Cannibals of Freedom: Pasy Rhymes With Nazi.- by Daniel L. Price, Esq.

In November, 2017, I began a series of articles showing the immorality of laws, lawmakers and law enforcers, when laws are designed to take freedom. In November I pointed out how the worst elements of society rule over the rest.  (See Chapter 10, “Why The Worst Get On Top”, of “The Road To Serfdom”.)

Following November, I gave specific examples.  December’s fictional article explained how fraud and force is used to take one’s freedom to choose. January outlined how we must always be on guard against con-artists who while advocating freedom, grovel at the feet of their masters. February showed how law enforcement harms us by committing fraud and perjury to generate revenue and make good people who harm none into criminals. March showed how a drug case with no victim is treated more severely than a stalking/assault/property destruction case. Finally, April showed the actual theft from, and murder of, citizens by law enforcement, which is legal under laws designed to take freedom.

Interestingly, Brian F. Burke, unable to understand, decided to directly speak to me on the MMMReport blog spot in response to March’s article.  I do not know Burke.

Still, Burke’s comments were on behalf of the stalker, in State v. Lisa Blanchard, case number HU-17-075942-SM, and the accompanying PPO cases, numbers 17-86677-PP and 18-87586-PP, all of which are in Ottawa County, and open to the public to view.  Burke claimed knowledge of facts, and that I lied, among other things.
I previously introduced Parasitic Anthropophagy Syndrome (PASY).  Although I am presenting on PASY at the 6th Annual Michigan Peace and Liberty Festival this year, Burke provided an opportunity for a brief explanation. 

Burke apparently believed everything Blanchard told him about the case, which you can bet was partial facts and outright lies.  Burke never bothered to look at the court documents.  Burke also failed to state, or even bother to know, that Blanchard harassed me with 1,500-2,000 texts per month for several months, among many, many other acts that lead to the PPO against her, and her pleading guilty of a crime.  How does this show PASY? 

Parasitic means parasite.  A parasite can be mooch, steal, or one who attempts to take pride from the actions of others, or who lives through the minds of others.  Burke, disregarding truth, claimed to know the facts, accused me of being a liar, and publicly trashed me, on behalf of Blanchard. (Interestingly, she repeatedly threatened to do this if I did not continue to have sex with her.) In essence, he bowed to Blanchard’s mind and accepted everything she said as truth without bothering to check the files.  Thus, living through her desires, rather than through his own mind.

Anthropophagy means eating the flesh of one’s own freedom.  In giving over control of his mind to Blanchard, he ate away his own freedoms:  The freedom to use his own mind; and The freedom to find out what she told him is not true.  To be sure, Burke is likely afraid to review those files, as they will show that I stated the truth.  Further, it is certain that Blanchard did not encourage Burke to review those court files, as they are filled with evidence against her.  Alas, Blanchard would rather control Burke through fraud, and Burke would rather be Blanchard’s stooge. 

PASY is a syndrome, because parasitism and anthropophagy are correlated.  That is, when one chooses to live as a parasite, whether in matter or in mind, one eats away at one’s own freedom.  This is true because when one accepts the status of another to determine the course of one’s own life and/or thinking, then one gives up the freedom to live and think for oneself. 

I chose the acronym PASY because it rhymes with NAZI. PASY is how the Nazis defrauded the German people to give up their freedoms for a false sense of pride to be derived from their nationality, and by taking the wealth of, and exterminating Jews and others.  Moreover, PASY is how it is that law enforcement in America willingly commits acts of perjury, theft, and cages and even murders good people who harm none, but simply seek to be free.  But, it starts with individuals who seek to gain money, property and/or self-esteem through others by force or fraud, as with Burke.  I paraphrase Ayn Rand:  The lust to control others is a weed that grows only in the vacant lots of an abandoned mind. 

If you act to take another’s freedom, you accept that others can do the same to you.  In order to prevent this, and have a right to live and think for yourself, and yes, use a natural plant, you must recognize others’ right to freedom, even when you disagree, so long as they do not harm another’s life, liberty, or property.

Till next month, as always, keep rolling on.

Disclaimer:  This is an informational article only.  It is not to provide individual legal advice.  If you need legal services, feel free to contact me, or any attorney of your choosing.

MMMR Recipe: Fruity Pebble Cookies - by Annette Nay Nay

 Fruity Pebble Cookies

Ingredients:
1l (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 ½ sticks canna butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups Fruity Pebbles cereal
1 cup of white chocolate chips
2-1/4 cups flour



DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together baking soda and flour and set aside. Cream together butter and sugars. Add the pudding package and beat until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly add the flour and mix until just combined. Stir in Fruity Pebbles and white chocolate chips.

Scoop 1” balls and place on your cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

Cover Story: Sweed Dreams - by MMM Report

Homeopathic and holistic means of healing

With the current wave of medicinal cannabis information almost becoming tidal in scope, we wouldn’t be surprised if you sometimes become a little overwhelmed at all the new ways that cannabis can improve your health and life.  It seems that almost daily new scientific studies are published providing yet another wondrous benefit of cannabis. Most cannabis products we’re familiar with are those we inhale or ingest, and the health benefits have been plentiful.

Sweed Dreams is here to provide further cannabis health benefits that most of us are unfamiliar with, in topical and tincture format.

Suffering from skin rashes, irritations or even skin cancer?  Ailing from rheumetory arthritis in your hands or knees? Sweed Dreams just might have the answers you’re looking for.

Tonya and Jan, both lifelong residents of Michigan and the founders Sweed Dreams, wanted to provide relief for the numerous patients who were still suffering from skin ailments and other small joint issues like RA.  They had both come across patients in their personal and professional lives who had a hard time finding quality meds, free from chemical additives and pesticides which helped to relieve their symptoms. So they teamed up with a chemist from long trusted Johnson & Johnson, and a professor of horticulture from the University of Michigan to create a scientifically researched, grown, cultivated and medicinally dosed CBD and THC topical and tincture line of products.

The line of lotion products are all non-psychoactive, even though they contain THC, so they are always safe to use before or during work to alleviate symptoms.  Sweed Dreams isn’t just treating patients in the mitten, they can be found at approved locations in Arkansas, North Carolina and Florida, and have achieved the seal of approval from Tommy Chong himself.

