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:
Santa Cruz Dispensary Self Defense
#californiacannabis – “In Santa Cruz in particular, dispensary robberies have become a shockingly common crime. Back in March, a cultivation facility was robbed by another team of thieves with multiple vehicles. The thieves stole in total over half a million dollars worth of products in a timeframe of less than 15 minutes and took the stolen goods to multiple separate locations. Only days later, a dispensary in the Harvey Park West area of Santa Cruz was similarly robbed. Dispensary owners in the area are aware of an organized ring of thieves going around targeting the influx of cannabis businesses in Santa Cruz. Because these gangs of thieves are usually masked and use either stolen vehicles or license plates, law enforcement has an incredibly difficult time tracking them.
However, just last month, one Santa Cruz dispensary owner decided not to take a business robbery lying down, and is now facing serious felony charges because of it. On a quiet November night, eight different thieves broke into the Santa Cruz cultivation facility called Decibel Gardens. While the alarm systems were triggered and the store’s owner, Derek Hubbard, was alerted of the break-in, Santa Cruz police officers didn’t arrive at the scene of the 4:30 AM breakin before Hubbard himself did. For context, this wasn’t close to the first burglary the business owner had to deal with, and Hubbard responded to this most recent break-in via a way that few cannabis business owners will respond to a dispensary robbery until Texas legalizes cannabis….”
Read More: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/santa-cruz-dispensary-self-defense-5439188/
Nevadans Can Now Buy More Cannabis in One Purchase
Maine authorities charge 5 in illicit marijuana grow crackdowns
#cannabisindustry – “Maine is cracking down on unlicensed marijuana operators, charging five individuals in two separate investigations in the past week.
In the most recent instance, Maine State Police on Tuesday responded to a community complaint about two homes in Belgrade, according to the Bangor Daily News….”
Read More: https://mjbizdaily.com/maine-authorities-charge-5-in-illicit-marijuana-grow-crackdowns/
DEA Tells Congress It Has ‘Final Authority’ On Marijuana, Regardless Of Health Agency’s Schedule III Recommendation
#cannabispolitics – “The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is telling lawmakers that it reserves “the final authority” to make any scheduling decision on marijuana following an ongoing review, regardless of what the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends.
In a letter sent to Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chair Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), DEA Acting Chief of the Office of Congressional Affairs Michael Miller gave a general overview of the scheduling review process that was initiated under a directive from President Joe Biden in October 2022.
That started with a scientific assessment from HHS that reportedly advised DEA to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Once HHS made its recommendation in August, “DEA conducts its own review,” the letter, sent last month and first reported by Punchbowl News, says….”
Blumenauer Unveils Cannabis Progress Memo Ahead of Final Year in Elected Office
#cannabispolitics – “Today, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, released a year-end progress memorandum on cannabis reform in 2023. Blumenauer also outlined his priorities for his final year in elected office, which include passing the SAFE(R) Banking Act and the Veterans Safe Harbor Equal Access Amendment and the full descheduling of marijuana.
“As my 50th year in cannabis reform comes to a close, I want to reflect on our progress and share my optimism at the cannabis reforms that are possible because of the ongoing work to create a more rational, just path forward,” Blumenauer wrote.
“Despite dysfunction in Congress, we can accomplish significant reforms in cannabis in 2024. It
is a commonsense issue that can bring people together rather than divide them. In my final year in Congress, and then in the talented hands of the 119th Congress Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs, we will take bold action to end the failed war on drugs once and for all,” Blumenauer continued….”
Study: Cannabis can make workouts more fun, but it’s no performance-enhancer
#cannabisresearch – “A bit of weed before a workout can boost motivation and make exercise more enjoyable. But if performance is the goal, it may be best to skip that joint.
That’s the takeaway of the first ever study to examine how legal, commercially available cannabis shapes how exercise feels.
The study of 42 runners, published Dec. 26 in the journal Sports Medicine, comes almost exactly 10 years after Colorado became the first state to commence legal sales of recreational marijuana, at a time when cannabis-users increasingly report mixing it with workouts.
“The bottom-line finding is that cannabis before exercise seems to increase positive mood and enjoyment during exercise, whether you use THC or CBD. But THC products specifically may make exercise feel more effortful,” said first author Laurel Gibson, a research fellow with CU’s Center for Health and Addiction: Neuroscience, Genes and Environment (CU Change).
The findings, and previous research by the team, seem to defy long-held stereotypes that associate cannabis with “couch-lock” and instead raise an intriguing question: Could the plant play a role in getting people moving?
“We have an epidemic of sedentary lifestyle in this country, and we need new tools to try to get people to move their bodies in ways that are enjoyable,” said senior author Angela Bryan, a professor of psychology and neuroscience and co-director of CU Change. “If cannabis is one of those tools, we need to explore it, keeping in mind both the harms and the benefits.””
CANNABIS ENFORCEMENT: HOW WILL THE MURDER OF AN OAKLAND POLICE OFFICER CHANGE IT?
#californiacannabis – “The California cannabis industry is still in shock from the death of an Oakland Police officer last Friday.
Officer Tuan Le was part of an overnight operation targeting the frequent break-ins facing Oakland on a nightly basis, many of them targeting the cannabis industry. The task force was responding to the second break-in of the night at the same distributor. That was three hours after they had cleared it following the initial robbery. While exiting the dispensary, the robbers opened fire on the unmarked police car Le was in with his partner. Le was hit, and fellow officers put him in the back of another police vehicle and rushed him to Highland Hospital. He died a few hours later.
The California cannabis industry had grown accustomed to waking up to the news of who had been hit overnight with separate crews targeting it all over the state. But the news of a police officer losing his life in the line of duty while responding to a robbery at a dispensary hit like a shockwave. Especially, given the industry’s hopes for more protection, we posted an article on the subject the morning Le was killed. He died doing exactly what we called for in the piece, real cannabis enforcement actually targeting those targeting the industry….”
UFC Removes Cannabis from Banned Substances List in New Policy
#cannabis – “The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced the details of its new Anti-Doping Policy, which took effect for all UFC athletes beginning Dec. 31, 2023, and with it comes a progressive stance on cannabis, reflecting a larger trend of reviewing cannabis policy and bans in sports.
The UFC announced that it will remove cannabis from its banned substances list, mirroring a larger shift in the world of sports and cannabis use.
The ruling comes after the UFC’s 2021 decision that cannabis would no longer be penalized for testing positive for THC. The policy deemed that positive tests for carboxy-THC, a THC metabolite, would no longer be considered a violation “unless additional evidence exists that an athlete used it intentionally for performance-enhancing purposes.”
According to a statement from UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell, the newest iteration of the program raises “the bar for health and safety in combat sports.””
Read More: https://hightimes.com/sports/ufc-removes-cannabis-from-banned-substances-list-in-new-policy/