Author: News Room

“We now have here in Arizona a situation where 24 of 26 of these social equity licenses are now fully controlled by companies or people who do not belong in these special groups to get this license.” By Natasha Yee, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting Arizona lawmakers are pushing to return social equity licenses for marijuana dispensaries to their original owners, alleging private investors and cannabis corporations used predatory tactics to seize control of nearly all the lucrative licenses. Senate Bill 1262, introduced by Republican Sen. Sonny Borrelli, seeks to restore power to those the state’s social equity program was…

A Vermont legislative panel continued its consideration on Thursday of a bill that would legalize psilocybin in the state and establish a work group on how to further regulate psychedelics for therapeutic use. Though members of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee took no formal action on the measure, S. 114, they heard invited testimony and signaled their openness to making a number of changes to the underlying proposal—including removing the legalization portion and instead making that an issue for the work group to study. “It could be that decriminalization is going to get in the way of therapeutic use,”…

Rainer Werner Fassbinder was the central German film director of the whole post-Hitler era. He was the greatest in terms of productivity (43 films in barely over a decade), range and impact on his own generation—both in Germany and abroad. The “New German Cinema” revival of the ’70s is unthinkable without him, and among his contemporaries, only Werner Herzog (Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre) rivals him in world prestige. In films like The Merchant of Four Seasons, The Marriage of Maria Braun, Lili Marleen, and Lola—Fassbinder opened up a peculiar, teeming, madly fertile world: a world of bleak city streets; garish interiors rotting…

“We need to put a stake in the heart of the decriminalization because it is not compassionate to say, ‘Drugs are a choice and it’s OK if you make that choice.’” By Ben Botkin, Oregon Capital Chronicle The Legislature’s proposal to overhaul the state’s response to the fentanyl addiction and overdose crisis cleared a major hurdle on Friday with passage by the Senate. The bipartisan vote of 21-8 came a day after a similar 51-7 endorsement in the House, making the end of a long legislative journey that started last fall. House Bill 4002 now goes to Gov. Tina Kotek’s (D) office for her…

“That’s the judge’s discretion, and I hate to keep taking judges’ discretion away from them.” By Clark Corbin, Idaho Capital Sun The Idaho House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee voted Thursday to hold a bill in committee that would have created a new $420 mandatory minimum fine for marijuana possession. The committee’s vote prevented House Bill 606 from advancing to the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives for a vote, likely killing the bill for the year. If the bill would have passed into law, it would have created a mandatory minimum fine of $420 for anyone convicted of possessing less than…

There’s a scene in Ice Cube’s cult classic film Friday (1995) when Smokey—played by Chris Tucker—says to Cube, “I’m gonna get you high today because it’s Friday. You ain’t got no job, and you ain’t got shit to do,” a line forever burned into pop culture’s ’90s lexicon. Although Cube had previously appeared in movies like Boyz N The Hood and CB4, the stoner flick launched Cube into another orbit and spawned two popular sequels, Next Friday and Friday After Next, and an animated series. It was the brilliant start to another colorful chapter. By the time he shot the…

Following last year’s decision by members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (ECBI) to legalize cannabis for adult use, the tribe has set a target date to open retail sales: April 20, 2024. If all goes as planned, the launch will mark the first-ever legal marijuana sales within the borders of North Carolina. “It’s the national cannabis holiday, right?” Lee Griffin, human resources director for the tribe’s marijuana business, Qualla Enterprises, said of the 4/20 start date during a ECBI tribal council work session on Wednesday. “Across the country, it’s the biggest revenue date annually” for cannabis. “It’s like…

A pair of Senate committees in Hawaii has advanced a bill that would legalize marijuana in the state, adopting a number of amendments to the underlying proposal before sending it to the chamber floor where a vote is expected next week. Last year the Senate passed a separate legalization bill that later stalled the House, but advocates are hopeful this year’s proposal could get further. Gov. Josh Green (D) said last month that legalization is a “big social issue that remains” to be addressed in the state, signaling that he’d likely sign a bill to end cannabis prohibition if lawmakers send…

Michigan officials announced they are distributing a new batch of more than $290 million in marijuana tax revenue to localities, public schools and a transportation fund. The state Department of Treasury said on Thursday that 269 municipalities will be receiving $87 million, while education and transportation efforts will each get $101.6 million. That represents another substantial increase in cannabis tax-funded disbursements that are required under the state’s adult-use legalization law. In 2022, Michigan distributed about $150 million total to the three funding buckets, for example. The department said that 99 cities, 30 villages, 69 townships and 71 counties will be…

Welcome to March, Stargazers. It’s officially Pisces season, a time to embrace your inner dreamer and let creativity flow, with a stack of planetary events headed our way. On March 3, Jupiter forms a semi-square to Neptune, encouraging a deeper exploration of spiritual beliefs and creative expressions. Time to reflect on our dreams and the illusions that may cloud our paths, urging us towards clarity and truth in our pursuits. For those who resonate with the calming and introspective qualities of cannabis, take this unique opportunity to meditate on your aspirations and the spiritual journey you are on.The waters of…