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hoodharlow · 4 years

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Sé lo rica que se ve en ropa de gimnasio. A mí me encantan lo' tatuaje' en tus brazo'

AN: I was gonna scrap this tbh, but my lovely mamas @be-ready-when-i-say-go posted this. So everyone say thank you to my mamas

Request: Hunter kinda put it but for grabs and I quickly snatched it, so yes lol [ I need someone to indulge me in a cal blurb where you don’t handle spoopy well. however he don’t know that—new relationship right at the start of the holidays or something—and he surprises you with a date to a haunted house and you’re like, how about no??? But he’s a little bummed so you do it. Piss your pants (not literally) but it does not go well. Youre visibly shaken, almost crying and he’s like yikes okay, let’s just get food and wait for the rest of the peeps to be done and he’s like I’m really sorry, didn’t think it’d go like this. because I need it. But I can’t brain anymore to write it my damn self. Yes this is a cry for help]

Warnings: SMUT and aspects of spooky stuff (cl**ns)

Word Count: 2.1k words

Calum and Claudia were waiting for his trainer in Calum's new G-Wagon. She was supposed to drop him off Griffith Park since she had a job interview at a dispensary and few errands to run. Fortunately the interview was in about two hours, so Claudia had some time to spare.

His trainer forgot not to double book him with the influencer, who's name he had forgotten, after the fight he had with Claudia. Calum was quick to learn that she doesn't have a poker face when it came to people she didn't like, especially girls that always attempted to flirt with him. So when they saw her at the bench recording herself that she was going to workout, Calum had to find a way to remind Claudia he only had eyes for her. They may as well christen his G-Wagon.

Their makeout session started out casual and lazy. Next thing they knew, they were climbing to the back seat, and Claudia was on his lap.

Claudia slowly rolled her hips back and forth. With one hand, Calum bunched up her skirt and with the other he gripped her hip. Soft moans escaped her lips and mixed with the sound of Calum's groans. She greedily rode him at a slow, tortuous pace.

"Fuck, pretty girl," he grunted.

Calum slid his hand inside her panties and roughly gripped her ass. He guided her along his length, loving how well she took him as he bucked his hips into her, meeting her thrusts. She let out a loud moan. Calum captured her lips, muffling her.

They both sped up their movements, wanting to get the other off.

“Calum!” She moaned out, her orgasm catching her off guard. She rested her forehead on his shoulder and slowly rode him through her orgasm.

He let go of her ass and pushed her down on the seat. He slid back into her and took her in slow deep thrusts. He wrapped her legs around his waist, so he had more room to maneuver them. He desperately rubbed her clit, egging her on as his thrusts sped up.

Claudia pulled away from his lips and bit his shoulder as he brought her to another orgasm.

"Fuck!" She cursed.

She moved her hands to his back. Digging her nails for some sort of stability as Calum increased his pace and pounded into her.

"C'mon, Cal," she begged. "I want your cum deep inside of me. Please—"

"Fuck, Claudia," he grunted.

His thrusts got sloppy and less rough. He chased after his climax. Moaning out his love for Claudia, he praised her for how well she took him. With one final thrust he came. He shoved himself deep in her until his high went down. He plopped next to her and closed his eyes. Wrapping his arm around her, he sighed in contentment.

Claudia traced the dagger on the back of his bicep. She quickly remembered the lyrics to one of Benito's songs.

"What are you thinking about?" Calum asked her. He lifted his head to look at her.

"Bad Bunny— not like that!" she quickly added. "There's these lyrics that reminded me of you."

"Which ones?"

"'Sé lo rica que se ve en ropa de gimnasio. A mí me encantan lo' tatuaje' en tus brazo' from the song 'Como se Siente.' It was just him saying how he knows that his boo looks good in workout clothes, and how he loves their arm tattoos. I was like mood because I know my boo looks good in workout clothes, and I love his arm tattoos."

Calum laughed. He hid his face into her chest, slightly shaking from the laughter.

"I fucking love you, Claudia." He said smiling brightly at her.

"I love you too." She said shyly.

Calum shifted, so he was hovering over her. He sponge kissed all over her face and neck. Slowly he made his way down her chest, but Claudia stopped him.

"As much as I'm down for round two, I can't. I can't have Ivan see these lovely hickies and snitch to my dad."

Calum lifted his hands up in surrender at the mention of Diego. He sat on his knees and let her get ready. He heard a car approaching them, recognising his trainer. He cursed and reached for his shirt in the front seat. He handed Claudia his— their—Nine Inch Nails long sleeve.

"Are those my leggings?" Claudia asked him when he slipped on his compression tights and shorts.

"Probably." He shrugged. He took her shocked look and tried to not laugh. "Now you know what it's like to have your clothes stolen."

"Vas a ver." Claudia stuck her tongue out and pushed him off.

She pulled on her bralette, adjusting the straps and tucked in Calum's shirt in her skirt. She smoothed out the bottom of the skirt the best she could and grabbed her makeup bag. She touched up her makeup and redid her ponytail.

"Here." She said handing Calum her headband.

"Thanks," He said, wrapping it around his wrist. He looked outside and saw his trainer out of his car. "I gotta go. I'll see you in a bit. We're still going to Universal Studios with Ash and KayKay?"

"Yeah. Want me to bring you a change of clothes?"

"Please."

"Okay." Claudia nodded.

Calum pulled her close to him. He smiled and traced his thumb over her bottom lip. He leaned in, feeling her sigh, and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you later, love.”

***

Calum wrapped his arms around Claudia and rested his chin on her head as they waited for their turn to go inside the maze with Ashton and KayKay.

Claudia tilted her head up.

"Kiss?" she asked Calum.

He smiled and leaned down to peck her lips.

Claudia turned around to kiss him properly. She held onto his cheek as her tongue gave into his. She sighed into his mouth as one of his hands lazily rested on her ass.

"This is a family park, not a place for you two to kiss like you're ready to make babies. Please go do that somewhere else." A woman behind them called to them, making Calum look back.

“You hear that this is a family park,” Calum turned back to Claudia. “Well, if it's a family park, guess we should make our own family." He pulled Claudia closer to him and wiggled his tongue against hers. Soon enough they were making out once more.

"Hey rabbits, let's go." Ashton said. He flicked Calum's ear, making them pull away.

Calculus immediately linked her arm around Calum's as they made their way through the Stranger Things maze. It wasn't as eerie as the other two mazes they walked through considering it was basically a tour through the set of the show. The Demagorgin did startle them when they passed through the lab, however.

Minutes later they made it through the maze.

"Which one's next?" Calum asked Ashton, who was holding the map.

"Clowns." He simply said.

Claudia stopped dead in her tracks. She hated clowns ever since Junior and Danny tricked her into watching the first It movie when they were younger and purposefully followed her around in clown masks to scare her. She never saw them the same. For Guito's birthday, Junior and Marlene hired a clown to make balloon shaped animals and face painting. With the excuse of studying for her AP stats class, Claudia immediately retreated to her room and hid there until it was time for the clown to leave. Now she had no idea how she was going to make it through the maze.

"You okay?" Calum asked her quietly.

"Yeah, just a bit tired from walking around." She responded.

Calum pulled her to his chest and pulled out his phone. He watched Claudia's face light up when she saw his lockscreen, a picture of them at the dog beach in DelMar with Duke and Panchito. He scrolled through the apps until he found Hulu. They had been binging One Tree Hill for the last couple of weeks. They made it through two episodes when it was their turn to go in.

Claudia recognised the green cotton candy cocoon from the circus scene in the Killer Klowns from Outer Space. It started to move, revealing a clown taller than Calum with a raygun.

She whimpered, hiding her face into Calum's side. She held onto him, frozen in place.

"Claudia we have to get going," Calum said.

"I don't want to," she mumbled.

"Are you frightened?"

"Maybe," she grumbled.

"Fuck, okay lets get to find the exit and I'll text Ashton. Yeah?"

He felt Claudia nod on his side. He rubbed her back and guided them back to the designated exit for people that aren't able to complete the maze. They were almost there when a small herd of clowns ran in their direction.

Calum tried to get them away, but they got ambushed along with another group of people. Next thing he knew Claudia wasn't attached to him. He quickly spun around and spotted her covering her face as another clown approached her. He trotted over to her.

"Hey, it's me. I'm here," he softly said.

They finally made it out of the maze and Calum pulled her to a small table outside of Ben and Jerry's. He sat down, and she climbed to his lap burying her face in his chest. He felt his shirt get wet with her tears. He rubbed her back as she softly cried. He kissed her head.

"I'm not a baby, I swear," she sniffled after a few minutes. She wiped her face with her shirt sleeve. "I just, like, freaked out. I'm sorry for not letting you finish the maze."

"I could care less about a stupid maze. What's important to me is your safety and well-being." He shrugged. "Now why didn't you tell me you were scared of clowns?"

"Because I was embarrassed that I'm almost 22 and scared of something as mundane as clowns."

"Claudia, fears are something grown ups have. It's natural to be afraid of things, or else the human experience wouldn't be so complex." Calum pulled her chin up to meet her eyes. "I want you to know that I'll always be here to protect you. Got that?"

Claudia nodded. "Can we get ice cream?"

"Of course."

They got in line. Calum texted Ashton that the clown maze was a bit much for him, so he and Claudia will be waiting for them at Ben and Jerry's. Once in the shop, he wrapped his arms around Claudia and rested his chin on her head, swaying them to cheesy Halloween music.

He saw a few flashes from outside. Lifting his head, he looked back. A small group of unsubtle fans were whispering and taking pictures of them. Even in his dark hoodie and gray beanie, they were still able to identify him. They tried to play off that they weren't recording, but one of them had their camera flash on. Calum cursed to himself and released Claudia.

"Fans." He quickly mumbled to her. She nodded and took a few steps forward.

Claudia was still subject to rude comments on social media, so they always tried not to be too affectionate when they're out. There were rare occasions that fans managed to capture them. He knew this was one of the cases.

They quickly ordered and made their way to a table inside. Claudia sat across from him and watched his fans approach him as she ate her Netflix & Chill'd™ waffle cone.

One of them elbowed another, so they could get Calum's attention.

"Um, we were wondering if we could get a picture?" One of them asked Calum.

"Sure." He looked to Claudia, "don't eat any of my ice cream."

She rolled her eyes and ate more of his. She watched him shove his hands on his pockets and crouch down a bit so he could be in the frame. While he went down the small line of fans, taking selfies, Claudia reached over for his Chunky Monkey. She tried scooping a small amount only for the spoon to get stuck and get a large amount. She cursed and frantically tried to get it unstuck resulting in the spoon breaking.

"Seriously?" Calum quirked.

"It was like that when—"

"I'm sure it was."

***

"I'm positive, Cal." Claudia reassured him. She swung their intertwined hands as they followed KayKay and Ashton into the replica of the Ghostbusters movie set. It was a mix of both the 80s and 2016 versions. Through the speakers the beginning of a certain song began to play.

Calum and Ashton looked at each and seemed to telepathically communicate with each other. Suddenly they began singing along to Girls Talk Boys. A few people gathered around, watching them sing. Some were surprised at how similar they sounded to the people singing through the speakers, unaware it was them. Calum turned to Claudia as he sang, "Do you tell them I'm your lover, that I'm all that you need?"

"They're too cocky for their own good." KayKay laughed.

Claudia giggled "Yeah, but the one in the gray beanie is cute."

Taglist: @calpops @5-secondsofcolor @findingliam-o @calumscalm @sexgodashton @karajaynetoday @another-lonely-heart @cherryxwildflower @myloverboyash @spicycal @idontneedanyone

#calum hood smut #calum hood fluff #calum hood one shot #calum hood imagine #calum hood blurb #calum hood fanfiction #calum hood fan fic #calum hood imagines #calum hood series #calum hood fanfic

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abductionradiation · 5 years

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He’s Your Good Neighbor Who Brings You the Best Records

There’s no perfect recipe or singular path for getting your foot in the music industry. Sometimes all you need is a passion and thirst for it. Some of us will start our own music blog in the hopes of meeting our favorite band. Some of us were forced to play an instrument and either hated it or grew up loving it. Sometimes it’s the pure joy of jamming with friends and playing in more local bands than you count.

And sometimes, your music journey starts in middle school because your childhood instrument was the tuba. That’s just a part of the beginning for Ryan Wilson, who is currently the general manager of Light in the Attic (LITA) and the co-founder of Mr. Good Boy Record Cart. Hailing from San Diego, Wilson made the move to Los Angeles where he studied English at UCLA. Whilst studying at UCLA, he played tuba for the marching band (ended up not being his thing), played in various bands, and joined the concerts staff in Campus Events Commission (CEC).

Getting involved in campus organizations is perhaps one of the best ways to get a taste of the music industry because it really is a learning by doing experience, whether if it's joining the events commission or joining the student-run radio station. Wilson got a real taste of the music industry with CEC, booking bands for concerts and learning some of the ins and outs of the industry. He recalls looking through Pollstar Magazine to figure out who to book - Kool Keith was a top contender.

