freedom leaf magazine - holiday 2014

www.freedomleaf.com 1

2 www.freedomleaf.com


FOUNDERS Richard C. Cowan &

Clifford J. PerryPUBLISHER

Freedom Leaf, Inc.EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Richard C. CowanSENIOR EDITOR Chris Goldstein

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Clifford J. Perry

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Ron Dennis

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dave Azimi

EDITORIAL DESIGN Jean Crow

FASHION COORDINTOR Lillian Taylor

PROOFREADER Leanna Harshaw

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Felipe MenezesLEGAL COUNCIL

Keith StroupCHIEF ACCOUNTING OFFICER

Patrick RheaSENIOR POLICY ADVISOR

Paul Armentano

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Anna Diaz, Norm Kent,

Dr. Jahan Marcu, Sabrina Fendrick, Chris Goldstien, Steve Bloom,

Erik Altieri, Beth Mann, Kenneth Lipp, Joshua Albert, Lillian Taylor, Dr. Genester Wilson-King,

Keith Stroup, Stephanie Izquieta, Paul Armentano, Mike Cann

Content and advertisements in this maga-zine are for information purposes only and is not representative, in any way, as a recommendation, endorsement or verifica-tion of legitimacy of the aforementioned herein. The opinions expressed here are those of the individual writers and may not be those of the publisher or staff of Freedom Leaf Inc. Advertisers and/or their agencies assume responsibility and liabil-ity for content within their advertisement. Freedom Leaf Inc. assumes no liability for any claims or representations contained in this magazine. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without written consent is prohibited. Copyright© 2014 Freedom Leaf Inc. – All Rights Reserved

By Clifford J. Perry and Richard C. Cowan

From all of us at Freedom Leaf Inc., we want to thank all of our readers and distribu-tors for such a warm welcome and for making the founding of Freedom Leaf magazine such a great success!

This year we are also deeply thankful to all the activists and the voters who won us majorities in every election where a cannabis issue was on the ballot, especially in Florida, where we “lost” with almost 58% of the vote. In every case, a majority rebuffed the status quo and rejected the demands of politicized law enforcement to continue prohibition. The People showed the power of our system. We should be able to decide just how much freedom we can enjoy.

It is certainly true that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”, but we also know that it is difficult to be a full-time activist. Many advo-cates at the local level sacrifice so much to bring us these reforms. We know it is challeng-ing for most people to find ways to participate in politics except during an actual referendum. But we can change that with Freedom Leaf.

Our purpose is provide you with ways to make a career in this movement and, in liberat-ing yourself, you will give that most precious gift of liberty to your families and communities.

Freedom Leaf is a movement marketing company that is designed to help people like you to celebrate freedom through careers in Art, Fashion, and Lifestyle.

Thankful For A Strong Start

continues on page 74


Contents

4. Letter from Editors Clifford J. Perry and Richard C. Cowan

9. Maintaining the Majority Keith Stroup

14. SSDP Conference Stephanie Izquieta

ELECTION COVERAGE

18. Legalizing Oregon Anna Diaz

20. DC Legalization Erik Altieri

22. Florida - Medical Marijuana Norm Kent

26. Massachusetts: Tax, Regulate and Legalize Marijuana 2016 Mike Cann

28. Municipal Ballots and Winning Candidates Freedom Leaf Staff

32. Federal Trial on Cannabis Scheduling Paul Armentano

37. Top 13 Celebrity Marijuana Moments 2014 Steve Bloom

40. Cannabis Helps The Brain Jahan Marcu

ELECTION COVERAGE18

CELEBRITY MARIJUANA MOMENTS

37HEMP SHOPPING FOR THE HOLIDAYS

44


Support Marijuana Reform. Donate to the cause by supporting NORML and SSDP at www.freedomLeaf.com/NORML-SSDP

44. Hemp Shopping for the Holidays Lillian Taylor

54. Former NFL Star Says Players Need Medical Marijuana Steve Bloom and Chris Goldstein

58. Top 15 Female Marijuana Activists Sabrina Fendrick

63. DR WILSON KING - Medical Marijuana from an MD

66. Boston/Seattle Photo Essay

79. Celebration of the Stoner Beth Mann

82. Crossword - Famous Weed Users Leanna Harshaw

84. The Most Important Marijuana News Stories 2014 Freedom Leaf Staff

92. Other Herbs - Rosemary Beth Mann

96. How Philadelphia Decriminalized Marijuana Ken Lipp photos Josh Albert

BOSTON & SEATTLE60 92 96

OTHER HERBS ROSEMARY

PHILADELPHIA DECRIMINALIZATION


By Keith Stroup, founder of NORML

The marijuana legalization move-ment is at an exciting time in this country. More and more states are legalizing marijuana as a medicine for seriously ill patients, 17 have decrimi-nalized it and a handful of states are now moving to full legalization for all adults. After more than 75 years of criminal prohibition, it is reasonable to ask why this badly needed change is happening at this particular moment.

The Big Shift

We are finally winning this long struggle because we have, at last, won the hearts and minds of a majority of Americans. Still, it will take several years for the victory to be completed.

When we founded NORML in 1970, a Gallup Poll taken the prior year found only 12% of the American public favored the legalization of marijuana – 88% were opposed to our position. With such a robust opposition, it is easy to under-stand why elected officials, including many who personally understood that prohibition was a failed public policy, continued for decades to support the status quo. Elected officials have a clear, number-one priority: Getting themselves re-elected. Acts of legisla-tive courage are much further down on their list of things to do in office.

But over these past years, older Americans, who were effectively indoc-trinated by decades of government “reefer madness” propaganda, passed

Maintaining A Majority For Marijuana Reform

Young Keith Stroup founder of NORML


away. They have been steadily replaced by younger Americans, many of whom were more familiar with marijuana smoking and think it’s no big deal, certainly not warranting criminal treat-ment. Around 1990, public support for marijuana legalization began to creep upward.

Also, with the advent of the inter-net, advocates of legalization found a tool that permitted us to effectively re-educate millions of Americans. Through websites, chat-rooms and social media, we began to effectively rebut the claims of the drug warriors that had frightened many Americans into supporting prohi-bition. We were able to present a far more accurate picture of marijuana smokers as otherwise law-abiding citi-zens who work hard, raise families, pay taxes and contribute in a positive ways to our communities. Let’s face it: can-nabis consumers own the internet.

The Concept of Responsible Marijuana Smoking

A big piece of this re-positioning of cannabis consumers in the public mind was the introduction of the concept of responsible marijuana smoking. In 1996, the NORML Board of Directors adopted what we called “The Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use.” This briefly outlines the rules a marijuana smoker should follow, including: the rec-ognition that marijuana smoking is not for kids; that no responsible marijuana smoker should ever drive while impaired

on marijuana; that smokers should be sensitive to the set and setting, and should avoid use when the conditions are not present for a safe, pleasant and productive experience. We also recom-mend that smokers should avoid usage to the extent that it impairs health, personal development or achievement. We believe that responsible smokers should respect the rights of others, and observe accepted standards of courtesy and public propriety, including respecting the preference of those who wish to avoid cannabis entirely.

These principles are really just common sense rules which most of us follow in our lives already. Still this was the first time any advocacy group had attempted to define responsible marijuana use, and it permitted NORML and others to begin to distinguish between marijuana use and marijuana abuse. Prior to that, the government had claimed that all marijuana use was abuse, a basis that by definition ruled out the possibility of legalization.

Majority Support

While the increase in public support was significant following the Marijuana Commission Report in 1972 through 1978, rising to 28% in support, the mood of the country then became more conservative. (Remember Nancy Reagan and her “Just Say No” cam-paign?) Our support levels slipped slightly and remained essentially flat until 1999. But by the late 1990’s, the

A big piece of this re-positioning of cannabis consumers in the public

mind was the introduction of the concept of responsible marijuana smoking.


public had become more accepting of marijuana smoking, and that trend has only accelerated in recent years. Our support nationwide reached 50% for the first time in 2011, and continues to rise. According to the latest 2014 Gallup Poll, 58% of the public currently supports legalization.

Since marijuana smokers comprise only 14% of the public, we simply do not have the numbers to legalize marijuana by ourselves. We now enjoy nationwide majority support for reform because of the success we have had convincing the other 86% of the public who do not

consume cannabis that prohibition has been a complete failure. These crucial supporters are not pro-pot – they are anti-prohibition. This distinction is important to keep in mind as we move forward.

We know from exit polling done when marijuana legalization was on the ballot in California in 2012 that those who voted against the proposal were principally concerned about two poten-tial problem areas: a possible increase in impaired drivers on the road if mari-juana were legalized and a possible spike in adolescent marijuana smoking if marijuana were legalized.

The fear of an increase in the number of stoned drivers on the roads is largely misdirected. First, an estimated 30 million Americans smoke marijuana each year in this country and most of us occasionally drive afterwards. We certainly did not give up driving when we began smoking marijuana, although most of us recognize that a marijuana user is somewhat impaired for an hour or so after smoking and adjust our driving patterns accordingly.

There has been no uptick in drivers impaired on marijuana or charged with DUID offenses, even as the number of marijuana smokers continues to increase.

Scientific research shows that it is far more dangerous to drive after drinking alcohol, as the mistakes made are aggressive and often deadly

There has been no uptick in drivers impaired on marijuana or charged with DUID offenses, even as the number of marijuana smokers

continues to increase.

Nancy Reagan, and her “Just Say No” campaign.


– speeding, passing on a curve, and other reckless behavior. Smoking mari-juana does impair the driver, but these drivers realize they are impaired and generally drive more slowly to accom-modate other drivers, rendering the potential harm far less dangerous.

It is worth noting the particular danger of mixing alcohol and marijuana before driving. Studies show they exac-erbate the impairment, and together are far more debilitating than the use of either drug by itself. One should never drive after smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol – designated drivers are necessary in such situations. And we must get this message out to con-sumers.

Similarly, adolescents have always experimented with marijuana, with roughly half of high school seniors acknowledging they have used mari-juana by the time they graduate. This has been the trend for the last several decades. But the same is true for their experimentation with alcohol, and the majority of adolescents admit that it is more difficult for them to obtain alcohol underage than marijuana. That’s because with alcohol, they either have

to find an older friend to buy the alcohol for them, or get a fake ID. With mari-juana purchased on the black market, no one asks for an ID. Legalizing and regulating marijuana, with appropri-ate age controls, will make marijuana less available to adolescents, not more available.

Legalizing marijuana following 75 years of prohibition is a big step for any state to make. If it is to be deemed suc-cessful by the general public, it requires those of us who smoke to exercise our new right in a responsible manner, and to keep in mind the importance of maintaining the political support of the majority of Americans who do not smoke. They continue to hold the key to fully legalizing marijuana, even though they are not consumers themselves.

The Gift From Obama

When both Colorado and Wash-ington voters approved full marijuana legalization in 2012, the Federal Gov-ernment was faced with the option of going to federal court and seeking to enjoin the provisions allowing for the licensing of marijuana growers and


distributors under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. No state has a legal obligation to mimic federal law, so any state could remove its laws against marijuana. However, when a state adopts what the courts call a “positive conflict” with federal law, the federal law prevails. Most legal observers believe the Department of Justice would have prevailed in such a legal showdown.

In a move that surprised most, the Obama Justice Department took a dif-ferent route – one that was invaluable to the legalization movement. They issued a series of memos by Deputy Attorney General Cole laying out several criteria under which any state legaliza-tion law (including both medical use and full legalization) would be evalu-ated. Essentially the Feds would stand down and permit these laws to be fully implemented, as long as the states made a good-faith effort to minimize adolescent use and avoid diversion of marijuana to other states.

In 2012, President Obama gave the legalization movement two to three years to demonstrate that we can end

prohibition and regulate and tax mari-juana in a responsible manner. This would be without the fear of federal interference – a sort of free-zone until the end of his second term. Make no mistake, this is an incredible gift. This window allows us to demonstrate that legalization works better than prohibi-tion for everyone – law-enforcement, as well as consumers. It also gives everyone time to observe one of the most compelling arguments: that it will raise a significant new stream of badly-needed revenue for the states. If we succeed, it is hard to imagine the next administration, whether Republi-can or Democrat, will have the political support required to attempt to roll-back our progress at the state level.

We must use this time wisely to approach legalization the same way the vast majority of non-smokers do. Our efforts must be focused on ending mar-ijuana prohibition, not advancing some pro-pot agenda. Otherwise responsible marijuana smokers will continue to be arrested at disturbing rates. If we keep our eyes firmly on the goal, victory is within our grasp.


