As legalization spreads across the U.S. and the world, there is much discussion of its use for medicinal and recreational purposes but often forgotten is its use as a guide to spirituality and enlightenment.

Terry Turner, an ordained Minister of Religious Science with a Master’s Degree in Consciousness Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology has written a short treatise on Cannabis and Spiritual Practice explaining his belief that "The states of consciousness available through cannabis use can be even deeper than those achieved by seasoned meditators without the years of discipline and training. Used reverentially and with proper intention, it is capable of ushering its initiates into the realm of savikalpa samadhi, the portal of mystical or unitive consciousness."

Rev. Turner emphasizes that the cannabis plant, being a mild psychedelic or entheogen, was seen by ancient cultures and remains today as a powerful and sacred tool that deserves to be treated with care and respect.

Tracing its use back to 2000 B.C.E. in the ancient Hindu Vedas where cannabis was revered as a sacred plant used for health, pleasure and meditation, Rev. Turner asks the question is it morally acceptable to get high? Rev. Turner challenges our reliance on materialist science and technology for solutions to life’s various challenges and our tendency to consider ancient spirit-based cultures as primitive and superstitious. 

The U.S. government enforces this belief by continuing to deny the protection of the 1^st amendment which prevents government from “prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” to any group which uses cannabis as a sacrament.

Rev. Turner is an ordained Minister of Religious Science. He holds a Master’s Degree in Consciousness Studies from Holmes Institute as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology.  He has been a sojourner on the spiritual path for almost 50 years and has been using cannabis  for recreational medicinal and mostly spiritual purposes for about 50 years as well. He is also an informal student of such diverse disciplines as evangelical Christianity, kundalini yoga, I Ching, holotropic breathwork, entheobotany, and shamanic studies. He currently makes his home in Desert Hot Springs, CA

Want to learn more including how you can participate in a guided session in the use of cannabis for meditation with Rev. Turner? Then read on:

1. Read Rev. Turner's short treatise on Cannabis and Spiritual Practice in which he explores the uses of cannabis in the practice of spirituality by discussing the intent of its use, how to create a safe and sacred space for its use, the importance of set and setting and understanding the proper ingestion and dose. To read Rev. Turner's treatise CLICK HERE.

2. Listen to my interview with Rev. Turner and in depth exploration of Cannabis and Spiritual Practice on my internet radio show podcast by CLICKING HERE.

3. Join Rev. Turner for an in-person guided session for using cannabis for meditation and spiritual practice at the MAPP meetings in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree on Saturday, Feb. 1. Everyone is invited to attend and there is no charge for admission.

The Palm Springs/Coachella Valley MAPP meeting will be held on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 12 noon at Crystal Fantasy, 268 N. Palm Canyon, Palm Springs CA 92262.

The Joshua Tree/Yucca Valley MAPP meeting will be held on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. at the legendary Beatnik Lounge, 61597 Twenty-Nine Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree CA 92252.

California allows home deliveries of cannabis including in areas that have banned cannabis dispensaries

Even though Prop. 64 permits cannabis business from seed to sale and provides opportunities for local governments to obtain significant new tax revenues, over 75% of California's cities and counties ban all cannabis businesses including retail outlets. This results in forcing their residents to drive hundreds of miles to a locality that allows sales or, as most continue to do, obtain cannabis from criminals.

Based on a section of Prop. 64 that reads: A local jurisdiction shall not prevent transportation of marijuana or marijuana products on public roads by a licensee transporting marijuana or marijuana products in compliance with this division, the Bureau of Cannabis Control has determined that local jurisdictions cannot ban the delivery of cannabis to any home anywhere in California by any licensed cannabis retail business no matter where it is located in California. Needless to say this ruling has pissed-off many local elected officials who, along with the League of California Cities, are mounting a legal challenge to the ruling.

This will take years to work its way through the court and no doubt will wind up before California's Supreme Court. In the meantime, residents can have cannabis delivered to their homes and the local police and code enforcement officers cannot stop it. Rolling Stone which delights in regularly publishing cannabis related stores wrote a short but excellent article on the cannabis delivery conundrum. To read it CLICK HERE.

Presence of THC in blood not associated with vehicle crash culpability

Conjuring up images of a blood bath on our highways and children run down by stoned drivers leaving a fast food joint, government funded drug warriors have been spreading misinformation and outright lies about the dangers of marijuana and driving. Scrambling to find sky-is-falling scenarios to frighten the public, driving under the influence of marijuana is one of their most successful gambits, but a new study is throwing cold water on their inflammatory rhetoric.

In a study published in the July 2019 issue of Addiction, researchers wrote: "we found no increase in crash risk, after adjustment for age, sex, and use of other impairing substances, in drivers with THC less than 5ng/ml. For drivers with THC greater than 5ngml there may be an increased risk of crash responsibility, but this result was statistically non-significant and further study is required."

To read the study CLICK HERE.

Cannabis dispensaries associated with drop in local crime

One of the most prevalent myths promulgated by those opposed to the legalization of marijuana is that crime will increase wherever it is sold causing businesses to flee and neighborhoods to deteriorate. This myth is especially promulgated by police who have always opposed the legalization of cannabis whether it is for medical or adult use. Local officials tend to listen to what their local police chief tells them which motivates them to oppose allowing commercial cannabis businesses to operate in their areas as permitted by Prop. 64. They do this even if their citizens voted in favor of Prop. 64 and they may lose hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in new tax revenues.

Although multiple reports have shown that crime not only does not increase, but actually decreases in areas where commercial cannabis businesses operates, the myth continues to be propagated. A new report published in the September 2019 issue of Regional Science and Urban Economics found that the opening of a cannabis dispensary resulted in a 19% decrease in crime. It is interesting to note that a previous study published in the March 2018 issue of Preventative Medicine found that crime was more likely to occur in association with alcohol and tobacco stores then cannabis stores. For more information on cannabis leading to a lower crime rate CLICK HERE.

Adolescent cannabis use is not associated with structural brain differences in adulthood

Like ISIS marching children before them as they attack infidels, marijuana prohibitionists march children before them as they attack the rising forces of marijuana law reform advocates. Ominously citing research papers, they warn that teens who smoke marijuana will have lower IQs and decreased cognitive abilities due to stunted brain development as a result of their use of cannabis.

Trying to sound professional, learned and more knowledgeable then thou, they liberally toss out regions of the brain - orbitofrontal region, neocortex, hippocampus, amygdala - claiming with little or no evidence that teen brain Armageddon is just around the corner if they consume cannabis. Most of the studies alleging detrimental results from marijuana use by adolescents failed to account for the concomitant use of alcohol which has been found in multiple studies to cause all the problems in adolescents that drug war advocates ascribe to marijuana.

Fortunately there are researchers who are not on the take of Office of National Drug Control Policy who have done the research to show that this is all scare-mongering reefer madness. In a truly exhaustive and amazing study of 1,000 adolescent boys, the authors concluded "Adolescent cannabis use is not associated with structural brain differences in adulthood." To read the study CLICK HERE.

Cannabis “effective for the treatment of chronic pain in adults"  

Opioid based pain medications are the most dangerous drugs in America with over 1.25 million emergency room visits, 1.9 million nonfatal opioid overdoses and 47,600 deaths in 2018 accounting for 2/3rds of all deaths in the U.S. from drug overdoses. Almost 170 million prescriptions were written for opioids in 2018, mainly for pain.

