News Roll Up: Vermont Expungement Rules Go Into Effect + NH High Court Rules on Psychedelics + Killer Mike Pushes Biden on Weed

“I’m excited to see what it will look like on the East Coast when cannabis is finally accepted into our culture, and people who use it are treated like the law-abiding citizens they are in terms of their employment, their housing, and their general right to live freely… I think that’s coming.”
— Shaleen Title, outgoing Massachusetts Cananbis Control Commissioner
Welcome To The Weekly Roll Up
A Compendium of The Week’s Cannabis News
Vermont
⭐ Illinois Expunges Nearly Half A Million Cannabis Arrests – Four Years Ahead Of Schedule
⭐ New Hampshire Supreme Court Supports Freedom for Psychedelic Use in Religious Ceremonies
⭐ Heady Launches Free Webinars To Promote Participation in VT’s Legal Cannabis Industry
📅 RSVP Now: Petitioning Your Selectboard For A Cannabis Retail Opt-In Vote
Zoom Webinar on Thursday, January 7 at 12 p.m.
Other Vermont Cannabis + Hemp News:
- Vermont regulators began contactless records inspections for hemp businesses
- Racial Justice Advocates Want Representation in Vermont’s Pot Industry
- Vermont Hemp Store, Local Farms Join Forces
- Vermont Accepts Applications for Cannabis Control Board
- Man, woman accused of paying teen with marijuana for shoveling driveways
- Lyndon Residents To Consider Marijuana Shop Question At Town Meeting
- Newport City To Vote On Cannabis Retail Ordinance
- Bratteboro voters to get cannabis vote in March
- CBP Press Release: CBP in Vermont Seizes over 1400 pounds marijuana
- $3.8 million in weed en route from Quebec to Vermont seized at US border
More VT News:
- 10 pivotal news stories that marked 2020 in Vermont
- Burlington mayor vetoes police oversight ballot item
- Vt. officials concerned by reduced federal vaccine allocation
- Review finds rampant sexual misconduct at Vt. women’s prison
- COVID-19 takes center stage in a busy year for Montpelier
- Investigation underway into death of Vermont inmate
- Vermont deer hunters had successful 2020 season
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Regional
Maine
- It may be legal, but high prices and inconvenience may drive black-market pot for years
- Farmers lose hope – and money – in race to build Maine’s hemp market
- Maine’s largest cannabis company sues to open state’s MMJ market to outsiders
Massachusetts
- Recreational marijuana brought in $14.9 million in tax revenue for Mass. cities and towns as industry enters third year
- Two New Members Appointed to Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission
- Boston Globe: Q&A with outgoing cannabis commissioner Shaleen Title
- Massachusetts Medical Society reverses course on marijuana
- Marijuana home delivery set to start in 2021
- Western Mass. Cannabis Industry Preps For Neighboring Legalization
New Hampshire
⭐ NH Supreme Court Upholds Religious Freedom To Use Psychedelic Mushrooms
New York
- New York Lawmakers Prefile Eight Marijuana Bills For 2021 As State Pursues Legalization
- Marijuana legalization looms in New York as deficit balloons
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Dismiss All Charges Against Bruce Prosper Jr. and Family
National
2020 In Review
⭐ Cannabis Goes From Stigmatized to Essential: 2020 in Review
⭐ 2020 Year in Review: NORML’s Top Ten Events in Marijuana
⭐ Marijuana Sales Data Reveal Americans Bought 67% More Weed to Survive 2020
⭐ 20 charts that illustrate the 2020 marijuana market
- US Cannabis Sales Approach $18 Billion, Up 67% from 2019
- Marijuana growers look back on a year that saw a pandemic, wildfires, extreme weather and more
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Advocacy
- N.J. couple’s baby was taken after N.C. traffic stop. They’ve been trying for weeks to get him back.
- Millions Bear the Stigma of a Marijuana Conviction — It’s Time to Expunge Them
- What Trump’s Pardon Means For This Man Who Served 13 Years In Prison For Marijuana
- 2020 NORML Victories
Animals
Arts/Entertainment
⭐ Killer Mike says Black people deserve a “big stake” in the cannabis industry
- Comedian Joe Rogan’s podcast signs advertising deal with cbdMD
- Snoop Dogg’s Casa Verde Capital Closes on $100 million as the Cannabis Industry Bounces Back
- Japanese actor Yusuke Iseya given suspended term for cannabis possession
- Rapper T.I. joins Viola as social justice and reform ambassador
Banking
Business
⭐ Multi-State Marijuana Regulators Association Expands And Sets Policy Priorities
⭐ What Industries are Set to Boom with the Increased Legalisation of Cannabis
- SPACs pump hundreds of millions of dollars into US cannabis industry through acquisitions
- Lack of standards, dubious business practices threaten to upend cannabis testing industry
- Cannabis Industry Spotlight: Leaders Share Predictions For 2021
- Cannabis M&A activity intensifies as investor sentiment brightens since November election
- Marijuana MSO MedMen fights to turn around finances, but challenges linger
CBD & Hemp
⭐ Legal Hemp, Notably CBD, Generates Astonishing Revenues. So Why Is The Industry Struggling So Hard?
