Rings of Saturn
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"Cannabis in Canada"
"Cannabis in Canada is legal for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Medicinal use of cannabis was legalized nationwide in 2001 under conditions outlined in the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations, later superseded by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, issued by Health Canada and seed, grain, and fibre production was permitted under license by Health Canada. The federal Cannabis Act came into effect on 17 October 2018 and made Canada the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to formally legalize recreational use of the plant. Whereas decriminalization would simply remove laws restricting the use of cannabis products, as has been implemented in many countries, legalization allows for the taxation of legally produced cannabis. Canada is the first G7 and G20 nation to do so. Cannabis was banned in Canada from 1923 until regulated medical cannabis became legal in 2001. In response to popular opinion, Justin Trudeau, the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, committed while campaigning during the 2015 federal election to legalize cannabis for recreational use. The Liberal Party of Canada won the election with 184 seats, allowing the party to form a majority government with Trudeau as Prime Minister. The plan was to remove cannabis possession for personal consumption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; however, new laws would be enacted to strengthen punishment of those convicted of either supplying cannabis to minors, or of impairment while driving a motor vehicle. The legislation to legalize cannabis for recreational use (Cannabis Act, Bill C-45) was passed by the House of Commons of Canada in late November 2017; it passed second reading in the Senate of Canada on 22 March 2018. On 18 June 2018, the House passed the bill with most, but not all, of the Senate's amendments. The Senate accepted this version of the Act the following day. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the next day that recreational use of cannabis would no longer violate criminal law as of 17 October 2018. Cannabis has been illegal since it was added to the country's Confidential Restricted List in 1923 under the Narcotics Drug Act Amendment Bill after a vague reference to a "new drug" during a late night session of the House of Commons on 23 April 1923. According to one government official, cannabis was outlawed after the Director of the Federal Division of Narcotic Control returned from League of Nations meetings where the international control of cannabis was broached. Cannabis did not begin to attract official attention in Canada until the later 1930s, and even then it was minimal. The first seizure of cannabis by Canadian police was not until 1937. Commercial cultivation of industrial hemp was forbidden in 1938. Between 1946 and 1961, cannabis accounted for only 2% of all drug arrests in Canada. After he was elected Prime Minister in 2015, the first significant step that Justin Trudeau took was the creation of a federal-provincial-territorial task force to discuss a jointly suitable process for the legalization of cannabis possession for casual use. This Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation released a 106-page report to the public on 13 December 2016, with various recommendations. Those were provided for consideration by the federal and provincial governments, but they were not binding. Sales for recreational use will not commence until 1 July 2018, at the earliest, based on legislation (Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act) passed by the federal government in June 2018. Subsequently, the substance will remain controlled: sold only at government licensed retailers, and grown only by licensed producers. During the federal election campaign, the Liberals had promised "new, stronger laws" against sales to minors, driving while impaired, and sales through channels not specifically authorized to do so. Until approximately 17 October 2018, cannabis remained illegal (except with a physician's prescription, for medical purposes), as Trudeau reminded police forces across the country in late 2016. He insisted that they "enforce the law": criminally charge illegal storefront dispensaries. Trudeau also explained that the intent of the legislation is not to encourage recreational use of cannabis. The intent is "to better protect our kids from the easy access they have right now to marijuana [and] to remove the criminal elements that were profiting from marijuana", he told the Toronto Star on 2 December 2016. Growers that currently produce marijuana are licensed by Health Canada under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR). As of late 2016, there were 36 authorized producers across the country in Health Canada's list. Sales were allowed only by mail order, but by late 2017, some major retailers had applied for a change in the rules to allow them to also sell the product. By 21 December 2017, 82 licences had been issued under the ACMPR, but not all of the producers had been licensed to begin selling medical marijuana. The vast majority of these companies were located in Ontario. At that time, no licences had been issued yet for producing recreational cannabis; the producers already licensed were hoping to be added to that list after it is created. Between 1 February and early April 2018, some 89 additional applicants were approved as cannabis growers by Health Canada; at the time, the agency was considering the merits of another 244 applications. On 19 June 2018, the Senate passed the bill and the Prime Minister announced the effective legalization date as 17 October 2018. Canada is the second nation (after Uruguay) to legalize the drug."