Anecdotally used for thousands of years to treat pain, more and more peer-reviewed evidentiary based research is substantiating that the ability of cannabis to mitigate pain is effective and safe. To learn how cannabis access laws translate into a very real-world reduction in opioid prescriptions CLICK HERE.

Deaths from vaping-related illnesses foment vaping crisis and political hysteria

Although vaping has been practiced for thousands of years dating back to ancient Egypt, the beginnings of its mainstream use goes back less then 50 years. The e-cigarette is even newer being developed by the Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik Chinese. Hon Lik's father had died from lung cancer due to smoking tobacco and he wanted to develop a smokeless and hence safer way of ingesting tobacco's addictive ingredient nicotine. He made the first e-cigarette which he patented in 2003. Touted as a safer way to ingest tobacco and as way to wean a person off tobacco, the e-cig was first introduced in Europe but soon made its way to the U.S. in 2007.

It wasn't long before cannabis consumers saw the benefits of using e-cig type vapes for consuming cannabis. Since smoking cannabis, like smoking tobacco, introduces carcinogens (cancer causing agents) into the lungs, it was believed that by using a smokeless oil-based cartridge for inhaling cannabis, vape pens were inherently safer. Also since cannabis was illegal vape pens made for an easy, discrete and even stylish use as no one would know if you were vaping cannabis or tobacco. In addition the cannabis vapor creates a less potent and hence less noticeable aroma.

For almost a decade e-cigs and cannabis vape pens were used by millions with no problems. In 2019, an outbreak of severe vaping-associated lung illnesses manifesting symptoms such as coughing, chest pain, and shortness of breath, as well as nausea and vomiting, swept the nation.  By December 2019, over 2,500 cases have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands) with 54 confirmed deaths.

Although vitamin E acetate which is used as a diluent thickener has come under scrutiny, the exact cause of the vaping-associated lung illnesses is not known. It does occur more often in users of cannabis vape pen, especially illicit vape pens, then in tobacco e-cig users. Even though the number of deaths is relatively small compared to the 400,000 annual deaths in the U.S. from smoking tobacco, the media, with its mantra of "if it bleeds, it leads" has hyped the problem to levels that are reminiscent of the reefer-madness reporting of not-too-long ago. As a result, a frenzied panic has engulfed our elected officials who are falling all over themselves passing legislation restricting and banning e-cigs and cannabis vape pens.

A fairly good, thorough and less hysterical analysis of the issue has been published by Rolling Stone. To read it CLICK HERE.

Domestic hemp production SOARS

Every five years, Congress passes legislation that sets national agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy, commonly referred to as the “Farm Bill.” Titled the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, the $867 billion package passed Congress in a rare bipartisan show of support and was signed into law by President Trump on December 20.

The bill is notable for its section removing industrial hemp, which contains less than 0.3% THC, from the federal Controlled Substances Act. Most importantly for cannabis enthusiasts and CBD aficionados, the bill makes legal all products containing cannabinoids derived from hemp. Although the FDA is tying itself in knots over trying to regulate all the health claims being made relating to hemp-derived CBD, the genie is out of the bottle as can be seen by the easy availability of CBD from Walgreens to the corner convenience store.

With 34 states licensing hemp production, 16,877 farmers cultivated over 500,000 acres in 2019. American farmers will now be able to cultivate a crop that is used in an estimated 50,000 different products across a wide spectrum of industries: from textiles to food products, building materials to bio-plastics, nutraceuticals to nanomaterials, ethanol to animal bedding. China and Canada were the main importers of hemp into the U.S, but now American farmers will be giving them some real competition. For more info CLICK HERE.

Almost 60% of primary care doctors agree cannabis is “legitimate medical therapy”

When the Marijuana Tax Act was passed in 1937, the only organization that appeared before Congress in opposition was the American Medical Association which was represented by Dr. William Woodward. In the 1937 hearings for the Marihuana Tax Act, Dr. Woodward defended the AMA’s position that cannabis should be regulated but not prohibited. In his lengthy testimony, he refuted the hyperbolic claims put forward by the proponents of marijuana prohibition, offering a prescient view of how our society should handle drug addiction in general, and marijuana in particular. Unfortunately the AMA eventually capitulated to the rising tides of reefer madness succumbing to the vociferous racism engineered by law enforcement and allowing it to be removed from the US Pharmacopoeia in 1941. The passage of California's pioneering medical marijuana initiative in 1996 was met with great skepticism and condemnation by most medical organizations - the California Medical Association and the California Nurses Association being notable exceptions.

The practice of medicine is a science and the overwhelming medical research that has being published since 1996 and the anecdotal communications to doctors by millions of their patients has finally resulted in many doctors and the organizations that represent them returning to the position that they held in 1937. To read the study on the change that has overcome medical doctors CLICK HERE.

11 states plus DC have legalized marijuana with support for legalization at an all-time high

With Illinois jumping on the cannabis bandwagon in 2019, there are now 93,593,875 people or 28% of U.S. population living in states where cannabis is legal for adults to use for any reason. The number will grow significantly in 2020 with New Jersey, New York and New Mexico expected to pass initiatives or legislation legalizing cannabis for adult-use. That cannabis legalization is on-a-roll should not be a surprise as polls show over 2/3 of Americans support cannabis legalization and 91% support medical marijuana legalization. For more information on states legalizing cannabis for adults CLICK HERE. For information on the latest poll numbers CLICK HERE.

House judiciary committee passes MORE act to remove cannabis from Controlled Substances Act which would end federal marijuana prohibition

We have lived through over 80 years of reefer madness prohibition since congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937 and almost 50 years since the Controlled Substances Act was enacted further criminalizing cannabis. Finally a light at the end of the tunnel has begun to glimmer with the passage of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act by the House judiciary committee.

The MORE Act will remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act essentially ending federal marijuana prohibition. From the Judiciary Committee, the  bill will now go to the floor of the House in 2020 where its passage is expected. From there it goes to the Senate where it's fate is questionable at best. From there it lands on the desk of President Trump who has expressed support. To read more CLICK HERE.

Some folks might consider this story to actually be the number one story of 2019. Science requires that any hypothesis must be verifiable and reproducible and that is exactly what these two studies published in 2019 do - they verify and reproduce an earlier study that found cannabis consumers have a lower body mass index (BMI), weigh less and have a smaller waist.

Note that the studies do not prove that smoking marijuana causes people to lose weight or even helps them to avoid gaining weight. It unequivocally concludes that there is link between cannabis use and a lower BMI and the concomitant benefits that come from having a lower BMI, but it would be wrong to conclude that using marijuana would cause a person to lose weight. There could be a biological mechanism since a previous study found a connection between regular cannabis use and lower insulin resistance and improved blood sugar control which may help to prevent weight gain.

Whether the link is the lifestyle of cannabis users, a biological effect of cannabinoids on the body or combination of both, these studies cast asunder the old stereotypes of cannabis consumers being junk food consuming couch potatoes. To read the study on cannabis and lower BMI CLICK HERE. To read the study about cannabis, lower BMI and reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders CLICK HERE.

Go ahead and consumer as much cannabis as you want, it won't make you fat and as you can see from the top stories of 2019, cannabis will improve your health and make your life safer and more enjoyable. 2020 is going to be an amazing, fulfilling and exciting year with twists and turns of unknown and unfathomable origins. No matter what happens we have cannabis and the reason is because so many have worked so hard, contributed so much and would not passively accept the forced absence of this magnificent plant from our lives.

