hemp

China boasts 'cannabis boom' —but still metes out death penalty for marijuana

Posted on May 8th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

ChinaChina's ambition to get in on the "cannabis boom," providing hemp for the global CBD market, is now making international headlines. But marijuana is more harshly proscribed in China than just about any other country in the world, and the People's Republic continues to execute thousands every year for drug crimes.

Idaho prohibitionists bottleneck democracy

Posted on April 1st, 2019 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , .

IdahoIdaho is considering legislation that would raise the number of signatures needed to get an initiative on the ballot—in an apparent bid to undercut a medical marijuana legalization effort. Local activists with the Idaho Cannabis Coalition are saying the law would be "tyranny."

Hemp vs Marijuana: Whither the 0.3% Limit?

Posted on March 28th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

THC There is a growing consensus among hemp advocates that the 0.3% limit for THC content is arbitrary and is holding back the industry. And the man widely credited with arriving at this limit himself agrees.

The Contested Border
"It seems like it is pretty much pulled out of air. We ought to be looking to science to determine an appropriate threshold, determine the level at which cannabis is psychoactive and make that the standard."

This typical view is offered by attorney Patrick Goggin of Hoban Law Group, the international firm specializing in cannabis. Goggin is one of the industry's legal heavy-hitters, and has particular experience in the question of the contested border between hemp and marijuana.

Legal ambiguities on CBD status survive 'legalization'

Posted on March 13th, 2019 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , .

CBDThe conventional wisdom—and certainly the impression made by much media and advertising—is that CBD is legal pursuant to the federal Farm Bill enacted late last year. As is often the case, however, there are some devils in the details.

Turkey's authoritarian president comes out for cannabis cultivation

Posted on January 16th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , .

TurkeyIn a strange paradox, Turkey's increasingly authoritarian President Erdogan has announced that he wants to expand legal cannabis cultivation in the country. His speech unveiling the proposal even portrayed the plant's prohibition as imposed by Western powers to undermine Turkish agriculture—appealing to his traditional Islamist base, with otherwise conservative instincts.

HR 420 introduced to deschedule cannabis

Posted on January 14th, 2019 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , .

capitolA House bill to legalize cannabis, removing it from the Controlled Substances Act and treating it like alcohol, is wryly dubbed HR 420. It isn't the first such bill in Congress—but with the recent change in House leadership, this time it may actually stand a chance of passing.

China's cannabis sector expands —amid anti-drug police state

Posted on January 11th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , .

ChinaA Chinese delegation to Israel to explore cooperation in the cannabis sector points to the East Asian giant's growing footprint in the global industry. But in a continued contradiction, the People's Republic has possibly the harshest drug laws on Earth—and, where unsanctioned use by the commoners is concerned, cannabis is no exception.

Podcast: the dialectics of cannabis liberation

leafIn Episode 24 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg notes the historic strides toward liberation of the cannabis plant in 2018, from the fabled four corners of the Earth. Yet under capitalism, every advance also opens new contradictions.

Who's new

  • Baba Israel
  • Karr Young
  • John Veit
  • YosephLeib
  • Peter Gorman