equity

Legalization bill clears Connecticut legislature

Posted on June 19th, 2021 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

ConnecticutThe Connecticut state Senate on June 17 approved a cannabis legalization bill—one day after the House passed a revised version of the bill that has the support of Gov. Ned Lamont. The legislation establishes a framework for a recreational market for adults over the age of 21.

New Mexico, Virginia latest to legalize cannabis

Posted on April 15th, 2021 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , .

leafNew Mexico's Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the state's cannabis legalization bill on April 12, allowing those age 21 and over to start cultivating up to six plants at home and possess up to 2 ounces (56 grams) outside their homes starting at the end of June. Retail sales are to begin in a year. On April 7, Virginia's Gov. Ralph Northam reached a deal with the General Assembly, winning amendments that speed up the state's legalization to July 1. The law will make home cultivation of up to four plants and possession of up to an ounce legal for those 21 and older. Sales are expected to begin in 2024. The Virginia law has strong social equity provisions, while those in the New Mexico bill were mostly put off to future legislation. (National Law Review, AP, NPRVirginia Mercury, Marijuana Moment, Marijuana Moment)

New York state of euphoria: MRTA becomes law at last

New YorkAfter years of activist effort, New York state finally passed the Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA), signed into law by a politically besieged Gov. Andrew Cuomo. This is being hailed as a victory by advocates, who pledge to craft a model of legalization that will dismantle a long legacy of racism and oppression under the prohibition regime.

Northeast legalization: New Jersey beats Empire State to punch

Posted on February 23rd, 2021 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

New JerseyAfter a frustrating delay and deadlock in the statehouse, New Jersey finally answered the will of the voters in last year's referendum, and passed enabling legislation to create a regulated adult-use cannabis market. Activists are still dissatisfied with limits—most significantly, no provision for homegrown—and have concerns about how a "recreational" market will impact medical users. But the belated move is being hailed as a victory that ups the pressure on neighboring New York to follow through on pledges to legalize—and even on the federal government.

Kamala and cannabis: setting the record straight

Posted on August 12th, 2020 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

Kamala HarrisJoe Biden's choice of running mate is Kamala Harris, who will bring a more progressive position on cannabis to the ticket. But if Harris today embraces legalization, she too has capitulated to the drug war establishment in the past—a reality her critics have been quick to exploit. A review of her record reveals an overall evolution toward a more enlightened stance.

California controversies over 'social equity' licenses

Posted on August 3rd, 2020 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , .

CaliforniaEquity programs for the legal cannabis industry in California are supposed to address the racial and social iniquities that were associated with cannabis prohibition. But finding the right implementation model has proved tricky. And as a recent controversy in Los Angeles indicates, the failure of such programs can have impacts that go beyond who is getting licenses for dispensaries.

Illinois: June cannabis sales break record

Posted on July 9th, 2020 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , .

IllinoisIn 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.

Hemp Farming While Black

Farmer CeeCan Rural America's Expropriated Use a New Crop to Forge a New Agrarianism?

Green Heffa Farms, in North Carolina’s Piedmont, has emerged as a national symbol of vision and success in America’s new hemp economy. As a producer of boutique full-spectrum hemp-flower products, it has won a cachet in the industry—which is augmented, at least in more enlightened sectors, by the fact that it is Black-owned, and has an overt political consciousness.

Green Heffa’s CEO is Clarenda Stanley—popularly known as Farmer Cee. She was featured in the April issue of Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine, and was last year the 2019 “Featured Farmer” for National Hemp History Week.

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