“The legislative body has created a mess, and they’re toting it around like it’s a pretty little baby … And I don’t know what to tell them other than their baby’s ugly.”
– Christine Stenquist, founder Utah medical cannabis advocacy group Together for Responsible Use and Cannabis Education (TRUCE)

Welcome To The Weekly Roll Up – A Compendium of The Week’s Cannabis News

Vermont

Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Writes FDA Requesting CBD Reclassification

Judiciary Committee Hears Testimony On S.54


White River Growpro Now Offering Potency Testing


New: Heady Vermont Member Insider Update


Welch Talks Hemp Regulations At Roundtable


Cannabis In The Capitol: What You Need To Know

Vermont Agency Of Agriculture Responds To Maine CBD Ban

Federal Compliance And New Rules In Progress For Hemp

VTCNA Tips: Cannabis – A Yin/Yang Understanding

The Cannabis Catch-Up: Does This Vermont Weed Bill Stand a Chance?

Momentum to tax and regulate cannabis grows in House

Vermont House Bill Would Allow Legal Cannabis Sales Next Year

The Cannabis Catch-Up: The War on CBD

Ceres Natural Remedies purchased Tretap to make a CBD-infused drink. 

Dubious Advice: Stoned people giving advice about deep questions

Regional

 Connecticut

• Senate Floats Recreational Proposal W/Social Justice Component
• Dueling marijuana billboards in New Haven: ‘Weed in 60 miles,’ ‘Addiction treatment is closer’

 Maine

• Maine Bans CBD Edibles Sales Outside Dispensaries
• Gov. Mills will work for legal sale of edible CBD products
• Portland to consider letting pot shops sell regular food and drinks

 Massachusetts

• Illicit pot market remains stubbornly robust
• Caroline’s Cannabis is state’s first woman-owned retail store
• Marijuana Businesses Look to Sue Over Localities’ Levies
• Should Massachusetts allow recreational delivery services?
• A Cannabis Wedding Expo is coming to Boston
• State is ‘blazing new trails’ in marijuana equity, says pot company owner
• Boston City Council may prioritize equity in business licensing
• First ‘mom and pop’ marijuana store in Mass. approved

 New Hampshire

• Letter: NH residents want pot legalized
• Letter: Marijuana is harmful
• Advocacy group warns against legalization
• Will NH legalize recreational
• Hearing on latest legalization bill marked by passionate debate
• Opioid Crisis Looms Over Legalization Debate

 New Jersey

• Growers who didn’t get picked for MMJ ready for a fight.
• Expungement must be a part of new pot law
• Will weed be legalized soon in NJ?

 New York

• Cuomo: Still time to get legalization done by April 1
• NY lawmakers: Legalizing recreational might have to wait
• Hemp winery to open tasting room on Skaneateles Lake
• Recreational marijuana FAQ
• Mayor de Blasio Wants to Keep Corporations Out of Weed Profits
• Profits from pot sales should go to create health facilities

National

 Animals

• CBD And Hemp Oil For Pets
• Cannabis products marketed for animals

 Arts/Entertainment

• Broccoli Magazine Highlights Cannabis Flower Art at MoMA PS1
• ‘High Maintenance’ Creators Say Their Show Isn’t About Marijuana
• Marijuana Talk On ‘One Day At A Time’ Addresses Police Discrimination
• French artist Rilès’s “MARIJUANA” video features Snoop Dogg cameo
• Twelve Stoner Movies to Watch or Rewatch

 Business

• After prison stint, George Papadopoulos joins pro-Trump pot startup
• A Green Entrepreneur’s Guide To Cannabis Marketing Challenges
• Insuring cannabis companies remains problematic
• Cannabis Industry Hiring Jumped by 76 Percent in a Year
• Big Tobacco, Pharma, and Alcohol are All-in on Cannabis
• ASTM International developing standards for packaging, labeling, disposal
• 29.5% of Amazon shoppers would be OK purchasing Amazon-branded MMJ
• Why Cannabis Is Pulling Talent From Craft Beer

