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Violent Crime Drops As Concealed Carry Numbers Increase

December 3, 2019, 12:30 am
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 by Cam Edwards
https://bearingarms.com/author/camedwards/
We learned from the FBI this week that violent crime and homicides declined in 2018. Now a new report from the Crime Prevention Research Center shows while crime is down, the number of Americans who possess a concealed carry license is growing. In fact, the number of concealed carry license holders grew by 1.4 million people to 18.66 million, and at this pace, will eclipse 20-million concealed carry holders in 2020. The new report notes that the rise in concealed carry licenses comes even as several more states have become “Constitutional Carry” states, where no license is needed for legal gun owners to lawfully carry.
In thirteen states, more than 10% of adults have permits, down from just fifteen last year. The three states that now fell below 10% are now all Constitutional Carry states – Arkansas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, where people no longer need a permit to carry in their states. South Carolina was the one state that had been below 10% that was now above it.
According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, the state with the largest percentage of concealed carry holders is Alabama, where more than 1-in-4 adults possess the concealed carry license. Nationwide, about 7% of adult Americans have a concealed carry license, and Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Georgia each have more than 1-million concealed carry holders within their borders.
The number of concealed carry holders, as high as it is, would be even larger if states like California, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts didn’t have “may issue” laws that greatly restrict the ability of legal, law-abiding gun owners to obtain a concealed carry license. In fact, this year’s report by the Crime Prevention Research Center contains evidence that LA County may be discriminating against minorities when issuing concealed carry permits.
Hispanics and women had much lower permitting rates than the general population and the rates that those groups obtained concealed handgun permits in places that don’t allow authorities discretion in determining whether people have a justifiable need to carry a gun for protection.
The full report by the CPRC also highlights individuals who’ve been denied a concealed carry license in their “may issue” state, despite having good cause to carry a firearm, including Californians who were denied even after taking out criminal protection orders, or receiving threats. Gun control activists love these discretionary policies that allow issuing authorities to deny people their right to carry for any reason, or for no reason whatsoever, but the evidence is clear that these policies prevent law-abiding Americans from exercising their constitutional right to bear arms.
The entire report is worth a read, and it clearly demonstrates that, despite the continued legislative, legal, and cultural attacks on the 2nd Amendment, the right of self-defense and the right to bear arms is only growing in popularity.
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BABE OF THE DAY

December 4, 2019, 12:30 am
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Iconic biker photographer Pulsating Paula passes

December 5, 2019, 12:00 am
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 Iconic biker photographer Pulsating Paula passes



 New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA (December 4, 2019) — Born in Jersey City, New Jersey on October 17 in 1954, Paula Rearden moved to New Brunswick when she was just 8 years old . Known in the Biker world as Pulsating Paula, her photographs of New Jersey bikers in the 1980's and 1990's seeped with authenticity and fun. Paula once said, “Got married to my first lay in 1973. 10 years later he bought me a camera, a Canon AE1. I still have it."


She started taking photos of biker parties and tattoo events and she sent them into ‘Biker Lifestyle’ magazine who later Paisano publications took over. They came out with ‘Tattoo’ magazine first of it’s kind ever.


Between the Biker and Tattoo magazines she had thousands of photos published. The 10 minute set up of her photography studio consisted of 2 flood lights that burnt the shit out of any poor person in front of them, and a 6×9 foot black cloth she got from Kmart that was tacked onto a wall.  She never considered herself professional, ever. She just loved doing it with every fiber in her body.

In the mid 1980's there was a rumor that Kathy Lee Gifford was having a baby. She tried to apply for her job (she was just joking) Regis read her letter live. When she seen it on TV, she ran and taped it on her Betamax. The first part is cut off. He called her twice after this


She knew the wonderful people she met by name and places she has been in her journey will live on forever in her photographs. many of us are so glad that we were there with you.

Pulsating Paula was on the East Coast documenting bikers from her point of view. What is so compelling about her photography is that her photos bleed honesty, passion and a high level of respect for her subjects.

I’m not sure if she knew she was capturing history, but she did. Thank you Paula for all you have done, Rest In Peace.
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BABE OF THE DAY

December 5, 2019, 12:30 am
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The Money Market Reform Act.

December 5, 2019, 12:30 am
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Your accounts may be at risk with the passing of The Money Market Reform Act. This sneaky law leaves millions of Americans' bank accounts & IRA/401K's exposed.
 
#1: Banks could confiscate accounts including IRA's and 401K's
#2: YOUR hard-earned life savings could be used to bail-out the GREEDY banks
#3: These types of accounts would no longer be FDIC insured
 
Bottom line: How you PREPARE could mean the difference between forfeiting your accounts or protecting them with GOLD - a physical, tangible asset that banks can't touch.
 
