“We see that in the legal cannabis industry it’s still primarily white men who are gaining the most, financially, from this legal system.

So, I have my skepticism about really embracing the term ‘cannabis’ as opposed to anything else, because it feels so much like a marketing effort to me.”

— Emily Dufton, author of Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America

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

Vermont

Hemp Farming and Slavery: A Story of Exploit and Shame

VT Emergency Economic Grant applications go live Monday July 6

Lyneisha Watson: An Intimate Relationship With Cannabis

Contending with racial justice in Vermont goes back years. So does the backlash.

Amid nationwide protests, Vermont gets Black police chief

A new commercial hemp farm is operating in Peacham

‘Reasonable grounds’ for discrimination claims against Sarah George’s office: What’s next?

VDH COVID-19 Update: Six new cases, adhering to health 

New England

Maine

• Maine edges closer to starting $300 million adult-use cannabis market
• Presque Isle’s JP Market set to turn into medical marijuana facility
• PI city council approves marijuana license and $290,000 for new tanker

Massachusetts

• Employees at Massachusetts marijuana firm vote to unionize

• Cresco closes $29M sale-leaseback deal on MA marijuana facility
• Pot dispensary prepping to open in Orange: Silver Therapeutics waiting for state’s OK

New Jersey

• Your NJ medical marijuana is about to get cheaper: Here’s why
• NJ is key to East Coast adult-use cannabis legalization, stakeholders say
• Acreage completes New Jersey medical cannabis acquisition

New York

• How marijuana laws complicate scientists’ search for crucial answers about cannabis, hemp
• NY Majority Leader Describes Cannabis Legalization Talks as “Active”
• Marijuana or cannabis? How racism, immigration shaped history of drug war in N.Y., U.S.
• Take a 360-degree virtually tour of Cornell’s hemp research facility in New York

National

Advocacy/Activism

• Murdered SA cannabis activist remembered as ‘fearless warrior’

Animals

• CBD For Dogs? New Research Backs Canine Cannabis Use For Osteoarthritis

Arts/Entertainment

• Marijuana Legalization And The Possibility Of Dispensaries At Music Festivals
• Report: US to Spend More on Cannabis Than July 4 Cookouts
• HBO Teams Up With Pot Companies To Sell THC Gummies Promoting New TV Series

Banking

• Bank Fraud Allegations Test Marijuana Business
• The Cost Of Cash For Unbanked Cannabis Businesses
• Federal Reserve Order Shortchanges Cannabis Industry

Business

• US retail marijuana sales on pace to rise 40% in 2020, near $37 billion by 2024
• Rob Tankson And PrestoDoctor Deepening The Cannabis Evaluation Experience

CBD

• How Hannah Bronfman’s Lifelong Love Of Baths Inspired A New CBD Product From Highline Wellness

Coronavirus/COVID-19

• The Uncertain Impact Cannabis Has On COVID-19 Highlights Need For Rescheduling, More Research 
• Marijuana use increased during COVID-19 lockdown, survey shows
• Researchers Are Looking At Cannabis As A Potential Way To Prevent COVID-19

Culture

• ‘Breaking The Cannabis Stigma’ – Q&A With Neil Chau of Trym
• Weedsday Playlist: Writer Zach Sokol Shares 5 Songs for Your Next Smoke Sesh

Driving

• How drugged driving, stoned workers in legal weed states impacts NY marijuana legalization

Education

• More College Students Are Seeking CBD For Pain And Stress Relief

Food & Bev

• Denver Post commentary: Let CBD to be marketed in dietary supplements and as food, beverage additives
• New Food Magazine: How to be successful in the CBD market

Growing and Making

• Dr. George Sellu, Ph.D. Scientifically Assesses the Danger of Grape Taint from Hemp

Health and Wellness

• Can you smoke cannabis while taking antibiotics?

