Octopus Overlords

Kraken wrote:It certainly belongs in the "Well, duh" bin but it's good to show people the numbers. If half the states legalize then American black marketers can easily supply the other half, and the exporting nations are SOL.

One wonders, though, what line of business the cartels will go into next. The market for other drugs seems to be fully supplied already -- it's not like they can just double down on coke and horse.

Microsoft has teamed up with California-based technology start-up Kind Financial, which helps businesses and government agencies track sales of legalised marijuana "from seed to sale". It is the first-ever partnership of its kind for Microsoft. Kind has been selling its marijuana tracking software to businesses and governments for some three years. The start-up will now be able work on Microsoft's government cloud. Kind's software, which is called Agrisoft Seed to Sale, "closes the loop between marijuana-related businesses, regulatory agencies, and financial institutions," a press release said.

Max Peck wrote:Presumably this means that all the cool kids will be turning their backs on legal marijuana.

An anonymous attorney from the Drug Enforcement Administration recently told a reporter that the DEA is planning on moving marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 on August 1st. This move would free up research on the cannabis plant as well as allow all 50 states a free hand in deciding on their own medical marijuana policies without the threat of federal enforcement hanging over their heads. In other words, on a federal level, medical cannabis would be legal.

This is all great news for those who oppose marijuana prohibition. But a move to Schedule 2 is not without its drawbacks. As things stand now, the federal government does not regulate marijuana; instead the DEA enforces its prohibition. But under Schedule 2 cannabis could come under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration, something that could put the legality of the plant into a regulatory nightmare.

A few weeks ago, an article in the Santa Monica Observer set the weed internet ablaze with speculation after it claimed that an anonymous source within the DEA had confirmed the agency’s intent to move cannabis to Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act. Many pro-legalization blogs lapped it up, though others pointed out that the story’s sourcing was highly suspect.

The article was based on a single anonymous source: a DEA lawyer who apparently had a crisis of conscience when subjected to staff writer Stan Greene’s pointed inquiries, spilling the beans on the DEA's real legalization plans. ... In an interview with aNewDomain, an actual DEA spokesperson, Russ Baer, said the DEA had no firm plans to reschedule and was pursuing further study before making a decision.
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That didn’t stop Greene from doubling down yesterday with an article entitled “DEA Source Confirms Schedule II Medical Marijuana is in the Works.”

Stylistically, the article is perplexingly terrible, with phrases like “he walked off into the California sun, like so many lawmen before him” and “He's a tall man, a tall blue eyed DEA lawyer. I'll call him ‘Deep Throat.’” There are also laughable typos, such as "TBD oil" instead of "CBD oil," that do not exactly evoke authority.
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The article is based on an lunch interview supposedly conducted at the high-end hotel Shutters on the Beach. In it, Greene claims to have bought his anonymous source a $150 glass of wine. Chardonnay, specifically.

But when I called the hotel, a customer service rep by the name of Dallas said none of their wines are priced that high.

“There’s nothing like that here,” he said. “We don’t have a $150 glass of wine."

After speaking to Dallas, I called the Santa Monica Observer to see if Greene had anything to say about this price conundrum. A rather gruff man who answered the phone informed me that "every journalist in the world is calling to speak to [Stan Greene]" and I wouldn't be the one getting through.
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Unsatisfied with Lewis' explanation, and skeptical of the idea that the Santa Monica Observer would expense an $800 bottle of wine (even more than the idea of a high-powered DEA lawyer drinking a white with his filet mignon), I called Shutters again. Obviously, I'd fallen all the way into the most frivolous of rabbit holes at this point, but hey, sometimes the only way out is through. And, I have to admit, I was strangely determined to get to the bottom of the $150 glass.

Nora, a front desk agent previously employed at Shutters' restaurant, informed me that while there were some wildly expensive wines on their list, there were none that fit Greene's description.

“Definitely reds,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Chardonnay for $800.” After a brief hold, she confirmed that the most expensive bottle of white on their menu was a $485 bottle of white Burgundy, which they definitely did not sell by the glass.

To me, it appears that Greene exaggerated the price of a bottle of wine to impress his readers. That, I think, tells us everything we need to know here.

Researchers discovered that the main psychoactive compound in marijuana—tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—and a few other active compounds remove amyloid beta proteins from lab-grown neurons. Amyloid is the toxic protein known to accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. The compounds also significantly reduced cellular inflammation, an underlying factor in the disease’s progression. “Although other studies have offered evidence that cannabinoids might be neuroprotective against the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, [our study] is the first to demonstrate that cannabinoids affect both inflammation and amyloid beta accumulation in nerve cells,” said Professor David Schubert, senior author of the study.

