Many people use cannabis for pain management, but a new study finds that people who used cannabis before surgery needed more anesthesia during surgery and experienced increased recovery pain.

There is some evidence that cannabis may be beneficial for chronic and nerve pain. However, early research suggests that this is not the case for acute pain such as for surgery of a broken leg…This study shows that it is important for patients to tell their physician anesthesiologist if they have used cannabis products prior to surgery to ensure they receive the best anesthesia and pain control possible, including the use of non-opioid alternatives…”

Dr. Ian Holmen, lead author and anesthesiology resident at the University of Colorado Hospital

Presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the study examined the painkiller needs of people who had used cannabis in some form and those who had not after surgery for a broken leg. People who reported cannabis use were given 58% more opioids per day in the hospital and reported greater levels of pain on a scale of 1 to 10. During the surgery, cannabis users needed 12.4 more milliliters of anesthesia during surgery.

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Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is on the record indicating that the federal administration will likely be addressing the legalization of marijuana soon. In a television interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernen, Gottlieb said there’s…

…probably going to be a policy reckoning around this at some point in the future. Obviously, it’s happening at the state level, and I think there’s an inevitability that it’s going to happen at the federal level at some point soon…”

It’s possible that the commissioner is referring to a proposed bill that would exempt state-legal marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act. President Trump expressed approval of the bill back in June of 2018, and federal opposition to marijuana could ahve also lessened further with the departure of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Gottlieb was unable to provide any additional insight into federal marijuana policy, adding, “Unfortunately I don’t have anything additional to share.”

What They Have Approved

It’s useful to look at what the U.S. government has legalized. Marijuana in any of its forms is illegal. Even though cannabidiol (CBD) doesn’t contain the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that gets users high, it’s only legal under three circumstances – when it is extracted from the parts of the cannabis plant not considered marijuana, when it is produced for research purposes, and when it has been approved for the FDA for medical use. According to the commissioner, FDA approval of marijuana products has happened.

We have approved compounds derived from marijuana, but there is no demonstrated medical use of botanical marijuana. That’s the bottom line.”

So what does botanical mean? A botanical drug is classified as a finished product or medicine that contains plant matter. Three medications using synthetic THC have been approved, but only one drug containing natural CBD medication has been approved by the FDA, Epidiolex from GW Pharmaceuticals in the U.K.

Much has been made of the lack of scientific study and data to back medical claims regarding cannabis and CBD, in large part due to the difficulties of conducting peer-reviewed research on illegal substances. That looks to be changing though, as the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report earlier in the year declaring that naturally occurring CBD is safe and well tolerated in humans (and animals) and not associated with any negative public health effects. The report also touted the compound’s potential as a treatment for epilepsy. While this is not the only study to report positive outcomes from CBD, the WHO is a leader in scientific research and worldwide policy often takes their recommendations into account.

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Slow Change and Momentum

It was big news when our northern neighbors legalized marijuana in all of its forms on October 17, making Canada only the second country in the world to do so. It remains to be seen if sharing a border with a country containing legally obtainable weed will have any influence on the state of marijuana reform in the U.S. After the 2018 midterms, legalized recreational marijuana is available in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

It’s difficult to know with our current administration where federal policy will end up on the legalization spectrum. Their most vocal marijuana opponent is gone, and Trump is on the record as “probably will end up supporting that” in response to a bill favorable towards cannabis. But who knows if that means anything?

Sources:

• Federal Marijuana Action Is An ‘Inevitability,’ Trump FDA Chief Says – Marijuana Moment
• Here Are All the States That Have Legalized Weed in the U.S. – Esquire
• Uruguay was the first country to fully legalize marijuana – Vox
• Marijuana Law, Policy, and Authority – Vanderbilt University Law School
• WHO Report Finds No Public Health Risks Or Abuse Potential For CBD – Forbes

Memos and emails obtained by Buzzfeed News show the current administration attempting to reverse positive public support of cannabis. In August BuzzFeed News reported on a secretive marijuana committee operated by the White House with the purpose of spreading negative attitudes toward marijuana and portraying the plant as dangerous. Buzzfeed says the Trump administration was evasive when BuzzFeed News attempted to confirm reports on the secretive marijuana committee. But Buzzfeed News now reports that:

…the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has acknowledged the committee’s existence in a letter to a Democratic senator seeking information in light of BuzzFeed News’ report.”

The Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee was reportedly directed to ignore positive health effects and societal benefits of marijuana use. But The Hill reports that the White House denies only seeking negative information on marijuana:

“I assure you that ONDCP seeks all perspectives, positive or negative, when formulating Administration policy. You have my full and firm commitment that ONDCP will be completely objective and dispassionate in collecting all relevant facts and peer-reviewed scientific research on all drugs, including marijuana.” – ONDCP acting Director James Carroll wrote in a letter sent to Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet.

BuzzFeed News reported in August on memos sent to federal agencies seeking only negative information on marijuana. The memos asked for data that shows only “the most significant negative trends” on cannabis. The committee stated in one memo it wanted to reverse the trend of increasing marijuana usage.

Staff believe that if the administration is to turn the tide on increasing marijuana use there is an urgent need to message the facts about the negative impacts of marijuana use, production, and trafficking on national health, safety, and security.” – quoted from comittee meeting summery, posted on Buzzfeed News

In 2012, Colorado legalized cannabis and kickstarted a multibillion-dollar industry with every product imaginable — brownies, gummy bears, granola bars, even lube! But to say that we’ve “legalized cannabis” is mistaken — we’ve commercialized THC. In this fascinating talk, expert Ben Cort examines the impacts of this growing new industry on everything from policing & arrest rates to LGBTQ issues. Sober since 1996, Ben Cort has seen the devastation that substance abuse can bring first hand as well as the joy that is recovery. He spent the last 10 years inside nonprofit drug treatment and education programs like Phoenix Multisport, Stout Street Foundation, and The University of Colorado Hospital. He is the author of Weed, INC., a professional speaker, and a frequent guest in the media. Ben is a husband, father of three, and an avid sportsman. He enjoys fly fishing, hunting, mountaineering, and bike racing.

Takeaways:

• CBD is where most of the medical benefits are, but we prefer the psychoactive THC
• The cannabis we use is not “natural,” it’s far too high in THC
• Beware of the chemical being used to grow the plants
• Rich white people are controlling the market
• Denver’s pot business caters mostly to low-income, minority neighborhoods
• Marijuana-related youth arrest rates have increased among minorities
  • African Americans +58%
  • Hispanics +29%
  • Caucasian -8%

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Two papers published in April in JAMA Internal Medicine that analyzed more than five years of Medicare Part D and Medicaid prescription data found that when states allow for the use of marijuana the number of opioid prescribed, and the daily usage of opioids, reduced significantly. What we don’t know is if patients are gravitating towards weed or if doctors are the driving force.

In this time when we are so concerned—rightly so—about opiate misuse and abuse and the mortality that’s occurring, we need to be clear-eyed and use evidence to drive our policies. If you’re interested in giving people options for pain management that don’t bring the particular risks that opiates do, states should contemplate turning on dispensary-based cannabis policies.” – W. David Bradford, an economist at the University of Georgia, author of one of the studies.

We have seen this correlation in other research but the new research includes much larger datasets.

One of the new studies stated that people on Medicare filled 14 percent fewer prescriptions for opioids after medical marijuana laws were passed in their states. The second study found that Medicaid enrollees filled nearly 40 fewer opioid prescriptions per 1,000 people each year after their state passed any law making cannabis accessible—with greater drops seen in states that legalized both medical and recreational marijuana.” – Scientific America

A recent Pew survey states 61 percent of Americans now favor legalizing marijuana. Currently, there are nine states that allow marijuana use with no restrictions, and 20 other U.S. states allow for medicinal marijuana. The states with medical marijuana laws vary in how restrictive marijuana use is. States that have marijuana dispensaries had the greatest decrease in opioid prescriptions. States that allow for medical marijuana but do not have active dispensaries did not realize the same dramatic decline, but opioid use was still down for those more restrictive states.

