The mainstream coverage of marijuana has certainly improved over the years. As many know, when cannabis was first prohibited, the media sensationalized the marijuana menace by utilizing Reefer Madness propaganda. Mainstream coverage, while not rising to the levels of the Reefer Madness was relatively terrible just a few years ago. Major news outlets would put quotes around the word “medical”, disparaging patients that utilized cannabis for their debilitating medical conditions. Now, some of those same publications endorse legalization.

A big turning point seemed to be Dr. Sanjay Gupta apologizing for his past opposition to marijuana legalization, becoming a major supporter in medical cannabis. Then, The New York Times endorsed marijuana legalization, providing cover for other mainstream outlets and just adding to the momentum for reform that is sweeping the nation. Not that long ago, I know that many, if not most, marijuana law reformers would have cringed at the thought of a headline that reads “Katie Couric Explains the Status of Marijuana Legalization” but the former network news anchor does a fair job reporting on the issue over at Yahoo News:

Sometimes it is hard to differentiate whether the public is moving the media or whether the media is influencing the public, but I think in this case that the people were ahead of the news outlets at first, especially regarding medical cannabis. However, once news outlets starting endorsing legalization and providing fair and balanced reporting on marijuana, that non-sensationalized coverage has helped move a lot of swing voters. When you weigh the pros and cons of marijuana legalization, especially in relation to more dangerous illicit drugs or even legal substances like alcohol and tobacco, the marijuana movement doesn’t need any propaganda in its favor. We only need the truth and if Katie Couric is any indication of the future of the media’s coverage of marijuana, the momentum for reform will only increase.

Update: Bernie Sanders in Seattle: “Too Many Lives Have Been Destroyed by the War on Drugs.”

Update 2.0: Commits to Criminal Justice Reform Before His Largest Crowd Ever; 28,000  Supporters in Portland, Oregon

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is taking his presidential bid to the West Coast, with a rally tonight in Seattle, tomorrow in Portland and Monday in Los Angeles. During a conference call Thursday ahead of his weekend events Sanders said that his focus on issues like the middle class, climate change and criminal justice reform is resonating with voters, and sets him apart from Democratic primary front-runner Hillary Clinton. The self-proclaimed democratic socialist has included the Drug War in previous campaign speeches, so it will be interesting to hear how he talks about marijuana law reform and the larger Drug War when he rallies on the cannabis-friendly West Coast, where the marijuana law reform movement really picked up steam before spreading to Colorado and really the rest of the nation.

While some, including many libertarian-minded cannabis law reform advocates that I admire, denigrate the Vermont Senator for his “socialist” views. I personally think that his brand of socialism is getting unfairly lumped with totalitarian Communist regimes and even national socialism, when his brand of democratic socialism is really in line with democratic European countries and “socialist” U.S. policies like Social Security and Medicare. Thus far, Sanders is the only mainstream candidate to go on record that he or she will consider legalizing marijuana as President of the United States and his political background clearly demonstrates that he wouldn’t stand in the way of states that have legalized marijuana or will soon do so. In fact, he seems like the most likely Democratic or Republican candidate that would actively seek to improve our marijuana laws federally, save for possibly Republican Rand Paul. And with Paul’s slide in the polls and Sanders’ surge, Sanders seems like the most likely cannabis-friendly candidate that has a chance at the nomination.

Sanders has garnered very large crowds across the country, in both “blue” states and “red” states. He will likely have his largest rallies to date as the Seattle rally is expecting thousands of attendees and Portland will have at least 15,000, with local supporters hoping to push the crowd to 20,000+. The Portland rally had to be moved to the Moda Center (where the Portland Trail Blazers play, formerly known as the Rose Garden) to accommodate all of the folks that have already RSVP’d. Portland held huge rallies for candidate Barack Obama and Sanders’ politics fit nicely in the Rose City. I certainly see #FeelTheBern all over social media from my Portland friends and colleagues.

A recent poll has Sanders closing in on Hillary Clinton’s support, similar to polling showing the same surge in New Hampshire. While Hillary Clinton is still the odds-on favorite, Bernie Sanders seems to be garnering more and more support as Democratic primary voters learn more about the democratic socialist from Vermont. With Drug War reform and marijuana legalization supported by many Democratic primary voters, Sanders would be smart to capitalize. Stay tuned to Marijuana Politics as we update on Sanders’ West Coast tour and all things marijuana-policy related in the 2016 race to the White House.

Jon Stewart signed off from “The Daily Show” for good, leaving many people weepy and wondering what they are gonna do without his brand of irreverent satire in our lives. I watched the finale with a group of cannabis advocates at the Leisure Public House following a Portland Women Grow event last night and it felt like we were watching an important moment in history and in all of our lives. People were snapping pictures of Stewart’s final episode and taking selfies, commemorating the event and I got the sense that folks were feeling the same feeling that I was: that we were losing a friend that has always been there for us, well he was there for us about 24 minutes a night, Monday thru Thursday when he wasn’t on vacation (which seemed like it was all the damn time!).

For many of us, Jon Stewart helped us mentally survive the George W. Bush Error or the fact that people actually believe anything said on Fox News. However, as a cannabis law reformer, I also couldn’t help but think that we were losing one of the the top marijuana legalization media platforms in the world. Having the nation’s top satirist on our side meant a lot to me and I imagine many members of the cannabis community across the nation. So in homage to his “enhancement smoker” character in the movie Half Baked (“Have you ever seen A Scent of a Woman…on weed?) I will note that I loved watching Jon Stewart…on weed legalization and reform as he skewered prohibitionists and even called Chris Christie a “narc”.

Some of the best segments watching Jon Stewart…on weed issues:

The great Dr. Carl Hart (and reason) versus Bill O’Reilly and Keith Ablow as they discuss the “marijuana-texting-industrial-complex”:

And the hypocrisy of The New York Times’ David Brooks…on weed:

The “Toker and Hooch” segment where Stewart skewers our nation’s treatment of marijuana compared to alcohol, with the priceless comment of Fox News’ Steve Doocy lamenting the fact that people can get “all potted up on weed”:

Classic interview with Willie Nelson: “How does someone who smokes that much pot get so much done?”

His take on New York “criminalizing soft drinks but decriminalizing soft drugs” where “Jon Stewart Tries to Figure Out What He’s Allowed to Put in His Mouth”:

The last 4/20 episode of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”, which featured the segment “Uncle Johnny’s Super Kush, Totally Chillaxed, Sticky-Icky, Informative Marijuana News Report” where Stewart, with the help of CNN (one of his favorite targets) and correspondent Jessica Williams, demonstrates how cannabis law reform is a serious topic that has moved past the usual stereotypes. He ends the segment chastising the hypocrisy of “narc” Chris Christie who stated that, as president, he would crack down on states that have legalized marijuana while signing a New Jersey bill that legalized gambling:

And finally, “Your Moment of Zen”:

I don’t really even know if Jon Stewart has been known a a major marijuana law reformer by many (that is part of his greatness at it), but he clearly has been one of best in show business. Bill Maher makes great points, but he comes across as arrogant (or worse) many times, in my humble opinion, where Stewart is just more lovable. It doesn’t seem to me that Maher has reached the widespread cult status of Stewart (and I’m a big fan of Maher), possibly a byproduct of being on one night a week versus four; John Oliver, who I also love, will also probably have a hard time reaching the same pinnacle just because his brilliant show is only on Sunday nights. I don’t know how long it will take anyone to get to Stewart’s level, if ever (throwing that out there as a reverse jinx). I don’t know if his replacement, Trevor Whatever His Name Is, will be able to hold a candle (or lighter) to Jon Stewart, but we shall see as he has some big shoes to fill, not to mention a huge hole in our hearts. Thank you, Jon Stewart, you will be missed.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been one of the most prominent elected officials fighting for sensible marijuana laws for over forty years, going all the way back to his state legislator days in the early 1970s when he helped Oregon become the first state to decriminalize cannabis. Portland’s Representative certainly hasn’t slowed down on his support for cannabis law reform, if anything he has been ramping up his responsible approach, sponsoring important legislation and introducing good idea after good idea. Representative Blumenauer has done a great job working across the aisle and the political spectrum to work on needed reforms, such as expunging old marijuana convictions, taxes, banking and ending federal prohibition of marijuana. I am very excited to get to ask Rep. Blumenauer about the very latest in federal marijuana reforms at the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference as he is always very informative, entertaining and he provides great tips to activists on how we can help his work federally and across the country.

Congressman Blumenauer’s latest good idea is to reclassify, or even deschedule, marijuana federally after the head of the DEA finally admitted that heroin was more dangerous than marijuana. The Portland Business Journal reports:

Today, Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) welcomed the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg’sacknowledgement that “ heroin is clearly more dangerous than marijuana.”

Oregon voters legalized the recreational use of marijuana last fall. Retail sales will begin Oct. 1.

“We are in the midst of a revolution to reform and modernize marijuana policy in the United States,” Blumenauer said. “…Well over 1 million patients across the country now use medical marijuana at the recommendation of their physician to treat conditions ranging from seizures, glaucoma, anxiety, chronic pain and nausea. The federal government is woefully behind.”

I often gush about the fact that I am proud of voting for Congressman Blumenauer as he represents my district in Portland, but I can’t support this man enough. At every opportunity, he is working to improve our cannabis laws and he has become an expert on marijuana policy, learning from stakeholders across the country. If you get a chance to come to the OMMBC, having the opportunity to hear Congressman Blumenauer and pick his brain for a bit is a great experience. I have seen the representative speak several times and he always has the audience’s full attention and on their feet when he’s done. As marijuana law reform progresses across the country, Congressman Blumenauer will only have more and more allies in Congress as elected officials will know that marijuana law reform is both good policy and good politics.

Members of the media weren’t allowed into the $2,700 a head Hillary Clinton fundraiser in one of the most posh neighborhoods in pot-friendly Portland, Oregon, but that didn’t prevent some details of her talk from being reported upon as some attendees dished some details. Of course, most interesting to us here at Marijuana Politics were her comments about marijuana. Clinton hasn’t been one of the best advocates for sensible cannabis policies, especially compared to her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders or Republican Rand Paul. Clinton’s previous statements on marijuana are basically a do-nothing states’ rights position as she hasn’t even gone quite as far as Donald Trump’s “100%” in support of medical marijuana position.

