MPP Insider: revisits a story brought to you weeks ago about Walmart discriminating against a medical marijuana patient in Michigan, MPP Insider's got coverage of happenings in New York, Oregon, and Washington, and will look at both victims of marijuana prohibition as well as marijuana prohibition by the numbers!
Showing posts with label cannabis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cannabis. Show all posts
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Legalizing Marijuana in California Would Lower Prices ALOT!
READ THE STUDY
While the state Board of Equalization has estimated taxing legal marijuana could raise more than $1 billion in revenue, the RAND study cautions that any potential revenue could be dramatically higher or lower based on a number of factors, including the level of taxation, the amount of tax evasion and the response by the federal government.
Past research provides solid evidence that marijuana consumption goes up when prices go down, but the magnitude of the consumption increase cannot be predicted because prices will fall to levels below those ever studied, researchers say. Consumption also might rise because of non-price effects such as advertising or a reduction in stigma, researchers say.
In addition to uncertainty about the taxes levied and evaded, researchers do not know how users will respond to such a large drop in price. Even under a scenario with high taxes ($50 per ounce) and a moderate rate of tax evasion (25 percent), researchers cannot rule out consumption increases of 50 percent to 100 percent, and possibly even larger. If prevalence increased by 100 percent, marijuana use in California would be close to the prevalence levels recorded in the late 1970s.
The analysis, prepared by the RAND Drug Policy Research Center, was conducted in an effort to objectively outline the key issues that voters and legislators should consider as California weighs marijuana legalization.
"There is considerable uncertainty about the impact that legalizing marijuana in California will have on consumption and public budgets," said Beau Kilmer, the study's lead author and a policy researcher at RAND. "No government has legalized the production and distribution of marijuana for general use, so there is little evidence on which to base any predictions about how this might work in California,"
The analysis also suggests that the annual cost of enforcing current marijuana laws is smaller than suggested by others. The RAND study estimates that the cost of enforcing the current laws probably totals less than $300 million.
"It is critical that legislators and the public understand what is known and unknown as the state weighs this unprecedented step," said Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, a study co-author and co-director with Kilmer of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center.
Two proposals are pending that would legalize the production and sale of marijuana in California. Assembly Bill 2254 authored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) would legalize marijuana for those aged 21 and older and task the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control with regulating its possession, sale and cultivation. The bill would create a $50 per ounce excise tax and these funds would be used to fund drug education, awareness, and rehabilitation programs under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.
In November, California voters will consider a ballot measure titled the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 that would make it legal for those aged 21 and older to cultivate marijuana on a 5-foot-by-5-foot plot, and possess, process, share or transport up to one ounce of marijuana. In addition, the initiative would authorize cities or counties to allow, regulate and tax the commercial cultivation and sales of marijuana. Such activities would remain illegal in jurisdictions that do not opt in.
In only two countries have there been changes in the criminal status of supplying marijuana. The Netherlands allows for sale of small amounts of marijuana (5 grams) in licensed coffee shops and in Australia four jurisdictions have reduced the penalties for cultivation of a small number of marijuana plants to confiscation and a fine. Neither has legalized larger-scale commercial cultivation of the sort California is considering.
In 1975, California was one of the first states to reduce the maximum penalty for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana from incarceration to a misdemeanor with a $100 fine. In 1996, California became the first state to allow marijuana to be grown and consumed for medical purposes.
RAND researchers say one effect of legalizing marijuana would be to dramatically drop the price as growers move from clandestine operations to legal production. Based on an analysis of known production costs and surveys of the current price of marijuana, researchers suggest the untaxed retail price of high-quality marijuana could drop to as low as $38 per ounce compared to about $375 per ounce today.
RAND researchers caution there are many factors that make it difficult to accurately estimate revenue that might be generated by any tax on legal marijuana. The higher the tax, the greater the incentives would be for a gray market in marijuana to develop, researchers say.
"A fixed excise tax per ounce may give producers and users an incentive to shift to smaller quantities of higher-potency forms of marijuana," said study co-author Jonathan P. Caulkins, the H. Guyford Stever Professor of Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College and Qatar campus. Such a shift is another factor that could lower revenues collected from marijuana taxes.
In addition, since the November ballot initiative leaves it to local governments to set tax rates, the size of any levy could vary broadly. A jurisdiction with a low tax rate might attract marijuana buyers from elsewhere in the state or even other states, further complicating efforts to predict government revenues from the sale of legal marijuana, according to researchers.
