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What’s the biggest party animal you can think of? Dolphins with their pufferfish huffing habits? Sex-crazed Bonobo monkeys? Your cousin Jeff with his allegedly “wild” weekends he keeps droning on about?<br /><br />While all of these may be correct answers in their own ways, the latest addition to the party is a creature that has already struck fear in the hearts of many, even before it hopped up on hard drugs: <keyword id="19908382" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sharks" source="keywords">sharks</keyword>.<br /><br />In a revelation that seems like a Sharknado side plot, a team of <keyword id="21483069" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="marine-biologists" source="keywords">marine biologists</keyword> have found significant levels of cocaine in the systems of Brazilian Sharpnose sharks off the coast of <keyword id="19908342" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rio" source="keywords">Rio</keyword> de Janeiro. Yes, we’re talking about the same stuff that made Pablo Escobar rich.<br /><br />The research team, representing several Brazilian institutions, procured 13 Brazilian Sharpnose sharks from local fishermen for their study. Once in the lab, these shallow-dwelling small sharks were dissected, and muscle and liver samples were meticulously analysed using tandem mass spectrometry. The results were shocking: cocaine concentrations in these sharks were approximately 100 times higher than any previously recorded in marine animals.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111967497" title="An ultra-swimmer tried to eat as much as a tiger shark and ended up consuming 40,000 calories in a day" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The journey of cocaine from human consumption to the depths of the <keyword id="20167032" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ocean" source="keywords">ocean</keyword> is an intricate and troubling tale. Prior studies have indicated that cocaine often finds its way into the ocean through a combination of wastewater, drainage from illicit laboratories, and packages discarded by traffickers evading law enforcement. Yet, the persistence of cocaine in the marine <keyword id="19939494" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="environment" source="keywords">environment</keyword> and its impact on <keyword id="19908071" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="marine-life" source="keywords">marine life</keyword> has remained largely unexplored. Now that it is affecting some of the ocean’s apex species, there will hopefully be more research into the matter.<br /><h2>How does it affect the sharks?</h2>While the discovery of cocaine in shark tissues is intriguing, it raises more questions than it answers. Does it make them more aggressive, like we see in humans? Could it disrupt their reproductive systems, as seen with other toxins in shark livers? Only more research will tell.<br /><br />Previous studies have shown that cocaine can damage the DNA of mollusks, another significant component of the marine ecosystem. The potential ramifications of such damage cascading through the food web are alarming, highlighting the urgent need for deeper investigation. Notably, “Cocaine Sharks” was covered by Discovery Channel’s Shark Week show after some scientists found <a href="https://weather.com/en-IN/india/science/news/2023-07-21-floridas-cocaine-sharks-might-be-consuming-drugs">hammerhead sharks acting highly unusually </a>in Florida.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111502518" title="Single shark injures 4 different people on the same day" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Understanding how this potent drug enters the ocean is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies. The researchers emphasise the need for concerted efforts to identify and mitigate these sources to protect marine life from the unintended consequences of human activities.<br /><br />In the meantime, the idea of "cocaine sharks" might seem like a quirky headline, but it represents a serious and complex challenge that requires our immediate attention.<br /><br />The findings of this research have been published in <em>Science of the Total Environment </em>and can be accessed <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174798">here</a>.<br /><br />

Udta Machhli: Cocaine-infused sharks have been found infesting Rio’s waters in Brazil!

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A railway worker was dismissed after he tested positive for cocaine in a routine drug test. </li><li>He had been drinking a herbal tea he bought from a market, which he later found contained cocaine.</li></ul><p>A British railway worker fired for a positive drug test was unfairly dismissed, a tribunal ruled, after he argued that he had drunk herbal tea infused with cocaine. </p><p>Paul Glenholmes, a safety technician for Network Rail since July 2014, was dismissed in 2020 after a routine drug test found traces of cocaine in his system, according to claims brought by Glenholmes to the <a target="_blank" href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/654e262d6a650f000dbf47e3/Mr_P_Glenholmes_v_Network_Rail_Infrastructure_Limited_2602425.2022_Judgement.pdf"><u>Midlands East Tribunal</u></a>. </p><p>Glenholmes had been prescribed medication for a disability which caused him indigestion, and he was taking an over the counter medicine to resolve the issue. On September 6, 2020, he bought Inca Tea at a market which didn't list any of the ingredients. According to the tribunal, he said it immediately worked to relieve his indigestion. </p><p>Inca Tea, also known as mate tea or coca tea, is a South American herbal tea, which contains the same active ingredient as cocaine. Glenholmes continued to take the product from that point forward, and claimed not to be aware of what was in it. </p><p>On 24 September, he had to take a standard drug and alcohol screening test, after being given eight weeks notice. The results showed that Glenholmes tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine found in urine.</p><p>He was then suspended on September 30 after which an investigation commenced. </p><p>Glenholmes provided a personal statement for the investigation in which he said he believed the failed test was due to his ingestion of "Inca Tea" which didn't have an ingredients list. After researching the product, he told the tribunal that he came to realize it contained cocaine.</p><p>"Having the information and research which I now know, I would not have in good conscience bought the product or consumed it," he said in the statement. </p><p>Glenholmes was then unable to attend a disciplinary hearing on November 20, 2020 with Network Rail citing "stress at work," and ill-health. He also said there was a lack of "due diligence," by managers during the investigation. </p><p>The tribunal judge ruled that the procedural errors during the investigation meant the dismissal was unfair, but that Glenholmes would not receive any compensation because he was "wholly blameworthy" for the incident. </p><p>"I am in no doubt that the claimant was entirely to blame for his dismissal. He deliberately drank tea from South America without knowing, and not researching prior to drinking it, what it contained. He further failed to consider finding out what it contained notwithstanding that it was at least as effective as the over the counter medication he had replaced with the tea."</p><p>Business Insider reached out to the Midland East Tribunal and Network Rail for comment but did not immediately hear back.</p>

A railway worker was unfairly fired after accidentally drinking tea with cocaine in it, but won't get any compensation, a tribunal ruled 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The New York Times reported that Nicole Shanahan took ketamine with Elon Musk in 2021 and later said they had sex.</li><li>Shanahan, a lawyer who's Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate, was married to Sergey Brin at the time.</li></ul><p>The New York Times reported that <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-nicole-shanahan">Nicole Shanahan</a> took ketamine with Elon Musk at a private party in 2021 and later told her husband at the time, the Google cofounder Sergey Brin, that she had sex with the Tesla CEO.</p><p>The Times published the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/22/technology/nicole-shanahan-rfk-jr-vp.html">article about Shanahan</a>, a lawyer campaigning as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate for the 2024 presidential election, on Wednesday, citing multiple sources.</p><p>The report discusses details of her relationship with Brin, whom she married in 2018 before the pair finalized their divorce in May 2023, and sheds new light on a past allegation that she had an affair with Musk in 2021, which both Shanahan and Musk have denied.</p><p>During Shanahan's marriage to Brin, she partied with Silicon Valley's upper echelon and used recreational drugs, including taking ketamine and cocaine, the Times reported, citing eight sources as well as documents the publication viewed. <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-ketamine-use-security-clearance-2023-7">Ketamine</a> is a "dissociative anesthetic" that can have some hallucinogenic effects, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Ketamine can be legally prescribed under federal law and recent research indicates it could be used to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ketamine-therapy-depression-treatment-addictive-drug-clinics-2023-1">treat depression</a>, but it's also a popular party drug.</p><div type="image" title="Nicole Shanahan and Sergey Brin." height="4528" width="6792" msid="110343310" hostid="261"></div><p>Sources told the Times that Shanahan and Brin were affected by stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and their daughter's autism diagnosis. Shanahan started to go out and attend events without Brin, the Times reported.</p><p>The outlet said documents showed that "at a party in early 2021 in Miami, Ms. Shanahan was so intoxicated by drugs and alcohol that she required an IV infusion."</p><p>Three sources told the Times that Shanahan and Musk had a sexual encounter in December 2021 during a private party in Miami. They both took ketamine and "disappeared together for several hours," the Times reported, citing related documents and four people who'd been briefed on the matter.</p><p>Musk said in March that he was taking a <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-don-lemon-small-amount-ketamine-every-other-week-2024-3">"small amount" of ketamine</a> every other week and that he had a prescription.</p><p>Three sources told the Times that Shanahan later informed Brin she had had sex with Musk, with the outlet reporting that "she also relayed the details to friends, family and advisers."</p><div type="image" title="Elon Musk." height="2000" width="3000" msid="110343311" hostid="261"></div><p><a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-sergey-brin-divorced-wife-accused-affair-with-elon-musk-2023-9">Brin filed for divorce</a> from Shanahan one month later, in January 2022, citing "irreconcilable differences."</p><p>Representatives for Shanahan, Musk, and Brin didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider ahead of publication.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-affair-sergey-brin-wife-divorce-11658674840">The Wall Street Journal</a> first reported in July 2022 that an "alleged affair" between Shanahan and Musk had created a rift between the <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-sergey-brin-friends-years-alleged-affair-2022-7">Tesla CEO and Brin</a>, whom many considered to have a close and amicable friendship.</p><p><a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-denies-affair-with-google-founder-sergey-brin-wife-2022-7">Musk denied the affair with Shanahan</a> that July, saying in an <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1551386634741895170?s=20&amp;t=Mln2R9vtCT2o6hZApJOEPg">X post</a> that the Journal report was "total bs." At the time, <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-grimes-break-up-after-three-years-dating-nypost-2021-9">Musk's relationship with the singer Grimes</a>, with whom he shares three children, had ended.</p><p>"This is total bs. Sergey and I are friends and were at a party together last night!" Musk wrote. "I've only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic."</p><p>He added in <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1551389048572301312?s=20&amp;t=Mln2R9vtCT2o6hZApJOEPg">another post</a>: "Haven't even had sex in ages (sigh)."</p><p>Musk also posted a photo of himself with Brin, which he said had been taken at the party the previous day. (His biographer Walter Isaacson later said that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-sergey-brin-elon-musk-selfie-dodge-wife-affair-report-2023-9">Brin had "tried to avoid" the selfie)</a>.</p><p>"We are confident in our sourcing, and we stand by our reporting," the Journal said in a statement at the time.</p><p>Shanahan also denied any affair, telling <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://people.com/nicole-shanahan-moving-on-1-year-after-elon-musk-sergey-brin-story-exclusive-7556751">People</a> that the speculation was "utterly debilitating."</p><p>"To be known because of a sexual act is one of the most humiliating things," she told the outlet, adding, "I remember feeling like everything I had ever worked for was under siege by a press cycle that had no idea what was going on in my life and who I was."</p><p>In response to questions from a Times reporter, Shanahan wrote, <span>"I'm shocked the NYT is letting you run something like this."</span></p><p><em>Correction: May 23, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated what Elon Musk said in March about his ketamine use. He said he was taking it every other week, not weekly.</em></p>

