WeedLife News Network

New York, New York, so nice they named it twice, got a message from its mayor who told Big Apple residents they should feel free to buy, sell and consume weed where ever they wish.

Mayor Eric Adams promised not to take a “heavy-handed” approach toward those illicitly selling marijuana in the city. Now that recreational cannabis is legal, though sales won't launch until later in the year, the mayor said he sees no need to crack down on sales in the interim. (Benzinga)

“There needs to be a system of not heavy-handedness, but going in and explaining to that store that, ‘Listen, you can’t do this,’ give them a warning,” Adams told reporters at a cannabis industry expo at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

Instead of fining or arresting weed sellers, Adams wants the city to encourage illicit, AKA legacy, sellers to join the legal market. 

If someone refuses to get with the program after a warning, “some form” of enforcement may be warranted, the mayor said.

“If they refuse to adhere to the rules, then you have to come back and take some form of enforcement actions, such as a summons, such as, you know, talking about their ability to sell alcohol,” said Adams, a former police officer who has said he’d reinstate NYC’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy though it has been declared unconstitutional. 

In addition to his lucrative evidence-free advice, Dr. Oz recently said that legalizing recreational cannabis in PA would make people lose their motivation to go to work.

Celebrity Doctor Mehmet Oz officially became Pennsylvania's Republican Senate candidate when his opponent Dave McCormick conceded on Friday despite Oz's razor-thin lead of less than a thousand votes. (Benzinga)

Oz will now face Democrat Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in what’s expected to be one of the most-watched and most expensive Senate races in U.S. history.

Why it matters 

Oz, endorsed by Trump, and Fetterman a progressive giant are seeking to fill the open Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Pat Toomey (R) and by doing so gain control of the 50-50 U.S. Senate.

What one magazine is saying about the unlikely candidate

Scientific American, the oldest continuously published magazine in the U.S., says that Dr. Oz should not be a senator nor a doctor, that his brand of misinformation has already tarnished medicine and will do much worse in the halls of Congress. 

“Dr. Oz has long pushed misleading, science-free and unproven alternative therapies such as homeopathy, as well as fad diets, detoxes and cleanses. Some of these things have been potentially harmful, including hydroxychloroquine, which he once touted would be beneficial in the treatment or prevention of COVID. This assertion has been thoroughly debunked.”

Individuals who are caught shipping marijuana, even from one legal state to another, can be prosecuted by the federal government.

The legalities of traveling and shipping cannabis or products made from it can be overwhelmingly confusing. There are many things to consider, and these are important to know especially for medical patients who rely on cannabis for managing diseases, have trouble getting to a dispensary near you, or need to dispose of marijuana after traveling to a cannabis-friendly state.

The short answer is: no, it’s illegal to ship marijuana products and edibles within the United States. At the time of writing, marijuana is still a federally illegal substance which means that it is illegal in the eyes of the federal government. The United States Postal Service (USPS), as well as other private postage companies, are managed and controlled by the government. If there is any criminal activity that has been discovered, coursed through the mail, it can lead to federal criminal offenses, which are discussed in the United States Code 1716.

Individuals who are caught shipping marijuana even from one legal state to another can be prosecuted by the federal government. This can also lead to state charges based on the quantity of illegal drugs. However, if you are caught mailing cannabis within a state where cannabis is already legal, the best course of action would be to seek the help of a drug defense attorney.

The current law states that shipping 50 kilos of marijuana through the UPS can lead to as much as 5 years in prison with a fine of up to $250,000. Both FedEx and UPS don’t allow shipping products that are not federally legal, though the USPS has to get a search warrant while FedEx, UPS, and other private couriers don’t. That means that they can open your package if they think that it’s necessary to do so. Keep in mind that postage workers are also given a reward, sometimes to the tune of $50,000, if they are able to identify packages that contain marijuana and report the people behind it.

Edibles

Since many people have been able to get away with traveling internationally with edibles in their suitcase, you may think that it’s okay to mail it. However, the answer is still no.

The New York Senate has approved legislation that gives officials new authority to address the state’s unregulated cannabis market.

The New York Senate voted this week to approve a bill to crack down on the state’s cannabis gray market, giving regulators the authority to seize illicit weed and increasing fines for unlicensed operators. State Senator Liz Krueger introduced the measure on Sunday and by Wednesday, the Senate had voted to approve the bill, offering an indication of the legislature’s interest in addressing New York’s unregulated pot market before legal sales of recreational cannabis begin later this year.