After graduating, Wilson was still playing in bands but was still inclined to learn more about the music industry. After his first job at Entertainment Marketing Group, a friend from CEC brought him over to Rhino Entertainment in 2004, where he worked on legendary compilations and box sets, as well as working on Frank Sinatra and Grateful Dead’s estate. After his decade-long tenure at Rhino, Wilson went to Concord to produce reissues and started up the Jazz Dispensary (it’s like a weed dispensary, but for GOOD deep jazz, funk, and soul music).

Fast forward to present day, Wilson’s passion for music naturally led him to Light in the Attic Records, a staple in reissue culture and quality packaging. LITA’s catalogue is a serious treasure trove for music lovers. On top of releasing records, LITA is a distributor of 150-200 labels at any given time. Matt Sullivan, head of the record label, always has his ear to the ground and is constantly rediscovering forgotten gems like Jim Sullivan’s U.F.O. (which has a super intriguing backstory).

LITA still maintains that purity in loving music for the music, not the artist clout or the rather obscene obsession with social media stats. There really aren’t too many labels, if any others at all, where you can buy both D’Angelo’s hit neo-soul/R&B album Voodoo and Sachiko Kanenobu’s Misora (think Japan’s version of Joni Mitchell). This year, they released two compilations: Pacific Breeze and Kankyō Ongaku. On the fruition of Pacific Breeze, Wilson explained that it started with Zach Cowie (DJ, music supervisor), Mark “Frosty” McNeill (Dublab), and Andy Cabic (Vetiver). The compilation took four years to be released (a true labor of love), with LITA’s Reissue Producer Yosuke Kitazawa clearing tracks and communicating with the Japanese rights holders.

There’s a stark disconnect between the Japanese music industry and the industry in the United States. A lot of Japanese music have never been released outside of Japan: there’s a mindset that there’s no demand for it. But with the emergence of vaporwave in the early 2010s and YouTube’s insanely good algorithm, a lot of music (especially Japanese City Pop) is being rediscovered. Think of all the nights you’ve stayed up until 2 or 3 am getting through the YouTube sidebar, with over 25 tabs open.

A lot of people got their first taste of city pop because of vaporwave. It was certainly a cultural phenomenon, but what drew people to it? Was it the 90s PC computers or classical Greek and Roman sculptures? The slowed down and heavily-sampled music? Wilson believes it’s the nostalgia, aesthetically and visually in vaporwave and sonically in city pop. It’s very similar to the reasons why Steely Dan, previously lame, is now cool and popular. Funnily, Wilson recalls looking at the back of Countdown to Ecstasy and thinking “these guys are dorks!”

But that’s the beauty of listening and discovering to music today. The world is smaller because of the internet - people are sharing and finding music faster than ever before, digging through volumes of music spanning across so many eras, genres, and everything in between. Just last month, Haruomi Hosono sold out his LA show at the Mayan and both shows at NYC’s Gramercy Theatre. As Wilson perfectly puts it, “People want what they’re passionate about and they’ll come out for it.”

Furthering the modern thrill of digging and looking for new music, Wilson co-created Mr. Good Boy Record Cart, a traveling vinyl cart, with Carson Lere. Initially, Lere was brainstorming ideas to improve a band’s merch table and improve selling records to fans. With Wilson as the record digger and Lere as the artist maker, the traveling vinyl cart was born. Mr. Good Boy Record Cart is all about “being a good neighbor” - it’s a partner for people who want to buy records, places that host the cart, and people who want to buy. It’s your one-stop shop for well-curated collections of records.

As of now, there are currently three traveling carts: one at the Ace Hotel Palm Springs, one in Austin, TX at Best Made Company, and finally one at the rooftop at the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles. These carts are kind of like traveling party units, with rotating curators and its dual function as a PA that can be utilized for live performances. There are so many possibilities for people to interact with music, physically and sonically.

Whether if it’s in the form of managing one of the most prolific, and coolest, record labels or bringing Mr. Good Boy Record Carts around the block, Wilson loves music and the ways people interact with it. There’s really nothing like introducing someone to their next favorite band or record.

Be sure to attend the Rare Groove Pop-Up at the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, June 29 for a taste of this unique experience.

Wilson’s Favorite Record Digging Spots

Last Bookstore (Downtown)

Mono Record (Glendale)

Atomic Records (Burbank)

Amoeba (Hollywood)

PCC Swap Meet (Pasadena)

Wilson’s Favorite Records from Light in the Attic (in no particular order)

V/A - Pacific Breeze

Lee Moses - Time and Place

Gaussian Curve - Clouds

Pharoah Sanders & Idris Muhammad - Africa

Clifford Jordan Quartet - Glass Bead Games

#ryan wilson #light in the attic #profile #mr good boy record cart

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demolish-the-ivory-tower-do-it · 4 years

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Mother and Child Matter- so does their well-being

The future of our society is dependent on the health of the mothers and the children of today, who are the guardians of that future.Most pregnant women would like to conceive a baby securely and a baby that is fit as a fiddle, to see it experience childhood healthy. Their odds of improving in 2020 than in any recent history, you would presume are better YES/ NO?? Well before you answer, lets take it way back, so that we can get an idea of what is mother and child health.

So I came across the World Health Report, and I started reading it and I was intrigued by this particular photo, taken in the 19th century at Boulevard de Belleville, Paris , France. With Dr. Variot in charge of the American Red Cross Dispensary.

So to cut the long story short (history is not for everyone :I ) during the years of wars, programmes were centred in producing healthy children who would later become productive workers and fit soldiers. The mothers and children started receiving “ special care and assistance”, although their governments intentions were cynical, this paved a way to caring for the mothers and children. As vulnerable as they were , they were seen as the next generation and their lives matter.

Fast forward to today , where are we now with maternal and child health globally and particularly in South Africa.

According to UNICEF, in 2018 alone , an estimated 43,000 children under five died in South Africa , and of these , 12,717 were newborns. On the report of the Rapid Mortality Surveillance Report (2016) the maternal mortality ratio declined dramatically after 2010 but stagnated between 150 and 175 deaths per 100 000 live births for several years. Additionally, Rapid Mortality in 2016 found that the mother mortality ratio was estimated at 134 per 100 000 live births. Progress has therefore been patchy for South Africa, somewhat and in some way, by 2030 South Africa has to reach the SDG target of 70 per 100 000 live births .Also by 2030, the goal to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least a slow as 12 per 1000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1000 lives must be attained. (Sustainable Developmental Goals(SDGs): Indicator Baseline report, 2017). Honestly, South Africa needs to wake up and smell the coffee before it’s too late

Clearly, and surely there are a LOT of factors in South Africa impacting on the maternal and child health care. Factors such as inadequate sanitation such as using communal toilets and the bucket system continues to create unhygienic conditions that undermine child survival in South Africa(Langford , Bartman , Roaf ,2013 & Nojiyeza ,2006). As an Occupational therapy student, placed at an informal settlement community , I was saddened when I saw how a huge cluster of people have to share the toilets and used the bucket system adjacent to their homes, surely a child is not immune to such harsh environments.

Moreover, HIV and AIDS is still a huge factor in the surging mortality rates. So UNICEF found that there were 14,000 new HIV infections in children under 15 years of age in 2018, and only 63 percent of the children needing antiretroviral therapy were on treatment. Wow, how come?? Personally I feel that HIV and AIDS programmes are vertically designed as in one size fits all kind of thing, and not contextualised as they do not acknowledge the cultural diversity. Clearly these, vertical programmes are designed by policymakers with minimal or no consultation with the clients.These programmes fail to respond to determinants rooted in cultural practices ,health promotion behaviours , educational levels and socio-economic status. And well, clients’ empowerment is almost non-existent. Yet South Africa, still wants to meet the goals of the SDG 2030, how when personally at the community clinic I am placed at, I have not seen any health promotion behaviours? , and did I mention that no posters or pamphlets in sight about HIV and AIDS , to encourage clients to get tested and to know their status.

Life in the community I am at is deeply rooted in poverty, which is manifesting itself in lack of resources , and poor health. As mentioned by McKenzie & Pinger(2015) addressing poverty will seem like a priority, as countries with greater income equity show better outcomes , better educational performance of school children and reduced mortality rates. Empowering women of the community to be empires of their own lives and thus will create a ripple effect, from generation to generation.

I was also deeply sadden seeing majority of the mothers and children, coming alone to the clinic and seeing them not mention any support from the father of the child. The questions started arising in my head: why do men impregnate women and then disappear? , Moreover why are the women tolerating this from men? Have unprotected sex and just leave me afterwards? (sighs) ….Answer: the patriarchal society. Women are still putting themselves at risk of ill-health to satisfy the needs and norms of a man.

As an occupational therapist in my community placement, my role is clearly defined in the mother and child health. This past week, I was able screen over 15 mothers and children coming to the community clinic, this was done so to identify conditions that expose women and their babies to the risk of ill-health and mortality,also to take appropriate measures to address issues identified during screening. Furthermore,as the student to adopt the skill to focus beyond the clinical setting during the mother and child sessions. Another focus , is to empower women to be the best they could be and give them the necessary advice to get them thinking that , they matter.#Mother&ChildMatter.

References.

1. Dorrington RE, Bradshaw D, Laubscher R, Nannan N (2019). Rapid mortality surveillance report 2017. Cape Town: South African Medical Research Council. ISBN: 978-1-928340-36-2.

2. Mckenzie, J.F& Pinger, R.R.,2015, An introduction to community and public health,8th edn.,Jones and Barlett, Boston

3. Langford M , Bartram J , Roaf V . Revisiting dignity: The human right to sanitation. In: Langford M, Russell A ,editors. The right to water and sanitation in theory and practice: Drawing from a deeper well?Cambridge:Cambridge University Press;2013.

4. Nojiyeza S. Challenges to eradicate bucket sanitation in SA.c2006( cited 2020 August 07).Available from: http://www.ukzn.ac.za

5. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Indicator Baseline Report 2017. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa, 2017b. Available: http://www.statssa.gov.za/MDG/SDG_Baseline_Report_2017.pdf Accessed 07 August 2020

6. World Health Organization (WHO). Trends in Maternal Mortality: Estimates Developed by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank and UN Population Division. WHO, 2018. Available: http://data.unicef.org/corecode/uploads/document6/uploaded_pdfs/corecode/MMR2018 117.pdf Accessed 06 August 2020

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juliuswyje959-blog · 4 years

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Arizona Medical Marijuana Dispensary Policy

"It struck be just recently while viewing television that the U.S. Federal federal government is actually absolutely nothing more than the political manifestation of Jabba The Hutt from the Star Wars movies. As you might recall, Jabba was a formless, slow-moving moving, obese entity that ruled with an iron fist while feeding on resources gave him. He did not pay for anything, he just took them, and also he was not there to help anybody however himself. Those he subjugated had no say in how their sources and wide range were used as well as had no chance in removing Jabba from his position of power. Kind of sounds like our political class presently sitting in DC.

Jabba came to mind today as I thought of some current events in which the Federal government has gotten so big that it is doubling back on itself and placing itself in some really weird situations as well as conflicts with the fact of the world around us:

- According to a post in the July 23, 2010 concern of The Week magazine, a Boston Federal judge has actually ruled parts of the Federal Protection of Marital Relationship Act to be unconstitutional. This act restricts the Federal government from recognizing gay marriages and also approving Federal advantages. The court ruled that the Federal legislation pressures Massachusetts to victimize it very own residents. Currently for the strange component. the Obama management is now forced to appeal the ruling, although his administration and also the Democrats accountable of Congress oppose the Protection of Marital relationship Act and want it repealed. The Federal federal government has actually gotten so large that it is expending lawful sources for something that it does not intend to exist to begin with.

- This strange scenario resembles the present illegal alien situation. A current Associated press short article reported that the current stats about illegal border crossers shows that the Federal federal government lately had the highest levels of prosecutions for illegal aliens and the highest possible deportation degrees of illegals considering that they started monitoring such statistics yet at the same time this exact same Federal federal government was in court fighting the new Arizona state law that was attempting to stem the circulation of illegal aliens into that state.

- Returning to gay marriages, according to a July 15, 2010 Associated Press post, the nation of Argentina lately became the first Latin American country to legalize gay marital relationship. The article reported that Chile and also a number of various other South American nations are likely to try and also follow suit. Do we think that our Jabba, parading as the American political class, has any type of opportunity of making that take place in this nation when it finds itself in court defending against gay legal rights?

