|
Brian Taylor: Editor-in-
Chief
One of the drawbacks of publishing bimonthly
is that some events become stale dated.
One such event, spearheaded by activist
Jody Pressman, was the July 6
demonstration, “Fill the Hill”
which drew 3000 Canadians to Parliament
Hill with a
message for politicians; prohibition does
not work. For me, what was significant
about this traditional style event, was
that after 35 years, so many Canadians
still continue
to feel such passion and enthusiasm. Canada’s
new Prime Minister, Paul
Martin, announced that his government
would re-introduce changes to marijuana
laws in October. Optimists are betting
that the new legislation will reflect
the influence
of the New Democrats and that we might
see a legal plant limit as well as the
possession
of minor quantities without a fine.
Most people feel that at this point anything
is better than the confusion we have.
I am one of those optimists. In the last
few weeks I have noticed several surprising
indicators of positive change. Associative
Product Marketing, using an
association with cannabis, marijuana,
pot or hemp, to attract new customers
to use a
non-cannabis product. Who are these people
these marketers are targeting that want
this safe association with the herb? My
guess is they are a wide demographic of
pot
smokers and sympathizers who are secretly
reaching out saying, please save our planet
and save us from our hypocrisy! Remember
the Berlin Wall.
Another sign has been a new openness from
health professions including doctors.
All those news stories and specials and
debates are finally sinking in. People
in my
town and all around the country are waking
up and realizing prohibition is dangerous.
More education is needed for doctors,
for seniors and for kids.
Modern archeologists uncover some of the
lost art from the dark period in America,
the 1980s. What a discovery. Our wish
is to see a new appreciation, a renaissance
of the
art from this period. This was a way of
thinking, art with attitude. This will
not be
the last readers will see of ARTISTA.
Tune in for more of How the heck do we
get ourselves out of the marijuana supply
business. The journal will try to shed
some
light on quality, and cannabis testing.
The response to this editions theme has
been spectacular. Look for more cannabis
art and music in the next edition.
TELL
US TELL US YOUR YOUR STORY!
CHJ is asking readers to send in their
stories, of 500 words or less.
We are looking for personal experiences
that were meaningful,
happy, sad, or funny. Pictures would be
appreciated.
Each entry will be entered in a draw for
a WONG BONG PIPE.
If we publish your story you will receive
a free one year
subscription to the journal. Anonymity
will be respected.
Send your entries and contact information
by email or snail mail to:
distribution@cannabishealth.com Or Cannabis
Health: Contest
Box 1481/ Grand Forks BC/ VOH1HO
Entry Deadline October 1, 2004
Congratulations to the July/August winner,
Susanna from Edmonton AB “Neds head
is on page 24,
in the band picture with his head between
two guitarists.
Great articles this issue.”
MORE SMOKING
MARIJUANA
July 8, 2004 Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA)
More U.S. adults, especially young minorities
and baby boomers, are habitual users of
marijuana.
The prevalence of marijuana abuse or
dependence climbed from 1.2 percent of
adults
in 1991-92 to 1.5 percent in 2001-02,
or an estimated
3 million adults 18 and older. That represents
an increase of 22 percent, or 800,000
people,
according to data from two nationally
representative surveys that each queried
more
than 40,000 adults.
Among 18- to 29-year-olds, the rate remained
stable among whites but surged by about
220
percent among black men and women, to
4.5
percent of that population, and by almost
150
percent among Hispanic men, to 4.7 percent.
Among all adults ages 45 to 64, the rate
increased by 355 percent, to about 0.4
percent of
that population.
COMPASSION IN MONTANA?
On Friday, the Montana government certified
the Marijuana Policy Project’s medical
marijuana
initiative for the November 2 ballot.
(After
three months of petitioning, MPP turned
in more
than 32,000 signatures to the Montana
government
on June 18.) If the initiative is passed
by a majority of voters,
Montana will become the 10th state to
protect
medical marijuana patients from arrest
and
jail. Please visit www.MontanaCares.com
to learn
more about the initiative, and visit
www.mpp.org/MT/news_7706.html to read
some of the local news coverage.
SCIENTISTS SAY MARIJUANA
RESEARCH BLOCKED
July 20, 2004 Associated Press (Wire)
WASHINGTON - The government is violating
federal law by obstructing medical marijuana
research, scientists contend in lawsuits
seeking
faster action on applications to grow
the
drug. In lawsuits to be filed Wednesday,
researchers
assert that Washington is refusing to
act on legitimate
research projects and delaying studies
that
could lead to marijuana’s use as
a prescription
drug. “There is an urgent need for
an alternative supply
of marijuana for medical research,”
said Lyle
Craker, director of the Medicinal Plant
Program
at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst,
the
main force behind the lawsuits.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse,
part of
the Health and Human Services Department,
“maintains a monopoly on research
marijuana.
Many researchers believe that NIDA’s
monopoly
is an obstacle to getting needed studies
done
on a timely basis,” Craker said
in a statement.
Joining Craker in filing the suit are
Rick
Doblin, president of the Multidisciplinary
Association for Psychedelic Studies, and
Valerie
Corral, co-founder of the Wo/Men’s
Alliance for
Medical Marijuana in Santa Cruz, Calif.,
who
uses marijuana to control epileptic seizures.
“As a patient, each day brings new
struggles,”
she said in a statement. “Instead
of providing
relief for critically ill Americans, our
government
refuses to allow the research that would
free sick and dying members of our collective
from living in fear of an administration
that
views medical assistance as criminal activity.”
