Jeff Sessions still doesn’t like pot ... California Assembly takes up marijuana rescheduling question ... Industrial property in Santa Rosa booming due to cannabis ... Health and more.
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LEGISLATION & REGULATION
Attorney General reminds states “drug laws remain in effect” // US News & World Report
"’I've never felt that we should legalize marijuana,’ [A.G. Jeff] Sessions said in response to a question from a reporter during a press conference in San Diego announcing record-breaking narcotics seizures by the U.S. Coast Guard in fiscal 2017."
California Assembly asks for rescheduling of marijuana on federal level // California Legislature
Marijuana is a felony to possess — as dangerous as heroin, according to the classification. This measure requests a reexamination.
Mountain View council unanimous on marijuana study // East Bay Times
“’It’s time to stop thinking of it as a crime,’ [Council member Chris] Siegel said. ‘It’s a product people want and can use it safely. We should allow it in the downtown area, along San Antonio Road, on El Camino Real.’”
COPS & COURTS
Cannabis distribution licenses held up by Nevada Supreme Court // mjbizdaily.com
“[Last] Friday, the Nevada state Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the Department of Taxation from issuing any more marijuana distribution license, in a move that could extend supply chain problems for cannabis retailers in the short term.”
Roadside DUI test invalid for cannabis in Massachusetts // Cannafornian
“The Supreme Judicial Court said it was reasonable for police officers to testify — as non-expert witnesses — only to their observations about how individuals performed during sobriety tests. But officers are not allowed to tell juries if defendants passed or failed such tests, nor offer their own opinions on whether a driver was too high to be behind the wheel.”
BUSINESS
Santa Rosa’s efforts to become “cannabis central” are paying off // Press Democrat
“Since last year, cannabis businesses have spurred at least 18 industrial property transactions in Santa Rosa worth more than $40 million. As the sector expands, empty buildings are becoming harder to find in the city, where vacancy rates in industrial areas have dropped from 12 percent to 5 percent in three years.”
HEALTH
Pesticides: pot’s persistent problem // pressreader.com
You’ve heard the one about illegal grow sites on public lands going away and moving to traditional farming once California’s recreational cannabis laws go in to effect. Well, there seems to be a major stumbling block to that outcome.
Cannabis works for chronic pain: study // NORML.com
“Investigators from the University of New Mexico compared prescription drug use patterns over a 24-month period in 83 pain patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program and 42 non-enrolled patients. Researchers reported that, on average, program registrants significantly reduced their prescription drug intake while non-registrants did not.”
Dr. Oz: Cannabis may be “exit drug” for opioid crisis // High Times
“’The real story is the hypocrisy around medical marijuana,’ [the television celebrity] said. ‘People think it’s a gateway drug to narcotics. It may be the exit drug to get us out of the narcotic epidemic.’
“Oz also criticized the current scheduling of cannabis by the federal government. He claimed that since it is considered a Schedule I narcotic, it’s difficult for researchers to get a full gauge on its potential benefits.”
EVENT
Reno “Bud & Brew Fest" won’t include marijuana // Reno Gazette Jrln.
“Organizers have touted [Saturday’s] event as an educational effort, teaching attendees about medical uses for marijuana as well as recreational.”
IN OTHER NEWS ....
Kidnapped dispensary worker murdered // The Spokesman
“Friends and co-workers reacted with sadness after Cameron Smith, who was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint from the parking lot of the Lucid Marijuana store in Cheney, WA, last week, was found dead [last] Friday.”
See previous story about the victim’s abduction.
Tips for masking odors when cooking with cannabis // greenstate.com
Here are three methods to disguise the distinctive smell of heated marijuana.
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