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☆ Here’s what marijuana researchers have to say about 420 or ‘weed day’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —It’s 420 or “weed day,” and people around the world will be paying homage to their favorite guilty pleasure: marijuana. “I worry when people are in an enclosed space because new data is beginning to show that secondhand marijuana smoke may be just as dangerous as the primary smoke,” Page said. “Approximately 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have marijuana use disorder,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, some parents told doctors they believed vaping marijuana was safer than tobacco, Boyd told CNN earlier via email. A cloud of marijuana smoke rises as a clock hits 4:20 p.m. during the Mile High 420 Festival in Denver on "weed day" in 2022.

Persons: CNN —, Dr, Beth Cohen, Cohen, “, ”, Robert Page II, ” Page, Weed, It’s, ’ ” Carol Boyd, Ann Arbor, Peter Grinspoon, ” Young, Sam Wang, Boyd, Grinspoon, Patrick T, Fallon, Nixon, ” Boyd, ” Grinspoon, ’ ”, Page Organizations: CNN, District of Columbia, University of California, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center, Drugs, University of Michigan, US Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, Massachusetts General Hospital, Marijuana, Children’s Hospital, Yale Medicine, Drug, University of Colorado’s, Getty, University of Mississippi, US Drug, Administration Locations: United States, San Francisco, Colorado, Aurora, Ann, Boston, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Denver, AFP

☆ A Holiday for Weed Fans, Complete With Corporate Sponsors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Ashley Southall | More About Ashley Southall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the culture of cannabis, April 20 is a high holiday when those who partake light up in enjoyment and in protest of prohibition. Although the origins of “4/20” are debated — according to popular lore, a group of California high school students in the 1970s met after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke weed — the day has been globally celebrated for years. Until recently in New York, celebrations carried the risk of arrest or fines, so they would often take place in secret locations or places where the authorities were somewhat lenient, like Washington Square Park. In 2020, the police busted a pot party in Manhattan, not because people were smoking weed but because they were flouting social-distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic. And a growing number of celebrations — some with brand sponsors — have emerged, catering to users new and old as well as people who are just “canna-curious.”

Organizations: Washington Locations: California, New York, Manhattan

☆ Cam Booser: How 31-year-old former carpenter overcame injuries to finally make his MLB debut for Boston Red Sox
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Issy Ronald | Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Even after Cam Booser walked away from baseball in 2017 and became a carpenter following a series of injuries and setbacks, he would think about the game every single day. The 31-year-old relief pitcher has endured a “long journey” to make his MLB debut, he told the league’s website on Friday after he was called up by the Boston Red Sox, becoming the franchise’s oldest player to make his Majors debut in the US since 1947. Booser had endured a series of injuries and setbacks before his MLB debut. “I didn’t think about ever actually making a comeback until I started working with them,” Booser said, per the MLB. “It was just the more I was around the game, the more I couldn’t not be around it.

Persons: Cam Booser, Tommy John, Booser, Charles LeClaire, ” Booser, “, ” Organizations: CNN, MLB, Boston Red Sox, Oregon State, WBZ, Minnesota Twins, USA, Sports, Reuters, Chicago Dogs, American Association, Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates Locations: ”

☆ Amsterdam bans construction of new hotels as a way to fight overtourism
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Lilit Marcus | Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

This means: no overtourism, no new hotels, and no more than 20 million hotel overnight stays by tourists per year,” it said in a statement. This is the latest in a series of measures the Dutch capital has taken to mitigate the issue of overtourism in the city. Last year, the Amsterdam City Council voted to ban cruise ships and close its cruise terminal. The city also banned the use of marijuana on public streets in the red light district and ended guided tours that passed by sex workers’ windows. Under a 2021 ordinance called “Amsterdam Tourism in Balance,” the city council is “obliged to intervene” when tourism numbers reach 18 million people.

Organizations: CNN, Amsterdam City Locations: Netherlands, Amsterdam, Balance

☆ Amsterdam’s Latest Effort to Fight Excessive Tourism: No New Hotels
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Claire Moses | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Amsterdam has been searching for any way to rein in the number of tourists that visit the city every year. The city has also long tried to control the crowds in its red-light district, where rowdy groups of tourists often cause disruptions to local residents. It has added stricter rules about smoking marijuana. It has banned new tourist shops. And still, the people keep coming.

