A Weekly Roundup of Stories We Found Interesting – From The Profound To The Profane

THC and CBD can be Made with Genetically Engineered Yeast
Scientists have genetically engineered the microscopic fungi to create all the crucial psychoactive ingredients of marijuana. In a paper published in Nature, biomolecular engineers from University of California-Berkeley showed that they’d engineered yeast molecules to create both THC and CBD.

Martha Stewart to Advise Marijuana Product Manufacturer
Martha Stewart is plowing into the budding business of legal marijuana. The 77-year-old domestic diva has signed on as an adviser to Canada-based pot producer Canopy Growth, with plans to help it develop a line of new weed-based products for both humans and animals.

Congress Asked The Fed Chief About Marijuana Banking: ‘It Would Be Nice To Have Clarity’
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said before the U.S. Senate Tuesday that conflicting federal and state laws on the sale of marijuana and other cannabis products put bank supervisors in a “very difficult place.”

Unlicensed Medical Marijuana Delivery Flourishes In Metro Detroit
The state of Michigan has not yet approved any licensed medical marijuana provisioning centers for home delivery, but that’s not stopping nearly four dozen cannabis businesses in Metro Detroit from cashing in. Royal Oak-based Grow Cannabis Marketing has identified 44 medical marijuana delivery businesses currently operating in the region. They don’t have state licenses, but many market themselves on online cannabis directories such as Weedmaps and Leafly.

San Francisco Automatically Expunges 8,100 Marijuana Convictions Using Computer Program
A novel approach to marijuana expungements has helped San Francisco identify more than 8,100 cannabis convictions dating back to 1975 that will soon be automatically cleared, the district attorney’s office announced on Monday.

Weed Packaging Rules Are Overkill and Wasteful in Canada and the US
On both sides of the border, the regulations around keeping cannabis away from kids means excessive packaging that can take a toll on both profits and the environment. A single gram of weed can came with 70 grams of plastic, foil, and packaging. That’s because even a single gram has to be in a child-resistant package e.g. a bottle similar to what would be used for ibuprofen, and that bottle is often packaged in a box. If the cannabis is coming in the mail, there’s even more packaging.

Innovative And Elegant Products Are Changing How People Consume
Chic cannabis products are hitting the market and creating a subset marketplace. Goods range from cannabis-infused sublingual strips to portable vaporizers to beautifully designed pipes, ashtrays and bongs — all now legally available for purchase in most U.S. states.

Pesticides Found in Cartridges at Unlicensed California Dispensaries
An independent analysis shows unlicensed dispensaries and delivery services in Los Angeles are selling buds, and THC cartridges that are contaminated with harmful pesticides and other chemicals.

New York Announces Plan to Fix Subways with Legal Weed Taxes
Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill De Blasio have introduced a plan to fund the MTA, using taxes from impending legal weed sales and a newly-proposed “congestion” tolling system.

This Is What Happens When You’re Allergic To Marijuana
Although cannabis allergies were once a rarity, they are becoming more prevalent. It estimated that somewhere around 10 percent of cannabis users have some sort of sensitivity to the plant. Most of the symptoms are mild. But for some, the end result can be deadly.

Aphria To Develop Weed Patches; Aurora Cannabis Comes To Portugal
Canadian cannabis producer Aphria on Tuesday announced a deal to produce and sell medical cannabis transdermal patches developed by scientists at MIT, while Aurora Cannabis announced moves to expand into Portugal. Aphria stock, Aurora Cannabis stock and other marijuana stocks rallied.