Illinois Cannabis Sales Doubled in 2021

The first year of legal cannabis sales in Illinois was a roaring success, but it turns out the second year was even better. 

Twice as good, in fact.

A report from the grimly named Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) showed that adult-use cannabis sales in the state totaled $1,379,088,278.61 in 2021––more than double the figure from the opening year of sales in 2020, which were roughly $669 million. 

The figures released by the IDFPR provide insight into the quantity of cannabis products sold, and when customers were buying them. 

The biggest month for pot sales in 2021 came at the very end of the year, with $137,896,859.11 generated in December. That was also the case in 2020, when the $86,857,898.27 worth of cannabis sales made December the highest-grossing month of that year. 

The IDFPR’s report also details the source of the money. Last year, $943,013,285.67 of the cannabis sales came from Illinois residents, while $436,176,093.93 came from out-of-state residents.

A total of 30,342,937 cannabis items were sold last year––up from 14,485,704 in 2020. 

Illinois’ recreational cannabis market opened for business on New Year’s Day 2020, a milestone that was met with long lines outside the states’ newly opened dispensaries. The first day of sales alone generated more than $3 million, and many of the shops ran out of weed during the opening week.

The figures continued to climb, giving the administration of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who signed the bill legalizing recreational cannabis in 2019, a reason to take a victory lap.

In June of 2020, Pritzker’s then-senior adviser for cannabis control Toi Hutchinson, who has since been hired as the Marijuana Policy Project’s president and CEO, said that the “successful launch of the Illinois legal cannabis industry represents new opportunities for entrepreneurs and the very communities that have historically been harmed by the failed war on drugs.” 

“The administration is dedicated to providing multiple points of entry into this new industry, from dispensary owners to transporters, to ensure legalization is equitable and accessible for all Illinoisans,” Hutchinson said. 

To that end, the economics have only been one facet of Illinois’ new marijuana law. As with other states that have legalized cannabis, there has also been a concerted effort by policymakers to redress previous convictions of marijuana offenders. 

When legalization took effect in Illinois, Pritzker heralded the occasion with more than 11,000 pardons for nonviolent cannabis offenders.

“We are ending the 50-year-long war on cannabis,” Pritzker said at the time. “We are restoring rights to tens of thousands of Illinoisans. We are bringing regulation and safety to a previously unsafe and illegal market. And we are creating a new industry that puts equity at its very core.”

Pritzker did the same to kick off 2021, issuing more than 9,000 pardons for low-level cannabis offenders and expunging more than 490,000 pot-related arrests.

“Statewide, Illinoisans hold hundreds of thousands low-level cannabis-related records, a burden disproportionately shouldered by communities of color,” Pritzker said in a statement released at the time. “We will never be able to fully remedy the depth of that damage. But we can govern with the courage to admit the mistakes of our past—and the decency to set a better path forward.”

While most other states have legalized cannabis through the ballot process, Illinois became the first to do so through the legislature in 2019, something Pritzker touted at the time of the bill signing.

“As the first state in the nation to fully legalize adult-use cannabis through the legislative process, Illinois exemplifies the best of democracy: a bipartisan and deep commitment to better the lives of all of our people,” said Pritzker.

“Legalizing adult-use cannabis brings an important and overdue change to our state, and it’s the right thing to do. This legislation will clear the cannabis-related records of nonviolent offenders through an efficient combination of automatic expungement, gubernatorial pardon and individual court action. I’m so proud that our state is leading with equity and justice in its approach to cannabis legalization and its regulatory framework. Because of the work of the people here today and so many more all across our state, Illinois is moving forward with empathy and hope.”

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source https://hightimes.com/news/illinois-cannabis-sales-doubled-in-2021/

Colorado Governor Jared Polis Grants Slew of Pardons

Colorado Governor Jared Polis rang in 2022 with a pardon party.

Last Thursday, the governor’s office announced that he had “granted three commutations, 15 individual pardons, and signed an executive order granting 1,351 pardons for convictions of possession of two ounces or less of marijuana.”

