Ice T and a Playboy Playmate Charis B, founder of The Medicine Woman, are teaming up to open a dispensary in Jersey City, New Jersey, and cleared the first hurdle in doing so.

On July 25 The Medicine Woman New Jersey, a proposed dispensary co-owned by Ice T and Charis B, was approved by the Jersey City’s Cannabis Control Board meeting, along with three other proposed dispensaries. The news was posted on Instagram the following day.

The Medicine Woman Jersey City will encompass 5,000 square feet of retail space featuring local New Jersey cannabis brands, limited edition merch, and provide the necessary education. Medusa NJ, Oceanfront Holding, and The Other Side Dispensary were also approved by the board. Jersey City Cannabis Control Board oversees rules and regulations over licensing, cultivation, testing, and retail, and getting approved is no easy feat.

Charis B, or Charis Burrett, founded The Medicine Woman originally in California before eying the East Coast.

“It’s super, super exciting for us because New Jersey is many years behind where we are in California in terms of legalization,” Burrett tells High Times as she waited for her cab. “And it’s exciting to bring it to a state that is really [motivated] and looking forward to the growth of the cannabis industry in general in their state.

“And in terms of New Jersey and the fact that, you know, Ice is a resident, so Jersey City and the state of New Jersey means so much to him personally. And he is a long time personal friend of my husband and myself. And, you know, obviously, this synergy and everything coming together.”

Burrett’s dispensary will follow the same mindset of other Medicine Woman locations, which initially began as a non-profit delivery service. “Our mindset is to bring global medicine to local areas at an affordable price for everybody,” says Burrett. “We believe that cannabis should be available to everybody that needs it. You know, it is a beautiful medicine. It’s been around for centuries. And we love being able to educate people and communities, have healthy debates and like I said, bring global medicine to local communities at affordable prices.”

Ice T, aka Tracy Lauren Marrow, lives in Edgewater, a community relatively close to Jersey City. He’s well aware of the problems the cannabis industry faces locally. In New Jersey, Black people are over three times more likely to be charged with possession of cannabis than white people, despite similar rates of consumption. With that in mind, initial partnerships include The Last Prisoner Project, Jersey City Mural and Arts Program, Jersey City Employment and Training Program, Hudson County Community College, with more to be announced.

“I’ve dedicated my life and career to giving back and paving the way for minorities. As a New Jersey native, I’m excited for the opportunity legalization offers our community and I look forward to ushering in a new era for Cannabis in the state,” Ice T said in a statement. “I’ve partnered with my friend of over 25 years, Charis B who is an authority in cannabis and founder of The Medicine Woman to ensure a premium experience for our customers and community.”

Burrett said that she’s “100%” in favor of expungement and helping people that have gone to prison over pot—some people for life, for cannabis offenses and cannabis-only offenses is something that is very important to both the community and Jersey City.

Burrett says she has been reading the magazine for longer than most, when buying a magazine was an actual concern over drawing too much attention to ones’ self. “When I was 15, all I wanted to do was get a subscription to High Times magazine,” she admits. “But I was just worried about being on that same government list that everybody would get in. It was the 80s. And to be here today like, you know, 30 to 33 years later talking to you. I couldn’t be more proud of where the industry has gone and kind of, you know, that I’m here. I am. So thank you.”

The Medicine Woman Jersey City is set to open in the fall of 2022 and the team is currently accepting applications for employment for a variety of positions. To apply, send your resume to HR@themedwoman.com, they are committed to sourcing a local workforce with a focus on providing opportunities for former cannabis offenders. 

As Amnesty International pleads to stop Singapore’s fifth execution in under four months, one man, whose name is not being released, was executed by hanging at the Changi Prison Complex in east Singapore for the crime of trafficking cannabis. 

Singaporean executions are carried out by “long-drop hanging”—usually taking place at dawn. The country is notorious for its use of corporal and capital punishments, and the country’s hanging system has been criticized for at least the past 20 years. During canings, for instance, a 1.2 meter-long cane of about 1.2 centimeters in diameter is used to beat the perpetrator, sometimes for drug offenses. For the crime of trafficking cannabis, the death penalty is mandatory.

Thanks to activists like Kokila Annamalai, we know when severe injustices amid the War on Drugs take place in the farthest stretches of the globe. People like Annamalai are tired of executions for drug-related crimes, especially when it involves cannabis and other harmless crimes.

“We have confirmation that a 49-year-old Singaporean Malay man was executed today, 26 July, at Changi Prison,” Annamalai tweeted. “He has lived in prison since 2015, after being convicted of trafficking in cannabis (marijuana). He was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty.”

