Cannabis News

[macbill]

A Brief Global History of the War on Cannabis

The reality is that marijuana has been controversial for almost as long as humans have been farming it. Many societies throughout history have banned cannabis cultivation and use. What many of these crackdowns and prohibitions have in common is social and economic inequality, or a distrust of the unknown. When members of a minority or lower class embrace marijuana use, the ruling class moves to outlaw marijuana as a form of suppression and control. Marijuana is perceived to be a threat to the order of society, and stamping it out naturally begins with a prohibition on cultivation.

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Data Leak Shows Legal Weed Is a Privacy Nightmare Waiting to Happen
A sales management system specifically geared towards the cannabis industry has exposed the personal information of over 30,000 people by storing it in an unsecured database. The leak itself has been patched, but questions about the consequences of outing who uses a quasi-legal substance hang over the increasingly mainstream industry.

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Gallop Poll Trend

 

[Magic9]

Alaska pot shops to be among 1st in US to allow consumption

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Marijuana shops in Alaska will be among the first nationally where onsite use would be permitted.

Alaska’s legal marijuana industry hit the milestone Thursday as regulators approved the first retail stores in the state that will be allowed to have customers smoke or consume marijuana products on site.

Some cities in other states have approved such actions, but these are the first state-issued approvals, said Chris Lindsey, director of government relations with the Marijuana Policy Project.

“But clearly we’re still very, very early in all of this,” Lindsey said.

On 3-2 votes, the Marijuana Control Board approved applications by GoodSinse LLC in Fairbanks and Cannabis Corner, which is located in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough.

Daniel Peters, a co-owner of GoodSinse, whose application was the first of the two to be approved, called it a dream come true.

“This is historic in my mind,” he said in an interview, adding that they hope to be open by summer. “This is a really big milestone ... when you’re trying to bring normalcy to something in a new industry.”

Ayme Zantua, a co-owner of Cannabis Corner, said they are aiming for a February opening. She said they are hoping to capitalize on the number of tourists who visit Ketchikan, a summer cruise ship stop.

Alaska’s rules for onsite consumption took effect in 2019, after years of discussion. The rules call for consumption areas to be separated from the rest of the property, either by a secure door and having a separate ventilation system or by being outdoors. They are to have smoke-free areas for employees to monitor consumption, and people cannot bring in product not purchased on site.

The board, meeting this week in Juneau, has been mulling revisions to the rules, including barring vaping and easing a building requirement for shops that want to offer places to consume edibles but not permit smoking.

 

[TheThriftDrifter]

@macbill I really enjoyed that article "A brief global history of the war on cannabis" Thanks for posting.

 

[Planck]

Another good read (free online)
The Emperor Wears No Clothes: Hemp and the Marijuana Conspiracy by Jack Herer. https://jackherer.com/emperor-3/

 

[macbill]

Finding perfect balance: How cannabis affects homeostasis

Russo identified a collection of compelling studies that indicate a deficiency in endocannabinoids, made apparent either through treatment with cannabinoid-based medicine or by measuring the cannabinoid tone of the study’s subject using advanced imaging technology like functional MRIs or PET scans.

In the cases Russo outlines, cannabis showed promise in patient outcomes when an endocannabinoid deficiency was implicated in a patient’s condition

 

[Tranquility]

You know you're making money when people want to sue you. Here, class action for budtenders.

The set up:
https://help.classaction.org/cannabis-dispensary-wage-violations/

Looking at labor violations of:

Some labor violations included in this investigation are:

• Unpaid overtime wages
• Having to work off the clock
• Having to work through lunch breaks
• Being misclassified as an independent contractor
• Being paid a day rate without time-and-a-half pay for overtime work
• Being paid "under the table"

An article describing how the chumming for bait works:
https://420intel.com/articles/2020/...re-paid-weed-paid-under-table-or-not-paid-all

One issue facing the growing cannabis industry is that it is dangerously open to lawsuits.

