Tuesday, June 7, 2011

If I could Grow Gold

In the history of humankind the quest to grow gold is a familiar theme. The Alchemists of old searched high and low for the secret to turning common metals into gold. Rumpelstiltskin – the fable by the Brothers Grim made famous the miller’s daughter snatched by the greedy King. The poor girl was held captive so she might spin gold for the King and the King alone.

What the Alchemists didn’t realize is they were working way too hard. All they had to do to turn a common thing into gold was get the King to prohibit it.

At least that is how it worked with drugs. Until prohibition came along, our relationship with these plants was relatively simple. The poppy plant; the cannabis plant; the coca plant; commonly grown medical herbs available for pennies. Grown at home or purchased for use as teas, tinctures or aroma therapy, humanity stayed healthy and grew strong using these plants.

Today, the relationship between mankind and these herbs is more complicated. The tobacco plant is regulated, heavily taxed and the marketplace tightly governed. In the case of tobacco, additives, curing agents and pesticides combine to make a sacred plant into an unhealthy soup of chemicals while slick marketers ply consumers with advertisements.

While regulated tobacco companies net record profits, despite increased awareness of the harm, they aren’t making nearly the profits black-market profiteers are making off plants that remain prohibited.

Cannabis, poppy, and coca are easy plants to grow. They are adaptable to a variety of climates. Thanks to prohibition they are also as valuable as gold, plutonium and uranium.

Gold, plutonium and uranium growing in the backyard is an Alchemists dream come true.

Back to our fable. Most fables for children keep it simple, one villain, one princess in need of rescuing and one hero. Like prohibition, our story isn’t so simple. In the fable, a local merchant lies – saying his daughter could spin straw into gold. The greedy King kidnaps the girl and under the threat of death forces her to spin gold. Rumpelstiltskin secretly helps the maiden meet the kings demand for gold but the price he exacts grows greater every day. More like prohibition then we might care to admit.

The US demand for drugs is insatiable. The King (federal agencies) has a vested interest in keeping plants prohibited and for four decades they have lied to protect their interests. The US appetite for drugs is matched only by our zest for war games. The War on Drugs has given us leave to spend an increasing amount of money on armed-interdiction, created special paramilitary police units and paved the path to a police state through an erosion of search and seizure laws.

In 1999, a Canadian report to parliament estimated the worldwide illegal drug trade accounted for $400 billion dollars of the economy. Or just under 1% of the world wide trade.

Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron has been tracking the cost of the war on drugs for a decade. In 2002, he published research funded by the Marijuana Policy Project stating the country could save 7.7 billion dollars a year by legalizing cannabis. That translated to over 5 billion in savings to the states and over 2 billion to the Federal Government. Over 500 US economists signed onto the Miron report calling for a discussion on regulating cannabis.

Major reports from the last twenty years have shown reducing cannabis penalties saves money and reduces the harms to society. The Connecticut General Assembly is acting on a study that shows the state of California saved a billion dollars in 10 years by simply changing cannabis possession from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Common wisdom seems to accept that we have spent 2.5 trillion on prohibiting a hand full of drugs since Richard Nixon declared drugs “Public Enemy Number One” forty years ago this month.

So while tax payers are spending billions each year to fight the war on drugs, profiteers on both side of the conflict are spinning gold. Federal and state agencies get their portion of the pie and anyone willing to break the law is growing gold. Quite literally, the price of high quality cannabis tended to track closely with the gold prices until recently.

The national cannabis market prices are affected by emerging legal markets. Legal cannabis in 16 states means the traditional illegal cannabis traders are pouring more product into fewer markets making cannabis prices lower then gold for the first time in decades.

Finally, we’ve discovered a way to undercut the illegal profiteers…better yet, we’ve rediscovered what our grandparents knew. Prohibition doesn’t work. Cops will tell you that when you arrest a bank robber, bank robberies stop, when you arrest a drug dealer another one (or more) pop up to take their place. Prohibition creates more dangerous criminals who are willing to do what it takes to protect their marketshare.

We have to take cannabis out of the hands of illegal drug dealers and people willing to do violence for their stake in growing gold. The only way to assure patients have access to this medicine and assure the unregulated market is controlled is to flood the market with legal cannabis. We can enact strong laws to regulate the growing, selling and public consumption. We can separate the drugs from the crime by prosecuting people who harm others regardless of their level or choice of intoxicant.

Drug abuse is a tragedy; it doesn’t need to be a crime. By allowing prohibition to turn common weeds into gold, platinum and uranium we encourage unscrupulous people to take advantage of the most vulnerable members of society and turn otherwise law abiding citizens into criminals.

The end of cannabis prohibition is just waiting for you.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Cannabis is good for me and its good for you.

