Global Ganja Report News Blog

Chicago federal hearing probes racial bias in ATF drug raids

Posted on December 16th, 2017 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , .

ChicagoUnprecedented hearings before a panel of nine federal judges at the Dirksen US Courthouse in Chicago opened Dec. 14, charged with determining whether there was a pattern of racial bias in sting operations by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) dating back to the 1990s. The hearings were called to resolve a dozen separate cases involving more than 40 defendants. An overflow courtroom was set up to handle the crowd, Chicago Tribune reports.

World Health Organization: no risks from CBD use

Posted on December 15th, 2017 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , .

medical marijuanaMedical marijuana advocates and bureaucrats from regulatory agencies around the world have both been awaiting a statement on the risks and benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) from the World Health Organization's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD). Now the assessment on the non-psychoactive cannabinoid is in, and it is encouraging news for those who have been hoping for its removal from Schedule 1, the international designation for drugs with no therapeutic value but high potential for abuse.

Canada's First Nations demand say in cannabis economy

Posted on December 13th, 2017 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

CanadaAmid the controversies about federal versus provincial control of the cannabis biz as Canada prepares for legalization, another jurisdictional issue has emerged. At the annual meeting of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in Ottawa Dec. 6, leaders of Canada's indigenous peoples demanded the right to set the laws that will oversee cannabis within their own territories.

Brazil's top fugitive drug lord gets popped

Posted on December 10th, 2017 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , .

BrazilBack in September, Brazilian army troops were deployed to quell fighting between rival drug gangs in Rocinha, the most notoriously violent of Rio de Janiero's favelas—the informal urban settlements in the north of the city, virtually abandoned by the government for anything other than militarized anti-drug operations. On Dec.

New York City's persistent cannabis dystopia

Posted on November 30th, 2017 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , .

New York CityNew York City, despite its liberal reputation, has long been the marijuana arrest capital of the USA. So many herbal advocates were heartened by the recent poll (carried out by Emerson College on behalf of the Marijuana Policy Project and Drug Policy Alliance) finding that 62% of New York's registered voters support legalizing and taxing cannabis to help close the state's budget gap, with 28% opposed. But some activists are quick to remind us that even as the public comes around on the question, all too little has changed on the city's streets.

Colombia hosts medical marijuana confab

Posted on November 30th, 2017 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , .

ColombiaColombia, with a burgeoning medical marijuana industry, just saw its first international exposition on the theme, marking a step toward normalization of cannabis in a country hit hard by drug war violence over the past generations. The Medellín Botanical Garden was the scene of the ExpoMedeWeed from Nov. 24-27, with workshops and discussions on technical, medical and cultural themes related to expanding Colombia's legal cannabis sector. The affair won favorable coverage from major Colombian news outlets such as Bogotá daily El Espectador.

Nicaragua: army assassination disguised as marijuana raid?

Posted on November 28th, 2017 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , .

Central AmericaThe International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women march in Nicaragua's capital Nov. 25 was ironically set upon by the riot police, with several women detained. The Managua march was emotionally charged, as it was led by Elea Valle—a campesina woman whose husband and two young sons were killed two weeks earlier in a raid by army troops on their home in the country's eastern rainforest.

California fallout from legalization regs

Posted on November 28th, 2017 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

CaliforniaCalifornia state authorities have issued new regulations governing the legal cannabis market that is to be officially instated on Jan. 1. Jointly drawn up by the Department of Health, Department of Food & Agriculture and the new Bureau of Cannabis Control, the regs are meeting with some trepidation from the Golden State's traditional cannabis sector. Most controversially, many small growers were disappointed that the regs include no limit on the number of licenses a single grower can hold or the total acreage one can farm.

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