WeedLife News Network

Legislation reintroduced to the U.S. Senate this week seeks to increase the maximum allowable level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in hemp.

While the 2018 Farm Bill legalised hemp in the USA at a federal level, it imposed a maximum level of 0.3% THC. In addition to greatly increasing the risk of crops being considered “hot”, resulting their destruction and farmers potentially facing criminal proceedings, it also put the industry behind jurisdictions in some other countries where the maximum level is 1%; for example in Western Australia.

Additionally, while the USDA’s final rule for hemp production released in January took into consideration some comments submitted regarding the interim final rule, several other particularly thorny issues remain.

This week, U.S. Senator Rand Paul reintroduced the Hemp Economic Mobilization Plan (HEMP) Act of 2021 that would tackle these issues.

“My legislation will help this growing industry reach its full economic potential, and I am proud the bill has strong support all the way from local Kentucky farmers and activists to national groups,” said the Senator.

Ryan Hale is the chief sales officer for cannabis security firm Operational Security Solutions (OSS). What that means is that Hale works with a host of big, burly ex-police/ex-military guys you wouldn’t want to meet alone in a dark alley.

Those men guard, and deposit to financial institutions, the hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash proceeds that cannabis companies daily generate but can’t process the way mainstream companies do. This problem, of course, stems from institutional nervousness over marijuana’s federally illegal status.

Enter the SAFE Banking Act (the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act), which was just reintroduced in late March to the U..S. House and Senate, having previously passed the House on September 25. At this point, the legislation has bipartisan support and is widely expected to pass.

The SAFE Act would create a “safe harbor” to protect federal depository institutions and credit unions from federal prosecution if they work with marijuana-related businesses (MRBs) and ancillary companies in legal states. Loan activity could proceed. Minority cannabis operations –dependent on small business loans due to having less wealth than white businesses – could more easily borrow funds and progress toward the equity the industry seeks.

In short, the pressure on MRBs to go “cash only” could cease, reducing those businesses’ risks and making their employees a whole lot safer.

Yep, you read that right: you can now get paid to study cannabis! Cannatech healthcare company Veriheal just announced a $20,000 Innovation in Cannabis scholarship for students pursuing cannabis degrees. 

The scholarship first launched in 2020, but last year only gave out $10,000 in scholarship awards. This year, it has been doubled to offer 20 $1,000 scholarships to those who qualify. 

“With this scholarship fund, we’re putting $20,000 directly into the hands of a new generation of innovators who will help shape the future of our industry,” said Veriheal co-founder and co-CEO Joshua Green. “The cannabis category is growing at an extraordinary rate, and there are many complex problems that must be solved across all sectors, from finance and technology to science and education. At Veriheal, we’re fortunate to be in the position to support budding entrepreneurs from all walks of life and bring diverse, fresh perspectives to the cannabis field.”

How To Apply

To qualify for the scholarship, high school seniors and college students must submit a 1,000+-word essay explaining how they plan to improve the cannabis industry. Winners will be chosen based on these essays.  

Cannabis is returning to its former glory by bagging an unusual place in the medical world. While many parts of the world remain skeptical of its medical benefits, several states in the US have approved the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Most people look for holistic and effective remedies to manage their health problems. Cannabis can come to the rescue as it may help address several health issues. Off late, many cannabis products have gained rapid popularity. Cannabis-infused coconut is one such product. It is a plant-based, dairy-free infusion used as the base for self-care products and recipes. Why should you believe these claims? Read ahead to know why this potent infusion is stealing the hearts of people.

About Cannabis Coconut Oil

Cannabis has always received flak due to its ability to make people high. But, do you know that consuming raw or dried cannabis flower buds may have little to no intoxicating effect? Without decarboxylation, you will only get the benefits of THCA or CBDA, the non-intoxicating compound. But, heating THCA compounds can convert it into THC, the potent cannabinoid with many properties. Before buying baked edibles canada, you need to understand that to experience the potent effects, THC must bond with fats. Bonding of THC with fats can offer highly potent products such as cannabis butter.

