First published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology on Dec. 12, 2022, a team of researchers led by Neal L. Benowitz discovered a link between THC-O acetate and significant danger to the lungs. THC-O acetate shares structural similarities with vitamin-E acetate—an additive that becomes dangerous to the lungs when converted by heat.

According to the California Department of Public Health, the 2019-20 outbreak of EVALI lung disease sickened and hospitalized 249 Californians—five of them fatally. On Nov. 15, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that vitamin E acetate is the likely culprit for EVALI. Vitamin E acetate also produces carcinogens such as alkenes and benzene when heated.

When heated in a vape pen, both substances—vitamin E acetate and THC-O Acetate—produce ketene, a “highly potent lung toxicant.”  

“We put out the press release specifically because of a study showing that vaporizing vitamin E acetate was similar to THC-O acetate,” Cal NORML Director Dale Gieringer told High Times.

 “Apparently when heated up, it produces a serious lung toxin called ketene.”

As cannabis consumers, we often have to filter through anti-cannabis hysteria, but certain risks hold weight when products aren’t regulated properly. Usually vaping dangers arise when random thickeners and unvetted compounds are added.

Gieringer added, “We have a lot of concerns about some of these other new cannabinoids that are being synthesized from hemp, which are brand new and never been tested in human subjects before. Some of them are advertised as being way more potent than THC. THC-O acetate is being advertised as three times more potent than delta-9. THCP is being advertised as having 30 times the binding power to receptors as THC. That kind of reaction sets off a lot of concerns with us. 

“These compounds have never been found in nature before—being made by fairly amateurish underground hemp chemists—raise a lot of concern.”

Gieringer added that delta-8 THC isn’t his primary concern, given there is slightly more known about the compound, but it’s contaminants and other new cannabinoids he’s most worried about, mostly due to the unknowns: THCP, THCjd. THC-H, THC-B, HHC, and Delta-10 THC. 

Cal NORML reports that the sale of psychoactive hemp derivatives was recently deemed legal under federal law by a Ninth Circuit Court decision (AK Futures v. Boyd Street Distro). That’s up for debate though, given that synthetic cannabinoids can be considered illegal under the Federal Analogue Act. 

Under the 2018 federal Farm Bill, cannabis with less that 0.3% THC is legal to grow, and its products can be sold nationally, but the THC often exceeds the limit regardless.

California’s industrial hemp law, which is overseen by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), currently disallows the sale of hemp products with active cannabinoids other than CBD.

THC-O acetate begins as hemp-derived CBD and goes through a chemical process. Going beyond how cannabinoids like delta-8 THC are processed from CBD, acetic anhydride is added to the mixture, making it an acetate.

THC-O is believed to be three times as potent as delta-9 THC—the naturally occurring cannabinoid most of us are used to.

“Cal NORML strongly advises consumers to avoid hemp products with psychoactive cannabinoids, especially novel ones stronger than THC, whose safety is particularly suspect. CBD products may be safely obtained from state-registered industrial hemp product manufacturers, whose products must be tested for safety and cannabinoid content,” the release reads. “Under state law, hemp products should have a batch number and a label, website, QR code or barcode linking to the laboratory test results that state the levels of cannabinoids, total THC, and presence of contaminants, as well as the address and phone number of the manufacturer. Violations can be reported to CDPH.

Cal NORML adds that the less common cannabinoids that are deemed safe for human use are CBN, CBG, CBC, THCV, THC-A, CBD-A, and Delta-8 THC.

The post Cal NORML Warns of Potential THC-O Acetate Risk appeared first on High Times.

Benjamin Han, M.D., the lead author of the study and a geriatrician in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, said that the dramatic increase in emergency room visits related to cannabis consumption among older adults is a concern for many physicians in his field. In an interview with UC San Diego Today, he noted that the increase is significant because older adults are at a higher risk of adverse effects associated with cannabis and other psychoactive substances.

“Many patients assume they aren’t going to have adverse side effects from cannabis because they often don’t view it as seriously as they would a prescription drug,” said Han. “I do see a lot of older adults who are overly confident, saying they know how to handle it — yet as they have gotten older, their bodies are more sensitive, and the concentrations are very different from what they may have tried when they were younger.” 

