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Cops Jail Men for 8 Days over Legal Hemp Despite Documents Proving Legality

The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona arrested the two men on drug trafficking charges for the legal hemp.

Christopher Tinsley, left, and Gordon Peppers spent eight days in jail despite showing deputies the documents confirming the hemp was legal.

By the time they got to Arizona, Christopher Tinsley and Gordon Peppers had been on the road for a day, transporting a load of legal CBD-rich hemp from Oregon to Texas, planning on reaching their destination by nightfall before heading back home to Oregon the following morning.

The entire trip was supposed to take three days with the two longtime friends taking turns driving.

But they had the misfortune of driving through Yavapai County just north of Phoenix where the county attorney is still living in Nancy Reagan’s “just say no” America, a prohibitionist of a prosecutor who has a reputation of sending licensed medical marijuana patients to prison.

Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk also has enforcers on the payroll, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, which has seized millions of dollars in civil asset forfeitures over the years with the money going straight into a fund she manages. Polk once penned an editorial claiming “marijuana use was associated with the tragic and needless deaths of 62 children in Arizona.”

But Tinsley and Peppers knew none of this when they drove into Arizona on March 25 after spending the night in Nevada.

The fact they had all the paperwork proving the load was legal was beside the point, according to Yavapai County sheriff’s deputy Trevor Hearl, who claimed in his report that his “training and experience” left no doubt in his mind that they had been transporting “high-grade marijuana” instead of CBD-rich hemp.

As a result, the two men spent eight days in jail at a time when the coronavirus was ​running rampant in jails and prisons across the country. They were charged with several drug trafficking felonies which were all dismissed after an independent lab test confirmed the shipment was, indeed, legal hemp. Now the two friends are preparing to file a lawsuit.

“All they had to do was call the Oregon Department of Agriculture with the (certificate of analysis) and give them the badge number from each container and the department of agriculture would have told them where it was grown, when it was harvested, when it was sold and all of that stuff,” Tinsley said in a telephone interview with Photography is Not a Crime.

Instead, the deputies claimed the documents were fake without making any effort to prove it.

One supervisor even lied to them by claiming he had called the Oregon company they were working for and was informed the company only sold marijuana, not hemp.

“I said that’s kind of funny because it was 8 a.m. and I happen to know the company does not open until 9:30 or 10 so unless you had a nice conversation with the automated system, I highly doubt you spoke to them,” Tinsley said.

The men were also informed they fit the profile of drug traffickers because they were driving a car with out-of-state plates on a known drug corridor.

“I kept waiting for him to say it was because we were black,” Tinsley said.

Even before pulling him over, Hearl claimed in his report he was able to determine that Tinsley “appeared to be extremely nervous” as he was driving because “he was pushed back in his seat, with both hands on the steering wheel and both arms locked out.”

Tinsley said the bulk of the arrest report is nothing but lies and exaggerations. This is how Hearl justified the traffic stop.

While driving east on I-40 east bount near mm 140, I observed a Nissan work style van traveling in the right (slow) lane. As I got closer to the vehicle, I noticed the vehicle drift from centered in its lane toward the shoulder, hugging the fog line. In my experience, this shift in lane position is a subconscious behavior associated with creating distance from a threat. In this scenario, my approaching patrol vehicle is a threat to people involved in criminal activity.

As I got closer, I noticed the vehicle did not have a permanent license plate displayed in the license plate bracket. I then saw the shape of the temporary license plate tag in the rear window, but could not make out the numbers because the rear window tint was too dark. Due to the slow speed the vehicle was traveling and other traffic moving at the posted speed limit, I passed the vehicle in order to prevent the disturbance of the normal flow of traffic. As I passed the vehicle, I noticed the driver appeared to be extremely nervous. He was pushed back in his seat, with both hands on the steering wheel and both arms locked out. This type of driving position appeared to be uncomfortable and is not typical behavior displayed by the innocent motoring public while traveling long distances on the high way.

I noticed the vehicle drift from centered in its lane toward the shoulder, hugging the fog line. In my experience, this shift in lane position is a subconscious behavior associated with creating distance from a threat. In this scenario, my approaching patrol vehicle is a threat to people involved in criminal activity.

The deputies were so convinced they had make a huge drug bust that they separated the two men, trying to get them to rat each out for crimes they did not commit. The two men ended up spending six hours in handcuffs in the back of separate patrol cars as the deputies searched their van before they were driven to jail.

The deputies weighed the hemp twice; once while it was inside the totes it was being transported in, then again without the totes; the true weight; a difference of 131 pounds.

“Instead of us having 286 pounds of hemp, they were saying we now had 417 pounds with the hemp inside the totes themselves,” Tinsley said.

The deputies then informed the owner of the hemp company who had been trying to secure their release that they had been caught with 417 pounds of marijuana, making the owner believe they had picked up an additional 131 pounds of actual marijuana to transport with the hemp. That made him hesitant to hire an attorney for the men. It was not until he read the police report that included both weights that he realized what they had done.

During the entire traffic stop as well as in his report, Hearl kept referring to his “training and experience” as to how he knew the men were lying which he admitted did not go beyond a simple smell test.

“He kept say, ‘well, it smells like marijuana,'” Tinsey said.

But had he received proper training, he would have known that hemp and marijuana are identical because they are both cannabis plants so yes, they both smell alike. The only difference is that hemp contains less than .3 percent of THC which is the cannabinoid that gets people high.

