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ASTROCYTOMA & CANNABIS Researchers across the world have discovered that medical marijuana and cannabis extracts have been able to decrease the size of brain tumors...

7 BENEFITS OF YOGA Yoga has officially hit the mainstream. It’s hard to believe that just thirty or so years ago the word “yoga” was still taboo, associated primarily with mystical yogis and dreadlocked hippies....

PTSD AND VETERANSStudying cannabis is really, really, difficult in the United States. Just ask Dr. Sue Sisley, who has spent the last ten years trying to complete the first clinical trial of cannabis use for PTSD in veterans...

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Researchers across the world have discovered that medical marijuana and cannabis extracts have been able to decrease the size of brain tumors by stopping the growth of blood vessels that supply the tumor. Cannabis has chemicals called cannabinoids, which are the chemicals that could effectively starve tumors to death and increase a patient’s chance of survival. How is it possible that cannabinoid compounds can destroy cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched? Cannabinoids including THC and CBD are both potent antioxidants, according to the U.S. government, which filed a patient on the antioxidant and neuroprotective properties of cannabinoids based on research from 1998. CBD has potent antitumoral properties and works synergistically with chemotherapy in promoting cancer cell death.

Many biological pathways that involve mitochondria such as energy homeostasis, neurotransmitter release and oxidative stress are modulated by endogenous and exogenous cannabinoids. By effectively neutralizing free radicals and mitigating oxidative stress, antioxidants provide a broad range of therapeutic benefits from slowing down the aging process to reducing the risk of DNA damage linked to cancer. The creation of oxidative stress is necessary for obtaining energy and sustaining

cellular function. Cell survival is dependent on this ongoing regenerative mechanism called autophagy. Too much oxidative stress is a signal for the cell to destroy itself, a process called apoptosis. The fate of the cell is contingent on the kind of stress and its duration. Chemotherapy regimens typically involve generating excessive oxidative stress to precipitate apoptosis.

Cannabinoids interestingly enough exert opposite effects in different situations. At low stress conditions, cannabinoids increase mitochondrial activity and trigger autophagic repair. They will buffer high stress conditions and protect cells by decreasing mitochondrial activity. Endocannabinoids can increase stress to the point where the cell undergoes apoptosis. The death of cancer cells promotes homeostasis and the survival or the person as a whole.

Senator John McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumor called a Glioblastoma. The diagnosis was based on a biopsy of the tissue removed from his brain at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. Symptoms generally include headaches, blurred vision, seizures. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)is the most common and the most aggressive form of a malignant primary brain tumor. It is difficult to treat with a reported survival rate of less than 10% in the first five years. Interestingly,

while GBM and gliomas have been highly resistant to traditional treatment, much of what is known about the demonstrated ability of cannabis to fight cancer comes from research conducted on GBM and glioma tumor cells.

Scientists hypothesize that because brain cells have the highest concentration of cannabinoid-binding receptors in the body, brain tumors also rich in these receptors may respond best to cannabinoids. Pre-clinical studies and one pilot clinical trial have been performed on the anti-tumor effects of cannabinoids on gliomas alone. UK scientists have found that a combination of THC and CBD used with radiation treatment was most effective in dramatically shrinking high-grade glioma masses in mice.

As reported in the British Journal of Cancer in 2006, a study on terminal patients with recurrent brain cancer, specifically glioblastoma multiforme; In view of the fair safety profile of THC, together with its possible antiproliferative action on tumor cells (Guzmán, 2003), it would be desirable that additional trials were run to determine whether cannabinoids, as single drugs or in combination with established antitumoral drugs could be used, other than for their palliative effects, to inhibit tumor growth. In 2004, Guzman and colleagues reported that cannabinoids inhibited glioma tumor growth in animals and in human GBM tumor samples by altering blood vessel morphology. In the issue of Cancer Research, investigators concluded, “The present laboratory and clinical findings provide a novel pharmacological target for cannabinoid-based therapies.”

Several additional investigators have also recently called for further exploration of cannabis-based therapies for the treatment of glioma. A separate case report, published in 2011 in the journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, also documents the spontaneous regression of residual brain tumors in two children coinciding with the subjects use of cannabis.

