Brightly colored fentanyl pressed into pills or in a chalky form—called rainbow fentanyl—was found in 18 states, a press release from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) warns, and drug dealers getting “kids and young adults” hooked early on. It was only a matter of time until fentanyl and other deadly drugs were marketed the way […]
Author: Eric Sheetz
Harvard Grad Student Dies in Bali From Police Brutality Over Cannabis Arrest
Rodrigo Ventocilla Ventosilla, 32, a Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) graduate student from Peru, died on August 11 while under police custody at a hospital in Denpasar, Indonesia under what the family calls suspicious circumstances. Ventosilla, a trans man, was arrested for possession of cannabis while traveling to Bali to celebrate his honeymoon. The HKS and […]
California Lawmakers Pass Bill Protecting Workers’ Off-Duty Cannabis Use
California lawmakers on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill to protect employees who use marijuana off the job. If approved by the governor, the legislation would make California the seventh state in the nation to pass employment protections for workers’ off-duty cannabis use. The measure, Assembly Bill 2188 (AB-2188), would “make it unlawful for […]
California Department of Cannabis Announces Seizure of $1 Billion in Illegal Pot This Past Year
The DCC announced on Aug. 25 that it has officially seized more than $1 billion worth of illegal cannabis. The department attributes this milestone to recent raids conducted in Los Angeles and Riverside County within the past year. “This important milestone was reached through close collaboration with local, state, and federal partners and furthers California’s […]
Canada Border Agency Seizes Almost 2,000 Pounds of Illegal Cannabis Export
According to a press release from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Aug. 24, the agency announced that it recently seized 592 kilograms (approximately 1,305 pounds) of cannabis in a recent move. Using a CBSA detector dog in addition to “a wide range of detection tools and technology,” law enforcement was led to 1,036 […]
San Diego’s Social Equity Proposal Could Provide Needed Fixes
San Diego’s proposal to establish a social equity program would present eligibility criteria that would help participants find locations, get financing, and get critical mentorship from existing members of the cannabis industry. It would create a revolving loan fund that would begin with $5 million in city cannabis tax revenue. That probably won’t be an […]
A Brief Interview With Prof. Yimin Yang, Discoverer of Ancient Chinese Cannabis
Circa-Millions of Years Ago Talk about a long growing season, Cannabis has been growing wild on our planet provenly, for millions of years and cultivated for perhaps many thousands. Cannabis sativa belongs to a narrow group of flowering plants (cannabaceae) to include Hops and a handful of others. Originating in Central Asia, cannabis became embedded […]
Study Shows 20% Increase in Frequency of Cannabis Consumption in Recreational States
A new study published in the journal Addiction on Aug. 24 analyzed cannabis consumption data across the nation, with a specific focus on adult identical twins. Called “Impacts of recreational cannabis legalization on cannabis use: a longitudinal discordant twin study,” the study used twins to explore the frequency of cannabis across two different states. “In […]
U.S. Forest Service Employees Still Banned From Consuming Cannabis
On Aug. 22, the U.S. Forest Service Human Resources published a notice to remind employees that cannabis consumption is not allowed, even if they live in a state where it’s legal. “Several states now allow recreational and or medicinal use of marijuana. However, marijuana is still an illegal drug per federal law,” the notice said. “All […]
Here’s How Many Marijuana Shops New York Plans To Approve In Each Region Of The State In The First Licensing Round
With New York regulators set to begin accepting applications for the first round of adult-use marijuana retailer licenses for justice-involved people on Thursday, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has released a regional breakdown showing how those initial dispensary approvals will be distributed in regions across the state. This is just the first step toward […]