Norma Pence

One day before legal recreational marijuana sales launch in Illinois, the governor announced that his office is clearing the records of more than 11,000 people who have previously been convicted of simple cannabis possession. Gov. J. B. Pritzker (D) said the move “sets us apart” from other states that have legalized marijuana for adult-use and that “Illinois is putting equity first, clearing thousands of convictions and giving individuals & their families a new lease on life.” These 11,017 misdemeanor convictions represent individuals who have carried around with them a stain on their records for possessing less than 30 grams of cannabis – a stain that has very often prevented them from obtaining housing or jobs or benefits. — Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) December 31, 2019 A total of 11,017 people will be receive pardons for possession offenses of up to 30 grams. The governor’s office said that there are 116,000 records that are eligible for expungement through this pr...

Andrew Yang says that decriminalizing opioids and legalizing “certain drugs” is one tool that can be used to undermine international drug cartels and reduce violence associated with the illicit drug trade. In an interview published last week, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate was pressed on his plan to address cartels operating below the U.S.’s Southern border, and he said that “one approach we could take that would change the resources available to the cartels [is to] explore the legalization of certain drugs.” “I’m open to looking at legalizing different drugs that are not just fueling the cartel but also in some cases would frankly be an upgrade over the opiates that many Americans are currently getting addicted to,” he said. While Yang used the term “legalization,” which would imply some kind of regulatory scheme for controlled substances, he later clarified this his proposal for opioids would not involve making drugs like heroin commercially available. Rather, it woul...

Andrew Yang says that decriminalizing opioids and legalizing “certain drugs” is one tool that can be used to undermine international drug cartels and reduce violence associated with the illicit drug trade. In an interview published last week, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate was pressed on his plan to address cartels operating below the U.S.’s Southern border, and he said that “one approach we could take that would change the resources available to the cartels [is to] explore the legalization of certain drugs.” “I’m open to looking at legalizing different drugs that are not just fueling the cartel but also in some cases would frankly be an upgrade over the opiates that many Americans are currently getting addicted to,” he said. While Yang used the term “legalization,” which would imply some kind of regulatory scheme for controlled substances, he later clarified this his proposal for opioids would not involve making drugs like heroin commercially available. Rather, it woul...

Share to facebook Share to twitter Share to linkedin While products containing CBD are widespread, new legal developments are expected in 2020 that may … [+] affect how the products are marketed and sold in certain jurisdictions. Getty The cannabidiol (CBD) industry saw considerable growth in 2019, and the industry is expected to see further expansion over the new year. In the absence of clear federal guidance, sellers of products containing CBD, particularly those in the food and beverage space, should watch how three developments might affect their products and the industry as a whole. Further FDA Clarification : The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in November 2019 that the agency had numerous “unanswered questions and data gaps about CBD toxicity” and issued over a dozen warning letters to sellers of CBD-containing products. The FDA’s updated Consumer Update declared that marketing CBD “by adding it to a food or labeling it as a dietary supple...

This fall, Sierra Riddle queued up at security at Los Angeles International Airport with a tincture bottle of THC oil — the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis — in her purse. Ms. Riddle, 31, a nursing assistant from southern Oregon, was traveling with her son Landon, 9, and uses medical marijuana to treat his severe nerve pain from chemotherapy, as well as her own chronic pain. She was on her way to a medical conference in Dallas to talk about her son’s medical marijuana use and was “praying and meditating that we’d make it through security,” when a Transportation Security Administration agent pulled the bottle out of her bag. “It’s just botanical oils,” Ms. Riddle said she told the officer. “But this was L.A. — they’re hip to the game and so they knew what is was.” To Ms. Riddle’s surprise, the officer told her that, while it’s illegal to fly with marijuana and he was obliged to call the police, instead, he would just throw the bottle in the trash and wouldn’t report her. ...

