New York City

Cuomo pledges legal cannabis for Empire State in 2020 —but whither equity?

Posted on January 23rd, 2020 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , .

New YorkThe new budget just released by New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo includes his promised cannabis legalization measure. But activists in the Empire State will be watching closely to see if the proposed legislation delivers on his pledge to instate legalization in a way the corrects the social harms of prohibition.

Cannabis in hospitals: coming soon?

medical marijuanaGrowing numbers around the United States and the world are using cannabis to treat a wide spectrum of medical conditions, and legal space is widening for them to do so. So it's a particular irony that hospitals as a rule bar cannabis from their premises. More voices in the medical industry are now grappling with this dilemma.

The vape health scare: what do we know?

Posted on November 25th, 2019 by Bill Weinberg and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

vapeThis year has seen a disturbing nationwide outbreak of lung injuries, some fatal, which researchers link to vaping—either of tobacco products or cannabis concentrates. A regulatory crack-down on the vaping industry has ensued—but amid serious confusion displayed by politicians and media alike.

Giuliani associate busts uncover cannabis industry sleaze

Posted on October 16th, 2019 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

GiulianiThe arrest of a Rudolph Giuliani associate on suspicion of influence-peddling related to the cannabis industry has opened a window into the sleazy underside of the business. Sacramento's mayor has called for an investigation, and the FBI is said to be conducting its own probe. Legalization was supposed to take cannabis out of the hands of criminal networks, but the new model often looks like crony capitalism.

Advocates push workers' right to cannabis use

cannabisAdvocates increasingly assert that cannabis legalization is not fully realized unless workers are guaranteed their right to employment even if they partake of the herb off-hours. Some states are finally taking measures to rein in the use of urine-test results as an excuse to fire or turn down job applicants.

Paul Krassner, counterculture satirist and Yippie co-founder, dead at 87

Posted on July 23rd, 2019 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , .

Paul KrassnerPaul Krassner, the legendary underground-press publisher, counterculture comedian, and the man credited with naming the Yippies, died July 21 at his home in Desert Hot Springs, Calif. He was 87 years old, and still active in radical press endeavors.

New York state legalization bill dies, but decrim is expanded

Posted on June 21st, 2019 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , .

New YorkA long hoped-for cannabis legalization bill died in the New York state assembly, but reform advocates got a consolation prize as lawmakers agreed to widen decriminalization and expunge thousands of low-level marijuana convictions.

Podcast: Voices of High Mi Madre

Posted on June 18th, 2019 by Global Ganja Report and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

High Mi MadreIn Episode 35 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg interviews Emily Ramos, Pilar DeJesus and Kara Bhatti, members of the worker-owned marijuana consumer cooperative High Mi Madre, on their lobbying and activist efforts in support of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, still pending in the final countdown to the close of the current New York State legislative session. They emphasize the demand for "Day One Equity" with cannabis legalization in the Empire State—measures for reparative justice and reinvestment in the communities that had for generations been criminalized and oppressed by cannabis prohibition. Listen on SoundCloud, and support our podcast via Patreon.

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