Law Weird Cannabis News

[Baron23]

ooh, ooh, celebrity owned and endorsed rolling papers...ooh, ooh. FFS...my distain for "celebrities" is such that I will NEVER buy anything with some jerk-off actor/singer/athlete's name on the fucker. Its just asinine, IMO.

Check Out Seth Rogen And Evan Goldberg’s Latest Rolling Paper Collab​

Houseplant and OCB Announce Partnership: Premium Line of Rolling Papers and Cones to Debut on February 16.​

In an exclusive reveal ahead of its official announcement, Houseplant, the cannabis lifestyle brand co-founded by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Michael Mohr, has formed a partnership with OCB, a revered French rolling paper company with a century-long heritage. This collaboration, christened Houseplant by OCB, is poised to unveil a premium line of rolling papers and cones, making its digital debut on February 16, followed by a wider retail introduction in the spring of 2024.

The Union Of Two Industry Titans​

In an April 2023 Forbes cover story by Will Yakowicz, the rolling paper market is valued at an astonishing $2 billion to $3 billion globally, with North American sales nearing $550 million at wholesale levels. OCB distinguishes itself as a rare entity that controls the entire paper-making cycle, right from sourcing sustainable fibers to producing the final product. Under the guidance of Don Levin, founder of Republic Brands and owner of legacy brands like Zig-Zag, E-Z Wider and JOB, Republic Brands has carved out a significant share of the North American market, producing 1.2 billion booklets of rolling paper annually, as per the article.


This alliance harnesses Houseplant's standing as a leader in the cannabis lifestyle sector and Seth Rogen's global fame, alongside OCB's renowned expertise in paper manufacturing. Michael Mohr, CEO and co-founder of Houseplant, sees the Houseplant by OCB product line as addressing a market need, particularly in consumer education and product quality. "From the first time Don and I spoke, the potential of what we could achieve together was clear," Mohr says, highlighting the synergy between OCB’s superior paper products and Houseplant’s authority in the smoking category.


Seth Rogen, co-founder of Houseplant, echoes this enthusiasm. In an exclusive statement, he comments, "Going to France and seeing the highest quality rolling papers get made from start to finish was literally a dream of mine… We were blown away by the process and are so happy to have found a partner that cares as much as we do about giving weed smokers the elevated experience they have always deserved."

A Competitive Landscape​

While Houseplant and OCB concentrate on both rolling papers and cones, Bryan Gerber's Hara Supply has emerged as a formidable player in the pre-rolled cone segment.


As reported by Will Yakowicz for Forbes, Hara Supply has made significant inroads, producing over 100 million cones a month. This underscores the variety and competition in the cannabis accessory market, spotlighting different specializations within the industry.

A ‘Superbad’ Lineup​

The upcoming product range will offer three variants: bamboo, brown rice, and classic papers and cones, each crafted from ethically sourced and responsibly harvested fibers. The bamboo variant presents a sustainable choice, while the brown rice papers, blending real rice fibers with organic hemp, promise a smooth smoking experience. The classic type, made with FSC-certified wood fibers and free of dye and chlorine, aims to enhance the natural flavor of the smoke.

 

[Baron23]

I put this under "Weird Cannabis News" because, although I'm a rabid fan of MJ full legalization, I think its pretty odd that the results of one of the most important elections in the country may be dependent on cannabis action??? Really?

President Biden Needs Cannabis To Win In 2024​

Posted January 25, 2024 on Forbes

I cover the cannabis industry, psychedelics, culture, and innovation.​

A recent poll found positive impressions of President Biden improve by double-digits if he reschedules cannabis.


The youth rejoiced when President Biden pushed through hard-fought financial aid in the form an additional $5 billion in student loan forgiveness. This move will offer relief to 793,000 Americans who borrowed money for college.


Now, the younger generation of voters aged 18-25 asks that President Biden keep his other campaign promise of freeing America’s cannabis prisoners and decriminalizing weed. This reality is driven home by the Lake Research Partners poll that was funded by the Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform (CCSR).


