Extroverting

Category: MI

  • Mayor Duggan on redeveloping Detroit’s riverfront and what comes next

    Detroiters are reacting to plans to change the city’s skyline with a bold transformation for the Renaissance Center.

    It’s a plan for redevelopment along the riverfront.

    Mayor Mike Duggan laid out the concept in his final State of the City last night.

    FULL SPEECH: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan gives final State of the City

    The renderings show the demolition of two of the towers and the building of a 6-acre riverfront park.

    I went to the riverfront to ask Detroiters how realistic the plan was to them.

    It would be great. It would be a good way to attract more tourists here and especially for the residents as well, says Gulain Reif, who was visiting Detroit.

    Who is the public that is being envisioned and how do we expand the vision of who the public is? as Reelaviolette Botts-Ward, whose family is from Detroit.

    But, of course, I wanted to go to the source, Mayor Mike Duggan, to get his take on the vision, as well as some reflection on his time in office and what comes next.

    What follows is our Q & A.

    What is the vision for everything around us right now?

    Well, Matt Cullen and the Riverfront Conservancy have done an amazing job of building the River Walk. And what Dan Gilbert wants to do is build an entire riverfront now. I mean, to take this huge parking lot thats been here for the Renaissance Center and turn it into the equivalent of what Chicago has with Navy Pier.

    Something that a lot of people reference is the amount of blight that has been removed in your tenure. Is that remarkable to you?

    You know I drive the neighborhood every weekend, just trying to go to maybe the most neglected neighborhoods to see the progress were making. So Ive been watching it every day for 11 plus years. And, you know, sometimes I go down these streets and I just shake my head. I go to that Merrygrove neighborhood where you couldnt have sold a house for 10,000 dollars, and now theyre going for 150,000 dollars. And you think about the wealth we built up for the people who stayed. Its very rewarding.”

    And in a lot of cities, progress has meant a lot of people get pushed out. But last night you emphasized neighborhoods investing in their own communities, trying to give land to neighbors, what has been your intention through that process?

    The people who stayed. I got elected by the people who stayed, not the people who moved out. And everything Ive done has been through the eyes of people who stayed. And so to take 25,000 vacant lots, not sell them to out of towners but to sell them to the neighbor next door, whos probably cutting the lot anyway, to enlarge their property has been a great thing.”

    And what do you hope to take from all of this in your bid to run the state?

    The people of the state of Michigan will decide whether theyre happy with the politics weve had or not. But today in Michigan, as far as I can tell, the only principle the Democrats have is that they hate the Republicans. And the only principle the Republicans have is they hate the Democrats. And it reminds me so much of Detroit in 2011 and 2012. Where people fought with each other and didnt put the interests of Detroiters first. And so I think Ive shown what can happen, whats possible when people work together. And well see whether the people of the state of Michigan would like to see the same kind of politics brought to Lansing.

    Where Your Voice Matters

  • [Response to Dr. Kruger study]

    [Editor’s Note – Dr. K’s findings are worth pursuing, and also need to be contextualized. We want transparency up-front. We’re interested in noting what should be pursued re the medicine and messaging, highlighting what’s interesting while not being an industry cheerleader. ]

    Response Article Outline:

    • Points of clarification about this study
    • Here’s why it’s still interesting
    • Here’s what we’d like to see done next

    Call Notes – Juan and Steve

    1) Headline is wider-reaching than the findings
    2) Biased audience
    3) Better to repeat statewide at point of contact with patients with additional rigors, a wider population / larger n (this one: 392), with less of the selection bias

    [E.N. Great opportunity to speak to specifics as possible: proposing, e.g., a medical facility, specific staff, funding sources, would be a good challenge to the people involved — in medicine and politics — and also a way to promote your availability to participate in the follow-up study you propose.]

