WeedLife News Network

 After a record number of calls to the Illinois Poison Center (IPC) in 2021 related to cannabis, legislation has been filed at the Statehouse to limit the potency of some products sold at cannabis dispensaries.

For the bill sponsor, Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield, he says the bill isn't likely to pass as written, but he wanted to file it before the Jan. 28 deadline on behalf of the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS), a non-profit association of healthcare professionals.

Batinick says the request from the ISMS is in response to a recent rise in cannabis-related calls to the IPC since 2019, when 487 cases were reported. In 2020, there were 743 cases and in 2021 there were 855 cases.

In 2019, there were 81 cannabis-related IPC cases that involved children ages five and younger. In 2020, there were 202 cases. By 2021, the number increased to 278 cases, representing a 243% increase from 2019.

The IPC credits the majority of this rise to edibles, or consumable marijuana, and says 40% of their cases involving children and gummy edibles involve hospitalization.

The Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy is polling its members on legislation that appears to address the persistent issues with host community agreements and social equity in the new cannabis industry, and that would pave the way for social consumption sites in Massachusetts.

Members of the committee have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 28, to weigh in on redrafted legislation that would put tighter restrictions on the legally required contracts between marijuana businesses and their host communities, establish a Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund, and lay the groundwork for cities and towns to allow on-site cannabis consumption establishments within their borders. The poll opened late in the afternoon on Wednesday, Jan. 26.

The legislation, which a spokesperson said is a priority for House Speaker Ron Mariano, appears to address some of the issues that the Cannabis Control Commission has most vocally been asking lawmakers to act on.

Committee co-chairs Rep. Daniel Donahue and Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz recommended favorable reports for two bills redrafted in committee to incorporate parts of about a dozen other related proposals. The new bill, titled "An Act relative to social equity and host community agreements in the cannabis industry," will be referred to the House as H 174 and to the Senate as S 72. Some of its provisions mirror those of a bill that the House passed in early 2020 but never surfaced in the Senate.

The bill would create a $10 million Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund "for the purpose of making grants and loans, including no-interest loans and forgivable loans, to social equity program participants and economic empowerment priority applicants to encourage the full participation of entrepreneurs from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement." In addition to the initial $10 million in funding, the bill creates other ways for the fund to grow.

I just read about the research study from Oregon State University, which found that consuming two cannabinoids (called cannabigerolic acid, or CBG-A, and cannabidiolic acid, or CBD-A) could prevent the spread of COVID-19. Awesome! But the study falls short.

CBG-A and CBD-A are both derived from hemp (i.e., part of the cannabis sativa species, but without the psychoactive component, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC). Both CBG and CBD have an abundance of cannabidiolic acid, which has the potential to bind onto COVID-19 spike proteins and prevent further infection. THC-A also has this acid (and in abundance!). However, researchers cannot study THC because it is still federally classified as a Schedule 1 drug and it would violate OSU's policy.

This is a huge shortcoming, and it serves as another reminder that we are overdue for legalizing marijuana federally. Currently, 36 states have legalized medical marijuana. The CDC estimates 48.2 million people in the U.S. (of a 329.5 million population) consume marijuana. That means approximately 82 percent of the population is missing out on cannabis's health benefits, such as the potential to prevent COVID-19. If more clinical studies were allowed to study THC, there would be more information about cannabis's effect on our health. And with more information it's likely that nonrecreational consumers will be more willing to try cannabis for its specific health benefits.

I say this because I was a nonrecreational consumer who only turned to cannabis out of sheer desperation. I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in 2014 after 11 years of repeated misdiagnosis and consistently debilitating health. I tried myriad Western medicines, but cannabis was the only remedy that brought me back to a state of normalcy and stabilized my quality of life. The benefits were so significant that I started cultivating my own cannabis so that I could ensure a sufficient supply of high quality (organic) cannabis.

There are many similar stories to mine, and probably many more with 82 percent of the population not realizing the health potential. If cannabis remains federally illegal, we are inhibiting research and delaying major discoveries on its health benefits.

