Jehovah increases

I have always been fascinated by parapsychology, such as ESP, (RV) telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis. This is a long one, but it's worth watching. Established in 1977, it was a secret US Army unit investigating psychic phenomena for intelligence applications. It was led by the Defense Intelligence Agency and SRI International and was called Project Stargate. The project aimed to explore the potential of remote viewing and other psychic abilities for military and intelligence purposes. The CIA's secret pursuit of 'mind control' In the early days of the Cold War, the CIA ordered the creation of a secret programme intended to find ways of mind control. They funded an army of psychiatric institutions across the United States and Canada to perform experiments on patients using psychedelic drugs, sensory deprivation, electroshock treatment, and more. The programme was known by its now-infamous code name: MK-Ultra.

That's pretty much the gist of it. Psilocybin Shows Promise for Parkinson’s Mood and Motor Symptoms A new pilot study from UC San Francisco found that psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in certain mushrooms, may significantly improve mood, cognition, and motor function in people with Parkinson’s disease. The compound was well tolerated, with only mild side effects, and the benefits lasted for weeks. Although the study focused on safety, researchers observed meaningful, lasting improvements across multiple symptoms. These effects may stem from increased neuroplasticity and reduced inflammation, helping the brain repair itself. Key Findings: Sustained Benefits: Mood, movement, and cognition improved for weeks, some up to three months. Safe Use: Mild side effects like anxiety and nausea occurred, but no serious adverse events. Next Steps: A larger, multi-site trial will investigate mechanisms like neuroplasticity and inflammation. Psilocybin has already shown promise in treating depression and anxiety. UCSF researchers wanted to explore its potential for Parkinson’s patients, who often face debilitating mood issues in addition to motor symptoms, and who frequently don’t respond to standard antidepressants. Twelve patients (7 men, 5 women) with mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s received two doses: 10 mg, followed by 25 mg two weeks later. They also participated in eight psychotherapy sessions. Despite some transient side effects, participants showed clinically significant improvements in mood, thinking, and motor skills at one-week and one-month follow-ups. Interestingly, patients’ mood remained elevated even three months later, possibly contributing to better overall function. As study lead Dr. Ellen Bradley noted, mood issues are a strong predictor of quality of life in Parkinson’s and may even signal earlier disease progression. This is the first study testing a psychedelic in a neurodegenerative disease. Based on the promising results, UCSF and Yale are launching a larger randomized controlled trial involving 100 participants. The new study will use tools like neuroimaging and brain stimulation to better understand psilocybin’s effects. “The vast majority of brain diseases still lack treatments that can change their course,” said senior author Dr. Joshua Woolley. “This work may open a door.”

Ketamine as a Psychedelic Classically, psychedelics have been defined to include drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, phenylcyclohexyl piperidine (PCP), ibogaine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), psylocibin and ketamine, because each of these compounds produces alterations to sensory, self, time and space perception that are “so alien to everyday experience that they shed new light on the workings of these everyday mental functions”. Although more recent attempts have been made to subcategorize psychedelics based on the subjective character of the altered state that they induce (for example, hallucinogenic, empathogenic, oneirogenic or dissociative), their chemical structure (for example, tryptamines, phenethylamines or arylcyclohexamines), or their principal binding target (for example, serotonin receptor 2A (5-HT2AR), monoamine transporter, κ-opioid receptor (KOR) or N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)), the importance of these categories for therapeutic applications remains unclear, since psychedelics that span the diversity of classification systems have shown remarkable promise for the treatment of addiction post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Thus, identification of a common neurobiological mechanism that can account for the shared therapeutic effects of psychedelics is an obvious priority for translational neuroscience. Ketamine treatment reliably and effectively produces many or all of the classic indicators of a psychedelic experience within a single session. Individuals commonly report a distorted sense of time, find their experiences difficult to describe, feel detached from themselves (dissociation), and feel they could access a new, yet familiar, space with novel realizations and information. Ketamine also has neurobiological similarities with other psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD. They aren’t exactly the same, however. The mechanism of action for LSD and psilocybin mainly lies in the serotonin system, acting on 5HT2A and other receptors. Ketamine’s effects on the brain focus on an entirely different system of neurotransmitters: the glutamate system. More specifically, ketamine is an NMDA-receptor antagonist, which leads to a