    Majority of patient condition-specifics and findings cluster around pain, inflammation — most / stronger evidence in this study than other meds / conditions

    30% didn’t disclose their cannabis usage to their doctor

    [E.N. Great opportunity to speak to why this is not optimal patient behavior]

    Small % of patients used medical cannabis when there are existing FDA-approved options:

    2.5% used for chemo-induced nausea / appetite promotion
    Why not FDA-approved Marinol, Dranabinol
    3.8% used for seizure – Why not FDA-approved Epidiolex

    References:

    Medical Cannabis Users’ Comparisons between Medical Cannabis and Mainstream Medicine

    Related article Adam referenced:
    Medical Cannabis Use Is Associated With Decreased Opiate Medication Use in a Retrospective Cross-Sectional Survey of Patients With Chronic Pain.

    [E.N. Responding to the latter could be a separate article to keep the first article in response to Dr. K tight and straightforward. The hooks include showing UMich pride and changing the conversation about cannabis where there’s fact-based pushback regarding “cannabis as off-ramp vs gateway drug.” It’s completely up to you and your time available — use what you want and how.]

    Next Steps

    • Juan drafts response article under his byline per the above notes
    • SMc assigns copy- and photo-editors to collaborate with Juan
    • SMc pitches this draft to Amy B @ MLive; [others]
    • Will pitch it before we publish to allow Amy the chance at an exclusive for 48 hours
    • Once published on MLive, Extroverting, or another property, we’ll promote it on social, especially to elected officials and medical professionals with whom we had contact in the run-up to GW’s Science Symposium

  • Mich. Student Launches ‘Green Wolverine’ Science Symposium with Leading Cannabis Experts

    Adam Rosenberg – Executive Director, Green Wolverine

    World-class researchers, scientists, and physicians will gather next month in Ann Arbor, Mich., to separate fact from fiction and illuminate the future of cannabis in a first-of-its-kind science symposium open to the public.

    Green Wolverine, a student-run nonprofit dedicated to cannabis education and public awareness, is hosting the event in collaboration with the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and School of Nursing.

    I founded the first Green Wolverine chapter as a student club at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business in early 2017. After receiving interest from peers at other schools, I formed a nonprofit corporation to coordinate expansion efforts. Within a year, we inaugurated chapters at six universities across the country and gained support from esteemed brands including MedMen, Weedmaps, and The Arcview Group.

    My journey to found Green Wolverine began when I was a 16-year-old aspiring doctor and took a job at a pain management clinic. The patients were drug tested to ensure they were only taking their prescribed medications, usually opiates, and I was assigned to work in the testing laboratory. Through this work, I discovered that a large proportion of pain patients tested positive for THC. I conducted my own research and was amazed by cannabis’ efficacy and lack of side effects compared to conventional treatment options. The discovery that cannabis is a less harmful alternative to opiates prompted my transition to the industry.

    At 19, I applied to work in a medical cannabis provisioning center in Ann Arbor to learn more. I spent six months preparing products and providing care to patients as a bud-tender. Numerous firsthand patient consultations reaffirmed the extraordinary therapeutic benefits of the plant. It was following this experience that I decided to challenge the stigma and establish an educational student organization.

    The Green Wolverine Science Symposium at the University of Michigan is the culmination of my experiences, shared with countless others, resisting misinformation fueled by decades of propaganda. The purpose of the symposium is to objectively present evidence regarding the benefits and downsides of cannabis, absent of biases or political motives.

    Scientific experts, including Dr. Sue Sisley, Dr. Daniele Piomelli, and Dr. Marilyn Huestis, will convey the most accurate and up-to-date cannabis research. We encourage anyone with interest to join us in Robertson Auditorium at the Ross School of Business on Sept 29.

  • 48% MI Voters would say Yes to Recreational

    [tweet https://twitter.com/MarkCavitt/status/998658076675903488 width=300]

  • Ann Arbor: City of Trees

    No Second Chance For a First Impression

    The number one thing that city of Ann Arbor, Michigan has got going for it at this moment is that they’re home to the Maize and Blue and not associated with the state sponsored pedophilia and sexual assault that is pervasive at Michigan State University. Luckily, A2 (A Squared) has much to enjoy aside from the constant feeling of superiority over Spartan Nation.

