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Home Medical Marijuana As Trump wages war on legal marijuana, military veterans side with pot
As Trump wages war on legal marijuana, military veterans side with pot
Drew Releaf
latimes.com 21 July 2017
by Evan Halper and Lauren Rosenblatt
The Trump administration's attack on legal marijuana, already stymied by large states determined not to roll back the clock, is increasingly confronting an even more politically potent adversary: military veterans.
Frustrated by federal laws restricting their access to a drug many already rely on to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and opioid addiction, veterans have become an influential lobbying force in the marijuana debate after sitting on the sidelines for years.
The 2 million-member American Legion last spring got involved in a big way by launching a campaign to reduce marijuana restrictions that, it says, hurt veterans and may aggravate a suicide epidemic.
The move reflects the changing politics of marijuana and of a conservative, century-old veterans service organization facing new challenges as its membership grows with those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We were hearing these compelling stories from veterans about how cannabis has made their lives better," said Joseph Plenzler, a spokesman for the American Legion. "That they were able to use it to get off a whole cocktail of drugs prescribed by VA doctors, that it is helping with night terrors, or giving them relief from chronic pain."
At the same time, some patients complained that Veterans Affairs doctors refused to offer any advice for using medical marijuana yet recorded who was using it, raising fears that such information might be used to punish former service members or strip their benefits.
The legion is calling for marijuana to be reclassified federally from a drug that has no medical benefit and is more dangerous than cocaine to be included in the same category as legal prescription painkillers. And that has caught the attention of lawmakers.
A measure the legion supports, which would permit VA doctors to give their patients the sign-off they need to access medical marijuana in states where it is legal, was approved by a key Senate budget committee this month on a 24-7 vote, with nine Republicans voting in favor. The measure is among the veterans-related marijuana legislation gaining traction at an otherwise challenging time in Washington for pot advocates.
It's the baseball and apple pie of marijuana. — Sarah Trumble, of Third Way think tank, on legislative efforts to ease veterans' access to pot
"This is one marijuana issue a lot of Republicans are interested in," said Sarah Trumble, deputy director of social policy and politics at Third Way, a centrist think tank that advocates easing federal restrictions on cannabis. "It's the baseball and apple pie of marijuana."
The legion's involvement has helped lure lawmakers to the debate, such as Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who coauthored a bill that would recategorize marijuana as a drug with therapeutic value. Longtime marijuana proponent Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, an Orange County Republican, constantly raises the issue of veterans on the House floor.
"It is a travesty," he said in a recent speech. "They are given opiates instead of maybe something they can derive from marijuana…. And our veterans end up killing themselves because now they are addicted to an opiate."
Such thinking is driven by a 2015 National Bureau of Economic Research white paper that found opioid overdose deaths are 16% lower in states where medical marijuana is legal.
It has put VA leadership in an awkward spot. Soon after the legion began its push in May, VA Secretary David Shulkin acknowledged evidence is emerging that cannabis may be helpful in treating veterans, and it is something the agency intends to examine.
But Shulkin is bumping up against powerful forces in the Trump administration tacking hard in the reverse direction on pot. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions is pressing Congress not to renew a rider that prohibits federal law enforcement from targeting medical marijuana operations in states where they are legal. In a letter to congressional leaders, he emphasized that marijuana has no accepted medical use under federal law.
The increased profile of veterans comes years into an effort by researchers to conduct a federally approved study of the potential benefit of using pot to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Federal regulators had long refused to approve such a study, in large part because marijuana was determined by their agencies to have no medical use.
A study was cleared in April 2016, but researchers find themselves confronting obstacles. They are permitted, for example, to use marijuana grown only at a federal research facility in Mississippi, which lacks the concentration of active ingredients available in the products sold in dispensaries.
"It's been a seven-year battle," said Dr. Sue Sisley, principal investigator for the study, which is being conducted by the California-based Multidisciplinary Assn. for Psychedelic Studies. "There is so much government red tape surrounding cannabis research."
Even in states where marijuana is easily available, veterans find themselves self-treating complicated illnesses, often with little more guidance than what the "budtender" offers up at the point of sale.
"You have patients who are not fully informed of the risks and benefits cannabis poses, and you have practitioners not informed about what their patients are doing," said Steve D'Angelo, executive director of Harborside Health Center in Oakland, one of the country's largest dispensaries. "It is a recipe for medical mistakes."
When Dan Schmink returned from the Army ailing from chronic back pain, broken ribs and psychological issues, the Arizonan said he discovered marijuana could bring him some relief. He tried to get guidance from his VA doctors, but it just led to warnings about illegal drug abuse. "For the most part I never talk about it because you don't know who will flag," Schmink said.
He dove into Google Scholar to figure out what he could on his own. It was rough going at times. He recalled "full-blown panic attacks" while self-medicating.
Now he shares his findings with other veterans through a group he founded called Southwest Healing Group. But what he'd really like to see is veterans able to consult their VA doctors about their use.
In states where the laws are more restrictive, veterans face higher barriers.
Therese Carrozzino left the Army in 2013 addicted to Percocet. The 26-year-old New Jersey resident said her military doctors left her feeling she had little choice but to take the painkillers. "If I didn't take my medications, they would've kicked me out and I wouldn't have had any benefits," she said. "So I took the medication as prescribed and ended up becoming addicted."
Carrozzino finally turned to medical marijuana a few years ago as she transitioned off the prescription drugs. "I made it through with the help of smoking joints and just trying to stay alive," she said.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a new law in September to enable veterans to access medical marijuana, which is highly restricted in the state. Carrozzino applied for her medical marijuana card two months ago, at a cost of hundreds of dollars, an amount she did not have to spare.
She said she has yet to receive the card.
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Oh the balance of life…….
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WOW this really grinds my gears……..
Takin on the Gov!


