9/11: Re-examined - September 2019

Building Seven.  One hundred feet.  Seven seconds, two and a half at the speed of gravity.  That’s free fall.  But we suppose we smoke too much pot.

Now nay sayers will have to start acusing Dr. J. Leroy Hulsey, Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Dr. Feng Xiao, Associate Professor at Nanjing University of Science and Technology in China (where weed is very not legal), and Dr. Zhili Quan, Bridge Engineer for the South Caronlina Department of Transportation, of having hit the reefer a bit too much as well.

In a joint effort, Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth teamed with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) to conduct a four year computer modeling study of World Trade Center 7’s (WTC7) collapse.  The official report, released on September 3, also lists the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the College of Engineering and Mines, and the Institute of Northern Engineering.  Assuming these corridors of math and microchips are not clouded with the smoke of Mary Jane, their findings are hard to ignore even for the most adamant of sober Americans.

The report states the official story from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is a branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce, did not match up with several independent studies conducted over the years since 9/11.  NIST concluded that fire was the reason for the complete and total structural failure of WTC7 in seven seconds.  They insisted that fire burned through the steel supports fast enough to result in 2.5 seconds of free fall.  And we are the stoners.

The team at UAF, who could probably learn METRC in less time than it took for WTC7 to hit the ground, rolled up their sleeves and set to clicking their mice with a three fold objective:

1. Examine the structural response of WTC7 to fire loads that may have occurred on September 11, 2001
2. Rule out scenarios that could not have caused the observed collapse
3. Identify types of failures and their locations that may have caused the total collapse to occur as observed

Simulating the local structures response to any fire that may have happened below floor 13, where most of the flames in the building were reported to have occurred, and coupling that with a simulation of what the NIST says took place  the computer models, which most assuradely were not high on cannabis, lead to a single conclusion: fire did not cause the collapse of WTC7.  The report reads, “This conclusion is based upon a number of findings from our different analyses. Together, they show that fires could not have caused weakening or displacement of structural members capable of initiating any of the hypothetical local failures alleged to have triggered the total collapse of the building, nor could any local failures, even if they had occurred, have triggered a sequence of failures that would have resulted in the observed total collapse.”

Having no evidence to support the idea that a janitor or intern blew weed smoke into one of the computers prior to the expiroment, the team moved to the next phase of the plan, determining what they think happened.

Conducting a nonlinear study, they discovered that the government had “over-estimated the rigidity of the outside frame by not modeling its connections, essentially treating the exterior steel framing as thermally fixed, which caused all thermally-induced floor expansion to move away from the exterior.”  That’s right, the government didn’t account for something, if you can believe that.  Furthermore they determined that the overall thermal movements (spreading heat) of the A2001 base plate support near column 79 were not enough to move the entire A2001 girder off it’s seat.  Smoke another one, government.

The researchers at UAF could only reproduce what visually occurred when simulating the result of the simultaneous failure of all eight columns over eight stories, followed 1.3 seconds later by the simultaneous failure of all exterior columns over eight stories.  In fact the behavior of WTC7 in the model was an exact match to the videos, forcing them to conclude that “near-simultaneous failure of every column explains the collapse.” 

Either the government is lying, or they must have some bomb-ass fire.  We are talking about weed, of course.

To read the full report visit:

salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50694/signup_page/uaf-wtc7-draft-report

MM Report Special News - September 2019

Mariuhana Social Equity:  Rule 23 Explained

In the July 3 emergency rules, Rule 23, Communities; disproportionately impacted by marihuana prohibition, reads a little vague and leaves much for interpretation.  We recently contacted the MRA for clarity, which they were happy to provide.  

First, the rule as worded in the official document:

Rule 23. Communities; disproportionately impacted by marihuana prohibition. (1) Pursuant to section 8 of the act, MCL 333.27958, the agency shall establish a plan that promotes and encourages participation in the marihuana industry by people from communities that have been disproportionately impacted by marihuana prohibition and enforcement and to positively impact those communities. (2) The agency shall publish information about the plan which shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) The criteria used to select communities that have been disproportionately impacted by marihuana prohibition and enforcement. (b) Based on the selection criteria, a list of the communities that have been disproportionately impacted by marihuana prohibition and enforcement. (c) The requirements persons in those communities shall meet to utilize services and resources offered through the plan. (d) The services and resources that are available to those communities and qualifying persons residing in and planning to operate a marihuana establishment in those communities selected in subdivision (b) above. (e) Specific goals and objectives for the plan. (3) The agency shall collect data to measure its progress towards achieving the specific goals and objectives outlined in subdivision (e). (4) The agency shall publish a list of services and resources offered through the plan, which shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) Education and outreach to the communities and potential applicants from the community. (b) Waiving or reducing fees for qualified applicants from the communities. (c) Increased assistance with the application process for applicants from these communities. (d) Coordinating communities’, applicants’, and licensees’ utilization of resources that will allow participation in the marihuana industry. 