Sweed Dreams mission is providing clean, high quality products of both organically grown marijuana infused and essential oil blends to their clients and several provisioning centers throughout the state.
Sweed Dreams seems to be making clients happy, evident by these testimonials

Dear Sweed Dreams,
I was introduced to your products in late 2017. I am a 45 year old breast cancer survivor. However, my entire life, I have suffered unbelievably bad menstruations. Suffering things such as: PMS, Pre menstrual issues, with breast pain, (enough to awaken sleep) Back Pain, Migraines. Then menstruation starts, heavy and cramping. Silently suffering, every month. Add in Cancer: Lumpectomy and Radiation. Pain to take my breath away and stop me in my tracks! I did not know it could be worse. As if the normal pre-menstrual issues weren't enough. Receiving nothing more but empathy, from health care providers.

A subject not taken seriously enough in the traditional medical field, a subject simply swept under the carpets, so to say. Finally, introduced to an alternative method, with Sweed Dreams, I have been applying Creams & using Tinctures. I have never before gotten relief, as great as I do now. All around. Finally!! I will always turn to this alternative route, time and time again. I also receive peace of mind knowing, I am fighting Cancer every day, with CBD's. Naturally. Holistic Healing truly is amazing. All woman who suffer silently, should try immediately.

Thank you, Tonya, Jan at Sweed Dreams for helping me!!

Entirely grateful,
Lisa -Michigan



June 2016, I noticed a large red area on the side of my right breast. After further inspection, I found a large lump at another location. I researched natural cancer alternative remedies & had the opportunity to try RSO (Rick Sympson Oil) & Skin Cancer Lotion made from Medical Marijuana, and changed my diet to healthier eating habits.


July 6, 2016, I received the news of “IBC” (Inflammatory Breast Cancer) The rarest most aggressive breast cancer that exists. Estrogen/Progesterone Pos., HER2 Neg. Stage 3, grade 3 inflammatory breast cancer, with skin thickening, a 2”x1-1/4” mass at 12 O’clock, an enlarged right breast, and an enlarged cancerous lymph node about the same size as the lump under my right arm.

July 12, 2016, The oncologist went over my test results and discussed my options. She said without chemo, surgery & radiation that I had a life expectancy of less than 1 year.


Aug 3, 2016, Started chemo treatments.

Nov 4, 2016,  After 3 months of chemo I decided not to continue chemo because of increasing abdominal pain, and when I told the Doctors about it, they were not listening.

Dec 17,2016,  Needing Answers, I found different Doctors that I heard would listen and told them honesty, everything I had been doing with alternative remedies. I stopped doing chemo, continued my alternative remedies, change of diet & surroundings.

Valentines Day, 2017,  New Pet Scan report. My new Oncologist was a little shocked to tell me that the only thing still showing on the scan was skin thickening (thinner than it was in prior Pet Scan from July, 2016) and an .07cm lymph node under my arm, and that to get a better look we needed an MRI next.

March 8, 2017,  I received the MRI results showing a 3mm lesion at 11 o’clock and a 5mm lesion at 1 o’clock, all auxiliary lymph nodes back to normal, skin thickening & inflammation gone, enlarged breast back to normal size.

April 6, 2017  Found out that all the abdominal pain I was having was due to gall stones & gall bladder wall thickening, which I have so far avoided gall bladder surgery thru alternative remedies.  Again told by 2 gall bladder specialist to “keep doing what I have been doing” and let them know if I get in too much pain again.

May 10, 2017  The surgeon scheduled an ultrasound & mammogram. I spent 4 hours having multiple ultrasounds, repeatedly (even by the Radiologist that reads the reports performed one himself), then multiple mammograms with some new high-tech mammogram machine that can zoom in even better than most. They were not able to locate the lesions or any other issues in my breast during these exams. My results from that are: Keep doing whatever it is I have been doing and they want to see me every 6 months for a follow-up.

September & November 2017 I will be going back for my follow-ups with the oncologist, surgeon & tests to monitor my progress.

Currently,  I will continue to “Do What I Have Been Doing”!


P.S. Thank You, Sweed Dreams & My Husband For The Remedies You Have Made That Have Given Me A Longer Life To Be Able To Help Others!

This Is My Story-Michigan

Grow Tip - Bud Quality - by Kathy Hess

IMPROVE YOUR BUD QUALITY

  As the industry continues to change, and the uncertainty of the sustainability of dispensaries within reasonable distance continues to fluctuate, there could be many more patients who will choose to start growing their meds for themselves. Or you could be a seasoned grower who happens to be hitting a wall in getting the improved results you desire; this article is for you.

     Growing your own meds can be satisfying, but there are a number of steps you’ll want to take to ensure that you’re not wasting your time as well as your money.  Being safe, as well as lawful, is important.  Be sure that you have the electrical capacity to add the lighting and fans you will need.  Be sure to use or create a secure place that you will be able to keep under lock and key as the law requires.

     But I know that you’re actually worried about being able to grow the meds that will give you the desired effects and at least enough to cover your personal expenses. So that is what we’re going to cover in this issue, be sure to research the laws and electrical requirements based on your lighting choices so that you are informed as to how you should properly get started.

Start with Top-Shelf Genetics –research the strain you want to grow based on the conditions your planning to treat for.  Most seed/clone suppliers have this information. Try to obtain genetics that have the reviews to get the effects and appearance you want. Your grow skill makes a huge difference, but a plant can't overcome its genes! If you want buds that are potent, dense, sparkly or purple/pink, you need the right genetics.

Give Your Cannabis Lots of Light! - this increases yields, density and potency.  Lighting will be the largest investment you’ll make into your greenhouse.  Whether you choose HSP or LED, it will affect the set up of your whole operation.  But the amount and quality of light you provide to your plants will be in direct correlation to the bud results you get.  Don’t invest in excellent genetics and then stunt your buds by not providing the light they need.

Nutrients & Supplements –Research, research, research.  Understanding the base nutrient requirements is important.  Because everyone’s grow operation is different, and you’ll want to be able to address any issues that arise, recognizing and being able to treat for deficiencies.  However, you’ll want to keep additives to a minimum if possible.  Learn about smell enhancers, bloom boosters and bulk builders, but be careful.  More is not always better.

Manipulate Temperature & Humidity in the flowering stage to increase resin production ("glitter" and stickiness), bring out colors like pink or purple & prevent smells from burning away, provides a better more and dank smell, as well as taste.  But you don’t want your flower room too humid as you increase your chances of mold and bud rot.

Great Air Flow Around Every Cola - you can gain surprising increases in the size and density of your buds by making sure that every cola gets lots of direct light and good air flow from the beginning to the end of the flowering stage. Cannabis is wind-pollinated in the wild and so more energy is put into buds that have been exposed to a breeze from when they first started forming. This will also help prevent against molds and bud rot. Gentle breeze, don’t stress the rest of the plant by too much wind movement.