Justin Flagg, a spokesperson for Krueger, said that the bill is designed to empower the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and the Department of Taxation and Finance to address unregulated cannabis retailers, which have become brazenly ubiquitous in Manhattan and other areas since state lawmakers legalized adult-use cannabis last year. The OCM is currently working to establish rules for the regulated market, which should begin licensed recreational cannabis sales by the end of 2022.

“This bill is aimed at gray market operators such as retail cannabis stores that have emerged during the period after legalization but before licensed businesses begin operating,” Flagg said in an email.

Flagg added that Krueger drafted the legislation with cooperation from OCM and the tax and finance department, noting that their action was “prompted by the difficulty of enforcement against several illegal cannabis stores that have been hard to shut down under the existing statute.”

The bill gives the OCM the authority to seize illicit cannabis and expands the authority of the Taxation and Finance Department to assess fines against unlicensed cannabis operators. The measure also doubles civil penalties for anyone who knowingly possesses illicit pot, which is defined as taxable cannabis products for which no tax has been paid. Flagg clarified that the legislation applies to any cannabis product that was not grown by or purchased from a cannabis business licensed by the state.

The break in the ranks makes Munich CSU city counsellor (and medical doctor) Hans Theiss one of the first center right politicians in the German government to express support for recreational reform.

Hans Theiss has just made German history. He just came out publicly in favor of recreational cannabis reform.

This does not make him unusual right now as the country moves, however slowly and haltingly, towards a new cannabis reality. What does is where he is from—both geographically and politically.

Geographically, he represents constituents from a wealthy city in Bavaria, one of the country’s largest and most metropolitan cities. That said, Bayern is sometimes referred to as the “Texas” of Germany not to mention the most “rule-based” state in the country.

In the words of Theiss in a recent interview, “Bavaria already pursues a relatively strong rule of law policy and pursues things that are classified as illegal perhaps a little more consistently than is the case in other federal states.”

This is one of the reasons the state has one of the highest numbers of official cannabis patients. Doctors know that prescriptions are a form of protection for people too sick to be arrested.

A bill that would ban discrimination against state employees who use medical cannabis was approved by the Louisiana Senate on Wednesday, sending the legislation to the governor’s desk for his approval.

The Louisiana state Senate voted 26-8 on Wednesday to approve a bill that would protect public employees who use medical cannabis from job discrimination. The measure, House Bill 988, was approved by the Louisiana House of Representatives last week and now heads to the desk of Governor John Bel Edwards for his consideration.

Under the bill, public employees using medical cannabis with a doctor’s recommendation and in accordance with state law are protected from being fired for using medical pot. The bill also protects medical cannabis patients who are applying for state positions from being denied employment or other job discrimination based on their use of cannabis.

“This would basically be a first step to having laws on the books to protect people who have medical marijuana cards,” state Representative Mandy Landry, the sponsor of the bill, said last month after introducing the bill.

The bill does not apply to private employers or local government agencies, including police and fire departments. Landry told reporters that the legislation was limited to state employees to address likely opposition from politically powerful law enforcement and business lobbyists in the state Capitol.

Medical cannabis an alternative to opioids in Louisiana

The Louisiana House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 60-32 on May 24. While the bill was up for debate in the House, Landry told her colleagues that the legislation would help prevent state workers from becoming addicted to opioids, an argument that was echoed in the upper body of the state legislature by Senator Stewart Cathey.

Hemp and CBD’s temporary legalization status in North Carolina is coming to an end, prompting the General Assembly to act.

A bill in North Carolina would ensure that hemp and CBD remain legal in the state beyond this month.

Members of the state Senate approved the legislation on Tuesday, which would permanently remove hemp from North Carolina’s list of controlled substances.

According to local television station WGHP, the bill passed the chamber by a unanimous vote.

As was the case in a host of other states, North Carolina greenlit the cultivation of hemp following changes to how the federal government treats the plant in the last decade.

The 2014 Farm Bill that was passed by Congress “provided a definition for hemp and allowed for state departments of agriculture or universities to grow and produce hemp as part of research or pilot programs,” according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Canadian officials announced on Wednesday that a plan to decriminalize small amounts of drugs in British Columbia has been approved for a three-year test period.

British Columbia will decriminalize personal possession of small amounts of drugs for three years in an attempt to address the province’s crisis of overdose deaths. The Canadian federal government announced on Wednesday that it had approved a request from provincial officials to enact the plan, which will decriminalize possession of street drugs including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

“Eliminating criminal penalties for those carrying small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use will reduce stigma and harm and provide another tool for British Columbia to end the overdose crisis,” federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

In November, British Columbia officials requested an exemption from enforcing the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act for a period of three years. Under the plan, personal possession of up to a cumulative total of 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA will not result in an arrest, citation, or confiscation of the drugs. The limited drug decriminalization plan, however, will not apply at airports, schools and to members of the Canadian military.

