International
The cannabis business continues its battle with the law in New York
In recent years, cannabis has become one of the hallmarks of the State of New York, where the legalization of this drug led to its massive commercialization and the development of a policy closely related to the social reintegration of disadvantaged groups.
Since March 2021, cannabis use is allowed for adults over 21 years of age, and therefore having a store is also legal, as long as the necessary requirements to obtain a license are met.
The prices – which always include a non-refundable fee of $1,000 – vary depending on the type of license (for example, opening a retail dispensary costs $7,000) and the approval of the permit takes longer than it might seem
Before its legalization, the people who were most affected by having or selling marijuana were black and Hispanic: “(These people) bought and consumed cannabis as much as the white communities, but they were not arrested in the same proportion,” a spokeswoman for the State Cannabis Office (OCM) who prefers not to give her name, explains to EFE.
In this sense, of the 1,485 arrests made in 2020 for possession or sale of cannabis, 898 were to black people, 467 Hispanic, 64 Asian, 49 white and 7 of other ethnic groups, according to official data.
Therefore, the New York State government, through the CAURD program, granted the first 463 provisional retail licenses to entities run by people with previous convictions related to this drug.
“One thing that New York was not going to do was start a billion-dollar industry and not have these people directing it,” says the CMO representative.
In this way, a few years after being arrested for possession of this drug, José Polanco, from the Dominican Republic, fulfilled his dream and opened ‘Polanco Brothers’, a cannabis store located in front of Bryant Park, in the heart of Manhattan.
“For the Hispanic community this store is something important, because we show that we can do great business away from crime,” one of the partners, Pedro Antonio, tells EFE, who receives surrounded by showcases full of gummies, creams, cannabis with cranberry flavor and even tea.
In contrast to the old tobacco shop that he now replaces and that brew together the elites of New York inside – it was often attended by celebrities such as Robert Downey Jr. – Antonio expresses his desire for ‘Polanco Brothers’ to become a place of reference for the popular classes.
The slow licensing process has led many sellers to dodge the law: it is estimated that more than 2,000 premises in the State are illegal, compared to the 180 stores that are regulated by the New York Government.
The clerg of a small store in Manhattan, which does not appear in the catalog of dispensaries published by the government – although she assures that it is fully legal – explains that the place was forced to open without a license due to the delay in processing her permit.
The woman mentions the closure of illegal premises that has been taking place in the city for a few weeks, where the Mayor’s Office of New York began an operation on May 7 to end them: since then a total of 75 have been closed.
In a recent report, the New York Government harshly criticized the ineffectiveness of the Cannabis Office and pointed out that, in April, more than 1,200 people who applied for a license in November were still waiting to be examined.
Cannabis has strongly adhered to the culture of the city and is already part of the daily life of New Yorkers, who are usually seen with a butt between their fingers it rains, thunders or shines, and whether during the day, at night or first thing in the morning.
Its consumption is so widespread that the same mayor of New York, asked one day about the persistent smell of garbage in the summer months, denied it and said: “The first thing I smell right now is marijuana. It seems like everyone is smoking a joint,” and he laughed.
International
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized what he described as unfair fees imposed on American ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand that Washington take back control of the strategic waterway.
“Our Navy and commerce have been threatened in a very unjust and reckless way. The rates that Panama charges are ridiculous,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The president-elect also denounced the growing influence of China in the canal, a situation he called concerning as U.S. businesses depend on the waterway to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
“This complete scam against our country will end immediately,” he stated.
The Panama Canal, completed by the United States in 1914, was handed over to Panama under the 1977 treaty signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control of the commercial passage in 1999.
“It was exclusively for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would never allow it to fall into the wrong hands!”
“If Panama cannot guarantee a ‘safe, efficient, and reliable’ operation of the canal, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in its entirety, without a doubt,” the Republican added.
Panamanian authorities did not immediately respond to Trump’s statements. While he will assume office on January 20, Trump has been exerting his political influence in the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, which allows vessels traveling from Asia to the U.S. East Coast to avoid the long and dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
The countries that use the Panama Canal the most are the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.
In October, the Panama Canal Authority reported earnings of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
International
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised more “destruction” in Ukraine on Sunday, in response to a drone strike that hit a residential building in the city of Kazan, located in central Russia, on Saturday.
Russia accused Ukraine of launching a “massive” drone attack, which struck a luxury apartment block in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the border.
Videos shared on Russian social media show drones hitting a high-rise glass building. No casualties have been reported as a result of the attack.
In his statements, Putin addressed the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, during a virtual ceremony marking the opening of a road.
The attack in Kazan is the latest in a series of increasingly frequent bombings in this nearly three-year-old conflict. Ukraine has not commented on the attack.
Putin had previously threatened to strike the center of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities were retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory.
International
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
At least nine people were killed on Sunday after a small aircraft crashed in a commercial area of the tourist city of Gramado, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, authorities confirmed.
“There are nine confirmed deaths according to Civil Defense services, and there are no survivors from the plane,” said Cléber dos Santos Lima, director of the Interior Police Department of the Civil Police of the state, in a statement to AFP.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact number of passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, a turbo-prop Piper Cheyenne 400. However, Civil Defense had previously stated that “preliminarily, the plane was carrying ten people.”
The plane crashed on Sunday morning “into the chimney of a building, then onto the second floor of a house, and finally fell onto a furniture store,” according to a statement from the Rio Grande do Sul Public Security Secretariat.
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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