The House on Wednesday greenlighted passage of the SAFE Banking ACT, allowing banks to cash in on the big dollar cannabis industry without facing criminal prosecution for money laundering. Leading national banking groups, including the American Bankers Association, the Credit Union National Association and the Independent Community Bankers of … [Read more...]
Excessive Taxes and Stringent Regulations are Driving California’s Illegal Cannabis Boom
California’s excessive tax rate is a “big mistake”, driving black market sales that more than double the size of the legal market, Tom Adams, BDS Analytics’ managing director and principal analyst states in an interview with American Legal News. BDS Analytics issued a report on California's legal cannabis market on August 15th. The report can be … [Read more...]
Supreme Court Review – 7-2 Double Jeopardy Exclusion Affirmed: Individual Liberty Loses, Trump Foes Win
At a time when New York State is tightening the “double-jeopardy loophole” so Trump loyalists expecting a pardon—most notably Paul Manafort—can still be prosecuted in state court, The US Supreme Court demonstrated political impartiality in a recent 7-2 decision, Gamble v. United States , affirming the right to try an individual twice, both in … [Read more...]
Cannabis Cigars Poised for Growth under Massachusetts Social Equity Program
For decades, 44-year old Ruddy Santana, a Black, Dominican- American founder of cannabis start-up, Holyoke Leaf Inc., in Holyoke, MA, was too ashamed to speak of the discrimination he endured that crushed his plans for a career in either military intelligence or finance. For the first time in an interview with American Legal News (ALN), Ruddy … [Read more...]
Just Following Orders, Trump Subordinates Deny Veterans’ Cannabis Needs
Taking their cue from their Commander-in-Chief, who refuses to re-classify medical cannabis as a drug worthy of research for wounded veterans, the Judge Advocate General’s office at West Point stripped decorated Army Major Tye Reedy of his pension for joining leading cannabis company, Acreage Holdings. (Acreage Holdings was recently acquired by … [Read more...]
Is Legal Pot Use Leading to More Car Accidents?
Early research shows that car accident rates may be higher in states that have legalized medical and recreational marijuana. The research, however, may be skewed because THC, the intoxicating ingredient in marijuana, stays in the system for a long period of time. Therefore, someone driving a car involved in an accident may test positive for the … [Read more...]
No Pot Legalization in New York State Until People of Color Reap the Benefits
Assembly member Crystal Peoples-Stokes, while speaking on Bill A-2142, which would seal records for certain marijuana possession charges that terminate in favor of the accused. (Public domain) African Americans, who have new power in the first Democratic-led legislature in a decade, have blocked Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s cannabis … [Read more...]
Legislation Seeks Cannabis Reform
Oregon Senator, Ron Wyden, proposed legislation that aims to ease the conflict between states where cannabis is legal in some form and the federal law, which categorizes marijuana as a dangerous illegal drug just like heroin, LSD, and cocaine, for example. While a number of states have adopted legalized medical marijuana, and some states have … [Read more...]
Legalized Marijuana Update
The mid-term elections in November saw some changes in a few states regarding marijuana laws. Michigan, Missouri, and Utah have joined the list of states that have legalized the use of marijuana (to some degree); Michigan actually became the first Midwest state to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. The Green Wave in Full Force It’s … [Read more...]
Four States Voting on Marijuana Amendments in Fall 2018
The New York Times reports four more states will vote on recreational or medical marijuana use this upcoming voting day. If the amendments are passed, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota, and Utah will join 30 other states that have legalized the drug in some form. These four states are all proposing separate legislation that will affect marijuana … [Read more...]