Here’s a Free Guide On What You Can Do To Protect Your Savings.
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House Committee Approves Bill Legalizing Marijuana at Federal Level

December 5, 2019, 12:30 am
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By Mandy Froelich / Truth Theory
On Wednesday, November 20, 2019, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that legalizes marijuana on the federal level, effectively removing it from schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act.
The legislation passed 24 to 10, reports CNBC. According to reports, it has a high chance of approval in the House where Democrats control the chamber with 234 seats. The bill will undoubtedly face scrutiny in the Republican-controlled Senate — particularly by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, an outspoken opponent of marijuana legalization.
The legislation allows states to enact their own policies on cannabis, as well as offers incentive to clear criminal records of people with low-level marijuana charges. The bill includes a 5% tax on cannabis products that would provide job training and legal assistance to those most affected by the war on drugs.
Over 100 peer-reviewed studies have concluded that components of the herb, primarily CBD, have the potential to remedy dozens of modern-day afflictions. In addition, the US National Cancer Institute lists cannabis as a potential remedy for cancer on its website. Despite the plethora of evidence that herb has medicinal properties, marijuana arrests account for more than half of all drug arrests in the US, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

On Wednesday, lawmakers repeatedly cited the disproportionate impact drug laws have had on communities of color. By decriminalizing marijuana, they said, the imbalance is somewhat alleviated.
“The criminalization of marijuana has been a mistake,” said Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., during the markup of the bill. “The racial disparity in marijuana enforcement laws only compounded this mistake with serious consequences, particularly for minority communities.”
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), has called the legislation the “biggest marijuana news of the year.” The bill has over 50 co-sponsors, according to Congress.gov. It also has the backing of presidential contender Sen Kamala Harris.
Only 11 states in the US and District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for recreational use. 33 states, on the other hand, have welcomed medical marijuana as prescribed by physicians. This monumental news follows House-passed legislation that would protect banks that serve marijuana businesses in states where the crop is legal.


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The USPS 'Healing PTSD' Stamp Will Raise Money for Veterans

December 5, 2019, 12:30 am
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https://www.military.com/…/usps-healing-ptsd-stamp-will-rai…

3 Dec 2019
Military.com | By James Barber

The United States Postal Service has just issued a "Healing PTSD" semipostal stamp that will raise money to be distributed to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs for the National Center for PTSD.
The First-Class stamps will sell for 65 cents, a ten-cent premium over the standard price. A semipostal stamp is one designed to fund causes in the public interest and in this case that interest is post-traumatic stress. The extra money will be donated to the cause.
The "Healing PTSD" stamp features a photo illustration of a green plant sprouting from ground covered in fallen leaves, symbolizing the PTSD healing process. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp with original art by Mark Laita.
After an unfortunate first-day computer glitch that delayed early sales of the stamps on December 2nd was corrected, the "Healing PTSD" stamps should be available at all post offices nationwide. You can also order them in sheets of twenty directly from the USPS at their website.
The “Healing PTSD” stamp follows two other recently issued military-themed stamps. The Military Working Dogs Forever stamp was issued on August 1, 2019. The four stamp designs feature the four breeds that serve the United States military: the German shepherd, the Belgian Malinois, the Labrador retriever and the Dutch shepherd.
The Purple Heart Forever stamp was issued on October 4, 2019 and displays the medal as a way to further honor the men and women who are wounded or killed in action while in military service.
Both are still available and, since neither is part of a fundraising drive, each sells for the current fifty-five cent First Class rate.
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Feds paid $1 billion in Social Security benefits to individuals without a SSN

December 5, 2019, 10:46 am
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         By Elizabeth Harrington | Washington Free Beacon
The Social Security Administration paid $1 billion in benefits to individuals who did not have a Social Security Number (SSN), according to a new audit.
The agency’s inspector general found errors in the government’s documentation for representative payees, otherwise known as individuals who receive retirement or disability payments on behalf of another person who is incapable of managing the benefits themselves.
The audit released Friday found thousands of cases where there was no SSN on file.
Over the last decade, the agency paid $1 billion to 22,426 representative payees who "did not have an SSN, and SSA had not followed its policy to retain the paper application."
“Furthermore, unless it takes corrective action, we estimate SSA will pay about $182.5 million in benefits, annually, to representative payees who do not have an SSN or paper application supporting their selection,” the inspector general said.
The inspector general also found the agency paid $853.1 million in benefits since 2004 to individuals who had been terminated as representative payees by the agency.
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BABE OF THE DAY

December 6, 2019, 12:30 am
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Medical Cannabis Could Pose $5 Billion a Year Threat to Big Pharma, According to Research

December 6, 2019, 12:30 am
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Medical Cannabis Could Pose $5 Billion a Year Threat to Big Pharma, According to Research

OFF THE WIRE
by Tyler Koslow
 New Frontier Data finds that nationwide medical cannabis legalization would cost the Big Pharma big bucks.

With cannabis legalization slowly spreading across the United States, it’s no secret that certain entities are throwing endless stacks of cash to lobby against the plant. One of the biggest enemies to the marijuana movement is Big Pharma, a multi-billion industry that rakes in big bucks to keep the country medicated and sedated.
Recent findings have helped medical cannabis gain recognition as an increasingly appealing treatment for opioid and benzodiazepine abuse, two highly addictive substances that Big Pharma makes a fortune from. While it’s still relatively unclear exactly how much legal marijuana would impact this massive industry, a new study from New Frontier Data shows why the pharmaceutical sector is so vehemently against going green.
The data analytics company decided to look into what would happen if Americans used medical marijuana instead a prescription pills for nine different illnesses (chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, nerve pain, nausea stemming from chemotherapy, Tourette syndrome, glaucoma, and epilepsy) that are commonly treated with cannabis.
The research found that if pot was federally legalized, Big Pharma could lose out on almost $5 billion per year. In order to reach the estimated number, New Frontier took their findings and contextualized them using a 2016 study from the University of Georgia. This particular analysis showed that the number of drug prescriptions dropped by 11 percent in states where medical marijuana is legal.
After taking this figure and gathering their own data on how much money is spent on prescription drugs to treat the nine specific conditions, the researchers found that medical cannabis could chip away between $4.4 billion to $4.9 billion from Big Pharma’s annual sales.
Still, with the ambiguous rumblings from the Trump administration, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ anti-cannabis rhetoric, and a GOP-controlled Congress, it’s highly unlikely that medical marijuana will become federally legal anytime soon. However, no matter how things play out in the future, you can surely expect the pharmaceutical industry to do everything in their power to keep cannabis away from patients.              
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Route 20 in Fremont dedicated to fallen Vietnam veterans

