“Minor drug offenses shouldn’t ruin people’s lives, but the failed drug policies in this country tear families apart and target communities of color. I’ve seen the damage done.”

— Rep. Deb Haaland, Nominated as First-Ever Indigenous Secretary of the Interior

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

Vermont

⭐ VT’s Highest Court Hears Arguments in ACLU Case on Vermonters’ Constitutional Rights in Border Patrol Searches

⭐ VT Accepting Applications For Top Cannabis Control Board Spots; Deadline Dec 30

⭐ Survey: Smoking Cannabis Remains the Primary Method of Administration for Consumers

⭐ Recipe: Ganja Gummies

⭐Middlebury First Town in VT To Approve Act 164 Cannabis Dispensary Opt-in Vote
⭐ House Passes Bipartisan Bill To Expand Clinical Cannabis Research
⭐ New Jersey Lawmakers Send Bills to Governor Enacting Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization

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Dismiss All Charges Against Bruce Prosper Jr. and Family

VT Cannabis News:

• VTDigger: Middlebury is the first town to vote on retail marijuana sales
• Marijuana Moment: VT Gov Seeks Applicants To Implement Legal Sales Program
• BFP: Want to be a marijuana regulator in Vermont? Here’s your chance
• MJBizDaily: Vermont looking to launch recreational cannabis regulatory board
• VTDigger: Gov. Phil Scott opens application for Cannabis Control Board
• St. Albans Messenger: Pot shops in our downtowns?
• Vermont Supreme Court hears arguments in key Border Patrol search case
• FlowerShop’s JB Sugar on Building an Ad Platform for Cannabis

Other Vermont news:

• New data shows racial disparities in Vt. COVID-19 rates
• VTDigger: As death toll reaches 100, Vermont gears up for first round of vaccinations
• VTDigger: Tarnished Badge: Dishonesty, ethical issues dog dozens of VT police officers
• Vermont House Decides To Cancel In-Person Start To 2021 Legislative Session
• NECN: The Nor’easter Dropped Almost 4 Feet of Snow on This Vermont Town
• The nor’easter dumped tons of snow in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Here’s how much.

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Regional

Maine

• Maine communities support adult-use marijuana businesses, divided on retail
• Medicinal Cannabis Has Quickly Become Maine’s Most Valuable Crop
• Commentary: Mainers benefit most from medical cannabis
• Should Kittery allow marijuana stores? Petition says yes

Massachusetts

• Massachusetts pot retailers get OK to sell hemp-derived products
• Massachusetts fills two open seats on state Cannabis Control Commission
• MA’s first pot delivery biz is in Taunton: What Freshly Baked will be bringing to doorsteps
• Brookline’s NETA looking to open Route 9 medical marijuana outpost

New Hampshire

• Cannabis ‘most commonly’ captured drug in Hampshire as seizures rise

New York

• Marijuana Legalization Would Raise Revenue To Fill Budget Hole, NY Governor Says
• Legal weed: New York must join the cannabis pack | Opinion
• States to Watch in 2021: New York

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National

⭐ Rand Paul, of All People, Files Bill To Raise Hemp THC Limit, Address Industry Concerns

⭐ Illinois, other states banking on recreational cannabis tax revenue

⭐ How the Georgia Runoffs Could Shape Cannabis Reform

⭐ Top Prosecutor In Oregon’s Largest County Ends Drug Possession Cases Following Decrim Vote

Advocacy

• Man Given Life Sentence for $20 Cannabis Sale Released From Prison

Animals

• How CBD Helped My Dogs Live Longer

Arts/Entertainment

• Chelsea Handler On Cannabis, Her New HBO Max Special, Therapy And Psychedelics: ‘I’m Very Pro Drugs’
• Rapper T.I. Invests In Harvest Connect To Grow Georgia’s Cannabis Industry
• T.I. named Social Justice and Reform Ambassador of Viola
• Clio Cannabis Honors Last Prisoner Project+Snoop Dogg, Unveils 2020 Award Winners
• Martha Stewart Decorates Marijuana-Shaped Cookies for Christmas
• DJ Khaled Announces Another One With His Entrance Into The CBD Lifestyle & Wellness Sector

Banking

• How passage of the SAFE Banking Act could impact cannabis businesses
• Could marijuana banking, fraught with legal uncertainty, improve in 2021?
• Abaca announces merchant services for hemp and CBD businesses

