldn’t give Hillary a full endorsement quite yet. Another female candidate that Willie has actively supported lately is Wendy Davis for Governor of Texas. He’s a done a few events for the outspoken Democrat. Davis is currently in the Texas
State Senate and is making headway in her bid for the governor’s office. “She’s doing better than people thought she might do.” No doubt he has helped. We chatted a few more minutes about the Teapot Party but it was getting close to showtime. We took a few photos together then Willie offered Steve a fresh joint from his own stash. Another quick photo of Willie and the elated Mr. Bloom. Knowing about my protest and probation Willie offered me a rain-check to come back on the bus once I’m released. Watching him play the sold-out concert that cool, fall night was a thrill. The venue at Harrah’s seats about 1,400 people but it’s still intimate. Willie’s unique voice seemed especially strong; crooning “Crazy” and belting “Whiskey River.” His guitar playing was inspired. There were rocking rhythms, hard blues breakouts and even Spanish-style flourishes. This was the fifth time I’ve seen him live and the best yet. Willie threw out bandannas to the crowd, played an encore and then stayed on stage for a spell to sign autographs...he even signed a couple of cowboy boots. Steve and I stood outside after the concert next to the ocean inlet still buzzing from the top-notch performance. Willie Nelson is more than an icon. He is an honest and generous human being. Willie is also the ambassador for every cannabis consumer in America. For that, we are all very lucky. Find out more about Farm Aid at www. farmaid.org and find Willie on the road at www.willienelson.com Thanks to Steve Bloom for photos www.freedomleaf.com 35
DC Legalize.
Cannabis Campaign
Washington D.C.
DCMJ.org On November 4th, Vote to Refocus Police Resources.
YES ON
71
www.dcmj.org/ballot-initiative
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YES
91
OREGON
It is time for change! This November VOTE YES ON 91
JOIN US! www.VoteYESon91.com
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Why 2014 is a Major Election Year for Marijuana Reform by Paul Armentano, National NORML Deputy DirectorÂ
V
Photo credit: f11photo / Shutterstock.com
oters across the country will decide whether or not to radically alter the way many parts of America deal with pot.
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Statewide Proposals Alaska Come November, Colorado and Washington may no longer be the only places in the United States where marijuana is legal for purchase by anyone over the age of 21. Alaska voters on November 4th will decide on Measure 2: “An Act to tax and regulate the production, sale, and use of marijuana.” The ballot initiative seeks to allow for the personal possession and cultivation of cannabis by adults while simultaneously regulating and taxing the commercial production and retail sales of the plant. Under the proposal, a person age 21 or older may legally possess or transfer without remuneration up to one ounce of cannabis. Adults would also be permitted to cultivate up to six marijuana plants (only three of which may be mature at any one time) for non-commercial purposes. Commercial cannabis enterprises will be subject to oversight by the state Department of Commerce, which has up to nine months following the measure’s passage to adopt rules to allow for the licensed production and retail sale of the plant.
District of Columbia election officials have certified the marijuana measure for the ballot.
As is the case in Colorado and Washington, public consumption will remain a violation – albeit a noncriminal one – under state law. Local governments will also possess authority under the law to enact moratoriums on commercial cannabis enterprises if they desire to do so. (Both Colorado and Washington impose similar local controls.) According to a statewide Public Policy Polling survey, Alaska voters “think (that) marijuana should be legally allowed for recreational use, that stores should be allowed to sell it, and that its sales should be taxed and regulated similarly to alcohol” by a margin of 55 to 39 percent. This majority support is hardly surprising. Alaska’s high court has allowed for the private possession and cultivation of small quantities of cannabis since the mid-1970’s, and in 1998, 58 percent of voters approved ballot language permitting qualified patients to grow and use the plant. Florida Sunshine State voters will decide this November on Amendment 2, which seeks to permit the p hy s i c i a n - a u t h o rized possession and state-licensed distribution of cannabis. Because the proposal seeks to amend the state constitution, support from over 60 percent of state voters is necessary for the amendment to become law. If passed, the amendment would allow for a physician to recommend cannabis therapy to any patient at his or her discretion. However, neither qualified patients (nor their designated
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caregivers) would be permitted to cultivate cannabis. Rather, the proposal authorizes the state Department of Health to determine rules within six months following the act’s passage for the registration of “Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers” or dispensaries, which would be authorized to cultivate, process, and sell medicinal cannabis and other related products. The measure also states that if regulators do not begin registering these facilities within this time frame, “any Florida citizen shall have standing to seek judicial relief to compel compliance with the Department’s constitutional duties.” Despite coordinated opposition by the Florida Sheriff’s Association, former Reagan anti-drug aide Carlton Turner (who once infamously claimed that marijuana smoking leads to homosexuality and “therefore to AIDS”), and gambling mogul Sheldon Anderson (who recently donated $2.5 million to defeat the measure), public support for Amendment 2 remains high. According to a May 2014 Quinnipiac University poll, 88 percent of Florida voters support the medical use of marijuana when authorized by a physician. Oregon Like Alaska’s Measure 2, Oregon’s initiative (Initiative Petition 53) similarly seeks to authorize both the personal use of cannabis, as well as the plant’s retail production and sale. Under the plan, adults who engage in the non-commercial cultivation of limited amounts of cannabis for personal use (up to four marijuana plants and eight ounces of usable marijuana 40 www.freedomleaf.com
Philadelphia became the largest U.S. city to reduce marijuana penalties. at a given time) will not be subject to taxation or commercial regulations. Commercial producers and retailers will require state licensing (available at a $1,000 per year annual fee), but retail sales will not be subject to special taxes or fees, as is the case presently in Colorado and Washington. Will the second time be the charm for Oregon? Possibly. Although a broader, less funded measure gained only 47 percent of the vote in 2012, recent statewide polling on the issue finds that a slight majority of Oregonians (51 percent) support legalizing pot for recreational purposes. Municipal Measures District of Columbia This summer, proponents of a District initiative to permit the possession and cultivation of limited amounts of marijuana by those age 21 or older turned in 57,000 signatures to the D.C. Board of Elections. The number is more the twice the total of signatures from registered voters necessary to place the measure on the 2014 electoral ballot. District of Columbia election officials have certified the measure for the ballot. The proposed measure (Initiative Measure 71) seeks to remove all criminal and civil penalties pertaining to the adult possession of up to two ounces of
cannabis and/or the cultivation of up to six plants (no more than three mature at any one time). Adults who engage in the not-for-profit transfer of cannabis or who possess marijuana related paraphernalia will also no longer be subject to penalty. The measure further states, “No district government agency or office shall limit or refuse to provide any facility service, program or benefit to any person based upon or by reason of conduct that is made lawful by this subsection.” Though supported by a solid majority of District voters, the measure still faces an uphill battle. Even if approved by voters this fall, members of the D.C. City Council still possess the authority to amend the measure. Members of Congress could also thwart the process since all District regulations are subject to Congressional review prior to their implementation. Other Municipal Measures In November, voters in numerous other cities will have the opportunity to decide on local measures seeking to depenalize marijuana. In Michigan, local activists gathered signatures for municipal measures in more than a dozen cities, including Saginaw and East Lansing, which would eliminate local laws outlawing the simple possession of marijuana by adults. Voters in Detroit and five other Michigan cities have already approved similar citizens’ initiatives in recent years. In Maine, voters in the cities of Lewiston, South Portland, and York will likely vote on similar measures. Nearly
70 percent of Portland voters approved a similar proposal last year. Reform groups are contemplating 2016 statewide campaigns in both states. Pre-Election Victories Finally, in New Mexico, activists in Santa Fe saw their City Council pass a measure ahead of a ballot vote. The proposal amends local laws to reduce the penalty for the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana (and/or marijuana-associated paraphernalia) to a civil infraction punishable by no more than a $25 fine. Albuquerque’s Mayor declined to allow a vote on an identical measure. Philadelphia became the largest U.S. city to reduce marijuana penalties. Philly Mayor Michael Nutter announced in September that he will sign municipal legislation into law decriminalizing marijuana possession penalties. Under the measure, penalties pertaining to the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis would be reduced from a criminal misdemeanor to a non-summary civil offense, punishable by a $25 fine. Those caught smoking marijuana in public would face a $100 fine, which could be waived if the defendant agreed to perform several hours of public service. The revised language is expected to take effect on October 20.
Alaska voters “think (that) marijuana should be legally allowed for recreational use” www.freedomleaf.com 41
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Interview:
Ben Pollara at United for Care Medical Marijuana in Florida By Freedom Leaf Staff Florida voters will have the chance to legalize medical marijuana in a key election on November 4th. Ballot Question 2 could bring the Sunshine State into an era of safe access for cannabis. United for Care is the group running the Yes on 2 campaign with veteran political consultant Ben Pollara at the helm. Pollara was a member of the National Finance Committee for President Obama’s campaign in the important state during the last election. While the initial effort for medical marijuana in Florida was all grassroots, it has now become mainstream
electoral politics. That means television advertising, mailings and a major push on the ground. Those all come with hefty price-tags. Prominent Florida attorney John Morgan has contributed generously to see the effort succeed, contributing $3.8 million to the Yes on 2 campaign. But opposition groups have suddenly found a wealthy backer in Sheldon Adelson who was described by Florida press as a “GOP sugar daddy and Las Vegas gambling magnate.” In September the No crowd purchased a TV ad run worth $1.6 million.
