Freedom Is Green

7/14/2011- Tubbs and Crockett could be issuing tickets for pot possession and saving their city’s tax dollars. Popular tourist destination Miami Beach is cranking up the heat for cannabis reform. Some dedicated advocates have spent the last year gathering 9,000 signatures for a decriminalization measure. This week the petition was submitted to the Miami Beach City Commissioners.

The reduction in penalties would mean that adults caught with less than 1 ounce of cannabis would face a $100 fine and no criminal record. That would be a big change from the possible year in jail and $1000 fine currently for up to 20 grams of pot.

Some nationally prominent marijuana activists are residents of the Miami area and have given significant momentum to the cause.

Robert Platshorn served the longest sentence in history for a non-violent marijuana offense: 28 years. He is involved with the campaign and was on the scene this week: “We went in to present the 9,000 signatures and ten of us also testified. Now we’ve verified most of them [signatures]. If 6,400 are verified they have to put it on the ballot or call a special election. The only concern by Commissioners was triggering a special election in these tough economic times. That would cost the city about 250,000 dollars.”

Although concerned about the technical details the Miami Beach Commissioners, including Mayor Matti Herrera Bower, did take the issue seriously. “They were really very receptive to the petition,” Platshorn said, “where we didn’t have a sponsor on the commission; we do now. They all made statements that they were not against it. Again, we were very well received….many of the speeches got applause from the Commissioners.”

Irvin Rosenfeld is one of the few federal medical marijuana patients and garnered some of those applause. Rosenfeld’s tins of 300 cannabis cigarettes are manufactured by federal authorities under a program created in the late 1980’s.Florida saw a state medical marijuana resolution introduced earlier this year but there was no legislative action.

“I care about medicine getting to patients,” said Rosenfeld,”decriminalization helps patients because now they don’t have to worry about being arrested.”

He brought his tin of cannabis to show the Commissioners, “I asked them to hold up their hands and asked if they paid federal taxes. And they all raise their hands and then I took out my tin – I said ‘Isn’t it silly that city police would be spending time and money chasing people down for the same thing you paid for that helps me!’”

Platshorn said that he was optimistic after the meeting, “The actual outcome was as good as we could hope for. We got a realistic appraisal.”

Basically the Commissioners would rather place the ballot on the election in 2012 rather than endure the cost of a separate election just for the decrim measure. This was not lost on activists. “The whole point here is to save the city money,” said Irvin Rosenfeld.

But there is another option where the penalty reductions could simply be adopted without an election. “The City Charter says that if we get 6,400 verified signatures that they may be obliged to call a special election, “ said Platshorn, “So they were willing to consider the possibility of a resolution just to pass the change in penalties on their own.”

The massive amount of tourists in Miami Beach was part of the challenge for the petition. Signature gatherers would be mobbed at popular locations but only a few in the interested crowd would be local voters. They had to shift strategies netting a few signatures at a time with more frequent outings to places like supermarkets.

A strong base of student activism was key to the petition drive, “Miami University, FAU, Florida Central NORML chapters…it really has been terrific down here. Eric Stevens did an amazing job,” said Platshorn, adding, “Then Rakontur Films really did a wonderful thing by supporting this too.”

Platshorn’s story was told in the documentary Square Grouper from Rakontur that showcased the common trade of South Florida marijuana smuggling in the 1970s. The film company gave much needed funding to the effort.

But the same tourism that made voters hard to sift out was another reason for decriminalizing in Miami Beach. There are now sixteen states with legal medical marijuana. Irvin Rosenfeld points out that medical cannabis patients may have been avoiding the area because of the harsh prohibition laws.

“Say I’m a patient in Maine and have to go to a wedding to go to in Miami? Now it would also be safer for patients who are also tourists or here visiting family,” said Rosenfeld, ”there would at least be that security.”

It will take some time for Miami Beach to officially verify the petition signatures but the organizers are confident. Bob Platshorn was inside federal prison for three decades over marijuana, emerging with his head up to re-build his life and family. He also resolved to change the law.

“I honestly believe that Miami Beach will be the first city in Florida to decriminalize.”

