JULY 2011
Contents
29
JULY 2011
s.info t t a 0w
APPROVED
Contents
From the Editor:
Strain Review.........................................................................09 s.info Caregiver of the Month.............................................................14 I’d likeLately to there takehas a been moment att a lot to w 0 ask; How are you, our readers controversy about Compassion Sensi Organics.........................................................................11 doing? We know you’re Centers and the progress of wa thetching Medical Marijuana program in Rhode since our magazine has been Hempology...............................................................12 Island. Governor Lincoln will downloaded over Chaffee 20,000 hopefully work out apway to6satisfy times in just the ast weeks. Patient Storey........................................................................17 theus federal government about the Let know if there’s anything opening of Compassion Centers. A 1000watts NON-Profit....................................................31 you’d like to goes have us cover many patients have beenpeople orgreat special cannabis waiting a long time for the PROVED Maine &know Vermont Snapshots..................................................20 P weshould about (we’re A Compassion to open and to always on Centers the lookout for be able access medicine safely. s StafftoPicks Product Reviews.....................................................22 cannabis caretestimonial Some patients have to risk being and stories).I am excited Cooking with Jan......................................................................25 robbed and beaten as they roam the about being a guest speaker streets looking for medicine; which is Strain Review.........................................................................09 at this year’s Freedom Rally in Canna Comics welcomes Reefer......................................26 in most cases: extremely lowGreen quality. Caregiver of the Month.............................................................14 Boston on the 17th. I’m going When patients inquire about when to talk about f reedom and how Sensi Organics.........................................................................11 Antioxidents Natures Curegoing For Cancer.........................................29 and how long they are still to we can’t forget that this is Hempology...............................................................12 have to wait for the Compassion the land of are the free and the Ron Paul................................................................................33 Centers, they given the run Patient Storey........................................................................17 home ofand brave. So, be There brave around, told to: go home. 1000watts goes NON-Profit....................................................31 patient s and patriot s, and contact us...............................................................................35 never seems to be enough medicine 10 0
I’d likeLately to there takehas a been moment a lot to ask; How are you, our readers controversy about Compassion doing? We know you’re Centers and the progress of wa thetching Medical Marijuana program in Rhode since our magazine has been Island. Governor Lincoln will downloaded over Chaffee 20,000 hopefully work the out apway to6satisfy times in just ast weeks. theus federal government about the Let know if there’s anything opening of Compassion A you’d like to have Centers. us cover many patients have beenpeople orgreat special cannabis 03 do itthe yourself waiting a long time for weshould know about (we’re Compassion Centers to open and always 04 on the lookout j’s storytofor be able to access medicine safely. s cannabis caretestimonial 07 strain Some patients have to riskreview being and stories).I am excited robbed and beaten of as they roam the 08 being caregiver the month about a guest speaker streets looking for medicine; which is at this 10 year’s F reedom gop onRall pot y in in most cases: extremely low quality. Boston on the 17th. I’m going 16 patients yoga effect MS When inquire aboutonwhen to talk about freedom and how and how long they are still going to political we 18 can’t forget tha t this is have to wait for the Compassion the land they of are the free and the smoke and mirrors Centers, given the run home brave. So, be There brave around, home. 20 of and told to: go op hemp patient and patriot s, and never s seems to be enough medicine 21 canna cookour fight for the of for the people andreturn patients who freedom oamsterdam choose cannabis. 23 with suffer the t most. Things need to It’s not easy, but achieving change tell uscharles about now! Please geoff freedom never is. your opinions.
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From the Editor:
contact us
You and reach me directly, D.J Stone at Djstone@1000watts.info. Every E-mail is ANSWERED!
Maine & Vermont Snapshots..................................................20 Staff Picks Product Reviews.....................................................22 Cooking with Jan......................................................................25 Canna Comics welcomes 1000 Watts Publications does not endorse illegal activity in Green anyReefer......................................26 Antioxidents Natures Cure For Cancer.........................................29 form. It’s up to you to know and follow your state’s rules. You and reach me directly, D.J Stone at Ron Paul................................................................................33 Djstone@1000watts.info. contact us...............................................................................35 This publication is proudly printed in the U.S.A.
fight for the of our for the people andreturn patients who freedom o choose cannabis. suffer the t most. Things need to It’s not but achieving change now!easy, Please tell us about freedom never is. your opinions.
Hey, this is important.
Copyright © 2011 by 1000 Watts Publication. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form for profit. All design and Illustrations are property of 1000 Watts Publication (unless otherwise noted with permission from original author) and may not be used without prior permission.
