Another case of government restricting the availability of #cannabis and related information. Facebook and Google banned cannabis ads and apps to avoid criticism from federal organizations. This delays the inevitable debunking of stigma surrounding cannabis and limits access to real and useful information. https://yhoo.it/2Kwy6dR
The Zimbabwean government agreed to license growers who could produce marijuana for medicinal and scientific purposes. Under this new agreement, a prison in Zimbabwe has applied to grow cannabis to fund its operations, and if approved, this would be the first Zimbabwean prison to do so. #Zimbabwe #prison #medicinal #cannabis http://bit.ly/2WlVBxs
Though California legalized marijuana in 2016, Napa–perhaps to protect its monoculture–banned pot farming. Last week, however, the Napa Valley Cannabis Association submitted what they believe are enough signatures to put the question of cannabis cultivation on the March 2020 ballot. This new measure would permit pot delivery services, distributors and manufacturers to operate in an industrial zone near the Napa Airport http://bit.ly/2WicVhL
In DC, where cannabis is legal but retail sales are prohibited, congressional leaders released an annual spending bill that blocks federal officials from punishing banks for working with marijuana businesses. The legislation also removes a longstanding rider that prevents the city of Washington, D.C. from spending its own money to legalize and regulate recreational cannabis sales. #cannabis #market #dc http://bit.ly/2Wgfxgn
As a nearly unanimous French Senate gave medical marijuana the green light on May 28, France will start experimenting with the use of medical marijuana for “about two years.” According to patient groups, somewhere between 300,000 and 1 million patients could be eligible to use cannabis to manage symptoms of cancer, certain types of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, palliative care, and pain that does not respond to usual treatments. #france #cancer #epilepsy #multiplesclerosis #palliativecare #pain http://bit.ly/2WehBoY
Amanda Reiman is among the most recognized women in cannabis. Reiman is VP of Community Relations for Flow Kana, the first sustainable, sun-grown cannabis group to represent small farmers within the Emerald Triangle. Awarded the 2017 Influencer of the Year by Industry Power Women, Reiman drives initiatives that ensure Flow Kana stands at the center of responsible cannabis. Learn more about Reiman’s work here: #womenincannabis #sustainability http://bit.ly/2Wn7gfB
John Boehner, the former speaker of the House, has spent his career opposing legalized marijuana. But now he sits on the board of Acreage Holdings, a marijuana investment firm whose profits hinge on Mr. Boehner’s ability to persuade Congress to legalize marijuana. The politician says that his views have “evolved,” and that he hopes cannabis will help veterans who suffer from PTSD as well as people who struggle with insomnia. #veterans #PTSD #insomnia
https://nyti.ms/2WlbpR0
The Supreme Court of Brazil scheduled a voting session on decriminalization this coming Wednesday, but last week it was withdrawn from the court’s calendar. So, on Saturday, thousands of protestors gathered in Sao Paulo to participate in the March for the Decriminalization of Marijuana. Protestors begged lawmakers to decriminalize cannabis for both social justice and medical reasons. One protestor stated
“It is usually the poor and the blacks who get caught and sent to jail…You don’t see the rich kids from Jardins (an upper-class neighborhood) getting busted.”
In this sense, the protestor concluded, “criminalization becomes a weapon against the poor and blacks in this society.” Another protestor focused on the medical setbacks of criminalization, stating that, “I can imagine what it is like to have a son or daughter with a disease whose side effects can be reduced by the drug, but not able to get it because it is illegal.” Whether fighting for social justice or medical aid, the people of Brazil have spoken, and they encourage decriminalization. http://bit.ly/2W9ngNe
After a public hearing on Friday where researchers and health professionals urged the FDA to increase research into cannabis, FDA official Dr. Amy Abernethy tweeted, “We will work as quickly as possible to define a way forward.” The FDA is accepting further comments on a docket until July 2; it then plans to convene a workgroup co-chaired by Abernethy and Lowell Schiller to examine its next steps. http://bit.ly/2WevL9M
After vetoing legislation that would have expanded Iowa’s medical marijuana program, governor Kim Reynolds now says that she’d support ‘narrow and cautious’ expansion of medical cannabis law. Though patients using cannabis oils, creams, and pills need higher doses of cannabis to manage their pain, Reynolds told reporters, “I just felt [the bill] was too much of a jump.” http://bit.ly/2KnJwAF
