Cannabis Advisory Council 12/17/19 Thoughts and Observations

By
Lukas Barfield

           I attended the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board's (WSLCB) Cannabis Advisory Council for the first time as the "patient representative." The agenda for the two hour meeting included a speaker covering the vaping crisis, a overview of the Boards' priorities for the upcoming session and a presentation from other groups about their priorities in the 2020 legislative session. Although the Board and other members were very welcoming, I heard little at the Council that will benefit medical cannabis patients on the horizon. Here are some of my thoughts on the meeting.  

       In terms of patient safety the vaping presentation was alarming. According to the Board only 400 out of over 4000 "ingredient disclosure" forms have been turned in. These are forms the Board is asking, a little to politely imo, vape cart processors to turn in, disclosing the ingredients to their vape carts.  If ever there was an argument for separate medical cannabis products this is one. The Board seems to be unaware how dangerous unknown contaminants can be to people with severe health issues, or not care. There really seemed to be no sense of urgency on figuring out what is in the vape carts out there in the 502.

       The next agenda item revealed the Boards plan to help patients this session. The one bill they have for patients, which still has to be given the green light by the Governor, is to allow registered medical cannabis patients to buy directly from Tier 1 producers. Sort of a good idea, the plan in theory would help struggling Tier 1's and allow patients to buy from their favorite farm. This idea is rife with problems, the least of which is how are patients, who many can't drive, going to get out to the rural farms? And, where are all the registered patients asking for this. Hint, there are none.

          The final item asked Council members to present their priorities for the coming session. The Washington Cannabusiness Association offered up some awful legislation, trying to mask a corporate capital influx with an equity bill. bad idea. They also want to allow CBD only in 502 stores, another bad idea.  I did hear the words "farmer's market" from several groups.  My priorities included removal of the 37% excise tax on medical cannabis,  better legal protections for patients, clarification on designated providers and donation limits and education. I didn't' mention it, but homegrows are also on my priority list. What's some of yours. Send over any suggestions you may have to emailmmcws@gmail.com

        Overall, I came away from the meeting feeling like I do when I interact on this level with most able bodied people. They have no idea how to communicate with, talk about, work with or help people with disabilities . To me medical cannabis is first a disability issue, then a economic or farming issue. Definitely not a law enforcement issue as the Board seems to think. In short, they just don't get it. but, that's why I'm doing this. I want to help them get it and "yes", maybe the LCB will never get it, but just having more voices speaking up for patients will help in the long run.

Alabama one Step Closer to Medical Cannabis

The Alabama Senate has passed a medical cannabis bill, which if passed will make Alabama the thirty forth sate to adopt medical cannabis. The bill will allow patients over nineteen to obtain a medical cannabis recommendation for a variety of conditions like cancer, autism, MS, PTSD and all terminal illnesses. The bill would set up the Alabama Cannabis Commission that will set up a patient registry, issue medical cannabis cards and be responsible for licensing the production, processing and dispensing of cannabis in Alabama. The legislation passed on a 17 to 6 vote and now heads to the Alabama House where a similar bill was introduced in March.   

Washington Could be the 5th State to Allow Medical Cannabis in Schools

      The Washington State Senate has passed a bill requiring school districts to allow parents to administer CBD infused products on public school grounds, on buses and at school sanctioned events. Following a 77-19 vote in the Washington House, the bill passed easily in the Senate with a vote of 41-4 and is now headed back to the House for final approval. Students receiving the nonsmokable cannabidiol must be registered in the state medical cannabis database and only their parents are permitted to administer the CBD rich products, a provision meant to protect school district employees from issues with the Federal Government. Additionally, portions of the bill requires a review of the program if the federal Government does threaten school funding.

      The prime sponsor of the bill for the third year, Representative Brian Blake, D Aberdeen commented “We want to give the school system, the K-12 system, some comfort because they said they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. I think there was some objections in the Republican caucus about the word marijuana in the title. think it freaked people out.”

