Say No to Joe! - May 2019

Michigan cannabis activists object to the 2020 democratic candidate for President of the United States, Joe Biden.  This is primarily based on his long standing track record of, what they consider, bad drug policy in the past and opposing marijuana legalization in the present day.

"I think legalization (of cannabis) is a mistake.  I think it is a gateway drug."

 - Joe Biden







“Creepy uncle Joe” videos have sprinkled the internet for years, predating recent victims of space-invading Biden.  A former Nevada state legislator named Lucy Flores wrote an essay that was published in the New York magazine, in which she describes an instance with Biden at a 2014 event; Flores described how then-vice president came up behind her, touched her on the shoulders and kissed the back of her head. She says that while the behavior wasn’t criminal, it did make her feel very uncomfortable.  Amy Lappos, a former congressional aide, also came out regarding a similar incident which “wasn’t sexual” however there’s “absolutely a line of decency” and “a line of respect” that Biden crossed.

The last time that Biden went on record regarding cannabis was in 2010; an ABC interview where he was still towing the lines of his ”Just Say No” drug policy. In the interview Biden stated ”I think legalization (of cannabis) is a mistake. I think it is a gateway drug.” Unlike, all the other folks that are contending for the 2020 democratic nomination, Biden whom has a long history of being on the wrong side of criminal justice law, says no to marijuana. He crafted the idea of a Drug Czar in the 80’s.

While a senator from Delaware, and eventually the powerful judicial committee chair, Biden played a key roll in failed drug policies such as Mandatory Minimum Sentences, crack versus powder cocaine disparities, and pre-conviction asset forfeiture laws.  This led to mass incarcerations disproportionately affecting minorities, and particularly affecting African American communities around the country.

Michigan Cannabis activist, Chuck Ream is a retired Ann Arbor kindergarten teacher and activist for Michigan State and local campaigns to legalize marijuana for both medical and adult use. Ream says “Electability? That is why they would tolerate Biden? After we are finished with him in Michigan he will not be electable anymore. Biden is a fascist pig, a Nazi asshole. He did not just go along with the drug war, he thought up most of its most evil aspects, mandatory minimums, mass incarceration, civil forfeiture gone wild, new laws to think of even more extreme sick punishments. Biden hates our bill of rights if it gets in his way. Go check it yourself.”

"Biden is a fascist pig, a nazi asshole. He did not just go along with the drug war, he thought up most of it's most evil aspects..."

 - Chuck Ream





“I will shout him down, with my kindergarten teacher playground voice. Either he or I will be removed from the room. I would like some angry people to come with me, people who hate evil. I do not want you to be arrested but I do want you to come and get me out.”


Could Legalization Happen Prior to the 2020 Election?


The STATES (Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States) Act house bill currently in the US congress, that would protect states medical and recreational laws, and banking, is likely to get approved by the senate. Unless Senator Lindsey Gram, whom has indicated is not a big fan, puts a stop to it.

That bill may indicate how the GOP will move forward in the immediate future, in the end the GOP is supposed to favor states’ rights. Ron Paul supports the act, but the real leverage is going to come from lobbying for banks to take our money and the industry that is shaping.

Full legalization of the quality bags of weed that you roll up, still looks to be 4-5 years out. Hemp is phase one which was a landmark victory for cannabis law reform with the passing of the most recent Farm Bill. FDIC banking is stage two, de-scheduling is phase three.

Most experts agree; no legalization nationally until after 2020. Unless, the STATES bill passes this year, and Trump signs an executive order to de-schedule prior to the election.

Wouldn’t it be crazy? Joe Biden says no, but Trump says yes?

Could an executive order change the scheduling of the Controlled Substance Act? If so, Gram and McConnell could grumble like they did with tariffs, but in the end they are muted when it works in favor of economic boosts.

Michigan News - May 2019

Michigan Republicans Cashing In On The Cannabis Industry

Despite years of resistance and fear mongering propaganda, Republicans in Michigan are making a mad dash to get their feet in the door of the recreational cannabis industry. Lured by the promise of big profits, Republicans are becoming Entrepreneurs, lawyers, lobbyists, and consultants in the new emerging market that is expected to rake in millions. Republican support for cannabis has not come easy, but times are a changin’, and let’s be honest, Republicans love money. 

Take former state Rep. Mike Callton, a Nashville, Mich Republican for example. Only months after opposing the November ballot, Calton is now cashing in on the passing of the bill, calling himself the state’s “premier consultant” for legal cannabis, encouraging individual municipalities to embrace the industry and allow businesses within their borders. “Yes, I’m a Republican, but this is what people wanted,” Callton stated, in reference to the referendums that legalized medicinal marijuana in 2008 and recreational marijuana in 2018. “I work for voters; they don’t work for me.” 

While he opposed the recreational cannabis referendum this past year, he did support the bill that opened the door for medical marijuana businesses in 2016. In addition to providing consulting services Calton, whom has stated he would never “touch” marijuana, now assists businesses in getting licensing approval from Lansing.
One of the most profitable, and prominent roles that Republicans are playing is lobbying, due to the fact that Michigan does not require a “cool down” period between public service, and lobbying. Conservative lawmakers, staffers, and bureaucrats have wasted no time using their influence and experience to assist cannabis clients. 

Michigan’s New Cannabis Regulation Agency Announces Plans To Open Recreational Sales As Soon As This Fall

The new Cannabis regulation agency is wasting no time in getting the ball rolling for the recreational market. In a recent press release the agency announced that they plan to have the regulations hashed out by this summer, and hope to start accepting business applications as early as the fall. 