So what exactly does this mean? Communities were defined as eligible using: 

1. Marijuana-related conviction data (including possession and distribution) provided by the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center for a 10 year span from November 1, 2008 through October 31, 2018. 
2. Poverty-level information gathered by American FactFinder in report S1701 (https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk) from American Community Survey 5-year estimates.  This report was then whittled down to “Percent below poverty level - Population for whom poverty status is determined” for each place listed in the report, including villages, towns, and census-designated places (CDP).  Michigan State Police assisted with the data by creating layered maps using ArcMap (a geospacial processing program).

From this data, locations were selected in which 30% or more of the population live below the federal poverty rate.  These nineteen mailing addresses were chosen as the official definition disproportionately impacted communities.  They are as follows:

Albion 

Benton Harbor

Detroit

East Lansing

Ecorse

Flint

Highland Park

Hamtramack

Inkster

Kalamazoo

Mt. Morris

Mt. Pleasant

Muskegon

Muskegon Heights

Niles

Pontiac

River Rouge

Saginaw

Ypsilanti

Individuals who qualify will have the opportunity to open marijuana establishments in these communities with a potential reduction of up to 60% off the application fee, initial license fee, and future renewal fees.  Qualifications and the tiered system of reductions are:

• 25% reduction for those who have been a resident of one of the 19 disproportionally impacted communities for the past five years
• An additional 25% reduction if the individual(s) holding majority ownership have been a resident of one of the 19 disproportionately impacted communities AND have a marijuana-related conviction
• An additional 10% reduction if the individual(s) holding majority ownership have been a resident of one of the 19 disproportionately impacted communities AND were registered as primary caregivers for at least two years

Social equity representatives will confirm any eligibility for participation in this program by accepting several forms of documentation.

Rules Clarification Debunks Advertising Myth

There is a commonly held misconception that marijuana provisioning centers, both medicinal and forethcoming recreational (or adult-use), can not advertise pricing, sales, specials, discounts, or anything of that nature.  After examining the MRA rules and finding nothing that states such a thing, we contacted the agency at mra-adult-use-marijuana@michigan.gov for clarifiaction.

Rule 76 of the final medicinal marihuana rules (michigan.gov/documents/lara/2017-042_LR_-_Final_-Medical_Marihuana_640679_7.pdf, page 32) reads:

R 333.276 Marketing and advertising restrictions.

 Rule 76. (1) A marihuana facility shall comply with all municipal ordinances, state law,

and these rules that regulate signs and advertising.

 (2) A licensee shall not engage in advertising that is deceptive, false, or misleading. A

licensee shall not make any deceptive, false, or misleading assertions or statements on any

marihuana product, any sign, or any document provided.

 (3) A licensee shall not advertise a marihuana product where the advertisement is visible

to members of the public from any street, sidewalk, park, or other public place. A licensee

shall not advertise or market a marihuana product to members of the public unless the

licensee has reliable evidence that no more than 30 percent of the audience or readership

for the television program, radio program, internet web site, or print publication, is

reasonably expected to be aged 17 years or younger. Any marihuana product advertised or

marketed under this rule shall include the warnings listed in R 333.273(1)(k).

 (4) A marihuana product must be marketed or advertised as “medical marihuana” for

use only by registered qualifying patients or registered primary caregivers.

 (5) A marihuana product must not be marketed or advertised to minors aged 17 years or

younger. Sponsorships targeted to members aged 17 years or younger are prohibited.

While rule 52 of the July 3 emergency rules for adult-use (michigan.gov/documents/lara/Adult_Use_Marihuana_Establishments_659804_7.pdf, page 47) reads:

Rule 52. Marketing and advertising restrictions.

 (1) A marihuana establishment shall comply with all municipal ordinances, state law, and

these rules that regulate signs and advertising.

 (2) A licensee shall not engage in advertising that is deceptive, false, or misleading. A

licensee shall not make any deceptive, false, or misleading assertions or statements on any

marihuana product, any sign, or any document provided.