SSDP 2014 Conference: Leadership for the Future of Reform


BY Stephanie Izquieta, SSDP Board Member 14’-16’

Every other fall, Students for Sensi-ble Drug Policy (SSDP) gathers student activists to celebrate, learn, network, and advocate for drug policy reform. This year on September 26-29, stu-dents, community members, politicians,

SSDP 2014 Conference: Leadership for the Future of Reform

and professionals joined forces at the SSDP 2014 International Conference and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. to share practical, professional, and per-sonal experiences in our combined fight to end the drug war.

Attendees got the opportunity to learn about and engage in some of the most timely topics in drug policy reform from some of the movement’s most prominent leaders.

The opening keynote speaker, Rob Kampia, who is the Executive Director of the Marijuana Policy Project, outlined the future of marijuana legalization. With the results of the recent midterm election, I can safely say we are well on our way to achieving our goals. Troy Dayton, Co-Founder of Students for Sensible Drug Policy and CEO of The ArcView Group, urged us to hasten the legalization of marijuana in order to focus on larger injustices, while main-taining our activist roots in the age of legalization.

Everyone’s energy during the con-ference was palpable, spirits were high and the general vibe of the participants

The burden for a fairer and more just society is not the responsibility

of one individual or organization. We all shoulder this burden...

Betty Aldworth, SSDP Executive Director, with

Eric Sterling, Adviser


familial. Perhaps it is a common theme among drug policy activists, but at no point did I ever feel like an outsider. All of us in attendance were equals. The level of hierarchy normally established in professional conferences was com-pletely disintegrated and our conviction that we all share a mutual responsibility in the fight for social justice reaffirmed.

We also recognized our network of extraordinary student leaders with an award ceremony followed by a dance party in which, The Wets, a band com-prised of SSDP alumni, performed superb covers from the 60’s through today.

In accordance to the founding of SSDP’s ideology , that student members participate in defining their vision for the non-profit, SSDP held its annual Student Congress. This year, aside from the annual student board member elec-tion, there was a bylaw amendment drafted by the Organizational Structure Evaluation Committee (OSEC). The amendment passed the Board and had overwhelming support from Congress. The approved amendment created a Board of Trustees as a delegated body of the Board of Directors, designed

to introduce to the organization expe-rienced professionals who can offer their expertise in the management and maintenance of the organization.

We also replaced Appointed Direc-tors with Alumni Directors, making the Board of Directors more student-focused. It codified the SSDP Ambas-sador program and expanded the Board of Directors from 10 students to 14. The structural change will result in increased funding allowing the capacity for proactive outreach and the ability to provide grant funding to chapters. The Board of Trustees offers their experi-ence and insight with financial and staff oversight to better assist and manage SSDP’s Executive Director. And it main-tains, as well as in other ways expands, the students-run ethos of SSDP by changing the Board of Directors mem-bership and allowing it to shift focus.

During the last day of the confer-ence, Lobby Day, students were briefed and prepared to meet with their respec-tive elected official to urge their support for two important pieces of federal leg-islation: The Smarter Sentencing Act (S. 1410), which reduces prison costs

Freedom Leaf table with magazine editor Chris Goldstein

SSDP member with Neill Franklin, Executive Director of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition)


and populations by creating fairer, less costly minimum terms for nonviolent drug offenders; and The Respect State Marijuana Laws Act (H.R.1523), which creates an exemption in the Controlled Substances Act for anyone acting in compliance with state marijuana laws Thus, if an individual is following state law, he or she would not be prosecuted and imprisoned by the federal govern-ment.

Our 2014 conference was a com-plete success. Individuals were able to put names to faces, put their lead-ership skills to the test, and rekindle the activist spirit. The burden for a fairer and more just society is not the responsibility of one individual or orga-nization. We all shoulder this burden as a polity that believes in justice and at SSDP, we know the political opportune moment to reform drug policy is now.

SSDP Student Lobbyists on The Hill

SSDP’s Eric Sterling and Clifford J Perry Freedom Leaf CEO


By Anna Diaz

Oregon legalized marijuana in this mid-term election. For someone like me, who has been a cannabis activ-ist since 2001, it was a glorious end to a long, hard battle. Part of me was confident that it would pass. It was a well-run and well-funded campaign. But, part of me still feared that it wouldn’t, I felt anxious and had trouble concentrat-ing all day long.

The Measure 91 crew held their election results party at a venue that was a block away from the Oregon State Elections Department. So, I was not surprised to see multiple TV station vans parked along the street as I pulled up. As I got closer, I was totally taken aback to find out that they were all there for the Measure 91 party. I could feel the electricity and excitement in the air

before I even got inside the door. There was a line that went clear around the block full of supporters and revelers.

Inside, the place was packed and had the air of New Year’s Eve right before the ball drops. Every heavy hitting Oregon cannabis activist was there. Other activists, like Lauren Vazquez, the Fired Up Lawyer from Cali-fornia, flew in specially to be a part of the evening. There was a feeling of victory even before the first results were announced. As I looked around the room at the number of people who came out, I was reminded of how many of us have been working towards this night for a very long time. I also noticed that the partiers covered every demo-graphic I could imagine. To be honest, the majority of them did not fit the

Legalizing Oregon

Congressman Earl Blumenauer


stoner stereotype. There were more suits and ties than tie-dyes, for sure.

The vote was called a victory early in the evening, after more than half the votes had been counted. The crowd roared and chanted “Anthony Johnson,” while the chief petitioner and author of Measure 91 made his way to the stage as the win was announced. Once the applause died down, Anthony thanked the Measure 91 team and Oregon voters for choosing “a policy that is more humane.” It was so emotional, even the guys were crying tears of joy!

A real treat and a big surprise for me was seeing Congressman Earl Blumenauer speak. It clearly showed his dedication to changing marijuana policy, especially since he was up for re-election, too. Yet, he took time away from his own campaign to give his con-gratulations for the win in person. His enthusiasm and excitement were con-tagious. He let us know that our choice for legalization is going to have an impact nationally. He said that this will help him gain momentum as he heads back to Washington, DC to represent us and further champion cannabis policy reform. He made me feel so proud to be an Oregonian.

It was a historical evening, the impact of which will unfold in the coming months. We showed that cannabis can win during a mid-term election; we were told it couldn’t be done. We were told we couldn’t pass a bill with a home grow and such “large” possession amounts, but we did. We won by a larger margin than either Colorado or Washington. We were told by our own fellow cannabis reform groups to wait until 2016, but we didn’t. Once again, Oregon has laid the groundwork for what is to come for the rest of the nation. I hope that your state is next!


By Erik Altieri – National NORML Communications Director

On Tuesday, November 4th, voters in the District of Columbia sent a thunder-ous message to Congress by approving Initiative 71. This measure legalizes possession of up to two ounces and cultivation of up to six plants. It passed handily, winning a super-majority; 69% of the vote. With legalization now right in their backyard, this will be a message that Congress can’t ignore.

Initiative 71 was unique among the ballot initiatives around America. There were no multi-million dollar donors; this was largely a community-driven effort. The grassroots initiative campaign, DCMJ, was headed by local activist Adam Edinger and an army of passion-ate volunteers.

First they overcame the challenging hurdle of placing the initiative on the ballot at all. In just a couple months, DCMJ collected and turned in over 57,000 signatures, double the number they needed. The campaign then engaged DC residents by generating voter enthusiasm and organizing them into a solid Get-Out-The-Vote effort. The DCMJ2014 office was filled every day with individuals coming in and out

DC Legalization a Resounding Victory


to hang signs around the city, making phone calls to voters, and handing out literature at events.

Also championing the effort were NORML and the Drug Policy Alliance, both of whom established DC campaign committees to work towards passing legalization in the nation’s capital. NORML ran online ads, created and distributed literature, then ran phone-banking efforts out of our DC national headquarters to persuade voters to support the initiative and ultimately show up on Election Day to cast their ballot. The Drug Policy Alliance was a very strong presence in the media, with Dr. Malik Burnett leading their efforts and making a very strong case in support of I-71.

When the results were all tallied, the final vote totals were 69.4% voting YES and only 30.6% voting no. DC voters delivered a marijuana mandate to city officials and the federal govern-ment. Now we will see if the politicians respect the spirit of democracy and the will of these voters in the coming weeks.

Congress oversees the city and now the initiative needs to be sent to Capitol Hill where it must undergo a 60 day review period before being imple-mented.

Representative Andy Harris (R-MD) has declared his intentions to work towards overturning the law. Harris tried the same approach earlier in the year with decriminalization but ultimately failed to generate enough support to make it off of the House floor. During Rep. Harris’ last attempt, the White House issued a memo threatening to veto the measure should it reach President Obama’s desk, stating they saw marijuana laws as a local issue to be decided in DC. The good news: Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who is know ranking Senator overseeing DC Affairs, as already expressed his desire not to interfere with the voter approved initia-tive.

Challenge or no challenge, the massive victory in DC has reverberated around the country and will only moti-vate more states and localities to move forward with reform.

Representative Andy Harris (R-MD)

Challenge or no challenge, the

massive victory in DC has reverberated around the country


Medical Marijuana Loses to Entrepreneurial GreedBy Norm Kent

Well, this is Florida. The rules are different here.

Where else can you win a race with 58% of the vote and lose the election?

Only here, of course.Here’s the thing. We have a process

in Florida that allows citizens to amend the constitution of our state by popular referendum. It requires, however, that you must get 60% of the vote in order to change the law. So, a simple majority is not enough.

Consequently, even though the majority of Floridians voted on Novem-ber 4th to allow patients access to marijuana medicinally - 58 % to 42 % - the numbers were not overwhelming enough to change our laws. Neverthe-less, it was the third highest medical use vote ever recorded in America; surpassed only by Massachusetts with 64% and Washington, D.C. with 68%.

Still, the Sunshine State will tem-porarily remain in the dark ages when it comes to progressive marijuana policy. It means your physician won’t get to decide when you can use cannabis. It means that guy with the blue lights on top of his police car can still lock you up and arrest you if they find you in possession of a simple joint. And in Florida, all it takes is about 5 well-rolled spliffs to make a felony.

While 24 states in America have decriminalized or medicalized cannabis,


Florida’s legislature would not even allow supportive legislators to present their proposals to Republican-domi-nated committees for public scrutiny and review.

Encouragingly though, activists promise to raise the issue before Florida voters again in 2016. With more voters and the presidency on the ballot, they think they can get the necessary 60 %. With better organization and a broader base, I do too.

This year it was the effort by one man in Orlando. Based on the failure of legislative leaders to initiate change on their own, attorney John Morgan went out of pocket to orchestrate the state-wide initiative to get medical marijuana on the ballot as a constitutional amend-ment.

Singularly undertaking the cam-paign and virtually using all his own resources, he sponsored the refer-endum to get enough signatures to present the issue to voters.

The Supreme Court of the State of Florida ruled that the issue presented to voters was clear and concise, and that we should have a right to vote on its approval and adoption.

Again, in order to win, we would have to get to that magical 60%. Ini-tially, it looked like we very well might. Polls showed numbers as high as 80%

approval. Then greed kicked in.Instead of coming to campaign

to help win the initiative, and support the amendment, out of state mari-juana enthusiasts and entrepreneurs infiltrated the state with a plethora of improbable green dreams. It was an immeasurable ‘green rush’ paralleled with promises of unending wealth.

As a marijuana rights activist for decades, it was sickening to watch. It wasn’t about marijuana being a medi-cine: It was about mad men becoming marijuana money magnates. Hell, New Times Magazine even did a cover story using that title.

As billboards and seminars began popping up all over the state telling people how rich they were going to get off ganja, greed mongers polluted and poisoned the debate This crushed the altruistic medicinal initiative, which was designed to assist individuals with debilitating conditions gain access to medicine with a recommendation from their physician.

From investment bankers to Colo-rado carpetbaggers, lecturers spread their moneymaking message to the masses. What did Lord Alfred Tennyson say in a poem once? Oh yes, “this is not what I intended at all….”

As the outgoing national chairman of NORML- the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, I lec-tured in many of these early seminars. I was left stunned by the shortsighted-ness of the organizers.

I spent part of my time as a child growing up on a farm in Wurtsboro, New York. Farmer Arnold taught me early on never to count your chickens before they hatch. But in Florida, people were putting together business partnerships and gathering investments before a single citizen ever cast a vote.

Entrepreneurs were invading Florida not to fund the initiative or


drive the amendment to victory but to preemptively grow cannabis, open dis-pensaries, and sell edibles. They just assumed the campaign was already won and shops would be on every corner. Of all the states to understand that every vote counts, you would think the people of Florida, home of the Bush-Gore Calamity (remember the hanging chads?), had sent an enduring message in the year 2000.