The study, which was funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, was conducted using a trend analysis of data obtained from the California Department of Healthcare Access and Information. The researchers determined that the number of cannabis-related emergency department visits among adults in California aged 65 and up jumped from 366 in 2005 to 12,167 in 2019. Medical marijuana was legalized in California in 1996, and regulated sales of adult-use cannabis began in the state on January 1, 2018, following the legalization of recreational marijuana by the state’s voters in 2016. The study found that while emergency room visits jumped sharply between 2013 and 2017, they then leveled off, suggesting that the availability of recreational marijuana did not increase the risk of a visit to the emergency department.

Cannabis Use Increasing Among Older Americans With Legalization

Over the past two decades, the consumption of cannabis by older adults has increased sharply as marijuana legalization efforts gained ground across the United States. Older Americans are increasingly using cannabis socially and for a variety of health conditions, leading to a drop in the perceived risk of regular marijuana use.

The researchers say that the new study illustrates that cannabis use among older adults can lead to unintended consequences that require emergency health care for a variety of reasons. The use of cannabis can slow reaction time or impair attention, which may increase the risk of injury or falls. There is also evidence that cannabis can increase the risk of delirium, paranoia, or psychosis and that using marijuana can interact with prescription medications or exacerbate pulmonary or cardiovascular problems.

“We know from work in alcohol that older adults are more likely to make a change in substance use if they see that it is linked to an undesirable medical symptom or outcome — so linking cannabis use similarly could help with behavioral change,” said Alison Moore, M.D., co-author of the study and chief of the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Care in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “We truly have much to learn about cannabis, given all the new forms of it and combinations of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol), and this will inform our understanding of risks and possible benefits, too.”

The study reveals the need for older Americans to have honest discussions about their use of cannabis with their healthcare provider. Moore says that such conversations should be an element of routine medical care, but screening protocols often include the use of cannabis with the use of illicit drugs.

“Instead, asking a question like, ‘Have you used cannabis — also known as marijuana — for any reason in the last 12 months?’ would encourage older adults to answer more frankly,” Moore said. “Providers can then ask how frequently cannabis is used, for what purpose — such as medically for pain, sleep, or anxiety or recreationally to relax — in what form (smoked, eaten, applied topically) and if they know how much THC and CBD it contains. Once the provider has this type of information, they can then educate the patient about potential risks of use.”

Han agreed that patients should discuss their cannabis with their doctors before deciding to use it for medical purposes.

“Although cannabis may be helpful for some chronic symptoms, it is important to weigh that potential benefit with the risk, including ending up in an emergency department,” he said.

The post Study Shows Rise in Weed-Related Emergency Room Visits Among Older Adults appeared first on High Times.

“Over the past four years, the data collected under the Racial and Identity Profiling Act has provided empirical evidence showing disparities in policing throughout California,” the report states. “This year’s data demonstrates the same trends in disparities for all aspects of law enforcement stops, from the reason for stop to actions taken during stop to results of stop.”

The report spans stop data that occurred between January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, and analyzes information from 58 law enforcement agencies and the negative impacts of citizen interactions with police, with a focus on youth.

In the 2021 timeframe, more than 3.1 million stops were reported. In terms of “perceived” race or ethnicity, police agencies states that 42.2% were Hispanic/Latine(x), 30% white, 15% Black, 5.3% Asian, 4.8% Middle Eastern/South Asian, 1% multiracial, 0.5% Pacific Islander, and 0.3% Native American. Additionally, 72.1% were cisgendered male and 27.5% cisgendered female, making up 99.7% of all stops.

Reasons for a law enforcement “stop” include either a traffic violation (86.6%), or a reasonable suspicion of being engaged in criminal activity (10.5%). Black individuals had the highest percentage of stops in regard to “reasonable suspicion” at 16.2%, but also the lowest proportion of stops for traffic violations (80.5%).