    With no shortage of restaurants featured on gluttonous television shows, urban fairy doors and a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home that inspires awe and can be rented for events and overnight stays, A2 is as perfect for a getaway weekend with someone special as it is for four to six years of higher education.

    Though marijuana isn’t featured anywhere on the city’s website or visitannarbor.org and likely won’t be used in future marketing materials, folks in the know are keenly aware that the effort to legalize cannabis statewide is rooted in Tree Town. The city is at the forefront of the midwestern marijuana movement with its sights on providing an influx of tax dollars to the stale Michigan economy.

    Boulder of the Midwest?

    Ann Arbor is a little less white, a little more conservative and certainly not as majestic as Boulder, Colorado. Nonetheless the two cities feature a similar vibe and ethos. Small business and locally sourced goods are preferred to mass-produced misery while the local university provides a steady stream of eager students and young professionals to the work force ready to pay off their loans.

    As strongholds of liberal activism both locations have rich and valuable history with cannabis and the legalization movement dating back to the 1970’s. A2 even saw marijuana become legal for a few weeks in 1972 before the times caught up with them. Each community has long been considered the center for cannabis crusading in their respective states while acting as early proponents for medical access to marijuana.

    Boulder has become a never-ending traffic jam of Subaru Foresters and Outbacks heading to pick up organic produce or to the newest farm-to-table restaurant or on the way to yoga and then the brewery. Throw in unsafe and pretentious bikers at every intersection, inflated rent and living expenses, a mild case of groupthink disguised as innovation and you’ve got a potent recipe a thriving marijuana industry grown over the last decade.

    The Boulder Bubble comes replete with dozens of dispensaries and retail stores pocketed around town leaving residents and visitors less than a 5 minute jaunt away from catching a buzz from a pre-rolled joint or infused soda at all times. Edible and concentrate producers’ account for hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial real estate keeping landlords bankroll’s fat and warehouse spaces renting for 2 times above market value.

    Things are not as far gone in Ann Arbor but it looks like they might be well on their well.

    Take a Stroll Through Ann Arbor

    Medical marijuana has long been available in Ann Arbor so the recently released emergency rules by the Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation haven’t caused much of a stir yet.

    At the present time the city of Ann Arbor has allowed 18 marijuana businesses to provisionally operate while they seek state licenses. That list includes 13 dispensaries of which nearly all do not accept out of state patients even though they are allowed to do so. History likely supposes that some businesses will contract and sell off assets, as they are unable to meet the requirements for state licensing or afford application and other associated fees. Others will be forced to move to new and more undesirable locations to giving way to newly enforced zoning laws.

    The cost of cannabis flower in Tree Town, USA is too expensive and does not necessarily live up to the price tag when put to the test. The phrase patient before profit doesn’t exactly come to mind when ounce prices start at $200 on the bottom shelf. Remarkably, edible and concentrate prices fall within a range commensurate with mature cannabis markets throughout the country. Be that all as it may, prices across the board should look to trend up as new testing, packaging and transport standards along with costly regulations force business to shift those costs onto the patients they serve.

    Man about town

    Of the three dispensaries I was able to visit on a recent trip to Ann Arbor, two of them granted me reciprocal rights as an out-of-state patient. One of them has just shut down.

    The Green Door recently closed its downtown location amid city zoning issues. Their website states,

    “The Green Door in Downtown Ann Arbor has closed but we will be back. We will have a better and bigger provisioning center with even more to help your needs!”

    That might not be a good thing. If the city didn’t eighty-six em’, the design police would have been well within their rights to torch the place. A bright green neon marijuana leaf illuminated the front window. Inside, dayglow orange walls detracted from the tin ceiling in the waiting and check in area. Posters of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd straight from the racks of Sam Goody and Tower Records hung without precision.

    Once beyond the hanging bamboo doorway divider, more of the same décor was placed alongside tapestries further cementing that location as a very heady spot. The prices were astronomical. The budtender told me people from out of state complained about the high cost. That proclamation did not detract the college-aged gentlemen wearing pajama bottoms from purchasing over $500 worth of cannabis while I was being helped.

