Day: 05/11/2015

Consolidating and cashing in on medical marijuana

Consolidating and cashing in on medical marijuana

Marijuana legalization is likely far off in New Mexico, but you wouldn’t know it from the way some businesses are acting…

Colorado, here I come.

Consolidation isn’t limited to out-of-state companies looking for a stake in New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program. Reynold Greenleaf & Associates, an Albuquerque-based business formed last year, currently manages both Medzen Services and R. Greenleaf Organics…

When McCurdy became a patient, he had what he called a rough experience with marijuana from Compassionate Distributors in Ruidoso, the only medical marijuana producer in the area. He soon wrote a formal complaint about the quality of Compassionate Distributors’ marijuana.

“When it began to burn the cannabis started to pop, crackle and tasted harsh and like chemicals,” McCurdy wrote. “I knew then that the medicine was not flushed properly.”

Despite the fact that McCurdy’s letter wasn’t completely critical—he also wrote praises of one of the nonprofit’s clerks for being “always so friendly and just a pleasure to purchase from”—Compassionate Distributors stopped letting him buy marijuana.

“We will be removing you from our list of patients,” Mandy Denson, an attorney for Compassionate Distributors, wrote back to McCurdy. “While we appreciate the feedback, we run a very small operation. When it becomes clear that a patient relationship will only cause stress and negativity for those who work here, especially when unfounded, we exercise our right to refuse service policy.” …

Likewise, Shortes said that the deal will allow Sacred Garden to lower prices for patients…

And we’ll be watching to see if that happens.

As a part of the deal, Nutritional High will create a company called Zephyr to take over management of Sacred Garden. Shortes, according to an official announcement released last month, will be employed by Zephyr and make $180,000 a year…

Under comments:

Christopher Hsu · University of New Mexico
Just an FYI Tim Scott is pretty much in Willie Fords back pocket.

My review on Sacred Garden:  http://forum.nmcannabisreview.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8

My post on Mandy Denson:

http://forum.nmcannabisreview.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=181&p=1702&hilit=mandy+denson#p1702

Drugs are very, very bad, and should be blamed for everything…

In its lawsuit, the city of Chicago alleged the drug makers used deceptive marketing of opiates

J&J and Other Drug Makers Tossed From Lawsuit Over Opioid Marketing

The lawsuits followed a failed bid by an advocacy group that petitioned the FDA to tighten labeling on opioid painkillers. Physicians For Responsible Opioid Prescribing argued the drugs lacked sufficient safety and effectiveness evidence for long-term use to manage non-cancer chronic pain, such as low back pain…

The evidence is lacking because the research hasn’t been done, something that Mr. Kolodny refuses to acknowledge, even in court.  It’s very sad that PFROP has been able to fund litigation for its own political and financial purposes, while pain patients continue to suffer.

“I’m not happy to hear this, but I’m hopeful we’ll ultimately see these companies held accountable for the public health crisis they created,” says Andrew Kolodny, chief medical officer at Phoenix House, a non-profit that runs alcohol and drug abuse treatment and prevention programs, and head of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing. “But the legal cases against big tobacco many years before they were successful. This may also take a long time.” ...

Mr. Kolodny, I think you should keep blaming drugs for the “public health crisis.”  It makes you look so smart.  (Can we start blaming guns for all the deaths they cause too?  Will PFROP be filing a lawsuit against gun manufacturers sometime in the near future?)

And really, any public health crisis will do.  Drugs are very, very bad, and should be blamed for everything, even addiction. When you blame drugs, that keeps you in business, does it not? Keeps those federal dollars rolling in.  I mean, it’s not like you can treat someone for poverty, a condition that can cause addiction.  And with your specialty in addiction “medicine,” it’s not like you can treat PTSD or depression, two conditions that can also lead to addiction.

Enjoy rolling in those federal dollars and your popularity while they last, Kolodny.  Enjoy being a spokesperson for the drug war… maybe you won’t end up looking as bad as the DEA.  (But I doubt it.)

Popularity Sucks

When I was in 7th grade, I decided to have a birthday party. I sent out lots of invitations and my parents bought enough cake, candy, cookies, and chips to feed an army. But, I wasn’t popular, and no one came.

