On Staten Island, BP Fossella, NYC Sheriff, DA McMahon’s Office Speak About Smoke Shops Selling Illicit Cannabis, Untaxed Cigarettes, Flavored Tobacco Vapes, THC Vapes, THC Edibles – Stepped Up Enforcement In Local Community
It’s a strange time. Right up the street from the Lift Off! Staten Island Cannabis Business Festival at the FerryHawks stadium in St. George held on Thursday where attendees gawked at (and potentially also purchased..legally…well, sort of!) crystally, gooey marijuana flowers that smelled like everything from a wedding cake, to skunks and blueberries, Borough President Vito Fossella gave an official press conference at Borough Hall, flanked by members of the NYC Sheriff’s department, some in full gear, as well as representatives from the District Attorney’s office, including Assistant D.A. Tom Ridges, the focus of which was drugs. Which drugs? Cannabis drugs, to be specific.
The tone of the press conference was grave, and from the start, the topic was serious: black market marihuana sold at Staten Island local shops.
The Borough President spoke against illicit cannabis while Staten Islanders, as well as visitors from around the world who had taken the ferry and decided there was a worthwhile reason to stay on this island, came out to the Cannabis Growers and Business event at the St. George stadium, right across the street from Borough Hall, to learn more about the legal cannabis products for sale, from actual cannabis flower containing Δ9-THC (Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) to beauty products containing cannabis-derived fatty acids (oils) that benefit the skin. All this, right out in the afternoon sun, with the downtown Manhattan skyscrapers in the background.
Many of our readers are by now undoubtedly utterly confused. I can hear you now, asking yourself questions like: “Isn’t marijuana legal in NY? Didn’t it recently get changed so you can buy weed? Didn’t President Biden just fully legalize marijuana?” or, if you’re really out of it, “When did the illegal market get so brazen?” or “Why didn’t the BP know about this illegal Festival?” or “Doesn’t that just prove the BP’s point that illegal cannabis gets sold right in the open?”
Actually, these are all misguided questions. The answer is…well, confusing. In fact, like we’d find at any large sanctioned event, there were NYPD personnel on-hand at the Lift Off! cannabis festival at the stadium to make sure everything went smoothly. (In fact, it did.) It seems they likely had a fine day assigned there, with classic rock blaring all day, shade, and a cool breeze.
Why? How? What?! Police at a marijuana event? Actually, the event was sanctioned under the new New York State laws for consumer cannabis (as opposed to medical cannabis), and is legal under state law. So was the Borough President rallying against this legal weed event? Again, the answer is definitely no.
The meat of the issue is this: Drug Cannabis, as defined under Federal Guidelines, remains a scheduled substance. However, in recent years, while the DEA maintains that Drug Cannabis is Schedule I in response to states decriminalizing and seeking guidance, the Agency has permitted states choosing “legalization” to set their own parameters for such regarding growing and sales, “looking the other way” as it were, regardless of the Schedule I (and now because of President Biden’s choice, possibly downgraded to Schedule III in the near future) status of Drug Cannabis. In fact, the DEA now often works with states to help enforce the various states’ rules. Yes; this is confusing and doesn’t quite make sense. Even so, this is the reality.
From a legal standpoint, it’s a yielding of Federal power to the state legislatures. The federal government is letting states experiment with marijuana legalization, and states are taking vastly different paths to that end. Of course, each state has its own motivations for state-level legalization, ranging from equity, to destroying the black market, to creating a new source of revenue from cannabis taxes and licensing fees, and more.
As for most islanders, few are aware of this situation, and many Staten Islander News Org spoke with wrongly assumed the drug is now completely legal, as there has been virtually no enforcement of the state cannabis rules until now. From what people could see with vape shops appearing everywhere, it was all good.
While cannabis is now “legal” in New York state, the roll-out of the legal state-approved market has been exceedingly slow. There are no licensed recreational cannabis dispensaries that have yet opened on Staten Island. (All of the participants at Lift Off! Staten Island that were selling THC-containing products were growers from Long Island or upstate New York).
In the meantime, there have been a proliferation of shops that allegedly sell illicit cannabis products. Some definitely do, as joint investigations have turned up THC-bearing products in all forms, sometimes in abundance. The video from the BP shows the hefty haul, spread on a table before the speakers.
Other Vape Shops focus strictly on legal substances like CBD, also a marijuana-plant derivative, but free of psychotropic effects, and most importantly legal under the 2018 Farm Bill. Why do people bother if it doesn’t get you high? Studies on that cannabinoid reveal that the substance can help with anxiety. And, it tastes like cannabis, full of terpenes and natural flavor.
Many Vape Shops also sell Kratom, a substance that was challenged at the Federal level but remains legal, a plant that has chemicals that hit the same receptors as opiates, but do not bind nearly as strongly, meaning no high but rather an (allegedly) effective means of sating cravings for opiates, for those who have become “hooked” on that class of drugs, including opiate pills like Oxycontin and other brand-name pharmaceuticals.
Many islanders use Kratom to wean themselves completely off of heroin, according to their accounts. Others just like it, claiming it makes them feel calmer, though definitely not psychotropic, either. These shops also often sell nicotine vapes, glass pipes, water and energy drinks, as well as snacks, protein shakes, and candy.
But this press conference was definitely not about Snickers bars, CBD buds, and bottles of water. The topic was black market marihuana drug products allegedly sold at Staten Island stores, packaged in plastic with colorful graphics like the Monopoly Millionaire with the top hat that we all recognize. The BP suggested that this packaging is aimed at children.
The Borough President also spoke about “sophisticated, bad news element[s]” behind these stores. He did not elaborate; perhaps there are ongoing law enforcement investigations. BP Fossella chided stores for marketing to children, saying that, “it’s a sin.”
He explained that, “…the proliferation of a lot of stores that sell illegal substances from cigarettes to gummies to different types of cannabis…” have generated what the Borough President described as a “…bad quality of life situation…” that is, at its core, a legal matter. BP Fossella warned, “We are determined as a team…to make sure this..stuff..stops popping up in your neighborhood…”
The action against the stores stems from community complaints, according to the speakers. BP Fossella explained, “A lot of folks legitimately and rightfully complained about what is going on in their backyard, literally, or by a school, or by a train station, or senior center or house of worship…we hear you folks…we will ensure…that this stuff stops popping up in your neighborhood…”
He further explained, “Today the sheriff’s office leading the way, went after four different stores and imposed more than $200,000 in fines..[even] getting a..vanful…of stuff…” BP Fossella also thanked Mayor Eric Adams for issuing a directive for inter-agency cooperation to stop the spread of storefronts selling non-state-licensed THC.
BP Vito Fossella had a stern warning for the shops peddling illicit products: “I know that the sheriff and everybody behind them will be coming for you.”
