Why This U.S. Army Officer Retired to Focus on Cannabis

Nick’s Note: Todd Scattini isn’t your typical marijuana entrepreneur.

He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1996, and became an Army officer.

But Todd recently hung up his fatigues to serve as CEO of Harvest 360, a marijuana consulting and management firm.

My colleague Justin Spittler, editor of the Casey Daily Dispatch, met Todd at Harvest 360’s headquarters in Denver a few weeks ago. There, they discussed how he’s using cannabis to solve one of the military’s deadliest problems.

Todd’s story could completely change how many people think about cannabis.

Below is a transcript of their conversation. I encourage you to share it with anyone who still sees marijuana as just another “street drug.” It may just change their mind…

Justin: Todd, I’m not used to seeing “cannabis” and “Army officer” in the same sentence. So, can you tell me how you became interested in the plant?

Todd: I became interested in 2011. I was in Paris at the time, and I was asked to serve as a special advisor for General John Allen. He was the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) back then.

ISAF was a NATO-led security mission. It’s the largest military coalition ever assembled. At the time, it was 51 nations.

Its main purpose was training the Afghan National Security Forces and assisting Afghanistan in rebuilding key government institutions. It was also engaged in the war with the Taliban insurgency.

I was helping manage the General’s relationship with the Coalition through bilateral engagement and normal security cooperation functions.

One evening, our special staff was asked to come up with creative ways to engage with the Afghans using the domestic resources they had so that they could create an industry without relying on outside assistance.

And I thought, “Geez. The Afghans don’t have many resources.”

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They had minerals, but the Chinese had purchased the rights to them long ago, and it would take nearly a decade to build the infrastructure to mine them effectively.

They had heroin, too, but I certainly didn’t think that could be the basis for an industry.

And they had cannabis. A lot of cannabis that they grew was smuggled outside of the country and sold on the black market for huge profits to fund terrorist operations.

So, I thought, “why don’t we transition them to a hemp industry?” It has 25,000 different uses such as food, fuel, fiber, and medicine. And humans have been using it for 8,000 years. We have essentially evolved with this plant.

Justin: How’d that suggestion go over with your supervisors?

Todd: It was not well-received. I don’t believe my concept was ever even briefed to the General. I was kind of laughed out of the room, to be honest. They called me “Major Cheech & Chong” and things like that.

But I learned so much about the plant by studying it, including its medical potential.

And I thought, “there are some military applications here.”

So, I continued to read, study, and talk to everyone I could about the plant. I learned so much that I became a master at talking to generals, other officers, and ambassadors about marijuana.

Justin: So, do they still call you Major Cheech & Chong?

Todd: I still get a giggle or pot pun when I talk about it. But I’m no longer laughed out of the room. So, yes, I’ve convinced a lot of people that this is a very interesting proposition and might be a way to address reducing suicides from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and chronic pain; all significant issues that often result from our service.

Justin: How did you change people’s minds?

Todd: I just became so passionate and well-studied about the plant, the roots of its prohibition, and its potential to help people.

So, now when speaking with generals and other senior leaders I tell them, “Sir, this is serious, and I think it could save soldiers’ lives.”

I always point them to the federal government’s patent on cannabidiol as a neuro-protectant, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. This is U.S. Patent 6630507.

Justin: Why’s that patent so important?

Todd: These days, many of our soldiers encounter improvised explosive devices (IED) on the battlefield. An IED strike can be devastating to multiple vehicles and soldiers in an instant.

And, if an IED goes off near you, there’s a good chance you’ll experience a TBI. TBI is a very serious concussion possibly leading to permanent or temporary impairment of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial function. We find that soldiers who have experienced a TBI are at a higher risk for PTSD and suicide.

Justin: How does an IED give TBI?

Todd: When an IED goes off near you, there’s a massive blast wave. The air from the blast creates a wall of pressure that hits a soldier’s hard skull and rattles the soft brain around inside of it, and a dangerous chemical process begins inside the skull.

This can lead to a stroke, which is what usually kills a TBI victim.

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Justin: How does the military currently treat TBI?

Todd: Today, there’s very little done to treat it. And, aside from improvements made to some vehicles, there’s really no protocol for preventing this sort of injury.

I want to change that with my project, The Athena Protocol.

I want to use formulations of non-psychoactive cannabinoids (especially cannabidiol) and a few added elements as a daily supplement to essentially “armor a soldier’s brain,” and help protect the brain’s neuroreceptors. Studies suggest that this approach could also increase the elasticity of the neurons, preventing them from calcification and potentially reducing the instance of PTSD among our soldier and veteran population.

