October 14, 2020
Why a Pot Smoker’s Paradise May Say No to Legal Weed
Some 80% of its population has used it, including Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, even though it’s against the law. But New Zealand might say no to legalizing recreational cannabis in the general election on Oct. 17. Two major opinion polls show support waning for a non-binding referendum to end the prohibition. Why would a country where “weed” is widely used turn down the opportunity to acknowledge its ubiquity and reject laws turning users into criminals? In public discussions and debates, the focus seems to be on the next generation. 1. What’s the proposal? From the age of 20, a person would be allowed to buy as much as 14 grams (about half an ounce) of dried cannabis a day from licensed outlets, and to grow two plants at home (with a limit of four plants per household). There would be shops selling pot of different varieties and strengths, and eventually other products such as edibles, though not gummy bears or anything resembling children’s sweets. Smoking or vaping in public areas or buildings would be prohibited, except in specially licensed cafes. Advertising of cannabis products would be banned. Medicinal cannabis, which requires a doctor’s prescription, has already been legalized in New Zealand. 2. And the arguments? Advocates say the change would reduce harm from cannabis by eliminating illegal supply from gangs, regulating its quality and safety and blocking access to those under 20. It would raise awareness of the health risks, including requiring warning labels. They also say indigenous Maori are disproportionally criminalized by cannabis prohibition, as they are three times more likely to be arrested and convicted for possession of the drug than non-Maori. Opponents say cannabis is a serious drug that harms mental health, particularly among adolescents, and legalizing it will send a message to children that it’s OK. In the run-up to the election, this has emerged as a reason many parents give for voting no despite having smoked pot themselves.
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October 12, 2020
Vermont to legalize recreational marijuana
Vermont will become the 11th state in the nation to allow sales of marijuana for recreational use after Gov. Phil Scott (R) said this week he would not veto a measure passed by the state legislature Scott had vetoed an earlier marijuana legalization bill that did not include specific funding directives he had sought. But in a letter to legislators this week, Scott said he would allow the latest bill to become law without his signature. He said the measure included a sufficient amount of funding to education and prevention campaigns designed to keep children off marijuana, and the implementation of a roadside saliva test aimed at curbing driving under the influence. Scott said more work remained. He called for further legislation that would open the legal market to more minority- and women-owned businesses. Vermont will now begin crafting the regulatory structures that will lead to legal pot sales. The legislation creates a cannabis control board that will establish the rules, along with a significant 14 percent excise tax on all marijuana products. The first marijuana shops are likely to open by 2022, after the new rules are finalized. Vermont is the first state where marijuana has been legalized by an act of the legislature. A similar push in New Jersey, backed by Gov. Phil Murphy (D), stalled earlier this year. Vermont would be the third New England state to legalize recreational pot, after Massachusetts, where recreational stores are already open, and Maine, with stores likely to open soon. Voters in those states, as well as in Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, passed ballot measures legalizing recreational marijuana sales. The number of states where recreational marijuana is legal is likely to increase after November’s election. Voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota will decide on legal marijuana measures; a recent survey of Arizona voters indicated that their measure, Proposition 207, would pass by a wide margin. Voters in Mississippi will decide whether to legalize marijuana for medical use next month. Most other states have legal medical marijuana regimes on the books. Scott, a centrist Republican who voted against President Trump in this year’s GOP primary, has been negotiating with the legislature over legal marijuana for years. He is unlikely to pay any political price, either for his Republican apostasy or for allowing legal pot to become law — a Vermont Public Radio survey conducted in September found Scott leading his Democratic rival, Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, by a 55 percent to 24 percent margin.