Source: Wikipedia.org | Saturday, October 20, 2018, 11:45AM |
 "Miss USA 2018, Sarah Rose Summers"
"The Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the American entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA. The pageant was owned by Donald Trump from 1996 to 2015, and was previously broadcast on NBC. In September 2015, WME/IMG purchased the pageant from Trump. Currently, Fox holds the broadcast rights for the pageant. The current Miss USA is Sarah Rose Summers of Nebraska who was crowned on May 21, 2018 in Shreveport, Louisiana.The Miss USA pageant was conceived in 1950 when Yolande Betbeze, winner of the rival Miss America pageant, refused to pose for publicity pictures while wearing a swimsuit. Pageant sponsor Catalina decided to pull their sponsorship off the pageant and create their own competition. Other owners have included a subsidiary of Gulf+Western Industries, ITT Corporation, and billionaire Donald Trump. The first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held concurrently in Long Beach, California in 1952; the first Miss USA winner was Miss New York USA Jackie Loughery. There were thirty delegates in the first year of competition, and many states did not compete every year during the first two decades of the pageant's history. From the 1970s, each state and the District of Columbia have sent a delegate each year. Alaska first competed in 1959 and Hawaii in 1960. Both had competed at Miss Universe until this time. The pageant aired on CBS from 1963 until 2002, and for many years was known for having a CBS game show host as pageant host. John Charles Daly hosted the show from 1963–1966, Bob Barker from 1967 (he was not a regular for the CBS network until 1972 when he became host of The Price Is Right which he hosted until 2007) until 1987 (at which point he quit in a dispute over fur coats), Alan Thicke in 1988, Dick Clark from 1989 to 1993, and Bob Goen from 1994 to 1996. The show's highest ratings were in the early 1980s, when it regularly topped the Nielsen ratings. Viewership dropped sharply from the 1990s to the 2000s, from an estimated viewership of 20 million to an average of 7 million from 2000–2001. In 2002, owner Donald Trump brokered a new deal with NBC, giving them half-ownership of the Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA and moving them to NBC on an initial five-year contract. The pageants were first shown on NBC in 2003. Historically, the winner of the Miss USA title represented the U. S. in its sister pageant Miss Universe. Since its inception, eight Miss USA titleholders have gone on to win Miss Universe. In the mid-1960s, the organization established a rule that when a Miss USA wins the Miss Universe title, the first runner-up assumes the Miss USA title for the remainder of the year. This occurred in 1980, 1995, 1997, and 2012. In 1967, the first runner-up Susan Bradley of California declined the title and the crown went to the second runner-up Cheryl Patton of Florida. The only instance when a first runner-up assumed the title of Miss USA prior to this period was in 1957, when Mary Leona Gage of Maryland resigned after it was discovered she was married. The winner is assigned a one-year contract with the Miss Universe Organization, traveling across the United States, and in some cases overseas, to spread messages about the control of diseases, peace, and public awareness of AIDS. Aside from the job, the winner also receives a cash allowance for her entire reign, a New York Film Academy scholarship, a modelling portfolio, beauty products, clothes, shoes, as well as styling, healthcare, and fitness services by different sponsors of the pageant. She also gains exclusive access to events such as fashion shows and opening galas, as well as access to casting calls and modeling opportunities throughout New York City. When Donald Trump owned the pageant, the winner was given the use of a Trump Place apartment in New York City during her reign, which she shared with the Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA titleholders. If the winner, for any reason, cannot fulfill her duties as Miss USA, including if she wins the title of Miss Universe, the 1st runner-up takes over. The oldest woman to win Miss USA is Miss USA 2015, Olivia Jordan of Oklahoma, at 26 years and 10 months old. Jordan is additionally the only Miss USA winner to compete in two major international pageants: Miss Universe and Miss World. The oldest woman to be crowned Miss USA is Miss USA 2012, Nana Meriwether of Maryland, at 27 years old and 7 months. Meriwether succeeded Olivia Culpo who won the title of Miss Universe 2012. The tallest Miss USA is Miss USA 2012, Nana Meriwether, of Maryland at 6 feet and 1 inch. The first Asian-American woman to win Miss USA was Macel Wilson of Hawaii in 1962; the first Latina was Laura Martinez-Herring of Texas in 1985; the first African-American, Carole Gist of Michigan in 1990; and the first Muslim Miss USA was Rima Fakih of Michigan in 2010."
