Washington, DC - PRESS RELEASE: The enactment of adult-use marijuana legalization laws is not associated with any significant increase in cannabis-related activity in neighboring states and counties, according to a federally funded report published by the nonprofit Justice Research and Statistics Association and first reported by Marijuana Moment.

The study, entitled “Measuring the Criminal Justice System Impacts of Marijuana Legalization and Decriminalization Using State Data,” assessed the impact of adult-use regulation schemes on criminal justice resources in both legalization states and neighboring non-legalization states.

Authors wrote: “The goal of this project was to analyze quantitative and qualitative data in eleven targeted states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) to address three research questions: One: What are the impacts of marijuana legalization and decriminalization on criminal justice resources in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon?; Two: What are the impacts on criminal justice resources in states that border the states (Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah, and Kansas) that have legalized marijuana?; and Three: What are the impacts of marijuana legalization and decriminalization on drug trafficking through northern and southwest border states (Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington)?”

They determined: “Analyses of the available data suggests that: One: Legalizing the recreational use of marijuana resulted in fewer marijuana related arrests and court cases; Two: Legalizing marijuana did not have a noticeable impact on indicators in states that bordered those that legalized; and Three: There were no noticeable indications of an increase in arrests related to transportation or trafficking offenses in states along the northern or southern borders.”

Commenting on the report’s findings, NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri said: “This federally funded report is further evidence that legalizing and regulating marijuana works largely as intended. It reduces arrests, and it does not lead to increased youth use or a rise in serious crime, and with these latest findings it is clear that these policies are not adversely impacting bordering states. It is time to let science and facts dictate public policy and end prohibition nationwide.”

A disclaimer accompanying the report acknowledges: “While the report was carried out … using funding from the National Institute of Justice, … this resource has not been published by the US Department of Justice. This resource is being made publicly available through the Office of Justice Programs’ National Criminal Justice Reference Service. … Any analysis, conclusions, or opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views, opinions, or policies of the Bureau of Justice Statistics or the US Department of Justice.”

NORML’s Altieri said it was “unsurprising” that federal agencies would leave the report unpublished, stating that officials have seldom promoted findings that undermine federal anti-marijuana policy.

The full text of the report is available online here. 

VANCOUVER, Oct. 10, 2019 /CNW/ - PRESS RELEASE - Cannara Biotech Inc., an emerging vertically integrated cannabis company focused on indoor cultivation and the sale of cannabis and cannabis-infused products, announced it has secured a first mortgage against its Farnham Facility in the value of $6 million with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. These funds will reduce the existing vendor take-back mortgage, thereby significantly reducing debt service costs.

The 625,000-square-foot Farnham facility is situated forty-five minutes from Montreal on 27 acres, with 32-foot high ceilings. Recently, construction was completed on Phase One consisting of 170,000 square feet, of which 110,000 is dedicated to indoor cultivation with a capacity of 20,000 kg of premium dried cannabis once the cultivation license is granted. The remaining finished space is designed to accommodate various processing stages such as manufacturing, extraction and packaging. The building is currently valued at more than $40 million.

"Having constructed a state-of-the-art production and processing facility in an outstanding location, and recently advanced our commercial readiness by filing our Health Canada evidence package, this leading Canadian institution was more than comfortable to be our financial partner," said Zohar Krivorot, president and CEO of Cannara. "Once Cannara's cultivation and sales licenses are granted we'll look to augment this mortgage to further reduce our debt service costs."

SACRAMENTO – PRESS RELEASE – The Bureau of Cannabis Control has announced that it has awarded equity grant funding to local jurisdictions to be used for commercial cannabis equity programs that focus on inclusion and support of persons or communities that were negatively or disproportionately impacted by cannabis criminalization. Grant funds are to be used to provide assistance and services to local equity applicants and licensees.

The Bureau awarded a total of $10 million in equity grant funding to 10 local jurisdictions, as follows:

• City of Los Angeles Awarded $1,834,156.38
• City of Oakland Awarded $1,657,201.65
• County of Humboldt Awarded $1,338,683.13
• City & County of San Francisco Awarded $1,338,683.13
• City of Sacramento Awarded $1,197,119.34
• City of Long Beach Awarded $913,991.77
• City of San Jose Awarded $560,082.30
• County of Santa Cruz Awarded $560,082.30
• City of Coachella Awarded $500,000.00
• City of Palm Springs Awarded $100,000.00

The equity grant funding is authorized by the California Cannabis Equity Act of 2018 established by Senate Bill 1294 (Bradford 2018) and the Budget Act of 2019, Item 1111-490 – Reappropriation.

All qualifying local jurisdiction applicants that met the criteria and requirements for grant funding received a minimum grant of $100,000. Fund awards were determined based on the program guidelines up to the amount requested by the local jurisdiction. The guidelines can be found here.

SALINAS, Calif., Oct. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PRESS RELEASE -- Cannafornia Inc., a California-based cultivator, manufacturer and supplier of cannabis for the medical and recreational market, has announced the launch of a new division: Cannafornia CBD. With a focus on wellness, performance and recovery, the division will produce an array of hemp-derived CBD products, including topicals, oral tinctures, capsules and pre-dosed edibles, such as individually-wrapped caramels, with plans to expand the portfolio to meet growing consumer demand.

Hemp-derived CBD, or cannabidiol, is non-psychoactive, non-impairing and legal in all 50 states. CBD has become an increasingly popular natural wellness supplement with various benefits. Cannafornia CBD products are designed to support overall health and empower people to live bold, active lifestyles.

"Cannafornia is on a mission to democratize wellness and recovery with a new line of natural, accessible and high-quality CBD products derived from our own California-grown hemp," said Paul King, Cannafornia's founder and CEO. "Our CBD products are for people who train hard, play hard and care about what they put into–and onto–their bodies."

With headquarters in sunny Monterey County--a region known as America's agricultural "salad bowl"--Cannafornia is one of the largest growers of natural, pesticide-free cannabis in the state, with over a half million square feet of cultivation facilities. This new line of CBD products complements Cannafornia's existing portfolio of hand-crafted, THC-based goods, such as pre-rolls and flower, available in dispensaries throughout California.

The company will partner with professional athletes to promote the line and develop new products to support their rigorous training routines, beginning with UFC champion Colby Covington. Covington credits Cannafornia CBD for his record-setting victory over Robbie Lawler last August and will incorporate the products into his daily training regime as he prepares for his much-anticipated title fight against rival Kamaru Usman in Las Vegas on Dec. 14, 2019.

Said Covington, "Elite athletes like me are training at a very high level, and we're constantly recovering from either a rigorous workout or an injury. I've seen firsthand the power CBD has to improve my own performance both inside the cage and in my everyday life."

Covington will be vlogging his journey to Las Vegas and providing education about CBD's benefit for athletes. Fans can follow along by visiting Colby Covington's New Cannafornia CBD Youtube channel, with new content posted daily.

Cannafornia CBD products can be purchased online with free shipping nationwide, and at select retail locations in California and Florida. The initial product line includes:

• 500mg Hemp Extract Balm - $70
• 100mg, 500mg and 1000mg Hemp Extract Tinctures (1 oz) - $36 to $100
• 25mg Hemp Extract Capsules (30 or 60 count) - $80 to $100
• 25mg Hemp Extract Infused Caramels (10 count) - $30