The brain produces its own cannabis-like molecules, endocannabinoids, which seem to protect nerve cells from inflammatory amyloid damage. THC in cannabis activates the same receptors as the body’s endocannabinoids. “Inflammation within the brain is a major component of the damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but it has always been assumed that this response was coming from immune-like cells in the brain, not the nerve cells themselves,” said Antonio Currais, a postdoctoral researcher in Schubert’s laboratory and first author of the paper. “When we were able to identify the molecular basis of the inflammatory response to amyloid beta, it became clear that THC-like compounds that the nerve cells make themselves may be involved in protecting the cells from dying.”

Research on amyloid beta indicates that the protein accumulates for many years before the onset of Alzheimer’s, possibly over decades in some cases. If that’s true, then taking steps earlier in life to decrease its accumulation makes sense.

Kraken wrote:Amusing that THC is the active compound versus Alzheimers when so many cannabis compounds remove its "unwanted side-effects" (because real medicine isn't enjoyable). Here's hoping the study proves to be true.

Rip wrote:

Sorry what were we talking about.

Kraken wrote:Amusing that THC is the active compound versus Alzheimers when so many cannabis compounds remove its "unwanted side-effects" (because real medicine isn't enjoyable). Here's hoping the study proves to be true.

The arrival of medical marijuana in Massachusetts and other states is changing the way doctors prescribe conventional medications, a study published Wednesday reports.

The study, one of the first to investigate whether medical marijuana laws alter prescribing patterns, analyzed data from 17 states and Washington, D.C. It found that after medical marijuana laws were adopted, doctors wrote fewer prescriptions for Medicare patients diagnosed with anxiety, pain, nausea, depression, and other conditions thought to respond to marijuana treatment.

That translated to about $165 million less spent on prescription drugs in just one year in the Medicare program, which provides health insurance for older adults, according to the study published in the journal Health Affairs.

Analysts said the findings are especially significant coming amid the nation’s opioid crisis and campaigns to reduce the prescribing of potentially addictive painkillers.

Kraken wrote:Analysts said the findings are especially significant coming amid the nation’s opioid crisis and campaigns to reduce the prescribing of potentially addictive painkillers.

Zarathud wrote:Those figures say nothing about effectiveness for treatment or reduction in addiction.

Hagedorn is backing up his big talk with serious cash. He shelled out $135 million last year on two California-based businesses that sell fertilizers, soils and accessories to pot growers, recently spent another $120 million on a still-undisclosed lighting and hydroponics equipment company in Amsterdam and promises to invest about another $150 million by the end of 2016. Altogether, the deals are bigger than the largest single acquisition in the history of Scotts Miracle-Gro, which takes in $160 million of profit on $3 billion in sales annually.

Colorado town finds THC in its water, warns residents not to drink or bathe in it wrote:Hugo is a Lincoln County town of about 750 people that sits roughly 90 miles east of Colorado Springs and 15 miles southeast of Limon. There are no commercial marijuana operations in Lincoln County. The entire county has only 62 medical marijuana patients, according to the state Health Department.

The county sheriff’s office said in a Facebook notice that the compound was detected Thursday afternoon by Hugo Public Works.

The sheriff’s office said in a tweet that at “this time health officials believe it is THC marijuana related.”

“We are asking everyone on Hugo water to avoid drinking, cooking and bathing in Hugo water,” the alert said. “At this time, Investigators are assessing the situation with state and federal authorities. Bathroom usage is still safe, but until more information is known to us, out of an abundance of caution, avoid drinking Town of Hugo water. Fresh water is on the way to our community.”

Thirteen percent of adults surveyed by Gallup last month said they currently smoke pot, up from 7 percent only three years earlier.

While Gallup stops short of directly attributing the nearly 100 percent increase on any particular trend, the spike with respect to adults who openly admit marijuana use follows a years-long legalization effort that has successfully reduced or eliminated criminal penalties for pot smokers in several states with potentially more to come.

“States’ willingness to legalize marijuana could be a reason for the uptick in the percentage of Americans who say they smoke marijuana, regardless of whether it is legal in their particular state. Gallup finds residents in the West — home of all four states that have legalized recreational marijuana use — are significantly more likely to say they smoke marijuana than those in other parts of the country,” said Gallup.
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Despite the nearly 100 percent increase with regards to adults who admit currently smoking pot, the number of adults who say they’ve smoked marijuana at one point or another — 43 percent — is just one percentage point below last year’s figure.

