Legalizing cannabis is a racial & economic justice issue.

The MORE Act brings us one step closer to ending the failed war on drugs, but our work isn’t done.

The BIPOC communities who have been criminalized/over-policed must reap the financial rewards of the expanding industry.

— Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)

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

Vermont

⭐ U.S. House Passes Bipartisan Bill To Expand Clinical Cannabis Research

⭐ Middlebury First Town in VT To Approve Act 164 Cannabis Dispensary Opt-in Vote

⭐ Survey: Supermajority of Americans Support Expunging Cannabis-Related Convictions

⭐ US House of Representatives Approves Bill to Make Cannabis Legal in Historic Vote

Other Vermont cannabis & hemp news:

• VTDigger: After hemp hype, fewer growers and more long-term planning
• VPR: Gov Urges VTers To Pursue Mental Health, Addiction Treatment
• Newport Daily: Newport City Council Considers the sale of Cannabis in the City
• Ganjapreneur Podcast: Will Read: Normalizing Cannabis Through Smart Marketing

🚨  Have you signed the petition yet?🚨  
Dismiss All Charges Against Bruce Prosper Jr. and Family

• Vermont reports 119 Covid cases and 3 more deaths
• COVID-19 vaccine on the way to Vermont
• Vermont hospital chief: Vaccine could be available in 3 to 4 months
• Burlington retailers offer local delivery option
• Covid-19 outbreak closes police academy; 8 recruits test positive
• Vermont colleges post some of the nation’s lowest Covid-19 numbers
• Vermont Women’s Fund doubles down on COVID-19 support
• PPP forgiveness Webinars, mental health resources available
• State awards over $2.9 million in Community Development Grants
• Vermont rolling out COVID-19 stimulus for undocumented immigrants
• Vermont State Colleges System freezes tuition for 2021-2022

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Regional

Maine

• Medical Cannabis is Now Maine’s Most Lucrative Crop
• Two Months After Weed Roll Out, Maine Stores Struggle with Regulations
• Travelling With Legal Maine Weed Isn’t As Legal As You Think
• First adult-use marijuana store to open in Waterville

Massachusetts

• Cannabis legalization, backed by MA delegation, could put $7B dent in federal deficit
• Founders hope Chelsea pot store will be an engine of opportunity
• Legislature extends a lifeline to Massachusetts hemp farmers
• Cannabis users consumed more during pandemic, UMass Dartmouth study indicates

New Hampshire

• Roger Wood Explores the Future for Legalizing Pot With Matt Simon
• Health: The growth of marijuana as medicine in NH

New York

• ‘Problematic patchwork’ of state regulations governs hemp CBD market
• 190-acre Rensselaer County hemp farm hits the market

Looking for something to do this weekend?
Check out our Events calendar.

National

⭐ U.S. House Passes MORE Act

⭐ House Approves Marijuana Research Bill Days After Voting to Federally Legalize Cannabis

⭐ Man serving 90-year sentence for cannabis released from prison after 31 years

Advocacy

• Lawmakers And Advocates React To Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill’s Passage

Arts/Entertainment

• How celebs are fueling the mega cannabis trade
• Jay-Z Debuts Product Line for Cannabis Brand Monogram
• Nicole Kidman to endorse U.S. cannabis company
• will.i.am puts his name to CBD firm
• Joe Rogan Teams Up with Kill Cliff to Create the Flaming Joe

Business

• US cannabis sales hit record over Thanksgiving weekend
• For cannabis firms, challenges emerge for denials of PPP loan forgiveness
• Top five things to consider when designing a cannabis retail space
• Eight cannabis brands that are nailing holiday marketing
• Cannabis advertising platform Weedmaps going public with $1.5 billion valuation
• RPT-Lasting high? Cannabis industry aims to build on Thanksgiving rush
• 5 cannabis industry predictions for 2021 from MJBizDaily CEO Chris Walsh
• Stoner Myth Debunked: Workers Who Use Pot Do Not Have More Accidents