The move was made possible by legislation that Polis signed in May, which “authorized the Governor to grant pardons to a class of defendants who were convicted of the possession of up to two ounces of marijuana.”

“Adults can legally possess marijuana in Colorado, just as they can beer or wine. It’s unfair that 1,351 additional Coloradans had permanent blemishes on their record that interfered with employment, credit, and gun ownership, but today we have fixed that by pardoning their possession of small amounts of marijuana that occurred during the failed prohibition era,” Polis said in a statement.

Signed into law by Polis on May 20 of last year, the bill increased “the amount of marijuana that adults 21 and older in Colorado can legally possess from one ounce to two ounces,” and built upon the 2012 voter-passed constitutional amendment legalizing recreational cannabis, which gave the governor such authorization.

The governor’s office said in a press release that individuals “who are unsure whether a conviction on their record has been pardoned may fill out a form to request confirmation of a pardon on the Colorado Bureau of Investigations website.”

Colorado has been a trailblazer for the legalization movement in the United States, becoming the first state (along with Washington) to end the prohibition on pot in 2012. Since then, restorative justice measures have become a fixture of new cannabis laws, with previous low-level offenders receiving pardons.

The governor’s office said that the cannabis pardon “applies to state-level convictions of possession for two ounces or less of marijuana, as identified by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI),” and that “individuals who have these convictions did not need to apply for pardons, and the Governor’s Office has not conducted individual assessments of the people who have been pardoned through this process. Individuals convicted of municipal marijuana crimes, or individuals arrested or issued a summons without a conviction, are not included in the pardon.”

The new year will bring some tighter restrictions to Colorado’s medical cannabis laws, however. The Denver Post reported in November that the state’s Department of Revenue “will limit the daily purchase to two ounces of flower and eight grams of concentrate such as wax and shatter for medical marijuana patients,” and that it will drop two grams per day for patients aged 18 to 20.

Per the Denver Post, the Department of Revenue unveiled the rules after “several months of deliberation over how to execute a new state law meant largely to limit young people’s access to and abuse of high-potency THC products.”

The newspaper reported that there are exceptions to the new rules, but they apply “to a patient whose doctor affirms in writing that the patient has a physical or geographic hardship that should allow them to exceed the daily purchase limits, and that the patient has designated a store as the primary place they get their medicine.”

The limits were made possible after lawmakers passed a bill that created a task force to produce new rules.

The bill was sponsored by Democratic state House Representative Yadira Caraveo, a pediatrician, who said that she wanted to ensure that young people cannot “get their hands on an incredible amount of products and very concentrated products that they can then give or sell to people their age or younger who don’t yet have access to legal market because they’re not 21.”

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New York Hemp Plan Approved By USDA

The state of New York received an end-of-year approval of its hemp plan by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced on December 28 that the state’s hemp program had officially received USDA approval. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Hemp Program Plan is now accepting applications, as of January 1, 2022.

Ball stated that New York has been long been pursuing hemp as an agricultural good, and is confident that this new program will help propel the state further ahead.

“New York State has been a leader in the hemp industry since the launch of its pilot program, with producers registered to grow industrial hemp on 30,000 acres. Under this new plan, our growers will have stability and consistency in regulations moving forward, with continued guidance and support from the Department,” he said in a press release. “We look forward to continuing to administer this important program, which provides growers with an avenue to diversify crops and tap into new markets.” As of 2021, the state of New York allowed 800 registered cannabis producers to cultivate hemp.

Licensed growers who have previously participated in the state’s hemp program will need to reapply for a new license, as their old one expired on the last day of 2021. All applicants are also required to participate in the FBI Identity History Summary Check within 60 days of the submission of their application.

The initial draft of the New York State Hemp Plan was sent to the USDA in October 2021. Ball explained in his introductory letter that back in 2016, a hemp crop was harvested for the first time in over 80 years, and at the time, the state only allowed 10 growers to cultivate and harvest the herb. “It is clear that hemp production in New York State is here to stay, and we look forward to New York’s farmers realizing the full economic potential of hemp in the years to come,” he explained. “In closing, I am confident the State of New York has the necessary resources in place to administer a compliant hemp production program in New York State.”