All across the state, people started opening up colleges on how to grow bud bearing plants. Lawyers were, astoundingly, selling franchises. A local joke of a doctor was issuing prospec-tive prescriptions, pre-qualifying people for medical use. In Jacksonville, a jerk of a lawyer was collecting $899 from Floridians and handing out medical identification cards. In Dade, some realtor was selling land he, on his own, decided would be perfect for growing.

The unfolding green rush was being presented as a financial boon to the state. The medical issue was being squashed under the weight of green greed. It was all so unreal, out of control, and unlike anything I had seen in any state seeking medical marijuana. The deluge of campaign ads against Amendment 2 aired all over the state

capitalized on this unseemly rush, sug-gesting pot would soon be in every schoolyard.

Frankly, what I saw unfold in Florida these past few months was frightening. The buzz surrounding the campaign was so transparently turning the public off... I am not all surprised we did not win 60% of support across the state. We were beaten by greed. In my heart, I knew we would win the vote but lose the super majority we needed to change the laws.

To win, we need a greater breadth of support across party lines. Had Morgan reached out to more support-ers this year, he might have garnered enough votes to win. It can’t be him alone. After all, we fell but 2 % shy.

Marijuana is a medicine and you should be entitled to use it as such, quietly making this decision with a phy-sician. Someday, even in Florida, we will. After all, it only takes 51 % to win an election. Cannabis got over 58%; more than 650,000 more votes than the winning candidate for governor.

Cannabis will come to Florida. It’s the future. But in Florida this year, green greed postponed the inevitable a little longer.

To win, we need a greater breadth of

support across party lines. After all, we fell but 2 % shy.


Massachusetts: Tax, Regulate and Legalize Marijuana 2016


By Mike Cann

We are looking forward to a bright green future in the Bay State.

On Nov. 4th 2014 in Massachu-setts, 14 of 14 State districts voted in support for Public Policy Ques-tions (PPQ’s) directing their state representatives to make marijuana legal for adults.

Two local groups, Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts (DPFMA) and Bay State Repeal (BSR), each leading separate PPQ campaigns, were behind the effort.

DPFMA, landed 8 local PPQ’s on the ballot and focused exclu-sively on taxing and regulating cannabis like alcohol. These were in MA districts that have in the past recorded large voter tallies in favor of marijuana reform. All eight passed strongly. I’d say, they went even better than I had hoped; more than 70% voted in favor of the idea in 7 of the 8 districts. Only one dis-trict, the 2nd (Franklin) notched just under 70% with a still impressive 69% voter tally.

Bay State Repeal dealt with 6 districts and tested the issue with a wider representation of the state electoral map. They also took the approach with a somewhat more dicey proposition that marijuana should be regulated like herbs, fruit, vegetables. BSR won all six PPQ’s with a range of 54% to 64% of the vote.

While these Public Policy Ques-tions are non-binding, they do set the stage for an expected 2016 statewide MA ballot initiative for legalization. A national group based out of Washington, DC, The Mari-juana Policy Project (MPP) will be funding that effort. The 2016 initia-tive will aim to regulate marijuana like alcohol.

It’s an easy bet that MPP will continue to support this model that’s as of late has been a proven winner at the statewide ballot box. MPP heavily backed the winning tax and regulate cannabis like alcohol campaigns in CO (2012) and Alaska (2014).

Local Election Highlights:

Evan Falchuk, running for the United Independent Party (UIP) for Governor spoke up both for legaliza-tion and also for some local moms fighting to gain medical marijuana access for their seizure afflicted children. Falchuk was rewarded by winning a larger than expected 3.3% of the vote. With 71,000+ votes Falchuk secured future ballot access for the UIP. This is signifi-cant because it builds a third party choice for voters.

Local District Attoney Michael O’Keefe from Cape and the Islands said he didn’t think voters were “foolish” enough to support can-nabis legalization and was narrowly re-elected. But a landslide vote in his very district saw 73% of his con-stituents (many who also voted for O’Keefe) say yes to the PPQ to tax and regulate cannabis like alcohol. O’Keefe is wrong and his constitu-ents just told him so. Print that in the Cape Cod Times. I think they just did...it’s in the election results section.


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Municipal Ballots, Anti-Prohibition CandidatesWin At The PollsBy Freedom Leaf Staff

While the news has been focused on the major victories in Alaska, Oregon and Washington DC there were a number of more localized ballot initiatives that won on Election Day.


Anti-prohibition candidates also chalked up significant progress across the country, many winning seats in Con-gress.

Cities legalize and decriminalize

South Portland, Maine voters moved forward to essentially legalize marijuana in their community. Although Maine operates a robust medical mari-juana program full legalization has yet to reach the state.

Voters in two of the most populated New Mexico counties favored advisory questions on decriminalization. Berna-lillo County, which includes the state’s largest city – Albu-querque, and Santa Fe County voted yes on the questions. The City of Santa Fe moved forward to decriminal-ize marijuana posses-sion earlier this year.

Several communi-ties in Michigan also took steps to elimi-nate penalties for personal possession: Berkley, Hunting-ton Woods, Mount Pleasant, Pleasant Ridge, Port Huron and Saginaw voted to decriminalize cannabis. Several dozen cities in Michigan have now taken a more pragmatic and non-criminal approach to simple possession.

Candidates support cannabis

Politicians running for office this year seemed to garner extra support from marijuana reform that put them over the top in some challenging races.

Democrat Tom Wolf unseated incumbent Republican Tom Corbett in Pennsylvania to win the race for gov-ernor. Wolf consistently campaigned on a platform that vocally supported medical marijuana and statewide

decriminalization. Corbett was an old-school prohibitionist. It was the first time an incumbent lost the governor’s race in Pennsylvania’s modern history. Wolf will face a legislature that has a majority of Republicans in the House and Senate. However, earlier this year the PA Senate overwhelmingly passed a limited medical marijuana bill that even-tually petered out in the House. Local advocates are looking to see a better bill taken up in 2015. If passed Wolf has assured that he would sign the measure into law.

National NORML’s PAC (Political Action Committee) endorsed a number

of candidates running for seats in Con-gress. They were wise choices as many of them won their seats.

Cory Booker of New Jersey won a full 6-year term in the US Senate. Booker, the former mayor of Newark, has been out-spoken on the issue

of marijuana reform. He joined with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) earlier this year to offer an amendment that would stop the DEA from raiding state-autho-rized medical marijuana facilities.

Booker ran in a special election during 2013 to serve the remainder of Senator Frank Lautenberg’s term, who passed away while in office.

Booker said during the 2013 cam-paign that he wanted to address crimi-nal penalties for marijuana.

“We need to have a structured national conversation about decriminal-izing marijuana,” Booker said. “Black people are 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people, despite the fact that their usage rates are no different.”

The NORML PAC had endorsed

“We need to have a structured nationalconversation about

decriminalizing marijuana,”


Booker and had a banner year with other candidates for the US House of Representatives:

Rep. Alan Grayson won in Florida; Bonnie Watson Coleman, a state Assemblywoman in New Jersey, became the first African-American woman elected to Congress from the Garden State. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a strong advocate for cannabis legal-ization, was re-elected in Oregon. Rep. Steve Cohen, who introduced a reform bill last year was re-elected in Tennes-see. Rep. Beto O’Rourke won in Texas.Rep. Denny Heck secured his seat in Washington and longtime ally of the legalization movement, Rep. Jared Polis was re-elected in Colorado.

State-level endorsements also proved successful for the NORML PAC: Maine State Representative Diane Russell, who has pushed for full legal-ization and advocated for medical mari-juana patients, (and who was featured in our last issue) won a fourth term in Augusta.

It is worth noting that all of the anti-prohibition candidates who won are Democrats in a year that saw a Republi-cans surge at the polls. While the issue has strong bi-partisan support, from those in office, GOP candidates seem less likely to use cannabis as a positive campaign topic.

One thing is for sure, the increas-ing number of federal politicians who actively support cannabis law reform could mean significant, national change in the future.

Photos, top-bottom

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker

Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen


Federal Court Judge to Decide Whether Cannabis Criminalization is Constitutional By Paul Armentano NORML Deputy Director

Marijuana experts from across the nation came together in a federal court in Sacramento last month to provide testimony in a historic case with national implications. At issue: the constitutionality of the federal statute designating marijuana as a Schedule I Controlled Substance.


In April, a US District Court Judge in the Eastern District of California granted defense counsels’ motion for an evidentiary hearing to reconsider marijuana’s prohibitive classification, acknowledging, “[T]here is new scien-tific and medical information raising contested issues of fact regarding whether the continued inclusion of marijuana as a Schedule One con-trolled substance passes constitutional muster.” The Judge’s decision centered upon Footnote 37 in the 2005 Supreme

Court case Raich et al v Gonzalez, which states, “We acknowledge that evidence proffered by respondents in this case regarding the effective medical uses for marijuana, if found credible after trial, would cast serious doubt on the accu-racy of the findings that require mari-juana to be listed in Schedule I.” After nearly a decade since Justice Stevens included this caveat in his 2005 major-ity decision, a federal court determined that it was high time to reassess the latest scientific evidence.

In late October, a federal judge heard nearly five days of expert testi-mony in regard to whether this new can-nabis science contradicts the federal government’s longstanding contention that there exists a rational basis for defining the marijuana plant as a sub-stance possessing “a high potential for abuse,” “no currently accepted medical use,” and a “lack of accepted safety” for use under medical supervision. The hearing came just weeks after United

States Attorney General Eric Holder expressed the need to revisit cannabis’ Schedule I placement under federal law, telling journalist Katie Couric, “[T]he question of whether or not they should be in the same category is something that I think we need to ask ourselves, and use science as the basis for making that determination.”

Expert witnesses for the defense who testified at the hearing in Sacra-mento were Carl Hart, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology in the Depart-

ment of Psychiatry and Psychology at Columbia University in New York City; retired California physician Phillip Denny, MD; Greg Carter, MD, Medical Director of St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute in Spokane, Washington; and marijuana cultivation expert and author Chris Conrad. Each of the witnesses offered testimony in support of the notion that cannabis possesses thera-peutic efficacy and lacks the abuse potential necessary for Schedule I clas-sification. “I don’t know what schedule marijuana should be on,” said Dr. Hart, who cited his own clinical research results that determined marijuana possesses “clear medical benefit” in patients with HIV, “but I certainly believe it should not be Schedule I.” Dr. Denny, who often referred to his own career experience overseeing some ten thousand medical cannabis patients in California, agreed, calling critics’ claims that marijuana lacks significant thera-peutic benefits “absurd.”

[A] decision to strike down cannabis’Schedule I status, should the judge ultimately decide to do so, will have

significant legal ramifications nationwide.



Additional evidence for the defense was presented by way of declarations by Marine Sgt. Ryan Begin, a veteran of the Iraq War; Jennie Stormes, the mother of a child suffering from Dravet Syndrome – a pediatric form of epilepsy that has been shown in preliminary trials to respond to specific compounds in the cannabis plant; James Nolan, PhD an associate professor of sociol-ogy and anthropology at West Virginia University and a former crime analyst for the US Federal Bureau of Investiga-tion.

The lone expert witness for the government was longtime prohibition-ist Bertha Madras, PhD, Professor of Psychobiology at Harvard Medical School and the former Deputy Director for Demand Reduction for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George W. Bush. Madras, predictably, tried to over-inflate the significance of pre-clinical data and poorly controlled observational studies allegedly showing cannabis-related harms, while trying her best to downplay any evidence in support of the plant’s therapeutic efficacy. “A shopping bag of chemicals is not medicine,” Madras told the court, affirming the federal government’s questionable notion that only single-compound, synthetic agents qualify as ‘legitimate’ medicines.

The defense attorneys in the case, Zenia Gilg and Heather Burke, both members of the NORML Legal Commit-tee, argued that the overall scientific evidence is inconsistent with cannabis’ Schedule I status. And that the Obama administration’s present policies facili-tating the regulated distribution of com-mercially produced weed in states such as Colorado and Washington can not be reconciled with its simultaneous insis-tence that the plant warrants its ‘most dangerous drug status’ under federal law. “In effect, the action taken by the

Department of Justice is either irratio-nal, or more likely proves the asser-tions made in Part I (B) of this Brief: marijuana does not fit the criteria of a Schedule I Controlled Substance,” they contend.

Unlike prior hearings regarding pot’s scheduling, such as the 1986 hearing before the DEA’s administra-tive law judge Francis Young (NORML v DEA), this latest action is not adminis-trative in nature and thus, unlike Judge Young’s verdict, it cannot be later deter-mined to be nonbinding by a higher court. (The ruling, however could – and likely will – be appealed, regardless of the judge’s decision.) Further, unlike prior efforts, the defenses’ motion does not call for the plant to be placed in a separate schedule under the US Controlled Substances Act. In this case, the sole issue before the court is whether or not it is reasonable to place cannabis in Schedule I – not whether it belongs in some other classification.