“It is our intention to have an initial set of industry ‘emergency rules’ in place this summer and to be prepared to begin accepting business applications this fall,” said MRA Executive Director Andrew Brisbo in a statement. “Giving local municipalities, other state agencies, and potential business owners enough time to plan and prepare will allow for a successful rollout of the new adult-use marijuana law.”

All eyes are on the MRA as we embark on this new legal cannabis journey, and in contrast to the previous board’s inability to come to decisions in a timely manner, the wheels are already beginning to turn, which is fantastic news. “I’m confident that the MRA is prepared to implement a fair and effective regulatory structure that protects Michiganders while providing an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to thrive,” Gov. Whitmer said in a statement. “Having a single state agency dedicated to administering all state laws relating to marijuana will allow Michigan to continue to lead the nation in this emerging industry.”


State Puts End To Caregiver Marijuana Supply For Provisioning Centers

Regulators in Michigan have been attempting to gain a handle on the state’s vast network of unlicensed cannabis growers for close to a year, however now with the launching of the new Marijuana Regulation Agency, things are finally being accomplished. Flexing their muscles they have already made a number of changes, and have only been active since the beginning of the month. 

One major change that they recently announced is to end the caregiver’s supply of marijuana to licensed provisioning centers across the state, effective immediately. The change follows a ruling that took place only days before by a Michigan Judge, which allowed for retailers awaiting licensing approval to continue stocking caregiver supplied products. The Judge, however, left the decision regarding licensed retailers to be allowed to continue using products from caregivers to the MRA, who immediately responded with an overwhelming “NO”.

Unlicensed cannabis growers/caregivers will still be permitted to sell their products to licensed growers and processors, however the purchasers must have the products tested before using the product in any manner. The decision is based on caregiver grown marijuana testing positive for things such as mold, E Coli, and Salmonella. Enforcing licensed provisioning centers to utilize licensed cultivator products reduces, and almost eliminates entirely, this concern as all licensed growers are required to have lab testing done on all products. 

State To Accelerate Licensing Hearings

The State’s past licensing board was well known for stalling licensing hearings, and avoiding any actual work. The new regulation agency is proving to be the exact opposite, after only being in power for two days, the agency has already started cleaning house. They will be accelerating the license hearings that have been stuck in limbo for months, and have announced that all license applications will either be approved or denied as of June 1st of this year. The announcement comes after a judge ruled that the agency could not shut down the nearly fifty unlicensed dispensaries in the state until after the license hearings have been completed. 

During his confirmation hearing in front of the State Senate, Andrew Brisbo, the director of the agency stated that “if an applicant failed to provide the documentation necessary to make a decision, we can deny them on that basis and those will all be done before June 1.” 

According to the MRA, approximately 77 applicants have paid the state’s $6,000 application fee, and provided some, but not all, of the documentation necessary to make a decision. Some of these are unlicensed dispensaries that are being allowed to continue to operate while awaiting their hearings. Additionally, nearly 80 more businesses (including growers, processors, and dispensaries) that were denied, and are currently appealing the denials, are not allowed to be shut down until after the appeal process is also completed.

“We all want to get to the same end point and that’s a fully regulated market,” Brisbo said, adding that he expects the agency to have draft rules ready by June for the impending recreational marijuana market that was approved by voters in November.

“And we will begin accepting applications three months later. We want to get (the recreational market) up and running as quickly as possible.”

National News - May 2019

Marijuana Testing Booming as U.S. States Legalize, Feds Still a Roadblock

As cannabis legalization takes root in the United States of America, so too has the cannabis testing industry.  With an estimated worth of slightly more than $1 billion in 2017, it is expected to grow to $2.4 billion in the next five years, hitting its peak, according to speculators, in 2025.  And rightly so, as the USA stands the most to gain from marijuana testing.  As of March 2019 greater than 8,000 cannabis business licenses have been issued in the United States alone, the most of any country on the planet.  Due to this it is projected that the US will become the leader for cannabis testing industry standards, not to mention a profitable place for those who test marijuana, or sell testing equipment.  There is only one small problem on the horizon for the industry, the Federal Government.

Industrial hemp may have received Uncle Sam’s approval, but cannabis is still listed as a Schedule I drug.  This means no federal guidance for testing facilities as marijuana is not held to the same safety standards by the FDA as other consumables, this stemming from the idea that you should not be consuming it.  Researchers are optimistic, however, believing the need for high-quality cannabis testing products will drive lawmakers at the federal level to move into the 21st century.  According to the team at Insight, legal pressure from above may create “novel opportunities” in the testing market that could further legitimize the entire cannabis industry. 
Oregon Senate Favors Freeze on Production of Cannabis Citing Excess, Possible Black Market Ties

Oregon’s climate is ideal for marijuana growth, and since passing recreational legislation in 2014 production has boomed across the state.  This in turn has led to a vast surplus of cannabis.  So much so, according to State Sen. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland), Oregon has already produced enough marijuana to last it six years, based on retail market projections.  Coupled with data from the OLCC stating a mere 11% of the one million pounds produced in 2017 made it into the hands of retail customers, officials were led to ask: where is all that cannabis going?

Lawmakers believe producers are selling the excess out of state to the highly profitable black market, in places where the plant is still illegal.  The U.S. Attorney for the State of Oregon went as far as to write an op-ed in which he points to data from the postal service indicating they had seized 2,644 pounds of cannabis outbound from Oregon, as well as more than $1.2 million in cash in 2017 alone.  With not enough solid evidence, or even a proper understanding of the supply and demand chain for retail cannabis, a bill was proposed that would place a two year freeze on cultivation licenses.  This would have a two fold effect, both in curtailing the surplus, and allowing officials and the industry to collect managable data from a constant supply chain.  The hope is that once Oregon knows how much weed it needs, lawmakers will be able to more effectively measure the amount being trafficked on the black market.  The bill would freeze new cultivation licenses, but allow those with licenses to renew during the 24 month period. 


Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Passes in Texas

The Texas House has approved a bill that would reduce punishment for small amounts of marijuana from jail time to a $500 fine with possible community service or drug education classes.  “This is a historic step forward in changing Texas’s current draconian marijuana laws,” Jax Finkel, executive director of Texas NORML, stated, “Now, we can turn our sights to the Senate so that this important policy can make its way through the legislative gauntlet and start helping Texans.”  Texas Gov. Greg Abbot is opposed to large sweeping cannabis legalization, but says he would support smaller limited reforms such as this decriminalization bill.  “One thing I don’t want to see is jails stockpiled with people who have possession of a small amount of marijuana, “ the governor said in a statement. 

Last year the Republican Party of Texas endorsed decriminalizing cannabis for legal adults who were in possession of less than one ounce, punishable by a fine of up to $100 without jail time.  The bill was initially introduced with a $250 fine with possession classified as a civil infraction.  In order to garnish more support it was changed to a $500 fine and a class C misdemeanor, passing with a 98 to 43 vote.  Included with the proposal is a procedure for those with marijuana offenses to have them expunged from their records.

Veterans Affairs Says No To Cannabis

Lawmakers and veterans advocates debated a set of proposals on April 28 that would protect benefits for vets who use marijuana, allow the department’s doctors to recommend medicinal cannabis and expand research into therapeutic use of the plant.  “One of the great tragedies of our time is the failure to adequately address the needs of veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan… An overwhelming number of veterans tell me that cannabis has reduced PTSD symptoms [and] the dependency on addictive opioids.”, was the opinion of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).  Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) shared his sentiment, “It’s an important bill” she went on to state that she too has spoke with veterans who want the policy change.  She also weighed in on the Medicinal Cannabis Research Act, a proposal that would require the VA to conduct a clinical study of the benefits and risks of medicinal marijuana, “We need to push the VA forward on this.”  Rep. Lou Correa, who initially proposed the research bill had this to say, “It’s time to make sure that veterans get to know what cannabis is good for and what cannabis is not good for.  We need clinical research.  We owe our veterans a tremendous amount.  The least we can do it make sure we’re giving them the proper treatment for those invisible wounds that they brought back from the battlefield.”  Representatives from veterans advocacy groups, including Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Disabled American Veterans (DAV), all showed strong interest in the research bill, however not all could share support for VA patient access, citing an issue with the availability of marijuana in VA pharmacies should they start making recommendations. 

Federal representatives for Veterans Affairs offered their views as well, siding in opposition.  Keia Franklin, national director of suicide prevention in the VA’s Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention plainly states that the department opposes all three of the cannabis bills.  Calling the research bill too ambitious and risky, she furthered her argument  bureaucratically, “a smaller, early-phase trial design would be used to advance our knowledge of benefits and risk regarding cannabis before moving to a type of more expansive approach as described in this proposed legislation, “ adding, “Any trial with human subjects must include an evaluation of the risks and safety and include the smallest number of participants to avoid putting subjects at increased risk unnecessarily so.”  Franklin also said the VA is against clinicians recommending medicinal marijuana because of guidance it has received from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) stating that “no provision of the controlled substances act would be exempt from criminal sanctions as a VA physician who acts with intent to provide a patient with means to obtain marijuana.”  Finally, they oppose the bill protecting vets from losing benefits over marijuana usage because she says the VA already has a policy stating no benefits will be lost for cannabis use or discussing cannabis use with a VA health care provider.

Larry Mole, the VA’s chief consultant on population health, places the blame on the Justice Department for the VA’s unwillingness to listen to the desires of the VSO’s and vets.  “At the end, we will need to go back to the DEA and the Department of Justice for their opinion.  I’ve not seen anything myself that suggests their opinion will change.”  One member of the subcommittee, Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) has a potential solution, to reschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substance Act.  “We’re not, I think, in a position here to protect the VA physicians who want to disperse or prescribe cannabis unless we change that law.”, he said, “So we might be looking at the wrong leverage point when we address these laws without addressing the scheduling of the drug.”

World News - May 2019

Analysts Say Brexit No Threat To Europe’s Booming Legal Cannabis Industry

With uncertainty looming overhead during the long drawn out Brexit, the referendum which the people passed in June of 2016 that removes the UK from the European Union, many industries have experienced a downturn.  Businesses are moving abroad, sterling is under immense pressure, and factories have begun stockpiling in an effort to pad themselves from potential supply chain issues.  Only a few sectors are proving to be impervious to speculation and Brexit fears, and one of them is legal cannabis.

The latest European Cannabis Report states that even a no-deal Brexit will not harm the sustained growth of the legal cannabis industry in the UK, or anywhere in Europe for that matter.  It goes on to say that “significant pressure to improve access to medical cannabis from Britain’s patient groups and political community” has led the UK Government to suggest it will align it’s medical cannabis laws with soon to come European regulations.  


