5 minute read
NATIONAL NEWS
from Oct. 2021 - Maryland Leaf
by Northwest Leaf / Oregon Leaf / Alaska Leaf / Maryland Leaf / California Leaf / Northeast Leaf
LEGALIZATION
NEW JERSEY EXPUNGED 362K POT CASES OVER THE SUMMER
New Jersey courts have expunged 362,000 low-level marijuana cases over the summer, clearing a massive amount of criminal records in just two months.
The state judiciary had estimated some 360,000 cases qualified for automatic expungement following the passage of marijuana legalization, reports NJ.com. That law did away with fines and penalties for possessing and selling small amounts of weed.
The judiciary began vacating and dismissing cases in July, and then expunged them.
That’s the final step that ultimately clears a person’s record.
About 125,000 to 150,000 marijuana expungements remain for the courts to complete automatically, said MaryAnn Spoto, a spokeswoman for the judiciary. People with Cannabis cases not automatically expunged in New Jersey can file a motion for review with the court.
NEBRASKA GROUP LAUNCHES 2022 MEDICAL INITIATIVES
A2022 ballot campaign for medical Cannabis is underway in Nebraska, reports KLIN. Led by a coalition of families, patients and state senators, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana wants to qualify a pair of initiatives ahead of the November election next year. They must gather 250,000 signatures across the state before the July 7, 2022 deadline.
Crista Eggers, a mother of two, is leading the effort to organize a statewide signature drive. One of Eggers’ sons, six-year-old Colton, has severe intractable epilepsy.
With other families and patient advocates, Eggers helped build a grassroots movement to establish a MMJ program in Nebraska.
CONGRESSWOMAN OPPOSES POT LAWS, OWNS POT STOCKS
Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Congresswoman, holds a voting record showing she said “No” to federal Cannabis legalization. But that has not stopped her from investing in the pot industry and cashing in on marijuana stocks, reports Indy Week.
According to a report in Salon, Foxx, who wields power on the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform, has made at least six investments in Altria. Ever heard of them? Well, they’re “a leader in the burgeoning U.S. Cannabis industry” since September of last year, according to financial disclosure reports. The stock buys haven’t previously been FOXX IS A MEMBER OF THE U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM. reported, according to Salon. They likely make Foxx the largest holder of Cannabis-related stocks in Congress, according to market research firm Unusual Whales.
The stock trades are particularly notable for their timing: just a few months before the U.S. House of Representatives passed the the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment & Expungement Act (MORE) in December. Foxx voted “No” on the measure.
STEEP DECLINE IN VA POT ARRESTS
Cannabis arrests have plummeted some 90 percent in the Richmond, Virginia region since the state’s Cannabis legalization went into effect on July 1.
The law legalized adult (21+) possession of up to an ounce and the cultivation of four pot plants per household. During the first seven weeks of the law, police made only 25 marijuana-related arrests in central Virginia.
The area includes Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico. For comparison, they made 257 pot arrests during the same seven-week period in 2020, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The numbers come from arrest data provided by law enforcement officials in those localities.
“A 90% reduction in marijuana arrests indicates that the public policy is performing as intended and in a manner that is consistent with post-legalization observations from other states,” said Jenn Michelle Pedini, Executive Director of Virginia NORML.
fun & weird GARBAGE TRUCK CRASH REVEALS HIDDEN GROW
Acrash involving a Michigan garbage truck has led to the discovery of an unlicensed marijuana grow operation. Early on the morning of Sept. 15, the driver of this garbage truck encountered a car that ran a red light.
The garbage truck swerved, but still hit the vehicle. The truck then ran over the median and struck what was thought to be an unoccupied building.
The out-of-control garbage truck knocked a big hole in one wall of the building.
Police responding to the accident quickly noticed that this building was anything but empty. In fact, what cops found were rows of Cannabis plants and grow lights inside the building. Police counted about 260 plants inside, reports WDIV. Police are investigating who is behind the unlicensed grow operation.
Marijuana is legal for adult use in Michigan, but large-scale cultivation requires a state-issued commercial growing license.
education
NIDA STUDY FINDS RISE IN COLLEGE POT CONSUMPTION
Marijuana use continued to rise among college students over the past five years, and remained at historically high levels among same-aged peers who were not in college in 2020, according to survey results from the 2020 Monitoring the Future (MTF) panel study.
The study is financed by the federal National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which in the past has been a source of anti-pot misinformation.
According to the study, current levels represent the highest rate of marijuana use recorded since the 1980s.
The survey also found that marijuana vaping and nicotine vaping leveled off in 2020, after sharp increases reported every year since 2017 for both college students and same-aged respondents not in college.
Among college students specifically, there was also a significant increase in the annual use of hallucinogens. Perhaps related was the substantial and significant drop in current alcohol use between 2019 and 2020.
“The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way that young people interact with one another and offers us an opportunity to examine whether drug taking behavior has shifted through these changes,” said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D. “Moving forward, it will be critical to investigate how and when different substances are used among this young population, and the impact of these shifts over time.”
4
California marijuana companies had sued the state as of September 17, after having their provisional business licenses revoked.
9
months was the age of Michigan’s youngest medical Cannabis patient as of September.
30
grams or more of Cannabis can get you a Level 6 felony charge in Indiana.
51
pounds of marijuana was seized from 49 bags at the Nashville Airport on Sept. 16.
125
Cannabis dispensaries are currently operating in Arizona, which launched recreational in 2020.
$25k
will be the cost of a medical marijuana license, the Watertown, South Dakota City Council decided.
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