CRITICAL OF GOVERNMENT
POT
July 13, 2004 The Ottawa Citizen
Some patients are spurning a new batch
of
government-certified marijuana, dismissing
Health Canada claims that it’s a
stronger, better
quality smoke. “It’s no good,”
Marco Renda, 45, said yesterday
from his home in Dundalk, Ont. “I
took two
puffs and I put it out.
Prairie Plant Systems, which produces
medical
marijuana on contract for Health Canada,
began shipping a second batch on May 21
after
users gave the first harvest bad reviews.
Health
Canada says the new batch has more THC,
the
primary active ingredient in marijuana,
fewer
leaves and twigs and more flowering tops.
“I’ve been told ... that the
feedback has been
positive overall,” said Health Canada
spokeswoman
Catherine Saunders.
Taylor is a licensed marijuana
grower and grows for Michel a legal marijuana
patient.
Taylor has grown for other patients and
has used a variety of mail carriers to
send cannabis marijuana
to patients in Canada. In June, two 3oz
shipments sent to Michel’s home
in Ontario went missing.
After Canada Post lost the first shipment,
Taylor turned to Purolator. The second
parcel also went missing.
Canada Post initially refused to take
responsibility for the lost shipments
and refused to ship any
marijuana. Health Canada instructions
to patients were not to identify the product
as marijuana,
package it well and require a signature
on delivery of the shipment. The intention
of Health
Canada officials was to draw as little
attention to the product as possible.
Without an agreement
with Canada Post, what in fact was happening
was, shippers were unable to insure their
shipments.
If all went well and the parcel arrived,
no one took a loss, however, if the shipment
became lost, without insurance, the patient
and grower would take the loss.
Taylor asked other private mail carriers
to transport the marijuana to Ontario
and all have
refused. A supervisor from Loomis/DHL
explained that they would like to help,
but mail
carriers often share planes that are routed
through Cincinnati, Ohio and are subject
to US
inspection including the use of sniffer
dogs. Taylor was ready to ship another
package to
his patient the next week. His patient
Michel who is chronically ill was threatening
to hitchhike
to BC to get his medicine. Health Canada
officials from the Medical Marijuana Program,
were alerted
to the difficulties patients and growers
were experiencing and entered into talks
with Canada Post.
Subsequently Canada Post officials announced
that they were not opposed to shipping
legal
marijuana, but needed more time to develop
protocols for shipping.
As this next edition of the journal goes
to press our advice is: A# Package your
cannabis in a hard
plastic container. Disposable Tupperware
type containers work well and Duct tape
can be used to seal
the lid for added odor control. B# Insure
the contents for a reasonable value. I.e.
$175 to $200 per oz.
C# Nothing on the exterior should indicate
that marijuana is in the package. You
do not
need to identify the contents to the Canada
Post employees.
D# Send by Express Post with a signature
required on delivery.
CHJ
SAY NO TO GOVERNMENT POT?
I am surprised that your journal has not
given more coverage to the story of the
poor quality government marijuana. I am
considering applying for a licence,
however, why should I bother if I still
am forced to buy my marijuana from an
illegal
source. I am totally confused at the conflicting
stories over THC levels and quality. I
love
your journal, you are my main source of
cannabis information.
Please help me understand these issues
better.
Sincerely yours, Maria Hill
Dear Maria,
We are equally as confused. We will look
into this further and will have more information
on this in our next issue.
DIVERSITY OF SUPPORT HELPS
I loved the last issue, “Cannabis
Generation”. I am always amazed
to see the
diversity of people that are brought together
through cannabis. This diversity is what
allows the movement to continue to withstand
adversity.
I wish you all the best your endeavors,
and will stop by your store to say hello
the
next time I’m down south! Hemp and
health,
Patrick M., Williams Lake, BC
by Barbara
Bud
L’Or Special Drinks, a large Czech
alcoholic drink manufacturer, has launched
marijuana
flavoured liquor. The drink (sold mostly
in supermarkets and some restaurants)
contains no
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active
substance in marijuana. It does, however,
contain
16% alcohol. Jiri Janak, head of liquor
production at Drinks Union, said; “We
produce if from hemp,
but there’s no THC in it,”
adding he hasn’t received any complaints
from anti-drug activists. Experts
agree that drinkers probably can’t
get high, but there has been criticism
that the drug is
being used to promote alcohol. Verina
McEwen, a Drug Action Team coordinator
in
England, branded the sale of this drink
as “irresponsible.” She said;
“This is clearly
encouraging the use of more than one drug,
which is totally irresponsible.
Marketing alcohol in this way should never
be allowed, and it is an attempt to make
drink more attractive when it is actually
dangerous and can kill in extreme cases.”
(I think we all
know how dangerous alcohol can be) New
Zealand faces a similar issue with a similar
product that is using “cannabis
branding”.
The Alcohol Advisory Council is asking
liquor stores to withdraw Hemp Vodka,
which has a
marijuana leaf on the label, claiming
the product breaches advertising ethics.
Major alcohol manufacturers
in New Zealand have signed a code of advertising
standards that confirms they won’t
use illicit drug images or language on
labels. The distributor of Hemp vodka,
however, is not
registered with the council, which represents
manufacturers. Beer, Wine and Spirits
Council
chief executive, Nicki Stewart is aware
of the issue and “flabbergasted”
how it got through.
Christine Rogan of Alcohol Healthwatch
brought this issue to the attention of
the council.