Years into Colorado’s recreational cannabis boom, Colorado Springs still doesn’t have legal, recreational cannabis sales.

A group of business and community leaders in Colorado Springs, Colorado has launched a bid to legalize sales of recreational cannabis in the city, arguing that tax revenue generated by purchases of legal cannabis by local residents should stay in the community.

Colorado voters legalized sales of recreational cannabis with the passage of Amendment 64 in 2012, and regulated sales began in the state two years later. But Colorado Springs banned recreational cannabis sales in 2013, although the city is home to more than 100 medical cannabis dispensaries. 

Colorado Springs Ballot Measure Filed

On Monday, the group Your Choice Colorado Springs filed ballot language for a proposed voter initiative that would allow the city’s existing medical marijuana dispensaries to apply for licenses to sell adult-use cannabis. In a statement from the group, the coalition of community and business leaders said that Colorado Springs residents are forced to travel to nearby cities that allow recreational sales. As a result, the city is leaving millions of dollars in potential sales tax revenue on the table, according to Your Choice Colorado Springs.

“It’s hard to believe just how much tax revenue politicians have robbed our city of over the past decade,” said Cliff Black, an attorney and the lead elector petitioning the city for adult-use cannabis sales.

“Recreational marijuana is 100 percent legal for every single adult living in the city. Yet the city gets none of the benefits. Instead, residents drive and spend their hard-earned money in Manitou, Pueblo, and even Denver, and then bring their marijuana right back home to Colorado Springs. With this initiative, we are asking voters if they want to keep their tax dollars local.”

Driver travelling 55 km/h over the posted limit initially denied having cannabis in the vehicle before fessing up.

A Minnesota man apparently decided it was best to fess up to the illegal cannabis inside his vehicle after getting pulled over for driving 160 kilometres per hour in a 105 km/h zone.

Although the police do not specify the amount, some cannabis was discovered after the man admitted he had some on-board and, in fact, showed the deputy where it was.

While medicinal marijuana is legal in Minnesota, recreational cannabis is not. According to Minnesota Lawyer Referral, possessing or selling 42.5 grams or less of cannabis in the state is a misdemeanour carrying a maximum fine of US$200 ($252). Above that amount, however, and a person will face a felony charge punishable by as long as five years in prison and a fine of up to US$10,000 ($12,600).

The driver has been cited on charges of first-offence possession of a controlled substance and speeding.

The need for speed has been an issue for many a driver subsequently found with illegal cannabis.

Thailand on Tuesday became the first country in Asia to approve the de facto decriminalization of marijuana, though authorities have left a grey area around its recreational use.

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that the Narcotics Control Board had approved the dropping cannabis from the ministry’s list of controlled drugs. The delisting by the ministry’s Food and Drug Administration will now need to be formally signed by the health minister and enters into effect 120 days after its publication in the government gazette. It follows the removal of cannabis — a plant species to which both marijuana and hemp belong — last month from the list of illegal drugs under Thailand’s Narcotics Law.

Police and lawyers contacted by The Associated Press said it was unclear if possession of marijuana would no longer be an offense subject to arrest. A tangle of related laws means that production and possession of marijuana remains regulated for the time being, leaving the legal status of recreational marijuana use in a grey area.

The Health Ministry measure retains on its list of controlled drugs parts from the cannabis plant that contain more than 0.2% by weight of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient that gives users a high.

Thailand in 2020 became the first Asian nation to decriminalize the production and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

The Wayne County Drug Task Force caught a Richmond man again. Kenton Ray Bennett Jr., 33, was arrested Tuesday during a traffic stop made by first-shift Richmond Police Department patrol officers, according to a Drug Task Force news release. Bennett was convicted and sentenced in March 2016 after a previous arrest by the Drug Task Force.

On Tuesday, Bennett was arrested on a warrant that resulted from a lengthy Drug Task Force investigation into the sale of illegal narcotics, the release said. The warrant charged Bennett with two Level 4 felony counts of dealing heroin and fentanyl.

Bennett was lodged in the Wayne County Jail with bonds totaling $38,000. A bond of $17,500 was set when the arrest warrant was issued; the new charges carry bonds of $20,000 and $500.