The RIPA Board found that Black and Hispanic/Latine(x) individuals were more likely to have force used against them compared to White individuals. Black teens between the ages of 10-14 and 15-17 experienced the highest rate of being searched by police (20.1%), detained (17.9%), and handcuffed (15.4%), and “removed from a vehicle by order” (7.6%).

Black adolescents were detained curbside or in a patrol car 36.2%-44.5% of the time, searched 39.9%-42.4% of the time, handcuffed 33.5-36.5% of the time. Ultimately, this data shows that teens who are perceived to be Black were searched six times the rate of White adolescents, and those perceived to be Hispanic/Latine(x) were searched four times more.

The interactions that teens have with law enforcement, including repeat interactions, impact those individuals’ mental health. “Research shows that the types of contact and frequency of involuntary contacts with law enforcement may have a harmful impact on the individual stopped, triggering stress responses, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and other related negative mental health impacts,” the report states. “This research suggests that racial and identity profiling goes beyond the criminal legal system and policing; it is also a critical public health issue.”

“Based on the research, the Board believes that public health officials and policymakers should treat racial and identity profiling and adverse policing as significant public health issues. It is imperative to recognize that police interactions can negatively affect the mental and physical health of individuals who are Black, Hispanic/Latine(x), Indigenous, and people of color. Doing so could help significantly reduce the high stress, community fragmentation, and poor health outcomes among community members who experience targeting of their neighborhoods and aggressive policing practices. Given this, adequate resources should be invested to understand and address the health implications of racial and identity profiling.”

This report covers a variety of information relative to the discussion of how law enforcement abuses the system through pretextual stops or searches, an act where an officer stops an individual for a minor violation in order to closer “investigate a hunch regarding a different crime that by itself would not amount to reasonable suspicion or probable cause.”

While the report does not specifically delve into details in regards to cannabis, The Washington Post published a story in October 2022 about the racial disparities in law enforcement in Virginia. Although the state legalized adult-use cannabis in July 2021, the article put a spotlight on how Virginia police are still more likely to arrest Black people more than White people for cannabis-related offenses.

An analysis of cannabis arrests by the New York Police Department (NYPD) in 2020 showed that 94% of all cannabis-related arrests impacted people of color. Overall, cannabis arrests by the NYPD in 2022 have been reduced, but arrests were still higher for those perceived as Black or Hispanic.

In April 2020, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) published an extensive report showing the disparity of arrests for Black individuals, showing that arrests are still widespread and racial disparities are still common throughout the country, both in states with legal or decriminalized cannabis.

The post Study Reveals California Law Enforcement More Likely To Arrest Black Teens appeared first on High Times.

“It’s typical to have an aftershock that is about one magnitude unit less than the main shock,” Lori Dengler, a former geology professor and an expert on earthquakes and tsunamis, told local media after Sunday’s temblor. “So this is very typical of most aftershock sequences.”

“Today’s earthquake (was) clearly on a different but related fault,” Dengler added.

Sunday’s quake occurred at 10:35 a.m. local time and was centered about nine miles east of the Rio Dell area of Humboldt County, according to information from the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no reports of casualties or major damage, although California Route 211 through the area was temporarily closed to give inspectors time to check a bridge over the Eel River for potential damage associated with the quake, the California Department of Transportation reported. 

Earthquake Results In Power Outage

The temblor caused a power outage in the Rio Dell area, which bore the brunt of the earthquake that shook the area 12 days earlier. Pacific Gas and Electric reported that the outage affected between 500 and 5,000 utility customers, according to media reports.

Gage Dupper was displaced by the December earthquake, which knocked his home off its foundation. He told reporters he has been living as a “nomad” since then.

“Today was another pretty big one,” said Dupper. “Still feels like we are shaking to me. We just can’t catch a break it seems.”

Gage noted that he was working in Fortuna, adjacent to Rio Dell, when Sunday’s quake shook the area again.

“But even just here it felt like the ceiling was going to come down,” Dupper said. “We nearly lost our power here as well. I was in the middle of talking to a resident of the assisted living community I work for and you could just see the panic in their eyes when it started. She was just trying to pay her rent. It certainly tossed us around a bit.”

