OCC Vol 8 Issue 3

Healthy root production from a Mickey Kush clone. Many cannabis plants are started from cuttings (or clones).

C h u rc h & S t a t e : U p d a t e s fr o m t h e C a p i t o l I N DO EXPO Com es Back to Po r t l a n d !

Fed eral Bi l l s Ru n d own Can n abi s Sci en ce Con feren ce At Portl an d Conven ti on Cen ter 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: Vegan Baki n ' Bu rger B B Q S a u ce , C a r a m e l s & 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 :

FR E E

Image: Honey Badger Sungrown

Connecting Oregon's Marijuana Community Since 2010

Jun/Jul 2017 Vol. 8 Issue 3

In This Issue

Jun/Jul 2017

Oregon News

Oregon Cannabis Connection

Medical News (cont.)

New Study Shows CBD is Effective Treatment for Convulsive Seizures

18

Study on CBD for Treating Brain Tumors in Children

18

6

'Chronic' Mice Have Cognitive Abilities Restored

18

INDO EXPO Trade Show Returns to Portland

7

Illinois medical Marijuana Patient Study released

18

For The Record: by Pioneer Pete

7

2nd Cannabis Science Conference Coming to Portland Convention Center

8

Oregon Pesticide Testing Rules Remain Unchanged

5

Joint Committee Dissolves

5

At Church & State: Updates From The Capitol

Oregon News Nugs - News From Around The Beaver State

10

Yamhill County Winery Blocks Marijuana Grow over Odor

11

Oregon's New Grow Canopies

10

Food & Recipes Ganja Gourmet Fakin' Bakin' Burger – Full Plant BBQ Sauce – Cocoa Brownies – Canna-Caramels

Cultivation 20

Nitrogen Deficiency in Cannabis Plants Bug Bites: For Bigger Buds — Spring Pest Prevention

National News

From Nature's Control

Alcohol Distributors Block Nevada Early Cannabis Sales in Court

13

All Three Rhode Island Dispensaries Oppose Competition

13

Federal Legislative Cannabis Horizon

14

News Nugs - News From Around The Nation

15

Vermont Governor Scott Vetoes Marijuana Legalization Bill

16

Colorado Seed-To-Sale System Leaking Cannabis Into Black Market

16

Business Classifieds

OREGON CANNABIS CONNECTION

Alcohol and Cannabis — The Science Behind How They InteracT — The Professor of Pot

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

OCC Contributors:

Keith Mansur

Anthony Taylor ­ at Church & State

Cheryl Smith

"Pioneer" Pete Gendron ­

Advertising/General Inquiries

Nathan Jackson - Bug Bites: For Bigger Buds

Copy Editor/Writer

17

21

23

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.

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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 Aug/Sep 2017 advertising DEADLINE IS JULY 25, 2017!

Jun/Jul 2017

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) released the revised cannabis testing and labeling rules that will go into effect on May 31, 2017. They did not make any changes in the pesticide testing requirement of concentrates or percent of flower samples, as had been proposed in March.

Also, they will not allow combination of separate batches for testing as was proposed. The will allow remediation of products that test positive for two particular compounds—piperonyl butoxide or pyrethrins—which are legal for use but which have regularly shown above the allowable limits in testing. They will also increase the maximum batch size from 10 pounds to 15 pounds. Other changes are also included and summarized in a 6-page bulletin released May 25th.

Substantial changes in the recreational testing were proposed and opened to public comment for six weeks, ending April 30.

The proposed changes OHA submitted were met with a huge and very one-sided response from consumers, businesses and growers that strongly favored leaving the testing rules unchanged. By the cutoff date roughly 3,900 responses had been submitted, with over 98% supporting no change in the rules.

Oregon's testing standards for cannabis are some of the strongest in the nation and not only require the labs be NELAC/TNI certified, they require a comprehensive pesticide screen, testing for THC and CBD levels, and other tests to insure quality and safety in cannabis products.

Early this year, a number of very vocal cannabis processors complained that the testing standards were driving up testing costs and creating a shortage of concentrates on dispensary shelves. But, by the time the new rule making period came around, the shortage had all but ended as laboratories caught up on their backlog.

Oregon News

Image: Green Leaf Lab

Page 5

On June 6th, the final meeting of the Oregon legislatures Joint Committee on Marijuana Regulation was held. They quickly rushed through 3 agenda items due to a separate conflicting committee meeting for a number of members.

Image: OLIS Video

The Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) for testing that was created to hammer out new testing rules spent weeks working on possible changes, but many on the committee were surprised during the final meeting to see the drastic proposal from the OHA. “These [proposed] changes were introduced at the RAC,” Roger Voelker of OG Analytical and a member of the RAC explained to OCC in March. “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 most glaring problem with their proposed rule change on pesticide testing was the removal of batch testing on concentrate products in lieu of a single annual test of a random sample from processors. This is antithetical to the severe contamination problem that exists with concentrates, which showed a minimum of 26% failure rate due to pesticide levels. Luckily, that provision was not adopted.

Remediation of contaminated products was also proposed and was included in the new rules, but there are significant issues surrounding the process. Full Circle CO2 in Central Oregon pointed out several major drawbacks to remediation, including: Allowing remediation does nothing to discourage the use of pesticides within the industry, running against the intent of the law and endangering air, soil, and water quality in addition to human health; No provisions are made for the separation of these product within facilities, increasing the likelihood of cross contamination during the remediation process; No provisions are made for informing the

“Whoopee, we're done,” joked Sen. Ginny Burdick, Co-chair of the committee at the end of the meeting. “Committee, this has been an amazing process again, as it was last session and I want to thak you all for your hard work.”

“This has been a wonderful team to work with for the last three years,” said Co-Chair Rep. Ann Lininger. “And, the people who have participating for the last three years from the community too, thank you so much. Hopefully we have done some good work, but we are going to continue to be available and help advocate for and be a help refine the work, even if it's not in this consolidated committee going forward.”

public that they are purchasing and consuming remediated products.

“They've acted in the interests of the industry instead of in the interests of the consumer,” explained Ruby of Full Circle in regards to the new remediation rules. “To allow remediated products and then deciding not to have rules regarding labeling of those products runs counter, I believe, to the legislation that was passed.”

With these changes in rules, Oregon will continue to have the most comprehensive testing requirements in the nation for cannabis. It's under these standards that Oregon will insure the health and safety of consumers is protected and promote better practices among growers to create quality, pesticide free cannabis. complete rules available at http://public.health.oregon.gov

There still remains a lot of work to be done surrounding marijuana regulation but reactions are mixed on it's dissolution.

"As patient advocates Compassionate Oregon is glad the committee has finally finished its business for this session. We hope it is the last we hear from them," explained Anthony Taylor. "Patients have suffered tremendously under this committees guidance over the last three sessions.”

"The measure 91 Committee has done more to damage the medical marijuana program and its patients in two and three sessions than all the anti-marijuana activist over the last twenty years combined." Taylor explained further. “In the end as many as 30,000 patients will have lost their growers

by July 2018."

“The Joint Committee established following the passage of Measure 91 did a good job further reducing many criminal penalties and allowing the expungement of past cannabis convictions,” explained Anthony Johnson of New Approach Oregon, the sponsor of Measure 91, the legalization initiative Oregon passed in 2014.

“However, much work is still needed to assist small farmers, mom-and-pop businesses and medical patients. Advocates must continue to work hard to improve the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program and recreational regulations through other committees in future legislative sessions.”

Dissolving the Joint Committee on Marijuana is the next step to corporate control of the cannabis industry in Oregon, explained Ed Medina of A Better Way Alternative medicine in Klamath Falls.

"Removing the ability for patients and Cont. on Page 21

Page 6

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.

The Cost of Senate Bill 1057 PATIENT COSTS SKYROCKET! Let me start by saying that Senate Bill 1057 started out as an OLCC technical fix bill but ended up causing more damage to Oregon’s medical marijuana program.

SB 1057 turns a lot of the regulatory responsibilities over to OLCC, including labeling. It makes some technical fixes, and also allows trade shows to display real marijuana items.

SB 1057 creates OLCC “exclusive medical” licenses. It is hard to believe with OHA dispensaries falling like flies anyone would be even remotely interested in becoming a “medical only” OLCC store. This provision was mostly intended as a fall-back for licensees if the federal government decides to pursue tougher regulatory policy on state recreation marijuana programs.

Dispensaries can easily become “medical only” with the click of a mouse from a drop down menu.

SB 1057 also requires all OHA dispensaries and processors and any OMMP grower growing more than 12 plants to switch from reporting into the OHA system to reporting into the OLCC system known as METRC. ( See figure 1 for timeline) THE COST TO OMMP GROWERS WILL BE HIGH. Those who continue to provide for other patients and grow more than 12 plants under this new system and those patients who grow for themselves at a remote

Oregon News

Oregon Cannabis Connection

address will face costs close to $1,000.00 for doing so. Those growers with multiple patients will see these costs increase as well. Reporting into this system costs $40 per month and a yet to be determined administrative fee will be added to each application that designates a grower.

the number of mature plants allowed at that address. So if you can grow six plants, you can have 12 immature plants. If you grow 48, you can have 96 immature plants.

For many of these growers, METRC will be a simpler reporting system, but there is an added bonus.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR EVERYONE?

Most growers can get by with this but, those future OLCC growers who are coming over from OHA will only be able to bring over as many immature plants as OHA allows.

These growers are stuck right now because many of them already have hundreds of immature plants in the ground while waiting to get an OLCC license.

For now the law of the land for now is Oregon households are restricted to 10 plants—six medical and four recreational.

No OMMP grower can have more than twice the number of immature plants as they are allowed mature plants.

Bringing OMMP growers into this system will allow OLCC regulatory specialists to come onto to an OHA grow site and verify that the inventory reported matches what is onsite.

All OMMP growers growing more than 12 plants must be registered with and reporting into the METRC reporting system.

This could get tricky very fast, especially for those growers © 201 7 Oregon Cannabis Connection By Mariano Pogoriles who keep inventory in their primary residence or have an indoor not designated as a grow site is limited to six medical plants and four recreational plants. grow in their primary residence. Some are No matter how many patients live at an skeptical about how far this will go and address, the household limit is ten plants. whether it will get out of hand.

The last thing that SB 1057 does is to once again change the plant limits. A household

SB 1057 also limits the number of immature plants a patient or grower can have to twice

WHAT DO YOU MEAN “FOR NOW”?

HB 2198—which will remove immature plant limits—has passed out of the Committee with a “do pass” recommendation and with a brief stop in Ways & Means, where it should be coming to the floor for a vote.

HB 2198 will also create an Oregon Cannabis Commission to take over at OMMP and it also allows for OMMP growers who have lost their market to transfer up to 20 pounds of flowers per year into the OLCC recreational market.

It will also remove the limit of 10 plants per household and allow patients to grow six plants each on their own property for a maximum of 12..

Stay tuned because it is not over yet! Visit www.occnewspaper.com for updates.