New York Times publishes fresh details on the alleged affair that Elon Musk and Nicole Shanahan both deny

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Matthew Perry died from the "acute effects" of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic. </li><li>The drug also has lifesaving potential as a treatment for depression.</li></ul><p>When Charles Patti read that ketamine had been a major factor in the "Friends" star Matthew Perry's death, his heart sank.</p><p>"Oh, boy, this headline is not positive for the movement," he thought.</p><p>Patti is the chief brand officer at a Florida-based chain of ketamine clinics. Like many in the industry, he sees ketamine as a wonder drug with the potential to save the lives of patients with treatment-resistant depression. </p><p>Yet following Perry's death, rhetoric has focused, understandably, on ketamine's dangers. According to an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/matthew-perry-death-cause-revealed-accidental-drowning-ketamine-2023-12"><u>autopsy report</u></a> from the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office, 54-year-old Perry, who was found unresponsive in the "heated end of his pool" on October 28, died from the "acute effects" of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic increasingly prescribed for depression and anxiety. Contributing factors to his death were listed as drowning, coronary artery disease, and a drug called buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid addiction.  </p><p>Multiple researchers told Business Insider that labeling ketamine as the sole cause of Perry's death is misleading. Still, news outlets and pundits leaped at the bait. "Matthew Perry's ketamine overdose should be a lesson in expanded use of the dangerous drug," declared The New York Post. "There is no evidence ketamine benefits mental health beyond placebo effects and the drug-induced high," Joanna Moncrieff, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/ssri-right-wing-attack-joanna-moncrieff-1388067/"><u>controversial British psychiatrist</u></a> and psychiatric-drug skeptic, posted to her 24,000 followers on X.</p><p>"We are about to see the most unhinged misinformation news cycle about ketamine and I am already so exhausted," posted Dr. Ryan Marino, who specializes in addiction treatment and often uses his X account to call out drug disinformation.</p><p>Celebrity deaths can have an outsize impact on policy. Marilyn Monroe's overdose death in 1962 drew attention to the dangers of barbiturates. David Herzberg, a drug historian at the University of Buffalo, said her death contributed to the first significant legal restraints on the sale of stimulants and sedatives a few years later. In 1986, the death of the college basketball star Len Bias due to a cocaine overdose pushed Congress to pass the draconian and racist Anti-Drug Abuse Act. </p><p>Black-and-white thinking has long informed the discourse on drugs in this country: from the War on Drugs, which disproportionately targeted people of color in its quest to demonize psychoactive drugs, to the opioid crisis, in which reckless pharmaceutical marketing spun an addictive substance as a harmless cure-all. This is why, when it comes to ketamine, it's important to keep nuance in conversation. </p><p>"These are truly amazing treatments, but they have real inherent risk," said Dr. Gerard Sanacora, a leading ketamine researcher and professor at Yale. Moments like this one force us to "take a big step back and talk about what we know and what we don't."</p><p>Ketamine has a long and winding history. In the 1960s, doctors began using it as an anesthetic and painkiller. In the 1980s and '90s, it became a popular street drug and a staple of rave culture. But in the past decade, it's taken on a new identity as a revolutionary mental-health treatment. </p><p>Starting in the early 2000s, multiple peer-reviewed studies found that ketamine is remarkably effective for patients with treatment-resistant depression. By 2010, doctors had begun prescribing the drug off-label in intravenous form, and in 2019, the FDA approved a ketamine nasal spray called Spravato.  </p><p>Since then, the drug has fully entered the mainstream. Hundreds of ketamine-therapy centers have popped up all over the country, offering IV infusions for everything from eating disorders to addiction. Chic clinics strewn with crystals and bean-bag chairs are advertising ketamine as a wellness tonic as harmless as green juice. Meanwhile, telehealth clinics have begun sending ketamine lozenges in the mail. Celebrities from Chrissy Teigen to Elon Musk have spoken about their positive experiences with ketamine therapy, and Instagram and TikTok influencers gush about how it changed their lives.</p><p>Some scientists and journalists have worked to make people aware of ketamine's risks; in October, the FDA put out a warning about compounded ketamine, or the many prescribed forms of ketamine that aren't FDA approved. But the hype has generally drowned out these discussions. "We've decided that if a treatment is popular, that means that it is good," Herzberg said. "And we know that that's going to invite a lot of unethical marketing activity."</p><p>Perry, who struggled with opioid-use disorder for decades, wrote about trying ketamine at a Swiss rehab clinic <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/matthew-perry-wrote-about-ketamine-infusion-therapy-memoir-cause-death-2023-12"><u>in his 2022 memoir</u></a>. He concluded that the drug, which felt like "being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel," wasn't for him. Still, his prescription ketamine use continued. According to the coroner's report, he received an IV ketamine infusion to treat depression and anxiety the week before his death. </p><p>At some point, Perry seems to have segued from prescription use to sourcing the drug on his own. The amount of ketamine in his bloodstream when he died was far higher than the clinical dose, similar to what surgical patients get for anesthesia. </p><p>There's no data on how many people go from receiving ketamine treatment in clinics to using it without a prescription. Last year, though, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ketamine-therapy-depression-treatment-addictive-drug-clinics-2023-1"><u>for an article about ketamine's addictive potential</u></a>, I spoke to a number of people who were introduced to the drug by doctors but — for convenience, financial reasons, or because they were craving higher doses — eventually began purchasing it illegally. </p><p>Ketamine doesn't cause physical cravings like opioids, but it can be extremely psychologically addictive. People who use it heavily <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ketamine-therapy-depression-treatment-addictive-drug-clinics-2023-1"><u>describe cognitive decline and memory loss, kidney and bladder issues, and trouble maintaining personal and professional relationships</u></a>. "I feel constantly on the edge of a massive panic attack and have suicidal thoughts from the moment I wake up," one person wrote on the Ketamineaddiction subreddit last year. "I hope this hell of an addiction to nobody." </p><p>After Perry died, someone else wrote on the forum that they hoped his death would "put the spotlight on this drug" and inspire people to "stop acting like it's 'not really that dangerous.'"</p><p>The portrayal of ketamine as a miracle cure with minimal side effects has "misled a lot of people," Sanacora said. "I've had so many patients come to me and say, 'I don't want to take an antidepressant, those have side effects I hear are dangerous, but I want to try ketamine.'" </p><p>At the same time, experts fear that backlash against ketamine could scare away people who could benefit from it. "How we use ketamine in a clinic setting for depression is very, very different than what happened here," said Dr. Sandhya Prashad, the head of the nonprofit American Society of Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists, and Practitioners, who emphasized that ketamine is generally very safe when used under medical supervision. Unlike opioids, ketamine doesn't tend to affect respiration, and dying of an "overdose," as The New York Post headline referred to it, is uncommon. </p><p>BI spoke with four ketamine research experts, all of whom said it's probably more accurate to say the primary cause of Perry's death was drowning — though, of course, he wouldn't have drowned without a large dose of ketamine to knock him out. </p><p>"It was most likely a case where he ended up not recognizing that he was drowning and not being able to respond," said Keith Trujillo, a psychologist who has studied ketamine extensively. "I'm fairly confident that he would not have died had he been in his bed."</p><p>Trujillo noted that the other drugs in Perry's system, buprenorphine and lorazepam, which is used to treat anxiety, may have caused a negative interaction. People often focus on "the drug that catches their eye when they do their toxicology," he added, noting that the headlines would have been "very different" if Perry had drowned while drunk. While this may feel like semantics, it's important that people are informed about the specific risks of any drug — for example, how dangerous it is to take ketamine around water unsupervised. </p><p>Herzberg, the historian, said he's not particularly worried about Perry's death causing a moral panic. In the past, celebrity deaths have been co-opted by (often right-wing) interest groups to advance their existing agendas. But right now, there's fairly widespread bipartisan enthusiasm about drugs like psychedelics being used for mental-health treatment. If the politicians stay out of it, Herzberg said, this could be an opportunity for "rational caution" from public-health authorities.  </p><p>Prashad, too, sees Perry's death as potentially forcing an educational moment. As her nonprofit said in a statement: "This is a wakeup call for ketamine practitioners and the wider medical community to put clear and unified guardrails in place" that will "protect the people who need this treatment most." </p><p><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>