Why sit in traffic when you can get sweaty instead?
Ken wants you to be healthy.
Stuff your dress shoes in a backpack and double-up on the deodorant! Friday, May 18 is Bike to Work Day, when convoys of commuters put their meddle to the pedal (sorry, we just couldn't help ourselves).
Concoys of cyclists will team up to ride in together from points around and outside the city, including Falls Church, College Park, South Arlington and Silver Spring. See the complete list of convoys here.
Plus, 58 pit stops will offer healthy snacks and drinks, entertainment and prize opportunities. Want a free banana? Of course you do!
The first 11,000 cyclists who register will get free T-shirts. You know the motto -- T-shirt or it didn't happen.
About 12,000 riders are expected to participate in the event, coordinated by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. How would you like to be among the 1,000 who don't get a T-shirt? Yeah, we thought so. Register here.
One thing to keep in mind, though: If someone tells you you're "looking strong" on the bike... you're not.


Parents perceive stressful the hospitalization of their children to the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It is important to measure the level of stress and their reactions to that stress in order to provide nursing interventions to help parents continue to function during this stressful time.
This research is planned to translate the Parental Stressor Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS:NICU) into Turkish and to determine psychometric measures for the Turkish version. The research sample included a total of 123 individuals who were the mothers and fathers (who could be reached) of premature infants receiving care in one of the 4 hospitals' NICUs in Denizli who met the research criteria and agreed to participate in the research. The internal consistency Cronbach Alpha coefficient was found to be 0.89 for the total scale and 0.90 for the two metrics. Using a sample comprised of 19 mothers the test-retest reliability for the PSS: NICU scale's subscales was between 0.44-0.60.
According to the research results it was determined that the tool can be easily used to determine the level of stress of parents of premature infants in an NICU.


Undergraduate electrical engineering students Samuel Matylewicz and Jenny DeFriece are working on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, a pioneering transportation technology developed at UD. Electric vehicles with V2G technology can charge or discharge their batteries back to the electric grid. The visionary behind the V2G technology is Willett Kempton, research director of UD's Center for Carbon-free Power Integration and a professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE). He worked with a team of UD researchers and students including Fouad Kiamilev, a professor in UD's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Rodney McGee, lead electrical engineer on the project, to develop the software and hardware to make V2G happen. Under the leadership of Kiamilev, Matylewicz and Defriece work alongside engineers from Nuvve, a Delaware company based in California, which gained exclusive global rights to market V2G technology in 2016.


This recently renovated modern four bedroom two bathroom home in Carramar is soon to become available.
Centrally located to parks, Duke pub & restaurant, bus stops, the local shopping centre and be in the catchment area for Carramar Primary School.
Located in quiet tree lined street amongst quality homes.
This lovely 4 bedroom home is located close to Joondalup Drive and other main thoroughfares this property is also close to schools and other amenities.
- BRAND NEW CARPETS THROUGHOUT!
This 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home couldn't be in a more prime location.
Close to shops, schools, public transport and more – this home has everything to offer!
Are you interested in buying, renting or investing in Carramar? Here at REIWA, we recognise that choosing the right suburb is not an easy choice.
To provide an understanding of the kind of lifestyle Carramar offers, we've collated all the relevant market information, key facts, demographics and statistics to help you make a confident and informed decision.


