“As people across the country protest racial injustices, there’s even greater urgency for Congress to seize this historic opportunity and finally align our cannabis laws with what the majority of Americans support, while ensuring restorative justice.”

– Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.)

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covered more in the Weekly Roll Up? Let us know!

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

Vermont

 Lessons from Lucy Stone: How the coalition for women’s suffrage crumbled

 Bryanna Doe Singer: An Open Letter to a Former Friend

Amid S.54 Negotations, Lawmakers Green Light Automatic Expungement

 Legalization Opponents Reveal Top VT Lawmaker’s Personal Info In Anti-Pot Mailer

 VTDigger: Hundreds of protesters outside BPD last week call for firing of 3 officers

• Ganjapreneur: Vermont Lawmakers Close to Finalizing Expungement Reforms
• VTDigger: Final Reading: House takes on marijuana expungement
• Vermont is the only state to not yet elect a woman to the U.S. House or U.S. Senate
• UVM researchers show little progress in traffic stop disparities

Fundraiser: Justice for Jacob Blake

Video that went viral Aug. 23 showed police shooting Jacob Blake, a black man living in Kenosha, Wis., seven times in the back. Antiracism protests erupted in Kenosha, Wis., and across other U.S. cities amid fury over this incident, and over the subsequent incident of a 17-year-old white man who shot and killed protestors, yet was allowed to walk away unharmed and without being immediately arrested.

Donate to the fundraiser for Jacob Blake, and check out our ongoing Justice + Equity Fundraiser to benefit The Bail Project, as protesters continue to be arrested across the U.S. in what has been a heavy-handed response from law enforcement.

Regional

Maine

• Maine adult cannabis sales will debut in October
• Sweet Dirt Highlights Commitment in Transition to State’s Adult-Use Cannabis Market
• Maine Issues Calculations For Cannabis Excise Tax
• Board of Appeals tables request for medical marijuana variance
• Woolwich passes marijuana ordinances
• Deadline for Portland pot license applications is Monday

Massachusetts

• Cannabis Control Commission expands delivery license options
• Britte McBride stepping down from Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission
• Massachusetts landlord embraces marijuana tenant after suing another
• TILT Revenue Falls On Vape, Massachusetts Issues
• Cannabis industry exempted from state tax-free holiday weekend

New Hampshire

• Number of People Benefitting From N.H. Pot Annulment Law Unclear

New York

• Reaching The End Of The Rope: N.Y. Farmers And Regulators at Odds Over Hemp
• NY Can Earn Billions from Legalizing Cannabis
• Hemp in holding pattern as industry waits on NY, federal guidelines
• NY Pushes Back on Interim Final Rule, Sets Up Farmers for USDA Permits in 2021

Welcome New Heady Partner: Bia Diagnostics

Offering comprehensive hemp and cannabis testing locally in Vermont:

National

Advocacy

• DEA defines hemp, worrying cannabis advocates
• Why Being An Advocate Matters In The Cannabis Industry

Animals

• Trunk it easy: elephants at Warsaw zoo get cannabis to destress

Arts/Entertainment

• Michael B. Jordan pens powerful tribute to Chadwick Boseman
• Tweet Confirming Chadwick Boseman’s Death Is Now the Most ‘Liked’ of All Time

Banking

• The Inevitable Inexorable Intersection: Cannabis And Banking
• Good News for Cannabis Operators Seeking Capital

Business

Labor Day Highlights Cannabis Union Controversy

• Compass Pathways Plc. announces they are going public
• Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc. receives B Corporation certification
• Canopy Growth Corporation announces it is opening 10 cannabis stores in Alberta
• Ontario Securities Commission plans to hold a hearing on allegations that Canada Cannabis Corp. committed fraud
• Columbia Care Inc. will close its acquisition of The Green Solution on September 1
• Vireo Health International, Inc.: quarterly revenue of $12.2 million, loss of $9 million
• Headset raises an additional $3.2 million in funding round
• Curl Creek Cannabis suing Helix Extract for allegedly failing to pay $3.2m owed
• Jushi Holdings Inc. reports $14.9 million in quarterly revenue, net loss of $9.3 million
• Tilray recalling additional batches of medical cannabis extracts that were mislabeled with incorrect THC content in Germany