Hemp

• Ask a Stoner: Hemp Hand Sanitizer

Higher Ed

• This County Raised $2.3M in Student Scholarships with Cannabis Taxes

History

• Hemp Farming and Slavery: A Story of Exploit and Shame
• The Marijuana Meme: Airbrushing An Agricultural Staple Out of the History Books

Holidays

• Cannabis A Winner In COVID 4th of July Celebrations
• Cannabis dispensary giving free CBD dog treats to reduce fireworks anxiety

Hypocrisy, Prevarication, and Outright Lies

• Fake News is Popular in the Cannabis Industry

Insurance

• Former NBA Star John Salley Launching Cannabis Insurance Plan

Law Enforcement

• Trump’s Justice Department Is Making Life Hell for Legal Weed
• Authorities Grapple With New Hemp Law Enforcement
• Nearly Five Tons Of Pot Seized At Canadian Border

Legalization

• Marijuana Laws ‘Central’ to Justice Reform, Advocates Say
• Biden-Sanders Task Force Discusses Marijuana Legalization
• Enormous Tax Revenue Is Exactly Why The Feds Won’t Legalize Cannabis

Medical

• MS Patients Turn to Marijuana, Other Alternative Treatments
• Expanding the boundaries of medical cannabis clinical evidence

Military/Vets

• The Pentagon quietly made CBD use a criminal offense for service members
• Troops Who Admit Marijuana Use Would Be Allowed to Reenlist Under New Provision
• Here’s What Doctors Wished Veterans Knew About Medical Cannabis

Podcasts/Listening

• A Nurse That Prescribes Cannabis: Treating Hemp As Medicine
• The risks & rewards of CBD in sports nutrition – podcast
• Sustainability, Regeneration And Profit in Uganda  (Podcast Transcript)
• CBD For Addiction & Injury Recovery: Brandon Stump Of Pachamama CBD
• Fresh Air Weekend: America’s Racial Wealth Gap; PTSD And Psychedelics

Politics

• Bipartisan Lawmakers Push Marijuana Reform In Floor Debate On Policing Overhaul Bill
• Barr’s Marijuana Merger Investigations Could Get Him Impeached Under New Resolution
• What’s the best minimum legal age for cannabis?
• Red Pot: Plurality of Politics in Cannabis
• Cannabis research stalled by federal inaction
• As Signature Deadlines Approach, Here’s Where Marijuana And Drug Policy Reform Campaigns Stand
• Treasury Department Issues Updated Guidance On Hemp Banking Rules
• Bipartisan Senators File Marijuana And CBD Research Amendment To Defense Spending Bill

Presidential Campaign 

• Will Joe Biden Change His Position On Legalizing Cannabis?

Social Justice

• Legal Cannabis Is Almost Entirely White. Here’s How To Buy Weed From POC
• In a time of protest, Black LGBTQ voices rise
• Social Justice & The War On Drugs | Part 2: The Role Of Cannabis Prohibition In Systemic Racism And Social Injustice
• Scrutinizing the Foster System’s Relationship With the War on Drugs

Social Responsibility

• Marijuana edibles maker Dixie Brands changing name to avoid causing ‘pain’

Sports

• Darren McCarty knew how to beat any drug test. Now his pot brand is on the market
• Is marijuana the next recovery revolution for pro athletes?

Studies and Surveys

• Psychiatrist Explores Possible Benefits Of Treating PTSD With Ecstasy Or Cannabis
• Why 90% of NY college students back marijuana legalization, and many use CBD, cannabis: survey
• Marijuana use while pregnant boosts risk of children’s sleep problems
• Study Finds Cannabis Effective for Treating Depression

Tech

• In Cannabis Industry, Profitability and Data Security Go Hand-in-Hand

Travel/Tourism

• Amsterdam wants to weed out cannabis-flavoured products from tourist shops

Vaping

• The Future of Vape Litigation: Temperature Control

Women

• CBD Oil and Menopause: Does CBD Help With Menopause Symptoms?

States 

Arizona

• Group aiming to legalize recreational cannabis in Arizona submits signatures
• Adult-use cannabis legalization in AZ appears headed for November ballot
• Hemp farm neighbors complain of smell, lights, use of water

Arkansas

• Arkansas adds two medical cannabis growers to fast-growing market

California

• California cannabis regulators extend license fee deferrals amid coronavirus
• L.A. revamps rules for cannabis licensing, hoping to redress harm from war on drugs
• San Francisco, Oakland advise marijuana firms about possible attacks
• Legal Cannabis Businesses Are Preparing To Get Robbed Again. Will Police Protect Marijuana Legalization?
• California cannabis market a challenge, but it’s not all doom and gloom
• Southern California counties clear 100,000 cannabis convictions by July 1 deadline

 