“This is not legalization,” Bennett told reporters at a news conference in Vancouver.

“We have not taken this decision lightly.”

The feds say there was an 11% decline in cannabis arrests from 2010-2020.

Federal law enforcement continues to make fewer and fewer arrests for weed, according to data released by the Department of Justice, a trend that dovetails with the new cannabis laws that have bloomed in the last decade.

From 2010 until 2020, there was an 11% decline in cannabis-related arrests by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers, the report from the Justice Department said.

That same time period saw a seven percent decline in arrests for crack cocaine, and a six percent decline in arrests for powder cocaine.

In raw numbers, the DEA made 8,215 arrests for cannabis-related offenses in 2010, compared with 2,576 in 2020. 

The number of pot-related arrests declined each year in that decade.

‘Patients should be in the hands of the state and the doctors, not the drug traffickers,’ said Carola Pérez, the president of the Spanish Observatory of Medicinal Cannabis

Spain is set to become the latest European country to decriminalise the use of cannabis for medicinal use, with some eyeing a route for Europe’s biggest illegal cannabis growing nation to become the hub of a legal industry.

As law enforcement gets to grip with “hemp fever”, with legitimate farmers falling foul of strict rules on which part of the plant can be sold, a parliamentary commission is to consider legalising the use of the drug to treat conditions like multiple sclerosis or epilepsy.

In 2018, Britain changed the law to allow the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes but it requires a prescription from a doctor.

In recent years, a series of European countries have taken the same measure including France, Italy, Germany, Romania and the Czech Republic. In the United States, 37 states have also decriminalised the drug for specific medical use, while 19 have gone further, for recreational use.

The Spanish proposal is likely to garner support from the Socialist government, their junior far-left coalition partner Unidas Podemos and a series of smaller regional parties.

Klum reportedly met with Burkhard Blienert, Germany’s federal commissioner on narcotic drugs, in a secret meeting.

Supermodel and businesswoman Heidi Klum reportedly met with a senior drug official in Germany recently to voice her support for cannabis legalization.

Per The Times, Klum met with Burkhard Blienert, federal commissioner for narcotic drugs, in a secret meeting.

According to local media reports, Blienert had been expecting to discuss drug abuse issues with the Project Runway star and was surprised to, instead, hear Klum’s pitch for legalization.

It was also reported that Finn Hänsel, 30, founder and CEO of the Berlin-based cannabis company, Sanity Group, attended the meeting.

Germany legalized medical cannabis in 2017 and some of Canada’s largest licensed producers have supply agreements in place with the country, including Canopy Growth, Aphria, Aurora, Cronos Group and others.

Japan’s health ministry plans to revise current law in a way that would forbid certain substances of cannabis instead of parts of the plant, making it easier to allow certain medical marijuana products.

Could Japan be the next country in Asia to embrace medical marijuana? It’s looking that way. (Benzinga)

The country’s health ministry held a meeting Wednesday to negotiate the revision of the Cannabis Control Law from 1948. The ministry is considering legalizing cannabis for medical use and adding a provision to criminalize its consumption for recreational purposes, writes The Asahi Shimbun.

Last June, the ministry prepared a report recommending the government allow medical marijuana-based drugs to treat refractory epilepsy, as is the case in the U.S. and other countries.

This summer, the ministry intends to draft proposals amending the Cannabis Control law, which forbids cultivation and possession of cannabis as well the production of medicine made from the plant. The law bans the leaves, roots, spikes and ungrown stalks of the plant, which contain compounds that can be used to make therapeutic products.

Other members of an inter-governmental political forum, the Group of Seven (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and U.S.), permit the use of epilepsy drugs with CBD derived from cannabis.

With the stroke of a pen, Rhode Island has joined its two neighboring states and 16 others in legalizing the recreational use of cannabis, becoming the 19th state in the country to end marijuana prohibition.

After months of negotiations between lawmakers, advocates, stakeholders and the governor’s office, and less than 24 hours after lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the legalization bill, Gov. Dan McKee signed the measure, which promises automatic expungement of past marijuana possession convictions and reserves a quarter of new retail store licenses for minority communities disproportionally hurt by the War on Drugs, reported the Providence Journal.

Speaking on the steps of the State House in Providence, McKee said the law was “equitable, controlled and safe” while establishing a regulatory framework that emphasizes public health and safety. “The end result is a win for our state both socially and economically.”

South Dakota state officials announced on Wednesday that an initiative to legalize recreational cannabis has qualified for the ballot for the November general election.