    The other dispensary I shopped at was located in a business park far from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The Cannoisseur Collective takes its name from a portmanteau of the words cannabis and connoisseur, which seems to be a poplar naming strategy for dispensaries across the country these days. At the time of my arrival, the waiting area had barren white walls save for the artistic rendering of cartoon characters Bart Simpson and Nelson Muntz wearing Yeezy Boost 350’s.

    Beyond the security door and inside of the budroom cannabis flower was displayed in glass jars sitting on the shelves of the most basic retail display cabinets. Edibles and concentrates lined up side by side were resigned to a similar fate.

    The last stop on my tour of Ann Arbor dispensaries was tucked away on the third floor of a building with an unassuming facade and little signage on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor. Om of Medicine is a hidden gem. You won’t know its there unless your looking for it.

    Inside, brick walls juxtaposed with brightly colored accent walls and hardwood floors create an inviting atmosphere almost immediately. Local artwork for sale adorns the space and begs inquiry. The bright and knowledgeable staff curates the patient experience for optimal comfort. Ample seating, good reading and free Wi-Fi make waiting to shop an exercise in luxury.

    Two distinctly decorated rooms serve as one-on-one consultation spaces for patients to get acquainted with cannabis products or ask questions in a private setting. There is no need to churn and burn patients at Om of Medicine. The dispensary is a leader in advocacy, education and research. A standout when compared to any other dispensary in the nation, it has a je ne sais quoi achieved organically over time.

    Hash Bash

    The first Saturday in April is the biggest day of the year for cannabis enthusiast in Ann Arbor and around the state of Michigan. This year marks the 47th installment of the Hash Bash. Being held on the University of Michigan’s Diag, a central campus thoroughfare, the gathering is not listed on the University’s event page but the campus takes a laissez faire approach to enforcing their strict no-smoking policy for the day.

    Hash Bash’s preamble, The John Sinclair Freedom Rally held in 1971, brought John Lennon and Stevie Wonder to town to demonstrate against the incarceration of the rally’s namesake. The shindig has grown and shrank and grown again in size and scope in the preceding four and a half decades. This year there is a Hash Bash App.

    The schedule calls for a slate of speakers, panel discussions and seminars featuring activists, business owners, doctors, lawyers, politicians and professional athletes. Laith Al-Saadi, a season ten finalist from The Voice is set to open the festivities with a rendition of the “The Star Spangled Banner” at noon.

    Looking Ahead

    365,000 signatures supporting legalizing recreational cannabis were collected and turned into the statehouse in Lansing last November. Led by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol, the aim of the campaign is to have the residents of Michigan decide its own fate as it regards marijuana legalization. The fact that cannabis has none of the public safety or health concerns associated with alcohol in addition to the fact that marijuana is an important medicine for many ailments make any comparisons of the two patently and inherently flawed.

    Despite the goofy name, the organization has deftly maneuvered and muscled for rank, as they’ve been successful in supplying far more signatures than necessary to state officials. Given the trend of successful legalization ballot initiatives in 2016 the smart money is on marijuana come election day in 2018.

    Jeff Irwin, the coalition’s Political Director during the campaign is a former county commissioner, state representative and currently running for state senate on a progressive platform in Michigan’s 18th district, which includes Ann Arbor. Active on a variety of issues, Irwin chooses to champion labor and voting rights, criminal justice reform, education, the environment, equality, women’s rights, universal healthcare and yes…cannabis legalization.

    Irwin recognizes the economic and societal benefits that legalization offers. He recently told me,

    “Ending prohibition can be helpful to taxpayers. Today, we waste hundreds of millions on cannabis prohibition. Paying for cops and prosecutors, courts and bailiffs. Paying for criminal justice resources. What if we redirect the effort to more dangerous drugs and crimes? That can be a benefit and savings.”

    Insights like this are a breath of fresh air in today’s political climate where filling up private prisons take precedence over fair and equitable enforcement of the law.

