Michigan News - August 2018

SJR-S: to Protect Voter Initiatives

LANSING- The Republican-led Senate and House did not pass the citizens' initiative legalizing recreational marijuana so they could amend it with a simple majority vote as opposed to rolling the dice on a public vote and then needing a three-quarters super majority to pass "clean-up legislation.”

But Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich (D-Flint) says this option should never have been on table to begin with. His constitutional amendment, SJR-S (was introduced June 5 and has been referred to the Senate Elections and Government Reform Committee. If it wins a two-thirds vote in the Senate and House, a question to amend the constitution would be placed on the ballot for voters to decide) is designed to protect the initiative petition and referendum process from what he calls "legislative bait-and-switch" tactics.

SJR S would require a three-fourths vote to amend or repeal any law enacted from initiative petition, even if adopted by the Legislature.

"When people sign a petition, they have an expectation that certain outcomes are going to happen," he said. "Marijuana highlighted the gamesmanship that potentially could happen. Thank goodness it wasn't able to get done, but there was a lot of potential circumventing of citizens wishes."

The state constitution allows citizens to initiate legislation by petition. If voters approve it at the ballot box, lawmakers must have a three-quarters majority vote to amend or alter it. If the House and Senate adopt it legislatively, only a simple majority is needed.

Ananich said that should not be too difficult for lawmakers. From 2015-2017, 70 percent of bills passed in the Senate by a supermajority three-fourths vote, he contended.

The resolution would also prevent the Legislature from repealing or amending a law submitted by initiative until the next legislative session. It would extend the power of referendum to any act except general appropriation bills. This would put an end to tagging on meaningless appropriations to bills just to make them immune to repeal.

The constitution currently blocks any bill that includes an appropriation from being subject to referendum. Ananich said the purpose is to protect the budget from being challenged at the ballot box, which could wreak havoc on state finances.

"They put appropriations on bills that they never spend to stop citizens to having a right to an initiative. The second emergency manager law was an example of that. There have been a few other examples of where they are so afraid of the voters saying we don't agree with this that they throw a meaningless appropriation on it for the pure purpose of circumventing the voters will. And I think
that's a problem," he explained.

That's the way the constitution was written, but Ananich argues it was never the intent that lawmakers should use appropriations on bills that are controversial to take away citizens' rights to overturn that with a referendum.


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Raid on Cultivation Applicant Facility;

DETROIT- On May 29, Detroit police executed a search warrant and arrested six workers inside the facility. Police officers, in conjunction with U.S. Border Patrol agents, confiscated more than 100 lbs. of cannabis. The six were arraigned June 1 in Michigan’s 36th District Court.

Attorneys for the company told local reporters that Viola Extracts had obtained its temporary cannabis business permit from the city of Detroit. Viola investor Al Harrington, a former NBA star and longtime industry advocate, stated “We're a company that's doing everything by the books. … They just decided to completely disregard all the paperwork that our company spent a lot of time obtaining.”
A spokesperson at the city’s Law Department confirmed that Viola Extracts had been granted zoning approval for its medical marihuana business. Such approval is a prerequisite for earning a state license.

 “At the end of the day, the issue with the industry is that a lot of people or entrepreneurs in the space, especially black and minority [entrepreneurs], only get one time to get this right,” Harrington told Cannabis Business Times. “When you have raids like this that happen and they seize bank accounts ... it puts you in a position where you can't even fight. It's out of your hands, and you're done. You're at the mercy of the court.”

The six defendants were each charged with controlled substance violations involving the delivery or manufacture of 45 kilograms or more of marijuana or 200 or more plants—a Class-C felony with a 15-year maximum prison sentence. Four of the six defendants were also charged with conspiracy to commit controlled substance violation, a felony that similarly carries a 15-year maximum prison sentence.

“Law enforcement raids of legally licensed and regulated operations across the country have been dating back now since the beginning of the licensing of cannabis [in the U.S.], and we need to bring a face and understanding of what is happening,” she said at the July 13 press conference. “These businesses are unable to recover, resulting in loss of high-paying jobs and marketable skills.”