surge of glutamate in the brain. Many who argue against ketamine as a psychedelic quote this reason. However, while ketamine may have a different mechanism of action within the brain, the neurological outcomes are still similar. More specifically, recent research from Johns Hopkins University has given us an updated classification system for psychedelics. It turns out that the primary mechanism of psychedelics is not activating the serotonin 5HT2A receptor. Instead, psychedelics that activate the 5HT2A receptor can be more accurately classified as hallucinogenic psychedelics. People may also refer to hallucinogenic psychedelics as “classical” psychedelics, which is not particularly historically accurate, given the use of non-hallucinogenic psychedelics throughout human history. Psychedelics such as MDMA can be more accurately classified as empathogenic psychedelics, psychedelics such as ibogaine can be more accurately classified as oneirogenic psychedelics, and psychedelics such as ketamine can be more accurately classified as dissociative psychedelics. The universal mechanism behind all of these sub-categories of psychedelics is not the initial neurotransmitters that they modulate, but rather what happens afterwards. Each psychedelic has a unique characteristic that allows for special critical periods in the brain to open. Critical periods are special periods in human development that allow us to rapidly learn new information that helps us in our environment. For example, there is a critical period for language in childhood, and if a child is not exposed to language by the time the critical period closes, they will be unable to have full command of language when they are an adult. The glutamate system is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter system in the central nervous system, crucial for learning, memory, and various brain functions. It involves the release of glutamate, a major excitatory neurotransmitter, binding to receptors on postsynaptic neurons, and subsequent regulation of synaptic plasticity. Glutamate dysregulation can lead to various neurological and psychiatric disorders Psychedelics like ketamine can open critical periods that are usually closed. They do this by modulating a pathway involving increasing neuroplasticity in the brain, which then “opens” that critical period and allows for the brain to temporarily be extraordinarily receptive to new ways of thinking, feeling, and processing information about the world and oneself. This is thought to be one of the main therapeutic mechanisms for psychedelics. Ketamine in particular can also reduce activity in the Default Mode Network, which is notable in that this network is overactive and unable to be turned off in individuals with Major Depressive Disorder. In conclusion, ketamine should certainly be considered a psychedelic, as it can produce all the hallmarks of a psychedelic experience and has all the same positive impacts on individuals in a mental health context. Although there may be neurological differences between ketamine and psychedelics like LSD, ketamine is a psychedelic in the ways that matter. Ketamine’s effects on the brain focus on an entirely different system of neurotransmitters: the glutamate system. More specifically, ketamine is an NMDA-receptor antagonist, which leads to a surge of glutamate in the brain (note that glutamate is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain) and the central nervous system. It's needed to keep your brain functioning properly. Glutamate plays a major role in shaping learning and memory. Glutamate needs to be present at the right concentrations in the right places at the right time. Dynamic regulation of the extent to which synaptic plasticity can be induced is called ‘metaplasticity ' and is thought to be one of the mechanisms underlying the establishment of critical periods. Together, these results provide evidence that psychedelics induce metaplasticity rather than hyperplasticity, a distinction that is especially important for designing biomarkers to test therapeutic profiles and abuse liability of novel compounds. These studies provide a novel conceptual framework for understanding the therapeutic effects of psychedelics, which have shown significant promise for treating a wide range of neuropsychiatric diseases, including depression, PTSD, and addiction. Although other studies have shown that psychedelics can attenuate depression-like behaviours and may also have anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, and antinociceptive properties, it is unclear how these properties directly relate to the durable and context-dependent therapeutic effects of psychedelics. Furthermore, although previous in vitro studies have suggested that psychedelic effects might be mediated by their ability to induce hyperplasticity, this account does not distinguish psychedelics from addictive drugs (such as cocaine, amphetamine, opioids, nicotine and alcohol) whose capacity to induce robust, bidirectional, morphological and physiological hyperplasticity is thought to underlie their addictive properties. This also looks promising. Scientists Redesign LSD To Create a Non-Hallucinogenic Antidepressant Could a subtle tweak to lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) unlock its therapeutic potential, without the trip? In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) report the creation of JRT – a chemically modified version of LSD that retains its brain-rewiring effects while eliminating hallucinogenic side effects. The promise of non-hallucinogenic neuroplasticity