John S.

Mention was made (shared on the Marijuana Minute Blog) that the first recreational Marijuana sale was made to Republican (yes, GOP) State Representative, Jamie Callender, who purchased some Willie's Reserve grown in Eastlake. To me, that means Marijuana legalization isn't and never should have been a Democrat or Republican issue, but like everything else in this issue driven political year, it has been. I can personally vouch for Willie's Reserve as excellent based on flavor (Raspberry Parfait, for example) and potency. Willie Nelson was probably smoking Cannabis before many of us were born, yet paradoxically, he hails from Texas which has one of the most stringent Med. Marijuana programs in the country. Willie's been busted multiple times for possession but he remains a steadfast enthusiast of Cannabis and a renowned Country musician-singer, still going in his 90's. I'm relieved that day one of legal recreational Marijuana sales in Ohio went smoothly. As far as waiting in lines, hopefully, that was temporary. I expect if customer volume exceeds expectations that some dispensaries will have to move to larger facilities because no one likes to wait in lines outdoors especially in the dead of an Ohio winter. Bob Saget was hilarious in the video but he makes the important point that Cannabis/Marijuana/Pot should have never been classified as a Schedule I hard drug. At least more people now recognize that as more States vote to legalize or at least allow Medical Marijuana in their State. It would interesting to see where things will be ten years from now. I'm still surprised no one in the media business has launched a "Pot TV" channel where people under the influence could watch comedies and laugh their asses off. Advertisers could cash in on pitching foods to people with "Munchies". ( I think some fast food chains with home deliveries already do)

The local (WTRF) TV station showed a long line of buyers patiently waiting outside the Wintersville dispensary. Prospective buyers had to have a valid ID checked before they could go inside. I didn't hear anything about out-of-staters making any purchases. BTW, I believe it is a violation of Federal law to purchase MJ legally in one state and then transport it across state lines to a state where it isn't legal. (for recreational Cannabis) That said, I doubt DEA agents would stop Interstate traffic to make sure no one has a quarter ounce of Cannabis from Ohio and taking it home to WV or PA. Technically, Cannabis may still be classified as Schedule I, but a police officer at a meeting I attended recently mentioned that K-9 Pot sniffing dogs have been retired in states where Cannabis is legal. All that said, I didn't purchase (still have a valid Med MJ card) or even partake today-Cannabis for me is largely a weekend thing. I am happy that others previously excluded, can now legally buy and partake in Ohio without a qualifying medical condition requiring a Med MJ card. Maybe in hindsight the very slow rollout of legal adult Cannabis sales will be seen as a good thing because regulation and taxation (like alcohol) was at the heart of Initiative No. 2 last November. 98 dispensaries still offers many choices for Ohioans depending on where you live. I was out mowing my yard this afternoon and I swear a car went by with a fairly strong burning Cannabis smell- I imagine though that most will celebrate at home. We're still light years away from Cannabis lounges that are opening up in some states.

According the the Marijuana Minute Blog, 98 Ohio dispensaries will be open and available for sales today: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/heres-where-you-can-buy-recreational-marijuana-in-ohio-starting-this-week/? Others await final approval or completion of other regulatory compliance details before they can sell adult use Cannabis. The Division of Cannabis Control has a list of dispensaries as well. Given that Ohio has had medical Marijuana for a number of years, I don't expect initial sales to be robust. However, Midwestern States can be surprising-Michigan outsold California in recent months. Good luck fellow Ohioans as you can now enjoy this added recreational freedom. A lot of people paid their dues along the way to help get us here over the years. Never say never...

It's Official: Ohio legal adult use Marijuana Sales begin tomorrow It's official: Tuesday August 6 will be the first day of legal recreational Marijuana sales in Ohio. Article courtesy of the online Blog, Marijuana Minute: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/ohios-first-adult-use-marijuana-dispensaries-set-to-open-next-week-businesses-say/? Remember, no outdoor partying or festivities for this solemn, serious occasion. (no giggling or laughing either! ) I hope once adult sales become normalized that the new market will become more positive and upbeat. I speculate if sales take off and tax revenue starts rolling into state coffers that in hindsight some will wonder what all of the fuss was about. There's still the unfinished Initiative #2 legislative business in the Statehouse as well as the unnecessary delay of rescheduling Marijuana at the Federal level from the severely restrictive DEA Schedule I to the more lenient Schedule III. In summary, much work remains to be done but at least for Ohio, this new market represents progress. If you don't see much in the Media about this event, don't be surprised-there are restrictions on what can be covered and no advertising is allowed. I recall seeing large roadside 420 festivities billboards in Michigan but unlikely we'll see those in Ohio for another decade, if ever. Remember to act responsibly as everyone is watching to see how this new market launches.

