420 with CNW Archives - Page 182 of 301

FridayMar 05, 2021 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Rhode Island Senate Passes Legislation Creating Safe Sites for Illicit Drug Users

Opioids initially gained popularity in the 1990s as doctors started prescribing prescription opioids to patients. Over the years, there has been a sharp increase in overdose-related deaths across the globe, from both prescribed and illicit drugs. To combat the growing opioid crisis, Australia, Canada, and some European countries established safe consumption sites (“SCS”) to help prevent overdose deaths and to provide substance-use disorder treatment to individuals. The United States, however, doesn’t have a single safe consumption site, despite losing over 750,000 people from 1999–2018 to drug overdoses. However, the country may see its first-ever SCS if either of two bills…

FridayMar 05, 2021 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Washington State Supreme Court Repeals Law Criminalizing Drug Possession

The Washington State Supreme Court recently nullified the state’s criminal penalties against drug possession, terming them unconstitutional. This was followed by some prosecutors and police departments in the state announcing that they’d no longer pursue cases of possession or arrest individuals over the possession of small amounts of drugs. The Seattle Police Department issued a public statement that stated that simple drug possession was no longer deemed to be an arrestable offense, adding that effective immediately, officers in the department would not be arresting persons for merely being in possession of drugs. The Supreme Court ruling only applies to the…

ThursdayMar 04, 2021 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Michigan Rolls Back Key Recreational Cannabis Business License Restriction

After months of restricting access to its recreational cannabis industry, Michigan has loosened a key restriction that kept many from acquiring a recreational cannabis license. Beginning on March 1, 2021, applicants for five types of recreational cannabis licenses will not be required to have an active medical marijuana license to qualify. The state initially put this policy in place to allow the companies that first invested in cannabis to become established and recoup their costs before the industry was filled with sellers, says the director of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association. Although the requirement was supposed to remain active for…

ThursdayMar 04, 2021 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Past Cannabis Use Won’t Be a Disqualifying Factor for Potential Hires for White House Positions

The new White House administration recently issued revised guidelines whose purpose will be to resolve the matter on recreational cannabis use for individuals hired to fill crucial White House positions. While the use of cannabis is legal in various states and cities across the country, it is not legal under federal law, which makes it a potential basis for disqualification in acquiring security clearance. Transition officials had earlier identified recreational cannabis use as a possible obstacle for applicants, which prompted the White House to begin waiving a requirement that would permit possible appointees in the President’s Executive Office be allowed,…

WednesdayMar 03, 2021 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Nevada Legislators to Debate Cannabis Lounges Again

Since 2017, Nevada has allowed recreational cannabis sales, and as a result, the state has seen an influx of tourists looking to purchase and consume cannabis before they head home. However, since state law requires that recreational cannabis be consumed in a private residence, which excludes hotel rooms, these tourists essentially break the law when they consume cannabis. To fix this issue, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to legalize cannabis consumption lounges over the years. Thanks to a new bill in the legislature seeking to legalize marijuana consumption lounges, tourists may soon be able to consume marijuana legally in…

WednesdayMar 03, 2021 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Legalize Cannabis in Pennsylvania

The wave of cannabis legislation reform sweeping across the United States has reached Pennsylvania, and the Commonwealth may very well be the next state to legalize cannabis. A new bipartisan bill introduced to the Pennsylvania legislature last week by state Senators Dan Laughlin and Sharif Street seeks to legalize marijuana, allowing individuals aged 21 and over to purchase and consume marijuana. The new bipartisan bill would also expunge the records of people with previous cannabis-related, nonviolent offenses. Unlike the state’s medical cannabis market, which has just a few growers due to limited licenses, licenses for recreational cannabis growers would be…

TuesdayMar 02, 2021 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Virginia Becomes 16th State to Legalize Recreational Cannabis

Virginia’s Legislature recently passed a measure that would legalize adult-use cannabis in the state. The Senate passed the initiative in a 20–19 vote while the House approved it in a 48–43 vote, making Virginia the only state in the Old South to allow legalization. It should be noted that not one Republican in either chamber voted for the measure. Democratic Majority Leader Del. Charniele Herring, who sponsored the measure, stated on the floor that to her, the legislation was a justice bill, adding that while it still had flaws, it represented a step in the right direction. While cannabis sales…

TuesdayMar 02, 2021 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Virginia Lawmakers Scramble to Reconcile Marijuana Legalization Bills Before Deadline

Legislators in Virginia spent last week trying to bring together Senate and House cannabis legalization bills in an attempt to reach an agreement on matters such as criminal penalties and business licensing before a looming legislative deadline. Each chamber had approved its own legalization measure earlier in the month, based on a plan that was introduced at the start of the year by other leaders of the state, who had in 2020 pledged to legalize marijuana. The two initiatives are similar in many ways but have a few differences that span various topics. Both initiatives — SB 1406 and HB…

MondayMar 01, 2021 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Lawmakers Urge President Biden to Issue Mass Cannabis Pardons

President Joe Biden expressed his support for cannabis reform during his presidential campaign, and now members of Congress are holding him to his word. More than 30 members of Congress have signed a letter urging the president to grant mass clemency to people with federal, nonviolent cannabis convictions. After signing the letter, the 37 members of Congress then headed to Twitter to drum up support for the letter and push the President into action. Led by Congressional cannabis co-chairs Reps Earl Blumenauer, an outspoken advocate for cannabis reform, and Barbara Lee, the members of Congress want Biden to follow the…

MondayMar 01, 2021 4:20 am

420 with CNW — What Five Major Studies Say About Cannabis and Your Sex Life

Marijuana has been used for many centuries as an aphrodisiac, with early recordings showing its use in India in the seventh century. Presently, many consumers of marijuana claim that the substance improves one’s sex life. At the same time, others claim that marijuana can also affect sex negatively in different ways. However, science has shown that cannabis can improve an individual’s sex life in various ways. We look at them below. Marijuana users engage in more sex Research conducted in 2017 examined survey data collected from roughly 50,000 women and men to see if using marijuana had any influence on…