Normalization

Following last week’s mass-casualty event in New Haven, Connecticut, it’s clear that the cannabis community needs to do its part to change the language surrounding K2, also known as Spice. Many journalists continue to refer to Spice as “synthetic marijuana” but, in reality, it’s made of only individual synthetic cannabinoids and is often combined with the […]

The latest Gallup poll has found that nearly 25 percent of young Americans (aged 18 to 29) are admitted cannabis users — this is about double the rate of the rest of the population, of which 13 percent say they “regularly” or “occasionally” use and/or smoke cannabis. Cannabis usage rates could be on the rise, […]

A bipartisan bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would, if passed, prevent the federal government from terminating employees who use cannabis within the laws of the state in which they reside, Tom Angell of Marijuana Moment reports. The bill was introduced on Thursday by Reps. Charlie Crist (D-Florida) and Drew Ferguson (R-Georgia). The bill would protect all […]

State attorneys in Vermont’s Chittenden and Windsor counties are moving forward with plans to expunge misdemeanor cannabis convictions with “Expungement Days” this month, Vermont Digger reports. In Chittenden County, Expungement Day is being held June 12 at Edward J. Costello Courthouse in Burlington, while Windsor County’s event is planned for June 9 at Vermont Law […]

A University of Michigan poll has found strong support for medical cannabis among adults aged 50 to 80, with 70 percent of respondents of the Healthy Aging Poll saying they would consider using medical cannabis if diagnosed with a “serious health condition that might respond well to marijuana.” The survey found 44 percent would “definitely” […]

A cannabis cultivator in Carpinteria, California has won a $1 million insurance payout after ashes from the Thomas Fire destroyed thousands of his plants, the Santa Barbara Independent reports. However, because of the payout total, the carrier has decided it would no longer cover cannabis farmers. The farmers paid $30,000 in premiums with a $25,000 […]

Patricia Rosi is CEO of the Wellness Connection, a medical cannabis company operating four dispensary locations throughout Maine and which serves more than 11,000 patients. Patricia joined our podcast host TG Branfalt last month to talk about her experience at the head of one of Maine’s most progressive new companies, what the future of adult-use […]

Federal U.S. District Court Judge John Blakely on Friday ruled that an 11-year-old medical cannabis patient in Illinois can be administered cannabis oil in school, according to an NPR report. The Illinois attorney general’s office told the court they would not challenge the ruling and would work with state officials to address the issue in […]

Russ Hudson is a cannabis consultant and author of the children’s book What’s That Weed?, which helps parents provide a normalized perspective of cannabis to their children, and the autobiography Weed Deeds: From Seed to Sage. Russ recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt in his Burlington, Vermont studio for an interview that covers the inspiration behind his books, […]

Brotha Dudes is a family-run restaurant located in Bellingham, Washington that offers a unique culinary and social experience. Specifically, they have named many of their menu items after references from cannabis culture, such as the “Dudes Blunt” and the “Cali Spliff.” While there is no actual cannabis in their recipes, they do have a food […]

A Maine author has published an illustrated, rhyming, children’s book about cannabis titled “What’s That Weed?” attempting to normalize cannabis use by families. Russ Hudson, who also works as a cannabis industry consultant, said that he wrote the book to quell the fears of the public and help parents teach their children “the truth about marijuana.” […]

Jason Santos is the CEO of Burn TV, a video/music network that was founded to help bridge and eliminate the gap between cannabis culture and the mainstream media. In this Ganjapreneur.com podcast interview, Jason joins our host TG Branfalt to talk about his early forays into the cannabis industry, the important role that independent media […]

In an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, famously known as Dr. Oz, said that there is a “hypocrisy around medical marijuana” and suggested that cannabis “may be the exit drug” to pull the U.S. from the “narcotic epidemic.” “But we’re not allowed to study it because it’s a Schedule I drug,” said […]

According to a Quinnipiac University poll, 59 percent of New Jersians support allowing adults to legally possess “small amounts” of cannabis, with 38 percent opposed including 53 percent of Republicans. Seventy percent of Democrats favored legalization, along with 60 percent of independents, 62 percent of men and 56 percent of women. The poll also found […]

According to a Gallup poll, 45 percent of Americans admit to having used cannabis at least once – the highest total since Gallup first posed the question 48 years ago. In 1969, when Gallup first asked the question, just 4 percent of respondents admitted to having tried cannabis. Despite the record total of individuals who […]

The Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled that an alert by a police K-9 trained to smell cannabis and other drugs is not enough to trigger a vehicle search, according to a report from the Grand Junction Sentinel. The three-judge panel ruled that because cannabis is legal in the state, users have “a legitimate expectation […]

A Minnesota company has launched a statewide campaign aimed at normalizing and removing the stigma surrounding medical cannabis. The “More Firsts” campaign by LeafLine Labs, a licensed medical cannabis business, is meant to humanize patient stories and represent “firsts” for the company’s patients after starting medical cannabis treatment. Dr. Andrew Bachman, co-founder and CEO of […]

In an effort to swell the ranks of Secret Service officers, the agency is relaxing its rules about cannabis use because too many potential recruits were being disqualified by the agency’s strict drug policy, according to a CNN report. The announcement came from the agency’s new director Randolph Alles on Thursday, 38 days after Alles was appointed […]

A working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that cannabis legalization has had little effect on neighboring states but that arrests for cannabis possession in border states have increased 30 percent. Those arrests, however, are almost entirely adults. “[Legalization] has no impact on juvenile marijuana possession arrests,” the report says, adding that […]

Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson has called out her colleagues for upholding an 18-year prison sentence for Gary Howard, who was convicted of possessing 18 grams of cannabis, writing in her dissenting opinion that the term is “ridiculous” for an “inconsequential” possession charge, the Louisiana Record reports. Johnson said that similar sentences will […]

Cannabis decriminalization in New Hampshire has just two more hurdles after the Senate passed HB.640; however the measure must go back to the House after the Senate amended the measure to drop the cannabis possession limits from 1 ounce to three-quarters of an ounce. The bill would eliminate jail time for possession up to three-quarters […]

Wholesale cannabis prices are on the rise in the first quarter of the year, reaching $1,613 per pound, after dropping from $1,953 to $1,487 in 2016, according to a Cannabis Benchmarks report outlined by Forbes. Jonathan Rubin, of Cannabis Benchmarks, indicated he has seen evolving patterns in the wholesale cannabis price and that the products […]

Bills that would decriminalize cannabis possession and add post-traumatic stress disorder to the medical cannabis qualifying condition list in New Hampshire passed through key committees in the Senate and will move to the chamber for a full vote, the Associated Press reports. The decriminalization legislation, approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, would remove criminal penalties […]

The General Social Survey – a nationwide biannual poll considered the gold standard for public opinion research – found that public support for legalizing cannabis reached 57 percent in 2016, up from 52 percent support in 2014, according to a Washington Post report outlining the data. Legalization was most popular among respondents aged 18-34 (66 […]