As the U.S. and other countries seem to be breaking free of the propaganda of the last 70 years regarding marijuana and its medical benefits, the state of Arizona, namely, the Arizona Court of Appeals, fires a volley at the strengthening decriminalization/legalization movement by declaring marijuana extracts - and anything made with them - illegal. The court states:

" According to our Supreme Court, hashish is 'the resin extracted from marijuana plant,' criminalized as cannabis, a narcotic drug, and distinct from marijuana" and that "The state argues that by not specifically including extracted resin within its description of immunized marijuana, AMMA adopts the 'preexisting law distinguishing between cannabis and marijuana.' We agree. We construe statutory language in light of existing understanding,"

This effectively returns the possession and manufacture of all products made from marijuana...edibles, hash, wax etc... to a criminal status and defines them as a "narcotic", a term generally used to describe harder, more dangerous drugs such as cocaine and opiates. Yep...you read that right. Marijuana extracts - apparently distinguished as cannabis - are a narcotic. This, despite the fact that narcotics generally bond to opiate receptors in the brain as opposed to the endo-cannabinoid system, as THC and other cannabinoids do in humans.

MMJ patients can buy flower in Arizona now....but nothing else. No Rick Simpson Oil for cancer patients. No CBD oil for seizure patients. No wax for people suffering from severe PTSD. You should keep in mind that, outside of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act (AMMA), possession of ANY amount of marijuana can be charged as a felony. Manufacturing your own extracts can be charged as possession of a dangerous drug. (You see the "distinction" Arizona law places between the plant and its extracts there?) A judge who is obviously "old school" when it comes to marijuana law prosecution. Public servants who look for cracks and crevices to be exploited in the law that allow for them to circumvent the will of the people.

Is this the new tack that legislators and government officials will take to undermine the growing legalization efforts? We've all heard AG Jeff Sessions statements on marijuana and his feelings regarding the legalization movement. It's not encouraging. So we have lawyers and judges now picking apart technical loopholes to dismantle the state laws. Sad to say this is a major blow to people in Arizona who rely on such extracts to function.

With the growing body of evidence that supports what users of the plant have said all along - that it has far reaching medical benefits - the time when the propaganda of the last 70 years is finally exposed, once and for all, for what it is: lies and manipulation. It is time for a national referendum on marijuana, both medical and recreational. It is time that the American people stood up and, in one voice, spoke loudly that the war on cannabis is over. The establishment has lost. Accept it with as much grace and can be mustered and move on. We have an opiate epidemic of monumental proportions staring us in the face. We should be focused on stopping the true scourge of our time instead of weak ass, petty attempts to nullify one of the true progressive accomplishments of the last 30 years.