News

(image via StopTheDrugWar.Org)

Asset forfeiture is not a topic that enough people know about, even though it is one of the main tools in the war on drugs. Law enforcement can basically take stuff now, and ask questions later. Or in some cases, not even really ask any questions at all. For a very long time now, law enforcement can say that cash, cars, and other assets were used in illegal activity, and take those things, even if charges are never filed against the person they took them from. I’ve heard of it happening too many times to count. One of my friends was driving from Illinois to Oregon and had $18,000 taken from him, even though he wasn’t doing anything illegal and was never charged with anything.

Asset forfeiture is a very large funding source for many law enforcement agencies, some of which abuse the funding. There are going to be some changes for the foreseeable future however. Per the Institute for Justice:

On Monday, following the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program announced that it would defer all equitable sharing payments for forfeitures, both civil and criminal, to state, local, and tribal partners for the foreseeable future. Following the DOJ’s announcement, the International Association of Chiefs of Police issued a statement, saying that the decision was “detrimental to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.”

Read More:http://www.theweedblog.com/doj-suspends-asset-forfeiture-equitable-sharing-payment-program/

DENVER (KMGH) - A local nonprofit hit the streets of downtown Denver on Christmas Eve and gave away a thousand free, pre-rolled marijuana joints to the homeless and anyone else who wanted one.

"Merry Christmas and a puff puff, New Year's," said one woman who accepted a joint.

Nick Dicenzo, the founder of Cannabis Can and the one responsible for handing out the free weed, said they're trying to raise awareness about homelessness and encourage people to donate to their cause.

The cause? To raise money to buy several RV's and provide restrooms and showers for those in need. Dicenzo said their goal is to use weed for good and to bring people together to make a difference.

Read More:http://www.wxyz.com/news/volunteers-give-away-free-pot-to-the-homeless-this-christmas-eve-and-its-all-for-a-good-cause

By Phillip Smith

After several years of jostling since the defeat of Proposition 19 in 2010, the smoke has cleared in California and it now appears that a single, well-funded marijuana legalization initiative will go before the voters next November. That vehicle is the California Control, Tax, and Regulate Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), backed by Silicon Valley tech billionaire Sean Parker, WeedMaps head Justin Hartfield, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), and a growing cast of state and national players.

The AUMU has sucked all the air out of the room for other proposed initiatives, most notably the measure from the California Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform (ReformCA), which had been widely assumed to the effort around which the state’s various cannabis factions could coalesce.

Instead, more than half of the ReformCA board members have now endorsed the AUMA, including Oaksterdam University founder and Prop 19 organizer Richard Lee, California Cannabis Industry Association director Nate Bradley, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) head Neill Franklin, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) deputy director Stacia Cosner, and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap head David Bronner.

Read More:http://www.theweedblog.com/the-smoke-clears-on-california-marijuana-legalization-as-auma-takes-center-stage/

Sooner or later, anyone hoping for a permit to grow, test, manufacture or sell marijuana products in an Anchorage neighborhood will need to meet face-to-face with neighbors -- and sooner may be better.

Neighborhood groups and community councils have no regulatory authority to block a proposed marijuana business or require certain conditions. But Anchorage Assembly members, who do have the regulatory authority, have said they plan to take those sentiments into account as Alaska continues on the path to commercial marijuana. And industry representatives have taken note. 

“A number of Assembly members already projected (that) they’re going to look to community councils extensively for feedback,” said Bruce Schulte, chair of the state Marijuana Control Board. 

Read More:https://www.adn.com/article/20151224/anchorage-neighborhoods-brace-rush-marijuana-applications

An Australian anti-marijuana campaign attempting to warn teenagers against pot smoking hilariously backfired when the ads were uploaded and went viral, receiving several million YouTube views (watch below).

The ad depicted marijuana users as disturbingly oversized versions of a beloved South American mammal: the sloth. 

A compilation of three videos, the Stoner Sloth campaign was meant to scare teens away from pot with the slogan “you're worse on weed,” but instead it became an Internet sensation replete with loads of memes and satire videos.  

While the Australian government may have been pleased that the Stoner Sloth campaign is being widely disseminated, the anti-drug message succumbed to the Internet’s penchant for making fun of failed ad campaigns and for a universal love of sloths. What’s not to love? 

Furthermore, portraying pot smokers as sloths, says attn.com, is an “inoffensive comparison that stoners readily embraced.”

Read More:http://www.hightimes.com/read/australia%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cstoner-sloth%E2%80%9D-campaign-backfires-under-relentless-scrutiny

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently eased some of the regulatory requirements imposed by the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) for those who are conducting FDA-approved clinical trials on cannabidiol (CBD), an extract of the marijuana plant.  These modifications will streamline the research process regarding CBD’s possible medicinal value and help foster ongoing scientific studies.  The DEA notified affected researchers by letter of the changes, which take effect immediately.

Federal Regulation (21 CFR 1301.18) requires researchers conducting CBD-based clinical trials under an FDA Investigational New Drug Application to have a DEA research registration.  This registration permits the possession of an approved amount of CBD for a specific research protocol.  Prior to now, researchers who expanded the scope of their studies and needed more CBD than initially approved for had to request, in writing, a modification to their DEA research registrations – potentially delaying that research while the modification underwent an approval process that includes both the DEA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Under these changes, a previously registered CBD clinical researcher who is granted a waiver can readily modify their protocol and continue their research seamlessly.  This waiver effectively removes a step from the approval process.

Read More:http://www.theweedblog.com/dea-eases-requirements-for-fda-approved-clinical-trials-on-cannabidiol/