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When Colorado legalized recreational use of marijuana in 2012, it did so only for private consumption. This fall, voters in Denver will have the chance to legalize some use of cannabis outside the home. Supporters of the “social marijuana use” initiative have gathered the 4,726 signatures required to make the ballot in November, the Denver Elections Division confirmed Thursday. Key to its possible success is that the initiative would give individual neighborhoods a significant say in where and when these “designated consumption areas” would operate. Anyone seeking a permit would first have to obtain approval from the local neighborhood association, business improvement district or merchant association. Only then would Denver licensing officials consider an application. Kayvan Khalatbari, one of the architects of the proposal and a co-owner of the pro-marijuana advocacy group Denver Relief Consulting, said that type of flexibility is fundamental. “We wanted to make sure that we’re considerate of these neighborhoods and these organizations in this process of social consumption,” Khalatbari told The Huffington Post. “What they can choose to do is create stricter guidelines that really fit into the needs or the concerns of that community.” As an example, Khalatbari said community leaders would be free to impose certain stipulations or even reject social cannabis use outright in areas frequented by kids. “So if they say, ‘We have a lot of schoolkids here on weekdays, we don’t want this around,’ maybe they just say it’s a Saturday and Sunday permit, or it only happens after 7 p.m., or whatever it may be,” he said. Permits could vary in duration from one night to a full year, and would be open to a broad range of businesses ― from yoga studios and holistic healing organizations to cafe owners, concert venues and art galleries. But cannabis still could not be sold at these sites. Patrons would have to supply their own marijuana. Khalatbari emphasized that the initiative represents a starting point. “There is not a single municipality that’s regulated the social use of cannabis, so we don’t purport to know everything on the front end,” he said. “This is going to take some time for all the stakeholders to really learn about this process and what these best practices are to be able to implement them properly.” The initiative would launch a four-year pilot project. “If after four years, at the end of 2020, the city council doesn’t vote to extend what we have already or create something new, theoretically this would shut down,” he said. One sticking point for social marijuana use in Denver may be the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, which prohibits smoking anything in most indoor areas. According to several state lawmakers, that means those designated consumption areas could technically be in violation of state law. “I believe it conflicts with state law,” said state Rep. Dan Pabon (D-Denver) in an email. “The Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act specifically outlaws smoking indoors. This Act would need to be amended.” Pabon added that he supports the idea of allowing cannabis consumption on certain business premises if that means marijuana smokers are kept out of public parks and off sidewalks. State Rep. Jonathan Singer (D-Longmont) seconded that sentiment and cautioned that Colorado law also prohibits anyone from consuming other intoxicating substances in a business that has a liquor license. So bars wishing to allow marijuana use might be in a tricky position, but that doesn’t mean a solution couldn’t be found. “Lawmakers like myself should have pushed harder the last few years on responsible social use and we wouldn’t be in this quandary,” said Singer. “We’ve had since 2013 to figure this out.” Regardless of what happens, nobody in Denver ― residents or tourists ― should expect to legally smoke in public anytime soon. “No one is allowed to smoke on the sidewalk or in a park,” Singer said, “and this initiative won’t change that.”

Will this November be the beginning of the end for cannabis prohibition? On November 8th, American voters will turn out in record numbers to make the much-maligned choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. But those in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada have another choice to make — whether to regulate and legalize cannabis. Most attention is focused on California, which already has the lion’s share of the current $5.7 billion legal US industry. The Californian market alone is set to grow to $6.6 billion by 2020 in anticipation of a yes vote. Proposition 64 is the last option standing in California after 21 different proposals for various forms of cannabis legalization have been whittled down to just one. Much has been made of the infighting among the pro-legalization movement about the wording of the proposition, but most of the dissent now seems sated. Compromises have been made by all parties, and the foundations of good campaign finance and strong polling are in place. Proposition 64 looks highly likely to succeed, but is this at the expense of the other states? Proposition 64 is by far the best-financed campaign of any of the five states, as of 16 August 2016, the support campaign had over $11,453,469.31 in funds. Compare that to only $498,591.60 in Massachusetts. California also polls the strongest. A recent poll by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California put support in California for legalizing cannabis for recreational use at 63.8 percent. In Nevada polling consistently puts support below 50 percent. The cannabis industry has been conspicuously insignificant compared to private individuals and wealthy philanthropists in the funding of the five initiatives for legalization. Many of the thousands of companies currently operating in the fragmented and complicated markets may see widespread reform as a threat to their survival, or simply lack the resources to fund attempts to open new markets. This is sure to change after California, when more funds will be available for later initiatives. But could this be too little, too late, if the other, poorly-funded, campaigns flounder and fail, as looks likely in Arizona and Massachusetts and possibly Maine and Nevada? California GDP is the world’s 6th largest. Many assume that, once it legalizes, big business will move the industry in a way that hasn’t happened yet in the small, fractured and constantly shifting regulatory environments of Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Once this happens, the business lobby will be too strong and an inexorable tide of legalization around the globe will follow. Or so the argument goes... California became the first state to legalize medicinal cannabis. However, the state has yet to fully legalize across the board. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) Is California a case of exceptionalism or normalization? The counter argument is that California is a culturally exceptional West Coast state with attitudes to cannabis which are in stark contrast to the rest of the US. In a regulated market prices will be driven down, marketing activity will increase and public health concerns exacerbated by rising use levels, or at the very least the perception of rising use levels that legalization may elicit. The “Golden State” may already have near ubiquitous access to medical marijuana and the country’s most progressive decriminalization laws, but it remains the big prize for reform advocates. However, their euphoria will be dampened if other ballots in Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada all fail. Right now, were I a betting man, my money would be on one big step forward and a few smaller steps back come the Fall.