Persons: ”, — Locations: Amsterdam

☆ Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to face his toughest trial yet as Trump criminal case begins
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Gregory Krieg | Kara Scannell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“I’ve done a lot of cases that are considered no-win,” Bragg told CNN at the time, in December 2021. Though Bragg’s ambitions are widely considered to be less lofty than some of his predecessors, the Trump trial will likely write both his political future and legacy. Two months into office, Bragg was confronted by two senior attorneys leading the Trump investigation. When Bragg refused to authorize them to seek an indictment they abruptly and noisily resigned, putting additional pressure on the new district attorney. Trump eventually paid $2 million of his own money to a group of charities, and the foundation was dissolved.

Persons: Alvin Bragg, Donald Trump, “, ” Bragg, you’re, ’, ”, Bragg, indicting Trump, Trump, –, craven, Jim Jordan, Cy Vance Jr, Robert Morgenthau, Morgenthau, Vance, Charles Seymour Whitman, Thomas Dewey, Dewey, Eric Garner, Garner, Trump’s, Michael Cohen –, Stormy Daniels, Cohen, blitzed Bragg, Alina Habba, that’s, ” Trump, “ Alvin, I’m, Eric Adams, Adams, Donald J, Barbara Underwood, Judge Juan Merchan, Daniels Organizations: CNN, Ohio, White, Harvard, of, New, New York Law, Racial, Trump, Republican, Prosecutors, New York, “, New York City, NYPD, Trump Organization, Democratic, Trump Foundation Locations: Harlem, American, New York City, Black, New York, Southern, of New York, America

☆ Jennifer Pan and her former boyfriend were both found guilty of conspiring to kill her parents. Here's where Daniel Wong is now.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A retrial was ordered in 2023 for the first-degree murder charge, and the case currently sits with the Canadian Supreme Court. According to Toronto Life, all five of the accused faced first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder charges. NetflixWong received the same sentence and charges as PanWong was found guilty of the same charges as Pan: first-degree murder and attempted murder. For the first-degree murder charge, he received a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years; for the attempted murder charge, a life sentence. If it doesn't, Wong, Pan, and the other accused will be allowed to seek parole.

Persons: —, Jennifer Did, Jennifer Pan, Bich, Huei Hann Pan, Pan, Daniel Wong, Wong, Jennifer Pan's, Karen K, Ho, Jennifer, Christine, Lenford Crawford, Crawford, Pan's, Huei Hann, Netflix Wong, Pan Wong, Eric Carty Organizations: Service, Netflix, Canadian, CBC, Canadian Supreme, Business, Pan, Toronto, Police, Toronto Life, Ontario, Markham Economist, Sun Locations: Toronto, Pan's, Lindsay , Ontario

☆ Tara Davis-Woodhall: ‘My entire memo is have fun,’ says the ‘free-spirited’ US long jump star
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It’s hard not to be swept up in Davis-Woodhall’s approach to the long jump, especially when she finds reason to laugh even in the heat of fierce competition. “My entire memo is have fun,” she tells CNN Sport. Long jump is one track and field discipline which governing body World Athletics seems interested in developing, such as by introducing a take-off zone in the place of a fixed board. “I think it might be a little silly,” she says, “just because you kind of take away from the principle of long jump. That’s even more true for an athlete like Davis-Woodhall, currently jumping further and with more confidence than ever before.

Persons: Tara Davis, Woodhall, dally, I’m, –, I’ve, Ben Stansall, Serbia’s Ivana Španović, ”, Davis, don’t, “, “ I’m, “ I’ve, ” Davis, Hunter Woodall, Michael Woods, “ Tara, Hunter, Hunter Woodhall, it’s, Michael Steele, Jon Ridgeon Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, Davis, Paris Olympics, Tokyo Olympics, Woodhall, Doping Agency, ”, University of Texas, World Athletics Locations: Glasgow, Scotland, Davis, AFP, “, Albuquerque , New Mexico, Tokyo, Budapest, Hungary

☆ A man named Brick is being caned in Singapore for illegally sneaking into the country on a small boat: local report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Brick, 26, is an Indonesian man who is set to be caned nine times for trying to illegally enter Singapore. Caning is a judicial punishment in Singapore that can be given to male offenders who are below 50. AdvertisementA 26-year-old Indonesian man was sentenced to 18 months in prison and nine strokes of the cane in Singapore for illegally entering the island nation by swimming, local media reported. Singaporean outlet Channel News Asia identified the man by only one name — Brick — and reported that he approached Singapore on a small boat called a sampan in June 2023. Given his latest sentence, the total rises to 34 cane strokes and 68 months in prison.