The judge is expected to render a decision some time early in 2015. Although the decision will apply only to the defendant and co-defendants in this case, there is little doubt that a decision to strike down cannabis’ Schedule I status, should the judge ulti-mately decide to do so, will have sig-nificant legal ramifications nationwide.


By Steve Bloom

Celebrities love to talk about mari-juana. And smoke it. And wear it. And talk about it some more.

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In 2014, Tommy Chong, Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Sarah Silverman, Bill Maher and Rihanna were all predictably in the marijuana news. Newcomers to the stoner news cycle included Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon and Wyclef Jean.

Here are the Top 13 CelebStoner Stories of 2014:

Tommy Chong Dances with the Stars

Talk about marijuana going main-stream. Tommy Chong used his senior status and suave moves to make it to Week 9 on ABC’s uber-popular dancing competition. Week after week Chong and his partner Peta Murgatroyd picked cool songs and donned snazzy outfits, winning over the judges and the public. The 76-year-old comic may have sus-tained a few injuries, but he hung in long enough to receive maximum expo-sure. As far as DWTS, it received a new audience. Next season, Snoop Dogg?

Miley Cyrus Stays in the Stoner Headlines

There seems to be no stopping Miley Cyrus’ unabashed love affair with weed. She kicked off the year wearing a pot leaf leotard on her Bangerz tour, which sold gold leaf hemp rolling papers for $65 a pack at merch tables. The reigning CelebStoner of the Year received 11 posts at the celeb site, more than any other CelebStoner. Some people think Cyrus is a bad role model for marijuana. All that tongue wagging and butt shaking may be a turn-off for the older crowd, but young stoners are digging her pothead persistence.

Sarah Silverman Walks the Green Carpet

Never shy about her marijuana use, Sarah Silverman went one step beyond on the Emmy red carpet in August. Asked what was in her clutch by Guili-ana Rancic, Silverman pulled out a cartridge-style vape pen. A week later on Jimmy Kimmel Live she told her ex-boyfriend, “I have no shame about it. It’s not a big deal to me. I like to have a little pufferooni at the end of the night.” Which presumably she did after (and during) the Emmys.

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4Matthew McConaughey: Alright, Alright, Alright Already

The iconic actor who got his start as a stoner in Dazed and Confused is now an Oscar winner for his role as HIV sufferer and AIDS activist Ron Wood-roof in Dallas Buyers Club. Matthew McConaughey also had a big year on TV, pairing with Woody Harrelson in HBO’s critically acclaimed True Detective. His Lincoln car ads have proved to be great fodder for parody. In Ellen DeGeneres’ version, she eats a pot brownie while the hunky actor broods and talks to himself.

Whoopi Goldberg Reveals She Vapes for Glaucoma

She’s used her lead seat on “The View” to proselytize for pot in the past, but Whoopi Goldberg took a big leap this year when she starting writing a column for the Denver Post’s hot Can-nabist site. Though they’ve only pub-lished two so far, the first was reveal-ing: Goldberg uses a vape pen she calls “Sippy” to control glaucoma-related headaches. “With each sip comes relief,” she explained. “From pressure, pain, stress, discomfort.” Her follow-up column was critical of New York’s new medical marijuana law, which excludes glaucoma as a condition.

Welcome to the Stoner Bowl

Super Bowl XLVIII pitted the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Denver Broncos. The locations of both teams did not escape stoner sports fans. Both cities are in the two states that legalized marijuana in 2012. Called variously Stoner Bowl, Weed Bowl and Ganja Bowl, the game was a blowout by the Seahawks, but the buildup was much more interesting.

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Busted Again, Wiz Khalifa Signs Deal with RAW

Wiz Khalifa found himself jailed in Texas in May after TSA at El Paso Airport discovered a gram of weed in his carry-on. A warrant for his arrest was later issued. Khalifa has been busted four times for pot, rivaling Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson. Undeterred, he signed a sponsorship deal with the rolling paper company that manufactures RAW. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Wiz,” crowed RAW’s Josh Kesselman, “as he is a key influencer in his industry.”

Dr. Oz Changes His Tune on Medical Marijuana

Like CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta before him, Fox’s Dr. Mehmet Oz admitted that he has “come around to the belief that marijuana is hugely beneficial when used correctly for medicinal purposes.” Oz said he grew up “thinking that mari-juana was something Satan was throw-ing at Americans and a Communist plot.” But the daytime TV doc still thinks marijuana is addictive. Will this be his next mea culpa?

Susan Sarandon Has a Munchies Problem

The Oscar-winning actress likes to talk about her high times on drugs in interviews. “The only down side I can think of with weed is the munchies,” she told People. “And I don’t handle them, I munch.” In AARP mag, she offered, “I’m not new to the idea of mushrooms.” About marijuana, Saran-don said: “People don’t get mean on weed, don’t beat up their wives on weed and don’t drive crazy on weed.” To top it off, she showed up at High Times’ 40th Anniversary Party.

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Wyclef Record Songs for Colorado Candidate

Wyclef Jean and Glendale, Colorado Mayor Mike Dunafon became strange budfellows when the rapper recorded a campaign song (“The Trap”) for the gruff gubernatorial hopeful. They met during 4/20 festivities in Denver. Snoop Dogg later added a verse to the track. Wyclef also headlined the High Times Canna-bis Cup in Michigan in July.

Snoop Dogg Gets Blunted at the White House

It happened last December, Snoop Dogg remembered in a haze of blunt smoke. Seven months later, he related the story to Jimmy Kimmel on his GGN web show—that, during a visit to a bathroom in the White House (he was there for a Kennedy honors show), he lit a blunt to mask the stinky smell in the stall. “I light something to get the aroma right,” Snoop explained. They said, “‘You can light a piece of a napkin.’ I said, ‘I’ll do that.’ And the napkin was this,” he noted pointing to his burning blunt.

Robert Plant Gives Colbert a Joint

During an interview on The Colbert Report in October, Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant reached into his top pocket, pulled out a joint and handed it the surprised host. “I think it’s one of the accessories of being not quite a knight of the British Empire, but on the way,” the heavy-lunged singer offered. Colbert pocketed the pungent prize, stating: “For the purposes of my lawyer and my network, this is a cigarette.”

Willie Nelson Turns 81!

In his 81st year, Willie Nelson released two new albums, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone, hosted his annual Farm Aid concert, backed Wendy Davis for governor of Texas, was inter-viewed by Bill Maher on Real Time, saw braids he gave Waylon Jennings in 1983 auctioned off and continued to criss-cross the country in his tour bus, per-forming for thousands of adoring fans. Nelson’s advice to cannabis consum-ers? “Don’t get high and forget to vote.”

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By Jahan Marcu, Ph.D

In 2014 the scientific literature experienced about 2,000 research pub-lications on the subject of Cannabis and cannabinoids.

This is the latest indication in the huge surge of related science.

The take home message this year is that medical Cannabis and cannabi-noids are recommended to treat neu-rodegenerative disorders, not cause them.

Here are a few of my favorite arti-cles and ideas explored tin 2014:

ONE - Inhaled Cannabis appears more effective than CBD-only at

improving symptoms and quality of life in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Two clinical studies examined the effects of Cannabis-based medicine in humans with Parkinson’s disease. In one study, inhaled Cannabis was shown to improve several symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. This was a clinical study of 22 people at the Department of Neurology of the Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva and the Sackler Faculty of Medicine of Tel Aviv University, Israel.

The patients’ symptoms were measured with a battery of tests 30 minutes after inhalation. Analysis of

Cannabis Helps The Brain; Doesn’t Hurt



specific motor symptoms revealed sig-nificant improvement after treatment in tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia (slowness of movement), sleep, and pain scores. No significant adverse effects of the drug were observed. The authors con-cluded, “the study suggests that can-nabis might have a place in the thera-peutic armamentarium of Parkinson’s disease.”

Another study on Parkinson’s disease patients showed that there may also be improvements from 300mg of oral CBD (cannabidiol). The study was conducted at the University of

São Paulo (Brazil), and focused on 21 patients given 75mg or 300mg of CBD daily. The 300mg of CBD did improve scores of “well being,” quality of life, did mitigate the general symptoms of the disease but did not show significant neuroprotective effects.

TWO - “A positive THC screen is associated with decreased mortality in adult patients sustaining TBI [traumatic brain injury]” says UCLA researcher.

Researchers at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California established a relationship between a positive toxicology screen for THC and



death or recovery from a TBI. The review included 446 cases of TBI patients, 18.4% tested positive for THC and had a mortality of only 2.4% compared to the THC negative group with a mortality of 11.5%. This suggests that prophylac-tic THC administration may protect the brain from damage and could make a significant difference during recovery.

THREE - THC, CBD And Terpenes Can Improve Symptoms in Patients With Alzhiemer’s Disease

THC-only extracts, CBD-only extracts, and combinations of THC&CBD preserved memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. The authors con-clude that a whole plant approach or a combinations of these cannabinoids is superior than using a single cannabi-noid, for example, the CBD-only extract was less effective.

Another study on Alzheimer’s disease in mice revealed that the terpene called beta-caryophyllene (found in cloves and black pepper) provides beneficial effects through the CB2 receptor. Terpenes are molecules that make up smells. The CB2 receptor is a cannabinoid receptor that produces significant anti-inflammatory effects

when stimulated. THC and beta-caryo-phyllene have a similar mechanism that results in CB2 receptor stimula-tion, which is associated with reduced ß-amyloid burden in both the hippocam-pus and the cerebral cortex of mice in this study.

FOUR - Cannabis does not lower your IQ or reduce cognitive performance.

A deeply flawed study, that seems to be consistently floating to the surface of international headlines, claims there was a drop of 8 IQ points in Cannabis users. This prompted proper scientific investigations and a better-controlled study was published in response, which revealed that Cannabis did not signifi-cantly impact IQ.

Whenever anyone mentions “a loss of 8 IQ points” remember that the authors 2012 study showed no dose-dependency for Cannabis use and did not control for the subjects’ binge drinking alcohol. The authors took into account schizophrenia but not any other mental illness and any traumatic injuries (i.e., concussions, stroke, etc). Furthermore, all their effects are explained with socio-economic factors, and no neuroimaging, neurochemical,



or anatomical correlates where pre-sented. If you are afraid of losing 8 IQ points be sure to avoid participating in the national pastime involving sitting in the sun, drinking liquor, and eating nitrate-cured pig parts.

There are concerns with extremely heavy use of Cannabis in healthy people, however all symptoms and effects have been shown to disappear after 30 days of abstinence. More recently, a research study showed that “previously reported neurocognitive deficits may be related to other factors, including residual drug effects, pre-existing cognitive deficits, concurrent use of other substances (e.g., nicotine), or psychopathology.” These authors concluded that adoles-cents “may not be vulnerable to THC neuropsychological deficits once they achieve remission from all drugs for at least 30 days.”

FIVE - Vaporized Cannabis is Safe and Effective in the Treatment of Neuro-pathic Pain.

The objective of this study was to explore the pharmacokinetics, safety, tolerability, efficacy, and ease of use of a “portable thermal-metered-dose inhaler” for Cannabis. The study

included a group of 8 patients suffer-ing from chronic neuropathic pain and on a stable analgesic regimen including medicinal Cannabis.

A significant reduction in pain inten-sity was observed in each patient. The average THC plasma concentration was 38 ng/mL, which was achieved on average after 3 minutes. The average reduction in pain intensity was 45% and observed 20 minutes after inha-lation, and returning back to baseline within 90 minutes. Tolerable, lighthead-edness, lasting 15-30 minutes and requiring no intervention were the only reported adverse events.

SummaryMedical Cannabis may be another

arrow in the quiver of modern medi-cine to fight brain diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders includ-ing Multiple Sclerosis, Lou Gherig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Research shows that Cannabis and related compounds are noted for their brain protective effects, however if neg-ative side effects do appear, they are not permanent.



By Lillian Taylor

The holiday shopping season is upon us. When making your list and checking it twice, don’t forget to include the many hemp clothing, shoes and apparel options available. Some amazing hemp designs and creations can be found on many mainstream shelves and websites. Shoppers rejoice!

A supporter of fair trade, natural dyes, and serious about clean supply chain values, Eileen Fisher has been incorporating hemp into her eco-col-lection line for a number of years. Currently available from her website is a selection of delicately comfort-able hemp/cotton knits for easy living, including a tank, t-dress, and a stretch crepe trouser. A much larger selection of Eileen’s hemp wear can be found at Nordstrom’s online store. This compa-ny’s eco-philosophy is also expressed in their green powered stores, www.eileenfisher.com.

Robert Talbott, hailing from the Monterey Bay Peninsula, is an iconic American brand with offerings high in classic styling and quality. We were very pleased to discover a traditional sports coat available in a hemp/wool/cash-mere blend that is very seductive to the touch, www.roberttalbott.com.

Holiday Shopping

Hemp Goes Mainstream


The Bensol Group is another Ameri-can heritage manufacturer, making men’s trousers since 1948. They offer a traditional trouser in hemp blended through their Linea Naturale line, www.thebensolgroup.com.

Lafayette 148 of New York is also dipping a toe into the hemp arena, with a couple of modern relaxed sweaters for ladies. One is a modified drop hem in a warm coral and the other is a boat neck in claret. Lafayette 148 is com-pletely vertical, with products emerging from their SOHO concept store and in top retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s, www.lafayette148ny.com.

Our favorite sweater this fall is from Free People, a company started around 35 years ago, and became Urban Outfitters. Eventually, the company split off its wholesale operation and became (among others) Ecote, Coop-erative and Anthropologie. More recently they shed the junior image and the company has been producing again under Free People. Now they are a contemporary brand that is at once feminine, strong, trendy, and stylist. Their products are sold in over 1,400 specialty stores and concept shops within major department stores. Far from the hemp purist, they do maintain a small line, including an easy wrap top of organic cotton and hemp with long straight sleeves, a billowing roomy cut, and deeply crossing neckline. Avail-able in copper, black, or au naturel, this piece evokes a casual sexiness, www.freepeople.com.

If you are looking for hemp foot-wear, try on some SANUK. Reviewed as being “ridiculously comfortable” with a wear-all-day sole that has neither arch support, elevated heel, nor that restric-tive front curvature impinging natural toe movement. They offer a really


impressive array of ballet flats, flip-flops and sandals, sliders and boots available in organic hemp for women, and chil-dren. SANUK insoles are treated with anti-microbial compound from Micro-ban. SANUK is now a part of Deckers Outdoor Corporation, thus cousin to UGG® Australia and Teva. Deckers opened its flagship location this past spring on Hollister Avenue in Goleta, Calif, www.sanuk.com.

Given its antimicrobial and quick water wicking properties, wouldn’t hemp be perfect as bedding and a shower curtain? Well, that’s what Raw-ganique thought. In fact, Rawga-nique points out that the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice rec-ommended removing vinyl shower cur-tains from store shelves in 2009, as these PVC curtains begin and continue to out-gas 108 different chemicals within the first 28 days of use. Instead, select from a gorgeous array of colorful hemp shower curtains at very reason-able price points. Add that same phi-losophy right down into your towels and

bathrobes, pillowcases and sheets, blankets and comforters, curtains and rugs. There is even a 100% hemp yoga mat, www.rawganique.com.

Another fun line is OBEY Clothing. They started in 2000 and evolved from pop culture sarcasm into a worldwide street art campaign, clothing line and social movement. Obey is currently engaged in the African Dream Initiative, “finding the brightest minds from fami-lies and tribes stricken by AIDS, war and poverty, and providing the resources to get them into the best schools.” We were almost in love with OBEY when they introduced a certain hemp hat some time back but, alas, that has now gone by the wayside. I think we should do a call-in campaign, urging the reunion of this cool brand with the coolest of all fabrics, www.obeyclothing.com.

How big is hemp? H. L. Ding, head of Hemp Fortex, a China-based company with a design studio in Seattle, has grown his offering of hemp and organic cotton from $400,000 to well over $10 million dollars per year. He states that


hemp “is a very special plant, the stron-gest of the natural fibers, even better than linen [of flax],” www.hempfortex.com.

Unfortunately, thanks to US policy, designers are complaining about the restrictive price points of this fabric and that is limiting its market penetration While it’s far more economical to grow and produce hemp compared to other plant-based fabrics, hemp production has been completely prohibited in America for decades. Thus the “trans-portation tax” (if you will) is taking its toll.

Enter probationary hemp legalization.The 2014 Farm Bill in the US Con-

gress marked a groundbreaking shift. It allowed farmers to start experiment-ing with hemp in states where hemp laws have been reformed. Kentucky legalized industrial hemp in 2013 for research purposes. Yet, that did not stop the DEA from seizing a 250 pound shipment of hemp seeds en route from Italy to University of Kentucky earlier this year. They claimed the state failed to file appropriate permits. Yet the plant prevailed. After the DEA attempt-ing to impose additional restrictions/regulations beyond the scope of the bill, a lawsuit was filed, the permit was eventually issued and the seeds were released. The first experimental hemp crop was harvested in The Bluegrass State this past September.

Hemp needs very little water compared to other fabric plants and requires no fertilizers. Whereas cotton accounts for nearly 25% of all pesticide use in the U.S. Hemp can be grown organically in any climate, aids in weed suppression and builds soil. What a boon this crop would be to our family farmers who have been hard hit by the environmental fallout from the last few decades of the failed poison and purge policies.

Colorado‘s Amendment 64 also allows for hemp farming. Once this fabric goes domestic we expect to see a bumper crop of Prêt-à-Porter fashion harvsted by the masses.

So this holiday season, vote with your dollar: Ask for and buy hemp. Then wear it with pride and style!


Former NFL Star Says Players Need Medical Marijuana



By Chris Goldstein and Steve Bloom

Since spending 11 years crashing helmets in the NFL, Marvin Washing-ton has become an outspoken advo-cate for medical marijuana. “How many players are using it? 75 to 80%,” the former defensive end told attendees at a business expo in New York City on Oct. 12, 2014. “But 100% of NFL players are on pharmaceuticals.”

Washington, who played for the Jets, 49ers and Broncos during his foot-ball career (he won Super Bowl XXXIII with Denver in 1998), is spokesperson and advisory board member for Kan-naLife Sciences, which has come under scrutiny after a Project CBD report high-lighted a variety of wild investment deals, possible product standard prob-lems and questionable research claims involving cannabidiol and “hemp oil” sellers.

But Washington wasn’t at the Expo to talk CBD. The NFL’s drug policy was foremost on his mind. Because of the nature of the sport and the frequency of pain, injuries and head trauma, he called on the league to “lead the science on this (medical marijuana). Players are using it for anxiety and stress.”

After retiring from the gridiron in 1999, Washington became a financial consultant whose clients include active NFL and NBA players. “The NFL is not a contact sport. It’s a collision sport. The guys that smoke marijuana, they don’t like what the pharmaceuticals do to you. Marijuana is healthier and less addictive” than opiate drugs, he said.

“We still have to care for players,” Washington went on. “So many had CTE (a degenerative brain condition follow-ing multiple concussions) dementia or Alzheimer’s. You can’t have ex-players



walking around with all these issues, including killing themselves.”

Washington also brought up the possibility that forms of medical can-nabis should be available right on the field. “There should be something that lessens the effects of the nausea, impaired vision and protects the brain,” following a head injury, he stated. Recent scientific research backs this claim.

Washington concluded his presen-tation with a clear call to action. “The NFL has to lead the science with their funds and resources. We are at the right place and time for cannabis to be looked at as a solution, not a problem.”

The NFL did change its policy this year, allowing higher thresholds for THC in league related drug tests. It is also

important to note that unless there is an implication of using performance enhancing drugs, the NFL does not test players during the regular season. This means most of the NFL teams get about six months out of the year test-free.

Washington’s call for the NFL to use its resources is well founded. The entity generates $10 billion dollars in revenue. Still, the league itself is clas-sified as a not-for-profit. As an interest-ing note, Greenwave Advisers issued a report in October 2014 that got play in the Washington Post that estimates fully legal marijuana in America, in all 50 states and the fed, would be worth $35 billion dollars every year.


There was a time when active female involvement in the marijuana law reform movement was scarce. Now women are leading non-profits, winning political office, running cannabis indus-try businesses and are forging the path to victory. There are so many women out there that deserve recognition for their hard work and sacrifice toward ending cannabis prohibition.

Though this refined list doesn’t do justice to all the women activists out there, it seeks to recognize some of our current and longstanding sister warriors who have had a major impact on policy, and raising awareness for the fight to legalize marijuana across the country.

1) Betty Aldworth - Betty was the advo-cacy director and spokesperson for Colorado’s Amendment 64, the successful Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. She cur-rently serves as Executive Director

for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

2) Michelle Alexander is the author of “The New Jim Crow,” a novel high-lighting how the drug war dispropor-tionately targets minority communi-ties, and specifically how these policies, especially marijuana pro-hibition have created a new form of legal segregation.

3) Cara Crabb Burnham is the Execu-tive Director of the Massachusetts chapter of the NORML, also known as MassCann NORML. In 2014 she was the head organizer of the largest, and longest running east coast cannabis protestival - The Boston Freedom Rally.

4) Stacia Cosner is the Deputy Direc-tor - and longest serving employee - of the international organization

Top 15 Women in the Marijuana Legalization MovementBy Sabrina Fendrick



Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Among her many accomplishments, she played a significant role in the passage of “Good Samaritan” laws on university campuses across the country, has worked to advance women in the movement, and has helped to empowered thousands of students all over the world to get involved in advocacy.

5) Diane Fornbacher is the founder of Ladybud magazine and member of the National NORML Board of Directors. She has been an activist for nearly twenty years fighting for patient’s rights in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as for paren-tal rights across the country for both medical and retail consumers.

6) Rachel Gillette is the Executive Director of Colorado NORML and a marijuana business attorney. She is fighting to advance the legiti-macy of the cannabis industry, and is currently suing the IRS for unfair treatment and excessive penalties

imposed on legal marijuana busi-nesses.

7) Shirley Ginwright is president of the Fairfax NAACP and strong ally of Virginia NORML. She is a leading advocate of the state’s upcoming new legislation to decriminalize marijuana in the commonwealth.

8) Debby Goldsberry is a pioneer in the marijuana law reform movement. She is a co-founder of Berkeley Patients Group (one of the oldest dispensaries in the nation), as well as the Medical Cannabis Safety Council, and the Cannabis Action Network. Among other affiliations, she currently serves on the Califor-nia NORML Board of Directors.

9) Charlo Green is a former TV pre-senter who famously quit her job on the air to commit herself full time to supporting Alaska’s mari-juana legalization initiative. Live on air, she proudly stated she would put, “all of my energy toward fight-ing for freedom and fairness, which



begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska...And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice, but, [expletive] it, I quit.”

10) Allison Holcomb was the cam-paign manager and spokesperson for Washington State’s successful legalization initiative in 2012. She is currently the Criminal Justice Director for the American Civil Lib-erties Union (ACLU) of Washington State.

11) Alice Huffman is the president of the California chapter of the NAACP, and major backer of the state’s (failed) referendum to create a retail cannabis market in 2010.

12) Dale Jones is the chair of the Coali-tion for Cannabis Policy Reform (CCPR) in California, and serves as Executive Chancellor of Oaksterdam University - the nation’s oldest can-nabis educational institution. She was also the spokesperson for the state’s 2010 legalization initiative.

13) Sharon Ravert is the founder and Executive Director of Peachtree NORML. She is a coalition builder who has worked tirelessly to educate politicians and the public about the need to bring sensible reform legislation to the state of Georgia.

14) Amanda Reiman, PhD is the Manager of Marijuana Law and Policy at the Drug Policy Alliance and currently serves on the Canna-bis Regulatory Commission for the city of Oakland. She consults with various cities, states, and nations on the development of medical marijuana policy.

15) Cheyanne Weldon is the Executive Director of Texas NORML and has dedicated the last several years organizing and motivating like minded individuals in the Lone Star State, and runs one of NORML’s most successful chapter affiliates.

Additional women of note:

Amber Langston - Show Me Cannabis (MO)

Karen Goldstein - Florida NORML

Diane Goldstein - LEAP

Kandice Hawes - Orange County NORML

Madeline Martinez - Oregon NORML

Jil Staszewski - National NORML

Dr. Julie Holland – Author, researcher

Shaleen Title - Marijuana Majority

Ann Druyan – Author, Carl Sagan’s wife

Julie Stewart - Families Against Mandatory Minimums

Elvy Musikka – Federal medical marijuana patient

Anna Diaz - Oregon NORML

Angel Raich – Pioneer in Cali-fornia medical marijuana



BY Dr Genester Wilson-King

Cannabis is one of humankind’s oldest cultivated crops. As a 38 million-year-old plant, it is actually much older than us.

The first documented use of medical marijuana is by the Ancient Chinese. They used it to treat gout, malaria and gas pains. In Ancient India, it was used to lower fevers, induce sleep, improve digestion, relieve headaches, and treat dysentery and venereal disease. The Ancient Egyptians were the first to use cannabis to treat tumors. The Ancient Greeks used it as a veterinary medicine to heal horse wounds and other eques-trian conditions.