Saturday January 4 Palm Springs & Joshua Tree Meets Reviewing 2019 & Looking to 2020

From the top 10 stories above, it is obvious that 2019 was an eventful year. 2020 is going to be an even more eventful year with elections, census and further development of legal cannabis not just in the U.S.A., but around the world. The Palm Springs and Joshua Tree MAPP meetings will focus on what happened in 2019 and will be happening in 2020 with insights on how it will affect us locally and most importantly how you can effect the affect. I will also have information on the Champ's Smoke & Vape Trade Show, the premiere counterculture B2B expo in the U.S.A., which will be taking place in Las Vegas Feb. 25 - 28.

Circle Saturday, January 4 on your calendars and do whatever it is you do to set reminders in your smart phones. Cookies, milk and punch will be available plus win a pipe and a cannabis book,

The Palm Springs/Coachella Valley MAPP meeting will be held on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 12 noon at the mystical Crystal Fantasy, 268 N. Palm Canyon, Palm Springs CA 92262.

The Joshua Tree/Yucca Valley MAPP meeting will be held on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. at the legendary Beatnik Lounge, 61597 Twenty-Nine Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree CA 92252.

Just before the clock strikes midnight on December 31, raise your left leg so that you will start off the year on the right foot.

Then continue 2020 on the right foot by joining MAPP’s 420 Club and donating $4.20 every month to keep us going throughout 2020.

From working with Riverside County to establish reasonable and realistic regulations for cannabis businesses to protecting cannabis consumers from losing their jobs for using legal cannabis, MAPP is there. Please help us be there for you.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MAPP'S 420 CLUB

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION

#marijuana, #marijuananews, #cannabis, #medical marijuana, #Top102019, #marijuanalegalization,

Riverside BOS to consider Ma & Pa Cultivation License

Want to help them?

Here are 3 things YOU can do

With is microbusiness license and limitation on crop size, Prop. 64 provides safe havens for small mom and pop commercial cultivators similar to some of the preferences accorded to small grape vineyards and vintners. Unfortunately, Prop. 64’s total subservience to cities and counties allows them to keep ma and pa from growing commercially or participating in of the state permitted commercial cannabis activities.

We have not done much since we stormed the BOS when they were considering passing an ordinance banning all cannabis cultivation including banning medical marijuana patients from cultivating their own medicine. Showing just how much of an effect we can have, our protestations resulted in Riverside County tabling the proposed banning ordinance and eventually enacting the most equitable personal cultivation ordinance in California – 12 plants per person with two people per household for a total of 24 plants grown indoors or outdoors.

This ordinance which has been in effect for three years has worked well for personal growers, county residents and the sheriff’s office.

Now we need to do the same for the Ma and Pa commercial cultivators this Tuesday, Dec. 10 at the Riverside County Supervisors meeting. They will be considering allowing cultivators in the unincorporated areas of Riverside especially those in the Anza Valley, to commercially cultivate cannabis. To see specifically what is under consideration at the meeting CLICK HERE.

The growers in Anza have been growing exceptional cannabis for decades. It is time to bring them out of hiding and end their fear of the Monday Morning Marijuana Madness raids by squadrons of Sheriff deputies who have far more important duties then raiding small cultivators.

It is time to allow the cannabis cultivators of Anza to use their legendary skills to provide cannabis to the public safely, reliably, locally and most importantly affordably. Make Anza the Cannabis Appellation Capital of California.

There are 3 things you can do, but they need to be done now – two very easy ones and one that will take a bit more time.

The first easy one: Sign the Petition to let Supervisor Chuck Washington (whose District includes Anza) that residents living on Rural Residential (RR) and Rural Agricultural (RA) land should be able to cultivate cannabis commercially. To sign the petition, CLICK HERE or go to: www.highcountrygrowers.org

The second easy one: This is best done on Monday, Dec. 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but can be done after that date as well.

Call your local county Supervisor and tell him or her to allow residents in Anza living on RR or RA zoned properties to be allowed to commercially cultivate cannabis.

If you do not know the Riverside County District you live in CLICK HERE or go to: https://www.voteinfo.net/electiondatalookup

Type in the info and you will get not only your county supervisorial district, but your Congressional District, Assembly District and all the other elected government offices and agencies that you vote for – its interesting. Foremost, find your supervisor district from the list below and then call you supervisor at their phone number in the following list:

First District – Kevin Jeffries - 951-955-1010

Second District - Karen Spiegel - 951-955-1020

Third District – Chuck Washington - 951-955-1030

Fourth District – Manuel Perez - 951-955-1040

Fifth District – Jeff Hewitt – 951-955-1050

When your call is answer tell them you live in their district (they may ask for your address to verify that you do) and then say you want them to vote to allow residents in Anza living on RR or RA zoned property to be able to commercially cultivate cannabis. That’s all you have to say –from dialing the number to leaving the message should take less then 60 seconds so give Ma and Pa one minute of your time so that they can grow and sell quality cannabis to cannabis tourists visiting them on their property or to licensed cannabis businesses.

The 3^rd is little more time consuming: If you have the time, come to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, December 10 at 9 a.m. in the Council Chambers on the first floor of the Riverside County Administration Bldg. at 4080 Lemon St., Riverside CA 92501.

Join with the folks from Anza who will be at the meeting to address the BOS about the need to let them cultivate cannabis. The BOS need to see that there are lots and lots of people from all over the County who want to allow cannabis cultivation in these areas.

Set your alarm, write on your calendar but on Monday, Dec. 9 please make that telephone call. Don't underestimate the value of 60 seconds of your time. Your call is extremely important. This issue is contentious and consequently your call is critical. Whether you go to the BOS meeting on Tuesday or not, please make the call.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MAPP'S 420 CLUB

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION

Help Your Business

Help MAPP

For info email

[email protected]

VETERAN CANNABIS PROGRAM TO BE ANNOUNCED AT 20th ANNIVERSARY PARTY

   Celebrate MAPP's 20th Anniversary Saturday, December 7

Speakers, Entertainment, Buffet Dinner    with a Cannabis Friendly Ambiance

The Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project (MAPP), the Inland Empire’s first and most active medical marijuana patient support group and law reform organization, will be celebrating its 20^th Anniversary on Saturday, December 7. MAPP founder and director Lanny Swerdlow comments that "if someone had told me when I first began MAPP twenty years ago in December 1999 that a time would come when people would be able to grow their own without fear of arrest and that it would be sold legally in stores, I would have wondered what they had been drinking."

To celebrate 20 years of successful cannabis activism in the IE, MAPP will be holding a 20^th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday December 7 at 5 p.m. in the consumption lounge at the Vault Dispensary in Cathedral City at 35871 Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City CA 92234.

Showcasing just how much the times they-have-a-changed, cannabis consumption is allowed on the premises of The Vault in the same way alcohol consumption is allowed at a restaurant/bar.

The event features speakers, entertainment and a buffet dinner.  Of special significance will be the announcement by Tom Hernandez, Director of the AmVETS affiliated Veterans for Peace, of the program being developed by MAPP in coordination with Veterans for Peace to provide cannabis to veterans.

There is no charge for admission, but everyone must be at least 21 years of age.

Taking a brief look back over the last 20 years, MAPP has been involved in almost every action relating to marijuana in the Inland Empire, effectively organizing  local citizens to engage with local elected officials to allow for safe, reliable and local access to cannabis.

