Tag: cannabis

The other thing Americans consume in record numbers on Thanksgiving: marijuana

On what was shaping up to be the busiest day of the year at a marijuana dispensary in Maryland, people kept rolling in. They had all come with the same plan: to get a little something extra to bring to Thanksgiving dinner.

Edibles for the in-laws, pre-rolls for that post-meal walk. Maybe some special cookies to share with friends.

“People getting stocked up for Thanksgiving, huh?” one customer observed, scanning the busy rows of check-out stations.

“Yeah, you know, cousins coming into town, family getting together, people needing to relax a little” said E. Friday, a personal care specialist who goes by their first initial and uses the pronouns they and them. Friday works at RISE, a cannabis dispensary in Silver Spring, Md.

“You know how it goes,” Friday added.

They chuckled.

As cannabis has become less stigmatized and more readily available in the U.S., industry experts said, Green Wednesday has begun to rival famed stoner holiday 4/20, which falls on April 20, as the day weed dispensaries see the highest sales numbers and the most foot traffic.

At RISE, the merchandise was moving. Doorbuster deals like the exclusive Queen Cola — a long stem with 14 grams of marijuana flower cut from the cluster at the very top of a cannabis plant, which experts say produces the highest concentration of resin — flew off the shelves at $100.Expand article logo  Continue reading

General manager Rick Gizzi said the batch of limited-edition Queen Cola flowers the store had in stock sold out in 15 minutes.

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GOP-Controlled Senate Committee Warns DC That Marijuana Is Federally Illegal, With ‘Enhanced Penalties’ For Sales Near Schools

GOP members of a powerful Senate committee are issuing a reminder that marijuana remains illegal under federal law and that the sale of cannabis near public schools and playgrounds can carry “enhanced penalties”—an issue they are specifically highlighting in relation to the location of dispensaries in Washington, D.C.

The Republican majority in the Senate Appropriations Committee released the text of a Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) spending bill and an attached report on Tuesday. As expected, the legislation itself retains a rider long championed by Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) barring D.C. from using its tax dollars to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana sales, despite voters approving a ballot initiative to allow possession and home cultivation more than a decade ago.

In the report, a section on funding for “emergency planning and security costs” associated with the federal government’s presence in the District includes additional language related to cannabis enforcement and zoning issues.

Here’s the text of that section:

“Marijuana Dispensary Proximity to Schools—The Committee reminds the District that the distribution, manufacturing, and sale of marijuana remains illegal under Federal law, which includes enhanced penalties for such distribution within one thousand feet of a public or private elementary, vocational, or secondary school or public or private college, junior college, or university, or a playground, among other real property where children frequent.”

The report language is being released months after anti-marijuana organizations formally narced on several locally licensed cannabis businesses in D.C.—sending a letter to President Donald Trump, the U.S. attorney general and a federal prosecutor that identifies dispensaries they allege are too close to schools despite approval from District officials.

The groups said that while they were “pleased” to see former interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin “take initial steps against one of the worst offenders” by threatening a locally licensed medical marijuana dispensary with criminal prosecution back in March, “we have not seen any public progress since then.”

Martin, for his part, has since been tapped by Trump to serve as U.S. pardon attorney.

Meanwhile, the underlying FSGG spending bill put forward by the committee’s GOP majority would continue to prohibit D.C. from creating a regulated, commercial cannabis market.

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US Attorney Will Begin ‘Rigorously’ Prosecuting People For Marijuana On Federal Land After Trump DOJ Rescinds Biden-Era Guidance

A U.S. attorney’s office says it will now begin “rigorously” prosecuting people over simple possession or use of marijuana on federal lands after the Trump administration rescinded Biden-era guidance that advised against taking such legal actions.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming said in a press release on Thursday that the Justice Department “rescinded previous guidance concerning the prosecution of simple marijuana possession” in a memo to prosecutors on September 29.