December 6, 2019, 12:30 am
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Collaborative effort has named Route 20 in Fremont as Vietnam Veterans Killed in Action Memorial Highway
Author: Jonathan Monk
Published: 8:13 PM EST December 4, 2019
Updated: 8:49 PM EST December 4, 2019

FREMONT, Ohio — The stretch of State Route 20 through the city of Fremont has been dedicated to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
On Route 20, just at the edge of the Fremont city limits, a few dozen local veterans gathered to watch a new sign being installed.
It marks the beginning of the Vietnam Veterans Killed in Action Memorial Highway.
Plans to dedicate this stretch of the state route began in May, and was a collaborative effort between the city, Sandusky County and multiple organizations.
"To me it was a no-brainer, to honor our veterans, especially the ones that have come before us," said Jake Allison, executive director of Sandusky County Veterans Office.
In total, 31 men from the Fremont area died while serving in Vietnam.
Their names are now enshrined on a plaque at Flag Park across the street from the Sandusky County Courthouse.
For veterans, the hope is that the plaque, and the highway dedication can honor those who lost their lives serving their country now, after they weren't given their due respect from the public immediately following the war.
"I really think that the Vietnam veterans changed it. With the way we were treated, we made sure that the veterans coming home now aren't treated that way," said Craig Swartz, quartermaster of VFW Post 2947.
Along with the dedication of this stretch of highway for fallen Vietnam veterans, Flag Park in downtown Fremont will be rededicated as Veterans Memorial Park next Memorial Day.
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Colorado City Used $7.3 Million From Marijuana Tax Revenue to Provide for the Homeless

December 6, 2019, 12:30 am
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homeless person the bench colorado helps using marijuana taxes
Not everyone is open to the legalization of marijuana use, recreational or otherwise. While US states have varying degrees of legality (from complete bans to legal medical use to all legal uses), cannabis use and possession is still prohibited by federal law under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

Conversations about whether marijuana use should be legal nationwide are complicated. Why are cannabinoid prescriptions approved by the FDA? Do we know enough about the effects of cannabis to call it safe? What about our kids? What about a history of discrimination? What about people for whom no other treatment works? What about impaired driving?
A number of American states have decided to sort out the big questions through experience. And while opening the door to legal cannabis use, they’ve discovered ways to use it to benefit their communities. Tax revenue from cannabis use diverts dollars from the dealer next door into a larger pot (pun intended), into which millions of people can dip.

Several cities and towns in Colorado, for example, have found creative ways to use marijuana sales tax dollars for good.

Aurora, Colorado Uses Marijuana Taxes to Help the Homeless

Aurora, Colorado rolled out no more than 24 recreational cannabis retail stores since legalization. But a special marijuana sales tax from just those two dozen stores generated over $27 million from 2014 to 2018. The majority of those tax dollars were set aside to provide holistic resources for people without stable housing. 



As of 2018, $7.3 million had already been spent to create services for the homeless, new affordable housing, vehicles for non-profit groups, and a day resource center at Anschutz Medical Campus. (Denver Post)
More recently, the Aurora Central Recreation Center opened its doors at the beginning of summer 2019. It’s the city’s first new recreational center in almost four decades, and it provides a space for community members to access a variety of services. Cooking classes, swimming lessons, meeting room spaces, and fitness equipment are now all available to Aurora residents, thanks to a financial boost from recreational marijuana. (Westword)
Related:‘Doctors Should Educate Themselves.’ Elderly Face Stigma As More of Them Are Relying On Marijuana for Relief

How Colorado’s Cities Spend Their Marijuana Tax Dollars

Sedgwick County built a new community park and converted an old jail into a museum (Denver Post)
Ridgway was able to make much-needed updates to the town’s appearance and infrastructure (Denver Post)
Parachute has invested in community basketball court upgrades, a new boat ramp, and new campgrounds (Denver Post)
Denver has fixed roads that were in poor condition, improved community parks, established opioid abuse intervention programs, and invested in new affordable housing.
“I’ve only thought the revenue should be used for a social good — like affordable housing or homelessness,” said Kendra Black, who chairs a council committee focused on marijuana issues. “Something where the residents of Denver can see that this sin tax is going to fund a community good.” (Denver Post)

Marijuana Sales Taxes Around the World

It’s been almost 1 full year since Canada legalized recreational cannabis possession and use on a federal level. Provincial and territorial governments are responsible for regulating sales, either through online stores or brick-and-mortar locations.
Early figures show a significant boost from marijuana sales taxes. From October of 2018 to March of 2019 alone, provincial and federal governments saw a combined $186 million in tax revenue, in spite of tax rates being fairly low. (Global News)
But Canadian politicians say they are more concerned about keeping citizens away from street drugs rather than making a profit. “My approach is to make sure that the taxation of cannabis is consistent with the goal of keeping cannabis out of the hands of kids and out of the black market,” federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau told the House of Commons. “That means keeping the taxes low so we can actually get rid of the criminals in the system.”
Uruguay, which is currently the only other country that has completely legalized cannabis use, had a similar perspective in 2014. “The principal objective is not tax collection. Everything has to be geared toward undercutting the black market,” said Felix Abadi, who worked to develop the country’s marijuana tax structure. “So we have to make sure the price is low.” (Reuters)