Politico first reported that the majority of the youngest generation of voters strongly want President Biden to move forward with rescheduling cannabis. “Voters ages 18-25 register some of the strongest levels of support for rescheduling,” the poll reads, “with 65% favoring rescheduling, including nearly half who feel that way strongly.”


Two-thirds of voters believe the President should accept the recent HHS recommendation to reschedule cannabis to Schedule 3. Among voters 18-25, a whopping 84% believe President Biden should accept the recommendation. This compares to 13% who say Biden should somehow try to block the reschedule. The numbers reflect an 11-point swing overall, including a double-digit +11-point swing with younger voters aged 18-25.


There are so many benefits to the cannabis platform if President Biden makes it a priority. That’s why he ran on it. Cannabis decriminalization is popular and bipartisan. There’s nothing America agrees on more than weed. The Lake Research poll found that 74% of Democrats and 55% of independents support rescheduling cannabis. 70% of citizens believe weed should be legal, a record high according to the latest Gallup poll. A whopping 80% of Democrats in America want cannabis to be legal.


That reflects the Democratic party majority. That is a lot of people. It would drastically help Democrats in the 2024 election. Young Americans, among Biden’s strongest-performing demographics in 2020, have seen the largest drop in approval ratings among any age group. The President needs their vote.


Another study found that 57% of all adults want people with past convictions to be cleared for nonviolent marijuana charges. While President Biden signaled he would expunge the records of American citizens who have been charged with Federal cannabis possession, it’s helped a relatively small amount of convictions. One analyst found the move freed 0 people who were currently incarcerated. On December 22, 2023, a recent double-down on this stance granted clemency to 11 people. The majority of cannabis prisoners are locked up at the state level, not federal. In 2024, 19 states still jail people for non-violent cannabis possession misdemeanors.


“Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the use or possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” said Biden in the recent statement.


Biden’s messaging is correct, but his actions fall short. This is an urgent matter for the 40,000 people sitting in jail and prison for this plant. American citizens are suffering in private prison systems over a plant that is legal in 24 states. This is a grave injustice. This issue determines their entire life. Action is needed for these citizens who have been hit hardest by some of his earlier policies. Biden can change his mind. He has before.


“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” President Biden said. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It's time that we right these wrongs.”


America has the largest amount of its own citizens in prison than any country on earth– 2.1 million. They lose on average 2.6 years of their lives. ACLU data found that states waste a cumulative $3 billion enforcing cannabis laws every year. Black Americans are 3.7x more likely to be arrested for cannabis, the ACLU documented in its data report from 2020 called A Tale Of Two Americas. I’m sad to say these numbers have not improved since Biden took office. Federal cannabis arrests have increased by 25% under the Biden admin’s watch.


All of this incarceration happens simultaneously as states collect billions of tax dollars from the blossoming industry. The hypocrisy is more damning each year. States have already collected $10 billion in taxes from legal weed, and $3 billion in 2022 alone. In cash. Legalizing cannabis will help pull the country out of any lingering recession. Economists estimate the legal cannabis industry will create 1 million jobs in America. Without federal decriminalization, the legal cannabis businesses are relegated to operating in cash, putting them at risk and forcing them into the shadows.


Every state that legalizes cannabis benefits greatly from it. California made $1.2 billion in tax money from the legal weed industry in 2021 and $269.3 million in Q3 of 2023. Egregiously high taxes (like in California’s market) are not necessary to see an economic lift: somewhat reasonably taxed markets like Colorado made over $270 million in 2023 and Washington made over $500 million in 2022.


The steps are easy and have been laid out for Biden in detail in a report by the Congressional Research Service. Biden could free all cannabis prisoners with a single signature by utilizing Executive Action. He could clear up the muddy, regulatory, cash-only waters of the state-by-state market by enacting Federal decriminalization or helping advance the SAFER Banking Act. He could single-handedly help reduce the opioid epidemic in the U.S. He could change the lives of his constituents for the better.


Biden could offer an entire generation of passionate, innovative business owners access to the same American Dream he has accessed. By taking more drastic steps towards legalization across the country, the president could begin to repair the damages done by the War on Drugs.


