April 7, 2018
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ALEX HALPERIN
IN OTHER WEEDWEEK NEWS:

Inside Jeff Sessions' Head

This week on the podcast, journalist and CNN analyst Molly Ball discusses her recent Time magazine cover story on US Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

In a fascinating interview, Ball elaborates on Sessions' well-known dislike for weed, and she discusses the roots of his unforgiving conception of justice.

The episode lands Monday by 4:20 p.m. Pacific.

Don't forget to rate it five stars on iTunes !

Previous shows feature:
-Episode 12 Cannabis attorney Hilary Bricken discusses what's not working in the California market. A must listen for professionals!
-Episode 11 Jim McAlpine founder of the 420 Games
-Episode 10 Previously incarcerated activist and entrepreneur Lukas Lucas on L.A.'s equity program
-Episode 9 Journalist David Bienenstock talks about social justice within the industry and his new podcast Great Moments in Weed
-Episode 8 Jackie Fox (Hayley's mom) talks about becoming a MED user later in life.
-Episode 7 Dr. Peter Grinspoon, Harvard Medical School, on cannabis, opioids and the medical establishment.
-Episode 6 Anja Charbonneau, editor of design forward cannabis magazine Broccoli
-Episode 4 L.A. cannabis Business attorney  Ariel Clark on what cannabis entrepreneurs need to know
-Episode 3 Congressman and longtime legalization supporter Earl Blumenauer
-Episode 2  Emily Dufton, author of Grass Roots: The rise and fall and rise of marijuana in America, on the history of legalization

Comments or feedback? Don't be shy. Our producer is Katie Long.

Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Contact here.
WeedWeek Canada is a Saturday morning newsletter for professionals in the world's largest fully-legal cannabis market.

Today in WWCanada:
-Pot stocks' wild ride
-Companies are desperate for branding opportunities
-Several provinces reject public consumption

And much more!


*
The 2018 U.S. midterm elections are coming. And the primaries are already here. Register to vote and/or get the information you need to vote here.
Here's the news.
POLITICS
California businesses are on pace to sell $4 billion in legal cannabis this year.

Golden state testing labs expect significant delays on July 1 when all product sold in a licensed dispensary will have to be tested. Testing labs also expect a jump in business.

Meanwhile, regulations and high taxes are sustaining California’s illegal market . Erich Pearson, CEO of northern California company Sparc called on state to reduce taxes and “ level the field for licensed growers. ”
A Colorado social use bill fell short in committee but another one is coming. West Hollywood, Calif. revealed intensive applications for social use licenses.

Speaking in D.C., Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) said AG Jeff Sessions believes legalization will weaken the country .

A Denver Post Op-Ed called for regulated cannabis delivery . The Pew Charitable Trusts studied home cannabis delivery .

In the latest signs of tension between state and local officials, Oregon declined to provide a county sheriff with a list of licensed grow sites. The Intercept checks in on Turner, Ore., a conservative town which appears to have legalized by accident thanks to a confusing ballot question.

Michigan’s Republican lawmakers are considering a REC bill to preempt the expected REC ballot initiative in November. Republicans fear a REC vote would increase Democratic turnout and cost them in other races.

Not all Ohio MED businesses will be open by the September deadline.

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) says she’s not inclined to take a dispensary’s offer of plugging the state’s $5M budget hole, in exchange for limiting MED licenses.

A proposal in Maine would allow only four-year state residents to apply for REC licenses. The state saw MED sales and patient count fall in 2017 .

New York City first lady Chirlane McCray favors legalization . Her husband, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), is “not there yet.”

New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon (D), best known for playing Miranda on “ Sex and the City, ” favors legalization .  “Let’s capture some of that revenue,” she said. Primary opponent and incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is not there yet .

D.C. cannabis activists handed out free weed at the Department to Housing and Urban Development to protest lack of MED access for people in public housing.

The Maryland Senate passed a bill designed to increase the number of minority cannabis business owners , amid skepticism about whether it will work as designed. None of the states 15 MED grow licenses were awarded to black-owned firms.

For the first time, a Connecticut REC bill made it out of committee .

Herb finds the top eight anti-pot politicians up for reelection this year.

US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue supports loosening the rules on growing hemp , but believes MED and REC should remain illegal.

On his podcast, writer and activist Dan Savage said it was disqualifying for 2020 presidential hopeful Joe Kennedy (D), a Massachusetts Congressman and scion of the political dynasty, to oppose legalization on grounds that police would have a harder time searching people. Listen to Dan Savage talk sex and pot on the WeedWeek Podcast .

After Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) resolved the case, a farmer dropped his lawsuit about which black farmers were elligible for MED licenses in the state.

A Louisiana lawmaker cited a satirical news article in an argument against MED. The Daily Currant post said pot killed 37 people on the first day of legalization in Colorado.

Are you in SF? Everyone’s invited to celebrate the birthday of iconic cannabis activist Dennis Peron. It will be the first celebration since his death in January.

The head of the Canada's REC legalization task force said government owned dispensaries might track of cannabis buyers’ identities and purchases , but the data would be protected by privacy laws. 🍁For more subscribe to WeedWeek Canada .

