The American Cultivator 2014 Spring Issue Michigan Edition

There was a strange lull during the War on Drugs in 1972. On March 9 that year the Michigan Supreme Court declared the state’s

drug laws unconstitutional, and for 22 days, until a new law went into effect after the weekend of April 1, there was no prohibition of marijuana.

According to John Sinclair, whose appeal of a 10-year sentence for selling two joints to an undercover cop had led to the disembowelment of the law that gave some guts to an April 1 gathering on the University of Michigan Diag.

“Before that it was just some people getting together to get high,” says

Sinclair. “In ’72 there was a point to that one because we overturned the law in the Supreme Court. There was no marijuana law in Michigan; it was a brief golden period. We were ungoverned. In Ann Arbor we took full advantage of that.”

That April 1 was the first official Hash Bash, although it didn’t get that name until a year later when graphic artist Walden Simper came up with a title to put on the flyer. The name stuck, and so did the event. On April 5, this year folks will celebrate the 43rd annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash — same place (Diag), same time (high noon).

Over the years Hash Bash has had some interesting moments, and guests. In 1973 state Rep. Perry Bullard attended the gathering and smoked marijuana during the proceeding. Current Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje has recalled attending

the hash bash in the 1970s shortly after graduating from high school for the Ann Arbor News. Speakers have ranged from pot activists such as Ed Rosenthal (who will return this year) and politicians such as former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson spoke a few years back as part of his unsuccessful attempt to run for president during the Republican primaries. In 1999 the Ann Arbor News reported 8,000 attendees, the biggest Hash Bash crowd ever. While it’s always on the first Saturday in April, it’s never quite the same from year to year – and the weather tends to dictate the crowd size.

“How it started and what it is today are almost two different things,” says Adam Brook, who has organized Hash Bash since 1991. “It wasn’t until the 1980s and

Michigan advocates prepare for local initiative “tsunaMi”continued, PG. 21 see HASH BASH

hard core members of the Michigan cannabis reform community, who believe the only solution to the so called "marijuana problem"

in this state is legalization and regulation, are planning a tsunami move in November 2014. Local organizers began gathering signatures April 1 for proposals in Hazel Park, Oak Park, Utica, East Lansing, Mt. Pleasant, Port Huron and several other communities yet to be decided.

At least eight and possibly a dozen

or more local ballot initiatives will be run in carefully targeted cities in the north, south, east and west of the Great Lakes State. These initiatives will either legalize or decriminalize possession, use, or transfer of small amounts of marijuana on private property by persons who have attained the age of 21 years. For the most part, they will be charter amendments.

Emboldened by landslide wins last November in Lansing, Jackson and Ferndale, and overwhelming victories for the same kinds of laws in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ypsilanti and Flint in the year before, local leaders and financiers are

coming forward to say enough is enough.The Michigan Legislature seems to be

in a state of paralysis. They are doing the best they can to confront serious concerns regarding the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, which have been festering for almost two years. Specifically, safe access for medical patients though locally regulated provisioning centers and the regulation of digestible, non smoking forms of cannabis are on the Legislatures radar screen. We all hope for the best in the near future, and House Bills 4271 and 5104 become law soon.

By Larry Gabriel, Freelance journalist

By Tim Beck, Chairman of Safer Michigan Coalition

continued, PG. 18 see TSunAmi

Photo by Lynn Hulsey

News For PeoPle oN the Grow

April –June 2014 Issue 1theamericancultivator.com

veteransaffairslifestyle p17

vintage hash Bashtac p12

the doctor-patient relationshipMichigan news p4

continued, PG. 5 see AnnuAL RePoRT

Michigan fy 2013 MMp annual reportby TAC Staff

Originally published: February 7, 2014 on examiner.coma unanimous opinion published by Michigan’s Supreme Court on

Thursday held that the City of Wyoming enacted an unlawful zoning ordinance in 2010 that “prohibits and subjects to civil sanction any land “uses that are contrary to federal law.”

The case originated when John Ter Beek, a retired attorney and registered medical marijuana patient, sued the City of Wyoming seeking a declaratory judgment to nullify their ordinance. Ter Beek’s primary argument was that the city’s ordinance was illegal

city of wyoming’s Zoning ordinance preempted By Michigan’s Medical Marijuana actby Eric L. VanDussen, Freelance Journalist

continued, PG. 18 see Wyoming

This coPy is comPlimenTs of

The michiGan Medical Marihuana Program (MMMP) is a state registry program within the Health Professions Licensing

Division in the Bureau of Health Care Services at the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The statute that regulates medical marijuana also requires the department to submit to the legislature an annual report that does not disclose any identifying information about qualifying patients, primary caregivers, or physicians, but does contain, at a minimum, all of the following information:• The number of applications filed for

registry identification cards.

michiGan ediTion

the evolution of hash BashPhoto courtesy of Rick Thompson Photo courtesy of Rick Thompson

hash Bash & Monroe street fair edition

| The American Cultivator | April - June 20142

3April - June 2014 | The American Cultivator |Editorial

The American Cultivator

300 E. 4th St, Ste 2

Royal Oak, MI, 48067

734-931-0620

[email protected]

A bi-monthly Publication

My Compassion – Publisher

Brad Forrester – Editor

Content Providers:

Eric L. VanDussen – Journalist

Justin Jenkins – Journalist

Larry Gabriel – Journalist

Perry Coleman – Journalist

Rick Thompson – Journalist

Ed R. Cook – Author

Robert Platshorn – Author

Dr. Robert Townsend – Physician

Dr. Sunil Aggarwal – Physician

Al Byrne – Advocate

Amish Parikh – Advocate

Brad Forrester – Advocate

Ian Elliott – Advocate

Heidi Parikh – Advocate

Mary Jane Bordon – Advocate

Richard Birkett – Advocate

Tim Beck – Advocate

Photo Contributors:

Leni Sinclair

Richard Birkett

Rick Thompson

The American Cultivator retains full editorial control of all submissions. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for length and content. The ads or articles contained in The American Cultivator are not necessarily the opinion of My Compassion.

The American Cultivator

my comPassion is a Volunteer based, grass roots organization that developed from a small group of patients who

wanted to share the information they learned about cannabis with others who were sick. We understood the importance of reaching out to the public on new rules and regulations taking effect that had a direct impact on people’s lives. With patients at the forefront of our mission, My Compassion grew to be Michigan’s most trusted resource for information, education and non bias news regarding medical cannabis and the laws that surround it.

As our outreach extended and the word spread, seniors became a predominant part of our organization as they are the group that suffers most from conditions, that cannabis helps best. When CNN aired Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s special “Weed” the whole world met a little girl they would never forget. Charlotte Figi along with her parents opened the eyes of society about medical cannabis and that’s when the calls about children, with Epilepsy and Cancer started coming in.

My Compassion understands education is the key, which is why we spend donation dollars on programs that produce information like the “Guide to Understanding the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act”, Physician Information Packages, brochures on qualifying conditions and countless other pieces of

literature intended to shape the future and end prohibition. Upon receiving the donation of The American Cultivator in December 2013, My Compassion’s outreach grew broader and we look to expand readership across the country!

As leaders in the field of cannabis education, My Compassion is the only 501(c)(3) cannabis nonprofit in the country to received Combined Federal Campaign (CFC ) approval and we are proud to be the first recipient to receive a lifetime grant from Google, allowing the use of words like marijuana and cannabis for adwords and other services. We break new ground everyday not only with our published works, but by also giving live presentations at Karmanos Cancer Institute, Calvin College Nursing Class and Wayne State University. We have been invited to attend the International Pharmaceutical Academy, where we will speak on chronic pain and cannabis this May, and have already begun

developing our second branch of My Compassion in Illinois.

Over the past five years My Compassion has hosted over 200 public meetings and events. We currently meet every month on the second Thursday at the Southgate Civic Center in Wayne County, and on the fourth Thursday in Royal Oak at the Mahany/Meininger Senior Community Center in Oakland County. We still have a long way to go to achieve our goals, but unlike the past, where with each step we took forward, we took two steps back, today we are racing to keep up with the demand for information from people who want to learn more about medical cannabis. This is who we are, this is where our roots began, and this is how we grew to be the first 501(c)(3)cannabis nonprofit in Michigan, one of only four in the entire country.

My coMpassion raises the Bar for Medical cannaBis educationBy Heidi Parikh, Publisher, The American Cultivator

Upon receiving the donation of The American Cultivator

in December 2013, My Compassion’s outreach grew broader and we look

to expand readership across the country!

4April - June 2014 | The American Cultivator |Michigan News

The 2013-2014 legislative cycle has been a busy one for those who seek to amend laws controlling the use and distribution

of marijuana in Michigan. One bill has already passed through the legislature and has become law: SB 660, the pot-for-pharmacies bill, which ran like lightning through both houses of government. Other bills- especially those that seek to improve protections for Michigan’s patient and adult-use community- have not advanced so quickly. Another bill that is now law has increased the penalties for bringing controlled substances into Michigan from another state.

Most bills that are introduced never become law; many never even have a Committee hearing. Before it can become law, any House-introduced bill must first pass their Committee, pass a full vote of the House, pass a Senate Committee vote and then get the approval of the full Senate. If all those approvals are secured, the House must approve any changes made by the Senators before the bill can go on to the Governor for his signature.

Here’s a guide to the legislation pending in Michigan’s lawmaking bodies that would change the game for Michigan’s marijuana users. The proposed bills break down into two different categories: those that would amend the MMA and those that

would not. The bill’s current status, as of mid-March 2014, is indicated along with the description.

Proposals To Amend The MMA are the strongest pieces of legislation. The MMA has a supremacy clause that allows it to override other laws, to a certain degree. Consequently these bills have a high standard to meet- they must secure a Supermajority Vote in both Houses of legislature. Getting ¾ of the Senators and House Reps to agree on something is difficult- even more difficult if you’re talking about marijuana law reform. For that reason few bills try to amend the Act itself.

In 2014, there are only two.hB 5104–commonly known as The

Concentrates Bill, this legislation would redefine the phrase usable marijuana to include extracts, concentrates, foods and oils. It brings with it new labeling requirements- including a requirement that all cannabis is carried in a labeled container stating the patient’s name and the marijuana’s weight. That would include dried, smokable marijuana, too. This bill’s been approved by the House of Representatives- 100 – 9 vote- and has had one hearing in the Senate.

sB 783–Disadvantages patients in landlord/tenant issues; also prevents smoking of marijuana in public view, even on private property. Introduced by longtime marijuana foe Sen. Rick Jones. This

controversial bill has passed the Senate and is awaiting a House Committee hearing.

Proposals to amend other laws include changes to the Public Health Code, for example. These bills only require a simple majority of votes. Getting 51% of the vote may sound easy, but patient-friendly legislation has a difficult time surviving in a conservative House and Senate. It’s easy to introduce a bill; getting it passed is something altogether different.

The 2014 legislative cycle is filled with legislation that could affect marijuana patients.

hB 5212 – Would reform asset forfeiture laws. Would make certain forfeitures possible only after a conviction had been secured. Stuck in the House.

hB 5213 – Prohibits juveniles from being turned into police informants without parental consent. Stuck in the House.

hB 4271 – The Provisioning Centers Act. Would allow local communities to accept- or refuse- dispensaries; it establishes rules for Centers to legally pay caregivers for their overproduced marijuana and the concentrated forms it comes in. This bill has passed the House (approved by a 95-14 vote) and has had one hearing in the Senate.

hB 4623 – Marijuana Decriminalization. Would make possession of small amounts of marijuana a ticketable offense instead of a misdemeanor. Stuck in the House.

sB 626 – Marijuana Decriminalization. As above. Stuck in the Senate.

hB 4889 – Increased the penalties for interstate transport of Schedule 1 or 2 drugs. This bill is now law.

sB 736 – Would disfavor marijuana patients in custody and child protection cases. It even allows the courts to require a re-evaluation of medical marijuana patients to confirm that their doctor’s recommendation for pot use is legitimate. This bill is being amended in the Senate.

hB 5383 – This bill allows the Courts to enter into the LEIN database information about a driver’s incomplete sobriety test, when preliminary chemical testing is used to determine the presence of drugs. Also allows people that perform the chemical testing at crime labs to testify by video instead of a personal appearance in court. Awaiting a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

hB 5384 – Tiebar with HB 5385. Allows police to conduct breath or saliva testing for “the presence of any amount of a controlled substance listed in Schedule 1” in a driving situation; creates immediate penalties for refusing to comply at the roadside. Awaiting a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

hB 5385 – Tiebar with HB 5384. Allows officers to input the results of those preliminary roadside chemical tests into the LEIN database immediately and requires the individual officer to remove them if the test comes back negative. Awaiting a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

Michigan’s Marijuana legislation 2014: a priMerBy Rick Thompson, thecompassionchronicles.com

Be a real PaTienT – The first and foremost requirement is that you have a qualifying medical condition, and a qualifying condition that

is on the list. There are named conditions, such as Cancer, Glaucoma, and Crohn’s Disease and you either have them or you don’t. If you do and wish to have medical marijuana you should be able to document the diagnosis AND show that you are under treatment for it. The second type of qualifying condition is a symptom, either directly caused by another condition or the treatment that condition requires. Here are some examples:

•YouhaveHIVandaretakingtreatmentor are on Hospice.

