Oklahoma
No Green Wave This Time, But Two More States Legalize Adult Use Cannabis
Five states voted on adult-use cannabis legalization. These results increase the number of states that have legalized cannabis for adult-use from 19 to 21. Similar ballot measures failed, however, in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota. The continued expansion of legalized cannabis at the state level, combined with President Biden’s recent initiation of an administrative […]
Oklahoma is the new “Wild West of weed” — and Colorado marijuana entrepreneurs are helping fuel the green rush
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostCrews head back to work after a lunch break in the fields at Tribe Collective in Okemah, Oklahoma, on July 27, 2021. OKEMAH, Okla. — Chip Baker surveyed a vast field on the outskirts of an old hay farm an hour east of Oklahoma City, his ponytail waving in the thick, […]
Legal marijuana industry had banner year in 2018
The last year was a 12-month champagne toast for the legal marijuana industry as the global market exploded and cannabis pushed its way further into the financial and cultural mainstream.
Oklahoma quickly becoming medical marijuana hotbed
The rollout of statewide medical and recreational marijuana programs typically is a grindingly slow process that can take years. Not so in Oklahoma, which moved with lightning speed once voters approved medical cannabis in June.
Democratic state gains may mean tighter gun, looser pot laws
From New York to New Mexico, residents in a number of states can expect a leftward push for expanded health care coverage, gun control, education funding and legalized recreational marijuana as Democrats who gained new or stronger powers in the midterm elections seek to put their stamp on public policy.
Colorado marijuana activist arrested in Oklahoma for felony possession
Regina Nelson, a marijuana scholar and activist based out of Boulder, Colorado, was arrested for marijuana possession in Oklahoma.
States’ fight against Colorado marijuana laws on tap in fed court
A Colorado marijuana lawsuit that includes a bid by Oklahoma and Nebraska to stamp out legalization is set to go before a federal appeals court Tuesday.
Medical Marijuana Finally Breaking into Oklahoma?
Historically a state with severe and excessive marijuana laws, Oklahoma has finally made its voice heard through a petition for medical marijuana. Oklahoma Secretary of State, Chris Benge, announced yesterday that his office finished counting the signatures on Initiative Petition 412 — great news for Oklahoma patients — in just 90 days the petition exceeded […] Thanks to marijuana.com
Marijuana Reform Moving Past Red vs. Blue States
Conventional Wisdom regarding “blue” and “red” states is no longer holding water. Momentum for marijuana reform has moved south and inland with more than just the coastal states seeking change. Medicine, relief, and happiness known no particular religion or political alliance. Efforts in two new states give advocates and patients so much hope. Oklahoma for …continue reading
Hashish
The cannabis plant is consumable in many forms. One of the most storied and controversial preparations of marijuana is hashish. Hashish is a compressed and purified form of the resin that grows in the trichomes of the cannabis plant. Historically, bud harvests were pressed between palms or other plant leaves until all excess plant matter, save the resin, was rubbed away. This left a much finer substance, varying in consistency from fine powder to a paste of oily substance. The final product has a much higher cannabinoid content than regular bud clippings. Today, there are numerous ways of preparing hash, from mechanical tumblers, to ice baths, chemical separation treatments, and even vacuum distillation. This can result in powdered hash, hard blocks, nuggets of goo (for lack of a better description), or even a resiny oil, often called “honey oil”. These preparations can range from 30-90% in THC content, as opposed to untreated buds (up 27% THC). Although, as marijuana research and development has progressed, growers are now using high CBD strains to produce hashish that offers medical benefits to a greater diversity of patients.
Though hashish has been found frequently in historic sites throughout the Near East, Middle East and Indian subcontinent, many historical sources tie the name “hashish” to the word assassin and the story of al-Hassan bin al-Sabbah, a warlord from the mountainous region south of the Caspian Sea. In a nutshell, Hassan used hashish preparations in training and maintaining the loyalty of his warriors, often sent out to kill (assassinate) his enemies. This story came to the West, compliments of Marco Polo’s travels in the late 13th Century. This is the most accepted tale, but many scholars refute this story’s accuracy. From the 13th through 18th centuries, the use and spread of hashish stayed mostly in the East. But in the late 1700’s it began to spread West as Napoleon’s conquests into Egypt exposed his troops to it. Despite his prohibition, use of hashish continued and expanded, finding its way to the New World.
By the start of the 20th century hashish production and trade was widespread, with centers in the Middle East, Chinese Turkestan, and on the Greek/Turkish borders. However, as time marched on, many laws prohibiting hashish production and trade were passed across the world. As quickly as it had risen to prominence, it was quickly blacklisted. Today it can be found, in many places but is still castigated in others. In Amsterdam (home of the Ice-olater production method), many kinds of hash can be found, or in India and Nepal as “charas.” In California, Colorado, and other compassionate use states, it can be found at dispensaries. And these cultivators are some of the pioneers pushing the strains in new directions to help benefit patients whose afflictions leave them with few treatments.
On the other end of the spectrum, Oklahoma recently passed a bill including sentencing for anywhere from two years to life for production, sales or distribution of hashish. House Bill 1798 names a mandatory 2-year minimum sentence, as a felony, for first time convictions. Subsequent offenders face sentences without leniency or parole to a lifetime sentence. This is a newly-minted law for a cannabis-based product, not heroin, crack or cocaine (although those laws are just as strict). By the way, Oklahoma and Colorado share approximately 100 miles of border. At the same time, Colorado is looking into DUI laws for cannabis. This may not be welcome news to most patients, but it is a key part of regulation and acceptance. Most people rail against sobriety check points (for alcohol), but they deter drunk driving and therefore save lives. Hopefully Colorado’s legislators will spend time to review the science behind the detection of cannabis in the body. It is not as simple as a test as for alcohol inebriation.