“One answer to plastic pollution is biodegradable materials like hemp.”
– Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

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

Vermont

Cannabis Conference Held At Vermont Statehouse


Advocates hope to help shape Vermont’s retail pot market – and thanks to Cannabis Paper Company for the great button image!

Over question of a head start for dispensaries, Senate cannabis bill flounders in committee


Waterbury’s Green Hut CBD Stresses Wellness And Safety Over Hype


VTCNA Plant Medicine and Healing Tips: Heady Valentines

Ready to experience stunning hemp-CBD plants at home? Let’s Grow It!


Kathy Blume on Atlantic Weedboad’s IG

Regional

NEVA’s Ben Jones on Atlantic Weedboard’s IG

 Connecticut

• Rally Being Held Against Marijuana Billboard
• Marijuana billboard causing controversy along Connecticut highway
• Man sues city for being denied firefighter job over #MMJ
• Hartford City Council considering equity in marijuana licensing study

 Maine

• How to grow a marijuana business when regulations are up in the air

 Massachusetts

• 5 more pot shops get Boston’s OK
• Summit Lounge Legal Education (Event)
• Post offices confiscated record number of marijuana packages in 2018
• Pulling back the curtain on Boston’s licensing process
• Boston officials added a “secret” step to licensing approval processes
• Legal pot purveyors: Keep off our grass!

 New Hampshire

• Marijuana Bill Sparks Debate
• With Legalization Across All Borders, What Does It Mean For NH?
• 32nd Annual New England Women’s Herbal Conference August 23-25

 New Jersey

• Why letting voters decide to legalize weed could be bad for NJ
• NJ marijuana legalization: ‘The bad outweighs the good’
• McDonald’s drive-thru worker narcs on weed smoker
• Union County College will start cannabis program

 New York

• Legalization May Not Lead To Decline In Arrests
• Marijuana Arrests Plummet in NY; Still High for Blacks, Hispanics
• MedMen asked to resign from NY Medical Cannabis Industry Association
• Voters support legalization, 52%-42%.
• Medical Pot Sellers Say Full Legalization Might Burn Them
• New Yorkers Can Now Get Their CBD Fix At Recess IRL
• State legislature hears arguments for legalization
• Senator Fred Akshar Releases Survey Results on Legalization
• NYC City Council considering ban on pre-employment drug testing
• NYC Council speaker criticizing crackdown on CBD

National

 Animals

• More pets getting stoned on marijuana

 Arts/Entertainment

• Activist David Malmo-Levine’s comic book debunks drug war myths

 Banking

• The cannabis cash crisis: Where to put the money?
• Pot is legal in 10 states, but the industry still can’t use banks

 Business

• How marijuana companies can profit without selling pot
• Publisher of Wine Spectator, Cigar Aficionado launching cannabis newsletter
• Cannabis Tourism: North America’s Budding New Industry

 Commerce

• Barneys Is Going to Start Selling Very, Very Pricey Weed Shit

 Culture

• Maury Povich Says He Smoked Connie Chung
• Actor Patrick Stewart uses medical cannabis to treat arthritis
• Patrick Stewart gets high and does a triple take master class
• Chelsea Handler and Canndescent CEO Adrian Sedlin Talk Cannabis
• Weed consumers no longer ‘stoner that lives in his mom’s basement’
• How to Date in the Modern Age of Weed

Driving

• Setting DUI Standards for High Driving Still Baffles Policymakers
• Legal weed calls for ‘paradigm shift’ on how we think about impairment

 Environment

• Night Sky Glows With A Cannabis Borealis

 Food & Bev

• Scientists race to make pot like booze — drinkable
• Hemp Wine Returns
• Why mangoes and marijuana are a match made in heaven
• Down for some dank dining? Meet the chefs serving cannabis cuisine

 Hemp

• New Frontier Data Projects $5.7B in US Hemp Sales by 2020
• Weekly Inside U.S. Hemp
• How to Grow Hemp
• Hemp Entrepreneurs Are Disrupting the Hospitality Industry

