Pennsylvania Seeking Public Comments on MMJ Draft Rules

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The Pennsylvania Department of Health is seeking public comments from potential medical cannabis patients and caregivers on the draft rules for the state’s medical cannabis program. The proposed rules would see medical cannabis available to patients suffering from 17 serious medical conditions.

Pennsylvania Acting Health Secretary and Physician General Rachel Levine said public comments provide “invaluable” input in how the department will implement the program “as effectively as possible.”

“Every day, we hear from patients who are desperately waiting for this program to be fully implemented,” Levine said in a Lehigh Valley Live report. “We have made significant progress in getting this program off the ground since Gov. [Tom] Wolf signed the Medical Marijuana Act into law last year.”

State officials are anticipating the program will be online by 2018; however, a lawsuit by Keystone ReLeaf, LLC could delay the program. The firm has sued the state after being denied one of 12 cultivation licenses and one of 27 dispensary licenses in the state, calling the licensing awards process “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable.” According to court documents, the firm missed the application deadline by two days. The case is still ongoing.

Public comments on the proposed rules will be accepted until Oct. 2.

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Jason Santos: Normalizing Cannabis Through Video and Music

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Jason Santos is the CEO of Burn TV, a video/music network that was founded to help bridge and eliminate the gap between cannabis culture and the mainstream media.

In this Ganjapreneur.com podcast interview, Jason joins our host TG Branfalt to talk about his early forays into the cannabis industry, the important role that independent media groups play in this space, how cannabis is portrayed in the mainstream media — and how that affects cannabis enthusiasts and the movement as a whole — and much, much more!

Tune in via the media player below, or keep scrolling down to read a full transcript of this week’s Ganjapreneur.com podcast episode.


Listen to the podcast:


Read the transcript:

TG Branfalt: Hey there, I’m your host TG Branfalt. You are listening to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast. Where we try to bring you actionable information to normalize cannabis through the stories of Ganjapreneurs, activists, and industry stakeholders. Today, I’m joined by Jason Santos, CEO of Burn TV. Super excited for this Jason, we got a lot to talk about, from one media guy to another. But, lets jump right into this.

What’s your background, man? How did you get into the cannabis space?

Jason Santos: Well, first off, it’s great to be here. So, thanks for having us on the show. As far as cannabis goes, I was originally in the real estate space. I was flipping houses, and doing things like that. I saw an opportunity to kind of bring my consulting and business back down into the cannabis space as a way to kind of supplement my real estate business. I was paying cash for houses, and things like that. I wanted to have some kind of residual income, so I can continue to put more money to work in the space.

But, honestly, within a few months of being in the space, I had an encounter with a medical patient that pretty much shifted my focus to be on the cannabis industry permanently. I kind of started pulling back from the real estate stuff, and went all in on the industry, realizing how important it was.

TG Branfalt: You want to tell me a bit more about the meeting with that patient, and why that changed your mind in the way that it did?

Jason Santos: It was probably in the first 60 – 90 days of kind of being around the industry. I was consulting in managing a dispensary in Hollywood. We had a patient come in, she was in her 60’s, 70’s. And very anti-cannabis her whole life. Had just recently tried to commit suicide from trying to escape the pains and trauma of liver cancer.

She had something like 15 or 16 surgeries. And went from like an everyday walk around weight of around 140, down to the low 80’s. And was just in so much
pain and misery, that she just didn’t want to continue.

When that failed, her daughter finally convinced her to try cannabis. Like, what do you have to lose? I guess, they made something, or a friend of theirs, or someone made something like on a stove and she responded well to it. But they wanted to get into things that were a little more controlled, so they came to our shop.

She didn’t want to smoke it. So, I started putting together a bag of things for her to try in terms of edibles and things like that, that made sense for her. Went to give it to her, it was probably $150, $200 worth of product. She said she only had $40. I was like, “Well, I don’t even want your $40. Just keep your $40 because you’re not going to need to spend probably more than $20 when you go into a shop. Just take all these, figure out what works for you. So, the next time, you know what you need.”

For me, it didn’t seem that big of a deal. But, what I didn’t realize was how important that was to her, and what that meant to her because what that actually meant to her was not money. It was breakfast with their grandkids. This wasn’t probably going to save her life, or change her condition at the stage that she was at. But, it meant not being in a vegetative state, being bed ridden.

It meant sitting up at the breakfast table, and enjoying the last few days of her life, or months, or years. Whatever she had with her disease, with her family. And feeling better.

She held me for probably five, ten minutes in the middle of my store just bawling. That was the moment my life changed, right there. I pulled all my money, that day. I called my contractor, and my realtor was also my aunt. And pulled all the money from a job I was doing on a house, and decided I’m going all in on the industry.

TG Branfalt: That’s a really touching story. You cover a lot of these sort of stories in what you’ve done with Burn TV thus far. But, before we get into that, why did you end up launching Burn TV?

Jason Santos: Well, you know, I was always a business man and an entrepreneur and things like that. The one thing that I didn’t like about the industry was, even though I had the mind set of wanting to set the bar, or be the gold standard. The places that I was managing, we didn’t even have green signs.

Everything was white, there was no imagery of cannabis. We made everything above and beyond regulations, but no matter what we did at the level, here in California especially, they can take it away any day. There was … It wasn’t helping move the industry forward.

So, I saw an opportunity to do something bigger for the industry. I felt there needed to be a bigger shift. I didn’t see anyone doing it in a way that could provide that shift for the industry. I sought out to build something that could become the voice of an industry, that can start to bridge the gap between not only cannabis community, and the movement. But also main stream acceptance and  audiences.

TG Branfalt: So, I wanted to talk to you a bit about cannabis and the media, historical context, the evolution. Weeds was really one of the first cannabis centric shows to gain mainstream exposure. Now, we’re seeing cannabis focused episodes of The Simpsons, Family Guy, we’ve got Sanjay Gupta had a whole special on medical cannabis.

This isn’t shocking to me anymore. But when Weeds first came out, I was surprised it was greenlit. Because of canna-bias in the media. Cannabis has always played a huge role in music, The Beatles got high. But TV is a whole different animal. Do you think that the modern portrayal of cannabis on television helps or harms activists’ efforts?

Jason Santos: It’s a little bit of both to be honest with you. It all depends on how it’s portrayed. There’s a lot of content that’s still focused on old stereotypes.

TG Branfalt: Such as Weeds.

Jason Santos: Yeah. Weeds was a little bit different, because it was at least … It was like a comedic sitcom style, “dramedy” type show. Right? Whereas I see shows that discovery has done some shows where, it’s … They really kind of made a mockery of what’s going on. They want to make everything cops versus robbers. You know?

I felt, for me sometimes, for every good piece of information they’ll have in one of those shows like Weed Wars or Weed Country and things like this. Where they’ll have a great shot of how it’s helping someone, they’ll do some cheesy network garbage. Where it’s got to be a cops versus robbers scenario. In fact, one of my executives here is the creator of Weed Country. If you saw what the show was before Discovery got it, you’d see how different the show was.

