The board of commissioners of the Chicago Housing Authority voted on Tuesday to approve a new policy to help protect residents from being evicted for using cannabis. The board’s action revises an announcement from the agency last year that warned to end assistance for those found in possession of pot despite the legalization of marijuana in Illinois. […]
Citing concerns about a suspected connection between cannabis and psychosis, a group of Washington state lawmakers wants to slash the allowed potency of all non-medical cannabis concentrates, limiting THC levels to no more than 10%. Leo Beletsky, a professor of law and public health at Northwestern University, said that a blanket ban on such a […]
Scientists have identified a molecule in the brain that may help to protect the body from anxiety, and could help explain people’s use of marijuana in times of stress. In a study conducted in mice, researchers looked at the molecule 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). Normally, 2-AG maintains a break in a connection between the two regions. However, the […]
Medical cannabis will now be available free of charge in the Sicily region, according to a decree signed today by Sicilian health chief Ruggero Razza. The cost of prescriptions, available to patients suffering from chronic pain, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis, will be covered by the Sicilian regional government. See the original article at The […]
Researchers found that after cannabis legalization, binge-drinking rates for college students showed a greater drop than their peers in states where cannabis remains illegal. Binge drinking was defined in the study as having five or more drinks in a single sitting within the previous two weeks. See the original article at Ganjapreneur
A 3% tax on cannabis retailers was approved by a Cook County panel is expected to be approved by the full Board of Commissioners meaning taxes on some pot products in Chicago could exceed 41% by the summer. That 3% would be in addition to the city’s 3% planned tax and state excise taxes of […]
Two lawmakers in Colorado are pushing for passage of a law that would protect employees in the state from being fired for their use of pot off the job. If passed, the bill would prohibit employers “from terminating an employee for the employee’s lawful off-duty activities that are lawful under state law.” See the original […]
Voters in Florida will have to wait at least two more years before they get the opportunity to decide whether the state should legalize pot. Make it Legal Florida, the group that spearheaded the campaign to get the proposed amendment on the 2020 ballot, said this week that it is tabling the effort, with an […]
A cannabis decriminalization bill has been introduced in Tennessee. In addition to the statewide reforms, the legislation would allow counties to legalize cannabis for adult use. The measure would broadly decriminalize possession by adults up to one-half ounce. See the original article at Ganjapreneur
The town of Bessemer, Michigan has voted to spend approximately $3,400 to purchase a device to smell marijuana plants and train police officers in its use. “The city of Bessemer stinks,” council member Linda Nelson said. “You can smell marijuana everywhere. We’ve got people who can’t sit in their backyard because the smell from their […]
A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing on various reform proposals on Wednesday, including cannabis reform. This comes months after the House Judiciary Committee held a historic vote approving a comprehensive legalization bill sponsored by the panel’s chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). That legislation—the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act—will be one of […]
With the lack of regulatory oversight many consumers have questioned whether the labels of these cannabinoid-infused products can be trusted. In an exposé published last year, only about half of the products tested contained within 20% of the CBD that was labeled. Among those that failed, four CBD water products tested below 20%, with three […]
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo vowed to legalize marijuana in New York, prioritizing a push that fell apart last year amid tensions over who should be allowed to sell the drug and where the revenue should go. The governor described the effort as a long overdue criminal justice reform that could help salve wounds in communities […]
A Colorado county has launched a public service campaign to warn residents that there may be risks associated with using cannabis. Eric Aakko, a spokesman for the department, said that local officials want the public to realize that the legalization of marijuana does not imply that that cannabis use is risk-free. See the original article at […]
Researchers at Italy’s University of Salento have discovered two new cannabinoids – THCP and CBDP – and THCP could be more potent than THC. In tests on mice, researchers found that THCP showed “an affinity for CB1 receptor more than thirty-fold higher compared to the one reported for THC.” See the original article at Ganjapreneur
In 2014, a new farm bill opened up industrial hemp cultivation to state-controlled pilot programs. The following year, 1,500 acres of hemp were planted in the US. Today, nearly 100 times that many acres of US farmland are covered in the stuff—146,000, according to new data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). See the […]
