Tag: cannabis

Kamala Harris Implausibly Claims Biden’s Marijuana Pardons Number in the ‘Tens of Thousands’

“We have pardoned tens of thousands of people with federal convictions for simple marijuana possession,” Vice President Kamala Harris bragged on Thursday. It was not the first time she had offered that estimate, which she also cited during an appearance in South Carolina last February and at a “roundtable conversation about marijuana reform” the following month.

Where did Harris get that number? From thin air, it seems. “While Harris said ‘tens of thousands’ have been pardoned under President Joe Biden’s October 2022 and December 2023 clemency proclamations,” Marijuana Moment noted in February, “the Justice Department estimates that roughly 13,000 people have been granted relief under the executive action.” And only a tiny percentage of those people have bothered (or managed) to obtain evidence of their pardons: This week the Justice Department reported that “the Office of the Pardon Attorney has issued 205 certificates of pardon” to people covered by Biden’s proclamations.

In October 2022, President Joe Biden announced pardons for people who had possessed marijuana in violation of 21 USC 844 or Section 48–904.01(d)(1) of the D.C. Code. That proclamation applied to “all current United States citizens and lawful permanent residents” who had “committed the offense of simple possession of marijuana” on or before October 6.

According to a count by the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC), about 7,500 citizens and 1,200 “resident/legal alien offenders” (only some of whom would be eligible for pardons) were convicted of marijuana possession under 21 USC 844 from FY 1992 through FY 2021. Those numbers include some people who also were convicted of other offenses.

That count did not include D.C. Code violations. “We estimate that over 6,500 people with prior federal convictions for simple possession of marijuana and thousands of such convictions under D.C. law could benefit from this relief,” a White House official said during a press background call on the day Biden announced the pardons.

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Most Americans Who Have Tried Marijuana Or Psychedelics Had ‘Positive’ Experiences, Survey Finds

A majority of Americans have tried marijuana—and most say they had a positive experience—according to a new poll.

The survey from YouGov also found that one in five Americans have used psilocybin mushrooms, and an even greater majority of those respondents described the experience as positive. Most people who have tried other psychedelics like LSD and MDMA also said it was a good time.

As the federal government moves to reclassify cannabis and more states pursue psychedelics reform, the poll offers fresh insights into how people have personally used the substances and where they stand on changing drug laws.

YouGov asked respondents about four substances: marijuana, psilocybin, LSD and MDMA. By far the most commonly used was marijuana (57 percent), followed by psilocybin (20 percent), LSD (16 percent) and MDMA (11 percent).

For each substance, people who said they’ve used it reported a positive experience, most prominently for psilocybin (65). The rest were roughly equal: marijuana (57 percent), MDMA (56 percent) and LSD (55 percent).

About one and four people who’ve used the drugs described the experience as equally positive and negative. And 20 percent of people who’ve consumed marijuana, LSD or MDMA said it was a negative experience, but only eight percent said the same of psilocybin.

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Cannabis Users Stay Motivated: Lazy Stoner Myth Debunked

Summary: A new study challenges the stereotype that chronic cannabis users are lazy and unmotivated. The research surveyed 260 frequent users and found no significant drop in their motivation or effort levels while high compared to when sober.

The study also observed enhanced positive emotions and a slight dip in self-regulation among users when high. This nuanced approach aims to provide a more balanced view of the effects of regular cannabis use on daily life.

Three Key Facts:

  1. No Impact on Motivation: Chronic cannabis users showed the same willingness to exert effort on tasks while high as when they were not.
  2. Emotional and Self-Regulation Effects: While cannabis use boosted positive emotions like awe and gratitude, it also led to decreased self-regulation, making users more impulsive and less orderly.
  3. No Weed Hangover: The research found no evidence of a decline in emotional or motivational function the day after cannabis use, debunking the idea of a “weed hangover.”

Source: University of Toronto

Stoners are not as lazy and unmotivated as stereotypes suggest, according to new U of T Scarborough research.

The study, published by the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, surveyed chronic cannabis users to see what effect getting high has on their everyday lives. 

“There is a stereotype that chronic cannabis users are somehow lazy or unproductive,” says Michael Inzlicht, a professor in the Department of Psychology at U of T Scarborough who led the study. 

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Top D.A.R.E. Officer Says Medical Marijuana Helped His Brother-In-Law Treat Cancer Pain

The anti-drug group D.A.R.E.’s 2022 officer of the year asserts in a new online documentary that “alcohol is a gateway drug”—though he occasionally drinks it. But marijuana is another story and can’t be safely enjoyed recreationally, he says, despite believing that cannabis has medical value after it helped treat his brother-in-law’s cancer-related pain.

D.A.R.E.’s president, meanwhile, acknowledges in the documentary that some of the criticism of the war on drugs might have something to do with earlier scandals within federal agencies, such as the CIA’s implication in a cocaine-smuggling conspiracy that he described as an “unfortunate part of our history.”