 History

• How Marijuana Ruined Ronald Reagan’s Valentine’s Day

 Holidays

• Valentine’s Day Is Big For Weed Sales

 Hypocrisy, Prevarication, and Outright Lies

• Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker testified that international treaties prevent the US from approving more cultivators of marijuana for research. But the State Department said three years ago that the claim is false.
• A Food and Drug Administration spokesperson only vaguely responded to queries about whether it is helping to coordinate a crackdown on CBD products in states across the country.
• Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) tweeted about a new marijuana lobbying organization he is part of, the National Cannabis Roundtable, saying he is “pleased to be honorary chair of an industry effort to transform and modernize national cannabis policy and ensure it is done safely, thoughtfully, comprehensively.” In an interview, he said that rescheduling isn’t the group’s top priority.

 Legalization

• Legalizing Marijuana is About Public Health, Not Money
• Congress, Minnesota House Designate No. 420 for Their Legalization Bills
• If you support legalization, you should support safe injection sites

 Medical

• Fresh out of prison, #MMJ gives 20-year-old hope for a new life
• Treating Yourself Relaunches Medical Cannabis Website
• Four ways #MMJ can ease chronic pain
• Pharmaceutical Drug Directory Includes CBD Products For The First Time

 NECANN

• Springfield, MA (June 22-23 2019)
• Morristown, NJ (Sept 13-14 2019)
• Portland, Maine (October 5-6 2019)
• Providence, RI (October 12 2019)

 Parenting

• Here’s How New Mothers are Using CBD to Combat Baby Brain
• What Parents Should and Need to Know About CBD

 Podcasts

• Ministry of Hemp Podcast: Episode 1 – Learning About Hemp & CBD
• Dankonomy Podcast : Episode 2 with w/ Special Guest Erik Range
• Joe Rogan Podcast: Pot Debate – Alex Berenson & Dr. Michael Hart
• Uptick Newswire Hosts Blue Diamond Ventures, Inc. on the Stock Day Podcast
• Uptick Newswire Hosts Growlife, Inc. on the Stock Day Podcast
• Podcast Sessions from The Her(B) Life
• The Green Scene Podcast: TransCanna’s Major Acquisition

 Presidential Campaign

• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) tweeted about trash in the ocean, saying, “One answer to plastic pollution is biodegradable materials like hemp.”
• Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) included marijuana legalization in a list of issues that millennials from across the political spectrum support.
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) tweeted, “Let me be clear: it’s time we legalized marijuana at the federal level. Marijuana laws are not applied or enforced in the same way for all Americans, many whose lives have been ruined by these regressive policies. We must change the system.”
• Harris says she has smoked pot and supports legalization
• Senator Kamala Harris under fire for her weed story
• Kamala Harris’ evolution on marijuana
• Kamala Harris Packed California Prisons With Pot Peddlers
• Where Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) stands on cannabis.

 Politics

• Legalization Bill Has Been Introduced In Congress
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted, “All too often, our criminal justice system – from tickets to convictions – is treated as a game, where the one racks up the most ‘points’ wins. Paired w/ foolish criminalization of marijuana, poverty, etc, it wrecks chaos on people’s lives + stagnates communities for generations.”
• Senator Calls Out Big Pharma For Opposing Legal Marijuana
• Draft text of a marijuana banking bill
• Former Bush administration Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General John Yoo—perhaps best known for authoring torture memos—says President Trump can and should order the Drug Enforcement Administration to stand down in states where marijuana is legal.
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is ‘fine’ with a sitting president who smokes weed
• Chair of DOJ Marijuana Working Group spoke about his views on enforcement
• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tweeted that he will oppose the nomination of William Barr for attorney general, saying he can’t back someone “who supports the failed war on drugs.”
• Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) argued in an op-ed that the U.S. has an “obligation” to support the Colombian president’s anti-drug strategy.

