Here’s a radical idea. Instead of arresting poor Americans — disproportionately African American and Latino — for possessing marijuana, let’s start prosecuting the crooks on Wall Street for laundering money for drug cartels, suspected terrorists and corrupt foreign officials.

— Sen. Bernie Sanders

New Feature in the Roll Up: Look for the star  on our top news items

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

Vermont

Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg

VT Senate Takes Up S. 54–But Will The Governor Sign?

What Does S. 54 Mean For Medical Dispensaries?

LISTEN: Songs from the Stash

• Other coverage of the tax and regulate bill:

• • VPR: September 2020 Poll: Support For Legal Pot Sales Grows Since July 2018
  • WCAX: Vt. Senate approves regulated cannabis; Scott not expected to oppose
  • Marijuana Moment: Vermont Bills To Legalize Marijuana Sales And Expunge Convictions Head To Governor’s Desk
  • Marijuana Moment: VT Gov Happy With Pot Sales Legalization Bill Process, Expected On His Desk This Week
  • Lt. Governor’s Statement on Passage of Cannabis Regulation Bill, S.54
  • Leafly: Vermont finally OKs retail cannabis stores, years after legalizing
  • Seven Days:  Vermont Lawmakers Send Retail Cannabis Bill to Governor
  • VTDigger: Steve Hawkins: Passing the cannabis bill is a racial justice imperative

• VTDigger: Legislature adjourns, ending historic session defined by Covid-19
• VTDigger: In special election, Vergennes voters indicate they want some changes
• Seven Days: Full Circle Microbes Converts Hemp Waste Into High-Yield Fertilizer
• VTDigger: Black femme organizers burn copies of Seven Days

Regional

Maine

• A cottage industry is growing to support Maine’s complex new recreational pot market
• Two weeks from opening, Maine adult-use marijuana stores are eager to sell
• Maine regulators sent a letter to medical cannabis caregivers about program updates
• Mapleton residents voice opinions on marijuana ordinance

Massachusetts

• Massachusetts cannabis retailer sues state over licensing delays
• Massachusetts regulators close in on cannabis home delivery plan
• State looks to allow some cannabis delivery companies to warehouse products

New Hampshire

• Black Lives Matter Seacoast Has List of Demands for N.H., Including Cannabis Legalization
• Report: Some New Hampshire lawmakers mulling cannabis legalization to help fill budget gap

New York

• New York Launches Process For Destroying Marijuana Conviction Records
• NYPD Cop Forced to Retire Due to Medical Cannabis Registration
• New York ‘Hemp Action Day’ demands rules for extracts
• New multi-million dollar cannabis lab opens in Warwick, strengthens growing local industry
• New York regulators published guidance about medical cannabis research

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National

CBD maker, HIA sue Drug Enforcement Administration over extract rule

Hemp Farmers Now Eligible For USDA Coronavirus Relief Program

Hemp Advocates Secure Major Win In New House Government Funding Measure

Advocacy

• Drug Policy Alliance publishes a transition memo on drug policy issues for the next president
• New Marijuana Coalition Unveils Plan To Legalize Interstate Cannabis Commerce
• National Cannabis Industry Association: Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang will deliver a keynote address at its November virtual conference

Animals

• What Pet Owners Should Know About Cannabis And CBD Products

Arts/Entertainment

• Ex-Porn Star Mia Khalifa Urges Fans To Tip Legal Marijuana Dealers: ‘Not Optional’
• Actor Brian Cox once avoided cannabis ‘like the plague’, but being holed up with two teenagers sure made him happy he uses it now
• How Comedian Chelsea Handler Uses Marijuana to Relax and Get Creative

Banking

• As it turns out, cash isn’t king | Surprising findings in a retail payments study

Business

• Hightimes Holding Corp. reportedly lost the leases for dispensary properties that were part of its deal to acquire Harvest Health and Recreation
• Cheech Marin Partners With Canabis10X
• Swiss food giant Nestlé enters European CBD market with softgel launch
• New Frontier Data projects that more than $9 billion in new revenue will be generated from 2022-2025 if five states approve cannabis ballot measures in November
• National Association of Realtors publishes an article highlighting the potential of the hemp industry for land brokers

CBD

• Are There Any States That Restrict CBD Products?
• Gourmet CBD from Martha Stewart — a good thing?
• TikTok Is A Valuable Tool For CBD Companies. Here’s Why.