 (3) A licensee shall not advertise or market a marihuana product to members of the public

unless the licensee has reliable evidence that no more than 30 percent of the audience or

readership for the television program, radio program, internet web site, or print publication,

is reasonably expected to be under 21 years of age. Any marihuana product advertised or

marketed under this rule shall include the warnings listed in Rule 49(1)(k).

 (4) A marihuana product must be marketed or advertised as “marihuana” for use only by

individuals 21 years of age or older.

 (5) A marihuana product must not be marketed or advertised to individuals under 21 years

of age. Sponsorships targeted to members under 21 years of age are prohibited.

To make absolutely sure our assessment was correct, the MRA was asked if it would be accurate to state that there is nothing illegal about a medicinal or adult-use establishment advertising pricing and discounts.

To which MRA spokesperson David Harns responded, “We do not prohibit that.”

Michigan News - September 2019

Owner of Multiple Provisioning Centers In Michigan Sentenced to Eleven Years

Danny Trevino of Lansing, owner and operator of the Hydroworld provisioning centers, surrendered himself to authorities after being found guilty of five counts of maintaining a drug-involved premise, as well as multiple counts of manufacturing, distributing, possessing with intent to distribute and possessing an excess of 100 plants of marijuana. Over the past decade Trevino admittedly owned and operated the dispensaries in five different Michigan cities, including Lansing, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Flint and Mount Pleasant. A statement released by the prosecuting attorney’s office stated that Trevino’s businesses “operated far outside the boundaries of not only federal law but also the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act.” Trevino had prior drug felony convictions involving cocaine and marijuana, according to the statement, including convictions in 1994 and 2002.

 As a previously convicted felon, Trevino was not allowed to be a caregiver, and only qualified to be a patient, meaning he was only legally allowed (under state law) to cultivate up to 12 plants at a time, and possess up to 2.5 ounces of product. The statement from the prosecuting attorney’s office further elaborated; “Instead, Trevino cultivated thousands of marijuana plants and sold hundreds of kilograms of marijuana, generating sales of at least $2.9 million, Trevino’s storefronts and grow locations were searched by (state) law enforcement at least 16 times between 2010 and 2016. Despite having ample notice that what he was doing was illegal, Trevino always resumed his operations shortly after each search.”

Weedmaps No Longer Doing Business With Black Market Shops

The well known app Weedmaps recently announced that they intend to remove all of the unlicensed cannabis businesses from their platform by the end of this year. Individual states and municipalities have been struggling to get on top of the black market business, and until recently the operators of the app did not worry about whether or not a business was licensed. While the removing of unlicensed business from the app most likely won’t have a huge impact on getting these shops shut down, however it will help to filter patients and patrons to the legally ran businesses. Josh Hovey, a spokesperson for the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association said “We want to see the black market go away as much as possible. Weedmaps is now doing their part to make sure that people that are using their platform are doing it responsibly, so it’s a great step for the state.”Anyone who’s on Weedmaps, who’s not licensed, is able to undercut the market.” Unlicensed shops are not paying any fees to their respective state, or local communities, which unfortunately gives them an advantage.

State To Offer Classes To Help Licensees Navigate The Application Process

Michigan regulators have announced that they will be hosting a series of sessions this month for potential recreational cannabis business licensees, applications will be accepted beginning November 1st. The five sessions are designed to help demonstrate the online license process, each session will be approximately 3 hours long. There is no cost for the sessions, however due to space constraints, potential applicants should register as soon as possible to ensure their spot. If you are unable to attend the sessions, application instructions, checklists, and other additional resources will be made available on the State’s website. Please see the schedule for these sessions listed below. 

Thursday, Sept. 5: Detroit, 9 a.m.

Thursday Sept. 12: Saginaw, 2 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 19: Kalamazoo, 10 a.m.

Thursday, Sept. 26: Lansing, 9 a.m.

Monday, Sept. 30: Traverse City, 1 p.m.

For more information visit:

www.michigan.gov/lara

Federal Regulators Announce No Punishment for Credit Unions Working with Marijuana Businesses

The chairman for the National Credit Union Administration, Rodney Hood, said in a recent interview that regulators would not punish credit unions just for working with marijuana businesses that are in compliance with state laws.  Speaking to the Credit Union Times, Hood stated “It’s a business decision for the credit unions if they want to take the deposits.”  He furthered that these financial institutions must adhere to existing federal guidance and ensure that the marijuana establishments they are in business with are not breaking rules such as anti-money laundering laws.