Jun/July 2017

Oregon News

Page 7 best people for the job. We are now behind on inspections with applicants waiting two months to be scheduled for an inspector's visit for licensing. This is all a matter of record.

One of the preeminent trade shows for cannabis cultivation is coming again to Portland on August 5 and 6, 2017. The Indo Expo will be held at the Portland Expo Center in N. Portland and will feature a wide variety of vendors and seminars covering the cannabis cultivation industry.

“Indo Expo is a [Business to Business] industry cannabis show,” explained Chris Olson, organizer of the trade show. “It focuses primarily on growing cannabis—soil, lights, greenhouses, trimmers, nutrients, extractors—and quite a few ancillary businesses, too, with everything from tourism to magazines, lawyers and CPAs.”

They have a number of seminars during the show that focus on growing, nutrients, pest management, lighting, extraction and more. With a large group of vendors, including some of the biggest names, they will provide a great space to gain knowledge and learn about what new products and services are available.

Sponsors of the show are some of the best known names in cannabis, including: Grodan, Phive 8 Distribution, House & Garden, Wholesale Harvest Supply, Growth Science, Futurola, TimPro, Advanced Nutrients, Urban Agriculture, Cyco Flower, Beneficial Biologics, Precision Extraction Solutions, Mighty Blend Cultivated, Synergy, Ms. Mary Staffing.

“We have put together a large platform where people can come together and network and share information, get information for their businesses and market their products or services.” Olson told Oregon Cannabis Connection. “Indo Expo has about 300 exhibitors … and we have a lot of large companies that people would recognize if they walked into a grow store. It's all the products that are on the shelves.”

They do the show twice a year, including a show in Denver in the winter. This will be their sixth show in the past three years. At this point, the two locations are doing quite well. A wide variety of professionals attend, which can make the networking opportunities better than at a typical show. Indo Expo is also offering a mixer at the Red Lion Hotel on Saturday night for additional chances to mingle with industry pros.

“Our show works better in a place where the industry is established or where it is getting established, and Oregon is very much that kind of place.” Olson explained. “There's just so much buzz

Testimony Submitted to Joint Committee on Marijuana Regulation

and everyone is just gearing up, and that's where our show does well.”

There is no better place for a business to business networking experience in cannabis. With the great vendors, the presentations, and their mixers, it makes the experience truly enjoyable. They get an unmatched number of industry professionals compared to other shows.

“INDO EXPO is uniquely positioned with a private B2B Saturday, which allows our exhibitors and buyers to connect and do business without distraction,” explains their press release. “We are open to the public on Sunday, August 6th and welcome aspiring growers, industry professionals and the general public to walk the floor and visit our Sunday exclusive Career Fair.”

They will have: Over 4,500 show attendees to coverage, show, source, network and learn, Over 3,000 qualified industry professionals will pre-register, 10% of attendees will be international visitors, Over 300 exhibitors will showcase over 1,000 product lines, and over 20 industry experts will participate in the forums and seminars, which are included with admission.

There will be an area just for the hemp industry, too. The Industrial Hemp Pavilion will provide a platform within the main area that will support businesses and entrepreneurs involved with idustrial hemp industry. The Expo will showcase USA Hemp-made products and services by a select group of hemp vendors.

The following is relevant to both SB 1057 and HB 2198, as well as the topic of legalization and the regulatory framework as a whole.

I have been involved with this process since the beginning. Before the beginning, really. As a member of the Oregon Cannabis Industry Association (OCIA) and a founder of the Salem chapter (SCIA) well before M91, and a medical program participant since advocating for M67 back in 1997. I've seen history being written from the inside.

I have also had the privilege of serving on the OLCC Licensing, Compliance and Enforcement Committee (LCE) helping draft the rules that were to govern implementation under M91, as well as being the appointed representative of cannabis by the Governor's office on the SB 844 implementation task force.

As we have deliberated the many facets of legalizing and regulating this plant my voice was heard often. But, unfortunately, often ignored. The following are cautionary tales derived primarily from my experience with LCE and the state Department of Justice (DoJ).

During the process I brought to the table for discussion many items I know from years of involvement with this plant in Oregon. Some of my statements were disregarded by the OLCC, DoJ, and OHA/OMMP. As a result, you have heard many apologies from their representatives when their numbers were all wrong for 18 months. I will highlight some of the root causes here, and how this inaccurate information could have been avoided, as well as tieing this in to future plans.

During LCE discussion, originally it was supposed that the number of adult users of cannabis was (roughly) around 150,000 in Oregon. I stated that it was closer to 750,000, and that ultimately medical consumption would be determined to be about 1/8 of the total retail market. This information was initially regarded skeptically, then dismissed, then proven correct.

About 5,000 attendees are expected for the show because the location is ideal.

Portland is located perfectly between Vancouver, BC, and the San Francisco Bay area and will attract from all the western legal states.

More information is available about the Portland Indo Expo online at their website www.indoexpo.com. They strongly recommend pre-registration for industry professionals seeking complementary tickets—which can be done online. They also have discounted early bird pricing for those who will be purchasing tickets. Access to Portland Expo is as easy as taking the yellow Max line to the last north stop. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection

The OLCC anticipated 200 processor licensees for Oregon. I articulated that they would need to license over 300 in the first year. I was told I was “making up numbers” and that their numbers were “made up by real actuarials”. They stuck with this unrealistically low number until having to acknowledge that there were in excess of 300 initial applicants.

I told the State that there would be more than double the number of growsite (producer) applications than they expected when looking at initial projections. Again I was told the budget was based on expert numbers. Again the 'experts' were wrong, and the number very closely mirrored my initial estimates.

I cautioned that twice as many inspectors would be required, and that the base salary should be 10% higher to gain the

I don't have a crystal ball, and I don't claim to know the future. But history has an interesting habit of proving me right. I do my due diligence before making claims, and as a result, I have not deviated from any of the positions I have taken over the time you have known me. There are many other examples, but the above will suffice for setting the stage for my following statements.

When the legislature made grandfathering set at 1/1/2015, thousands of small medical growers, including myself, had to release patients. This was because even though we had the cards required for grandfathering during the 2015 season, the legislature went back in history to change the rules instead of making 1/1/2016 the (logical) effective date for grandfathering medical growers.

Sites like my small farm which naturally gained or shed cardholders over time were forced into a smaller, more restrictive system. This was a violation of the voters' intent as expressed by support of M91.

The OMMP continued to gain new participants after M91 passed, as I predicted. Until the new grower fees of $200 per card put a damper on participation. Charging excessive fees without providing a service to the applicant does not prove that there were too many people in the OMMP. It does prove, however, that the 40% of low income cardholders that receive merit based reduced card fees are not able to sustain any additional costs associated with their medication of choice.

New restrictions on production for small medical farmers requiring them to enter the METRC system will have a financial impact on the Oregon cannabis budgets.

Each time the plant limit is cut in half the cost of regulation roughly doubles, and the return on investment is cut in half.

Going from over 48 plant gardens under METRC to over 24 plant gardens on METRC roughly doubles the number of gardens being tracked, but does not add significantly to the number of plants actually being tracked because the individual farms are smaller. This happens again, and again is magnified, by putting all gardens over 12 plants into METRC reporting. 7 plant gardens don't resemble 7000 plant farms, and Oregon doesn't regulate small gardens the way that commercial farms are regulated into commerce for any other farm crop.

The OHA tracking system has never worked correctly, and has not been implemented as required. Growers with 8 cards have 2 to 8 accounts for OHA reporting currently. These accounts were intended to be a single account for which the reporting was to be done by the PRMG (person responsible for marijuana grow site). This protocol to make an efficient reporting system has not been implemented, and is unnecessarily difficult for the grower(s) remaining at these small medical gardens.

In this sense, METRC could be an easier system for these growers to comply with and adapt to (even though the seed to sale tracking system is an unenforceable joke). The most unfortunate part of this narrative is that the only reason METRC Cont. on Page 8

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Oregon News

2nd Cannabis Science Conference Coming To Portland Convention Cntr Josh Crossney of Baltimore, Maryland, saw a need in the cannabis industry and he filled it. The President and Founder of Cannabis Science Conference worked staffing and recruiting for the analytical science industry. With his contacts and knowledge of the industry, he has provided a perfect platform to bridge the gap between analytical science and cannabis. Luckily for Oregon, he brought it back to Portland coming this August 28th through 30th.

“I saw a need for the advancement of cannabis science, specifically the testing and need for standardization in testing,” Crossney explained to Oregon Cannabis Connection. “We formed a non-profit organization called jCanna which is devoted to the advancement of cannabis science.”

This is the second year of the conference and they expect a crowd double the size of last year’s event, which was held at the Red Lion Conference Center in North Portland. They had 85 exhibitors and 800 attendees for that event, but the space was cramped. Their solution was to expand to the Oregon Convention Center for this year’s event to handle the crowd and increased attendance and program.

“This year we are expanding and offering two analytical tracks,” explained Crossney.

“One that focuses on analytical science topics like extraction and testing and parallel to that we will have our medical cannabis track that will be about medical

cannabis topics so you will hear from medical cannabis doctors and medical cannabis nurses.”

The analytical science track will have a heavy focus on extraction and testing sciences, and they will have programs covering those topics. They will be welcomed topics with the changing landscape of testing rules and regulations from state to state.

Keynote speakers for the Analytical Science track include Dr. David (Dedi) Meiri, PhD, an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Biology at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and a member of the Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC), and Prof.

Jack Henion PhD, who is an expert in Mass Spectrometry (MS) and the co-founder and chief scientific officer for Advion, an instrument manufacturer for the analytical testing industry.

The medical science track will feature speakers that have an expertise in medical cannabis including subjects like routes of administration, dosages, recent studies and more. The keynote speakers for this track are Dr. Uma Dhanabalan M.D. of Uplifting Health and Wellness in Natick, Massachusetts and Dr. Sue Sisley M.D. Who is a primary care physician in Scottsdale, Arizona that is also leading the current PTSD study funded by M.A.P.S. (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies).

The event is sponsored by the biggest names in the analytical science industry including Shimadzu and Agilent technologies, two of the largest players in testing equipment manufacturing. Crossney’s industry contacts enabled him to reach out to these giants in the industry for their participation and sponsorship.

Oregon Cannabis Connection

For the Record

of and not the solution to undesired diversion.

At whichever point the legislature chooses to enforce tracking again all product tracked must have a direct path to our market.

looks even vaguely reasonable is that the legislature has not held OHA accountable for failing to live up to their mandates yet again.

In an attempt to keep this brief, I will conclude with the following: The cornerstone of legalization at this date in history is the establishment and maintenance of a robust medical program. This is the case in all adult use legal states now. Medical patients are exercising their right to choose the medication that they feel is right for their body. Due to the fact that so many pharmaceuticals are subsidized and cannabinoid therapy is not, the voluntary philanthropy of many medical producers has been part of the equation since 1998 in law. This has been a huge cost savings to Oregon and the OHP at the same time that it has improved the quality and duration of life for individual Oregonians preferring this method of therapy. Further restrictions to the OMMP are also subject to the law of unintended consequences.