CBD & Hemp

⭐ Hemp and CBD Prices Are Tied to Policy Developments

⭐ USDA Expands Crop Insurance Pilot Program for Hemp

⭐ Market research firm: Lower CBD prices good for consumers, bad for brand loyalty

⭐ Researchers Develop Test to Determine Cannabinoid Dominance in Cannabis

• 3 Considerations for Small and Minority-Owned Hemp Businesses
• Hemp businesses cheer as US House votes to decriminalize cannabis
• Hemp Collective podcast: What you need to know about hemp CBD regulatory priorities in 2021
• Hemp: A Reintroduction To One Of The Original Textile Inputs
• Study: CBD oil could extend strawberries’ shelf life

Coronavirus/COVID-19

• Pandemic Stress and Isolation Are Changing Marijuana User Habits

Culture

• New Documentary ‘Billie’ Explores Mysteries Of Billie Holiday
• Netflix’s “Have A Good Trip: Adventures In Psychedelics” & 9 Other Eccentric Documentaries To Watch

Education

• U of Vermont to Cut 12 Majors, 11 Minors
• With job prospects growing, Stockton University is cosponsoring a career fair in the cannabis industry

Federal

• Biden’s Health Secretary Pick Could Help Reclassify Marijuana
• Federal TSA’s Instagram Rants About ‘Sticky-Icky-Icky’ Pot On National Brownie Day
• There’s a Responsible Way to End the Federal Marijuana Ban
• Federal drug-testing program unchanged despite new state pot laws: SAMHSA memo

Growing and Making

• Highest-CBD Cannabis Strains to Grow at Home
• A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Cannabis at Home
• The Importance of Molasses in Cannabis Plant Growth
• How To Use CBD In All Your Holiday Anxiety Baking | High
• Peanut Butter Cannabis Cookies | Recipe
• Cooking With Cannabis 101 – Cannabis-Infused Mac’ N’ Cheese

Health and Wellness

• Pain management seminar planned
• Cannabis For The Holiday Hangovers
• So Long, CBD—Delta-8 Is the Latest THC Substitute That’ll Help You Zen Out

Legalization

⭐ Cannabis Was the Quiet Hero of 2020

⭐ WaPo: Get with the program. Legalize weed.

• What Does MORE Act Mean for Truckers and Marijuana?
• The US Is About To Be Sandwiched Between 2 Countries With Legal Weed – Is It Next?
• US House passes historic bill to legalize marijuana at federal level, but Senate looms
• Cannabis got a big win in Congress, but legal weed isn’t around the corner
• Can Revenue From Legalized Recreational Marijuana Help States Close Budget Gaps?

Military/Vets

• Congress Cautions Military Leaders About Marijuana Punishments for Recruits In Defense Bill Report
• Creso Pharma’s secret weapon is a cannabis veteran who knows what cannabis enthusiasts want

Politics

⭐ How your U.S. lawmaker voted in the MORE Act

⭐ The US House just voted to decriminalize pot — but timid Dems don’t deserve an ovation

• NY Mag: Are Republicans Chilling Out on Legal Weed?
• LA Time: Looking for an issue to unite a divided nation? Try marijuana
• GOP Lawmaker Files Complaint Over Dem’s Pot Mask Worn During House Debate
• As More Red States Legalize Marijuana, Some Officials Try to Nip It in the Bud
• Poll: Majority Of Republican Voters Support House-Passed Cannabis Legalization Bill
• Poll: Embracing Pot Legalization Could Have Offset Democratic Election Losses

Psychedelics

⭐NPR: Progress Toward A Safer Psychedelic Drug To Treat Addiction, Depression

⭐ Rolling Stone: The Case for Macrodosing

• Psychedelics are gaining gradual acceptance by mainstream medicine
• Canada Will Let Health Care Professionals Legally Use Psychedelics
• Researchers Synthesise a Psychedelic That Could Treat Depression Without Hallucinations
• Archaeologists uncover evidence of psychedelics use at cave site
• Psychedelics Weren’t As Common in Ancient Cultures As We Think
• Psychedelic drug DMT to be trialled in UK to treat depression
• Tripping Reimagined: The Promise & Peril Of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
• Psychedelics Replace Pot as the New Favorite Edgy Investment

Social Justice

⭐ Why Advocates Say MORE Act Falls Short In Restorative Justice

⭐ Empowering Consumers To Support Social Equity In The Cannabis Industry

⭐ Legal marijuana is winning. But getting an arrest off your record isn’t so easy.

