stigma

MAGA-fascism, Orwell and the cannabis stigma

Posted on May 10th, 2025 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , .

TrumpTrump is pointing to Kilmar Abrego Garcia's tattoos to justify his indefinite detention without charge in the ultra-oppressive Salvadoran prison gulag. These notoriously include a cannabis leaf, demonstrating the continued propaganda utility of the "Reefer Madness" stigma, even as a multi-million dollar legal industry emerges. But the White House actually added the characters "MS13" (name of the notorious Salvadoran gang) to the shot of Abrego Garcia's knuckles in a crude photoshop job—despite transparent denials from Trump. Lubricating the emerging transnational mass detention program with this Orwellian post-truth stratagem, the Trump regime meanwhile moves toward actual deportation of US citizensBill Weinberg raises the alarm in Episode 277 of the CounterVortex podcast.

California study exposes ‘Great Hemp Hoax’

Posted on February 28th, 2025 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Delta-8In the big — and, in nearly half of US states now, successful — drive to legalize cannabis, two major arguments have been brought to bear. First, that public oversight of a legal industry will assure transparency and standards for quality. And secondly, that a taxed industry will be a boon to state and local economies.

But now a disturbing new study from an industry advocacy group in California indicates that the legal cannabis sector faces a challenge in the proliferation of ostensibly legal but in fact unregulated psychoactive “hemp” products.

Cannabis or marijuana? New book explores semantic question

Posted on May 14th, 2024 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .
PaleschuckLegalization in states across the country has led to a reassessment of the word "marijuana." Is it a dated term with racist roots? Many advocates seem to think so. I'm not one of them. Now, Cannabis vs Marijuana: Language, Landscape and Context, a new book by David Paleschuck, dives into the debate. It's a polemic with just one point of view on the cannabis vs. marijuana subject. In the intro, he writes:

Montana beats back anti-cannabis backlash

Posted on July 20th, 2023 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

MontanaMontana this spring defeated the latest effort by anti-freedom forces to roll back legalization in Big Sky Country. And state policy has been tweaked to protect small operators, positioning this inland mountain realm to ride out the dilemmas impacting the cannabis industry on the West Coast.

Dasheeda Dawson: NYC cannabis czarina speaks

Posted on June 12th, 2023 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

Dasheeda Dawson

Dasheeda Dawson is “excited to be back home.”

After a long sojourn as a cannabis patient, advocate and entrepreneur in other states, the Brooklyn native is in her home town as New York City’s first cannabis czar—officially, director of Cannabis NYC, a new office created by Mayor Eric Adams.

New York initiates clampdown on unlicensed cannabis

Posted on April 26th, 2023 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

NYCIn a paradox, New York authorities are finally unleashing the long-anticipated crackdown on the state’s legion and proliferating unlicensed cannabis retailers—while the licensing program continues to be slowed by obstacles, including legal challenges.

Vermont medical cannabis user challenges urine-test regime for workers

Posted on April 8th, 2023 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , .

medical marijuanaRights for medicinal cannabis users in the workplace have not kept pace with the law in states that have embraced medical and even “recreational” use. Now a case in Vermont may push state and federal authorities alike to close the loopholes that allow workers to be dismissed—and denied unemployment insurance—for using state-legal medicine.

Global industry round-up: Canada, Israel, Costa Rica, Thailand

Planet WatchThe cannabis industry is globalizing fast, which means changes for mainstays of commercial production in Europe and North America, and new players coming on line from regions such as the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Central America. Here’s a brief overview of a few entries from these categories.

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