Making the Case for Medical Marijuana

[heironymouspasparagus]

Cops want your spit.

Give generously.

Yeah...about that....spitting would is just another excuse to shoot you.

[patric]

The DEA just banned non-intoxicating CBD oil used to treat epilepsy sufferers
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/189093/20161216/dea-declares-cbd-marijuana-extracts-illegal-under-new-rule.htm

They did it for the children.


The Drug Enforcement Administration issued a new ruling by which cannabidiol (CBD) hemp oil was declared a substance part of the Schedule I Controlled Substances Act. Following this decision, CBD oil will be in the same category as LSD, MDMA, psilocybin and other drugs.

The CBD oil is made from hemp plants not containing a large quantity of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive component of cannabis.
CBD – Schedule I Drug

According to the ruling, the extracts containing CBD will also contain other cannabinoids in small amounts. Currently, the drug is used in treating a wide range of diseases, from PTSD to epilepsy or anxiety, being a very powerful anti-inflammatory medicine. Another use of the drug is helping to manage pain in patients who suffer from different chronic conditions.

The Schedule I drugs refer to substances or chemicals whose potential for abuse is so high that their use is illegal. Following this statement, the CBD has also joined the list.

"The abuse rate is a determinate factor in the scheduling of the drug; for example, Schedule I drugs have a high potential for abuse and the potential to create severe psychological and/or physical dependence," according to the DEA website.

However, the decision did not pass unnoticed by marijuana activists, who believe that the institution is not given the authority to make such decisions.

"The DEA can only carry out the law, they cannot create it. Here they're purporting to create an entirely new category called 'marijuana extracts,' and by doing so wrest control over all cannabinoids. They want to call all cannabinoids illegal. But they don't have the authority to do that," noted Robert Hoban, an adjunct professor of law at the University of Denver.

The new ruling is opposed to the view of another federal agency, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, whose director, Nora Volkow, believes, that CBD should by no means be restricted under the portmanteau of having no medical value.

"There is reason to believe (CBD) may have a range of uses in medicine, including in the treatment of seizures and other neurological disorders," Volkow mentioned in 2015.


You may remember Governor Failin signed legislation earlier this year authorizing supervised clinical use of CBD oil on children suffering from epilepsy.
http://www.fox23.com/news/local/fallin-signs-bill-legalizing-marijuana-oil-medical/67098256

The CBD oil we are studying is a non-intoxicating derivative of marijuana," said Fallin. "It is not marijuana, and it is not anything that can make you 'high.' This law has been narrowly crafted to support highly supervised medical trials for children with debilitating seizures.

[heironymouspasparagus]

They did it for the children.

It's gonna be a Brave New World starting in January!  Get used to it!



And start working against it!

[patric]

It's gonna be a Brave New World starting in January!  Get used to it!
And start working against it!

After states legalized medical marijuana, traffic deaths fell

Legalization of medical marijuana is not linked with increased traffic fatalities, a new study finds. In some states, in fact, the number of people killed in traffic accidents dropped after medical marijuana laws were enacted.
The decrease in traffic fatalities was particularly striking – 12 percent – in 25- to 44-year-olds, an age group with a large percentage of registered medical marijuana users, reports the American Journal of Public Health.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-marijuana-traffic-death-idUSKBN14H1LQ

[heironymouspasparagus]

After states legalized medical marijuana, traffic deaths fell

Legalization of medical marijuana is not linked with increased traffic fatalities, a new study finds. In some states, in fact, the number of people killed in traffic accidents dropped after medical marijuana laws were enacted.
The decrease in traffic fatalities was particularly striking – 12 percent – in 25- to 44-year-olds, an age group with a large percentage of registered medical marijuana users, reports the American Journal of Public Health.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-marijuana-traffic-death-idUSKBN14H1LQ

With modern automobiles - and even most older cars - it's tough to have a fatality accident at 7 mph!

[cannon_fodder]

I got sucked down a rabit hole, but this is fascinating to me.  Such a change.

Arkansas voters approved Medical Marijuana back in November, that triggered a commission to set up regulations.  They finalized many of the important regs and published them today:

1)  $15,000 to file an application to be considered for a growing operation
2) Must have a $1,000,000 bond in place
3) In addition to the bond, must hold $500,000 in cash liquidity
4) $100,000 annual fee, and
5) there will be no more than 5 licensed grow operations

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2017/01/06/437446.htm

There will almost certainly be additional application, bonds, cash, and fee requirements for dispensaries (patients are required to buy from dispensaries, who must by from registered growers).

Then there is also a tax on the final sale to the patient (above normal sales tax).

I can tell you that the fees to open a brewery in Arkansas do not even approach these amounts, and that isn't for something the State now defines as medicine. In Washington State the application fee is $250 and the licensing fee is $1,000 per year.  The fees to license a DEA manufacturing facility appear to be much less.

Currently, it is estimated that Arkansas is #10 in the nation in Marijuana production (all illegal at this point):
599,632 plants, 264,388 pounds, worth  $424,607,000
https://www.drugscience.org/Archive/bcr2/domstprod.html  (this is a marijuana advocacy website, so I can not attest to the accuracy)

The DEA destroys nearly 100,000 plants per year in Arkansas at the moment.  No idea what percentage they get, but the availability of the drug in Arkansas is listed as "high"  (insert Butthead laugh here) by the DEA.  If law enforcement got 25% of all illegally grown Marijuana, I'd guess they were doing a pretty good job.  So the amount produced has to be substantial.
https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs6/6184/marijuan.htm

There are up to 240,000 patients eligible to register in Arkansas.  I think they are each allowed up to 2.5 OZ every two weeks (with Doctors approval, proper registration, ,etc.).  The state sets up the final quota allowed, but that is an huge potential amount of legal weed.  A pound of marijuana at a wholesale price in Denver costs about 2,000 a pound (still weird that this data is available). So each one of these government sponsored oligopolies has huge potential revenue.

Now, anticipated revenue is much, much less than the total potential.  The estimate I found was about $35,000,000 per year.  Still, the government chooses 5 businesses to essentially award a $7 mil contract to each of them.  But the government still plans on losing money trying to regulate it. Interesting numbers:  http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/public/DFA-AMMA-Implementation-Analysis-101916.pdf

Anyway, it is exactly the opposite approach taken by some other states which mandated smaller growing operations (New Mexico caps it at like 450 plants).  While I would prefer to be an early adopter, Oklahoma should get the benefit for looking at what other states have done and taking the concepts that have worked out well from a law enforcement, revenue, public health, and "will of the people" perspectives.

Will we?

http://www.freeweekly.com/2016/11/16/how-medical-cannabis-will-be-implemented-in-arkansas/
http://ualrpublicradio.org/post/future-medical-marijuana-arkansas-all-amendment-arkansans-voted#stream/0

[rebound]

Oklahoma should get the benefit for looking at what other states have done and taking the concepts that have worked out well from a law enforcement, revenue, public health, and "will of the people" perspectives.

Will we?

Well, of course we will!  I mean, look at what we've learned from other states on highways, liquor, taxation, schools, parks and recreation funding, etc, etc, ad nauseum...

It would have been incredibly easy for AR, and would be for OK, to look at CO or WA and say "hey, let's basically copy what they did. Seems to work pretty well."  But you can rest assured that if/when we ever get serious about legalizing marijuana in some way, we will find a way to make it so convoluted and confusing that it ends up being a burden.   And then the naysayers (the ones that caused it to be so messed up) can say "told you so!"

[heironymouspasparagus]

I got sucked down a rabit hole, but this is fascinating to me.  Such a change.

Arkansas voters approved Medical Marijuana back in November, that triggered a commission to set up regulations.  They finalized many of the important regs and published them today:

1)  $15,000 to file an application to be considered for a growing operation
2) Must have a $1,000,000 bond in place
3) In addition to the bond, must hold $500,000 in cash liquidity
4) $100,000 annual fee, and
5) there will be no more than 5 licensed grow operations

Arkansas voters are a lot like Oklahoma voters.  Stupid enough to let the legislature control important stuff.

[heironymouspasparagus]

A billion dollars that did NOT go to cartels or leave the country.


https://www.facebook.com/attn/videos/1284654564903333/

[cannon_fodder]

I read an article over the weekend (I think it was in Wired) that the price of marijuana is dropping as the markets mature and competition kicks in. The lesson for the states:  TAX BASED ON WEIGHT, NOT PRICE.  Some states slapped a percent tax on sale of goods, others taxed based on a set amount of tax per unit sold.  So 20% sales tax vs. $1o per ounce ... the latter is not impacted by market fluctuations.

Keep notes Oklahoma!

[heironymouspasparagus]

I read an article over the weekend (I think it was in Wired) that the price of marijuana is dropping as the markets mature and competition kicks in. The lesson for the states:  TAX BASED ON WEIGHT, NOT PRICE.  Some states slapped a percent tax on sale of goods, others taxed based on a set amount of tax per unit sold.  So 20% sales tax vs. $1o per ounce ... the latter is not impacted by market fluctuations.

Keep notes Oklahoma!

Just like gasoline tax ---  cents per gallon.  Or alcohol, dollars per gallon.

There is a way to do this that can be very beneficial.  Just gotta get rid of the Scott Pruitts in the state...   Oh, wait...taking us from the frying pan into the fire!!

[patric]

I got sucked down a rabit hole, but this is fascinating to me.  Such a change.

