OCC Dec/Jan 2016-17

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

Dec/Jan 2016-17 Vol. 7 Issue 6

C h u rc h & S t a t e : U p d a t e s F r o m Th e C a p i t o l O M B C As h l a n d a H i t , Eu gen e N ext!

OLCC an d OH A Look Li ke Th e Du cks An d Beavers G ood bye To Dr. Robert J am i son N ews N u ggets from O r e go n a n d t h e N a t i o n Food & Reci pes: B l u e b e rr y S m o o t h i e , Ch i cken M arsal a & M u c h , M u c h M o re !

FR E E

Wonderful cannabis infused edibles from Elbe's Edibles in Portland, Oregon. Image: Keith Mansur Oregon Cannabis Connection

Connecting Oregon's Marijuana Community Since 2010

In This Issue

Dec/Jan 2016­17

Oregon News

Oregon Cannabis Connection

Medical News Deadly Opioid Addiction Solved By Medical Cannabis?

17

New Study on Cannabis Use and Vision

17

4

Study: History of marijuana Use Inversely associated With In-Hospital Mortality

18

The Loss of OMMP Growers

5 5

Australian Philanthropist Funds Cannabis Research in Pennsylvania

18

New Oregon Opiate Guidelines Include Marijuana Monitoring

Marijuana Could Help Treat Drug Addiction

18

At Church & State: Updates From The Capitol

6

OMBC Another Big Hit – Coming Again To Eugene

6

Southern Oregon Alternative Medicine Staff & Patients Say Goodbye to Beloved Dr. Robert Jamison

7

Op Ed: OHA and OLCC Look Like the Ducks and the Beavers

7

Oregon News Nugs - News From Around The Beaver State

9

Advisory Committee on Medical Marijuana Update

10

Oregon Local Marijuana Measures 2016 – Election Results Rundown

4

Oregon Cannabis Testing Rules Cause Severe Shortages In Market

Food & Recipes Chocolate Walnut Cookies – Medicated Chicken Marsala – Canna-infused Olive Oil – Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

19

Cultivation Five Cover Crops For Your Home Cannabis Garden

20

Being A Conscious Cannabis Consumer- By Green Source

21

Gardens

National News Marijuana Election SWEEP: 8 out of 9 States Pass New

11

Freedom-loving Legislation

Donald Trump Election Is a Likely Disaster For Cannabis Reform and Legalization

11

Cannabis Legend Eddy Lepp Released From Federal Prison

12

The Next Five States That May Legalize Marijuana

12

Multiple Michigan Dispensary Raids

13

Americans Are Still Getting Arrested for Marijuana Possession at Staggering Rates

13

News Nugs - News From Around The Nation

15

Industrial Hemp Diligence Pays Off For Canadian Hemp

16

Navajo Looking To Develop Industrial Hemp Farming On Tribal Lands

16

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

21

Gardening By The Moon

22

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

All information in OCC is intended for legal use by adults only. OCC is advertiser supported and over 21,000 copies are available FREE at over 380 locations across Oregon.

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

OCC Contributors:

Keith Mansur

Anthony Taylor ­ at Church & State

Cheryl Smith

Nicholas Mahmood & Elizabeth Luca-Mahmood -

Publisher/Managing Editor/Writer Copy Editor/Writer Advertising: Jamie Allen - OCCNewspaperJamie@gmail.com General Inquiries - OCCNewspaper420@gmail.com

Green Source Gardens

Nathan Jackson - Bug Bites: For Bigger Buds

Subscriptions are available within the U.S.A for 24.00 per year.

Please visit www.OCCNewspaper.com to subscribe.

Correspondence to: K2 Publishing P.O. Box 5552, Grants Pass, OR 97527 For more information contact us at 541-621-1723. Email us at occnewspaper420@gmail.com Next issue is Feb/Mar 2017 advertising DEADLINE IS JANUARY 23, 2017!

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Oregon News

Oregon Cannabis Connection

one of Eastern Oregon’s few cities to embrace the cannabis market. Bans on both medical and recreational sales were voted down, and Measure 30–118 instituted a tax on the sales. Similar sales taxes were passed in Sumpter and Huntington.

On November 8, 2016, no statewide marijuana measures were on the ballot in Oregon. But for a lot of residents in the state, there were votes with major local implications. Over 200 city- and county-wide measures were voted on. Nearly all of them were either outright bans of marijuana sales in cities or the unincorporated areas of counties, or the addition of a 3% sales tax to marijuana sales—in addition to state taxes.

Here’s a rundown of major votes across the state: Residents in Portland voted 80% to 20% to add a new sales tax, as did the residents of Gresham and Wood Village.

Fairview was the only city in Multnomah county to have a measure to ban sales on the ballot—and it passed.

In what was unquestionably good news to the handful of dispensaries operating in Albany, Measure 22–156’s proposed ban was overwhelmingly defeated, by a nearly twothirds majority of Albany voters. Measure 22–157, adding a municipal sales tax on marijuana products, also overwhelmingly passed, with over 75% of voters in support.

Albany stores will be looking to compete more with the large dispensary presence in nearby Corvallis. In the rest of Linn County, bans were voted down in Brownsville, Lebanon, Sweet Home and Tangent, as well as the unincorporated areas. Bans were passed and upheld in Halsey, Harrisburg, Lyons, Mills City and Millersburg.

One of the more potentially game-changing results of the vote was Pendleton becoming

Other Eastern Oregon votes included bans passing in Union City, North Powder, Hermiston, Milton-Freewater and Long Creek—making Pendleton’s success all the more unique.

In Clatsop County, Cannon Beach narrowly defeated a ban (by a mere 23 votes) and approved a city tax on sales, as did Astoria and Seaside. There was a lot of resistance to the prospect of marijuana sales in Cannon Beach, and the city council there voted 4–1 earlier this year to restrict any potential dispensaries to three small commercial zones, in an effort to mollify worried locals.

Coos county was another big win for marijuana legalization, as Coos Bay ended their sales ban with over 60% voting to allow dispensaries; a ban in Myrtle Point also failed.

Previously Charleston was the nearest location of a dispensary, but now the Oregon coast’s biggest city will have its own. A countywide tax passed, as well as municipal taxes in Coos Bay and North Bend. This will make the Coos-North Bend area one of the higher-taxed regions in the state, which may drive business to back to nearby cities.

Benton county, one of the most successful examples of Oregon’s cannabis trade, saw new 3% taxes passed in Corvallis and Philomath, although Philomath doesn’t currently have any dispensaries.

In Marion county, sales bans were passed in Aumsville, Scott Mills, Mt. Angel, Sublimity and Detroit, while they were voted down in Gervais and Hubbard. New taxes were levied in Hubbard, Jefferson, Keizer, Mt. Angel and Salem. There is, of course, Cont. on Page 8

Oregon's dispensary shelves are getting bare, and the supply of products is slim as we approach the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC ) license deadline for recreational dispensaries. Until December 31, 2016, Oregon's medical dispensaries sold to the adult use (or recreational) market, but the deadline meant after that date, in order to sell recreational cannabis a dispensary must be registered with the OLCC, not the Oregon Health Authority (OHA)—as they could before.

A number of regulatory challenges have reared their ugly heads along the way, but none seems more grotesque than the cannabis testing rules, which affect the entire cannabis market. Starting October 1, all cannabis being sold to dispensaries and entering the market had to meet new testing standards by labs that were properly certified to do the testing. Yet, only a handful of labs are yet certified to do pesticide testing, resulting in delays.

This created a shortage of cannabis products within weeks, prompting discussion and action that resulted in changes to the rules.

With the release of a memo and statement, OHA announced temporary, emergency changes to the pesticide testing rules on December 2, in order to solve a shortage in the recreational cannabis market and improve the flow of cannabis through the few labs that are fully certified.

“We have listened to concerns expressed by industry, and we believe – and our goal was – that these rule changes will streamline the testing process and alleviate some of the regulatory burden without jeopardizing public health protections,” explained Jonathan Modie, Lead Communications Officer with OHA Public Health Division to Oregon Cannabis Connection. “However, the exact effect of these changes remains to be seen. Some of the slowdown is due to market forces that are not within the control of the agencies.”

We asked Modie about the shortage in the market, and whether OHA should be concerned about how these rules have affected the supply.

Image Keith Mansur, OCC

“OHA’s goal is to ensure marijuana consumers aren’t exposed to potentially dangerous chemicals in pesticides, solvents and other contaminants, not to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of marijuana products on the market,” he explained.

“OHA is committed to working with the Governor’s Office, its sister agencies and stakeholders in developing permanent testing rules in the near future that do not overburden the industry, yet still ensure reasonable safety standards.”

So, what happened?

Beginning October 1, Oregon's standards for testing changed dramatically. On that date only state-accredited labs were allowed to do testing, and the testing standards were more complex and required more steps and procedures, as well as more samples, in some instances.

Not enough labs were accredited in time to meet the demands of the massive market in Oregon. The first certified labs were approved just before what could possibly be the largest outdoor harvest of cannabis in 70 years.

No labs were approved for cannabis testing under the new rules until August, with the Cont. on Page 8

Dec/Jan 2016­17

Oregon News

Page 5

all cultivation, processing and distribution of products from that grow site every month.

I received a phone call from a staffer in Salem the other day. (A staffer is someone who works in the office of an elected official, agency or department) The caller expressed to me a desire to connect a friend, who is a medical marijuana patient, with a grower.

“Why,” I was asked, “is it so hard for patients to find growers?”

“The new plant limits and reporting system for OHA growers,” I replied, “have driven growers underground–so to speak.”

“How’s that?” was their response.

Here is what I told the caller.

Today nearly 17,000 Oregon medical marijuana patients list no grower and the person’s friend is about to become part of that group.

The plant limits authorized by the legislature reduced the number of large gardens that were using patients to increase the amount of marijuana they could put into the market—whether regulated or unregulated, and limited gardens to 48 plants in rural areas and 12 plants in residential zones in cities.

While state law allows OHA growers to grow for as many patients as they think they can support, the number of plants they may grow is limited. So, the more patients a grower takes on, the less excess that grower will have available for the market and the less money that grower will make.

In addition, an OHA grower growing for other patients, growing for themselves and planning to sell product to a dispensary or growing for themselves at an address other than where they live, must report to OHA

Finally, if you and your spouse are growing for yourself at your primary residence, you are not selling to a dispensary and you have no more than 12 plants, you do not have to report.

What this means for patients is that the grower pool has shrunk dramatically and continues to do so.

Gone are the days of growers providing for 60, 70, 80 or even 100 patients. Most of the large-scale growers have moved over to OLCC and have not been able, as yet, to bring their patients with them. The growers who did not want to report reduced their grow sites to 12 plants and told patients they were growing for that they would have to find a new grower. Most have not been able to.

In January 2015, Oregon Medical Marijuana Program statistics showed 8,461

Oregon Health Authority recently approved new guidelines, which recommend that physicians monitor patients' marijuana use, as well as testing them for other drugs.

The change in policy is intended to address the increasing opioid abuse occurring in Oregon.

The guidelines were adopted in response to new guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) this past March.

After adopting them, a state-led task force spent months nailing down specific remedies they believed were needed in Oregon. One of these was “monitoring” marijuana use.

The guidelines are not meant to take away any medications, according to an article on Oregonlive, where it was reported that, “The guidelines are not trying to eliminate any form of treatment or take patients' prescription painkillers away altogether.”

“The focus really is that what else can you offer patients?” Dr. Katrina Hedberg, Oregon's Health Officer, told Oregonlive.

“How can you make sure that patients are continuing to function, maintain or improve their function?”

patients who did not list a grower.

By October 2016, less than two years later, that number has nearly doubled. (16,333) So to the staffer who called, This is why patients looking for a grower to provide them with much-needed and, in some cases, life-saving medicines cannot find one.

That is why your friend will have a tough time finding a grower, as well. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

The guidelines also address when to initiate opioid use for chronic pain, opioid selection, dosage, duration, follow-up and discontinuation, and assessment of the overall risk and harm of opioid abuse.

The focus is on the negative effects of marijuana with opioid use, not beneficial ones. The guidelines state, “Clinicians should assess for contraindications and precautions to the concurrent use of marijuana and opioids.”

However, recent studies have shown a direct relationship between increased marijuana use and decreased opioid use.

This includes a study in September that appeared in the American Journal of Public Health. Also, a new study is underway in

Colorado, funded by cannabis tax revenue, to study the potential for cannabis to reduce the use of narcotic pain medications.

From the Oregon Opioid Guidelines: IV. Additional Considerations: Marijuana and Safe Storage and Disposal 1. Marijuana—With Oregon’s recent legalization of recreational use of marijuana, its use is relatively prevalent.

Current data are limited on the interactions between opioids and marijuana.

Clinicians should discuss and document the use of marijuana with their patients, including: whether they use, if so, amount, type, reasons for use, etc.

Clinicians and their organizations have an obligation to closely follow the emerging evidence on the use of marijuana for treatment of pain, and adopt consistent best practices. Refer to the OHA medical marijuana prescribing guidelines, at https://public.health.oregon.gov/DiseasesCo nditions/ChronicDisease/MedicalMarijuana Program/Pages/Physicians.aspx.

As with all pain treatment, consideration of marijuana use concurrent with opioids should be focused on improving functional status and quality of life, and ensuring patient safety. Clinicians should assess for contraindications and precautions to the concurrent use of marijuana and opioids.

© 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Oregon News

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Oregon Cannabis Connection

This option proved unworkable and was replaced by new language in 2016 Senate Bill 1500, which would provide a “bump-up” in canopy size for an OLCC producers who wanted to provide for patients whether they had been doing so before they were licensed or not.

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 Medical "Bump-Up" Canopy and How It Works Let me begin by saying that “bump-up” canopies for medical marijuana produced within the OLCC system are not the same as “micro” canopies you can currently apply for a license for through the OLCC. “Micro” canopies are simply smaller versions of the larger canopy already available for licensing. These licenses for much smaller canopies (under 1250 sq ft) allow small growers access to the recreational market.

All the requirements of the OLCC system, including security requirements and inspections, rigorous testing, packaging and labeling and seed-to-sale tracking are still required.

“Bump-up” canopies, on the other hand, are additional canopy allotments for current and future OLCC licensees who also want to grow medical cannabis for patients. A producer must OLCC-licensed to qualify for this additional canopy space or “bump-up,” and an additional fee is required.

How did we get here?

Many OMMP growers who wanted to become OLCC-licensed producers were already growing for large numbers of patients and wanted to continue to do so, but there was no way to bring them along or transfer to them once licensed. The legislature and the OLCC promised to create a mechanism for this to happen and initially created an “opt-in” method that would allow an OMMP grower to opt into the OLCC system while continuing to provide for patients during the transition.

To qualify for the “bump-up” plan, an OMMP grower must secure an OLCC producer license and become part of the OLCC seed-to-sale tracking system.

Everyone thought this was great news! Now every OLCC producer could have a little larger canopy, they could transfer usable marijuana to patients and enter it into the METRC system, and everything else would go into the recreational market.

But the legislature didn’t write it up that way. They separated OLCC recreational cannabis from OLCC medical cannabis by requiring gardens to be separated. In addition, excess created from the production of marijuana for patients is not allowed to enter the recreational market. Medical marijuana that is produced may only be transferred to a patient, an OHA processor or an OHA dispensary. In addition, the legislature required the OLCC to convert from plants per patient to canopy size, and to limit the amount of marijuana that can be produced and transferred to a patient.

An amazing VIP pre-party on Friday kicked off the latest OMBC conference. The Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites were excellent hosts and Ed Rosenthal, the Guru of Ganja, and OMBC lead producer Alex Rogers shared a few words with party attendees.

Compassionate Oregon hosted a great afterparty following the VIP event and the hotel staff and management were certainly very understanding and accommodating.

The OLCC has had rules drafted for the “bump-up’ canopy for quite some time now, but took no action until this past November when they held their first Rules Advisory Committee on the proposed rules.

It is hard to predict an outcome but here are some ideas that were discussed: The size of the “bump-up” canopy will be determined by matrix and will be based on a percentage of the currently licensed canopy.

An increase in canopy size will be allowed for each patient added until a grower reaches the maximum “bump-up” canopy size.

Growers cannot get the full additional canopy size with just one or two patients.

They must have a minimum number of patients to qualify for the maximum “bumpup.”

Image ICBC

it was nice to hear Rosenthal reflect upon why the cannabis community loves the plant.

Rob Patridge, Chair of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), ventured into the belly of the beast to discuss the OLCC's regulations of the adult use commercial cannabis market and take questions from the audience. While no one is happy with all of the state's regulations, most who have been working closely with regulators to develop workable rules acknowledge that OLCC has been relatively responsive to the needs of the industry, especially when compared to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).

OLCC Policy Analyst Amanda Borup and Technical Services Coordinator Danica Hibpshman, served on a few panels, and provided the latest information for conference attendees. They stressed that they want to help the cannabis industry succeed and to direct questions to marijuana@oregon.gov.

How Will It Work?

Cont. on Page 10

Keith Mansur, OCC Newspaper.

The Oregon Marijuana Business Conference (OMBC) on November 19, 2016, was another sold-out event that brought cannabis industry participants, and those thinking of joining the industry, to beautiful Ashland to learn the latest about Oregon's medical and adult use cannabis laws. The next OMBC will be held April 27–28, 2017, in the wonderful city of Eugene.

Image ICBC

Rosenthal, never one to mince words or sugarcoat anything, kicked off the conference on Saturday morning with a keynote address that was both sobering about the potential challenges ahead from the incoming Donald Trump Administration, but also hopeful, as he discussed how overcoming difficult times is nothing new to the cannabis community.

The Guru of Ganja finished his address with a celebration of the cannabis plant and what it has done for him and many others across the globe. While it is very stressful to have to deal with new rules, regulations and the constant pressures of business and activism,

All of the conference panels were filled with experts in various fields in the industry, as attendees learned about virtually every facet of the cannabis industry, including licensing; testing; packaging; labeling; employment law; intellectual property law; and new provisions in the law intended to help small farmers and those cultivating for patients. Of much interest to local growers was the “Staying Medical” panel that included Compassionate Oregon’s Anthony Taylor and longtime grower and activist Brent Kenyon. The “Staying Medical” panel provided an overview of current medical growing regulations and covered how the OLCC is developing rules to allow recreational growers to receive additional canopy limit so long as they cultivate for patients.

Cont. on Page 10

Dec/Jan 2016­17

On November 20, 2016, Oregon lost a dear physician who was well-loved across the state, especially by medical marijuana patients. Dr. Robert E. Jamison, 67, of Klamath Falls died after he lost control of the car he was driving on the icy roadway and crashed into another vehicle. The crash occurred on Highway 140 west of Klamath Falls near milepost 31.

Dr. Jamison had been employed as a physician by Southern Oregon Alternative Medicine, Llc (SOAM) since June of 2014. He treated thousands of patients all over the state of Oregon in the 17+ locations for SOAM. He helped children as young as three years old and as old (to our knowledge) as 98 years old, to qualify them for the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP).

The unique quality I respected so much in Dr. J, as I called him, was the neverwavering compassionate primary care he provided to so many patients for free.

These patients simply could not afford to go to a doctor. He knew and understood that the cost of healthcare was beyond the means of poor patients, and did more than his part to heal people the right way—through the use of herbs, minerals and cannabis. Let’s not forget his special little “boxes”— small devices used for treatments that I received to treat fibromyalgia and migraines.

It was such a joy to see him walk into the office in the mornings with that smile that will never be duplicated. No matter what the day was like on the outside, he always made it feel good on the inside.

His conspiracy theories were always something one wanted to believe (some came true) because he knew so much about the history of politics and had so much overall world knowledge. He was a great doctor to many and a great friend, too.

I am happy that I got to know Dr. Robert Jamison as well as I did. His work here changed many lives forever. He leaves behind a wife and three sons. Rest in peace, my friend.

Here are some kind words from a few of the patients Dr. Jamison treated, as well as the staff here at SOAM who knew and loved him: • Dr Jamison was an amazing MD. He knew local issues around Lyme disease and supported both our kids’ treatment with their specialist, who he personally knew. Our kids, ages three and seven,suffer from complicated cases of Lyme with co-infections that cause terrible disabling pain. Dr Jamison wanted to help ease that pain heal our babies—saving their lives, really. Thank you Dr. J. You will be missed! – Mother of two patients • I have had Dr. Jamison treating me for several years now and am greatly saddened by his death. He was the first doc in 40 years to really help me with my chronic pain and my lifelong gut issue.

No other doc had cared enough to do

Oregon News

Page 7

I'm not a jock.

Image: Southern Oregon Alternative Medicine

anything more than push pills at me. I got off all my pharmaceuticals and finally found relief following his recommendations. I’ll continue to stick to them, as I try to find a nice guy like him to keep this old vet plugging along. – A veteran and patient • Dr. Jamison was generous and has helped me and my family numerous times without asking for anything back.

He has been to my house to see my mom who I take care of. He has seen me at a drop of a dime instead of me spending money at the ER when I needed him. He has, for the last two years, been treating my daughter’s back pain. – Sandi Lynch, SOAM, Springfield, Oregon • I've worked beside Dr. Jamison for a year. He was a bit of a conspiracy nut, but he worked tirelessly to help people in pain all over Oregon. He was a bright smile in the morning when he arrived and grateful for our efforts in the evening when he left, sometimes after 11 to 12 hour clinic days. He will be missed. – Farrah Halsey, SOAM, Portland, Oregon • When Dr. Jamison worked with the Springfield team he was always gentle and knowledgeable. He went above and beyond to help patients in need. I have never met such a giving doctor and I admired him so much for that. It is a great loss to the world, [because] he was such a different healer than most. It brings great sadness to all of Southern Oregon Alternative Medicine Staff and patients he will always be missed. – Elena Gonzales, SOAM, Springfield, Oregon • Dr. Jamison was one of the biggest reasons that I fell in love with SOAM. He was a real Doc: the old school kind. The kind that listened and cared and desired to heal the people. The way he looked, the way he spoke, quirky, calm, earthly professional, caring, honest, reliable—so many qualities too mention. He was so attentive and had extremely good intuition. – Tia Reagan,SOAM, Medford, Oregon • I absolutely ADORED Dr Jamison! I was always impressed how "on top of his game" he was. He was such a huge advocate for natural medicine and a fighter against the ignorance and greed of traditional medicine. To him, what mattered most was the quality of care the patient received. We all saw this on a daily basis over the two years he was with us. He always had that amazing SMILE on his face every day. Thank you, Lord, for gracing me with Dr. Robert Jamison. I am forever changed. – Anna Johnson, SOAM General Manager, Medford, Oregon 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

I only know enough about sports to be able to converse with the locals when I'm in town. I don't have a “team,”, and I don't know who's the hottest player right now. So it may be surprising to read the next sentence.

Oregon's marijuana policy right now looks exactly like the Ducks’ and Beavers’ seasons.

That's right. For those of you similarly in our own world of cannabis, let me explain.

The Ducks and Beavers started out the year with high hopes, just like our new regulatory structure. Our college football teams began the year with a solid foundation, just like our marijuana programs. Our favored universities were projected to go far and do well, just like the evolving regulations that came from the last two legislative sessions. We had star players and famous faces who were here to get the job done—a big job, in the face of unrelenting opposition. We had overwhelming confidence from the people we were playing for.

Then the season ended in not just one, but a series of crushing defeats and upsets that nobody predicted.

For the football fans, it can be blamed on injuries or a type of death-by-chance. It can be blamed on coaching or coordination. All I know for sure is the Ducks and Beavers fans usually argue about which team is better, and this year they're arguing about which team is worse.

Even the “Civil War” game was a disaster. No tailgate parties here, and no real winner, either.

So why the sports analogy from a guy who admittedly can't name a coach or QB? Because that's what the state has done to our marijuana programs.

Just like with our teams, there's plenty of blame to go around. But I'm going to assign blame equally for damage done to our teams—medical and recreational.

The state Department of Justice (DOJ) shoulders the lion's share of the burden.

For a bunch of people who had the “hands-off” approach of Measure 67 and the medical program for 17 years, they came in like a freshman coach who knows it all and is fixing things for our benefit—or make us better. Wide-eyed outsiders who see the world one way—while our team lives a life they have never experienced—and solve problems that aren't there.

But there's plenty of debate about who else may be at fault.

Let's look at the OLCC. A tax grab is one thing: designing plays for the benefit of the state (their team sponsor), which they knew would get players injured, sidelined or even out for the season—that was completely unexpected. In football, it is against the rules to act in a manner that is deliberately designed to injure the competition. Sure, injuries happen, but not out of malice. Apparently the OLCC didn't get the memo.

But they're a bunch of bureaucrats. They regulate a given item—in this case, marijuana—until it doesn't sell anymore.

Then they consider their job done.

Cont. on Page 9

Page 8

Oregon Election Results already a flourishing cannabis marketplace in the state’s capital; measures 24–404 and 24–405 were on the ballot to allow medical and recreational sales in the unincorporated areas of Marion County.

These were both big losses for marijuana supporters, though medical (24–404) lost by a razor-thin margin.. Clearlake, Chemawa, Four Corners, Marion, Saint Louis, Talbot, West Stayton and dozens of the other largely rural communities in the county would have seen marijuana revenues for the first time since legalization in 2014, if the measures had passed.

Gladstone narrowly avoided a ban and overwhelmingly passed a new city tax on sales, keeping with the trend across the state. Oregon City voted against a ban in favor of adding taxes as well. Those new taxes, in addition to a countywide tax that was passed in Measure 3–510, will make those two cities among the highest taxed in the area— and potentially in competition with Portland. In the rest of Clackamas county, Wilsonville, West Linn, Sandy and

Oregon News Lake Oswego all voted to ban sales within their borders.

Tillamook county had only one ban on the ballot, in Manzanita—where 67.6% of the voters opposing it. A countywide tax measure passed, as well.

In southern Oregon, crucial votes went down in Jackson and Josephine counties.

Measure 17.73, to ban sales in Grants Pass, failed by only a couple hundred votes.

