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Detroit may soon be home to a multi-million business project that aims to help correct damage done by racially biased cannabis policing. WXYZ Detroit reports that Green Cure Wellness and Southeast Provisioning’s new business complex will put priority on training local residents with prior marijuana convictions in the skills they need to take part in the state’s relatively new legal cannabis industry. The project, located on Livernois Avenue on the west side of Detroit, will house five large-scale growing operations, two processing facilities, and a provisioning center in addition to the training program. The latter will be free of charge to individuals who were convicted of a marijuana-related offense in the days before legalization, and intends to provide skills in growing, budtending, processing, and cannabis entrepreneurship. Such training programs address the immense pressure that has been put on Detroit’s communities of color by the War on Drugs. The Michigan State Police repor...

A request by Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to dismiss nearly 5,000 past cases of marijuana possession was denied by judges on Friday, according to online court records. On Monday, a spokeswoman for the State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed that the petition had been rejected by the judges. Prosecutors had filed paperwork to dismiss cases going back to 2011, covering approximately 1,000 convictions in Circuit Court and almost 3,800 more in District Court. The judges’ reasoning for rejecting the requests is not yet clear. Prosecutorial Policy Changed In January, Mosby announced that her office would end the prosecution of marijuana possession cases in Baltimore and would seek the dismissal of up to 5,000 convictions already on the books. Mosby cited the racial disparity in the enforcement of cannabis prohibition laws as her reason for the change in policy. “The statistics are damning when it comes to the disproportionate impact that the ‘War on Drugs’ has had on communities...

A bill aimed at limiting Oregon’s supply of cannabis advanced out of the state Senate and will now go before the House for consideration. On Monday, Senate lawmakers voted 18-10 in favor of a temporary freeze on cannabis production. The freeze would hold marijuana production at its current level for the next two years. The bill would also suspend the issuance of any new cultivation licenses. Currently licensed growers, however, will be able to renew their licenses during the temporary freeze period. Why is Oregon Freezing Cannabis Production? Medical marijuana has been legal in Oregon since 1998. And in 2014, voters approved the legalization of cannabis for adult use. Since establishing a regulated retail industry for THC products, cultivation operations have exploded across the state, with growers taking advantage of Oregon’s ideal climate to produce massive quantities of high-quality flower. Before long, Oregon’s wholesale cannabis market was absolutely saturated with product. And...

An American and two others have been arrested by police after a raid of a 20-acre cannabis plantation in Myanmar, according to a report in The New York Times. The Myanmar Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control announced on Wednesday that John Fredric Todoroki, 63, an American, and two citizens of Myanmar, U Shein Latt, 37, and Ma Shun Le Myat Noe, 23 had been detained in the township of Ngazun on Monday. All have been charged with offenses that could lead to the death penalty. Police are still searching for a second American, Alexander Skemp Todoroki, 49. The relationship between the two Todorokis is not clear at this time. The raid occurred after photos of the site, which was referred to as an “industrial hemp plantation,” were posted on social media by cannabis activist group the Mahar Legalization Movement Myanmar. The group praised the operation, saying it was the kind of foreign investment in agriculture needed by the Southeast Asian nation of more than 53 million people. Th...

Less than a week after the 4/20 grand opening of Louisiana’s newest CBD store and cafe, Cajun Cannabis, owner Travis DeYoung is facing multiple felony drug charges. Late Wednesday night, police stopped DeYoung in his vehicle for an alleged traffic violation. After searching DeYoung’s car and finding a gun and various forms of cannabidiol products, police obtained a warrant to raid his Cajun Cannabis storefront. The raid early Thursday morning turned up another firearm and a number of different CBD and CBD-THC products, according to police. DeYoung now faces multiple felony and misdemeanor drug charges, chief among them possession with intent of a “controlled dangerous substance:” completely non-psychoactive, medicinal, therapeutic, and widely legal cannabidiol (CBD). CBD Retailer Charged With Multiple Felonies for “Controlled Dangerous Substance” In Lafayette, Louisiana, Travis DeYoung wanted to change the perception around cannabis. So he founded Cajun Cannabis, a cafe and retail ...