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (if so, congratulations. It’s just safer there, isn’t it?), you know about this story. Rudy Eugene (left) committed a gruesome and heinous act in which he ate the face of Ronald Poppo in Miami over Memorial Day weekend.

What you may not know is this: the toxicology report showed no use of “bath salts” or any other psychosis-inducing drug. The only drug he tested positive for? Marijuana. Very unfortunate. Obviously, marijuana did not cause this man to go ballistic, but inherently psychological instability. Or a drug combination he was never tested for, since not all drug testing is available at every lab.

Medical examiner Dr. Bruce Hyma said in his statement, “The laboratory has tested for but not detected any other street drugs, alcohol or prescription drugs…This includes cocaine, LSD, amphetamines (Ecstasy, Meth and others), phencyclidine (PCP or Angel Dust), heroin, oxycodone, Xanax, synthetic marijuana (Spice), and many other similar compounds.

A second forensic toxicology test conducted by a separate lab also confirmed the absence of the most comment ingredients found in bath salts, which mimic the effects of cocaine or methamphetamine and have been associated with various bizarre “zombie attack”-like crimes in recent months, and many — including Miami police officials — believed they were what caused Rudy Eugene to attack Ronald Poppo, and chew off at least 70% of his face.

“Within the limits of current technology by both laboratories,” the statement continued, “marijuana is the only drug identified in the body of Mr. Rudy Eugene.”

And this is when marijuana becomes the convenient “fall guy yet again.”

Dr. Patricia Junquera, who is an assistant professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and is considered an expert on addictions, said she wouldn’t rule out the fact that a different “strain” of marijuana could have caused the attack.

“It could have been the strain of marijuana that increases the dopamine in the brain,” she said, adding that there are two strains of marijuana called sativa, which increases dopamine and gives you energy, and indica, which is a “sleepy high.”

“People don’t really know what the amount of either is in each little packet of marijuana,” Dr. Junquera explained. “And we can’t differentiate between the two in the blood, much less in a dead person.”

Read more: http://gossiponthis.com/2012/06/29/no-bath-salts-just-marijuana-found-miami-zombie-cannibal-face-eater-guy-after-toxicology-tests/#ixzz20oUEQ4Js

National Park Service Police move in on the marijuana legalization protest "Smoke Down Prohibition" May 18, 2013

5/19/13 – Federal Park Rangers and Philadelphia City Police disrupted the monthly “Smoke Down Prohibition” protest at the Liberty Bell calling for marijuana legalization and made several dramatic arrests.

On Saturday May 18, 2013 a crowd about 150 gathered in front of Independence Hall.

At 4:20PM, the moment when much of the crowd participates in civil disobedience by openly smoking cannabis, dozens of law enforcement moved into the crowd.

Those on stage speaking to the crowd were targeted for detainment, including one of the organizers.

Video: http://youtu.be/NTHBC6JOc4M

There were at least five arrests, including NA Poe of the comedy crew The Panic Hour.

Also arrested were Adam Kokesh host of AdamVsTheMan and Don DeZarn a New Jersey Libertarian candidate for US Senate.

Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion was briefly detained but released. One unidentified woman was roughly carried away but also quickly released.

The protests take place in front of Independence Hall permanently reserved by the National Park Service for First Amendment activity. Despite the targeted arrests and a heavy police presence, dozens in the crowd continued the action by openly smoking marijuana from 4:20PM-4:45PM.

At four previous “Smoke Down Prohibition” events there were no arrests or citations.

NA Poe and Adam Kokesh are still being held in the Federal Detention Facility at 7th and Arch Streets. A solidarity demonstration will take place in front of the jail today starting at 2:00PM.

“What was originally a rally to highlight issues regarding cannabis prohibition has shown that our First Amendment rights are not protected by the park rangers and police,” said PhillyNORML Executive Director Kevin Clough.

The Panic Hour issued this statement: “These arrests are the beginning of a long fight we have ahead of us to end cannabis prohibition and maintain our right to free speech.”

FB Solidarity Event – https://www.facebook.com/events/194482224036867/

The N.A. Poe Defense Fund – http://fundly.com/the-n-a-poe-defense-fund

Margaret Trudeau, former wife of late Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and author of the 2010 biography Changing My Mind, which chronicles her life dominated by bipolar disorder, has been making the lecture rounds recently, talking about a topic near and dear to her: mental health (or what she likes to refer to as “brain health).

