Cannabis News

[cybrguy]

Given the number of 60 plus year olds in this forum, I would suggest there's something wrong with your numbers. While I know several people my age that don't indulge, none of them are reefer madness conscripts. Yes, there are plenty out there that are, but most of those I run across are in their 40s and 50s and watch Fox.

I shouldn't say none, there are some. But the majority are not..

 

[florduh]

Fox

I think the Fox watching has more to do with it than age. I'm just saying I'm surprised the Red Team wants to legalize gun ownership for cannabis users given that the news programs most watched by their base are out there pushing "weed makes you violent" shit.

 

[Gunky]

First we were couch potatoes. Now we're violent crazies! And for the last 50 years wave upon wave of people claiming this isn't your daddy's weed, this is reealy potent!

 

[JBone65]

I think the Fox watching has more to do with it than age. I'm just saying I'm surprised the Red Team wants to legalize gun ownership for cannabis users given that the news programs most watched by their base are out there pushing "weed makes you violent" shit.

I think the red team wants to legalize gun ownership for anyone with cash or credit.

 

[cybrguy]

I think the red team wants to legalize gun ownership for anyone with cash or credit.

ding ding ding ding

 

[Relaxed]

Biden’s blunt opposition to marijuana legalization

As his own party moves ahead on the issue, the president remains opposed to legalization.

www.vox.com

 

[florduh]

Australian Activists Face Charges for 4/20 Sydney Opera House Projection Protest

Two Australian cannabis activists facing charges for projecting pro-cannabis messages on the Sydney Opera House last year during a 4/20 protest demonstration argue their actions are constitutionally protected political expression.

hightimes.com

So improving public buildings is a crime in Australia?

 

[Madtater]

Australian Activists Face Charges for 4/20 Sydney Opera House Projection Protest

Two Australian cannabis activists facing charges for projecting pro-cannabis messages on the Sydney Opera House last year during a 4/20 protest demonstration argue their actions are constitutionally protected political expression.

hightimes.com

So improving public buildings is a crime in Australia?

I dont get that. It isnt even graffiti. It’s just a projection, not offensive and tastefully done.

Seriously, people need to get a life and start caring about the real criminals.

 

[blackstone]

Do we know anyone going, or that we can get to go, to this Pittcon thing?

Exploring the use of cannabis vaporizers

Pittcon’s Cannabis and Psychedelics track is dedicated to the development of analytical techniques for characterizing cannabis-based and psychedelic drugs

www.news-medical.net

They do acknowledge that "Many different types of cannabis vapes exist, which work with dried cannabis, concentrates, or liquid preparations of cannabis". And that "The rigorous analysis of cannabis vapes is vital in order to minimize the damage they cause to users"

I'm guessing it won’t be live streamed for free, but there are some interesting topic titles such as,
Vaping – A Closer Look Behind the Smoke Screen
The Challenges of Measuring Elemental Contaminants in Cannabis Vaping Aerosols
Laboratory Developed Method for Heavy Metal Analysis of Vapor Generated by Cannabis Vaporizer

Either way it's just good to know that more people are beginning to really look at this type of thing.

 

[JBone65]

NYPD: 1,300 illegal marijuana stores in NYC

It’s hard to miss the marijuana shops on almost every block in New York City.

www.fox5ny.com

Great story! If I understand it correctly, New York passed a relatively restrictive recreational cannabis law, in theory to control the product from seed to sale, and 1300 unlicensed dispensaries opened for business before the first legal dispensary. The test animals are in control of the lab.

Here's another decent website with cannabis news from each state.

DE legal cannabis hearings this week (Newsletter: January 23, 2023)

Air Force marijuana waivers; USDA hemp survey; HI legalization bills; CT/MA/OK psychedelics legislation Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Your support makes...

www.marijuanamoment.net

 

[Razhumikin]

NYPD: 1,300 illegal marijuana stores in NYC

It’s hard to miss the marijuana shops on almost every block in New York City.

www.fox5ny.com

Great story! If I understand it correctly, New York passed a relatively restrictive recreational cannabis law, in theory to control the product from seed to sale, and 1300 unlicensed dispensaries open for business before the first legal dispensary.