So, there’s a lot of stereotypes and false drama that gets forced into some of the content that’s actually making it out on mainstream. But … While it’s good that more gets out there, there’s some of it kind of road blocks a little bit of the positive impact it could have. It should be doing more.

TG Branfalt: What about shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, that are geared towards adults. A lot of adults understand what cannabis does do, and how it’s portrayed on those shows where it makes you laugh, or makes you peaceful. But, at the same time, those shows are also watched by children who might not understand yet what cannabis actually is.

What’s your take on sort of those more mainstream shows, that aren’t necessarily cannabis centric, but do focus on cannabis in some of their episodes?

Jason Santos: The way I look at it is this. If a parent has an issue with that as a subject matter, being on those shows. Then they should pretty much have an issue with that show in total. Because those shows push alcohol, drunks, violence, stereotypes, racism. It’s part of their humor.

In the scope of what those shows already display in terms of their general subject lines, cannabis is actually relatively mild. Ironically, cannabis is probably the only subject line in all of those controversial subjects that they’ll explore in comedy, that actually has a benefit to people under the age of 18. It’s been used in a medicinal, and a very impactful way, that is positive.

Whereas, there is no use for alcohol, or tobacco, or violence, or racism, all the other stuff that’s in those punch lines. I love all those shows. I think they have a great take when they take on subjects like this. I think it’s great for the industry.

But, at the same time, if a parent is going to have a concern about a cannabis storyline in that show, they should probably just be generally not letting the kids watch that show overall because there’s way worse subject matters that come up.

TG Branfalt: A lot of what you’re focused on with Burn TV is music. As I said earlier, The Beatles got high and that’s going back to the 60’s. Where do you see cannabis’ place in modern music?

Jason Santos: Well, if you talked to anyone who is inside music, any musician, anyone who works in the industry, they’ll all tell you it is just entwined in that culture, in that genre, in that industry up and down. It doesn’t matter what genre of music it is, it’s part of what they do.

You know, cannabis can be a very creative inspiration for these guys. Relax … There’s a number of reasons why people smoke weed. But, for us, the main connection of music isn’t even necessarily the cannabis connection. It’s that music fits side by side with cannabis, but also the big part about music for us is that it’s universal. You don’t have to like cannabis to like music.

The music that we’re embracing is just music, it’s not weed music. Right? You don’t have to be a fan of cannabis to be a fan of music. That’s kind of the whole theme of our platform, is we’re building an entertainment portal that is embracing cannabis. But we’re not just another weed channel. Music is a big part of the unification that we want to do to bring people that were over here. Maybe they use cannabis, but aren’t really engulfed into the lifestyle, but want to be exposed to other products. Maybe they have no interest in cannabis, or maybe they’re a heavy cannabis user.

Either way, they’ll still enjoy the music content. Like I said, it’s obviously got a massive long term connection with cannabis in general. It’s a perfect fit for us.

TG Branfalt: Tell me a little bit more about how you plan to create this platform that appeals to a broader audience than cannabis users.

Jason Santos: The main focus here is we’re not building a weed channel. We’re building a platform that fully embraces it, like I said. Gives it all the same business opportunities. But, the main focus here is on entertainment. To be an entertainment destination for the cannabis community, and other people who are attracted to this type of genre of entertainment around music, comedy, adrenaline lifestyle as well as cannabis.

While there will be a lot of high level cannabis themed content on the network. Most of our content won’t have anything directly to do with cannabis, but will be applicable content to the demographics around cannabis. The full scope of demographics.

Today, there’s this small niche of people who really like dab videos, or product show cases, or this or that. But, there’s another huge part of this demographic, that even when there’s good content out there, they won’t necessarily go look for it because they don’t want to be associated with that stoner stereotype anymore than a wine drinker wants to be associated with an alcoholic. In their mind, it has the same negative stigma.

So, even when brands are doing great content, there’s a lot of people inside this demo that just don’t see it. We wanted to normalize the content, we wanted to deliver what’s familiar to them. In all the other types of content they like, so they can be exposed to brands and products in a piece of content around music, or a comedy stand up special that has nothing to do with cannabis. But, maybe there’s a promo, or sponsor, something.

They shouldn’t have to watch heavy cannabis themed content to get exposed to other products and brands in this industry. We wanted to build this broader platform, so other people can feel safe and come to this network and engage in content without feeling like they’re somewhere they’re not comfortable.

TG Branfalt: You know, that’s a really remarkable sort of vision to have as a lot of companies would take an entirely different approach. And want to maybe monetize those dab videos or something like that. I want to talk to you a bit more about the role of independent media in the cannabis space. But, before we do that, I’ve got to take a short break.

This is the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, I’m TG Branfalt.


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TG Branfalt: Welcome back to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast. I’m your host, TG Branfalt here with Jason Santos, CEO of Burn TV. So, I’m obviously working for some independent media. I have my own sort of opinions on the role that the independent media should play in this space. What is your goal or your opinion of what independent media … what role independent media should play in this space?

Jason Santos: Well, I mean, independent media is incredibly important to the cannabis sector, because it’s still so heavily blocked from mainstream media, traditional media sources. So, it’s going to take an independent media brand to really become that centralized voice in … We’re not talking about a small niche space here. I’m talking about industry that realistically is probably a trillion dollar global industry already when you factor in all the legal, illegal, and ancillary businesses all under the one thing.

So, that’s pretty remarkable that something this big doesn’t have a centralized voice. So, that independent space is going to be key in setting that up. We live in a really exciting time right now, where independent media has become very popular, very powerful, very viable, and started to develop a really big reach. There hasn’t … This is like a perfect storm of timing between digital media, distribution, as well as the cannabis space.

TG Branfalt: At the same time, you’re leveraging the Roku platform, whatever it would be called. In your quest to distribute, have you faced any push back from any of the potential distributors that you’ve approached?

Jason Santos: You know, I’ll be honest with you, I have not. Even when I’ve dealt with people who have reservations around cannabis, they’ve been incredibly enthusiastic with our brand, our brand name, our look, our approach. It’s been very welcoming. To the point where I’ve actually been quite a bit surprised. I actually expected a little more resistance, or a little more hesitation.

I mean, we’re even … Even on a small level, we were allowed to go film at one of the most iconic comedy clubs in the country, especially Los Angeles. We were the only brand that was related to cannabis they’d ever let in there. Despite repeated requests to do special events and shows there because they felt their brand was safe with our brand. That’s really the philosophy of the network. We want people to feel safe here. Whether it’s a consumer, whether it’s a non-cannabis related brand, that wants to market or advertise here, whether it’s distribution, whether it’s a venue. Whether it’s a cannabis-based company.

We want everyone to feel that they can be here, and not be off putting or off setting to what their core values are.

