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8/31/2011 – Floatingsheep.org released their analysis of the underground marijuana market in the United States. The end result isn’t news to consumers: East Coast residents pay the most for an ounce of pot.

Wired magazine also featured a unique map (see below) that was created from the study data. It compares marijuana prices to the severity of laws. There were some other factors included into the equation, like the distance from Humbolt County, California.

The study centers on prices gathered directly from the public through anonymous online submissions. Thousands of individual reports were sent in through www.priceofweed.com.

Here is their rundown on the average cost of top-shelf marijuana:

Distribution of High Quality Observations by State

Connecticut          Reports= 124   Price = $426.20/oz

Delaware               Reports = 26    Price = $450.00/oz

D.C.                         Reports= 71      Price = $460.70/oz

Florida                  Reports=575    Price = $361.80/oz

Georgia                 Reports = 209  Price = $412.20/oz

Maine                    Reports =  57    Price = $360.00/oz

Maryland             Reports = 162   Price = $436.30/oz

Mass.                    Reports = 368    Price = $416.30/oz

New Hampshire Reports = 58      Price = $407.60/oz

New Jersey         Reports =  198   Price = $412.40/oz

New York            Reports = 876    Price = $416.90/oz

N. Carolina         Reports = 254    Price = $417.90/oz

Pennsylvania     Reports =  400   Price = $414.30/oz

Rhode Island     Reports =71       Price = $419.30/oz

S. Carolina          Reports =  98     Price = $399.00/oz

Vermont             Reports = 61      Price =$393.60/oz

Virginia               Reports =223    Price = $411.90/oz

West Virginia    Reports = 35     Price =$392.80/oz

Read the complete study here.

High Times Magazine has employed a similar method of collecting price information from readers for many years. The monthly “THMQ Pot Prices” column also offers a market analysis of different grades of marijuana and even individual strains.

Again, East Coast readers of HT mag are willing to exchange the most greenbacks for green flowers (with hints of reds, lavenders, oranges and purples). High Times July 2011 THMQ showed Chem Dog selling in New York for an astounding $560 per ounce.

While that was definitely the costliest bud found, many of the THMQs are close match for the floatingsheep.org prices.

Population density, thus simple demand, is a major factor to driving up prices on the East Coast. The severity of laws also tends to bump up the cost as distributors take a greater risk and pass that on to consumers.

Perhaps the most interesting trend for the cost of cannabis has been its stability over the last decade.  There have been moderate increases in the cost of all grades of marijuana. But there has been nothing of a cannabis price bubble compared to other consumer items, like housing, food or gasoline.

Some good news is that several data sources are showing a general decline in marijuana prices. For example the floatingsheep.org study showed that Oregonians pay an average of $255.80 per ounce for high-grade cannabis. So far, those kinds of price reductions have not reached the East Coast.

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

New research in The Journal of Molecular Pharmacology demonstrates that Cannabis compounds may be a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. It may seem counter-intuitive that compounds from the Cannabis plant may preserve memory, however Cannabidiol (CBD) and other compounds on the plant have neuroprotective effects. CBD appears to inhibit the cells directly involved with the progression of the disease. Read the new study on cannabinoids and Alzheimer’s disease.

[UPDATE 5/13/2011 – Governor Jack Markell signed the bill into law. DE is now, officially, a medical marijuana state.] 5/11/2011 – “The First State” may become the 16th with a working medical marijuana law. The Delaware Senate passed the amended medical marijuana bill today 17-4. This was the final vote and the bill now heads to Governor Jack Markell’s desk for his signature.

The language creates Compassion Centers within each county for qualifying patients to access up to six ounces of cannabis per month. There are no provisions for home cultivation.

Despite the recent flurry of paper threats from several US Attorneys against medical marijuana programs, more states are moving ahead with bills to legalize them. Medical cannabis dispensaries are also just a signature away from becoming a reality in Vermont.