Justin: How do you plan to prevent these sorts of things?

Todd: Well, we do this in two phases. The first is the prep phase. This happens “left of the boom,” as we say in the military. This means this is the preparation done prior to an IED strike. This includes the supplementation of cannabinoids which help “armor the brain” in preparation for a traumatic event.

Hopefully no one ever gets “right of the boom,” or experiences an IED strike. But, if they do, I would propose administering an immediate supplemental dose of non-psychoactive cannabinoids and other elements very, very rapidly.

Justin: What made you want to focus on TBI?

Todd: I became interested after I lost a platoon leader of mine. His name was Captain Andrew Houghton.

Andy was a fellow West Point graduate. He was class of 2001, and he was like a little brother to me.

In 2004, he was struck in the head with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) while deployed in Iraq. The RPG didn’t explode. But it did massive damage to his head.

The battlefield medics, which are so good today, performed a soldier-to-soldier blood transfusion on-site in his vehicle. They stabilized him in-country and transported him to the Army hospital in Germany.

There, his brain continued to swell.

The rocket did so much damage that they had to remove a large portion of his brain to release the pressure. He was then sent to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where I was present when they pinned a Purple Heart on him. He passed away the next day.

If I can prevent something like that from happening again, I will be very satisfied and feel that I will have done my duty.

Justin: I’m terribly sorry to hear about your loss, Todd.

But it’s inspiring that you’re trying to prevent this sort of thing from happening to other soldiers.

That said, how can you be so confident that The Athena Protocol will work? After all, no one’s ever done anything like this before.

Todd: So, a portion of that is the federal patent I was telling you about. This study says cannabidiol is an effective neuroprotectant and anti-inflammatory.

More recent studies have also shown that victims of car accidents who have THC (an active ingredient in marijuana) have a higher percentage of survivability in TBI incidents.

Plus, we know that cannabinoids pass the blood barrier much more rapidly than most pharmaceuticals.

So, we’d be able to administer and see anti-inflammatory effects very rapidly.

But, you are right. Of course, this theory must be tested. The unfortunate thing is that we are prevented from testing this in the United States due to cannabis’ Schedule I status on the federal government’s list of Controlled Substances. I would propose to circumvent this by studying this outside of the U.S. or gaining special permission to do so in the U.S.

Justin: Would The Athena Protocol only be used to treat TBI injuries suffered in combat? Or are there applications beyond the military?

Todd: Absolutely. Soldiers aren’t the only ones who suffer TBI injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2.5 million people go to U.S. emergency rooms every year for TBI. And about 300,000 of those people die from their injuries.

This includes everyone from car crash victims to people who slip and fall.

So, this kind of treatment could really be used everywhere. And the sooner first responders and hospitals can administer this, the better.

Justin: And how’s the project coming along?

Todd: Right now, we’re at the research and development (R&D) level, but we have submitted for a provisional patent for the entire protocol and sub-patents for each formulation and method of administration. Specifically, we’re working on jamming as much cannabidiol into a single drop of water as possible. And we’ve already gotten some incredibly high levels of concentration. So, it’s coming along very nicely.

Justin: Got it. You’re doing some incredible work, Todd. But I have to ask you one last thing before I let you go… Where’d the name, The Athena Protocol, come from?

Todd: The name, and I’m not kidding, came to me in the middle of the night. I shot out of bed and wrote it down.

Athena is the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Good Counsel, and War. She also wears a helmet. And Athena’s helmet adorns the West Point crest.

Justin: Wow. It sure seems like you picked the perfect name.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. And best of luck with everything.

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Political Pizza

Over the years, I’ve often been asked to explain the political party system in a simple, easy-to-grasp way. Several years ago, I came up with the following explanation, and, for some people, it’s helped to remove the complexity and smoke and mirrors created by the political world. Let’s see if you agree.

Picture this: You live in a relatively small town. It’s a good place to live, with most townspeople being mutually supportive and often quite helpful. There are just a few local restaurants, each owned and operated by your fellow townsmen. You go out to eat often, to support your community.

Then, one day, in an old brick commercial building in the centre of town, with two vacant storefronts, you see signs announcing the opening of a new pizza shop in one of the vacant spaces. It will be called “Blue Pizza.”

When it opens, the manager advises customers that the owner is a staunch blue party supporter, and, each month, the owner plans to dedicate much of the profits from the shop to blue candidates. You vote blue in each election, so, you make a point of frequenting the shop and feel good that your meals are benefitting the blue party.

