Transcript marijuana-Nathan Donahoe presentation

Medical Cannabis Confusion and
Contamination in the Wild West of
Weed
By Nathan Donahoe
Elected City Official and Chair of Medical
Cannabis Committee for West Los Angeles
Neighborhood Council (WLANC)
Table of Contents
• What is Cannabis?
• Medical, Legal
• Cannabis Healthcare Industry at a Glance,
Chain of Custody
• Future of Cannabis Healthcare
What is Cannabis
• Cannabis (Cán-na-bis; English
pronunciation: /ˈkænəbɪs/) is a
genus of flowering plants indigenous to Asia
that includes two main varieties which are
differentiated on their use:
• Cannabis Sativa/Indica for medical use. First
documented use 2700 years ago
• Hemp for food and industrial use. First
documented use 10,000 years ago.
Medical Uses as known by “Pop Pot
Culture”.
Cannabis Sativa
• Day Time
• Head High
• Energy
• Mood Elevation
Cannabis Indica
• Night Time
• Body High
• Relaxation
• Pain
Historical Medical Uses
• Ancient China and India was considered a
medicine
• Late 1800’s early 1900’s was sold as a tincture
by pharmacies, Sears Catalogue and more.
Cannabis Tincture from 1900’s Sears
Catalogue
Historical Food and Industrial Uses
•
•
•
•
Rope
Sails
Seeds for livestock
Declaration of Independence was drafted on
hemp. George Washington Ben Franklin and
Thomas Jefferson were all hemp farmers
How does Medical Cannabis Work?
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THC, Tetrahydrocannabinol
CBD, Cannabidiol
Endocannabinoid system
Terpenes
THC and CBD
• THC provides mood elevation, anti-depression
and a “high”.
• CBD anti-inflammatory, anti-anxiety, antipsychotic
Endocannabinoid System
• The endocannabinoid
system refers to a group of
neuromodulatory lipids and their receptors that are involved in a
variety of physiological processes including appetite, painsensation, mood, and memory; it mediates the psychoactive effects
of cannabis.
• Receptors are found in the brain, CNS, lungs,
liver, kidneys and certain cells.
• Anandamide, Sanskrit for “bliss” is main
chemical of that system.
Terpenoids
• The terpenoids are a large and diverse class of
naturally occurring organic chemicals found in
plants used extensively for their aromatic
qualities.
Plants Known for High Terpenoid
Content
• Lavender
– Linalool
• Citrus
– Limomene
• Cinnamon
– Cinnamaldehyde
• Cannabis
Cannabis is a form of Aromatherpay?
• Cannabis can reproduce terpenes found in
other plants and is considered by “Pot
Culture” to be the reason why different
smelling strains have different medicinal
effects.
Federal Law
• Federally, marijuana and its derivatives are still
considered illegal according to the Controlled
Substances Act (CSA) (21 U.S.C. § 811).
• (1) Schedule I.—
• (A) The drug or other substance has a high potential for
abuse.
• (B) The drug or other substance has no currently
accepted medical use in treatment in the United
States.
• (C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug
or other substance under medical supervision."
California State Law
• Proposition 215
• SB 420
• Attorney General Guidelines
1996, Prop 215 Compassionate Use
Act
Health & Safety Code 11362.5 which states in part:
… (A) To ensure that seriously ill Californians have the right to
obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where that
medical use is deemed appropriate and has been
recommended by a physician who has determined that the
person's health would benefit from the use of marijuana in
the treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain,
spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness
for which marijuana provides relief.
(B) To ensure that patients and their primary caregivers who
obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes upon the
recommendation of a physician are not subject to criminal
prosecution or sanction.
SB 420
• Establishing guidelines regarding how much
marijuana patients may grow and possess,
• -Instructing counties to implement a Voluntary
State ID Card System,
• -Recognizing the right of patients and
caregivers to associate collectively or
cooperatively to cultivate medical cannabis,
Attorney General Guidelines
• Then August 2008, Attorney General Edmund Brown
guidelines issued guidelines:
• (1) ensure that marijuana grown for medical purposes
remains secure and does not find its way to nonpatients or illicit markets,
• (2) help law enforcement agencies perform their duties
effectively and in accordance with California law,
• (3) help patients and primary caregivers understand
how they may cultivate, transport, possess, and use
medical marijuana under California law.
Conflicting State and Federal Law
• Confusion and prosecution will continue until
Cannabis gets reclassified under Federal law
as having medical value.
• States right issue for all 16 states that have
laws permitting medical cannabis
Los Angeles City Law
• August 2007 Then the City of Los Angeles
Medical Marijuana Interim Control Ordinance
states in part: … no new dispensaries are
allowed to open in the City, and only
previously existing dispensaries are allowed to
operate. The ICO is intended to control the
proliferation of dispensaries while the City
develops permanent regulations for medical
marijuana uses.
A Legal Loophole and Lawyers
Allowed an Explosion of Collectives
• “... you can initiate your nonprofit corporation
and get your collective started in less than 5
minutes...and up and running within 2 weeks...
The charge is $3777 and in about 14 days your
collective will be signing up patients, growing,
obtaining and possessing medicine for them,
getting a tax payer's ID, a seller’s permit and such
licenses and registrations as may be
required/available in your town depending on
your intended use: whether Growing, Delivering,
and Distributing Cannabis among your patient
members."