•Youhavecancerthatisundergoingtreatment

•Youhavesevereanxietyandrequiremedication to function. Both the anxiety and medication cause you to have severe nausea for which you have sought treatment

Things that are a little iffy:• You broke your leg playing high

school football, and can’t document having sought medical care for it since (and you are 42 years old).

•YouhadB-Cell skincancer, itwasremoved, and hasn’t been a problem for the last 10 years.

•Youhaveahistoryofheadachesbutalways just took a Tylenol and they went away.

•Yourconditionmustbe‘chronicandsevere’

In my practice, chronic means it lasted longer than it should have, a good rule of thumb is more than 3 months if not years. Chronic diseases that never go away are also covered under this definition. Severe means it is bad enough to have sought medical care, as proven by medical records (which also confirm the condition). If you

can afford certification, a grow room, and cannabis, you can afford to document your medical condition by going to the doctor.

You must have a 'bonafide relationship' with your Doctor

Bonafide has two meanings. The first, broad meaning is that it is Latin for good faith. The problem is what is evidence of ‘goodfaith’differsbasedonyourendgoal.Whatis‘goodfaith’toyouandmemaynotbe‘goodfaith’toajudge.Asaresult,thereisnowa‘legal’definitionofbonafidein the law.

The sTandard:There are certain things that set a

‘bonafide’relationshipapartfromthehoteland dispensary doctors that the courts are looking for.

• The Physician has obtained andreviewed the patient’s records, reviewed their medical history and current medical condition. Furthermore, a relevant in person exam is conducted.

•ThePhysiciancreatesandmaintainsa medical record for the patient.

• ThePhysicianhas a REASONABLEEXPECTATION they will provide follow up care and reassess the patient’s use of marijuana.

IF the patient permits, has notified the patient’s primary care physician. Patients are not required by any Michigan statute to notify their primary care physician that they have been certified to use medical marijuana from another physician.

There are several points of note in these four statutory requirements from PA 512 of 2012 (HB 4851).

The doctor’s certification visit is like any other doctor’s visit and requires a medical record to be created and maintained. This is common of all aspects of medicine, and the court has ruled the certification document (application) itself does not satisfy the requirement for a medical record. There must be a separate note written and a file created.

The doctor must take a history, review records and conduct an exam. There are

two cravats to this requirement, first another independent doctor should be able to review the file kept by the certification doctor and reasonably come to similar if not the same conclusion given the evidence at hand. Second, the term ‘relevant’ isclearlyusedinthephysicalexam. This indicates that the physical exam must elicit a finding that contributes to the diagnosis. A finding of a scar from back surgery does not confirm or deny chronic pain, but a history of treatment for chronic pain does. In this case, the physical exam is NOT relevant, it does not add anything to the diagnosis of chronic pain.

A reasonable expectation of follow up, rather than actual follow up, is required. Thisisalongthelinesof‘youcanleadahorse to water, but can’t make it drink’. If a physician is available, and recommends a follow up (especially if there are potential consequences if follow up is not carried out), it is REASONABLE to EXPECT a patient to follow up with the doctor. If the patient does not, they may be compelled to testify in a Section 8 hearing WHY they didn’t follow up as recommended.

While a state-issued medical marijuana registry identification card is valid for two years, you should not wait two-years to follow up with the physician that performed your medical marijuana certification. Seeing a certification doctor every two years is a reg flag and could compromise the validity and strength of your certification in court. A follow up visit or phone call every six months between the doctor and patient forms a stronger relationship that results in better patient care, and thoroughly satisfies the legal requirements of a bonafide doctor-patient relationship.

Finally, all certification physicians are happy to notify the primary care physician if the patient wishes, it is simply up to the patient to make that request. Physicians REFERRING patients to specific certification clinics are generally automatically sent a

report unless requested not to. That is just how the referral system works.

There are other, non-required things that separate ‘legitimate’ certificationclinics from mills. The first major difference is that legitimate clinics do not go for the minimum standard, they SET standards and do the best they can because it's good medicine, and to provide a kevlar layer of defense for patients who may face criminal charges later. Here are some hallmarks of legitimate clinics, and some red flags that may indicate you are dealing with a mill.

Istheresomesenseof‘permanency’tothe doctor’s practice, or are they medical gypsies going from town to town trading their signature for cash? Ideally, the certifying doctor is YOUR primary care doctor that has treated you for years and will continue to treat you.

Does the doctor have a practice that is more than just signing certifications?

Does the doctor have some professional standing? Beyond simply having a license, do they have other things associated with beinga‘realdoctor’likeacleanrecordwiththe Medical Board, a DEA Registration, a clear malpractice history, etc? Or are they ‘damagedgoods’?

If you obtain your certification from someone other than your primary doctor, why? The strength of your certification depends on the reputation of the doctor, your relationship with the doctor, the reputation of the clinic, the policies and procedures of the clinic, and even how the doctor does on the stand. Make sure you pick the right one.

There are several clinics that have an excellent track record, especially with Section 8 defenses, and those are the ones you want. Avoid the ones that show red flags:

Mail order renewals, phone renewals, internet renewals without a face to face with the Doc. You are NOT PAYING A BILL to get your cert, you are having a doctor visit.

By Dr. Robert Townsend, President of Denali Healthcare Michigan

a ‘section 8’ defense starts with your certification

continued, PG. 18 see SecTion 8

5April - June 2014 | The American Cultivator |Michigan News

will The assaults against medical cannabis patients ever end?

Since our medical marijuana law took effect

in April of 2009, patients, caregivers and the doctors who approved the drug's use for their patients have endured a barrage of attacks that has resulted in the present decline of all medical marijuana program participants.

The attacks began back in 2009 with law enforcement officials, prosecutors, judges, legislators, local officials, and the numerous organizations that represent them. Those people and groups misrepresented the language of the law to justify their attacks, and the resulting court cases, when adjudicated by the Michigan Supreme Court, have clearly demonstrated that their actions were not justified.

Now Main Street has decided to put a boot in the ribs of patients too as the Michigan Chamber of Commerce wants the State to deny unemployment benefits to medical cannabis patients who have been

fired from their jobs. It's the Chamber's opinion that employers should "not be forced to accommodate an employee’s use of medical marijuana."

But Circuit Court Judges in Kent and Ingham Counties have already sided with these patients, ruling that fired workers Janine Kemp and Rick Braska could qualify for jobless benefits by overruling the Michigan Compensation Appellate Commission. Both workers claim to have never used medical marijuana on the job, and both were terminated as a result of random drug tests, not because they were impaired while on the job.

“The Michigan Chamber is seeking a reversal of the lower court’s decision because it puts employers in a no-win situation,” Rich Studley, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “If the circuit court’s ruling is allowed to stand, employers will be forced to either ignore known drug use and jeopardize workplace safety or discharge those employees and pay their unemployment benefits and, subsequently, higher unemployment taxes.”

Because the Chamber is such a powerful organization in this state with lot's of political connections and vast resources, and with the backing of the Michigan Attorney General's Office, the Michigan Court of Appeals will now hear an appeal of the Circuit Court decisions that permits terminated medical marijuana patients not to collect a few measly dollars of unemployment benefits, but to simply enroll in the program.

It can't be disputed that the conservative-leaning Court of Appeals has been less than kind to medical marijuana program participants. Their opinions on medical marijuana cases have been repeatedly overturned by the Michigan Supreme Court. It's not unreasonable to assume the Appeals Court will support the position of the Chamber and Attorney General's Office by overturning the lower court decisions, but advocates believe that even if that happens, there's still hope the Supreme Court will hear and overturn the Appeals Court decision.

When asked about the case in Ingham

County, Matthew Abel, an attorney with the Cannabis Counsel law firm and the Executive Director of Michigan NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), told The Huffington Post in an email, "The Judge made a well-reasoned decision,"and, "Even if the state appeals, it is likely to stand." Let's hope Abel is right and that justice for medical marijuana patients ultimately prevails.

Could the Chamber of Commerce be shooting itself in the foot when it comes to their position on medical marijuana? It could turn out that way. Will their position change when recreational marijuana is finally legalized in Michigan and hundreds of businesses open up to supply the demand by consumers that some advocates estimate could be as many as 1,000,000 people? Will the Chamber even permit marijuana businesses to join their organization, and will marijuana businesses want to support an organization that has taken such a dim view of them? Those questions will be answered, but until they are, people participating in the medical marijuana program and the businesses that assist them will continue to defend themselves against the powerful forces that would like to maintain the prohibition of the most therapeutically beneficial substance known to man.

editorial: Michigan chamber of commerce joins attack on Marijuana patientsBy Brad Forrester, Editor

• The number of qualifying patients and primary caregivers approved in each county.

• The nature of the debilitating medical conditions of the qualifying patients.

• The number of registry identification cards revoked.

• The number of physicians providing written certifications for qualifying patients

The information provided is based on data from October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013 (FY 2013).

The total number of applications filed in FY 2013 was 133,890, up from 122,463 in FY 2012.

The total number of both patients and caregivers declined in FY 2013. Patient participation in the program decreased 4.7% from 124,131 in FY 2012, down to 118,368 in 2013. The number of caregivers declined significantly in FY 2013, down a whopping 46.2%. In FY 2012 there were 50,188 caregivers, but caregiver participation plummeted to

just 27,046 in FY 2013 (See chart to the right for a breakdown of patients and caregivers by county).

Chronic and severe pain continues to be the leading condition for patients who qualify for the program accounting for 68.44% of all applicants. Severe and persistent muscle spasms was the next closest condition accounting for 18.71% of applicants.

Perhaps the highlight of this report is that no patient or caregiver had their medical marijuana program registry identification card revoked in FY 2013. In fact, not a single patient or caregiver registry identification card has been revoked since the program began in 2009.

The report also states there were a total of 1,457 physicians who provided written certifications for qualifying medical marijuana patients in FY 2013. That’s a nearly 600% increase from the 249 physicians who certified patients to use medical marijuana in 2009, the first year of the program, but a sharp decline of 25% from the 1,928 physicians who participated in the program in FY 2012.