MAPP founder Lanny Swerdlow along with members of MAPP approached the Palm Springs City Council in 2008 asking them to enact an ordinance that would allow for medical marijuana dispensaries to open and provide marijuana to medical marijuana patients with valid doctor’s recommendations. The City Council agreed to do that and formed the Palm Springs Medical Marijuana Task Force to draft an ordinance that would allow for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. Back in 2008 there were only a few cities that had drafted ordinances to allow for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries so the task force was pretty much developing it from scratch.

The City took developing this ordinance very seriously. Swerdlow was a member of the task force along with city council members Ginny Foat and Steve Pougnet, City Attorney Doug Holland, Chief of Police Gary Jeandron and an eclectic group of citizens representing different segments of the community. It took one and one-half years to get it written and passed, but city officials were determined to make it happen from the beginning. Palm Springs was the first and until 2015 the only IE city to allow for the legal operation of medical marijuana dispensaries.

Since its founding, MAPP has been active in promoting and protecting the rights of medical marijuana patients to have access to marijuana. They have made repeated appearances before the Riverside and San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors as well as many cities in the IE.

One of MAPP’s major accomplishments came about in 2015 when Riverside County was considering banning all medical marijuana patient cultivation. A concerted push by patients at a Board of Supervisor’s meeting resulted in the ordinance not being implemented and instead an ordinance was enacted that specifically allowed patients the right to cultivate their own medicine in quantities that could provide them with sufficient medicine to treat their ailments.

With the passage of Prop. 64 which legalized the use of cannabis for all adults 21 and over and the development of legal commercial businesses, MAPP has been working to make cannabis accessible throughout the IE.

Today the Coachella Valley, the home location of MAPP, is a hotbed of legal cannabis activity with Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert and Coachella allowing commercial cultivation, manufacture and distribution of cannabis. The only other IE cities to allow commercial cannabis businesses are Adelanto in San Bernardino County and Perris in Riverside County.

Although no licenses have been issued, MAPP is currently working with Riverside County in the development of its ordinance to allow cannabis businesses to operate in the unincorporated areas of the County which is expected to take place in 2020.

The passage last week by the House Judiciary Committee of the MORE Act will remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and thereby end federal marijuana prohibition. A vote on the House floor is expected sooner rather than later and will make MAPP’s 20^th Anniversary on Saturday, December 7 at 5 p.m. a truly momentous event.

For additional information call 760-799-2055.

WANT TO GIVE MAPP A  20TH ANNIVERSARY PRESENT?

Then how about joining MAPP'S 420 CLUB and donate $4.20 a month or if you want to make a single gift, then a one-time donation would make a great gift too!!!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MAPP'S 420 CLUB

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION

Help Your Business

Help MAPP

For info email

[email protected]

The 2019 legislative session delivered up an impressive quantity of legislation relating to California’s nascent marijuana legalization program. Most, but not all, were signed into law by Governor Newsom. The impact will be minimal on most consumers, but just so you can’t say you didn’t know, here is a quick rundown on what happened.

SB 34 – The Cannabis Compassionate Use Tax Act aka The Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary Act, was certainly one of the key pieces of legislation that undid Prop. 64 tax section that required the payment of state taxes even on cannabis that was provided for free to veterans and other financially disadvantaged patients. As was twitted by the bills author, Senator Scott Wiener:

"Gov. @GavinNewsom signed #SB34, our legislation to ensure #cannabis compassion programs - which provide free medical cannabis to low income patients - can survive. These programs are critical to the health of many with #HIV, cancer, PTSD & other conditions. Thank you Governor!"

There was some indication that Gov. Newsom was waffling on this bill, but thanks to all the people who wrote and phoned into his office as requested by activists throughout the state, including this newsletter, the Governor signed the bill into law which will take effect March 1, 2020.

SB 153 authored by State Senator Scott Wilk requires the appropriate state agencies to develop an industrial hemp program plan that follows the requirements of the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp and its derivatives such as CBD.

SB 185 by State Senator Mike McGuire allows for the creation of proprietary appellations for cannabis grown in certain geographical areas of California. In the same way that appellations are currently done for wine, the bill applies prohibitions against misrepresentation of county of origin and appellation of origin to the use of names that are likely to mislead consumers as to the kind of cannabis they are purchasing.

SB 223 by State Senator Jerry Hill allows parents to give medical cannabis to their children while on school campuses. Although parents were allowed to give their children medical marijuana previously it was not allowed on school campuses requiring parents to take their children off the school grounds in order to administer cannabis.

The bill, called Jojo’s Act, is named after a South San Francisco High School student with a form of severe epilepsy who was having up to 50 seizures a day. To prevent his debilitating and life-threatening seizures, his mother had to take him off campus to give him a dose of cannabis oil.

The law takes effect on Jan 1, 2020, but each school district will have the final say on whether they'll allow it. Students would need a doctor's note and parents would have to bring the medical cannabis to school rather than store it there. It would also have to be in a non-smoking form like a capsule.

SB305 Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act or Ryan’s Law introduced by State Senator Ben Hueso would have required certain health care facilities to allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis on site. Concerned that health care facilities would be at risk of losing Medicare and Medicaid funds if they allowed use of federally illegal cannabis, Governor Newsom vetoed the bill writing “This bill would create significant conflicts between federal and state laws that cannot be taken lightly,”

As part of his veto message the Governor protested having to sign it as “It is inconceivable that the federal government continues to regard cannabis as having no medicinal value,” further stating that its “ludicrous stance puts patients and those who care for them in an unconscionable position.”

SB 595 by State Senator Steven Bradford  requires state and local government agencies involved in the licensing of cannabis businesses to develop and implement a program to provide a deferral or waiver for application, licensing and renewal fees in order to further the enactment of local equity programs which provide technical and financial help for low-income, minorities and people who have been convicted of non-violent drug offenses.

AB 37 by Assembly Member Reggie Jones-Sawyer will allow cannabis companies to take tax deductions for business expenses.  Under current federal tax law Section 280E, cannabis businesses cannot deduct expenses from their taxes for business expenses which all other businesses are allowed to do. California had followed the same approach by not allowing cannabis businesses to deduct their expenses.

With the passage of AB 37, California will no longer follow Section 280E and will allow licensed cannabis businesses to deduct their business expenses. Note that it is “licensed” cannabis businesses – if they do not have a local and state license, they will still not be able to deduct their business expenses.

AB 404 by Assembly Member Mark Stone would allow testing laboratories to rectify minor errors in the testing process and to retest any sample.

AB 420 (that’s right 420) by Assembly Member Tom Lackey would authorize the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research to cultivate cannabis for use in its research programs. The research programs would include “the study of naturally occurring constituents of cannabis and synthetic compounds and to require the program to develop and conduct studies to examine the effects of cannabis, cannabinoids, and related constituents, and other behavioral health outcomes." It also authorizes controlled clinical trials to focus on examining testing methods for detecting harmful contaminants in cannabis, including mold and bacteria.

AB 858 by Assembly Member Marc Levine regulates cultivation canopy sizes for outdoor cultivation authorized by a Type 1C license. The bill allows a maximum size of 2,500 square feet or less of total canopy size, with the option to meet an alternative maximum threshold to be determined by the licensing authority of up to 25 mature plants.

AB 1291 by Assembly Member Reggie Jones-Sawyer requires a licensed cannabis business with 20 or more employees to enter into a labor peace agreement. The bill requires cannabis businesses with less than 20 employees to enter into a labor peace agreement within 60 days of employing its 20th employee.