She is concerned at anything that links
the drug culture to young people. “This
has got a very
large, inviting marijuana leaf on the
label, associating the product with an
illegal substance.
That’s the main concern,”
she said. “We are not very happy
about it and would certainly like to
see it off the shelf.”
In 1994, artist/hemp activist Jeffrey
Sax was given an opportunity to design
his own
currency. It was his intent to unite and
empower the cannabis culture with a currency
that promoted environmental prosperity
as well as spiritual and personal freedom.
The first coins featured the “Celestial
Lady Liberty” smoking a joint, with
the
words “IN FREEDOM WE TRUST”
and the tail side featured a hemp leaf
in the form
of a peace sign overlaid onto a map of
the planet. The words “WORLD PEACE”
surrounds
the image as a proclamation that the world
could heal, prosper, and mellow, through
the life supporting gifts of the cannabis
plant. The coins were minted on one troy
ounce of
.999 Fine Silver, and the dates have been
changed each year to acknowledge the history
as
well as give it numismatic value. In 1995,
only 31 coins were minted.
“I consider this the “1909
svdv” of the collection.”
said Jeff “So far we have 1,798
Dagga
freedom coins in circulation. One man
sent one to his brother in Turkey, one
was gifted to a
Chinese governor by a filmmaker, and many
were placed internationally, as well as
stateside,
through my art gallery over the years.
For many people, it was their first cannabis
“outing”.
Parents bought them for their children
and visa versa.
What really mattered was that it opened
up dialog between like-minded people.
They see
this coin and it gives them courage to
be who they are.” As an alternative
currency, Dagga
freedom coins have been bartered for meals
at restaurants, exchanged for herbs as
well as
produce at Farmers Markets, used for rent,
as well as gifted to “herbal freedom
fighters”
around the world.
“I read of a chiropractor who was
growing plants for her client who suffered
from glaucoma.
She was facing jail time and heavy fines,
so I sent her a care package with an encouraging
note. At these times I considered the
coin equivalent to the Purple Heart, a
medal that acknowledged
exceptional bravery and compassion during
times of war.” exclaimed Jeff. “I
soon
received a letter back from the Doctor
which let me know that I was making a
difference,”
“What a beautiful coin you sent
me!!! I’ll treasure it always as
the brightest moment of
this dismal affair,” were the first
words from her letter.
“I was also very moved when Brownie
Mary, Dennis Peron’s long time assistant
and
AIDS activist, wore her freedom coin proudly
around her neck. We met at the 1993 Cannabis
Cup and she was truly an inspirational
angel of compassion. Dennis was also riding
high on
the momentum of Prop 215 and of course
we were honored to gift him a coin as
well.”
“We also gifted the coin to political
figures who were being proactive in the
hemp war. It was encouraging to receive
a “thank you” letter from
the Surgeon General of the
United States while she still was in office
on official government stationary.”
Jeremy Slate, actor/hemp activist, explained
that the coin is much more than just
an ounce of silver. “When my oldest
son Jeff was dying of AIDS, cannabis was
the only medicine
that eased his pain, but above all else,
raised his spirits to the point of ignoring
his predicament.
Throughout his ordeal, the coin remained
a strong symbol of his commitment to the
cannabis culture. I inherited Jef’s
coin and keep it on my altar as a treasured
memento and a
reminder of Jef’s better moments.”
Jeff also knew of a groom who bought a
coin
for each guest at his wedding party, to
celebrate his union, and to let his passion
for cannabis set
the tone for the ceremony and reception.
In 1998, WORLD PEACE was changed to
WORLD DAGGA, to incorporate a large scale
marketing plan for all hemp products.
Cartoon
characters from all walks of life were
created to promote and celebrate their
cannabis culture.
The “freedom coin” became
their “currency of choice”
and their world a place of cannabis
inspired wonder.
The name “Dagga” was randomly
picked from a list of names for cannabis,
from page one of
the 1993/4 edition of “The Emperor
Wears No Clothes”, by Jack Herer,
who was one of the first
people to honor the new currency by “exchanging”
coins for advertising space.
“From my art gallery on Cannery
Row, I painted many cannabis inspired
images.” proclaimed
Jeff. “I was hoping to use my reputation
as an accomplished artist (including museum
credits)
to enlighten the mainstream about this
amazing plant. Often people would buy
images not realizing
that there was a cannabis plant in the
design. Even if they were initially prejudiced
against the plant, they would still embrace
the image because of the positive vibrations
of
the work.” “Cannabis reflects
the earth’s beauty and soul, as
well as the sun’s healing light.
It is
inappropriate to be singled out and attacked
by military men in helicopters.”
reflects
Jeff. “Through art, I was channeling
and honoring the grace, wisdom, strength,
and
the sacred power of transformation of
the cannabis plant. Through the coin,
I was
hoping to empower the people who saw and
lived this truth.”
In the year 2001, a new version of the
coin was offered that featured the Celestial
Lady
Liberty not smoking a joint. This was
for the people who were more focused on
the
industrial side of the hemp issue. Both
versions were also offered as a key chain.
Dagga has been an evolving concept that
has been growing roots steadily since
1995. After
nineteen years, Jeff closed his gallery
on 1/1/01, and focused his energies exclusively
on Dagga.
