United States

Texas approves law creating ibogaine research program

Posted on August 13th, 2025 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

psychedelicsTexas Gov. Greg Abbott on June 11 signed a bill creating a consortium of universities, hospitals and pharmaceutical firms to conduct clinical trials on on ibogaine, in hopes of receiving US Food & Drug Administration approval. The press release on the signing hails ibogaine as an "emerging treatment for neurological and mental health conditions." Lawmakers approved $50 million to support the effort, making Texas the global leader in psychedelic research investment. (Texas Tribune)

Oaksterdam founder and longtime California cannabis advocate Richard Lee passes on at 61

Posted on July 28th, 2025 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , .

Richard LeeCalifornia's Oaksterdam University has announced the passing of its founder and longtime activist Richard Lee. As an entrepreneur, Lee opened some of the first Amsterdam-style cannabis coffeeshops in the United States, years before statewide legalization in California—the Blue Sky Coffeeshop and Bulldog Coffeeshop, both in an area near downtown Oakland that became known as "Oaksterdam " He founded Oaksterdam University in 2007, the first brick-and-mortar establishment to offer in-person educational training to those seeking to enter the cannabis industry. The University has graduated over 110,000 students.

Cannabis farm worker detained by ICE speaks out

Posted on July 20th, 2025 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , .

George RetesUS citizen and Army veteran George Retes on July 16 spoke out after being arrested during an immigration raid at his workplace on a California cannabis farm, stating that he was detained for three days without explanation.

Worker killed as ICE raids California cannabis farm

Posted on July 13th, 2025 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , .

CaliforniaICE agents raided a cannabis farm in California's Ventura County July 10, sparking a clash with protesters and resulting in the death of an employee. Agents threw smoke canisters and flash-bangs into a crowd that gathered to confront them as the operation was taking place at Glass House Farms near Camarillo. A farmworker who had apparently climbed onto a roof to evade the agents fell during the chaos, and expired after two days on life support with a brain injury. Jaime Alanis, 57, is the first known person to die during one of the Trump administration's ongoing immigration enforcement operations. Similar confrontations were reported in a raid on a second Glass House Farms facility around 35 miles away in Carpinteria. ICE said that they detained 361 "illegal aliens" in the raids on the two sites. (KABC, LATNYT, SBI, NNN, USATAP)

Texas political establishment divided by THC

Posted on June 26th, 2025 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

TexasIn a last-minute move before the measure was to automatically become law, Gov. Greg Abbott on June 23 vetoed Senate Bill 3, which sought to ban the sale of all THC-laden products in Texas, whether Delta-8 and Delta-9. The bill would have also placed greater restrictions on CBD products, such as banning their sale to those under 21. Abbott has called for a special legislative session to revisit the question, which has pitted the hemp industry against the GOP establishment. Abbott's own Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was a key advocate of the "THC ban." Patrick bashed Abbott over the veto, saying he "wants to legalize recreational marijuana."

SCOTUS allows family to sue feds over 'wrong house' raid

Posted on June 14th, 2025 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

SCOTUSThe US Supreme Court ruled June 12 in favor of an Atlanta family attempting to sue the federal government for damages after their home was mistakenly raided by an FBI Special Weapons & Tactics (SWAT) team.

Trump budget bill rescinds protection for medical marijuana patients

Posted on June 14th, 2025 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , .

capitolThe White House FY2026 budget request calls for the repeal of a long-standing federal rider that prohibits the Justice Department from using taxpayer dollars to prosecute patients and others involved in the state-legal medical cannabis industry. The provision, which has been in place since 2014, protects patients, caregivers and medical cannabis providers in the 39 states that have legalized medical access from federal interference or criminal prosecution. Prior to the passage of this protection, federal prosecutors routinely took actions against patients and dispensaries in legal states.

Federal court strips New York City of control over Rikers Island

Posted on May 15th, 2025 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , .

RikersA federal judge on May 14 stripped New York City of its control over the Rikers Island jail, which will now effectively be run by a third-party “remediation manager.” This comes after the same judge held the city in contempt last November for failing to reduce violence in the notorious jail complex.

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