Category: Addiction News

Lady Gaga Disappoints Fans by Failing to Address Mental Health Triggers in "A Star Is Born"
Lady Gaga has worked tirelessly to help people with mental health problems, sharing her own struggles with debilitating depression. So why hasn’t she addressed the very real and dangerous depressive and suicidal triggers in the film?

Trigger Warning: The following story discusses a completed suicide in a film and links to potentially triggering articles. Proceed with caution. If you feel you are at risk and need help, skip the story and get help now. Options include: Calling the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255), calling 911, and calling a friend or family member to stay with you until emergency medical personnel arrive to help you.

(This piece contains spoilers for A Star is Born.)

Months after its release, the highly-acclaimed A Star is Born is still generating plenty of headline-worthy buzz, most recently with an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

It’s an incredible movie with an equally impressive soundtrack; I had every song memorized long before I seeing the movie. But months after seeing A Star is Born on a rare date-night with my husband, I still feel that Lady Gaga—Mother Monster herself—let the entire mental health community down. And while I agree that the Oscar-buzz is well-deserved, I also wonder at the media’s lack of attention to the film’s numerous potential triggers for alcoholism, addiction, depression, and suicide.

Lady Gaga has made a name for herself as more than just a performer, using her platform to bring awareness to preventative mental health care. She’s spoken publicly about her personal struggles with her own “debilitating mental health spirals,” amassing a following of “Little Monsters” – fans who see themselves in her message. She and her mother, Cynthia Germonatta, created the Born This Way Foundation for a “kinder and braver world.” Germonatta also notably presented to The United Nations General Assembly in 2018 on behalf of the Born This Way Foundation on the topic of mental health, launching the United for Global Mental Health initiative. According to its Twitter page, the initiative’s vision is “a world where everyone, anywhere, can turn to someone who is able to support their mental health when needed.”

You could say that I’ve been stanning Lady Gaga since before “stanning” was even a word, so I was well aware of her activism before seeing the movie. I was thrilled going into A Star is Born. But my excitement soon gave way to anxiety and sadness. Certain scenes left me dismayed and shaken, stunned that there weren’t safety protocols put into place to warn the very fans she has worked so hard to fight for and protect.

Never having seen the original film (and not having done any research on the film before seeing it) I still knew going in that A Star is Born wasn’t going to have a happy ending. One friend had posted on Facebook that she was “gutted” as the credits rolled. But even that did not prepare me for the very real and incredibly dangerous depressive and suicidal triggers contained within the film’s ending, most notably Jack’s suicide (and the very brief glimpse of the belt from which he was hanging swinging through the garage windows). That shot alone, while problematic in terms of the little that could be seen and the dangers of suicidal triggers according to The Association for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), I might have been able to shake off. It wasn’t until the moment after Jack’s brother, Bob, was consoling Ally (played by Gaga) following Jack’s suicide, telling her that it was nobody’s fault but Jack’s, that I cracked.

I waited, breathless and crying, for Mother Monster to channel herself through the character she was portraying on the big screen, to speak up. She’d done so repeatedly while Jack was still alive and fighting his addiction, assuring him that alcoholism is a disease and that there was no blame to be placed or taken on.

All she needed to say was that the addiction won; that Jack’s suicide wasn’t any more his fault than his alcoholism had been.

But she didn’t. And it broke me.

For a brief moment, I thought that maybe I was the only one. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe I was just being too sensitive. But it wasn’t just me.

In researching this piece, I discovered that complaints of “viewer distress” in New Zealand had caused the film to be reclassified with a suicide warning note. But why wasn’t a trigger warning for suicide added to the beginning of the film from the get-go?

David Shanks, head of the New Zealand film classification board, was quoted in The Guardian after demanding that the film add a warning to protect vulnerable viewers. “For those who have lost someone close to them, a warning gives them a chance to make an informed choice about watching.”

Houston-based licensed therapist Bill Prasad notes that for those who haven’t yet seen A Star is Born, it’s best to skip the film if proper resources are not in place.

“Triggers can be tricky and dangerous,” said Prasad, who added that those in the early stages of sobriety may also be adversely affected.

The AFSP’s fact sheet on suicide statistics, warning signs, and risk factors includes “Exposure to another person’s suicide, or to graphic or sensationalized accounts of suicide” among the many risk factors for triggering those vulnerable to act. A Star is Born triggered for me my own “debilitating mental health spiral.” I withdrew from my friends, both personal and those in my social media circles. I stopped writing. I stopped sleeping at night and started sleeping too much during the day. And when no one was looking, I kept crying.