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October 12, 2020
Adult-use recreational marijuana sales begin in Maine Friday
After years of anticipation, legal sales of adult use marijuana begin in Maine Friday. It comes four years after the state voted to legalize recreational pot through a referendum vote. Adults 21 years of age or older with a valid ID will be able to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of a combination of marijuana and marijuana concentrate that includes no more than five grams of marijuana concentrate. It remains illegal to consume marijuana in public spaces. "As soon as those doors are opening, there's nothing more rewarding than seeing people who are really stoked to come in and buy legal cannabis," Theory Wellness Market Director Thomas Winstanley said. Theory Wellness, a Massachusetts-based company run by two Colby College graduates, is one of just eight stores that have received an active license from the state allowing them to open. "For us, it's incredibly exciting because we do love this state, and it's exciting to see the proliferation on a broader scale of cannabis legalization," Winstanley said. While Theory Wellness is set to open its South Portland location on the Maine Mall Road, more than 200 other hopeful shops are still in the in the licensing and application process. "It would be a slower launch, but a launch none the less," Maine Office of Marijuana Policy Director Erik Gundersen said. With shops licensed and ready, Gundersen says he expects supply to be low, and demand could be high. "That's pretty much par for the course in every jurisdiction that's launched a program has seen those type of shortages and it'll mature over time," Gundersen said. Gundersen says it will mature as more shops, cultivation sites, extraction locations and manufacturing facilities open. One of those is JAR Cannabis Company, which is looking to open multiple shops. "We have to make sure the cultivation centers are licensed and online, our manufacturing and extraction facility is ready to go. And then at that point once those licenses are in order, we'll be ready to open up the retail stores," JAR Co-owner Joel Pepin said. Pepin believes that when more stores are licensed and operating, Maine could be positioned to be one of the premiere designations for recreational marijuana. "I believe Maine has a high number of talented cultivators. There's some tremendous extraction artists and coupled with retail shops across the state, I think Maine's gonna be known nationally to visit for adult use marijuana," Pepin said.
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October 12, 2020
What legalizing retail marijuana sales will look like
On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Scott decided to let a bill establishing a marijuana marketplace become law, making Vermont the 11th state in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana sales. Over the next few years, state officials will stand up a regulated statewide market for marijuana and issue licenses to marijuana cultivators, product manufacturers, testing labs and dispensaries. Recreational marijuana dispensaries could open as soon as October 2022. And the state’s existing medical dispensaries can receive licenses to sell their products to the public starting in May 2022. Here’s what the rollout of the new cannabis marketplace will look like. The Cannabis Control Board is the new three-member body that will regulate Vermont’s cannabis industry. The governor will appoint the board in consultation with a Cannabis Control Board Nominating Committee composed of members of the governor’s administration, three members of the Vermont House and two Vermont state senators. The board is expected to be in place by January 2021. But Scott said Wednesday he thinks the law’s timeline for setting up the panel is “too aggressive and may need to be extended.” Once appointed, the control board will have authority over licensing, regulation and enforcement of Vermont’s nascent cannabis industry. In April, it will also make recommendations to the Vermont Legislature about additional policy changes and resources the state needs to have in place before the market opens up. These will include recommended policies around cannabis-related advertising, land use and efficiency requirements for cannabis businesses. In his letter on Wednesday, the governor asked lawmakers to make several changes before dispensaries start setting up shop in Vermont. Scott wants the Legislature to pass policies to improve racial equity in the marijuana industry. He wants legislators to ban the sale of marijuana vaping products, which currently would be allowed. And he wants them to prohibit businesses from advertising marijuana products in a way that would appeal to children. In June 2021, the board will begin the rulemaking process — writing the regulations that will govern cannabis establishments. Vermont has five medical marijuana dispensaries, and the new law gives these companies a head start. They can apply for licenses and sell products to the public about five months earlier than the new retail sales companies. Medical dispensaries could start selling marijuana to people without prescriptions as soon as May 2022. Scott criticized the marijuana legislation for giving medical dispensaries “an unfair head start on market access.” He said this gives the existing dispensaries an unfair advantage over women-owned and minority-owned business applicants and other small growers and entrepreneurs trying to break into the industry. Rep. John Gannon, D-Wilmington, who helped craft the legislation in the House, said medical dispensaries will be limited to one retail location each.
