Month: January 2024

For nearly 17 years, the federal government has been after Charles Lynch for running a medical marijuana dispensary.

Prosecutors refused to drop their criminal case against him even as marijuana became fully legal in California and 23 other states. They refused to let it go when Congress forbade the Department of Justice from using its funds to criminally prosecute medical marijuana activities that were consistent with state law.

Prosecutors have pursued Lynch’s case — which involves conflicting state and federal marijuana laws — through appeals and delays and criticisms that they were spending too many resources on a case that meant so little.

“Twenty-five percent of my life,” Lynch, now 61, said in a Southern drawl at a hearing in downtown Los Angeles this month.

When federal authorities launched their probe in 2007, George W. Bush was in the White House and Lynch was a respected businessman in Morro Bay with a three-bedroom ranch-style house in nearby Arroyo Grande.

These days, he struggles financially, lives in a single-wide trailer on his mom’s property in New Mexico and strains to remember the details of the marijuana operation that got him in so much trouble.

“I’ve lost track,” he testified at the hearing as his mother looked on.

Lynch

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For nearly 17 years, the federal government has been after Charles Lynch for running a medical marijuana dispensary.

Prosecutors refused to drop their criminal case against him even as marijuana became fully legal in California and 23 other states. They refused to let it go when Congress forbade the Department of Justice from using its funds to criminally prosecute medical marijuana activities that were consistent with state law.

Prosecutors have pursued Lynch’s case — which involves conflicting state and federal marijuana laws — through appeals and delays and criticisms that they were spending too many resources on a case that meant so little.

“Twenty-five percent of my life,” Lynch, now 61, said in a Southern drawl at a hearing in downtown Los Angeles this month.

When federal authorities launched their probe in 2007, George W. Bush was in the White House and Lynch was a respected businessman in Morro Bay with a three-bedroom ranch-style house in nearby Arroyo Grande.

These days, he struggles financially, lives in a single-wide trailer on his mom’s property in New Mexico and strains to remember the details of the marijuana operation that got him in so much trouble.

“I’ve lost track,” he testified at the hearing, as his mother looked

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Rensselaer Police are investigating a burglary at the Stage One Dispensary on Broadway. The staff is trying to determine if anything was taken from the Broadway cannabis shop.

H. Rose Schneider / Times Union

A broken window was being boarded up at 420 Bliss off Hoosick Road in Brunswick after the shop was broken into, owner Al Attoh said.

H. Rose Schneider / Times Union

Rensselaer Police are investigating a burglary at the Stage One Dispensary on Broadway. The staff is trying to determine if anything was taken from the Broadway cannabis shop.

H. Rose Schneider / Times Union

Rensselaer Police are investigating a burglary at the Stage One Dispensary on Broadway. The staff is trying to determine if anything was taken from the Broadway cannabis shop.

H. Rose Schneider / Times Union

Rensselaer Police are investigating a burglary at the Stage One Dispensary on Broadway. The staff is trying to determine if anything was taken from the Broadway cannabis shop.

H. Rose Schneider / Times Union

Rensselaer Police are investigating a burglary at the Stage One Dispensary on Broadway. The staff is trying to determine if anything was taken from the Broadway cannabis shop.

H. Rose Schneider / Times Union

Rensselaer Police are investigating a burglary at the Stage One Dispensary

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Twelve Senate Democrats this week called on the Biden Administration to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in a letter to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), according to an NBC News report. Cannabis has been considered a Schedule I substance, since 1971

“The case for removing marijuana from Schedule I is overwhelming,” the letter argues. “The DEA should do so by removing cannabis from the CSA altogether, rather than simply placing it in a lower schedule.”

The senators’ call for the complete removal of cannabis from the federal drug schedule comes following a recommendation by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) that cannabis be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA. The DEA has since argued that it should have the final say regarding the federal status of cannabis.

The letter, led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and John Fetterman (D-PA), carries the signatures of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and nine other senators.

“The Biden Administration has a window of opportunity to deschedule marijuana that has not existed in decades and should reach the right conclusion — consistent with the clear scientific and public health rationale for removing marijuana from

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Ohio cannabis regulators this week released the draft rules for the state’s adult-use cannabis industry that was approved by voters last year. Officials are also asking for public feedback on the proposed rules, which outline application costs and detail the state’s plan for a lottery-based licensing system.