    “We can also garner tax revenue. Expect that the public will vote for this and it will top a couple of hundred of million in tax revenue in the first years. It will only grow from there. Colorado is telling. Rates of usage are stable and tax revenue is way up. Trade is driven to regulated space and made safer. Tax revenue from commerce. 35% for roads, 35% for schools and 30% to local gov’t.” He continued.

    Irwin’s colleagues have had mixed reactions to his taking up the cannabis legalization cause. There will always cynics who don’t agree with cannabis in any way, shape or form but it also has allowed for much reaching across the aisle.

    “It cuts both ways. Criminal justice reform is a great issue for democrats and republicans to come together on. There is a lot we agree on. The public wants the legislature to work on bipartisan issues. It’s an opportunity for bipartisanship. When I was starting to get active there were a lot of colleagues that would make jokes about my position on the issue (marijuana legalization). That’s fine; it never really bothered me. I’d rather have people knowing what I’m working on than not. Sometimes the interest level that legalization attracts would wash out those views.” Irwin said.

    Mr. Irwin’s viewpoints on the matter of legalization come from places of compassion, research and education. He is not using the platform as political ammunition to help win an election or to boost his stature.

    He concluded our conversation by saying,

    “The most important thing is the benefit to the patients. I think cannabis should be legal across the board. Responsible adults should be able to use. One thing I’ve learned is that here a many individuals that are getting relief. They need safe and legal access points. If somebody wants to use cannabis as an alternative to drugs, how are they supposed to get their medicine? Not everyone has the skill to grow his or her own.”

    There is still much work to be done across the nation on the marijuana legalization front but as far as the state of Michigan goes— the future is looking bright thought a cloud of hazy smoke.

  • Will This Be Last Hash Bash Before Marijuana Is Legal in Michigan?

    Organizers of the 47th annual marijuana rally in Ann Arbor, Mich., are hoping this year's Hash Bash on April 7 will be the last one before cannabis is legalized in Michigan.

    They're counting on state voters to approve a ballot proposal in November to legalize recreational marijuana use for people 21 and older, taxing and regulating it much like alcohol, according to MLive.

    "For the first 46 years, really the focus has been on state prohibition," said Hash Bash lead organizer Mark Passerini, co-founder of the Om of Medicine marijuana dispensary in downtown Ann Arbor.

    "This could very well be the last year we focus on state prohibition and next year we could re-focus toward the ills of federal policy. Federal policy still sees cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug in all forms."

    Read the full story.

  • Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Detroit Can Get Temporary Reprieve

    Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Detroit Can Get Temporary Reprieve

    Detroit’s 62 medical marijuana dispensaries can get a reprieve and continue to operate after Feb. 15 despite continuing confusion and uncertainty over the city’s medical cannabis ordinances.

    As they work through legal challenges to the two ordinances passed by Detroit voters in November, the city will offer the necessary paperwork for dispensary owners to fill out and hand in with their applications for a state license, according to the Detroit Free Press.

    The reprieve, however, is temporary and could expire on June 15 if the city hasn't sorted out the challenge by then.

    Read the full story.

  • The Best City In the World Is Reciprocity

    The Best City In the World Is Reciprocity

    Noun rec·i·proc·i·ty \ re-sə-ˈprä-s(ə-)tē \ 

    Plural     reciprocities 

    1    : the quality or state of being reciprocal: mutual dependence, action, or influence  

    2    : a mutual exchange of privileges; specifically: a recognition by one of two countries or institutions of the validity of licenses or privileges granted by the other

    Philosophically it’s a simple concept. Far easier to follow in theory than in practice—whether being applied to international relations or oral sex—one should always extend the same courtesies offered unto them. In the world of medical marijuana the definition is not so cut and dried. 

    This is to be expected given the lack of preparedness and motivation that most lawmakers contribute to the legislative process when enacting medical marijuana laws in their respective bureaucracies. The framework cobbled together by individual states often runs counter to patient’s interests, instead proposing rules with a narrow focus on extracting as much money from entrepreneurs via application and licensing fees while creating hoop after hoop for patients and caregivers to jump through for access to life saving medicine.