Who would have believed I would learn so much in a hotel room. May 3, 2011, I had the great honor to spend a day in a hotel room in West Palm with Dr. Denis Petro and Cathy Jordan learning how cannabis is good for me and good for you too.

Cathy is an ALS survivor. The doctors will tell you there is no such thing as an ALS survivor. But, what do you call someone who was given 3-5 years to live over 25 years ago?

In January 1986, Cathy’s disease was confirmed by the teaching hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. The prognosis was fatal. The disease would ravish her system, they encouraged her to get her affairs in order and advised her on protecting her pulmonary system (quit smoking). Since that first diagnosis, Cathy has seen dozens of specialists at some of the finest hospitals in the country. Duke University, University of Miami, the list goes on. Cathy jokes about neurologists thinking they are God, she quickly adds that even a god would not be so arrogant as to believe they were a neurologist…

Most of the doctors Cathy has seen are most interested in helping her die with dignity. Cathy is more interested in living.

Dr. Petro flew to Florida to participate as an expert witness in the Jeffrey Kennedy trial due to start May 2. The prosecution dropped the charges against Mr. Kennedy leaving Dr. Petro free to meet with Cathy. Cathy and Ervin Dargon of Mingo Productions have been working together for years documenting her struggle to legalize cannabis in Florida.

As a patient advocate, Cathy fights every day for people who cannot advocate for themselves. Dr. Petro is an incredibly approachable advocate himself. He knows the historic politics of cannabis, and had a front row seat for the evolution of cannabis science. Dr. Petro has worked on motor neuron disorders for over 35 years. In the 1980’s Dr. Petro performed double-blind clinical trials with Marinol on MS patients. In his opinion, no other drug has the same effect on spasticity as cannabis.

As a specialist in MS, Dr. Petro has seen thousands of patients and testified in hundreds of trials. Until recently, both International MS patient advocacy groups had opposed cannabis use, now the U.K. MS Society provides patients with details about the various strains of cannabis. In the U.S. at least 50,000 patients with MS use cannabis daily instead of the spending thousands of dollars each month on traditional MS drugs according to Dr. Petro, yet many of them are subject to arrest for their medical decision.

It was fascinating to hear the Doctor talk about the affect cannabis has on the hippocampus; some species will have more impact on the hippocampus than others. Currently, in Colorado vendors supply over 30 cannabis preparations available to treat various systems. The right strain of cannabis will increase your acuity while another strain might make you sleepy.

When asked to help us overcome the objection to smoked medicine, Dr. Petro was genus. He talked about how we take medicine tends to be cultural. We had to laugh when we learned that most French people on anti-depressants us a suppository. Contrary to some people’s belief, the distribution of cannabinoids works best if administered as an inhalant or spray in order to get it to the brain and system quickly. By using it as an inhalant you allow for faster absorption, only intravenous injections would come near the absorption rate and smoking it rather than taking a pill or eating a preparation eliminates the interaction in the liver.

When asked about the future of cannabis, Dr. Petro said he believes by the end of 2011 the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Agency will agree to schedule full spectrum cannabis based drugs as Schedule 3 products.

Cannabis-based drugs on the market, easily accessible to patients is a good thing if it happens. When Florida Cannabis Action Network designed its first strategy in 1999, we recognized moving Marinol to Schedule 3 as a positive step. When it was rescheduled, we celebrated it as a success. However, Marinol is expense, poorly promoted –therefore, rarely prescribed and even patients with access report it doesn’t work as well as smoked cannabis.

Cathy has no intention of giving up her plant in exchange for the next new thing. Just because the government has allowed pharmaceutical companies to take over a portion of the medical cannabis industry, Florida Cannabis Action Network is going to continue the crusade to give people access to this wonderful plant that can heal our bodies and prosper our planet.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Another Great Day in Florida Cannabis History

April 29 was a great day in Florida cannabis history. Jeffrey Kennedy, a pain patient from Boynton Beach was scheduled to present a medical necessity defense on Monday morning May 2nd in a Palm Beach Courtroom. Prosecutors dropped the charges rather than go to trial.

Florida has one of the strongest medical necessity defenses in the country. Established in 1991, Florida patients who meet strict criteria may present testimony at trial – known as an affirmative defense allows a compassionate jury to acquit the defendant. Jeffrey cultivated cannabis in consultation with his doctor. The defense was prepared to bring on top tier nationally respected doctors to put the efficacy of cannabis on the record. The prosecution blinked.

Nullification- when a jury decides that the law the defendant has broken, in this case cultivation of cannabis for medicine, is less harmful to society then the alternative, is a viable tactic. It requires serious people to risk their freedom and seriously ill people to risk their lives. Nullification is based on raising a level of awareness in a community to the point where a jury will not convict.

Palm Beach and Broward groups are raising the awareness in their community. This legislative session lawmaker, Jeff Clemens introduced the first medical cannabis bill in Florida since1978. He knows his constituents support cannabis reforms and this was just a baby step.

