California considers Creating Bank for Marijuana Businesses

February 01, 2018

California is considering setting up a state-owned bank for its newly legalized marijuana industry, which it says has to operate mainly in cash due to federal regulations blocking access to traditional banking.

State Treasurer and Democratic candidate for Governor John Chiang on Tuesday announced his office will study whether California should create a state bank to serve California’s newly legalized marijuana industry.

“We are contending with the emergence of a multi-billion dollar cannabis industry that needs banking services,” Chiang said. “We all know the lack of banking services affects government taxes and forces the cannabis industry to operate in cash.”

“The state of California estimated $1 billion of tax revenues. We don't want to create a shadow economy, we don't want violence in local communities," he claimed.

However, Chiang’s Democratic rivals in the Governor’s race, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom took a dig at him soon after the announcement.

Newsom’s campaign manager Addisu Demissie criticized Chiang for not endorsing Proposition 64, which voters approved in 2016 to legalize recreational marijuana.

“John Chiang went out of his way to avoid endorsing Prop. 64 and virtually every other criminal justice reform ballot initiative since he's been a statewide office holder," Demissie said in a statement.

Currently, the Bank of North Dakota is the only deposit-holding, publicly owned financial institution in the US. It was created in 1919 to provide loans to farmers.

On January 1, California legalized marijuana for recreational purposes. Adults aged over 21 can now possess up to one ounce of pot and grow up to six plants at home in the State.

Canadians Spent $5.7 Billion on Marijuana in 2017: Statistics

January 30, 2018

A first of its kind report from Statistics Canada estimates that Canadian adults spent Can$5.7 billion (US$4.6 billion) on marijuana in 2017 – the majority of it for recreational purposes.

According to Statistics Canada released Thursday, about 4.9 million Canadians between the ages of 15 and 64 said they use cannabis. The largest buyers of cannabis in 2017 remained 25 to 44-year-olds.

An estimated 90 per cent of those billions of dollars spent last year were for recreational use, while only 10 per cent were backed by a doctor's prescription for medical reasons, the data said. 

The nearly Can$6 billion spent on marijuana in the country is quite less compared to the Can$22 billion that Canadians spent on alcohol in 2017, and Can$16 billion they spent on tobacco products during the year.

The federal statistics agency’s report says the overall average Canadians are paying per gram is Can$7.48. In British Columbia, the average is $6.98 per gram; in Ontario it’s Can $7.33 per gram.

Most of the cannabis consumed was produced in Canada, with only about Can$300 million worth of illegal marijuana smuggled into the country. Illegal sales of Canadian cannabis abroad were estimated to be worth around Can$1.2 billion, according to the data agency.

However, Statistics Canada warns that because so much of the current marijuana market operates outside the law, some of the findings in the report are based on assumptions, models and sparse data.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has touted recreational marijuana legalization as a means to reduce access to young people and to displace the illegal market.

Canada is expected to legalize marijuana for recreational purpose effective from July 1 this year, while medical marijuana was legalized in the country nearly two decades ago.

In the US, nine states have legalized marijuana for recreational purpose, but it remains illegal at the federal level.

Illegal Marijuana operations busted in Colorado

January 30, 2018

Teller County Sheriff's Office deputies conducted three raids on illegal marijuana grow operations Wednesday and seized more than a million dollars' worth of pot in a rural area in Colorado.The first two raids were conducted near Divide, and the last in Woodland Park.

Inside the first house near Divide, a basement was transformed into a marijuana grow room, while the second house also near Divide had a garage transformed into what looked like a greenhouse.

Deputies found dozens of plants all catered to by a water system installed in the house. 

Authorities say more than 100 plants and 80 pounds of processed marijuana were seizednear Divide. They also found several pounds of hash oil in a THC extraction lab on the property. THC is the active ingredient of cannabis.

In Woodland Park, over 60 plants and dozens of pounds of processed marijuana were sized.

Authorities claim these labs are potentially dangerous as hash oil explosions cause a number of deaths each year in the state.

The effort to crack down on illegal marijuana growers is part of the Sheriff's initiative to drive organized crime out of the region, said authorities. 

The sheriff’s office however informed that no arrests were made in this connection, but the investigation is on to nab the marijuana growers and operators.