- According to a short article in the August problem of Factor publication, since 1996 fourteen states and the District of Columbia have actually legalized cannabis use for medical functions and also numerous various other states are taking into consideration doing the same. This remains in straight conflict with Federal regulation which has sometimes caused Federal raids of clinical marijuana suppliers which are illegal under Federal regulation yet legal under state law. This is also in conflict with Obama the advocate that intended to legalize the medication when he ran for Head of state now safeguards the disallowing of it at the Federal level. Once more, government has actually gotten so huge that we have actually entered the unusual zone concerning clinical marijuana where it is legal at the same time as being prohibited.

- Speaking of drug conflicts, a recent Associated Press write-up reported that the Federal Veterans Affairs company would allow its individuals to use clinical marijuana if those clients stayed in the fourteen states where clinical marijuana is legal. Thus, one arm of the Federal government (Veterans Matters) is completely fine with medical marijuana use while various other arms of the Federal government (FBI, DEA, Federal statuary) intends to wipe it out.

- If you believe the Federal federal government has a medicine problem now, wait till the Oakland City Council elects on whether to enable industrial farming of cannabis to be developed in city limits, industrial ranches which would certainly generate marijuana for clinical use along with for use in products varying from baked products to body oil. Winning candidates that would certainly run these farms would have to pay annual license costs and eight percent of their sales to taxes in addition to carry $2 million in liability insurance. Comparable initiatives are being pushed in other cities throughout the state together with a November tally problem to legislate non-medical use of marijuana, according to the short article. Now think about the contents of a short blurb in the July 23, 2010 issue of The Week publication that reported on a Rand Research that wrapped up from their evaluation that the legalization of cannabis would reduce the street cost by as much as 90%. Hence, the efforts in The golden state may help in reducing the street rate of the medication which in turn would considerably reduce the power, riches and also influence of the Mexican medicine cartels which would be a good thing. cbd oil niagara falls ny Nevertheless, in the face of this good collection of end results (more income for the city governments, much less of a stigma of cannabis users, much less law enforcement sources invested in busting cannabis users, the weakening of the Mexican drug cartels) do we assume that the Jabba the Hutt beast in DC is active sufficient to comprehend what the advantages are or will it proceed down its path of problem at the Federal medicine enforcement degree?

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- Think About a Washington Message article from May, 2007, qualified ""Federal Loans Fuel Promote Coal Power Plant Kingdoms."" The short article reviews a remaining Anxiety era Federal program that supplies inexpensive loans to build coal terminated, high air pollution nuclear power plant using taxpayer cash. According to the article, ""the [lending] assistance is a significant force behind the rush to coal plants, which spew co2 that scientists blame for international warming."" Hence, while the Obama administration is pressing an environment control costs in order to fight versus international warming, the very same federal government is funding power plants that do just the contrary. Makes no feeling.

- A recent Partner Press post reported just how the Feds had busted 94 people for defrauding the Medicare program. This was a good growth however why was our Jabba so slow in obtaining these arrests done? Medicare scams has been taking place given that the day Medicare began a number of decades ago, why did it take such a shateringly sluggish time to start apprehending the cheats? One of those jailed had filed over 3,700 deceitful cases under her name prior to she was jailed, how sluggish can you get?

We can continue. The U.S. government has gotten so huge therefore slow-moving, much like Jabba the Hutt, that its several folds of skin hide waste, stupidity and also the doubling back on itself, i.e. public law as well as actions in conflict with itself or the desires of those running the federal government. We might go on and on regarding exactly how slow-moving, inefficient, and wasteful our Jabba is, about just how our Jabba never ever solves a problem whether it is troubled boundaries, falling short public institutions, intensifying health care prices, and so on, just how our Jabba wastes unknown billions of bucks on trademarks, useless initiatives, and also fraud-infested programs, or just how our Jabba does not know exactly how to control the economic climate, causing skies high public debt degrees as well as a really creaky financial situation with reduced growth and also high joblessness.

Jabba is extremely bad for everyone however he is difficult to dislodge. Via the allocate process, the gerrymandering of Legislative areas, do-nothing project money regulations, and also other techniques, Jabba has lots of defenses versus loss in an election, defenses that even a Jedi light saber could not easily pierce. Long term, it is vital we begin to impose term limits on political leaders to make sure that they never once again obtain as fat, slow-moving, wasteful, and also inefficient as Jabba The Hutt. Short-term, this November is crucial considering that it begins the process of voting out the Jabba incumbents and finally entering some sleek, efficient, and also bold Jedi warriors who will certainly make the challenging choices to get the dimension of government controlled as well as make that scaled down government more efficient and also less weird and also much less contrasted."

#CBD #cannabis #cannabidiol

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savetopnow · 6 years

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2018-03-20 03 SPORTS now

SPORTS

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Nevada’s 22 point comeback broke their own social media account yesterday.

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UMBC beat Virginia so we all get free Little Caesars because a 16-seed has never beaten a No. 1

The Brewers’ homage to ‘The Sandlot’ will have you feeling so nostalgic

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Sports Illustrated

NBA DFS Picks for March 19

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The Sunday Upset Special

Yahoo! Sports

Jeffrey Earnhardt's tenure with StarCom Racing is over

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NFL free agency: Top 10 players still available

Patriots Wide Receiver Corps Bound To Have Odd Man Out In 2018

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#sports

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brentrogers · 4 years

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Podcast: Smoking Weed for Anxiety – Fact vs Fiction

Cannabis, weed, marijuana, pot. It goes by several names, but we all know what it smells like. As weed becomes more mainstream, we on the Not Crazy podcast want to know: Is marijuana really an effective treatment for anxiety? Is it just a coping mechanism? Or a vice? In today’s podcast, Gabe and Jackie look at the research and weigh out the evidence. They also interview Eileen Davidson, a rheumatoid arthritis patient who regularly uses marijuana as a medicine to see what she has to say.

What’s your take? Tune in for an open-minded discussion about weed.

(Transcript Available Below)

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

About The Not Crazy Podcast Hosts

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from Gabe Howard. To learn more, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Jackie Zimmerman has been in the patient advocacy game for over a decade and has established herself as an authority on chronic illness, patient-centric healthcare, and patient community building. She lives with multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and depression.

You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Computer Generated Transcript for “Anxiety- Smoking Weed” Episode

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.

Announcer: You’re listening to Not Crazy, a Psych Central podcast. And here are your hosts, Jackie Zimmerman and Gabe Howard.

Gabe: Welcome to this week’s episode of the Not Crazy Podcast. I’d like to introduce my co-host, Jackie.

Jackie: And that guy is my co-host, Gabe.

Gabe: And today we are going to be talking about. I’m not even sure what to call it. It’s been known as marijuana. It’s been known as cannabis. It’s been known as wacky tobaccy, if you go back to like my grandparents. I guess pot is the street name now.

Jackie: You sound like so, Grandpa Gabe, right now. You’re like, what are the kids calling it these days?

Gabe: Well, just

Jackie: It’s weed, Gabe. We’re talking about weed.

Gabe: But I mean, it used to be grass. It has had a prolific number of slang names. I mean, sincerely. Right?

Jackie: Yes, that is true.

Gabe: And I went to a dispensary the other day and I was like, hey, I’m here to buy pot and they’re like cannabis, sir? And I was like, well, weed. And they’re like, marijuana, sir? So I think that there is some attempt to make a demarcation between slang terms of marijuana and non-slang terms of marijuana. Is that what you’re seeing out in the world, Jackie?

Jackie: I think it depends on where you are obtaining said marijuana, right? If you’re purchasing it from a store, they’re like, yes, we sell marijuana here. If you’re going to the corner, you’re probably going to buy some weed. I think it just depends on where you’re getting it. Same stuff, different name.

Gabe: And this is not unusual, especially in America. Language is always evolving and different generations have different terms for different things. Remember when sick meant like you were sick and cool meant you were a bad ass? Now sick means that you’re a bad ass. And if you say cool, kids just look at you like you’re just, you’re just stupid.

Jackie: Which is like how I’m looking at you right now, because the more you talk just the older you sound. Low key, you sound like a real old guy right now.

Gabe: I love how you use low key, another slang term that I am not familiar with. But moving on to the topic at hand, marijuana is everywhere and depending on what Internet site you’re on. Marijuana is either the magical cure for everything, literally, no matter what problem you have physically or mentally, it can absolutely, unequivocally cure it. Or marijuana is satanic. If you even walk past it, you will murder your entire family. You won’t go to college and your eyes will inexplicably turn red. And our research, Jackie, of course, showed that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Jackie: As it does with most things, but what we’re focusing on today specifically is the use of marijuana, weed, pot, grass, reefer, whatever you want to call it in terms of treating anxiety. And I’m really excited to talk about this because this is something that is like polarizing. People either thinks it is like the end all be all, cures anxiety or they’re like, it doesn’t help at all. And you should definitely not use it for anxiety.

Gabe: One of the things that I think about is my Diet Coke habit, I’m gonna go with habit for the sake of today’s show. I have an anxiety disorder. I suffer from a lot of anxiety. And when I get really twitchy and out of sorts and I’m just really stressed out, worried, panic. You know, the racing thoughts start to come in when I’m on the verge of an anxiety attack. I stop everything that I’m doing. I find a fountain machine of Diet Coke, which usually involves going someplace, taking a walk someplace, getting in my car. There’s a whole ritual surrounding me getting a Diet Coke. And I can state unequivocally that when I do this ritual and I’m sitting in the corner and I’m drinking my fountain Diet Coke, my anxiety is relieved 100%. This does not make Diet Coke a cure or a treatment for anxiety. And I think that that might be some of what’s happening with marijuana, because no medical study shows that it’s a treatment for anxiety. And again, medical studies are ongoing. But as of right now, there’s nothing that states that anxiety is cured or treated by marijuana.

Jackie: You’re right. And part of me wants to be like, no, you’re wrong, it totally helps because I think it actually does help a lot of people. The problem is, you know, that I love my stats. The stats do not show this. I actually pulled up three different studies specifically on this topic. One study from 2019 is from The Lancet Psychiatry. It looked at the effects of cannabinoids on mental health for nearly 40 years of research, which is like a lot of research. And their findings basically said there was scarce evidence to support that cannabis helps to improve mental health symptoms. Forty years of research in this one study saying like meh, probably not that helpful. But there was another study in 2018 in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, which is like, how is there even a journal dedicated to this? But there is. Sixty two percent of people who use CBD use it for a medical condition. And the top three are pain, anxiety, and depression. So my takeaway on this is we don’t have proof in the science that it works, but we do have proof that people are using it for these reasons and are finding benefit in it.

Gabe: And in some ways, this is a tough one, right? Because I think about the number of people that tell me that I should not take prescription medications for my bipolar disorder because after all, I just need diet and exercise, better sleep hygiene. I just we’ve done so many shows on this. It’s just it makes my little head want to explode. But I still go back to the definition of treatment and cure. And the definition of treatment and cure is not I feel better when I’m done. It actually impacts the disease and puts you in a better place when you’re done. Lots of things make you feel better. Jackie hugging my wife makes me feel better. Having a strong support system makes me feel better. These things are not treatments. They’re encouraged. They’re important. And they may well help you. But I just get really, really anxious. I just get really, really anxious when people are like, oh, I treat my anxiety with this because there’s so many reasons. But let’s touch base on this for a moment. Marijuana in this country is kind of messed up, one dependent on the state that you live in, you might actually be committing a crime. That’s number one. But in every state in our union, there’s multiple types of marijuana. Right? There’s the good growers. There’s the growers that are overseen by the government in the states where it’s legal. And then there’s the person that’s just like randomly growing it. And we don’t know what kind of job they did, what kind of a strain they did, or whether or not they doused it in rat poison. And all of these things are marijuana to the end user. That worries me as well, because there’s no consistency here.

Jackie: I have a lot of feelings about that. Yes. Correct. No consistency given the fact that our government has not legalized it universally, which means that it cannot be regulated universally. Even if it is legal where you are, it automatically means it’s more expensive. So you may still be going to a street dealer regardless. So the consistency factor is definitely an issue. However, cycling back for a minute, while it is not proven that it is an effective treatment, I think that judging by 62 percent of users and everybody else, including a 2017 study in the International Journal of Drug Policy, where people believe that cannabis is an effective way to treat conditions in place of prescriptions for anxiety and depression. What this tells me is in terms of symptoms, management, it can be or it is effective depending on who you talk to. So is it treating anxiety? I don’t know. I don’t have the science, but is it treating the symptoms of anxiety? Yeah, it looks like it does. And are those one in the same? I don’t think that they are. I think that you can have plenty of medications that treat the actual underlying problem and lots of medications that treat the symptoms of the problem.

Gabe: Obviously, I can’t disagree with anything that you just said. However, there have been similar studies on whether or not cigarettes help you cope with anxiety. And the reality is that cigarettes have been studied for a long, long time. And the research shows unequivocally that cigarette smoking actually does not help with anxiety. However, when they asked people if it helps them, they said yes. You line up all of the smokers and you say, Hey, does smoking relieve anxiety? They’re all going to say, yes. The science is very clear that in fact it increases anxiety, but they believe that it’s helpful. This is the problem with self-reporting, right. A lot of people believe that things that are dangerous for them or are actively hurting them are, in fact, beneficial.