Master the Basics of Growing - especially harvesting, trimming and drying/curing! Although a lot of growers don't pay as much attention to what happens to plants after harvest as during the grow itself, these 3 post-harvest factors determine almost 50% of your final bud appearance. Properly drying/curing also intensifies smell and increases bud potency!  Look for more info on properly curing your bud in June’s issue of Grow Tip.

High Street Journal - by Tony Salter

Marijuana Penny Stocks – Your Chance to Strike It Rich!

 As the Green Rush sweeps across our nation it would seem that the medical and recreational cannabis industries are the hottest things going right now. Nine states have already legalized recreational marijuana, and 29 permit medical use. Additionally, 13 other states have decriminalized. The Arc-View Group, a cannabis market research firm, estimates a 33% increase in revenues this year, totaling over 10 billion in potential retail sales. And just like the gold rush of 1849, this will be the only time and therefore the only chance you have to perhaps strike it rich! Medical marijuana is quickly becoming a widely accepted treatment alternative for many diseases and ailments. Others use cannabis simply to promote overall good health. As a result, it’srapidly creating a multi-billion dollar industry. And, as more states legalize recreational use, there will be countless opportunities to potentially make, or lose a lot of money. Most of us don’t have the financial resources needed to open our own cannabis facility, hire the needed attorneys and consultants, and then actually get the doors open.Many states currently require proof of substantial financial resources to qualify for many of the various licenses available. Add that to the start-up costs for a dispensary storefront, lab facility or even a transporter to get the cannabis where it needs to go, and the dollars add up quickly. Unfortunately, those costs can put many of us out of the game as they say. Ultimately, for many of us, it’s only a dream. Now however, Marijuana Penny stocks make it possible for the average individual to get involved and perhaps make a lot of money. Marijuana penny stocks have had some of the highest growth rates of any stock in recent history.In recent years some have netted earningsin excess of 10 and even 20 times over their original investment. But, as is the case with almost any potential high return investment, high risk usually comes with it. In other words, compared to other investments, you also have a higher possibility of losing your money.

First of all, what are Marijuana penny stocks? Penny stocks are low-priced shares of small companies that usually sell for as little as a fraction of a centup to $4.99 per share, and are typically used to finance expansion plans. This means that a small investment of as little $100 - $200 can sometimes get you 5,000 to 10,000 shares of a company’s stock instead of the 1 or 2 shares you might get if you were buying stock from a larger company like IBM, Coca-Cola or Google. There are a few larger marijuana based companies trading on the major stock exchanges, but typically penny stocks are what is referred to as OTC, or over the counter. Consequently, there is very little oversight compared to those soldonthe major stock exchanges, like NASDAQ or the NYSE.And with OTC stock trading, (the buying and selling) can be accomplished pretty easily as well. Mobile apps such as TD Ameritrade and Robinhood can be downloaded to your phone that allow you to quickly set up your own brokerage account and in a very short time, buy and sell stock, (no broker required). These apps allow you to research a potential stock or company prior to your purchase, if the information is available for that particular company. However, be warned. Just like any other opportunity to make some substantial financial gains, there are those out there that would like to scam us out of our hard earned cash and others that simply aren’t a good choice. Regulated exchanges require companies to meet compliance and financial reporting standards. OTC’s do not. Sometime this information is available for OTC stocks, sometimes not. Again, this is where your research is very important. Another consideration when considering a stock is current value. Has it already reached its earnings peak or is the value low so that you’ll realize earnings on it when it does reach its peak.

If this is your first foray into what seems to many a very complicated financial world, you should learn some basics about the stock market before jumping into penny stocks.There is some great online training available for free at awesomepennystocks.com/free-training that will give you a clear understanding of the basics. Among some of the essentials, learn how to read and understand the charts and financials of a company or stock you’re considering for purchase. Once you feel like you’ve got a good understanding of the basics, you can then do what’s known as due diligence on the companies you like. Remember that just because overall support for medical and recreational marijuana is at an all-time high and will undoubtedly go even higher, not every marijuana stock will perform well. Each company is different. You should find out as much about the company as you can before buying their stock. Again, there are a number of resources available online that will not only allow you to learn the nitty gritty about a company but you’ll also start to learn the red flags to watch out for and alert you to a bad selection. Also, if your goal is to invest in a cannabis company, make sure the company you like is actually in the cannabis business. Some companies that have simply changed their name to include some marijuana or cannabis related term in the hope of inflating their stock value. Some excellent research resources for cannabis related business can be found on the North American Marijuana Index ,MarijuanaStocks.Com and theDailyMarijuanaObserver.Com. Again, one of the keys to success in all this is your research. After learning how to read the charts and financials of a company. Make sure you know how to determine a stocks Market Cap and what the Authorized shares are, as well as the Outstanding and Remaining shares indicate. Some other indicators that something is off can be excessive press releases or stock issues. See if stock prices suddenly go up after the company issues several press releases. This could indicate that the stock value is being falsely inflated so it can be dumped later for a profit while at the higher price. Determine how often stock is being issued and is it covering existing debt of being used for expansion. And, it never hurts to practice your skills first. There are trading sites that offer practice accounts and simulators that allow you to practice and become confident with yourskills before taking a risk with real hard-earned cash.

Bottom line, it’s a volatile market. Rapid and significant price moves are not uncommon. Sometimes in your favor, sometimes not. That’s why it’s important to know the performance of a stock you’ve bought almost daily. We recently saw substantial gains after Senator Cory Gardner announced the support of President Trump for the federalized effort to correct the marijuana problem. Prior to that we saw significant drops when Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he was rescinding the Cole memo.Another consideration to certainly consider is where a company is located and are they actually in the business of producing cannabis. At this point in time, Canada seems to be the home for many of the larger, more established companies such as Canopy Growth (TWMJF) and Aurora Cannabis (ACBFF). With the entire country expected to fully legalize recreational marijuana by July 2018, Canadian based companies are certainly worth keeping an eye on for potential investment.
Ultimately remember this when investing in marijuana stocks, the marijuana isn’t what’s important. When you are buying any stock, whether the company makes or sells cannabis-based products or potato chips, you're actually buying part of that business. And they just happen to be in the marijuana business. Hopefully you’ll find one that practices proper policies, ethics and genuinely cares about its customers and investors.