Most Luxembourg residents want to legalize REC .
BUSINESS
Wall Street firm Cowen predicts US legal cannabis sales could reach $75 billion by 2030, equivalent to soda sales . It’s an upgrade from analyst Vivien Azer who previously said the industry would reach $50 billion by 2026.

Delivery app Eaze says it wants to sell $1 billion worth of weed and be profitable by 2020.

Washington testing company Capitol Analysis launched a project to improve testing results in the state.

S.F. grower Sense said it uses 100% renewable energy .

Illinois’ main cannabis bank is backing out of the industry .

Demand for licenses is strong in Massachusetts .

In The Outline, Mona Zhang writes hemp will save us from fire, cockroaches, heat and microplastics . MJBizDaily launched a new site to cover the hemp industry.

A few cannabis companies are experimenting with blockchain technology , but skepticism remains.

Marijuana Policy Project is looking for a new leader following the departure of Rob Kampia, who has a history of sexually harassing women.

“Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary is still wary of investing in the American cannabis industry.

A study found lots of cannabis workers are high at work .

Southwest Florida -- Naples, Fort Myers -- is emerging as an industry hub .


On 4/20, L.A.-based dispensary chain MedMen plans to open its first Manhattan location on Fifth Avenue. But the company still struggles to advertise.

HIgh Times acquired Green Rush Daily in an all stock deal.

A bill in New Jersey would make it harder to drug test workers .

The country’s only government owned dispensary, in a small Washington town, faces tough questions about the future .

Crain’s Chicago Business named grower and retailer Green Thumb Industries a finalist of its best places to work list .

A Rhode Island dispensary worker was denied a mortgage because of his work.

Bloomberg profiles Alterna Savings & Credit Union, which hit it big as Canada’s de facto cannabis banker . 🍁For more subscribe to WeedWeek Canada .

Strict packaging rules make branding a challenge in Canada. Plus Canadian companies wonder what to do about a required expiry date on packaging. 🍁For more subscribe to WeedWeek Canada .

After share prices dipped, executives at Canadian growers Cronos Group, Aurora and MedReleaf scooped up stock in their respective companies.

Canadian activists think it will be difficult to convince the government to drop its excise tax on MED. 🍁For more subscribe to WeedWeek Canada .

HEALTH & SCIENCE
Two new studies found a correlation between legal marijuana in a state and reduced opioid prescriptions and doses . The finding are based on five years of Medicaid and Medicare Part D data.
The N.Y.Times takes a look at cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome , a condition caused by heavy cannabis use. Aside from quitting, hot showers are said to relieve related nausea and pain.

The FDA has asked for public input on whether marijuana should be reclassified under international drug control treaties.


MED patients in Illinois suffer through “ appalling delays ,” the Chicago Sun-Times editorializes.

Police found no cannabis in cookies the staff at a Maine day care center said got them high.

Inc. reports on efforts by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) to legalize ecstasy (MDMA) as a pharmaceutical as the efforts approach success.

Also, LSD turns 75 this month and MAPS is collecting tribute videos to the psychedelic drug.


Wired reports on the problem of testing hair for drug use . Also in Wired: Can technology fix addiction rehab?

Hundreds of patients will be without MED after the arrest of an Australian activist.
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Critical Mind, Inc. is a Medical Cannabis Cultivation and Manufacturing Facility located in Adelanto, CA. Providing the highest quality Cannabis products. Compliance without Compromise!
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Worldwide there are more women in prison than ever before , due largely to drug crimes.
The Ninth Circuit Court of appeals said federal protections for state legal MED do not apply to federal land within those states.

A man is suing after New Jersey state police searched his anus and genitals for marijuana and didn’t find any.

Following a lab testing scandal, a Massachusetts judge vacated 11,000 convictions stemming from 7,700 criminal cases.

Massachusetts legislators passed a sweeping overhaul of the state criminal justice system to focus more on rehabilitation and less on punishment.

A Massachusetts state trooper faces questions about marijuana selling in her past.

A Maryland bill would ban MED in jails .

The New York Times reports on the horrific conditions inside a private prison in Mississippi .

AG Sessions thinks legalization in Canada will cause disruptions at the US border. 🍁For more subscribe to WeedWeek Canada .

A Texas cop quit the force after he spent two months undercover in prison for a documentary.
CULTURE
Seth Rogen said he regrets smoking a joint in front of Steven Spielberg, who is not a cannabis enthusiast. Spielberg gave him a look which said, “I’m not working with this motherfucker ever,” Rogen told Jimmy Kimmel. (Editorial: WeedWeek doesn’t recommend Spielberg’s latest, “ Ready Player One, ” sober, or at all.)
Bill and Ted 3 is reportedly “ close to becoming reality. ” Working title is “Bill and Ted Face the Music.”

Vice tried the high-CBD weed which can be legally purchased in the U.K.

Canadian olympic medalists Jan Hudec and Ross Rebagliati have their own cannabis brands. 🍁For more subscribe to WeedWeek Canada .

Lamar Odom, former NBA player and ex-husband of  Khloé Kardashian, is launching a cannabis line . Cannabis helped him when he was recovering from problems related to his use of crack cocaine.
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Bye,
Alex 

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