In other words, no matter how much training and experience a cop may have, the only way to determine whether a plant is hemp or marijuana is through an independent lab test which had already been done and was included in the certificate of analysis accompanying the load.

Nevertheless, cops across the country keep making these arrests with very little repercussions as we’ve reported in the past.

It’s been almost two years since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill which legalized hemp at the federal level but local and states cops have evidently not made any effort to train their cops on the issue.

According to the Miami New Times, the following arrests took place in 2019:

  • The New York City Police Department seized 106 pounds of legal hemp in November after a FedEx driver chose to deliver the shipment to an NYPD precinct instead of its destination, a CBD business. The NYPD congratulated itself on Twitter about how it intercepted “marijuana that was destined for our city streets” — only to have to return it several weeks later when it was proven to be legal hemp. The FedEx driver had picked up the hemp from a farm in Vermont and took it to a police station in that state, which determined it to be legal hemp. The driver then took it to the NYPD for a second opinion. The NYPD invited the owner to pick up his legal product and then arrested the owner’s brother when he attempted to retrieve it. The owner and his brother are preparing to sue.
  • The Pawhuska Police Department in Oklahoma that January seized 18,000 pounds of legal hemp that was being transported from Kansas to Colorado, where CBD would be extracted from it. Four men were arrested for marijuana trafficking before all charges were dismissed in July.
  • Idaho State Police seized 6,700 pounds of legal hemp that January and are refusing to return it to its owner despite lab reports having long proven the hemp to be legal. A truck driver arrested on felony trafficking charges ended up sentenced to 180 days in jail after accepting a plea deal for failing to provide proper trucking documentation. Shortly after the seizure, state police issued a media release saying “the trooper’s training and experience made him suspicious that the cargo was, in fact, marijuana, not industrial hemp.”
  • The South Dakota Highway Patrol seized 292 pounds of legal hemp in July and arrested a man who was driving the hemp from Colorado to Minnesota, where CBD would be extracted from it for use in the commercial market. The hemp has been tested and shows only traces of THC, but prosecutors are proceeding with the case against the man because South Dakota is one of three states that have not legalized hemp. The seized hemp was valued at $36,000, but the CBD extracted from it would have been valued at $100,000. The driver’s next hearing is set for February. He remains out on bond.
  • The Colorado State Patrol seized 162 pounds of legal hemp in May and arrested the woman who had been hired to drive it to Las Vegas. They slapped her with trafficking charges punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The charges were dismissed, and the hemp was returned in August after it was tested in a laboratory and proven to be legal.​

In all these cases, the arrests are made after the cops refuse to do their due diligence.

“All they had to do was take five to ten minutes to call the Department of Agriculture in Oregon and they could have verified every one of those papers we had,” said Gordon Peppers. “But they told us the entire time we were lying.”

​Read the Yavapai County sheriff’s arrest report here.

Originally pubblished by: Carlos Miller on May 28, 2020 at https://newsmaven.io/pinacnews/cops-gone-rogue/cops-jail-men-for-8-days-over-legal-hemp-despite-documents-proving-legality-GvgkYDv3S0yae9M92-O9LA?fbclid=IwAR1UOTrSw_xZW8VV4lhsyo_mVtlf0SEU3OaAZUhUFs3LdypgtAGLHJDVYJo

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“Unnecessary and cruel” – how MS victim described cannabis prosecution

A married couple accused of illegally possessing and producing cannabis have walked free from a court after the prosecution accepted there was no public interest in continuing with the case.

Lezley Gibson and her husband Mark outside Carlisle Crown Court following a previous court appearance

Mark and Lesley Gibson, both 55, had faced three charges.

They included an allegation that they had in their possession illegal cannabis-laced chocolate bars.

Mrs Gibson, who has multiple sclerosis, said that she was forced to find an alternative source of the drug after the NHS withdrew the cannabis based medicinal spray she had depended on for more than a decade.

Without it, she said, she suffers from a range of distressing symptoms, including intense pain, body spasms, and sight loss.

At Carlisle Crown Court today, there was a spontaneous round of applause from the couple’s supporters in the public gallery as Judge Michael Duck announced that the case was now over.

Throughout the case, the Gibson’s have said that their actions were purely down to medical necessity – the need to treat Mrs Gibson’s MS.

The prosecution today outlined how for more than a decade Mrs Gibson had been able to get her medication through a doctor’s prescription, but then in 2017 the local NHS withdrew it. 

Prosecuting attorney Brendan Burke outlined how the Gibsons had illegally produced at their Yewdale Road home in Carlisle only after her Sativex medication was withdrawn.

Speaking outside court, Mr Gibson said: “These prosecutions are unnecessary and very, very cruel. Today was a good result – and the law is listening – at last!”

Prosecuting attorney Brendan Burke insisted that the couple had broken the law and warned that they would be prosecuted if they did so again.

Originally published By Phil Coleman at https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/18140039.carlisle-couple-cannabis-charges-declared-not-guilty/

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Opioids, cannabis and criminal justice reform helped undermine this decade’s War on Drugs

With an extraordinary number of Americans suffering, the door has opened to understanding and treating the pain of drug use rather than apply brute force.

Illustration of graves with drug paraphernalia engraved on them.

While the opioid crisis didn’t begin in this decade, it did accelerate to unprecedented heights, with record-breaking death rates leading to a drop in life expectancy.

This much we know: Americans like to do drugs. That might explain why a prescient headline in the satirical publication The Onion stands as one of the most enduring comments on American drug enforcement — “Drugs Win Drug War.”

