WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, called on Wednesday for marijuana to be removed from the federal government’s list of the “most dangerous” substances.
The United States has five categories for drugs and drug ingredients under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I is reserved for what the Drug Enforcement Administration considers to be the “most dangerous” drugs lacking currently accepted medical value and carrying the highest potential for abuse. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, alongside substances like heroin and LSD.
Sanders said at an event at George Mason University in Virginia that marijuana should be taken off the Schedule 1 list. The Washington Post first reported the news.
“In the United States we have 2.2 million people in jail today, more than any other country. And we’re spending about $80 billion a year to lock people up. We need major changes in our criminal justice system – including changes in drug laws,” Sanders said at George Mason. “Too many Americans have seen their lives destroyed because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use. That’s wrong. That has got to change.”
Sanders’ chief rival for the nomination, Hillary Clinton, has said she wants to see how laws legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Colorado, Washington and other states work before supporting federal changes to how marijuana is classified. Four states and the District of Columbia have now legalized recreational marijuana, and 23 states have legalized the drug for medical purposes. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has said he’d reclassify marijuana to Schedule II, where substances like cocaine and oxycodone reside.
A Gallup poll from last week found that 58 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana, but the poll question did not distinguish between recreational and medicinal legalization.
Sanders has previously hinted that he supports loosening restrictions on marijuana. During the first Democratic primary debate Oct. 13, he said he would vote “yes” on a statewide ballot initiative to legalize and regulate marijuana for adult use. The Marijuana Policy Project, a pro-legalization group, has given the candidate an “A” grade for his stances on the issue.
“I would vote yes because I am seeing in this country too many lives being destroyed for nonviolent offenses,” he said. “We have a criminal justice system that lets CEOs on Wall Street walk away, and yet we are imprisoning or giving jail sentences to young people who are smoking marijuana. I think we have to think through this war on drugs which has done an enormous amount of damage.”
Cannabis cures a variety of ailments, and while writer’s block isn’t on the list of medical ailments to get you a medical card in any state, recreational marijuana can still assist in artistic endeavors. If you’re looking to spark up something creative, try one of these tasty sativa strains, favored by writers for their brain-stimulating properties.
Ten strains you'll learn about in this post:
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Strawberry Cough combines the Strawberry Fields strain with Haze genetics to create a potent sativa blend. The skunky, berry flavors will capture your senses while the cerebral, uplifting effects provide an aura of euphoria that is sure to leave a smile on your face. Strawberry Cough has been a popular strain since medical and recreational decriminalization began, so it’s easy to find in dispensaries. This will quickly become your go-to strain to overcome creative obstacles.
DNA Genetics developed Chocolope by crossing Chocolate Thai with Cannalope. The hefty sativa buds give earthy, sweet coffee flavors that provide a dreamy, cerebral effect. Chocolope is your morning or dessert coffee and smoke rolled into one mocha-flavored blunt. It’s also a great strain to blend with tobacco for a quick spliff.
Moby Dick is a cross between indica-dominant hybrid White Widow and sativa Haze, creating a mostly sativa plant that delivers a charged buzz. The aroma is a sweet citrus from the Haze, which dominates the palate with vanilla and eucalyptus tones. Named for the literary whale, Moby Dick isn’t a myth you have to hunt – it’s the motorized, GPS-enabled submarine you’re hunting it in.
Maui Waui (or Maui Wowie) is a classic sativa straight from the shores of Hawaii. Lightweight sativa effects allow your mind to drift away to creative escapes, while Maui Waui’s motivating, active effects may be all you need to get outside and enjoy the sun. The first marijuana strain I ever smoked, Maui Waui is the perfect meditative bud to get you focused on creating a space in the world around you.
Also called “Lamb’s Breath,” Lamb’s Bread is a bright green and sticky sativa strain. The effects have been known to give mass amounts of energy and positive introspection. Even Bob Marley encountered this wonderful slice of cannabis genealogy while exploring his philosophical and political ideologies. Lamb’s Bread is one of my favorite fast-thinking smokes to get the mind revved up and thinking.
Sour Diesel, or Sour D, is an invigorating sativa named after its pungent, diesel-like aroma. This fast-acting strain delivers energizing, dreamy cerebral effects that have pushed Sour Diesel to legendary status. Many writers, musicians, and artists use Sour D to push beyond the walls of creative blocks, and it can have the same effect on you, if you’re over 21 and living in the right place.