Sunday’s Quake Follows 6.4 Shaker Last Month

The earthquake that shook the Humboldt County area on December 20 measured 6.4 on the Richter scale and caused significant damage in the region. That quake injured 17 people and was blamed for the deaths of two residents, a 73-year-old and an 83-year-old, who died as “a result of medical emergencies occurring during and/or just following the earthquake,” according to a statement from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office’s Department of Emergency Services.

The December quake also resulted in a power outage in the Rio Dell area, with more than 72,000 customers affected, and a water main break caused the area to lose water service, as well. Damage from the quake was reported in Ferndale, Rio Dell, and Fortuna, Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci said in a press conference in Sacramento. Damage was most extensive in Rio Dell, where at least 15 homes in the community of 3,000 were deemed uninhabitable. Another 18 homes sustained moderate damage, officials reported after a partial assessment of the area. 

Rio Dell’s water system was shut down while leaks in the vital infrastructure were repaired. The local firehouse was distributing drinking water, and portable toilets were set up outside City Hall for area residents to use. Local resident Cassondra Stoner said that she was shaken awake by the early morning quake that rocked the area last month.

“It felt like my roof was coming down,” Stoner said. “The only thing I could think about was, ‘Get the freaking kids.’”

The post Humboldt County Shaken by Second Earthquake in Two Weeks appeared first on High Times.

The governor recognized some of the systems in place that are “counterproductive” to public safety when you look at the big picture. Convictions can haunt a person’s life, leading to deportation, permanent family separation, or other consequences.

“The California Constitution gives the Governor the authority to grant pardons,” Gov. Newsom’s announcement reads. “The Governor regards clemency as an important part of the criminal justice system that can incentivize accountability and rehabilitation and increase public safety by removing counterproductive barriers to successful reentry. A pardon may also remove unjust collateral consequences of conviction, such as deportation and permanent family separation.

Pardons do not forgive or minimize the harm caused by crime. Instead, these pardons recognize the pardon grantees’ self-development and rehabilitation since then.”

In the announcement, the governor noted how victims of crimes were heavily considered in making these decisions. “The Governor’s Office encourages victims, survivors and witnesses to register with CDCR’s Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services to receive information about an incarcerated person’s status. The office also posted more general information about victim services.

The pardons include information on ways people have made changes. Some people on the list even went into substance abuse or other types of counseling. Below are the ten people who received pardons from the governor:

• John Berger, sentenced in 1995 for transporting a controlled substance. Berger now works to support others with their sobriety.
• Lucas Beltran Dominguez, sentenced in 2008 for transporting or selling cannabis and possession of cannabis for sale. Dominguez is now a father of seven and is an active member of his church.
• Michael Farrier, sentenced in 1990 for first degree burglary and second degree robbery.
• Kimberly Gregorio, sentenced in 1988 for possession of a controlled substance for sale and obstructing an officer.
• James King, III, sentenced in 1988 for the sale of cocaine. 
• Santiago Lopez, sentenced in 2000 for possession of cannabis for sale, in 2004 for possession of cannabis for sale, and in 2001 for possession of a controlled substance for sale and possession of cannabis for sale. Lopez is now a facility manager of his church and a peer counselor.
• Kenneth Lyerly, sentenced in 2004 for possession of a controlled substance for sale.
• Jimmy Platon, sentenced in 1973 for trespassing and in 1978 for possession of a controlled substance for sale.
• Julie Ruehle, sentenced in 1999 for two cases, one for possession of a controlled substance and the other for taking a vehicle without consent.
• Kathy Uetz, sentenced in 1991 for possession of a controlled substance and in 1997 for possession of a controlled substance for sale. Uetz volunteered over 5,000 hours with a community emergency response team.

To date, Gov. Newsom has granted a total of 140 pardons, 123 commutations, and 35 reprieves while in office.

Similar efforts are being made by the governor’s office. Gov. Newsom also signed a bill into law in September 2022 that will create the option for an alternate plea to individuals facing certain drug convictions. The “Alternate Plea Act” enables prosecutors to offer some defendants who have been charged with drug-related offenses a public nuisance plea. Under the law, prosecutors will be able to offer the public nuisance plea at their discretion.

