Pet CBD| At First Sight

 

Pet CBD| At First Sight

Written By Michigan Premier CBD

www.MichiganPremierCBD.com

Our world is changing every day and with so many outlets to choose from, it might be hard to decide which CBD products are best for your pet. At Michigan Premier CBD™ in Swartz Creek, we are wishing to bridge this gap in order to help Better Your Wellness™ and the wellness of your fur babies at home.

What is CBD? CBD stands for cannabidol and it is the second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis otherwise known as marijuana. While CBD is an essential component of marijuana, it is derived directly from the hemp plant, which is a cousin of the marijuana plant. Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for industrial use. Once processed, it can be used to make a wide range of products including topicals, lip balms and so on however in today’s article we will be focusing on the products surrounding our pets which might include dog treats or Pet CBD Tincture (Oil). Industrial Hemp (CBD) contains either 0% or less than 0.3% of THC therefore you and/or your pet should feel no psychoactive effects from taking CBD versus taking regular THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). 

Pet CBD is becoming in exceedingly high demand and a popular trend for one simple reason, we love our pets. Therefore, understanding more about CBD and the positive effects it can have on your fur baby is most important. Since the Industrial Farm Bill was passed in 2018, there has been a constant shift in political winds surrounding the use of industrial hemp (CBD) for humans and pets. What we can tell you is that research has been being conducted at various veterinary colleges such as Cornell University and Colorado State University in order to help better understand the benefits of CBD within pets. 

Researchers from these studies have reported CBD has been able to treat ailments in Pets such as:

• Anxiety

• Pain

• Noise phobia

• Nausea

• Loss of appetite

• Epilepsy

• Inflammation

Many pet owners praise the benefits of CBD for their pets. Many have said that it helped reduce their dog’s pain and corresponding anxiety or immobility. Since so many pet owners praise the uses of CBD in their pets, it is one of the main reason’s vets are so eager to study the possible medicinal uses of CBD (and marijuana in general) in pets regularly.While we cannot tell you if you should give your dog CBD, nor in what dosages if you decide to do so, there are some things to watch out for.

Keep your CBD pet treats, or oils locked away. Most animals cannot contain themselves when they have located where you keep their stash of treats right? Well, this will prove to be a similar situation if you leave the CBD treats where your fur baby can easily find it.  This will be more of an issue for an edible product like a CBD treat, but oils can spill, and pets love to lick liquids. To keep your pet safe be sure that you keep any CBD — and any THC products — well out of your dog’s reach and, ideally, behind a locked door.

Though CBD does lack the psychedelic kick of THC, you should be careful how much you give your dog. Also be careful that an unwitting guest, or even a child, does not accidentally lay it on heavy with the CBD treats. Keep these treats separated from your regular treats and let people know when it is OK to give one to your pet.

 

Most pet owners are aware of what is given to their fur baby – treats, bones, etc.  Much like when you give an animal a new toy or treat it is important to recognize when something isn’t quite right. If you notice these symptoms in your dog, it might be a good idea to check in with your vet.

• Dry Mouth: Your pets increased water intake is a clear sign.

• Tremors: Tremors of any kind should be cause for concern in a dog and need to be reported to your vet right away.

• Low Blood Pressure: You should be consulting with your vet prior to starting CBD but if your vet says at the pets next wellness visit that their blood pressure seems low, make sure to inform them.

• Lightheadedness: If your pet seems disoriented or dizzy, this would be another cause to contact your vet.

• Drowsiness: Pay attention to your dog’s sleeping patterns. See if there is any change since starting the CBD.

We appreciate your time in reading this article for Pet CBD! For more information please contact us at MichiganPremierCBD@Gmail.com

Green Culture - John Sinclair Comes Home to Flint for $99 OZ's

 

Flint, Michigan has a long history of being one of the epicenters of cannabis businesses, since the passing of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act in 2008. Green Culture is a licensed medical and recreational provisioning center, and has risen to the top as the number one cannabis retailer in Genesee County. As the emerging marijuana market in Michigan evolves, prices have come down and stores like Green Culture have shared those cost savings with their customers and have found new ways to bring added value in a compassionate way. Legendary cannabis activist and connoisseur John Sinclair agreed to meet up with me in his old home town to visit his grand daughter and check out all the buzz coming from Green Culture.