“Because of these new laws and emergency regulations, companies from all over the country—legitimate companies—are coming here and investing in the city of Detroit,” attorney Barton Morris said at the press conference. “They’re investing in the state of Michigan. They’re investing in our economy in order to bring regulated commercial cannabis cultivation here in the city.”

Harrington states Viola specifically chose Detroit because of the investment implications: local jobs, the rehabilitation of an old riverfront warehouse, civic participation in a burgeoning industry. (Viola also has corporate operations in Colorado, Oregon and California.) “We want to be able to operate,” Harrington said. “We want to be able to go out and [take] our advantage of being the first to market in a huge market like Michigan.”

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Legalization of Recreational Cannabis Divides Gubernatorial Candidates down Party Lines

LANSING- In November, Michigan voters will not only decide who will be the state’s next governor, but also whether to legalize recreational marijuana. And candidates for Michigan governor in this month’s primary are sharply divided, along party lines, when it comes to legalizing recreational marijuana.

Here is a summary of which candidates stand where:

Lt. Governor Brian Calley summed up the GOP argument. “Having another mind-altering substance out there, with the endorsement of the government, I think it a bad thing,” says Calley.

State Senator Patrick Colbeck raised the issue of thousands of Michigan workers failing employer required drug tests. He says there are currently 31,000 open jobs in his state Senate district. “That number of open job-openings in my district is going to go up,” says Colbeck. “When that number of job openings goes up, the number of people on government assistance is also going to go up because they can’t find a job because they can’t pass a drug test.”

Dr. Jim Hines, a Saginaw gynecologist, is a supporter of medical marijuana, but not recreational marijuana. He says there are several potential issues, including lung cancer threats.

Attorney General Bill Schuette; A decade ago, Schuette lead the campaign against legalizing medical marijuana in Michigan.  A Schuette campaign spokesman released a statement saying, “Bill does not personally support legalizing recreational marijuana but as governor he will respect the will of the voters.”

Democrat Gretchen Whitmer (D)expects Michigan voters will approve legalizing recreational marijuana in November, which she says makes the implementation question key. “So it stays out of the hands of kids. To insure the dollars actually go where they’re supposed to go…into our infrastructure and our schools,” says Whitmer.

Businessman Shri Thanedar (D)sees a business opportunity for Michigan entrepreneurs: “I would make sure that big corporations from out-of-state do not come and take advantage of this new law,” says Thanedar.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (D)calls legalization a civil rights issue. “If you are black in this country, you are 3.3 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession, despite no higher likelihood of use,” says El-Sayed.

Both El-Sayed and Thanedar say they would use their power as governor to pardon non-violent drug offenders serving time in Michigan prisons, and expunge their criminal records if Michiganders vote to legalize recreational marijuana.

Candidate Bill Gelineau (L)says there are several positives that can come from legalization, including reallocating law enforcement resources. “Redirection of police and judicial resources to serious crime; a reduction in the law enforcement infrastructure,” Gelineau says on his website. “We simply won’t need to pay for as many enforcement tools, from probation to prison.

John Tatar is the other Libertarian appearing on the August primary ballot, claims he supports decriminalizing recreational marijuana.

Cover Story: Stop on by The Station - by MMM Report

STOP ON BY THE STATION 

First of it's Kind in the area

Tuscola county is home to The Station Provisioning Center which serves its medical marijuana patients and the first facility of it’s kind to operate under Michigan’s emergency rules. A vintage little building at 302 E. Huron Ave. which used to be a Gas Station, is now the goto shop for many people in the area.

“At The Station we strive to give our patients the attention needed to find the right product for their ailments. Budtenders are knowledgeable and eager to help provide a friendly and stress-free environment. "We hope that every patient has a great experience in our center.”-Mark Bills, The Station Manager.  “We provide our patients with top quality medication and a personalized experience.”

Treating their patients’ ailments with the proper meds is certainly a priority, however safety is also of the most paramount. The Station not only covers the entire property in security cameras, and locked entry ways, the employees are equipped with panic buttons to alert the authorities if the need should ever arise. They do so to add as much protection and peace of mind to its patients (and employees) as possible.

