POT TOPICS: Weed, hemp bills stacked up on Rauner’s desk; Pot IPO raises $150M
The governor is currently considering three cannabis-related bills that received strong bipartisan support in the Legislature.
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Cannabis headlines
Synthetic pot tainted with rat poison sickens hundreds, FDA issues warning
Federal health officials are warning the public about a version of synthetic marijuana laced with rat poison that’s caused uncontrolled bleeding.
Past ‘pot’ use will no longer bar you from becoming a Chicago cop
Current drug use is still grounds for disqualification, but each police applicant will be judged on a case-by-case basis to widen the candidate pool.
Canadian marijuana company Tilray has first US pot IPO
Another big first for the marijuana industry is in the books: A major Canadian pot business has completed an IPO offering in the U.S.
Sentences for bringing marijuana into Illinois are absurdly high
It is ludicrous is that bringing 5,000 or more grams of the herb into the state still carries a penitentiary sentence of 12 to 60 years.
EDITORIAL: Plummeting marijuana arrests amount to good news for Chicago
Sometimes, you have to step back to see that an important change in public policy actually has worked.
POT TOPICS: Blacks hit with most city pot arrests; Empty shelves at CA pot shops
In 2017 and the first four months of 2018, 94 people were busted in Chicago for petty marijuana possession. Seventy-six of them were black.
Oregon’s medical marijuana program admits to problems
Ineffective oversight of the state’s legal medical marijuana industry has created opportunities for weed to be diverted to the black market.
California pot shops scramble to refill stash under new regulations
Retailers hustled to sell old cannabis at fire sale prices, then swept the leftovers off their shelves and dumped them in the trash.
Marijuana arrests in Chicago plummet, but blacks are ‘vast majority’ of cases
THE WATCHDOGS: Decriminalizing possessing small amounts of weed has meant huge drop in arrests, tickets. Blacks are still disproportionately targeted.
New ways to conquer sleep apnea compete for place in bedroom
Products to help those with sleep apnea are vying for a place in bedrooms, and range from $350 to $24,000.
Epilepsy community ‘ecstatic’ after FDA approves first cannabis-based drug
Ayesha Akhtar, the director of education at the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, said the drug creates a “sea change” for epilepsy treatment.
Oklahoma gets pushback ahead of fast-tracking medical marijuana
Oklahoma pushed ahead with emergency rules Tuesday aimed at fast-tracking operations of the medical marijuana industry.
POT TOPICS: Opioid replacement bill sent to Rauner; Vermont legalizes weed
A bill that would give people prescribed opioids the option to use medical pot was sent to Rauner’s desk, but it’s unclear whether he’ll sign it.
Surge in black market California pot shops undercuts legal market
There was concern that California’s legal marijuana market would be undercut by the huge black market that’s existed for decades.
