Apr/May 2017

FR E E

Pinkleberry Kush from Green Source Gardens. This premium cannabis is grown using no-till sustainable agriculture techniques, no pesticides, and no traditional fertilizers. Image: Green Source Gardens

C h u rc h & S t a t e : U pd ates From Th e Capi tol Po r t l a n d N O R M L Legi sl ati ve Efforts!

Wyd en & Bl u m en au er I n t r o d u ce M a r i j u a n a B i l l s Arkan sas Req u i res Ph arm aci st I n D i s p e n s a ri e s N ews N u ggets from O r e go n a n d t h e N a t i o n Food & Reci pes: B u t t e r s co t c h S p a ce Po p s C ro c k C a n n a - b u t t e r & M u c h , M u c h M o re !

A l s o I n Th i s I s s u e :

Connecting Oregon's Marijuana Community Since 2010

Apr/May 2017 Vol. 8 Issue 2

In This Issue

Apr/May 2017

Oregon News

Oregon Cannabis Connection

Medical News

Oregon Proposed Marijuana Pesticide Testing Changes dangerous

5

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis (Part Two)

17

Chairman Rob Patridge Resigns From OLCC

5

Study: Regular Cannabis Use Associated With Lower BMI, No Adverse Effects on Bone Density

18

At Church & State: Updates From The Capitol

6

Federal cannabis Supply Contains Mold

18

Words Mean Things: by Pioneer Pete

6

Diabetes: More Than Blood Sugar

18

Portland NORML Legislative Committee Efforts

7

Nine Pounds of Marijuana Recalled

7

Dept. of Agriculture May Take Over Grow Operations?

8

3rd Annual Oregon Hempfest in Southern Oregon

8

ACMM Meeting Notes

8

Oregon News Nugs - News From Around The Beaver State

10

National News Oregon Congressmen Launch Bipartisan Path to Marijuana Reform

12

US DOJ Creates Task Force to Evaluate Marijuana Enforcement

12

The First Four Recreational MJ States Send Letter to Trump Administration

13

Arkansas Pharmacist Consultant Required for Dispensaries

13

News Nugs - News From Around The Nation

14

US Border Patrol Bans Tourist for Using Legal Marijuana on Previous Visit

15

West Virginia Legislature Passes Medical marijuana

15

Legal Marijuana: The Sky is (Probably) Not Falling

15

The End of Rohrabacher-Farr

16

Food & Recipes Butterscotch Space Pops – Stoney Spinach Bites – Crock Canna-butter – Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Goodies

19

Cultivation Transplanting Marijuana Plants

20

Ecoculture: Chicken and Cannabis, The Homegrown Combo- From Green Source Gardens

21

Bug Bites: For Bigger Buds - From Nature's Control

21

Business Classifieds

23

OREGON CANNABIS CONNECTION is a bi-monthly publication for the entire cannabis community in Oregon. Published by K2 Publishing Co. in Southern Oregon, we strive to inform the public on the value of medical marijuana, as well as provide news, information, and opinions concerning marijuana laws, legalization, and medicine.

All information in OCC is intended for legal use by adults only. OCC is advertiser supported and over 20,500 copies are available FREE at over 380 locations across Oregon.

FOR A DISTRIBUTION LOCATION NEAR YOU, GO ONLINE TO WWW.OCCNEWSPAPER.COM OCC Staff:

OCC Contributors:

Keith Mansur

Anthony Taylor ­ at Church & State "Pioneer" Pete Gendron ­

Publisher/Managing Editor/Writer

Cheryl Smith

Copy Editor/Writer

Advertising/General Inquiries OCCNewspaper420@gmail.com

Oregon Sungrown Growers Guild

Nicholas Mahmood & Elizabeth Luca-Mahmood Ecoculture ­ Green Source Gardens

Nathan Jackson - Bug Bites: For Bigger Buds Ladybug Indoor Gardens/Natures Control

Subscriptions are available within the U.S.A for 30.00 per year.

Please visit www.OCCNewspaper.com to subscribe.

Correspondence to: K2 Publishing P.O. Box 5552, Grants Pass, OR 97527 For more information contact us at 541-621-1723. Email us at occnewspaper420@gmail.com Next issue is Jun/Jul 2017 advertising DEADLINE IS MAY 26, 2017!

Apr/May 2017

Oregon News

Page 5

understand the complexities and realities involved. The need for public safety overrides the majority opinion of an uneducated public.

“The constant rule-changing has been a problem,” Voelker said. “We have to be really careful about some of these changes.”

Joint Committee Testimony The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is considering a revision to cannabis testing rules in Oregon and they are taking public comment until the end of April. These proposed changes were driven by a supposed backlog in the testing system and a perceived unreasonably high cost for processors and growers.

Proponents of the changes allege foul play by laboratories for overcharging and fixing the rules. They point to the shortage of concentrates and edibles on dispensary shelves as the reason these changes are needed; but after delving deeper into the issue, it appears the current shortage is being driven by pesticide-contaminated cannabis—not high prices and a long wait for test results.

Two major provisions of the new rules are in dispute. One is to change testing on concentrates from the current levels down to only a single annual random sample from cannabis processors. Concentrates are the most contaminated of all cannabis products in Oregon. Another rule would dial back the current requirement that at least 33% of the flower batches be tested for pesticides to only 20%. These apply to recreational cannabis only.

The current contamination rates are 10% failure for flower and 26% for concentrates, according to the OHA. OregonLive reported on the proposed changes March 3, when the OHA—in cooperation with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), which has the authority to change the rules—proposed changing the current testing standards to help alleviate the shortages. OregonLive reported: Andre Ourso, manager of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, said industry complaints about the cost of testing and delays faced by concentrate and extract

Image: OLIS Video Capture

makers getting their products to stores drove the proposals.

Also, more testing means more expense for the consumer, he said. By law, the state is supposed to consider consumer cost, as well as public safety, in drafting its rules. He said the public may comment on the rules between March 15 through April 30. New rules are expected to go into place June 1.

"The agency will evaluate the public comment," he said. "If it comes out that this is not something the public wants, the agency won't adopt" the changes.

Rules Committee Practically Excluded The proposed changes were not properly considered or vetted by the Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) and were proposed and adopted at a single meeting, without proper input or consideration from the entire committee. According to Roger Voelker, head chemist of OG Analytical, who is a member of the current RAC, the changes caught most of the people at the committee meeting off guard.

“These changes were introduced at the RAC,” Voelker explained. “We thought we were going to be talking about some of the problems concerning edibles and batch sizes and addressing a wider scope of issues but they brought these changes—to our surprise.”

The proposed changes are now open for public comment after having basically avoided serious discussion by the RAC. It's not typical to ask for public input for a public safety issue like pesticide contamination. The information is complex and the safety issues are serious. The vast majority of individuals cannot even begin to

Some valid concerns about the proposed changes were brought up by committee members during a presentation to the Joint Committee on Marijuana. Concerns about the disregard for public safety were among themp.

Rep. Carl Wilson (R) asked “I guess a question that I would have is: given the responsibility that we have here, how do we vouch for walking back on safety standards? You know, I could look at the good representative (Wilson turns to Rep. Lininger to his right) and say, 'you know you look pretty healthy; maybe you could take a little more pesticide than those other guys.' … I'm just kind of wondering how do we make that case.”

“As we go along we’re having to talk to toxicologists and learn what is and what isn't toxic and what can and cannot be used on these products,” explained Jeff Rhoades, Senior Policy Advisor for the Governor.

“You don't have studies that deal with what happens when these things are ingested by inhaling rather than … just eating it instead.”

“We are still testing more than any other food safety arena and we want to maintain that level of public safety; that's an important piece for us,” explained Rhoades further. “But we also want to be mindful of our statutory obligations to make certain that we are not making this overly burdensome or that we’re costing Oregonians good jobs, as well.”

Ourso added later, “The action levels that we set are higher than action levels and tolerance levels that would be set on conventional foods.”

Rep. Julie Fahey (D) said, “Right now there is a relatively high percentage of concentrates and extracts that are failing and yet we seem to have set up what seems Cont. on Page 11

Rob Patridge has resigned from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. An announcement was made March 6 and his last day was March 10, 2017. He was appointed to the OLCC in October 2012, and later appointed Chair of the Commission in July 2013.

“The opportunity to serve on, and lead, the Commission during this dynamic time at the agency has been a highlight of my public service career,” Patridge explained in a press release.

Image Keith Mansur, OCC “Because the OLCC has an extremely capable and professional staff, we’ve been able to effectively and efficiently make changes that reflect the rapidly changing alcohol and cannabis markets.”

Patridge was integral in adopting the new rules for cannabis for Oregon's recreational market. His efforts began with a tour of the state that involved public town hall meetings and evolved into numerous rules advisory committees to help determine the needed rules. The OLCC letter explained: After the November 2014 passage of Measure 91, which gave the OLCC responsibility for regulation of legalized recreational marijuana in Oregon, Patridge sharpened the OLCC’s focus to create a roundly supported system. Patridge led statewide “town hall” public meetings and other stakeholder engagements to formulate the framework for rulemaking to regulate the recreational marijuana industry. Oregon was the third state to approve legal cannabis consumption for adults.

“There was a lot skepticism about how the OLCC was going to regulate cannabis,” said Cont. on Page 11

Oregon News

Page 6

served another purpose. The members oohed and aahed, pictures were taken for the record and Committee Co-Chair Ginny Burdick was reminded of how much more valuable the glass bong she received from fellow Senators after the 2015 session would be if it remained unused. Rep. Hack, who had introduced the bill at the request of a constituent, left the hearing promising to give it another look before coming back to the Committee.

Anthony Taylor is the President of Compassionate Oregon and has unique access and insights into Oregon's lawmaking process, much of which takes place in the Capitol building, near the corners of Church and State streets in Salem.

Marijuana Legislation update: Some have made it, many are out.

Well, it certainly has been an interesting session for cannabis so far. With 34 marijuana bills and three hemp bills on deck, it is another busy session for everyone.

The number of marijuana lobbyists has fallen, but those who are still at it are working hard.

The initial scare from the Trump administration’s comments on marijuana pushed Sen. Prozanski to introduce SB 863, which would require all personal information gathered during a transaction in adult use stores be destroyed within 48 hours. This was proposed as a way to further protect consumers and patient privacy should federal policy change. It is also intended to limit the sale of this information to third parties for marketing purposes. The bill hit a rough spot during its first public hearing when André Ourso testified for the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), but an amended version later passed quickly and unanimously. It is awaiting its third reading on the Senate Floor, where it is expected to pass.

The public hearing on HB 2556—the perennial paraphernalia bill that was reduced from four pages to three paragraphs, finally just prohibiting only the sale of “marijuana pipes” to minors—broke into raucous laughter when Sen. Kruse regaled fellow committee members with stories of his youthful indiscretions and how, in his opinion, just about anything from an apple to a soda can could be considered a marijuana pipe.

Local glassblowers presented beautiful pieces they considered art but that also

Keith Mansur, OCC Newspaper.

SB 301 provides that conditioning employment on refraining from using a substance that is lawful to use in this state is an unlawful employment practice. There is a great deal of debate on this bill, with the usual workplace and public safety concerns facing off against the primary argument that it is employment discrimination to terminate employment because of a positive drug screen for a legal substance. It is before Senate Judiciary with a work session scheduled for April 18.

Senate Bills 302 and 303, which would adjust sentencing and penalties were both passed unanimously by the Joint Committee on Marijuana Regulation early. SB 302 contains the major changes to Oregon’s Controlled Substances Act for sentencing this session and has already passed the Senate. SB 303 creates Minor in Possession for marijuana and is on the Governor’s desk.

Both bills are expected to be signed.

Senate Bills 307 and 788 are the big social use and consumption bills and are getting a lot of attention and work, but have stalled temporarily. Work in private among stakeholders trying to reach a compromise, however, may result in one or both bills getting through this session. Sam Chapman is working SB 307 while Portland NORML has been pushing SB 788. We should all be paying attention to these.

SB 845 and House Bills 2203 and 2204 relate to taxes. SB 845 and HB 2203 would redistribute state cannabis tax revenue in a 50/50 split between counties and cities. HB 2204 would allow counties and cities to adopt up to an 8% local tax—rather than the 3% now in place on adult use sales. This can be done without a vote of the people and would go directly to the city or county. These bills are working their way through House and Senate Revenue Committees. The House bills have a work session scheduled for April 11 and will probably be moved by the Committee.

Cont. on Page 22

These words of caution have been heard by audiences at places such as the THC Fairs in Oregon, uttered by yours truly. But what do they really mean? It's just as simple as the three short sentences.

Words mean things.

Knowing and understanding both the language and common usage is critically important in a debate. We are currently debating the future of cannabis. As such, I refuse to demean the debate by using the term “marijuana” as a default. By choosing the word “cannabis” and applying it consistently, we are discussing all forms of the plant. Whether medical, for adult use or grown as hemp, the debate is about more than the illicit drug known as marijuana.

Notice in the above paragraph I said “adult use,” not “recreational use.” As one of the fathers of our movement, Dennis Peron, once said: “All marijuana use is medical.” In fact, almost every dispensary owner or employee will tell you that most of their “recreational” customers are selfmedicating—not seeking just enjoyment, but relief from their symptoms—without a medical card. In the context used by Dennis Peron, the wording is correct.

Choose them carefully.

The Joint Committee on Marijuana is comprised of people who do not consume cannabis. In fact, between the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Department of Agriculture (DOA) and the legislature, you will not find one person who admits to using cannabis now. This is because although “marijuana” is legal in Oregon, the state may deny employment to or fire employees based upon its use. So we have a situation that looks a lot like putting Alcoholics Anonymous in charge of the OLCC. People with no real experience with our favorite plant are calling the shots and making decisions for us.

Oregon Cannabis Connection This leads to terrible situations like “The labs issue” currently being discussed. We went from years without any required lab testing to minimal requirements for testing under the rules that codified dispensaries.

We began to test for THC, CBD, mold and mildew at the request of patients who frequented the dispensaries. Other tests were available at the request of the producer or dispensary. It was a fair system that addressed the needs of the producers, retailers and patients.

Then the straight people came in and set new standards that we were all required to abide by after the passage of M91. First they were so overly strict that they had to be revised just two months after implementation (October-December of 2016). The problem was that certifying labs limited market access. (This was understaffing of the ORELAP program by the OHA.) (“Ducks & Beavers”, Oregon Cannabis Connection, Dec/Jan 2016) We went from no standards to too-strict standards at the demand of the Department of Justice, then dialed back the requirements in some areas to cope with the fact that the straight people at the OHA weren't doing their job. (Oh, if only they could blame it on all the pot they were smoking instead of having to own up to their ineptitude.) So now—temporarily—we have no standards at all.

