Biden

Federal Government To Reschedule Cannabis

Published

8 months ago

August 30, 2023

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Bloomberg News has obtained a letter from a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) official recommending the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance under federal law. Yes, at least, the federal government to reschedule cannabis.

Finally Biden is delivering on a commitment he made during his campaign and early in his tenure, the administration has finally forward at a time when the conversation about marijuana has become mainstream.

Study Finds Most Canadians Positive On Pot, But Wished They Were Better Informed

Rescheduled to schedule III would be monumental for state-legal cannabis businesses. Although rescheduling would not federally legalize the state-legal programs, it would eliminate the 280E tax burden that currently applies to such businesses. It could also expand research on—and access to—cannabis-based medicines.

This comes at a time with the cannabis industry is struggling from emerging from the black market and converting to a mainstream industry. New York and California have significantly hampered the industry with the inept oversight including a boom for over 1,500 unlicensed dispensaries in NYC alone.

Marijuana use is at an all time high and younger people are drifting away from alcohol and moving to weed. Recently, three northeast states announced record sales. Massachusetts reached a record $157+ million last month. This was their third month with hefty growth. Maine retailers sold $20.8 million in cannabis in July, and tiny Rhode Island did $9.5 million. Consumer demand grows while oversight is lacking.

Dated August 29th, the memo requests the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.

The HHS recommendation now goes to DEA, which will conduct its own scientific review. In the past, the DEA has employed its own five-factor test (which differs from HHS’ criteria) to determine whether or not cannabis ought to be rescheduled. The HHS recommendation now goes to DEA, which will conduct its own scientific review. In the past the agency has determined that cannabis failed to meet any of its five criteria. With 40 states having approved medical marijuana and most major medical universities doing some time of research involving cannabis it would be hard.

In general, Schedule III controlled substances, like anabolic steroids and weight loss supplements are FDA-approved drugs that are uniformly regulated by the federal government and are only legally available by prescription. This would mean medical marijuana would have stricter guidelines, which would make it easier for physicians to understand how it can used on a consistent base with correct dosages. The medical community would more comfortable with the FDA treating it similar to prescription drugs, aspirin, and other over the counter medications.

Ultimately, an administrative law judge would consider the entire record and issue a decision, which is really a recommendation that the DEA Administrator considers for its Final Order, which can be challenged in court. There is a chance, however, that the DEA would issue the rule without the notice and comment period, relying on its authority to reschedule directly to comply with the Single Convention. Accordingly, rescheduling could take months or could be final within weeks.

Today was an early move in possible federal legalization.

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Biden

Is Cannabis Good For The Planet

Published

2 weeks ago

April 15, 2024

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As Earth Day approaches, is growing cannabis good for the planet – it is a bit of a mixed bag

As Earth Day approaches, everyone is evaluating what is good for the planet. Plastic, deforestation, fake fur, and Temu’s fast fashion are clearly bad for the planet, but others are more nuanced. Ever since Morton Hilbert started the movement, it has been a time reflect, reassess and hopefully adjust. With marijuana and CBD becoming mainstream and popular over the last few years, is cannabis good for the planet?

While cannabis has clear medical benefits and is considering a treat recreationally, it can take a toil on the earth. There are some benefits. As a fast-growing plant, cannabis can absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making it a potentially valuable crop for combating climate change.

The plant’s deep roots also help prevent soil erosion, and its flowers attract pollinators like bees, supporting biodiversity. Additionally, cannabis has been shown to be effective at phytoremediation – absorbing and storing heavy metals from contaminated soils, which can help clean up polluted land. These are all related to outdoor grows.

green cannabis plants during daytime

The downside can have environmental risks which need to be managed. Both indoor and outdoor cannabis grows can be highly water-intensive, with estimates of up to 6 gallons of water per plant per day for cultivation. This water usage can deplete local water resources and pollute waterways with fertilizers and pesticides. While less than crops like citrus fruits, grapes (wine), palmists, apricots, it is still a significant impact.

Indoor grows also have a large energy footprint, with high electricity demands for lighting, HVAC, and other equipment, leading to significant greenhouse gas emissions. Cannabis farming can also contribute to deforestation and soil erosion if not done sustainably, such as by clearing land on steep slopes. And the plants themselves emit volatile organic compounds that can negatively impact local air quality.

With the right policies and farming techniques, cannabis could potentially be grown in an environmentally-friendly way which sequesters carbon, supports biodiversity, and remediates contaminated soils. But the industry will need to prioritize sustainability to fully realize the plant’s potential as an eco-friendly crop. Biden’s climate friendly adminstatration can make a difference with legalization. Southern and other farming states with experience in outdoor growing will help. Thoughtful regulation, life cycle assessments, and adoption of precision agriculture technologies will all be important to making cannabis cultivation more sustainable.

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BDSA

Is The Administration Racing To Reschedule By 4/20

Published

1 month ago

March 29, 2024

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After dragging their feet for 3 years, the Biden administration seems to be putting some juice to get the DEA to move

Is it opening the door to a new era? It seems the Biden administration has suddenly decided to follow up on their 2020 campaign promises. But does the sense of urgency reflect not only their need to engage younger voters but something else? Is the administration racing to reschedule by 4/20. President Biden brought up federal rescheduling as part of his proclamation declaring April to be “Second Chance Month.” Followed by his mentioning it in the State of the Union, this should be a signal to the Federal Drug Agency (FDA) to move on the recommendation by other agency and act.