As bushfires raged across Tasmania, Victoria and New Zealand, and north Queensland faced a massive cleanup after unexpected flooding, a different extreme weather event was silently forming in the Tasman Sea over summer.
In the summer of 2017-18, the intense marine heatwave was combined with a land-based heatwave, together covering four million sq km. Scientists found the extreme weather event caused unprecedented loss of glacial ice in the New Zealand Southern Alps, changes to wine-grape harvests, and major disruption of marine ecosystems including kelp habitat loss, new species invasions and fisheries season changes.
This year the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand reported that sea surface temperatures in the Tasman were again above average.
Like coral reefs and tropical rainforests, the ocean suffers the slow torture of climate change peppered with high-intensity hits from extreme weather.
Marine heatwaves are generally out of sight and out of mind until one gets so bad it becomes impossible to ignore, says CSIRO research scientist Alistair Hobday.
A marine heatwave happens when the ocean temperature is much warmer than usual for the time of year from sunlight heating the surface water or warm water being brought via ocean currents – or both.
Climate change is causing marine heatwaves to happen more frequently and with more intensity. There may not be scorched earth or destroyed homes left in its wake, but a marine heatwave impacts our future in different ways – and serves as a warning.
"Marine heatwaves provide a window into what our oceans will look like in the future, which is why it's important to keep track of them," Hobday says.
In 2015, New Zealand experienced its longest and most intense marine heatwave on record. For some it was good news – "It brought down valuable tropical species like kingfish and snapper," Hobday says.
For the aquaculture industry, however, it brought disease outbreaks in oyster farms, disruptions to salmon farming and abalone deaths along the coast.
Like coral, kelp provides habitat structure, shelter and food for an entire ecosystem – without it the ecosystem would cease to exist. But, also like coral, the planet is losing kelp forests to climate change at an alarming rate.
Forests of giant kelp, known as Macrocystis pyrifera, used to dominate Tasmania's coastline. But in recent years, 95% have been lost and largely replaced by common kelp, says Layton.
Although common kelp might take over in the short term, a marine heatwave or a plague of hungry sea urchins could quickly knock that out too, allowing even hardier turf algae to move in.
From the forest to the shrub, now to a lawn – albeit a weedy one.
Species that, like kelp, can't keep pace with the fast rate of anthropogenic warming, can be quickly be written off by an extreme event such as a marine heatwave or tropical cyclone.
Some more physically and physiologically nimble species are set to thrive in a warmer ocean. "[In a warmer ocean] you might expect to see more 'weedy species' that can adapt more quickly to change," says marine ecologist Zoe Doubleday from the University of South Australia.
Weedy isn't a technical classification of plants or animals, but rather a type of lifestyle. Animals and plants considered weedy species typically have short lifespans and a flexible lifestyle that allows them to take advantage of sparse or patchy resources, Doubleday says.
"They can change their shape, what they eat and when they mature and reproduce to take advantage of novel conditions created by climate change," she says.
Receding kelp forests are already being replaced by seaweed turfs, bigger numbers of some cephalopods and jellyfish blooms. "We already eat weedy species, and cephalopods are becoming increasingly important in our fisheries, and they might be better than fish in terms of sustainability in the future," Doubleday says.
So while jellyfish may not be on the menu now, soon there may be few other options.


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Sculptor crafting first women's statue for Central Park
It's about time! Wonderful news via yahoo.
A sculptor known for trying to redress history through her art is creating the first statue of real-life women for New York's Central Park, where the only females so honored until now have been fictional characters.
Meredith Bergmann's vision for the sculpture, chosen from 91 submissions, features three women's rights pioneers — Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth. While honoring their specific efforts on behalf of women's suffrage, women's civil rights and the abolition of slavery, Bergmann hopes her latest work will also make a statement about the need to recognize the contributions of women.
"This monument has a very focused message," she said in an interview at her studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut. "The fact of the monument itself, that it exists at all, that it will be where it is, is the message."
Filed under: art, history, NYC —
Tags: art, Central Park, history, nyc — by Kelly
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"There's nothing like watching the sunrise to the beats of the Robot Heart"
Andrew "bunnie" Huang