The post California Gov. Gavin Newsom Pardons 10, Some Cannabis Convictions appeared first on High Times.

The ground started shaking at 2:34 a.m., with the temblor centered near the town of Ferndale, a community about 210 miles northwest of San Francisco in Humboldt County. The epicenter of the quake was offshore, about 10 miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

Humboldt County, along with neighboring Trinity and Mendocino Counties, make up California’s infamous Emerald Triangle, where for decades cannabis farmers have grown top-shelf marijuana famous around the world. Johnny Casali of Huckleberry Hills Farm reported that his legacy cannabis operation in southern Humboldt County lost electricity during the power outage but did not suffer any damage from the shaking. Chris Anderson of Redwood Roots said that southern Humboldt County was not hit very hard by the quake, but he had heard reports of broken water mains and homes being knocked off their foundations in the central part of the county.

More Than 70,000 Lose Power

Damage to buildings and infrastructure is still being assessed throughout the region. Approximately 72,000 Pacific Gas and Electric customers reportedly lost power as a result of the earthquake. By late Tuesday, the utility company had restored power to about 40,000 customers and expected electrical service would be restored for the remaining homes and businesses without power within 24 hours. The outage involved a main transmission line into the area and repairs were slowed by rain that prevented a helicopter from assessing damage sustained by the line.

In a news flash, the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services reported that “two individuals have died as a result of medical emergencies occurring during and/or just following the earthquake.” The dead include an 83-year-old and a 72-year-old, according to media reports. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office reported that at least 11 people were injured during the quake. Injuries sustained in the temblor included a hip fracture and a head injury, according to media reports.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Humboldt County on Tuesday evening. Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, noted that two hospitals in the area had lost power but were running on generators. Ferguson also said that damage in the area appeared to be minimal considering the strength of the earthquake.

Residents in the Emerald Triangle are used to the relatively frequent earthquakes. But some said that Tuesday’s shaking was more violent than the rolling motion of many of the region’s tremors.

“You could see the floor and walls shaking,” Araceli Huerta told the Associated Press. “It sounded like a freight train was going through my house.”

Rio Dell Bears Brunt Of Temblor

Damage from the quake was reported in Ferndale, Rio Dell and Fortuna, Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci said in a press conference in Sacramento. Damage was most extensive in Rio Dell, where at least 15 homes in the community of 3,000 were deemed uninhabitable. Another 18 homes sustained moderate damage, officials reported after a partial assessment of the area. Approximately 30 people have been displaced by the damage, but officials warned that number could climb to as high as 150 after a full assessment of the impact of the earthquake is completed.

Rio Dell’s water system was shut down and will remain out of operation for up to two days while leaks in the vital infrastructure are repaired. The local firehouse was distributing drinking water, and portable toilets were set up outside City Hall for area residents to use.

Local resident Cassondra Stoner said that she was shaken awake by Tuesday’s quake.

“It felt like my roof was coming down,” Stoner said. “The only thing I could think about was, ‘Get the freaking kids.’”

Other than the emotional shock of the early morning quake, Stoner’s family was not harmed. But when she arrived for work at a local retail store, ceiling tiles had fallen, and shelves had toppled over, strewing merchandise across the floor.

The earthquake occurred in an area known as the Mendocino Triple Junction, where three tectonic plates meet off northern California’s Pacific coast.

“We’re in this moment of geologic time where the most exciting, dynamic area of California happens to be Humboldt County and the adjacent offshore area,” Lori Dengler, professor emeritus of geology at Cal Poly Humboldt, told reporters.

The post Earthquake Rocks California’s Famed Emerald Triangle appeared first on High Times.

“The Lottery was the culmination of nine months of planning, including a verification process that allowed individuals to request verification as a Social Equity Individual Applicant (SEIA). More than 1,000 individuals requested verification and over 500 SEIAs met the criteria to participate and timely registered to be entered in the Lottery. Additional information on the SEIA criteria and process can be found here,” the city said in a statement on Thursday.