On September 29th, 2014, Insys Therapeutics announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration had granted orphan drug designation to its proprietary cannabidiol product for the treatment of glioma. The scientific and anecdotal evidence supporting glioma treatment with cannabis is quite strong. Investigators at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute reported that the administration of THC on human glioblastoma multiforme cell lines decreased the proliferation of malignant cells and induced cell death more rapidly than did the administration of the synthetic cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2. Researchers also noted that THC selectively targeted malignant cells while ignoring healthy ones in a more profound manner

than the synthetic alternative. A separate preclinical trial reported that the combined administration of THC and the pharmaceutical agent temozolomide (TMZ) “enhanced autophagy” in brain tumors resistant to conventional anti-cancer treatments.

A 2013 study found that “activation of the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 2 (TRPV2) has been found to inhibit human GBM cell proliferation and overcome BCNU [an anti-cancer drug] resistance of GBM cells,” and that the administration of CBD helped trigger this TRPV2 activation, making otherwise limited treatments like temozolomide and BCNU more effective and toxic to tumor cells. “CBD by triggering TRPV2-dependent Ca(2+) influx increases drug uptake and synergizes with cytotoxic agents to induce apoptosis of glioma cells, whereas no effects were observed in normal human astrocytes.”

An FDA-approved clinical trial of a cannabis treatment produced by GW Pharmaceuticals also found the administration of THC and CBD helped improve the condition of patients already taking temozolomide for glioblastomas. GW noted that “The study showed that patients with documented recurrent GBM treated with THC:CBD had an 83% one year survival rate compared with 53% for patients in the placebo cohort” and that “Median survival for the THC:CBD group was greater than 550 days compared with 369 days in the placebo group.”

According to the government’s own cancer website, “One study showed that coadministration of THC and CBD over single-agent usage had greater antiproliferative activity in an in vitro study with multiple human glioblastoma multiforme cell lines,” meaning adding CBD to THC helped stop tumor growth. Overall, as Dr. Manuel Guzman from Spain has shown, THC induces programmed cell death in glioma cells. CBD has also been shown to kill multiple types of glioma cell lines, in addition to inhibiting migration, proliferation, growth, invasion, and angiogenesis. There is an enormous potential for the role of Cannabis in Cancer and specifically with GBM..

Dr. Michelle Weiner, is an Interventional Pain Management Physician board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She completed her residency and fellowship training at the University of Miami. Her specialty is focused on prevention, treatment, reversal of health deterioration, increasing function and managing pain. Dr. Weiner focuses on diagnosing and treating spine and musculoskeletal pain as well as chronic migraines.

BY DR. MICHELLE WEINER, DO, MPH

ASTROCYTOMA GBM & CANNABIS

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For three years, I have been on the “talking,” not the “doing” side, of the hemp industry. I’ve represented manufacturers and service industry leaders who need regulations to protect their businesses from egregious government overreach, or legal peril. Interestingly, this past week provided me a great deal of clarity on exactly why my clients are asking for the regulations and why the State must be so careful when it comes to enacting regulations. Today, I want to speak on two aspects of our multi-faceted industry; first, scales and measuring, and then the testing of products.

I know all about scales and measuring. I owned a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Station and dispensed by the gasoline gallon equivalent for nearly 30 years. I had to deal with different State and Federal measurements day-in and day-out, while the only constant was, I needed a calibrated scale that made sure the customer got the amount of fuel I proposed to sell. This business lesson is not lost on the hemp industry. Selling products by the pound, gram, kilogram, milligram, milliliter, and ounce was not the only thing that confused me and most CBD and hemp customers I talk with, understanding the number of milligrams of CBD in the milliliters of medium came relatively easy. When you see a 1500mg bottle of CBD and it says its 30 ML or milliliters. Simple math makes that 50 mgs/ml. Understanding that if a manufacturer measures

1500mg CBD Isolate per 30 milliliters of coconut oil, or whatever they are using to create their products, they are homogenizing, or mixing, that all together and it may be thousands or tens of thousands of bottles. The difference between the consistently tested “good” brand is their ability to properly execute this.

If your product bottle proclaims, “shake well before consuming,” it’s referring to the product settling, and the CBD Isolate accumulates at the bottom of the bottle. And since most of these products are taken by dropper, you start by getting the largest amount of CBD. This recently happened to a friend of mine with Fibromyalgia; he had been suffering for months and decided to try CBD. He was amazed by the near instantaneous relief. As the month rolled on, he said it was’t working as well and finally read the bottle instructions to see that he was supposed to shake before ingesting. Keep in mind, if you have made this error even just one time, the rest of the bottle is out of calibration. Those first few doses contained significantly more CBD and now the rest of the bottle will have less CBD per dose. The general public needs to be educated on

Topic #2, testing. Testing is a hot button issue - the USDA recently made their interim rules public and their level of sophistication requirement for testing labs is “DEA Certified.” The State of Florida also issued rules

and they were interestingly less discriminate on the level of sophistication, primarily because there are only 155 DEA Certified Labs in the country, so clearly, we’re about to have a massive need for testing.