Business

• How Cannabis Brands Are Preparing for a Christmas Green Rush
• Cannabis MSO Acreage names former top Pfizer executive as CEO
• Cannabis Industry Insiders Look Ahead To 2021
• How Brands Will Take Center Stage as the Cannabis Industry Grows
• Cannabis Companies Raise Funds and Spirits in the Season of Giving
• Executives no longer spooked by pot jobs

CBD & Hemp

⭐ Federal Trade Commission Announces Crackdown On ‘Deceptively Marketed’ CBD

⭐ DEA wins latest round against hemp operators in extraction case

⭐ Proposal in USA would lift THC barrier for hemp to full 1.0%

• Grant Awarded For Simpler, More Cost-Effective THC Testing
• FTC announces first monetary sanctions for CBD medical claims, says to expect more
• Hemp Plastic Packaging: Talking Hemp Plastic With Sana Packaging
• Project CBD: Liberate CBD from the Farm Bill!

Coronavirus/COVID-19

⭐ Here’s How CBD Companies Have Fared Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Is The Cannabis Smokers’ Circle Doomed In A Post-COVID World?
• Coronavirus Spike Creates Risk For Cannabis MSOs
• How to cut out alcohol, weed and drugs during the pandemic
• Getting Cozy With Cannabis During the Holidays

Culture

⭐ The History of Ways to Smoke Weed

• SXSW Unveils 2021 Fest Speakerst: Climate, cannabis, creativity featured in initial drop
• Gianna Lauren Is a Canadian Cannabis Hero
• Meet Captain Cannabis, the First Weed Superhero

Education

• Medical cannabis master’s program at University of Maryland sees growth since launch
• AZ’s Gateway Community College offers courses in cannabis business training

Federal

• DEA Issues Final Rule For Licensing More Growers Of Marijuana for Research
• WSJ: DEA Widens Path for Medical Marijuana Research
• Fresh Toast: FTC Announces Crackdown On CBD

Food & Beverage

• Cannabis drinks to spice up holiday Zoom calls
• How to make a cannabis-infused sleepy CBD hot toddy
• Recipe: Ganja Gummies
• Get Your Holiday Edible Game On

Growing and Making

• 4 Tips for Profitable Solventless Extraction
• Leafly Reveals The Top Cannabis Strain Of The Year
• 6 Trimming Questions with Sara Morse
• Beasters: What The Heck Are They?

Hypocrisy, Prevarication, and Outright Lies

• Is There a Second Stimulus Check Coming? Mitch McConnell Touts Relief ‘Progress’

Insurance

• THC 2.0? Delta-8, the up-and-coming cannabinoid to watch in 2021
• Insuring Cannabis Summit: Industry at Diversity Crossroads

Law Enforcement

⭐ VTDigger: VT Supreme Court weighs case that focuses on Border Patrol’s authority

• Marijuana Hidden In Shampoo Bottle At Logan Airport: TSA

Legalization

⭐  Poll: Voters In States That Passed Pot Measures Say Federal Legalization Is ‘Inevitable’

⭐ Opinion: Federal Cannabis Legalization Hinges On Georgia’s Special Elections

⭐ Why Jersey’s Adult Use Program Will Ignite East Coast Cannabis | The Legal Intelligencer

• Senate Passes Marijuana Research Bill One Week After House Approves Similar Legislation
• 5 Lessons the U.S. Can Learn From Canadian Cannabis Legalization.
• The House Passes MORE Act, Medical Marijuana Research Act. Will It Matter?
• Marijuana legalization may get a big push next year, if only for the fact that governments could really use the tax cash

Podcasts

• Center Stage: The mom pushing to legalize marijuana in Wisconsin is no pothead
• Florida Ag Commissioner Leans Into Cannabis Legalization
• Antonio Frazier: How Consumer Safety Helps Destigmatize Cannabis

Politics

⭐ Vice: GA Senate Runoffs Will Decide ‘Whether Weed Gets Legalized,’ Cory Booker Says

⭐ In Historic Move, Biden To Pick Native American Rep. Haaland As Interior Secretary

• Fresh Toast: How the Georgia Runoffs Could Shape Cannabis Reform
• Democrats Have a Problem. ‘Workers, Wages, Weed’ May Be the Answer.
• Emerald Mag: Will the Electoral College be Abolished?
• Emerald Mag: House Votes to Expand Cannabis Research

Psychedelics

⭐ How Dr. Bronner’s CEO Turned into an Epic Champion of Psychedelics Reform

• Revive Therapeutics: The Psychedelics Company Working On A Covid-19 Treatment
• Oakland Urges California To Decriminalize Psychedelics, Allow Healing Ceremonies
• Holiday Gift Guide 2020: What To Buy The Psychonaut On Your List
• Do Psychedelics Make Us More Peaceful?
• How to Process a Psychedelic Experience