That makes sense, Bradford noted. There’s a big difference between telling someone they can pick up a prescription at a local pharmacy and telling someone they should go pick up some plants and grow them at home for a few months, often with little help or support.” – Discovery Campus

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Vermont is set to legalize adult use of marijuana. The House of Representatives voted on the 11th of Janurary to legalize possession and home cultivation of marijuana plants. The measure would not allow marijuana sales, but the Green Mountain State is poised to make history as the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana by legislation, as opposed to being done by the popular vote. Vermount will become the ninth state in the country to allow recreational marijuana.

Every other state, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Maine and Massachusetts, along with Washington, D.C., bypassed reluctant lawmakers to legalize recreational marijuana via ballot initiative.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott is planning to sign the bill this week. The legislation would allow adults (21 and up)  to possess up to one ounce of marijuana or five grams of hash, and for the cultivation of up to two mature and four immature plants in one’s home. It would remain illegal to smoke cannabis in a public place or while operating a vehicle.

The bill doesn’t permit commercial sales.

All eight states that legalized marijuana via ballot initiatives have or will soon have regulated sales and cultivation up and running. Only Washington D.C., which legalized adult use in 2014, doesn’t have a regulated market. While selling cannabis products is technically not permitted in D.C., a thriving ‘gift economy’ has emerged thanks to a loophole: A store can sell a T-shirt for $45, and give some cannabis as a ‘gift’ with the purchase.”

Sources:

• Vermont Senate gives final OK to marijuana bill, governor’s desk next – USA Today
• Vermont Is the First State to Legalize Marijuana Through Legislation – Freedom Leaf

Is She Targeted to Be Mary Jane’s Martyred Sister?

Alaska was the first state in the union to pass a law legalizing the use of marijuana. In the 1970s, a law was passed authoring in-home use. In 1998, a law was passed pertaining to medical use. In 2014, a law was passed making Alaska the third state in the union to legalize recreational use.

The latest law legalized the manufacture, sale, and possession of marijuana. One would think Alaska was through with prosecuting its citizens for the possession or sale of marijuana. Tell that to Charlo Greene, president and CEO of the Alaska Cannabis Club who faces a possible 54-year prison term for 14 counts related to the sale of marijuana.

Greene, the registered owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, is a former on-air reporter for KTVA news. While airing a news report about the Alaska Cannabis Club on September 22, 2014, she identified herself as its owner and dramatically quit her job, saying, “Everything you heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska. And as for this job, well, fuck it. I have a choice but, fuck it, I quit.” She then walked off camera leaving a co-worker to stumble through apologies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBPsbgKeIFM

This event took place just weeks before the 2014 vote on legalization. Green believes the viral video helped bring in the 53% win for recreational legalization. The Alaska Cannabis Club was raided well after the law took effect.

Although Alaska passed laws legalizing the use and sale of marijuana, regulations and licensing for its sale lagged behind. Currently, the state has approved 83 licenses, 17 of which are for retail businesses. The first retail stores are scheduled to open in November 2016, two years after the final legalization law passed – 40 + years after the first law legalizing its use.

The Associated Press quoted Greene as saying, “We don’t sell any recreational marijuana. We don’t sell any medical marijuana. This is a place for cardholders to come and share their own cannabis.” It is unclear how the club worked and Greene declined to explain the details. Knowing how the “justice system” works due to our own experience, we can certainly support her decision to keep the details to herself prior to her day in court.

In September of 2015, Greene was charged with 8 counts, which could bring a total of 24 years in prison. She listed them as follows:

• 4 felonies: each carrying a potential 5-year term
• 4 misdemeanors: each carrying a year each
• All of the charges are for possessing small amounts cannabis
• All of the charges and allegations were made after Alaska legalized cannabis.

