Spotlight - The Face of Unchecked Power - January 2020

By Matthew Gervais

Executive Director of the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency, Andrew Brisbo, has become the face of government controlled weed.  And to be honest, this article has little to do with him personally.  He just happened to be gazing into the distance like Thanos, and he just happens to direct one of the most powerful government agencies in the state, and he just happens to be quoted saying things like “At this time, I’m not ready to commit to any specific changes to the draft rules” (rather than ‘we’ or ‘the agency’, etc).  Coincidence?  That is for the reader to decide. 

The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency, for the time being, has complete control over legal marijuana in Michigan.  Like Thanos, they have near limitless power over everything from water, to words.  With an all seeing all knowing METRC system at hand, and no one looking over their shoulder.

And like most comic book villians, things happen when they want, how they want.  Licensees get to experience most of these rules in a sort of George W. Bush era ‘Shock and Awe’ style unveiling.  Bulletins drop like inter-dimentional alien invasions; out of nowhere and totally unexpected.  In the aftermath, business owners are then left to get out their wallets, make the proper changes, step-and-fetch in general, or risk losing their license and investments.  Unless, of course, one enters into an agreement with Lord MRA and pays a hefty tribute to the one true ruler of marijuana, space and time.  Just ask Iron Labs.   

In the first year of regulated marijuana the MRA has snapped it’s fingers and brought into existence a bevy of intergalactic space tyrant-esque rules.  Here are just a few acts your marijuana government has committed that are straight out of comic book villany.

Control over speech

In the ‘Marketing and Advertising Restrictions for Marijuana Facilities and Establishments’ updated October 22 of 2019, the MRA determined that both medicinal, and now adult-use, marijuana businesses can not use the word ‘dispensary’ in any advertising.  Meanwhile every single person in the industry calls them dispensaries.  Industry workers in the clinics and shops will know the pain of saying ‘provisioning center’ and being corrected by the customer, “Do you mean dispensary?”  Words are speech, written or spoken.  Speech, as everyone knows, is a way to express one’s mind.  In controlling what words we can and can not use as a community and a market they assert power over our collective minds.  The  idea of a population auto-training themselves to re-pattern their speech on the whim of authority would give any of your average omnipotent comic book tyrants a large evil smirk.

An all seeing crystal ball

Comic books (and their subsequent movies) are rife with over-the-top bad guys, there is never just one.  Some wield strength, some technology, others just have access to seemingly infinite information.  Anyone familiar with dastardly fictional deeds knows full well information is often the most powerful of weapons.

The Bureau of Marijuana Regulation (BMR, or for the sake of our analogy, ‘Ebony Maw’) in a March 21, 2019 bulletin, graciously allowed marijuana businesses to participate in business partnerships.  The ‘Intellectual Property – Brands and Recipes’ rules stated that license holders could work together, using each others brands and recipes, and would even be allowed to pay each other royalties and enter into contracts.  Quite benevolent.  The catch?

 “Licensees are required to provide a copy of the contract – including the names of the individuals involved in the contract – to the Bureau of Marijuana Regulation (BMR) Medical Marijuana Facility Licensing Application Section at LARAMedicalMarijuana@michigan.gov. Licensees shall also notify the BMR Facility Licensing Application Section when any changes are made to the contract.”

Knowing about any and all business partnerships and changes to said contracts as they happen is nothing short of powerful.  Add in METRC, a techno-web of data on the entire seed to sale marijuana market in Michigan, and we are talking time-travelling space wizard levels of power.

The freedom to choose allies in ones own reality

With a recent snap of the fingers, the MRA proposes requiring marijuana businesses to enter into peace agreements with labor unions as part of the licensing process.  Andrew Brisbo of the MRA was quoted December 13 by the Detroit Free Press explaining the reasoning behind the latest decree:

“There is a fully robust illicit market in Michigan and we’re trying to pull that into the regulated market,” he said. “The risks of disruption to the regulated environment are challenges for the industry operators and consumers, but could have specific impacts on the public health and safety” if consumers return to the black market for their marijuana products.

In short, the MRA believes it should have the power to tell all license holders they must ally with labor unions in order to prevent strikes that would force consumers to the ‘black market’.

Is that the reality you perceive?  Labor unions as incorruptible beacons of righteousness?  The best defense against basic economics and caregivers?  A tool used to protect state revenue rather than workers?  Should a government agency have the power to dictate reality in the eyes of license holders? 

‘Share our reality, or cease to exist’ sounds like an ultimatum straight out of the mouth of only the most twisted of comic book overlords.