The executive director of the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council (SCCC), Jason Warf , believes that many of the grow operations considered illegal by authorities actually are producing plants for patients and caregivers, and he said the busts violate grow rights guaranteed by voter approval of Amendment 64, KRDO NewsChannel reported.

"If we continue down this path, it is extremely likely that voters will work to overturn all regulation that we have put in place," Warf said.

Vermont legalizes Recreational Marijuana

January 30, 2018

Vermont became the ninth U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana and the first to end marijuana prohibition through an act of lawmakers rather than by use of a ballot measure.

Republican Governor Phil Scott signed H. 511 into law "with mixed emotions" Monday night, allowing for the possession of recreational marijuana.

The new law will come into effect on July 1 this year.

"I personally believe that what adults do behind closed doors and on private property is their choice, so long as it does not negatively impact the health and safety of others, especially children," Scott said in a statement following the bill signing.

"While this legislation decriminalizes, for adults 21 and older, personal possession of no more than 1 ounce, and cultivation of two mature plants on their private property, marijuana remains a controlled substance in Vermont and its sale is prohibited," he added.

Among other restrictions, consumption of marijuana in public places is prohibited according to the new law. Consumption of marijuana by operators and passengers in a motor vehicle is also prohibited.Besides, schools, employers, municipalities and landlords are also empowered to adopt policies and ordinances further restricting the cultivation and use.

Moreover, Vermont marijuana users will have to face the same hurdles as residents in the District of Columbia due to the prohibition of commercial marijuana sales.

All eight other states that had previously legalized recreational marijuana did so through voter-approved ballot initiatives.

Vermont had legalized the use of medical marijuana in 2004. It is among the 29 states that allow marijuana to be prescribed for medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among others, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

New Jersey Governor signs executive order on Medical Marijuana

January 29, 2018

In a major development, New Jersey Governor Philip D Murphy has signed an executive order expanding access to medical marijuana for patients who qualify for it under state law.

The Democrat, who took office last week, signed the executive order on Tuesday.

“The Department of Health and the Board of Medical Examiners shall undertake a review of all aspects of New Jersey’s medical marijuana program, with a focus on ways to expand access to marijuana for medical purposes,” the order stated. “This review shall conclude within 60 days of this Order.”

Murphy pointed out the fault of the administration of former Republican Gov. Chris Christie for making it difficult for residents to use the state’s marijuana program.

“The roadblocks put in place by the past administration mean that the law's spirit has been stifled," the Governor said in a signing ceremony in Trenton.

“Our law is eight years old,” Murphy added. “Since it took effect, significant medical research has been conducted. Our goal is to modernize the program in New Jersey, bring it up to current standards, and put patients first.”

Out of nine million residents in New Jersey, only 15,000 are currently participating in the State’s medical marijuana program, though it was enacted in 2010.

New Jersey is among the 29 states that allow marijuana to be prescribed for medical conditions such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis among others, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Leading Medical Marijuana activist Dennis Peron dies at 72

January 29, 2018

Dennis Peron, known as the father of medical marijuana in the US, died in a San Francisco hospital on Saturday after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 72.

Peron’s brother, Jeffrey Peron, confirmed the news on his Facebook page. “A man that changed the world,” he wrote on Facebook. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my brother Dennis Peron.”

Pic Source: https://www.tokeofthetown.com

Peron was a driving force behind a San Francisco ordinance allowing medical marijuana- a move that later aided the 1996 passage of Proposition 215 that legalized medical use of marijuana in California, the nation’s first state-wide medical marijuana legalization law.

However, Peron opposed the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (Proposition 64), a voter initiative passed in 2016 that legalized the recreational use of marijuana for those aged 21 years and above in the state.

Significantly, Peron was among the first people to argue about the benefits of marijuana for AIDS affected persons in the late 1980s. 

In 1991, Peron founded the first public cannabis dispensary, the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club, in the country during the height of the U.S. drug war. He and a friend distributed pot to AIDS patients, got busted several times and was shot in the leg by a police officer, The Chronicle reported.

The pot club served 9,000 clients before it was closed by a judge.

Born in New York, he was drafted in the late 1960s to serve in Vietnam, where he first encountered cannabis, his brother posted on Facebook.