Another clear cut case of OHA failing to live up to its mandates is the failure to hire ORELAP employees last year. Due to a lack of inspectors, even though I understand there was a budget for them, lab accreditation is woefully behind. This led to further difficulties in implementing OLCC and OMMP sales in a timely and efficient manner as the early sales program phased out at the beginning of 2017.

I was there when the representative of Franwell, the company that owns the METRC software, first set foot on an outdoor cannabis farm in 2016. He was surprised to say the least, because he had only seen cannabis cultivation indoors up to that point. And was the first to admit that METRC was not designed for agriculture in the conventional sense, the way that we apply it as SunGrowers and small family farms.

Even now OLCC is just scheduling rulemaking for food producers. The OHA is taking yet another look at what appropriate lab standards are, and pesticides and appropriate testing for different types of products is being debated. Much of this is caused by artificial deadlines imposed on this industry by both the agencies and the legislature. This has lead to a shortage of high value, high demand products available to adult use consumers and OMMP patients alike.

This doesn't have to be difficult. But part of the process makes it difficult if not impossible to have effective implementation on the timeline allowed. One difficulty here is that the timeline was based on unrealistic numbers projected by the “real actuarials”. The other difficulty is that the State, especially through the DoJ involvement in the OLCC administrative process, reserved veto power over any recommendations made by it's committees. This meant that similarly to the OHA ignoring the advice of the Advisory Committee on Medical Marijuana, the OLCC was able to ignore the advice being given by cannabusiness participants on their committees.

I would strongly recommend that any grower required to use METRC, or any other state mandated system, be allowed the same access into commerce as all other participants in the tracking system. If it is in fact Oregon's desire to contain all of our production for distribution within our borders, the only logical way to accomplish this end is allowing access to a robust retail market here by all of the participants.

This is where the 'sunrise' provisions come into the conversation. The hastened implementation schedule is guaranteed to eject growers from the system that would prefer to participate. Knowing from past mistakes that OLCC, or any other agency charged with the duty, will not be able to complete the task in the time frame allowed, I would ask that the sunrise on provisions that further modify the OMMP be delayed to become effective 1/1/2019. This would allow the queue of early transition applications to get in line and be approved in a timely fashion. Considering the anticipated delays in approval of new licenses and acceptance into the new tracking system this may indeed be the only way to ensure the highest degree of compliance with our own requirements.

If the interest of Oregon is as stated, to keep our product in the state, then excluding small producers from this marketplace is the cause

Please do not conflate the 'recreational' market with responsible adult users treating their own maladies as they see fit – with or without the permission of Oregon to self medicate with a registry I.D.card. Please consider the implications of bringing people in to or excluding them from access to the legal, regulated marketplace in Oregon. Looking at our history of success and failures it is clearly difficult to make a case for OHA continuing to administer the OMMP. Indeed the best case is made by the county opt out regulations for OLCC producers. Establish an effective mechanism with enough time for a smooth transition like the OCC currently on the table or the OCRI as recommended by the 844 task force.

I'll borrow some here from Larry Arn, President of Hillsdale College, in a presentation that he made on December 2, 2016 at the Allan P. Kirby Jr. Center for Constitutional studies and citizenship in Washington D.C. Although I have applied his words to this subject, the message remains the same, and can be found in it's original version at hillsdale.edu in vol. 45 # 12 of 'Imprimis': Laws are made now chiefly by regulatory agencies that combine in themselves all three powers of government. Every institution in society is in principal subject to comprehensive regulation. Every employer, school, clubs, and family life itself are now the subject of rules too complex for the lay person to grasp. These rules are not always enforced, nor can they be, but Americans sense that they better be looking over their shoulders, careful of what they say.

This has changed the way we live.

Compliance increasingly replaces abiding the law as the public goal. Laws, the founders held, must be simple, few, and constant. Then we may all know what they are, live under them, and help to enforce them. This makes us equal, ruler and ruled. It means we do not quail before the forces of law. We are the forces of the law.

Compliance, by contrast, means adapting constantly to changing and complex instructions from central authorities, and it means the employment of specialists to interpret the regulations and make sure others conform. In addition to this, whole populations live in long term dependence on the government. It means the government is separate from the people.

This is the least that must be considered to remain in compliance with Cole, with our own rules and regulations, and to be compassionate to our fellow Oregonians and responsible stewards of our land, ourselves, and our God given resources .

This is an abreviated version. entire version at www.occnewspaper.com

Page 10

Oregon News Nugs Fines Handed Down in Astoria BHO Explosion Case The butane explosion at Higher Level Concentrates in Astoria, Oregon, in October of last year has resulted in a $5,300 fine for workplace safety violations. Three men were severely injured in the explosion, and one man filed a lawsuit due to his injuries.

Oregon News Oei and West have a pending application with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission for an adult-use license, which the OLCC has put on hold. The results of the investigation will determine how they proceed.

What do Cannabis Consumers Buy in Oregon?

Marijuana.com published an article May 4 which had an interesting breakdown of what products Oregonians are consuming in the cannabis market. It was a single month snapshot of sales based on BDS Analytics' Greenedge Tracking data.

The lawsuit alleges the men were “dabbing” in the poorly ventilated workspace when the explosion occurred. The extraction process used a closed loop pressurized system with butane as the extraction solvent to create butane honey oil, or BHO. Dabbing is a method of vaporizing the BHO to smoke it.

But, a small butane torch was used in the dabbing process—obviously a bad idea in the confined space.

Image: herbtime.com

Oregon Prescription Savings Thanks to Medical Marijuana The Lund Report, an Oregon health news website that boxes above their weight class, reported on a connection between medical marijuana states and a decrease in prescription drug spending under the nation’s Medicare and Medicaid programs. They found that millions of dollars were saved by people reducing their prescriptions, which correlated to big savings in Oregon. From The Lund report (www.thelundreport.org): “W. David Bradford, an economist with the University of Georgia Department of Public Administration and Policy, has been studying the impacts of legal medical marijuana on prescription drug costs in Medicare and Medicaid for the past several years. In a 2016 Health Affairs paper, he estimated medical marijuana states saved $165.2 million on Medicare Part D prescription costs in 2013 (out of the program’s $103 billion 2013 budget). His new paper looks at similar patterns in Medicaid fee-for-service prescriptions, and he found an estimated $475.8 million in savings nationally in 2014 (out of the $23.9 billion spent on the program in 2014)—with $13.7 million estimated savings in Oregon.

“The savings percentages are actually pretty close to each other (for Medicare and Medicaid), despite them serving relatively different populations,” Bradford said. “We can’t see why people are using medical marijuana. But we can see when a state turns on medical marijuana that prescription use falls in areas where medical marijuana can be used.”

The trend is no surprise to medical marijuana warriors across the nation who understand the value of medical marijuana. Now that 29 states and DC have approved medical marijuana, and even more have approved CBD (cannabidiol)—which comes from cannabis, studies like this will continue to show a decrease in prescription costs.

The company was fined for neglecting to report the injuries to Oregon OSHA. The victims were transported to the Legacy Burn Center in Portland. They also failed to have proper ventilation, failed to obtain city permits and had an inadequate electrical system.

The lawsuit, filed by Jason Magley—a construction worker in the building at the time of the explosion—named Higher Level, William West and Jason Oei in the suit, along with one other person and 10 other businesses.

The data showed Oregonians love cannabis flower most of all, with almost $22 million in sales in March 2017 (including pre-rolls).

They did purchase substantial concentrates, however, coming in at $7.7 million. And, of those concentrates, vape pens and shatter accounted for $6 million in sales.

Edibles, on the other hand, only accounted for $4.7 million in sales.

That is partly due to a lack of availability, which also affected the concentrate market, but to a lesser extent. Chocolates and other candy ruled the category with $3.5 million in sales.

Oregon Cannabis Connection

Cannabis Friendly Campground in Oregon Opens What goes hand in hand with camping?

Smoking cannabis, of course. And, what has always been the biggest problem when you were camping and enjoying your ganja?

Neighboring campers that do not approve, and law enforcement that might get called by those same bothersome campers. Now Southern Oregon has a campground that embraces cannabis use, and it sits beside a beautiful lake in the heart of Oregon's cannabis cultivation region.

Wayne Zallen recently took over the old Lake Selmac Resort in Selma, Oregon, and it has begun the transformation into the new Smoke on the Water campground. The aging Lake Selmac Resort was the perfect setting for a cannabis centered campground, but it is in need of upgrades which they have planned.

They had a soft opening on 4/20 after recently completing the purchase on the property.

“We bought Lake Selmac Resort and we are rebranding it to the Smoke on the Water brand and doing a bunch of improvements,” Zallen told Oregon Cannabis Connection.. “It was a pretty run-down park when we got it.”

There are plenty of activities on Lake Selmac and Smoke on the Water rents motor boats, paddle boats, kayaks, and stand up paddle boards. They allow day use in their picnic grounds for those that can't stay overnight but want to experience the cannabis friendly resort. Lake Selmac is also the location that produces Oregon's record large mouth bass regularly (at least 3 times), so the fishing is excellent and also includes panfish, walleye and trout. They can accommodate everything from RVs to Tents and also have cabins for rent and have planned even more.

“We will eventually have a dispensary on the property, we have a general store, and we will have munchies and camping supplies available,” He said. “we are putting up three custom tipis by [Nomadic Tipi Makers] out of Bend, Oregon, and we have a couple of cottages for rent and plan on remodeling a [home] on the property into an AirBnB.” The region has fairly cold winters and many years the lake will freeze over. The previous owners were from California and would not stay around when the chill set in. There lack of campers made that a logical choice. But, with the new marijuana industry in Southern Oregon and the large outdoor grows that harvest in the fall, there is “housing” a niche the resort plans to fill.

“We have been contacted by several growers about housing trimmers at the resort in the winter months since they are not allowed to camp out on their land,” Zallen explained. “The previous owners closed the park down in the winter ... but we do plan on operating 12 months a year.”

Smoke on the Water is a subsidiary of Grow Condos, Inc., a publicly traded company that leases industrial warehouse spaces built just for growers on a property in Eagle Point, Oregon. They are publicly traded as OTC: GRWC. There are a lot of new businesses popping up around Oregon that are centered on cannabis use. There are rafting companies, tour companies, rental vacation rentals and more.

This will not be the last campground that caters to them, but it may be one of the most visited destinations with all the amenities they have and the beautiful location in the heart of Oregon pristine cannabis growing region.

They are currently open for business and taking reservations. They are located at 2700 Lakeshore Dr. Selma, Oregon and their phone number is 541-597-2277. Find them online at www.lakeselmac.com and their email is camping@lakeselmac.com © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection on all Oregon News Nugs All rights reserved.