Only if they're Baptists.

Time for Nit-Picking The glacially slow rollout of Ohio's legal recreational Marijuana sales continues. Some folks on the regulatory side have apparently contemplated and considered every conceivable situation and put those thoughts into codified form. For example: "One way that the division (Department of Cannabis Control) is preparing prospective dual licensees is by reminding them of what they can and can’t do to mark their opening day. For example, businesses cannot allow on-site consumption, offer samples (infused or non-infused), have music or food trucks outside the shop, promote the opening with celebratory decor on the exterior or hold a ribbon cutting ceremony outside. However, they are permitted to have music inside as long as it’s not a live performance. They can also offer complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and promote the opening by holding a ribbon cutting ceremony inside the dispensary." (Courtesy of the online blog, Marijuana Minute) More article details: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/ohio-marijuana-officials-send-guidance-to-dispensaries-on-rules-for-opening-day-sales-events-advertising-and-more-ahead-of-market-launch/? Sounds like opening day for legal adult Cannabis sales in Ohio will be a whole lot of fun, doesn't it? (all that's missing are black armbands and some requisite funeral dirges) As before, the GOP majority Ohio House continues to stall final passage of the 2023 legalization Bill perhaps hoping that Federal Marijuana Law changes (from MJ being classified as a DEA Schedule I drug to a more lenient Schedule III status) won't happen, and after the November elections, the political tide will turn and Marijuana Prohibition can be reinstated. Most of the legislative effort going on right now is focused on legislation "to regulate or prohibit the sale of intoxicating Hemp-derived Cannabinoids such as Delta-8 T.H.C.. " In the meantime, some States where MJ has been legal for a while are allowing Marijuana Lounges, (much like the Amsterdam MJ Coffee Shops in the Netherlands) where people can partake Marijuana in a social setting, to open up. I probably won't live long enough to see that happen in the Buckeye State, but even legalization in our state would have seemed unlikely several years ago. There are even rules about how the Media outlets can cover opening day events but still, (as of July 30) there's no set date for when sales can begin.

In the absence of available legal adult use weed, quasi-legal hemp products and Delta-8 THC containing derivatives have appeared in the marketplace at vape and smoke shops, convenience stores, and even liquor outlets. I recall a few decades ago, there was a product called K-2 which was sold as a marijuana substitute but it was soon added to the banned substances list. A few years ago, products claiming to contain Delta-8 T.H.C. appeared in the retail marketplace and only because it couldn't be classified as the then illegal Delta-9 T.H.C. containing products, it was legally tolerated. Those in the regulating business have finally gotten around to addressing concerns about Hemp and Hemp derivative products but from what you've shared, it looks like some Hemp products will be allowed in Ohio provided they meet that same standards as the now legal Marijuana products with Delta-9 T.H.C.. Other states have enacted bans and regulation laws pertaining to Hemp/Delta-8 products. Along the same lines...I recall soon after Initiative No. 2 passed (in November of 2023) that a lot of speculation about the timing and rollout of retail adult use sales in Ohio was being aired. The most pessimistic opinions suggested it would take the better part of a year for legal retail (Adult use) Marijuana to become available in Ohio. Unfortunately, that has proven to be the case with it now looking like September will be the earliest time for retail sales to begin although preliminary Dispensary permits have been issued. Final passage of the Initiative No. 2 Bill is still in limbo in the Statehouse facing political opposition from one political party who perhaps hopes that Cannabis prohibition can somehow be reinstated after the November elections. That blockage extends to the Federal level where the DEA's obligation to reschedule Marijuana from Schedule I, the most restricted, to Schedule III, which is the least restrictive, also remains in limbo. Until the Scheduling change takes place, Marijuana/Cannabis businesses aren't allowed use of the Federal banking system because Schedule I drugs are all illegal and considered to have no medical value. Thus businesses that sell Cannabis products are subject to Federal seizure/forfeiture laws for selling Federally illegal substances. That places an added burden on such businesses to use a cash only business model while liquor stores have no such restrictions. In hindsight, I'm glad I renewed my medical MJ card earlier this year. Perhaps next year that won't be necessary, but then again it would be foolish of me to speculate what lies ahead in the coming months and years. It may take decades for Cannabis/Marijuana to be seen in the same light as alcohol products. In the meantime, some states are seeing tax windfalls from their prosperous Cannabis businesses but in Ohio, retail sales remain pending. I suspect September may finally be the rollout month for retails sales but I'm not holding my breath. I await a word from any Forumers who have been allowed non-medical Cannabis retail sales. Those who like the Delta-8/Hemp derivatives had better stock up before they disappear from retail store shelves. Better yet would be to grow your own as permitted by State law but even that isn't without its inherent problems.