Global Pharmaceutical Giant Teams Up With Canadian Marijuana Startup, Backed By Billionaire

Swiss based Novartis AG, one of the world’s largest multinational pharmaceutical companies as measured by both market capitalization and sales, has thrown its hat into the medical marijuana ring.  The health-care behemoth’s Sandoz Canada division is forming an alliance with Tilray, a pharmaceutical and cannabis company with roots in Canada and operations expanding globally into Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Portugal, and Latin America.  As if two global corporations were not enough, the entire endeavour is being backed by Paypal co-founder, early Facebook investor, venture capitalist, philanthropist, political activist, author, and billionaire, Peter Thiel.  Together they intend to develop new pot-based medications, distributing them to hospitals and pharmacies around the world.

This will be the second collaboration of this magnitude for Tilray’s parent firm, Privateer Holdings, whose investors include wealthy individuals, family offices, and institutions.  In January of 2018 they announced an agreement to become a medical marijuana supplier for Shoppers Drug Mart, a Canadian retail pharmacy chain.

   
Canadian Companies Look For Profitable Edge With Biosynthesis

The number of licensed producers and biotechnology firms making strides toward synthetic THC production has increased as Canadian companies seek to grow profits and yield.  “We do believe that cannabinoids will be created through biosynthesis, whether it’s yeast or sugar or other compounds, at scale and at an extremely low cost… And do expect to be investing in that space in the not too distant future” said Peter Aceto, chief executive of CannTrust Holdings Inc.  Canada is on the verge of legalizing a new round of cannabis products including edibles and topicals in the coming months, which is expected to grow the demand for THC exponentially.  

Biosynthesis is the act of synthesizing organic compounds within a living organism.  Kevin Chen, chief executive officer and co-founder of Hyasynth Bio, says it is similar to brewing beer, with the exception being that the yeast is genetically engineered.  Wikipedia describes it as ‘an emerging discipline that takes genetic engineering a step further by introducing artificially genetic material from raw materials into an organism’.  According to another biotechnology firm, AltaCorp, in biosynthesis lies the potential to produce large quantities of cannabinoids, consistently, with a high level of purity and precision, at roughly less than $1,000 per kilogram.  
The GMO pot race is on, with Hyasynth Bio aiming to establish its own facility and be able to sell products by the end of the year.  However, according to Chen, “There is a lot to be nailed down, and it will be an ongoing process of improvement.”  Biosynthesized THC, while not expected to replace plant-based extraction, is being touted as ‘an added tool in companies arsenals.’


Australia Celebrates First Crop Of Taxpayer-Funded Pot With Opening Of Medical Marijuana Greenhouse

The southeastern Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has opened its first medical marijuana greenhouse in Sydney, thanks to recently relaxed restrictions.  Cannabis grown by the NSW state government is slated for use by patients with severe conditions such as cancer and epilepsy.  No product is being sold at current, as the facility focuses on researching how to consistently grow plants with the same properties.  According to NSW Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall “People, whether they’re cancer sufferers or suffering from epilepsy, can actually purchase the plants, or purchase the product, and it will be the same product and the same properties and composition each and every time.”  He adds that local police and detectives from the NSW drug squad are heavily involved with the project, their role to ensure “no criminals target the greenhouse”, or “sell the plants illegally.”


North Wales Police Boss Advocates for Legalization

Arfon Jones, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, has taken a hard stance on marijuana, he wants it legalized.  Citing ‘figures’, Mr. Jones estimates that 90% of drug consumption, including cannabis, is recreational and causes no harm to others.  He argues that if cannabis was a legally controlled substance, such as tobacco, the illegal trade would vanish.

“The best way to reduce the role of organised crime in the supply of drugs is to put it in commercial hands so people don’t need to go to the illegal market,” stated Commissioner Jones.  He went on to say that recreational cannabis users “should be given some educational information and that would be the end of the matter”.  He proposes a licensing system similar to that in Canada, Uruguay, and parts of the USA, that would allow small amounts of marijuana for personal use as well as plants to be purchased from pharmacies and stores.

540 Kilos of Confiscated Marijuana Goes Missing in Argentina, Authorities Blame Rats

When Commissioner Emilio Portero took command of the police forces in Pilar, a city in the Buenos Aires province in Argentina, he received a full inventory of all department assets.  Of note was a stash of 6,000 kilos of previously seized marijuana.  Upon closer inspection it was discovered that the total weight was only 5,460 kilos, meaning 540 kilos of cannabis had somehow disappeared.

Immediately filing a complaint and launching an investigation Portero found himself shocked at the answer local officials provided; The marijuana had simply become “food for rats”.  All 540 kilos of it.  Portero, and others, with reasonable scepticism, consulted with experts on the matter.  “Professionals analyzed the case and explained that the rats could never have confused marijuana with any type of food”, he was told, “In the event that a large group had eaten the marijuana, many corpses should be found.”  Rat theory debunked, officials second idea was that the cannabis had dried up.  Again experts were consulted and it was determined that while that would account for some of the weight loss, it still did not explain 540 kilos worth.

Investigators are still concerned that the missing marijuana was stolen by police or officials, and so the case remains open, with two police chiefs and two officers having been asked to testify in May.

John Sinclair - Free the Weed 98 - May 2019

        Hi everybody, as Ernie Harwell used to say, and welcome to the impending springtime in Detroit, where we’ve suffered one of the coldest winters in the past 100 years and, in the closing days of April as I write this, it’s still too cold to bear.

After six months since marijuana legalization was approved by voters in Michigan last November 6th, we’re still struggling under the outdated and obsolete mindset of the law enforcement industry while continuing to pay for the stupidity and outright cruelty of the baseless anti-marijuana laws that have governed the lives of smokers for the past 80 years or so.

We are still a long way from actually freeing the weed and allowing marijuana smokers the freedom to exist as regular citizens unmarked by the stigma of being accused as dope fiends and citizens of bad character, the way some government officials active in the Resident Rump administration have recently labeled us.

