cannabis

Cannabis & counterculture in Ukraine: threatened by Russian aggression

Posted on February 21st, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

UkraineUkraine has been suddenly thrust upon the center of the world stage, as Russia pours forces over the border in defiance of the West. In the atmosphere of militarization, space for cannabis and alternative culture is likely to close in both countries—but at least such space had been, slowly and tentatively, opening in Ukraine. Russia, pursuing an aggressive drug-war police state at home, may now be poised to impose its cultural-conservative agenda and roll back the recent gains in its smaller neighbor.

'Kush' scare hits West Africa

Posted on February 15th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

AfricaThere has been a flurry of vague but lurid reportage about a supposedly addicting and debilitating pseudo-cannabis that is going around in Sierra Leone and other West African countries. This may be akin to products such as K2 and Spice, widely marketed in the US and Europe—but if reports are to be believed, it is far more dangerous.

NFL awards $1 million to study cannabinoids and pain management

Posted on February 10th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

CBDThe National Football League has awarded a $1 million research grant to study the impacts of cannabinoids on pain management and neuroprotection in football players. The move represents a breakthrough given the NFL's longstanding zero-tolerance stance on cannabis use.

Legal cannabis states face push for potency caps

THCWith political and legal space opening for cannabis in state after state, a backlash is manifesting in the idea of caps on the potency—whether of bud, extracts or edibles. Voices from the industry and activist community see this as a throwback to the days of Reefer Madness.

NYS: Native nations assert right to cannabis economy

Posted on January 31st, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , .

New YorkNative American nations in New York state are eyeing the legal cannabis business, with some reservations already operating dispensaries. With state authorities yet to issue licensing regulations, the Shinnecock and Iroquois nations are asserting their rights under principles of indigenous sovereignty.

Thailand approves home cultivation —a first for Asia

Posted on January 27th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

BangkokThere is jubilation among cannabis advocates in Thailand after authorities announced a change to the narcotics code allowing personal cultivation—a breakthrough for the Asian continent. But does the reform really presage full legalization?

NYS prisoners punished for 'false positives' —including for synthetic cannabinoids

Posted on January 24th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , .

prisonersAn official study in New York reveals numerous false positives in drug tests carried out by the state prison system, with hundreds of inmates punished (sometimes quite harshly) for imbibing that did not actually take place —including for cannabinoids. 

Expungement meets obstacles in Montana too

Posted on January 20th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , .

MontanaVoters in Montana approved a cannabis legalization initiative in 2020, which included language explicitly calling for expungement of past convictions. But the process has been meeting with some resistance from local courts—and plans for a special court to oversee expungement have been dropped.

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