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Jun/Jul 2017

Oregon News

Yamhill County Winery Blocks Cannabis Science Conference Marijuana Grow Over Odor County approval for a small half-acre marijuana grow and processing site was denied by Yamhill County Commissioners on June 1. The neighboring Momtazi Vineyards, who sell their wine under the label Maysara, had filed an appeal to the county's earlier approval of the marijuana production and processing license. The commissioners voted 2–1 in favor of stopping the marijuana business.

The commissioners who voted against the farm were opposed to processing in rural areas and instead would prefer that type of business to occur on industrial- or commercially-zoned land.

In addition to the events of the main conference on August 29th and 30th, they will have pre-conference events planned for Friday, August 28th. Two separate workshops will be available those days with one focused on analytical science and one focused on medical cannabis. Fewer people will be attending those events and much more interaction will be available for attendees.

Companies will be on hand doing demonstrations of their equipment and medical professionals available to answer questions about their presentations.

They plan two mixers on Saturday (from 6pm to 8pm) and Sunday (from 4pm to 6pm) following the conference sessions. Both are included in the entrance price and should provide even more opportunity to mingle with and meet even more industry professionals.

"There's a lot of passion on both sides. It's hard sometimes when you have to separate that passion from the facts," Commissioner Richard Olsen stated at the hearing. He voted to block the cannabis farm.

He had concerns about the processing facility waste and wastewater … and the possibility of an earthquake’s effect on containment of the wastewater.

Commissioner Mary Starrett voted in support of the cannabis operation, stating at the hearing, “It really is like having to pick and choose what products or what farm crops we're going to thumbs-up or thumbs-down.”

The Momtazi family, along with another neighboring family, also filed a lawsuit seeking a restraining order to force the family to stop all operations and farming activity.

That lawsuit was denied.

The Wagner family, who own the property for the marijuana operation, have one last option—to file an appeal to the land use board.

They remained undecided on whether to file an appeal at the time of this printing. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

The cost is only $199 for the main conference on the weekend, and only $40 if you want to just attend the exhibit hall but none of the seminars. Visit them online at www.cannabisscienceconference.com for more information. The cost for pre-conference Fridays workshops is only $399 for the Canna Boot Camp and $349 for the Cannabis Nurses Network workshop, “Endocannabinoid Connections.”

To save 25% on admission use promo code JCANNA25 on their website when registering (Does not include pre-conference workshops). © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Oregon's New Grow Canopies

Over the last two years Oregon has been trying to develop a way for OLCC growers to provide for thousands of OMMP patients who have lost their growers since 2015. Some of these growers have transitioned into OLCC, which until now has not had the mechanism for their growers to provide for patients. Others have stayed within OHA but dropped below certain plant levels to avoid reporting.

Initially, in 2015, OMMP growers who wanted to transition from being an OMMP grower to an OLCC “producer” and bring their patients with them could “opt in.” Some OMMP growers did this but it was cumbersome and those patients brought over with their grower were never able to receive any product from the grower because the rules had not yet been written for this transfer. There was no way to determine how long it might be before the grower, now with OLCC, would be able to provide for patients either, so this idea was abandoned

Page 11 licenses, which cost $1,000 and $2,000, allowed the licensees to grow up to 625 or 1250 square feet respectively. Although entry is cheaper than paying the grow site registration fees for eight or 16 patients, the licensees are still required to meet all OLCC licensing criteria—which can be costly. In addition, some cities and counties still prohibit OLCC licenses.

Bump-up canopies are designed for OLCC growers who also want to grow for patients. A small fee must be paid for this extra canopy, but growers are allowed a 10% increase in canopy size if they want to provide for patients.

The concept behind this idea was to give an incentive to OLCC growers who provide for patients by giving them additional or “bumpup” canopy. For instance, a Tier II OLCC producer with a 40,000 sq. ft. canopy would get a “bump-up” of an additional 4,000 square feet.

To receive this additional canopy, however, an OLCC producer must agree to dedicate 75% of the production from this additional canopy to patients. The remaining 25% can be under the watchful eye of METRC, combined with the grower’s recreational inventory.

The irony here is we may begin to see OLCC growers scrabbling for patients. After all 25% of 4,000 square feet is still a thousand square feet of canopy. A person can grow a lot of weed in a 20 x 50 hoop house.

A certain percentage of OLCC producers were never a part of the OMMP and may forego this opportunity. The OLCC growers In 2016 the legislature, who were once part of the OMMP working with the OLCC may take on patients again, but it and OHA, came up with is not clear if the additional two different options. product from the medical side One would allow Image: Honey Badger Sungrown would compensate for the extra licensees to apply for and resources that would need to be receive additional canopy to provide for devoted to patients. While OLCC growers patients and the other would allow smaller willing to take this option can certainly ease growers to get into OLCC for a smaller the burden for patients who have lost their fee—allowing them to become “micro” OLCC OMMP growers, it is a double-edged sword. producers and have full access to the Patients receiving their medicine from OLCC recreational market. growers for free will not likely be coming into the stores.

These options were dubbed the “bump up” and the “micro” canopies.

So that’s it really. It’s pretty simple.

Micro canopies were established for those © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights OMMP growers who wanted to grow for reserved. patients but also have access to the recreational market could do so for a subsidized fee through the OLCC. These

Jun/Jul 2017

National News

Page 13

soon after Question 2 passed to gauge their level of interest in distribution. The department said it only a handful of dealers showed lukewarm interest, and no concrete business plans were submitted for how those companies would distribute marijuana.

After a hard-fought legislative win to begin early roll out of cannabis sales in Nevada, the alcohol industry blocked the July 1 planned start date in court on Wednesday, May 30. The judge's ruling extends the May 31 deadline for applications and mandates that any license issued must be to “a person holding a wholesale [alcohol] dealer license ...”

Part of the issue the department cited was liquor distributors are licensed on the federal level, where marijuana remains illegal, and acting as a distributor of marijuana could put those licenses at risk.

In March, the department decided that it would open the applications for distribution licenses beyond alcohol distributors.”

The Tax department passed temporary rules earlier this year after legislation was pushed to do the same, which would help the state more quickly collect some of the expected $70 million in tax revenue to flow in for the first two years.

The Department of Taxation spokeswoman Stephanie Klapstein said, “The Department is reviewing the temporary restraining order with legal counsel, and we intend to defend our regulations to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Independent Alcohol Distributors of Nevada filed the lawsuit that challenged the issuance of licenses in a way that broke with the language and intent of Question 2—the ballot measure passed in November.

Under the measure, cannabis was supposed to be regulated like alcohol, and the group further argued the language of the measure gave the right exclusively to alcohol distributors for the first 18 months of sales.

One current medical marijuana dispensary owner in Las Vegas has his own cultivation facility to supply his three dispensaries. He has created a vertically-integrated business that does not need a third-party distributor forced on him.

Armen Yemenidjian, CEO of Essence Cannabis dispensaries, told the RJ, “It doesn’t make any sense.” © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

“The statute clearly gives a priority and exclusive license to alcohol distributors, in order to promote the goal of regulating marijuana similar to alcohol,” the temporary restraining order explained. The judge’s ruling is likely to delay the July 1 launch.

But the current medical marijuana dispensaries oppose the increase, pointing directly to their bottom line as the reason.

They fear that the increase in competition, combined with the home-grow laws the state has adopted, will destroy what they have built.

The current dispensaries are in Providence, Warwick and Portsmouth. Rhode Island has the fewest dispensaries to serve patients in any state—one for every 5919 patients. Neighboring Massachusetts has 35 access points and about 34,000 registered patients—which is one dispensary for every 971 patients.

The new legislation is welcomed by those wishing to enter the market, which is believed will continue increasing dramatically for the foreseeable future. The Providence Journal reports: “If you look at patient growth, we’re growing at 4000 to 5000 patients a year.

Nothing suggests that will cap,” said Bill Fischer, a lobbyist representing brothers Jamie and Joshua DeSousa, who hope to open the Blackstone Valley Compassion Center if the expansion bill passes. Fischer said there are a number of factors in play, including geographic need and high cost.

Medical marijuana can sell for as much as $350 an ounce at dispensaries.

The attorney for distributors, Sam McMullen told Las Vegas Review Journal (RJ), “We just want our rightful place. We don’t want to slow this down inordinately.”

The Nevada Tax Department did reach out to distributors early on. They seemed unprepared and apparently were generally indifferent to the idea. The RJ reported: “The tax department reached out to all licensed alcohol wholesalers in the state

Rhode Island is a tiny state. The smallest in the nation, in fact, by almost a million square miles. The population is just over a million, which ranks 43rd, just behind New Hampshire. As far as medical cannabis patients go, they have nearly 18,000 now, which is more than triple their total four years ago when they decided to legalize medical marijuana dispensaries. Currently only have three medical marijuana dispensaries are in the entire state, and the legislature is considering expanding that to six.

­ Bob Marley

“There’s also the political plight of the [marijuana legalization] bill,” Fischer said, referring to speculation that the legalization push is dead this year.

Legalization of recreational marijuana “could have provided increased competition

and resulted in a lower cost for the patient community.

“That increasingly looks like it’s not going to be the case,” Fischer said. “The time for more compassion centers is now. It’s inevitable.”

But, new data collected show that around 45,000 plants are being grown by patients or their designated caregivers. All the dispensaries combined only grow 4000 plants. Opponents of the new licensing legislation believe there is an imbalance that will affect their bottom line.

Existing operators are pushing back hard against the proposed changes in Senate bill 176. They believe that the large number of homegrown plants combined with more licensed dispensaries will reduce the demand, ultimately hurting their business.

“If you pass a bill that allows another compassion center to open up in Newport County or Bristol County, Greenleaf in Portsmouth will go out of business,” Seth Bock, the CEO of Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center to a Senate panel earlier in May. “Where is the data to show that there is an unmet need?” Chris Reilly, lobbyist for Thomas C. Slater Center in Providence.

“Unless the very liberal home-grow provision is addressed, there will continue to be an imbalance … All it does is add new centers to the limited pool of patients that use compassion centers in the first place.”

In 2016, the state raised over $686,000 in taxes on $17.2 million in sales. The current year is on pace to do over $2.3 million a month on average, which should bring in an annual total of around $28 million in revenue and well over $1 million in taxes. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Page 14

The first half of 2017 has seen a slew of federal legislation come to the floor for debate in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Starting in January, the steady stream of legislation was ramped up by the February launch of the fourmember bi-partisan Congressional Cannabis Caucus. Featuring Oregon congressman Earl Blumenauer (D), the now five-member group’s stated goal has been to protect the interests of the legal cannabis industry.

Here’s a rundown of what’s on the floor, what it does and where it is (on June 10): H.R.331 – States’ Medical Marijuana Property Rights Act – Introduced January 5th, 2017 by Rep. Barbara Lee (D – California) (reintroduced version of H.R.262 from 2015) This would exclude real property (land & houses) from seizure by the government under the Controlled Substances Act, in effect since 1971, for Federal marijuana prosecutions. Property seizures have come under new scrutiny in the past few years from both liberals and conservatives, and getting real property seizures banned for cannabis arrests could be the first step in eliminating them altogether. Most recent action on the bill was its referral to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations on January 31.