In fact the reverse is true: the lawmakers and law enforcers are the criminals and wrongdoers and persons of bad character with their baseless, cruel, vindictive and insanely punitive approach to policing the marijuana smoker—a person who, in this writer’s opinion, requires absolutely no regulation whatsoever.

Millions of people in this country have been smoking marijuana regularly for a great many years with no measurable negative consequences beyond the punishment we have suffered at the hands of the anti-drug warriors posing as police and law enforcement officers.

We were falsely and baselessly labeled drug users and criminals even though what we were doing was smoking a harmless weed with proven medicinal qualities and the ability to help lift our minds above the strife and turmoil of daily life in an exploitative and unjust social order such as ours.
Instead of continually seeking ways to continue to oppress and punish marijuana smokers despite the will of the voters who have moved to demand legalization of marijuana of every sort in the state of Michigan, the authorities should be debating ways and means of compensating us for the years of suffering we have experienced at the hands of the state government and its many branches.

One bright spot on the horizon in this respect is the recent statement by California Senator Kamala Harris that convicted cannabis dealers should be pardoned, given the opportunity to participate in the industry they pioneered and the burgeoning cannabis industry’s new economic opportunities, as reported by Graham Abbott from the She The People conference in Houston, Texas on April 25, “[Many] of the people who historically were arrested for marijuana sales were young men, young men of color,” Senator Harris pointed out—”the very young men who were trying to make money selling marijuana got criminalized and now have been branded felons for life and excluded from the economic opportunities that are now available because of this new industry.”

“They were ahead of the curve,” she said, and they should be “first in line to get the jobs that are available.”  As California’s Attorney General, Senator Harris was not always in favor of progressive cannabis reforms, but she now serves as a perfect example of the idea that people can wise up and do the right thing even if they’ve been wrong in the past.

Her efforts to suppress the illegal marijuana industry during her tenure as the state’s top law enforcement officer had little effect on the citizens targeted for arrest and imprisonment, as California governor Gavin Newsom has admitted, confessing that illegal grows in Northern California “are getting worse, not better.”

In Mendocino County, north of San Francisco, the sheriff’s office recently raided an illegal cannabis production facility that was processing 500 pounds of marijuana a day and also seized cannabis oil worth more than $5 million in early April. Legalization, Sheriff Allman said, “certainly didn’t put cops out of work.”

Much like Michigan, California sports a confusing patchwork of regulation, where several major cities have laws allowing cannabis businesses but most smaller cities and towns in the state do not. In fact, 80 percent of California’s nearly 500 municipalities do not allow retail marijuana businesses.

Only 620 cannabis shops have been licensed in California so far. Colorado, with a population one-sixth the size of California, has 562 licensed recreational marijuana stores.

In Michigan, before they were ordered closed, the city of Detroit alone had 283 dispensaries that sprang up organically in neighborhood after neighborhood to serve the needs of medical marijuana patients in the city and surrounding suburbs.

Like California, Michigan has a long way to go to straighten out the mess created here by Rick Snyder’s“tough nerd” administration in cahoots with the criminals in the state legislature who gained office as a result of their illicit gerrymandering of the state’s electoral districts back in 2010.

Snyder’s marijuana committee, dominated by law enforcement types and right-wing goons and charged with the task of holding back and refusing to implement the medical marijuana act passed by voters in 2008, has been disbanded by Governor Whitmer and replaced by a new Marijuana Regulatory Agency that says it will more readily and speedily approve medical marijuana license applications and create new licensing rules for recreational adult use.

The governor’s executive order combines adult use and medical marijuana regulation under one agency, reports Beth LeBlanc in the Detroit News, that will have 102 full-time employees and a 2019 budget of roughly $19.7 million. Recommendations for the 2020 fiscal year, LeBlanc says, would increase the agency’s ranks to 150 full-time employees and increase funding to $22 million to handle the additional workload of the recreational pot market.

Just prior to its dissolution, the Snyder committee was chastised by Judge Stephen Borrellofor failing to adequately address medical marijuana licensing in Michigan and essentially forcing him to legislate from the bench.Borrello compared the current market of licensed and unlicensed medical marijuana facilities to the “Wild West,” a result of delayed legislation that should have been sorted out way back in 2008. “There’s no reason why in 2019, other than a lack of political will, we’re having to deal with any of these issues.”

Well, the Republicans’ political will was to oppose the intention of the voting public and use the Licensing Board to delay or prevent the freeing of the weed. Time will tell if the new Whitmer Marijuana Regulatory Agency can or will reverse this idiotic thrust of state government and let us have our medicine and our fun as we see fit. Regulation is not really something we smokers need too much of.

Finally, a happy note: A recent CBS News poll found that support for marijuana legalization has been embraced by 65% of Americans who now think marijuana should be legal. Most view marijuana as less harmful than alcohol and believe it is less dangerous than other drugs. Fifty-five percent of Americans now say they have tried marijuana—a record high.

In closing, I’d like to thank the Detroit Music Awards for granting your correspondent a Lifetime Achievement Award for my work in music in Detroit and Michigan over the past more than 50 years. It’s an honor I appreciate, and I had the additional pleasure of presenting a similar award at the ceremony on April 26 to my dear friend Robert Jr. Whitall for his work with Big City Rhythm & Blues magazine for the past 24 years. Congratulations, Junior, and I know you join me in chanting our slogan here to close the show: FREE THE WEED!

And, if I may, I’d like to propose a new and additional slogan for these perilous times: GET USED TO IT!

