By Samantha Wahl
Following important cannabis news articles every day can be a real burn-out, we know. That’s why the Emerald rolls up a chronicle of the headiest news hits, and passes them to you at the end of each week. Presenting: The Digital Dime.
Hope for New York State Cannabis Laws
Photo by Thomas Habr on Unsplash
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is one participant in a meeting of political officials focused on unifying cannabis market policies across Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, Marijuana Moment reports. Standardizing policies in the tri-state area could help to ensure state residents would stay in their “lanes” when purchasing legal cannabis products. The meeting, scheduled for October 17th, could finally be a positive step toward legalization in New York, as it will initiate a December conference hosted by the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), aimed around advocating for regional cannabis reform.
But, Bad News for the Greater U.S.
Photo by Jeff Mendoza
We already know that law enforcement generally sucks in terms of who they arrest and why, but this is getting ridiculous. New FBI data shows an increase in cannabis-related arrests from 659,700 in 2017 to 663,367 in 2018. So, even with states legalizing cannabis across the country, police departments continue to scramble to reach daily arrest quotas. Forbes reports that “almost 92% of those arrests were for possession alone.” The troubling news is even more so the people who are being arrested. A New York Times statistic shows that in Manhattan, black people are arrested for cannabis charges at 15 times the rate of white people.
In Case You Missed It: Seth Rogen
Photo Courtesy of Youtube/NEW Video
Ever-present in the cannabis community, actor Seth Rogen promoted National Expungement Week (NEW) in an informative video for the organization’s website. Rogen breaks down U.S. statistics, like the fact that 77 million Americans currently have a criminal record; the effects of having a criminal record; and what can be done to clear it. NEW was last week, but any of the 30-something participating organizations can be reached year-round for criminal justice-related guidance.
Comments