Mayor Darin Fowler had been an on-therecord supporter of the effort to lift a ban that had been in place there since September of 2015, and which the city had been enforcing even before a vote was ever held, citing federal laws. Even now, zoning restrictions will only allow dispensaries on one street in the city.

Bend passed measure 9–110, adding a 3% tax, while La Pine voted down a ban and added the same tax. They were the only cities in Deschutes county with marijuana measures on the ballot.

While most of Jackson county was voting on whether or not to allow sales, Medford was the only city to vote against a ban but they also added a 3% tax, and banned outdoor growing by a nearly two-to-one margin. Medford joins Phoenix, Ashland and Talent as the only cities in Jackson county that will now allow sales of cannabis products.

Jefferson county voted to ban recreational marijuana processing and sales, but allowed medical dispensaries and processing, in all unincorporated areas. A key vote in Madras, which saw the livelihood of several existing businesses on the line, ended decisively against a ban, with Measure 16–77 failing 56%–44%.

Scappoose was the only city in Columbia county with a measure seeking to ban sales, and it failed overwhelmingly, with over 60% of the electorate voting against it.

They also voted to add taxes in Rainier, Scappoose and St. Helens, along with a countywide 3% tax for Columbia. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Oregon Cannabis Connection

Oregon Market Shortages first experienced cannabis lab, Green Leaf Lab, not approved until August 26. On September 22, just nine days before the testing rules went into effect, only 11 labs had been approved for testing. Of those, only two had been approved to perform all six of the required testing regimes – Pixis Labs and OG Analytical – and only four labs had been approved for pesticide testing. As of December 1 2016, still only six labs are certified to do pesticide testing.

Any product to be sold by a dispensary had to be tested under the new guidelines, yet only a couple of labs at that time were capable of full-regime testing. Literally tons of cannabis products were in need of testing within days of October 1, including flower, extracts, food, tinctures and more.

Even industrial hemp requires testing for potency and must be certified low-THC. The economic impact to the state and the dispensaries trying to stock product is significant. A recent economic impact report focused on the testing bottleneck suggested that the loss in state tax revenue alone could be $10 million for the last quarter of 2016. They also estimate black market diversion of products that could otherwise enter the Oregon market at over $180 million.. All of these impacts are due to current and foreseeable supply shortages.

Highlights of the report, released by Whitney Economics: – Supply constraints due to the changes in testing protocol in Oregon have significantly impacted the Oregon cannabis industry – On an annualized basis, black market activities have increased a projected $187.5M due to the combination of higher prices and lower supply – Oregon tax revenues are projected to decrease by a minimum of $10.0M in Q4 – 22% of the 72 respondents indicated that they are going out of business and a large majority of survey participants plan to lay off employees for one to three months starting in Q4

Beau Whitney was formerly the Chief Operating Officer for Golden Leaf Holdings, a now publicly-traded cannabis products company, and is now Vice President of Regulatory and Government Affairs. He also teaches economics for the University of Phoenix and has held operational management positions with Intel and other tech companies that experience rapid growth rates.

“OHA, the regulatory body here in Oregon that implemented these changes did so because they were mandated by the Oregon state legislature,” Whitney explained to the OCC. “With some of the tests, like the enhanced pesticide testing, they may have overstepped what was the intent of the legislature, in my opinion.”

The intent of the OHA is to ensure public safety and create a more uniform testing environment, with qualified labs doing the testing, Whitney explained, but they are treating cannabis like medicine and he believes it should be treated as an agricultural product.

“They implemented a policy where they are treating it like medicine—similar to what FDA standards would be,” he explained.

“Many folks feel this is an agricultural

Image: NW Kind

product and should be regulated and tested as such. By treating it like a medicine, they have much a more expansive scope of tests and very, very low limits so the limits have created a massive amount of failures in [products] at testing labs and delays in results due to the backlog created by so few accredited lab.”

The impact has been severe on both current OHA-licensed dispensaries and the newly licensed OLCC dispensaries that are trying to serve the new fledgling recreational market.

Going Green in Albany is a medical marijuana dispensary that has operated for three years and they have experienced terrible shortages. The owner, Shawn Aman, explained to Oregon Cannabis Connection, “We haven't had concentrates on the shelf for a month—no shatter, no oils, no pens, nothing.”

“What edibles we have we are discounting to get them sold because they have to be out of here by January 1,” he explained of the edibles that don't meet the new standards. “We are basically on life support right now.”

“Unless you have deep pockets you're not going to be able to survive the next year,” Aman said. “Most of the little guys have gotten the message and just given up.”

Sunny Day Sanchez owns Honey Badger Sungrown, a medical marijuana garden in Corvallis, and has experienced the testing delay firsthand.

“My test results took three weeks to get back,” explained Sanchez, who submitted her samples for testing to Green Leaf Lab on November 10 and didn't receive her results back until the end of November.

Two other growers—one OHA- and another OLCC-registered—had similar delays of three weeks. Both were flower samples, so fewer tests were required than for concentrates and edibles. All of the labs are experiencing delays.

“Under normal conditions, testing takes about 7-10 business days to complete,” Lori Glauser, chief Operating Officer of EVIO labs explained to Oregon Cannabis Connection in an email. “Given the dual surge of samples that we received just after October 1 due to the annual harvest, pentup demand from processors waiting for the rules to come in place, and the increase in number of tests required to validate consistency of edibles and concentrated products, turnaround times were longer.”

“We don’t anticipate such a double surge in demand will happen again,” she added.

“Our advice to producers and processors is Cont. on page 10

Dec/Jan 2016­17

Oregon News Nugs Nevada Lawmakers Visit Oregon to Learn What Not to Do Nevada lawmakers made a trip to Oregon to learn what not to do when implementing a recreational marijuana program. The delegation met with Oregon officials and legislators to see what they could learn from Oregon's bumpy implementation.

“I think the point of the trip was to look at their Early Start program.” State Senator Patricia Farely told Channel 3 News in Las Vegas. “They were doing $3 million or $4 million a month, after their first year they had $54 million in tax revenue.”

As many Oregonians know, our early recreational sales allowed a substantial amount of tax revenue to flow into the state coffers.

Fifty-four million dollars was raised in taxes the first year, and much of that would have been missed if early sales had not been allowed.

One legislator, Senator Ginny Burdick, who co-chaired the Joint Committee on Marijuana Legalization—which was in charge of Oregon's legalization rulemaking—made particularly curious comments to Nevada legislators after they arrived.

“I wish we would have taken some of the steps your state has taken; we’d be so much further along,” the senator said to Nevada lawmakers and business owners during their visit.

“Nevada really has been a model example of how this can be done fairly and precisely.”

Her comments were in reference to Nevada's already existing, very small medical marijuana program that has very strict seedto-sale regulations. They are easily going to be able to extend the same rules to their recreational program, according to state officials.

Grant County Opens a Medical Marijuana Dispensary In very rural Grant County, Oregon, a couple of pioneering women are opening a medical marijuana dispensary, a feat that would not have been possible until just a few weeks ago.

Haley Olson and Cindy Kidd received county approval for Rocky Mtn. Dispensary, which they are opening on Wilderness St. Dr. Olson told Blue Mountain Eagle, “We need something to spur the economy here and to keep people from having to travel out of the area, especially in the wintertime.

You’ve got cancer patients trying to make that drive in the wintertime, and it’s not safe.”

They are going to use local marijuana from the area when possible and are using local materials, services, and labor to build their dispensary and stock the shelves. They will have a heavy focus on high-cannabidiol (or

Oregon News CBD) medicines for patients and animals, too.

They will have flower and also will stock topicals and edibles.

“It’s going to create jobs and keep people from having to travel outside the area, and keep the revenue here instead of Bend,” explained Cindy Kidd to Blue Mountain Press. They hope to get some of the Bend medical customers who find less selection as dispensaries there turn to recreational licensing.

They will also offer medical marijuana clinics at their location, which will be hosted by The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation, or THCF. About 150 medical marijuana cardholders reside in the county, and the dispensary hopes to help more people get access to the life changing herb.

This was all made possible on September 28, 2016, when Grant County Court voted to allow medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in the county. Recreational sales are not allowed.

Oregrown Donates Sales to American Legion and Other Veteran Group Oregrown Industries in Bend, Oregon, donated a portion of the sales at their Bend location on Veterans Day to veterans' organizations. They also called for more research and greater access to medical cannabis for vets. Oregrown is a farm-to-table company and has some of the premier cannabis in Oregon.

"Research from Israel suggests that cannabinoids in marijuana have the potential to provide real benefits to people suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injuries, and this is borne out by the experiences tens of thousands of veterans and others who have found relief through cannabis," said Oregrown co-founder Aviv Hadar in a press release. "We want to support research here in the United States to validate these experiences, and move toward the day when cannabis is readily available to everyone who might benefit from its use."

Oregrown donated three percent of their sales to the American Legion, the country's largest veterans’ organization. In August the American Legion passed a resolution calling on the federal government to reschedule cannabis and allow research into its potential for treating PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.

The company donated another three percent of sales to the Oregon Veterans Support Fund, a group that assist vets and their families.

Oregrown also offered discounted merchandise to veterans who visited the store on Friday, and served hot pizza to all customers Friday evening.

"We are proud to honor those who have put country ahead of self, putting their lives on the line to protect and defend the nation and the ideals that we aspire to," Hadar said.

Poison Center Alert For Marijuana Edibles at Halloween Another Halloween has come and gone in Oregon without a bunch of kids getting slipped marijuana candy. It seems the Oregon Poison Center felt the need to warn Oregonians since dispensaries opened for recreational use. They worry that marijuana edibles may get into our youngsters’ little hands, even though marijuana edibles have been around for yearsand a lot stronger—before the new rules.

Colorado had similar concerns after their vote in 2014, but had no reported “poisonings” of children, either. Much like Oregon, Colorado also had edible around for years for medical marijuana consumers.

One reason you won't find marijuana edibles in most trick-or-treaters’ candy bag is the same reason you rarely find razor blades or needles in their candy—people rarely do it.

There is a greater chance of ingestion occurring because of a neglectful adult than from a person intentionally trying to give kids cannabis treats.

Page 9

Ducks and Beavers And speaking of bureaucrats, let's not forget the OHA role in all of this.

Although Measure 91 said in three places that adult use regulation was not to affect our longstanding medical program, the OHA, happily watched as the legislature steamrolled patients and essentially pushed them to the OLCC. If we call the OMMP the Ducks, and the OLCC the Beavers, it's clear who the victor was in this Civil War game.

But why? Why did the medical team coach throw the game at the cost of our patients’ access?

The OHA is run and managed by people who are openly hostile to the OMMP and do not believe marijuana is medication, and who appoint subordinates who are incompetent and do not care about doing their jobs.

There—I said it.

But why did "coach" throw the game? Because the team owner—the legislature—told her to.

Not all of our legislators believe the OMMP is effective (it is), beneficial to public health and safety (it is), and good for the Oregon bottom line budget (it is), but they do have another reason. Money.

The biggest disaster of the last legislative session was our Oregon Representatives and Senators voting against the will of the people as expressed in Measure 91 and against the interests of Oregonians by allowing out-ofstate money to remove the residency requirement for new cannabis businesses.

This season was a sad one for Oregon both in football and cannabis law. We lost. All of us.

No matter which team you support.

The packaging on edibles is obvious, thanks to smart legislation, and each package sold must have a red marijuana leaf label warning that the contents are infused with cannabis. As always, when in doubt, toss it out!

I could impart more bad analogies on what the state wants to do with hemp, or the fact that our DOJ is representing the feds, not Oregonians. But that's another article.

AllOregon News Nuggets © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

So let's focus on having the legislators do what the Ducks did. Remove an under-performing coach and go find some players who will really work for our team.

Pioneer Pete is not a sports fan, and doesn't play one on TV. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

. Image: Green Source Gardens

Page 10

Oregon News

Church & State – Bump Up

OMBC Another Hit

Oregon Market Shortage

A fee will be charged for every patient a grower adds, up to a certain number that, once reached, may not be increased by adding additional patients.

Steve Bloom's interview with Tommy Chong capped off the conference as the cannabis cultural icon discussed politics, activism and his long career in music, comedy and the cannabis industry. OMBC attendees were then treated to an exclusive performance by hip-hop legend Del the Funky Homosapien, who once again rocked a packed Brickroom with his unique hip-hop style.

to review and understand the new testing rules, and make appointments with labs well in advance.”

All of us working on the OMBC put in a ton of work and are proud to provide great information and networking opportunities for the amazing people in the cannabis industry.

“I've got stuff still out—four weeks, five weeks later,” explained Rico of NW Kind, one of Oregon's largest extraction companies. “We haven't made a dime on [extracts] since October 1, and we are one of the bigger processors in Oregon, and the bottleneck and testing, coupled with the increased costs, has created an absence of oil, extracts and concentrates in the marketplace.”

Each OHA grower who transitions in with patients will be allowed to transfer those patients’ plants and usable marijuana from their OHA grow to their OLCC-licensed premises.

An OLCC licensee must enter into a personal agreement with each patient which, on a patient-by-patient basis, defines the amount the patient will be allowed for their needs, how often a patient can receive a transfer and what happens if a patient needs more than the original agreement allowed.

As a result of that November meeting and discussion, the proposed rules are being redrafted and the OLCC has scheduled another meeting to discuss them in January.

Hopefully, they will have them in place by planting time.

For patients, it is about time for the wait to be over. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Because Oregon’s cannabis laws are always changing—for better or for worse—business owners and activists should definitely attend the next OMBC in Eugene on April 27–28.

Attendees will get up-to-date news regarding rules and regulations, and the timing of the event will allow for an update on the latest developments out of the 2017 legislative session. To learn more and to get tickets, check out www.oregonmbc.com.

OMBC organizers will even be venturing to Europe in 2017, hosting an International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin, Germany, on April 10-12. To get the latest on this exciting European event, go to www.internationalcbc.com. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Recipes, Page 1 9!

But, the effect on extract companies and edibles manufacturers has been severe, and requires many tests for a small batch of products. This has created additional costs and further delays.

What they are trying to do is get process validation for their products, which would help them save thousands on each batch they test.

It allows them to show they are consistent in their practices.

“Process validation is a way to verify that your methodology is consistent across the board,” Rico explained further. “It's not economically feasible for us to sell oil without process validation.”

Indeed, the costs for a single batch of extracted oil without process validation are expensive.

Under the rules that were released on October 1, eight separate tested samples for batches of 0.5 to 1.5 lbs was required.

“For us, the cost came out to about $2500–2700 for a batch,” Rico said. “After process validation, the cost of the test is about $750–800 for the entire batch.”

But the process validation process is expensive, too. NW Kind has spent more than $20,000 to get approval, and they are not done yet.

The process validation rules also changed with the release of the December 2 OHA memo.

They changed the method for validation and now allow a simpler “control study” method instead of the battery of tests and standards NW Kind was trying to pass. Regardless of the method, they believe process validation is the only way to go.

Elbe's edibles, a small food manufacturer in Portland has been hit especially hard. The CEO, Hovering LaPlante, found the new rules more costly and burdensome than the previous ones that went into effect October 1.

In a letter to the OHA and OLCC, LaPlante explained that their costs would be increasing due to their new batch size limits.

“Previous to 12/2/16, batch sizes were not capped and a batch of 3,200 units (Elbe’s batch size) required 13 samples to be taken,” he explained in the letter. “Now, under these new rules, that same batch of 3,200 units will require 39+ samples to be taken.”

LaPlante also decried their “management-bymemo” practices stating, “Sending out rules that are effective immediately is not friendly to business of any size, and this practice needs to stop.”

Elbe's Edibles has been struggling, and the difficulties they have had were all caused by regulations and rules that have been implemented and then changed, repeatedly.

Changes have occurred in labeling, testing, and potency standards, not to mention restrictions no other company must adhere to, such as making non-medicated food in their licensed commercial kitchen.

Modie did not know whether further changes would be coming from OHA, but did indicate they are looking at the sampling size changes they made December 2 and assessing the situation.

“OHA is currently re-evaluating this number with the appropriate subject matter experts,” he explained.

So, a smart business person should expect more changes. What to do in the meantime is anyone’s guess.

Visit http://www.occnewspaper.com/category/ testing-1/ for updates. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved

Image Wolf Kind, Camas Valley Oregon

Oregon Cannabis Connection

Advisory Committee on Medical Marijuana December 2, 201 6 Meeting The ACMM met at the Portland State Office Building on December 2, 2016. These were the highlights of the meeting: • Andre Ourso reported that processing time is 56-60 days, which is outside the statutory requirement. OMMP is working on an online form, which will speed things up once completed. Other reasons for the slowdown is requirement to verify zoning, rule changes and six regulatory changes over the past year. Because the number of people who apply decreases over the holidays, that is expected to help.

• There was a discussion of problems related to testing and the transition to recreational.

New emergency temporary rules for testing were shared. (see article on page 8 for more on these rules) New permanent rules are anticipated in May; a RAC will form in January to write these. Parties interested in serving on the committee should contact Andre Ourso at OMMP. • Andre reported that the Clinical Guidelines Committee had met several times and had been communicating by email. They are working on guidelines for physicians to use when recommending cannabis to patients.

The final report will be provided to the Medical Board and the Legislature, after review by OHA, PHA and Dr. Hedberg. Some guidelines that have been agreed to include: 1. Actual hands-on patient examination will be required; 2. No physician should encourage smoking; and 3. Physicians should discourage giving cannabis to children.

• An Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on medical cannabis is due out in February.

Oregon participated in funding that.

• The online patient application is undergoing internal testing now. External testing will go on through December 16, 2016. The testing must be done at the Portland office, but once it seems to be working, OMMP will do a statewide training for patients and clinics.

• The October Snapshot of OMMP statistics is now available on the web site.

• The committee discussed SB 1598, in follow up to the last meeting, which covers access to medical cannabis in rural areas. Maps were reviewed, which show growers, growsites and counties that opted out of recreational cannabis. Interestingly, a higher percentage of patients in those areas use capsules and other traditional forms of medicine than in non opt-out areas that also sell recreational marijuana.

• Terms for Sarah Bennett, Todd Dalotto and Cheryl K. Smith expire at the end of the year.

Sarah will re-apply and Andre will put out a notice for applicants to the committee to come on some time next year.

• Andre shared regarding the future of the OMMP. Governor Brown has three priorities: 1. To clamp down on diversion; 2. To ensure that the industry succeeds; and 3. To loosen some regulations but ensure pesticide testing for public safety. Andre anticipates a consolidation in how the program is regulating, but noted that OHA will still have the public health and medical cannabis card program. The legislature will be bringing forth some more changes. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved

Dec/Jan 2016­17

National News

I watched in absolute amazement on November 8th as US citizens elected Donald J. Trump as the next President of the United States. I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that he was able to find a path to victory and fool enough voters to pull off the greatest American political upset in four generations, if not ever. The future is bleak from the perspective of many, and in the cannabis industry, it looks especially bad.

Voters overwhelmingly rejected the failing drug war at the voting polls, with eight out of nine states approving ballot measures loosening restrictions on the use of marijuana.

Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota became the 25th through 28th states (plus the District of Columbia) to approve marijuana for medical use. Perhaps of even greater significance, the number of states allowing recreational marijuana has now doubled, with Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada and California – the nation's most populous state – joining Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington in embracing a legal, regulated recreational marijuana industry. A number of other states have also decriminalized cannabis, without legalizing it.

Only Arizona rejected its recreational marijuana initiative. Medical marijuana remains legal in the state.

Legalization advocates predict that the ballot victories will increase pressure on the federal government to end its prohibition of cannabis once and for all.

The ballot victories were driven by high voter turnout among a population that increasingly recognizes marijuana as less harmful than alcohol or cigarettes. The new laws will regulate marijuana similarly to those products.

Specifically, the states will all allow anyone 21 or older to possess an ounce of marijuana and six plants in their homes. The exceptions are Nevada, which only allows possession of plants for those living more than 25 miles from a marijuana retail store, and Maine, which allows possession of 2.5 ounces of marijuana, six flowering plants and 12 nonflowering plants.

The most immediate impact of the new laws will likely be an end to the imprisonment and criminalization of people for simply using recreational marijuana without committing any other "crimes." California is already working to retroactively reduce the sentences of people convicted of some drug offenses prior to the law's passage.

Page 11

The states are also expected to set regulations for smoking marijuana in public spaces, and all four states expect a significant economic boom to flow from the new industry.

"This is obviously a positive development, particularly with the size of California," said Morgan Fox of the Marijuana Policy Project.

"The money that was going into the hands of criminals is going to be going into legitimate businesses."

According to a recent study, legal marijuana contributed $2.39 billion to Colorado's economy in 2015, including $1 billion in sales, $120 million in tax revenue, the creation of 18,000 new jobs and the creation of additional business-to-business transactions and indirect jobs.

"All of it just generates and spins through the economy," said Jacob Rowberry of the Marijuana Policy Group, which commissioned the study.

governments that seek to tax and regulate them.

With larger states such as California and Massachusetts entering the marijuana regulation business, some of those hurdles may start to get figured out.

"It's really going to create examples for people in other states to look at when they're considering their own marijuana policies," Fox said.

Evidence of marijuana's medical benefits also continues to mount. A recent study found that states with medical marijuana have seen dramatic drops in prescriptions of drugs for anxiety, depression, pain, nausea, psychosis, seizures, sleep disorders and spasticity, and a drop in opioid overdose deaths. © 2016 www.Naturalnews.com. reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Full legalization on the horizon?

In the longer term, legalization advocates hope that the increasing number of states rejecting prohibition will increase pressure on the federal government to do likewise.

"This is a big election, arguably bigger than the one we had two years ago where we added two states to the map," said Michael Collins, deputy director of the Drug Policy Alliance. "In California, one of the biggest states in the nation, all of the big state-versus-federal conflicts are going to be dramatically increased by what goes on. The end game is in sight."

In recent years, the Justice Department has mostly directed federal law enforcement not to bother with marijuana prohibition enforcement. But the continuing prohibition of marijuana continues to create difficulties for legal marijuana businesses and the

More Oregon stories online at OCCNewspaper.com

Though Trump mentioned marijuana very little on the campaign trail, when he did he was definitive in his support for medical marijuana and the need for the states to do what they believe is right. Unfortunately, that is 20 year-old thinking. With legalization of medical or recreational use in 28 states and the District of Columbia, having a mish-mash of laws ranging from unworkable and ineffective medical laws to successful full legalization initiatives makes little sense.

Medical patients are not allowed to travel to many states with their marijuana medicine and purchasers of marijuana in retail locations are supposed to keep it all in the state, and never cross the state line. Already a group of Midwestern states have sued Colorado for the inevitable “leakage” of recreational cannabis into their still illegal states.

But Trump’s view on recreational marijuana is more unknown, and he seems to think it’s a mess. During the campaign Trump told the Washington Post: “In terms of marijuana and legalization, I think that should be a state issue, state-bystate. Marijuana is such a big thing. I think medical should. And then I really believe we should leave it up to the states. And of course you have Colorado. There's a question as to how it's all working out there, you know?

That's not going exactly trouble-free.”

Trump has decided to surround himself with people of questionable character and a fear of cannabis. There are a few significant cabinet positions that have a lot of influence in the Cont. on Page 10

National News

Page 12

Oregon Cannabis Connection Connecticut

Four states, including California, the nation’s most populous, voted to legalize marijuana on November 8. That doubles the number of legal states to eight (plus the District of Columbia), and more than quadruples the number of people living in legal marijuana states, bringing the number to something around 64 million.

Cannabis culture hero Eddy Lepp was released Wednesday, December 7, 2016, after serving seven-and a-half years of a 10 year sentence in federal prison for illegal cultivation of marijuana plants.

The 64-year-old activist and religious figure was released from the Federal prison camp in Florence, Colorado, to a halfway house in San Francisco, California, where he will serve out the remainder of his sentence—which ends in February 2018. While not completely free, Lepp will finally enjoy some basic freedoms he’s been without since his conviction in 2009.

The Vietnam veteran was arrested for growing some 20,000-plus marijuana plants in open view of the state highway, while living in Lake County, in northern California.

A vigorous defense was attempted based on his contention that the plants were for medical purposes for the Multi-Denominational Ministry of Cannabis and Rastafari. The religious group lost their court case to get

. Image: Facebook by Amy Fisher

mandatory minimums, was a rallying cry for his supporters and the legalization movement.

"Maybe you want to be martyr for the cause," his sentencing judge, Marilyn Patel, said after denying leniency. "That will be your lot."

The “safety valve” was prohibited to Lepp due to his refusal to admit that he grew the marijuana himself—hee contended from the start that he merely allowed others to use his land—and for his association with a criminal drug enterprise.

Of course, it wasn’t a criminal enterprise by state standards.

Many see Lepp, described by supporters as a Rastafarian minister who freely gave marijuana to medical patients and by the law as merely a drug dealer, as a bona-fide hero.

Image: Gooey Rabinski

recognition of their use of marijuana, so Lepp wasn’t allowed to use a religious or medical defense at his trial, which left him, essentially, defenseless.

His 10 year sentence was seen as particularly harsh considering the ongoing debate about the role of the federal government in prosecutions of actions that are legal at the state level. His disqualification from the “safety valve” precaution, which can allow for lesser sentences in cases with harsh

Lepp will also be stuck with five years of probation on top of his time in the halfway house, but he has reportedly remained quite upbeat throughout his imprisonment and accompanying medical difficulties. He plainly expressed his position on the experience at his sentencing hearing in 2009: “I would rather do ten years and be able to look myself in the eyes than never be able to look myself in the eyes again.” © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Every one of those states legalized marijuana through the initiative process, but we’re not going to see any more initiatives on state ballots until 2018, and perhaps 2020. That means that if we are to make more progress on spreading marijuana legalization in the next couple of years, it’s going to have to come at the state house instead of the ballot box.

That’s the same pattern we saw with medical marijuana. California led the way via the initiative process in 1996, with several other states following in 1998 and 2000 before Hawaii became the first state to okay medical marijuana via the state legislature.