Where JD Vance stands on the Cannabis issue From this article in the online Blog, Marijuana Moment: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/where-trumps-vice-presidential-running-mate-j-d-vance-stands-on-marijuana/? it's very clear that Vance is on the Prohibitionist side of the issue. Pity that the Cannabis issue had to, like so many other things, become politicized in the first place. Mr. Vance seems to ignore there being any medical value to Cannabis despite a majority of states having Medical Marijuana programs in place and hundreds of thousands of patients. He says he dislikes the smell of burning weed which is about the only thing I can agree with him on the issue.

Right. And they are likely to get much more "action" whenever retail sales finally begin. Fortunately, they do have a generous sized parking lot and, if like retail dispensaries in places like Michigan, the same entry security checkpoint will remain to make sure only adults with proper ID will be allowed entry. As mentioned, I expect any influx of out of state customers will be temporary. Then again, according to an article I just read, Ohio legislators yet again stalled and declined to approve a final codified version of Initiative No.2 and were dismissed for the Summer recess. There seems to be some who think the goal of this stall tactic is to await the results of this November's elections when those in the prohibitionist camp hope a new administration and new Congressional members might repeal or recriminalize Cannabis in those states where it's been voted legal. The effort to reclassify Marijuana as a DEA Schedule III drug from its previous harsher Schedule I status has been stalled for months by opponents of this Schedule status change. Cannabis should have never been politicized-no one claims that Democrats or Republicans are more in favor of alcohol consumption. But here we are living in a time where everything is subject to political considerations and manipulations.