The Station wants everyone to feel at home, and if the friendly security doesn’t do it alone, the warm, clean, inviting décor will get you there.  The knowledgeable staff treats you like the ever-helpful neighbor, guiding you to the best treatment for your symptoms.

The amenities don’t stop there. Located next door to The Station, at 310 E Huron Avenue, is the holistic center ISC.

The Station, together with IHSC, want to fulfill a complete holistic approach to treating the residents of Tuscola county.  They even have plans to bring in some support groups to IHSC, ensure that mind, body and soul are treated. 

“If there’s an interest piqued, we can then help them to get their medical-marijuana cards and they can come through and make some decisions as to whether they’d like to incorporate cannabis into some other holistic treatments.” 

 
The Station not only ensures that its patrons have access to knowledge, support and peace of mind, they also make sure their patients have access to top shelf, lab tested, verified safe and affordable medicines to the card holding patients.
Because at The Station…
Our Patients become our friends.

Cannibals of Freedom: Is the 4th of July a Celebration of Parasitism?? - by Daniel L. Price, Esq.

Finally, summer is here!  But, is there a dark secret lurking under our 4th of July celebrations?  I mean really, what do we celebrate on the 4th?  Sure, most people have picnics, drink the beverage of their choice, wave cute red, white, and blue flags and pennants, and those living on lakes have boat decorating contests, and spectacular fireworks.

I live on Crockery Lake in Chester Twp., MI.  But, the celebration this year will be clouded by the lake association board (“CLA”), and Chester Twp board’s (“TWP”), decision to enact an ordinance which denies lake residents freedom.  The ordinance makes it a crime to have our friends’ boat(s) moored up to our dock(s) overnight.  It also targets one landowner who has a private boat launch on their property, by making it a crime to use the launch, among other things.  As freedom hating as that is, it’s the way the ordinance came about that is under-handed, sneaky, favoritism politics.  Indeed, the Twp. held a public meeting with notice of the ordinance on the agenda.  But, enough residents showed up to complain that the TWP tabled it for that month.  However, the next month, without public notice, the Twp. enacted the ordinance anyway.  Yep, the board essentially told those residents, and freedom, to Fuck Off!!! 

The CLA president stated in an open letter that an unnamed resident had an unspecified problem with an unnamed neighbor, and that it worked to have the ordinance written and pushed through by the Twp.  That person with the problem, rather than using current laws and ordinances and taking the issue to the courts, decided to rob all the residents of some of their freedom.  I guess it’s cheaper to destroy freedom than to fight for it.  It certainly takes less thought. 

The CLA president also assured residents the ordinance would only be enforced if you turned in your neighbor.  Nice!  This creates a situation where if we speak out against the CLA, Twp, or any of its members individually, we will be fined and prosecuted, but if we cozy up to them, we are given permission to break the law without penalty.  Wink!

Of course, the language of justification for the ordinance, which applies to all laws that deprive individuals of their rights, is that it is in the interest of the public health, public safety, public good, and public welfare.  Never mind that these are all incapable of objective definition, because it is a requirement to base laws on the undefinable when their very purpose is to deny us our rights.  Indeed, the “public” consists of individuals and does not exist independent of individuals.  Therefore, laws are not for us, but for those in power, and against us as individuals. 

The following are those known to be responsible in Chester Township:

Twp. Gary Meerman (Supervisor), Jan Redding (Clerk), Dianne Berenbrock (Treasurer), Mike Dunnuck (Trustee), and Troy Goodno (Trustee);

CLA. Bruce Collen (Pres.), Pat Wolters (VP), Bob Blaiwkamp (Treasurer), Linda Lane (Secretary), and Trustees Dennis Arms, Linda Rexford and Del Deur.

