Tag Archives: marijuana

Bernie Vows To Legalize Pot Nationwide If Elected

Courthouse News reports: Senator Bernie Sanders on Friday proposed nationwide legalization of marijuana, to “end the horrifically destructive war on drugs,” that he said “disproportionately targeted people of color and ruined the lives of millions of Americans.” “We’re going to legalize marijuana and end the horrifically destructive war on drugs,” Sanders said in a statement, promising to use executive action …

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HHS Warns Against Marijuana Use By Young People

Politico reports: The surgeon general Thursday issued an advisory cautioning young people and pregnant people against using marijuana, warning it poses risks to developing brains. HHS officials said the best science available suggests no amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or for youth is known to be safe. Surgeon General Jerome Adams’ advisory was the first his office issued on …

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New York State Further Decriminalizes Marijuana Use

The Albany Times-Union reports: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Monday that further decriminalizes marijuana use in New York. The bill was introduced by Democrats in the waning hours of the recent legislative session after it became clear that full legalization of recreational use would not happen this year. It was seen as a compromise between parties who were opposed to …

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Illinois Becomes 11th State To Legalize Recreational Pot

The Associated Press reports: Illinois’ new governor delivered on a top campaign promise Tuesday by signing legislation that makes the state the 11th to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use and the second to approve it through the Legislature rather than the ballot box. Legalization in Illinois also means that nearly 800,000 people with criminal records for purchasing …

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Joe Biden Backs Decriminalizing Marijuana

CNN reports: Joe Biden supports decriminalizing marijuana, a Biden campaign spokesman told CNN, but the former vice president isn’t going as far as calling for the drug to be legalized on the federal level. “Nobody should be in jail for smoking marijuana,” Biden told voters at a Tuesday house party in Nashua, New Hampshire. Asked by CNN if the former …

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US To Deny Citizenship For Immigrants That Have Ties To Marijuana Industry, Even In States Where It’s Legal

CBS News reports: As people around the country mark 4/20 — the unofficial holiday celebrating marijuana — U.S. officials have released new guidance around marijuana for immigrants hoping to earn U.S. citizenship. Officials said Friday that immigrants involved with cannabis in any way — even in states where it has been legalized — could disqualify them from naturalization. New guidance …

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POLL: Record 65% Back Legalization Of Marijuana

CBS News reports: Sixty-five percent of Americans now think marijuana should be legal — a record high in CBS News polling. Most view marijuana as less harmful than alcohol and believe it is less dangerous than other drugs. Many opponents of legalization, however, think it leads to a rise in crime and most favor the federal government taking action to …

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NYC Moves To Ban Pot Use Testing For Job Applicants

The New York Times reports: Most employers in New York City would no longer be able to force job applicants to take drug tests for marijuana use, under a bill overwhelmingly approved this week by the City Council. If the drug-screening law is enacted, it would put New York in relatively uncharted territory. Several drug policy and employment experts said …

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New Mexico Moves Towards State-Run Weed Stores

The Associated Press reports: New Mexico took a step toward legalizing recreational marijuana when its House approved a bill that would allow state-run stores and require customers to carry a receipt with their cannabis or face penalties. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has expressed guarded support for recreational marijuana legislation that addresses concerns about child access, road safety and safeguarding …

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Beto Backs Legal Weed Nationwide, Expunging Records

The Hill reports: Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) on Monday expressed support for the federal legalization of marijuana as he mulls a potential presidential bid in 2020. O’Rourke sent an email to supporters in which he backed the repeal of the federal criminalization of marijuana and called for the records of those jailed over marijuana possession to be expunged. “Giving …

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Martha Stewart To Develop Line Of Weed Products

Reuters reports: Marijuana producer Canopy Growth has roped in lifestyle guru Martha Stewart as an adviser to help develop and launch a line of pot-based products for both humans and animals, it said on Thursday. Stewart, a 90s icon who became a household name through her cooking and lifestyle shows, co-hosts a show with rapper Snoop Dogg, who made headlines …

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Cory Booker Intros Bill To Legalize Weed Nationwide

CNBC reports: Sen. Cory Booker introduced a bill on Thursday to legalize marijuana nationwide as he mounts his presidential campaign. Co-sponsors of the bill, known as the Marijuana Justice Act, include fellow 2020 contenders Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand. Booker first introduced the bill in 2017, but it was not taken up for a vote. Currently …

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Harris: I’ve Smoked Pot, It Gives A Lot Of People Joy

Sen. Kamala Harris appeared on New York City’s popular Breakfast Club radio show this morning, where she revealed that she smoked marijuana “a long time ago” and that she “definitely inhaled.” Last year Harris came out for legalizing marijuana on the federal level, co-sponsoring Sen. Cory Booker’s Marijuana Justice Act. She has also called for more research into the drug’s …

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Baltimore To End All Arrests For Marijuana Possession

The Baltimore Sun reports: Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby [photo] announced Tuesday her office would cease prosecuting people for possessing marijuana regardless of quantity or criminal history. Calling the move a monumental policy shift, Mosby said she has asked the courts to vacate marijuana convictions against nearly 5,000 people. These convictions have saddled thousands of Baltimore residents with criminal records …

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Cuomo Forecasts $300M Annually In Legal Weed Taxes

The Buffalo News reports: Adult recreational use of marijuana will be legalized under a plan advanced today by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo along with the creation of three new taxes – eventually passed on to consumers – that will total $300 million annually. The Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act will regulate marijuana from cultivation to retail sales “for the purposes …

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CALIFORNIA: Legal Weed Was The Hot Holiday Gift

San Francisco’s NBC affiliate reports: Customers have been lining up and packing into Bay Area cannabis dispensaries to buy holiday gifts including gummies, chocolates, cartridges and flowers. “From the moment we were open at 9 o’clock we had a line,” Magnolia assistant general manager Kysa Butler said. “We’ve been knocking the lines out quickly but they’ve been steady, too.” Pot …

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Brooklyn DA Vacates Low-Level Weed Convictions

AM New York reports: More than two dozen people with criminal records for misdemeanor marijuana possession received new leases on life Wednesday as the Brooklyn district attorney moved to erase the cumbersome convictions. District Attorney Eric Gonzalez agreed to vacate 28 convictions in court Wednesday morning as well as 1,422 outstanding warrants related to misdemeanor marijuana possession cases, which he …

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Andrew Cuomo To Push For Legal Weed Early In 2019

ABC News New York reports: New York Governor Cuomo announced that he would push to legalize recreational marijuana early next year. He made the announcement as he laid out the upcoming legislative agenda for the first 100 days of 2019 at the New York City Bar Association on Monday. New York would join 10 other states and Washington, D.C. have …

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MICHIGAN: Legal Marijuana Use (But Not Sales) Begins

The Detroit Free Press reports: At 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Michigan turned green and became the 10th state in the nation to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use. But the old saying, “Smoke ’em if you got ’em,” carries many, many caveats. Marijuana won’t be commercially available for sale until state regulators draft rules and regulations for the recreational market. They …

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Fox News Guest: Weed Is Killing Americans Every Day

Mediaite reports: A Florida sheriff who appeared on Fox News this morning claimed — without evidence — that marijuana is both “killing people every day across the United States” and causing overdoses. After co-host Brian Kilmeade seethed about the supposed extreme addictiveness of weed — based on anecdotal evidence from his “friends” — the sheriff called use of the drug …

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