Our Staten Island Borough President also talked about how the illicit THC products could be potentially deadly. (On its own, THC products are not fatal to humans, however pets can lose their lives, and children can suffer scary side-effects). However, BP Fossella cautioned that THC products could be adulterated with Fentanyl. “These products are mixed in somebody’s basement and you don’t know…if it has Fentanyl…the people responding are going to get adversely affected…some police officers [responding]…[may] overdose…” It’s unclear whether contraband that has been recovered has had detectable levels of Fentanyl or other opiates.
NYC Sheriff Anthony Miranda, accompanied by a number of his associates, elaborated on how this work is done: “We coordinate our efforts collectively…[the] sheriff’s office [works with the] NYC police department, DCWP, District Attorney’s office, Office of Cannabis Management, as well as the state agencies…buildings department, fire department, when necessary, and the department of health when it comes to different types of enforcement.”
He elaborated on what was found and what it means: “…untaxed cigarettes…it’s all revenue that’s escaping the city of New York…the flavored vapes which have been banned…and…market[ed] to our children…and you have the packaging…this is not for adult use…they’re trying to target our young adults…young children…this is also a health issue…an unregulated market..we have no idea what they’re mixing these products with…”
Sheriff Miranda explained that enforcement will begin wherever a health complaint was received where someone has fallen ill after using one of the products sold at a local store, imploring that anyone who has become ill report the store to keep the community safe. He also pointed out that adult-users of cannabis gummies should place them well out of reach of kids. It’s unclear whether these health complaints were regarding vapes, as was the case in 2019, when vape products were found to have various substances that caused lung problems and even loss of life.
According to the Sheriff, over $2,700,000, has been levied as fines in civil penalties, and $1,600,000 in illicit products have been seized. There have been 8 arrests, 35 criminal summonses, 24 notices of violation issued by the NYC sheriff’s office, 135 violations issued by DCWP, totaling 489 violations, with 2,750 counts. Products seized include cartons of untaxed cigarettes, other tobacco products, flavored tobacco, flavored vapes, THC vapes, cannabis flower, pre-rolled cannabis sticks, and packages of THC edibles. 129 pounds of cannabis flower and pre-rolled sticks have been seized, as well as 180 pounds of THC edibles, all seized since November, when the program began.
Sheriff Miranda concluded with the statement that the community’s complaints matter, and that the community should continue to report their issues regarding vape shops.
Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Tom Ridges thanked the collaborative work of various law enforcement teams involved in seizing illicit cannabis product. About the shops that allegedly sell drug marihuana, the Asst. D.A. had this to say: ‘[Shops] are pervasive..they are annoying..they are dangerous…” and “…shots have been fired…” at these locations.
According to the Executive Assistant DA Ridges, there are now over one hundred such shops on the island presumably selling illicit substances. “[Shops] are dangerous because they sell…products that are attractive to children,” Assistant DA Ridges stated emphatically.
He went on to clarify that the enforcement effort is not about marijuana, generally, but rather solely concerning stores selling products that weren’t state-approved: “Regardless of your tolerance for legal marijuana, there must be zero tolerance for black market sales of these products, especially targeted at our young people…”
Apparently, this all began with neighborhood complaints. The Assistant D.A. clarified: “Let’s not forget the numerous 311 calls received for these locations involving quality of life offenses, loud music, traffic violations, illegal parking, crowds gathering, as well as the 911 calls received for these locations involving more serious offenses: disputes, fights, violence, and let’s not forget that because this is a cash business, albeit illegal, they are susceptible to robberies and violence…risking injury to..bystanders and responding officers.”
The Assistant D.A. then began speaking about the death of a well-known clerk loved by the community at a smoke shop on Manor Road in Westerleigh, and shared that there have also been robbery attempts where guns were drawn at other locations.
Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Tom Ridges concluded with, “My message to the illegal shop owners? See you soon.”
Banner Image: Video cover image. Image Credit – Staten Islander News
Staten Islander News Service Staff Writer
This byline indicates that this article was penned by a member/members of the Staten Islander News Organization office team. Our staff writers are the backbone of our newspaper, performing all sorts of important tasks like conducting interviews, investigating leads, besides writing the news stories you see.
From the DEA’s own factsheet about Marijuana/Cannabis at https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/Marijuana-Cannabis%202022%20Drug%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
“No deaths from overdose of marijuana have been
reported. Although, there have been an increasing
number of emergency room visits”
I repeat, “NO DEATHS FROM OVERDOSE OF MARIJUANA have been reported.” That means EVER
The National Poison Control Center echoes this statement at https://www.poison.org/articles/medical-marijuana:
“The most common symptoms (in children between 8 months and 12 years old) were excessive sleepiness, dizziness, and trouble walking. However, a few became too sleepy and their breathing slowed down. That could mean the child doesn’t get enough oxygen. Fortunately, none of these children died. They ALL recovered WITHOUT PERMANENT HEALTH PROBLEMS.” (emphasis added)
In other words, they became uncomfortable, or scared their loved ones for a little while, but NOT ONE of them died OR had any serious lasting adverse effects.
Contrast this with heroin, which was not covered in this press conference: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/databrief133.pdf
“In 2021, fentanyl was the most common substance involved in overdose deaths (80%), followed by cocaine (47%), alcohol (39%), and heroin (37%).”
“• In 2021, there were 2,668 overdose deaths in NYC”
This is the latest year for which data is available, but year-over-year deaths from these toxic substances has been increasing.
While cannabis has NEVER killed ANYONE, at any dose.
Then what is this all about? Why isn’t it legal? I still don’t get it, really.
How even a tax, then? And how can a state collect a tax on a federally illegal substance? Some states did this in the 80s with Marijuana tax stamps. It was not lawful.
This is the same repackaged nonsense. The state program is a fraud.
There are deaths every day from marijuana. Your statement that cannabis has NEVER killed ANYONE at any dose is a lie. There are thousands of deaths every single year and always have been.
yeah okay boomer
Statisitics?
Any links?
Citations?
I call BS
Bro you are full of actual ****. I’ve smoked since I was 20. Successful man here with a beautiful wife, great home, and 2 kids. OFC I have a sick ebony burl wood bar at home with some great labels but I only drink occasionally with old friends these days. That’s it. I do smoke still. Never caused any issues in my life. Not one single time.
I will say this: Kids, if you start smoking and cutting, you’ll work in Walmart if you are lucky. Don’t hang with the wrong crowd. All kids do this or that. That’s life. But there is a point it is gone too far. If you feel what you’re doing is so bad, though, you couldn’t ever tell your dad, you probably aren’t doing good things.
