WeedLife News Network
Hot off the press cannabis, marijuana, cbd and hemp news from around the world on the WeedLife Social Network.
Idahoans' support for medical marijuana has grown, but it might not be reflected in the Legislature
Ten years ago, when Bill Esbensen first began working with activists to push for some form of legal marijuana in Idaho, someone threatened to beat him up for it. He was at a Willie Nelson concert in Boise, trying to collect signatures to get an initiative to legalize marijuana on the ballot. As he remembered it, the man who wanted to attack him for
WHO cannabis rescheduling and its relevance for the Caribbean
Following its first-ever critical review of cannabis, in January 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a collection of formal recommendations to reschedule cannabis and cannabis-related substances. 53 member states of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), two of which are Caribbean states, are set to vote on these recommendations in Dec
Use Algorithms To Expunge Cannabis Convictions
Cannabis prohibition is one of the worst public policies in modern times. Prohibition is often used to trample on citizens’ rights around the world, including and especially citizens of color. Efforts to dismantle global institutional racism must absolutely include ending cannabis prohibition. Right now there are only two countries that have legali
The American Heart Association says marijuana should be removed from the USA’s Schedule I controlled substance category – but not to encourage wider use. Not all cannabis is equal in the eyes of the law in the USA. Hemp and marijuana are both cannabis, but are treated very differently. The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp’s Drug Enforcement Administrati
One year after the Canadian government created a program to quickly and affordably clear cannabis possession charges from people’s criminal records, just 265 records have been cleared. Applicants can have small cannabis possession charges suspended from their criminal record so a background check for a job or housing comes up clean. The Liberal P
By the end of 2020, the legal cannabis industry is expected to surpass US$15 billion. But the money that weed generates on the illicit market far exceeds that amount. Tracking exact figures is tricky because anonymous dealers and criminal networks aren’t exactly sharing sales data with the media. But estimates approximate the illicit market is more
South Dakota has submitted its industrial hemp plan to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approval. The plan lays out how the state will regulate industrial hemp, and South Dakota farmers will be able to begin growing industrial hemp once the USDA gives final approval. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture will continue to develop its pr
There’s no rule that says legal markets have to be bigger or smaller than black markets. In life, legal markets and black markets form counterparts that can change and vary in size and growth. In the case of cannabis, the black market wins out easily, and for very good reason. Legal markets are your above-board markets. Products or services that ar
A U.S. senator has asked the Department of Agriculture to delay issuing final hemp rules under the 2018 Farm Bill until 2022, to delay costs associated with the new U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program. New York Sen. Charles Schumer called for the delay in a letter to the USDA last week. If implementation of the new rules is postponed, hemp grower
One clear outcome of the coronavirus pandemic is explosive growth in cannabis sales in every major market around the country. Even in places like Illinois, which just started legal adult-use sales about two months before the coronavirus hit the United States, sales continue to make records. If 2020 is one of the worst years in recent history, peopl
Some states have aligned themselves with the FDA’s position. Others have taken a more permissive approach. Many states have provided little to no guidance on the subject of Hemp CBD. The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act did not affect or modify the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) or the Food and Drug Admi
Arizona voters will have a chance this year to make their state the latest to end pot prohibition. A petition spearheaded by a pro-legalization group had its signatures officially certified by Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs on Monday, clearing the way for the proposal to qualify for the state’s ballot this November. Hobbs, a Democrat, said
Some California communities are upset about the statewide rule that allows home delivery, and are taking the state to court to see if they can ban home delivery in their areas. So far, however, the judge has sided temporarily with the state when it comes to whether or not these cities have a leg to stand on in their case. Although the cities have
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) had a busy July in relation to approving applications for medicinal cannabis products. Australia’s Special Access Scheme (SAS) enables suitably authorised health practitioners to access therapeutic products not included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). The only cannabis produ
The U.K. Anti-Doping organization is changing its rules, reports Canex. Athletes who fail drug tests for cannabis and cocaine use will face shorter bans as the organization looks to place a greater focus on performance-enhancing drugs. The reform is part of a wider movement focused on athlete welfare, and the acceptance of widening cannabis use. Ad
For years, cannabis stocks were the greatest thing since sliced bread on Wall Street. The expectation of ongoing state-level legalization in the U.S., coupled with Canada becoming the first industrialized country in the modern era to give marijuana the green light, was forecast to send pot stock valuations into the heavens -- and for a period of ti
So long as it is extremely difficult and expensive to start and run a licensed cannabis business, there will be people who opt for the illicit market. It seems like every week, there’s a new announcement of state or local enforcement actions or raids of allegedly unlicensed cannabis operators in California. Some time ago, this would have been welco
Late Friday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge James Smith ruled that the Smart and Safe Act ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older in Arizona did not mislead voters about key provisions in its 100-word summary, as a frivolous lawsuit by a local anti-marijuana group claimed. Overcoming the lawsuit and gettin
Thailand’s ailing economy, particularly its tourism and agriculture sectors, is poised to get a boost from new rules that ease the private cultivation and sale of medical marijuana. The Cabinet amended the Narcotics Act on Aug. 4, pending Parliament’s approval, to allow private medical operators -- a category including some traditional medicine pra