TG Branfalt: I’ve watched some of the videos that you guys have put out, the My Life, My Story. The portraits. These are really incredible, very deep, very moving profiles. How did you find the subject for these profiles? No how did you approach them?

Jason Santos: Well, in the My Life, My Story series, these were people we knew. We knew their stories, being around the industry I’ve got to know a lot of really good people. The Tom and two sticks one actually was brought to us, it was from a creator who wanted to do a piece with him. I believe they were going to do something at MTV or something like that, but, it just wasn’t going anywhere yet. They kind of really wanted to do a piece. So, they pitched it to us and we loved it. But, the other two were people that came from our world, that we just knew their story.

And then, on the Portrait series, there was a combination of people we knew and there was other … Couple of the people that were brought in were friends of other people we knew. When we started talking to people at the show, they were like, you got to go talk to Tony Nier. Our friends over at Jam In The Van introduced us to him, and then he was fantastic. John Sally I already knew, he’s been wanting to work with us for a while. He’s a phenomenal human being, you cannot be in the room with that guy and not have a smile on your face. That guy is just epic.

Some of our friends knew a couple of the people, and honestly it became really hard to cast because we had so many people who wanted to be part of it. We knew we wanted to do nine individual stories. This first run was difficult. We wanted to create a diversity, you know. We wanted to space them out guy, girl, guy, girl, so there was … And then different people from different walks of life.

The response was overwhelming. Since the series has come out, we’ve had a lot of other people reach out and ask us if we’re going to do more because they’d like to be a part of it or they know someone that should be a part of it.

TG Branfalt: Since you don’t have a background really in broadcast media, how difficult was it for you to produce these projects?

Jason Santos: Well, actually, I was in television production for about 4 years before I got into real estate and started to go out on my own. Worked through a few big shows, a short stint on American Idol, Weakest Link, worked on the Olympic Broadcast team. So, I mean a couple shows for USA Network. I mean, I was familiar with the process, but if you’ve seen in my signature it always says … On the bottom of my email it says, “If I’m the smartest guy at the table, I’m at the wrong table.” I firmly believe that.

So, what I did is I surrounded myself with people who know how to make really good content. So, my entire executive team comes from mainstream television production. I got an Emmy winner, these guys are producers of the biggest shows on TV. They know how to make good content.

Producing the content is actually fun and relatively easy for us because it’s passion for us. We enjoy every second of it. My guys are … I’m very blessed to have a very talented team that is capable of executing these visions.

TG Branfalt: What’s the hardest part of your job as the CEO?

Jason Santos: Honestly, the hardest part of my job is wearing how many hats I have to wear right now, just because as a start up, your boot strapped all the time because there’s so many capital needs in so many different directions. We’re not trying to build something small here. It’s really having just to take on a lot of responsibility just because we can definitely use more support staff.

But, being pulled in all those different directions for meetings, to app development, legal. I mean. It’s just … Capital raising. It’s just, it’s a never ending responsibility. You know, I work seven days a week. There’s really no days off. I always tell people, I get up early, and I go to bed late. You can call me anytime. But, it’s fun.

TG Branfalt: Then you got guys like me calling me to get you on a podcast.

Jason Santos: No, this is great. I appreciate the interest. This makes me feel like we’re doing something right, when I get interest that people want to talk to us about.

TG Branfalt: I want to talk to you a bit more about the projects you have on tap. But before we do that, we got to take our last break. This is the Ganjapreneur.com podcast. I’m TG Branfalt.


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TG Branfalt: Welcome back to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast. I’m your host TG Branfalt, here with Jason Santos, CEO of Burn TV. So, tell me what you got on tap, man. Is there anything in particular that excites you as the CEO?

Jason Santos: We got a couple of really big shows in the works that I’m really excited about. We just officially closed them, we started production on one this month. The other one, we’re close to figuring out a production date. So, they’ll be coming to Burn here this calendar year. So, we’re super excited about that.

One is called Smoking With The Stars, it’s a music based show with a great … Just an incredible company called JB TV out of Chicago. We’re bringing in all these up and rising new stars in music, they play at a live venue. They sit down, smoke some weed, have an interview with Jerry who is kind of a combination of like Jerry Garcia, a skinnier Santa Claus and like everyone’s favorite uncle that you want to see at Christmas. The guy is just awesome.

They won a lot of awards and things like that, and we’re honored to have formed a partnership with them to make this great show. Then, we got another one I can’t announce yet, but we’re getting close to it. It’s an animated series that was in high demand, and it looks like we pulled it in. I’m super excited about it. The fun stuff is beginning now. The content, the creation, the creative side. It’s been a long road to get here.

That’s what excites me. Is actually going out and turning this thing on officially. I guess that’s the next big thing, is we’re going to be officially launching the network here very, very soon. We’ll be launching on approximately … It’ll be available on like 1.5 billion devices, whatever. That includes all Apple mobile, and tablets, all Android mobile, and tablets, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Android TV set top boxes.

TG Branfalt: What are some of the topics most important for you as the CEO to showcase?

Jason Santos: You know, stuff like Portraits was very important to us, it was the brain child of our EVP of development Dave Yach. It hit everything that we wanted to kind of start to focus on. That is, we want to really start to change the stigma of what a cannabis user looks like.

These are your friends, your family, your colleagues, your idols, your icons, your neighbors, your coworkers. It’s entwined in our society. You know, 2017, 45% of Americans, which is a record high, have tried cannabis at least once. So, that’s almost one in two people has at least tried cannabis. We’re at 40 – 45 million people who regularly use cannabis in the US alone. So, we want to start to change peoples perceptions of what a cannabis user is because there’s a lot of negative stigmas that still get associated with it. But, at the same time, the other side of it is, we want to focus on cannabis isn’t the star of the show when we do content.

A lot of people think, you just throw a cannabis theme in there and that makes it good content, it doesn’t. You know, when you watch The Hangover, you don’t watch them take shots for an hour and a half before you get to the comedy. Right? It doesn’t have to be about the weed all the time. Where weed can be a role in the show, it doesn’t always have to be the star of the show.

That’s the only way we feel that cannabis is really going to make that true cross over, and get normalized. Is when we start incorporating it into story lines, into content, where the real stars … These are the story, the comedy, the structure, whatever. It’s not always cannabis.

TG Branfalt: So, I mean, it seems to be that you never really set out to be an advocate. But here you are, advocating for normalization. Is this a role that you really anticipated when you took on this whole project?

Jason Santos: Actually, absolutely. When I had the little side business and stuff, where I was consulting and working in the industry, I just saw a lot of problems. It was never going to get to where it needed to be, in my opinion, without the right voice. I knew there was a huge opportunity in this space.

It’s the only massive industry I can ever remember in my lifetime that didn’t have some kind of media voice. Mainstream media voice. So, for us, our focus isn’t to be an advocate, but our focus is on doing this in a way that allows us to be that advocate.