—Detroit
April 28, 2019

© 2019 John Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.

Herbert Huncke's America - Edited By Jerome Poynton Literary Executor - Ponderosa Pine - May 2019

PONDEROSA PINE (CIRCA 1935)

BY

HERBERT E. HUNCKE

You speak of Ponderosa Pine and I am catapulted back—oh, way back —and it is late summer outside Potlatch, Idaho. It is sunset—the sky riven with saffron—ice green—lavender—and changing pinks from flamingo to palest hue, overlaid with haunting black cloud shapes. The road is yellow dirt and sand packed down and spread with rough-cut white stone and gravel. It twists through the cluster of gray clapboard houses—past a railroad track—a train of flat cars loaded with massive tree trunks fresh cut from the vast forests covering the hills for miles and miles around—too huge for the sawmill—a painted red frame building on the edge of the community —where many of the town’s people work—the others employed mostly in the forests—axing—cutting—felling—hauling the great majestic trees—the countryside reverberating all day with the agonizing thuds of their crashing death—and we are in an open Model T Ford and we pass the sawmill—the general store—a beer parlor—where on several occasions just before the time I am speaking of I have gotten drunk drowning the frothy pitchers of ice-cold beer brought to the table by a dark-haired barmaid—wise in the ways of a beer parlor in lumbertown—able to laugh and toss joke for joke with the red-faced heavy-bodied lumberjacks—still wearing their caulked boots—I once saw two of them in a fight—and when one had fallen—the other stomped on his face in a fury until the face looked like a hunk of raw beef when he was finally rescued—and red and black—green and black— orange and black—blue and black checked shirts—and all of this in a flash in my mind as the road rounds the last of the houses—the evening darkening blue-black in the distance, bedizened with the lights of thousands of cosmic worlds, the stars and planets. The road now heads into the forests—only the tops of the great trees still visible individually—seemingly brushing the sky —all below a great mass of blackness, the headlights penetrating the mass— revealing brown tree trunks on either side and green foliage—the limbs of the trees begin too high up for us to see them. My companion is a young Norwegian boy—seventeen—the son of one of the foresters at the ranger station near Potlatch. It is his father’s job along with two or three others to keep up on the maintenance of the fire towers—to patrol the area and keep weather reports. The father had made this his life work and is a good but stern man who has raised his son—he hopes—to follow in his footsteps. The son is extremely proud of his father and in all probability will do as his father desires. When he returns from this little excursion or trip he has invited me to accompany him on—I had wandered up into that part of the country several weeks prior and had asked if they had some work I could do around the ranger station and they said yes—and I stayed until leaving on this trip which was to take us over into Montana to visit relatives—a cousin or uncle—if I remember correctly. Of my traveling companion—he will be ready to enter agriculture college at Moscow, Idaho. He is not very talkative and I sit back drinking in the heady aroma of the pine forest almost intoxicated by the richness of the beauty of the night.

We drive steadily through the night—stopping once in a small town at a lunch room for great steaming mugs of coffee and thick sandwiches of ham and cheese and homemade blackberry pie—then on—spelling each other at the wheel—the road always winding and twisting—alongside rushing streams for several miles up into the hills—past ravines and valleys —once up the side of a mountain—the road zigzagging all the way up and then all the way down the opposite side. Once in a while we hit stretches of pavement but for the most part the road remained dirt and gravel.

Dawn found us not far from the town of Kellogg, Idaho—a good- sized town where we stopped and freshened up in cold spring water— checked the condition of our car—drank coffee—discussed our further route. It was decided we drive through the Coeur d’Alene country and around the Coeur D’Alene Lake, after which we would pick up a highway leading over and through mountain ranges into Montana.

The topography had changed and we now hit stretches of flat open country with mountains way off in the distance. Huge rocks and boulders lay profusely in all directions. The soil was full of rocks and there were only a few gnarled and twisted live oak trees to be seen instead of the lush green forests. We arrived in Coeur d’Alene—drove thru and picked up a road following the shore of the lake—brilliant blue and clear—the shoreline ragged and stony—short windblown and twisted trees leaning toward their reflections in the water. A wind had sprung up and massive cloud formations plowed across the blue sky. The water of the lake became choppy—the surface agitated with small rolling white caps. The scene was magnificent and awe inspiring—beautiful and cold and real. I filled myself with it and can at this instant not only see it all vividly but smell the freshness of air— and hear the whistling of the wind.

We eventually reached the end of this wonderful stretch of earth and water—coming down off the lake road on to a paved highway leading directly into the mountains to be crossed into Montana. We began climbing—higher and higher—until our engine was heated and we were carrying a banner of white steam smoke from the radiator cap at the front of the car. Halfway up we came upon a small place at the side of the road where we pulled in to rest awhile. Near was a fresh mountain stream rushing downward where we filled cans and poured them into our hot and thirsty car.

The weather had begun to change and to one side of us and, back over the jutting angry-looking peaks of the seemingly endless chain of mountains, we could see rolling gray and black clouds constantly illuminated by flashes of lightning and accompanied by reverberating rumbles of thunder relentlessly bearing down on us.

Gradually we reached the top and looking back could see the black rain curtain—feel the oncoming rush of rain-laden wind. At the top of the mountain was a short distance of straight road bound on either side with fairly dense growth of tall and at this time writhing trees. As we started to drive this respite of straight terrain—high up above the world—near the lowering, furiously rolling clouds, the full force of the storm struck and we could go no further. We pulled over a little onto the shoulder of the road and stopped.