As explained by attorney Ken Stratton, “A Labor Peace Agreement is essentially a contract between an employer and an organized labor union in which the employer agrees to help the union organize the employer’s workforce (i.e., unionize), for example by providing certain information or by agreeing not to disrupt certain union organizing efforts, in return for the union’s agreement not to strike or cause other disruption at the employer’s workplace during a union organizing campaign.”

AB 1529 by Assembly Member Evan Low requires that a standardized symbol be placed on all cannabis vape cartridges.

Signed by Governor Newsom was a ban on cannabis smoking in public conveyances that had been rolled into omnibus transportation bill AB 1810 making it illegal to smoke cannabis on any bus, taxicab, limousine, housecar, camper, or pedicab. Alcohol consumption was specifically allowed in the bill. Although consumption of cannabis on the tour buses is banned, it does not prevent the sampling of cannabis at the various stops along the way.

Although not strictly a cannabis law, SB 8 by State Senator Steve Glazer bans smoking tobacco and any other product, such as cannabis, in the approximately 300 California state beaches and state parks. It was promoted as an anti-littering bill as research and surveys have shown that about 70 percent of smokers habitually flick their butts onto the ground. The bill exempts smoking on roads and in parking areas. If caught smoking in any other area, the fine is $25.

OK there you have it. Now you can’t say you didn’t know because ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Brownie Mary Democrats Annual Awards Banquet

You are invited to attend The Brownie Mary Democrats of California’s annual Awards Banquet at the California Democratic Party’s State Endorsing Convention at the Long Beach Convention Center on Saturday, November 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Featured awardees and presenters:

State Senator Scott Wiener, long-time supporter of cannabis law reform and author of SB 34 which eliminated state taxes on cannabis provided free to veterans and financially challenged patients.

Anna Boyce – co-author of Prop. 215. As the face of Prop. 215 in TV commercials seen by millions of California voters, many have credited her as the reason Prop. 215 passed as it was her demeanor and authenticity as a retired white-haired nurse that convinced the voters who were sitting on the fence to get off on the side of supporting it.

Additional awardees and presenters will be announced over the next week.

The Awards Banquet will be held in the private banquet room of a nearby restaurant located just 6 blocks from the Long Beach Convention Center. As what would seem befitting for a cannabis organization, the restaurant is the very popular King’s Buffet featuring an all-you-can-eat delectable array of Chinese delights, a Mongolian grill, deserts and beverages.

Located at 520 Pine Ave., the restaurant is less than a 10-minute leisurely walk from the Long Beach Convention Center and, if driving there is a parking garage just ½ block from the restaurant with free parking.

The cost for the Awards Banquet is $25. Seating is limited so to make your reservation CLICK HERE.

If you come on down for the Awards Banquet, you might want to also consider coming on down during the day and take-in the California Democratic Party convention at the Long Beach Convention Center as it is open to all (you don’t have to be a Democrat) and there is no charge for admission. Although only registered delegates and those who have purchased observer passes can attend the delegate general sessions, all other events including the exhibit area, caucuses, committee meetings and hospitality suites are open to everyone.

Brownie Mary Democrats will have a booth in the Exhibit Hall so be sure to stop by to visit and receive a free marijuana leaf necklace and register to win a deluxe cannabis gift basket.

MAPP NOVEMBER MEETINGS

An in-depth review of the newly passed legislation, an intriguing look into Russian oligarchs investment into cannabis businesses in the United State and a that-was-the-month-that-was review of cannabis news will be the focus of the Palm Springs and Joshua Tree MAPP meetings.

There is always great camaraderie at the meetings with thought-provoking discussions and that unique humor that always pervades cannabis meetings. We will also be revealing more plans for MAPP’s 20^th Anniversary Party on Saturday, Dec. 7.

The Palm Springs/Coachella Valley MAPP meeting will be held on Saturday, November 2 at 12 noon at the mystical Crystal Fantasy, 268 N. Palm Canyon, Palm Springs CA 92262. Note that Palm Canyon will be closed for the Palm Springs Gay Pride Festival. Parking will be available but you will probably have to park a couple blocks away and walk to Crystal Fantasy. After the meeting you can join the thousands of attendees and walk along Palm Canyon and enjoy the hundreds of food, craft, organizational and specialty booths and the free and somewhat outrageous entertainment.

The Joshua Tree/Yucca Valley MAPP meeting will be held on Saturday, November 2 at 3 p.m. at the legendary Beatnik Lounge, 61597 Twenty-Nine Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree CA 92252.

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The Cannabis Compassionate Use Tax Act

End taxation of donated medical marijuana

Please take 120 seconds to contact Governor Newsom and urge him to sign SB 34, which would exempt compassionate care programs from paying state cannabis taxes when they are providing free medical cannabis to financially disadvantaged people living with serious health conditions. Last session, the measure was vetoed by Governor Brown.

SB34 has passed both the Senate and the Assembly and now sits on Governor Newsom's desk awaiting his signature.

Background info on this bill is printed below but rather then make you scroll all the way to the bottom for info on how to contact Gov. Newsom, I will give it to you right here. There are two ways: phone and email.

PHONE

To contact Gov. Newsom by phone call: (916) 445-2841. When you do you will be asked to choose your language and then press 6 to tell the Governor to sign SB 34. You will be placed on hold until a real live person, not a voice-recorder, answers the phone. When they speak to you tell them to let Governor Newsom know that you want him to sign SB 34, the Cannabis Compassionate Use Tax Act. That’s all you have to say – they don’t want to hear anymore although you can certainly say more if you want. Calls can only be made Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For those so inclined an interesting probably very effective way is to send a FAX. In the FAX just write: Please sign SB 34, the Cannabis Compassionate Use Tax Act. You can write more if you want, but it is not necessary. The FAX number is: (916) 558-3160.

EMAIL

An email can be sent anytime. Sending an email is easy but here are a few instructions to make it even easier. Note the part below about choosing a subject - this is important for your Sign SB 34 comment to be recorded.

When you get on the Governor's website, there is a comment form. Check comment then fill in name and email address and then chose subject. Now here is where it gets fun. Scroll way way way down the different subjects to SB00034 Cannabis Donations. Click on it and then click on Continue.

On the next page check the PRO box and then write your message. Please sign SB 34, the Cannabis Compassionate Use Tax Act. That’s all you have to write, but feel free to write more up to 6000 characters. Then click on Send Message and that’s it. You have done your part to help get this important reform to Prop. 64 implemented.

READY TO DO YOUR PART? TO SEND AN EMAIL CLICK HERE.

I understand that the Governor has some concerns about this legislation so it is critical that he hear from constituents that he should sign it. He has until Oct. 13 to sign the legislation into law so your action is needed now!

Like I wrote, it won’t take more then 120 seconds to send an email. A phone call might take a bit longer waiting for a real live person to answer the phone, but it’s worth it if you can.

Alright if you want the background info on SB 34 – here it is courtesy of CaNORML.

Due to an oversight in how Proposition 64 was drafted, these not-for-profit donation programs that have been serving medical cannabis patients for decades are now being forced to pay taxes meant for businesses, which are forcing these charity programs to shut down.

Following the passage of Prop 215 in 1996, which legalized medical use of cannabis in California, not-for-profit compassionate care programs started providing free cannabis to financially-disadvantaged individuals with medical cannabis recommendations for illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and other life-threatening conditions. Cultivators and retailers donate the cannabis to these programs, which then provide the cannabis for free to patients who are already struggling under significant medical expenses.