CBD

• CBD Nation: A Documentary for Cannabis Rookies & Experts Alike
• 54% Of CBD Beverages Contain Less CBD Than Advertised
• FDA given CBD regulation recommendations by NlHC
• The DEA Just Passed a BAD Interim Rule Impacting CBD And Other Cannabinoids
• Time for U.S. FDA to authorize early use of CBD products
• Hemp CBD industry facing uncertainty amid 2020 election
• CBD industry headed toward big overcapacity, expert asserts
• CBD Company Denied Federally Funded COVID Masks, Hand Sanitizer Due To Pot Prohibition

Coronavirus/COVID-19

 How Cannabis (Accidentally) Helped Reopen Churches During The COVID Pandemic

 Covid-19 Is Changing The Way People Think About Cannabis

• COVID-19 Ended a Lot of Things, But Not Cannabis Sales
• Fast-Acting Cannabis Edibles Offer Easy Alternative To Smoking During Covid-19
• To Mend Economy Amid COVID-19, PA Governor Pushes Cannabis Legalization
• Gov. Wolf’s push to legalize marijuana is oversold as coronavirus relief | Opinion
• USC researchers think THC in pot may be able to treat deadly COVID complication

Culture

• Tommy Chong Says Dispensaries Will Celebrate Cannabis Culture
• Vegan Cannabis Cooking Competition Now Streaming on Amazon
• Can Comedy Normalize Cannabis Use?
• Biggie’s Own C.J. Wallace, Willie Mack’s Fight To Legalize Cannabis, Celebrate Black Culture And Creativity

Education

• Back to school: COVID-19 boosts cannabis college enrollment
• In Between the Lines: Partying needs to change
• A Look At Cannabis Education Offerings At America’s Colleges

Federal

The DEA Just Passed a BAD Interim Rule Impacting CBD And Other Cannabinoids

• DEA’s Hemp And CBD Rules Raise Concerns About Potential Crackdown, Industry Insiders Say
• US senator: Legislation possible if industry dislikes FDA rules for CBD
• FDA given CBD regulation recommendations by NlHC
• FDA lawyer: Agency still worries people think CBD is proven safe or ‘can’t hurt’
• US Spent $1.49B On Cannabis Research from 2000-2018
• Cannabis research database shows how U.S. funding focuses on drug harms
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will host a webinar called “Marijuana and Driving: How to Keep Your Fleet Safe” on September 16

Food & Bev

• Hemp-Based Burger Announced by Fake Meat Startup
• Hexo, Molson Coors launch Truss CBD + THC beverage portfolio in Canada
• Cannabis-Infused Beverages Will Be Big Business In 2021
• Liquid Lies? 54 Percent of CBD Drinks Contain Less CBD Than Advertised, Says Study

Growing and Making

• High Country: How to cultivate your own cannabis with tips
• How to maximize yields with lighting strategies
• Tips for cannabis varietal tasting and pairing
• Orange Cream CBD Dream Bars – CBD Edible Recipe
• Eating Hemp For Health: What You Need To Know
• Recipe: The Freshest Full-Spectrum Fruit Smoothie

Health and Wellness

• What to Do When Your Mental Health Professional is Opposed to Cannabis and Psychedelics
• Meet the Cannabinoids Science Is Still Trying to Unlock

Hemp

• GOP Senator Asks USDA To Delay Hemp Regulation Until Industry Can Help Revise Rules
• U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to issue a final hemp rule in October 2021
• Industry reps and legislators call for Farm Bill delay

Hypocrisy, Prevarication, and Outright Lies

• Feds: Hemp masks are good, PPE for CBD companies is bad

Insurance

• Some cannabis shops looted in late May reopen after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars
• Retirement Plan Providers Opening Up to Serving Cannabis Companies

Law Enforcement

• Bill to end police stops for marijuana smell passes Va. Senate
• OP-ED: Pa. police chiefs group opposes marijuana legalization
• I’ve been unjustly criminalized by N.J.’s cannabis laws. Decriminalize it now! | Opinion
• US Congress Should End Marijuana Prohibition
• Albany hiring firm to study racial bias in police department