drugs. Psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin are now the subject of serious scientific investigation for their therapeutic applications. Recent research has shown that these compounds can do far more than alter perception; they can physically reshape the brain. By promoting dendritic growth, increasing synaptic density, and enhancing cortical connectivity, psychedelics exhibit powerful neuroplastic effects that may help reverse the structural brain changes seen in conditions such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, and schizophrenia. Dendritic growth The process by which neurons grow new branches (called dendrites) that help them receive signals from other neurons. More dendrites usually mean more connections and better communication between brain cells. Synaptic Density A measure of how many synapses (the points where neurons connect and communicate) exist in a given area of the brain. Higher synaptic density suggests stronger or more complex neural networks. However, these same compounds that regenerate damaged neural pathways also induce profound alterations in consciousness – hallucinations, perceptual distortions, and dissociation – that make them unsuitable or even dangerous for many patients. Individuals with schizophrenia or a family history of psychosis are often excluded from psychedelic clinical trials due to concerns that these drugs could exacerbate their symptoms. As a result, a large and vulnerable segment of the population is effectively cut off from a class of therapies that might otherwise be transformative. The team at UC Davis set out to answer a difficult question: Can you keep the benefits of LSD while removing the hallucinogenic effects that make it unsafe for many patients? The researchers focused on the chemical structure of LSD itself. Prior studies have suggested that certain parts of the LSD molecule are responsible for triggering hallucinations, specifically, a small chemical group that forms a key interaction with brain receptors. By slightly rearranging the molecule – moving just two atoms – the team was able to disrupt this interaction without affecting the parts of LSD that promote brain cell growth. The result was a new compound, called JRT, which closely resembles LSD in shape and weight but behaves very differently in the body. “Basically, what we did here is a tire rotation,” said corresponding author Dr. David E. Olson, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at UC Davis. “By just transposing two atoms in LSD, we significantly improved JRT’s selectivity profile and reduced its hallucinogenic potential.” This minor-looking change was chemically complex to carry out. JRT, named after Dr. Jeremy R. Tuck, a former graduate student who was the first to synthesize the compound, couldn’t be made by modifying LSD directly; instead, the researchers had to develop a completely new 12-step synthesis process to build the compound from scratch – a task that took nearly 5 years to complete. Once synthesized, JRT was tested for how it interacts with different receptors in the brain. It showed strong, selective binding to serotonin receptors, particularly 5-HT2A, which plays a key role in mood and brain plasticity. Importantly, unlike LSD, JRT showed little to no activity at other receptors such as those for dopamine or adrenaline, which are often linked to side effects like psychosis or cardiovascular stress. While LSD triggered changes in genes linked to schizophrenia, JRT showed no such effect. In cultured brain cells, JRT increased the number and complexity of neuron branches, as well as the tiny spines where neurons form connections. In live mice, a single dose of JRT led to a 46% increase in dendritic spine density and an 18% increase in synapse density in a part of the brain involved in decision-making and emotion. In a model where mice had been stressed to the point of losing brain connections, JRT reversed this damage, bringing their brain structure back to normal. Dendritic spine density The number of small protrusions (spines) on a neuron’s dendrites per unit length. These spines are where synapses form, so a higher density usually indicates greater capacity for neural communication. JRT also did not produce the “head-twitch” response – a widely used indicator of hallucinogenic activity – in mice. When mice were co-treated with LSD, JRT blocked this behavior, suggesting it may actively suppress hallucinogenic activity. In tests related to mood and cognition, JRT showed strong promise. In a standard test for antidepressant effects, it was ~100 times more potent than ketamine, a fast-acting antidepressant already used in clinical settings. It also helped animals perform better in a learning task that measures cognitive flexibility – the ability to adapt to changing situations, which is often impaired in conditions like schizophrenia. In a model of amphetamine-induced hyperactivity, JRT reduced abnormal movement in female mice, but not in males, highlighting a potential sex-specific therapeutic response. JRT’s therapeutic promise and clinical potential JRT opens up new possibilities for treating difficult-to-manage brain disorders, particularly schizophrenia, where current medications fall short. While existing antipsychotics are generally effective at controlling hallucinations and delusions, they often fail to address other symptoms , such as reduced motivation, lack of pleasure, and problems with memory and attention. These so-called negative and cognitive symptoms can have a major impact on a patient’s daily life, and they remain one of the biggest