MMM Report Threatened with a Cease and Desist Notice - by Ben Horner

     In last month’s issue of the MMM Report we printed an article titled “Something is Just Not Right About the Raids in Gaylord” we covered the recent raids in Gaylord and the protest afterwards.

     The article stirred-up some controversy from the community, and I have received some death threats. I also received a threatening letter from a legal firm that represent Misty Cassel, Adam DeVaney, Mike Komorn, Robin Schneider and Drew Driver. The attorney stated that:

     “My clients want you to retract that article you wrote to the extent it expressly or impliedly defames them.  It is false.  For instance, none of them are ‘Informants’ and you know that is a very dangerous term to use.   None of them, at least to their knowledge, are on any type of witness or exhibit list you mention.  If they are, it is completely without their knowledge or consent. As I mentioned, provide the lists or retract the statement immediately.  You also identify some type of ‘grow’ for Mr. Driver.  Besides being completely false, it is like the statement about ‘Informants’, recklessly dangerous."

Summer 2015: Michigan’s Festival Scene - by Hemptress Jolene

     If you love music and camping outside, the state of Michigan offers a wide abundance of events that are sure to please the heart and soul of the music connoisseur.  From Folk to Funk, Michigan offers some great 3 day events events for anyone who enjoys listening to music of all kinds and making good friends and memories.

MMM Report Feature Artist: Soul Patch - by Hemptress Jolene

    If you haven’t gotten yourself out to a Soul Patch show, you truly don’t know what you’re missing: sweet, sweet Reggae, that’s what!  Of course one should add that it doesn’t stop there, Soul Patch it seems holds a master in groves, playing everything from Motown to modern. Always adding their own spin on everything that they do, the current line up of this well seasoned band has been performing together since late in 2005.  Based out of Northern Michigan’s beautiful Traverse City, Soul Patch gifts their fans an amazing mix of awesome reggae, funk and jam.  This group offers everything from the tasteful covers of Sublime to Marely to Franti, as well as their own well crafted tunes.  They are not afraid to sing songs with purpose or improvise.  With two talented song writers filling their ranks, the writing well is not only deep but gifted with several perspectives.

Weed 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Medical Marijuana - by Joe Dauphinais

     If you are a new medical marijuana patient, you’ve come to the right place. This new column is going to explain the different options available for the novice marijuana patient. While there are many different ways to medicate, this month we will focus mostly on smoking flowers, and how to make sure you are getting a quality product.

Something is Just Not Right About the Raids in Gaylord - by Ben Horner

     Gaylord Provisions, Natural Remedies, Apothecary of Gaylord, Superior Green Collective, Top Shelf, Compassionate Caregivers, Northern Lights,  and Vanderbilt Holistic are all provisioning centers that were raided on March 27th. Sixteen warrants for 8 businesses and 8 homes in Gaylord, approved by Otsego County prosecutor Mike Rola has yielded no arrests. Over a dozen vehicles, cash, computers, medical records and medical marijuana were seized by the state troopers that worked with Narcotics task forces SANE and TNT. So far locals feel it’s a smash and grab.

Book Review: Smoke Signals by Martin A. Lee - reviewed by Joe Dauphinais

     This book is incredible. Published in 2012, this thoroughly researched book is a comprehensive history of cannabis focusing mostly in the western world, spanning the millennia from the bronze age all the way to the Obama administration. With fully documented sources, and interesting footnotes accompanying the main text, this is one of the most highly organized and complete narratives currently available on the subject of marijuana.

Product Review: Buttonless Oil Pen from o2VAPE - by Joe Dauphinais

     It is becoming more common knowledge everyday that vaporizing is a healthier and more economic way to utilize essential oils and extracts than traditional combustion methods. Feeling health-conscious lately, I was excited for the chance to try out the original buttonless oil pen from o2Vape.

Driving - by Daniel L. Price, Esquire

     For the last couple months I addressed issues relating to your home…your castle.  It’s time to switch gears and write about medical marijuana and issues with driving. 

     So finally, after years of suffering grand-mal seizures and not having the ability to hold a job due to your illness, you find medical marijuana and the relief that this natural plant provides.  You are finally able to work and earn a living while dealing with your illness, so you are no longer a burden on your loved ones, or society, only because you ingest marijuana every day.  You ingest at night so you can sleep.  You get up the next morning to go to work and work all day as the pain increases to the point where all you can think about is the relief your medicine provides. 