I will remember those who fought for our independence when I celebrate the freedoms for which so many men and women gave up their money, property and lives.  I wonder if they would have done that if they knew that future generations of parasitic liberty hating control freaks would act to destroy those freedoms and dump them in the garbage stinking of rotting flesh.  At the same time, the parasites will be celebrating the 4th in honor of destroying freedom to satisfy their insane lust to control others, while spitting in the face of all those who gave up so much.  I note:  The lust to control others is a weed that grows only in the vacant lots of an abandoned mind. 

Let’s celebrate the 4th of July this year with a purpose to honor the freedom that was this nation’s promise.  Then let’s celebrate the struggle to fulfill that promise by thinking not about what we can take from others, but what we can produce for ourselves. Yes, you may be labeled a criminal or a traitor by the government and unthinking parasites for thinking for yourself.  But remember, the men and women who began this country put it all on the line, their reputations, property, money, and their lives.  Many lost everything.  Yet they earned independence for the new nation.  We too can earn our freedom, but it will take independent thought, and guts.  The most important thing to remember is that we must always be aware that when we act to deny others their freedom, we deny our own freedom, as we give others permission to take it from us.

America is at a crossroad.  One way leads to the total destruction of freedom, one leads to freedom.  Choose! 

Till next month,
as always,
keep rolling on.

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

MMMR Recipe: Watermelon Buzz Blast - by Annette Nay Nay

INGREDIENTS

6 cups of watermelon

1 cups sliced cucumbers

1 juice of a lime

1 cup of mint leaves

1 cup of water

1/4 cinnamon

2 tablespoons of ground cannabis

1/2 almond milk

1/2  cup slivered almonds

DIRECTIONS

Cut watermelon in one inch cubes and cucumbers spread on a cookie sheet with wax paper. Place in a freezer until frozen about 1 to 2 hours. Meanwhile while place mint leaves in a bowl, pour boiling water over them covered estate for about 10 minutes. Drain mint leaves squeeze a lime in. Place reserved liquid in refrigerator to chill. Disregard leaves. Place Frozen watermelon cubes and cucumbers in the in a blender with cool mint liquid , cinnamon cannabis and almond milk. Blend on highest speed, until smooth, about 15 seconds. Serve in. 2 tall glasses, garnished sugar on the rim with watermelon balls on wedges, mint leaves and lime. Mini kabob style .

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL - Chad Morrow

State licensure is slow, communities unsure how to react,
some embrace, some battle, take a look at our Capitol.

The medical marihuana regulatory system and issuance of licenses is something that continues to be a hot topic throughout the state of Michigan. It seems that the majority of Michiganders can’t watch the nightly news or read their local paper without seeing mention of it several times a month. The first licenses were to be issued at the last BMMR meeting and it was canceled just days prior. Since it was cancelled, they’ve issued several bulletins about packaging, Ohio certifications, and Hazardous materials, yet not one license.

Conversations in local municipalities about opting in or out are still happening all over the state. There are communities like Bay City who have not only opted in, but are approving licenses at a rapid rate, being viewed one of the communities grabbing the reigns and leading by example. There are other communities opting out, some wanting nothing to do with any of the facilities, while others are taking a wait and see approach, wanting to see how it goes in the municipalities that allow them first. Then there are the contentious communities that seem to try to move forward only to be then be pushed back. Examples of this can be seen throughout the state. A meeting scheduled in Cadillac to discuss opting in or out with the puble is coming up, a year after Don Koshmider was continually trying to educate the council, they are now having the discussion while he sits in prison for medical marihuana. Kalamazoo township opted in, then a recall effort was made on the council members that voted to opt in, so the opt in has now been rescinded. The City of Detroit has two ordinances on the ballot this November to decide between the cities draft, and the peoples draft that was done via petition initiative. Lets not forget Lansing, a community with an opt in ordinance on the books, provisioning centers open, and a petition initiative to throw out the current ordinance that’s currently turned in enough signatures, but the signatures are being contested in a court battle. For the record,
Lansing’s petition is because they want more provisioning centers than the current ordinance allows!