It’s ironic. After all these years of criminalizing it, weed is going to save President Biden.

 

[momofthegoons]

I put this under "Weird Cannabis News" because, although I'm a rabid fan of MJ full legalization, I think its pretty odd that the results of one of the most important elections in the country may be dependent on cannabis action??? Really?

Well... if you take a trip in the 'way back machine' to about 2 months before the last election, Biden was promising to make cannabis legal within the first month in office. And we all know how that went.

 

[Baron23]

I think Musk is funny as hell. LOL

Elon Musk had to be drug tested for a whole year after smoking weed on Joe Rogan’s podcast​

Now the FDA is thinking about defining marijuana as a lower-risk drug.​

The most-watched episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast to date is episode 1169, featuring Tesla CEO Elon Musk. This particular episode garnered significant attention, not only because viewers were eager to hear from the serial entrepreneur about his latest ventures, but also because Musk did something quite unconventional for a tech billionaire — he smoked weed on camera.


Indeed, Musk's 2018 on-air act quickly became headline material for a variety of news outlets, ranging from CNN and BBC to FOX Business. Furthermore, it ignited a flurry of memes across social media platforms.


However, this stunt wasn't without consequences for Musk, who currently holds the title of the world's richest person with a net worth of $204.1 billion.


During a 2022 interview on the "Full Send” podcast, Musk shared the aftermath of his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, revealing, “The consequences for me and for SpaceX were actually not good, because [weed] is federally illegal and SpaceX had federal contracts.”


As a result, Musk found himself subjected to a series of drug tests.


“I had to have like random drug tests and stuff after that, to prove that I'm not like a drug addict…They drug tested me for everything, and randomly… I had like a whole year of random drug tests,” he elaborated.


In the U.S., the trajectory of cannabis legalization has seen considerable advancement at the state level. By the time Musk took that infamous puff on Rogan’s podcast in 2018, cannabis had already been legalized in multiple states. However, on the federal front, marijuana was — and still remains — categorized as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act.


Nonetheless, this status might soon be evolving.

From Schedule I to Schedule III?​

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed that marijuana be reclassified from a Schedule I to Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act, based on scientific and medical evaluations. This recommendation was recently released in documents by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.


“After assessing all available preclinical, clinical, and epidemiological data, FDA recommends that marijuana be rescheduled from Schedule I into Schedule III of the CSA,” the documents said.


“Schedule III drugs are classified as having a potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in schedules I and II, a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence that may result from their use. NIDA [National Institute on Drug Abuse] concurs with this recommendation.”


Transitioning from Schedule I to Schedule III would reposition marijuana from the same classification as heroin and LSD to the category that includes substances like anabolic steroids and ketamine.


While the DEA has yet to act on this recommendation, it has the potential to ignite a new era for the cannabis industry.


The industry is already flourishing. According to Grand View Research, the U.S. cannabis market was valued at $13.2 billion in 2022. Moreover, this figure is expected to continue its upward trajectory at a compound annual growth rate of 14.2% from 2023 to 2030.

 

[Baron23]

Eh....maybe the N.O. police should decarb their evidence....then maybe the rats will be too stoned to get up and reproduce? Maybe? haha

Rats Are High on Marijuana Evidence at an Infested Police Building, New Orleans Chief Says​

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Rats have gotten into confiscated pot at New Orleans' aging police headquarters, munching the evidence as the building is taken over by mold and cockroaches, said the city's police chief.

“The rats eating our marijuana, they're all high,” Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told New Orleans City Council members.
Kirkpatrick described vermin infestations and decay at the offices that have housed New Orleans police since 1968, saying officers have even found rat droppings on their desks.

The police department did not immediately respond to an emailed request Wednesday for more information on how they discovered marijuana was eaten by rats or whether any cases were impacted.

City officials are taking steps to move the department to a new space. That's been a priority of the police chief since she took office in October.
The chief said her 910 officers come to work to find air-conditioning and elevators broken. She told council members the conditions are demoralizing to staff and a turnoff to potential recruits coming for interviews.