"Kilauea is a currently active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and the most active of the five volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Located along the southern shore of the island, the volcano is between 300,000 and 600,000 years old and emerged above sea level about 100,000 years ago. It is the second youngest product of the Hawaiian hotspot and the current eruptive center of the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain. Because it lacks topographic prominence and its activities historically coincided with those of Mauna Loa, Kilauea was once thought to be a satellite of its much larger neighbor. Structurally, Kilauea has a large, fairly recently formed caldera at its summit and two active rift zones, one extending 78 miles east and the other 22 miles west, as an active fault of unknown depth moving vertically an average of 0.1 to 0.8 in per year. Kilauea has been erupting nearly continuously since 1983 and has caused considerable property damage, including the destruction of the town of Kalapana in 1990. On May 3, 2018, several lava vents opened in the lower Puna area, down rift from the summit. The new volcanic episode was accompanied by a strong earthquake of Mw 6.9, and nearly 2,000 residents were evacuated from Leilani Estates and the adjacent Lanipuna Gardens development. By May 9, 2018 the eruption had destroyed 27 houses in the Leilani Estates subdivision. Like all Hawaiian volcanoes, Kilauea was created as the Pacific tectonic plate moved over the Hawaiian hotspot in the Earth's underlying mantle. The Hawaii island volcanoes are the most recent evidence of this process that, over 70 million years, has created the 3,700 mile-long Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain. The prevailing, though not completely settled, view is that the hotspot has been largely stationary within the planet's mantle for much, if not all of the Cenozoic Era. However, while the Hawaiian mantle plume is well understood and extensively studied, the nature of hotspots themselves remains fairly enigmatic. Kilauea is one of five subaerial volcanoes that make up the island of Hawaii, created by the Hawaii hotspot. The oldest volcano on the island, Kohala, is more than a million years old, and Kilauea, the youngest, is believed to be between 300,000 and 600,000 years of age; Loihi Seamount on the island's flank is even younger, but has yet to breach the surface. Thus Kilauea is the second youngest volcano in the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain, a chain of shield volcanoes and seamounts extending from Hawaii to the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench in Russia. Following the pattern of Hawaiian volcano formation, Kilauea started as a submarine volcano, gradually building itself up through underwater eruptions of alkali basalt lava before emerging from the sea with a series of explosive eruptions about 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. Since then, the volcano's activity has likely been as it is now, a continual stream of effusive and explosive eruptions of roughly the same pattern as its activity in the last 200 or 300 years. At most 600,000 years old, Kilauea is still quite young for a Hawaiian volcano; the oldest volcano on the island, the northwestern Kohala, experienced almost 900,000 years of activity before going extinct. The volcano's foreseeable future activity will likely be much like it has been for the past 50,000 to 100,000 years; Hawaiian and explosive activity will continue to heighten Kilauea's summit, build up its rift zones, and fill and refill its summit caldera."
Source: Wikipedia.org | Saturday, May 12, 2018, 10:18PM CDT |
"Is Marijuana Good for Diabetes?"
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"Cannabis and neuropathy pain"
"Researchers at the University of California conducted the first study on inhaled cannabis as a treatment for diabetic neuropathy pain. Pain from peripheral diabetic neuropathy can be difficult to bear, and finding solutions that work to ease the pain is essential for living a pleasant everyday life. One possible solution: researchers at the University of California have conducted the first study on inhaled cannabis as a treatment for diabetic neuropathy pain. Recent studies have shown cannabis to be a potentially effective treatment for pain, but until this study, published in the July 2015 issue of the Journal of Pain, no research focused specifically on the effects of cannabis on diabetic neuropathy. For the study, researchers assessed 16 participants with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, stable blood sugars, and painful diabetic neuropathy that they had experienced for at least six months. They were randomly assigned either a placebo, a low one percent dose of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) the main active chemical in cannabis, a medium dose (four percent THC) or a high dose (seven percent THC). The participants were given inhaled, not smoked, cannabis, as it avoids carbon monoxide that may be emitted from burning marijuana leaves and the quick peak of ingested cannabis. Before receiving treatment, each participant reported his or her baseline spontaneous pain (pain in the absence of stimulus) and evoked pain (pain from a stimulus), and they also underwent cognitive testing. After receiving randomly assigned doses, each participants' pain was measured at five, 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes, and then every 30 minutes for an additional three hours. According to the study, there were significant differences in spontaneous pain scores between the placebo, low, medium, and high doses of THC, with the high dose having a significant effect on both the spontaneous pain and evoked pain levels. Although this study was small, it shows that inhaled cannabis may be an effective treatment for diabetic neuropathy pain relief. If you have pain from diabetic neuropathy and live in a state where medical cannabis is legal, talk with your doctor about this treatment’s potential benefit for you. Be aware that cannabis may have effects on cognitive functions, including euphoria and drowsiness."