Coronavirus/COVID-19

Consumers’ cannabis buying patterns change markedly in wake of COVID-19 pandemic

• A Founder Looks at 50: The Rick Steves Advice for Surviving the Pandemic
• Drug dealers turn to home delivery as social distancing bites
• New Poll Breaks Down Why People Are Turning To Weed During Pandemic

Culture

• WATCH via Emerald Mag: Growing Up Cannabis: Cannabis and Entertainment
• New Memoir Excerpt: Lenny Kravitz Discovered Weed, Led Zeppelin on the Same Day
• David Hershkovits on Bringing New Cannabis Culture to Mainstream Via Podcasting
• Acclaimed Writer Rick Steves Urges ‘Yes’ Vote On State Legalization Measures
• Rediscovering The Enormous Social And Spiritual Legacy Of Black Jazz Records
• High Times Greats: R. Gordon Wasson

Education

• Holyoke Community College, Elevate Northeast partner for cannabis career training
• The Cleveland School of Cannabis is preparing a workforce of Black cannabis entrepreneurs
• WIU offers opportunities to students in emerging cannabis industry

Federal

• Federal Deadlines Loom For Public Comments On Marijuana Research, Hemp, CBD And Drug Testing
• The DEA’s New Interim Hemp Rule Has Left Many Companies Confused
• Congressional Research Service Analyzes Expungements,Cannabis Immigration Issues
• New FDA Guidance Will Make It Easier To Approve CBD-Based Medicines

Food & Bev

• That’s the Tea: Independent Study Finds Most CBD-Infused Beverages are Mis-Labeled

Growing and Making

• WATCH: EmeraldLIVE Cultivation AlpinStash AsterFarms Webinar
• Healthy cannabis requires healthy soil, and fans swear by this mix.
• Smoker’s Guide: The 10 Best CBD Hemp Flower Strains
• How to Make Vegan CBD Butter

Health and Wellness

• WATCH: Surgeon General Jerome Adams discussed his concerns about youth pot use
• Delta-8-THC Promises to Get You High Without the Paranoia
• Emerald Mag: 5 Great Ways to Break Your High

Hemp

Despite delay, MJ legislation in Congress worth watching for hemp entrepreneurs

• The Environmental Protection Agency publishes list of pesticide products for hemp use
• Latest Hemp Lawsuit Against DEA Highlights Ongoing Industry Conflict with the Agency
• House Proposes Extension of Hemp Pilot Programs Through 2021
• Natural disasters including snow and fire hit hemp farmers
• Wildfires Expected To Impact Hemp Crops

Hypocrisy, Prevarication, and Outright Lies

Another obligatory 🖕🖕🖕  to Senator Mitch McConnell

• There’ll Be Hell to Pay as Republican Hypocrites Race to Replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Insurance

• Ford Sentenced in Cannabis Insurance Embezzlement Case
• Why You Should Consider Parametric Insurance to Protect Your Outdoor Cannabis Crop
• Petition Pushes for National Medical Cannabis Insurance For Canadians
• German medical cannabis applications for insurance reach 100,000

Law Enforcement

• Vermont State Police apologize, remove ‘inappropriate’ Facebook post

Legalization

5 States Prepare to Vote on Cannabis Legalization

Why Historic House Marijuana Legalization Vote Has Been Pushed Back

• Congressional Research Service Highlights Four Consequences Of Federal Marijuana Prohibition
• Majority Of Republicans Support Marijuana Legalization Bill That Democrats In Congress Delayed Vote On
• House bill to deschedule marijuana and fund programs to repair the harms of the drug war got one new cosponsor for a total of 114

Military/Vets

• Cannabis influencers: A combat veteran fighting for medicine and social justice
• Military vets, football players and moms across the U.S. band together to fight for cannabis legalization
• Veterans Corner: CBD hygiene products banned; VA data breach