Today, Jeffrey Kennedy and his loved ones can breathe a sigh of relief. The battle is over for Jeffrey. In looking the legal system square in the eye, putting it all on the line, he won. Cannabis is his medicine. The court knows it.

Here at FL CAN we wish Jeffrey all the best. We thank him for his courage and heroism. Jeffrey, on behalf of people just like you we are committed to changing cannabis laws in Florida any way we CAN!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Florida’s Quest to Legalize Cannabis

The annuals of cannabis history remind us of the role Floridian's played in securing legal safe access for patients using cannabis. Florida courts were the first to recognize cannabis as a treatment for HIV, AIDS and glaucoma. The late Bob Randall Cathy spearheaded the creation of the Federal Compassionate Access program. Bob was joined by Elvy Musikka and Irv Rosenfeld, Florida residents who were among the first legal users since the passage of the Controlled Substance Act.

While early Florida efforts made the way for reforms in other parts of the country, the states own drug mania, fueled by the founders of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the Jeb Bush administration, led to the most regressive laws in the nation. Current Florida laws make possession of one seed, or one leaf, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, loss of driver's license, drug treatment, and urine testing while under community control. Florida remains among a handful of states that continue to disenfranchise felons long after the completion of their sentence and a mere 21 grams or three-quarters of an ounce is a felony.

Cathy Jordan (Bradenton) and Angel Hernandez (West Palm) know how important it is to change the laws in Florida. Cathy has been living with Lou Gehrig's disease for over 20 years. This living miracle attributes her every breath to the use of cannabis. Patients with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease are known to lose lung function and often need feeding tubes when throat muscles fail. Smoking cannabis and subsequently coughing, keeps her lungs clear and muscled strong. Angel, a 33 year old MS patient has documented his increase in function since using cannabis therapy. When a St. Lucie County Judge ruled his 6 grams of cannabis was worth of one year probation and drug testing Angel was forced into an impossible situation. For Angel, not using his medicine is akin to a death sentence, using his medicine, a jail sentence.

There are four ways to change Florida cannabis laws. Our challenge becomes making sure everyone with an interest in this issue is working on at least one path to reform.

The Florida Legislature meets for two months each year beginning in March for a 60 day session. The bicameral legislature must pass the same bill through both bodies before it can be signed by the Governor. Since 1978, only one Florida lawmaker, Democratic freshman, Representative Jeff Clemens has taken the plight of patients seriously. His bill, HJR 1407 died in the Criminal Justice Subcommittee. Which means the Florida House and Senate is poised to pass through another legislation session without addressing the needs of patients or reducing the penalties for possession. While we are done for this legislative session efforts to get a bill in both the House and Senate continue.

Two political action committees are pursuing petitioning efforts. The People United of Medical Marijuana have been collecting signatures to put protections for cannabis use in the Florida constitution; while the Florida Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy is petitioning communities to make possession a civil penalty. Florida law allows for amendments to the Constitution by petition and the strong home rule protections make local municipalities a high value target.

For patients like Angel, who are facing criminal penalties or charges,legal teams are asking the court to agree cannabis is a medicine and invalidate criminal penalties.

One person could end the suffering of patients, remove the threat of prosecution and save the state tax dollars with the stroke of a pen; FL Statute 893.0355 delegates the authority to reschedule cannabis to the Florida Attorney General.

Legislature, petition, courts and the Attorney General- Courageous Floridians made the way for over 33% of the country to live under laws protecting patients and their caregivers. We welcome a new generation of reformers to become part of the Florida Cannabis Action Network - All about Cannabis, All about Action, All about Network with one goal, bringing sensible cannabis policies to Florida.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Why Valentines Day?

We spent the better part of Sunday working on the Omega Project. It was important that we put some finishing touches on the site before Valentine's Day. Why Valentine's Day? It's easy. Someone I love smokes marijuana. Someone I love is sick and cannabis makes them feel better. Someone I love will suffer and succumb to their illness without access to cannabis.

Floridians deserve to have access to cannabis if they are sick. 33% of America's live in a state that protects them from police when they use cannabis as medicine.

Last week, we had another legal support call. The man is over 60 years old, a retired vet - 23 years in the service of our country. He was arrested with less than 1 ounce of cannabis, he is facing a $1000 fine and upto 1 year in jail. He has traumatic brain damage due to his exposure to radiation in the service. How are we safer by using police resources to arrest him, tax dollars to prosecute and jail space to house him?

So - we launched the site yesterday. It has some bugs and areas we want to flesh out, but the new board is coming together, which means more voices to share their ideas here in After Thoughts.

I'm Excited about the Omega Project. The beginning of the end. You know why we need to end cannabis prohibition and we know how. It's time.