Author: Benjamin M. Adams

[ad_1] Last weekend, officials descended upon a warehouse in Oakland, California, allegedly full of illegal cannabis plants, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Not only cannabis opponents, but also law-abiding operators are not fans of illegal cannabis operations that they must compete with. The department said that it’s one of the largest cannabis busts this year in the Bay Area, where illegal operations are common. Agents raided the warehouse on Sept. 28, located on the 300 block of Adeline Street in Oakland. Law enforcement officers eradicated 41,082 cannabis plants and destroyed 1,841 pounds of “processed cannabis.”…

[ad_1] Most government jobs in Michigan will stop drug testing prospective employees for cannabis, per a rule change that took effect Sunday. The changes also provide people who’ve already been denied jobs over positive THC drug tests an opportunity to get the sanctions retroactively rescinded. The rule change was first proposed to the Michigan Civil Service Commission by John Gnodtke, State Personnel Director, on May 12. At a July 12 meeting, the Michigan Civil Service Commission approved the proposed new changes and adopted rule amendments to allow rescinding active sanctions for some applicants who tested positive for cannabis in drug…

[ad_1] Ukrainian immigrants looking for a better future are turning to opportunities in medical cannabis in multiple states. The Herald-Dispatch reports that a pair of Ukrainian immigrants are owners of a new dispensary opening up in Huntington, West Virginia. While one of the operators emigrated to the U.S. decades ago, they are proudly supporting their home country as it battles Russian forces. Over 271,000 Ukrainian refugees have been admitted to the U.S. since Russia invaded Ukraine over a year ago, according to the Department of Homeland Security, as of Last February. 117,000 of those came via the Biden administration’s “Uniting…

[ad_1] A herd of sheep grazing near Almyros in the Thessaly region Greece invaded a medical cannabis greenhouse and ate at least a hundred kilograms of pot, local reports say. The incident was spurred by displaced livestock in Greece after Storm Daniel ripped through the Mediterranean country. NPR reports that over 600 pounds of cannabis were consumed by sheep in the Thessaly incident, while other sources mention 220 pounds of cannabis. Either way, it was a massive amount of medical cannabis. Sheep throughout Europe are known to be attracted to eating cannabis, often becoming unruly or behaving strangely from the…

[ad_1] Future’s cannabis brand Evol is now available in Nevada in partnership with cultivator Redwood Cultivation, a Sept. 22 announcement reads. After first being announced last April, then conquering California, Nevada marks the next strategic step in expanding Evol to the next state on the list. As of last Friday, adults in Nevada can purchase eighths of premium pre-packaged Monster Kush, the first product to roll out, with more products from Evol by Future and Redwood Cultivation that will follow in the months ahead. “Millions of people regard Future as one of the most influential artists of this generation. So…

[ad_1] The Rochester Public Library in Rochester, New York is recognizing the vast potential for jobs in the state’s budding new market. And while cannabis sales in the state launched last December, Rochester’s own first dispensary—Herbal lQ—opened up just a month ago, on Aug. 30, but began as a temporary pop-up.  New dispensaries means new job opportunities. City leadership plan on capping dispensaries in the city at nine—which amounts to one dispensary per every 12,500 residents. Under the proposal, new cannabis businesses would not be allowed to sell products until January 1st, 2025. With a job boom forming in the…

[ad_1] Despite the dramatic shift in opinion about cannabis in America, Kentucky law enforcement agents continued to charge people with cannabis-related charges at a steady rate, in tandem with offenses across the board. According to analysis of the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) data, more than 300,000 people in Kentucky have been charged with a cannabis-related crime over the past two decades. That’s nearly two people every hour, every day between June 2002 and July 2022, the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy wrote. To be fair, just one out of 10 of the 3.1 million people charged with…

[ad_1] Banking institutions are in a race to allow cannabis businesses ahead of imminent changes in the way cannabis is classified at the federal level, according to federal data. Cannabis remains prohibited at the federal level, but the U.S. Health & Human Services Department (HHS) recommendation to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III changes everything. NORML reports that there’s a spike in the number of banking institutions that are filing to work with cannabis businesses as the fear of repercussions subsides.  According to quarterly data provided by The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN),  a bureau of…

[ad_1] One county official in Illinois issued a recent dispensary rule change that leaders say isn’t backed by science and goes too far. McHenry County, Illinois, will require dispensaries to label cannabis with mental health warnings about the potential for psychosis, depression, and suicidal ideation.  The county’s new approach was spearheaded by the county’s state’s attorney who has long-held a belief that cannabis laws are destroying the country—an opinion not shared by the Illinois Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office and four state lawmakers who felt prompted to rebuke his claims in a joint statement. Axios reports that starting this month, McHenry…

[ad_1] Method Man’s cannabis brand TICAL (Taking Into Consideration All Lives) announced on Sept. 15 its entrance into New York’s adult-use cannabis market in partnership with Central Processors NY—one of the largest processors in New York—and Adirondack Hemp Company.Central Processors’s prerolls and edibles will launch first, with more products rolling out in the coming months. Love Jones prerolls and edibles, under the TICAL Official cannabis catalog, will be available at select retailers including Housing Works, Strain Stars, Stage One, Greenery Spot, Flynnstoned, and William Jane Herbal IQ, on a first-come, first-served basis starting last week. “New York State’s adult-use market…

[ad_1] A massive bust at the U.S.-Mexico border in Laredo, Texas, was announced last Friday, and law enforcement agents presented the seizure with stacked bales of cannabis in a wall-like structure that was posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.  In a single swoop, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers assigned to the World Trade Bridge seized over two tons of cannabis. Border agents searched a suspected freight truck and found it was loaded 4,466 pounds of pot, with a street value of nearly 10 million dollars. The bust took place last Thursday, on…

[ad_1] Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin of the iconic comedy duo Cheech and Chong announced their company’s entrance into the New Mexico cannabis market with a statewide partnership. According to a Sept. 14 press release, Dreamz Dispensary is partnering with Cheech and Chong Cannabis Co. to enter the New Mexico market. The duo celebrated the partnership in a new state market, while remembering what is most important to most consumers. “Our partnership with Dreamz is all about making folks’ lives better through cannabis,” said Chong. “New Mexico deserves the best, and that’s what we’re here to offer.”  Cheech agreed, as…