The RAND report also investigates some of the costs to the state and society in general, such as drug treatment and other health expenses, that may change if marijuana is legalized in California.
It's unclear whether legalizing marijuana may increase or decrease drug treatment costs, according to the study. More than half of the 32,000 admissions for treatment of marijuana abuse in California during in 2009 resulted from criminal justice referrals, which could drop if legalization is approved. However, an increase in marijuana use could cause a spike in those who voluntarily seek treatment for marijuana abuse, researchers say.
The report, "Altered State? Assessing How Marijuana Legalization in California Could Influence Marijuana Consumption and Public Budgets," can be found at www.rand.org. Funding for this study was provided by RAND's Investment in People and Ideas program, which combines philanthropic contributions from individuals, foundations, and private-sector firms with earnings from RAND's endowment and operations to support research on issues that reach beyond the scope of traditional client sponsorship.
Other authors of the study are Robert J. MacCoun of the University of California, Berkeley, and Peter H. Reuter of the University of Maryland.
The RAND Drug Policy Research Center is a joint project of RAND Health and the RAND Safety and Justice program within RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment. The goal of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center is to provide a firm, empirical foundation upon which sound drug policies can be built.
Press release from the Rand Corporation.
While the state Board of Equalization has estimated taxing legal marijuana could raise more than $1 billion in revenue, the RAND study cautions that any potential revenue could be dramatically higher or lower based on a number of factors, including the level of taxation, the amount of tax evasion and the response by the federal government.
Past research provides solid evidence that marijuana consumption goes up when prices go down, but the magnitude of the consumption increase cannot be predicted because prices will fall to levels below those ever studied, researchers say. Consumption also might rise because of non-price effects such as advertising or a reduction in stigma, researchers say.
In addition to uncertainty about the taxes levied and evaded, researchers do not know how users will respond to such a large drop in price. Even under a scenario with high taxes ($50 per ounce) and a moderate rate of tax evasion (25 percent), researchers cannot rule out consumption increases of 50 percent to 100 percent, and possibly even larger. If prevalence increased by 100 percent, marijuana use in California would be close to the prevalence levels recorded in the late 1970s.
The analysis, prepared by the RAND Drug Policy Research Center, was conducted in an effort to objectively outline the key issues that voters and legislators should consider as California weighs marijuana legalization.
"There is considerable uncertainty about the impact that legalizing marijuana in California will have on consumption and public budgets," said Beau Kilmer, the study's lead author and a policy researcher at RAND. "No government has legalized the production and distribution of marijuana for general use, so there is little evidence on which to base any predictions about how this might work in California,"
The analysis also suggests that the annual cost of enforcing current marijuana laws is smaller than suggested by others. The RAND study estimates that the cost of enforcing the current laws probably totals less than $300 million.
"It is critical that legislators and the public understand what is known and unknown as the state weighs this unprecedented step," said Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, a study co-author and co-director with Kilmer of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center.
Two proposals are pending that would legalize the production and sale of marijuana in California. Assembly Bill 2254 authored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) would legalize marijuana for those aged 21 and older and task the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control with regulating its possession, sale and cultivation. The bill would create a $50 per ounce excise tax and these funds would be used to fund drug education, awareness, and rehabilitation programs under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.
In November, California voters will consider a ballot measure titled the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 that would make it legal for those aged 21 and older to cultivate marijuana on a 5-foot-by-5-foot plot, and possess, process, share or transport up to one ounce of marijuana. In addition, the initiative would authorize cities or counties to allow, regulate and tax the commercial cultivation and sales of marijuana. Such activities would remain illegal in jurisdictions that do not opt in.
In only two countries have there been changes in the criminal status of supplying marijuana. The Netherlands allows for sale of small amounts of marijuana (5 grams) in licensed coffee shops and in Australia four jurisdictions have reduced the penalties for cultivation of a small number of marijuana plants to confiscation and a fine. Neither has legalized larger-scale commercial cultivation of the sort California is considering.
In 1975, California was one of the first states to reduce the maximum penalty for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana from incarceration to a misdemeanor with a $100 fine. In 1996, California became the first state to allow marijuana to be grown and consumed for medical purposes.
RAND researchers say one effect of legalizing marijuana would be to dramatically drop the price as growers move from clandestine operations to legal production. Based on an analysis of known production costs and surveys of the current price of marijuana, researchers suggest the untaxed retail price of high-quality marijuana could drop to as low as $38 per ounce compared to about $375 per ounce today.