Police in Brazil have taken a parrot into custody following a raid to arrest crack dealers, according to media reports. Police in the village of Vila Irmã Dulcein the northern part of the country reported that the parrot tipped off dealers by shouting “Mum, the police!” as officers approached. “He must have been trained for this,” said a police officer who participated in the raid in the capital of Piauí state. “As soon as the police got close he started shouting.” Arrested Parrot No Stool Pigeon A Brazilian reporter who observed the parrot after it was confiscated said that the animal was “super obedient,” although it was apparently refusing to talk to police. “So far it hasn’t made a sound … completely silent,” the reporter said. A local veterinarian agreed that the bird was no stool pigeon. “Lots of police officers have come by and he’s said nothing,” said Alexandre Clark. Jailbreak Planned for Bird Behind Bars Globo, a Brazilian broadcaster, reported that the “papagaio do...

Louisiana lawmakers have advanced a bill that would bring the state’s hemp laws better in line with new federal regulations. The bill, which would legalize the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp in Louisiana , advanced out of the House agriculture committee on Thursday. While passage of the bill would end the state’s ban on hemp and hemp products, lawmakers hope it will also spark economic opportunities for struggling farmers. Growing hemp privately and for personal use, however, would be strictly prohibited under the bill. Hemp Legalization Bill Still Doesn’t Address Louisiana’s Confusing CBD Laws In January of this year, the passage of the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act, a.k.a. the Farm Bill , changed the Controlled Substances Act to no longer include hemp products with less than 0.3 percent THC . And while some states have already embraced the U.S.’s bourgeoning hemp industry, others still have laws on the books that treat hemp just like marijuana, i.e., with harsh ...

The Ontario College of Pharmacists has informed its members that they must complete a mandatory cannabis education course to continue practicing in the province. The regulatory body began offering a cannabis education class online last month and will require pharmacists to complete an accredited course by March 27, 2020. The College of Pharmacists class covers the benefits, risks, and side effects of cannabis and explores a pharmacist’s legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities involved in its use by patients. Although pharmacists do not dispense cannabis, regulators believe that they will be likely to encounter consumers curious about medicinal uses or risks of using marijuana products. In June of last year, the college released A Cannabis Strategy for Pharmacy: Enhancing Knowledge, Protecting Patients consisting of four priorities to serve and maintain the public interest. The priorities include developing and maintaining competency in cannabis, providing patient care, he...

The press release says…. Patrick has waged battle on the legal front lines of industrial hemp and general cannabis reform for over two decades. He is based in San Francisco where he served as co-counsel in the seminal HIA v. DEA 2000s cases. In 2005, Patrick helped lead industry efforts for passage of San Francisco’s inaugural ordinance regulating medical cannabis and later served on the city’s Medical Cannabis Task Force. Patrick also led the industry effort with Senator Mark Leno in 2013 to pass California’s Industrial Hemp Farming Act. He sits on Vote Hemp’s board, serves as general counsel for the newly formed California Hemp Council, and is a leader in industry efforts to implement hemp farming and processing in California. Patrick was admitted to the California Bar in 1996 after receiving his J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. “We are delighted to have Patrick join our Advisory Board,” said Andriyko Herchak, CEO of Fincanna Capital. “He is a highly rega...

There was a four-year stretch in the 1980s when one state after another raised the drinking age to 21, a trend that was prompted by the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act. The law was a powerful and straightforward illustration of the federal government’s ability to influence action at the state-level. States would be required to raise the drinking age to 21, the measure said, or lose 10% of federal highway funds, an act of legislative coercion that forced the entire country to fall in line by 1988. But South Dakota did not accept the law so willingly, challenging its constitutionality in a case, South Dakota v. Dole , that eventually made it to the Supreme Court. The court upheld the bill, effectively forcing the state’s hand. South Dakota complied, becoming the 49th state to raise the drinking age to 21 (Wyoming has the distinction of being the last state). There is a similar air of inevitability on the subject of recreational marijuana prohibition, which has been abolished by...