Activism links:

http://www.mpp.org/states/delaware/

http://www.delawareansformedicalmarijuana.org/

5/25/2011 – Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotropic compound found in the Cannabis plant that is currently being exploited by researchers for its therapeutic properties. CBD is usually the second most abundant compound found in the plant.

A research team devoted to studying the effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) on the immune system has made a series of breakthroughs that may have uncovered a mechanism of CBD’s actions (Kozela 2009, Rimmerman 2011, Juknat 2011). The team may have discovered the specific genes responsible for some of CBD’s therapeutic effects. This type of research could be a big leap forward.

Previously the same team had shown that CBD can effectively treat the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis in mice. This is in agreement with earlier research published by other labs throughout the world.

This collective body of research demonstrates that CBD that is isolated from the plant (as well as Cannabis preparations containing CBD) have been shown to ameliorate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis in animal models and clinical trials. The effects of CBD on disease progression include decreased inflammation, neuronal protection, and decreased immune cell activity.

In other words, this is even more science that shows how CBD from natural cannabis plants works to treat MS in animals and humans.

Now for the interesting genetic details. CBD can affect the genes Soat2 andCyp27a1, which control sterol metabolism (Ex. Cholesterol). These are part of a larger group of genes, known as stress genes. The well-known cannabinoid THC does not appear to have any effect on these genes.

Anandamide is a natural compound made by mammals from lipids, in a sense it is the “natural THC” found in our brains and throughout the human body. Anandamide and THC act through the cannabinoid receptors and have similar effects. For example THC and Anandamide have similar effects on pain, appetite, and memory.

Special receptors allow THC and Anandamide to work, but CBD does not interact directly with cannabinoid receptors.

Additionally, this research team found that CBD can increase the amount of Anandamide and other important lipids.

There are dozens of cannabinoids in the Cannabis plant. Much attention has been paid to THC over the years because of its euphoric side-effect. Researchers are now very interested in the abilities of CBD because it works so effectively without causing impairment.

Jahan Marcu is currently investigating the pharmacology of cannabinoid receptors. He was working at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute when exciting discoveries were made showing enhanced anti-cancer effects with THC and CBD from the Cannabis plant. The findings were published in the Journal of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. In 2009 he received the Billy Martin Award from the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS). Jahan is currently the vice-chair the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board at Americans for Safe Access (ASA).   Contact:  science { at } freedomisgreen.com

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent any University, business or affiliates. While the information provided in this blog is from published scientific studies it is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.

5/5/2011 – Despite the recent flurry of paper threats from several US Attorneys against medical marijuana programs, more states are moving ahead with bills to legalize them. Last month the Delaware Senate passed compassionate use legislation and now the House has followed suit. Both floor votes showed strong support. The bill must return to the Senate to finalize some last-minute amendments but the House vote tonight is a good sign that “The First State” may become the 16th with a working medical marijuana law.

From The News Journal

The Delaware House approved use of marijuana for medical purposes today, but tacked on additional restrictions to require the drug is distributed in tamper-proof containers and prohibit smoking cannabis in buses and vehicles.

The House voted 24-17 on Senate Bill 17, which must go back to the Senate for the upper chamber to consider the changes.

The legislation allows Delawareans with cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder and other debilitating diseases to get a doctor’s recommendation to use marijuana to treat their pain, nausea or illness.
Qualified patients would be issued a state identification card.

Three state-regulated not-for-profit dispensaries would be established in each county to sell and distribute medical marijuana to qualified patients and caregivers. READ FULL ARTICLE

Medical marijuana legislation is also pending in New Hampshire, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and Connecticut … and that’s just on the East Coast.

Activism links:

http://www.mpp.org/states/delaware/

http://www.delawareansformedicalmarijuana.org/

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On Mother’s Day, we celebrate and honor those who gave us life. However as a mother, every day I am reminded of a terrible war that is destroying the fabric of our families and putting our children at risk. The so-called War on Drugs happens all around us, but it is mostly a war on cannabis consumers. Today I hope that mothers will join me and pay attention to some peaceful solutions for marijuana.