Not surprisingly, those dispensaries nearest to Pennsylvania (including the Sunnyside Medical Cannabis Dispensary in Wintersville, OH which was on the approved recreational sales license list) are poised to offer adult use retail sales in the coming weeks. The situation in Harrisburg, PA is one of concern about Pennsylvania dollars being spent in Ohio. Pennsylvania State Senator Sharif Street (D) has stated the delay in legalizing recreational Cannabis in the Keystone state is benefiting Ohio dispensaries authorized to sell adult use recreational Cannabis. Excepts from the online blog, Marijuana Moment article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/pennsylvania-lawmakers-suggest-marijuana-legalization-could-advance-imminently-as-neighboring-state-markets-add-urgency-to-reform/? "Pennsylvania lawmakers are signaling that a bill to legalize marijuana could advance imminently—with few remaining differences between House and Senate proposals, an added sense of urgency as more neighboring state markets come online and bipartisan agreement about the need to avoid a state-run regulatory model. At a press conference on Monday, Reps. Aaron Kaufer (R) and Emily Kinkead (D), as well as Sen. Sharif Street (D), gave a status update on the push for adult-use legalization in the Keystone State. Kaufer suggested that there was enough alignment between each chamber’s reform measures to move them “today,” or before a budget deadline this week. “Our goal is to get this done as soon as possible,” he said, adding that legalization is “part of the governor’s budget proposal. “I think everybody standing up here, we’ve been working diligently to try to get together something that can pass today in both the House and Senate,” the GOP representative said. Street, along with Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), introduced a legalization bill last year, while Kaufer and Kinkead announced their intent to file a cannabis measure earlier this month. While the House measure hasn’t been formally filed yet, Kaufer said there’s “not too much of a difference” between the chambers’ proposals. In terms of where lawmakers agree, the participants made clear that there’s a bipartisan understanding that Pennsylvania is falling behind surrounding states, with repeated mentions of the fact that about 90 percent of the state borders another state that either has or is implementing adult-use legalization. That includes neighboring Ohio, which is poised to launch adult-use cannabis sales in short order after regulators opened up applications for existing medical cannabis dispensaries to start serving recreational consumers and began issuing provisional licenses last week. “We are surrounded by states that have already legalized the adult use of cannabis, and they are taking advantage of the fact that we have not,” Kinkead said. “There are Pennsylvania dollars to be spent on adult use [cannabis], and they want to capitalize on it when we should be doing that.” “We should be using Pennsylvania dollars in Pennsylvania to support Pennsylvanians, and we should be learning from all of the other states about the way to do this best and the way to best capitalize on it,” she said. Street agreed, noting that “folks from Canada, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, are all benefiting from our failure to move forward and pass cannabis reform.” “Our citizens are going across the state [border] and they’re buying cannabis now,” he said. “And moreover, those who don’t do that, who are buying in the illicit market, they don’t know what they’re buying. It could be laced with something. It could be laced with anything.” “There are people who only intended to use cannabis—and use it in a way that wouldn’t have caused them any serious harm—who are being harmed today because they are getting cannabis in an illicit market where there’s no regulation and no testing,” the senator said. This delay towards legalization in Pennsylvania seems similar to the long drawn out implementation of Ohio's voter initiative No. 2 from 2023 which has taken nearly a year to implement. In the interim, Ohio recreational Cannabis buyers have gone to states like Michigan to purchase adult use Cannabis. (legal on a State level but still illegal on a Federal level) As noted in my previous post, Michigan now outsells California (!) in the legal adult use of recreational Cannabis market. I'm curious to see if Ohio dispensaries experience the same monetary windfall from Pennsylvania customers as Michigan did while Ohio was implementing the provisions of voter initiative Number 2 There's nothing like huge sums of money to motivate changes at the State level although I think it's likely Ohio's Pennsylvania customer windfall will be short lived. I've also read about predicted product shortages stemming from recreational/adult use Cannabis sales. In my own opinion, in a decade, Cannabis will be viewed much as alcoholic beverages are today. I expect once full legalization on the Federal level occurs, big Pharma and Tobacco multinationals will immediately move in and consolidate national markets although niche markets for local growers will continue much as craft beers and wine makers have today. It's interesting that Ohio law allows personal home grown Cannabis (six plants per adult and up to 12 per household) but doubtful that provision will exist longer term, if for no other reason than it's difficult to monitor and regulate. For long term fans of legalized Cannabis, these are the good old days.

Surf Ohio, It does appear that California's long established Cannabis Industry is lagging. In fact, Michigan's Cannabis sales are now surpassing those of California. (Thanks, Ohio!) From the Cannabis Blog and Medical Marijuana card portal, MMJ.com, is this account: https://mmj.com/business/michigan-outshines-california-in-cannabis-sales-spending-and-beyond/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&_kx=O2wIfuL1n_dt1TGO_6bEAjBZL46FXahEPtKzFlXIjQE.UxAXkM Speaking of Ohio, has anyone found recreational retail Cannabis available at any local dispensaries? A mirror of the phenomenon where Michigan picked up a lot of Ohio business because of the slow retail sales rollout may be played out in Ohio because Pennsylvania has not legalized recreational Pot and speculation abounds that Ohio dispensaries closest to Pennsylvania will see substantial business from the Keystone State. (of course, only when non-medical retail sales finally occur in Ohio. )

Cleveland.com published similar information stating that everything is in place to start retail Cannabis sales at existing Ohio Medical Marijuana Dispensaries around the State: https://www.cleveland.com/news/2024/05/recreational-marijuana-rules-go-into-effect-today-as-state-continues-to-finalize-applications-for-dispensaries.html Mention was made that not all qualifying dispensaries will open for retail sales at the same time because the Dispensary review process is individualized and some applications take longer to process and implement than others. Noticeably silent is any information about home grown Cannabis which is allowed by Ohio law for an adult over 21 limited to six plants per adult and no more than 12 plants per household. Some places where Cannabis home grown is legally allowed have "420" celebrations (April 20th) with events like the "best in show" home grown plants kind of like those Orchid growers have. I wonder if we'll ever see them in Ohio? Michigan, which has an older legal Cannabis market, advertises such festivals taking out space on roadside billboards . I saw some of them along the roads during my visit to the area in early April of this year.