Having made the promise, for almost the first 3 years of his tenure, Biden barely acknowledged the cannabis industry. This despite sales in the industry continues to grow and now, over 50% of the country has legal access to products. Those under 40 have an entirely different take on marijuana with Gen Z drifting away from alcohol and moving to weed. Beer sales have mirrored the societal shift. They have been out of step with the public.

joe biden kamala harris — Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Biden is struggling with younger voters. Media like the New York Times has been piling on by highlighting why he is losing and gently making it a much bigger issue. The campaign is concerned and sees to reengage this demographic. Biden is viewed favorably by only 31% of people ages 18 through 29, much worse than he fares with other age groups, according to a recent Economist/YouGov poll.

The White House begrudgingly started the process of rescheduling last year. Currently, cannabis classified as having zero medical benefit is lumped into the same category as heroin and LSD. Neither alcohol or tobacco are boxed into this category despite having zero health benefits and litany of problems the does cause.

Rescheduling would be an immediate benefit to an industry struggling with a host of issues including tough business rules around the classification, chaos in the New York and California market, and a dropping of flower prices. Some older Senators including James Risch (R-ID) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) are making a last ditch effort to stop the process.

While 4/20 has long been a wink wink nod to marijuana use for those in the know, thanks to the legal sales it is another big media day. Like the 4th of July or Drinksgiving/Green Wednesday, it is a time where they could get the most engagement with the public.

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AMA

The Perfect James Bond Martini

Published

1 month ago

March 22, 2024

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Did James Bond make the martini famous? Or did the martini help make Bond cool?

The classic line of “shaken or stirred” has been used by men for decades. Bond instructs the bartender in the phrase “shaken and not stirred” in Diamonds Are Forever and Dr No and it has been in our lexicon ever since. But did Bond make the martini famous – or did the martini help Bond. And what is the perfect James Bond Martini?

The history of the martini is murky, “Professor” Jerry Thomas, a famous and influential 19th century bartender, invented the drink at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco, sometime in the late 1850s or early 1860s. As the story goes, a miner, about to set out on a journey to Martinez, California, put a gold nugget on the bar and asked Thomas to mix him up something special. Thomas produced a drink containing Old Tom (sweetened) gin, vermouth, bitters and Maraschino, and dubbed it the “Martinez” in honor of the customer’s destination.

The big question is gin or vodka? Purist insist it be gin for the classic martini, but numbers say vodka is preferred. Vodka sales are about $7.5 billion annually while gin is around $5 billion. If you order a classic martini, you will probably be served gin unless you say vodka. Bond seems fairly fluid in his choice, he orders 19 vodka martinis and 16 gin martinis throughout Fleming’s novels and short stories.

Like Bond’s creator Ian Fleming, James Bond prefers his cocktails shaken and not stirred. A traditional martini is stirred rather than shaken, but Fleming’s biographer Andrew Lycett shared the author preferred martinis shaken since he believe it preserved the flavor.

Bond like celebrity chef Justin Khanna

Internationally known celebrity chef Justin Khanna has his take on the martini.

“The perfect Martini, to me, takes advantage of the “blank canvas” nature of this timeless cocktail. “Many cocktails restrict you to specific garnishes, and even fewer allow the liberty to swap the base spirit.

With the Martini, a vodka base that’s heavy on the olives and light on the vermouth is just as “right” as one made with gin and a twist of lemon, even though they couldn’t be more different once you take your first sip. Accompanied by a bowl of olives, bleu cheese or salty potato chips to snack on, and I’ll savor this iconic cocktail in bliss.

I personally love the body, complexity and herbaceous kick of vermouth, often making it a co-star in my version”

The Khanna Martini

Ingredients

2 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz dry vermouth
Ice
Lemon zest twist

Create

Combine vodka and vermouth in a shaker with ice.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist, first rubbing it along the rim for a burst of citrus aroma.

Dean Martin, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis’s Margo Channing, FDR, Frank Sinatra, and Jessica Walter’s Lucille Bluth are all noted martini fans. One of the most fun is the great Megan Mullally’s Karen Walker from the show Will & Grace.

The Karen Walker Martini

Ingredients

2.5 oz. High-end vodka
.5 oz. Dry vermouth
.5 oz. Olive brine

Create

Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice cubes.
Shake well
Strain in chilled cocktail glass

The Perfect James Bond Martini

Ingredients

2 ¼ ounces dry gin
1 ounce dry vermouth
1 lemon twist, for garnish
1 olive (for garnish)

Create

Combine vermouth and gin in a mixing glass filled with ice
Fill glass with ice and stir rapidly. Continue adding ice and stirring until the additional ice has been submerged within the cocktail
Strain the cocktail into the chilled martini glass
Express the lemon twist over the cocktail
Place expressed lemon twist and the skewered olive on the chilled rim

As famed writer and wit Dorothy Parker shared about martinis:

“I like to have a martini,
Two at the very most.
After three I’m under the table,
after four I’m under my host.”

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