 (From Rep Brian Blake quote to Spokesman Review)

      Despite recent advances in Cannabidiol public policy and science, thirty three states and D.C. have full plant medical cannabis systems, with ~17 more having high CBD laws, the FDA famously approved the first oral CBD spray in 2018 and the University of Alabama Birmingham recently found CBD to be an effective treatment for seizure disorders, school districts around the country still struggle at the intersection of local, state and Federal cannabis laws. Remarkably, if passed Washington would only be the fifth state to require school districts statewide to allow parents to administer medical cannabis at schools.

Tell the WSLCB to Require Terpenes on Cannabis Labels

      The WSLCB is taking public comment on packaging and labeling rules. This would be a good time to let them know medical cannabis patients would be better served in the state if  producers and processors were required to put the top 3 terpenes on their labels. This would also help adult users get away from the sativa and indica guessing game in which bud tenders and consumers basically guess about the effects of a particular strain. By listing the terpenes, educated consumers would be able to choose exactly what they need/want when it comes to the effects of their cannabis.

       To contact the WSLCB and submit your public comment concerning terpene labeling on cannabis packaging, send an email to rules@lcb.wa.gov

Help Remove the Excise Tax on Medical Cannabis in WA

         SB 5234, a bill to remove the 37% excise tax from medical cannabis for registered medical patients, still has some life in the Washington State Senate. However, we need to contact Senators one more time to urge them to do the right thing and pass SB 5234. Here are the Senators to contact, remember individual emails are the best, not CC's or BCC's and a short letter you can send.

Who to Contact: 

Palumbo (co-sponsor): Guy.Palumbo@leg.wa.gov, Matthew.Kuehn@leg.wa.gov (LA)

Mullet: Mark.Mullet@leg.wa.gov, Adam.Day@leg.wa.gov (LA)

Darnielle: J.Darneille@leg.wa.gov, Lisa.Fisch@leg.wa.gov (LA)

Billing: Andy.Billig@leg.wa.gov, Noelle.Connolly@leg.wa.gov (LA), Kate.Dinnison@leg.wa.gov (LA)

Liias: Marko.Liias@leg.wa.gov, Curt.Kohlwes@leg.wa.gov (LA), Nicholas.Juno@leg.wa.gov (LA)

Rolfes (Chair): Christine.Rolfes@leg.wa.gov, Linda.Owens@leg.wa.gov (LA), Peter.Steelquist@leg.wa.gov (L)

What to Say:

Dear senator,

       I am writing today to ask you to please pass SB 5234, a bill to modify the excise tax on medical cannabis. Passing this bill is a matter of fairness. Other medicines are not taxed. Medical cannabis patients are often some of the most disabled among us and can rarely afford the high prices on medical cannabis. Many patients are turning to cannabis over more harmful drugs like opiates. The high prices sometimes prevent patients from making this transition.

Please pass SB 5234. Thank you for your time today.

Best,

Note: 
      This bill only removes the excise tax for registered patients and only on DOH approved cannabis. Sadly, more work is needed to remove the excise tax completely.

Marijuana Shaping up to be Key Issue in 2020 Election

     It's beginning to look like marijuana may be a key issue in the 2020 election. As more and more states around the country pass recreational marijuana and many more embrace medical marijuana, voters are waking up to the cannabis movement. With this awakening, some unexpected allies have emerged in the political arena. At the same time, some new adversaries have stepped up to challenge marijuana's seemingly unstoppable move across the country. These two factions are on a collision course in the upcoming Presidential election, setting up marijuana to be a key issue in the 2020 election.