“The SEIA verification criteria align with the mission of the Social Equity Program (SEP) to promote equitable ownership and employment opportunities in the cannabis industry. The SEP is an integral part of the Department of Cannabis Regulation and provides economic opportunities for those most affected by the War on Drugs,” the statement continued.

That application process faced a legal challenge, when a Michigan man named Kenneth Gay sued the city last month. 

Per MJBizDaily, Gay “filed the California lawsuit a month after filing a similar suit in New York, where a federal judge ruled that state regulators couldn’t issue dozens of adult-use marijuana retail licenses until the legal action was resolved,” after it was determined that he “didn’t meet the criteria for eligibility under L.A. law, which requires an applicant to have a ‘prior California cannabis arrest or conviction’ and either be low income or live in an area identified as disproportionately affected by policing.”

In his lawsuit, Gay asserted that “he satisfied all three requirements, ‘except that the relevant events occurred in Michigan rather than California,’” and that his suit “also contended that because Los Angeles ‘enacted laws and regulations that provide a preference to California residents over out-of-state residents for the Lottery,’ the city’s social equity program violates the U.S. Constitution’s dormant commerce clause.”

The city’s Department of Cannabis Regulation explains that the latest lottery, which took place on December 8, was part of a “triple-blind, random selection process.”

“A ‘blind’ selection process means that the entity which selects the applicants does not know their identity. A ‘triple-blind’ process means that no one involved in the process, including FTI, DCR, and other City departments, knew the identity of who was selected until after the selection process had been completed and the data from each party was reconciled,” the regulators explained in a press release.

The city said that it “contracted with a third-party global business advisory firm called FTI Consulting Inc. (FTI) to administer the selection process.”

Social equity provisions have become a hallmark of cannabis reform efforts in states and cities across the country, with elected officials and policymakers cognizant of the importance of remedying previous harms of the War on Drugs.

California, which legalized recreational pot back in 2016, is no exception.

In September, the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, announced that he “signed several measures to strengthen California’s cannabis laws, expand the legal cannabis market and redress the harms of cannabis prohibition,” per a release from his office at the time.

In addition to signing the measures, Newsom called “on legislators and other policymakers to redouble efforts to address and eliminate these barriers.”

“For too many Californians, the promise of cannabis legalization remains out of reach,” Newsom said at the time. “These measures build on the important strides our state has made toward this goal, but much work remains to build an equitable, safe and sustainable legal cannabis industry. I look forward to partnering with the Legislature and policymakers to fully realize cannabis legalization in communities across California.”

The post Los Angeles Selects 100 More Social Equity Applicants Following Lawsuit appeared first on High Times.

The measure is a byproduct of a years-long project that has “lingered for three years in the Berkeley City Council,” according to Berkeleyside, which added that the council is set to “come back to life in a few weeks.”

What distinguishes Berkeley’s proposal from other communities that have moved to legalize hallucinogens is that the northern California city would represent “an even broader proposal: one that could make it the first in the U.S. to decriminalize LSD,” according to Berkeleyside.

“Of the 15 U.S. cities that have softened restrictions on psychedelics, none has included this synthetic hallucinogen. Berkeley Community Health Commissioners Joseph Holcomb Adams and Karma Smart explained that the logic for decriminalizing LSD is that it meets the technical definition of psychedelics,” Berkeleyside reported.

“Berkeley’s resolution was initially drafted by the Oakland-based nonprofit Decriminalize Nature in 2019, and proposed decriminalizing only natural psychedelics, such as psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, and mescaline cacti,” the outlet continued. “The resolution spent two years in the hands of the city’s Community Health Commission (CHC), one of 22 civil commissions advising the City Council. Over the last year, Adams and Smart, the two commissioners appointed to study it, entirely rewrote it. If approved by the City Council, the personal consumption of psychedelics will cease to be criminalized in Berkeley; sharing, giving, or distributing psychedelics will, however, continue to be crimes.”

According to NBC Bay Area, Berkeley “city health commissioners voted unanimously to recommend to the city council decriminalize the use of hallucinogens.”