The MM Report called dozens of Credit Unions around the state of Michigan to find out if any were currently working with the cannabis industry, or if they had plans to in the future.  While most responded with a “no” for both questions, others were uncertain.  The most promising were Team One Credit Union and CASE Credit Union.  Team One stated they were “working on a solution” and that it would be ready “within the year”.  They were unable to specify if that meant by the end of 2019, or within twelve months.  Team One is taking names and numbers with plans to inform interested parties as to when they can do business.  CASE Credit Unions Assistant Vice President of Marketing, Molly Summerfield, provided information on what CASE is planning.  “We are open to working with marijuana businesses.  Currently we are doing research, looking at what they did in other states, and working with the MRA for information on regulations.”  She went on to explain that more than likely their services will cover seed to sale, but that there may be restrictions similar to other states, such as caps on deposits.  In regards to CASE readniness to look into working with cannabis business she stated  “It’s about safety for the community.”

National News - September 2019

Florida And Texas Discussing Decriminalizing Cannabis Possession

When Congress passed the farm bill last year, legalizing hemp on a national level, there was one unforeseen consequence that was not taken into account; the inability of law enforcement to reliably discern the difference between hemp (which does not get you high) and cannabis (which does get you high). The two look exactly the same, with no reliable field test there is no way for them to know which is which. A state attorney in Florida has recently voiced that he will no longer be pursuing prosecution of low level cannabis possessions, until a reliable field test has been made readily available, nor will search warrants in cases where officers and canines detect the smell of cannabis be authorized.

In a letter to his local law enforcement jurisdictions which include Leon, Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty, and Wakulla counties in the Florida Panhandle, State Attorney Jack Campbell stated “Much of the search and seizure law hinges on either the officer’s or K-9’s ability to smell, This seems to now be in significant doubt.” He is not alone in this either, law enforcement in Palm Beach County have stopped performing what’s called sniff and searches, where an officer could perform a search without a warrant based on the smell of cannabis.

Similarly in Texas, law enforcement officials have been writing up misdemeanor charges for possession of less than 4 ounces rather than arresting them. A memo released to officers in Texas stated that legalized hemp does not  “negate probable cause for marijuana-related offenses,” however with no reliable testing equipment, the issue has become a chaotic situation. 

DEA To Support Expanding Cannabis Research

The U.S Drug Enforcement Agency recently announced that they intend to expand scientific and medical research of cannabis, though no official timeline was given it was stated that they intend to propose new regulations to govern cannabis research first. The announcement came in response to a court order to answer to allegations that the DEA has illegally failed to respond to 33 pending applications for cannabis research. Despite pressure on the DEA from congress to act, only the University of Mississippi has been granted federal permission to grow research cannabis.  

Cannabis research is crucial for understanding the potential health and scientific benefits of cannabis, which in turn may help the medical case for legalization of cannabis. In a news release, the DEA stated they anticipate that registering additional qualified cannabis growers will increase the variety that are available for research. The new rules will help ensure that the agency is processing applications under applicable legal standards, the process will also provide the general public and applicants the opportunity to comment on the regulations. U.S. Attorney General William Barr said in a statement “I am pleased that the DEA is moving forward with its review of applications for those who seek to grow marijuana legally to support research, the Department of Justice will continue to work with our colleagues at the Department of Health and Human Services and across the administration to improve research opportunities wherever we can.”

FBI To Investigate Corruption Within The U.S. Cannabis Industry

The FBI has announced that they intend to investigate possible corruption within the cannabis industry across the U.S. and is seeking tips. In a recently released podcast FBI spokeswoman Mollie Halpern stated “As an increasing number of states change their marijuana legislation, the FBI is seeing a public corruption threat emerge in the expanding cannabis industry, states require licenses to grow and sell the drug – opening the possibility for public officials to become susceptible to bribes in exchange for those licenses.”

She asked that listeners contact their local FBI field office if they suspect that a dispensary is operating outside of legal guidelines, or public corruption within the cannabis industry. Supervisory Special Agent Regino Chavez added that they have been made aware of some cannabis business licenses being sold for up to $50,000, which is an indicator as to just how much corrupting influence license caps can have on the market.  

Secure And Fair Enforcement Banking Act Gaining Traction

At CannaGather, a cannabis industry event held in New York City, New York Representative Carolyn Maloney expressed her optimism that the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) act will be approved by the house. The SAFE Act aims to provide banking access to the rapidly increasing cannabis business market. As it stands, any federally insured financial institution is forbidden by federal law to allow cannabis businesses to bank with their establishment. In August the National Credit Union Administration announced that federally insured credit unions will be able to offer certain financial services to legally operated hemp companies, following the passing of the farm bill which legalized hemp federally. 