For several years, researchers have been looking for a way to defer the early onset of Alzheimer’s. As the only disease in the top 10 causes of death unable to be prevented, cured, or even slowed, Alzheimer’s disease is a top priority for many researchers, scientists, and doctors. Several conclusions and proposals have been brought up in the past decades, and several of them slipped out of our reach or are still being tested and evaluated. However, Salk Institute scientists have found preliminary evidence that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other compounds found in marijuana can promote the cellular removal of amyloid beta (Aβ), which happens to be a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease. THC is the principal psychoactive constituent in marijuana and is the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects. In a news article from Salk Institute, Salk Professor David Schubert, the senior author of the paper, states that their study is the first to be able to demonstrate their conclusion. “Although other studies have offered evidence that cannabinoids might be neuroprotective against the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, we believe our study is the first to demonstrate that cannabinoids affect both inflammation and amyloid beta accumulation in nerve cells,”says Schubert. Even though the studies were conducted on neurons grown in the laboratory, this discovery nonetheless offers insight on the role of inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease and paves a pathway for developing novel therapeutics for the serious disorder. The disease is induced by amyloid beta proteins that accumulate within nerve cells as the brain ages. The heaping of these toxic proteins leads to the formation of plaque deposits in the brain, which is a large characteristic of Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease is a grave progressive brain disorder, destroying nerve connections in the brain, which makes it continuously more difficult to perform simple and basic tasks such as moving around, swallowing, and feeding yourself. Although there are several complications in the brain, this alone does not kill you. What does, is the complications that stem from it — some common examples being aspiration pneumonia, bedsores, malnutrition, and sepsis infections. Salk researchers had found that high levels of amyloid beta (Aβ ) were heavily associated with cellular inflammation and higher rates of neuron death. They also successfully demonstrated that exposing the cells to THC reduced the amyloid beta protein levels and eradicated the inflammatory response from the nerve cells induced by the protein, allowing the nerve cells to survive. “Inflammation within the brain is a major component of the damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but it has always been assumed that this response was coming from immune-like cells in the brain, not the nerve cells themselves,” states Antonio Currais, a postdoctoral researcher in Schubert’s laboratory and first author of the paper. “When we were able to identify the molecular basis of the inflammatory response to amyloid beta, it became clear that THC-like compounds that the nerve cells make themselves may be involved in protecting the cells from dying.” To add, physical activity results in the production of endocannabinoids and some studies have successfully shown that exercise may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In a separate but relevant research study led by Schubert, his lab had found an Alzheimer’s drug candidate called J147 producing similar results. This study had led the scientists to discover the beneficial effect of endocannabinoids like THC. Although these results are only the beginning to finding a way to successfully fight Alzheimer’s, the data from other existing research involving marijuana and Alzheimer’s support these findings and make this a plausible treatment in the near future.

It’s interesting how you can find out what’s really on someone’s mind when they’re under pressure. It happened to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, but if you blinked, you may have missed it. But this is something we cannot ignore. During her interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper following the Orlando tragedy, Ms. Bondi claimed (on Fox News) that she expected to talk about one topic, only to be called out by Mr. Cooper on her anti-gay rhetoric. When asked if she was being hypocritical about supporting gays on that day after previously fighting gay marriage with thousands of Floridians’ tax dollars all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, she fought back by telling Mr. Cooper that she was merely defending the Florida Constitution when she stated that gay marriage would “induce public harm” to Floridians. When she realized that her interview was not going well, she decided to shift the subject. It sounded like a statement that came from nowhere. A non-sequitur. She went from saying that she insulted the LGBT community because she was defending the Florida Constitution to a whole different subject. Here is the transcript from CNN: You - you know - no. No. What we argued was, it was in the constitution of the state of Florida. Let me give you an example. Medical marijuana. A 12-year-old could get it if [a medical marijuana amendment] passed. We took that to the Supreme Court. Because of that language - hold on. But if that passed, I would defend that as well because it’s my job to defend what’s in the constitution of the state of Florida. That’s what it was about. It’s funny how that topic floated to the top of an already very busy mind. Even though it’s possible she could be investigated because she declined to pursue the Trump University case in Florida after taking a campaign donation from Donald Trump,(which has to be on her mind) the topic of medical cannabis pops up. That first medical marijuana amendment she opposed failed. When the revised “Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative,” Amendment 2 , went to the Florida Supreme Court for review after the petitions were filed, Attorney General Bondi decided not to fight it this time. “Based on the Court’s decision in 2014, I have not filed a legal challenge to the current amendment, but my concerns with it are the same,” Bondi said. THE BLOG Florida’s Medical Marijuana Proponents Should Prepare And Get Help For The Battle