RAND researchers caution there are many factors that make it difficult to accurately estimate revenue that might be generated by any tax on legal marijuana. The higher the tax, the greater the incentives would be for a gray market in marijuana to develop, researchers say.
"A fixed excise tax per ounce may give producers and users an incentive to shift to smaller quantities of higher-potency forms of marijuana," said study co-author Jonathan P. Caulkins, the H. Guyford Stever Professor of Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College and Qatar campus. Such a shift is another factor that could lower revenues collected from marijuana taxes.
In addition, since the November ballot initiative leaves it to local governments to set tax rates, the size of any levy could vary broadly. A jurisdiction with a low tax rate might attract marijuana buyers from elsewhere in the state or even other states, further complicating efforts to predict government revenues from the sale of legal marijuana, according to researchers.
The RAND report also investigates some of the costs to the state and society in general, such as drug treatment and other health expenses, that may change if marijuana is legalized in California.
It's unclear whether legalizing marijuana may increase or decrease drug treatment costs, according to the study. More than half of the 32,000 admissions for treatment of marijuana abuse in California during in 2009 resulted from criminal justice referrals, which could drop if legalization is approved. However, an increase in marijuana use could cause a spike in those who voluntarily seek treatment for marijuana abuse, researchers say.
The report, "Altered State? Assessing How Marijuana Legalization in California Could Influence Marijuana Consumption and Public Budgets," can be found at www.rand.org. Funding for this study was provided by RAND's Investment in People and Ideas program, which combines philanthropic contributions from individuals, foundations, and private-sector firms with earnings from RAND's endowment and operations to support research on issues that reach beyond the scope of traditional client sponsorship.
Other authors of the study are Robert J. MacCoun of the University of California, Berkeley, and Peter H. Reuter of the University of Maryland.
The RAND Drug Policy Research Center is a joint project of RAND Health and the RAND Safety and Justice program within RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment. The goal of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center is to provide a firm, empirical foundation upon which sound drug policies can be built.
Press release from the Rand Corporation.
San Francisco Sets First Pot Brownie/Chronic Milkshake Regulations
The San Francisco Department of Public Health set some of America's first pot-brownie and -milkshake regulations in response to the growing sector of the medical cannabis industry.
Edible baked goods, as well as ice cream, lollipops, chewing gum, and even olive oil tinged with THC has become a smash hit sector of California's dispensaries, owners say. But such edibles can also lead to frightening experiences and even emergency room visits when they are accidentally ingested or improperly prepared. Anecdotal stories and news headlines abound of grandmas, children, and pets accidentally eating unmarked THC edibles and experiencing cannabis' sometimes harrowing effects.
According to David Byrnes with California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, the state does not track cannabis-specific emergency room visits, so there's no way to quantify a rise related to the now-$14 billion state industry.
“Marijuana is grouped with other psychodysleptics (hallucinogens), so it may be pot or something more potent. They are categorized as poisonings, ... the coding is just too vague,” Byrnes stated.
San Francisco's medical cannabis regulations call for labeling the amount of marijuana on each individually marked, opaquely wrapped cookie or rice krispie treat, and keeping pets and children out any kitchen where they're being made. No treats should resemble any type of candy. And no dispensary can make hot or cold-dependent foods like milkshakes or ice cream without a special permit from the Public Health Department, which has designed coursework and an exam for permitees.
San Francisco's Green Cross delivery dispensary operator Kevin Reed has implemented the guidelines and says they're necessary to prevent accidental exposure to the psychoactive herb.
"There are a million different advantages to edible products, but then you have people who turn around and put Snickers labels on it, and an average kid can't tell the different between a Snickers bar and a pot Snicker bars,” he said. “There's still this Wild West mentality.”
Reed's grandmother accidentally got into a plate of pot cookies at his house four years ago and demanded to see an emergency room doctor when the effects came on.
“The first one was good, so thirty to forty minutes she had another. She wasn't from here and didn't have any education. When I came in she said she ate these two cookies and said she was feeling kind of funny. Her blood pressure was up, her heart was pumping. She got paranoid and asked to be taken to the emergency room.
“I told her she could get in trouble for no reason if she went to the emergency room and she became even more paranoid. Eventually I had to hold her down. She accused me of, 'You just want to take my insurance money and my inheritance.' Stuff a crazy redneck mom from Alabama would say.
