Author: News Room

A new law in Louisiana has established a program to advance hemp for industrial uses. The Louisiana Industrial Hemp Promotion and Research Program, which will operate under the Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), is being set up under a law passed last month. An advisory board that will manage the program will consult with state officials on regulations and engage in a wide range of support activities intended to attract additional hemp businesses to the state including processors, according to language in the law. Looking for seeds The new program will develop research for hemp seed varieties appropriate to…

North Dakota voters have rejected a measure to legalize cannabis for adult use by a 55%-46% margin, according to New York Times polling results. It marks the second defeat for the reforms in the state, where North Dakotans voted down a similar measure in 2018 59%-41%.  Luke Niforatos, executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a Virginia-based political organization that opposes cannabis legalization – and helped fight the measure in North Dakota – told the Associated Press that the vote showed “It’s pretty clear North Dakota families don’t want marijuana across the state.”   The organization behind Measure 2 received close to…

The CEO of cannabis brand Cookies and Taylor Gang Entertainment, Berner, is the first head of a cannabis company to appear on the cover of Forbes magazine. Berner, real name Gilbert Milan Jr. shared the cover via Twitter.  The cover carries the caption “Marijuana Meltdown,” described Berner as the “$150 million cannabis king,” and includes the quote from Berner, “It’s hard to sell legal weed.” In a statement, Berner said, “It’s every entrepreneur’s dream to make the cover of Forbes, but the reality is very few founders and CEOs of the largest companies in the world will actually get a…

In a Zoom call with reporters on Monday, Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D) argued that federal cannabis policies are contributing to the supply chain crisis in the U.S. and to the recent string of violent crimes targeting dispensaries. In a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Blumenauer urges him to modernize the agency’s policies for commercial class license holders. Blumenauer contends that outdated federal policies have disqualified “tens of thousands of commercial drivers due to past cannabis use” which has contributed to the “unprecedented” supply chain issues facing the nation. “This crisis must be treated with urgency.” Blumenauer writes in…

The New York State Office of Cannabis Management on Tuesday proposed regulations for product packaging, labeling, marketing, advertising, and laboratory testing to be considered by the Cannabis Control Board during its June 1 meeting. The proposals include child-resistant packaging, limiting marketing to adult audiences, and warning labels. The proposed regulations for packaging and labeling include ensuring that cannabis packaging is child-resistant, tamper-evident, and non-toxic, and requires detailed labeling that includes relevant warnings and serving size details, potency, ingredients, and use and storage instructions. The proposals would also prohibit any packaging that is attractive to young people or that includes false…

A top Colombian official reiterated on Monday that the government supports a bill to amend the country’s Constitution to legalize marijuana—a proposal that’s been advancing in the legislature and is expected to receive a Senate vote on Tuesday. At a public hearing on Monday, Justice Minister Néstor Osuna said that the country has been the victim of “a failed war that was designed 50 years ago and, due to absurd prohibitionism, has brought us a lot of blood, armed conflict, mafias and crime,” according to a translation. #ComisiónI | “La estrategia prohibicionista no ha logrado detener el consumo, ni detener…

Another new study is debunking the stereotype of marijuana consumers as lazy and unmotivated “stoners,” with researchers finding no difference in apathy or reward-based behavior between people who use cannabis on at least a weekly basis and non-users. What’s more, these frequent marijuana consumers actually experience more pleasure than those who abstain. The research, published in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, looked at data on 274 adults and adolescents who reported using cannabis 1-7 times per week over the course of three months. While there’s long been a stigma attached to cannabis users, with legalization opponents routinely suggesting that marijuana…

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has officially decided to keep marijuana on the list of banned substances for international athletes following a scientific review and a determination that cannabis use “violates the spirit of sport.” Advocates strongly urged WADA to enact a reform after U.S. runner Sha’Carri Richardson was suspended from participating in Olympics events due to a positive THC test last year. In response, the organization carried out a review of cannabis as a performance enhancing drug—but the Executive Committee has now decided to maintain the prohibition. “The question of how THC should be dealt with in a sporting…

Buying cannabis will soon become as convenient as making a quick stop to the local Circle K. Today Green Thumb Industries, owner of RISE Dispensaries, announced plans to expand its footprint in Florida’s medical cannabis market through an agreement with Circle K. Beginning next year, Green Thumb plans to launch its initial phase of the rollout with around 10 “RISE Express” dispensaries adjacent to Circle K stores at various locations throughout Florida. Bloomberg reports that as a dispensary located inside or adjacent to a gas station, it will be “a global first.” The only other locations where cannabis is sold…

The obscene rumble of feedback and a queef of sarcasm resonated from the stage. Wait, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Long before I arrived at the Bokeh Lounge in Evansville to witness a performance from the godfathers of New Orleans, arguably the nastiest band in the sludge genre, EYEHATEGOD, there was a distinct possibility that the whole godforsaken evening was about to come crashing down, leaving my tired, broken soul face down in a pool of its own lumpy excrement while some cataclysmic beast ripped out patches of my back hair with its gnashing teeth.  Let’s just say the…