Monthly News & Updates

 

June 2024| Issue 34

Welcome to the Every Brain Matters monthly newsletter. We are a non-profit community developed by families negatively impacted by industrialized marijuana. We are a trusted educational resource driven by science and lived experience.

*The words marijuana and cannabis are being used interchangeably in this newsletter.

Call To Action!

What Can YOU Do About Marijuana Rescheduling?

On May 21, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Justice published a Proposed Rule Change that would move cannabis from a Schedule I classification to Schedule III. This would change the legal definition of marijuana from a drug that has a high potential for abuse and no medical value to that of a less harmful controlled substance with accepted medical uses.


At Every Brain Matters, our position is that this proposal is a serious misstep driven by political pressure and special interest lobbying. Mountains of scientific evidence clearly show that marijuana is a dangerously addictive drug that causes significant harm to individuals, families, and society.


As for marijuana’s status as a safe and effective medication, the evidence is extremely underwhelming at best and blatantly misleading at worst. In fact, numerous studies have concluded that using marijuana may worsen the very conditions they are supposed to treat.


Even in cases where the evidence suggests some benefit, here’s the thing – the same benefits can be seen through other available FDA-approved medications. In other words, rescheduling only benefits the Big Cannabis, the industrialized marijuana industry.


You Can Still Make a Difference

To be clear, rescheduling does not immediately legalize marijuana, but it does pave the way. But there is still something you can do.


The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) are inviting comments from the public until July 22, 2024. This is your opportunity to make your voice heard and protect America. If enough of us join together in a united effort, they cannot ignore us. Comments can be submitted either by mail or electronically.


Regular/Express Mail should be sent to:

Drug Enforcement Administration

ATTN: DEA Federal Register Representative/DPW

8701 Morrissette Drive

Springfield, Virginia 22152


Electronic Comments should be sent to:

https://www.regulations.gov


Follow the online instructions for submitting comments, and when you are finished, you will be given a Comment Tracking Number indicating that your submission was successfully received. You may attach supporting documents for lengthy comments or to include data or evidence. You can also view comments left by others.


Whether you submit your comments by mail or electronically, include the reference “Docket No. DEA-1362” on all correspondence and attachments. Again, the deadline for all submissions is 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time, July 22, 2024.

Interested persons may also request a hearing. The deadline for this option is much earlier – requests must be received on or before June 20, 2024.


We Must Counter the false narrative pushed by pro-marijuana special interests to protect our communities and families!


To learn more, by attending the following webinars.

 

Spotlight Article

Let's focus on what science tells us about the connection between marijuana and some of the most common mental illnesses.

 

The Voices of Marijuana Harms

The Voices of Marijuana’s Harms provides a platform to get your voices heard! Whether it’s your child, spouse, parent, family member, or friend, please share stories to expose the human costs of marijuana legalization. This vital information corrects the false narratives spread by the marijuana industry.

Learn more from our stories and memorials.

 

Hope For Recovery

We provide family recovery resources, including support meetings, to help prevent, manage, or recover from a loved one’s harmful cannabis use.

 

Advocacy In Action

This is the last opportunity to help New Hamshire. Please share this link with your friends and family who live there!

Close the loophole in the Farm Bill and get Delta-8 and other THC variants out of our communities!

A Class Action Lawsuit against the marijuana industry is close to being filed in Colorado.


We are looking for more lead plaintiffs who meet the following criteria: Been diagnosed within the last two years with cannabis use disorder, cannabis-induced psychosis, or cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome caused by any THC-containing (non-CBD) cannabis product purchased at a legal Colorado retail dispensary, with no previous history of mental illness (or digestive issues) and is no longer using cannabis products of any kind (including CBD).


For more information, please get in touch with Aubree Adams at aubree@everybrainmatters.org or Aaron Cress at aaron@latenightlaw.com.

Parent Action Network (PAN), an initiative of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), is focused on training parents and families to effectively tell their stories to enact change. Through leading experts in grassroots advocacy, news and media, and legislative strategy, we provide the tools and training you need to tell your story to any audience.


Our parents are bringing awareness to the negative impact marijuana legalization has had on families by sharing their stories with their state and federal lawmakers and sharing their stories in national news outlets like Fox News and The Wall Street Journal and state outlets like the Billings Gazette and the Grand Forks Herald.

We want to hear from you! Please participate in our Parent Action Network Interest Survey so that we can learn more about you, what you know about marijuana legalization, what you want to learn more about, and the skills you want to learn to better advocate for change.



Because of parent and family voices, more decision-makers are aware of marijuana's harmful effects on public health and safety. If you are interested in becoming a PAN advocate, sign up on our webpage or contact us at pan@learnaboutsam.org.

Moment of Science

2024 May 07 - Brain imaging study shows how THC in cannabis disrupts brain activity and may cause cognitive impairment

Moment of Silence

June Marijuana-related impaired-driving deaths:

June 2, 2014 - Robert Kammeraad, 69,

and Susan Kammeraad, 68. Michigan

June 2, 2018 - Briyson Councell,

7. Indiana.

June 5, 2020 - Michael Hall, 48.

Indiana

June 10, 2015 - Shane Ormiston, 18,

Gabriel Anderson, 15. Washington.

June 13, 2017 - Ed Switalski,

56. Michigan.

June 13, 2021 - Kelvin Clark. Illinois.

June 17, 2011 - John Parrett, 26, Inara

Parrett, 16 months, Kim Gregorich, 51.

Illinois.

June 21, 2016 - Mark Wendling, 53,

and Janice Wendling, 52. Illinois.

June 21, 2020 - Caleb White, 26.

Illinois.

June 23, 2017 - Carla Reiffer, 40.

Michigan.

Visit our memorial page here. 

June 26, 2009 - Erin Schuler (2), Emma

Hance (8), Allison Hance (7), Katie

Hance (5), Guy Bastardi (49), Michael

Bastardi (81), Daniel Longo (74), Diane

Schuler (36). New York.

June 26, 2014 - Michael Hoskinson,

17, Cheyenne Spurgeon,15, Linzie Bell,

15. Ohio.

June 30, 2011 - William Bricker, Jr.,

Ohio.

June 29, 2017 - Alexis Danley,

27 (pregnant). Illinois.

June 26, 2018 - Maria DeJesus Ayala


June Remembrance:

June 5, 2015 - Charles Aubrey Rogers


June Heavenly Birthdays:

June 17, 1998 - Catherine Mayberry

June 10, 2001 - Jacob Brain Gorman

June 27, 1999 - Joshua Jimenez

To memorialize and honor your loved one, please click this link.
 
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