Cannabis Tourism - by Citizen Jay Daily

     “Cannabis-tourism,” that’s a thing, right?  You bet your sweet buds it is, and it’s a growing buzz-word to be sure.  Type the term into Google and you get about 860,000 result returns.  Try “Marijuana tourism” and that number jumps to almost 2.6 million result returns…

Dabbing With Care - by Rachel Bunting

    Dabbing is defined as “pressing a piece of cannabis extract against a heated surface or oil rig pipe to inhale the smoke” and has recently become a favorite in terms of medical and recreational use. The cannabis extract, better known as wax, shatter, butane hash oil (BHO), or budder, is concentrated doses of cannabis that are made by extracting THC and other cannabinoids using a solvent such as butane or carbon dioxide creating a sticky oil. Nationally the flower of the cannabis plant contains around 11 to 30 percent THC but cannabis concentrates can produce a substance with as high as 90 to almost 100 percent THC. For patients that are in unbearable pain or nausea this form of medication is a Godsend because it delivers an extremely powerful dose very quickly. The amount of the flower that would need to be smoked to get the same effect is unrealistic.

Kirk Reid & Gersh Avery: An Interview with 2 of Michigan’s Most Influential Patients - by Ben Horner

     Kirk Reid (AKA Captain Kirk) and Gersh Avery (AKA Peanut Butter) have been working with medical marijuana since before the MMMA passed in 2008. Their experience has benefited many throughout the state and beyond. These cannabis craftsmen freely educated others how to use medical marijuana to treat a variety of illnesses, including MS, cancer, chronic pain, IBS and many more. Both of these gentleman have pioneered this rediscovery of the medical uses of marijuana, doing things their own way, following their own moral compass. In my opinion very few have proven to be as selfless, compassionate, and generous as Gersh and Kirk. They despise greed, and are some of the few in this new industry that haven’t sold out for personal gain at the expense of others.

Free The Weed 51 - by John Sinclair

     Highest greetings from New Orleans, where I’ve been staying with my pal, the great painter called Frenchy, and working with my daughter Celia on completing the design and layout for my new book IT’S ALL GOOD: A John Sinclair Reader that’ll be published this summer under the aegis of the MMMReport.

Grow Tip - June 2015 - by Ben Horner

Watering Your Soil
     All plants need water to grow. Watering plants is not an exact science. Knowing when to water and how much each plant needs separates the novice growers from the experts. Four rules for watering must be understood in order to maximize your plants growth.

VGIP Update - by Ben Horner

    Doing these VGIP meetings is a lot of work, and I have been very fortunate to meet with some great people that have helped make these things come together. The ideas are not unique. We reach out to patients in the community and invite lawmakers and community leaders to join the discussion. We focus on marijuana law reform and MMJ patient rights issues.

World News - June 2015 - by Rachel Bunting

Marijuana Radio
Canada- One DJ in Canada is changing the way marijuana dispensaries advertise. Justin Wilcomes, better known as DJ Drex, became the first in Canada to pitch medical marijuana on-air when he advertised for the Eden Medicinal Society. Drex does believe that there are people “with a bee in their bonnets about it” but unfortunately those people will have a tough time finding a place to air their grievances.

National News - June 2015 - by Rachel Bunting

No Relief for Vets
Washington D.C.- A spending amendment that would have allowed veterans easier access to medical marijuana was rejected in the House of Representatives. The amendment would have blocked the Veterans Health Administration from punishing doctors who participate in their state medical marijuana programs. Currently the VHA does not allow its doctors to even discuss marijuana as a treatment option, so vets have to turn to other sources for guidance and paperwork to receive the medication. The measure failed in the House by three votes, which would have been only one vote but Rep. John Garamendi of California told US News he mistakenly misread the amendment and voted no by accident.

Michigan News - June 2015 - by Rachel Bunting

Fix the Law!
Lansing- There are many organizations in Michigan working toward either legalizing, decriminalizing, protecting medical, or centralizing marijuana in the state. Each group seems to have their own agenda and ideas for what they would like to see happen with marijuana, medical or recreational. Recently, thirteen of the main groups have put aside their differences to submit a statement advocating for the passage of two “critical and urgent” House bills. The letter, addressed to Rep. Klint Kesto and Judiciary Committee members, expressed the organizations’ “strong support for patient safety while improving the efficacy of the medical marijuana industry in the state.” They seek to “provide safe access to medical marijuana…provide for the testing of medical marijuana…clarify that patients may possess and use smoking alternative forms of medical marijuana.”