Jon Brant, long time webmaster for Dagga,
recalls, “I remember what it felt
like back in
2001 when we did the Santa Cruz Hemp Expo,
Seattle Hempfest, and Burning Man for
the first
time. I felt we were ready for release
into the public. Our booth at the two
shows totally
rocked; the stickers, the Dagga Freedom
Coin tree, the cards, the video. We had
it all and I was
expecting so much more reaction than what
happened. It wasn’t till we got
to Burning Man that
I truly understood what the Dagga project
was really about. The gift economy of
Burning Man!
That was Dagga! It wasn’t about
money it was all about ART and creative
free expression.”
“Seeing the huge smiles and lit
up faces of the people we gave the coins
to made me so happy
and connected. People ‘got’
what we were trying to do, a new vibration
of thinking. My favorite
memory was the coin I gave to the Johnny-on-the-Spot
guy, hired to pump out a city’s
worth of port a-potties. I heard through
the grapevine that their morale was low
and they were on the
verge of quitting. I jumped up onto his
truck and thrust a coin at him through
the window and
loudly proclaimed “Thank you!”
He said, “WHOA man, this is the
coolest thing I’ve ever seen!!!”
I knew that this guy would have a story
to tell his friends and a coin that really
acknowledged his
efforts on behalf of the citizens of Black
Rock City.
In 2002 , Jeff embarked on a personal,
spiritual quest that included being in
total service, Rascal
(the rabbit), and a little animation project
called “Ammonite Rising”.
“All that is real, and all that
matters, is love..” concludes Jeff.
“As Dagga moves into the future,
I will let this lesson be the guiding
light behind all manifestations of our
work.
It is my hope that 2004 will bring a sense
of spiritual renewal for everyone and
that Dagga can
be a part of that empowerment and celebration.
I heard through the grapevine that their
morale was low and they were on the verge
of quitting.
I jumped up onto his truck and thrust
a coin at him through the window and loudly
proclaimed “Thank
you!” He said, “WHOA man,
this is the coolest thing I’ve ever
seen!!!”
I knew that this guy would have a story
to tell his friends and a coin that really
acknowledged his
efforts on behalf of the citizens of Black
Rock City. In 2002 , Jeff embarked on
a personal, spiritual
quest that included being in total service,
Rascal (the rabbit), and a little animation
project called “Ammonite Rising”.
“All that is real, and all that
matters, is love...” concludes Jeff.
“As
Dagga moves into the future, I will let
this lesson be the guiding light behind
all manifestations of our work. It is
my hope that 2004 will bring a sense of
spiritual renewal for everyone and that
Dagga can
be a part of that empowerment and celebration.”
www.saxgallery.com
www.dagga.org www.saxgallery.com / www.dagga.org
by Fred Gardner,
editor of O’Shaughnessy’s
The directors of the University of California’s
Center for Medical Cannabis Research -Igor
Grant, MD, and Drew Mattison, PhD- organized
a “workshop” in Paestum, Italy
last month
that seemed to violate their basic mandate.
The event, entitled “Future Directions
in
Cannabinoid Therapeutics II: From the
Bench to the Clinic,” was held on
Sunday, June 27, following the International
Cannabinoid Research Society’s annual
meeting. Participants
included many prestigious scientists -Raphael
Mechoulam, Roger Pertwee, Raj Razdan,
Alexandros Makriyannis, Daniele Piomelli,
Cecilia Hillard, Vincenzo di Marzo, Ester
Fride,
Natsuo Ueda, Jun Fu, George Kunos, Geoffrey
Guy, and others.
The CMCR (Center for Medical Cannabis
Research) conference was not publicized
in
advance and as of this writing is not
reported on their website. I first heard
about it as the ICRS
meeting got underway from Sumner Burstein,
a UMass medical school researcher who
has
developed a synthetic drug, ajulemic acid
(named after his granddaughters) that
activates
the cannabinoid receptors. Burstein said
that a Massachusetts drug company, Indevus,
was testing AJA as a treatment for pain,
and that their promising early results
would be reported at “the meeting
on Sunday.” Next evening two California
doctors, Jeff Hergenrather of
Sebastopol and Steve Ellis of San Francisco,
were seated at dinner with Drew Mattison,
who revealed that the CMCR was holding
a meeting on Sunday for companies
developing drugs they hoped to test and
market in the U.S. Mattison said it was
“by
invitation only,” and he did not
extend an invite to the California docs
(who, being gentlemen,
did not protest).
The following afternoon I encountered
Mattison outside the lecture hall and
told him
that Burstein had invited me to the CMCR
session. He said, in obvious displeasure,
that
“since there had been so many complaints,”
he’d been forced to “open
it up” on a first-come, first served
basis to 20 more participants. I could
get in if I showed up early enough.
I asked Mattison if the CMCR -which has
headquarters at UC San Diego and an office
at
UC San Francisco- might find a way to
provide analytical-lab services so that
California
patients, doctors and growers could identify
the composition of the plants they were
using and
begin to duplicate, however crudely, the
G.W. approach to research. He gave me
a horrified
look and instead of responding, said “Gerard
might be starting his talk”, and
scurried into the
hall where Gerard Le Fur of Sanofi was
about to describe the effectiveness of
a cannabinoidantagonist drug in treating
obesity. The CMCR Sunday conference was
held
in a room at the Ariston Hotel, same as
the ICRS meeting. About 40 distinguished
scientists
sat around tables with nameplates, microphones,
water, gift notepads, etc. (there was
a noticeably higher percentage of men
than at the ICRS meeting) Breakfast and
lunch were provided. The abstract book
acknowledged grants from the U.S. National
Institute on Drug Abuse, Health Canada,
Solvay (makers of Marinol), Lilly, Merck,
Esteve, Valeant, Indevus, Kadmus, and
G.W. Pharmaceuticals. At least five people
from UC San Diego were involved -Mattison
and Grant, staffer Heather Bentley, a
grad student and a distraught technician
who
kept scurrying along the floor trying
to get the mics to work and/or stop screeching.