County Patients Caregivers

Alcona 223 58

Alger 140 32

Allegan 1,492 391

Alpena 367 67

Antrim 505 132

Arenac 380 79

Baraga 102 20

Barry 835 215

Bay 1,347 292

Benzie 345 93

Berrien 2,280 591

Branch 676 167

Calhoun 2,162 656

Cass 653 134

Charlevoix 474 109

Cheboygan 343 87

Chippewa 416 76

Clare 676 172

Clinton 772 212

Crawford 248 45

Delta 659 178

Dickinson 400 93

Eaton 1,776 445

Emmet 495 93

Genesee 7,988 1,865

Gladwin 471 99

Gogebic 225 48

Grand Traverse 1,536 362

Gratiot 609 121

Hillsdale 818 182

Houghton 425 111

Huron 193 27

Ingham 4,669 1,161

Ionia 850 184

Iosco 431 88

Iron 206 42

Isabella 799 197

Jackson 3,224 806

Kalamazoo 2,880 676

Kalkaska 458 99

Kent 5,493 1,186

Keweenaw 39 8

County Patients Caregivers

Lake 269 67

Lapeer 1,466 345

Leelanau 241 54

Lenawee 2,155 528

Livingston 1,786 420

Luce 91 20

Mackinac 206 48

Macomb 7,997 1,785

Manistee 373 80

Marquette 983 232

Mason 442 74

Mecosta 503 103

Menominee 298 70

Midland 758 157

Missaukee 200 61

Monroe 2,158 458

Montcalm 1,264 392

Montmorency 274 72

Muskegon 2,678 571

Newaygo 758 177

Oakland 10,741 2,231

Oceana 511 110

Ogemaw 293 68

Ontonagon 146 35

Osceola 424 102

Oscoda 143 31

Otsego 491 127

Ottawa 2,289 469

Presque Isle 176 42

Roscommon 533 123

Saginaw 1,914 398

Saint Clair 2,121 468

Saint Joseph 775 187

Sanilac 751 165

Schoolcraft 202 45

Shiawassee 1,331 327

Tuscola 945 223

Van Buren 1,479 385

Washtenaw 4,343 918

Wayne 14,169 3,016

Wexford 611 163

ToTals 118,368 27,046

annual reportcontinued from front page

Patients and caregivers totals 2009-2013

6April - June 2014 | The American Cultivator |National News

J o u r n a l i s T d av i d Remnick conducted a series of interviews with President Barack Obama for New Yorker Magazine in

January of this year. Remnick's article from those interviews included a rather candid conversation about marijuana with the President, and Obama's explosive admission that, “I don’t think it [marijuana] is more dangerous than alcohol”.

Below are the President's full remarks about marijuana from that conversation, and while it appears that his official position on marijuana may still resemble that of an unconvinced prohibitionist, it's quite obvious that his personal opinion of

marijuana is much more evolved and in line with the growing public perception that marijuana should be regulated and legal.

“As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”

Remnick then asked, “is it less dangerous?” The President replied, “in terms of its impact on the individual consumer. It’s not something I encourage, and I’ve told my daughters I think it’s a bad idea, a waste of time, not very healthy.” Just reading Remnicks account, one gets the feeling that Obama knows that marijuana is a topic he should probably

steer clear of, and so he begins to shift the conversation to talking points that he feels more comfortable discussing.

To change the direction of the conversation Obama focused on the racial disparity of marijuana arrests and the incarceration of minorities. “Middle-class kids don’t get locked up for smoking pot, and poor kids do,” he said. “And African-American kids and Latino kids are more likely to be poor and less likely to have the resources and the support to avoid unduly harsh penalties.” But, he said, “we should not be locking up kids or individual users for long stretches of jail time when some of the folks who are writing those laws have probably done the same thing.” Accordingly, he said of the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington that “it’s important for it to go forward because it’s important for society not to have a situation in which a large portion of people have at one time or another broken the law and only a select few get punished.”

Being the statesman that he is, Obama was also quick to hedge his reluctant approval of marijuana by falling back on some of the tired, old prohibitionist talking points. “Having said all that, those who argue that legalizing marijuana is a panacea and it solves all these social problems I think are probably overstating the case. There is a lot of hair on that policy. And the experiment that’s going to be taking place in Colorado and Washington is going to be, I think, a challenge.” He noted the slippery-slope arguments that might arise. “I also think that, when it comes to harder drugs, the harm done to the user is profound and the social costs are profound. And you do start getting into some difficult line-drawing issues. If marijuana is fully legalized and at some point folks say, Well, we can come up with

a negotiated dose of cocaine that we can show is not any more harmful than vodka, are we open to that? If somebody says, We’ve got a finely calibrated dose of meth, it isn’t going to kill you or rot your teeth, are we O.K. with that?”

Regardless of Obama's public ambiguity, and his internal conflict over moving too fast on marijuana reform, it's clear that this President is raising the bar on marijuana policy for all Presidents who follow him. As public support for marijuana legalization swells across America, it will be difficult for any future presidential candidate to take a tough stance against it without alienating a large block of voters and jeopardizing his or her chance to be elected. Some cannabis advocates had hoped that Obama would simply wave a magic wand and instantly end the prohibition of marijuana, but that's not a realistic expectation because social change of this magnitude rarely happens instantaneously in this country.

president on pot: Marijuana not ‘More dangerous than alcohol’By TAC Staff


as Goes Ohio, so goes the nation. Surely, every state in the union will contend that it alone can influence national elections, but in

Ohio where the margin in favor of the winning candidate has tipped 28 of the past 30 presidential races, this adage rings true. The same may be said for 2016.

A growing cacophony of wide ranging voices is calling for an end to the war on the cannabis plant, and change is in the air, as evidenced by a recent Quinnipiac poll which found 87% of Ohio voters in support of the medicinal use of marijuana.

Buoyed by this kind of overwhelming support, a cadre of Ohio advocates formed

the Ohio Rights Group (ORG) in early 2013. The group then drafted the Ohio Cannabis Rights Amendment (OCRA), which would codify into the Ohio Constitution seven rights to permit the medical, therapeutic and industrial uses of the cannabis plant among those deemed eligible by a proposed Ohio Commission of Cannabis Control.

One may ask, why rights? Ohio’s forefathers confronted that same question in 1851 when they wrote the Bill of Rights that commences the Ohio Constitution: all Ohioans are, “by nature, free and independent, and have certain inalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and seeking and obtaining happiness and safety.”

When rights are abridged, “We the People” must reaffirm them. And, undeniably, blanket prohibitions on cannabis use have threatened inalienable rights. Take those of life and safety.

Documented therapeutic use of cannabis spans over 5,000 years. Considering that scope of time, the plant’s removal from the U.S. Pharmacopeia in 1942 after being present since 1851 is recent artifact. With deaths from legal opiates now exceeding car accidents and with acetaminophen poisoning among the most common causes of liver failure, the need for safe alternative pain medication rises to a public health emergency. “We the people” have an inalienable right to life and safety. It says so in the Ohio Bill of Rights.

Ohio’s economy suffers as well. The U.S. Census reported that Ohio lost 600,000 private sector jobs from 2000 to 2010, two thirds from the manufacturing sector, leaving a wake of pollution and destitution. If Ohio farmers could grow cannabis’ safe, life-sustaining non-psychoactive cousin hemp and if hemp-based products could be transported globally via the state’s massive distribution network, then health could be restored to Ohio’s people and life to its economy.

But this happens only if there is substantial change to the plant’s legal status.

That is the intent of the Ohio Cannabis Rights Amendment. In just 1,851 words, the carefully crafted measure would protect Ohio’s sick, dying and disabled, as well as its farmers and businesses, in a collective quest to move cannabis use from dangerous illegal markets to safe,

well-regulated ones.At Cleveland’s Glenville High School

in April of 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. proclaimed that, “… we must work passionately and unrelentingly for first-class citizenship but we must never use second-class methods to gain it. We’ve got to get smart. We’ve got to organize. We’ve got to organize so effectively and so well and engage in such powerful, creative protest that there will not be a power in the world that can stop us and that can afford to ignore us.”

That is exactly what the ORG has done. In just one year, the group’s all-volunteer army of over 5,000 supporters has been activated in 70 of Ohio’s 88 counties by an 87-member County Captain infrastructure intent on gathering the signatures necessary to place the OCRA on the fall 2014 ballot. The ORG has blanketed the state with an estimated $2 million in earned TV, radio and newspaper media coverage. The OCRA has been endorsed by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, the Ohio Libertarian Party and even Willie Nelson to his tune of “You Were Always on My Mind.”

In 2014, the ORG can again demonstrate “as goes Ohio, so goes the nation.” Passage of the Ohio Cannabis Rights Amendment in 2014 will make the 2016 presidential election a national referendum on reform. With Ohio’s ability to tip elections, no presidential candidate will dare speak in favor of abridging inalienable rights. When Ohio ends cannabis prohibition, the reverberation will be felt not only across the state, but nationally and globally as well.

By Mary Jane Borden, Ohio Rights Group

as goes ohio, so goes the nation


when i left prison in 2008 after serving almost thirty years for importing marijuana, virtually no one in Florida would openly

discuss legalizing medical marijuana. It was such a negative subject in the senior community where I live now, that I was advised not to even mention the subject unless I wanted to risk eviction.

So, being hardheaded I started from scratch, almost. The Florida NORML chapter existed because two diehard hippies from my era, Karen Goldstein and Dale Adelman, kept on believing in the dream. They were trying to keep hope alive for change but were lone voices in the vast Florida wilderness that was virtually devoid of talk about relaxing

pot laws. In mid-state Jodi James headed an organization called Florida Can. After years of futile efforts to influence legislators and get public support, Jodi and her handful of supporters all but abandoned their efforts to force change because they lacked the funding and organization necessary to maintain an active and effective organization. Then came a small ray of sunshine when PUFMM was founded by Kim Russel in Jacksonville.

PUFMM was different, they were organized and they had a plan. They were actively trying to gather signatures to put medical marijuana on the ballot. The problem was, and usually is for cannabis reform advocates, that they had no money to work with, and too few volunteers to be effective. I was fresh out of prison in 2008 and looking for a little social justice myself, so I hit the sweltering streets of

south Florida with Kim’s petition in my hands, trying to get medical marijuana on the ballot way back then. In those days there was only one other volunteer in all of south Florida because passing medical marijuana laws was not on many people's radar. But it taught me two things about a ballot initiative campaign, first there were Floridians willing to sign a petition, and second, without lots of money to pay professionals, we would never get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot!

When I finally joined FL NORML, and thanks to the movie Square Grouper, my book the Black Tuna Diaries, and my stories in High Times Magazine, I used my minor celebrity to attract enough members to make our growing group a real functioning NORML chapter. As a past Director of FL NORML, I believe our most important achievement was a waging a campaign to have our members attend and speak at local legislative meetings. We quickly began to see results, successfully lobbying for the decriminalization of possession of marijuana for personal use on a township level. Our resurgence also fueled a rebirth of FL Can and their lobbying effort soon began in Tallahassee.

The big crack in the wall came three years ago when my NORML chapter persuaded me to present a three minute pitch to state legislators who happened to be meeting in my local area, West Palm Beach. When the lawmakers heard the word marijuana, they all put their heads down and ignored me. But as I was leaving, the personal assistant for Representative Jeff Clemens, Beth Hartnett-Murphy asked me to help Jeff craft a medical marijuana bill. It took courage on his part because he too was a lone voice in the wilderness of a very anti-marijuana state legislature. When he wanted to introduce his bill he was derided and ridiculed by members on both sides of the aisle. He hung in there and kept pressing his idea and today he is a State Senator, and with a new comprehensive cannabis bill that has bi-partisan support.

But I knew more needed to be done if medical marijuana would ever be legal in Florida and the other southern cannabis-resistant states. My epiphany came in 2010 when Prop 19 (legalization) was defeated in California. Exit polls showed clearly

Medical Marijuana for florida! they said it was impossible!

continued, PG. 20 see FLoRidA

By Robert Platshorn, Author and founder of the Senior Tour

The idea of an ex-con teaching medical marijuana to seniors was so novel, that CNN, the Wall St Journal, and even The Daily Show with Jon Stewart produced

great stories about our shows.

sTaTe news – President Obama, after an address to political dignitaries, the media and MSU community members

signed the farm bill into law Friday, February 7, 2014, on MSU’s campus. Buried within the Agriculture Act of 2014, there is a provision legalizing the growth of industrial hemp for agricultural or academic research.

But this is one provision that Michigan and MSU won’t be able to take advantage of because of state laws that prohibit the plant’s cultivation. The farm bill requires that states choosing to grow industrial hemp specifically allow the crop under their laws. Nine states allow the production of industrial hemp, and 11 are crafting legislation to legalize the crop’s production.reuTers – Alaska voters will decide this summer whether America's Last Frontier will become the third U.S. state to legalize the sale and recreational use of marijuana for adults under a proposal that officially qualified on Wednesday, February 26, 2014, for a statewide ballot.