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Polling in mid September indicated the measure would likely pass, but the margins are too close to call. As it comes down to the wire, every single vote counts. Pollara and Morgan have been traversing the state, participating in debates, making media appearances and energizing voters. Freedom Leaf got the chance to speak with Pollara on September 17th about the campaign to make Florida the next medical marijuana state. Freedom Leaf- What’s the atmosphere at the Yes on 2 campaign today? Ben Pollara: “We feel good, polling continues to be strong. This is really not a controversial issue for Floridians. This is about the doctor and patient relationship. Just like exercise or diet, doctors should be able to recommend medical marijuana. Patients should be able to follow their doctor’s orders and not be criminals. We’ve got to get to 60 percent to win....so we don’t take anything for granted. Sheldon Adelson decided to take an interest by funding the opposition’s statewide TV buy. We’ve got a real fight on our hands.” 44 www.freedomleaf.com
Freedom Leaf – How do local physicians fell about the issue? Ben Pollara: “Every doctor I’ve spoken with - to a person - they are all for it. We have doctors talking [positively] to press or going to our meetings and events. Also, we recently got the endorsement of SEIU, the Service Employees International Union, the largest organization representing health care workers in Florida. SEIU represents more than 30,000 current and retired nurses and doctors around the state.” Freedom Leaf – Does SEIU see an expansion possibility with medical marijuana workers? Ben Pollara: “They went to their membership and asked them. SEIU does represent workers in other industries, but health care workers is their biggest membership in Florida. Every local in their state council endorsed the issue because they feel the same way we do about the value of medical marijuana.” Freedom Leaf - What is the state of the Florida economy and do you think legal medical marijuana could help? Ben Pollara: “Well we are still recovering from 8 years of George W. Bush.
But I think Florida is the best state in the country. This will be one more reason to move here from more hostile climates. And a lot of Floridians are already considering moving to Colorado or other states to get their medicine. We can keep Floridians here to get the medicine they need. That can only help. “ Freedom Leaf- This would allow access to the full plant not just certain extracts? Ben Pollara: “Correct. We define marijuana in Amendment 2 as Cannabis in the 2013 Florida statutes, which includes the whole plant.” Freedom Leaf – How many patients do you think could be involved in the medical marijuana program? Ben Pollara: “Before we went to the Supreme Court to get on the ballot the Florida Department of Health had to give some information. They estimated that number. The Office of Economic Development Research did a 15-page analysis of the issue. The low end was 100,000 and the top end was above 1 million. The number they finally settled on was 417,000 patients in the first full year of medical marijuana.” Freedom Leaf – Where is the opposition coming from? Ben Pollara: “It is coming from gambling and tobacco. The spokesman for the ‘No’ campaign is a longtime lobbyist for one of the biggest cigarette companies in Florida and their Treasurer is from the Florida Cigar Association. And now Sheldon Adelson, one of the richest men in the world, who wants to bring destination casino gaming to
Florida, is their biggest donor.” Freedom Leaf – What are the biggest hurdles to overcome with voters? Ben Pollara: “Mainly, the kinds of perceptions of marijuana in general. That and the false claims from the opposition that this is some ruse for full legalization. This is about bringing sick people their medicine.” Freedom Leaf - Florida voters tend to be older, does that help? Ben Pollara: “These are the folks most likely to be afflicted with a serious medical condition. But this is also a different generation of seniors who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, not the WWII generation. People have some experience and know that marijuana isn’t the boogeyman that it has been painted as being by the opposition. Florida is a big state. There are 67 different counties. Some are more favorable than others to this issue.” Freedom Leaf – The state Legislature could have enacted a broad medical marijuana law, why take it to voters? Ben Pollara: “I would would rather have done it with legislation. But the legislature did not act. Medical marijuana has been supported by a majority of voters since at least 2010. Activists have been petitioning the legislature for years and never even got a hearing. I am believer in representative democracy but our elected leaders failed to lead which is why we are on the ballot.” United for Care can be found online at www.unitedforcare.org
This is really not a controversial issue for Floridians. This is about the doctor and patient relationship.
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The Women of Change Top Five Female Pro-Marijuana Political Candidates by Sabrina Fendrick of National NORML It has long been held that the female vote is critical to winning any election in American politics. Women, as a demographic, can vote in or bring down candidates, pass or fail initiatives, and even affect the passage of United States constitutional amendments (think alcohol prohibition, and its repeal). Despite this electoral power, women are still underrepresented in
1)
both politics and, subsequently, the marijuana law reform movement. Yet, in the face of this disproportionate representation, the women who are involved remain dedicated to ending prohibition. Here are the top five pot-friendly female candidates running for office in the upcoming November 2014 elections. These strong women are fighting for reform every day.
Candidate: Connie Johnson (D)/Race: United States Senate, Oklahoma
Constance “Connie” Johnson is a state senator from Oklahoma City, and the state’s Democratic nominee for the United States Senate. A true trail-blazer, Johnson became the first African-American woman nominated for a major statewide office in Oklahoma, and the first female U.S. Senate nominee from Oklahoma. Johnson, who was recently endorsed by the NORML PAC, is a staunch advocate of marijuana legalization and a vocal critic of the harsh penalties associated with cannabis possession laws. She is currently developing a statewide petition to put marijuana legalization on the Oklahoma ballot (www.legalizeok.org). Johnson also supports the right to access medical marijuana. She believes medical marijuana should be 46 www.freedomleaf.com
made available to suffering Oklahomans — including children who suffer from violent seizures, veterans who suffer from PTSD and chronically or terminally ill citizens. Johnson also wants Oklahoma farmers to be given the opportunity to grow hemp on their land. Like many parts of the southeast, the
2)
fibrous cannabis hemp plant is indigenous to Oklahoma and would be a crop that could greatly benefit the state’s agricultural industry and local economy. If elected, Johnson would be the second African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate.
Candidate: Rebecca Kaplan (D)/Race: Mayor, Oakland, CA
Recent polling indicated that Kaplan has a commanding lead in the race. She would be the second woman to serve as Mayor of Oakland.
Rebecca Kaplan is an Oakland City Council member at large, and one of the city’s current mayoral candidates. She is a recipient of the NORML PAC and has also been endorsed by other drug reform organizations. A longtime supporter of progressive marijuana laws, Kaplan has been a vocal critic of federal intervention on her city’s medical marijuana program.
During a major protest surrounding the Oaksterdam University raid in 2012, she publicly criticized federal law enforcement for prioritizing marijuana crackdowns over more serious issues, like getting illegal guns off the street. Kaplan was quoted as saying, “If we have extra law enforcement resources available, we need them to be fighting illegal guns … We have a crisis. We struggle in this economy to find resources to have enough law enforcement to go after illegal guns, go after murderers.” Recent polling indicated that Kaplan has a commanding lead in the race. She would be the second woman to serve as Mayor of Oakland. www.freedomleaf.com 47
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Candidate: Bonnie Watson Coleman (D)/Race: United States Congress, New Jersey
Bonnie Watson Coleman is a New Jersey State Assemblywoman from the 15th legislative district, and current Democratic candidate for the United States Congress. Another trailblazer, Coleman is the first African-American majority leader in the New Jersey House and first to win the Democratic nomination. In 2010, Coleman voted in support of legalizing medical marijuana in New Jersey and in 2012, she co-sponsored legislation to decriminalize possession of up to 15 grams of cannabis. During her tenure in the NJ Assembly, she has supported or sponsored nearly every piece of progressive marijuana legislation. Coleman was also named by MSNBC as one of the 30 women candidates to watch in 2014. If elected, she would be the first woman sent to Congress from New Jersey since 1982.
If elected, Coleman would be the first woman sent to Congress from New Jersey since 1982.
Women who are involved remain dedicated to ending prohibition.
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4)
Shenna Bellows (D)/Race: United States Senate, Maine
Shenna Bellows served as Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maine for the last 8 years and is the current Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. She is running a grassroots campaign against entrenched, three-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins. Bellows was the first United States Senate candidate to openly support marijuana legalization this election cycle.
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Among other progressive and civil rights issues, Bellows has made ending the war on drugs part of her campaign platform. In a Salon.com article that dubbed Bellows as “America’s most progressive Senate nominee” she championed living-wages, going after big banks and said, “I absolutely support marijuana legalization.”
Candidate: Diane Russell-Natera (D)/Race: Maine House District 124, Portland
Diane Russell-Natera is a State Representative from Portland, Maine who has been serving her district since 2008. She is a long-time supporter of
cannabis law reform, having made three separate attempts (in as many years) to pass a full marijuana legalization bill in her state. She is part of the Maine Approach Coalition, a state group campaigning to regulate and tax marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. Russell-Natera serves on the House Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, as well as the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. The Nation magazine named her “Most Valuable State Representative” in its list of progressive politicians. Despite the fact that she continues to come up against corporate and conservative opposition, Russell-Natera refuses to back down and remains one of the most tenacious political advocates on this issue to date.
