WeedLife News Network

Thailand on Tuesday became the first country in Asia to approve the de facto decriminalization of marijuana, though authorities have left a grey area around its recreational use.

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that the Narcotics Control Board had approved the dropping cannabis from the ministry’s list of controlled drugs. The delisting by the ministry’s Food and Drug Administration will now need to be formally signed by the health minister and enters into effect 120 days after its publication in the government gazette. It follows the removal of cannabis — a plant species to which both marijuana and hemp belong — last month from the list of illegal drugs under Thailand’s Narcotics Law.

Police and lawyers contacted by The Associated Press said it was unclear if possession of marijuana would no longer be an offense subject to arrest. A tangle of related laws means that production and possession of marijuana remains regulated for the time being, leaving the legal status of recreational marijuana use in a grey area.

The Health Ministry measure retains on its list of controlled drugs parts from the cannabis plant that contain more than 0.2% by weight of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient that gives users a high.

Thailand in 2020 became the first Asian nation to decriminalize the production and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Ten years ago, Washington voters created the first legal adult-use cannabis industry in the country.

That industry drives billions in revenue to the state and provides 18,360 jobs statewide. But as we look at the last decade in preparation for the next, we are concerned Washington is losing its head-start advantage. It’s time to course correct, and we count on all industry stakeholders to work toward a common goal: a safe, equitable, quality-controlled and fully regulated market for cannabis.

Too many license-holders have been cut off early — some well before they even got started — and the agency holding the axe is the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB). In 2012, the world changed almost overnight for the LCB.

The Wayne County Drug Task Force caught a Richmond man again. Kenton Ray Bennett Jr., 33, was arrested Tuesday during a traffic stop made by first-shift Richmond Police Department patrol officers, according to a Drug Task Force news release. Bennett was convicted and sentenced in March 2016 after a previous arrest by the Drug Task Force.

On Tuesday, Bennett was arrested on a warrant that resulted from a lengthy Drug Task Force investigation into the sale of illegal narcotics, the release said. The warrant charged Bennett with two Level 4 felony counts of dealing heroin and fentanyl.

Bennett was lodged in the Wayne County Jail with bonds totaling $38,000. A bond of $17,500 was set when the arrest warrant was issued; the new charges carry bonds of $20,000 and $500.

The 2016 convictions for Level 5 felony dealing heroin and Level 5 felony dealing cocaine qualify Bennett as a serious violent felon. He was sentenced to two years of incarceration and one year of probation for those convictions, which resulted after he sold cocaine and heroin to a confidential informant.

Bennett also has a previous misdemeanor conviction for possession of marijuana.

Spread the love and support local hemp farmers with The Sisters of the Valley’s new CBD-rich strain.

Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate stopped an effort by Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison) to force a vote on legalizing the recreational use of cannabis. The Senate took up a bill Tuesday that would increase penalties for a person who uses a butane torch to extract resin from a cannabis plant. Agard introduced an amendment to the bill that, instead of making penalties harsher, would have completely legalized all uses of cannabis. 

Agard said she was introducing the amendment because if the goal of the bill is to increase public safety, then increased criminalization is not the direction to go — especially since most of Wisconsin’s neighboring states have legalized either medicinal or recreational use. Republicans in the Senate killed Agard’s effort by voting that the amendment was out of order and not “germane” to the initial bill.  The original bill, without Agard’s amendment, passed on a 20-12 party line vote.

Products ranging from tinctures to gummy bears containing a hemp byproduct with euphoric THC effects are legal and for sale all around Indiana, where the purchase and use of traditional marijuana violates the law.

Delta 8 THC products abound, available at CBD stores, smoking supply shops and even gas stations. While some states regulate or ban the sale of delta 8 tetrahydrocannabinol, Indiana is one of 30, from Maine to Wyoming, that has no limitations on the hemp-derived compound.

A federal law that prohibits what's called delta 9 THC leaves the less-potent delta 8 unregulated. The 2018 American Farm Bill that legalized hemp defines it as a cannabis plant that contains 0.3% or less delta-9 THC. It doesn't mention delta 8, which is less potent.

A man was arrested after police allegedly busted a marijuana growing operation and found weapons of mass destruction. George Costas Skouras, 44, allegedly grew and sold marijuana at his Springettsbury Township home. Springettsbury Township Police served a search warrant Thursday and discovered "a large marijuana growing operation," according to court documents. Police also found mushrooms and powder that was being compressed into pill form, according to a criminal complaint.

Skouras is facing a felony charge of possessing weapons of mass destruction after officers found several firearms in his residence, police said. It's unclear what those weapons were. He's also charged with three counts of felony manufacture, delivery or possession of drugs. He was arraigned Thursday before District Judge Thomas J. Reilly and released on $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Feb. 3 before District Judge Barry L. Bloss Jr.