Legalization

 Full US House poised to vote on cannabis descheduling in September

• House To Vote On Historic Legalization Bill Next Month, Leadership Announces
• Marijuana Legalization Will Be A 2021 Priority If Biden Is Elected, Senator Says

Media

• Noel and Graham Abbott: The Origin Story of Ganjapreneur (podcast)

Medical

• New to medical marijuana? Curious? Here’s what experts say you should know.
• Medical Cannabis Company Trulieve To Unveil New Milestone For Market: THC Edibles

Military/Vets

• Another cosponsor for the House bill to allow Department of VA doctors to recommend medical cannabis
• NYT: Growing number of military veterans taking part in ayahuasca ceremonies

Podcasts

• Noel and Graham Abbott: The Origin Story of Ganjapreneur
• Different Leaf: Celebrities In Cannabis with Laganja Estranja
• Let’s be Blunt with Montel: The Last Prisoner Project

Politics (and hilarious RNC highlights)

• Trump gives Alice Johnson a full pardon a day after her RNC speech
• Another Republican Convention Speaker Slams Marijuana Policies From Democrats
• RNC Chair: Cannabis Policy Should Be States’ Decision
• RNC Head Refuses To Answer Whether GOP Welcomes Medical Marijuana Supporters
• Mitch McConnell Recommends Hemp-Based Face Masks
• Dems Want To Give Americans ‘A Right To Marijuana,’ RNC Speaker Says
• Trump Wants Republicans to Pass on Grass on November Ballots

“I don’t know what Kim and Don, Jr. took before they gave their speeches, but I don’t think it cured coronavirus.”

– Jon Lovett from Pod Save America on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Presidential Campaign

Joe Biden Needs To Evolve On Pot Legalization, Congressional Cannabis Leader Says

• Trump calls for drug tests before Biden debate
• Trump Worried Cannabis Votes May Lose Him the Election
• Biden Administration Will Pursue Marijuana Decriminalization, VP Pick Harris Says

Psychedelics

• NYT: Growing number of military veterans taking part in ayahuasca ceremonies
• Congressman Raising Money To Legalize Psychedelic Mushroom Therapy
• Researchers looking to treat depression with psychedelic mushrooms
• Breaking the stigma: Demonized Psychedelic Drugs
• Police raid Oakland’s psychedelic mushroom church
• Canadian Government Will Respond To Psychedelics Decriminalization Petition

Social Justice

• Illinois May Be Poised To Set A Standard For Diversity In The Cannabis Industry
• Can cannabis social equity programs work? Palm Springs is setting one up
• Can Cannabis Entrepreneurs Advance Racial Equity?
• How the Camera has Advanced the BLM Movement
• How Kelly Perez and Courtney Mathis Are Pursuing Social Good and Racial Justice
• Concerns raised as pot shops asked to help fund Black community

Sports

• Which Sports Fans Smoke The Most Weed? (Hint: It’s Not Baseball or Basketball)
• Canadian student athletes will no longer be tested for cannabis
• Titans rookie Isaiah Wilson almost jumped from the balcony when police crashed pot-filled party
• How Brett Favre Went From Vicodin Addict To CBD Advocate
• From NBA To Cannabis: How Al Harrington Is Changing The Industry For POC

Studies and Surveys

• CDC Data: Pot Legalization Doesn’t Entice Kids
• Most Legal Marijuana States Had Fewer Vaping-Related Lung Injuries, Study Finds
• Review: Psychedelics may have potential to serve as a catalyst for psychotherapeutic treatment of PTSD
• Review: Use of CBD as an adjunct resulted in decreased seizure frequency, and secondary benefits observed included improvement in mood, alertness and sleep
• Study: The majority of pharmacists are not asking about cannabis use/consumption, and this may be a gap in care
• Review: Treatment of existential distress using classical psychedelics or ketamine in patients with terminal illness seems auspicious
• Poll: New Jersey Supports Legalization, Social Equity, & Consumption Lounges