 Cannabis

• Should you drive while taking cannabis?
• What’s In Your Vape Cart?
• The Many Genders of Cannabis
• Cannabis vs. Oil & Gas
• 4 Ways to Use Your Kief

 CBD

• Study Adds to Our Knowledge of CBDs

 Commerce

• In 2018, US Consumers Ordered Cannabis Every 8 Seconds

 Culture

• Michael Moore Wants Government to Mail Free Weed to Every American
• No Marijuana Super Bowl Ads This Year
• A Weed-Centric Tour of Los Angeles, Starring Tommy Chong

 Economics

• POT Ticker Generates Frenzy as WHO Softens Stance on Marijuana
• POT winner feels buzz
• Wall Street banks face hurdles as they rush to cover the marijuana industry

 Education

• UConn Offers Cannabis Horticulture Class
• University students’ grades plunge when cannabis is legalised

 Environment

• How a Booming Marijuana Industry Could Harm Air Quality
• Why The World Needs Hemp Plastic
• Hemp ethanol is about five times cheaper than gasoline

 Ethics

• Not ethical for doctor to refuse treatment over a patient’s marijuana use

 Food & Bev

• Collective Arts to enter cannabis-infused beverages
• Scientists racing to develop drinkable marijuana

 Games

• New Video Game Will Let You Grow A Weed Empire
• A look at marijuana-focused video gam Weedcraft Inc

 Growing And Making

• One of the biggest names in garden supplies is all about weed now
• Tips for Growing Cannabis in a Tiny Space
• Is Growing Hemp Good For My Soil?
• Little-Known Trick To Make Plants Grow More Bud
• High-Intensity White Lights Can Maximize Cannabis Yields

 Health

• Second-hand pot smoke likely no problem
• The best weed to help you sleep

 Hemp

• Globally Hemp Fiber market expected to reach multi billion dollars by 2023
• How To Serve The Growing Hemp Market
• Seized Hemp Case Raises Concerns About Legality And Jeopardy

 History

• National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse 1971 Poll
• Report shows historical impact of misdemeanor marijuana arrests

 Holidays

• Get Valentine’s Ready With Vegan THC Chocolate Body Paint
• Let pot get you into the groove this Valentines Day
• The Most Romantic Cannabis-Friendly Getaways
• The Best Cannabis Subscription Boxes
• The Best Cannabis Beauty Products
• Valentine’s Day Is Great For Cannabis Consumers – They Have More Sex
• The Finest Cannabis-Infused Chocolates
• Get Some Lit Love at These Weed-Infused Valentine’s Events

 Labor

• Why unions might hit the cannabis industry soon enough
• These Cannabis Jobs Are Most In-Demand Right Now

 Law Enforcement

• Legal weed could jam courts with DUI cases, ensnare the innocent
• Growing chorus of prosecutors say no to marijuana convictions
• MS Patient Had Her Car Impounded Over Weed Even Though She Was Sober

 Legalization

• Cannabis Quick Hits
• Why will marijuana be legalized now?
• The US Won’t Legalize Marijuana in 2019. Here’s Why.
• Why do so many Americans now support legalizing marijuana?

 Media

• Super Wasn’t Ready for a Weed Ad — But it Might Be Soon
• Cannabis Education Campaign Kicks off During NFL Super Bowl LIII

 Medical

• Patients Frequently Substituting Cannabis For Anti-Anxiety Drugs
• Marijuana and HIV: Much More Than Palliative Aid
• MMJ May Alleviate Symptoms In People With ASD
• Marijuana use increases risk for lung disease in patients with HIV
• Cannabis vs. Cancer: How, When and Why it Works (video)
• Why Cannabis Is Life-Changing For Inflammation
• Most Common Reason Given for MMJ Prescription: Chronic Pain

 Parenting

• Parenting in the age of legal cannabis

 Presidential Campaign

• Marianne Williamson Wants $100 Billion In Slavery Reparations
• Where Cory Booker Stands On Marijuana
• Cannabis 2020: Here’s where presidential candidates stand on marijuana
• Former MA Governor Bill Weld considers presidential campaign
• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), during her presidential campaign launch speech, slammed a criminal justice system that “puts people in prison for smoking marijuana while allowing corporations like Purdue Pharma, who are responsible for the opioid-related deaths of thousands of people, to walk away scot-free with their coffers full.”

