Author: News Room

Nebraska hemp stakeholders are hoping for passage of a bill that would align the state’s hemp program with federal rules, suggesting the changes could revive the fortunes of the crop after most farmers fled hemp over the last few years. The measure would increase the THC “negligence threshold” from 0.5% to 1.0%, allowing for the remediation of crops that go over the 0.3% limit for hemp, and loosen testing and harvesting restrictions. It would also increase the harvest window from 15 to 30 days, allow more options for the destruction of hemp crops that exceed acceptable THC levels, and put…

The Oklahoma Republican Party is encouraging its members to reject a state cannabis legalization ballot measure set for a special election next week, calling the proposal “a cornucopia that provides only delights for the marijuana user to the detriment of other citizens.” “We encourage you to get out the vote on March 7th and ask you to vote NO on SQ 820,” party leaders wrote in a letter on Monday to GOP members statewide. Two of the group’s biggest problems with the legalization initiative are a provision that would allow renters to consume cannabis on a landlord’s property and, “second,…

U.S. officials are seeking White House approval on proposed changes to federal hiring practices that would treat past marijuana use by applicants much more leniently than current policy does. If approved, the changes are expected to significantly expand the pool of eligible candidates for government jobs. Existing federal job-application forms ask candidates about their past cannabis use within the past one, five or seven years, depending on the security level of the position. Under the proposal from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), applicants would be asked about marijuana use only within the past 90 days. The changes would also…

“If we could empower the businesses, it’s going to mean more revenue, and we’re going to realize what we intended for the [cannabis legalization] law to do. And that is increase employment, develop communities, reduce crime in the state.” By Nike Schoonover, Capitol News Illinois Illinois House Democrats announced the formation of a cannabis working group Thursday that will aim to steer the burgeoning industry’s expansion in a business-friendly way while still satisfying the equity goals of the landmark 2019 legalization law. The group is led by Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, who has sponsored numerous cannabis-related bills and is…

A new federally funded study has found that CBD may help tobacco users quit by reducing cravings. Researchers at Washington State University (WSU) looked at the effects of the non-intoxicating cannabinoid on the metabolism of nicotine, the main addictive component of tobacco. The study, published in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology last month, showed that relatively low doses of CBD significantly inhibited a key enzyme associated with the processing of nicotine in the body, which could stave off cravings. “The whole mission is to decrease harm from smoking, which is not from the nicotine per se, but all the…

“Thankfully, Oklahoma’s State Question 820 includes provisions for both petitioner-initiated resentencing and record clearance. In doing so, Oklahoma joins a growing number of states that are centering criminal justice provisions in their efforts to legalize cannabis.” By Gracie Johnson and Frances Trousdale, Last Prisoner Project On March 7, Oklahoma residents will only have one question to answer: Do they support adult-use cannabis legalization? If Oklahomans pass State Question 820 on their ballots, they will follow the national trend toward legalization and become the 22nd state to have ended cannabis prohibition. Of the 29 states where adult-use cannabis is still illegal,…

A Republican state senator in Pennsylvania is calling on law enforcement to take steps to protect the gun rights of marijuana  consumers, particularly medical cannabis patients—pointing to a federal judge’s recent ruling that the U.S. government’s ban on gun ownership by people who use marijuana is unconstitutional. Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), in a letter to the acting commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, noted that the commonwealth currently prohibits people from obtaining a license to carry firearms if they acknowledge being “an unlawful user of marijuana” on a state form that they must fill out. “I believe Pennsylvania can take…

Richard Belzer is still pissed off, and he’s still funny as hell. The sharp-tongued comedian/actor has been holding a lamp of truth up to the dark foibles of politicians and pop culture icons for a couple of decades now, and though he’s found comfort and refuge in a happy marriage, his world-view shows no signs of mellowing. Belzer’s comic career began in New York, when he auditioned for the video production of The Groove Tube and won several roles, including one of the leads in a sitcom parody called “The Dealers.” Having grown tired of paying the rent as a…

“This is a first step toward a complete mess. And the reason we’re doing this is because somebody upstairs doesn’t want to talk about it.” By Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly voted Friday to pass a bill to toughen regulations on hemp-derived products that contain intoxicating THC through a more robust permitting system and stricter labeling rules. Retail marijuana sales will remain illegal under the proposed law. Proponents of the bill called it a necessary first step toward cracking down on largely unregulated THC products, including increasingly common delta-8 edibles, that have created safety and consumer…

Reese Benton opened the Posh Green Cannabis Boutique in San Francisco in 2020, solidifying her place in history as the first Black woman and first social equity recipient to become the sole owner of a cannabis retail store anywhere. It only got harder from there: COVID, a lawsuit, security issues, federal prohibition taxes, and more. The 46-year-old cosmetology, fashion, and retail maven from SF talks cannabis launches, non-conformity, dealing with haters, and the future—as part of Leafly’s Black voices series, Lumen. We edited the interview down into some distilled wisdom, borrowing the idea from Esquire magazine’s interview series “What I’ve…