The program was organized into four sections:
“Cannabinoid Agonists,” “Cannabinoid
Antagonists,” “New Trends
in Cannabinoid Therapeutics,” and
“Cannabinoid Drug
Development.” Except for the promotion
of antagonist drugs -which work by blocking
the
body’s cannabinoid receptors and
pose dangers about which the designers
remain in deep
denial- most of the research being described
had positive therapeutic implications.
The talks
involved very arcane chemistry, with the
exception of Geoffrey Guy’s report
that tolerance
did not build up in more than 1,000 patients
who had taken Sativex for more than a
year
(for various conditions).
Our concern is not that the CMCR honchos
spent taxpayers’ money on making
themselves
“players” in the cannabusiness
world (the legislation creating the CMCR
allows them to spend
five percent of their time raising money
from outside sources), but that the program
itself
violated their reason for being, which
was and is to study “marijuana,”
not ajulemic acid, or
Marinol, or “cannbinoid therapeutics.”
The CMCR was created by “The Marijuana
Research Act of 1999” -SB-487- which
was introduced by State Sen. John Vasconcellos
explicitly in response to the passage
of Prop 215. SB-487 authorized the UC
regents to
create a “Marijuana Research Program...
(to) develop and conduct studies intended
to
ascertain the general medical safety and
efficacy of marijuana and, if found valuable
(sic),
shall develop medical guidelines for the
appropriate administration and use of
marijuana.”
Note that the act refers to “marijuana”
as it was and is being used by Californians
under
Prop 215, in other words, the plant. The
crude plant that grows in the crude soil
and that
we voted to legalize for medical use.
SB-487 made no reference to synthetic
formulations,
let alone antagonist drugs. It authorized
UC to sponsor studies involving “marijuana.”
For example: “Proposals shall contain
procedures for outreach to patients with
various medical conditions who may be
suitable participants in research on marijuana...”
And “Proposals
shall contain protocols suitable for research
on marijuana...” And “Studies
conducted
pursuant to this section shall include
the greatest amount of new scientific
research possible
on the medical uses of, and medical hazards
associated with, marijuana...” And
“The
marijuana studies shall employ state-of-the-art
research methodologies.”
How did it come to pass that research
into the safety and efficacy of marijuana
got
transmuted into studies involving synthetics?
A key step was the selection of
UC San Diego -where the influence of the
medical marijuana movement was almost
nil- to be the headquarters and Mattison
and Grant to be the directors. This was
arranged by Vasconcellos as a favor to
a mutual friend of his and Mattison’s.
Whereas SB-487 had called for “Marijuana
Research” the UC center changed
its name to
Cannabis (Latin is so much classier than
Mexican). The launch was accompanied by
a
self-congratulatory mission statement
that eradicated marijuana, introduced
the ambiguous
term “cannabis products,”
and added a gratuitous goal that ignores
the people of California
while blowing a kiss to fellow bureaucrats.
“The Center for Medicinal Cannabis
Research
will conduct high quality scientific studies
intended to ascertain the general medical
safety
and efficacy of cannabis and cannabis
products and examine alternative forms
of cannabis
administration. The center will be seen
as a model resource for health policy
planning by
virtue of its close collaboration with
federal, state, and academic entities.”
Had the CMCR been based at UC San Francisco,
its operation might have been
moni-tored by doctors and cannabis-using
patients who want and need studies relevant
to their own situation. Who is better
positioned than the CMCR to collect data
on the
conditions that Californians have been
treating with cannabis.
And to collect and analyze the results?
Who is better positioned to analyze and
provide
data on the strains being used in the
here and now? A director whose ambitions
were on
the clinical rather than the research
side of medicine would have promoted such
studies.
Instead we have Igor Grant and Drew Mattison
“bringing together the major stakeholders
in the development of cannabinoid therapeutics,”
as their abstract book puts it, “to
survey
the laboratory compounds that are most
promising for testing in human trials,
confront
potential stumbling blocks to testing
and development of these compounds, and
identify opportunities for progressing
(sic, sic, sic) new compounds to clinical
readiness.”
The CMCR leaders showed disrespect for
the people they’re supposed to be
serving
when they didn’t invite Hergenrather
and Ellis -who between them have monitored
cannabis
use by more than 5,000 patients!- to their
confab. A member of the CMCR scientific
advisory board (which has not met in two
years) told your correspondent that he
had not
been apprised of the “workshop”
in Paestum. He sought to defend the CMCR
by saying
that SB- 847 requires that their studies
be conducted with marijuana provided by
NIDA.
But the wording of the law suggests that
studies could be conducted with California-grown
herb! “The program shall ensure
that all marijuana used in the studies
is of the appropriate
medical quality and shall be obtained
from the National Institute on Drug Abuse
or any other federal agency designated
to supply marijuana for authorized research.
If these federal
agencies fail to provide a supply of adequate
quality and quantity within six months
of the
effective date of this section, the Attorney
General shall provide an adequate supply
pursuant
to Section 11478.”