⭐ HIA: Higher THC limit a ‘prerequisite’ for hemp industry stability
⭐ US hemp industry continues to face problems of oversupply, murky regulation
- Eye drops, inhalers targeted in latest round of FDA CBD warnings
- Midwest Hemp Is Still Getting Its Footing, But Growers Aren’t Giving Up Yet
- Making the Case for CBD in Convenience Stores
- Canopy Growth Says GW Pharma Infringed On CBD Extraction Patent In Federal Lawsuit
Coronavirus/COVID-19
- How the pandemic has intensified our connection to the outdoors
- Can Cannabis help ease the mind in the age of COVID-19?
- COVID Is Killing the Cocaine Market, But People Are Smoking More Weed
Culture
- Connie Chung Unloads on Donald Trump, Dan Rather, Dave Letterman and TV’s Most Competitive Women
- Study: Folklore structure reveals how conspiracy theories emerge, fall apart
- Cannabiscapes: Exploring Cannabis Culture Through Flower-Based Art
- 15 Weed Books That Illuminate, Demystify, and Celebrate Cannabis
- What if I want to enjoy weed, but just can’t?
- The History of Blunts
Education
⭐ Congressional Package Repeals Ban on Student Aid to Those With Past Drug Convictions
- Education and Cannabis: The Great Unifiers
- Higher education now offers pathways into marijuana industry
- FIU Offers Online Course on Hallucinogens and Psychedelic Drugs
Federal
- FDA & FTC Begin Crackdown Over CBD Marketing Claims
- IRS Official Notes Pot Legalization’s Momentum In Tax Compliance Industry Webinar
- DEA might start issuing cannabis cultivation permits in early 2021
- Pot Research Bill Would Have Little Impact On Federal Budget, Analysts Say
- Congressional Ban On Mailing E-Cigarettes Appears To Cover Marijuana Vapes
Growing and Making
- How to Set up Your Own Cannabis Grow Room
- What Is Hydroponic Gardening?
- How to make a cannabis-infused Extra Green Matcha Latte
- Small-Batch Anti-Anxiety CBD Cookies
Health and Wellness
Hypocrisy, Prevarication, and Outright Lies
Legalization
⭐ How state marijuana legalization became a boon for corruption
⭐ These States Are The Most Likely To Legalize Marijuana In 2021
⭐ Pot Advocates Raise Alarm Over Social Equity Problem In House-Passed Legalization Bill
- New Jersey Adult-Use Legalization Puts Pressure on Neighboring States
- United Nations Removes Cannabis from Schedule I, is the United States next?
- Why The US Has Made A Complete Mess Of Partial Marijuana Legalization (So Far)
- Mississippi And South Dakota Officials Defend Marijuana Ballot Measures Against Legal Challenges
Podcasts
- USDA Podcast: Hemp Crop Insurance–A New Frontier
- Ganjapreneur: Kenny Wright: How Smoke Shops Adapt to Cannabis Reforms
- Canadian Hemp & Cutting Edge CBD Research
- Enhance Your Life Podcast – Dial A Cannabis Nurse: How A Free Hotline Answers All Your Weed Questions
Politics
⭐ Marijuana banking excluded from $900 billion coronavirus relief package
⭐Congressional Democrats Tout Marijuana Legalization Vote as Key Civil Rights Win in 2020
- McConnell blocks Democrats’ bid to bring bill for $2,000 checks
- Sen. Rand Paul Files Bill to Bolster US Hemp Industry
- Pot Legalization Could Advance Even Under McConnell, Top Senate Democrat Says
- Mitch McConnell Cheers Lack Of Marijuana Banking Protections In New COVID Bill
- President Trump pardons a handful of additional people for pot and other drug offenses
Psychedelics
⭐ 2020: A Year In Review For The Psychedelic Renaissance
⭐ Best Music Playlists For Psychedelic Therapy Are Explored In New Johns Hopkins Study
- Charles Wininger: Why We Should Listen To Ecstasy and Other Psychedelics
- The Potential (and Peril) of Legalizing Psychedelics
- What psychedelics taught me about healing trauma
- From adaptogens to psychedelics: What’s next for wellness’ mushroom obsession
- Big pharma is about to tune in to the potential of psychedelics
Social Justice
⭐ So, You’ve OK’d Shrooms and Defunded the Police. Now What?