Alaska Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell formally certified that a petition campaign for the measure had gathered more than 36,000 valid signatures from registered voters, nearly 6,000 more than legally required to qualify.washinGTon Times – Smoking marijuana in the home or possessing small amounts of the drug [cannabis] will no longer be a crime in the nation’s capital under a bill passed Tuesday, March 4, 2014, by the D.C. Council and expected to be signed into

law by the mayor.The legislation, adopted on a 10-1

vote, makes possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana punishable by a civil fine of $25 while preserving criminal penalties for smoking pot in public. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill could attempt to roll back the measure, which stands at odds with federal statutes. It faces a congressional review period, but activists said Tuesday that they had not heard of any impending threats to the bill among federal lawmakers.

“Today we are taking a significant step to correct a continuing social injustice caused by a failed war on drugs,” said the bill’s sponsor, D.C. Council member Tommy Wells, who noted that more than 5,000 people annually are arrested in the District for marijuana-related offenses.cnn money – Colorado expects to take in about $184 million in tax revenue from marijuana in the first 18 months after legislation — and much of that money will be funneled into teaching kids to stay away from pot.

The state's Joint Budget Committee released the report. Marijuana became legal for recreational use in Colorado on New Year's Day.

The committee projects revenue of about $610 million from retail and medical marijuana from Jan. 1 of this year to June 30, 2015, the end of the next fiscal year.reuTers – Uruguay became the first country to legalize the growing, sale and smoking of marijuana on Tuesday, December 10, 2013, a pioneering social experiment that will be closely watched by other nations debating drug liberalization.

A government-sponsored bill approved by 16-13 votes in the Senate provides for

regulation of the cultivation, distribution and consumption of marijuana and is aimed at wresting thebusiness from criminals in the small South American nation.

"We begin a new experience in April. It involves a big cultural change that focuses on public health and the fight against drug trafficking," Uruguay's first lady, Senator Lucía Topolansky, told Reuters.world PosT – Mexico might open up its draconian anti-marijuana laws and legalize the drug, at least that's the hope of some forward-thinking politicians.

A bill introduced Thursday, February 13, 2014, would allow for the legal sale of weed under certain restrictions in the country's capital, Mexico City, according to The Associated Press. The law would create a health program to monitor consumption and sale of cannabis, the outlet notes. Selling pot would not be allowed near schools.

The bill would also fully legalize the possession of 5 grams of pot or less. Although Mexico decriminalized up to 5 grams of pot back in 2009, people caught with those amounts can be held by the police and made to go through drug treatment programs, the Latin Times reports.BloomBerG-BusinessweeK – Mustapha Tahiri, a cannabis farmer in northern Morocco, looks forward to the day he can sell his crop without worrying about jail. His country’s legislators may soon grant his wish. “I’d be a lot happier if the state leaves us alone,” says Tahiri, a father of seven whose home in the village of Beni Gmil was raided by government forces last year.

At least 800,000 Moroccans live off what Tahiri calls “the herb.” Illegal marijuana farming generates annual sales

estimated at $10 billion, according to the Moroccan Network for the Industrial and Medicinal Use of Marijuana, a nonprofit founded in 2008. That’s equal to 10 percent of Morocco’s economy. “We can’t carry on ignoring this big elephant in the room,” says Khadija Rouissi, a lawmaker from the opposition Authenticity and Modernity Party.

“We are considered an unruly bunch living on contraband and illicit trade,” says Mohamed Lagmili, a farmer in Beni Gmil. “That may be true, but we have also been marginalized.”sToPThedruGwar.orG – The global drug prohibition bureaucracy's watchdog group, the International Drug Control Board (INCB) released itsAnnual Report 2013 today, March 4, 2014, voicing its concerns with and wagging its finger at drug reform efforts that deviate from its interpretation of the international drug control treaties that birthed it. The INCB is "concerned" about moves toward marijuana legalization and warns about "the importance of universal implementation of international drug control treaties by all states."

"We deeply regret the developments at the state level in Colorado and Washington, in the United States, regarding the legalization of the recreational use of cannabis," INCB head Raymond Yans said in introducing the report. "INCB reiterates that these developments contravene the provisions of the drug control conventions, which limit the use of cannabis to medical and scientific use only. INCB urges the Government of the United States to ensure that the treaties are fully implemented on the entirety of its territory."

cannaBis news froM around the worldBy TAC Staff


Originally published: 01/29/2014 6:20 pm on HuffingtonPost.comrecenTly, on a segment with Anderson Cooper on CNN that aired one week

into the overall excitement after legal adult cannabis sales had started in Colorado, famed addiction medicine specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky expressed shock about the oft-cited figure that 1 in 11 people who ever use cannabis becomes dependent. In a moderated conversation with renowned Columbia psychopharmacologist Dr. Carl Hart, Dr. Drew noted that cannabis dependence is "very uncommon" and stated, "They said 1 in 11; it's nowhere near that." By "they" he is likely referring to the establishment, headed up by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the federal drug abuse research institute, and related federal agencies. This figure for cannabis dependence prevalence has been around for some time and is often accepted as objective fact and widely reported. It was even used by Dr. Sanjay Gupta in that famous piece on CNN.com in which he apologized for misleading the public on the harms of cannabis while underplaying and ignoring its medicinal benefits. Dr. Gupta writes matter-of-factly, "We now know that while estimates vary, marijuana leads to dependence in around 9 to 10% of its adult users."

Do we really "now know" this? Where does this figure come from? And how good is the science behind it? Pretty lousy, it turns out.

The origin of this figure is indeed NIDA research first published in a 1994 article in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology.

Researchers sought to use data from a national government-funded survey called the National Comorbidity Survey to estimate the prevalence of drug dependence by drug type. It sounds like a reasonable plan, except that if the measuring stick that you are using is flawed, the measurements will be flawed as well.

The survey was based on diagnostic definitions for cannabis dependence that were published in 1987 in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (3rd edition, revised) put out by the American Psychiatric Association. This manual has an inherent bias against non-problematic cannabis use and privileges the normalcy of alcohol use. In its introduction to the section "Psychoactive Substance Use Disorders," it notes:

These conditions are here conceptualized as mental disorders, and are therefore to be distinguished from nonpathological psychoactive substance use, such as the moderate imbibing of alcohol....

Later it notes:For example, social drinking frequently

causes loquacity, euphoria, and slurred speech; but this should not be considered Intoxication unless maladaptive behavior, such as fighting, impaired judgment, or impaired social or occupational functioning, results.

Note how much effort is put into selectively polishing the appearance of an alcohol user, even one who is

slurrrring wordssss!Back to the survey. One hundred

fifty-eight professional field staff of the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan, after seven days of training in how to conduct structured interviews, carried out the surveys between Sept. 14, 1990, and Feb. 6, 1992. The sample consisted of 8,098 subjects between the ages of 15 and 54, residing across the lower 48 states. Regarding use frequency and pathology, research was conducted "under the assumption that even as few as six occasions might be sufficient for development of drug dependence."

A respondent would get a diagnosis of cannabis dependence if at least three of the following statements regarding their cannabis use applied to them in at least a one-month period:

(1) it was taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than intended

(2) they had persistent desire or one or more unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control use

(3) a great deal of time was spent in activities necessary to get the substance, taking the substance, or recovering from its effects

(4) experienced frequent intoxication or withdrawal symptoms when expected to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home

(5) important social, occupational, or recreational activities given up or reduced because of use

(6) continued use despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent social, psychological, or physical problem that is caused or exacerbated by use

(7) marked tolerance: need for markedly increased amounts

The problem is that these criteria are chock-full of bias that ignore the reality of non-problematic or beneficial cannabis

use. In the early '90s in the U.S., all cannabis use was seen as illegal, even for medicinal purposes. Cannabis use could be causing problems for a subject more because of its illegality than anything else, and this is not accounted for in the measuring tool.

Let's look at some of these criteria in greater detail. Criterion 3 could be accounted for solely by the fact that cannabis is prohibited and therefore is unavailable for local or home production or distribution, necessitating more time and work to obtain it. Furthermore, if cannabis is being used medicinally or therapeutically, it could certainly be the case that "it was taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than intended" (criterion 1), or that it could lead to a "need for markedly increased amounts" (criterion 7). Often, individuals "discover" the therapeutic benefits of cannabis after initially intending to be consume it sparingly under an environment of prohibition. Once this therapeutic discovery is made, more cannabis will be needed than was previously intended. Moreover, one may go to greater lengths to obtain it, similar to the lengths that people may go to in order to obtain any good medicine, even if the medicinal benefit is palliative rather than curative, or complementary rather than central. Given the environment of prohibition and the importance of the consumption to the maintenance of one's health, the time and effort involved in procurement may cut into time that could be used for doing other activities, such as those enumerated in criterion 5. Certainly, given the prevalence of employment drug testing and legal consequences related to being caught with cannabis, it would not be surprising that cannabis use, by virtue of its illegality alone, could cause "a persistent or recurrent social ... problem"

continued, PG. 18 see BAd Science

‘9 percent of those who use cannabis Become dependent’ is Based on drug war diagnostics and Bad scienceBy Sunil Kumar Aggarwal, New York Academy of Medicine

10April - June 2014 | The American Cultivator |Health

in aPProval letter, Director casts doubt on pediatric use, addition of other medical conditions; says legislature should

handle future additions“I am approving the recommendation.”-

Steve Arwood, Director, LARA, March 14LANSING–The Director of Michigan’s

Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has signed off on allowing veterans and others suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to use medical marijuana, if approved by a doctor. This is the first new qualifying condition added to the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act since it was adopted by a voter directed initiative in 2008.

In a letter dated March 14, Director Steve Arwood wrote, “I put my trust in the medical professionals in Michigan to certify the use of medical marijuana for PTSD with the utmost care and attention to the patient seeking assistance.”

On March 6, the Michigan Medical Marihuana Review Panel recommended PTSD for addition to the list of conditions qualifying a person to use medical marijuana. Adults must receive a doctor’s recommendation before they can enter the program; children must secure recommendations from two physicians.

That was the second time the Panel had issued a recommendation to add PTSD to the list. A previous panel of medical experts and advisers, convened by the

MMA’s administrative body, was disbanded and their conclusions discarded shortly after Arwood was appointed Director of LARA by Governor Snyder. The first Panel’s composition was determined to not be in compliance with the rules.

A recommendation by the Panel is not enough to add a new condition to the list; the final approval currently rests with a non-medical person, the Director of the branch of government assigned to oversee the medical marijuana program. The Act was passed in 2008 and specifically directed that administration to the Department of Community Health; Governor Rick Snyder transferred the responsibility to Licensing and Regulatory Affairs after taking office in 2011. Arwood was in wind energy development from 1999-2011 and was a deputy director at LARA until January 31, 2013.

In a coincidental move, the federal government has removed barriers for a first-ever study involving veterans, smoking marijuana and PTSD. The HHS last week approved a release of cannabis from the federal farm in Mississippi to supply the study in Arizona; DEA approval of the transfer is pending but expected.

Although Director Arwood signed the letter approving PTSD, he wrote that he is “very concerned” about adding the mental disorder–and about the process itself.

“The condition of PTSD is a mental health issue,” Arwood wrote in the letter. “Granting this approval steps Michigan away from the use of marijuana for disease

There is a lot of pain and disability from osteoarthritis these days. There is a lot of grinding of joints going on. On one

side we have obesity, disuse, and aging. On another side we have overwork and athletic overtraining. Not to mention all of the insidious autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, fibro, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus.

There is a colossal industry of healthcare, pharmaceutical medicine, supplements, and products to treat these conditions. One must keep an open mind about this. It’s a multi-billion dollar business. Some things work, some things don’t, and some things actually make things worse. Many products come with a long list of negative health effects. Many cause infection and gastrointestinal problems. Thousands of people die every year from over-use of anti-inflammatories which are FDA approved.

Here is where I would like to advocate for marijuana as an excellent therapeutic medicine for most musculoskeletal diseases.

I wrote Arthritis and Marijuana from personal experience as well as research, with the intent of providing options, and helping to contribute to the improvement of healthcare and society. Marijuana works for my arthritis because it has both an analgesic and psychoactive effect, and working with it leads to an anti-depressant effect. Marijuana helps me feel my body more intrinsically, less crusty. I can isolate and concentrate to work on certain body parts. My attitude

toward pain is more rational and pleasant. The effects wear off gradually with no hang over or withdrawal.