 Sex

• Sex pot
• Marijuana to enhance sex and alleviate women’s issues
• Counting the ways cannabis can complement sex

 Seniors

• Very Old Bones

 Social Justice

• Marijuana legalization requires restitution to communities of color
• Legalizing pot is the way to social justice
• Calling BS on social equity

 Spirituality

• Two altar boys were arrested for putting weed in the censer-burner

 Studies

• Non-Heterosexual Women More Likely to Exhibit PTSD, Use Cannabis
• Teen Pot Use Fell in States That Legalized MMJ
• African Americans experience mental health issues due to drug penalties
• Patients With Endometriosis Report Relief From Cannabis
• CBD Can Help People With Substance Use Disorders
• Parkinson’s Foundation Study Cannabis as Disease Therapy
• Marijuana Can Be A Risk For People With Heart Issues
• Legalized marijuana has ‘no impact’ on alcohol sales
• #MMJ may stop the growth of certain cancer cells
• A review concluded that “adolescent cannabis consumption was associated with increased risk of developing depression and suicidal behavior later in life, even in the absence of a premorbid condition,” though “individual-level risk remains moderate to low” and  “there was no association with anxiety.”

 Stuff

• Step right up and learn about the most popular pot products

Sustainability

• From ‘Good Herb’ Stems Success

 Women

• Not Your Father’s Cannabis
• Cannabis women’s can-do attitude
• Sharing struggles of the cannabis industry
• Women Are Taking the Cannabis Industry by Storm
• Women launch business to promote health and wellness from cannabis
• Miss Grass Wants To Help Women Step Out Of The Cannabis Closet

States

 Alabama

• Local business educates Wiregrass about hemp

 Alaska

• Crime Bill May Need Exemption to Keep Recreational Industry Legal

 Arizona

• Hemp, Inc. CEO Discusses Hemp Regulatory Updates
• Medical Marijuana: Data for Dummies
• Walmart improperly terminated an employee for #MMJ use

 Arkansas

• Effort to add #MMJ conditions fails
• Health Department issues advisory on Cannabis risk

 California

• Legislators Introduce Temporary Tax Cut to Cannabis Businesses
• Gov. Newsom spoke about environmental damage caused by illegal growers
• Californians Trust the Weed Industry More Than Social Media
• Native Americans Turn To Cannabis To Lift Their Tribes Out Of Poverty

  Colorado

• Clinic Opens Door To Erase Some Convictions
• Denver’s new job opening: Cannabis process navigator
• Pot sales top $6 billion since legalization
• Special Report on Pot Packaging Waste
• Dispensary offers discounted weed to striking teachers in Denver
• Bill to change DUI impairment laws postponed

 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

• Gov. Torres spoke about implementing legalization

 Florida

• Eco Canna Fest 2019 – 4/20-21
• Commissioner Vignola’s Antiquated Stance on MMJ Dispensaries
• Florida lawmakers push smokable medical marijuana bills forward
• Legalizing Florida Marijuana Flower Comes Down To Dollars And Sense

 Georgia

• Georgia Lawmakers Draft Legislation to Regulate Hemp Cultivation
• Georgia hemp regulation proposal among most restrictive in the nation

 Guam

• Legalizing recreational marijuana would bring bad consequences
• Gov. Guerrero (D) said lawmakers should pass legalization bill

 Hawaii

• Legalization bill moves on to the next committee hearing in Hawaii state legislature

 Idaho

• House of Representatives voted to approve an industrial hemp bill
• House Judiciary Committee voted to lower possession penalties.

 Illinois

• Gov. Pritzker created initiative on marijuana legalization
• A new bill would make marijuana legal in Illinois

 Kansas

• Is Kansas ready to allow medical marijuana?
• Regulators began accepting industrial hemp research applications.
• Kansas City Star editorial board calling on lawmakers to legalize MMJ
• Lawrence considers lowering fine for first-time marijuana offenses to $1

 Kentucky

• Attorney General thinks marijuana has a future in the state.
• Bluegrass Hemp Oil Announce ‘Shauna’s Law,’ SB 83
• Kentucky farmers look to the state’s ‘original crop’ —hemp
• Gov. Matt Bevin outlines support for medical marijuana

 Maryland

• Police presence puts damper on ‘weed zone’ in East Baltimore
• Mosby’s marijuana policy: More “virtue signaling” than meaningful?