Source: Diabetic Connect | May 14, 2016, 10:05:00 -0600 
"The United States Department of Agriculture also known as the Agriculture Department, is the U. S. federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, agriculture, forestry, and food. It aims to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, promote agricultural trade and production, work to assure food safety, protect natural resources, foster rural communities and end hunger in the United States and internationally. Approximately 80% of USDA's $140 billion budget goes to the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) program. The largest component of the FNS budget is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as the Food Stamp program), which is the cornerstone of USDA's nutrition assistance. After the resignation of Thomas Vilsack on January 13, 2017 and the departure of President Barack Obama from office on January 20, 2017, the Secretary of Agriculture is Sonny Perdue. Many of the programs concerned with the distribution of food and nutrition to people of America and providing nourishment as well as nutrition education to those in need are run and operated under the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. Activities in this program include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides healthy food to over 40 million low-income and homeless people each month. USDA is a member of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, where it is committed to working with other agencies to ensure these mainstream benefits are accessed by those experiencing homelessness. The USDA also is concerned with assisting farmers and food producers with the sale of crops and food on both the domestic and world markets. It plays a role in overseas aid programs by providing surplus foods to developing countries. This aid can go through USAID, foreign governments, international bodies such as World Food Program, or approved nonprofits. The Agricultural Act of 1949, section 416 (b) and Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, also known as Food for Peace, provides the legal basis of such actions. The USDA is a partner of the World Cocoa Foundation. On May 15, 1862, Abraham Lincoln established the independent Department of Agriculture to be headed by a commissioner without Cabinet status, and the agriculturalist Isaac Newton was appointed to be the first such commissioner. Lincoln called it the "people's department." In the 1880s, varied advocacy groups were lobbying for Cabinet representation. Business interests sought a Department of Commerce and Industry, and farmers tried to raise the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet rank. In 1887, the House of Representatives and Senate passed bills giving Cabinet status to the Department of Agriculture and Labor, but the bill was defeated in conference committee after farm interests objected to the addition of labor. Finally, on February 9, 1889, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill into law elevating the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet level. In 1887, the Hatch Act provided for the federal funding of agricultural experiment stations in each state. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 then funded cooperative extension services in each state to teach agriculture, home economics, and other subjects to the public. With these and similar provisions, the USDA reached out to every county of every state. During the Great Depression, farming remained a common way of life for millions of Americans. The Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Home Economics, established in 1923, published shopping advice and recipes to stretch family budgets and make food go farther. USDA helped ensure that food continued to be produced and distributed to those who needed it, assisted with loans for small landowners, and contributed to the education of the rural youth. The Department of Agriculture was authorized a budget for Fiscal Year 2015 of $139.7 billion. The budget authorization is broken down as follows. Allegations have been made that throughout the agency's history that its personnel have discriminated against farmers of various backgrounds, denying them loans and access to other programs well into the 1990s. The effect of this discrimination has been the reduction in the number of African-American farmers in the United States. Many black farmers across the nation experienced discrimination in their dealings with in-state USDA agencies. Across the nation, black farmers alleged, and the USDA later agreed, they were denied access to loans and subsidies provided by the government. On a national level, farm subsidies that were afforded to white farmers were not afforded to black farmers. Since they were denied government loans, emergency or disaster assistance, and other aid, many black farmers lost their farms and homes. In 1999, the USDA settled a class action lawsuit, the Pigford Case, alleging discrimination against African-American farmers in the late twentieth century. The government's settlement of nearly $1 billion with more than 13,300 farmers was reportedly the largest civil rights claim to date. The 2008 Farm Bill provided for additional farmers to have their claims heard, as 70,000 had filed late in the original program. In 2010 the federal government made another $1.2 billion settlement in what is called Pigford II for outstanding claims."
Source: Wikipedia.org | Wednesday, June 7, 2017, 5:25AM CDT |
"The U. S. Department of Agriculture has improperly paid millions of dollars in aid to thousands of farmers after they have died, according to a government audit. An inspection of the department's crop insurance, disaster assistance and conservation programs found that $36.6 million had been issued to deceased recipients, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office said Monday. The report said the findings "may call into question whether these farm safety net programs are benefiting the agricultural sector as intended. The USDA has improperly paid $36.6 million in farm subsidies to thousands of dead farmers, a federal audit found. Above, soft red winter wheat stands in a field in Kirkland, Ill. (Daniel Acker / July 29, 2013)."
"Somewhere in the euphoric aftermath of accepting his award for top hybrid at last year's Cannabis Cup, Loud Seeds' James Loud realized that the victory had spawned an entire array of new responsibilities. That's what happens when the whole world suddenly wants your buds. Loud Scout (Girl Scout Cookies x Platinum OG Kush) had topped an impressive field, and now everyone wanted a taste. Loud Seeds could either rest on its newly won laurels, or it could decide to dig its roots deeper. James chose to dig. He returned to his home in the San Francisco Bay Area knowing that his work was cut out for him. But he was hardly alone in facing fresh responsibilities. That's because Loud Seeds is actually a California collective made up of medical patients with different skill sets. As in most medical cooperatives, Loud Seeds' botanists tend nurseries that raise the seedlings, while a cadre of growers oversees the strain-specific indoor gardens. Loud Seeds also includes outdoor farmers, top breeders and a research and development team. Moreover, it boasts a network of trusted friends. In fact, James says Loud Seeds got under way by virtue of a happy "accident" among friends. We were just breeding for our individual gardens—just experimenting," he recalls. "There was a male present in the room which we just plain missed, and we accidentally pollinated everything. We got all these seeds and were wondering what to do with them. Then the light went on: We realized we were capable of doing this and that we could positively impact the industry. Loud Seeds has been growing strong for three years now. The group's formal launch, which will feature professional packaging and availability in California dispensaries, occurred this spring. A lot of time goes into the development of each strain," James says. "It can take years to stabilize a strain to the point where most of the phenotypes [the observable characteristics] are similar. Then again, sometimes it seems to happen practically overnight."
