Fresno County, city on cannabis collision course By Michael S. Green

SAC NORML Neighbors

Fresno County, city on cannabis collision course

By Michael S. Green

Fresno Cannabis Association

As medical cannabis patients and social users turn their attention toward adult-use legalization in 2016, Fresno County continues to preach the gospel of pot prohibition.

The county's total ban on medical cannabis cultivation, both indoors and outdoors, took effect in February 2014. The City of Fresno passed its own growing ban a month later, apparently at the urging of county supervisors. Both ordinances feature feature on-the-spot plant rips by police officers or sheriff's deputies (aka "summary abatement") and excessive fines of $1,000 per plant.

Caught in the cross-fire are patients who grow and use medical cannabis in compliance with Proposition 215 and Senate Bill 420, only to find out that Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims, Fresno police Chief Jerry Dyer, and their respective officers don't enforce those state laws. Instead, both the City and County of Fresno are in a perpetual (and unlawful) state of cannabis emergency, so plants typically get ripped without advance notice or property inspection warrants. In two marathon meetings last fall, supervisors imposed fines ranging from $1 to $316,000, even though the plants were pulled at the same time the fine citations were issued. Several of those fines are now on appeal in Fresno County Superior Court, which prompted supervisors to amend the enforcement procedures of the growing ban this January.

It's not all bad news for Prop. 215 patients. Two lawsuits challenging the county ban on pre-emption grounds are pending in the Fifth District Court of Appeal, including one filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. A pair of lawsuits were filed last year against the City and County of Fresno on grounds they violated state planning and environmental laws when they passed their respective growing bans, and court rulings are expected in both of those cases within 60 days.

In March, the Fresno City Council considered an ordinance that would have allowed four plants, indoors only, but that also would have required growers to obtain a city permit and allow police inspections of those same four plants. Fresno Cannabis Association members praised the proposal as a good starting point for discussions, but objected to the proposed permits and the $1,000/plant fines. Fresno County supervisors apparently lobbied against the proposal behind the scenes, and after the four-plant plan failed on a split vote the council president decided to table the issue. Since then, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors also adopted a zero-tolerance growing ban (minus the excessive fines), and it's expected that more cities and counties will follow suit.

Fast-forward to 2016: Cannabis legalization will fix all this, right? As the Fresno ordinances show, that's hardly a given. Several ballot measures are competing for attention and campaign funds, and personal cultivation remains a hot-button issue. Another wild card is the Legislature, which has stalled cannabis regulations for years. The looming specter of adult-use legalization could finally spur action on medical cannabis regs, but cities and counties will fight like hell to make sure local governments can opt out.

Because medical cannabis dispensaries are already banned throughout Fresno County and most of the Central Valley, it's unlikely that retail sales of adult-use cannabis will take place in California's heartland unless local bans are pre-empted by the specific terms of the winning ballot initiative.

Learn more:

Fresno City Council balks at cannabis ordinance

http://fresnocannabis.org/fresno-city-council-balks-at-cannabis-ordinance/

Fresno County cannabis fine appeals

http://fresnocannabis.org/fresno-county/cannabis-fine-appeals/

Fresno County cannabis ban faces CEQA challenge

http://fresnocannabis.org/fresno-county-cannabis-ban-faces-ceqa-challenge/

Court records filed in challenge to Fresno growing ban

http://fresnocannabis.org/court-records-filed-in-challenge-to-fresno-growing-ban/

Health: The Scent of Healing Kim Cargile

Health

The Scent of Healing

 By: Kim Cargile

Terpenes-  The Common Connection Between Cannabis, Grapes, Black Pepper and Perfume

Do you find the smell of lavender relaxing or pine invigorating?  Well, many people do.  This is because the molecules that you are smelling in lavender and pine actually produce pharmacological effects on your body.  These molecules are terpenes.  According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, terpenes are “any of various isomeric hydrocarbons C₁₀H₁₆ found present in essential oils (as from conifers) and used especially as solvents and in organic synthesis; broadly :any of numerous hydrocarbons (C₅H₈)_n found especially in essential oils, resins, and balsams.”  That is for the science buffs out there. For everyone else, terpenes are the scent molecules naturally occurring in essential oils of citrus, herbs, pine, black pepper, hops, grapes, and yes cannabis.  Each terpene has a distinct smell and causes different effects on the body’s chemistry.

A 1997 study by the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agroecology and Agriculture entitled “Essential oil of Cannabis sativa L. strains” distinguished 16 terpenoid compounds in the essential oil of different cannabis strains. The most common of these terpenes are: pinene, myrcene, limonene, beta-caryophyllene and linalool.  These same molecules are found in a variety of other plants, flowers, fruits and herbs.  They are widely used as additives in perfumes, cosmetics and foods.  They provide scent, flavor and color as well as medicinal effects.