If you have the ability to cultivate it for personal use, it cost very little, and you have a sustainable organic product. A natural herb, grown from soil and

seed, nurtured by sun and rain. The big pharmaceutical companies know all about marijuana’s medicinal benefits. Their attempts to reproduce it have failed. Big pharma can’t match the plant’s safety and effectiveness. Marijuana is a green, renewable commodity that big pharma cannot control or profit from. It does not want people to know how easily it can be grown or how effective it can be.

It’s your body, it’s your health. It’s your life. Do not be afraid to explore all of your natural sustainable options.

I invite you all to visit www.arthritisandmarijuana.com and to read Arthritis and Marijuana.

Michigan signs off on Marijuana for ptsd

sustainaBle effective arthritis relief

continued, PG. 21 see PTSd

By Rick Thompson, thecompassionchronicles.com

By Ed. R. Cook, Author

The big pharmaceutical companies know all about marijuana’s

medicinal benefits. Their attempts to reproduce it have failed. Big pharma can’t match the plant’s safety and effectiveness.

April - June 2014 | The American Cultivator | 11


HASH BASH ATTENDANCE2013: apr 6 with 3000 attendees

2012: apr 7 with 5500 attendees

2011: apr 2 with 6000-6500 attendees















1996: apr 6, 25th annual with 4500-5000 attendees
























1972: apr 1, 1st annual with 150-700 attendees, aka Hash Festival

1972-2013: ~ 135,000 total attendance (101,500-155,500), average ~ 3000/yearSOurce: Freedom Activist Network/richard Birkett

richard J BirKeTTFOUNDER & EDITOR

Freedom Activist NetworkEMCEE

Ann Arbor Hash BashFOUNDER & PAST DIRECTOR

Ann Arbor NORML

adam l BrooKEMCEE & ORGANIzERAnn Arbor Hash Bash

1994 HIGH TIMESFreedom Fighter of the Year

PAST BOARD DIRECTORMichigan NORML

The Icons of Hash Bash

1972 photo by John Barrie, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1990 photo by Andre grossman, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1977 photo by Robert chase, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1974 photo by Leni Sinclair, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1974 photo by Leni Sinclair, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1974 photo by Leni Sinclair, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net1978 photo by don Hudson, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1988 photo by Buford Bosko, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net


PAST HASH BASH SPEAKERS

Mark PasseriniCouncilwoman sabra Briere

rep. Jeff M irwinDJ short

Mason tvertLaith al-saadi

stephanie annisscott Boman

antonio Cosmestephen r Deangelo

Michael KormornJamie Lowell

roger MaufortMelanie McCloud

Mike McshaneBrian Morrissey

robin schneiderLarry smith

nicholas tyler ZettellBrandy Zink

emily Bashamgary earl Johnson

John McKenna rosevearDarrell stavrosgreg Franciscoanthony Freed

Charmie gholsonrobert redden

everett swiftMatthew r abel

Chris Chilesandrew Lucas Kent

eric andrew PlourdeDavid arquette

Michael D WhittyBruce W Cain

richard C Clement sreddie desouza

Dean KuipersKatherine Michelle Dillon

Melody a Karralbert C PriceCharles ream

Joshua Paul soperHazy Jane

george sherfieldron Crickenberger

Larry Bonner LippertClifford Wallace thornton Jr

tim BeckDoug Leinbach

Budda Fulla rymezDerrik DeCraene

Charles goodmanKyle Kushman

Daniel J solanor Keith stroup

James Lewis HudlerJames Millard

tom ness nka stephanie angeline Lovelessgregory Carl schmid

Dana Bealthomas ChongPaul Derienzo

stephen gaskinrenee emry Wolfe

John sinclairDan viets

Mike ClarkJon e CoonDrew Lane

vicki LinkerDavid Peel

adam L BrookDavid H raaflaub

emily salvetteMarvin surowitz

eric e sterlingthomas g Flook

elvy MusikkaBo Fiedler

Louis gatewood galbraiththomas Harris

ed Wagner aka Lone reeferDale ashmun

irvin Dana Bealsteven Hager

Jack HererBen Masel

Mark amiconeJon B gettmansteven Hager,

Charles Curtis Kile JrWilliam Bernard Krebaum

ed rosenthalJames Wilson aka Chef ra

richard James BirkettWilliam D Wilcox

rep. Winston Perry Bullard

1974 flyer by Larry Behnke, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1977 flyer by Larry Behnke, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1976 flyer by iffy the dopester, Ann Arbor Sun, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1990 flyer by unknown, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net 1978 flyer by Larry Behnke, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1981 flyer by unknown, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1980 book by Larry Behnke courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1979 T-shirt art by unknown, courtesy of FreedomActivist.net

1989 flyer by unknown, courtesy of FreedomActivist.ne

14April - June 2014 | The American Cultivator |Health

The media likes to show pictures of people smoking cannabis, it's a practice that's attracted readers for years. But that depiction

comes with negative consequences for cannabis reform advocates by perpetuating a derogatory stereotype of the typical cannabis consumer, and by promoting a method of consumption considered undesirable to most people.

Alternative delivery systems are available that provide consistent doses, and that are fast-acting for people who are considering a cannabis-based treatment option, but who do not want to incinerate plant material and breath the by-products caused by combustion.

vaPoriZersVaporizers have become a very

popular delivery system because of their effectiveness and ease of use. A vaporizer is a device used to extract for inhalation the active compounds of plant material, commonly cannabis, tobacco or other herbs or blends (phyto-inhalation

Hash oil from BerkleyPcc, photo courtesy of Berkley Patient care collective

By TAC Staff

alternatives to sMoking cannaBis

continued, PG. 20 see ALTeRnATiveS

eZvape-vaporizer, photo courtesy of vaporizerdepot.com

inGredienTs:• 2 pounds gold potatoes• Kosher salt• 3 tablespoons unsalted canna-butter• ½ cup whole canna-milk• 2 tablespoons cannabis infused crème

fraiche or sour cream• Freshly ground black pepper• 3 tablespoons cannabis infused olive

oil, plus more for frying• 1 ½ cup broccoli florets• 1 fat clove garlic, crushed• ½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese• 2 large eggs, beaten• 2 ½ cups panko crumbs• Poached eggs for serving (optional)

direcTions:Peel the potatoes and cut them into

2-inch pieces. Put them in a large pot and add cold water to cover and several large pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the potatoes until they easily slip off a sharp knife when you pierce them no more than 15 to 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, combine the canna-butter and canna-milk with 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a small saucepan and set over low heat. When the milk is hot and the butter has melted, turn off the heat.

Drain the cooked potatoes and return them to the pot over low heat. Mash them with a potato masher or a fork over the heat which removes any excess water

Broccoli and cheese Mashed potato Breakfast cakesby TMC Staff

continued, PG. 21 see PoTATo cAkeS


16April - June 2014 | The American Cultivator |Business & Technology

BanKinG is a key element of any local, regional, or global economy. It is the cornerstone of commerce for all socio-

economic environments. Very simply, without banking the cash that people and businesses have and use to conduct business has limited utility to exchange goods and services, and to promote economic growth. Banking is what the legal cannabis industry has had to do without because of the federal government’s prohibition of marijuana—despite the fact that 20 states (including the seat of our federal government, Washington D.C.) have laws that permit the use of either

recreational or medical cannabis.But things are starting to change for

the better for those pioneering cannabis business ventures. The Department of Justice and the United States Department of the Treasury – Financial Crimes Network (FinCEN) recently issued the press release FinCEN Issues Guidance to Financial Institutions on Marijuana Businesses providing clarity to those institutions wishing to engage the many cash laden operations in the legal cannabis industry.

At first glance, the FinCEN guidance seems onerous to those affected by its requirements, but in actuality they are in line with what is already a very regulated environment. The full FinCEN guidance (FIN-2014-G001 BSA (Bank Secrecy Act)

here comes the Banking industry’s “secret addition” to the cannabis industryby Perry Coleman, Freelance journalist

when looKinG for a Point-of-Sale (POS) system for a retail shop it’s pretty easy to find dozens of proprietary POS systems from large

companies like NCR down to small cloud based systems. Then comes along Medical Cannabis which brings to the table a whole host of new additional requirements from patient identification, HIPAA compliance, transactions, inventory control, and state regulations on patient licensing we enter a very niche group of systems.

If you’re a Cannabis dispensary (provisioning center) owner or manager

even more requirements come to light – patient expiration systems, text messaging, email updates on particular strain types for patients, weight limits, back end reporting, business analytics on products to patient purchases, mobile access of Big Data, the list goes on and on. There are several technology companies getting onto the bandwagon of creating a Patient ID System that works with a POS system. Some sample POS companies are MMJ Freeway, BioTrackTHC, Café Cartel Systems, and Summit.

Prior to becoming the Director of Development with My Compassion I was a Service Manager for the largest POS

point of sale solutions for the cannaBis industry

continued, PG. 19 see BAnking continued, PG. 20 see PoinT oF SALe

by Amish Parikh, Co-founder of My Compassion Inc.

17April - June 2014 | The American Cultivator |Lifestyle

some us military Veterans are allowed to use cannabis medicinally. Some are not.

Clinical cannabis use is not decided by the military

patients need for her medicine but rather where she lives. This practice is of course totally illogical. Considering the source of this decision, the war on drugs mentality, it is not surprising. Realizing that Veterans are not being treated for their injuries properly, is not surprising to me. I'm a Vietnam Veteran and I have seen this all before.

“ Treatment by geography” can be looked on as a win for Veterans, some Vets. Before this protocol was adopted by the Veterans Health Administration, in July of 2010, there was no cannabis allowed medicinally for any service member. The change in policy, VHA Directive 2010-035, reissued as VHA Directive 2011-004 of January 31, 2011, allows those Veterans that live in the 21 states and DC where cannabis is legally available to use their medicine without fear of losing cherished and earned benefits. They can not possess or use cannabis on federal property and the therapeutic use must be only for symptoms approved by the Vets state of residence. If the Vet lives in an unenlightened repository of “reefer

madness” like Virginia or Florida he is not ever to be a cannabis patient that will be cared for by the VHA, by us indirectly, and that should embarrass us all.

This leads to another illogical process. A Veteran in Maryland can not use cannabis for PTS(d), while a Vet in New Mexico can. It is not as you may guess that all Vets with PTS live in New Mexico or that Vets in Maryland have no such reaction to war. It's where they live that matters. It matters because the medical doctors of Maryland,

those in the VA system, even those in New Mexico have no say

in the diagnostic process. The folks that make

these decisions have never been to war, hell they have never been to medical or nursing schools. The people that are responsible for

granting or denying medical cannabis to

Veterans do not talk across state borders,

rely on science or pay any attention to professional health

care organizations that universally call for clinical cannabis for all citizens.