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"The One Hundred Sixteenth United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, meeting in Washington, D. C., from January 3, 2019, to January 3, 2021. In the 2018 midterm elections, the Democratic Party won the majority in the House of Representatives and had a preponderance of voting influence in selecting the next Speaker; Nancy Pelosi was elected Speaker with slightly more than 51% of the 430 votes which were counted toward the election of the Speaker; Republican member Kevin McCarthy, the runner-up, received 44.76% of said vote. In the Senate, the Republican Party increased its majority, giving the U. S. a split Congress. 75 senators are men, and 25 are women, the greatest female Senate representation to date. Additionally, both senators from six states are women, including California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Minnesota, and New Hampshire. Thirteen states are represented by one male and one female senator, while thirty-one states are represented by two male senators. 91 senators are non-Hispanic white, 4 are Hispanic, 3 are black, 3 are Asian, and 1 is multiracial. 2 senators identify as LGBTQ+. 333 members of the House of Representatives are men and 102 are women. 317 members are white, 56 members are black, 44 are Hispanic, 15 are Asian and 4 are Native American. 8 representatives identify as LGBTQ+. Two women in the House, Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Shalala (D-FL) will be the youngest and oldest female freshman representatives in history, respectively. Most members of this Congress are Christian (88.2%) with approximately half being Protestant and 30.5% being Catholic. 6.4% are Jewish, the highest in American history. Other religions represented include Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. One senator says she is religiously unaffiliated while the number of members refusing to specify their religious affiliation increased."
Source: Wikipedia.org | Sunday, January 6, 2019, 10:40AM |
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"The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress which, along with the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, composes the legislature of the United States. The composition and powers of the Senate are established by Article One of the United States Constitution. The Senate is composed of senators who represent each of the several states, with each state being equally represented by two senators, regardless of their population, serving staggered terms of six years; with fifty states presently in the Union, there are 100 U. S. Senators. From 1789 until 1913, Senators were appointed by the legislatures of the states they represented; following the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, they are now popularly elected. The Senate chamber is located in the north wing of the Capitol in Washington, D. C. Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for senators: (1) they must be at least 30 years old (2) they must have been citizens of the United States for the past 9 years or longer (3) they must be inhabitants of the states they seek to represent at the time of their election. The age and citizenship qualifications for senators are more stringent than those for representatives."
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"The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress which, along with the Senate, composes the legislature of the United States. The composition and powers of the House are established by Article One of the United States Constitution. The House is composed of representatives who sit in congressional districts which are allocated to each of the 50 states on a basis of population as measured by the U. S. Census, with each district entitled one representative. Since its inception in 1789, all representatives are elected popularly. The total number of voting representatives is fixed by law at 435. As of the 2010 Census, the largest delegation is that of California, with fifty-three representatives; the smallest is shared by seven states: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming, each with a single representative. The House is charged with the passage of federal legislation, known as bills, which, after concurrence by the Senate are sent to the President for consideration. In addition to this basic power, the House has certain exclusive powers of which include the power to initiate all bills related to revenue, the impeachment of federal officers, who are sent to trial in the Senate, and in cases wherein no candidate receives a majority of electors for President, the duty falls upon the House to elect one of the top three recipients of electors for that office, with one vote given to each state for that purpose. The presiding officer is the Speaker of the House, who is elected by the members thereof and is therefore traditionally the leader of the controlling party."
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"What does Body Body offer that other stores don't?"
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"For generations, pot crusaders have called for an end to the nation's prohibition of marijuana, citing everything from what they say are the government's exaggerated claims about its dangers to the racial disparities in who gets busted for drug possession. Now, they will get their chance in Colorado and Washington state to show that legalizing pot is better, less costly and more humane than the last 75 years of prohibition — all with the federal government's blessing. In a sweeping new policy statement, the Justice Department said Thursday it will not stand in the way of states that want to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana as voters in Washington and Colorado did last fall, as long as there are effective controls to keep marijuana away from kids, the black market and federal property. "It's nothing short of historic," said Dan Riffle of the Marijuana Policy Project, which backed Colorado's new law. "It's a very big deal for the DOJ to say that if the states want to legalize marijuana, that's fine. Everybody in this movement should be thrilled." It won't just be the White House watching to make sure Washington and Colorado get it right. Voters in Oregon and Alaska could weigh marijuana legalization measures next year, and several states could face ballot questions in 2016, activists say. Meanwhile, Latin and South American countries are also considering pot reform, and the Obama administration's stance on Washington's and Colorado's laws could embolden them, said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance, which supported Washington's law. Uruguay has already approved plans to license marijuana growers and shops. The DOJ's decision came nearly 10 months after the votes in Washington and Colorado, and officials in those states had been forging ahead to make rules for their new industries without knowing whether the federal government would sue to block sales from ever taking place on the grounds that they conflict with federal law. Licensed, taxed marijuana sales in the two states are due to start next year, and officials have estimated they could raise tens or hundreds of millions of dollars for state coffers. The administration's guidance laid out eight federal law enforcement priorities that states need to protect if they want to authorize "marijuana-related conduct." They include keeping marijuana in-state, off the black market, and away from children; preventing violence and gun crimes related to marijuana distribution; and preventing drugged driving. id."