Spoiler Alert - Vigilance must never die

Where the MRA and its ilk fall short, in comparison to the large purple Thanos, is that they do not actually have god like power.  They are a government agency that, despite sitting outside the boundaries of constitutional checks and balances, will never be more powerful than the people.  So long as the people remain vigilant and informed.  Marijuana may be legal, but that only means it is in the hands of the government.

Behind this (clearly evil) url lurk the MRA bulletins:

www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-89334_79571_83460---,00.html

Grow Tips - Transitioning to Coco Fiber - January 2020

By: Ben Horner

One choice of soilless media when growing marijuana is Coco.  Coco is made from coconut husk fiber and is an excellent substrate that promotes almost perfect drainage.  Many growers are making the transition to coco because of the epic results produced.  Here are tips for growing with Coco:

1. Rinse your coco well.  Using a pH meter, check the water and make sure that the soil is properly balanced at 6 pH.  To do this, measure the water going in and coming out while rinsing the coco. Continue rinsing with clean, 6 pH purified water until residual salts and acids are flushed out.

2. Mix your coco with 50% perlite. This will add nitrogen and add oxygen to the roots.

3. Constantly check the PH of your feeding water. The PH of the water is crucial to plant health with soilless mediums. 

4. Use the feed to drain ratios for nutrients. Plants will rely completely on the teas, organics or chemical fertilizers that you give them. Growers need to pay constant attention to the plants leaves for any signs of nutrient deficiencies.  

5. Watering will need to happen everyday, at least once a day. Using an automatic drip watering system is what most coco growers like doing.

6. Flush weekly to keep roots healthily. If your plants show any signs of nutrient deficiencies, flush first before adjusting your plants feeding regiment.

7. Make sure you use the appropriate sized pot that allows for maximum run off. Using a watering table with a drain is the best method if you are feeding with drip system.

Michigan News - January 2020

JANUARY 2020

State Crests $3 Million
In Adult Use Pot Sales

With just a sprinkling of stores in an even less number of cities, adult-use marijuana sales for the first two weeks reached $3.1 million, opening week (Dec 1 - 8) accounting for $1.6 million of the total.  Although lines are beginning to shorten and sales are starting to wane, these numbers mark a solid start for recreational retail revenue.  With a little math one can estimate 6% sales tax income for the state of Michigan in the first two weeks of cannabis sales at $186,000 and 10% marijuana excise tax income at $310,000.

Recreational marijuana was in such high demand at the few available locations that some began imposing purchase limits on flower of seven grams (one quarter) per customer.  State law places a total limit on sales of 2.5 ounces of flower and up to 15 grams of concentrates.

GPI Plans Eastward 
Expansion After Michigan

Launched in 2017, nine years after the state passed the first medical marijuana laws, by CEO Jeff Radway and his partner Jeo Neller, Green Peak Innovations (GPI) is now the largest marijuana operator in the state of Michigan.  In a December 17 article by Larry Gabriel, the Detroit Metro Times even went as far as to calculate GPI as having direct ownership of enough licenses to give them control of 50% of what can be legally grown for recreational use in Michigan.  At the time of the article they held five Class C grower licenses, one processor license, and one retail license.

Skymint, GPI’s brand of provisioning centers, currently has locations in Bay City, Newaygo, Nunica, Ann Arbor, and White Cloud, with twelve more planned in total .  The Ann Arbor location found itself among the prestigious list of adult-use provisioning centers who were licensed, stocked, and open for sales on opening day.  Meanwhile GPI’s cannabis products, under the name Northstar, can be found in provisioning centers all over the state.

After Michigan, the company plans to expand further, setting it’s aims on states east of the Mississippi, Radway saying in July that a 100-store rollout was planned, and early in 2019 GPI entered into an agreement to purchase a license in Florida.  The deal since fell through, with Radway stating they remain interested in Florida, but that he sees more prudent uses of capital in the near-term in states like Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Ohio.  He furthered by explaining that GPI is more interested in fully operational opportunities that are cash flow positive, rather than building something from the ground up.

Vape Bans Draw Attention to
Lack of Action on Opioids

The recent ban on the sale of marijuana and nicotine vape cartridges came swift and hard, almost immediately following reports of illness and death.  Citing Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data on nationwide hospitalizations and lung related deaths (which at the time of this writing totals 2,400 hospitalizations and 52 deaths nationwide), government officials in Michigan, as well as many other states, wasted no time on public opinion, or debate.  Sales were quickly halted while consumers and producers were forced to adapt, all in the name of safety and health, all with the backing of the CDC.