Here is an excerpt of an interview with her, regarding her past use of marijuana:

MBF [Marian Botsford Fraser]: You talk about how marijuana started out as ballast, when you were traveling in Morocco, and later, you thought it was good for you, but it became something else.

MT: It gave me focus, brought me out of my depression [and] gave me energy to get through the day. When people try to self-heal, the first thing you want to do is escape – [use] alcohol, street drugs, gambling, anything to comfort yourself, [to] get away.

To tell you the truth I’d still choose being a pothead any day over being an alcoholic. It’s natural…it seemed to be the thing. I needed it and it was part of the culture. But the truth is studies have shown recently that the PHC in marijuana can trigger you into mania, or has a propensity to do so. The jury is still out on it, and of course bipolar condition is one of the conditions that medical marijuana is prescribed for. But the marijuana that’s being smoked today is not our father’s Oldsmobile!

It’s very, very different now, and it can greatly affect your health if abused. There were times when I abused marijuana and I regret it. But it also may have saved my life.

MBF: Do you still smoke marijuana?

MT: I don’t want to now. Don’t get me wrong, I love marijuana: I’d rather have a toke than a martini any day. But why do I have to have either? It’s not part of my day-to-day life, as it was before when I was really ill and trying to escape all my pain, especially the death of my son.

I finally realized that the amount of marijuana I started using after the death of Michel [in 1998], trying to get away from my grief, in fact delayed my mourning. It kept me from facing it, dealing with it, allowing myself to be a wholly grieving person instead of desperately sad, wallowing in self-pity, with no hope left, and feeling such disappointment that life could throw such a mean, cruel blow to our family. It just rocked me, losing my little Michel.

Read more.

Rep. Diane Russell

5/11/2011 UPDATE 4:59PM ET – A landmark hearing yesterday in Maine before the Criminal Justice Committee on a bill to tax and regulate recreational marijuana had an interesting outcome: The issue could eventually be decided by Maine residents.  If LD 1453 does pass floor votes in the legislature the bill must also pass a voter referendum to become a  law.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Diane Russell of Portland, made the referendum motion and was pleased with the hearings. She has reported a massive surge of public support for Maine’s legalization effort. The media and bloggers have also been focused on the bill, bringing in attention from around the country. For example, the hearing on LD 1453 is the top story right now at Reddit.com.

Rep. Russell said in an email to Freedomisgreen.com today, “I had no idea this would make it to the front page of Reddit literally overnight. The response has been astounding and there have been a remarkable number of interesting and good questions. Not to mention, a ton of support!”

Maine could join California and Colorado as states that are looking to end marijuana prohibition by the end of 2012 with direct participation by voters. All three would create systems of regulated cultivation, sales to adults and taxation systems.

[Editor’s Note – Original post at 4:28PM ET mis-stated that LD 1453 would go  directly to the voter referendum process.]

Maine First Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/LegalizeMaineFirst

Questions?  [email protected]

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.

UPDATE 6/14/2011- 11:13AM ET – Maine House accepts the “ought not to pass” report from Criminal Justice Committee – bill sent to Senate. 

6/13/2011 – World leaders and even President Obama say that there should be a “legitimate” debate about cannabis prohibition. But this week a body of elected officials may actually engage in that dialogue. The House and Senate in Maine could consider LD 1453, “An Act to Legalize and Tax Marijuana.” The last two days of the legislative session are this week. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Diane Russell (D-Portland), says that the issue has garnered enough interest among her peers for a floor debate.

Today Russell sent an email to supporters that said, “We have all worked so hard for this to happen and now the day is upon us.”

LD 1453 had a hearing on May 10th before the Criminal Justice Committee where two caveats were added. It must wait to become law until 1) federal policy changes and 2) it is approved by Maine voters directly on the ballot. Those two criteria must be met after LD 1453 passes a floor vote in both houses (outside chance but possible) and is then signed by Governor LePage (less possible). The bill creates careful systems of regulated cultivation, cannabis sales (to adults only) and taxation models.