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Before award-winning novelist and Brown University lecturer, Marie Myung-Ok Lee, began to administer medical cannabis to her autistic nine year old son, he would regularly claw his own face, causing it to become a bloody, scarred mask. Two years later, after gradually introducing a regimen of cannabis tea, cookies, and olive oil, his violent outbursts have become significantly reduced and he now looks and plays like any other, happy eleven year-old boy. —Including the simple joy of riding a bicycle, an activity which teachers and behavioral experts had thought beyond him. Marie Myung-Ok Lee’s son has autism. He’s also had surgeries for a spinal cord tumor and suffers from an inflammatory bowel condition. For a time, antiinflammatory medication seemed to control his pain. But eventually, it stopped working. Suffering, and unable to communicate his distress, when he wasn’t chewing holes through his shirt sleeves, he would bite and slap the eyeglasses off Lee’s face, or claw violently at his own. Compounding her son’s problems at home was the dire situation at school. As described in a moving series of articles written by Lee that appeared on Slate. com, Lee’s son, whom we will also call J, was exhibiting daily severe tantrums, which were affecting his ability to learn and interact with his instructors. The school handed Lee and her husband a list of child psychiatrists. The most common treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder—and a host of other developmental and
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psychiatric disorders affecting children, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and bipolar disorder—is prescribing a sedating anti-psychotic drug, such as Risperdal, which Lee likens to Thorazine for kids. Last year, Risperdal was prescribed for more than 389,000 children—240,000 of them under the age of twelve. Yet the drug has never been tested for long-term safety in children and carries a severe side effects warning. According to a review of FDA data by USA Today, from 2000 to 2004, 45 pediatric deaths were attributed to Risperdal and five other drugs classified as atypical antipsychotics. A 2002 study cited in the New England Journal of Medicine, specifically looking at the use of Risperdal for autism, showed moderate improvements in “autistic irritation.” However, the study followed only 49 children over eight weeks, which, researchers admitted, “limits inferences about adverse effects.” When Lee spoke to other parents of autistic children who take Risperdal, she didn’t hear a single story of improvement. After she and her husband met with J’s doctor, who’d also reviewed the relevant literature, they decided no Risperdal for their son J. But what to do then? At school, Lee’s son was having up to 300 aggressive episodes per day. His teachers had taken to wearing tae kwon do arm pads to protect themselves against J’s biting. And the school administrators were pushing Lee and her husband to take decisive action on a treatment that might be successful in making J more amenable to his education. A sometimes health writer whose late father was an anesthesiologist, Lee was simultaneously wary and intrigued when a homeopath
suggested medical marijuana. The homeopath referred her to a publication by the Autism Research Institute describing cases of reduced aggression with no permanent side effects. Rats given 40 times the psychoactive level merely fall sleep. Indeed, cannabis has longdocumented effects as an analgesic and an anxiety modulator. Best of all, it’s safe. But did this obviously loving and caring mother really want to start down the road of giving her troubled nine year-old son stinky green weed? And what would her father have had to say about such an unproven, and imprecisely administered, method of drug therapy? After an initial foray with the prescription drug Marinol, which contains a synthetic cannabinoid, J did exhibit less aggressive behaviors. But his outbursts returned after a few months due to his tendency to develop a tolerance to synthetics. One evening, Lee attended the meeting of a medical marijuana patient advocacy group on the campus of Brown University where she is a visiting lecturer. The patients informed Lee that the synthetic Marinol was in no way the chemical equivalent of marijuana, the organic plant, which has at least 60 cannabinoids to Marinol’s one. The coordinator of the patient group introduced Lee and her husband to a licensed grower. A recent horticulture school graduate, the grower had cured some leaves for tea and brought a glycerine tincture, a marijuana distillate in olive oil, some cannabis cookies, and a vaporizer to Lee’s home. J put his mouth on the valve of the vaporizer and allowed Lee to squeeze a little smoke into his lungs. As Lee described the scene in a Slate.com article, J appeared like Puff the Magic Dragon as smoke
blew immediately straight back out his nostrils. Smoking medicinal herb was clearly not going to be the delivery mechanism of choice for Lee’s son. The grower left Lee and her husband with a month’s worth of marijuana tea, cannabis glycerine and mj olive oil, as well as the cannabis cookie recipe—but no kind of any kind.