Arkansas voters approved Medical Marijuana back in November, that triggered a commission to set up regulations.  They finalized many of the important regs and published them today:

1)  $15,000 to file an application to be considered for a growing operation
2) Must have a $1,000,000 bond in place
3) In addition to the bond, must hold $500,000 in cash liquidity
4) $100,000 annual fee, and
5) there will be no more than 5 licensed grow operations

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2017/01/06/437446.htm

There will almost certainly be additional application, bonds, cash, and fee requirements for dispensaries (patients are required to buy from dispensaries, who must by from registered growers).

Then there is also a tax on the final sale to the patient (above normal sales tax).

I can tell you that the fees to open a brewery in Arkansas do not even approach these amounts, and that isn't for something the State now defines as medicine. In Washington State the application fee is $250 and the licensing fee is $1,000 per year.  The fees to license a DEA manufacturing facility appear to be much less.

Currently, it is estimated that Arkansas is #10 in the nation in Marijuana production (all illegal at this point):
599,632 plants, 264,388 pounds, worth  $424,607,000
https://www.drugscience.org/Archive/bcr2/domstprod.html  (this is a marijuana advocacy website, so I can not attest to the accuracy)

The DEA destroys nearly 100,000 plants per year in Arkansas at the moment.  No idea what percentage they get, but the availability of the drug in Arkansas is listed as "high"  (insert Butthead laugh here) by the DEA.  If law enforcement got 25% of all illegally grown Marijuana, I'd guess they were doing a pretty good job.  So the amount produced has to be substantial.
https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs6/6184/marijuan.htm

There are up to 240,000 patients eligible to register in Arkansas.  I think they are each allowed up to 2.5 OZ every two weeks (with Doctors approval, proper registration, ,etc.).  The state sets up the final quota allowed, but that is an huge potential amount of legal weed.  A pound of marijuana at a wholesale price in Denver costs about 2,000 a pound (still weird that this data is available). So each one of these government sponsored oligopolies has huge potential revenue.

Now, anticipated revenue is much, much less than the total potential.  The estimate I found was about $35,000,000 per year.  Still, the government chooses 5 businesses to essentially award a $7 mil contract to each of them.  But the government still plans on losing money trying to regulate it. Interesting numbers:  http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/public/DFA-AMMA-Implementation-Analysis-101916.pdf

Anyway, it is exactly the opposite approach taken by some other states which mandated smaller growing operations (New Mexico caps it at like 450 plants).  While I would prefer to be an early adopter, Oklahoma should get the benefit for looking at what other states have done and taking the concepts that have worked out well from a law enforcement, revenue, public health, and "will of the people" perspectives.

Will we?

http://www.freeweekly.com/2016/11/16/how-medical-cannabis-will-be-implemented-in-arkansas/
http://ualrpublicradio.org/post/future-medical-marijuana-arkansas-all-amendment-arkansans-voted#stream/0

Apparently not... The bad example has such allure. 


State Rep. Eric Proctor of Tulsa has introduced a measure that's nearly an exact replica of what's being considered in neighboring Arkansas, where medical marijuana was legalized by voters last November.

The bill mirrors Arkansas' proposed plan, calling for a maximum $7,500 fee to apply to run a dispensary and a maximum $15,000 fee to apply for a marijuana cultivation license. It also calls for the creation of a medical marijuana commission, as in Arkansas.

"It's modeled after the laws in Arkansas," Proctor said. "It was done intentionally so we can see what (Arkansas) has done right and wrong."
The bill would task the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission with adopting rules governing oversight, record-keeping, security and other regulations over the drug.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/state/oklahoma-lawmaker-s-bill-sets-rules-for-medical-marijuana/article_4f5c6dd8-ec25-5360-8025-62f3d942220f.html

[heironymouspasparagus]

We live in a sinful, unethical, immoral, unjust, Un-Christian country that allows the ongoing torture of children when low cost, reasonable drugs are available that have been proven to help serious problems.   But then again, we just elected Trump, so I can understand....


https://www.facebook.com/ATTNVideo/videos/1664371617201126/

[Vashta Nerada]

We live in a sinful, unethical, immoral, unjust, Un-Christian country that allows the ongoing torture of children when low cost, reasonable drugs are available that have been proven to help serious problems.   But then again, we just elected Trump, so I can understand....
https://www.facebook.com/ATTNVideo/videos/1664371617201126/

Sure, leave it up to the DPS and A.B.L.E.
Is this the only scheme the unions would get behind?  Move the corruption from one pocket to another?

[cannon_fodder]

So a couple dozen states have adopted various marijuana laws and have operated them for years.  We model ours on a state that is just now adopting laws and hasn't put them in practice yet.  That has minimal value from a "learn from the experiences of others" perspective.