Hopes run high for statewide regulations… Teen use does not increase in legal states… How many hours a week do Americans get high? … and more.
LEGALIZATION & LEGISLATION
Statewide cannabis rules could become a reality // EastBayExpress.com Assembly passage of AB 266 “is an unprecedented compromise.”
Legal cannabis does not increase teen use // blog.NORML.org “Researchers reported no increase in teens’ overall use of the plant that could be attributable to changes in law, and acknowledged a ‘robust’ decrease in use among 8th graders.”
COPS & COURTS
Firing for off-duty pot use upheld // DenverPost.com The Colorado case involves an employee “who had a medical marijuana card and consumed pot off-duty to control muscle spasms.” He “was fired in 2010 after failing a random drug test.” Why? Because cannabis use of any kind is still illegal under federal law.
Santa Ana mayor charged with closing his competition // VoiceofOC.org The mayor and others “have financial ties to certain medical marijuana dispensaries in the city and have been directing police to shut down their competitors, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday.” The mayor denies this.
Prison for money laundering lawyer // OCRegister.com “A Long Beach attorney was sentenced Monday to three months in prison for laundering cash profits from a local drug kingpin who ran numerous illegal marijuana dispensaries.”
BUSINESS
Colorado summer ranch offers new twist on happy hour // Ski.curbed.com The "nation's first cannabis-friendly ranch resort" opens July 1.
IRS takes special interest in cannabis companies // MJBizdaily.com Testing labs have the highest rate of audits by tax authorities in the industry, wholesale growers and “ancillary companies” the lowest.
HEALTH
DEA dramatically increases marijuana production // RAPS.org The Drug Enforcement Administration stated earlier this year that they would produce 125,000 grams for research. Their latest published amount jumped to 400,000 grams. The agency says the increase is a result of high demand forcannabidiol,one part of the cannabis plant that is being watched as a treatment for childhood epilepsy.
Pesticides: are they being used in safe amounts? // NPR.org Because cannabis is illegal on the federal level “pesticide use on the crop has just devolved to just whatever people think is working or they think is appropriate.”
EVENT
NorCal Cannabis Cup this weekend // Cannabiscup.com The event, sponsored by High Times magazine, takes place June 20 – 21 at the Cow Palace in Daly City.
OPINION
Former “drug czar” blasts legalization efforts // LAtimes.com “The dangers have gone up and the stigma has gone down,” says William Bennett.
And NORML responds to Bennett // LATimes.com “Regulations, such as age restrictions for consumers and licensing requirements for commercial producers and merchants, are effective and proven alternatives to prohibition.”
IN OTHER NEWS….
How many hours a week are Americans high on marijuana? // Fusion.net Answer: Higher than you can count. (Click on the headline for the story.)
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