As a writer whose livelihood depends on my ability to create, I lost months of income. As a survivor of my own suicide attempt with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, I am grateful that I’m not actively suicidal now or when I saw the film. That doesn’t mean, however, that I am not sensitive to associated triggers. Two months later, I’m still trying to find all the pieces and put myself back together.

I’m not asking for Hollywood to hold my hand. I know that hard stories need to be told. A Star is Born is a brilliantly acted film and rightfully deserves all the attention it continues to receive. I understand that perhaps it might not have been “realistic” for Ally to snap out of her grief-stricken state and set Jack’s brother right about how dangerous it is to blame the victim, that it’s never okay to even imply that.

So I waited for Mother Monster herself to set the record straight after the fact.

But she didn’t.

Lady Gaga didn’t say a word. Not then, and not after, during countless interviews, did she reassure her monsters that depression is an illness beyond the control of the afflicted. Not once did she say that no one should ever blame the suicidal.

As Prasad reminds us, “If you are struggling after the movie, reach out to someone or get professional help. You don’t have to suffer alone.”

If you or someone you know may be at risk for suicide, immediately seek help. You are not alone.

Options include:
- Calling the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255)
- Calling 911
- Calling a friend or family member to stay with you until emergency medical personnel arrive to help you.
View the original article at thefix.com
24 February 2019
Emergency Rooms Are Failing Overdose Victims, Study Shows

Fewer than 10% of people who were treated in West Virginia emergency rooms for non-fatal overdose were connected with medication-assisted treatment.

When people show up in the emergency room, they expect not only to be treated for the immediate problem, but to be connected with ongoing care. Someone with a broken arm, for example, can expect to have it set and leave with a referral to an orthopedist.

Yet, this system is failing people with substance use disorder, one of the most deadly medical conditions in the country.

According to a new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, fewer than 10% of people who were treated in West Virginia emergency rooms for non-fatal overdose were connected with medication-assisted treatment, and just 15% were connected with counseling.

Although the study looked at just one state, the findings are symptomatic of failures in the medical system across the country, Andrew Kolodny, who directs opioid policy research at at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, told California Healthline.

He said, “There’s a lot of evidence that we’re failing to take advantage of this low-hanging fruit with individuals who have experienced a nonfatal overdose. We should be focusing resources on that population. We should be doing everything we can to get them plugged into treatment.”

Even the researchers were surprised by the low rates of ongoing treatment for opioid use disorder for patients who were clearly in need of treatment, said lead study author Neel Koyawala, a student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

“We expected more… especially given the national news about opioid abuse,” Koyawala said.

Dr. Margaret Jarvis, who works as medical director of a residential addiction treatment center, said that despite the prevalence of addiction, emergency room doctors often don’t know how to help people who present with substance use disorder.

“Our colleagues in emergency rooms are not particularly well-trained to be able to help people in a situation like this,” she said. Marissa Angerer visited the emergency department in Texas many times with substance abuse-related conditions. She was never offered ongoing intervention and was surprised when doctors didn’t understand what she meant when she said she was dopesick.

“They were completely unaware of so much, and it completely blew my mind,” she said.

When Angerer finally got into recovery, it was because she found a treatment center herself after having fingers and toes amputated because of an opioid-related condition.

“There were a lot of times I could have gone down a better path, and I fell through the cracks,” she said.

View the original article at thefix.com

23 February 2019
Is Scanning Inmates' Mail To Stop the Spread Of Drugs Legal?

The ACLU is challenging a Philadelphia prison mail policy that they allege violates attorney-client privilege and inmates right to privacy.

A trial is underway in Pennsylvania to decide whether a new prison policy involving the opening and scanning of inmates’ mail to prevent drug smuggling is legal. State prisons began the new mail procedure in 2018 after a number of inmates and staff were hospitalized from synthetic cannabinoid exposure.

Dangerous drugs like K2 were being smuggled into prisons after being mixed with ink or used to coat letter paper. The substances are colorless and odorless, making them difficult or impossible to detect through normal means.

According to officials, more than 50 prison staff members and 33 inmates were hospitalized over a period of three months in western and central Pennsylvania. Since the implementation of the new mail policy, the amount of synthetic cannabinoids entering the prisons has plummeted.

However, the legality of the policy was challenged in October by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and arguments are now being heard by a judge.

The policy requires staff members to remove letters from friends, family, and legal counsel from envelopes, scan them, and pass along the copies to inmates. The originals are kept in a box for 45 days, at which point they can be destroyed.

Lawyers are alleging that this procedure violates attorney-client privilege and inmate right to privacy. They argue that there is no way to prevent staff from reading letters containing legal strategy and other sensitive information, intentionally or not.

“The practices they’ve implemented are tremendously disruptive, and in fact are prohibiting a lot of lawyers from being able to use the mail to communicate with their clients,” said Pennsylvania ACLU legal director Vic Walczak.

Many lawyers have therefore stopped sending their imprisoned clients anything in the mail and are having difficulty finding alternative methods to communicate privately with inmates.

According to Leane Renee, assistant federal public defender for the U.S. Middle District Court, inmates are only allowed 15 minutes at a time on the phone and lawyers are not always allowed to bring documents into face-to-face meetings.

Even if they are, legal teams are often located hours away from the prisons where their clients are held. This has reportedly caused a backlog in legal phone call requests that prisons can’t accommodate.

At the same time, although the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has claimed that all documents are stored and disposed of properly in order to prevent privacy violations, there have been reports of “legal documents piled on desks or heaped into trash bags,” according to Philadelphia’s The Inquirer.

“We’ve gotten reports from dozens of lawyers who are involved in criminal appeals and civil issues, who can’t communicate with their clients, and these individuals’ cases are being harmed and delayed,” said Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project lawyer Alexandra Morgan-Kurtz.

There have also been allegations of missing pages from legal packets and staff failing to use protective equipment while handling mail possibly contaminated with synthetic cannabinoids.

The ACLU is not challenging the use of this new mail procedure when it comes to mail from friends, family, or anyone other than legal counsel.

View the original article at thefix.com

23 February 2019
World Health Organization To UN: Reclassify Cannabis

WHO is calling for the classification to be updated to reflect the medical uses of marijuana.

The World Health Organization is calling on the United Nations to change the classification of cannabis to acknowledge that the drug does have some medicinal purposes.

According to Futurism, cannabis is currently considered a Schedule IV drug by the UN. This designation is the most tightly controlled, and reserved for drugs that show “particularly dangerous properties.” It was set by an international drug treaty passed in 1961.

However, according to information published in the journal BMJ, the World Health Organization is calling for the classification to be updated to reflect the medical uses of marijuana.

“The World Health Organization has proposed rescheduling cannabis within international law to take account of the growing evidence for medical applications of the drug, reversing its position held for the past 60 years that cannabis should not be used in legitimate medical practice,” the report authors wrote.

According to the report, The WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence started reconsidering marijuana’s classification last year. The committee released a report with its findings and recommendations.

“The Committee concluded that the inclusion of cannabis and cannabis resin in Schedule IV is not consistent with the criteria for a drug to be placed in Schedule IV,” the report reads.

It goes on to recommend that marijuana and its compounds be reclassified as Schedule I or II drugs, which are less tightly controlled. The recommendations could be voted on by the United Nations member countries as soon as March, which would change the way that marijuana is handled under international law.

However, it would have no bearing on how cannabis is scheduled federally in the United States, which uses an entirely different system of classification.

Still, marijuana advocates, including a US Air Force veteran Michael Krawitz, said that the reclassification is long overdue.

“The placement of cannabis in the 1961 treaty, in the absence of scientific evidence, was a terrible injustice,” he told Forbes. “Today the World Health Organization has gone a long way towards setting the record straight. It is time for us all to support the World Health Organization’s recommendations and ensure politics don’t trump science.”

Kenzi Riboulet Zemouli, the head of research at Paris-based non-profit For Alternative Approaches to Addiction Think & Do Tank, told Leafly that the measure is “a beginning of a new evidence and health-oriented cycle for international Cannabis policy.”

“This is the best outcome that WHO could possibly have come up with,” Riboulet Zemouli said.

View the original article at thefix.com

22 February 2019
FDA May Recommend Naloxone Be Co-Prescribed With Opioids

The “co-prescribing” recommendation would apply to patients who are at high risk of overdose, including people who take a high-dose opioid.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering recommending that people who receive an opioid prescription are also offered a prescription for naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

The move is intended to reduce deaths from opioid overdose, but some people say that the effort is misguided.

