CANNABIS LIBERATION DAY - DETROIT 2014 by Adam Brook

    So I was asked to cover the CANNABIS LIBERATION DAY – DETROIT event. I was happy to do so as I love the setting. GRAND CIRCUS PARK, Detroit.

   Per Wikipedia: A part of Augustus Woodward’s plan to rebuild the city after the fire of 1805, the city established the park in 1850. Woodward’s original plan called for the park to be a full circle, but after construction began, property owners north of Adams Street were reluctant to sell due to rising land values (author note – So Detroit!!). 

Medicinal Cannabis: Nod, Nod – Wink, Wink by James E. Kostrava

     Let’s face it.  We still have a long way to go before Medicinal Cannabis will be accepted as the life-changing, miracle medicine that it is.  This is due to a number of factors including generations of intentional misinformation presented by powerful business and political interests and perceived “misuse” of the plant for recreational purposes.  Not until 2014 has medicinal cannabis become recognized for its wonderful healing properties.

B.H.O. Is Not Dangerous & People Should Stop Bitching - Citizen Jay

   Here’s something that’s been bugging me lately: the fracas over tane.  “Tane” is how hash makers usually refer to Butane; but the term may also be applied to other chemical solvents like Hexane, Pentane, Propane, etc.  Pretty much any solvent derived from a hydrocarbon can be called “tane.”  Those solvents are some of the best used for extracting essential oils from plants.  And they have been found to be safe for multiple applications.  Hydrocarbon-based solvents have been used for decades in both the cosmetics and food industries.  Here’s what my cursory investigation turned up (bear with me, it’s kinda technical).  

  

Memo to Legislators: Understanding the Need for Cannabis Concentrates - by Dr. Beth Fisher

    Cannabis concentrates are currently at the epicenter of controversy in Michigan. Instead of attempting to explain and persuade others on the benefits of concentrates, I going to share a single case study of what happens when this higher potency medicine is not available. Understanding how Cannabis addresses specific medical symptoms and aides in the healing process is critical information. Individuals who may ultimately decide the fate of medical Cannabis need to be aware and informed regarding this natural, herbal medicine. (Note: As a social scientist, I use scientific terms. Marihuana, the term that is used in the Michigan Cannabis law, is pejorative; those who are educated in scientific biological classification prefer to use the correct term, Cannabis sativa or simply Cannabis.)

The Dog Blog: Magazine Style - by Abbey Hernandez

    My name is Abbey, I am a pet lover through and through. Throughout my childhood I grew up with a couple different canine companions and could not imagine life without one.  I recently moved back to Michigan to help expand our family business. My company offers cannabis based dog treats that help improve ANY problem, pain, or discomfort that your canine companion may endure. The treats do NOT cure the diagnosis; however, they drastically reverse symptoms and help improve their overall way of life. We’ve seen dogs pass kidney stones, stop having seizures, and become “puppy like” after old age and arthritis in the short six months we’ve been offering treats to canine patients!

YOU ARE A RACIST (if you believe in drug war) - by Chuck Ream

“[President Nixon] emphasized that you have to face the fact that the whole problem is really the blacks. The key is to devise a system that recognizes this without appearing to.”

-H.R. Haldeman (top Nixon advisor) to his diary.

    “Look, we understood we couldn’t make it illegal to be young or poor or black in the United States, but we could criminalize their common pleasure. We understood that drugs were not the health problem we were making them out to be, but it was such a perfect issue...that we couldn’t resist it.”

- John Ehrlichman, White House counsel to President Nixon on the rationale of the War on Drugs.

Free The Weed 39 - by John Sinclair

    Highest greetings from London, where it’s still a crime to smoke and possess cannabis products and the medical use of marijuana is not yet recognized by the forces of the Crown. Like the guy at Customs told me a couple of years ago when he seized my medically prescribed cannabis in its official Dutch medical container and refused my offer to present my Dutch prescription and my Michigan medical marijuana card: “This is just smuggling drugs to us.”

Decrim Q&A with Tim Beck, Co-founder of the Safer Michigan Coalition - by Chelsea Shaker

MMMR: Explain to our readers how it is you came about joining the fight for cannabis reform in Michigan, and how Safer Michigan Coalition began?

Just My Opinion - By Theo Gantos

    Everyone in the medical marijuana community needs to look beyond any personal self-interests to defend the rights granted under the MMMA. There are many current threats to rights of medical cannabis patients lurking in Michigan; this is not a time to be complacent.

Chuck Ream's Cuttings from Cannabis Classics: POT, A Handbook of Marijuana, by John Rosevear (1967)

  I have finished reviewing books that I consider the top “classics” about cannabis, but I’ll continue to review “almost classics” and new books until my editor “gongs me off”. This month’s review looks back to the momentous year of 1967, when the “summer of love” changed the world, and I finally found pot and sex. At that time “the movement” consisted of LEMAR (Legalize Marijuana), a few issues of the “Marijuana Review” - and Ed Sanders and Allen Ginsberg. 

Uruguay Marijuana Policy Update - by Theo Gantos

    Uruguay is overdue in finalizing their regulations governing their new legal marijuana market and President Mujica has asked that no details be released until they are published in a few days.

Canadian Crossroads 2014: Health Canada’s Medical Marijuana Program Transition - by Chelsea Shaker

    As many of you may know, the tables have turned for the medical marijuana program in Canada. This past June, the Canadian government passed a new regulation for access to marijuana for patients. The new Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) was implemented and became effective April 1st,   to “protect public safety” and making sure Canadians have access to marijuana from “secure and sanitary conditions”. This process streamlines the medical marijuana program strictly to commercial growers. Personal production and production from a designated caregiver is now illegal. Commercial growers are now to be licensed by Health Canada. Former caregivers who grew medical marijuana must now destroy all forms of medical marijuana and dispose of all equipment.