The federal agencies have indeed failed
to provide marijuana of adequate quality
-which is
why several CMCR studies couldn’t
entice enough test subjects and have been
“on hold”
for years. (Most egregious example: a
San Mateo study designed for 58 subjects
that
recruited just one!) Why don’t the
scientists involved ask the AG to start
supplying medicine
comparable to what Californians are growing
in their own gardens? Why don’t
they just get
real? While they’re at it they can
discard any “placebo” protocols
that are keeping prospective
patients out of their studies. What seriously
ill person would risk getting a placebo
when
they desperately need effective medicine?
We have to remind ourselves that the CMCR
was created in response to Prop 215, which
was a rejection of a prohibition upheld
not just
by the government but by the biomedical
establishment. Research inspired by Prop
215
should be realistic, practical, and designed
to answer questions raised by Californians
who use
cannabis as medicine in the now. Contact:
journal@ccrmg.org Box 9143, Berkeley CA
94709
by Chris Bennett
The question of cannabis’ role in
the development of humanity’s spiritual
conception of the
universe, is a sort of chicken and the
egg question… Which came first?
We can imagine, as entheobotanist Professor
Richard Evans Schultes did long before
us, that
early hunter gatherer humanity, in their
quest for food and oils, undoubtedly came
across the
nutritious hemp seed. We can imagine our
common stone age ancestors rubbing their
hands
together to remove the fragrant pitch
of the plant, and possibly later tossing
the ball onto the
camp fire... and the sweet smell arising
undoubtedly inspired the collection of
more
of the plant to be destined for the flames...
As wild as this may sound, such an event
likely
inspired some of the world’s earliest
religions. It is with such a view in mind
that German
entheobotanist Christian Ratsch refers
to marijuana as our oldest “cultural
object” and the
late Carl Sagan speculated cannabis was
humanity’s first agricultural crop,
using pygmies
as an example. The pygmies were basically
hunter gatherers until they began using
cannabis ceremoniously and started to
cultivate it to ensure a consistent supply.
From what can be derived from the historical
record, we know that on the island of
Taiwan 12,000 year old archeological evidence,
such as tools used for working hemp
fibers and impressions of hemp fiber left
on pottery fragments, demonstrate stone-age
mans knowledge and use of the fibrous
hemp plant. Showing its already widespread
use in
the distant, distant past , the Columbia
History of the World recorded that a trace
of
10,000 year old hemp fabric was found
at Catal Huyuk in ancient Mesopotamia,
now
modern Turkey. The archeological record
documents that stone-age man was not only
familiar with
cannabis’ fibers, but also with
the effects of burning the plant as well.
Oxford archeologist,
Andrew Sherrat, points to the use of cannabis
incense at a gravesite of a group known
as the
Proto-Indo-Europeans, the Kurgans, who
occupied what is now Romania 5,000 years
ago. The
discovery of a smoking-cup, which contained
remnants of charred hemp seeds, at the
site documents
that 3,000 years before Christ humanity
had already been using cannabis for religious
purposes. Recent archeological evidence
from the Russian excavations in the Kara
Kum desert of
Turkmenistan give the clearest evidence
of cannabis’ historic role in the
development of
religious thought. Both the Vedic religion,
the source of Hinduism, and the Zoroastrian
religion
have a common ancestry in an earlier cult
based around the use of a sacred beverage
known as
Soma in Indian literature and Haoma in
Persian. “[F]or the first time in
the world archeological
practice, monumental temples were found
in which intoxicating beverage of the
soma-haoma
type were prepared for cult ceremonies…The
excavations documentally proved that poppy,
cannabis and ephedra were used for making
the soma-haoma drinks, and thickets of
these plants
were found in excess in the vicinity of
the excavated temples of Margiana.”(Sarianidi,
2003)
Soviet archeologists uncovered a large
shrine, about the size of a football field,
dating from
2,000 BC and consisting of two parts,
one of which was obviously for public,
but the other,
“hidden from the gaze of the multitude,
an inner sanctum of the priesthood. In
one of these private
rooms were found three ceramic bowls.
Analysis of samples found in these vessels
by
Professor Mayer-Melikyan revealed the
traces of both cannabis and Ephedra.”(Rudgley,
1998)
Remnants from vessels recovered at the
site and involved in the preparation of
the sacred drink
have impressions from cannabis seeds left
in the gypsum that settled over the millennia
and the
remnants of ephedra, poppy and mostly
cannabis in the white sediment stuck to
the sides of
ancient pots and pitchers. Russian archeologist
Victor Sariandidi says this proves these
plants
“were used for making the soma –
haoma drinks...”(Sariandidi 2003)
The religious use of cannabis spread quickly
throughout Old World religious cults.
In the second
quarter of the first millennium BC in
Mesopotamia, the “word qunnabu (also
rendered
qunapy, qunubu, qunbu) begins to turn
up as for a source of oil, fiber and medicine”
(Barber
1989). Ashurbanipal lived about 650 B.C.,
cuneiform descriptions of an incense containing
qunnapu
[cannabis] along with oil of cypress,
aloes, myrtle, palm et al., was described
in his library and
this description is generally viewed as
a copy of a much older recipe. Writings
during the earlier
kingdom period of Ashurbanipal’s
father Esarhaddon give clear indications
of the high
regard the ancient Assyrians held for
this sacred plant. “the main items
for the [sacred] rites are
fine oil, water, honey, odorous plants
and cannabis [qunubu]”.