Meanwhile Michiganders, and the entire nation, were bombarded with reports of opioid addiction and death.  According to the same CDC, 2017 saw 70,237 drug overdoses in the United States, a number that rose by 9.6% over 2016, an annual increase of 9,743 deaths.  Among those they place opioids - mainly synthetic opioids (other than methadone) - responsible for 67.8% or approximately 47,600 deaths.  Published just this past November 27, 2019, a study found on the CDC website (Opioid-Related Hospitalization and Its Association With Chronic Diseases: Findings From the National Inpatient Sample, 2011-2015) identified 3,239,136 opioid-related hospitalization cases among their sample from January 1, 2011 to September 30, 2015 (approximately 56,826 a month or 681,912 annually).  On the CDC’s list of states with a “statistically significant increase” in drug overdose death rates from 2016 to 2017 are Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.  Twenty-two of the fifty states in the union, or 44% of the states.

While, according to CDC data, vape cartridges killed 52 people and hospitalized 2,400 over the past three months, opioids, based on the CDC’s data, killed 11,898 people (228 times that of vape) and hospitalized 170,478 (71 times that of vape).  During this time there have been no stoppages of sales, no disruption of supply chains, and no efforts to alter the opioid market, apart from a campaign to convince the general public to use the word ‘disorder’ rather than ‘addiction’ when referring to the surviving victims of these dangerous, and all too often lethal, substances.

Data Shows 99.99% Driving
High Dec 1 Posed No Danger

News outlets across the state reported a 51-year old man driving a pickup truck, while under the influence of marijauna, crashed into a Michigan State trooper during the first day of adult-use sales on December 1st.  The story, paired with a warning from the Michigan State Police on the dangers of driving while high on THC, was shared on social media and became a talking point for anti-legalization advocates.

What was not reported was that, coupled with a poll from the University of Michigan conducted last January, and numbers from the first day adult-use sales, that means that 1 out of 152,200 Michigan residents who were driving while stoned caused an accident.  A whopping 99.999342969777% of automobile operators who were high on December 1st and driving did not cause any accidents.

The poll, which surveyed 790 medical marijuana patients, concluded that about 50% of those asked had driven while high.  Recent estimates place the total number of medical marijuana card holders in the state at approximately 300,000.  At the same time an estimated 2,200 individuals lined up to purchase adult-use marijuana on December 1st, according to news reports.  All totalled and tallied, the threat cannabis users pose to other drivers amounts to less than a fraction of one percent. 

National News - January 2020

JANUARY 2020

California Combats Black
Market with QR Codes

The Bureau of Cannabis Control in California has moved forward with technology to help combat unlicensed retail storefronts. With the use of smartphones, consumers are now able to scan QR (quick response) codes to distinguish legal and licensed retailers from those which are illegally operated. This comes the week after the City of Los Angeles served 45 search warrants within three days to those illicit businesses. The QR codes are linked to the Bureau’s Online License Search which then confirms the license status of the cannabis retailer. “We also want to provide consumers with the best information possible so they can determine which licensed California cannabis retailers carry products that are tracked, tested, and legal,” said the Bureau Chief Lori Ajax. The Bureau is urging retailers to put these QR codes in their storefront windows to help their effort in raising public awareness and fighting against unlicensed cannabis businesses in the community.


Illinois Rolls out Adult-Use
Marijuana Rules

Illinois has become the 11th state to legalize marijuana as HB 1438 was approved by both houses on May 31, 2019, and was signed into law on June 25, 2019 by Governor JB Pritzker. The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act will come into effect on January 1, 2020. At the start of the New Year, this new bill will allow adults 21 years and older, with or without a medical marijuana card, to possess and purchase cannabis products from licensed stores. This is limited to 30 grams of raw cannabis, no more than 500mg of THC in a cannabis-infused product or products, and 5 grams of cannabis in concentrate form. The bill also allows non-residents to purchase cannabis products from licensed stores and possess half the amount of an Illinois resident (15g cannabis, 250mg cannabis-infused product, 2.5g cannabis concentrate). Home growing of cannabis will be allowed by only medical cannabis patients, with a limit of up to five plants per household.

Wholesale cannabis products under the HB 1438 will be subject to a 7% tax when sold by Craft Grows (grows between 5,000 and 14,000 square feet of canopy space) and Cultivation Centers (grows up to 210,000 square feet of canopy space). Illinois will be taxing the retail cannabis products based on relative potency and the type of product. Cannabis flower or products with less than 35% THC are 10% sales tax, cannabis-infused products with more than 35% THC are set at 20% sales tax, and cannabis flower with 35% THC or higher will have 25% sales tax. Additional state and local sales taxes may be levied depending on municipalities, counties, or political subdivisions thereof.