Stay informed and involved with cannabis politics in the 2014 election at NORML’s Smoke the Vote website: http://norml.org/about/smoke-the-vote www.freedomleaf.com 49
Growing the Vote
Victory is every Election Day By Bridget Saunders There is this secret place. It’s exciting to visit, a place where we all get to wield an almost magical power. I get tingles every time, like meeting a lover. When the curtain closes behind me in the voting booth, I am in charge of this country. Cannabis consumers, the moment is ours. Although we go separately in every town, hamlet and city, on November 4th we all act together. Politicians are courting our vote and the nation is relying on us to take action. We are a hot commodity too. Because we come from all ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations and economic classes, the Cannabis Voting Block is now one of the most powerful forces in American politics since the end of Suffrage. Every day the women and men running for office look at sheets of numbers or polls. We are dominating them. Approval of medical marijuana runs above 85 percent in most states. Let that sink in a minute. Those very same politicians will pop champagne 50 www.freedomleaf.com
bottles and kiss the interns when their personal approval ratings top 35 percent. No other issue or single candidate polls higher - not even by a long shot. When it comes to full legalization the nation is split evenly, at least in telephone polls. Fifty-fifty may seem like there is still a long way to go, yet other important social triumphs have energetically run across the finish line on far less. We may be leading the charge because of our personal dogs in the fight, but make no mistake, we are not in this fight alone. Many of our fellow Americans, who may not ever roll a joint, are also fed up with prohibition. It is our job to join forces with these like-minded individuals to secure success. Very soon a few states and cities will have the opportunity to change the law directly on the ballot. Oregon and Alaska, it’s time for you to join Colorado and Washington with full legalization. Washington DC voters could turn the nation’s capitol a whole lot greener with a ballot initiative for full legalization.
Think of how interesting THAT would be! Florida voters could bring medical access to their friends, family and neighbors who need non-pharmaceutical relief. Still, many states do not have such a straightforward process. Only about half of the country can vote on laws while the rest must rely on politicians in their statehouses. In these states, the time is now at hand to retire the prohibitionists of the past. You can give the pink slip to all those old-school, behind the times jerks who make your blood boil every time they spout ancient misinformation about marijuana. All it takes is the pull of a lever or the push of a button. Poof! They’re gone. Some of the folks on the stump are getting wise to the advantage. In a hotly contested race for Governor in Pennsylvania, local businessman Tom Wolf came out early in support of decriminalization and medical access. His opponent, incumbent Republican Governor Tom Corbett, is set in his opposition to reform and he will lose. Taking all other factors into account, Corbett will likely go back to private life solely because he is against marijuana legalization. How do we smash the final bricks in this wall? Here are five tips to grow the vote:
5 Ask questions
In the final weeks of the campaign season, politicians are out in communities, in the media and holding debates. Attend their public functions and ask them questions about marijuana reform. When they are kissing babies at the local diner, shake their hands and quickly pose a question. Most important: Get it on camera. Record video of the interaction and share it on social media. Let everyone know. Another approach is to call in to radio programs and attend town hall forums. Wear t-shirts and buttons promoting marijuana and snap photos with candidates. Don’t be timid, push for real answers. Engage them with the issue, and it will pay a hefty return of tangible change.
4
Talk it up before, during and after you toke it up This is not the time to be a silent majority. Now is the time to be the voice of The People. When you are out in public, talk
Politicians are courting our vote and the nation is relying on us to take action. www.freedomleaf.com 51
about supportive candidates or ballot issues with your friends and family. In line at the movie theater or coffee shop, don’t be shy about having a constant conversation about cannabis politics. You will be heartened and empowered when you find out how many complete strangers are, in fact, fellow reformers. Use your personal Facebook page, Twitter feed or Instagram accounts to shamelessly promote the cause by sharing links or even creating memes. On November 5th, we can all go back to our cat videos.
3 Raise funds
Let’s face it, money runs politics. While it may seem to be the game of billionaires, the truth is that localized donation events are still the bread and butter of politicians. Holding a living room meet-up to pull together $500 for a candidate will get their attention and fast. Get creative too. Stage bike rides, comedy shows or even an art auction. If it is a ballot initiative, then raise some cash and give some to the campaign, maybe spend the rest on flyers, signs or other awareness tools. If you have spent even $1 this year on marijuana you should spend another $1 legalizing it. Our economic power, as consumers, can easily out-match the Koch brothers.
Your finger is truly the most powerful weapon in politics.
2 Hold the line
Because marijuana is such an important new issue, many politicos are looking for a compromise platform or middleground position. Some politicians support reform but also support mandatory substance treatment for cannabis consumers. This is a big no-no. CBDonly laws, no-smoke medical cannabis laws or heavily restricted legislation are bad examples to follow. We have seen too many good laws get poorly regulated. But following the steps above can help. Elected officials, once in office, will remember the passionate voices they hear on the campaign trail.
1 Vote
Your finger is truly the most powerful weapon in politics. Get educated and get to the polling stations. Visit www. norml.org or www.safeaccessnow.org to find out information about candidates and issues then visit your local election commission website to find your personal voting booth. The shrinking opposition would like nothing more than for you to sit on the sidelines. Ending prohibition and crafting reasonable policies will not happen in a single election. But the thrill of participating in Election Day is always crisp. Victory is a delicious dish meant to be shared. Never skip your seat at the table.
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YES
91
OREGON
It is time for change! This November VOTE YES ON 91
JOIN US! www.VoteYESon91.com
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DC Legalize.
Cannabis Campaign
Washington D.C.
DCMJ.org On November 4th, Vote to Refocus Police Resources.
YES ON
71
www.dcmj.org/ballot-initiative
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IT’S TIME TO GET ON THE ROAD TO
SUCCESS!
AND REACH A TARGET AUDIENCE
BEYOND YOUR CURRENT
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877-442-0411 ext. 105
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Pot People Crossword
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EclipseCrossword.com
Across 2. 6. 7. 13. 14. 15. 20. 25. 26.
She’s a Texas rebel writer She’s a scientist and a feminist Goddess of the green carpet “You’re going to love the way you look.” She’s a crafty joint roller The first openly gay parent in Congrees She’s classin’ up the joint She has the green “View” He’s a gold medal bong hitter
Answers on page 83
29. 35. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43.
He cruises the Honeysuckle Rose Marijuanaman He discovered THC He’s not a cannabis “Virgin” World traveling cannabis reformer He tried marijuana “about 50,000 times” She wrote a children’s book about cannabis
Support Marijuana Reform. Donate to the cause by supporting NORML and SSDP at www.freedomLeaf.com/NORML-SSDP 56 www.freedomleaf.com
Down 1. 3. 4. 5. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 16. 17. 18. 19. 21. 22. 23.
He helped draft California Prop. 215 Lived “The Wire” and rolls like “Shaft” He’s the hemp emperor WAMM woman He’s on the Owl Farm Canadian native and famous American movie star She’s a witchy grow girl Cops say legalize He proved marijuana does not cause lung cancer NFL Hall of Fame reform supporter Mello legend “You bet I did. And I enjoyed it.” He’s the pot economist The real “Mr. X” The normal guy He disagreed with President Nixon
24. 27. 28. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 36. 37. 38.
She’s the umbrella girl He was a crook Reefer Madness man Free weed Cigar (and cannabis) loving Congressman He won a landmark US Supreme Court ruling in 1969 She smokes a lot of pot and writes a lot of music iPot He considered legal marijuana, but he liked peanuts too much Hits from the bong Delivered 5,000 babies, then he went to Congress
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Pennsylvania’s Hemp History By Chris Goldstein Think of Philly. Rocky. Cheese steaks. Baseball. Hockey. Hall and Oates. The Mummer’s Parade. Ben Franklin. Harriet Tubman. The Declaration of Independence. The Constitution. Not just a bell with a crack, but Liberty itself. The ideals for freedom in America were argued here. Then they were written down. Cannabis has also been an important part of the fabric of this town for more almost 400 years.
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Photo credit: Marco Rubino / Shutterstock.com
Now think of Quakers. No, not the company that makes oatmeal and granola bars. The Religious Society of Friends; one of the most prolific service organizations in the world. Quakers run girls schools in Palestine, deliver food in Africa and work for social justice in America. Since high school, I have regularly attended Quaker meetings. William Penn founded Philadelphia in 1681 after the oppression and even execution of his fellow Quakers. This wasn’t just happening in England, but also here in the colonies. Mary Dyer was killed by hanging on the Boston Common in 1660 simply for keeping her Quaker faith. The nascent City of Brotherly Love would break with Puritan New England by allowing all forms of religion without state control. Penn was a fascinating mix of businessman and philosopher. His impact lives on today. Our unique republic was clearly laid out years before the American Revolution in his “Frames of Government.” Penn’s careful writings on religious freedom and equal rights were folded into our country’s founding documents. They are the core of our nation. Penn was also a capitalist. Interestingly, hemp was central to his game. Local historian and author Les Stark of the Keystone Cannabis Coalition points out: In 1683, one of the first measures passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly was “An act for the encouraging of raising hemp in Pennsylvania” www.freedomleaf.com 59
by making the fiber legal tender at four pence per pound to alleviate currency shortages and to promote commerce. In 1685, William Penn noted great quantities already cultivated in his province and declared that hemp would be among the staples of trade here. Philly is still the home to the worldwide religion of Quakerism. In the 1800’s they helped abolish slavery and in the 20th century they fought for civil rights. Their peaceful effort continues today.
