Author: News Room

The second day of Cannabis Europa London 2023 began with a look back at the early beginnings of the cannabis business, following an engaging first day of panels centered on the sector’s future. Raphael Mechoulam, the ‘Father of Cannabis Research,’ who passed away in March at the age of 92, was honoured before the opening session of the Barbican’s theatre by regulatory expert Esther Farkash. She described how Professor Mechoulam, who spent 60 years researching cannabis and the endocannabinoid system, started his illustrious career by connecting with officers at the local police station, who provided him 5 kg of cannabis…

Cracking open a jar of Pink Boost Goddess is an olfactory wandering into a field of mint and not-quite-ripe strawberries. Terpinolene, a terpene found in the Jack and Haze strain families, provides a hint of orange rind alongside a woodsy floral aroma from the terpene ocimene. For Katie Jeane, this particular type of cannabis has continued to be a guide. Jeane has cultivated Pink Boost Goddess for the past seven years through her farm Emerald Spirit Botanicals and appreciates the insight it provides. “What I’ve found is it helps me to go, in my life, into these kind of trickier,…

The governor of Washington State has signed a bill into law that will protect workers  from facing employment discrimination  during the hiring process over their lawful use of marijuana. At a signing ceremony on Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee (D) gave final approval to the legislation from Sen. Karen Keiser (D), enacting the bill into law about three weeks after it cleared the legislature. The reform is limited to job applicants. As Inslee noted before signing the measure, employers would still be able to maintain drug-free workplaces, or prohibit the use of cannabis by workers after they are hired. SB 5123…

“Today’s warnings are less sensational, but are nonetheless gaining mainstream attention. As in the 1930s, those pushing this narrative are seeking a renewed crackdown on the plant, particularly in state-legal markets.” By Paul Armentano, NORML Some health professionals have expressed concerns that exposure to highly potent cannabis products may trigger psychotic-like symptoms in certain consumers, particularly young males. Such claims are hardly new. In fact, allegations that cannabis smoking caused ‘incurable insanity’ in certain users were widely promoted throughout the 1920s and 1930s—eventually influencing Congress to impose a blanket ban on the substance in 1937. Today’s warnings are less sensational,…

A New Hampshire Senate committee has rejected two House-passed bills to legalize marijuana—as well as a measure to allow medical cannabis patients to grow their own plants—though they will still move to the floor despite the procedural defeat. The House Republican sponsor of the legalization legislation, meanwhile, has signaled that he’s prepared to hold up unrelated Senate measures if the opposite chamber fails to enact the reform. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted against the legalization and regulation measure from House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R) and Minority Leader Matthew Wilhelm (D), deeming it “inexpedient to legislate” (ITL) in a 3-2…

The American Bankers Association (ABA) is renewing its call for the passage of a bipartisan marijuana banking bill that was refiled last month. Days before the Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to discuss the issue at a marijuana-focused hearing, ABA sent a letter to congressional leadership voicing “strong support” for the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act. The association said that this “important legislation would help bring certainty to an important issue that has become a challenge for so many of our nation’s communities and the banks that serve them.” “The SAFE Banking Act is an urgently needed, and…

Cannabis Europa, the largest cannabis conference in Europe, had its ninth edition this week, returning to the Barbican Centre for the first time since it began in 2018. It attracted over a thousand business executives, important EU policymakers, and patient advocates.  On Tuesday morning, Prohibition Partners CEO Stephen Murphy gave a warm welcome to guests at the Barbican theatre, praising the location as a “beacon for creativity” in the UK and emphasising the importance of creativity in the cannabis sector. Mr. Murphy reflected on the first Cannabis Europa in 2018, noting that there were “little to no patients, companies, or…

The governor of New Jersey has signed a bill into law that will allow licensed marijuana businesses to deduct certain expenses on their state tax returns—a partial remedy as the industry continues to be blocked from making federal deductions under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E. Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed off on the legislation from Assemblymember Annette Quijano (D) on Monday, without a formal ceremony. This comes about three months after the legislature approved the measure with amendments. While many state tax policies simply mirror federal law, the legislation says that, for the purposes of the New…

Eight U.S. senators are urging committee leadership to extend access to federal Small Business Administration (SBA) programs and services to the state-legal marijuana industry. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) led a letter to the chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG), asking that they include language in future spending legislation that enables SBA access for cannabis businesses. The letter specifically asks appropriators to prohibit SBA from denying applications for four loan programs for “legally operating cannabis small businesses in states that have legalized cannabis sale and use.” Further, the lawmakers requested that…

A California task force is officially recommending that the legislature pass reparations legislation to compensate about two million Black Americans with a total of nearly $228 billion for racially disproportionate harms that resulted from the war on drugs in the state over the course of a half-century. The nine-member California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans—which was convened by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in 2020 and released an interim report last year—voted on Saturday to submit its finalized recommendations to the governor and legislature. One chapter of the extensive draft final report, which looked at…