There are ongoing arrests for cannabis and deep racial disparities among those detained, but the change in the trend line is profound.

While that article was published in 1998, it was only during the past decade that its parody devolved into grim reality. In many ways, this reality has been an aching nadir, with more lives lost annually to overdoses than AIDS, gun violence and car crashes. But this past decade also brought its highs (pun intended): Recreational marijuana prohibitions started to fall in a domestic domino effect as one state after another accepted that it was pointless to criminalize the use of such a widely consumed drug. And at root, it is this shifting attitude on the role of the criminal justice system in prosecuting drug use that signifies the most fundamental change in our love-hate relationship with controlled substances.

Though far from over, the War on Drugs has felt more like a tug of war across this past decade rather than a righteous crusade, with reformers trying to fend off the country’s prohibitionist impulse as it makes a last-gasp effort to ramp up arrests and enhance penalties. And the reformers have public opinion on their side — the decade comes to an end with a majority of Americans favoring a more compassionate approach than locking users up. The criminalization of drug use is both out of step with what people want and what the evidence shows to work; in fits and starts, policy, policing and the law are finally starting to catch up.

Originally published on Dec. 29, 2019, By Zachary Siegel
at https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/opioids-pot-criminal-justice-reform-helped-undermine-decade-s-war-ncna1108231

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Build a $300 Underground Greenhouse for Year-round Fresh Food

Gardening and people who love to put their hands into soil and tend to growing plants know no boundaries — certainly there’s no less of them in the cold climates — but you can’t just go outside and garden all year round once you get away from the hot equator.

One thing some people do, though, is extend their growing seasons with greenhouses, indoor and outdoor. And another way to do it is to build an underground pit greenhouse, which is better in the way that it costs less to heat than a standing greenhouse. These originated in South America about 20 years ago.

How does year-round gardening at a price of a few hundred dollars sound to you? So that you can just go out and get some lettuce, tomatoes, or any other produce at any time – no trip to the grocery store, and you know your food is fresh. People are doing this in these underground gardens. How are they set up?

It’s basically a pit dug in the dirt near your house. The best style is probably the room-shaped rectangle pit. It’s easier to put a roof on. They dig a few feed down , then lay out their garden paths and the areas of soil for their crops.

Some people also put in a fireplace. This has two functions. One is that if they ever need to heat up their greenhouse, they can burn wood in it. But another use is in the summer when it gets really hot – over 100 degrees, the fireplace acts as a vent, letting the hot air out through the chimney.

On top of the recessed room, people dig a small staircase and door for entry (or more than one door, which also can allow air flow). Then they set up a simple a-frame roof frame and staple clear poly sheets on it to let light in and keep heat in. They set up a plastic (or other) barrel as a water reservoir. A hose comes through the wall to fill it. Another hose comes out and waters the greenhouse beds.

The total cost of this, depending on what you already have around and what you can get a deal on, is estimated to be between $100 and $300.

Now, a lot of you already are thinking, probably, about the vegetables and fruits you can grow in here, whether for yourself or to sell at a local produce market, but you can also grow flowers in a greenhouse – and if you have a big greenhouse, why not? Here’s a list of plants that can be grown in greenhouses:

Achimenes ,Agapanthus, Ageratum, Alonsoa (Mask Flower), Anthericum (St Bernard Lily), Antirrhinum (Snapdragon), Aristolochia (Dutchman’s Pipe), Arum Lily, Azalea ,Babiana ,Begonia, Beloperone (The Shrimp Plant), Bougainviilea, Browallia, Brunfelsia, Calceolaria (Slipper Flower), Calendula (Pot Marigold), Camellia, Campanula (Bell-flower), Canna (Indian Shot), Carnations, Celosia, Celsia, Chorizema, Chrysanthemum, Cineraria, Clarkia, Ciivia, Cobaea (Cups and Saucers), Coleus, Columnea, Cornflower, Crocus, Cyclamen, Cytisus, Daphne, Deutzia, Dicentra (Bleeding Heart), Echium, Erica (Heath), Erythrina, Eucomis (Pineapple Flower), Exacum, Forsythia, Francoa (Bridal Wreath), Freesia, Fremontia, Fuchsia, Gerbera (Barberton Daisy), Gloriosa, Gloxinia, Godetia, Heliotrope (Cherry Pie), Hippeastrum, Hoya, Hyacinth, Hydrangea, Impatiens (Balsam), Ipomoea, Iris, Kalanchoe, Laburnum, Lachenalia, Lantana, Lapageria, Lilium, Mignonette, Narcissus, Naegelia, Nemesia, Nerine, Nerium (Oleander), Pelargonium, Petunia, Phlox, Plumbago, Primula, Rehmannia, Rhododendron, Saintpaulia (The African Violet), Salpiglossis, Salvia, Schizanthus (The Butterfly Flower), Scilla, Solanum (Winter Cherry), Sparmannia, Statice, Stephanotis, Streptocarpus, Streptosolen, Thunbergia, Torenia, Trachelium, Trachymene, Tritonia, Tuberose, Tulip, Vallota, Verbena, Viscaria, Zinnia

Construct a $300 underground greenhouse for year-round gardening (Video)

Some people also keep animals in the greenhouse! Chickens and even herds like goats (during the coldest times of year mostly). These are cheap livestock because chickens can live freely and just come in to the greenhouse to lay eggs and get warm, while they can just find their own food outside. So they cost nothing or close to it.

