new legalities to local law enforcement regarding possession limits but also cannabis education in the DRE field regarding detecting the effects of cannabis impairment through field sobriety tests .
Besides bringing in local professionals from the cannabis industry to address their concerns and help educate police officers , we also bring April Hatch , RN , MSN , with the Cannabis Care Team to teach the medical benefits and history of prohibition . Police officers are also taken on a tour of a licensed cannabis facility , followed by having seven or eight volunteers consume cannabis for Green Lab training . and impairment . Not to mention that by the end of the day , we see a bond being created between cannabis consumers , cannabis industry employees , and local law enforcement .
When Hutton first approached The EVOLUTION Magazine to help with his Green Lab education , one of his big wins early on was getting his educational course hours approved for local law enforcement continuing education credit hours as well as for cadets in training . Missouri ’ s local law enforcement is required to have so many hours of continuing education every year , and getting the Green Labs to become a part of that approved training was no easy feat .
Unfortunately , though , Hutton couldn ’ t get any funding to pay his employees or the officers ’ fees to take the course . This is where The EVOLUTION Magazine assisted .
We help recruit sponsors from the MO Cannabis Industry to help cover some of Green Lab ’ s costs as well as some of the costs for many of the officers in training . ( It ’ s important to note here that it was only some of the costs , as Hutton and many of his employees worked for free , often paying for their own travel and accommodation expenses to help educate police officers at these Green Labs . More sponsorship funding is needed .)
Additionally , we helped recruit cannabis industry professionals and leaders to help with education and facility tours , as well as helping recruit consumption volunteers for the trainings .
Jon Bond , after consumption , is field sobriety tested by a police officer while another officer records data findings on his cell phone ’ s Green Lab App .
The volunteers have two sessions of consumption while officers in training record their field sobriety results on an App on their cell phone , with Hutton ’ s Extract-ED employees overwatching for accurate results . During the first session , the volunteers consume low-to-moderate amounts according to their current use . For the second session , we have them over-consume according to their entire daily use , all while collecting saliva samples to learn the levels of THC in their body at the time their field sobriety tests are administered .
Time after time , we see half or more of the volunteers pass the first round of field sobriety tests . It has been eye-opening for many police officers to see the actual difference between consumption
Hutton and his teams ’ hard work is paying off , as the Green Labs are now receiving national exposure . In attendance at the Last Green Lab was a photographer from the Wall Street Journal as well as two Royal Mounted Canadian Guard –– one of which oversees the entire highway division of Canada , and the other who was the toxicologist who created the levels of impairment for Canada . Why were they there ? More about that story as we continue this story in future issues !
Most significantly , Hutton recently received the first ever government grant for this type of research , which will help “ partially ” fund the next three of the four Green Labs over the next year .
What Now ? A Call to Action !
If we could help raise funds to help Hutton ’ s Green Labs get to where they are today , imagine what we could do collectively , with even more of the Missouri cannabis industry ’ s support behind us . Not only could we pay for the fourth Green Lab , but we could — 1 . Focus on raising the public ’ s awareness of Hutton ’ s research through print , video production , social media , and television . 2 . Collect even more data to support the ( actual , not perceived ) impairment research educating law enforcement statewide . 3 . Help Missouri have the safest roadways in America for cannabis consumers as well as non-cannabis consumers .
Maybe we could even become the leading state in the nation for R & D on cannabis consumption and impairment –– or maybe We Already Are !
Watch for future issues as we continue this series . Meanwhile , consume responsibly , and stay safe .
Volunteers consume during round one of field sobriety testing for Green Lab ’ s research and data collection .
References : 1 . https :// www . cnn . com / 2024 / 05 / 30 / health / marijuana-versus-alcoholwellness / index . html 2 . https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = 4JZLFVTSnjQ
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