Featured Analysis
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Incentives, Not Intentions: How Legislative Behavior Actually Changes
Incentives, Not Intentions: How Legislative Behavior Actually Changes By Jason Karimi | WeedPress March 2, 2026 Political movements often misread opposition. They assume legislation advances because lawmakers are hostile, ideological, or morally opposed. Sometimes that is true. More often, legislative behavior is shaped by incentives — not intentions. ⸻ A thousand angry emails do not…
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South Dakota Hearing on HB 1065: Medical Cannabis “Affirmative Defense” Change — 7:45 a.m. Monday (Capitol Room 412)
South Dakota Hearing on HB 1065: Medical Cannabis “Affirmative Defense” Change — 7:45 a.m. Monday (Capitol Room 412) By Jason Karimi | WeedPress March 2 2026 Public comment is welcome. The Senate Health & Human Services Committee meets Monday, March 2, 2026, at 7:45 a.m. in Capitol Room 412, and HB 1065 (revising the medical-purpose…
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No. 10 — Federal Preemption After Rescheduling: Conflict, Obstacle, and Cannabis Federalism
No. 10 — Federal Preemption After Rescheduling: Conflict, Obstacle, and Cannabis Federalism If federal enforcement priorities shift while federal prohibition remains intact, courts will increasingly confront whether the CSA preempts state licensing structures that depend on continued federal forbearance. Whether state laws are argued as exemptions to new and changing federal CSA directives will likely…
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South Dakota’s MMOC Board Is Political Theatre And Needs Disbanded
South Dakota’s MMOC Board Is Political Theatre And Needs Disbanded By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 24, 2026 South Dakota’s Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee (MMOC) has always looked more serious on paper than it has been in practice. Now the House has voted 41–26 to move HB 1160, the bill that would repeal it, and…
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No. 9 – Dormant Commerce Clause, Preemption, and Cannabis Rescheduling
Dormant Commerce Clause, Preemption, and Cannabis Rescheduling By Jason Karimi | WeedPress Policy Series No. 9February 2026 The prior essays examined how modern administrative law constrains federal cannabis reform through doctrines of delegation, deference, and procedural review. If marijuana is rescheduled under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), however, a different constitutional doctrine may move to…
Policy
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The Federal Exemption Process Protects Pot Users Needing Organ Transplants…
Imagine a doctor denied your father life saving surgery because he’s a medical cannabis user: Pot Can Get You Kicked Off Transplant Lists — Even In States Where It’s Legal (Buzzfeed) How would you feel? Here’s how to ensure loved ones never have to again face denial of medical life saving surgeries for being cannabis…
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Ilhan Omar’s Office Called WeedPress For Help On Federal Exemption To State Cannabis Laws!!!!
Just a brief note, but I was asked this last week by Ilhan Omar’s Congressional office for info on a bill I wrote the bill summary for in 2021 that passed the Minnesota House. Read the bill here: House File 1023. The bill was introduced by Young Americans for Liberty endorsed House Rep Jeremy Munson.…
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South Dakota’s Lack Of Testing Labs For Marijuana: Cause For Concern?
Number of testing labs in South Dakota According to the state’s official cannabis-licensing site, as of early 2025 there are two independent medical cannabis testing laboratories licensed by the South Dakota Department of Health (SD-DOH). Of those two labs: Cannabis Chem Lab Inc. — located in Flandreau, South Dakota — is described as the “only licensed cannabis…
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Petition To South Dakota Legislature Senate And House Leadership
Copy To: President of the South Dakota Senate Copy to: Speaker of the South Dakota House This petition is submitted pursuant to: South Dakota Constitution 0N-6-4§ 4: § 4. Right of petition and peaceable assembly. The right of petition, and of the people peaceably to assemble to consult for the common good and make known their opinions, shall never be abridged.…
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Recent DEA Footnote Acknowledges Two Part CAMU Test!