The Vietnam War veteran spent some of his last years on a farm in Lake County, growing and giving away medical marijuana.

Fifth-grader mistakenly hands out Marijuana Edibles at School

January 29, 2018

A fifth-grade student mistakenly shared a box of THC-laced candy with fellow students at her school in New Mexico. Later the 9-year-old girl has been suspended and her parents are now under investigation in this regard.

The dean of elementary students at Albuquerque School of Excellence, Kristi Del Curto told a Journal that the fifth-grader brought the box of gummies she found at home and shared with friends at the school cafeteria one morning.

The student later felt dizzy during class and was sent to the school nurse. Five other students, who had shared the gummies, also fell sick and complained of dizziness. However, paramedics monitored the students until the effects wore off, the dean informed.

"She thought she was sharing candy, and if you saw the picture on the box, it did look like candy," Del Curto said. “Though the fifth grader had no idea of the gummies laced with THC, the child was suspended for a week regardless.”

THC gummies can be two to 100 times stronger than traditional marijuana, KRQE reports.

School representatives posted a reminder for students and parents on Facebook last week.

“We would like our community to be alert with drugs and any edibles that may or could be in different formats,” the post reads. “We kindly ask our parents and community members not to talk explicitly about drugs/medicine when students are present (unintentionally to tempt or encourage students to use drugs).”

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have legally allowed the use of marijuana for medical purposes. New Mexico became the 12th state to legalize medical marijuana in 2007. However, recreational use of marijuana is still illegal in New Mexico.

Canada Govt announces $1.4 million on Marijuana Research Projects

January 29, 2018

The federal administration of Canada has announced $1.4 million for research projects on the effects of legalizing recreational marijuana in the country.

Member of Parliament Bill Blair made the announcement at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health on Wednesday, saying the research findings will help the government to understand the impact of the country's new marijuana laws.

“Armed with the results of this research we will be able to better based future decisions on solid science. The foundation of knowledge that we lay today will inform the policies, programs and interventions of tomorrow,” the Liberal MP said.

Blair, who has spearheaded the government’s efforts to legalize and regulate cannabis, unveiled 14 projects that would each receive $100,000 from the Canadian Institute of Health Research over one year. Each of the 14 research projects are based out of hospitals and universities across the country.

Some of the projects will look at how the use of recreational marijuana affects Indigenous communities, pregnant women and teenagers, and others will examine how marijuana use changes once it's legalized and will evaluate the provincial governments' regulatory models for marijuana policies.

The government has been criticized for not conducting such research before deciding to legalize recreational marijuana.

Canada plans to legalize recreational marijuana before July this year. It will be the second country to legalize recreational marijuana after Uruguay.

Last year, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to "legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana" in order to reduce access to young people and to displace the illegal market.

In the US, nine states have legalized marijuana for recreational use, but it remains illegal at the federal level.

Tennessee Republicans introduce Medical Marijuana Bill

January 19, 2018

Two Republican lawmakers Thursday introduced legislation to make medical marijuana legal for patients with certain health conditions in Tennessee.

Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, and Sen. Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville, introduced the measure that would only allow oil-based manufactured products, such as pills or lotions, while the sale of marijuana cigarettes as well as raw marijuana such as dried plant and edibles would remain illegal.

The backers of medical marijuana call it the Medical Cannabis Only Act. The two Republicans hope the bill will win over their reluctant colleagues. They also estimated at least 65,000 Tennesseans would benefit from the legislation. 

“Makers of oil-based marijuana can isolate the substances that make cannabises effective and label dosages,” Faison said. “Marijuana oil products are much harder to abuse than the dried plant.”

Supporters say medical marijuana can relieve pain, anxiety and the nausea associated with some intensive treatments. Diseases for which marijuana could potentially be used include Cancer, HIV and AIDS, Hepatitis C, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Arthritis, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Tourette’s syndrome among others.

However, Republican lawmakers are split over the marijuana legalization in the State. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, said he remained opposed to any form of marijuana in Tennessee, whether recreational or medical. 

As many as 29 states and the District of Columbia currently allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, according to the Marijuana Policy Project. Eight states permit recreational marijuana. However, marijuana use is still illegal under federal law in the U.S.