Colorado

• Colorado Gov. Jared Polis says pardons for marijuana convictions can start in 90 days

Florida

• Breaking the “Grass Ceiling”: Local Women in Cannabis

Georgia

• Atlanta hemp company taps industry insider to test, validate CBD line

Idaho

• Idaho MMJ Activists ‘Likely’ To Seek Signature Gathering Relief After Court Ruling

Illinois

• Illinois delays awarding 80 cannabis business permits
• State suspends deadline for issuance of cannabis licenses
• Pot Brownies Don’t Get Illinois’ Grocery Sales Tax Break
• New Marijuana Dispensary Opening On Weed Street, Other Dispensary Licenses Stuck On Indefinite Pause

Iowa

• Iowa Gov Signs Legislation to Change THC Cap in State’s Medical Cannabis Program

Kansas

• Bluegrass Hemp opens Midway location

Louisiana

• Southern Ag Center formally launches THC medical cannabis products

Maryland

• Top Baltimore Prosecutor Dismisses Drug Possession Cases And Closes Warrants
• Firefighters quickly douse medical cannabis facility fire

Michigan 

• Houghton approves special use permit for recreational marijuana
• Montcalm’s first marijuana provisioning center to open

Missouri

• First cannabis grow facility opens in Missouri

Nebraska

• Medical marijuana backers turn in 60,000 more signatures than needed on ballot petition
• Nebraska Medical Cannabis Campaign Submits Signatures for November Ballot
• Doane University to expand cannabis studies program this fall

Nevada

• Jackpot looks to cannabis for economic relief – some Elko County commissioners express moral objections

Ohio

• Ohio Senate Votes To Expand Marijuana Decriminalization To Cover 200 Grams

Oklahoma

• Summer Dreams Of Marijuana-Infused Slushies Are Melted By Oklahoma Regulators

Oregon

• Oregon Drug Decriminalization And Treatment Measure Qualifies For Nov Ballot
• Psilocybin Measure Has Enough Signatures For Nov Ballot, Activists Say

Pennsylvania

• Cannabis Market Grows in Pennsylvania: Next Big Hit?

South Dakota

• South Dakota voters may legalize marijuana

Tennessee

• Did A Tennessee Senator Take A State Car To Buy Marijuana At An Illinois Dispensary?
• Nashville District Attorney’s Office Will No Longer Prosecute Minor Cannabis Possession Offenses

Texas

• Texans Can ‘Legally’ Purchase Marijuana in New Mexico?
• Texas university, firm to study lighting effects on hemp terpenes, other molecules
• Austin Police Will Stop Marijuana Possession Arrests And Citations

Virgin Islands

• House green-lights medical marijuana

Virginia

• Virginia’s Marijuana Decriminalization Law Officially Takes Effect

 

West Virginia

• West Virginia Reopens Application for Medical Cannabis Testing Labs

International  

• UN body sees challenges for adding CBD footnote to international narcotics treaty

Australia

• Medical cannabis is legal in Australia, but people are still turning to the black market
• Another State Loosens Weed Laws as Country Inches Towards Decriminalization
• NT Farmers Association Promoting Hemp Cultivation
• Cannabis worth $6 million seized in raids

Canada

• Organigram lays off 220 workers, will cultivate less cannabis than expected

Europe

• European Hemp Companies Sharing Costs of Bringing Infused Food Products to Market
• Hemp Futures: a growing hemp producer in Estonia
• A Snapshot of The German Cannabis Market: Year 3
• Denmark approved only eight of 63 medical cannabis product applications

• Irish hemp stakeholders blast government for ignoring them
• Shipping medical cannabis: a Dutch perspective

Israel

• Israeli Researchers Present First Clinical Evidence That Cannabis at Microdosing Levels Relieves Pain

Jamaica

• Felicia Bailey | The Business of ganja: How to get involved – Pt 2

New Zealand

• This Kiwi MP is ‘not enthusiastic’ about U.S. anti-cannabis legalization group SAM
• Referenda campaigners say Covid-19 disrupted plans

Norway

• Normal people: cannabis and policy in Norway

South Africa

• South Africa Reschedules CBD and THC

Turkey

•   Turkey conducts largest narcotics op in its history: Interior minister

UK

• Pleasant Lands: The New Campaign for Hemp Reform in the UK

Ukraine

• Rally for legalization of medical cannabis held in Kiev