The legalization and decriminalization of hallucinogens has emerged as the latest frontier in the United States’ drug reform movement. 

Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, a Democrat, and Rand Paul, a Republican, introduced a bill requiring the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to classify therapies involving psilocybin and MDMA in order to improve access for patients and researchers. 

“Recent studies suggest that some Schedule I substances such as MDMA and psilocybin could represent an enormous advancement for the treatment of severe post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and addiction,” Booker said in a statement. “Unfortunately, regulatory red tape and a series of bureaucratic hurdles involved in studying Schedule I substances impedes critical research on these and other promising Schedule I compounds. This bill reduces these unreasonably burdensome rules and regulations that delay or prevent researchers from studying – and patients from accessing – this entire class of potential medicines.”

Paul said he was proud to co-lead this legislation, which is known as the Breakthrough Therapies Act, with Sen. Booker that would streamline the registration process for breakthrough therapies currently restricted by outdated drug classifications.

“This bill will make it easier for researchers to conduct studies that can lead to breakthrough therapies to treat patients battling serious and life-threatening conditions,” Paul said in a statement. 

The legislation has won the endorsement of Martin R. Steele, a retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general who leads the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition.

“We urge Congress to swiftly pass the Breakthrough Therapies Act, which responsibly reduces the barriers to research and limited access of potentially life-saving treatments like MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted therapy,” said Steele. “Veterans should not be forced (nor should anyone else) to leave the country – at great expense – to access breakthrough therapies that can be safely provided and further studied in real-world settings here at home.”

Should the bill pass and become law, it would force the DEA to reschedule the aforementioned substances under the Controlled Substances Act. 

The post Berkeley Officials Consider Move To Decriminalize Hallucinogens appeared first on High Times.

All of the investigations found offenders in violation of the California Medical and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act, as well as San Bernardino County ordinance, which does not allow commercial cannabis. The county also does not allow outdoor cannabis cultivation.

Although Operation Hammer Strike has concluded, the department states that county sheriffs will continue to investigate illegal cultivation. “The Sheriff’s Gangs/Narcotics Division will continue to enforce California’s cannabis laws and San Bernardino County’s cannabis cultivation and distribution ordinance. Persons found guilty of violating the state law and county ordinance are subject to fines, prosecution, and seizure of property.”

Operation Hammer Strike began in September 2021. At the time, there were an estimated 1,285 illegal grows reported throughout the county. In September, the MET began with a search warrant investigation of Hesperia, Pinon Hills, Phelan, and Landers, which resulted in numerous arrests and seizures of cannabis plants, processed cannabis product, firearms, and $30,000 cash. During the same month, another investigation yielded even more arrests and product seizures. This trend continued throughout 2021 and into 2022, with press releases describing the investigations in October 2021, November 2021, January 2022, February, and March.

In March, San Bernardino County sponsored state legislation with Assembly Bill 2728 and Senate Bill 1426 to stop illegal cannabis cultivation. “Illegal cannabis farming is devastating the desert communities of San Bernardino County,” said Supervisor Curt Hagman. “The County is determined to stop this terrible damage to the environment and to protect the lives and property of our residents from lawless criminals.” 

Assemblymember Thurston “Smitty” Smith also explained the reasoning behind the push to eliminate illegal grows. “The people of California let their voices be heard and chose to decriminalize cannabis. I support their choice. However, what they didn’t ask for was rampant cultivation and an illegal market sucking up resources, destroying the environment, and putting our communities at risk,” said Smith. 

By May 2022, one region of San Bernardino County reported that there were no more reported cannabis grows in the area. “I’m sure there are more out there but we actually have zero grows left in the Morongo Basin that have been reported to us,” Sheriff Shannon Dicus of Morongo Basin told the Hi-Desert Star. San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe commented on the quick call to action. “It normally takes this county a long time to make changes for our residents but this was not the case. Thank you very much on behalf of our residents for making it a safer place to live again,” Rowe said.