Why is Green Culture so successful?  Selection, for one.  Green Culture has well over a hundred brands, from local Michigan businesses, to nationally recognized favorites.  This selection allows for a wide range of hard to beat prices, demonstrated by Green Cultures current flower and concentrate deals.  At just $99 an ounce for smoke, and four grams of concentrates (that’s over an 1/8th of an ounce) for $100, specials like these attract business.  

But it’s Green Culture’s homegrown attitude and hands-on approach to their community that keep people coming back.  Regular discounts, and whole vendor days, dedicated to seniors, veterans, and the deaf and hard of hearing show a real commitment to what’s important.  New Bud Tender Danny, whose employment not only opened a door for him, and for those who he will service, but for others in the industry who share his need for sign language as a form of communication, is a great example of Green Culture’s, well, culture.

Danny, who is a medical marijuana patient, recently joined the team at Green Culture after being a customer there for years. When asked why, Danny Explained:

 “Green Culture is the place where Deaf and HOH people have access to their Native language of American Sign Language (ASL) to get the information on flower strains, edibles and concentrates, to their health benefit, to be able to make a choice.  With a Deaf Budtender it makes communication effective, and without hesitation it would drastically reduce waiting time. Hosting Deaf Vendor Day to raise awareness for the community, with excellent discounts or better deals on the products, would raise awareness of our Deaf and HoH community and would make an impact on their lives and allow for the creation of job opportunities for the Deaf and HoH community in the Cannabis industry, including their quality of work! I would like to educate the cannabis industry and let them know that our disability of deafness or hearing loss doesn’t define our performance as long as they believe in us! I would like to break the barriers and build a bridge between the Cannabis Industry and Deaf/HOH community to be more Inclusive!”

Michigan News - June 2021

 

Linder Gives Interview, MICIA Calls for Boycott

Michigan - In a May 17, 2021 interview with Grown Ins’ Mike Fourcher, the Michigan Cannabis Manufacturer’s Association (MCMA) advocate and Republican activist Steve Linder openly stated that his organization plans to spearhead efforts to remove all unlicensed marijuana from Michigan.

When asked what laws he would pass if he could he responded, “Well, the first law that I would want to pass is a law that would start to get at the non-licensed supply out in the marketplace.  We have a huge supply of cannabis that’s not in the licensed market.  And it’s not tested.  We don’t know where it’s grown, we don’t know who’s growing it.  People are not employing, they’re not investing in infrastructure, they’re not paying taxes.  So, we have to get at the unregulated supply and that law needs to be passed.  And we’re going to lead the charge.”

Grown In then asked Linder to state a second law he would like to see pass.  “I think that the second law is not really a law but it’s what you referenced earlier.  I believe that the medical and the adult-use statutes need to be merged, aligned, and streamlined,” Linder stated.  In the interview he also supports the use of police to help combat the unlicensed markets, “Law enforcement has a very vital role to play.” 

Recent efforts at the local level to limit and remove growing rights from individual homeowners via ordinances have sprung up all over the state of Michigan.  Most are met with protests by concerned caregiver advocates, none with crowds of citizens supporting the removal of caregiver rights.

While the MCMA’s opinion of caregivers is no secret, their representatives have been talking about merging the two markets since day one of legalization, this article has spurred Michigan Cannabis Industry Association (MiCIA) friendly personalities Rick Thompson and Jamie Lowell to launch a boycott of all MCMA businesses.

Grown In was founded in February 2020, the interviews author, Mike Fourcher, is a co-founder.

A brief glance at his Linked In profile reveals a history with Democrat ties.  Fourcher worked as a staff assistant at Podesta Associates in ‘95-’96, then became a legislative assistant to Democrat Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez in 1997, then proceeded to work under the Clinton administration at the U.S. Department of Energy from 1998-2001, before moving on to form many businesses and consulting firms prior to starting and writing for Grown In.

MiCIA, the competition of MCMA, has open ties to the Democrat party.  The MMR reported last spring on MiCIA influencing the decisions made at Governor Whitmers office concerning the categorizing of adult-use marijuana as essential, and on the hosting of only Democrat politicians at the virtual hash bash in April 2021.  

The full interview can be found at: https://grownin.com/2021/05/17/advocate-for-michigans-biggest-cannabis-companies-explains-why-hes-unhappy-with-caregivers/

The author and interviewers Linked In profile can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefourcher/

Flushing Officials Dismiss Almost All Caregiver Input

Flushing - The battle for caregiver rights in Flushing took a turn for the worse, as officials disregarded all but one recommendation.  