Persons: —, Brick, Brick's, Michael Fay, Fay, Singapore's, Halimah Yaacob Organizations: Service, Channel News Asia, CNA, Business, Staff Locations: Indonesian, Singapore, Batam, Indonesian Embassy

☆ Three booming businesses that make Denver stand out
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Chris Dilella | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Two cities in Colorado are experiencing tech-fueled economic booms, with Denver's skyline transforming and Boulder's gross domestic product surging. However, the influx of people and businesses has brought challenges like a growing homeless population, affordability issues and infrastructure strain. A recent report shows a 24% drop in Denver's cannabis revenue compared with 2021. Major league moneymakersCameron Fleming #73 of the Denver Broncos runs onto the field before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on January 8, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. A stage for economic successA concert at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre outside Denver.

Persons: Amy Sparwasser, Matthew Staver, Jared Polis, Polis, Mike Johnston, moneymakers Cameron Fleming, Dustin Bradford, Deion Sanders, Prime's, John P Kelly Organizations: Denver &, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Denver Department of Excise, Licenses, trailblazer, Industry, State Planning, Denver, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies, Avalanche, Analysts, University of Colorado Boulder's, NFL, University of Colorado, Boulder, Rocks Locations: Denver, CNBC's, Colorado, Success, Denver & Boulder, Denver , Colorado, Chicago , New York, Los Angeles, University of Colorado Boulder

☆ John Sinclair, 82, Dies; Counterculture Activist Who Led a ‘Guitar Army’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Michael S. Rosenwald | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

John Sinclair, a counterculture activist whose nearly 10-year prison sentence for sharing joints with an undercover police officer was cut short after John Lennon and Yoko Ono sang about his plight at a protest rally, died on Tuesday in Detroit. His publicist, Matt Lee, said the cause of his death, in a hospital, was congestive heart failure. As the leader of the White Panther Party in the late 1960s, Mr. Sinclair spoke of assembling a “guitar army” to wage “total assault” on racists, capitalism and the criminalization of marijuana. “We are a whole new people with a whole new vision of the world,” he wrote in his book “Guitar Army” (1972), “a vision which is diametrically opposed to the blind greed and control which have driven our immediate predecessors in Euro-Amerika to try to gobble up the whole planet and turn it into one big supermarket.”He also managed the incendiary Detroit rock band the MC5. Their lyrics — “I’m sick and tired of paying these dues/And I’m finally getting hip to the American ruse” — were a kind of ballad for the cause.

Persons: John Sinclair, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Matt Lee, Sinclair, ”, Army ”, “, I’m Organizations: White Panther Party, Army Locations: Detroit

☆ With Abortion Ballot Question, a ‘Path to Relevance’ for Democrats in Florida?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Patricia Mazzei | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The nation’s third-largest state, once the biggest battleground in presidential politics, has become less important as its election results have trended repeatedly toward the political right. But three rulings from the Florida Supreme Court on abortion and marijuana, released on Monday, may inject new life into Democratic campaigns before the general election on Nov. 6. The court, which leans conservative, upheld a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, allowing an even more restrictive six-week ban to soon take effect. However, the court also allowed a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot that would guarantee access to abortion “before viability,” or at about 24 weeks. In a third decision, the court gave the go-ahead to a separate ballot measure that would legalize recreational marijuana.

Organizations: Florida Supreme, Democratic Locations: Florida

Referendums protecting abortion access are on a winning streak nationwide, including in states far more red than Florida. Outside of Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 victories, Democrats have struggled to find success in Florida while Republicans are on a roll. The GOP now controls every statewide Cabinet office in Florida, its two US Senate seats and both state legislative chambers. In 2016, Trump won Florida despite a medical marijuana initiative on the ballot that Democrats hoped would aid their performance. “There is nothing more common than Democrats claiming they have some magical way to win Florida and they always come up short,” Power said.

