Public Enemy No. 1 in Chicago… Grow hemp, if you dare… Political action in California… Colbert’s audience goes “whoo”… and more!
(Associated Press) // A Mexican drug lord has been named “Public Enemy No. 1” in Chicago, even though he’s never visited the city. The DEA office there says expansion by Mexican cartels into America’s heartland is among organized crime’s most serious threats to the US.
(NewsDemocratLeader) // Kentucky politicians have passed a bill allowing the industrial cultivation of industrial hemp – with the provision that it won’t go into effect until the federal government also approves such activity. The governor allowed it to pass without his signature, citing drug control concerns.
(CA-NORML) // SB 289, known as a "zero tolerance" drug DUI bill, would “wrongly criminalize many non-impaired drivers,” according to testimony provided this week by the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). The California State Senate Public Safety Committee hears arguments on the bill next Tuesday.
(SmellTheTruth) // Good news this week for Mendocino County participants in the regulated cannabis grow program there. The County Board of Supervisors and the US Attorney’s Office have reached an agreement “which voids the need for further court action.” Personal information of program participants will also not be handed over to the federal agency.
(MMJ.BizDigest) // There are piles to money to be made in running a cannabis dispensary. That’s the general perception, anyway, especially from those not in the business. Yes, there’s money to be made, but as with any business, there are lots of elements that need to be in the right place. (That’s why it’s called “work.”) Well over half of all dispensaries responding to a survey from the Marijuana Business Digest say they bring in under $500,000 annually.
(GlobalGrind) // Hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons released an open letter to President Obama this week asking for an end to the war on drugs. Over 175 civil rights leaders, entertainers, members of the music and fashion industries, the faith community, the business world, academics, the media, and a handful of politicians endorse the letter.
(TheColbertReport) // Last night Stephen Colbert reviewed recent events in cannabis culture. Do you get a web ad for Jack-in-the-Box Munchie Meals before this clip? I do.