White House wants info on medical users ... Breakdown on today’s cannabis buyers ... No increase in teen use in Washington ... Cannabis and pregnancy ... and more.
[Click the blue hyperlink headline to read the full story.]
LEGISLATION & REGULATION
Project SAM on marijuana industry: Shut it down // The Cannabist
“’We do not want individuals prosecuted — we want the industry to be accountable. This industry — starting from the top — should be systematically shut down’,” says the head of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), a nonprofit group opposed to marijuana legalization.
COPS & COURTS
White House requests info on medical marijuana patients // Boston.cbslocal.com
“So far the state has complied and given general information like the age of the patient and date of the prescription, but not information on medical conditions. The state [of Massachusetts] says that data could actually be used to identify the patient.” Similar requests have been made of other states, including California.
Million dollar bribe offered to sheriff by growers // Fox 40
“Two Northern California marijuana farmers have been charged with offering a sheriff $1 million to turn a blind eye to their pot growing operations.”
Why the border wall won’t stop drug smugglers // StopdtheDrugWar
“[H]ere's the reality: Trump's own DEA and outside experts agree that building a wall along the 1,700 mile land border with Mexico will have little impact on the drug trade. Not only do drugs from Latin America enter America by sea and air as well as across the Mexican border, but the vast majority of drugs crossing the land border do so not in unfenced desert expanses, but through official ports of entry.”
BUSINESS
Who is buying cannabis these days? // L.A. Weekly
“Folks between the ages of 18 to 34 represent a whopping 80 percent of online purchases. ... Men represented about 70 percent of buys and purchased about $71.27 worth of cannabis-related product during each online visit, according to the report.” You’ll find many more statistics by clicking the headline.
Who is running cannabis firms these days? // Marijuana Business Daily
“The percentage of minorities holding executive positions at cannabis businesses stands at 17%, according to first-of-its-kind data from a Marijuana Business Daily survey.
“While many in the industry would like to see this number even higher, it’s greater than the average across all U.S. businesses as a whole.”
No block on advertising after all // MJ Biz Daily
You may have read a story here recently about a proposed ban on cannabis advertising. It would have stopped dispensaries from selling any branded clothing. That bill in the California state legislature has now been stopped.
Washington teens not smoking more with legalization // SFChronicle
“Analysis by a group of Washington state marijuana experts has found that youth use of pot and cannabis-abuse treatment did not increase after the state's legalization of marijuana for grown-ups.”
The market is growing and prices are falling // Cannabist/Washington Post
“The current retail price of $7.38 per gram (including tax) represents a 67 percent decrease in just three years of the legalization [in Washington State], with more decline likely in the future.”
HEALTH
You may not want to put this in your pipe and smoke it // San Francisco Magazine
All manner of nasty things show up in San Francisco’s pot supply, ranging from pesticides to heavy metals.
Study: Pot users can avoid “premature mortality” // NORML
“According to the review, an estimated 23,500 to 47,500 premature deaths could be prevented annually if marijuana was legally regulated nationwide.”
Cannabis and pregnancy: do they go together? // Project CBD
Read highlights and further analysis in this report from Project CBD.
IN OTHER NEWS ....
East Bay social club gives elders a place to socialize // SF Chronicle
“Although seniors are the fastest growing demographic of cannabis consumers, they’re also a group that often faces isolation and shame ... One Northern California group, the East Bay Senior Cannabis Social Club, is trying to change that.”
KALW wants your story // KALW
You’re a regular reader of this news roundup, which means you may also be a listener to the local public radio station that provides this platform.
KALW would like to know how you “got engaged” with the station. Was it through the Cannabis News Roundup or a local music program or a news source not heard elsewhere? Click on the headline above to reach the survey form. And click here to find what thank-you gifts are available to contributors during the current member campaign. Thank you for your support. It’s appreciated.
[New content is posted on Fridays.]
~~