Law Enforcement

The Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Agency announced in a news release yesterday the agencies’ new goal for 2019: to reduce production of the nation’s six most frequently abused opioids by an average of ten percent. Additionally, according to a Tom Angell Forbes report, the DEA will call for the quintupling of research-grade cannabis next year, from about 1,000 […]

DEA and FBI agents coordinated a massive raid early Thursday morning against more than a dozen suspected illegal cannabis grow sites throughout the Denver metro area, The Denver Post reports. The grows were reportedly targeted for the illegal growing and distribution of cannabis across state lines. Deanne Rueter — the DEA spokesperson in Denver, Colorado — […]

Data released by the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department shows that cannabis-related arrests have continued to climb since marijuana became legal in the District in 2015, Marijuana Moment reports. Additionally, racial disparities among cannabis arrests continue to plague the District: more than 90 percent of D.C. citizens who were arrested for cannabis in 2017 were Black. […]

80-year-old grandmother Delores Saltzman was arrested and jailed in Clare County, Michigan for having less than an eighth of cannabis, according to a FOX 17 report. She was formerly registered with the state as a medical cannabis patient but had lapsed on the renewal of her MMJ card. Saltzman — who lives with arthritis, diverticulitis, muscle and […]

One year ago, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) launched a targeted crackdown on illicit cannabis delivery services in the city; yesterday, a report published by the SDPD disclosed the results so far of that crackdown: 11 delivery services have been shut down and 34 individuals have been arrested. Police also confiscated business records, 230 […]

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has tasked state police with investigating whether there are officials taking bribes from medical cannabis operators, the Detroit Free Press reported last week. The investigation was requested by state Sen. David Knezek (D-Dearborn Heights) and was prompted by a bribery case from last year, wherein three men gave an envelope of $15,000 […]

Sweet Leaf, the Colorado-based cannabis retailer chain who had its Denver licenses revoked earlier this month due to an alleged “looping scheme,” has won a stay of action for the destruction of all the company’s Denver-based cannabis products, according to a Marijuana Business Daily report. The stay was granted yesterday in Denver District Court. “Until the […]

A study by researchers at Washington State University has found evidence of “demonstrable and persistent benefit” to police departments’ effectiveness in Washington and Colorado since the states voted to legalize cannabis in 2012. Researchers used monthly FBI data to investigate crime clearance rates for the states from 2010 to 2015; crimes are normally considered “cleared” […]

GreenWave Advisors has analyzed data from the DEA and Homeland Security regarding cannabis plant seizures over the last several years and determined that the illicit market for cannabis in the U.S. is shrinking, according to a High Times report. Cannabis consultant Dustin Moore said the data could indicate a variety of causes, including a shift from imported illegal […]

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) issued its second emergency license suspension of 2018 last week. Acting on a complaint, the WSLCB inspected Tacoma Refined Cannabinoids and found violations that prompted the agency to issue a 180-day license suspension. During the inspection, officers discovered plants, clones, and finished product not tagged with traceability […]

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA), the agency tasked with regulating and overseeing the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP), admitted in a report released Thursday that it has not provided adequate oversight of medical cannabis growers and other industry entities, the Associated Press reports. According to the OHA’s internal review, the program is ripe with the overproduction […]

Massachusetts‘ top federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling, announced on Tuesday that he will focus his cannabis enforcement efforts on the overproduction and diversion of products into other markets, “targeted” distribution to minors, and organized crime, the Boston Globe reports. Notably, Lelling is not giving the industry a blanket exemption from federal laws but still plans […]

Sweet Leaf, once one of the largest cannabis retailers in Colorado, has had all of its cannabis licenses revoked by the city of Denver, Westword reports. The decision was expected, as earlier in April a city official had called for the move during a hearing by the city to determine a course of action. Sweet Leaf held […]

Cannabis has a complicated history in the United States. Public interest in cannabis has gone through several cycles of boom and bust since its introduction to the West in the 19th century. Legislation for much of U.S. History has attempted to stifle consumption, though in recent decades the trend has seen some reversal. Early History […]

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York Police Department announced on Tuesday that the city will begin ticketing, not arresting, people who are caught consuming cannabis in public, according to an NY1 report. This policy change comes just one month after the Mayor directed police to stop making the arrests. “No one should be […]

The Paris prosecutor’s office has tasked French narcotics investigators with checking out coffee shops selling low-THC, high-CBD cannabis products, according to The Local. The coffee shops selling the CBD-rich cannabis opened last week, taking advantage of a gray area that does not define restrictions on CBD. The primary target of the investigation is the shop […]

Robert Patterson, the acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, has announced that he is retiring in two weeks, according to a Washington Post report.  Patterson, who has worked at the DEA for 30 years, announced his retirement to staff on Monday via email. He said his role as the temporary director had become more difficult and that […]

On Friday, Denver undercover police led a sting operation on the buses of two cannabis tourism companies, according to a Denverite report. Colorado Cannabis Tours and My 420 Tours both had buses raided. The police said they cited 31 people total during the sting. “We’re dealing with quite a shitstorm here.” — Cynthia Ord, marketing director for […]

District of Columbia police arrested 30 individuals Friday night at a cannabis pop-up event in Northeast Washington, according to a Washington Post report. Police seized several pounds of cannabis product from 28 different vendors, more than $10,000 in cash, and three firearms at the event. A police official said that the bust came about while officers were […]

Minneapolis police will stop the use of sting operations to bust low-level cannabis dealers after it surfaced that 46 of the 47 people arrested in this manner so far in 2018 were Black, the StarTribune reports. Authorities announced the changes last Thursday, also revealing that all charges against the 47 “dealers” would be dropped. The policy […]

On Wednesday, the Edmonton, Alberta city community and public services committee agreed to rules allowing the smoking of cannabis in outdoor public spaces like parks and sidewalks, the CBC reports. Cannabis smokers in outside spaces would conform to similar rules as tobacco smokers, remaining 10 meters away from doors and open windows and 30 meters away […]

Georgia couple Matthew and Suzeanna Brill have been charged with reckless conduct and have lost the custody rights to their 15-year-old son, David, for giving him cannabis as an alternative treatment for the youth’s epileptic seizures, according to a NY Times report. According to the Brills, once he started using medical cannabis, their son went seizure-free for 71 […]

A crackdown on unlicensed commercial cannabis locations in Los Angeles, California yesterday resulted in 160 arrests and 36 criminal cases against 142 people, according to a KTLA report. Los Angeles Police Department Officer Stacy Spell said, since January, the department has served 54 search warrants on illegal shops, seizing more than 6,200 pounds of cannabis […]

U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy Williams has announced five priority areas of enforcing federal law in the state, including what his office sees as threats to public safety and interstate trafficking, the Argus Observer reports. Williams outlined his concerns about the state’s industry in a January op-ed in the Oregonian and those concerns are reflected […]