PART 3 - FINALE in the Multi-Issue FEATURE

BE AFRAID... BE VERY AFRAID

When the Obama administration first started in 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder asked the DEA to place investigations of medical marijuana use on the back burner, as one of its lowest priorities. Just weeks before the November 2, 2010 vote on Proposition 19 in California (which was to legalize recreational marijuana), a letter went out to federal drug enforcement chiefs again from Holder. It said: “Marijuana is illegal under federal law, and drug agents will vigorously enforce against anyone carrying, growing or selling it. That means all individuals and organizations that possess, manufacture or distribute marijuana for recreational use, even if such activities are permitted under state law.” On October 14, 2010, during a town hall meeting aired on MTV, President Obama told a group of young people that his administration is “serious about federal drug enforcement, and we intend to enforce the laws that are on the books.” Once again, as we explained in parts 1 and 2 of this multi-issue feature on Marijuana, it must be stated and again re-emphasized that: marijuana is illegal in the United States of America!

Many of us have begun to think of it as legal, because 14 states have made inroads for use of medical marijuana to ease pain, anxiety, and depression, from various ailments. Because of all the publicity lately speaking about its legalization, we may have let our guard down. When it was considered illegal across the United States, everyone hid it and tried to keep under the radar for fear of prosecution. Now that our guard is down and we have become more open in both discussion and medical usage, this is exactly the time when citizens might still face prosecution with heavy fines and even jail time. Since 1992, approximately six million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. That’s more than the total populations of Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North and South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming and the District of Columbia combined. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, federal spending to incarcerate drug offenders totals over $8.7 billion a year, and with the enactment of mandatory minimum sentencing for drug users, the Federal Bureau of Prisons budget has increased by 1,954%.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a new law in California that has made possession of up to an ounce of marijuana similar to a speeding ticket, with a maximum punishment of a $100 fine. He said: “In this time of drastic budget cuts—prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement and the courts cannot afford to expend limited resources prosecuting a crime that carries the same punishment as a traffic ticket.” The California Department of Justice claims that there were more than 61,000 arrests for cannabis-related misdemeanors in 2008. In Colorado, where the explosion of medical marijuana is considered to be akin to the state’s 19th century gold rush, advertisements in local papers for marijuana-related businesses have grown. But federal raids are still occurring against state-compliant patients in California, Michigan and now Nevada. During a raid by the federal DEA and the Las Vegas Metro Police on September 8, 2010, six medical marijuana dispensaries had their patient and financial records taken, but no arrests were made. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office said that it’s all part of ‘an ongoing law enforcement operation.’

Glenn Beck, who is featured on FOX News said: “We have to make a choice in this country. We either put people who are smoking marijuana behind bars or we legalize it. This little game we’re playing in the middle is not helping us, it is not helping Mexico, and it is causing massive violence on our southern border. We need—how can I say this?—to do something or get off the pot.”

“ WHEN I WAS A KID I INHALED FREQUENTLY. THAT WAS THE POINT. ” -Barack Obama

Researcher Karyn Model found that states that decriminalize marijuana have a lower overall drug abuse rate. In another study, Frank Chaloupka found that these states had lower accident rates too. In Holland, the government and health officials report that there is a decline in opiate abuse since marijuana legalization. A recent U.S. government report shows that the highest rates of cocaine abuse were found in Nevada and Arizona, states with the toughest marijuana laws. Groups that are pushing for legalization say that it could bring great revenue into states that are monetarily struggling. They claim that violence and revenue earned from illegal drug dealing would be lowered considerably.

WILL CALIFORNIA BECOME THE AMSTERDAM OF THE FUTURE?

Even after the failing of Proposition 19, California is still revved up to have marijuana legalized. Researchers say legalization could bring substantially more revenue if an influx of “marijuana tourism” hits California, similar to that of Amsterdam. RAND, a Drug Policy Research Center claims that if California legalizes pot, the prices could drop from $375 an ounce to as little as $38 per oz. before taxes. California founded America’s first cannabis college, Oaksterdam University in 2007. Its purpose is to prepare students with the highest quality training for entering into the cannabis industry. Over thirteen-thousand students have taken classes from a faculty comprised of the most recognized names in the legalization movement of marijuana in California. Med Grow Cannabis College in Michigan followed in the same footsteps a year later. Students there are learning to operate within the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act and obtain an education that they hope will allow them to be successful in providing quality, compassionate care to Michigan patients and caregivers. Both colleges are now expanding their campuses to other cities and states. The latest to follow the trend is Colorado’s Greenway University that received formal state approval from Colorado Department of Higher Education this summer for teaching students how to grow, sell and distribute medical marijuana.