Travel/Tourism

• Weed Essentials for Road Trips: Travel-Friendly Cannabis Accessories

Women

• How Kelly Perez and Courtney Mathis Are Pursuing Social Good and Racial Justice
• She Was Pasadena’s Rose Queen, Now She Champions A Different Kind Of Flower
• Woman-Owned Cannabis Company Hosts Virtual Women’s Equality Day Celebration
• 5 Applied Questions For Priscilla Vilchis, A Latina Cannabis Trailblazer
• Lessons from Lucy Stone: How the Coalition for Women’s Suffrage Crumbled

States

American Samoa

• Official: Legalizing Medical Marijuana Could Free Up Federal Medicaid Dollars

Arizona

• What Marijuana Legalization Would Mean for Criminal Justice in Arizona
• Recycle Your Plastic Cannabis Jars at These Arizona Dispensaries
• AZ County to Let Cannabis Offenders Go If They Get a Medical Card After Arrest
• Arizona regulators publish updated medical cannabis patient and dispensary data

Arkansas

• Arkansas’ Temporary Extension of Medical Cannabis Cards Set to Expire
• Medical marijuana sales top 20000 pounds since beginning
• Arkansas patients attest: Medical marijuana helps

California

• San Francisco regulators share pro bono legal assistance resources for marijuana business equity applicants
• Wildfires are pinching California’s legal cannabis market
• California Legislature still weighing significant marijuana and hemp bills in final days of session
• Court says Bay Area auto thief should not be banned from using marijuana
• Lawmakers are considering legislation creating a regulatory path for retail sale of hemp-derived CBD as a dietary supplement, cosmetic and food and beverage additive

Colorado

• Judge declines to hear case by marijuana ballot petitioners against Loveland city clerk
• Cannabis Taxes Help Fund $5.7M In Grants for Colorado School District
• Several Colorado municipalities are considering proposals to allow pot businesses

Florida

• Could legalizing recreational marijuana help solve Florida’s COVID-19 budget shortfall?
• Florida Adds Edibles to Medical Cannabis Program
• New marijuana edible rules will give Floridians something to munch on

Georgia

• Johns Creek, Georgia City Council debates a pot decriminalization proposal

Idaho

• New CBD shop opens in Yellowstone Avenue building once home to Pocatello Blockbuster

Illinois

• Cannabis Cup gets underway for the first time in Illinois
• Pot enthusiasts line up for chance to judge the state’s best weed as Cup kicks off
• Marijuana Sales Are ‘Pandemic-Proof,’ Top Illinois Cannabis Regulator Says
• Regulators post info about pot biz social equity applicant tech assistance workshops

Indiana

• How Should Hemp Production Be Regulated in Indiana?

Kentucky

• Mitch McConnell plugs Kentucky-made hemp masks as pot legislation gathers dust on his desk

Maryland

• Black Entrepreneur Creates Platform To Promote Diversity In The Cannabis Industry
• Maryland team’s app journals composition of medical cannabis
• Regulators extend medical cannabis clinical director registration deadline to Nov 1

Michigan

• MI AG ‘horrified’ by Michael Thompson’s 42- to 62-year sentence for 1994 pot case
• MI Rep. Slotkin Holds Women Veterans Town Hall
• Attorney General, Progressive Prosecutors Join MDP Cannabis Caucus for Upcoming Interactive Livestream Events

Minnesota

• Minnesota briefs: White Earth Nation voters legalize medical marijuana

Mississippi

• Public hearings scheduled for medical marijuana initiative

Missouri

• Missouri law restricting shapes of marijuana edibles goes into effect today
• Missouri officials examine protections over medical marijuana information

Montana

• Legalization will be on Montana State ballot
• Groundbreaking for a one-of-a-kind hemp processing plant in Fort Benton

Nebraska

• Nebraska MMJ Initiative Has Enough Signatures For Ballot, But Legal Challenge Filed
• Sheriff Files Lawsuit To Keep Medical Marijuana Off Nebraska’s Ballot

Nevada

• Cannabis board cracking down on pot companies that are late on taxes, license fees