 Politics

• Senator introduces S. 420 legalization bill
• Trump Says Yes to Legal Cannabis
• Dick Durbin (D-IL) voicing fears about legalization
• House Financial Services Committee Will Hear Cannabis Banking Bill
• Build the Wall … From Hemp?
• John Boehner to chair new national cannabis lobbying group

 Sex

• Marijuana & Your Sex Life
• Cannabis used to help improve women’s sexual health
• Let’s talk about cannabis sex, baby

 Seniors

• Mature Cannabis Consumers Are Fast Growing Market
• More Seniors Using Marijuana, It May Decrease Their Opioid Use

 Social Justice

• Weed Activist With #MeToo Past Now Pushing Sex Work Reform
• How Can the Biggest Players Support Social Justice?
• Weed Company Is Keeping Sexist Cannabis Ads Alive
• The Importance Of Cultivating Women Leaders In The Cannabis Industry

 Spirituality

• Legalization proponent says God put pot ‘on this planet for a reason’

 Sports

• In the NFL It’s Still Safer To Hit Mary Than Mary Jane
• Super Bowl Champs Talk About NFL’s Stance On Cannabis
• Saints’ David Onyemata cited for marijuana possession

 Studies

• University students’ grades plunge when cannabis is legalised
• Cannabis may relieve autism symptoms
• Marijuana vs. cancer
• Underage use and impaired driving common in CO and WA
• Study on impaired driving documents minor impairment
• Marijuana consumption impairs driving skills
• Traffic deaths rose, then fell, after three states legalized
• Cannabis Studied to Treat Conditions from Football-Related Brain Trauma
• Moderate Marijuana Use Can Raise Sperm Count
• Synthetic cannabis may stop colorectal cancer from growing

 Stuff

• New Products Which Could Disrupt the Industry
• New Vaporizers Take Out the Guesswork
• Hemp-Derived Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil Calms Redness, Irritation

 Technology 

• Pot Without Plants Is Goal of New Cannabis Fermentation Venture
• AI is Already Here and Changing How We Use and Understand Cannabis

 Weddings

• A Saturday Afternoon At The Cannabis Wedding Expo
• Weed weddings are now a thing. Here’s how you can plan one.

 Women

• A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis By Nikki Furrer
• Book Review: ‘A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis’
• Speed dating for lesbians who like cannabis
• The cannabis and women learning curve
• Victoria Ashley of Laundry Day
• High on Love’s Angela Mustone

States

• Southeast  States See More Hemp-Derived CBD Consumption
• Some State Gov. Branches At Odds Over Cannabis Business Support

 Alabama

• Farm Bill changing hemp Industry

 Arizona

• Supreme Court case could impact all MMJ users
• What is legal and illegal?
• Pending marijuana reform legislation
• Fentanyl Maker Donates to Campaign Opposing Legalization
• Farmers could plant hemp in Arizona fields this summer

 Arkansas

• Cultivator Provides Look At State’s First Medical Marijuana Plants
• All 32 medical marijuana dispensaries licensed
• Arkansas issues MMJ cards to thousands of patients

 California

• New cannabis businesses driving industrial development
• CA’s Ridiculous Marijuana Tax Calls for Drastic Action
• CA’s retail industry is struggling. Will tax breaks and banks help?
• Former Gov Jerry Brown Won’t Stop Insulting Marijuana Consumers
• Marijuana production faces ‘war’ from Asian-American communities
• Rep. Ro KHanna (D-CA) tweeted, “Any law that legalizes marijuana for recreational use is incomplete unless: “✅ Prior low-level offenses are expunged ✅ Current charges are dismissed ✅ Profits and investments go to the communities impacted by decades of failed drug war policies.”