Jackie: I don’t know. I feel like there’s some aspect of placebo in this. Where, yes, the stats from the scientists are saying this actually causes anxiety and the people who are using it are saying, no, I feel better after doing it. So who’s right? I don’t think there’s is actually a right and wrong in this, which goes against everything that I normally say because there are science leading one way. But if the person says, I feel better after this, doesn’t it mean that it’s good for that person?

Gabe: Potentially, I think we go back to my Diet Coke addiction. The reality is, is drinking as much Diet Coke as I do could be harmful. I should drink way more water and I should go for more walks and I should call my mom more and I should tell my wife I love her more. Life is personal choices. And when it comes to the legalization of marijuana, from a political standpoint, I think it should absolutely be legal because it’s it’s been found to be no more dangerous for you than smoking or alcohol. And in fact, in some cases, much safer. But moving that aside, to answer the question of somebody suffering from anxiety, should they use marijuana as a treatment? I’m gonna go with no. However, somebody suffering from anxiety, should they use marijuana as a coping mechanism? That’s a personal choice. And Gabe is there. So I sort of feel the one-two punch. You should still get treatment from the medical establishment. But we all have coping skills. Look, people watch Family Guy on repeat to get through the day. That’s just a coping mechanism. But please don’t send me an email and tell me that Family Guy is the treatment for depression because not.

Jackie: I think the root of this whole conversation is we’re just talking about vices, right? Like your vice is Diet Coke. We’re talking about cigarettes and weed and Family Guy. Right? Whatever your vice is. I think we can unequivocally agree that vices help with stress management. Right? That’s why people drink, right? They’re stressed out or they’re angry. They want to erase the feelings that they’re feeling in that moment. That’s why we have vices. That’s what they do for us. But you’re right, you can’t say that like the good outweighs the bad. And all of those vices right? You are consuming a metric shit load of aspartame. Is that good? Probably not. I don’t know, but it makes you feel better. So, you know, are we talking long-term health? Are we talking short term? I don’t think it really matters. Does marijuana help with anxiety? Maybe it could. I don’t know. I think it’s so personal. And I think that, again, we just don’t have enough research at this point to say one way or the other, because even the studies that we’re quoting right now, they’re all looking for different things. They’re looking for is it effective? They’re looking for do people think it’s effective? Are they using it in place of something else? There’s no study that really has touched on all the bases that we have yet in terms of is it effective for this? Is it effective for this in conjunction with prescribed medication? We don’t know. So I guess choose your own adventure as long as you’re smart and healthy and not a dumb dumb.

Gabe: I really just want to hit hard on what Jackie said about the “we don’t know.” There are so many people that just believe that it is the cure for everything. And there’s so many people that believe that it is the most horrible thing. It’s just a pox on our nation. Those are not the two camps that we should be in. We should continue the research. We should find out what is good and what is bad. I just want to be clear that any type of self-medicating is dangerous.

Jackie: A lot of people use this to self-medicate. Self-medicating, we know is dangerous, especially when you’re not being honest with your health care team. So this is one of those things that, you know, if it works for you, that’s great. But don’t force it on anybody else because we just don’t have the research to back that it is actually effective.

Gabe: We’ll be right back after these messages.

Announcer: Interested in learning about psychology and mental health from experts in the field? Give a listen to the Psych Central Podcast, hosted by Gabe Howard. Visit PsychCentral.com/Show or subscribe to The Psych Central Podcast on your favorite podcast player.

Announcer: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. Secure, convenient, and affordable online counseling. Our counselors are licensed, accredited professionals. Anything you share is confidential. Schedule secure video or phone sessions, plus chat and text with your therapist whenever you feel it’s needed. A month of online therapy often costs less than a single traditional face to face session. Go to BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral and experience seven days of free therapy to see if online counseling is right for you. BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral.

Jackie: And we’re back talking about using marijuana as a treatment for anxiety.

Gabe: Jackie, we’ve talked about the stats, we’ve talked about the study, we’ve bantered back and forth. Let’s talk to somebody who uses marijuana for her anxiety disorder and also for rheumatoid arthritis. Can you give her an introduction? Because she was very candid and very awesome. It was great of her to call in.

Jackie: Yes, sure. We invited our friend Eileen, who we know through advocacy, to come on and talk about why she uses marijuana to help with her anxiety, but also why she uses it for her RA. And I think she’s going to have a lot of helpful insight on this.

Gabe: And we’re going to roll that interview right now.

Jackie: We’re here with our friend Eileen. Gabe and I know Eileen outside in the real world, but we thought she’d be a really great guest to bring on the show today. So welcome, Eileen.

Eileen Davidson: Hi, my name is Eileen Davidson and I live in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, which has been worldwide known for longer than it’s been legal in Canada to have very, very good weed.

Gabe: We are so super excited to have you because you are willing to publicly talk about using marijuana or cannabis. Why are you so public about using it? Because in many places it’s still a crime. And even the places where it’s legal, it’s still very much looked down upon. But you’re like, hey, I smoke weed.

Eileen: Well, because I also believe in the medical component of it. I live with rheumatoid arthritis and mental health issues. So to me, it’s very medical. And because I don’t really drink because of my autoimmune disease, it’s also a tiny bit recreational and it’s legal in Canada.

Jackie: Eileen, are there any specific symptoms that you’re using medical marijuana to treat?

Eileen: Yes. So living with a chronic illness comes with multiple different types of symptoms, as well as side effects from the medications used to treat these diseases. So, particularly with rheumatoid arthritis, I have chronic fatigue, consistent chronic pain as well as sometimes nausea. So that is another reason why I actually do enjoy smoking marijuana because it really tackles the nausea and then also helps with the loss of appetite that I can experience. And then it also helps with not being able to sleep because of pain. And it’s helped with a number of the medications that I’ve gone through that have caused vomiting. And so it’s kind of a drug that I don’t use for just one specific thing, but a multitude of different things.

Gabe: I do like that you’re so open about it.

Eileen: I wasn’t always open about it, though. I used to be actually very against marijuana.

Jackie: Ooh, what changed your mind?

Eileen: Debilitating diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. So I’ve been around it a lot before because my earliest memories of it are my father smoking weed while doing these creative, surrealistic paintings. My dad was kind of a hippie and so like my childhood is basically memories of the smell of oil paints, marijuana and the sound of Pink Floyd playing to these crazy paintings. So, but it was illegal back then. So I felt very conflicted a lot because I was like, why are you smoking marijuana when that’s supposed to be a drug, as they’re telling you in school? And so I didn’t really understand. I never wanted to touch drugs my whole life. I’ve never touched anything other than coffee, marijuana and alcohol, a little bit of wine, but being diagnosed with something that causes severe pain and having to go through medications that have a lot of side effects. At that time, I was like, well, this is medicinal to me, so I’ll try it. And I felt like an idiot being against it before. My diagnosis really opened my eyes to this isn’t really in the same line as like heroin or cocaine and things like that. Though, I never tried those. And it was also really helping people. People like me who were in diagnosis of cancer, M.S., Parkinson’s, all sorts of things. What I didn’t expect is that it would also help with my mental health.

Jackie: And did you discover that just sort of like happenstance, you were like, oh, I kind of feel good everywhere right now? Or was it more of something that you actually tested? You were like. I’m feeling really anxious. Let’s see if this helps here.

Eileen: I would say it first started off with me noticing that it did have an effect on my mental health. When I first started smoking weed, I didn’t know about THC, CBD and how it would kind of interact with me. So I would try something, not know what kind of strain it is and then kind of feel full-blown anxiety attack. But then I would also try a different one and feel super relaxed. And so I discovered that I had to kind of watch which strains helps with my anxiety and didn’t help with my anxiety and to kind of research so that I could be better informed.

Gabe: So my next question is sort of somewhat of a controversial one, because it sounds like you’re self-prescribed, like a doctor didn’t prescribe this, it’s kind of a trial and error on your behalf, is that correct?

Eileen: Yes. Now, I do follow guidelines of places like the Arthritis Society because they are a wealth of knowledge for people like me who are interested in supplying medical cannabis. But when you have a hook up, it’s also cheaper.

Gabe: As funny as that is, though, do you tell all of your doctors that you’re utilizing cannabis as a treatment or do you keep that on the down low?

Eileen: I tell them, because I think it’s important to be honest with your doctors about every aspect in your health. It’s really important to listen to the patient voice when it comes to their needs. And that’s including their medications. And marijuana can be a medication.

Jackie: So let me ask you this in conjunction with telling your doctors about this. Before you started using weed for anxiety. Were you prescribed medication for anxiety and if so, were they working?

Eileen: Yes, I’ve tried a couple of different medications for anxiety. I did find that they worked. I was on them for a number of years. Medication you won’t find the perfect drug in one-go usually. It’s a number of drugs you have to try. I tried three or four for my anxiety and depression. I tried over 18 for my rheumatoid arthritis. And I don’t know how many strains of marijuana I’ve tried for everything I go through. So that’s what you have to learn. And what works for one may not work for the other.

Jackie: So do you think that it works better for your anxiety than the prescriptions did?

Eileen: No, I definitely don’t think it works better or worse. I think they work together.

Gabe: I really like what you’re saying there, and I don’t know if I agree or disagree, I’m really on the fence about a lot of this stuff, which is one of the reasons that we wanted to interview somebody who is actually utilizing cannabis and marijuana for treatment because we wanted to tell the whole story. But one of the things that I think about so often are the people who are self-medicating, the people who are suffering from bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, psychosis, and they run out, they meet somebody on a street corner or in an alley and they buy marijuana and they’re like, oh, look, I’m treating my mental health issues. And that sounds so incredibly scary to me. And I just want to make sure that none of our listeners are hearing that that works. What are your thoughts on that?

Eileen: Don’t ever, ever do that. I’ve seen how that turns out. I know about good people who are at risk for having negative psychoactive effects from marijuana and need to watch out for that. Like I said, if it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work for you, but it might work for someone else. So it’s really important to keep an open mind.

Jackie: So I have one more question that’s kind of getting into the specifics. There are a boatload of different ways at this point that you can sort of consume marijuana in the world we live in today. And I’m wondering, have you experimented with this in terms of efficacy for anxiety? Is it better to smoke it or eat it? Is CBD oil the way to go? What is the best way to use this for anxiety that you’ve discovered for yourself?

Eileen: Well, depending on what you’re experiencing with your anxiety, if I just finish something and I need to relax from it, I’ll probably smoke a joint. But if I need to go somewhere where I might be experiencing anxiety and I don’t want to be high, then I’m going to take some CBD oil. But I know my triggers now. I don’t have the negative effects that maybe I had when I first started because I’ve self experimented and also I watch how much I am taking and I take generally pretty good care of myself overall.

Gabe: Eileen, thank you so much for being here, where can folks find you online if they want to learn more about your advocacy because you’re huge in the rheumatoid arthritis community?

Eileen: Well, thank you. They can find me online. I go by Chronic Eileen, which I guess has a little bit to imply with being a chronic. But also chronic illness. So that’s Chronic Eileen, and Eileen is E I L E E N, and they can find me at ChronicEileen.com or Instagram or Facebook or Twitter.

Gabe: Well, we really appreciate you being here. Thank you so much.

Eileen: No problem. Thank you so much for having me.

Gabe: I always love it when we have guests on, Jackie.

Jackie: I do love a good guest. Eileen is awesome. She is a really great advocate online. You should follow her. Everything that she does,

Gabe: Fan girl.

Jackie: She’s a lovely person.

Gabe: Well, Jackie, obviously we picked her for a reason, we know that she’s a great advocate. What did you think of everything that Eileen had to say?

Jackie: I felt like it was really great that Eileen mentioned that not only does she use this, we’ll say off label, non-approved, but she also uses it in conjunction with her medication. This isn’t a replacement for her medication. It helps with her medication and that she’s very honest with her doctors about her usage.

Gabe: I like that she actually used the word recreational at one point because I think that sometimes, advocates for marijuana, they’re so heavily focused on its medical benefits, which there are medical benefits. There aren’t any approved for mental health reasons, but there’s medical benefits approved for physical reasons, physical health reasons. There are so many. I like that she was open about the fact that there’s a recreational aspect. I think it’s a more moderate and realistic and reasonable point of view.

Jackie: Yeah, dude, I mean, sometimes people smoke weed for fun and that’s the only reason why they use it. And for those people who do use it for medicinal reasons, you can’t lie that sometimes it’s still a fun hobby recreationally.

Gabe: One of the things that I want to talk about is something that I just I hear constantly and that’s people saying, well, marijuana can’t possibly be bad for you because it’s all natural. I hear this constantly. All natural, all natural. How can something all natural be bad for you? It drives me insane. And the reason why is because there’s all kinds of all natural things that are very, very, very dangerous. Strychnine is all natural. Poison ivy is all natural. I don’t think anybody listening to our show is going to get buck naked and rub poison ivy all over their body. Because after all, it’s all natural. How bad could it be?