For those following mj rescheduling, pg 7 fn 13 of this DEA doc temporarily placing 3 synth opioids in schedule I may be of interest. DEA acknowledges the existence of and authority for the 2-part test for CAMU, though it also applies its own 5-part test: https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-11462.pdf?utm_campaign=pi+subscription+mailing+list&utm_medium=email&utm_source=federalregister.gov
Law
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State Board Warns: Iowa Cannabis Users Break Federal Law
State Board Warns: Iowa Cannabis Users Break Federal Law Iowa’s medical cannabis program authorizes patient use at the state level but remains at odds with federal laws. Despite state authorization, Iowa’s medical cannabis program remains illegal under federal law, leading to ongoing legal risk and public safety implications — and lawmakers still haven’t acted on…
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Marijuana Is Still Federally Illegal — And the Fix Already Exists in Federal Law
Executive Summary Marijuana remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act. State legalization has expanded rapidly, but federal law has not changed. State cannabis systems now operate on enforcement tolerance rather than legal authorization, creating escalating compliance failures nationwide. However, Congress already created a lawful solution — and states are not using it. The Structural…
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The Federal Marijuana Contradiction Is Now Structurally Unsustainable
For more than a decade, marijuana policy in the United States has existed in a legal twilight zone. State legalization expanded rapidly, political rhetoric normalized cannabis, and entire industries were built on the assumption that federal reform was “inevitable.” But that inevitability never arrived. Instead, federal law never moved — and now the contradiction is…
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A Sioux Falls Storefront Is Selling “Cannabis” Without a South Dakota Cannabis License
By Jason Karimi – WeedPress / SD Cannabis Ledger A retail storefront operating at 825 South Minnesota Avenue in Sioux Falls presents itself to the public as a cannabis dispensary. It uses marijuana branding. It advertises cannabis. It invites walk-in customers. But it does not hold a South Dakota medical cannabis dispensary license. Which means…
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The Statutory Rescheduling Battlefield: Endgame Legal Weapons
The Statutory Rescheduling Battlefield 1. Who Is Allowed to Challenge Rescheduling? 21 U.S.C. § 811(a) Rescheduling can be initiated by: • Attorney General • Secretary of HHS • Any “interested party” • Or the UN treaty mechanism So the moment the final rule is published, the universe of potential challengers is not “any random person.”…
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How to File as an “Interested Person” in a DEA Scheduling or Rescheduling Proceeding
See previously on WeedPress: The Master Definition That Quietly Gave The Public Standing Against the DEA The DEA does not decide who has standing in federal drug rulemaking. The regulation does. And under 21 C.F.R. § 1300.01(b), the public has a formal legal doorway into DEA scheduling proceedings: “Interested person means any person adversely affected…
Science
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Cannabis and the Aging Brain: Science, Scheduling, and the Policy Consequences of New Data
Cannabis and the Aging Brain: Science, Scheduling, and the Policy Consequences of New Data By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | February 8, 2026 A new peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs examined whether lifetime cannabis use is associated with differences in brain volume and cognitive function in middle-aged and older…
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Big questions still unanswered about medical cannabis use
The biggest political show in Iowa, which hosted WeedPress for an hour long discussion in 2018, is discussing medical cannabis again: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/river-to-river/2026-01-14/big-questions-still-unanswered-about-medical-cannabis-use Amusing watching what WeedPress predicted and helped bring to fruition – removing schedule one federally – being discussed. WeedPress is so far ahead on this discussion. For the tip of the spear on…
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Teen Marijuana Use Continues Historic Decline
I said during the 2009 Iowa Board of Pharmacy cannabis hearings logic said legalization would reduce youth usage. I told you so: Federally Funded Survey: Teen Marijuana Use Continues Historic Decline Federally funded survey data compiled by the University of Michigan reports that teen marijuana use has declined significantly since states began regulating adult-use cannabis markets and is now…