“The uncleanliness is off the charts,” Kirkpatrick said, adding that it's no fault of the department's janitorial staff. "They deserve an award for trying to clean what is uncleanable.”

The city council is weighing a proposal to spend $7.6 million on a 10-year lease to temporarily relocate the police headquarters to a pair of floors in a high-rise building downtown.

The council's Criminal Justice Committee agreed Monday to advance the leasing proposal to the full City Council for a vote, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported

.

Kirkpatrick says the rental agreement would give the department time to come up with plans for a new permanent headquarters.

Ron Harrison, global technical director for Orkin Pest Control, told The Associated Press he hasn’t encountered someone reporting rats eating their marijuana though the company has pest control contracts for some greenhouses that grow it.

Harrison said the New Orleans situation isn’t completely shocking since rats are omnivores, and that the rats may experience the same effects from the marijuana as humans, depending on what form it was in.

“From understanding the biology of the rat and how it’s somewhat similar to us, I would think based on the amount or concentration they take in, it would be somewhat similar to what humans experience,” Harrison said.

 

[Baron23]

CA MJ is a gift that just keeps on giving. Bet it killed the cops to have to return the weed.

Cops forced to return $800,000 in Pot after controversial raid​

California Police Forced to Return Seized Cannabis in Legal Battle with Distributor.​

American police have been seizing cannabis for decades, but the tables were turned last week, when law enforcement in a California city was forced to return hundreds of pounds of cannabis to a pot distributor.


Costa Mesa police officers returned the massive shipment of cannabis last week to Se7enLeaf, a cannabis distributor in the city, according to the Los Angeles Times. The authorities had accused the company of illegally operating and seized the cannabis in September of last year.


Michael Moussalli, the owner of Se7enLeaf, told SFGATE that he was happy to get his cannabis back after his attorneys explained he was operating legally, but he still blamed the city for taking it in the first place and delaying its return.


“The sad thing is once all this info was shared, there was no apologies. There was only more aggression,” Moussalli said, referencing the city’s attempt to further delay the return of the products. “The police were not happy that no charges were filed. The police were not happy that the product was being returned.”


Tony Dodero, a spokesperson for the city of Costa Mesa, declined to comment Tuesday.


Moussalli said the cannabis the city returned had a wholesale value of around $800,000 and a retail value of between $1.5 million and $2 million. He said some of the products were now too old to be sold, six months after the initial raid, but he was not sure how much was still sellable.


The returned shipment is the latest in a long legal saga between Moussalli’s businesses and the city of Costa Mesa. Moussalli is part owner of High Seas, a retail store in the city that sued Costa Mesa in November, alleging that the city broke the law by delaying the store’s retail permit approval without giving any reason.


September’s raid came after authorities accused High Seas of illegally delivering cannabis through the Se7enLeaf company prior to having a license, according to the LA Times. An undercover Costa Mesa police officer had placed an order through High Seas’ app and received products with High Seas branding that were delivered by a Se7enLeaf employee, according to the Times. Costa Mesa authorities argued this amounted to High Seas and Se7enLeaf illegally selling cannabis, since neither business had a license to deliver to customers.


But Moussalli and his partners at Se7enleaf said that they were only packaging cannabis products on behalf of High Seas — a common practice in the industry — and they were legally using a third-party delivery service to send the products to customers. The city settled the case in February and agreed to return the seized cannabis to Se7enLeaf, and Moussalli agreed to pay for the legal costs of the case, he told SFGATE.


Moussalli said he felt like he had been “extorted” by the city because officials told him they would not approve the permit for High Seas' retail location while the investigation against Se7enLeaf was still pending.


“The city held our permit hostage at High Seas, so I had no choice other than to settle. Otherwise, we would have ended up in court for three to four years, but nobody has time to sit on a multimillion-dollar investment,” Moussalli said.


He added that his Se7enLeaf distribution company is now in “severe financial turmoil” and may go out of business because of the economic damages from the raid.


“The city should be paying me for ruining my business and doing what they did, but somehow I’m paying them because that was the only way to get my store opened here,” Moussalli said.