You may get what you ask for.

If only it were so easy. The number one complaint from cannabusiness professionals is regulation. We asked to be regulated like other industries and, to an extent, this is happening. This is what we asked for. But we now have to go back to the first sentence.

In order to win this debate we must clearly define the terms and the words being used.

When we allow others to define our words, they are used against us in a corruption of their basic meaning. We must own our language to win the debate.

The state seeks to regulate “in the interest of public health and safety,” This has been a constant theme in many conversations, as we seek to normalize cannabis cultivation and consumption in Oregon. But what those eight words mean can differ depending on who you ask. Members of the Oregon Sun Growers Guild (OSGG), including me, have had a seat at many tables as we develop the rules for this budding industry. But the straight people employed by the state are Cont. on Page 11

Apr/May 2017

Oregon News

Page 7 Portland, Oregon – The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is issuing an immediate health and safety advisory due to the identification of potentially unsafe pesticide residue on retail plant material produced from marijuana cultivated by Emerald Wave Estate, LLC.

The National Organization for Marijuana Legalization (NORML) has been a household name-type of outfit for decades. The group was the de facto respectable face of the marijuana legalization movement for a long time, but then the whole movement sort of became respectable due to society’s changing mores. Now with marijuana medically legal in more states than it’s not, and an increasing number of states looking favorably on recreational legalization, as well, you might be wondering what the legal eagles at NORML are working on.

We spoke with Leland Berger, head of the Oregon CannaBusiness Compliance Counsel, who is also an attorney on the Portland NORML Legislative Committee. We asked him what the focus was now, in states where legalization has already prevailed—like Oregon, Washington and Colorado.

“This session [ 2017 Oregon Legislative], we were able to get two bills introduced: Senate Bill 301, where we’re working with Beth Creighton of Creighton & Rose,” says Berger. Creighton is one of the co-chairs of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA) employment section and has been representing employees for over 20 years. “She came up with this idea about how currently the law already makes it an unlawful business practice to fire or refuse to hire someone for off-site tobacco use. So why not extend that to off-site state legal cannabis use?”

The idea gained support from Senator Floyd Prozanski (D), who represents South Lane and North Douglas counties, and soon SB301 was on the table for debate. The effects of this bill cannot be understated: Aside from the fact that it would extend the basic protections cigarette smokers already enjoy, it could potentially be the first salvo in the battle against pre-employment drug testing.

Berger remains vague on this point, as the bill is up for a legislative work session on April 18, and there’s a long way to go. But he’s clear, “The goal of 301 is to address employment and preemployment discrimination.”

Berger calls the bill a culmination of 34 years of not having an answer for people struggling with cannabis and employment. “Over the years I’ve gotten calls from people saying, ‘Hey, I just got turned down for a job or I just got fired and it was for a dirty urine test.’” he says. He was tired of not having an answer for them.

Representing employees in this way is part of why he’s a lawyer. “I’ve always represented protesters, from antiapartheid protesters in the early eighties, to the Occupy protesters in the last couple of years. I do that primarily through the National Lawyer’s Guild,“ says Berger of his history aiding agitators. “Its philosophy is that human rights are more important than property rights.“ Berger and Creighton are still meeting with opponents regarding SB 301, and are hopeful some version of it will pass.

Oregon Liquor Control Commission issued a marijuana recall for marijuana products from by Emerald Wave Estate, LLC. The recall was issued on March 18th. The product, marijuana flower, was transferred to Buds 4 U in Mapleton, Oregon and they then sold the product to 31 customers according to the OLCC tracking system.

The sales occurred between March 8 and March 10, 2017. The strain was called "Blue Magoo" and can be identified by the unique id numbers on the label (see below). It was found contaminated with pyrethrins above the allowable levels.

Image Keith Mansur, OCC

The other bill for the Legislative committee, SB307, deals with the classification of vape pens as harmful aerosols. The Oregon Indoor Clean Air Act (ICAA), or Smoke-Free Workplace Law, prevents smoking inside, or within 10 feet of the doorway of, any workplace.

Effective January 1, 2016, this was extended to include vaporizers (ecigarettes) or any of what they call “inhalant delivery systems.”

“Law Enforcement took the position that they couldn’t enforce the new prohibition on public use (on tobacco vaporization products) unless cannabis was also added, because they wouldn’t be able to know if it was tobacco or cannabis,” says Berger.

This new prohibition instantly made the burgeoning cannabis club circuit illegal.

Places like the World Famous Cannabis Café in Portland, where customers could come and enjoy their vape pens indoors and their combustibles on the patio, went out of business. It also caused several high profile events, such as ones organized by High Times magazine, to be cancelled or relocated.

Berger and his team asked Sen. Prozanski to get involved once again, as well as meeting with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) about the idea of getting licensure for indoor use of “inhalant delivery systems” for events.

Berger says the OLCC was receptive, saying they wouldn’t have a problem issuing licenses for lounges and special events, in principle.

“And just like there are beer gardens at events, there could be weed gardens,” says Berger.

The bill pushed by Berger (SB 788) included an opt-out clause, which would allow counties to vote to not allow the licensure in their borders. Meanwhile SB 307 was also brought to the floor, which is an identical bill—only it requires the counties that do want the licensure in their borders to opt in and vote to allow it, not the other way around.

Berger elaborates on the current status of SB 307, “At this point, though, I’m still speaking with Senator Ferrioli about the local control issue, and perhaps allowing 307 to grandfather in the counties that have already opted out, and on the whole social consumption thing.…”

Cont. on Page 8

The dispensary notified the OLCC when they noticed the pesticide results in the tracking system had been changed from a negative result to a positive. They immediately removed the product from the shelf and issued a voluntary recall for the tainted product.

According to Dustin at Buds 4 U, the testing lab apparently changed the results in the Cannabis Tracking System (CTS), also called METRC, which includes pesticide results.

“Basically it was human error on the part of the lab,” Dustin explained to the Oregon Cannabis Connection. “The lab entered 'test passed' in the system which allowed the flower to move from grower to wholesaler to retailer to customers in the matter of three days.”

It was a completely legitimate string of transactions since it showed “passed” in the CTS, but the test results were apparently inaccurate or incomplete.

Apparently, the pesticide results were changed a few days later in the system and Dustin just happened to noticed, immediately alerting OLCC to the problem. The OLCC notice made no mention of the lab error in their public announcement and mentioned the marijuana had been sold before test results had been entered. The OLCC did not return our requaest for comment.

“It was a completely legal transfer of the product from farm to retailer except for the fact that the lab prematurely reported and published the test results as passed—because it was a partial batch test that they published—and they were not supposed to publish it until the complete batch test came back,” explained Dustin. “They changed the status from 'test pass' to 'test fail' in the METRC.” Thanks to Buds 4 U's reporting and Dustin's quick actions, they were able to catch the rest of the nine pound “Blue Magoo” batch at all the other dispensaries and quickly notify customers of the problem and that they could return the product.

A News Release was issued by the OLCC and it makes no mention of the labs incorrect posting to the CTS. March 18, 2017 Oregon Liquor Control Commission Issues Marijuana Recall:

The affected marijuana failed a pesticide test for pyrethrins exceeding the Oregon Health Authority action level for this class of pesticide.

Affected products include marijuana flower; the retailer that sold the product has issued a voluntary recall. The marijuana flower was sold at Buds 4 U LLC located at 10692 Highway 126, Suite 4, Mapleton, Oregon.

A wholesaler transferred the product to the retailer before the pesticide results were recorded in the OLCC Cannabis Tracking System (CTS). Buds 4 U sold 82.5 grams to 31 customers between March 8 and March 10, 2017. The retailer noticed the failed pesticide results in the CTS on March 10, 2017 and immediately contacted the OLCC. The affected marijuana should bear a label that includes one of the following OLCC License numbers: 050-1002850B56E, 060-100301304FE, 050-1002850B56E and any of the following package numbers: 1A4010300005B05000000772 – product name: Blue Magoo 1A4010300005B05000000769 – product name: Blue Magoo 1A4010300005911000000005 – product name: Blue Magoo The remainder of the affected nine pound batch of marijuana flower has been placed on administrative hold, meaning it cannot be lawfully transferred, pending the outcome of an additional pesticide retest. Consumers who have these recalled products should dispose of the products or return them to the retailer where they were purchased.

There have been no reports of illness.

The possible health impact of consuming marijuana products with unapproved pesticide residues is unknown. Short and long-term health impacts may exist depending on the specific product, duration, frequency, level of exposure, and route of exposure. Consumers with concerns about their personal health should contact their physician with related questions.

Consumers with questions or concerns about recalled product or pesticide residues in marijuana products are encouraged to contact the product retailer and/or the Oregon Poison Center at 800-222-1222.

For More Information: www.marijuana.oregon.gov Email: marijuana@oregon.gov Phone: 503-872-5000 Toll Free: 800-452-6522 © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Page 8

Oregon News

Dept. of Ag PossiblyTake Over Grow Operations?

3rd Annual Oregon Hempfest in Southern Oregon

House Bill 2198 has been introduced for the 2017 Oregon legislative session. Starting with a name change for the OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control Commission) to the OLCC (Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission), the meat of this legislation comes toward the end. That’s where it stops the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) from registering cannabis grow operations and shifts these responsibilities to the Department of Agriculture (DOA).

The 3rd Annual Oregon Hempfest will take place again in Douglas county, near Roseburg. Previously known as the Umpqua Valley Hempfest, the three-day music and information event is expected to be the best one yet—with a great music lineup and an informative “hemposium” section with speakers and panels covering topics from cultivation to legislation.

The event has been officially licensed with the Seattle Hempfest® since its beginning.

Reached for comment, DOA Cannabis Policy Coordinator Sunny Jones brought attention to the relative youth of the bill.

“The Department does not have an official position on the bill. Having said that, there is a lot of time left in the session and bills—as I’m sure you know—tend to go through a lot of changes during a session,” said Jones in an email.

Based on this past October’s hand off of recreational duties from OHA to OLCC, many dispensaries in the state are likely sweating this one. If growers are not informed and assertive on their own behalf, they might find themselves having licensure or stocking issues that lead to major loss of business.

Jones stressed that the Department doesn’t have the funds yet to do anything but await more information from the legislature.

“Session is ongoing through the end of June.

It’s still really preliminary. We would start working toward something if it was getting to the end of and we had some confidence it would pass the way it was written.”

But the Department already does a lot of work with cannabis, and doesn’t seem too worried about taking over more responsibilities. “If we were tasked with doing it and were provided the funding, we would take it on,” said Jones.

Among other cannabis-related duties, the DOA already works with growers in terms of what pesticides they can use on cannabis crops. Because cannabis is essentially

unrecognized as a legal crop by the federal gov—ernment, things can be tricky for growers.

“The feds regulate pesticides: where those chemicals can be used and what crops they can be used on,” said Jones. She continued, “Some chemicals are exempt from the requirement of a tolerance—basically the residue level that can be on a crop when you harvest it—so we’ve put together a guide-list of chemicals we feel it would not be illegal to use [for cannabis growers]. We’re not saying they’re safe; we’re not saying that we encourage their use. Just that it would be within the legal framework as it is today.”

To be included on this list, pesticides must pass a three-step test that includes exemption from tolerance, label language must be broad enough for use on edible crops and have a passing grade on a pyrology test (a test of what happens to the chemical when it’s burned).

In terms of adding the relatively broad new responsibilities of regulating growers beyond pesticides and edibles, Jones shows no signs that she is concerned that the DOA can’t handle the transition.

She was clear in her response; “Regardless of which state agency regulates cannabis growers, there is still the overarching federal Cole Memo that the state of Oregon must ensure is being met. If it were to pass, the Department would work with OHA and OLCC to continue that compliance.” © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. ll rights reserved.

Recipes, Page 1 9!

Nathan Marsh, the event organizer, said, “This year we changed our name to Oregon Hempfest Image: Oregon mainly to Hempfest represent the broader state audience … The event is in the Umpqua Valley, but we advertise and promote it all across the state.”

“The Umpqua Valley represents the area where the majority of the marijuana is grown, so it's appropriate to have it down here,” explained Marsh. “Being able to camp and have that festival environment is a popular theme in Oregon.”

One aspect sets this Hempfest apart from others associated with Seattle: It is in a rural area of Oregon—not a population center—which means camping (21 and over) and a music festival atmosphere that most others don't have. They have a lot of music, too. Traditionally, Seattle Hempfest doesn't pay for their music; but Oregon Hempfest does, to attract bigger bands. This year’s lineup likely will include Gonzo, from Tribal Seeds, and Travis Warren (Blind Melon). Of course, the many other bands playing will still offer an eclectic mix of music.

The cost is low. Right now it's only $60 for all three days,which includes camping—if you get your tickets early. Day-only passes are $20 if you can't camp, or $40 for a single day and night.

“We want to keep it affordable for people,” explained Marsh. “We are trying to strike a balance between paying for everything and keeping it so we don't have crazy prices for people, as well … three days of music costs a lot of money.”

The event is June 23–25. They secured a new, flat location this year, which will allow easier access and camping. The address is 383 Brownback Rd in Dixonville, which is right off of Diamond Lake Hwy out of Roseburg. Daytime events are for all ages.

Find out more at www.umpquahempfest.com.

The cost is low. Right now it's only $60 for all three days,which includes camping—if you get your tickets early. Day-only passes are $20 if you can't camp, or $40 for a single day and night. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection.

All rights reserved.

Oregon Cannabis Connection

ACMM Meeting Notes Meeting Date March 29, 2017 Program • The number of patients registering for a card continues to decrease; it is now 61,000+ • The number of patients with grow sites is also decreasing and out-of-state patients are gradually being phased out • The number of dispensaries that are medical only is decreasing • Only four medical processors are currently operating Jeff Rhoades, Governor’s Cannabis Policy Advisor spoke.

• The state has developed a Federal Rapid Response Team to deal with various issues, including cannabis • The Governor is supportive of the cannabis industry because of its contribution to employment in Oregon • The Governor also believes in and recognizes the importance for cannabis for patients, wants to preserve what we have and protect patients • Governor Brown is a signatory on the “First Four” letter HB 4014 Clinical Guidelines for Attending Physicians • Can be found at https://www.oregon.gov/omb/Topics-ofInterest/Documents/medical-marijuanaguidelines.pdf • Oregon Medical Board recommends continuing medical education on the endocannabinoid system National Academy of Sciences Report: The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids • Oregon contributed $100,000 toward the report • Looked only at human studies; no animal or in vitro studies included • Can be read or downloaded at https://www.oregon.gov/omb/Topics-ofInterest/Documents/medical-marijuanaguidelines.pdf Remote Dispensing Report was presented to the Legislature (Joint Committee) at the beginning of the session. They have done nothing to follow u Marijuana and Your Health • $3 million grant for public health research • Portland metro, Jefferson and Jackson counties focus groups • Found no increase in youth use • Further research after first year would need to be funded by legislature • Publications and other info can be found at https://public.health.oregon.gov/PreventionWe llness/marijuana/Pages/index.aspx Online OMMP application • Tested and to be launched soon • Flyers to go out in renewal packets starting in July • Mailing to patients and on social media • Webinar to be offered and trainings around the state between end of April and mid-June Elections. Sarah Bennett was elected as the new ACMM Chair; Melanie Farnsworth as Vice-Chair

Testing Rules were discussed.

