WeedLife News Network

A look at the impact of Missouri's medical marijuana program one year in.

More than two in three Americans (68%) support legalizing marijuana, maintaining the record-high level reached last year.

Gallup has documented increasing support for legalizing marijuana over more than five decades, with particularly sharp increases occurring in the 2000s and 2010s. In 2013, a majority of Americans, for the first time, supported legalization.

As was the case in 2020, solid majorities of U.S. adults in all major subgroups by gender, age, income and education support legalizing marijuana.

Substantive differences are seen, however, by political party and religion. While most Democrats (83%) and political independents (71%) support legalization, Republicans are nearly evenly split on the question (50% in favor; 49% opposed). Weekly and semiregular attendees of religious services are split on the issue as well, while those who attend infrequently or never are broadly supportive of legalizing marijuana.

Twice last year a federal grand jury demanded the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services turn over records pertaining to the medical marijuana program. 

The pair of subpoenas, issued by the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri in September 2020, were redacted by the department at the request of the federal government before being turned over to The Independent, obfuscating the records being sought by federal law enforcement. 

A third subpoena, from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, was received by the department in July 2021. The records being sought were also redacted. 

The existence of the subpoenas was first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jack Suntrup.

They follow a 2019 subpoena from a federal grand jury demanding all records pertaining to medical marijuana license applications of four individuals. The identity of those individuals was redacted from the copy of the subpoena first reported by the Kansas City Star. 

Oregon authorities are trying to shut down any illicit cannabis grows with ties to Mexican cartels.

Law enforcement officers and other authorities in southern Oregon say that a rash of illegal marijuana cultivation operations in the area are linked to Mexican drug cartels intent on overwhelming local resources as a strategy to maximize profits. 

In Jackson County, officials declared a state of emergency last month and said that the proliferation of illicit pot farms had strained local law enforcement and other resources. In a letter to Oregon Governor Kate Brown and state lawmakers, the Jackson County Board Commissioners called for more funding and personnel to support law enforcement and code compliance efforts in the area. 

Jackson County Commissioner Rick Dyer told reporters that other illegal activities including human trafficking, forced labor and unsafe living conditions for workers are tied to the unregulated marijuana cultivation in Oregon, where cannabis commerce is legal for licensed businesses. He added that illegal operators intimidate and abuse their workers, who are often minors or the parents of young children.

Officials in Jackson County hope that their counterparts in neighboring Klamath and Josephine Counties will declare a similar state of emergency so that the region sends a unified message to state leaders.

“It’s harder to ignore when it’s a regional declaration of an emergency,” Dyer said. “And the more of a united front we present it will make it harder to ignore. It is a regional problem, and it could be a regional solution.”

A group that failed to get a recreational marijuana amendment on the ballot four years ago and sued the attorney general over procedural issues hopes to give Arkansas voters a chance to legalize recreational marijuana next year.

Arkansas True Grass, a group of marijuana advocates and volunteers, is gathering signatures for a constitutional amendment that would allow Arkansans aged 21 and over to purchase up to four ounces of marijuana a day and grow up to 12 plants of their own. The group needs 89,151 verified signatures to make the November 2022 ballot. The deadline to submit petitions is July 8, 2022.

The new measure would also expand the number of businesses allowed to sell marijuana. The amendment allows for an unlimited number of business licenses, which spokeswoman Briana Boling said would be “affordable” and would be administered by the state Department of Agriculture. Under the state’s medical marijuana program, the Medical Marijuana Commission licenses dispensaries and cultivators, while the Alcoholic Beverage Control division regulates those businesses. The state Department of Health issues cards to qualified patients.

While the amendment would not change the framework of the state medical marijuana program,  it would increase competition and drive down prices, Boling said.

The Arkansas True Grass proposal would also expunge convictions for some marijuana offenses. Under the amendment, anyone incarcerated or serving parole or probation for a violation of the Arkansas Uniformed Controlled Substances Act and whose current and only conviction is for a marijuana-related offense would be released. All criminal records of such convictions before the passage of the amendment would be expunged.