Consider again, my friend who ingested his CBD without reading the bottle instructions. As improbable as it is, what if he tested his product bottle after a week of not shaking it? Obviously, the level of CBD wouldn’t test true to the label. Any opened bottle is untestable for potency, or level of cannabinoids, in the bottle.

I recently had a direct experience testing a flower, which was dried, cured, and packaged. First, the weight of the package did not match the weight advertised, but second the test that they had done in Tennessee did not match the test we had done in Florida. How could that be? Was the farmer trying to pull a fast one, was the lab trying to make the client happy by curbing the numbers? While both scenarios are possible, the more likely circumstance is that a flower with a greater top, middle or bottom is going to have a different result because the THC and THCa cannabinoids are concentrated in the top area of the flower. This means if a flower is fatter on top than the bottom it is likely to test higher than another flower on the same plant that may have the opposite characteristic. My mind was blown. How can we insure that flower that is tested as compliant is sold to a retailer, then to a consumer and remains compliant through the whole economic chain?

My logic went to rigid organization and structure, notice and faith. First make sure you can document how you made your product, measured your product and labeled your product. Second, make sure your structure is sound, whether it is scales, packaging or distribution. I tried to ship legal hemp, pre-packaged with test result via FedEx this week and the counter worker showed me his commodity book showing that FedEx will not ship any hemp products. I went across the street and successfully shipped it with UPS, posted about it and was advised by friends that USPS is the safest way to ship hemp products because it takes a warrant to open USPS packages. Whomever you choose to use, be honest and know that there are options.

You can learn about these and other topics by joining The Florida Hemp Council. www.TheFLHC.org

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Yoga has officially hit the mainstream. It’s hard to believe that just thirty or so years ago the word “yoga” was still taboo, associated primarily with mystical yogis and dreadlocked hippies. Luckily, yoga has broken free (for the most part) from its bohemian stigma, which is evident in the yoga studios that are becoming as commonplace in cities as coffee shops. Hitting the mainstream also means media hype, and magazines, television, and even yoga studios themselves promise weight loss, glowing beautiful skin, peaceful mind, good health, and of course that “yoga butt” as a result of practicing. However, there is more to yoga than tight black pants. Yoga is commonly understood as only referring to the physical asanas (poses), which leads to the belief that most of yoga’s benefits are limited to the body. In reality, yoga is so much more than about getting a yoga butt!

The word yoga itself means “to yoke”; it is the process of connecting the body, mind, and breath that is the essence of yoga, rather than the physical practice itself. In fact, the physical practice, or hatha, is only one of the six systems of yoga originally detailed in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and is one of the many vehicle that brings the mind to the ultimate goal of samadhi, or transcendence. Raja (meditation), bhakti (devotion), jnana (knowledge), karma (action), kriya (cleansing techniques), and hatha (asanas) are all pathways to union, and are each suited to the different temperaments of individuals.

When yoga is seen as being purely physical, it can be easy to overlook the immense power that the practice of yoga has to unite the body, mind, and breath. This is what makes yoga different from traditional exercise; yoga has the unique capacity to bring your attention to the mind, body, and breath simultaneously, bringing all aspects of yourself into one line of focus. In other words, yoga harmonizes your entire being, leading to a healthy, limber, body, and calm, focused mind. And when you feel physically robust and mentally composed, it becomes natural and easy to show up to life with your full attention and energy.

While physical yoga is not the only yoga, it is indisputable that the benefits of a hatha yoga practice are infinite. Check out the 10 benefits of regular yoga practice:

1. HOLISTIC FITNESS. If you take a look around your gym, you will see people of all sizes pushing their bodies as hard as they can, all for the sake of achieving the “perfect” body. However, true health comes from not only being physically fit, but also mentally and emotionally balanced. In the words of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, “Health is not a mere absence of disease. It is a dynamic expression of life – in terms of how joyful, loving and enthusiastic you are.” This is where yoga comes in: postures, pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation are a holistic fitness package. Yoga is a workout for not only your body, but for your mind and emotions, as well. By synchronizing the breath with the body, you bring your attention into the present moment. At

the end of a session, you should expect to feel refreshed on all levels.