Persons: can’t, Floridians, –, Biden, ” Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Alex Sink, Trump, ” Sink, ”, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama’s, Obama, Ron DeSantis, “ It’s, Matt Isbell, Michael Bloomberg, ” Chavez Rodriguez, Brian Hughes, “, it’ll, Roe, Wade, Chavez Rodriguez, Nikki Fried, Evan Power, ” Power Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Electoral, Florida, Sunshine State, ” Longtime Democratic, GOP, Trump, Biden, Florida Democratic, Democratic Party, Republican Party of Locations: Florida, Nashville, Grand Rapids , Michigan, Republican Party of Florida

☆ Florida voters will decide whether to protect abortion rights and legalize pot in November
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Octavio Jones | Getty ImagesThe Florida Supreme Court issued rulings Monday allowing the state's voters to decide whether to protect abortion rights and legalize recreational use of marijuana, rejecting the state attorney general's arguments that the measures should be kept off the November ballot. Abortion rightsThe proposed amendment would protect the right to an abortion after the state in back-to-back years passed tougher restrictions currently being challenged in court. Faith Halstead, chants along with other protesters and activists near the Florida State Capitol where Florida State Senators voted to pass a proposed 6-week abortion ban in Tallahassee, Florida, on Monday, April 3, 2023. While many voters aren't enthusiastic about a rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, it could inspire more abortion rights advocates to cast a ballot. People gather on the steps of the Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on May 7, 2022 for a rally to support abortion rights.

Persons: Octavio Jones, General Ashley Moody, Faith Halstead, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Moody, Roe, Wade Organizations: Getty, Florida Supreme, Republican, Florida State Capitol, Florida State, Washington Post, Trump, Florida, Florida Sun, Tribune, Service, Supreme Locations: Tampa , Florida, Florida, Tallahassee , Florida, Fort Lauderdale, U.S, Maryland, New York

☆ Abortion and marijuana will be on the ballot this year in a key swing state
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Florida voters will have the chance to vote on abortion and recreational marijuana this November. The measures would enshrine abortion access and recreational marijuana use into the state constitution. AdvertisementFlorida voters will now have the chance to decide for themselves if they want abortion rights and recreational marijuana enshrined in the state constitution. The state's Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority, ruled that the two measures could appear on the ballot this November. The first ballot measure would add the right to abortion into the state constitution, mandating that no law can "prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict" abortion before the fetus is viable outside the womb.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, — Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Florida

☆ Canopy Growth CEO David Klein goes one-on-one with Jim Cramer
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Canopy Growth CEO David Klein goes one-on-one with Jim CramerCanopy Growth CEO David Klein joins 'Mad Money' host Jim Cramer to talk marijuana legalization on the state level, possible changes in federal classification and more.

Persons: David Klein, Jim Cramer

☆ Kamala Harris Pushes the Envelope as Biden Struggles With Some Democrats
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

Harris' evolving role comes as progressive Democrats target Biden over his pro-Israel stance, polls show him in a tight race against Republican rival Donald Trump. While some have knocked Harris's performance as vice president and value to the reelection campaign in the past, she's moved into a starring role. Current and former Harris aides disputed the idea of any difference in policy between Biden, characterizing their efforts as a difference in tone and emphasis. Biden cannot emphasize divisive cultural issues without alienating more conservative voters he needs to win, current and former aides said. If Trump wins white voters, the largest U.S. racial group, for the third election in a row, Biden needs a dominant showing among a diverse set of groups that typically favor Democrats.