challenges in psychiatric treatment. JRT’s ability to promote the growth of brain cell connections, combined with its antidepressant and cognition-enhancing effects in animal studies, suggests it could help with these harder-to-treat aspects of schizophrenia. Its effects may also extend to other conditions that involve loss of brain connectivity, including depression, bipolar disorder, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, where parts of the brain gradually shrink or lose function. JRT may also offer several advantages over current treatments. For example, clozapine – the most effective drug for treatment-resistant schizophrenia – can cause serious side effects like sedation, weight gain, and metabolic problems, partly because it acts on a broad range of brain systems. JRT, in contrast, has been designed to act more selectively on serotonin receptors, which are involved in mood and cognition, while avoiding other systems that are often linked to unwanted side effects. Crucially, JRT appears to avoid the hallucinogenic effects seen with traditional psychedelics like LSD, which are a major barrier to their use in people with psychotic disorders. “No one wants to give a hallucinogenic molecule like LSD to a patient with schizophrenia. The development of JRT emphasizes that we can use psychedelics like LSD as starting points to make better medicines. We may be able to create medications that can be used in patient populations where psychedelic use is precluded,” said Olson. Eventually, the goal is to move toward clinical trials in humans. “JRT has extremely high therapeutic potential. Right now, we are testing it in other disease models, improving its synthesis, and creating new analogues of JRT that might be even better,” said Olson. This is interesting. JRT’s effects may also extend to other conditions that involve loss of brain connectivity, including depression, bipolar disorder, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, where parts of the brain gradually shrink or lose function. In tests related to mood and cognition, JRT showed strong promise. In a standard test for antidepressant effects, it was ~100 times more potent than ketamine, a fast-acting antidepressant already used in clinical settings. A more in-depth look into the molecular design of JRT-https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2416106122

Happy birthday, Leo! Enjoy! 🙏

Thanks, Aaron p🙏

Le mie condoglianze'

Could aliens exist? Of course they do. Our Milky Way galaxy — our cosmic home in the Universe — spans over 100,000 light-years in diameter and contains approximately 400 billion stars. The observable universe has around 2 trillion galaxies and between 30 and 70 billion trillion stars. So, what is that 30 to 70 quintillion stars? There are over 10^25 or 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets in our observable Universe, and that’s only counting planets that are orbiting stars. The Drake equation would not work and will not give you an answer; it just tells you what might be possible if we get the factors right. Which you won't, because they're all hypothetical.) Just like I am imagining all of this. So an estimated 50 sextillion planets could harbor life, which is 50000000000000000000000 or 5x10^22. And these, of course, are known as habitable zones, also known as Goldilocks' zones, where conditions might be just right – neither too hot nor too cold – for life. Sextillion sounds kind of kinky, I am sure God has had more than that. Stop flirting with me, universe. If one were to also include moons, they could also support life. Some planets or gas giants can have up to 274 moons, etc. So, a rough estimate is maybe 1000 Septillion moons, all different sizes in the observable Universe. Theoretically, the Unobservable Universe could exist. Beyond the cosmic horizon could lie the unobservable universe, which is the part of the universe that we cannot see because the light from it has not yet reached us, or because it is receding from us faster than the speed of light. As well as an infinity of universes or multiple universes, it often involves the idea of additional dimensions beyond our familiar three spatial dimensions and one time dimension. These extra dimensions are explored in theories like string theory and M-theory, which propose that the universe may have 10 or 11 dimensions. These extra dimensions could be curled up and hidden from our view, or our universe might be localized on a higher-dimensional object called a brane. Higher-dimensional beings or lower-dimensional beings, the possibilities are endless. Consciousness can compare itself to itself; in other words, it can mirror itself or make copies of itself. I was never burdened with any religion or indoctrinated by my parents or anyone, for that matter. Nor was I into any spirituality like Buddhism, Taoism, or Hinduism, "etc.," although I was introduced to Buddhism as a kid from Monkey Magic, but that was it. I can appreciate all the different religions, so when I did psychedelics, I had none of those attachments to begin with. Academia was an easy attachment to get rid of, so was watching TV, it's been around 10 years now, and I have not used a mobile phone for about 6 years. I became somewhat of a recluse. I always believed the universe was an organic mind.. Probably from watching Star Trek and Doctor Who, and other sci-fi series, movies from the age of 8. When I awaken, I wake up as God, and no Jesus or God is standing there or me being in the presence of them, and there is only me and infinite intelligence, which I become one with.

