Insequent

https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/markets/legal-cannabis-could-earn-dollar1b-tax-revenue-and-create-250000-jobs/ar-AAASHJ1?li=AAgfOd8&ocid=mailsignout The evolution of Cannabis from a demon drug destroying lives, to a valuable medicine to a possible future stalwart performer in the economy. If it takes something like those in power to realize they can profit substantially more from legalization than prohibition in order to remove the stigma and dispel untruths associated with Cannabis, then perhaps this is a good thing. I still have reservations that it is essentially greed driving the changes, but this ride is gaining speed. Time will tell. https://www.gotocourt.com.au/criminal-law/qld/medicinal-cannabis/ If it's acceptable for the government to take over from the "criminal element" and make the $$$, then this is one area in need of work....

Wait.... WTF????!!!! One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all." Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail (1963) If ever there was an example....

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/premier-convinced-inquiry-will-find-no-evidence-to-support-pill-testing/ar-AAAJRqR?li=AAgfYrC&ocid=mailsignout "I'm convinced there is no evidence to support pill testing, but it's important for the Commissioner and his experts to have a free reign to look at these issues and provide their recommendations," Ms Berejiklian said on Tuesday. "Of course I'll read it [the inquiry's recommendations] if they put it up, but I'm not convinced they [the panel] will find evidence because there's no sufficient evidence anywhere." The cynic in me reads this as saying, "Of course I'll read the recommendations (if they put it up..??? Why wouldn't they?), but regardless of what they find, it won't change my mind." Put another way, I guess it depends on what she considers as evidence and how it will impact what it is the government is trying to achieve... I don't think there is any question Commissioner Prof Dan Howard SC (president of the NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal) and his panel of experts are well qualified and excellent candidates for investigating the pros and cons of a pill testing program. However if, for example, you look at the government's policy for dealing with the so-called "Ice Epidemic", the reason the Special Commission of Inquiry was set up in the first place, I wonder if any evidence supporting the effectiveness of a pill testing program will have any impact on the government's decision... I'm not convinced the panel has been given the scope to conduct a "robust independent approach" to the issues. The establishment of a Special Commission of Inquiry comes on top of the extensive measures implemented by the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government to tackle ice, including: improving the ability of Police to confiscate the assets of serious criminals, including drug dealers and traffickers; tightening controls on pseudoephedrine – one of the main precursors used to make ice; and cracking down on drug driving by more than tripling the number of roadside drug tests, increasing to 200,000 roadside drug tests per year by 2020.” Here, perhaps, Prof Peter Miller is a voice of reason.... https://this.deakin.edu.au/society/why-pill-testing-has-never-been-trialled-in-australia https://theconversation.com/heres-why-doctors-are-backing-pill-testing-at-music-festivals-across-australia-109430 https://www.hysteriamag.com/realtalk-seven-lives-saved-canberra-music-festival-premier-still-convinced-theres-no-evidence-pill-testing-works/ https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-01-15/pill-testing-claims-put-to-the-test/10703370 Drug policy expert Alison Ritter, co-author of "a global review of drug checking services in 2017" states; "We know that it doesn't produce an increase in drug use … and there's no evidence of harm associated with pill testing," Professor Ritter said. In fact, research shows pill testing can lead to less drug taking, and help people consume drugs in a safer way. "What's clear from the results of the services operating [in Europe] is that people make different choices based on the results of the testing — some choose to put their drugs into an amnesty bin, others choose to take half as much as perhaps they thought they would," Professor Ritter said. Is this such a difficult topic on which to reach a consensus because the government is approaching it from the perspective there is no evidence pill testing will stop people taking drugs (despite what Prof Ritter has stated), instead of adopting an approach focused on harm reduction? It would be interesting to see the outcome if the Inquiry were tasked with finding evidence to support the government's stance that pill testing leads to more drug use, greater dangers to users and the general public, and that it does not save lives. I don't think it would be very long before we had a nation-wide program....

I know nothing about visual art, but mate, I think that's stunning. Is it possible you're stuck because you've actually finished it?

