October 28, 2017
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ALEX HALPERIN
IN OTHER WEEDWEEK NEWS:
WeedWeek is introducing a new feature called  WeedWeek Forum . Think of it as the cannabis world's Op-Ed page. Many of you are are eager to share your thoughts and expertise. Here's your chance to publish on the WeedWeek site.

Starting now, WeedWeek will publish 400-600 word essays, arguments, observations and fact-based criticisms by outside contributors. 



Interested? Check out the  writer's guidelines here .
Here's the news.
POLITICS
A new Gallup poll found 64% of Americans support legalizing REC , an all-time high. Data site FiveThirtyEight says it’s “one of the least polarized issues of our time.”
A recently retired top DEA narc said rescheduling is likely , though he doesn’t support it.

Special prosecutor Robert Mueller reportedly filed his first indictments in the Trump Russia investigation. Cannabis activist and Trump ally Roger Stone reacted by insulting black journalists on Twitter .

Veterans publication Task and Purpose looks at how veterans and their doctors sidestep the VA’s MED policy . Veterans groups are becoming more vocal in their support for MED. A group of 10 House Democrats called on the administration to support MED research into veterans’ afflictions.

The wildfires may further complicate California’s REC rollout in January. The L.A. Times recounts how the community of Redwood Valley in Mendocino County, fled from the wildfires . Rolling Stone has more on the devastation .

To support wildfire victims, donate here .

A San Francisco panel discussed how to create a racially equitable industry . Santa Cruz County will allow REC shops .

Massachusetts is looking into whether a little known FAA rule will allow flying pot to Martha’s Vineyard and other state islands.

With Gov. Paul LePage (R) expected to veto a bill , Maine REC supporters anticipate a long slog ahead.

Marijuana Moment says Michigan will likely vote on REC next year , and Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah will likely vote on MED. Tom Angell’s site also found tough cannabis questions posed to Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R) by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy (D). They included “Do you stand by your recently stated view that ‘marijuana is only slightly less awful than heroin?” It’s not known when Sessions will reply.

Sessions continues to reaffirm his dislike for marijuana saying at the Heritage Foundation, "We've got to reestablish first a view that you should say no. People should say no to drug use...This whole country needs to be not so lackadaisical about drugs. ... Much of the addiction starts with marijuana. It's not a harmless drug."

In an interview with anti-pot conservative Hugh Hewitt, Sessions said he believes the Justice Department has the authority to crack down on state industries but declined to comment on whether an investigation is in progress.


Trump called the opioid crisis a public health emergency but not the more dire national emergency which is what his commission recommended.

“ There is nothing desireable about drugs, ” Trump said. “They’re bad.”

Canada’s legalization bill, C-45, is expected to return to the House of Commons this week. The country expects to spend C$546M ($426M) over the next five years to implement its REC program.

Reuters looks into the legalization situation in New Zealand.
BUSINESS
Troubled seed to sale tracking software company MJ Freeway will not be ready to begin its new Washington contract on November 1. Outgoing provider BioTrack THC offered a long explanation related to security concerns with MJ Freeway , about why it will not be able to extend its current contract by a few months.

As a result, it appears companies in the state will have to manually input their data for the next several months, among other headaches. For more see here . It’s the latest in a long run of bad news for MJ Freeway.
Washington cannabis sales topped $1.1 billion in the first nine months of 2017.

Chris Leavy, a former executive with asset management giant Blackrock, is raising the $250M MedMen Opportunity fund II with a focus on cannabis companies in L.A., New York and Las Vegas.

Cannabis brand Tokyo Smoke raised C$6M led by producer Aphria.

Eventbrite, a software platform used to sell tickets to private events has shut some cannabis companies out .

The recent fires highlight the industry’s trouble obtaining insurance . It’s easier to obtain in Colorado. Cannabis Wire talks to an expert .

Distribution has become a central part of California’s industry.

MjBizDaily looks into the intellectual property disputes beginning to roil the industry.

A ruling by a Navajo County Judge in Arizona could lead to concentrates being removed from shelves.

Canadian producer Canopy Growth entered the Jamaican market .

The Quebec government will set up a non-profit to run pot shops.

It won’t be easy for small commercial growers in Canada .

Europe could become the world’s largest cannabis market , according to a new report from Prohibition Partners. Companies are lining up for Danish MED licenses .

Following an investment in Newstrike, a Canadian producer which trades under the symbol TSX-V HIP, Canadian band The Tragically Hip announced a partnership with Newstrike brand Up Cannabis . The announcement came the day before the death of lead singer Gord Downie.

Uruguay plans to triple its hemp crop and begin CBD exports.

