APD Accused of Ignoring Dispensary TheftAccording to managing director of R. Greenleaf Organics Inc. William Ford, the Albuquerque Police Department have been sitting on their hands concerning a theft at one of the dispensary’s locations. Ford says he reported the theft of 18 pounds of medical cannabis with an estimated value of at least $57,000—which he alleges was stolen by a former employee—to APD in April, and has yet to see any progress in the case. The former employee accused of the theft was not charged with a crime but has been named in a civil lawsuit filed by the company.Good Omens For Ultra HealthIt took over a year for the N.M. Department of Health to inspect and approve it, but Ultra Health finally opened a new location in Alamogordo last month. A spokesperson for the company said the opening might be a good sign for the future of the Deming location, which has also been in limbo for some time. To all the cannabis patients out in Deming: Cross your fingers.Judge Hears Case to Increase Plant LimitsLast month a Santa Fe District Court judge heard a lawsuit against the N.M. Department of Health alleging that the 450-plant limit placed on licensed cannabis producers has no “factual, practical, scientific or economic data” to support it. Ultra Health CEO Duke Rodriguez said in testimony that there is “absolutely a supply shortage in New Mexico.” The judge’s ruling will be issued in the next two months.Price WarAccording to the Pardee Rand Graduate School’s analysis of Washington state’s recreational cannabis market, retail prices for flower dramatically drops when full legalization occurs. The report found that the current average retail price is $7.38 per gram (including tax), representing a 67 percent decrease in only 3 years of legalization.A Peaceful PlantAttorney General Jeff Sessions has made clear his stance against cannabis (medical, or otherwise). One of the claims he likes to pull out from time to time is that cannabis legalization is accompanied by a rise in the violent crime rate. Unfortunately for Sessions, those claims have zero scientific support. Check out this editorial in the Federalist that details some of the studies that seem to suggest the opposite.From the Mouths of BabesSpeaking of my secret crush AG Jeff Sessions (don’t tell), he’s being sued by an 11-year-old girl. Last month, Alexis Bortell joined a lawsuit against Sessions, the US Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Agency to remove cannabis as a Schedule I Drug. Bortell suffers from recurring seizures, a condition that her parents say is best treated with medical cannabis. The main reason she is joining the lawsuit is that the current legal state of cannabis keeps her from being able to travel outside of Colorado, where she currently lives.
News On The Green
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