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48,732 Grams Of THC Oil Seized By Sheriff Department

Will County Deputies say they observed a speeding vehicle with an obstructed license plate near Joliet’s Houbolt Road.

(Image via Will County Sheriff )

JOLIET, IL — The Will County Sheriff’s Office is looking to arrest people who are transporting illegal drugs into their community. On Monday, the sheriff’s office publicized one weekend arrest near Joliet that resulted in the seizure of 48,732 grams of THC oil from a car near Houbolt Road.

Sheriff’s deputies say they stopped the car because its license plate was obstructed. The driver, Ali Alkhreisha, age 21, was from Bellflower, California. “Sheriff’s deputies, along with K-9 partner, Malice, conducted a search. Malice positively alerted to the vehicle where cardboard boxes containing 31 mason jars with 48,732 grams of THC Oil was found,” police said.

In addition, 47 grams of cannabis and a THC vape pen was also located, authorities said.Patch 

The California man was put in handcuffs and hauled off to the Will County Jail on charges of driving while license suspended, delivery/manufacture of cannabis over 30 grams, possession of cannabis over 5,000 grams.

Ali Alkhreisha, Will County Jail mugshot

The day before, on Friday, Dec. 20, Will County police say they stopped a Michigan speeder who kept changing lanes without signaling on I-80 near Joliet’s Chicago Street. After searching the car belonging to Aubrey Honeycutt, 32, authorities say they confiscated nine vacuum-sealed bags containing 20,989.4 grams of THC wax and one vacuum-sealed bag containing 10 cannabis joints in a duffel bag.

Honeycutt was taken to the Will County Jail and charged with delivery/manufacture of cannabis over 10 grams and possession of cannabis over 100 grams, improper lane usage, speeding, and improper passing.

Originally published by: By John Ferak, Patch Staff  on Dec 23, 2019

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A beginners guide to Cannabis Clubs in the UK

Cannabis is the one of the oldest known substances consistently utilized by humans. We have been consuming it for its medicinal properties, as a rather safe intoxicant, and industrializing the fiber, roots, hurd, and seeds of this amazing renewable resource into literally thousands of everyday uses.

In the 20th century as Cannabis prohibition really began to take effect – cultures and communities around the world that consumed or utilized cannabis as a cornerstone of their daily lives had their traditions, practices, and the ancient knowledge that connected them together over the commonality of cannabis criminalized.

Fortunately, there has been in recent years a reemergence in awareness of our rich history and deep connection to Cannabis Sativa L. This has driven and motivated like-minded individuals around the world to seek each-other out to share this sacred knowledge and celebrate Cannabis in all her multifaceted glory.

This community building has brought together incredible people from all across the world who are choosing to stand up against oppression and persecution to defy the stigma and risk prosecution to be honest about their cannabis consumption and to protect the peoples right to utilize all the plants of the Earth.

From the partially decriminalized Dutch coffeeshops that were formed in the late-1960’s in Amsterdam to provide any customer over the age of 18 with much more than just fresh coffee and delicious decadent dutch delights. To another slightly newer quasi-legal system that comes out of Europe that seeks to give autonomy and power back to the cannabis consumer – Cannabis Social Clubs.

What is a Cannabis Social Club and how is it different from a Dutch-style coffeeshop – I hear you asking? Well, Cannabis Social Clubs, or ‘CSC’s‘ for short, are non-profit private member associations – These non- governmental organizations are made up of like-minded individuals coming together to obtain cannabis through the creation of buyers networks and collective cultivation to ensure that all members have consistent, safe and fair access to quality cannabis and cannabis-derived products. Unlike Cannabis buyers clubs CSC’s do not limit themselves to just medicinal consumers as they believe all cannabis should be freely accessible for their membership to decide how to utilize and consume.

These organizations self regulate the cultivation, production, transportation, supply and distribution of cannabis and cannabis-derived products to its members. This is done while employing strict self-imposed rules, regulations and operating procedures to ensure that the safety, hygiene and efficacy of the products that they are providing is of the highest standard possible. They also seek to provide the most up to date and accurate information and educational resources to its membership.

These associations have in my opinion grown from several root sources. Firstly, a ruling by the Spanish supreme court in the 1970’s that small scale personal possession wasn’t to be criminalized, the signing of the 1978 constitution protecting Spanish citizens right to privacy, the acceptance of coffeeshop culture else where in Europe and the gradual reduction in the social stigma around the sharing and consumption of cannabis in mainland Europe.

These were the primary catalysts that allowed activists to produce what later became the first CSC model back in the 1990’s. It was these first attempts that gave birth to what is now currently considered the best operating model for CSC’s to adhere to – the ENCOD Model.

The European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (ENCOD) was founded in 1994 when 14 drug organisations combined resources to create the drug law reform body on the recommendation of a European commission. ENCOD has since been fighting for rational, sensible and fair drug policies throughout a lot of the countries of Europe by taking on the well-established monolith of draconian prohibitive drug policies on the international stage. Today they are a 150+ strong network of committed organisations and advocates.

The Coffeeshops and clubs are both currently illegal as the law stands in their individual countries. But just as the coffeeshops have been tolerated in the Netherlands for many decades leading to a gradual tolerance and acceptance of their existence by local authorities and now even to the eventual trialing of regulated legal models. The same is gradually happening in Spain as with a few other European countries with CSC’s. However, not without moderate to severe blow-back from certain prohibitionists and misguided or frankly corrupt policy makers.