2. WEIGHT LOSS. While yoga is not all about the body, weight loss is one inevitable effect of a regular practice. Besides being a form of exercise, yoga calms down the mind and impulsive tendencies, which leads to an enhanced ability to slow down and make healthier decisions when it comes to food. Feeling naturally calm also reduces the urge to reach for food as a reaction to stress. Plus, with a regular yoga practice we tend to become more sensitive to the kind of food our body asks for and when, which can lead to more intuitive decision-making. Sun Salutations, when practiced daily, are one of the best yogic tools for managing weight, as they work every part of the body while increasing the heart rate.

3. STRESS RELIEF. Even practicing yoga for just a few minutes can rid your body and mind of the stress that has accumulated throughout your day. With the modern world being as hectic as it is, the fact that most people live sedentary lives only increases the buildup of stress in the mind. We spend the majority of the day with our attention focused on the events happening outside of ourselves. When we take the time, even just five minutes, to focus our attention on the way our body feels, the content of our mind, and the quality of our breath, we enter into the present moment, which is a constant source of peace. And the more we take the time we take to release stress through yoga, the less stress we feel as we go about the rest of our day!

4. INNER PEACE. Have you ever yearned to escape from your daily life and be at a beach in Hawaii? While beaches are no doubt serene, we cannot simply go to Hawaii every time we need repose. Beach or no beach, peace is a state of being that can be cultivated within ourselves, and we can take a mini-vacation to experience this at any time of the day! Yoga is one of the best ways to calm a disturbed mind and bring ourselves to a place of peace. And the best part is, you don’t have to pay for plane ticket! Practicing yoga is like taking yourself on a small holiday every day of the week.. The more you practice and connect with your feelings of inner peace, the more your daily routine will seem as fun as a vacation.

5. IMPROVED IMMUNITY. Our body, mind, and spirit are inextricably connected, meaning any imbalance in the body affects the mind (think a sore back causing mental agitation). Similarly, disharmony in the mind can manifest

as an ailment in the body (think irritable bowel syndrome). Yoga poses massage the internal organs, strengthen muscles, and increase circulation, all of which detoxify the body. Yoga also increases circulation of the lymphatic system (lymph is a clear, watery fluid that moves bacteria and viruses out of the body). Breathing techniques and meditation also release stress and improve immunity.

6. INCREASED ENERGY. Do you feel completely drained out by the end of the day? We live in a fast-paced world that places increasing demands on our mental and physical energy, not to mention to constant flow of information available at our fingertips on our phones and computers. A few minutes of yoga everyday provides the secret to feeling fresh and energetic even after a long day. The breath is naturally energizing, as it oxygenates the blood and brain. Taking just a few minutes to move your body can wake you up and even kick your caffeine habit!

7. BETTER FLEXIBILITY & POSTURE. This one is obvious, but important! Practicing yoga regularly will automatically leave you with a body that is strong, supple and flexible. A regular yoga practice stretches and tones the muscles and helps improve posture. Yoga brings mental awareness to the body, which can lead to an increased awareness of posture throughout the day.

It is important to remember that these benefits come with regular practice. So keep practicing! The more you integrate yoga into your daily routine, the more profoundly you will experience its benefits!

BY ALICIA WALKER

7 BENEFITS OF YOGA

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“Cannabis: An Intoxicating Muse”By Erik Range

To muse, or not to muse? That is the question. The visual aesthetics of art have led most artist to draw inspiration from what they encounter visually in everyday life. Things like the human body, geometric objects and nature have played the role of muse for artist over centuries. The relationship between artist and muse has long been one of infatuation, but through ART420’s Cannabis Inspired Art collection, what was once harmless flirting has turned into full intoxication. Such an intoxication is evident in the impressionistic masterpieces created by artist Catherine M. Elliot which embody the euphoric appeal of the cannabis plant.

For the last 30 years Catherine has perfected her use of oil on canvas through well planned composition and deliberate color-pallet integration. She has created works depicting a range of subjects including Neckers Island, the home of Sir Richard Branson, owner and founder of Virgin Group which includes the well know Virgin Airlines. Her works have sold to collectors around the country and she is the recipient of numerous art awards and recognitions. The famous singer Willie Nelson has even signed one of her works created in his likeness.

With a Yale botanist for a grandfather Catherine was drawn to nature and plants from a young age. Admittedly however, she had not considered the ancient medicinal plant as a subject

for her work until her husband began managing a medical marijuana facility in Connecticut, where she lives. Everyday he would bring home photos of the beautiful buds that he came across while at work that day, until finally one day she said to herself “Why not create a couple of painting of this beautiful plant?”