Pandering to local activists, the township initially declared it would work with caregivers to craft a law that worked for everyone.  It was then discovered that they had only accepted one suggestion, changing the required lot size from 5 acres down to 2 acres.  Every other aspect of the ordinance that advocates disapproved were still included.

A second protest was then organized for the May 13th meeting of the Board of Trustees where advocates once again voiced their opposition.  Officials then agreed to remove the 2-acre requirement entirely, but still wish to keep random inspections, square foot requirements, the outright banning of outdoor growing, and other unnecessary intrusions into private lives.

Draft 4 will be read on Thursday June 10th, where marijuana advocates are again asking citizens to show up and lend support.  To voice your approval of outdoor growing and caregiver rights to Flushing Township Supervisor Frederick Thorsby call (810) 659-0800.

Please note that this story is developing and changing rapidly.  An internet search for Flushing Township ordinances, specifically draft four of the home occupations text amendment, will allow you to read the most current proposed changes.

National News - June 2021

 

Money on Marijuana

United States - According to The Motley Fool, 2019, the marijuana industry will blossom as much as 853 percent by 2024. PRNewswire reported, 2019, the legal cannabis market is aimed to hit 66.3 billion dollars by the end of 2025.

On 4/19/21 the SAFE Act, Secure and Fair Enforcement Act, was passed in the House. It is now at the Senate awaiting to be passed. The law states: “This bill generally prohibits a federal banking regulator from penalizing a depository institution for providing banking services to a legitimate cannabis-related business. Prohibited penalties include terminating or limiting the deposit insurance or share insurance of a depository institution solely because the institution provides financial services to a legitimate cannabis-related business and prohibiting or otherwise discouraging a depository institution from offering financial services to such a business.

Additionally, proceeds from a transaction involving activities of a legitimate cannabis-related business are not considered proceeds from unlawful activity. Proceeds from unlawful activity are subject to anti-money laundering laws.

Furthermore, a depository institution is not, under federal law, liable or subject to asset forfeiture for providing a loan or other financial services to a legitimate cannabis-related business.

The bill also provides that a federal banking agency may not request or order a depository institution to terminate a customer account unless (1) the agency has a valid reason for doing so, and (2) that reason is not based solely on reputation risk. Valid reasons for terminating an account include threats to national security and involvement in terrorist financing, including state sponsorship of terrorism.

Finally, the bill decreases the cap on the surplus funds of the Federal Reserve banks. (Amounts exceeding this cap are deposited in the general fund of the Treasury.)” It can be searched here at:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1996. More on the law can be read here at:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1595/text.

According to The National Law Review the bill, which has moved to the Senate, does have “significant support” to being passed. The Law Review article is extremely informative and can be viewed here: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/cannabis-banking-safe-banking-act-20-passes-house-representatives.

Keeping an Eye on Metrc Seed-to-Sale Tracking

Oklahoma - 10,000 licensed cannabis businesses in the state of Oklahoma have filed a class action lawsuit against the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority and State Department of Health. Their goal is to prevent Metrc from being the sole seed-to-sale tracking system in the state. 

It was reported that Metrc will stand to make $12 million dollars from the program in Oklahoma alone, also concerning is that the company could create a monopoly, according to the attorney representing the class action suit, Ronald Durbin. 

Metrc is currently the only software system used in Michigan, all state licensed marijuana businesses must purchase labels from and do business with Metrc and only Metrc, a for profit company.

One worry about the program, as stated by one dispensary owner, would be the creation of more costs to owners. He also said they already do their own seed-to-sale tracking.  Concerns over the ability Metrc has to control the market and inventory with proprietary label availability were also mentioned.

As of the end of April the use of the tracking program in Oklahoma has been placed on hold due to the pending lawsuit.

South Leaning for Weed

Southern States - The South debates on marijuana use are lingering and long, and perhaps could be seen as slow moving.

Recently, in the sunshine state of Florida, a bill to have a public vote to legalize marijuana was stricken down in April 2021. Currently, the state has a medicinal use only law in place.

Louisiana also has a medical use law, though recreational use law is getting a lot of support. According to a University of New Orleans, survey, 55 percent of those questioned would vote for legalization in the bayou.

Texas House passed a bill just recently to decriminalize marijuana use. It is going to the Senate to debate. Currently, the state has no programs in place for any use.

Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Alabama also have no programs in place for THC use. North Carolina does have some laws in place to decriminalize marijuana and have proposed a bill to legalize medical marijuana use. Alabama may likely vote for medical marijuana use. Georgia has limited medical marijuana laws.

Arkansas and Mississippi do have medical use laws in place.

With the House of Representatives passing a bill to federally decriminalize marijuana last December, and the Senate deliberating the law, state-by-state, laws are moving forward.

World News - June 2021

 

Canada Banking on CBD

Canada - The Valens Co., a Canadian marijuana product manufacturer, bought Florida hemp and CBD company Green Roads CBD at the end of April.

According to Hemp Industry Daily, “The deal includes $40 million up front, including $25.4 million in Valens Co. common shares and up to $14.6 million in cash, plus up to an additional $20 million in earnout payments if earnings goals are met after the transaction.”

Green Roads has an impressive website at: https://greenroads.com/. Some of their products include CBD gummies, oils, topicals, and coffee. They have an entire CBD sleep line.

In the beginning of May, a Calgary company. High Tide. bought a Milwaukee e-store.

MJBizDaily reported, “High Tide announced early Monday it is acquiring 80% of Fab Nutrition, which does business as FABCBD, for $20.6 million ($25.4 Canadian dollars) in cash and stock.”

Fab Nutrition products include CBD products like gummies, oils, and dog treats. They had 10.8 million dollars in revenue in 2020.

Cannabis and Covid

World - Various studies have been made in this past year of the Covid crisis to show the benefits of cannabis on Covid showing again the importance of looking to cannabis as healing herb, not just as a social herb to enjoy.

Some studies have revealed without conclusive evidence that cannabis can possibly reduce inflammation in patients with Covid particularly with lung inflammation.  Anxiety of what was going to happen next during the past year was prevalent. Cannabis, especially CBD, can help with treating all kinds of anxiety and reducing depression.

There are many different medicinal benefits of marijuana besides helping with Covid symptoms, some are regulating diabetes, treatment of glaucoma, stomach issues like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, and aiding Parkinson’s patients with tremors, pain, and sleep from Parkinson’s disease.

As the Covid crisis is simmering and the anticipation that the post Covid era is nearing, and the hope of mask throwing is approaching, and as medical marijuana laws are being passed throughout the country, it is a possibility that marijuana medicinal use in the medical community may become more accepted.

Always consult a doctor before using any substance as a part of a treatment plan.

First Country to Legalilze: Looking Forward

Uruguay - In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country in modern times to legalize cannabis.  Their laws are similar to those of Colorado and California. They have regulations, tracking systems, shortages, and bank issues. There are also differences. It only has few cultivators in the country, the government controls the prices and imposes purchase laws, and only citizens of Uruguay can buy.  Pharmacies sell the cannabis, and citizens can only buy 10 grams a week.

Growers in Uruguay are looking beyond their country to sell. They now export to four different countries around the world. In 2020 their export amounts totaled 7.3 million dollars.

Chillin' with Cannabis

World - According to an article on Way of Leaf from last summer, Iceland has the most pot smokers per capita in the world. The United Nations conclusions from data collection showed that 18.3 percent of the population uses marijuana. In a country where it is still illegal for recreational use; it can only be used for the severely ill medical patients.

The United States came in second place in the world for cannabis use with 16.2 percent of the population, and Nigeria came in third place with 14.3 percent of their population enjoying marijuana, although the third place could be up for debate after some internet searching. Cannabis use is still illegal in Nigeria.

CA Global Expansion Efforts Back Track

World - Over the past year several Canadian based marijuana companies that expanded into global markets are reversing course.  Canopy Growth, Aurora Cannabis, Flowr, and others, have all cited nonlucrative markets and strategic financial strategies as the reason for their withdrawal.

Mid-April Marijuana Business Daily reported Flowr planned on “slashing it’s workforce and pulling out of the noncore markets - including Australia, Uruguay and Spain - as part of a strategic review intended to put the business on firmer financial footing.”

Flowr reported a loss of $28.1 million Canadian for the nine month stretch ending Sept 30, 2020.  The company now plans to implement cost saving strategies and reduce noncore assets, including subleasing their Toronto-based corporate headquarters.  A company spokesperson stated they plan on focusing on ‘ultra-premium’ and dry flower for Canada and Europe.