The hemp plan address a wide variety of changes regarding the application process, grow reporting and recordkeeping, license renewal, inspections, violations and much more.

New York has progressed in a number of ways. The Office of Cannabis Management announced new rules for cannabis products in mid-December 2021, which included an increase of the CBD limitation from 75mg to 100mg, as well as an increase of THC hemp extracts from three percent to five percent. The Cannabis Control Board also removed the requirement that cannabis products must be shelf stable, which effectively opens up the industry to infused food and drinks. “These additional Cannabinoid Hemp Program regulations are the latest step in the evolution of the cannabis industry ecosystem we are building in New York State and I look forward to considering these with my colleagues on the Board at our next meeting,” said Tremaine Wright, Cannabis Control Board Chair. “Ensuring New Yorkers know they are purchasing safe, tested products while providing the industry with the tools to compete and grow is critical to its long-term success.”

The first day of the year also marked the first day going forward that New York cities can no longer opt-out of allowing adult-use dispensaries or consumption lounges. Any cities that didn’t opt-out were automatically opted in. According to Rockefeller Institute of Government “Opt-out tracker” and estimated 655 of 1,518 municipalities opted out for dispensaries, and 751 of 1,518 opted out of consumption sites (although this data is subject to changes).

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source https://hightimes.com/news/new-york-hemp-plan-approved-by-usda/

Cosecha lo que Siembras: la Visión del Rapero XXL Irione sobre la Industria de la Música y su Affaire con Frank Sinatra

Nota por Hernán Panessi publicada originalmente en El Planteo. Más artículos por El Planteo en High Times en Español.

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Hay logros que sintetizan un sentir popular: que un argentino logre conmover a la familia de uno de los artistas más importantes de la historia de la música con una canción homenaje es, de mínima, una medalla para colgarse. Bueno, la figura no es metafórica, sino que pasó realmente: el rapero criollo XXL Irione grabó en Nueva York un tributo a Frank Sinatra y su familia lo compartió por todas las redes oficiales de “La Voz”.

“Toda esta experiencia fue generada desde lo genuino. Fue un vivo ejemplo de que si uno hace las cosas porque las siente, puede lograr resultados únicos”, comenta XXL Irione, todavía sorprendido por la noticia.

Contenido relacionado: Dillom, a Cajón Abierto: la Entrevista Más Íntima del Rapero

Por caso, “Como Frank”, el tema en cuestión, es un rap callejero con el clásico estilo underground de Irione y, por ahí, en el videoclip, de fondo, se deslizan las luces y neones de la Gran Manzana.

“La música de Frank Sinatra cruza todos los géneros, generaciones y lenguajes”, posteó la familia desde la cuenta oficial de Twitter.

“Estoy muy contento con todo esto”, comenta el rapero.

—¿Por qué decidiste hacer un tema en homenaje a Sinatra?

—Se me ocurrió hacerlo porque estaba muy emocionado con mi visita a Nueva York, la cuna del rap. Sentía la necesidad de rendirle homenaje a la música. Pensé en homenajear a los Wu Tang Clan, pero Sinatra representa los recuerdos de mi infancia, las películas y todo ese mundo. Entonces, incluso antes de viajar, me puse a profundizar en su música. Y decidí hacerle un homenaje a él, a Frank Sinatra, que es la música. También quería devolver lo que la música me dio.

New York, New York

Entretanto, XXL Irione viajó a Nueva York con un dinero que recibió como adelanto de los ingresos de la plataforma Spotify. “Al recibir ese adelanto, me lo gasté en mi familia y en la música. En devolverle algo a la Argentina. Lo reinvertí en un homenaje a Sinatra y, ahora, lo levantó su familia”.

