The Weed Blog |
The Czech Republic’s lower house of Parliament has approved legislation to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. The bill still needs to be approved by the upper house to become law.
The Weed Blog |
The Czech Republic’s lower house of Parliament has approved legislation to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. The bill still needs to be approved by the upper house to become law.
Fox News |
Czarek Sokolowski/Associated Press |
A demonstrator smokes marijuana in front of Poland’s Parliament as part of a protest to legalize cannabis |
A prominent politician and several other activists have smoked marijuana in front of the Polish Parliament as part of their campaign to legalize cannabis in the Eastern European country.
Alaskan Activism |
Germany’s socialist Left party is calling an expert hearing on “legalizing cannabis through the introduction of cannabis clubs” in the German Parliament on Wednesday, January 25, but the idea has reportedly been met with “widespread rejection” from mainstream politicians.
AFP |
MP Janusz Palikot, the leader of a new left-wing party in Poland, launched a drive on Friday to legalize marijuana in the Eastern European country |
The leader of an up-and-coming new left-wing political party in Poland threatened to light up a joint in Parliament on Friday — but ended up just burning what he said was cannabis-scented incense after being reported to prosecutors.
Kacper Pempel/Reuters |
MP Janusz Palikot of Palikot’s Movement Party wants to test Poland’s new cannabis decriminalization law — by smoking a joint in Parliament |
A Polish lawmaker plans to test his country’s new marijuana decriminalization law — by firing up a joint in Parliament.
The state’s growing regions can be dangerous.
Here’s your daily round-up of pot-news, excerpted from the newsletter WeedWeek. Download WeedWeek’s free 2016 election guide here.
Two women were arrested for detaining four brothers on a California pot farm and forcing them to work for six months. In Colorado, 14 Chinese nationals were arrested at an illegal grow. Authorities are investigating whether they were “labor trafficked.”
In SFWeekly, I recommended that the industry adopt an abuse-free product certification to curtail worker exploitation.
It currently sells a powerful opiate.
Here’s your daily round-up of pot-news, excerpted from the newsletter WeedWeek.
The Intercept reports that Insys Therapeutics, the company that donated $500,000 to oppose REC in Arizona, is about to release a synthetic THC spray to relieve side effects associated with chemotherapy that would compete directly with MED. It’s been more widely noted that Insys’ only current product is an opioid spray. Insys noted in a 2007 SEC filing that legalization is a threat to its business.
Forbes surveys a list of cannabis-involved pharmaceutical companies that are takeover targets. Insys is among them.
The Washington Post learned that Maryland state lawmaker Del. Dr. Dan K. Morhaim, a vocal supporter of legalizing MED, is affiliated with a company applying for a state MED license. Morhaim, who’s also a physician, said he has no equity in the company, and had cleared his involvement with the legislature’s ethics advisor.
Maryland has promised to begin awarding the coveted licenses next month. The evaluation process cost about $2 million , almost five times the original estimate.
More rigorous product testing is coming to Oregon this fall, but so far no testing lab licenses have been issued. MED dispensaries can open in Hawaii but none are ready.
Tech billionaire Sean Parker doubled his contribution to California’s REC initiative to $2.25 million.
Long Beach, Calif. won a lawsuit that will allow it to maintain its dispensary ban. Voters will have a chance to overturn the city’s ban in November. It’s complicated.
High Times says Brexit could set back legalization in the U.K.
Italian lawmakers will consider full legalization. Greece may legalize MED. A new bill in Ireland would legalize MED.
Legal pot probably isn’t as big a draw for Colorado tourists as had once been thought. Seattle alt-weekly The Stranger makes a technical argument that Washington State should have licensed more dispensaries.
Edibles company Bhang Chocolate lost a $1.875 million breach of contract suit to investor Mentor Capital.
HelloMD, a site that allows patients to obtain doctors’ recommendations online, has a questions and answers site that TechCrunch compares to “ Quora for cannabis.”
Canadian company Canopy Growth, plans to start selling MED in German pharmacies.
Weed is among the highest grossing products on the “ dark web,” online marketplaces that are difficult for law enforcement to track.
Investment in cannabis start-ups is on the rise. Instagram “ purged” a few big brands’ accounts.
The Atlantic talks to a few female cannabis entrepreneurs.
Canna Law Blog has a post on the eight pitfalls awaiting the industry in California.
Dispensary chain Terrapin Care Station acquired Denver Relief’s central Denver store.
The Italian Parliament is gathering today to discuss a proposal for marijuana legalization. If passed, the bill on the table — similar to the proposal Colorado voters passed in 2012 — would allow the cultivation, possession and use of marijuana. Italian citizens over the age of eighteen would be allowed to grow as many as five plants for personal use, have up to fifteen grams of marijuana in their homes and possess a maximum of five grams in public. It would also authorize “cannabis clubs,” where up to fifty people could gather and smoke together.
Cannabis would be taxed at a rate of 5 percent; the government would issue licenses allowing the cultivation of marijuana with the intention for it to be sold for recreational purposes. The tax would be used to fund Italy’s effort to crack down on illegal drug trafficking.