Global Ganja Report

As New Jersey awaits a November ballot initiative on legalization, the state's governor invoked cannabis as a potential key to post-pandemic economic recovery, as well as an imperative for racial justice. But even if the vote passes, deadlock in the statehouse could still be an obstacle to implementation.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and historic levels of unemployment, Illinois cannabis retailers saw record-breaking sales in June, taking in nearly $48 million in revenues.

As first reported by Buzzfeed News, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is expanding its powers so that it can assist "to the maximum extent possible in the federal law enforcement response" to the wave of ongoing nationwide protests that have followed the killing of George Floyd by a member of the Minneapolis police.

Lockdowns and economic paralysis imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak are spurring a new emphasis on self-sufficiency. Even before the crisis, medicinal cannabis users facing shortages at local dispensaries were turning to home cultivation.

Canada's largest licensed producer of cannabis, with globe-spanning operations, is shutting down two massive greenhouses in British Columbia, and laying off hundreds of workers. Industry observers call it a sign that infrastructure overshot the market in the post-legalization euphoria.

As the so-called "Boomers" advance in years, they are using cannabis more, a new study reveals. What may have been a symbol of rebellion and the counterculture in their youth, is increasingly seen as medicine to help deal with the challenges of aging.

Fernanda de la Figuera, Spain's "Grandma Marijuana," has been sentenced to nine months in prison for growing cannabis in her backyard and providing healing herb to her “association” of medical users. She pledges to appeal the ruling to the European Court of Human Rights, in what could become a landmark medical necessity and personal freedom ruling for the entire European Union.

The race is on as to which state will be the 12th in the union to legalize cannabis. In New Mexico, measures are pending in both houses of the Legislature, and have the support of the governor. However, the Land of Enchantment isn’t just racing against other states, but its own short legislative session.