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I'm a Republican and support Trump's judicial strategy but the perceived legitimacy of the court is more important than one man.
When President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, I was thrilled. The judge has a resume that makes him unquestionably qualified to sit on the highest court in the land.
Further, I have found the attacks on him made by Democrats until now to be unfounded or pure spectacle made by politicians engaging in theatrics simply because they knew there were cameras on.
The sexual assault allegations by Christine Blasey Ford are different: After reading them, I can no longer support Kavanaugh's nomination and have concluded that for the good of the country, he must withdraw.
It might be impossible for a court of law, let alone the court of public opinion, to definitively determine the truth of what happened on that night in 1983, but Ford's story is disturbing. She alleges that Kavanaugh, then 17, locked them both in a room with his friend Mark Judge, pinned her to a bed with the weight of his body and proceeded to attempt to remove her clothes while grinding against her. When she screamed, she says, he put his hand on her mouth to stifle her. It was not until Judge jumped on the two of them that she was able to escape and lock herself in a bathroom.
Both Kavanaugh and Judge have denied the allegations, the latter's denial coming in an interview with The Weekly Standard on Friday and the former in an updated statement on Monday.
My inclination has alway been to believe women who are victims of sexual harassment and assault, but like other Republicans, the highly-politicized and partisan nature of a Supreme Court confirmation process certainly gave me pause before Ford's public statements. The fuller story demonstrates that there are some aspects of her story that lend great credence to this not being a partisan attack.
First are the 2012 notes kept by the Ford's therapist, which show that she first made the allegation against Kavanuagh, who was not specifically named, in couples therapy at that time. As Caroline Court pointed out on Twitter, "The therapist notes are not a police report; the absence of any names is not the compelling response you think it is." While the psychiatrist's note lacks names, it is difficult to believe that Ford raised this in therapy six years ago as part of some master plan to stop Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination before Obama's re-election.
Further, Mark Judge's own memoir, "Wasted: Tales of a Gen X Drunk," does not help Kavanaugh's case. Instead, it paints a portrait of an environment rife with alcohol abuse and misbehavior. Kavanaugh is not directly mentioned in the book, but it does note that a character named "Bart O'Kavanaugh" took part in that aspect of Judge's teenage years, once apparently vomiting in the back of someone's car and passing out. Yes, it talks about his experiences at an age where most of us engage in stupid behavior and excessive drinking, but it does not put Judge or Kavanaugh in a good light — especially since Ford said that both boys were "stumbling drunk" at the time of her alleged attack.
Cory Booker can't 'bork' Brett Kavanaugh. By definition, only Republicans can do that.
Some Republicans have pointed to the timing and circumstances of the release of Ford's allegations to question their veracity. Their questions are valid and should be answered. Senator Feinstein, who first learned of this through a letter provided by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, sat on Ford's accusations since July and did not raise them at the confirmation hearing. Ford had also contacted the Washington Post at that time, but ultimately had decided to stay silent, fearing the repercussions in her own life. It's unclear whether Feinstein sat on the letter at the behest of Ford, though its existence eventually leaked to the press after the hearings were complete and it was only last week that she referred a redacted copy of the letter to the FBI for inclusion in his background check file. Feinstein has some explaining to do.
But the political shenanigans around Kavanaugh's nomination do not give us a pass to take Ford's allegation of attempted sexual assault lightly.
Judicial appointments are the area where I have, to this point, given the president the most praise and support, but many of those who still support this nomination and dismiss the sexual assault allegations are seeing their judgment clouded by the hyper-partisan nature of the entire confirmation process.
Trump could easily replace Kavanaugh with another nominee like Judge Amy Coney Barrett — who would thrill conservatives. Yes, Democrats would likely engage in the same ridiculous attacks of Barrett (or any other replacement), but the likelihood that that another nominee would be facing a sexual assault charge (particularly Barrett) is minimal and the public would not have a tainted view of whomever is confirmed.
This entire sad ordeal is reminiscent of a scene 27 years ago when Clarence Thomas was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill. While Americans were split on whether or not to believe Hill that Thomas sexually harassed her and he was ultimately confirmed, the accusations follow Thomas to this day — and Ford's allegations will follow Kavanaugh, too.
Were the Senate to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, a large portion of the American people would likely view him as illegitimate and challenge the validity of his appointment because of Ford's accusations. Others, like me, would feel uncertain that his was a worthwhile appointment.
Such a situation is not healthy for our republic.
I am truly pained to say this, but Kavanaugh must put the integrity of the Supreme Court and its future rulings first, and withdraw his nomination. Trump can then replace him with a nominee with stellar credentials and no controversy.