Activists say racism is part of the equation, as the region is allegedly prone to racially-biased decisions during the legal process. The 49-year-old Malay man executed for cannabis trafficking was one of 17 prisoners who had filed a suit accusing the Singaporean government of racial bias in their prosecutions in capital punishment cases. Unfortunately, the lawsuit was tossed out and nearly anyone involved in the case was allegedly targeted—even the defense attorney.

“This is the 6th confirmed execution in a span of 4 months,” Annamalai continued in subsequent tweets. “He was one of 17 prisoners who had filed a historic suit accusing the Singapore state of racial bias in their prosecutions in capital punishment cases. The suit was thrown out last year and their lawyer M Ravi was slapped with heavy fines after being accused of abuse of process by the attorney-general (AG).”

Singapore publicly reveals very little, if any information about its executions, which come in the form of hangings. Local anti-death penalty non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Transformative Justice Collective ask questions regarding the deaths and the surrounding circumstances. They get information through other prisoners or inmates’ relatives, which is the only way information is possible.

Singapore officials also executed another man, Singaporean Nazeri Lajim, 64, with a long history of drug use and other drug offenses, who had been sentenced in 2017 for trafficking 960 grams of heroin.

Earlier this month, VICE World News followed the families of people on death row in Singapore due to drug charges. They found clemency appeals to the president were rejected and hopes were destroyed in one of the harshest places on the planet to be caught with drugs.

“This morning, the family of Kalwant Singh, a Malaysian on death row in Singapore, was informed that his execution has been scheduled for next week, 7 July 2022,”  the Transformative Justice Collective tweeted on June 29.

Singh was arrested in 2013 for drugs. He was 23 years old then and has spent the past nine years in prison.

According to activists, executions by hanging came to a standstill during COVID-19.

VICE World News reports that Malaysia and Singapore shared a gung-ho approach to the death penalty, but both countries’ approach to drugs were originally rooted in British colonial-era laws. But then nearby in Thailand, cannabis has been decriminalized, suggesting drug reform is overdue in the corner of the globe.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced on Friday that the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) has issued 149 conditional state licenses for adult-use cannabis retailers to applicants selected in three lotteries held earlier this summer. All of the selected businesses qualify as social equity applicants under the state’s Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, the 2019 bill that legalized recreational pot for adults statewide.

“Illinois is leading the way in addressing the War on Drugs as no state has before, and dispensary ownership that reflects our state’s diversity is a product of that commitment,” Pritzker said on Friday in a statement from the governor’s office. “These licenses represent a significant step toward accountability for the decades of injustice preceding cannabis legalization. Illinois will continue to deliver on the promises of putting equity at the forefront of this process.”

Retail Sales Began in Illinois Two Years Ago

Illinois’ Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act was the first adult-use cannabis legalization measure in the United States to be passed by a state legislature, rather than through a ballot initiative approved by voters. Sales of adult-use cannabis began at existing medical dispensaries in 2020.

But licensing adult-use cannabis retailers has been marked by setbacks and legal challenges over the state’s system to license recreational cannabis businesses. Much of the controversy has centered on the state’s efforts to ensure that members of communities negatively impacted by prohibition and enforcement policies have a path to business ownership in the newly legal adult-use cannabis industry. The first 75 licenses were originally slated to be awarded in May 2020, but lawsuits have delayed progress several times.

“Since 2019, we have worked diligently to ensure communities disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition and discriminatory law enforcement are included in the adult-use cannabis industry,” said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford. “With the release of 149 Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses, Illinois has become a frontrunner in cannabis minority ownership and will continue to drive social equity, social justice and inclusion into the marketplace.”

Among the conditional use licensees selected through the lottery process,  41% are majority Black-owned, 7% are majority white-owned, and 4% are majority Latino-owned, while 38% of awardees did not disclose the race of their owners. State officials noted that “Illinois has made and executed the greatest commitment of adult use cannabis tax revenue to community reinvestment, expunged the most criminal history records involving cannabis, and has the highest rate of minority ownership of any state reporting/collecting ownership demographic data in the country.”

Licensees Have Six Months To Receive Final Approval

Applicants now have 180 days to secure their business location and receive final approval for licensing from state regulators. If conditional licensees are unable to secure a suitable business location within that time, they are permitted to file for a 180-day extension to complete the process.

“The release of these licenses means a transformation of the retail side of Illinois’ cannabis industry, creating more opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds to reap the benefits of legalization as employees and ancillary service providers,” said Mario Treto, Jr., Secretary of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. “These licensees continue to lay the groundwork for a cannabis industry more diverse and equitable than any other in the country. I am extremely proud of our team for their work over the past two years and look forward to working with these new businesses [sic] owners throughout the next stages of licensure.”