H.R.715 – Compassionate Access Act Introduced January 27th, 2017 by Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (R - Virginia) (reintroduced version of H.R.1774 from 2015) This bill would simply remove marijuana from Schedule I, which would be a huge victory for the legalization of cannabis altogether and its recognition as a viable medicine. Schedule I drugs by definition have no medicinal use. This bill would also make HR331 essentially unnecessary. It’s a long shot for passage under the current administration, and is also currently with the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations since January 31.

National News H.R.714 – LUMMA - Introduced January 27th, 2017 by Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (R Virginia) (reintroduced version of H.R.2373 from 2015) LUMMA stands for the Legitimate Use of Medical Marihuana Act, and is also an ambitious bill that might have problems with the policies of AG Sessions’ office. It would formally ban the Controlled Substances Act from applying to medical cannabis in any state where legal use of cannabis is allowed. It was most recently referred to the Subcommittee on Health on February 3rd.

H.R.975 – Respect for State Marijuana Laws Act of 2017 - Introduced February, 7th, 2017 by Rep Dana Rohrabacher (R California) (reintroduced version of H.R.2373 from 2015) This bill would amend the Controlled Substances Act to prevent “regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties” from applying to any person who “produces, possesses, distributes, dispenses, administers, or delivers marijuana in compliance with state laws.” Essentially a beefed up version of the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, which was not renewed for the last fiscal year.

H.R.1227 – Ending Federal Marijuna Prohibition Act of 2017 – Introduced February 27th, 2017 by Rep. Thomas A. Garrett, Jr. (R – Virginia) (reintroduced version of S.2237 from 2015) This is a full end to marijuana prohibition on a federal level, excluding interstate transportation. The 2015 version of this bill, S.2237 in the Senate, was introduced

by Bernie Sanders and was unable to garner any support. Two years later the bill has other backers and is getting more coverage. It’s still a big long shot under the current administration. This bill is cosponsored by rising Democratic star Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D - Hawaii), Rep. Scott Taylor (R – Virginia) and Cannabis Caucus member, Rep. Jared Polis (D – Colorado).

H.R.1841 – Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act – Introduced March 30th 2017 by Rep. Jared Polis (D – Colorado) (reintroduced version of H.R.1013 from 2015) A perhaps slightly less forceful end to federal meddling in state marijuana industries, this bill is Polis’ flagship and considered a more potentially viable alternative to H.R.1227. It would leave the federal government in the marijuana regulation business, but as the title

Oregon Cannabis Connection H.R.1952 – The Better Drive Act – Introduced April 5th, 2017, by Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D – Texas) With 9 cosponsors, this bill aims to prevent the suspension of driving privileges for drug offenses as a matter of course. Mainly it repeals Section 159 of Title 23 of the US Code, which mandates an 8% reduction in federal highway funding to states that don’t automatically suspend licenses of drug offenders. This bill is enjoying particularly bipartisan support from O’Rourke and co-sponsors such as Republicans Rep. Justin Amash (R – Michigan) and Rep. Mia Love (R – Utah).

It’s currently being discussed by the Committee for Highway and Transit.

suggests, in a manner more akin to its regulation of alcohol. It’s a part of Sen. Ron Wyden’s “Path to Marijuana Reform” package of bills that were introduced in both the House and Senate. The bill has 10 co-sponsors and was most recently referred to the Subcomittee on Conservation and Forestry on April 24th.

H.R.1820 – The Veteran’s Equal Access Act – Introduced March 30th 2017 by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D – Oregon) (reintroduced version of H.R.667 from 2015) Another prong in Wyden and company’s path is this bill, which would stop Veteran’s Administration from restricting veterans’ access to medical marijuana in states where it’s legal. Being a Schedule I drug has prevented VA doctors from giving written opinions and referrals for veterans seeking marijuana as a potential treatment option. It’s currently with the Subcommittee on Health and has broad bipartisan support, with libertarian Justin Amash (R – Michigan) and liberal Peter DeFazio (D – Oregon) among the 13 cosponsors.

H.R.1824/S.780 – Responsibly Addressing the Marijuana Policy Gap Act – Introduced March 30th, 2017, in the Senate by Sen. Ron Wyden (D – Oregon) and in the House by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) This bicameral piece of new legislation is at the heart of the Path to Marijuana Reform. With five co-sponsors in the House, the bill is in the Senate Finance Committee and the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security respectively, and aims to bring federal and state statutes on marijuana broadly into functioning interaction with each other.

H.R.1823/S.776 – Marijuana Revenue and Legislation Act – Introduced March 30th, 2017 in the Senate by Sen. Ron Wyden (D – Oregon) and in the House by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) Another part of the “Path,” this bill would amend the 1986 Internal Revenue Code allowing for taxes and regulation on cannabis products. With five cosponsors, the bill is currently in the House Committee on Ways and Means. This would be a major step toward the normalization of banking and finances for thousands of small businesses across the country.

H.R.1810/S.710 – Small Business Tax Equity Act – Introduced March 30th, 2017, in the Senate by Sen. Ron Wyden (D – Oregon) and in the House by Rep. Carlos Cubelo (R – Florida) This road of the “Path” would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow businesses to deduct and take tax credits on their expenditures for marijuana products for business like any other product. The Senate version of the bill has three cosponsors while the House bill has 16. Along with 1823/776, these bills would go a long way toward allowing dispensaries and grow operations to participate in the economy the same way as the rest of the country.

H.R.2020 – (currently unnamed legislation to reschedule Marijuana as drug) – Introduced April 6th, 2017 by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R – Florida) and Rep. Darren Soto (D - Florida) This bill, unlike H.R.175, which calls for marijuana to be removed from Schedule I, specifically calls for it to move to Schedule 3 specifically. This would group it with other drugs that have medical uses and lower levels of physically addictive properties. This schedule does still feature potentially serious drugs of abuse such as anabolic steroids and Ketamine. It currently has 1 co-sponsor in addition to Gaetz and Soto, and is in front of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

H.R.2215/S.1152 – SAFE Banking Act – Introduced April 27th, 2017 in the House

by Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D – Corlorado) and May 17th, 2017 in the Senate by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D – Oregon) (reintroduced version of H.R. 2076/S.1726 from 2015) This piece of legislation got quite a bit of fanfare when Merkley introduced it at the end of April. Standing for Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE), the act will protect the financial institutions accepting deposits from marijuana businesses from losing FDIC protections. This is a very popular piece of legislation across both aisles, as this question has continued to loom over businesses operating legally in their states for years already. The bill has 8 cosponsors in the senate and 40 in the House of representatives, representing the huge popularity it enjoys in states with cannabis industries already up and running.

H.R.2273/S.1008 – Separate Cannabidiol from Marijuana in the CSA Act – Introduced May 1st, 2017, in the House by Rep. Scott Perry (R – Pennsylvania) and May 2nd in the Senate

by Sen. Cory Gardner (D – Colorado) (reintroduced version of H.R. 1635/S.1333 from 2015) With 10 cosponsors in the senate and 19 in the House, this is another bill that has a lot of heat on it from the scientific community, and both parties. At this point, the scientific evidence pointing to the possible medical benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) is looking pretty mountainous. The idea of officially federally recognizing that CBD shouldn’t be grouped in with marijuana on Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act is an immensely popular one. This bill is also known as the Charlotte’s Web Medical Access Act of 2017 and currently sits before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

H.R.2528 - Respect States and Citizens Rights Act of 2017 – Introduced May 18th, 2017 by Rep. Diana DeGette (D – Colorado) and Mike Coffman (R – Colorado) (reintroduced version of H.R. 3629 from 2015, H.R.964 from 2013 and H.R.6606 from 2012) This bill combines the aims of H.R. 2215 and 1824, by clarifying that states’ rules Cont. on Page 14

Jun/Jul 2017

National News Nugs

Seattle Police Officer Arrested for Transporting Marijuana to Maryland A Seattle police officer was arrested for transporting marijuana to Baltimore after an intensive investigation by a federal task force. On May 6, 16-year Seattle Police Department (SPD) officer Alex Chapackdee was arrested with three others for operating a smuggling ring that transported hundreds of pounds of marijuana from the Seattle area to Baltimore, MD. The alleged ringleader was Tuan Van Le, the officer’s brother-in-law.

“The trafficking of hundreds of pounds of marijuana from Washington to the streets of Baltimore will not be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes said in a statement.

The investigation involved the SPD, FBI, DEA, and Department of Homeland Security. They discovered a fouryear pattern of trips to Baltimore by plane and automobile. The cannabis was moved in practically nonstop car trips. The evidence showed that Le flew to and from Baltimore while the others transported the cannabis, with Chapackdee driving his motor home back and forth on at least three different occasions. The officer also made large deposits to his bank accounts that were just under the mandatory reporting amounts of $10,000 so law enforcement would not be notified.

One allegation is that officer Chapackdee used his position to monitor local police activity related to illegal grow houses and distribution.

“Drug trafficking organizations that ignore federal and state laws have always been and will continue to be targeted and held to account. The fact that a police officer was involved in this is obviously of particular concern,” the statement from the Department of Justice stated.

Smuggle Marijuana From Mexico in Hearse and Coffin?

Authorities on April 28 busted a hearse carrying over 67 pounds of marijuana in Arizona. The vehicle was headed for none other than the town of Tombstone … no joke. The stop was performed by border patrol agents near an immigration checkpoint because the vehicle acted erraticly near the border along State

National News Route 80. From the US Customs and Border Protection: “Early Saturday evening, agents working near the immigration checkpoint noticed a white hearse traveling south toward Tombstone. A while later, agents observed the same hearse traveling north and turning west before reaching the SR 80 Immigration Checkpoint. Upon further investigation of the vehicle, agents conducted an immigration vehicle stop. After several inconsistencies from the driver, consent was requested and granted to allow a canine to perform a ‘sniff’ of the vehicle. Border Patrol canine unit was requested and arrived to the location of the stop and the canine alerted to an odor it was trained to detect.”

The authorities determined that the 67 pounds was valued at around $33,000, which is a remarkably fair value compared to the usual confiscation valuations of $3,000 or $4,000 per pound. There is little value in smuggling bad quality cannabis into legal states. There is also a generous supply of cannabis in the United States already, from the legal cultivation that already occurs in many places. It's remarkable that the smugglers thought it was worth their effort to bring in what was likely low quality weed.

The 28 year old driver was arrested and charged for contraband smuggling.

Alaska Cops Can’t Sell Weed In a discriminatory move by the Alaska Police Standards Council, the agency ruled May 3 to ban police in the state from “owning or operating a marijuana business.” The agency has oversight regarding the professional certification of law enforcement in the nation's largest state and they have the power to revoke that certification based on their rules.

The council decision was unanimous. They cited the continuing federal laws that relegate marijuana to the status of an illegal narcotic such as heroin or methamphetamine under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Marijuana is still considered a Schedule I drug which categorizes it as a substance with “a high potential for abuse" and "no currently accepted medical use.”