parents for a hug. At night, he sleeps peacefully. There are family trips to the beach, the farmer’s market and to the zoo which, before the advent of medical cannabis in J’s life, rarely would have transpired without an uncomfortable outburst or scenemaking disturbance. While there has certainly been
Still, the Lees were now dealing with an illegal drug, one for which few evidence-based scientific studies existed precisely because it is an illegal drug. But when they sent J’s doctor the physician’s form that is mandatory for medical marijuana licensing in Rhode Island, it came back signed. The parents underwent a background check with the Rhode Island Bureau of Criminal Identification and J became the state’s youngest licensee. Two months into starting J on his “special tea,” the Lees observed that their son’s face, which was frequently twisted in pain, was now softened and he smiled more. At school, he began to show progress, and teachers’ reports soon indicated complete “absence of aggressions” on given days. It’s been approximately two and a half years since Marie Myung-Ok Lee became a self-described “Pot Mom” and began administering cannabis olive oil tincture from a dropper to her now 11 year-old son. Over this time, Lee has experimented with dozens of marijuana strains to find the ones that work best for J, and, with more experience, she has continued to fine-tune the formula and learned to finesse the dose. More when her son is in a lot of pain, less when he’s okay. When the dosage is perfect, J is much more relaxed and engaged than he was before. A boy who previously hated to be touched, J now will ask his
peaks and valleys throughout this journey—the Lees had to work through a shortage of J’s optimal hybrid when their grower took a summer job in a restaurant, stopped growing plants, and had to get by on a subpar medley of left-over strains, adversely affecting J’s pain tolerance and behavior—perhaps one of the most momentous accomplishments is a simple, learned activity that most parents take for granted, and which J’s teachers and behavioral counselors thought beyond expectations for him. Riding a bike. As Lee points out in the latest of her Slate.com articles last spring, bicycling involves a delicate interplay of gross motor movement with the visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems that regulate balance. One defining feature of autism is a heightened, disordered, nondiscriminating sensitivity to stimuli— both internal and external. People
affected by autism seem to see, feel, hear and smell everything at the same time. They’re overloaded with information, both relevant and irrelevant. But cannabis not only alleviates J’s pain, it also regulates his anxiety and stress levels and seems to help J to focus. Lee noticed that J had a much higher tolerance for activities that involve multiple steps, like unloading the dishwasher. “On a nice weekend I brought J, his bike, his helmet, and a wrench to a nearby private school that has a bunch of wide, paved paths. I removed the training wheels from his bike, put him on it, and gave him a push, figuring that once he realized how good it felt to bike—to move along on his own power—he was going to love it. He pedaled and immediately tipped over, laughing, as he was expecting the training wheels to be there holding him up. But after a few tries, he started to get it. And before the afternoon was over, he was biking independently.” Now that you’ve heard the story of Marie Myung-Ok Lee and how medical cannabis has changed her son J’s life, this writer has one small request to make of you. Share it. This is the kind of story the medical marijuana community needs to be telling again and again. A cursory Google search of ‘Autism and Medical Marijuana’ reveals many stories like it. Share this story with someone who’s already familiar with medical cannabis. Share it with someone whose cultural background or personal bias, you might anticipate, would be cause for them to disdain or dismiss it. But repeat it. The American Academy of Pediatrics opposes the legalization of marijuana, but does support further research into the potential medical benefits of cannabis. Awareness is the first step toward action and change.
05
A shout out goes to Uncle Henry, who was kind to provide Brian with the genetics of three different strains: Sour Kush, Master Kush and Nepal. Check back for reviews of the MK and Nepal in upcoming issues.
Medical Value Sour Kush is known for its windshield frost like crystals and eggplant purple hued leaves. Its natural aroma is a strong and sour citrus. Notable for its mellow onset, smooth smokability, and warm-buzzy glow, it is potentially an appropriate remedy for MS, depression, low-level anxiety, and ADHD.
Anti-depressant Anxiolytic Anti-spasm Muscle Relaxant
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Name: Compassionate Patient
Location: Northern RI
How many patients do you have? I have two patients, one with MS, and one with cancer. Medical marijuana enabled the MS patient to be able to stop taking the pharmaceuticals he was prescribed, which were causing negative side effects.
What strains do you grow? Right now, I have a couple of different Kushes. I started with medical seeds over five years ago and every year I cross-breed.
How long have you been growing?
As long as it’s been legal. (smiles)
Do you use seeds or clones? Both. What I will do is grow a
female, and if it works for a patient, I will regenerate and clone it. It doesn’t make sense to clone until you verify that the plant is going to be effective. It adds another step in the process.
What do you use for nutrients? It depends if I go to Home Depot or WalMart or Lowe’s. If I can produce marijuana that is effective at a lower cost, that’s an advantage if not a necessity to my patients.
What is the most difficult challenge of being a caregiver?
Maintaining an adequate supply of medicine. Being a patient as well, there are days that I don’t feel up to doing the labor, because it is labor intensive. Cooperative growing would be a solution to the problem,
and presents an alternative to the current dispensaries roadblock in Rhode Island, since the Department of Justice has made clear that they are not interested in pursuing patients.
What is your favorite strain? Any Kush and indicas. I don’t get hung up on names.
What originally motivated you to become a Caregiver? When the law was passed, it was obvious there was a need for people to help other people. I feel I gave a God-given gift when it comes to growing marijuana plants. Just because you can grow tomatoes, doesn’t mean you can grow marijuana.
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If you look too closely at that sentence, you may just conclude that Newt still smokes, and could use a reliable dispensary or knowledgeable caregiver to advise on appropriate strain and dosage. Gingrich also rejects letting states set their own policies, “...because I think you guarantee that people will cross state lines if it becomes a state-by-state exemption.” Regarding California’s medical marijuana law, Gingrich stated, “I think the California experience is that medical marijuana becomes a joke. It becomes marijuana for any use. You find local doctors who will prescribe it for anybody that walks in.” With the Iowa caucuses only several weeks away, 1000 Watts thought it would be an opportune time to make a brisk survey of the field of Republican candidates in relation to their public stance on the issue of medical marijuana. So, without further ado, presented below are the GOP candidates and their stated positions on MM and our best guesstimations (yes, that’s a word) on how they would lead a nation of medical cannabis constituents, if elected.