As Clinton remains the frontrunner, despite her ongoing scandals and the fact that Sanders seems to be gaining upon her, marijuana law reform advocates are hoping to see her move in the right direction and get in line with a vast majority of the Democratic Party that supports legalization. While the presumptive Democratic nominee didn’t go that far, she at least mentioned the plight of marijuana businesses when it comes to banking and the need to treat drug use as a health issue, instead of a criminal matter.

From Oregonlive.com:

Leah Maurer, who worked on the marijuana legalization campaign last year that her husband Travis helped put together, said the Democratic presidential candidate spoke sympathetically about the banking problems faced by legal marijuana businesses.  Federal rules now discourage banks from doing business with cannabis firms, hindering their operations and forcing them to keep large sums of cash on hand.

“It was very brief but when she said that there was big applause,” said Maurer, adding that “just the fact that she said the word cannabis in a positive light was huge to me.”

Maurer said Clinton also talked about focusing more on treating drug abuse as a mental health issue.

(Full disclosure, I have known both Leah Maurer, quoted in the Oregonlive story, and her husband Travis for more than a decade and am so glad that they have gone from suffering thru a horrific SWAT-like paramilitary raid for marijuana into two of the top cannabis law reform advocates in the country. Oregon wouldn’t have legalized marijuana without them and they are setting their sights on ending cannabis prohibition in Missouri.)

I am currently an unabashed Bernie Sanders fan (#FeelTheBern) at this moment and think that he would ultimately be the best candidate on marijuana law reform, but I hope that he and other Democrats can help move Hillary Clinton towards the rest of the party on marijuana legalization as she is still the frontrunner and is the odds on favorite to be the next President of the United States. I do think that her expensive fundraiser is a stark contrast to Bernie Sanders’ upcoming rally which is free, will be attended by thousands and has the top agenda item as getting big money out of politics.

I think that Sanders, , being a “candidate of the people” that relies upon small donations instead of big donations from wealthier individuals and special interests puts him more in touch with the plight of those devastated by the Drug War. However, if Clinton is the next POTUS, she will likely continue to follow President Obama’s cautious approach and not interfere with states’ marijuana lives, but hopefully more discussion around marijuana laws, like the one in Portland, will help Clinton understand that ending marijuana prohibition is both a good policy decision and good politics.

#FreeJeff! #FreeJeff! #FreeJeff!

Jeff Mizanskey was horrifically sentenced to die in a Missouri prison for marijuana offenses. Tragically, Jeff, a nonviolent man and a a model prisoner, has already spent more than two decades behind bars for a plant; a plant that is legal for medicinal use in more than 20 states and is legal to possess by adults in four states and our nation’s capitol. Legalizing marijuana is supported by a majority of Americans and even those that don’t support legalization consider the repeal of cannabis prohibition, like alcohol before it, inevitable.

Thankfully, Mizanskey has a chance to be released from prison as his first parole hearing is scheduled for August 6th. Mr. Mizanskey’s case for release will be argued by my very first marijuana activist mentor, attorney Dan Viets, a long-time leader of Missouri NORML and current Chair of Show-Me Cannabis. Mizanksey’s case has inspired me to be a better advocate and has galvanized advocates and ordinary citizens across the nation, if not around the globe and now, we are uniting on social media and in spirit for his release in the #FreeJeff movement.

From my good friend and longtime cannabis law reform activist colleague, Amber Langston of Show-Me Cannabis, please make a donation to SMC and help these great Midwest advocates:

Please join Show-Me Cannabis, Change.org and the entire movement to #FreeJeff from Missouri prison in a unified action of support today! To show the parole board that hundreds of thousands support Jeff’s release, we are asking friends to change their profile pictures to this one on Facebook, and to post to Twitter and Instagram a picture of a lit candle.

If you can’t light your own candle, please just share this post from the FreeJeff Facebook page.

If you do choose to light your own candle, please remember to be safe and don’t leave it unattended!

We’ll let you know as soon as possible the results of the hearing!

The Washington Times has more:

Many believe his life sentence is an injustice, and his son launched an online petition that gathered nearly 400,000 supporters.

Rather than a pardon or commutation to time served, Mr. Nixon, a Democrat, decided in May to make Mr. Mizanskey eligible for parole, which his original sentence did not allow, U.S. News reported.

Mr. Mizanskey is set to go before the state parole board on Thursday.

“It’s not a sure thing, but I’m optimistic and I think everyone who’s familiar with the system is optimistic,” said attorney Dan Viets, who will represent Mr. Mizanskey at the hearing, U.S. News reported.

Dan Viets has been a passionate activist for more than 30 years and he’s one of the most underrated giants in the cannabis movement. I wouldn’t have been able to become an activist in Missouri more than a decade ago without Dan Viets and I wouldn’t have gotten my first lawyer gig in Oregon, (with another cannabis law reform giant Leland Berger) without the recommendation from Mr. Viets. I know that Dan will do a great job and I’m optimistic for Jeff’s release. However, I am very nervous and I feel for Jeff’s family and supporters, even though I have never met the man. By all accounts, Jeff and his family have weathered this ordeal with strength and grace. Please join me in supporting his release and joining the #FreeJeff movement.