Matthew Perry's death means hard questions for the ketamine movement

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I made the minestrone recipe from a Blue Zone region linked to a longer, healthier life.</li><li>The soup is healthy, delicious, and simple to make, but takes a little prep time. </li></ul><p>Soup isn't just a great recipe for chilly autumn days — it could also be an evidence-based way to live a longer life, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/blue-zones-diet-is-high-carb-healthy-for-longevity-2020-1"><u>longevity researcher</u></a>. </p><p>To find out if eating healthfully is also delicious, I tested out a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bluezones.com/recipe/sardinia-minestrone/"><u>recipe for minestrone</u></a> based on a traditional meal eaten in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/sardinia-blue-zone-superagers-longevity-2023-8"><u>Sardinia, Italy, a region known as a Blue Zone</u></a> where residents have the highest rates in the world of living to 100 (or older).</p><p>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/eat-more-carbs-less-meat-live-longer-blue-zones-diet-2022-12"><u>Blue Zones diet is mostly plant-based and high in carbohydrates</u></a>, according to Dan Buettner, an author and explorer who pioneered research on Blue Zones, featured in a recent Netflix docuseries.</p><p>The Blue Zones minestrone recipe is full of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/7-longevity-boosting-foods-blue-zones-add-to-shopping-list-2023-8"><u>ingredients known for boosting longevity</u></a>, including beans, olive oil, and herbs. </p><p>While it takes a while to make, it's not a difficult recipe, and I ended up with a hearty and healthy meal I couldn't stop eating.</p><h2><strong>The recipe is time consuming, but easy and worth the prep work</strong></h2><p>Blue Zones cuisines are known for featuring vegetables as the main star of a meal. </p><p>The minestrone calls for a lot of veggies — chopping them all and cleaning up took about 45 minutes and I got through about half of the 2023 camp hit "Cocaine Bear" ("based on a true story!") while doing so. </p><div type="image" title="The ingredients for minestrone soup laid out on a cutting board, next to an image of a pot full of chopped veggies. " height="1200" width="1920" msid="103716018" hostid="261" sizebytes="238172"></div><p>I'll admit, I measured the garlic with my heart instead of a teaspoon. Then, I mixed in the basil, parsley, and fennel and the soup started to smell delicious. </p><p>Once everything was in the pot, I had about 90 minutes to make another cup of coffee and get through some emails and other work stuff. As it was simmering, my partner repeatedly walked through the kitchen to ask what I was making and when we could eat. Only another hour to wait!</p><p>When I added the pasta (couscous, since I couldn't find fregula), I could see the soup was already beginning to thicken as the veggies cooked down. Per the recipe tip, I also added some bonus veggies in the form of zucchini from the farmer's market and spinach that was getting lonely at the back of my fridge.</p><div type="image" title="a pot of minestrone soup" height="4032" width="3024" msid="103716021" hostid="261" sizebytes="358868"></div><p>By the time the minestrone soup was ready, I was super excited to dig in, and opted to serve it with extra basil, the olive oil suggested in the recipe, and romano cheese (which I also measure with my heart, because <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/blue-zone-doctor-loma-linda-california-diet-milk-cheese-2023-9"><u>cheese is important</u></a>). </p><p>I immediately understood why <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/dan-buettner-blue-zones-lifestyle-habits-diet-exercise-2023-8"><u>Buettner's research on Blue Zones prompted him to eat more soup</u></a>. He's right, it is an incredibly compelling meal. </p><p>After the first bite, it was clear that this soup absolutely slaps, to use a technical term from science journalism. It's complex, with a deep richness from the beans, tomatoes, and root vegetables, while maintaining a beautiful fresh flavor from the herbs. I would not be mad to eat this soup every day for lunch, if anyone would like to support my move to Sardinia right away. </p><div type="image" title="a bowl of minestrone soup garnished with fresh herbs and cheese sitting in front of the window of a Brooklyn apartment. " height="2990" width="2243" msid="103716025" hostid="261" sizebytes="346412"></div><p>As a nutrition nerd, I'm also happy with the nutrients in the dish, since it's full of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/5-fiber-mistakes-how-to-fix-2023-9"><u>fiber</u></a> and protein from the beans, and tons of vitamins from all the veggies. </p><p>The soup is a great example of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-make-healthy-plant-based-food-delicious-2023-1"><u>how to make vegetables taste delicious</u></a>, particularly for people without a lot of cooking experience, since there's a good balance of aromatics and seasonings included in the recipe. </p><h2><strong>Minestrone pairs well with other longevity staples like wine </strong></h2><p>I enjoyed my soup with a piece of bread, because I love carbs and because, like Buettner, I'm from Minnesota and therefore firmly believe bread goes with every meal. </p><p>I opted for sourdough, another <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/kitchen-tips-cook-eat-like-people-who-live-in-blue-zones-2023-9"><u>staple in Sardinian kitchens</u></a>, to stay on theme. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/is-sourdough-bread-healthy"><u>Sourdough</u></a> is also more nutritious than other types of bread and less likely to spike blood sugar levels because of the fermentation process. </p><div type="image" title="Is sourdough bread healthy" height="1406" width="2500" msid="103716027" hostid="261" sizebytes="187872"></div><p>The flavorful, herbaceous soup would have been great with a glass of wine, and research suggests <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/blue-zone-habits-to-live-longer-have-fun-2023-8"><u>drinking wine in moderation can be healthy</u></a>, especially with a good meal. I did not test this hypothesis since it was early afternoon on a workday (but mostly because I was out of wine). </p><h2><strong>I'd recommend the recipe to anyone trying to eat more veggies, and it's great for beginners</strong></h2><p>If you're looking for an easy way to make healthy, plant-based meals without a lot of kitchen experience, this minestrone is a good starting point. </p><p>It does take a bit of a time investment up front in prepping the veggies, but the payoff is a healthy meal for a large group (or enough leftovers for several days). </p><p>If I made this recipe again, I would use<a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/beans-could-be-secret-for-living-longer-2023-9"><u> canned beans which are just as healthy</u></a> and more convenient than dried, according to registered dietitian <a target="_blank" href="https://bonnietaubdix.com">Bonnie Taub-Dix</a>. I had to plan ahead by soaking the beans overnight</p><div type="image" title="two bowls of dried beans soaking on the countertop" height="3024" width="4032" msid="103716029" hostid="261" sizebytes="679864"></div><p>I'd also double the amount of beans, since I'm a hungry person and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/tech-executive-shared-two-million-daily-routine-age-reverse-2023-7"><u>eat a lot to support my fitness habits</u></a>. The recipe said it serves up to 10 people, but that's about six portions for gym rats. </p><p>Overall, the minestrone feels like a win, and I'll definitely add it to my cold weather recipe rotation. I can't tell if I'm any healthier after eating it, but it beats the hell out of other longevity strategies like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/tech-executive-shared-two-million-daily-routine-age-reverse-2023-7"><u>$2 million dollar daily routines or infusions of teenager blood</u></a>.</p><p>"Babe, I f***ing love this soup," my partner said. </p><p><br /></p>

I tried the Blue Zones minestrone soup packed with longevity superfoods, and it was a delicious, easy-to-make healthy meal