Florida To Become First Southern State To Pass Recreational Cannabis Laws?

There are currently eleven states within the United States that have passed recreational cannabis laws; well over half of them are located along the west coast, 2 of them are located in the midwest, and 3 are located in the Northeast. To date there is not a single southern state with recreational cannabis, that may be set to change soon however. Marijuana advocacy group Regulate Florida is heading the initiative to place an amendment on the Florida 2020 ballot to legalize cannabis in the state for residents 21 and over. The state of Florida requires that proponents gather valid signatures equal to 8% of the total votes cast in the state, which translates to approximately 76,000 signatures. The signatures must come from at least 14 of the 27 Florida counties, the group has already collected more than 83,000 signatures. 

The process of gathering these signatures is lengthy, as well as costly. Campaign manager for Regulate Florida, Michael Minardi estimates that by the end they will have spent over $5 million dollars to get the necessary amount of signatures needed to get the initiative on the ballot. Some supporters, with rather deep pockets, have already promised to assist. John Morgan, the founding partner of the Morgan & Morgan law firm hinted in a Twitter post that he plans to help, Morgan already spent close to 7 million dollars to help the 2016 Medical Marijuana initiative in the state. 

World News - September 2019

Canada Unable To Keep Up With Influx Of Requests To Study Cannabis

Following the legalization of cannabis in late 2019, government officials have been struggling to keep up with the surge of licensing applications for cannabis research. As of late July, there were as many as 250 applications. Applicants are getting frustrated at the months long delays, which have also prompted criticism of Health Canada, the Ottawa-based agency charged with issuing the permits. Jonathan Page, chief science officer for Aurora Cannabis in Edmonton, one of Canada’s licensed cannabis producers said “Everybody is growing, consuming, and buying it, but the labs are still: ‘How do we get these projects going? The [licensing] system is swamped, and research is not exactly, I think, a priority.”

Health Canada says that they are committed to research, and are doing all they can to speed up the process. In regards to these delays in the licensing system, Igor Kovalchuk, a plant geneticist at the University of Lethbridge said “It’s incredibly slow—much slower than it used to be, October 17, 2018, is when things slowed down tremendously.” That date marked the legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, the second nation in the world to do so. Previous to this, some scientists were allowed to study cannabis under very strict guidelines, however now the possibilities have begun to expand and in turn so has the scientific research communities desire to explore it.
As they cope with the mass amounts of applications flooding in, Health Canada has had to migrate into their new online application platform, and have also expanded their employees to well over 140 people. A health canada spokesperson stated that they are working “as quickly as possible” to get through all of the applications. 

Morocco Seizes Over 460 kg of Cannabis

According to a police report, Moroccan security officials have seized over 460 kg of cannabis from the Tangier-Med Port as well as arrested 2 people. Cannabis is banned in Morocco, and the product was found concealed within a vehicle heading for Spain. The driver, a 38 year old Moroccan man, and his female passenger were arrested and placed into investigative custody. Despite attempts to crack down on the cannabis farmers for over a decade, Morocco is still the number one producer of cannabis resin worldwide. According to the United Nations Office on Drug Crime’s World Drug report Morocco placed first among the 129 countries in terms of cannabis production between the period of 2009 through 2014, followed by Afghanistan, Lebanon, India, and Pakistan. 

Cannabis Sales in Canada Hit Record High

Worldwide Cannabis sales has more than tripled between 2014 and 2018 to an astounding $10.9 billion. The research team from Arcview Market Research and BDS Analytics is predicting that sales will continue to climb, and potentially reach over $40 billion by 2024. As it currently stands, Canada boosts the top selling market in the world, boosting a whopping CA$91.13 million ($68.35 million USD) in June of 2019 alone. That is because in 2018 Canada became the first industrialized country to legalize cannabis for recreational purposes (second overall behind Uruguay), making Canada the World’s legal cannabis guinea pig of sorts. With an estimated 6% steady increase in revenue each month since legalization, Canada could potentially rake in upwards of CA$900 million (about $675 million USD) in the first full year of legalization. 