  Colorado

• Trial ends in $50 fine for International Church of Cannabis founder
• Five years on, cannabis retail thrives
• Cannabis companies eye global marketplace
• Adult cannabis use at an all-time high
• Denver is hiring a “cannabis process navigator”
• Measure decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms will be on Dever’s May 7 ballot
• State, Veterans, & Military Affairs vetoed bill to allow MMJ patients guns
• New report on health effects of marijuana

 Florida

• Hemp research pilot program in the works
• Teacher fired for weed says it’s MMJ
• How to Get an MMJ Card in Florida
• Judge rejects cap on dispensaries
• Bill to repeal MMJ smoking ban ‘radically’ weakened
• Longtime Advocates Ridicule Out-of-State Pot Czar Pick
• New cannabis chief sees potential in hemp

 Georgia

• Bill would decriminalize marijuana possession

 Guam

• Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero supporting legalization bill
• Legalization a threat to Guam’s family-friendly vacation brand

 Hawaii

• Chart: Hawaii’s MMJ program on the rise
• Bill to decriminalize pot use criticized
• Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approves legalization bill

 Idaho

• Firm sues over product it says is hemp
• Why Idaho remains a pot-free island
• Farm Bill says hemp gets a pass on interstate commerce
• Bill introduced to legalize hemp

 Illinois

• Patients prescribed opioids can now buy MMJ
• Bishops issue statement against legalization
• Legalizing pot is the way to social justice
• Legalization bill proposed

 Indiana

• Indiana Inches Closer Towards Industrial Hemp
• Lawmakers shouldn’t shut door on marijuana reform
• INORML talks about legalization

 Iowa

• Hemp ‘gold rush’ can grow opportunity for low-income assistance
• Proposed Bill Would Raise THC Levels of MMJ
• Senate’s assistant minority leader calling for legalization
• Proposal to legalize marijuana likely dead on arrival
• Iowa City lawmaker says state should treat weed like wine

 Kansas

• Kansas Hemp Symposium set for Feb. 23

 Kentucky

• Kentucky’s hemp revolution multiplying
• Advocates keep pushing lawmakers to pass MMJ

 Louisiana

• AgCenter MMJ passes testing
• Regulators submitted annual MMJ report to legislators

 Maryland

• Dept of Ag seeks applicants for industrial hemp program
• Lawmakers consider supervised drug consumption facilities
• Lawmakers Introducing Legislation to End Cannabis Prohibition
• Baltimore’s top prosecutor seeks to right “extraordinary wrong”

 Michigan

• State issues another MMJ recall
• Hundreds of communities ban marijuana businesses
• Lawmaker proposes warning labels for pregnant women
• Meet the ex-drug cop who now regulates Michigan weed

 Minnesota

• Push for pot is definition of hypocrisy
• Will Minnesota Legalize in 2019?
• Sweeping changes set for MMJ

 Mississippi

• Lawmaker fighting to legalize MMJ
• Lawmakers reject move to let farmers grow hemp
• Legislative Black Caucus held a public hearing on MMJ
• Will MMJ make it to the general election ballot?