With the enactment of Prop 64, which legalized the adult use of cannabis in California, taxes were put in place for both adult use and medical use of cannabis. These taxes were designed to be applied to all cannabis that enters the commercial market, which compassionate use cannabis does not enter because it is neither bought nor sold. However, due to an ambiguity in drafting of Prop 64, there is no way for cannabis designated for compassionate use to avoid being assessed the cultivation tax. That means that compassionate care programs are forced to pay high taxes on a product that is neither bought nor sold, effectively crippling the compassionate care programs and leading to mass closures of these donation-based programs.

The bill would exempt qualifying compassionate care programs from state cultivation and excise taxes, by allowing licensed retailers and delivery services to facilitate compassionate care programs for medical patients. All donations must be marked as donations in the track-and-trace system and will remain subject to existing testing and packaging requirements.

SB 34 has passed both the Senate and the Assembly and is now sitting atop Gov. Newsom's desk waiting for him to sign it. As I wrote above, the Governor has apparently expressed some reservations so it is critical that he hear from YOU that he should SIGN SB34. He has until Oct. 13 to sign it, but don't wait until the last minute to contact Governor Newsom.

Now you know it all. If you haven’t contacted the Governor’s office, now is the time. Once again here is how to do it.

PHONE

To contact Gov. Newsom by phone call: (916) 445-2841. When you do you will be asked to choose your language and then press 6 to tell the Governor to sign SB 34. You will be placed on hold until a real live person, not a voice-recorder, answers the phone. When they speak to you ask them to tell Governor Newsom that you want him to sign SB 34, the Cannabis Compassionate Use Tax Act. That’s all you have to say – they don’t want to hear anymore although you can certainly say more if you want. Calls can only be made Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For those so inclined an interesting and very effective way is to send a FAX. In the FAX just write: Please sign SB 34, the Cannabis Compassionate Use Tax Act. You can write more if you want, but it is not necessary. The FAX number is: (916) 558-3160.

EMAIL

An email can be sent anytime. Sending an email is easy but here are a few instructions to make it even easier. Note the part below about choosing a subject - this is important for your Sign SB 34 comment to be recorded.

When you get on the Governor's website, there is a comment form. Check comment then fill in name and email address and then chose subject. Now here is where it gets fun. Scroll way way way down the different subjects to SB00034 Cannabis Donations. Click on it and then click on Continue.

On the next page check the PRO box and then write your message. Please sign SB 34, the Cannabis Compassionate Use Tax Act. That’s all you have to write, but feel free to write more up to 6000 characters. Then click on Send Message and that’s it. You have done your part to help get this important reform to Prop. 64 implemented.

READY TO DO YOUR PART? TO SEND AN EMAIL CLICK HERE.

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I am a long-time marijuana smoker having started over 50 years ago. Over the last 20 years I have also been a prodigious marijuana smoker imbibing multiple times every day. I have used it primarily to treat anxiety, reduce stress and to enjoyably alter my consciousness.

Some might claim that I am addicted to marijuana. Addiction is defined online at dictionary.com as “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.” 

I recently had the opportunity to determine if I was addicted. On September 9 I took off from LAX for 10 days of snorkeling, hiking and sightseeing in Maui. Flying with marijuana has always been fraught with fears of arrest and even in these days of tolerance as legalization continues to make advances, being caught with some bud can cause problems. 

I have always been super cautious as I appear to be a “person-of-interest” when it comes to inspections. Twice when flying, twice when returning from an ocean cruise and more times than I can remember when crossing the border into the U.S. from either Mexico or Canada, I have been pulled from the line of people waiting to be inspected to be taken to a private room where a government agent conducted a personal inspection of my luggage.   Over the last couple years, when I arrived at my destination or returned home from flights, I have found notices enclosed in my luggage that they had been inspected by government agents.

As a consequence, I never have any cannabis on my person or in my luggage where I am likely to undergo an inspection. Usually when I arrive at my destination, like when I was in Washington DC last March to attend Americans for Safe Access National Unity Conference, it was easy to score marijuana so I didn’t go without. Unfortunately, this was not to happen on my trip to Maui,

In the land of the fabled Maui-Wowie one might think it would be relatively easy to score, but it is not. Although medical marijuana is legal in Hawaii, I was informed that there was only one legal dispensary in Maui and that my medical marijuana recommendation from a California doctor would not cut it in the “Aloha state.” Not knowing anyone living there, I had no local sources to score for me.

I wasn’t about to hang around sleezy bars, dim alleys or any other usual haunts where marijuana may be found so for the next 10 days, I went without so much as a single hit. It is the longest period of non-consumption that I can remember enduring over at least the last 25 years.

I was soon to find out if I was addicted to marijuana to the extent that I was “enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.” 

“Trauma” is a very subjective word, but one definition found in Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury.” Fair enough – trauma can be psychological as well as physical so did I experience physical and/or psychological trauma when I ceased consuming for 10 days?

There were no tremors, sweats, shaking, nausea, vomiting and hallucinations which are commonly associated with abstinence from alcohol or other addictive substances that had been consumed consistently over a long period of time. Even though some anti-cannabis aficionados may go overboard in describing the perils of cannabis, most of the reefer-madness crowd of drug warriors admit that the physical manifestations of marijuana withdrawal are minor.

Not so for the psychological withdrawal symptoms. Claims of psychological addiction to marijuana are the stock-in-trade for groups like SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) which claim that marijuana withdrawal symptoms run the gamut from weakness, hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness), and psychomotor retardation to anxiety, restlessness, depression, and insomnia.

During the entire 10 days I experienced no weakness, no hypersomnia or the slowing of my ability to do things. Although I do use marijuana to treat anxiety, I didn’t seem to develop any when I was not able to use it. Further I had no problems falling asleep. Although cannabis does indeed help with these concerns, I probably had none due to the fact that I spent my entire Maui stay snorkeling, hiking and exploring so that by the end of the day, being 73, I was too worn down to have any energy left for anxiety and all my body wanted to do was get a good night’s sleep.

As for being depressed, I wouldn’t say I was depressed when I couldn’t find any marijuana, but I was disappointed.  If I had really been craving it, I would certainly have been out scrounging around and no doubt I would found it, but I was not about to sacrifice time away from swimming with fishes or hiking in the rainforest to search out some local bud.

Did I miss smoking marijuana? I sure did, but I like to compare it to chocolate milk shakes. I love chocolate milk shakes – they are a culinary delight that is a definite physical sensory pleasure of the highest order. One could say I was addicted to them as I would drink three to four chocolate milk shakes a week.

The problem is there are over 1,000 calories in an average milk shake and here I was consuming over a day’s worth of calories every week in just chocolate milk shakes. Not good so I cut my milk shake consumption down to one a month at most.

When I pretty much cease drinking them, I had no physical withdrawal symptoms. But I did have psychological symptoms because I liked drinking them and when I stopped, I missed drinking them. Cannabis is the same way – when I stopped smoking cannabis, I missed smoking because I so enjoy smoking. For example, I am writing this missive totally stoned not because it helps me write better, but because I so thoroughly enjoy being stoned that it makes the time spent writing more entertaining, exciting and enjoyable.

I miss consuming marijuana but that is not depression and it certainly is not the result of substance addiction. When you stop doing something you like, stop consuming something you like or stop seeing someone you like, you just miss it – it doesn’t mean you were addicted.

