Author: Benjamin M. Adams

[ad_1] In a string of robberies, several cannabis retail shops have reported various tactics criminals have been using to get into their businesses in recent months. As these get worse, lawmakers are cranking up the punishments for people involved in such violent crimes. A bill proposal in Washington would tack on an extra year of jail time for people convicted of robbing a cannabis store under certain conditions. Senate Bill 6133 would allow prosecutors in the state to seek a 12-month sentence enhancement if someone convicted of robbing a cannabis store is part of a group, or if a person…

[ad_1] Liquor stores in Connecticut—not licensed cannabis retail stores—are selling THC-infused drinks such as seltzers legally, due to a legal loophole regarding dosages listed on the cans. Cannabis retail stores are selling cans listed as one serving, but the same cans of cannabis-infused seltzer, usually running in sizes from 7.5 – 12 ounces, are labeled as five servings in a package at a liquor store or market. All they have to do is ensure that each serving contains less than 1 mg of THC per serving and they can sell the seltzers without violating state law. CT Insider reports that…

[ad_1] Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants to send the Biden administration a message: End prohibition of cannabis, once and for all, by fully descheduling it rather than simply rescheduling it to a slightly less restrictive category. The time is right for real change. On Sunday, the senator called for Attorney General Merrick Garland and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to act to deschedule cannabis at a press conference in Harlem, New York. Cannabis is currently classified as a schedule 1 controlled substance, the most restrictive category and the same as heroin, with “no currently accepted medical use.” “Descheduling marijuana from…

[ad_1] Long Beach, California is on track to establish an ordinance that will give cannabis retailers a minor tax break and reward the ones in good standing on their payments with a bigger tax break, cutting their local tax in half. At a Jan. 23 meeting, Long Beach City Council members voted to request an ordinance be drafted to lower rates for businesses that meet hiring and compensation markers and are up to date with their current tax payments. City leadership has been aware about the significant tax burden impacting cannabis businesses across California. Not only in Long Beach, but…

[ad_1] Native American and preservationist advocates are sounding the alarm about an imminent “peyote crisis.” The crisis started decades ago, but recently has been amplified by pharmaceutical interests in mescaline, the psychoactive compound the cactus is known for. The mescaline-rich spineless cactus, Lophophora williamsii, has been used in sacred rituals for over 5,000 years by American indigenous cultures, but through careless harvesting by recreational users, or worse, mass produced pharmaceutical companies, all of that could soon be lost. In the U.S. the cactus only grows wild in Texas—where it’s been declared an endangered species—as well as Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León,…

[ad_1] Things are changing fast regarding how hemp is tolerated in agriculture and farming. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s veterinary arm, the FDA-Center for Veterinary Medicine’s (FDA-CVM), is responsible for assuring that animal drugs and medicated feeds are safe and effective. Officials that determine approved chicken feed ingredients recommended hemp seed meal for hens, under a tentative FDA-CVM approval, as evidence mounts showing hemp seed is not only safe but beneficial for healthy hens and eggs. Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC)—a nonprofit that aims to federal approval for hemp grain products in animal feed—announced a “landmark achievement” with the tentative…

[ad_1] Is a town in Colorado the first to become a cannabis ghost town? Westword’s Thomas Mitchell reported that the green rush of cannabis business licenses in Colorado left the town of Ordway a “ghost town,” filled with vacant growing operations. Hasn’t this happened before? Out of the hope of profitable veins of gold sprung boomtowns during the California Gold Rush, a mid-19th century rush of people seeking a fortune from gold. Bodie, California, for instance, soared to over 8,000 people looking for gold until its resources were exhausted. It happened in Colorado, too. Cripple Creek, Colorado soared to over…

[ad_1] Vermont law currently caps THC for cannabis flower and concentrates but that could soon change under a new bill packed with amendments to improve the state’s cannabis market. The Vermont Cannabis Control Board is asking lawmakers to drop the caps on the potency of cannabis and concentrates from state law, while the edibles caps would remain. Lawmakers argue that the bill could keep more consumers in the legal market, while some medical leaders in the state disagree. Dropping the THC caps is one of several proposed changes to the state’s cannabis policies included in the new bill H.612, which…

[ad_1] The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)—the organization that administers intercollegiate athletics in the U.S.—is making drastic changes to its drug policy for cannabis. Changes were announced at the 2024 NCAA Convention that took place on Jan. 10-13, in Phoenix, Arizona. NCAA Division I proposed ending the practice of drug testing athletes for cannabinoids. The NCAA released a news release on Jan. 10, announcing that Division I is proposing removing cannabis from its drug-testing policy and will be voting on implementing the change shortly. The White Mountain Independent reports that during the NCAA Convention on Jan. 11, a group of…

[ad_1] In a historic move Friday, officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in documents that they support reclassifying cannabis as a Schedule III substance. This would make medical cannabis and the research supporting it legal at the federal level but still heavily regulated like hormone replacement therapy or ketamine. The 252-page document recommended to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that cannabis should be reclassified from a Schedule I to Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The documents start with a letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, which reads that “marijuana meets the…

[ad_1] After a major media outlet sounded the alarm about Elon Musk’s suspected psychedelic use, officials at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) were called in, but quickly cleared the billionaire’s company of wrongdoing. This is just the latest round of NASA safety reviews of SpaceX after a series of pot- and psychedelic-related stunts by Musk. Thanks to a Jan. 6 explosive, snitchy report in The Wall Street Journal about Elon Musk’s alleged rap sheet of drug use, including ketamine, LSD, cocaine, MDMA, and shrooms, NASA was forced to investigate. The Wall Street Journal raised concern about Musk’s “mental-health…

[ad_1] Thailand leaders believe the country’s move to decriminalize led to a surge of cannabis shops and unintended recreational use, and are backpedaling the law, clarifying several changes. A draft bill to ban recreational use of potent cannabis products was published online on Jan. 9. Under the bill proposal, anyone who smokes cannabis for recreational purposes will face a fine of up to 60,000 baht (about $1,709.53). Those selling cannabis or its extracts for recreational purposes face up to one year in jail or 100,000 baht (about $2,849.21) in fines, or both. Under the proposed new rules, advertising or marketing…