So, although this and other perfectly functional models are out there and operating right now – These Cannabis clubs are still forced in most countries to function outside the protective sphere of legality to provide the vitally needed services and supportive safe spaces for their members to congregate, socialize, and consume cannabis, however they deem appropriate.

The clubs that have been emerging slowly here in the UK have been slowly gained respectability in their communities by fulfilling the shortfall created by the corrupt cannibalistic British “medical Cannabis” industry – Who are actively seeking to put profit and the interests of its share holders above the peoples basic right to access and use cannabis for its plethora of medicinal benefits it can provide.

Cannabis Social Clubs in the UK are generally less governed than their European counterparts and often regulated by several different ever-changing models and ideologies. They are, however typically a private member clubs for consenting adults to access Cannabis for therapeutic, recreational, and social consumption. They act as a first port of call for connecting with other cannabis consumers, a space to seek advice and general cannabis information, harm reduction and up to date educational materials.

There are a number of various clubs operating under different models and serving different clientele and their needs. There are active clubs across the UK from Dover to Aberdeen that operate under various models from non-profit to coffeeshop style cafes.

There are 43 different police forces in the UK – some support clubs and some do not, however the revolving door nature of public office and the fragility of policy to the scrutiny of public pressure means that this support varies greatly and cannot be assumed to be long term.

This uncertainty has created a rather large gray area were in the UK as where there was once support and approval for a CSC as a vital tool to reduce crime and help rebuild communities they now risk being targeted as they’ve once again been deemed “Unhelpful in fight against crime”

Many of the UK based clubs are associated to the UKCSC but not all follow the same model or operate physical premises like they do in say Spain, Belgium or Switzerland to name a few.

So who are the UKCSC?

According to their website;

“[The] UKCSC is the UK cannabis consumer voice, offering practical and legal advice and guidance to Cannabis Social Clubs, politicians and police forces in order to provide a self regulatory frame work to reduce risks. UKCSC are a not for profit Non Government Organisation founded in 2011 by concerned citizens comprised of experienced healthcare professionals, industry experts, horticulturists, clinical researchers, patients, entrepreneurs and activists from across the UK, United States, Europe and the rest of the world”

“UK Cannabis Social Clubs are Private Membership Clubs for adult medical and social use acting as a first point of contact for cannabis consumers, patients, advice, general cannabis information, harm reduction and education”

The UKCSC is currently the largest association of clubs in the UK that function under the same operating manual we discussed above. To learn more about the UKCSC and how to register and create a UK Cannabis social club click here. There are also plenty of resources online to help you find the information you need to form an independent club too.

There is a long history of independent and UKCSC affiliated clubs putting on spectacular public and private events for its membership and the local community. From Brighton Cannabis club’s yearly Green Pride protestival which takes place each July in Preston park – attracting several thousand guests to Hampshire Canna’s annual protestival on Eastney beach each August.

The independent club events such as DCCC’s Autumn Expo in Durham to MKCSC’s monthly drop-in which provides a free monthly drop-in for the public to come and ask questions and cultivate community connections at a independent cooperative coffeeshop for the last two years.

There is a long rich tradition of clubs organizing public events and protestivals to bring the community together and to protest the unjust laws that seek to deny people their basic right to a plant that is as equally connected to our past as it is our future.

So what does the future look like for Cannabis clubs in the UK and the wider world? Well, regardless of the various legislative proposals and so-called reforms due to be put forth to governments around the world in the coming months.It is the tireless efforts of committed activists that makes me confident that CSC’s will continue to gain respectability and acceptability until the day they eventually become as legally welcomed and protected as Workingmen clubs or public houses.

Written for CannabisActivismNow.com By Simpa Carter

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British Sugar and The Great Conservative Cannabis Con

By Simpa Carter

Founded in 1936 by the nationalizing of a 13 company strong industry, British Sugar now a private PLC annually produces over 1.4 million tons of ingredient sugar in the UK. They are also the sole processor of the UK’s entire beet sugar crop giving them an arguably unfair monopoly over the British sugar industry as a whole. Today the company is part of AB Sugar – one of the largest international sugar corporate conglomerates, which is itself wholly owned by international food, ingredients and retail group, Associated British Foods plc (ABF).

In this article, we will explore the links between British Sugar – a registered private company in the UK – and the current ruling British conservative government.

Over the last few decades, British Sugar has diversified from just producing and processing sugar beet, into creatively utilizing it’s excess and waste energy byproducts to produce a variety of horticultural crops.

In a statement from 2016, Managing Director of British Sugar Paul Kenward said; “Sixteen years ago we realised we could use some of the heat and waste carbon dioxide generated in our Wissington sugar factory to develop a horticultural business. During this time, we have invested in our world‐class facilities and developed our expertise to deliver consistent, high-quality crops season after season” adding that “The decision to switch from tomatoes to marijuana was in part to help treat a ‘debilitating childhood disease”. 

The condition that Mr. Kenward was referring to was Dravets syndrome – a rare form of epilepsy that causes severe medication-resistant seizures that begin in the first year of life in an otherwise healthy and happy child. It has been known for many years that Cannabis can greatly help reduce seizures and help manage the most dangerous symptoms of Epilepsy. 

British sugar announced on October 25th, 2016 that it had won a contract with the UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals and approval from the British Home Office under license to cultivate cannabis in its 18-hectare greenhouse facility at its Wissington factory in Norfolk.