I am now back from Maui and have resumed my daily multiple consumption of cannabis. Unlike chocolate milk shakes which are bad for me because of all the saturated fat, sodium and sugar contained in each 1,000+ calorie shake, cannabis provides multiple health benefits. Reducing the risk of cancer, strengthening the immune system, facilitating neurogenesis (creation of new nerve cells), enabling a good night’s sleep, mitigating depression without anti-psychotics and in the elderly slowing the development of Alzheimer’s, treating glaucoma, providing chronic pain relief and lessening movement disorders.

Further because it is so fun and relaxing, it promotes socialization and consciousness alteration without the use of alcohol. One might reasonably conclude that it is a bad thing that cannabis is not addicting. Imagine how healthy our communities would be if exercise, eating veggies and consuming cannabis were addicting.

It is good that I was able to quit smoking marijuana without any withdrawal symptoms because it is not addicting, but not smoking marijuana for 10 days was not good for my health. I certainly hope that the day will come when traveling with marijuana is as de rigueur as traveling with clean underwear.

I also hope the day will come when I can travel without fear of incessant inspections and am no longer a person-of-interest. 

October Palm Springs & Joshua Tree MAPP Meetings

Latest Medical Marijuana Updates

Ruth Hill from Holistic Caring will make a special presentation on several medical marijuana issues. She will provide updates on the newest medical marijuana products and a comparison of truefarma and truefarmacbd websites. Of special interest will be an explanation of the relationship between cannabis and anticoagulants. She will also provide the latest information on using cannabis for diabetes.

A special item for discussion will be planning for MAPP's 20th Anniversary celebration in December. Join in to help plan a party to remember.

Circle Saturday, October 5 on your calendars and do whatever it is you do to set reminders in your smart phones. Cookies, milk, punch will be available plus win a pipe and a cannabis book,

The Palm Springs/Coachella Valley MAPP meeting will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 12 noon at the mystical Crystal Fantasy, 268 N. Palm Canyon, Palm Springs CA 92262.

The Joshua Tree/Yucca Valley MAPP meeting will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. at the legendary Beatnik Lounge, 61597 Twenty-Nine Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree CA 92252.

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TRUMP THUMBS UP TO END FEDERAL MJ PROHIBITION

I have written about the very real possibility of federal marijuana prohibition coming to an end by 2020.  It is truly one of the few bipartisan issues being considered by Congress with both the House of Representatives and the Senate considering a number of bills that will end it once and for all. It is likely to pass the House if and when it comes up for a vote, but the fly in the ointment has always been what will Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell do in the Senate and will President Trump sign it.

We still do not know what McConnell will do but Trump has now made it very clear that he will sign almost any legislation that gets to his desk. Trump issued one of his trademark repetitive comments affirming that “We’re going to see what’s going on. It’s a very big subject and right now we are allowing states to make that decision. A lot of states are making that decision, but we’re allowing states to make that decision.”

No doubt politics plays a role in his decision but in this case it is aimed at voters who are not part of his base as there are no chants of “free the weed” at his rallies. Hopefully he will put pressure on McConnell to let whatever bill gets to the Senate from the House come up for a vote so he can boast how, along with criminal justice reform, his administration supports ending federal marijuana prohibition.

To read the full story of this breath-taking step towards putting the final nail in the coffin of marijuana prohibition CLICK HERE.

FREE DOWNLOAD OF

Completed in 2016 on the cusp of cannabis legalization in California, "Mary Jane, A Musical Potumentary” is “The Big Lebowski” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” morphed into the “La La Land” of cannabis legalization. A cameo from Ed Asner and 16 original songs create a most remarkable and fun movie shining a bright light on the cannabis culture which drove the economy of northern California’s “Emerald Triangle” for more than 40 years.

The film follows Mary Jane who left San Francisco after the “Summer of Love” in 1967 to become a ‘back to the land’ farmer in Humboldt County. Now she is struggling to come to terms with her life as a grower and mother in a black market economy where she has raised her son with cannabis farming as his only career option.

With legalization just around the corner, the film slyly asks will the corporations move in and take over? And will it be boom – or bust?

Never released for mainstream viewing in theatres across the country, it is now undergoing possible revision for a new and updated release. Sam Clauder, the film’s Executive Producer, has made the entire film available on Youtube.com. CLICK HERE to see the film’s three-minute trailer and CLICK HERE to see the film in all it’s wide screen glory. Sam has asked that you post your positive comments on the Youtube.com site and email your ideas for improvement and negative comments directly to [email protected].

Hook your computer up to your big screen TV, roll some joints, pack your pipe and fill your vaporizer then make some popcorn and snacks and settle back for one of the most extraordinary and entertaining cannabis films ever made.

September MAPP meetings

Cannabis Cultivation & Raids in Anza

Saturday, September 7

Palm Springs at 12 noon and Joshua Tree at 3 p.m.

Cannabis cultivation is a passion and a business for many in the Anza Valley. On Saturday, Sept. 7 Edison Gomez from the High Country Growers Association will be the featured speaker at the monthly meetings of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project at Crystal Fantasy in downtown Palm Springs at 12 noon and at the Beatnik Lounge in Joshua Tree at 3 p.m.

The Anza Valley is a beautiful and idyllic sparsely populated locale nestled in the Santa Rosa Mountains 40 miles southwest of Palm Springs and 90 miles northeast of San Diego. Long a small agricultural community with an ideal climate and rural location, it has for many years been a mecca for cannabis cultivation. With the advent of Prop. 64, many of the growers there have sought to legitimize their endeavors through inclusion in Riverside County's newly developed commercial cultivation ordinance, but have been thwarted by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

Not letting a murder investigation that had begun in the area on Tuesday evening interfere, approximately 80 search warrants were served on cannabis cultivators on Wednesday, June 5. With a staging area established at the local Hamilton High School in the unincorporated town of Anza, over 600 personnel including deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's office, Army National Guard, Code Enforcement and Animal Control and other public safety agencies swarmed over the rural area serving warrants, confiscating crops and arresting local residents

Mr. Gomez will present a fascinating history of cannabis cultivation in the Anza Valley and insights into a community under siege. He will provide a first-hand account of the raid including why it happened, how the raid was conducted, who was affected and the how community is coming together to deal with its aftermath.

The Palm Springs/Coachella Valley MAPP meeting will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 12 noon at the mystical Crystal Fantasy, 268 N. Palm Canyon, Palm Springs CA 92262.

The Joshua Tree/Yucca Valley MAPP meeting will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. at the legendary Beatnik Lounge, 61597 Twenty-Nine Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree CA 92252.

There is no charge to attend and all are welcome. Milk and cookies will be served.

September is Sizzling!

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#marijuana #marijuananews #cannabis #trump #anza #MAPP #marijuanalegalization #MaryJanemovie

The Only Way Not to Get Busted for Smoking Cannabis in Public Places

but where the hell are they?

One of the major problems of Prop. 64 is the provision that bans any consumption in public places. That means that streets, parks and almost all places that the public has access to, including private businesses, are verboten to consume cannabis.

This includes smoking in your car just before you go to a movie, concert or a restaurant. In fact smoking in a parked car could be even more problematic then smoking on the street or in a park as the police officer could reasonably conclude that you were consuming prior to driving which would make the offense possibly more serious.

Fines of up to $100 can be levied if you are cited while consuming cannabis in a public place.

