Tag: medical marijuana

,
Roberta King

Michigan Medical Marijuana: What Happens if You Don’t Ask.

We recently did some work for a client who wanted to know which municipalities around the Muskegon area were adopting pro-medical marijuana ordinances. As Michigan moves toward licensing cannabis businesses at the end of 2017, the process for those who want to grow, transport, process, test or operate a dispensary, marijuana licensing begins with the approval of local cities, villages or townships.

To say the least, there are many municipalities in Michigan. Muskegon County alone has 27. We also included in our research, nearby counties—cherry-picking the larger cities and villages. In all, we contacted about 35 mayors, managers, supervisors and planning leaders.

yes, no, maybe

Some of our responses were pointed: “No.” You can tell from that sort of response that digging deeper is a lost cause. Asking the commission/council if they are interested in learning more about medical marijuana is going to elicit the same response.

This example was an interesting take on how it was handled: “[name redacted] Township is not considering opting into a medical marijuana ordinance. This question was posed, along with others, in a recent survey the township included with summer tax bills. Sixty-six percent of respondents were not in favor of such an ordinance in Township.” I give them credit for having a discussion and a proxy vote.

In our research, we found at least four communities that were taking a wait and see approach. They’re giving it a year or so to see how things work out around the state. We discovered three municipalities that were actively in the processes of moving ordinances forward. One we knew about, the other two were surprises—and right between the two surprise locations was another municipality that sent me its ordinance banning everything but using medical marijuana in your own home!

help from our friends

Intel from another municipality in Newaygo County came from an Iraq war veteran. He told me of his struggle to convince his fellow commissioners to accept medical marijuana businesses in their community. After an hour and a half discussion, he was voted down. His was only yes vote. He directed me to two other locations where the sentiments were more cannabis-friendly in that county. He was spot on.

My point here is—if you don’t ask you’ll never know the reality of a situation and asking can make a difference. Three separate municipalities gave me strong “maybe” responses. They told me they were looking into it, and talking with their local health departments, police chiefs and would like more information. Where are the marijuana advocates in those places?

To those who want to have medical marijuana in their communities—now is the time to act. This issue isn’t dead and isn’t impossible, but you have to show up and speak out.  If you are a patient, the time to call or email your commission/council is now.

If you want to create a medical marijuana business where you live or nearby—timing is everything and time itself is running out.

Roberta King

Why I Gave It All Up for Marijuana

It wasn’t exactly a revelation or a call from God, but for me, it was close.

I’d been noodling the idea of doing communication consulting for a few years. As a senior public relations practitioner, it felt like where my career should go. I didn’t, though, like the idea of being a general practitioner. I wanted whatever came next to be meaningful, special and interesting. I was waiting for that idea to come to me.

The Revelation

On a November evening in 2016, I heard a NPR story about a cannabis industry trade show. What caught my attention was the hundreds, if not thousands, of ancillary businesses that support growing and distributing marijuana. The lights, fertilizers, air exchange systems, grow systems, edible products, star-powered cannabis brands, packaging, vape pens and security systems. It wasn’t about selling flower, but the picks and shovels of this green gold rush. I knew exactly where I was supposed to go next—into cannabis communication.

I secured the domain Canna Communication (how did no one already own this, I still wonder) and then jumped into my more formal education about cannabis.  It wasn’t good enough that I liked pot—I needed to know it. I started meeting people in the business, reading books and articles, and listening to podcasts. I stopped being a marijuana mooch and got a Michigan Medical Marihuana card for chronic knee and back pain, the result of years of running.

Cannabis has always been a part of my life to some degree. While in college, I used marijuana socially and recreationally. I learned to roll a joint using Zig Zags and the cover of any convenient double album.  As an adult I took a hit when it came my way, but didn’t seek it out. I never thought of cannabis a medicine—like for pain—but something for mental relaxation and happiness. As an introvert, cannabis helps me be more engaged with people.

Coming Out for Cannabis

I started to slowly come out—dropping hints on social media by sharing articles about cannabis and telling select people I was moving toward communication consulting in cannabis. It felt good to say it and people’s reactions were one of surprise, validation and connection. The more I talked about cannabis, the more people told me stories about their experience or that of someone they knew. People connected me with people in the business—a brother who made fertilizers, friends who were growers and people who use the plant for all sorts of medical conditions from Epilepsy to cancer therapy. People validated my business assumption that this was a field full of growth potential.

Just more than a half-year after I bought the Canna Communication domain, I walked away from a good-paying, highly visible position to devote myself to sharing information about cannabis and helping people grow their a path in a sand dunebusinesses.

I gave it up because I am sure I’ll get something more than what was left behind.