As the decades-old program works to reshape its image and move away from its scaremongering anti-drug roots under the Reagan administration, the leaders of the group convened for an international conference in Las Vegas last year where independent journalist Andrew Callaghan spoke to them about contemporary drug policy issues.

The interviews are featured in a documentary for the Callahan’s YouTube program Channel 5 that was released this month.

One of the more notable conversations involved Alex Mendoza, the 2022 D.A.R.E. officer of the year, who has worked to redefine the program’s approach to youth drug prevention.

“For me, it’s really about educating the youth that are out there—to give them the tools necessary to navigate whatever pain that they’re going through” that might lead to substance misuse, he said. “I think that if you don’t have that self-love for yourself and that resiliency, then you’re gonna go to that external source, whatever that might be.”

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Recreational cannabis use may lower your risk of cognitive decline, study says

When you light up or down an edible, you may be lowering your risk of cognitive decline, according to a new study comparing recreational cannabis users to nonusers. As marijuana isn’t without its health harms, these findings came as a surprise even to the scientists behind the study.

Researchers at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University found that nonmedical cannabis use—regardless of how or how often it was consumed—lowered a person’s odds of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) by 96%. The results were published in February in the journal Current Alzheimer Research. 

“I was expecting cannabis to be linked to an increased risk for cognitive decline, because that’s pretty much what’s consistent in previous research,” study coauthor Roger Wong, Ph.D., an assistant professor of public health and preventive medicine at the university’s Norton College of Medicine, tells Fortune. “I was stunned by the opposite finding.”

Dual use of cannabis, for both medical and nonmedical purposes, as well as medical use alone also correlated to decreased risk of SCD, the self-reported worsening or increased frequency of confusion or memory loss. However, those associations weren’t statistically significant.

Previous research suggests people with SCD are 2.5 times more likely to develop dementia and 1.8 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. About one in nine U.S. adults ages 45 and older experience SCD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We don’t have a way to prevent dementia right now,” Wong says. “But if we can prevent subjective cognitive decline at the very beginning and track it, that’ll hopefully fix some of the issues that we’re having right now with dementia later in life.”

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After Virginia GOP Governor’s Marijuana Veto, Democratic Senators Say Legal Sales Likely Won’t Happen Until 2027 Or Later

Democratic senators in support of legal marijuana sales in Virginia said at a recent event that in light of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) veto of a retail cannabis bill last month, it will likely be 2027 or later before adult-use shops can legally open their doors.

“I’m very direct, and sometimes folks don’t like to hear the harsh truth, but it’s the harsh truth,” said Sen. Aaron Rouse (D), who sponsored the retail sales bill in the Senate. “There’s a really big mountain to climb with this governor and his administration. I think he will veto setting up an adult cannabis market regardless of what we send him.”

“By 2027, there will be a new governor in Virginia,” added Sen. Adam Ebbin (D), who sponsored marijuana sales legislation this session and in years past. “It’s possible that after the 2025 gubernatorial election, that someone will take office in January of 2026 who would sign an adult-use marketplace bill.”

“That means that, whether it was in 2027 or thereabouts,” Ebbin continued, “we could expect to see more a regulated market for non-medical use or adult use in Virginia.”

Use, possession and limited cultivation of cannabis by adults is already legal in the commonwealth, the result of a Democrat-led proposal sponsored by Ebbin that was approved by lawmakers in 2021. But Republicans, after winning control of the House and governor’s office later that year, subsequently blocked the required reenactment of a regulatory framework for retail sales.

This year, with Democrats in control of both legislative chambers, lawmakers passed a new legal sales bill, sending it to Youngkin for his consideration in late February. A month later, the governor vetoed the bill, writing in a veto message that “the proposed legalization of retail marijuana in the Commonwealth endangers Virginians’ health and safety.”

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Senators Condemn Russia Over American Citizen’s ‘Ludicrous’ Incarceration For Medical Marijuana

A coalition of more than 20 U.S. senators has filed a resolution condemning the arrests of American citizens in Russia, including a Pennsylvania medical cannabis patient, Marc Fogel, who is serving a a 14-year sentence over simple possession of marijuana.

Sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), the measure was filed to mark the one-year anniversary of the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich over unfounded allegations of espionage.

“By introducing this resolution, we’re yet again bringing to light the cruelty of the Russian government,” Durbin, who also chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a press release on Tuesday. “As fellow Americans, we demand the release of all American citizens who face arbitrary arrests by the Russian government.”

The senator said in a floor speech on Thursday that Fogel’s arrest over possession of medical cannabis he was prescribed in a legal state resulted in a “ludicrous 14-year sentence in Russian labor camps.”