The election of Donald Trump is causing great uncertainty about the future of legal marijuana, and will act as a drag on legislators until his stance is clarified. Just as governors hesitated to implement medical marijuana programs in the face of federal hostility a decade ago, legislators will hesitate to move toward legalization in the face of uncertainty, or worse, outright hostility from a Trump administration.

Still, efforts to legalize marijuana through the legislative process have been underway for several years in a handful of states and have already come close to passage in some of them. And now, especially in New England, the pressure of neighboring states having already embraced legalization is fueling legalization fervor. But it’s not just New England. The marijuana legalization message is resonating across the land.

Getting a bill through a state legislature is a long, multi-stage process, with too many opportunities for getting derailed, from obstinate committee chairs to skeptical governors wielding the veto pen. Despite the obstacles, here are five states that could get it done before the 2018 mid-terms:

Connecticut already has medical marijuana and decriminalized possession in 2011 with the support of Gov. Dannel Malloy (D).

Malloy had said that decriminalization was as far as he wanted to go, but he’s hinting at changing his tune after marijuana’s big victory on Election Day. “We might have to reexamine our legal position, our position of enforcement, based on what some surrounding states are doing,” Malloy said three days later.

For veteran legislators such as state Reps.

Juan Candelaria (D-New Haven) and Toni Walker (D-New Haven), Malloy’s softening couldn’t come soon enough.

They’ve authored legalization bills in past sessions, but they haven’t gotten much traction. Look for them to be back at it again next year, with the changed New England political landscape smoothing the road.

Maryland Maryland approved medical marijuana in 2014 (although the long-delayed program has yet to see any actual dispensaries open) and decriminalization last year under then Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley.

The bad news is that O’Malley is gone now, replaced by anti-marijuana Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. The good news is that the legislature has already demonstrated a willingness to override Hogan’s vetoes when it comes to pot policy; it did that this year with a housekeeping bill that decriminalized the possession of paraphernalia (an oversight in the 2015 decriminalization bill).

Reform-minded legislators last year filed a legalization bill, the Marijuana Control and Revenue Act of 2015, in both houses, but they were stymied by unfriendly committee chairs.

They’re going to be back next year, backed by a carefully-built coalition of drug reform, Cont. on Page 14

National News

Dec/Jan 2016­17

Page 13

six years, legalization bills have been filed, but never voted on. were stymied by unfriendly committee chairs. They’re going to be back next year, backed by a carefully-built coalition of drug reform, social justice, and public health groups — and with the support of a healthy majority of Marylanders, according to recent polls.

New Mexico Eyeing next door neighbor Colorado, New Mexico is another state ripe for marijuana legalization. Two polls this year had popular support for legalization at 61%, and Democrats have now won control of the state legislature. That means two different moves toward legalization could occur: Rep. Bill McCamley (D-Mesilla Park) has filed a legalization bill the last two years, and_says he will do it again next year.

“It’s not an academic exercise anymore,” he said. And Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino (D-Albuquerque) also says he will be introducing a constitutional amendment that would take the issue to a popular vote.

But like Maryland, legalizers face an antimarijuana Republican governor in Susana Martinez. Either Martinez is going to have to have a pot epiphany or the legislature is going to have to have enough votes to override a probable veto.

Rhode Island This may be the best prospect of the bunch.

Medical marijuana is well-established in the state, decriminalization has been in effect for four years, and now, in the wake of the legalization victory in neighboring Massachusetts, Gov. Gina Raimundo (D) says she’s ready to more seriously consider doing the same in Rhode Island, although_she has concerns_about public safety and how any legislation is drafted.

Democrats control both houses of the legislature, and both House Speaker Thomas Mattiello and Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio say they are ready to take up legalization bills. That would be a pleasant change: For the past

Rhode Island’s political leaders finally look ready to catch up to their constituents, 55% of whom supported legalization in a recent poll from Brown University and who smoke pot at the highest rate of any state, reporting a 16% past month use rate.

Vermont Vermont very nearly became the first state to legalize weed through the legislative process this year. A legalization bill, S. 241, was supported by Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) and passed with strong support in the Senate, only to die in the House.

Now, a pair of key lawmakers_said they are ready to try to get legalization through the legislature again.

Sen. Dick Sears, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said legalization votes in Maine and Massachusetts are forcing the state’s hand. “For me, that’s a game-changer, that Massachusetts has voted to legalize,” Sears said.

Sears’ counterpart in the House, Judiciary Committee chairwoman Rep. Maxine Grad, is also ready to go, saying the Maine and Massachusetts votes will make lawmakers more amenable to moving forward.

There’s just one problem: Shumlin is gone now, replaced by incoming Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who is not a big fan of government regulation, but is not a big fan of marijuana legalization, either. “I can appreciate the discussion around ending the prohibition of marijuana,” he said, but had many, many concerns about this year’s bill. Still, it’s possible legislators will have heard those concerns and will come up with a bill that Scott can live with — or a majority that can override a veto. © 2016 StoptheDrugWar.org. Printed under Creative Commons Licensing

More than 20 protesters demonstrated outside the Plainfield Township Hall on December 2, 2016, the day after raids on three dispensaries in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. They chanted and held the usual protest signs in an attempt to fight back against law enforcement actions that left the dispensaries empty and closed down. In all, seven dispensaries were raided.

The Kent County Sheriff, in conjunction with the local narcotics task force group, raided the dispensaries after being told they were operating illegally. Michigan's medical marijuana law does not provide for dispensaries. Patients who receive a recommendation must get their cannabis from a grower, or grow it themselves. There are limits on how much can be grown, which further limits availability to patients.

“The problem is with growing your own and having someone grow for you, your marijuana isn’t ready for three, four months. If you are a cancer patient, you may be dead by then,” said Republican Rep. Mike Callton of Nashville, who sponsored multiple bills to clarify Michigan’s medical marijuana system. “What other medicine do you get a prescription for and they tell you to grow it yourself?”

In September, Michigan Governor Rick Snider signed a new medical marijuana law that will allow for dispensaries, testing, growing and processing the plant, all while being monitored with a “seed-to-sale” system. That law is not yet in effect.

“They are very knowledgeable here with what helps with what different pains,” medical marijuana patient Alyssa Gale told Channel 8 Woodtv.com of Grand Rapids.

She was a patient at the now closed Third Day dispensary, which was one that was raided.

“I’m actually kind of upset because I don’t have a caregiver. They take care of me here, so now I’m going to have to figure something out for my pain because I don’t like to take pain pills,” said Gale.

Join the new host Jason Osborne!

Image: Mlive

Plainfield Township Superintendent Cameron Van Wyngarden said, in a statement issued four days after the raids, that dispensaries have never been legal in his township and likened them to “illegal drug operations,” although the township did not have input in the decision to carry out the raids: “Medical marijuana dispensaries are—and always have been—illegal in Plainfield Township. Monday’s raid by the Kent County Sheriff Department and the Kent Area Narcotics Enforcement Team closed several known illegal drug operations in the County, including some in Plainfield Township.

“It’s unfortunate that we have seen so much misinformation making the rounds on social media within the last 24 hours. The County made the decision to conduct the raids, not the Township. The Township has not “suddenly” changed its mind to ban dispensaries. Dispensaries have never been legal in Plainfield Township, and those that were operating did so in full knowledge that their actions were unlawful.”

“It’s just unfortunate. We’ve got a lot of cancer patients and stuff that are really benefiting from this program and now they have to drive to Lansing and other places. A lot of tears shed today,” dispensary volunteer Forrest Powell told Woodtv.com.

Hopefully some dispensaries will begin operating under the new rules soon.

Patients should not have to go without their medicine because a few canna-bigoted leaders are afraid. Their ignorance is no excuse, and calling the dispensaries “illegal drug operations” is truly offensive to the sick who rely on the medicine for relief and treatment. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection, All rights reserved.

Page 14

enforcement of marijuana laws federally, and Trump has nominated old white men with a strong dislike for cannabis in every one.

Image: Flickr­ DonkeyHotey

Trump’s first nominee who is a nightmare for cannabis progress was Alabama Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, the former Alabama Attorney General and US Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. His extreme views prevented his appointment as a federal judge in 1986 when it was reported that he_opposed the NAACP and the ACLU_because he believed they were “un-American” and

National News finally get it removed from the Controlled Substances Act, or rescheduled, at a minimum.

Unfortunately, Price is an extreme conservative and is no fan of cannabis.

Rep. Price has a_D voting record_from NORML concerning cannabis, and voted no on the Veterans Equal Access Amendment (2016), the McClintock/Polis Amendment (2015), the Rohrabacher/Farr Amendment (2015) and the Veterans Equal Access Amendment (2015). He also received an overall score of 0%, which indicates he “opposes all forms of marijuana decriminalization.”

Ballotpedia_lists him as favoring the “never legalize marijuana” stance._OnTheIssues.org_shows him to be an extremist on most issues. He is opposed to green technology spending, a woman’s right to choose, and gay marriage, but supports prayer in school, expanding the military, and is a climate change denier.

None of his extremely conservative positions bode well for cannabis legalization, medical or otherwise.

Trump’s last telltale nomination was retired General John Kelly for Director of Homeland Security. Kelly is barely out of the Marine Corps—having retired earlier this year—and still holds the now disproved notion that marijuana is a gateway drug, “most certainly.”

In a congressional hearing in 2014, Kelly asked for more funding to fight the drug

“Communist-inspired.” The comments sank his nomination, but he was elected to Attorney General in Alabama in 1994, and in 1996 he won election to the US Senate.

Also during that confirmation hearing, Thomas Figures, a black assistant US attorney who worked for Sessions, testified that Sessions called him "boy" on multiple occasions and once joked about the Ku Klux Klan, saying that he thought Klan members were "Okay, until he learned that they smoked marijuana."

Earlier this year, Sessions showed again just how morally opposed he is to cannabis.

Speaking to a joint hearing on April 5th—a hearing that was convened to generally address the impact of a few states’ new legal recreational marijuana programs on the public—Sessions stated, “... knowledge that this drug is dangerous, you cannot play with it, it is not funny, it’s not something to laugh about … and to send that message with clarity that good people don’t smoke marijuana.”

The next nightmare nomination was Dr. Tom Price, an orthopedic surgeon and current US Representative from Georgia, for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). This is a significant appointment because the Secretary of HHS is in charge of healthcare policy, and controls the National Institutes of Drug Abuse (NIDA). Of course, NIDA must approve all the marijuana studies in the US. The head of HHS also has the ability, with the Attorney General, to begin the rescheduling process for marijuana and

Oregon Cannabis Connection

According to a new crime report published last week by the FBI, the Drug War is still a pervasive cause for arrest in the United States. The data, which covers recorded arrests for violent crime and property crime as disclosed by local police departments, revealed that arrests for simple possession of drugs — mostly marijuana — are still widespread across the country.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program report, titled “2015 Crime in the United States,” there were 1,488,707 total arrests for “drug abuse,” a category that includes the sale, trafficking, and possession of drugs.

Compared to arrests for other specific categories of offenses, drug violations were the most common. Of 10,797,088 total recorded arrests in the United States in 2015, drug abuse arrests were the highest (1,488,707), followed closely by property crimes, which accounted for 1,463,213 arrests. Drunk driving arrests came in third, with 1,089,171. By comparison, there were just 11,092 arrests for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, though “other assaults” did account for 1,081,019 arrests, the fourth most common.

It is worth noting that, as the FBI explains, “arrest figures do not reflect the number of individuals who have been arrested; rather, the arrest data show the number of times that persons are arrested.”

Some proponents of the Drug War might rationalize nearly 1.5 million drug arrests as an effective effort to stop traffickers and drug dealers. But arrests for the sale or manufacture of drugs accounted for just 16.1% of all drug arrests, roughly 239,682.

war and claimed he would “simply sit and watch” as drug traffickers moved their supplies, and claimed they were unable to interdict 74% of smuggling. Only two weeks later he held a press conference in Latin America claiming their efforts had been successful, and his Guatemalan counterpart claimed a 62% reduction in drug trafficking. The statements were a complete contradiction of his testimony to Congress.

“This is looking really bad,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance in a press release. “First Sessions for Attorney General, then Price at HHS, and now yet another old-style drug war character for Homeland Security. It looks like Donald Trump is revving up to re-launch the failed drug war.” © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

New grower of cannabis?

See our Cultivation section on Page 20!

The problem is it's still WAY too many. Image NORML

substantial chunk of the population. To be fair, the Bureau of Justice has asserted almost all federal drug offenders were convicted of trafficking, and in state-level facilities, drug offenders made up roughly 17% of inmates.

Regardless, it remains that on a daily basis, hundreds – if not thousands — of Americans are harassed by law enforcement for simply possessing a plant (or another substance).

Further, it is unsurprising that, at least among prison populations, drug trafficking is a common offense. When drugs are prohibited, as alcohol prohibition proved in the 1920s, black markets undoubtedly develop, meaning ultimately, the government’s own tirade against drugs is at least, in part, responsible for the growth of the narcotics market and, as a result, traffickers.

More fundamental, however, is the question of whether or not the government should be allowed to regulate what substances nonviolent individuals choose to put in their bodies, and by extension, who sells them those substances. As some police officers opt to make cannabis a lower priority – and even to take a compassionate approach toward heroin addicts in the face of the nation’s pharmaceutical opioid crisis — the country’s overall crime data appears increasingly archaic. © 2016 Antimedia.org. Published under creative commons license.

Arrests for mere possession totaled 83.9% of drug-related offenses — 1,249,025.

Possession of marijuana accounted for 38.6% of all drug abuse arrests (574,641) while 19.9% were for heroin or cocaine and their derivatives (296,252). Possession of “other dangerous nonnarcotic drugs” prompted 20.2% of “drug abuse” arrests, and possession of synthetic or manufactured drugs made up for 5.1% of arrests.

Though, as the Washington Post points out, arrest rates for marijuana are the lowest they’ve been since 1996, there were over 1,500 arrests per day in 2015 — simply for possessing marijuana. In the Northeast, Midwest, and South, marijuana possession arrests were responsible for roughly 50% of all drug arrests (in the South, that figure was 50.7%). In the West, where many states have embraced cannabis use, arrests for possession of the plant accounted for just 16.5% of all drug arrests.

The effect of the drug war is evident not just in arrest figures, but in data documenting incarceration rates in the United States. According to the Bureau of Prisons, 46.4% of inmates (83,982) were behind bars for drug offenses, making up a

"You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin.

And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities...We could arrest their leaders. raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."

John Ehrlichman, former Richard Nixon Domestic Policy Advisor to Harper's Magazine April 2016.

National News

Dec/Jan 2016­17

National News Nugs Texas Senator Menendez Files Medical Marijuana Bill

By Johnny Green, from Weednews.co

Texas is a big domino in the battle to end marijuana prohibition in America.

Unfortunately, Texas does not have a citizen initiative process like many other states that have reformed marijuana laws by gathering signatures to put reform to a vote.

The only way to reform Texas’ marijuana laws is via the Texas Legislature. This upcoming session is shaping up to be a big one in that egislature for marijuana reform, with many bills expected to be introduced.

One of the bills, which would legalize medical marijuana in Texas, was introduced on December 6, 2016.

“Doctors, not politicians, should be determining what is best for Texas patients,” said Senator Menéndez in a statement. “This is legitimate medicine that can help a of variety people, from the grandmother suffering from cancer to the veteran coping with PTSD after returning home from war.”

The bill will allow patients with debilitating and chronic medical conditions to receive cannabis with the recommendation and consultation of their doctor.

“Twenty-eight states have recognized the medical benefit of cannabis, including conservative states like Arkansas, Montana and North Dakota,” said Senator Menéndez.

“It’s time Texas steps up to the plate and provide[s] real relief for our suffering patients.”

Last session, Senator Menéndez filed the first comprehensive medical cannabis legislation in the history of Texas, Senate Bill 1839. He was also co-author of the landmark Senate Bill 339, which allowed for limited cannabis use for people with intractable epilepsy. © 2016 Weednews.co. Used by special permission.

Maine Legalization Initiative Up For Recount

By OCC Staff

Maine joined seven other states in passing marijuana legalization measures on November 8, but it barely passed by a margin of just over 4000 votes, or well under 1%. There were immediate calls for a recount, especially after a contentious election, which had many medical marijuana advocates not supporting the restrictive adult use bill. In all, 381,692 voted in favor of legalization and 377,619 voted against.

The Press Herald reported the recount could take a month to complete, and will cost upwards of $500,000. It began December 5 and was supported by marijuana legalization opponents who believe a recount is in order—though unlikely to change the result, due to the “seriousness” of the new law.

"Every day the implementation of this law is delayed there are adults out there who are subject to punishment for responsible use of marijuana," said Alysia Melnick from the Yes on 1 campaign. "And this delays

responsible and effective implementation."

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The No on 1 campaign struggled to produce the 10 volunteers the state had requested by the Monday deadline, delaying the start of the recount until Wednesday when 8 volunteers showed up. the Maine Secretary of Stateappointmented 10 individuals to help with the recount, as well.

The bulk of the $500,000 cost will be for the Maine State Police, who will have to run around the state and pick up the padlocked and sealed ballot boxes from 503 different jurisdictions and deliver them to Augusta.

State police estimated the cost for 100 towns, in rural areas, at about $70,000.

Overall, the transportation costs are estimated to be over $350,000. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Admits He Uses Medical Marijuana

By OCC Staff

The Golden State Warriors’ head coach, former Chicago Bulls guard and NBA champion, Steve Kerr admitted he uses medical marijuana in an interview on Friday. The admission comes as many players and former players advocate for authorized cannabis use by professional athletes, especially when the alternative is pharmaceutical painkillers.

“I guess maybe I can even get in some trouble for this, but I’ve actually tried it twice during the last year and a half, when I’ve been going through this chronic pain that I’ve been dealing with,” Kerr told the Warriors Insider Podcast. “(After) a lot of research, a lot of advice from people and I have no idea if maybe I would have failed a drug test. I don’t even know if I’m subject to a drug test or any laws from the NBA,” he added.

According to CSN, Kerr had two surgeries on his back in 2015, the second to help with pain caused by the first. After taking Vicodin for his pain, he knew that was not good and turned to cannabis.

“It’s way worse for you than pot, especially if you’re looking for a painkiller and you’re talking about medicinal marijuana, the different strains what they’re able to do with it as a pain reliever,” he said. “I think it’s only a matter of time before the NBA and NFL and Major League Baseball realize that.”

He expressed his hope that professional sports would start getting away from the addictive painkillers, especially the NFL, due to the violent nature of the sport.

“I would hope that league will come to its senses and institute a different sort of program where they can help these guys get healthier rather than getting hooked on these painkillers.” © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Marijuana Use Up Among Older Adults

By OCC Staff

New York University launched a study of older adults and their marijuana use. They seem to understand that marijuana use is not just limited to younger generations, and in fact older Americans over 50 are starting to use marijuana more commonly.

Benjamin Han, MD, MPH, a geriatrician and health services researcher at the Center for Drug Use and HIV Research (CDUHR) and in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care at NYU Langone Medical Center (NYU Langone) explained in a news release, “With the increased availability of legalized marijuana, there is an urgent need to understand the prevalence of its use and also its effects among older generations.

The paucity of knowledge in this area constrains the care for a changing demographic of older adults with higher rates of substance use.”

In the study researchers evaluated responses to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from 2006 to 2013. They looked at 47,000 respondents aged 50 or older and found a 71% increase in that demographic. The prevalence was not as high for those aged 65 or over, but it was higher among men than women through all years analyzed.

Page 15 The administration also is considering legislation to tighten regulations. Currently patients can get a waiver to grow as many as 99 plants at home, though typically only 6 are allowed per patient.

“We do need to clean up this system and make sure we’re beyond reproach for how well we’re regulating marijuana,” Andrew Freedman, the governor’s marijuana coordinator, told the Denver Post. “We’re hearing from federal officials, ‘Hey listen, this is a concern.’”

Colorado was sued by Nebraska and Oklahoma for not effectively keeping marijuana within its borders. The lawsuit was dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Neighboring states continue to complain. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Beer Markets Are Down in States That Have Legalized Marijuana Sales

By Johnny Green, from Weednews.co

During the 2016 election, members of the alcohol industry donated to antilegalization efforts. Members of the alcohol industry feel threatened by what a legalized marijuana industry could do to the alcohol industry. They reason that if people are able to consume marijuana legally, they will choose marijuana more often than they do alcohol.

From the NYU press releases: “We found only five percent of these older users felt using marijuana once or twice a week was a great risk to their health” said Joseph J. Palamar, PhD, MPH, a CDUHR affiliated researcher and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Langone.

“I thought the perception of low risk was fascinating because, typically, we think of older generations as drug-adverse, and perceiving most drugs to be risky," said Dr. Palamar. "But apparently very few Baby Boomer users consider marijuana use risky.

But after all, this was the generation who was there, in the late 1960s, when the counterculture revolution exploded marijuana into mainstream popularity.

“The researchers note that the majority of self-reported marijuana users indicated they first started using before the age of 18.

This means that most of the current users either continued use or have begun using again more recently. Research is needed to determine whether this is related to changes in local, state and national acceptance.” © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Colorado to Crack Down on Home Pot Grows OCC Staff

In response to a thriving black market, and pointing to recent marijuana grow raids in the past months, Colorado’s governor has launched a major push for tougher regulations on home growing and plant limits. “If we don’t stamp it out right now, it becomes acceptable. And then, all of a sudden, people are going to start getting hurt,” Governor John Hickenlooper said in an interview with the Denver Post.

The Democrat governor asked state lawmakers to set aside $16 million in marijuana tax revenues for new initiatives related to controlling what they are calling “the gray market.” The money would be used for law enforcement investigations and prosecutions.

There appears to be some truth to that, according to a recent report.

Per Brewbound: In Colorado, Oregon and Washington, where recreational cannabis use has been legalized, the beer business is underperforming, according to Vivien Azer, Cowen and Company’s managing director and senior research analyst, who specializes in the beverage, tobacco and cannabis sectors.

Azer unpacked the latest Nielsen data in those three states—beer markets that have “collectively underperformed” in the last two years—and found that “the magnitude of the underperformance has increased notably,” with beer volumes falling more than two percent year-to-date and trailing the overall U.S. beer market.

“While (marijuana) retail sales opened up in these markets at different points of time, with all three of these states now having fully implemented a retail infrastructure, the underperformance of beer in these markets has worsened over the course of 2016,” Azer wrote.

In 2015 overall alcohol sales were steady in Colorado compared to previous years, according to media reports at the time. It could be that 2016 is just an anomaly, as established industry sales figures fluctuate, including in the alcohol industry. The marijuana industry is not an established industry, and only time will tell how it affects other industries, alcohol or otherwise. I personally believe that if the analysis in the report from Cowen and Company proves to hold up over time, it will be good for society, as marijuana is undeniably safer than alcohol. © 2016 Weednews.co. Used by special permission.

Page 16

Pressure from the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA) has finally paid off for the country’s domestic industry as government officials this week removed a key requirement that hemp grain and fiber crops be tested for THC, and introduced other changes aimed at simplifying hemp regulatory and licensing rules, HempToday has learned.

The changes come after years of efforts by CHTA aimed at freeing up the industry to reach its broader potential. The Alliance had issued a blistering critique of Health Canada last week when Health Minister Jane Philpott canceled an appearance at CHTA’s annual conference.

“It looks like our message was heard by the Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau),” one source told HT. “He simply walked across the hall and ordered the Minister of Health Canada to fix it.”

A THC testing requirement remains for cultivators of hemp for certified seed, or for

Industrial Hemp

inclusion of varieties on Canada’s List of Approved Cultivars (LOAC). Under an existing rule that was not changed, tests for certified seed and LOAC-destined crops must still be submitted by Nov. 15 of the year the test was performed, unless the cultivar is exempted from the LOAC, according to Health Canada’s notice informing the industry of the changes.

The Navajo Tribe has signed a resolution to grow industrial hemp on tribal lands, another step undermining federal prohibition in effect.

According to a report published in Forbes, the Navajo will work with CannaNative to develop industrial hemp farming. The organization assists tribes in developing hemp and cannabis-based economies on Native American lands throughout the United States:

In addition to dropping the primary THC testing requirement, other changes include: Cultivation licenses will be issued without the need to pre-identify planting sites. Instead farmers can now choose planting sites at the time of planting, and simply notify the Office of Controlled Substances within 15 days of seeding.

Minimum acreage requirements for hemp cultivation have been dropped.

One hemp growing license will now cover all cultivation sites and activities, reducing the number of licenses and license amendments required.

License expiration rules have been extended to March of the year after planting to allow for the sale and purchase of products grown in the previous year.

Required criminal record checks are now valid for one year from the date they were issued.

Less information will be required regarding registration, and that process has generally been simplified.

Farmers can now submit their growing applications by email.

Under the revised rules scheme, those who may require licenses include seed, grain and fiber producers; hemp plant breeders; distributors and re-resellers; processors; any entities that test for grain viability; and importers and exporters, Health Canada said. © 2016 HempToday. See the original story at HempToday.net.

Re-published by special permission.

“I believe that the Indian cannabis industry will far surpass the Indian gaming industry,” said CannaNative chief executive officer Anthony Rivera. While gaming has been lucrative, it hasn’t benefited all tribes and casino growth numbers are slowing. The Indian community sees industrial hemp as a revenue source that will level the play field for all tribes.

As a next step, CannaNative officials will meet with the Navajo Agricultural Products Industries (NAPI) farms CEO to arrange for a signed MOU/Resolution to proceed.

Rivera told Forbes his organization will work with closely with Navajo commerce and agricultural divisions. Tribal lands cover parts of New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. The farm where they plan to begin industrial hemp production is in New Mexico.

State law could play a major role in the development of a Navajo hemp industry. In 2015, the feds raided a farm on the Menominee Indian reservation in Wisconsin and eradicated 30,000 cannabis plants planted for hemp research. The feds contend they contained THC levels above those allowable for hemp.The tribe lost a lawsuit with the federal judge saying that because Wisconsin hasn’t legalized marijuana, the tribe couldn’t grow it within state borders.