UPDATE from Show-Me Cannabis’ Dan Viets: Hearing has been held and you can send letters of support to:

Missouri Board of Probation and Parole at 3400 Knipp Drive, Jefferson City, Missouri 65109. Jeff’s prisoner number is 00521900. You may also email Parole and Probation Chairman Ellis McSwain at ellis.mcswain@doc.mo.gov

While never making marijuana policy a major part of his policy platform in the past, it seemed likely that the progressive Sanders would be a supporter of sensible marijuana laws. Researching his stances, as much as forty years ago, and the fact that his home state of Vermont has been one of the most progressive states on marijuana policy (especially among states without the initiative process), many marijuana law reformers have held out hope that Sanders would be a leader on ending the War on Cannabis. Sanders’ previous statements regarding marijuana have hinted that he would be announcing a progressive cannabis policy, and his most recent comments in an interview to run on Fusion and Univision on Sunday are his strongest to date. In the interview, he admitted to smoking marijuana in his youth and he criticized laws that severely punish nonviolent drug offenders. Most exciting to cannabis law reformers is the fact that the interview makes clear that Bernie Sanders will consider legalizing marijuana if elected president.

Back on May 3rd, I published a blog asking, “Will Bernie Sanders Become the Cannabis Candidate?” With all due respect to Rand Paul, I think that the answer is a resounding “Yes.” If you MUST vote in the Republican Primary, then I definitely recommend Rand Paul and if you are inclined to vote 3rd party, Governor Gary Johnson (with his VP candidate Judge Jim Gray) on the Libertarian ticket and the Green Party candidate (Jill Stein, most likely) are fine choices. But among the mainstream candidates with any legitimate shot of winning the presidency, Bernie Sanders is the right choice for the cannabis community.

Drug War policies that have eroded our constitutional rights as the governmental search, seizure and snooping powers that law enforcement has deemed necessary to fight the War on Drugs have expanded into virtually all aspects of our lives. This loss of privacy has only been exacerbated by the War on Terror and we are in danger of losing even more privacy and rights each and every time we face a new threat or fight a new war. Sanders will not only be a great candidate on marijuana and the greater Drug War, but he is proven to be very wise in avoiding unnecessary wars as he opposed both the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. Bernie Sanders has been climbing in the polls and he has a real chance of winning the presidency, especially if he continues to fundraise well and American voters learn more about his policies. Don’t let the mainstream media or even your friends and family convince you that Bernie can’t win; if Sanders can win Iowa and New Hampshire, he can defeat the Hillary Clinton machine in the Democratic Primary and shock the political system, but he needs our help. At this point, don’t feel like we should settle for the “lesser of two evils”, instead #FeelTheBern and do what you can to support a true progressive presidential candidate.

Colorado vets protest PTSD denial with free marijuana after the Colorado Board of Health voted down a proposal to add post-traumatic stress as a qualifying condition under the state’s medical marijuana law. The denial by the Colorado board is similar to the denial of PTSD as a qualifying condition for the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA) by a similar board comprised in Oregon. One of my mentors, attorney Leland Berger, submitted two applications in Oregon that were denied by stacked health boards (I assisted the second application as a young attorney). Eventually, the Oregon Legislature added PTSD as a qualifying condition, thanks to lobbying led by longtime activist Anthony Taylor, Executive Director of the patient advocacy group Compassionate Oregon. Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) statistics show that 4,635 patients have included PTSD as a qualifying condition as of July 1, 2015.

A recent study detailed the troubling veteran suicide statistics:

The analysis matched military records with the National Death Index, which collects data on every U.S. death. It tracked the veterans after service until the end of the 2009, finding a total of 1,868 suicides.

That equates to an annual suicide rate of 29.5 per 100,000 veterans, or roughly 50% higher than the rate among other civilians with similar demographic characteristics.

The issue of veteran suicide has become a political cause for activists and legislators. One statistic has become a rallying cry: 22 veterans take their own lives each day.

The study found that the suicide rate was slightly higher among vets who never served in Afghanistan and Iraq, showing that post-traumatic stress and other issues that can lead to suicide go beyond the the horrors of war. Veterans, and concerned citizens of all stripes are understandably upset by the Colorado decision; while research on the issue is scarce, something needs to be done to try and alleviate the consequences of PTSD as there are now more than 41,000 deaths a year from suicide in the U.S. CBS Denver covered the free marijuana protest:

Hundreds of Colorado veterans waited in a long line in Denver on Saturday for free cannabis products.

The free handouts were set up as a sign of protest to a decision by the state’s health board not to allow post-traumatic-stress disorder as a treatable condition for medical marijuana.

The cannabis giveaway was set up by Grow4Vets founder Roger Martin and Todd Mitchem, CEO of a company called High There! — a sort of social networking tool for pot users.

(Emphasis added)

Hopefully, Colorado advocates can lobby for a similar as the suicide rate of American military veterans is a tragic epidemic and a national disgrace. Additionally, victims of severe trauma across all demographics may be able to benefit from cannabis. Considering the tragic ordeals that many people suffer thru and the lack of effective treatments available, victims of post-traumatic stress should be able to utilize cannabis if recommended by a medical professional. Even in states like Oregon and Colorado where marijuana is legal for adults, medical acceptance of one’s condition can be very important for a number of reasons as patients receive tax breaks, designated growers can cultivate for patients and folks suffering from post-traumatic stress should feel safe when speaking to healthcare professionals about the treatments they are seeking. While the denial of PTSD by the Colorado Board of Health is disappointing for so many, please know that the fight isn’t over and the truth and compassion can still win in the end.

