Author: News Room

Things have taken a very strange turn in the saga of the cannabis plant, as if anyone needed an extra dose of weirdness added to the mix. A loophole in the Farm Bill passed in 2018 has inadvertently created a huge money grab for hemp producers: hemp-derived cannabinoids which are isolated, concentrated and put into gummies, vapes, sprays and any number of other consumables able to be sold all across America and overseas. This fun little segment of American hemp history has turned into a smorgasbord of strange new compounds designated with odd combinations of numbers and letters which can…

A Maryland tax official says the state has found an unusual workaround with Wells Fargo in order to avoid clearly identifying marijuana tax revenue on financial forms, yet another example of the creative workarounds being used by cannabis businesses and regulators amid ongoing federal prohibition. “This was a heavy lift and something we had to do,” Rob Scheerer, director of the Maryland Office of the Comptroller’s Revenue Administration Division, reportedly said at a Maryland Association of Counties conference last week. “In order to protect the banks, we can’t even call this cannabis on the tax return.” Instead, he added, “We…

The New York State Fair kicked off on Wednesday, and for the first time ever, attendees have the chance to browse—and buy—marijuana products from nearly a dozen local growers at a cannabis farmers market being held in conjunction with the event. The so-called Great New York State Cannabis Showcase technically isn’t part of the state fair, but the pop-up exhibition and market will run concurrently from August 23 through September 3. It’s located less than a mile from the fairgrounds in Syracuse—a short ride on the free shuttle bus provided by organizers. “We are happy to see a large-scale showcase…

The California attorney general’s office has been soliciting input from local government and cannabis industry groups as it works to finalize an opinion on the potential legal risks of authorizing interstate marijuana commerce under ongoing federal prohibition, documents obtained by Marijuana Moment show. At least three organizations representing local governments have so far answered the attorney general’s call, saying that they do not expect California would be at “significant risk” of facing federal enforcement action if officials were to authorize the import and export of cannabis with other consenting legal states. California, Oregon and Washington State have all passed laws…

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators are acknowledging that state-level marijuana legalization has disrupted the operations of international drug cartels as they raise concerns with the State Department over plans to ban menthol cigarettes and cap nicotine content. In a letter sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week, Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) said that prohibitionist policies for certain tobacco products would benefit the illicit market, which is continually evolving in response to new regulatory policies. The lawmakers used cannabis as an example of how cartel…

A Justice Department watchdog took more than a year to reply to an attorney’s letter outlining concerns about apparent defects in how the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) collects and reports data on marijuana possession arrests—then finally responded by suggesting that the FBI should investigate itself. Eric Sterling, a longtime drug policy reform activist and former congressional staffer, sent a letter to DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in May 2022, claiming to have discovered that a Maryland police department was reporting cannabis possession citations issued under the state’s decriminalization law at the time as arrests as part of…

Members of a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) panel say that marijuana use by athletes violates the “spirit of sport,” making them unfit role models whose potential impairment could put others at risk. In an editorial published in the journal Addiction, several members of WADA’s Prohibited List Expert Advisory Group summarized the reasons that the body decided to continue prohibiting cannabis use by athletes in competitions last year amid growing calls to end the policy. Perspectives were “mixed” over whether marijuana “enhances or has the potential to enhance sport performance,” they wrote. And the group also acknowledged that athletes have reported…

Since the beginning of time, man has been interested in dissections. From those fascinated with uncovering how our bodies work, to school biology lessons forcing the squeamish to understand, the idea of unpacking the complicated blood and bone machines we occupy has long tickled both the science and art worlds. While countless artists have utilized the art of dissection, from KAWS to Jason Freeny, few have reached the specific and accurate renditions Nychos weaves with paint. Born in the Austrian countryside two hours south of the country’s capital city Vienna, Nychos is the persona of the artist known only as…

An association representing Ohio’s 112 local health departments is opposing a marijuana legalization ballot measure set to go to voters in November, claiming the policy change would only contribute to drug-related problems in the state. “Making marijuana more accessible through legal recreational use and retail sales hurts Ohio, creates serious new risks for children’s health and makes our workplaces and highways less safe,” the Ohio Association of Health Commissioners warned in a statement Tuesday. “With Ohio’s rates of opiate abuse and overdoses still among the highest in the country, we need to be helping Ohio find solutions to addiction, not…

As Congress considers creating a framework to oversee the nation’s cannabis market, a major alcohol association is offering federal lawmakers advice on regulating hemp-derived cannabinoids, including CBD and delta-8 THC. Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA)—which came out in support of federally legalizing marijuana earlier this year—sent a letter to House and Senate committees on Friday in response to the panels’ recent requests for information on navigating CBD and other emerging cannabinoids. “The transition from Prohibition to legal status for alcohol has been an American success story,” it says. “Since the 21st Amendment’s enactment, a safe, consumer-centric and economically…