Well, that’s not quite accurate. My best friend at the time showed up about an hour late, and found me still sitting at the dinner table, surrounded by party food. (And yes, we proceeded to pig out.) Unfortunately, I can’t recall her name, but I can vividly recall how it felt to be that unpopular.

At school the next week, I found out that a girl who was really popular had thrown a party on the same day as mine, and everyone had attended her party. And yet, that information didn’t make me feel any better.

You’d think I would have learned my lesson about popularity, but I was still looking for it when I tried out for the cheerleading squad in high school. All the other contestants put up signs asking students to vote for them, but not me. I thought my skill as a gymnast would help me win. Of course I was wrong. Cheerleaders are chosen by their looks and popularity, not their skill.

Is blogging about popularity? I guess it is for some, but I gave up on the popular vote a long time ago. Still, I see other blogs that have a huge following, with lots and lots of likes on each post, and I feel a little pang of regret…  Why don’t I have dozens of likes on one of my posts? Especially on one of the photos I’ve posted (a few of which I think are quite good)?

Obviously, I don’t know the secret to popularity. And I’m glad I’ve reached an age where I don’t care about stuff like that. (Or have I?)

I’ve been independent for most of my life, beginning when I ran away from home at 16 years old. I treasure my independence. I am proud of it. I would not have survived without it, and I fear losing it. For me, independence is much more important than popularity. I’m sure many people have both, but it’s a lot of work to grow and hold on to your independence. The same could be said for popularity, and I don’t have the energy to do and be both (even if it was possible).

Popular people remind me of rich people — without their popularity (without their money), there’s nothing else there. When you depend on looks, popularity or money to get you through life, you don’t put equal effort into learning about the other parts of you. You don’t learn to like yourself — other people provide that for you. It’s like some people are… one dimensional.

Plus, as an introvert, I say: Popularity Sucks. (Just like Mondays.)

But I have to wonder…  If I was popular, maybe then I’d have a friend who could find me some bud, as my independence does nothing for my chronic pain.  So, maybe I should work harder at being popular?  Let me try…

If you live in Albuquerque and want to be my friend, please email me at painkills2@aol.com.

Damn, that was hard work…  But now I can sit back and wait to become popular. 😀

Shelters fight Black Dog Syndrome

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/shelters-fight-black-dog-syndrome-051115.html

It is a fact — black dogs have a harder time getting adopted than lighter-colored dogs. Shelter and rescue group workers call it BDS — Black Dog Syndrome.

The average pet remains on a website or with a shelter group for about 12.5 weeks, according to Petfinder.com but older dogs and black pets — including cats — can take four times as long to find a new home.

Petfinder.com did some research into BDS and found that books, movies and TV shows usually portray black dogs in a bad light. They are often the devious pet or the dog that barks incessantly or the dog on the “Beware of Dog” sign.

Black cats get the same rap — they are the witch’s cat, not to mention the bad luck that follows if they cross your path.

There are ways to combat this — primarily education. Visitors to shelters are told about the syndrome and encouraged to look past it.

What are sinkholes, how do they form and why are we seeing so many?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/sinkholes-what-are-they-how-do-they-form-and-why-are-we-seeing-so-many-9136235.html

Sinkholes mainly occur in what is known as ‘karst terrain’; areas of land where soluble bedrock (such as limestone or gypsum) can be dissolved by water…

Photo:  The sinkhole above opened up in Guatemala City in 2010, swallowing a three-story building almost instantly.

http://strangesounds.org/2013/07/us-sinkhole-map-these-maps-show-that-around-40-of-the-u-s-lies-in-areas-prone-to-sinkholes.html

http://www.usnews.com/photos/the-worlds-largest-sinkholes

http://www.sott.net/article/276319-Sinkhole-shuts-street-down-in-Albuquerque-New-Mexico

http://www.koat.com/weather/massive-sinkhole-on-i40-continues-to-grow/21941290

http://krqe.com/2014/03/18/sinkhole-worries-carlsbad-residents/

CARLSBAD, N.M. (KRQE) – The WIPP leak isn’t the only issue causing concern for people in Carlsbad. A giant sinkhole is threatening to swallow up a big chunk of town… Right now, the sinkhole measures 670 feet long by 450 feet wide. It was created by 30 years of oil field companies pumping water into old salt mines in the area to extract brine for drilling…

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130812-florida-sinkhole-disney-world-explainer-urban-science/

Do any human activities induce sinkholes?