Just like consuming cannabis the onset of intoxication doesn’t take long to set in. Before she knew it there was an entire series of works created and calls from local collectors and dispensaries were flooding in. Rich Wagner award-winning framer and art collector says, ‘What Water Lilies are to Monet, are what Cannabis buds are to artist CM Elliott”. As an artist, she is very inspired to create beautiful long lasting heirloom paintings for both public and private enjoyment. She has plans to work with stores, dispensaries, growers and other aspects of the cannabis industry to help set their products off for visual and emotional appeal.

It is the naturally appealing aesthetics of the cannabis flower which led Catherine to infatuation, but it is the energy which the plant gives off in its vibrant colors which induced an intoxication with her new muse. Catherine Elliot’s works have encapsulate the calming and healing properties of the cannabis plant, which some might say, can also be transmitted through a single glance.

Art collectors and buyers interested in purchasing Catherine’s works can inquire at [email protected]/ 407-490-4207.


Studying cannabis is really, really, difficult in the United States. Just ask Dr. Sue Sisley, who has spent the last ten years trying to complete the first clinical trial of cannabis use for PTSD in veterans. The study, sponsored by the non-profit Multidisciplinary Associations for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), finished its groundbreaking research earlier this year after it was approved by the FDA all the way back in 2011. Dr. Sisley overcame multiple obstacles to complete the study, including being fired from her job at the University of Arizona.

“We are immensely grateful to all of the study’s supporters,” Dr. Sisley wrote in a press release announcing the study’s completion, “especially the veteran service organizations who helped us with patient recruitment. We are proud to have persevered through these regulatory hurdles independently of hospitals, universities, or the VA system.”

Dr. Sisley’s study represents an outlier for cannabis research, in part because it happened, and in part, because it was geared towards veterans using cannabis as a treatment—not as a disorder.

Last year, Rolling Stone laid out how absurdly difficult it is to do any research with cannabis, in spite of the DEA claiming they were “streamlining” the research application process. The DEA essentially changed the application from mail-based to electronic, but, as Rolling Stone lays out, all of the other obstacles remain for researchers:

approval from three agencies (the DEA, FDA, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse) and extra barriers to procurement.

While various federal agencies hem-and-haw about a substance that over 60% of Americans support legalizing, veterans struggle every day and other countries like Canada and Israel are taking the lead on medicinal cannabis research. Even though dozens of states have legalized marijuana, and ten have gone as far as legalizing recreational adult use marijuana, veterans looking for care through the V.A. are being hamstrung by federal prohibition.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs states on its informational page for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that “Marijuana use for medical conditions is an

DR. SUE SISLEY

issue of growing concern […] There is no evidence at this time that marijuana is an effective treatment for PTSD. In fact, research suggests that marijuana can be harmful to individuals with PTSD.”

At face value, the V.A.’s stance may seem like a well-intentioned, if entirely over-protective, approach to medical marijuana. Beneath the surface, though, the V.A.’s reason for objecting fails under scrutiny. A 2018 review of five studies around veteran PTSD and medical marijuana use found that three of the five studies found—shocker—that “conflicting data exist for the use of marijuana for PTSD,” in large part, because, “current evidence is limited to anecdotal experiences, case reports, and observational studies.” Unless the V.A. can see into the future to read Dr. Sisley’s report, their argument that “there is no evidence” for medical marijuana use for PTSD patients is only true because there is so little U.S.-based research into medical marijuana.

As The Washington Post reported a few years ago, the dearth of methodologically-sound marijuana science is in large part because “scientists must rely heavily on self-reporting from patients, making it extremely difficult to know how much, how often or through what means subjects use marijuana — let alone what type of chemicals they’re ingesting alongside the drug.”

The bulk of the attention on veteran’s health centers around PTSD, but veterans suffer from disproportionately higher rates of other diseases, as well. Statistically, veterans had higher rates of cancer between 2015 and 2016, perhaps due to the exposure to carcinogenic and radioactive materials like “Agent Orange” in Vietnam and nuclear weapons. Furthermore, almost two-thirds of U.S. military veterans report chronic pain. Medical marijuana has a long history of helping treat these diseases, and it can provide a much safer approach to treatment than high-powered pharmaceuticals like opioids.

When it comes to mental health issues like PTSD and depression, the V.A.’s current go-to-treatment is known as the “combat cocktail,” a mix of anti-depressants that can have dire side effects if not administered correctly. The V.A.’s prohibition stance and reliance on antidepressants and opioids, however, is out of step with many veterans’ experiences and desires for treatment.

