News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Sept. 1, 2023: Here are the cannabis headlines making marijuana news globally and in the Caribbean and Latin America this week in less than 60 seconds:
The 2023 US Open is officially underway, and some players like Alexander Zverev, the world No. 12 and Maria Sakkari, the world’s eighth-ranked women’s tennis player, are both talking about the smell of weed emanting from the stands. “The whole court smells like weed,” Zverev said after his first-round match. “Court 17 definitely smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room.”
Allen Iverson is bringing his weed to Pennsylvania. Iverson partnered with former NBA baller Al Harrington’s brand Viola on the “Iverson ’01” strain, a nod to his MVP-winning season when he helped the Sixers reach the NBA Finals. The indica-dominant hybrid will be available at RISE medical dispensaries starting Sept. 2 before expanding to other dispensaries in the state.
Grammy winning musician Shaggy has hit out at claims he smokes weed and set the record straight after bizarre rumours spread that he mixes the drug in his tea. The 54-year-old insists he steers clear of the substance.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recommended easing restrictions on marijuana. The move could potentially expand the market for cannabis, sending shares of Canopy Growth, Tilray Brands and Cronos Group higher.
The government of The Bahamas has unveiled several bills aimed at legalising marijuana for medical and religious purposes and decriminalising possession of small amounts, joining other Caribbean nations that have taken similar steps.
An emerging Limpopo, South African cannabis farmer is set export his produce to Europe, with Germany and the Scandinavian region emerging as the main targets. Fourty-four-year-old Mpho Makhado from Zandrivier, near Polokwane, is one of few black cannabis farmers in the country.
In a stunning reversal, a New York state Supreme Court judge this week held up all business applications to open adult-use marijuana stores in the state after finding cannabis regulators provided him “contradictory and confusing” information. This latest stumble in New York’s tortured rollout of legal marijuana comes in an ongoing challenge to the Office of Cannabis Management’s Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) program.
And three cannabis stocks to watch this week are: Curaleaf Holdings (CURLF), Green Thumb Industries (GTBIF) and Cronos Group (CRON).