Author: News Room

The “Gentlemen Smugglers” were a group of East Coast drug smugglers who from 1971 to 1986 brought some 250 tons of cannabis to American shores. They were eventually caught during Operation Jackpot, the first multi-pronged federal law enforcement investigation which kickstarted then-President Reagan’s long and disastrous War on Drugs. Today, Barry “Flash” Foy — a smuggler-turned-entrepreneur who served 11 years in prison under federal drug kingpin charges — has joined the industry once again, this time launching a legal Massachusetts cannabis brand under the same name. Legendary outlaws The original Gentlemen Smugglers were known for being better educated than most…

The Vermont State Employees Credit Union (VSECU) this week announced it has stopped taking on new cannabis business accounts due to a “sudden spike in cannabis accounts,” WCAX reports. The move comes as the state gears up to open retail cannabis sales on October 1.  James Pepper, chair of the state’s Cannabis Control Board (CCB), told WCAX that the credit union’s decision is not surprising as the firm said in July that 50 to 75 cannabis accounts would be “doable” but 200 to 300 would be a “risk.”  Pepper said there are other options, both in-state and out-of-state, for the industry…

Haley Dineen and Lana Van Brunt are the co-founders of Sackville & Co, an online boutique of aesthetic consumer goods curated for people who want their commonly used cannabis accessories to integrate seamlessly with their style. Since its founding, the pair have both negotiated the sale of the company and fought to regain ownership due to a breach of contract, all while starting an entirely new business: Sackville Studios. With those challenges behind them, they are moving forward to create lasting products for consumers and branded moments for clients. Sitting in conversation with either entrepreneur, it’s clear the women simply…

More than three in four South Carolina adults, including a majority of Republicans, support medical marijuana legalization, a new poll found. And a slimmer majority in the state backs adult-use legalization as well. The new survey results come months after a medical cannabis bill passed the South Carolina Senate only to stall in the House of Representatives. A GOP congresswoman from the state recently told Marijuana Moment that lawmakers who block the reform are “on the wrong side of history.” The Winthrop Poll, conducted in the lead-up to this month’s midterm elections, showed that 78 percent of adults want to…

A top federal drug agency is now officially soliciting proposals for a contractor to grow, harvest and analyze millions of grams of marijuana for research purposes. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) published a request for proposal (RFP) notice last week, stating that it’s seeking manufacturers that are capable of cultivating, testing and rolling joints of about four million grams of cannabis over a five-year period. For more than 50 years, NIDA has relied exclusively on marijuana grown by a single farm at the University of Mississippi for studies that it oversees. But in recent months, several additional cultivators…

Another recent study is dismantling marijuana stereotypes, with researchers finding that adult-use legalization is actually associated with decreased levels of obesity despite the fact that cannabis is well-known appetite stimulator. The study—published this month by the Journal of Health Economics—analyzed obesity data in Washington State, one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, from 2002-2018. Researchers at North Dakota State University, the Center for the Study of Public Choice and Private Enterprise and the Metropolitan State University of Denver said that despite marijuana’s munchies factor and overall concerns about obesity, the relationship between legalization and excessive weight gain “remains…

Another study has found that giving people legal access to medical marijuana can help patients reduce their use of opioid painkillers, or cease use altogether, without compromising quality of life. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Substance Use and Misuse on Wednesday, surveyed registered medical cannabis patients in Florida, asking questions about their consumption habits and how marijuana has affected their use of traditional pharmaceuticals. Researchers at the firm Emerald Coast Research and Florida State University College of Medicine asked 2,183 patients who were recruited at dispensaries across the Sunshine State to fill out 66-item cross-sectional surveys to learn…

Major League Baseball has signed a CBD company to serve as the league’s first-ever cannabis sponsor—with plans to promote the business at the upcoming World Series. Charlotte’s Web Holdings, one of the most recognizable hemp-derived CBD brands in the country, signed the deal with league to become the “Official CBD of MLB,” Sports Business Journal first reported on Tuesday. As part of the deal, Charlotte’s Web will be releasing a line of “Sport” cannabis products that feature the MLB logo. In addition to a rights fee and revenue share in sales, SBJ reported that the baseball association will also receive…

The most recent data available from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) shows that among all of the cannabis business owners in Seattle, Washington, only 4% are Black-owned. A new report from King5 News interviews minority business owners who lost their place in the industry when Washington State legalized adult-use cannabis, and how a Seattle task force is working on change. Former cannabis business owners Peter Manning and Mike Asai recall what it was like living in Seattle decades ago. “I know that we use the War on Drugs to go after Black and Brown people,” entrepreneur and Seattle-native…

Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a CNN Original six-part docuseries going around the world, as well as a podcast covering a range of topics. On Tuesday, November 8 on season five, episode eight of the podcast Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and CNN commentator dove into the world of psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental conditions. Gupta will be exploring the role of psychedelics in medicine for the whole season: “This season on Chasing Life, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes listeners beyond the basics of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to explore unique sensory experiences,” the summary…