So, we’ll never do something that would put the industry backwards. Everything we do is designed to move the industry forward. But, obviously, our primary focus is on entertainment and building a good entertainment brand. The side benefit of that is, if we do this right, as we sat out to do, we’re going to elevate the industry side by side with us the entire way.

Again, we’re not on a non-profit advocacy agency. But we get to be a media brand that gets to move this industry into the light. And elevate its overall perceptions.

TG Branfalt: Finally, you said the first questions I asked you. You said, you’re an entrepreneur. What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs? Not just looking to get into the cannabis space, but possibly get involved in the media aspect of it.

Jason Santos: Well, in terms of the media space of cannabis, the one major piece of advice that I would give to anyone getting into media in general, is learn how to make good media. Just throwing cannabis as a subject line on something isn’t good enough. If you really want to transcend into this industry and do something good for this industry, but also make good content that’s sustainable, and going to continue to move this industry forward, and move your own opportunities forward, just learn how to make good content.

A lot of people think that they just use a good camera, and that’s good enough. It’s like, there’s lighting, story boarding, how to tell a story, editing, color correcting. There’s a lot that goes into making a quality piece of content, small or big. Understanding how to do good content is going to be imperative as this industry grows. Because it’s going to quickly outgrow the low brow, low quality, just weak themed content.

TG Branfalt: Finally, where can people find out more about Burn TV? You had mentioned quickly what devices it’s going to be on. Where can people find everything?

Jason Santos: Well, if you go to BurnTV.com, we got a website up right now. We’ve put a morning article out, called The Morning Burn. You can also find that on the website. The website right now is scaled back, as we’re just gearing up for the full launch. So, there will be some new updates coming to the website again. It’ll be expanding.

We got a partnership with another big media brand that’s going to be powering our news, the vision that we’ll be announcing shortly. So, there will be a lot more coming to the site. But the main destination for it, will be our apps. Which you will be able to find in the iOS stores, the Android stores, Roku, Amazon Fire, Android. Those kinds of things.

Obviously, you can follow us on Instagram at @BurnTV, at Twitter it’s @BurnTVNetwork. Same thing with Facebook, it’s BurnTVNetwork. We’re always publishing content there as well. In fact, that’s what Portraits was designed for, to be short form, shareable social media content so we can get as many eyeballs on it as possible so we can start to shift perceptions.

TG Branfalt: Portraits is what really drew me in. I saw that, I saw Smallie and I’m familiar with his story of it. I was really like … I was hooked. I watched one, and then I watched the other. Then the My Life, My Story you had mentioned the two sticks. That story itself was absolutely incredible. I was sitting there like, man, sometimes I don’t want to get out of bed in the morning. And this dude is … I mean, he’s doing things that you really, really wouldn’t expect.

So, I really want to congratulate you on the content that you’ve produced thus far. It’s really engaging, really good stuff. I want to thank you for taking the time, putting on the podcast hat, and joining me on this podcast. Really good stuff. I’m really looking forward to adding Burn TV on my Roku.

Jason Santos: I appreciate it man. It’s been a pleasure to be here. I definitely appreciate the kind words, and that’s the kind of reaction that we’re focused on when we make these types of shows. And, we got a lot more exciting stuff coming, we got a lot of stuff coming in action, sports, comedy, music. All Burn original stuff as well.

Then we got a lot of really great content partners, big mainstream brands as well as a big industry cannabis brands that we’re going to be bringing into the platform as well. We’re excited to get it launched, we’re really looking forward to that next stage.

TG Branfalt: I’m looking forward to seeing the next stage man. Thanks, again, for being on the show.

Jason Santos: My pleasure. Thanks for having us.

TG Branfalt: You can find more episodes on the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, in the podcast section of Ganjapreneur.com and in the Apple iTunes store. On the Ganjapreneur.com website, you will find the latest cannabis news and cannabis jobs updated daily, along with transcripts of this podcast.

You can also download the Ganjapreneur.com app in iTunes and Google Play. This episode was engineered by Jeremy Sebastiano. I’ve been your host, TG Branfalt.

End


Indoor cannabis plants under the pink-hued glow of LED grow lights.

Vermont Awards Fifth Dispensary License

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Vermont regulators have awarded the state’s fifth medical cannabis dispensary license to PhytoScience Institute, LLC., who will open shops in Bennington and St. Albans. The firm was one of five applicants to apply for the license.

Under the Department of Public Safety rules, PhytoScience must obtain an operating registration certificate and begin dispensing cannabis products to registered patients within six months. The fifth license is part of Act 65, which increased the number of licenses available in the state by two; however, the sixth license will not be granted until patient counts reach 7,000. As of Aug. 24, there were 4,609 patients enrolled in the program. Act 65 also permits current operators to open a second location. Once PhytoScience’s dispensaries are online, there will be 10 dispensaries operating in the state.

In an interview with Heady Vermont, Dr. William Cats-Beril, CEO of PhytoScience, indicated the company plans “to work closely with existing dispensaries.”

“We’re committed to well-being, to helping patients, to developing products that have a therapeutic impact on the life of patients and we identified areas that we thought were underserved,” he said in the exclusive interview. “… We hope to serve large swaths of patient populations – they’ve had poor access, long drives, and we hope that we’ll make it much more convenient to what we think is the best product in the state.”

According to a VT Digger report, two other hopefuls had their applications rejected by DPS who claimed they were incomplete.

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Panorama photo of the Salt Lake City skyline.

Poll: MMJ Overwhelmingly Popular in Utah

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A new poll from UtahPolicy.com has found that 74 percent of Utahns support the petition bid to legalize medical cannabis use in the state, with 63 percent of “very active” Mormons supporting the measure. A “very active Mormon” is considered someone who attends church regularly and pays tithing; 80 percent of the state legislature’s 104 members are devout Mormons.

The proposal was also backed a majority of Republicans, 61 to 35 percent; Democrats, 93 to 7 percent; and those with no party affiliation 87 to 13 percent. Those who described themselves as “very conservative” favored medical cannabis legalization 51 to 42 percent.

Catholics in the state supported the reforms 80 to 20 percent; Protestants, including born-again Christians, also supported the proposal 61 to 26 percent; while non-religious supported the initiative 96 to 4 percent. Mormons who indicated they were “somewhat active” with the Latter-day Saints Church, also supported the regime 80 to 15 percent.

Last June, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement on the medical cannabis issue indicating that they believe “society is best served by requiring marijuana to go through further research and the [Food and Drug Administration] approval process that all other drugs must go through before they are prescribed to patients.”

The following month Jon Huntsman Sr., a well-known philanthropist in Utah and four-time cancer survivor, said he’d “love to” try medical cannabis.

“If medical marijuana was known by another name, it would have been utilized as a pain medication many years ago,” he told the Salt Lake Tribune. “From national research and understanding, the side effects of medical marijuana are considerably less than virtually all opioids and therefore less destructive to the body.”

Petitioners must gather 113,000 valid signatures of registered voters in the state in order to get the issue on the 2018 ballot.

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Young cannabis plants inside of a commercial grow site in Washington state.

Study: One in Four Cancer Patients at Washington Clinic Use Cannabis to Treat Symptoms

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According to a study published in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, 24 percent of cancer patients treated at Washington’s Seattle Cancer Care Alliance had used cannabis in the last year for both physical and psychological symptoms related to their disease. Researchers also found that legalization increased the odds that a patient would try medical cannabis products.

The study, led by Dr. Steven Pergam and his colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, found that 75 percent of the 926 patients surveyed, with a median age of 58-years-old, were interested in hearing about medical cannabis treatment from those providing clinical care, while 66 percent admitted to using cannabis in the past. Another 21 percent said they had used cannabis in the last month, and 18 percent said they had used it in the last week. Patients who indicated they had used cannabis within the last week or month indicated they used it to treat pain and nausea, in addition to using it to cope with stress, depression, and insomnia.

Pergam hopes the study helps “open the door” for more research “aimed at evaluating the risks and benefits of marijuana” for those diagnosed with cancer.

“Cancer patients desire but are not receiving information from their cancer doctors about marijuana use during their treatment, so many of them are seeking information from alternate non-scientific sources,” he said in a press release. “This is important, because if we do not educate our patients about marijuana, they will continue to get their information elsewhere.”

The study was published online today.

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The Canadian flag flying on a blue sky in front of the sun.

Health Canada to Launch Cannabis Awareness Public Health Campaign

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Health Canada plans to launch a cannabis awareness public health campaign aimed at teens and young adults which will focus on messages such as, “the younger cannabis use starts and the more it is used the higher the health risks,” and “like alcohol, cannabis is not without risks,” according to a report from the CBC. The federal government has earmarked $9.6 million from this year’s budget for public education about the risks of cannabis use as they move forward with legalization plans.

The campaign will focus on minors aged 13 to 17-years-old and young adults aged 18 to 24.

The government has posted a tender seeking bids for a contractor to run the “cannabis experimental marketing program” which closes on Oct. 16.

“Health Canada requires the services of a contractor to develop, implement, manage, and report on national experiential marketing events programs to support the proposed legislation and regulation of cannabis by raising awareness of the health and safety risks and engaging with the target audiences,” the ad reads.

According to the CBC report, marketing campaigns could be done through a series of events, concerts, and social media platforms. Health Canada expects the events to run from December to March 2019.

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Las Vegas Dispensary Receives Green Light to Stay Open 24/7

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The Las Vegas, Nevada City Council has unanimously approved a measure that allows Oasis Cannabis to stay open 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week – it is the first dispensary near the Strip granted approval to operate around the clock, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

The approval follows a Tuesday vote by the Clark County Commission to allow all 26 dispensaries in its jurisdiction to stay open 24/7; however that change is not expected until Oct. 3, while Oasis expects to begin their new operating hours as soon as Friday.

Presently, shops in North Las Vegas are permitted to stay open all day and night.

Benjamin Sillitoe, co-founder and CEO of Oasis, said that the Clarke County commissioners’ decision would eventually allow all dispensaries to keep a 24/7 schedule and that being forced to close would force customers to buy somewhere else.

“We have people lined up at our door at 6 a.m., and (we) are rushing people out at 3 a.m.,” Sillitoe said in the report, adding that both a bar and body painting studio in his shop’s vicinity are open around the clock.

The approvals by the city council and Clarke County Commission are just the latest changes to the state’s recreational cannabis market. Earlier this month the state Legislative Counsel Bureau issued an opinion stating that nothing in the voter-approved adult-use cannabis law prevents municipalities from granting social-use licenses. Gov. Brian Sandoval said that decision has “no precedential value” therefore it remains to be seen whether localities roll out social-use regimes.

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The wide fan leaf of a mature, outdoor hemp plant.

Hemp Cultivation Applications Open in New York

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Applications for farmers to participate in New York’s recently expanded hemp research program are now open until Nov. 22 after the state was granted a Drug Enforcement Agency permit to help cultivators import industrial hemp seed.

Officials expect a 6,000 percent increase in the acreage in the state dedicated to hemp, from just 30 acres in 2016 to an estimated 2,000 acres next season. The state has so far licensed more than 20 partners to participate in the program.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that expanding industrial hemp research opens doors “to innovative ideas that could provide a major boost for our farms and communities.”

“Industrial hemp has the potential to become an economic engine not just in New York, but across the country and with this effort, we can lead the way in this emerging industry,” Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a press release.

Cuomo signed the hemp program expansion bill last July, which also established a Hemp Working Group to advise the state on policies to help grow the industry. Coinciding with the bill signing, Cuomo launched a $5 million Industrial Hemp Processors Grant Fund. The fund is administered by Empire State Development in consultation with the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. Grants up to $500,000 – to cover processing, new construction, and equipment costs – are available to qualifying applicants.

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The Icelandic capital city of Reykjavik photographed during the sunrise golden hour.

Bill to Legalize Cannabis Use and Create Industry Introduced in Iceland

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A bill to implement a legal cannabis industry has been introduced in Iceland by Pawel Bartoszek, a member of the nation’s Reform Party, the Iceland Review reports. The measure, which would provide a legal taxed and regulated regime, is based on the handbook How to Regulate Cannabis: A Practical Guide. The guide is published by Transform, an independent think tank that campaigns for drug reforms.

Under the measure, Icelanders 20-and-older would be able to purchase cannabis products and social-use would be permitted in so-called “cannabis restaurants”; alcohol would not be served at these establishments. Products would be sold in plain gray packaging that includes product information and warnings, and a total ban on cannabis advertising would be included.

“I hope that the bill will be an icebreaker that spurs the debate and that it will ultimately lead to us ceasing the punishment of people for consuming this specific substance,” Bartoszek said in the report, adding that over 1,000 individuals are prosecuted for cannabis crimes in the nation each year.

The measure would include a fee similar to that paid by alcohol importers or manufacturers. According to the announcement on Bartoszek’s website, the fee would be 2,000 kroner “per gram of active THC,” so products with 15 percent THC would carry a 300 kroner fee per gram — or about $48 USD per gram.

The proposal was introduced on Sept. 20.

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A person wearing a white glove writes on a paper next to some medicine bottles.

Study: THCA ‘Worth Consideration’ as Huntington’s Therapy

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Scientific advisory board members of Emerald Health Therapeutics Inc., a Canadian licensed medical cannabis company, have co-authored a study suggesting THCA shows neuroprotective activity and is “worth consideration for the treatment of Huntington’s Disease and possibly other neuroinflammatory diseases.”