Many of the business owners selected as conditional adult-use retailer licensees are likely to face challenges obtaining capital to secure a site and get their operation up and running. Through a separate program administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the state offers low-interest loans to qualified licensed companies through its Social Equity Cannabis Loan Program. 

The first round of social equity license applicants are expected to finalize loan agreements directly with DCEO’s participating lenders in the coming weeks, with the next phase of the loan program launching in the near future. Additional information about the Social Equity Cannabis Loan Program is available online. DCEO also funds free licensing and post-licensing technical assistance through their partners at Oakton Community College, The Trep School, the Women’s Business Development Center, and the University of Illinois Chicago Law School. Additional information on these resources and how to access them can be found on the program website.

One of the selected conditional applicants, Akele Parnell, a co-owner of Marigrow, plans to open a dispensary in the Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park. The business has already raised the necessary capital and is ready to move on to the next step in the process.

“We have our financing,” Parnell told Crain Chicago. “Now we have to go through rezoning.”

“It was quite the wait. It’s a relief now to have the license in hand,” Parnell added. “There’s a lot of work ahead.”

Republicans and Democrats in the United States Senate have come together in support of a resolution calling for the release of Brittney Griner, the basketball star who has been held in a Russian prison since February over drug charges.

More than 30 senators joined as cosponsors of the resolution, which “calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to immediately release [Griner]”; “urges the United States, in all interactions with the Government of the Russian Federation, to raise the case of Brittney Griner and to press for her release”; “urges the Government of the Russian Federation to provide consular access to Brittney Griner while she remains in detention”; “urges the Government of the Russian Federation to respect the human rights of Brittney Griner”; and “expresses support to the family of Brittney Griner and a commitment to bringing her home.”

The resolution additionally expresses support for Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen who was arrested in Russia in 2018 on espionage charges, along with “all prisoners unjustly imprisoned in the Russian Federation.”

It was written by Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Kristen Sinema, both of Arizona, where Griner’s WNBA team the Phoenix Mercury plays, as well as Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the home of Griner’s alma mater, Baylor University.

“I’ve worked with the State Department to make sure that Brittney Griner’s safe return is a top priority, and this bipartisan resolution shows the Senate’s support for her as well. Brittney Griner is an inspiration to Arizonans and Americans across the country. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her and seeing her talent on the court up close. The Russian government unjustly detained Brittney and we will keep working with the administration to ensure her safe and swift return,” Kelly said in a statement on Thursday.

“Arizonans have love and admiration for Brittney Griner both on and off the court,” Sinema said. “The Department of State has determined that Brittney was wrongfully detained – it’s past time for her to come home.”

Griner was arrested on February 17 at an airport in Moscow while traveling back to Russia to complete her season for UMMC Ekaterinburg, which she plays for during the WNBA’s offseason.

She was accused of carrying cannabis oil in her luggage, and faces up to 10 years in prison on drug charges.

After her trial commenced earlier this month, Griner pleaded guilty to the charges, but said she did not intend to break the law.

Griner’s detention, coming not long before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is widely viewed as politically motivated. The U.S. Department of State in May reclassified Griner as “wrongfully detained.”

Russia has given suggestions as of late that it could be angling for a prisoner swap involving Griner and Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year federal prison sentence in the U.S.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, is facing mounting pressure to bring Griner home.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, earlier this month, after Brittney Griner sent a letter to the president.

“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner wrote in the letter.

“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees,” Griner continued. “Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”

The U.S. House of Representatives this week passed a bill that would permit cannabis advertising on broadcast television and radio stations. The legislation is included as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill, which was passed by lawmakers in the House on Wednesday.

Under the provisions of the appropriations bill, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would be barred from using appropriated funds to deny a broadcaster a license renewal or sale application for airing cannabis advertising in jurisdictions that have legalized marijuana. The FCC would also be prohibited from requiring a station to file an early license renewal application for broadcasting cannabis ads.

Current regulations allow the FCC to revoke a license from broadcasters that air advertisements for federally illegal products including weed, even in states that have passed laws legalizing cannabis. As a result, cannabis businesses are limited to advertising in other forums including print newspapers and magazines, online, billboards, cable television, satellite radio, and social media. Alex Siciliano, a spokesman for the National Associations of Broadcasters, said on Wednesday that the legislation passed in the House this week levels the playing field for cannabis advertising.

“For too long, local broadcasters have been stuck in a regulatory purgatory because of conflicting federal and state cannabis laws,” Siciliano said in a statement. “Today’s passage marks an important step towards allowing broadcasters to receive equal treatment for cannabis advertising that many other forms of media have enjoyed for years. While we are pleased to see the House act, broadcasters will continue to work with policymakers for a permanent resolution to this competitive disparity to the benefit of consumers.”