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October 12, 2020
Police investigating after up to $17,000 worth of hemp plants stolen
New York State Police are investigating after thousands of dollars worth of hemp plants were stolen from a farm near Mayfield. The plants, which are worth an estimated $11,000 to $17,000, went missing on September 18. Officers believe the suspects were stealing marijuana plants, which are related to hemp, to process and then sell as the drug. Anyone with information regarding this incident or the sale of “fake” marijuana, most likely in the Mayfield, Gloversville, Amsterdam area, is asked to contact (518) 630-1700.
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The Amherst County Board of Supervisors discussed the possibility of a 27 cent tax to a pack of cigarettes. "Every penny counts," Paul Chona, a local business owner. Chona owns Campbell Food Store in Elon and for him, a tax increase on cigarettes would result in a hit for his entire business.
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October 9, 2020
Vermont legalizes marijuana sales
Vermont is legalizing marijuana sales. Gov. Phil Scott (R) on Wednesday announced he’ll allow a marijuana sales legalization bill passed by the legislature to take effect. Vermont previously legalized marijuana possession and growing. The latest bill allows and builds a commercialized, tax-and-regulate system, similar to other legalization states’. The legislation is set to take effect this month, but state regulators will have until October 2022 to start issuing licenses for retailers — meaning legal sales could still be as much as two years away. Separately, Scott signed another bill into law that seeks to automate the expungement process for past marijuana convictions, freeing people from their criminal records for marijuana. People who get expungements will receive a notification by mail. The governor’s decision makes Vermont the 11th state to legalize marijuana sales for recreational purposes. A decade ago, zero states had done so. Several other states, including New Jersey and Arizona, will vote on marijuana legalization this November.
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October 9, 2020
NJ governor who is aggressively pushing for the legalization of marijuana steps up efforts to battle opioid addiction
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy plans to make a virtual appearance on Thursday with an organization looking to end the prohibition of marijuana within the state, for those who are 21 or older. Local officials have fallen short of the necessary votes to pass a legalization bill in the House and Senate several times. Lawmakers have now turned the matter over to voters with a ballot amendment that will be decided this November. New Jersey has been one of the hardest-hit states with regard to the opioid/heroin epidemic. Many cannabis activists have argued marijuana is a useful alternative to powerful narcotics like OxyContin, Percocet, or Fentanyl. It is also said to have less physical side effects and can be less physically addictive than painkillers. "NJ CAN 2020," is a statewide coalition of weed advocates that includes doctors, attorneys, and cannabis business owners who will host the virtual forum at 4:30 p.m., to lobby for the Constitutional amendment, according to NJ.com.
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October 9, 2020
Chaos and Cannabis: A Hemp Empire Brings Trouble to Navajo Land
In the fertile northeast corner of the Navajo Nation, fields that only months ago were traditional open-air corn farms are now stuffed with hundreds of industrial-size greenhouses, each glowing with artificial lights and brimming with emerald cannabis plants. Security cameras ring the perimeters and hired guards in flak jackets patrol the public roads alongside the farms. Every weekday throughout the summer, a group of local kids woke at sunrise and arrived at the farm by 7:30, ready for a 10-hour shift of hard labor under the high desert sun. Many were teenagers, 13- and 14-year-olds lured by offers of quick cash. A few were as young as 10. Joining them were scores of foreign workers — an estimated 1,000 people, many of them Chinese immigrants brought to New Mexico from Los Angeles, according to Navajo Nation Police Chief Phillip Francisco. Seven-foot-tall black fencing shields the activities inside these greenhouses, but farmworkers, neighbors, and law enforcement officers have provided an inside view. Chinese managers oversee the day-to-day logistics, they say, bringing in diesel generators on freight trucks to power the greenhouses, installing dozens of cheaply built trailers to house the immigrant workers, and drilling unpermitted wells to irrigate thousands of thirsty cannabis plants.
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The adult-use marijuana club of the United States just grew to 11 with the addition of Vermont on Wednesday.
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