Don’t ever get to that point. Don’t ever take pills. Don’t ever use a needle and shoot drugs. Opiates mean death. Remember that. And, alcohol can kill you faster than most drugs. Don’t drink too much! Just cause weed isn’t what they say doesn’t mean the others aren’t! Some illegal drugs can take your life. Beware!
Why do you even need to smoke weed?
I don’t need a crutch because I am a well-adjusted human being.
Drugs are for guys that can’t exactly hack it and need an escape.
Oh, do you mean deaths where a person tested positive for pot?
And didn’t die directly from the drug?
Cannabis is, essentially, nontoxic.
What is called a”toxic” dose is really a dose that creates dissociation and severe discomfort.
MJ “Pyschosis” is just taking a very heavy dose, to the point of THC and other cannabinoids exerting what is a psychedelic effect. It wears off. It is no different than the “induced schizophrenia” of LSD they spoke of th the 1950s. It is true that a person with mental disturbances shouldn’t take heroic doses of THC, or even drink heavily for that matter.
Cannabis, by weight, is one of the least toxic organic compounds. You would die first from over-consumption of water.
Don’t let them put us in an informational dark age. Like Dr. Tony did with that dreaded disease Koh-\/idd
Why all this then? What is the point? I mean as in why is it even illegal?
I know the roots. There was a book called the Emperor’s New Cloak or something. I read it at my family’s house years ago. My cousin’s Mom was into marijuana. They grew it in the back at their house in the Poconos. Two giant plants.
They made cannabis illegal because the plant was going to compete with oil/petrol based industry because hemp can be made into biofuel, the new pharma industry because both hemp flower and marijuana flower both, but in different ways, replaces a ton of different drugs across classes, drinking alcohol because, well, alcohol is nice once in a while but if you use cannabis you start to notice alcohol makes you feel not so well, paper because help is better and saves trees, building materials. It was also based in racism against Mexicans and Black people. And, it was misogynistic and really about women getting out and expressing themselves.
Elders, don’t be lazy and look it up. This is all fact. Cannabis is good. The laws are dumb.
I never, ever smoked pot. Did I say never?
IT was
the Emperor’s New Clothes
You forgot textiles, sails, insulation, plastics, I-beams, carpeting, sails
cant make glass from cannabis. But you can make rubber.
Isn’t ur cuz’s mam ur Auntie? B:| umm
2nd cuzns
This logic puzzle you fail. You have second cousins, third cousins, etc.
Your second cousin’s Mom is your second cousin also.
The author was Jack Herer. In honor of the man and his activism, breeders in Holland made a Sativa-dominant plant.
The vape shops should have known the law. They were operating out in the open.
Always call your lawyer, please! And, yeah, untaxed cigs are always illegal, but not the A1 priority right now.
Jack Herer, yuppers
Next could you do something about the opiate crisis?
word word
I feel this is really poor optics for the island. We’re known in documentaries as “Herion Island.” I am not making this up.
These resources, paid for by our tax dollars, should go to finding the drug dealers poisoning the kids with opiates. These vape shops are not behind a single death. I get that they are breaking the law but there is only so much police dollars to do so much.
Let’s be real. I’m a conservative and I smoke weed. Everyone I know does. And I don’t hang with ANTIFA. Not by a long shot.
It’s spelled ‘heroin.’
Here comes the spelling, grammar, and punctuation police. Look good girls. I know you care about as much as I do about making a good impression. HAHAH
What grade do I get Mr. Harry? Do I pass? Do I get a number grade? Talk to me.
If I were a teacher, you’d get 100% for the sassy attitude,oh and definitely because you wrote HAHAH and not HAHA or hahah or HaHA or haha.
I have to remember you are the Liar. I must have Coooovidds brains.
I was just letting the guy know so he won’t look foolish in the future.
Yeah, don’t bother
I voted for Trump. And I smoke massive amounts of weed.
I also own a business. I make massive amounts of money.
All legally. Let me be and stop hassling us.
good for you
I know right?
I can say the same, except I can also say I’m active in the community.
I have a medal for you. And, friend, it’s not that usual sort of bronze medal. It’s shiny, yes, but it’s also Indium!
I spelled it right spelling cops. I have a medal made of indium metal.
Just for this guy.
It says ‘I do a lot for all’
What a ****
You must be such a fun guy IRL
So you walk around stoned?
That is a lot harder bc it’s not out in the open. They can mail the stuff, bring it over on foot, plane, ship.
Not so easy.
So go for the low hanging fruit. Gotcha.
I know also from watching TV cars and trucks are also used. I guess that’s a given, right? Makes sense.
My friend’s cousin was actually on COPS a while back. I don’t think they did any drug busts for the show, but they did other stuff. It was actually sort of boring, just driving around in a police car with them talking. Maybe I dozed off and missed the good parts?
Anyway, I guess we’ve all seen that a hundred times on that show and others. The guys getting busted driving drugs from one place to the next. Always say they don’t know who it belongs to. Or the car is borrowed. Or stolen and the drugs were in it. Always some weird story. But obviously the police had a heads up they were drug runners and basically knew the whole time they were lying.
You are a humorless dolt but I do agree with you this one.
The heroin and pills and powders that are killing the young people all over the island are what concerns me. This is our PD’s #1 issue.
To speak seriously for a moment, and that’s all it will be, I have to say I feel like I live in bizarro world.
Nah, they were just addressing community complaints.
I am not sure, maybe people did get sick? Those vapes are garbage. ALL OF THEM.
I only wish BP Fosella would have explained that part more.
I vaped for a bit. I stopped. Never going back to that.
TBH it depends on what the vape has as a heating element as well. It is what is in the vape juice and what is in the heating element. For cannabis and nicotine this is 100% true.
I didn’t like how vaping made my throat feel dry. Somehow flower was not ever irritating, in fact, not at all. Back when I smoked cigarettes, more than four or five a day and I’d get that same dryness. Can’t be a good thing.,
Kids, weed and tobacco is for adults. Sorry. Just like driving and drinking, you’ll have to wait until you’re a young adult. You need something to look forward to! Don’t rush to be an adult! Be happy as a kid and play.
#1 issue is not letting things slide into the state the other 4 boros are in.
This is what I want to know also. I read about the next step but this news service ignored that story for some reason. They are doing heroin outreach or some ridiculous thing. They need the sheriff to go in and bust down doors and bust heads if need be!
I’m neither here nor there on this pot shop issue but if it means then there’s no dough to get rid of H I’ll be fuming and never vote for any of these guys again.
wrong they posted it
So cannabis is dangerous because there is a danger that there might be fentanil in it? Then why not just go after the fentanil? Why is cannabis even illegal if people don’t die from it? How are there no medical uses? This makes no sense to me. I would much rather be around people who blazed than drunks. Any day. Guys get wayyy too handy when they drink, if you know what I mean.