Update: Ronda Rousey to star in a movie based off of her autobiography. 

As I blogged previously, UFC mma champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey is a dedicated fighter who eats the same thing nearly every morning: a breakfast of champions that includes two tablespoons of hemp seeds. Rousey’s dedication continues beyond her breakfast routine into her training and the lack of distractions she allows to interfere with her goals in life. Rowdy would like to retire undefeated and presumably continue onto a career in Hollywood and even publishing more books. I wouldn’t be surprised if she opens up her own gym someday to pass on lessons she has learned from her judo-champion mother and stable of coaches. Now that the UFC’s women’s bantamweight has dispatched 12 challengers that have failed to go the distance with her, it is time to consider the fact that Ronda Rousey, fueled by hemp seeds, may be the greatest mma fighter in history.

Kevin Iole, writing for Yahoo Sports, agrees that it is time that Rousey join the discussion along with heavyweight great Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko, Jon “Bones” Jones and Anderson “The Spider” Silva:

When you assess Rousey against the greatest who’ve ever lived in her sport, she is more than competitive by just about any measure.

She’s probably the best grappler and the best athlete. Her striking isn’t as good as her grappling, but Silva’s grappling, for example, wasn’t nearly as good as his striking.

Since she’s in the middle of her dominance, it’s best to assess her against the most dominant eras of Emelianenko, Silva and Jones in their prime. Again, she comes out favorably by comparison.

Iole notes that gender and the lack of elite competition are the only two knocks on Rousey’s claim to greatest of all time status. I would argue that her gender and competition are two things out of her control, she can only do her best against the competition put in front of her. Lack of elite competition also plagued the young Mike Tyson who lacked the same caliber of challengers that a young Muhammad Ali faced. However, it isn’t like the non-elite competition has challenged Rousey at all, with her last three challengers unable to last 35 seconds in the Octagon with her. 35 seconds! Of course, she can’t help that she was born a woman, but she trains against men and there is plenty of evidence that she more than holds her own against men similar in size to her and UFC interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor stated that Rousey “would throw me on my head in one second flat.”

I do think that UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who defeated Anderson Silva twice, may have a claim to rival Rousey’s if he manages to stay undefeated as well, but Rousey definitely deserves consideration as the GOAT. And yes, I may be admittedly a little biased because Rousey has publicly stated that she eats hemp seeds nearly every morning and she lambasted UFC fighter Bryan Caraway for insulting fellow fighter Pat Healy when Healy lost his fight bonuses after testing positive for THC metabolites. However, despite my biases, if Ronda Rousey keeps dispatching challengers like she did contender Bethe Correia, Rousey will have to go down as the greatest fighter of all time, regardless of her competition or gender.

The news media will certainly focus a lot on marijuana in the 2016 election. Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that marijuana is covered a lot in the media these days. Many mainstream media outlets, once strong opponents of legalization, have now embraced marijuana with spin-off publications that focus solely on cannabis or they have reporters covering the marijuana beat. We will see marijuana coverage increase both locally and nationally as public support for legalization increases, media outlets recognize an increase in “click” from their coverage, more marijuana measures are placed on the ballot across the nation, federal reforms continue to be introduced and political candidates are asked their opinion about the subject.

Newsweek covered the change in public opinion and previewed the stances of major presidential candidates in its special edition “2016: The Marijuana Election“:

Though public opinion is shifting toward embracing cannabis reform, presidential candidates are a little more hesitant to jump on the bandwagon. Of the candidates who have expressed interest in running for the 2016 presidential nomination, only three support radical federal reform as of press time. One candidate is Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who is in favor of decriminalization and medical marijuana use and open to federal legalization. Alongside him is Democratic candidate Lincoln Chafee. Having already signed marijuana decriminalization laws on a state level, the former Rhode Island governor admits recreational use could be good for tax revenues. Still, both Chafee and Sanders have made it clear they will continue to monitor Colorado before making any major decisions. Finally, Donald Trump expressed interest in legalizing drugs back in 2011 but as of press time has not released further statements on the matter.

A handful of candidates are open to medical marijuana legislation but are against recreational use. Once a staunch opponent of cannabis reform, Hillary Clinton has since become more receptive—a change from her 2007 stance against decriminalization. Now, the former secretary of state and perceived Democratic front-runner believes state governments have the right to set their own laws and is open to medical marijuana use. All the same, she maintains she has never tried cannabis herself. “I didn’t do it when I was young; I’m not going to start now,” she told CNN. Like Clinton, Democratic candidate Martin O’Malley has softened over the years. Previously known for his firm opposition to drugs, the Maryland governor has since become open to moderate marijuana reforms, such as decriminalization and a program for very limited medical marijuana distribution.