The 2016 convictions for Level 5 felony dealing heroin and Level 5 felony dealing cocaine qualify Bennett as a serious violent felon. He was sentenced to two years of incarceration and one year of probation for those convictions, which resulted after he sold cocaine and heroin to a confidential informant.

Bennett also has a previous misdemeanor conviction for possession of marijuana.

Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate stopped an effort by Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison) to force a vote on legalizing the recreational use of cannabis. The Senate took up a bill Tuesday that would increase penalties for a person who uses a butane torch to extract resin from a cannabis plant. Agard introduced an amendment to the bill that, instead of making penalties harsher, would have completely legalized all uses of cannabis. 

Agard said she was introducing the amendment because if the goal of the bill is to increase public safety, then increased criminalization is not the direction to go — especially since most of Wisconsin’s neighboring states have legalized either medicinal or recreational use. Republicans in the Senate killed Agard’s effort by voting that the amendment was out of order and not “germane” to the initial bill.  The original bill, without Agard’s amendment, passed on a 20-12 party line vote.

A man was arrested after police allegedly busted a marijuana growing operation and found weapons of mass destruction. George Costas Skouras, 44, allegedly grew and sold marijuana at his Springettsbury Township home. Springettsbury Township Police served a search warrant Thursday and discovered "a large marijuana growing operation," according to court documents. Police also found mushrooms and powder that was being compressed into pill form, according to a criminal complaint.

Skouras is facing a felony charge of possessing weapons of mass destruction after officers found several firearms in his residence, police said. It's unclear what those weapons were. He's also charged with three counts of felony manufacture, delivery or possession of drugs. He was arraigned Thursday before District Judge Thomas J. Reilly and released on $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Feb. 3 before District Judge Barry L. Bloss Jr.

A candid conversation with a local cannabis consultant about what's going on in New York.

The race for New York has begun. All types of entrepreneurs looking to enter the state's cannabis marketplace are busy preparing for the soon-to-be-released application process. Hemp farmers are poised to switch to marijuana crops, legacy entrepreneurs are operating in the open, regulators are shaping the laws, and no one is excited about opening the borders.

I spoke to Kalean Castetter, a long-time upstate resident, son of a legacy grower, owner of a hemp-infused wine company, and now cannabis consultant, to get his insights into how things are shaping up in New York.

Please share your background.

I've always had a passion for policy and helping entrepreneurs understand the regulatory frameworks of legislation. Towards the end of last year, I decided to completely step away from the hemp wine business and focus on my consulting practice, The Castetter Cannabis Group. We're a boutique firm. We do government relations lobbying advocacy. We help entrepreneurs understand the legislation, forecast regulations, and develop a business plan around it. 

Who are the entrepreneurs you work with who are looking to enter the New York marketplace? 

I've developed a reputation for working with small players like social equity applicants, people of color, and legacy operators—New Yorkers who are hungry for an opportunity and have unique and innovative ideas. I have clients in Niagara Falls, and I have clients in Harlem. We hold a summit in December, where our clients come together to meet and share their expertise and experience. Because of prohibition at the federal level, we're going to develop supply chains and relationships from upstate and downstate where people have not been connected for a long time. I think that's going to be a huge cultural change in bringing communities together.

But many private equity-backed entrepreneurs, MSOs, and ROs are all looking at this opportunity from a dollars and cents perspective. And a lot of the money they make will leave the state, and we won't create wealth in this community. So, I think they should move to the back of the line.

Legal experts worry expungement proposals currently being considered might cause more harm than good

The push to legalize recreational marijuana use in Missouri is coming from multiple directions, with a handful of proposed initiative petitions and at least one bill, and potentially more, backed by Republican lawmakers. 

Each hopes to place the issue on the 2022 ballot for voter approval.

And each proposal also includes a provision that, while often overlooked in the marijuana debate, is considered a transformative piece of the legalization puzzle — the expungement of nonviolent marijuana offenses from criminal records. 

The proposals differ on how they handle expungement. 

Some propose an “automatic” system that would have the courts identify the old offenses and seal them on people’s records. Others would require people to submit a petition and pay a fee.

The wait for legal cannabis in Florida may continue longer than proponents planned, but if everything goes accordingly from a planning and preparation standpoint, the wait may be worthwhile for consumers.

Ever since Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis use about a decade ago, dozens of other states have followed in their footsteps. In fact, nearly half of the states in the country have recreational cannabis laws on the books now, which makes one curious as to where Florida is on cannabis legalization.

There is medical marijuana available in the state, which leads one to believe that the legalization of recreational cannabis isn’t too far away. Cannabis legalization could be an economic driver for Florida that’s tough to rival. Here are some key insights about the path to cannabis legalization in the Sunshine State.

Status of Medical Marijuana  

Medical marijuana was initially introduced to Floridians back in 2019. Florida SB 186 signed into action by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis allows Florida residents to possess and consume up to 2.5 ounces of dry herb cannabis every five weeks. Physical possession of a medical marijuana card is necessary for avoiding prosecution from police.

Florida voters demonstrated glaring support for medical marijuana sales in the state. Taking that into consideration, it’s fair to question what barriers cannabis advocates face when it comes to getting it legalized recreationally in the state.

According to Deputy Director of the Center for Effective Public Management for The Brookings Institution, John Hudak, there’s no bigger obstacle for cannabis legalization in Florida than the Governor himself.

New York is looking at major revenue from cannabis sales over the next six years according to Governor Kathy Hochul.

New York is poised to collect $1.25 billion in revenue from taxes on legal cannabis sales, according to a budget projection from Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul released on Tuesday. The revenue projections are included in the state budget for next year, which includes significant investment in projects designed to continue the economic and social recovery from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“We have the means to immediately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as embrace this once-in-a-generation opportunity for the future with a historic level of funding that is both socially responsible and fiscally prudent,” Hochul said in a statement from the governor’s office.

New York’s state budget for the 2023 fiscal year, which is detailed in an 85-page briefing book from the governor’s office, anticipates $56 million in cannabis revenue, including $40 million collected from license fees on cannabis businesses. State lawmakers legalized recreational cannabis last year, and since taking office in August Hochul has vowed to expedite the regulation of adult-use cannabis stalled by Andrew Cuomo, the former governor who resigned last summer because of a sexual harassment scandal.

Over the next six years, the governor’s office predicts that the state will collect more than $1.25 billion in revenue from taxes and fees on recreational cannabis, with the annual total increasing as more producers, processors and retailers launch their operations. Cannabis tax revenue is expected to increase to $95 million in fiscal year 2024 and reach an estimated $363 million in 2028.

New York Budget Projections Include Revenue from Cannabis ‘Potency Tax’

The taxes on New York’s cannabis industry include a nine percent excise tax and another four percent tax for local governments. The state’s regulations also include a separate tax on THC, with the amount of tax collected rising as the potency of a product rises.

The Austin Freedom Act of 2021 also aims to ban dangerous ‘no knock’ warrants.

Officials in Austin, Texas have officially given the green light to a cannabis decriminalization initiative now set to appear in an upcoming ballot. On January 18, the Austin City Council in Texas voted to allow the ballot initiative known as the “Austin Freedom Act of 2021” on the upcoming special election on May 7. The Act will stop local law enforcement from convicting residents of low-level cannabis offenses, and will prohibit “no knock” warrants by police as well.

The initiative is supported by an organization called Ground Game Texas (GGT).

“Thanks to the tireless efforts of the on-the-ground organizers from Ground Game Texas and partner organizations, Austin residents will soon have the ability to make lasting change to our antiquated and racist criminal justice laws,” said Ground Game Texas Political Director Mike Siegel when the organization first received approval from the City Clerk in December 2021.

“With successful campaigns like these, Ground Game Texas will continue to empower and excite communities around progressive change—and deliver for the marginalized communities that too often get left behind.”