Jackie: You know, I bet if you told people to rub poison ivy on them and they would lose weight, they would do it. Which just goes to show that, yes, something could be natural, but you still have to be a smart person and you still have to use common sense when using whatever that natural substance is.

Gabe: The thing is, I agree with you. And this just shows the level of misunderstanding that we have. I want to be clear, rubbing poison ivy on your body will not make you lose weight at all in any way. Period. Please do not send e-mail to the Not Crazy podcast saying that you did it. I hope that you are paying attention when you listen to this part because it’s very, very important. Bad things occur in nature, just like good things do. The other very, very important part that we want to remind you of is always work with your doctor. Always.

Jackie: Always, always, always. And even if you live in a state where this is illegal right now, when it feels kind of like you shouldn’t tell your doctor about it, you need to, because they need to know these things in order to provide you with the appropriate treatment. And if there’s a part of you that’s worried about telling your doctor, is there a part of you that thinks that this method of treatment is wrong? I don’t know. Maybe that’s something worth figuring out in your head if you’re hesitant to tell your doctor.

Gabe: Jackie, that was a show. Listen up, listeners. If you liked our podcast, please subscribe to it on whatever podcast player you downloaded this show on. And please tell your friends. Share us on social media and use your words. Tell people why you liked it, email it, bring it up in support groups, pass the word around. We’re giving away free stickers. All you have to do is email [email protected], and in the subject line write stickers and we will send them your way. We will see everybody next week.

Jackie: Thanks for listening, everyone.

Announcer: You’ve been listening to Not Crazy from Psych Central. For free mental health resources and online support groups, visit PsychCentral.com. Not Crazy’s official website is PsychCentral.com/NotCrazy. To work with Gabe, go to gabehoward.com. To work with Jackie, go to JackieZimmerman.co. Not Crazy travels well. Have Gabe and Jackie record an episode live at your next event. E-mail [email protected] for details.

Announcer: I’m here to tell you about Industrial Hemp Farms CBD flower. CBD hemp flower is readily available from a number of different sources, but their hemp flower is 100 percent organic. This is farm to table hemp flower. Check them out at Industrial Hemp Farms dot com.

Podcast: Smoking Weed for Anxiety – Fact vs Fiction syndicated from

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erraticfairy · 4 years

Text

Podcast: Smoking Weed for Anxiety – Fact vs Fiction

What’s your take? Tune in for an open-minded discussion about weed.

(Transcript Available Below)

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

About The Not Crazy Podcast Hosts

You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Computer Generated Transcript for “Anxiety- Smoking Weed” Episode

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.

Announcer: You’re listening to Not Crazy, a Psych Central podcast. And here are your hosts, Jackie Zimmerman and Gabe Howard.

Gabe: Welcome to this week’s episode of the Not Crazy Podcast. I’d like to introduce my co-host, Jackie.

Jackie: And that guy is my co-host, Gabe.

Jackie: You sound like so, Grandpa Gabe, right now. You’re like, what are the kids calling it these days?

Gabe: Well, just

Jackie: It’s weed, Gabe. We’re talking about weed.

Gabe: But I mean, it used to be grass. It has had a prolific number of slang names. I mean, sincerely. Right?

Jackie: Yes, that is true.

Jackie: Which is like how I’m looking at you right now, because the more you talk just the older you sound. Low key, you sound like a real old guy right now.

Gabe: We’ll be right back after these messages.

Jackie: And we’re back talking about using marijuana as a treatment for anxiety.

Gabe: And we’re going to roll that interview right now.

Jackie: We’re here with our friend Eileen. Gabe and I know Eileen outside in the real world, but we thought she’d be a really great guest to bring on the show today. So welcome, Eileen.

Jackie: Eileen, are there any specific symptoms that you’re using medical marijuana to treat?

Gabe: I do like that you’re so open about it.

Eileen: I wasn’t always open about it, though. I used to be actually very against marijuana.

Jackie: Ooh, what changed your mind?

Gabe: As funny as that is, though, do you tell all of your doctors that you’re utilizing cannabis as a treatment or do you keep that on the down low?

Jackie: So let me ask you this in conjunction with telling your doctors about this. Before you started using weed for anxiety. Were you prescribed medication for anxiety and if so, were they working?

Jackie: So do you think that it works better for your anxiety than the prescriptions did?

Eileen: No, I definitely don’t think it works better or worse. I think they work together.

Gabe: Eileen, thank you so much for being here, where can folks find you online if they want to learn more about your advocacy because you’re huge in the rheumatoid arthritis community?

Gabe: Well, we really appreciate you being here. Thank you so much.

Eileen: No problem. Thank you so much for having me.

Gabe: I always love it when we have guests on, Jackie.

Jackie: I do love a good guest. Eileen is awesome. She is a really great advocate online. You should follow her. Everything that she does,

Gabe: Fan girl.

Jackie: She’s a lovely person.

Gabe: Well, Jackie, obviously we picked her for a reason, we know that she’s a great advocate. What did you think of everything that Eileen had to say?

Jackie: Thanks for listening, everyone.

from World of Psychology https://ift.tt/3dDl3U4 via theshiningmind.com

#World of Psychology #child psychology

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positivepsychologyinterventions · 4 years

Text

Podcast: Smoking Weed for Anxiety – Fact vs Fiction

What’s your take? Tune in for an open-minded discussion about weed.

(Transcript Available Below)

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

About The Not Crazy Podcast Hosts

You can find her online at JackieZimmerman.co, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Computer Generated Transcript for “Anxiety- Smoking Weed” Episode

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.

Announcer: You’re listening to Not Crazy, a Psych Central podcast. And here are your hosts, Jackie Zimmerman and Gabe Howard.

Gabe: Welcome to this week’s episode of the Not Crazy Podcast. I’d like to introduce my co-host, Jackie.

Jackie: And that guy is my co-host, Gabe.

Jackie: You sound like so, Grandpa Gabe, right now. You’re like, what are the kids calling it these days?

Gabe: Well, just

Jackie: It’s weed, Gabe. We’re talking about weed.

Gabe: But I mean, it used to be grass. It has had a prolific number of slang names. I mean, sincerely. Right?

Jackie: Yes, that is true.

Jackie: Which is like how I’m looking at you right now, because the more you talk just the older you sound. Low key, you sound like a real old guy right now.

Gabe: We’ll be right back after these messages.

Jackie: And we’re back talking about using marijuana as a treatment for anxiety.

Gabe: And we’re going to roll that interview right now.

Jackie: We’re here with our friend Eileen. Gabe and I know Eileen outside in the real world, but we thought she’d be a really great guest to bring on the show today. So welcome, Eileen.

Jackie: Eileen, are there any specific symptoms that you’re using medical marijuana to treat?

Gabe: I do like that you’re so open about it.

Eileen: I wasn’t always open about it, though. I used to be actually very against marijuana.

Jackie: Ooh, what changed your mind?

Gabe: As funny as that is, though, do you tell all of your doctors that you’re utilizing cannabis as a treatment or do you keep that on the down low?

Jackie: So let me ask you this in conjunction with telling your doctors about this. Before you started using weed for anxiety. Were you prescribed medication for anxiety and if so, were they working?

Jackie: So do you think that it works better for your anxiety than the prescriptions did?

Eileen: No, I definitely don’t think it works better or worse. I think they work together.

Gabe: Eileen, thank you so much for being here, where can folks find you online if they want to learn more about your advocacy because you’re huge in the rheumatoid arthritis community?

Gabe: Well, we really appreciate you being here. Thank you so much.

Eileen: No problem. Thank you so much for having me.

Gabe: I always love it when we have guests on, Jackie.

Jackie: I do love a good guest. Eileen is awesome. She is a really great advocate online. You should follow her. Everything that she does,

Gabe: Fan girl.

Jackie: She’s a lovely person.

Gabe: Well, Jackie, obviously we picked her for a reason, we know that she’s a great advocate. What did you think of everything that Eileen had to say?

Jackie: Thanks for listening, everyone.

from World of Psychology https://ift.tt/3dDl3U4 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #World of Psychology

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dancingbeyondcancer · 4 years

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Chapter 05 - Dancing Beyond Cancer - Wedding Day

Chapter 5 -------- Wedding Day

The wedding quickly approached after a brief three-week engagement. While our love continued to deepen, we didn’t question the choice we were about to make. It was as if we just knew our destinies were intertwined. Life was in a state of perfect synchronicity. A permanent honeymoon phase that never diminished because our lives would not allow it. Danielle and I had that special magic all-the-time. We were both very present in our lives before we met and that intensified when we were together. We gave each other strength- strength we would both soon need.

Danielle woke up, twenty-four hours before our wedding, with pain in her stomach area. She explained that she felt something the past week. I was clueless until the pain sharply intensified. Danielle never showed discomfort or pain. She explained that if it didn’t start to dissipate, then she might have to get it checked out. I was a little concerned, but she hid the pain, very well. The real agony she was feeling, was not fully communicated. Danielle is the strongest woman I have ever known, so I wasn’t nearly as concerned as I probably should have been.

I had the whole day off and some errands to run to prepare for the ceremony the next day. When Danielle’s classes started, I was off to finish gathering up what we needed. I picked up some glass containers for the sand ceremony that we were having the minister performing. I also had to pick up some flowers, a belt, and a few other things. Including a run to the MMJ dispensary, as a favor for Danielle’s friend, whose husband was also a patient at the dispensary.

The gentleman recently had surgery and was immobile. People must go into the dispensary to pick up their meds in Arizona, which can be difficult for people, at times. Although now there are delivery services. They had expressed concern that he couldn’t make it into the dispensary, so he wouldn’t be able to get more meds. I picked up some that were great for pain relief and sleep. I made sure to pick up edible and topical medicine because it was far more effective at relieving physical pain than most of the medicine that patient's smoke. As it happened, I couldn’t deliver that day. Too much to do, and I still had to prepare for class.

The thing I was most excited about that day was dance class. It was delightful to have my fiancé teaching me how to dance. I wouldn’t say it was her that I was learning from, most of the time in class I was learning the dance moves from her students. Danielle had an eye for dance and would assuredly bring the best out of everyone. Shouting in approval or disapproval, when students do or don’t hit their precise mark. It made her an amazing coach, albeit a little intimidating.

I will admit that class always made me a little nervous because often my fiancé would put me in the spotlight for a solo performance. While all the students normally did this, it was all very new to me. Most of the girls had four to fifteen years of dance experience with Danielle. I felt very honored that they thought me talented enough to train with them.

Danielle called me thirty minutes before class saying that she was canceling class, something I knew she never did. I knew something was wrong. She asked if I was on my way; thankfully, I was. Danielle bragged about sitting through class after most of her previous serious health concerns. Nothing could keep her down when it came to her obligations. She was selfless in giving herself to her students. Something was different.

When I arrived at her house, everyone had left except for one parent and her daughter. She had noticed that Danielle was showing some pain and discomfort during her previous class. She had no idea Danielle was hiding such an immense amount of agony. I imagine she did this for the girls because she always liked the girls believing she was invincible. (Honestly, I thought she was at this point too, but that story I’ll save for later). I knew that, if she was canceling class, then she should go to the ER because this might be something serious. We were both hoping it was just a UTI or something else minor. What we were in store for was far from what we were expecting less than a day before our wedding.

The Sedona ER was not busy that Thursday night. I practically had to carry her inside because she was unable to walk on her own. The waiting room was empty, so we walked straight to the front desk. They checked us in right away, and we were put in a double room by ourselves. Immediately they checked her stats and blood pressure. I could tell, at this point, that my wife was very knowledgeable about her health and knew her normal blood pressure better than the doctors or nurses. She knew her blood pressure was high, but considering the pain she endured, it wasn’t a surprise. Danielle and the doctor agreed.

The nurse assisted with drawing blood and taking samples for the tests. The doctor ran us through the long list of health questions that needed answering. Danielle ended up asking the doctor about as many questions as he asked her. Most of Danielle’s questions were speculative, so the doctor couldn’t answer directly. Sadly we were going to have to wait on answers.

Resigned, albeit nervously, we waited for the blood tests to come back. The doctor also wanted to run a full scan of her abdomen. We agreed it was a good idea, but I also couldn’t go with her. They were taking her away for about forty minutes to perform the scan, and I had to sit and wait patiently. After they brought her back, we had to wait another hour for the scan to be analyzed.

The entire time we were talking about how we were still going to get married the next day. We kept expressing our undying love for each other, which made us stronger. I am extremely glad that I was able to be there for her. I kept reassuring her that it wasn’t going to be serious and that it was all going to be okay. I didn’t even consider the possibility that this could be serious. I was going to maintain a positive space that things were going to work out, and we were still going to get married in her studio. I wanted to be strong for her because she feared the worst.

