MIGUEL GONZALES

LEGALIZATION

NEW JERSEY EXPUNGED 362,000 POT CASES OVER THE SUMMER

New Jersey courts have expunged 362,000 low-level marijuana cases over the summer, clearing a massive amount of criminal records in just two months.

The state judiciary had estimated some 360,000 cases qualified for automatic expungement following the passage of marijuana legalization, reports NJ.com. That law did away with fines and penalties for possessing and selling small amounts of weed.

The judiciary began vacating and dismissing cases in July, and then expunged them. That’s the final step that ultimately clears a person’s record.

About 125,000 to 150,000 marijuana expungements remain for the courts to complete automatically, said MaryAnn Spoto, a spokeswoman for the judiciary. People with Cannabis cases not automatically expunged in New Jersey can file a motion for review with the court.

4

California marijuana companies had sued the state as of September 17, after having their provisional business licenses revoked.

9

months was the age of Michigan’s youngest medical Cannabis patient as of September.

Marijuana use continued to rise among college students over the past five years, and remained at historically high levels among same-aged peers who were not in college in 2020, according to survey results from the 2020 Moni-

toring the Future (MTF) panel study. The study is financed by the federal National Institute on Drug “The survey also Abuse (NIDA), which in the past has been a source of anti-pot misin- found that marijuana formation. vaping and nicotine

According to the study, current levels represent the highest rate vaping leveled off of marijuana use recorded since the 1980s. The survey also found in 2020, after sharp that marijuana vaping and nicotine vaping leveled off in 2020, after increases reported sharp increases reported every year since 2017 for both college every year since students and same-aged respondents not in college. Among college students specifically, there was also a significant increase in the annual use of hallucinogens. Perhaps related was the substantial and significant drop in current alcohol use between 2019 and 2020. 2017 for both college students and sameaged respondents not in college.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way that young people interact with one another and offers us an opportunity to examine whether drug taking behavior has shifted through these changes,” said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D. “Moving forward, it will be critical to investigate how and when different substances are used among this young population, and the impact of these shifts over time.”

30

grams or more of Cannabis can get you a Level 6 felony charge in Indiana.

51

pounds of marijuana was seized from 49 bags at the Nashville Airport on Sept. 16.

125

Cannabis dispensaries are currently operating in Arizona, which launched recreational in 2020.

$25k

will be the cost of a medical marijuana license, the Watertown, South Dakota City Council decided.

STORIES by STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA

MIGUEL GONZALES

JAN. 29, 1990 - SEPT. 9,2021

Miguel Gonzales, originally from Waukesha, Wisconsin, enjoyed electronic and avant-garde music, as well as collecting rocks and gemstones. A black belt in Taekwondo, Miguel spoke fluent conversational German, trained as a chef and devoted significant time as a young adult to spiritual centering, examining the Hindi and Buddhist faiths while he lived in Darmstadt, Germany.

Miguel walked into my life in early 2012, at Cannatonics Society in downtown Tacoma, Washington. After discussing Cannabis with him perhaps three times, I knew that he was likely to be a fixture in my life.

His passion for Cannabis quickly turned into a passion for concentrates as that market was developing, and he began extracting with a closed loop system in late 2012 under the moniker Medicinoils – which was sold at a minimum of two dozen dispensaries between Bellingham and Olympia. He would often fill shifts at my affiliated dispensaries and subsequently was employed at House of Cannabis in Tacoma, in 2019 and 2020.

Always compassionate, Miguel approached Cannabis from a holistic standpoint, working with CBD strains from the moment I became aware of their presence in the Washington market.

In 2013, he partnered with Grandma Cat Jeter and Joy Bonney to form Deep Green, an ethanol based FECO extraction company. He also initiated an internet radio show and then a podcast called “Green Stream,” which appeared on NWCZRadio.com.

After several years of successes and cataclysmic Cannabis events, Deep Green was retired in 2018. As Cannabis efforts grew and waned, Miguel was always such a gifted grower, extractor, tech guru and hacker.

Miguel was incredibly smart, emotionally intelligent, and a master of appreciating the positives of this life.

He was a wonderful friend. He had a knack for drawing out the positive in those that he interacted with and minimizing points of contention. David Byrne of Talking Heads once sang in “Once in a Lifetime” – “Time isn’t holding up; time isn’t after us.” While both are true, time suddenly expired at the beginning of September for a young and talented pioneer in Cannabis extraction.

Miguel was incredibly smart, emotionally intelligent, and a master of appreciating the positives of this life. He was a wonderful friend.

As my own marriage was spiraling apart in early 2018, Miguel took significant time to ensure that I was going to emerge on the other side as something other than a bitter, scorned person.

I often think about how different I might be without Miguel’s influence during the most tumultuous time in my life. He gathered me up one morning and we went to Value Village to buy a ton of stuff to smash for some therapeutic release. He put on a sombrero of enormous stature, made a pile of electronics, small furniture and other goods, and encouraged the both of us to work it out – while the punx of The Bomb Shelter looked on approvingly.

Miguel touched so many lives.

As time passes from the day of our loss, so many people who knew him have reached out or posted about his sense of humor, intelligence, kindness and compassion. Miguel will be missed greatly by his parents, partner, friends and family.

Farewell, my friend.