BY JONATHAN SCOTT | HIGHLIFE NEWS


“More than two million veterans report using cannabis to treat their service-connected injuries according to surveys; anecdotally, hundreds of veterans have publicly testified that cannabis access has saved their lives after being driven to near-suicide under a pharmaceutical load of dozens of pills a day,” Eric Goepel, CEO and Founder of Veterans Cannabis Coalition told me. “Current research supports the potential efficacy of cannabis in dozens of different applications, all of which could have direct positive impacts on overall veteran health. Whether for pain relief, as a sleep aid, or for help in overcoming stress and anxiety, so many veterans find relief in cannabis because it provides an alternative way to manage their conditions far better than a slew of toxic pharmaceuticals.”

Speaking with The New York Times, Marcel Bonn-Miller, a psychologist who worked for years at the veterans’ hospital, highlighted the fundamental irony of the V.A.’s relationship to marijuana research: “We have a disconnect in care. The V.A. has funded lots of marijuana studies, but not of therapeutic potential. All the work has been related to problems of use.”

By working from the assumption that cannabis use is a disorder, the V.A. is ultimately creating another fracture in a broken system: the millions of veterans use cannabis are not able to integrate their cannabis use into their overall care plan with their doctors. As a result, the V.A.’s prohibition is driving a wedge between veterans who

prefer cannabis to psychotropic pharmaceuticals and doctors who are not allowed to recommend or prescribe cannabis.

To illustrate how out-of-step the V.A. is with veterans, consider this recent survey from the American Legion: among veterans, 92% support research into medical cannabis and 83% support legalizing medical cannabis—a much higher rate than the broader populace.

When I spoke with Dr. John S. Abrams of Fireflower Technologies, Inc., he emphasized the importance of the DoD as a potential future partner for developing medicinal marijuana research: “When it comes to the medicinal application of cannabis, I think the Department of Defense has been very interesting pathways and opportunities compared to the civilian side. Things can go faster potentially within the context of the military for deployment. I’m a big proponent of making sure that we keep the Department of Defense and their protocols and platforms in place as we push for medicinal cannabis development.”

Veterans don’t just stand to benefit from the use of cannabis, but also from investing and working in the industry itself.

Dr. Abrams also sees the military’s training as a fantastic foundation for the burgeoning cannabis industry. “The military has this theme of train, train, train and replace. And I think that that’s immediately suited for the cannabis industry and for some of these processes that we need within the context of good manufacturing practice.

Veterans already have a basis for good manufacturing practices that the marijuana industry needs.”

However, it seems that military personnel even being tangentially related to cannabis is a no-no, according to the Department of Defense. In March, the DoD began circulating notices that informed military officials that the “DoD Central Adjudication Facility [CAF] negatively views personal investment (i.e. stock purchases) in companies that manufacture/sell/distribute marijuana. This means your security clearance may be negatively affected if you own stock in such companies.” This stance creates an extra financial barrier for military officials who may not know whether the market index funds, mutual funds, and ETFs that they invested in contain cannabis stocks. (They probably do—cannabis stocks are exploding right now.)

For the veterans who have left the military health and finance system behind, these barriers can be more easily overcome. But for the millions of active duty and reserve troops and officials, the scientific blacklisting and broader cannabis prohibition in the lives of veterans has already wrought damage that will have repercussions for generations to come.

“The bottom line is that cannabis prohibition is killing veterans,” Goepel said, “through the stigma that prevents veterans from exploring cannabis as an alternative, through denying the medical value of cannabis and blocking research, and through criminalizing basic self-care. We

need more than empty rhetoric—we need action now.”Companies like Emerald Scientific are helping facilitate

this charter in bringing the topic front-and-center at its prestigious Emerald Science Conference. The company issued $10,000 in funding from proceeds of its 1st annual Emerald Classic Charity Golf Tournament to the Veterans Cannabis Project (VCP).

Science has proven that cannabis has a wide array of medical benefits that can directly improve the lives of our veterans, however, we recognize the obstacles they face in accessing cannabis as a viable treatment,” Emerald Scientific President, Wes Burk told me. “Organizations like the Veterans Cannabis Project (VCP) take veterans to Capitol Hill to tell their stories, they educate them on how to navigate the VA when using cannabis, and they have introduced a protocol to the VA to treat traumatic brain injury in the field.”

Hopefully, one of the many marijuana reform bills that have been introduced in Congress will make its way through both houses in a bipartisan approval and change the way the V.A. treats cannabis use and open up researcher’s access to cannabis.