The moment the scan came in, we knew it didn’t look good. We could tell the doctor was not looking forward to sharing the results from the scan. Danielle saw the nurse had a tear in her eye. I missed that cue, just feeling Danielle squeezing my hand. I embraced her as we both braced for the news. He proceeded to tell us that the scan had turned up several masses on her ovaries. While the doctor couldn’t tell us if it was just minor cysts or full-blown cancer, he did say that we would have to do further investigation to figure that out. He had more news too.

The blood tests had also come back and shown an elevated blood marker that they use to diagnose ovarian cancer. Explaining this also is inconclusive, and a biopsy would have to be performed to figure out exactly what it was. I prayed, hoped, wanted, and wished that my wife did not have cancer. I wouldn’t entertain the idea until we had total confirmation. I reassured her at every step that I was going to be there for her, and we were still going to get married.

At that point, I called the minister to cancel the ceremony for the next day. The hospital was still trying to figure out which hospital was going to be the best one to send us. We needed an oncological surgeon, which is a unique specialty for surgeons, from what they told us. We had some time before they could arrange a transfer.

Since I had the time, I decided to pick up the marriage license. It looked like we were going out of town for the weekend and there was so much I needed to grab. I was in such a rush that I just threw a bunch of stuff in a couple of bags at my house and did the same thing when I stopped at Danielle’s house. I attempted to predict everything we would need for the next couple of days. I forgot so much in my anxious haste. Most importantly, I wanted the marriage certificate ready for something special.

I returned to the hospital as the ambulance was putting Danielle on the stretcher to take her to Phoenix. While I was gone, they had found a great hospital with a surgeon that was first class, to help my fiancé. They told us that he was one of the best specialists in the country, which was a small relief. I was planning on following the ambulance down in my car, so I didn’t get stuck in Phoenix.

In my haste, I had only thrown ten dollars in the gas tank. I was out of time and prayed a quarter tank of gas would get me to my destination. The entire hour and a half trip between Sedona and Phoenix was smooth; I followed the ambulance the whole way. However, when I arrived in Phoenix, I was met with the most shocking billboards I have ever read.

“If you have any information about the I-10 shooter, please call 555-555-5555.” At that time, there was a psychopath that was shooting people on the I-10 freeway that runs through the heart of Phoenix. It didn’t occur to me, I was on the wrong freeway, so the entire time I was bobbing and weaving my head. I wasn’t about to give him a clean shot. I continued praying that my wife and I would make it safely to the Scottsdale Honor Health Hospital. We did make it safely, and I made it with a little gas to spare, which was a double relief.

It was about 2 am when we arrived at the hospital and checked in. They moved us into a suite. The room was bigger than most hotel rooms and had a nice fold-out couch for me to sleep. Danielle’s had a fully loaded bed with all the bells and whistles, such as cooling, heating, and adjustable everything. We were in one of the newest and most state-of-the-art hospitals. The nurses were very nice and helped us settle in for the night.

We knew we faced a lot the next day, but we had no idea just how crazy the next day would be. I don’t think we could have imagined what would happen on that Friday, September 18th, 2015. We were about to have one hell of a miracle, pun intended.

We both had a little shut eye from total exhaustion, but neither of us slept through the night. We were woken up by the morning nurse crew. The two nurses introduced themselves, but it was Kathy that would stand out that morning. After running some tests and talking with us, we told her that we were supposed to get married that day in Sedona. She was heartbroken to hear that. We told her we weren’t too worried about where we got married and that we just wanted to get married. Kathy told us she was going to check on some things, but we didn’t think much of it at the time.

The doctor showed up not too long after that. He wanted to discuss with us the possibilities and what we would want depending on the outcome of what he found. We all agreed that if it was cancerous that we would want everything removed and any other signs of cancer removed as well; this meant a full hysterectomy. The other possibility of a cyst meant a similar surgery. We essentially decided that, unless it was beneficial to leave her ovaries in place, then it was probably best to take them out no matter the outcome.

At this time, my fiancé also asked for the surgeon's birthday and where he was born so that she could read his star chart. She wanted to make sure this doctor was supposed to be her surgeon. After reviewing his star birth-chart, she was certain that this was the doctor for her. She even told the doctor a little about himself that slightly surprised him.

I also did some internet research and found that the doctor we had was world-renowned for the procedure that Danielle was due to receive. The staff had a nickname for the actual procedure, and the nickname was also a play on the doctor’s last name, the Janisecktomy. I was happy that we had what appeared to be the best surgeon in the world for Danielle’s situation. It felt almost perfect in this imperfect world we were spiraling into.

We had no idea that, within the next twenty minutes, the hospital staff would be preparing for the first wedding ever performed at the hospital. Kathy came back to tell us some great news: she had checked with the resident chaplain and found out that he is also a fully ordained minister. When we met Carl, the minister, my wife and I both knew this was the guy who would marry us. He was a tiny older man who was incredibly soft-spoken. Carl told us this was due to some throat cancer he had beaten a couple of years ago.

Carl felt bad that he could only perform the traditional Catholic wedding ceremony because it’s all he knew. I’m sure the nurses told him we were hippies from Sedona and likely weren’t practicing Catholics. We didn’t care, and we were happy that we were still going to get married. We were given an hour and a half window before the ceremony would take place. I made several calls, but the quickest anyone could get to Phoenix was about two hours from Tucson or Sedona. We were forced to recruit two hospital staff members to be our official witnesses.

We hadn’t even picked out rings because we were going to take a trip down to Tucson to do that after the wedding. Carl, being the outstanding gentleman that he was, offered to let us use his wedding ring. Forty years of marriage and he was willing to let us borrow the ring. We were hoping it meant a good omen for our future. We had a ring to use for the ceremony that we could exchange. We had a minister. We had witnesses for the ceremony. It was all working out so strangely perfect. The next thing that happened blew us away completely.

We were not at all, expecting the staff to jump on board in such an incredible fashion. Some of the nurses ended up putting together a bouquet, a flower headdress, a boutonnière, and a garter belt with a blue ribbon made from hospital equipment. Everything was hand made by the nursing staff and other hospital staff. It was an "all hands-on deck" kind of moment. When I made a quick run to the car, I saw them rolling a podium through the lobby and setting up chairs on the patio. It was rather exciting, and the energy was electric.

The staff even covered the podium with flowers. We couldn’t believe what they had pulled off in an hour and a half. They even bought Danielle a white blouse to wear at the hospital shop. I will be honest that, in my packing haste, I was more practical and wasn’t thinking about what clothes to wear to a wedding. The best thing I had to wear was jeans, a black shirt, and flip flops; not what I expected to be married wearing.

Thankfully, the staff bought Danielle the white blouse so that she was more comfortable with the fact that she would also have to be in a wheelchair. They had set up the most incredible setting in the hospital courtyard- it had such greenery, and the staff enveloped it with flowers. The location was called “The Healing Gardens,” which is exactly the type of marriage we were embarking on: a marriage of healing.

When the ceremony was ready, and the staff finished setting everything up, they separated us. According to tradition, it is supposed to be bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, so one group of nurses took me down to the gardens one way, and another took Danielle down another way. We were aware our wedding was going to be far from average.

The administrative staff asked if we would mind if the staff watched the wedding. We encouraged it. Danielle just asked that they do not take pictures, and any pictures taken would be sent to my email and would never be made public. Danielle was always concerned about her image.

They walked me up to the center podium in front of the crowd that had gathered. There were about fifty people we didn’t know sitting and standing around the garden area. We had several rows of seating and an aisle up to the center. One of the administrative staff members rolled Danielle down to the back of the aisle. She looked beautiful when she arrived. I could see all the joy radiating from her, which hid the incredible pain she endured. She was the strongest.

They rolled Danielle down the aisle with a smile across her face. I received her in front of the crowd of spectators. We locked eyes and just kept looking into each other’s gaze. It was really happening. I just held her hand through it all.

We said our vows, through sickness and in health. Sealed with a huge kiss, we officially married at 10:10 am on September 18th, 2015 at Honor Health Hospital, in the Healing Gardens Courtyard. It was still a beautiful Friday.

Our hearts were overflowing with love that touched the hearts of many witnesses who gathered to join in our celebration. We saw many with tears in their eyes, completely touched by the commitment we were showing each other. It was important to me because I wanted to show her that I was committed to her no matter what. No matter the outcome, I was going to be there for her. It gave both of us the resolve to stay strong for what laid ahead of us.

After the ceremony, we went back to the room briefly before they took her to surgery. At this point, Danielle felt it was important to notify her family about what was happening. The pending surgery topped with a surprise wedding would be a lot to handle. We hadn’t expected to tell our families so soon about the marriage, but the circumstances had called for an audible.

I gave both families the update and told them what was happening. It was a huge shock to everyone, and emotions ran high. Danielle wanted to talk to her family because she was going in for very major surgery. She kept the conversations short as I shared most of the details with everyone. After that, it was just the two of us again.

We had about two hours after the wedding to spend with each other while they prepped her for the surgery. It was a time of deep love, immense pain, undesired sadness, and topped with joy from our wedding. It was so confusing yet strangely comforting. I knew that the commitment I demonstrated was one of the biggest factors to calming any fears that I might abandon her. I guess you could say she suffered from some serious abandonment issues throughout her life. It was a gift to show her the assurance that she deserved.

When they took her to surgery, I was beyond an emotional wreck. I didn’t know what to think as my whole world was getting turned upside down. I didn’t want to leave the hospital, but I also realized that I should probably get some additional meds for my wife. Thankfully and coincidentally, I had purchased the medicine for her friend’s husband, which is legal, since it would have been patient-to-patient. We weren’t making it back to Sedona, and my wife needed the exact medicine I had purchased. Since my wife didn’t have her MMJ card yet, I would have to bend the rules to help her.

There were a couple of other products that I felt would help her as well, so I decided to take an adventure to the closest MMJ Dispensary. I didn’t want to leave the hospital for very long, but I also knew the surgery would be at least three to six hours. I needed something to calm my nerves, and my wife was going to need some natural pain meds. I knew she wasn’t going to be thrilled about all the prescription pain meds that the hospital was going to provide. Even upon our arrival, when they offered the meds, she was very cautious and showed incredible apprehension. Danielle asked about using Medical Marijuana. The nurses and doctor gave us approval but not officially.

I also used a little bit of the MMJ the first night in the Hospital on Danielle. It helped her relax and get some rest. It also showed me we needed stronger products. Phoenix had several unique products that I couldn’t get in Sedona, so I made sure my adventure was very productive.

Upon my return, I wandered around the lobby for a little bit, simply waiting. It felt like forever. I don’t think the possibility of losing Danielle that day ever truly crossed my mind. I just wanted to know she was okay. It was very hard not being able to do anything. It was the first time, I admit, that I felt helpless. Like nothing I was doing could help, but the universe would remind me otherwise.

I had mentioned that there was someone called the I-10 shooter, killing Phoenix drivers. Well, it just so happened the same day were married, was also the day he was miraculously captured. It was all over the local news channels. The synchronicity almost made me feel like we had played a small role in making the arrest happen that day. I couldn’t stop thinking that all the people that were at the hospital would be spreading all the love they had experienced with us across Phoenix. Love is a powerful feeling, which is contagious.

It reminded me of the power that Sedona had, the special energy that people would experience and take with them. We brought that energy with us and shared it with the entire city that day. We spread so much love and showed people something they had never seen. It was something special, something magical, and I felt that magic was responsible for helping conquer the city's greatest fear. Some say that love conquers all, and that day, I felt our love did just that.

While waiting in the lobby, I read every magazine I could to keep my mind off things. I was waiting and wishing. I kept checking in to make sure they hadn’t received any updates. Finally, after five and a half hours, they sent word that they had completed the surgery. I was ready to see my wife; I missed her so much. I didn’t realize I was going to have to wait another twenty minutes before I would even speak to the doctor. It was the longest twenty minutes of the entire day. I was so nervous and so hopeful that they didn’t find cancer. I knew the odds were high that it was cancer, but I was still ever so hopeful.

When the doctor called me back to the consultation room, I was a wreck. I had ridden more emotional rollercoasters that day than most of my life combined. I knew I was in for some big news and that I needed to be resolute. It still feels like a blur now, just like when it happened. I sat down on the couch, and the doctor proceeded to tell me that he removed the cancer. I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked and so scared for my wife. I couldn’t believe I would have to tell her that it was cancer.

He also told me the procedure went smoothly. The doctor did have to perform a full hysterectomy and said he removed any visible signs of cancer as well. He mentioned something about installing a port for future treatment. Beyond that, I don’t remember the rest of the conversation. I was crushed and knew we had quite the journey ahead of us.

I had to wait for another twenty of the longest minutes of my life for them to finish getting her ready after surgery. I was fully expecting to have to share all the information that the doctor told me with my wife, and it made me so nervous. The doctor told me I could break the news to her. When they finally called me back to the surgery discharge area, I was full of so many mixed emotions. Most of all, I was excited to see my wife. It was our wedding day, after all.

