Author: Marijuana Moment

[ad_1] He claims a cannabis business owner used campaign contributions as “leverage” to have him “pushed out of office when his work concerning Oregon’s cannabis industry stood in her way.” By Lynne Terry, Oregon Capital Chronicle Gov. Tina Kotek (D) faced pressure from recovery advocates to fire the head of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission for its support of the alcohol industry. Mike Marshall, executive director of Portland-based Oregon Recovers, told the Capital Chronicle on Tuesday that he asked Kotek last October and repeated the request in December after Kotek was elected to get rid of Steve Marks, then…

[ad_1] “I think as a general matter this is a group of workers that seems to be inclined toward organization.” By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current As a patient-care specialist at Warwick’s RISE Dispensary, Bruce Botelho recommends strains to customers and oversees purchases at a job he said initially provided good benefits and a friendly atmosphere. “It’s a really fun job, the people I work with are great,” he said. Yet things soured quickly after Chicago-based Green Thumb Industries took over the former Summit Medical Compassion Center in 2021, he said. While there were few changes at first, Botelho said…

[ad_1] “This is going to be a huge economic driver for the reservation.” Buy Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer The first legal sale of recreational marijuana in Minnesota was made on the Red Lake reservation on Tuesday to a tribal employee before a throng of journalists and tribal leaders. Charles Goodwin, a Red Lake band member and employee of the tribal dispensary, selected some Nudder Budder and Caramel Creme—two of 12 cannabis strains the tribe grows on the reservation in rural northern Minnesota. “It’s an honor to be the first recreational customer,” said Goodwin, who was also the first customer when…

[ad_1] “I have expunged more than 800,000 low-level cannabis arrest records… We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to lift up communities most harmed by the failed war on drugs.” By Andrew Hensel, The Center Square A law now on the books in Illinois looks to make it easier for individuals who have been released from prison to smoothly reenter society. Senate Bill 423 supports the reintegration of individuals into the community while aiming to lower the possibility of recidivism and increasing public safety. Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the measure into law on Friday. “In just a few…

[ad_1] “The statute says, if you’re a public official, and you can’t be a member of the commission, and as a member of the South Alabama Board of Trustees, he’s a public official.” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector The chair of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) faces a lawsuit seeking his removal from the position. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Kimberly Holcomb alleges that Dr. Steven Stokes cannot serve on the AMCC because he was a trustee for the the University of South Alabama when he was appointed in July 2021. The lawsuit cites…

[ad_1] “I don’t see the alcohol industry being treated in the same manner.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent As Missouri went to celebrate the first 4/20 after the state legalized recreational marijuana, a licensed cannabis business in Kansas City organized a huge festival. For the first time, people were able to smoke pot openly at a large public event in Missouri, with approval under local government rules. “It was the first of its kind,” said Amy Moore, director of the state’s cannabis regulation, during a legislative committee hearing in May. Organizers did an “excellent job” of trying to adhere to…

[ad_1] “It’s good not just for our constituents, but it’s good for all Minnesotans.” Buy Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer The White Earth Nation Tribal Council voted on Friday to legalize recreational marijuana and could begin selling it on the reservation—to both tribal and non-tribal members—as soon as this week. The tribe follows the Red Lake Nation, which is on track to open the first recreational marijuana dispensary in Minnesota on Tuesday after the tribe’s leaders voted to legalize it earlier this month. White Earth Chairman Michael Fairbanks said in an interview that selling cannabis cultivated on the reservation represents a…

[ad_1] “The Cannabis Employee Job Retention Ordinance provides protections for workers in this industry that will help provide a stable workplace, stronger workforce, and contribute to a better overall economy for Seattle.” By Timothy Schuman, The Center Square Nearly a year after being proposed by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harnell, Seattle’s newest cannabis-related law went into effect last week. Brought into existence by Mayor Harrell and Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (D), who sponsored the bill in Council, the new law was pitched to the public as part of a suite of “legislation to improve equity in the cannabis industry.” “The Cannabis Employee…

[ad_1] “That leaves a lot of room for other people to come in on the backside, people who are already in the industry, people who are not of color.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent When it comes to racial equity, state Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove of Kansas City and St. Louis City NAACP President Adolphus Pruitt typically land on the same side. But on Amendment 3—the constitutional amendment that legalized recreational marijuana in November—they couldn’t be further apart. On Monday morning, they both appeared on KCUR 89.3’s Up To Date to talk about the lack of racial equity among marijuana-business license…

[ad_1] “As with all kinds of businesses, performance against increased competition and customer choice will determine success.” By Sophie Nieto-Muñoz, New Jersey Monitor The decision by New Jersey’s largest marijuana company to curtail production at its second growing facility in four months is raising questions about New Jersey’s marijuana supply. Curaleaf announced last week the company is laying off 49 people at its Winslow Township plant, citing an “ample supply” of marijuana to meet the market’s current needs. But marijuana advocates argue that the claims of sufficient cannabis supply are not in line with stubbornly high prices in New Jersey,…

[ad_1] “The war is basically a question of numbers: stop enough cars and you’re bound to discover drugs.” The Kansas Highway Patrol has been ordered to stop its infamous “two-step” technique by a federal judge, in what the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas calls a “huge win” for all motorists using state highways. The U.S. district court ruled KHP’s policies and practices violate the Fourth Amendment, releasing a Friday opinion that the KHP “has waged war on motorists—especially out-of-state residents traveling between Colorado and Missouri on federal highway I-70 in Kansas.” The trial challenged the constitutionality of the KHP’s policy of…

[ad_1] If approved, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians would sell recreational cannabis to any adult over 21, regardless of tribal membership. By Victor Skinner, The Center Square Recreational marijuana could become available for North Carolina residents through a ballot referendum by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians set for September. The tribal council last week approved a ballot question for the tribe’s September 7 election to allow members to vote on legalizing marijuana possession and sales from the Qualla Boundary about 45 miles west of Asheville. If approved, sales would eventually open to anyone over the age of 21,…