THCA is the precursor cannabinoid to THC and has no psychotropic effect. THCA converts into THC as the plant dries but the process is sped up by smoking, vaping, or otherwise decarboxylating cannabis. The researchers purport THCA activates a pathway that is thought to be a neuroprotectant.

The research was conducted at Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba in Spain. Dr. Eduardo Muñoz, Ph.D., Emerald Health’s chief scientific officer, and co-author of the paper, said that in some cases patients with neurodegenerative diseases do not respond to traditional therapies.

There are more than 600 neurological disorders which impact an estimated 50 million Americans every year.

“Our research data provide further evidence that cannabinoids hold therapeutic potential for a wide range of diseases and conditions, including neurodegeneration, which represents a significant unmet medical need,” said Muñoz, who also serves as an immunology professor at the University of Córdoba, in a press release.

The article, “Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid is a potent PPARγ agonist with neuroprotective activity,” was published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

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Survey: Recent Medical School Grads Not Prepared to Recommend MMJ

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According to a survey of medical school curriculum deans conducted by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, 66.7 percent indicated their graduates were not prepared to recommend medical cannabis and another 25 percent said their graduates were not even prepared to answer medical cannabis questions.

The survey included deans at 172 North American medical schools, including 31 that specialize in osteopathic medicine. They received 101 replies.

The team also surveyed 258 medical residents and fellows who earned their medical degrees from school in the U.S. who now work at the school and the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. That survey found 90 percent of in-training physicians who responded said they were not prepared to recommend medical cannabis, and 85 percent indicated they had not received any training in medical school or their residencies about medical cannabis.

The researchers also examined the Association of American Medical Colleges database and found that just 9 percent of medical school reported they had covered medical cannabis.

Dr. Laura Jean Bierut, senior author of the study, and Alumni Endowed Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University, and a member of the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse, said the study shows that “medical education needs to catch up to marijuana legislation.”

“Physicians in training need to know the benefits and drawbacks associated with medical marijuana so they know when or if, and to whom, to prescribe the drug,” she said in an interview with the university’s BioMed Radio.

The study was published in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal.

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Ontario, Canada’s Niagara College to Offer Cannabis Cultivation Degree

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Niagara College, located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, will soon offer a one-year post-graduate program in cannabis cultivation as the nation moves toward federal legalization, according to a report from the Star. The program, which will be available to students who have earned a degree in horticulture, agricultural sciences, or related fields, will focus on plant pathology, standards, requirements and legal requirements for licensed producers, and growing techniques.

It will be the first of its kind in Canada.

Al Unwin, associate dean of environmental and horticultural studies, said college officials will “certainly” consult with licensed producers as the regulations change.

“There’s a huge need for highly-skilled well-trained workers who are not only knowledgeable about the crop itself, but the legal requirements governed by Health Canada,” he said in the report, adding that the class is already approved by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development.

The college already offers a two-year greenhouse technician program and some of those students will likely become members of the cannabis cultivation Class of 2019. The first class will be held in the fall 2018 semester.

According to the report, Canada has 59 licensed medical cannabis producers throughout the nation and 32 of those are in Ontario. Earlier this month, provincial government officials unveiled their proposal for recreational cannabis sales, which would see the province shut down all currently operating dispensaries and license between 30 and 60 new ones.

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LC Solutions Michigan Offers Smart Cannabis Accounting

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As state cannabis regulations come online, entrepreneurs seeking longevity in this industry need to make absolutely sure they strategize their business accordingly. Particularly in the state of Michigan, where — after years of an unregulated, caregiver/patient-based marketplace — commercial regulations finally came online last December, medical cannabis business owners are facing new requirements on their path towards a state-issued license.

One such requirement facing Michigan’s cannabis companies is a financial review process which, according to CPA Kareyna Miller, could easily evolve into a financial audit requirement — so last December, Miller founded LC Solutions Michigan PLLC to help cannabis entrepreneurs down the path towards licensing and success.

LC Solutions Michigan is the state’s first patient- and woman-owned, cannabis-focused accounting firm.

“Once clients start talking to me, they understand my background and they understand that I have been a part of this on a personal end,” said Miller, who first joined Michigan’s industry as a medical cannabis patient in 2011.

LC Solutions Michigan offers an extensive and diverse set of financial services — these include corporate bookkeeping, the setting up and management of new accounting systems, cloud record management, employee payroll, tax filings, and more. LC Solutions also offers consulting services that help cannabis entrepreneurs establish a strong financial foothold for their company, including costs accounting, start-up business planning, and preparation for state-issued audits and financial reviews.

“I understand cannabis, I’ve seen and been a part of patient grows. It’s a very unique industry and a unique set of people who are a part of it, and I’m not just somebody in a suit trying to get into this industry,” Miller said. “I’m very proactive, and I want to make this an accepted and legitimate industry here in Michigan.”

Miller founded LC Solutions Michigan to help cannabis entrepreneurs succeed — but it wasn’t her earliest effort to help members of the cannabis community. During Michigan’s initial years as a purely patient/caregiver-based marketplace, Miller also published a series of tutorials and articles under the platform LCS Accounting Online, where she offers tips, advice, and tutorials to help caregivers satisfy their own accounting needs.

And, while Miller is happy to help medical cannabis caregivers stay afloat in this emerging industry, the driving force behind these guides are the patients who rely on those caregivers and their ability to provide trusted, safe medicine. “Protecting patients and making sure they have what they need — that is the most important thing,” she said.

To learn more about how LC Solutions Michigan can help with your financial accounting needs, visit the company website at LCSolutionsMichigan.com or inquire via email at info@lcsolutionsmichigan.com.

 

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Looking at the road ahead on a California highway during sunset.

Colorado’s Front Range Biosciences Raises $3M in Bridge Funding; Plans California Expansion

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Lafayette, Colorado-based Front Range Biosciences, which specializes in cannabis tissue propagation, has raised $3 million in bridge funding which will be used to scale the company’s processes and help fund its expansion into California. The investment round was led by Phyto Partners, Salveo Capital, Sand Hill Angels, HBS Angels of NYC, NY Angels, Halley Venture Partners, Anthill Ventures, and Canopy Boulder.

The firm was one of 10 companies who participated in CanopyBoulder’s spring 2016 startup accelerator program.

Nick Hofmeister, co-founder of Front Range and COO, said the round exceeded the firm’s expectations.

“With the rapid growth of the commercial cannabis industry, there is increasing demand for improved cultivation practices for large-scale grow operations,” said Dr. Jon Vaught, CEO and co-founder, in a press release. “We plan to use our recent funding to scale our processes and keep up with this demand, while expanding into new cannabis markets.”

Brett Finkelstein, managing director at Phyto Partners, indicated that the Front Range management team is what attracted the investment firm to the bioscience company.

“[Front Range] has all of the right pieces for a successful business – a stellar team, clear differentiated offering, early customer validation, and a rapidly growing pipeline,” he said in a statement.