Is cannabis use legal where you live? How would you like to see tax dollars put to good use?
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CALIFORNIA - Orange County Sheriff's Department Kept Evidence Scandal A Secret For Nearly 2 Years

December 6, 2019, 12:30 am
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 Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, pictured in May, said his department was not obligated to inform the district attorney about the audits related to evidence booking. But, he added, they were mentioned in criminal cases referred to the district attorney's office.
MediaNews Group/Orange County Re/MediaNews Group via Getty Images
A law enforcement scandal that could impact thousands of criminal cases in Orange County, Calif., is pitting the region's top attorneys and sheriffs against one another.
The county's public defender's office on Wednesday suggested that top prosecutors covered for law enforcement, helping to keep widespread lapses in evidence booking out of public view. Now, Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders is demanding to know who knew what and when.
An internal investigation conducted two years ago by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the findings of which were not made public at the time, uncovered systematic mishandling of evidence. Deputies are required to turn in evidence at the end of their shift, but the audit found that more than 70% of them failed to do so. Instead, officers frequently waited days, weeks or even months to submit key evidence, including seized drugs, cash, photos and videos pertaining to criminal cases.
According to the report obtained from the Orange County public defender's office by NPR, nearly a third of evidence collected between February 2016 to February 2018, which included more than 98,000 department records, was submitted after the department's mandated end-of-shift deadline. On average, deputies delayed booking evidence for 3 1/2 days. Additionally, 27% of deputies had held on to evidence for 31 days or longer. In some cases, they never submitted any evidence at all, even when they said they had.
The alarming results prompted a second, much smaller audit of a sample group about a year later, in February 2019, according to sheriff's officials. That brought even grimmer news. After extensive research, auditors determined that 47% of the reports that were supposed to include evidence did not.
The auditors concluded that "cultural idleness" within the sheriff's department had led to inconsistent and inaccurate entries into the property evidence system. They also found insufficient booking software and "no system of accountability."
The findings cast doubt on the authenticity of evidence, raise concerns about chain-of-custody rules and could possibly force a reexamination of adjudicated criminal cases. The ramifications could be immense, potentially reversing sentences for people whose convictions relied on tainted evidence.
"The implications are massive," Sanders told NPR.
"If we take their numbers, take them at their word, then by their own account we're in the zone of 9,000 missing pieces of evidence," he said.
Despite the risk to defendants' constitutional rights, the sheriff's department did not share the information with any outside agencies or county departments. It wasn't until Nov. 18, when the Orange County Register was on the brink of publishing a story detailing the audits, that the sheriff's department told county supervisors of their existence.
"Of course, they're going to want to minimize the impact, because the truth is they have no idea how many cases this affects," Sanders said.
Sanders said he learned of the internal audits while working with a source on a different case. It was his request for the report that tipped off reporters, he said.
District Attorney Todd Spitzer told NPR that his office was also kept in the dark about the scope and disturbing results of the audits until a reporter called with questions on the same day. Since then, he said, the sheriff's department has ignored two requests from his office to share the initial report and all information pertaining to cases where evidence was mishandled.
But Sheriff Don Barnes disputes that version of events. He told NPR that Spitzer's office was notified that an audit was in the works as early as 2018. That's when the department identified 15 deputies suspected of wrongdoing and began referring deputies to the district attorney for criminal investigation. Since then, Barnes said, none of those deputies has been charged by Spitzer's office.
"I did not call the DA, nor would I be obligated to call the DA," about the results of the internal investigations, Barnes said, adding that Spitzer's office should have been aware of the audit because it "was referenced in many" of the criminal submissions.
Spitzer finds the claims outrageous.
"There was no indication in any way whatsoever that this was a departmentwide audit and that they were looking at really tens of thousands, almost 100,000, cases," said Spitzer, who was elected to the post in January. The general impression within his office was that the individual cases of wrongdoing, which trickled in over a two-year period, were not part of a larger pattern.
"Never with the disclosure that there was a systematic problem or failure within his department that may have implicated ... many more cases," Spitzer said.
Following the publication of the story by the Register, sheriff's department spokeswoman Carrie Braun issued a statement saying, "immediate measures were taken to ensure personnel were educated on policy and procedure for booking evidence." The department had also implemented a new protocol "requiring supervisors to check that all property and evidence has been booked prior to approving any related reports."
As a result of the audits, four deputies have been dismissed, seven have been disciplined and four internal affairs investigations are ongoing, the sheriff said.
However, on Wednesday, Barnes downplayed the results of the two audits, saying continued investigations into missing evidence show that all but "a few remaining pieces" have "always been in our possession." He insisted that the sheriff's department has had custody of all evidence involved in cases that have already been decided by the courts.
Barnes called Sanders' estimate that 9,000 cases could be impacted "completely embellished and inaccurate."
He says the practice by deputies of first submitting digital evidence — including photos, video and audio recordings — to a crime lab for processing before submitting it to the property and evidence room created the appearance of a delay. "That gap does not mean that evidence was mishandled or treated outside of the law," Barnes said, adding that deputies will no longer be allowed to do that.
Meanwhile, Sanders said it is getting harder to believe that the district attorney's office was oblivious to the internal audits.
"They were referred 15 cases for potential prosecution, so it's not really credible that the sheriff's department was hiding the evidence," he said.
Sanders noted that under Spitzer's predecessor, Tony Rackauckas, there was a history of ignoring questionable behavior within the sheriff's department.
Rackauckas' office was kicked off the largest mass murder case in the county's history in 2015after Sanders discovered that the sheriff's department, under Barnes, had failed to disclose it was misusing jail informants in violation of inmates' rights.
"They're scrambling like mad right now because in reality they never fixed the problem," Sanders said.
Spitzer argues that he and Sanders are both after the same thing: "Our only focus is to determine with certainty how many cases my office may have prosecuted where the evidence was never booked or it was booked in such a fashion that it calls into question the sanctity of that evidence."