The Illinois bill also includes articles related to prior marijuana convictions and a social equity program for those who have suffered because of the war on cannabis with a new grant program called the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program, which will address the impact of economical disinvestment, violence, and the historical overuse of the criminal justice system. After administration and expungement costs, all remaining revenue will be allocated as follows:

- 35% will be transferred to the General Revenue Fund

- 25% will be transferred to the Criminal Justice Information Projects Fund to support the R3 program (Restore, Reinvest, and Renew)

- 20% will be transferred to the Department of Human Services Community Services Fund to address substance abuse and prevention and mental health concerns

- 10% will be transferred to the Budget Stabilization Fund to pay the backlog of unpaid bills

- 8% will be transferred to the Local Government Distributive Fund to support crime prevention programs, training, and interdiction efforts, including detection, enforcement, and prevention efforts, relating to the illegal cannabis market and driving under the influence of cannabis


- 2% will be transferred to the Drug Treatment Fund to fund public education campaign and to support data collection and analysis of the public health impacts of legalizing the recreational use of cannabis.


Marijuana Rule Changes
in Major League Baseball

The Major League Baseball (MLB) and the MLB players union announced mid-December that they have reached an agreement and will remove marijuana from the list of banned substances. This comes as part of changes that were made to the Joint Drug Program with significant updates to the Drug of Abuse Provisions of the Program. The MLB stated in a press release that “Going forward, marijuana-related conduct will be treated the same as alcohol-related conduct under the Parties’ Joint Treatment Program for Alcohol-Related and Off-Field Violent Conduct, which provides for mandatory evaluation, voluntary treatment and the possibility of discipline by a Player’s Club or the Commissioner’s Office in response to certain conduct involving Natural Cannabinoids.”

The MLB has also added the following substances to the list of drugs that will be tested: synthetic cannabinoids, cocaine, and opioids including fentanyl. The changes effective beginning in 2020 Spring Training also include “Educational Programs on the dangers of opioid pain medications and practical approaches to marijuana will be mandatory for all Players and Club Personnel during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. These educational programs will focus on evidence-based and health-first approaches based on reputable science and sound principles of public health and safety.” The changes to the drug program comes motivated after the death of 27 year old Tyler Skaggs, Los Angeles Angels’ pitcher,  when the autopsy released found alcohol and high levels of opioids, including fentanyl, oxycodone, and oxymorphone in his system. “It is our hope that this agreement- which is based on principles of prevention, treatment, awareness and education- will protect the health and safety of our Players,” said MLB’s deputy commissioner and chief legal officer.


New Jersey to Put Cannabis
on Ballot in 2020

Lawmakers in New Jersey have made it official, marijuana legalization will be on the ballot in 2020.  If approved it will become the 12th state, along with D.C., to legalize weed for adult-use.  Also on the ballot is a bill to regulate and tax the plant, which would make New Jersey the 11th state to approve sales.

“Putting the issue to a referendum is both sensible and equitable,” explained Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin in a statement.  “While not our preferred method of legislating, public questions allow voters to affirm or deny massive shifts in public policy.”

World News - January 2020

JANUARY 2020

African Nations Set Sights
on Global Expansion

Within the last two years the countries Lesotho, followed by Zimbabwe and most recently Zambia, have made it legal to produce marijuana for medicinal and scientific uses. This is another large step forward for the reform of cannabis laws on the continent. The first African nation that issued licenses for medicinal cannabis cultivation was Lesotho in 2018. Commercial producers, largely backed by foreign investors, plan to eventually export their medicinal cannabis products internationally to countries such as Canada. The nation’s land has produced excellent conditions for the plant to grow, the production costs will be lower than others available. “Hemp cultivation, especially given the explosive demand arising from neighboring European nations, presents a unique opportunity to Zimbabwe and other African nations well positioned to meet such demand cheaper, and possibly faster, than current suppliers from Canada and Latin America,” says Giadha Aguirre de Carcer, who is the chief executive of New Frontier Data.

According to BDS Analytics, CBD sales are expected to grow to about $20 billion by 2024. Zimbabwe hopes to also take grasp of the opportunity in the international cannabis market. Being the second African nation to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and scientific purposes, it recently approved of the country’s first cannabis farm and production plant within a main prison in their capital, Harare. “This pilot project will provide essential knowledge… for the successful production of this crop,” says Agriculture Minister Perence Shiri. “The benefits that will be derived from the production of industrial hemp are enormous and varied.” The grow and production will be tended by a private company, Zimbabwe Industrial Hemp Trust (ZIHT), and will use the prison’s tight security to their advantage as the pilot project is being ran there. ZIHT has stated that they have planted six varieties of industrial hemp. 

These countries are leading other African nations towards the legalization of cannabis, which hopes to open them up to a large market that will boost their employment and their overall economy as well. With top exports such as diamonds and tobacco, which widely faces global scrutiny of consumption and production more and more over the years, cannabis is planned to be a major contender in the country’s future growth.

