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Yesterday, the cannabis industry was doubtlessly engrossed with the stories about a promising study of cannabidiol's potential to treat drug-resistant seizures caused a form of pediatric epilepsy. As the day wore on, the headlines became increasingly overheated. It felt inevitable that one would "go to 11". Someone Went to 11 We were rewarded for our patience with the following: "Time to say 'I told you so': cannabis can treat seizures" The content of the story was excellent, but the headline... The underlying story concerns a New England Journal of Medicine report on a double-blind placebo-controlled trial ("Trial of Cannabidiol for Drug-Resistant Seizures in the Dravet Syndrome") in which a cannabidiol (CBD) medication made by GW Pharmaceuticals had shown some promising results, (as even the article referenced above very ably reports). In the NEJM summary we reviewed, during a 14-week study on a group of 120 children with Dravet's Syndrome, the frequency of convulsive seizures per month decreased by about 50% (from 12.4 to 5.9 for those using cannabidiol with their normal medications), and 5% (3 children) became seizure-free entirely. Very promising results! Our concern with going-to-11 is that a) there were side-effects in virtually all patients who took the CBD product ("about 93 percent of people taking CBD had side effects — nausea, diarrhea... sleepiness and liver abnormality"), the cause of which is not immediately clear; and b) the study was only 14 weeks. We are not doctors, but even as proponents of medicinal cannabis we are concerned it's too early to say definitively that cannabis can treat seizures. But whose fault is that? This article is not about dissing an article on another site, it's about the desperate hunger for cannabis decriminalization and legalization (removal from Schedule I), especially for medicinal uses. After all, cannabis has been used medicinally for thousands of years. But since the 1930's, it has been demonized, outlawed, and criminalized, so that scientific research such as the Dravet study have been prevented. One doesn't have to look much further than the faces of those children to see that the Prohibition of cannabis is immoral and needs to end.

"I’m not talking about people getting high, doing recreational drugs. This is about medicine and giving patients an alternative option to manage pain and other medical complications that arise from cancer treatment, and other problems.” Legendary Pittsburgh Steeler and native son Jack Ham plans to serve as a spokesperson and consultant for AGRiMED, which has plans to grow and provide cannabis for patients who meet a qualifying medical condition for the therapeutic use of cannabis. READ MORE Image source: Main Line Autographs

"This month, with the state Legislature extending a budget impasse into the third year, the Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability issued an 86-page report on why the proposed budget from Gov. Bruce Rauner won’t work. "They deemed state leaders’ work on the issue a “spectacular failure.” But, "tax revenues generated by legalized marijuana, plus shedding the huge costs of arresting and jailing nonviolent offenders, are powerfully appealing to fiscally beleagured states. "...projected marijuana tax revenue of somewhere between $350 million and $700 million could provide services to those most hurt by the budget impasse, including the elderly, ill and colleges that “are leaking students and staff.” READ MORE @ ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE

Fifty-five years after Richard Nixon listed cannabis on Schedule I among the most dangerous drugs the Drug Enforcement Agency's List of Controlled Substances (characterized as "... drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.") a federal health agency "...has acknowledged that cannabis extracts may help kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others." In other words, a federal health agency has published its opinion that cannabis does not belong on Schedule I. As reported in Vice Magazine, in April 2017, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, revised a section on its website titled, "How might cannabinoids be useful as medicine?" to state that, "... Research in mice showed that treatment with purified extracts of THC and CBD, when used with radiation, increased the cancer-killing effects of the radiation." The (rather long and detailed) page on the NIDA website goes on to describe multiple uses for cannabis, as well as many applications that are currently being tested.