The wind a mass of heavy raindrops relentlessly tore at us as though infuriated at not being able to lift us from our spot and fling us crashing into the heavy gray boulders just ahead—abating an instant and then with renewed vigor attacking our flimsy little car—shaking and rocking it with the fury and force of its anger. Long jagged sulfurous bolts of lightning drove with full force into the ground around us filling our nostrils with the smell of burning ozone. Thunder crashed deafeningly down and around our heads and all the earth trembled. The roadway became a rushing flow of water—a tree was struck—and split in a great screech, the top half falling toward the ground pulling the wound open further, the life of the tree no longer protesting. With this sacrifice to the greed of the storm, it began to slacken, passing on over—only occasional flashes of lightning, and instead of crashing thunder there were only low rumblings becoming fainter in the distance. The rain had ceased altogether—the clouds began clearing away and soon the sun—bright and warming—appeared.

We of course were thoroughly drenched and, what was worse, unable to start the car. We worked with it—checking the motor—cranking—but all to no avail. It was utterly impossible to get it moving. Finally, we hailed a passing car and asked for a tow to the first filling station. The people—a man and his wife—were accommodating and towed us to a station on the other side of the mountain in Montana. There we discovered all was lost— not only were things flooded but completely burned out—the Model T had had it—it would carry us no further.

My friend was very disappointed but decided it best to call his father. He called and his father said we were to stay near our present location—the boy’s mother would pick us up in the family car the following day.

We stayed in a motel not far from where we had made the call. He was very disappointed with the entire experience and failed to share my enthusiastic impression of the storm—nor was he impressed by what I considered the wild, almost breathtaking beauty of the lake and the forests we had driven thru—saying at one point he supposed they did have beauty but in his opinion they were just a lake and a forest—and a forest was a forest no matter what one said about it—and the storm was sort of exciting but he would rather have his Model T working—after all he’d earned the money to pay for it and now it was just a loss.

His mother arrived the next afternoon and we drove straight back to the ranger station near Potlatch.
I guess he had decided I wasn’t a very stable kind of person because— although I remained several days at the station before leaving to go head back home—he never came around to say hello, and once or twice his father —who had always in our short acquaintance been friendly and considerate—was somehow sharp in his replies to questions I asked him. Anyhow—you spoke of Ponderosa Pine—and this was Ponderosa Pine country—and I remember it all clearly. Or course there was Tamarack and Yellow Pine and White Pine—but Ponderosa is a beautiful name—and maybe—just maybe—there wasn’t any Ponderosa there at all—but please let it suffice—of the other three—White and Yellow and Tamarack I am sure— and somewhere in the past I’ve been around Ponderosa Pine country—of that you may be confident. It is only that I am a little forgetful these days just where all the things I’ve been around or near are located.

I wouldn’t have bothered with further explanations except—I dislike being caught in an outright lie—and it is just possible Ponderosa Pine is strictly native of California and it would be most embarrassing to hear this— after having given it root—in a manner of speaking—in wild rugged Idaho. And at this point—that is right this moment that will already be of the past— when you hear of it—or read of it—I sincerely believe that by now Ponderosa Pine must thrive in Idaho—and if it wasn’t there when I was there —someone planted it there, and in no time it began to flourish.

The forests of Idaho are, or at least were, truly wild and beautiful. The great tall trees reaching to the sky and on the stillest days—with hardly a breeze stirring near the earth—one hears the wishing of the treetops way up high enough to always feel the wind. And at their feet—wildflowers—ferns—flowering streams—berry bushes and morning glory vines. Sometimes—of course—they have grown very close together in groves like clusters on the side of the mountains—and no sun has penetrated down through to the earth—there are only blankets of dark brown needles sere and dry.  There is wildlife—deer and bear—pheasant and grouse—rabbit and squirrels—there are only non-poisonous snakes—and many kinds of birds.

As I said before it is surely Ponderosa Pie country—and if anyone asks you to visit Idaho, please make sure you don’t refuse—and if I am around still, please, please see if you can swing an invitation for me as well. Every now and then it all comes back to me in a rush and—strange as it may sound coming from an old drug-soaked city character like myself—I long to see all I have spoken and much I’ve left unsaid again. Perhaps my most carefree hours were spent there—and maybe it is impossible to recapture any of it—but I sure as hell occasionally long to give it a try.

Jay Lauren's Weed, Blood, and Money - May 2019

Jay Lauren's

Hello, reader. Whatcha smokin’ these days?

Stop me if you’ve heard this one, but the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act officially went into effect around 5 months before this issue hits print. For anyone over 21, the act legalized the cultivation, possession, and use of “marijuana”, a certain annual herbaceous plant found nearly everywhere on Earth, generally in close association with humans. Good news for Michigan’s human population.

I prefer weed, but I’m a product of my environment. Others may have called it “bud”, or “green”, or “smoke”. My mom called it “pot”. I learned this over lobsters once, when my auntie Barbra pointed to a pair of those little crab tongs and asked my mother to “pass the roach clip”. When mom picked up the tongs, I laughed. “The seventies were a different time!”, exclaimed Mom. “This doesn’t mean you can smoke pot.” My dad offered that “dope-smokers” don’t have real jobs. Barbra just shot me a wink. I was 21 and working night shifts at a hotel at the time. Fair enough, dad.

The only people who really called it “marijuana” were the hopelessly uncool. Teachers, cops, hall monitors, a President or two, the haircuts who read the news on TV. (Protip: never share your weed with a President. Those guys don’t even inhale.) I never saw the word “Marihuana” spelled with an h until I watched Reefer Madness. With a couple of friends, a cat, and a quarter sack of weed, that movie is a laugh riot. Maybe the most underrated dry comedy of all time. What the fuck even happened in that movie. That ain’t weed. Four stars.

