Bill Weinberg's blog

Advances for cannabis conviction expungement —and obstacles

Posted on November 18th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

leafNearly 20 states have now approved initiatives or legislation to legalize cannabis, and demands are growing to wipe out past convictions for personal possession. Authorities in some of these states have started to respond—but things are not moving fast enough for advocates of a socially just model of legalization.

India: Bollywood scion snared in hash rap

Posted on November 16th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , .

South AsiaA Bollywood celebrity was arrested for supposedly using hashish and other drugs on a cruise ship off Mumbai—one of a slew of high-profile cases that have embarrassed India's entertainment industry and political establishment. Apart from providing fodder for the gossip columns, however, the affair raises serious concerns about civil rights in "the world's largest democracy."

New York prison converted to cannabis grow facility

Posted on November 9th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , .

New YorkIn a struggling former prison town in New York state, the closed prison is being converted into a cannabis grow facility, raising hopes for an economic renaissance. Cannabis has been posed as a post-industrial future for the Hudson Valley region, but there is a particular sense of poetic justice to this case.

Vets speak out for state medical marijuana programs

Posted on November 5th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , .

medical marijuanaThe VA only pledges not to cut off benefits to military veterans who use medical marijuana if they are enrolled in a state program. Those in states with no such programs remain the lurch. So vets are now speaking out in favor of pending state medical marijuana laws.

Veterans still face VA intransigence on medicinal cannabis

Posted on November 4th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , .

VA medical marijuana accessAmid continued federal intransigence on recognizing cannabis as legitimate medicine for military veterans, advocates take heart in legislation pending on Capitol Hill that would mandate that the VA study the question.

The death penalty for cannabis —even now

nooseIt's pretty surreal that even as a legal cannabis industry emerges on a global scale, there are still countries that impose outrageously draconian sentences for the herb—up to and including the death penalty.

The egregious case of a man sentenced to death for smuggling two pounds of cannabis into the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore has focused global attention on the disturbing reality.

Will California's new CBD law become de facto national standard?

Posted on October 14th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , .

CBDCalifornia has finally taken a step to resolve the ambiguities and inconsistencies in the regulation of hemp-derived CBD — a move that could see the state setting a de facto national standard in light of continued inaction by the US Food & Drug Administration.

Cannabis euphoria in NYC —but for how long?

Posted on October 6th, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

NYCNew York's new Gov. Kathy Hochul is hyping the coming cannabis boom in the state — although no adult-use licenses have yet been issued, and the bureaucracy is just starting to move on this. Meanwhile, the cops in Gotham City are turning a blind eye to small outfits that are setting up tables in the parks and on the sidewalks, selling edibles, extracts and bud. How long will this utopian free-for-all last?

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