Also of concern to Berger and the Legislative committee is the future of federal enforcement.

New Attorney General Jeff Session’s recent cryptic and chilling statements regarding his desire to sic the Feds on state-legal medical and recreational outfits has caused an obvious stir in the cannabis community. When asked about what he thinks the future holds for federal enforcement, Berger is noncommittal but optimistic. He reads from his own quote on the matter, “By executive order, from Sessions’ testimony in Congress, and by his statements to the National Association of Attorneys General, it seems that the focus on enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act will be on transnational cartels operating in legalized states, and not on those who are working within the regulated framework.”

In other words, they won’t be interested in dispensaries and regulated grow operations.

That is not exactly the firm affirmation of a future for those with their livelihoods staked to cannabis sales would hope for, but it’sthe best we have right now.

Berger stresses that things are constantly in flux with these bills, and by the end of the month, a lot will have changed. There are developments that have occurred even within days of speaking with us.

“In the interim, I can tell you that both 307 and 301 had workgroups where proponents of the law met with opponents,” says Berger, “because that’s how things happen at the legislature.”

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Oregon News Nugs Pilot Busted In Texas With 230 Pounds of Oregon Cannabis A small plane that originated from Medford, Oregon, was found in Llano, Texas with 230 pounds of “vacuum-sealed packages” of marijuana. The plane, piloted by 64-year-old Wayne Douglas Brunet, had refueled in Holbrook, Arizona, before eventually landing in central Texas.

Oregon News need that kind of media attention after a recent report was released by the Oregon State Police that pointed to medical marijuana grows in the state as the main source of black market marijuana, which is a simplistic explanation for the issue. Senator Ginny Burdick also made comments to the Oregonian in which she supported the findings in the report, but Compassionate Oregon’s Anthony Taylor broke down the real problems in a recent opinion piece, Oregon Medical Marijuana Growers Not To Blame For Black Market, find it online at www.occnewspaper.com. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis connection. All rights reserved.

Oregon Dept of Agriculture Recalls Uncle John's Blend Fertilizers

According to authorities, he landed at the unmanned Bulverde airport and then took off after he spotted authorities on the ground.

He was headed for an airport in Lago Vista but landed at the Llano Municipal airport after he realized authorities were after him.

After he landed the plane, the suspect apparently attempted to flee on foot but was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety air unit officers (DPS). The www.Statesman.com in Austin reported: According to the criminal complaint, federal agents began tracking Brunet’s single-engine plane Sunday night as it flew from Oregon to Texas. After landing in Texas at the airport in Bulverde, federal officials said the plane took off after spotting authorities on the ground.

The plane was headed to an airport in Lago Vista, officials said, but Brunet flew to the Llano airport after seeing law enforcement officers. Brunet landed in Llano and tried to run away, federal officials said, but he was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety air unit officers. Authorities said they found 15 duffel bags filled with vacuumsealed packages of marijuana and about $6,000 in cash.

I would expect that some people in Oregon are getting a little worried. There is no doubt that authorities are going to track that shipment back here, and the state doesn’t

Another fertilizer has been recalled from shelves for testing positive for pesticides not listed on the label. The product is Uncle John’s Blend 0-0-2 (w/O.1% Fe), by Cutting Edge Solutions, LLC. It is the second product to be recalled in the past few weeks by the company. On February 28 they had a recall on their Uncle John’s Blend 0-0-2 (w/ no Fe).

Both contain salicylic acid.

All products for sale in Oregon intended to be used on plants as fertilizer or pesticide must be approved and registered by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). Cannabis may only have specific products used on it and a pesticide guide list is provided to help growers avoid improper use. The page also provides the full list of recalled products.

March 10, 2017 The ODA has reason to believe the product 00-2 Uncle John’s Blend (w/ 0.1% Fe), manufactured by Cutting Edge Solutions, contains a pesticide active ingredient, salicylic acid, not listed on the label. This advisory is based on laboratory testing and confirmation of undeclared pesticide active ingredients.

Growers of all crops and retailers are advised to discontinue using or selling 0-0-2 Uncle John’s Blend (w/ 0.1% Fe) until further notice. The Department has issued a statewide stop sale or removal order and is working with the manufacturer to rectify the situation.

For additional information or questions, please contact ODA at (503) 986-4635, email pestx@oda.state.or.us or visit our website at: www.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/Pesticides/P ages/CannabisPesticides.aspx. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis connection. All rights reserved.

Oregon Bill Protects Personal Information A proposal passed the Oregon Senate that protects the names, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and other information of identification of recreational marijuana users from federal authorities. This means that the thousands of recreational users of marijuana would be able to safely partake without fear of having their identities revealed to the feds, and subsequently becoming targets of a potential federal cannabis crackdown.

Senator Ted Ferrioli, the Republican minority leader and one of the sponsors of the bill, said, “The loss of this information could be damaging for many different reasons. I don’t have to tell you the frequency of hacking incidents or inadvertent releases of data.” He also cast doubt over the administration’s wavering policy on the cannabis industry, saying, “We’ve heard a lot of conflicting information about the (White House) administration’s approach to cannabis.”

From Oregon Department of Agriculture: Pesticide Advisory Alert – Uncle John’s Blend 0-0-2 (w/ 0.1% Fe), by Cutting Edge Solutions, LLC, contains salicylic acid

This bill is a progressive step toward both the promotion of legal and safe cannabis use within the state of Oregon, as well as protection of legal cannabis users’ personal identification information. However, users of medical marijuana will continue to be monitored as they were, due to tax

Oregon Cannabis Connection regulations and the monitoring of cannabis quality, as well as the state’s tracking program.

“When you’re a medical cardholder, you opt in to your records being kept because you have a qualifying condition that requires higher limits and potencies and certain products. So, the bill went as far as it reasonably could to protect privacy,” said Jonathan Lockwood, the Senate GOP spokesperson.

The bill passed the Senate with a 21 to 6 vote and is expected to easily pass the House.

It will take effect upon passage. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis connection. All rights reserved.

Oregon Hemp Convention Licenses With Seattle Hempfest The former Oregon Hemp Convention has teamed up with the legendary Seattle Hempfest® and will produce the PDX Hempfest Expo® under a newly announced franchise agreement. The agreement comes on the heels of a number of other Hempfest® licensed events.

The Portland-based expo, now in its third year, is a more education-oriented event than the typical Hempfests® that are licensed, l;ike the Oregon Hempfest® (Formerly the Umpqua Valley Hempfest®), and the first annual Austin Texas Hempfest®, coming in October 2017.

“We are thrilled to partner with our Portland family as we continue to define the Pacific Northwest as a regional leader in the burgeoning cannabis industry,” Vivian McPeak, the Seattle Hempfest’s executive director, said in a press release.

Jerry Norton, the event organizer, told Oregon Cannabis Connection, “It’s going to be a homerun for us … and they thought it was perfect for them, too.”

“We’re going to be able to co-affiliate and they are the largest hemp festival in the world,” explained Norton. “Sharon [from Hempfest] said, ‘we like to educate,’ so this is going to be a good fit for us.”

Ed Rosenthal has been booked for the PDX Hempfest Expo, along with a long list of other speakers and panelists. “He has a new book coming out titled Harvest and he will be having a signing and giving a harvest presentation,” explained Norton.

The event will be Saturday June 10, 2017, from 8 am to 8 pm at the Portland Expo Center at 2060 N. Marine Dr. Portland (last stop of the northbound yellow Max line). Ticket information is at https://www.eventbrite.com. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Business Listings, Page 23!

Apr/May 2017

Pesticides to be a 'safe harbor' where if your usable marijuana is tested to use concentrates, we are rolling back the requirements therein allowing this random sampling.”Her line of reasoning compelled Sen. Ginny Burdick to cut her off and mention that the Joint Committee was only taking testimony and not voting on the issue—implying that such probing questions were unwarranted.

Backlog of Testing no Longer Exists Green Leaf Lab recently announced that their testing turnaround time is 7 to 10 days. They have not had a backlog to speak of for over a month.

Pixis Labs is between 3 to 5 days, according to Derrick Tanner, the lab’s general manager.

Tanner told Oregon Cannabis Connection, “We have added many instruments and people in the last couple of months and can now handle up to 140 full compliance tests per day.”

Synergistic Pesticide Lab in Portland only does pesticide tests and is the “go-to” place for labs that do not have ORELAP certification for pesticide testing. They are taking around a week for testing, according to Camille Holladay, the lab owner.

“We can do rush work, for an up-charge … this is commonplace in the lab industry,” explained Holladay. “Blueberry growers looking to export fresh product during the busy season understand that paying for the rush is the cost of doing business.”

Testing Cost Facts and Figures The cost for a “full compliance screening,” which includes all the required tests, is between $350 and $400 at most labs. Those prices are way up from previous levels due to the new standards that the labs must follow.

The testing prices are not a result of “price collusion” by labs, as some industry people have said.

“One thing that bothers me about the idea that labs 'colluded' to make a bunch of money—other than it is clearly not true—is that people have no idea how expensive it is to open and operate a lab,” explained Holladay.

“Beyond the standard costs of rent, insurance, labor, utilities [and] marketing that most businesses have, there are instrumentation/equipment purchase and ongoing costs, specialized labor costs, accreditation-related costs, calibrations, consumables, solvents, chemicals, gases hazardous waste costs … I could go on.”

“This is why the extremely low pricing prior to October was unsustainable and proved that labs charging that were either losing tons of money or not actually doing the work at all,” she explained further.

As a comparison, Holladay shared with Oregon Cannabis Connection that the cost for pesticide screening on fruit is $240.00—compared to $175 on cannabis. The reason for the additional charge is the increased number of compounds screened for in fruit.

A “control study” is an effective tool that any reputable processor of concentrates or edibles manufacturer would employ. Once a control study is approved, the processor needs to take only two samples from a batch of up to 4,000 grams of concentrate. With a test costing $400, the cost per gram to test a batch drops to $.20 cents (or $800.00/4000gm).

Oregon News An even more cost-effective method the rules allow is called “process validation.” This takes more samples to achieve, but once done, a processor can then process up to 28,000 gram batches with two tests. This results in a potential cost per gram of only $.07 cents (or $800/28,000).

Pesticide Failures Common in Concentrates Although the OHA identified a 26% failure rate on medical marijuana concentrate samples, most labs had a failure rate much higher. Some labs estimated that between 50 and 70% of the concentrates they tested failed the screening. One problem may have been that the OHA only saw results of the “reported” failures. Many tests were done as a pre-screen and were therefore not reported to OHA. What have the labs been finding? We asked a few what they were seeing: Pixis Labs found these pesticides most often: bifenthrin, chlorfenapyr, metalaxyl, piperonyl butoxide, spinosad and spiromesifen.

Carbaryl was commonly found by OG Analytical and is the active ingredient in the pesticide Sevin.

Synergistic Pesticide Laboratory did some data collection of their cannabis tests for us.

They examined all their failed tests for pesticides—over 580 ppm (parts per million) in some cases. Figure A is testing done after the October lab certification deadline.

Figure A: Information from Synergistic Pesticide Lab for tests after Oct 1st.

Pesticide Use Education There is apparently a lack of knowledge on the proper use of pesticides in the cannabis industry. The wide variety of failures is one indicator, but another more important one is the failure of tests on allowable pesticides— such as pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide—which have been used improperly.

Even allowable pesticides must be used properly to avoid contamination of the crop.

“The question is [whether they are] following the label. My experience in the cannabis industry is that people are not educated properly on how to read a label and how to use pesticides,” explained Holladay. “Really, I want to address the root cause of the whole problem of why we are seeing pesticides in cannabis products. They need the tools and resources to know what to do about it and how to prevent it in the first place.”

Holladay wants to do an education campaign this spring to help growers understand what they have to do. She hopes to impart muchneeded education to growers who need help and has spoken with the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) about workshops. They can explain how to correctly identify pests, how to monitor them, trap them and determine thresholds, and describe the options to deal with their issues.

“I have been speaking with folks at the ODA and I would like to get something together in the next couple of months—before this season,” explained Holladay.

Other Changes to the Testing Program There are other provisions in the proposed changes beyond pesticide testing. Some changes include remediation of products that tested positive for solvents, R&D testing on extracts, making the control study a permanent option with reduced sampling sizes, and more. There is also an ability to add heavy metals in the future.

Many of these changes are needed to help with shortages; but the pesticide testing standards should not be compromised when an obvious problem exists. Jeremy Riggle, a professor at Eastern Oregon University and head chemist at Eastern Oregon Analytical, thinks some considerations need to be given when appropriate; but the pesticide levels should be taken seriously.

“They want to protect the consumer without completely handcuffing the consumer,” he said. “But I don't know another way around it because you do need to do more testing than what they are proposing.”

They OHA will take comments until April 30, in written format preferably, to publichealth.rules@state.or.us The public is encouraged to respond. Two public comment sessions will be held—one in Eugene on April 27 and one in Portland on April 28. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection.

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Patridge Resigns Anthony Johnson, Executive Director, New Approach Oregon and co-author of Measure 91. “But Rob was always reasonable, and provided clear reasoning and a basis for his decisions. There was never a surprise about his point of view or whether or not he would be fair.”

Patridge used his knowledge as a district attorney and former legislator to guide creation of a citizen rulemaking advisory committee that included members of the cannabis industry, public health and safety interests, and community organizations. Along with the OLCC’s executive leadership, Patridge worked with Oregon legislators during the 2015 and 2016 legislative sessions to translate Measure 91 into workable laws that served the cannabis industry’s development.

Patridge also resigned his position as the Klamath County District Attorney and it is also effective Friday. He will be accepting a position with a private firm in California doing consulting work with the private sector.

The hunt is on for a new chairman, and the governor must appoint that individual from the 2nd Congressional District which comprises all of Central and Eastern Oregon and part of the Rogue Valley region. Rumor has it former Southern Oregon representative Peter Buckley turned down an offer to lead the agency. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Words Mean Things free to pick and choose from our advice. If they listen Monday, Wednesday and Friday,, but ignore us on Tuesday and Thursday, then they don't get the whole picture. The state should be doing a better job of listening to the cannabists if they indeed want better regulation. Who could possibly know more about our needs than we do!