John Sinclair - Free the Weed #120 - June 2021

 

A Column By John Sinclair

Hi everybody, I’m glad you could join me for this issue to celebrate my ten years with the Michigan Marijuana Report, starting with the Hash Bash issue in 2011 and continuing for the next 120 months until the present moment.

For a guy who will be 80 years old if he makes it to October, I consider this quite an achievement and hope I can continue it until my mind and typing fingers quit working for me.

I’ve been writing columns for various publications since I started publishing my work in the very early 1960s when I was an undergraduate at the Flint College of the University of Michigan. I wrote a column for the school paper, The Word, which I served as editor, and when I moved to Detroit to attend graduate school at Wayne State University, I hooked up with an artist and gallery owner named Kelly Williams to contribute a column to his magazine called Art & Artists.

My first paying work as a writer ($8.00 every two weeks!) came with my appointment in 1964 as the Detroit correspondent for the jazz magazine in Chicago called downbeat, a job I acquired when Harold McKinney and a group of Detroit jazz musicians insisted that they needed me in the position in order to secure proper Coverage for the Detroit Jazz Scene.

Since then I’ve written for so many magazines and occasional publications that I can’t even remember all of them, but they include a popular arts column called “The Coat Puller” starting with the second issue of the Fifth Estate; columns for the Detroit and Ann Arbor Sun newspapers, the San Francisco Oracle, Blues Access, Wavelength, Off Beat, An Honest Tune, and others too numerous to mention. But no column assignment has ever lasted 10 years like this one, and I’m very happy to still be here.

FREE THE WEED of course is centered on the struggle to legalize marijuana and all drugs for medical and recreational use, so I’ll get to the meat of the matter in a minute, but like all columnists I have the right and responsibility to incorporate my thoughts and feelings about all possible things into my monthly musings. This month marks some milestones in the legalization battle and I’ll start with a subject very dear to my heart: the institution of “marijuana consumption lounges” in the state of Michigan.

Ryan Stanton claims that Michigan’s first commercial marijuana consumption lounge is coming to Ann Arbor, allowing onsite consumption of cannabis products downtown at 336 S. Ashley Street. Permit conditions state the lounge can be used only by customers of the dispensary already in business next door and their guests.  

Reservations will be required to access to the lounge, with 45-minute blocks free for customers and patients who can show a same-day receipt from the dispensary next door.  For members of a party who do not have a same-day receipt, the fee for 45-minute entry will be $10 per person.

Hours of operation are expected to be noon to 8 p.m. daily with the last reservation accepted at 7:15 p.m. Initially the business plans to only allow up to two groups of four at a time, for a max of eight people, but maximum occupancy is 19 people according to its permit.

The company behind the business is Holistic Industries, which describes itself as the country’s largest privately held cannabis operator with operations from California to Washington, D.C.

This doesn’t entirely cover everything I have in mind for a public marijuana lounge, or “coffeeshop” as they’re known in Holland, but at least it’s a start. Civilization will not truly be reached until anyone can go into a marijuana spot and get the weed or hash they want and smoke it on the spot with their friends, no matter how many of them there may be.

In other heartening news in Michigan, Alan Brochstein reports that Michigan cannabis sales increased during April to almost $154 million, a new all-time high that represents a jump of 149% from last year, with medical sales improving 43% to $48.4 million and adult-use sales soaring 278% to $105.2 million.

Michigan generated $985 million in cannabis sales in 2020, and the program should continue to expand this year as supply becomes more available and as distribution expands.

One of the side benefits of legalization is that a lot of drug convicts are getting their convictions expunged and rejoining the great mass of American humanity that miraculously never ran afoul of the drug police.

Here in Michigan, Scott McClallen reports in The Center Square, a group of six law firms, criminal justice groups, and cannabis reform organizations has come together as the Great Lakes Expungement Network to help people expunge their marijuana convictions under Michigan’s new “Clean Slate” law.

The network is supported by the nonprofit Redemption Foundation, founded by Ryan Basore and the Redemption Cannabis brand, and the nonprofit Sons and Daughters United, which helps low-income, underprivileged and minority populations.

Law firms supporting the Great Lakes Expungement Network include Cannabis Counsel, Detroit; The Law Offices of Barton Morris, Royal Oak; Duncan & Associates, Dowagiac; Michigan Cannabis Lawyers, Lansing; Rudoi Law, Royal Oak; and Wojtowicz Law PLC, St. Joseph.