• Even With Programs in Place, Social Equity Potrepreneurs Lack Funding
• Millennial Environmental Activist Rolls Out Business To Help People Of Color In Cannabis Industry
• Social Responsibility and Supporting BIPOC in Cannabis: A Q&A with Ernest Toney, Founder of BIPOCANN

Sports

• Ex-UFC Star Ian McCall Taps Into Healing Magic of Psychedelics

Women

⭐  Psychedelic Industry Spotlight: DoubleBlind Founders Shelby & Madison are Dedicated to Fighting Prohibition

• The High Priestess: Healing With Cannabis and Community This Sagittarius Season
• More and More Teenagers and Women Are Smoking Cannabis

 

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States

Arizona

• Arizona cities might opt out of adult-use cannabis sales expansion
• 36 new Arizona dispensary licenses up for grabs as recreational pot becomes legal
• Chandler, Mesa look to join Gilbert in prohibiting recreational marijuana retail sales
• Pipe Dream? Arizona Man Believes Legal Loophole Lets Him Sell Pot Seeds

California

• Cannabis regulators call for loosening California rules
• Cali Pot Stores Still Essential, Can Remain Open During Latest COVID-19 Shutdown
• CA Should Decriminalize Psychedelics, Allow Healing Ceremonies, Oakland Resolution Says
• California’s first cannabis czar reflects on her time at the helm as she steps down
• California cannabis growers seek cheaper mixed-light license fees, saying current cost too high

Colorado

• Denver, Aurora considering recreational marijuana delivery for 2021
• Colorado reports record sales year for marijuana dispensaries

Florida

• What is the future of legal marijuana in Florida?
• Legislators push to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida
• FL lawmaker’s bill decriminalizes marijuana, creates pathway to clear prior convictions

Georgia

• Most Georgia Republicans skip marijuana decriminalization vote

Illinois

• ‘Epic failure’ of Illinois’ legal weed backers in Springfield to keep promises on diversity
• Illinois Cannabis Sales Flatten For First Time Since Coronavirus
• Cannabis Has A Booming Year, But Industry Argues It Could Be Much Bigger
• Bustos’ vote against legalizing marijuana has confused, angered some local constituents

Iowa

• As world moves forward on marijuana legalization, Iowa is stuck
• Illinois, Iowa farmers betting on the future of hemp

Kansas

• Historic House vote just first step for marijuana-legalization push in Kansas

Kentucky

• ERLC’s Moore says legalizing marijuana would be disastrous

Maryland

• House Votes To Decriminalize Marijuana; Marilyn Mosby Calls Move ‘Critical Step Toward More Fair’ Legal System
• Maryland’s Medical Cannabis Commission Expands Patient Services Under COVID-19

Michigan

• High Times to start selling cannabis products in Michigan
• Bill to allow Michigan veterinarians to discuss pet CBD, marijuana products with owners heads to governor
• Hammered out hemp rules go into effect
• Walled Lake marijuana dispensary temporarily closes because of COVID-19 infections

Mississippi

• Mississippi’s new Medical Marijuana program
• Mississippi Cannabis Trade Association announces formation
• Opinion: Migraine sufferers should be able to get medical marijuana in Mississippi

Missouri

• Missouri US House members vote along party lines for MORE Act
• Medical cannabis edibles production set to launch in Missouri
• Medical Cannabis Shortages Hit Missouri
• Missouri’s Medical Marijuana Program Sees 67K Eager Customers Wanting More

