Political

California authorities announced they seized more than $1.5 billion worth of illegal marijuana in fiscal year 2019, or the rough equivalent of the state's legal market for cannabis.

More than 953,000 plants were seized from 345 raided grow sites around the state. Authorities arrested 148 people and confiscated 168 weapons under California's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP program.

The value of the seizures was based on the estimated wholesale price of $1,600 per plant.

It was a tough week for cannabis, but a very good week for psychedelics and hemp. Four major cities took significant steps toward the decriminalization of psilocybin mushrooms and other psychedelic plants.

Having a pot-related arrest or conviction used to be a liability for Illinoisans seeking employment. Now, a criminal record might lead to a job in the legal industry.

HempStaff, a Miami-based recruitment and training agency, launched a new division last month to help cannabis firms in Illinois and five other states hire employees that meet certain social equity requirements, including those with pot offenses on their records.

A news release from HempStaff said the company hopes to help those folks “find their dream opportunities.” But there’s also benefits for employers.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a spending bill that includes a provision that would continue to protect state-legal medical marijuana programs from U.S. Department of Justice interference.

The provision, which would be good for a year, was included for the first time in the House fiscal year 2020 Commerce-Justice-Science bill.In the past, the provision has been tacked on as an amendment either on the House floor or in committee.

The Senate passed the spending bill with the medical marijuana protections by an 84-9 vote.

In terms of sales, the marijuana industry has been budding before our eyes. Global revenue more than tripled between 2014 and 2018 to $10.9 billion, and forecasts suggest that legal weed sales will grow many times over in the years that lie ahead.

Yet -- and this may seem strange – marijuana remains illegal in what can easily be called the most lucrative market in the world, the United States.

TORONTO -- After a year of being able to purchase cannabis legally from age 18, Quebecers will now have to wait until they turn 21. The provincial government has passed a bill changing the legal age to use marijuana, a move critics say will only drive the black market.

The Coalition Avenir Quebec government adopted Bill 2, which raises the legal age for cannabis consumption from 18 to 21 as of Jan. 1, 2020. It will become the highest legal age for cannabis use in the country.

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang entered the race to become the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee way back on November 6, 2017.

While marijuana hasn’t played a central role in Yang’s campaign, he supports legalization and has proposed several drug policy reforms since announcing his candidacy. That includes plans to decriminalize opioid possession and provide waivers for military veterans to access medical cannabis.

Lawmakers are scrambling to keep pace with the ever-changing landscape of the cannabis and hemp industries here in Florida. As proponents of legalization lay the groundwork for a 2020 vote on adult use — more commonly known as recreational marijuana — officials are still trying to get a hold on the cannabis and hemp industries.

Mexico has delayed marijuana legalization. The Supreme Court’s deadline for legalization was October 23. On October 18, the Senate committee unveiled the final bill, which was then being reviewed. However, the process will take a little longer because Mexico missed the deadline. Let’s see what happened.

One reason diversity has been so difficult to achieve is that most industries are established. The workers with the most experience began their careers when companies rarely discussed diversity, much less invested in it.