The Canadian government is set to approve a second roadside device authorized for use by law enforcement personnel to detect the presence of THC in drivers. In an order released on April 20, the Canadian Department of Justice announced a proposal to add the SoToxa drug screening device to the list of approved equipment for roadside tests. The proposal would add three pieces of equipment that are designed to be used together– the SoToxa analyzer, a device to collect a saliva sample, and a cartridge used to hold the sample in the machine– to the list of equipment that may be used by police in roadside drug screenings. The SoToxa equipment analyzes a saliva sample provided by a driver to detect the presence of THC . “Approval of the SoToxa , the Abbott SoToxa Test Cartridge and the Abbott SoToxa Oral Fluid Collection Device, when used together, as ‘approved drug screening equipment,’ would permit its use by law enforcement. A positive result would be a strong indication of recent use,”...

Synthetic marijuana is back in the headlines. And this time it’s hitting northern Alabama. Specifically, public health and law enforcement agencies are reporting a sharp uptick in overdoses related to synthetic marijuana. Now, officials are trying to warn the public of the dangers of smoking synthetic weed. Synthetic Cannabis Use is Spiking in Northern Alabama As reported by local news source Al.com , multiple public agencies are warning the public to watch out for and avoid synthetic cannabis . The warnings come as health officials and law enforcement in Alabama have begun noticing an increase in the number of people experiencing medical problems after smoking the drug. For now, exact numbers have not been made public. But according to local reports, there is a distinct uptick in the number of overdoses and hospitalizations linked to synthetic cannabis. Currently, the spike is being seen primarily in the northern part of Alabama. Responding to the trend, DEA Assistant Special Age...

Since Colorado’s first legal sales at the start of 2014 until the end of 2018, $160 million has gone to school construction, courtesy of the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) Fund. But now, lawmakers are making a push to increase that number, and to expand the kinds of support schools can expect from the state’s large recreational marijuana industry. Last year’s legislation increased the $40 million a year that Colorado sends from marijuana taxes into BEST to the 90 percent of all excise tax revenues. But with Governor Jared Polis’ legislative goal to fund full-day kindergarten, that amount may need to go higher. The funds needed to support such a program were a hot topic of discussion during state legislature budget talks last month. Right now about 80 percent of the state’s 61,749 kindergarteners have access to full-day programs. Some programs require a monthly tuition fee from families of $300 to $400 , while others have access to federal funds for economically depressed d...

The Denver City Council will decide on Monday night whether to allow cannabis consumption clubs to operate closer to daycare centers and some other so-called sensitive use facilities than currently permitted. The council is expected to approve the measure after passing it 9-2 in an earlier preliminary vote. Under the ordinance, cannabis consumption lounges would be permitted to be located within 500 feet of daycare, recreation, and addiction treatment centers. Current law requires cannabis clubs to be located at least 1,000 feet from such facilities. Clubs would still have to be at least 1,000 feet away from schools under the new law. Cannabis consumption will still not be permitted outside the clubs or in the view of the public. Supporters of the measure say it will allow for more cannabis consumption lounges to open in the city while reducing the use of cannabis in public. Opponents of the measure are concerned about the consequences of loosening cannabis laws in the city even fur...

A bill that would permit the use of medical marijuana by residents of public housing in states with legal medicinal cannabis programs was introduced in Congress last week. The measure, the Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act of 2019, was introduced on Thursday by Democratic Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a nonvoting delegate from the District of Columbia. Under current federal regulations, those who use drugs that are illegal under federal law, including cannabis used medicinally, are ineligible for federal public housing assistance. Landlords are also permitted under federal law to evict residents for using cannabis or other drugs. Norton said that the law should be changed for those residents of public housing who are using cannabis medicinally in accordance with state law. “Individuals living in federally funded housing should not fear eviction simply for treating their medical conditions or for seeking a substance legal in their state,” Norton said .  Norton note...

Ride-hailing service Lyft will be offering Massachusetts residents a discount of $4.20 on Saturday in an effort to help prevent impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel. The promotion on the cannabis community’s favorite holiday is a collaboration between Lyft, cannabis dispensary New England Treatment Access (NETA), and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association (MCOPA). This is the first 4/20 since Massachusetts legalized recreational marijuana and sales at dispensaries began last November. Tyler George, the regional director of Lyft New England, said in a statement that the company was providing 4/20 revelers a safe option to get around town. “This 4/20, we’re encouraging those taking part to plan ahead with a Lyft ride as we continue to work towards safer streets and communities,” said George . “We’re thrilled to be collaborating with the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and NETA as we work toward a similar goal and commitment, as well as provide Boston resi...

