Tag: california

Federal Ban On Interstate Marijuana Commerce Helps The Illicit Market While Hurting Legal Businesses, California Report Finds

California officials have unveiled a new report on the current status and future of the state’s marijuana market—with independent analysts hired by regulators concluding that the federal prohibition on cannabis that prevents interstate commerce is meaningfully bolstering the illicit market.

The California Cannabis Market Outlook 2024 report—commissioned by the state Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) and carried out by ERA Economics—looked at consumer trends, industry data, regulatory enforcement actions and more.

Marketing conditions for licensed businesses “have been challenging since 2021,” the report says, noting declining wholesale cannabis prices and stagnation in transitioning adults to the regulated market. Just about 40 percent of consumers are buying from legal operators years into the implementation of legalization.

“Competition from the illicit market contributes to lower prices in the licensed market,” it says. “Some consumers still purchase cannabis from illicit operations and illicit cannabis production moves across state lines into different markets.”

“[C]annabis consumption has modestly increased and many of those consumers are purchasing cannabis from licensed cannabis businesses, but there is still a substantial illicit market in California,” it says. “Careful analysis of the data does not show an explosion of illicit market production.”

A key part of the problem is ongoing federal prohibition, according to the analysis.

“Federal legalization of cannabis and facilitation of trade between different states with licensed markets would reduce trade of illicit cannabis and could lead to more stable prices in California and other states,” it says.

The report says “wholesale prices showed that prices in the licensed markets in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington are related,” and this “link between the licensed cannabis markets in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington has increased over time.”

“The link is the unlicensed market,” it says.

“Prices in these states have converged, and statistical analysis confirms these markets are co-integrated. Market co-integration generally occurs as a result of trade between nations (or in this case, states). However, without any legal interstate trade, this result indicates that the illicit market is a driving factor that connects prices across states.”

That’s not to say that the lack of interstate commerce is the sole factor stymieing the industry, of course. The report also identifies the unregulated market for intoxicating hemp products—as well as local bans on marijuana businesses—as contributing factors.

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Federal Agents Bust California Human Smuggling Ring That Allegedly Involved 20,000 People

When liberals hear the phrase “mass migration,” they seem to think of it as an opportunity to virtue signal about how welcoming they are to foreigners.

For conservatives and other supporters of President Donald Trump, however, that phrase conjures realistic images of horrors for everyone involved.

According to Fox News, federal agents disrupted a massive human smuggling operation on Friday when they arrested two Guatemalan men accused of trafficking 20,000 illegal immigrants into the United States since 2019.

The arrests occurred in downtown Los Angeles, California.

Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul and Cristobal Mejia-Chaj now face the possibility of the death penalty if convicted.

The smuggling operation, which included two other defendants, Jose Paxtor-Oxlaj and Helmer Obispo-Hernandez, featured elements akin to kidnapping and extortion.

For instance, the defendants allegedly charged $15,000 to $18,000 for safe passage into the United States. But that passage also allegedly included unexpected charges for transport across the U.S., and the smugglers kept migrants who could not pay as hostages in order to extort more money from their families back home.

U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally explained the significance of the arrests.

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California Proposal Would Prevent Coverage Of Medical Marijuana In Workers’ Compensation Cases

California officials are accepting public comment through mid-March on a plan that would remove medical marijuana as an accepted treatment for injured employees in workers’ compensation cases. The change would effectively prevent doctors in such cases from recommending marijuana and end any compensation to pay for cannabis medications.

The change being considered by the California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) is based on recently updated guidelines from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) that say cannabinoids are “not recommended” for treatment of chronic, acute or postoperative pain and separately advising against cannabinoid use by safety-critical workers.

ACOEM in an update earlier this year listed various health risks associated with marijuana use—including cannabis use disorder, motor vehicle crashes, schizophrenia and others—and further said that evidence shows that cannabis is ineffective or only minimally effective at treating various types of pain.

As a result of the ACOEM update, the worker’s compensation division is weighing a change that would remove marijuana and related treatments from California’s medical treatment utilization schedule (MTUS) in workers’ comp cases.

Cannabis reform advocates and workers’ rights groups are pushing back against the proposal, saying it conflicts with numerous other studies indicating that marijuana can be effective for treating pain, and are urging supporters to file written comments with DWC ahead of a planned hearing on March 14.