From Channel 12 News in Cincinnati, an article about the fate of Cannabis sales moratoriums is being debated as well as the stated position of the Mayor of Fairfield: https://local12.com/news/local/greater-cincinnati-city-council-debates-allowing-marijuana-dispensaries-moratorium-recreational-medical-pot-cannabis-thc-weed-smoke-smoking-vaping-edibles-sell-sellers-growers-fairfield-west-chester-economic-benefit-legalization-tax-revenue-vote The unknown is what the mayor said is holding him back from supporting dispensaries in Fairfield. Mayor Rhodus did say, however, that if the percentage of revenue for the city is high enough that it will be economically impactful for Fairfield, he will be in favor of allowing dispensaries to open. "I would recommend our council tabling it again or putting another moratorium on it for another six months," Rhodus said. "Let the state figure out the parameters that they’re putting around it, and then we can make an educated decision. Until then, I don’t think we can make an educated decision." Fairfield's moratorium is on the agenda for the next council meeting May 28. The council will decide whether to extend the moratorium or not. I think that statement echoes the sentiments of many Ohio communities which are grappling with the reality of voter initiated Cannabis legalization in our state. Medical Cannabis sales over the past 5 years in Arkansas have sold over $1.10 Billion dollars according to kark.com NBC News in Little Rock: https://www.kark.com/news/politics/medical-marijuana-sales-top-1-billion-in-arkansas-5-years-after-states-first-dispensary-opened/ Based on those numbers as well as those from other states where Cannabis sales are allowed, I would expect more Ohio municipalities will opt-in and lift the moratoriums in the coming months and years because of the potential revenue streams created by sales. On a personal note, after attending a (Cadiz) Village Council Meeting and walking back home, I was somewhat surprised to walk by a "smoke" shop with flashy (almost gaudy, neon) signage that is now open directly opposite the Harrison County Courthouse. While no Cannabis sales are allowed within the Village, Hemp and Delta 8 T.H.C. products were advertised in the shop windows. The nearest Medical Marijuana Dispensary is in Wintersville, in nearby Jefferson County. Some municipalities will continue to impose moratoriums while others will opt in. Five years from now the landscape may be entirely different. We do have two (busy) liquor stores in town so why should Cannabis be excluded? The State of Ohio requires a $50,000 application fee for a class 10B license to legally sell Cannabis at retail. More information: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/ohio-marijuana-license-application-4576865/

Many of these places have enacted temporary moratoriums to draft local legislation so they don't have places opening up before they can do something on their end. Many of these have expirations in 2024. That seems sensible. As those municipalities with Cannabis sales Moratoriums that opted out stand to potentially lose substantial revenue streams by doing so. I expect as the legalization program unfolds and evolves that some will lift their Moratorium and allow sales going forward that conform to their local ordinances, The Ohio State U. Moritz School of Law Moratorium article brought up some potential downsides to opting out of sales as posted below:

47 Ohio Communities have enacted Moratoriums on Cannabis sales within their jurisdiction as of March 31st From Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law, there's a published list of communities that have enacted Moratoriums on Cannabis businesses and sales following the passage of Initiative Number 2 approved by Ohio voters last November. In the aggregate, those communities that have opted out represent only 9% of Ohio's population. More information from the Ohio State University article: https://moritzlaw.osu.edu/faculty-and-research/drug-enforcement-and-policy-center/research-and-grants/policy-and-data-analyses/ohio-marijuana-moratoriums

Ohio to add Female Orgasmic Disorder to list of Med MJ qualifying conditions Perhaps the Rolling Stones back in the '60's weren't the only ones who couldn't get no satisfaction. From Marijuana Moment, the online news blog about Cannabis: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/cannabis-can-help-treat-female-orgasmic-disorder-study-finds-as-ohio-officials-consider-adding-it-as-qualifying-condition/? This is such a delicate topic that I don't even know how to comment on it so you can reach your own conclusions. It does mean that women in Ohio may soon be able to obtain a Medical Marijuana license for "personal reasons". No further comments necessary...

