Author: Marijuana Moment
[ad_1] More foreign aid is spent on the drug war than on projects concerning school feeding, food security, early childhood education, labor rights or mental health. By Alexander Lekhtman, Filter The United States, Europe and other rich nations give hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign “aid” to fund the devastating global drug war, details a new report by Harm Reduction International (HRI). Rather than reducing poverty and hunger, or improving health and education, this money is instead bankrolling police and militaries that violate human rights and add to crises faced by poor and marginalized communities. HRI is urging the…
[ad_1] “We are not a monopoly-type framework… We’re not going to have any mascots.” By Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal Ohio voters will once again have the chance to legalize marijuana on November 7—eight years after Ohioans overwhelmingly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have made cannabis legal. But there are some key differences between the two. Issue 3 in 2015 was a proposed constitutional amendment and today’s Issue 2 is a citizen-initiated statue, or law. “Because of that, it does allow the legislature significantly more leeway to be able to change the details of the law with further…
[ad_1] “Odor of marijuana should be considered along with the totality of any other circumstances to determine whether there is a fair probability that a search will yield contraband.” By Christopher Ingraham, Minnesota Reformer The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that the odor of marijuana, on its own, does not establish probable cause for police officers to search a car. The ruling came in the case of a 2021 traffic stop in Meeker County where Adam Torgerson was pulled over by Litchfield police for having too many auxiliary lights on his vehicle’s grill. The officer claimed he smelled marijuana coming…
[ad_1] Commissioners on Friday also approved big fines for two cannabis companies that were found to be violating patient access and labor laws. By Sophie Nieto-Munoz, New Jersey Monitor Weed brownies and THC-infused drinks are coming to dispensaries across New Jersey after the state’s cannabis regulators voted to relax restrictions on edibles Friday, nearly a year and a half after legal recreational marijuana sales started in New Jersey. When the Cannabis Regulatory Commission first drafted rules in August 2021, it opted not to allow the sale of edibles that resemble food, citing difficulties in regulating kitchen environments. At that time,…
[ad_1] Supporters say podiatry patients live with neuropathy and intractable pain—two of the 24 conditions approved for medical cannabis use. By Christen Smith, The Center Square Podiatrists may soon recommend medical marijuana in Pennsylvania, that is if the legislature takes the advice of the state’s advisory panel. The Medical Marijuana Advisory Board voted this week in favor of a recommendation to add podiatrists to a list of more than 1,800 medical providers that includes among others psychiatrists, primary care physicians, specialists, anesthesiologists and oncologists. Supporters say podiatry patients live with neuropathy and intractable pain—two of the 24 conditions approved for…
[ad_1] The vote came after a discussion about the growing popularity of “troches,” an ingestible form of THC that resembles a cough drop. By Christen Smith, The Center Square Officials tasked with monitoring the state’s medical marijuana program said this week edibles don’t belong in Pennsylvania’s marketplace. Concerns about safety, efficacy and legal enforcement gave members of the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board pause. Six abstained from voting on the recommendation at all during its Wednesday meeting. Only two members supported the proposal, while two more rejected it. The vote came after a discussion about the growing popularity of “troches,” an…
[ad_1] “I feel like it should definitely be regulated, but not regulated to the point where you’re shutting doors of good businesses.” By Rahul Chowdhry Sharma, Virginia Mercury Two hemp businesses and a private citizen are challenging a Virginia law that instituted tougher limits on hemp products in Virginia in federal court, saying the new rules cause financial harm to hemp businesses and interfere in interstate commerce. The law, which went into effect July 1, set the maximum amount of THC in hemp products at 0.3 percent concentration and 2 milligrams per package. This cutoff has made hundreds of products…
[ad_1] “Without federal coordination, HLVd has been able to spread rapidly to cannabis cultivation sites across the United States since it was first detected in cannabis plants in California in 2019.” By Margo Wilkinson Smith and Amy Rubenstein, Dentons A hop latent viroid (HLVd) is spreading rapidly across cannabis plants, posing a serious and ongoing threat to cannabis cultivators. Unfortunately for cannabis cultivators, there has been no coordinated federal or state endeavor to address HLVd in cannabis plants. In general, the federal government is responsible for responding to widespread crop diseases and viroids to treat or limit the spread of…
[ad_1] Advocates have raised concerns that a state-run monopoly would force cannabis growers to accept the prices set by regulators. By Hadley Barndollar, New Hampshire Bulletin As a legislative commission probes the potential for a state-run cannabis sales model, an industry organization is surveying farmers and agricultural professionals to gauge interest in future cultivation opportunities. New Hampshire has not yet legalized marijuana, but this past legislative session saw more movement than years past. For the first time, Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he would support a legalization model where the state controls sales and messaging. It would be the first…
[ad_1] “We’re very hopeful that we can arrive at a process that will be best for everybody involved, including the patients who need medical cannabis.” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) will meet with prospective producers and distributors next week to attempt to resolve litigation over the state’s licensing process. A Montgomery County Circuit Judge Wednesday extended a temporary restraining order to allow the negotiations to go forward. The AMCC faces several lawsuits over the licensing process. The lawsuits allege that the commission violated the state Open Meetings Act while issuing licenses on August 10,…
[ad_1] “We are getting almost a third, nearly 30 percent of the revenue that we get from the cannabis industry comes from people coming to Illinois and spending money at dispensaries.” By Andrew Hensel, The Center Square Numbers show Illinois residents are paying 89 percent more than the rest of the country when looking at cannabis prices. However, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) says the state is doing it the right way. Recreational marijuana became legal for Illinoisans at the start of 2020. Since then, Illinoisans have been paying more for their cannabis than the majority of states where the drug…
[ad_1] “By aligning the legal status of cannabis with both scientific consensus and practical fiscal policy, we can create a more effective business environment for this emerging industry.” By Ari Hoffnung, Bridge West Consulting It is exciting to consider the possibility that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) may follow the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) recommendation to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance. This would overturn a deeply flawed policy from the era of the Nixon administration, a policy that has been in place for more than 50 years. From a…