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The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center reports that it handled more than 6,200 cases of potential marijuana toxicity in 2021.

A few days ago, I arrived home to find my beloved 12-year-old dog in a semi-comatose state. She couldn’t move her back legs. She flinched when I touched her elsewhere. She was “out of it” in a way that almost suggested she might be experiencing a very bad trip.

As it turns out, that’s exactly what was happening. The 16-pound Lulu was suffering from marijuana toxicity, as I learned after rushing her to an emergency vet.

On Oct. 6, President Joe Biden announced new efforts his administration is taking to reform the drug policy.

This includes taking steps to decriminalize marijuana, beginning with pardoning all people who have been convicted of marijuana possession under federal law. This does not include people who have been convicted of selling or distributing marijuana illegally. 

Biden also asked for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Baccara, and Attorney General Merrick Garland to review the federal status of marijuana, according to Politico. Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I Drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning that it has no acceptable medical purposes and is highly addictive.

This categorizes marijuana with drugs such as heroin, LSD and ecstasy, and it prohibits all marijuana use according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Lowering marijuana’s classification to a Schedule II Drug would put it in the same category as most opioids, and it would allow marijuana to be prescribed by doctors, according to Reuters. 

Criticisms of the efforts have come from both sides of the aisle. Some Democrats and progressives see the efforts as a step forward, but not eliminating major problems, considering the pardons impact relatively few people. According to Reuters, there are not many federal convictions for simple marijuana possession, and the administration says the pardons will affect 6,500 people. As a result, many activists say that this does not address the heart of the problem.

Although this will not result in people leaving prison, it will clear the records of those affected, allowing them to gain employment opportunities, apply to colleges and obtain other opportunities to help them move forward with their lives. Biden also acknowledged that many people are convicted under state or local laws, according to Reuters. He encouraged governors to pardon people convicted of simple marijuana possession under state laws.

In a recent announcement, Major League Baseball announced a sponsorship deal with cannabidiol (CBD) company Charlotte’s Web.

Most Americans oppose marijuana’s categorization as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, and they support efforts to forgive those convicted of cannabis-related offenses, according to nationwide survey data compiled by USA Today/Ipsos Polling.

Nearly three in four Americans — including majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans — support “changing how federal law classifies marijuana.” Since 1970, the US Controlled Substances Act has categorized marijuana in the same classification as heroin — defining it as a substance with a “high potential for abuse, … a lack of accepted safety, … and no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.”

NORML has long called for the removal of cannabis from the CSA (a/k/a descheduling) in a manner similar to alcohol as opposed to moving it to a lower schedule like cocaine (Schedule II) or anabolic steroids (Schedule III). “In order to rectify the state/federal conflict that currently exists over marijuana policy, and in order to best maintain the market controls that a majority of states have enacted to promote public health, prevent the distribution of marijuana to minors, ensure safe business practices, and improve public safety, cannabis must be descheduled — not rescheduled — from the Controlled Substances Act,” NORML acknowledges in a position statement.

Public support for either pardoning or releasing those convicted for low-level marijuana-related crimes at either the state or federal level is more partisan with super-majorities of Democrats and Independents supporting such efforts, but only a minority of Republicans.

On Thursday, President Biden announced forgiveness for an estimated 6,500 people with marijuana-related federal convictions on their record. He also called upon Governors to take similar steps. According to archived data from the FBI, an estimated 29 million Americans have been arrested for violating state or local marijuana laws since the mid-1960s.

NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano praised the President’s actions in a new op-ed, opining, “Biden’s foray into the arena of marijuana reform legitimizes legalization as a subject worthy of consideration — and action — by those at the highest levels of government. Further, it is a recognition — by the president of the United States, no less — that America’s nearly 100-year experiment with cannabis criminalization has been an abject failure.”

State Assembly member Crystal Peoples-Stokes told 2 On Your Side, "There's no question we don't know how to determine if somebody is impaired by it or not..."

ST. LOUIS - A mother in Missouri says she found cannabis-derived gummy worms in her 5-year-old’s Halloween candy after a trunk-or-treat event Saturday.

Tiffany Burroughs took her three young boys to the event held at JJ’s Restaurant, which hosts monthly car shows.

Restaurant co-owner Stephen Bell said the Halloween-themed event held in October, in conjunction with trunk-or-treat, always has a big turnout.

“They loved going, dressing up in their costumes,” Burroughs said.