<p><strong><em>Welcome to <keyword id="9884466" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="insider-cannabis">Insider Cannabis</keyword>, our weekly <keyword id="621414" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Newsletter">newsletter</keyword> where we're bringing you an inside look at the deals, trends, and personalities driving the multibillion-dollar global <keyword id="14728" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="cannabis">cannabis</keyword> boom.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/cultivated">Sign up here to get it in your inbox every week</a>.</em></strong></p><p>We're off tomorrow for the <strong>Juneteenth holiday</strong>, so you're getting your weekly dose of cannabis industry news on Thursday afternoon.</p><p>There's a <a href="https://toddharrison.substack.com/p/random-thoughts-all-things-cannabis">rumor</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BettingBruiser/status/1403405326284693506?s=20">floating</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonGWild/status/1403538551032135680?s=20">around</a> the heavily engaged cannabis <strong>Twitter</strong> and <strong>Reddit-verse</strong> that the <strong>Toronto Stock Exchange</strong> is going to update its rules to allow listed companies to invest in the US cannabis industry. If true, that could be a watershed moment: US cannabis companies like <strong>Curaleaf</strong>, <strong>Trulieve</strong>, and <strong>Green Thumb Industries</strong>, would likely move from the <strong>CSE</strong> and over-the-counter exchanges to access deeper-pocketed investors plying the TSX.</p><p>And it's possible that Canadian cannabis companies like <strong>Tilray</strong>, <strong>Canopy Growth</strong>, and <strong>Cronos Group</strong> would decamp from the <strong>Nasdaq</strong> to the TSX so they could invest in the US.</p><p><em><strong>But,</strong></em> a spokesperson for the <strong>TMX Group</strong>, which owns the TSX, told me, basically, not so fast:</p><p>"We continue to monitor the evolution of the industry. Our position has not changed with respect to U.S. cannabis law. Nothing more I can add beyond that," TMX Group spokesperson <strong>Catherine Kee</strong> said in an email.</p><p>We'll keep monitoring this story. If you have any info to share, please reach out to <a href="mailto:jberke@insider.com">jberke@insider.com</a>. Signal number for encrypted communication available on request. </p><p>Last, it's great to see so many pitches in my inbox of cannabis companies putting their money where their mouth is ahead of the Juneteenth holiday, in terms of backing organizations, nonprofits, and companies dedicated to advancing social justice goals in cannabis. More of that, please. </p><p><em>- Jeremy Berke (<a href="https://twitter.com/jfberke">@jfberke</a>) </em></p><p><strong><em>If you like what you read, share this newsletter with your colleagues, friends, boss, spouse, strangers on the internet, or whomever else would like a weekly dose of cannabis news. </em></strong></p><p><strong><em>Here's what we wrote about this week:</em></strong></p><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/weedmaps-stock-starts-trading-ceo-interview-not-afraid-of-amazon-2021-6">The CEO of $3 billion cannabis-tech company Weedmaps explains why he's not afraid of Amazon</a></h3><p>The CEO of Weedmaps is ready to take on Amazon - if the tech and retail giant wants to get into cannabis. </p><p>Amazon recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-says-its-actively-supporting-federal-marijuana-legalization-2021-6">said it supports federal cannabis legalization</a>. Some industry experts say it's only a matter of time before tech giants start to compete with incumbents like Weedmaps.</p><p>"What we've seen traditionally is the Googles, the Amazons, the others of the world have had difficulty dealing with areas where there are really complex products," Weedmaps CEO Chris Beals <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/weedmaps-stock-starts-trading-ceo-interview-not-afraid-of-amazon-2021-6">told me in an interview</a>. "I watch and observe, but I don't really worry about those companies coming in because what we do is incredibly complex." </p><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-trait-biosciences-closes-25-million-series-a-round-2021-6">A cannabis-chemistry upstart just raised $25 million for a new approach to one of the hottest parts of the industry</a></h3><p>Cannabis beverages <a href="https://www.insider.com/cannabis-seltzer-spirits-get-you-high-quicker-than-weed-edibles-2021-6">are a hot topic in the industry</a>, and a bevy of startups are working on technology to make it easier to infuse chemicals like THC and CBD into drinks. </p><p>One of those startups, Trait Biosciences, on Wednesday closed a CA$31 million ($25 million) Series A funding round led by Btomorrow Ventures and Gotham Green Partners, the company told Insider. Btomorrow is the VC arm of British American Tobacco, which <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/organigram-stock-price-british-american-tobacco-invests-177-million-2021-3-1030173969">invested in</a> a Canadian cannabis producer in March.</p><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cannabis-amc-meme-stocks-retail-investors-shareholders-proxy-voting-2021-6">Meme stock shareholders may have diamond hands, but they're not voting on things like exec pay and M&amp;A deals. And that's creating a big headache.</a></h3><p>Companies with large retail-investor bases face difficulties reaching a quorum in shareholder votes. </p><p>"It's hard to get those shareholders to show up and vote," Tilray CEO Irwin Simon told me. "You know, nobody has home phones anymore. No one answers their cellphone to an unknown number. When you mail a proxy to someone's house or apartment, it goes in the garbage."</p><p>The issue has led to the launch of several startups looking to redefine how public companies interact with their shareholders.</p><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/herve-3-million-pitch-deck-for-luxury-cannabis-infused-edibles-2021-6">We got an exclusive look at the pitch deck luxury-edibles startup Hervé used to raise $3 million in a bid to become the 'Dom Perignon' of cannabis</a></h3><p>Cannabis-infused edibles <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cannabis">are having a moment</a>. Edibles sales grew by more than 60% across seven state markets in 2020, according to data provider Headset.</p><p>To capitalize on that trend, Hervé, a Toronto-based maker of what CEO and founder Sebastien Centner calls "luxury" infused edibles, closed a $3 million Series A funding round in May. Take an exclusive look at the deck Centner used to close the round. </p><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/decriminalize-all-drugs-cannabis-heroin-cocaine-2021-6">2 Democrats are pushing for decriminalizing possession of all drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and meth</a></h3><p>Two House Democrats have for the first time unveiled legislation that would decriminalize possession of all drugs including heroin, cannabis, cocaine, and LSD, and ensure that past drug use wouldn't get in the way of jobs or voting prospects.</p><p>Democratic Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey and Cori Bush of Missouri introduced the legislation, the <a href="https://drugpolicy.org/sites/default/files/dpra_summary_2021.06.11_v2.pdf">Drug Policy Reform Act</a>, on Tuesday.</p><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cannabis-company-cronos-pharmacann-110-million-deal-new-york-2021-6">Canadian cannabis giant Cronos is making moves to enter the US. Its $110 million deal with PharmaCann would give Cronos access to New York's $7 billion market.</a></h3><p>New York is shaping up to be the next hot spot for cannabis M&amp;A. Canadian cannabis giant Cronos recently struck a deal with private US company PharmaCann. PharmaCann is one of the few cannabis companies operating in New York.</p><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cannabis-delivery-services-new-york-market-what-to-know-2021-6">The potential for cannabis delivery in New York as the market comes online - and where to keep an eye out</a></h3><p>New York is expected to see substantial sales when its cannabis market eventually comes online. A huge part of that growth could be delivery, but regulations still need to take shape.</p><p>Experts warn activity will be mainly in urban centers and rely on fast, quality delivery service.</p><div type="image" title="marijuana cannabis" height="2334" width="3500" msid="83620222" hostid="261"></div><h2>Executive moves</h2><ul><li>Cannabis software firm <strong>TruTrace</strong> <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210616005129/en/TruTrace-Technologies-Names-Robert-Lelovic-as-Chief-Financial-Officer">has a new CFO</a>: <strong>Robert Lelovic</strong>.</li><li><strong>Travis Goad</strong> is joining cannabis real estate fund <strong>Pelorus Equity Group</strong> as managing director.</li></ul><h2>Deals, launches, and IPOs</h2><ul><li><strong>Cronos Group</strong> <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/06/14/2246438/0/en/Cronos-Group-Announces-Strategic-Investment-in-PharmaCann-a-Leading-U-S-Cannabis-Company.html">is paying</a> $110 million for an option to buy a 10.5% stake in US cannabis company <strong>PharmaCann</strong>. The option can be exercised only when a change in cannabis' federal status in the US makes the deal permissible, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canopy-growth-acreage-holdings-deal-could-spur-cannabis-ma-boom-2019-4">similar to Canopy Growth's Acreage deal</a>. </li><li>Berlin-based CBD and medical cannabis startup <strong>Sanity Group</strong> <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/16/cannabis-and-digital-health-start-up-sanity-group-closes-44-2m-series-a-led-by-redalpine/">closed a $44 million Series A funding round</a>, led by Swiss venture fund <strong>Redalpine</strong>, and including <strong>Navy Capital</strong> and <strong>SOJE Capital</strong>, among other investors. We got an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/european-cannabis-startup-sanity-group-29-million-pitch-deck-2021-1">exclusive look at Sanity Group's seed deck in January</a>.</li><li>US cannabis company <strong>Columbia Care</strong> is expanding in Colorado, <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210615006157/en/Columbia-Care-Signs-Definitive-Agreement-to-Acquire-Medicine-Man-a-Rapidly-Growing-Vertically-Integrated-Operator-in-the-Denver-Metro-Area">acquiring <strong>Medicine Man Denver</strong></a>, which has four retail locations, for $42 million in cash and stock. </li><li>Cannabis tech company <strong>LeafLink</strong> raised $40 million from investors <strong>Nosara Capital</strong>, <strong>L2 Ventures</strong>, <strong>Founders Fund</strong>, <strong>Thrive Capital</strong>, and others. LeafLink said the new funding doubles its valuation, without providing a figure.</li><li><strong>Brains Bioeceutical Corp</strong>., a maker of EU-GMP certified CBD, <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/brains-bioceutical-corp-completes-a-usd-31-9-million-capital-raise-with-lead-investor-dsm-venturing-895462314.html">closed a $32 million funding round led by the venture arm of <strong>Royal DSM</strong></a>, one of the world's largest nutrition and ingredients manufacturers. </li><li>US cannabis company <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2021/06/14/2246626/0/en/Acreage-Holdings-Announces-Sale-of-Notes.html"><strong>Acreage Holdings</strong> sold $28 million</a> in promissory notes. </li><li>Cannabis producer <strong>Flora Growth</strong> is <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/06/14/2246437/0/en/Flora-Growth-to-Acquire-Koch-Gsell-and-Enter-Europe-with-Leading-Manufacturer-of-Natural-Swiss-Hemp-Products.html">acquiring Swiss company <strong>Koch &amp; Gsell</strong></a>, which makes hemp and blended hemp and tobacco cigarettes under the Heimat brand, in a $22 million cash and stock deal.</li><li><strong>Jay-Z</strong> and <strong>TPCO</strong>'s $10 million social equity fund has <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-parent-company-announces-the-peakz-company-as-second-social-equity-investment-301313481.html">made an investment in <strong>The Peakz</strong> Company</a>, an Oakland-based cannabis brand. </li><li>Cannabis compliance and software firm <a href="https://www.simplifya.com/">Simplifya closed a $6 billion Series B funding round</a>, led by <strong>Blue Zone Wealth Advisors</strong>, with participation from previous investors including <strong>Merida Capital</strong> and Mercury Payment Solutions Founder <strong>Jeff Katz</strong>. </li></ul><div type="image" title="cannabis" height="1333" width="2000" msid="83620228" hostid="261"></div><h2>Policy moves</h2><ul><li>Democratic Reps. <strong>B</strong><strong>onnie Watson Coleman</strong> of New Jersey and <strong>Cori Bush</strong> of Missouri <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/decriminalize-all-drugs-cannabis-heroin-cocaine-2021-6">introduced legislation</a> that would decriminalize possession of all drugs including heroin, cannabis, cocaine, and LSD.</li><li>A <keyword id="40905" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Marijuana">marijuana</keyword> legalization bill is <a href="https://www.marijuanamoment.net/connecticut-marijuana-legalization-bill-heads-to-governors-desk/">heading to Connecticut Gov. <strong>Ned Lamont</strong>'s desk</a> on Thursday after both the state House and Senate passed the bill. Lamont is supportive of the bill, and if he signs it, marijuana will be legal in <strong>Connecticut</strong> as soon as July 1, with recreational sales to begin in May 2022. </li><li><strong>Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards</strong> <a href="https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/local/2021/06/15/louisiana-marijuana-decriminalization-bill-becomes-law/7702747002/">signed a marijuana decriminalization bill</a> into law on Tuesday. </li></ul><h2>Chart of the week</h2><p>Like their recreational counterparts, medical cannabis consumers still prefer smoking regular old weed over edibles, beverages, tinctures, and vaporizers, according to New Frontier Data:</p><div type="image" title="Chart of preferred cannabis products among medical consumers with smokeable cannabis as the top product followed by edibles, pills, vaporizers, and concentrate (respectively)" height="1040" width="1240" msid="83620231" hostid="261"></div><h2>What we're reading</h2><p><a href="https://theintercept.com/2021/06/06/cannabis-legalization-rhode-island-weed/">Rhode Island Coalition Pushes Most Equitable Legal Cannabis Regulations Yet</a> (The Intercept)</p><p><a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a36700958/abby-rockefeller-hemp-cannabis-farm-hudson-valley/">Ms. Rockefeller's Cannabis Farm</a> (Town &amp; Country)</p><p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-14/pro-athletes-cbd-use-coming-under-scrutiny-cannabis-weekly">Pro Athletes' CBD Use Is Coming Under Scrutiny</a> (Bloomberg)</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-lifestyle-coronavirus-pandemic-business-government-and-politics-5b24a89f691f1760a4b16576ed22cb27">Washington's 'joints for jabs' vaccine program falling flat</a> (Associated Press)</p><p><a href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/06/15/joe-exotic-launching-own-cannabis-line-products-prison/">JOE EXOTIC LAUNCHING HIS OWN CANNABIS LINE ... Straight from the Joint!!!</a> (TMZ)</p>

