Hello! It's time to break out the (medical) Thai stick as around the globe, the anti-Cannabis dominoes continue to fall.

Thailand's government voted to legalize medical Cannabis this month. The law was passed unanimously by the country’s National Legislative Assembly in a 166-0 vote, but it’s not quite a done deal. Monarch King Maha Vajiralongkorn must give final approval of the new law before Thai patients can begin legally using medical Cannabis. Though recreational use still comes with a hefty penalty (10 years in prison for possession of 10 ounces or less), it’s a major step forward in a region of the world not known for its marijuana tolerance (see map below).

So what do you think? Is this the beginning of a new era of Cannabis tolerance in Asia? Share your thoughts in the survey below or join our forum and start a conversation. See you there!

Thrips are sap-sucking insects that get their nutrition by chewing on plant leaves and slurping up the juice. The name is fun to say, but the insect is not fun for anybody who’s growing. Let’s dive into thrips, and how to prevent them and treat them.

1. Common Name: Thrips
2. Scientific Name: Insects of the order Thysanoptera. The majority of thrip pests come from the family Thripidae.
3. Symptoms: Silver dots and lines on leaves, leaf damage, infection by other plant diseases
4. Timing: Any time

Thrips are tiny, but not microscopic, sap-sucking insects that will happily infest a variety of plants, including cannabis. They are about the width of a sewing needle, and only about as long as the needle point. They are most easily observed with a jeweler’s loupe, but you can spot these guys with your bare hands if you know what you’re looking for.

While thrips are annoying, their true danger isn’t from the direct damage they do to your leaves. The true danger lies in their ability to transmit plant diseases and cause other problems. Unlike aphids, which tend to find a target plant and sit there as long as possible, thrips are relatively mobile, taking the juice from your plants wherever they please. Again, unlike aphids, which are usually host-specific, thrips can occupy a wide variety of host plants (and even fungal hosts!), thus enabling the spread of other diseases. Additionally, some thrips are known to create plant galls, which are essentially plant warts. We don’t want our plants to have herpes, so we don’t want thrips on our cannabis.

Thrips can reproduce asexually, meaning that if even one gets into your grow operation, the problem could become exponential. Vigilance is key!

Editor’s Note: Some thrips have an important ecological role in pollination and others prey on mites, but most thrips involved with cannabis are not helpful.

Prevention starts with you!

I wanted to badly Photoshop Smokey the Bear, but I don’t think a federal agency would’ve given me permission.

The first and most important part of prevention is spotting thrips before they become a problem. Because thrips are very small and sometimes camouflaged, it may be difficult to spot one without a jeweler’s loupe. One resource we looked at recommend taking a leaf from a plant you’re inspecting, and shaking it on a piece of white paper. This contrast would make the thrip stand out.

Regardless of whether you can spot the little insects, you should be able to identify the damage they do to your leaves. They leave irregular silver-white or yellow blotches and spots on your plants’ leaves, and you may sometimes observe a plant becoming infected with a transmittable plant disease.

Thrip damage on a tomato plant, image courtesy of MSU.

Preventing thrips is relatively simple, and there are a few preventative measures you can take that have proven effective:

1. Sticky traps are very effective at catching thrips.
2. Predatory mites will target thrip eggs and larvae, rendering thrips’ attempts to reproduce fruitless.
3. Neem oil and other insecticidal oils will interfere with thrips’ feeding, killing them.
4. Diatomaceous Earth shows some efficacy against thrips.
5. Positive pressure in a growing facility or greenhouse should help keep thrips out.

You may want to quarantine your plants if they have thrips, but be careful when moving the plants. Thrips can be easily knocked off of infected plants, and due to their mobile nature, they may simply hop onto the next plant.

Treatment of an infestation will continue similarly to prevention methods, but more extreme measures may be required if the infestation is particularly bad. Generally, treatment of a thrips infestation will require an insecticidal spray or application of insecticidal oil. If the infestation is really bad, quarantine and slash-and-burn methods may be necessary. Again, thrips are easily knocked off of their host plant, so don’t move the plants too vigorously if you choose to quarantine.

Well, there you have it -- thrips. Annoying, tiny little insects that can cause a heap of trouble if you don’t take care to prevent them. By themselves, they may not be the worst thing ever, but enough of them can cause a problem.

Cannabis might be legal in Michigan, but don’t even think about trying to sell it in the city of Hudsonville. In a recent WOOD TV8 story and interview, Hudsonville Mayor Mark Northrup was very vocal about his opinions on legal Cannabis and its effects on the community. Northrup is drawing a “line in the sand,” as he put it, regarding Cannabis sales in Hudsonville. Throughout the interview, Northrup passionately espoused his reasons for banning legal Cannabis sales in Hudsonville. His reasons given were vague generalities, representing a rather antiquated attitude about Cannabis that displayed a fundamental lack of understanding and compassion.

Northrup approaches the issue under the assumed premise that Cannabis is bad or immoral. His beliefs about Cannabis are rooted in a willful ignorance that could be easily remedied with a little research. Though the majority of Hudsonville voters did choose to ban legal Cannabis sales in the city limits, the vote was characterized by an abundance of misinformation, prejudice, and ignorance, the kind demonstrated by Northrup throughout the interview. That said, here are a few of Northrup’s boldest statements from the interview. Hopefully anyone who was misled by his claims will read this and consider the facts.

Northrup: “I am duty bound to protect my community, the safety of my children, [and] the safety on my streets.”

Northrup cites safety as a reason for his anti-Cannabis stance, and of course safety is a concern in any community. However, legal Cannabis has yet to prove itself unsafe. In fact, Cannabis legalization has shown decreases in crime in jurisdictions where Cannabis is legal. Let’s talk about the border first. The bulk of illegal Cannabis entering the US has come over the Mexican border. So if legal Cannabis is the crime magnet Northrup believes it to be, border towns should show an uptick in criminal activity upon the implementation of Medical Marijuana Laws (MMLs). But studies show that the opposite is true. In a 2017 study¹ utilizing the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting², The Economic Journal reported that counties near the border showed a dramatic reduction in violent crime and cartel activity after MMLs were passed. The same study also showed that the trend held true for jurisdictions further from the border. Additionally, the journal Police Quarterly reported that in Washington state and Colorado, legalized Cannabis improved police clearance rates of both violent and property crime by allowing police departments to focus resources on more serious crimes³. What does this mean? If Northrup was truly concerned with safety, he would fully support Cannabis sales in Hudsonville. The data completely debunk his flawed thinking. Opponents argue that legal Cannabis may result in an increase in driving under the influence, and they’d be right. However, that claim comes with a caveat: legalization of Cannabis comes with a lower consumption rate of hard drugs and a reduction in alcohol consumption. Granted, you may have more people driving “high,” but alcohol-related motor vehicle infractions and accidents are reduced. Furthermore, how many people are going to drive under the influence of Cannabis now that it’s legal? Logic says that if people weren’t smoking Cannabis because of its legal status, new users wouldn’t drive under the influence since the practice is still illegal. But even if we ignore logic, there’s also data that shows that experienced cannabis users who drive under the influence show no functional impairment in their ability to operate a vehicle ⁴.

Northrup: “Nothing good is going to come of this and we are putting a line in the sand. We don’t want it here. We don’t need it here.”

Nothing good can come of legal Cannabis? Well if the crime statistics don’t convince you otherwise, let’s talk money. As reported by Forbes⁵ in May 2018, Michigan earned over an estimated $630 million in a single year of medical marijuana sales. It’s likely that the residents of Hudsonville would like a little share of that “nothing good.” But the “nothing good” goes beyond mere dollars and cents. Currently, there are over two million medical marijuana patients in the US using Cannabis to treat conditions such as Tourette Syndrome, Crohn’s disease, chemotherapy related nausea, MS, and more^6,7,8. Often times, these patients find relief using Cannabis that they can’t get from other treatments. Northrup claims that these people should only use Cannabis in their basements. Fortunately, Northrup doesn’t get to decide what’s best for patients in the state.

Northrup: “What is the message to the school children… we’re gonna sell marijuana to pay for your school son and daughter… it’s a false message, it’s vulgar almost.”

Clearly Northrup either didn’t read Proposition 1⁹ or he just doesn’t care. In addition to covering the cost of regulation and providing funding for medical Cannabis research, tax money from legal Cannabis will be used to fund schools. On top of the regular state sales tax, an additional 10% excise tax will be applied to sales of legal Cannabis. 35% of this revenue has been earmarked for schools. Northrup’s assertion that this is a “false message” is just that, false. In addition to money for schools, another 35% will go to transportation and road repair, with the remaining 30% being split evenly between counties and cities that allow Cannabis dispensaries.

Editor’s Note: It may seem strange to fund schools with cannabis money, but the same can be said of funding animal conservation with big game licenses. Good can still come from something that people may perceive as bad.

One bright spot regarding Cannabis sales in Hudsonville is that the ban can be overturned when the city of Hudsonville realizes it voted against its own interests, as it did in a 2007 vote that finally allowed restaurants to serve alcohol in the city limits. Prior to this vote, Hudsonville had voted to keep its antiquated liquor laws. Like alcohol sales, the smart money says it’s just a matter of time before Cannabis sales will be legal in Hudsonville. And if Mark Northrup doesn’t like that, maybe he should be the one to stay in the basement, rather than hindering the community with policy fueled by false claims and ignorance. If you’d like to reach out to Mayor Mark Northrup and RESPECTFULLY voice your disapproval, you can contact him via the methods below.
Email: mnorthrup@hudsonville.org
Phone: 616-662-2663

Cited Sources:

1. The Economic Journal
2. Police Quarterly
3. Uniform Crime Reporting Program
4. The Effect of Cannabis Compared with Alcohol on Driving
5. Forbes
6. Growers Network: Health Benefits of Cannabis
7. Growers Network: Cannabis for MS and Epilepsy
8. Growers Network: The Value of Medical Cannabis in Treating Veterans with PTSD
9. Michigan Proposal 1 (2018)

For cannabis professionals working in legal states, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the plant is still illegal at the federal level, and until that changes, the industry is still at risk. While this is certainly a concern for marijuana professionals, there’s a larger social problem that we should not overlook.

The prohibition of Cannabis in the US was almost never about public safety, but rather a legal method to target people of color and the poor. While individual states may allow legal cannabis, anyone possessing or using it can still be prosecuted by the federal government. Many people remain in federal penitentiaries for the nonviolent crimes of growing or distributing cannabis, regardless of whether cannabis has since become legal in their state. The Marijuana Justice Act would serve to rectify this disparity, and help both the US justice system and the cannabis industry in the process.

The Marijuana Justice Act: What is it?

The Marijuana Justice Act (Senate bill 1689, House bill 4815) is a bill that was introduced in late 2017 by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). The bill’s main focus is on restorative justice for communities and individuals negatively impacted by the “War on Drugs.” This includes people of color and the poor, who are more likely to be arrested and convicted for marijuana offenses. So what’s the bill all about and which politicians are giving it their support? Read on!

What the Marijuana Justice Act Proposes

If passed as currently written, the Marijuana Justice Act would:

1. Remove Marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, decriminalizing cannabis throughout the US.
2. Cut prison and law enforcement funding in US states with disproportionate numbers of marijuana arrests of low-income individuals and people of color
3. Allow groups or individuals to file lawsuits against states that disproportionately arrest/incarcerate low-income individuals and people of color for marijuana offenses
4. Prevent deportation for minor marijuana offenses
5. Provide an expungement process at the federal level for marijuana offenses
6. Provide a process for resentencing of marijuana offenses at the federal level
7. Create a “Community Reinvestment Fund” to aid communities impacted by the War on Drugs

Who supports the MJA?

The bill currently has the support of several members in both the House and the Senate. So, who’s in support? Glad you asked!

Senate Sponsors of the MJA:

1. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) (Senator Booker introduced the bill)
2. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)
3. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
4. Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
5. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA)
6. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
7. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

House Co-Sponsors of the MJA:

1. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13)*
2. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA-17)*
3. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18)*
4. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-9)*
5. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-At Large)*
6. Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL-1)*
7. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3)*
8. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL-7)*
9. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO-2)*
10. Rep. Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY-8)*
11. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7)*
12. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-9)*
13. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH-11)*
14. Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. (D-NJ-10)*
15. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS-2)*
16. Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24)*
17. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-2)*
18. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI-2)*
19. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8)*
20. Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ-3)
21. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA-2)
22. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA-9)
23. Rep. Luis J. Correa (D-CA-46)
24. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY-14)
25. Rep. Donald S. Beyer Jr. (D-VA-8)
26. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY-12)
27. Rep. Alan S. Lowenthal (D-CA-47)
28. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY-5)
29. Rep. Ruben J. Kihuen (D-NV-4)
30. Rep. Henry “Hank” C. Johnson Jr. (D-GA-4)
31. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO-1)
32. Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37)
33. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL-20)
34. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO-5)
35. Rep. Cedric l. Richmond (D-LA-2)
36. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30)
37. Rep. Janice Schakowsky D. (D-IL-9)
38. Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D-MD-4)
39. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA-5)
40. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13)
41. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12)
42. Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL-4)

*original co-sponsor

The Marijuana Justice Act’s status is currently “introduced” and it has a long road to go through both chambers of Congress and Presidential approval before it becomes law. Hopefully, politicians will listen to the will of the 68% of US citizens who would like to see cannabis decriminalized at the federal level and make amends for a history of racially-biased arrests and convictions. To learn more about the Marijuana Justice Act you can check out the bill itself (Senate version, House version) as well as the Drug Policy Alliance fact sheet.

What do you think about the Marijuana Justice Act and its future? Join the forum and tell us!