A candid conversation with a local cannabis consultant about what's going on in New York.

The race for New York has begun. All types of entrepreneurs looking to enter the state's cannabis marketplace are busy preparing for the soon-to-be-released application process. Hemp farmers are poised to switch to marijuana crops, legacy entrepreneurs are operating in the open, regulators are shaping the laws, and no one is excited about opening the borders.

I spoke to Kalean Castetter, a long-time upstate resident, son of a legacy grower, owner of a hemp-infused wine company, and now cannabis consultant, to get his insights into how things are shaping up in New York.

A candid conversation with a local cannabis consultant about what's going on in New York.

The race for New York has begun. All types of entrepreneurs looking to enter the state's cannabis marketplace are busy preparing for the soon-to-be-released application process. Hemp farmers are poised to switch to marijuana crops, legacy entrepreneurs are operating in the open, regulators are shaping the laws, and no one is excited about opening the borders.

I spoke to Kalean Castetter, a long-time upstate resident, son of a legacy grower, owner of a hemp-infused wine company, and now cannabis consultant, to get his insights into how things are shaping up in New York.

Please share your background.

I've always had a passion for policy and helping entrepreneurs understand the regulatory frameworks of legislation. Towards the end of last year, I decided to completely step away from the hemp wine business and focus on my consulting practice, The Castetter Cannabis Group. We're a boutique firm. We do government relations lobbying advocacy. We help entrepreneurs understand the legislation, forecast regulations, and develop a business plan around it. 

Who are the entrepreneurs you work with who are looking to enter the New York marketplace? 

I've developed a reputation for working with small players like social equity applicants, people of color, and legacy operators—New Yorkers who are hungry for an opportunity and have unique and innovative ideas. I have clients in Niagara Falls, and I have clients in Harlem. We hold a summit in December, where our clients come together to meet and share their expertise and experience. Because of prohibition at the federal level, we're going to develop supply chains and relationships from upstate and downstate where people have not been connected for a long time. I think that's going to be a huge cultural change in bringing communities together.

But many private equity-backed entrepreneurs, MSOs, and ROs are all looking at this opportunity from a dollars and cents perspective. And a lot of the money they make will leave the state, and we won't create wealth in this community. So, I think they should move to the back of the line.

This expands the eligibility criteria for patients who can benefit from medical cannabis and makes it easier for them to be certified by a medical practitioner.

If you think you can’t do without your regular dose of edibles, then you might be interested in the following information on how to work around your cannabis drug tests.

Many people prefer edibles to other forms of cannabis. Some people like it because of its regular appearance, while others don’t because they can’t stand the harshness of smoking flowers.

Edibles are one of the top five preferred methods of consuming cannabis. It is safer and tastier than most methods. Additionally, cannabis edibles are legal to consume in most public spaces, but this does not remove their negatives.

Cannabis Edibles are regular food products that have been prepared with cannabis. These foods contain a significant amount of cannabis, enough to induce an intense “high” effect on the consumer. Some edibles have less THC than cannabis flowers, while others have equal levels or more THC than smokable cannabis. Edibles can be in the form of cookies, gummies, candies, capsules, or beverages. Medical marijuana edibles may be more restrictive on selection due to the high dosages needed for things like chemotherapy.

The body doesn’t process edibles the same way it processes inhaled cannabinoids. Once a person eats an edible, it goes through the digestive tract and is broken down by the body organs involved in the normal digestion process. The liver also processes these digested materials.

The THC components in the digested materials are converted to 11-Hydroxy THC. This conversion is responsible for the highly intense psychoactivity the consumer feels a few minutes after consumption.

Responsible parties should inform consumers, especially teens, about the harms of cannabis and the serious conditions that may arise from abusing the substance.

One of marijuana’s most concerning connections is the one it has with psychosis. While not wholly understood, this link has been reported to be significant, with several studies indicating that people who smoke large amounts of weed on a daily basis are five times more likely to develop psychosis than others. This depends on the age at which marijuana is first consumed and the individual’s genetic vulnerabilities.

A mom and a daughter were reportedly seen selling cookies outside a Tempe dispensary on Thursday, Girl Scout Arizona Cactus-Pine said that's not allowed

There are a number of variables that have an impact on the vaping experience, none more vital than the substance being vaped and the device itself that’s being used.

Given how popular vaping has become in the cannabis community, it’s easy to assume that vaping is a one size fits all proposition, and that the end result is the same regardless of how you go about it. The reality is that while this may be a common thought process, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

There are a number of variables that have an impact on the vaping experience, none more vital than the substance being vaped and the device itself that’s being used. Having an understanding of how vaping cannabis cartridges is different from vaping dry herb can save you money and provide the framework for knowing how to achieve the exact sensation that you desire.