Contenido relacionado: Juan Palomino: ‘Después de Interpretar a Maradona Ya Nada Volverá a Ser lo Mismo’

Por estos días, Irione se siente “como Maradona en el Nápoli”: “Las hijas me mandaron un mail. No lo publicó un agente de prensa ni nada de eso. La orden vino desde Charles Pignone, copresidente de Frank Sinatra Enterprises, y de Tina Sinatra, una de sus hijas. Yo ahora inflo el pecho. Viendo este resultado, no me queda otra que inflar el pecho”.

Por lo demás, su paso por Estados Unidos también le dejó una colaboración con Dionni 6x, una joven rapera nacida en República Dominicana. “Nos hicimos familia con ella y su equipo. Todo lo hicimos desde la honestidad. Estoy feliz con el resultado”, dice XXL Irione a propósito de “Tiki Tiki”.

A mi manera

Siempre picante, el rapero se refiere al estado actual de la música global: “Hoy en día el público escucha lo que le impone. No es el mismo Internet de 2007, cuando la gente investigaba más. Ahora las discográficas se dieron cuenta que no pueden solo con publicidad, que necesitan a los algoritmos. Por eso, si YouTube no quiere, no te vas a viralizar. Tiene que ser algo muy espectacular que rompa la Matrix. Entonces, todo lo que logré siendo un artista independiente es demasiado”.

—De aparecer una oportunidad, ¿firmarías con una multinacional?

—Sí, pero no vendería mis principios e ideales. No bailaría en Tik Tok con  pantalones de colores. No vendería mi culo ni mis principios. Mi ídolo es 2Pac: yo quiero andar en Mercedes y con cadenas de oro, pero sin ponerme a cantar reggaetón pop romántico. Que me gusta, obvio, pero yo no quiero eso. Yo no quiero devolver con ego lo que la industria me da. Me gustaría que el público me ponga ahí. Que me crea por lo que soy y por lo que logré todos estos años. Sin amor del público no quiero llegar a ningún lado. No quiero ser un dibujo animado de mí mismo.

Contenido relacionado: Wos Habla de Rap y Freestyle: ‘Darle Valor a las Palabras y Estructuras es Muy Lindo’

—Y de estar ahí, ¿cómo te comportarías?

—Voy a molestar más que ahora. Quiero devolverle al ghetto todo lo que me dio y nos dio a todos los raperos. Alguien lo tiene que hacer, hermano. Algunos dicen: “Están llevando la música a otro nivel”, negando que “El Carpo” [Norberto “Pappo” Napolitano] tocó con B. B. King en el Madison Square Garden, que Gustavo Santaolalla levantó Premios Oscar y que el Indio Solari metió un palo de personas en Tandil. Alguien tiene que bancar los trapos desde adentro del género. Tiene que haber un Residente en Argentina.

Entretanto, Irione revuelve ideas sobre las mutaciones del público, los views, el rol de la pandemia, las ganancias digitales y la revolución que, en sus palabras, no fue.

“Si los pibes tienen que hacer música para internet y no tocar en vivo, no lo veo mal. Antes lo veía decadente. Siempre voy un paso más adelante. Yo ya pasé a otro nivel. Me parece peor los artistas que empezaron rapeando, diciendo que la revolución comenzaba en una plaza, y hoy cantan tipo Maluma. ¿Dónde está la revolución? Terminamos todos caídos en los hilos de la industria. ¿Cuántos quedaron? Dos: Wos y Trueno, el resto se vendió. La gente no se da cuenta que los fueron llevando como en The Wall. No se dieron cuenta que fue una estafa”, asegura con acidez.

Por todo el camino

Por estos días, XXL Irione viene de grabar con Neto Peña y Zxmyr (Samir), dos de los artistas más pegados del rap mexicano. Además, también colaboró con Freestayla, de Colombia. “Me estoy proyectando internacionalmente”, desliza.