The main chemical component of the cannabis plant are the Cannabinoids and it is specifically a combination of the Cannabinoids Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) which seem to exhibit the most anti-epileptic, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory properties. When consumed regularly these Cannabinoids have been shown to reduce the rate of seizures in epileptic patients from hundreds a day to a few a week/month. 

Since 2016, British Sugar has been completing three cannabis harvests a year, due to be extracted into the $32,500 a year patented drug Epidiolex – a CBD-based medication prescribed for the treatment of Dravet syndrome and Lennox-gastaut syndrome – two rare forms of epilepsy.

In 2018 GW Pharmaceuticals and its US subsidiary Greenwich Biosciences acquired official permission from the FDA to sell their cannabis medication ‘Epidiolex’ as a Schedule 5 prescription drug. This made them the only company in the world to have a patented FDA-approved cannabis-derived prescription medication.

We begin to see yet another unfair commercial monopoly partially created by the government and for the benefit of the producers and not the consumers begin to emerge.

This move all but guarantees further exploitation of the millions of people still facing the daily stigma, legal harassment, and very real threat of imprisonment for simply trying to treat their illnesses/chronic condition with cannabis-derived products – while pharmaceutical companies continue to make tens of millions of pounds in profit, 

Don’t worry if you are a little confused as to how the British government is continuing to regurgitate the party line on Cannabis being a “dangerous street drug with no accepted medicinal value”, while at the same time they’re licensing private multinational corporations to grow hundreds of tons of it in the UK to be exported across the world. 

As previously mentioned, Paul Kenward is the managing director at British sugar – although you may not have heard of him, you might be familiar with his wife – Victoria Atkins MP who was elected the sitting MP for Louth and Horncastle in May 2015 and was appointed minister at the home office in 2017 by the then-Prime Minister Theresa May.

The former barrister was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Minister for Safeguarding by Mrs. May as she was a hard-line prohibitionist especially on Cannabis and that reflected her warped ideology perfectly. 

While this is going on at the home office – in number 10 Downing Street Mrs. May’s husband Phillip May the investment relationship manager for the Capital group investment firm which manages a portfolio worth over $2 trillion – is acting as an unofficial adviser to the Prime Minister. Keep in mind that the Capital group is the same firm that is the majority shareholder in GW Pharmaceuticals – a glaring conflict of interest, no? 

Mrs. Atkins had to voluntarily recuse herself in 2018 from speaking for the government on matters about cannabis and drug policy as she felt her husband operating a legal cannabis farm constituted a conflict of interest (another painful conflict of interests) She was quietly removed from being responsible for UK drug policy but remains in her post. 

Although Mrs. Atkins was no longer “the voice of the government” when it came to drug policy she still had the power to veto the appointment of Niamh Eastwood to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) in June 2019 – after the home office advisory panel had previously approved her appointment. 

The longtime drug policy reformist and executive director at Release had previously been critical of the government and challenged a lot of the antiquated notions that underpin the continuation of the drug prohibition. An appointment that could have been a real and direct threat to the conservative cannabis cartel.

GW Pharmaceuticals announced in early April 2020 that Epidiolex would be de-scheduled in the United States, meaning that it is no longer a controlled substance and can now be sold from any retail outlet, in any state without requiring permission. 

So even with all of this being public knowledge and it is rather well documented by the mainstream media there have still been no real ramifications or legal consequences for the small cabal of Conservative ministers who have and continue to blatantly abused their positions to further the corporate agendas of their husband’s companies – further helping to set back cannabis law reform in the UK by years if not decades.

Ultimately, I believe that the best way to avoid the continuation of this kind of capitalistic, corporate, corruption, and cronyism is to completely and utterly decriminalize Cannabis Sativa L in all her natural forms for everyone to utilize as they see fit.

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Italy supreme court rules home-growing cannabis is legal

Italy’s Supreme Court has ruled that small-scale domestic cultivation of cannabis is legal, in a landmark decision triggering calls for further legalization from cannabis advocates and anger from the country’s conservatives.

Clipping leaf from home-grown cannabis plant ready for harvest

Called on to clarify previous conflicting interpretations of the law, the Court of Cassation decreed that the crime of growing narcotic drugs should exclude “small amounts grown domestically for the exclusive use of the grower”.

The ruling was made on Dec. 19, but went unnoticed until Thursday, when it was reported by domestic news agencies and immediately fuelled a simmering political debate over cannabis use in Italy.

“The court has opened the way, now it’s up to us,” said Matteo Mantero, a senator from the co-ruling 5-Star Movement.

Mantero presented an amendment to the 2020 budget calling for legalisation and regulation of domestic cannabis use, but it was ruled inadmissible by the senate speaker from Silvio Berlusconi’s conservative Forza Italia party.

“Drugs cause harm, forget about growing them or buying them in shops,” Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League Party said in a statement on Friday, in reference to shops selling low-strength “legal weed” that are widespread in Italy.

Maurizio Gasparri, a senator from Forza Italia which is allied to the League, said the first law the centre-right coalition would approve if it came to power “will cancel the absurd verdict of the court”.

Salvini, who was interior minister until he quit the government in August in a failed bid to trigger elections, pushed for the closure of legal weed shops and cheered in May when the Supreme Court said many of their products should be banned.

The commerce has thrived in the last three years in Italy under 2016 legislation allowing cannabis with a psychotropic active ingredient (THC) level below 0.6 percent.