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The DOJ noted that it simply doesn't have the resources to police all violations of federal marijuana law, and so it would focus on entities that threaten those priorities. If a state's enforcement efforts don't work, the feds could sue to block the state's entire pot-regulating scheme, Deputy Attorney General James Cole wrote in a memo to all 94 U.S. attorneys around the country. The priorities are similar to the factors the Justice Department has previously considered in determining whether to shut down medical marijuana dispensaries. But the memo also clarifies that just because a regulated marijuana operation is big and profitable isn't reason enough to raid it. Peter Bensinger, a former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, criticized the announcement, saying the conflict between federal and state law can't be reconciled. Federal law is paramount, and Attorney General Eric Holder is "not only abandoning the law, he's breaking the law," Bensinger said. Some in the marijuana-reform community also criticized the memo, noting it did not represent a fundamental change in the law, which would require the approval of Congress. "It's like, 'We're going to be tolerant of this as long as we feel like it," argued Seattle marijuana defense attorney Douglas Hiatt. "Is a new administration just going to come in and shut it down?" But others pointed to language in the memo they found remarkable coming from the Justice Department: an acknowledgement that a well-designed regulatory system could actually help achieve federal law enforcement goals. "Indeed, a robust system may affirmatively address those priorities by, for example, implementing effective measures to prevent diversion of marijuana outside of the regulatory system and to other states, prohibiting access to marijuana by minors, and replacing an illicit marijuana trade that funds criminal enterprises with a tightly regulated market in which revenues are tracked and accounted for," Cole wrote. A Pew Research Center poll in March found that 60 percent of Americans think the federal government shouldn't enforce federal marijuana laws in states where its use has been approved. Younger people, who tend to vote more Democratic, are especially prone to that view. But opponents are worried these moves will lead to more use by young people. Colorado and Washington were states that helped re-elect Obama. Kevin Sabet, the director of Project Smart Approaches to Marijuana, an anti-legalization group, predicted the new Justice Department policy will accelerate a national discussion about legalization because people will see its harms—including more drugged driving and higher high school dropout rates. Kristi Kelly, a co-founder of three medical marijuana shops near Denver, said the Justice Department's action is a step in the right direction. "We've been operating in a gray area for a long time. We're looking for some sort of concrete assurances that this industry is viable," she said."
Source: "Pete Yost reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press writers Alicia Caldwell in Washington, D.C., Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Wash., and Kristen Wyatt in Denver contributed to this report." August 29, 2013 SEATTLE (AP) |
"Marijuana vs. Alcohol: Which Is Really Worse for Your Health?"
"The question of whether alcohol or marijuana is worse for health is being debated once again, this time, sparked by comments that President Barack Obama made in a recent interview with The New Yorker magazine. "As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life," Obama said during the interview. "I don't think it is more dangerous than alcohol." But how apt is the comparison between these substances? While both are intoxicants used recreationally, their legality, patterns of use and long-term effects on the body make the two drugs difficult to compare. Both alcohol consumption and pot smoking can take a toll on the body, showing both short- and long-term health effects, though alcohol has been linked to some 88,000 deaths per year, according to the CDC, while for a number of reasons those associated with marijuana use are harder to come by. And research into marijuana's health effects is still in its infancy, compared with the rigorous studies looking at alcohol and human health."