When I got there, she was awake and alert. The first thing she said to me was that it was cancer. She said the doctor told her right after she came out of surgery. I couldn’t believe it. The doctor said I would have to tell her. She told me that the doctor told her too, but that just confused me. I gave her the biggest kiss, and we held each other’s hands until they sent us back to our room. There wasn’t much to be said after that.

Once back in the room, they hooked her up to the machines that monitor her and helped her adjust the bed. Danielle, while very good at not showing her pain, was in incredible agony after the surgery. We talked a little with the nurses who mostly discussed the treatment with my wife. They supported the use of chemotherapy. Danielle was truly scared for her life, and the nurses weren’t giving her the answers she wanted. The next day, we would get our answers straight from the doctor. The answers my wife so desperately needed.

After the nurses left us alone, I knew it was time to pull out her alternative options. I knew we needed to start pain management. I knew my wife was very opposed to using the pain killers that the hospital provided. She didn’t want to use the button they supplied for the medication drip. Mostly because she suffered from many adverse side effects from medications throughout her life, and this experience was no different. The pain meds were already making her nauseated. She didn’t want to take the nausea meds because they would cause her seizers. I knew a better way to beat nausea.

At that moment, I unpacked the medical marijuana I acquired that afternoon. I knew that my bride couldn’t eat, so I would have to start topically. We did this secretly because the hospital couldn’t officially approve the use of MMJ.

My experience in the MMJ industry taught me about Rick Simpson Oil. Rick Simpson used it in cancer treatment in Canada for over a decade. It is named after the founder and is one of the most medicinal products that people have developed for the MMJ industry. It retains much of the activated cannabinoids which have shown to provide different medical benefits. It can be eaten or applied topically.

Most people are familiar with THC, which is the cannabinoid that gives people a high feeling. The second-most popular, although quickly becoming the most popular medical cannabinoid, is CBD. CBD is being used to treat childhood epilepsy and many cancers as well. I had purchased a high CBD topical cream that day, applying it with an accompanying foot rub. Including a little Rick Simpson Oil that we had already begun to use.

With topical absorption, I found it best to put it on her feet, specifically in-between her toes, where there were the most blood vessels for maximum absorption by the patient. Immediately we saw the benefit, and Danielle also preferred it to how the pain meds made her feel, which thankfully was an option for her. She also appreciated the foot massage.

All the pain meds she had the first night allowed her to be able to also reach a unique state of bliss with me. It was, after everything, still our wedding night. I couldn’t imagine being with a more incredible person at that point in my life. I knew we had a journey ahead of us, but, for a moment, we still had our magnificent love to carry us through. We had a beautiful evening in each other’s embrace. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything except maybe the miracle to make the recent problems disappear. I will admit that Danielle and I made the best of our honeymoon suite.

In all the pain of the day, we honestly did find a deeper connection through extreme hardship. Our bond deepened to a level that neither of us could have anticipated. It was a miracle. It was as if all the problems did, for a moment, disappear. The love we shared between us gave us both the strength to share a promise that still brings happiness to my heart.

Please feel Free to share or re-post this chapter. Stay tuned next Monday for Chapter 6 of Dancing Beyond Cancer If you would like to finish the story NOW you can purchase the full book at...

www.dancingbeyondcancer.com

Thank You

#dancing #cancer #free #ebook #Sedona #wedding #love

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indiajobsbook · 5 years

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RBI Recruitment Notification for Grade B Officers Posts

http://indiajobsbook.com/?p=14402 The Reserve Bank of India invites applications from eligible candidates for the post mentioned below in Reserve Bank of India (RBI/Bank): Post Details:

Officers in Grade ‘B’ Direct Recruitment (DR) – General: 156 Posts

Officers in Grade ‘B’ Direct Recruitment (DR) – DEPR: 20 Posts

Officers in Grade ‘B’ Direct Recruitment (DR) – DSIM: 23 Posts

Total No. of Posts: 199 Posts Before applying, candidates should ensure that they fulfil the eligibility criteria for the advertised posts. Reserve Bank of India Services Board, hereinafter referred to as 'Board’, would admit to the Examinations all the candidates applying for the post with the requisite fee/intimation charges (wherever applicable) based on the information furnished in the ONLINE application and shall determine their eligibility only at the final stage i.e. interview stage. If at that stage, it is found that any information furnished in the ONLINE application is false/ incorrect or if according to the Board, the candidate does not satisfy the eligibility criteria for the post, his/ her candidature will be cancelled and he/she will not be allowed to appear for interview and can be removed from service without notice, if he/she has already joined the Bank. Mode of Application: Candidates are required to apply ONLINE only through the Bank's website www.rbi.org.in. No other mode for submission of application is available. Brief Instructions for filling up the "Online Application Form" are given in Appendix-I: (i) Online applications for Gr B – (DR) – GENERAL/DEPR/DSIM – 2019 Educational Qualifications: Officers in Grade 'B' (DR) - (General)- A minimum of 60% marks (50% in case of SC/ST/PwBD) or an equivalent grade in Bachelor's degree as well as in 12th (or Diploma or equivalent) and 10th Standard examinations. The minimum qualifying percentage or an equivalent grade for the Bachelor’s degree will be in aggregate for all semesters / years Officers in Grade 'B' (DR) – DEPR: A Master's Degree in Economics / Econometrics / Quantitative Economics / Mathematical Economics / Integrated Economics Course/ Finance, with a minimum of 55% marks or an equivalent grade in aggregate of all semesters /years from a recognised Indian or Foreign University /Institute; OR b. PGDM/ MBA Finance with a minimum of 55% marks or an equivalent grade in aggregate of all semesters /years from a recognised Indian or Foreign University /Institute; OR c. Master’s Degree in Economics in any of the sub-categories of economics i.e. agricultural/ business/ developmental/ applied, etc., with a minimum of 55% marks or an equivalent grade in aggregate of all semesters /years from a recognised Indian or Foreign University /Institute. Note: SC, ST and PwBD candidates having second class with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent grade in aggregate of all semesters / years in Master's Degree examination or equivalent recognized qualifications are eligible to apply. Officers in Grade 'B' (DR) – DSIM: A Master's Degree in Statistics/ Mathematical Statistics/ Mathematical Economics/ Econometrics/ Statistics & Informatics from IIT-Kharagpur/ Applied Statistics & Informatics from IIT-Bombay with a minimum of 55% marks or equivalent grade in aggregate of all semesters / years; OR b. Master's Degree in Mathematics with a minimum of 55% marks or an equivalent grade in aggregate of all semesters / years and one year post graduate diploma in Statistics or related subjects from an Institute of repute; OR c. M. Stat. Degree of Indian Statistical Institute with a minimum of 55% marks in aggregate of all semesters / years; OR d. Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA) jointly offered by ISI Kolkata, IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta with a minimum of 55% marks or equivalent grade in aggregate of all semesters/years. Age Limits: (a) A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years on the 1st of September 2019 i.e., he/she must have been born not earlier than 2nd September 1989 and not later than 1st September 1998. For candidates possessing M.Phil. and Ph.D. qualification, upper age limit will be 32 and 34 years respectively. (For more visit official website) HOW TO APPLY: (a) Candidates are required to apply only online using the website www.rbi.org.in and no other means/mode of application will be accepted. Detailed instructions for filling up online applications are available at Appendix-I which is available on the Bank’s website www.rbi.org.in. The applicants are advised to submit a single application; however, if due to any unavoidable situation, if he/she submits another/multiple applications, then he/she must ensure that application with the higher Registration ID (RID) is complete in all respects like applicant’s details, examination centre, photograph, signature, left thumb impression and hand writing undertaking, fee etc. The applicants who are submitting multiple applications should note that only the last completed applications with higher RID shall be entertained by the Board and fee paid against one RID shall not be adjusted against any other RID. (b) All candidates, whether already in Government Service, Government owned industrial undertakings or other similar organisations, whether in a permanent or temporary capacity or as work charged employees other than casual or daily rated employees or those serving under the Public Enterprises are required to submit an undertaking in the Online application that they have informed in writing to their Head of Office/Department that they have applied for the Examination. Candidates should note that in case a communication is received from their employer by the Board withholding permission to the candidates applying for/appearing at the examination, their application will be liable to be rejected/candidature will be liable to be cancelled. At the time of joining, the recommended candidates will have to bring proper discharge certificates from their PSU/Government/Quasi-Government employer. SERVICE CONDITIONS/ CAREER PROSPECTS: (i) Pay Scale: Selected Candidates will draw a starting basic pay of ₹ 35,150/- p.m. in the scale of Rs. 35150-1750 (9)-50900-EB-1750 (2)-54400-2000 (4)-62400 applicable to Officers in Grade B and they will also be eligible for Dearness Allowance, Local allowance, House Rent Allowance, Family allowance and Grade Allowance as per rules in force from time to time. At present, initial monthly Gross emoluments are approximately ₹ 77,208/-(approx.) Note: For candidates possessing very high academic or professional qualification / experience of significant value to the Bank, the Bank may, at its sole discretion, consider granting up to four advance increments. The Board, at its sole discretion, may consider requests for higher emoluments because of higher qualification/special experience of value to the Bank at the interview stage only. Such information may be furnished in the Bio-data Form in the appropriate column. The number of increments will be maximum four. The Board/Bank will not entertain any request received after the interview. (ii) Seniority: Candidates selected from separate recruitments for the post of Officer in Gr. B (DR) for General, DEPR, DSIM streams will join the Combined Seniority Group and the seniority among these Officers will be fixed according to the ranking worked out by using the standard percentile score of aggregate marks of selected candidates. (iii) Perquisites: Bank’s accommodation, subject to availability, reimbursement of expenses for maintenance of vehicle for official purpose, newspaper, telephone charges, book grant, allowance for furnishing of residence, etc. as per eligibility. Free dispensary facility besides reimbursement of medical expenses for OPD treatment/hospitalization as per eligibility. Interest free festival advance, Leave Fare Concession (once in two years for self, spouse and eligible dependents). Loans and Advances at concessional rates of interest for Housing, Vehicle, Education, Consumer Articles, Personal Computer, etc. Selected candidates will be governed by ‘the defined contribution New Pension Scheme (NPS)’, in addition to the benefit of Gratuity. (iv) At certain centres, limited number of residential quarters are available. Facility for securing residential accommodation on lease, however, exists at all centres. (v) Initial appointment will be on probation for a period of two years. At Bank’s discretion, the probationary period may be extended up to a maximum period of four years. (vi) There are reasonable prospects for promotion to higher grades. (vii) Selected candidates are liable to be posted and transferred anywhere in India. LAST DATE OF RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: The Online Applications can be filled up to October 11, 2019 till 12:00 midnight. Detailed Information: Click here for detail Advertisement and other Information

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weedconsortium2 · 5 years

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For those of you in the dark about Florida’s Medical Marijuana Program, I’ve been attempting to light up the dim corners of Florida: The Nation’s Fastest-Growing Medical Marijuana Market, according to The Miami New Times.

Florida passed constitutional Amendment 2 in November 2016 which allows my Multiple Sclerosis and several other qualifying conditions as eligible for compassionate care, meaning diagnosed patients are allowed by Florida to receive a medical marijuana recommendation from a qualified Florida physician and products from a licensed Florida dispensary; these dispensaries must strictly adhere to Florida’s seed-to-shelf vertical integration business model.

This summer brought daily cannabis-related news and the hits just keep on coming. A timeline of Florida’s battle for solid medical cannabis ground has been outlined in depth throughout my previous articles.

In December 2018, Jeff Smith predicted that Florida’s $250M medical cannabis market could open up to new businesses in 2019:

“Florida’s $250 million medical marijuana market is poised to swing its doors open to new companies next year after two judicial rulings in recent months that could reshape the competitive landscape.

More competitors would be a change for the Sunshine State’s large MMJ market, which currently is dominated by about a half-dozen vertically integrated operators. To what extent the market opens up depends on a few factors:

In August, a Florida judge struck down as unconstitutional what he viewed as an arbitrary restriction on the number of MMJ business licenses; the state appealed. A 2017 law implementing the program called for 10 new licenses, then four additional licenses for every 100,000 patients.

The judge also said the requirement that Florida’s MMJ businesses be vertically integrated was flawed – a development that would further open the door to more companies and greater competition.

Despite the current legal confusion, Florida’s MMJ market has been growing at a gallop:

The number of active patients has nearly tripled, from 56,537 as of Dec. 1, 2017, to 159,107 as of Dec. 7, 2018.

The number of dispensaries has risen from 24 to 78 in the past year.

MMJ sales via dispensaries are expected to total $200 million-$300 million in 2018, according to projections in the Marijuana Business Factbook 2018, up considerably from an estimated $20 million-$40 million in 2017.

The licensing cap situation is the most critical issue from a business perspective. Florida has approved only 14 MMJ licenses, making them a hot commodity.

In recent months, licenses have commanded $50 million or more when resold to a new business. Currently, seven businesses dominate the market: Trulieve, Surterra Wellness, Curaleaf, Knox Medical, Liberty Health Sciences, Vidacann and AltMed Florida.

For existing operators, the market has been ‘very lucrative, very enticing,’ said Rolando Vazquez, a Miami cannabis consultant, but the legal wrangling came to a head in early August.

That’s when Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson ruled that Florida’s license cap violated the 2016 voter-approved initiative, which was a constitutional amendment.

The ruling could potentially lift both the cap and the requirement that operators must be vertically integrated.

In addition, state regulators have still not finalized rules allowing sales of cannabis-infused edibles.

Edibles products would give sales an added boost to an industry in tirmoil; but edibles aren’t yet being sold because regulators have yet to finalize regulations. Still, companies already are preparing: Trulieve, which has 22 dispensaries statewide, announced in September it had partnered with chocolate edibles maker Bhang.”

According to this U.S. News & World Report Overview of Florida, the state stands at #13 in Overall Rankings, up from its standing as #15 out of 50 in 2018.

However, I doubt even Jeff Smith could have predicted in what way the state itself and the legislators who comprise the Rear Battalion lost some footing. On July 11, 2019, a Florida Appellate Court ruled in the highly-publicized Florigrown lawsuit that the state’s vertical integration was unfair and unconstitutional.

Further explanation and clarity was offered by Beau R Whitney, Vice President and Senior Economist at New Frontier Data, with his insightful Florida Court Rules Vertical Integration Unconstitutional: So, What Now?:

“A Florida court of appeals decision last month ruled that the state’s regulatory framework for its medical cannabis program mandating vertical integration was unconstitutional. What does it mean for Florida’s system, or for other states? What are the associated implications? They may prove vast, impacting not only Florida’s system, but other state regulatory structures throughout the country.

Immediately, regulators in other states with newly legalized programs will seek to avoid similar pitfalls while striking an effective regulatory balance: Oregon’s unlimited license policy is an opposite example of what other states yet prefer to avoid. Florida’s blueprint for vertical integration had been an obvious bulwark against unlimited licensure, but the court essentially deemed it to be an overcorrection.”

Florida must consider and adopt good, balanced cannabis frameworks, such as the GCP Responsible Cannabis Framework. Or this Conceptual framework: State efforts to legalize regulate cannabis.

Even November 2018 boasted that Federal Marijuana Action Is An ‘Inevitability,’ Trump FDA Chief Says as reported by Kyle Jaeger: “Federal action on marijuana policy is inevitable and will happen ‘soon,’ according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.

Exactly what kind of action he’s anticipating is unclear, though. After dismissing the idea that botanical cannabis has therapeutic value, Gottlieb said in a CNBC appearance on Friday that there’s ‘probably going to be a policy reckoning around this at some point in the future,’ before continuing, ‘Obviously it’s happening at the state level, and I think there’s an inevitably that it’s going to happen at the federal level at some point soon,’ he said.

Gottlieb’s comments could be interpreted as a suggestion that legalization is happening at the state level and the end of federal cannabis prohibition is the inevitability. Or the policy reckoning could be some kind of increased enforcement of federal marijuana laws.”

Of course, there have already been numerous studies demonstrating that botanical Cannabis has medical value.

Ultimately though, here’s why the most pro-marijuana Congress ever won’t deal with weed, according to Paul Demko and Natalie Fertig on September 9, 2019:

“Two-thirds of Americans support legalization, but legislation seems to be going nowhere fast on Capitol Hill. This could be a big moment for marijuana and Congress.

At the same time that Congress is in gridlock, there is growing national support for cannabis, which is illegal at the federal level but at least partially legal in 33 states. In addition, public opinion is shifting rapidly, with nearly two-thirds of Americans supporting legalization according to Gallup — double the level of support two decades ago.

That’s led to a steadily growing number of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who represent states with legal cannabis markets, making them more sympathetic toward legislation aimed at helping the burgeoning industry — which brought in roughly $10 billion in sales last year.

These conflicts between state and federal law have created a rash of problems for cannabis companies, including lack of access to banking services, sky-high federal tax rates and bewildering questions about exactly what business practices are legal.”

None of this has evolved into cannabis bills getting to the proverbial finish line, as discussed in my previous 10-part series.

In fact, Jaeger continues, “The central tension in the House is how much emphasis should be put on full marijuana legalization versus single-issue bills that address industry concerns.

The bill with the best chance of being enacted — the SAFE Banking Act, which would allow banks to do business with cannabis companies without fear of federal punishment — cleared a key House committee in March by an overwhelming bipartisan vote, and received a hearing in the Senate. Supporters of the legislation, which include the influential American Bankers Association, were predicting floor passage before the August break.

That didn’t happen. However, Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) introduced much more far-reaching legislation. The MORE Act would end federal prohibition, expunge past marijuana convictions and establish grant programs designed to make sure members of minority communities are able to share in the potential financial benefits of legal markets.”

Regardless of what happens next at the federal level, Florida’s recent court ruling is set to drastically change Florida’s medical marijuana industry, as highlighted by Josh Cascio on July 29, 2019: “A contested ruling from one of Florida’s appellate courts could mean the end of both (1) required vertical integration and (2) caps on the number of registered medical marijuana treatment centers (MMTCs) in Florida.”

But to understand the issue, a quick primer on the nature of Florida’s (exclusively medical) marijuana program is necessary, Cascio insists before explaining further:

“First, unlike many states, Florida requires ‘vertical integration,’ meaning that, if registered by the state as a MMTC, the entity must cultivate, process, transport and dispense medical marijuana. Fla Stat. § 381.986(8)(e). Second, Florida also caps the number of registered MMTCs, with the number of allowed MMTCs slated to increase as the number of registered qualified patients grows.

In a lawsuit initiated by a rejected MMTC applicant, the First District Court of Appeal (one of Florida’s five appellate courts) struck a number of significant blows to the existing medical marijuana framework in Florida, delighting prospective applicants and spooking existing license holders.

Initially, the court held that the vertical integration requirement is unconstitutional. As the court explained, the 2016 constitutional amendment requiring the creation of Florida’s medical marijuana program did not require that a MMTC control every element of the supply chain—it defined a MMTC as an entity engaging in one or more of a series of medical marijuana-related activities, not all of them. Yet in Florida, each MMTC is required to do it all—grow the plant, process the plant, transport the medical marijuana product(s), and then sell them to end users (patients).

Next, the court found that its position on vertical integration compelled a finding that the cap on registered MMTCs was likewise unconstitutional. The cap, as the court described, is an ‘unreasonable’ regulation of an industry governed by a constitutional amendment. To put it mildly, Florida experienced a rocky July in the cannabis department.

On July 1, 2019, Florida’s new hemp law became effective, legalizing (and providing for regulation of) CBD products and creating a framework for commercial hemp growth. Yet, as discussed above, the month closes with more cannabis-related questions than answers. Whatever the resolution, the outcome is bound to have a significant effect on the marijuana market in Florida, as well as on policy discussions throughout the country.”

Indeed, Florida’s pot business is a mess, as Mitch Perry reported in the Florida Phoenix on September 10, 2019, enlightening the public that “Complaints about the state choosing winners and losers started piling up after the Department of Health awarded the first five medical marijuana treatment center licenses to companies who fit a very narrow and specific criteria.

For example, the state required them to have the cash to immediately put up a $60,000 non-refundable applications fee; prove that they can grow at least 400,000 plants and demonstrate that they’ve been in continuous operations for at least 30 years.

The tough criteria was established in 2014, back when lawmakers approved a low-THC form of cannabis called Charlotte’s Web to treat conditions like epilepsy, Lou Gehrig’s disease and cancer.”

Adam Elend, the 42-year-old CEO of a Tampa-based marijuana company involved in the contentious Florigrown lawsuit currently in Florida’s Supreme Court, says “These people are in the license sale business, not in the medical marijuana business.”

The Florida Legislature’s decision to limit the number of licenses for the medical marijuana business and to require so-called “vertical integration” has in fact sparked numerous lawsuits, but the entire state system could be upended with the Supreme Court’s forthcoming final ruling in the Florigrown lawsuit. Although 33 states now are involved in the marijuana business, few if any have created a system like Florida’s.

So what happened in July in the state’s medical cannabis arena? Florida’s Cannabis Vertical Integration Rules Found ‘Unconstitutional’ by TG Branfalt was reported for Gangapreneur, highlighting the current state of cannabis affairs:

“A court in Florida has ruled that the medical cannabis rules put in place by lawmakers created an ‘oligopoly’ inconsistent with the constitutional amendment that a huge majority of voters approved in 2016. The regulations, passed during a special legislative session in 2017, required vertical integration – allowing a limited number of businesses to control all aspects of the medical cannabis supply chain.

In the First Appellate Court’s decision, judges Scott Makar, James Wolf and T. Kent Wetherell wrote in the majority opinion that the legislature-approved rules ‘amend the constitutional definition of [medical marijuana treatment centers]’ and force cannabusinesses to ‘conform to a more restricted definition’ than the amendment approved by citizens.

In Florida, medical cannabis business licenses sell regularly for about $50 million. The decision will likely cause the prices of those licenses to drop as the Health Department complies with the court decision. Generally, states with rules about vertical integration fall into one of three categories: required, permitted or prohibited.“

Let’s back all the way up to the Oct 2, 2018 piece by 7 Point Law aptly titled Vertical Integration: What Is It, And Why It Matters To Cannabis to understand why and how any of this integration stuff matters: “Nearly every state that has a legalized cannabis industry has rules relating to vertical integration. So what is “vertical integration,” and what does it mean for the cannabis industry? Vertical integration is a business strategy by which a company controls every stage of the same production path, such as when a manufacturer of a product owns the supplier, distributor, and retailor businesses. In the cannabis industry, this generally takes place where a manufacturer/ producer also owns a processing business, and the retail store front.”

The July Florigrown v. DOH decision: Florida’s Vertical Integration Requirement for Medical Marijuana Licensees Held Unconstitutional was covered in depth by Benjamin Stearns, Jennifer Tschetter, who asked the important question of what happens next:

“The Department has a few options.

Rehearing – The Department has 15 days to file a motion for rehearing or request a rehearing en banc. If the rehearing en banc is granted, all active judges on the First DCA would be involved in deciding the appeal. This could potentially involve an additional oral argument before the full court, although it is unlikely. Either a motion for rehearing or rehearing en banc would need to be filed by July 24.

Appeal – The Department could also appeal the decision to the Florida Supreme Court. Opinions by district courts of appeal that declare statutes unconstitutional are within the Supreme Court’s mandatory, not discretionary, jurisdiction. The Department would also be entitled to a stay during the pendency of the appeal. The Department has 30 days to file an appeal (August 8), unless that deadline is extended by the consideration of a motion for rehearing.

Rehearing and Appeal – The Department could file both a motion for rehearing and (depending on whether that motion is denied, or if the court grants rehearing but then issues another unsatisfactory opinion) file a subsequent appeal. This option would also delay the effectiveness of yesterday’s ruling.

Accept the Decision – The Department could accept the ruling and attempt to implement the existing statute while disregarding all of the unconstitutional provisions. This option would result in further proceedings in the circuit court.

Other Considerations If the unconstitutionality of vertical integration is ultimately accepted by the state, the Department will have to determine how to handle the existing licenses without triggering a regulatory taking. One option would be to issue each current licensee with separate licenses to engage in each phase of the new, horizontal licensing scheme (i.e., a cultivation license, a processing license, a transportation license, a dispensing license, etc.).

If that were to happen, yesterday’s ruling would actually create more opportunities for existing licensees. Whereas licensees under the current scheme are required to perform all aspects of an operation, a horizontal licensing scheme could allow these licensees to focus on specific aspects of the operation and provide other companies the opportunity to do other aspects. A horizontal structure may also provide opportunities for licensees to structure their operations so as to limit their total tax liability.

For existing licensees, having separate licenses for each aspect of their operations may ultimately prove advantageous. Regardless of the direction the proceedings take from here, one thing seems certain: The process of legalizing medical marijuana in Florida will remain interesting and legally complicated. Watch this space for information on further developments.”

The decision can be accessed in full at Fla. Dep’t of Health v. Florigrown, LLC, No. 1D18-4471 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. Jul. 9, 2019).

Basically, the Florida 1st Appellate Court Order completely nixed the idea of medical marijuana caps, vertical integration, as reported on July 10, 2019. The cannabis-court hourglass turns again and we all wait.

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bestmarijuanaboutiques · 5 years

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Battle of the Weedwork Stars, Episode 1

New Post has been published on https://bestmarijuanaboutiques.com/?post_type=wprss_feed_item&p=23652