Josh Covert, the Network’s legal services director and partner at Michigan Cannabis Lawyers, points out that “Too many people have been harmed by cannabis prohibition, so we want to help them take advantage of Michigan’s Clean Slate law and usher them through the application process.”

Ryan Basore asserts that “Many people are unaware of their eligibility, and even more are burdened by complicated forms and the hefty expense which can cost thousands of dollars on average. Organizers at the Great Lake Expungement Network are dedicated to helping people navigate the state’s complex expungement process.”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has said up to 1 million Michigan residents may newly qualify for expungement under the law that took effect this year. A University of Michigan Law study found that individuals who expunged their records experienced a wage jump of 25 percent, attained better housing options, and increased employment likelihood by 11 percent.

Finally, on the all-important federal front, Kyle Jaeger reports that Republican Congressmen David Joyce of Ohio and Don Young of Arkansas have introduced a bill to legalize marijuana, protect banks that service state-legal cannabis business and ensure that military veterans are specifically permitted to use marijuana in accordance with state laws.

The Common Sense Cannabis Reform for Veterans, Small Businesses, and Medical Professionals Act will de-schedule cannabis but regrettably does not contain social justice provisions to repair the past harms of the war on drugs.

Under the proposal, marijuana would be removed from the Controlled Substances Act, clearing states to enact legislation that would allow cannabis to be imported and exported across state lines.

With respect to veterans, the legislation also provides that physicians can discuss medical marijuana use with veterans in legal states and they can “recommend, complete forms for, or register veterans in a treatment program involving medical marijuana.”

On the House side, Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said recently that he plans to reintroduce his bill, the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE), which cleared the chamber last year but did not advance in the Senate under GOP control.

Republicans, Democrats, Senators, Representatives—it’s about time to put all this silly shit behind us and FREE THE WEED!

—Detroit

May 23-24, 2021

© 2021 John Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.

Tinfoil Hat Time! June 2021

 

“In line with what the President is calling for, we have to hold every drug user accountable because if there are no drug users there would be no appetite for drugs and there would be no market for them.”

-Joe Biden, 1989 Democratic Party response to G.H.W. Bushs’ drug war plans 18 years after the drug war began

Ladies and gentlemen, prohibition does not work.  This can be said with impunity as you hold in your hands direct material evidence.  No need to consult the bold and enlarged summary that results from a Google search, no need to check with social media fact checkers on leadstories dot com, no need to wait for a paid editorial from a party friendly source.  If you still need further evidence, go and buy some liquor.  It is an empirical fact that banning a thing from the market does not stop that thing from existing and being on a market.  It does not stop users from wanting it, it does not stop dealers from selling it.  It does not make it go away.  It simply allows the government an opportunity to perpetuate oppression, destroy lives, steal money and goods, and intimidate people into making the life choices it prefers.

Drugs and alcohol are not the only victims of this tired idea, either.  They did it to LGBTQIA+ individuals for decades.  Banning them from society, all the while spitting rhetoric about how doing so would make the very desire to live life that way disappear.  Expecting a ban to remove an existing concept the government considered a life choice it did not prefer, and intimidating people into living more in line with what its rigged evidence suggested.  How did that turn out?

Time and again we see direct proof that laws, rules, bans, and mandates all do little to nothing in the way of ending what they claim to address.  More times than not, these regulations are simply avenues for government corruption to manipulate, steal from, silence, hurt, and imprison those it seeks to oppress.

Black, gay, and poor people like to smoke menthol cigarettes, a gateway tobacco that leads to tobacco use, so no one can be trusted to make life choices on their own regarding menthol cigarettes.  This statement is not the opinion of Tinfoil Hat Time, this is the opinion of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Your federal tax dollars, hard at work.

“Banning menthol - the last allowable flavor - in cigarettes and banning all flavors in cigars will help save lives, particularly among those disproportionately affected by these deadly products.  With these actions, the FDA will help significantly reduce youth initiation, increase the chances of smoking cessation among current smokers, and address health disparities experienced by communities of color, low-income populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals, all of whom are far more likely to use these tobacco products,” says M.D. and Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock in the official press announcement released April 29th, 2021 (www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-commits-evidence-based-actions-aimed-saving-lives-and-preventing-future-generations-smokers).  For any not familiar with the FDA, they are the compromised government agency that approves opioids and other pharmacological poisons regardless of how many horrific side effects they may contain, including death.