Ahead For Amendment 2 1 hour ago Gary Stein Author and Advocate It’s interesting how you can find out what’s really on someone’s mind when they’re under pressure. It happened to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, but if you blinked, you may have missed it. But this is something we cannot ignore. During her interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper following the Orlando tragedy, Ms. Bondi claimed (on Fox News) that she expected to talk about one topic, only to be called out by Mr. Cooper on her anti-gay rhetoric. When asked if she was being hypocritical about supporting gays on that day after previously fighting gay marriage with thousands of Floridians’ tax dollars all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, she fought back by telling Mr. Cooper that she was merely defending the Florida Constitution when she stated that gay marriage would “induce public harm” to Floridians. When she realized that her interview was not going well, she decided to shift the subject. It sounded like a statement that came from nowhere. A non-sequitur. She went from saying that she insulted the LGBT community because she was defending the Florida Constitution to a whole different subject. Here is the transcript from CNN: You - you know - no. No. What we argued was, it was in the constitution of the state of Florida. Let me give you an example. Medical marijuana. A 12-year-old could get it if [a medical marijuana amendment] passed. We took that to the Supreme Court. Because of that language - hold on. But if that passed, I would defend that as well because it’s my job to defend what’s in the constitution of the state of Florida. That’s what it was about. Advertisement It’s funny how that topic floated to the top of an already very busy mind. Even though it’s possible she could be investigated because she declined to pursue the Trump University case in Florida after taking a campaign donation from Donald Trump,(which has to be on her mind) the topic of medical cannabis pops up. That first medical marijuana amendment she opposed failed. When the revised “Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative,” Amendment 2 , went to the Florida Supreme Court for review after the petitions were filed, Attorney General Bondi decided not to fight it this time. “Based on the Court’s decision in 2014, I have not filed a legal challenge to the current amendment, but my concerns with it are the same,” Bondi said. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi speaking out against the medical marijuana initiative in 2014. Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post. Many people who support the new Amendment 2 cheered, and optimism started to grow. But there were a lot of folks who thought that Amendment 2 was going to pass easily in 2014 as well. It won a majority, but not the required 60 percent. It’s important to note that many young Britons felt that there was no way the Brexit would pass, either. So they didn’t show up to vote. It wasn’t until the results were in that they began to protest, calling for a new referendum. Something similar happened to the younger voters in Florida, who showed up at the polls in conspicuously lower numbers than had been suggested by the polling. Bondi’s verbal reflex against medical cannabis shows there’s strong opposition that cannot be ignored. Unfortunately, she wasn’t alone in her ways of thinking when she went to the courts to fight gay marriage, and she isn’t alone here. There are many in Florida who are just not ready in their minds for legalizing medical marijuana. A case in point: my wife, Monique, lost her eyesight primarily from glaucoma, still has pain and gets treated with burning drops and injections. When I wrote in a Huffington Post blog that she would like to use medical marijuana for the pain, she and our family got hassles from every direction, including our neighbors. To get the 60% needed to pass this ballot initiative in November we must consider three questions: 1. Who is against this source of a large number of medicines that actually predates our modern civilization, which holds the keys to treating everything from chronic debilitating pain to epilepsy to even cancer, and does, without side effects, what Big Pharma, with billions of dollars to spend on research, has yet to accomplish? 2. How do we get them to understand that there are Floridians suffering and even dying who need these medicines because the ones we have now either don’t work well or don’t work at all? 3. How do we get the message to them that they have to vote Yes on Amendment 2? The first solution is my upcoming book, “The Great Green Hope” which will be released later this summer. It highlights the stories of real people whose lives have been saved or treated by the use of medicines derived from cannabis. Watch for it and look for someone who may need it. It will change their minds and lives, and maybe save them one day. The second solution would be to get those with “celebrity status” who use medical marijuana for real medical reasons to start explaining to Floridians that this is not about getting high, it’s about getting well. It’s not about caregivers selling joints to 12-year-olds; it’s about caring about someone who is suffering. The opposition to Amendment 2 is mainly funded by Mel Sembler, who believes anyone who uses cannabis is an addict and deserves “Clockwork Orange” treatment (like those unfortunates in his involuntary rehab centers), and Sheldon Adelson, who generously sends massive amounts of money to Israel for medical cannabis research, but funds the opposition here to push his favorite conservative candidates and his casino agenda, with a war chest of $10 million. I would like to invite well known personalities like Whoopi Goldberg, who uses a vape pen to control the pain from her glaucoma; Montel Williams, who uses it to manage his Muscular Sclerosis; Oliver Stone, who used it to avoid the agony of PTSD; Morgan Freeman, who manages the pain from a near-fatal car crash; and a host of other great celebrities who have used their fame to advocate for the medicine that helped them and lend their star power to us fighting here in Florida. To the celebrities I mentioned and the ones who have not yet stepped into the spotlight to save millions of lives, Florida is waiting for your help and guidance. Then if Amendment 2 passes, we get to see if Pam Bondi will defend it in court, like she promised.

