It’s been an eventful week for our little green friend—another Sessions quote about drugs to dissect and digest, Canada’s Prince and Princess of Pot are in jail, Colorado may open “social use’ cannabis clubs, and pets need pot, too. Read on.

Sessions: “Just Say No” Worked

Hey, remember in the late '80s and early '90s when teenagers thought drugs weren’t cool? Yeah, neither do I. But apparently, Sessions does. On Wednesday he spoke at the New Hampshire Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness and said that the best way to combat illegal drug abuse is to make drugs uncool again:

"The most effective solution in the 1980s and early ‘90s—when, for example, we saw a significant decline in teen drug use—was the Prevention Campaign. People began to stop using drugs. Drug users were not cool. Crime fell dramatically, and addiction fell, too. We can do this again. We have proven that education and telling people the terrible truth about drugs and addiction will result in better choices. Drug use will fall. Lives will be saved."

Fact-check (Must we do this every week, Mr. Sessions?): Those aforementioned prevention campaigns (most notably D.A.R.E and Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” crusade) did little or nothing to combat substance use in youth.

Maybe he’s changing his rhetoric since he promised Republican senators before he was confirmed that he wouldn’t actually go after states allowing legal cannabis after all (despite his tough talk of the past couple of weeks). Also, he recently admitted that the DOJ doesn’t have the resources to go after every cannabis consumer, producer, and retailer in states where weed is legal.

A Massive Pot Store Raid Happened in Canada

The raid, called “Project Gator,” targeted Cannabis Culture, a cannabis store franchise in three cities: Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver. It led to the arrest of Marc and Jodie Emery, known as Canada’s Prince and Princess of Pot. Although the personal use of cannabis is set to be legalized in the country, it is still illegal for recreational use until legislation is enacted (which doesn’t seem like it will be any time soon). Despite the (mostly symbolic, it seems) raids, some of the stores were back in business the very next day.

Colorado Paves the Way for Cannabis Clubs

Meanwhile, in Colorado, marijuana clubs may soon be a reality for recreational users in the state: a bill allowing “on-site cannabis consumption at private clubs in permitting municipalities” would become the first of its kind in the nation (one bummer though: the clubs would not be allowed to serve food or alcohol). Washington State, hopefully you’re next? The bill’s passage is not guaranteed, however: the Governor has hinted that he may veto it due to concerns about indoor smoking and intervention from the Feds.

Oakland's New Medical Licensing Program Promotes Diversity Among Owners

The city of Oakland announced that through the program, qualified minority applicants with medical cannabis businesses will receive half of all licenses and zero-interest loans subsidized by the city’s cannabis tax revenue. “Black folks built this city and we demand ownership in the industry,” said activist Carroll Fife. “We do that as owners, not as workers."

If Legalized, Cannabis Would Give Beer a Run for Its Money

Move over, PBR. Sure, it’s a pipe dream (especially these days), but if cannabis were to be legalized nationally, it could become a $50 billion industry, rivaling the beer and wine industries and taking up to 7.1 percent of their revenues. Apparently, 27 percent of beer consumers said they would substitute cannabis for beer if it were legal to do so.

Pot for Pets on the Rise

Some pet owners have been treating their sick fur babies with cannabis as well as CBD oils and extracts to alleviate their aches and pains. Worth mentioning if only to include this video featuring Hudson, an adorable Portuguese Water Dog who loves him some ganja treats:

Puyallup Tribe Holds First Medical Marijuana Symposium

The first Puyallup Tribal Medical Marijuana Symposium, dubbed “the first medical cannabis meeting in Indian Country anywhere” took place last weekend, where healers, medical cannabis researchers, and naturopathic doctors discussed how tribal members can explore the potential health benefits of cannabis and use it as a medicine to treat illnesses.

Ganjagonia vs. Patagonia Trademark Dispute

Colorado-based entreprenuer Chris Hoover thought he came up with a pretty clever name for his new business: Ganjagonia. But when he went to register the name he got slapped with a trademark opposition from outdoor clothing company Patagonia, who claims that the Ganjagonia name “is highly similar to PATAGONIA in that it only changes the first few letters. Because “Ganjagonia” is so “deceptively similar” to the clothing company’s name, Patagonia fears that it will “likely cause the public to believe that [Ganjagonia] or its services have been authorized, sponsored, or licensed by Patagonia.”

Would that really be so bad? Or am I just silently hoping I can still one day start a line of alternative hemp parkas and ganja-themed camping equipment called “R.E.High”?

Don’t Mail Your Weed!

According to Leafly, there’s been a rise in cannabis mail seizures at the USPS.