Entrepreneurs in the marijuana space are in a more vulnerable position than those in other industries because there is no established federal protection, no historical cases on the books to refer to, and it's overall challenging to move an entire industry from the unlicensed to the licensed world. This evolution has been uncovering some worker's rights issues.

A new class-action lawsuit claims budtenders and other people who have worked in dispensaries may be overworked, underpaid, forced to work through lunch, paid in weed, not paid at all, or paid under the table. All of these practices are now huge risks that companies need to avoid. Entrepreneurs must be 100 percent compliant to move into the licensed marketplace.

I noticed an ad for a cannabis class action lawsuit on Twitter. It reads: "Paid in weed, paid under the table, or not paid at all: Cannabis workers are speaking out against shady business practices and fighting back for what they're legally owed."...​

 

[macbill]

I've been sober 34+ years from alcohol and I still enjoy cannabis.
“Cali sober” supporters say yes, you can be sober and still smoke weed
https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/cali-sober-can-you-be-sober-and-still-smoke-weed
Whether people who don’t drink alcohol but do use cannabis refer to themselves as Cali sober, sober smokers, or something else, the apparent trend for that lifestyle choice makes sense in the wider cultural context.

 

[Magic9]

Bernie Sanders Pledges Legal Marijuana In All 50 States On Day One As President

With just two days to go before the Iowa caucus, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is pledging to immediately legalize marijuana in all 50 states if he is elected to the White House.

“We will end the destructive war on drugs,” the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate said at rally in Cedar Rapids. “On my first day in office through executive order we will legalize marijuana in every state in this country.”

 

[Tranquility]

Bernie Sanders Pledges Legal Marijuana In All 50 States On Day One As President

With just two days to go before the Iowa caucus, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is pledging to immediately legalize marijuana in all 50 states if he is elected to the White House.

“We will end the destructive war on drugs,” the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate said at rally in Cedar Rapids. “On my first day in office through executive order we will legalize marijuana in every state in this country.”

Is he aware the states have control over their own laws?

Stupid pandering. He *CANNOT*, as a matter of constitutional law, make marijuana legal in the states. AT BEST (Even then it is only an argument that has yet to be tested in the courts.) he could only remove it from Schedule I which would make it quasi-legal federally. That would have no effect on a state who wanted to keep it illegal. Period.

His "pledge" is a lie or a demonstration of ignorance.

 

[Magic9]

I sure would like to see him try.

 

[FlyingLow]

Old newbie, do you not appreciate the significance of ending federal prohibition?


Sure it is ultimately up to the states, but the path is far less impeded when it is not federally illegal. This opens up banking to the entire industry, among other things.

I think your staunch opposition and resistance more demonstrates your allegiance to political party than it demonstrates your understanding of how the system functions.

 

[Gunky]

Well he actually does have the ability to remove cannabis from the schedule, which would - in effect - 'legalize' it in the entire country. Of course any state or local laws would still stand, so maybe not. One problem with a Sanders Justice dept removing it from the list is the next prez could put it back. It would be better and more permanent for congress to pass a law removing it from the sched or at least rescheduling it.

 

[Tranquility]

Old newbie, do you not appreciate the significance of ending federal prohibition?


Sure it is ultimately up to the states, but the path is far less impeded when it is not federally illegal. This opens up banking to the entire industry, among other things.

I think your staunch opposition and resistance more demonstrates your allegiance to political party than it demonstrates your understanding of how the system functions.

Federal descheduling is a GREAT thing I think he should do. Why doesn't he say that rather than lie?

 

[MinnBobber]

Bernie Sanders Pledges Legal Marijuana In All 50 States On Day One As President

With just two days to go before the Iowa caucus, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is pledging to immediately legalize marijuana in all 50 states if he is elected to the White House.

“We will end the destructive war on drugs,” the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate said at rally in Cedar Rapids. “On my first day in office through executive order we will legalize marijuana in every state in this country.”

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

A better way of saying might have been, " I will allow all states to legalize cannabis and remove cannabis from Schedule 1 status as that has been a blatant and destructive lie"....

Huge step IMO.
VA could assist vets with cannabis and stop giving electro-shock therapy for PTSD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cannabis could be and should be a go to medicine for vets, and all citizens,

 

[virtualpurple]

Could be a real positive swing for Bernie.

If indeed we’re talking federal legalization, that’s be huge. However, huge sectors would likely remain unaffected, it would still be effectively illegal for tons of employed Americans as few of any large employers are going to be willing to pay for more expensive testing (such as saliva).

 

[Planck]

t would still be effectively illegal for tons of employed Americans as few of any large employers are going to be willing to pay for more expensive testing (such as saliva).

If it is legal what possible justification or authority would employers have to test for or deny cannabis use while not on the clock?

Also I'm puzzled why anyone would agree to such testing but that is another topic.

 

[Relaxed]

If it is legal what possible justification or authority would employers have to test for or deny cannabis use while not on the clock?

Also I'm puzzled why anyone would agree to such testing but that is another topic.

Companies that do business with the Federal Gov't (example is aerospace or military) are subject to Federal laws.

 

[Planck]

Companies that do business with the Federal Gov't (example is aerospace or military) are subject to Federal laws.

I assume all persons and all corporations are subject to Federal law in the USA? They should be imo. Are they also tasked with and authorized to enforce Federal law?

I don't see how this applies as I said "If it is legal what possible justification[...]"

 

[Tranquility]

For reference, the code section that gives the executive, through the Attorney General, the ability to deschedule a drug.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/811

 

[C No Ego]

The Drug War has Failed! DEA cannot even do their jobs there are so amny legal cannabis ingesters , like hundreds of thousands of them ! a few thousand DEA agents is all there is... Armed UN forces would be needed to come and do anything about the UN drug war...

 

[cybrguy]

The Drug War has Failed! DEA cannot even do their jobs there are so amny legal cannabis ingesters , like hundreds of thousands of them !

I think you can move that over at least 1 decimal place. I think estimates in Illinois alone are around 700K.
Wait. "An estimated 700,000 Illinoisans will qualify for the expungement of past marijuana-related convictions." If that is the case than the numbers must be many millions of users in Illinois alone.

 

[Relaxed]

I assume all persons and all corporations are subject to Federal law in the USA? They should be imo. Are they also tasked with and authorized to enforce Federal law?

I don't see how this applies as I said "If it is legal what possible justification[...]"

There is still plenty of justification. Security clearances, safety concerns etc.... There is a point in each individual (different for all of us) where cannabis dulls the senses. Heavy machine operators, truck drivers, doctors (do you want your surgeon to be high during your heart bypass?) etc... How does anyone know what an acceptable blood level limit is?

I'm for legalization, but there are plenty of instances where it's not a good fit with certain professions.

 

[cybrguy]

$40 million in first month of legal pot sales

• 
  
  Illinois' recreational marijuana retailers generated nearly $40 million worth of sales and taxes during the first full month of legal sales, according to state figures. Mark Welsh | Staff Photographer, Jan. 1, 2020
  

Updated 2/3/2020 2:16 PM
The state's recreational marijuana retailers generated nearly $40 million worth of sales and taxes during the first month of operations, nearly a quarter of which came from non-Illinois residents.

That's according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which announced sales figures for January reached $39,247,840.83.


Of that, $30.6 million was sold to Illinois residents. The other $8.6 million was generated by out-of-state buyers.

The 972,045 sales transactions in January amounted to an average of $40 per purchase. The state has 45 stores offering recreational sales, which averages to nearly $900,000 in sales per store.

Tax money from recreational sales will go toward an array of state services, including community development in areas "harmed most by the failed war on drugs," officials said. By the end of February, the Illinois Department of Revenue is expected to determine how much of the first month's sales figure was tax money.