Proposition 19 had created not only loud and angry disagreements between those who advocate it and those who oppose it, but also between the pro-marijuana community itself. At a recent gathering in San Francisco, Prop. 19’s creator and sponsor Richard Lee, the founder of Oaksterdam University, was loudly heckled and booed. When he took the stage, he yelled into the microphone, “We’re all for fucking legalization! This is the best we can do right now!” Opposition comes from the illegal growers in the Emerald Triangle thinking that if Prop. 19 had passed it would have lowered marijuana prices. They also claim that those growing for medical marijuana dispensaries could see taxes go up to $90,000 a year and affect all the MM (Medical Marijuana) patients. Then you have Bishop Ron Allen of the International Faith Based Coalition. Allen, who is against all drug use, says: “Tobacco taxes bring in $25 billion a year, but the health costs to society are $200 billion, because smoking 3-5 joints a day is equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes.”

Jeff Wilcox is the Director of AgraMed in Oakland, California and owns seven acres there. He would like to grow cannabis that would be controlled and supply dispensaries with pristine product. Wilcox figures he could produce about 58 pounds of marijuana a year. He claims he would create 350 union jobs at an average of $53,000 per year. This would create a special tax for Oakland in excess of five million a year that could help the city. The single dad who admits that when growing up pot was more available to him than alcohol said: “My kids came home from the mall one day. They were upset. They said that in the first five minutes they were there, someone asked them if they wanted to buy pot.” He continued: “Legally we have to do something about it. If you want it now, you can get it. Are you going to buy it from criminals or through a licensed facility? I think Oakland and the state need to tax the shit out of this and legitimize it.” The hemp industry would generate billions of dollars each year and it would also create more jobs. Hemp can be used as a fuel, rope, paper source, fabric, and even a dietary supplement. The legalization would also have some social benefits. It would create a reduction of hard drug abuse, such as cocaine, heroin, meth and PCP. With fewer illegal drug dealers pushing the harder drugs, less crime and safer neighborhoods would be a welcome side effect.

Putting the monetary issue right on the line is best said by former San Jose, California police chief Joseph McNamara: “Can a state facing a $19 billion dollar deficit casually pass up a chance to tax a product that escapes taxation only because it is illegal.” He also has made remarks that Prop 19 wasn’t about resolving Mexico’s drug violence. In California’s Humboldt County, one local farmer recently said: “ The woods up here are dangerous. There are mountain lions, Mexicans…and the Mexicans will kill you.” In July, cops busted 97 people, most of whom were Mexican nationals who were thought to have contact with the Mexican drug cartels. The arrests made on industrial-size plantations grossed $1.7 billion worth of plants.

LEGAL or ILLEGAL? THE GRAY MURKY AREA

Licensed farmers may be allowed under state laws to grow marijuana and licensed dispensaries may or may not be allowed to sell it. But transporting it is a legal gray area, and moving it across state lines is illegal. The Billings, Montana police chief Rich St. John said that Billings has become a pot delivery service for MM growers. He said: “FedEx and UPS call police when workers discover packages that appear to contain MM that’s legal in Montana. They don’t want to take the risk of being prosecuted under federal law for accepting such shipments. Police must pick up the package, determine if it’s legal, then notify the person who sent it or deliver the package themselves.” Police could be held liable if they don’t return the pot to the rightful owner.

Medical Marijuana laws vary from state to state. Nevada allows you to grow 7 plants and possess 1 ounce of useable marijuana, but a caregiver can only grow for one patient. Maine allows you to grow 6 plants and possess 1.25 ounces. Michigan allows for 12 plants to be kept under lock and key and a caregiver can grow for 5 patients, but in Ann Arbor (home of Michigan University) fines for possession are $25, $50 and $100 for first, second and third offenses. The University has a far-stricter policy on campus. Washington allows for 15 plants and 24 ounces, but not exceeding a 60-day supply. Alaska allows you to grow 25 plants. As you can see, the state laws are all different, so it’s very important to become extremely familiar with the laws of the state you’re living in.

NEVADA LAWS ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARDS
• A card is good for one year only. It must be renewed annually, one year from the date your application was stamped.

• You have permission to have one ounce of useable marijuana (seeds, dried leaves and flowers, not stalks or roots).