He said a meeting with the sheriff's office has been scheduled for next week to dive into the results of the internal audits.
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BABE OF THE DAY

December 7, 2019, 12:30 am
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Americans Bought Enough Guns on Black Friday to Arm the Marine Corps – Yet Again!

December 7, 2019, 12:30 am
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According to the FBI, over 200,000 background check requests associated with the purchase of a firearm were submitted to the agency on Black Friday, marking the second highest gun sales day ever. The previous record was set on the day after Thanksgiving in 2016. In both 2017 and 2016, enough guns were potentially purchased on Black Friday to arm every active duty United States Marine.

USA Today reported that, in total, the FBI states they fielded 202,465 requests during the 24-hour period associated with Black Friday, just under the prior record of 203,086.

The background checks are required for firearms purchases from federally licensed dealers, so the number does not necessarily reflect the actual number of sales that took place.
In some cases, a single background check could be associated with more than one gun purchase if a shopper decided to buy more than one during a single trip. Additionally, not all who apply are ultimately approved, so some applications would not result in a purchase.

In 20 states, individuals with a concealed carry permit are exempt from the background check requirement, based on guidelines set by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), so they could make a purchase without having to send additional information to the FBI, leaving those sales potentially uncaptured by the FBI’s background check application data.

However, if the numbers even somewhat accurately capture the number of firearms sold, Americans purchased enough guns to arm every member of the approximately 182,000 active duty US Marines.

Much of the activity can likely be associated with the numerous sales and rebates gun manufacturers and sellers offered on Black Friday.
These numbers also do not take into account firearms which were purchased online. Those firearms will then be shipped to a license seller in the purchaser’s area and a background check will be done when they pick up the firearm, so those checks could be spread out over the following weeks.
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Bill To Legalize Marijuana Nationwide Passes US House Committee

December 8, 2019, 12:30 am
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By Jack Fink

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM)– The U.S. House Judiciary Committee has passed a bill to legalize marijuana nationwide.
Under the measure, cannabis would be removed from the Controlled Substances Act, making it legal.
In addition, those convicted of violating federal cannabis laws would have their cases expunged.
David Sloane of Fort Worth has been a member of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws since the 1980s. “I’m encouraged by all the baby steps were seeing.”
Sloane said the bill would right a wrong.
“All these people who have been arrested all this time over all these years disproportionately has affected not only people of color but people of lower socioeconomic status,” said Sloane.
The bill would also allow doctors at the Veterans Administration to prescribe medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana (Andrea Lucia – CBS11)
Melissa Caldwell-Engle, a licensed professional counselor, though said she is concerned addiction to marijuana could rise among some people. “I know clinically if you don’t deal with the need for why that person is having to use that, it can grow and cause problems for us systemically, as a community, as a culture.”
She said there needs to be a focus on treatment. “Better mental health and addiction care to understand and recognize that piece. That to me, I think is critical.”
In a recent survey, the Pew Research Center found 67% of Americans say marijuana use should be legal, while 32% oppose legalization, which has dropped from 52% in 2010.
Sloane said the federal bill won’t have any impact on Texas marijuana laws, but that attitudes are changing. “We’re seeing a decline in the severity of punishment and the zeal to prosecute these cases.”
The bill will now go to the full House for a vote, then to the Senate.
If passed, the bill would head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
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Should I delete Tinder? These millennials think so

December 8, 2019, 12:30 am
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More than half a decade since dating apps went mainstream, can millennials who’ve lost patience with digital platforms still find love in the analogue world?
They’ve facilitated billions of dates and helped pave the way for marriage, children and everything in between. It’s old news that dating apps and online platforms are now the most common way for prospective partners to meet in the US and have become popular around the world. But for many of those who’ve tried and failed to find true love through their devices, the novelty is long gone.
“I've met great people that later became friends and had a handful of extended flings, but never a long-term relationship,” says writer Madeleine Dore, a 30-year-old from Melbourne who’s also dated in New York and Copenhagen. She’s used apps including Tinder, Bumble and OkCupid over the last five years and describes the dates she’s been on as ranging from experiences “that feel like a scene in a rom-com” to “absolute disasters”.
Many of her friends have met their partners online, and this knowledge has encouraged her to keep persevering. But, when “conversations unexpectedly fizzle, sparks don’t translate in person [and] dates are cancelled”, she typically ends up disenchanted and temporarily deletes her apps for a couple of months.
It’s a pattern many long-term singles will be familiar with, with other complaints about the app-based dating experience ranging from a lack of matches to too many matches, misleading profiles, safety concerns, racist comments and unwanted explicit content. Not to mention a host of digital behaviours so confusing we’ve had to make up new words for them, from ghosting and catfishing to pigging and orbiting.
While almost half of adults under 35 living in the US and the UK have tried some form of digital dating, and the multibillion-dollar industry increased by 11% in North America between 2014 and the start of 2019, there are growing signs that many would rather not be using these methods. A BBC survey in 2018 found that dating apps are the least preferred way for 16- to 34-year-old Britons to meet someone new.
Bumble screen
In 2018, the BBC found 7% of over 2000 millennials least preferring dating apps as partner-seeking methods, likely due to confusing behaviour and too many choices (Credit: Alamy)
Academics are also paying increased attention to the downsides of digital romance. A study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships in September concluded that compulsive app users can end up feeling lonelier than they did in the first place. Management Science published a study on online dating in 2017 which highlighted the paradox of choice, noting that “increasing the number of potential matches has a positive effect due to larger choice, but also a negative effect due to competition between agents on the same side.”
“You need a lot of swipes to get a match, a lot of matches to get a number, a lot of numbers to get a date and a lot of dates to get a third date,” explains Scott Harvey, editor of Global Dating Insights, the online dating industry’s trade news publication.