Lets take a closer look at Lansing. The ordinance allows for 20 provisioning centers and an additional 5 if needed at a later date. In a city with more than double that number already, the majority of them were forced to closer their doors when they either couldn’t meet one of the states many criteria, or they were denied at a local level for one of any number of reasons, including a point system designed to choose the right applicants. That caused many to get a petition initiative going to toss that ordinance in favor of one allowing more. The needed amount of signatures was a little more that 4000 and more than 6000 were turned in. I spoke with Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope who explained many signatures were challenged and thrown out for being duplicates, non Lansing residents, or out of state circulators didn’t fill them out accordingly. Much of this is being challenged in court by the Let Lansing Vote committee. Mr Swope stated the city had asked for a summary disposition in court to have the case thrown out which was denied. So while the case moves forward, Lansing shops are open under an ordinance that may or may not stay. Mr. Swope stated the reason for the cap and the number was a number of reasons, they want a well regulated industry, other business owners were concerned about too many shops in business corridors, and that even some dispensary owners were for the caps. After a committee couldn’t come to an agreement on the language, a council member brought her own version that was basically adopted by the council with the cap. One thing I thought readers would want to know, where did the numbers 20 to 25 come from for the cap? Mr. Swope stated the city had consulted with a company in the industry, Weedmaps, who advised them that a cap is important to regulation, and that if your cap is too low, you’ll fuel the black market, and if its too high, its hard for shops to stay profitable which encourages them to cut corners and/or violate laws. The number suggested was 1 or 2 shops for every 10,000 people. Lansing has a population of 116,000 so they’re in at the high side of that suggestion. Mr. Swope stated 20 to 25 is probably too high for Lansing, but being that they’ll serve the greater area surrounding Lansing, it should be sufficient.

I spoke with Cannabis attorney Joshua Covert in Lansing and his personal take was quite different. First thing to take note of, I had to wait around for him because he needed CBD isolate and it wasn’t as easy as running to the nearest shop to get. He had to go up and down Cedar St, only to leave empty handed because they didn’t have any or it was over $60 a gram. He finally found a half gram for $20 and it was the last half gram in the shop. Before the shops were all shut down, Mr. Covert stated he could buy a whole gram at any number of shops for $20 to $30. In fact he noticed it was on sale for only $15 a gram at Lake Effect in Portage, Mi. He stated in his mind, that “a low cap was set to appease the anti cannabis group, who’s the minority in Lansing, and to ensure success for a limited group of people”. Mr. Covert stated one of his clients shops had an application denied, they appealed the denial and the hearing officer recommended an appeal hearing. He stated Mr. Swope held onto the recommendation for a month, then approved the appeal only to deny the application on points the same day. “My opinion is that the city is denying the high volume, low margin, for patient shops, in favor of the high margin for profit minded businesses. All the places providing cheap affordable medicine were shut down!” Covert was quoted saying. He also stated the Lansing ordinance as written could possibly cause an unfair advantage to Lansing businesses compared to businesses in other communities with the way the current ordinance is worded. “The way they have co locations and licenses set up subjects them to the secure transport and other expenses businesses that set up in other communities won’t be subjected to.”, according to Covert.