As with every other legal marijuana state, medical or recreational, there are no protections from employment discrimination against people who use the plant. In most cases, federal laws bolster the argument for continuing the discrimination even though some states have adopted very progressive rules that allow cultivation, sales and medical use for people in their states.

“In light of Alaskans’ proud entrepreneurial spirit, the council felt it may be only a matter of time before a certified officer considered pursuing a license to possess, distribute or cultivate marijuana in Alaska,” the Council director, Bob Griffiths, said in a written statement. “The council decided to send a loud and clear message to those officers considering such an endeavor, that this activity was inconsistent with the ethics of professional law enforcement and is prohibited under current state regulations.”

Page 15 Earlier this year, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) updated Form 4473, which must be completed by people purchasing guns from licensed dealers, to make it clear that even state-legal medical marijuana use is disqualifying.

That form has long asked, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?” People answering in the affirmative are denied the right to buy a gun.

Police officers who are found to be participating in a marijuana business and have their certification revoked will be prevented from getting employed by any police department or other law enforcement job in the state.

Hawaii Denies Gun Permits to Medical Marijuana Patients Hawaii is discriminating against cannabis users who own guns. They have openly stated that people registered in their medical cannabis program cannot obtain a permit to legally acquire guns in the island state.

Hawaii issues annual permits to acquire an unlimited number of longarms (rifles and shotguns), while single-use permits are issued to acquire some specific types of handguns. In 2016, 10,793 (52.7%) of the permits issued were for longarms purchases, while 9,695 (47.3%) were handgun permits.

Their data showed that 42 of the 328 denied applications were specifically for the applicants being “medical marijuana patients.”

That is 12.8% of the denied permits. Only “mental health issues” had more denials at 69, or 21.0%.

They will, in fact, not allow a registered patients to obtain a permit for a full year after their medical marijuana card expires.

The report states, “Former medical marijuana patients can successfully apply one year after the expiration of their medical marijuana approval cards.”

One of the reasons for the doubling of the annual rate of denied applications is a recent change in the federal form that is required by federal authorities. It now specifically mentions state legal marijuana, which it did not before. Tom Angell at Mass Roots reports:

Beginning in January, the revised form added a clarification noting that, “The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.”

With the form updated, people in states that have continued issuing firearms permits to medical marijuana patients, like Oregon, may be denied going forward. It’s unfair to discriminate against people who were forced to register their marijuana use under the state law. There is also no evidence that cannabis use makes a firearm owner more dangerous. They are deferring to the draconian federal Controlled Substances Act that categorizes cannabis as a schedule I drug. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection on all Oregon News Nugs. All rights reserved.

Page 16

and laws will no longer be preempted by federal rules in terms of both criminal and civil penalties regarding marijuana. It attempts to clarify the banking issue as well as the legal issues facing businesses in states where cannabis is now legal. This bill has no cosponsors beyond the two representatives from Colorado as of yet, and faces longer odds than either bills 2215 or 1824. It’s currently before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

S.1276 – Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act – Introduced May 25th, 2017, by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D – California) (reintroduced version of S.3629 from 2016) This bill is a very interesting new development to come to the table, as Senator Feinstein’s bill aims to force Attorney General Sessions to make a decision on the scheduling of CBD on the Controlled Substances Act. This bill has bipartisan backing, as powerful senators Chuck Grassley (R – Iowa) and Richard Durbin (D – Illinois) are among the four cosponsors. While Sessions' movements on marijuana have been concerning, there is huge and growing support among both parties and the general populace about the value of CBD and not grouping it with the psychoactive THC and other cannabinoids.

So it is hoped by throwing the gauntlet on him to make a ruling, he won’t be able to kick the can down the road and will be forced to remove CBD from the schedule.

This bill is currently still being finalized, so no text is currently available, but it has been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Visit http://occnewspaper.com for updates on legislation © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

National News

The myopic, scared and completely ignorant Vermont governor actually blocked the United States’ first legalization law passed by a state legislature. In a stunning example of how disengaged he is with the citizens he represent, Phil Scott vetoed the bill.

“As you might imagine, I have received a great deal of advice on this issue, and have taken the time to fully understand what this legislation proposes to do,” Scott said in a news conference. “I carefully weighed the advantages and disadvantages of this proposal in order to arrive at my decision.”

The advice he got? No one can be certain, but he apparently thinks people will suddenly start using marijuana all over the place. He seems to believe a significant increase in stoned driving will occur, and thousands of people will become cannabis users to the detriment of their health and possibly the safety of others. He proposes that a massive effort by public health, police, and drug treatment facilities will be the only way to prevent these detrimental impacts. He said at the press conference: “I feel it is crucial that key questions and concerns involving public safety and health are addressed before moving forward. We must get this right. Let the science inform any policy around this decision, learn from the experience of other states and take whatever time is required to do so.”

“We should know how we will measure and detect impairment on our highways, fund and implement additional substance abuse prevention education, keep our children safe and penalize those who do not, and measure how legalization impacts the mental health and substance abuse issues our communities are already facing.”

“From my vantage point, S-22 does not yet adequately address these questions, therefore, I am returning this bill to the legislature. I am, however, offering a path

forward that takes a much more thorough look at what public health, safety, and education policies are needed before Vermont moves toward a regulatory and revenue system for an adult-use marijuana market.”

He also took issue with the composition of the proposed marijuana regulatory commission in the law. He believes there should be representatives from the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Health, the Department of Taxes and the substance abuse and treatment community.

He believes the law moves too fast, even though it only allows possession and personal cultivation and does not create a production and distribution system as other states have done. He wants a full year for the commission to develop further plans for a retail system.

Astonishingly, he does not want to “weaken” penalties for distribution to minors and at the same time he wants to stiffen penalties for cannabis DUII and adults using cannabis around minors. He seems to think the penalty for smoking marijuana with a minor in the car should be more severe than if a person had an open container of alcohol with a child in the vehicle. He repeatedly stretches facts and science to make conclusions that support his view: “We must acknowledge that marijuana is not alcohol and it is not tobacco. How we protect children from the new classification of this substance is incredibly important. This is not just a concern about impaired driving, according to the best science available and our own department of health, second-hand marijuana smoke can negatively impact a child's brain development. Therefore, if an adult is smoking marijuana in a car with a child, in my view that should include a more severe punishment.”

No significant science supports his positions, however, and most of the current science indicates his fears are completely unfounded. What does he think will happen with the “change of classification,” anyway? Does he think that thousands of Vermont citizens will suddenly take up marijuana smoking thinking it’s all hunky dory now?

The “best science available” to him was is obviously not the same science I have been reporting on and privy to. Maybe he should expand the science he currently has available. And, just maybe he should pull his head out of his … well, I will let you determine where his head is currently.

Oregon Cannabis Connection

The METRC cannabis tracking system in Colorado is suffering some “leakage” from the supposedly stringent seed-to-sale system designed to prevent diversion from their regulated adult use cannabis market.

Although regulators have determined there have been numerous violations, it’s impossible to tell just how much marijuana is escaping the system and making it to the black market—where it is untaxed and unregulated. They have, in the meantime, issued over $680,000 in fines on licensees that have been deemed in violation of the laws.

The loopholes appear to be in the gray areas where losses are allowed under the rules. For example, retail outlets have been fined for selling cannabis outside the taxed and regulated system after reporting cannabis as damaged or contaminated.

Under the Colorado tracking system, regulators are supposed to be able to monitor all the inputs and outputs in the system by tracking every single plant used to produce cannabis for the legal market.

Under this plan, plants are tracked, harvest is tracked and the finished product amounts is supposed to be recorded and tracked until it is sold to the customer.

A person can already start to imagine the massive opportunities to divert product from a registered and licensed grow site, let alone a dispensary. However, the fines were primarily assessed on dispensaries for an array of violations. KDVR Fox 31 in Denver reported: A seasoned dispensary employee named Marcus explained how pot routinely disappears. And although the amounts seem small to state regulators, the profits for those who are manipulating the system are good.

“There are many ways to be able to manipulate these numbers and there’s no accountability,” Marcus said. “A lot of people are getting paid poorly. A $1,000 or $2,000 just to shave a few grams here and there every day sounds like a real good idea.”

Marcus said the main goal of using waste and lost fields is usually the same: To fool state regulators into thinking some marijuana was dropped on the floor or contains too many mites, then sell that “missing” marijuana out the back door.

Diversion from the regulated systems remains a major problem in legal marijuana states. Lawmakers are wrestling with different systems to try and find a solution to the obvious problem: How do you control a plant that grows like a weed? © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

© 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

small cannabis businesses to voice their concerns only opens the door for lobbyists and large companies to direct the narrative when it comes to cannabis policy. Without the option for these small groups and individuals to voice their concerns to one central committee, I fear that the medical program and the people who built this industry will be silenced and lose any influence they may have had."

It will be a much more complicated path for any legislation to get through in the future. The Joint Committee has provided a single place to handle the dozens of bills that will be coming up every session for the foreseeable future. We will see how Oregon lawmakers handle the confusion of half a dozen committees and dozens of lobbyists that follow them around. © 2017 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Jun/Jul 2017

Medical News contents of your stomach to make it to your intestines, where things are better absorbed).

Cross-Tolerance Between Alcohol and Cannabis The above sections describe what happens with a single dose of alcohol and cannabis.

But what happens when you are a regular cannabis user? Science shows that even in the absence of recent cannabis consumption, being a regular cannabis user can affect how you react to alcohol.

Alcohol and cannabis are two of the world’s most popular recreational drugs.

It is not surprising then that they are often consumed together.

Some people report that they feel pretty good after combining cannabis with a few drinks. There are also many cases of extreme dizziness, nausea, or blacking out. Many people know their limits for each drug individually, but getting the right combination is harder.

Vasodilation (the blood vessels are more relaxed) in lung capillaries from alcohol increases THC absorption After drinking, people tend to take deeper hits

I heard there is a saying: Weed before beer; you’re in the clear.

Beer before grass; you’re on your ass.

Either way, the effect seems to be related to the absorption of THC and, thus, if you start drinking after you have already smoked, the alcohol should not affect the THC level.

Could there be a scientific reason for this?

Effect of Cannabis on Alcohol Level

This combination of drugs has also been a popular topic of scientific study. Dozens of experiments go back to the 1970s. I delve into the research to see what science says about this combination.

Although alcohol appears to increase the blood level of THC, cannabis has quite the opposite effect on blood alcohol level.

Studies have shown that after consuming cannabis, blood alcohol does not rise as fast.

Anyone who has been drunk knows that the symptoms include dizziness and lack of motor coordination. But people who drink regularly enough will notice that it takes more and more alcohol to produce the same effects. This is called tolerance.

In mice, motor coordination is tested with a device called a rotarod. Basically,

Effect of Alcohol on THC Level researchers put a mouse on a rod that starts spinning and see how long the mouse can stay on it before it falls off.