At the end of the day, the issue is the same.

People who don't understand/don't care about/openly hate us and our plant have not just decision-making authority but veto power, as the laws are implemented. You read that right—veto power. Many good suggestions have died at the hands of the OHA and Justice Department because they simply refuse to implement M91 and the will of the voters.

So now you, as an Oregonian, have until April 30 to comment to the OHA on what responsible testing standards look like. You can stand with the OSGG and Oregonians for Public Health and Safety (OPHS) and demand access to safe medicine. Or you can let the straight people decide.

Visit OPHS and OSGG on Facebook and at oregonsungrown.org and share your opinions.

Tell the OHA you want safe access. Or do nothing and let others decide your fate. But please remember: “Words mean things.

Choose them carefully. You may get what you ask for.”

Pioneer Pete would much rather be discussing the terpenes and phytochemicals in cannabis roots and their healing value as documented for over 5000 years, but is currently defining what a PPM looks like to people with no science background. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved

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National News

Oregon Cannabis Connection barely mentions the gang violence that surrounds illicit narcotic drug trafficking.

Instead, he focuses on immigration, marijuana and civil rights issues.

Oregon Congressmen Ron Wyden and Earl Blumenauer announced the introduction of three bills that will protect state cannabis laws and provide a path forward for the federal government to end the failed and harmful policy of cannabis prohibition.

With a supermajority of American voters supporting medical cannabis and more than a strong majority favoring marijuana legalization, it makes sense that we would start seeing more support for sensible reform legislation in the halls of Congress.

Unfortunately, most members of Congress seem to be about a decade behind the people on cannabis policy. Oregon is fortunate to have several elected federal officials who understand that the will of the voters should be respected and that marijuana prohibition has been an utter failure with disastrous consequences, especially on people of color.

With the establishment of the bipartisan Congressional Cannabis Caucus, co-founded by two Republicans, Alaska’s Don Young and California’s Dana Rohrabacher, along with Colorado Democrat Jared Polis and Rep. Blumenauer, we are poised to see more pieces of legislation, and votes, chipping away at the failed War on Cannabis. Too many lives have been unnecessarily ruined, billions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars have been wasted and we have diverted important law enforcement resources that would be better used combatting serious and violent crimes. A sincere thanks to all of the elected officials and advocates working to end Reefer Madness prohibitionist policies in our nation’s capital.

Press release from Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Earl Blumenauer: WYDEN, BLUMENAUER ANNOUNCE BIPARTISAN PATH TO MARIJUANA REFORM Legislative package lays the foundation for responsible, comprehensive federal regulation of the marijuana industry Empowers states to implement own marijuana laws WASHINGTON – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., along with senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee Representative Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., today introduced three pieces of legislation to preserve the integrity of state marijuana laws and provide a path for responsible federal legalization and regulation of the marijuana industry. The Path to Marijuana Reform includes the bipartisan Small Business Tax Equity Act, which prevents legal marijuana businesses from getting hit with an unfair tax bill. The

package also includes measures to shrink the gap between federal and state marijuana policies and responsibly deschedule, tax and regulate marijuana.

More than 20 percent of Americans live in states that permit adult use of marijuana. The industry is expected to produce nearly 300,000 jobs by 2020 and grow to $24 billion in annual revenue by 2025.

“The federal government must respect the decision Oregonians made at the polls and allow law-abiding marijuana businesses to go to the bank just like any other legal business.” Sen. Wyden said. “This threestep approach will spur job growth and boost our economy all while ensuring the industry is being held to a fair standard.”

“As more states follow Oregon’s leadership in legalizing and regulating marijuana, too many people are trapped between federal and state laws,” Rep. Blumenauer said. “It’s not right, and it’s not fair. We need change now—and this bill is the way to do it.”

The Path to Marijuana Reform includes the following three bills: The Small Business Tax Equity Act This legislation would treat state-legal marijuana businesses like other small businesses by repealing the tax penalty that singles out marijuana businesses and bars them from claiming deductions and tax credits. Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., is a cosponsor of Wyden’s Senate bill and Representative Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., is sponsoring companion legislation in the House.

Responsibly Addressing the Marijuana Policy Gap Act This legislation would reduce the gap between federal and state laws by removing federal criminal penalties and civil asset forfeiture for individuals and businesses complying with state law. It would also reduce barriers for state-legal marijuana businesses by ensuring access to banking, bankruptcy protection, marijuana research and advertising. It would protect individual marijuana consumers in states that have legalized marijuana by providing an expungement process for certain marijuana violations, ensuring access to public housing and federal financial aid for higher education, and ensuring that a person cannot be deported or denied entry to the U.S. solely for consuming marijuana in compliance Cont. on Page 16

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo on Wednesday stating that the new Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety will be addressing a number of issues, including marijuana enforcement and asset forfeiture practices. Formed on February 27, 2017, the task force will be comprised of a number of subcommittees that will address specific areas of concern. The memo states: “Task Force subcommittees will also undertake a review of existing policies in the areas of charging, sentencing and marijuana to ensure consistency with the Department's overall strategy on reducing violent crime, and with the Administration’s goals and priorities. Another subcommittee will explore our use of asset forfeiture and make recommendations on any improvements needed to legal authorities, policies and training to most effectively attack the financial infrastructure of criminal organizations.”

They intend to have the National Summit on Crime Reduction and Public Safety within the next 120 days. They notably defer to local law enforcement, local organizations and communities for their input on the violent crime issues.

Sessions stated in the memo, “I have pledged to listen to the stories and concerns of those who are most affected by this rise in violent crime in communities across the country.”

So, what is the problem with this approach?

First of all, violent crime is down in the US, and has been declining since 1992. The increase in violent crime he refers to is a myth.

Sessions is simply trying to scare Americans into believing that our nation is experiencing is a rampant increase in violent crime increase so they will allow him to do whatever he wishes.

Sessions also mentions human trafficking, civil rights, hate crimes and a few other strategies.

He doesn’t talk about the heroin epidemic and

The most telling comments in the memo were concerning “access to complete, accurate and timely crime data.” The Drug Enforcement Administration has already requested information from Colorado on their investigations into marijuana-related cases.

This is a troubling development for legal adultuse states that are trying to implement effective marijuana regulations and systems under their state laws.

The memo comes only two days after the “first four” marijuana states delivered a letter to Sessions and the DOJ requesting that they be respectful of the local laws on marijuana legalization.

“We ask the Trump administration to engage with us before embarking on any changes to regulatory and enforcement systems,” the “first four” letter says, “providing the necessary framework for state regulatory programs centered on public safety and health protections.”

The Trump administration is a joke and this attorney general is, as well. His task force is nothing more than a political ploy to make Americans think he is cracking down on crime and doing meaningful work. There is no reason for this disingenuous attempt, which pretends they are doing good work, when anyone who can read or think will understand they are trying to turn back the clock and play political games. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection.

National News

Apr/May 2017

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Letter from the “first four:” April 3, 2017 Attorney General Jeff Sessions U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20530 The governors of the first four states to legalize recreational marijuana have sent a letter to the Trump administration asking for cooperation with any cannabis enforcement activities in their states. In a unified letter that displayed all four states' seals at the top, the Governors explained their concerns and contended that uncoordinated enforcement would be disruptive—at the least.

“We ask the Trump Administration to engage with us before embarking on any changes to regulatory and enforcement systems,” the letter said, “providing the necessary framework for state regulatory programs centered on public safety and health protections.”

They also implored him to stick with the Cole Memorandum, stating in the letter, “The balance struck by the 2013 Department of Justice Cole Memorandum (Cole Memo) has been indispensable.”

They governors want to continue the progress achieved so far. They told Trump that the Cole Memo allowed the states to “develop, robust regulatory structures that prioritize public health and public safety, reduce inequitable incarceration and expand our economies.”

They also mentioned the effectiveness of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) guidance from the US Treasury Department. The letter mentioned that this guidance and the Cole memo “provided the foundation for state regulatory systems and are vital to maintaining control over marijuana in our states.”

Let’s also hope these governors also send a letter to congressional leaders asking for renewal of the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment in the budget. That amendment prevents reimbursement of DOJ enforcement in legal medical cannabis states of legal medical cannabis business activities.

Secretary Steve Mnuchin U.S. Department of the Treasury NW 1500 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC 20220 Attorney General Sessions and Secretary Mnuchin: As governors of states that have legalized marijuana in some form, we ask the Trump Administration to engage with us before embarking on any changes to regulatory and enforcement systems. The balance struck by the 2013 Department of Justice Cole Memorandum (Cole Memo) has been indispensable providing the necessary framework for state regulatory programs centered on public safety and health protections.

We understand you and others in the administration have some concerns regarding marijuana. We sympathize, as many of us expressed apprehensions before our states adopted current laws. As governors, we have committed to implementing the will of our citizens and have worked cooperatively with our legislatures to establish robust regulatory structures that prioritize public health and public safety, reduce inequitable incarceration and expand our economies.

The Cole Memo and the related Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) guidance provide the foundation for state regulatory systems and are vital to maintaining control over marijuana in our states.

Overhauling the Cole Memo is sure to produce unintended and harmful consequences. Changes that hurt the regulated market would divert existing marijuana product into the black market and increase dangerous activity in both our states and our neighboring states. Likewise, without the FinCEN guidance, financial institutions will be less willing to provide services to marijuana­related businesses. This would force industry participants to be even more cash reliant, posing safety risks both to the public and to state regulators conducting enforcement activity. The Cole Memo and FinCEN guidance strike a reasonable balance between allowing the states to enact reasonable regulations and the federal government’s interest in controlling some of the collateral consequences of legalization.

Twenty­eight states, representing more than 60 percent of Americans, have authorized some form of marijuana­ related conduct. As we face the reality of these legalizations, we stand eager to work with our federal partners to address implementation and enforcement concerns cooperatively. The Cole Memorandum and the associated FinCEN guidance are critical to the success of any collaboration. We look forward to working with you and your administration. We stand ready to have further discussion on how these important federal policies work in our states.

Bill Walker, Governor, State of Alaska John Hickenlooper, Governor, State of Colorado Kate Brown, Governor, State of Oregon Jay Inslee, Governor, State of Washington http://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/A K­CO­OR­WA%20marijuana%20letter%204­3­17.pdf © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Arkansas has taken the dramatic step of introducing legislation that will require every medical marijuana dispensary in the newly-legal state to hire a “pharmacy consultant” to help answer questions from patients and assist them. It passed the House on March 28 with a vote of 81 to 8 with 2 voting present.

House Bill 2190 was introduced by Clint Penzo, and includes a provision to protect pharmacists from liability for assisting a pharmacy as a consultant. The bill states: “A pharmacist shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty in any manner or denied any right or privilege, including without limitation a civil penalty or disciplinary action by the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy or by any other business, occupational, or professional licensing board or bureau, solely for performing his or her duties as a pharmacist consultant for a registered dispensary.”

The Arkansas Pharmacists Association thinks it’s a great idea—even though they vocally opposed the medical legalization measure during the November election.

Their CEO, Scott Pace, told KFSM 5 News in Fort Smith, “We think it’s common-sense legislation that will make sure that public safety is first.”

The bill’s intent is to train dispensary personnel on the risks and side effects of marijuana and also to look for substance abuse warning signs. The pharmacist would not be required to be present, as long as he or she is readily available to answer questions by phone or video conference.

In addition to the pharmacist provision, the bill also requires that dispensaries have vaporizers available for patients to purchase so they have an alternative to full combustion of the cannabis and have a “cleaner” delivery method.

The legislature powered through a string of bills that afternoon. When they arrived at this bill, they debated for well over 30 minutes. Most legislators spoke in favor of the bill, including Rep. Robin Lundstrom, who explained: “This is medical marijuana; we are treating it like medicine, and we’re putting in, at least, a speed bump .. .At least someone that the patient can consult with and get a little help. I think it's a good bill. It's a start. Is it perfect? No. But it is a start towards treating medical marijuana like medicine.”

However, Representative Doublas House expressed concerns relating to the requirement of a pharmacist and the undue influence of the Pharmacy Association on

passage of the bill, and even brought up the relationship between opioid abuse and cannabis and how it is a conflict for pharmacists to help dispense medical marijuana. During his argument against the bill, House explained: “Where are you going to get 32 pharmacists to leave Walgreens or CVS or Bob's Drug Store and go off to a marijuana dispensary and spend all day long waiting for someone to walk in to talk about their drug situation.

They can't establish that. Where are the rules and regulations from the Pharmacy Board that are supposed to govern these folks. They're not here. They haven't even been brought into this discussion. This is like I said: it's just a 'germ' of a good idea.”

The bill goes to the Arkansas Senate for consideration, where it is likely to pass.

Then it goes on to Governor Asa Hutchinson's desk to be signed. As the former DEA Administrator under George W. Bush, he will most likely sign the bill. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

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National News Nugs Another NFL Player Arrested For Marijuana … at 4:22 pm The Kansas City Chiefs’ Demetrius Harris was arrested in Bates county, Missouri, on possession of marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia. He was the passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by Missouri Highway Patrol … at 4:22 pm.

The Chief;s number two tight end has been a solid starter behind Chiefs’ star Travis Kelce. He has been with the club for two seasons, making 20 starts and playing snaps in all 32 games. He had a significant enough impact on the Chiefs for them to offer him a threeyear, $6.3 million contract extension last year.

The Kansas City Star reported:

National News rely on marijuana as a fairly reliable income—but that comes with its perils.

The Congolese military and police have a love-hate relationship. At times they can be brutal to the marijuana farmers, beating them and arresting them, and at other times they are the clients of the very same growers. National Geographic reports: “But the medicine and extra francs come at a high cost. There’s a small wooden shack behind the perimeter of their huts.

Mubawa says that villagers are often arrested by the Congolese army for selling marijuana and held in that hut. Soldiers patrol the village nearly every day—three or four wander the area during our twohour conversation—but it’s never clear whether they are there as customers or law enforcers. Villagers say that if the soldiers have recently been paid, they will buy the marijuana. If they haven’t, then they confiscate it and demand the growers pay a fine.”

“If you have money, you pay, if not, they beat you until they get tired,” Mubawa says. “He has a gun; I have an arrow.”

Since Pygmies were historically huntergatherers, the article looks at the arrival of marijuana to the area of central Africa and when the Pygmies began their agrarian lifestyle. They discuss the illicit markets, how the Congolese military and police in trafficking, and more.

Harris, 25, was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Interstate 49 in Bates county around 4:22 p.m. He was taken to Bates county jail, where he was booked and later released.

