NATIONAL NEWS

sports

NCAA RELAXES MARIJUANA THRESHOLDS; REDUCES PENALTIES

The NCAA announced last month that it will be relaxing its marijuana policies, raising THC threshold levels and reducing punishments. Under current NCAA policy, one failed marijuana test gets a six-month suspension. The NCAA will raise the threshold for THC from 35 to 150 nanograms per milliliter. This change brings them in line with new World Anti-Doping Agency standards. There is no punishment or loss of eligibility for the first positive test, if the school “provides a management plan and education” for the athlete. For the second positive test, there could still be no punishment if they are compliant with the management plan. If they are not, an athlete would miss 25% of their games. Should a third positive test happen, there could still be no punishment if the athlete still complies with the management plan. If not, they will miss 50% of the games.

east coast

PENNSYLVANIA OFFERS FINANCIAL AID TO MMJ PATIENTS

Pennsylvania Department of Health has expanded its financial assistance program for state medical marijuana patients. The program includes waiving annual fees for eligible patients enrolled in financial hardship programs such as SNAP, Medicaid and WIC. “The departTHE STATE SAID IT PLANS TO ment is pleased to be able to expand assistance to medical DISTRIBUTE CASH BENEFITS TO ELIGIBLE PATIENTS. marijuana patients and caregivers who may be experiencing financial hardships,” said acting Health Secretary Keara Klinepeter. “Patients deserve to have access to their medicine to treat medical conditions, and cost should not be a barrier.”

central america

COSTA RICA LEGALIZES MEDICAL CANNABIS

Costa Rica’s Congress passed a bill in March which legalizes the use of Cannabis for medicinal purposes. The bill also allows marijuana cultivation for industrial use. The cultivation and sale of adult-use marijuana for recreational purposes, however, will remain banned. Supporters of the bill say it will boost farmers and increase jobs. Costa Rica joins a host of other Latin American countries where medical marijuana is legal.

weird

MIKE TYSON’S WEED CO. LAUNCHES EAR-SHAPED GUMMIES

This comes 25 years after he was disqualified from the World Boxing Association Heavyweight Championship for biting his opponent’s ear. Tyson’s marijuana brand, Tyson 2.0, named the new product with a smirking reference to what’s become known as “The Bite Fight.” That’s the 1997 bout against Evander Holyfield where the infamous incident took place. Tyson’s weed brand announced the news via Twitter on March 15. According to Tyson 2.0, the gummies will soon go on sale at dispensaries in Massachusetts, California and Nevada. The retired boxer and current weed dealer even put his stamp of approval on the marijuana-infused edibles, writing, “These ears actually taste good!”

middle east

ISRAEL DECRIMS CANNABIS; EXPUNGES RECORDS

Israel has decriminalized the adult use of marijuana and is expunging the criminal records of those convicted of personal possession or use of the plant, President Isaac Herzog and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced in March. Those with adult-use convictions can submit a request to have their records voided, and those with pending criminal proceedings can contact the police with a request to drop the charges. The move, said the statement, will “lift the criminal labeling and the stain that accompanies it” and “complement” decriminalization regulations published in February. The new regulations don’t apply to those also charged with other offenses alongside Cannabis use, including those possessing drug paraphernalia, those convicted during military service, and minors.

the south

COPS PAY OUT $900,000 FOR BUSTING 64 AT POT PARTY

Law enforcement has settled a lawsuit over the mass arrests of 64 Georgia partygoers on marijuana charges. Cops charged each of the 64 individuals at the 2017 lingerie-themed party with possession of under an ounce of marijuana. Police, who found less than an ounce of marijuana outside on the ground, arrested all 64 partygoers. They said they did this because nobody would claim the weed. Gerald Griggs, an attorney and past vice president of the Georgia NAACP, organized a campaign to get all the charges dropped. “It’s a very large settlement,” Griggs said, according to WSB-TV. ”So it sends a message to Georgia that if you violate somebody’s civil rights, the NAACP and civil rights attorneys will hold you to task and protect those young peoples’ rights.”

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fines for marijuana were approved in March by the Green Bay City Council. untaxed grow sites were raided over the past five weeks by Calaveras County, Calif. deputies. marijuana plants were seized when an indoor grow was raided in DeKalb County, Ala.

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voter signatures are needed in Gluckstadt, Miss. to overturn the city council’s decision to opt out of medical marijuana.

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New York farmers are authorized to grow hemp.

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Cannabis plants will fill West Virginia’s largest medical grow facility by 2025.