Finally, have an exit strategy. Many experts say that Marijuana penny stocks are for trading and not long term investment. Set some goals and parameters that will determine how long you’ll hold a particular stock before selling, hopefully at a nice profit. But you should also know when to sell off a loser, before all its value is gone. Bottom line, do your research and invest no more than what you can afford to lose, like Blackjack! And who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next Marijuana Millionaire!
###

Free the Weed 87 - by John Sinclair

Highest greetings from the Motor City, where I just had a ball celebrating 4/20 at Trixie’s Bar in Hamtramck with a splendid musical ensemble featuring the pianist Kenn Thomas. This followed on my musical adventures in Ann Arbor during the Hash Bash weekend, including guest appearances at the Wyndham Garden Hotel on Friday night with Bob Baldori & his band and Tino Gross & the Dumpster Machine, preceded by a set with my own band with Jeff “Baby” Grand on guitar.

The next day was a whirlwind of activity for me starting with the delivery of a poem backed by Laith al-Saadi on guitar on the Diag at the University of Michigan, a stint on Captain Kirk’s bus off of Monroe Street, some time at Gary Kowal’s booth signing posters and T-shirts, a visit to the Electric Eye coffeeshop on North Main Street, another appearance at the Hash Bash Cannabis Cup at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, and ending with my annual appearance on-stage with the Macpodz and Laith al-Saadi at the Blind Pig.

In my weakened condition—I’m still recovering from heart surgery and the results of three major falls since I was hit in the back by a bicycle and knocked flat on my face on the street in Amsterdam last August—all this activity proved too much for me and I’m still recovering from the exertion almost a month later. Hitting the ground three times has shaken up my entire system, and in each case I whacked my head as well. I tripped and fell on my face in my own bedroom in Detroit on Thanksgiving night and then tripped and smashed my face on the sidewalk on Carrollton Street in New Orleans on March 9th, resulting in an all-night visit to the hospital and a month of waiting for my face to heal and my head to stop hurting.

Now I’m looking at cataract surgery here in Detroit next month and another couple months of taking it easy until my body can recover from all these blows to its integrity. After my 4/20 performance at Trixie’s I’ve decided to curtail my performing arts activities and public appearances in general until I can put the hurt and pain behind me. I hate to bother you with all the old people complaints but there’s no getting around it. I’m just trying to hold on long enough to establish my Foundation to secure the future of my life’s work in poetry, music, journalism, and political and cultural activism, and to witness the advent of legalized marijuana in the state of Michigan.

I’ve said it quite a few times in this column and it’s become my central preachment in recent years: once support for marijuana legalization in the United States reaches 60% of the population, politicians of every stripe will be plumping for legalization. For example, recently the Republican from Ohio and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, a lifelong opponent of marijuana legalization, joined the board of Acreage Holdings, a firm that cultivates, processes and dispenses marijuana, and became a spokesman for the burgeoning marijuana industry.

On the other side of the aisle, New York City Democrat and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says he will introduce legislation to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. He claims that legislation to increase access to marijuana was “long overdue” and that far “too many people” had been affected by the government’s crackdown on the drug.

“I've seen too many people’s lives ruined because they had small amounts of marijuana and served time in jail, much too long,” Schumer told Cristiano Lima in Politico. “Ultimately, it’s the right thing to do: Freedom. If smoking marijuana doesn’t hurt anybody else, why shouldn’t we allow people to do it and not make it criminal?”

Duh! While these positive flip-flops are very good for our cause, it’s important to remember that these are the same people who made marijuana illegal in 1937 and enacted and enforced legislation that put marijuana smokers in prison and ruined our lives for the next 80 years. Driven by the propaganda spewed forth by Harry Anslinger, the first U.S. narcotics czar, and by the belief that the rest of the population also bought into this tissue of horseshit, politicians of every persuasion held forth against marijuana for this entire period and have not relented legislatively even unto the present moment.

Since 1996 the marijuana legalization movement has made huge and relentless strides toward achieving our goal of freeing the weed, but none of these steps have so far been taken by state or federal legislators in any form. Senators, congressmen, judges, establishment authorities of all sorts have remained firm against the easing of the marijuana laws and have moved only when leveraged aside by the vote of the people in direct citizen initiative campaigns generally approved by more than 60% of voters.

It’s the citizens who have changed the laws, and frankly we’ve done so well with our grass-roots campaign that the established forces are finally beginning seriously to investigate our position. But we’re still a long way from where we want to be, and our greatest problem will continue to be the political sector and its legal manipulations intended to maintain its control over the issue of marijuana use and distribution.

The voters pass the legalizing measures, and the authorities step in to distort and hinder our goals as they have in Michigan, where the struggle to open and maintain a business that serves the medical marijuana community keeps intensifying and becoming more and more difficult to win. With exorbitant application and licensing fees now mandated by state and municipal governments for people trying to operate a compassion center providing medical marijuana to licensed patients, the first thing the authorities did was to threaten the dispensaries currently in operation with legal action and order them to close their doors.

Kathleen Gray of the Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau has filed several reports following this heinous development, writing that “More than 200 medical marijuana businesses across the state, most of them in Detroit, have received cease and desist letters from the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs in March and April, telling the owners to shut down or risk becoming ineligible for a license to continue operating—or even to be busted by law enforcement.

“The business owners got the letters because they hadn’t submitted an application to the state for a license yet and had no proof of approval from the communities where they were operating. As a result, the state deemed that they were operating illegally.

“As for the patients with medical marijuana cards,” Gray continues, “there are more than 277,000 in Michigan, and while 210 dispensaries were ordered to shutter their businesses, there are still 215 operating in the state under temporary emergency rules passed by the state government.”

This is at best a very unhappy balance and a problem that will continue to have to be addressed by the marijuana legalization movement long after the laws prohibiting marijuana use are repealed by public vote. While we’re still waiting for the state Board of Canvassers to admit that the legalization initiative will be printed on the November ballot, soon this issue will be settled and at least we’ll be voting to FREE THE WEED in 2018!

—Detroit
April 24, 2018

© 2018 John Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.

Michigan Cannabis Movement Now Playing in the Big Leagues - Tim Beck

By Tim Beck
Chairman of the Safer
Michigan Coalition

Dana Nessel taking front and center on stage, when her victory
was officially announced to the convention delegates. 

On April 15, at the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) Convention at Cobo Hall, the Michigan cannabis reform movement finally flexed its long dormant political muscles.

Working in conjunction with Democratic Party 'progressives', members of a well organized LGBTQ community and the Michigan Education Association (MEA), we threw a knock out punch and elevated Democrat Party outsider Attorney Dana Nessel to carry the flag as the MDP nominee for Michigan Attorney General this November.

From day one, Ms. Nessel made it clear to the world she unequivocally supported cannabis legalization. She even went so far as to have a marijuana leaf on her campaign web site.

In an address to the 176 members of the MDP Cannabis Caucus present, she was treated like a rock star. Members of the caucus chanted Dana! Dana! Dana! over and over and over.

