By Ben Adlin
Meet the first cannabis-sponsored pro athlete. Accessory brand Black Rock Originals has teamed with professional freeskier Tanner Hall to release the Tanner Hall Ski Boss collection, which includes a lighter, grinder, and rolling papers. While a lot of athletes have gotten involved in cannabis — including that poor Canadian snowboarder who lost his Olympic gold medal — Hall appears to be the first active athlete to land a sponsorship. Gnarly, bruh.
The industry is an accounting nightmare. That’s the conclusion of the New York Times in a piece that examines the convoluted financial rules surrounding cannabis (involving fun things like banking and taxes). The article might be a bit of a snooze if you’re not a money or policy wonk, but it’s nice to see the Grey Lady acknowledging the dysfunction caused by cannabis’s precarious legal standing. Now if only the editorial board would come out and oppose prohibition. Oh wait, that happened a while ago.
How does your state rank on cannabis? We’re really excited about this one. Canna Law Blog is ranking all 50 states, in reverse order, based on their cannabis policies. Not all states are ranked yet, but head over and check it out — and then steer clear of Wyoming, No. 44, where cannabis intoxication alone can land you a $750 fine and six months in jail.
Idaho is no fun. Really. Zero fun at all. It might be surrounded by a bunch of groovy states, but as the AP points out, Idaho is rabidly anti-cannabis. State Sen. Roy Lacey, D-Pocatell, says the state tends to “lag behind” on cannabis. That’s an understatement. As Leafly has reported, it’s the kind of state where you could face a year in jail for carrying the plastic tube your joint came in. If you were wondering, Idaho is No. 48 on Canna Law Blog’s rankings, above only Nebraska (which filed a lawsuit trying to undo legalization in Colorado) and South Dakota (which is the butt of enough jokes already, thank you very much).
Doesn’t anyone understand what a tampon is? RYOT adds to the junk heap of articles about Foria Relief, a cannabis-infused vaginal suppository intended to ease menstrual discomfort. (Not to be confused with Foria’s stuff for sexytimes.) Let’s get one thing straight: Foria Relief is not a tampon, will not work as a tampon, and should not be described is a tampon. Instead, my coworker with a vagina tells me, it should be described as a godsend.
Iowa State University can’t abide a T-shirt. Administrators have repeatedly blocked the school’s NORML chapter from making shirts that feature a cannabis leaf. Eventually the students sued on First Amendment grounds — and won. But the butthurt university has filed an appeal, because spending thousands of dollars in taxpayer money is totally worth it to prevent people from seeing a graphical representation of foliage on a college campus. (Go figure: The school didn’t have a problem greenlighting designs from various gun-related groups or CUFFS, a student club focused on sexual bondage.)
Legal cannabis is “crushing” the black market in Colorado. Officials there say the regulated market comprises about 70 percent of all sales in the state, the Economist reports. The remainder is mostly made up of people who grow cannabis legally at home but sell it illegally. In Washington state, however, legal sales account for only about 30 percent of the market, according to estimates. Why the difference? The magazine attributes it to Washington’s huge unregulated medical cannabis industry and steep taxes on the recreational side.
Florida is taking common sense for a test drive. Under a yearlong pilot program, juveniles caught with 20 grams of cannabis or less will no longer be arrested but instead will be cited and required to attend drug treatment. Apparently arrests weren’t solving the problem. Imagine!
QUICK HITS: Is your cannabis organic? If so, Colorado wants to label it that way. * Want a free gram? Organizers in San Jose, Calif., handed out cannabis vouchers in an effort to raise awareness for the statewide legalization initiative on November’s ballot. * Cannabis commentator Russ Belville takes aim against “Stoners Against Legalization,” or people in the community who oppose a regulated market. Belville accuses them of trying to profit from prohibition. * A languishing California prison town is turning to cannabis to help save its future. Land prices in Adelanto have skyrocketed since the city became the second in Southern California to legalize cultivation. * Colorado named a new head of cannabis enforcement. Jim Burack, a former investigations chief and Marine Corps Reserve colonel, will lead the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division. * These pets are stuck, but it ain’t no thing.
To continue reading this story, visit our friend’s website (opens in a new window):: The Shake: How Much Does Your State Suck?