Author: News Room

With that being my objective, my week was destined to be a huge win. In fact, this was my opportunity to link with The Yutes, two brothers named Chris and Santris (or Tris) who are making quite a buzz with their music. These youngsters have been on my radar since they landed a prime slot on a SXSW Takeover showcase in Austin, TX. I’ve had my hand in producing this event over thee years and it’s proven to be a valuable platform for artists to develop and break their careers. This was the circumstance for The Yutes, and continuing on…

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As we get ready for another year in cannabis (hopefully one that is at least a little easier on our collective spirits and budgets), we wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2022. At Cannabis Business Times world headquarters, we really had a fun time this year. From January through today, we’ve hit the ground running with each of our print issues and each of our newsletters. The team has held steady with a commitment to delivering the most important news of the day and the most insightful features from around the industry.…

With just days left in the current Congress, a GOP lawmaker has refiled a bill to promote marijuana research that he’s introduced for the past several sessions. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) filed the Medical Cannabis Research Act for the third consecutive Congress on Thursday. An earlier version of the bill cleared a key House committee in 2018 when Republicans were in the majority, but the new legislation is not expected to move during the remainder of the lame duck session with lawmakers having finished their work until the new 118th Congress starts in early January. While the measure has evolved…

As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carries out a scientific review into marijuana that will inform its federal scheduling status, top officials at the agency say they are months away from releasing a regulatory assessment for hemp-based products like CBD. FDA has faced significant criticism in recent years over the lack of rules allowing for the marketing of cannabis in the food supply or as dietary supplements. Hemp and its derivatives were legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, but the agency has long maintained that more research must be done, or Congress should step in again, before regulations for…

In December, Peru’s president, Pedro Castillo, tried to shut down congress to prevent its members from impeaching him. His orders were not obeyed, and hours later he was arrested on charges of rebellion and conspiracy. Awaiting trial, Castillo is believed to be held in a police prison in Lima – the same police prison that houses another former Peruvian leader, Alberto Fujimori.  Fujimori, the son of Japanese immigrants, served as president from 1990 until 2000. Like Castillo, he tried to shut down congress while in office. But unlike Castillo, he succeeded. Backed by the army, Fujimori completely rewrote the country’s…

Kansas Democratic lawmakers are renewing their call to legalize medical marijuana in the state after police raided the hospital room of a terminally ill cancer patient over possession of cannabis extracts. Just days before Christmas, officers in Hays, Kansas allegedly visited the patient’s room and confiscated a marijuana vaping device and cannabis extract. An initial court appearance is set for next week on January 2. The news of the law enforcement action against the 69-year-old man, Greg Bretz, ignited a strong response from the cannabis reform community. He told The Wichita Eagle that he was using cannabis to relief symptoms…

I want what Perry Farrell is smoking. More accurately, what edibles the Jane’s Addiction frontman is consuming. “I’m down to drink good wine and do weed,” he explained. “Well, I can’t smoke or it fucks up my voice, so I do edibles. (Dramatic Pause) EDIBLES!” At The Hollywood Bowl, Farrell spouted unconventional and conventional gold during song breaks. Even when music wasn’t filling up the bowl, Farrell didn’t let the show stop for a second. It was the final stop for The Smashing Pumpkins and Jane’s Addiction. There’d been a few bumps in the tour, but it all ended with…

Congress might not have enacted the major marijuana reforms this year that advocates had hoped they would, but in a new report bipartisan lawmakers are touting several modest wins they were able to achieve—saying they are “optimistic” the issue will continue to advance even further in 2023. In an end-of-year memorandum, the Congressional Cannabis Caucus listed their accomplishments, which includes President Joe Biden signing the first-ever piece of standalone marijuana reform legislation to promote research into the plant. Co-chairs Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Dave Joyce (R-OH), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Brian Mast (R-FL) also recognized the passing of founding caucus…

Researchers published more than 4,300 studies on marijuana and its components in 2022—an new annual record—an analysis from NORML shows. “We need more research” is easily one of the most common refrains from reform opponents, who insist that cannabis is understudied despite the fact that it’s one of the most frequently researched medical subjects. To be sure, studying a plant that is the most widely used illicit substance in the world is something most people agree should be continued, especially as more states move to legalize it in some form. But there’s a broader societal misconception that it is not…

In the month of December, brands usually choose to activate during the highly popular Art Basel week in Miami. But the hottest cannabis buzzing in the street right now, Gumbo Brands, and chart-topping hip-hop artist Moneybagg Yo, waited for the dust to settle to celebrate the announcement of their partnership for Bagg’s new Gumbo strain “Shot Off Gumbo.” In a more intimate affair, they shut down the Black-owned restaurant, Playa Miami, for about 50 guests including a few celebrity friends of the brand, Caresha of The City Girls, Amber Rose, N.O.R.E. Moneybagg Yo, label mates, tastemakers, media, and the Founders…