Bangkok Opens First
Medical Marijuana Clinic

It is notorious that Southeast Asian countries have very strict anti-cannabis laws, now with the exception of Thailand. Last year Thailand had legalized medicinal marijuana, hoping to lead the other countries by example.


The new clinic is in Nonthaburi, Bangkok, within the existing Phra Nangklao Hospital. Supervised by the country’s Ministry of Public Health, six doctors, five pharmacists, four nurses, and a dentist will be providing modern alongside traditional medical treatments at the newly opened location. Patients who are suffering from 9 different ailments will be seen at the cannabis clinic, including; ALS, insomnia, stroke, muscle numbness, muscle weakening, coronary disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or final stages of cancer. The Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha recently was at a press conference which he gave support to the country’s new MMJ program. As Prime Minister Prayut inhaled his cannabis vaporizer pen and applied his topical marijuana oil, The Thai government launched their educational medicinal cannabis website. Thailand plans to open another 31 more medicinal marijuana clinics throughout the country soon.

Israel to Make Breakthrough
in Medicinal Cannabis

A first-of-its-kind hi-tech incubator is being established in Yeruham, a small town in the desert region of Negev in southern Israel, announced by the Israel Innovation Authority and Economy Ministry. The CanNegev, the name given to the government-backed incubator, has projected that an estimated NIS 150 million (USD $43.16 million) was awarded through crowdfunding on OurCrowd, an investment platform based in Jerusalem. “The incubator will serve as an anchor for innovators from around the world and will upgrade the activities of entrepreneurs, who are already in the process of allocation of land for the establishment of cannabis extraction plants in Yeroham,” said the Yeroham Mayor Tal Ohana. Six medicinal cannabis start-up  companies will join annually, totalling 30 over the five year license, with an option for a three year extension available. The founder and CEO of OurCrowd, Jon Medved said, “We will find start-ups with breakthrough technologies, make seed and follow-on investments and equip them with all the necessary tools for success in the international market.”


Cannibidoil for Epilepsy
into the NHS in England

Epidiolex, a cannabis based medicine, was approved for use in children over the age of two who suffer from seizures associated with either Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome, which are very rare and severe forms of epilepsy. The NHS struck a deal with the manufacturing company GW Pharmaceuticals to bring the price of Epidiolex down and hopes through a speedy process that the drug will be obtainable through doctors starting January 6, 2020. Epidiolex is taken twice daily and contains a strawberry-flavored Cannabidiol (CBD), which is derived from cannabis, but does not contain THC. GW Pharmaceuticals also produces Sativex; a 1:1 THC/CBD oral spray compound approved for multiple sclerosis, but has been limited to few patients due to the high price of the drug. With the overwhelming evidence shown in clinical trials and as more information becomes readily available, people want these to be included on the NHS as an option for those with other conditions.

New Zealand Gets Ready
for Medical Marijuana

Epidiolex, a cannabis based medicine, was approved for use in children over the age of two who suffer from seizures associated with either Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome, which are very rare and severe forms of epilepsy. The NHS struck a deal with the manufacturing company GW Pharmaceuticals to bring the price of Epidiolex down and hopes through a speedy process that the drug will be obtainable through doctors starting January 6, 2020. Epidiolex is taken twice daily and contains a strawberry-flavored Cannabidiol (CBD), which is derived from cannabis, but does not contain THC. GW Pharmaceuticals also produces Sativex; a 1:1 THC/CBD oral spray compound approved for multiple sclerosis, but has been limited to few patients due to the high price of the drug. With the overwhelming evidence shown in clinical trials and as more information becomes readily available, people want these to be included on the NHS as an option for those with other conditions.

John Sinclair - Free the Weed: A Look Back - January 2020

This is a re-print of a digital archive copy of the Dec 12, 1971 New York Times article printed the day after the rally in Ann Arbor to free John Sinclair, which ultimately led to the legalization we now enjoy.

ANN ARBOR, Mich, Dec. 11 (1971)—John Sinclair, a radical poet, serving the 29th month of a nine‐and‐a‐half to 10‐year sentence for possession of marijuana, answered a telephone in prison last night and heard 15,000 young people who were protesting his imprisonment roar, “Free John, Free John.”

The call was placed by Sinclair’s wife Leni from the cavernous Crisler Hall at the Univenity of Michigan, where the young people paid $3 each to attend a night of music and speeches in support of Sinclair.

The rally was the biggest event so far in a campaign that began shortly after July 28, 1969, when Judge Robert J. Colombo of the Detroit Recorders Court sentenced Sinclair to a long prison term for giving two marijuana cigarettes to two undercover agents who had won his friendship.

