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The Curaleaf controversies: Russian-lubricated sleaze in US cannabis industry

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Small producers have long been wary of the cannabis industry coming under domination by multi-state operators with the worst practices of corporate America. But the revelations of Russian oligarch money in the coffers of leading MSO Curaleaf appear to vindicate even the most cynical observers. These follow a slew of controversies concerning product safety and labor rights at the company.

'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.

From Mythos to Monoculture

Posted on August 21st, 2020 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , .

hempHemp’s Curious Cultural Trajectory

Now that hemp has finally arrived at its long-sought status as a legal crop and commodity, there is a sense of inevitability to its deviation from the utopian vision that animated the advocates who fought for it a generation ago.

A tension that has always existed between two currents in the subculture of hemp advocacy is increasingly weighted toward the more mundane—activists versus entrepreneurs, idealism versus pragmatism, agrarianism versus agribusiness. And finally the original paradigm of a crop with multitudinous uses as “food, fuel and fiber,” holding the potential to solve humanity’s ecological crisis, versus the hegemony of CBD.

Cannabis in Africa: will 2020 be the breakthrough year?

Posted on December 26th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

AfricaMuch media hype anticipates an imminent cannabis boom in Africa, and foreign investment is indeed pouring into a few key countries on the continent. But some dreams have also come to naught—and a few initiatives have displayed some of the worst tendencies of corporate agribusiness in the developing world.

2019: the five biggest moments in cannabis politics

Planet Watch2019 saw advances for cannabis freedom on both the national and global stage—but also some near-misses, from New York state to Mexico, which have left activists frustrated if no less determined. As advocates prepare to carry the fight into 2020, here's a review of what was achieved—or almost achieved—over the past 12 months.

Bernie's legalization plan bars Big Tobacco —but is that the whole problem?

Posted on October 24th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , .

BernieBernie 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.

The cannabis patent dilemma

Shadow WatchAs the cannabis industry is embraced by corporate power and finance capital, the patenting of strains, products and applications is an increasing concern. But the international patchwork of legality makes for a confusing environment. Illegality has served as a paradoxical break on privatizing of varieties. Growers and advocates are devising means to protect the genetic commons in the new cannabis order.

FDA promotes CBD liver damage scare; advocates skeptical

Posted on July 16th, 2019 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , .

CBDWith industry waiting on the FDA to issue regs for CBD products, the agency instead released a statement explaining why it has not yet done so—including fears that the trendy cannabinoid may cause liver damage. But advocates charge that the claim is based on faulty research.

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