Too true, Crop. Addressing the issues we can address must be the priority, regardless of what we think may be coming. And, as both you and Ethnoob point out, ignoring the situation or choosing to be a non-participant in trying to rectify things is part of what got us where we are and a greater part of why it is difficult to implement measures and changes. This is all assuming climate change is at least predominantly anthropomorphic, which is what I believe. And regardless of whether making the changes we think needed to fix it will work, actually making those changes can only result in a positive outcome for Earth and her biome. For my mind, looking at it from a different angle, perhaps we should ask why we are having so little success stopping the things we know are bad for the environment? We know burning fossil fuels is bad and we have alternatives, so why haven't we stopped? Even the commercial (corporate) fishing industry knows overfishing the oceans by dragging kilometer long nets scraping along the ocean floor is bad, not just for the environment, but for them as well. But they haven't even slowed down. Mining, oil drilling, fracking, forest destruction, waterway contamination, air pollution, industrial agricultural practices... all these things are detrimental to our environment, but no one has been able to get them to stop. Perhaps, unless we identify what it is which is stopping us from ceasing these practices and making the changes we need to make, finding and implementing solutions will continue to be difficult. I may be wrong, but I tend to think if we address this problem first, we will be able to look at climate change from a greater distance, and better realize it's "big picture". If it is anthropomorphic, I suspect we may find a relationship between what the main cause(s) of climate change is/are and what it is preventing us from positive action. There is an equal chance I may be off the mark or completely wrong.

Mmmmm… Except, without a strong enough magnetosphere, solar winds would start stripping the atmosphere away. Weaken it enough and the oceans (and all surface water) would follow. The current rate at which the poles are moving is already necessitating re-calibration of navigational technology. The north magnetic pole is moving easterly toward Asia, and the south, also eastward, toward Indonesia. So they're actually moving toward each other. The south magnetic pole has already wandered outside the Antarctic circle. The Carrington event (1859) was a medium sized CME which struck earth causing widespread damage to the existing power grid and infrastructure. Telegraph lines caught fire and melted. And this was when our magnetosphere was estimated at around 33 microteslas. Today, it is approximately 27 microteslas, a reduction of about 14%. In the early 1900's it was estimated the rate at which the field had been weakening was about 5% per century. It is currently estimated to have increased to a rate of reduction of about 5% every 10 years. And indications are that rate is accelerating. If a Carrington level event struck the earth today you would almost certainly lose most power grids, communications, satellites, etc. Little things like nuclear power stations would present problems, given after a loss of external electricity there is a window of between 12 and 19 hours before core meltdown if power is not returned. No mobile phones, no internet, no electrical pumps for water supply or sanitation maintenance. This to name just a few of the consequences. Then there is the possible connection with solar activity influencing tropospheric weather - what happens in the first 10 km or so of our atmosphere. The event itself may not have much of an effect on weather, as it is usually a relatively short burst of high speed ejecta from the sun. But if it further weakens the magnetosphere, which is highly likely, then there will be the ongoing effect of higher levels of solar particles slamming into the troposphere, invariably destabilizing terrestrial weather patterns dramatically. Human beings wouldn't be faring favorably in the environment of increased particles (gamma rays, x-rays, high energy protons and heavy ions from solar wind and the galactic cosmic wave) now reaching the earth's surface due to the weakened magnetosphere. Our DNA tends to start literally falling to pieces in the increased presence of these particles because not only do they damage the DNA, they quickly overcome the body's DNA reparative function called enzyme mediated DNA repair. Now I'm not saying an event like this is definitely going to happen, that the magnetosphere will definitely continue to weaken, or that all these things will occur because of the weakening magnetosphere. However, going on what current science tells us about past magnetic pole flips, we know for certain they were associated with a weakening of the magnetosphere (to the point where it's strength reached close to zero), the poles do not remain flipped, but switch back to their respective geographic positions quite rapidly, and there is growing evidence they coincided with mass extinction events. Maybe the science is wrong; we have learned so much just in the last 25 years which has overturned previously held scientific beliefs about both the earth's magnetic field and cosmic radiation. However the available data indicate it is a high probability with a time frame window of the next 25-30 years for the weakening magnetic field to reach it's tipping point. If this is indeed our immediate future, unless we all start preparing by moving underground and reinforcing our environment with materials which would protect us and our food and water supply from the effects of both the terrestrial weather and the cosmic particles, worrying about climate change and overpopulation becomes a mute point and Bardo's advice would seem to be quite appropriate.

Overpopulation may not end up being an issue at all. Have a gander at what is happening with the Earth's magnetics. The magnetic poles are shifting at an increasingly rapid rate and the magnetic field is weakening at an alarmingly increasing rapid rate. Climate change may take on a much more nasty personality...

I'm not sure there is an answer to that one, but I've some friends who've had the same experience. A friend's son had finished eating a cookie only moments before being tested, still had bits of the cookie in his mouth, and his came back negative. If your friend is a long term smoker, the THC will be there, in the fat cells, the mucosa and the saliva. The test can't tell if you're stoned, it just detects the presence of THC. Ask him if he's particular with his oral hygiene, scrubs the whole mouth, teeth, tongue, cheeks, gums and roof of mouth at least twice a day, use mouthwash like Listerine. Maybe something he eats or drinks, how active he is. Or he may have simply been lucky twice and reported a false negative both times. Hard to say. The question then would be how many times in a row would it take to return positive. Like you, I have no desire to find out, but I don't think it would be many. I know there are different brands and types of test kits, though I'm not familiar with any of them. We know that all have pretty much the same accuracy, giving both false positives and negatives. I read a review of several studies which mentioned the incidences of false results, both negative and positive in their data, but without reading the actual studies, I don't know if they were able to explain why they occurred. And I remember some discussion along these lines a bit back in this thread, but haven't gone searching yet. If I do find something, I'll bring it forward. I wonder if Pat Uri's dog may be able to shed some light...

I enjoy reading comments on articles like these, as much as reading the articles themselves. There are always those diametrically opposed to the views. I can't help but wonder how much more progress would be made if, instead of falling into ad hominem arguments, they stimulated constructive debates where each side listened with the intent of understanding why the other holds the views they do. The former promotes a sense of an "us and them" mentality, where the objective is to prove one view absolutely correct and the other absolutely false, (a "state of war" mentality where you must win for your side). The latter promotes an environment conducive to arriving at a consensus, derived from views from both sides, which leads toward constructive dialogue and an outcome which can only be closer to truth. Perhaps it would help if the social construct of political correctness, the restriction on what is considered permissible to discuss in open/public forum and the "rules" which dictate this, were revisited.

Yeah, pretty much correct. Put simply, when smoked or vaped, the THC is introduced into the mouth in very fine particles which are readily absorbed through the oral mucosa. They call this oral contamination. There are fat cells within the mouth which love storing good ole delta 9, and can do so for quite some time. Fat cells, or lipids, break down via a process called lipolysis into glycerol and fatty acids, subsequently releasing any THC into the blood stream and saliva (called re-intoxification). Edibles tend to be "washed out" of the mouth quick enough so that oral absorption of THC is much less. Some studies show edibles give a much more inconsistent mouth swab result with more false negatives. One possible reason for this is when eating, the body's metabolism is more active, increasing the chances lipolysis reduces the incidence of oral fat absorption of THC. Though I don't know of any study which demonstrates efficacy, it is thought by some that several things might increase the chances of beating the mouth swab test... In the days following smoking, using mouthwash and thoroughly brushing teeth, tongue, gums, cheeks and roof of mouth 3 times a day may repeatedly stimulate lipolysis as well as remove any mucosal residue. (this one, for my mind, is your best bet) On days following smoking, some suggest a keto diet which increases body metabolism, reducing stored THC levels. Some suggest a meal high in fats immediately after smoking possibly reducing the amount of oral THC which can be absorbed because it gets taken up by the fat in the foods. If you have a 20-30 min window prior to a mouth swab, rinsing your mouth with acidic solutions like lemon juice, vinegar or a very weak hydrogen peroxide solution could remove mucosal residue and stimulate lipolysis resulting in a temporary drop in oral fluid concentration of THC. There are many other factors which affect the way the body stores, releases and metabolizes THC, for example BMI, foods consumed, hydration, amount of exercise and amount and quality of sleep etc. On a side-note, the science of sleep has shown our poor sleep hygiene may be either more likely responsible for some of the negative neural effects (apparently) attributed to cannabis use (decreased cognitive function, impaired motor skills, short term memory loss etc.), or have a profound effect in exacerbating those negatives. Given no study of the effects of cannabis to date have incorporated the negative psychoneurological effects of poor sleep (which are prolific), or the amount and quality of sleep when interpreting data, I believe study results should be called into question and more studies including this parameter really must be done.