While the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement favours a more liberal approach to cannabis, its centre-left and centrist coalition allies are more cautious, meaning future legislation on the issue remains in doubt.

Reporting and writing by Gavin Jones, Additional reporting by Giuseppe Fonte; Editing by Alison Williams

Originally published: December 27th, 2019 at https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-italy-cannabis-ruling-idUKKBN1YV14D?fbclid=IwAR3juWfbJ2BiBrO5GttCY96I-R-sww4szonYkLl6PvVjU6F5q0aWjXZq9gQ

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Cannabis For Parkinson’s And Alzheimer’s Diseases -An Interview With Dr. Ethan Russo

Dr. Ethan Russo

Dr. Ethan Russo is a world-renowned authority on the medicinal use of cannabis; an academic researcher, author and industry leader whose expansive knowledge of cannabis therapeutics spans history, cultures and its myriad applications for improved health and wellbeing. A board-certified neurologist and former Senior Medical Advisor at GW Pharmaceutics, Dr. Russo is currently Director of Research and Development of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute, a consortium of international academic institutions and private companies dedicated to promoting medical cannabis research.

In this interview, Dr. Russo shares an informed and insightful vision of how cannabis-derived medicine stands to benefit two of the more intractable neurological conditions facing older adults, Parkinson’s (PD) and Alzheimer’s (AD) diseases.

Abbie Rosner: If medicinal cannabis targets our endocannabinoid system (ECS), what is the involvement of that system in PD and AD?

Dr. Ethan Russo: The ECS regulates most physiological systems in the body, but above all the nervous system, where it helps to achieve the balance that allows individual nerve cells to communicate. The ECS is disrupted in both AD and PD.

Rosner: What is the research with cannabinoids and Parkinson’s disease showing?

Russo: In a mouse model of PD, treatment with nabiximols (Sativex®), a cannabis- based pharmaceutical approved in 30 countries outside the USA, resulted in improvement in dopamine neurotransmitter function, and reduced oxidative stress (akin to “rust” of the nervous system), as well as leading to improvements in anxiety and self-injury behaviors.

Clinical results with treatment of PD with cannabis have been quite mixed. Cannabidiol (CBD) helped a few PD patients with psychotic symptoms, and some with a rapid-eye movement sleep disorder. Observational studies with smoked cannabis, presumably high in THC, reportedly produced acute benefits on tremor, rigidity and slow movement (bradykinesia). The best results in PD were reported in a Czech study in 2004, in which patients ate raw leaves of cannabis for as much as three months and reported significant improvement in overall function, tremor, bradykinesia and rigidity, with few side effects.

Rosner: And what about cannabis for AD?

Russo: The story in AD is even more intriguing. Both THC and CBD have been shown to interfere with the production of abnormal toxic matter in the brain of such patients. This is quite exciting, inasmuch as synthetic drugs designed for similar purposes have yet to advance in the clinic. Both THC and particularly CBD are known neuroprotective agents that hold the potential to slow or perhaps even halt the degenerative process. On the symptom side, THC as a single agent has proven beneficial in AD patients in reducing nocturnal agitation, improving sleep and appetite. Observations of nursing home patients in California with dementia have produced similar benefits as well as reducing the need for nursing intervention and amounts of other drugs.

There are four FDA-approved pharmaceuticals to treat memory loss in AD, but all have mild benefits on a temporary basis. These are designed to increase the amount of acetylcholine, the memory molecule in the brain that becomes depleted in AD. Interestingly, the terpenoid alpha-pinene is capable of boosting acetylcholine by inhibiting its breakdown, and with fewer side effects than the conventional drugs.

Rosner: We hear a lot of talk about THC and CBD, but what about the role of terpenes?

Russo: Terpenes are aromatic compounds from plants that are important in our everyday exposure to scents and flavors. Some of these, when combined with cannabinoids, boost their effects such that the result is greater than the sum of the parts. We discussed above the role of alpha-pinene to combat memory deficits in AD and PD. Linalool, a component of lavender essential oil as well as cannabis, has been demonstrated to calm agitation in AD. The terpene limonene, common to citrus and cannabis, is a powerful antidepressant and immune stimulator. Caryophyllene, a terpenoid with the distinction of also being a cannabinoid, is of key importance in AD, as it may help in clearance of beta-amyloid waste in the brain.

Rosner: CBD products are so popular now. But what price is paid when you remove THC from the cannabis equation?

Russo: A severe price may be paid if cannabis-based medicines are devoid of THC. It is clear from the above that THC has a major role to play in both symptomatic treatment of dementia and quite possibly in preventative benefit. The dangers of THC have been vastly exaggerated by alarmist politicians and the press, particularly in such contexts where alternatives have been extremely disappointing and are actually much more problematic. Very small doses of THC are required and their benefits outweigh any risks by healthy measures.

Rosner: You have also been a proponent of diet and other complementary approaches to cannabis.

Russo: Fascinating epidemiological studies have linked diet to degenerative diseases, especially AD. Diabetes and obesity, which are rampant in the USA, as well as trans-fats, all increase AD risk. In contrast, disease rates are lower in areas following a Mediterranean diet rich in monounsaturated olive oil and omega-3 fats from fish. We also know that daily cognitive challenges when carried into the elder years offer some protection, as does vigorous physical exercise.

An underappreciated factor in degenerative diseases is the microbiome, the bacterial content of the gut. We know that THC, rather than leading to obesity as one might surmise, rather changes the microbiome balance in the gut to favor bacteria that protect from development of obesity and the metabolic syndrome.

