THE CHEMISTRY AND LEGALITY OF MARIJUANA

Last week Kyle Rittenhouse was found innocent of two killings and a wounding.  There were scattered protests, especially in Portland, which has recently become a hotspot for these events.  Why was the nation relatively controlled on this issue?  Simple, Rittenhouse was white, and so were his three victims.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has become a real playmaker.  She marshaled through the $2.1 trillion social welfare spending bill, now awaiting Senate action, and appears to have influence over Senators Manchin and Sinema.

This second package will be enacted and signed by President Joe Biden because of something called reconciliation, which only needs 50 Democratic votes and the presence of Vice President Kamala Harris.  The only two questions are when, and how much.

• The only two Democratic senators voicing concerns are Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
• Turns out that both Manchin and Pelosi are of Italian heritage who grew up in political families and are Catholic.  Pelosi has long been helpful to Manchin in caring for coal miners.  She displays a statue of a miner in her office, a gift from Manchin.

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  Pelosi knew Sinema before she was elected to Congress. They hold mutual respect and rapport.  Sinema:
• Had a tough childhood, being essentially homeless for several years.
• Has a law degree from Arizona State University, plus a PhD in justice studies.
• Started in politics as a member of the Arizona Green Party.
• Organized a range of anti-war protests.
• First served in the House from 2013 to 2019.
• Replaced Jeff Flake in 2018, the first female from the state in the senate, easily beating her Republican rival, 61% to 39%.
• Is with Tammy Baldwin the first two openly LGBT members of the U.S. Senate.  Nine are currently in the House.

Familiar with THC, CBD, CBN, CBG, THCV?  Cannabis, or marijuana, contains over 480 active compounds, 80 of them are only found in this product and are called cannabinoids.

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  THC stands for delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol.  This is what makes you high by stimulating parts of the brain causing release of dopamine, creating a sense of euphoria and well being.  Also has analgesic effects, that is, can relieve pain and inflammation.

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  CBD is the second most abundant cannabinoid in marijuana, and while non-psychoactive, reduces and regulates the effects of THC.  In other words, THC together with CBD will induce a clearer-headed high, while a lack of CBD makes the effect hazy.
• CBDV is a homolog of CBD, both being non-psychoactive.

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  CBN is short for cannabinol, and forms when THC is oxidized.  It is mildly psychoactive and is only found in low concentrations in the marijuana plant.  This why these products are stored in a dark and dry place to reduce oxidation.  CBN does relieve pressure behind the eyes.

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  CBG  has no psychoactive properties, so taking it will not make you high.  It does appear to influence the endocannabinoid system to help regulate many of our physiological functions to maintain a state of internal balance.  Both THC and CBD start out as CBG.  New research is showing that much more needs to be learned about this molecule.

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  THCV moderates the intensity of the psychoactive effects, and can become an effective appetite suppressant.

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  CBC has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, with a potential role in brain cell regrowth.  More research needs to be conducted.

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  THCA converts to THC when cannabis is heated.  In the raw form, THCa is not an active compound.

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  CBDA is the acid form of CBD, and can reduce nausea, plus helps fight breast cancer.  Again, more research is needed.

How legal is marijuana?    From Wikipedia:

Countries that have legalized recreational use of cannabis are Canada, Georgia, Mexico, South Africa, and Uruguay, plus 18 states, 2 territories, and the District of Columbia in the United States and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. 

Blue is legal, gold is illegal but decriminalized, pink is illegal but often unenforced, red is illegal and gray is unknown:

Or, another to way to look at this, blue legal for recreational use, green legal only for medical use and gray illegal:

Specifically for the USA.  Same color coding as just above, although the D means decriminalized:

I've tried marijuana in Amsterdam, but never in Hawaii.  I did know that our State Legislature passed a bill in 2019 to decriminalize less than 3 grams, a law that went into effect last year.  More specifically:

On July 1, 2019, Governor David Ige announced that he would let a legislature-passed bill to decriminalize small amounts of cannabis become law without him actually signing it. Beginning on January 11, 2020, this bill made possession of three grams or less of marijuana punishable by a $130 fine. Under the former law, possessing even a tiny amount of cannabis was punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.^[9]

Yelp has the Best Recreational Marijuana Dispensaries in Honolulu.  Hmmmm....  I pass Cure every time I golf at the Ala Golf Course.  According to the directions, going mauka on Kapahulu Avenue, turn onto the road between Cure and Taco Bell, and park in the rear.

Can I grow marijuana on my lanai?  This is a confusing article, but, apparently the answer is yes.  Here is a site for Hawaii Cannabis Seeds.  Costs around $100.  I'll need to look into this.  Where I live I suspect I'll need some kind of official physician okay.  Then again, marijuana has all those health benefits mentioned above in bold print.

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