(Reuters) - Californians are set to decide whether to make recreational marijuana use legal, as other Western states have done, after the California Secretary of State’s office said on Tuesday the issue could be put to voters in the November ballot. The proposed so-called “Adult Use of Marijuana Act,” which is supported by Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom among others, would allow people aged 21 and older to possess as much as an ounce of marijuana for private recreational use and permit personal cultivation of as many as six marijuana plants. “Today marks a fresh start for California, as we prepare to replace the costly, harmful and ineffective system of prohibition with a safe, legal and responsible adult-use marijuana system that gets it right and completely pays for itself,” initiative spokesman Jason Kinney said in a statement. The measure would also establish a system to license, regulate and tax sales of marijuana, while allowing city governments to exercise local control over or disallow commercial distribution within their borders. signatures to qualify for the ballot and exceeded that number on Tuesday, the Secretary of State’s office said. Secretary Alex Padilla is slated to certify the initiative on June 30. Opinion polls show attitudes have shifted more in favor of liberalized marijuana laws since California voters defeated a recreational cannabis initiative in 2010. California led the way in legalizing marijuana for medical purposes in 1996, with 22 other states and the District of Columbia following suit, although cannabis remains classified as an illegal narcotic under U.S. law. Voters in four states - Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska - plus the District of Columbia, have gone a step further since 2012 in permitting recreational use for adults. Voters in several more states will consider similar legislation in November as well. Opponents of liberalized marijuana laws have argued that such measures carry public safety risks and would make pot more accessible to youngsters. A new survey out last week showed however that marijuana consumption by Colorado high school students has dipped slightly since the state first permitted recreational cannabis use by adults.

THE BLOG Getting High And Buying Life Insurance 4 days ago | Updated 4 days ago PolicyGenius Insurance advice and shopping This article was written by Adam Cecil of PolicyGenius. A lot of people smoke marijuana. About half of Americans say they’ve tried marijuana in the past, with 12% saying they’ve used in the last year and 7.3% saying they’ve used in the past month. Roughly, that adds up to 18.9 million monthly marijuana users in the U.S. While people across generational spectrums have tried marijuana, the heaviest users today are squarely in the 18 to 29 age bracket. Besides smoking pot, people in their late twenties are also settling down, getting married, buying houses, and having kids. That means a lot of them are looking at life insurance, which is one of the best ways to protect your family and your investments in the event that you die before your time. Despite the increasing legalization and decriminalization efforts around marijuana, it’s still generally understood to be an illegal drug, especially when you’re considering insurance companies that operate on a national scale. THE BLOG Getting High And Buying Life Insurance 4 days ago | Updated 4 days ago PolicyGenius Insurance advice and shopping This article was written by Adam Cecil of PolicyGenius. A lot of people smoke marijuana. About half of Americans say they’ve tried marijuana in the past, with 12% saying they’ve used in the last year and 7.3% saying they’ve used in the past month. Roughly, that adds up to 18.9 million monthly marijuana users in the U.S. While people across generational spectrums have tried marijuana, the heaviest users today are squarely in the 18 to 29 age bracket. Besides smoking pot, people in their late twenties are also settling down, getting married, buying houses, and having kids. That means a lot of them are looking at life insurance, which is one of the best ways to protect your family and your investments in the event that you die before your time. Despite the increasing legalization and decriminalization efforts around marijuana, it’s still generally understood to be an illegal drug, especially when you’re considering insurance companies that operate on a national scale. Advertisement How does that affect young marijuana users looking for life insurance? Can you still buy life insurance if you use marijuana? We answer these questions and more. How life insurance companies see marijuana users Here’s a surprising bit of information: depending on how often you smoke, marijuana usage might not affect your life insurance rates at all. A lot of people smoke marijuana. About half of Americans say they’ve tried marijuana in the past, with 12% saying they’ve used in the last year and 7.3% saying they’ve used in the past month. Roughly, that adds up to 18.9 million monthly marijuana users in the U.S. While people across generational spectrums have tried marijuana, the heaviest users today are squarely in the 18 to 29 age bracket. Besides smoking pot, people in their late twenties are also settling down, getting married, buying houses, and having kids. That means a lot of them are looking at life insurance, which is one of the best ways to protect your family and your investments in the event that you die before your time. Despite the increasing legalization and decriminalization efforts around marijuana, it’s still generally understood to be an illegal drug, especially when you’re considering insurance companies that operate on a national scale. How does that affect young marijuana users looking for life insurance? Can you still buy life insurance if you use marijuana? We answer these questions and more. How life insurance companies see marijuana users Here’s a surprising bit of information: depending on how often you smoke, marijuana usage might not affect your life insurance rates at all. Most life insurance companies follow what we call a “2 X” rule. This rule stipulates that, as long as you smoke marijuana no more than two times per year, your marijuana usage won’t affect your life insurance rates at all. For a lot of casual users who treat spliffs like old men treat cigars — a once in a while celebratory treat — this is good news. But heavier users will want to look at companies that allow you to smoke more often. We picked out the top three life insurance companies that heavy marijuana users are going to want to look at. All three of these companies offer non-smoking rates to marijuana users. MetLife. You can qualify for the best life insurance health classification if you smoke no more than once per week.Lincoln. You can qualify for a standard life insurance health classification if you smoke no more than twice per week.Mutual of Omaha. You can qualify for a standard life insurance health classification if you smoke no more than once per week. As you can see, MetLife is the clear winner — if you’re otherwise healthy, you can smoke up to once to per week and still qualify for the best life insurance rates. Lincoln and Mutual of Omaha are still competitive when it comes to how often they allow you to smoke, but top out at standard ratings, making their policies more expensive for otherwise healthy individuals. None of this changes if you have a prescription for medical marijuana. However, your life insurance company will take a closer look at the medical condition that the marijuana was prescribed for, which may increase your rates. How marijuana users see life insurance companies We know how life insurance companies look at marijuana users. But how do marijuana users view life insurance companies and the life insurance shopping process? We talked to several marijuana users who had purchased or attempted to purchase life insurance in the past five years in order to get an answer to that question. While most of the people we talked to used marijuana recreationally, we found that about a third of the recreational users we spoke to had a prescription for marijuana. This is potentially dangerous — as we mentioned above, if you have a prescription, your life insurance company will dig in deep on the medical condition it’s prescribed for, even if you don’t actually suffer from that condition. No one that we talked to was turned from applying for life insurance because they used marijuana, and no one had an application rejected from a life insurance company. That’s because the vast majority of them did not disclose their marijuana usage to their life insurance company. “I just delayed my application and stayed off weed for like a month,” said one user we talked to. We always suggest that marijuana users disclose, primarily because life insurance companies have a two-year “look back” period where they can deny a survivor’s claim because of fraud on the initial life insurance application. If you die in the first two years of your policy and your life insurance company finds out that you were a marijuana user, they can refuse to pay out your death benefit to your survivors, even if marijuana had no part in your death. Admittedly, this is an unlikely scenario, but it’s not impossible. The whole point of buying life insurance is to be conservative and to protect yourself and your family. Buying life insurance and not disclosing you use marijuana is like buying a shield with a hole in it. Plus, as we showed above, there are plenty of life insurance companies that don’t care that you smoke pot and are happy to insure you.