“I would definitely recommend that patients consider cookies just like their medication, like their Vicodin. It should all be locked up,” Reed continued. “If it's not labeled, you don't want to be that one explaining to Mom why her heart is beating that fast.”
David Goldman, a spokesperson for medical pot group Americans for Safe Access said the drug is rather harmless, but people should exercise some basic common sense.
"Most people after they come down from brownies, they feel fine, they're hungry and okay," he said. “I think the real onus is on parents and guardians of children to cook and keep edibles in a safe place. It's just common sense.”
Even experienced users need to pay attention to dosage, Goldman added, who also sits on San Francisco's Medical Cannabis Task Force.
“I once ate a cookie that had more THC in it that I would have liked, because I didn't know the dosage. I was able to understand that I'm fine, I'm buzzing a little bit but I'm fine. I went to bed and woke up the next day and I felt great.”
Some people aren't so lucky. Kinman Chan, a thirty-year-old San Francisco man claimed he was high on a double dose of medical pot cookies when he screamed, dropped his pants, and attacked crew members on a cross-country flight, forcing its diversion to Pittsburgh, Calif., the Associated Press reported in February.
“Crew members said Chan made odd gestures before he entered the plane's rear restroom shortly after takeoff and began to scream, according to the complaint.
Chan told the FBI that he "came back to reality" and exited the restroom, at which point the crew noticed his "pants were down, his shirt was untucked and all the compartments in the restroom were opened."
The charge of interfering with the duties of a flight attendant carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.”
Dr. Chris Johnson, DVM, and intern at San Francisco Veterinary Specialists says he comes from Oklahoma, where accidentally poisoning animals with pot is not really in issue. In San Francisco, however pot trumps other poisoning vectors like cats eating Tylenol, animals getting into blood pressure medication, insecticides and antifreeze:
“Of the top five sources of poisoning, I would have to say certainly marijuana is at the top. I would have to say chocolate is at the top but those two go hand in hand,” he said. “It's strictly anecdotal, I don't think any epidemiological studies have been done, but we've seen quite a bit of cases this past year. I've probably seen ten cases through my internship in the ER, and I worked it for four months.”
Johnson said animals (usually dogs) present symptoms of stress when they've been dosed, but like humans it's never killed anyone. Pot makes animals uncomfortable, and the course of treatment involves fluids and observation.
“Most of the time they're really jittery and they're kind of hyperactive. They're very sensitive to different stimuli like noise and light,” he said. “We may or may not give things like Valium to kind of help and just relax them.”
A San Francisco resident and edible cannabis consumer who wished to remain anonymous told Legalization Nation that he accidentally left out a plate of pot brownies overnight and awoke in the early morning to his beloved dog vomiting and staggering down the hallway. It was terrifying.
"We thought he was having a stroke," he said.
Reed and Goldman recommend consumers:
- Only buy individually wrapped edibles with an expiration date and dosage from a licensed dispensary.
- Know your tolerance before ingesting cannabis, or only eat a small amount to determine effects.
- Keep edibles locked up at all times.
By David Downs, East Bay Express
- Article from East Bay Express.
Edible baked goods, as well as ice cream, lollipops, chewing gum, and even olive oil tinged with THC has become a smash hit sector of California's dispensaries, owners say. But such edibles can also lead to frightening experiences and even emergency room visits when they are accidentally ingested or improperly prepared. Anecdotal stories and news headlines abound of grandmas, children, and pets accidentally eating unmarked THC edibles and experiencing cannabis' sometimes harrowing effects.
According to David Byrnes with California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, the state does not track cannabis-specific emergency room visits, so there's no way to quantify a rise related to the now-$14 billion state industry.
“Marijuana is grouped with other psychodysleptics (hallucinogens), so it may be pot or something more potent. They are categorized as poisonings, ... the coding is just too vague,” Byrnes stated.
San Francisco's medical cannabis regulations call for labeling the amount of marijuana on each individually marked, opaquely wrapped cookie or rice krispie treat, and keeping pets and children out any kitchen where they're being made. No treats should resemble any type of candy. And no dispensary can make hot or cold-dependent foods like milkshakes or ice cream without a special permit from the Public Health Department, which has designed coursework and an exam for permitees.
San Francisco's Green Cross delivery dispensary operator Kevin Reed has implemented the guidelines and says they're necessary to prevent accidental exposure to the psychoactive herb.
