marijuana

Gov. Ron DeSantis is slated to review a bill that would give Black farmers an entry into Florida’s now-flourishing medical-marijuana industry.

Under the emergency rule released Friday, 22 licenses will be available, adding to the 22 currently licensed operators. The state will accept applications April 24-28.

Right-leaning states moved to make ballot measures tougher to pass after success of voter initiatives on abortion rights, marijuana and Medicaid expansion. That's led to pushback from state lawmakers.

Moton Hopkins was among a dozen farmers and their teams who sought a medical-marijuana license designated in Florida law for a Black farmer who participated in class-action lawsuits over lending discrimination by the federal government.

The Canadian study, although limited, raises a red flag amid increased use of the drug and more states legalizing it for recreational or medical use.

Voters in Missouri and Maryland approved adult-use recreational pot, but similar measures were rejected in Arkansas and the Dakotas.

The discrimination the set-aside license was meant to redress created obstacles for Frederick Fisher obtain it. This is Fisher’s story as he told oral historians in 2017, as he swore this year in his application and as he tells it now.

A Tampa-based orchid grower has filed a lawsuit accusing the Florida Department of Health of violating the state Constitution by delaying the issuance of nearly two-dozen medical marijuana licenses.

Voters in Missouri, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Maryland will vote on legalizing recreational marijuana. Nineteen states and D.C. have approved adult cannabis possession and consumption.

Experts hailed the move as an important first step in righting the wrongs from decades of uneven drug enforcement policy.

President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of color.

A cannabis product called delta-8 was made legal when the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp. But unlike its cousin CBD, delta-8 has psychoactive properties. And the FDA warns it has “serious health risks.” The agency has received more than 100 reports of bad reactions among people who consumed it.