Weedmaps CEO isn't afraid of Amazon

The night the Lord of the Skies got away

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Feng Li/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Coca-Cola held a massive Olympics celebration in Beijing in 2012</p></div><p></p></div></div>Coca-Cola went from a cocaine-infused elixir in 1886 to a ubiquitous sugary drink by 1929.</p><p>Now people in more than 200 countries drink 1.9 billion servings every day, <a href="http://www.coca-colacompany.com/careers/who-we-are-infographic">according to The Coca-Cola Company</a>.</p><p>Having a product people enjoy is far from the only thing needed to become one of the world's most valuable companies. Coca-Cola used seven key design and marketing strategies, which made it as recognizable in the streets of Shanghai as in its hometown of Atlanta by the 1920s, says Coca-Cola VP of innovation and entrepreneurship David Butler.</p><p>In his book, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451671822/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1451671822&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;linkId=ZKPCUIHPG74KQPXY" target="_blank">Design to Grow: How Coca-Cola Learned to Combine Scale and Agility (and How You Can Too)</a>," Butler and co-author Linda Tischler explore these seven strategies, which we've explained below.</p>

7 strategies Coca-Cola used to become one of the world's most recognizable brands

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams</span></p><p class="caption">In this courtroom sketch, a US marshal stands guard in the background as <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> attorney John Reilly, left, Francisco Flores, center in blue shirt, Efrain Campos, second from right, and defense attorney Rebekah Poston make an initial appearance in Manhattan federal court on Thursday, November 12, 2015. An indictment unsealed on Thursday accuses Campos and Flores, nephews of Venezuela's first lady, of conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the US.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>US prosecutors <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-usa-crime-idUSKCN12R2RS" target="_blank">say</a> conversations between one of the Venezuelan first lady's nephews and an informant reveal the political motivations behind what has become known as the "narco nephews" case that has further inflamed tensions between the US and Venezuela.</p><p>Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores, nephews of Cilia Flores, the wife of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, were <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-us-links-venezuelan-official-related-to-maduro-to-drug-probe-2016-9" target="_blank">arrested</a> in November 2015 in Haiti and transferred to the US, where they are slated to face <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lying-informants-hurt-us-drug-case-venezuela-maduro-nephews-2016-9" target="_blank">trial on charges of drug trafficking</a> starting <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article111181662.html" target="_blank">November 7</a>.</p><p>A transcript of a conversation between Efrain Campo, 29, and a Drug Enforcement Administration informant that was seen by McClatchy details Campo saying "<a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article111181662.html" target="_blank">we're at war</a>" with the Americans, referring to the deeply contentious relationship between Washington and Caracas. </p><p>Campo also <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article111181662.html" target="_blank">reportedly wanted</a> the alleged deal to smuggle <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lying-informants-hurt-us-drug-case-venezuela-maduro-nephews-2016-9" target="_blank">nearly 1,800 pounds of cocaine</a> into the US to be concluded quickly because Cilia Flores, his aunt whom he referred to as his mother in the conversation, needed the cash for her campaign.</p><p>"We need the money," Campo <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article111181662.html" target="_blank">said</a>, according to the transcript. "Why? Because the Americas are hitting us hard with money. Do you understand? The opposition ... is getting an infusion of a lot of money."</p><p>At the time of the conversation in October 2015, Maduro's socialist government was in the midst of an unsuccessful campaign to maintain its majority in the country's National Assembly.</p><p>Flores, a former president of the Assembly, was running for a spot as a legislator at the time, <a href="http://www.notitarde.com/Regiones/Cilia-Flores-gano-con-87585-votos-en-el-estado-Cojedes/2015/12/07/744094/" target="_blank">winning</a> a seat representing the state of Cojedes in December 2015.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Ariana Cubillos/AP</span></p><p class="caption">Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with his wife, Cilia Flores.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The conversation transcript is the <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article111181662.html" target="_blank">first piece of evidence</a> from the case released that shows a direct connection between Campo and Francisco Flores, 30, and Venezuelan president and his wife. US prosecutors <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-usa-crime-idUSKCN12R2RS" target="_blank">say</a> the conversations reveal that the defendants thought they would be supplying cash to counteract money they believed the US was supplying the opposition ahead of those legislative elections.</p><p>Based on <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article111181662.html" target="_blank">information</a> previously released by prosecutors, Francisco Flores expected to receive $560,000 of the $5 million the deal was worth.</p><p>Campo addressed the socialist party's efforts defeat the political opposition's challenge to its power, saying "We put them in jail over here ... We send them to jail for 15 years," <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article111181662.html" target="_blank">according</a> to McClatchy.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A handout photo of Efrain Antonio Campo Flores and Franqui Fancisco Flores de Freitas with Haitian law-enforcement officers in this November 12, 2015, photo, taken after their arrest in Port Au Prince, Haiti.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>It's not clear who Campo was referring to at the time, though <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article111181662.html" target="_blank">months prior</a> those legislative elections a Venezuelan court sentenced Leopoldo López, a prominent opposition leader, to 14 years in prison in relation to violence during antigovernment demonstrations in early 2014 that led to the deaths of more than 40 people.</p><p>Defense lawyers called on US District Judge Paul Crotty to deny the admission of conversations that involved Venezuelan's elections.</p><p>They <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-usa-crime-idUSKCN12R2RS" target="_blank">called</a> the statement "idle political chatter" and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-usa-crime-idUSKCN12R2RS" target="_blank">argued</a> the "highly politicized statements" had no evidentiary value, coming when a DEA informant mentioned Cilia Flores and the elections.</p><p>After his arrest in November last year, Campo tried to downplay his earlier statements about putting money toward Cilia Flores' campaign, <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article111181662.html" target="_blank">telling</a> DEA agents that, "I know I said that, but in reality it was for me."</p><p>Those comments were part of an alleged confession, the inclusion of which <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/venezuela-usa-drugs-idUSL1N1CI1QW" target="_blank">Campo unsuccessfully fought</a>.</p><p>"If those declarations are not thrown out, I'm of the opinion, 100%, that they'll be convicted," Mike Vigil, a former chief of <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> operations for the DEA, told Business Insider days prior to the judge's <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/venezuela-usa-drugs-idUSL1N1CI1QW" target="_blank">October 12 decision</a> to include the alleged confessions.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/reason-drug-cartel-members-get-tattoos-2016-10">The surprising economic reason drug cartel members get head-to-toe tattoos</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="YzdjJ2MTE6yH_qyuiiA1yDVsbuFYH48Q" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

'The Americans are hitting us hard with money': US prosecutors say 'narco nephews' motivated by politics, cash