Those making these decisions are practicing medicine without a license. They are law enforcement, lawyers and lobbyists. They are not MD's or RN's and have no grasp of modern medicine's discovery of the endocannabinoid system universal to all creatures excepting insects

veteran Medical treatMent By geography

continued, PG. 19 see veTeRAn

The movemenT for marijuana policy reform has taken hold. As talk of marijuana legalization and medical applications

becomes more acceptable in the public sphere, a resurgence of cannabis related college groups adds to the credibility of this movement long-term. Student Advocates for Medical and Recreational Cannabis was formed in early September of 2013 by several students inspired by the growing marijuana legalization movement and motivated by their own desire to bring positive and professional leadership to this issue. A non-profit organization registered through Central Michigan University, Student Advocates for Medical and Recreational Cannabis (SAMRC) gives students the opportunity to learn, volunteer, and educate others in their community on the facts surrounding marijuana as a medicine and recreational alternative. SAMRC represents many student-patients, caregivers, political activists and recreational users who attend the university and has grown to near 50 members since its conception. Through many on and off campus projects and events, SAMRC has already made strides

in advocating for change in its community.The education of the student body

at Central Michigan University’s campus has and will continue to be the focus of SAMRC’s activist efforts. Organizations on college campuses, especially those geared towards specific areas of social change are in a unique position to influence the experiences and opinions of a large number of future voters in a very short amount of time. The abundance of students with varied skillsets and talents also lends a

hand in a collegiate organization’s ability to advocate effectively. SAMRC

started the process of changing the “marijuana

stigma” on their own campus through informational tabling, public speakers and documentary screenings. Members had the opportunity

throughout the first semester to talk with

students from every corner of our campus at our

informational outreach events such as A Gram of Truth, where SAMRC

members passed out bags of crumpled pieces of green paper (the grams) each stating a fact about cannabis as a medicine or recreational alternative. These sorts of entertaining and educational events, along with workshops put on by CMU Campus PD and attorney Josh Covert helped SAMRC make an impression on the extremely active student organization

campus life: cMu students compel change in campus policy

continued, PG. 19 see cAmPuS LiFe

by Al Byrne, Lcdr., USN, ret., Patients Out of Time

By Ian Elliott, Student Advocates for Medical and Recreational Cannabis

cover iT in sequin, put a blunt between it's fingers, and feed the beast with shining flashbulbs from the paparazzi. This is the new

generation, taking a large dose of fuckitall that’s consumed by the clenched fist full. Celebrities from generations past have feigned their remorse for what some would call “vices”. There have always been those who chose to smoke openly, and of course there are those who choose a more discreet toke or two, but what can be said now is that the average modern day celeb whom rocks a bag of Kush will more than likely be caught off guard by the camera (and sometimes police). This has not changed since the film and music industries began, the avant-garde stars are not shying away from public nor are they putting out the standardized, “I’m

like so sorry and junk” or the “Drugs are bad kids” Monday morning press release. Lackadaisically, they keep going with their lives ignoring the mad mothers, the frothing media, and corporate sponsors.

Our society sometimes blames those behind the microphone, camera, or even on an Olympic podium for negatively influencing our youth or the socially different. True fault lies in society itself which has influenced the lives of actors upon the main stage. Since 2008 momentum has shifted in unimaginable ways towards a sensible approach to marijuana laws. As we survive more and more days without pestilence being caused by full-blown legalization in Washington and Colorado, it's creating a multiplying effect. The paradigm of conventional thinking starts to fall ever more apart as people see how uneventful legalization actually is. Masses are quickly seeing the demon weed as president Obama so astutely put it, “No more dangerous than alcohol”. And to the average celebrity it’s becoming a status symbol far different than the “stoner” image of the past.

No celeb stoner comes to mind more than Rihanna. Ah yes, Rihanna. With a myriad of photos already on the web and the recently Tweeted photos she took on her birthday in Aspen of her new pet blunt, she has quickly become the new impromptu canna-celeb ambassador. Her lassie fare attitude towards the public’s response is almost comical. Unlike the past, stars like her do not necessarily feel obligated to apologize for anything. She doesn’t speak out for the herb because it’s no big deal, nor does she shy away expressing herself. It’s just a part of

her everyday life.But there are those that are taking it

to the extreme. After all, our country has been at “war” against drugs for 43 years and the end is finally in sight. When one sees the possibility of victory you get pretty damn pumped. You crow a bit, you get cocky, you realize you made millions just because some crappy video of you smoking Salvia surfaces, so you go on a glorification crusade across the world DRESSED IN A DAMN POT LEAF LEOTARD MILEY FREAKING CYRUS!! Sorry bout’ that, I don’t know what got into me. But the idea she is spreading is dangerous. Drugs do have a place in society, and I want to say its prohibition’s fault and not hers, but glorification of certain drugs alongside

our humble weed is the wrong message.We need to remember pot’s no big

deal. Glorification of anything is a slippery slope. I love the fact Rihanna can casually post photos of herself genuinely enjoying life while getting on with a fantastic career, that speaks volumes of where society is at on weed. But let Miley be a warning. The more relaxed our society becomes regarding drug culture as a whole, and while we are this close to seeing true change for cannabis, the more ammunition we provide to anti-logic crusaders who are trying to bring back the old propaganda tactics we all know too well. Let’s get Cannabis on lockdown first then we can work on the rest of prohibitions causalities.

green carpet celeBrities: Bangers and hash

By Justin Jenkins, Freelance journalist


The naTional Patients Rights Association is a 501(C)(6) not-for-profit organization whose main purpose is to advance the rights of medical marijuana patients, their caregivers and the many businesses that serve them.

The NPRA team of professionals and community advocates work tirelessly toward the progress, safety and the efficacy of the medical marijuana industry. The NPRA maintains a full time presence

working in the State Capitol educating legislators and promoting laws that improve the medical marijuana program.

Mostly recognized for the successful lobbying of HB 4271 and HB 5104, NPRA members secured sponsors, organized compelling testimony in support of the patient friendly legislation and pushed both bills through the Michigan House of Representatives with historic landslide wins. NPRA continues to lead both bills through the Michigan Senate where we expect another victory and enactment of the new laws this year.

The NPRA continuously travels the state working with local governments, urging them to enact sensible medical marijuana ordinances and policies. You can help The NPRA "Cultivate the Future" by contributing and joining Team NPRA. Visit www.nprausa.com,or call 855-444-NPRA.

ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT National Patients Rights Association

Physicians and Dispensaries are poor bedfellows and will be illegal under the provisioning center bill for a reasons. Even recenthistoryshowsthese ‘dispensarydocs’ tend to be unreachable if the dispensary is shut down. They must fall off the face of the earth like the dispensary did. Many patients were left holding the bag after the recent anti-dispensary rulings.

Avoidclinicsthattellyou‘itisok’ifyouquestion clinic practices (like Skype) or seem hesitant to tell you who their doctor is. NO

LAWYERwillrecommendadoctorjust‘signcerts’ without seeing the patient, so any clinicthattellsyoutheir‘lawyer’saiditwasoktohavetheirdoctor‘reviewandsign’your paperwork is being less than truthful and is more interested in your money than protecting your Section 8 defense.

If you are uncomfortable with the clinic (shady), the courts will be too. Bad clinics are known. Both in the community and in the courts.

Denali Heathcare serves Michigan specializing in pain management,suboxone treatments, medical marijuana & alternative medical treatments.

section 8continued from page 4

because Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act (MMMA) mandates that registered medical marijuana patients “shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution, or penalty in any manner . . . for the medical use of marihuana in accordance with” the MMMA.

In September of 2011, Kent County Circuit Court Judge Dennis B. Leiber issued an order in which he upheld the city’s ordinance and opined that the MMMA was preempted by the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Judge Leiber disclosed that “the Wyoming ordinance is very broad in that it bans marijuana with the same reach of federal statutes.”

Ter Beek, who was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU), appealed to Michigan’s Court of Appeals (COA). On July 31, 2012, the COA issued an opinion reversing Judge Leiber’s ruling and they held the City of Wyoming’s zoning ordinance was preempted by the MMMA and that the CSA did not preempt the MMMA.

The City of Wyoming then filed an appeal of that COA decision to the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in the case on October 10, 2013. (Watch video of those oral arguments http://vimeo.com/79968136:)

The City of Wyoming’s attorney, Jack R. Sluiter, argued in his appellate brief that “the [MMMA] is preempted by the federal Controlled Substances Act under both the conflict and obstacle preemption doctrines.”

The Supreme Court’s Feb. 6 Opinion in Ter Beek v City of Wyoming was authored by Justice Bridget M. McCormack, who pointed out that the city’s ordinance “directly conflicts with the MMMA…

because it permits registered qualifying patients, such as Ter Beek, to be penalized by the City for engaging in MMMA-compliant medical marijuana use.”

The Supreme Court concluded that the City of Wyoming’s “Ordinance is preempted by § 4(a) of the [MMMA], which in turn is not preempted by the federal controlled substances act. Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeals, reverse the circuit court’s grant of summary disposition in favor of the City, and remand for entry of summary disposition in favor of Ter Beek.”

After reviewing the Supreme Court’s opinion, Dan Korobkin, the lead ACLU attorney representing Ter Beek, expressed: “This is the decision that medical marijuana patients have been waiting for. In 2008, people across the state overwhelmingly voted to protect patients from being punished or penalized for using marijuana to treat their medical conditions. [The] unanimous decision by the Michigan Supreme Court rejects the misguided efforts of a few local officials to undo the results of that historic election.”

The City of Wyoming’s attorneys’ office had not returned this reporters phone call seeking their comment prior to the publication of this piece.

A footnote to the Supreme Court’s opinion revealed that the “City of Livonia, the Michigan Municipal League, the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, and the State Bar of Michigan Public Corporation Law Section submitted briefs in support of the City; the Cannabis Attorneys of Mid-Michigan, and the Cato Institute, the Drug Policy Alliance, and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition submitted briefs in support of Ter Beek.”

Nonetheless, time waits for no one. Great military geniuses and coaches the world over, agree "the best defense is a good offense." That is exactly what we intend to do. If a public figure like Dr. Sanjay Gupta is prepared to “double down” on his commitment to expanding access to medical cannabis, we feel obligated to redouble our efforts as well and launch an unprecedented number of local initiatives to demonstrate just how deep support runs for ending criminal penalties for the majority of cannabis offenses.

Right now, it is very important to have our ducks neatly in a row to ensure the success of these new initiatives. Our success ratio to date has been 100%, every time we made the ballot over the last ten years, we have been rewarded by voters. That only occurred because of thoughtful preparation, and every local leader having basic competence and resources. The legal and professional tools are there to run with, so we're just tapping into the human resource by supporting unique local people who is ready to shepherd in change.

The Safer Michigan Coalition is not the only answer. Very professional and effective leaders did it their way and won big in Grand Rapids in 2012. Local leaders and police in that city are doing

what the voters voted for, regardless of what state law appears to say. Local leaders in other cities are motivated to undertake campaigns to reform cannabis laws this year too. A Marquette (Michigan) attorney has formed another organization and is spearheading the effort to have the city enact an ordinance making the possession of 2.5 ounces or less of marijuana punishable as a civil infraction with a $100 fine.

Our legal research and vetting process is almost complete. Safer Michigan Coalition Executive Director Chuck Ream is putting the final administrative touches in place, and local leaders are making their final preparations. Signature gathering has begun in several cities and there will more good news very soon.

Finally, fundraising for a statewide legalization initiative in 2016 has commenced in earnest. If we see positive signs and achieve the poll numbers we believe are out there by the end of this year, the likelihood of statewide legalization campaign becomes more realistic, and funding gets closer then ever. A serious, professional poll to get a better sense for voter attitudes in Michigan will be commissioned prior to any campaign announcements or serious funding commitments. We hope to deliver that news soon, and when we do, we will provide everyone with complete details about how they can be a part of this historic shift in social policy.

tsunaMicontinued from front page

wyoMingcontinued from front page

(criterion 6) or lead to giving up "important ... occupational ... activities" (criterion 5).

Because all of this was summarily ignored, subjects who were not cannabis-dependent were likely counted as such, and it is not surprising that they arrived at an inflated figure of 9.1 percent (plus or minus 0.7 percent), or approximately 1 in 11 people, for the prevalence of cannabis dependency among self-identified cannabis users. The latter figure is itself

problematic given that it's illegal behavior that you may not want to tell a stranger about, even if they are a surveyor. This causes an artificially low denominator, which would also hike up the figure.

That's why this idea that 9 percent of cannabis users become dependent is based on bad science and is way over the mark. As Dr. Drew says, "it's nowhere near that." Now let's see how long this false factoid continues to be repeated in the media echo chamber.

Follow Sunil Kumar Aggarwal on Twitter: www.twitter.com/humansunil

Bad sciencecontinued from page 9

www.theamericancultivator.com

Photo by Rick Thompson


desPiTe The passage of Michigan’s Medical Marihuana Law in 2008, which clearly showed the people of Michigan believe marijuana is a useful plant, too many

of our citizens have found themselves in the unenviable position of being a defendant in our state’s courtrooms.

Visible public support during a court proceeding can be crucial to a case. Yet, a lot of family and friends of those accused, even those closest to them, are timid about packing courtrooms in support of what some might see as a “sensitive issue”. Marijuana.

Some don’t want to be labeled, “pro-pot” and others blindly believe that if you’re in the defendant’s chair, you deserve to be.

It’s difficult to stand up for rights on your own. It’s much easier in a group, which is one of the reasons a group called The Human Solution (THS) was created.