You need a lot of swipes to get a match, a lot of matches to get a number, a lot of numbers to get a date and a lot of dates to get a third date – Scott Harvey

“Trying to find a partner in this way is extremely labour-intensive and can be quite exasperating,” he says, adding that those working in the sector are highly aware that many consumers are no longer “completely enamoured” by apps like Tinder and Bumble.
While Julie Beck, a staff writer for The Atlantic, made waves with an article addressing the rise of dating app fatigue three years ago, 2019 stands out as the moment that deeper discussions about the downsides of dating apps and debates about the feasibility of going without them went mainstream. Millennial media from Glamour to Vice truly began shifting their focus, US dating coach Camille Virginia released an advice book called The Offline Dating Method for those seeking to rid themselves of apps, and British broadcaster Verity Geere revealed how she went on a complete detox from sex and relationships after what she describes as eight years as an online “dating junkie” that failed to score her a long-term partner. Meanwhile research analytics firm eMarketer predicted a slowdown in user growth for mainstream online platforms, with more users switching between apps than new people entering the market.
Dating in the wild
Kamila Saramak, 30, a medical doctor living in the Polish capital, Warsaw, is among those who’ve taken the decision to go cold turkey and focus on dating offline.
Several months after splitting up with her partner of two years, she says she was “pretty much playing with Tinder every day,” swiping through profiles each morning and messaging matches while she had her breakfast. But after six months she realised it was impacting on her mental health.
“I was writing to them, I was meeting with them and then they just disappeared,” she says of many of her matches. “I was very lonely at that time…and it made me feel like I was worse than other people.”
Kamila Saramak
Kamila Saramak swiped on Tinder every day for six months, until she realized its exhaustive impact on her mental health (Credit: Kamila Saramak)
For others, deleting the apps has been more about winning time back in their lives for other activities rather than a reaction to painful experiences.
“Most of the time, the girls didn't look like the pictures...and the conversation was unfortunately, most of the time absolutely uninteresting,” says Leo Pierrard, 28, a French journalist living in Berlin. He stopped using dating apps for 18 months, before meeting his current partner on a trip to Paris.
“I think, definitely people are getting tired of it,” agrees Linda Jonsson, a 27-year-old gym instructor from Stockholm. She says she used Tinder for two years and had a nine-month relationship with one person she met on the app, but deleted it for the foreseeable future earlier this year and remains single.
In her friendship circle, “good first dates” that don’t lead to anything more serious are the most frequent irritation, which can, she says, feel like a waste of effort.
“It was really fine for a couple of years just to try it out and see what happens. But more and more of my friends are actually just deleting them and going out the old-fashioned way just to find people.”
Meanwhile meeting an unattached millennial who has never used a dating app is like searching for a needle in a haystack, but they do exist.
Linda Jonsson
A good first date leading to nothing serious is a waste of time, says Linda Jonsson, who is now opting for more traditional ways of meeting people (Credit: Linda Jonsson)
Matt Franzetti, 30, who is originally from Milan and works for a non-profit organisation in Transylvania, Romania, says he is put off by the idea of having to sell himself using photos and pithy profile texts.

You have to be very good about describing yourself to look very interesting – Matt Franzetti

“You have to be very good about describing yourself to look very interesting,” he argues.
He has met some women after having “deeper conversations” at parties or through blogging about his interests, which include rock music and art, but his dating history is limited and he is “usually single”.
Against the odds?
So what is the likelihood of finding a long-term partner in the analogue world, especially for a cohort that has grown up glued to smartphones and with far more limited traditional interactions with strangers compared to previous generations? We shop online, order transportation and food online and chat with friends online. Do most of us even know how to approach people we fancy in public these days?
Matt Lundquist, a relationship therapist based in New York says that many of his single patients have grown so used to meeting hookups or partners online that they end up ignoring potential matches elsewhere.
“When people are going out, going to a party, to a bar, often they are actually not at all thinking about dating,” he says. This means that even if they end up having an interesting conversation with someone they would have swiped right on “it’s just not where their brain is”.
“The clarity of a match online has perhaps made us more timid in real life meetings,” agrees Melbourne-based singleton Madeleine Dore. “Without a ‘swipe yes’ or ‘swipe no’ function, we risk putting our feelings out there to be rejected in full view. Better to open the app and endlessly swipe, blissfully unaware of who swiped you away.”
Matt Franzetti
Put off by the idea of crafting and selling one’s identity online, Matt Franzetti has never used a dating app (Credit: Matt Franzetti)
Ambivalence to relationships
Lundquist reflects that the rise of app-based dating coincided with a decline in social spaces in which people used to find potential sexual partners and dates. Gay bars are closing at a rapid rate in around the world, including in London, Stockholm and the across the US. Half of the UK’s nightclubs shut their doors between 2005 and 2015 according to research for the BBC’s Newsbeat programme.
The current climate around sexual harassment in the workplace in the wake of the #MeToo movement may even be putting off colleagues from embarking on traditional office romances. Some studies suggest fewer workers are dating one another compared to a decade ago and a greater tendency for employees to feel uncomfortable with the idea of colleagues having a workplace relationship.