Check out the full article at www.news.nationalgeographic.com

Possession of 35 grams (1 ¼ ounces) or more is considered a felony in Missouri, punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Charges against Harris are pending. He could not be reached for comment.

Woody Harrelson Quit Smoking Weed

“He was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for a traffic violation,” Sgt. Bill Lowe told The Star. “The trooper recognized the odor of marijuana, and marijuana was located in his possession.”

The NFL is considering changing their disciplinary policies on marijuana but have yet to finalize any changes.

Currently, NFL players are subject to urine tests in the off season. They have an allowable limit of 35 nanograms per milliliter of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which was created in 2014. Before that the limit was set at 15 ng/mL of THC. Because Harris was in a state where marijuana is illegal—in Missouri it’s a felony to possess over 35 grams (a mere 1 ¼ ounces) of cannabis and the punishment is up to seven years in prison and stiff fines he could be in big trouble. Charges are pending, but the law-breaking aspect of this will probably cause significant problems for Harris beyond a positive urinalysis. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All Rights Reserved.

Pygmies Cultivate Marijuana To Survive in DRC In the war-torn, dictatorial nation of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), indigenous Pygmies have taken to marijuana cultivation. The relatively small population of 600,000 forestdwelling natives—who have been long pushed to the bottom of the economic ladder—have had to survive on only a dollar a day. According to a new report by National Geographic, they have come to

© 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All Rights Reserved.

Stoner legend Woody Harrelson told Vulture.com he has not smoked pot in a year. In an interview published online, Harrelson told the interviewer he felt like he was partying too hard so he decided to make the change. He is still drinking alcohol, however.

Harrelson gave the interview while in New York promoting his new film, Wilson, which is a new dramatic comedy by Craig Johnson. The news came as a surprise to the interviewer, who explained that he was also “trying to quit” marijuana and blamed the smoke for making them less productive, a point with which Harrelson agreed.

Vuture: What’s a misconception that people have about you?

Woody: [A long pause.] They think I’m a party animal, which … I am a party animal. I mean, that might be one thing.

But I am a party animal. But on the other hand, I haven’t … I’m now extremely moderate and … I actually stopped smoking pot almost a year ago.

Vuture: Mazel tov. That’s not easy. I’m also in the process of trying to quit.

Woody: Oh, really?

Vuture: Yeah, I had a problem with it.

Woody: Why? Just too much?

Vuture: It messes with my head and makes me less productive.

Woody: Yeah, that was a little bit of my issue. Just 30 solid years of just partying too fucking hard.

Vuture: What do you do to keep from relapsing?

Woody: Well, like, last night, someone had — not just good herb but sativa; really good sativa. There’s a joint, and beautifully rolled. I like a beautifully rolled … and I

just was like, I mean, I’ve gone this long. It would be weird to just be like, “Okay, let me have a hit off that,” and then suddenly go back to smoking too much, which is … I don’t have a problem at all with smoking. I think it’s great. I think it’s a great drug, in terms of … Even cops say that the side effect is euphoria. Or the … what do you call it?

Vuture: The effect?

Woody: Right. The effect of it is euphoria.

But when you’re doing it all the time, it just becomes … Well, you know. I feel like it was keeping me from being emotionally available. I really don’t want this interview to turn into a whole thing about that.

Vuture: Well, congratulations. It’s not easy.

Woody: I still drink. But I try to be moderate with the drinking, too.

Is it confusing that a confessed big-time party animal would stop smoking marijuana and continue drinking alcohol?

It does seem like an odd choice, but I am one that really enjoys a beer once in awhile, and have no intention to get “buzzed.” I am confident that Harrelson will return to the natural healing herb in a moment, but it is hard to say how long that moment is.

One thing is certain, Harrelson will continue to advocate for legalization and for medical use of marijuana. He is a longtime progressive, and his feelings concerning others’ liberty and the proven medical value of the plant have not changed. Whether or not I can get an interview with him concerning cannabis in the near future is much less likely, however. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All Rights Reserved.

Acting Drug Czar Selected The Trump administration selected Richard Baum as the acting Drug Czar.

Baum has held a variety of positions within the Office of National Drug Policy over 18 years. Most recently he has held the position of International Division Director.

Dan Diamond from Politico Pulse Tweeted the news on March 28th, “RICH BAUM, a longtime drug policy expert and ex-Hill GOP staffer, tapped to be acting White House “drug czar.”

Tom Angell in Marijuana Moment daily cannabis update reported that Baum is also Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University's McCourt Graduate School in Washington D.C. His recent class—The War on Drugs: Causes, Consequences, and Alternatives. The course description online said: “The course will explore the development and impact of these policies, focusing on: the formation of initial domestic drug laws and international drug treaties, centralization in the White House of drug policy making starting in the Nixon and Bush Sr. Administrations, policy responses to increased drug use in the 1960s and 1970s and the crack/cocaine epidemic in 1980s.”

At www.DrugWarrant.com they reported that Baum actually feels drunk driving is less of an issue than drugged driving.

During a session in 2015 at the 58th

Oregon Cannabis Connection Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, Baum reportedly said: “In the US, we have a problem with drug driving and an irony is that drunk driving is relatively less of a problem. In 2014 a survey found that 8 percent of people on the road had alcohol in their systems. 21 percent had three or more drugs in their system.

Angell also pointed to a time that Baum supported using a fungicide to fight coca growing in Columbia. In 2000 Baum told the Chicago Tribune that inoculating seeds with fungicide and dropping them into the coca fields as a biological control of illegal coca growing. He did, however, show some concern for the safety of individuals, "It looks incredibly promising," Baum told the Tribune.

"However, we are waiting for the results of tests and will proceed only if the scientists working with the government of Colombia tell us that mycoherbicides are safe."

He is acting director while Trump looks to appoint a permanent Czar. In will be interesting to see who he burdens with the job. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All Rights Reserved.

Racial Discrimination in Marijuana Licenses Forces Maryland Lawmakers Hand The Maryland General Assembly strongly considered, but failed to issue, five more marijuana licenses, pressured by minority lawmakers after not a single one of 15 licenses went to a minority-owned company last year. The deal that was reached was not what Black leaders had wanted, which was a complete stay on the licensing process and the dissolving of the current Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission.

Black lawmakers, represented by the powerful Legislative Black Caucus, were upset after the licensing process for growers and processors failed to follow the Maryland medical marijuana law, which required the consideration of racial diversity when considering licensing.

“We are not going to see this industry flourish in the state of Maryland with no minority participation,” Delegate Cheryl D. Glenn, chairwoman of the Legislative Black Caucus told the Washington Post.

The Caucus had considered legal action to halt the process late last year. The law says the regulators must “actively seek to achieve” racial and ethnic diversity in the industry. With not a single license issued to a minority-owned business in the growing and processing sectors, that goal was not achieved. The Baltimore Sun Reported: "Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch on Thursday said they agreed on a general framework that would award more licenses after a racial disparity study is completed and a new licensing system that considers minority ownership is enacted. The steps would increase the likelihood that new licenses would go to firms owned by minorities.”

Maryland has a strict medical marijuana program that has “been in the works” for many years. Legislators have become anxious to get the program up and running. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All Rights Reserved.

Apr/May 2017

One very real problem with the conflict between US federal laws and state laws regarding marijuana legalization was made apparent last year in Southern California.

Sarah, a tourist from Santiago, Chile, was detained at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). What was supposed to be a short trip to visit her boyfriend in Northern California turned into a wasted flight, searches and interrogations, and hours of detention at the airport by CBP officers.

All this hubbub stemmed from a visit Sarah made earlier that year to Colorado. While there, she purchased and consumed cannabis from a dispensary, which is legal in Colorado.

She explained to Jacob Margolis on Southern California Public Radio's Take Two show, "I went to the store.… I pass my passport to the store. They say to me, 'Okay, no problem, you can go inside of the store, you can buy whatever you want to buy ... and no problem.

You are okay. Go to your home. Have fun.'"

Unfortunately, that fun was also recorded on her cell phone with a few pictures, including one of the retail cannabis at the dispensary.

One of the “rights” a person entering the US does not have is the right to privacy. CBP can search you, your belongings and even your phone. When the CBP officer looked at Sarah's phone, he saw her cannabis pictures and that's when things changed.

Sarah was then asked more questions about her use of many other illicit drugs like cocaine, heroin and mushrooms. Eventually taken to another room and held for over 15 hours, she missed her bus to Northern California.

"As a foreign national admitting consumed drugs ... it’s a reason for the US to refuse your entry," explained CBP to Take Two. They were unable to get statistics for the number of people CBP has turned away for violating marijuana laws.

It was eventually too much for the relationship between Sarah and her boyfriend, Neal. Take Two reported: "I really love Neal. He was amazing. We had an amazing relationship. Like it was almost perfect," Sarah reminisced. "Neal was very important for me, so I really want to see him again."

Sarah says she feels trapped. She can't visit friends in the US, and her job for a company based in the US could be put in jeopardy due to the fact that she can't visit headquarters.

Now whenever she travels—even if it's not to the US—authorities at the airport ask her why she's been banned from the country.

"I don’t know, I’m kind of tired of it. I just want to be free and go whatever I want without any concern. Without any worry," she said. "I just was doing what I thought it was legal."

This is another example of why the federal marijuana laws are obsolete and problematic—not just for Americans living here. If tourists can come to America and visit a legal marijuana state, they should not be punished for using cannabis while there.

Its capricious to do this and does nothing to combat drug trafficking. All this behavior does is frighten travelers and dissuade honest and friendly people from visiting a supposedly “free” country. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection

National News

West Virginia is about to become the 30th legal medical marijuana state, but the restrictions are severe and the law will be very limited. No home growing, no smoking and other restrictions place the bill in the same “dysfunctional” category as New York, Minnesota, and North Dakota.

Barrels of ink have been spilled over the prospect that the Trump administration could attempt to turn back the clock when it comes to legal marijuana, but for all the wailing and gnashing of teeth out there, marijuana industry insiders, advocates, and activists don't seem all that worried.

"I don't think there's any more reason to be scared than to be hopeful at this point," said Mason Tvert, Denver-based communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project.

"The administration has not changed its marijuana policy, and there is reason to believe it may maintain the existing policy or adopt a similar one that respects states' laws regulating marijuana."

The bill, which was sent to Governor Jim Justice's desk on Thursday April 6th, was drastically amended from the original legislation that was introduced. Paul Armentano from NORML reported: “If signed into law, West Virginia will become the 30th state to authorize by statute the physicians-recommended use of cannabis or cannabis-infused products.

Under the amended measure, qualified patients will be permitted to obtain cannabisinfused oils, pills, tinctures, or creams from a limited number of state-authorized dispensaries. Cannabis-based medications will be produced by state-licensed growers and processors. Patients will not be permitted to grow their own cannabis, nor will they be able to legally access or smoke herbal formulations of the plant. Similar restrictive programs are presently in place in Minnesota and New York and are awaiting implementation in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.”

One way the plant might help is with the states Opioid epidemic, which is the worst in the nation per capita. Studies suggest marijuana can effectively treat chronic pain, which opioids are commonly prescribed for.

Meanwhile, there is no good evidence that opioids can treat chronic pain, while there’s a lot of evidence for opioid’s long-term risks, like addiction, overdose, and even increased pain (known as “hyperalgesia”).

But, unlike opioids, medical marijuana cannot cause deadly overdoses. So if some pain patients shift over to marijuana from opioids once pot is legal, it could save some lives. Indeed, the research suggests that states with more laxed medical marijuana laws have fewer opioid deaths than they otherwise would.

Both patients and doctors must register with the state. They also are taking their time to implement the program. The law does not require patient identification cards be issued until January 2019. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved

"Marijuana is one of the least of my concerns with the Trump administration," said Dale Gieringer, coauthor of the pioneering 1996 Prop 215 medical marijuana initiative and long-time head of California NORML. "That's the first time I've been able to say that, but I just don’t see where there's any percentage in them going after marijuana. The polls are on our side, and they can't enforce the law."

The industry, too, seems to think that there's not really that much to fear from the Trump administration.

"We are in a posture of cautious optimism," said Taylor West, communications director for the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). "We're definitely not taking anything for granted—it's quite clear that Sessions has really strong personal opposition to the industry—but we are encouraged by the intense pushback, not just from the industry, but from elected officials, regulators, and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. That is probably the most powerful signal to the Justice Department that dramatic changes to current policy would cause them a lot of problems."

West pointed to the strong reaction from state officials in marijuana-legal and medical marijuana states, as well as support from federal lawmakers and not just Democrats.

She cited Nevada US Sen. Dean Heller as an example of a Republican lawmaker siding with the industry over the administration.

"They are speaking up because the industry and individual businesses and consumers have spoken up as their constituents and taught them about the industry and what we stand far and why we deserve respect from the federal government," she said.

And the marijuana money people appear largely unperturbed, too. In a report released Thursday, Arcview Market Research projected that the industry is going to continue to boom regardless of what happens in Washington, with revenues of nearly $7 billion this year and an astounding projected annual growth rate of 27% through 2021.

Page 15

Image: YouTube

"While the uncertainty created by the mixed signals coming out of the administration may cause a temporary dip in some valuations of cannabis companies and some more riskaverse institutional investors and multinational companies may continue to stay on the sidelines, it won't impact the growth of the market much at all," said Troy Dayton, CEO of Arcview Market Research.

"No matter what the administration does, states will continue to issue cannabis licenses to a long line of applicants and licensed cannabis outlets will continue to have long lines of consumers ready to purchase this product from regulated establishments."

Maintaining the Status Quo Medical marijuana is now legal in more than half the states and adult recreational use is legal in eight, including the entire West Coast. Some early enforcement actions notwithstanding, the Obama administration largely turned a blind eye to state-legal but federally-illegal marijuana. The Obama Justice Department adhered to the Cole memorandum, a 2013 "guidance" to federal prosecutors that essentially limited them to going only after legal marijuana operations that crossed specified lines: selling to minors, diverting product to non-legal states, being involved in violence or other trafficking, and the like.

Medical marijuana states at least are also protected by the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, which bars the Justice Department from using federal funds to go after state-compliant medical marijuana operations. A similar measure, the McClintock-Hollis amendment, would have extended that same shield to the adult-legal states, but came up just short in the last Congress. Both amendments will be offered again this year.

"Jeff Sessions doesn't like marijuana—that much is clear—but that's not the question," MPP's Tvert argued. "The question is whether he believes limited federal resources should be used to interfere in state marijuana laws. As of right now, there's no reason to believe that's the case."

Tvert pointed to Sessions' seeming acceptance of the Cole memo, as well as a memo Sessions sent to federal prosecutors last month telling them to go after "the worst of the worst" and violent crime.