PORTLAND, Maine - Two sheriff's deputies accepted new cars and an ownership stake in an operation that illegally sold more than $13 million in pot grown for Maine’s medical marijuana program, federal prosecutors said.

Two other law enforcement officers and a prosecutor aided the operation by providing intelligence and tipping off participants, prosecutors said.

Federal documents unsealed Wednesday when one of the defendants pleaded guilty revealed an elaborate program in which marijuana that was grown in western Maine for registered caregivers was sold outside the program, with profits being laundered through a corporate structure.

Twelve people were charged in the 14-count complaint, including a Rangeley select board member, an assistant district attorney, two Franklin County sheriff's deputies, an Oxford County sheriff's deputy and a Wilton police officer.

Switzerland has given the green light to develop a comprehensive national framework for cannabis in the country.

Arkansas sees another campaign to potentially legalize cannabis in the state. Advocates hope this spells the end of state-wide prohibition.

A group headed by a former Arkansas lawmaker has joined the charge to reform cannabis policy in the state by organizing a group to campaign for a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana. Eddie Armstrong, a former Democratic state representative from North Little Rock, is listed as the chair of the organization Responsible Growth Arkansas in a filing with the Arkansas Ethics Commission submitted on October 15.

The text of the proposed constitutional amendment had not yet been filed with the office of the Arkansas Secretary of State as of the beginning of the week. The group’s statement of organization, however, notes that the organization will “advocate for the passage of an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution to allow the regulated sale of adult-use cannabis in the state,” according to media reports. 

In an email to reporters, Armstrong wrote that more details of the proposed constitutional amendment to legalize recreational cannabis will be released in the upcoming weeks.

Medical Marijuana Legalized in 2016

Arkansas voters legalized medical marijuana in 2016 with the passage of Issue 6, a constitutional amendment ballot measure that received 53 percent of the vote. Under the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, patients can receive a doctor’s recommendation to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for the treatment of one or more qualifying medical conditions.

Medical marijuana dispensaries began serving patients in 2019. However, statutory limits on the number of cannabis cultivators and retailers could soon leave patients with an inadequate supply of medicine, says medical marijuana advocate Melissa Fults.

In about one year — by October 2022 — Vermont's retail cannabis market is scheduled to go into place, and the state's Cannabis Control Board has already made some key decisions that will shape Vermont’s legal marijuana marketplace.

VPR’s Mitch Wertlieb spoke with senior political correspondent, Bob Kinzel. Their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mitch Wertlieb: In one of their earliest and most important decisions, the board has decided to prioritize small marijuana growers, and why are they doing this in particular?

Bob Kinzel: Mitch, they're really doing this at the direction of the Legislature, and I think it might be one of the most important decisions that they've made, because it has a rippling effect on many aspects of this issue.

So, let's start with, what's a small grower. The board defines this as an indoor operation that's no larger than 1,000 square feet.

Thirteen people, including four former law enforcement officers, a prosecutor and a former selectman, have been charged in a conspiracy to use medical marijuana grow houses in western Maine to illegally sell $13 million of the drug in and out of Maine.

Court documents in the case were made public Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Bangor after one of the defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess and distribute more than a ton of marijuana and 1,000 marijuana plants.

The documents detail a far-reaching scheme in which the head of the conspiracy, 41-year-old Lucas Sirois of Farmington, allegedly gave cops ownership interests in his company and brand new “company” cars in exchange for confidential information that he used to benefit his business. He also learned about the federal investigation into his illegal business dealings through the officers’ networks, according to the documents.

A former Rangeley selectman is also implicated, accused of accepting cash payments from Sirois in exchange for advocating for his agenda, including a vote to advance a marijuana ordinance Sirois had drafted to a town referendum.

The defendant who pleaded guilty is Randal Cousineau, 69, of Farmington, who admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to illegally cultivate and sell marijuana from 2016 to July 2020. Cousineau was the primary financier and 50 percent partner in an illegal marijuana cultivation facility in Farmington, according to court documents. He also held an interest in an illegal marijuana distribution company.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has officially banned the mailing of vaping products — and that includes cannabis, as well as federally legal CBD vapes and nicotine.