Under the proposed rules, medical cannabis retailers would be able to apply for a dual-use license — which enables serving both the medical and adult-use cannabis markets — at no additional cost. Meanwhile, vertically integrated companies in the state including Level 2 and Level 1 cultivators would be granted respectively either one or three retail licenses. Applications for new dispensaries in the state will cost $5,000 for either an adult-use or dual-use license. License renewals would be priced at $200,000 for Level 1 cultivators, $50,000 for cannabis processors, and $20,000 for Level 2 cultivators and cannabis testing labs.

Officials also confirmed their intent to hold an application period “for which preference shall be given to applicants certified as cannabis social equity and jobs program participants,” which was a requirement of the legalization initiative passed overwhelmingly by voters last year.

Notably, cannabis dispensaries in the state will be required to maintain a one-mile buffer

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Four applicants with premises within Commu­nity Board 1 will appear on February 6 before the Executive Board to discuss their application for cannabis adult-use retail dispensary license. They are:

Zaza Country Inc., 49-25 B 20th Avenue, zip 11370

Hazy Days Inc., 49-25 C 20th Avenue, zip 11370

Bad Boutiques Inc., 49-25 A 20th Avenue, zip 11370

Dank Spot Inc., 49-25 D 20th Avenue, zip 11370

The State Cannabis Control Board was sched­uled to meet on January 24 to consider proposed regulations for homegrown cannabis, as well as a number of retail license applications, but the meet­ing was canceled, according to a January 24 report in the Albany Times-Union.

The Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act al­lows New Yorkers 21 years of age and older to grow up to six cannabis plants at home for personal use (three mature plants and three immature plants) and a maximum of twelve plants per household (six mature plants and six immature plants). Home cul­tivation of cannabis, however, is not permitted until after the Office of Cannabis Management has is­sued final regulations governing home growing.

The draft rules require cannabis plants be placed in a secure location that is not plainly in public view so

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HOBOKEN, NJ — A medical marijuana dispensary that opened near the Hoboken train station in November will offer cannabis for recreational use starting next week, they announced Tuesday night.

Terrapin Hoboken, otherwise known as The Station, wrote, “We are thrilled to announce that we’ll be opening our doors for recreational on February 5th! See you soon!”

The large dispensary opened two blocks from the train terminal in November for medical use, and was awaiting local approvals for recreational sales. It will be the first recreational cannabis dispensary in the mile-square city.

The Station is owned by Joe Castelo, who also owns the stately building in which it’s located, 86 River St. He also owns Sweven, Antique Bakery, and other local businesses.

Find out more about The Station here.

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HOBOKEN, NJ — A medical marijuana dispensary that opened near the Hoboken train station in November will offer cannabis for recreational use starting next week, they announced Tuesday night.

Terrapin Hoboken, otherwise known as The Station, wrote, “We are thrilled to announce that we’ll be opening our doors for recreational on February 5th! See you soon!”

The large dispensary opened two blocks from the train terminal in November for medical use, and was awaiting local approvals for recreational sales. It will be the first recreational cannabis dispensary in the mile-square city.

The Station is owned by Joe Castelo, who also owns the stately building in which it’s located, 86 River St. He also owns Sweven, Antique Bakery, and other local businesses.

Find out more about The Station here.

Read More Here...

Table of Contents

Every election cycle, we grade the many of the presidential candidates based on their track record with cannabis (here’s our summary of 2020’s main candidates). We kicked off 2024 with our analysis of incumbent President Joe Biden (Grade C), and followed up with Republican challenger Ron DeSantis (Grade C+), who recently dropped out of the race and endorsed Donald Trump. Most recently, we covered Nikki Haley (Grade B-), another longshot challenger who is still around.

Today, I want to do something a little unusual and look at an independent candidate, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. RFK Jr. initially got in the race as a primary challenger to President Biden, but dropped out of the Democratic race in October to run as an independent.

Overall Grade: A-

RFK Jr. was a long-shot candidate from the start, as evidenced by his leaving the Democratic race in favor of an independent race. But when it comes to cannabis, is more willing to entertain massive overhauls to federal cannabis laws than Biden or Trump (almost guaranteed to be the Republican nominee). For that reason, I’m giving RFK. Jr. an A- on the cannabis scale. Here’s why:

RFK Jr.’s

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2024 Albany State of the City Address 2 hours

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