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Soon, many of the other blue supporters in town flock to the shop, regularly buying pizza. Red supporters, however, are a bit disgruntled and rarely go in for a pizza.

Then, one day, signs appear in the other vacant storefront, announcing the opening of “Red Pizza.” It’s immediately popular with red party voters, as the manager advises customers that the owner intends to donate a major portion of the profits to red party candidates.

Although the owners never seem to be present, the two managers are quite vocal regarding the political support by their respective shops. Soon, business increases dramatically for both pizza shops. Half the town frequents Blue Pizza; the other half frequents Red Pizza. Townspeople go as often as possible, wanting to lend as much support as they can.

Over time, the pre-existing local restaurants are having a hard time making ends meet, as they’re seeing far fewer customers. One by one, they fold. Townspeople regret the closures, but, with each closure, they increase their commitment to their chosen pizza shop.

Each group of patrons insists that its shop’s pizza is better pizza, and rumours begin to circulate that the other shop serves pizza with substandard ingredients that are unhealthy. The other pizza is not only less desirable, but a danger to the community.

As each election time approaches, townspeople go all out, ordering pizza as often as they can, in order to help their chosen candidates to get elected. Altercations often break out between younger customers, on the street in front of the shops.

The townspeople become divided like never before. A resident, who once got on fairly well with his neighbour, now looks at him with resentment and even anger, when he sees him enter the opposing shop. The townspeople become highly polarized and begin to see each other as the enemy. Although actual violence is minimal, the former sense of community, in which neighbours looked after one another, deteriorates.

People in the workplace find that they’re taking up sides far more than they once did, and, in the same place of work, blue and red groupings often define whether co-workers can work together effectively.

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One day, someone from out of town is visiting for a few days. He’s intrigued by the considerable business being done by the two pizza shops and the polarization that’s developed in the once-harmonious town.

Out of curiosity, he goes to each shop and orders a slice of pizza. He’s surprised to find that they look and taste exactly the same.

He then visits the real estate office that handles the building and asks the realtor if any other space has been rented in the building recently. The realtor mentions that the office space above the two shops was rented at about the same time as the shops themselves.

That night, at closing time for the two pizza shops, the visitor sits on a bench across the street from the shops, staring at the building. A local notices him and asks, “What are you looking at?”

The visitor says, “I’m waiting to see what happens. Have a seat.”

The local sits down and they both stare at the front of the brick building. Eventually, they see the manager of Blue Pizza shut off the lights, lock up the front door, and enter the door that leads to the upstairs office. Moments later, the manager of Red Pizza does the same.

The two people on the bench stare into the lighted office above the pizza shops, where a man, presumably the owner, sits at a desk. As the managers arrive upstairs, they place their proceeds from the day into one pile. The three men count out the money, and the owner makes a record of the total take for the day. They then sit back, have a beer, and joke together. The owner places the proceeds into his valise and the three men exit the building, driving away in separate directions.

And that’s essentially the system of democracy.

In bygone eras, kings ruled vast areas of countryside. They fed off the people and were understandably resented and even hated by them.

Then, along came democracy. It was often created from the bottom up, by a people who were fed up at having their lives ruled by usurpers who allowed them few choices and limited opportunity.

But, in virtually every country, the system was co-opted by those who sought power. Not surprisingly, they sought power for their own gain, not the benefit of the people. (’Twas ever thus.)

Ironically, the democratic system has been far more effective for the rulers than the monarchic system. By creating the illusion that the people have a choice, the rulers and their flunkies can extract far more from the people, without inciting revolt, than was previously possible in the monarchic system.

Political leaders are therefore far more loyal to the system than they are to those who voted for them.

A thousand years ago, in the “dark” ages, a worker paid his tithe to the feudal lord. The standard tithe was “one day’s labour in ten,” or ten percent of his earnings. Today, although the average serf has modern distractions, such as smart phones and flat-screen TVs, he pays a far higher percentage of the fruits of his labour in an endless plethora of federal, state, and local taxes and government departmental fees.

For both Blue Pizza and Red Pizza, revenue has never been better, and the cost of a slice is certain to rise further.

Hopefully the lesson to be learned is to avoid being distracted by the colour of the pizza shop, but to focus instead on the fellow in the office above.

Regards,

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Avoid This New Marijuana Fund—Buy These Stocks Instead

There’s a new way to invest in marijuana…

A few weeks from now, Tierra Funds will introduce the first U.S. marijuana exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Tierra will call its new fund the Alternative Agroscience ETF. It will invest in marijuana cultivators, medical marijuana drugmakers, and companies that serve the industry.