Podcasts

Part One: Phyllis Schlafly: The Mother of all Culture Wars

• ‘Saturday Strains’ – Demystifying the Essential Cannabis Strains Every Woman Should Have in Her Stash
• Podcast Drop: ‘On Something’ Season Two Makes Cannabis Legalization Make Sense

Politics

• Pot Businesses Could Get Federal Disaster Relief Funds Under New Congressional Bill
• AOC and Pressley Say Dem Leaders Caved to McConnell on Cannabis Vote
• Ocasio-Cortez: ‘We can likely push’ Biden ‘in a more progressive direction’ if he’s elected

Presidential Campaign

Trump and Biden enter critical weekend as they prepare to face each other in first debate

• Where Trump and Biden Stand on Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice
• Biden-Harris Pledges to Decriminalize Cannabis

• Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Respond To Trump Picking Amy Coney Barrett : Supreme Court Nomination
• The 2020 Election and Cannabis: What To Expect At The Ballot Box

Psychedelics

IPCI,  Decriminalize Nature, and Peyote Dialogues

• WaPo: Psychedelic medicine is going mainstream. Who will benefit?
• Facebook: Decriminalize Nature calls out psychedelic reform funder David Bronner for “resorting to divide and conquer tactics to control the Decriminalize Nature movement.”

 

Social Justice

Steve Hawkins: Passing the cannabis bill is a racial justice imperative

• LGBTQ CEOs Get Real About The Diversity Problem In Canada’s Cannabis Industry
• These Cannabis Brands Aren’t Puff Puff Passing on Activism
• Playboy Partners with Advocacy Groups on Cannabis and Social Equity Awareness
• Cannabis for Black Lives Aims to Increase Industry Diversity
• National Expungement Week Is Underway: Here’s What You Need To Know

Sports

• Enhancing Athletic Performance With Cannabis
• Military vets, football players and moms across the U.S. band together to fight for cannabis legalization

Studies and Surveys

Researchers at universities in 18 countries are partnering on a large-scale survey about cannabis cultivation

• Cannabis may help or hinder virus damage — or both, early studies find
• Study Suggests that CBD Could Help Treat PTSD
• Prenatal cannabis exposure associated with adverse outcomes in middle childhood
• New Study Shows Rate of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Patients Treating Symptoms With Cannabis
• Study: Prohibition related health risks usually go unacknowledged and unaccounted for in biomedical research on Cannabis
• Study: Classic psychedelics may be effective psychotherapeutic aids to be used in traditional substance abuse treatment programs
• Study: “Novel cannabidiol sunscreen protects keratinocytes and melanocytes against ultraviolet B radiation.”
• Study: People living with HIV “with past cannabis use have similar or better neurocognition across domains compared to PLWH without past use.”
• A study demonstrated a proof of concept “for preservation, augmentation, and replenishment of terpenes to cannabis inflorescence over various storage durations.”
• A study found that “certain LED spectra can considerably increase the amount of cannabinoids with respect to conventional illumination.”
• study found that “30 percent of migraine patients in the U.S. have used cannabis to relieve migraine pain and 82 percent of those who used cannabis found it useful to reduce the pain level.”

Travel/Tourism

• Emerald Mag: How to Visit U.S. National and State Parks During the Pandemic
• WaPo: Visiting Denver during the covid-19 pandemic

Women

PBS Frontline April 2019: How States Are Preparing For A Potential Roe v. Wade Challenge (relevant)

• Women cannabis entrepreneurs in a time of Covid-19
• Women in Plant Medicine Unite At Haus Of Jane Online Summit
• Meet the Woman Making THC-Infused Adult Beverages: Michelle Sundquist, SōRSE Technology

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news of the week – directly to your inbox. Sign up now.