    States without pro-marijuana laws on the books are the minority in 2018. Nebraska, Idaho, Kansas, and other similarly regressive states chose to refuse and condemn the progress. It is a stubborn practice that is based in fear, religious bias, political affiliation and ignorance. They’ll even try to halt the headway through lawsuits, aggressive and predatory policing strategies and extreme criminalization of cannabis possession.

    Despite the numbskullery that afflicts the majority of elected officials—some who are tasked with the chore of deliberating and deciding the who, what, where, when and why of it all do take the considerations of the medical marijuana community into account when writing the law of the land. But not all laws have been created equally. Just because a state has authorized a medical marijuana program it does not guarantee identical entitlements to a visiting patient.

    Only handful of states have taken the high road and passed legislation that communicates a willingness to recognize other states’ medical marijuana patient’s rights.

    Michigan, Hawaii, Nevada, and DC offer some protections and privileges for out-of-state patients

    The Lowdown

    The entire West Coast (plus Nevada) has legalized marijuana for everybody—not just the sick. However, recreational marijuana sales should not be misinterpreted as reciprocity. An out of state patient that is able to obtain cannabis in a recreational setting away from home is often paying exorbitant taxes not included on medical cannabis sales and are routinely exposed to products of a lesser quality standard than is acceptable for sick or hurt individuals.

    In the Northeastern corridor we’re seeing medical and recreational cannabis sprouting up in some of the county’s most cherished and historic megalopolises at breakneck pace. The Southwest is in the midst of a green rush and the Midwest is hit or miss as Michigan and Illinois lead the way. The Bible Belt, like most of their views, is about a two centuries behind the rest of the country when it comes to medical marijuana.

    In some reciprocal states, regulations merely help to shield visiting patients from prosecution for the possession of medical cannabis. That is marginally helpful but it places a burden on the patient transporting medicine should they happen to be traveling through any non-reciprocal territories on the way to a friendly final destination.

    Other states versions of the law allow for a visiting qualifying patients registry card to have the same protections and privileges as a local patient’s card. What, pray tell, does that suggest? It implies that medical marijuana dispensaries will accept out of state patients as long as they have valid paperwork from their home state. Of course, this still requires understanding and cooperation from the proprietors of these establishments.

    Where is your card good?

     Michigan

    Pure Michigan, where vehicle emissions tests are not required and clean water is tough to come by, it is a relatively easy affair for a visiting patient to gain access to medial cannabis throughout the state. Ann Arbor, Detroit and Lansing are areas most dense with dispensaries for intrepid travelers.

    Two pieces of legislation spell it out pretty explicitly.

    The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act states under section 333.26424 Protections for the Use of Medical Marihuana,

    “(k) A registry identification card, or its equivalent, that is issued under the laws of another state, district, territory, commonwealth, or insular possession of the United States that allows the medical use of marihuana by a visiting qualifying patient, or to allow a person to assist with a visiting qualifying patient's medical use of marihuana, shall have the same force and effect as a registry identification card issued by the department.”

     and

     The recently released (12/4/17) Medical Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act Emergency Rules directs in Rule 40 that,

    “(2) A provisioning center may sell or transfer marihuana product to a visiting qualifying patient if all the following are met:

    (a) The licensee verifies that the visiting qualifying patient has a valid unexpired medical marihuana registry card or its equivalent issued in another state, district, territory, commonwealth, or insular possession of the United States that allows the medical use of marihuana ”


    As far as precedence goes, it’ll be hard for anybody to deny you if you shove that language in their face. It’s suggested that you call ahead and ask if they allow out of state patients to shop before getting all high and mighty on them though.

    Hawaii

    Long before the island chain was colonized, the indigenous people of Hawaii had cultivated and consumed cannabis as a sacred, medicinal plant. Shortly after being admitted to the United States, landrace strains from Moloka’i, Maui, Kaua’i and elsewhere started to be eradicated by law enforcement agencies descending from helicopters in the sky to snatch crops up.