Yup and it feels like half of them are in my neighborhood lol. Its been a fucking bonanza

 

[vapviking]

NYPD: 1,300 illegal marijuana stores in NYC

It’s hard to miss the marijuana shops on almost every block in New York City.

www.fox5ny.com

Great story! If I understand it correctly, New York passed a relatively restrictive recreational cannabis law, in theory to control the product from seed to sale, and 1300 unlicensed dispensaries open for business before the first legal dispensary. The test animals are in control of the lab.

You are correct with the last part, stores all over the place with very little fear of imminent bust. But this is a temporary situation. The laws that set up the whole legalisation and rec program in NY left some gaping loopholes currently being exploited.
The state has been responsible for such slow implementation of the "real" plan for rec sales (there is still only one store in the whole state so far! It's ridiculous!). Enforcement is pretty much looking the other way until actual stores are open, who, in theory, will deserve protection.

But is not directly stemming from the State's "desire" to control markets, imo, rather, it is the unintended consequences of a slow-rolling social equity plan.

 

[florduh]

But is not directly stemming from the State's "desire" to control markets, imo, rather, it is the unintended consequences of a slow-rolling social equity plan.

Random thought. I fully understand wanting to direct some of the benefits of legalization to communities who were the most fucked by prohibition. After all, according to his aides, Nixon decided to escalate the war on drugs specifically because it would put more black people in prison.

But I have no faith in any of these governments to do so in a way that will actually help these communities. I'm willing to be proven wrong if there's evidence any of these programs actually caused a spike in minority owned cannabis businesses.

Crazy idea. But maybe a more achievable way to help minority communities would be to ensure legal cannabis is affordable enough to discourage consumers from patronizing the grey or black markets?

That might reduce the chances these communities come in contact with cops. Because I remember after Cali legalized, there were still a bunch of people getting clapped by the piggies. And they were disproportionately black and brown.

Report: California pot arrests still fall heavily on Hispanics, Blacks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The number of felony marijuana arrests in California continued to decline in 2019 in the age of legalization, but another trend remained unchanged: those arrests fell dispr…

www.chicagotribune.com

 

[JBone65]

The laws that set up the whole legalisation and rec program in NY left some gaping loopholes currently being exploited.
The state has been responsible for such slow implementation of the "real" plan for rec sales

Sounds like the state is so slow they already lost. How long will it take to approve and setup an adequate number of dispensaries in the largest city in the US? If that happens, the only hope of regaining significant control might involve the use of force, arrests and prosecutions, maybe more than when pot was illegal. Who decides who are the blessed few minority individuals who get first crack at it? Are minority folk operating the illegal dispensaries now, could they be arrested? I saw The French Connection. What the heck is going on with this action today? How much is weed supposedly gonna cost when the state regains control? I'm guessing the cat is out of the bag.

 

[Summer]

UP IN SMOKE: California Business Climate So Bad Even Jerry Garcia's Marijuana Company Is Leaving

SFGATE reports that the Garcia Hand Picked marijuana brand, launched in 2020 by the family of late Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, one of the most iconic pot smokers in California history, is leaving the state to escape crippling regulations and high taxes under Gov. Gavin Newsom (D., Calif.).

freebeacon.com

*As a side note, check out the article underneath about Newsom's wife. smh.

 

[Gunky]

Random thought. I fully understand wanting to direct some of the benefits of legalization to communities who were the most fucked by prohibition. After all, according to his aides, Nixon decided to escalate the war on drugs specifically because it would put more black people in prison.

But I have no faith in any of these governments to do so in a way that will actually help these communities. I'm willing to be proven wrong if there's evidence any of these programs actually caused a spike in minority owned cannabis businesses.