New Jersey

• Poll: New Jersey Supports Legalization, Social Equity, & Consumption Lounges

New Mexico

• Some raise concerns about out-of-state, reciprocal patients in time of COVID-19

North Carolina

• North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association changing its name to the Southeast Hemp Association

Ohio

• Small Ohio Cultivators Want to Grow More Cannabis
• As medical marijuana treatment grows, so does association of doctors
• Haywood Industries Picks Up Ohio’s First Hemp Processing License

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma picks lab to double-check cannabis quality
• Oklahoma to Revoke Testing Lab’s License Amid Scandal
• Washington-Based Cannabis Company Cries Foul Over Oklahoma’s Residency Laws

Oregon

• US senator: Legislation possible if industry dislikes FDA rules for CBD
• Portland officials are spotlighting recipients of cannabis revenue-funded grants

Pennsylvania

• Gisele Fetterman gets personal about her medical marijuana use
• Lt. Gov. John Fetterman Talks Legalizing Recreational Marijuana
• Pennsylvania Gov. Calls for Legalization to Solve Budget Woes
• Chiefs of Police Association supports decriminalizing marijuana but opposes legalization

Rhode Island

Texas

• Price slump saps Texas hemp crop, but optimism still blooms
• Retailers Fighting Ban on Smokable Hemp

Virginia

• Virginia Senate Approves Two Pot Bills As Lawmakers Pursue Broader Legalization
• Bill to end police stops for marijuana smell passes Va. Senate

Washington

• Washington regulators warn about a scam targeting pot businesses and employees
• Washington State Wants Help Studying Smelly Marijuana Business Emissions
• Someone Turned Green Lights in Spokane Into Pot Leaves

Washington, D.C.

• Mission-Driven Takoma Wellness Grows as the D.C. Cannabis Market Evolves
• Congressman Raising Money To Legalize Psychedelic Mushroom Therapy

Wyoming

• Wyoming Judge Tosses Criminal Marijuana Charges Against Hemp Farmers
• Natrona County’s first legal hemp growers take root near Casper

International

Australia

• Australian lawmakers offer advice for NZ ahead of cannabis referendum

Canada

• Canopy Growth to Open 10 Cannabis Stores in Alberta
• Legal pot spending beat black market for first time in Q2
• Unregulated Cannabis Sales Command 54% of Canadian Market
• Canada’s largest cannabis company enters crowded Alberta retail scene
• Cannabis Canada: Still ‘early days’ for Canada’s legal pot
• Illegal cannabis expenditures at multiyear low in Canada, data shows

Colombia

• Meet The Latino Behind The Company That Ships Cannabis From Colombia to the US

Europe

• In Poland, hemp production growing fast despite legal ambiguity, uneven enforcement
• The Great Dutch Cannabis Experiment Morphs On | High Times
• Europe’s CBD Market Projected To Grow By 400%
• What’s France Up To? New Cannabis Fines and Litigation Over CBD
• Clever Leaves obtains cannabis cultivation license in Portugal

Indonesia

• Up in smoke: Ministry to revoke marijuana’s designation as ‘medicinal plant’

Ireland

• Batch of CBD oil recalled due to the presence of THC

Israel

• Israel Health Minister issues sweeping new cannabis reforms
• Health Ministry launches historic reform in medicinal cannabis treatment
• Israel’s Ministry of Health filed rules intended to lower medical cannabis prices

Mexico

• Mexico Issues Cannabis Regulations
• Mexican President says cannabis legalization top of mind when congress reconvenes in September

New Zealand

• Support for legalising cannabis going up in smoke – survey
• Helen Clark appointed chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy

South Africa

• What the law says about children using or possessing cannabis in South Africa
• 4 new laws proposed for South Africa
• New bill not all that dope, say activists
• Draft cannabis bill ‘disappointing and flawed’, says dagga grower

UK

• ‘No plans’ for random drug tests of cabinet ministers, Downing Street says
• UK cannabis groups push government to ease trade restrictions
• Britain’s antiquated laws on hemp are harming the environment, short-changing farmers
• Meghan Markle and Harry urged to use home to grow cannabis – billionaire makes offer