Philadelphia has come out of the darkest of times by enacting decriminalization. The City Council voted in June to issue $25 tickets instead of handcuffs.
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Fast forward to 1794: Philadelphia was the nation’s capital. George Washington was serving as the first President and living across from Independence Hall when he penned this iconic line in a letter to his plantation gardener: “Make the most of the Indian Hemp seed: Sow it everywhere!” For about 140 years, the country followed that advice. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were also avid pipe smoking connoisseurs. They traded recipes of herbal blends to mix with tobacco. Many speculate that the pair may have even puffed on some early strains of Cannabis Sativa. Smoke-able marijuana was known then as India Hemp because “ganjika” was brought to the Colonies from India via British slaves. Washington’s gardeners were tasked with
cultivating a small plot of India Hemp, meticulously separating out the male plants.. Does this sound familiar? Then came marijuana prohibition. Two Pennsylvanians had pivotal roles on either side of the issue. Harry Anslinger, who first criminalized cannabis in the 1930’s, was born in Altoona, Pa and is buried in Hollidaysburg. He was the first drug czar, produced the film “Reefer Madness” and eventually convinced Congress to pass the “Marihuana Tax Stamp Act.” This was the first, broad, federal prohibition of marijuana. Anslinger was a racist. One of the most disturbing and disgusting arguments Anslinger used on politicians: “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.” Philadelphia and the rest of urban America began to follow Anslinger’s design of arresting people of color for pot. This practice has continued for more than 70 years. In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Anslinger’s law, the Marihuana Tax Stamp Act, was unconstitutional and struck it down. President Nixon immediately rushed the Controlled Substances Act through Congress in 1970. Marijuana was designated as a Schedule I narcotic, alongside heroin, in what was supposed to be a temporary measure. Nixon appointed a blue-ribbon commission to study the issue and brought another important Pennsylvanian into play. Raymond P. Shafer was a conservative Republican and constitutional scholar who had just finished two terms as Pennsylvania’s governor. Nixon tapped Shafer to lead the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse. Richard Nixon assumed that his hand-picked group would back up his
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“We have guided our decision-making by the belief that the state is obliged to justify restraints on individual behavior. Too often individual freedoms are submerged in the passions of the moment, and when that happens, the public policy may be determined more by rhetoric than by reason.� 62 www.freedomleaf.com
plans. But Shafer and his fellow commissioners, eventually, saw the truth. In 1972, after 18 months of study, Shafer delivered the commission’s conclusions, calling for personal possession and non-remunerative sales of marijuana to be decriminalized and for Cannabis to be removed from the CSA altogether. The prophetic report (that everyone should read) was called Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding. One of the strongest lines in Shafer’s report cuts back to William Penn’s core ideals and those in the Bill of Rights itself, stating: “We have guided our decisionmaking by the belief that the state is obliged to justify restraints on individual behavior. Too often individual freedoms are submerged in the passions of the moment, and when that happens, the public policy may be determined more by rhetoric than by reason.” Nixon ignored the thoughtful recommendations. Instead, he committed Americans to his worst legacy, the socalled War on Drugs. The Future In Philly For the last 40 years, the misguided policy prohibition of marijuana has affected millions of us. Hundreds of thousands of African Americans, Latinos and Hispanic Americans, as well as Caucasians, continue to be arrested every year across the country. We can also never forget the loving parents who lose custody of their children or the scores of jobs and housing denied. All of this persecution is over small amounts of cannabis. Arrests are just the tip of the iceberg too. Today, Philly is particularly overzealous with civil forfeiture. This Kafkaesque program sees people losing Continued on page 83 www.freedomleaf.com 63
As one of the most closely watched ballot initiatives in the country for medical marijuana reaches Election
Women Leading The Charge For A Needed Change By Freedom Leaf Staff
Day in Florida, a group of women are leading a uniquely interactive education and outreach effort. MMJ Quest is holding a seminar in Ft. Lauderdale on October 15, 2014 and bringing in an allstar group to the Sunshine State. The event is headlined by Steph Sherer and Dr. Jahan Marcu Ph.D. from Americans for Safe Access and features attorney Sally Kent from Vincente Sederberg Law LLC and Greta Carter from the Cannabis Training Institute and many others. MMJ Quest will be part science, part business and part education for 64 www.freedomleaf.com
potential patents, future industry professionals and, most importantly, voters going to the polls. Freedom Leaf got a chance to catch up with the two dynamic women who created MMJ Quest, Lisa LeFevere and Kelly Caldwell Sachs.
FL: What was your motivation for start-
ing in the field of cannabis education and training?
LISA: In my case, it was a personal story. I was at Thanksgiving dinner last year and we were sitting around the table with a family friend who had gone through cancer and had a 7 percent chance of survival. He had to go underground in Cincinnati to find medicine. But here we were three years later sharing dinner. It was also my parents. They had cancer and then the terrible difficulties of how they passed ... I had to learn more about cannabis. This became my journey, really my quest. As a former health-care professional and an educator, I started by attending conferences and seminars around the country. I tried to learn more about the legal aspects and the science. I went to the CTI, Cannabis Training Institute, and then the Cannabis Money Show in Boston. This is how I met Greta Carter, the founder of CTI. I was so impressed with some of the people as to why they got into the business. I decided to keep on with this journey. Then I met Kelly. She is one of the professional trainers at Cannabis Training Institute. We wanted to go ahead to help the vote on Amendment 2 in our state. I’ve produced events for 20 years
and continuing medical education courses so I wanted to do events, in a fun way to have impact on Question 2.
KELLY: I come from a background with GE and worked on deregulation of the telecom industry and moved down here to Florida about 13 years ago from Colorado. I was supposed to do the same thing here and work on the deregulation of the energy industry. Then after the Enron scandal the whole effort went to the wayside. I’ve been professionally involved in the horse business - buying, selling, riding and trading horses. While I still love horses - I’ll never be out of the saddle - it wasn’t enough for me intellectually and professionally. About four years ago I had twins. Now I felt it was time to start broadening my horizons. The next thing I know, Amendment 2 was on the ballot and I too came to the conclusion that I would start my journey with CTI. After a lot of thought and sitting down with Greta, I came to the conclusion: This is a path that I should take. I ended up going to the Unity Conference hosted by Americans for Safe Access. That truly expanded my horizons meeting with political figures, patients and lawyers. We participated a day to lobby legisaltors and that was an eye opening experience. I thought, “I need to be involved and in this industry.” Women are super-strong. We can really make a change. Medical cannabis is all about compassion and this is in our DNA as women. I want to be in the industry, but not to make a killing. I want to have good jobs with good pay and profit sharing like other industries. I want to make a difference not only in patients lives but also those who
support these patients. When you meet those patients - holding a little boy in your arms who is having two hundred seizures a day – knowing that cannabis can really help, it compels you to get involved. Cannabis is truly a miracle plant. It is a medicine. It is a food. It is a bio fuel. We need to declassify it and we need to be using it on a regular basis.
LISA:
I’m really excited. Florida is a really agricultural state and we have
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good “Best Practices” in place for that industry. These are the same “Best Practices” and standards that we can leverage in the cannabis industry. Marijuana ... it is a complex business ... it is a fascinating business that has been denied for over 75 years. Having not just laws, but well regulated laws, are very important.
FL: Do you hope to foster woman-owned companies in the cannabis industry?
KELLEY:
When women want to get something done they empower other women. We empower each other. We don’t step on each others toes. Six months ago I started on this path ... but it was women who said YOU can do this! I want to pass that on to other women too.
LISA:
My previous company was a women-owned minority business. So I have seen, first hand, how the women’s networks are collaborative in perspective instead of being protective. MMJ Quest is to champion all the elements of collaboration, partnering with people who have great skills. Many women are stepping forward not just as advocates but as entrepreneurs. For example, in Colorado they have organized events monthly for the women’s groups. As we work to pass Amendment 2, the women are pulling together to make this go forward.
KELLY: The fact of the matter is that if you can get women on board you can affect change. Women are passionate and we vote with our hearts more than our wallets. We have started a medical marijuana trade association made up of 66 www.freedomleaf.com
women. This is to help set some of the proper rules and regulations. So there are lots of good things ahead.
LISA:
What I’m excited about is the group called “Women Grow.” The objective is to connect, educate and empower cannabis industry leaders. And that fits with my history and how I work. I see it happening.
FL: So what is ahead for you no matter the outcome of the ballot initiative in Florida? KELLY: The next step for us is to keep fighting. We will never stop fighting. I will
continue to get involved with legislation to get good, quality bills passed. I’ll continue to work on committees for the Charlotte’s Web bill. But I’m not giving up, no matter the outcome.
