N.J. Sen. Cory Booker (D)  introduced a bill to legalize cannabis federally. It would entitle federal prisoners serving time for pot offenses to a sentencing hearing and incentivize similar reforms at the state level. The bill has virtually no chance of becoming law.

Booker defended the bill in an  op-ed: “The enforcement of marijuana laws have too often led to a sacrifice of our values, our safety, and the potential of millions of Americans.”

Bloomberg says Sessions also faces opposition from Republicans for his views on the plant.

Colorado (in a 140-page report), Oregon (in a 19-page report) and Washington have defended their state industries to U.S. Attorney General Sessions, a legalization opponent. Sessions replied to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) with “serious questions about the efficacy of marijuana ‘regulatory structures’ in your state.” (See the letter here.) 

Sessions has declined to release recommendations from his task force on marijuana enforcement. “We’ll make announcements on policy changes when we have announcements to make,” a Justice Department spokesperson told HuffPost.

According to documents obtained by the AP, the task force, “has come up with no new policy recommendations to advance the attorney general’s aggressively anti-marijuana views.” Instead the report “largely reiterates the current Justice Department policy on marijuana.”

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden (D) wants Sessions to release the recommendations.

A new Harvard-Harris poll found 57% of Americans believe legalizing REC would improve society. 

Politico profiles John Morgan, a wealthy personal injury lawyer and legalization activist, who may run for governor of Florida.

Trump ally and dirty trickster Roger Stone continues to call for REC legalization. 

Also at the Politicon conference, Ann Coulter claimed “Blacks were about ten times more likely to lie and say they hadn’t smoked pot,” than whites. (A study found the opposite.) “Nobody goes to prison for possession,” Coulter added to boos.

Oakland has begun accepting business licenses, including equity licenses. The Cannifornian

San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood, in the city’s southeast, is fighting two proposed dispensaries.

A Massachusetts cannabis advisory board is “in a holding pattern.”

MED legalization remains a tough sell in South Carolina. 

Following a Washington Post report, Maryland is looking into potential conflicts of interest between MED license applicants and application evaluators. Maryland State senators rejected calls for a special session to discuss racial bias in awarding licenses.

Toronto’s Globe and Mail editorializes that the rules are not yet clear for REC legalization, with expected implementation less than 12 months away.  

A South African pair known as “the dagga couple” are trying to get REC legalized through a court process.

Kanye West is suing insurance companies for refusing to pay at least $9.8M in claims after he cancelled much of his 2016 Saint Pablo tour. West’s touring company says the Lloyd’s of London affiliated insurers claim without evidence that West’s marijuana use could have contributed to the “debilitating medical condition” and invalidate his claims.

Nevada gambling regulations do not address players visibly impaired by cannabis. Casinos are now asking the Trump administration whether they must file documents known as Suspicious Activity Reports for players known or suspected to be supported by cannabis businesses.

Nevada’s highest court ruled MED business owners can remain anonymous. A tribe run dispensary outside Las Vegas expects to be the country’s largest dispensary by retail area when it opens next month. 

Regulators are debating advertising at the Las Vegas airport. 

Lawncare company Scotts Miracle-Gro wants to be the leading hydroponics supplier to hobbyists and professionals. Its stock is trading near all time highs.

New Cannabis Ventures ranks the top public cannabis companies, U.S. and international, by revenue. Canada’s financial regulator offered guidance to companies with U.S. operations.

Canadian MED producer Aphria participated in lifestyle brand Tokyo Smoke’s $4M fundraising.

Puerto Rico thinks MED could help alleviate the island’s economic crisis.

New York doubled the number of MED licensees to 10, making business conditions more difficult in the state.

App MassRoots is pivoting from a “Facebook for pot” to a “review and consumer loyalty” app. 

TechCrunch says software company Meadow is the Amazon Web Services of weed, “powering the back end of the THC trade.” (Disclosure: Meadow has advertised in WeedWeek.)

I wrote about cannabis livestreaming app Toke.tv for L.A. Weekly.

“A lot of the upstart companies will find that this business is not easy and they will struggle,” says Neil Closner, CEO of Canadian MED producer MedReleaf. 

The Tyendinga Mohawk tribe is defending their dispensaries from a crackdown in rural Ontario. 

The manufacturer of game ‘Cards Against Humanity,’ supports REC legalization in Illinois.

Arizona MED company American Green purchased the tiny town of Nipton, Calif., near Vegas, with plans to make it a cannabis-friendly resort. The purchase price was about $5M.

Buzzfeed’s Alyson Martin asks if you’re “Team Pinot or Team Pot,” in a piece on the frenemy industries.

The AP joins L.A. dispensary owner Jerred Kiloh on a drive to deliver $40,131.88 in cash for a tax payment.

Washington state has suspended leading lab Peak Analytics.

Vox’s policy podcast The Weeds discusses pot taxes in Washington.

A venture in Napa, Calif. wants to dig caves for commercial cultivation. They usually build caves to use as wine cellars.

WBUR looks at how opium profits shaped 19th-century Boston.