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Interestingly, coconut oil has a specific fat content that allows effective binding with THC compared to butter. This fact resulted in making cannabis-infused coconut oil. Due to better binding with THC, cannabis-infused coconut may have more potent effects. Several manufacturers are turning to coconut oil for creating strong marijuana topicals, infusions, and medicinal edibles. Wondering why? It is because coconut oil has high saturated fat content with the ability to absorb high THC levels, flavonoids, terpenes, and cannabinoids compared to other types of oil or butter.

7 Health Benefits Of Cannabis-Infused Coconut Oil

Coconut oil itself possesses several health properties beneficial for your health. Hence, combining it with cannabis can result in a truly desirable oil. This oil may offer several health benefits such as:

The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has announced further draft details on the plans for legalised supply of adult-use cannabis under pilot schemes. Under the current plan, the pilot schemes can be set up from May 15th 2021 and can run until May 2031 at the latest.

If your business is interested in getting involved in the market in Switzerland, get in touch with our consulting team at info@prohibitionpartners.

Mexico’s lower house of Congress in March handily approved a bill to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. The bill is now with the Senate, where it is likely to pass, as Mexican senators have previously voted to legalize cannabis.

If that happens, Mexico will join Uruguay and Canada in allowing people to use cannabis recreationally, albeit in more limited fashion.

Mexico’s bill would not outright legalize cannabis; it would raise the country’s existing threshold of nonpunishable personal possession from 5 grams to 28 grams. Possession of 29 to 200 grams of cannabis would result in a fine. After that, prison would still be a possibility.

Selling cannabis will still be a crime, meaning peasant farmers in the states of Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Durango or Michoacán who make a pittance growing cannabis can still end up in jail.

However modest, marijuana legalization would be a symbolic milestone for Mexico, a country immersed in an unforgiving drug war.

The race is on!

Just over a month after New Jersey became the 13th state to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a marijuana legalization bill into law Wednesday, crowding the legal weed market in the Mid-Atlantic before it even gets off the ground. 

Both states are in line to reap hundreds of millions in tax revenue, but awaiting the “winner” of the legal weed race could be a lucrative period of exclusivity, where not just state residents but millions of visitors from across the Mid-Atlantic could conceivably be within a few hours of legal — and taxed — marijuana.

"I think the rivalry will begin again," said Jeff Smith, an analyst and journalist with Marijuana Business Daily, a trade publication covering the cannabis industry. "We heard a few years ago how New Jersey and New York were racing to be the first to legalize adult use (marijuana).

"It's a monster market, and I think the race is on again." 

The vape mail ban which goes into effect tomorrow, is said by government officials to be for the protection of children. However, as blocking the safer way of smoking, while offering no better options, the vape mail ban will likely hurt kids even more.

It’s almost here, the last day for us to legally send you out delta-8 THC vape carts. Due to the vape mail ban which is about to go into effect, we will no longer be able to send out vape carts for a little while. So literally ‘right now’ is your last chance to take advantage of these great Delta-8 THC deals, so we can mail it out while it’s still legal to do so.

Ban on shipping delta-8 THC, CBD, e-Juice carts & more

The whole thing has been fishy from the get-go, with Trump signing off on the omnibus corona relief bill last December, setting into motion a flurry of new laws concerning how tobacco products and cannabis products can be sent in the mail. How would such laws be part of a corona relief bill? Good question. The Omnibus Appropriations and Coronavirus Relief Package is an omnibus bill, which means it functions differently than other laws. They are made to include many different laws on many different topics, and as such, are not debated in congress as they are too expansive and varied to debate. They simply need to pass a vote and that’s it.

Omnibus bills often carry ‘riders’, or unrelated laws that have nothing to do with the main subject matter, and are known as a way for the government to pass legislation under the cover of night. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it means what it sounds like. Doing something in darkness so no one can see. Other similar methods of keeping pending legislation away from regular citizens, and passing unpopular laws, include voting on laws in the middle of the night, voting on holidays, not releasing draft legislation to the public, and promoting bigger media stories to divert attention.

