Bill Weinberg's blog

Mexico militarizes marijuana enforcement —despite legalization moves

Posted on March 10th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , .

Mexico Despite his boast to have "ended" the drug war and pledge to explore cannabis legalization, Mexico's new populist president is seeking to create a special anti-drug National Guard drawing from the military and police forces. This plan is moving rapidly ahead—and the military is still being sent against cannabis growers and traffickers.

'Day One Equity' drives New York legalization effort

Posted on March 5th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , .

New YorkWith rival cannabis legalization bills now pending in Albany, New York state activists are demanding "Day One Equity"—legislation consciously crafted to correct the injustices of the War on Drugs. Advocates and politicians came together to give voice to this demand at a recent forum on Manhattan's Lower East Side.

Struggle for patient cultivation continues as Peru approves medical marijuana regs

Posted on February 26th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , .

PeruAfter a delay of a year beyond what was mandated by the law passed in November 2017, Peru has finally unveiled regulations for its new medical marijuana program. Now the activists who fought for the law say they will keep fighting for what has always been their central demand: the right to home cultivation by patient "associations."

New Frontier Data analyzes Latin America cannabis market

Posted on February 14th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , .

leafLatin America is at the forefront of the global wave of cannabis law reform, according to a new report from a DC-based industry analyst. New Frontier Data sees a $9.8 billion market in the region, with big expansion potential for both exports and serving local consumption. 

El Chapo guilty: prohibition-fueled narco-wars rage on

Posted on February 13th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , .

ChapoNotorious narco-lord "Chapo" Guzmán was convicted by a federal jury in New York and faces life in prison. But violence in Mexico has only escalated since his capture. Few media accounts have noted how Chapo and his Sinaloa Cartel rose as militarized narcotics enforcement escalated in Mexico—a trajectory mirrored by the cartels' move from dealing in cannabis to deadly white powders.

ArcView analyzes state of world legal cannabis markets in 2019

Planet WatchCalifornia's ArcView Market Research and its affiliated BDS Analytics have released a "2019 Update" to the 6th edition of their report on The State of Legal Marijuana Markets, which was published back in June. The Update takes stock of events in the second half of the year, and anticipates that worldwide spending on legal cannabis will grow 39.1% to $17 billion in 2019.

Tulsi Gabbard, cannabis and the single-issue dilemma

Posted on January 24th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , .

TulsiAmong the current crowded field of Democratic hopefuls for the 2020 presidential race, at least a handful have progressive positions on cannabis. Among these, the most outspoken on the question has probably been Hawaii's Tulsi Gabbard—who, unfortunately, has deeply problematic stances on some other very critical issues.

Cannabis impacts on adolescent brain: skeptical views overlooked (surprise)

Posted on January 17th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , .

Reefer MadnessIn what is starting to smell like an anti-cannabis media campaign, headlines erupt this week on the possible deleterious effects of cannabis on the developing brains of young teens. Again, the accounts are one-sided—and the political assumptions behind them flawed.

Recent days have seen successive stories in the media on the supposed mental health hazards of cannabis—seeming to signal a backlash to recent gains in normalizing the plant and overcoming the stigma.

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