As a compassionate and reasonable society, it is time to legalize cannabis for responsible adult use. Drug dealers do not card children. Prohibition has only kept our youth in constant contact with pot instead of putting it safely behind the counter. Cannabis belongs in a controlled environment where taxpaying and responsible adults can purchase it.

Let me be clear – I do not want my kids to use or abuse cannabis. But I certainly don’t want them going to jail or losing their chances at a college education if they end up getting caught with a joint. Prisons do not protect children, parents do. By legalizing marijuana we can begin to have more truthful conversations with our kids and teens about using it.

Anne Davis, mother of two young girls, agrees, “Mothers who are actively involved with their children have open, honest relationships with non-judgmental communication. They strive to be positive role models. These qualities will serve the best interests of our youth, not the failed policy of prohibition.”

Further legalizing marijuana will keep families together. Mothers do not deserve to be persecuted in the courts or in the delivery room for having small amounts of marijuana. Children should not be separated
from their parents over pot. Hardworking Americans should not lose good paying jobs because they medicate or recreate with cannabis.

Mothers ended alcohol prohibition almost a century ago. I hope mothers
will join the growing effort to end marijuana prohibition today, for the sake of us all but mostly for the children.

Diane Fornbacher has been a cannabis law reform activist for 15 years. She has worked with some of the top reform organizations (NORML, Drug Policy Alliance, Americans for Safe Access, The November Coalition, Vote Hemp). Fornbacher is the current Vice Chair of the NORML Women’s Alliance and serves on the board of The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey (CMMNJ). When she isn’t working to change the cannabis laws she enjoys photography, writing poetry being a mother and performing spoken word with local bands. Contact: grassroots { at } freedomisgreen.com

NORML Women’s Alliance on Facebook

Steve Bloom’s latest article at CelebStoner.com addresses the proliferation of T & A (that’s “tits and ass” for those living in a monastery) in most marijuana trade magazines and websites. Does it serve the movement (um…how could it?) or does it reduce it to a frat-level boys club, where women are reduced to mere poster fodder?

According to Bloom:

I’m not a prude, I just don’t think it’s appropriate to fill up a pot magazine with images strictly for male readers, essentially turning off the female base. The few woman on the staff [of High Times] would occasionally suggest that a sexy guy should be on the cover. Never happened. I’d regularly hear from women in the movement who’d distanced themselves from the magazine because of the racy content.

Another issue has long been the use of scantily-clad women in advertisements. That certainly has not changed. Take look at most marijuana mags and websites and you’ll inevitably be confronted by objectionable ads, like the legalbuds.com banners  or the BC Bud Depot two-page spreads. These are tacky trade-magazine ads that diminish the overall quality of any publication that accepts them. But they also pay the bills,

Now that I’m a website publisher, I encounter the same issues High Times faces, just on a smaller scale. We’ve built CelebStoner as a counter to High Times and Skunk – a sexist-free environment where readers don’t have to be worried about being offended by salacious ads and editorial content. We’ve rejected numerous ad banners that were deemed offensive. High Times doesn’t turn any advertiser away.

Elsewhere on the web, you’ll find plenty of “buds & babes” sites, such as 420girls.com, Girls4ganja.com, ganjaporn.com, girlsgoneweed.com and so on. Women smoking pot with little or no clothes on? Clearly, these are men’s sites. Just like with porn, if women allow themselves to be photographed nude for the purpose of male and (and certainly in some case) female arousal, that’s their choice. Let’s assume no one is being forced to do anything. The same with bud babes. Still, these sites demean women who otherwise would not be featured if they didn’t play the part of sexy sirens.

Been to a cannabis trade show lately? The floors are crawling with barely-clothed women pitching products. People shrug and say that’s what happens at trade shows, but why does that have to be the case at our shows? Are we not different and better? At KushCon II in December, the NORML Woman’s Alliance (NWA) made a stink about the woman in question and a dress code was hastily ordered (and of course not followed).