A BOY NAMED NEWT
At press time, former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, is leading all Republican presidential candidates according to most polls. Good on
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Newt, but probably not so good for the medical cannabis community. Especially if Gingrich carries his momentum into Iowa, wins, and carries that steam into the New Hampshire primary following just a week later. South Carolina (Jan/21) and Florida (Jan/31) will close out the first month of the 2012 primaries. In 1982, Gingrich, in his capacity as a member of the House of Representatives, wrote a letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association expressing his support of medical marijuana. He’s also admitted to smoking recreationally while in grad school. But more recently, regarding medical marijuana, Gingrich said he would continue current federal policy “largely because of the confusing signal that steps towards legalization sends to harder drugs [sic].”
THE ‘BOT KNOWN AS MITT
The candidate who is most often characterized by Democrats and Republicans alike of speaking out both sides of his mouth, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney equivocates very little when it comes to the subject of medical cannabis.
“People talk about medicinal marijuana, and, you know, you hear that story: People who are sick need medicinal marijuana,” stated Romney during his failed bid for the presidency in ‘08. “But marijuana is the entry drug for people trying to get kids hooked on drugs. I don’t want medicinal marijuana. There are synthetic
first time shoppers
forms of marijuana that are available for people who need it for prescription. Don’t open the doorway to medicinal marijuana.” This failed, Nancy Reagan-era, ‘Just Say No’ level thinking we’ve all heard before. (We must remember, also, that as a practicing Mormon and former pastor of his church, Romney doesn’t drink red wine, smoke Marlboro Reds, or even ingest Starbucks mocha lattes. So what did you imagine he’d say?) But for members of the medical cannabis community, especially dispensary operators and the patients they serve, it gets worse. On the subject of federal versus state law concerning medical cannabis, this is what Mitt had to say: “The concern, of course, is that marijuana has become the entry drug of choice and contributing a lot to the drug culture...I will inform myself on it, but I’m not going to promise you here that I’m going to change the federal law with regards to clamping down on the use of marijuana in our society for medical purposes.”
THE BELLE OF THE BALL
The Tea Party’s stated position is one of limited government intervention in the private lives of citizens. Michele Bachmann — a Republican member of the House representing Minnesota’s 6th district and a founder of the
House Tea Party Caucus — has an interesting take on this. Meaning that government intervening in people’s love life (Michele is anti same-sex marriage) and into women’s uteruses (Michele is antiabortion), is, by some trick of the tale, okay. So, what to make of this Jabberwocky and how it would predict where Michele would come down on the issue of medical marijuana, well, your guess is as good as mine. Catching up with Michele on the campaign trail in Iowa last month, Jason Karimi, director of Iowa Patients for Medical Marijuana, took the opportunity to ask Bachmann about whether state’s rights extended to regulation of medical marijuana. Amidst the hubbub of autograph signing, Bachmann responded, “I don’t know if that’s something the federal government can weigh in on or not. I don’t know. I agree with state’s rights too, but I’m not sure if that’s something that has federal implications or not. I haven’t thought it through.” Don’t know, don’t know. Not sure. Haven’t thought it through. Splendid. Thanks, Michele!
THE DOCTOR IS OUT
The Texas Congressman, and former physician, Ron Paul is the only candidate who has publicly advocated a progressive policy toward medical marijuana. In 2001, Paul co-sponsored the States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act,
which provides for the medical use of marijuana in accordance with the laws of the various States, and transfers marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to Schedule II. (Schedule I substances presently includes such drugs as crack, heroin and methamphetamine. Oh, yes, and marijuana.) In his book, “Liberty Defined,” Paul had this to say: “The cost to pursue the drug war in the past 40 years runs into hundreds of billions. The social cost, including the loss of civil liberties, is incalculable. ...I expect that someday the country will wake up and suddenly decide, as we did in 1933, that prohibition to improve personal behavior is a lost cause, and the second repeal of prohibition will occur. This is more likely now than ever before because of the growing perception that the federal government is inept and more Americans are becoming aware of the senselessness of the war on drugs.” Jeesh, no wonder this guy has the proverbial snowball’s chance in hell of being elected.
ROOTIN’ TOOTIN’ RICK
The folksy Governor of Texas makes frequent references on the campaign trail and during televised debates to having grown up on a farm, but don’t let that, or his federalist leanings concerning states’ rights, confuse you enough to believe that Rick Perry will get behind medical cannabis if elected.
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.COM
In his book “Fed Up!,” Governor Perry talks briefly about states’ rights to make decisions for themselves: “When the federal government oversteps its authority, states should tell Washington they will not be complicit in enforcing laws with which they do not agree,” he wrote. “Again, the best example is an issue I don’t even agree with—the partial legalization of marijuana. Californians clearly want some level of legalized marijuana, be it for medicinal use or otherwise. The federal government is telling them they cannot. But states are not bound to enforce federal law, and the federal government cannot commandeer state resources and require them to enforce it.” So, on the surface, his (supposed) support of medical marijuana would seem to make sense. And his bold comment to Jon Stewart during an appearance on the Daily Show in November of 2010, “...if you want to go somewhere where you can smoke medicinal weed, then you ought to be able to do that,” would seem to support that speculation even further. But let’s not forget that Perry is styling himself as a social conservative. And while being a social conservative is not necessarily at odds with support of states’ rights, the folks that would self-identify as being party to that constituency, and would support a Perry Republican nomination, are generally not the kind of folks who would choose bud over Bud. Or, for that matter, bud over Vicodin.