"I would never have made it so far without the cannabis community" she declared. "I will campaign for it (legalization) if I get this nomination. We will use pot money to fix the damn pot holes."

She went on to say "I am the opposite of everything Bill Schuette represents... expect to see opioid addiction decrease when cannabis is legal, and I will fight against Jeff Sessions every step of the way."

Lansing activist Gillian Dawson, newly
elected chairperson of the Michigan
Democratic Party 'Cannabis Caucus'

After she departed, the caucus went on to elect Nessel supporter Gillian Dawson as caucus chairperson.

Dana Nessel's victory is one of historic proportions. She defeated former US Attorney Patrick Miles, who was backed by big labor unions such as UAW and the AFL-CIO, along with various leaders of the Detroit African American community. For years these interest groups had the exclusive power to hand pick all nominees for state wide office in the MDP.

In a tsunami of mainstream media coverage, the Michigan cannabis community was acknowledged as playing a key role in Nessel's win.

While Patrick Miles graciously conceded his loss on the convention podium and pledged to support the full Democrat Party ticket in November, others were not so nice.

Patrick Miles, conceding defeat and urging
all Democrats to support Dana Nessel.

In a diatribe in "Bridge Magazine", African-American political consultant and big labor acolyte Steve Hood lashed out at Nessel supporters.

Predicting disaster for Michigan Democrats in November, Hood declared because the ticket will likely consist of all white women (Gretchen Whitmer for Governor, Dana Nessel for Attorney General and Jocelyn Benson for Secretary of State) the MDP may as well tune up the hearse for a ride to the political cemetery.

Hood went on to say: "in a big upset, Nessel rode a progressive wave to defeat Pat Miles, an African-American and former U.S. Attorney, during Sunday's convention at Cobo Center in Detroit. Miles was backed by unions and traditional Democrats, but she brought thousands of new members to the party by forging a coalition of LGBTQ activists and cannabis proponents."

Detroit NAACP leader and firey orator Rev. Wendell Anthony, said one of Miles greatest advantages, is he has already been vetted by the FBI and found to be flawless. Unlike, presumably, Ms. Nessel.

In more dispassionate terms, Detroit News editorial page chief Nolan Finley insinuated a couple things. In a reference to Nessels's preference for female sex partners, Finley declared that she  'hates men' and her attitude toward gun rights has turned a virtual MDP smash win in November, to a "crap shoot" when the votes are finally counted.

 All men should be "clutching their privates" and voting Republican, Finley grimly intoned.

So what does this all mean?

Some of us are single issue oriented. We just want marijuana legalized for responsible persons. We do not care about political parties or candidates one way or another.

Candidates and political parties who understand our need for freedom and respect, should get our assistance and our votes on election day. No more, no less. Some of us have long preached the gospel to the Republican leadership, but to no avail.

Unfortunately for the Republicans, only viable Democrats like Dana Nessel and Gretchen Whitmer stepped up to the plate way before others. Unless something radically changes, we need to stick with them. That is the only ethical thing to to do.

In retrospect, when the convention ended that Sunday evening, around 50 members of Dana's personal and political family drifted to the upper room of a small bar on Woodward Ave just off Jefferson to celebrate.

There was lots of quiet camaraderie and joy, not too much gloating, and concern as to how we can take this all the way. All the way to real power-- for the best of what our community has to offer the State of Michigan.

There were around a half dozen long time cannabis policy reform persons present and accounted for in that room on Woodward. It was a magic, and special evening.

V.G.I.P Update - by Kathy Hess

April 15th marked a good day for the marijuana movement in Michigan, and a good day for the VGIP. 

Dana Nessel, the first openly gay candidate to run for a statewide office in Michigan and an early supporter for the legalization of marijuana, showing her progressive view, won the Democratic nomination for Michigan Attorney General, after nearly ten hours of speeches and voting at the Cobo Center that Sunday.

Plymouth attorney, Nessel, who was a leader and champion to the same sex marriage equality efforts, has earned the endorsement of MiLegalize and the Teachers Union and over came (the United Auto Workers Union, who threw their support for) Pat Miles, on the 15th.

True, Miles had thrown his support for cannabis in the form of supporting whatever the people of Michigan wanted, but it was late coming, and viewed by many to be a flip-flop of political views, more than likely a political move to gain the support of majority of Michiganders who back the recreational effort.  But Nessel came out early and strong in support of Michigan cannabis reform, and her view on the people of Michigan having liberty to choose cannabis never wavered.

It’s also an achievement for the Cannabis Caucus.  With the aid of the Teachers Union and MILegalize, support from those seeking to make progress on the legalization of marijuana through out the state helped to unseat the long running political power of
the UAW. 

More than 6,700 democrats traveled through freezing rain and winter storm conditions to show their support for one candidate or the other, majority of them energetically supporting Nessel. That was a vast improvement over the 700 dems that appeared to have their voices heard back in 2010.

That is what’s most important about what happened at Cobo on the 15th.  In the wake of the Trump presidency, the blue wave which appears to be sweeping many states and Michigan is no different.  No one will be ignoring the power of those who want legal access to cannabis come November, not in Michigan anyway. 

The cannabis caucus has power, and now its known.  Which is why it’s now rumored that our state Republican controlled House and Senate might choose to pass legislation to legalize recreational marijuana instead of allowing the measure to go on the ballot for Michiganders to decide.  They recognize our voting power, and our ability to recognize politicians who truly support cannabis and those who only see it as a political tool to gain support. 

But they also see the marijuana voter as a single-issue voter, and if they make the move to legalize their hopes are that many of us will stay home on November 6th, presumably halting the blue wave reclaiming this traditionally blue state. Some might argue that the greatly increased turnout to Cobo on the 15th to prop up a dedicated cannabis supporter is evidence of such.

But we cannot waver.  We still need to be informed.  We still need to get to the voting booth November 6th.  Even if recreational marijuana is legislatively enacted, we still need to vote.  We need to pay attention to every candidate and their view on marijuana regulations (and any other issue that matters to us) as how recreational marijuana will be handled could be legislated over for some time.

April 15th 2018 was proof that getting out, supporting cannabis reform and those who uphold the legalization of marijuana, makes a difference.  Keep paying attention, keep voting green!

World News - May 2018 - by Kathy Hess

Pharma Giant Novartis Teams up with Billionaire-backed Marijuana Startup

CANADA- Novartis AG is partnering with a Canadian cannabis company, Tilray, backed by billionaire Peter Thiel to get in on the medical marijuana business.