The current climate around sexual harassment in the workplace in the wake of the #MeToo movement may even be putting off colleagues from embarking on traditional office romances.

For Lundquist, anyone refusing to use dating apps is therefore “dramatically reducing” their odds of meeting someone, since they remain the most normalised way to meet people. “I think that apps are complicated and suck in lots of very legitimate ways. But that's what's happening. That is where people are dating.”
He argues that meeting romantic partners has always been challenging and that it’s important to remember that online platforms first came on the market as a way to help those who were struggling. For many of his patients, the decision to turn off dating platforms, blame them for a lack of dating success, or conversely use them too frequently, can therefore often reflect a more general ambivalence to relationships based on human behaviours and feelings that have actually “been around for millennia”. These might range from previous relationship traumas triggered by former partners or during childhood, to body hang-ups or conflicts around sexual identity, monogamy and confidence.
#MeToo protests
In a 2018 survey by careers consultancy Vault, one in four workers said the #MeToo movement had made them view workplace relationships as less acceptable (Credit: Alamy)
He advises those who are committed to dating, to improve the process of using apps by making it “more social”, for example sharing profiles with friends, brainstorming ideas about where to go on dates and deciding when to have conversations about exclusivity.
“One of the paths to which people find their way to misery in this domain is that they are doing it in a much too isolated way,” says Lundquist. The process will, however, take time and dedication, he argues, suggesting that “if you’re not engaged daily, the odds of it working I think are close to zero.”
Damona Hoffman, an LA-based dating coach and host of the Dates & Mates podcast agrees that a dating app is “the most powerful tool in your dating tool box” but is more optimistic about analogue options.
“I completely disagree with the feeling that if you're not online, you don't have a prayer of meeting someone today. But I do think dating today requires a level of intention that I see a lot of millennials lacking,” she argues.

I do think dating today requires a level of intention that I see a lot of millennials lacking – Damona Hoffman

Her tips include dedicating around five hours a week to chat to potential matches or meet people in real life, being more conscious about the kind of person you are looking for, and actively searching for relevant spaces where you can approach potential dates directly.
“If you're looking for someone that has a professional career, you might want to go downtown at happy hour and make sure that you're talking to people that work in those office buildings, or if you're looking for someone who has a big heart, you go to charity events and places where you're going to meet people who make philanthropy a part of their lifestyle.”
For those with significant money to spare, hiring a dating coach is another option she recommends (her services cost a minimum of $1,000 a month) or even paying for matchmaking services. This seemingly outdated concept is enjoying a resurgence among wealthy, time-poor professionals in some US cities, while Sweden’s first personal matchmaking agency launched just three years ago and has a growing client base across Europe.
Damona Hoffman
Damona Hoffman argues that dating requires a certain degree of dedication and intention that many millennials are lacking (Credit: Damona Hoffman)
However, Hoffman sympathises with the feeling of dating fatigue and says that anyone who feels at the point of burnout should take a short break, “because then you're bringing the wrong energy into dating”.
What’s next for dating?
When it comes to the future of dating, Scott Harvey, editor of Global Dating Insights, says that artificial intelligence and video are the “two main talking points in the industry” right now.
Facebook’s new dating product, an opt-in feature of the main Facebook app, which has launched in the US and 20 other countries and is scheduled to go live in Europe next year, includes the option for users to share video or photo based Stories from their main feeds to potential dates, cutting down on the effort of creating curated content for separate dating platforms. Since Facebook already knows so much about us, it will, Harvey argues, end up with an “unparalleled insight” into which kinds of matches end in relationships, marriage or divorce, which can be used to inform future matching algorithms.
In terms of video, he says dating app companies also want to test “whether people can get a feel for in-person chemistry by chatting face-to-face” using video chat functions and “whether people will actually go to the trouble of having short video dates on a Sunday afternoon or Tuesday evening” as a way of avoiding lacklustre real life encounters.
Meanwhile industry analysts and coaches including both Scott Harvey and Damona Hoffman also point to a resurgence in offline singles events on both sides of the Atlantic, whether run by larger online dating companies seeking to find new ways of connecting existing pools of singles who are tired of swiping, or newer players looking to capitalise on current debates about the challenges of dating in today’s digital era.
“We saw this huge demand for authentic connection and genuine meetings and how difficult it is to create this on your own,” says Philip Jonzon Jarl, co-founder of Relate, a Scandinavian dating and relationships start-up which organises singles parties, matching guests with a handful of attendees based on their values.
Relate meeting
Relate, a Scandinavian dating and relationships start-up, arranges singles parties to foster deeper connections and personal growth (Credit: Relate)
They still need an app for the process, but Jonzon Jarl views it as “a tool for a deeper conversation” that is typically lacking at speed-dating events or mingles for singles. His longer-term vision is for “dating meets personal development”, with couples who connect via the platform able to unlock tips and tools to aid them as their relationship develops, in part, to help them avoid the temptation to jump too quickly back into the online dating pool if things don’t immediately run smoothly.
Therapist Matt Lundquist is sceptical about how much of an impact new methods like these will have and suggests that it would be “rather remarkable” if someone created a silver bullet to dispense with the “challenging” behaviours that have become routinised in modern day dating, such as ghosting and a lack of transparency.
However he believes it’s a positive step that some singles event organisers are at least trying to make our experience of forming new relationships “less routine and anonymous” and attempting to create more “opportunities for a real connection” between people.
“I think the world needs that really badly, not just the realm of dating.”
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December 8, 2019, 12:30 am
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Marijuana legalization is already making Mexican drug cartels poorer

