marijuana decriminalization
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OK Boomer: Joe Biden Says Marijuana Is a Gateway Drug, and He Won’t Legalize It
Joe Biden is a boomer. Let me preface this by saying not all boomers are annoyingly out of touch. There are some boomers who completely understand why marijuana should be legal at the federal level. Those same boomers understand that cannabis is not the gateway drug the pharmaceutical lobby people want you to believe it…
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Additive in Marijuana Vaping Products Linked to Mysterious — and Sometimes Deadly — Lung Illness
A mysterious and sometimes deadly lung illness linked to vaping may be tied to vitamin E additives in some marijuana products, federal authorities say. Health officials across the country have been sounding an alarm about a rapid rise in serious lung disease among people who vape. Testing by the Food and Drug Administration found vitamin…
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Kamala Harris Is Seeking to Decriminalize Cannabis at the Federal Level
Although 35 states in the union plus the District of Columbia have either legalized, decriminalized or made cannabis accessible for medicinal purposes, it is still illegal at the federal level. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is seeking to change that by introducing a bill that would decriminalize the possession of cannabis overall. As Vox reports, the…
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They’ll Pass: Baltimore Courts Deny Mosby’s Attempt to Throw Out Some 5,000 Marijuana Convictions
Puff, puff — hard pass: A pair of Baltimore city judges have denied Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s request to throw out some 5,000 marijuana convictions. In a ruling Friday, Baltimore District Court Judge Kathleen Sweeney said Mosby had failed to show what “disparate impact” said convictions had on those found guilty. The judge…
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Hip-Hop Legend Fab 5 Freddy Confronts America's Complicated History With Marijuana in New Documentary, Grass Is Greener
Our country has a rather complicated relationship with cannabis. Since the 1900s, its role in shaping American society has been much bigger than most of us even realize. From the preservation of antiquated drug laws that are disproportionally applied in order to maintain prison quotas, to anti-marijuana propaganda being disseminated to the public, to discriminatory…
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Go Green but Buy Black: 10 Black-Owned Cannabis Companies For 4/20
It’s 4/20, so you know what that means! (Just in case my mother is reading this, April 20th is a day that we recreate the time God Facetimed Moses via a burning bush.) And to celebrate this holy day, we have provided a list of 10 black-owned cannabis dispensaries where you can buy your supplies…
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NYC Council Votes to Bar Companies From Testing Job Applicants for Marijuana
In what’s being called a groundbreaking measure, New York City’s City Council has passed a bill banning most companies from testing job applicants for marijuana. The bill, which was approved by the Council April 9, awaits signature by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who, according to the New York Times, supports the measure. The change would…
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Prosecutor Kim Foxx to Expunge Marijuana Convictions in Chicago
It’s not exactly a secret that black folks are disproportionately affected by marijuana convictions. But Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx has big plans to right an egregious wrong. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Foxx has big plans to erase the pot-related charges of thousands of Chicago residents. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said she is…
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Top Prosecutor in Brooklyn Wants to Decriminalize Prostitution
The chief prosecutor of New York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is backing an effort to decriminalize prostitution, arrests for which, according to a state senator advocating for the change, disproportionately impact black women. “I believe in decriminalization,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said during a “decriminalizing queerness” forum sponsored by the Lambda Independent Democrats…
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Marijuana Is One Step Closer to Being Legal in the State of New Jersey
Looks like there may be an entirely new meaning to New Jersey’s nickname as “The Garden State.” Lawmakers voted Monday to advance bills that would legalize marijuana in the state and expunge prior convictions related to marijuana. The New Jersey Assembly Appropriations Committee and the state Senate Judiciary Committee both voted on their own versions…