Global Ganja Report

New York City’s Empire Cannabis Clubs has been pushing the proverbial envelope on the possibilities for unlicensed dispensaries that still comply with the law. But raids on two of their Manhattan locations may provide a test case for the viability of this model.

Dasheeda Dawson is “excited to be back home.”

After a long sojourn as a cannabis patient, advocate and entrepreneur in other states, the Brooklyn native is in her home town as New York City’s first cannabis czar—officially, director of Cannabis NYC, a new office created by Mayor Eric Adams.

There is grim news from California, where cannabis industry profits are dropping, robberies of dispensaries are soaring, and police raids on unlicensed growers continue in the Emerald Triangle. Can the seeming slip back into pre-legalization dystopia be arrested?
 

In a paradox, New York authorities are finally unleashing the long-anticipated crackdown on the state’s legion and proliferating unlicensed cannabis retailers—while the licensing program continues to be slowed by obstacles, including legal challenges.

With the failure of Democratic Gov. John Carney to either sign or veto two bills on his desk, Delaware became the latest state to legalize cannabis on April 22. Carney allowed House Bill 1 and House Bill 2 to become law without his signature.

Rights for medicinal cannabis users in the workplace have not kept pace with the law in states that have embraced medical and even “recreational” use. Now a case in Vermont may push state and federal authorities alike to close the loopholes that allow workers to be dismissed—and denied unemployment insurance—for using state-legal medicine.

Small producers have long been wary of the cannabis industry coming under domination by multi-state operators with the worst practices of corporate America. But the revelations of Russian oligarch money in the coffers of leading MSO Curaleaf appear to vindicate even the most cynical observers. These follow a slew of controversies concerning product safety and labor rights at the company.

David Crosby, a giant of California's 1960s folk-rock scene and leading light of the Woodstock generation, died Jan. 19 at the age of 81. To the end, he was an unapologetic advocate of cannabis legalization, serving as a member of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML).