© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Crosscurrents

Cannabis News Roundup: Feds reviewing marijuana policy

by Pixabay user futurefilmworks. Licensed under Creative Commons CC0/cropped.
Untitled

DOJ reviewing federal marijuana policy ... Secret Service rethinks past cannabis use ... Customs picks up pounds of pot from peppers ... Events, health and more.

[Click the blue hyperlink headline to read the full story.]

LEGISLATION & REGULATION

DOJ quietly reviewing federal marijuana policy // U.S. News

“The outcome of the review could devastate a multibillion-dollar industry and countermand the will of voters in eight states if the Obama administration's permissive stance on non-medical sales is reversed.”

Richmond council just says no to federal busts // East Bay Express

“The [Richmond City Council] adopted a resolution in solidarity with a state bill that would prohibit state and local agencies from assisting the feds in any efforts to bust individuals for marijuana offenses legal under state law (unless directed to do so by a court order). Assembly member Reginald Jones-Sawyer, an L.A.-based Democrat, introduced the bill in late February, and it passed the Assembly last Thursday by a vote of 41 to 32. 

“Richmond is the second East Bay city, after Oakland, to support this bill, and the third in the state, with the West Hollywood also sending in a letter of support.”

Albany wants to wait and see // East Bay Times

“The City Council discussed local marijuana regulations June 5, deciding to extend its prohibition of dispensaries and expand it to include recreational marijuana operations and prohibit outdoor cultivation.

“The council discussion indicated a preference for a wait-and-see approach, with the idea that the city can loosen its regulations in the future.”

Santa Rosa says “yes new taxes” // Press Democrat

“Santa Rosa officials said the new tax was needed to help offset the cost of regulating the industry, which began taking root in the city last year.”

COPS & COURTS

Secret Service reconsiders past pot use // Washington Times

The Secret Service wants to hire over a thousand additional employees in the next two years, and “relaxing the agency’s policy against hiring marijuana users” is part of the plan.

Customs picks up pounds of pot from peppers // The Packer

“U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers found 655 pounds of marijuana in a shipment of jalapenos May 27.”

BUSINESS

Dispensary offers pizza as alternative to sweet edibles // Boston magazine

“The sauce atop each six-inch cheese pizza is infused with 125 milligrams of THC, the cannabinoid, or chemical, that gives weed its psychoactive properties. The sauce is infused, and the pies are assembled, baked, and frozen on-site.

“Sales are limited to folks holding a Department of Public Health-issued patient or caregiver card.” No, they don’t deliver.

Hemp returns to Washington state // KLCC Radio

“In the inaugural growing season, seven entities have applied to the Washington State Department of Agriculture to grow and process industrial hemp or to be seed distributors. The agency has approved three licenses so far, with the rest under review."

HEALTH

Can “green and sober” replace “clean and sober?” // Bay Area Reporter

One woman says “she's been able to reduce the dosage of her medications for blood pressure and diabetes as well as eliminate the statins she took to control her cholesterol” through the use of medical marijuana. A man says “when I realized abstinence from all drugs and alcohol was best for my own recovery, I stopped using everything, including pot.”

Bottom line: ask your doctor if medical cannabis is right for you.

EVENTS

Former Mexican President Fox to speak in Oakland // Cannabis Business Summit

Legalization advocate Vicente Fox will address the thousands expected to attend the fourth annual Cannabis Summit & Expo in Oakland, June 12 – 14.

Cannabis cup returns to Santa Rosa, wins high praise // SFGate.com

“Sunny skies and huge crowds greeted the regional cannabis competition and expo — which featured more than 450 entries in 14 categories such as best marijuana buds, hash, edibles and more.”

And here are the winners of the Cannabis Cup // High Times

Pity – or envy – the judges who had to test all these categories.

IN OTHER NEWS....

Did Ronald McDonald approve this? // SacBee.com

McDonald’s billboard appeals to a new audience in New Mexico. 

Crosscurrents