Crazy idea. But maybe a more achievable way to help minority communities would be to ensure legal cannabis is affordable enough to discourage consumers from patronizing the grey or black markets?

That might reduce the chances these communities come in contact with cops. Because I remember after Cali legalized, there were still a bunch of people getting clapped by the piggies. And they were disproportionately black and brown.

Report: California pot arrests still fall heavily on Hispanics, Blacks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The number of felony marijuana arrests in California continued to decline in 2019 in the age of legalization, but another trend remained unchanged: those arrests fell dispr…

www.chicagotribune.com

I think in some cases 'equity' is achieved by giving preference to people who served time for selling. It's not necessarily a racial preference. Could also involve location.

Also, by saying you don't trust the government to do anything, you are jumping on the bandwagon that ultimately leads to insurrection. It's important to maintain an attitude that looks to fixing it, not blowing it up, and dealing with issues in court (and living with the result) because otherwise we are even more fucked than we are now.

 

[JBone65]

I think in some cases 'equity' is achieved by giving preference to people who served time for selling. It's not necessarily a racial preference. Could also involve location.

Also, by saying you don't trust the government to do anything, you are jumping on the bandwagon that ultimately leads to insurrection. It's important to maintain an attitude that looks to fixing it, not blowing it up, and dealing with issues in court (and living with the result) because otherwise we are even more fucked than we are now.

True, and I agree that we probably are already fucked in many ways. It's gonna be hard to put the cat back in the bag in New York, and force people to pay a lot more for the same old shit.

 

[vapviking]

True, and I agree that we probably are already fucked in many ways. It's gonna be hard to put the cat back in the bag in New York, and force people to pay a lot more for the same old shit.

I know you are in Oklahoma, that is where the cat is fully out if the bag.
Okay, prices are dirt cheap there and that helps the consumer. But Oklahoma has fostered its own brand of sleazebag, people coming from all over the world to cash in, ultimately not giving a fuck about you or your fellow Oklahomans, some of whom would like to make a living in the industry.

I think you have a notion that all cannabis regulation is inherently bad. And I also think you have not fully understood what NY is trying to do.
I'm not gonna be the one to provide the education, but you can read about the CUARD program, google it. The first 100+ licenses in the state for rec retail are ALL going to people adversely affected by the War on Drugs (and a few to non-profits having social programs).

No state has had a program as inclusive.
$200 million is being provided to the early CUARD participants who could otherwise not afford to build this kind of business.
Lots of delivery-only will be allowed, so a startup does not need to invest in a retail location.
NY is not even allowing home grows (except medical folks) until 1 year after these first stores have opened.

Don't get me wrong, it's not thart I agree with all of the above. I think the execution of the plan has been very poor in NY, and far too slow. It has let this other open but gray market take root, so now in excess of 1,000 places in NYC alone are selling canna w/out a license. BUT it's not like the availability was not here before, its simply more out in the open and a little easier.
And rest assured, gray markets will live on in NY, as they have in every other state, so, no I won't be forced by the state to pay higher prices, but I will have lots more variety -- and places to vape, care-free.

Most of the 1200 gray market locations are in existing businesses, like bodegas and smoke or vape shops. They will stop (or go back to hiding it!) just about like they started, with little fanfare, when the licensing starts being enforced. But so far, it has been silly to enforce the licensing when no (one!) stores are open and licensed? No one to protect.

The reason every state's legalization program will be rocky is the karma of the past 60 yrs' prohibition clusterfuck.

What I see as the key to resolution lies at the federal level, it's all about allowing interstate commerce (and of course, not regulating the life out of it).

 

[JBone65]

I know you are in Oklahoma, that is where the cat is fully out if the bag.
Okay, prices are dirt cheap there and that helps the consumer. But Oklahoma has fostered its own brand of sleazebag, people coming from all over the world to cash in, ultimately not giving a fuck about you or your fellow Oklahomans, some of whom would like to make a living in the industry.