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New Research: Cannabis Could Cure Ovarian Cancer
According to new research published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were found to interfere with the growth and spread of ovarian cancer cells. Full article to download: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1693129/full?utm_source=chatgpt.com Selective anti-cancer effects of cannabidiol and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol via PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibition and PTEN restoration in ovarian cancer cells Siyao Tong1,2Watcharin Loilome1,3Nisana Namwat1,3Poramate Klanrit1,3Arporn Wangwiwatsin1,3Zar…
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Studies Showing Cannabis Can Cure Cancer
Cannabinoids, including Δ9-THC, CBD, and CBG, exhibit significant anticancer activities such as apoptosis induction, autophagy stimulation, cell cycle arrest, anti-proliferation, anti-angiogenesis, and metastasis inhibition. Clinical trials have demonstrated cannabinoids’ efficacy in tumor regression and health improvement in palliative care. However, challenges such as variability in cannabinoid composition, psychoactive effects, regulatory barriers, and lack of standardized…
Current Events
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WeedPress Is Mapping the Battlefield While Others Debate the Map
WeedPress Is Mapping the Battlefield While Others Debate the Map WeedPress Policy SeriesBy Jason Karimi ⸻ There are two kinds of publications in contentious policy environments. Some debate what the terrain should look like. Others study what the terrain actually is. WeedPress was built to do the second. While many cannabis commentators remain focused on…
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HB 1065 Heads to the Floor: The Primary Gap in South Dakota’s Medical Cannabis Politics
HB 1065 Heads to the Floor: The Primary Gap in South Dakota’s Medical Cannabis Politics As restriction legislation advances, the absence of effectively deterrent electoral pressure reveals a leverage problem within the state’s cannabis movement. As House Bill 1065 advances to the South Dakota House floor, the moment calls for structural reflection rather than rhetorical…
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Who to Learn From—and Who to Avoid—When You Care About Truth and Stability
Who to Learn From—and Who to Avoid—When You Care About Truth and Stability By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | February 2026 “Cannabis is not the subject. It’s the stress test. The subject is constitutional process.” – Jason Karimi “Don’t waste time defending the past. Leadership is about providing continuously to make people’s lives easier. Talk…
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Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana Launches Statewide Town Hall Tour
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana Launches Statewide Town Hall Tour By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | February 7, 2026 Scottsbluff to Lincoln: Advocates Take Patient Access Conversation Across the State Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM) is hitting the road this week with a statewide town hall tour aimed at updating patients, families, and community members on…
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There Is No Such Thing as “Good Trouble.” There Is Only Trouble.
There Is No Such Thing as “Good Trouble.” There Is Only Trouble. By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | February 7, 2026 The phrase “good trouble” entered political vocabulary as a moral shield — a way to bless disruption in advance. It suggests that if your cause is righteous, the consequences are purified. That framing is…
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A Review of WeedPress: Structure Over Noise in Cannabis Policy
A Review of WeedPress: Structure Over Noise in Cannabis Policy By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | February 8, 2026 As cannabis regulation continues to evolve at the state and federal levels, much of the media coverage surrounding it remains personality-driven, headline-focused, or politically reactive. Against that backdrop, WeedPress has occupied a different lane: documentation, structural…
Legislation
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HB 1065, A Bill To Felonize Medical Cardholders, Defeated 4-3
Senator Smith prior to the bill being defeated said: “This is another form of medicine. While it’s not a prescription it’s a permit to have it.” Then why is cannabis classified as Schedule I? Minnesota has it scheduled Schedule III. Why the conflicting laws in South Dakota?