I am straight edge meaning I don’t take any drugs. So I don’t care one way or the other for myself. But everyone on the island is into cannabis. That the festival took place while they met is so ironic. How are people who want cannabis supposed to get it? The city created a bad situation.
And I agree about being around drunk guys. I’m straight but that doesn’t mean I want you simply because you’re a guy. Get real.
Fake legal weed is never coming to SI! It was a hoax and money grab.
It’s a better choice not to get involved with any of that. Of course, we think of people’s lives ruined from heroin or Fentayl, but other drugs are a hazard. The B.P. is right.
Street drugs are dirty with all kinds of chemicals. Google it, what I am saying is provable.
I’d be sad if my kids had done any drugs. I know about cannabis being a wonder drug. Hemp and marijuana both. But buying street drugs is a hazard. I’m happy they grew up before vapes and Fentanyl and the internet that can deliver anything deadly.
Back then, we let them drink in the den. The legal age was 18 and they were better off staying home and having friends over. Cookies, cakes, dinner, snacks, all courtesy of Mom’s Diner. Going to bars and clubs there was such a bad element. S.I. has been cleaned up a lot. But I think because the kids stayed home they ended up finishing college and some of their friends didn’t,
What a mama’s boy you must have raised. Your son needed to out into the world and see life and get salty.
Did you hold his hand on his honeymoon too?
No, kids don’t need to see the world and get salty. They need to stay in school, whether academic or vocational! C’mon.
Or, join the military. Going out to clubs and bars is definitely part of a lot of kids time growing up, including mine, but what’s wrong with letting your kids chill at home? Even avoiding the roads puts them out of danger.
Communication between parents and kids is key. She sounds like a sweet Mom.
Please comment more. We need sanity to balance out the lunatics here. lol
I suppose I can’t be included.
What kind of friggin ass**** are you, anyway? 😐
Shut the **** up and be respectful. The lady is trying to help out by giving her experience and sharing with us. She said nothing wrong. At all. How many times were you in jail by 25? Just wondering.
Wow
How do you treat your own mama?
I can guess
I hope you didn’t have kids. What are the accomplishments they”d seek?
First arrest? First grand theft auto? First grand larceny?
Is that salty enough, or do they need actual jail time?
Oh, I hear your son calling. I know that guy well. He is texting and asking if you can come over. His wife’s not home and he needs his butt wiped.
I mean make up your mind, fella’. Is she calling or texting?
And how’d you get in the loop of anyone’s butt wiping?
That’s what I’d really like to know.
PWNED him haha
funny thing is I suspect IRL you probly think just like him…
Still, you’re a funny guy.
What is in street weed? How is it dangerous? And please don’t say it’s Fentanilo.
Where is that happening?
Well, to be honest, and that means relying on both data gleaned from testing samples of contraband by independent labs, as well as anecdotal accounts……
You may find any of these in both street weed (in all states) as well as state-legal recreational dispensary weed. (in other states; NY not tested in this data pool) Everyone in the supply chain from growers, to distributors and dispensaries are doing bait-and-switches, running the flower thru solvent, and presenting, thus, fraudulent lab testing results from totally different cannabis.
OK, here we go:
-micobutanil
-myclobutanil
-industrial solvents
-butane (impure)
-glass (rare, was around in ’05 only in the U.S.)
-glycerin (animal derived)
-insecticides
-herbicides
-formaldehyde
-mould*
*mould is rare in super-scale commercial cannabis because of extensive use of preservatives.
Independent labs, D.E.A. testing are different
Right on with most of the rest tho
U left out heavy metals
What about heroin and fetanyl?
They’re not good for you.
different issue
unrelated really
weed is not a gateway drug.
Everyone’s first experience with mind alterants is caffeine. But that doesn’t count.
The gateway drug is alcohol. And it’s addictive like the worst of the drugs like opiates and speed.
You forgot SUGAR
🍦🍨🍩🍫
Is the medical weed any better?
What is the solution?
the D.E.A. can be trusted with results. The 8 million other indy labs are untrustworthy.
also fiberglass
if u buy a batch with this in it bring it back! DO NOT SMOKE WEED THAT IS OFF IN SOME WAY
You didn’t say heavy metals
My story? We set up an alarm at the top of the basement steps at my friend’s house. We made a clubhouse in the corner of the basement out of found stuff from the rest of the basement including an oldtime giant radio cabinet. It was cool.
We’d know someone was coming and spray lemon Pledge.
But it was only cigarettes. Not weed. His Dad was a Lieutenant and would have killed us even for a cig. haha
My best story – hanging with some guys. Two I knew well, the others I didn’t.
One of their crew was a police captain and he whipped out a joint.
He saw I looked shocked and was like, “This time I’ll let it slide Mc——-.”
I smoked some of some that Maui Wowie and I WAS GONE!
Way long ago. 80s? Way before drug testing. 70s, maybe?
For the longest time, police were drug tested. Now, they can smoke weed if they want.
So now, my story isn’t even a story.
It is NYS legal. So cops can smoke. NYPD said so.
No one today would be like Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa? Sickkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
Just – Yeah…So you guys smoked? Cool. What was the terpene profile? What was the cannabis’s lineage? What strain?
Back in the 70s it was a major big deal if you got caught smoking weed. Serious trouble.
So disrespectful
this guy is a real loser
that’s what a Mom is supposed to be
I feel sorry that he probably had no love as a kid
Your kids were probably smoking Skunk #1 while playing Atari in 1979. Probably tripping in the basement. lol You really think they tell you everything? Be realistic. Even tho this may be true, you are right on all counts.
The joint task force needs to stop Fent in its tracks.
Good work, guys and gals!
But that is not enough.They need our help.
Report illicit drug activity to the NYPD.
We all know where the drugs are coming from in our neighborhoods.
Also, let’s play a fun game. If you’re retired LE, this may be for you.
If you are 100% sure they’re peddling dope, join us over in our own community:
1. Report activity to LE
2. When ‘customers’ come, blow whistles.
You don’t know which hood I rep, so dope dealers, I hope you pack it up now. My hood has a million retired cops and they don’t need anyone’s permission to engage in legal activities. And, of course, they are armed as is their right as retired LE.
We don’t need your poison anymore. Everyone sat back and let this happen. It serves us all right that everything went wrong. We didn’t do anything when things were first getting bad.
No violence from us, ever . No breaking of any laws. No doing anyone bodily harm. Reputational harm? These guys have neighbors and they all know what is going on already! Their reps are already ruined!
Get packing, dealers. We haven’t yet exercised our legal rights on this matter.
Unregulated is unsafe
nice work BP
Definitely
are you saying that ironically?
oh no way
oh yes way
Yo those coppers look mean A*. I wouldn’t want to be the vape shop owners.
Yeah, tell your lowlife friends up there not to even think about coming over the bridge to commit crimes.
Stay far away.
Our DA will prosecute you.
Cops will arrest you.
Store owners will shoot you if you think about clearing their shelves into your bag.
And residents, both thugs and legally armed citizens, will make sure you don’t get the upper hand and harm anyone.
And, if you remember ****** **********, the cops don’t play if you get out of line. They are an equal opportunity police force and don’t care what your color is.
The cops will shut down the bridge to get you. This is not even a lie. It happened at the Goethals a month or so ago.
Oh, so I’m a lowlife now? WT* ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
I don’t have lowlife friends. Come at me with respect, son. I’m grown not some child. I was commenting on this story like you just were.
And I would never come to Staten Island unless I’m visiting family. Total wasteland. Nothing there but houses. The stores all suck. And the people are rude. Everyone think they gangggggggggg uggs updo’s spray tans I’ll stop now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CybY7hoZqd4
Watch this video. Basically says to not come here. You got some things right like the Uggs. Anyway, this rap video is a decade old from when the pills were everywhere. It’s actually much better now. Tho OFC still a problem. I think most of this rap group died of ODs from Heroin or pills. Actually amazing rappers. Too bad they were into that junk. :*(
…meanwhile…elsewhere…
Increased police presence in Philadelphia after looters wreak havoc on city
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ9qHhFddY8
Glad that SI isn’t the other boroughs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHdohEegIEI
I actually shop at Target
Watching an older black lady angry bc her community is losing a Target in East Harlem because people are stealing. She will be losing her job.
It will never get that way here. Trust me.
And the home invasions. That won’t either. Face it Bevelyn Beatty explained it well: On SI, you don’t know who is some “mobbed up” guy and history proves her right. Some say over 70% of islanders are involved in some way. Who wants to find out if that statistic is exactly right or not! Take that survey on any block and you may find out why there’s no crime here.
No one wants to end up in some basement in Brooklyn while they slowly make you pay as they prepare concrete boots for you.
And, we have so many cops out here. Lordy! . Break into the wrong house out here and you’re gone. POOF
You guys should appointed to the tourism committee for the island.
I get it with smoking blunts.. even psychedelics..
we all did.. but needles and opiates and pills?
Why just why
These kids weren’t dumb
W T *
I commented on the wrong post. I think it’s horrible that vets have to be made to feel like getting their grass is something like copping some dope to shoot. I’ve been on board with what I see on the island up until now. This is ridiculous. The first politician to stand up and be honest about this weed bulls*** wins my vote. There are bigger problems we are facing right now.
Here is what I wrote
This is too true. So now where are people supposed to buy grass? If I read correctly (and you should have read aloud for those who can’t see so well because they served your country and got vision problems) there was a way to buy marijuana but I had to be at the Ferry at a certain time on a certain day. Now that’s BS!! I don’t go for that medical cannabis because I hate doctors. I am not paranoid or an old geezer. I stay away and I am well. You have a good chance of dying in a doctor’s care .It’s pure statistics. Science. Unlike doctors like Fauci. The stats say stay away, live longer and better.
So I want my weed. And I don’t want to have to explain why. I am a citizen of the US like you and not a commie dog. So I’m okay with that the state made it legal. What’s the BS about it now being illegal? How many Vietnam vets get weed at these stores and don’t want to give their IDs every time they buy? You served your country and feel that is just not necessary for a stinking (literal) weed that doesn’t kill anyone. What a ****** joke.
Fosella is a good guy. He really should have taken these vast resources and directed elsewhere. We all know. We all see who’se peddling the dope in all our neighborhoods. And by dope I mean H E R I O N. We put in reports and the NYPD acted swiftly and took down a drug house. Good job. But that was ONE house. The guy inside was just a dope fiend low-level dealer causing havoc. Not anyone. We need the NYPD and Mayor Adams and BP Fosella to prioritize dope, not cannabis.
Yes cannabis is technically illegal. But remember that the DEA can come in and shut down all of this ******* NYS “legal weed” nonsense any time of day, any day they want. If you’re going to give out fines for not licensing a store that sells a federally scheduled substance that you can’t even legally bank profits from that makes no sense. What kind of ******* license is this? A license to what? To break Federal law? Have fun NYS.
USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Please don’t re-post the same comment that you already made on another story.
Thank you.
J.S.
Editorial Staff Assitant
F’r Goodness Sakes, at least spell your title correctly when chiding a mere reader, o Editorial Staff Assistant Jane or Jack or Jazz or whatever your name is. Makes me laugh.
Yeahhhhhh
Depriving the vape shop owners equal protection under the law
Federal crime there
How?
OK. The vape shop owners do not have equal protection under the law because they did not get a fake license to sell real weed and break Federal law. The State license is a license to break the law and get special unlawful protection in doing so.
Wait til this gets to court., Oh boy, NYS is going to pay out big time.
What a load of crap. The states can do what they want.
The vape store owners are the ones who are going to pay.
That’s for sure. lol
No offense, fam, but you really are from a different generation. The problem now is fentanil and heroin is old. There is a new drug Trank. I saw it on YouTube. It makes your hand fall off and turns you into a zombie. Not joking.
Look, man, I really feel for you and the people you talk about. Vets don’t have it easy and I get you on the idea of docs.
But the law’s the law.
It’s not Vito Fosella’s fault the world is a hell. At least he’s trying and listening and not burying his head in the sand.
OK, but let’s be honest. I know for fact because the guy said it to another newspaper in an article, that a vape shop is taking away his customers because he doesn’t sell cannabis like they do. Sour grapes.
So the guy makes fake reports, gets his friends to do the same.
The BP should ask around. Most of us are ok with these places and don’t see crowds, loud music, or anything. Most of the places near me are run by young men who are Muslim and very respectful to everyone. But not fanatical, just like I don’t really like fanatical Christians. Normal people.
I don’t think if you surveyed 1000 SIers they’d all say the vape shops are the number 1 problem. Most would probably think they were ok. I get it they are illegal so they get fined. But cna you all please divert some of this attention to more serious issues. Untaxed loosies are not the greatest threat to the community.
Also please tell us which vape shops had the bad stuff that people got sick from. It’s only right to let us know. Also, what way did they get sick? Was it stomach? Something worse?
THE MIGRANT CRISIS IS THE #1 PRIORITY
I know but I feel like maybe there were BS complaints? OFC that’s illegal but people do that, you know.
Why I say this is I never ever see anything going on outside these establishments. Ever! And, yes, they are everywhere and so that makes it even stranger.
I’ve been all around the island, and I see that the vape shops are properties the store owners put money into sprucing up with new signage, new siding, new interior…The vape shops I have seen are very careful about being good neighbors. Maybe some aren’t, though?
WITH THAT SAID>>>>>
I can’t say loud music never happened outside a smoke shop while some car kid rolls up and parks outside while he runs in for a Gatorade.
Or, double parking. I mean this is SI, and this is life here. How it goes. But especially with all the new Bklyn people, it’s now far worse. GET THE HINT: We came over the bridge in the 70s. Please leave the double parking in Brooklyn. But I have been out and about and never witnessed anything going on.
So does that mean that my corner deli that sells CBD is going down? They’ve been there for as l as I can remember.
And all the delis over here have d********s who love to pump the bass all the way up and vibrate the windows. But that is another SI thing. Has gone on forever. So are they also going to get complains and have to shut down? It seems not fair.
In fact, I’ve seen worse **** at delis, including being in one while it was being robbed. Can’t say that was fun. But, I’m still here, so that is good, don’t you think?
GOOD JOB DA GET THESE SNAKES OFF OUR STREETS AND STOP THE DEATH THEY ARE BRINGING THE ISLAND
See here: https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-021-00520-5
‘Emerging research indicates that the increased use of CaM (cannabis as medicine) has had a substitution effect on prescription drug use. In several cross-sectional surveys conducted in the USA and Canada users of CaM report substituting cannabis for prescription drugs, of which opioid, anti-depressive, and anxiolytic drugs are the most prevalent [24,25,26,27,28,29]. In fact, substitution of prescription drugs is the most common motive among users of medical cannabis, surpassing substitution rates for alcohol and illicit drugs [24, 25, 30, 31]. Moreover, state medical cannabis laws in the USA have been associated with a sizeable reduction in prescription drugs [32], particularly opioid prescriptions [33,34,35], and with fewer prescription opioid-related hospitalizations, lower rates of opioid overdoses, and decreases in opioid-related healthcare costs [36]….
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Research
Research
Open Access
Published: 10 July 2021
Exploring the use of cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs in a convenience sample
Sinikka L. Kvamme, Michael M. Pedersen, …Birgitte Thylstrup Show authors
Harm Reduction Journal volume 18, Article number: 72 (2021) Cite this article
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Abstract
Background
The use of cannabis as medicine (CaM) both prescribed and non-prescribed has increased markedly in the last decade, mirrored in a global shift in cannabis policy towards a more permissive stance. There is some evidence that cannabis functions as a substitute for prescription drugs, particularly opioids; however, more knowledge is needed on the motives of substitution users, their patterns of use, and perceived effects of substitution use.
Aims
To explore who substitutes prescription drugs with cannabis, the type of prescription drugs substituted and the type of cannabis used, and the impact that substitution with cannabis has on prescription drug use as well as the motives for substitution in terms of experienced effects and side effects.
Methods
A self-selected convenience sample was recruited through social media, public media, and patient organizations to take part in an anonymous online survey. Inclusion criteria were 18 years or older and use of cannabis (prescribed or non-prescribed) with a medical purpose.
Results
The final sample included 2.841 respondents of which the majority (91%) used non-prescribed cannabis, and more than half (54.6%) had used CaM with the purpose of replacing a prescribed drug. Compared to non-substitution users, substitution users were more likely to be women and to use CaM in the treatment of chronic pain and other somatic conditions. Pain medication (67.2%), antidepressants (24.5%), and arthritis medication (20.7%) were the most common types of drugs replaced with CaM. Among substitution users, 38.1% reported termination of prescription drug use, and 45.9% a substantial decrease in prescription drug use. The most frequent type of cannabis used as a substitute was CBD-oil (65.2%), followed by ‘hash, pot or skunk’ (36.6%). More than half (65.8%) found CaM much more effective compared to prescription drugs, and 85.5% that the side effects associated with prescription drug use were much worse compared to use of CaM.
Conclusion
CaM is frequently used as a substitute for prescription drugs, particularly opioids. More research is needed on the long-term consequences of use of CaM, including the impact from low and high THC cannabis products on specific somatic and mental health conditions.
Background
In recent years, there has been a global shift in perspectives on the utility of cannabis. While cannabis has predominantly been associated with recreational and/or problematic use, the plant or its components, cannabinoids, are increasingly regarded as a viable treatment option for medical conditions, such as chronic pain, spasticity, nausea, and epilepsy [1], and as a potential treatment of other conditions [2,3,4].
The medicalization of cannabis is in large part driven by the discovery of the endocannabinoid system in the late eighties, pharmaceutical interests in cannabinoids, and a growth in user demand for access to medical cannabis (cannabis prescribed by a doctor) [5, 6]. This development is mirrored in the rapidly shifting policy on the adoption of medical cannabis laws in more than 30 states in the USA [7], Australia [8], Canada [9] and several European countries [10], including Denmark [11]. However, the introduction of medical cannabis into medicine is controversial and highly debated. While critics caution use of medical cannabis due to the limited high-quality evidence [12, 13], proponents argue that medical cannabis constitutes an important harm reduction strategy and may function as a qualified substitute for prescription drugs, particularly opioids [14, 15] in the context of the opioid-epidemic in the USA [16] and Canada [17].
In drug research, the term “substitution” is conventionally associated with the use of opioid antagonists, such as methadone, in the treatment of opioid addiction [18, 19]. The concept of substitution has its origins in behavioral economics and involves the assessment of the interaction of multiple concurrent commodities [20]. According to this concept, a substance is regarded as a substitute if it acts as a replacement, or leads to reduced use of another substance (e.g., treating heroin addiction with buprenorphine) [21]. Conversely, two substances may be complimentary when the increased consumption of one substance enhances the consumption of the other (e.g., tobacco smoking is often linked to excessive use of alcohol) [22]. Lastly, if there is no interaction on consumption patterns between substances, they are independent (e.g., it has been found that a change in price of alcohol has no impact on consumption of ecstasy [23]).
Substitution of cannabis for prescription drugs
Emerging research indicates that the increased use of CaM (cannabis as medicine) has had a substitution effect on prescription drug use. In several cross-sectional surveys conducted in the USA and Canada users of CaM report substituting cannabis for prescription drugs, of which opioid, anti-depressive, and anxiolytic drugs are the most prevalent [24,25,26,27,28,29]. In fact, substitution of prescription drugs is the most common motive among users of medical cannabis, surpassing substitution rates for alcohol and illicit drugs [24, 25, 30, 31]. Moreover, state medical cannabis laws in the USA have been associated with a sizeable reduction in prescription drugs [32], particularly opioid prescriptions [33,34,35], and with fewer prescription opioid-related hospitalizations, lower rates of opioid overdoses, and decreases in opioid-related healthcare costs [36]. A potential substitution effect of CaM on prescription drug use in a European context is much less explored, and findings from the USA in particular, may not be applicable, due to the considerable variations in health care systems [37, 38] and laws on prescription drugs and cannabis. However, a recent Italian study found that an unintended legalization of cannabis products with less than 0.6% Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; main psychoactive component of cannabis) between December 2016 and May 2019 [39] was associated with a considerable decrease in pharmacy sales of anxiolytics, sedatives and anti-psychotics, and a moderate decrease in the sale of opioids, anti-depressants, anti-epileptics, and migraine medication [40].
When evaluating the harm reduction potential of substituting prescription drugs with CaM, it is relevant to consider the subtype of cannabis used as a substitute. Emerging research shows that potential harms related to consumption of cannabis depend on the composition of active components (cannabinoids) in the cannabis used, as cannabis products with high levels of THC are more harmful in terms of negative impact on cognitive function, anxiety- and psychotic symptoms, and addiction, compared to low THC-products [41,42,43,44,45]. Moreover, other studies indicate that Cannabidiol (CBD; main non-psychoactive component of cannabis) has anxiolytic and antipsychotic effects [43,44,45], and therapeutic effects on addiction, including opioid, stimulant, and cannabis addiction [46, 47]. Further, some evidence suggests that CBD may protect against some of the harmful effects of THC [44, 48]. Taken together, these findings highlight the relevance of the subtype of CaM used in an evaluation of potential harm reduction related to the substitution effect of CaM.
Medical cannabis as the “lesser of two evils?”
In light of recent research findings on the substitution effect of CaM on opioid use, CaM has been suggested as a valuable intervention strategy in combatting the ongoing opioid epidemic in the USA and Canada [14,15,16,17, 49]. The most frequent rationales behind this suggestion are the substantial evidence that cannabis is effective in treating chronic pain in adults [1], the prevalent use of medical cannabis in pain management [50], and the fact that, unlike opioids, cannabis has no reported deaths due to overdose [51], as acute effects of cannabis do not depress respiratory function [52, 53].”
Many of those against legalization of marijuana are doctors, who stand to lose money as people use cannabis to medically treat or self-treat disorders that usually require prescription medications.
Results of study at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28496355/
A total of 1,248 (46%) respondents reported using cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs. The most common classes of drugs substituted were narcotics/opioids (35.8%), anxiolytics/benzodiazepines (13.6%) and antidepressants (12.7%). A total of 2,473 substitutions were reported or approximately two drug substitutions per affirmative respondent. The odds of reporting substituting were 4.59 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.87-5.43) greater among medical cannabis users compared with non-medical users and 1.66 (95% CI, 1.27-2.16) greater among those reporting use for managing the comorbidities of pain, anxiety and depression. A slightly higher percentage of those who reported substituting resided in states where medical cannabis was legal at the time of the survey (47% vs. 45%, p=0.58), but this difference was not statistically significant.
From https://www.ncsl.org/health/state-medical-cannabis-laws#anchor8841
“In response to California’s Prop 215, the Institute of Medicine issued a report that examined potential therapeutic uses for cannabis. The report found that: “Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs, primarily THC, for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation; smoked marijuana, however, is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances. The psychological effects of cannabinoids, such as anxiety reduction, sedation, and euphoria can influence their potential therapeutic value. Those effects are potentially undesirable for certain patients and situations and beneficial for others. In addition, psychological effects can complicate the interpretation of other aspects of the drug’s effect.”
Further studies have found that marijuana is effective in relieving some of the symptoms of HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis”
But that’s medical cannabis this is recreational
…buh bye lawbreakers
Do your knuckles drag and scab a lot? What a gross sounding name. Do people actually call you that? Eww
IG u never heard of Frankie Knuckles 😐
And, don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t make fun.
Who?
good work NYPD
good job
lock em up
I figure the city has got to make back what it is losing due to migrants taking all the funds and this new business type is here and doing well. All these guys worked for NY. They sell and sell and then the fines make it all a waste of time.
Why bother? Find some legal pursuit.
Bro you are full of actual ****. I’ve smoked since I was 20. Successful man here with a beautiful wife, great home, and 2 kids. OFC I have a sick ebony burl wood bar at home with some great labels but I only drink occasionally with old friends these days. That’s it. I do smoke still. Never caused any issues in my life. Not one single time.
I will say this: Kids, if you start smoking and cutting, you’ll work in Walmart if you are lucky. Don’t hang with the wrong crowd. All kids do this or that. That’s life. But there is a point it is gone too far. If you feel what you’re doing is so bad, though, you couldn’t ever tell your dad, you probably aren’t doing good things.
Don’t ever get to that point. Don’t ever take pills. Don’t ever use a needle and shoot drugs. Opiates mean death. Remember that. And, alcohol can kill you faster than most drugs. Don’t drink too much! Just cause weed isn’t what they say doesn’t mean the others aren’t! Some illegal drugs can take your life. Beware!
Good job. Fake vapes were the source of that epidemic in 2019 when people couldn’t even breathe. Vitamin E acetate or something.
Better safe than sorry.
One child is dead and three others have been hospitalized after possibly consuming fentanyl at a Bronx day care center on Friday afternoon, according to police sources.
Police responded to 2707 Morris Ave. in Kingsbridge around 2:40 p.m.
A 1-year-old boy was declared dead at the scene.
Allow me to re-introduce myself
My name is Hov’, OH, H-to-the-O-V
I used to **** ********** by the O-Z
I guess even back then you can call me
CEO of the R-O-C, Hov’!
Click the user name to listen to this dope track
Just make it legal already. This is sooooo stupid. I get it that laws were broken. But the law is stupid also.
A substance that kills no one [despite some on here saying otherwise]
I want to see your citations.
Cannabis is essentially nontoxic but what you get at a store, whether a vape shop or many of the legal shops in states that permit it, have added stuff that really does make it bad for your health. The shops don’t add it. It’s processed. A commercial product. Not like a dandelion you pull in your yard!
It really is crazy how amazing the cannabis plant is, but if you think that what you get anywhere is unadulterated, think again. Thank God it’s usually not Fentanyl. But it is stuff that you didn’t order.
cicoria — haha — we eat those weeds. Actually good and good for you. Very bitter, don’t know if anyone but Italians like this veggie.
The weed is de facto legal. The city sat there and knowingly let this go on for a bit. You can’t just go back now.
Like when the city was illegally confiscating cars for DWI. It become legal when no one fought it.
Nice logic pfft
That is totally false
your law degree obviously came from a Cracker Jack box
Go ahead and ask me if I’m a lawyer, go ahead
What fools. You go to the city and you see tourists flocking to these vape shop places. This is obviously not offending people from all over the world who have big bucks to spend. They like cities that are friendly to weed smokers. Don’t make NYC a locked down prison camp. Attracting tourism is our #1 priority, beyond taking care of the city and our residents.