LISA:
There is no doubt we need to have 60 percent of the vote to pass. The issue of medical cannabis crosses ages, races, political parties, just like cancer or any disease crosses any of these boundaries. We decisively chose to hold this conference prior to the vote. It is important to us to know about choices and to know about the vote.
KELLY: We need to get the vote out. It means starting the conversation. Voters need to know this is on the ballot and to get educated as to what cannabis is because, even in this day and age, people still don’t know that there is this thing called medical cannabis. I wear a cannabis leaf necklace every day. If people see me at the store, at the pilates studio or on my horse, people always start a conversation, maybe even with a little joke. But it ends with people expressing thanks and appreciation for the information I convey. LISA:
When we looked at learning about this issue and producing a conference, not only did we get best in class speakers, we also wanted to make it interactive. So we are going to have a mock dispensary set up and a hall of patients. We will also, of course, have a benefit for United For Care to directly help the Yes on 2 effort. But we wanted to give people a hands-on environment to learn and explore at MMJ Quest. Learn more about the 10/15/14 conference in Ft. Lauderdale at www. mmjquest.com
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By Beth Mann
1.
Cops
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The uniform, the car, the militaristic attitude…goodbye buzz, hello “Can you step out of the vehicle?” (If you’re lucky, it’s a stripper cop and it’s all a great big joke with a sexy ending.)
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Losing Stuff
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Just because you’re buzzed doesn’t mean life stops being annoying. In a perfect world, we’d beam ourselves to a hassle-free planet and ride unicorns and eat marshmallow pies all day. Until then, we must deal with these 10 buzz kills:
My friend Lisa had a rule of thumb: get everything ready before you get stoned. Everything. If you wait until after, you will search endlessly for your keys, phone or general purpose in life. And never find it… never find it. Frigid Temperatures When I was a flannel-wearing teen lass, I used to hang out at an arcade in South Jersey. Our long-haired gang would pop into the woods on an icy winter’s night to light up. We’d all wonder why we didn’t feel high…until we went back into the arcade and our high would thaw out, just like magic! Head magic.
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5.
The Rambler Nothing can be more deadly to a perfectly good high than the Rambler, who starts a story with no intentions of ending it. And because you’re high, you can’t muster up the energy to interject. So instead, you get sucked in, deeper and deeper. Soon your buzz has been bored right the hell out of you, never to return. (The Lecturer has a similar effect.) Your Mother Okay, some of you get high with your mom and she’s so cool and blah, blah, blah. But parents are similar to cops; you feel like you’ve done something wrong by merely being in their presence. They’re judging, watching all the time. And don’t you forget it.
6. A Blow to the Head
Once during a party I got hit on the head by a lamp while pulling my coat out of the closet. Boom – high completely gone. Fucking lamp.
7.
Monsters They’re fun in the movies but when they are in your living room, they are unpredictable, angry and messy (because of the green goo). They also will eat your weed and projectile vomit it back up, which isn’t pleasant and a waste of perfectly good weed.
8.
9.
at you and you look ridiculous. The world feels dry, chalky and desolate and you’re the only scrap of humanity left. The best you can do is listen to some Pink Floyd and embrace the painful truth. Cheetos may help but I make no guarantees.
10.
Dental Work I thought it would be a good idea to smoke a little prior to some extensive dental work I had years back. Unfortunately, it just heightened the torturous sensations. Pretty soon, I thought the dentist had it out for me like Olivier in Marathon Man. My buzz was literally drilled out of my head. Existential Angst There is no god. You are all alone. The people are laughing
Alien Abduction I know, it depend on the alien, of course. Some aliens are totally down for a good time but others are into naval probing and mind melding. I find the smaller, ETstyle aliens are much more easy going than the ones with the two rows of teeth.
S
o watch out for buzz kills. Life is short and highs aren’t cheap. Remember: you can always just walk away…even from the cops. Especially from the cops. Go do your own thing. Create your own world. Screw everyone else. Marshmallow pies await you, my friend.
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Pot Smoke Management 101 Do you know where I’m going? By Beth Mann
Be considerate. Remember, smoke is smoke. Some people don’t like it. Cigarette smoke is highly offensive to many pot smokers. But for others, any kind of smoke or strong scent can be an annoyance.
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My friend lives in a co-op building in Brooklyn, where the tenants dictate how the place is run. During a recent board meeting, they discussed a scent-related issue: pot smoke. A couple that lives in one of the downstairs apartments lights up frequently. Tenants and guests are often greeted, when they enter the lobby, with a strong scent of weed. The collective wasn’t sure how to approach this couple. My friend, a green-friendly gal who knows the couple, volunteered. “What am I supposed to say to them? I mean, I smoke weed in my apartment,” she asked me. “And what do you do?” “I turn on the overhead fan, burn a little incense, open the window. Plus, I smoke weed from a little one hitter…it’s not like giant bong hits or something.” “Well, that’s what you may want to convey to them. If they plan on smoking weed in a close quarter building, they may want to consider how to manage their smoke better.” So here’s some “smoke management” pointers for people living in close quarters (that don’t include blowing smoke into toilet paper rolls and dryer sheets because that’s just weird.) Smoke with awareness. If you want to remain off of the radar, reconsider that bong the size of a small child in the middle of your studio apartment. Unfortunately, it’s still an illegal substance and needs to be treated in that manner. In short, don’t be too casual. Revisit how you smoke weed - your smoking accoutrement, in other words. Vaporizers obviously generate less scent. One hitters are less smoky. Bongs
might be better left in locations where others are not likely to be affected the smoke it creates. Circulation and ventilation is key. Blowing out windows isn’t always such a smart idea (you never know who is downwind). Running a fan and opening windows disperses the smoke in a gradual manner. Burn a little sage instead of incense. Most incense is cheaply made crap (other than companies like Fred Soll, who produce amazing, truly all-natural sticks.) Sage dissipates into the air quickly, while removing overpowering scents (and bad mojo, according to Native American tradition). Incense can be noxious and perfumey. Create a safe space. Out here in the suburbs, many weed-friendly folk have something akin to a clubhouse for weed. It’s usually in the form of a shed or a garage. Neighbors are none the wiser. (And it fosters a secret kid’s club feeling that many of us appreciate at this juncture of our adult lives.) Be considerate. Remember, smoke is smoke. Some people don’t like it. Cigarette smoke is highly offensive to many pot smokers. But for others, any kind of smoke or strong scent can be an annoyance. My friend spoke with the couple downstairs who now use their overhead fan and place a rolled-up towel under their door when partaking (there’s a substantial amount of space between their front door and the floor). These small changes seem to have made the difference. (Though several people, including myself, have complained that they don’t smell pot smoke in the lobby anymore.) www.freedomleaf.com 71
What to do During a Police “Knock and Talk” By Bill Buckman Esteemed criminal defense and civil rights lawyer Bill Buckman offers up another reasons to be wary of speaking to the police, particularly if suspected of growing marijuana: Here in NJ, police euphemistically call one of their marijuana related operations a “knock and talk”, though it can often be anything but. When police suspect that marijuana may be grown in a household, they organize multiple agencies to “respond” on a predetermined date and time to the location – a show of force. (Indeed during cross examination police have conceded that a “knock and talk” is organized just as a forcible search warrant raid would be.) It usually goes down like this: Police have only a mere suspicion that folks
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are growing marijuana in their homes. Maybe they have been tipped off by informants at a growing supply store (which, of course, sell an entire range of legal articles) or maybe the police have done an illegal drive-by thermal imaging of a house to see if heat from some kind of grow situation exists. (As an aside, its illegal for police to do a thermal imaging scan of a home without a warrant. But if they do perform one and then intimidate the owners to “consent to a search,” the illegality often goes by the wayside, as the law will see the consent as “ curing” the illegality.) In any event, for the “ knock and talk,” police show up in force. Some go to each entry or exit of the residence. (Query if its just a knock and talk, by virtue of what right would cops have to stop anyone from leaving the house and refusing to talk. None, really). Yet too often faced with intentional, intimidating show of force, people often “consent”
to let police in their homes. At that point, cops usually talk the occupants into signing a “consent to search form” by misleading them. Once signed, the form will allow police to search all areas of the residence and every nook and cranny, totally tossing the contents about if the police wish. The best advice to deal with a “knock and talk” is to simply not open the door and certainly not to allow police the consent to search the home. When speaking with police, one should be extremely hesitant to sign anything, like a consent from, without a lawyer present. Since police have no search warrant when conducting a knock and talk, it is not necessary to open the door. One could speak through the door if he or she wishes. Stories are legion about how, once inside the house, police allege that they smell marijuana and can then get an actual warrant. The “knock and talk” is a bit of NJ legal schizophrenia. Because of proven abuses with racial profiling, police need a reasonable basis to even ask to search a car. But, our Supreme Court has reasoned, the home was not the site of such abuses – despite the inherently intimidating and abusive nature of the “knock and talk.” Lastly, it bears repeating that purchasers of growing equipment, even online, have been regularly subjected to “knock and talks.” In fact, to help shed light on the issue, it would be helpful to start gathering details of “knock and talks” that netted nothing other than legal indoor growing materials.
