NATIONAL NEWS

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. V irginia 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 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.

CONGRESSWOMAN OPPOSES POT LAWS BUT OWNS POT STOCKS

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.

ocT. 2021