Laughing Buddha is an earthy cross between Thai and Jamaican strains with a sweet, fruity smell broken up by hints of spice. It provides a rich, pungent smoke. As the name implies, the strain will leave you feeling giggly, so humor writers will enjoy smoking Laughing Buddha most while writing. Writers in other genres, however, will likely only need it for brainstorming.
Willie Nelson is a mostly sativa cannabis strain lauded for its euphoric, creative effects. This strain leaves you clear-headed, allowing you to perform artistically the way you want. There’s nothing worse than hitting that mental wall you can’t overcome. A walk will clear your head, as will a quick meditation and yoga break, but to prepare for all of it, you need Willie Nelson.
Mexican Sativa is a 70/30 sativa-dominant hybrid that offers an uplifting, clear-headed buzz alongside a fresh sandalwood aroma. Being raised on the Mexico/Arizona border, Mexican dirt weed was all we had to smoke back in the day. Though filled with stems and seeds, and not nearly as potent as today’s strains, Mexican Sativa inspired nearly everything creative I wrote from my late teens to mid-20’s.
Few strains compare to Green Crack’s sharp energy and focus as it induces an invigorating mental buzz that keeps you going throughout the day. With a tangy, fruity flavor redolent of mango, Green Crack is the perfect daytime smoke for writers looking for a creative boost. This strain will get your brain going, but don’t worry about the name – there’s no cocaine or baking soda anywhere near it, and there is no spoon.
If you need a long-term creative boost, you’re not going to find it in drugs. Working in the creative arts requires you to be a little unhinged, but if you’re fueled by substances, you’ll end up on the wrong path. For short-term help with creative projects, there’s no better natural and organic substance than cannabis. So head to your nearest dispensary, caregiver, or street dealer to find out if they have any of these strains in stock.
Brian Penny is a former Business Analyst and Operations Manager at Bank of America turned whistleblower, freelance writer, and troll. Penny has been featured on Huffington Post, Lifehack, The Street, Cannabis Now, and Hardcore Games.
A state Senate subcommittee passed a bill Thursday to allow the use of medical marijuana in South Carolina. The bill will now go to the full Senate Medical Affair Committee, but the subcommittee will meet again first to get input from opponents on how to make the bill better.
The bill would allow the use of medical marijuana only for patients suffering from a list of ailments and with a doctor’s prescription. The bill also sets up a seed-to-sale tracking system and would have the state Department of Health and Environmental Control license marijuana growers, processors, and dispensaries.
The subcommittee heard from opponents of the bill Thursday, including State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel. He said other states with medical marijuana laws have seen increases in overall marijuana use, traffic accidents caused by drivers high on marijuana, and emergency room visits caused by marijuana when children ingest edible forms. He said in those states some doctors become “pill mills,” writing prescriptions for a fee for medical marijuana for just about anyone with any kind of ache or pain. And there’s nothing stopping people with marijuana prescription cards from getting the drug and giving it or selling it to others, including minors.
“I don’t know of any other proposed legislation that I’ve been aware of, and certainly not since I was director of the Department of Public Safety and more involved with the legislature or since I’ve been the chief of SLED, that I think has the opportunity to negatively impact the state that we live in than this piece of legislation,” Chief Keel told senators.
But senators sponsoring the bill say there’s a long list of illnesses and conditions for which marijuana provides relief, and lawmakers shouldn’t block a doctor from being able to prescribe something that will help a patient.
Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, one of the sponsors of the bill, said, “If a doctor, with all his or her training, believes something can be of therapeutic benefit, why in the world would we as politicians, for reasons that are non-medical, step in and say no?”
Co-sponsor Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, said, “It should not be illegal in South Carolina for a doctor to prescribe medicine to a patient that’s going to help that patient.”
Now, there’s a fifth CEO–George Zimmer, founder of Men’s Wearhouse, a company that fired him two years ago. He divulged to CNBC that he’s a cannabis aficionado of sorts.
“I’ve been smoking marijuana on a regular basis for about 50 years,” Zimmer said to CNBC, before joking, “As you can see, it’s really impacted me in a negative way.”
Zimmer gave the keynote speech Friday at the Cannabis World Congress & Business Expo in Los Angeles, pushing for legalization. “Everybody in the country knows what the truth here is, except the 535 people we elect to make these decisions in Washington, D.C.,” he told attendees. “It’s astounding.”
He’s throwing his support behind an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in California next year, just as he supported the proposition that failed in 2010. No matter what form legalization might take, Zimmer said, “I think it’s important that we protect limited home cultivation without any government licensing, so whether it’s one plant or 10 plants, I don’t know, but I think that’s very important.”
