Author: News Room

Dean Phillips, the Minnesota congressman challenging Joe Biden in the Democratic primary, said in a newly published interview that the president is too old and out of touch to understand contemporary cannabis issues. “I think it’s generational,” Phillips said. “People in their 80s do not see things, have not lived things, have not experienced things that younger generations have.” Phillips, 54, was speaking to Newsweek as part of a wide-ranging interview about his presidential ambitions and what differentiates him from incumbent Biden. The criticism comes after Phillips’s suggestion last month that Biden try smoking marijuana himself in order to better…

Florida officials say they’ve arrested two paid canvassers charged with allegedly falsifying signatures on petitions to put a marijuana legalization initiative on the state’s 2024 ballot. As the state Supreme Court weighs a legal challenge to the ballot measure that was brought by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said in a news release last week that two individuals are facing multiple felony counts of submitting falsified petitions. FDLE said that three canvassers are being prosecuted on fraud charges, including one person who was involved in petitioning for an unrelated gambling-related initiative. The…

Two out of three ain’t bad, readers. Leafly News got it right 66 percent of the time in December 2022 when we made 51 predictions about weed in 2023. We scored 34 accurate prognostications, nine misses (sorry New Hampshire legalization), and eight maybes.What will 2024 hold for the wide world of weed? Leafly senior editor David Downs and Great Moments in Weed History podcast host David Bienenstock burn down the list of likely things to happen. The podcast will be out later in December. But here’s our full predictions list.2024 weed politicsHippie Hill on April 20th, 2023. (David Downs/Leafly)Will Congress legalize…

A Republican congressman says that while he’s personally opposed to marijuana legalization, it makes sense to reschedule it under federal law to free up research that could help guide lawmakers on developing a possible “regulatory framework” for cannabis products. Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) spoke about marijuana policy issues during a broader discussion on tobacco public health considerations at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) this month. Asked about the idea of taking a “harm reduction” approach to marijuana by establishing regulations in a manner similar to tobacco, the congressman noted a key difference between the products: cannabis…

Sales of adult-use marijuana in Maine have already set a new annual record in the first 11 month of 2023, with nearly $200 million worth of legal cannabis products sold during the year, according to the state’s Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP). Through November, says the office’s website, $197,561,133.53 worth of recreational products have been sold over 3,434,477 transactions—315,978 of which occurred last month. The average price per gram of flower for the calendar year through November stands at $7.81 per gram, or about $27.34 per eighth. November itself saw prices slightly lower than the year average, at $7.52 per…

“It may cause some dispensaries to actually shut down. It’s going to cause them to lose several weeks of sales.” By Heather Harrison, Mississippi Free Press After an anonymous phone call alleged that Rapid Analytics cannabis testing lab was not conducting the proper procedure for pesticides, the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) placed an administrative hold on all medical cannabis products that underwent testing at the Natchez, Mississippi-based facility, lab spokesperson Mamie Henry said. “They have no basis for anything, except an anonymous call, which has shut the entire industry down pretty much because we do 70 percent of…

As Minnesota marijuana regulators continue to gather input about how the forthcoming commercial market should function, the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has opened a public third survey, asking for opinions around retail cannabis operations and sanitary standards within the industry. OCM was initially planning to circulate a total of five surveys on marijuana consumer and industry topics through next month, with the aim of informing rulemaking under the state’s legalization law enacted earlier this year. Already the agency has solicited input on issues such as cultivation, processing and manufacturing as well as pesticides, fertilizers and environmental controls. Forthcoming surveys…

“We must not let this unique opportunity slip away when both sides of the aisle are willing to address the challenges facing this industry.” By Russell Rosendal, Salal Credit Union Most people working in cannabis are well-versed in the numerous operational and financial hurdles this industry faces as a result of federal prohibition. But among the most challenging of these hurdles for state-legal cannabis businesses is not having access to essential financial services. This situation has forced many legitimate businesses to operate in the shadows, while their employees are excluded from mainstream banking services. The passage of the Secure and…

In an effort to help licensed marijuana businesses and would-be cannabis workers alike, New York’s Department of Labor (DOL) has published dozens of sample job descriptions for positions in the legal industry. The examples are intended to help companies streamline hiring processes and allow prospective employees to assess their qualifications to work in various roles within the emerging cannabis industry, a DOL representative told Marijuana Moment. “The legalization of cannabis has created significant opportunities for New Yorkers, including exciting new careers,” the statement said, adding that the department “is committed to supporting job seekers and businesses statewide as this industry…

Researchers have published more than 32,000 scientific papers on marijuana over the past 10 years—including over 4,000 in 2023 alone—according to an analysis from NORML that again calls into question critics’ claims that cannabis is insufficiently studied to be legalized. The advocacy organization’s analysis is based on keyword searches on the federal National Library of Medicine website PubMed.gov. This year marked the third in the row that cannabis-related papers totaled over 4,000 as researchers continue to explore risks and benefits amid the legalization movement. “Despite claims by some that marijuana has yet to be subject to adequate scientific scrutiny, scientists’…