• You can grow 7 plants, three mature plants (having flowers or buds) and four immature plants (without buds or flowers).

• Your MM card is not good in any other state.

• If you leave the MM program, you must return the card within 7 days.

• Changes in patients’ or caregivers’, phone numbers, addresses, and/or any criminal charges, must be reported within 7 days.

• You are not exempt from prosecution if you are under the influence of MM while driving or operating a vehicle, operating an aircraft, waterskiing, surfboarding, on an amusement ride, or with a firearm in your physical possession.

• Even if you hold a registry card, you are not exempt from prosecution if marijuana or drug paraphernalia is discovered, because the person engaged or assisted in the medical use of marijuana is in a public place, a detention facility, a county jail, or state prison, or while delivering marijuana to another person.

HOW TO OBTAIN A MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD

To register for the Medical Marijuana Program in Nevada, call the Nevada Department of Health at 775-687-7591 and ask for Jennifer McComb, and request information on how to receive a packet. Once you have your application, you will need to fill it out and get a diagnosis from your doctor. The Department of Health cannot refer you to a doctor. Only a physician who is licensed under NRS 630 or NRS 633 can sign a “Physician’s Statement” needed for your application. That means only a medical doctor or osteopathic doctor licensed in the State of Nevada. If your physician won’t do this, you can go through a referral company such as that run by Dr. Reefer at 702-769-1552. Once you have your recommendation signed by the doctor and notarized, it must be sent to the Nevada Department of Health to do a background check and process. The Department of Health will then contact you when your license is ready to pickup at the DMV. Remember that a doctor can only recommend the use of marijuana for your condition, he cannot prescribe it.

MARIJUANA MUNCHIES – FOODS LACED WITH CANNABIS

The effects of ingesting marijuana have a different time frame than smoking it. After eating marijuana, it takes longer to get pain relief, but the effects last much longer (usually six to twelve hours). When interviewing Richard Summers of Ganja Gourmet, he assured me that America’s first Medical Marijuana Restaurant and Dispensary was doing a lively business. Their menu includes fine medical marijuana edibles available to all MM patients in Colorado. They have infused and cooked the medicine into great meals and yummy desserts. Everything is made in pre-portioned sizes and prepared for take-home enjoyment. There is no eating on-site. They offer what they call Ganja Gourmet’s Dinner Buzz Specials. You can have your choice of an Entrée, a Dessert, and an After-Dinner Joint for $35.00. So you might try the Ganja-Beaux: homemade gumbo stuffed with chicken, bacon and seafood and served with medicated garlic bread (2g), and finish off your meal with the Amsterdam Space Cake - Chocolate cake that’ll have you soaring (3g). Or try Vegan Potato Killers: red skin potatoes, garlic, & curry - wrapped in a vegan bread (4g) and for dessert, choose the Stoney Road Ice Cream - Marshmallow, chocolate chips & almonds,
swirled in a creamy, STONEY blend (2g).

USE THIS INFORMATION - AT YOUR OWN RISK!

You cannot eat raw cannabis. You need to extract the active ingredients in cannabis by heating or putting in alcohol. There are numerous cookbooks out now that tell you step-by-step instructions on how to extract the THC.

“Cannabutter” is one of the most common creations for cooking. Use one stick of butter and one-eighth of an ounce of marijuana and sauté this combination over medium heat for fifteen to twenty minutes. After straining out the solids, you are left with the butter to use in your cooking for all future meals.

I quote Adam Gottlieb’s recipe from his book, The Art and Science of Cooking with Cannabis: “Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and then put in a small amount of butter. Next, add the grass and let boil for thirty minutes.” (He claims that the cannabinoids dissolve into the butter, while most of the nasty flavors and gook dissolve into the water.) “Then strain out the spent plant matter, squeeze all the juice out of it, and put the liquid in the refrigerator. A few hours later, the mixture is cool enough that the cannabutter has solidified on the surface. Scoop out the enchanted butter and put in a bowl and throw out the grassy water.”

You may also use very high proof alcohol (preferably 190 proof), and put the marijuana into the bottle and let the cannabanoids leach out over a period of two to three weeks. The end result is called “Green Dragon” and is a light to emerald green liquid. It is not advised to drink straight, but users say to mix 3 parts of lemon lime soda to 1 part green dragon with a dollop of honey served over ice.

John Galt Jr., who wrote Le Critique, advises to cook your pot for at least ten minutes to release the THC and destroy any mold. He cautioned against ever eating marijuana with mold on it.