     Over the past two years there has been a series of bi-partisan pro-marijuana bills in the United States Congress. Leading the charge for marijuana reform is Presidential hopeful, Democratic Senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker. Senator Booker, with a host of bi-partisan support, including Rand Paul, a Republican Presidential candidate in 2016, has introduced two major cannabis laws in the US Senate. First he introduced the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act (CARERS Act). This bill will expand medical cannabis access around the country and promote more cannabis research. Second, the Marijuana Justice Act looks at cannabis legalization as well as mending the damage done by the war on marijuana. The bill even provides incentives for states to fully legalize it. Another Presidential hopeful, Democrat Elizabeth Warren, whose home state of Massachusetts recently passed recreational marijuana, has introduced a marijuana banking bill, while other Democratic presidential contenders scramble to position themselves as pro-marijuana.

     Up the street from Congress at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and on the other side of the political isle from Senators Booker and Warren, there have been mixed messages sent from the President.  A recent article by BuzzFeed News reports that a secret Presidential panel on marijuana has launched an attack against legalization.  This has activists worried that President Trump may go back on his 2016 Presidential election endorsement of medical marijuana. The Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee has been tasked with looking into the most significant negative effects of legal marijuana. Fourteen agencies and the DEA are tasked with digging up the dirt on legal weed. "Oh, that's so original. Demonizing weed has never been tried before." This follows Jeff Sessions resending the Kohl Memo earlier this year, leaving many Republicans, who support pro-marijuana legislation, scratching their heads about where the White House really stands on marijuana.     

     On the state level, some Presidential campaign battle ground states recently came close to passing adult use marijuana through their legislatures. Both New Hampshire and Illinois came close to passing adult use cannabis this year. Two other East Coast states, Delaware and Connecticut, nearly passed recreational cannabis bills in their legislatures this year. All four of these states are expected to pass legal marijuana by 2020, making marijuana a possible key issue in the lead up to the 2020 election in the Midwest and East Coast.

Medical Cannabis, an Effective Treatment for Cancer

     Studies show medical cannabis can not only be a useful tool in managing the side effects associated with cancer treatment, but also medical cannabis can be an effective treatment for battling cancer itself. For years patients and care givers have enlisted cannabis as an essential tool used to negate the terrible side effects associated with cancer therapy like nausea, lack of appetite, depression and anxiety. As laws loosened around the country and more and more patients began using medical cannabis, reports began to emerge that medical cannabis was an effective treatment for cancer. Now the evidence is beginning to move beyond anecdotal, and emerging research suggests that the terrible “devil weed” may actually be a powerful cancer fighting drug.   

Cannabinoids  

     There are two major cannabinoids found on the cannabis plant that help fight cancer. They are Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD). Both were discovered in Israel in the 1960’s and have been shown to have a wide variety of medicinal effects. THC is the famous cannabinoid that gives weed its high, while CBD is a bit lesser known and doesn’t produce a high. Numerous studies have shown both CBD and THC are effective in treating cancer by attacking the disease and by acting with traditional cancer treatments.  

Studies

      Due to its more lenient cannabis laws, researchers in Spain have been at the forefront of cannabis research. Dr. Christina Sanchez of Compultense University and her team of researchers discovered that THC kills cancer by inducing apoptosis. Probably one of the funniest words in medicine, apoptosis is the process by which a cell dies, essentially committing suicide. When cells do not go through apoptosis they divide out of control, and voila a tumor is born. Dr. Sanchez told Cannabis Planet in 2014, “Cells can die in different ways, and after cannabanoid treatment, (cancer cells) were dying in the clean way. They were committing suicide which is something that you really want.” She goes on to say. “One of the advantages of cannabanoid based medicines would be that they target specific tumor cells. They don’t have any toxic effect on normal non-tumoral cells. This is an advantage with respect to standard chemotherapy which targets basically everything.”

      In an Israeli study, CBD also has been shown to increase apoptosis by reducing inflammation in cancerous cells. An Italian study also proved that CBD promoted apoptosis by increasing the presence of a special category of molecules called reactive oxygen species. Other studies show cannabinoids aid pharmaceutical cancer fighting drugs in brain and prostate cancers to reduce the size of tumors. CBD and THC therapy, coupled with chemotherapy drugs, is a promising new avenue in cancer research, but researchers agree more studies are needed before we can say for sure medical cannabis is a treatment for cancer.  