Y, sobre esta visión global, se mete en profundidad: “Me fui una semana a Colombia y grabé con los mejores. El género argentino se está convirtiendo en algo muy egoísta. Afuera me abrieron la puerta. No por mis números, sino por mis ganas de trabajar. Ahora se viene videoclip en Miami, Estados Unidos, y en Guadalajara, México”.

Así las cosas, para 2022 tiene dos grandes proyectos: uno, un disco con features internacionales más algunos temas inéditos; otro, un documental sobre su vida.

Te llevo bajo mi piel

Por lo demás, el músico argentino siempre se muestra cercano a las luchas y clamores populares: política, barrios bajos, causas sensibles, voz de los márgenes. El rap como herramienta. El rap como denuncia. El rap como agente revolucionario.

Contenido relacionado: Guía Paso a Paso: Cómo Inscribirse en REPROCANN

Entonces, con ese envión, también se manifiesta a favor del libre cultivo de cannabis: “Desde mis 15 años que estoy a favor del cultivo”, comenta.

¿Y porro? “Soy un consumidor social, recreativo. No soy un habitué”.

A la sazón, Irione confiesa haber pasado por momentos tormentosos pero que, desde hace un tiempo, viene reparándolos. “El amor de mi familia y de mi mujer me hacen salir adelante”, remata.

Y concluye: “Todo el tiempo es una búsqueda constante del bienestar a través de la música. No es muy diferente de cuando empecé”.

Fotos de cortesía

The post Cosecha lo que Siembras: la Visión del Rapero XXL Irione sobre la Industria de la Música y su Affaire con Frank Sinatra appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/espanol/rapero-xxl-irione-sinatra/

Cannabis Decriminalization Reduces Racial Disparity in Arrests of Adults

An analysis of statistical data has found that cannabis decriminalization laws reduce, but not eliminate, the racial disparity in cannabis arrests that has plagued the United States for decades. However, the reduction in racial disparity was observed primarily among adults, and the research failed to reveal a similar drop among arrests of young people.

In a study published recently in the peer-reviewed academic journal Social Science & Medicine, researchers affiliated with the University of California San Diego reviewed statistics from the FBI Uniform Crime Report from 2000 through 2019. Using data from 37 U.S. states including 11 states that passed marijuana decriminalization laws during that time period, researchers calculated cannabis possession arrest rates separately for Black and white people.

“Cannabis decriminalization was associated with substantially lower cannabis possession arrest rates among both adults and youths and among both Blacks and whites,” the researchers wrote in their conclusion. “It reduced racial disparity between Blacks and whites among adults but not youths.”

The 11 states that had enacted cannabis decriminalization measures saw a 70 percent reduction in total adult cannabis arrests after decriminalization, as well as a 40 percent reduction in cannabis arrests among young people. Analysis by researchers showed that the racial disparity in arrests of Black and white adults decreased significantly, dropping by 17 percent after cannabis decriminalization.

“Cannabis decriminalization seemed to be particularly beneficial to Blacks, who were suffering the most from the adverse consequences of criminal penalties,” the researchers wrote in their report. “Taken together, we recommend that lawmakers and public health researchers reconsider cannabis decriminalization as an option of cannabis liberalization, particularly in states concerning the unintended consequences and implementation costs of medical and recreational cannabis legalization.” 

However, the data failed to show a significant reduction in the racial disparity in arrests of Black people younger than 18 years old. The authors of the study suggested that the rate among young people may have remained steady partly because of the larger disparity among adults before decriminalization, “providing a greater room for reduction.” Among all 37 states analyzed, Black adults were on average four times more likely than white adults to be arrested for a cannabis offense, while Black young people were 1.8 times likelier to face a cannabis arrest than their white peers.

Racial Disparity in Cannabis Arrests Well Documented

The racial disparity in cannabis arrests in the United States has been well documented for decades, despite research consistently showing that the different racial groups use marijuana at a similar rate. 

In a 2020 report from the American Civil Liberties Union, researchers noted that arrests for cannabis possession were down 18 percent since 2010. But law enforcement still made six million such arrests made between 2010 and 2018, and Black people were more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white people in all 50 states, including those that have legalized cannabis.