THS is a national organization dedicated

to providing public education, court and prison support to individuals under fire from authorities. For example THS, fills courtroom galleries with people (wearing green lapel ribbons) in a show of solidarity for defendant’s rights.

But that isn’t all they do. Their prison support program includes a letter writing campaign, monetary support, and an interesting art program called “Let Freedom Grow” where inmates are encouraged to create original works of art, poetry, creative writing, and display their work on a website where it can potentially be purchased.

The Michigan spokesman for THS, Steve Green says, “If you’re ever on a jury in a marijuana case, vote not guilty.” His quote refers to his belief in jury nullification. The slogan emblazoned across the group’s website, the-human-solution.org, seems to agree with Mr. Green.

In bold letters it states, “No one should go to jail for a plant.” Well said.

ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT The Human Solution - Michigan

Expectation regarding Marijuana-Related Businesses) outlines the tracking and monitoring requirements for financial institutions and is the “playbook” that financial institutions must follow.

It’s not hard to understand why allowing legitimate businesses to deposit cash and have bank accounts to pay bills is good for business. However, banking offers a broader effect that has the potential to accelerate the expansion of the cannabis industry that may not be as apparent to the casual cannabis industry observer. Banks don’t make money by accepting deposits and holding customers’ money; banks generate revenue by offering services that help to put money back into the pockets of the communities they serve.

The services that financial institutions offer actually benefit the legal cannabis industry as a whole and not just those with accounts. Extending banking services to these cannabis businesses will only result in an economic prosperity. This prosperity will come in the form of interest paid on deposits and interest paid on loans, as well as conferring legitimacy and consumer confidence in this burgeoning industry. In pure economic terms, interest on deposits helps to hedge against inflation, and deposited funds come with the added benefit of being protected by federal deposit insurance.

As for loans, with money safely deposited in the banks it can then be turned around and brought back to the communities to support new development, expansion, and short-term working capital.

These local investments not only support direct cannabis sales, but they also support many ancillary services and businesses that create additional jobs and tax revenue. While the FinCEN guidance is an important first step, there is still a need for companies to bridge the gap between banks and the cannabis industry.

The upstart MPS International (MPSI), the nation's first security and armored transport service provider to the cannabis industry, is a great example of ancillary services that are providing jobs in support of the legal cannabis industry. MPSI is a joint venture launched by Medical Marijuana Inc.’s Wellness Managed Services and MPS Security, creating jobs while developing a vital link between the cannabis industry and banking through secure financial services and trained security professionals that are, unfortunately, necessary until additional federal regulations further ease the ability for “cannabusinesses” to operate as “regular” businesses in the states that have passed cannabis legalization in one form or another.

These types of ventures help the legal cannabis industry to normalize into a socio-economic environment that self sustains and complements the communities in which it thrives. Cash, as they say, is king and there is no shortage of Americans spending their hard-earned cash on medicinal and recreational cannabis. Once banks decide that they are interested in having their piece of this lucrative pie, change will happen. It’s already here. With at least nineteen more states considering marijuana laws at press time, keep your eyes on the industry’s growth—it’s about to go off the charts.

community at CMU.While the first semester of activism

was spent gaining a foothold on-campus and in the local community, SAMRC’s efforts in the second half of the year pushed them into the midst of the growing marijuana policy reform movement at the state and national level.

In an attempt to validate their organizations role in enacting changes in marijuana policy reform, SAMRC has taken on and made enormous progress on two major policy projects. Collaborating with a Coalition for a Safer Mount Pleasant led by Brandon McQueen, SAMRC has started marijuana policy reform campaigns on Central Michigan University’s campus and in the City of Mount Pleasant. SAMRC leadership reached out to members of the Student Government Association, the governing body which represents all CMU extracurricular teams and organizations, to draft “A Resolution to Amend the Resident Life Alcohol and Controlled Substance Policy”, which prompts the Office of Student Conduct at CMU to re-evaluate the procedures and penalties regarding marijuana possession violations on-campus. The bill outlines the current research and shift in public opinion and asks that the severe penalties for marijuana possession be lowered to that of alcohol, creating a penalty system that more accurately reflects the validated health impact of marijuana compared to that of alcohol. The bill was presented to the SGA House of Representatives where it passed with 75% in favor and received the nod of confidence a week later by an overwhelming majority in the Senate. After a week without action by the Student Body President, the bill became the official opinion of the entire CMU student body and will be presented to administrative officials in coming weeks.

In the community of Mount Pleasant, a movement to amend city charter by ballot initiative was started by local marijuana activists with the aid of SAMRC leadership. A Coalition for a Safer Mount Pleasant has submitted the desired changes to marijuana policies within the city limits and with the help of SAMRC and other CMU organizations, is in the process of gathering the required signatures to add the proposed change to November’s ballot. SAMRC members will take advantage of

the thousands of progressive minded CMU students while organizing petition and voter registration drives in the final months of the spring semester. These efforts toward policy reform will continue in the 2014/2015 school year as SAMRC increases its engagement with the Student Government Association.

SAMRC’s philosophy behind motivating students to become more politically active relies on events and projects which relate directly to its members interests. Individuals have found opportunities to write for magazines such as Culture and online blogs like The Compassion Chronicles due to SAMRC’s presence in the marijuana community. Two members studying film and broadcasting have begun the production of a full-length documentary showcasing the story of Baby Bree, the 6 month old infant who was removed from her parent’s home because of medical marijuana issues. Recognizing the value in creating personal development opportunities for its membership, SAMRC forged a relationship with My Compassion, a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit also aimed at medical marijuana education. SAMRC members at CMU now have the opportunity to volunteer and intern for this non-profit which is gaining more and more recognition in the marijuana industry. As My Compassion branches out to other states, SAMRC hopes to follow, providing volunteer and internship opportunities for like-minded students across the country. This relationship will become validated over the next few months as SAMRC members begin their internships, travel to classrooms at schools such as Ohio State University and Rutgers on speaking tours, and aid in My Compassion’s first major conference in Chicago at Navy Pier. SAMRC members at CMU are excited to begin advocating on a national platform and look forward to growing in their relationship with the My Compassion team.

The future for marijuana policy reform and more importantly, for changes in the stigma surrounding the use of the substance is bright. The presence of professional and effective organizations like Student Advocates for Medical and Recreational Cannabis and My Compassion among others, adds to the validity and momentum of the movement as a whole. Readers who are interested in receiving updates or finding ways to support these organizations are strongly encouraged to reach out. “Weed” appreciate it if you did.

Bankingcontinued from page 16

caMpus lifecontinued from page 17

and essential to life. The Senators and Representatives of the federal level are equally at fault, are equally ignorant of the world wide science concerning cannabis. They apparently have no idea that the soldiers of Czechoslovakia, Canada and Israel, allies of the US in war, grow and treat

their men and women wounded by PTS or brain trauma with cannabis and with great success.

Or they do not care.Veterans, I hear every day, are to

be supported by all of us equally. The President says so. The yellow ribbon on your SUV says so, the talking heads say so.

It's a lie. Veterans are treated for their wounds by geography. That's the truth.

veteran continued from page 17


Company in the world for the Retail/Restaurant Division where we setup intuitive and integrative networks for various types of businesses. Back in 2010, I first heard of a POS system being installed at a dispensary in Colorado by a field technician as they were using digital scales to measure weights of cannabis and other cannabis infused products. At that time I was informed by management they were not in the business of supplying POS systems for medical cannabis yet in Colorado a field technician was intrigued in what they had seen and how cannabis was being dispensed.

Well that has all changed as I visited my previous employer recently and they proposed the iPad POS system which is cost effective at only $60 per month per device and additional monthly charges for wireless printers, digital scales, and barcode scanners. This is great for multi-sites as well as it streamlines back office seamlessly with automated back office alerts while you’re in the store or away as dashboards, extensive inventory reporting, automated email marketing, social media integration, a reward based loyalty program, cash drawers, barcode scanners and other devices. Due to provisioning centers requiring cash transactions at this time as they wait for more relaxed credit card allowances to take place this particular program accepts cash, credit

cards or loyalty cards as ways of payment.Each provisioning center is essentially

a pharmacy providing herbal medicines. It needs to be able to identify and file customers via house accounts, track their purchases and limits, ensure the validity of their ID cards and medicine transactions. Not only do provisioning centers need to keep detailed track of inventories but a significant portion of reporting should be viewed for theft reduction as well by positioning cameras just over the cash registers so the owner or manager can watch each transaction line up with button presses. The additional requirements that a business should look for is customer support, other types of devices that would be cannabis friendly such as digital scales

and automated label printers attached to the POS system for inventory control, and hardware replacement warranties. Database programming for the system should be initially completed by the POS Company with POS training provided for managers every 6 months with your lead team members and is offered in person or online. Displaying any new inventories that will be coming up in the future to customers via a customer display and their will-call purchases enhances the patient experience at your center. Keep in mind security and customer support are some of the most important aspects of a well-run provisioning center. In the next issue we will be reviewing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems for the Cannabis Industry.

point of salecontinued from page 16

or aromatherapy). To accomplish this, a vaporizer uses a heating element that warms to a specific temperature, for cannabis, 365º is the desired temperature, and then passes that heated air over and through the plant material vaporizing only the beneficial cannabinoids in the plant material which are then breathed-in by the user.

Most table-top models use fans that propel air over the heating element and plant material and the resulting vapors are captured in a jar or inflatable bag for inhalation. Some models without fans rely on the user to draw the heated air over the plant material by means of oral suction through a hose or tube, commonly called a 'whip'.

Perhaps the most popular models these days are small 'pen' vaporizers. They are literally the size of an ordinary ink pen, and like electronic cigarettes they come self-contained with a battery, heating element, and highly concentrated cannabis extract. Some models are designed for one-time use, and others allow the user to change or refill the cartridge that holds the concentrated cannabis oil when it's empty. The effect is the same, but costs vary greatly between models.

Vaporization avoids the production of irritating, toxic and carcinogenic by-

products by heating the plant material or cannabis concentrate just enough to boil off it's active ingredients into a vapor. No combustion occurs, so no smoke or taste of smoke is present. Vaporization eliminates the irritating and harmful effects of smoking, emits no second hand smoke, and produces immediate results for the user.

concenTraTesArguably the best treatment options

are derived from concentrated cannabis extracts. Extracts are the essential cannabinoids after they have been stripped away from the plant material using gasses, liquids, and lipids (fat). When extracted from the plant material, the resulting resin can be measured and used in consistent doses to make an endless variety of cannabis-infused products.

Common solutions and gasses used for extractions include food-grade butane, food-grade alcohol (ethanol/Ethel alcohol), carbon dioxide, naptha, d-limonene, isopropyl alcohol, and other less pure solvents. Using these chemicals is very dangerous and should not be attempted indoors or by inexperienced chemists. Extracts made from these chemicals can be extremely dangerous

for people who consume them if the the resin is not fully separated from the solvent. Procedures like these should be conducted in a laboratory environment by trained personnel, using the proper equipment to ensure safety and purity.

There are safe ways for patients and caregivers to make cannabis extracts right in their own kitchens. Tinctures can be made from food-grade alcohol or vegetable glycerine by soaking the

plant material in them for a period of time. Likewise, edible oils will also absorb cannabinoids by soaking the plant material in them. Making cannabis-infused butter is also an effective and popular way to extract the cannabinoids from the plant material. The cannabinoids will attach themselves to butter when plant material and butter are immersed in a double-boiler with pure water. Like solvents, some cooking oils and butters do a better job of extracting the cannabinoids than others. The higher the proof of the alcohol, and the butter with the most fat in it work better than low-proof alcohol and low-fat butter. But regardless of the type of alcohol you use, or how much fat is in your butter, all will work and each will be very easy to titrate.

While smoking cannabis may be the easiest way to adjust it's dosage, extracts can be easily measured to provide the desired effect for each patient, especially when used in a vaporizer. Extracts are easily infused into just about any edible product you can think of, and while raw cannabis can also be incorporated into just about any food product, it does retain it's particular taste and texture, and even if it's properly decarboxylated (removing the carbon dioxide), it's know to cause stomach discomfort for many people.