For users of the dread “marihuana”, I have bad news: that plant is still illegal. It’s been illegal under Federal law since the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, and voters in Michigan don’t seem likely to do anything about it. For those not “hip” to “the lingo”, marihuana refers to a certain annual herbaceous plant found nearly everywhere on Earth, generally in close association with humans. Michigan has recently taken steps to allow medical use via the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act of 2008, but there does not appear to be any concerted effort to legalize the plant for recreational use in Michigan. Readers: DO NOT BE FOOLED BY ANY SUPERFICIAL SIMILARITIES IN SPELLING. Marijuana is okey dokey, but marihuana no es bueno. When in doubt, throw it out.

I hope you’re with me so far, because this is where it gets weird. In addition to marijuana, the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act also legalizes “hemp”, a certain annual herbaceous plant found nearly everywhere on Earth, generally in close association with humans. I believe that hemp is used to make hand creams and uncomfortable clothing. Hemp users, get your own Regulation and Taxation Act. The Marijuana Act is for saving lives, not making them itchier. And how do y’all just get a gimme when we had to twist the State’s arm to legalize marijuana? This doesn’t make sense. Google?

Okay. Forget all of that. Forget it, and then hold onto your ass. Here’s what it is: whoever writes the statutes in this state is an idiot. I googled “Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act” and it brought me to the Michigan Legislature page for the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act. Read it for yourself:

“MICHIGAN REGULATION AND TAXATION OF MARIHUANA ACT

An initiation of legislation to allow under state law the personal possession and use of marihuana by persons 21 years of age or older; to provide for the lawful cultivation and sale of marihuana and industrial hemp by persons 21 years of age or older; to permit the taxation of revenue derived from commercial marihuana facilities [...]”

Same date. Did these morons accidentally legalize marihuana instead of marijuana? Never put anything past the State of Michigan. Or maybe I put a typo in the search bar. Even my text editor won’t stop suggesting that “marihuana” is misspelled. Google may have burnt me once, but there’s an old saying in Texas; “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me … you can’t get fooled again.” Okay Google, what is weed?

As it happens, the scientific term for the marijuana genus is “cannabis”, borrowed from the Greek kánnabis, meaning “marijuana”. From the Greek, the word passed through the hands of the Swedish arch-taxonomer Carl Linnaeus, whose universal framework still governs the naming of every organism known to Biology and whose holy relics are the type specimen for Homo Sapien, another species that he named. Carl Linnaeus was educated, published, studied, cited, ennobled, immortalized, buried in a cathedral, and above all else, impeccably credentialed as a namer of things. His work Species Plantarum brought “cannabis” into Latin. That exposure carried the word “cannabis” forward into languages across the world. “Cannabis” first appeared in English in the late 18th century.

That works for me! Cannabis. One universal word for one universal plant. From Santa’s workshop to the south pole, one might approach a stranger anywhere in the world and obtain some much-needed relief, however far from home. Finally, everybody can just be cool. Thanks, Greeks!

Unfortunately, the English weren’t going to take a scientific consensus lying down. You see, the English already knew the plant as “hemp”. The word “hemp” has very deep roots in English, predating Shakespeare, a hemp user himself, by half a millennium at least. Like a good swear word, “hemp” is four letters, easy to pronounce, audibly distinctive, one syllable. Unable to shift the incumbent word, the weaker newcomer “cannabis” found a smaller niche in the lexicon, mostly as a fancy advertising word for medical preparations. This isn’t sweaty old dread sack hemp, this is cannabis. It’s medicine. Queen Victoria uses it for her menstrual cramps.

So, two words then. Cannabis and hemp. Seems a little unnecessary, but as language goes this solution still makes sense. Okay. But how, then, did I manage to grow up two centuries later without ever referring to cannabis by its scientific or its native English name? Is cannabis technically a weed? Where do the pots factor in? And what’s in “dope”, exactly? Willie Nelson seems to think dope is cannabis, and he’s famous for his cannabis advocacy. A close reading of Marilyn Manson, however, would indicate otherwise. I don’t think my dad would have bought all of those records if Willie was promoting heroin. He may not be philosophically opposed to a “dope-smoker” on his CD player, but he never got into Manson. What happened?

By the early 21st century, our collective grammaws and great granddads were being terrorized with a new word. A longer word, scarier, more foreign-y. The Marihuana Menace was here, and it was making the kids listen to music and have sex. A borrowing from Mexican Spanish, “marihuana” has no clear etymology. Sorry, y’all, the myth of a Mary Jane cleaning her weed and tossing seeds out of her covered wagon like Johnny Appleseed is completely made up. And it looks like the substituted j in “marijuana” was also an American invention.

“Marijuana” was presented to white America as a brown menace, a tide of ravenous “Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers”, who brought with them “Satanic music”, like jazz and swing. Not coincidentally, the first jurisdictions to criminalize marijuana were all along the Mexican border. Also not a coincidence, all of those towns were a part of Mexico as recently as 60 years beforehand. Having successfully scared white America shitless, professional liars then used the momentum to criminalize “marijuana” all across the country. Sorry, Queen Vicky. Go fuck yourself, Shakespeare.

None of it makes any sense. Although funny, Reefer Madness should not be a source of Federal law. This is just some plain old stupid American racism. The word “Marijuana” doesn’t belong in 21st century legislation. Alcohol laws make no mention of “dutch courage”. Tobacco legislation doesn’t say “coffin nails”.


Fuck all of that. I smoke weed.