Legislation progresses from coast to coast… San Jose dispensaries conflicted over taxes… Microsoft loses tech award to cannabis site… Alzheimer’s reduced by THC & CBD… “Classically Cannabis” concerts canceled... and more.
LEGALIZATION
Important state legislation could see floor vote this month // East Bay Express AB 1894 is sponsored by Tom Ammiano of San Francisco.
Limited legalization of medical marijuana comes to Minnesota // Huff Post Eight medical conditions are listed for use; plant material is not permitted.
Increased legalization support in New York // The Weed Blog Republican Buc Williams urges support of Compassionate Care NY, “so thousands of New Yorkers have another option for relief.” His son experiences severe seizures.
Kentucky sues DEA over seizure of hemp seeds // Huff Post The state says it’s a legal crop; the DEA says they have to apply for a permit to have them returned. [Note: Hemp is not cannabis, but they’re equally regulated under federal law.]
BUSINESS
“A lot of tension” in San Jose between dispensaries that pay taxes and those that don’t // Marijuana Business Daily “It’s a huge object of contention. It’s just not fair.”
Tobacco companies protest tighter rules in Uruguay as cannabis laws ease // Financial Times
Leafly bests Microsoft to win tech award // GeekWire Phone app “is like the Yelp and Consumer Reports for medical marijuana.”
New Jersey dispensary numbers far lower than anticipated // Marijuana Business Daily Patient sign-up process can take months and cost around $1,000.
HEALTH
Oakland dispensary providing free CBD extracts to children // SF Weekly Cannabis is not covered by health insurance; some parents see it as a last resort for their offspring with epileptic seizures.
Worried about Alzheimer's? Ingest some cannabis // British Jrln. of Pharmacology THC and CBD appear to reduce chronic brain inflammation, while promoting healthy brain cells.
Edibles attract attention of Denver Health Inspectors // Denver Post Inspectors focus on proper extraction and storage of marijuana oils, among other concerns.
OPINION
Taxes on cannabis are evolving // Huff Post But “third wave” method “not even at the end of the beginning.”
IN OTHER NEWS…
Denver City Attorney warns Symphony to cancel “Classically Cannabis” concerts // Billboard Benefit series scheduled to start next week “could violate state laws against public consumption.” [Just pretend it’s a rock concert, then nobody will care. -Ed.]
Project SAM event shuts out dissenters // Cannabis Culture Patrick Kennedy’s Smart Approaches to Marijuana talk today in Vancouver blocks ticket sales to legalization advocates.
Half-ton of cannabis abandoned at Pescadero State Beach // NBC Bay Area
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