Another popular option is cannabis-infused products made from extracts that are designed for topical use. Creams, salves, and oils can be applied directly to the skin near the area of the body to be treated and as the product absorbs into the skin, so do the cannabinoids! Topical applications work wonders for localized pain and stiffness in most people, and it generally start working in just a few minutes.

You don't have to smoke cannabis to enjoy the medicinal or recreational benefits of cannabinoids. Vaporization, concentrates, and cannabis-infused edible products are quickly becoming preferred alternatives to burning the plant material, especially for patients who don't enjoy smoking cannabis, or who worry that smoking will only complicate their conditions.

alternativescontinued from page 14

that the senior vote had doomed Prop 19. My generation! I looked around and that's when I realized that no one was including seniors in the conversation, or educating them about the health benefits of cannabis. Seniors are America’s most powerful voting bloc and they were being completely ignored by every single activist organization in the country. And so, The Silver Tour was born.

With the help of federal medical marijuana patient, Irv Rosenfeld and the great volunteers from FL NORML, I began putting on live Silver Tour shows at Synagogues and senior communities. The idea of an ex-con teaching medical marijuana to seniors was so novel, that CNN, the Wall St. Journal, and even The Daily Show with Jon Stewart produced great stories about our shows. To reach greater

numbers of people, I produced a made-for-TV version called “Should Grandma Smoke Pot?” and put it on commercial TV stations as paid programming. It didn’t take long for seniors to begin coming out of the closet to demand safe legal access to regulated cannabis treatment options to treat the plethora of ailments plaguing my generation.

Last June, the Silver Tour took 150 seniors to Washington D.C. and lobbied The House of Representatives to end the harassment of states with legal cannabis. Did they hear Florida seniors? Eight weeks later Attorney General Eric Holder announced basic guidelines for Federal Prosecutors in states with medical marijuana programs. And all this was made possible by donations, mostly small ones from many contributors! No major donor ever believed we could accomplish so much, especially when not a single staff member of the Silver Tour

has ever been paid a salary. All funds that were donated were earmarked to pay for airing of our TV programming, media and expenses. The Silver Tour is America’s only tax exempt 501(c)(3) public charity devoted solely to cannabis education. All donations are tax deductible.

The final ingredient for success in Florida came from the deep pockets of the very compassionate and generous John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan Law Firm. John rescued the bankrupt PUFMM from Kim Russell, changed the name to United for Care, and hired political guru Ben Polara to organize volunteers, and to assemble a paid staff to run the new organization. That team ultimately gathered over a million signatures from registered Florida voters to put medical marijuana on our ballot. It took five long years of extremely hard work by our entire activist community including the Silver Tour, FL NORML, PUFMM, FL Can, and United for Care to

pave the way, open minds, and reach our shared goal. In November of 2014, Florida voters will decide if medical marijuana is good for the people of our great State, and reputable polls indicate that over 80% of voters support the idea of sick people having safe access to regulated medical cannabis treatment options.

But we must not take victory for granted! We still have to turn out the vote, and most important, we must continue to educate the public to insure the campaign's success. Seniors will be the key to our victory, and a Silver Tour campaign is already being planned for the fall that will include TV and radio spots, and giant billboard ads. All that Florida medical marijuana patients need now is your support. Florida is the key to advancing medical cannabis laws across the rest of the south, and you are the key to the Silver Tour’s success! Please make a generous donation at thesilvertour.org.

floridacontinued from page 8

Topicals, photo courtesy of Patient 2 Patient of San diego

The higher the proof of the alcohol, and the

butter with the most fat in it work better than low-proof alcohol and

low-fat butter.


of the body or chronic pain symptoms of a physical nature.” Arwood also urged veterans to consult their local VA before seeking a recommendation.

A move toward state sanction of a mental health condition could bode well for Michigan’s patient population, many of whom find themselves in court proceedings despite being licensed and registered. “This should help in defending the doctor/patient relationship in cases where the relationship is more of a counseling relationship, rather than treatment,” said criminal defense attorney Daniel Grow of Kalamazoo.

He then raised questions about pediatric use of medical cannabis, stating “there may be insufficient evidence on the effect of marijuana on minors.” Should LARA contemplate removing or altering Michigan’s pediatric use allowance they will find a strong contingent of legislators that would oppose the effort. Parents of Michigan’s most ill children have been active in the legislature, lobbying and providing testimony for pro-marijuana bills like HB 4271 and HB 5104.

The most vocal and active parent’s group lobbying in Lansing is Pediatric Cannabis Therapy. Jim Powers from that group said, “We are very disturbed by the comments the director made regarding medical marihuana use by minors. All of our children have received two doctors recommendations for the use of medical marihuana – these medical professionals have deemed that the potential risk of this medication is outweighed by the

potential benefit. We feel LARA should focus their attention on the successful implementation of the voter initiated medical marihuana program and allow our childrens’ doctors to decide what medication is appropriate.”

Arwood also expressed reservations about making any further additions to the list of conditions. “Expansion of the statute should be in the hands of the legislature, not the Director of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs,” he wrote. “Further legalization efforts belong with our elected representatives.” Any legislative change to the MMA would require the approval of 3/4 of both the House and the Senate- a cumbersome and time-consuming process that was never intended by the voters in 2008.

The acceptance of the new condition was widely praised in the medical marijuana community, as was the man most widely credited with making the recommendation happen- John Evans, a Michigan veteran.

Evans lobbied Lansing to get the first panel convened in 2012 and submitted compelling petitions outlining the effects of PTSD and how cannabis mitigates the effects. “It has been a long hard fought battle, but it was just a battle,” Evans said, “the war still rages on.”

Evans hopes this success will create an easier platform for others who would suggest other new conditions to add to Michigan’s list. “Lives are being saved, the improvement of quality of life issues can only be described as miraculous… Hopefully this issue also opens the door for other mental health issues.”

“PTSD sufferers will undoubtedly

benefit from this,” said Jamie Lowell of 3rd Coast Compassion in Ypsilanti. He’s also the Chairman of the Michigan chapter of Americans for Safe Access. “It is unfortunate that the process took so long to be functional.”

Every day, 22 veterans commit suicide per CNN, and PTSD is a contributing factor in most of them. The rules mandating speedy consideration and adoption of petitions for the addition of new conditions were adopted in April of 2009. Arwood’s letter comes almost five years later.

One of the patients who gave moving testimony at the Panel hearings was Constance C. Taylor, a non-veteran PTSD patient. “This is a big win for thousands of patients. Medical Marijuana helps my symptoms,” Taylor said. “I hope that other PTSD patients can find the same relief that I have with Medical Marijuana.”

Brandy zink, another non-veteran patient who suffers from PTSD as a result of child abuse and as a battered wife, also gave compelling testimony to the Panel. zink stated that she was “disappointed that this room wasn't filled to capacity, but I can understand why. As someone who lives with PTSD, it's hard to speak out, it's an illness you suffer in silence.” She also testified that, “if there was no stigma on mental illness, there was no stigma on cannabis, this room would be filled to capacity, and you would hear so much more stories directly from the people”.

Also deserving of credit in the approval of PTSD are Dr. Crocker and David Brogren. Both men have been involved in the panel process since it’s first convening in 2012. Dr. Crocker is a Board Member of the Michigan chapter of NORML. Brogren

was interviewed on the Planet Green Trees Internet radio show by attorney Michael Komorn and the on-air staff regarding the Panel, it’s history and the PTSD vote.

Now that PTSD has been approved and added, Brogren believes other mental health issues can be recognized through the New Conditions Panel process. “Parkinson's disease and autism could and should be resubmitted, but it will take a well-prepared application and credible testimony to potentially advance those conditions,” he said. “I encourage future applicants to work with the medical marijuana community, and to prepare applications that will meet the high standard set by John Evans.”

The National Patients Rights Association has lobbied for pro-marijuana laws in Michigan’s legislature for several years. Their Legislative Chairwoman, Robin Schneider, expressed thanks to John Evans, the panel members and “the many brave Michigan citizens who suffer from PTSD who testified in support of the petition.

“This should serve as a reminder to all medical marijuana advocates that with hard work and dedication we can move forward.”

That sentiment was echoed by the non-profit patient advocacy organization Michigan Compassion in a statement of congratulations issued after the Arwood announcement. “Anyone who has been severely affected by a traumatizing event will now be protected from arrest for using medical marijuana to cope with this debilitating condition, and they will not be forced to take pharmaceutical drugs that come with side effects that often compound their trauma.”

ptsdcontinued from page 10

the creation of the food, fuel, fiber, and medical hemp movement that it really began to take off.”

Other than the 1972 event, there has always been the chance that tokers could be arrested. Although the law was relaxed in to a $5 ticket Ann Arbor in 1972 (now $25) the rules on campus follow state law, not town law. Several years after Hash Bash started police began arresting folks in the crowd for smoking marijuana. Adam Brooke, who has organized the event since about 1990, figured out how the police operated.

“Every year I review videotapes of the crowd,” says Brooke. “I noticed that when people were arrested the police came in from the edge of the crowd. I couldn’t understand how they could see what was going on. That led me to believe there were undercover cops in the crowd. Then I noticed that a guy in the crowd would lift his baseball cap into the air and put it back on his head. When that happened the cops from the edge would come and arrest the guy next to him.”

Brooke dealt with the situation at the next Hash Bash. He asked folks to sit down during the proceedings. Everybody sat but the cops. The police stood there foolishly, looking awkward and out of place.

“There’s a photograph of that,” says Brook. “I call it pigs in a blanket.”

It was a moment to stick it in the eye of law enforcement and marijuana naysayers, and that edge still drives some of the

event’s energy. But Hash Bash is mainly mirrors what is going on in the state each year. Medical marijuana has been a big focus in recent years, and local initiatives to decriminalize it in cities across the state will come up this year.

And while the official Hash Bash takes place for only an hour on Saturday. There is plenty of related activity around that hour. This year Rosenthal, log time grow guru for High Times magazine, will conduct a seminar on Thursday at the Clarion Hotel. Friday will feature the quarterly meeting of Michigan NORML at the Sheraton Hotel. The nearby Monroe Street Fair starts at noon Saturday and lasts until 6 p.m. Most of the Hash Bash crowd moves over there after 1 p.m. to enjoy free music and party on. The official after party kicks off at 8:30 p.m. at the Blind Pig.

“The Hash Bash is a protest, something different,” says street fair organizer Charlie Strackbein “The Monroe Street Fair is a celebration it’s got nothing to do with politics. There’s definitely the cannabis element that exist between the two but the fair is about music and freedom and celebration.”

Some folks aren’t clear about the distinction and there are those who show up at 2 p.m. to Monroe Street and think they are at the Hash Bash. Maybe it’s a little confusion, but maybe it’s that the magic of Hash Bash has crept into the rest of Ann Arbor — if only for a day.

Details about the 2014 Ann Arbor Hash Bash can be found on its Facebook page. See our Hash Bash photo montage on pages 12 and 13.

hash Bashcontinued from front page

potato cakescontinued from page 14

from the potatoes. Still over the heat, stir in the warm milk and butter, and then the cannabis infused crème fraiche or sour cream and a few grinds of pepper. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Cover the pot and set the potatoes aside to cool to room temperature.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the broccoli and garlic and a large pinch of salt and stir through. Cook until the broccoli is completely soft, and everything is lightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove the broccoli from the pan and chop it finely.

Add the broccoli to the room temperature potatoes, along with

the cheddar, eggs and 1/2 cup panko. Combine thoroughly.

Put the rest of the panko in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Form the potato mixture into small 2 inch diameter cakes, and coat them well in the panko.

Heat the oven to 250 degrees and arrange a rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Set a large heavy skillet over medium heat and cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of cannabis infused olive oil. When the oil is hot, fry the potato cakes in batches until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the cakes to the rack as they're done, and keep them warm in the oven while you cook the rest. Serve warm, with a poached egg on top of each cake if you like.

In a 1988 rulIng, the DeA’s own Chief Administrative law Judge Francis Young stated, “Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest

therapeutically active substances know to man.... Marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing

so with safety under medical supervision. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for the DeA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record.”

HIgHlY QuOTaBlE



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The American Cultivator 2014 Spring Issue Michigan Edition

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