Bill Buckman is hailed as one of the most skillful, tenacious and dedicated criminal-defense attorneys in New Jersey. He is also a seasoned civil rights lawyer with a comprehensive list of successful cases that have received nationwide attention. Mr. Buckman has kept a constant focus on the relationship between the individual and large organizations, particularly government. To find out more about Mr. Buckman or his services in and around Moorestown, New Jersey, www.whbuckman.com www.freedomleaf.com 73
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INTRODUCING
OUR NEW “HEMP INSPIRED” PRODUCT LINE. It’s innovative, funky and includes a collection of hats and visors, smartly-styled wallets for iPhones, belts and ties in timeless classic styles, commemorative t-shirts and hemp flip flops for our upcoming freedom marches. We are offering clothing and accessories for men and women that feature quality materials and quality construction.
DID YOU KNOW THAT HEMP IS THE STRONGEST NATURAL PLANT FIBER ON THE PLANET? CHECK IT OUT AT www.FreedomLeaf.com
WE'LL BE ADDING TO THE COLLECTION ON A REGULAR BASIS SO BOOKMARK US. WRITE TO US AT
info@FreedomLeaf.com
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.
www.freedomleaf.com 75
Hemp Runway
on the
By Lillian Taylor Hemp is making forays into the highest tiers of the top-end runways. This summer’s fashion industry events were peppered with designs incorporating hemp. Let’s start at the Berlin Fashion Week for Spring 2015 where Rosie Assoulin’s ready to wear line featured a tiered skirt made of hemp and raffia. Jaclyn Hodes’s Awaveawake collection included some very interesting hemp corsets. Rosie’s design is more accessible and reminiscent of the ART of SHADE line by Kayce Armstrong. The eco-couture designer who is slated to open in a new location in Ft. Lauderdale, complete with a full runway in a 3500 sq. ft. showroom/ retail space that will feature an art gallery and live music. Kayce occasionally splatters a bit of hemp or hemp-silk in her designs. 76 www.freedomleaf.com
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Jaclyn Hodes’s Awaveawake collection included some very interesting hemp corsets.
We are very excited about Steven Shoosty’s intended foray into fashion. Shoosty is a fine artist whose South Florida gallery is available by invitation only and features paintings that betray his brilliant mind. He is now exploring wearable art, utilizing hemp-silk to serve as a canvas and incorporate into one-off couture coats. We cannot wait to show you finished products in future issues of Freedom Leaf. H&M has announced a Spring 2015 campaign to expand collaboration of the eco-lines Conscious and Conscious Exclusive, including hemp and “conscious” cotton (organic, recycled, and grown with low volume pesticides and water usage). The Big Eco-shift As we go to press, Women’s Wear Daily’s Global Sourcing and Global Markets Forum will have just taken place (October 9, 2014) with a segment dedicated to social responsibility and sustainability. Upcoming this fall is the Apparel Sourcing show in Paris, a top event, with exhibitors increasing a whopping 46 percent. We are seeing many big names in the fashion industry adopt corporate social responsibility platforms and hire social responsibility officers. Their new focus on ethical sourcing and environmental responsibility seems to have more to do with labor costs and safety (great) while utilizing recycled plastic and organic cotton (also great).
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“Sustainability is not a solution, it’s a dam. The real solution is finding materials that don’t cause problems that plastic causes.”
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Photo credit: S Bukley / Shutterstock.com
Case in point, Pharrel Williams’ new line, G-STAR RAW FOR THE OCEANS, of denim made of recycled ocean plastic from his “Bionic Yarn” fabric company. Pharrel’s vision is noble, admirable, necessary, but even Pharrel admits “We’re not a solution … We are a sustainable company. Sustainability is not a solution, it’s a dam. The real solution is finding materials that don’t cause problems that plastic causes.” Ahem: Say hello to hemp! Not hiding. Its been here a long while. However, surveying the market of the devotees to using hemp fabrics, it becomes apparent that the industry is behind the curve of fabric development, perhaps a result of growth prohibitions. Hemp is supplied from China and Canada. But some newly legal fields are finally being homegrown in Kentucky. At present, however, it is not uncommon to find hemp fabrics with performance so sub-standard that one wash
Pharrell Williams at Universal Citiwalk
destroys the shape, and sewn goods tend to disintegrate quickly. These issues exist even in the premium lines where quality is thought to be presumed. Those making true quality hemp products are producing plenty of off-the-shelf t-shirts and such for everyday wear. Fashion industry professionals could attend DG Expo shows, held in Miami, New York, and San Francisco. This would be a good first step for those looking for mills and converters with low minimums, willing to explore with hemp yarns. We are encouraged that designers are taking note of the growth of public interest in hemp and hempblend fabrics. Soon specially-developed fabrics and embellishments will take on even more beautiful and hopefully more durable forms in haute couture. www.freedomleaf.com 81
Patches and Gels Continued from page 21 “This is about the intersection of horticulture and technology. The more you understand the plant, the better you can do the lab work to extract and isolate. But I also think there is a common sense component that is often overlooked and I see a lot of extremes in the industry. Folks are in one of two camps: Those all about the plant, freeing it, and giving it to everyone. Then others see it as a purely financial opportunity. There are very few companies in the middle who 82 www.freedomleaf.com
have the respect for the plant and the business acumen. We are holding that middle ground.” CEO Nicole Smith pointed out that Mary’s Medicinals also operates a 501c3 non-profit where 1% of their total revenue goes to augment patient costs and other programs. “When you do good, then good things happen.” http://www.marysmedicinals.com
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Philadelphia Continued from page 63 homes, cars and bank accounts with little legal recourse. They do not even have to be charged or convicted of a crime. But now there is tremendous good news. Philadelphia has come out of the darkest of times by enacting decriminalization. The City Council voted in June to issue $25 tickets instead of handcuffs. The Philly Police Department has vowed to implement the new policy. This will stop the custodial arrest of more than 4,000 people every year. Still, the federal government must take action. State and municipal reforms are great progress but they are not enough.
Legalizing marijuana isn’t just for cannabis consumers. This policy, for too long, has been a convenient excuse to over-police our cities, harass people of color and militarize law enforcement. Tax revenue, canna-businesses and industry profits are the cream-on-top for success on this issue. There is something much bigger and more valuable than the purely economic benefits. Ending marijuana prohibition is one logical step towards bringing greater freedom and equality to all Americans ... at a time when we need it the most.
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*by Samantha Miller The current cannabis laboratory environment is largely unregulated, so consumers have to be savvy. Knowing what questions to ask a prospective cannabis lab is the key to being a savvy buyer. To help the process, a group of laboratory service providers from various states, along with an international adviser, compiled the following list of 10 questions to ask a cannabis lab. For businesses or individual consumers, this list can act as a quick reference guide for those looking for a 84 www.freedomleaf.com
qualified laboratory partner. 10 Questions To Ask Your Cannabis Scientist 1.
What training or expertise do you have to be able to perform cannabis analysis?
2.
Which cannabinoids do you test for? Do you have reliable reference standards for all of them?
3.
How is CBN related to THC? And why is it important to test for it?
4.
What kind of samples do you test (flowers, edibles, tincture)? Have you optimized your extraction and analysis protocol for each kind of sample?
5.
What do you do with left-over samples?
6.
Are you aware of acidic cannabinoids? In samples, such as edibles and tincture, they can be present at high levels. How do you deal with that?
7.
What is your analytic methodology for testing cannabis (HPLC [liquid chromatograph], GC [gas chromatograph], TLC, other)? What are the limitations of your selected method?
8.
What is the average THC/CBD content your lab has measured?
9.
Did your lab ever test the same cannabis twice, with very different results? What was the explanation for that, and what has been changed to prevent it from happening again?
10. Analytic methods need to be ”validated” before you can be sure they are fully reliable. Have you done this already? If so, how did you do this? Did it include a third party? If you didn’t do it yet, how can I be sure my results will be accurate?
* Contributors: Dr. Jahan Marcu PhD, Arno Hazekamp PhD , Samantha Miller , Paula Morris (Medea ), Noel Palmer PhD , Jeff Raber and Eric Taylor .
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Pot and Pumpkin Pie: Tis the season for everything Pumpkin. Lattes, donuts and the rather delicious, old fashioned pie. We will all be carving up the gourds for Halloween too. As we sink our knives into their orange flesh we might ponder some important questions Could eating a better diet make for a better cannabinoid experience? Could a well balanced meal extend the cannabis high or bring it to new levels? It turns out pumpkins hare chock full of Vitamin E, something that could give cannabis consumers an extra lift. The Journal of Free Radical Biology and Medicine published a report in 2011 that identifies Vitamin E as a “modulator of the cannabinoid system.” Now for the hardcore science. Alpha-Tocopheral is considered the main ingredient of Vitamin E, and is well 86 www.freedomleaf.com
known for its anti-oxidant properties and mood elevating abilities. Low levels of alpha-tocopheral in the brain are associated with health issues such as depression and neuronal degradation. A drug called AM251 can block cannabinoid receptors and prevent them from being activated. The authors of the study demonstrated that the actions of Vitamin E can be eliminated if the cannabinoid type 1 receptor is blocked by AM251. They further reported that the Vitamin E and cannabinoid receptor interactions are occurring in a region of the brain known as the hippocampus, which may help explain the general benefits of Vitamin E other than its purely medical properties. Vitamin E can have profound effects on brain function. Pretty interesting for
Could a well balanced meal extend the cannabis high or bring it to new levels?