⭐ Killer Mike Challenges Joe Biden To Adopt Bernie Sanders’s Legalization Plan
⭐ Celebrities, cash and questions: A new force roils the cannabis prisoner-release movement
- What a Decade as an African American in the Cannabis Business Has Taught Me
- A Look at BIPOC’s Ability to Access Capital and Income
- Kim Foxx’s vision: Automatically erase more serious convictions for weed dealing, expunge drug dealer convictions
- COVID is pushing thousands of Chinese immigrant workers into the cannabis industry, sometimes leading to exploitation
- Op-ed: Illinois’ booming cannabis business is leaving people of color behind
- Washington Social Equity Task Force Votes to Center Anti-Black Racism
Sports
- How Decriminalizing Marijuana At Federal Level Could Boost Interstate Sports Betting Compacts
- Halftime Report | Retired athletes jumping high into the cannabis industry
- NBA’s cannabis testing halt could lead to end of prohibition
- NBA Could Permanently End Marijuana Tests So It Doesn’t Become ‘Big Brother,’ Commissioner Says
- The Evolution of the MLB’s Policy on CBD and Cannabis
- Baseball is changing marijuana testing, too late for some
Studies and Surveys
⭐ Just one psychedelic experience may help reduce racial injustice-related trauma
- A study found that “cannabinoids can enhance the regenerative capacity of two major sources of stem cells.“
- study found that cannabis oil extract “possesses remarkable in vivo and in vitro anti-inflammatory activities.”
- A study found that Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid “markedly alleviates liver fibrosis and inflammation in mice.”
- A study found that “chronic cannabis use can significantly dampen stress reactivity in female rats.”
- A review demonstrated “potential therapeutic benefit with minimal physical and neurocognitive risk for the use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in [treatment-resistant] PTSD.”
Women
⭐ Boston Globe: Q&A with outgoing cannabis commissioner Shaleen Title
⭐ Radha Blank Explores Art, Racism, Midlife Crisis and More in ‘The Forty-Year-Old Version’
- ‘Miss Representation’: Stoner Women On Film And TV
- Cindy De La Vega: Operating a Community-Focused Social Equity Retailer
- Healing Our Communities With Psychedelic Solutions
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States
Arizona
- Arizona Adult-Use Sales Could Begin in March
- Flying off the shelves at $8,000 per pound: Premium pot growers find niche in Arizona
- Do AZ Cities That Ban Marijuana Still Get Tax Revenue from Statewide Sales?
California
- 2020: An Essential Year for the Cannabis Industry
- California’s next Senator Alex Padilla did a PSA with Cheech Marin
- The Emerald Triangle in California, explained
- California’s marijuana tax money used to combat impaired driving
- Nearly 60 Los Angeles cannabis businesses poised to lose licenses on New Year’s Day
- New San Diego cannabis bureau aims to foster growing industry
Colorado
- Pandemic Fertilizes Record Pot Sales in Colorado
- The Push to Diversify Colorado’s Cannabis Industry
- Pot delivery, social equity reform and other Colorado cannabis trends to watch in 2021
- Schwazze acquires six Colorado cannabis stores for $37 million
Florida
- Legalize marijuana campaigns in Florida move ahead. But will politicians back recreational pot?
- Florida man tries to chew weed and get rid of evidence to avoid arrest
- Dustin ‘Mr. Cannabis Law’ Robinson, The Attorney Advocating For Psychedelics Reform In Florida
Georgia
- Georgia’s Election Might Determine the Future of Marijuana
- Georgia Senate Candidate Pitches Marijuana Legalization Plan To Young Voters On TikTok
Idaho
Illinois
- First year of legal marijuana in Illinois generated big bucks but no new minority license holders
- Judge rules against pot grower applicants seeking licenses
- Illinois judge upholds state craft grow license delay
Iowa
- Iowa’s Chuck Grassley advances a boon for medical marijuana
- Pivotal year for pot, even in prohibitionist Iowa
- Iowa County Starts Program to Prevent Criminal Records for Cannabis Users
Kentucky
Maryland
- Maryland Lawmaker Files Marijuana Legalization Bill Ahead of 2021 Session
- Maryland-based cannabis firm Green Leaf Medical to be acquired
Michigan
- Michigan’s cannabis reforms and commutations are a good first step, but advocates say more work must be done
- Marijuana and Muslim religion clash as 2nd dispensary slips into Michigan town
- Decades-Long Prison Sentence For Marijuana Cut Short By MI Gov’s Commutation
- Gov. Whitmer grants clemency to four Michigan prisoners
- Veterinarians Can Consult On Marijuana And CBD Therapy For Pets
- What will cannabis consumption lounges look like in Michigan?
