THIS IS WEEDWEEK.
BECAUSE CANNABIS NEWS MATTERS.
|
Would you appreciate a WeedWeek regional supplement with more news from
California
and/or
Canada
? Or more news about the
opioid crisis
? Sign up at the appropriate link.
Brandbuilding opportunities to appear in the newsletter with your links and social media handles start at only
$50 a month
.
|
|
LIKE US.
FOLLOW US:
ALEX HALPERIN
|
|
This week on the podcast, Hayley and I talked
sex, weed and politics with Dan Savage! Among much else, Dan talks cannabis activism
, his favorite brand of cannalube and what he does when he's stoned. The episode lands Monday at 4:20 p.m. Pacific.
|
*
The 2018 U.S. midterm elections are coming.
Register to vote
and/or get the information you need to vote here.
|
|
Contrary to the available science, Attorney General Jeff Sessions
blamed marijuana for the opioid crisis
. “The DEA said that a huge percentage of the heroin addictions starts with prescriptions. That may be an exaggerated number — they had it as high as 80 percent — we think a lot of this is starting with marijuana and other drugs,” he said.
To alleviate the epidemic Sessions told Americans to “take some aspirin sometimes and tough it out.” He also praised White House chief of staff former Marine Gen. John Kelly for refusing opioids after a recent minor surgery.
|
|
The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment which protects state legal MED businesses from federal prosecution was
extended until March 23
as part of the budget deal. It’s the eighth time the amendment has been extended.
Republicans
blocked an amendment
from Congressman Jared Polis (D-Colo.) which would have prevented federal prosecution of state-legal cannabis businesses.
Tiny Lesotho became the
first African nation
to legalize cultivation. American company Corix Bioscience stands to benefit.
|
|
Paragon, a cannabis blockchain company which raised $70M in an initial coin offering, has been
sued by investors
who allege the company didn’t file its offering with regulators. In a statement, founder Jessica VerSteeg, a former Miss Iowa, said the company is “dedicated to staying compliant with all applicable laws.”
After a 40-month legal battle Colorado credit union Fourth Corner
won conditional approval
from the Federal Reserve to offer banking services to ancillary businesses, but not plant-touching companies. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appears to
support bank access
for cannabis businesses.
Partner Colorado Credit Union, which serves the industry, has been hit with a
wrongful termination lawsuit
which claims the plaintiffs witnessed CEO Sundie Seefried using cocaine. The company denied the allegations and called the suit groundless.
An unsuccessful license applicant in Pennsylvania, is
calling for a do-over
which would halt the industry days before MED sales begin. The entity calls the state’s selection process “flawed, inequitable and unconstitutional.”
|
|
Thank You to WeedWeek's Sustaining Patrons:
|
|
Pamela Hadfield
HelloMD: The largest online community of health and wellness cannabis consumers
Spencer Vodnoy
Affiliations: CA State Bar; Board Member, Adelanto Growers Association
Critical Mind, Inc. is a Medical Cannabis Cultivation and Manufacturing Facility located in Adelanto, CA. Providing the highest quality Cannabis products. Compliance without Compromise!
|
|
State and local law enforcement
protested (N.Y. Times)
the administration’s decision to transfer oversight of a $275M drug prevention program to the Justice Department where they fear the emphasis will be on enforcement rather than oversight. It was previously overseen by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Politico says President Trump
has declared war on the agency
, otherwise known as the drug czars’ office.
Trump
shared his opioid policy
, (NPR). “My take is you have to get really, really tough, really mean with the drug pushers and the drug dealers,"
|
|
The Colorado Springs Independent met “
the last drug dealers
.” They're in demand since the conservative city doesn’t allow dispensaries.
BuzzFeed has a harrowing story about a Brooklyn 18-year old female, who
charged two cops with rape
after they busted her for weed possession.
|
|
San Diego dispensary Urbn Leaf posted a picture of a
nine-year old girl scout
(AP) selling cookies outside. It provoked some controversy and questions about whether the girl was following guidelines. She sold
300 boxes in six hours
(Vox).
Snoop Dogg told a high school student to
call his lawyers
after she was allegedly banned from the basketball team for retweeting him holding a blunt.
|
|
Want to reach a devoted audience of top cannabis professionals? Advertise in WeedWeek. Contact Adrienne Nascimento at
[email protected]
for details.
Bye,
Alex
Advertising policy: Advertisers and contributors through Patreon have no influence on WeedWeek's editorial content or on the content of articles that Alex Halperin writes for other publications. In an effort to replicate the separation of business and editorial operations practiced at reputable news organizations, a WeedWeek salesperson will be responsible for all sales-related contact with advertisers and will work, as much as possible, without input from Halperin. All advertising queries sent to Halperin are referred to a salesperson. In all WeedWeek material, all ads and other forms of paid content are clearly distinguishable as such. Halperin does not approach potential advertisers to solicit business, and reserves the right to reject ads if they present a conflict of interest, the appearance of a conflict of interest or for any other reason.
All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|