Dr. William O’Shaughnessy, an Irish physician and professor of chemis-try at the Medical College of Calcutta, was instrumental in introducing Great Britain and the United States to the medical uses of cannabis.

In the late 1800’s, cannabis was the most prescribed medicine by doctors in America. In fact, cannabis was used medicinally in this country

until the 1930’s. Medical marijuana, as we know it today, is nothing new. Can-nabis was mostly used in the form of tinctures and pills, but a salve, a tea, an ointment or cigarettes were also available at that time.

However, with the advent of aspirin, barbiturates, opiates and the ability to inject medication for faster and a more consistent effect, led to the decline in the use of medicinally edible and smoked cannabis. But it was still in the doctor’s bag and most American medi-cine cabinets.

Then the era of “marijuana prohibi-tion,” started. This demonized canna-bis for political and economic reasons. This led to the criminalization of can-nabis AND hemp. The result is that the United States was almost 70 years behind the rest of the world in scientific studies. Americans are now known as a people who use synthetic drugs to fix everything from infections (a good thing) to unhappiness (not a good thing).

It is time to clearly address the

Cannabis: Real Medicine


myths about cannabis and provide the facts known today. New information is being discovered daily.

I would recommend that everyone read “Marijuana Myths Marijuana Facts: A Review of the Scientific Evidence” by Lyn Zimmer PhD and John P. Morgan, MD. Published in 1997, the book is well written, reader friendly and provides the best array of detailed information. Please note that there is voluminous new science that adds support to the myth-busting facts first presented in the book 17 years ago.

Let’s start with the basics.

Myth: Cannabis has no medical value.

Fact: Oh, let me count the ways that cannabis is helpful as a medicine!

1. Cannabis reduces amyloid plaque build-up seen in Alzheimers, CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopa-thy) and Parkinsons. Cannabis also

enables regeneration of neurons.2. Cannabis is a powerful anti-inflam-

matory agent. 3. Cannabis is a powerful analgesic,

(i.e. pain reliever). It works espe-cially well in relieving neuropathic pain, which is the most common cause of chronic pain.

4. Cannabis has been shown to be an effective anti-cancer agent. It is cycto-toxic (kills) to cancer cells and cyto-preservative (protects) to healthy cells. There are animal studies that suggest this and many anecdotal data that support this. Much more work needs to be done to characterize this efficacy. In the meantime, this is helpful to a group of people who often have no hope.

5. Cannabis has been shown to be effective in the treatment of gas-trointestinal diseases, especially in reducing nausea induced by che-motherapy and Crohn’s disease.


6. Cannabis has been shown to reduce the intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma.

7. Cannabis has been shown to be effective in improving the quality of life in AIDS patients (stimulates appetite, improve mental and emo-tional outlook).

We can go on and on about the medicinal benefits of cannabis. The plant is helpful in PTSD, migraine head-aches, multiples sclerosis, diabetes prevention, etc. However, the idea that the Federal Government still believes that cannabis is part of the Sched-ule I of the Controlled Substances Act, in part, because they say it has “no accepted medical value” is absurd.

To find out if there has been a study looking at cannabis and any particular condition, go to www.pubmed.com. Enter “cannabis and ?” in the search box and it will bring up a list of many of

the studies done (pro or con). Get ready for an eye-opening amount of data.

The medical literature is full of thou-sands of animal studies and dozens of studies with small numbers of human patients. Yes: There are studies that suggest the contrary (meaning canna-bis may not be as effective for some medical conditions as we thought). We need randomized controlled studies, but those can only be achieved under legalization at both the state and the federal level. There are hundreds of strains of cannabis and studies should be performed on each and every one to tease out the specific mix of canna-binoids, terpenes and flavinoids that make them work.

There is more than enough evi-dence already so that doctors and nurses should not completely withhold cannabis as a treatment option just because of a misguided government policy.


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We don’t all have to sing the same song, pray the same prayers, or walk the same walk. But we all have to care.

Join us at Freedom Leaf, NORML, SSDP and others as we build our move-ment towards even bigger victories in the year ahead.

Editors Letter continued from page 4


OK, so maybe we are not there yet; where you peruse the shelves

of your local grocery or convenience store you find neatly stacked shelves displaying countless marijuana based products across the aisle from the canned vegetables. But, as evidenced by the demand for the sold out ses-sions at the recent Marijuana Business Conference & Expo held in Las Vegas, the industry has gone mainstream and now is represented by legitimate busi-nesses developing and distributing a wide array of products to a growing con-sumer audience.

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legaliz-ing marijuana in some form and further reforms are expected to sweep the

nation in the years to come. The canna-bis industry may be the only complete market sector to emerge in decades and US entrepreneurs and public com-panies alike are surfacing to serve the estimated 25 million Americans of this untapped consumer audience.

As expected with any rapidly expanding market, not to mention one whose core product sector came with harsh criminal penalties, there are many questions to be answered and some unscrupulous profiteers to be avoided.

There is help available for start-up and developed Cannabis-based prod-ucts alike. CannaBrands Inc., a publicly traded company (CBMJ) based in Seattle is the premier canna-consumables

The Marijuana Products are on Aisle 22

Advertorial


branding company providing, product development, branding, advertising and distribution support to the emerg-ing marijuana product sector. Canna-Brands has multiple products ranging from consumables, wear-ables and even pet products already through development and into distribution. One of the most notable lines is “Nana’s Secret Soda“ the premier cannabis infused soda brand in the State of Washington. CannaBrands is uniquely positioned to help assist those with a product entering the Cannabis market or with business expansion.

As the industry moves into main-stream product development it is beginning to attract the attention of the traditional business and invest-ment services sector. Merchandising companies such as “We Logo It All” provides branded merchandise plat-forms for sportswear, gift and promo-tional products and has extended their corporate store and retail distribution platforms into cannabis related prod-ucts. As the industry rapidly moves into the consumer sector the oppor-tunity for those companies to extend their branding and sales efforts also expands dramatically: It’s no longer just a white t-shirt with a green leaf sold at street fairs.

There are still questions for the future as the major national media properties try and determine how to differentiate the legalized areas of the country from those that have not yet embraced the movement. There are some that have embraced the chal-lenge and developed the infrastructure to provide the cannabis companies with marketing and advertising oppor-tunities to the mainstream consumer market. Media Funding Group, who provides financing and support for large scale advertising campaigns, is reported to be working with several

cannabis product companies to develop and roll out ad campaigns in select markets.

Hollywood is also taking note of the rise in mainstream credibility with cannabis based products starting to be shown in television shows showing the reality that marijuana consumption is embraced by a broad audience from Soccer moms to business executives. A fun example are the costume themed baristas recently portrayed in Baristas Grounded that recently premiered on WeTV that was produced by publicly traded ReelTime Media Group (RLTR). ReelTime also produces the nationally syndicated Loud Mouth News which provides industry news coverage and highlights cannabis based companies under their motto: “It’s Time To Talk About It.”

We are still not able to fill our shop-ping carts with a selection of marijuana based products at our local grocery store but we are getting closer every day.

Have patience ... Thanks to the work of many we are no longer enjoy-ing our consumption in a smoke filled basement but in out the sunlight with new freedom.

Advertorial Advertorial


By Beth Mann

“All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.” – Jeff Spicoli

Suddenly it is totally not cool to be a stoner! The neo-marijuana movement and many self-proclaimed gangapreneurs have wholeheartedly distanced themselves from the “whoa dude” Spicoli types in an attempt to replace them with clean-cut, forward-focused, chai-latte lovin’ professionals who partake in marijuana consumption amidst their perpetually busy and normal lives. It’s all so perfectly civil, isn’t it?

Some would argue that this image upgrade is necessary. We openly laugh at the ultra-stoners’ slit-eyed, sleepy approach to life. And maybe secretly, we think they’re kinda too 420 friendly.

But why are cannabis consumers and the cannabis industry now casting the first stone against the average stoner? Potheads have their societal place in our crazy mixed-up world. They tend to be creative types who laugh easily and often possess a Zen-like

Celebrating the Stoner


approach to life. That’s something to be celebrated not stigmatized.

What else make the stoner an important part of your survival team for the current Zombie Apocalypse?

· Stoners are easy-going pacifists. Seriously, when was the last time you got in a fight with a stoner? Stoners don’t want to fight, man. It’s all good. Their live-and-let-live mindset is in stark comparison with your average heavy drinker who’s ready to dropkick your face because you stared at his wife too long.

· Stoners make people laugh. They can be like starry-eyed clowns who get stuck in the damnedest situa-tions, speaking words of wisdom almost as if by accident. They may not be able to perform brain surgery—or even work a remote

control—but it’s infinitely amusing watching them try.

· Stoners are often easily amused. Anything can catch a stoner’s eye: a plastic bag blowing in the wind, a pregnant butterfly landing on a daisy, a dustball blowing in the wind. Stoners spot beauty where others often overlook it.

· Stoners aren’t rats in a cage. We live in a world that embraces step-ping on each other’s backs to get to top. Grabbing that brass ring at all costs. Isn’t it nice to know some people are just fine watching the wheels go round and round?

· Stoners keep it simple. As the opening quote reminds us, a happy pothead wants very little in life. They don’t require the accouter-ments of a materialistic society.


They want tunes. They want waves. They want crunchy, cheesy snacks.

· Stoners make good friends. Stoners love laughing with their friends—that’s like, one of their favoritest things to do. They also offer up funky out-of-the-box advice when you’re feeling down. And they don’t mind getting lost in one of your boring stories.

Stoners also fill pivotal roles in the professional realm. They make for great:

· Snowboard instructors· Indie filmmakers · Cheap web designers · Calypso steel drummers · Anesthesiologists· Modern dance teachers · Music video directors · Hot stone massage therapists

· Performers for the Cirque de Soleil· Court stenographers· Tax accountants (expanded minds

understand complicated tax codes)· Jungian analysts · Directors of local parks

departments· Arboretum botanists · Astronomers· Undertakers· Gender identity counselors· Your AA sponsor· Baptist ministers· Root canal specialists· All jazz musicians ever· Quantum physicists· Professional cattle auctioneers· Antique restoration specialists· Your mom · Toy store workers· Nomadic drifters · Folk musicians

continues on page 90


Across3. Disney star pot smoker.5. Pot smoking pop star Who once got

a Boo Marley cake.7. Pirate who thinks weed is much,

much less dangerous than alcohol.8. Late Show host who smoked a

really breath-taking amount of grass almost every night.

9. Pot just makes this Emmy winner sleepy.

12. Pineapple Express rider and avid pot smoker.

17. NBA star who smoked pot in AAron.

19. Actor who was hiding out from the celebrity thing and smoking way too much marijuana.

21. She smoked with Doug Benson in his movie Super High Me.

24. “I smoked some weed, and that’s how I finished ‘lzzo.’”

25. Playboy who smokes pot to get in touch with his senses.

26. Blogfather who is an unabashed weed smoker.

30. Beatle who was deported from Japan in 1980 for carrying some pot.

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Famous WeedUsers

By Leanna Harshaw


31. This free-spirited actress really likes her weed.

33. Former governor who can’t claim a Bill Clinton and say that she never inhaled.

36. President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee who had smoked mari-juana while in college.

37. Actor who started smoking pot at 8.38. Gilligan’s Island actress was

arrested for possession.39. Baby-faced pot smoking pop star.40. Oscar winner who smoked pot while

attending Harvard.41. Family Guy who doesn’t smoke

much pot anymore.42. This legendary guitarist pleaded to

President Obama in a 2009 CNN interview to legalize marijuana.

43. World renowned professional wres-tler and advocate for cannabis use.

Down1. Oscar winner who smoked pot for

the first time with his mother and step-father

2. Singer who was stoned out of his mind when he was Punk’d by Ashton Kutcher.

4. CNN doctor who has smoked a joint.

6. This Colombian singer is a friend to marijuana.

10. TV host who tried pot, but it said it doesn’t do much for him.

11. Body builder who says marijuana is not a drug. It’s a leaf.

13. American Idol pot smoker.

14. Model who is every stoner geek’s dream girl.

15. Daily Show host who asks: “Do you know how many movies I wrote when I was high?”

16. Fargo actress is a recreational pot-smoker.

18. Friends star who enjoys it once in a while, but she wouldn’t call herself a pot-head.

20. Before he’s Between Two Ferns, he’s with a joint.

22. This actor would “never give up the ganja.”

23. Admitted to Playboy in 1993 that he smoked marijuana twice.

27. Co-wrote Half Baked while he was stoned.

28. Rapper who says pot makes him feel that way he needs to feel.

29. This actress shows up at some red carpet events stoned.

32. Actress who opening talks about pot.

34. Comic who has centered much of his career around pot.

35. NBA coach who admitted to smoking pot.

Famous WeedUsers

Answers on page 90


By Freedom Leaf Staff

When cannabis historians look back at 2014, it will be seen as a milestone year for reform. From politics to busi-ness to science this year will be seen as the beginning of the end of prohibition.