Newsfeeds keyworded with “cannabis” crackled yesterday with the story of a 10-year old boy who ended up in the emergency room after eating cannabis-infused candies left in his father's car. The police were summoned to the hospital and the father was rightfully arrested. Some news outlets reported that the boy “ate candy”; some said he was “hospitalized”, another headline said he was “sent to the ER”, and some said “overdosed.” Even in the “overdose” version, the boy was treated and went home later that evening. Er… What’s the point? Words matter. Anti-cannabis propaganda must always be exposed. Individual editors and publishers are complicit in perpetuating anti-cannabis propaganda, with the effect in many states being potential medicines are not be allowed for people in need. Such as another 10-year old, Charlotte Figi. On the other hand… On the same day, we noticed another very relevant story with a terrible ending: “A teen chugged a latte, a Mountain Dew and an energy drink. The caffeine binge led to his death.” This tragic story happened to a high school boy in South Carolina in April. The story concludes, “The official cause of death was “caffeine-induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia”. So here’s the American Cannabis Report’s point: Children are vulnerable and need to be advised and protected from many things, including common legal substances like caffeine and sugar. But cannabis has never been recorded as causing an overdose death. Cannabis has immense potential for treating people with myriad diseases and conditions. The propaganda and rhetoric make it unacceptably difficult for many to know about these solutions, or to gain access to them.

HR 1227, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017, is a bipartisan bill before the 115th Congress. In February, 2017, HR 1227 was introduced by Rep. Thomas Garrett, Jr. who said, "I have long believed justice that isn’t blind, isn’t justice." Seven Democratic Representatives and four Republican Representatives co-sponsored the bill. H.R. 1227 seeks specifically to remove marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols from the federal schedule of controlled substances, thereby leaving regulation up to the states. The bill has been introduced in multiple congresses, but never enacted. For example, The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013 was introduced into the United States House of Representatives on February 5, 2013 by Rep. Jared Polis (D, CO-2). Prior to today's press conference at 2pm today on the House Triangle, just outside the US Capitol, Justin Strekal, Political Director for NORML, released the following statement: “Never in modern history has there existed greater public support for ending the nation’s nearly century-long experiment with marijuana prohibition and replacing it with regulation. “According to recently released nationwide survey data from Quinnipiac University... 59% of voters say that the adult use of marijuana should be legal while a whopping 93% support the medical use of marijuana. Perhaps most importantly, 71 percent of voters — including strong majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — say that they “oppose the government enforcing federal laws against marijuana in states that have already legalized medical or recreational marijuana.” HR 1227 was co-sponsored by: DEMOCRATS Rep. Jared Polis [D-CO-2] Rep. Tulsi Gabbard [D-HI-2] Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] Rep. Grijalva, Raul M. [D-AZ-3] Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8] Rep. Perlmutter, Ed [D-CO-7] REUBLICANS Rep. Rohrabacher, Dana [R-CA-48] Rep. Young, Don [R-AK-At Large] Rep. Amash, Justin [R-MI-3] Rep. Taylor, Scott [R-VA-2]

This year, Former President of Mexico Vicente Fox joins the National Cannabis Industry Association's Cannabis Business Summit & Expo summit as the keynote speaker. The National Cannabis Industry Association’s annual event is set to take place this June 12-14 at the Oakland Marriott City Center. A notable proponent for cannabis legalization in the U.S. and Mexico, President Fox is expected to discuss the social injustices created by the war on drugs, and how the adoption of legal cannabis regulations by global governments would impede the cartels’ long standing history of abuse and violence. NCIA’s Cannabis Business Summit & Expo is an award-winning annual event that brings together the industry’s brightest minds. Cannabis leaders call it “a powerhouse of networking and marketing opportunities”. image credit: Wikipedia