Sure. Sometimes in karst areas [irregular landscapes formed when soluble rocks like limestone dissolve], when you drill a well—looking for water or for mining purposes—as you’re pulling water out of the ground, you’re lowering the groundwater table. That creates almost a toilet-flushing effect. You’re lowering that groundwater level, and the soil that was sitting above just falls out. That’s one way.

We also induce sinkholes when we start putting up parking lots and buildings and changing what we call the hydrologic regime. Instead of the water naturally soaking into the ground, it’s now running off and being concentrated—being put into the ground at one point. (See “Guatemala Sinkholes Created by Humans, Not Nature.”) …

Bud sale!

From today’s New MexiCann newsletter:

***$10 grams***

CBD AK47 Flower

THC/THCA 13.4% , 8.2% CBD/CBG

CBD Hula Buddha

THC/THCA 5.7%, CBD/CBG 10.6%

I have noticed that dispensaries in New Mexico only have sales on high-CBD strains.  And I have to wonder why that is…  Obviously, these weak strains aren’t as popular. While $10 a gram is a good price, how many patients does this sale help?

Don’t scammers have anything better to do?

Re:  Aol Incoming Mail

From:  Account Team, acccount.verification.services05@outlook.com

Your two incoming mails were placed on pending status due to the recent upgrade to our database, In order to receive the messages,Click Access Here to Login and wait for response from AOL Mail. We apologize for any inconveniences

Best Regards,
System Administrator
2015 All Rights Reserved.

First, the AOL scammers tried to tell me:  https://painkills2.wordpress.com/?s=AOL+scam

Now, the scammers are trying to tell me that only two of my emails are pending, this time due to a recent upgrade. That doesn’t even make sense, but I’m sure some people fear they didn’t receive these important emails and so click on the links, infecting their computers forever because of this one scammer.

An Eighth

Photo taken 4/14/2015.

Wikipedia:  An eighth note (American) or a quaver (British) is a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) and twice that of the sixteenth note (semiquaver), which amounts to one quarter the duration of a half note (minim), one eighth the duration of whole note (semibreve), one sixteenth the duration of a double whole note (breve), and one thirty-second the duration of a longa, hence the name…

Urban Dictionary:

1 Gram: the smallest amount of marijuana generally available for purchase in the world of weed.

1/8th: 3.5 Grams

1/4th (Commonly referred to as a quad): 7 Grams (2 8ths)

Ounce: 4 quads. (28 Grams of marijuana)

1 Kilo: 2.2 Lbs. of marijuana.
16 Ounces in a pound. 2.2×16 = 35.2 Ounces
35.2 Ounces = 985.6 Grams of Marijuana
Rough Cost = A fucking rediculous amount of money which I prefer not to think about.

A Lid: Generally mistaken to be exactly one ounce of marijuana, a lid is actually just a large bag or container of marijuana similar or comparable in amount to an ounce.

Well, now you should pretty much know the terms used to describe verious amounts of marijuana. Standard prices should start with $15-20/gram, $50-60/8th, $100-115/quad, 300-360/ounce, and an absolutely sick amount of money that nobody should ever spend for a kilo. You want a kilo, you grow a kilo. You grow a kilo, you become my friend.

The End.

“Music is made by the space between the notes.”

“Without those spaces, all that exists is noise.”  Periodically Demented

https://p33d33.wordpress.com/2015/03/28/brothers/

Brothers.

I will never forget riding on my fathers’ shoulders. The bullet that killed him passed through my leg before hitting him in the brachial plexus. He bled to death internally. The day I was shot, the day my father died there in the short grass, was the day my brother Peter stopped believing in God and my brother Michael started…