The ancient Sumerian city of Ur was Father
Abraham’s ancestral home. When Abraham
traveled from Ur to become the father
of Judaism, he carried with him the legends
and
customs of his people. Many of these legends
and customs have particular relevance
as
sources to our modern bible. Prior to
the time of Moses, where we get some of
our strongest Biblical evidence of cannabis
use, the Hebrews spent some time in slavery
in Egypt, and here too we find
similar evidence of the use of cannabis
to that in Mesopatamia. As reported in
Aanova,
Monday 7th October 2002, ‘Scientists
recreate the perfume of the pharaoh’.
Scientists in France say they have recreated
the perfume of the pharaohs which they
believe was used by the ancient Egyptians
to boost their love-lives. But as the
ingredients
of Kyphi perfume, said to be an aphrodisiac
which helps wearers relax, includes cannabis,
it cannot be commercially produced. Experts
from L’Oreal and C2RMF, the
Centre for Research and Restoration of
French Museums, succeeded in recreating
the
legendary Kyphi perfume. French researcher
Sandrine Videault, who for years had attempted
to recreate the aroma, was finally able
to do so with the help of Greek historiographer
Plutarch. The Greek writer had written
that Kyphi had the power “to send
someone to sleep, to help
them have sweet dreams, to relax them,
to drive away the worries of the day and
to bring
peace.”…. But Videault said:
“Kyphi will never be sold because
some of the ingredients are illegal
substances. In any case the smell is probably
much too pungent for the modern world.”
Other Egyptian references refer to cannabis
as sm sm t and describe its use as both
a salve and
incense (THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ISLAM). Further,
the forsenic toxologist Dr. Svelta
Balabanova discovered evidence of cannabis
use, and other “magic plants”
when doing deep
tissue samples of Ramses the Great, and
other ancient Egyptian mummies (Sumach
1997).
THE HOLY ANOINTING OIL In 1936, a little
known Polish Professor, Sara
Benetowa (aka Sula Benet), did extensive
etymological research, showing that both
the
Aramaic and Hebrew versions of the Old
Testament contain references to cannabis
as afiber for rope
and cloth, as well as an incense. Most
importantly, Benet found that hemp was
the active ingredient in the Holy anointing
oil of the ancient Hebrews, to be used
only in the
installation of priests and kings, and
in the consecration of holy items, as
described in Exodus
(30: 22-33). According to Benet’s
research, cannabis appears in ancient
Hebrew texts as K’neh
bosem. Based upon the similarities between
kaneh bosem and the Assyrian name qunubu
as
well as other ancient language terms for
the plant and the cognitive pronunciation
of the
modern word cannabis, Benet showed that
the name kaneh bosem described cannabis
and due
to a mistake in translation to the Greek
and then subsequent versions, calamus
appears in most
modern translations. This has continued
to be a source of controversy and calamus
and cannabis
are not the only suggestions. The argument
against cannabis being usually the question
of how a
word of Indo-European language ended up
in the Hebrew Bible? The answer to that
is in fact
quite simple and contained in the Old
Testament itself. Cannabis was an item
of trade
and as such, unlike common things such
as water and wheat, it retained the name
from
whence it came on its travels. Even the
Biblical recipe for the anointing oil
contains similar foreign
words, as we see cinnamon, under the name
cinnamon, and this shows that such cognate
pronunciations can have their counter-parts
in modern language. More specifically
in
Jeremiah 6:20 the sweet smelling ‘kaneh’
is referred to as coming from a foreign
land.
Calamus on the other hand was a common
marsh root!
The book of Exodus records the event of
Moses receiving the instructions for making
and
distributing the hemp enriched holy oil,
in the most auspicious tones.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take
the following fine spices: 500 shekels
of liquid myrrh,
half as much of fragrant cinnamon, 250
shekels of qaneh-bosm, 500 shekels of
cassia—all
according to the sanctuary shekel—and
a hind of olive oil. Make these into a
sacred anointing oil”
(Exodus 30: 22-33). As one shekel equals
approximately 16.37 grams, this means
that the THC of over 9 pounds of flowering
cannabis tops were extracted into a hind,
about 6.5 liters of oil. The entheogenic
effects of such a solution, even when
applied topically, would undoubtedly have
been intense.
References to similar cannabis anointing
oils occur in the contemporary literature
of Egypt,
Assyria and Canaan as well as among Buddhist
monks in Medieval Tibet, European witches
and
19th century occultists. Indeed, the Hebrew
title “Messiah” means the
anointed one, and refers to the psychoactive
cannabis ointment mentioned in exodus.
The ‘anointed ones’, acting
as shamans for the
ancient Israelites, were in a sense the
consciousness of the group or tribe. The
“ideas” that came
to them while they were high were heard
as the voice of God, and through this
‘inner voice’ they
guided the tribe in both war and peace.
The holy anointing oil and incense was
strictly used on the
high ranking members of the priestly Levites,
“the anointed priests, who were
ordained to
serve as priests” (Numbers 3:3).
From the time of Moses until that of the
later prophet Samuel,
the holy anointing oil was used by the
shamanic Levite priesthood to receive
the
“revelations of the Lord”.
At the dawn of the age of Kings, Samuel
extended the use of the anointing
oil to the Hebraic monarchs by anointing
Saul (and later David) as “Messiah-king”.
These
kings lead their people with the benefit
of insights achieved through using the
holy anointing
oil to become “possessed with the
spirit of the Lord.”