“The recommendation flies in the face of scores of scientific studies,” Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML, said in an email, “including reports by the National Academy of Sciences and California’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, plus the experience of countless California patients and doctors who have found medical cannabis valuable for treating intractable chronic pain.”

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People Outraged After California Democrat Introduces Bill that Criminalizes Self-Defense – AB 1333 Limits Homeowner’s Right to Defend Self, Family and Home From Intruder

California is currently a ‘stand your ground’ state, however, a Democrat Assemblyman just introduced a bill that would criminalize self-defense.

California Assemblyman and Democrat Caucus Chair Rich Chavez Zbur introduced AB 1333 which seeks to limit a homeowner’s right to defend their family and home from an intruder.

This Democrat lunatic wants to limit a homeowner’s right to defend themselves from a dangerous intruder.

More than anything else, this is an attack on the Second Amendment.

“This bill would eliminate certain circumstances under which homicide is justifiable, including, among others, in defense of a habitation or property. The bill would additionally clarify circumstances in which homicide is not justifiable, including, among others, when a person uses more force than necessary to defend against a danger,” according to California Legislative Information.

“By expanding the scope of the crime of homicide, this bill would create a state-mandated local program,” the state said.

Rick Zbur tried to defend himself after people were outraged by his proposal.

Zbur defamed Kyle Rittenhouse as he tried to bat down critics.

“AB 1333 was never intended to limit a crime victim’s right to defend yourself, your family, or home. The goal is to prevent wannabe vigilantes like Kyle Rittenhouse from provoking violence & claiming self defense after the fact. We will amend the bill to make this crystal clear,” Zbur said.

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Two California Women Arrested in Connection to Dog-Kicking Incident That Went Viral

Pittsburg, California, police have arrested two women who were allegedly involved in an incident captured in a now-viral video that shows one of the women kicking a small dog.

In the video, two women were seen verbally arguing with a neighbor when one of them decided to kick their neighbor’s dog.

The forceful kick resulted in the small dog, GiGi, flying several feet.

In a Facebook statement, the Pittsburg Police Department said, “Following several intense days of investigation, detectives from the Pittsburg Police Department and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) devoted countless hours to surveillance across the East Bay.”

“This evening, we successfully identified both suspects in Oakland. We want to assure everyone that Gigi is safe at home this evening, while the two suspects are currently in County Jail,” added the Pittsburg Police Department.

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California State Fair Will Again Feature On-Site Marijuana Sales And Consumption, With New Award Categories For Blunts, Hash And Chocolates

The California State Fair will once again feature a cannabis exhibit and competition at this year’s event, with expanded award categories meant to showcase the diversity of the state’s market.

This is the fourth year that California’s annual event has invited marijuana entrepreneurs and consumers to join the festivities—and, for the second year in a row, on-site sales and consumption will be permitted during the 17-day fair.

“Last year, we made history by integrating cannabis sales and consumption into the State Fair, and we are thrilled to return in 2025,” Lauren Carpenter, co-founder of Embarc, which is facilitating the sales component, said. “Through an immersive educational experience, we’re shining a light on the cannabis brands reflecting and shaping cannabis culture in California and beyond.”

As for the competition, there are 150 medals available this year. Submissions will open on March 1 and close on May 4. The winners will be announced at the start of the fair on July 11.

This year’s award categories have been expanded to include cannabis blunts, hash and chocolates.

“For more than 170 years the California State Fair has had a long-standing tradition of celebrating the best of the Golden State, especially those who epitomize the state’s agricultural excellence,” Tom Martinez, CEO of the California State Fair, said. “Since welcoming cannabis to the Fair, we’ve witnessed firsthand the pride and dedication of California’s cannabis cultivators, who are crafting some of the best products, not just in the state, but in the entire industry.”

Other categories up for awards include indoor, outdoor and mixed-light flower, beverages, cartridges, concentrates, edibles, pre-rolls and wellness.

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California City Addresses Homeless Issue by Passing Sweeping Ban on Camping on Public Property

Homeless camps have been an ongoing problem for cities across the country for several years now, particularly in California.

In Fremont, the city council has addressed the problem by passing a sweeping bill which bans camping on all public property. It’s the sort of measure you could never imagine passing in Los Angeles, which has a massive problem with homelessness.

The Fremont ban acknowledges the fact that when you have homeless people camping out on sidewalks, it interferes with the lives of everyone else who lives in the city.

