Here’s a wild and crazy Weed Week. To start it off, the Biden administration is showing its colors once again by refusing to allow cannabis sales in Washington, DC. He has, now in the last four plus months of his presidency that he truly doesn’t want cannabis to be legal. Apparently, he won’t stop it, but he certainly won’t help it. The really big news this week is Amazon. The powers-that-be at Amazon have decided that cannabis is not detrimental to the workplace for most employees and want the plant legalized. The impact of this could be tremendous. And the out of control republicans in Wisconsin have shown their 1950s mentality; “Marijuana bad. Alcohol good.” And in the meantime, they’re losing millions in tax revenue. On Wisconsin.
Congresswoman Blasts Biden Decision To Block Marijuana Sales In D.C.
Nobody will dispute the facts that the prohibition of cannabis has been nothing than a ploy to keep minority populations in check. The Biden administration refuses to move the legalization of cannabis off the back burner. This policy is both racist and an assault on populations of color. Once again President Biden is showing his true colors. On the plus side, the administration has a line in the budget for next year that prohibits the Department of Justice from using any funds to block or impede states with legal cannabis from continuing their programs. That’s a start.
Ben & Jerry’s With CBD?
It’s bound to happen. It’s going to happen. Ben and Jerry, both known advocates of legal cannabis, appear to be completely ready to create an ice cream flavor with CBD. Probably THC too once it’s legalized at the Federal level. Why am I not surprised?
Cannabis emoji remains elusive: When it will exist, what it might look like, and why we don’t have one (yet)
This is a fascinating bit of trivia about an emoji for our favorite plant. I don’t know how, but Apple appears to control the emoji keyboard and won’t put a cannabis emoji in until the Feds legalize it. Yikes! But that’s the way of the world these days.
Amazon changes employee policies for time off, marijuana
Praise the lord and pass the bacon! If only most employers would think this way. Amazon is still doing drug testing, just not foe cannabis. They’ve also changed a few other things related to time off. They want to become an employer of choice. Too bad at this time that those employers who are complaining that they can’t find workers just aren’t paying enough and haven’t changed with the times. It kinda sux.
Marijuana Legalization Is Retiring Police Dogs. Why That’s Good—And Why All Drug K9 Units Should Go.
K-9 units, police dogs, whatever you want to call them have been a bogus proposition from the beginning. They can smell cannabis, yes, but were they really used as an excuse to pull people over (mostly of color) and give ‘probable cause’ to search a vehicle. Is it time to retire police dogs and task them with something more productive?
Thousands of rural California farmers still blocked from joining legal marijuana market
California is getting silly stupid. No other way to put it. The state with the largest regulatory agency cannot get their cannabis growing (and selling) act together, no matter what they do…and of course, they are doing nothing. Thousands of small farmers cannot afford to grow cannabis if they desire. Big business seems to be trying to control cultivation of cannabis in California, but that leaves out the small growers who might become craft growers. It kinda sux.
Federal Report Finds No Increase In Teen Cannabis Use After Legalization
Not surprising. After Colorado, Washington State, Oregon, Nevada and California legalized adult use, they all reported no increase in teen use The facts are that a percentage of teenagers are inclined to risky behavior. That percentage is about the same, whether cannabis is legal or not. Whether cannabis is legal or only alcohol is legal, the same percentage of teens will try one or both. And now the Feds are saying it too after telling us, over the years, that teenage cannabis use will skyrocket after adult-use legalization. At least the government is getting a bit more honest about the use of cannabis in its myriad of reports.
Wisconsin Republicans Block Medical Marijuana
For some reason, Wisconsin has a particularly virulent form of republican politics. While Michigan is not much better, there’s a particular nastiness to republican politics in Wisconsin. Now they’re blocking medical cannabis from even getting out of its first committee. Why? Currently, Wisconsin is losing millions of dollars to Illinois, Michigan and soon Minnesota. Do Wisconsin republicans really want to run the state into the ground?
Medical marijuana expansion backed by Louisiana lawmakers
This sounds better than it really is. Yes, dispensaries in Louisiana will be able to sell cannabis flower. But it won’t happen until next year. And it can only be grown by two universities…and we do know how well that didn’t work in Mississippi for the Feds. And there are only nine dispensaries in the entire state. Good going Louisiana. Illicit weed will continue to flourish.
Montana governor signs recreational cannabis policy into law
Well, well, well. A really republican state has finally opened up for adult use cannabis. This is tremendous news. The number of states with adult use is growing and I’m starting to think we should run a contest to see which state will be the last to legalize adult use cannabis. I have my bets placed and I’ll bet that some bookie in Las Vegas will be willing to set up some sort of a book for the betting. My guess is Indiana. Only Texas might be more retrogressive than Indiana, but Indiana is really strange. OK maybe Wisconsin (see above).
