NewsRoom Articles - Page 83 of 592

ThursdaySep 28, 2023 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Bipartisan Senators Unveil SAFER Marijuana Banking Bill

Bipartisan senators led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have formally unveiled a revised cannabis banking bill that would grant America’s state-legal cannabis industry access to financial services. Called the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act, the measure would ensure state-legal cannabis businesses could access bank deposit accounts, insurance, cashless payments and a variety of other financial services that are accessible to businesses in other industries. The cosponsors for the revised bill include Senators Chuck Schumer, Steve Daines, Jeff Merkley, Kevin Kramer, Cynthia Lummis, Krysten Sinema, Cory Booker, Bob Mendelez and Dan Sullivan. A statement from the cosponsors…

WednesdaySep 27, 2023 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Major Hitch: DeSantis Dislikes Cannabis, But Major Funder Is Working for End of Prohibition

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has been vocal about his disapproval of recreational marijuana, calling it a significant issue and expressing his concerns about its impact. However, an interesting twist arises as the driving force behind DeSantis' presidential campaign, led by GOP strategist Jeff Roe through Vanguard Field Strategies and Axiom Strategies, is actively supporting a campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida. Axiom and Vanguard have received nearly $29 million from Smart and Safe Florida, an organization advocating for a 2024 ballot initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis. Ironically, the companies, despite their involvement in advancing marijuana legalization in Florida, are…

WednesdaySep 27, 2023 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Leafly Lawsuit Wants New York to Lift Ban on Third-Party Cannabis Marketing

Marijuana e-commerce platform Leafly has filed a lawsuit challenging the New York Office of Cannabis Management’s ban on third-party marketing and advertising services in the state’s nascent recreational cannabis industry. A recent report from Spectrum News 1 revealed that Leafly Holdings is a plaintiff in a suit against state cannabis regulators. The Albany County state Supreme Court lawsuit argues that the state’s rollout of cannabis has been “disastrous” and has essentially hampered the fledgling industry’s growth. The suit comes at a time when New York cannabis regulators are dealing with litigation from several parties, which has held back the rollout…

TuesdaySep 26, 2023 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — New York Clamps Down on Marijuana Black Market as Licensed Firms Struggle

New York authorities are intensifying their efforts to combat the proliferation of unlicensed shops selling marijuana across the state in response to the ongoing struggle to establish a thriving legal marketplace for the substance. With the legalization of cannabis in 2021, an influx of unauthorized vendors peddling cannabis, vape products, edibles and more has posed a significant challenge to the state's legal cannabis industry, with New York City bearing the brunt. Presently, only 23 legal cannabis dispensaries are operational statewide, and nine are located in NYC. A recent study conducted by the Independent Budget Office of NYC revealed that approximately…

TuesdaySep 26, 2023 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Federal Data Reveals Uptick in Financial Institutions Serving Cannabis Firms

New data from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has revealed that a growing number of financial and credit institutions are working with businesses in the cannabis sector. America’s state-legal cannabis industry has had limited access to banking and financial services for most of its existence because marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I product at the federal level. Unable to access bank accounts or use cashless payment services, cannabis businesses across the country had no choice but to operate on a cash-only basis, which significantly increased their risk of violent robberies. However, after industry players and lawmakers spent…

MondaySep 25, 2023 4:25 pm

420 with CNW — US DOJ Starts Issuing Cannabis Pardon Certificates Following Mass Pardons by Biden

The issuance of formal certificates by the Justice Department to individuals who were pardoned by President Joseph Biden in October 2022 seems to have commenced. While neither the Office of the Pardon Attorney nor the Department of Justice have formally announced the issuance of these certificates, some applicants have received digital copies. Last week, Kevin B. Gilnack shared an image of his pardon certificate on social media. These pardon certificates will allow those whose marijuana possession convictions were overturned by the executive order to show that they received clemency. This will help prevent hurdles they may face in obtaining housing,…

MondaySep 25, 2023 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Nebraska Campaigners Start 2024 Medical Cannabis Legalization Drive

Activists in Nebraska have initiated a fundraising campaign to garner support for the inclusion of two medical cannabis legalization proposals on the state's 2024 ballot. The group, Nebraskans for Medical Cannabis (NMM), has already begun the circulation of petitions and claims to have satisfied signature requirements in two counties by the end of last month. The recent launch event held in Lincoln aimed to address a significant hurdle faced last year: the loss of vital funding after a major donor's tragic death in a plane crash. This is the third attempt by NMM to present the reform proposal to voters,…

FridaySep 22, 2023 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Government Analysis Foresees Cannabis Scheduling Change by DEA

A recent government analysis predicts that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will most likely reschedule marijuana following the recommendation of federal health authorities. The DEA affirmed to Congress in 2020 that it is required by law to give the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) precedence on matters of science and health in a report released on Sept. 13 by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a think tank for public policy run by the federal government. Based on the analysis, it is unlikely that the federal drug policy will be advanced in a way that may be revolutionary. This…

FridaySep 22, 2023 4:20 am

420 with CNW — Brazilian Study Suggests Cannabis Helps Against Autism

With emerging research showing that cannabis holds promise for various health conditions, it comes as no surprise that some scientists have started conducting research on the drug’s usefulness in managing autism. Global researchers estimate that about 1% of the total population worldwide suffer from autism. However, few patients receive diagnoses, with many going about their daily lives undiagnosed. Now new research by a team of scientists in Brazil has made a new discovery concerning the use of cannabis extracts in managing autism. This isn’t the first study to evaluate this link, as a number of separate studies have also noted…

ThursdaySep 21, 2023 4:20 pm

420 with CNW — Minnesota Supreme Court Says Cannabis Smell Insufficient Justification for Searching Vehicles

The Minnesota Supreme Court has established that the mere presence of a cannabis scent does not, by itself, provide sufficient grounds for law enforcement officers to conduct a vehicle search. The ruling stemmed from an incident that occurred during a traffic stop in Meeker County in 2021 when Adam Torgerson found himself being pulled over by Litchfield police for excessive auxiliary lights on his car’s grill. During the stop, one of the officers claimed that they could detect the scent of marijuana emanating from the open car window. Torgerson, accompanied by his wife and a child, vehemently denied the presence…