Trump reserves possibility of prosecution for medical marijuana ... Two South American pharmacies add cannabis meds ... hearse hides pounds of pot ... and more.
[Click the blue hyperlink headline to read the full story.]
LEGISLATION & REGULATION
Trump reserves the right to prosecute medical marijuana // StoptheDrugWar.org
“Even though Trump signed the spending bill into law last Friday, he included a signing statement objecting to numerous provisions in the bill -- including the ban on funds to block the implementation of medical marijuana laws...".
California’s new testing rules would raise prices // Globenewswire
“According to the Bureau of Marijuana Control, the proposed regulations are expected to increase the cost of medical cannabis by $407 a pound. This can mean over $4,000 in testing revenue per ten pound batch of marijuana flower.”
City of Sacramento hires marijuana manager // Sacramento Bee
“His duties under the $125,000-a-year post he assumed May 1 include serving as administrative point person for multiple city departments involved in regulating Sacramento’s burgeoning local marijuana industry as well as partnering with code enforcement and police to drive out hundreds of illegal, for-profit pot gardens believed to be operating in prohibited residential zones.”
Vermont on track to legalize recreational marijuana without voter initiative // The Cannafornian
“Vermont’s Legislature on Wednesday became the first in the country to vote to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.” The Senate passed the same bill last week. Now the governor has the final say.
Pharmacies in Chile now offer cannabis-based meds // Reuters
“Pharmacies in Chile's capital Santiago will start selling cannabis-based medicines this week, the first time such treatments have been offered by drug stores in Latin America, the companies behind the launch said on Wednesday.” The products are being imported from Canada.
Legal cannabis coming to Uruguay’s pharmacies // The Economist
The idea is to stop foreign drug cartels, but “[s]trait-laced pharmacists, used to selling remedies for aching joints, are nervous about supplying the makings of joints.” Not many have signed up for the plan.
COPS & COURTS
Businessman “robbed by police” gets back his goods // San Diego Union Tribune
“District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has been ordered to return more than $100,000 seized from a medical marijuana businessman and his family, 15 months after drug agents raided the company and didn’t charge anyone with a crime.”
BUSINESS
Thinking of Mom this Sunday? // The Cannifornian
Dreading that brunch line with all the other Mother’s Day families? Here are six alternative ideas.
HEALTH
Colorado starts marijuana hotline // KDVR-TV
Call 877-741-3777 with health and safety questions. “This line is not meant for use as a directory of dispensaries and will not be useful for anyone seeking specifics of dispensaries, such as locations, hours and pricing,” officials stated.
EVENT
Marin residents urged to support dispensaries at board meeting // Facebook
“Join other like-minded citizens at the May 23rd appeals hearing and tell your supervisor to follow through with their ordinance to bring safe access [to cannabis] patients.
"Dispensary supporters note that the Marin County Administrator has already rejected all dispensary submissions. This hearing is an attempt to bring Marin County “out of the dark ages of reefer madness and allow dispensaries to operate within their jurisdiction.”
Marin County Civic Center - Room 330
10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael
OPINION
“Drugged driving” is the new DUI // Press Telegram
A week ago Monday “a speeding car plowed through the display window of a Santa Rosa pet store.
“The driver, police said, was under the influence of drugs. He told the investigating officers he smoked some marijuana before hitting the road.”
Traffic fatalities are on the rise, and “drugged driving” is part of it. It’s high time this was better regulated.
IT’S A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, SO KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL...
Hearse hides pounds of pot // The Arizona Republic
“Border Patrol agents stopped a hearse near Tombstone [AZ] and found 67 pounds of marijuana inside a casket, according to officials. The marijuana had been covered with manure to mask the smell.”
IN OTHER NEWS....
Governor approves funds for Emerald Triangle cleanup // The Cannafornian
“Sheriff William Honsal said he thinks it is great that the state is providing more support to combat the ‘huge impact’ the thousands of illegal grows have had in the region. But he said the amount allocated is not nearly enough to address the extensive damage caused to ecosystems by decades of illegal diversions, clear cutting and grading.”
The New Yorker goes to an art glass bong show // The New Yorker
“Though none of the works at the gallery were for sale, the finer ones can go for six figures. The collectors ... ‘are a self-selecting group of people who have money and love weed.’ Included in this category, apparently, are growers looking to park their unbankable cash.”
Support the Cannabis News Roundup, and the station that makes it possible // KALW
KALW needs your financial support, so please click on the headline above to find out how to join those already contributing to the station. This is the last week of the membership effort, by the way. And if you're already a member, thank you for being involved.
The week that won’t be // Your aggregator
There will no doubt be lots of news again next week, but you won’t find it here: I’m going away for a week. Look for the CNR to return Friday, May 26.