3 Easy Steps to Get a Medical Cannabis Card in Florida

    Florida passed a  constitutional amendment for full plant medical marijuana on their second attempt in 2016, making it the first state in the Deep South to do so. This is great news for patients who choose to replace other medications with medical marijuana, but getting registered is not always easy. There are some hoops to jump through, so here are three easy steps to help you register for medical marijuana in Florida.

Step 1 - Do you Qualify

     These conditions will qualify you for medical marijuana in Florida:  cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, Crohn’s disease, PTSD, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, multiple sclerosis, or other debilitating conditions such as anorexia or Hepatitis C. Only pain related to one of these conditions qualify a patient for medical marijuana in Florida.

Step 2 - Find a Doctor

     A simple internet search is all you need to do to find a doctor near you in Florida who will recommend medical marijuana. You will need to bring an ID to prove you are a Florida citizen, medical documentation of your condition, and minors under 18 will need to bring a parent or guardian along. If you don't have documentation for your condition, you can sign a release and the medical marijuana doctor will contact your regular doctor.

Step 3 - Register with the State

      Sometimes it seems states make it as hard as possible to get medical marijuana, but there's just one more step!  Your doctor will enter you into the Medical Marijuana Use Registry (MMUR). Once entered, apply for a MMUR identification card. If your information matches up with your driver's license information, the state will use your DMV photo on your MMUR ID.

When the ID comes in the mail, you can then purchase medical marijuana at dispensaries around the state. No smoking though, Florida does not allow the sale of flower/buds at dispensaries.  

Update:
      Patients can now buy smokable cannabis in Florida. However, they must return to their doctor and ask for a new certification. 

Action Needed to Remove the Tax on Medical Cannabis in Washington State

     SB 5234 reduces the tax on medical cannabis in Washington State from 37% to 0%. Yes, Washington is the only state that taxes medical cannabis. If you can help follow the instructions below and send an email to the Ways and Means committee to hold a hearing for SB 5234.

1.      send an email to the Senate Ways and Means members.  Send it to leadership first.  I am attaching the emails of the member-senators and their assistants below.

2.      Ask for what you want in no more than a couple of sentences.  The point is to get it on their radars.  Basically that and not much more.

If you are a residential or business constituent, please let them know.

3.      State what you want in the subject line:  give 5234 a hearing in Ways and Means

4.      Have it in their email boxes by first thing Monday morning.

Christine Rolfes, chair  

Christine.Rolfes@leg.wa.gov. 

Linda.Owens@leg.wa.gov    assistant

David.Frockt@leg.wa.gov  vice chair

Crystal.Chindavongsa@Leg.Wa.Gov  assistant

mark.mullet@leg.wa.gov   majority whip, Capital Budget Cabinet

Adam.Day@leg.wa.gov    assistant

John Braun , ranking member

john.braun@leg.wa.gov

Sharon Brown,  Assistant Ranking Member, Operating

sharon.brown@leg.wa.gov

Barbara.Bailey@leg.wa.gov

Randi.Becker@leg.wa.gov

andy.billig@leg.wa.gov

noelle.connolly@leg.wa.gov  assistant

Reuven.Carlyle@leg.wa.gov

jeannie.darneille@leg.wa.gov

lisa.fisch@leg.wa.gov   assistant

bob.hasegawa@leg.wa.gov

sam.cho@leg.wa.gov     assistant

Sam.Hunt@leg.wa.gov

Marko.Liias@leg.wa.gov

karen.keiser@leg.wa.gov

Jennifer.Minich@leg.wa.gov    assistant

Guy.Palumbo@leg.wa.gov

Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov

steve.conway@leg.wa.gov

steven.ellis@leg.wa.gov

Ann.Rivers@leg.wa.gov

mark.schoesler@leg.wa.gov