Thailand Welcomes Their First Legal Cannabis Lab

Penalties for cannabis use across Asia, and Southeast Asia has been famously severe for quite some time. Thailand, one of America’s key allies in the global war on drugs has been no exception, until recently that is. Thailand’s right wing government recently passed medical cannabis regulations and even identified the creation of a homegrown industry as a “top priority”. Some of the well known conservatives are even speaking excitedly about churning out “world class cannabis”. While there is no cannabis market in place as of yet, authorities have (very quietly albeit) allowed scientists to put together the country’s first cannabis lab, one of the very few legal cannabis research facilities of its kind in all of Asia. 

The importation of cannabis is still illegal however, so scientists have had to accept confiscated cannabis from law enforcement officials. Earlier this year, the scientists were provided with over 40 kilo sized bricks of cannabis, most of it was contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals, and other miscellaneous contaminants. They were able to salvage and utilize some of the cannabis for cannabis oils containing high levels of THC. 

Luxembourg Becomes First EU Nation to Legalize Cannabis

Etienne Schneider, Luxembourg’s health Minister recently announced “This drug policy we had over the last 50 years did not work. Forbidding everything made it just more interesting to young people … I’m hoping all of us will get a more open-minded attitude toward drugs.”Draft legislation is expected to be released later this year, providing further details, such as products that will be allowed, and the level of tax that will be imposed as well. The state will regulate the production and distribution through a cannabis agencyCannabis will be available to residents 18 years of age or over, and retail shops are expected to be open for business within the next 2 years. Schneider stated that the regulations will likely include a ban on non residents buying cannabis, in an attempt to shirk any drug tourism, and home growing will likely be banned as well. Minors between the ages of 12 and 17 will not face criminal charges for possession of up to 5 grams, however the punishments beyond that will be quite severe. 

John Sinclair - Free the Weed 102 - September 2019

A Column By John Sinclair


Hi everybody, highest greetings from Detroit in the dog days of August where the latest civic folly is the authorization of elaborate beer wagons peddled by squares down the streets of the inner city, like my street, Peterboro, former dope capital of the Cass Corridor, located just five or six blocks above downtown Detroit. 

At a time when marijuana use has been legalized in Michigan but actually proscribed by the petitioners from being smoked in public, and the attorney general’s office is trying to ascertain as we speak what exactly shall be the penalties for smoking a joint on the street or in another public place, idiots from the suburbs can come into the heart of Detroit, rent a beer wagon, and cram up to 16 people peddling themselves around downtown and its environs while chugging alcoholic beverages and making a lot of offensive noise.

If Michigan is going to regulate marijuana like alcohol, as the Marijuana Policy Project has insisted we do and the voters approved, why don’t we have wagons full of marijuana smokers peddling around Livonia and Sterling Heights singing reefer songs and passing joints around?

How could it possibly be illegal to smoke a joint in public when alcohol consumption is allowed at every turn? Why is it that the City of Detroit, which I never tire of informing you has shut down 282 grass-roots medical marijuana dispensaries rather than simply license and tax them like any other business, can allow alcohol imbibers to parade around in the city’s neighborhoods on noisy beer wagons? What kind of dumb shit is this?

It’s becoming clearer and clearer that under Mayor Duggan and the former police officers, ministers and social workers who make up the Detroit City Council, the Motor City will do literally anything to bring new white people into downtown Detroit, and I guess the beer wagons are just the latest ploy to attract squares into the city for other than sports contests and pop concerts.

Why am I so offended by these fucking beer wagons? Not only because I can still be arrested for smoking a joint in public, which is something I do virtually every day that I’m alive, but because they are so utterly disrespectful of where they are going and what they are doing.

In my neighborhood, for example, except for the new white people who get the newly renovated housing and the newly opened restaurants and bars for their exclusive use, most of the residents are old and disabled to some extent and not of the Caucasian persuasion. Walkers and motorized carts abound on Woodward and the side streets, now intermixed with those idiotic little rental scooters and brand-new bicycles for rent on a big rack by the bus stop. 

Peterboro winds west from Woodward Avenue across Cass to Second Avenue, passing a popular yuppie eating installation called the Detroit Shipping Company where the beer wagons from downtown land as their ultimate destination, loading their patrons off into the bar for a proper land-based drink before climbing back aboard for the noisy trip back downtown.

As I write this, looking out my second-floor window down onto Peterboro Street on a sunny Sunday afternoon, a steady stream of these beer wagons continues to make its way up to the Detroit Shipping Company and back downtown. That’s quite a few dozen squares passing by my house making a lot of ugly noise on beer wagons, something I could never have imagined.

