Author: Nicole Potter

[ad_1] The newest set of data released by the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) shows that the state has once again set a new record for adult-use cannabis sales. According to the CRA, the state collected $286.8 million in adult-use cannabis sales in March, which made up for 99% of all sales. In terms of product popularity, flower still reigns supreme with $131.4 million in sales. A total of $54.4 million was sold in vape cartridges, as well as $33.9 million in inhalable concentrates, and finally edibles at $26.3 million. The CRA splits Michigan up into five distinct regions: upper…

[ad_1] The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) recently published an announcement regarding recent cannabis taskforce seizures. As of April 11, the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) seized over $53,620,600 in illegal cannabis during the first quarter of 2024 (spanning between January 1, 2024-March 31, 2024). Law enforcement seized 331,866 pounds of unlicensed cannabis product, destroyed 54,137 cannabis plants, and seized $34,858 in total cash, in addition to confiscating 11 firearms and arresting four people. California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a press statement regarding the Q1 seizures. “California is home to the largest legal cannabis market in the world,” said…

[ad_1] The Alabama Senate Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee (SACFC) recently passed a bill to finally get the state’s medical cannabis program rolling. Sen. Tim Melson is the legislator who sponsored Senate Bill 46 three years ago, which eventually was passed into law as the Medical Cannabis Act 2021-450 after Gov. Kay Ivey signed it in May 2021. Most recently, Melson introduced Senate Bill 306 on April 9 to push the program forward after years of delays. “We got this done in three years,” Melson said of his legislation. “It’s taken this long to get this to the patients who…

[ad_1] Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin introduced Senate Resolution 629 on April 8 which condemns the “arbitrary arrest” of U.S. citizens in Russia, and calls for detained or imprisoned U.S. citizens to be released. The introduction of SR-629 was timed with the one-year anniversary of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal correspondent who was imprisoned in Russia for one year. He was arrested in March 2023 on allegations of espionage. “It is outrageous that Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, is holding hostage American citizens. It is the act of a desperate rogue regime, similar to…

[ad_1] A 75-year-old man in New Zealand was recently discovered to have been growing 250 cannabis plants by local law enforcement. The Central District Organised Crime Unit, which worked with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, received a warrant to investigate an isolated part of the Whanganui River. According to Whanganui Chronicle, the owner of the property had previously submitted an application to grow hemp in that region. The investigation is part of an ongoing project called “Operation Emerald” that includes law enforcement targeting illegal large-scale cultivation of drugs in New Zealand. This particular location required traversing an isolated area…

[ad_1] The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently released a report sharing new data on U.S. truck drivers. The report consists of a year-end compilation of data from 2023, as well as data specifically from December 2023, published by the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. This includes other data regarding “queries conducted, violations reported, and drivers in the return-to-duty (RTD) process.” The report shows that there has been an increased number of truck drivers with positive drug tests in 2023, as well as a high number of drivers who refused to be screened. The number of…

[ad_1] The residents of Freetown Christiania, located in Copenhagen, Denmark, recently began to physically dismantle a part of its community where hash has been sold illegally for decades. According to recent reports, residents began removing the cobblestones on “Pusher Street” on April 6 to deter violence and illegal cannabis and hash sales. Prior to April 6, residents began to ask for help from volunteers to pull up the cobblestone street. Anyone was welcome to participate, and could take home one cobblestone as a souvenir. Removing cobblestones on Pusher Street was performed as a demonstration of the residents taking back their…

[ad_1] The city-sanctioned version of the famous 4/20 Hippie Hill event in San Francisco has been canceled, but it’s not the end of 4/20 celebrations in San Francisco. SF Weed Week, will feature a variety of events beginning with an art opening featuring cannabis mylar art on April 5 and a schedule of events running April 13-21. Instead of just one day of celebration, the event spans an entire week of all things cannabis, featuring cultivators and breeders at cannabis lounges throughout the city and unique strain premiers, such as releases of Rainbow Belts, Blue Lobster, Pink Jesus, Chikitaz, The…

[ad_1] At a recent legislative meeting by the Washington, D.C.’s Council of the District of Columbia meeting on April 2, the council unanimously approved the “Medical Cannabis Patient Card Extension 4/20 Medical Cannabis Sales Tax Holiday Week Emergency Amendment Act of 2024,” which addresses three primary changes by amending the DC Official Code Title 7. First, it makes medical cannabis patient and caregiver cards now valid for six years (previously it lasted only two years before requiring renewal). Second, it provides the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) with “emergency closure authority.” This gives the agency power to close unlicensed…

[ad_1] The Florida Supreme Court recently decided in a 5-2 ruling that it will not be preventing an adult-use cannabis initiative from appearing on this year’s ballot. Later this year, voters will voice their opinion on “Florida Amendment 3, Marijuana Legalization Initiative,” where a “yes” supports legalizing adult-use cannabis and permitting possession of up to three ounces, and a “no” opposes adult-use legalization and all it would pertain. This decision is the result of Attorney General Ashley Moody’s challenge of the initiative’s ballot language in summer 2023, arguing that the measure is misleading and doesn’t inform voters about federal prohibition.…

[ad_1] The Office of the Pardon Attorney (PARDON), which operates under the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), recently published its FY 2025 President’s Budget Submission. PARDON is responsible for carrying out instructions related to the executive clemency process, which includes reviewing and investigating clemency applications, as well as issuing recommendations to the president.  For next year, PARDON is requesting $12,568,000 in funds, which would go toward funding 40 additional positions (including 26 attorneys) “to achieve its mission of advising and assisting the president in the exercise of the executive clemency power conferred to him by Article III, Section 2 of…

[ad_1] North Carolina-based Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) will officially be opening its cannabis dispensary on tribal land, effective as of April 20. This will also mark the opening of North Carolina’s first dispensary, since state legislators have not legalized medical cannabis. The EBCI tribe lies on 57,000 acres, called the Qualla Boundary. According to a press release published on March 25 by Qualla Enterprises, LLC, the company clarified that only medical cannabis patients will be able to purchase from the dispensary, called Great Smoky Cannabis Company. “With a commitment to quality, compassion, and education, Great Smoky Cannabis Co.…