John Lennon, the former Beetle, and his wife Yoko Ono, flew in from New York and appeared for 10 minutes at about 3 A.M. when the arena was filled with a cloud of marijuana smoke coming from thousands of marijuana cigarettes that were passed from person to person.

It was Mr. Lennon’s first major public appearance in the United States in two years. He performed several new numbers—one dedicated to the Attica rebellion and another to the struggle in Northern Ireland. The last number, which brought wild applause, was a song dedicated to Sinclair.

Backed up on an African drum played by Jerry Rubin, one of five defendants found guilty of crossing state lines to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Mr. Lennon and his wife sang:

Was he failed for what he done? Or representing everyone? Free John, now, if we can ?? the ditches of the Man. Let him free, lift the lid, Bring him to his wife and kid.

The concert was scheduled to end at midnight, but it broke up at 3:30 A.M. At one point, Sinclair’s wife called him in Jackson State Prison and put his 4‐year‐old daughter Sunny, on the line.

“Hi, whatcha doing?” Sunny asked during the call, which was amplified for the audience. “I’m trying to get home,” Sinclair replied. “I want to be with you.”Then, referring to the possibility of his being released, he added:

“It’s got to happen. It’s going to happen. It’s got to. I’m shaking. I don’t know what to Say.”

“What they try to do,” isolate Sinclair continued, “is to isolate us, make us feel alone. Make us think we’re all alone.” After a pause he said, “Say something to, me” and many in the audience stood and shouted, “Free John!”

Sinclair has become a symbol to many youths of what they regard as the injustices of marijuana laws. To those on the left, he has also become a symbol of the use of such laws to entrap radicals for their political beliefs.

Sinclair has been kept in isolation and under strict security during most of his prison term.

The prison authorities have maintained that it is necessary to isolate him because he has tried to win other prisoners to his ideas and has defied prison regulations.

Since September, 1970, when Sinclair was put under strict security — but not maximum security—he has been able to correspond with 10 people, his literature has been censored (he cannot read The Village Voice, for example) and he can receive five visitors three times a month for 90 minutes.

Sinclair’s wife Leni said in an interview that the isolation of her husband, a prolific writer, from other prisoners was one of the hardest things to bear until a week ago, when he was made a trusty and transferred out of strict security.

Mark Stickgold, his attorney, said in an interview that, even though Sinclair’s confinement had been relaxed, he would still press assult contending that Sinclair’s constitutionals rights were violated when the prison authorities isolated him.

The Federal court of the Eastern District in Michigan has turned down three motions by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office to dismiss the suit and has granted Sinclair a trial.

In one of the answers to the suit, Frank J. Kelly, the Attorney General, noted that it was Sinclair’s third arrest on drug charges and that he had traveled throughout the state urging young people to use marijuana.

There is also an appeal pending before the Michigan Supreme Court in which Sinclair argues that he was trapped by the police into the marijuana charge and that the sentence was too harsh.

At a hearing on the appeal last Nov. 3, two of the seven State Supreme Court justices sharply questioned the attorney representing the state on the justness of the sentence and the state law under which Sinclair was convicted, which held that possession of heroin and marijuana were both felonies.

Earlier this week, the Michigan Legislature passed a bill that reduced the penalties for possession of marijuana and other drugs. Many state legislatures throughout the country have recently passed similar bills.

Elizabeth Hollin's Within the Mind of a Budtender - January 2020

Oh. My. Goodness. It’s 2020. I don’t…I can’t…I have no words. 

How can it be 2020 when 1980 was only 20 years ago?

I can hear it all now: the newly purchased gym memberships, the newly declared diets, all the young hopefuls shouting “New Year, New Me!”. 

By the time you’re reading this, we’ll have made it through the holiday season in one piece, I’ll have moved into my new home, and we’ll all be taking our first steps into this new year. This new decade.

I don’t know about you, but I like to take a little time at the beginning of the year to reflect….on all the bulls*** I made it through. Last year my husband went through nerve graph surgery, both of us took a leap and accepted new jobs, not to mention the move into our first house. Add the stresses of health concerns, car issues, and those bills that just won’t stop coming in every month, you can guess that we smoked through our fair share of pounds this year.

This is the time of year where I find myself having to take two dabs instead of one, eat 100mg instead of 50. As much as I hate to admit it every time…it’s time for a t-break. My money’s not stretching as far and I’m getting sober a whole lot faster than I’d like. I’m sure there’s more than a few of you out there running into the same issue. 

T-breaks, or tolerance breaks, are different depending on the individual. Some people get lucky and manage to nearly completely reset their cannabinoid levels within just a couple of days. For others, like myself, it could take a week or two. I may not like the break too much while I’m on it, but the results are worth it. 