Social Justice

⭐ Emerald Mag: Richard Delisi Released After Serving 31 Years for Non-Violent Pot Crime

• New Administration Could Provide Ideal Backdrop For Tribes Entering Cannabis Industry
• CO Springs Business Journal: Program aims to create social equity in cannabis industry
• A Close Look at the MORE Act’s Shortcomings on Social Equity
• EquityWorks is Devoted to Making Social Equity Work
• NJ lawmakers vote to legalize marijuana but harder work remains
• Long Beach’s cannabis industry lacks diversity—two men are determined to change that

Sports

• Is The NBA Close To Ending Its Ban On Marijuana?
• Is Cannabis a Performance Enhancing Drug?
• CBD and its Benefits among MMA Stars

Studies and Surveys

⭐ Inhaling Cannabis Is More Likely To Bring Relaxation Than Paranoia, Recent Study Finds

• Psychedelic study reveals how LSD changes the brain
• Medical cannabis eases seizures in childhood epilepsy
• Study: Long-Term Cannabis Use Associated with Reduced Symptoms of PTSD
• Recently completed trial tests tolerability of CBD and glucosamine in dogs

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States

Arizona

• Arizona announces draft rules for adult, recreational marijuana sales
• A dozen retail cannabis licenses could be up for grabs in Arizona

Arkansas

• Arkansas medical marijuana sales surpass 30,000 pounds, $200 million in sales
• Cannabis cultivator puts in roots at industrial park, plans 200 jobs

California

• California Is Closing in on $2 Billion in Cannabis Tax Revenue
• New CA cannabis health-warning label mandate could trigger swell of industry lawsuits
• Cannabis biz weathered 2020 better than many industries, but challenges persist
• Why Proposed LED Standards Could Affect California Cannabis in a Big Way
• Wildfires fail to singe bulk of California’s cannabis harvest in 2020
• California Court Bans Pot Billboard Advertising on All Highways That Cross State Line

Colorado

• Cannabis company to expand its Colorado production operations
• Program aims to create social equity in cannabis industry
• Colorado Reports Highest-Selling Year in State for Cannabis
• Colorado retail cannabis sales already eclipsing record-setting 2019

Connecticut

• U.S. House Marijuana Vote Spurs Connecticut Legalization Advocates

Florida

• Nikki Fried’s political committee asks donors to help her ‘push for cannabis legalization’
• Florida man serving 90-year sentence for selling pot released from prison
• Miami Beach faces new legal challenges over medical marijuana restrictions

Georgia

• Georgia’s Senate Runoffs Could Decide Federal Marijuana Policy In 2021: Here’s Where The Candidates Stand

Illinois

• State’s weed windfall from taxes rivals booze haul — and could surpass it next year
• Giant hemp grower to buy marijuana cultivation license in Illinois
• Deals show desire to cash in on Illinois weed market

Kentucky

• Beshear tells lawmakers to be ‘bold’ and pass betting bills, medical marijuana
• Kentucky Lawmaker Plans to Reintroduce Medical Cannabis Legalization Bill

Louisiana

• Louisiana man serving life sentence for $20 worth of marijuana released

Maryland

• Md. dispensary launches medical marijuana drive-thru
• Local employers, employees given tips regarding state’s MMJ program in the workplace
• Medical marijuana processing plant gets thumbs up in Princess Anne

Michigan

• Curbside cannabis pick-up could stick around in Michigan even after pandemic subsides
• Nuptials for budding marriage delivered at picture-perfect locale: a Michigan weed dispensary
• Chicago’s independent pot shops going up in smoke as New York cannabis giant moves to acquire Midway

Minnesota

• Marijuana and Minnesota: State is falling out of step

Mississippi

• Analysis: Lawsuit threatens Mississippi medical marijuana

Missouri

• Haves, have-nots of Missouri cannabis industry in conflict as dispensaries open
• Lawsuit Targets Residency Requirement For Missouri Medical Cannabis Licenses

Nebraska

• Lancaster County Attorney opposes new marijuana ballot initiative

Nevada

• Marijuana sales continue to bring in big bucks for Nevada

New Jersey

• New Jersey Lawmakers Send Marijuana And Psilocybin Bills to Governor
• NJ Legislature Puff, Puff, Passes Legal Weed Bill
• Pot is Legalized in NJ, But Growing At Home Is Still A Felony
• Atlantic City Casinos Will Probably Continue To Ban Marijuana
• 5 takeaways from New Jersey’s cannabis legalization bill
• Opinion: An equitable cannabis industry comes from lowering barriers to entry, not good intentions