So we can infer from how it was passed that it wasn’t desirable for us (the public) to know a whole lot about it. The bill had actually already passed both houses of congress by last summer in a different form, but President Trump originally had no desire to sign the bill. He did so later on in the year. The provision for the mail vape ban, called the Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act, goes into effect on March 28th. The ban is specifically on tobacco vape products, with cannabis products falling into this category due to 2008’s Federal Law for Control of Tobacco Products bill.

A survey by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy indicates many in Texas using medical cannabis sourced illicitly are experiencing benefits.

Texas has a medical cannabis program – of sorts. It’s among the most restrictive in the USA and currently there are only a few thousand Texans registered. The program only allows for the use of cannabis extracts high in CBD and low in THC among those with few qualifying conditions and prescribed by physicians registered to do so.

Given the Compassionate Use Program (CUP) is rather lacking on the compassion side, it’s little wonder illicit medical cannabis use in the state is so prevalent – and this comes with significant legal and other risks.

The Baker Institute for Public Policy’s survey was designed to gain insight into the needs and experiences of this population. 2,866 Texas residents participated in the survey, which was conducted online between Aug. 11 and Oct. 6, 2020.

Among the findings:

It’s up to entrepreneurs, activists, and various public entities to create campaigns making their local cannabis industries less exclusive and much more inclusive.

The statistics on disproportionate arrests against Black people when it comes to marijuana-related crimes are nothing short of shocking. Systemic racism plagues the industry, and cannabis crimes are just one part of it.

New Mexico lawmakers passed a bill to legalize recreational cannabis on Wednesday, making the state the second in the nation to approve such legislation this week. Also on Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York signed an adult-use cannabis law passed by the legislature late Tuesday, making the Empire State the 16th in the nation to do so.

New Mexico lawmakers came close to reaching an agreement on legalizing recreational marijuana use and sales last month, but failed to complete a deal by the end of the legislative session on March 20. That led Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to call a special legislative session that began on Tuesday to complete work on the legalization bill.

State legislators also passed a separate measure that will expunge the records of those with convictions for some past marijuana offenses. Lujan Grisham said she would sign the bills and  characterized the special legislative session as a “success” after the bills were passed by lawmakers.

“This is a significant victory for New Mexico. Workers will benefit from the opportunity to build careers in this new economy. Entrepreneurs will benefit from the opportunity to create lucrative new enterprises,” the governor said in a statement released on Wednesday. “The state and local governments will benefit from the additional revenue. Consumers will benefit from the standardization and regulation that comes with a bona fide industry. And those who have been harmed by this country’s failed war on drugs, disproportionately communities of color, will benefit from our state’s smart, fair, and equitable new approach to past low-level convictions.”

Up To Two Ounces Of Pot OK Under Bill

Thanks to the state of New York’s recent move to legalize recreational cannabis, laws are going to change across the board. One exciting new development is that the smell of cannabis alone is no longer cause for search and seizure in the state. 

As of this week, the NYPD issued a memo to all officers that, now that cannabis is officially legal, more probable cause than just the smell of cannabis is needed for a car to be searched. The memo lays down the new law and explains how it will affect officers’ interactions with folks who may or may not have cannabis legally on their person. 

“Effective immediately, the smell of marijuana alone no longer establishes probable cause of a crime to search a vehicle,” the memo explains. “This change applies to both burnt and unburnt marijuana.”

While driving high will remain a crime in New York, like in other legal states, and the small of burned cannabis could be cause for officers to decide a driver is impaired, they will only be allowed to search the passenger compartment, not the trunk of the vehicle, unless there is more evidence that the trunk could contain something illegal. While using cannabis in a vehicle is illegal, transporting legally purchased cannabis back home after purchase is not, as long as the cannabis is sealed and not being used. Therefore, simply smelling of cannabis is no longer a crime.