Research has shown that, over time, our bodies can build up, or develop a higher tolerance, to cannabinoids. This comes down to our CB1 receptors downregulating THC after long-term or heavy use. Now though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does mean that you’ll find yourself having to take a little more and a little more to reach your desired effects. For me, I don’t like seeing $5 turn to $10, and $10 turn to $20 and so on. 

Only you can determine what will work best for you, but you really need to dig deep and be honest with yourself. Habits are hard to break. You have to find your “why” and make that your central focus. Whether it be saving money, resetting your tolerance levels, simply refocusing yourself, or a complete physical and spiritual reboot, whatever the reason, focus on it and hold on tight. 

For my own routine, I’ve found that cold turkey t-breaks tend to do the trick. Sometimes I cave and puff down on a joint about 3 days in before taking another stretch of break. Other individuals I know simply implement heavy cutbacks. Rather than smoking every few hours or less, they’ll just have a few hits in the morning and a few hits in the evening for a while. There are even ways of supplementing with a bit of CBD to help with any day to day pain and anxiety without risking the purpose of the t-break in the first place. Studies have shown that your receptors begin to significantly reset after 2-3 days and will continue to do so for 3-4 weeks. 

If you do choose to take a bit of a step back from the herb, be sure to keep yourself busy. Crafting, gaming, things to do with your hands rather than just rolling the next one. It’s also always a great idea to keep yourself in good shape. We all use cannabis for a reason. Pain relief, anxiety relief, countering depression, just to have fun. Take cannabis away, and you have to have a routine to help aid you in those aspects still. Exercise, healthy eating habits, and staying hydrated are great ways to keep up a preventative wellness routine until you decide to light up again. And remember, keep your mind focused on your “why”. It will help to carry you through. 

When that glorious time finally does come around and you’re ready to spark up again after a break, you’ll want to be careful not to overindulge. You’ll probably find that your previous level of intake may be quite a bit higher than what you need now. Start low, go slow. You can always go a little higher, but it can be a difficult task to come back down.  

This year take some time for yourself. Give your body, and your cannabis, the respect it deserves. You’ll thank yourself for it, and so will your tolerance.

Herbert Huncke's America - Edited By Jerome Poynton Literary Executor - Ed Leary (1939-1944) Part 1 - January 2020

ED LEARY (1939-1944) PART 1

I hadn’t been in New York long when I met Eddie. When I first arrived I was stone-broke—and like every young kid who hits New York I went directly to Forty-second Street. I hadn’t known anything about Forty- second Street but the name—nevertheless, there I went—in no time becoming hip to the hustling routine—getting by fairly easily—meeting all kinds of people—having experiences I never suspected possible. 

I soon became acquainted with many of the regular habitués—one night getting disgustingly drunk with a kid who was going on his second year as a Forty-second Street hustler—doing a little stealing on the side— taking me along on this particular occasion—showing me how to break into automobiles—stealing such item as suitcases, topcoats, suits or anything of value left in the car—and because we were drunk and hardly recognized what we were doing, we got caught—each of us ending up serving six months in Rikers Island. 

This was my first prison experience and although in many respects  unpleasant—at the same time interesting. 

When we were released we went right back to Forty-second Street. 

At the corner of Eight Avenue and Forty-second Street there used to be a notorious bar where petty crooks—fags—hustlers—and people of every description hung out—known as the Bucket of Blood—although that wasn’t the real name. Someone would say, “Man, I’ve got to cut out now—I’ll pick you up later at the Bucket of Blood”—and you knew where he meant. I guess every city has its Bucket of Blood because I have run into several of them all over the country. 

The first night following my release I went into the Bucket of Blood and met Eddie. 

I had been standing at the bar—looking the crowd over and nursing a glass of beer—when from out of nowhere Eddie came over and spoke to me. He said, “Hi, would you like to have a drink with me?” I said, “Sure, why not?” He told me to go ahead and order a shot of whiskey and forget the beer. He said he had been watching me for some time and figured I was probably broke and could use a couple of drinks. 

The place was exceptionally crowded with people pushing and milling around the bar —the jukebox blasting some popular record. The whole room was filled with smoke—the overhead fluorescent light filtering through, giving the place an eerie quality. The shouting and talking deafened one—mixed with the blaring sounds of music—the general atmosphere was like a small slice of hell. 

Eddie said he had seen me before and asked me to guess where he had seen me. 

I named a few places around the square. Each time he shook his head, smiling—at last saying, “It was in jail—over on the Island. I used to watch you in the mess hall at chow-time. Your company went in ahead of mine. I noticed how you always kept yourself looking pretty sharp—your hair combed just so—you stood out from the others around you. I tried to meet you but somehow it never worked out. I figured you might hang around the Square.” 