What conclusions did they draw from their undoubtedly costly evidence gathering, much of which includes data collected from youth surveys?  According to the press announcement “The agency is taking urgent action to reduce tobacco addiction and curb deaths.  There is strong evidence that a menthol ban will help people quit.  Studies show that menthol increases the appeal of tobacco and facilitates progression to regular smoking, particularly among youth and young adults.  Menthol masks unpleasant flavors and harshness of tobacco products, making them easier to start using.”

The FDA believes banning menthols will help people quit smoking.  Ever tried to hide or trash someone’s smokes to get them to quit?  Ever had anyone do that to you?  Prohibition does not work, no matter the scale.  Then, in what would seem like an effort to prove once and for all they have no clue as to what they are talking about, the FDA suggests that menthol cigarettes are a sort of gateway tobacco that entices people into smoking.  Not a preference, not a personal choice in regards to flavor, nope, a key element to the continued use of tobacco.  A statement I in my twenty-five years of tobacco use, nor any of the smokers I have asked since this press announcement, have ever heard.  Some people like menthol, some do not.  Some started with menthol, some did not.  Individuals made individual choices based on multiple variables including the choices of their peer group, age they started and what they had access to, price of the product, marketing, branding, and other factors that were unique to their lives.  Human beings are not numbers in a statistical data set and data collected from surveys is only as good as the questions asked, two facts the FDA either forgot, or is choosing to ignore and using to its advantage.  The smart bet is on the latter, as this is nothing short of a brand new war on drugs, one they already admit to losing. 

“After the 2009 statutory ban on flavors in cigarettes other than menthol, use of flavored cigars increased dramatically, suggesting that the public health goals of the flavored cigarette ban may have been undermined by continued availability of these flavored cigars.”  In a statement as ominous as they come the FDA straight admits that they are chasing a pipe dream with bans.  That their goals, which are divorced from those of the individuals, were “undermined” by free people choosing to adapt and acquire the product they want in the exact same way the goals of the war on drugs were thwarted.  And when the menthol and flavored cigar smokers hop to another product?  Anyone involved in the drug war at all can see where this will go, and where it will end.  The FDA does.

“For far too long, certain populations, including African Americans, have been targeted, and disproportionately impacted by tobacco use.  Despite the tremendous progress we’ve made in getting people to stop smoking over the past 55 years, that progress hasn’t been experienced by everyone equally,” admits the director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products Mitch Zeller, J.D., as he promotes a ban that will disproportionately impact these communities and targets them with his justification.  Not a medical doctor at all, but a Juris Doctor, a three year law degree that comes before the bar exam, less than a lawyer, he has determined that he will save majority minorities from themselves by banning yet another piece of the tobacco pie.  After admitting that bans do not work unless the whole pie is gone.  He is either not smart, or just another top-down tyrannical hypocrite at home in an unconstitutional and corrupt three letter agency with an agenda separate from that of the American public.

Since a government for the people by the people could never, in the history of ever, have its’ goals undermined by the reactions of the people to its’ actions, it is safe to say based on empirical evidence (rather than statistical evidence gathered from surveys) that once again the latter is the truth.  After all, this is the new drug war same as the old drug war.  The latest effort to use numbers, fear, and certain segments of society to gain control over people’s lives and high demand products.  A blatant slippery slope backward toward the exact same system we have been fighting to end.

Protecting the Children

 

In late April, legislation was introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives to ban the advertising of all cannabis products and facilities on billboards across the state and treat it the same as tobacco advertising. The Language in HB 4608 -09 is very succinct. “A person shall not advertise any of the following on a billboard or digital billboard in this state: a. marijuana b. a marijuana infused product. c. a marijuana accessory d. a marijuana establishment.

Legislation to ban billboard ads for recreational marijuana requires a 3/4 super majority of the legislature to pass. That is a very big number.

So wtf is this all about, over two years since the herb has been legalized and regulated in Michigan? Well, the bill sponsors claim the proposal is designed to “protect children.”

Steve Linder, head of the “Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association” which represents deep-pocketed provisioning centers Green Peak, High Life Farms, Liv Well, Pleasantrees and Floresh Cannabis, said the sponsors of the bills “are well meaning people” who “need more education... 56% of the voters were in favor of marijuana legalization in 2018, 44% were not, and hundreds of municipalities across Michigan do not want marijuana businesses in their community.”

Translation: some opponents of legalized marijuana are still pissed off.