 Michigan

• Employers maintain the right to say ‘not on the job’

 Minnesota

• Lawmakers are considering legislation to expand MMJ program
• MMJ program nearly doubled in 2018

 Mississippi

• Petition to legalize #MMJ gaining thousands of signatures
• New life breathed into #msleg industrial hemp proposal

 Missouri

• Guidelines vague for MMJ use

 Montana

• Montana Ag Network: Growing interest in hemp farming
• MDA seeking applicants for Montana Hemp Advisory Committee
• Lawmaker proposes panel to study marijuana legalization

 Nebraska

• Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) reiterated his opposition to legalize medical cannabis
• MMJ in Nebraska
• Hemp legalization nationwide spurs push for crop in Nebraska

 Nevada

• League of Women Voters of Nevada County seek to dispel MMJ myths
• Wholesale Cannabis Prices in Nevada Are Declining

 New Mexico

• Legalization Advances in House

 North Carolina 

• ABC system is the right path forward for marijuana legalization

 North Dakota

• North Dakota bills would improve medical marijuana access
• MMJ dispensaries in ND likely to operate with cash only

 Ohio

• How are police adapting to MMJ
• Second doctor needed for MMJ recommendations
• Dayton’s police chief told officers to abide by decriminalization policy
• MMJ Sales Continue To Climb
• Hemp among Ohio Farmers Union priorities for 2019
• MMJ in High Demand With Half-Million Dollars in Sales

 Oklahoma

• Durant recognizes medical marijuana boom

 Oregon 

• Oregon has more legal cannabis than the state can consume in six years
• Portland Is Making An Effort to Diversify the Cannabis Industry

 Pennsylvania

• PA appears to take lead in early stages of industrial hemp movement
• Will recreational marijuana be allowed in Pennsylvania?
• It’s time to legalize cannabis
• Town halls start in Harrisburg with strong showing of support for legal pot
• Few things grow well on the coal wastes, hemp is one of them

 South Dakota

• Lawmakers to debate bills on industrial hemp, guns on campus
• Legislators don’t want to wait to grow hemp
• House OKs industrial hemp bill despite Noem’s call for delay
• Farmers Hope For Hemp

 Texas

• Students graduate from Houston school dedicated to studying marijuana
• Texas man enters abandoned home to smoke weed, finds tiger instead
• Tiger discovered by a weed smoker in Houston moves to its new home
• Proposed law would make hemp products legal in Texas

 Utah

• Healthcare provider moving to allow doctors to recommend MMJ

 Virginia

• Judges blocking prosecutor’s plan to not pursue certain marijuana cases

Washington

• Inslee pardons pot convictions of 13 Washington residents

 Washington, D.C.

• Weed Could Be Legalized In DC—But For Real This Time

 West Virginia

• Hemp Farming Efforts Uneven Across Ohio Valley
• Activists have enough signatures to place decrim measure on ballot

 Wisconsin 

• Attorney General reiterated his support for legalizing MMJ

 Wyoming

• Medical marijuana? Lawmakers say pass

International

• How WHO Recommendations Would Affect International Cannabis Markets

 Australia

• Australia’s Hemp Industry Gets Head Start
• Birthday Descended into Chaos After Someone Put Weed in the Cake

 Canada

• Cannabis co-ops springing up as smaller growers seek to compete
• Canada’s Black Market to Control 71% of Marijuana Sales in 2019
• Despite Legalization, Canada Sees No Change In Number Of Consumers

 Europe

• EU Parliament Joins WHO In Supporting #MMJ

 France

• Growing the French hemp market: ‘Europeans need more education’

 Greece

• Cannabis Legalization in Greece Creates Business Opportunities

 India

• Ganja smugglers using women as mules

 Israel

• Health ministry approved the limited use of MDMA to treat PTSD

 Latin America

• 13 Million Annual Cannabis Users and a $9.8B USD Cannabis Market

 Malta

• 32000 say they have used cannabis, but just one in five supports legalisation

 Mexico

• Prez Fox Thinks Mexico Could Soon Be Exporting Cannabis To The U.S.

 Sri Lanka

• Sri Lankan government to hire hangmen for “war on drugs”

 Turkey

• Could Turkey become a global leader in the cannabis industry?

 United Kingdom

• Top law enforcement officer doesn’t have the ability to smell cannabis
• Australian medicinal cannabis company launches in UK