The so-called co-prescribing recommendation would apply to patients who are at high risk of overdose, including people who take a high-dose opioid, have a history of addiction or have sleep apnea, according to CNN.

Kristy Shepard, a Virginia patient who uses opioids, didn’t know that she had a naloxone prescription waiting for her at the pharmacy. She said that her doctor didn’t give her a heads up about the state’s new co-prescribing recommendations. Other states, including California and Ohio have made similar recommendations, but Shepard doesn’t understand why.

“It’s so silly. I didn’t feel like I needed it. Unless I plan to hurt myself, I’m not likely to overdose,” she said.

However, Dr. Nathan Schlicher, who is on Washington state’s opioid task force and works as an emergency medicine physician, said this is a common misunderstanding.

“You can take pain meds responsibly, and you can be at risk for an accidental overdose even when you’re doing everything right,” he said. Washington also has a co-prescribing recommendation.

If the FDA recommends co-prescribing, the need for naloxone would increase by 48 million dosages annually, according to an FDA report. That could be a big financial incentive to drug makers, who have spent money lobbying for similar efforts at the state level, especially in California.

Some opponents point out that having naloxone on hand only works if the people taking opioids have someone around who could administer the drug if they overdose.

Katie O’Leary, who deals with pain, said that talking about overdose risk and carrying naloxone should be a conversation between individual providers and their patients, not a federal requirement.

“So many patients already jump through so many hoops to get their meds,” she said. “And if you live alone and don’t have family or friends to take care of you, the naloxone might not be something that could actually help.”

Dr. Farshad Ahadian, medical director at the University of California San Diego Health Center for Pain Medicine, agreed, saying, “Most providers probably feel that it’s better for physicians to self-regulate rather than practice medicine from the seat of the legislature. The truth is there’s been a lot of harm from opioids, a lot of addiction. It’s undeniable that we have to yield to that and to recognize that public safety is critical.”

View the original article at thefix.com

22 February 2019
Are Relapse Dreams More Prevalent In Early Recovery?

A new study examined whether the amount of time a person has in recovery affected the number of relapse dreams they had.

Relapse dreams – which are characterized as dreams that center around the experience of a primary addictive substance or activity – can be a common occurrence for individuals in recovery. Little is known about their meaning or cause, beyond the obvious connection to the dreamer’s dependency, or in regard to their relation to relapse during conscious hours.

But a new study has suggested that for those who have experienced more severe dependency issues also may have more relapse dreams, the frequency of such experiences decrease as the individual gains more time in recovery.

The study, conducted by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital Recovery Research Institute, and published in the January 2019 issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, sought to determine, from a demographic and clinical standpoint, who experienced relapse dreams and if their rate of frequency was lessened by time in recovery.

To that end, the researchers employed an address-based sampling method that randomly selected individuals from 97% of U.S household. Participants were determined by those respondents who were 18 years of age or older and answered positively to the screening question (“Did you used to have a problem with drugs or alcohol, but no longer do?”)

More than 25,229 respondents were ultimately chosen for the survey.

The survey, which was administered over a period of 19 days between July and August 2016, asked participants if they had experienced a relapse dream while in recovery, and if so, were asked how recently it had occurred.

They were also asked 15 questions about the types of substances they had used, as well as age of first use, frequency of use, and if they were still using or no longer using that substance, and considered themselves in recovery. If they answered yes to the latter, the participants were asked about the type of recovery (inpatient/outpatient, 12-step program).

Upon analyzing the responses, the researchers found that approximately one-third of respondents reported experiencing a relapse dream after entering recovery. Those who did report having recurring relapse dreams tended to have more severe substance use histories.

“We found that the individuals in recovery who reported at least one such dream had received help fro treatment and mutual-help organizations in the past, reflecting a more serious clinical disorder and impact on the central nervous system,” said lead author John F. Kelly, PhD and founder/director of the Recovery Research Institute.

They also found that for those participants that did report having at least one dream, the length of time spent in recovery appeared to have an impact on the decreasing frequency of these dreams. That association suggested that “as the body and mind gradually adapt to abstinence and a new lifestyle, psychological angst about relapse diminishes,” said Kelly.

View the original article at thefix.com

22 February 2019
Ariana Grande Celebrates Brother's Sober Milestone

Ariana and Frankie Grande took to social media to celebrate his sober milestone.

Ariana Grande tweeted out an emotional congratulations to her brother, Frankie Grande, helping him celebrate 20 months without drugs or alcohol.

Ariana said in a tweet that she struggled to find the words to acknowledge the milestone for her 36-year-old brother.

“man, i love u @FrankieJGrande. happy. twenty. months. been staring at this drafting n deleting bc everything i write makes me cry. jus know i think you’re a superhero and u make me v proud. everyone knows how hard this is and how strong you’ve been. congratulations and thank god.”

Frankie has previously said that Ariana’s former boyfriend Mac Miller, who died of an overdose last September, helped him get sober.

“He was the reason I went to the rehabilitation center where I was detoxed safely from all of the drugs alcohol and medications I was taking, when I couldn’t imagine living without them,” Frankie said. “It was the place where I found the community of support that showed me that living life without drugs was a possibility and I would have never discovered that if it weren’t for Malcolm.”

This week, Frankie took to Instagram to discuss the ways that sobriety has changed his life.

“i have 20 months sober. i am extremely proud,” he wrote in the post. “this hasn’t been easy. when you get sober… life still happens. you have to deal with all the same highs and lows as you did when you were using but now you don’t have the ability to numb yourself. you feel it. you feel everything. good and bad. but there is also beauty in that. over the past 20 months i have felt loss but i have also felt love. i felt joy but i also felt grief. but the bottom line is… i felt. and that is such a gift.

Today, Frankie said, he looks forward to the future with excitement, rather than the anxiety he experienced when he was using.

“today, when i look in the mirror i see a completely different man than i did 20 months ago. i see a man who knows that everything is exactly as it is meant to be. a man liberated from the prison of being stuck in the past or obsessing over the future. a man grateful for his life… exactly as it is. a man excited for the next chapter… and ready to face it… no matter what…. sober.”

View the original article at thefix.com

22 February 2019
Pot Legalization Moves Forward In New Hampshire Despite Opposition

High overdose rates in the state has been cited as one of the main reasons opponents are against legalizing cannabis.

Despite strong opposition in a state reeling from the opioid epidemic, marijuana legalization came closer to New Hampshire on Thursday (Feb. 21), when a bill to legalize cannabis in the state moved forward by just one vote.

According to New Hampshire Public Radio, the measure passed the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee by a vote of 10 to 9. It will now be considered by the full House of Representatives, but Governor Chris Sununu, who recently started his second term, has vowed to veto the bill if it gets that far.

New Hampshire, known as a popular vacation destination because of its scenic lakes and mountains, has in recent years become known for a more sinister reason: the prevalence of opioid addiction in the state. New Hampshire has one of the highest per-capita overdose rates in the country.

At the same time, the Granite State has been a holdout in the march toward legalization of recreational marijuana, becoming the last New England state to ban cannabis use.

Sununu and others in New Hampshire feel it would be irresponsible to legalize cannabis when the state is fighting what often seems like a losing battle against opioids. According to The New York Times, the governor spoke out strongly against legalization last fall.

“When we are dealing with opioids as the single biggest health crisis this state has ever had, you are going to tell me legalizing more drugs is the answer? Absolutely not.”

Sununu is a Republican, but in New Hampshire there is bipartisan skepticism about marijuana legalization. Both U.S. senators from New Hampshire, Democrats Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, have expressed concerns or actively opposed legalization.

Ronald G. Shaiko, a senior fellow studying public policy and social sciences at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, said that residents in the state feel that the government hasn’t responded well to the opioid epidemic, and are wary of adding more drugs into the mix. Because of this, Sununu’s opposition is resonating.

“He’s hitting a chord,” Shaiko said.

Tym Rourke oversees treatment and addiction programming at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. He said that even if marijuana is only dangerous for some people, that is not a risk that the state can take when hundreds of people are dying from opioid overdoses each year.

He said, “For some people, it’s unsafe. And as we are grappling with a high volume of individuals struggling with the consequences of substance misuse, do we really want to create a system that puts another substance more into the marketplace or more into their presence?”

However, proponents including State Representative Renny Cushing, who is sponsoring the legalization bill, argue that increasing access to marijuana can actually reduce rates of opioid overdose.

“What we’ve come to understand is that marijuana in many instances is an exit drug, not a gateway drug,” he said.

View the original article at thefix.com

22 February 2019
The Push To Provide Pregnant Women With Mental Health Services

New recommendations for expanded mental health care access could impact up to 15% of new moms.