While many of us are looking for a definite moment when social justice and liberty prevail, it will likely come at a more gradual pace. Below are our staff picks and brief summaries of the top stories from the National NORML weekly press releases. Readers can find the full details on every topic at www.norml.org/news.

JanuaryPresident Obama acknowledges racial disparity to enforcement; compares marijuana to alcohol

During interviews with The New Yorker and with Jake Tapper on CNN covering a wide range of topics sud-denly President Barack Obama was using words and phrases that seemed to come directly from the reform com-munity.

“I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol,” said President Obama.

He added: “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.”

While there was no change in federal policy this year, such strong

words do signal a possible move from the White House on this policy before Obama leaves office. It certainly started off the year right.

Retail marijuana sales start in Colorado

The first recreational marijuana sales got underway in Colorado on January 1, 2014. Prices and taxes were a bit high, but residents and tourists lined up for legal cannabis. The first transaction was tendered to Sean Azza-riti, an Iraq War veteran, at the 3D Can-nabis Center.

Tens of millions of tax dollars have now been collected and, according to the Brookings Institute, the industry roll-out has been an overall success.

NORML’s Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said at the time “Colorado is the first, but it certainly won’t be the last, state to treat cannabis as a legal, adult retail product rather than as a prohibited, criminalized substance. The genie is out of the bottle and it isn’t going back in.”

FebruaryNational Black Caucus calls for decrim

In a move that signaled even stron-ger, mainstream political support the group of African American state politi-cians passed a formal resolution to remove criminal penalties for cannabis possession. This followed the landmark 2012 report from the ALCU showcas-ing the racial disparity to prohibition enforcement.

The Most ImportantMarijuana News

Stories 2014


The resolution states, in part: “Whereas state and local governments could potentially stand to save billions of dollars that they currently spend regulat-ing marijuana use by decriminalizing the recreational use of marijuana, therefore be it resolved that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators recognizes the decision of the Administration to not challenge the choice made by citizens of these states, and urges the continued respect of state law, and encourages other states to consider decriminaliza-tion.”

Washington DC decriminalized

The City Council in the nation’s capitol passed a bill make possessing marijuana a simple, $25 fine. It was later refined to make public smoking a $100 fine. The new procedure was fully implemented this year. The move will not only impact local residents, but the millions of tourists and citizen lobbyists who travel to Washington DC. However, federal possession laws remain in place on federal land, such as Capitol Hill.

Congress votes for Hemp

The US Farm bill saw a major win for marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin, hemp. Right now hemp fiber for clothing and other goods, as well as edible hemp seeds, are produced in Canada, Europe and China. American farmers had been prohibited from producing the lucrative crop.

Kentucky Senator Mitch McCon-nell, a Republican, advocated for the bill during committee hearings. McConnell has since become the Senate Majority Leader.

Although limited in scope to research plots, it was a big shift for a vital resource.

NORML Deputy Director Paul Armen-tano said, “The approval of this lan-guage marks the first change in federal

policy regarding hemp cultivation since World War II.”

MarchPoll shows Americans think marijuana less harmful than sugar.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll yielded some surprising perceptions about cannabis. Respondents said that marijuana was less harmful than tobacco, alcohol and even sugar. Frankly, they are correct on all counts. Certainly the only dangerous thing about canna-bis is having a law enforcement encoun-ter over it.

New Mexico and Michigan expand medical marijuana programs

While many states are still trying to pass medical access laws, two states made their more progressive. New Mexico added Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease to the list of quali-fying conditions. NM also doubled the number of plants providers could grow for patients.

Michigan regulators voted to allow post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the list of qualifying conditions for medical cannabis. Research has shown marijuana to be very beneficial to PTSD patients. Seven states currently allow for PTSD in their medical marijuana programs: Michigan, Connecticut, Dela-ware, Maine, New Mexico, Nevada, and Oregon.

AprilMedical marijuana laws do not increase teen use rates

Confirming what advocates have been saying for years new research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health showed that marijuana use by teenagers does not go up after a


medical cannabis law in enacted. The authors of the study from Rhode

Island Hospital and Brown University stated: “This study did not find increases in adolescent marijuana use related to legalization of medical marijuana. This suggests that concerns about ‘sending the wrong message’ may have been overblown. Our study may provide some reassurance to policy makers who wish to balance compassion for individuals who have been unable to find relief from conventional medical therapies with the safety and well-being of youth.”

Maryland passes decrim and medical marijuana laws

In a sweeping set of reforms The Old Line State removed criminal penal-ties for cannabis possession by adults and also created a medical marijuana program for seriously ill patients. Signed into law in April, decrim was imple-mented in September making the 1st possession offense a $100 fine and subsequent offenses a $250 fine.

Access to a fully running medicinal marijuana program in Maryland is not expected until later in 2015.

THC not associated with higher auto crash fatalities

Opponents of ending prohibition often cite their worry about traffic inci-dents increasing. A study from New Zealand added to the growing data allay-ing those concerns. Published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention researchers found a low risk of accident culpability for those who tested posi-tive for THC. However risk was markedly greater for those who combined mari-juana and alcohol.

MayPoll shows Americans favor marijuana over online gambling

A survey by Fairleigh Dickinson Uni-versity asked respondents what they would prefer to “see legalized every-where” and the answer was surprising: 52% chose small amounts of marijuana while just 20% favored online gambling.

Revenue at gambling establish-ments, most notably in Atlantic City, have seen a steep decline. This has motivated that sector to pursue online casinos as an alternative. Some states, including New Jersey, have allowed this new form of at-home betting. Gambling addiction, however, remains a serious concern to many Americans. Indeed placing bets is arguably far more harmful than cannabis dependence.

Study shows fibromyalgia patients get relief from cannabis

The National Pain Foundation polled 1,300 patients online and found that almost 400 had used marijuana for medicine. About 60% of those patients found cannabis to be effective in less-ening their symptoms. The pharmaceu-tical, Cymbalta, is commonly prescribed for the same condition. However the same survey found that only 8% of those who had taken the pill-form drug found it had a positive impact.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain con-dition that is often treated with power-ful narcotics. In the past patients living with the condition report a much better quality of life when utilizing cannabis therapy.

JuneCongress votes to limit federal inter-ference with state marijuana laws

When the 2015 Commerce, Justice, and Appropriations Bill came up for a vote this year, some members of the US House of Representatives saw an opportunity to protect state marijuana laws. An amendment was offered by


Congressman Dana Rohrbacher, a Republican from California, that would de-fund Department of Justice opera-tions against state-authorized medical marijuana providers and patients.

The House voted 219-189 in favor of the amendment, but is stalled in the US Senate. Still, it was the first time that a majority of federal lawmakers took a stand to shield local marijuana laws from federal intervention.

Habitual marijuana smoking does not increase risk of lung cancer

In an extensive study of 5,000 patients around the world a research paper published in the International Journal of Cancer found that cannabis consumers do not face a greater risk of contracting lung cancer. This was true even for “habitual or long-term cannabis smokers.”

This adds to growing data that quells concerns over marijuana and lung cancer. Landmark research from Dr. Donald Tashkin in 2006 found similar results in a longitudinal study of Cali-fornia residents. Tashkin’s data actually found that those who smoked moderate amounts of marijuana were at a lower risk of lunch cancer than those who smoked nothing at all.

JulyNY Times opines in favor of legal mari-juana, launches week of coverage

In a major turn of events in main-stream media, the New York Times called for full marijuana legalization. The feature piece from the newspaper’s Edi-torial Board stated:

“It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the current ban on marijuana, inflicting great harm on society just to prohibit a substance far

less dangerous than alcohol.”“The federal government should

repeal the ban on marijuana.”But they did not stop there. The NY

Times offered a full week of compre-hensive coverage on the topic, from the history of cannabis laws to the impact on communities of color. It remains the most focused and concentrated jour-nalistic coverage of marijuana reform in 2014 and is well worth reading.

Retail marijuana sales begin in Washington State

Regulated cannabis sales began on July 8, 2014. The WA State Liquor Control Board oversees the recreational cannabis outlets. Prices and taxes were relatively high, mirroring prices in Colo-rado, but business was still brisk. Fewer retail outlets were initially licensed in Washington and demand quickly out-stripped supply.

NORML Communications Director Erik Altieri said, “Every day in America, hundreds of thousands of people engage in transactions involving the rec-reational use of marijuana, but only in two states, Colorado and Washington, do these transactions take place in a safe, above-ground, state-licensed facil-ity where consumers must show proof of age, the product sold is of known quality, and the sales are taxed in a manner to help fund necessary state and local ser-vices.”

Congress votes to allow banking for marijuana businesses

Providers of medical cannabis and recreational stores rely on a cash-only process because banks are wary of vio-lating any federal laws. This adds risk to the owners and makes general finance a bit more difficult than other businesses. Credit cards, debit cards and checks can not be accepted for legal sales. Regular bills for the businesses such as rent,


telephone service and the like must also be paid in cash or money orders.

Congress took action when the US House of Representatives again went to bat for state-authorized industries. An amendment was offered to the Treasury Department’s appropriations bill that sought to prevent any federal interference and allay concerns in the banking sector. The House passed the amendment 231 to 192 but, like the DOJ appropriations amendment, the US Senate failed to take up matching lan-guage. Still a strong message was sent that Congress intends to fix this problem soon and the action by the House did open up new doors in the banking indus-try for many cannabis entrepreneurs.

AugustState medical marijuana laws associ-ated with fewer prescription painkiller overdoses

Research led by a doctor at the Phil-adelphia Veterans Affairs hospital found that states with legal medical marijuana showed a sharp decline in opioid deaths.

The authors surmised that many individuals may have switched away from more harmful and powerful narcot-ics such as oxycontin because cannabis was available.

The report says: “States with medical cannabis laws had a 24.8 percent lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate compared with states without medical cannabis laws.”

Many states have spent massive amounts of tax dollars and created whole new programs to help reduce these very same deaths. The reduction related to medical marijuana was the most significant impact of any program or factor.

Teen marijuana use and traffic fatali-ties fall after legalization in CO

A common catchall phrase being bandied about by politicians is that they will “wait and see” what happens in Col-orado before taking a position on legal-ization. State officials in CO have been carefully studying the impact on their residents and offering much insight. The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment reported that marijuana use by high-school students showed a measurable decline after legalization. The same report showed that traffic fatalities were at 13-year low.

In all important factors, regulation of cannabis in Colorado is having a posi-tive impact on general public health and safety.

SeptemberSanta Fe, NM and Philadelphia, PA decriminalize marijuana

Two significant cities took action to reduce penalties for marijuana pos-session. Voters in Santa Fe, the state capitol of New Mexico, were going to vote on a ballot referendum on decrim but the City Council beat them to the punch by making the move on its own. The new ordinance in The City Different made simple possession a $25 fine.

Philadelphia’s City Council passed a bill, twice, sponsored by Councilman James Kenney that made marijuana possession a civil, non-criminal offense. Philly had a policy of mandatory custodial arrest for any amount of cannabis and clocked more than 4,000 arrests every year. Initially Mayor Michael Nutter and Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey resisted the change, but then came on board. The new fine structure applies to adults and juveniles and made posses-sion a $25 fine and smoking in public a $100 fine. It was fully implemented in October.


Legal marijuana in all 50 states would yield $3 billion in tax revenue

The website NerdWallet.com offered a bight outlook for national legalization estimating a hefty tax income from regu-lated cannabis sales.

Following Colorado’s model of a flat 15% excise tax on produc-tion they found that California would gain the largest amount of annual tax revenue ($519,287,052) fol-lowed by New York ($248,103,676), Florida ($183,408,640), Texas ($166,303,963), and Illinois ($126,107,360).

OctoberCanadian mental health teaching hospital calls for legalization

The Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health released a policy statement that called for an end to pro-hibition. They are the largest mental health provider in the country.

They stated: “All available evidence indicates that criminalization of canna-bis use is ineffective, costly, and con-stitutes poor public policy,” the group acknowledged. “Legalization, combined with strict health-focused regulation, provides an opportunity to reduce the harms associated with cannabis use.”

New Mexico workman’s compen-sation should cover cannabis

Workplace discrimination is, unfor-tunately, commonplace for medical mari-juana patients. That’s why a ruling by the New Mexico Court of Appeals was such a milestone. The ruling in favor of a patient being compensated by employ-ers and insurance providers for canna-bis therapy related to a workplace injury was the first of it’s kind. Judge James Weschler wrote that medical marijuana is “reasonable and necessary care.”