Barack Obama has roughly six months left in office. Will he end the country’s war on marijuana before the clock runs out? Probably not. But rapper Prince Ea isn’t ready to stop trying. In his latest video, he’s created a 10-minute magnum opus on why America’s war on this Schedule I drug is not only crazy, but also racist and hypocritical. Just four years ago, the rapper was anti-weed. He says, at the end of the video, that a little honest research changed his mind. That’s what makes Prince Ea’s account so great — it’s incredibly thorough. The video argues that the drug is not addictive and goes deep into the drug’s health benefits. He goes back to the era of the Constitution, noting that the document itself was made of hemp. He discusses Harry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics, and how he helped make the word marijuana propaganda. Prince Ea makes sure to include the political counterarguments to legalizing with an Obama impersonator and skewers the president’s hypocritical stance, asking him: “Is it really public health or is it special interest?” With his quirky illustrations, he notes corporate greed as another basis for how we’ve gotten to this point with weed. WEIRD NEWS Brilliant Music Video Shows Why Weed Should Be Legal Yes we cannabis! 20 hours ago Jenna Amatulli Trends Editor, The Huffington Post Barack Obama has roughly six months left in office. Will he end the country’s war on marijuana before the clock runs out? Probably not. But rapper Prince Ea isn’t ready to stop trying. In his latest video, he’s created a 10-minute magnum opus on why America’s war on this Schedule I drug is not only crazy, but also racist and hypocritical. Just four years ago, the rapper was anti-weed. He says, at the end of the video, that a little honest research changed his mind. Advertisement That’s what makes Prince Ea’s account so great — it’s incredibly thorough. The video argues that the drug is not addictive and goes deep into the drug’s health benefits. He goes back to the era of the Constitution, noting that the document itself was made of hemp. He discusses Harry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics, and how he helped make the word marijuana propaganda. PRINCE EA Prince Ea makes sure to include the political counterarguments to legalizing with an Obama impersonator and skewers the president’s hypocritical stance, asking him: “Is it really public health or is it special interest?” With his quirky illustrations, he notes corporate greed as another basis for how we’ve gotten to this point with weed. Even if Obama doesn’t end the federal government’s war on marijuana before his term ends, recreational weed is now legal in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington DC. Voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada and Arizona has the issues on the ballot this November. It appears we’re already moving in the direction, whether the White House wants to acknowledge it or not.

He’s baaaack! “Little” Mario Rubio will be running for senate reelection after all. This prohibitionist Republican used his first Senate term as little more than a springboard for his presidential run. He was often absent, seldom voted, and refused to run for a second term. Rubio figured he would be president, but now he has “changed his mind,” and will seek senate reelection. This is unfortunate for cannabis reform, as Rubio is opposed to marijuana and to changes in it laws. His chances for reelection are good; the failed presidential candidate is ahead in the pollsand can expect massive contributions from prohibitionist billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Rubio will face either Democrat Patrick Murphy or Alan Grayson in the November elections. The Florida State Primary Election Day is August 30. House Race Also to be decided August 30 is whether Democratic House Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz will prevail in her first primary challenge. Debbie is an ardent prohibitionist, opposed even to medical marijuana for Floridians. Her freedom fighting primary challenger, Tim Canova, is just the opposite; he opposes the war on drugs, especially marijuana, and favors criminal justice and incarceration reform. Schulz will be difficult to overthrow. The four-term congresswoman has the support of the presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton. Even President Barack Obama, whom Debbie has back-stabbed repeatedly, for some reason has her back. Plus she can count on huge donations from liquor companies and payday loan outfits, both major contributors to her campaign. To help turn this important congressional seat from prohibitionist to progressive, please contribute to Tim Canova’s upstart primary campaign. Medical Marijuana Initiative The Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, is also known as Amendment 2.According to Ballotpedia, “it is an initiated constitutional amendment on the Floridaballot on November 8, 2016.” It is also known as the awkwardly titled, “Use of Marijuana for Debilitating Medical Conditions.” This is the second try for the initiative in Florida. The first failed in 2014 after receiving a “yes” majority but failing to attain the 60% high bar. It was opposed with huge contributions from anti-marijuana gambling billionaire Sheldon Adelson and attacked by Debbie Wasserman Schultz, both of whom are expected to opposed the 2016 version. Worse yet, David Downs reports in Legalization Nation that “billionaire drug war profiteer Mel Sembler vowed to raise $10 million to defeat Measure 2.” Despite these deep prohibitionist pockets, the initiative recently polled with 69% voting for passage. It is backed by Florida spark plug attorney John Morgan, along with the Florida Democratic Party. Floridians should do all they can to rid Congress of marijuana prohibitionists Marco Rubio and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and then pass this medical marijuana initiative!