The health-care giant’s Sandoz Canada division is forming a tactical coalition with Tilray, which makes cannabis medicines in capsules and other forms. Together, the companies will develop new pot-based medicines and Sandoz would dispense them to hospitals and pharmacies.

“The alliance is a major milestone on the long road to legitimizing medical cannabis as conventional medicine,” Tilray Chief Executive Officer Brendan Kennedy said in a statement.

Canadian companies have led marijuana’s evolution from illegal drug to a medical product. The nation permitted medical pot in 2013 and is expected to sanction recreational use this summer. Toronto-based Cronos Group just became the first marijuana company on the Nasdaq.

This isn’t the first time Tilray’s parent firm has partnered with a big health-care company. Privateer Holdings, a Seattle-based cannabis private equity company, is also teaming up with Shoppers Drug Mart, the largest pharmacy chain in Canada.

Founders Fund, the venture capital firm backed by Thiel, was the first institutional investor to openly put money in cannabis when it invested in Privateer. Thiel also co-founded PayPal and was an early investor in Facebook.

What the World can Learn from the 1st Country to Legalize Cannabis

URUGUAY-  Tiny Uruguay hardly matches North Dakota in GDP, but with a small number of tweaks it could be the outline for the roll out of cannabis legalization in other nations.  A new report recently released explores how Uruguay’s cannabis laws came to be, what’s played out since, and what changes could be made to ensure their effectiveness.

A new policy paper released by the Brookings Institution shines the spotlight on Uruguay for a clearer look at the lessons that can be learned from the world’s first country to legalize and implement adult-use cannabis sales.

The South American country with a population of 3 million, legalized cannabis in 2013, started sales in July 2017, to head off a fervent black market flush with “brick weed,” or pressed cannabis, from Paraguay. The law hasn’t won many popularity contests, but it has survived two presidential administrations, Brookings said.

“It’s always hard to go first, but it’s not as hard to go second and third,” said John Hudak, deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Management for the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization.

Hudak aligned with researchers from the Washington Office on Latin America to investigate how Uruguay’s cannabis laws came to be, what’s played out since, and what changes could be made to guarantee their success.

“There’s been a real commitment to the rule of law and to the continuation of policy that I think is quite impressive in Uruguay,” Hudak said. Uruguay’s law was “bold and cautious” so as to accomplish the goal of combating drug trafficking while staying attuned to concerns that could arise from the international community,” he said.

Uruguay’s law bears similarities to cannabis laws seen in U.S. states like Colorado and California. There are home-grow and commercial regulations, seed-to-sale tracking systems, initial supply shortages and banking difficulties.

The market also presents pronounced differences.

Uruguay doesn’t have medical cannabis, which is often the precursor to U.S. adult-use laws; it has only two authorized cultivators; the federal government sets price and purchase restrictions; and sales are limited to citizens. Additionally, the law has exclusivity provisions under which a citizen must choose the one of three ways to procure cannabis: growing it themselves, joining a cannabis club or purchasing it at a pharmacy.

Following months of research, and an October 2017 trip to Uruguay, Hudak and fellow authors Geoff Ramsey and John Walsh saw areas of probable enhancements in Uruguay’s cannabis laws. The authors’ developed seven recommendations for improving results:

Access to banking: Develop solutions to allow access to financial institutions. That could be an internal fix of having local banks “play a game of chicken with U.S. financial regulators” or the creation of a partnership with bankers in Canada, which is expected to legalize adult-use sales this year.

Increase education: Reduce education gaps in medical and law enforcement communities. Develop classes for medical professionals and fund research into the potential medicinal efficacy of cannabis. Hold department-level trainings for law enforcement officers to prevent unlawful seizures of products.

Expand medical cannabis: Create a system for medical-specific uses of cannabis. The country has an infrastructure in place for this addition as Uruguay produces medical cannabis as exports to other countries.

Reconsider the exclusivity of distribution: Address issues such as supply shortages and illegal sales by devising a system that allows people to access the product legally via more than one specific means.

Create a dispensary model with viable revenue system: The price of cannabis is currently fixed at about U.S. $1.40 per gram. To increase revenue and the viability of the system, the government could consider subsidizing cannabis operations, either as private entities or government-run institutions.
Legal sales to tourists: The government could consider implementing a pilot program by which tourists could legally purchase cannabis — perhaps at a higher cost.

Readiness to correct future implementation problems: Increase the staffing and funding for the Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis, the regulatory body that oversees the laws. In addition to reliance on in-house officials providing evaluations of the system, IRCCA should rely on independent, academic analysis about the positive and negative aspects of the law.

Beware of Cannabis Investment Scams

COSTA RICA- Two Florida physicians have sued the owner of Full Spectrum Nutrition in Colorado Springs, claiming their $1.1 million investment in the vendor of cannabinoid-rich hemp extracts and products went instead to a Costa Rican wildlife refuge.

Dr. Josse Anthony Mazo and his wife, Dr. Maritza Rascos, both of Melbourne, Fla., have sued John Michael Merritt Jr., the owner of Full Spectrum Nutrition.

The doctors claim they were defrauded and they want their money back plus three times that sum in damages. Orlando, Fla., attorney Craig Brand filed a lawsuit on their behalf in Denver U.S. District Court. “Merritt is a ‘classic con artist’ who preys on people who dream of making millions on the rapidly growing marijuana industry,” Brand said.

Costa Rica is an animal lover’s paradise, Brand noted, but Mazo and Rascos never intended for any of their investment to go to the iRescue wildlife refuge Merritt was setting up there.

Mazo and Riascos claim Merritt, who has homes in Florida, Costa Rica and Louisiana, and an apartment in Colorado Springs, presented them with an elaborate business plan that spelled out huge profits, according to the lawsuit.

In May, Merritt claimed his company, which had a Florida address, had a special deal in which it received CBD-infused products at below-wholesale prices from Folium Biosciences, a Colorado Springs-based hemp-products wholesaler, the lawsuit states.

“Folium Biosciences is the largest vertically integrated producer, manufacturer, and distributor of hemp derived phytocannabinoids in the USA,” according to the company’s website.
The special deal, Merrit claimed, meant Full Spectrum could “sell such products at retail to obtain extraordinary net profit margins.”

Merritt in fact provided Mazo and Riascos a tour through Folium’s extraction and purification plant in Colorado Springs to support the claim that he “had an ongoing equity interest in Folium.”
“In fact, Merritt had secretly been establishing a ‘wildlife refuge’ business in Costa Rica in conjunction with bottling and marketing Costa Rica water under the name ‘iRescue,'” the lawsuit says.

