This is the last Leaf Brief before we have a new governor. One choice is far more likely to open up the medical market and lay the groundwork for recreational cannabis. That isn't our opinion; we spoke to both of them. In addition to news from around the Southwest and the continent, this month we look at where both gubernatorial candidates stand on cannabis, plus some insight into New Mexico's burgeoning hemp industry. Read on!
Health News
Sifting through the misinformation
It's hard to know where the truth ends and the grift begins in cannabis, especially because federal law has constrained research so much. Monied interests are everywhere—hell, this newsletter is sponsored by one of the state's largest dispensaries. But language, context and framing can offer clues into a report's biases. Project CBD published a helpful critical read of a study suggesting cannabis use leads to more strokes. Over the years, SFR has turned to Project CBD as a trustworthy source, and now the website has released a primer on cannabinoid-drug interactions. We're not saying it's gospel, but it's definitely worth bookmarking.
Regional News
New Mexicans (still) like cannabis
An Albuquerque Journal poll taken last month found that New Mexicans support legalizing cannabis for adults two to one. Breaking down the data, a majority supported legalization in every geographic region of the state, including in eastern New Mexico, known for its conservative politics. New Mexico Political Report took a look at some of the other obstacles to legalization even if the next governor is more open to it. Basically, a resistant state Senate is the main hurdle.
Arizona judges have never done the weed
That crystalline coating on cannabis leaves are called trichomes, and they're full of resin—the stuff that contains all the cannabinoid compounds that make you high and feel better (or, sometimes, worse). If you buy a jar of cannabis and notice little crystals collected at the bottom of it, those are trichomes. When you smoke cannabis, you're technically separating trichomes (and thus resin) from the plant. So it's more than a little weird that a high court in Arizona ruled that cannabis extracts—which are made byseparating trichomes from plants and creating a concentrated product—are illegal, and anybody selling, buying, or consuming them is committing a felony offense. A number of people have been criminally charged and forced into pleas as a result of the strange interpretation of Arizona's medical cannabis law. The state supreme court is likely to review the issue soon.
Rural Nevada rejects legal cannabis
Nevada's cannabis industry brought in nearly half a billion dollars in its first year of legalized pot-for-all. Much of that growth was concentrated in Las Vegas and other urban areas. In the rural parts of the state, cities and counties have been far less receptive to allowing dispensaries in their jurisdictions. This includes the town of Elko, home to a legal brothel. In New Mexico, dispensaries are also concentrated in urban areas, but it has more to do with economics than cultural resistance.
Around the Web
Trump admin running anti-pot propaganda project
Something called the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee, a coalition of federal agencies assembled by the White House, has been working in secret to gather "data demonstrating the most significant negative trends" on cannabis to present to President Trump. It's part of a coordinated effort to sway federal drug policy in such a way that stems the tide of legalization unleashed in the last decade. Members of the committee told BuzzFeed they're gathering both positive and negative data, but that appears to be a lie.
Cannabis executive offers weed to break hotel workers’ strike
At a three-day cannabis conference held in Oakland earlier this month, attendees confronted hotel workers striking against shitty pay and benefits. The executive director of the organization that put on the summit then offered free pizza and weed to the strikers, lulling some of them away from the picket line. New West Summit Executive Director Jim McAlpine vowed he was going to try and raise funds from attendees for the workers' strike. We'll hold our breath.
Canada to pardon nearly all cannabis possession convictions
Cannabis officially became legal in Canada last week. Part of the deal includes a sweeping pardon from the Canadian government for all simple possession convictions for having 30 grams and under. "The pardons won't be granted immediately, but ministers are expected to outline options that could be used to facilitate the pardon process," CTV reports. This is happening at the same time the American government signals a harsh approach to Canadians involved in that country's legal cannabis industry, which American border patrol agents can point to as evidence of drug trafficking. That could result in a lifetime ban from entering the US—even in border states like Washington, where cannabis is legal. Meanwhile, Mexican officials are visiting Canada to learn more about cannabis legalization.
Fuck this
In July, a Black musician from Oregon was convicted by a Mississippi jury of drug trafficking, after police there stopped him for a minor driving violation. Patrick Beadle was carrying two pounds of cannabis in his car that he had legally purchased in Oregon, and was in Mississippi on a cultural tour. Beadle says he uses cannabis to treat chronic pain in his knees. Last Monday, a Mississippi judge sentenced Beadle to eight years for the trafficking conviction. The ACLU is now suing the police department that stopped him. Overall, we say: Fuck all of this, and #FreePatrickBeadle.