Many NFL players have spoken out about marijuana, currently a banned substance by the league, being a safer alternative to prescription opioids. The brutality of football lends itself to two main things: a masculine pride among players for their toughness and inevitable debilitating physical and mental injuries. Another issue, however, has been pushed to the forefront by active and retired NFL players, but it’s also affected Americans outside of football: painkiller or opioid addiction. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services issued an opioid overdose epidemic public health alert in 2014, but in football circles, trainers and doctors still give their injured players potentially addicting painkillers. NFL offensive lineman Eugene Monroe, whose contract was terminated on Wednesday by the Baltimore Ravens, has openly decried football’s painkiller crisis and instead advocates for non-addictive cannabinoids. SPORTS Did An NFL Player Just Get Cut For Promoting Marijuana Over Pills? Marijuana advocate Eugene Monroe just lost his job with the Ravens. Jun 16, 2016 | Updated Jun 16, 2016 Justin Block Associate Sports Editor, The Huffington Post ED ANDRIESKI/AP Many NFL players have spoken out about marijuana, currently a banned substance by the league, being a safer alternative to prescription opioids. The brutality of football lends itself to two main things: a masculine pride among players for their toughness and inevitable debilitating physical and mental injuries. Another issue, however, has been pushed to the forefront by active and retired NFL players, but it’s also affected Americans outside of football: painkiller or opioid addiction. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services issued an opioid overdose epidemic public health alert in 2014, but in football circles, trainers and doctors still give their injured players potentially addicting painkillers. NFL offensive lineman Eugene Monroe, whose contract was terminated on Wednesday by the Baltimore Ravens, has openly decried football’s painkiller crisis and instead advocates for non-addictive cannabinoids. Monroe is taking on the NFL for their anti-marijuana policy. While recovering from a January shoulder surgery, Monroe wrote a personal essay about using marijuana versus opioids, donated $80,000 to medical marijuana researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania, started his own website to centralize his efforts, and influenced the NFL enough to have its top doctors speak to the aforementioned researchers to learn about their work. All of this, done in one offseason! The Ravens’ weren’t impressed, though. Their apparent discomfort with Monroe’s pro-marijuana stance has led him to ponder whether his advocacy had anything to do with his release. Just days before his release was made official, Monroe made a very public health- and safety-angled point to the Ravens: You don’t want me around because I’m trying to fix how we’re cared for. Monroe wouldn’t definitively say that his campaigning had anything to do with his release — as ESPN’s pointed out, there were a slew of football-related, financial and salary-cap reasons to dump the contract of their highest-paid, often-injured and most underperforming player. “I can’t say for sure whether or not my stance on medical cannabis was the reason the Ravens released me,” he told The New York Times on Wednesday. “However, as I’ve said in the past, they have distanced themselves from me and made it clear that they do not support my advocacy.” Currently, medical marijuana is on the NFL’s banned substances list (even though two states where the NFL does business have legalized the drug). During the 2016 offseason, Monroe openly campaigned for the NFL to reconsider their marijuana ban — the first time an active player has done so —which the Ravens weren’t thrilled about. In March, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said, “I promise you, he does not speak for the organization,” when reporters asked him about Monroe’s marijuana outspokenness. His answer is pretty unsurprising. Unless it’s, say, Seattle Seahawks’ Pete Carroll, who coaches in a state where marijuana is legal, the head coach of an NFL franchise isn’t likely to openly call for medical marijuana use. But Harbaugh’s wording indicates an adversarial attitude toward Monroe and his fight. He went out of his way to protect his organization against Monroe’s stance, when a more dismissive answer to the question would’ve been fine and wouldn’t have publicly antagonized Monroe. Instead of standing up for his players’ right to free speech or lightly brushing off Monroe’s individualism, Harbaugh clearly went out of his way to condemn Monroe within the context of the team. It’s no surprise Monroe’s a free agent now. More broadly, Monroe’s pro-marijuana push has perhaps hurt his future career prospects. He plays in a league that’s so uptight about drug usage that star wide receiver Josh Gordon could miss two consecutive seasons for failing marijuana tests. Lest we forget, top draft prospect Laremy Tunsil slipped in April’s 2016 NFL Draft because a video of him smoking a bong leaked moments before it started. Considering that hundreds of active NFL players are estimated to regularly use marijuana to ease their week-to-week pain, the overall NFL attitude toward the drug is backwards. They don’t approve of pot, but prescription painkillers — drugs that retired NFL players are four times more likely to abuse than the general population, according to a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence — are seemingly OK. And some of those retired NFL players are taking action: 1,300 former NFL players filed a lawsuit in May 2015 alleging that NFL teams pumped them full of painkillers without regard to their overall health. Getting back on the field was, apparently, more important. Playing and staying healthy is important, especially in the NFL, where non-guaranteed contracts and a massive player pool can put any player out of the league because of one injury. But the off-field rewards reaped by staying on the field are in no way worth picking up a dangerous addiction. As more and more players join Monroe and Carroll’s call to the NFL to reconsider marijuana, one can only hope that the league is indeed listening to its players, retired and active, whose message is rather clear: Stop preventing us from taking safer painkilling drugs. It’s a common sense idea that seems too progressive for the league, but if the NFL truly cares about its players’ well-being, they’ll listen to Monroe, even if he remains out of football.