National News - May 2018 - by Kathy Hess

Studies Show Safe Access Cannabis Reduces Prescription Opioid Use

New York- Two new investigative studies published in April by the American Medical Association’s journal JAMA Internal Medicine confirm that access to medical cannabis reduces opiate prescribing.

In the one study, which looked at state data in states with access to medical marijuana from 2011-2016, researchers found that there were more than 5 percent fewer Medicaid opioid prescriptions following the passage of medical and recreational cannabis laws. 

Noting the relative safety of cannabis and its effectiveness in controlling pain, the study’s authors conclude that is can be “a component of a comprehensive package to tackle the opioid epidemic.”

In the other study, which looked at state data in states with access to medical marijuana from 2010-2015, researchers found those states have 8.5 percent fewer daily opioid doses filled under Medicare Part D than states without safe access. When looking at those states where medical cannabis in available through dispensaries, the number of opioid drug doses drops further, to 14.4 percent fewer.

The authors of that study endorse “considering medical applications of cannabis as one tool in the policy arsenal that can be used to diminish the harm of prescription opioids.

ASA’s End Pain, Not Lives campaign is working to convince policy makers to make medical cannabis more available as an alternative to opioids.

Senators call for DoJ to stop blocking medical marijuana research

Washington DC- Bipartisan senators are calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to cease efforts by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to slow medical marijuana research.

In a letter sent April12th, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) stated they are disturbed by reports that the Justice Department is effectively blocking the DEA from taking action on more than two dozen requests to grow marijuana for use in research.

“Research on marijuana is necessary for evidence-based decision making, and expanded research has been called for by President Trump’s Surgeon General, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the FDA, the CDC, the National Highway Safety Administration, the National Institute of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Academies of Sciences, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.” […] “Research on marijuana is necessary to resolve critical questions of public health and safety, such as learning the impacts of marijuana on developing brains and formulating methods to test marijuana impairment in drivers,” the senators wrote.

Sessions has been an blunt adversary of marijuana throughout most of his career, and often speaks unsympathetically about its use. Sessions has also claimed that he is skeptical about the medical benefits of smoking marijuana.

The DEA has maintained marijuana’s classification as a Schedule 1 controlled substance — which officially means it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

However, the DEA itself has been open to medical studies regarding marijuana and changed its policy nearly two years ago to allow for more suppliers because of the growing interest in researching further medical uses of the drug.

To date, only one producer — the University of Mississippi — is licensed to manufacture marijuana for federally sanctioned research.

According to Senators Hatch and Harris, at least 25 producers have formally applied to generate federally approved research-grade marijuana. But the DEA has not approved those requests, and Hatch and Harris said they are concerned the DoJ has been sitting on the applications.

The senators asked Sessions for a commitment that the DEA would resolve all the outstanding applications by Aug. 11 at the latest — exactly two years since the agency announced its
policy change.

Boehner Says Legislators Will ‘See the Light’ on Marijuana

Ohio- When the former Speaker of the House, John Boehner, says he’s never tried the weed he once demonize, that when it’s time to relax he prefers a healthy pour of red wine.

That’s what makes Boehner’s decision to join the advisory board for cannabis company Acreage Holdings such a critical moment in marijuana’s journey to full acceptance. That and the reality that Boehner will always be identified with the Republican Party, more likely known as the party against cannabis reform, not for it.

“The fact that a former speaker of the House, a Republican nonetheless, has joined the board of a cannabis company says volumes about how far we’ve come as an industry,” said Daniel Yi, a spokesman for MedMen, (Los Angeles). “It shows that we’re on the right side of this issue, and that the momentum is building for the eventual end of the federal prohibition.”

Of course, the federal prohibition is policed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a Republican of the anti-cannabis variety, who said in 2016 that “good people don’t smoke marijuana.”

Boehner shrugged off that obstacle to legalization. He said in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg that when he heard Sessions say the Trump administration was rolling back Obama-era protections for marijuana, “I almost chuckled to myself.” […] “I don’t know why they decided to do this,” Boehner said. “It could be that the attorney general is trying to force the Congress to act.”

That’s where Boehner is beneficial to Acreage, to the weed industry and to the millions of Americans rooting for legalization. Of course he’s no Willie Nelson, or Cheech and Chong, or Snoop Dogg – but he’s a Republican. More importantly he’s establishment. He’s from Ohio. He’s older. He’s gotten his hands dirty making laws in Washington. He can advise cannabis fans not to worry.

“Former Speaker Boehner is still held in high regard by a large percentage of the GOP membership and voter base,” Erik Altieri, executive director of NORML, a marijuana advocacy group, said in a statement. “We look forward to his voice joining the growing chorus calling for an end to cannabis criminalization.”

As a politician, we hope Boehner has his finger on the pulse of Americans and can feel the wind shift. Even a majority of Republicans now support legalization. It likely has something to do with the growing size of the marijuana industry, and the money its posed to generate. Legal weed brought in $6 billion in 2016, and is expected to reach $75 billion by 2030, according to Vivien Azer, an analyst at Cowen & Co.

“As public opinion shifts, members’ opinions on this are going to shift -- I’m a prime example,” Boehner said. “Over these last 10 years, my attitude has changed pretty dramatically on this.”
Boehner compared his turnabout on marijuana with the evolution of opinion on same-sex marriage, which is now legal throughout the U.S.

“Members will see the light,” he said.

The DEA: Making Raids Look Like Robberies

Oregon-  The Drug Enforcement Administration likes to use something called a "sneak-and-peek warrant," a search warrant that allows agents to enter and search a property without notifying the owner as a normal warrant would require. Officers operating on a sneak-and-peek (officially called , a Delayed Notice Warrant) typically are NOT allowed to take any evidence they find on-site, but they do commonly trash the place, faking a burglary to explain the “break-in.”

Delayed Notice Warrant searches were authorized by the Patriot Act and, as is often the case with this law's provisions, it quickly became more useful for the federal drug war. But the trouble with “fake-robbing” people is it can lead to unintended, dangerous consequences, like those experienced by an Oregon storage locker manager named Shawn Riley.

In December, The Oregonian reports, Riley was tied up and held at gunpoint by alleged drug traffickers who believed he'd stolen the cache of marijuana they'd stored at his facility. It turns out the DEA was the real culprit; agents had done a sneak-and-peek and confiscated 500 pounds of pot. "The danger of violence is obviously real, and this case makes it very evident," said Cleveland State
criminal law professor Jonathan Witner-Rich, a warrants expert. "Someone could have been killed."

Marijuana is legal in Oregon, and the 500 pounds was allegedly set for transport to Texas.