"State licensed and regulated marijuana businesses are by no means violent or the 'worst of the worst,'" Tvert noted. "They want to go after cartels and violent criminals and Cont. on Page 17

Page 16

National News The view was not quite as sanguine from Washington, DC, where national NORML has its offices.

with state law. Finally, it would remove unfair burdens by ensuring veterans have access to state-legal medical marijuana, and protect Native American tribes from punishment under federal marijuana laws.

Marijuana Revenue and Regulation Act This legislation would responsibly deschedule, tax and regulate marijuana. It would impose an excise tax on marijuana products similar to current federal excise taxes on alcohol and tobacco, escalating annually to a top rate equal to 25 percent of the sales price. Marijuana producers, importers and wholesalers would be required to obtain a permit from the Department of Treasury, and the marijuana industry would be regulated in a manner similar to alcohol. Strict rules would prohibit sale or distribution of marijuana in states where it is illegal under state law. Representative Jared Polis, D-Colo., is sponsoring a portion of this legislation in the House. © 2017 WeedNews.co All rights reserved.

Printed by special permission

"As far as the industry goes, even the threat of a crackdown by the Justice Department has a chilling effect," said Justin Strekal, NORML political director and lobbyist. "While medical marijuana is protected under Farr-Rohrabacher, the adult use economy has no such protections -- at least for now."

"The Cole memo is just a piece of paper," Strekal said, "and there is nothing stopping Sessions from just throwing it away, as the Heritage Foundation has called for him to do. But the Justice Department has no way to force states to recriminalize marijuana in decrim or legal states. The worst case would be that the adult use states are rolled back to a situation where there is no way to have a legal distribution system, but local law enforcement is not going to be enforcing federal marijuana prohibition."

Where apprehension about the direction of Trump administration pot policy is having a real impact right now is in causing politicians to think twice about legalization in states that are considering it, Strekal said.

"We're hearing feedback from legislators in Connecticut and Maryland saying that the attorney general's comments are acting as a road block, while in Georgia, we just saw a defelonization bill defeated. The mere presence of a Reefer Madness-era Jeff Sessions is frightening off potential supporters of ending prohibition."

focus on serious crime, so why force marijuana back into the underground market?"

"President Trump said states should be able to determine their own marijuana policies, and he also had strong support for legal access to medical marijuana, and we haven't heard anything new from him on it," said Tvert. "But again, it's not a question of the president's personal views, but of what the federal laws are and the realities of enforcement. Sessions has said on multiple occasions that the federal government cannot effectively enforce federal prohibition in states where it is legal."

While an oppositional Trump administration may retard the expansion of legal marijuana in the states, the status quo of a fifth of the country living under legalization and more than half with access to medical marijuana appears unlikely to be rolled-back. But that doesn't necessarily mean a free ride for legal weed.

"There could be some sort of federal action against some adult use facility or grower or cultivation company whose product is found to have gone across state lines in quantity, or something like that," CANORML's Gieringer offered. "Like if you have a situation where Nebraska complains, maybe that could stir up pressure in the Justice Department. But that's the most I expect. I could be wrong, though."

"Since Colorado started its licensing program, there's always been a fear that

Oregon Cannabis Connection

the Justice Department would just bring a lawsuit saying the state is participating in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute a Schedule I drug," Gieringer observed.

"They had their chance and they didn't do it. If they tried it now, they will have taken away hundreds of millions of dollars from Colorado and potentially billions from other states and leave anarchy. They can't enforce the marijuana laws anyway; it's a drain on federal resources to even try."

"A federal injection is a potential threat, but it was a potential threat six months ago, too," said MPP's Tvert. "It's still a question of resources. If that were to happen, marijuana would continue to be legal, but the federal government would be preventing states from controlling its production and sale. That would be a real serious problem."

But Tvert warned that the heavy hand of the federal government could still reach out and slap someone down.

"Sean Spicer said they would have greater enforcement, and that could mean anything," he said. "They could be planning to more rigorously enforce the laws against people not in compliance with state laws, there could be more enforcement against illegal actors, they could push states to strengthen their regulations to prevent interstate trafficking. They perhaps could encourage states to increase funding to law enforcement to investigate illegal activity.

There is plenty they could do without interfering with the legal market."

The Fightback Against Rollback Will Only Grow Stronger The advent of a potential hostile Trump administration isn't changing the way NORML does business, Strekal said.

"We're continuing to do what we've always done and act as a grassroots consumer advocacy group," he explained. "We have 150 chapters and we're engaging as an advocacy group at every level of government from city councils to state legislatures to the federal government. At the federal level, we're very encouraged by the formation of the congressional cannabis caucus. We've been working with them to host a few events."

"This moment in time, where there is a lot of uncertainty at the federal level, is the kind of moment the NCIA was created for," said West. "We've been building relationships and allies in DC around industry issues, so when we need those allies, we have them."

Like MPP, the NCIA has a full-time staff lobbyist in Washington. It also works with another DC-based lobbying firm to work the Hill, and with legislators and elected officials.

"You've been able to see, through our work and the work of others, a very strong pushback from people who previously wouldn't have been in favor of the marijuana industry," West said. "The federal government can try to enforce marijuana prohibition in states where it is legal, but it doesn't really have the personnel to do that without the full cooperation of state and local law enforcement. If states are resisting that crackdown, which elected officials have said they would do, it becomes very difficult, if not impossible."

Legal marijuana is on guard, but it's not running away from a fight. The question for the Trump administration becomes whether this is a fight worth fighting. © 2017 StopTheDrugWar.org. printed under creative commons lic.

The Rohrabacher-Farr budget amendment is set to expire on April 28th, and without congressional re-approval, a dangerous new wind may be blowing through the cannabis industry.

RohrabacherFarr essentially says that federal funds can’t be used by the Government to go after people who are following their state’s cannabis laws. Backed by a Republican, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher. and Democrat, Image Flickr Rep. Sam Farr, both from California, as well as Democrat from New York, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, the bill was both a major breakthrough for bi-partisanship as well as progressive cannabis policy. But since it is a budget amendment, and not an amendment to the actual Controlled Substances Act, it has to get re-authorized every year.

Now doesn’t seem to be the best time to have to bring it up for a vote, as the ascension of the Trump Administration seems to be going against the grain of their otherwise populist message.

New Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently sent shockwaves through the cannabis world when he did a press conference where he brought up “violence” surrounding interstate marijuana trade from states where it’s legal, like Colorado to bordering states where it isn’t, like Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Sessions went on to intimate that the federal government could still choose at any time to crack down on state level cannabis industries in states where it has been legalized recreationally or just medically.

Leland Berger, a Portland area attorney working with NORML, commented on the issue. “Rohrabacher-Farr is going to expire in April. There’s hope that it’ll be renewed.

In congress, Earl Blumenauer (D) [Oregon], along with Rep. Jared Polis (D) of Denver, and Republicans Dana Rohrabacher and Don Young, have formed the congressional cannabis caucus.”

The caucus is going to deal with three major areas, according to a press conference they held in February. They’re centered on keeping the Federal Government from interfering with research into the potential benefits of medical cannabis, access for veterans to medical cannabis, and the practical business needs of cannabis industry participants. This last item specifically deals with Rohrabacher-Farr and ending the provisions that cause cannabusiness owners to pay higher effective tax rates and have to pay them with cash due to banking prohibitions.

Blumenauer will be doing some public appearances to talk about the caucus and these issues, including an event called Cont. on Page 22

Apr/May 2017

There is an old saying “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” This may be the case with cannabinoid hyperemesis (CH)—an intermittent condition of nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain that is often partially relieved by compulsive hot showers or baths. Physicians who are unaware of the condition often err on the side of caution and order expensive tests trying to get to the bottom of the problem. This puts patients at risk of iatrogenic (doctorcaused) problems, when the solution may seem simple: Stop smoking cannabis to see if the problem resolves.

However, since I wrote the article (Oregon Cannabis Connection, March/April 2017), I have heard stories from several people whose physicians were aware of the syndrome and, consequently, erred in the opposite direction. Knowing the patient was a cannabis user, they jumped to the conclusion that it was the cause of the intermittent nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain—without running any tests to determine whether there might be another cause. In one case, the person was ultimately found to have a blocked bile duct; in another, the individual was undergoing chemotherapy and was using cannabis as an antiemetic. The simple answer was not the correct one.

While cannabinoid hyperemesis has been reported by doctors around the world, the jury is still out on the mechanism by which cannabis causes the condition. There may be genetic or psychiatric components, as well as a physiological explanation, in light of the fact that so many people use cannabis regularly without experiencing CH. Part of the reason it is so hard to determine the physiological cause for CH is that a number of systems are implicated in vomiting. Vomiting occurs through the part of the brain called the medulla obligata. It can be triggered by the cerebral cortex, the vestibular system (ear), via vagal and sympathetic nervous system in the GI tract, or just outside an area of the medulla. Different receptors trigger vomiting via the different systems (Hastings 2005).

With this in mind, there are a number of hypotheses for the cause of CH, which this article will review.

Slowed or Delayed Gastric Emptying.

Cannabis is often used to prevent nausea and vomiting and its use for this purpose in patients undergoing chemotherapy is one that is (almost) universally accepted. So why would it have the opposite effect in some people? A hypothesis posited early in an attempt to explain this condition, was based on the study of one patient who was found to have slower than normal emptying of his gastrointestinal tract. When re-tested after he stopped using cannabis, it went back to normal.

Cannabinoids are known to bind to both CB1 and CB2 receptors. CB1 receptors are in the central nervous system (CNS) and the gastrointestinal (GI) system, while CB2

Medical News reports are located in immune tissue (Pattathan, Hejazi and McCallum 2012).

Effects on the GI system can lead to slowing of the gastrointestinal motility (movement of digested food and waste products through the stomach and intestines). This hypothesis posits that this gastrointestinal effect overrides the CNS effect of stopping vomiting.

related syndrome—chronic vomiting syndrome (CVS). Some consider CH to be a subcategory of CVS and recommend asking all patients who present with this syndrome whether they are cannabis users.

A 1999 double-blind, randomized clinical study of 13 healthy volunteers on the effects of THC found delayed gastric emptying in those using cannabis rather than placebo (McCallum et al 1999). They theorized that the anti-emetic properties must therefore be mediated through the CNS rather than the gastrointestinal system. This seemed to support the hypothesis. This hypothesis is also supported other studies on both humans and rats. (Galli, Sawaya and Friedenberg 2011).

Azaidrachtin or Other Pesticide Poisoning. This hypothesis is not one that I have seen covered in the medical literature. However, whenever the subject of cannabinoid hyperemesis comes up on social media or in a newspaper that has a comment section, second only to those who vehemently deny that the condition even exists are those who speculate that it must be caused by pesticide poisoning—in particular, azadirachtin, or neem.

In contrast to other studies, after evaluating the gastric transit time for numerous patients determined to have CH, the Mayo Clinic report rejected this hypothesis. The majority of their patients did not have slowed gastric transit—it was normal or faster than normal. They also did not have symptoms related to slowed gastrointestinal motility, such as bloating, feeling full or only experiencing the problem right after eating. The majority of patients (71%) in the Mayo study experienced symptoms in the morning. The weakness of this study is that it was retrospective—reviewing records of patients who met certain criteria but had not been prospectively diagnosed with CH. The hypothesis of gastrointestinal dysmotility (decreased peristalsis and contractions of the intestine) and/or slowed gastric emptying is compelling, but needs further investigation.

Toxic Effects from THC. Another hypothesis is that individuals who experience this problem may have a “chronic accumulation of THC in the brain,” which has a toxic effect in those who are sensitive. This hypothesis came about in light of the fact that cannabis is lipophilic (literally, fat-loving), has a long half-life and binds to CB1 receptors in the brain. From a practical standpoint, most of the patients who presented with these symptoms were chronic cannabis users and had been using for two years or more.

Vomiting is “coordinated by the brainstem in response to noxious stimuli involving many neurotransmitters” (Chang and Windish 2009). In fact, an antiemetic called metoclopramide acts to quell this brainstem reflex. A case in which two men intravenously injected themselves with a crude marijuana extract resulted in severe vomiting and diarrhea, among other issues (Vaziri et al. 1981). Clearly, more research would be needed to confirm THC toxicity as the cause of CH. Effects on Hypothalamic-PituitaryAdrenal Axis. The hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis refers to the interactions among these three components of the neuroendocrine system. Cannabinoid receptors are found on the hypothalamus as well as the parasympathetic nervous system. The receptors decrease the release of certain pituitary hormones and increase the release of corticotropin secretions (Simonetto et al 2012). This increase of corticotropins has been implicated in a

This is obviously a complex subject and would need further study before any conclusions could be drawn.

While that is worth considering, the fact that CH has been reported in medical literature around the world makes me wonder whether everyone is using the same pesticides and whether they have been since 2004—when the first 19 cases were reported.

Neem is not non-toxic, however.

Azadirachtin has a toxicity rating of IV, or relatively nontoxic. Inhalation of azadirachtin has a different rating, though.

According to the Extension Toxicology Network (http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/ profiles/extoxnet/24d-captan/azadirachtinext.html), “the acute inhalation LD50 is greater than 2.41 mg/L per animal, the highest dose tested. Although this figure is below the 5.0 mg/L limit test dose for an acute inhalation study, the reported concentration was the maximum dose possible under the test conditions. No deaths occurred during the course of the study. Azadirachtin was given a toxicity classification of Category III.” This means that it is toxic, but not fatal, if inhaled.

There are also reports on the effect on humans, in which no “local or general side effects were found at a dose of 7 grams to humans. Another report from Malaysia showed that 13 infants developed symptoms including vomiting after ingesting “5 ml of neem seed oil for minor ailments.”

Page 17 Clearly, neem seed oil can poison humans.

Just as clearly, a large dose is needed—hardly what one would get from smoking cannabis or ingesting cannabis concentrate. It is beyond my expertise (or interest) to do the necessary calculations to determine the impact of the use of azadirachtin on cannabis plants that are smoked, or even more concerning— concentrated in to a form used for vaporizing or taken orally. I will leave that to others. Until we have that information, we cannot rule out that there is a slim chance that pesticides on cannabis may be the cause of CH. Conclusion. Regardless of the physiological cause, and whether patients with a form of cyclic vomiting syndrome are using cannabis, the one way to find out whether cannabis is implicated is to stop using it. If the nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain go away, it works and the problem is solved. If not, then it may be time to have a doctor order the appropriate tests to identify the real problem.

Hastings, GE. 2005. Outline on Nausea and Vomiting. August 7, 2005.

McCallum, RW, et al. 1999. Delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol delays the gastric emptying of solid food in humans: a double-blind, randomized study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 13(1): 77-80.

Pattathan, MB, RA Hejazi and RW McCallum.