Microsoft is about to help the government regulate your weed. The tech giant will join forces with KIND Financial, a company that makes software for the cannabis industry, to help state and local officials track marijuana sales, according to a press release Thursday. Essentially, Microsoft’s “Azure Government” service will help ensure that legal sales of cannabis are above board. Okay, cloud computing solutions for local governments aren’t exactly sexy. But Allen St. Pierre, executive director of NORML, a nonprofit advocating for marijuana law reform, says this represents a significant step forward for corporate America. “We’re psyched to see a major company like Microsoft jump into this space. It’s only going to encourage other companies to do it,” St. Pierre told The Huffington Post on Friday. Microsoft Is Going Into The Marijuana Business Weed never looked so corporate Microsoft is about to help the government regulate your weed. The tech giant will join forces with KIND Financial, a company that makes software for the cannabis industry, to help state and local officials track marijuana sales, according to a press release Thursday. Essentially, Microsoft’s “Azure Government” service will help ensure that legal sales of cannabis are above board. Okay, cloud computing solutions for local governments aren’t exactly sexy. But Allen St. Pierre, executive director of NORML, a nonprofit advocating for marijuana law reform, says this represents a significant step forward for corporate America. “We’re psyched to see a major company like Microsoft jump into this space. It’s only going to encourage other companies to do it,” St. Pierre told The Huffington Post on Friday. Major corporations have been slow to embrace the weed business despite growing support for its legalization. Walgreens, for example, backpedaled this April after information about marijuana’s possible health benefits appeared on the brand’s website. “The content is strictly informative, and nowhere do we take any stance on the issue,” Jim Cohn, a spokesman for Walgreen Co., told HuffPost at the time. But NORML argues the genie’s out of the bottle, especially now that Microsoft is overtly supporting the industry. “At this point, it would be imprudent not to figure out how or where your company would profit from the emergent cannabis space,” St. Pierre said.

Ohio is the 25th state to legalize medical marijuana (Reuters) - Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich on Wednesday signed a bill legalizing marijuana use for medical purposes under certain circumstances, his office said. Over the last few years, state legislatures and voters in the United States have been much more receptive to making marijuana legal for medical purposes, and to a lesser extent, recreational use. The Ohio legislature approved the measure in May. Some 24 states and Washington D.C. currently allow some type of medical marijuana use, and just a handful of states allow its recreational use. It remains illegal on the federal level. Kasich, who earlier this year dropped out of the U.S. presidential race, signed the bill but provided no statement on Wednesday. The Ohio legislation only allows patients with specific medical conditions to use an oil, edible, tincture or vapor form of marijuana prescribed by a physician licensed in the state, starting in 2017. Medical marijuana users would not be allowed to smoke or grow their own marijuana under the measure, which also would create a commission responsible for regulating and licensing of all operations of the drug. The measure was fast-tracked to head off a possible less-restrictive medical marijuana ballot initiative in November. Ohioans for Medical Marijuana suspended their campaign for the ballot measure late last month, saying that while the lawmakers’ bill had its shortcomings, it was “a moderately good piece of legislation.” Last November, Ohio voters soundly rejected a measure that would have made it the first U.S. Midwestern state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The proposal was criticized for allowing the main backers of the proposal cartel-like powers over the industry in the state for several years.

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Support for marijuana legalization has once again reached a high of 58 percent, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. This marks the third consecutive year that a majority of Americans have supported legalizing marijuana, as measured by Gallup. The idea of marijuana legalization hasn't always been this popular. The first time Gallup surveyed on legalization in 1969, just 12 percent of Americans approved. In the late 1970s, a quarter of Americans were in favor. There wasn't much change in opinion on the matter until the mid-1990s, when support ticked up into the low 30s. Since then, support has largely remained on the upswing, reaching a high of 58 percent in 2013. After taking a slight dip to 51 percent in 2014, support reached 58 percent again in the most recent The survey does not ask people to differentiate between recreational and medical use in giving their opinions, and simply asks about "legalization" broadly. The increased approval is in part a result of younger generations, who are more in favor of legalization, replacing an older population of Americans, who are less in favor. More than 7 in 10 people ages 18 to 34 support marijuana legalization. There has been a gradual shift in opinion among older Americans as well: A majority of those ages 35 to 64 now favor legalization. The oldest subset of Americans, those 80 years or older, have also shown some change in attitude over time but remain the least favorable or any age group. Support is likely to grow as younger generations continue to make up a greater portion of the population. Gallup states that this phenomenon will likely place greater pressure on state and local governments to ease restrictions or legalize use altogether. Tom Angell, founder of Marijuana Majority, a marijuana advocacy group, credited the increased public approval as the reason a growing number of national politicians are speaking out in favor of states implementing their own laws "without federal interference," as well as encouraging some candidates to openly endorse legalization. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) supports decriminalizing marijuana possession and has left the door open on legalizing recreational use. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has also expressed support for decriminalizing marijuana possession and thinks it should be left up to the states to decide on whether they want to allow the drug for recreational use. Currently, 23 states have legalized marijuana use in some form. Four states (Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska) and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use.