New Mexico

• New Mexico panel recommends raising medical pot plant count
• 4 Investigates: Former medical marijuana dispensary employee sues employer for workplace retaliation

North Carolina

• Legal marijuana in North Carolina? Task force recommends state look into legalization

Ohio

• Ohio on pace to set record for drug deaths in 2020
• A More Just Way of Dealing with Drugs and Those They Harm
• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine opposes bill to reducing drug possession penalties, is open to changes

Oklahoma

• MJBizDaily: Oklahoma authorities shut down cannabis testing lab
• Throwback Tulsa: Oklahoma joins Nebraska in fight against Marijuana On This Day in 2014

Oregon

⭐ PopSci: The war on drugs didn’t work. Oregon’s plan might.

• Oregon leaders work to implement new drug decriminalization measure
• Oregon cannabis regulators ban additives first seen in vaping crisis, require more disclosure
• Deschutes County sues state over lack of payout of Oregon marijuana tax revenue

Pennsylvania

• Marijuana milestone: more than 100 dispensaries open in Pa.
• I’m a cannabis trimmer in Pennsylvania — here’s how I got my job – Business Insider

• Ethos Cannabis Opens Medical Dispensary in Hazleton, Pa.

South Carolina

• South Carolina Lawmakers Pre-File Medical Cannabis Reforms for 2021

South Dakota

• South Dakota is preparing for legal marijuana in the 2022 budget. Here’s how.

Texas

• Marijuana reform, voting rights among 5 bills to watch in Texas Legislature
• First-ever Taste of Texas Hemp Cup brings farmers to Hays County
• Dallas entrepreneur who sold company for millions indicted in large pot trafficking case

Virginia

• Virginia Governor’s Budget Funds Marijuana Expungements
• Virginia lawmakers focus on racial equity as they debate pot legalization
• Mayor Stoney writes letter to Gov. Northam supporting marijuana legislation
• Students see fewer arrests amid pot decrim, but legalization won’t stop college penalties
• Northern Virginia marijuana dispensary booked up, looking to expand

Washington

• Washington Cannabis Lab Suspended for Allegedly Inflating THC Results
• Washington State Could Legalize Marijuana Home Cultivation Under New Bill

 

International

Africa

• Africa’s Cannabis Decriminalisation Is Isolated But Financially Edible
• South Africa: Cannabis Grow Clubs Want Legal Clarity From High Court
• Legalize It: Developments in cannabis legislation threatens survival of illegal producers

Asia

• Why is Asia divided on a green light for medical marijuana?
• First medical marijuana tour in Southeast Asia next year

Australia

• Australia nixes prescription requirement for select CBD products
• Bill to decriminalise small amounts of MDMA, heroin, ice and other drugs to be introduced in ACT
• Call For Cannabis As Medicine Survey 2020 Participants

Bermuda: Bermuda plans adult-use, medical cannabis industry

Canada

• Canadian cannabis sales pick up pace to CA$270 million in October
• Canadian official: People growing too much pot at home
• The list of live resin producers in Canada is small, but growing
• Changes could be on the way for Canada’s cannabis regulations, Health Canada’s Special Access Program
• Aphria and Tilray to merge, creating CA$5 billion global cannabis giant
• Canada launches new cannabis consultations on beverages, labeling and research

Europe

• 2020 European Cannabis, Wrapped
• Low-Dose Cannabis Is Gaining Major Popularity in Europe
• Insurance-covered medical cannabis reimbursements decline again in Germany
• Medical Cannabis and CBD Regulations Are Becoming a Crucial Global Patchwork to Operations
• Israeli medical cannabis approved for export to Germany, France
• Ireland Approves International Shipments for Medical Cannabis Patients

Israel

• Cannabis industry prepares for Israeli legalization

Mexico

• Mexican President Says Marijuana Legalization Bill Delayed Due To ‘Mistakes’ In Text
• Mexico Amendments for Regulation of Cannabis
• Decriminalization Can End Mexico’s Drug Wars, Say Advocates

South America

• Avicanna Expands Into Ecuador, Exports First Seeds To Uruguay

UK

• First psychedelic healthcare fund launches in Britain
• UK reveals it’s withholding approval of BVI cannabis law over treaty obligations, upcoming talks

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