NovemberCannabis wins on Election Day

Voters in Alaska, Oregon and Washington DC resoundingly passed legalization ballot initiatives. South Portland, Maine voters also passed a local legalization initiative. Several com-munities in Michigan also took steps to eliminate penalties for personal posses-sion: Berkley, Huntington Woods, Mount Pleasant, Pleasant Ridge, Port Huron and Saginaw voted to decriminalize can-nabis.

See our detailed coverage of the election in this issue of Freedom Leaf magazine.

New York City halts marijuana possession arrests

Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to end the practice of custodial arrests for simple possession in the Big Apple. There are close to 30,000 arrests every year for small amounts of weed. New York State decriminalized cannabis in 1977 but arrested continued in the city under provisions that it was in “public view.” Under the new policy those encountered by police with less than 25 grams of marijuana will be given a summons to court to pay a $100 fine and will generate no permanent criminal record.

A banner year2014 proved to be historic and

could still yield some astounding moves toward victory even as we go to print in November. Do your part this holiday season: support the local and national organizations fighting hard to the final goal with a donation!

Readers can find the full details on every summary above at www.norml.org/news.


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· Children’s book authors· Late night PBS painting instructors · Method actors· Professional poker players· Beat poets · Clam diggers· Karaoke DJ’s· Bellydancers · Crisis hotline operators· Café froth designers · Mediators · Horse and/or dog and/or cat

and/or hamster whisperers· Occult practitioners

Celebrating continued from page 81


· Surfboard shapers (or surfers, or any other surfing related job)

· Ghost walking-tour guides · Car stereo technicians · Curlers· Video game creators· Comic book artists· Carl Sagan’s personal assistants· Body paint professionals· Salsa dancers· Dreamers of big, crazy ideas· Professional Bingo number callers· English professors· Comedy show staff writers· Pastry chefs

· Professional quilters· World leaders …and a host of other

perfectly legitimate roles that make up of the weird fabric of our society.

So the next time you go mocking a stoner, think twice. We didn’t come this far so we could all conform into one of those annoying Type-A person-alities, did we? Those Alpha Wolves are the ones who got us into this colossal mess in the first place, remember?

So don’t throw stones at a stoner. They wouldn’t throw them at you. That’s just not their style, man.


The OTHER HerbsRosemaryBy Beth Mann

Cannabis is not the only herb on the planet. There’s a wide, wide world of other powerful herbs out there with all sorts of medicinal and spiritual prop-erties to mine. The more we learn about herbs in general, the more we avoid the trappings of Western medicine and return to nature to heal and protect our-selves…or just make delicious roasted potatoes.

So get out there and explore the other offerings of the herbal revolution.

This month’s power herb: rosemary.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with piney

fragrant, needle-like leaves. It’s native to the Mediterranean region and a member of the mint family Lamiaceae.

The name is derived from the Latin name rosmarinus meaning “dew of the sea” based on its ability to need no other water than the humidity carried by the sea to live.

Health Properties:

• Recent research on rosemary highlight its ability to help prevent cancer and age-related skin damage, boost the functioning of the liver, and act as a mild diuretic to help reduce swelling.

• Rosemary has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, improving memory con-centration

• According to the University of Mary-land Medical Center, rosemary has been shown to have antioxidant properties that can prevent free radicals from damaging cell mem-branes and altering DNA, which can result in cell death.

• A study published in Phytotherapy Research confirms that rosemary increases circulation by dilating arteries and noted that this herb possesses antioxidant properties that reduce atherosclerosis risk in young healthy adults by improving serum activity.

• Rosemary contains anti-inflamma-tory compounds that may make it



useful for reducing the severity of asthma attacks.

• This herb is exceptionally rich in many B-complex vitamins, such as folic acid, pantothenic acid, pyridox-ine and riboflavin.

• The herb extractions of rosemary when applied over scalp have stim-ulating function on the hair-bulbs and help prevent premature bald-ness and restore hair growth.

• Rosemary tea is a good remedy for removing nervous headache, colds and depression. (The author is drinking this concoction now. Potent!)

• Many people gargle rosemary tea to help heal mouth ulcers, sores and as a mouth wash.

Cooking with Rosemary:

Whenever possible, choose fresh rosemary over the dried form of the herb since it’s superior in flavor and strength. With that said, dried rosemary possesses many of the attributes of its fresh counterpart. (Test a dried herb by rubbing it between your fingers. If it emits a scent, it is still potent.)

If you receive a rosemary tree for the holidays, use it! You can use the fresh rosemary directly from the tree (rinse it first, in case of insecticide use) or wait until it dries and shake it out over a chopping board.


Finely chopped rosemary complements:

• Fatty, strong-tasting meats such as lamb, pork, duck and game.

· Potatoes• Casseroles• Tomato sauces• Baked fish• Apples• Vinegars and oils

Other Culinary Uses for Rosemary:

• Use rosemary sprigs to flavor grill-ing charcoals or use sprigs to brush olive oil on meat and poultry before roasting.

• Rosemary twigs can be used as durable toothpicks or skewers for food.

• Rosemary flowers are sweetly per-fumed and delicious on salads, rice, pasta, or fruit salads.

Random Facts and Tips about Rose-mary:

• In Ancient Greece, the smell of rosemary was thought to enhance one’s memory. Students used to wear a sprig of rosemary behind their ear when studying and taking their exams.

• In Ancient Greece, people burned rosemary branches on the altars of the gods, considering it a sacred herb. The plant was also sacred for the Romans (who gave it its name) and Egyptians (traces of rosemary has been found in the pharaohs’ tombs).

• The custom of burning rosemary branches was a common practice in hospitals in France, maintained until the 20th century. Theoretically it was used for cleaning the air.

• The goddess Aphrodite is associ-ated with rosemary as is the Virgin

Mary, who was supposed to have spread her cloak over a white-blos-somed rosemary bush while she was resting. According to legend, the flowers turned blue (the color most associated with Mary).

• Rosemary can be used in place of rice at weddings. It’s the herb of remembrance (good for remember-ing vows) and smells inviting and fragrant when people walk on it.

• Throw some rosemary in the fire-place on the outer edges of the burning wood and your space comes alive with a delightful, pine-scented aroma.

“Where rosemary flour-ished, the woman ruled.”

- Unknown Article sources: Andreja Sinkovic et al. Rosemary

extracts improve flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery and plasma PAI-1

activity in healthy young volunteers. Phy-totherapy Research, March 2011.

University of Maryland Medical Center. Rosemary. http://umm.edu/

health/medical/altmed/herb/rosemary

Alex A. Kecskes. The Cancer Fighting Benefits of Rosemary. Pacific

College of Oriental Medicine.


How Philadelphia Decriminalized Marijuana

By Kenneth Lipp with photos by Joshua Scott Albert

On October 20th, 2014, Amended Bill 140377, decriminalizing the pos-session of small amounts of marijuana, went into effect in Philadelphia. This is the nation’s 5th largest metropolis which clings just above Delaware in corner of the most conservative state in the Northeast.

The United States has seen a rela-tive sweep of pro-marijuana measures throughout the country, most recently in Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. (the District’s special status makes the ratification of the law short of a done deal). All of these latest and most national victories for marijuana reform have been had directly from the polls, in the form of referendums and ballot initiatives.

Without a ballot initiative process available to Pennsylvania citizens, activists took their case to city lawmak-ers and law enforcement officials, to the streets in demonstrations, and in tandem, to the Federal government with civil disobedience.

Decriminalization was first brought to Councilman Jim Kenney’s office by advocate Nikki Allen Poe of Philadel-phia and Philly NORML’s Chris Gold-stein. Presented with the statistics demonstrating both racially and fiscally repressive implications of criminalizing, arresting and tarnishing the records of peaceful marijuana consumers, Kenney crafted a bill to end the practice of cuffing and incarcerating the people of Philadelphia for having a bag of pot.

Opponents of reform say that no one ever goes to jail over a small amount of weed

As they applied pressure on local officials, Poe and Goldstein, along with other activists and advocates (Rachael Friedmann and Vanessa Marie, as well


as Mike Whiter, were instrumental in organizing and managing the events), were raising awareness and the heckles of US Park Rangers on the federally-policed Independence Hall National His-toric Park. In December of 2012 they staged the first “Smoke Down Prohibi-tion” demonstration on the mall, with speakers at the First Amendment mon-ument followed by a communal firing up. By the fifth Smoke Down, in April 2013, hundreds of participants were smoking joints in unison at 4:20, creat-ing a veritable fog above the Mall. At the May 2013 demonstration, the Park Rangers made the first arrests, having erected barricades around the protest venue adjacent to the Liberty Bell.

The show of force escalated at suc-cessive Smoke Down protests prompted activists to seek out law enforcement for “parlay,” in what became know as Donut Summits (#DonutSummit in Twitter exchanges between partici-pants, in which the meeting was origi-nally conceived).

Senior law enforcement officials from two departments with various jurisdiction at Independence Hall Park, including Chief Thomas Nestel of the Philadelphia SEPTA Transit Police, Inspector Joe Sullivan of the Philadel-phia Police Department, and Lieutenant Joe O’Brien of PPD Civil Affairs, met for several months at Dunkin Donuts (and once at a pizza place) with the Smoke Down activists. The goal, arguably achieved, was to ease the dangerous tension and a militant Park Police and Department of Homeland Security pres-ence at the demonstrations, and further to humanize the respective parties in the others’ countenance.

In March of 2013, Councilman Kenney introduced a decriminaliza-tion bill to the Committee on Law and Government, before which a hearing was held featuring testimony from the


ACLU, university drug reform organiza-tions, community advocates and law enforcement officers against continued marijuana prohibition.

This first version of Kenney’s bill was tabled after passing committee, upon consultation with chief county law enforcement officials and com-munity representatives belonging to Philadelphia’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB). This group “of top-level county officials which address crimi-nal justice issues from a systemic and policy level perspective,” according to Pennsylvania’s website on the initia-tive, which details the groups’ makeup as including “top- level representatives of the courts, corrections, law enforce-ment, community-based organizations, executive branch of government, health and human service agencies, victims’ services agencies, and the business and faith communities. CJABs are fre-quently designated as the primary point of contact with the commonwealth and the federal government for criminal justice matters.”

The CJAB was the unseen hand to the activist’s parades and protests. Finally, public attention and the plain face-value sense of decriminalization prevailed.

Upon hearing news of the loss of the measure’s momentum, activists again traveled to City Hall to speak with Kenney’s aide, who informed them that the CJAB was claiming that the bill had “holes,” and was probably illegal under state law. During this meeting the aide also intimated that because of the makeup of CJAB, the Council did not really have the power to implement the policy changes without the Board’s approval. The aide promised action from Kenney’s office within a month. It took three.

The bill that Mayor Michael Nutter signed was in fact the third iteration


from City Council sponsor Kenney. An earlier draft passed Council with a handy and apparently “veto-proof” majority in June, and was paired on signing with an Executive Order intended to enhance the “prevention” strategy regarding drug use, in line with the most recent White House Office of National Drug Control Policy recommen-dation of changing focus from enforce-ment and incarceration to educating and treating non-violent drug-offenders.

In a cavalier dismissal of the civil rights and racial disparity issues asso-ciated with marijuana arrests cited by the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations, as well as the City Council in its 14-2 passage of the bill, the mayor made comments minimizing the potential impact of decriminaliza-tion and called the Council’s bill “sim-plistic.” Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey stated at the time that his officers would conduct arrests as usual per state law irrespective of any new ordinance.

The community maintained pres-sure in the interim between the bill’s passage and its deadline for the mayor’s pen, producing a “Public Service Announcement” video to urge his signing, and holding a parade down Market Street days before Nutter’s

promised decision in October.Then, as the clock ticked down to

the final days, Mayor Michael Nutter and Police Commissioner Ramsey sud-denly announced that they would follow through with the concept. The Mayor signed the bill and the police vowed to fully implement the policy on the streets of Philly.

Officials have deferred comment on what caused the change of heart, but one can assume that the unseen wheels were properly greased, perhaps the proper assurances given.

On the morning of October 20th Mike Whiter lit a joint in the middle of the courtyard of Philadelphia’s City Hall, with a an officer waiting to issue him a citation fining him $100, while sup-porters like Poe, as well as several members of the media and a supervis-ing lieutenant of the PPD’s Civil Affairs Division, looked on. Whiter took the ticket proudly to general applause.

Police must report back to City Council on the number of citations they issued. As it stands, Philly is the largest city to reduce marijuana penal-ties down to $25 for possession. Until full legalization happens in Pennsylva-nia it is a much more fair approach than handcuffs and holding cells.


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