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who is among the prime cosponsors, said Fogel was “detained for carrying a small amount of medical marijuana, which was prescribed by his doctor.”

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Top Advocacy Center for Protecting Children from Harms of Vaccines Publishes CDC Propaganda Condemning Marijuana as Parents and Children Nationwide Use it for Treating Vaccine Injuries

I have been reporting on the dangers of vaccines to children for almost 2 decades now, and one of the real tragedies of children who are vaccine damaged, is that the medical system ignores, or even worse denies, that vaccine injuries exist.

The most common childhood vaccine injuries, by far, are the horrible symptoms that occur with autism. The medical system, in general, wants the public to believe that autism is genetic and not environmental, so that they can completely deny the vaccine – autism connection, and develop pharmaceutical drugs instead. The most common type of pharmaceutical drug used to treat children with autism are psychiatric drugs, which are incredibly toxic and dangerous, as we have reported over the years.

This has forced most parents over the years to seek treatment for their vaccine-damaged children outside of the medical system, seeking out help from alternative health providers who understand the corruption and dangers of the pharmaceutical system, and many of these alternative healers have developed alternative, non-pharmaceutical treatments.

When those treatments are successful, they become a threat to the economic prosperity of the medical system, and the Big Pharma machine will do everything they can to destroy the credibility of these wholistic practitioners and condemn the treatments they use.

The most effective way that private pharmaceutical companies use to silence their competitors in alternative and natural health, is to use the U.S. Government medical agencies such as the FDA and the CDC to declare such treatments “illegal” and seek to prosecute those who use them.

I learned this firsthand myself back in the 2000s, as I published research and testimonies about how healing Virgin Coconut Oil can be, only to have the FDA attack me and declare that I was selling “unapproved drugs” simply because we pointed people to the actual research and testimonials of how healthy coconut oil is, while at the same time selling it.

In the past decade or so, one of the most amazing natural therapies that has brought great relief to parents of vaccine injured children labeled as “autistic,” is “medical marijuana”, also referred to as “medical cannabis.”

Many thousands of parents in this country over the past decade plus can testify to how medical marijuana has dramatically healed their child with autism, and made their family whole again.

So I was horrified to read an article this week from The Vaccine Reaction, which is published by the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), the nation’s oldest and most effective organization in the United States for supplying information to parents about the dangers of childhood vaccines, condemning the use of marijuana, a product that is becoming more and more available as State laws change, and which is used by so many parents and families across this nation to treat their children who suffer from vaccine injuries.

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Organ Donations From Marijuana Users Pose No Significant Infectious Risks, Study Finds

A new federally funded study examining the possible risks of organ donation by marijuana users found no indication that recent cannabis use increases the likelihood of significant side effects in the year immediately after a transplant—even as many healthcare providers continue to restrict transplants to cannabis consumers.

Findings of the research, which looked at rates of infections, transplant failures and deaths among recipients, “suggest that organs from donors with a history of recent marijuana use do not pose significant infectious risks in the early posttransplant period.”

“Despite concern that donor exposure to marijuana increases the risk of fungal infection in recipients, our study found that a donor history of marijuana use did not increase (1) the likelihood of donor culture positivity (including respiratory cultures), or (2) the risk of early recipient bacterial or fungal infection, graft failure, or death posttransplant,” authors wrote. “Even when evaluating only lung recipients, there remained no association between donor marijuana use and the risk of posttransplant infection.”

As more states have legalized marijuana, reported rates of use among adults have also risen, notes the new study, published late last month in the American Journal of Transplantation. “It is likely that a growing proportion of deceased organ donors have a history of marijuana use, as well,” it says, “though this metric has not been specifically reported.”

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Smart Approaches to Marijuana Exec Attacks ‘Fake’ Cannabis Research on Fox

Anti-cannabis political organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) was represented on Fox News primetime to expose what they believe to be fake research promoted in greed by the cannabis industry. SAM is a political organization opposed to cannabis legalization and commercialization, specifically pushing for penalties for cannabis use.

Executive Vice President of SAM Luke Niforatos joined Laura Ingraham on The Ingraham Angle to discuss how “Big Cannabis” is funding UCLA, Harvard, and MIT studies on the efficacy of cannabis for medical purposes.

“The mainstreaming of pot has come at the same time the drug has increased exponentially in its potency, its THC levels,” warned Ingraham, linking it to “violent behavior.” Ingraham frequently explores the dangers of pot and blamed “pot psychosis” due to widespread legalization for the rise in mass shooting incidents. 

Niforatos then delivered a new mixed bag of reefer madness and hysteria: “Big marijuana is terrified right now, because there are now volumes of research telling us that this new super-charged marijuana that the industry is pumping out is causing psychosis, schizophrenia,” Niforatos said. “We’re seeing addiction rates go up. They’re targeting our kids. All kinds of car crashes on the roads! So all of this is coming out of the research.”

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