Other Major Changes In New York

The legacy of Charlotte Figi, the young Colorado girl whose struggle with epilepsy made CBD known worldwide, will be remembered next week with a benefit concert taking place in her honor.

The April 7 livestreamed concert, featuring performances by acts including The Avett Brothers and Jason Mraz and appearances by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has been dubbed Rock the RoC. The name of the event is a reference to the Realm of Caring (RoC), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting research into cannabinoids and helping patients who need them gain access to lifesaving medications.

Charlotte gained global notoriety after being featured on “Weed,” a 2013 CNN documentary by Gupta, the network’s chief medical correspondent. She had a rare form of epilepsy known as Dravet syndrome that caused dozens or even hundreds of seizures per day. After traditional treatments for the disease were unsuccessful, Charlotte’s mother Paige Figi decided to try medicinal cannabis with tremendous results, which were documented by Gupta. Sadly, Charlotte died last year at the age of 13.

“On April 7, 2020, Charlotte Figi passed away, leaving the world with her life-changing story of overcoming adversity through courage and grace, and impacting the lives of millions along the way whose wellness and dignity were in part made possible by Charlotte and the Figi family’s efforts,” Polis said in a statement to High Times. “This year on April 7, we celebrate Charlotte Figi day to honor her legacy and the battle that so many continue to fight.”

A Benefit For Realm Of Caring

Heather Jackson, the president of Realm of Caring and the host for the event, said that Charlotte’s experience is largely responsible for the popularity of CBD, a cannabinoid that is now the active ingredient of an FDA-approved medication, Epidiolex.

As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted work, school and life schedules, it also caused marijuana buyers to change when they shopped, shifting from the evening hours to the daytime. A year later that pattern is returning to normal, with more shoppers visiting cannabis retail outlets in the evening.

Retailers in general, including marijuana outlets, experienced shifting peak hours after the outbreak of the pandemic as consumers sought safer, more-convenient shopping experiences during the day versus the evening. Many consumers were able to shop at different times because of new working conditions, or they deliberately avoided popular times. Knowing and understanding that peak shopping hours are shifting back will allow cannabis retailers to better predict their scheduling needs.

Since the start of the pandemic, cannabis use has skyrocketed. Americans spent $18.3 billion on cannabis products last year – 71% over what they spent in 2019 – meaning we the people needed a lot of weed to cope with 2020. According to a recent survey, many of those people are parents.

The future of cannabis in cosmetics in China looks bleak following an announcement by China’s National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) that it plans to ban cannabis compounds for use in cosmetics.

According to the Notice on Amending Inventory of Prohibited Cosmetic Ingredients for Public Comments posted on NIFDC’s official website, the authority is proposing to prohibit the cosmetic applications of cannabis-related ingredients, including cannabis sativa kernel fruit, cannabis sativa seed oil, and cannabis sativa leaf, as well as CBD.
 
The public has until April 19 to submit their feedback.

Here is one basic fact of legalization that has permeated most reform movements in the United States at the state level and in Canada, if not just south of the Rio Grande (Mexico). To some extent, it is also the legal argument at the heart of German reform. It is absolutely the one at the heart of a major Spanish case now accepted for argument at the European Court of Human Rights. But here is the basic premise: Access to cannabis, particularly as medicine (but not limited to just medical access), is a basic constitutional right.

It is an interesting thought, really, that access to a plant might be considered so fundamental to human dignity if not individualism. It makes sense if you are a patient with a debilitating disease, but nobody really ever pays attention to the disabled if not “stoners” involved in this discussion (sadly). It is, however, thanks to these outsiders and their legal cases however, that reform has moved at all. 

However, even outside of a courtroom, as reform has moved forward only with this definition if not challenge to the same, that this powerful idea has permeated, even punctured, basic reform in several countries so far (as well as U.S. state markets). 

Why that has become of the tip of the spear of reform is one question. What it means, downstream, as the world normalizes, is another.

What Are Constitutional Rights and Where Does Cannabis Cross into Them?