The South Dakota Secretary of State announced on Wednesday that a ballot measure to legalize cannabis for adults has received enough verified signatures to qualify for the November election, giving the state’s voters another chance to legalize recreational pot at the ballot box. Secretary of State Steve Barnett also announced that the proposal sponsored by the group South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws (SDBML) will be titled Initiated Measure 27 for this year’s general election.

The Secretary of State’s office reported that the SDBML campaign had collected a total 31,588 signatures. An analysis of a random sample of the signatures determined that approximately 79.2% were validated as coming from South Dakota registered voters. Based on the results of the random sample, 25,023 signatures were deemed valid by state officials, far more than the 16,961 signatures currently required to qualify a measure for the ballot.

“We are very pleased that we’ve qualified for the ballot and we are extremely thankful to everyone who signed our petitions, our volunteers, our staff and our supporters,” SDBML director Matthew Schweich told the Argus Leader.

“We look forward to being on the ballot in November and we’re confident we can win again and restore the will of the people of [S]outh Dakota.”

Under the proposal, adults aged 21 and older would be permitted to possess and buy up to one ounce of weed and grow up to three cannabis plants at home. Public consumption, cultivation of more than three plants, and some other cannabis-related activities would still be against the law, but violators would only face civil penalties for such offenses.

The Pet Cannabis Coalition is supporting California Assembly Bill 1885 that will formally legalize cannabis products for pets and allow veterinarians to recommend them for a range of conditions

The Pet Cannabis Coalition, a recently established advocacy group that supports legislation aimed at legalizing cannabis products for pets and creating a legal framework that will allow veterinarians to recommend these products, is announcing today its full support of California Assembly Bill 1885 (AB 1885). If passed, the bill will amend existing language to clearly specify that California veterinarians won't risk discipline by the state's Veterinary Medical Board for recommending the use of cannabis on an animal for potential therapeutic effect or health supplementation purposes.

"Cannabis can provide life-changing–-and oftentimes lifesaving–-benefits for animals," says veterinarian Dr. Tim Shu, the President of the Pet Cannabis Coalition and the Founder and CEO of cannabis-based therapy company, VETCBD. 

"Pets and their owners deserve to have access to products that can improve their lives, and veterinarians should be allowed to provide guidance on such products. We need to shed the shroud of prohibition and embrace science if we're to embark on a path of progress. This is why we created the Pet Cannabis Coalition; to ensure there is staunch political advocacy surrounding the health and wellness of our beloved pets."

Animals can benefit from the therapeutic properties of cannabis. Studies have shown that cannabinoids such as CBD can provide benefits to pets suffering from arthritis and seizures, and veterinarians across the country have reported improvements in patients with conditions such as pain, anxiety, allergies, nausea, and seizures.1,2,3

Pet owners want to discuss cannabis with their vets and receive recommendations about products and dosages. However due to the current lack of legal clarity, most veterinarians are reluctant to make any recommendations and could face disciplinary repercussions for doing so.

Kamil Misztal released on $100,000 bail

Federal prosecutors have filed marijuana trafficking and gun possession charges against a popular social media influencer who runs a luxury car rental business in Illinois, court records show. Kamil Misztal, 31, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing more than 100 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute. He was released from federal custody May 16 on a $100,000 bond, three days after arranging to turn himself in on the federal arrest warrant.

Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Brian Nehring wrote in the criminal complaint that federal authorities began investigating Misztal last October, based on the suspicion he was arranging for marijuana to be transported from California to Illinois.

“I received information that Misztal lived outside of California in Illinois where he ran an exotic vehicle rental business ‘I-94 Exotics.’ I also received information that Misztal regularly travelled to California to obtain multiple, 100-pound quantities of marijuana and then transported the marijuana back to Illinois for distribution,” Nehring wrote.

On Oct. 27, agents raided a Roseville home where Misztal was believed to be staying, seized roughly $28,000 in cash, approximately 140 pounds of marijuana in one-pound bags, and a pistol that Misztal was prohibited from possessing due to a 2007 burglary conviction, according to the complaint.

Misztal has more than 500,000 Instagram followers and has publicly spoken about his journey to becoming a “self-made millionaire,” starting with working at grocery stores and car detailing jobs when he was just 13. He also owns a legal marijuana business, according to interviews and sponsored content, including a sponsored post that was published by the Bay Area News Group.

Senator Jeremy Cooney (D-Rochester) announced Wednesday a package of two cannabis bills designed to lay additional groundwork for the future of legalized cannabis in New York State.