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The documentary "Have a Good Trip" on <keyword id="128682" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Netflix">Netflix</keyword> discusses psychedelic drug research and what it's like to trip on <keyword id="87213" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="LSD">LSD</keyword>, "magic" mushrooms, peyote, and other substances.</li><li>The film is infused with celebrities' anecdotes from their own psychedelic experiences. Anthony Bourdain, Sting, Sarah Silverman, and others share tales on camera.</li></ul><p>Netflix's new documentary <a href="https://www.insider.com/ben-stiller-carrie-fisher-psychedelic-drug-trips-netflix-show-2020-5">"Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics"</a> delves into research on psychedelic <keyword id="14721" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Drugs">drugs</keyword> like LSD and "magic" mushrooms and how these largely illegal substances could <a href="https://www.insider.com/magic-mushrooms-left-cancer-patients-less-anxious-5-years-later-2020-1">help treat anxiety and depression</a>.</p><p>But the film's most entertaining moments come from celebrities like Anthony Bourdain, Ben Stiller, Sarah Silverman, and A$AP Rocky, who all recount the wildest psychedelic drug trips they've experienced.</p><p>In the documentary, which premiered on May 11, rapper A$AP Rocky told viewers a rainbow shot out of his penis after he took LSD. When Sting did <keyword id="2874738" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Psychedelics">psychedelics</keyword>, the grass started talking to him. And for Rosie Perez, her psychedelic trip made it feel like her body became one with her mattress.</p><p>The detailed anecdotes reveal just how many famous folks have had otherworldly experiences and hallucinations, and offer insight (or just plain old <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword>) into what it could be like for a psychedelics newbie to trip for the first time.</p><h2>Sting was on peyote when he helped a cow give birth</h2><p><div type="image" title="sting" height="2790" width="3720" msid="76093467" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Sting said he viewed his his many psychedelic trips as a "valuable experience." The 68-year-old singer said he's had bad trips, but they've always taught him something and put his ego into check.</p><p>He recalled on particular trip in which his friend John gave him peyote, a psychedelic naturally found in a type of cactus plant, which he'd never taken up until that point.</p><p>Sting said he took the peyote at 11 AM while living on a farm, and after an undisclosed amount of time, "the grass starts talking to me, and very quickly, I enter this psychedelic realm."</p><p>"The trees are waving kind of musically at me," he continued. </p><p>Then John approached him and asked Sting to help him assist a cow on the farm who was about to give birth.</p><p>"What the experience does is it presents you with the idea of mortality right there," Sting said, pointing at his forehead. "It's your own mortality, the mortality of the planet...that is the central issue of consciousness," when tripping on a psychedelic drug, he said.</p><p>He and John successfully helped the cow give birth, and during the 20 minutes it took, he became increasingly high. "For me, the meaning of the universe cracked open," he said.</p><h2>Sarah Silverman went to a park and touched homeless people's faces</h2><p>Silverman, a comedian, said "not a lot of thought went into" her first psychedelic trip, which took place in New York City where she was working at the time.</p><p>She was hanging out at a go-to restaurant with her comedian friends, when she saw a "hippie" walk into the venue.</p><p>"He had these pretty substantial white pieces of paper...boop, boop," Silverman said to signify she and her friend took them from the man when he offered, and put them on their tongues. It was LSD, or "acid."</p><p>She said they started tripping 45 minutes later.</p><p>"And the hot chocolate came, and the foam or the whipped cream was, like, breathing, and it was too alive to drink," she said.</p><p>"We floated to Washington Square Park with a gaggle of people we had never met before. Semi-homeless, maybe-ish people. We found ourselves feeling each other's faces and laughing and crying and realizing huge things," Silverman said.</p><p>Then, she and her friend got into his car, and they drove up to a red light. When the light turned green, her friend froze, and that's when Silverman realized he'd forgotten how to drive.</p><p>"He doesn't know what he's doing, how cars work," she said.</p><h2>Anthony Bourdain thought he'd killed someone after taking various drugs at once</h2><p><div type="image" title="anthony bourdain 2016 pic" height="1368" width="1824" msid="76093471" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The late Bourdain, whose interview was conducted before he died in 2018, said he took a lot of LSD growing up.</p><p>"You know, I became a teenager just as the 60s were ending, and you know, and I was cruelly disappointed I missed out on the entire hippie era," he said.</p><p>One weekend, Bourdain and his friends each said they were staying at another friend's house.</p><p>Instead, they bought and took acid, weed, and Lebanese hash, a drug derived from the resin of the cannabis plant, and Quaalude's, a synthetic depressive drug, and then drove to the Catskill mountains in upstate New York.</p><p>They picked up two women hitchhikers who worked as dancers on the way. "We immediately let it slip as well that we were fully loaded with a pretty dizzying array of controlled substances, " Bourdain said. The women ended taking them too, and they all went back to one of the women's homes.</p><p>Once one of the women took a Quaalude as Bourdain and his friend hit their peak high, and that's when things started to go downhill.</p><p>"Panama [one of the women] starts modeling her outfits from her earlier years in Vegas. Suddenly, Panama, mid-stride, her eyes roll up in her head, and she keels over stone dead on the f-----g floor," Bourdain said.</p><p>At that moment, Bourdain and his friend started to form a plan for how to escape the crime scene. Then, Panama woke up, and they continued to drink and do other drugs like cocaine.</p><p>"I remember at one point excusing myself to go to the bathroom and looking in the mirror and seeing an Indian chief in full war-paint in the mirror looking up," he said.</p><h2>Carrie Fisher accidentally flashed tourists while on acid</h2><p><div type="image" title="carrie fisher" height="1503" width="2004" msid="76093473" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"I think I maybe heard of acid from John Belushi, " Fisher, whose interview was recorded before she died in 2016, said.</p><p>She said whenever she took acid, she would plan the experience around her world travels and do psychedelics in various destinations.</p><p>"I would do these things and forget I looked like someone named Princess Leia, or whatever I was for people then, and so it's not a brilliant idea to then take acid and go running around," she said.</p><p>Once, while in the Seychelles, Fisher took acid on the beach with a friend. She said she was topless on the beach and when she turned around, "there are a busload of Japanese folk that have just arrived, and it turns out where we are, it's where they bring the tourists to have lunch from all the hotels."</p><h2>Nick Kroll's friends covered his body in sea kelp while tripping on mushrooms</h2><p><div type="image" title="nick kroll" height="1473" width="1964" msid="76093476" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Kroll, a comedian and actor, said he brought a bunch of "magic" mushrooms to his friend's bachelor party in Malibu, where they'd rented a house for the weekend.</p><p>While hanging out on a private beach, Kroll and his friends took the 'shrooms, and Kroll said he took a bit more than everyone else, "just to be like, 'Yeah, it's cool, these are good.'"</p><p>After hanging out in the ocean while tripping, Kroll said he went back to the sand and started to hit his peak high.</p><p>"I see my buddies, and they are starting to gather a bunch of sea kelp. I see this and I'm like, 'I understand what's going to happen now,'" Kroll said. "They're emerging with 40 to 50 pounds [of sea kelp] and I just see them lift it, and just put all of this sea kelp on my body," which he continued to leave there for 45 minutes.</p><p>The sea kelp felt like it was moving while on his body, and Kroll said he loved it and dubbed himself the Kelp Monster.</p><p>"I couldn't even fathom wanting to remove this f-----g detritus from the sea. The next day I woke up covered in red welts," he said.</p><h2>Comedian Paul Scheer thought he was inside a Van Gogh painting after taking mushrooms in Amsterdam</h2><p><div type="image" title="Getty Images June Diane Raphael and Paul Scheer" height="900" width="1200" msid="76093479" hostid="261"></div></p><p>During a tour in Amsterdam, Scheer, a comedian and actor in "The League," took mushrooms in the Van Gogh museum with friends.</p><p>He said he didn't feel any effects after an hour, so he ate more.</p><p>"I look up at one of the paintings, which is crows over the cornfield and it really, like, grabs me for some reason...All of a sudden I feel like these birds are coming out at me and I'm in the middle of this cornfield," he said, adding that he was standing about four inches from the painting while other visitors watched him.</p><p>Scheer started to feel overheated, so he left the museum and went back to his hotel with friends and they proceeded to order McDonald's "because we were in a foreign country and needed to ground ourselves with something American."</p><p>He said after eating the burgers, he and his friends came down from their high.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li><strong>Read more:</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/woman-who-overdosed-on-lsd-said-it-cured-lyme-disease-2020-2">A woman who tripped for 34 hours on LSD after taking 550 times the normal dose said the drug cured her pain from chronic Lyme disease</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/magic-mushrooms-psilocybin-mental-physical-effects-2019-5">Denver just became the first city in the US to decriminalize magic mushrooms. Here's what they do to your body and mind.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/michael-pollan-on-trying-lsd-mushrooms-2018-5">A best-selling author tried LSD, 'shrooms, and DMT — and wrote about all 3 psychedelic trips</a></li></ul>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrities-share-their-wildest-psychedelic-drug-trips-2020-5">Insider</a>

6 celebrities on their wildest psychedelic experiences, from Carrie Fisher flashing tourists to Sting helping a cow give birth

