Author: Benjamin M. Adams

[ad_1] If Minnesota police search a vehicle solely based upon the smell of pot, they can’t justify searching a vehicle, even if there is evidence found of other alleged crimes. Even after appealing a lower court decision to suppress the evidence—twice—the Minnesota Supreme Court agreed, and the dismissal of his charges stands. In a ruling filed regarding a case the State of Minnesota Court of Appeals on Sept. 13, the Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed that cannabis odor does not constitute probable cause to search a vehicle under the state’s automobile exception to the warrant requirement. The case has been ongoing…

[ad_1] The original recipe for bright pink Peeps is at the center of a controversy involving potentially problematic chemicals found in many foods. While it’s generally understood that junk food contains poor ingredients, now we know more about which ones are particularly problematic, more specifically, potentially carcinogenic. A bill to ban four food-related chemicals including red dyes advanced in California’s state Senate, after dropping a fifth chemical as the legislation was amended.  While many candies across the board need to change their recipes to something healthier—pink-colored Peeps are among the ones that need it most. The bright pink color of…

[ad_1] A trio of dedicated attorneys—Andrew Cooper of Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLP, Michael Hoffman of The Hoffman Centers PC, and John Williams of the Law Office of John D. Williams—are donating their time to help people expunge their records at an upcoming cannabis convention in New Jersey. People currently sit in prison for cannabis-related convictions that are essentially the same activities that are now legal in dozens of states. Like several other states, New Jersey provided a pathway to expungement, though it usually takes the expertise of a legal professional. Certain low-level cannabis convictions in New Jersey are eligible…

[ad_1] The implications of a recent federal judge ruling have people in the industry asking: Did a federal judge just legalize help-derived cannabinoids like delta-8 THC, HHC, THCP, and THCa flower? In a nutshell, a judge in Arkansas ruled that the 2018 Farm Bill takes legal precedence over an Arkansas state ban on hemp-derived cannabinoids, which could lay out a blueprint for future legal actions in other states. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson ruled to block the enforcement of Act 629 of 2023, which was passed in Arkansas in the 2023 legislative session and banned sales and…

[ad_1] Seven unlicensed dispensaries in Rosamond, California were shut down by Kern County Sheriff’s office deputies Wednesday, reports the Sierra Sun Times. The dispensaries were stocked with quality pot, offered loyalty programs, and offered raffles and other promotional items. They appear to be almost indistinguishable from legal dispensaries in nearby communities that allow retail stores. While home growing is allowed in Kern County, dispensaries are not permitted to open in most towns and communities. The latest sting reflects the constant battle to contain illegal businesses that ignore the county’s strict stance on cannabis. “Kern County Sheriff’s Office officials report that…

[ad_1] In Pennsylvania’s second-largest city, advocates are busy working to legalize adult-use cannabis. Last month, two lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 846 to legalize adult-use cannabis in Pennsylvania. The bill currently waits for review from the Senate Law and Justice Committee for further deliberation. Next Pittsburgh reports that advocates at a local Pittsburgh branch of NORML are gearing up for legalization efforts in the state. “This is a much bigger issue than just cannabis—it’s about giving people the right to be able to find health and wellness in the way that they want to and to not have to feel like…

[ad_1] Copenhagen, Denmark’s autonomous neighborhood commune of Christiania (or Freetown Christiania) has tolerated soft drug use for decades on Pusher Street, its main market, but a recent shooting might complicate things for its open hash trade. On Sept. 4, the mayor of Copenhagen on Monday urged foreign tourists not to buy cannabis in the city’s Christiania neighborhood after a man was killed. Instead of selling cannabis in a regulated retail model as seen in legal U.S. states, cannabis is sold from unregulated dealers like a street drug there. A “bloody feud” between the Hells Angels and Loyal to Family erupted…

[ad_1] An official at the Department of Health and Human Services recommended to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that cannabis be reclassified from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act in a leaked letter. HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine sent a letter dated Aug. 29 to DEA Anne Milgram, recommending that cannabis be reclassified. The HHS confirmed on Tuesday that a representative sent its findings to the DEA. “Following the data and science, HHS has expeditiously responded to President Biden’s directive to HHS Secretary [Xavier Becerra] and provided its scheduling recommendation…

[ad_1] Last week was busy for the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, who reported Monday that they confiscated over 500,000 fentanyl tablets that were disguised as ”M30” oxycodone pills. One of the primary reasons people overdose on fentanyl is because they think they are taking a less powerful opioid, typically disguised as an oxycodone or hydrocodone pill. In one bust, a person at a clothing store was allegedly selling a lot more than just clothes: At 10:56 p.m. Friday, police in Hesperia, California served two search warrants at The House of Drip, a clothing store after officers caught wind of a…

[ad_1] On Saturday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he would not legalize adult-use cannabis if elected president, confirming what he said in June, and warned about the danger of fentanyl-laced pot at the Never Back Down Super PAC in Iowa. Florida Politics reports that the presidential hopeful is gearing up for the 2024 presidential election, and taking a harder stance against adult-use cannabis. “Yeah, I would not legalize,” DeSantis said at Never Back Down. “I think what’s happened is this stuff is very potent now. I think it’s a real, real problem and I think it’s a lot different than…

[ad_1] Thursday evening, Donald Trump’s mug shot was released to the public after he was booked at an Atlanta, Georgia jail on more than a dozen felony charges. The jail that booked him, Fulton County Jail, has a long rap sheet of smuggled drugs, constant violence, and notorious murderers and serial killers through the decades. ABC 7 reports that Trump’s mug shot was a historic first: the first former U.S. president to have his mug shot taken. (Nixon came close but was given a full and unconditional pardon by Gerald Ford on September 8, 1974.) It’s the culmination of a…

[ad_1] Hulk Hogan, real name Terry Gene Bollea, is done with painkillers and alcohol, swapping the two for CBD, which is being studied for its role in battling addiction. He revealed the switch in a candid interview with Muscle and Health magazine. A legend in professional wrestling, Hogan underwent some 25 surgeries over the course of his career, getting loaded up with opioids prescribed by doctors. But Hogan said he continued taking the opioids long after the physical pain was gone. Now at age 70, he revealed that a combination of opioids and alcohol spelled a decades-long relationship with addiction.…