Eddie’s appearance was good-looking in the sense he bore himself with a quiet dignity—conservatively—with the suggestion of an inner turbulence threatening to come to the surface were he to relax—piquing my curiosity—giving me the impression of depth. His coloring was medium- light. His facial features finely drawn—somewhat sharp and pointed—eyes gray, from within full of light—his mouth thin and well shaped. His hair was wavy—streaked silver gray—of which he was exceedingly self- conscious.

He was about twenty-eight at the time I am speaking of—and he was sure his hair made him appear old—then he was sure it was conspicuous or that it made him look effeminate. 

We stood talking at the bar a long time—getting a little drunk—telling each other about ourselves—our plans, our experiences, how we had gotten into trouble, into jail—finally one or the other mentioned narcotics.

He told me he had first started using heroin or H while in the Army in Panama. 

At that time he used stuff for a period of about eighteen months until he ran into some difficulty with a girl he was shacking up with who, in a fit of jealousy —as I remember the story—reported him to the Army authorities causing him to be dishonorably discharged after being sent to the stockade where he served almost three years. 

He returned to his beloved Brooklyn—staying off stuff—getting a job as a trolley driver—until one night two years before we met, he pulled into the car barn, stepped down off his car into the path of a car pulling into the barn—was hit—receiving a broken leg. While convalescing he became involved with a male nurse who would occasionally supply him with morphine and he was soon hooked.

I told him of my own experiences with junk in Chicago. Of how along with a friend of mine I had started picking up on heroin—finally getting mildly hooked—having to kick when my only source of supply had been arrested and sent to jail. I explained I was pretty green about the whole routine and that when it became necessary to kick I went to my mother— who had been very upset—but had sensibly taken me to her doctor, who had given me a reduction cure. 

I told Eddie it had been an unpleasant experience, but actually not too much trouble and that it had happened about three years ago. 

During our conversation we both discovered that we were still interested in junk and that we both preferred it to drinking. 

I mentioned knowing a pot connection who might be around although I hadn’t seen him since getting out of jail—that I liked smoking pot—we called it gauge or tea in those days—and perhaps if we looked around we could find him. 

Eddie said he didn’t like smoking it—that he didn’t like the kick. He felt if one was going to smoke, it should be the pipe—opium pipe. He did suggest maybe the guy would know where to score some H—asking me if I would like to shoot a little stuff?

We had another drink at the bar discussing what we would do if we did score. 

I told him—as he had guessed—I was broke without even a place to sleep and had come into the joint intending to pick up a queen, score for some loot, and get a place to stay. 

Eddie said not to worry about that—if I wanted to I could check into a hotel with him—he was planning on staying in Manhattan for a couple of days anyway—besides he liked me and this would give us an opportunity to get to know each other better—also he was anxious by now to get some stuff and get on. I had taken an immediate liking to Eddie and this plan suited me fine. 

Shortly after leaving the Bucket of Blood, along Eight Avenue between Forty-fifth and Forty-sixth Streets, we located Hugh the pot connection and asked him to make a heroin score for us. As it happened he had recently run into some fellow uptown while picking up his supply of pot who had suggested he might run into some of his customers anxious to cop some stuff and get in touch with him—he could get as much as he wanted.

Stuff was being pushed in capsules at the time and we asked Hugh to pick up two. 

Eddie and I had decided to check into a small hotel at Fifty-first Street and Eighth Avenue where I had stayed a few times before being arrested. I was sure we could get a room without difficulty. 

We arranged to meet Hugh in the coffee shop on the corner in an hour.

Eddie and I continued up the avenue until we reached the hotel where we rented a room for a week, Eddie having decided at the last minute—since he was holding fairly heavy financially—he might as well stake me to a room as it would give him a place to fall into should he return to the city sooner than he expected. 

While we were waiting for Hugh to get back we cut down the street to a drugstore where I used to be able to buy anything short of the real McCoy —Benzedrine, Seconal, Nembutal, eye droppers, and hypodermic needles. We bought two droppers and a couple of spikes—needles, No. 26 half-inch, and some wires for cleaning them. Then we stopped at the Automat for coffee and, before leaving, picked up two teaspoons. 

We had been doing a lot of talking—feeling each other out about our likes and dislikes—and the more I learned about Eddie the greater my interest in him became. Although I had met thieves and hustlers and knock- around characters of all kinds in the past couple of years, Eddie was the first I met who lived by his wits—impressing me as being competent and capable of carrying out his plans. He was intelligent and carried himself with what is generally termed—in the vernacular of the underworld—class. 

The story will continue in the February 2020 MM Report!