FOX News reported:

California city passes sweeping homeless encampment ban on all public property

A California city passed one of the nation’s strictest anti-homeless encampment ordinances to combat the ongoing crisis.

The Fremont City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday night in favor of the law which bans camping on any public property “including any street, sidewalk, park, open space, waterway, or banks of a waterway or any private property not designated and equipped for such camping” as well as “any land designated as a high fire risk area.”

“The purpose of this chapter is to maintain streets, parks and other public and private areas within the city in a clean, sanitary and accessible condition and to adequately protect the health, safety and public welfare of the community, while recognizing that, subject to reasonable conditions, camping and camp facilities associated with special events can be beneficial to the cultural and educational climate in the city,” the ordinance read.

It continued, “The use of streets and public areas within the city for camping purposes or for storage of personal property interferes with the rights of the public to use these areas for which they were intended.

The terms of the ban are pretty serious by California standards.

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Trump to Launch Investigation Into California’s “$130 Billion” High-Speed Rail Disaster Project

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he will launch a comprehensive investigation into California’s beleaguered High-Speed Rail project.

Trump lambasted the project as “the worst managed project I’ve ever seen,” hinting at what many conservatives have known all along: this boondoggle is nothing but a colossal waste of taxpayer money.

Trump said from the Oval Office on Tuesday:

“One of the things I want to investigate rapidly—because I’ve never seen anything to this extent—is the train that’s being built between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

It is the worst-managed project I think I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some of the worst. Billions and billions—hundreds of billions—of dollars over budget.

In fact, I read that you could take every single person who was going to go on the train, provide the finest limousine service in the world to take them back and forth, and you’d still have hundreds of billions of dollars left over.

It is the worst thing, and we’re going to start an investigation of that because it’s not possible. I built for a living, and I built on time and on budget. It’s impossible that something could cost that much.

Now it’s not even going to San Francisco, and it’s not going to Los Angeles. They’ve made it much shorter. Now it’s at little places far away from San Francisco and far away from Los Angeles.

We’re going to start a big investigation on that because I’ve never seen anything like it. Nobody has ever seen anything like it. The worst overruns there have ever been in the history of our country.”

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CA Woman Jailed After Ripping US Flag, Raising Mexican Flag, Declaring, ‘This Is Mexican Land’

A California woman was arrested Thursday after raising a Mexican flag at a Bakersfield park where an American flag had been flying.

According to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Crystal Aguilar, 24, was arrested, according to KERO-TV.

A post from the department on Facebook said deputies responded at 9:36 a.m. to a report that someone was trying to steal an American flag from the park.

When they arrived they found Aguilar and a car stuck in the mud near the flagpole.

The post said the suspect “had cut the chain securing the flagpole, removed the American flag, and thrown it into the mud before raising the national flag of Mexico in its place.”

“When Park Rangers attempted to detain Aguilar, she physically resisted and made multiple verbal threats against them,” the release said.

“You’re not going to tell me what to do, this is Mexican land,” Aguilar told police in a video to YouTube, adding an obscenity.

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Trans ‘sanctuary states’ Minnesota, California to defy Trump order barring biological males from women’s sports

In the wake of Trump signing an executive order banning biological males from women’s sports in schools that receive federal funding, multiple states are vowing to defy this order and continue allowing such athletes to compete against women.

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL), which oversees interscholastic sports in the state, said in a statement to schools, “In Minnesota, participation and eligibility of transgender student-athletes is determined by state law, through the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Minnesota Constitution. The Minnesota State High School League, similar to other youth sports organizations, is subject to state anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit discrimination based on gender identity,” per Fox 9.

“Therefore, students in Minnesota are allowed to participate consistent with their gender identity. League Member Schools have done excellent work in respecting students and their individual situations as they determine their participation and eligibility within interscholastic sports,” the organization added. “The League will continue to review the existing state laws alongside the new Presidential Executive Order and its timeline, processes for states, and requirements that are included.”

Over in California, the California Interscholastic Federation said that the organization “provides students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete in education-based experiences in compliance with California law,” with the state’s education code saying that students can participate in sports based on their self-proclaimed gender identity, per the San Francisco Chronicle.

The group said that it would continue to follow state law despite an executive order from Trump that opposes the state’s education code. Washington State is also, and stated, “We are working closely with the Attorney General’s Office to understand the next steps for our state and for our school districts in response to this unlawful order.”

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