Pinene has a pine smell as its name implies.  It is found in conifers, rosemary, basil, parsley and dill.  It provides an invigorating effect on the body producing a feeling of alertness.  Michael Backes the genius author of Cannabis Pharmacy, The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana writes about its effects on enzyme inhibition in the brain which helps counteract short term memory loss, a negative side effect of THC. Pinene also provides relief of asthma by way of bronchial dilation and is used as an antiseptic.

Myrcene is the most common terpene in cannabis.  It emits a musky, earthy and herbal smell with notes of tropical fruit. It is present in found in mangos, lemongrass, thyme and hops.   Myrcene is found in vary high levels in cannabis indica and produces sedating effects. It helps patients relax and is good relief for muscle tension. The Complete Guide to Natural Healing website providing expert advice on alternative medicine, health, fitness and beauty provides evidence that myrcene is the most important terpene for treating insomnia.

 

Limonene has a citrus aroma. It naturally occurs in fruit rinds, rosemary, juniper, peppermint, a variety of  flowers and of course cannabis.  Its effects provide mood elevation and stress relief.  It has been found to have antifungal, anti-bacterial and anti-carcinogenic properties.  Steephill Laboratory’s website states, “Limonenes have antidepressant, anxiety-relief, immuno-stimulant (similar to garlic), anti-tumor, and anti-fungal/bacterial properties, and also aid in treating gastric reflux including treatment of esophageal ulcers.”

Beta-Caryophyllene has a pungent pepper and clove smell. It originates in black pepper, cloves and cotton and again cannabis.  It is spicy and woody. It has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and is helpful in treating arthritis and gastrointestinal complications.  It is also a Federal Drug Administration approved food additive. This and more information on this terpene’s medicinal effects can be found at www.medicaljane.com.

Linalool is floral and sweet with hints of citrus.  It is found in lavender and cannabis. It provides the same effects of relaxation and anxiety relief in each of these herbs.  Linalool is one of the most widely researched terpenes because of its use in aromatherapy.  You can find a large wealth of information about linalool online including it’s role in cannabis at www.alchimiaweb.com.

Each strain of cannabis has its own unique terpene profile, providing for the variety of unique smells that cannabis emits.  Terpenes work in conjunction with the cannabinoids, the main active molecules in cannabis, to provide relief from a wide variety of symptoms.  A study published in August of 2011 in the British Journal of Pharmacology titled, “Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects” explores the idea that the terpenes and cannabinoids work together to produce the large variety of symptom relieving effects associated with the use of cannabis as a medicine. With the most recent advances in cannabis laboratory testing your local dispensary can now find out the percentages of each terpene within each strain of cannabis tested.  Because the different terpenes cause different pharmacological effects on the patient, this testing helps dispensary staff to tailor a cannabis medication for a patient.  Whether you love the smell of cannabis or hate it, now you know why it smells.

Ask Grandaddy-Cannabidiol

Cannabidiol

Why are high CBD infused medicinal products so much more expensive, relatively speaking,  than most cannabis infused products?

Answer: 

The simple answer is what you would expect.  It all comes down to supply and demand.  Currently, with  the upswing in both anecdotal and scientific evidence of the true medicinal value of CBD, the demand is increasing more rapidly than the increase in supply.

Searching for an explanation of the factors contributing to this condition, I contacted my friend, Martin Lee, author of Smoke Screen, and Director of Project CBD.  I also discussed this issue with a good friend specializing in developing high CBD plants and consistently producing pharmaceutical grade concentrates from them.

We agreed on the following factors which all raise the price of CBD-rich products

1.     Most CBD-rich plants are relatively low yielding.  When compared to THC-dominant plants, fewer pounds per square foot are produced growing CBD-rich plants.

2.    Very few consumers of CBD-rich products are using cured flowers, a vast majority choose products infused with concentrated oils or waxes. 

3.    Concentrating CBD-rich material is low yielding relative to THC-dominant concentrating.

4.    Most THC-dominant concentrates are made from lower cost (trim) ingredients, while most serious high CBD concentrators are using bud as their starting ingredients.

5.    CBD-rich plants are not as ubiquitous as THC-dominant plants.

6.    The demand for CBD-rich products of all kinds is increasing faster than the demand for THC-dominant plants and concentrates.

As people come to understand all the Cannabidiol does we will see an increase in supply and competition which would hopefully lower the inflation

One Resource is project CBD foun at http://www.projectcbd.org/

From their site:

Project CBD provides educational resources for physicians, patients, and the general public. We respond to inquiries from all over the world. Almost everyone wants to know where to get CBD and how to use it for maximum benefit. After decades in which only high-THC cannabis was available in North America and beyond, CBD-rich strains and products are now accessible to medical users.

Written By: Granddaddy Mike Grafton