The Greek title “Christ” is
the translation of the Hebrew word Messiah,
which in English
becomes “The Anointed”. The
Messiah was recognized as such by his
being anointed with
the holy anointing oil, the use of which
was restricted to the instillation of
Hebrew priests
and kings. If Jesus was not initiated
in this fashion then he was not the Christ,
and had no official
claim to the title. The ministry of Jesus
marked the return of the Jewish Messiah-kings,
and thus
the re-emergence of the holy oil. Jesus
was called the Christ because he violated
the Old Testament
taboo on the cannabis oil and distributed
it freely for initiation rites and to
heal the sick and
wounded. As the New Testament’s
John explains: “. . . you have an
anointing from the Holy One,
and all of you know the truth. . . the
anointing you received from him remains
in you, and you do
not need anyone to teach you. But as his
anointing teaches you about all things
and as that
anointing is real, not counterfeit - just
as it has taught you, remain in him.”
(1 John 2: 27).
The ‘Holy Oil’ not only bestowed
divine knowledge but also had the power
to cure ailments.
James suggests that anyone of the Christian
community who was sick should call
to the elders to anoint him with oil in
the name of Jesus. The Twelve are sent
out among their
fellow-men casting out demons and anointing
the sick with oil (Mark 6:13).”
At the time of Christ, no differentiation
was made between medical treatment and
exorcism
or miracles, all three were interrelated.
To cure someone of a disease or to relieve
them of an
injury was paramount to exorcising the
tormenting spirit, or miraculously healing
them.
Thus it is not so surprising to find that
the anointing oil expelled demons and
gave protection
against them, correspondingly it cured
and dispelled the “sickness”
of the soul and body.
Exorcism (literally “driving out”)
was performed by means of anointing.(6:13)
The above examples are far from the only
ones regarding the religious history of
cannabis,
and as we enter into the 21st century
we are finding out more and more about
the hidden
history of the holy plant and rediscovering
the roots of this once and future tree
of life.
Bennett, with wife Renee and son, Shiva
The Grandfather of Herb Art, Pat Ryan
by Chris Ducey
Pat was born & raised
in Levittown, NY and migrated to LA in
the mid 60’s.
After several years of working for an
ad agency on Sunset Blvd., with the Vietnam
War
in full swing, Pay Ryan turned on, tuned
in and dropped out. In 1971 he packed
up his belongings
and young family, soul singer wife Cyretta
and two young daughters, moving to the
little
town of Fairfax in sleepy Marin County,
CA just north of San Francisco.
Sharing the whole building on the corner
of 2nd and B Streets in San Rafael, “The
Peanut
Gallery”, the greatest CA rock poster
artists, mingled, collaborated and got
turned on to each
others medium and style. Pat Ryan painted
most of this CFFA poster which can be
seen in a historical
context in Paul Grushkin’s book,
“Art of Rock”. In ’78
the Peanut Gallery disbanded and threw
a final party, each artist having created
a T-Shirt design to help fund their move
into their own
separate studios. Pat Ryan and Dave Sheridan
moved to Fairfax and opened their business;
“C.O.D.
Grafix – Consistently Over Drawn!”
(Inspiration for the ARTISTA dragon to
be painted by Pat Ryan,
Dave Sheridan and Alton Kelley a couple
of years later) C.O.D. Grafix in the 80’s
– The Fairfax Years
At C.O.D, Pat Ryan and Dave Sheridan (famous
cartoonist of the Fabulous Furry Freak
Bros. with
Gilbert Shelton and creator of the Dealer
McDope board game) began their several
years of close friendship and collaboration.
Pat and Dave, with a little help from
Kelley
(lettering and chrome effect), painted
the ARTISTA rainbow dragon squeezed from
a
paint tube. This was the birth of the
ARTISA art gang, eventually numbering
over 700 members.
Almost in synch with the ARTISTA arrival,
Pat Ryan and Dave Sheridan created the
fictitious
California Homegrowers Association. In
the wild 80’s, Pat Ryan and Dave
Sheridan
collaborated on the first pot brand labels
and postcards in the California orange
crate art style.
High Times featured a small article on
the lads during this period.
The ARTISTA gang grew and the annual parties
became events not to be missed by Bay
Area
bud lovers, as they always featured a
judging contest for the best of the “Kind”!
Sadly, we lost Dave in the early 80’s.
Pat Ryan carried on in Sheridan’s
absence surrounded by
family, friends and a colony of artists
and their families the ARTISTA have evolved
into.
Besides the annual Harvest Moon parties
throughout the decade, Pat was the coach
of the
ARTISTA co-ed softball team, which dominated
their league. In local circles they became
known
as the “Team of the 80’s”.
Pat brought his art to everything, even
softball!
Pat’s childhood fascination with
Indian lore, coupled with the FBI’s
assault on the Lakota
people’s reservation at Pine Ridge,
SD, inspired him to begin an ambitious
series of Native
American tribes. Twelve paintings in all,
they pay tribute to the mobility and cultural
history of
the first Americans. Pat continued working
on this series through the 80’s
and 90’s when, in ’92
he found himself drawn to leave Fairfax.
With their kids grown and married, he
and his wife settled
in Redway, CA, where he knew some fellow
ARTISTAs. Redway was right in the geographic
heart of
Northern California’s infamous Emerald
Triangle.
The 90’s – Those Humboldt
Years Needless to say, being in one of
the prime
growing areas of the world, Pat spun his
talents into creating new, vibrant and
hilarious herb
labels. He also became the defacto poster
artist in residence for Reggae on the
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