Legalization of industrial hemp in New Mexico would help facilitate tribal plans. They can proceed with or without state legalization, but eliminating a layer of state laws would certainly make the path toward developing a hemp economy smoother. In April 2015, New Mexico Gov, Susanna Martinez vetoed a bill legalizing hemp production within the state.

She cited contradictions between state and federal law.

Up until recently, the federal government maintained almost complete prohibition on industrial hemp. While it was technically legal to grow hemp, farmers had to obtain a permit from the DEA, a nearly impossible task.

Early in 2014, President Barack Obama signed a new farm bill into law, which included a provision allowing a handful of states to begin limited research programs growing hemp. The “hemp amendment”: …allows State Agriculture Departments, colleges and universities to grow hemp, defined as the non-drug oil-seed and fiber varieties of Cannabis, for academic or agricultural research purposes, but it applies only to states where industrial hemp farming is already legal under state law.

In short, current federal law authorizes the farming of hemp – by research institutions

Oregon Cannabis Connection only, for research only.

Farming for commercial purposes by individuals and businesses remains prohibited. Laws in these states ignore federal prohibition and authorizes commercial farming and production anyway.

But several states, including Colorado, Oregon, Maine and Vermont have simply ignored federal prohibition altogether and legalized hemp production. The minimal possibility of federal prosecution has not stopped some growers from taking advantage of the opportunities they see with the door now cracked open to develop a hemp market in these states. Hemp industries have already started developing in Vermont, Colorado, Maine and other states that have legalized it at the state level.

In Maine, the Passamaquoddy Tribe has obtained a permit to cultivate industrial hemp in Maine. Quoddy Hemp Manufacturing LLC spokeswoman Diana Nelson told the Press Herald the company “has obtained seeds from Kentucky and the Passamaquoddy Tribe is researching what kinds of hemp might grow best in northern New England.”

Recent economic reports suggest that the U.S. market for hemp is at a minimum $600 million per year. Industry observers count as many as 25,000 uses for industrial hemp, including food, cosmetics, plastics and bio-fuel.

The U.S. is currently the world’s number-one importer of hemp fiber for various products, with China and Canada acting as the top two exporters in the world.

A development of a hemp industry could provide a much needed economic boom for the Navajo. The tribe has a population of over 300,000 and its tribal lands cover more area than 10 U.S. states. But poverty plagues the tribe, with more than 48 percent of its population unemployed. The feds would be hard-pressed to crack down on Navajo farmers simply trying to improve the tribe’s economic situation.

Image: David McNew/Getty

Tribal hemp production would serve to further grow the U.S. hemp market. That would place even more pressure on federal prohibition. As the market grows, and more people engage in hemp production, more people will become emboldened creating an exponential wave, ultimately nullifying the federal ban in effect.

About the author – Michael Maharrey is the Communications Director for the Tenth Amendment Center, where this article first appeared. He proudly resides in the original home of the Principles of ’98 – Kentucky. See his blog archive at http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/. He is the author of the book, Our Last Hope: Rediscovering the Lost Path to Liberty. You can visit his personal website at MichaelMaharrey.com and like him on Facebook.

Article from Activistpost.com. Republished under creative commons license.

Dec/Jan 2016­17

Medical News harmful, such as opioid pain medication,” says the study’s lead investigator Zach Walsh, a professor of psychology at University of British Columbia.

That is by no means a definitive statement, but several new scientific studies and one in particular from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health just introduced a new science based angle.

According to The Washington Post, researchers tracked fatal car crashes over 14 years in 18 states, analyzing the drugsmedical medical cannabis or opioids-found in the systems of those killed. They found that states, like New Mexico, with legal medical cannabis programs had lower rates of crash victims with opioids in their systems, especially among victims ages 21 to 40 or, the age group most likely to use medical cannabis. As the study authors cited new found evidence, “In states with medical cannabis laws, fewer individuals are using opioids and dying.”

Briscoe, a native of Española, New Mexico, said about 25 percent of her patients struggling with opioid use disorder have told her that cannabis soothes their cravings, relieves their pain and helps them stay off opiates. Three of her colleagues who certify patients for medical marijuana cards estimated that together, they’ve seen about 400 patients successfully kick opioid addictions with the help of cannabis.

Briscoe said she’s seen firsthand how addiction to heroin and pain pills has “destroyed, decayed and desiccated” her hometown.

From the Albuquerque Journal, August 12th 2012: “This isn’t Detroit. It isn’t Compton, Calif.

We don’t have overcrowded and crumbling inner cities. But when the Centers for Disease Control last November (2012) announced that death rates for prescription drugs had reached epidemic proportions nationally, New Mexico was at the top of the list. Our death rate from prescription drug overdoses surpassed even our traditionally tops-in-the-nation death rate from heroin overdoses.”

A state advisory board that makes recommendations to the Health Department on New Mexico’s rapidly expanding Medical Cannabis Program voted 5-1 on Friday, November 4th 2016, in favor of adding “opiate use disorder” to the list of conditions that qualify, a move one health professional said could transform the state’s landscape of addiction. Anita Briscoe, an Albuquerque-based advanced practice registered nurse who proposed allowing people to use cannabis as an opiate addiction treatment, said the effort could help change that statistic.

Today, according to the New Mexico Department of Health, New Mexico’s drug overdose rate in 2014 was still twice that of the national average, the #1 cause of unintentional injury or death in New Mexico – 3 of 4 of those drug overdose deaths involved opioids or heroin. During the time period of 2001 – 2014, medical prescription sales of opioids increased 236% in New Mexico – killing and average of 10 New Mexicans per week. Yet the Presbyterian health system in New Mexico has a policy, to not allow their doctors to recommend medical cannabis in the state’s medical cannabis program, but have no problem prescribing those deadly pills.

“Research suggests that people are using cannabis as an exit drug to reduce the use of substances that are potentially more

She submitted 21 pages of research to back up her belief that cannabis can be beneficial in treating opiate addiction, including articles from the American Medical Association, the American Journal of Public Health and the American Journal of Addiction.

“Just imagine if people struggling with opioid addiction had access to cannabis and were able to kick their habits, how our state would change for the better,” she said.

“Crime would go down, health care costs would diminish, overdose deaths would fall, and it would help our economy to flourish.

Without the familial crisis of opiate dependence, New Mexico’s children would also be safer, families would be more stable.”

State Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, DAlbuquerque, and Rep. Deborah Armstrong, D-Albuquerque, wrote letters supporting the proposal.

New Mexico saw a statistically significant increase from 2013-2014 in overdose deaths caused by opioids, according to CDC state data. New Mexico saw a drastic increase of 20.8% in opioid overdose deaths. This not to say medical cannabis is a direct cure to the opiate crisis. But there is more than just a connection here, a true scientific correlation for medical cannabis as an addiction treatment for this current opioid crisis New Mexico faces. Though opioids and cannabis have vastly different effects on a user’s body and vastly different consequences as they both ease pain. Opioids were responsible for 28,000 overdoses in 2014 nationwide. Cannabis was responsible for zero.

Medical cannabis is legal in 28 states and D.C. Still, the DEA classifies cannabis as a Schedule I controlled substance, the same category as heroin. US Patent No. 6630507,

held by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, covers the use of cannabinoids (medical cannabis) for treating a wide range of diseases. Yet under U.S. federal law, cannabis is defined as having no medical use. So it might come as a surprise to hear that the government owns one of the only patents on cannabis as a medicine. The patent (US6630507) is titled “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants” and was awarded to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in October 2003. It was filed four years earlier, in 1999, by a group of scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

If state Health Secretary-designate Lynn Gallagher adopts the new recommendations — she has the final word — thousands more New Mexicans will become eligible for the already exploding medical marijuana program. Officials say it has grown over the past year by 76 percent, to nearly 33,000 patients from 18,600.

The opioid epidemic in America began hitting crisis levels in 2013 and now has cost to many New Mexicans their life since the epidemic starting ramping up here in 2001. Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. As with most other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, treatment for drug addiction generally isn’t a cure. However, addiction is treatable and can be successfully managed according the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The evidence is clear and the New Mexico Department of Health needs to make addiction treatment of opioids and heroina qualifying health condition to be included into the state’s medical cannabis program and allow that program to continue to help even more New Mexican’s.

Patient advocates, addiction specialists and state lawmakers all have lent their support for the decision, which is now in the hands of the New Mexico Department of Health.

Should the state decide to go with the medical cannabis advisory board’s recommendations, medical cannabis could be used as a tool to combat opiate addiction, bringing the Land of Enchantment to the forefront in the harm reduction model of addiction treatment in the United States. © 2016 Weednews.co. All rights reserved. Printed by special permission.

Page 17

It seems most of the evidence about the effect of marijuana use on eyesight and the human eye have been generally positive, until a recent study was published in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Doctors have known for years that cannabis helps glaucoma symptoms. The tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, found in cannabis helps decrease intraocular pressure and offer temporary relief for a few hours whether taken orally, sublingually, or ocularly. THC is the main psychoactive component in cannabis.

More recently in a positive study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology volunteers showed “consistent improvements” in night vision during testing. They performed hospital based tests and analogous field tests in Morocco with portable instrumentation. In the hospital they used Marinol, or synthetic THC, and in the field they used Kief, or natural powdered cannbis locally curated in Morocco. The report said, “In both test situations, improvements in night vision measures were noted after THC or cannabis.”

But in the December 2016 issue of JAMA Ophthalmology research seems to show a delay in the processing of visual information for cannabis users. The impact was very minimal, but measurable.

The cells that the researchers focused on in the study, called retinal ganglion cells, are located near the inner surface of the eye's retina. These cells collect visual information and transmit it to the brain.

The study showed a slowing on the transmission of information in 54 relatively heavy cannabis users compared with 24 who did not use it.

"Such an anomaly could be imperceptible for cannabis users," explained Dr. Vincent Laprevote, lead author of the study and a physician at Pole Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie du Grand Nancy in Laxou, France. "However, it is important, since it could reflect the changes in the communication between neural cells implied by regular cannabis use."

Admittedly their study has a few limitations, and they mention those in their discussion: "First, it is a pilot study involving a small number of participants. Consequently, PERG measurements would need to be Cont. on Page 18

CLASSIFIEDS Page 23!

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Medical News

Oregon Cannabis Connection using may no longer be as feasible an option, so knowing how to consider cannabis in the treatment equation will become a necessity.”

Walsh’s research was conducted with UBC’s Michelle Thiessen, Kim Crosby and Chris Carroll, Raul Gonzalez from Florida State University, and Marcel Bonn-Miller from the National Centre for PTSD and Center for Innovation and Implementation in California.

Hospitalized patients who test positive for cannabis are less likely than non-users to suffer from heart failure or cardiac disease, and are less likely to die from cancer, according to datapublished online ahead of print in the journal Cancer Medicine.

Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, recently received a $3 million donation from Australian philanthropists Barry and Joy Lambert directly for the school' Lambert Center for the Study of

A team of researchers from the University of Northern Colorado, Colorado State University, and the University of Alabama assessed the relationship between marijuana use and health outcomes among a nationwide sample of 3.9 million hospitalized patients.

Researchers reported that marijuana-positive patients were more likely than non-users to seek hospitalization for stroke, but that they possessed lower odds of heart failure or cardiac disease, and that they possessed increased survival rates overall - especially among those patients with cancer. Authors concluded, "Odds of in-hospital mortality were significantly reduced among marijuana users compared with non-users in all hospitalized patients as well as cancer patients."

Separate data, presented in April at the 2016 meeting of the American College of Cardiology, reportedthat heart attack patients with a history of cannabis use are less likely than non-users to die during hospitalization. A 2014 UCLA study similarly reported greater survival rates in marijuanapositive patients hospitalized for Traumatic Brain Injury.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Marijuana use and inpatient outcomes among hospitalized patients: analysis of the nationwide inpatient sample database," appears in Cancer Medicine.

Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp.

“Joy and I were extremely impressed with Jefferson’s rapid progress in the field of medicinal cannabis research and innovative approach to exploring all avenues for new therapies to include using hemp-derived cannabinoids,” Barry Lambert said in a press release. “We believe that solving big problems requires courage and big ideas, and that is what we’ve seen at TJU and in the United States where 21st-century laws and scientific approaches exist to the use of hemp as a safe and effective source of medicinal cannabis.

We’re proud the center will bear our name.”

Lambert founded Count Financial, a business that supports accounting firms. He became interested in medical marijuana after his granddaughter was diagnosed with Dravet's syndrome. The rare condition causes severe seizures and cannabis is one of the only known treatments.

© 2016 NORML. All rights reserved. Republished by special permission.

Using marijuana could help some alcoholics and people addicted to opioids kick their habits, a University of British Columbia (UBC) study has found.

“Research suggests that people may be using cannabis as an exit drug to reduce use of substances that are potentially more harmful, such as opioid pain medication,” said the study’s lead investigator Zach Walsh, associate professor of psychology at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

This comprehensive review of research on medical cannabis use and mental health also found some evidence that cannabis may help with symptoms of depression, PTSD and social anxiety. However, the review concluded that cannabis use might not be recommended for conditions such as bipolar disorder and psychosis.