In fact, for the past 40 or 50 year it’s been hard to imagine any white people whatsoever walking down Woodward or venturing onto Peterboro unless they were looking to score drugs or purchase some sort of sex acts from the local residents and those from other parts of town who plied their nefarious trades in the tenderloin district known as the Cass Corridor. There just weren’t any white people to be seen in this vicinity for days and months and years.

Now they’re riding bikes and little scooters and walking around and riding on beer wagons all over the place. Maybe this is a good thing, but I’d hate to think that this is the sum total of our city’s leadership vision in terms of bringing this once-great city back from the whirlpool of the toilet bowl where the million white people who abandoned Detroit 50 years ago flushed it behind them.

I can’t help but obsess about the 282 medical marijuana dispensaries that were shut down by the city starting in 2016, and the grand total of 50 functioning dispensaries the city’s leaders envision, and the $6000 application fee each must file with the City, and the $6000 in application fees to the State of Michigan, and then the $60,000 the State intends to extract from each successful license seeker, and it makes my head spin.

Now the State is attempting to determine how much of this booty they can extract from the purported operators of recreational marijuana outlets under the legalization measure passed by the citizens in open vote last November. The powers that be, basically completely ignorant of the culture and practice of marijuana use and distribution among weed smokers and users, seem to draw a big line between “medical” and “recreational” marijuana even though any fool knows that it’s the same fucking weed!
I hate to pose so many rhetorical questions in one humble little column, but for the love of truth and beauty, why can’t the authorities respond to our changing the marijuana laws by going around to the places that exist and the people who have been distributing marijuana so successfully for the past 80 years and ask them what should be done under the newly legalized system to make sure that people can get their weed—whatever they may use it for.

I don’t think it’s wrong to conclude that the reason the marijuana laws continue to be such a mess is that the authorities have been doing everything in their power to prevent a new system from being established in workable form. Certainly that was the case under the tough nerd governor Snyder and the staunchly Republican legislature, and it remains to be seen if the new powers in charge will make really meaningful alterations to this policy.

From day to day the situation continues to vary, looking good when more sensible regulations are drawn up and looking bad when the same old shit continues to hold sway. The whole process needs to be turned on its head and started over with the marijuana consumer, grower and distributor placed in the primary position with their needs carefully studied, assessed and addressed in terms of how the weed will be regulated and made available to the people who want and need it. 

Why does this seem so simple to me? What about you? Let’s get these people to turn their shit around and fix the laws so they serve us and not the other way around. FREE THE WEED!

—Detroit
August 25, 2019


© 2019 John Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.

Herbert Huncke's America - Edited By Jerome Poynton Literary Executor - Spencer's Pad - September 2019

SPENCER'S PAD

Spencer had a pad on Forty-seventh Street. It was one of the coziest pads in New York and one which it was an experience to visit for the first time and also to relax in. It existed in a period when the world was particularly chaotic—and New York exceptionally so. For me it represented the one spot at the time where I could seek surcease from tension and invariably find a sense of peace.

Spencer had gone to some pains to make it attractive. He painted the walls a Persian blue and the woodwork bone white. He kept the lighting soft and had placed big comfortable chairs around his main room. Along one wall he placed his Capehart (record player) with records stacked to one side. Long soft rose drapes hung across his windows. A chest sat between the two windows and opposite a fireplace was a studio couch (the same side of the drapes) faced with a long coffee table.

Spencer presided over all this with great benevolence and good will, making each of his guests welcome and concerning himself with their wants.

Spencer never used drugs—although I have seen him try pot and recently he told me he had sniffed heroin. But anyone was quite free to use whatever he chose and Spencer always managed to maintain environmental conditions conducive to the fullest realization of whatever one happened to be using.

The Capehart was exceptionally fine and acted as a sort of focal point in the pad. Great sounds issued forth from its speaker and filled the whole place with awe-inspiring visions. I can recall one incident clearly when the people on Forty-seventh Street stood along the curb listening and some were dancing and they were laughing and we were in the window watching while music flowed out on all sides.

At the time the streets of New York teemed with soldiers and sailors— lonely and bewildered—and many found their way to the pad where for at least a little while life took on some meaning. Often they gave love and always found it. Some discovered God and hardly knew of their discovery. There many heard the great Bird and felt sadness as Lady Day cried out her anguished heart.

Others came also—Forty-second Street hustlers—poets—simple dreamers, thieves, prostitutes (both male and female), and pimps and wise guys and junkies and potheads and just people—seeking sanctuary in a Blue Glade away from the merciless neon glare.

There were young boys who came and swaggered and talked wise and then spoke of their dreams and plans and went away refreshed and aware of themselves as having an identity.