“Scientists, doctors, and your military veterans are screaming for leadership on this subject, in hopes that this plant might be taken seriously and given the deep scientific research it deserves,” Doug Distaso, executive director of the Veterans Cannabis Project said. “We hope that happens. Veteran lives depend on it. We are literally dying for it.”

Sue SiSley with VeteranS CannabiS ProjeCt (VCP)


Sociable and sweet, but with a reputation for courage that makes him an excellent watchdog, the Bulldog is a lover, not a fighter. He’s dignified rather than lively and has a kind although occasionally stubborn nature. The Bulldog is friendly and easygoing; he gets along with everyone. He can be a slow learner, but once he knows something, he’s got it for good. Bulldogs don’t tend to be barkers. Usually their appearance alone is enough to frighten off intruders.

Temperament is affected by a number of factors, including heredity, training, and socialization. Puppies with nice temperaments are curious and playful, willing to approach people and be held by them. Choose the middle-of-the-road puppy, not the one who’s beating up his littermates or the one who’s hiding in the corner. Always meet at least one of the parents-usually the mother is the one who’s available-to ensure that they have nice temperaments that you’re comfortable with. Meeting siblings or other relatives of the parents is also helpful for evaluating what a puppy will be like when he grows up.

Like every dog, Bulldogs need early socialization-exposure to many different people, sights, sounds, and experiences-when they’re young. Socialization helps ensure that your Bulldog puppy grows up to be a well-rounded dog. Enrolling him in a puppy kindergarten class is a great start. Inviting visitors over regularly, and taking him to busy parks, stores that allow dogs, and on leisurely strolls to meet neighbors will also help him polish his social skills.

BULLDOGS


BY MICHAEL MINARDI ESQ. P.A. - MINARDI LAW

G O T O O U R W E B S I T EH I G H L I F E M A G A Z I N E . U S

A N D O R D E R T H I S C O O L F L O R I D A I N S P I R E D S H I RT

The home is considered by the courts as a place of sanctity, a place where without probable cause police shall not cross the threshold. Unfortunately, officers use different tricks to get into your house. They are obviously not allowed to threaten you in any way under any circumstances. Unfortunately, most of the times (90%), my clients say they are threatened or coerced in some manner; the officers deny it at all costs.

If you are in the home when an officer approaches, they may do so under the guise of a different scenario. They may say they have knowledge of drugs in the house or just make something up. They knock on your door in order to look in windows, smell odors, hear the hum of lights, or look for additional A/C venting or other things they relate to a grow. There is another doctrine called “plain view”. Plain view allows them if an item is in plain view. The cops must be in the legal place or where they are legally allowed to be, i.e. a cop can always do what’s called a knock and talk. A knock and talk is a situation where an officer may have suspicion that individuals residing at a residence are involved in narcotic sales, maybe a fugitive is hiding there, or they believe they have to investigate the house for criminal activity but do not have sufficient evidence for a warrant. They may look through the windows to find things in “plain view”, like a bong or bowl on a coffee table, to justify their intrusion into your home. Plain View doctrine allows them to seize these items and possible further detain you and request a warrant. Hide anything prior to opening the door, or better yet don’t open it at all. There is no obligation for you to speak with them.

Officers will come up and knock on your door to see if they can see or smell anything that would give them probable cause to search the house. This is extremely common with grow houses. Officers get a tip about a grow-house, first thing they may try to do is trash pulls. They go through your garbage once you put it at the curb. It becomes abandoned property once placed at the curb or once it goes into a dumpster. They can and do come by and collect it themselves, you have no expectations of privacy to it, therefore, no rights to argue against

them searching your garbage. They are looking for fertilizer, plant pieces, stems, seeds, baggies, anything they can say is related with the growing of cannabis.

Law enforcement may walk around the areas of your house that are accessible and open to the public. With this, they then claim that they see additional air conditioner units, ventilations that are not normally in a house, and other things they say they know are commonly use in grow operations. The hum or buzz of grow lights, the odor of cannabis outside the house, fans inside, and garbage disposed outside the house, anything and everything they can use to relate your actions to illegal activity. Avoid having those items don’t throw your waste in the trash, and hopefully prevent the next step from occurring, the Officers getting a search warrant. Usually they apply for a warrant based on information allegedly discovered in the knock and talk. The most important thing you can do is be prepared; you want to remember you never have to let them into your house without a warrant. The best thing to do is try to create a threshold or find another door, side door or back door, so they can’t see in your house at all. Open the door and go outside, do not stand in the doorway, do not open the door to let them in or look inside. Remember you do have rights and you can assert those rights and the first way to assert those rights is to not let them intimidate or non-chalantly push themselves into your house. They use subtle tactics. For example you open the door and stand back, they open the screen door and take a step forward to talk to you. What they are really doing is taking the first step across the threshold. They are using their eyes and their training in observation to try to find anything they can see in the house, they are trying to smell anything that may be growing or being smoked in the house, anything to give them probable cause to search. Open the door and step outside close the door behind you try to make it clear without saying so, that you don’t want them in your house. Remember the cardinal rule under all circumstances be polite don’t make it obvious and be calm and relaxed. If possible have an outside gate prior to your door and greet them outside.