Inside the Los Angeles Convention Center, he was surrounded by a variety of start-ups hoping to cash in on the legal pot craze. Zimmer said he looked into investing in one such company a year ago but decided not to—not least of which had to do with the Internal Revenue Service.
“There are still a lot of questions that are raised in terms of dispensaries, and the way the IRS does not allow normal business deductions.” He’s hoping that could change, and that at the very least, the federal government will remove marijuana from the list of Schedule I drugs.
“It’s treated like it was heroin,” he said. “Everybody’s who is in high school hears that and goes, ‘What are they talking about?'” He said it’s as if “The emperor’s not wearing any clothes. This is the biggest con that has been perpetrated on this country in the last century.”
Meantime, Zimmer is also back in the men’s apparel business. He just launched an online suit and tuxedo rental site called Generation Tux.With the website, a groom or best man can submit measurements and rent formalwear for as little as $95.
“Our business model involves having the tuxedo arrive a week ahead of your event, and you to try it on. If there’s a mistake, we will FedEx another out to you, and if it’s still not right, we will dispatch a tailor to make it right,” he said. Zimmer has also started a tailoring company called zTailors, and he said both companies cost $50 million to start.
Generation Tux has a distribution center in Louisville, Kentucky, with 30,000 suits and tuxedos, and the company hopes to break even in 2017. If it takes off, Zimmer said they will need to raise more money. So would he ever consider going public again? “I wouldn’t go public if it [was] my call, but I’m not going to stand in the way if other people want to do that,” he said.
It’s understandable. His ouster from Men’s Wearhouse was not pretty. Zimmer recalls having dinner with his family the night he was forced out. “It was a sort of uncomfortable quietness at the table,” he said.
“I said to my children, who were probably 10 and 12, I said, ‘Hey, look, Dad got fired,” he said. “It’s not going to mean anything to our lives, but I want you to understand that in life you’re going to have these adversities, and you have to overcome them, you have to learn to overcome all adversity in fact.”
Zimmer also said being fired was “probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me.” It forced him to learn about the latest technological developments in retail, which led to his new businesses.
“My best advice is, ‘You only lose if you don’t get back up off the ground. Every time you get back up, you win,” he said.
Worried that cannabis isn’t coming to a state near you? Fear you’ve been left out? Don’t fear, because it turns out countrywide cannabis support is in full swing. Keep reading to learn how cannabis is growing with promise.
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In an acknowledgement that the “Just Say No’ message is no longer relevant, the Colorado Department of Transportation has a new strategy to ensure safe and responsible marijuana use.
Starting with the 4/20 festival, law enforcement officers gave out snacks instead of tickets to revelers. The snacks included messages incurring cannabis users to munch, not drive, after indulging.
The agency also set up free arcade games at dispensaries that offered more tips on safely consuming cannabis.
While police around the country are being slammed for being excessive, it’s great to see at least one law enforcement agency finding innovative ways to protect the public and serve their community.
Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy held a public forum at UCLA last night. A supporter of lifting the prohibition on cannabis, Newsom did say he had some concerns. “I don’t want to see big tobacco become big marijuana. I don’t want walk down the streets or walk to the playground with my kids and smell it.” he said.
The panel is looking at a number of issues that come with legalizing marijuana. They are studying how to regulate growers, how to ensure public safety and how to deal with individuals caught driving while impaired.
4/20 Kid Cannabis Sequel in the Works
Last year’s Kid Cannabis, the dark comedy about an Idaho teen that builds a marijuana empire, is getting a sequel. John Stockwell is in talks to return as writer and director of the film. The film will focus on Topher’s exploits and begins production in 2016. It will be released April 20, 2017.
Leonhart’s Exit Opens the Door for Change a DEA
News that Drug Enforcement Administration chief, Michele Leonhart is preparing to resign was met by jubilation by many in the cannabis community. As a veteran of the ‘drug war’, Leonhard refused to acknowledge that marijuana has any medical benefits. This opinion put her squarely at odds with her boss President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder.
Couple that with a long list of scandals and it’s easy to see why it’s her time to go.
As the country moves toward lifting the prohibition on cannabis, it’s important to find someone that has his or her finger on the pulse of today’s America. It’s our hope that the new DEA chief will understand the importance of studying cannabis, will allow states to execute their marijuana laws without intrusion and to finally reclassify cannabis.
Currently marijuana is considered a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. A Schedule I listing means that the substance has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Heroin, LSD and ecstasy are also classified as Schedule I.
Reclassifying cannabis would allow more studies on its benefits to be conducted and would recognize that there already is a healthy amount of evidence showing the healing power of cannabis.