Since that time, her charges have changed, and not for the better. On September 29, she made the following post on her Facebook page: “I just found out I’m facing an additional 6 felonies – 30 more years. That <sic> 54 years in prison for a plant. Aaaaand the attorney I paid to handle my case, who’s been working it for the last year, just let me know she’s quitting to join the prosecution and not giving me back any of the money she was paid to finish my case.”

The lawyer who is now working for the district attorney’s office, was the 4^th lawyer Greene has hired to represent her for these charges.

The following is the timeline of events according to Greene:

• Alaska Cannabis Club was created on April 20, 2014
• Incorporation papers were filed on May 4, 2014
• November 4 of 2014, Alaska legalized recreational use of marijuana
• September 22, 2014, Greene made “fuck it” speech on air, quitting her job
• February 24, 2015, Alaska’s new law legalizing recreational use took effect
• March 20, 2015, Anchorage Police Department (APD) made their first raid on the Alaska Cannabis Club
• August 20, 2015, APD again raided the Alaska Cannabis Club
• September 2015, initial charges
• September 29, 2016,  new additional charges
• February 26, 2016,  arrested at Canadian Border for alleged marijuana residue in purse

In a video, Ms. Greene states, “Each time the officers acted outside of the scope of the warrant, conducting unlawful body searches on patients, threatening all patients and club volunteers with arrest if they didn’t consent to taking mug shot-like photos on the scene, destroying cameras, seizing vehicles not included in the warrant, and not leaving the lawfully required notice behind. “

“What’s more, in order to secure the ten felonies and four misdemeanors I was charged with for creating the Alaska Cannabis Club, the prosecutor blatantly lied to the grand jury, telling them that the Alaska Cannabis Club was a sole proprietorship, so there was no corporate liability shield.”

Meanwhile, another previous shop owner who was previously prosecuted claims that 6 months in prison, 6 months of in-home detention, and 1 year of probation has become the common sentence handed down for these cases in Alaska. Why are they throwing the book at Greene?

On February 25, 2016, Greene was detained and strip-searched at the Canadian border. Customs officials allegedly found marijuana residue mixed with lint at the bottom of her purse. She was charged with “suspicion of smuggling marijuana residue” and sent back to the United States after being held in customs for 9 hours. Charges were dropped, but entry to Canada was denied on this and on a later occasion.

Green’s Cannabis Freedom Fund has raised a mere $2,806 dollars from 80 contributors in 16 days. She fought back tears in her video when she disclosed that of the 4,000 medical marijuana card holders her club serviced, only one stood up for her in court. (Click on the link above to make a donation.)

Where is the financial and emotional support for this woman who was awarded the High Times Courage in Media Award, a woman Elle identified as one of the “13 Most Potent Women in the Pot Industry”? A woman who stuck her neck out to help others when her state was failing to deliver the promise they made when they legalized marijuana use for medical purposes? A state that has now legalized it for recreational purposes?

It is time for a smart, savvy lawyer to step up and defend this young woman. It is time we rally around and give her our support. And it is well past time we repeal every ridiculous law criminalizing the use, possession, and sale of marijuana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeXVzuipNqA

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Sources:

• ‘F**k It, I Quit’ Anchor Explains Her Dramatic Exit – Huffington Post
• Cannabis Freedom Fund – Charlo Greene – Generosity by Indiegogo
• Reporter who quit on air to fight for pot legalization faces decades in prison – The Guardian
• Charlo Greene – Facebook
• Cannabis Freedom Fund – Charlo Greene – Generosity by Indiegogo 
• Police raid pot club owned by Alaska TV reporter who had infamous ‘I quit’ – The Cannabist
• Alaska Marijuana Activist Charlo Greene Arrested at Canadian Border – Cannibus Culture
• Charlo Greene – Interview: