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Loreen Blankenship
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CANNA GLOBAL Uruguay or Bust Meet Don E Wirtshafter, lawyer and entrepreneur... I am Don E Wirtshafter. I am a lawyer and entrepreneur who started a pioneer business called the Ohio Hempery in 1990.

My qualification to speak about the issues surrounding marijuana comes from the fact that I have been at this advocacy longer than any of you.

2 CANNA GLOBAL Uruguay or Bust Meet Don E Wirtshafter, lawyer and entrepreneur... I am Don E Wirtshafter. I am a lawyer and entrepreneur who started a pioneer business called the Ohio Hempery in We bought an interest in a Chinese fabric mill and started trying to create a fad in hemp clothing. We sold hemp rope, twine, paper, cloth, clothing and books. My qualification to speak about the issues surrounding marijuana comes from the fact that I have been at this advocacy longer than any of you. Because I have the longest history in this, I have been given the privilege of giving a historical perspective to the rapid changes going on in Uruguay and around the world. We should celebrate Uruguay s wise decision to open up the door to Cannabis. Many predicted that the roof would fall in if any place were to relax its laws against Cannabis. There were worries about all kinds of dangerous side effects society would experience because of this decision. Over a year later, the roof is still overhead. No calamity has taken place. Pepe intended these reforms to cut off illicit commerce in foreign produced cannabis by regulating domestic availability. This lifting of the curtain opens up the potential for many other needed reforms, so I will cover: Medical Cannabis for needy patients Industrial Hemp for Industry Cannabis Tourism for the Economy the history of the use of Cannabis as medicine. I discovered hand-blown glass apothecary jars, created for storing cannabis from the beginning of the 18th century. As the technology for making glass improved, so did the technology for standardizing extracts and creating quality pharmaceutical products. My research into this history shows us one thing we need to take note of: one hundred years ago, despite a lack of scientific instruments and research techniques, the physicians of the day knew more about using Cannabis as a medicine than we do today. The biggest and most important change is the permission for everyone in Uruguay to produce small quantities of Cannabis at home. This is huge; and it had immediate effect: I can tell you the quality and availability of Cannabis is much better than it was two years ago These effects can be thought of as problems, yet they can also be realized as opportunities for Uruguay. All three of these unintended consequences will have a positive effect on the health and The pharmacies of a hundred years ago when I last visited the country. And so welfare of the people of the county if understood the difference between using what? If Cannabis is so toxic, where are the leaders in government embrace the THC as a medicine and using CBD. This the bodies? potential Uruguay has because of the is the differentiation of Cannabis Sativa progressive baby steps it has already and Cannabis Indica. They understood Still, there are many side effects of this taken. the combination of the two medicines decision that the county is experiencing. into Cannabis Americana, a combination Nobody really thought about these a year Let me start with the medical potential. now being sold as the prescription ago when the decision to step forward Someone once said to me that Sativex. was made. It is these side effects, the Cannabis had never been accepted as unintended consequences that I wish to a medicine in the United States. I set Scientists one hundred years ago also talk about. out to prove them wrong by collecting understood extractions, leading to the 58

3 CANNA HISTORY 72 WW117.indd 72

Let s begin Part 3 with the descriptions of the words sieve and Hashish to start with a clear definition of the tool and product we will be discussing in this section.

4 Let s begin Part 3 with the descriptions of the words sieve and Hashish to start with a clear definition of the tool and product we will be discussing in this section. A sieve is a device with meshes or perforations through which finer particles of a mixture of various sizes (as of ashes, flour, sand, etc.) may be passed to separate them from coarser ones 1. Hashish is a psychoactive drug made from sieving the resin glands of the dried Cannabis flowers and pressing them with a source of heat. We have explored the mystery of the origins of sieving Cannabis resin in Parts 1 & 2, establishing that the oldest Hashish traditions are found in the Hindu Kush Mountain range and that Hashish culture spread initially to Central Asia and the shores of the Mediterranean Sea through trade under a cloak of secrecy2. A few Millennia later, Hashish lost its mythological aspect with the expansion of the Muslim Empire and the associated advances in medical science; finally Hashish rose to a position of greater global recognition with the introduction of tobacco from the New World3. We have no way to determine exactly how the process of sieving Cannabis resin originated since the materials used to weave the sieve biodegrades over time, leaving no traces for archeologist to retrieve thereby making the discovery of the origins of pressing a challenge. The act of pressing the sieved resin glands with a source of heat to create a mass of resin is a step in the evolution of Hashish manufacturing that must have been significant in the life of semi-nomadic tribes. Loose dry resin glands require a type of container that may not have been available ten of thousands of years ago. If you consider that for a few generations, they had the knowledge of Charas, which is after all a lightly pressed mass of live resin, and of the dry resin accumulating on their hands while breaking flowers open and harvesting the seeds; how much of a stretch of imagination was necessary to start hand pressing small quantity of dry resin, discovering a new realm of smell and taste? It is time to leave the past behind and to study modern traditional sieving techniques from Afghanistan, Lebanon and Morocco. Afghanistan and Lebanon have the oldest Hashish traditions, and Morocco the newest. All the lands between Afghanistan and Lebanon are also considered as some of the earliest Hashish producers, but prohibition since the early 18th century, the more recent drug war enforcement and religious extremism have erased the past; mostly stopping all export if not truly eliminating local consumption. The stamps usually found on Hashish for export are simply a form of marketing: it has a strong appeal in the eyes of westerners, an exotic touch that promotes sales, but does not indicate quality. Hashish is illegal in all producing countries and advertising the origins would be perilous if not downright suicidal. Quality in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Morocco and all other producing countries is primarily defined by smell and aroma, the texture is then considered as well as the pressing potential of the resin glands. CANNA HISTORY Afghanistan Afghanistan was the Mecca of Hashish with the oldest legacy, the best sieving techniques in my eyes and a long reputation for the highest quality, with traditions possibly going back to the mysterious and secretive origins of Hashish. The production of Hashish is more complex than the simple hand rubbing technique; it involves a deeper knowledge of Cannabis resin as well as special implements to manufacture a finished product of quality, from harvesting the plants for their resin glands to pressing the resin in ways that ensures quality through curing and aging. Interestingly, the production of Hashish in every producing WW117.indd 73 73

5 G.B.I. - Green Born Identity WW117.indd 77

Running Head: LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA 1 LEGALIZATION OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IN CALIFORNIA

Running Head: LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA 1 LEGALIZATION OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IN CALIFORNIA By Name Course Tutor s Name Institution Date LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA 2 Legalization of Recreational Marijuana