In the days of the Armada, a fleet of warships, the scuttlebutt was the rumor or gossip that would spread throughout the ship. Today, Armada Law Corp presents The Scuttlebutt, a daily summery of news articles that people within the cannabis, hemp and plant medicine industries are chatting about along with links to the full articles.
In today’s news:
Calif. agency warns some legal cannabis products could be ‘adulterated’
#californiacannabis – “A spokesperson for the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) confirmed the embargo to SFGATE, saying the products are suspected of being dangerous to consume. The Nov. 9 letter references a California legal code, which explains products that are suspected of being “adulterated” may contain “poisonous or deleterious” substances. The DCC declined to provide any more information regarding the embargo.
“DCC is currently investigating the facts and circumstances related to these products to determine the appropriate next steps, including whether a recall is necessary,” said David Hafner, a spokesperson for the agency, in an email to SFGATE.”
Read More: https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/calif-agency-warns-legal-cannabis-products-18499796.php
Kern district attorney targets landlords of illegal pot shops
#californiacannabis – “Sheriff’s deputies go in with search warrants one day, arresting employees and seizing cannabis, psychoactive mushrooms, cash and firearms, she said. Then the shop reopens, sometimes the same day, typically in the same storefront.
Zimmer’s trying something different lately. Her office now goes after landlords who rent to illegal cannabis dispensaries, in civil court instead of criminal, pursuing penalties of $2,500 per day the shop operates.
The strategy is new to Kern but not unique in California, where it’s seen as a way to enlist landlords who may not be aware of their tenants’ illegal operation. Prosecutors save time and money, even as landlords sometimes have trouble evicting criminal tenants and, in some cases, the shop ends up relocating a few blocks away.
So far, Zimmer’s civil division, normally focused on consumer fraud and the like, has filed seven lawsuits against commercial property owners. She said one case led to a $2 million judgment against the landlord….”
Democrats Seek Updated Federal Financial Rules for Cannabis Business Owners With Weed Convictions
#cannabispolitics – “A group of Democratic lawmakers has written a letter to federal financial regulators calling on them to update rules that hinder cannabis business owners with past convictions for marijuana-related crimes. In the letter to the Treasury Department, 20 Democratic Senators and members of the House of Representatives wrote that the proposed change “would be an important step to promote fairness in the provision of financial services to marijuana businesses that participate in state-sanctioned marijuana activity.”
Under current guidance from the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) first issued in 2014, banks and credit unions are asked to consider a business owner’s past marijuana-related convictions as “red flags” that could affect the business’s eligibility for loans and other financial services. The guidance does not include exceptions for businesses that are operating in compliance with state law in states that have legalized cannabis.
In their letter dated November 14, the Democratic lawmakers say the federal guidance is unfair and fails to account for the legalization of cannabis at the state level. They note that the policy could cause a business operated by someone with a marijuana possession conviction to be ineligible for financing, despite efforts in some states to expunge past convictions…..”