I think you have a notion that all cannabis regulation is inherently bad. And I also think you have not fully understood what NY is trying to do.
I'm not gonna be the one to provide the education, but you can read about the CUARD program, google it. The first 100+ licences in the state for rec retail are ALL going to people adversely affected by the War on Drugs (and a few to non-profits having social programs).

No state has had a program as inclusive.
$200 million is being provided to the early CUARD participants who could otherwise not afford to build this kind of business.
Lots of delivery-only will be allowed, so a startup does not need to invest in a retail location.
NY is not even allowing home grows (except medical folks) until 1 year after these first stores have opened.

Don't get me wrong, it's not thart I agree with all of the above. I think the execution of the plan has been very poor in NY, and far too slow. It has let this other open but gray market take root, so now in excess of 1,000 places in NYC alone are selling canna w/out a license. BUT it's not like the availability was not here before, its simply more out in the open and a little easier.
And rest assured, gray markets will live on in NY, as they have in every other state, so, no I won't be forced by the state to pay higher prices, but I will have lots more variety -- and places to vape, care-free.

Most of the 1200 gray market locations are in existing businesses, like bodegas and smoke or vape shops. They will stop (or go back to hiding it!) just about like they started, with little fanfare, when the licensing starts being enforced. But so far, it has been silly to enforce the licensing when no (one!) stores are open and licensed? No one to protect.

The reason every state's legalization program will be rocky is the karma of the past 60 yrs' prohibition clusterfuck.

What I see as the key to resolution lies at the federal level, it's all about allowing interstate commerce (and of course, not regulating the life out of it).

Interesting. What we think is largely irrelevant IMO. I'm just commenting.

The majority of the California growers prefer the Oklahoma model compared to the endless bureaucracy and black market. Oklahoma gets some things very wrong, but the cannabis laws are ideal for a normal citizen consumer or a would be entrepreneur. The criminal element operating out in the sticks is a serious concern. Rather than hold up licenses, the OMMA gave them out like candy. Hopefully our government will get around to raiding those bastards, someday.

Time will tell if the unlicensed dispensaries go away voluntarily, or if there are three times as many next year, or if the NY government needs a new military equipped and trained task force to deal with the onslaught of cannabis pirates.

Sorry if my opinions irritate some folks. I'm in the land of abundance thus usually too stoned. I grew up in a harsh environment, and there ihas always some measure of injustice to protest, if one thinks like that, etc.

In sure the government in the big already has a lot on their plate. However, IMO there's no excuse for a government without a workable plan, or with only a vague plan to control your flow of money, to somehow enrich themselves or their associates, to leave the consumers wanting for a ridiculous extended period, etc. I'm just saying.

Everyone. Wake up and smell the cannabis!

 

[vapviking]

Interesting. What we think is largely irrelevant IMO. I'm just commenting.

The majority of the California growers prefer the Oklahoma model compared to the endless bureaucracy and black market. Oklahoma gets some things very wrong, but the cannabis laws are ideal for a normal citizen consumer or a would be entrepreneur.

Time will tell if the unlicensed dispensaries go away voluntarily, or if there are three times as many next year, or if the government needs a new military equipped and trained task force to deal with the onslaught of cannabis pirates.

Sorry if my opinions irritate some folks, we're all entitled to think, etc. IMO there's no excuse for a government without a workable plan, or with only a vague plan to control your flow of money, to somehow enrich themselves or their associates, to leave the consumers wanting for a ridiculous extended period, etc. I'm just saying.

Everyone. Wake up and smell the cannabis!

Sorry to come off like I'm irritated by you, yeah just our opinions bouncing around.
Yes, NY is over-thinking things and taking too long, too many regs, and all that. But so far, I can't see too much of the motivation being about the state making tons of money. As it stands now, combined taxes are set to be 13%, plus a lot of fees buried in the steps from grow thru process. But this is low compared to Calli, it sounds untenable there these days.

My impressions of OK growing is that a lot from the bigger farms leaves the state, am I mistaken? Isn't that a black market operating in plain sight, kinda like NY?
Is this stuff sensationalism, or really happening on some noticeable scale?

The dirty black market marijuana operations in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics is addressing violence at marijuana operations in the state and sharing their broader efforts to fight foreign nationals doing dirty business in Oklahoma. This come…

kfor.com

 

[JBone65]

Sorry to come off like I'm irritated by you, yeah just our opinions bouncing around.
Yes, NY is over-thinking things and taking too long, too many regs, and all that. But so far, I can't see too much of the motivation being about the state making tons of money. As it stands now, combined taxes are set to be 13%, plus a lot of fees buried in the steps from grow thru process. But this is low compared to Calli, it sounds untenable there these days.

My impressions of OK growing is that a lot from the bigger farms leaves the state, am I mistaken? Isn't that a black market operating in plain sight, kinda like NY?
Is this stuff sensationalism, or really happening on some noticeable scale?

The dirty black market marijuana operations in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics is addressing violence at marijuana operations in the state and sharing their broader efforts to fight foreign nationals doing dirty business in Oklahoma. This come…

kfor.com

I'm still trying to understand the extent of the Oklahoma market. I don't think any one person has even a remote grasp of how much weed is being grown. The yield might could be estimated from satellite images and software.

Even regular Oklahomans didn't raise an eyebrow during the proliferation of dispensaries. With a vote for recreational coming in 5 weeks, we're on the verge of true legalization in practical terms. What's really odd to me, is that the government's recent effort to get control of numerous growers operating outside the law is still underfunded, thus advancing slowly if at all. It's almost as if no one gives a shit. I can't explain why the authorities seem to be somewhat okay with that particular problem, seems like inspections would be easy to conduct, guessing it might have something to do with billions of black market dollars. That's the reality likely to spread to other states and affect us all.

 

[Polarbearboy]

Pot is making people sick. Congress is playing catch-up.

Now that a growing body of evidence says marijuana is bad for you, more regulation is in the offing.

www.politico.com

 

[florduh]

Pot is making people sick. Congress is playing catch-up.

Now that a growing body of evidence says marijuana is bad for you, more regulation is in the offing.

www.politico.com

That headline and subheadline are some bullshit.

The health problems discussed are almost entirely about adolescent use. We already regulate that. It is illegal for adolescents to possess or use cannabis.

Then there's this:

The mental health impacts of using cannabis aren’t yet clear, though some studies have linked it to increased risk of depression and suicide.

The word "linked" is doing a tremendous amount of work in that sentence. I'm no fancy big city scientist, but do you think maaaaaybe this is a correlation ≠ causation situation? People who are self medicating are more likely to suffer from depression. That doesn't mean the substance is CAUSING depression!

The percentage of driving deaths involving cannabis has more than doubled from 2000 to 2018, according to a 2021 study in the American Journal of Public Health.

Does "involving" cannabis mean drivers were actively high? Because that's what that statement suggests. Looking at the linked study, no. They're simply testing for cannabinoid metabolites. Obviously the percentage of drivers with cannabinoid metabolites in their system has increased since 2000.

I'm trying to decide which brand of Fake News is worse. The Fox News shit with insane weirdos screeching about Weed turning users into murderous ANTIFA mass shooters. Or the Lib media misrepresenting bad studies and doing light Reefer Madness for the college educated crowd.

 

[Madtater]

Pot is making people sick. Congress is playing catch-up.

Now that a growing body of evidence says marijuana is bad for you, more regulation is in the offing.

www.politico.com

I will decide what is bad for me and what is not….not the government

 

[Knewt]

The article points out in 2021 there were 3054 pediatric poisonings from cannabis products (no deaths). In 2017 there were 3371 juvenile gun deaths (as in no longer alive). Guess which will get regulated first?