    It would be a number of years until the state’s lawmakers acknowledged that marijuana was in fact a form of medicine. Fast-forward to January 1, 2018 and qualified visiting patients will be allowed to shop in dispensaries on all of the Hawaiian Islands. Per Chapter 329D, HRS,

    “[§32d-13] Qualifying patients and primary caregivers; dispensing limits; other states. (a) A qualifying patient or a primary caregiver on behalf of a qualifying patients shall be allowed to purchase no more than four ounces of marijuana within a consecutive period of fifteen days, or no more than eight ounces of marijuana within a consecutive period of thirty days.

                (b) A qualifying patient or a primary caregiver on behalf of a qualifying patient may purchase from any dispensary location in the State, subject to the limits set forth in subsection (a).

                (c) Beginning on January 1, 2018, this section may apply to qualifying patients from other states, territories of the United States, or the District of Columbia; provided that the patient is a verified patient in their home state and registers with the department through a registration process established by the department.“

    Redundant wording notwithstanding, subsection (c) addresses the issue of reciprocity unambiguously. Visiting patients are good to go on their next trip away from the mainland.

    Nevada

    As if there was ever any question. The state that legalized prostitution and gambling couldn’t stay away from the sweet, sweet cheeba forever and all the glorious tax dollars that accompany it. While the state sorts out their recent legalization of marijuana, the medical program has been hospitable to visiting patients for a number of years, allowing them to utilize delivery services and more recently dispensaries. This all may come to an end soon.

    A review of the Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 453A-Medical Use of Marijuana turns up three important changes to the current code set to become effective April 1, 2018.

    Under the subheading: Recognition of nonresident cards [Effective April 1, 2018.] it states,

     “…(d) The state or jurisdiction from which the holder or bearer obtained the nonresident card maintains a database which preserves such information as may be necessary to verify the authenticity or validity of the nonresident card;

         (e) The state or jurisdiction from which the holder or bearer obtained the nonresident card allows the Division and medical marijuana dispensaries in this State to access the database described in paragraph (d);

         (f) The Division determines that the database described in paragraph (d) is able to provide to medical marijuana dispensaries in this State information that is sufficiently accurate, current and specific as to allow those dispensaries to verify that a person who holds or bears a nonresident card is entitled lawfully to do so; and…”

    Together these three addendums to the law create an arbitrary and unnecessary obstacle for visiting patients to navigate. Each subsequent point adds a wrinkle to the process ending with a visiting patient’s home state’s registry database system needing to be accessed in order for any medicine to change hands.

    It’s all a bit much. Just presenting valid medical marijuana card and photo ID used to suffice. Unless this is a very clever and slow played April Fool’s joke perpetrated by the Nevada state legislature then it could spell the end of reciprocity in Sin City and what ever else is out in the desert.

    Washington, D.C.

    The District’s City Council has quietly been passing liberal cannabis laws as the nation’s capital descends into madness. It took close to two years of notices, hearings and readings but eventually B21-0210 – Medical Marijuana Reciprocity Amendment Act of 2015 was signed into law. The legislative summary describes that,

    "Law 21-209 provides access to medical marijuana in the District of Columbia to those patients enrolled in a medical marijuana program from other jurisdictions. Patients must be undergoing a qualifying medical treatment or possess a valid medical marijuana card from their home jurisdiction…”

    Short, sweet and to the point. The Nation’s Capital is down with for the cause.

  • More Colleges Offering Marijuana-Focused Degrees

    Alex Roth has gotten into the habit of pulling out his cellphone and showing skeptical friends a screen shot of the classes he’ll have to take to get his bachelor of science degree from Northern Michigan University in Lansing, Mich.

    “When they hear what my major is, there are a lot of people who say, ‘Wow, cool dude. You’re going to get a degree growing marijuana,’ ” said the 19-year-old sophomore at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. “But it’s not an easy degree at all.”

    His four-year medicinal plant chemistry degree — geared toward the burgeoning marijuana business that is about to explode in Michigan next year — includes classes such as organic chemistry, biochemistry, soils, biology, gas and liquid chromatography, biostatistics, genetics, accounting, financial management and perspectives on society, according to USA Today.

    Read the full story.