Michigan News - May 2018 - by Kathy Hess

Ann Arbor; Temporary Moratorium on New Dispensaries

ANN ARBOR -  Is temporarily hitting the pause button on new medical marijuana dispensaries after more than 30 recently applied for approval to operate in the city.

The City Council voted 11-0 on April 16, to impose a 60-day moratorium on issuance of new permits, with the exception of dispensaries whose applications for zoning approval already have been accepted and are under consideration.

Though Ann Arbor decriminalized cannabis in the 1970s, is home to the long-running Hash Bash celebration and is considered by some the cannabis capital of the Midwest, city officials say the large number of dispensaries looking to set up shop here warrants taking some time to step back and consider adjustments to the city's regulations.

The city's new regulations for marijuana businesses took effect Feb. 12 and the city has seen more than 30 dispensary applications, some from existing dispensaries seeking to become official under the new laws and some new ones looking to set up shop.

The city's Planning Commission is tasked with considering them on a case-by-case basis as special-exception uses, meaning they require special zoning approval.

Republicans Considering Getting in Front of Cannabis Legalization

LANSING- Sensing that legalizing cannabis in Michigan might be inevitable, some Republicans want to get in front of the issue to try to avoid political devastation in November.

A petition campaign to legalize marijuana in Michigan has cleared a bunch of hurdles, including turning in enough signatures to get on the ballot in November.

Four years ago an EPIC-MRA poll showed that half the state’s voters favored full legalization. According to a poll last month, that number is now up to 61 percent in favor.

Now, presuming the petition signatures are certified, this question doesn’t actually have to go to the ballot. The Legislature has the option to preempt that step by adopting the initiative and allowing it to become law.

Republicans, some who are even opposed to legalizing marijuana, are starting to reconsider their position. Their concern is if the legalization question is on the ballot in November, it could increase turnout, especially among young progressives and single-issue pro-marijuana voters. And, in an election year that fears the Blue Wave, the GOP doesn’t want anything to increase progressive voter turnout.

We’ve seen the GOP in Michigan use this tactic before. Four years ago, it appeared as though a ballot initiative (run by a progressive group) to increase the state’s minimum wage would be popular at the polls. That was also an election year. Republicans approved an increase to the state’s minimum wage (a whole $1.10, of incremental increases) and kept the question off the ballot.

Now, the Legislature’s GOP leaders say they haven’t really talked about this issue of marijuana legalization yet. The question is still not certified and there are many crosscurrents to address.
Republicans still have some time. The state Bureau of Elections is still checking signatures to see if the pro-marijuana campaign has gathered enough valid signatures. However, the deadline has passed for the opposition to file challenges. That suggests a clear path for the legalization drive.

If the signatures are certified, the question goes to the ballot unless the Legislature acts first. A political calculation will be part of the deliberations of GOP leaders.

Fight this out on the ballot? Or let it become law and levy the Blue Wave/progressive single issue voters so the point spread in November doesn’t cost Republicans in competitive races?

Dana Nessel for Attorney General.

DETROIT — “Guess who is going to be filing suit against the Trump administration on behalf of the state of Michigan?”  Dana Nessel told the crowd at Cobo Center on April 15th. “This lesbian right here.”  In the Black Caucus, she touted her record of protecting minority communities and pledged to fight wrongful convictions and arrests. In the Disability Caucus meeting, she promised there would be an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator in the Attorney General’s office. In the Cannibus Caucus she promised to fight AG Sessions and the DOJ for Michigan’s marijuana rights. In the Environmental Caucus, she said she’d take on Nestlé, shut down Line 5 and stand up to President Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Scott Pruitt.

“I’ll be suing you all day, every day,” Nessel said.

The room erupted in cheers. Her wife, Alanna Maguire, and twin sons stood to her left, beaming. More than 10 hours later, Nessel, the first openly gay person to run for statewide office in Michigan, claimed victory over Pat Miles.

It was a day for the party’s ascendant progressive wing in what may be a year for progressive candidates. Miles had the establishment, but it was Nessel supporters whose voices thundered across the convention hall on Sunday. She enjoyed the backing of LGBTQ activists and cannabis proponents interest groups that were hardly considered part of any blueprint for party victory ten years ago.

Roughly 6,700 registered Democrats turned out at Cobo Center to endorse candidates for Michigan Attorney General, Secretary of State and Supreme Court, according to the count of party chairman Brandon Dillon. But only one race was contested: for Attorney General. Over an exhausting day of meetings, speeches and ballots, with ice storms raging outside, there were 30-plus caucus groups and congressional districts for the AG candidates to woo.

Nessel, 48, best known as the attorney who won the landmark case, DeBoer v. Snyder, which ultimately would overturn Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Both candidates were positive. Neither Miles nor Nessel mentioned the other as they made their final campaign pitches in meetings before African Americans, unions, progressive activists, cannabis activists, environmental advocates, women and other interest groups.

Cobo’s cavernous ballroom was packed with tables representing candidates and organizing groups. At the Dana Nessel outpost, Stephanie Augustyniak handed out stickers and signs to passerby.“She speaks for me,” Augustyniak said of Nessel, who she admires for her record fighting for same-sex marriage in Michigan. “It’s important to me that she stood up before it was popular.”

Another supporter hailed Nessel’s progressive credentials and support for environmental justice and marijuana  rights. “To be honest, I haven’t been this inspired by a candidate since Bernie Sanders,” Katy Robinson said. “It’s not just an inspiring message, it’s an inspiring person.”

 “I’ve heard some people say we can’t have too many women on the ticket,” she told the party’s Women’s Caucus, a reference to the possibility that the party’s Secretary of State and governor nominees would also be women.

“You know what I say to that?” Nessel asked. “Screw that noise.”

Clad in a bright blue blazer, Nessel bobbed through the sea of delegates as they filed in for the endorsement convention. Chants of “Dana! Dana!” rose in waves as she passed by, shaking hands.
“I’m so tired,” Nessel confided just before the endorsement portion of the convention began. “This is a crazy day. The craziest day in the history of all my days.”

But like another progressive provocateur, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Nessel noted one thing that had resonated with Sunday’s audiences: “The shouting,” she joked.

In the early evening, after more than an hour of voting and tabulating, Miles came to the stage and offered his concession speech.

“We just wished each other good luck,” Nessel told reporters of her conversation with Miles before the results. “We fought a hard and good race, and hopefully the party will come together at this point and support all of our nominees.”

It was around 7 p.m. when Nessel took the stage after the vote.

She knocked the miserable weather, thanked her supporters and pledged to work tirelessly to turn Michigan blue again.