Persons: Trevor Hunnicutt, Joe, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Harris, Biden, Donald Trump ., she's, Abbas Alawieh, She's, Dave Cavell, HARRIS Biden, Trump, Read, Arlene Eiras, Nandita Bose, Heather Timmons, Deepa Babington, Chizu Organizations: White, U.S, Republican, Trump, Hamas, Democratic, Freedoms, Reuters, Puerto Rican, Biden, Harris, Read Reuters Locations: Gaza, Selma, Alabama, Parkland , Florida, Israel, Minneapolis, Wisconsin , Michigan, Pennsylvania, U.S, San Juan, United States, Caribbean, Washington

☆ Oklahoma Was a Legal Marijuana Utopia. Then Came the Mass Murder
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Matt Stroud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

Fourteen months after the murders, the garage of the abandoned marijuana farm on prairie tableland northwest of Oklahoma City sits frozen and dark. Broadway Avenue in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, about 30 miles south of where Wu Chen, 47, executed four people at a marijuana farm. When Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana, the only real requirement was that Oklahoma residents had to be involved in marijuana growing and selling. But Oklahoma required 75% of any marijuana business to be owned by an Oklahoma resident. Deputies from the Kingfisher County Sheriff's Office were the first to arrive at the scene of a quadruple homicide at an abandoned marijuana farm.

Persons: Wu Chen, Mike Simons, Kevin Stitt, Sean Hannity's, Dan Newhouse, Liu, Chen, Yi Fei Lin, Mark Woodward, —, OBN, Adria Berry, BI Adria Berry, I'm, Barb Miuccio, Jeremy Grable, Jeremy, Barb, she's, Barbara Miuccio, Treez, Matt Stacy, Stacy, Stitt, Jeremy they'd, he'd, OMMA, didn't, Barb didn't, Barbara, Stacy —, she'd, Stacy hadn't, BI Jonathan Riedlinger, Riedlinger, Lin, Qirong Lin, Hechun Chen, Qiang Chen, Fang Lee —, Wenbo Lin, Wu Chen —, Wenbo Lin didn't, Reidlinger, Jed Green, Matthew Alan Stacy, Barb —, — he's, He'd, Woodward, Helen Carillo, He's, Kevin Pham, Pham, BI Pham, ProPublica, recriminations, Green, It's, they're, I'd, Ken Thompson, Thompson, Chen didn't, He'll, Jonathan Riedlinger, Kiki, I've Organizations: Oklahoma City, Broadway, BI, Marijuana, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, Republican, Sean Hannity's Fox, Fox News, Chen Inc, Narcotics, BI Adria, Oklahoma's Army National Guard, OBN, Business, Oklahoma State Bureau of, Sheriff's, Prosecutors, CSI Accounting Services, Whitney Economics, NBC, Cannabis, Virginia Slim, Florida . Police Locations: Oklahoma, Kingfisher County , Oklahoma, Ames , Oklahoma, Kingfisher , Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, California, Arkansas, Republican Washington, China, Kingfisher County, Dallas, Moore , Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, He's, Moore, Kingfisher, Hennessey , Oklahoma, OMMA, Mexico, Edmond, Tulsa, Russia, Bulgaria, Armenia, Steakhouse, Virginia, Florida, Miami Beach, Miami

☆ A Legal Pot Pioneer Was Busted in Idaho With 56 Pounds. He Has a Plan.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Corey Kilgannon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In retrospect, the Idaho shortcut might have been a bad idea. Or perhaps the fateful moment was when Mr. Beal decided to avoid the cold by staying in the minivan conked out on the shoulder of Interstate 84. That forced the helpful state trooper to come over and get a noseful of the 56 pounds of weed that Mr. Beal was bringing back to New York. In reality, there were any number of chances for Mr. Beal, 77, to avoid his current situation: facing felony drug trafficking charges carrying a potential 15 years in prison. Mr. Beal has spent nearly six decades challenging pot laws and is a fixture of New York’s graying counterculture, famous for handing out joints at rallies.

Persons: Dana Beal —, —, Beal Locations: Idaho, America, New York

☆ Marijuana set to become legal in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMarijuana set to become legal in GermanyBoris Jordan, Curaleaf executive chairman, joins 'Fast Money' to discuss Germany partially legalizing marijuana in the country and how it'll be a catalyst to the company's stock.

Persons: Germany Boris Jordan Locations: Germany

☆ Elon Musk Isn't the Only One Using Drugs As a Work Performance Boost
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

You could get a mushroom that has a little bit more or a little bit less psilocybin ... which, depending on the activity of the day, might be more than you bargained for. Some corporate elites are seeking out psychedelic retreats to improve their leadership skills, shift their perceptions, and, in some cases, even bond with their teams. My main concern is that people understand the risk, any risk — bad-trip risk, psychiatric risk, or legal risk. "My main concern is that people understand the risk, any risk — bad-trip risk, psychiatric risk, or legal risk," Johnson said. A lot of executives and workers have a little bit of Elon Musk in them.