Agreed, GCrites, there are many factors involved in work participation rates and Marijuana usage or consumption is at most a minor factor. It is true that some more sheltered individuals do stay with their parents well past their early adult years. I also think worker expectations have changed. Working at a low level job in hopes of promotions leading to a real career has been a dead end for many. "McJobs" are far too plentiful while jobs with real career potential are less common. I also agree that in some people's minds, the War on Drugs never ended. They do score political brownie points with old school voters who still believe Marijuana is solely a gateway leading to harder drug use. For some people, it probably is, but then those same people probably drank milk as a child, and put mustard on their hotdogs- so, is milk and mustard to blame for drawing people into hard drug use? I did read a news brief that some confiscated illegal Marijuana did test positive for Fentanyl. That was one of the primary reasons behind Initiative No. 2: to put illicit street dealers out of business.

Attention 420 Slackers: Get Back to Work! NC Senator Ted Budd (R) (gotta love that name) had harsh words to say against Marijuana claiming that the decline in Male U.S. worker participation in the U.S. is being caused by widespread Marijuana use: https://www.askapol.com/p/sen-budd-male-marijuana He is fighting any expansion of Cannabis legalization efforts and like many in the Prohibitionist camp, parroted the often repeated concerns about excessively high THC content levels in today's legal Cannabis. Todd Rundgren in 1982 created the perfect song to go along with this story:

Neither did I but maybe it's because they didn't have THC infused gummies back in the 1970's? I concur that pets and animals are at a higher accidental ingestion risk because they can't read and are attracted to tastes, smells, and colors. They should provide funds for Vets for such incidents.

Foraker, I completely agree with you. We must keep in mind that Cannabis/Marijuana/Pot/Weed, et al, was the main target of the Federal Government's War on Drugs. It's surely bewildering to those who vividly remember those years of frightening public service ads, (as I do) to now witness Pot becoming legal at the State level. There are still serious misgivings about legalizing Pot by the State of Ohio's legislative chambers and they are encapsulated in this Ohio State Senator's quoted statement: “With greater access to marijuana, there will be more visits to poison control centers,” he said, adding that it’s “really important” that lawmakers allocate tax dollars to those centers as part of any amendment package. The senator additionally said he thinks “what’s most pressing is people smoking marijuana when they’re walking down the street.” (More details available in this article from the Marijuana Moment online Blog: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/top-ohio-gop-lawmakers-struggle-to-reach-consensus-on-bill-to-amend-marijuana-legalization-law/? These Statements sound rather regressive to someone who has watched and witnessed how Cannabis and the Law have interacted since 1972 when I took my first toke "over the line." 52 years later, it isn't over yet. I'm not denying that some idiots will do stupid things and they, or other members of their family, will somehow end up at such a center. But I do think conjuring up mental imagery of throngs of Pot-addled people being triaged for acute Cannabis poisoning at Poison Control centers, is a deliberately hysterical and overblown claim. It is intended to generate fear among those Ohio citizens who are non-Cannabis consumers or patients. Sadly, it also isn't far from the scare tactics used in the 1930's in fictitious "educational" movies like Reefer Madness where the actors were berserk and maniacal in their portrayal of people high on Pot. Those amped up characters were everything but mellowed out and laid back. Anyhow, for those who voted for the initiative, this isn't the time to say the War is now over, we won, and everyone can go back to doing their own business as usual. Too many decent people have had their careers and lives ruined by running afoul of the Marijuana Prohibition laws. Perhaps a decade from now, if this commentary survives, people may read it and think how our current attitudes were so strange but for now, the Marijuana controversy is far from being settled.