Cannabis legalization is getting a concentrated push in the state of Wisconsin , where on Thursday Rep. Melissa Sargent of Madison announced that she would propose legislation to legalize recreational marijuana. “The palate for legalization of cannabis in the state of Wisconsin is far more popular than probably the ratings for most politicians in this building,” said Sargent, delivering a fabulous piece of shade that should be printed onto t-shirts. Sargent has proposed a similar bill four out of her six years in office. Legalization activism has a lot of history in the state, but cannabis advocates gained a formidable ally last year when voters elected Governor Tony Evers, a cancer survivor who ran on the campaign platform that adult use cannabis was essential. Evers included funds for greater allowance of medical marijuana use and a cannabis offense expungement program in his 2019 state budget , which he announced in February. Upon hearing of Evers’ proposal, Assembly Speaker Rob...

The city of Los Angeles has filed a lawsuit against an unlicensed cannabis dispensary for selling product tainted with dangerous chemicals, according to media reports. At a downtown news conference on Wednesday, City Attorney Mike Feuer indicated that the lawsuit against Kush Club 20 on Central Avenue in South Los Angeles would be followed by others. “We are opening up a new front in our efforts to effectively enforce the city’s rules regarding marijuana,” Feuer said . “This compliments our criminal efforts in doing so, and we have filed a civil action against multiple business operators, property owners and real estate defendants.” The city attorney suggested that cannabis users in the city ensure that they are purchasing from a licensed dispensary. “Customers patronize illegal shops at their peril, and undermine businesses who play by the rules — and whose product is tested to protect buyers’ health,” Feuer warned . “We apparently as a community care a lot about whether our romai...

The U.S. Coast Guard unloaded approximately 14,000 pounds of seized pot and more than 3,000 pounds of cocaine in Port Everglades, Florida on Thursday, with a U.S. congressperson and the media on hand to observe the work. The Coast Guard estimated the street value of the load at $62.5 million. The drugs had been confiscated in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean by the personnel of three United States vessels in five separate interdiction operations off the coasts of Central America, Mexico, and South America. The illicit cargo was delivered Thursday morning to the port by the Virginia-based Coast Guard Cutter Bear. “I could not be prouder of this crew’s accomplishments, and of the entire interagency and allied team that continue to stand the watch in an effort to stem the efforts of smugglers that seek to destabilize the Western hemisphere while they line their pockets,” said Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Dennelly , Executive Officer of Coast Guard Cutter Bear. The Bear was responsi...

The scales have tipped in favor of legal weed in Louisiana . 55 percent of state residents now support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, according to a new report from the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs at Louisiana State University’s Manship School of Mass Communication. Support for legal marijuana still isn’t as high as support for legalizing sports betting or expanding gun rights , but it does mark a turning point in views on the issue in a state with that’s still cracking down on cannabis. Support for Legal Weed Shows Big Regional and Demographic Differences The major takeaways from the survey are that a majority of Louisiana residents want sports betting, don’t want any bans or limits on assault rifles or large-capacity magazines and do want marijuana legalization. But support for legal weed enjoyed the smallest majority of the three, at 55 percent. But that 55 percent hides the dramatic differences in views on legal adul...

Spring has finally sprung, and after a long winter people are pouring out of their homes to enjoy the long-awaited return of warm weather. For residents of Michigan, there are plenty of ecological treasures to explore, from prairies to coastal marshlands, dunes to bogs. And now that weed is legal in Michigan, venturing into the great outdoors is a perfect occasion for communing with nature with some cannabis. Unfortunately, some of the most popular spots in Michigan aren’t marijuana-friendly, and park officials are reminding everyone that federal prohibition still stands in the state’s National Forests. On Federal Land, Prohibition Supersedes Legalization In the 2018 midterm elections, Michigan voters legalized cannabis at the ballot box, passing Ballot Proposal 18-1 and establishing the “Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act”. But as in other weed-legal states, that law doesn’t apply on land controlled by the federal government. Land like national forests, national pa...