"Short-term health consequences" "Drinking too much alcohol can quickly kill a person. The inability to metabolize alcohol as quickly as it is consumed can lead to a buildup of alcohol in the brain that shuts down areas necessary for survival, such as those involved with heartbeat and respiration. [7 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health] "You can die binge-drinking five minutes after you've been exposed to alcohol. That isn't going to happen with marijuana," said Ruben Baler, a health scientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "The impact of marijuana use is much subtler." (Of course, subtle effects don't equate with no danger, as is the case with smoking cigarettes, which is linked with 440,000 deaths per year in the U.S.) Marijuana affects the cardiovascular system, increasing heart rate and blood pressure, but a person can't fatally overdose on pot like they can with alcohol, Baler said. Alcohol is more likely than marijuana to interact with other drugs. The way that alcohol is metabolized, or broken down, in the body, is common to many drugs that are taken for a variety of conditions, said Gary Murray, acting director of the Division of Metabolism and Health Effects at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This means that for people taking drugs or medications while drinking, the alcohol can increase or decrease levels of the active drug in the body. "Those things can make it very hit and miss, whether you're getting an active dose of a medication," Murray said. Still, both drugs can affect health in indirect ways, too. Because marijuana can impair coordination and balance, there is the risk of hurting oneself, particularly if someone drives or chooses to have unprotected sex while their inhibitions are lowered, Baler said. These are two areas where people using marijuana could hurt themselves for the short and long term." |
"Long-term health consequences"
"The long-term effects of drinking heavily are well known. "Excess alcohol is going to lead to very severe consequences, and chronic excess alcohol is the most likely to lead to a lot of threatening issues," Murray said. Drinking can lead to alcoholic liver disease, which can progress to fibrosis of the liver, which in turn can potentially lead to liver cancer, Murray said. "I emphasize 'can' – it's not even clear to the best scientists what are the triggers that allow that progression to happen," he said, noting that why some people have a higher risk than others of developing liver disease from drinking is not understood medically or bio chemically. Unlike alcohol, Baler said, the effects of chronic marijuana use are not as well established. Animal studies have indicated some possible impact on reproduction. Additionally, there is evidence marijuana can worsen psychiatric issues for people who are predisposed to them, or bring them on at a younger age. Finally, Baler said, because the drug is typically smoked, it can bring on bronchitis, coughing and chronic inflammation of the air passages. But while early studies showed some evidence linking marijuana to lung cancer, subsequent studies have debunked that association. Baler said it's unclear why marijuana smoke does not have the same result as tobacco smoke on the lungs, but perhaps some beneficial compounds in the marijuana smoke cancel out the ill effects, or perhaps the other health habits of marijuana smokers are different from those of cigarette smokers. But cigarette smoking plays a complicated role in studying the impact of marijuana smoke, Baler said. Marijuana smokers tend to smoke much less than cigarette smokers, as some may smoke one joint a few times a week. "It's a very tough epidemiological nut to break," Baler said. Additionally, researchers looking to study long-term marijuana use have had difficulty in finding people who regularly smoke marijuana but don’t also smoke tobacco cigarettes. And the illegality of marijuana has also limited research in this field. For marijuana, much of the concern is with young people who use the drug, because the drug interferes with the development of the brain while it is still maturing, Baler said. [10 Facts Every Parent Should Know About Their Teen's Brain] Smoking marijuana interferes with connections being made in the brain "at a time when the brain should be at a clear state of mind, and accumulating, memory and data and good experiences that should be laying out the foundation for the future," Baler said. "How much you're impaired depends on the person, and how much you smoke," Baler said. Because some people are stoned a lot of the time, while others may use marijuana only on weekends, the health effects become difficult to generalize. "You're cumulatively impairing your cognitive function. What's going to be the ultimate result, nobody can say." "Benefits" "There is no known medical use for consumed alcohol, but there are health benefits observed in moderate drinkers, including lower rates of cardiovascular disease and possibly fewer colds, Murray said. "We always counsel people to avoid drinking to excess, but moderate drinking is not something that's very dangerous," he said. As for marijuana, whose legalization for medical uses has been a matter of strong public policy debate for years, there is ample evidence that beneficial compounds can be found in the plant. "Researchers are working around the clock to try to identify the ingredients in marijuana that have potential," to benefit human health, Baler said. Once such chemicals are in a pure form, and researchers understand their effects on the body, then they could be put in clinical trials for use in cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, glaucoma and other diseases, he said. "There are segments of the population that want to bypass the entire process, grabbing this nugget of truth…and claiming smoking marijuana can be good for your health and have medical uses," Baler said. Although for palliative care, he said, "that would be a different realm of medicine," in which the goal is to drug a person so they do not feel pain. The year 2014 has brought with it the first legal sales of marijuana to people who aren't using the drug for medical reasons in the United States since the 1930s, as voters in Colorado and Washington state brought about this policy change. Public health researchers have said studying rates of injuries, accidents, mental illness and teen use in the wake of the new laws will lead to a better understanding of marijuana's public health effects." "By Joseph Brownstein, Contributing writer" January 22, 2014 |
"NOW I GET IT"
"Marijuana Legalization Explained"
"When it comes to the legalization of marijuana in the United States, the landscape of marijuana in the United States is changing. According to a Gallup Poll, 51 percent of Americans think it should be legal. Compare that to 12 percent in 1969. Recreational use of the drug is already legal in Colorado, Oregon, Washington state, Alaska and Washington, D. C. and, 23 states allow medical marijuana. At the federal level, however, it’s still illegal. But the states have been given some breathing room by the government. President Obama said in a YouTube interview, "The position of my administration has been that we still have federal laws that classify marijuana as an illegal substance, but we’re not going to spend a lot of resources trying to turn back decisions that have been made at the state level on this issue." Ahead of the 2016 elections, at least five more states are expected to push for full legalization. Many supporters of legalization believe harsh drug laws haven’t limited access to marijuana, but instead have cost billions of dollars on arrests and imprisonment of nonviolent drug offenders. Opponents worry that legalizing marijuana would make it even more accessible, which could lead to wider usage and potentially to more people abusing the drug. So where a candidate stands when it comes to going green is a critical question on the campaign trail. And when it comes to the state of marijuana legalization in the United States, at least after watching this video, you can say, "Now I get it."