Cartridges Are Cut With Chemicals Which Alter Effects

Since cannabis cartridges are made with flavoring additives, along with a myriad of other chemicals naturally, it provides different effects from vaping dry herb cannabis.

Dry herb cannabis vaporizers allow users to only load finely grounded cannabis buds into devices. This means cannabis consumers who use them are likely going to consume more THC than they would with cartridges. That caveat could explain why dry herb vaporizing provides such a different sensation from consuming cartridges.

Cartridges Reduce Amount Of Cannabinoids And Terpenes Consumed

Another factor that explains the difference between vaping cartridges and dry herbs is the lack of cannabinoids and terpenes that are consumed when people choose to vape cannabis cartridges.

Whether it’s a new market, or an old one continuing to push its limits with recreational marijuana, weed tourism does not plan to slow down any time soon.

As leisure travel continues to recover and countries lift their travel bans and COVID-19 restrictions one by one, many tourist destinations are eagerly awaiting new visitors. No matter how luxurious or sought after the destination, it seems every locale is eager to find new ways to attract business. 

In 2022, however, there is something new in the air that has begun to inspire a new wave of tourism. One of the latest trending motivators in destination travel is, putting it bluntly, weed.

Legal experts worry expungement proposals currently being considered might cause more harm than good

The push to legalize recreational marijuana use in Missouri is coming from multiple directions, with a handful of proposed initiative petitions and at least one bill, and potentially more, backed by Republican lawmakers. 

Each hopes to place the issue on the 2022 ballot for voter approval.

And each proposal also includes a provision that, while often overlooked in the marijuana debate, is considered a transformative piece of the legalization puzzle — the expungement of nonviolent marijuana offenses from criminal records. 

The proposals differ on how they handle expungement. 

Some propose an “automatic” system that would have the courts identify the old offenses and seal them on people’s records. Others would require people to submit a petition and pay a fee.

The wait for legal cannabis in Florida may continue longer than proponents planned, but if everything goes accordingly from a planning and preparation standpoint, the wait may be worthwhile for consumers.

Ever since Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis use about a decade ago, dozens of other states have followed in their footsteps. In fact, nearly half of the states in the country have recreational cannabis laws on the books now, which makes one curious as to where Florida is on cannabis legalization.

There is medical marijuana available in the state, which leads one to believe that the legalization of recreational cannabis isn’t too far away. Cannabis legalization could be an economic driver for Florida that’s tough to rival. Here are some key insights about the path to cannabis legalization in the Sunshine State.

Status of Medical Marijuana  

Medical marijuana was initially introduced to Floridians back in 2019. Florida SB 186 signed into action by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis allows Florida residents to possess and consume up to 2.5 ounces of dry herb cannabis every five weeks. Physical possession of a medical marijuana card is necessary for avoiding prosecution from police.

Florida voters demonstrated glaring support for medical marijuana sales in the state. Taking that into consideration, it’s fair to question what barriers cannabis advocates face when it comes to getting it legalized recreationally in the state.

According to Deputy Director of the Center for Effective Public Management for The Brookings Institution, John Hudak, there’s no bigger obstacle for cannabis legalization in Florida than the Governor himself.

New York is looking at major revenue from cannabis sales over the next six years according to Governor Kathy Hochul.

New York is poised to collect $1.25 billion in revenue from taxes on legal cannabis sales, according to a budget projection from Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul released on Tuesday. The revenue projections are included in the state budget for next year, which includes significant investment in projects designed to continue the economic and social recovery from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“We have the means to immediately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as embrace this once-in-a-generation opportunity for the future with a historic level of funding that is both socially responsible and fiscally prudent,” Hochul said in a statement from the governor’s office.

New York’s state budget for the 2023 fiscal year, which is detailed in an 85-page briefing book from the governor’s office, anticipates $56 million in cannabis revenue, including $40 million collected from license fees on cannabis businesses. State lawmakers legalized recreational cannabis last year, and since taking office in August Hochul has vowed to expedite the regulation of adult-use cannabis stalled by Andrew Cuomo, the former governor who resigned last summer because of a sexual harassment scandal.

Over the next six years, the governor’s office predicts that the state will collect more than $1.25 billion in revenue from taxes and fees on recreational cannabis, with the annual total increasing as more producers, processors and retailers launch their operations. Cannabis tax revenue is expected to increase to $95 million in fiscal year 2024 and reach an estimated $363 million in 2028.

New York Budget Projections Include Revenue from Cannabis ‘Potency Tax’

The taxes on New York’s cannabis industry include a nine percent excise tax and another four percent tax for local governments. The state’s regulations also include a separate tax on THC, with the amount of tax collected rising as the potency of a product rises.