THE GUY WITH THE GOOGLE PROBLEM
Currently polling in the single digits, the former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – yet another confessed, but now remorseful college pot smoker – Rick Santorum has, at one time or another, made offensive statements about such diverse groups as African Americans, women, and Muslims. In 2003, during an Associated Press interview, Sen. Santorum compared homosexuality to incest.
During the Ames Poll Straw Poll in Iowa this past August, (a surprise win by Congresswoman Bachmann), Students for a Sensible Drug Policy’s Marni Steadham asked Santorum if he was elected, would his Department of Justice recognize state’s rights concerning medical marijuana, or if he would seek prosecutions in those states where it is currently legal. Santorum’s response: “I would think that are you a that tenacious salesman? would be an activity is not consistent with American values.” are you passionate about cannabis?
Do yourself a favor, people. Google ‘Santorum.’ 1000watts is looking
for Advertising Agents in every state.
Next issue...We’ll look at Mister Hope and Change, President Barack Obama.
34.indd 5
“THE TRADITIONAL & NATURAL MEDICINE CLINIC” Dr. Jason Bergman D.Ac.
ACUPUNCTURE HERBAL THERAPY THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE TREATING ALL MEDICAL ISSUES INCLUDING : PAIN RELIEF ADDICTION TO DRUGS, ALCOHOL & TOBACCO DEPPRESSION OBESITY/STOMACH ILLNESSES PMS .COM
What does this have to do with the candidate’s stance concerning medical marijuana? For the moment, perhaps nothing. Perhaps, we only wanted you to know what a piece of work this fine fellow is.
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Unit 1 260 Central Ave. Pawtucket, RI 401.523.3253 tnmclinic@gmail.com
11/2/11 2:15 AM
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When we think of yoga, we often think of a series of gymnastics-like poses that are challenging. But yoga is much more than that, and much easier, too. In yoga, the breath is an important part of the practice. A steady, calm breath can calm the nervous system and quiet the mind. A core philosophy of yoga is the idea that “Yoga is cessation of movement of the mind.” (Sutra 1.2). Practicing this principle via meditation or focused yoga practice can help calm the worries and fears that might come up. A calm nervous system and a quiet mind can benefit everyone, and they are important for those with Multiple Sclerosis. Yoga can also help to restore balance and coordination in the average practitioner—in an MS patient, this can make a tremendous difference in their everyday life. In addition, according to the National Institutes of
16
Health, there is “evidence for positive effects from… yoga for fatigue from multiple sclerosis.” Yoga can be harnessed to address not just balance, coordination, and fatigue, but also used to strengthen the muscles. It can even be beneficial for the MS patient who has problems with digestion. How do you know if yoga will help you? If you think it might, discuss it with your doctor. If he or she agrees and gives you the thumbs up to move forward with it, you may choose to work with a yoga teacher trained in working with Multiple Sclerosis patients. Or, you may choose to go to classes. Many patients say Iyengar yoga is especially beneficial. Iyengar yoga was developed for people working with physical challenges. It is done with the help of blankets, blocks, and belts. Because it is so accessible, it makes it the perfect form
for people who have been resistant to trying yoga because they think that they “can’t”—especially due to a physical challenge. They can! There are a number of poses that those with MS may find beneficial, including Mountain Pose, Warrior 2, and simple twists. Laying in Savasana (Corpse Pose) and focusing on the breath can calm the nervous system and refresh the body’s energy. To find out more about yoga and Multiple Sclerosis, check out the National Multiple Sclerosis Society website at www.nationalmssociety.org, which offers a host of resources, including articles, DVDs, and books. They also have information on some of the society’s local chapters offering yoga classes.
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rk HARMONY UNDERGROUND UPCOMING EVENTS
Rocky Point Pub Festival Custo m Wo MAY Global Marijuana March May 1, 2011 - Nationwide
Vermonts finest head shop, high in the Green Mountains Hemp History Week
URI HEMPFEST 2011 APRIL 30 & MAY 1 TH
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JUNE
2nd High Times Medical Cannabis Cup June 25-26, 2011 - San Francisco, CA
COME KICK OFF THE WARM WEATHER WITH ALL OF US HERE AT 1000 WATTS!
