MARIJUANA

New data is showing that young men who use marijuana may have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia.

Officials with the Florida Department of Health State are moving forward with the process to grant 22 more state licenses for medical marijuana operators.

Pot is a popular topic on ballots again this election.

A local university is offering up several programs geared to help its students succeed in the cannabis business.

A recent study in the United States supports the findings from research in China that found past and present male marijuana smokers had a decline in sperm quality compared to non-smokers.

Language in the ballot summary said it would allow “limited use” of marijuana for people 21 and older, but the court said nothing in the actual amendment language limits the use of marijuana.

Florida’s high court ruled that a medical marijuana company isn’t likely to win its challenge of state regulations on the industry.

It has officially been a year since Floridians temporarily went on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and while some things haven’t changed (like flip-flop-wearing, sunbathing, and tank top- rocking all year round), some things, have — including Floridians’ views on recreational marijuana. According to a new poll conducted by Recovery.org, a provider of addiction recovery resources, 1 in 4 (24%) Floridians say they now have a more relaxed view towards recreational marijuana use after experiencing a year under lockdown orders. The survey also found that 49% of all respondents say that following the stress caused by the pandemic, they empathize more with those who turn to cannabis for relief. Currently, recreational marijuana is illegal in the state of Florida. However, medical marijuana treatment is currently legal in the Sunshine State and is sold only at state-approved dispensaries.

MELBOURNE, Fla. – A Florida teacher has been fired for using medical marijuana. Florida Today reports that the Brevard County School Board voted 3-2 on Tuesday to terminate Allison Enright from her position at Space Coast Junior/Senior High School. Medical marijuana is legal in Florida, but federal regulations continue to categorize cannabis as a Schedule I Controlled Substance, like heroin, LSD and ecstasy. School Board General Counsel Paul Gibbs says the school district must be a drug-free workplace to receive certain federal grants. Enright disclosed her medical marijuana use when she took a drug test after an injury at work.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Richard DeLisi is a free man after serving 31 years of a 90-year sentence for selling marijuana. The 71-year-old walked out of a South Florida prison Tuesday saying he’s not bitter about the lost years and prefers to focus on creating memories with his family. According to The Last Prisoner Project, DeLisi was believed to have been the longest-serving nonviolent cannabis prisoner. While he was in prison, his wife, parents and 23-year-old son all died. On Tuesday, he met two granddaughters for the first time and ate at his favorite crab restaurant after being released from the South Bay Correctional Facility in Palm Beach County.

While we may not know if President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election for a while longer, there was one clear “winner” on election night, and that was recreational drugs. States across the country have been legalizing recreational marijuana every election cycle, and 2020 was no different. Residents in New Jersey, Arizona, Montana and South Dakota all voted to legalize recreational cannabis, and South Dakota also legalized medical marijuana, along with Mississippi. South Dakota became the first state to legalize medical and recreational marijuana in the same election. For the first time in U.S. history, the state of Oregon decriminalized possession of hard drugs, as well as voted to legalize psychedelic mushrooms.

MIAMI – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Miami International Airport reported recently finding marijuana that was destined for Guyana. More than six pounds of marijuana likely grown in the southeastern region of the U.S. were in cereal boxes, cans of crackers and inside an iced tea container at MIA. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)Officers also reported finding an M4 rifle and a Tech 9 pistol with an ammunition magazine. The weapons were manifested as toys and also destined for Guyana. According to Christopher D. Matson, CBP Port Director at MIA, the “significant seizures” are a way to “disrupt dangerous criminal networks.”

She and her son are facing charges of structuring financial transactions and money laundering greater than $20,000. The long list of chargesXandi Garcia, Fabian Garcia, Valle, Sosa, Pacheco, Sanchez and Alcade are facing charges of racketeering and conspiring to racketeer. Pacheco and Valle are also facing burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and two counts of grand theft in the first degree. Pintado-Martell is facing charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, conspiracy to commit a burglary of a dwelling, grand theft in the third degree and conspiracy to commit grand theft in the third degree. Fabian Garcia is also facing charges of grand theft in the third degree and two counts of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling.