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Tech NewsHouse Votes to Decriminalize Weed
The House of Representatives voted to decriminalize cannabis at the federal level on Friday. It may not be the final legal word on the matter, but it’s a historic moment in the godforsaken war on drugs. In a 228-to-164 vote, members of Congress passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act) paving the … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsDrone Makes It Rain Weed in Tel Aviv
A drone over Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square dropped hundreds of bags of weed on Thursday, setting off a mad scramble by onlookers to stock up, the Jerusalem Post reported. According to the Post, the giveaway was orchestrated by a Telegram group called Green Drone that advocates for the legalization of marijuana throughout Israel. (Medical marijuana … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsTech Nonprofit Uses Automation to Get 66,000 Old Marijuana Convictions Dismissed in Los Angeles
It’s been nearly four years since California voted to legalize marijuana and offer a clean slate for at least tens of thousands of racially-targeted residents with past convictions for victimless crimes. California is now high on a legal supply, which is fun, but the state hasn’t delivered so much when it comes to cleaning up … Continued
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ScienceHealthFor the First Time Ever, Marijuana Legalization Bill Clears Congressional Committee
A bill to remove marijuana from federal controlled substances lists, expunge federal convictions and arrests, and allocate resources to communities that have suffered under the U.S. government’s war on drugs passed 24-10 in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, ABC News reported. Passing a bill through committee is just one step on the road towards … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceSpace & SpaceflightElon Musk Smoking Joe Rogan’s Weed Somehow Ended Up Costing Taxpayers $5 Million
Last year, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk went on YouTube host Joe Rogan’s show and smoked some weed. That was unfortunate, because SpaceX happens to be a U.S. military contractor with security clearances, and the U.S. government does not like marijuana—and in this instance, it disliked it so much it spent $5 million to … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceHealthMassachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker Orders 4-Month Ban on Sale of All (Yes, All) Vaping Products
After the Centers for Disease Control warned of hundreds of cases of potentially lethal vaping-associated pulmonary illness (VAPI) across the country and growing backlash over skyrocketing teen use, Massachusetts has gone much farther than other states and totally banned the sale of all vaping products for four months. That’s not a typo. Republican Governor Charlie … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsIllinois County to Use Algorithm to Automatically Expunge Old Marijuana Convictions
With a statewide marijuana decriminalization ordinance set to take effect at the start of 2020, Cook County, Illinois is slated to automatically clear “tens of thousands of cannabis convictions” with the assistance of an algorithm, the Chicago Tribune reported on Wednesday. Cook County is the nation’s second most populous county as well as home to the … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsCrimeA Weed Breathalyzer Company Has Raised $65 Million to Make a Narc’s Best Friend
Now that weed is being decriminalized across the country, a startup is trying to make it easier for cops and bosses to figure out who’s actually high. Hound Labs announced on Tuesday that it has raised $30 million in Series D financing for the company, which is developing THC breathalyzer technology aimed at helping law … Continued
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Tech NewsBlood Feasts, Cashless Stores, and Quantum Computing: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
Excellent news here at Gizmodo, where I presume what’s left of our blogger-chewed Forbidden Sandwich is still festering in the back of a fridge. We have discovered yet more ingredients to add to the mix, including head cheese from an ancient species of Pleistocene wolf found preserved in Siberia, cannabis residue scraped from a brazier … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceHealthLegal Cannabis May Not Lower Opioid Overdose Deaths After All
A new study seems to deal a serious blow to one of the pro-cannabis movement’s talking points: the idea that the more medical cannabis is legalized, the fewer people will die from opioid overdoses. The findings suggest that there’s no real connection between the rate of opioid overdose deaths and a state’s medical cannabis laws, … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealthThere Sure Is a Lot of Poop in Weed, Study Says
If you need another reason to advocate for the legalization of marijuana—a new study shows why weed sold illegally on the street is more likely to have unacceptable levels of feces in it. Scientists at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid gathered 90 samples of cannabis from street dealers in and around Madrid, then tested the … Continued
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ScienceHealthWhy Increased Pot Use in Colorado Is Sending More People to the Hospital
Reefer madness isn’t a thing. But a new study out Tuesday is the latest to show that pot use, especially with edibles, can sometimes cause health problems serious enough to prompt a trip to the hospital. It found that people in Colorado have increasingly sought emergency care for cannabis-related symptoms like anxiety, rapid heartbeat, and … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech News
San Francisco to Expunge Thousands of Cannabis Convictions With Help From an Algorithm
Last year, the San Francisco District Attorney’s office said it was teaming up with Code for America, a nonprofit that aims to better government through technology. The goal was to use a Code for America algorithm to identify and expunge criminal records that could be cleared by California’s Proposition 64, which retroactively eliminated or reduced … Continued
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Tech NewsTransportation
You Don’t Need to Sneak Weed Past Security at LAX
The Los Angeles International Airport now allows passengers to bring weed into the airport. According to LAX’s website, cops are chill about weed in their facilities: Los Angeles Airport Police Department will allow passengers to travel through LAX with up to 28.5 grams of marijuana and 8 grams of concentrated marijuana. However, passengers should be … Continued
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Tech NewsFacebook Vigilantes, Ugly Laptops, and Red Tide: Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week
Read anything interesting in the news lately? No, really. I’m still catching up, because for much of the past week, I was vacationing in lovely Cook Forest, Pennsylvania, during which my access to the internet was limited to whatever stretches of 4G could be obtained amid supply runs to town. This was indeed lovely—an excuse … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech News
Canada Reassures Citizens There Will Be Enough Weed For Everyone on October 17th
On October 17th, recreational use of marijuana will be legal in Canada. But some people are worried that there won’t be enough federally licensed weed shops to meet demand on opening day. The government says not to worry. There will be plenty of weed to go around on October 17th. When weed becomes legal in … Continued
By Matt Novak -
ScienceHealth
FDA Approves First Drug Made From Cannabis
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of Epidiolex to treat two severe forms of epilepsy, making it the first cannabis-based drug to be legalized in the United States. It’s welcome news—but patients won’t have access to the medicine until the Drug Enforcement Agency changes the Schedule 1 designation of cannabis. Epidiolex, … Continued
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ScienceHealth
Just One Puff of Low-THC Weed Can Help Ease Sadness, Study Finds
It might take just one puff of cannabis to quickly if temporarily dull depression, depending on the strain, suggests a new study published this month in the Journal of Affective Disorders. But smoking weed for too long might also make you sadder over time, the researchers found. Researchers at Washington State University looked at the … Continued
By Ed Cara -
ScienceHealth
Legal Medical Weed Hasn’t Led to More Teen Stoners
For as mainstream as marijuana is becoming, there are still some who are worried about the unforeseen consequences this new social acceptance has or could bring about—from cancer treatment scams to more car crashes. But a new review published this week in Addiction suggests that at least one of these worries hasn’t come true: Teens … Continued
By Ed Cara