Unlocking New Hope: Ketamine Therapy for OCD June 27, 2024 Living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can feel like being trapped in a never-ending cycle of unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviors. While traditional treatments like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medications often help, they don’t work for everyone. For those seeking an alternative, ketamine therapy presents a promising new hope. Understanding OCD and Its Challenges OCD involves persistent, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that a person feels compelled to perform. These symptoms can severely disrupt daily life and affect overall well-being. While SSRIs and CBT are common treatments, about 40% of patients do not find them effective enough to bring meaningful relief. How Ketamine Therapy Works Originally developed as an anesthetic, ketamine has shown rapid-acting antidepressant effects. It works by modulating the brain’s glutamate system, particularly the NMDA receptors, which play a crucial role in neural communication and synaptic plasticity. This modulation helps reduce OCD symptoms by enhancing the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections. Benefits of Ketamine Therapy for OCD Ketamine therapy offers several unique advantages: Rapid Relief: Unlike traditional antidepressants that may take weeks to show effects, ketamine can reduce symptoms within hours or days. Effectiveness in Treatment-Resistant Cases: Many individuals who do not respond to standard treatments experience significant improvements with ketamine. Neuroplasticity: Ketamine helps the brain form new neural connections, which is crucial for overcoming the rigid thought patterns of OCD. What to Expect from Ketamine Therapy Undergoing ketamine therapy for OCD typically involves receiving treatment via intravenous infusions in a controlled clinical setting. The process includes the following: Initial Consultation: Assessing your medical history and suitability for ketamine therapy. Personalized Treatment Plan: Tailoring the dosage and frequency of treatments to your specific needs. Monitoring and Support: Continuous monitoring during the infusion and follow-up sessions to track progress and adjust treatment as necessary. Integrating Ketamine Therapy with Other Treatments While ketamine therapy is powerful on its own, its benefits can be enhanced when combined with other treatments: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Ketamine can make the brain more receptive to CBT, helping you adopt healthier thought patterns more effectively. Mindfulness and Meditation: These practices can complement ketamine therapy by promoting relaxation and reducing stress. A New Path Forward If you’re struggling with OCD and have found traditional treatments ineffective, ketamine therapy could be the key to unlocking a new path forward. This innovative treatment approach offers rapid relief and helps you regain control over your life. Ketamine therapy provides a beacon of hope for those battling OCD, especially when other treatments have fallen short. By addressing the underlying neurological factors and enhancing neuroplasticity, ketamine can help break the cycle of obsessions and compulsions, paving the way for a brighter, more fulfilling life. Ketamine therapy for PTSD, anxiety, and depression, as well as - Neuropathic pain - Spinal cord pain - Complex regional pain syndrome - Fibromyalgia. Ketamine therapy shows promise in addressing ADHD symptoms due to its mechanisms of action and rapid therapeutic outcomes. Although further research is needed, initial results suggest that ketamine could potentially serve as an alternative or addition to conventional ADHD treatments ass well. Ketamine may be an effective therapeutic modality for people with alcohol use disorders who fail to respond to FDA-approved first-line agents. More robust clinical trials are necessary to provide a more accurate assessment of efficacy, safety profile, and dosing strategies for ketamine utilization in alcohol use disorder. Ketamine psychotherapy for heroin addiction looks promising as well. Ketamine - From Street Drug to Life Saver, which is what the vid is called, silly age-restricted.

Oregon decriminalized, Portugal decriminalized, and then invested heavily in policy, programs, and infrastructure to support their people and prevent addiction as much as they can. As far as I can tell, Oregon decriminalized use, made some token changes to an existing, ineffective drug dissuasion and treatment policy, and called it a day. Sure, the law includes a plan to invest more into treatment and recovery, but the thousands of addicts on our streets don’t seem to be getting access to those resources. From what I can tell, the support Oregon offers is still a loosely connected, complex network of third parties that have not been effective to date. There is even a phone number you can call for help. I wonder how often that gets used? (sarcasm) It would seem that Oregon’s approach is nothing like Portugal’s! Both Oregon and Portugal continue to target and persecute the criminal sale and trafficking of drugs, but that is about where the similarities end. Putting words in the text of a law is different than doing what is needed. Portugal has effectively said, “We won’t treat you like a criminal for using drugs, but we will help you to not ruin your life, not ruin the lives of those around you, and not ruin our country.” They do this with a multi-pronged approach that is aimed at non-users, casual users, frequent users, and addicts. Oregon seems to say, “We won’t treat you like a criminal. You are on your own to find the limited resources that exist to get help, if you want it.” Portugal starts with prevention programs in schools and for the general public that use a comprehensive approach based on data and wellbeing. Unlike many programs in the United States, the program is not focused on zero-tolerance, because that is not the human reality (abstinence-based sex education, anyone?). If you do use drugs and get caught, you are given what is essentially the equivalent of a traffic ticket. It isn’t just a ticket that you pay, instead, you are called in front of a Dissuasion Commission. This commission, which sounds a bit like a jury or a