Treating Yourself Medical Marijuana & Hemp Expo June 3 - 5, 2011 - Toronto, CA www.medicalmarijuana-hempexpo.com
SEPTEMBER
22nd Boston Freedom Rally
URI’s Hempfest kicks off at 10am and the September 17 - Boston, MA celebration continues late into the night! Come (We know, it’s a long way off...excuse our impatience.) meet the faces behind the movement along with www.bostonfreedomrally.com great food, various venders, music, and of course Know of an event you think we should know about? everyone at 1000 Watts! Tell us! Contact@1000Watts.info Mon-Sat:6pm-10pm 7 Turner Street 42 July 2011 Warren, RIzStreet 02885 or just call for a peak we are always close by! 7 Turner Bob-401.480.7659|Dan-352.400.2190 -online.com 7 warren,RI 02885 18
In case you might of missed it, the governors of Washington and the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations petitioned the federal government on November 30th to reclassify marijuana as a drug with accepted medical uses, saying the change is needed so states like theirs, which have decriminalized marijuana for medical purposes, can regulate the safe distribution of the drug without risking federal prosecution. The move by the governors — Christine Gregoire of Washington, a Democrat, and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, an Independent who used to be a Republican — injected new political muscle into the long-running debate on the status of medical marijuana. Washington and RI are among the 16 states that now allow medical marijuana, but which have seen efforts to grow and distribute the drug targeted by federal prosecutors. “The divergence in state and federal law creates a situation where there is no regulated and safe system to supply legitimate patients who may need medical cannabis,” the governors wrote in a memo to Michele M. Leonhart, the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Marijuana is currently classified by the federal government as a Schedule I controlled substance, the same category as heroin and LSD. Drugs with that classification, the government claims, have a high potential for abuse and “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.” The governors of Washington and Rhode Island want marijuana reclassified as a Schedule II controlled substance, which would put it in the same category as drugs like cocaine, opium and morphine. The federal government says that those drugs have a strong potential for abuse and addiction, but that they also have “some accepted medical use and may be prescribed, administered or dispensed for medical use.”
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Such a classification, in theory, could pave the way for pharmacies to dispense medical marijuana, in addition to removing the threat of arrest and prosecution which medical cannabis dispensaries face while operating in the currently ambiguous legal zone. Rhode Island has yet to open stateregulated dispensaries despite the fact that the State Legislature passed a law and the RI Department of Health approved the applications of three non-profit compassion centers over nine months ago. Rhode Island is headquarters to the CVS Caremark Corporation, which operates more than 7000 drugstores across the country. It’s also interesting to note that GW Pharmaceuticals, the maker of a cannabis-based spray medication, Sativex, just announced this past spring that it won U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to proceed with Phase III clinical trials of the drug’s efficacy in patients suffering from pain from advanced cancers. A successful Phase III trial would make the drug legal to prescribe in the U.S. Sativex is currently approved in the United Kingdom, Spain, Czech Republic, Canada and New Zealand as a treatment of multiple sclerosis spasticity. “If our people really want medicinal marijuana, then we need to do it right, we need to do it with safety, we need to do it with health in mind, and that’s best done in a process that we know works in this country — and that’s through a pharmacist.” The State of Washington approved medical marijuana in 1998, with a ballot question that won 60 percent of the vote. But like many states, Washington soon found itself in a legal gray area. The Legislature tried to clarify things last spring, when it passed a bill to legalize and regulate marijuana dispensaries and growers. But the Justice Department warned that growing and distributing marijuana was still against federal law, and said
that “state employees who conducted activities mandated by the Washington legislative proposals would not be immune from liability.” Ms. Gregoire, while sympathetic to the goals of the bill, wound up vetoing much of it. A similar human comedy is playing out on the other side of the country, where Rhode Island passed a law authorizing state-regulated marijuana dispensaries. This fall, Governor Chafee said he could not go ahead with the plan because federal prosecutors had warned him that dispensaries could be targets of prosecution. While some advocates for medical marijuana praised the move, others said the governors were merely emitting political smoke and mirrors and that they should not have wait for the federal government before going forward with state initiatives. Opponents said that even if marijuana was reclassified, it was unlikely that pharmacies would be able to dispense it. As recently as June, the DEA denied a petition to reclassify marijuana, based on a review conducted several years earlier. But Ms. Gregoire and Mr. Chafee said the attitude of the medical community had changed since the government last reviewed the issue. In 2009 the American Medical Association changed its position and called for reviewing the classification of marijuana, saying that the current classification was limiting clinical research. Ms. Gregoire noted that many doctors believe it makes no sense to place marijuana in a more restricted category than opium and morphine. “People die from overdose of opiates,” she said. “Has anybody died from marijuana?” Indeed.
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Don’t be so quick to place blame on the Governor but rather the members of the RI Legislature that bought into this solution to patient access. Every Representative and Senator in office at the time of the Compassion Center bill’s passage received documents pointing out the very issues which have now caused the patients in Rhode Island to continue without safe access, short of self-production or by having a caregiver to do it. In effect, nothing has changed since 2006. hode Island Governor Lincoln D. Chafee is being a realist. If the Department of Justice (DOJ) says that the Compassion Centers would become targets for them, the prudent action would seem to be exactly the route the Governor has chosen. The “infamous” memo regarding the lack of enforcement by the Drug Enforcement Administration refers solely to “patients” and their “care-givers” in the medical marijuana states. It (the memo) goes on to say that producers and suppliers could still remain on the list for use of DOJ resources as they may be considered DTO’s (drug trafficking organizations). The Compassion Center amendment allows for the type of grandiose “tens of thousands plant facilities” which the memo deems unacceptable. Compassion Centers would be eligible to possess 24 plants for each patient enrolled with them. In other words, with 400 patients a center could have 10,000 plants. Also, the amendment would allow patients to obtain enough medicine to equal one ounce per each three-day period, as well as any that a patient may continue to produce on their own. Let’s do the math. A patient could join two of the three centers and obtain 2.5 ounces every 15 days, or 60 ounces a year from both, or 120 ounces over 365 days, or an ounce every three days. As both a patient and a care-giver, I feel that these amounts are excessive and open the door for misdirection of medicine.