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South Dakota Hearing on HB 1065: Medical Cannabis “Affirmative Defense” Change — 7:45 a.m. Monday (Capitol Room 412)
South Dakota Hearing on HB 1065: Medical Cannabis “Affirmative Defense” Change — 7:45 a.m. Monday (Capitol Room 412) By Jason Karimi | WeedPress March 2 2026 Public comment is welcome. The Senate Health & Human Services Committee meets Monday, March 2, 2026, at 7:45 a.m. in Capitol Room 412, and HB 1065 (revising the medical-purpose…
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Medical Cannabis in South Dakota Has Entered a Political Vulnerability Phase
Medical Cannabis in South Dakota Has Entered a Political Vulnerability Phase By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 18, 2026 After passing the House 53–13 on February 17 and receiving its first reading in the Senate on February 18, HB 1065, which rolls back medical cannabis protections in South Dakota, has already done more than advance procedurally. It has…
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From Diagnosis to Discipline: Building Primary Leverage in South Dakota’s Medical Cannabis Politics
From Diagnosis to Discipline: Building Primary Leverage in South Dakota’s Medical Cannabis Politics By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 16, 2026 HB 1065 advancing is a test for the medical cannabis movement in South Dakota. If a restriction bill can clear committee 8–3 and advance toward the House floor with minimal electoral anxiety, the movement…
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WeedPress Is Mapping the Battlefield While Others Debate the Map
WeedPress Is Mapping the Battlefield While Others Debate the Map WeedPress Policy SeriesBy Jason Karimi ⸻ There are two kinds of publications in contentious policy environments. Some debate what the terrain should look like. Others study what the terrain actually is. WeedPress was built to do the second. While many cannabis commentators remain focused on…
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HB 1065 Heads to the Floor: The Primary Gap in South Dakota’s Medical Cannabis Politics
HB 1065 Heads to the Floor: The Primary Gap in South Dakota’s Medical Cannabis Politics As restriction legislation advances, the absence of effectively deterrent electoral pressure reveals a leverage problem within the state’s cannabis movement. As House Bill 1065 advances to the South Dakota House floor, the moment calls for structural reflection rather than rhetorical…
RFRA Updates
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The RFRA Trap: Litigation Sequencing and the Structural Limits of State Religious Freedom Claims in Drug Law
The RFRA Trap: Litigation Sequencing and the Structural Limits of State Religious Freedom Claims in Drug Law Why arguing state RFRA before federal constitutional claims can foreclose Supreme Court review — and how litigation order determines survival. By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 15, 2026 State Religious Freedom Restoration Acts are often treated as constitutional…
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South Dakota Senate Passes Resolution Calling for Prayer — While Cannabis Policy Still in Flux
South Dakota Senate Passes Resolution Calling for Prayer — While Cannabis Policy Still in Flux By Reverend Jason Karimi | WeedPress | February 4, 2026 This week, the South Dakota Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 604 — a non-binding call urging residents of the state to “return to the Lord Most High” and observe a…
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Iowa Ayahuasca Church’s Bid to Force DEA Action Argued in D.C. Circuit, Decision Pending
Judges Signal Skepticism as Court Considers Forcing DEA to Act on Long-Delayed Exemption for Iowa Church Iowa Ayahuasca Church’s Bid to Force DEA Action Argued in D.C. Circuit, Decision Pending By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | January 39, 2026 An Iowa-based religious group has asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia…
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No. 2 – The Path to a Religious Cannabis Exemption: Why Medical Cannabis Systems Change the RFRA Equation
The Path to a Religious Cannabis Exemption: Why Medical Cannabis Systems Change the RFRA Equation By Jason Karimi | WeedPress Policy Series No. 2 January 27, 2026 For decades, U.S. courts have uniformly rejected claims that marijuana is protected as a religious sacrament under the First Amendment or the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Ethiopian…
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Petition For Religious Cannabis Exemption In Nebraska
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THURSTON COUNTY, NEBRASKA STATE OF NEBRASKA, Plaintiff, v. JASON KARIMI, Defendant. Case No: DEFENDANT’S PRO SE MOTION TO MODIFY PROBATION CONDITION PURSUANT TO THE NEBRASKA FIRST FREEDOM ACT (NEB. REV. STAT. §§ 20-701 – 20-705) COMES NOW the Defendant, appearing pro se, and…
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Time to Work On Religious Cannabis Petition For Nebraska
I’m one of two cases involving religious cannabis users arguing a constitutional right for religious exemption to cannabis laws in Nebraska. If non-religious secular medical users get exemption, but not religious users, that’s discrimination. Asking a court for such a ruling is warranted. I’ve got 50 pages of notes to turn into my filings. So,…
Upcoming Events
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Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana Launches Statewide Town Hall Tour
Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana Launches Statewide Town Hall Tour By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | February 7, 2026 Scottsbluff to Lincoln: Advocates Take Patient Access Conversation Across the State Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM) is hitting the road this week with a statewide town hall tour aimed at updating patients, families, and community members on…
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Federal Public Comment Available Now (Texas Too)
