Category: Marijuana News

A network of community groups involved in advocating for historic reforms that abolished cash bail in Illinois this year have partnered with a cannabis company to provide care packages to people being released from Cook County Jail this week.

The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice said it raised thousands of dollars from individual donations and apparel sales to create the care packages for people as they are released from the jail while their criminal cases are pending.

Members of the network include prominent groups that advocated for the end of cash bail, including Restore Justice, TASC, chapters of the League of Women Voters and YWCA, and several drug policy reform organizations, including Clergy for a New Drug Policy and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

The care packages contain toiletries, gift cards to a grocery store and information about the rights of criminal defendants, including those under the Pretrial Fairness Act, which went into effect in September and established new processes for determining if a person should be detained or released with conditions ahead of trial. 

They are packed into duffle bags that are co-branded with the network’s logo and Chicago rapper Vic Mensa’s cannabis company, 93 Boyz, whose products are sold at

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When: Manheim Central school board meeting, Nov. 13.

What happened: In an 8-1 vote, the board agreed to add Penn Medicine HealthWorks as an optional care provider for employee health insurance beginning in January. School board member Jennifer Walker cast the dissenting vote. She said she likes the concept but is not sure employees would switch from their current physicians.

Why it matters: HealthWorks would not replace the current health insurance but would be an additional option to employees enrolled in the health plan.

Background: Bryan Howett, chief financial officer, said the district has a self-funded preferred provider organization health plan that functions like a regular health care plan. There is a network of general practitioners and specialists that employees can choose from. The district offers family coverage for health insurance to qualifying employees, and employees contribute to the cost of health insurance.

Details: Keith Fox, LG Health employer relations and strategic growth director, said HealthWorks is a network of primary care providers that’s membership-based. He said there are now nine HealthWorks clinics throughout the county including four HealthWorks clinics in the Manheim-Lititz area. Members enrolled in the

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Valletta New British Dispensary, 109/110, St John Street; Ħamrun Brown’s Pharmacy, 706, St Joseph High Road; Qormi Brown’s Pharmacy, 278, Victory Street; Birkirkara The Local Dispensary, Kan. K. Pirotta Street; Ġżira Tony’s Pharmacy, 100, Sir Patrick Stuart Street; Paċeville Potter Chemists Ltd, Wilga Street; Sliema Drug Store, Anglo Maltese Dispensary Ltd, 382, Manwel Dimech Street; Naxxar Whites Pharmacy, No. 3, E. M. Bajada Building, Labour Avenue; Balzan Medica Pharmacy, Naxxar Road; St Paul’s Bay Health & Co. Pharmacy, Erba’ Mwieżeb Street; Paola Distinction Pharmacy, 32, Pjazza Antoine De Paule; Vittoriosa Milia’s Pharmacy, Cottonera Street; Marsascala San Ġwakkin Pharmacy, 1 St Anne Street; Żejtun Gerada Pharmacy, 146, Mater Boni Consilii Street; Żurrieq Bronja Pharmacy, Sonata, Bronja Street; Msida Deby’s Pharmacy, 1, Misraħ il-Barrieri; Dingli Santa Marija Pharmacy, Misraħ Frenċ Abela;

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Malta International Airport: The 8 Till Late Pharmacy is open every day from 8am to 10pm.

Gozo

Victoria Castle Pharmacy, 2, Misraħ Indipendenza; Għajnsielem Lauretana Pharmacy, 36, Mgarr Road

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BATH — Soft Corner Midwifery, 94 Richardson St., has opened the third outpatient donor milk dispensary in Maine in partnership with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast.

Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast collects milk from parents who have more milk than their babies need; screens, pasteurizes and tests the milk; then dispenses it to babies whose parents do not have enough milk for them. Milk donor screening, modeled after blood donor screening, includes health history, physician or midwife approval, and a blood test.

Milk from donors who pass the screening is also pasteurized and tested by an independent lab to ensure safety before being dispensed to hospitals, dispensaries or families.

By opening a donor milk dispensary, Soft Corner Midwifery is on the leading edge of organizations providing access to donor milk in the community. The importance of providing human milk for the health of birthing people and infants is well-established, with all major medical and public health organizations endorsing chest/breastfeeding. Use of donor milk supports this in the long run, according to a news release from Kate Kaplan with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast.

When a baby requires supplementation in the early days after birth, research shows that families tend to view donor milk

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BATH — Soft Corner Midwifery, 94 Richardson St., has opened the third outpatient donor milk dispensary in Maine in partnership with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast.

Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast collects milk from parents who have more milk than their babies need; screens, pasteurizes and tests the milk; then dispenses it to babies whose parents do not have enough milk for them. Milk donor screening, modeled after blood donor screening, includes health history, physician or midwife approval, and a blood test.

Milk from donors who pass the screening is also pasteurized and tested by an independent lab to ensure safety before being dispensed to hospitals, dispensaries or families.

By opening a donor milk dispensary, Soft Corner Midwifery is on the leading edge of organizations providing access to donor milk in the community. The importance of providing human milk for the health of birthing people and infants is well-established, with all major medical and public health organizations endorsing chest/breastfeeding. Use of donor milk supports this in the long run, according to a news release from Kate Kaplan with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast.