On the first of legal recreational marijuana in Illinois, Illinois raked in almost $3.2 million in sales of the substance. Legalization also brought about applications for the 75 available dispensary licenses. New licenses will be issued on May 1. See the original article at Raw Story
It’s no secret that conservative politics and cannabis legalization don’t always mix, but young Republicans may change that. Across the nation, young Republicans continue to support increased efforts to legalize cannabis at far greater rates than the old guard. According to NPR, about 60% of young Republicans favored legalizing cannabis ahead of the 2016 election. See the […]
The Missouri Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for the first season of hemp cultivation in the state in more than 70 years. Potential hemp farmers must submit to officials parcel maps of the proposed crops and fingerprints along with their applications. See the original article at Ganjapreneur
Years before Illinois lawmakers moved to legalize recreational marijuana, police in the largest suburban communities were already making far fewer arrests for cannabis crimes. Arrests for marijuana-related crimes dropped by between 63% and roughly 80% from 2015 to 2018 in Chicago’s five largest suburbs. See the original article at Chicago Tribune
More than a year ago, Canada made recreational cannabis legal. So why are people still buying it on the black market? “It didn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that [cannabis] stocks were trading on fantasy and not on fundamentals,” says Jonathan Rubin, CEO of New Leaf Data Services. See the original article at BBC
Domestic travelers caught with weed in Chicago airports won’t be busted after Jan. 1, Chicago police say. The federally-run Transportation Security Administration, which screens all passengers getting on planes, says it will defer to police if they find someone carrying pot. See the original article at Chicago Sun-Times
During federal budget negotiations the Republican-controlled Senate removed several riders from the omnibus package meant to protect the legal cannabis industry. The Senate also rejected a measure that would have given legal cannabis businesses banking protections – similar to the protections allowed in the House-approved SAFE Banking Act. See the original article at Ganjapreneur
Police in St. Petersburg, Florida said they arrested a man Saturday for handing out marijuana “because it was Christmas.” Officers said Richard Ellis Spurrier, 67, had 45 grams of marijuana on him and was handing it out to people as they passed by. Curated from WFLA
Under new rules set to go into effect on Jan. 1, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which regulates alcohol and recreational marijuana in the state, beer and other alcoholic drinks may not contain THC. “We’ve wanted to address the issue of CBD getting into alcohol and because there are a lot of unknown unknowns about […]
Mayor Lori Lightfoot beat back an attempt by black aldermen to stall the start of recreational marijuana sales in Chicago for six months, setting the stage for the city’s legal weed bonanza to start Jan. 1. The mayor emerged with a big legislative win after hours of intense, often heated public debate on the City […]
This week, lawmakers in both Kentucky and Indiana have filed bills to legalize cannabis in their respective states. Rep. Cluster Howard of Kentucky and Rep. Karen Tallian of Indiana proposed new legislation which would signifigantly loosen marijuana laws. See the original articles on High Times
New Jersey residents will decide whether to legalize marijuana in the Garden State, after both houses of the state Legislature voted Monday to put the question on the 2020 ballot. The measure passed the state Senate in a 24-16 vote at the Statehouse in Trenton on Monday afternoon, while the state Assembly voted 49-24 with […]
Dallas, Texas-based Panda Biotech is planning to build the largest industrial hemp processing facility in the U.S. in Shallowater, TX. According to the report, the company has already secured the rights to purchase a 255,000 square foot facility for the project. The “Panda High Plains Hemp Gin” would be used to separate hemp fiber and […]
In a radio interview on Friday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated that the league’s marijuana policy would change in the next collective bargaining agreement. Jones’s revelation comes only days following the MLB’s announcement that it will no longer test for the substance. Marijuana is currently a banned substance in the NFL, and repeated usage can lead […]
A new SpaceX mission will transport coffee and cannabis plant cultures to space in order to study the effects of zero gravity on their metabolic pathways. Coffee and hemp samples from Front Range Biosciences will board a SpaceX CRS-20 cargo flight, scheduled for liftoff in March, 2020. The samples will then head to the International […]
A new study found that cannabis users performed normally in driving tests 24 and 48 hours after consuming the substance. The study, using a driving simulator, allowed participants to control their own cannabis consumption, which varied the THC in the blood of the subjects and ranged from zero to 42 nanograms per milliliter. See the […]
As part of a new drug agreement, MLB will remove marijuana from the league’s list of banned substances for minor-league players. Under the current drug agreement non-40-man roster minor leaguers are suspended 25 games for their first positive test for a “drug of abuse.” See the original article on CBS Sports