Esquire: Legal Pot Caused Heroin Crisis

In Esquire, author Don Winslow argues that legal weed is responsible for the opiate epidemic. As demand for Mexican marijuana has fallen, The Mexican Sinaloa Cartel “increased the production of Mexican heroin by almost 70 percent, and also raised the purity level, bringing in Colombian cooks to create ‘cinnamon’ heroin as strong as the East Asian product. They had been selling a product that was about 46 percent pure, now they improved it to 90 percent.

“Their third move was classic market economics—they dropped the price. A kilo of heroin went for as much as $200,000 in New York City a few years ago, cost $80,000 in 2013, and now has dropped to around $50,000. More of a better product for less money: You can’t beat it.”

While President Obama has commuted drug sentences in record numbers his State Department isproviding $32M to law enforcement in the Philippines, where President Rodrigo Duterte has called for citizens to kill drug dealers.

In New York City, marijuana arrests were up in the first half of the year. More than 90% of the arrests were of minorities.

NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton will resign in September and be replaced by the department’s top uniformed officer James O’Neill. He’s known for his commitment to improving police/community relations.

In Michigan, some of the fees paid by MED patients fund police raids.

A chart at The Influence compares current penalties in California with what penalties would be if AUMA passes.

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart will host a dinner party/cooking show on VH1. Yes, Stewart knows howto roll a joint. Probably very well.

On the web site NakedWeedReport, naked women read cannabis news. Bree Whitehead, CEO of parent company Stoned Media Group doesn’t care if you think she’s a bad feminist.

In related news, I’ve shelved plans for a “Man of WeedWeek” promotional calendar.

HBO has released the trailer for its new show “ High Maintenance,” which started as a web series of the same name.

In the new web series, HIKEA, subjects take psychedelics and then try to assemble IKEA furniture.

Leafly recommends some cannabis books.

First daughter Malia Obama may have been spotted smoking a joint at a music festival.

Canna Law Blog chides The Oregonian for its recent profile of celebrity joint roller and artist Tony Greenhand. The Oregonian article didn’t mention that Greenhand’s work is illegal under state law.