Republican candidate Rand Paul is also open to limited legislation, having expressed interest in scaling back the war on drugs; in March, he signed a bill to curb the federal government’s role in medical marijuana laws. Fellow GOP candidate Lindsey Graham is also receptive to the benefits of medical marijuana but has articulated resistance to federal legalization. Bobby Jindal was supportive of medical initiatives in Louisiana. Meanwhile, Dr. Ben Carson is skeptical of medical marijuana but has not explicitly come out against it.

(Emphasis added)

It is very easy to see how marijuana coverage will be very prominent during the 2016 election.The 2016 presidential candidates will certainly get pressed on their thoughts about legalization in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and our nation’s capital, but also upon the medical marijuana laws in key states across the nation, including the first primary in New Hampshire. Additionally, with legalization and/or medical marijuana on the ballot in California, Maine, Nevada, Florida and potentially Missouri, candidates will not be able to dodge the cannabis question, they will need to have their policies on point and it is clear to see that the American public is headed towards supporting legalization more and more.

Similar to marriage equality, we are seeing both an increase in marijuana legalization support across demographics, but especially among younger voters, the future of our political system. I suspect that an increase in scientific knowledge and personal experience has increased support for legalization, but also just the notion that our country has bigger fish to fry. From climate change to the global economy to militant radical groups like ISIS, using our resources to throw nonviolent people in cages for cannabis will only seem more barbaric and wasteful to a growing number of voters.

The next President of the United States will have a huge impact upon how our nation proceeds on marijuana policy in the coming years. We have seen how big a difference the POTUS can impact our political culture, just as President Obama’s evolution on marriage influenced the nation and his administration’s recent pragmatic marijuana policy decisions, basically adhering to states’ rights principles, set the stage for further reform. The 2016 presidential election will focus on marijuana policy early and often and I predict that the next POTUS will come to the conclusion that the United States of America has major issues to contend with and arresting, prosecuting and imprisoning nonviolent people for marijuana is no longer a priority of the federal government, unless voters across the country do something really counterproductive and elect Chris Christie.

The new DEA Chief thinks heroin is “probably” more dangerous than marijuana and admits that he is not an expert on drugs (obviously). Clearly, anyone with half a brain, or has watched Trainspotting, knows that heroin is a much more dangerous drug than marijuana. More than 8,000 people died in the United States from heroin overdoses in 2013, the latest numbers from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). Most alarming is the fact that heroin overdose deaths have increased 5 times in the U.S. from 2001 to 2013. In addition to the chance of death that heroin may cause, it is also a very addictive drug, clearly more addictive than marijuana. Throw in the fact that heroin users may share needles, increasing the chance of contracting HIV or other blood-transmitted diseases, it boggles the mind that anyone could state that heroin is probably more dangerous than marijuana.

From U.S. News and World Report:

Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg, a former prosecutor whose stance on drug reform is somewhat of a mystery, also said his agents are not prioritizing marijuana enforcement — though he’s not ordered them off it.

The statements, made on a morning conference call, were far from an endorsement of marijuana, which four states allow for recreational use and many others do for medical purposes.

“If you want me to say that marijuana’s not dangerous, I’m not going to say that because I think it is,” Rosenberg said. “Do I think it’s as dangerous as heroin? Probably not. I’m not an expert.”

Not an expert!?! Now, the former DEA Chief, Michele Leonhart, resigned amid the scandal that she had lost control over an agency that had its agents attending sex parties with prostitutes that were funded by drug cartels, so the bar for a better DEA head wasn’t too high, but surely we have some drug experts in this country up to the task. Can you imagine the head of NASA stating that he or she wasn’t an expert on space? “I think that Mars is probably bigger than our moon. I’m not an expert” Or the U.S. Surgeon General stating that they weren’t an expert on health issues? “Heart disease is probably a bigger health problem in America than hayfever. I’m not an expert.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration seems to do more harm than good. The DEA stifles medical cannabis research that could greatly improve people’s lives and its enforcement policies haven’t curtailed drug use. When heroin overdoses have increased fivefold since 2001 and the acting DEA chief isn’t certain whether heroin is more dangerous than marijuana, we have a serious problem in government. Clearly, our tax dollars are being wasted, but most importantly, lives are being ruined and ended unecessarily. It is time that we finally say #NoMoreDrugWar and put an end to the DEA’s current mandate; putting the billions of dollars spent arresting and prosecuting people for drugs would be better spent educating people about the true consequences of drugs and providing treatment options for addicts.

I must admit that I get some pleasure when prohibitionists make mistakes. After years of Reefer Madness propaganda and the perpetuation of the “dumb stoner” stereotypes, it just makes me feel good when those that have pushed the Drug War upon the American public goof themselves. One of the best prohibitionist goofs of all-time was when Kevin Sabet, the so-called quarterback of the anti-marijuana legalization movement, forgot to secure the domain name of his campaign organization working to defeat a medical marijuana measure in Massachusetts. Once those “dumb stoner” activists discovered Sabet’s fumble, they pounced on it, spoofing his campaign website and medical marijuana cruised to victory. And prohibitionists goofed again, this time when D.A.R.E. supported marijuana legalization (for a bit) after the program’s news service wrongly placed a pro-legalization letter to the editor, by a LEAP member, on its website.