The agency announced the final rule on Wednesday to comply with legislation passed last year to stop nicotine vapes from being shipped through the U.S. mail.

While the law bans "electronic nicotine delivery systems," it defines them broadly as "any electronic device that, through an aerosolized solution, delivers nicotine, flavor, or any other substance to the user inhaling from the device."

"It goes without saying that marijuana, hemp, and their derivatives are substances," the agency said, as reported by Marijuana Moment. "Hence, to the extent that they may be delivered to an inhaling user through an aerosolized solution, they and the related delivery systems, parts, components, liquids, and accessories clearly fall within the [Preventing Online Sales of E-Cigarettes to Children Act's] scope."

There are exceptions: vapes can be shipped within the states of Alaska and Hawaii, verified businesses can mail vapes to each other or to government agencies, and individuals can ship up to 10 electronic nicotine delivery systems for non-commercial use per 30 days.

Researchers may be one step closer to developing the equivalent of a Breathalyzer for detecting marijuana use.

In an early study, scientists found that their rapid test was able to reliably detect THC in people's saliva in under 5 minutes. THC, short for tetrahydrocannabinol, is the active ingredient in marijuana.

Those facts have made it hard to develop a roadside test for marijuana use, akin to the Breathalyzer used to measure drivers' alcohol levels.

There are some existing saliva tests for THC, but they are hampered by issues like slow processing time or giving "binary" results -- similar to a yes/no on a pregnancy test.

Lee said his team was able to develop a test that not only quickly detects THC in saliva, but quantifies the amount.

It took about 3 minutes from "sample in, result out," according to Lee, who is based at Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Systems Biology in Boston.

Arrests made at Illegal Marijuana Dispensary

On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, at approximately 10:00 a.m., deputies from the Sheriff's Lakeside Substation Crime Suppression Team and detectives from the Sheriff's Lakeside Substation, with the assistance of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department's Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET), the Sheriff's Special Enforcement Detail, and a representative from San Diego County Code Compliance, served a search warrant at an illegal marijuana dispensary located at 8802 Winter Gardens Blvd in Lakeside.

The warrant was part of ongoing investigations by the Sheriff's Department of illegally operating cannabis facilities in San Diego County. Detectives seized the following during the search: 

There were four subjects arrested for various narcotics and weapons related charges. 

This warrant follows community concerns about illegal marijuana dispensaries operating near schools and residential areas.  We want to assure those we serve the San Diego County Sheriff's Department is listening to the community and recognizes the negative impact illegal marijuana dispensaries have on our neighborhoods. 

A Columbia man was arrested and charged for smuggling weed from a California airport to Columbia.

Kevin Antwan Simmons, 43, is charged with trafficking marijuana after officials found more than 40 pounds of weed and $4,000 in his suitcase at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

“Law enforcement officers from the Sacramento area notified South Carolina-based Drug Enforcement Administration agents that Simmons was flying into Columbia October 17,” said Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon. “Once Simmons landed and grabbed two suitcases at baggage claim, DEA and Lexington County narcotics agents approached him and he consented to a search of his bags.”

Sacramento officers found the weed in the suitcases when the bags were X-rayed before the flight departed, according to deputies.

Two people were killed on Monday in a fire at an alleged illegal marijuana grow operation in Los Angeles, officials say.

The Los Angeles Fire Department received reports of the warehouse fire from a paramedic crew that passed by it at around 12:18 p.m. Within moments of the report being received, the fire had already seared through the roof of the building, the fire department said in a news release.

The firefighters who arrived at the scene saw with three severely burned people running out of the building while calling out a fourth person’s name, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott told KTLA.

The three burn victims were hospitalized, and one of them, who suffered injuries to 90% of his body, died at the hospital, KTLA reported. The other two are still hospitalized, one in serious condition and the other in critical condition. Fire crews discovered a person’s body inside the building during a search of the premises on Tuesday morning, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The fire spread rapidly throughout the building and triggered multiple explosions. It took 150 firefighters slightly over an hour to extinguish the blaze, and fire crews continued to extinguish hotspots throughout the night, according to the fire department’s release.