“This comes after President Biden pardoned certain U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents for offenses related to simple possession, attempted possession, or use of marijuana and directed U.S. Attorney’s [sic] not to prosecute those offenses,” it said. “This significantly curtailed federal prosecutions of misdemeanor marijuana offenses.”

While Biden granted two rounds of mass pardons for people who’ve committed federal cannabis possession offenses during his term—specifically including those prosecuted for possession on federal lands during the second round—the administration didn’t publicize that any prosecutorial guidance directive had been issued, and none has previously been reported.

As far as the September 29 DOJ rescission action referenced by the U.S. attorney’s office is concerned, that memo also does not appear to be publicly available. Marijuana Moment reached out to the Justice Department for clarification, but a representative did not immediately provide the document or details about it.

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Women Who Use Marijuana At A ‘High Intensity’ Report Greater Romantic Relationship Satisfaction, New Study Finds

Women who frequently use marijuana report greater satisfaction in their romantic relationships, according to a new study. But for men, the opposite appears to be true for reasons that aren’t immediately clear.

The study from researchers at Ariel University and Achva Academic College in Israel was published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence this month.

Researchers recruited 110 couples who completed questionnaires on “cannabis use patterns, general satisfaction with relationship quality, satisfaction with the quality of sex, and perceived partner responsiveness,” the paper says.

They found that women who used marijuana at a “high intensity” experienced greater relationship satisfaction, perceiving both their own and their partner’s fulfillment higher compared to those who consumed cannabis less frequently or not at all.

Curiously, however, the study—funded in part by the Israeli Science Foundation, which receives support from the Israeli government—concluded that “men reported the opposite” experience.

The reasons that the intensity of marijuana use seems to impact romantic relationship satisfaction differently between genders warrants further research, the study authors said.

While numerous studies have examined the intersection of cannabis consumption and romantic or sexual behavior, this latest contribution is novel in part because it looked at possible dose-response effects.

“Results indicated that discrepancy in cannabis use intensity was significantly associated with lower general relationship satisfaction and lower satisfaction with the quality of sex,” the study says. “Additionally, dyadic analyses indicated that women who used cannabis at a high intensity tended to report an increase in relationship satisfaction and exhibit an increase in their own and, to some degree, their partner’s perceived partner responsiveness.”

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Florida GOP Lawmaker Files Bill To Ban Public Marijuana Smoking As Campaign Works To Put Legalization On 2026 Ballot

A pro-legalization Florida lawmaker has filed a bill to amend state law to codify that the public use of marijuana is prohibited.

Rep. Alex Andrade (R)—who has voiced support for removing cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and earned an “A” grade from NORML—introduced the public smoking and vaping legislation on Thursday.

Under the proposal, state statute on the use of tobacco in public would be revised to incorporate cannabis, making it unlawful to smoke or vape in any public space.

A public space would be defined as place “to which the public has access, including, but not limited to, streets; sidewalks; highways; public parks; public beaches; and the common areas, both inside and outside, of schools, hospitals, government buildings, apartment buildings, office buildings, lodging establishments, restaurants, transportation facilities, and retail shops.”

The legislation specifies that the prohibition on public smoking “does not apply to the smoking of unfiltered cigars.”

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Marijuana Arrests Comprised Nearly Half of All Drug-Related Arrests in Over a Dozen States in 2024

Marijuana-related arrests far outpace arrests for other drug-related violations in jurisdictions where its possession and use remain criminally prohibited under state law.

In five states (Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, and Wisconsin), more than half of all drug-related arrests reported by state and local law enforcement agencies in 2024 were cannabis-related, according to data provided by the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer.

In nine other states (Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming), 40 percent or more of all drug-related arrests were for marijuana-related violations. In the District of Columbia, where adult-use is legal but public use remains a criminal — not a civil — violation, 42 percent of all drug-related arrests were marijuana-related.

In these states, marijuana-related arrests are almost exclusively for low-level possession. In Alabama, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming more than 97 percent of all marijuana-related arrests in 2024 were for minor possession, not trafficking or sales.

