Global Ganja Report

Bernie Sanders has released his plan for cannabis legalization, which features provisions to keep Big Tobacco from colonizing the new industry. But other exponents of corporate power are already getting a jump on the cannabis sector, and could just as effectively squeeze out independent operators.

There has been significant progress toward cannabis legalization in the United States and globally over the past years, but pockets persist of the most repressive and reactionary prohibition. What are the prospects for expanding cannabis freedom in the coming year?

So-called "smokable hemp" is suddenly available in shops from coast to coast, legal under terms of last year's Farm Bill. But law enforcement is consternated, conservative politicians are apoplectic, and legislation is being prepared to ban the stuff at the state level. Is this permissible under federal law?

Researchers are exploring the connection between cannabinoids and dopamine in the human brain, and particularly how THC affects our "reward system"—key to such phenomena as motivation, addiction and euphoria. Investigations are revealing both potential for treatments of psychiatric disorders as well as possible risks from heavy use, especially among the young.

The US Surgeon General has launched a new campaign hyping the supposed dangers of cannabis—a further disappointment for activists who held out hope that Trump harbored libertarian instincts and would legalize. All too predictably, the anti-legalization assumptions behind the new campaign are amply refuted by actual research.

The arrest of three, including two Bulgarian immigrants, in what is being billed as a "kidnapping" plot against a Humboldt County cannabis grower has shocked the Emerald Triangle. With the accused allegedly seeking to scapegoat "Mexicans" in the caper, the case crystalizes the xenophobic stigma attaching to Northern California's cannabis economy—even now.

Yet again, a scientific study linking cannabis use to psychiatric maladies gets widespread and sensationalistic media play. And once again, the assumptions behind the study are questionable, and the findings are further distorted by irresponsible reportage.

Does daily cannabis use, especially of high-potency "skunk" strains, lead to an increased risk of developing psychosis? Based on recent media coverage, you can be forgiven for thinking so. But you should really take a closer look before you believe the hype.

The 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.