“In reviewing the limited evidence on medical cannabis, it appears that patients and others who have advocated for cannabis as a tool for harm reduction and mental health have some valid points,” said Walsh.

Walsh and his team reviewed all studies of medical cannabis and mental health, as well as reviews on non-medical cannabis use—making the review one of the most comprehensive on the topic to date.

With legalization of marijuana possible as early as next year in Canada, it’s important to identify ways to help mental health professionals move beyond stigma to better understand the risk and benefits of cannabis, added Walsh.

“There is currently not a lot of clear guidance on how mental health professionals can best work with people who are using cannabis for medical purposes,” said Walsh. “With the end of prohibition, telling people to simply stop

“We are extremely grateful to the Lamberts for this bold and visionary gift, which will have an immediate impact on our research and education efforts,” explained Charles Pollack Jr., director of the Institute of Emerging Health Professions, in a statement.

“From the start we have had an ambitious agenda to elevate the science that underpins the therapeutic use of cannabinoids, and this donation provides a huge boost of momentum to pursue the most promising ideas and potential therapies for a range of conditions.”

The Lambert’s have donated over $30 million to major research efforts in Australia, as well.

Additional research into cannabis is welcome in the U.S., and having another wealthy philanthropist involved will only bring more funding to the table. Hopefully more states will realize the potential benefits of cannabis and join the states that have chosen compassion and not fear. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

The study was recently published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review.

2016 UBC. Media Release. Republished by Oregon Cannabis Connection.

replicated in a larger population; Second, because cannabis is widely used in conjunction with tobacco, particularly mixed together in joints, it is difficult to distinguish the effect of each compound; Third, although we found a delay in the response of the RGCs, we do not know if this delay is also detected at previous retinal stages. Full-field electroretinography measurements might be useful for addressing this issue; Finally, in future studies involving PERG measurements, it would be important to have visual acuity of at least 20/20 in each eye."

More studies are needed to determine if these effects were truly caused by the cannabis, or other factors. Even though the effect is imperceptible, the overall physical impact is not well understood. Since there are definitive effects on the eye from cannabis that are well documented, it's not a stretch to think this could be significant. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Check on OCCNewspaper.com for Medical News updates between our print issues!

Food & Recipes

Dec/Jan 2016­17

Chocolate Walnut Cookies

By Stash Jones

Medicated Marsala Chicken Canna-Infused Olive Oil

By Dani B.

By OCC Staff

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.

Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

By Keith Mansur

Cultivation Section NEXT PAGE!

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Here are five easy cover crops that can help your garden and reduce your need for many additional amendments and other benefits: Annual Rye Grass

the nutrients by cutting and turning under the rye grass to incorporate it into the soil.

Unfortunately, grasses don’t increase the nitrogen in the soil, which is why you’ll also want to consider pairing it with a cover crop from the legume family.

Oregon Cannabis Connection Red Clover

Hairy Vetch Your outdoor cannabis garden is a busy, productive place—for half of the year, anyway. Outside of the growing season, garden soil sits dormant, waiting for your plants to take their place the following spring. But you don’t have to let that garden soil sit empty and unproductive.

Try planting cover crops that can offer a number of benefits for minimal labor.

You might associate the concept of cover crops with large-scale, commercial farming enterprises. After cash crops are harvested, farmers often plant cover crops to keep the soil covered, reduce weeds, prevent soil erosion and add organic material to rejuvenate the soil with nutrients. But you can obtain similar benefits on a smaller scale when you incorporate cover crops (aka “green manure”) into your cannabis garden.

Grasses are quick to germinate and generally more effective at controlling weeds than legume cover crops, which are some of the reasons that annual rye grass is such a popular cover crop. Depending on your preferences and your garden’s specific needs, you can seed annual rye grass among your vegetables or wait until you’ve harvested your veggies and plant rye grass as a winter cover crop. In the spring, trap

If you like the concept of one-stop shopping, then red clover as a cover crop will undoubtedly delight you. This legume provides ample quantities of nitrogen and valuable quantities of biomass that benefit your garden soil. Seed red clover among your rows of growing cannabis anytime from spring to early autumn.

A popular legume cover crop, hairy vetch is commonly used in vegetable gardens and is valued for its nitrogen-fixing ability.

Additionally, hairy vetch is impressively versatile and resilient; it’s a good choice in cold climates and drought conditions, and it performs well in a range of soil types and pH levels. Plant hairy vetch in late summer or early fall, and till it under in spring. Alternately, you can mow it down and plant your cannabis plants directly in the resultant mulch a few weeks later.

Buckwheat

If controlling weeds in your garden is your goal, then consider to checking out this effective “smother crop.” (taller plant with white flowers above). Buckwheat is a nonlegume cover crop that’s sensitive to cold, making it perfectly suitable for summer planting. Plant buckwheat any time between late May and late August, and incorporate it into the soil about 40 days after planting. It’s a convenient choice for simultaneously invigorating your soil and minimizing weeds.

Winter Rye As its name implies, winter rye is a winter cover crop suitable for overwintering in many locations thanks to its incredibly hardy and resilient nature. Sow winter rye in late summer or early autumn after your plants have been harvested, and then watch out! It grows quickly and vigorously, and will resume growth in spring, at which time you can plow it under and put the winter rye biomass to work in your soil.

These are just a few ideas of plants you can use. There are many more including mustards, comfrey, mushrooms, and many others. You can have something productive growing in your garden all year long, so don't let your soil lie dormant and unproductive. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Dec/Jan 2016­17

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Being A Conscious Cannabis Consumer

Because purchasing cannabis in Oregon is now a norm, it is time to start considering how to make the right choice about what you are buying. Consumers vote with their dollars; by understanding this, we have to take seriously the act of purchasing and make sure to buy what we believe in.

From an ecologically-centered approach, i.e., what is best for the planet and environment, it is important to understand exactly where and how a product is produced. Make sure to ask budtenders where the product was grown and by whom. If they can’t provide that information, consider a different dispensary that cares about the farms where their products are grown.

Besides asking where the cannabis was grown, look for third party approval, such as Clean Green Certified, Certified Kind or Dragonfly Earth Medicine Pure.

Third party certification shows that a farm is open and transparent about their methods and meets standards for ethical practices. The environmental and ecological impacts of the producer who created a product is important to understand.

Outdoor/Sungrown flower, for instance, is the environmentally conscious choice because growing indoors uses massive amounts of energy to run lights and moderate climate.

The next thing to do is learn whether the farm has a website, Facebook page or Instagram account. You can tell a lot about a farm by they way they represent themselves on social media and what their outreach is like. Are they a big

The Pest: Fungus Gnats First signs: Small, dingy gray flies, flying around plants aimlessly. Little white worms with black heads in the soil.

Image: courtesy GSG

company? A family company? Do they share their growing methods? Do they convey a mission or story that resonates with you?

Finally, you can help maintain integrity in the cannabis industry by supporting small owner-operated and managed producers.Doing this ensures that small family businesses are considered in the evolving industry and rules.

We ask all consumers to research and look for products from places you believe in and trust. If the farm you're interested in is open about their practices, shows concern about their environmental impact, has obtained third party approval and creates beautiful flowers, we believe that would make a good choice!

The future of the environment is in everyone’s hands. The sooner we become conscious of purchasing impacts and choose products from businesses that clearly convey efforts toward better agricultural practices, the sooner we can be assured that cannabis production remains in the hands of small family artisan farms that care for the earth. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.

Fungus gnats (families Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae) are very common cannabis pests. They show up mainly in indoor and greenhouse grows, but can be found outdoors, too. They are not the most serious or devastating pest you might get, but they are a nuisance and do not go away on their own. In large outbreaks they can cause root damage and stunted plant growth.

Before doing anything, make sure you are dealing with fungus gnats and not something more serious like whiteflies.

Fungus gnats are typically grey or black.

They are about 2 mm in length and have long legs. They tend to “flutter” around the soil surface erratically but not pay attention to the leaves. Larvae live just below the soil surface. They look like small, nearly-microscopic, white or transparent worms with black heads.

Control: Fungus gnats are attracted to wet soil and organic material that is starting to decay.

They love coco coir-based soils and media.

They are less common in hydroton- and perlite-heavy hydro systems, but they can settle into those as well if the conditions are right. Females lay several hundred eggs per week in the moist soil surface.

Depending on temperature, the eggs usually hatch within two or three days.

Larvae that hatch out feed on fungus that grows on decaying debris in the soil. If they do not find enough food, they will eat the fresh young root tips of your plants. This

can expose the plant to other diseases.

Within about 10 days the larvae will turn into pupae, and about four days later the pupae will turn into adults. A full generation takes about 17 days, depending on temperature, and there can be multiple overlapping generations per year.

Monitoring for fungus gnats will give you an early jump on them if they show up, and allow you to keep an eye on an infestation as you use control methods. Yellow sticky traps and cards are excellent tools. Fungus gnat adults seem to be attracted to them.

You can hang yellow traps from lower foliage and even lay them on the soil surface. The adults will get stuck and die, leaving you with evidence of their existence. If you don’t have any fungus gnats, keep an eye on your traps so you know if they start to show up. If you already have a problem, monitor the cards to see if the population is increasing or decreasing.

Larvae are attracted to potatoes and can be used to determine whether you have a problem. Cut 1/2” slices of potato and leave them slightly buried or on the soil surface and check after 4–8 hours to see if larvae Continued Next Page

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but requires persistence. A 1/2� layer of sand or a product such as Gnat Nix on the soil surface will discourage adults from laying their eggs in the first place. Products containing cedar oil have shown some limited control. Products containing Bacillus Thuringensis (or BT) seem to be effective.

Beneficial insects may be preferable, especially considering all the new pesticide regulations on cannabis grown in Oregon.

Predator nematodes will attack the fungus gnat larvae in the soil. They are one of the least expensive and most effective controls available. Do a few releases every week or two if you have an active problem, or every four to six weeks for prevention. Fungus gnat predators (Hypoaspis miles, also known as Stratiolaelaps scimitus) can also be applied to the soil surface to attack the larvae.

Fungus gnats are a nuisance that most growers will experience at one time or another. With basic monitoring you can detect them early before they become a serious problem. Have some beneficial predators in the garden to attack them as soon as they show up.

Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of medicine.

Nathan Jackson is the owner of Nature’s Control and Ladybug Indoor Gardens. Located in Phoenix, Oregon, Nature’s Control, has supplied growers with beneficial insects for over 35 years. He can be reached at 541-245-6033 or nathan@naturescontrol.com

Oregon Cannabis Connection

Gardening By The Moon The Phases of the Moon.

The moon has four phases or quarters lasting about seven days each. The first two quarters are during the waxing or increasing light, between the new and the full moon.

The third and fourth quarters are after the full moon when the light is waning, or decreasing.

Gravitational pull influences moisture in soil.

Planting by the moon is an idea as old as agriculture, based both in folklore and superstition, but there are scientific ideas to back it up The Earth is in a large gravitational field, influenced by both the sun and moon. The tides are highest at the time of the new and the full moon, when sun and moon are lined up with earth. Just as the moon pulls the tides in the oceans, it also pulls upon the subtle bodies of water, causing moisture to rise in the earth, which encourages growth. The highest amount of moisture is in the soil at this time, and tests have proven that seeds will absorb the most water at the time of the full moon.

How does lunar planting work?

Isaac Newton established the laws of gravity, which proves the tides are affected by the gravitational pull of the moon. The pull of the moon is stronger than the sun because, even though the sun is larger, the moon is closer to the earth. The strongest effect is felt when the moon and sun pull from the opposite sides of the earth, at the full moon phase, although it also creates high tides when they are on the same side (at the new moon) as well. These same forces affect the water content of the soil, creating more moisture in the soil at the time of the new and full moon. This increased moisture encourages the seeds to sprout and grow. See Chart Below:

Planting By The Moon Phases At the new moon, the lunar gravity pulls water up, and causes the seeds to swell and burst. This factor, coupled with the increasing moonlight creates balanced root and leaf growth.

This is the best time for planting above ground annual crops that produce their seeds outside the fruit. Examples are lettuce, spinach, celery, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and grain crops.

Cucumbers like this phase also, even though they are an exception to that rule.

After the full moon, as the moon wanes, the energy is drawing down. The gravitation pull is high, creating more moisture in the soil, but the moonlight is decreasing, putting energy into the roots. This is a favorable time for planting root crops, including beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, and peanuts. It is also good for perennials, biennials, bulbs and transplanting because of the active root growth. Pruning is best done in the third quarter, in the sign of Scorpio.

In the second quarter the gravitational pull is less, but the moonlight is strong, creating strong leaf growth. It is generally a good time for planting, especially two days before the full moon. The types of crops that prefer the second quarter are annuals that produce above ground, but their seeds form inside the fruit, such as beans, melons, peas, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. Mow lawns in the first or second quarter to increase growth.

In the fourth quarter there is decreased gravitational pull and moonlight, and it is considered a resting period. This is also the best time to cultivate, harvest, transplant and prune. Mow lawns in the third or fourth quarter to retard growth.

For more information about how lunar planting works, including research and references, visit:

www.gardeningbythemoon.com

Dec/Jan 2016­17

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