Broadcasting Groups Applaud Legislation

The spending bill was passed by the House Appropriations committee in June. The legislation gives broadcasters access to the growing market for cannabis advertising, which is expected to total $18.5 billion this year alone.

“We are pleased to see that this bipartisan language has advanced in the House today,” Siciliano said in a statement late last month. “As the vast majority of states have legalized cannabis in some form, today marks a long overdue step toward finally allowing broadcasters to receive equal treatment regarding cannabis advertising that other forms of media have had for years.”

David Donovan, president of the New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA), thanked lawmakers in the House “for recognizing the unfairness of the present situation with respect to cannabis advertising.”

“The provision in this House appropriations bill is a major step forward for leveling the playing field for local broadcasters,” Donovan said in a statement from the broadcasting industry group. “We believe the law of the state in which a station is licensed should determine whether a station can accept cannabis advertising if they so choose. We look forward to working with members of Congress and the Administration to help restore parity between local broadcasters and other media outlets.”

“We believe the law of the state in which a station is licensed should determine whether a station can accept cannabis advertising if they so choose,” Donovan added. “We look forward to working with members of Congress and the Administration to help restore parity between local broadcasters and other media outlets.”

Before the bill becomes effective, it must still be passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Joe Biden. The NYSBA noted that gaining Senate approval for the legislation may be a challenge.

“The appropriations process is notoriously complex, which means the bill may get stalled. Congress is likely to adopt an interim budget through a continuing resolution. At some point, perhaps after the mid-term elections, there will be a final vote. Even if it passes, the legislation is not a ‘silver bullet.’”

Because the cannabis advertising provisions were passed as part of an annual appropriations bill, the prohibition on the FCC taking action against broadcasters for airing weed ads would only be in effect for one year, beginning on October 1. For the marijuana advertising terms to continue, the appropriations language must be reauthorized each year.

It has been more than a year since the new medical cannabis law in South Dakota officially took effect, but there are still no state-approved dispensaries serving patients.

That is about to change.

Next week, when Unity Rd. opens its doors in Hartford, South Dakota––a town of about 3,300 located just outside Sioux Falls, the state’s largest city––it will make history as the first state-licensed medical cannabis dispensary in the Mount Rushmore State.

“We were really pushing hard to get that number one on the door to be the first legal, state-issued license,” B.J. Olson, one of the co-owners of Unity Rd., told the Argus Leader newspaper. “That doesn’t happen, unless you have your foot on the gas from the beginning.”

“We bought the property, we began building the building with no piece of paper, and worst case, we decided we’re gonna build a beautiful structure to lease to somebody and best case, we’re going to be the first dispensary in the state,” said Adam Jorgenson, the other co-owner.

According to the Argus Leader, “Unity Rd. is a franchise and also has shops in Oklahoma and Colorado.”

Voters in South Dakota overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in 2020 that legalized medical cannabis treatment in the state.

The law officially took effect on July 1, 2021, well before the state had begun issuing licenses for would-be dispensaries. But members of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe opened a dispensary shortly after the official start date last summer, bringing tension between the tribe and the state.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and other state officials have said that they will not recognize medical cannabis cards issued to individuals who are not members of the tribe.

The Argus Leader reported that, as of February, “the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe [had] issued about 8,000 medical marijuana cards to tribal and non-tribal members,” and that, “although several county- and city-level law enforcement agencies and state’s attorneys have eased up on arrests and prosecutions for possession of small amounts of marijuana all together, others, like the Flandreau Police Department are not honoring some tribal-issued medical cards.”

The tribe said at the time that more than 100 people who had been issued tribal medical cannabis cards had been arrested since the dispensary opened last July.

Unity Rd. will “offer a number of products including flower, vape cartridges, topicals, pre-rolls and edibles,” according to the Argus Leader, although initially “only flower will be sold, but the business expects to add products in a couple of weeks.”

The state’s medical cannabis law has faced a sluggish rollout. As of April, there were barely 400 patients who had been enrolled in the program, while only 90 doctors statewide were allowed to approve the use of medical cannabis for their patients.

South Dakota voters also approved an amendment in 2020 that legalized recreational cannabis, but that law was ultimately overturned by the state Supreme Court after it drew a legal challenge by Republican Gov. Kristi Noem.

Noem, a possible 2022 GOP presidential contender, celebrated the ruling.

“South Dakota is a place where the rule of law and our Constitution matter, and that’s what today’s decision is about,” Noem said at the time. “We do things right—and how we do things matters just as much as what we are doing. We are still governed by the rule of law. This decision does not affect my Administration’s implementation of the medical cannabis program voters approved in 2020. That program was launched earlier this month, and the first cards have already gone out to eligible South Dakotans.”

South Dakota will have another shot at legalizing recreational cannabis this fall, however, with a new measure qualifying for the November ballot.