It will allow investors to bet on the entire marijuana industry instead of individual stocks. In theory, this should reduce the risk that comes with betting on such an up-and-coming industry.

But I wouldn’t go near this fund. In fact, I’d avoid it at all costs.

I’ll explain why in today’s essay. I’ll also show you an even better way to profit off legal marijuana.

But let me first tell you why Tierra is launching this fund.

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Marijuana legalization is sweeping the country…

In November 2016, four U.S. states plus Washington, D.C., voted to legalize marijuana outright. Twenty-nine states, along with D.C., now let you use marijuana for either medical or recreational purposes.

Legal marijuana is now the fastest-growing industry in the United States.

Last year, it grew 30%. That’s nine times faster than the entire U.S. economy grew in 2016. And this boom has only just begun.

By 2026, investment bank Cowen and Company projects that the industry will be worth $50 billion. That’s eight times bigger than it is today.

We haven’t seen an industry explode like this since the internet in the late 1990s…

And yet, many investors still want nothing to do with marijuana stocks.

They’re worried the federal government will crack down on the industry. And that’s because Trump’s attorney general Jeff Sessions is a drug warrior.

But that’s an irrational fear.

You see, the marijuana industry already generates billions in sales every year. It’s created more than a hundred thousand jobs. And it’s keeping states like Colorado from going bankrupt.

In short, the marijuana industry is simply too big to shut down.

It’s only a matter of time before the average investor realizes this…

When that happens, money will pour into marijuana stocks like we’ve never seen before.

Tierra Funds knows this. That’s why they’re launching the first marijuana ETF in the U.S. They want to get in front of this coming stampede.

So, why should you avoid Tierra’s marijuana fund? Well, there are actually a few reasons.

For one, Tierra isn’t creating this fund from scratch. Instead, it’s going to retrofit its Tierra XP Latin America Real Estate ETF (LARE) into a marijuana fund.

That fund has just $6 million in assets. It’s tiny, and extremely illiquid.

More importantly, you shouldn’t take a “shotgun approach” to investing in pot…

That’s because most U.S. marijuana companies are garbage.

They’re bleeding cash. They’re drowning in debt. And they’re trading at sky-high premiums. Some are even outright scams.

Many of these companies will likely find their way into Tierra’s marijuana fund. And the last thing you want to do is own a basket of crummy marijuana companies.

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If you really want to make money in pot, you need to handpick the best stocks…

Unfortunately, most investors don’t know the first thing about investing in marijuana.

That’s where I can help. You see, I’ve spent the last six months researching the marijuana industry around the clock.

But I haven’t just sat at my desk like other so-called experts. I’ve gone to the front lines of the global marijuana boom.

I’ve been to Vancouver, San Francisco, and Denver. Along the way, I’ve met with marijuana venture capitalists, CEOs of multinational marijuana companies, and even master growers.

This “boots on the ground” research has helped me understand how the marijuana industry really works. I’ve also discovered something that most analysts don’t realize.

The best way to make money off marijuana isn’t with traditional marijuana companies…

It’s with “picks and shovels” companies.

These are companies that serve marijuana growers and distributors. They don’t “touch the plant.”

This gives them a huge advantage over traditional marijuana companies.

You see, marijuana is still a Schedule I drug at the federal level. Because of this, traditional marijuana companies have trouble accessing capital. They must run cash businesses. And they can’t move their product across state lines.

“Picks and shovels” companies don’t have these problems…

They can stick their cash in a bank. They can accept credit cards. They can also borrow money from traditional lenders if they want.

In other words, they don’t have nearly as many legal and regulatory headaches as traditional marijuana companies.

Not only that, “picks and shovels” companies can ship products across state lines. This makes it much easier for them to grow.

So, consider speculating on marijuana companies like these if you haven’t already…

You can begin your research by visiting The Marijuana Index. It’s a website that lists hundreds of U.S. marijuana companies.

That’s obviously more companies than anyone has time to vet. But you can narrow this list down by category. I suggest looking at companies in the “Direct Support” and “Ancillary” sectors under the “Sectors” tab.

Just understand that there aren’t any “sure things” in the marijuana industry. So, be sure to do your homework before buying any marijuana stock.

You should also treat marijuana stocks as a speculation.

Don’t bet more money than you can afford to lose. Use stop losses. And take profits when you get them.

Investors who do these things will set themselves up for big gains without risking huge losses.

Regards,

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O que Gustavo Franco pensa sobre bitcoin (e por que o ex-BC acha que ela subiu tanto)

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