Got Meds is a provisioning center that was open for several years, was a staple in the Lansing Medical Marihuana scene, won Cannabis awards in multiple events, and had a huge patient base, but didn’t make the cut in the application process in Lansing. According to Mike Barron, marketing and advertising consultant for Got Meds, the company had everything to pass state licensure but they got pointed out in an extremely restrictive and hazy application process. “Got Meds received zero points for contributions to the community yet Got Meds donated all the lumber and labor to have a fence built for a community park” Barron said. “The company was an online website, just an idea by people back in 2011, basically a concept, it became brick and mortar in 2013, and was closed March 15th, 2018. They re-opened on May 19th after the cities request to have the initiative lawsuit thrown out, confident that the petition would win and the ordinance would have to be redone, knowing their application to the state was in by Feb. 15th and their denial locally was under an ordinance that would soon be invalid. On May 21st Lansing police issued them a ticket, and they were issued the same ticket the following day for being open. They then closed again and have since had both tickets tossed in court. “My thought is this, rather than working with the business owners and community, they seem to be working with a select few. And rather than being reasonable, they’re spending a lot of money fighting what the majority want. There was 85 applicants and each one paid $5000 to apply. If you’re denied, you get half of it back so their expenses of processing the app are covered. But if this ordinance gets tossed, they have to refund all of it. Then they lost all that money and they’re spending money fighting this in court. They spent money on an outside firm to go through applicants and they spent money on an outside firm to go through signatures.” Barron stated. Upon hearing the concerns of other businesses in the corridors and concerns of too many shops around them, Barron stated that the businesses around Got Meds always told him they were busier ever since Got Meds opened, and that other provisioning centers opened up in the same area, filling what had been vacant buildings for quite some time. “Something is fishy over here, all these shops are put under all this scrutiny and these point scoring systems here in Lansing, held to all kinds of standards other businesses aren’t held to here in Lansing. Just take a look at Let Lansing Vote, some of the signatures thrown out were because the circulator was from St. Louis, Missouri, an out of state collector, the clerk invalidated those claiming he filled the forms out wrong, turns out the clerk was wrong and those ones should count and we only missed by less than 50, and that was several pages of signatures incorrectly thrown out.”

One thing is for certain in Lansing, nothing is certain. Mike Barron, Josh Covert, and Chris Swope all agreed on one thing, if Let Lansing Vote is successful, there will be no ordinance in Lansing at that point and Lansing would be considered a city that hasn’t opted in and all current shops open under the current ordinance and emergency rules would have to close. Michiganders passed medical marihuana in 2007, 10 plus years later, the struggle is still ongoing. Patience is a virtue, especially when dealing with POLITICS.

Grow Tip - Pest Controlling your outdoor grow - by Kathy Hess

Most gardeners have taken the necessary precautions to protect your outdoor grow from pests, both big and small.  And while you might have achieved some success in keeping the pesky deer and rabbits from munching on your marijuana, it’s the smallest of pests that become the hardest to defend against. Bugs.

Pesticides, whether synthetic or organic, can leave a residue behind on the plant, even when proper flushing is done. This residue can then remain on the product during the drying and curing process, and could even damage the bud in the end. So how do protect our cannabis from these pesky critters?

Using beneficial bugs and soil treatments in place of any pesticide eliminates this problem.

In addition to being good for the plants and insects that thrive in the garden space, using beneficial bugs instead of pesticides is also good the environment. Each year, an immense amount of chemical runoff is put into the oceans and waterways of the world. That runoff, even with organic pest control pesticides, can create algae blooms, which chokes off the wildlife that relies on those areas for food and shelter.

Pesticides, even those claiming to be organic, can ultimately be harmful to the environment. Introducing beneficial bugs doesn’t just protect the environment they’re placed in, it protects the global environment.

Beneficial Bugs; Most gardeners prefer to use organic insect control as much as possible. This is called integrated pest management. The method of using beneficial bugs in the grow space is really just the act of letting nature be nature. There are no pesticides or chemicals used. Instead, insects are introduced that will be beneficial to the garden and the plants within it. These beneficial insects will prey on the unwanted pests, without actually causing harm to the marijuana plant itself.

While undergoing its natural life cycle, the beneficial bugs will also provide compost for the plant’s soil, and that soil will in turn provide them the moisture, food and life they need. This is why many growers experienced with this method the term organic pest control one step further and call this particular method biological pest control.

Ladybugs are carnivores and will eat just about any insect that has a soft body. They do however, have a particular taste for aphids. As larvae they can eat up to 400 aphids and when they are fully grown, they’ll eat as many as 5,000 every year. They will also munch on pesky mites, especially if they’ve already cleared the area of aphids. These perform best when released in the dark.

Pirate bugs. These winged predators attack and feast on their prey in a most vicious way; and they’ll eat just about anything they come across including thripes, aphids, and whitefly pupae. Like ladybugs, it’s best to introduce these to the garden when it’s dark.




Praying mantis. Praying mantises are fun to look at
in the garden during any phase of their life. But in addition to providing
entertainment value, they’ll also eat anything they can kill. Praying mantises are very fast predators. They are ambushers meaning they sit and wait for their prey to come by. These are great predators to tackle larger leaf eating pests that your lady bugs might be too timid to handle.

