Filed under: Weekly Burn
Another week, another dumpster fire in the weed world. From dead workers to hemp bans and the occasional whiff of progress, let’s grade the chaos before it rolls us over.
DUMBEST POLICY MOVE
Hemp Crackdowns Are Back and Nobody Wins
The DEA and USDA are taking aim at hemp with a proposed ban on all intoxicating hemp products over 0.3 percent THC. Delta-8, delta-10, and THC-A are now squarely in their crosshairs. States like California, Virginia, and Arkansas are already enforcing similar bans in the name of “consumer safety.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott is the lone holdout after vetoing his state’s ban earlier this month.
Hemp farmers warn this move will crush small businesses, empower big cannabis corporations, and push consumers back into the black market. We have seen this story before, and it never ends well.
SHITSHOW OF THE WEEK
ICE Raid Fallout Gets Deadly at Glass House Farms
The nightmare at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, California, just got worse. One worker fell 30 feet and died during last week’s raid by ICE and Border Patrol.
More than 360 people were arrested, including 14 minors and a CSU Channel Islands professor. Agents deployed smoke grenades and detained workers, journalists, and even a security guard who spent three days in jail. A federal judge has since paused additional enforcement as protests erupt statewide.
This was not law enforcement. This was a militarized operation that left blood on the ground.
STONER ODDITY OF THE WEEK
Pennsylvania Inches Toward Adult-Use Legalization
Senate Bill 120 just cleared both the Pennsylvania Senate and a key House committee, setting the stage for the state to become the 25th adult-use cannabis state.
The bill, led by Republican Sen. Dan Laughlin and Democratic Sen. Sharif Street, creates a Cannabis Control Board, prioritizes social equity licenses, and favors small farmers with a more balanced tax structure. For a state that once locked people up over a dime bag, this is a tectonic shift.
POLICY SPOTLIGHT
Veterans May Get Cannabis Recommendations from VA Doctors
Veterans scored a quiet win as the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced an amendment allowing VA doctors to recommend cannabis in states where it is legal.
This would finally eliminate a cruel Catch-22 that forced veterans to choose between pain relief and their VA healthcare benefits. Advocates call it long overdue. Patients call it a lifeline.
COMMUNITY WATCH
California’s War on Hemp Spurs Federal Echo
California regulators are moving to ban THC-A and delta-8, mirroring the federal push to close loopholes from the 2018 Farm Bill. Farmers warn this whiplash will decimate hemp innovators and hand the market to corporate cannabis giants.
Texas remains the lone holdout for now, but federal action could shut the loophole for good.
FINAL GRADE FOR THE WEEK: C+
The federal government fumbles with hemp regulation. ICE raids leave a worker dead. Pennsylvania finally acts like it belongs in this century. Veterans inch closer to fair treatment. The chaos felt closer to collapse than progress, but a few bright spots kept it from flunking outright.
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