Nebraska

• Nebraska advocates aim for a marijuana legalization twofer in 2022

Nevada

• Las Vegas marijuana dispensaries adjust during pandemic

New Jersey

• Gov. Murphy, Lawmakers Say Deal Reached On Marijuana Bill
• New Jersey lawmakers agree on recreational marijuana legalization bill

New Mexico

• New Mexico panel recommends raising medical pot plant count
• New Mexico’s medical marijuana sales rise as prospects for recreational legalization improve

North Carolina

• Greensboro City Attorney to ‘get back to’ council on ‘easing up on pot enforcement’
• Current teams with NC State on cannabis lighting
• Politifact: NC Congressman wrong about marijuana reducing IQ

Ohio

• U.S. House passes bill to decriminalize marijuana over opposition from all Ohio Republicans

Oklahoma

• Rep. Kendra Horn sole Oklahoma vote to decriminalize marijuana at federal level

Oregon

• Cannabis equity advocates preview bill to create $100M Oregon program
• Oregon Just Decriminalized All Drugs – Here’s Why Voters Passed This Groundbreaking Reform

Pennsylvania

• Lt. Gov. Flies Weed Flag From Pennsylvania Capitol In Violation of State Law
• Cannabis proving to be a boon to Pa., but state and federal constraints remain
• Rep. Conor Lamb votes against MORE Act, a bill to decriminalize marijuana federally
• Meet the lieutenant governor pushing Democrats to get serious about weed

Rhode Island

• Application window for medical marijuana dispensary licenses set to close

South Dakota

• Gov Again Slams Voters’ Pot Decision, But Budget Funds Implementation Amid Lawsuit
• S.D. industrial-hemp rules get green light

Tennessee

• Tennessee’s hemp industry was booming before COVID-19. What’s happening to it now?

Texas

• Hemp extraction startup to set up shop in Cedar Park as local CBD supply chain takes shape
• West Texas hemp growers see successful first season as crop is prepared for market

Virginia

• Virginia officials talked with other states about legalizing adult use cannabis
• Governor Northam and cannabis policy experts weigh in on pot legislation

Washington

• How Black businesspeople were left out of Washington’s green gold rush after marijuana was legalized
• African-Americans largely left out of WA legal cannabis business

Wyoming

• Majority of Wyomingites now support marijuana legalization, survey finds

International

Africa

• What history teaches us about shaping South Africa’s new cannabis laws
• Why some young Nigerians are using cannabis as a normal part of life

Asia

• As NCB continues arrests, India votes at UN to declare cannabis a less dangerous drug
• Will India legalise cannabis after UN vote?
• Morocco votes ‘Yes’ in historic UN vote on rescheduling cannabis

Canada

• How Canada’s (Very White) Cannabis Industry Could Learn From Social Equity Programs In The U.S.
• Canopy Growth shuttering facilities across Canada, abandons outdoor marijuana cultivation
• Cannabis customers have been complaining Ontario’s pot is too dry
• Ontario to license cannabis stores faster as authorizations surpass 300
• Canadian cannabis greenhouse space in retreat as outdoor capacity doubles
• Pot shops cropping up across First Nations communities in legal grey zone

Europe

• Creso Pharma Applauds US House’s Marijuana Vote, Plans Eventual Entry to US Market
• BBC: Why Europe’s big cannabis route is so hard to shut
• Germany’s growing medical cannabis extract market attracts competition
• Slovakian government OKs amendment to remove CBD from drug list

Israel

• Israel May Soon Legalize Recreational Cannabis

Jamaica

• A whiff of good news for Jamaica’s ganja

Mexico

• Supreme Court Extends Deadline To Legalize Pot, As Lawmakers Advance Bill
• Mexican Lawmakers Want Another Marijuana Legalization Deadline Delay

South America

• Brazil postpones evaluation of CBD formulation for medical coverage

UK

• Mince pies made with cannabis oil launched by Great British Bake Off star
• ‘Abuse of power’: UK ripped for British Virgin Islands cannabis law delay
• Could UK’s Covid crisis lead to cannabis legalisation?