Considering that there are other, alternate legal solutions proposed by Rhode Islanders, it is truly a shame that we were given a push-the-envelope law authored by an outside source whose main agenda doesn’t concern Rhode Island’s patient population but rather wholesale legalization. The two matters belong in separate arenas. While it is has been obvious to some that this law was doomed upon passage, the patient community was grossly misled to have thrown their support behind it. Bear in mind, this is one patient’s opinion. Let’s all hope and pray that we get a workable plan during the next legislative session. For starters, increasing the number of centers would decrease the plant counts possible, a step in the right direction. -Kirk (last name withheld upon request) Rhode Island The writer is a card-holding MM patient and licensed caregiver of over five years.
Letters to 1000 Watts OP-HEMP can be emailed to djstone@1000watts. info. All letters become the property of 1000 Watts, may be edited for length and clarity, and can be published in any medium.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup canna- butter, softened 18g Canna flour 2/3 cup white sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 eggs 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup chopped walnuts 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks ** 1.5g your choice of bud finely ground** (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
In a small sauce pan melt ½ cup of butter, add canna flour to the butter and remove from heat. Allow butter to cool before combining it with the sugar. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in cocoa and baking powder. Beat for 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in flour by hand. Mix in walnuts and chocolate chips. Cover dough, and chill for about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Divide dough into two parts, and roll each part into a 9-inch long log. Place logs on lightly greased cookie sheet, about four
inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on cookie sheet until you can touch it without burning yourself. Cut each loaf into 1/2 inch wide diagonal slices. Place slices on an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake at 300 degrees F for 9 minutes. Turn cookies over, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
PACK A SCARF AND A SHINY NEW BOWL
ll the fuss and bother about coffeeshops in Amsterdam being off limits to foreigners in 2013 is just that. A lot of fuss and too much bother. Think about the insanity of losing hundreds of millions of euros a year at a time when the European Union is being tested for its economic resiliency. A million Britons visit Amsterdam every year. Amsterdam hotels are booked up at times of the year when the weather is as bad as it gets anywhere else on earth. Cold, damp, wet, gray skies. A ten-day forecast with nothing but clouds, rain and no sunlight is not unusual. In fact, more often than not, it’s the norm. I suspect the Amsterdam city council will find a way to preserve smoking rights for foreigners in coffeeshops. After all, it’s against the European Union policy to discriminate against anyone in businesses open to the public. They’ll go full bore against the government to prevent the restrictions from being enforced.
NO ONE GOES FOR THE VAN GOGH The only reason these hotels are filled is because of Amsterdam’s soft drug policy. No one’s there in January studying 17th century Dutch architecture. No one slogs through rain and cold winds to meow over van Gogh or Rembrandt.
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No one goes there in February to drink Heineken or visit the house of Anne Frank. All those shops you see with glass pipes in the windows and rolling papers on the counter aren’t there because the Dutch make good pancakes. No one is there to watch a windmill turn or to clog around in pointed wooden shoes. Amsterdam is the mecca of pot smoking. Most of the smokers are foreigners. Take the foreigners out of the hashish and marijuana coffeeshops and you might just as well close down the city. There is absolutely no other reason to spend any of your vacation funds traveling to a climate that defines the term “miserable weather.” Never have I, nor anyone else I know, ever been besieged by such awful, bone-sawing damp cold and gusts of wet wind. –And that’s in the summer. Once and a while the sun comes out, and when it does, it’s quite beautiful – like casting light on a lovely orchid. But blink and it’s gone. And the dull, gunmetal gray skies are once again overhead. I’m convinced the Dutch have tolerant attitudes towards soft drugs because how else could you cope with such environmental misery? I can count on my fingers and toes the number of sunny days I’ve spent in Amsterdam. I was there for three days of steady sunlight. It was amazing. Like flowers, citizens began to bloom in the light. I, too, frolicked in the sun.
The best way to get around the city in wet weather is to grab a golf umbrella and walk. If your destination is farther out and you’d rather not walk, take a tram. Obviously, all-purpose footwear, waterproof and warm, is the best thing to walk in. Also, bring a warm scarf to wrap around your neck so the wind can’t seep into your clothing. I’ve seen it snow once in all the times I’ve been there in the winter. Not much snow, either. A dusting of it, if anything. And it was gone by the time the temperatures warmed the morning after. The smoking devices in Amsterdam head shops are cheaply made and pricey. I advise smokers to bring a clean smoking device with them. That way all you need is a lighter and you’re good to go. Remember to dispose of that device you’ve used before you hop a flight back to the states, and leave the lighter there as well.