Minnesota
Missouri
- Missouri Lawmaker’s New Bill Would Put Marijuana Legalization On 2022 Ballot
- Kansas City dispensaries finally got marijuana gummies. But they’re already all gone
- Missouri judge throws out challenge to marijuana cultivation license limits
Montana
Nebraska
New Jersey
- The Garden State Plants East Coast Adult-Use Cannabis
- The Fight Over Who Gets to Sell Weed in New Jersey
- New Jersey Mayors Surveyed About Pot As State Prepares To Implement Legalization
- N.J.’s pot industry is set to take off. Who can play? What do employers need to know?
- New Jersey Pot Bills Hit Snag Over Underage Penalties As Enactment Date Nears
- Murphy wants tickets with fines for underage weed use before he’ll sign legalization bill
New Mexico
- NM cannabis industry group gives priorities for a legalization bill
- Legalization advocates optimistic for next year
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
- Why medical marijuana in Pennsylvania is some of the most costly in the U.S.
- PA Courts Issue Several Decisions Clarifying Employee Rights for Medical Cannabis Patients
- Pennsylvania K-12 Students Will Learn About Hemp As A Sustainable Material, State Announces
- Cannabis workers in Pennsylvania ratify UFCW union contract
Rhode Island
- As Rhode Island Moves To Legalize Marijuana In 2021, State Leaders Back Private Sales Model
- 45 companies seek to open a cannabis dispensary in Rhode Island
- Rhode Island gets 45 applications for medical cannabis dispensary licenses
South Dakota
- Sides make their points on whether South Dakota’s marijuana amendment was valid
- Arguments Filed in South Dakota Cannabis Suit
Tennessee
Texas
- High aspirations: Marijuana bills look to push Texas toward decriminalization, legalization in 2021
- Advocates hope to change Texas’ restrictive medical marijuana program
Virginia
- 2 medical cannabis companies serving Virginia to merge
- Report: Cannabis Legalization Could Generate $1.2B In Economic Activity for Virginia
Washington
- Black-owned pot shops are rare in WA. Can a task force fix that?
- Shawn Kemp called himself Seattle’s first Black cannabis shop owner. But is he?
- Seattle Times: End federal barrier to researching marijuana
- Seattle Times: Executives no longer spooked by cannabis jobs
Washington, D.C.
West Virginia
- New year rings in new laws in West Virginia
- Harrison County Commission to Discuss Medical Cannabis Facility
Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Governor Floats Marijuana Legalization In 2021 Budget To Boost Economy
- Madison to Wisconsin: We’re Doing Cannabis Laws Our Way
- Illinois weed: Wisconsin police monitoring recreational marijuana across state line but see no major impacts yet
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International
Africa
- New appetite for cannabis economy in stark contrast to South Africa’s earlier stance
- Reps mull imprisonment for farmers, sellers, smokers of Indian Hemp in Nigeria
Asia
- Dept pushing for cannabis use in Thai traditional medicines
- Decriminalization of Narcotics Clarified by Thailand’s Ministry
- Cannabis gets closer to public medical use in Thailand
- Guam cannabis board chair: Where is data behind tourism fears?
- Goa, India govt’s law dept gives nod for marijuana cultivation for medicinal purposes
- ‘Not interested’: Goa CM scuttles proposal to allow cannabis cultivation
- Hong Kong drugs chief rules out legalization of cannabis
Australia
- Australia weighs wide-ranging medical cannabis reforms
- Australia is Getting Over-the-Counter CBD in 2021…But Not Much
Canada
- Medical cannabis registrations surge in Canada amid pandemic
- How Canada’s legal pot rules could change in 2021
- One in seven Canadian cannabis users grow their own pot: Study
- Global Pot Entrepreneurs Lured by Canada
- Canopy, Aphria cited for ‘critical’ cannabis regulatory breaches in 2018, new Health Canada report shows
Caribbean
Europe
- Switzerland moves to allow production, marketing of hemp seeds
- The Crisis of Marijuana Criminalization in Italy
- EU drug agency flags CBD market issues in report on low-THC cannabis products
- The European Union Is Going To Be A Major Driving Force for CBD in 2021
- European Medical Cannabis Sector, Mapped For The First Time
- Most Germans Still Oppose Cannabis Legalization
Israel
- Israeli supermarket giant to sell low-cost medical cannabis
- Mobilizing marijuana: Israel’s cannabis industry prepares to go legit
Mexico
- Mexico Set to Become World’s Largest Legal Cannabis Market
- Prosecutor: Legalizing marijuana will double number of addicts in Mexico
New Zealand
South America
- Australia’s Creso Pharma cleared to sell CBD pet product line in Uruguay
- Higher Standards, Kaya’s Cannabis Retail Experience In Uruguay Is A Feast For The Senses
- Uruguayan Cannabis Co. Fotmer Life Sciences Signs Supply Agreement With Israel-Based Canndoc
UK