The NUMBERS DON’T LIE!
30 million – Americans use marijuana, in some form, yearly
$340 million/105 tons – The largest amount of marijuana
ever seized (Mexico)
6 ounces – The smallest amount of marijuana ever seized (WY)
$10,000 – The largest fine for possession of marijuana (OK)
$0 to $100 – The smallest fine for possession of marijuana
(AK, GA, CA)
Maryland – The state with the most arrests involving marijuana
Hawaii – The state with the least arrests involving marijuana
California & Oregon – The most medical marijuana patients
Oregon – The first state to decriminalize marijuana (1973)

Meet DR. REEFER

The name Dr. Reefer has been all over billboards and in medical marijuana dispensaries across Las Vegas and Boulder, Colorado. He has been highly visible in the media over the years, promoting his referral service for MM (medical marijuana)
and trying to help patients obtain their
MM card. Although he is not a doctor, he has become very knowledgeable about what might help people with their pain and ailments. Being so highly visible in the public eye also carries a price, as he has become the target of the DEA and local authorities, both eager to make an example of him and the vague laws. SLV sat with Pierre Werner, also known as Dr. Reefer, as he revealed his personal story and his experiences within the gray murky area that lies between what is legal and illegal within the confines of the law.

“I was about 14 when I started smoking marijuana. Around sixteen or seventeen, I started thinking about medical marijuana. That’s when I felt, for myself at least, that it was doing something good for me. After I would work out, and then smoke, it just felt right. It felt like it would coat my bones and lube up my muscles. That’s when I started thinking of it for its medicinal properties. In 2001, when it became legal here in Nevada, I obtained my medical marijuana card. A medical marijuana patient is allowed to buy their medicine, or MM, but it is illegal for anyone to sell it to them. With a MM card, you are allowed to grow seven plants here in Nevada or to get a caregiver, who also needs a card, and thereby the right to grow it, but only for the patient. You are held indebted to this caregiver, because he must give it to you free. It’s the law that says: ‘you (the MM patient) can’t give the caregiver anything for any consideration, which means money, trade or whatever.’”

“I was born in Amsterdam and went back there to visit in 2001. That’s when I made the decision to start to grow my own marijuana, because the quality of growing your own far exceeded anything that was on the market. When I first started doing the referral business in 2002, my objective was to help people. I got so many people legal, that the demand was too much, even for me. I had people that were going through chemotherapy, and chronic pain patients that were asking me for medicine. In Nevada, a caregiver is allowed to grow for only one patient. I was growing for too many patients, so when they came and raided me, I had too many plants. They indicted me and I fought the charges from 2004 until 2006 when I went to trial. At the very last day of trial, my lawyers convinced me to take a plea agreement because I had another case pending. The District Attorney said they’d dismiss these charges and just give me probation on the other charges. I was looking at another $200,000 to defend myself. At that time I’d finished setting up my other store in Santa Barbara, California, and I was in the process of moving my grow houses out there. I had decided to go to California, where it was legal. But now, I had to report to my probation officer in Nevada, and she asked me when was the last time I had used marijuana. I said: ‘The night before.’ She said: “How’d you get here?” I said: ‘I drove.’ She said: “You know, marijuana stays in your system for thirty days, and that means you were driving under the influence.” I told her I was a medical marijuana patient and that I was allowed to have marijuana in my system, but I don’t drive under the influence. She decided to arrest me and leave it up to the judge. I spent six weeks in jail and they finally released me under house arrest.”

“ I SPENT NINE MONTHS IN A MAXIMUM-SECURITY PRISON. ” -Dr. Reefer

“Medical marijuana patients are supposed to be allowed to drive, but they made me surrender my driver’s license, and I couldn’t drive for the eighteen months that I was on probation. I had to go down and pee in a cup every week. They wanted to make an example of me and wanted to shut me up, so others wouldn’t try this. Three to four thousand people in Nevada have their cards, but Nevada has not been very friendly toward MM patients.”

“In the middle of being under house arrest, they raided me again, and this time, sent me off to prison. They found another two houses that one of my patients had been taking care of for me. One of my trimmers, when confronted, said: “Here’s Dr. Reefer, so let me go.” The leases were under my name, so they revoked my probation and sent me to prison. There was never any allegation that I had sold to anyone that didn’t have a MM license. After my jail time, I was still on parole when I put my first billboard up. We are now the leader in MM referrals. No company legalizes more patients than we do. We take a percentage of the fee to see the doctor. Even in this environment, there are very few doctors to sign off on MM. A lot of them still believe they’ll lose their medical license if they recommend Medical Marijuana. Patients will come to us because their doctors won’t approve them. We charge $60 for the application. Just to receive the application takes about 2-3 weeks. Every other state has the application free on their website for you to download. After the application is filled out, we’ll walk you through the whole process, including referring you to a MM doctor and sending all the paperwork into the state.”