Enhancing Cannabis something that is widely used as a food additive. We wouldn’t want it eliminated either.. Without Vitamin E in the diet a number of symptoms can start to appear, such as anxiety or even involuntary muscle movements. However, Vitamin E does not directly activate cannabinoid receptors, like for example THC. Instead the alphatocopheral modulates the receptor. This receptor modulation may be an important part of normal cannabinoid receptor function. More research is need to fully understand exactly how alphatocopheral obtained from the diet can influence the cannabinoid system. High-calorie, inexpensive, high-fat and nutritionally deficient diets are common in the United States. These bad diets are correlated to obesity and brain disease. A balance of omega-3
fatty acids or Vitamin E can help us live longer and healthier. The mechanism of this wonderful benefit is due to an integrated response between these lipids, such as from alpha-tocopheral, and cannabinoid receptors. So, can our diet influence our response to cannabinoids and Cannabis? Could the negative effects of cannabinoids be related to nutritionally-deficient diets, which are also associated with mental diseases, such as depression? This study raises a number of radical ideas that warrant further studies. Still, all evidence so far suggests that Mom’s pumpkin pie might be just the ticket for a seasonal cannabinoid receptor system adjustment! Dr. Jahan Marcu and Chris Goldstein contributed to this article. www.freedomleaf.com 87
The OTHER Herbs
As most of you know, marijuana has numerous medicinal properties. But are you aware of the other herbs out there which possess their own special healing and protective properties? Herbs contain a more concentrated amount of antioxidants than you’ll get from fruits and vegetables alone. Not only that, but herbs often possess a wider array of antioxidants. So by integrating herbs into your diet, you are protecting your body from free radical damage in a substantial way. Basil or Sweet Basil is a common name for the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum of the family Lamiaceae (mint). It’s a half-hardy annual plant, best known as a culinary herb featured in Italian cuisine but also found commonly in the cuisine of Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Depending on the species and cultivar, basil leaves may taste like anise, with a strong, pungent, often sweet smell. There are more than 60 varieties of basil, all varying in taste. Health Properties: ▪
▪
Both fresh basil and basil oil have strong antibacterial capabilities. In fact, basil has been shown to stop the growth of certain bacteria, even some that had grown resistant to antibiotics. Basil (particularly as an extract or oil) has exceptionally powerful antioxidant properties that can protect the body from premature aging, common skin issues, agerelated problems and even some types of cancer.
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Basil
▪
Basil contains the flavonoids orientin and vicenin, which are plant pigments that shield your cell structures from oxygen and radiation damage.
▪
Basil can be applied to wounds to help prevent bacterial infections.
▪
By adding basil oil to your salad dressings, you can help ensure your vegetables are safe to eat.
▪
Basil oil can be used to treat constipation, stomach cramps and indigestion as well as the cold, flu, asthma, whooping cough, bronchitis and sinus infections.
▪
Basil is a great source of magnesium, an essential mineral that helps the body’s blood vessels relax, which can improve blood flow.
▪
Some herbalists recommend it for easing anxiety and headaches because of the basil tea’s sedative properties.
▪
Ingesting basil as an herb or supplement can give the body the ability to combat viral infections, including colds, flu, and herpes-family viruses, much like echinacea.
▪
Chewing on basil leaves is good for an upset stomach.
Random Facts and Tips about Basil :
Cooking with Basil:
▪ In Mexico, basil is supposed to keep a lover’s eye off others.
Fresh basil sold already cut, will keep for a few days if refrigerated and wrapped in a damp paper towel. Dried basil has a completely different taste than fresh, so the latter is preferable. (For pesto, definitely fresh basil!)
▪
Basil is considered a powerful protector in Haiti.
▪
During British colonial days in India, magistrates would have Hindu witnesses swear on this holy herb.
▪
The ancient Greeks and Romans thought basil would only grow if you screamed wild curses and shouted intelligibly while sowing the seeds. They also believed if you left a basil leaf under a pot, it would turn into a scorpion.
▪
Salome hid John the Baptist’s head in a pot of basil to cover up the odor of it’s decomposition.
▪
In Italy it is a token of love and in Romania if a girl gives a sprig to her boyfriend, they are engaged.
▪
The scent of basil is conducive to meditation and the plant is often used in magic.
Warnings: Do not use for aromatherapy or medicinal purposes if you arepregnant. Basil’s properties can bring on menstrual cycles. Do not give infusions of basil to children under ten.
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By Chris Goldstein New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd got “experienced” in Denver earlier this year with some edible legal marijuana. It didn’t go well. She wrote that she suffered an all-night panic attack after munching down an entire infused chocolate bar. There’s a lesson to be learned from her self-described “bad trip.” She and other cannabis newbies would do better by sticking to the old-fashioned method when trying for the first time: smoking it. When we inhale marijuana, the intoxicating impact is nearly instant. The lungs extract THC (along with more than 80 other cannabinoids) from the smoke, and then it goes into the bloodstream and binds with our body’s built-in cannabinoid receptors. One or two puffs and you will start to feel the effects. Take a few more puffs and the effects increase. Stop smoking for an hour or two and it quickly wears off. When we eat marijuana, the process is quite different. During digestion, 90 www.freedomleaf.com
Newbies Stick With Doobies the cannabinoids are metabolized in the liver, which can take an hour or more. The body also begins to produce natural, endogenous cannabinoids, essentially giving you a double dose. When the effects eventually begin to set in, they are often more intoxicating than smoking or vaporizing whole-plant material. Edible cannabis intoxication also lasts longer, eight hours or more. Cannabis-infused candies, chocolates and other treats, along with simple tinctures, have been around for hundreds of years. They have long been used by medical marijuana patients. Rather than smoking every hour throughout the day, patients find greater, sustained relief with the edible method. Moreover, when people need relief overnight (they can’t smoke in their sleep), an edible is the best medicine. Some recreational consumers also truly enjoy the more intense sensations ... for those who can hold their truffles. Dowd’s chocolate freak-out was
rare, but not unique. In 2007, Cpl. it, the body’s production of the extra inEdward Sanchez of the Dearborn Michi- house cannabinoids can certainly make gan Police Department stole some of things more groovy. Still, it is the general psychologithe devil’s lettuce out of the evidence locker at work. He went home and baked cal state of the consumer that tends to dictate whether they a pan of pot brownfall over laughing at ies with his wife. The SpongeBob or get two happily munched When we eat extremely paranoid down the whole pan, marijuana, the (like Dowd) and afraid crumbs and all. . Then of room service. Sanchez made a call process is quite The Colorado to 9-1-1, claiming to legislature recently different. be having an ”overpassed new laws to dose” and begging for limit the amounts of an ambulance to rush to the couple’s aid. Officer Sanchez told cannabis concentrates and edibles sold the (very smart) dispatcher that he felt in the legal market stores. Regulators time was going by “really, really, really, are also working on more-refined warnreally, slow” and he was convinced they ings on the labels of marijuana edibles. Some of the rush for state oversight and were “dying.” Perhaps most amazing was that no involvement does seem a bit extreme. A public-awareness campaign by the charges were filed against Sanchez for the theft and he was allowed to simply state and the industry could be more appropriate. Something like “Tourists: resign after thieving the weed. Cannabis has a unique intoxicating Just Smoke It” might suffice. It is important to note that the effect. It is a mild stimulant and is classified in science as the lowest level of hal- most commonly used legal intoxicant lucinogen. The same dose of the same in America - alcohol - won’t just make strain can also have a varying impact on newbies think they are dying. Booze different individuals. Simply smoking actually kills. According to the National marijuana is usually not enough to bring Institutes of Health (NIH), more than on a psychedelic high. Yet, when eating 1,800 college-age Americans die every
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The worst thing that can happen with weed is running afoul of the law
year from drinking too much alcohol. Here are some cold, hard facts about beer, wine and liquor: Assault: More than 690,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted each year by another student who has been drinking. - Sexual Abuse: More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcoholrelated sexual assault or date rape. - Injury: More than 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 receive unintentional injuries while under the influence of alcohol. Perhaps politicians should require bottles of Coors Light, Jack Daniel’s, and Jose Cuervo to carry clear labels with those statistics. Maybe they should be posted in every bar in the country. Maureen Dowd was able to sleep off her bad edible high and write a column about it. Marijuana is safer than alcohol and other drugs because it is not lethal on its own. The worst thing that can happen with weed is running afoul of the law and getting caught up in the criminal justice system by getting arrested. That is something Dowd never risked because Colorado voters had the courage to eliminate the most damaging possible impact of cannabis - criminal prosecution. 92 www.freedomleaf.com
Clearly not everyone has a “Dowd” experience with edible marijuana or no one would use it at all. In fact, wellmade edibles with the prevalent scent and flavor of cannabis taste delicious! But the best tip for newbies who want to try a cookie or a candy bar is to just eat a small amount at first and then WAIT at least two hours to gauge the impact. Have some non-dosed treats nearby to keep munching without adding to the overall effect. Again, for adults looking to consume cannabis for the first time, I suggest a hand-rolled marijuana joint, just a few puffs at a time. There are complex flavors (citrus, lavender, spice) and fragrances (fresh-cut grass, a bit of skunk, oak casks). It is always best with friends (perhaps more knowledgeable consumers) and not alone. Put the joint down when you sense the high. There is no need to smoke the whole thing. Save the rest for later. Share some laughter, good conversation, some music and maybe some insight. Enjoy it as many millions of Americans have for generations. It is not the cannabis plant alone that is so popular, but the immensely positive sensations it can generate - as long as you are not in handcuffs.