A government task force is recommending that primary care providers provide counseling services, or referrals to counselors, to all pregnant and postpartum women who are at high risk of developing depression. The move could increase access to counseling for these women, since insurance providers will now be required to cover counseling for pregnant and postpartum women.

The recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force could affect up to 15% of new moms. People at high risk of developing depression before or after giving birth include young moms, low-income women, and women with a past history of depression. For these people, early screening and intervention via counseling can be very effective.

“I am very happy to see anything related to prevention, whether it’s mental health generally or perinatal depression specifically. If we can prevent problems from occurring, not only do we do a great service to humans, but [the health care system] saves a great deal of money,” Jeff Temple, a University of Texas psychologist in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, told Time.

However, Temple added that there are still barriers to access to mental health care, especially for at-risk women. These include an already understaffed and overburdened mental health system.

“If we need to see 15% of perinatal women, there’s absolutely no way that we have the ability to do that. We need to put more money and effort into training more psychologists and counselors,” he said.

Ideally, doctors who are taking care of women during pregnancy would integrate mental health services and counseling into their practices, said Temple.

“If these women are screened and they’re recommended to someone [for counseling] and it’s kind of a cold handoff, very few will follow up with it. But if one implication of this is that OB/GYN departments start to incorporate counselors and psychologists within their services, then we’ll see a huge benefit. If we did that, I am 100% positive we would see declines in perinatal depression.”

Temple believes this will happen in the future, as the country grows more aware about the importance of mental health.

“I think we’re starting to understand the importance of mental health as a society, and the importance of prevention,” he said. “The future is definitely going to be psychologists within primary care departments.”

American Counseling Association president Simone Lambert said that focusing on mothers’ mental health could improve outcomes for women and babies. Being proactive is the best way to do that, Lambert said.

“The benefits of increased maternal and infant wellness and decreased stigma to seek mental health assistance would likely lead to less of a toll on our healthcare system than when mental health concerns are unaddressed.”

View the original article at thefix.com

21 February 2019
Michigan Company Sells Books, Gifts Marijuana, In Legal Gray Area

Blaze Michigan’s book bundles come with a special “edible” gift.

While marijuana users in Michigan must wait for legal marijuana shops to open their doors, one store has found a clever workaround—gifting marijuana edibles to people who purchase book bundles.

Blaze Michigan sells bundles of books, which can be picked up in person or delivered. Consumers purchase the books, and if they are 21 or older they’ll receive a free gift. With bundle names like the Brownie Edible Book Bundle ($65), Full Vape Book Bundle ($90) and Mary Jane Flower Books ($80), it’s easy to guess what the free gift might be.

“You’re buying gifts, and then the gift is unknown. We try to hint at what the gift is going to be, by how we name our book bundles,” Blaze Michigan owner Stephanie Swearengin told WSBT 22.

The bundles are a big hit, Swearengin said. “Pretty much demand has been hard to keep up with for the most part.”

Michigan became the first midwestern state to legalize recreational cannabis in 2018, but until shops begin opening in 2020, there are no outlets to legally purchase marijuana.

Swearengin believes she has found a workaround, as she explained on Blaze Michigan’s website.

“We’ve talked to multiple lawyers about the issue and as far as we can tell it’s just a large gray area,” she said. “Just like medical dispensaries. I mean with the state and the federal law, it’s already a gray area. Even though medical marijuana has been legal, they can still get shut down by the feds. So if you ask me it’s all kind of gray.”

However, Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz was not convinced that Blaze Michigan’s business model is legal. “People engaging in this activity are definitely subjecting themselves to potential prosecution.”

Despite the semantics, the intent of businesses like Blaze Michigan is clear, Fitz said.

“Certainly when you’re gifting marijuana as part of the incentive of a transaction, that can very easily be interpreted that you are doing it for profit,” he said. “It’s wise for people to follow the law. Tread softly and be cautious. The step you make may end up in causing you to be in court resulting in a civil infraction, a misdemeanor, or even a felony conviction.”

In 2017, a Massachusetts store was shut down for charging an admission free and then distributing free marijuana gifts to consumers. Recreational marijuana had been legalized in the state, but shops that could legally sell pot were not yet open.

“He can no longer do business like he’s doing right now—taking a cover at the door, leaving with a gift of marijuana,” the local police chief said at the time. “It’s not legal in the state to do that. He’s not a licensed distributor of marijuana. That’s yet to come.”

View the original article at thefix.com

21 February 2019