Current Los Angeles Legal Situation
• Over 75 pending lawsuits against the city
• $5 million dollars spent defending the city
• With case laws constantly changing, and
federal government not allowing regulation, it
is difficult for city to make an ordinance
Industry Flow Chart
• Genetics and Breeding -> Growing -> Harvest
and Curing -> Trimming -> Processing ->
Distribution/Vending -> Dispensing
• Quality Control
– Lab testing
– Third Party Agriculture Inspecting
Genetics and breeding.
• Cannabis plants are propagated by seeds and
clones.
Differences Between Seeds and Clones
Seeds
• Pollinated seeds are taken
from female cannabis plant.
• Every seed will produce a
cannabis plant with
different characteristics of
smell, medicinal effect,
growth time, etc.
• Every seed is like a cousin,
although similar, will not be
consistent.
Clones
• A branch/cutting is taken
from a cannabis plant and
regrown as an individual
plant
• Has exact same
characteristics as “mother
plant” cutting was taken
from.
• Only consistent way to get
identical medicinal effect.
Problems with Current Industry
Standard for Genetics and Breeding
• Genetic testing is not used to ensure that
different cannabis providers have the strains
they claim.
• Mislabeling abounds. Patients do not get
consistent medicinal effects, dosages or
usages.
• Example: What if every bottle labeled “Advil”
at a pharmacy had different medicine in it?
Growing
• Indoor
• Greenhouse
• Outdoor
Indoor growing
• Plants are grown under artificial lights indoors
in warehouses, residential neighborhoods,
shipping containers, anywhere with water and
power.
Problems with Current Industry
Standard for Indoor Growing
• Fire hazards from overloaded, or improperly
wired electrical circuits.
• Rooms not built to code or inspected for safety.
• Worker safety issues with chemicals, pesticides,
fertilizers, poor ventilation.
• Grown in residential neighborhoods
• Theft, burglary and crime of money and cannabis
• Medicine contaminated with mold, chemicals and
other contaminants
Greenhouse and Outdoor Growing
• Plants are grown outdoors in the open air or
under greenhouses.
Problems with Current Industry
Standard for Outdoor and Greenhouse
Growing
• Watershed is depleted from water use and
contaminated by fertilizer and chemical
runoff, diesel spills
• Theft, burglary and crime of money and
cannabis
• Medicine contaminated with mold, chemicals
and other contaminants
Harvesting, Curing, Trimming
• After female plants have matured they are
harvested, hung to dry and have excess leaf
and stems removed by trimming by hand or
machine. Leaving the most medicine rich bud.
Problems with Current Industry
Standard for Harvest, Curing and
Trimming
• Improperly cured medicine can grow mold,
have chemical residue and other
contaminants
• Worker safety issues. Trimming can occur in
sweat shop like conditions with long hours,
little breaks. Repetitive stress injuries like
carpal tunnel syndrome.
Processing
• After curing cannabis can then be distributed
as dried leaf or processed into concentrated
versions such hash, oils, tinctures.
Edibles
• Can then be processed into “edibles” cookies,
sodas, lollipops, breath strips hot sauce, etc.
• Topical lotions and balms
Problems with Current Industry
Standard for Processing and Edibles
• Chemicals such as butane, sulphuric acid are
used creating danger for producers and
patients.
• Processed by amateurs in residential settings,
fires, chemical spills
• Medicinal effect not consistent, overdosing
Distribution/Vending
• Growers then distribute to collectives, delivery
services, black market. Or growers then give
medicine to middle-men or vendors to vend.
Problems with Current Industry
Standard for Vending and Distribution
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•
•
•
Vendors are targets for robbery.
Medicine is mishandled and mislabeled
Youth get involved in the industry.
Sample business card of 18 year edible
entrepreneur
Dispensing
• Medicine is then dispensed, “sold” to patients
by a storefront collective, delivery service or
black market.
Sample Ads of Dispensers
Sample Ads of Collectives
Sample Ads of Collectives
How Patients obtain medicine
• First, must get a “recommendation” from a
physician.
California Medical Board’s Stance on
Medical Cannabis
• A physician should avoid the following:
• a) Providing cannabis to a patient;
• b) Describing to a patient how the patient may obtain cannabis, for
example, by giving the name and address of a cannabis distributor;
• c) Communicating with a cannabis distributor, such as a cannabis
dispensary, to confirm a recommendation made to a patient in an
office dialogue;
• d) Offering a specific patient individualized advice concerning
appropriate dosage, timing amount and route of administration.
• Whether a particular recommendation or action is permissible will
depend on the surrounding circumstances. Again, physicians
cannot intentionally take an action for the purpose of enabling a
patient to obtain cannabis or otherwise to violate the federal drug
laws.
Cannabis Healthcare Quality Control
Industries
• Lab testing for medical potency, mold and
chemical contaminants
• Third party agricultural inspection
Lab Testing
• Just like other plants, medicines or products,
cannabis can be laboratory tested for medical
potency, mold and chemical contaminants.
Problems with Current Industry
Standard for Lab Testing
• No universally accepted lab standards. No
cannabis testing accreditation. Different labs
get different results.
• Labs have vested interest in providing false
results. Lab customers will give their business
to labs that produce high THC/CBD results or
absence of contaminants.
Third party Agricultural Inspection
• The same USDA standards applied to produce
like tomatoes and apples are applied to
cannabis and inspected by third party
inspector companies.
Problems with Current Industry
Standard for Third Party Agricultural
Inspecting Companies
• USDA does not currently recognize medical
cannabis as an agriculture crop and does not
recognize any companies.
Future of Cannabis Healthcare?
• Sativex is a Cannabis based mouth spray for
multiple sclerosis patients approved for use in
Europe and is pending FDA trial approvals in
the USA.
• Also, being used in a study for cannabis
addicts in Australia