After last year’s 4/20 attracted criticism for its poor organization and leaving a mess, the co-owner of Denver dispensary company Euflora is camping out at the city Parks and Recreation building to secure the permit for next year’s rally.

MED license applicants in Leoni township, Mich. have been camping outside the office for days to get their licenses.

The Sacramento Bee named Brad Branan as its new weed reporter.

There’s a new cannabis/lifestyle media company called Gossamer .

The switch from hemp to marijuana farming is lots of work.

A Florida couple received 65 pounds of cannabis in their Amazon order. After complaining they received a $150 gift card but no explanation.

Leafly sees what you can get for $20, $50 and $100 at a Seattle dispensary.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
A Stanford study found cannabis users have about 20 percent more sex than abstainers. Or as reporter Barbara Goldberg puts it, “Where there’s smoke there tends to be fire.” Across all demographic groups, users prefer to consume before sex rather than after, the study found.
Marketplace has the latest on the race to develop a cannabis breathalyzer .

Boulder start-up Front Range Biosciences announced a hemp genomics research initiative at the University of California, Davis.

A new study in Colorado and Minnesota will look at how cannabis use affects twins .
A new study at University of Colorado will compare MED to opiates as a treatment for pain. The University of Florida will study the effects of MED on HIV symptoms.

Researchers are exploring whether obscure cannabis chemical cannabidivarin (CBDV) can be mass produced in yeast. The compound is thought to have promise in treating epilepsy .

Researchers at Duke University found anxiety is an important risk factor for cannabis use disorder.

Doctors at a New Jersey hospital don’t know what to tell patients about MED.

Colorado Chief Medical Officer said the state hadn’t experienced any significant medical issues tied to legalization, and advised keeping cannabis and alcohol use separate.

Denver sister dispensaries Little Brown House and Reefer Madness voluntarily recalled flower and concentrates due to potentially unsafe levels of banned pesticides.

New Jersey added five conditions for MED use. In Pennsylvania some MED patients will be asked to participate in clinical trials .

Liberal pundit and recovering addict Ana Marie Cox says Trump doesn’t understand addiction .

The alcohol industry sponsored a big study on booze and health .

In Wales, a former police woman is speaking out about MED use to treat her MS .

Cannabis oil doesn’t help tilapia fish relax , according to a study by Lebanese scientists.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE
The FBI arrested John Kapoor, billionaire CEO of opiate maker Insys Therapeutics on fraud and bribery charges. Insys opposed MED in Arizona while the company was developing its own cannabinoid-based drugs.
The Washington Post looks into why private prison company GEO Group had a corporate retreat at a Trump resort in Florida .

A man once convicted of possession with intent to sell describes how it continues to haunt him 20 years later.

A series of raids in NorCal’s Siskiyou County have seized more than 100,000 plants worth more than $1 billion. Illegal grows in the area consume more than 3 million gallons of water daily. Leafly’s Peter Hecht looks into warrantless raids in northern California’s Lake County.

A newly released surveillance video of a 2012 DEA raid in Honduras which left four Honduran civilians dead undermines the agency’s long held claim of responding to a firefight.

An L.A. lawyer was sentenced to four years for trying to set up large illegal grows in the state.

After seizing $6M in weed, authorities said a central Massachusetts plumbing company was a “front” for an illegal cannabis operation.

GPS devices embedded in cash helped Denver cops solve a series of pot shop robberies.

“ Because of marijuana, we have become the world's biggest jailer, ” former surgeon general Dr. Jocelyn Elders said.

On Twitter, actor and musician Corey Feldman detailed his band’s run in with the law over possession in Louisiana.

A Baton Rouge, La. cop was arrested after she submitted a report which omitted that she confiscated a joint.

New York City treats homeless kids more harshly for possession.

A former Vermont attorney general owns the state’s 420 license plate .
CULTURE
Japan had a rich cannabis tradition until the U.S. ended it after World War II. Next Shark tells the story.
Snoop Dogg released Make America Crip Again (MACA) his new 8 track project.

The New Yorker watches Action Bronson’s 420-friendly food shows on Vice.

In an interview, Seattle dominatrix Mistress Matisse , who started the cannabis lube brand Velvet Swing, talked about cannabis and her sex worker activism.

Former NBA commissioner David Stern said cannabis should be removed from the league’s banned substances list.

Ellementa, a “women’s network” focussed on health and cannabis, talks to “CannaSexual ®” Ashley Manta.

Green Flower Media has introduced a free video series on how to grow .

Vogue profiles Broccoli , the stylish new magazine for female cannabis fans.

The Washington Post learns about the new marijuana degree program at Northern Michigan University: “Not for stoners or slackers.”

New Jersey is warning parents about cannabis-laced Halloween candy , but there’s no evidence it’s ever been discovered.

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Bye,
Alex 

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