"There are a million different advantages to edible products, but then you have people who turn around and put Snickers labels on it, and an average kid can't tell the different between a Snickers bar and a pot Snicker bars,” he said. “There's still this Wild West mentality.”
Reed's grandmother accidentally got into a plate of pot cookies at his house four years ago and demanded to see an emergency room doctor when the effects came on.
“The first one was good, so thirty to forty minutes she had another. She wasn't from here and didn't have any education. When I came in she said she ate these two cookies and said she was feeling kind of funny. Her blood pressure was up, her heart was pumping. She got paranoid and asked to be taken to the emergency room.
“I told her she could get in trouble for no reason if she went to the emergency room and she became even more paranoid. Eventually I had to hold her down. She accused me of, 'You just want to take my insurance money and my inheritance.' Stuff a crazy redneck mom from Alabama would say.
“I would definitely recommend that patients consider cookies just like their medication, like their Vicodin. It should all be locked up,” Reed continued. “If it's not labeled, you don't want to be that one explaining to Mom why her heart is beating that fast.”
David Goldman, a spokesperson for medical pot group Americans for Safe Access said the drug is rather harmless, but people should exercise some basic common sense.
"Most people after they come down from brownies, they feel fine, they're hungry and okay," he said. “I think the real onus is on parents and guardians of children to cook and keep edibles in a safe place. It's just common sense.”
Even experienced users need to pay attention to dosage, Goldman added, who also sits on San Francisco's Medical Cannabis Task Force.
“I once ate a cookie that had more THC in it that I would have liked, because I didn't know the dosage. I was able to understand that I'm fine, I'm buzzing a little bit but I'm fine. I went to bed and woke up the next day and I felt great.”
Some people aren't so lucky. Kinman Chan, a thirty-year-old San Francisco man claimed he was high on a double dose of medical pot cookies when he screamed, dropped his pants, and attacked crew members on a cross-country flight, forcing its diversion to Pittsburgh, Calif., the Associated Press reported in February.
“Crew members said Chan made odd gestures before he entered the plane's rear restroom shortly after takeoff and began to scream, according to the complaint.
Chan told the FBI that he "came back to reality" and exited the restroom, at which point the crew noticed his "pants were down, his shirt was untucked and all the compartments in the restroom were opened."
The charge of interfering with the duties of a flight attendant carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.”
Dr. Chris Johnson, DVM, and intern at San Francisco Veterinary Specialists says he comes from Oklahoma, where accidentally poisoning animals with pot is not really in issue. In San Francisco, however pot trumps other poisoning vectors like cats eating Tylenol, animals getting into blood pressure medication, insecticides and antifreeze:
“Of the top five sources of poisoning, I would have to say certainly marijuana is at the top. I would have to say chocolate is at the top but those two go hand in hand,” he said. “It's strictly anecdotal, I don't think any epidemiological studies have been done, but we've seen quite a bit of cases this past year. I've probably seen ten cases through my internship in the ER, and I worked it for four months.”
Johnson said animals (usually dogs) present symptoms of stress when they've been dosed, but like humans it's never killed anyone. Pot makes animals uncomfortable, and the course of treatment involves fluids and observation.
“Most of the time they're really jittery and they're kind of hyperactive. They're very sensitive to different stimuli like noise and light,” he said. “We may or may not give things like Valium to kind of help and just relax them.”
A San Francisco resident and edible cannabis consumer who wished to remain anonymous told Legalization Nation that he accidentally left out a plate of pot brownies overnight and awoke in the early morning to his beloved dog vomiting and staggering down the hallway. It was terrifying.
"We thought he was having a stroke," he said.
Reed and Goldman recommend consumers:
- Only buy individually wrapped edibles with an expiration date and dosage from a licensed dispensary.
- Know your tolerance before ingesting cannabis, or only eat a small amount to determine effects.
- Keep edibles locked up at all times.
By David Downs, East Bay Express
- Article from East Bay Express.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
International Cannabis & Hemp Expo 2010
The International Cannabis & Hemp Expo, a landmark event, and the largest of its kind in northern California will be held at The Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave in Daly City, CA on Saturday April 17th and Sunday April 18th from 10am-6pm. Over 100 affiliates and exhibitors will display their products and services in the 100,000 square foot facility and an impressive line up of industry leaders and experts is scheduled to speak throughout the weekend.
INFO:
International Cannabis & Hemp Expo
Date: Saturday April 17 - Sunday April 18, 10am-6pm
Place: The Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave in Daly City, CA
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