The next thing you do is assert your rights, talk to them, look them in the eyes, and respond correctly to their questions, you never have to admit to anything. If you feel intimidated, remember you have the right to an attorney and/or to cease the conversation. If they come to ask you general questions don’t talk to them, politely say, “Sir I apologize I have things to attend to, is this mandatory that I speak to you? Because If not I would like to end this conversation and continue with what I was doing. If you would like we can set up another time, where yourself and my attorney could speak and if you still like to get together with me you can arrange that through him”. You must ask unequivocally or state unequivocally I have an attorney and I do not want to answer any questions without him present. You cannot say I “think” I would like an attorney, you cannot say “maybe I would like an attorney”, ambiguous words are not sufficient, the officers can continue to ask the questions if you say “think”, “maybe” or any other word that may be considered ambiguous. They do not have to ask you whether or not you want an attorney but it’s your right and should always request one.

In a knock and talk situation you should know they don’t have an obligation to read you Miranda rights, unless you are in a custody. The courts have defined custody as “in one which a reasonable person would not feel free to leave, or end the conversation”. It is not the belief of a normal person it is a higher standard, one that requires some sort of restraint by the officers. So, in a knock and talk situation it is typically not considered a custodial interrogation so the Officer does not have to read you Miranda Rights. You always have the right to tell the officer in a non-custodial interrogation you would like the officer to leave and you are not talking. If you want to leave your card and contact me in the future I would have my attorney call you. Goodbye. Say something along those lines that is not aggressive and they understand you have rights and you are not going to allow them to intimidate and walk over you.

I understand many people come to me and say “well aren’t they just going to be more suspicious? Well the bottom line is if they are there knocking on your door, they are already suspicious. It is better to defend your case if refuse and do not consent and do not give them any evidence against you. It will make it more difficult to be able to be properly defended if you consent, if not impossible. Remember they can and will lie to you to confess or influence you into entering your home, confessing or allowing a search, stay strong.

If you are ever in a situation where you are going to speak or cooperate, you should have your attorney present at all times. Make sure your rights are protected and any benefits you may gain from speaking to law enforcement will be enforceable in a court of law.

If you would like more tips or have questions about protecting yourself contact my office at www.MinardiLaw.com.


PINEAPPLE CURRY WITH SHRIMPINGREDIENTS:3 ½ C. coconut milk2 Tbsp. Cannabis Infused Butter2 tbsp. red curry paste¼ C. Thai fish sauce2 tbsp. freshly squeezedlime juice2 tbsp. tamarind liquid1 ½ tbsp. palm sugar1 C. pineapple, chopped½ pound shrimp,shelled and devined

CHILLED SESAME-SEARED TUNA WITH RED CHILI WASABI DRIZZLE

INGREDIENTS:4 Yellowfin tunaBlack and white sesame seeds1 14-1/2- ounce can wholepeeled tomatoes2 tablespoons soy sauce1 tablespoon wasabi powder1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar1 teaspoon onion, finely diced1 teaspoon ginger, minced1/2 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped1 teaspoon sesame oil1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped3 ounces sweet chili sauce2 Tbsp. Cannabis Infused Butter

[Foodgasm!!!]

Delicious

DIRECTIONS:Directions: Whisk together coconut milk, infused butter, curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice, tamarind liquid and sugar in medium saucepan. Bring mixture to boil over high heat. Add pineapple and shrimp and boil for 2–3 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked through. Serve hot inside pared-out pineapple half.

DIRECTIONS:Directions: Sear tuna in nonstick pan coated in sesame seeds. Refrigerate. Drain liquid from tomatoes. Finely chop tomatoes. Combine soy sauce, wasabi powder, vinegar, onion, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, infused butter, cilantro and chili sauce. Refrigerate.Thinly slice tuna. Drizzle red chili wasabi sauce over tuna.


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