Important news: DEA moves Cannabis classification from Schedule I to Schedule III https://www.marijuanamoment.net/dea-agrees-to-reschedule-marijuana-under-federal-law-in-historic-move-following-biden-directed-health-agencys-recommendation/? At long last, the Feds at the DEA have finally agreed to reclassify Cannabis from the DEA's most dangerous classification, Schedule I (classifying it as more dangerous than Fentanyl) to Schedule III which still makes it a controlled substance but with an acknowledgement of Cannabis also having potential medical value and uses. Some had wished for it to have been declassified from the DEA schedule. entirely, but the Federal bureaucracy doesn't move in that manner. Full removal from the schedule remains ahead, but for now the change opens up many new doors for those legally in the Cannabis business including it being recognized as gainful taxable revenue. Banking reform for businesses involved in the Cannabis sector will come next, meaning you won't have to carry a wallet full of cash once credit/banking entities allow purchases to be made for Cannabis products. This is like a sea change from the decades when Pot was front and center in the brutal government War on Drugs. It returns Cannabis to legitimacy in pharmaceuticals as it was for almost a century until the hysteria of the 1930's pushed it into the same category as Barbiturates, Heroin, Opium, and LSD. The poor maligned weed has been used as a scapegoat for all kinds of alleged societal ills, ever since, and has ruined many people's careers by giving them a criminal record for simple possession. I still hope in my lifetime to see Cannabis legal in all 50 states and at the Federal level as well. Government entities can look forward now to new tax revenue streams as Cannabis is going mainstream.

As I mentioned some time ago, our teenaged daughter came home one day from Middle School and told her Mom and I that in her D.A.R.E. class that day the officer had recommended if any of the students knew someone in their family who was using drugs (generic, not just Pot specifically) to come up to her desk at the end of class and talk to them so the officer could get them some help. Our daughter giggled when she looked at us and said, "I was tempted to tell her (the officer) about you guys smoking Pot but I decided not to". My wife and I had a very long conversation with our daughter and afterwards, between ourselves and decided that the risks just weren't worth it because children in Texas had been removed from parents and put into foster care after getting busted. Over five years passed before I took another toke. Fast forward to the present and I'm older, (much older) and now actually have a legal right to light up whenever I'm in my own home. A day long effort to tame my front yard a couple of days ago caused a flare up of lower back pain (congenital and inoperable) and Cannabis definitely helped. I'm glad the DARE officer mentioned in the article was open minded and sensible enough to understand while Cannabis misuse can still be a problem for some, for others it can alleviate pain and help those with other medical conditions. As for recreational (I really don't like that term) responsible adult use, Cannabis is still evolving culturally in American society. It will probably take another generation or two before society as a whole finds Cannabis use normal and acceptable. After all, it looks like the DARE officers did their jobs pretty well over the years and one cannot expect them to come out now and state that as far as Cannabis, we got it wrong.

A Different kind of D.A.R.E.? From the online Marijuana information Blog, Marijuana Moment, (based in Washington, D.C.) comes an article about a top Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer who grudgingly seems to admit the anti-drug group may have gotten some things wrong when it comes to fighting Cannabis. https://www.marijuanamoment.net/top-d-a-r-e-officer-says-medical-marijuana-helped-his-brother-in-law-treat-cancer-pain/? He also reveals U.S. government involvement in the Cocaine trade in decades past. (that's been public knowledge for a while) I wholeheartedly support the aims of D.A.R.E.; my son and daughter both had programs taught by D.A.R.E. officers in their classrooms. Neither one ever did, and do not now, use drugs, including Cannabis. I'm glad at this late stage of the War on Drugs story that they are recognizing Cannabis isn't the great evil it was once thought to be and in fact, contains substances recognized as having medical therapeutic value. Ohio is inching it's way to implementing voter Initiative No 2 with the earliest legal recreational Cannabis sales scheduled for June of this year. The entire formal rollout is likely to last until well into 2025 and is of course, still subject to changing political environments after the November elections.