This week marks the 40th year since President Nixon declared a “War on Drugs” that has largely been fought against marijuana consumers.  A 1972 Presidential Commission presented a report that called for cannabis to be de-scheduled from the Controlled Substances Act and that personal possession should be decriminalized at the federal level. Nixon instead placed marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and began vigorous enforcement worldwide.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy held a press conference on June 2, 2011 calling for governments to explore new options to replace criminal prohibition. Regulating cannabis was a priority, especially for the former Presidents of Colombia and Brazil.

This week there will be demonstrations, press conferences and vigils commemorating the victims in the 40 years of prohibition. But the live stream from the State House in Maine may be the only chance to see politicians get into the nuts and bolts of crafting a vital solution for cannabis.

Because it is the end of the session, the debate for LD 1453 is not a sure thing. Rep. Russell is asking Maine residents to contact their legislators and support the bill’s open debate. Maine House:  (207) 287-1400 — Maine Senate: (207) 287-1540.

Grassroots link: http://www.facebook.com/LegalizeMaineFirst

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

logo from maine.gov

6/24/2011 – Governor Paul LePage signed a new law today expanding privacy protections for medical cannabis patients in Maine.

“I am pleased that the Legislature has voted to move the law closer to the initiated bill that was enacted by the voters,” said Governor Paul LePage in a statement today. “I am proud to a sign a bill that protects patient privacy and respects the will of the voters.”

Maine voters approved the compassionate use law on a ballot measure in 1999.

The Maine Civil Liberties Union issued a press release today with a statement from the law’s sponsor:

“Researching this program for the last 7 months has been quite an education,” said Representative Deborah Sanderson (R-Chelsea), primary sponsor of the bill.   “I’ve read countless case studies on the benefits of marijuana for many conditions.  What has been the most informative and moving however, has been speaking to the patients themselves.  Folks who suffer chronic debilitating pain and have used opiates, often for months, are seeing better pain management results without the highly addictive results that opiates often have.”

The bill makes registration optional for patients and some caregivers and eliminates the requirement that patients disclose their specific medical condition to the state.  The law also mandates more effective processes for adding approved medical conditions, improves the procedure for minor patient access and prevents municipalities from instituting regulations more restrictive than State Law.   Importantly, patients, caregivers and dispensary employees acting under the law will be protected from arrest, prosecution and discrimination.

Earlier this week we spoke with Jonathan Leavitt who represents medical marijuana interests under the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine trade association.

“This gets the state out of the business of a patient’s health and puts it back in the hands of those patients and their physicians here in Maine,” said Leavitt.

National NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano, a medical marijuana policy expert, commented, “At the same time when lawmakers in many other states are enacting impossibly restrictive measures, Maine lawmakers have elected to instead significantly open patients’ access to medical marijuana under the law.”

Here is a link to the full executive summary.

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions?  [email protected]

from maine.gov

Federal laws are not exactly fun reading that you bring to the beach. The complex language often makes them tough to understand. But we’re pretty sure everyone knows how the US federal government feels about marijuana. It is illegal – Just Say Drug War.

Perhaps they ended prohibition down in Washington DC and never told us? Just in case, the Maine Health and Human Services Committee and New Jersey’s Attorney General Paula Dow are making sure the US Department of Justice reaffirms their position on pot.

US Attorneys in several states have fired off some unsolicited letters on the issue of medical marijuana. These lay out, in excruciating detail, all of the nasty things that could befall an individual or business who grows, distributes or sells medical cannabis; all in compliance with state law.

The reaction on the ground from governors, state legislators and even the non-profit business owners has been mixed.  Rhode Island’s governor Lincoln Chafee put the only approved dispensaries (all three) on hold after receiving a hand-delivered DOJ letter.

This week Maine’s HHS Committee got their response.  It was very much the form-letter that everyone expected. Still, US Attorney Thomas Delahanty’s carefully worded reply is getting a different reaction in Maine.

State Representative Diane Russell (D-Portland), an outspoken advocate for the medical marijuana program, was not surprised.