Taxes on recreational marijuana vary depending on the potency of the drug. Under the law, 35% of marijuana tax revenues will go to the state's general fund; 25% will go to the "restore, reinvest and renew," or R3, program, an effort to reinvest in communities most affected by the criminalization of marijuana; 20% will go to address substance abuse and mental health; 10% will go to pay the state's bills; 8% will be distributed among local governments to support law enforcement; and 2% to fund a public education campaign and data analysis about the effects of legalization.

Later this year, municipal and county taxes will also be applied to marijuana sales.

"The successful launch of the Illinois' legal cannabis industry represents new opportunities for entrepreneurs and the very communities that have historically been harmed by the failed war on drugs," said Toi Hutchinson, senior advisor for cannabis control to Gov. J.B. Pritzker. "The administration is dedicated to providing multiple points of entry into this new industry, from dispensary owners to transporters, to ensure legalization is equitable and accessible for all Illinoisans."



New retail licenses will be issued in the coming months to provide for sales in more commercially viable locations throughout the state. Currently, retailers already set up to sell medical marijuana are allowed to sell it for recreational use. In the suburbs, the locations now offering recreational sales are in Addison, Mundelein and North Aurora. Most of those operations are in industrial areas, rather than commercial districts.

Legal sales of marijuana began Jan. 1 and was met with enthusiasm as stores reported hundreds of people waiting in line on the first day. Stores generated $3.2 million in sales and taxes that first day, state officials reported. Sales were so brisk initially, that some stores closed for a day in the first few day as supplies dwindled and concern grew that medical marijuana users would be turned away as well. Also, some stores just wanted to give workers a break, operators said at the time.

 

[Planck]

There is still plenty of justification. Security clearances, safety concerns etc.... There is a point in each individual (different for all of us) where cannabis dulls the senses. Heavy machine operators, truck drivers, doctors (do you want your surgeon to be high during your heart bypass?) etc... How does anyone know what an acceptable blood level limit is?

I'm for legalization, but there are plenty of instances where it's not a good fit with certain professions.

I specifically said while off the clock, not at work. I don't think anybody should be high at work unless being high is the job. For example a test subject in studies to determine what an acceptable blood level limit is.

You are kind of strawmanning your arguments. Are doctors required to submit to drug tests? I don't think so. If they are do the tests include all drugs the could cause impairment, not likely. How about Senators, Presidents, Generals. The guy at 7-11 or Taco Bell.

One could argue that drug testing is a guilty until proven innocent system. Is that OK, opinions will vary.

"How does anyone know what an acceptable blood level limit is?"
Seriously, you can't be serious about this.

The Drug War has Failed!

Or perhaps the drug war has been an unqualified success, all depends on the participants definition of success. Has it stopped drug use, hell no. Has it filed for profit prisons, hell yes. Has it prevented people from having voting rights or decent jobs. I don't disagree with your point but many benefit greatly from the ongoing failure.

 

[C No Ego]

I specifically said while off the clock, not at work. I don't think anybody should be high at work unless being high is the job. For example a test subject in studies to determine what an acceptable blood level limit is.

You are kind of strawmanning your arguments. Are doctors required to submit to drug tests? I don't think so. If they are do the tests include all drugs the could cause impairment, not likely. How about Senators, Presidents, Generals. The guy at 7-11 or Taco Bell.

One could argue that drug testing is a guilty until proven innocent system. Is that OK, opinions will vary.

"How does anyone know what an acceptable blood level limit is?"
Seriously, you can't be serious about this.


Or perhaps the drug war has been an unqualified success, all depends on the participants definition of success. Has it stopped drug use, hell no. Has it filed for profit prisons, hell yes. Has it prevented people from having voting rights or decent jobs. I don't disagree with your point but many benefit greatly from the ongoing failure.

the Drug war has failed all Moral Beings , the Immoral will squalor in the Filth of {Prejudice