Investigators suspect the building may have been home to an illegal marijuana grow operation based on testing of materials from inside the building, which revealed positive results for hemp, the release said.

Agents of the Paraguayan SENAD incinerated 36 tons of marijuana on September 17, 2021, in Concepción department. (Photo: Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat)

On September 17, 2021, agents of the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish) incinerated 36 tons of marijuana in Concepción department.

“It was the largest drug incineration ever carried out in our country,” SENAD said in a statement. The previous record was in 2014, after the seizure of 26 tons of drugs in Capitán Bado, Amambay department.

The incineration of the 36 tons was done at the Internal Defense Operations Command base in Concepción. Units of the Paraguayan Armed Forces’ Joint Task Force found the drug on July 23, during a routine flyover in Paso Barreto district.

From a helicopter, service members witnessed “the activities of a group of people loading bags onto large trucks in a rural estate, in a partly wooded area,” the Paraguayan news portal ADN Digital reported. Service members arrested four people who were storing the shipment, bound for Brazil.

Rantoul leaders are giving thought to a potential start-up adult-use cannabis craft grower business in the village. 

The News-Gazette reports Rantoul natives Dane Ehler, operator of Heartland Hemp Co., and Blake Schilb, shared a proposal with the village board at an October study session that would seek to change a village ordinance banning all community cannabis businesses. The business they seek to open would only allow for the cultivation, drying, curing and packaging of cannabis for either sale at a dispensary or use at a processing organization.

Schilb told the board the the business creates an opportunity to "grow Rantoul, to hire locally and teach others about this aspect of the cultivation medically." He noted medical marijuana has helped people, and notably his brother, who saw it help with pain, nausea and anxiety as he battled a serious illness. 

The board decided to table a vote until November. The issue is expected to be revisited with a Nov. 2 study session so public comment can be heard. There would not be any vote until the board's Nov. 9 meeting. 

Four years after weed became legal in California for adult recreational use, state law enforcement officials have doubled the amount of illicit marijuana plants seized and eradicated in an annual campaign. California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced that the California Department of Justice’s annual Campaign Against Marijuana Planting program, also known as CAMP, had eradicated nearly 1.2 million illegally cultivated cannabis plants this year.

That’s up from 614,267 plants seized in 2018, the first year that recreational marijuana was legal in California. The CAMP program has steadily ratcheted up enforcement over the years, with 953,459 plants eradicated in 2019 and 1.1 million plants destroyed in 2020. The numbers remain well below what agencies seized during California’s peak enforcement against illegal marijuana grows. In 2009, the CAMP program destroyed some 4.5 million plants, according to records kept by Humboldt State University. $2 for 2 months Subscribe for unlimited access to our website, app, eEdition and more CLAIM OFFER Increased enforcement comes as California’s illicit market cannabis industry is estimated to generate $8 billion in annual sales, compared to the legal market’s $4.4 billion, according to cannabis industry reporting website MJBizDaily.

Licensed marijuana growers and retailers blame the illicit dealers for hindering their growth, and have called for the state to rethink taxes levied on the industry to help them compete. Over 13 weeks this year, the CAMP program seized more than 180,000 pounds of marijuana and 165 weapons, and removed more than 67,000 pounds of cultivation infrastructure, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Bonta on Monday called for a six-month review of the CAMP program, which is conducted in partnership with local, state and federal agencies, in order to adapt the program to changes to the law since the program first was initiated in the 1980s. “Illegal and unlicensed marijuana planting is bad for our environment, bad for our economy, and bad for the health and safety of our communities,” Bonta said in a statement. “Today, I’m directing my office to review the CAMP program and ensure that we are using our resources to effectively address the environmental, labor, and economic impacts of illegal cultivation. From dumping toxic chemicals in our waterways to cheating the state out of millions of tax dollars, illicit marijuana grows have far-reaching impacts and unintended consequences.”