“Everything has changed in the last few weeks,” said Russell this afternoon. “But the letter is not stirring as much controversy as it could. ”

Home cultivation was already a part of the safe access law, now Maine is opening the first regulated dispensaries in the state. The program is already off paper and into practice, so could the letter put a wrench in the works? Russell doesn’t think so, “Our program is already in place so we would have to actively shut ours down.”

Maine’s governor is Paul LePage, a Republican. Would he bow to the Fed like Gov. Chafee in RI? Again Russell thinks that Maine has a more state’s rights foundation, “He would be hard pressed to cave. If the HHS committee did that it would be a different story.”

Russell added, “The Governor is very supportive on medical marijuana.”

Maine legislators also took an interesting step to protect the privacy of medical cannabis patients: The registry is now on a volunteer basis.  Most cannabis programs are now mandating that patients register and carry a special identification card, something that is not required for pharmaceutical drugs.

New Jersey was the first compassionate use law in America to pass without any provisions to grow at home. NJ patients must access all of their marijuana at one of six Alternative Treatment Centers…after they register and get an ID card. NJ’s law was passed in January 2010 but the actual program is bogged down – not a single patient card has been issued.

Republican Governor Chris Christie, a former US Attorney, has thrown up every hurdle and legal delay he can muster. Make no mistake; in Jersey the big green marijuana buck stops right at Christie. The six ATCs are planning to capitalize at about $300 $200 million.

On April 22, 20011 New Jersey State Attorney General Paul Dow sent a letter to United States Attorney General Eric Holder with some questions about medical marijuana.

Attempts to reach the NJ US Attorney Paul Fishman about any possible reply letter were referred to the press office for the Department of Justice in Washington DC. This is a very interesting move. Fishman may not join the other US Attorneys in their recent rattling of paper sabers. Instead he may be genuine in his expectation for a response from the head office and Attorney General Eric Holder.

There is already intense pressure on DOJ and Holder personally to make some definitive statement on the medical marijuana issue. While Holder seems like he’s in no hurry to talk, Fishman’s response may be a signal that something is coming down the pipe.

Jessica Smith, a spokesperson reached at the Department of Justice said, “We can confirm that the letter [from NJ AG Paul Dow] was received and is under review.”

So what should states do while they wait for DOJ or should they wait at all?

Diane Russell says that Maine is going forward. “I can’t speak for other states but our medical marijuana bill came about through voter referendum. All those Mainers went got out there and went to the polls. They understand that it’s illegal federally too! So they know it’s illegal and when they went to the voting booth they voted for it anyway.”

Russell added with some Maine accent, “We don’t really care where the feds stand.”

The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act of New Jersey also says pretty much the same thing right in the opening paragraphs:

c.     Although federal law currently prohibits the use of marijuana, the laws of Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington and Montana permit the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and in Arizona doctors are permitted to prescribe marijuana.  New Jersey joins this effort for the health and welfare of its citizens2.;

d.    States are not required to enforce federal law or prosecute people for engaging in activities prohibited by federal law; therefore, compliance with this act does not put the State of New Jersey in violation of federal law

Legislators and voters are well aware of the conflict between state and federal law for medical pot. But more important; in New Jersey the law is aware of this fact, putting Dow and Christie on shaky ground. One thing seems very clear – These medical marijuana laws are written and passed for the direct purpose of countering the federal position.

So is there an upside to all of the activity from US Attorneys? Rep. Russell is also working on a full marijuana legalization bill, LD 1453, that would tax recreational cannabis. After initial hearings before the Criminal Justice Committee the bill is still alive. LD 1453 will have to pass both houses then go to voters for approval.

“The one thing that the letter has done is start legislators asking questions,” Russell said today. “And the idea of sending it out for a referendum may actually get it some more votes over here on the hill.”

Maine is not only state on the East Coast with active legislation for fully legal cannabis; A bill was introduced in Massachusetts, HB 1371, to tax and regulate the marijuana market. There are also ballot initiatives in process for 2012 in California, Colorado and Washington.

Based on the sensitivity of the US attorneys regarding the medical cannabis programs, it seems unlikely that they will stay silent about concepts that go even further.

On the ground:

Maine – www.facebook.com/LegalizeMaineFirst

Massachusetts – www.masscann.org

New Jersey – www.cmmnj.org

Questions?  [email protected]

Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. He volunteers with local groups to change prohibition laws including PhillyNORML and The Coalition for Medical Marijuana New Jersey.

Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Sex work and medical marijuana activism share common ground. Both parties understand that their cause is based on a victimless crime, needlessly stigmatized by society. Both parties have been on the wrong side of the law and have witnessed wasted lives and countless dollars in needless arrests. And both movements benefited immensely from Robyn Few, who passed away on September 12, 2012 from a long struggle with cancer.

Robyn Few, a native of Kentucky, USA, ran away from home at age 13 and later became an exotic dancer. After marrying and having a daughter in her twenties, she began to take college courses in the hopes of earning a degree in theater arts. She went to California in 1993 to pursue theater and become an activist. Acting and activism not being the highest paying jobs, Few turned to prostitution to pay the bills in 1996. She has worked tirelessly as an advocate and caregiver for medical marijuana and AIDS patients and has gained quite a reputation in the Bay Area activist community as an effective lobbyist for the issue. In June of 2002, the FBI arrested Few, under the direction of the U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Using the Patriot Act, Ashcroft was able to equate terrorism with prostitution and get additional funding for the very expensive investigation. She was convicted on one federal count of conspiracy to promote prostitution and received six months house arrest, which she finished serving in June 2004. Judge Marilyn Hall Patel allowed Few to continue her activism and volunteer efforts while under house arrest.

Dubbed the “patriotic prostitute,” a campaign centered on the idea that prostitution should be decriminalized to protect women from violence began in October 2003 with The Sex Workers Outreach Project. SWOP is an outgrowth of the anger and frustration that Few feels as a result of her federal bust. “Until prostitutes have equal protection under the law and equal rights as human beings, there is no justice. Until prostitutes are no longer criminals why would they come forward and allow themselves to become targets for law enforcement? Decriminalization is the beginning of the solution; it’s not the solution itself” — says Few.

Robyn Few was the Director of SWOP-USA and co-founder of the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, held on December 17th each year. SWOP helps sex workers and their organizations organize to protect their rights and fight against stigmatization and discrimination. It published media manual, citizen lobbying handbook and decriminalization fact sheets. Its volunteers and staff provide consultation on local, national and international campaigns and organize trainings on topics including lobbying, media, action planning, civil disobedience and strategy.

"Historically, at least in my lifetime certainly, this is bringing cannabis back into pharmacology, in the wake of 70 years of really horrible persecution."

Amidst an era of medical marijuana proponents and educators suffering at the hands of repeated federal and local crackdowns, one woman holds her own. Her name is Liz McDuffie.

Growing up in Louisiana in the 1950s, Liz McDuffie’s only relief from debilitating migraines was pushing her skull against the headboard of her bed to release pressure. As an adult, the headaches continued to plague her, to the point that her only refuge was a dark room and a bag of ice.

Then, one day in 1969, on the advice of a doctor she met while teaching in Germany, she tried hashish. For the first time, she was able to function without the throbbing pain.
As her headaches subsided, they were replaced with an insatiable curiosity about the medicinal properties of cannabis. The deeper McDuffie dug, the more she realized how much the plant was shrouded in misinformation, despite its 3,000-year history.

After teaching for the U.S. Army and the Pasadena Unified School District, earning a postgraduate degree from USC’s School of Public Administration and running the upscale consignment boutique Ritz Resale, McDuffie shifted her focus. In a self-described “holy endeavor,” she dedicated her life to the one thing that had allowed her to reclaim hers.

“It seemed like it was the only road for me to take,” she says in an accent that still carries hints of Southern twang.

The passionate educator’s energy and determination belie her age. At 70, McDuffie’s petite frame is all the more accentuated as she stands where she’s most comfortable — in front of a classroom full of students. Her copper-streaked hair falls softly around her delicate glasses, but her fervor shines through, with eyes that rarely stray and hands that whirl to emphasize her words.

Her creed, at its core, is that “knowledge is power.”

“It all has to do with education,” she says. “That’s really how you change anything.”

Since 2006, McDuffie has been director of the Medical Cannabis Caregivers Directory, or MCC, a nonprofit center where students learn how to grow, use and sell medical marijuana.

Read more at LA Weekly.