“On average, a Black person is 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Black and white people use marijuana at similar rates,” the ACLU wrote in its report. “Just as before, such racial disparities in marijuana possession arrests exist across the country, in every state, in counties large and small, urban and rural, wealthy and poor and with large and small Black populations.”

“Indeed, in every state and in over 95 percent of counties with more than 30,000 people in which at least 1 percent of the residents are Black, Black people are arrested at higher rates than white people for marijuana possession,” the report continued.

Despite the evidence that shows marijuana decriminalization laws can reduce the racial disparity in cannabis arrests, marijuana policy reform alone has not yet solved the problem. No state, even those that have enacted the broadest cannabis reforms, saw the rate of marijuana arrests become proportionately equal among Blacks and whites.

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source https://hightimes.com/news/cannabis-decriminalization-reduces-racial-disparity-in-arrests-of-adults/

Oregon Cannabis Commission to Implement New Rules Through 2022

The Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission has spent the last 18 months crafting new rules to improve the state’s cannabis industry.

The OLCC announced in a December 28 press release that it would be implementing new cannabis rules that will take effect between 2022 and 2023. Steve Marks, OLCC executive director, addressed the need for these changes, expressing the desired outcome after the changes go live. 

“These rules try to balance a number of different concerns—consumer health and safety, interests of small and large operators in our industry and public safety concerns around loopholes in the Federal Farm Bill of 2018, and the illicit farm production taking place in Oregon,” Marks said. 

The source of these changes began with the approval of House Bill 3000 and Senate Bill 408. HB-3000 creates a foundation for limitations on “THC-laden hemp products from being sold unregulated in Oregon,” while SB-408 restructured penalties for licensees who violated the rules.

The press release also states that the violation categories that have been in place since 2016 are outdated, and the new rules plan to build off of the current industry landscape. Some of the new rules went into effect on January 1, 2022; however, other rules won’t immediately go live and will instead roll out from now through the beginning of 2023.

The OLCC notes that the “fading threat of Federal government action” due to the number of states that have legalized cannabis has also led to another rule change that restructures and reduces penalties for licensees who violate certain rules. OLCC Commissioner Matt Maletis admits that although it isn’t a perfect solution, it will still help the industry as a whole. “It may not make everybody happy, but it’s a pathway, and I think it solves a lot of the issues,” Maletis stated.

Rules will also be changing for consumers. After the new year begins, consumers will be able to purchase two ounces of usable cannabis (up from one). The amount of milligrams for edibles in particular will be increased from 50mg THC per package to 100mg THC, which will be eligible for sale after April 1, 2022. Additionally, “artificially derived cannabinoids” such as CBN or delta-8 products are now required to go through a review process to determine if they meet the standard of “New Dietary Ingredient,” with 18 months to ensure compliance.

Home delivery services will also be permitted in any city or county that allows it, and the OLCC is making plans to create a new section on its website to inform consumers about new delivery zones.

Marks concluded the press release with a reminder that there were many factors to these changes and the OLCC is confident it will improve the industry going forward. “We did listen to the public and did make significant changes to these rules, and I want to reiterate that we have come a very long way,” said Marks. “And this industry established success for Oregon. We are creating a successful business market, a successful consumer market. This is another big turn of progress.”

Oregon has met a variety of hurdles recently, including the still-thriving black market—so much that it was declared a state of emergency. However, legislation such as Senate Bill 893 is being crafted to combat illegal cultivation for the time being. Still, the state was also chosen to receive a $10 million grant to continue hemp research through the Global Innovation Center at Oregon State University. The grant program is known to be competitive, and Oregon researchers at OSU shared that they felt fortunate to be chosen among other elite institutions to receive the funds.

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source https://hightimes.com/news/oregon-cannabis-commission-to-implement-new-rules-through-2022/

Worker Illegally Fired from Cannabis Company for Union Involvement Wins Job Back

On December 29, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 328—representing roughly 11,000 Rhode Island and Massachusetts frontline workers—announced a victory for Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center employees in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, preserving their right to openly discuss unions and other workers’ rights.

