Last Week In Weed Issue 57
Published May 1st 2023
In this issue of Last Week in Weed, We look at a new study examining cannabis and psychosis-type disorders, Singapore executing man over an alleged plot to traffic cannabis, and finally, the reintroduction of the SAFE Banking Act in the US House of Representatives.
A New Study Finds No Significant Association Between Cannabis Consumption and Psychotic Disorders
The first story that we look at this week comes in the form of a new international study examining the association between cannabis use and the incidence of psychotic disorders in people at a clinically high risk of psychosis.
The association between cannabis consumption and mental health disorders has historically been a rather misunderstood and controversial topic. On one side you have the lived and living experience of millions of actual consumers. While on the other the collective interests of the alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical industry, malicious medical misinformation, and biased governmental, academic, and scholastic institutions.
The study titled ‘Influence of cannabis use on [the] incidence of psychosis in people at clinical high risk’ was conducted by a team of researchers from Australia, Europe, and the UK. During the study published in the Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences journal the international team observed 401 participants including 334 individuals with a confirmed higher risk of developing psychosis and 67 control subjects for two years.
While under observation the 'transition to psychosis and persistence of psychotic symptoms were assessed using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States (CAARMS) criteria'. While the 'level of functioning at follow-up was assessed using the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) disability scale.'
The team found that “there was no significant association between any measure of cannabis use at baseline and either transition to psychosis, the persistence of symptoms, or functional outcome.” None of the ‘healthy’ subject participants developed psychosis symptoms and just 16.2% of the group with a higher propensity of psychosis-type disorders were found to have developed some form of psychosis.
The team concluded that “these findings contrast with epidemiological data that suggest that cannabis use increases the risk of psychotic disorder.” This new study joins several other recently published academic papers that consistently show that there is ‘no significant correlation’ between cannabis consumption and the onset of psychosis in its consumers.
This includes the 2023 metadata analysis study from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the 2021 co-twin study, and the 2022 Canadian emergency room study. These results will come as no surprise to cannabis consumers or anyone not operating under the influence of state-sponsored propaganda.
These studies contradict previous cherry-picked anti-cannabis lobby-funded clinical studies and the prohibitionist's long-held belief that the consumption of cannabis causes psychosis. It dismantles and destroys the government and propagandist position that cannabis is prohibited to protect the consumer and to keep the public safe.
These findings are a vindication for cannabis consumers everywhere. It should inspire all those that fought and continue to fight to have our lifestyle, culture, and community validated, respected, and protected under the law.
It is yet another indictment of the draconian, classist, and failed war on cannabis consumers and yet more evidence that we urgently need to ‘decriminalise’ all cannabis-related offences.
Singapore Execute ‘Innocent’ Man Over Alleged Plot to Traffic Cannabis
The Asian nation of Singapore has executed its first cannabis criminal since October of last year. As we discussed in the previous issue of Last Week in Weed 46-year-old Singaporean man Tangaraju Suppiah was convicted in 2018 for his alleged involvement in an attempt to import a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cannabis.
Despite Tangaraju Suppiah protesting his innocence, there were claims from anti-death penalty organisations, human rights campaigners, and drug law reform activists that he didn’t have access to a translator, vital evidence, and adequate legal counsel. At dawn (6 am) on April 26th Tangaraju was murdered by the state at the infamous Changi Prison Complex in Singapore.
The United Nations (UN) had urged on the eve of Tangaraju’s execution for Singapore to stop the execution stating that ‘countries that retain the death penalty should only use it for the most serious crimes, which does not include drug offences.’
Recently the neighbouring country of Malaysia announced that it would temporarily cease drug-related executions while a new bill progresses through its Parliament. The new bill which would remove the mandatory death sentences for drug-related offences has just passed in the country’s lower chamber.
British business mogul Richard Branson was amongst many international influential individuals that called on Singapore for clemency and cessation of these immoral judicial killings before the state-sponsored murder of Tangaraju. Responding to mounting pressure from reformers the current government, the Peoples Action Party (PAP), has said that it proved beyond all reasonable doubt that the trafficked cannabis would have been “sufficient to feed the addiction of about 150 abusers a week.” As if that could ever justify murdering one of its citizens.
The UN’s Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson said that the evidence and case around Tangaraju Suppiah are “far from clear cut – since he never actually touched the marijuana in question, was questioned by police without a lawyer, and denied access to a Tamil interpreter when he asked for one”.
“Singapore’s continued use of the death penalty for drug possession is a human rights outrage that makes much of the world recoil and wonder whether the image of modern, civilised Singapore is just a mirage.”
Tangaraju Suppiah was ultimately killed for allegedly attempting to import 1kg of cannabis. This man had his life ‘lawfully’ ended despite never actually touching the cannabis in question. As a cannabis campaigner, champion, and cultivator this case truly devastates, disturbs, and disgusts me.
The Singaporean government have cold-bloodily murdered one of its own for allegedly trying to do what millions of people can now do lawfully in a limited capacity in some regions around the world.
Fuck cannabis prohibition and all those that seek to enforce it, I hope you know just how much blood you have on your hands.
The SAFE Banking Act has Been Reintroduced to the US House of Representatives.
The final story in this issue of Last Week in Weed comes from the United States of America. Last week a revamped Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act was reintroduced to the US Senate and House of Representatives.
The SAFE Banking Act or ‘an Act to protections for depository institutions that provide financial services to cannabis-related legitimate businesses and service providers for such businesses, and for other purposes’ was first introduced in early 2019 by Democratic state senator for Colorado, Ed Perlmutter. Despite initial strong bipartisan support the older iteration of the Act stalled in the Senate having previously cleared the US House of Representatives in 2021.
“This bill is a common sense step toward improving public safety and transparency while also opening much-needed access to capital to struggling small businesses throughout the nation.” - Aaron Smith National Cannabis Industry Association CEO
After being slightly tweaked the SAFE Banking Act was re-introduced by US Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT) and House Representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) on April 26th 2023. The stock price of several major cannabis companies rose by double figures on news of the announcement of the reintroduction of the Act.
Two of the main alterations made to the new version of the Act are the inclusion of provisions to allow cannabis workers to qualify for federally backed mortgages and the inclusion of additional steps to address fears about money laundering in the industry.
“SAFE will serve as a springboard for the US banking and financial sectors to meaningfully participate in this budding industry, and most importantly it will significantly reduce the safety risks faced by the thousands of employees of this all cash business.” - Brady Cobb Sunburn Cannabis CEO
The new Act doesn’t include the additional provisions included in the previous legislation that colloquially became known as ‘SAFE Plus’. One of these was the HOPE (Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement) Act which was re-introduced independently by US Congress members Dave Joyce (OH-14) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) last month.
Although the Act is primarily about providing banking and financial services for established licensed cannabis companies. US Senate Majority Leader and Democratic Senator for New York Chuck Schumer said that he ‘would work to make sure the legislation includes criminal justice provisions when it reaches the floor.’
The reintroduction of the SAFE Banking and HOPE Acts comes at a time when a third of the US population now has ‘legal’ access to ‘adult-use’ cannabis and two-thirds have limited ‘legal’ access to ‘medicinal cannabis’.
More Americans than ever support ‘legalisation’ as a recent Gallup poll found that 68% of US adults are now in favour of federally ‘legalising’ cannabis. So perhaps there is a small amount of optimism to be found in this news.
Written By Simpa For The Simpa Life