Source: Yahoo! News with Katie Couric August 7, 2015, 5:00PM |
"Medical marijuana could help lead Louisiana out of a crippling budget deficit, according to a new study by pro-marijuana groups. A new study by the Louisiana Cannabis Association and the Marijuana Policy Group estimates a windfall of $204 million to $334 million if state relaxes its medical marijuana laws. "Medical marijuana will dramatically improve the lives of many in Louisiana who suffer from debilitating illnesses," says Jesse McCormick, the Louisiana Cannabis Association spokesman, in a statement. "At a time in our state when we are raising taxes while cutting health care and higher education, creating a viable medical marijuana market is an easy decision." The Baton Rouge Business Report notes the current medical marijuana laws would cover between 3,900 and 4,700 people. However, if chronic pain were added to the list of eligible conditions, that number would grow to between 64,000 and 105,000 eligible patients. The study also says the current market size of the medical marijuana industry is estimated to fall somewhere within the $12.3 million to $14.8 million range. The 11-page study, highlighted by the Business Report, says researchers have studied systems used to regulate the marijuana industry in places like Oregon and Colorado. "Oregon and Colorado have a history and culture of accepting medical marijuana treatment," the report reads. "These states can be used to represent capture rates in established markets with regulated dispensary models. This study methodology assumes that eligible patients in Louisiana will elect to use medical marijuana for treatment of their condition within the range of frequencies exhibited by Oregon and Colorado patients." The study comes on the heels of the LSU Ag Center’s announcement saying the program has not made a final decision on whether or not it will grow medical marijuana."
Source: BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) | Wednesday, April 6th 2016, 3:13 PM CDT | Cox.com Sunday, December 16, 2018. |
"Ascension Parish is a parish located in the U. S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 107,215. Its parish seat is Donaldsonville. The parish was created in 1807. Ascension Parish is part of the Baton Rouge, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Baton Rouge–Pierre Part Combined Statistical Area. It is one of the fastest growing parishes in the state. During the American Civil War, desertions had been of major concern to the Confederate States Army. Henry Watkins Allen, before he was governor, reported more than eight thousand deserters and draft-dodgers about Bayou Teche. There were some 1,200 deserters in Livingston, St. Tammany, and Ascension parishes. Planters in Ascension Parish later complained of raids by guerrillas. In 1864, planter W. R. Hodges requested soldiers to protect the planted fields from such attacks. Union soldiers were accused of "wandering about at will, and helping themselves to whatever could be found," explains the historian John D. Winters in his The Civil War in Louisiana (1963). Long a Democratic bastion, since the late 20th century, like much of the rest of the South, Ascension Parish has registered more Republicans and election results have shifted. Since 2000, nearly 14,000 new voters have registered in Ascension Parish, and fewer than 1,000 of those are Democrats. There are also 13,052 "No Party" registrants, as permitted under Louisiana law. Ascension Parish also had a small number of voters registered as upper case Independents. As of April 2007 there were 31 Libertarian Party members and 33 Reform Party registrants. It is the fourth-smallest parish in Louisiana by total area. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 107,215 people residing in the parish. 73.3% were White, 22.2% Black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.9% of some other race and 1.2% of two or more races. 4.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 26.3% were of French, French Canadian or Cajun, 7.9% American, 7.3% German, 5.7% English, 5.5% Italian and 5.5% Irish ancestry."
Source: Wikipedia.org Sunday, May 22, 2016, 8:27AM |
"The day some families in Louisiana have awaited for a long time has finally arrived. Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill Thursday to expand who gets access to medical marijuana. SB 271, which was sponsored by Sen. Fred Mills, R-Parks, increases the number of diseases, including those that cause seizures, that can be legally treated by medical marijuana in Louisiana. It also makes regulatory changes, which could help patients get it quicker. It’s been a long time coming for parents who provided emotional testimony over the last few weeks. Importantly, SB 271 allows physicians to recommend the drug rather than prescribe it. Mills told lawmakers that because federal law still lists no medical use for marijuana, prescribing the Schedule I drug could put a doctor's license at risk. Under the bill, LSU and Southern have the right of first refusal to grow the state-sanctioned marijuana, and only 10 pharmacies could distribute it statewide. The universities have to decide by September 1. There were some amendments added to the bill when it advanced out of the House committee on May 3. One would eliminate Glaucoma as an accepted, treatable disease, while another said that if the FDA approves another drug for treatment, it would be given priority over marijuana by physicians."
Source: BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) | Thursday, May 19th 2016, 2:43PM CDT |
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