L.A. gets a cannabis czar, veteran sues cops over raid on his legal grow, charges dropped in 4/20 giveaway in DC, "Super Troopers 2" update & more

August 17: L.A. gets a cannabis czar, veteran sues cops over grow raid, charges dropped in 4/20 giveaway in DC, "Super Troopers 2" update & more Cannabist]( [thecannabist.co]( | [@cannabist]( | [fb/cannabist]( If someone forwarded this to you and you'd like to sign up yourself, just go here: [(. To view this on the web or share a link, [click here.]( [Los Angeles gets a cannabis czar for ‘new era’]( Cat Packer will serve as executive director for the newly created Department of Cannabis Regulation for California's biggest city. Packer recently served as policy director for the [Drug Policy Alliance](, which lobbies for changes to cannabis laws at the state level. Previously she was a campaign coordinator for Californians for Responsible Marijuana Reform, a group that raised money for voter-approved Proposition 64 legalizing adult-use cannabis. “We intend to protect children here in Los Angeles,” she told the City Council. “We intend to protect the environment here in Los Angeles, and we intend to protect legal businesses here serving Los Angeles.” [Paraguay's booming marijuana export traffic attracting gangs and violence]( Paraguay is a global marijuana powerhouse: The small South American country produces 9 percent of the world's supply. But until recently, it wasn't common there to see drug raids or hear helicopters thumping overhead in search of plantations. That's all changing. [The Sessions Letters: Read the U.S. attorney general’s missives to the first four states to legalize marijuana]( In April, the governors of the first four states to legalize recreational marijuana asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to “engage with us before embarking on any changes to regulatory and enforcement systems.” Sessions responded at the end of July with four letters addressed to the governors of Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Compare and contrast those letters for yourself and get some additional background: + [Washington, Alaska officials dispute Sessions’ data in the letters they received]( + [Sessions’ letter to Oregon gov cites “pervasive illicit cannabis cultivation”]( + [Sessions hits familiar, doubtful themes on cannabis regulation in letter to Alaska]( + [Sessions raises “serious questions” about Colorado and Washington’s marijuana management in letters to govs]( Quote of the Day “I thank my lucky stars every day that I tested positive for weed at the Olympics. I can’t imagine a better legacy for me as an Olympian than to carry the cannabis torch – to bear the cannabis flag.” [—Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati,]( who was temporarily stripped of his 1998 Winter Olympics gold medal and barred from entering the United States Entertainment [This just in: “Super Troopers 2” hits theaters 4/20]( Will the snozzberries taste like snozzberries the second time around? "Super Troopers 2" will hit theaters nationwide on April 20, 2018. 4/20, meow! The original "Super Troopers" premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and went on to become a cult classic. More than 15 years later, the [full five-man Broken Lizard crew]( is back for the sequel, which was funded in part by an Indiegogo campaign that raised millions of dollars. Numerology 4 acres That's the [size of an illegal marijuana farm that Mississippi law enforcement is currently uprooting.]( They say it's the biggest outdoor grow they've seen since the '80s. Regional News [Nevada weed distribution crisis averted, again… for now]( A Nevada judge has cleared the way for the state’s marijuana regulators to start issuing cannabis distribution licenses to businesses other than existing alcohol wholesalers. A Carson City District Judge lifted the temporary restraining order Thursday that had forced the state to adhere to a provision of the ballot measure voters approved in November providing liquor wholesalers exclusive rights to marijuana distribution for 18 months unless they couldn’t keep up with market demand. [Veteran sues police after SWAT team raided his legal Colorado marijuana grow]( A former special forces infantryman, who was awarded a Bronze Star and uses marijuana to treat PTSD after tours to Iraq and Bosnia, has sued the Fountain police SWAT team after officers raided his legal marijuana greenhouse. Eli Olivas sued the city of Fountain and a Fountain police sargeant, claiming the city failed to properly train its police to investigate cannabis cases in a state where it’s legal to grow marijuana. Olivas seeks compensatory damages of more than $100,000, and wants his guns returned. [Charges dropped against weed activist who gave out joints in front of Capitol]( On April 20, Capitol Police arrested eight protesters for handing out marijuana joints on land near the U.S. Capitol under local jurisdiction. Only two of those arrested were charged with a crime, and the U.S. attorney’s office said this week it would drop charges against one of those protesters. Adam Eidinger, a marijuana activist in the District of Columbia who helped spearhead the city’s legalization efforts, faced misdemeanor possession charges for allegedly carrying 78 joints that day. More Regional Headlines + [Video shows Texas cop removed woman's pants for weed search]( + [Boulder’s AeroGrow reports hydroponics revenue boost for owner Scotts Miracle-Gro]( [Cannabist Show: He’s a godfather of Denver comedy and pro heckler]( What better way to kick off the weekend than with the latest Cannabist Show, which has a bonus interview with the Lucas Bros. This week's featured guest, Denver-based comedian David “Deacon” Gray, is the new-talent coordinator at Comedy Works. He talks about his side business in which he heckles athletes, fresh voices in cannabis comedy, and how as a recreational consumer, his cancer diagnosis sparked a new appreciation of medical marijuana and honest conversations with doctors. More Weed Reads + [MassRoots: Feds slam marijuana impairment testing methods]( + [Colorado Public Radio: Quest for lower electric bills is a sign of Colorado’s maturing cannabis industry]( + [The National Law Review: High time for Massachusetts employers to consider a marijuana use policy]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](. 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