Burroughs said she noticed an unusual package of gummy worms in a candy bowl but didn’t think much about it until she inspected the children’s candy at home.

The package was labeled as “Delta 8,” which is a cannabinoid found in the Sativa plant.

With the decriminalization of cannabis comes a list of questions and concerns over its medical and recreational use – including figuring out how long the drug's effects actually last for.

While society has had decades to question the relationship between alcohol consumption and intoxication, the duration of impairment from inhaling or ingesting weed has been more anecdotal than scientific.

A meta-analysis of 80 papers published last year narrowed down this timeframe. Depending on factors such as how the cannabis is consumed and how strong it is, the user can remain impaired for between three and 10 hours.

This information can help inform advisory information given to patients, help recreational users make better decisions about performing tasks such as driving after consuming cannabis, and help update the laws to better reflect the reality of cannabis impairment.

"THC can be detected in the body weeks after cannabis consumption, while it is clear that impairment lasts for a much shorter period of time," psychopharmacologist Iain McGregor from the University of Sydney (USYD) in Australia explained in 2021.

"Our legal frameworks probably need to catch up with that and, as with alcohol, focus on the interval when users are more of a risk to themselves and others. Prosecution solely on the basis of the presence of THC in blood or saliva is manifestly unjust."

By all accounts, it appears the first Camp Cannabis festival, which took place Friday and Saturday at Marquette’s Tourist Park, was a success.

Recreational marijuana was legalized in Michigan with the 2018 election, so it probably was a matter of time before somebody stepped up with a festival to celebrate it.

The event marked the Upper Peninsula’s largest cannabis consumption event, with numerous educational sessions and vendors. For example, the program listed events such as a cannabis flower demonstration, “Ingestibles 101,” “What is Clean, Quality Cannabis?” and “Cannabinoids Explained.”

The Fire Station Cannabis Co. put on the event.

Although the city of Marquette police log had a few items that might have been connected to Camp Cannabis, it basically was a peaceful event, and definitely did not resemble “Reefer Madness” — although the smell of weed was in the air.

In fact, the program had a full-page emergency evacuation plan in case an evacuation was needed, with various exits explained. There also were campground rules with set quiet hours, and alcohol permitted only in beer tents so cannabis consumption could take place throughout the park.

One-third of applicants receive funding, many also receive additional TIF funding.

Taurance Thomas has sold hospital scrubs to select customers for more than seven years, but his dream is to open a brick-and-mortar retail store in Springfield that focuses on urban clothing.

The 50-year-old Springfield resident hopes to bring that dream to fruition by the end of the year in a leased building at 2701 Old Rochester Road.

The $40,000 that Thomas' business, Urban Vines, was awarded recently through the city's Business Assistance Cannabis Grant Program, along with an additional $40,000 in tax-increment financing funds that most grant recipients qualified for, were key to the project's progress, Thomas said.

"It means everything to bring that dream to life," he said.

Thomas' future store was among 22 grants to minority-owned businesses in the first round of allocations from the city's share of recreational cannabis taxes.

V.P. Kamala Harris’ comments came days after President Biden’s historic pardons.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday urged both Congress and state governments to follow the Biden administration’s lead and decriminalize marijuana.

Harris’ comments, made during an interview on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” came less than a week after President Joe Biden issued pardons to individuals who have previously been convicted of a cannabis-related offense under federal law.

“Let me just start with saying this. I strongly believe, and the majority of Americans agree, nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed, right?” Harris said, as quoted by Yahoo. “We’re urging governors and states to take our lead and to pardon people who have been criminalized for possession of marijuana. And ultimately though, as with so many issues, if Congress acts, then there is a uniform approach to this and so many other issues. But Congress needs to act.”

On Thursday, Biden announced that he will issue pardons to all individuals with federal convictions of simple marijuana possession, a move that will affect thousands of Americans.

In the announcement, Biden made the same points that his vice president deployed in her late night interview, urging “all Governors to do the same with regard to state offenses.”

A youth marijuana prevention presentation will take place in Reeds Spring on Thursday, Oct. 13.

Laura Stack, the founder and CEO of Johnny’s Ambassadors will be the guest speaker at the free community event, which will take place at the Reeds Spring Middle School from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event is being presented by several local organizations, including the Stone County Health Department. 

“Laura Stack is a national speaker that shares her experiences with her son Johnny and how he got into the high potency THC,” Prevention Specialist for the Stone County Health Coalition Sharon Perkins said in an email. “Laura has started an organization called Johnny’s Ambassadors in honor of her son.

Laura speaks how the high potency THC is not like it used to be back in the 1970’s. Laura will share how if our youth use the high potency THC it will change their brain chemistry.” 

According to the Johnny’s Ambassadors website, the organization is on a mission to educate teens, parents, and communities about the dangers of today’s high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development, mental illness, and suicide. They focus on youth marijuana awareness, prevention, and education.

Primarily, the organization shares data-driven facts and clear messaging with teens and parents to reduce the likelihood they will use marijuana and stop progression to more problematic use. Their goals are to keep youth from using marijuana and increase their perception of harm in using.

GLOCESTER - Police in Rhode Island have a warning for parents ahead of Halloween.

Officers in Glocester pulled over a car and found more than 200 edible marijuana products. They were packaged like cereal snacks similar to Rice Krispies Treats, Cocoa Pebbles and Trix. 

"These treats can easily be mistaken for the popular name brand snacks that you could purchase in the store," the police department said.

Police say this is a good reminder to always check your kids' Halloween candy.

CBS News reported last year that children are increasingly overdosing on marijuana edibles as more states legalize marijuana and edibles become more common in homes with children. 

It’s time to respond to our next major drug epidemic.

For years, the opioid crisis has been the leading concern when it comes to substance use. There’s certainly good reason for this emphasis, but as a result, the harms associated with other drugs have successfully been able to avoid the spotlight.

In my view, cannabis use is now the biggest contributor to mental health and substance use problems that, up until quite recently, nobody was talking about. While it may not be the most toxic substance on earth, it is arguably the one where the largest chasm exists between its actual dangers (which are substantial) and its perceived dangers (which to a lot of people are zero).

Similar to the science of global warming, research demonstrating the risks of cannabis has been steadily growing over the years to the point of being overwhelming.

Perhaps the scariest risks have to do with psychosis and psychotic disorders, particularly with the ultra-potent products now dominating the market, but there is also plenty of evidence for other things such as suicide, anxiety, PTSD, harms to a developing fetus, and progression to so-called “harder” drugs such as opiates and methamphetamines.

In contrast to the stereotype of cannabis users as silly and docile, research shows links between its use and violence with cannabis being a significant part of the lives of a disturbing percentage of mass shooting perpetrators.

CHICAGO - Advocates and state lawmakers are pushing for more fairness in the cannabis industry.

They gathered on Tuesday in the West Loop to call on state leaders and regulators to do more to help business owners to get what's called "social equity cannabis licenses."

"The cannabis industry for social equity was to hire Black and brown people in communities that were hardest hit and we have not realized that yet," said State Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-8th).

The activists said Gov. JB Pritzker and state lawmakers need to do more to cut red tape and lower barriers to entry. They want to see more loans and grants distributed and more leniency for people who need more time to open their businesses so these license holders can compete with big cannabis corporations.

They also want producers to be able to grow more cannabis.

Farmington Hills is hosting two public feedback sessions next week on the commercial cannabis industry, welcoming residents and members of the business community to share opinions and concerns.

“Cannabis Conversations” — outreach and education sessions — will run Oct. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Oct. 4 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the city council chambers at Farmington Hills city hall, 31555 W. 11 Mile Rd.

At the sessions, the public will also hear results from the city’s recent information gathering efforts with commercial cannabis industry representatives on production and retail distribution of marijuana.

Cannabis Conversations are open to all members of the public and will also be livestreamed on YouTube. They will also be recorded and posted on the city’s website main page.

Questions can be submitted prior to or during the meetings via email to psmith@fhgov.com. Public comments will be limited to three minutes each.

For additional information, go to the City of Farmington Hills website at www.fhgov.com and click on the Cannabis Information Outreach icon.

Whether it's to boost motivation, facilitate recovery or find more pleasure in exercise, weed can be your new exercise partner.

FAIRFIELD - A town task force decided to take action after finding evidence of underage drug use at a local park.

Fairfield CARES Community Coalition, a town-created task force aimed at addressing youth drug and alcohol use, recently helped get community watch signs installed at the entrances of the Mary Katona Memorial Open Space.

Catherine Hazlett, the coalition's program director, said this became necessary after nearby residents repeatedly found marijuana and vaping products discarded around the open space.