Most are not aware cannabis suppositories have been around for quite some time, though if you want to get a high from it, can take a bit of trial and error. As a rule, placing the suppository just inside the rectum will be more beneficial medically, with little or no psychoactive response (regardless of THC concentration) and placing it further in will add to the stoned experience. This is because the lower part of the rectum's venous system drains to the liver via the portal vein, essentially bypassing the veins which allows the liver to metabolize the THC into 11-Hydroxy-THC (waaaay more psychoactive and more effective at crossing the blood-brain barrier than inhaled THC). Higher in the rectum, the venous system drains to the liver via other routes allowing what's called 1st pass metabolism to occur, producing the hydroxy. It'll be interesting to see what effects Dr Perl's statement has on policing and the legal process. Perhaps it would be an opportune time for those already affected by the drug driving law to consider banding together and seeing if they can have their convictions reversed.

There are a few more players (in both camps) creating undercurrents in this process than we see in the media . Still, the momentum is picking up and this will happen a lot sooner than we all would have guessed a short time ago.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/15/18311320/marijuana-legalization-polls-surveys-trump

https://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/qld-cuts-hurdle-for-medicinal-cannabis/news-story/30855251cb06d136f436285554f1516f

My friend, I think you've summed up the core of all the problems we face. The author I mentioned above centres a lot of what he has to say around what our place is in nature and I found it incredibly comforting.

I recently read a couple of books by Charles Eisenstein, Climate: A new Story, The Ascent of Humanity and Sacred Economics. I like his take on things. I read them all in a couple of weeks, but that's all I do in my spare time when I'm not travelling well. I highly recommend them for another perspective on quite a few things, but in particular, the environment and the global capital system, and how all the problems we're facing now are connected. He creates a big picture narrative and explains what he thinks it will take to remedy problems like climate change. We've two choices; continue the path we're on, or find the solutions. If we keep on the same track, I don't think we need to worry about the population issue. Water for example, is only one of the things upcoming wars are going to be fought over. Perhaps we've already seen the lead up to reaching the tipping point. If we haven't, I'm thinking we're going to see it (much) sooner rather than later. We'll get our population reduction.

Really loved this one (Tertium Septendecim). Edit: Oh man, I didn't realize I missed this one. I just listened to Sublimation. I'm gonna lay down in darkness and listen to it again.

Yeah but it is a good point. And as a generalization, quite accurate. Most folk are able to easily make the oil, but how do you know the (in this case) right CBD content, consistency of production etc? Originally both these families I mentioned got their product, produced by an industrial chemist, on the black market. It is a quality product made specifically with high CBD content for childhood epilepsy. They had some hit-and-miss attempts when they first started themselves, They've managed to source some good plant base and set up a home grow (at no small outlay), refined the recipe to get the best results, and gone from there. They're fairly consistently getting the same results they got from the chemist's oil now. I have heard this quoted in some media. I've spoken with a number of pharmacists, none of whom sell any MC products, and they are saying it's a problem but that 140% figure is the upper end, with the average markup lower (still way too high, I would wager). Not sure how much faith I can place in this though and I have no idea how this mark up compares to what they apply to their other products. Another thing to consider; what requirements are the government imposing on the site storage of MC, and the associated cost to the pharmacy? I agree about the regulation. Perhaps they should scrape some of the regulations off access to MC and swap them for some regulation of the pharmacies...

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/medical-cannabis-uk-greater-manchester-cheadle-the-beeches-treatment-a8816011.html He told The Times newspaper that patients will pay about £200 to see a doctor and then £600 to £700 a month for a private prescription. ...That's AU$1107.00 to AU$1290.00 a month! I've seen quoted figures of AU25000 up to AU$48000.00 a year for medicinal cannabis to treat childhood epilepsy in OZ. Couple the lack of any PBS subsidy for the script with the currently ridiculous process of a doctor obtaining permission to prescribe, leaves me pondering how anyone other than the very wealthy could afford this. I know of 2 families in my area who are effectively treating an epileptic child with home-made, whole-plant oil. They originally sourced the oil on the black market, and the projected cost if they continued was between $2100.00 and $4000.00 a year. One hopes the decision to add MC to the PBS won't take too long. Still a bit of work to do, methinks...

https://www.medicaldaily.com/marijuana-legalization-usa-2019-new-senate-bill-aims-nationwide-adoption-430680

The change is inevitable, I think. We'll see legalization and we'll have won the war. And you're quite right, I believe; after all what is it they're doing but commoditizing another aspect of the commons, a piece of nature which no person has the right over which to claim ownership? But this is the way capitalism forges it's way toward inevitable collapse, You and I are still a part of this capitalist society and we are corralled to play by the rules to a greater extent. Winning or losing the argument over the war on drugs won't be decided with the legalization of cannabis, but it will be a big step. And I tend to think, given the way things have panned out in other countries, the atmosphere around cannabis will dramatically improve, not to mention the lives of many folk who would otherwise be adversely affected if it were to remain as it is now. Let em take the spoils (and live).... for now. Perhaps if we continue to play within their rule set, with a little patience we'll be able to guide things more toward our way of liking. I love that you have brought this side of the debate to light, ethnoob. Your viewpoint has highlighted an intrinsic failing in the way the system works and I don't think one can fully understand one aspect (like cannabis) without seeing where it lies within the bigger picture. I agree with Yeti, though; perhaps we should turf this to it's own thread so folk can continue to discuss it if they want.

Recrudesence...... Oooohhhhh, Love. A real lot.

https://www.mybusiness.com.au/management/5138-sky-s-the-limit-for-medicinal-cannabis-industry Seems legit...

"Dr Vince Polito, a researcher from the Department of Cognitive Science at Macquarie University who is not involved in the study, told BuzzFeed News that internationally results with psilocybin in depression and anxiety treatment have shown a lot of success so far." Dr Polito ran a micro-dose trial a couple of years ago. I was a part of that study and have just received the published results. Links below if anyone is interested in reading the results. Study Summary: https://ccd.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a4c6db343934d80a691e337a2&id=522ec252e3&e=f5ea0c0b42 Full Study Results: https://ccd.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a4c6db343934d80a691e337a2&id=2a743b1a20&e=f5ea0c0b42 Being a participant in the study lead to some really dramatic changes for me. Incredibly positive results. It was this study (along with others done overseas) which opened the door for St Vinies and Dr Ross to get approval for their upcoming trial involving terminally ill patients.

I kinda lost my way with identifying music style, probably in the last 20 years, give or take. So I've given up. When I listen to a piece of music for the first time, I like to be in total darkness and otherwise silence and just listen. I found I liked a much broader range of sounds than I expected. I've used music extensively to help when I've been in the dark places. I haven't listened to all your stuff yet, but this one is currently my fave. It's almost anthemic in that I find it uplifting, inspirational. It gave me the image of a piece of music in a movie, playing as the protagonist drives with resolute conviction toward the final, culminating scene. Love it, man. Love it. Thank you so much.