“THE CAREGIVER MUST GIVE IT TO YOU FOR FREE." -Dr. Reefer

“I spent nine months in a maximum-security prison. My cellmate was a murderer. They kept me there until they figured out my citizenship status. That’s what they do since 9-11. While I was there, the prisoners started a race riot, with the blacks against the whites. That was pretty scary! I always have played chess when I go to jail, and believe it or not, most of the “big fish” are chess players. If you get in with the chess players, they’ll leave you alone. The chess players really ran the show. They are the thinkers and the planners. Then they sent me off to Fire Camp. We would be picked up in fire trucks and we would fight fires in the summer. In the winter we would be taken to State Parks to chop down trees that are within one hundred feet of the road, so the fire can’t jump the road. They paid us $1 a day and they’d give us chainsaws (they gave convicted felons chainsaws!) and we cut down the trees into little pieces and then we’d drag the wood up and down the hills to the road where it would be picked up. The wood would be donated to anyone who needed firewood, like the elderly or non-profit organizations, and that part was good. To lock up nonviolent pot smokers, just has to be questioned.”

“In California, all the dispensaries have to be set up as nonprofit. In Colorado, you can set up as a for-profit. In California, the money a dispensary gets through donations is meant to pay all the bills, the employees’ wages, the cost to buy new marijuana, and then any money leftover is donated to some other nonprofit organization or charity. When I was in Boulder, Colorado, where you could sell and there was lots of competition, you needed to just get people in the door. My gimmick was to give a free clone with every purchase. I made thousands and thousands of clones. A clone is a baby starter marijuana plant, about 2-3” tall. That helped the profits. In Colorado, just in Boulder alone with a population of 200,000, there are over 100 medical marijuana stores. Business was fierce, to say the least. You can put 1000 clones on a rack with grow lights. I have about a 95-96% growth rate success. It takes about two weeks to root a clone. In Colorado, they have a specific license called “Cannabis infused manufactured products.” All of their products have to be produced in a licensed restaurant facility. Denver passed the law that said “no on-site consumption.” So they’re forced to do a dispensary take-out. They’ll warm your food, but you have to take it somewhere else to eat it. You can be a caregiver for up to 5 patients in Colorado, but over 5 and you have to get a dispensary license. In Colorado, infused product manufacturers can grow as much marijuana as they need to make their product. Keef Cola is the future. It contains 10mg of THC, the same as one joint. They can make their sodas as cannabis-strong as they want. A caregiver could go to this company and ask for three cases of soda for his five patients. Nobody wants to take Oxycontin or Percocet when they could just smoke a joint, eat a brownie or drink a soda to relieve their pain. There is even a cannabis spray that you can spray on your skin to relieve pain. It’s not just about growing a plant anymore. It’s taking a plant and doing more with it.”

“I did a lot of reading and got a lot of patient feedback to realize which strains of cannabis help relieve which types of pain. There are two different species of cannabis: Indica and Sativa. The Sativa is more for the head, as treatment for migraines, anxiety, and pain where you don’t want to be laid out on the couch. Indica, on the other hand, will lay you out on the couch. So if you have body pain, that will help. It’s all about dosage, too. If you smoke too much of the Sativa, it can turn into the same effects as an Indica. When patients ask me, I won’t tell them how much to use, but I do share what type I think might help them. Edibles can also help for certain ailments. It lasts longer, but it’s slower to take off. I had a chemo patient who would just throw everything up. I can’t imagine him eating a marijuana brownie. Dispensaries buy from patients who grow more than they need. The Nevada law states that you can grow 7 plants and carry 1 ounce. You might get 1 ounce off of 1 plant. Most indoor plants will produce 2-4 ounces and outdoor plants can produce a pound per plant. Right now, under Nevada law, I can’t even be a MM patient, because of my felony status. It only affects felons who were caught selling drugs, or marijuana. It doesn’t apply to murderers, rapists, robbers or anybody else. They can all still get into the MM program.” SLV

Issue 54 featuring: Renee Perez, Capri Anderson with Mia Lina and Kaylani Lei