parole board, will seek to understand your situation, and then impose fines, order community service, enroll you into education programs, send you to drug treatment, put you on probation, and or even suspend professional licenses. In other words, there are still penalties, but there is also significant social and health support. Effective and accessible drug treatment seems to be a problem in Oregon. In Portugal, they have ensured infrastructure to make sure treatment happens. Here is another critical factor: Portugal has a social healthcare system. There are no financial barriers to treatment in Portugal. If you need it, you can get it at no cost. No arguing about who pays. No questions about insurance coverage. No financial reason not to get treated. This couldn’t be more different than in America, where health insurance is typically tied to work, mental and addiction care coverage is typically different than medical care coverage, navigating programs for low-income citizens is complicated, and the entire industry is profit-seeking. More notable than just my observations is what the data says. Since decriminalization and policies for education, support, and treatment went into effect, Portugal has improved across a number of key metrics. The rate of drug addiction went down, and is now one of the lowest in Europe. Drug-related deaths went down dramatically on a per capita basis, and are also one of the lowest in Europe. Additionally, the transmission of HIV plummeted, and is again one of the lowest in Europe. Finally, teens and adults in Portugal are some of the least likely in Europe to ever use cocaine or cannabis. It should be noted that there is evidence of some age groups having increased rates of addiction and death during different periods since decriminalization. So was Oregon wrong to decriminalize drug use? In my opinion, Oregon was wrong to decriminalize without also investing more, and more effectively, into education, prevention, and most importantly, treatment. It is also my opinion that if you believe that Oregon, any state, or the country is doing enough to counterbalance decriminalization, or if you don’t think it is the responsibility of the government to provide these things in order to have a functioning society, you need a wake-up call. Why only fund policing without funding programs to keep people out of police trouble It is also important to note that there is not yet comprehensive, comparable studies or reporting on effectiveness and outcomes in Oregon, as only five years have passed since decriminalization was approved by voters. Trustworthy data collection and research on a sweeping change like this often takes much longer than five years. I believe that all drugs should not be legalized, and the laws need to be greatly reduced, and I think the health-led approach to possessing drugs for personal use should be treated as an administrative offence, meaning it is no longer punishable by imprisonment and does not result in a criminal record and associated stigma. Drugs are, however, still confiscated, and possession may result in administrative penalties such as fines or community service. The people need to be more educated. In most cases, addictions stem from some sort of early trauma in life. As for the commercial weed industry. Several celebrities have given a public face to the cannabis industry with business ventures and branded cannabis products. The cannabis industry is booming across the U.S. and Canada. Recreational and medical cannabis products, from oils, edibles, and prerolls to vapes, skincare products, and more, are now part of a multi-billion dollar industry, and investors are taking notice. According to Grandview Research, the global legal cannabis market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 25.7% from 2024 to 2030. How much money do these donkeys want? Monopolies and oligopolies started developing years ago in the cannabis industry — not just in terms of big businesses usurping smaller businesses but also in terms of state regulations that allow vertical integration, which leads to markets dominated by one or a few players that control the cultivation, processing, and sale of cannabis products. Another way monopolies and oligopolies have an opportunity to develop in the cannabis industry happens when states cease awarding licenses. In California, oligopolies formed in a different way. Regulations passed leading up to opening the state’s adult-use market in 2018 allowed large businesses to exploit a loophole and obtain as many cultivator licenses as they could afford. According to data from Cannabis Intelligence™, a handful of cannabis license holders dominate multiple markets across the United States. 10 public companies each hold more than 100 licenses – some with more than 200 licenses – and have operations in as many as 22 states. These 10 companies hold licenses across the supply chain, and some report total quarterly revenues exceeding $300 million. This a another problem. Based on the data, it’s not surprising that smaller cannabis businesses across the country are struggling to compete with bigger cannabis companies. Bottom line, whenever every business that wants to be in an industry cannot enter the market, competition will not flourish. The result is the same whether businesses are shut out due to state regulations or because big businesses have deeper pockets and force smaller players to leave. Either way, the result is the same. Fewer players equal less competition, which usually leads to higher prices, fewer product choices, and limited market growth. The cannabis industry back in 2017, “As with any industry, if big business can push the little guy out, they’ll have considerably more liberties down the road to raise their prices back up and capture a juicier margin, along with greater market share.” Only free competition ensures fair prices and market growth over the long-term as well as ongoing innovation and product accessibility. That’s how to protect the “community” culture of the cannabis industry and prevent Big Cannabis from developing (similar to Big Tobacco and Big Alcohol), where a few companies control the market. And I bet most of these people were against cannabis, talk about "hypocrisy", greedy humans.

Who could forget the 80s!