Like most other industries, workers in medical cannabis operations and dispensaries want employee protections and fair pay. A

Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center employee and worker committee member was terminated last June once he was exposed negotiating the first union contract for employees.

After “months of investigations” conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), UFCW Local 328 filed charges against Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center for violating workers’ rights, culminating in the termination of employee and bargaining committee member Ben Telford. 

Other charges include the elimination of employee discounts during a six-week period, the elimination of the Friday lunch program and transfer of bargaining unit work to a new classification. The list of charges continues—including “interrogation, surveillance and disparagement of employees” for their union activity. 

The employees at Greenleaf held a one-day strike planned in a June 26 press release, to protest the illegal firing of Telford, who was illegally terminated for his union activity. UpriseRI arrived on-scene at the protest in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, in support of Telford. UpriseRI insisted that CEO Seth Bock reinstate Telford.

After an investigation, the NLRB issued complaints on each of these charges against Greenleaf. Just a day before the trial was set to take place, Greenleaf offered to settle on every complaint.

“Securing justice for Ben was significant because it not only holds the company accountable for breaking the law, but it also sends a message to workers everywhere that they have rights on the job to organize,” UFCW Local 328 Director of Organizing Sam Marvin told High Times. “At UFCW, we are proud to stand with workers to build a better and more secured future and are committed to holding employers accountable when there are injustices at work.”

Rhode Island Greenleaf Cannabis Workers shared the same sentiment. “We are pleased with the results of the investigations from the National Labor Relations Board and the signed commitments we secured in this settlement agreement,” Rhode Island Greenleaf Cannabis Workers said in a joint statement. “We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the NLRB for their hard work during the investigation of numerous labor complaints that were filed against our employer. While we should not have had to experience these unfair labor practices to begin with, it was extremely reassuring to know that we as workers had a formal means of recourse when our employer committed these infractions. While forming a union can be a challenging and arduous process, we know that it is one of the few options we have as workers to create a more stable and predictable future.” 

Rhode Island Greenleaf Cannabis Workers encourage employees in other states to take note.

“We encourage workers to continue to organize with each other both within individual companies and across the industry,” the joint statement continues. “We want to thank UFCW Local 328 for all of its continued support and the resources we’ve been given through this process. We look forward to continuing to build a healthier and secured future for all of us at Greenleaf by completing our first union contract in the near future.”

UFCW Local 328 announced that the new settlement with Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center and its unionized cannabis workers includes the following key items:

• Back pay for employees during a six-week period the company did not extend their employee discount to eligible union voters 
• Back pay for employees affected by the company’s elimination of the Friday lunch program for the past 25 weeks 
• The immediate reinstatement of the Friday lunch program 
• The offer of reinstatement to employee Ben Telford, who was illegally fired by the company in June 2021, with compensation of full back pay for wages, interest and additional compensation 
• The immediate restoration and protection of union bargaining unit work for key stakeholders 
• A signed commitment by the company to not interfere with employees’ rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, to not disparage, surveil, discipline or discharge workers for their union activity, to not create new positions to avoid collective-bargaining obligations, to not transfer work to managers or other employees because of their union activity, and a commitment to bargain in good faith with UFCW Local 328
  

Per the NLRB settlement agreement, Greenleaf has offered Telford reinstatement to his position and will compensate him with full back pay for all lost wages, interest and additional compensation. 

“We are proud of the workers at Greenleaf for standing together to achieve this victory,” Marvin stated. “It is critical that employers are held accountable when they break the law and violate workers’ rights. This settlement represents a significant achievement for Greenleaf workers in their pursuit for justice and fairness at their workplace, and we look forward to continuing to work together to build the futures they all have earned.”

The post Worker Illegally Fired from Cannabis Company for Union Involvement Wins Job Back appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/worker-illegally-fired-from-cannabis-company-for-union-involvement-wins-job-back/