Green lacewings. These highly effective carnivores are not picky about what they eat; if they can grab it between their pincers, they will most likely eat it. They like aphids in particular, and larvae will consume up to 200 aphids a week and will walk as far as 100 feet for their meal. Despite its beautiful, poetic name, the green lacewing is deadly to almost any soft-bodied insect pest and its eggs. In its larval stage — when it’s known as the “aphid lion” or “aphid wolf” — it’s a voracious consumer of problem insects, known to devour over 200 aphids in a week. If it runs out of food, it will cannibalize other lacewing larvae. In its adult stage, it lives up to its name, feeding only on nectar and pollen.

Spider mite predators. Their benefit is right there in the name – these beneficial bugs love to eat spider mites. They breed twice as fast as their prey, meaning there are twice as more of them in any one garden. As larvae they’ll consume 5 to 20 mites per day and by the time they’re adults that number will increase to as many as 40.

Whitefly parasites. These bugs love whiteflies and have attacked them even before they’ve been born. In addition to the pests mentioned above that are most sought after by beneficial bugs, the majority of them also enjoy flies and mealy bugs.

Treating the soil: If going with beneficial bugs alone doesn’t feel like a formidable defense for your garden, here are a few of the best non-toxic controls are sold in most good garden centers.

Diatomaceous Earth. These tiny mineral crystals are sharp enough to cut through the skin of soft-bodied insects like aphids, thrips, slugs, and root maggots. Insect eggs are also very susceptible to DE and its dehydrating power. Early application with a duster in the morning on soil surfaces is effective. The rate is 8 to 10 pounds per acre. In a home garden, a little goes a long way. Dust frequently and especially after rain.  DE is also very helpful for rootworms. For rootworms, sprinkle the soil when you plant them. It is non-toxic to  humans but be careful not to breathe it in or get it in your eyes.

Ryanodine or Eight Garden Dust. This is effective control for codling moths. This is a plant resin and is an internal stomach poison that kills leaf eaters. It is also used against corn earworms and borers, houseflies, fruit moths, asparagus beetles, fungus gnats, and fruit flies. It affects pests adversely but is gentle to beneficial insects and safe for mammals. It will not injure plant tissues. Dilute this powder at the rate of 5 tablespoons per gallon of water. When diluting any chemicals, try using a little olive oil or a small amount of mild dish soap with the product. This helps it stick to the leaves.

Free the Weed 89 - by John Sinclair

Highest greetings from Detroit, the most ruined major city in the USA, where I continue to reside and pursue medical solutions to my physical problems as an old man in America. You’ll be happy to hear that I’m getting better and look forward to being able to return to Amsterdam for a few months later this year.
My friends are always curious as to why I’m so crazy about Amsterdam. They think there’s got to be more to it than simply being able to buy your marijuana over the counter in coffeeshops and smoke it among friends without fear of arrest or interference from the vicious forces of law and order.
Well, I’d have to say that’s a pretty good place to start, and it surpasses in civilization qualities anything we have in the United States, wherever you might go. Here in Michigan, for example, we’re about to pass a marijuana legalization act that we wrote ourselves, and it bans public smoking of marijuana! What were we thinking?

Incidentally, it’s fascinating to witness the recent collapse of the Marijuana Policy Project, the white-horse-riding institution that was going to save us from fucking up the marijauana initiative again and came in to write our legalization measure as Regulating Marijuana Like Alcohol. This is just about the dumbest slogan I’ve ever heard in more than half a century of marijuana activism.

Almost as soon as they inserted this asinine language change into our marijuana legalization struggle being led at the time by MILegalize, they started having trouble with the behavior of their leadership and then ran out of money to support the Michigan marijuana initiative. Now, while citizens in Michigan continue to struggle to make sure that enough legalization supporters actually cast their votes this November, MPP is trying to regroup and remain in business.