Public input needed! Federal first then Texas: Federal Update: CMS & Hemp-Derived Cannabinoids On November 28, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) filed a proposed ruleto incorporate the federal definition of hemp that will take effect on November 12, 2026. This proposed rule clarifies that cannabis or hemp-derived products illegal under federal or state…
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Tomorrow: Best Attorneys Discuss Federal Rescheduling At Noon
https://x.com/jamiecampbell/status/2006159843267145790?s=46 RSVP and attend at noon central/ 1 eastern 1-6-2025 Be there or be square. Link also here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UKmdX9EBQs2HYOW7epomvA#/registration
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Reminder: Rising to the Moment: Protecting and Advancing Cannabis Legalization in a Changing America
Rising to the Moment: Protecting and Advancing Cannabis Legalization in a Changing America Date & TimeDec 17, 2025 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Webinar ID815 7712 0875 Description BGM and Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) invite you to join us for a timely discussion on the current state of the national legalization landscape. We will…
For The Record (2026), By Jason Karimi
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Chapter 9: The Record vs. the Narrative
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 10: What Remains
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 8: What the Media Gets Wrong
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 7: Why I Never Left
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 6: Staying Power
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 5: The Apprenticeship
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 4: Learning the Language of Power
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 3: Becoming a Problem
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 2: Before the File Was Opened
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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“For The Record” Chapter 1: The First Arrest
The following 8,580 word book is ten chapters long and written for future advocates. FOR THE RECORD How Power Actually Works—and Why Documentation Outlasts the Narrative By Jason Karimi Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted…
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On Independence, Accountability, and Why I Don’t Build My Work Around Approval
On Independence, Accountability, and Why I Don’t Build My Work Around Approval By Jason Karimi At 19, I ended up in a homeless shelter. Not because I committed a crime.Not because I was addicted.Not because I couldn’t work. I was there because I stood up in court for religious cannabis rights, made the front page…
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Why WeedPress Chooses to Be a High-Heat, Contrarian Watchdog
Why WeedPress Chooses to Be a High-Heat, Contrarian Watchdog By Jason Karimi | WeedPressJanuary 24, 2026 WeedPress was not created to be polite. It was not created to echo press releases, recycle activist talking points, or play nice with institutions that have repeatedly failed cannabis patients, small operators, and civil liberties. WeedPress exists to document,…
Commentary
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Updates From Visiting South Dakota Capitol So Far Today
From recent official remarks and events: The Supreme Court is hosting treatment court sessions at the Capitol Drug court policy and funding is a major legislative talking point Drug Court Advisory Council met Jan 27 (yesterday) This ties directly into: – Cannabis vs. criminal justice – How the state frames “treatment” vs. legalization – Budget…
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On Independence, Accountability, and Why I Don’t Build My Work Around Approval
On Independence, Accountability, and Why I Don’t Build My Work Around Approval By Jason Karimi At 19, I ended up in a homeless shelter. Not because I committed a crime.Not because I was addicted.Not because I couldn’t work. I was there because I stood up in court for religious cannabis rights, made the front page…
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Why WeedPress Chooses to Be a High-Heat, Contrarian Watchdog
Why WeedPress Chooses to Be a High-Heat, Contrarian Watchdog By Jason Karimi | WeedPressJanuary 24, 2026 WeedPress was not created to be polite. It was not created to echo press releases, recycle activist talking points, or play nice with institutions that have repeatedly failed cannabis patients, small operators, and civil liberties. WeedPress exists to document,…
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Who Actually Holds Power?
Who Actually Holds Power? Another hit master piece by Jason Karimi, WeedPress News Scroll social media for five minutes and you’ll see the same illusion repeated in different forms: whoever controls the narrative controls the system. Influencers, viral posts, cultural momentum — these are presented as the new centers of power. The message is simple:…
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Give Them What They Want: How to Truly Connect With Your Audience
Most people think influence is about being louder, sharper, or more controversial. Chapter 7 of The 50th Law quietly destroys that myth. Its central message is simple but ruthless: Power grows when your value grows to others. That single idea changes how we understand influence, loyalty, reputation, and even conflict. If people don’t need what…
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Truth Telling = Treason ? Thought on Fixing Propagandized Divisive Narrative Spreading
The real problem in the world today and as always is not “bad people.” It’s broken information systems. And the most effective, non-destructive way to fight that is not rage, humiliation, or ideological warfare — it’s: • calm clarity • good-faith reasoning • source literacy • pattern awareness • explaining how manipulation works • slowing…
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How Paul Hijacked Jesus’s Message And Built Christianity
My Rasta buddy in Minneapolis used to say Paul was a test and not to fall for it…good talk from the best professor in the world.