I aspire to be more self-directed, not just in the work that I do, but in my daily life. I want to complete the narrative about my career; I want it to be about being an entrepreneur and following my intuition about what the future might look like. I envision a story about standing up for something that is changing American culture for the better.

Cannabis is more than a plant for human health—it’s about working for freedom, science, smart public policy and social justice. It’s about being ahead of, and on the right side of history.

Roberta King

Marijuana is NOT a Gateway Drug. Period.

Cannabis isn’t a Gateway to Other Drugs.

Throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s and even now, people have used the phrase, “Marijuana is a gateway drug.” Meaning that using cannabis will lead to other drugs like cocaine, LSD and heroin. This is unsubstantiated and based on conjecture, anecdotal stories and myths, not facts.

While some people do go onto other drugs after using cannabis; so do people who abuse alcohol or use tobacco. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, a government agency concludes, “An alternative to the gateway drug hypothesis is that people who are more vulnerable to drug-taking are simply more likely to start with readily available substances such as marijuana, tobacco, or alcohol, and their subsequent social interactions with others who use drugs increases their chances of trying a collection of cannabis stickersother drugs.”

In the 1940s—there was a report from the La Guardia Committee and the New York Academy of Medicine, which questioned cannabis prohibition. The committee found marijuana not physically addictive, not a gateway drug and that it did not lead to crime. Further, The Shafer Commission, another government agency determined in 1972 that cannabis was as safe as alcohol, and suggested an end to prohibition.

These are Gateways.

There are a number of factors that we know lead to drug use and cannabis isn’t one of them. History and research tell us that poverty and poor social conditions; access to people who have hard drugs to sell; as well as some types of mental illness lead to drug use. Cannabis prohibition and its criminalization lead to more other addictive substances than does marijuana use alone.

This is an Exit.

Research recently conducted at the University of British Columbia suggests that marijuana is one medicine that can help people ease off of opioids and other highly addictive substances. There are other studies that indicate this as well, including one in June 2017 at the University of California at Berkley, where 2,897 patients were surveyed and of the sample, 97 percent “strongly agreed/agreed” that they are able to decrease the amount of opioids they consume when they also use cannabis. With opioid overdose deaths on the increase (59,000 in 2016), it only makes sense for patients to manage their pain with medical marijuana, which according to the DEA and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime hasn’t been used to the point of death.

Perhaps, it is prudent to think of cannabis as an exit, not an entry point.

Roberta King

Cannabis by Any Other Name

Marijuana. Weed. Pot. Ganja. Kind. Mary Jane. Grass. Reefer. Dank. Smoke. Dope. Bud. Chronic. Flower.

Everyone has a favorite word for cannabis. A word choice might come from your generation, your culture or from the point in time that you first enjoyed, or heard someone else refer to it.

At Canna Communication, we’ve purposefully selected cannabis as our word of choice, for our company and in our communication on social media. While slang is a part of our common language, and we use any or all of the words in conversation or when partaking—for work—we stick to cannabis. We do this to be clear about the business we’re in; we purposefully do this to elevate the plant by its most scientific name. Cannabis is the genus for the flowering plant in the family of Cannabacae, by the way!

Cannabis as Serious Medicine

We believe that it is important to dignify the plant with a scientific name—it gives the appropriate importance to its vital healing power. Cannabis has amazing properties that the general public is just now beginning to understand. CBDs have healing and behavior health properties that are changing people lives. Children with autism who are chronically engaged in self-harm are finding relief and calm where no other medicine could help. A growing number of cancer patients use cannabis to help relieve nausea and increase their appetite, though the traditional medical cancer sources all call for more science on efficacy. Though with cancer at at the top of the checklist for most medical applications, there is a growing body of anecdotal evidence of its use. Across the country in 29 states, physicians are recommending it for a variety of symptoms and conditions—and each state varies widely on what they recommend it for.

Cannabis for Wellness

People consume cannabis for relaxation, to help them be more social, to reduce anxiety, to unlock creativity and just because it makes them happy. In the end, isn’t being a happy person reason enough? We wear certain clothes, travel to special places, eat favorite foods and surround ourselves with special people because it makes us happy. Enjoying cannabis is no different. That’s why we believe the end of prohibition of cannabis will be good for all people who choose to use it.

Perhaps as a culture, we need to “get over” the idea the being happy isn’t something we all deserve and sometimes we need a boost, from a plant to make it happen. That’s what wellness is all about.

We heard cannabis pioneer Steven DeAngelo speak recently via Green Flower Media and we couldn’t help but cheer his wise words. Like him, we believe that cannabis has the power to change the world for the better—no matter the reason you use it or what name you give it.