An article by Adam Tschorn in Friday morning’s November 17, 2017, edition of the Los Angeles Times caught my eye: Boutique hotelier is teaming up with cannabis brand. Beginning next year Standard International, a high-end hotel will be offering the first cannabis retail shop in the lobby of their Hollywood location. The store will be…
Did you watch the 60 Minutes segment about the opioid crisis on October 15th, 2017? In case you missed it, 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker interviewed ex-DEA Agent Joe Rannazzisi, who ran the DEA’s Office of Diversion Control that regulates and investigates the pharmaceutical industry. Rannazzisi, a whistleblower, said the opioid crisis was allowed to…
In anticipation of January 1, 2018, when buying recreational weed in California will be legal, an April 11th article by Debra Borchardt in Forbes Magazine estimated that California would receive $1 Billion in tax revenues the first year. Whoa. That’s a ton of money. While stores are not supposed to sell recreational marijuana until the…
I recently re-read a (fabulous) book called Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. The story is about a convicted Australian bank robber who’d escaped from prison and lived in India. Throughout the narrative, Mr. Roberts shared several philosophies, of which one is: Black markets for things exist because the white markets are too strict. This is true…
“I have trouble falling asleep,” I told my friend Sharon over lunch. “I fall asleep okay,” Sharon said, “but then I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep.” “When I don’t get enough sleep, I feel sluggish, like I’m slogging through mud. I’m forgetful, I repeat myself, and…
Words of Wisdom Promoting a new novel without an established reader base is daunting and intimidating. After hosting a book-launching event, and asking (begging) friends to please read, review, and recommend Busted to others, I needed to expand my universe and have been seeking professional and influential blogger reviews. When a novel is submitted, there…
Recently New Jersey Senator Cory Booker introduced legislation called the Marijuana Justice Act of 2017. If the bill passes it will legalize marijuana at the federal level, incentivize legalization at the state level, and retroactively apply to those serving time in federal prison for marijuana-related offenses by providing a process for expungement and resentencing, pending…
On Thursday, July 27th, 2017 the Senate Appropriations Committee renewed an amendment which protects medical marijuana from federal interference. In other words, marijuana patients and providers cannot be prosecuted. The amendment had bipartisan support and passed with voice votes–which are used for non-controversial issues. The next step is for the amendment to be included in the final appropriations bill,…
How would you feel if a jealous friend, disgruntled coworker/boss/employee, or malicious acquaintance accused you of having and/or selling illegal drugs, and the police, without proof, seized your car, home, and savings because you were suspected of breaking the law? No, this nightmare scenario is not a plot for a novel. Unfortunately, this is an…
–In the U.S., 52,404 people have died from opioid-related deaths; more than from car accidents or gun-related deaths. —Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton –“Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death among Americans under 50.” —Sam Quiones, NYT, June 16, 2017 –“Middle-of-the-road” white Americans without a college degree are the most impacted.—Jared Keller, Pacific Standard…
