Author: News Room

Passing a marijuana banking bill is a priority during the upcoming summer work session in the Senate, but it “will not be easy” and needs GOP support to advance, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a letter to colleagues that notably omitted his typical call for attaching criminal justice provisions like expungements. The letter that Schumer released on Sunday says that lawmakers will first focus on advancing must-pass appropriations and defense legislation. But he said that Democrats “will also continue our work with our Republican colleagues to advance legislation in a range of policy areas.” That includes “making progress…

Six months into the launch of Connecticut’s adult-use marijuana market, the state saw nearly $24 million in combined medical and recreational cannabis sales in June—a record monthly high—according to the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). Since adult-use sales began six months ago in January, Connecticut cannabis purchases have collectively totaled about $122 million. June also marked the second month in a row where adult-use sales ($12.5 million) exceeded medical marijuana purchases ($11.3 million). People purchased 313,510 products recreational cannabis products during the month, compared to 303,293 medical marijuana products. The department also released data showing the types of marijuana items…

A Democratic congressman says that he believes there could be “very bipartisan support” for recently filed marijuana-related amendments to a defense bill, including his proposal to prevent the denial of security clearances for federal jobs based solely on prior cannabis use. In an interview with MSNBC on Sunday, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) was asked about his amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is one of multiple drug policy measures that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle submitted and are up for consideration by the House Rules Committee this week. The congressman said that the status quo…

Berkeley, California lawmakers are poised to take up a resolution to scale back psychedelics enforcement on Tuesday—a local development that comes as the state legislature also considers broader legislation to legalize the possession and facilitation of substances like psilocybin and ayahuasca. The Berkeley City Council agenda lists the psychedelics measure for this week’s meeting, with an unanimous “positive recommendation to approve” from the Health, Life Enrichment, Equity & Community Committee. The chair of that panel, Councilmember Sophie Hahn, is sponsoring the resolution. The committee voted to advance the proposal—which would call on police to deprioritize enforcement of laws against all…

From the hash and honey oil of the hippie era to the array of consistencies today, concentrates have evolved over time and they’ve come a long way. The 420 holiday, celebrating all things cannabis, gave way to another holiday: 710. The Brotherhood of Eternal Love first smuggled in hash oils from Kabul, Afghanistan in the late ‘60s before concentrates were being made domestically. Honey oil methods were refined by the early ‘70s, with a few notorious concoctions that were made by pressing bricks of hash with an industrial press. A book entitled Cannabis Alchemy: The Art of Modem Hashmaking, written…

With its bold, wrestling-inspired packaging, Real Deal Resin is a name that’s become one of the most recognizable heaters on the California hash scene today. After partnering with LEEF Organics, this Mendocino County-born brand transitioned to the recreational market in 2021 and, along with a handful of other hash makers, experienced the challenges of switching markets in a post-Prop. 64 environment. Today the brand has its own extraction space in Willits and a nearby farm in the Orr Springs microclimate. Still, the founders will always remember what it took to achieve success: a combination of teamwork and identity that’s given…

Six companies in five states have received warning letters from government agencies for selling illegal products containing delta-8 THC made from industrial hemp. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) targeted the companies for their online sales of products containing the synthetic form of THC. Delta-8 THC naturally occurs in hemp but only in trace amounts. Taking advantage of unclear current laws, shady producers are turning out high-concentration delta-8 by putting hemp-derived CBD through a process in the lab. Delta-8 produces a psychoactive effect that is milder than that associated with delta-9 THC, the…

“We don’t really know what’s going on behind the doors of each and every lab in each and every state.” By Amanda Hernández, Stateline Amid the growing acceptance and legalization of cannabis use across the country, a concerning reality has emerged: The state-by-state patchwork of safety regulations can leave marijuana consumers wandering through a haze of uncertainty, exposing them to potential risks. Under federal law, marijuana is illegal—period. So, it’s up to individual states to determine their own regulations and safety standards. Those inconsistent regulations are part of a broad debate about the U.S. cannabis industry. The 47 states that…

Go back far enough and you’ll hit the future. It’s that exact moment of impact DEFER captures. Simultaneously Paleolithic and extraterrestrial, his “spiritual language” lifts the sleep mask of reality and welcomes one into the land of the sacred and eternal.  There’s a timelessness to it, like Rothko, mixed with a little William Carlos Williams (“The Red Wheelbarrow”). But, of course, he can describe it better than I can: “The thing is,” DEFER said, “some of it has text in it, like typography. But then again, as a kid I did graffiti. So, from that, you get ‘wildstyle,’ where you…

A California Assembly committee has approved a Senate-passed bill that would prohibit employers from asking job applicants about prior marijuana use. About a month after the legislation from Sen. Steven Bradford (D) advanced through the Senate, the Assembly Judiciary Committee approved the measure in an 8-2 vote on Wednesday. It previously cleared the Labor and Employment Committee last week and now heads to the Appropriations Committee before potentially moving to the floor. The bill would build on existing employment protections enacted last session that bar employers from penalizing most workers for using cannabis in compliance with state law off the job.…