States

Arizona

• Arizona Company Now Has the Largest Indoor Cannabis Facility in the United States
• Patient Charged With Marijuana Possession After Hike on Federal Land
• Navajo Nation moves to shut down hemp farms amid claims of marijuana growing

California

• California fire threatens cannabis farms worth millions
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs bill temporarily freezing cannabis taxes
• Gov signs executive order, extends expiration date for medical cannabis cards to EOY
• Grant Program Uses Cannabis Tax Revenue To Help People Harmed By War On Drugs
• California regulators release a proposed hemp regulatory plan
• Several California municipalities will consider local ballot measures on cannabis tax and regulation issues in November

Colorado

• Report: Cannabis industry set to grow 38% in 2020
• Drug firing leads Colorado Supreme Court to consider handling discipline for 30,000 state employees
• Colorado regulators publish mid-year update on pot licensing, cultivation and sales
• Colorado Springs City Council decides against allowing medical marijuana delivery

Connecticut

• Updates On New USDA Financial Assistance Opportunities For Shellfish, Hemp, And Other Eastern Connecticut Farmers

Florida

• Medical Cannabis Edibles Now Available In Florida
• COOKIES Family of Brands to Launch Vertically Integrated Medical Cannabis Operations in Florida
• Cannabis REIT makes $56.4 million deal to acquire Florida property
• A growing business: One Plant Florida may bring medical marijuana to downtown Tallahassee

Georgia

• Cannabis-inspired sub shop Cheba Hut opening in Atlanta next month
• Patients Prescribed Cannabis In Georgia, USA, Can’t Legally Obtain It

Idaho

• Nez Perce Tribe Opens Comment Period for Proposed Hemp Ordinance
• Idaho’s ban on hemp production hurts businesses, says owner

Illinois

• Pritzker: Illinois Poised To Have Most Diverse Cannabis Industry In U.S.
• Losing pot shop hopefuls will be able to revise applications, challenge scores: Pritzker
• Illinois pot dispensary applicants drop lawsuit in the wake of 2nd chance for lottery

Iowa

• Iowa City medical marijuana dispensary confirmed
• Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s police chief said he is open to lobbying state lawmakers to lessen marijuana penalties

Kansas

Kentucky

• Canadian wellness company buys Kentucky CBD maker in latest acquisition

Maryland

• Ethos Cannabis enters Maryland market with acquisition of three local dispensaries
• Case challenging MD regulators’ medical cannabis decisions dismissed by federal judge

Michigan

• Michigan criminal record expungement bills head to Whitmer’s desk
• Regulators issue health and safety advisory bulletin about the presence of Vitamin E acetate in cannabis vape cartridges

Minnesota

• Second Congressional District race delayed after death of Legal Marijuana Now candidate

Mississippi

• Where do the Mississippi US House candidates stand on the issues?

Missouri

• Drug Policy Reform in Missouri: City-Level Progress, Severe Headwinds
• Missouri marijuana czar donated to opponent of state rep who investigated him

Montana

• Montana recreational marijuana ballot measure would allow only local operators

Nebraska

• Legal Marijuana Now submits petition to become new state party
• ‘The future of hemp is bigger than anything I’ve ever seen’: Schwarz family harvests first hemp crop

Nevada

• The+Source to host cannabis and quarantine educational seminar
• Nevada Dispensary Association Announces New Executive Director, Layke Martin
• Nevada regulators approve complaints against several cannabis companies
• Nevada regulators extend expiration date for cannabis temporary agent cards

New Jersey

• Pro-marijuana legalization group launches first ad
• New Jersey Marijuana Campaign Launches First Ad As Poll Shows Support For Legalization Referendum
• NJ marijuana legalization: Ocean County freeholders face public opposition over anti-pot stand

New Mexico

• A massive hemp empire is accused of growing illegal cannabis and sowing violence on Navajo reservation
• Joint Committee Of State Lawmakers Weighs Pot Legalization’s Economic Potential
• Albuquerque Journal asked several New Mexico House and Senate candidates about their positions on cannabis policy

North Carolina

• Poll shows majority of North Carolinians support legalization of medical cannabis

Ohio

• Stark County area residents find pain relief with cannabis treatment
• Ohio now rivals Michigan in retail price for medical marijuana flower