The group collected 33,332 signatures, although only 20,000 was necessary. State law requires that 25 percent of randomly selected signatures needs to be verified, which came up to 8,334 of the signatures. Of those, 2,455 were disqualified (due to duplicates, missing signature or other reasons), but the remaining 5,879 passed the test.

When, or if, the Senate approves the changes and Gov. Reeves signs the bill, the program regulating and selling cannabis to registered patients will kick off later this year.

The Mississippi House of Representatives passed an amended version of the Senate’s medical marijuana bill on Wednesday, lowering the amount of cannabis a patient can purchase each month.

What Happened

The measure was approved on a 104–14 vote. The changes addressed concerns raised by Gov. Tate Reeves (R), who repeatedly called for lawmakers to lower the amount, Marijuana Moment reported.

The legislation allows patients to purchase the equivalent of 3.5 grams of marijuana (or 1 gram of cannabis concentrate) daily, with a maximum monthly limit of 3 ounces. The maximum monthly amount of cannabis that can be purchased passed by the Senate was 3.5-ounces.

“When I got involved in this bill, I said, ‘How can we build a wall around this program, so the people who get it are the people who need it the most, and only the people who need it the most?'” Yancey said.

“This is not for everybody out on the street. This is not for a bunch of kids. This is for hurting people with debilitating conditions.”

Weed isn’t going away.

This leafy green plant has been popular in the US since the 17th century. Demand for rope, clothing and sails resulted in a thriving hemp industry for over two centuries. Eventually, imports met this demand, but tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, remained in over-the-counter medication well into the 19th century.

As you may already know, pot’s fall from grace came after the Mexican Revolution, when Mexican immigrants flooded into the southern U.S., bringing recreational cannabis use with them. Dubbed “the Marijuana Menace,” anti-drug campaigns did their best to associate cannabis with the distrusted immigrant population. By the 1920s, over half of the U.S. had banned its use.

Unfortunately, THC-rich cannabis hasn’t received such amnesty, despite a wealth of bills proposing its legalization.

Last summer, I attended an event hosted by the Wake Libertarian Party. During this well-attended seminar, NC House Democrat Alison Dahle answered questions regarding her recently proposed House Bill 617, which would provide sweeping legalization for adults at least 21 years of age to own and use marijuana in NC. It also included an outline for regulating a commercial cannabis market and criminal justice reform, including expunging criminal records for drug crimes made legal by the bill.

A late night traffic stop by the Denham Springs Police Department led to the seizure of 5.35 pounds of marijuana and more.

A little before 10:30 p.m., on Tuesday, January 18, officers stopped an SUV. Along with marijuana, officers found a “‘dab’ pen, two THC Cartridges and $4,060,” according to the Denham Springs Police Department.

DSPD apprehended the driver who now faces these charges: (create list below)

Taxes from the sale of recreational cannabis during the first year of legality in Arizona resulted in millions of dollars for local community colleges, officials said Tuesday.

Maricopa County Community College District received $17.1 million from the imposed 16% excise tax on the drug, with the money being used to improve student offerings, the district said in a press release.

The district said it has earmarked $7.6 million of the funds toward 35 career-specific training programs, with focuses including beauty and wellness, healthcare, and trades and technology.

The district said community colleges get the most funding from the tax at 33%, followed by municipal police and fire districts (31.4%), the Highway User Fund (25.4%), the Justice Reinvestment Fund (10%) and 0.2% to the attorney general.

The decriminalization and legalization of marijuana in Kentucky will improve the state's criminal justice system, Kentucky Rep. Nima Kulkarni said.

The lawmaker gathered with other proponents of the initiative Monday to push for action on the issue during this year's legislative session, WLKY reported.

Kulkarni, who noted that Kentucky is currently among the 14 states that have neither decriminalized nor approved the adult use of marijuana, introduced House Bills 224 and 225 on Jan. 5.

The former would decriminalize marijuana and expunge certain previous convictions related to the substance, while the latter would allow anyone aged 21 or older to possess, use, buy or sell up to an ounce of cannabis without criminal penalties.

"You can't have one without the other, and I have been very clear that I am not going to sign onto legalization legislation if we don't include decriminalization," Kulkarni explained.