I saw headlines pop-up over the internet and blogosphere about D.A.R.E. supporting cannabis legalization and immediately felt that there must be some mistake. Sure enough, D.A.R.E. confirmed to the great Washington Post reporter Christopher Ingraham that they had made a mistake; the cherry on top of the ordeal is that D.A.R.E. wrongly referred to Ingraham as “Scott” in its response. D.A.R.E.’s mistakes are very telling at it demonstrates a certain amount of laziness to just publish anything on your website that isn’t properly screened when you are supposedly a prominent, qualified anti-drug program.

Of course, the biggest mistake is that our nation wastes time on D.A.R.E. in the first place. Young people today have the internet, they can find out the truth about the relative danger of drugs and can easily find out that the gateway theory has been debunked. The D.A.R.E. program has been found to be ineffective and yet our nation still squanders resources on the program. These kids today need the scientific truth about drugs, including the fact that they shouldn’t do any drugs until they are older because drugs can severely harm developing brains.  Utilizing tax dollars generated from cannabis legalization, Oregon will fund drug prevention programs that consider input from actual teenagers to help develop good messaging to prevent kids from using marijuana; programs like this are a good start, so long as the messaging is based on science and facts. However, the days of preaching Reefer Madness to kids are over; they just ain’t gonna buy it, even though we are all paying for it.

UPDATE: Ronda Rousey defends her title with a 34 second knockout of the previously undefeated Bethe Correia, invoking memories of a young Mike Tyson. 

Former Olympic judo medalist Ronda Rousey is the most dominating fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s most preeminent mixed martial arts (mma) promotional company in the world. “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey is a true superstar that has both elevated and transcended her sport as she can headline UFC fighting events, like UFC 190 tomorrow in Brazil, and appear in movies like the Expendables 3 and Entourage. At one time, UFC President Dana White declared that we would “never” see women fight in the UFC; but then he met Ronda Rousey and sports history was changed forever. Rousey won the ESPN “Best Fighter” ESPY, over her male counterparts in both mma and boxing. Her accolades are well deserved as she is undefeated and has never let any of her bouts go the distance; her last two fights have lasted a combined 30 seconds. While the UFC champion has gained notoriety, most of her fans probably don’t know that Ronda Rousey eats hemp seeds for breakfast almost every morning.

As Rousey trains for her title defense against the also undefeated Bethe Correia, in the challenger’s home country of Brazil, ESPN gained all access to her training and the champ stated that her breakfast routine consists of two tablespoons of hemp seeds. The judo extraordinaire explained that her structure diet has been one of the biggest differences between her professional and amateur career. Rowdy provided Hardbody.com with her meal and training regimen:

Ronda Rousey Diet:
8:00 am: Two teaspoons oat bran, two teaspoons chia seeds, two teaspoons hemp seeds
10:00 am: Train
11:45 am: Post-exercise smoothie
12:00 pm: Farmer’s scramble: one whole egg, plus two egg whites, two sides of turkey bacon
4:00 pm: Snack: one apple, one-fourth cup raw almonds, one-fourth cup raw cashews
6:00 pm: Train – Post-exercise smoothie, da, da, da.
Before bed: Chamomile tea.

The industrial and nutritional benefits of hemp have gotten more and more attention recently as the public has become educated about hemp. While recent legislation has led to hemp being planted in Kentucky, Colorado and Oregon, federal law, steeped in Reefer Madness propaganda that links industrial hemp to marijuana (the two plants are cannabis cousins, so to speak, but hemp doesn’t have the same psychoactive qualities of marijuana) has prevented American farmers from cultivating this sustainable, profitable crop. Unfortunately, the $300 million dollar U.S. hemp market is sending much-needed revenue overseas to China, Canada, South Korea and Russia instead of helping U.S. farmers. Hopefully, as even more people become aware of hemp’s benefits and properties, our politicians will finally legalize this important crop for widespread production. The worldwide market for hemp consists of more than 25,000 products and we literally know that hemp is the breakfast of champions. I was already a big fan of Ronda Rousey, but knowing that she is fueled by hemp seeds, I even like her a little bit more.

As we have been reporting for the past few months, Chris Christie is the worst kind of Reefer Madness prohibitionist: the radical type that is willing to use military-style SWAT raids against nonviolent American who utilize cannabis, even in states that have legalized marijuana. He has even called marijuana users “diseased” and apparently feels that the best cure for such a disease is armed federal agents kicking down your door and pointing guns at you and your family.

As fellow blogger Romain Bonilla pointed out, Christie seems to be willing to trample the will of the voters in an attempt to get noticed by more Republicans ahead of the upcoming GOP debate. With so many people running, it is hard to get any attention in the GOP primary, especially with Donald Trump in the race. When many are asking, “How many clowns can they fit in that clown car?” Chris Christie has apparently decided that he will be the law and order presidential candidate that will enforce federal law, even if the law is clearly a failed and harmful policy. Chris Christie is the Cartman of the 2016 Republican Primary. And we must respect his authoritah! (South Park reference for those that don’t watch much Comedy Central).