SAVE BENJIS AND MAKE NICE Amsterdam hotels ban smoking in rooms. If you do smoke, and they detect it, you could be fined $500 on your credit card which you have to register at the front desk when you check in. Buy bottles of water to keep in your room. There are small stores everywhere and they carry spa water which is some of the best water I’ve ever tasted. Don’t use the courtesy bar in the room unless you want to pay a fortune for those items when you go to check out. Also, if you have to call home, call collect. Do not charge the call to your room. That alone could add another fifty dollars to your bill for just one call. If you have a cell phone, ask your carrier to give add an international call option. It’s not that expensive, and you’ll be able to call home from anywhere in the city using your cell. Obviously, when in a foreign country, don’t argue with the authorities. If you’re told to do something, don’t start yammering about your rights. Just do it and move on.
SEEN‘MIDNIGHT EXPRESS’?PLEASE, DON’T BE THAT GUY On the morning of your departure flight, find a coffeeshop near Central Station and enjoy whatever remnants of smoking material you have left. Leave the lighters and the pipes there or throw them in the trash. I take the train back to the airport from Central Station because it only takes ten minutes as opposed to a good half-hour by car or limo. It’s cheap, too. With the euro worth more than the dollar, saving a few dollars is always a smart move. Plus the trains are comfortable and easily accessed. At Central Station, they usually leave from platform 14. Coming back into the United States, you’ll fill out a form distributed on the plane asking you if you’re bringing back any items and the amount in dollars that you paid for them. Besides all the other stuff, posters, T-shirts, and such you’re bringing back, it’s also legal to bring back a smoking device as long as it hasn’t been used. Make sure you mark down the amount you paid for this stuff. Do not attempt to smuggle drugs back into the country. You’ll go through scanners when you leave Amsterdam and your bags will be thoroughly checked. Also, each passenger is interviewed before being allowed to board the plane. Enjoy your time in this very eclectic city. It’s one of the best European experiences there is.
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We are excited to announce that we’ve joined the Rhode Island chapter of the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis (AAMC), a national organization based in Oregon that helps promote medical marijuana and outreach initiatives. AAMC Director Ann McCormick is the mother of Todd McCormick. Todd, who was featured on the cover of our July issue, has been one of America’s foremost cannabis freedom activists; food, fiber and medicine.
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Rest assured, loyal readers, that even though 1000 Watts is about to ‘go national’ in reach, our coverage will remain focused in the Northeast, especially here in New England--the new hotspot for change and freedom! We’re here to serve our community, and now you can help us with that by making a tax-deductable donation to 1000 Watts. Many thanks to Ann for helping to make this happen!
The Rhode Island chapter of the AAMC can be found @
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HARMONY UNDERGROUND UPCOMING EVENTS Rocky Point Pub Festival Custo m Wo MAY rk Global Marijuana March
Vermonts finest head shop, high in the Green Mountains Hemp History Week May 1, 2011 - Nationwide
URI HEMPFEST 2011 APRIL 30 & MAY 1 TH
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May 2 - 8, 2011 - Nationwide www.hemphistoryweek.com
JUNE
2nd High Times Medical Cannabis Cup June 25-26, 2011 - San Francisco, CA
COME KICK OFF THE WARM WEATHER WITH ALL OF US HERE AT 1000 WATTS!
Treating Yourself Medical Marijuana & Hemp Expo June 3 - 5, 2011 - Toronto, CA www.medicalmarijuana-hempexpo.com
SEPTEMBER
22nd Boston Freedom Rally URI’s Hempfest kicks off at 10am and the September 17 - Boston, MA celebration continues late into the night! Come (We know, it’s a long way off...excuse our impatience.) meet the faces behind the movement along with www.bostonfreedomrally.com
great food, various venders, music, and of course Know of an event you think we should know about? everyone at 1000 Watts! Tell us! Contact@1000Watts.info Mon-Sat:6pm-10pm 7 Turner Street 42 July 2011 Warren, RIzStreet 02885 or just call for a peak we are always close by! 7 Turner Bob-401.480.7659|Dan-352.400.2190 -online.com 7 warren,RI 02885 18
THANK YOU Around the time this issue leaves the printers, some of us and our dearest friends will be fortunate enough to be celebrating New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam. As we take 1000 Watts internationally, I am pleased to see how the movement has expanded into a global force for common good, and it is rewarding to see that cannabis is receiving the respect it deserves as an effective medicine. I would like to thank all our readers and advertisers, and notably, our staff, who work relentlessly every issue to make this publication possible. -DJ Stone
About 1000 Watts Magazine The grassroots voice of the global medical marijuana community, 1000 Watts Magazine is now available in print in seventeen states across the U.S., attracts over 30,000 readers per month, and will launch during the first quarter of 2012 in Europe. “A bright idea for patients by patients,� the publication was founded by renowned medical cannabis advocate DJ Stone to provide the MM community with an independent and reliable source for news, commentary and insight concerning the responsible use and production of medicinal marijuana, and theethical, legal and social issues affecting it. An affiliate of the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis, 1000 Watts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.