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Why Success Is So Rare: Zig Ziglar’s Five Gates You Must Pass
They stab you in the backAnd they claim that you are not lookingBut Jah have them in the regionIn the valley of decision Go down back-biter, (down back-bite)Go down back-biter, (down back-bite) Now you get what you wantDo you want more? (want more)Now you get what you wantDo you want more? (want more?) – Bob…
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Haile Selassie and the Highest Art of Power: Winning Without Drawing the Sword
History remembers emperors for their conquests. Haile Selassie I is remembered for something rarer — for proving that the highest art of politics is not domination by force, but mastery of legitimacy, symbolism, patience, and law. His reign stands as one of the clearest demonstrations in modern history that enduring power does not come from…
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Why Choosing Your Enemies Wisely Is Crucial in Politics
Politics is as much about strategy as it is about ideas. Whether you’re running for office, advocating for a cause, or steering public policy, the opponents you pick — and how you engage them — can make or break your efforts. This lesson is captured succinctly in The Laws of the Public Policy Process: “Choose…
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Tribute To Ras Jamison Arend, Lion.
Jamison Arend Jamison Arend was my best friend, with a great view of life. We’ve taken the dogs to the river park in St.Paul. When I was lead lobbyist for medical cannabis in 2014, and getting screwed by a rigged legislature and a terrible medical bill and program, I made weekly pilgrimages to Jamison’s house…
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All My Law Classmates Hate Being Lawyers
Lawyer note: This article is a personal reflection on my own experiences and beliefs, not a factual survey of anyone else. In two years of being the best student in 30 years at paralegal school (the programs assistant heads words, and unsolicited meritorious praise, were not mine) I learned that my next step, law school,…
Patient Perspectives
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HB 1065, A Bill To Felonize Medical Cardholders, Defeated 4-3
Senator Smith prior to the bill being defeated said: “This is another form of medicine. While it’s not a prescription it’s a permit to have it.” Then why is cannabis classified as Schedule I? Minnesota has it scheduled Schedule III. Why the conflicting laws in South Dakota?
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Incentives, Not Intentions: How Legislative Behavior Actually Changes
Incentives, Not Intentions: How Legislative Behavior Actually Changes By Jason Karimi | WeedPress March 2, 2026 Political movements often misread opposition. They assume legislation advances because lawmakers are hostile, ideological, or morally opposed. Sometimes that is true. More often, legislative behavior is shaped by incentives — not intentions. ⸻ A thousand angry emails do not…
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South Dakota Hearing on HB 1065: Medical Cannabis “Affirmative Defense” Change — 7:45 a.m. Monday (Capitol Room 412)
South Dakota Hearing on HB 1065: Medical Cannabis “Affirmative Defense” Change — 7:45 a.m. Monday (Capitol Room 412) By Jason Karimi | WeedPress March 2 2026 Public comment is welcome. The Senate Health & Human Services Committee meets Monday, March 2, 2026, at 7:45 a.m. in Capitol Room 412, and HB 1065 (revising the medical-purpose…
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South Dakota’s MMOC Board Is Political Theatre And Needs Disbanded
South Dakota’s MMOC Board Is Political Theatre And Needs Disbanded By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 24, 2026 South Dakota’s Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee (MMOC) has always looked more serious on paper than it has been in practice. Now the House has voted 41–26 to move HB 1160, the bill that would repeal it, and…
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South Dakota’s Schedule I Problem Is Now in the Administrative Record
South Dakota’s Schedule I Problem Is Now in the Administrative Record By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 23, 2026 Today, a formal Petition for Declaratory Ruling and Mandatory Scheduling Review of Cannabis was submitted to the South Dakota Department of Health under SDCL § 1-26-13, requesting review of marijuana’s continued placement in Schedule I. I…
WeedPress: The Paper Trail 