TG Branfalt

CNN and Fox News go full “reefer madness” in the wake of a recent Danish study pertaining to cannabis use and schizophrenia.

Since July, New Jersey courts have expunged at least 362,000 low-level cannabis-related criminal records and there are an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 similar cases that could be automatically expunged under the state’s legalization law.

South Dakota approved most of the Department of Health’s rules for the state’s voter-approved medical cannabis program but rejected some proposals including limiting patient possession of high-potency cannabis products.

The National Underwriter Company is launching the Cannabis Insurance Coverage Specialist program, one of the first certifications for insurance agents, risk managers, and other professionals who advise cannabis-related businesses.

The World Anti-Doping Agency will review its cannabis policies following the suspension of Sha’Carri Richardson during the Summer Olympic Games after she tested positive for cannabis.

Michigan introduced a group of bipartisan bills that would reduce the number of patients allowed per medical cannabis caregiver from five to just one and also limit the amount of plants caregivers could grow from 60 to 12.

Pennsylvania officials will disclose for the first time how many of the state’s medical cannabis patients are certified as a treatment for opioid use disorder, as well as each of the state’s other qualifying conditions.

The Arizona Republic runs a fearmongering headline and presents a one-sided story in their coverage of accidental consumption of cannabis by children.

Cannabis use among college students reached its highest levels in 35 years in 2020, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, while alcohol use decreased by 6%.

Cannabis flower is now available to Virginia medical cannabis patients. Prior to the reforms, Virginia patients could only access products manufactured from the oils of the plant.

Cannabis arrests have fallen more than 90% in the Richmond, Virginia area since the state’s legalization law took effect on July 1.

Republican Congresswoman Virginia Foxx has made six investments in Marlboro cigarettes’ parent company, Altria Group Inc., which in turn, has invested $1.8 billion into a Canadian cannabis producer.

Federal prosecutors are seeking an 11-year sentence for the former mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, Jasiel Correia, after he was found guilty of extorting cannabis businesses.

Medical cannabis dispensaries in Minnesota are partnering with volunteer attorneys from St. Paul’s Mitchell Hamline School of Law to host expungement clinics and help people clear their records of nonviolent cannabis charges.

The Chicago, Illinois City Council Zoning Committee approved a plan by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to eliminate the city’s cannabis zones and allow more retail cannabis dispensaries in downtown Chicago.

Park Strategies, a New York-based lobbying firm that specializes in highly regulated industries, is launching a division to focus on cannabis legalization and other industry issues.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is asking state lawmakers to revise the medical cannabis law passed earlier this year to let cultivators get licensed sooner with the goal of having products for patients by the fall of 2022.

From mid-July through August, Arkansans spent $33 million to purchase 5,038 pounds of medical cannabis at dispensaries in the state, an increase of $6.5 million in sales compared to earlier figures.

The South Dakota Supreme Court updated the state’s professional conduct rules to allow attorneys to advise cannabis industry clients.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) Chapter at Iowa State University (ISU) is collecting signatures for a letter supporting adult-use cannabis legalization in the state.

There were just eight cannabis-related arrests in New York City during the second quarter of 2021, representing a 95% decrease in arrests from the year prior.

Cresco Labs last week completed its $90 million takeover of Massachusetts’ Cultivate, acquiring three operational dispensaries and 42,000 square feet of cannabis flower canopy.

Cannabis sales in Maine set yet another record in August, topping $10 million in one month for the first time.

Illinois is holding another cannabis license lottery to include applicants that were erroneously denied opportunities in previous rounds due to what has been described as a clerical oversight.