The only place you can legally consume is in a private home or a licensed cannabis lounge. However there are very few licensed cannabis lounges due to the requirement of Prop. 64 that a facility offering on-site consumption must possess either a retail sales license or a microbusiness license. As I am sure you are all aware, these are very difficult, costly and time consuming to obtain in addition to the number available being very limited if they are available at all.

This restriction is not found for alcohol or tobacco in which there are literally hundreds if not thousands of places in most cities and counties where you can consume these legally. Restaurants and other businesses can provide for tobacco consumption if they choose to have a designated smoking area available which is usually in open-air patios.

As for alcohol, restaurants and clubs can obtain liquor licenses or beer/wine licenses. As you probably know from your own observation there are lots of them out there but for the record in California there are almost 48,000 bar and  tavern licenses or about one business selling on-site consumption of alcohol for every 8,350 people.

Not having places other than one’s home to legally consume cannabis can make it especially difficult for people to consume cannabis at all if where they live cannabis consumption, especially smoking or vaping, is prohibited. This is true for many apartment dwellers and folks who live in Section 8 housing. Ellen Komp from CaNORML informed me that she was at a National Cannabis Industry Association conference in which the difficulties that seniors and the disabled have in regards to finding places in which they can legally consume cannabis was discussed.

Due to the Prop. 64 requirement mentioned above that a restaurant or business must have a retail cannabis license or microbusiness license, there are very few onsite cannabis consumption places available. A few dispensaries have obtained on-site consumption licenses and do have lounges but they are very few and far between. In addition Prop. 64 does not allow dispensaries to sell anything other than cannabis, so they cannot sell food or beverages.

Many allow their customers to bring their own food and beverages and some provide them free. It would seem only fair though that if customers can bring their own food and beverages to an on-site cannabis consumption lounge, then customers should be able to bring their own cannabis to an on-site food consumption business like a restaurant.

This glaring problem of practically nowhere to go to consume cannabis except home needs to be solved. An attempt to do this was undertaken in the 2019 State Legislature with the introduction of AB 1465. This bill would create a new license category known as a consumption cafe/lounge license. This license would allow the sale of cannabis products, but is different from a regular dispensary license as it would only allow sales of cannabis in amounts suitable for on-site consumption. It would also allow for food and beverage service.

The bill did pass the Business and Professions Committee but did not make it out of the Appropriations Committee. The bill will most likely be introduced again in the next legislative session, but even if it passes it is not likely that sufficient onsite consumption lounges will open up to meet the need for providing places where people can consume cannabis outside of their homes.

If a bill like AB 1465 allowing cannabis lounges that sell cannabis passes, it is likely that the regulations and licensing procedure for obtaining a cannabis café lounge license will be as complex, convoluted and expensive as obtaining a retail dispensary license. With the numbers most likely being as severely restricted as retail dispensary licenses, there will still be relatively few places available to consume cannabis outside the home.

Of course Prop. 64 could be amended to make public consumption of cannabis akin to public consumption of tobacco which is allowed on streets/sidewalks, specific areas of many businesses and in public parks and beaches unless prohibited by local ordinance. However that doesn’t allow for one of cannabis’s most major benefits to take effect.

As an RN, I have always been in favor of legalizing marijuana as it is the most viable alternative to alcohol for socialization, celebration and consciousness alteration. Depending on the size of a municipality, there are hundreds to thousands of bars, taverns and restaurants where a person or groups can go to consume alcohol.

If we truly want to reduce the negative consequences associated with alcohol consumption - unruly behavior, fights, sexual assaults, drunk driving and exceedingly negative health consequences resulting in over 80,000 deaths a year at a cost in the U.S. alone approaching a quarter trillion dollars every year – then there must be a significantly high enough number of these cannabis friendly businesses that people can go to in place of going to an alcohol based bar or tavern.

Although it may be possible to license enough cannabis café lounges that sell cannabis to reach that significant number of locations, I would caution against holding one’s breath waiting for that to happen. A far easier, less expensive and less restrictive option would be to allow businesses to have cannabis consumption areas in the same way they have tobacco consumption areas.

Although some bars and restaurants may sell tobacco most do not as tobacco vending machines have been outlawed. They do, however, allow their customers to bring their own tobacco with them for consumption in areas set aside for tobacco consumption.

In the same way, businesses can allow their customers to bring their own cannabis on the premises to consume in specific cannabis areas. Many businesses that do not sell alcohol would chose to allow cannabis consumption as it could significantly increase their customer base and most importantly the frequency in which customers return to their business.

The business would make money selling food and beverages and might even have a cover charge or at least a minimum food and beverage purchase requirement for admission. I have spoken with several owners of independent Starbuck’s like coffee shops that would welcome being able to set aside a portion of the business space for cannabis consumers who bring their own cannabis.

With less severe and restrictive licensing requirements then a business that would be selling cannabis, the number of licensed premises could easily reach the point where they will draw a significant number of people away from alcohol based bars and taverns.

Of course, legislation that will allow this will be strongly opposed by the alcohol industry which has always opposed the legalization of marijuana. They are well aware that if marijuana consumption is easily and affordably available that alcohol consumption will decrease significantly. This explains why some of the largest financial political contributions made to politicians and political action committees opposing marijuana legalization come from alcohol businesses and trade associations.

Businesses which allow marijuana to be consumed on the premises but not sell it should increase the sales at retail cannabis dispensaries as people will have to purchase their cannabis from them before going to a business that permits onsite cannabis consumption but doesn’t sell it. As for the handful of dispensaries that obtain a cannabis lounge license, they will be in the very unique situation of being able to sell cannabis to their customers in the same way a bar sells alcohol to its customers. That novelty in and of itself should draw in significant numbers of customer all of which will continue to add to the decrease in alcohol consumption.

To make this happen will require amending Prop. 64 by the state legislature. I am beginning the process with the introduction of a resolution at the August 23 - 25 California Democratic Party’s Executive Board meeting in San Jose. If it passes, and I think it will, we will then go to asupportive State Senators and Assembly members to draft and introduce legislation in support of the Party’s resolution. To read the resolution CLICK HERE.

As noted above, having a plethora of onsite consumption locations available is important for the health and safety of our community. For that reason alone as well as providing legal places to consume cannabis, the introduction and passage of a bill allowing for onsite consumption businesses as described above is critical.

AUGUST MAPP MEETINGS

Hear all the newest riverting cannabis news political, social and health plus onsite consumption updates and actions to take in the IE to make it happen where you live!

It’s hot outside but the MAPP meetings are really cool. Lots has been happening on the federal level as we inch closer to ending federal marijuana prohibition. Some action happening on the state level too regarding dispensaries, delivery services, compassion programs and yes cannabis café bills – can the Beatnik Café become a legal cannabis lounge – it could happen.

Join with old friends, meet new ones, network with activists, cultivators and consumers and enter the drawing to win a silicone pipe and Dr. Fitchner’s Cannabinomics. Plus enjoy a delightful assortment of cookies with cold milk and punch.

The Palm Springs/Coachella Valley MAPP meeting Saturday, August 3 at 12 noon takes place at the  mystical Crystal Fantasy, 268 N. Palm Canyon, downtown Palm Springs CA 92262

The Joshua Tree/Yucca Valley MAPP meeting Saturday, August 3 at 3 p.m. takes place at the legendary Beatnik Lounge, 61597 Twenty-Nine Palms Hwy., Joshua Tree CA 92252

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ORDER TICKETS NOW & SAVE 20% BY ENTERING MAPP IN PROMO CODE BOX