Persons: Elon, he's, Musk, à, Steve Jobs, they're, Greg Fonzo, Matthew Johnson, Sheppard Pratt, hasn't, Johnson, It's, Katrina Michelle, Rob Grover, Gary Logan, Grover, that's, Michelle, Justin Townsend, it's, performancewise, Townsend, Emily Stewart Organizations: SpaceX, Twitter, Center for Psychedelic Research, University of Texas, Austin's Dell Medical School, Center, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, Marijuana, Elon Musk, Business Locations: New York, Vancouver , British Columbia, Jamaica

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York will evaluate its troubled recreational marijuana licensing program after lawsuits and bureaucratic stumbles severely hampered the legal market and allowed black-market sellers to flourish, Gov. Hochul, a Democrat, has described the state's recreational marijuana rollout as a “ disaster." The Office of Cannabis Management has just 32 people reviewing license applications but has received about 7,000 applications since last fall, a spokesman said. The state's review will embed Jeanette Moy, the commissioner of the state's Office of General Services, and other state government officials, in the cannabis management agency for at least 30 days. “We have built a cannabis market based on equity, and there is a lot to be proud of," said Chris Alexander, executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Jeanette Moy, Chris Alexander, Moy Organizations: —, Cannabis, Democrat, Cannabis Management, New York Cannabis, General Services Locations: ALBANY, N.Y, — New York, New York City, New

☆ Harris says it’s absurd and unfair that marijuana is treated more seriously than fentanyl under federal law
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Michael Williams | Samantha Waldenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that it is “absurd” and “patently unfair” that marijuana is treated the same as heroin and other Schedule I drugs – and more seriously than fentanyl – under federal law. “Marijuana is considered as dangerous as heroin and more dangerous than fentanyl, which is absurd, not to mention patently unfair,” Harris said during a roundtable on the administration’s plans for cannabis reform. The administration began the process of reconsidering how marijuana is treated under federal law just before the midterms in 2022. Andy Beshear - and alluded to her own role in what she described as an unequal criminal justice system. Harris’ own feelings on marijuana reform have evolved in line with her career.

Persons: Kamala Harris, ” Harris, “ I’m, Biden, Harris, Joe Biden, Xavier Becerra, Fat Joe, Andy Beshear, ”, “, ” Biden, Bill Clinton’s, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand, Kevin Liptak Organizations: Washington CNN —, White, Black, Democratic, US Health, Human Services, Kentucky Gov, Union, Los Angeles Times Locations: California, Francisco’s

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and rapper Fat Joe led a White House discussion Friday on easing marijuana penalties, with Harris saying it’s “absurd” that the federal government classifies marijuana as more dangerous than fentanyl, the synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of deaths annually the United States. Fat Joe, a Grammy-nominated artist and philanthropist whose real name is Joseph Cartagena, moderated a subsequent closed-door discussion that included Kentucky Gov. President Joe Biden has issued pardons to thousands of people for federal marijuana possession and commuted long sentences handed down for nonviolent drug offenses. “Marijuana is considered as dangerous as heroin and more dangerous than fentanyl, which is absurd. Cartagena opened the roundtable by saying he's hot on the issue of price transparency in health care “but, today, when the vice president calls me, I stop everything."

Persons: Kamala Harris, Joe, Harris, it’s, Joseph Cartagena, Andy Beshear, Joe Biden, Beshear, Biden, “, ”, ” Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Kentucky Gov, Gallup, of Health, Human Services, Justice, Drug Locations: United States, California, Kentucky, U.S, America . U.S, Milwaukee, Cartagena

A Greek Police Officer With 225 Pounds of Marijuana in His Patrol Car Is Arrested After a ChaseAuthorities say a police officer on patrol duty in northwestern Greece has been arrested on drugs charges for allegedly using his service car to smuggle 102 kilograms (225 pounds) of marijuana

Organizations: Greek, Marijuana, Chase Authorities Locations: Greece

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