Graphic evidence of how Michigan is profiting from Ohio's slow rollout of retail Cannabis sales Here's graphic proof of Michigan's booming retail and medical Cannabis sales over the past month. (courtesy of the Marijuana Minute media blog) I opined I thought perhaps the folks in Michigan needed the tax revenue from Cannabis sales more so than Ohioans. I did witness an alarming number of pot holed, fractured pavement roads driving around Southwestern Michigan last week so maybe they can use our tax revenue until Ohio gets it act together and finally opens up the retail market voters approved last November. I hope those who are proud of their legislative stalling tactics are aware of how many millions their inaction is costing the Buckeye state in lost tax revenue. Let's also not forget, those Ohioans unwilling to travel out of state, are buying their Cannabis from the illicit street market with those profits going to who knows who or where. Initiative 2 was supposed to suppress this underground Cannabis market, not encourage it to thrive and expand. I hope the picture in Ohio improves in the months to come and some genius won't come back then and tell us how disappointed they are at the paltry retail sales numbers when they finally do begin to come in. But hey, it's only money...

Michigan gets what Ohio doesn't Since I had some business to attend to in downtown Chicago this past week, I renewed my Ohio Med card and took it with me to Michigan where I stayed for two days. The nearest town with a dispensary was Buchanan, to the east. I took my Ohio Med. MJ license to the dispensary, showed them my credentials, and was welcomed into the primary sales area in the back. There, I witnessed a busy beehive of activity with multiple customers coming and going with rapid sales of products. And this was but one dispensary in the heart of Buchanan Michigan's downtown that is bringing prosperity back into the faded small town central business district. I was able to replenish my supply with Michigan grown equivalents for about 70% of what Ohio Medical MJ dispensaries charge. I urge Ohio's elected officials not to keep delaying the implementation of Initiative No 2 passed by Ohio voters last Fall. We've taken the big step of legalizing (responsible) adult Cannabis use in our state. It's time now to set things up for routine Cannabis sales in our state and not in the meantime sending millions of Ohio dollars in tax revenue to neighboring states by frustrated Ohio Cannabis users who can now legally access Cannabis, but there are no outlets to buy from unless they are registered Med. MJ cardholders. As for product efficacy, I've found that it t performs well, helps the patient to retain great mental clarity as some of what I've written here was Cannabis inspired. Before I forget, Happy April 420 everybody! In Michigan, there were roadside billboards and posters popping up for local 420 (April 20th) "festivals". I envision it is inevitable for the national government to listen to voters and bend to their will and finally legalize the darn weed. I'm reading a lot of positive peer reviewed Scientific information coming in about how Cannabis has intriguing health benefits involving the promise of reversing declining mental abilities in older Americans. By the way, I'm a 73 years young, educated and degreed, hip, younger minded, widowed, aspiring Rock guitarist seeking to reinvent myself, find myself a new soulmate, and keep on truckin'. Please, everyone should remember, to smoke, vape, consume edibles responsibly as the greater American society is closely watching all of us in this new social-cultural legalized Cannabis atmosphere. I got a quick glimpse of what Ohio's Cannabis culture might look like, say, ten years from now In Michigan and Illinois.In those states, the buying and selling of Cannabis has become normalized, culturally accepted, and no one, even law enforcement officials, gets excited nowadays over it. I had to share this: on the way back from Chicago using cell phone directed navigation that invariably takes you down isolated country roads , my neighbor-navigator, a decorated Vietnam Coast Guard vet, suggested that we stop for dinner at a local steakhouse which we did. However, that indulgence made us drive the rest of the way back to our hotel in the dark. I very seldom drive in the dark and after the trauma of full immersion driving down Chicago's highways, I did not realize that I had neglected to turn on my tail lights so a township deputy sheriff parked silently out besides a dark country crossroads, turned on his bubblegum machine as we drove by. I dutifully signaled and pulled over, turned on the interior lights and somewhat nervously, got out my driver's ID, proof of insurance, and so on. The officer asked the standard routine traffic stop questions took the license back to his squad car to run an outstanding issues report and then he returned about 15 minutes later, shined his light on the turned off light switch, and said he was just giving us a warning this time but cautioned me to drive slower and watch out for Deer at night crossing the empty roads. The officer's conduct was the epitome of professionalism and I almost felt privileged to have been pulled over on a dark country Michigan road by him late at night. He didn't ask me about Cannabis and I didn't mention it either. One perk I received was a 15% first time customer discount