Recreational marijuana shops open in California

January 19, 2018

California began selling legal recreational marijuana on the New Year’s Day Monday, joining seven other states and Washington D.C. in the US that have legally allowed to sell it through retail stores.

Customers have lined up early to purchase recreational marijuana legally for the first time in the nation's most populous state.A large number of customers wore cannabis necklaces and sunglasses, green swag to celebrate the legal sale of recreational marijuana.

At least 90 retailers received licenses state-wide to open New Year's Day. They are concentrated in San Diego, Santa Cruz, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Palm Springs area.

“It feels great. It is long overdue,” said Craig Reinarman, a UC Santa Cruz sociology and legal studies professor emeritus who purchased the first weed at the KindPeoples dispensary in Santa Cruz to a round of applause.

Defying federal law, Californians voted for cannabis legalization in November 2016 by passing Proposition 64 with 57 per cent of the vote. Anyone 21 and older now can make purchases recreational marijuana at licensed shops as well as possess as much as an ounce and grow up to six plants at home. 

Along with the retail sales law, California legislators enacted specific provisions for marijuana use. Anyone who purchases recreational marijuana isn't allowed to smoke in public areas and can't use it places where cigarettes aren't allowed.

Growing and selling marijuana for medicinal purposes has been legal in California since 1996.

The marijuana market in the state, which boasts the world's sixth-largest economy, is valued by most experts at several billion dollars annually and is expected to generate at least a $US1 billion a year in tax revenue.

Cynthia Calvillo fails drug test for marijuana metabolites

January 19, 2018

Cynthia Calvillo, a promising star in the UFC strawweight division, has been informed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for a potential violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy three weeks after she lost a unanimous decision to former champion Carla Esparza at UFC 219.

The UFC announced in a statement Wednesday evening that 30-year-old Calvillo tested positive for a marijuana metabolite (Carboxy-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Carboxy-THC), above the decision limit of 180 ng/mL, stemming from an in-competition sample collected in conjunction with her recent bout in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 30, 2017, UFC 219: Cris Cyborg vs. Holly Holm.

Carboxy-THC is described in the release as “a metabolite of marijuana and/or hashish.”

“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Calvillo, as it relates to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy and future UFC participation,” the statement read.

Besides USADA, the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC), which has jurisdiction over Calvillo, shall also determine sanctions in this regard.

“Because the Nevada Athletic Commission was the regulatory body overseeing the fight in Las Vegas and has licensing jurisdiction over Calvillo, USADA will work to ensure that the Nevada Athletic Commission has the necessary information to determine its proper judgment of Calvillo’s potential anti-doping violation,” the statement added.

The most recent case of a UFC fighter failing marijuana test involved middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum. He was flagged by USADA last April, which led to a win over Vitor Belfort being overturned to a no contest, and received a three-month suspension.

Calvillo’s loss to Esparza at UFC 219 in last December was her first defeat in six professional appearances. The Team Alpha Male product, who had debuted in the promotion in early 2017, began her Octagon tenure with victories over Amanda Bobby Cooper, Pearl Gonzalez and Joanne Calderwood.

Labor Unions look to organize Pot Workers in California

December 26, 2017

Labor Unions are looking to organize all the thousands of workers involved in marijuana production as it becomes legal in California on January 1.

Major labor organizations including the United Farm Workers, Teamsters and United Food and Commercial Workers are looking to bring together thousands of potential workers involved in cannabis production.

Experts state that the recreational pot business in California could result in the employment of at least 100,000 workers involved in harvesting and trimming the plants, extracting ingredients to put in liquids and edibles, and driving it to stores and front doors.

While other states have organized pot workers, California is expected to be friendly towards labor unions. California has one of USA’s highest minimum wages and the largest number of unionized workers across industries.

“I’m always down to listen to what could be a good deal for me and my family,” said Thomas Grier, 44, who has not been contacted by any unions so far. Though he doesn’t want to pay union dues for sorting workplace disputes, he has not ruled out on the idea of joining.

Medical pot and black market accounts for about $22 billion in California. California has been the first state to approve medical cannabis way back in 1996.

The process of legalization of recreational pot began last year when California voters approved Proposition 64, which allows recreational pot sales to adults. Medical marijuana in the state has been legal for the last two decades.