Great benefits may accrue to AD and PD patients through the use of probiotics (i.e., natural organic multi-culture yogurt, kefir, lacto-fermented vegetables, and supplements in capsules) and prebiotics (vegetable matter like acacia fiber, slippery elm, burdock root and supplement in capsules) that provide an optimum feedstock for the beneficial gut bacteria.

Rosner: From where we are today, what are the best approaches for prevention and treatment of PD and AD?

Russo: The best current approaches to AD and PD beyond what the conventional pharmacopoeia offers include: aerobic activity, daily mental exercise, Mediterranean diets with use of anti-inflammatory fruits and berries, probiotics and prebiotics. From cannabis, THC, THCA, CBD, beta-pinene, caryophyllene, linalool and limonene may all have important contributions to treatment of these disorders.

Rosner: Where do you see promise on the horizon?

Russo: While the current laboratory experiments have been extremely important in establishing a foundation for cannabis-based medicines in treatment of AD and PD, it is definitely time to move the effort into the clinical arena. It is clear that these conditions are increasing in our aging populations and conventional approaches to date have been less than satisfactory. Utilization of cannabis preparations with the right mixtures of cannabinoids and terpenoids show great promise to produce better results. While these may be simply palliative in reducing drug and care burdens, there is also the possibility of making a real difference in slowing or abrogating the pathological processes in these two disorders.

The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.


Originally published at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/abbierosner/2019/02/26/cannabis-for-parkinsons-and-alzheimers-diseases-an-interview-with-dr-ethan-russo/?fbclid=IwAR03BkSPfWjBzEJCRLxWv8p9yKpu7jj_M2R0rs6jXTDbxWKg7mK32m7sGqQ#3b31b7b95dd6

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Canada’s first publicly traded marijuana company has rough first day when pot shipment seized by RCMP

‘When you call police to say, ‘Come look at this,’ you believe you have everything in order’

Handout/Tweed

Tweed Marijuana Inc. became the first publicly traded medical pot company in Canada on Friday, but behind the scenes the Ontario production facility has apparently been searching for answers after a run-in with the law.

On Monday, the company was hoping to beef up its stock with a shipment of medical marijuana products that it says it acquired from B.C. growers who had previously been licensed to grow their marijuana at home.

Even though the company had received Health Canada’s approval to import such products, the Mounties, who the company said it had invited to inspect the shipment, ended up seizing it at the Kelowna International Airport.

“We felt everything was done absolutely correctly,” Tweed chairman Bruce Linton said from the company’s office in Smiths Falls. “When you call police to say, ‘Come look at this,’ you believe you have everything in order.”

The case seems to highlight an ongoing confusion around the old legal regime, which allowed licensees to grow medical pot in their basements, and the new regime, which restricts production to commercial growers, such as Tweed.

As of Friday, the company — one of 12 licensed so far in Canada — had still not received an explanation for the seizure, Linton said.

Sgt. Duncan Pound, an RCMP spokesman in B.C., refused to comment on the reasons for the seizure.

“We typically do not confirm or deny investigations unless there is an investigational or public safety need. Specific details about any investigation only become known when that investigation results in charges being laid by Crown Counsel,” he said via email.

Before the April 1 switch to the new regulatory regime, individuals who previously had personal-production licenses were allowed to sell what “starting materials” they had, such as seeds and plants, to one of the new commercial producers.

Linton said Friday his company hadn’t originally intended to purchase other medical marijuana products; the initial business plan was to grow about 25 varieties of plant at the company’s 160,000-square-foot growing facility.

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File

But when the company started accepting customers early in February, demand for its products proved much higher than expected, Linton said.

It became clear, he said, that the amounts sought per patient were “several multiples” higher than what the company had planned for. When Tweed pointed this out to Health Canada officials, the company was told that other commercial growers were buying medical pot from growers who had been licensed under the old regime.

The only stipulation was that they needed federal authorization to do so.

Health Canada spokeswoman Sara Lauer confirmed Friday that Tweed received the go-ahead.

Linton said the company collected plants, seeds and “in-production plant materials” from multiple growers across B.C. He declined to say exactly how much product was acquired, but said it provided the firm with an additional 55 varieties of marijuana.

Linton said the company’s purchases from B.C. were a one-time thing and that all future product will be grown in Smiths Falls.

The company invited the RCMP to come inspect the shipment at the Kelowna airport Monday, the last day such transactions could take place.

“Our intent was to be transparent,” he said. Plus, having the Mounties around also provided extra security for the precious cargo.

Health Canada officials were unable to say Friday how many other commercial growers had acquired marijuana products from home growers before the deadline.

Linton speculated that the RCMP seizure may have been the result of “confusion” because of overlapping regulations.

Last month, a Federal Court judge granted an injunction for medical marijuana users who had previously held a personal-production license.

The injunction allowed those users to continue growing pot until the court issues a final decision.

On Monday, the same day the Tweed shipment was seized, the federal government announced it was appealing the court ruling.

The closing price for shares in Tweed Marijuana Inc. on Friday was $2.59 on the TSX Venture exchange, valuing the company at $90.7 million (market capitalization).

Originally published at: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadas-first-publicly-traded-marijuana-company-has-rough-first-day-when-pot-shipment-seized-by-rcmp?fbclid=IwAR0v5x3fCJJPCbNW7QUoDhmNBtXTt_6og0E_KKPAWplUXzJZq5Wj-AyyR_U