When a baby requires supplementation in the early days after birth, research shows that families tend to view donor milk

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Nyenye-Misori dispensary’s maternity wing. [Isaiah Gwengi, Standard].

When Nyenye-Misori dispensary was built more than a decade ago, residents of Anyanga, Uhanya, and Nyenye beaches breathed a sigh of relief.

They believed that the dispensary would save them from walking long distances to seek health services.

Today, despite increased demand for healthcare, the facility is in a sorry state and can barely deliver services to residents. 

Residents claim that the facility lacks essential drugs and is struggling with poor sanitation with some of the rooms infested with bats and rodents.

Collins Andiki has urged Governor Jame Orengo to move with speed and save the facility from collapsing.

“It is very sad that despite raising these issues several times, nothing is being done to address them. We want a proper audit of the situation at the facility,” said Andiki.

He wants the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) and the Department of Physical Planning to assess the status of the facility.

When The Saturday Standard visited the dispensary last week, a nauseating smell was emanating from the single toilet that serves the facility. The toilet is full and is yet to be drained.

“This is a health hazard and we fear

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WEST WENDOVER, Nevada — Business appears to be doing well at West Wendover’s lone cannabis dispensary.

“We get them from all over the place,” said Janie Carder, the retail manager at Deep Roots Harvest. “Idaho, Nevada, Utah. They like to come visit from all over.”

Recreational cannabis sales have been legal in Nevada since 2016. Deep Roots Harvest opened its doors in West Wendover in 2019. As city leaders considered approving a dispensary, there were some concerns among the community as the city’s former mayor pushed for it as a way to diversify West Wendover’s economy.

Mayor Jasie Holm, who voted to support the dispensary when she was a council member, said it has been a good decision to allow it in the casino border town.

“I really think it’s gone great. I haven’t heard that many complaints about it,” she told FOX 13 News. “Occasionally about the smell of cannabis… but I’ve never heard anything really bad about it. They are good community partners.”

Economically speaking, it has been an economic benefit to West Wendover. Nevada collects an excise tax on cannabis (wholesale and retail operations) that generated $133 million last year. Nevada’s Department of Taxation reported $848 million in taxable sales

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A little sales tax on the buds or gummies you buy at the neighborhood cannabis dispensary is one thing.

But another tax? And another?

Various state and local sales taxes lumped onto your recreational marijuana purchase can add upwards of 20% to the cost of legalized Missouri weed.

The state cannabis trade association, which is backing dispensaries’ legal action over the stacked taxes, calls the compiling marijuana surcharges an “unconstitutional money grab” by city councils and county commissions.

“Today’s lawsuit should eventually put an end to Missouri adult use marijuana customers having to pay stacked local taxes, which violate the Missouri Constitution and the will of the voters,” said Andrew Mullins, the executive director of MoCann Trade, when lawsuits were filed in mid-October. “We are proud to work with our industry partners to stand up for Missouri cannabis customers against this unconstitutional money grab.”

In November 2022, Missourians approved legalizing recreational marijuana. Since then, the state has grappled with regulating a new industry as cities, counties and the state tussle with one another over how much each can get from dispensary sales.

Since recreational sales began in February, Missourians have spent an average of $92 million a month on weed. That means the 6% state

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DeKALB – Jessica Beatrice said she was excited to learn that Excelleaf was planning to have a soft opening Friday.

So much so, that the DeKalb resident stood first in line waiting for staff at the marijuana dispensary to open its doors.

“Up until now, I had to drive up to North Aurora, which is like 45 minutes away,” Beatrice said. “It’s like five minutes now.”

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One of the Excelleaf owners Maria Davis (middle) and budtender Jamie Cardenaz help customer Steve Guadagnoli, 79, of DeKalb, Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, during the soft opening of the dispensary in DeKalb. The business is DeKalb County’s first recreational marijuana dispensary. (Mark Busch)

Excelleaf, 305 E. Locust Street, has a grand opening planned for Dec. 1 at 9 a.m. It will feature food trucks, a live DJ, specials and discounts.

“We’re excited to be here, to be the first dispensary in DeKalb and for this to be our first store,” said Nakia McAdoo, a founding

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Marijuana regulators in California and New York are encouraging people to take advantage of Black Friday deals and support small businesses by shopping for cannabis at licensed retailers.

As companies promote savings on the post-Thanksgiving sales occasion, both the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) and the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) shared posts on Friday to help people find marijuana from authorized venders.

“Don’t follow the hordes of shoppers today!” California’s DCC said. “This Friday shop smart, shop licensed cannabis.”

Don’t follow the hordes of shoppers today!

This Friday shop smart, shop licensed cannabis.

To find your nearest licensed retailer please visit: https://t.co/g5JtTDFO2f pic.twitter.com/H5ONXxHUPp

— CA Department of Cannabis Control (@CAcannabisdept) November 24, 2023

The New York OCM, meanwhile, shared a video of Empire State Development Commissioner Hope Knight, who also serves on the state Cannabis Control Board (CCB), urging consumers to support small and local businesses this weekend to “sustain jobs and generate regional economic growth.” That same sentiment applies to the marijuana market, regulators said.

“While you grab some #BlackFriday deals, take a note from #NYCCB member, Hope Knight and support #SmallBusinessSaturdays at one of your local dispensaries,” they said.

While

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