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div>Coca-Cola went from a cocaine-infused elixir in 1886 to a ubiquitous sugary drink by 1929.</p><p>Now people in more than 200 countries drink 1.9 billion servings every day, <a href="http://www.coca-colacompany.com/careers/who-we-are-infographic">according to The Coca-Cola Company</a>.</p><p>Having a product people enjoy is far from the only thing needed to become one of the world's most valuable companies. Coca-Cola used seven key design and marketing strategies, which made it as recognizable in the streets of Shanghai as in its hometown of Atlanta by the 1920s, says Coca-Cola VP of innovation and entrepreneurship David Butler.</p><p>In the book, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451671822/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1451671822&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;linkId=ZKPCUIHPG74KQPXY" target="_blank">Design to Grow: How Coca-Cola Learned to Combine Scale and Agility (and How You Can Too)</a>," <span>Butler and co-author Linda Tischler explore these seven strategies, </span>which we've explained below.</p><h3>1. It started with a unique, market-tested formula.</h3><p>After serving as a Confederate colonel in the Civil War, John Pemberton wanted to develop a version of the coca wines (basically cola with alcohol and cocaine) that were in vogue at the time. In 1886, Atlanta passed prohibition laws that forced beverage manufacturers to produce non-alcoholic versions of their drinks.</p><p>Pemberton sent his nephew Lewis Newman with samples of his formulas to a local pharmacy where people congregated to drink these early versions of sodas. Newman relayed feedback to his uncle about the various concoctions, and by the end of the year Pemberton had a recipe that was unique and tailored to customers' tastes. The original recipe is still locked in a vault in Atlanta.</p><p>Cocaine was removed from <span>Coke </span>in 1903. Other minor adjustments have been made in the past century or so, but beyond the "New Coke" disaster of 1985, the recipe has largely remained unchanged. This decision helped the company scale, Butler writes, since it did not spend time trying to tailor the taste to regional markets throughout the world.</p><h3>2. Its logo uses a timeless font.</h3><p>Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, decided that Coca-Cola's logo should be written in the Spencerian script accountants used because it would differentiate it from its competitors. The company standardized the logo in 1923 and, like the recipe, decided that while packaging could adjust to the times, the core logo was to be untouched.</p><p>It's resulted in a logo that has had more than 100 years to become imprinted in the minds of people around the world.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>3. It was distributed in a proprietary bottle.</h3><p>After the Georgia businessman Asa Griggs Candler became the majority shareholder of Coca-Cola in 1888, he set his sights on making Coke the nation's most popular cola through marketing and partnerships with regional bottlers.</p><p>By 1915, Candler was losing market share to hundreds of competitors. He launched a national contest for a new bottle design that would signal to consumers that Coke was a premium product that couldn't be confused with some other brown cola in an identical clear glass bottle.</p><p>The new bottle had to be able to be mass produced using existing equipment yet also be distinct.</p><p>The Root Glass Company in Indiana decided to enter the contest and base its design off the product's name. While combing through the dictionary for the word "coca" and words like it, Butler writes, mold shop supervisor Earl R. Dean came across an illustration for the cocoa plant that caught his attention. Coca-Cola had nothing to do with cocoa, but the cocoa pod had a strange but appealing shape. He and his team got to work and were declared the contest winners the next year.</p><p>Coca-Cola commissioned the bottle design as a piece of defensive marketing, but began promoting the shape as much as the logo and product. Even after plastic replaced glass as the standard means of drinking Coke in countries like the US, the company continued to promote the image of the Coke bottle as an icon.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>4. It held retailers responsible for maintaining its high standard.</h3><p>Ernest Woodruff's Trust Company of Georgia bought Coca-Cola from Candler in 1919. Woodruff was focused on maintaining a standard of excellence as the company scaled.</p><p>The Coke team decided that its drink should be served at 36 degrees Fahrenheit, and would send salesmen to new retailers to tell them the product should never be served above 40 degrees.</p><p>The tactic may seem a bit silly today, but the 36-degree standard was just another example of establishing Coca-Cola as a premium product that was worthy of more attention than any of its competitors.</p><h3>5. It kept its consumer price fixed for 70 years.</h3><p>It's common today for tech startups to begin by offering a service for free and then charging a higher price to consumers and/or advertisers once they've become hooked. Before utilizing networking effects became a standard practice, <span>Coca-Cola</span> used a similar approach to scale across the US and then throughout the world.</p><p>From 1886 to 1959, a bottle of Coke cost just five cents.</p><h3>6. It guided word-of-mouth <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> and developed a voice.</h3><p>It became apparent after Candler took over early in the company's life that Coke was as much a drink as it was a consumable brand, an idea consumers could feel good about identifying with.</p><p>Candler started a mass coupon initiative that resulted in 10% of all products from 1887 to 1920 to be given away in order to build brand awareness. He also provided retailers with Coca-Cola swag like posters and festoons for decorations and calendars and clocks for customers. According to Butler, Coke was a pioneer in affixing a brand to items unrelated to the product.</p><p>And finally, all national, and then global, advertising contained variations of "Drink Coca-Cola/Delicious and refreshing" and fit into a standardized design style.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>7. It adopted a franchise model.</h3><p>"Amid the soda wars that broke out in the 1880s, Candler's most significant business decision had nothing to do with branding," Butler writes.</p><p>In 1899, two Tennessee lawyers, Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead, approached Candler and asked if he would let them bottle Coke. The drink was sold as a syrup that retailers would mix with soda water, but it wasn't typical to drink cola on the go or bring it into the home. Candler decided to hand over the bottling rights for just a dollar, which he never collected, because he was content with maintaining the rights to the syrup.</p><p>This marked the beginning of what the company internally calls The Coca-Cola System, a franchise partnership with bottlers that allowed the brand to truly take off. Today, there are more than 250 independent bottlers around the world.</p><p>"The Coca-Cola Company isn't one giant company; it's a system of small companies," Butler writes. "And this pattern helps it scale new products, new communications, new equipment, etc. Designing for this pattern is critical; when it wants to scale fast, it can."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/coca-cola-new-fairlife-milk-product-price-2015-2">Coca-Cola is now selling milk and it costs twice as much as regular brands</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="ZyYzU1czp4VMNynRuNGb8YlN1yAdahUz" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

7 brilliant strategies Coca-Cola used to become one of the world's most recognizable brands