December 9, 2019, 12:30 am
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OFF THE WIRE
By German Lopez



We're still not sure of the full impact of marijuana legalization, in terms of pot use and abuse, in the states that have legalized. But a report from Deborah Bonello for the Los Angeles Times shows one way that legalization for recreational and medical purposes is working:
The loosening of marijuana laws across much of the United States has increased competition from growers north of the border, apparently enough to drive down prices paid to Mexican farmers. Small-scale growers here in the state of Sinaloa, one of the country's biggest production areas, said that over the last four years the amount they receive per kilogram has fallen from $100 to $30.
The price decline appears to have led to reduced marijuana production in Mexico and a drop in trafficking to the U.S., according to officials on both sides of the border and available data.
As Bonello reports, the drop in price — and competition from higher-quality US-made marijuana — is hitting drug cartels, too. So now they have to look to other opportunities, or look for ways to deal in high-quality cannabis, to make up for lost profits, or just accept the hit in their finances.
This was a predictable outcome of legalization, but still a big deal and welcome news. One of the major arguments for legal pot is that it will weaken drug cartels, cutting off a major source of revenue and inhibiting their ability to carry out violent acts — from mass murders to beheadings to extortion — around the world. And cannabis used to make up a significant chunk of cartels' drug export revenue: as much as 20 to 30 percent, according to previous estimates from the Mexican Institute of Competitiveness (2012) and the RAND Corporation (2010).
Will this be enough to completely eliminate drug cartels? Certainly not. These groups deal in far more than pot, including extortion and other drugs like cocaine and heroin.
Still, it will hurt. As the numbers above suggest, marijuana used to be a big source of drug cartels' revenue, and that's slowly but surely going away. It's still possible that legalization in America could produce downsides in the US, such as more cannabis abuse. But it's a potentially huge win for Mexico and other Latin American countries.

The big argument for drug legalization is reducing drug cartels' power around the world

What if I told you that the US could sacrifice tens of thousands of American lives to potentially save a few thousand lives in Canada and other developed nations? Would it seem like a good trade-off to you?
Most Americans, I'd guess, would not accept this trade-off. But that's what developed countries, including the US, essentially expect from Mexico and other developing countries embroiled in drug violence as a result of the war on drugs. In a 2014 paper, economists Daniel Mejia and Pascual Restrepo explained:
Suppose for a moment that all cocaine consumption in the US disappears and goes to Canada. Would the US authorities be willing to confront drug trafficking networks at the cost of seeing the homicide rate in cities such as Seattle go up from its current level of about five homicides per 100,000 individuals to a level close to 150 in order to prevent cocaine shipments from reaching Vancouver? If your answer to this question is 'perhaps not,' well… this is exactly what Colombia, Mexico and other Latin American countries have been doing over the last 20 years: implementing supply-reduction policies so that drugs don't reach consumer countries at the cost of very pronounced cycles of violence and political corruption, with the consequent losses of legitimacy of state institutions.
The way the drug war works is that developing nations, such as Colombia and Mexico, act as manufacturing and transshipment countries for drugs, while the US and other wealthy countries make up the great majority of demand for these illicit substances. So criminal groups will produce cocaine in Colombia and ship it to Mexico, and the drug is smuggled into the US from there.
It's not that Colombians or Mexicans don't use drugs, but demand in the US — where people are wealthier and can thus better afford an expensive drug habit — is much higher. This is obvious in national drug surveys: They show that about 1.5 percent of Mexicans ages 12 to 65 in 2011 used illicit drugs in the previous year, while about 8.7 percent of all Americans 12 and older in the previous month did in 2011. (The age and timespan differences are due to differing methodologies in national surveys, but they nonetheless show that way more Americans than Mexicans use drugs.)
In theory, the Mexican government and those in other developing nations should be able to stop drug violence within their borders, and crack down on drug trafficking groups to suppress crime just as well as the US and other developed nations have. The problem is Mexico and other developing countries don't have the incredibly powerful political, economic, and criminal justice institutions that developed nations have. So drug trafficking organizations can exploit these weaknesses, build up huge operations, and effectively wage war within developing countries.
RelatedHow one renegade country could unravel America's war on drugs
What's worse, the drug war makes it harder for developing countries to build up these institutions. For one, the threat of violence is generally destructive and makes it tough for any of these countries to see the kind of meaningful economic growth that is necessary to build up any institutions. But the drug war also gives drug trafficking groups enormous profits — through the black market of prohibited drugs — allowing them to bribe, extort, blackmail, and finance a war against any government entity that poses a threat.
Developed countries have tried to alleviate all of these issues by helping developing countries finance their own war on drugs, such as the US-funded Merida Initiative for Mexico. But these measures either fail to suppress violence — as shown by Mexico's war on drugs, in which as many as 80,000 people have died — or shift violence to other countries that aren't getting as much support, as happened when drug trafficking operations moved from Colombia to Mexico and Central America after the US government helped Colombia crack down on drugs in the 1990s and 2000s.
The final result: a never-ending cycle of a violent trade-off that most Americans would consider unacceptable within our own borders. Legalizing pot — and perhaps other drugs— might help cut into that cycle, as the Los Angeles Times report shows.

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BABE OF THE DAY

December 9, 2019, 12:30 am
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