While Chris Christie is certainly a longshot to win the GOP nomination, and especially the presidency, it is important that we squash any notion that trampling the will of the voters is a sustainable political position. The cannabis community needs to continue to spread the word that Christie’s position is dangerous regardless of your political persuasion. Wasting taxpayer dollars and law enforcement resources to wage a war on nonviolent American citizens in states that have legalized marijuana should be abhorrent to anyone that cares about good public policy and our democratic principles. Let’s make it known loud and clear that we will never have to respect such authoritah from Chris Christie or any presidential candidate.

Judge Jim Gray is one of the last people that you would expect being a proponent for ending drug prohibition. Judge Gray is a true conservative who has become one of the top spokespeople for the drug law reform movement for over three decades now. He has experience as a criminal defense attorney, a prosecutor, an author and as cannabis industry businessman. I had the opportunity to interview Judge Jim Gray on the Drug War and keynoting the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) this September 12-13 in Portland. I am very thankful that the California Superior Court Judge agreed to speak with me and for his decades of drug policy activism.

Describe your experience with cannabis growing up, college, law school, etc?

Honestly, I’ve never smoked cannabis. I graduated from USC Law School in 1971 and to my knowledge about half of the students on the law review, the top 10% of the class, smoked cannabis. I have seen a lot of people who have become successful, just like George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, that have used cannabis. Some of the best people that I have ever met have been drug law reform activists.

When did you first realize that the Drug War was a failure?

I never thought about the Drug War when I as a criminal defense attorney or federal prosecutor, but once I became a judge I saw first hand that drug prohibition was a failure I saw low level drug offenders have their lives ruined in my courtroom. I then realized that even prosecuting big drug dealers didn’t lead to less drugs in my community of Costa Mesa.

Any hesitation about speaking out due to your career as a judge?

I decided that something must be done and that I needed to speak out. Some things are just so important that they are worth risking your career, in my opinion. I felt that  conservative judge in a conservative county would be a good spokesperson for drug law reform, so I held a press conference on April 8, 1992, to publicize how drug prohibition wasn’t working. I’ve been active in drug policy reform ever since.

I became a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). Many people don’t know what to make of LEAP. No one can accuse us of being soft on crime. You just need to have an open mind to see that drug prohibition is a bad policy. When I speak to Rotary Clubs across the country, for instance, I can point out how their most important policy or issue is harmed by drug prohibition. Thankfully, more and more people are realizing the harms of drug prohibition.

How was the response from your friends, family and colleagues?

My family did not want me to do this, they didn’t want me to put my career at risk, but I knew that I had to speak out. A lot of judges and law enforcement members will privately tell me that they know the Drug War isn’t working, but few will speak out publicly. The Drug War is an employment act for many people.

You ran as the vice-presidential candidate on the Libertarian ticket in 2012, what are your views on the current crop of candidates?

I believe that Governor Gary Johnson is the most qualified person to be President of the United States. I had never heard of him before 1999, when I saw that the New Mexico governor had done an audit on the state government and had concluded that drug prohibition was  a failure. Governor Johnson created a billion dollar budget surplus, worked well with Democrats and instituted good policies that work for everyone and he would do the same as President of the United States. No Republican or Democrat comes close to the ideals and accomplishments of Gary Johnson. The only hope to stop on wasting money across the board, especially on unnecessary military spending around the globe, is Governor Gary Johnson.

We are filing a lawsuit soon against the  Commission on Presidential Debates and the Republican and Democratic Parties about the Libertarian Party’s exclusion from presidential debates. When the League of Women voters ran the debates, any political party on enough ballots to technically win the presidency was allowed to participate, which the Libertarian Party qualifies as we were on the ballot in 48 states in 2012. This lawsuit will help both the Libertarian Party and the Green Party make the ballot; the Green Party was on the ballot in 40 states in 2012.

The League of Women Voters, pulled out of participating in the presidential debates when other parties were excluded stating, “We will not be a part of the hoodwinking of America.” I believe that this lawsuit is the best investment we can make for the future of our political process. Neither Romney or Obama wanted to talk about drug policy and Obama smoked marijuana and did cocaine according to his books. The debate was rigged, everyone else wins if we win the lawsuit, expect the Democratic and Republican parties.

Can you describe how you got involved with Cannabis Sativa and your view of the future of the company?

Never in my life did I think that I would be involved with a company that would be involved with the selling of marijuana. I am proud of our company, under the leadership of Governor Gary Johnson, as we strive to be the gold standard in the industry with a quality product. The future our business probably won’t be in smokable marijuana, but in other products. CBD extracts, for instance, that don’t intoxicate you, but get you medicinal benefits will likely be a big product. It is very exciting.

You’ll be in Portland, Oregon, for the OMMBC on September 12 & 13th, so we’ll hear more from you soon, but anything else that you would like to convey to current and future cannabis industry entrepreneurs at this time?

Without any question, the future is bright for the cannabis industry. I am very excited for the industry and where it is heading. Our future will be made brighter as we learn more about the cannabis plant. We stopped research in its tracks with the Marijuana Tax Act in the 1930s, now Israel is leading they way, but it is exciting to see what we will discover as research increases.

Additionally, the whole hemp industry is another area where we are wounding ourselves as a country. It has a number of uses and you can get just as high from smoking a napkin. We can produce 4 times as much paper from hemp as we do trees, yet hemp production isn’t allowed currently, it’s lunacy. But the times are changing and I look forward to the advances that the industry will be making in the coming years.