cannabis

On Tuesday, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 1141 into law, extending collective bargaining rights to agricultural cannabis workers in the state.  Representative Lillian Ortiz-Self, sponsor for the bill says the legislation “corrects a historical exclusion by granting these workers the right to unionize—an important step toward equity in one of the state’s fastest-growing industr

A newly released report from the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, the OLCC, reveals many hemp products sold in Oregon exceed legal THC limits, often lack proper labeling, and are being sold without adequate age verification.  These findings echo concerns heard by OLCC from consumers regarding the marketing of intoxicating hemp products and the dangers they present to children.   ... Read Mor

In Oregon, a new state law took effect Friday June 3rd, in an effort to crack down on illegal marijuana and hemp grows using water intended for legitimate agricultural operations. Alyssa Rash, with Oregon’s Water Resources Department, said there are now requirements for water haulers and suppliers to track to whom the water is going. “ ...

According to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, recreational-cannabis sales dramatically jumped last year. Citing the coronavirus lockdowns and protests for racial justice, OLCC says 2020 was a record year of business for the state’s marijuana industry. Tot ...

A Seattle cannabis farm owner was accused of operating a Ponzi scheme that took in $4.85 million from at least two dozen investors in Washington, Arizona, California and Texas.  Robert W. Russell, 60, of Duvall was charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with civil violations of federal securities law.  ...

Earlier this week, the House of Representative passed a bill allowing banks to work with the cannabis industry.  Known as the SAFE Banking Act, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Act of 2019 passed 321 to 103.  However, with a mostly party-line vote in the Democrat-led chamber, the legislation faces an uncertain future in the Republican-led Senate.   ...

The Idaho House voted Thursday to kill the state’s hemp legislation after the Senate added amendments lawmakers say turned it into a decision to create a state plan for hemp rather than go with a federal plan yet to be released.  The full House accepted the recommendation of the House Transportation and Defense Committee not to agree with amendments added by the Senate.  The orig...

On Thursday, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Colorado’s Cory Gardner (R-CO) led a bipartisan group of Senators, including Patty Murray, Ron Wyden, Jacky Rosen, Lisa Murkowski, Michael Bennet, Dan Sullivan, Kamala Harris, Rand Paul, Catherine Cortez-Masto, Kevin Cramer, Tammy Duckworth, Gary Peters, Bob Menendez, Angus King, Bernie Sanders, Edward J. Mark...

Legislation that would provide federal protection for financial institutions that serve state-authorized marijuana and ancillary businesses passed a U.S. House committee on Thursday.  The House Financial Services Committee voted 45-15 to advance the proposed bill after amending it to include provisions to provide a safe harbor for insurance companies and improve access of financial services to min

For the second year in a row, Oregon cannabis farmers have harvested more than a million pounds of usable marijuana.  The huge harvest (more than 453,592 kilograms) is again driving down prices for consumers and putting pressure on growers who aren’t getting the price they hoped for after a similar phenomenon in 2017.  Oregon’s...