Cannabis and The Movement for Black Lives: The racist roots of the war on weed and the role of the cannabis industry now

“Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.” So believed Harry Anslinger, founding commissioner of the Bureau of Narcotics and man of many terrible opinions, who did not even attempt to disguise his overt racism while crafting policies specifically meant to punish people of color. Much like policing, it is well known that […]

Cannabis

Roll it Up, Gramps!: Introducing cannabis to older folks

Of the 2.1 million Americans using medical marijuana, those age 65 and older are among the fastest-growing group of cannabis users. From 2007 to 2017, cannabis use in adults over the age of 65 increased tenfold. Although they make up less than 15% of the population, seniors are prescribed more than one-third of all prescription […]

Cannabis

Spring Legislative Updates: What’s Happening with Cannabis Policy in RI

Even if you are actively trying to keep track of cannabis policy here in Rhode Island, it can be difficult to stay up to date with everything that is going on at the State House. What’s the deal with the new compassion centers, what are my rights as a medical marijuana patient, and will we […]

Cannabis

Posted on February 5, 2020February 10, 2020
Emily Cotter
Cannabis
Leave a comment

Lessons From Portugal: Drug czar comes to the RI State House

“Drugs are good — drugs are so good that they may become the only source of pleasure in one’s life.” Those may not be words that you would expect from someone in charge of a national drug policy, but Dr. João Goulão knows what he’s talking about. On January 9, a crowd of about 75, […]

Cannabis

Posted on January 8, 2020January 8, 2020
Emily Cotter
Cannabis
Leave a comment

New Year, New Rules?: Oversight committee tackles issues in medical marijuana program

RI’s medical marijuana program has undergone several iterations since it was made into law in 2006, evolving from a program widely known for supporting patient rights and access to one dominated by money and politics. Recent proposed changes to the program would increase the number of compassion centers to nine from three, which is a […]

Cannabis

Posted on December 4, 2019December 17, 2019
Emily Cotter
Cannabis, News
Leave a comment

US House of Reps Makes History, Votes to Deschedule Marijuana

On November 20, the US House Judiciary Committee took a huge step toward ending the prohibition of marijuana when they voted to pass the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act. True to its name, the legislation would not only remove cannabis from the federal controlled substances list (where it currently sits at schedule 1, […]

Cannabis

Posted on October 31, 2019October 28, 2019
Emily Cotter
Cannabis, News
Leave a comment

Pot Politics: Who should have the final say in RI cannabis regulations?

There were significant changes made to RI cannabis policy in last year’s budget submitted by Governor Gina Raimondo, involving both the medical marijuana program and the newly legalized hemp regulations. The House Finance Committee also added a provision to the state budget that would require all new cannabis regulations to be “subject to approval by […]

Cannabis

Posted on October 2, 2019October 16, 2019
Emily Cotter
Cannabis, News
Leave a comment

Mixing up the Medicine: CBD in cocktails?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: In my opinion, cannabis is WAY safer than alcohol. But what happens when the two are combined? I’m not talking about getting crossfaded after you decide to take a puff or two after a night of drinking — I’m talking canna-beverages. Weed beer and wine have […]

Cannabis

Posted on September 18, 2019September 16, 2019
Emily Cotter
Cannabis, News
Leave a comment

On Cloud Nine-One-One?: Vaping safety

Unless you’ve been avoiding the news (which is honestly understandable these days), you’ve probably heard recently about the dangers of vaping. This week we saw the sixth confirmed death from the mysterious vape-related illness that seems to be sweeping the nation. Although we have yet to see any cases in RI, the RI Department of […]

Cannabis

Posted on August 14, 2019August 15, 2019
Emily Cotter
Cannabis
Leave a comment

4/20: Do its origins appear in Lovecraft’s writings?

H.P. Lovecraft wrote these words in 1936, describing a psychoactive plant that may sound familiar to some readers: “I had encountered at last one of those curious mirage-plants about which so many of our men told stories. Anderson had warned me of them, and described their appearance very closely – the shaggy stalk, the spiky […]

Motif

Events:

She Persisted: Women Artists of New Bedford, 1900-2019

Emily Cotter

Cannabis and The Movement for Black Lives: The racist roots of the war on weed and the role of the cannabis industry now

Roll it Up, Gramps!: Introducing cannabis to older folks

Spring Legislative Updates: What’s Happening with Cannabis Policy in RI

Lessons From Portugal: Drug czar comes to the RI State House

New Year, New Rules?: Oversight committee tackles issues in medical marijuana program

US House of Reps Makes History, Votes to Deschedule Marijuana

Pot Politics: Who should have the final say in RI cannabis regulations?

Mixing up the Medicine: CBD in cocktails?

On Cloud Nine-One-One?: Vaping safety

4/20: Do its origins appear in Lovecraft’s writings?