Front Range uses Next Generation Sequencing technology to create cannabis genetics maps which help develop commercially relevant traits in cannabis plants, including disease resistance, oil and resin yields, and desirable cannabinoid profiles.

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Picture of cannabis fan leaves inside of a commercial cannabis grow operation.

Tikun Olam and MariMed Partnership to Expand into 4 States

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Tikun Olam and MariMed Inc. have agreed to expand their partnership which will see Tikun-branded products rolled out in Rhode Island, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Illinois next year. The partnership brought the company’s products to Delaware in 2015.

The companies expect to offer at least six Tikun-branded strains, including high-CBD strain Avidekel, along with tinctures, edibles, vape cartridges, and edibles.

“Tikun Olam is delighted to expand our relationship with MariMed,” said Tikun CEO Bernard Sucher in a press release. “MariMed utilizes the ‘best practices’ and standards for cultivation and production and their qualified distribution channels allow us to bring our proven wellness products to more U.S. patients than ever before.”

Tikun Olam, a medical cannabis provider in Israel, announced in April that they were expanding their U.S. reach into Nevada with a partnership with CW Nevada LLC. They plan to begin offering products in Washington state in November.

MariMed CEO Robert Fireman said the agreement is due, in part, to the “great success” of the Delaware pilot program.

“Tikun Olam’s empirical data on clinical effectiveness is unsurpassed, and we look forward to educating healthcare professionals and offering Tikun’s products to tens of thousands of new patients nationwide,” he said in a statement.

Since 2010, Tikun’s clinical data has shown that the firm’s strains are effective therapies for symptomatic relief of cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, Crohn’s disease, colitis, epilepsy, neuropathy, and chronic pain. The company has treated over 10,000 patients in Israel.

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A person dumps pharmaceutical pills out of a pill bottle.

Study: 34% of Chronic Pain Patients Enrolled in MMJ Program Quit Pharmaceuticals

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A new study by researchers from the University of New Mexico found that 34 percent of chronic pain patients enrolled in the study were able to cease using all prescription medications by the last six months of the 24-month observation period.

The study included 83 chronic pain patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program, compared to 42 who were not. Another 36 percent of registered medical cannabis patients enrolled in the study were able to use fewer medications by the end of the study.

“Legal access to cannabis may reduce the use of multiple classes of dangerous prescription medications in certain patient populations,” the study authors concluded. “[A] shift from prescriptions for other scheduled drugs to cannabis may result in less frequent interactions with our conventional healthcare system and potentially improved patient health.”

The authors state the purpose of the study was to “measure the effect of enrollment in state authorized [medical cannabis programs] on Schedule I [through] V drug prescription patterns. The authors argue that “co-prescribing of scheduled drugs is endemic” in the U.S. and presents “health risks to patients” and a burden on healthcare systems.

The study was published in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.

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The state flag of California flying on a clear, blue skied day.

California Legislature Joins the Fight to Deschedule Cannabis

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For decades, medical cannabis patients and activists have called for the Federal Government to remove cannabis from the Schedule 1 narcotic list — now, the legislatures in California have taken a remarkable step toward validating those claims.

The California Assembly just passed a joint resolution in a 60-10 vote that calls for the federal descheduling of cannabis. Earlier this year, the California Senate passed the same resolution 34 to 2 as part of a request that Congress loosen banking restrictions on the cannabis industry. Removing cannabis from the federal list of controlled substances would significantly improve the environment for cannabis entrepreneurs by opening access to the banking system, and would promote more research into medical cannabis by allowing federally funded institutions to conduct medical cannabis inquiries.

Not needing the Governor’s signature, the joint resolution will now be sent to President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, California’s 2 Senators and California’s 53-member Congressional delegation. The Trump administration has not signaled a willingness to support cannabis reform, but the Senate Appropriations Committee has expressed concerns that the Schedule 1 designation is impeding medical cannabis research.

Consider New Jersey Senator Cory Booker’s Marijuana Justice Act, which itself would deschedule cannabis, and there appears to be a groundswell of efforts to finally move cannabis from the Schedule 1 category.

The Controlled Substances Act set up the “scheduling” system in 1972 and sorted narcotics into five schedules. Cannabis was curiously put into the same Schedule 1 category as LSD and heroin, a designation reserved for “highly addictive” substances with “no known medical uses,” where it has remained for 45 years despite a large pool of research showing cannabis to be effective in treating a wide variety of medical conditions.

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Delaware Eases MMJ Access for PTSD Patients

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Delaware post-traumatic stress disorder patients now have easier access to the state’s medical cannabis program after Gov. John Carney signed the Bravery Bill into law last week, radio news station WDEL reports. The new law allows patients with PTSD to get medical cannabis certification from any properly licensed physician rather than only being able to receive approval from a licensed psychiatrist.

In a 105.9 FM News Talk report, Carney called the legislation a “common sense and compassionate amendment” to the state’s medical cannabis law.

The bill was championed in the Senate by Majority Leader Margaret Rose Henry, who worked with Air Force veteran Kim Petters, who served the military for a decade. She was forced to wait eight months before being granted access to the program.

Petters, president of the Women’s Veterans Collective, said the measure allows PTSD patients additional options to pharmaceuticals “which can be dangerous and addictive.”

“The veteran community continues to experience staggering suicide rates that far outnumber the amount of troops we lose in actual combat,” she said in the report. “The veteran accidental overdose rates alone more than double the national average. And when you take a look at the veteran homeless community you’ll find at least 70 percent of homeless vets report substance abuse, most of which began with pharmaceuticals or alcohol.”

Petters told 105.9 FM that cannabis helped her replace all of the medication she was taking for insomnia, anxiety, and depression.

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A judge's gavel rests on its pedestal next to a stack of legal books.

Massachusetts Supreme Court Rules Field Sobriety Tests Not Valid to Test Cannabis Impairment

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The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that field tests currently used to test for alcohol impairment cannot be used to determine if a driver is impaired by cannabis.

In the ruling, Justice Frank Gaziano, pointed out that “there is no scientific agreement on whether, and if so, to what extent” the current field sobriety tests – such as the horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk and turn, and one leg stand tests – “are indicative of marijuana intoxication.”

“Some studies have shown no correlation between inadequate performance on FSTs and the consumption of marijuana; other studies have shown some correlation with certain FSTs, but not with others; and yet other studies have shown a correlation with all of the most frequently used FSTs,” he opined.

Moreover, Gaziano said that because cannabis affects individuals differently, and to what extent is not commonly known, “neither a police officer nor a lay witness who has not been qualified as an expert may offer an opinion as to whether a driver was under the influence of marijuana.”

The justices conclude that police officers “may not testify to the administration and results” of field sobriety tests in cannabis intoxication cases and that lay witnesses “may not offer an opinion that another person is ‘high’ on marijuana.”

The court ruled that while officers “may testify to observed physical characteristics” of drivers, such as “bloodshot eyes, drowsiness, and lack of coordination” officers are not permitted “to offer an opinion that these characteristics mean the driver is under the influence of marijuana.”