A former White House drug czar is arguing that South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s proposal to decriminalize possession of all drugs will “encourage” more substance misuse. In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Bill Bennett reacted to a roundtable discussion Buttigieg had with the Des Moines Register earlier this week, where the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate discussed how his perspective on drug policy has shifted in recent years. The mayor said that he’s come to the conclusion that incarceration is an inappropriate response to simple possession and does more harm than drugs themselves. But Bennett, who served as drug czar under President George H. W. Bush, strongly disagrees. “This is crazy. This is a bright guy. I don’t agree with him, but obviously he’s a guy of some subtlety and intellect,” he said. “No subtlety here. He acknowledges the harm that these drugs do—goodness gracious, it’s incredible the harm these drugs do.” Watch the latest video at foxnews....

A former White House drug czar is arguing that South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s proposal to decriminalize possession of all drugs will “encourage” more substance misuse. In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Bill Bennett reacted to a roundtable discussion Buttigieg had with the Des Moines Register earlier this week, where the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate discussed how his perspective on drug policy has shifted in recent years. The mayor said that he’s come to the conclusion that incarceration is an inappropriate response to simple possession and does more harm than drugs themselves. But Bennett, who served as drug czar under President George H. W. Bush, strongly disagrees. “This is crazy. This is a bright guy. I don’t agree with him, but obviously he’s a guy of some subtlety and intellect,” he said. “No subtlety here. He acknowledges the harm that these drugs do—goodness gracious, it’s incredible the harm these drugs do.” Watch the latest video at foxnews....

Portland psychedelic decrim campaign collects signatures; Study: Marijuana stores don’t sell to underage kids; NORML makes cannabis banking push Subscribe  to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… There are now 1,387 cannabis-related bills moving through state legislatures and Congress for 2019 sessions. Never let a marijuana bill catch you by surprise with exclusive access to Marijuana Moment’s custom-built cannabis legislation tracker for just $25/month. https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW A top aide to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told Marijuana Moment that a viral tweet claiming her presidential campaign rejected a job applicant over a past cannabis offense is false. The post now has roughly 10,000 likes and 2,000 retweets. Activists in Portland, Oregon are now collecting si...

A former White House drug czar is arguing that South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s proposal to decriminalize possession of all drugs will “encourage” more substance misuse. In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Bill Bennett reacted to a roundtable discussion Buttigieg had with the Des Moines Register earlier this week, where the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate discussed how his perspective on drug policy has shifted in recent years. The mayor said that he’s come to the conclusion that incarceration is an inappropriate response to simple possession and does more harm than drugs themselves. But Bennett, who served as drug czar under President George H. W. Bush, strongly disagrees. “This is crazy. This is a bright guy. I don’t agree with him, but obviously he’s a guy of some subtlety and intellect,” he said. “No subtlety here. He acknowledges the harm that these drugs do—goodness gracious, it’s incredible the harm these drugs do.” Watch the latest video at foxnews....

WALLINGFORD, VERMONT, UNITED STATES – 2019/10/09: Flowering field of industrial hemp. (Photo by John … [+] Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images) LightRocket via Getty Images It was exactly a year ago that the Farm Bill legalized CBD and hemp , a cousin to cannabis as it comes from the same plant. Of course, there were specified guidelines, such as hemp can be sold without penalties as long as the maximum THC (the psychoactive compound in cannabis that gives users their high) count is .3 percent; anything that contains more will be federally classified as illegal marijuana. The legalization has spawned a booming cottage industry. But just like with the federally illegal cannabis market, problems proliferate for CBD and hemp entrepreneurs. For one thing, many vendors, retailers, advertisers, manufacturers and banks are still not fully apprised that hemp, for instance, is legal. Because of this misunderstanding, these prospective partners balk at working with hemp entrepreneurs, thinkin...

California activists could soon begin collecting signatures for a ballot measure to legalize psilocybin mushrooms in the state. In an email blast to supporters this month, the group Decriminalize California shared the final language of a proposed initiative that was submitted to the secretary of state’s office following a 30-day public comment period. It will take about two weeks for the attorney general to approve the title, summary and fiscal impact report, after which point signature gathering will commence. The California Psilocybin Decriminalization Initiative “advances cognitive liberty and implements a comprehensive, statewide scheme authorizing” regulations for the legal cultivation and distribution of psilocybin “for personal, spiritual, religious, dietary, therapeutic, and medical use,” the measure states. Adults 18 and older would be allowed to possess and cultivate the fungi for personal use under the proposal. The California Department of Food and Agriculture would be r...