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Arizona stands to generate more than $60 million in marijuana tax revenue annually, if voters decide to legalize and regulate the plant for adult recreational purposes in 2016. That's according to an independent analysis released Monday by Arizona's nonprofit Grand Canyon Institute. It found the state would rake in about $64 million per year from legal marijuana taxes, including $51 million that would go to K-12 education and all-day kindergarten programs in the state. That's significantly more than the $40 million in tax revenue for education backers of the ballot initiative projected last month -- a sum that opponents of the measure lambasted as unrealistically high and a local newspaper characterized as "a lie" in an August op-ed. But at least according to the GCI, a research organization focusing on Arizona's fiscal and tax issues -- one that describes itself as "a centrist think-thank led by a bipartisan group of former state lawmakers, economists, community leaders, and academicians" -- the advocates were being conservative in their estimates. Advertisement AdChoices "The revenue gains do exceed the $40 million espoused by proponents of the initiative," GCI's report reads. Further, the research group projects that if the ballot measure were to pass, by 2019, once the regulated market was fully established, the state would raise $72 million annually with about $58 million for education alone. “You can debate whether marijuana should be made legal for adults, but there’s no arguing the fact that this initiative will generate significant revenue for Arizona schools," J.P. Holyoak, chairman of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, said in a statement reacting to GCI's report. "It might not be enough to solve all of our schools’ budget problems, but it will help immensely." In its report, the GCI says it neither supports nor opposes the effort to legalize marijuana in the state. Advocates in the state are currently collecting signatures to help the measure qualify for the November 2016 state ballot. The campaign says it has gathered roughly 60,000 signatures since its petition drive began in May. Similar to Colorado’s recreational marijuana legalization and regulatory framework, the Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act would allow Arizona adults 21 and older to be in possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants for personal use in their homes. The measure would also allow for retail marijuana shops to sell the substance to adults and would enact a 15 percent excise tax on those sales. The revenue generated from that special excise tax would go to fund the implementation and enforcement of state regulations, but 40 percent of that tax revenue would go to education. If Arizona’s marijuana measure makes it onto the ballot and passes, adults in the state would join those in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia, all of which have similar recreational marijuana laws. (D.C. continues to ban sales.) Twenty-three states, including Arizona and those that allow recreational use, have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Skepticism over the actual amount of tax revenue generated from recreational marijuana legalization stems from Colorado's first year of tax revenue, which came in around $44 million -- about $26 million shy of initial expectations. The state has since adjusted tax estimates downward, but has also seen a significant rise in revenue as the recreational marijuana program has continued to fully roll out.

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Hallandale Beach is officially the first city in Broward County that will punish marijuana violations with a fine instead of an arrest. On Wednesday night, Hallandale Beach Commissioners unanimously approved a new measure that will make marijuana possession a civil offense rather than a criminal one. Anyone caught with 20 grams of pot or less will be fined $100 rather than be arrested. The law is expected to go into effect on September 19. In the meantime, the Hallandale Beach Police Department will train officers on how the new measure works. Hallandale Beach follows Miami-Dade's footsteps in passing the measure. In July, Miami-Dade passed a measure that will allow Miami cops the option to issue a citation to anyone caught with 20 grams or less of marijuana. Miami-Dade's new law will also fine a person $100 rather than arresting them. The measure was first introduced by Hallandale Commissioner Keith London back in June and was met with enthusiasm by other commissioners, who feel that a new measure would help the overcrowded jail problem as well as make it easier for taxpayers in the city. In an email statement released by London on Wednesday, the commissioner clarified what the measure means, saying that the new law will keep tax dollars from being wasted on prosecuting minor pot charges. He also says the old law unfairly targeted minorities and the poor. "[The measure] will allow police officers to focus their efforts on more serious forms of crime plaguing our streets, unclogging a criminal justice system too often bogged down with cases of minor marijuana possession," London wrote. Currently, anyone in Hallandale caught with 20 grams or less of marijuana can face up to a year in jail. When the measure was first brought up, Hallandale Beach Police Chief Dwayne Flournoy expressed concern over how someone with a criminal record might be fined compared to someone without a record. Moreover, there are concerns that people in higher-income areas could get preferential treatment over those who live in lower-income areas. Broward commissioners have expressed wanting to make sure the measure covers everyone equally. According to the new measure, police will be required to explain why an arrest was made in any case where the officer decided to arrest the person rather than fine them. Flournoy says that some arrests will still be made in certain cases, such as if someone is caught with marijuana during a DUI bust or a violent crime. Flournoy also says that the measure does not allow citizens to smoke marijuana in public, parks, or near schools. Last month, Broward County Commissioner Martin Kiar proposed a similar measure to the one passed in Miami, and now Hallandale Beach, telling New Times the idea stems from people's lives being derailed over being caught with a small amount of pot. "When people apply for jobs or try to buy a home, they have to answer that question: 'Have you ever been convicted of a crime?'" Kiar says. "And so many good people's lives have been ruined because they were arrested [for marijuana]." Broward commissioners are expected to take up Kiar's measure when they return to work next Tuesday. West Palm Beach and Palm Beach counties are also expected to vote on a similar measure.

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