The Marijuana Superweapon Biden Refuses to Use
Cannabis could be an effective tool to win over voters from both sides of the aisle, so why is Joe Biden hesitant to join the rest of his party and most other Americans?
It is popular in key political states, it motivates cannabis supporters to get out and vote and seemingly appears to have little political downside. The answer is public health concerns. “He’s looking for something definitive to assure him that legalizing won’t lead to serious mental or physical problems, in teens or adult.”
Is that the real reason? This would lead us to ask, “what about alcohol and nicotine?”. In addition to desperately needed criminal justice reform, it seems obvious to those of us who work in the industry that a thriving and unregulated black market, where drugs can be laced with unknown chemicals can be much more detrimental to our health and our general safety.
It doesn’t seem like we are waiting for a more conclusive study to convince Biden to switch sides, it just doesn’t seem to be an issue he is particularly ready to tackle with his team today. Undoubtedly vocalizing his support for legalization would draw voters in.
“In 2018, top Democrats credited a legalization ballot initiative in Michigan with boosting turnout and producing the biggest blue wave in the country—winning races for governor, Senate, attorney general, and secretary of state, along with flipping two congressional seats and multiple state-legislature seats”.
Democrats are urging Biden to change his stance. “If Joe Biden’s account tweeted out ‘Legal. Weed.,’ it would get a million likes in the first two hours. I guarantee it.” – John Fetterman, the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.
We also can’t help but mention the billions of dollars in tax revenue legalization would generate as a means to help recover from the pandemic and to assist in criminal justice reform. Your move Mr. Biden!
Cannabis could be an effective tool to win over voters from both sides of the aisle, so why is Joe Biden hesitant to join the rest of his party and most other Americans?
Is that the real reason? This would lead us to ask, “what about alcohol and nicotine?”. In addition to desperately needed criminal justice reform, it seems obvious to those of us who work in the industry that a thriving and unregulated black market, where drugs can be laced with unknown chemicals can be much more detrimental to our health and our general safety.
It doesn’t seem like we are waiting for a more conclusive study to convince Biden to switch sides, it just doesn’t seem to be an issue he is particularly ready to tackle with his team today. Undoubtedly vocalizing his support for legalization would draw voters in.
“In 2018, top Democrats credited a legalization ballot initiative in Michigan with boosting turnout and producing the biggest blue wave in the country—winning races for governor, Senate, attorney general, and secretary of state, along with flipping two congressional seats and multiple state-legislature seats”.
Democrats are urging Biden to change his stance. “If Joe Biden’s account tweeted out ‘Legal. Weed.,’ it would get a million likes in the first two hours. I guarantee it.” – John Fetterman, the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.
We also can’t help but mention the billions of dollars in tax revenue legalization would generate as a means to help recover from the pandemic and to assist in criminal justice reform. Your move Mr. Biden!
See full article here.
UNM Study: Cannabis Is Effective In Treating Depression, Improving Mental Health
Forbes wrote up an interesting piece on the positive effects of cannabis on our mental health. Given the article above, I thought this would be an appropriate follow up! Someone forward this to @Joebiden!
Depression is a condition which is affecting ~1 in 5 adults across the U.S. Depression can often lead to other ailments, such as cancers, substance abuse disorders, anxiety, schizophrenia, dementia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic pain.
“According to a research study published by the University Of New Mexico and Releaf App in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, cannabis flower may be effective in providing immediate relief for the symptoms of depression.”
The study reviewed 5,876 outcomes from 1,819 individuals who were tracking their use of cannabis flower for treating depression. On average, patients reported an immediate improvement in symptoms of nearly 4 points on a scale of 0 to 10. By comparison, leading conventional pharmaceuticals used for the treatment of depression can take several weeks or months before causing significant relief, while also causing common side effects like sedation, agitation, anxiety, anorgasmia, demotivation, and suicidal ideation.
Depression is an epidemic across the U.S., and with no end in sight, it’s important for folks to have access to natural and safe methods of treatment, without the negative side effects that many conventional antidepressants may cause. Kudos to UNM for publishing this insightful study.
Arizona, Nebraska advocates turn in signatures to put legalization on the ballot
The tailwinds of legalization are roaring across the nation as advocates in Arizona and Nebraska gather enough signatures to include adult-use and medical programs, respectively, on their November ballots! Confirmations from each states Secretary of State are expected in August.
While we believe that the pandemic induced recession is ultimately a tailwind for legalization, gathering the signatures needed is a bit of a hurdle these days and has put similar campaigns on hold. Although, happy to say that the pause didn’t kill the efforts in AZ or NE!
“Families with loved ones suffering from conditions like epilepsy, PTSD, and cancer have fought for years to make medical cannabis safely accessible,” Nebraska state Sen. Anna Wishart said in a recent statement. “Today represents a huge step forward for thousands of Nebraskans who deserve compassion.”
The number of signatures gathered in a very short amount of time in each state are nothing less than remarkable:
- Signatures: 420k turned in
- Signatures needed: 238k to qualify
Nebraska
- Signatures: 182k turned in
- Signatures needed: 122k to qualify
While the popular vote is with cannabis legalization, there are still political battles which must be won as a few hard-nosed politicians stand in the way. We stand with you AZ and NE! #november2020
Austin Police Will Stop Marijuana Possession Arrests And Citations
As a Texas native, this article resonated with me and given the theme of the newsletter, it seemed fitting! Congratulations to the city of Austin and the Austin Police Department for decriminalizing the possession of a misdemeanor amount of marijuana.
“APD will no longer cite or arrest individuals with sufficient identification for Class A or Class B misdemeanor ‘possession of marijuana’ offenses, unless there is an immediate threat to a person’s safety or doing so as part of the investigation of a high priority, felony-level narcotics case or the investigation of a violent felony,” Police Chief Brian Manley wrote in a memo to the Austin mayor and city council.
The police have recently struggled with identifying marijuana (>0.3% THC) versus hemp over the past year given the legalization of hemp across the United States. This in turn has led to a significant decrease in the amount of marijuana related arrests as well.
The recent actions are major milestones for racial justice and criminal justice reform in the city of Austin. “City Council member Greg Casar applauded the decision in a statement Thursday, and credited the chief’s decision to people who organized for racial justice. He noted Black Austinites were much more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana than white residents.”
Great step forward for my home state – yeehaw!
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