California will allow people only 21 and above to legally possess up to an ounce of the drug and grow six plants at home. To sell the drug in the state, businesses must acquire both local permit and a state license.

Los Angeles won’t be selling recreational pot on New Year’s Day

December 26, 2017

Even as California will kick off the recreational marijuana sales from January 1, shops in Los Angeles will not be part of the celebration on New Year’s Day.

“Come Jan. 1 in the city of Los Angeles, there are no legal, adult-use sales,” Cat Packer, who heads the city’s Department of Cannabis Regulation, told reporters at City Hall.

“We are starting a process. This is something that is not going to happen overnight,” Packer said.

Los Angeles will only be accepting applications to sell legal recreational pot from January 3 onwards. It would further take weeks before the City has a properly licensed recreational pot business. The business houses need approval from both local and state authorities to sell recreational cannabis to adult customers.

Around 200 businesses are estimated to fit the bill and get a temporary license from local authorities within three weeks. However, license from the state authorities will also be needed to start running recreational pot shops.

“A lot of the businesses are disappointed because they aren’t going to be able to participate on the first day,” said Aaron Lachant, an attorney representing a few of the existing marijuana shops.

California will allow people only 21 and above to legally possess up to an ounce of the drug and grow six plants at home. Medical marijuana in the state has been legal for the last two decades.

The process of legalization of recreational pot began last year when California voters approved Proposition 64, which allows recreational pot sales to adults.

Los Angeles is California’s largest cannabis market, but the city has struggled to fix rules for licensing businesses. In March, 80 percent of voters had endorsed for a creation of the new pot marketplace.

Congress votes emergency resolution to prevent medical pot crackdown

December 26, 2017

Federal protections for medical marijuana patients are safe for now, after Congress leadership voted an emergency resolution that maintains present federal spending levels and priorities through January 19, 2018

Protections offered under the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment give a four-week extension to the medical cannabis patients protection under the act.

The emergency resolution was signed by President Donald Trump on Friday. This is cited to be a temporary measure that keeps the government running even as the federal lawmakers contemplate on the details of their 2018 fiscal-year spending plan.

Representative Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, in a statement said such a move has given an amount of certainty to the medical marijuana patients.

“Patients around the country who rely on medical marijuana for treatment — and the businesses that serve them — now have some measure of certainty. Our fight, however, continues to maintain these important protections in the next funding bill passed by Congress,” he said.

Cannabis is illegal under Federal Law but the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment can stay the Justice Department from cracking down on medical pot patients in the State which has permitted the use of medical marijuana. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has also condemned use of the drug.

The move has been welcomed by medical pot patients and marijuana growers. Jered DeCamp, co-owner of Herbal Remedies, a marijuana outlet, and a patient, is hopeful that the provisions are extended beyond January.

“It's nice to know they're protecting us," DeCamp said.

A similar continuing resolution was passed on December 7 by the Congress lawmakers.

Meanwhile, US Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, has announced he would cosponsor a bill ‘Passage of the Marijuana Justice Act of 2017,’ which would decriminalize marijuana across the nation.

Elderly couple arrested with 60 pounds of marijuana

December 26, 2017

The authorities in Nebraska arrested an elderly couple after they were found in possession of 60 pounds of marijuana.

The accused, Patrick Jiron, 80, and his wife, Barbara, 83, told deputies they were on their way to Vermont from California and the marijuana was intended to be given away as Christmas gifts.

As per information, the York County Sheriff’s department stopped the couple in a traffic stop.

Lt. Paul Vrbka of the York County Sheriff’s department revealed that the couple, both of Clearlake Oaks, California, were stopped when the couple were found crossing the center line and the driver turning without a signal in the New York City Metropolitan Area.

When intercepted, a strong smell of pot wafted from their vehicle. A canine unit was called in and the deputies searched the vehicle and found the marijuana in boxes stashed inside the bed of the Toyota Tacoma.

When asked about the possession of marijuana, the couple revealed they had planned to give it away as Christmas gifts. The estimated street value of the seized product is estimated at $336,000.

“They said the marijuana was for Christmas presents," Lt. Paul Vrbka told a local website.

The Jirons were taken to custody by the York County Jail and charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver and no drug tax stamp.