Statewide efforts to eliminate illegal cannabis grows have continued steadily. Back in October 2021, California Attorney Rob Bonta announced that the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) resulted in the destruction of over one million cannabis plants. “Illegal and unlicensed marijuana planting is bad for our environment, bad for our economy, and bad for the health and safety of our communities,” Bonta said in a press release.

More recently in July, agencies like the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the authorization of enforcement teams to investigate illegal cultivation during the 2022 growing season.

In October, Bonta announced that CAMP would henceforth be called the Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis (EPIC), and would continue to investigate illegal cultivation. “The illicit marketplace outweighs the legal marketplace,” Bonta said. “It’s upside down and our goal is complete eradication of the illegal market.”

The post San Bernardino’s Operation Hammer Strike Concludes Illegal Cannabis Eradication appeared first on High Times.

Los Angeles County voters approved 25 retail licenses with Measure C by 59.88%, which enacts taxes in unincorporated areas of the county. This includes $10 per square foot for cultivators, 6% tax on gross retail receipts (as well as a gross receipts tax, including 2% tax for testing facilities, 3% tax on distribution, and 4% for “manufacturing and other marijuana business facilities.”) Additionally, Santa Monica voters approved Measure HMP with a 66.79% “yes” vote to implement taxes for non-medical cannabis retailers, medical retailers, and all other licensed cannabis businesses (the city currently only has two licensed retailers). Cannabis-related measures in Claremont, Cudahy, Lynwood, and South El Monte also passed. However, there were numerous cities that chose not to embrace cannabis such as Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and El Segundo all chose to maintain bans on commercial cannabis businesses.

San Diego County, which has only approved five cannabis businesses so far, saw the approval of a cannabis tax through Measure A with 57.28%. This implements a 6% tax on retail businesses, 2% on testing, 3% on cultivation (or $10 per canopy square foot, which is an adjustment for inflation) and 4% for all other businesses. County officials estimate that these taxes could generate up to $5.5 million annually in the general fund, and could lead to 20 new cannabis business licenses. According to George Sadler, CEO of the San Diego-based cannabis brand Gelato, any news is good news. “Access has always been an issue,” said Sadler. “Any progress is a big plus.”

Currently, most of Orange County doesn’t allow for cannabis businesses with the exclusion of the city of Santa Ana. However, last week Huntington Beach voters approved Measure O with a yes vote of 54.69%, to approve an ordinance that will implement a 6% tax on gross receipts for retailers, and 1% of gross receipts for other cannabis businesses (estimated to generate $300,000-$600,000 annually). This could lead to up to 10 retail cannabis licenses. In Laguna Woods, voters also approved a cannabis tax that would go toward general city services with Measure T with 62% of the vote.

In Northern California, Sacramento County voters were presented with a cannabis tax measure called Measure B but it failed. Although 53.49% of voters approved of this initiative, it required a 2/3 vote (or 66%+) to pass. Neighboring cities such as Monterey and Pacific Grove approved tax measures. In Sonoma County, Healdsburg voters approved Measure M.

In San Bernardino County, voters approved a tax initiative in Montclair with Measure R. Central Californians in Kings County, Avenal approved a tax initiative as well with Measure C, as well as voters in McFarland, which is located in Kern County.

While local cities and counties in California delivered on cannabis initiatives, the state has also been implementing other changes recently. 

California state voters also chose to keep Gavin Newsom as governor for another term. Earlier in October, Newsom signed a bill called the “Alternate Plea Act” that will help defendants who have been charged with drug-related offenses. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, the “public nuisance plea will carry the same criminal penalty as the drug offense charged but without triggering the collateral consequences.”

“With this plea option, individuals will be able to resume their life after incarceration and not be blocked from securing housing and employment,” the organization explained.

In September, Newsom also signed a bill to protect employees who choose to consume cannabis off-the-clock. “For too many Californians, the promise of cannabis legalization remains out of reach,” Newsom said in a press release. “These measures build on the important strides our state has made toward this goal, but much work remains to build an equitable, safe and sustainable legal cannabis industry. I look forward to partnering with the Legislature and policymakers to fully realize cannabis legalization in communities across California.”

The post Numerous California Cities Approve Cannabis Retail Measures appeared first on High Times.