The thing is, there’s no tax being collected. But where does it end? Will we have special pesto tax one day? I mean basil does get you a little relaxed.
Democrats and taxes! Why cannabis? What would the tax be used for? It’s such an innocuous substance. The one thing they are making money in gets shut down because it wasn’t legal. But why?
I think this is dumb. All of it.
I smoke. I don’t share that publicly. This is an anon forum, so who cares.
Eh, the shops weren’t so bad. Although some get robbed. That is more a statement of how brazen thieves feel they can be. If they rob vape stores they’ll rob any store they think has cash.
I’ll tell you here is the contradiction. We tell the poor to hustle and work hard and pull yourselfs up from your boots straps. But then all poor people can do without degrees or licenses or permits is to sell stuff on the street as unlicensed street vendors. I don’t think selling drugs is an option. Neither is selling counterfeits. But if they are working in the only way they can why go after them? Some make sandwiches and tacos. Isn’t that the American Spirit? I see it that way!
I still support the BP. But I think this idea wasn’t the best use of money. Especially now the city is cutting everything by a lot.
The Staten Islander is overly dramatic right wing garbage! Typical “news” on the right. Worthless.
You’ve got to be kidding me. The Staten Islander is about as neutral as it gets. This story for instance reads about as objectively as it gets. Where is there any leaning to any side at all in this? They report without opinion
I’ve read your comments. You are clearly a Republican. How objective could you be?
How does that disqualify him? There are liars on every side of the issue.
Wrong, buddy. I am a Conservative. Big difference. Republicans overlap with my view. Not 100%.
But even if I did ‘identify’ as a Republican, I would still be capable of objectivity.
Please don’t bring that to this forum. I see people like you on both sides. Stop the nonsense. Really. Stop it. You aren’t being objective yourself. You judge me, and judged wrong. Let’s either talk on here or don’t waste everybody’s time. No one wants to hear it.
I agree with him and I’m more to the center. Left on some issues.
Staten Islander reports fairly and doesn’t add opinion to news pieces.
There are quite a few editorials published each month.
So only *****s like you on the left are objective ?
what a laugh
ahhh but they let you post here, no
a news source should be objective.
I enjoy their objectivity
and in depth reporting
I’ve read your comments. You are clearly a Republican. How objective could you be?
mj is poison
\\
thats why it called the devlis’ ;lettuce
Here is a great article about how bad weed is:
https://nypost.com/2023/09/29/weed-makes-you-crazy-and-gives-you-heart-disease-whys-it-legal/
“That’s to say nothing of the fact that pot, no matter what its advocates claim, likely serves as a gateway drug: Evidence suggests a link between cannabis use in kids and later opioid use, and the drug can play a role in rewiring the reward circuitry in young brains. “
Look, you can get a doctorate in cannabinoid pharmacology at this point. It is science.
Reefer madness was for 100 years ago. Recycling this garbage makes you look like less than forthright.
All this you write is hooey. It was legit concern before THC and the brain’s anandamide system was discovered in Israel in the early ’70s. But since that time, we know that this is not the case.
Cannabis is not DOPE as in a substance that works via your dopamine system like alcohol, opioids, etc.
With that said…a person can abuse anything, from food to TV time to cannabis. The thing is, besides those trying to make a buck off of you, it isn’t addictive. If you stop cold turkey, you won’t get sick. I’ve done it countless times just because I felt like not smoking for some time. Within a few days, you don’t care at all.
With H or alcohol, cold turkey can literally kill you. Physical addiction versus mental. None of us should abuse weed, food, or anything else. If you are using something to fill a hole in your life., buddy, that will never work.
I tried stopping coffee cold turkey once. I didn’t try that again.
I tried quitting eating burgers never.
But I am thinking of giving up driving and instead buy a few dogs and wait for the snow to fall. The island’s hills should be great sledding with my sled dog team!
Cannabis is, essentially, nontoxic.
What is called a”toxic” dose is really a dose that creates dissociation and severe discomfort.
MJ “Pyschosis” is just taking a very heavy dose, to the point of THC and other cannabinoids exerting what is a psychedelic effect. It wears off. It is no different than the “induced schizophrenia” of LSD they spoke of th the 1950s. It is true that a person with mental disturbances shouldn’t take heroic doses of THC, or even drink heavily for that matter.
Cannabis, by weight, is one of the least toxic organic compounds. You would die first from over-consumption of water.
Don’t let them put us in an informational dark age. Like Dr. Tony did with that dreaded disease Koh-\/idd
Why are comments usually held so long? ? ? Today seems to be the exception. I sometimes think the comment got lost in transmission and then I see my comment when I check back way later.
This article sheds light on a complex and concerning issue surrounding the sale of illicit cannabis and related products in Staten Island, New York. The comprehensive reporting provides insight into the challenges and dangers posed by these unregulated substances, especially when targeted at young people. It’s heartening to see a collaborative effort among law enforcement agencies to address community complaints and combat this problem effectively. The article effectively conveys the importance of distinguishing between legal and illegal marijuana sales while emphasizing the need for zero tolerance toward the black market. Overall, it serves as an informative and impactful piece, helping readers comprehend the complexities surrounding the issue and the actions taken to protect the community.
This article provided a comprehensive and eye-opening overview of the complex issues surrounding the sale of illicit cannabis products in Staten Island. It adeptly navigated through the legal landscape, highlighting the confusing dichotomy between state and federal regulations on cannabis. The vivid descriptions of the press conference and the contrast between the legal cannabis event and the crackdown on illegal sales painted a clear picture of the situation. Moreover, the inclusion of statements from Borough President Fossella, NYC Sheriff Miranda, and Assistant D.A. Ridges added depth and credibility to the piece. Overall, this article has greatly enhanced my understanding of the challenges faced by law enforcement and the community regarding illicit cannabis sales, and it underscores the importance of addressing these issues for the safety and well-being of the community.
It’s true the cultural perception of cannabis has evolved with time.
And it makes sense.
While Reefer Madness of the 20’s made sense for its time when science didn’t know much about the cannabis plant, research has revealed that cannabis is not the demon weed we were told.
The truth is, adults may consume cannabis at any dosage and not die or experience lasting physical health effects. That doesn’t mean the person will walk away feeling crisp, and may even experience anxiety attacks at a ridiculously high dose. Most cannabis users aren’t trying to dose at that level, It’s like a person wants a drink versus a bottle of Tequila in one sitting.
That doesn’t mean that a person should over-consume cannabis. Medical patients should follow their doctors’ directions. If you use it for other purposes, from ceremonial religious or spiritual, to recreational, to amateur sports enhancement, etc., know that less is more, like with everything in life.
Cheerio.