Taking on the DEA, finding your stoner soulmate, fighting for her daughter, weed on Wall Street and more

Jan. 16: Taking on the DEA, finding your stoner soulmate, fighting for her daughter, weed on Wall Street and more [The Cannabist] [thecannabist.co] | [@cannabist] | [fb/cannabist] [Legal challenge filed against DEA’s new marijuana extract rule] The hemp industry has taken the DEA to court in the wake of a controversial new rule on marijuana extracts. Last week, Denver’s Hoban Law Group, representing the Hemp Industries Association, Centuria Natural Foods and RMH Holdings LLC, filed a judicial review action against the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, alleging the agency overstepped its bounds when enacting a rule establishing coding for marijuana derivatives such as cannabidiol (CBD) oil. The action, Hoban attorneys allege, puts at risk a booming cannabis and hemp industry and a wide variety of hemp-based products currently on the market. “We’re talking about jobs and the economy and agricultural (revival),” attorney Bob Hoban said. --------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE: Did you catch this newsletter on the web or get it via a friend? [Click here to get these updates in your inbox]. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Philadelphia mayor to wall sitters: “Sit where you want”] The mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, is taking issue with a new rule banning people from sitting on walls in a park in a posh section of the city, tweeting: “Sit where you want.” The group that manages the Rittenhouse Square park said the ban on sitting on walls near a fountain was imposed after neighbors complained that the practice led to pot smoking. Mayor Kenney followed up with another tweet: “Along with my liberal view of park use, please don’t litter, or graffiti the walls or smoke weed so obviously that you scare olds my age.” [Medical marijuana is illegal in Kentucky. Here’s how a mom is hoping to change that] Tiffany Wigginton Carnal is in the fight of her life to save her daughter. Lyndi Carnal, 17, has Crohn’s Disease, an inflammatory bowel disease which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. Lyndi was diagnosed when she was 14. Since that time, she and her mother have spent three Christmases, three New Year’s Days and countless other days at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The answer to helping her daughter? According to Carnal, it's illegal. [Are New Jersey lawmakers moving legalization along despite Gov. Christie?] Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s warning to the Democrat-led Legislature not to move forward with legalizing marijuana is going mostly unheeded. Christie, a longtime opponent of legalizing the recreational use of the drug, cautioned lawmakers in an impassioned State of the State address aimed at battling the opioid epidemic. But he’s getting pushback when it comes to marijuana. [Legislature wants more time to mull North Dakota medical marijuana law] Caught off-guard by voters in this highly conservative state approving medical marijuana, North Dakota lawmakers said today that more time is needed to implement the law. A rare joint House and Senate meeting was held to consider a proposal to delay the law until the end of July. The so-called emergency measure is supported by both Republican and Democratic leaders, who said state health officials and law enforcement are scrambling to solve a number of issues, including allowable forms and potency of medical pot, and oversight of distributors. [Assessing the scientific evidence: conclusions from the 'Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids' report] A sweeping review by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine analyzed 10,000 studies on the health benefits and harms of cannabis use. We broke down their findings for you, into the categories the researchers used: “conclusive evidence,” “substantial evidence,” “moderate evidence” and “limited evidence.” [Celebrity peer pressure: Willie Nelson wants Loretta Lynn to try pot again] Willie Nelson wants his friend Loretta Lynn, who recently revealed that she tried marijuana for the first time at the age of 84 for her glaucoma but didn’t like it, to give pot a second chance. “She’s got a lot of guts,” Nelson said during a recent interview with The Associated Press in Nashville, Tennessee. “She’ll try anything. Maybe I should help her.” [I’ve seen the opioid epidemic as a cop. It’s even worse as a patient.] A year ago, I woke in the night with pain so severe I was crying before I was fully aware what was going on. A 50-year-old cop sobbed like a child in the dark. It was a ruptured disc and related nerve damage. Within a couple of months, it became so severe that I could no longer walk or stand. An MRI later, my surgeon soothingly told me it would all be OK. He would take care of me; the pain would end. Here’s one cop’s tale of dealing with pain, the twisted health care system and his fight to live a pain-free life. [Firefighters respond to house fire, find $350K marijuana grow operation] Police say an eastern Pennsylvania house fire led them to discover $350,000 worth of marijuana growing inside. Firefighters responded to an electrical fire at the house, then called police when they discovered more than 120 adult plants, each about six feet tall, growing in the home. [Weed on Wall Street? Investment firm holds conference for those wanting a piece of the pot pie] Cowen & Co., the nearly century-old firm founded as a bond brokerage, is racing to become Wall Street’s leading provider of cannabis research, staking a claim to an industry generally forsaken by financial institutions. Analysts at the New York-based company have assembled a trove of data on the burgeoning field of semi-legal marijuana. Last week Cowen hosted its first investor conference devoted to the topic. [Keeping an open mind: Lots of reasons for Denver pot shops to have later hours] Denver Post editorial: We get it that since Colorado voters legalized recreational sales of cannabis, Denver city officials have tried carefully to balance a desire to allow the businesses and also protect the civic reputation. Should the experiment not have gone well, the state’s capital city could have lost business and clout. It’s time to be adults and let the cannabis industry live by rules more like liquor stores. Let the pot shops stay open late, too. [Dispelling fears: Dispensaries aim to ‘normalize’ Florida medical marijuana] Amendment 2 took effect in Florida last week and the half dozen companies allowed to produce and dispense medical marijuana are doing their best to dispel fears. The goal, said spokeswoman Monica Russell, is to “normalize” medical marijuana use. “The idea is to make patients feel comfortable, to make a mother with a sick child or a sick parent — or herself, who is dealing with an ailment — make her feel comfortable to bring her child in with her or bring her elderly parent in here and not feel like she is doing something wrong,” she said. “We’re not going to hide what we’re doing.” [Looking for a stoner soulmate? There’s a marijuana matchmaker to help] Reality dating shows like “The Bachelor” and “The Millionaire Matchmaker” have made it a familiar scene: Attractive singles gather in a chic location to toast cocktails, exchange banter and – so the story goes – find true love. Marijuana matchmaker and dating expert Molly Peckler believes such scenarios can spark meaningful relationships away from the TV cameras. But she feels there’s always been one missing ingredient: cannabis. --------------------------------------------------------------- You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up at The Denver Post. Please add "members@mail.denverpost.com" and "members@direct.denverpost.com" to your trusted senders list. To unsubscribe from this mailing, [click here.] To change your e-mail preferences, [click here]. To view this newsletter on the web [click here.] The Denver Post 101 West Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80202