CSM wrote: In a letter in the Federal Register, the DEA said marijuana should remain as a Schedule I drug, a class that includes drugs the regulator says have a “high potential for abuse” and “no current accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.”

Kraken wrote:"No accepted medical use...." Half the states beg to differ. At what point does medical use become accepted?

Kraken wrote:"No accepted medical use...." Half the states beg to differ. At what point does medical use become accepted?

Isgrimnur wrote:We hit 38 states, and we can get an amendment.

A record high 60 percent of American adults support legalization of marijuana, according to a new Gallup poll released three weeks before voters in nine states decide whether to expand legal access to pot.

When Gallup first asked about this issue in 1969, 12 percent of Americans supported legalization. By 2000, support had increased to 31 percent and has continued climbing since then, reaching 58 percent last year.

Recreational use of marijuana is currently legal in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington state and the District of Columbia. Depending on the Election Day outcome, they could be joined by Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada.

Three other states — Florida, Arkansas and North Dakota — will be deciding whether to permit marijuana for medical purposes. Montanans will vote on whether to ease restrictions on an existing medical marijuana law.

According to Gallup’s new poll, released on Wednesday, 67 percent of Democrats support legalization, compared to 42 percent of Republicans and 70 percent of independents. Support among adults aged 18-34 was 77 percent, compared to 45 percent among those over 55.

After tomorrow, recreational marijuana may be legal in a huge swath of the United States. Voters in California, Arizona, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Maine will be deciding on ballot proposals legalizing pot for recreational use. According to a summary at NORML, the pro-pot advocacy group, recent polls suggest a win for legalization in all of those states.

Most of the western United States may soon have legalization. Marijuana is already legal in Washington, Oregon, and Colorado, so pretty soon you might be able to take a road trip from Seattle to Portland to Los Angeles to Las Vegas to Denver and never touch a marijuana-prohibition state. (Two caveats: for the foreseeable future it will still be against federal law to transport pot across state lines, and your journey would require you to get out of your car at Four Corners Monument and carefully step from northeastern Arizona into southwestern Colorado.)

It’s not too surprising that liberal states, like California, or libertarian states, like Nevada, are ready to embrace legalization. The interesting question is whether pot will become an issue like same-sex marriage, which went from politically taboo to widely embraced in a few years, and where opposition is gradually crumbling as the population ages, or more like abortion, where the electorate remains evenly divided on the issue decades after the Roe v. Wade decision.

While it’s true that legalization in California, with a population of almost forty million people, is likely to have an enormous impact on the national debate, to get a sense of where this issue is headed, pay attention to the red and purple states that have marijuana ballot proposals tomorrow. Marijuana legalizers have pursued a gradualist strategy whereby they first push to legalize medical marijuana and then, after it succeeds, they move on to legalize recreational use. (California has had medical marijuana for years and is now making the leap into recreational.)

Voters in Florida, Montana, Arkansas, and North Dakota will all be making decisions about medical marijuana. Florida is a large and closely divided state, and Montana, Arkansas, and North Dakota are deep-red states. It’s not too surprising that the West Coast is about to embrace legalization, but if marijuana prohibition starts crumbling in places like Arkansas it will be a sign that the issue may have transcended the partisan divide.

$iljanus wrote:I was very amused by the anti pot ad in Massachusetts with a mom with young daughter on a block with a never ending series of pot shops with young folks walking around smoking, a display with "pot-laced" snacks and a kid walking out of one store and the mom says "Kevin?" and the kid answers "Mom?". Hysterical!

$iljanus wrote:I was very amused by the anti pot ad in Massachusetts with a mom with young daughter on a block with a never ending series of pot shops with young folks walking around smoking, a display with "pot-laced" snacks and a kid walking out of one store and the mom says "Kevin?" and the kid answers "Mom?". Hysterical!

Fitzy wrote:

$iljanus wrote:I was very amused by the anti pot ad in Massachusetts with a mom with young daughter on a block with a never ending series of pot shops with young folks walking around smoking, a display with "pot-laced" snacks and a kid walking out of one store and the mom says "Kevin?" and the kid answers "Mom?". Hysterical!

That's a pretty accurate portrayal of Colorado now. So sad.

money not going where it was supposed to (education)