“Any kid can walk into a party store in Michigan,’’ Mr. Linder continued. “They cannot legally walk into a dispensary. Tobacco is a carcinogen, marijuana is not,” With respect to billboard advertising, Mr. Linder went on to say this effort to ban billboards will not be given serious consideration by the Legislature as written.

Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) Director Andrew Brisbo, whose department oversees the Michigan marijuana industry told the Detroit News: “I’m comfortable with the rules we have in place as it relates to advertising...we look at advertising more holistically than simply at a single medium, and that’s how we’ve approached our regulations.”

 Who are the proponents of this billboard ban?

The key sponsors are Representatives Mary Whiteford (R) South Haven and Abdullah Hammoud (D) Dearborn. Co-sponsors are Democrats  Aiyash, LaGrand,Thanedar and O’Neal. Republicans are represented by Beyotte, Frederick, Meerman, Paquette, and Wozniak.

Due to space limitations, I can only go into detail about what’s up with sponsors Whiteford and Hammoud. 

As far as the other co-sponsors, only Detroit Democrat Shri Thanedar sticks out. During his ill-fated run for the Demnocratic Party nomination for governor in 2018, Thanedar supported and donated $1,750 to “MI Legalize” to get recreational marijuana passed into law.

Looking back, MI Legalize leader Jeffrey Hank quiped “he must be reinventing himself” now that he is a legislator from Detroit. Maybe he’s looking to polish his image with conervative Detroit clerics and other anti cannabis zealots. 

GOP representative Mary Whiteford, who is serving her final term in the House did not return calls from MM Report to her office, home and cell phone number. Given local and state political dynamics, it seems she has reached the summit of her political career for the foreseeable future.

In her campaign literature, she describes herself as a “conservative Christian business woman.”

She once worked as a pediatric emergency nurse and served on the “Allegan County Mental Health Authority.” With her husband Kevin, she owns “Whiteford Wealth Management, Inc” which specializes in tax planning, investment sales and money management for the local uber culture. She has three grown children and lives in an 8 bedroom, 7 bath homestead in a gated community on the Lake Michigan shoreline. The property was recently listed for $1.25 million.

South Haven has no marijuana billboards. Cannabis businesses have been banned in the city.

Some of the finest residents in this beach town were terrified when anti cannabis militants made their dire predictions. They said if marijuana businesses were allowed in the city, the place would become a mecca for drug tourists, homeless persons, addicts and other undesirables. Property values would be destroyed and a wave of crime would overwhelm the defenseless community. 

 In the same Detroit News story in which Director Brisbo was quoted, Whiteford expressed her distaste for expressway billboards catering to persons from states where marijuna is still illegal. She joined with Dearborn Democrat Abdullah Hammoud, in objecting to billboards in mega urban areas which advertise cannabis products like “Kushy Punch,” which are said to be marijuana kid bait.

In contrast to Ms. Whiteford, the other sponsor, Representative Abdullah Hammoud, was eager to explain his position.

Hammoud was first elected to the Legislature at age 27. He is also in his final term in the House. He is currently running for Mayor of Dearborn in the November election. Pundits say he has a chance of winning. He graduated from the University of Michigan and is a specialist in healthcare administration. He supported Bernie Sanders for president and voted in favor of legalizing marijuana in Michigan. He is an observant Muslim.

Listening to him telling his story, he seems convinced that billboards advertising “Kushy Punch” (which are all over Detroit and Dearborn) makes marijuana attractive to kids in the same way candy, soft drink and toy ads attempt to do the same. He was less preoccupied with freeway billboards.

“I’m willing to compromise,” he said, “but this needs to be better regulated.”

Since Islam officially probhibits alchoholic beverages and recreational drugs, I asked him if that had anything to do with his bill. He vigorously declared: “I will never impose my religion on anyone. Some Muslims drink and use marijuana. I voted to legalize marijuana because this is a civil rights issue. I do not drink or use (recreational) drugs. My background is in public health and I take my health seriously.”

He came across as very sincere about protecting young people.

On the other hand, some critics say Hammoud is using the issue to appeal to his Muslim constiuents and other social conservatives-- to buck up his chances to win the Dearborn Mayors race.

Cannabis reform and parental rights advocate Jim Powers had another take on the matter.

“I live in Centerline (a Detroit suburb) and we have a bunch of these billboards. My son asked about them and I told him the truth. There was no fallout... The idea that we have to moderate billboards screams that people don’t want to do the work of having an honest conversation about marijuana with their kids. They expect the government to do it for them.”