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- Cannabis Clemency Buzz At The White House, Big Wins For Vets, Carmelo Anthony Salutes A Basketball Legend
Cannabis Clemency Buzz At The White House, Big Wins For Vets, Carmelo Anthony Salutes A Basketball Legend
Plus, the latest in cannabis news.
Hi Benzinga Cannabis community, Maureen Meehan here - your guide through today's buzzing cannabis news.
We've got a lot to cover, so let’s jump right in: a major White House meeting gives new hope for marijuana clemency, Florida throws a win to veterans, the cannabis economy is booming, New York prices are dropping (finally!), and Scotts Miracle-Gro is waving bye-bye to its cannabis business. Plus, we’ve got regulatory fireworks in Rhode Island and a fiery lawsuit heating up in Alabama.
Also making headlines: During an interview about his cannabis ventures, Carmelo Anthony was asked a personal question about Manu Ginobili. Melo didn’t hesitate: “Legendary. Legendary. One of the greatest—not NBA players—one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game.”
Buckle up — today's news is hitting every corner of the cannabis world!
🏛️ Politics & Policy
✨ Marijuana Activist Pardoned By Trump Meets With White House Officials As Pressure Builds For Reform
Weldon Angelos, founder of The Weldon Project, met with Alice Johnson, the newly minted White House “pardon czar,” to talk about clemency options for nonviolent marijuana prisoners. Angelos, who got a Trump pardon himself, called the meeting “incredibly hopeful” and said the conversation left him optimistic about the future of cannabis-related justice reform.
Johnson, you might remember, had her own life sentence for a drug offense commuted by Trump. Now she’s leading efforts to offer second chances nationwide. Big energy in D.C. right now!
🇺🇸 The Florida House passed a bill — unanimously, 110-0! — that will make medical marijuana ID cards free for military veterans.
The bill, championed by Rep. Alex Andrade (R), would also stretch renewal times from once a year to every two years. Veterans would no longer have to pay the $75 registration and renewal fees. A small change? Sure. But for many, it’s a mighty one.
📈 Markets & Money
Fresh projections say cannabis will pour $123.6 billion into the U.S. economy in 2025. That’s direct sales plus all the trickle-down into farming, manufacturing, lighting suppliers, accounting firms—you name it. And if trends hold, expect $200 billion in total spending impact by 2030.
Cannabis isn’t just about getting high anymore — it’s a heavyweight economic player.
Finally, a price break! In New York, concentrates and vapes dropped 15%, edibles 14%, and flower by 5%, says the Office of Cannabis Management.
John Kagia, OCM’s executive director, said, “Retailers are adjusting their prices as part of their competitive strategy.” Translation? More brands + more dispensaries = lower prices. There are now 368 licensed shops, up from just 41 at the end of 2023. Competition is a beautiful thing.
Flower lovers especially: that eighth is now around $38.96, down from over $41.
Jim Hagedorn, CEO of Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: SMG), dropped a truth bomb: “We burned $2 billion there,” referring to the company's cannabis venture. 🚬💸
On CNBC’s “Mad Money,” he explained they’re spinning off the cannabis biz to an independent partner but keeping an equity stake just in case legalization takes off. Scotts still reserves the right to swoop back in.
On a happier note, Hagedorn raved about working with Martha Stewart, now their “Chief Gardening Officer.” “She’s reinvented herself so many times…one of the greatest women of all time,” he said.
⚖️ Legal Battles & Regulatory Moves
It’s getting spicy in Rhode Island. Liquor stores started selling hemp-derived THC drinks last summer without too much fuss. But now that lawmakers want to lock those sales into law, cannabis growers and dispensaries are not happy.
Rep. Jacquelyn Baginski’s bill would allow beverages with up to 5mg of delta-9 THC to be sold at liquor stores, bars, and restaurants. Cannabis businesses argue that they had to jump through way more hoops to get licensed — and they're not loving the idea of competing with your local pub.
Big mess brewing in Alabama. Five parents just sued the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) for dragging their feet on creating a patient registry — a critical step to getting cannabis treatments to patients.
The law (the Darren Wesley “Ato” Hall Compassion Act) required the registry to be live by September 1, 2022. Today? Nada. Zero. Zilch.
The AMCC’s website even admits: “Alabama is not registering patients or caregivers at this time.” Expect fireworks as this case moves through the courts.
🏀 Sports
The conversation started with cannabis — and then took a legendary detour. 🌿🏀
During an exclusive interview about the launch of STAYME7O and Grand National in New York, Carmelo Anthony was asked something personal: his thoughts on Manu Ginobili. Without hesitation, Melo said, “Legendary. Legendary. One of the greatest—not NBA players—one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game.”
Big words, but even bigger truth. Ginobili, a four-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs and an Olympic gold medalist with Argentina, didn’t just play the game — he changed it. And Carmelo, who faced Manu on the Olympic stage and deep in the NBA Playoffs, knows exactly what that meant.
And Melo’s not alone. 🏆
Allen Iverson called Ginobili "one of the greatest shooting guards to ever play the game."
Al Harrington credited him with reshaping the NBA with Euro-style swagger.
Isiah Thomas reminisced about family stories from Argentina, where a skinny lefty named Manu was already doing magic.
And Magic Johnson said it best: “One of the most unstoppable offensive forces we've seen in the NBA.”
Magic also remembered playing exhibitions in Argentina and seeing firsthand how Ginobili’s rise lit up a whole nation. "I think he opened up the door for many other pros to play out of Argentina and come into the NBA," Magic said. "He helped the country of Argentina because he dominated and he won NBA championships."
Legendary, indeed. 👑
That's it for today, folks — stay lifted, stay informed, and I'll catch you back here tomorrow with more highs (and maybe some lows) from the ever-evolving cannabis world. 🌱✌️
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