2012. “Association of Marijuana use and Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome.” Pharmaceuticals 5: 719-26.

Vaziri, ND, et al. 1981. Toxicity with intravenous injection of crude marijuana extract. Clin Toxicol 18(3): 353-66. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Page 18

Those subjects who consume cannabis more than five times per month possess, on average, lower body mass index (BMI) than do those who do not use the substance, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Archives of Osteoporosis.

Researchers at Oregon's Health and Science University assessed the relationship between cannabis use and a variety of health outcomes in a nationally representative sample of 4,743 participants between the ages of 20 and 59.

Authors reported, "Heavy users of cannabis had a lower mean BMI compared to that of never users, with a mean BMI being 26.7 kg/m in heavy users and 28.4 kg/m in never users." The finding is consistent with those of prior reviews, such as those here and here.

On average, more regular consumers of cannabis spent more time per day engaging in daily physical activity than did occasional users or never users.

Investigators reported no relationship between cannabis use prevalence and changes in bone mineral density of the hip or spine. In preclinical models, cannabinoid administration has been associated with bone-stimulating effects.

Overall, 60 percent of subjects reported having used cannabis at some point during their lives. Forty-seven percent of respondents said that they were former users. Seven percent said that they were regular users while five percent defined themselves as occasional users. © 2017 NORML. All rights reserved. Printed by permission

Business Classifieds on Page 23!

Medical News

The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) has determined that they have mold in their weed. The federal agency has been cultivating marijuana for research since the 1970’s and is the only authorized facility to obtain cannabis for research purposes. For years, researchers have complained about the potency and quality of the medicine coming from the facility, which is located at the University of Mississippi in a well secured area.

There have been other stories about the quality of the government cannabis. The Washington Post recently did a feature on the NIDA cannabis and it showed many deficiencies in their product. From lower THC levels to strains that are very limited, the operation in Mississippi is not up to par with the state-of-the-art facilities in legal marijuana states like Colorado, Oregon, and California. From NIDA: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has supplied marijuana to researchers through our drug supply program for over 40 years without any known health consequences from contaminants. Questions have recently been raised about mold levels in NIDAsupplied marijuana. All plant materials contain mold and yeast, which are naturally occurring in air and soil.

Oregon Cannabis Connection

On Diabetes Alert Day it is fitting to discuss not only attempts at managing the disease, but also contributing factors and other conditions related to the disease.

Image MAPS

PBS explains what happened in a recent article on www.pbs.org: ...As she opened the packets to weigh the drug – as required by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration – her enthusiasm turned to dismay. It didn’t look like marijuana. Most of it looked like green talcum powder.

“It didn’t resemble cannabis. It didn’t smell like cannabis,” Sisley says. What’s more, laboratory testing found that some of the samples were contaminated with mold, while others didn’t match the chemical potency Sisley had requested for the study.

It appears the federal government need to pay someone that has real world experience to handle their grow operation. When they can't produce even the small amounts of cannabis needed for medical research, they probably aren't very good at growing weed. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

There is currently no universally accepted standard for levels of mold and yeast on marijuana and different health organizations set cutoffs for acceptable levels spanning an enormous range [from 500-200,000 colony forming units (CFU)/g]. In response, NIDA is conferring with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine what analyses and specifications are appropriate for NIDA-supplied marijuana.

For some time I have been recommending whole plant cannabis CBD for patients with Diabetes. We have seen a substantial lowering of their glucose levels in those with Type II Diabetes including several patients’ Hemoglobin A1C levels normalize so they are able to stop their Type II Diabetes medications.

The first time I saw this with a Diabetic, he called me after having some hypoglycemic episodes while taking CBD in addition to his Metformin. I told him to stop his Metformin and continue his CBD. His glucose levels normalized and he remained off Metformin. This is a good demonstration of blood sugar control over a three-month period. With any patient with Type II Diabetes, I “warn” them about this.

With regard to cholesterol, Diabetes can raise “bad” cholesterol levels and lower “good” cholesterol levels. Once a patients blood sugar levels are stable, if they are on a statin I will often discuss with the patient and their primary care doc, the idea of stopping the statin and monitoring their cholesterol levels. The drop in cholesterol is not overnight. It can take some months for reasons we don’t yet understand.

However, we are seeing improvements in cholesterol levels and many patients remain off their statins.

We have also seen improvements ranging from apparent stabilization of macular degeneration and help with neuropathic pain. Sometimes combined with THC, CBD is a vascular and renal protectant.

Finally with regard to weight and Diabetes, there is certainly a connection to being overweight and the onset of Diabetes. I have written about the effect of CBD on curbing appetite before. The ability to achieve weight loss with CBD is real.

Dr. Sue Sisley, who is running a medical marijuana study in Arizona on PTSD, received some of the mold cannabis from the Mississippi grow. They rely on this government supplied marijuana to do their research, but it is a major setback when they get tainted, unusable medicine.

So, when discussing CBD and Diabetes, it is a multi-pronged approach. Helping patients with weight, cholesterol and glucose issues. I believe this is all happening on a number of metabolic levels, such as bringing the sensitivity of insulin back to normal.

So, help with many major issues resulting from, and associated with diabetes can be achieved with CBD. For certain, it is worth a try. © 2017 Greenbridge Medical. All rights reserved.

Printed by special permission.

Image Elvy Mussika

Food & Recipes

Apr/May 2017

Butterscotch Space Pops

Stoney Spinach Bites

Crock Canna-butter

By www.onlinepot.org

By Dani B.

By Kristi Anderson

Page 19

WARNING: Medical cannabis consumption can be unpredictable. Always start with a quarter serving and give it time. Effects can take up to an hour and sometimes longer. If you have doubts, you should contact a cannabis clinician about dosage.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Goodies

By Mary Weaver

-Cultivation

Page 20

Signs that your plant is rootbound:

Transplanting your cannabis can be one of the trickiest parts of growing your marijuana plants. It may seem overwhelming, but when properly researched it can be done with ease by just about anyone.

Once your plants have established a stable root system, they are ready for a period of major foliage growth.

So what makes transplanting cannabis so important? What would even happen if you didn’t do it? In this article, we will answer those questions, and will dive into the following topics: Why Transplant?

If you don’t transplant your plants in time they might get rootbound. Rootbound means that the roots have grown all the way around the edges and bottom of the container because it is nog big enough.

Your plant will not grow any more until you transplant it to a larger container.

1 . Stunted Growth 2. Stretching 3. Smaller and slower bud production 4. Needs watering too often 5. Easy to burn with low% nutrient solution mixtures 6. Wilting 7. Red stems You will need to educate yourself about how to do this properly, since making even a small mistake during the process could have a devastating effect. You will also have to carefully choose where you are going to put your cannabis plants permanently to live out their adult lives.

Transplanting cannabis plants at this stage is always necessary, regardless of how you sprouted your plants to begin with. They simply cannot thrive if they are grown in containers for their whole lives, so you cannot avoid the transplantation process. The best way to deal with this is through research and planning.

So what could happen if you make a mistake while transplanting your cannabis plants? Your plants could go into shock, which might cause their leaves to turn yellow and then wither, finally dying and dropping off the plant altogether. In some more serious cases, the plant itself could actually die from the trauma.

Image: Bergmanlabs.com

The right time to transplant your cannabis plants is when they have an established, sturdy root system in place. This is the case when the roots grow out of the bottom of the pot. The plant is ready to focus its energy on vegetative growth now, so it needs to be moved to a larger container.

Note: Marijuana plants need around 2 gallons of soil for each foot of growth…

While risky, transplanting your plants will have an overwhelmingly positive effect (when done responsibly). It will help speed up the maturing process of the plant while simultaneously requiring even less handson care from you as the grower. In summary, it’s well worth the risk and hassle in the end.

Indoor or outdoor transplanting?

Before beginning the transplanting process, you will first need to make some decisions about your permanent grow site.

The location is everything, as it will determine your cannabis plants’ growing environment (and, therefore, their rate of success) as well as your own security.

Oregon Cannabis Connection

If you want more control over the environment in which your plants are growing, you may be interested in setting up a permanent grow site indoors. With this method, you can grow all your plants in larger separate containers of some sort This can be a great way to ensure the health of your plants since you would control every aspect of their lives. On the other hand, growing your cannabis plants indoors will also require you to use a lot more money, time, and effort. Whether it is light, food, water, temperature or ventilation, you will have to provide it yourself.

For growers on a budget or who prefer a more natural method of growing, setting up a grow site outdoors might make the most sense. It costs much less in both money and effort.

That being said, with this method it is even more important to choose the right grow site for your plants, since it will have a significant effect on both the environment around your plants, as well as your own personal security. It will need to be a safe place with easy access, where you can ensure safety for both yourself and your cannabis plants.

When to transplant The basic idea behind transplanting at a certain time is to do it when your plants’ roots have reached as far as they can grow within the constraints of their container.

Roots actually tend to grow further and faster when they are enclosed in a container; it’s almost as if they Image: are eager to Bergmanlabs.com reach open space as soon as possible.

Strangely enough, roots that are already planted straight into the ground do not grow with the same amount of urgency. So what happens if you leave your plants in a container for too long? The answer is simple: they’ll just stop growing altogether.

Containers are not the only thing guilty of causing such a response in the plant. Peat plugs can do the same thing since their mesh perimeter usually acts as a hindrance to the roots, and they stop growing as if they were contained in a plastic pot. This will cause them to stop growing as well.

Once your cannabis plants have sprouted, two leaves that are oblong in shape will start to be visible. These are called cotyledons and they come out from the one tiny stem that will pop up from the soil.

They don’t resemble the easily recognized marijuana leaves, but after just a few days they will drop off and normal marijuana leaves will emerge. This shows you that your plants are beginning their seedling phase of life.

Plants in this phase are still relatively small in size, but their roots will begin to grow and develop into a proper root

Image: Bergmanlabs.com

system. This system, though nicely developed, is still quite fragile.

You cannot yet move your plants while they are in their seedling phase, but do ensure that they have plenty of light and water (or just moisture in the soil). The seedling phase can be between two and six weeks long. Read How to grow strong plants ready to transplant So how can you identify the time when your plants are ready for transplantation?

Doing it too early would be devastating for your tender seedlings, so you must act with caution. Once you suddenly are seeing faster growth of leaves as well as a firmer stem. You can test the firmness of the stem by grabbing it with your hand (gently) without doing any damage to it. If these things are happening to your young plants, they have officially entered the vegetative growth stage of their life.

You can, of course, begin the growing season a bit earlier by using peat plugs.

This is ideal for growers who are located in climates where the growing season is naturally shorter.

If you do go with peat plugs, make sure you are always aware of the mesh perimeters and whether root tendrils are emerging from underneath them. As soon as you see this you will need to transplant the seedlings into a bigger container or else into the ground outdoors. If you don’t, the growth of your plant could remain stunted forever.

How to transplant The first thing you need to do when transplanting your plants to a new, permanent location is to choose a spot for it. There are three types of locations that you can choose between.

The first one is an indoor location that can be accessed with ease, but is not easily noticed by other people. A second option would be to move your plants outdoors, where many of the valuable resources they need come at no cost to you. The third option is a sort of indoor-outdoor hybrid: you can move your plants to larger containers, but in turn move these containers outdoors temporarily.

During the first 3 weeks of flowering rootbinding can seriously decrease your yield.

The buds and leaves wont continue to grow because the plant cant grow new roots to support them. If you are most concerned about the discovery of your plants, the third option might be for you because it means that you will be able to quickly relocate your crop in case of detection. It also works well for moving your plants away from pests.

Apr/May 2017

Ecoculture: Chickens and Cannabis, The Homegrown Combo

At Green Source Garden we believe that chickens can greatly increase the fertility in your garden for all crops—especially cannabis. Cannabis has the ability to consume a lot of nutrients, and by keeping

Image: Green Source Gardens

a small flock of chickens you get lots of nutrients. Below are a few pointers for efficient chicken management.

Set up your chicken yard near your house.

We suggest keeping chickens close for several reasons: 1. Having chickens close makes it more convenient to bring them scraps from the kitchen. Feed scraps in the morning—not the evening—because kitchen scraps can attract raccoons, skunks and other wildlife if left outside overnight. Usually, if you feed in the morning/early day the chickens will have them taken care of by evening.

2. They are safer being close. Generally, if chickens are in a high-traffic zone near your house, predators that regularly eat chickens and or steal eggs are discouraged from coming around as much.

3. Chickens are great entertainment. There is a lot to learn by watching the animals

Cultivation

Page 21

you are keeping. You can also check on them easily from a window, eliminating the need to have to go outside in the middle of the night to see what the ruckus is all about. Be sure to have a coop that is can be closed up at night.

moves around the plant, eventually finding a spot to feed. Later instars do not move and have a flattened oval appearance similar to scale insects. After the final instar, a winged adult emerges ready to mate and start the cycle again.

4. You are more likely to regularly collect eggs if you don’t have to trek to the coop.

Control:

The chickens become your farm workers and they play one of the most important roles on a regenerative farm as compost turners! They cost very little for what they produce in fertility for the garden. Keeping plenty of carbon-based materials on the ground in the chicken yard gives them material to scratch through, as well as soaking up the nutrients from their manure. Keeping heaps of leaves, straw and woodchips in their yard effectively creates compost with very little effort. Every few days, just go in and turn the piles a bit with a pitchfork to open up new areas for the chickens to scratch and work.

Whenever nutrient-rich top dressing is needed for plants, just retrieve it from the chicken yard and use as mulch in the garden. This is all that is needed to supply your garden with the energy the soil life craves. If soil life is happy then the garden is happy and productive.

The first cannabis plants I ever grew were in small pots with dirt scraped out of chicken yards, in combination with chicken manure tea. The results were impressive and I never bought anything from the store. This was how I realized that there isn’t a need for products when growing plants.

For the four plants you grow at home, I highly suggest adding a few chickens to your space. Watch your yields greatly improve and stop spending so much money on creating fertility. Oh, yeah; and enjoy the best cannabis flowers that can be grown. Good luck and happy spring. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

The Pest: Whiteflies First signs:

Tiny white “moths” resting on the underside of leaves. When the leaf is disturbed the whiteflies flutter around and quickly settle back onto the leaf.

Whiteflies are not the most common cannabis pest around, but they can be very destructive. They are more common indoors and in greenhouses, but some outdoor growers get them too. They are very hard to get rid of once their breeding population gets large, so it is best to get control of them as soon as they are found.

Whiteflies are not true flies from the insect order Diptera; rather they are from the order Hemiptera. They are related to aphids, mealybugs and scales (a common citrus pest occasionally found on cannabis).

They get their name from the white wax that covers the adults’ wings and body.

Whiteflies are sap-suckers—feeding on juices from the plant by using piercing mouth parts. As they feed, they secrete a sticky substance called honeydew. The sticky honeydew promotes mold growth, so it should be regularly washed from the leaves. Whiteflies can also spread diseases from plant to plant— which can cause unusual growth and a whole variety of problems that can be hard to diagnose.

There are many species of whiteflies, but the most common for cannabis growers is the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum), followed by the sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). Both species look similar, but have a slightly different shape to their wings and some subtle differences in their nymph stages.

When whiteflies reproduce they lay small oblong eggs on the underside of the leaves.

After the eggs hatch, they will grow through four stages called instars. The first instar (crawler) is very tiny and very hard to see without a good scope. The crawler

There are many natural predators of whiteflies. Whitefly parasites (Encarsia formosa) lay their eggs inside developing whitefly pupae.

The parasite feeds on the pupae and eventually a new whitefly parasite hatches out, instead of a whitefly. Encarsia formosa are most effective against greenhouse whitefly, but some new variants such as the nile delta Encarsia formosa work against a broad range of whitefly species. They are commercially available on cards that can be hung from the foliage. Whitefly parasites typically emerge within a few days. You know they are working when the whitefly pupae turn black after they are parasitized. Eretmocerus eremicus is another commercially available parasite similar to the Encarsia formosa.

Whitefly predators (Delphastus pusillus) are small black beetles that love to eat whiteflies. They can devour up to 600 eggs per day. Delphastus have a preference for sweet potato whiteflies, but they will eat many different species. Many growers use them in combination with the parasites.

General feeding predators such as green lacewings and pirate bugs are also known to help fight whiteflies. They are good to have in the garden to help prevent many small soft-bodied insects. Amblyseius swirskii (russet mite predators) are also known to attack some stages of whitefly.

While whiteflies are not as common as spider mites on cannabis, they can be just as destructive. One or two can turn into thousands in just a matter of weeks, so it is important to keep an eye out for them. Keep some good bugs on your plants all the time to keep your plants as healthy as possible.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the medicine.

Nathan Jackson is the owner of Nature’s Control and Ladybug Indoor Gardens. Located in Phoenix, Oregon, Nature’s Control has supplied growers with beneficial insects for over 35 years. He can be reached at 541-2456033 or nathan@naturescontrol.com. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Page 22

Out of the three options, moving your plants from one container to another is most likely the simplest and most straightforward option available to you.

No matter what option you choose to go with, there are a few key factors to your successful transplantation. First and most obviously, you need to make sure that new soil (whether in the ground or in containers) is fully prepared before you begin the transplantation process.

Cultivation & News your plants are currently living in. It needs to be moist but not wet, and not dry enough to crumble. The most important thing is that your soil sticks together during the transplantation, keeping the shape of its original container.

The process is simple. Put the palm of your hand on the soil in its original pot, keeping the plant’s stem between two of your middle fingers. Your other hand should be beneath the plant. Using both hands, smoothly flip the pot upside-down, putting the full contents and weight of the plant and its soil into your hand that’s holding the stalk of the plant.

Then put away the container, as you will no longer be needing it, and put your hand back on the bottom of the contents, where you should be able to see the white tendrils of the roots. You then put the whole thing into one of the holes you have already dug in the ground.

Do not panic if large pieces of soil fall from the roots of the plant. Your only priority is getting the plant’s roots back underground and covered completely with soil. With a peat plug, the mesh surrounding your plant’s roots should be pulled off and discarded since your plant will no longer be engulfed by water.

Once you have pushed all the soil onto plant’s roots, make sure to give those roots plenty of water. Use up a full gallon that has added plant food.

Image: easygreenhouse.org

If you are moving the plants into new pots, make sure that each pot is 4 gallons at the very smallest if it’s their permanent container. If you are going to move your plants to an outdoor_location, simply dig a hole that is a few inches greater in size than the pots that your plants have been living in thus far. Make sure to have piles of dug up soil around the hole as well, so that you can push it back in once you have completed the move.

You should actually keep the plants in the soil that they have already been growing since it will reduce the amount of shock that it undergoes, and will instead ease your plant into its new environment. If you have grown your plants within a closet until now, they are especially susceptible to shock, so be particularly cautious.

The next factor that you need to pay attention to is the condition of the soil that

The last step is simply to cover up the soil that has been exposed to natural debris and leaves that are already at this location. This will both slow down the evaporation of the water you just poured, as well as camouflage your garden from unexpected discovery.

Visit www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com for all of Roberts growing advice and guides.

Pinkleberry­Kush. Image: Green Source Gardens

Senate Bill 1014 would require marijuana items seized pursuant to a violation of law to be turned over to a nonprofit dispensary and made available for free or at discounted prices. A public hearing was held on this bill in Senate Judiciary and a work session is scheduled for April 18. The bill was introduced by Sens. Ferrioli and Burdick and signed onto by the rest of the Committee, but it needs a lot of work. Two things here: there aren’t any nonprofit dispensaries, and law enforcement just doesn’t seize much marijuana anymore, especially pursuant to an OLCC license violation.

Two land use bills, SB 873 and HB 2747—one introduced by the Committee and the other by Rep. Wilson—are not yet moving, but land use is a tough problem complicated by the patchwork of 36 different land-use ordinances from 36 different counties. Some allow adult use licenses and others don’t. In those that do, land use ordinances prevent OLCC licenses in certain zones.

Frankly, it’s a mess which, until resolved, will leave nearly 8,000 medical growers across Oregon unable to obtain an OLCC license even if they wanted to, due to local land-use ordinances or flat-out prohibition on OLCC licenses.

HB 2372 is the Oregon Hemp Commission bill and it is moving forward with a work session on April 13 in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

prior proposal by OLCC trying to adopt ideas that came out of the stakeholder workgroup.

This would have put all cultivation, processing and dispensaries under OLCC, leaving only the card registry under OHA. This amendment received little support from industry or patients and did not have enough majority support on the committee to proceed. It is no longer on the table.

However, SB 1057, introduced by Sens.

Burdick and Ferrioli through the Senate Rules Committee, contains many of the same provisions as the -1 amendments to HB 2198—but to a lesser degree. It is considered the “technical fix” bill to address OLCC concerns and do a little housekeeping.

While SB 1057 does not change patient possession limits per se, it would limit Oregon households to six medical plants and 12 immature plants no matter how many patients reside at an address. This would also include the four recreational plants, as well.

It is another attempt to limit the amount of medical marijuana being produced by medical growers. This bill will have a public hearing on April 11, which is expected to be well-attended.

As we come to the halfway mark of this legislative session, some bills are proceeding through the process, some are stalled and others have not yet had their day. The deadline to schedule bills for hearings is approaching, so many of the bills introduced will die in committee and the more interesting ones will continue to find their way to the Governor’s desk before sine die. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

At the midway point of the 2017 session, three bills still remain that are still expected to come before the committee. SBs 1042 and 1057 and HB 2198 are important bills to marijuana regulation and patients in Oregon and are expected to get a great deal of attention as they work through the process.

SB 1042 authorizes the Governor to enter into agreement with another state for purpose of cross-jurisdictional coordination and enforcement of marijuana-related businesses. It is important to everyone and is the next step in Oregon’s expansion into what is eventually hoped to be a national market.

It should also allow patients greater freedom in traveling with their medicines.

HB 2198 which, as introduced, would create a new body to administer the OMMP (rather than OHA) and also would require OMMP growers who grow for others to register with the Department of Agriculture in the same manner as hemp farmers now do, while continuing to grow under OMMP rules. HB 2198 is being amended to create a new rulemaking body for the OMMP and the authority to direct any revenues generated by fees to enhance patient services and provide other revenues for projects such as integrating cannabis into mainstream medicine.

The original bill was amended with a proposal (-1 amendments), which was dubbed the “urge to merge” bill, that encompassed a

by ed og" t s ho ad D ur "M ans M

Oregon Cannabis Connection

Toke Talks, which he’s keynoting at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, on April 24th.

“I think he’ll be talking about whether Rohrabacher-Farr is likely to be renewed or not,” says Berger, “I’m hopeful that it will.”

Some, including Berger, aren’t even sure Attorney General Sessions will still be the AG for long. “The fact that there’s a question of whether he lied under oath during his confirmation hearing has resulted in the filing of a bar complaint in Alabama,” he says.

If Sessions loses his license to practice law in Alabama, he would likely have to cede the position altogether.

That all may be wishful thinking though, and business owners won’t breathe easy until Rohrabacher-Farr is re-approved and more permanent measures are taken to protect the legality of cannabis in states where the citizenry have voted for it. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Apr/May 2017

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Roseburg (541 )-672-8366 www.doctor-george.net COMPASSIONATE OREGON Oregon's Premier Patient Advocacy Group.

Protecting the Rights of MMJ Patients And Their Families! www.CompassionateOregon.org OREGON ALTERNATIVE REMEDIES A Collective CoOp - OMMP Only 9081 Old Hwy. 99 S Dillard, OR 97432 (541 ) 863-41 73 OREGON SUNGROWN GROWERS GUILD Growers Uniting To Help Growers & Patients! Join Today! www.oregonsungrown.org

CANNABIZ EXPERIENCE 333 N. Riverside Ave. Medford, OR 97501 541 -81 6-4209 "A Revolutionary Retail Experience" www.cannabizexperience.com CERTIFIED KIND Garden Inspection & Certification www.certified-kind.com 1 -844-GRO-KIND We are your local certifier!

ENERGY TRUST OF OREGON Want to Grow More Grams per Watt?

Free technical assistance and cash incentives www.EnergyTrust.com/cannabis/ EVERGREEN LAW GROUP, LLC. Natalie Wetenhall, Attorney at Law, 541 -471 -2222 www.evergreenlawgroup.net GRABER INSURANCE 420 Friendly Insurance www.420biz.com (503) 999-5551 GREEN LEAF LAB The Northwest's Premier Cannalysis™ Laboratory OR (503) 250-291 2 & WA (253) 772-8771 www.greenleaflab.org JOHNSON BUILDERS Any Building, Any Size Post & Frame Construction (541 ) 479-1 465 or (844) 480-5580 oregonbuildings.com OR CB#1 72269 & CA CB#887249 KENYON & ASSOCIATES Informed Cannabis Consulting Have questions? Need answers? informedcannabisconsulting.com (541 -) 662-8238 OG ANALYTICAL Oregon Grown, Oregon Tested Portland, Eugene, & So. Oregon (541 ) 735-3328 www.oganalytical.com PAUL LONEY, ATTORNEY Practicing Medical Marijuana Law Portland (503) 234-2694 Southern OR (541 ) 787-0733 paultloney@gmail.com

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS NORML AND THE NORML FOUNDATION 1 600 K Street, NW Suite 501 Washington, DC 20006-2832 (888) 67-NORML (888-676-6765) (202) 483-5500 www.norml.org DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE 925 1 5th Street NW, 2nd Floor Washington, DC 20005 (202) 21 6-0035 www.drugpolicy.org

EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES

APPLEGATE SOILS Serving Southern Oregon with quality growing supplies.

61 0 Ross Anley Dr. Medford OR Bulk Soils, Hydro, and more DRAGON HERBARIUM 4638 S.W. Beaverton- Hillsdale Hwy Portland, OR 97221 (503) 244-7049 www.dragonherbarium.com EMERALD KINGDOM GREENHOUSES Frame Kits, Custom Builds, Blackout Serving all of Oregon and Beyond (530) 241 -5670 emeraldkingdomgreenhouse.com EMPIRE GREENHOUSES Serving Oregon, Washington, California and BEYOND! www.empiregreenhouses.com (855)-541 -3545

NATURES CONTROL Hired Bugs to Eat Your Pests www.naturescontrol.com (541 ) 245-6033 (800) 698-6250 PO Box 35, Medford, OR 97501 PIRATE GLASS SMOKE SHOP 865 W. Central Sutherlin, OR 97479 (541 ) 767-8846 thebigbear1 3@gmail.com SILVER SPOON 8521 S.W. Barbur Blvd.

Portland, OR 9721 9 (503) 245-0489 www.silverspoonpdx.com SKY HIGH SMOKE N' ACCESSORIES So. O's Premier Pipe Shop 2 Locations: Medford, OR 91 2 S. Central (541 ) 622-81 81 Coos Bay, OR 11 65 Newmark (541 ) 808-3030 SMOKIN DEALS 4 Locations to serve you: Medford 1 246 S. Riverside Ave. (541 ) 767-8636 Ashland 300 Main St. (541 ) 767-831 0 Klamath Falls 1 939 S. 6th St. (541 0 767-8909 Grants Pass 61 3 SE 6th St. (541 ) 767-8597 T ZONE - YOUR ALTERNATIVE STORE 3 Locations: Salem, OR 1 75 Commercial St. NE (503) 363-41 74 Salem, OR 1 65 Lancaster Dr. S (503) 581 -1 71 2 Keizer, OR 31 09 North River Rd. (503) 463-1 711 VICTORIA'S STATION/THE STATION Pipes, accessories, adult novelties 1 20 Galice Rd. Merlin, OR 97532 (541 ) 471 -1 396

LIBATIONS & CUISINE

DUB'S ST. JOHNS Home of Mack n Dub's Excellent Chicken and Waffles!

9520 N. Lombard St. John's Portland, OR (503) 998-8230 THE GYPSY The BEST Bar in Meddy!

205 W. 8th St. Medford, OR 97501 (541 ) 770-1 21 2

ENTERTAINMENT

BLAZING TRAILS Educational and entertaining cannabis tours in Central Oregon Book today, blaze tomorrow! www.blaxingtrailsbend.com 541 -31 8-6488 GODDAB RADIO A podcast for progressive thinking people. On iTunes and more Fridays at 3:00pm PST www.goddabradio.com MACK & DUB AND THE SMOKIN' SECTION Medicated Hip Hop/R&B Incorporating Live Instrumentation and Harmonies for that Mack & Dub Sound www.mackanddub.com

ENERGY TRUST OF OREGON Offering discounts for efficient lighting and equipment. Technical services and cash incentives! www.energytrust.org/cannabis

THE HIGH DESERT CO-OP RADIO SHOW Monday Nights 8 to 1 0pm Hosts: Stacie Dread & Tristone Listen online at KPOV.org or 88.9 near Bend "Your place for all things Ganja"

LADYBUG INDOOR GARDENS The Shoppes at Exit 24 205 Fern Valley Rd, Suite X Phoenix, OR 97535 (541 ) 61 8-4459

THE SPACEMAN SHOW Hope Mountain Radio www.TakilmaFM.com (541 ) 592-4799 Friday Nights from 8 till late!

Get a Business Listing with any display ad in the Oregon Cannabis Connection! learn more at

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