Senate Bill S.9217 would permit New Yorkers to cultivate cannabis in licensed personal cultivation facilities. Current regulations allow for personal cultivation eighteen months after the first adult-use sales commence. However, the plants must be grown at the individual’s personal residence. (Benzinga)

These guidelines would exclude those without sufficient open space, especially renters/tenants. This bill would authorize the Cannabis Control Board to make regulations allowing for personal cultivation in specified licensed facilities open to adult use. This will ensure individuals who do not have a residence that is suitable for personal cultivation, such as most renters and individuals living in urban communities, still have the opportunity to utilize personal cultivation in a safe and controlled setting. This is about achieving equity in the home grow process.

“I am proud to introduce legislation that will further support the fast-growing New York cannabis industry. Since the passing of the MRTA last year, the Office of Cannabis Management has made necessary reforms to the medical cannabis program and this legislation will continue that effort by expanding access to medical cannabis for medical patients in-and-outside of New York," said Senator Jeremy Cooney.

"Although the legal ability to personally cultivate cannabis is several months away, we must be proactive in reducing the barriers to participate, especially for New Yorkers in urban areas who are most likely to be excluded from home grow. Renters and individuals who are unable to cultivate cannabis in their homes should still have the option guaranteed to them in the MRTA.”

The Rhode Island legislature will consider rulings this week that would legalize recreational pot for adults.

Lawmakers in Rhode Island are expected to vote on cannabis policy reform this week, with legislative committees in the state Senate and House of Representatives scheduled to consider identical bills to legalize recreational pot for adults. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Senate Bill 2430 sponsored by Democratic Senator Joshua Miller on Wednesday afternoon, according to a report in local media. And later the same day, the House Finance Committee will vote on House Bill 7593 from fellow Democrat Representative Scott A. Slater. If passed, the companion bills would legalize the possession and purchase of up to one ounce of cannabis by adults 21 and older and create a regulatory framework for the commercial production and sale of recreational cannabis.

“This historic shift in public policy will create a vibrant new marketplace in our state and end the failed practice of prohibition, which has caused such harm to so many in our communities,” Miller said when the legislation was unveiled earlier this year.

“To help address those past wrongs, and to ensure all Rhode Islanders have the opportunity to share the economic benefits associated with legalizations, equity is a central focus of this legislation.”

“The time for Rhode Island to move forward with cannabis legalization is now,” Miller, a longtime supporter of cannabis legalization, said in a statement when the legislation was unveiled earlier this year.

With leaders in both parties eager to move marijuana legalization forward, it seems like legalizing marijuana in some form is a low hanging fruit.

President Biden’s political career has not exactly made him the poster child for marijuana legalization. Earlier in this career, he was among the many who supported the War on Drugs and anti-marijuana legislation. With time, the President has changed and liberalized his views significantly. But has he changed them enough to keep Democrats in power?

Legalization bills are popping up on both sides of the political aisle, and the public support for marijuana legalization is at an all-time high.Two-thirds of this nation’s citizens believe marijuana should be legal, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. 

Meanwhile, some Republicans are going so far as to call out the President for his dated and conservative views on marijuana. This leaves many wondering exactly when and how the White House will take a stance on weed as the concept itself continues to grow in popularity among voters.

With all this forward momentum, and so close to a very important midterm election, it is puzzling to some as to why the President has not taken a stronger stance on marijuana legalization.

“It’s almost as if the President doesn’t recognize the astounding increase in support for marijuana legalization over the last two decades,” wrote Harry Enten For CNN.

San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus is a prime example of what can go wrong when the police force does not watch what happens to the cops. Here’s why.

One of the biggest headaches with running a legal cannabis business is the cash. Since cannabis is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government, it’s nearly impossible to store the cash you’ve made through your state-licensed cannabis business anywhere else. And that leads to another problem: security.

Because most licensed cannabis businesses operate and transact almost entirely in cash, they have become the top target of thieves and robbers. They’ve had to resort to other creative solutions to ensure that their legally-made cash profits are safe, turning to businesses such as transporting cash in armored cars. And then you have bad apples like Sheriff Shannon Dicus who comes and exploits the situation.

Who is Sheriff Shannon Dicus?

Dicus is the 36th Sheriff-Coroner appointed for the San Bernardino County in California, the biggest county in the United States.

The sheriff campaign website reads that he is a “proven public safety leader for San Bernardino County”. However, he has been running a very dirty scam hurting legal cannabis business owners. According to the equitable sharing program of the U.S. Department of Justice, the sheriff’s department can keep as much as 80% of the cash that has been collected through civil forfeitures, except in California, legal cannabis money can’t be seized by cops.

The crime

Investigations revealed that San Bernardino deputies have been seizing cannabis money from armored cars, which they then transferred to the FBI, saying that it was to be used as proof for investigations.