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/josephadams/5777842715/">Flickr/JosephAdams</a></p></div>FROM the <keyword id="6359726" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Colorado">Colorado</keyword> state capitol in Denver, head south on Broadway, one of the city’s main arteries, and before long you find yourself in "Broadsterdam", a cluster of dispensaries with names like Ganja Gourmet and Evergreen Apothecary.</p>
<p>They peddle dozens of strains of pot, as well as snacks, infusions and paraphernalia, to any state resident bearing a "red card": proof of a doctor’s recommendation.</p>
<p>Landlords in the area were struggling, says William Breathes (a pseudonym), whose reviews for a local paper make him, he says, America’s first mainstream pot critic. But when Colorado began to regulate the sale of <keyword id="40905" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Marijuana">marijuana</keyword> for medical use in 2010, they saw an opportunity.</p>
<p>Broadsterdam of 2013, and many places like it in America and Europe, would have been unimaginable in New York in 1961, when diplomats hammered out the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which aimed to counter the "serious evil" of addiction. That treaty, with 184 countries signed up, underpins the prohibition policy of the past half century. Though an international debate on legalisation has barely started, experiments are already showing how the production and consumption of drugs could be regulated.</p>
<p>Change is coming because the "war on drugs" is being convincingly won by drugs, and the powerful criminal gangs who deal in them. Since 1998, when the UN held an event entitled "A drug-free world: we can do it", consumption of cannabis (marijuana) and cocaine has risen by about 50%; for opiates, it has more than trebled. And a swelling pharmacopoeia of synthetic highs is spinning heads in dizzying new ways. The UN reckons that 230m people used illegal drugs in 2010. They and their suppliers (usually the humblest ones) fill prisons in rich and poor countries alike. Drug convictions account for almost half of American prisoners in federal jails.</p>
<h3>Burned at both ends</h3>
<p>If efforts to stem demand have been futile, trying to control supply has been disastrous. The illegal-drug industry’s revenues are some $300 billion a year, according to the very roughest of guesses by the UN, and flow untaxed into criminal hands. Drug-running mafias corrupt and destroy the places where they operate. Of the world’s eight most murderous countries, seven lie on the cocaine-trafficking route from the Andes to the United States and Europe. Only war zones are more violent than Honduras. More than 7,000 of its 8m citizens are murdered each year. In the European Union, with a 500m population, the figure is under 6,000.</p>
<p>Latin American leaders are tiring of this. Trying to stop the flow of narcotics is akin to the legendary Sisyphus futilely pushing a boulder uphill, says Fernando Carrera, Guatemala’s foreign minister. In recent years his country has laboriously cleared its San Marcos region of opium crops, only to see it replanted five times. The president, Otto Pérez Molina, now wants to see global legal regulation of all drugs, from hashish to heroin, albeit with strict controls. Juan Manuel Santos, president of Colombia, favours legalisation, but says that his country cannot lead the way. Last year Felipe Calderón, the outgoing president of Mexico, declared it "impossible" to stop the drugs business and called for "market alternatives". Uruguay’s government has sent to congress a bill to legalise the sale of pot through state-backed dispensaries. Smokers would be allowed to buy up to 40g per week, with profits funding crime-prevention and anti-addiction schemes.</p>
<p>In parts of the United States, change has already come. In November voters in Colorado and <keyword id="6354998" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Washington">Washington</keyword> backed proposals to legalise, tax and regulate cannabis for recreational use. State officials are now scrambling to draft the practical rules. On February 28th a task force charged with producing recommendations for the Colorado legislature will issue its report.</p>
<p>Though non-binding, this will be the first glimpse of what a fully formed regulatory regime for legal cannabis may look like. Although plenty of countries (and 15 American states) have decriminalised cannabis possession, in many cases treating it as no worse than a traffic infraction, nowhere has fully legalised its supply. Within a year the entire supply chain in Colorado and Washington, from cultivation to manufacture to retail, will be within the law. State coffers will gain tax and fee revenues and save in law-enforcement resources (maybe $60m a year in Colorado). Licensed outlets will appear on the streets.</p>
<p>Assuming, of course, that the federal government consents. Marijuana remains illegal under America’s Controlled Substances Act, the 1970 law that implemented the Single Convention in the United States and that is still the foundation of federal narcotics policy. The CSA classifies it as a "Schedule I" substance, meaning it can easily be abused and has no recognised medical value. (A federal appeals court recently rejected an attempt to have it reclassified.)</p>
<p>In December Eric Holder, the attorney-general, said that the justice department would issue a response to the state laws "relatively soon". But for the time being the department says only that it is reviewing the state initiatives, and that marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Shortly after Mr Holder’s statement, Barack Obama told a television interviewer that he would not make it a priority to prosecute pot smokers in the two states. But the federal government has never had the resources to target users, only big traffickers.</p>
<p>One clue to the future comes from the 18 states plus Washington, DC, where medical marijuana is legal. The Feds have come down hard on some growers and distributors in states that have drafted their laws poorly. In 1996 California was the first state to approve medical marijuana but lawsuits clog the courts, competing regulatory ballot measures confuse voters, and in some cities pushy dispensaries unnerve residents. In better-regulated places (like Colorado) the federal authorities have done little. A big issue will be leakage of legal marijuana from Colorado or Washington to other states. After meeting Mr Holder in January, Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, told reporters that the state would pay particular attention to this.</p>
<p>For some, that is a futile gesture. "We’ll become the source for most of the rest of the country," says a weary Tom Gorman, of the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area, a federal anti-drug outfit in Denver. Last year it tracked dozens of cases of diversion of Colorado’s medical marijuana, finding it in 23 states. Legalisation will add to the flow.</p>
<p>Yet diversion also makes life more difficult for the criminal gangs of Mexico, which are reckoned to supply anything between 40% and 70% of America’s pot. Their trade reaps profits of $2 billion a year according to IMCO, a Mexico City think-tank; cocaine profits are $2.4 billion. Part of the business model is murder: of around 70,000 people over the past five years. But IMCO reckons that once Colorado and Washington’s growers get going, the Mexicans could lose nearly three-quarters of their American customers (though others question these numbers).</p>
<p>Much will depend on how the state laws take shape. The Colorado task force has already suggested letting retailers serve non-residents, possibly in limited amounts. It also wants to relax restrictions on financial services for the industry. Many dispensaries struggle to obtain even basic banking and credit.</p>
<h3>Trying to stay upright</h3>
<p>Jack Finlaw and Barbara Brohl, who chair the task-force, are also pondering the "vertical integration" rules that have shaped the state’s medical-marijuana industry. Dispensaries must grow at least 70% of the marijuana they sell. Some cultivate it in-house; most grow it in off-site warehouses. This hampers distribution and wholesale markets. Rob Corry, a pro-legalisation lawyer, terms it "absurd, like a supermarket owning apple orchards". As elsewhere, tight rules have costs. But they have also helped citizens get used to an unfamiliar trade. "We’ve shown that we can make the industry work here," says Ean Seeb of Denver Relief, a leading dispensary.</p>
<p>Public acceptance, plus a clever campaign (paid for partly by outside money), led to victory in Colorado. Washington’s medical-marijuana industry is less advanced, but opponents of legalisation there were even more widely outspent.</p>
<p>More changes are looming. As with gay marriage (see chart), something that seemed revoltingly decadent to many Americans in past years has rapidly won acceptance. Campaigners are seeking further wins, mainly in the relatively liberal states of the west and north-east. Some dare to dream of changing federal law.</p>
<p>Their foe is the mighty prohibition industry: officials and bureaucrats who have spent their professional lives combating illegal drugs. Law-enforcement officers and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials have written to Mr Holder urging him to uphold federal law. Yet others counter that legalising pot will boost consumption, particularly if it can be advertised and marketed. That brings fears of health and other risks. Others counter that smoking more dope would mean people drank less alcohol, which is arguably a more destructive drug. But the effect could be the other way round. What legal pot would mean for tobacco and cocaine use is also unknown.</p>
<p>Cannabis policy is changing in Europe, too. At Santa María, a shop across the street from one of Madrid’s main hospitals, customers queue to buy fertilisers, potting earth and imported Dutch cannabis seeds. The owner, Pedro Pérez, cheerfully warns customers not to plant until late in March when the frosts have gone.</p>
<p>Spain’s approach now rivals that of the pioneering liberal Dutch. Though selling is illegal, buying is not. One result is hundreds of cannabis "social clubs", which allow members to pool their purchases. These range from small co-operatives where new members must wait six months for new cannabis to be grown before joining, to huge semi-commercial organisations, with thousands of "members" buying cannabis. One in Barcelona even made a €1.3m ($1.74m) deal with the country town of Rasquera to grow supplies on local land, better known for its almond trees. Similar experiments are under way in France, Belgium, Italy and Germany, says Tom Blickman of the Transnational Institute, a think-tank based in Amsterdam. In much of Britain, especially its big cities, the risk of prosecution for those using small quantities of soft drugs is vanishingly low.</p>
<p>But the most comprehensive policy comes from Portugal. In 1997 opinion polls rated drug use the country’s biggest social problem. Now, 12 years since the decriminalisation of personal use of small amounts (meaning less than ten days’ worth) of all drugs, it ranks 13th. All parties now support the policy of treating drug use as a health issue, not a crime. HIV rates have plummeted, too, says João Goulão, the national drugs co-ordinator.</p>
<p>But decriminalisation is not the same as legalisation. Portugal uses "dissuasion boards", made up of doctors, psychologists and other specialists. They aim to get addicts into treatment and to prevent recreational users from falling into addiction. When necessary they can impose fines and community work. By removing the "fear and stigma" of criminal punishment, says Mr Goulão, drug users are encouraged to seek the help they need.</p>
<p>Brendan Hughes, of the Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), an agency of the European Union, says Portugal stands out for its "consistency and comprehensiveness". Other countries wanting to focus on health have only "tweaked" their criminal laws, he says.</p>
<p>In 2009 the Czech Republic decriminalised possession of most drugs along Portuguese lines. In December it went further, fully legalising medicinal cannabis. The plan is for imports--probably Dutch or Israeli--to be sold in pharmacies, says Jindrich Voboril, the head of the government drugs council. If that works, it will then license a number of competing companies to grow supplies locally.</p>
<h3>The elusive molecules</h3>
<p>The other big policy innovation in Europe has been to drop punitive policies in dealing with heroin and cocaine addiction, in favour of harm reduction (see box). But a much bigger worry now is the rise of legal highs. The EMCDDA reports that a new psychoactive substance is found weekly, on average. These concoctions are openly marketed as "plant food" or "research chemicals". Mephedrone and ketamine--both legal highs until recently--have become mainstream clubbing drugs in Britain, taken alongside ecstasy and cocaine. Tim Hollis of the British Association of Chief Police Officers says that the police are "flat-footed" trying to keep up. Many of the new drugs do more harm than the illegal narcotics that they are replacing.</p>
<p>The legal regime governing cocaine is more controversial. Some countries, including Portugal, Mexico and Colombia, have decriminalised the possession of small doses of the drug, referring users to treatment rather than giving them a criminal record. But the harm cocaine does to health and its addictive nature make governments queasy about legalising its sale.</p>
<p>High in the Andes, regulated cultivation for "traditional" use (coca leaves give a mild caffeine-like buzz and suppress hunger, cold and altitude sickness) has been going on for decades. In Trinidad Pampa, a tiny village in Bolivia’s mountainous Yungas region, the hillsides are divided into neat terraces, where coca saplings are planted after being cultivated in beds enriched with rice-husks and sand. The whole village is involved. Children and even toddlers help their parents.</p>
<p>The 1961 narcotics convention banned coca along with cocaine (albeit with a long transitional period). But on January 11th Bolivia became the first country to negotiate a partial opt-out from the treaty. It was readmitted with a get-out clause for coca, having resigned last year over the ban on what its president, Evo Morales, calls the "sacred leaf". A former coca-grower and union leader, he enjoys grandstanding against America (he expelled its ambassador in 2008 along with DEA officials).</p>
<p>In 2004, following protests by coca growers led by Mr Morales (then in opposition), Bolivia brought most of its 28,000 hectares of coca fields within the law. The government claims that increases in population and heavy use among miners and truckers justify the extra growing-permits. But sales figures suggest that in fact most coca goes elsewhere. Leaves must be sold in state-controlled markets, which in 2011 bought just over 18,000 tonnes from farmers. The UN estimates that potential production was about 48,000 tonnes. Most of the missing 30,000 tonnes leaked into the cocaine business, reckons César Guedes, head of the UN drugs office in La Paz.</p>
<p>This alarms Bolivia’s neighbours. Brazil believes it has the world’s second-biggest market (after America) for cocaine and the largest for crack; most of Brazil’s cocaine imports come from Bolivia. Usage of crack is up in Argentina, too.</p>
<p>Yet keeping Bolivia outside the treaty was "infinitely more dangerous" than bringing it in, says an official from a nearby country. Supply increased a little after the regime was relaxed in 2004, before levelling out in 2008 and dropping by about 12% in 2011, to beneath 2004 levels. Letting farmers get on with it has allowed Bolivia to focus scarce police resources on organised crime. In 2011 it destroyed more than 5,000 cocaine processing factories, five times more than a decade earlier (though that could also show that trafficking has increased). Coca farmers still have a difficult relationship with the authorities in some parts of the country, but the abuses that accompanied the military-led eradication efforts of the 1990s have lessened.</p>
<p>Partial reforms have their limits. Most drug crime is not cannabis-related. Moving from punishment to harm reduction may help drug users, but it leaves gangsters in control of supplies and revenues. Many countries still stick to prohibition.</p>
<p>The votes in Colorado and Washington were hardly imaginable ten years ago and make deeper change likely. They weaken the Single Convention, the illegal trade, and the prohibition industry that feeds on it. Peter Reuter, an expert at the University of Maryland, says America should "evaluate the experiment and put up with international condemnation for a couple of years." Even that counts as progress.</p>
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