Oklahoma

• Metrc Awarded Oklahoma Seed to Sale Contract

Oregon

• Agency: OR Cannabis Businesses Impacted By Wildfires Ineligible For Federal Relief
• Oregon’s top 20 agricultural commodities list doesn’t include hemp – yet
• Oregon Cannabis Sales Spike Could Continue As Consumers ‘Permanently Adjust Their Behavior’ Following COVID
• Oregon Democratic Party Endorses Legal Psilocybin Therapy And Drug Decriminalization Ballot Measures
• WATCH: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) speaks about need to reform cannabis laws in House floor speech (CSPAN)

Pennsylvania

• Penn. Gov. Tom Wolf Pushes for Legalization in Fall Legislative Agenda
• Recreational Marijuana In PA: Gov Wants It, But How Likely Is It?

Rhode Island

• Providence mayor: Potential in using pot revenue to fund housing as form of reparations
• Inside the CBD Center of Rhode Island

South Dakota

• South Dakota Voters Support Medical And Recreational Marijuana Initiatives, New Opposition Poll Finds
• Marijuana Accounts For One In Ten South Dakota Arrests, New Report Shows Ahead Of Legalization Vote

Tennessee

• Tennessee’s Volunteer Botanicals Breaks Ground on New R&D Headquarters

Texas

• Texas Ban On Smokable Hemp Lifted Until 2021, Judge Rules
• Texas regulators releases a list of approved hemp labs

Virginia

• Virginia decrim makes weed fine lowest in nation

Washington

• Seattle Area May Shift Cannabis Funds from Sheriff’s Office

West Virginia

• West Virginia House Candidates Pledge To Bring ‘Nation’s Strongest Cannabis Bill’ If Elected

International

Africa

• Zimbabwe: AMA granted permission to issue mbanje trade permits
• Kenya: Olekina calls for legalisation of bhang

Asia

• Philippines: Duterte Defends Drug War, Anti-Terrorism Law, But Tempers Tone
• Hong Kong’s first CBD cafe opens its doors to customers

Australia

• Cannabis regulation and policy in Australia
• Product testing in Australia reveals inconsistencies over cannabinoid potency
• GW Pharmaceuticals cannabis drug gets regulatory OK in Australia

Canada

• Canadian Cannabis Sales Accelerate in July to $232 Million
• National Cannabis Working Group calls on government to embrace another kind of ‘green recovery’ in fall Speech from the Throne and budget
• Canadian marijuana company Aurora ends fiscal year with CA$3.3B loss
• BC cannabis sector getting farm-gate – but not until 2022
• Consumer packaged goods giant Unilever inks distribution deal with Canadian CBD maker

Europe

• Swiss cities authorised to distribute cannabis for scientific studies
• Drugs gangs go digital to boost trade during Covid pandemic as cocaine seizures hit European high
• London-based manager aims to raise Europe’s biggest cannabis fund
• Swiss food giant Nestlé enters European CBD market with softgel launch

Israel

• Israel to increase import requirements, limiting cannabis export opportunities
• Israel medical cannabis patient count hits record as imports soar
• Australian firm to purchase and export synthetic cannabinoid from Israel

Mexico

• Exclusive: President Behind Mexico’s War on Drugs Admitted It Was ‘Unwinnable’

New Zealand

• Election 2020: School principals split over legalising cannabis
• New Zealand divided over historic marijuana vote
• Could innovation save the economy? Ardern tries hemp ice cream in Palmerston North

South America

• Colombia lawmakers seek to take control of cocaine market. It’s a long shot
• Colombian government declares medical cannabis industry to be a Project of National and Strategic Interest
• Khiron Becomes First Company to Sell Medical Cannabis in Peru
• Uruguay blames administrative error for cannabis export confusion

UK

• UK food regulators reject CBD as narcotic, stand by novel food deadline
• U.K. Docs: ‘Utterly Deceitful’ to Withhold Medical Cannabis
• Current drug policy is failing, it’s time we treat addiction as a health issue instead of a criminal justice one
• Medical cannabis companies cleared for London stock market
• UK Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform and Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group endorse legalizing cannabis and decriminalizing drugs