Several studies have explored whether alcohol can change the pharmacokinetics (i.e., blood levels) of THC after either smoking or vaporizing cannabis. The results have been mixed, although 2 out of 4 studies showed that alcohol increases blood THC levels. These two studies showed over a 50% increase in blood THC level after consuming alcohol.

Alcohol decreases the performance of mice on the rotarod test. But given alcohol regularly, they will develop tolerance and stay on the rod longer.

One study showed a dose-dependent effect. In other words, the more alcohol consumed, the bigger the increase in THC level. Since these studies looked at only low to moderate (about 3 shots) alcohol consumption, we don’t know what would happen if even more alcohol was consumed.

One study showed that when a joint is smoked 30 minutes after taking a drink, the peak blood alcohol level was 30% lower. Not only that, but it took twice as long to even reach the maximum blood alcohol level.

Scientists have offered several explanations for why the THC level is higher after alcohol consumption:

Some have speculated that cannabis slows gastric emptying time. (Gastric emptying time is the time for the

Here’s where things get interesting: Mice that are given daily cannabis retain their motor function better after they are given alcohol! When one drug produces tolerance to the effect of another drug, it is called cross-tolerance.

But does this cross-tolerance between alcohol and cannabis happen in humans?

Yes! One study has shown that after being given an amount of alcohol determined to

Page 17 make an infrequent cannabis user dizzy, regular users had no increase in dizziness.

Similarly, on a computerized tracking task that measures driving performance, alcohol made infrequent cannabis users score worse—but not regular cannabis users.

Don’t go thinking that because you are a regular cannabis user you can now drive drunk. There was a similar worsening in reaction time for both infrequent and regular cannabis users.

In fact, you may wish to be more cautious of driving after imbibing if you are a regular cannabis user. You may not feel uncoordinated, leading you to think that you are ok to drive; but other key driving skills are still impaired.

Still, how cool is it that cannabis can reduce some of the unpleasant effects of alcohol!

The Professor of Pot has a Ph.D. with degrees in Neuroscience and Pharmacology. He has had a longstanding interest (20+ years) in the science of cannabis. He write about any story that involves interaction of cannabis or cannabinoids with the human body. he includes all aspects of cannabis, whether it is medicinal, recreation, or drug testing. Please contact him at profofpot@gmail.com.

Visit his website at www.profofpot.com for more articles. © 2017 the Professor of Pot. All rights reserved. Images from Professor of Pot. Printed by special permission.

RECIPES Page 19!

Page 18

In a new study just released by The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found a significant decrease in convulsive seizures for Dravet Syndrome patients receiving cannabidiol (CBD). Although the decrease in frequency of seizures was substantial, some significant side effects were identified in the study.

Dravet Syndrome was spotlighted by Sanjay Gupta on CNN in 2013 when he traveled to Colorado and reported on Charlotte Figi, a little girl who suffers from the disease and was receiving treatment with high-CBD cannabis extracts. A now famous high CBD strain, Charlotte's Web, was named after her by the company that produced her medicine.

In a study funded by GW Pharmaceuticals and published online on May 25, 2017, researchers showed that the median frequency of seizures per month dropped by over half—from 12.4 to 5.9 in the CBD group of patients. Forty-three percent of patients had more than a 50% drop in frequency during the 14-week-long study.

The Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) Scale allows a clinician to quantify and track patient progress and treatment response over time. In this study, researchers found that CBD patients' overall condition was improved by one category—on the seven category scale used—in 63% of patients.

However, there were significant side effects in the CBD group that occurred more frequently than in the placebo group. The adverse effects included diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, pyrexia, somnolence and abnormal results on liver function tests.

Also, more CBD patients actually withdrew from the trial due to these side effects. The dose patients were administered was 20 mg of CBD per kilogram of body weight. At that proportion, a 50 pound child received about 450 mg of CBD in the study.

The study concludes, “Among patients with the Dravet syndrome, cannabidiol resulted in a greater reduction in convulsive-seizure frequency than placebo and was associated with higher rates of adverse events.”

Medical News

A new study in the United Kingdom is looking at the compound CBD (cannabidiol) specifically as a treatment for brain tumors in children.

The study was prompted by a rush of desperate parents who had been buying the cannabinoid online and administering it themselves in an attempt to cure their children's disease.

Lead Professor Richard Grundy of the Nottingham University's children's brain tumor center explained, “New ways to treat childhood brain tumors are urgently needed to extend and improve the quality of life in malignant brain tumor patients, so we are excited at the prospect of testing the effect of cannabidiol on brain tumor cells.”

The University of Nottingham reported: “Brain tumors are the biggest cancer killer of children in the UK but the disease receives less than 1% of the UK’s cancer research funding.

New ways to treat childhood brain tumors are urgently needed to extend and improve the quality of life in malignant brain tumor patients so we are excited at the prospect of testing the effect of cannabidiol on brain tumor cells.

“Increasingly, families are using CBD, often at great expense. Presently there is no evidence that it might be of benefit or even what dose to use or how often. It is therefore very important to obtain objective scientific evidence of whether CBD is active against children’s brain tumor cell lines.”

The research has support from a wide sector of researchers and medical professionals. The Astro Brain Tumour Fund is one and they want to see a viable treatment option, not just have unsupervised application of medicine and no study to determine the actual effectiveness.

“Now that we are also helping fund research into the potential efficacy and safety of cannabidiol for brain tumour patients, we will hopefully help start a similar process towards clinical trials,” explained Katie Sheen from Astro Brain. “Without a strong evidence base for these new treatments patients are stumbling in the dark and, as we are named after a star, we hope that our work brings light to that darkness.”

One of the most prestigious journals in the world just published a study on mice that showed cognitive improvement when they were exposed to tetrahydrocannabidol (THC), the psychoactive compound in marijuana.

Published online May 8 in Nature Medicine (www.nature.com), showed promise in the possible treatment of cognitive impairment in older humans. The study determined that, “a low dose of 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) reversed the age-related decline in cognitive performance of mice aged 12 and 18 months.”

Entitled A chronic low dose of [Delta]9tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) restores cognitive function in old mice, the study was conducted by the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. The primary researchers included Dr. Andras Bilkei-Gorzo and Dr. Onder Albayram, a senior research fellow with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Albayram was awarded a grant from the Alzheimer's Association in 2016.

Their findings were notably positive. They reported that the THC apparently affected the processes in the brain that handle “signaling” between cells, a vital function of proper cognitive functioning. They reported, “THC treatment-affected molecular processes relevant to cell plasticity and signaling in mature animals were further validated by the results of the weighted gene correlation network analysis.”

The THC caused marked changes in the mice when they were given a “chronic” low dose of the compound. They explained in their supplemental information on the study, “The THC effects cannot be explained by a simple scenario, such as an increased klotho levels. It is more likely that THC induced global changes in chromatin structure and gene expression, which resulted in a synaptic reorganization and altered neuronal signaling.”

The study shows promise. The findings showed that the CB1 cannabinoid receptor signaling was possibly restored and that treatment with THC could possibly “be an effective strategy to treat age-related cognitive impairments.”

Oregon Cannabis Connection

Aclara Research, a leader in the development of patient and consumer insights within the medical cannabis industry, today released the results of The Illinois Medical Cannabis Patient Experience Study – the first of Illinois patients since the inception of the pilot program in 2012.

The study is the largest and most comprehensive look at the impact of the statewide program, examining nearly 300 of the 18,000 Illinois residents registered.

The Aclara Research study found that 86 percent of survey respondents are managing leading symptoms of chronic pain. While chronic pain is not one of the 41 qualifying conditions in Illinois, cannabis shows strong potential in treating autoimmune diseases in which chronic inflammation plays a central role.

Key findings from the study include: Key gender gaps within the health care system as well as medical cannabis use.

Across Illinois patients, women are up to 50 percent more likely to suffer with leading symptoms of chronic pain including trouble sleeping, back and joint pain, body ache and anxiety.

Eighty six percent of patients reported suffering with symptoms of chronic pain.

While not a qualifying condition for program participation in Illinois, patients are treating the leading symptoms of chronic pain which impacts more than 130 million Americans.

Thirty three percent of study respondents stopped using all prescription drugs after using medical cannabis and 92 percent decreased the number of prescription drugs taken. Applying these results to a recent study on the impact of medical cannabis on Medicaid costs, there is potential for $180 million in savings to the Illinois Medicaid program.* Twenty two percent of patients had no previous experience with cannabis prior to entering the Illinois medical cannabis program. This is in stark contrast to other medical marijuana programs across the country, and is driven by women. Twenty six percent of women in Illinois reported Cont. on Page 21

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

Jun/Jul 2017

Ganja Gourmet Fakin’ “Bakin’ ” Burger

By Jeff The 420 Chef www.jeffthe420chef.com

Food & Recipes Full Plant BBQ Sauce

Cocoa Brownies

By Keith Mansur

By Habit 420

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.

Canna-Caramels

By Kristi Anderson

-Cultivation

Page 20

Oregon Cannabis Connection

A limited amount of nitrogen is a one of the more prevalent nutrient deficiencies amongst marijuana plants. Nitrogen is definitely a very essential nutrient for marijuana.

This is element is specifically in charge of creating chlorophyll and amino acids, which are necessary for the photosynthesis process.

Your plants tissue is comprised mostly of nitrogen, so with that being known the growth of your plant will cease quickly if there is ever a deficiency.

Image: Bergmanlabs.com

Signs of a nitrogen deficiency If the lower leaves are becoming yellow during the vegetative phase or early on in the flowering phase, your marijuana plant may have a nitrogen deficiency that needs to be dealt with.

Losing a couple of leaves from the base of your plant from time to time is common, and more so with large plants. Now, if the plant is losing a large portion of yellow leaves, and the yellowing is traveling upward fast, you have a serious issue here.

The amount of nitrogen in comparison to other nutrients plays a big role in the growth and producing buds. The plant may display signs by the leaves getting little, less growth, and the plants appear to not be thriving. The petioles and stems will be a somewhat red or purple shade.

Image: Bergmanlabs.com

The deficiency begins in the lower leaves when they start turning pale green. Then the leaves will become yellow and begin dying off as the leftover nitrogen moves to help the newer growth. Nitrogen is able to travel throughout the plant as necessary.

The deficiency will move upward and the only part of that plant that will look green is the newer growth on the top half. The lower leaves will become yellow and wither. When a leaf is dying, it begins at the tips and moves towards the inside.

Too much nitrogen gives you plant a thick, dark green look, but this leaves it more defenseless to diseases and bugs. Another thing is the stalks begin to be deprived of elasticity and fragile.

It is good to know that it is common for the leaves of marijuana plants to turn yellow around the end of the flowering stage when the plant is lacking nitrogen because it is producing buds.

Now, if you notice your plant is losing lower leave quickly because of the yellowing, particularly during the vegetation stage, you have an issue on your

hands that requires and immediate solution.

For the vegetative state, your plant requires a more nitrogen and just about any plant food will do the trick. The majority of the total plant foods offered at your local garden center has a large amount of nitrogen, which is great for the vegetative phase.