The case, COMMONWEALTH v THOMAS GERHARDT, will be moved back to District Court to continue, consistent with the higher court’s opinion.

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Dr. Oz Says MMJ Useful as Exit Drug on ‘Fox & Friends’ Appearance

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In an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, famously known as Dr. Oz, said that there is a “hypocrisy around medical marijuana” and suggested that cannabis “may be the exit drug” to pull the U.S. from the “narcotic epidemic.”

“But we’re not allowed to study it because it’s a Schedule I drug,” said the host of “The Dr. Oz Show.” “I personally believe it could help.”

“Fox and Friends” host Steve Doocy, an outspoken prohibitionist, said that he had “never heard that before;” however even the federal National Institute on Drug Abuse has acknowledged the effects medical cannabis legalization could have on prescription opioid use outcomes.

Two other studies this year have also found cannabis as a potential substitute for opioids. A University of British Columbia and University of Victoria-led study published in the International Journal of Drug Policy found 63 percent of the 250 patients in the study were using cannabis as a prescription drug substitute, and 30 percent of those said they were using cannabis as a substitute for opioid-based pharmaceuticals.

Another survey conducted by HelloMD and the University of California Berkeley found that 97 percent of 3,000 participants “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they could decrease opioid use by using cannabis therapies instead.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent and neurosurgeon who hosted a three-part documentary on the news network, suggested last year on an episode of “Late Night with Seth Myers” that prohibiting access to medical cannabis therapies is “immoral.”

This isn’t the first time, however, that Oz has explored medical cannabis as an exit drug – he touched on the issue in an Oct. 7, 2016 episode of the “Dr. Oz Show.”

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Arkansas Finance Department Flooded with MMJ Industry Applications on Deadline Day

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As officials expected, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration were flooded with medical cannabis business applications on the day of the application deadline. Scott Hardin, spokesman for the department, told the Associated Press that about 300 applications were filed by the close of business Monday, with about 100 of those for cultivation licenses, and the rest for distribution licenses.

Cultivation hopefuls had to pay a refundable $15,000 application fee, while potential distributors paid a refundable $7,500 application fee. The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission will blindly review the applicants and ultimately award five grower and 32 distributor licenses. The state Health Department has already approved 1,200 medical cannabis patients. Patient identification cards cost $50 and must be renewed annually.

Director of Health Communications Marisha DiCarlo has previously indicated that the department is expecting to receive about 30,000 patient applications. She based the estimate on “population, types of qualifying conditions, and trends in other states.” The state’s voter-approved medical cannabis law covers 18 qualifying conditions.

Although the measure was approved by 53 percent of Arkansas voters in November, the ballot question lost on nearly half of the state’s 75 counties. The law allows for municipalities to prohibit cannabis industry operations similarly to how the state has “wet” and “dry” counties for alcohol. So far, no Arkansas county has banned cannabis industry operations.

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A cannabis nug still attached to a plant growing in an indoor cultivation site.

New Brunswick, Canada Sets up Crown Corporation to Oversee Legal Cannabis Sales

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New Brunswick, Canada’s government has established a Crown corporation which will oversee the sale of recreational cannabis in the province. Provincial government officials have signed memorandums of understanding with licensed producers Canopy Growth Corp. and Organigram to supply the New Brunswick market.

Health Minister Benoît Bourque said the plan will allow a “seamless approach” to federal legalization “that will prioritize public health and safety concerns.”

The model will effectively give the government full control over retail cannabis sales in the province, and the Crown corporation will oversee the business on behalf of the government.

“We are pleased to partner with two local companies to secure a supply for our New Brunswick market in time for the July 2018 launch,” said Finance Minister Cathy Rogers in a press release. “In addition, the creation of this new provincial Crown corporation provides the flexibility and lays the groundwork for the eventual retail model once final decisions around that have been made.”

Rogers indicated that will the Crown corporation will not directly conduct retail operations, rather it would engage with businesses and other entities to devise that framework.

New Brunswick is the latest province to announce proposed infrastructure for federal cannabis legalization. Officials in Ontario have said they will set up Liquor Control Board of Ontario-run shops; however the majority of  Ontario citizens surveyed by Nanos Research and Consumer Choice Centre said they preferred cannabis be sold by private, licensed, retailers rather than the LCB.

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Man Charged with Kidnapping Budtender Admits to Killing in Jailhouse Interview

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In a KHQ interview from jail, Donavon Culps, who was arrested on Thursday for the kidnapping of Cheney, Washington budtender Cameron Smith, admitted to killing Smith after Culps was denied service at Lucid because he didn’t have proper identification.

Culps, 35, said that while Smith wasn’t even inside the store when he was asked to leave he “was having a very bad day [and Smith] got the ugly side of it.” Culps said he had intended to fight Smith, but ended up pulling out his gun and shooting the 46-year-old budtender.

“I did not think about it, I just pulled out the gun and shot him,” Culps said in the interview. “I dumped the body, I dumped the car, then I went home.”

According to a Spokesman-Review report, Smith’s body was discovered by a police search and rescue team under heavy cover off state Route 904 near Four Lakes. Culps led the police to the site on Friday, the day after he was arrested.

His niece Violetta Culps, who also participated in the kidnapping of Smith, remains at large.

Culps is being held in Spokane County Jail on $1 million bail. He faces armed robbery and kidnapping charges but, according to jail records at the time of this article’s publishing, he has not yet been formally charged with murder.

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Washington Hall and Courtyard stands in the center of the University of Maryland campus dormitory section.

University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Scraps MMJ Courses

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The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy has scrapped its plan to offer medical cannabis certification courses, the Baltimore Sun reports. Alex Likowski, a university spokesman, indicated that the classes have been canceled after school officials consulted with the state’s attorney general’s office who said there was a risk associated with the plan due to federal cannabis laws.

“If there’s any question of the law, [the attorney general is] often consulted,” Alex Likowski said in the report. “Regarding medical cannabis, even though Maryland and many other states have approved it, it’s still illegal under U.S. law.”

The classes were expected to start in August but were suspended indefinitely. A university-associated website claims that enrollments were “suspended temporarily while the business agreements are being finalized by the university.”

Maryland’s law requires that employees of cultivation, processing, dispensary, and laboratory companies must have training in their field; physicians are not required to have any special training. The program was based on a curriculum developed by Americans for Safe Access, who has offered its own training program since 2002.

Currently, the University of Vermont College of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology offers a medical cannabis course, which was rolled out in 2016. The City College of San Francisco is developing a course on the legal cannabis industry, and the Cleveland Cannabis College began offering courses earlier this year. In 2007, Oaksterdam University was founded in Oakland California. Earlier this month, Hocking College, a two-year technical school in Nelsonville, Ohio, announced they intend to apply to serve as a cannabis testing lab in the state.

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