These issues sparked the forming of the NWA last year. Women in the movement are tired of being harassed, bullied, taken for granted and advantage of, not considered for leadership positions, and objectified. The NWA got together for a tasteful photo shoot to show how they want to be seen – as elegant, powerful woman, not cheesecake girls flaunting their assets.

Read more.

The spring of 2011 has brought tension to the air for everyone involved with cannabis in the United States. Federal authorities have unleashed a coordinated attack on political efforts to tax marijuana and they have made war on medical marijuana programs. This has been matched by additional states changing local laws, putting more skin into the game than ever.

The bets are now in for the biggest cannabis policy showdown in our generation – right in Washington DC. The Schedule I status of marijuana in the federal Controlled Substances Act will either be re-affirmed or changed, likely over the next 24 months.

Marijuana prohibition has become the most refined and serious states’ rights issue of the 21^st Century.  Millions of Americans are now participating in a multi-billion dollar medical cannabis economy.

States are taking greater pains to regulate this fast-moving industry. Why? To recognize the will of their residents but also to gain badly needed tax dollars. In some cases, they are getting that money.

At the same time, Michele Leonhart has led the Drug Enforcement Administration to conduct a major escalation of raids that bring automatic weapons into peaceful marijuana centers.

If marijuana were moved to Schedule II, III, or IV or even removed from the schedule (that is an option), it would end the conflict of state vs. federal law on all related matters.  That means whatever marijuana industry that states decide to authorize (medical, recreational or hemp) could be protected, regulated and taxed.

When the Controlled Substances Act was created in 1970 a blue-ribbon commission was chartered by President Nixon to study marijuana’s proper placement. The recommendation in 1972 was that personal cannabis use should be decriminalized and it should not appear in the scheduling. Obviously Nixon ignored those suggestions.

Forty years later we live in the ‘Just Say Drug War’ era. Still, the status of marijuana has always been overseen by Congress and the President. They have been the quiet players at the poker game thus far. But the increase in aggression by the DEA and US Attorneys has produced an interesting result.

When the Washington state Legislature recently passed a bill to regulate a dispensary system for patients the fed came down like a ton of bricks on the political process. Governor Chris Gregoire (a former US Attorney in her own right) vetoed the bill. But then she turned around to announce plans to bring together the now 16 medical marijuana Governors in a unified lobby for re-scheduling to category II.

Gregoire currently leads the National Governors Association. Having the elected leaders of these states actively seek an end to federal cannabis prohibition could be a significant pressure point on Senators and Representatives in Washington DC.

We are also just beginning to see federal lawsuits filed in Montana by the victims of these DEA raids over illegal search and seizure. Cannabis and money are stolen, bank accounts cleared out; but no one is arrested. Not exactly by-the-books due-process.

The IRS has now appeared at the table as a major player, staked by the Fed against individual entrepreneurs. Financial investigations of successful cannabis business like Harborside Health Services in Oakland are underway.

At the same time the city of San Jose California began raking in $290,000 in monthly taxes from local medical cannabis sales!

The effect of these simultaneous actions has just forced everyone in the game to go all-in. Congress and President Obama are being positioned to make their bets and address the issue…during an election season. And that may be the plan.

However, supporting the move to Schedule II in the CSA is a safe position, politically. Ever growing majorities of American voters, of all parties, support their local medical cannabis laws. So, re-scheduling is backed by tremendous public support, but groups such as the American Medial Association (AMA) have also recommended the change.

Moving to Schedule II is a good quick-fix for the current medical cannabis industry as well as programs like Rhode Island and New Jersey that remain on hold. Even the Internal Revenue Service would be mollified.

Still, there should be a modern congressional commission designated to study full cannabis legalization if re-scheduling is adopted.