By comparison, marijuana-related arrests typically comprise only a small percentage of arrests in states where personal possession has been legalized. For instance, in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Vermont, and Washington, marijuana-related arrests comprised fewer than five percent of all drug-related arrests in 2024. By contrast, marijuana-related arrests comprised over one-third of all drug-related arrests in Illinois, despite lawmakers legalizing the adult-use market in 2019.

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MAJOR FAFO: DOJ Announces Federal Charges Against 10 Anti-ICE Protestors Who Ambushed Law Enforcement During Raid on California Pot Farm

The Justice Department on Wednesday announced federal charges against 10 anti-ICE protestors who ambushed law enforcement officers during a raid on a California pot farm over the summer.

Federal agents descended on two marijuana farms in Ventura County owned Glass House Farms located in Camarillo and Carpinteria in Southern California over the summer.

According to reports, anti-ICE protestors were tipped off to the raid after federal agents obtained a search warrant on the marijuana farm.

Amid the chaos, a protestor was caught on video shooting at federal agents. No one was struck by the gunfire.

The anti-ICE rioter who fired shots at federal agents is still at large.

Per the DOJ:

Law enforcement has arrested a total of 10 defendants federally charged in three criminal complaints with engaging in violence and civil disorder against law enforcement officers and property during immigration enforcement actions in Southern California earlier this year, the Justice Department announced today.

Ten defendants are in federal custody. One defendant is in state custody and is expected to be handed over to federal authorities. One defendant is a fugitive. All 12 defendants are charged with federal crimes alleging they committed violence against law enforcement authorities and property.

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Study: Cannabidiol Alters Gene Expression Linked to Immune Response and Cell Death in Leukemia Cells

The study focused on K-562S cells, an imatinib-sensitive leukemia line, which were treated with CBD at an IC50 concentration of 17.69 μM for four and twelve hours. RNA sequencing revealed over 3,400 differentially expressed genes at both time points. Notably, CBD influenced oxidative stress pathways regulated by metallothionein genes (MT1, MT2, SLC30A2) and activated p53-dependent apoptotic markers such as TP53TG3, BBC3, CHAC1, DDIT4, NOXA1, and DAPK2.

Beyond apoptosis, CBD exposure was linked to altered immune signaling, including type I interferon activity, PI3K-Akt-mTOR regulation, and Toll-like receptor signaling—all central to leukemia progression. The compound also appeared to impact lipid metabolism and mitochondrial stability, underscoring its broad influence on cancer-related cellular processes.

The authors conclude that CBD induces sweeping transcriptional and signaling changes that could have therapeutic implications for blood cancers. While additional preclinical and clinical studies are needed, the research lays groundwork for exploring CBD as a potential precision therapy in hematological malignancies.

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Florida Court Blocks Police From Using The Smell Of Marijuana Alone To Search Vehicles

A Florida court has ruled that police cannot search a person’s vehicle based only on the smell of marijuana.

The District Court of Appeal of Florida Second District on Wednesday issued an opinion, authored by Judge Nelly Khouzam, overturning a lower court decision that upheld the “plain smell doctrine” that has long permitted cannabis odor to be used as a pretense for vehicle searches.

The policy was challenged in district court after a man had his probation revoked when police pulled over a car he was in, claimed to smell marijuana, forced the occupants to exit the vehicle to conduct a search and discovered cannabis and pills.

But while it might have made sense in the past to use cannabis odor as a pretext for a search when it was strictly prohibited, the state’s laws have “fundamentally” changed, the appellate court said, referencing the legalization of hemp and medical marijuana in Florida.

“For generations, cannabis was illegal in all forms—thereby rendering its distinct odor immediately indicative of criminal activity. But several legislative amendments over the years have fundamentally changed its definition and regulation,” it said. “The cumulative result is that cannabis is now legal to possess in multiple forms, depending on discrete characteristics such as where it was procured or its chemical concentration by weight.”

“We are obligated under well-established constitutional principles to give meaning and effect to the legislature’s significant amendments to cannabis regulation,” the opinion, first reported by News Service of Florida, said.

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