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:
#psilocybin – “According to a study that’s just been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, patients coping with treatment-resistant depression experienced significant reductions in symptoms for up to three weeks after taking a large dose of psilocybin alongside psychological support. These patients reported substantial benefits when compared to trial subjects who took much smaller doses.”
https://www.themanual.com/culture/new-research-on-mushrooms-for-depression/
#californiacannabis – “A Southern California man who once competed on the Philippines national decathlon team was sentenced Monday to 17 1/2 years in federal prison for bilking investors out of more than $35 million with a phony scheme to market cannabis vape pens.
David Joseph Bunevacz also was ordered to pay $35.2 million in restitution by U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who said he had “preyed on individuals who believed he was their friend” and that the “seriousness of (his) conduct cannot be captured in mere dollars and cents,” according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office.”
#cannabisindustry – “A Washington federal judge has tossed a lawsuit alleging that defective grow lights were to blame for a fire at a cannabis facility, ruling that an amended complaint failed to “make the leap beyond conclusory allegations.”
U.S. District Judge Stanley A. Bastian granted grow-light seller and manufacturer Top Shelf LED Inc.’s motion to dismiss a suit brought by Phat N Sticky LLC claiming the lights were the cause of a 2019 fire that damaged the premises, equipment and cannabis products at the Spokane Valley production and processing center.”
#cannabispolitics – “Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued pardons for state convictions of marijuana possession, a move that would absolve as many as 45,000 people and wipe away some $14 million in fines and fees, according to an announcement Monday.
In a statement, Brown said that no one should be burdened with repercussions of a crime that is no longer in the state’s statutes.
“We are a state, and a nation, of second chances,” Brown said. “Today, I am taking steps to right the wrongs of a flawed, inequitable, and outdated criminal justice system in Oregon when it comes to personal marijuana possession. For the estimated 45,000 individuals who are receiving a pardon for prior state convictions of marijuana possession, this action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions.””
https://www.law360.com/articles/1551606/ore-gov-pardons-pot-possession-clears-14m-in-fees
#cannabisindustry – “Washington D.C. officials are considering a proposal that would let unlicensed cannabis shops seek a transitional license from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA), which regulates medical cannabis in the District, according to The Outlaw Report.
The bill, the Medical Cannabis Amendment Act, would establish a process for unlicensed operators to receive a transitional retail license in the District’s medical cannabis market. The proposal would also set up new penalties including $20,000 in fines for unlicensed shops, $10,000 in fines for landlords who rent to the shops, and a clause allowing the city to shut down and seal up the stores.
Many of the District‘s unlicensed shops, which currently operate on the so-called “gifting” business model, are doubtful about the bill because businesses would have to close while they wait to receive a license. Terrence White, who chairs the I-71 Committee, a coalition of cannabis advocates in the District, said in the report that while they support the idea of transitional cannabis licenses, the latest proposal was “hastily developed.””