420 with CNW Archives - Page 68 of 268

MondayOct 24, 2022 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Biden’s Marijuana Pardons Could Give State Legalization Drives a Boost

President Joe Biden announced that he was granting pardons to all individuals convicted on minor federal marijuana possession charges; ex-convicts on such charges would also have their criminal records expunged. President Biden also asked governors to take similar steps regarding state-level cannabis offences. In addition, the president asked the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to expeditiously review the scheduling of marijuana in the 1970 Controlled Substances Act. These actions of the head of state come at a time when the country is gearing up for midterm elections in a few weeks, and…

MondayOct 24, 2022 4:20 am

420 with CNW — New Data Shows That Less Than 10% of Canadian Marijuana Licensees Exited Growing Industry

New data from the Canadian government shows that less than 10% of federal marijuana license holders have left the market since the plant was legalized in 2018. This data suggests that industry forecasts of a decrease in marijuana producers in the market has not occurred, as new entries into the hypercompetitive market surpass those exiting by a wide margin. The new data was released as part of the Canadian government’s engagement paper for the Cannabis Act review. The public engagement paper also asks questions relevant to the industry to help gather feedback; that feedback will be used by the government…

FridayOct 21, 2022 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — How President Biden’s Marijuana Directives Could Affect the Industry

After about 50 years of legally sanctioned prohibition in the United States, marijuana has reached a pivotal moment that could rewrite the industry as it currently stands. Earlier this month, President Joe Biden directed the relevant federal agencies to conduct an exhaustive review into the scheduling of cannabis in the Controlled Substances Act. That directive has set in motion a process that could end in one of an endless list of possible outcomes, and only the most foolhardy of “analysts” can authoritatively predict what the outcome will be. For example, the review process could recommend a continuation of the status…

FridayOct 21, 2022 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Senator Believes Marijuana Reforms Can Still Be Passed During Lame-Duck Congressional Session

Senator Cory Booker has revealed that there is a chance that some marijuana policy reforms, such as social justice and cannabis banking reforms, can still be approved by Congress during the session coming just after the November elections and before a new House takes office. He was quick to add that such an opportunity may be harder to get in case Republicans wrest control of either the House of Representatives or Senate out of the control of the Democrats. The senator made these remarks during an interview with a New Jersey-based media outlet called NJ.com. Booker said that Congressional leadership…

ThursdayOct 20, 2022 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Michigan Hits New Marijuana Sales Record in September

New data from the state of Michigan shows that for the third time this year, the state has broken a new record in its cannabis sales. Sales data from September shows that the state raked in $212 million from both medical and adult-use marijuana sales. This figure is $17 million higher than the state’s April sales and roughly $2 million higher than the state’s July sales. The data shows that the majority of the cannabis purchases for both recreational and medical use were for flower products. It also demonstrated a continuation of a sales trend in the state’s cannabis market,…

ThursdayOct 20, 2022 4:20 am

420 with CNW — New York Legislator Calls for Research on Determining Marijuana Impairment

As New York State works feverishly to ensure that recreational sales of marijuana are launched on schedule, a leading lawmaker, Crystal Peoples-Stokes, is concerned that at the moment, there is no surefire way to ascertain that someone has consumed marijuana and is impaired. Peoples-Stokes is the majority leader in the state assembly, and she was pivotal in getting the legalization law passed. She revealed that concerns about finding ways to determine impairment was part of the reason why the bill (now law) had provisions stipulating that 20–25% of the tax revenue generated from recreational marijuana sales should go toward conducting…

WednesdayOct 19, 2022 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Nationwide Survey Data Shows Majority of Americans Support Cannabis Policy Reform

We have seen interest in cannabis increase these last few years, with new survey data showing that some three of four Americans, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, are in favor of changing marijuana’s classification under federal law. Currently, 37 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medical use of marijuana while 19 states have legalized its recreational use. Despite this, cannabis remains classified under Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act with harmful drugs such as heroin. Drugs under this categorization have no currently accepted medical use in treatment and are thought to have a…

WednesdayOct 19, 2022 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Biden’s Orders on Marijuana Run into Catch-22

There was a flurry of reaction, most of it in support, when President Joseph Biden recently issued a directive instructing the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to carry out a thorough medical as well as scientific review assessing the appropriateness of the current classification of cannabis in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. In that law, marijuana is categorized in the same highly restricted group with heroin, cocaine and LSD (ecstasy). As the dust settles and the real work gets underway, it will become abundantly clear how much of a catch-22 the review represents. Given that marijuana has…

TuesdayOct 18, 2022 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Could President Biden Overhaul America’s Cannabis Policy?

Last week, President Joseph Biden announced that individuals convicted of simple cannabis possession under federal law would be pardoned of their convictions. This proclamation thrust the country’s marijuana policy into the limelight, with the president also urging governors to pardon those convicted of the same under state law. At the moment, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. All substances classified under this schedule are thought to have a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use. Other substances under this schedule include LSD and heroin. This classification is difficult to understand,…

TuesdayOct 18, 2022 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Governors Across the US Weigh in on Biden’s Call for Mass Marijuana Pardons

President Joseph Biden recently announced mass pardons for people convicted in federal courts on minor marijuana possession charges. While making that announcement, he called on governors across the nation to emulate the federal action and replicate the clemency at state level. His call to action has elicited mixed reactions, and we capture the highlights below. Colorado governor Jared Polis revealed that the U.S. president had finally decided to walk the road that Colorado took two years earlier. He said that the action taken by the president would remove any roadblocks that were in the lives of the people affected by…