NORML Continued from page 14 gives us two and one-half years to demonstrate that we can legalize marijuana in a manner that works for everyone, and raises badly needed revenue for the states. If we do this successfully, and all the early signs are positive, it is hard to imagine a situation in which this drive for full legalization can be turned-around, regardless of who sits in the White House after the 2016 elections. We must be certain the American people get a true picture of what legalization and regulation look like, and we need to discredit those who seek to demonize legalization to protect their jobs and profits. At NORML, we will be working to assure that the national
assessment of these first legalization experiments is honest and fact-based, and not ideologically driven. Positives examples of this have recently come from a series of legalization endorsements by the influential New York Times, followed by a positive report by the Brookings Institution, a respected D.C. think tank, on the first six-months of legalization in Colorado. NORML will continue our role of informing and educating these institutions and others as legalization is rolled out to additional states this Fall. And we look forward to working closely with Freedom Leaf to achieve our ultimate common goal of full legalization.
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How to Convince Your Grandparents Marijuana is Better (and safer) than Alcohol By Nikki Allen Poe Â
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• • • • • • • • • • •
There is no marijuana version of beer goggles. Marijuana addiction can’t get passed down through your family’s goofy genetics, like Uncle Andy’s alcoholism. Think about a stoner comedy ... now picture the characters drunk. It’s possible to wake-and-bake and still be a productive member of society. But if you drink before noon, you have a problem. Habitual marijuana use leads to Cheetos, ice cream and Netflix, not liver disease. People don’t usually smoke too much weed at their office holiday party, hit on a hot co-worker, and wind up calling their boss an asshole. Stoners run a significantly smaller risk of getting punched in the face by a collar-popping bro wearing too much cologne at a club. It’s really rare for people to get really stoned and send their exes embarrassing late night texts. Nobody has ever smoked too much weed, gotten taken by an ambulance to the emergency room, and had to get their stomach pumped. Syncing Dark Side of the Moon and the Wizard of Oz would probably be a disorienting and disturbing experience on Jack Daniels. Even the shwaggiest of shwag pot is superior to cheap booze.
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Inhaled Marijuana May Keep Brain Cancer in Remission By Dr. Jahan Marcu PhD A medical case-report from 2011 highlights a striking association between inhaled Cannabis and anti-tumor effects in young adults with brain cancer. This gives scientists new evidence that the
chemical compounds from the Cannabis plant (known as cannabinoids) may have significant anti-cancer effects in humans. Mansoor Foroughi, Ph.D., is the lead author of a paper that suggests the possibility of Cannabis inhalation in the spontaneous regression of gliomas (these are particularly aggressive and deadly brain cancers). The MRI images provided in this study demonstrate that the tumors of two patients - 11 and 13 years old - did not increase in size after treatment, constituting a state of remission. The 13 year-old patient showed up at the hospital suffering from increasing headaches, nausea, and vomiting. She had prolonged memory problems and began to deteriorate rapidly. An emergency MRI scan revealed a tumor mass in her brain. She underwent a craniotomy and most of the tumor mass was removed.
A shift to a cannabis lifestyle may have made a profound difference. 96 www.freedomleaf.com
Her doctors then followed the remaining tumor mass closely with subsequent MRI scans. The authors note that this patient volunteered that she began smoking cannabis at age 14, after her diagnosis, and continued almost daily from age 16 up to 19 years of age. As they scanned her brain over time, the tumor mass became smaller with each checkup. According to the study, the tumor in the teenager had almost completely disappeared six years after the operation. The paper states, “The regular use of Cannabis coincided with the time course of radiological tumor regression.” This patient received no further medication or medical treatment. The biggest variable in her remission seemed to be “Cannabis Inhalation.” This was not a completely unique case. The 11 year-old patient in the same report arrived at the hospital with a history of headaches that gradually became worse and ultimately lead to nausea, vomiting and confusion. An MRI revealed a tumor mass and she underwent a craniotomy. A small remnant of the cancer was left behind, later confirmed by a follow up MRI. Over the next three years, the tumor would demonstrate features of regression. Then, around the time the patient was 14, the tumor began to definitively regress. Finally, six years post-surgery, the tumor remnant had nearly disappeared. www.freedomleaf.com 97
The authors write, “The only significant feature in the history was the consumption of Cannabis via inhalation, on average three times a week. This occurred in the last 3 years of follow up, namely between the ages of 14 and 17, and coincided with the time course of the regression of the residual tumor.” Dr. Foroughi and his team suggest there may be plant synergy and recommend studying the whole Cannabis plant,“since any beneficial effect may not be caused by one compound, molecule, or cannabinoid alone.” This theory is supported by previous research; published evidence shows that cannabinoids have an enhanced anti-tumor activity when they are applied in combination. The report concludes that “more research may be appropriate to investigate the therapeutic use of these substances” and goes on to say, “such research will be difficult to achieve because Cannabis is illegal in many jurisdictions.” There has never been a clinical trial studying the anti-cancer effects of smoked marijuana. However, there has
been one clinical trial with pure Delta-9 THC and brain cancer. Several patients in Spain were admitted to a study focused on the issue of safety of using cannabinoids in the clinic. The patients were administered Delta-9 THC by direct injection into the site of the tumor. A slight reduction in cancer proliferation was reported but the treatment did not cure any of the patients. The authors of the Spanish study write, “Cannabinoid delivery was safe and could be achieved without overt psychoactive effects.” Since this was a pilot trial on the safety of injected THC, the most important point is that none of the patients died during the study and no serious adverse effects were reported. Can marijuana contribute to the regression or remission of certain cancers? Given the slow progress of clinical trials for whole plant Cannabis, it can be frustrating waiting for years, even decades, trying to answer these vital questions. But for the two young women with brain cancer in Dr. Foroughi’s report, a shift to a cannabis lifestyle may have made a profound difference.
“The biggest variable in her remission seemed to be “Cannabis Inhalation.”
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IT’S TIME TO GET ON THE ROAD TO
SUCCESS!
AND REACH A TARGET AUDIENCE
BEYOND YOUR CURRENT
www.FreedomLeaf.com
877-442-0411 ext. 105
www.freedomleaf.com 99
A Tribute from Freedom Leaf
Below are some of the most prominent voices who have forwarded the cause of ending marijuana prohibition in America. Through their philanthropy, writing, activism, public statements and political activity these groups and individuals have advanced freedom for us all
BUSINESS George Soros
SCIENCE
ENTERTAINMENT
Carl Sagen
Willie Nelson
Astronomer, Scientist
Investor, Philanthropist, Open Society Foundation
George Zimmer
Dr. Lester Grinspoon
Whoopi Goldberg
SPORTS
Comedian, Talk Show Host
Rob Van Dam
Montel Williams
Author, Scientist
Men's Warehouse Founder, Philanthropist
Peter Lewis
Founder of Progressive Insurance, Philanthropist
Musician
Actress, Author
Bill Maher
WWE Wrestler
TV Personality
Investor, Businessman
Pitcher San Francisco Giants
Tim Lincecum
Maya Angelou
Richard Branson
Ricky Williams
Rick Steves
John Morgan
Mark Stepnoski Former NFL Player
Actress, Comedian
GOVERNMENT
ACTIVISTS / ADVOCATES
ORGANIZATIONS
Rahm Emmanuel
Dennis Peron
Warren Buffett Businessman, Philanthropist Florida Attorney
Mayor of Chicago, Former White House Chief of Staff
Poet, Author
PBS Travel Host
Former NFL Player
California
Joan Rivers
NORML
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
Peter McWilliams
Earl Bleumenauer
California
Oregon Congressman
SSDP
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Valerie Corral WAMM California
Cory Booker
US Senator from New Jersey
Mason Tvert
NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Colorado: Marijuana is Safer/MPP
Ron Paul
Former Texas Congressman
Keith Stroup
Barney Frank
Former Massachusetts Congressman
LEAP
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Founder of NORML
Debbie Goldsberry
Kofi Annan
Former United Nations Secretary General
Founder of Berkeley Patients Group
Alice Huffman
Diane Fornbacher Founder of LadyBud
CA NAAP Director
AND MANY MANY MORE WILL FOLLOW IN UPCOMING ISSUES AND ONLINE
To submit candidates please email editor@freedomleaf.com
www.FreedomLeaf.com
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