Me, I’d like to suggest that they get rid of this alcohol regulation concept once and for all and never bring it up again. Marijuana has nothing to do with alcohol and has no business being regulated like alcohol in any particular. Marijuana needs to be regulated like carrots or string beans, and the entire legal bureaucracy dedicated to fucking with marijuana smokers and producers
and sellers must be completely scuttled.

There’s no other solution!

But like I started out to say, there’s more to civilization in Amsterdam and the Netherlands than buying weed over the counter and smoking freely. There’s the generally humane behavior of the police and law enforcement bureaucracy, which doesn’t assault the citizenry with a lot of sirens and flashing lights and speeding cars and heavily armed coppers shooting down innocent citizens in the streets.

One consistent measure of barbarism in public life is the number of prisoners and the prisons that hold them. In the 20 years I’ve been visiting regularly in Holland, they’ve closed down at least a dozen prisons for lack of appropriate inmates, shutting down four just last week. That’s always good news.

Even Michigan is about to close down a prison in the near future, and when they get rid of the anti-marijuana laws, they’re sure to have to get rid of a lot more cells. As one of those Michiganders who’s been there—I spent three years in prison for marijuana possession—that’ll make for another happy day for this old man.

Another great thing about Amsterdam is its sheer physical beauty as a compact urban center organized around a gorgeous system of canals and sporting architecture designed 500 years ago that’s still stunning to contemplate. Public transportation exists on a genius level and life is abundant everywhere you turn in the central city.

But for me the coffeshops are the ultimate mark of civilization. Each one is different, and each reflects the vision (or lack of vision) of the individual proprietors. The trick is to find the one (or ones) that best suit your own physical and emotional needs and then frequent it (or them) as often as you can.

It has been my quest for about ten years to open a coffeeshop equivalent in Detroit where I could hang out and do my work while I’m in the Motor City—sort of a Bohemian Embassy for people in the Detroit Metropolitan Area where we could get together with our friends and smoke some herb, drink some juice or coffee or tea, listen to music from Radio Free Amsterdam

(www.radiofreeamstredam.org) on the sound system, hook up our laptops, tune into the extra-strong wi-fi service and get our work done in a warm, friendly, inspirational atmosphere.

This is the environment I enjoy at the 420 Café and the Dutch Flowers coffeeshops in Amsterdam, and I’m determined to see it take root here—hopefully before I pass on to the afterlife. I spent two years working with a group of characters at a place called the BoHouse on the west side of Detroit trying to effect the establishment of a coffeeshop with a performance venue attached, but all came to naught when they decided to simply grow some weed in the facility and gave up the idea of a public facility where weedheads could meet.

I went on to a place called Detroit Life on Gratiot Avenue in the Eastern Market district and spent two more years in intermittent residence trying to make my idea of a coffeeshop become a reality, but in the end the asshole who had the space raised a sum of money in my name from some investors, threw me out, ripped off my idea and incorporated his venue under the name of a hippie collective I had founded in the 1960s with Rob Tyner of the MC-5 and the great artist Gary Grimshaw, both now deceased.

Fortunately for me, the identity thief was a completely incompetent businessman, failed to make the thing work, and was recently forced to evacuate the premises. Me, I went on to keep talking with other people and pursued about three other potential opportunities, but nothing would work out and I’m still sitting at my desk at home, smoking my joints by myself, making my own coffees and working in utter solitude instead of within the friendly coffeeshop environment I crave.

Even with the idiotic perseverance of the Detroit City Council in trying to stamp out marijuana outlets in the city and eventually limiting the number of dispensaries to somewhere between 50 and 75 shops, there are still lots of places to buy your medicine, leave the premises and smoke it somewhere in private.

But there’s nowhere in Detroit to visit on a daily basis and smoke your weed with friends and fellow patients, listen to music and tune into cyberspace in peace. This is the place I need, and I feel confident that, once available, a local Social Aid & Pleasure Club would meet with a warm and enthusiastic response from Detroit smokers. Let’s hope we get the chance to see, and then we’ll know that our dream has come true. FREE THE WEED!

—Detroit
June 23-24, 2018
© 2018 John Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.