 Missouri

• Legal concerns about medical marijuana
• Gov. Mike Parson (R) supports legislation to expunge convictions

 Montana

• Bills aim to create opportunities for hemp producers

 Nebraska

• Counselor: Legalizing MMJ bad idea
• State senators file ballot initiative to legalize MMJ
• Pro-MMJ senator challenges AG to debates

 Nevada

• Rep. Dina Titus tweeted, “hemp uses less water than alfalfa.”
• Panel to examine MMJ in Nevada County

 New Mexico

• Cannabis exempt from sales tax, producer argues

 North Carolina 

• Pioneering industrial hemp production

 Ohio

• Understanding Ohio’s MMJ program
• MMJ prices will come down as industry grows
• Officials cracking down on CBD products

 Oklahoma

• With English as second language, truck drivers unsure why they’re jailed
• Editorial board criticized legislation removing protections in MMJ law
• MMJ businesses growing in Southern Oklahoma
• “Unity Proposal” aims to shape MMJ rules

 Oregon 

• Hot spots for illegal cannabis exports
• Marijuana supply far outweighs demand in legal market
• Wyden wants feds out of state cannabis
• Weed-smoking workers focus of Senate bill

 Pennsylvania

• Lawmaker Introduces Legalization Bill
• Session on MMJ brings out much emotion
• Farmers Ready to Branch Out with Hemp
• Recreational legalization will jeopardize jobs
• Legalization Proposal Focuses On Social Justice

 Rhode Island

• Misconceptions abound in letter on legalization
• Canopy Growth to invest up to $500 million in hemp production
• Business proposes MMJ be used to treat opioid addiction

 South Carolina

• Industrial Hemp Viability Explored

 South Dakota

• Hemp bill moves forward, but Gov. says state ‘not ready’ for the crop

 Tennessee

• Republican sponsors of MMJ bill optimistic about success
• First seed-to-table hemp production in Mt. Juliet
• Farming presentation draws close to a hundred
• Latest MMJ Bill Proposes Full Use Of Cannabis Plant
• Tennessee taking applications for industrial hemp licenses

 Texas

• Bill spurs high expectations for hemp
• Texans can now buy Willie Nelson’s cannabis coffee
• The fight to legalize

 Utah

• Plea deal ends first MMJ case since Prop 2

 Virginia

• Farm bill sparks more interest in hemp

 West Virginia

• Marijuana revenue comes with costs
• Legislature considers MMJ banking fix
• What CBD, hemp products can mean for your health

 Wisconsin 

• Legalization in Wisconsin

International 

• Recapping the 2019 North American Cannabis Summit
• World Health Organization Calls to reclassify weed

 Antarctica

• Legalization has reached every continent but Antarctica

 Argentina

• Regulators approve first MMJ processing center

 Asia

• Meeting hemp at the Asian Hemp Summit

 Australia

• Member of Parliament is pushing to decriminalize drugs

 Bermuda

• 67% of residents support some kind of legalization

 Canada

• More Ontario women using cannabis while pregnant
• Toronto Maple Leafs Suing Snoop Dogg Over His Weed Company
• Illegal pot shops defy court-ordered closure deadline
• Health Canada Denies Nationwide Shortage, But Shelves Are Still Empty
• Fish help fuel bumper cannabis crops
• Reports of cannabis poisonings in Quebec have tripled since legalization
• Just as many folks using cannabis now as before legalization

 Colombia

• Clever Leaves To Export Cannabis To Canada

 Europe

• Regulators considering banning CBD and hemp-derived food supplements

 India

• A different high

 Israel

• “Israel losing unique cannabis know-how”
• Veteran MMJ Firms Weigh Going Public
• Israeli MMJ Comes To The US

 Jamaica

• Bridging the gap between investors and ganjapreneurs

 Kenya

• Governor denies smoking marijuana in a Parliament bathroom

 Mexico

• American anarchist, marijuana aficionado killed in Acapulco

 Netherlands

• Police discover kitchen sink passage to cannabis plantation

 Nigeria

• How Drug Abuse Is Wrecking Female Lives In Northern Nigeria

 Peru

• Health minister met with MMJ advocates

 South Africa

• Ruling OKing personal use doesn’t allow manufacture and sales of MMJ

 Uruguay

• Uruguay is betting on exports of MMJ
• Despite Legalization, Access To CBD Is Challenging