Many have said that the only lasting result of Prohibition in the 1920's is organized crime in America. And that by following the same prohibition policy against cannabis, EVERY YEAR the federal government is ensures that an estimated $40 to $50 Billion in black market cash goes to violent criminals like El Chapo and his drug dealer networks, instead of to public health, education, infrastructure, and safety. So when headlines like "the estimated market value of cannabis now tops that of ice cream" grab one's attention (or frozen pizza, or movie tickets - take your pick), it's critical to keep the broader impacts of legalization-and-regulation in mind. A few thoughts about what $50Billion in sales COULD mean. More money for public health, education, infrasctructure and safety: In Colorado alone, $1B in legal cannabis sales in 2016 resulted in tax revenues of about $199M, which are being used for school construction, education, health services, public health and the environment, and the state general fund. See in mind, Colorado has about half as many people as Los Angeles. Savings in law enforcement: In New York City ALONE, 1 Million hours of police officers' time over 10 years were absorbed by simple possession cases - the equivalent of 31 police officers working eight hours a day, 365 days a year, for 11 years, making only cannabis possession arrests. The ACLU reports that over 7 million cannabis possession arrests were made between 2001 and 2010, during which time the states spent $3.6B in enforcing cannabis prohibition laws. Savings in prison terms for simple possession offenses: the FBI reports that more than 576,000 people were arrested in 2015 for simple possession, which is more than 1 arrest every minute, including those involved in state-legal dispensaries Job creation: Estimates show that between 165,000 and 235,000 full time and part time workers are employed in the legal cannabis industry. "To put this in perspective, there are now more [cannabis] workers than there are bakers or massage therapists in the United States" Revitalizing America's Poorest States: In southern states, $839,279,369 was spent in 2010 to arrest, prosecute and imprison people for cannabis. That's money and time that could be spent elsewhere. Also, "when looking at the 10 states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas... {cannabis] legalization would add over $710 million [annually] ... to state tax coffers." Adding those figures would gain $1.55B to southern economies every year. Health Benefits of Research and Treatment: Here is a list of 225 diseases and conditions for which cannabis has been used or shows promise. Also, a quick search of the National Institute of Health "PubMed" database shows over 25,000 studies have been done on marijuana (16,000+ on "cannabis") Total economic impact is many times the sales amount. Using econometric modeling software, the Marijuana Policy Group projects that the REAL impact of Colorado's $996M in 2015 legal cannabis sales include 18,000 jobs and $2.39B in total economic impact, with the additional benefit that the impacts occur within Colorado because of prohibition against crossing state lines. Now that's a lot of ice cream. image credit: Bud's Ice Cream of San Francisco

This morning, we reviewed a Huffington Post article titled, "Why Marijuana Should be Illegal" and ignored it.

"Minnesota's two licensed medical marijuana manufacturers have lost a combined $11 million in just two years of sales, according to financial documents obtained by The Associated Press, continuing losses that hint at systemic problems with the state's tightly regulated program despite a recent expansion that allowed thousands more patients to buy the medication." READ MORE from the ASSOCIATE PRESS Image credit: AP Photo/Jim Mone, File

A recent article in "The Conversation" sparked our interest regarding how the burgeoning legal Mexican and Canadian cannabis markets might affect the US. Estimates vary on the potential scale of the state-legalized US cannabis market, but let's pick one from a typically reliable source on economic issues - Forbes Magazine - and use their number: $7.2B in 2016, with an compounded annual growth rate of 17%. And let's not forget the illegal market scale, which is estimated to be $46.4B annually for a grand total of $53.6B annually. Now let's step back and consider that, of the three members of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), only the US has not legalized cannabis on a federal level. "Fulfilling a campaign promise, on April 13 [2017] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented a bill to legalise cannabis for recreational uses (medical marijuana has been legal in the country since 2001). Two weeks later, Mexico’s Congress followed suit, passing a bill to authorise cannabis use for medical and scientific purposes." The potential market for medicinal cannabis in Mexico is estimated at between $1B and $2B. In Canada, medicinal is estimated at $1B but recreational is estimated at up to $22.6B. And (specific to NAFTA), "Once both countries’ systems are up and running, cannabis trading between Mexico and Canada can begin." The choices are stark: is the US really going to opt out of trade in a fast-growing industry valued in the multiple-billions annually, while also ceding the chance to be a leader in medicinal research, AND allowing a violent drug trade to continue? The American Cannabis Report thinks the choice is clear. READ THIS EXCELLENT ARTICLE AT THE CONVERSATION

"To summarise, New Zealand got dragged into an epic global panic that originated in the US, was imposed globally through US power, has deeply racist roots, resulted in the withdrawal of cannabis and other compounds from the medicine cabinet, transferred the supply of drugs for pleasure-seekers and addicts to organised crime, and is responsible for countless examples of official corruption and personal cruelty." - Quote from Laila Harré in "The Drug War is Over. Now It's Time to Write the Peace Treaty" in was an Alliance MP from 1996-2002 and a minister in the Labour-Alliance government.