A more disturbing outcome is possible. The current Schedule I status could ultimately be upheld by Congress and President Obama.  That would likely signal another significant increase in federal aggression towards the existing medical cannabis industry. This sends everyone down a terrible path. Battles will rage in the courts and in the faces of seriously ill patients just trying to follow their state laws.

Would some Governors then mobilize their Attorneys General, their police or even the National Guard to protect their state employees, medical cannabis centers and patients?

We are experiencing the Cuban Missile Crisis in the cold war between the States and the US Federal Government on medical marijuana laws. Moving to Schedule II would pull authorities on both sides back from the brink of violence.

The move would allow everyone to split the pot. Of paramount importance, it would directly help the millions of seriously ill residents who access this proven therapy every day.

Marijuana prohibition has seen windows for reform in the past; none have been open this wide.

Public support must be channeled because taking the game to Congress is also where the marijuana reform movement has traditionally been the weakest.

Just a handful of federal legislators are there to champion this cause: Ron Paul (R-TX), Barney Frank (D-MA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) to name the most vocal.

However there is one place that the marijuana legalization movement is stronger than everyone else, including the Fed: Online. Within the modern Matrix cannabis reform is Neo.

This could be the end-game. Everyone online is at the table too, so don’t sit this one out.

Marijuana prohibition deserves a peaceful solution, for all Americans.

Commentary from Editor Chris Goldstein

Get involved:

NORML- www.norml.org

Students for Sensible Drug Policy – www.ssdp.org

The Drug Policy Alliance – www.drugpolicy.org

The Marijuana Policy Project – www.mpp.org

NORML Women’s Alliance – http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=8059

Willie Nelson’s Teapot Party – www.teapotparty.org

Questions?  [email protected]

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.

When I read this article, it didn’t sit with me entirely. Several days ago, the Women’s Marijuana Movement marked both Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Alcohol Awareness Month [that’s a lot of awareness for one month] by arguing that increased cannabis use may help prevent rapes fueled by booze. Shew. That’s a stretch for me. Increased yoga might also lessen the amount of booze-fueled rapes, but I don’t think the frat boys at the local university are going to go for it. There’s a personal accountability element that seems to be missing as well, though I recognize some of her points.

Toni Fox, who’s the stepmother of an eighteen-year-old college student and mother of a fourteen-month-old toddler, comes from what she describes as “an alcoholic family” and admits that she developed “a tendency to use alcohol to the point where you get intoxicated.”

This habit led directly to the first of several incidents during her life when she was sexually assaulted, she says.

“I was in tenth grade, and I lived in a small town — absolutely middle America, where it’s socially acceptable for kids to binge-drink at any early age,” she recalls. “I was invited to a party with the popular kids and binge-drank with them. And one of the attendees, a very popular kid in school, took complete advantage of me. I was completely inebriated, passed out, and he had sex with me anyway.”

Similar situations took place in years to come. “When I was older, in my twenties and going out to nightclubs, excessive drinking was always part of the poor choices I made. You lose your ability to rationalize, and bad things can happen. And every woman I’ve spoken to, other than my daughter, has been sexually assaulted in one form or another — and when they look back on it, alcohol was involved.”

That’s one reason Fox got involved with the Mason Tvert-founded SAFER (Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation) six years ago. She subsequently helped launch the Women’s Marijuana Movement — and her stepdaughter’s attendance at Metro State College has only reinforced her views about marijuana versus alcohol.

“My daughter makes the safer choice,” notes Fox, who says she now drinks rarely and only in moderation. “Not that I condone her using marijuana when she’s only eighteen. But she tells me on almost a weekly basis about someone she knows at school who was date-raped because of alcohol. And thank goodness nothing like that has ever happened to her.”

Read more.

Beth Mann is a popular blogger and writer for Open Salon and Salon. She is also an accomplished actor and director with over 15 years of experience, as well as the president of Hot Buttered Media. She currently resides at the Jersey shore where she can often be seen surfing or singing karaoke at a local dive bar.

Contact: maryjane {at } freedomisgreen.com