Spencer accepted them all and gave of himself freely to each. The pad was his home and in it he could accept any confession and seemingly strange behavior, idea, thought, belief, and mannerism as part of one—without any outward show of censure. 

Within the confines of his home one could be oneself.

Spencer lost his pad partly because the people in the building in which it was located resented his show of freedom and partly through a situation which developed out of a relationship with a young man.

Vernon was a young man who came to New York in search of a meaning to life. He wanted to write, he wanted to act, he wanted to be loved, he wanted to love, he wanted anything and everything. His background was somewhat more interesting because of having been raised by a father who was a minister of the Baptist church in his hometown but who apparently was too busy preaching the gospel to give his own son other than scant attention. His mother had made an effort to make up the difference but her main interest remained with her husband.

Vernon had been in the war and had accomplished nothing more than the nickname Angel among his friends because he was always talking about God and because he would listen to anyone’s problems. Also he learned to smoke pot.

His appearance was rather striking and upon reaching New York he had no trouble making contacts. Just how he eventually met Spencer I don’t know, but meet they did and became good friends.

One night they had both been out drinking—Vernon smoking pot and both taking Nembutals—and had returned to the pad to get some sleep. Both stripped naked and fell onto the bed and into a deep sleep. When they awakened they were in Bellevue.

It seems one or the other must have accidentally brushed against the gas plate opening a valve and that the neighbors, smelling gas in the hallways, upon investigating traced it to Spencer’s and, being unable to rouse anyone, called the police who broke in and finding them both out cold had them rushed to Bellevue—which, after reviving them, decided they be held for observation. 

Spencer has since told me it was a harrowing experience.

Meanwhile, the people in the building all got together and signed a petition requesting that Spencer be evicted. As one old queen who had the apartment next to Spencer’s told me, “My dear—it was really too much. It was a regular black and tan fantasy. Both stark naked—and who knows what they had been doing—Spencer so dark and Vernon pale white. It would have been bad enough if both were the same color. Really, if Spencer wants to end it all he shouldn’t try and take one of his lover’s with him.”

I saw Spencer not long ago and once again he has a charming little place of his own but it isn’t quite the Forty-seventh Street pad.

-- Herbert Huncke 

New York City 42nd Street area -- WWII years

Within the Mind of a Budtender

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been to a provisioning center (dispo). Did you raise your hand? Good.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve wanted to work in a provisioning center since the first second I stepped foot into one. The smell, the displays, the people, the vibes…I loved it all. I wanted to be the one posting the photos with the big bags of nugz. I wanted to be the one weighing ounces and walking away with a paycheck after a solid 40 hours a week. I wanted it to be my life. Well, after working in the industry for a year, (just getting my feet wet y’all), I can tell you that it’s both EXACTLY what I expected, and nothing like what I expected all at once…everyday ...and I couldn’t be happier.

The number of people that I’ve met in that short timeframe that I’m nearly constantly thinking about now is mind blowing. I wonder how Ella’s neuropathy is faring with the topical she got? How are Nick and the wife doing since their car accident? Has Jessie’s surgery gone alright? Nora has been looking so full of light these days.

Sure, I’ve gotten to take photos with the big bags of nugz…

…and sure I’ve gotten to weigh ounces, but I’ve also gotten to take photos with people who credited me with helping them through their painful moments. I’ve gotten to weigh up discount grams for the woman who doesn’t have much money to spare, but still gets up and smiles through the pain. After working for an establishment that didn’t have great wheelchair access, it was incredible to witness the way an older woman’s face just lit up when she was able to comfortably wheel herself into the establishment I work for currently. It’s the little moments like that that remind me why this industry is so important, and why clean and safe access is so important.

As a budtender, my favorite part of the day isn’t that first sip of coffee in the morning, and it’s not the moment when I kick my shoes off at night. Rather, it’s the 30 minutes I got to spend with that gentleman earlier today, helping him find just the right thing to work for him. It was that hour I got to spend in consultation with the mother of four who was so nervous until she started to learn more, and her eyes grew wide with excited curiosity. Hell, my eyes water just thinking about these experiences and how much they meant to me.

This job is so much more than just “selling a bag of weed”, and more than the pretty displays you see it in. It’s so much more than bags of nugz, and weighing ounces. This job is a passion. It’s a representation of the possibilities that this industry can provide. If you’ve ever been curious as to what it could be like, then do yourself a favor - apply for a job in the industry.

*Names/sex changed to protect identity*