WEDNESDAY MAY 26 2021
New Hampshires perpetual political polarization is no match for some fully legal state weed
Minnesota Governor gets the people flowers
Italian hemp companies fight for their right to be light
click here for the link to the video on youtube
Strong Bipartisan Majority Supports Marijuana Legalization In New Hampshire, Poll Finds
Majorities of Democrats (86 percent), independents (83 percent) and Republicans (62 percent) said they support legalizing #cannabis. The same trend was seen when it came to the question about allowing retailers to sell marijuana, with 87 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of Republicans favoring that model.
In contrast, only 51 percent of New Hampshire residents say they have a favorable opinion of Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who is opposed to #legalization.
Support for cannabis reform has steadily grown over the nine years that UNH has been conducting the #survey with the legalization question. In 2013, for example, only 49 percent of respondents said marijuana should be legal for adult use, compared to 45 percent who stood opposed to the policy change.
This latest survey involved interviews with 1,824 people from May 13-17.
Despite the increased support for marijuana reform, that has not translated into legislative action to end prohibition so far.
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/strong-bipartisan-majority-supports-marijuana-legalization-in-new-hampshire-poll-finds/
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Minnesota Governor Legalizes Medical Cannabis Flower
Additionally, the bill allows for curbside pickup and increases the number of patients per caregiver from one to six. The #commissioner is also now allowed to remove existing, qualifying conditions from the no-prescribe list if they receive a petition to do so, meaning those who currently don’t have their condition covered may soon have a way to access cannabis as medicine.
In the House, the bill passed 77 to 57, a close margin. The Senate passed it much more clearly with a 66 to 1 vote on the last day of the 2021 legislative session. However, the stand-alone piece of legislation that would have legalized adult-use cannabis and set up a retail system passed the House, but did not receive consideration in the Senate.
https://hightimes.com/news/minnesota/minnesota-cannabis-flower/
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Italian ‘cannabis light’ producers strike back at drug ‘manifesto’
“We are in a historical and economic moment that sees many Italian companies in difficulty. Talking about our work in these terms does not bring any help,” the companies said in the warning,” written by attorney Cathy La Torre. “On the contrary, it blocks one of the few sectors that, despite the total absence of incentives and concessions, has been able to resist and grow,” the letter continued.
Political maneuvering
In addition to the closure of hemp shops, the manifesto calls for more resources for law enforcement anti-drug activities, “certainty of punishment” for drug dealers and deportation of foreigners found to be in violation of Italy’s drug-dealing laws
Meglio Legale, a pro cannabis movement, suggested the “manifesto” is simply Fratelli d’Italia staking out political territory among right-wing interests, singling out recent anti-cannabis broadsides by Giorgia Meloni, the party’s leader, for criticism. “Statements such as those of Giorgia Meloni are not harmless,” said Antonella Soldo, coordinator of Meglio Legale. “Words like these lead to a criminalization of the sector, an action that has already led many prosecutors to investigate these activities, which in almost all of the cases turned out to be inconclusive.”
Birds of a feather
Dolce Vita, an online lifestyle magazine that is also the owner of hemp industry portal Canapa Industriale, criticized Matteo Salvini of the nationalist, anti-immigration Lega Nord party, in a point-by-point rebuttal to the 10-point Fratelli d’Italia Manifesto. Salvini also has railed against hemp and cannabis interests in Italy. He called for the closure of legal cannabis shops when he was Minister of the Interior in 2018 and 2019, but never took any action to shut them down, Dolce Vita noted.
“What they may not have understood is that hemp shops are completely legal, open with all the bureaucratic permits that a commercial activity requires,” Dolce Vita said. Many shops in Italy are operated by proprietors that support right-wing political parties, the magazine noted.
Salvini was sued for defamation in 2019 by one hemp shop owner who charged the politician is “a minister who is part of a party that has stolen €49 million, yet defames completely legal business owners who bring money and help to create industries and jobs.”
https://hemptoday.net/italian-cannabis-light-producers-strike-back-at-drug-manifesto/