mandatory minimums

Peter Gorman, naturalist and legend of cannabis journalism, passes on

Peter GormanPeter Gorman, the acclaimed journalist, naturalist and adventurer who aggressively covered cannabis and the drug war beat for over 30 years, died at his home in Texas on April 24 at the age of 71. He had just returned from a long-planned river journey into a remote area of the Peruvian Amazon that he had first visited in 1984, and where he first encountered the psychoactive shamanic substances that would define much of his life's work.

Atlanta rapper faces sentencing on federal cannabis 'conspiracy' charge

Posted on January 13th, 2022 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , .

raloAtlanta rapper Terrell Davis, better known by his stage-name Ralo, has been held for nearly four years on a federal cannabis “conspiracy” charge, and finally faces sentencing in March. He is potentially looking at up to 20 years in prison. Top names in the rap industry are mobilizing to plead for clemency in his case.

Sister Somayah Kambui: early visionary of cannabis equity

Posted on February 4th, 2020 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

Sister SomayahToday equity is a watchword in the cannabis legalization movement, with state and local governments intentionally crafting models for an adult-use market designed to correct the social harms of prohibition and the war on drugs. But this consciousness is due to the work of many who pushed the issue long before doing so was entirely socially acceptable. Sister Somayah Kambui, a veteran Black Panther turned cannabis advocate, was one of those. And before her untimely death, she won  a groundbreaking "jury nullification" victory, upholding her right to provide cannabis to treat sickle-cell anemia.

Jay-Z brings suit against Mississippi on behalf of prison inmates

Posted on January 21st, 2020 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , .

Jay-ZAmid a bloody prison uprising in Mississippi, hip-hop superstar Jay Z has launched suit against state authorities on behalf of inmates at the violence-plagued penitentiary. Mississippi has some of the harshest cannabis laws in the country, and pot convictions are big factor contributing to the dire crisis of overcrowding and brutality in the state's lock-ups.

MLK and marijuana: making the connection

Posted on January 15th, 2020 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

MLKMartin Luther King Jr never spoke about cannabis, but his life and works have much to say about the fight for legalization, and against the "New Jim Crow" of the war on drugs. 

Legendary Emerald Triangle freedom fighter BE Smith passes on

BE SmithThe Emerald Triangle mourns the passing of BE Smith, the legendary Trinity County grower who did time in federal prison for openly cultivating cannabis under California's medical marijuana law—throwing down the proverbial gauntlet to Washington DC from his mountain homestead. His bold action put the Justice Department on the spot, and helped prompt a change in federal policy.

'Day One Equity' drives New York legalization effort

Posted on March 5th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , .

New YorkWith rival cannabis legalization bills now pending in Albany, New York state activists are demanding "Day One Equity"—legislation consciously crafted to correct the injustices of the War on Drugs. Advocates and politicians came together to give voice to this demand at a recent forum on Manhattan's Lower East Side.

British Columbia high court deals blow to mandatory minimums

Posted on December 29th, 2017 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , .

CanadaThe Appeal Court of British Columbia, the province's highest, on Dec. 28 upheld a lower court ruling that the minimum two-year prison term for marijuana possession "for purpose of trafficking" under Canada's Controlled Drugs & Substances Act is unconstitutional. Justice Sunni Stromberg-Stein dismissed the Crown's appeal of a 10-month sentence imposed when Phillip Francis McGee pleaded guilty after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided his home in Surrey.

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