The flowering phase requires lower levels of nitrogen. It is very necessary to get a nutrient system that has lower levels of nitrogen for the duration of the plants life cycle.

It’s common for marijuana plants to display signs of nitrogen deficiency when the plant is approaching harvest time. This is a positive sign for your plant. An excess of nitrogen stops budding and lessens the entire taste and scent of your plant. This is the reason every “bloom” and flowering nutrient systems mostly have a low amount of nitrogen.

Don’t worry if you notice your plant is displaying signs of nitrogen deficiency later in the flowering phase. Low amounts of nitrogen is actually a good thing during the later phase of the flowering stage to encourage good bud production and will enhance your yields.

Not sure if your plants have a nitrogen deficiency? Read my article "Nutrient Deficiencies in Marijuana Plants" for a list with pictures of all deficiencies.

How to fix a nitrogen deficiency The best way to resolve a nitrogen deficiency is to use a water-soluble nitrogen such as Grow Booster so it goes straight to the roots. After fertilization, all nitrogen-deficient plants will absorb as much nitrogen as possible and the plant will go back to its bright green color.

Here are some more things you can try: Calcium nitrate (CaNO3 - as a foliar fertilizer) Urine Fish meal Fish emulsion Manure Cottonseed meals Alfalfa Feather meal There are several pre-mixed nutrients you can find in the store that have nitrogen or even try using a nitrate of soda or organic fertilizer which are great ways to give your plant nitrogen. I always buy grow supplies at this online gow shop

List of marijuana plant sypmtoms Leaf Color: – Pale Color Leaves – Yellow Leaves – Yellowing Between Veins Leaf Symptoms: – Lower Leaves and Older Growth Are Damaged – Yellowing Between Veins – Old Leaves Falling Off – Withering / Sagging Plant Symptoms: – Old Leaves Falling Off So, keep in mind that if you have already given your plants nutrients, then most likely there is not nitrogen deficiency. If there is evidence of the deficiency spreading after one or two weeks of giving it nitrogen, then you need to determine what is creating the yellowing. If it is close to harvest time, then don’t worry about yellowing because this is normal.

Closely monitor your plants and check for any issues so you are never caught off guard by a bad nitrogen deficiency. If you discover a problem and after proper treatment, your plants will heal in about 7 days are so, with an exception of the leaves that were harmed the most.

Remember that plants with strong genetics have less change of getting sick. Make sure you buy marijuana seeds from a trusted seedbank.

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to download my free grow bible at ilovegrowingmarijuana.com

Jun/Jul 2017

Cultivation a ride on people or pets who have visited other grows or hatch out of the soil when the conditions are right. Releasing some beneficials early and periodically throughout the grow season can make a huge reduction in the pest population and keep them from getting established.

Spring Pest Prevention The outdoor growing season is here again, and now is the time to lay the groundwork for a successful, abundant harvest. Insect pests are one the biggest obstacles to overcome and it is important to take some preventive measures early, before pests get established. Be sure to inspect any new clones before they go in the ground. The most important pests to look out for are spider mites and russet mites; but ideally the plants will be completely free of all nasty little plantsucking critters. After they get a clean bill of health, make sure they are carefully transplanted and cared for.

Healthy plants are naturally more pestresistant, so be sure to give them quality soil, good organic nutrients and teas, and heavy doses of mycorrhizae and beneficial bacteria.

Of course, just having healthy plants isn't the only key to success. You need to get a population of beneficial insects—or beneficials—on the plants to attack any pests that might make their way in.

Pests can ride in on a strong wind, hitch

Russet mites have become the most feared and damaging insect pest that cannabis growers encounter. The plants will start to look deficient and weak—similar to a calcium or magnesium deficiency. The leaves will sometimes curl up like a taco. Look at the top side of the leaf near the base with a 60x or stronger magnifier. The russet mites look like tiny maggots. I recommend that growers release two predators to help prevent russet mites from getting established: Amblyseius swirskii and Amblyseius andersoni. They are available in hanging sachets, which slowly release the predators over a twoto four-week period. I recommend one sachet of each species every three or four weeks for plants up to a few feet tall, and up to six sachets of each species per plant for large plants. This strategy has worked well and keeps a good population of russet mite predators continuously on the plants. If a russet mite happens to end up on the plants, hopefully a predator will find it and eat it before it gets established.

Spider mites are the most common cannabis pest growers find, and although they are not as challenging as russet mites, they can still kill your plants if they don't get dealt with quickly. For prevention, I recommend the same Amblyseius andersoni sachets that I

recommend for russet mites.

They are inexpensive and help prevent spider mites for weeks at a time.

The moment I see some webbing or find some small mites on the underside of the leaves I also apply “triple threat” spider mite predators. They are not helpful for prevention because they starve quickly without spider mites to eat; but if you find mites, they are great at quickly attacking them.

Many pests overwinter in the soil. When the weather warms up in the spring, they emerge and attack plants. Predatory nematodes are essential for preventing and elimination soil pests. Apply predatory nematodes early in the season and again at least every four to six weeks. For “double death” predator nematodes, we recommend 1 million for every 2000 sq ft of growing space. You can increase that number if you have an existing soil pest problem. Nematodes are efficient feeders, and will help with russet mites in the soil, thrips, fungus gnats, slugs, snails, earwigs, and many other insect pests. They are inexpensive and extremely effective.

Green lacewings are general feeders that will help clean up thrips, aphids, mites and many other soft-bodied insects. I recommend all growers release them every three weeks for general prevention.

They come on cards (six cards per thousand lacewing eggs). I recommend at least one card for every two to four plants.

At the end of the season, many growers have harvested their beautiful buds to find the inside chewed out hollow and fecal matter left behind. Nothing can be done to salvage them, and they have to be thrown away. The caterpillars that cause this damage start out as eggs laid on the plants while the buds are developing—sometimes even early in the season. I recommend that all outdoor growers release caterpillar parasites (Trichogramma) starting now and every two to four weeks throughout the growing season—at least through September. Caterpillar parasites come on cards that can be placed all around the grow site. The parasites quickly hatch and seek out caterpillar eggs.

Using these beneficial insects to prevent pests before they become a problem can lead to healthier plants and better yields.

Unlike sprays, beneficials do not contaminate plants with residues that can make your buds fail pesticide tests at harvest time. They also seek pests out on their own, which eliminates the need for somebody to spend countless hours spraying the plants. Be vigilant, and keep an eye out for pests. Let nature help you out with a good dose of beneficial insects!

Remember, 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

Page 21 has supplied growers with beneficial insects for over 35 years. He can be reached at 541245-6033 or nathan@naturescontrol.com

being new to using cannabis.

Forty seven percent of patients are using Cannabidiol (CBD) daily. Women lead this consumption trend, over 75 percent consume CBD daily.

Forty nine percent of patients earn less than $40,000 annually AND spend more than $3,000 on cannabis products each year. Medical cannabis patients make a significant investment in their health, spending more than $3,000 each year on cannabis products—which are not covered under their health insurance.

While industry experts have labeled the Illinois program as one of the most restrictive in the country based on condition list and application requirements, the Aclara Illinois Medical Cannabis Patient Experience Study showcases the positive benefits the pilot program has had in the lives of those suffering from the qualifying debilitating conditions as well as the potential benefits to health care costs within the state.

This is the first study conducted in Illinois by Aclara Research, however, the company has been a leader in the cannabis industry since 2016, already conducting comprehensive studies across multiple states including Michigan, Oregon, and Colorado. A second study in Illinois is slated to be released in the fall.

“We are excited to be the first to conduct the largest study of Illinois patients since the inception of the pilot program,” said Carmen Brace, Founder of Aclara Research. “We will continue to build strong partnerships within the state and other markets to provide our clients with insights that lead to consumercentric product innovation and business strategies across medical use markets.”

For more information or to learn more about the Illinois study, please visit www.aclararesearch.com.

Original article from The Social Revolution. © 2017 The Social Revolution. All rights reserved. Syndicated by special permission.

Jun/Jul 2017

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NATURES CONTROL Hired Bugs to Eat Your Pests www.naturescontrol.com (541 ) 245-6033 (800) 698-6250 PO Box 35, Medford, OR 97501

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Sweet Home, OR 925 Main St. (541 ) 405-8071 Grande Ronde (Willamina), OR 2571 5 Salmon River Hwy (541 ) 241 -4363 GRATEFUL MEDS OF OREGON www.gratefulmedsoregon.com 2 Locations: Springfield, OR 1 401 Market St. (541 ) 636-3489 Talent, OR 630 S. Pacific Hwy (541 ) 636-3489 HIGH TIDE WELLNESS CENTER 1 5957 S. Hwy. 1 01 Ste. #4 Brookings, OR 9741 5 (541 ) 81 3-1 976 facebook.com/ hightidewellnesscenterllc OREGON FARMACY 1 00% Five Four One Specializing in OR Sungrown Cannabis 1 West 6th St. Downtown Medford, OR (541 ) 81 6-4620 (OMMP Only) SACRED FLOWER MEDICINALS™ 1 8248 Redwood Hwy. Selma, OR 97538 (541 ) 291 -2639 www.sacredflowermedicinals.com THE GREENER SIDE 1 553 Oak St. Eugene, OR 97401 (541 ) 345-8904 e-mail: info@keepeugenegreen.org

DISPENSARY PRODUCTS CANNARELIEF Feel Better Fast www.cannasafety.com Pioneerpete@cannasafety.com

CBD NATIONAL Cannabis Business Development Licensing, design, security, IT & more (844) 442-0249 www.CBDNational.com CHRONIX GOT CLONES? 200 Strains available, Bulk & Preorders, OLCC and OMMP (866) 2 Chronix www.wegotclones.com HONEY BADGER SUNGROWN Oregon's Finest Sungrown Cannabis Available at GroHi Station PDX (503) 569-2267 honeybadgersungrown.net GREEN SOURCE GARDENS Providing Quality Medicinal Cannabis.

No Till Grown Artisan Cannabis!

Available at OR Dispensaries GreenSourceGardens.com MASSIVE SEEDS "He who sows the seed shall reap the fruit" Supplying Oregon Growers with the finest strains available @massiveseeds ROGANJA FARMS The Finest Cannabis From Sunny Southern Oregon @Roganja

CLINICS & ORGS

AFFORDABLE INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE Dr. Darryl George, DO Medical marijuana evaluations 2031 NE Diamond Lake Blvd.

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

OREGON HEMP WORKS Body Care, Clothing & Accessories www.oregonhempworks.com 971 -231 -Hemp 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 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 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" THE SPACEMAN SHOW Hope Mountain Radio www.TakilmaFM.com (541 ) 592-4799 Friday Nights from 8 till late!

LADYBUG INDOOR GARDENS The Shoppes at Exit 24 205 Fern Valley Rd, Suite X Phoenix, OR 97535 (541 ) 61 8-4459 MAGIC MUSHROOM / OREGON GIFTS "Look For The Giant Mushrooms" Next to I-5, Exit 1 36 Sutherlin, OR 97479 (541 ) 459-7481

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