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Culture, Marijuana NewsMay 21, 2018 by Adam Rhodes

Youtube Creators Get Shut Down for Cannabis

Youtube creators are shut out

Video streaming is so popular, that Youtube and Netflix account for over 70% of peak internet traffic in the U.S. Billions of people watch Youtube creators every day. The sheer volume made Google purchase Youtube for $1.65 billion in 2006.
The company grows and thrives off user-created content. Many Youtube creators made fortunes off the site by attracting millions, then billions of views. Even small creators could earn enough money to support themselves by catering to a niche.
But recent trouble with advertisers is hurting the community Youtube works so hard to cultivate. Known as the “Adpocolypse” because of the size of the exodus, many longtime creators can no longer support themselves on the platform. In response to the lost revenue, Youtube has had to implement significant changes to their algorithms and updated their terms of service.

Youtube is shutting down an increasing number of marijuana accounts

Despite their best efforts, the ad revenue has not returned to pre-Adpocolypse levels. So Youtube has slowly increased the number of accounts they take action against. This includes demonetizing videos, removing content and shutting down accounts.
Cannabis based content is the most recent community sacrificed to the altar of capital. Since marijuana is still a Schedule 1 drug, Google can’t advertise next to it without making special accommodations. So they are simply cutting those channels out of their network with little to no warning.
By giving no warning, the ensure the creators cannot send their viewers to alternative platforms. Unfortunately for longtime creators like CustomGrow420, Jorge Cervantes and StrainCentral, they are no longer welcome on Youtube. There is little any creator can legally do about it either.

The marijuana community is confused

Unlike previous changes, this one didn’t come with a press release or a warning. Accounts in good standing for years and with millions of followers are suddenly gone, with only a vague email about enforcing community guidelines. Even massive companies like Leafly got hit with the ban hammer.
The most frustrating part about this is that the enforcement of community guidelines get applied unevenly. There are tons of videos that break the community guidelines without suffering an instant dismissal. Not only that, but some cannabis channels remain active while others simply disappear in the blink of an eye.
Youtube still hasn’t made a statement about the reason or method behind the recent culling. Creators wait with baited breath for any word on what can keep their channels alive. But they may want to start looking for a new home sooner rather than later.

Finding a new home might be hard

Other communities need to relocate relocate after leaving Youtube. Pro gun channels ended up hosting their content on Pornhub before the site updated their terms of service and sent them packing again. Cannabis might get similar treatment if the new site feels the migration is damaging to their brand or bottom line.
Instagram and Vimeo are strong contenders for the move. They might not like the idea of hosting the worlds cannabis community and kick them off the same way Pornhub did with the gun community. In the end, people looking to make marijuana content will likely have to create their own hub.

Which would you love to see recreated on another platform? Would you migrate to a new video sharing platform because of them shutting down cannabis content? Let us know in the comment section!

Marijuana Legalization, Marijuana NewsOctober 18, 2017 by Adam Rhodes

MMJ Patients Banned from Owning Gun

Marijuana Patients Can’t Own a Gun

Christopher Morales is a California Criminal Defense Attorney well versed in gun law. He believes that the Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibits anyone who uses cannabis medically from owning a gun. Unfortunately for the cannabis consuming public, some state courts agree.
The exact wording on the federal law is vague and misleading because it says “unlawful user or anyone using a federally restricted substance”. Cannabis is a federally restricted substance but many states consider medical use as lawful. But gun ownership is federally protected but considered a state controlled matter. So courts had to decide if following state laws protected patients from the federal clause preventing ownership of firearms.

The Gun Control Act

The Gun Control act is also full of outdated language. There is ample evidence of outdated language contained within the 1968 document. Evidence including the claim that marijuana is addictive. Modern research has proven that cannabis creates no chemical addiction or dependency. This discrepancy and others like it have caused issues in more than one state.
A Nevada medical marijuana patient named S. Rowan Wilson filed a lawsuit in 2011 challenging the federal statute against gun ownership. Wilson attempted to purchase a gun and was denied because she has a medical card. Unwilling to give up her 2nd amendment right without a fight, she lawyered up.
Wilson’s case went all the way up to the 9^th US Circuit Court of Appeals. Eventually, she lost her fight. Chief District Judge Gloria Navarro was the one who made the final ruling against Wilson. Judge Gloria says that denying the sale of guns to a marijuana patient does not violate the Second Amendment.

States Decide Gun Laws

When it comes to gun purchases, every state is different. Some states require background checks. While other states call in to check a criminal record. If Wilson went to the state of Georgia, she could have easily purchased a gun at a flea market. But that’s not the point. Wilson wanted to buy a gun in her own hometown regardless of her legal marijuana status.
It is strange how unevenly rules are applied across populations. Patients using prescription opioids are allowed to own a gun when opioids are on the list of federally controlled substances. Yet medical marijuana patients are unable to obtain personal protection. And this poses a special threat to patients who also own or operate dispensaries.
People employed in the cannabis field already can’t use banking systems to store money. Having all that cash on hand makes them a target for a whole list of nefarious people. Add to that the knowledge that they can’t legally defend themselves and trouble is almost guaranteed to ensue.

The Gun Show Loophole

According to federal law, all licensed firearm dealers must perform background checks on those seeking a purchase of a gun. But there is an escape clause called the Gun Show Loophole. At gun shows there are unlicensed firearms dealers, and they are not required to perform background checks. About 22% of all firearm sales are done by these unlicensed sellers.
Federally, the government is uninterested in closing the loophole. Federal agents routinely use it to funnel arms and ammunition to drug cartels and kinpins. After the documents regarding the federal Fast and Furious program became public, their reluctance began to make sense to the broader public. Luckily, several states have moved to stop such practices.
11 states have closed the loophole and require background checks at the point of sale. The 11 states are: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhodes Island and Washington. Eight other states require a background check and a permit for private purchasers. Those eight states are: Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey and North Carolina.
None of the listed states ban ownership by medical marijuana patients or recreational users. But, possessing a firearm will likely only add fuel to the fire if charged with large-scale cultivation. Especially if the government is looking to make an example of you.

The Bottom Line

When filling out the Firearms Transaction Record during the purchase of a gun, there is a question. A Ninth Circuit Court ruling amended the question about cannabis use. The new language puts patients into a catch-22.
Originally, the text read “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?” The new version includes a nifty little addition to clarify that they mean medical patients. It reads; “Warning: The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.”
What this says is that medical users are not allowed to own a gun because they are using a substance that is under the federal control substance list. Marijuana is federally illegal and therefore gun ownership while using it is federally illegal. Alcohol is not federally illegal, just restricted. That is why people shoot themselves every year while drinking and handling guns.

I Want My Attorney

When it comes to buying a gun, it is up to the seller to perform their due diligence by asking whether or not the purchaser is a cannabis user and to perform a background check. If the medical marijuana user says ‘yes’ then technically they must be denied the purchase of a gun. If they say ‘no’ and get caught for lying, they can face felony charges.
When it comes to cooperating with law enforcement, it becomes a tricky situation. According to Morales, a medical marijuana user should never disclose to police if they have drugs or guns in the vehicle. He maintains that they are under no obligation to disclose that information. When confronted with these questions, patients need to say the four magic words ‘I want my attorney’.
Recent evidence of police brutality and blatant corruption in the penal system can make asking for a lawyer scary. Police are not required to be direct, honest or limit their force. they can invade your home, kill your animals, confiscate your property and shoot you dead if they feel threatened. Don’t resist, don’t lie and don’t answer any questions without YOUR lawyer.

Do you have feedback about owning a medical marijuana card and gun ownership? Do you think MMJ patients should own guns? Why or why not? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Culture, Marijuana NewsJune 4, 2017 by Adam Rhodes

Secret Service Relaxes Marijuana Ban

The Secret Service needs help.

Law requires the Secret Service to provide round-the-clock protection for the properties owned by the president. That includes places where nobody is living. President Trump might have taken that as a personal challenge as his protection costs have soared. Trump has spent hundreds of millions of tax dollars in just the first few months on travel to and from his private resort and security.
Trump has actually doubled the cost of protecting the president three times over. It is so expensive, congress had to add $120 million to the budget already. The extravagant travel and security details the president demands are making it impossible to provide with current rules.
The Secret Service needs to add thousands of jobs in order to properly guard the many cheap hotels and overpriced properties the president uses to increase his personal fortune. There simply are not enough Secret Service members to protect all the properties of the current president.

Concessions have to be made somewhere.

The president cannot miss a chance to spend millions of dollars whenever he can. So the only reasonable option left is to add 3000 Secret Service members. The problem is that too many people flunk out of the program due to cannabis consumption.
We aren’t talking closet stoners that have been selling weed out of their footlocker. We are talking the people who want to protect our country and are actually qualified to do so. These are the guys who pass training, have solid credit, good eyesight and may have used cannabis when teenagers.
38 days into his new appointment as director of the Secret Service, Randolph Alles announced the decision to no longer disqualify candidates because of weed. He also acknowledged that the “very dedicated” agents were facing insurmountable demands and without the changes, there wouldn’t be enough candidates to provide the mandated protection.

Alles is looking to fix the staffing issue.

Alles outlined a new, “whole-person concept” in the new hiring practices that went into effect last month. Instead of simply yes or no questions about past use during a polygraph test, the Service now asks about history. Consideration is given for time between last use and testing but enough history is still considered a failure during the polygraph test.
“We need more people. The mission has changed,” Alles said before citing threats like al Qaeda and ISIS, as well has homegrown terrorists. “It’s more dynamic and way more dangerous than it has been in years past,” Alles said during his address. While his personal interactions with president Trump are singular, Alles is in charge of deciding who gets to protect the president.
The most interesting part of the equation is that the Secret Service is relaxing its ban on marijuana because it can’t hire enough people to protect the president. So Trumps refusal to give up control of his businesses has created a national security threat that will take almost $120 million to patch. This despite the danger level to president Trump being effectively the same as president Obama at 6-8 threats per day.

The challenge is more than just protecting properties.

“I think between that and the fact that he has a larger family, that’s just more stress on the organization. We recognize that,” Alles said when addressing logistics of the constant presidential trips to Florida and New Jersey. Alles assured reporters that he’s been allocating resources accordingly.
Despite having spent more on travel than any living president, Trump still hasn’t made it to Camp David. As the traditional escape of presidents, the Maryland military installation remains fully staffed and protected at all times. “Obviously, we won’t be able to dictate his travel,” Alles said. “We interface with his staff on how they schedule things and what works better and causes us less resource demands.”

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