Featured Analysis
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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…
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The Master Definition That Quietly Gave the Public Standing Against the DEA
There is a single sentence inside federal regulations that quietly determines who gets legal standing in DEA drug scheduling and rescheduling proceedings. It is not a press release. It is not a policy memo. It is not optional. It is binding federal law. And it decides who gets a seat at the table. The Controlling…
Policy
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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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The South Dakota DOH Already Has a Declaratory Ruling Process — Here’s the Form
The DOH Already Has a Declaratory Ruling Process — Here’s the Form By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 19, 2026 Most activists assume state agencies can ignore legal questions unless a lawsuit forces the issue. That assumption is wrong. This is a general procedural note: South Dakota’s Department of Health already has a formal, on-the-books…
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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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No. 6 – The Major Questions Doctrine and Cannabis Reform: Delegation, Scale, and Judicial Review
The Major Questions Doctrine and Cannabis Reform: Delegation, Scale, and Judicial Review By Jason Karimi | WeedPress Policy Series No. 6 February 14, 2026 The prior essays examined the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) as a regulatory architecture containing delegated exception authority and then clarified the limits of that delegation under 21 U.S.C. §…
Law
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South Dakota’s Cannabis Scheduling Petition Process Does Not Mirror Federal Law — But It Is Still a Formal Process
South Dakota’s Cannabis Scheduling Petition Process Does Not Mirror Federal Law — But It Is Still a Formal Process By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 21, 2026 A common objection to South Dakota cannabis scheduling petitions is that the state controlled substances chapter does not contain a federal-style petition clause. That objection is partly correct.…
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No. 8 – Administrative Procedure Act Vulnerabilities in DEA Rescheduling
Administrative Procedure Act Vulnerabilities in DEA Rescheduling By Jason Karimi | WeedPress Policy Series No. 8February 20 2026 The prior essays examined how the Major Questions Doctrine and the collapse of Chevron deference reshape judicial review of agency action. If the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) undertakes significant rescheduling under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the…
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The South Dakota DOH Already Has a Declaratory Ruling Process — Here’s the Form
The DOH Already Has a Declaratory Ruling Process — Here’s the Form By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 19, 2026 Most activists assume state agencies can ignore legal questions unless a lawsuit forces the issue. That assumption is wrong. This is a general procedural note: South Dakota’s Department of Health already has a formal, on-the-books…
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The District Math: How Primary Elections Actually Decide Legislative Power in South Dakota
The District Math: How Primary Elections Actually Decide Legislative Power in South Dakota By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 23, 2026 If HB 1065 was a diagnostic, district math is the operating manual. Political influence in South Dakota is not determined by statewide sentiment alone. It is determined district by district — often by a…
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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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No. 7 – Chevron’s Collapse and Cannabis Regulation: Judicial Review After Loper Bright
Chevron’s Collapse and Cannabis Regulation: Judicial Review After Loper Bright By Jason Karimi | WeedPress Policy Series No. 7February 2026 The prior essay examined how the Major Questions Doctrine shapes judicial scrutiny when agencies assert power over issues of vast economic or political significance. But another doctrinal shift may prove even more consequential for cannabis…
Science
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New JAMA Study: Cannabis & Schizophrenia
🧵 New JAMA Study: Cannabis & Schizophrenia Reader note: This blog post protected by the constitution’s first amendment. A population study of 13.5 million people in Ontario examined how cannabis policy changes relate to schizophrenia diagnoses. Here’s what they found ⬇️ 1️⃣ After cannabis became more accessible, the share of new schizophrenia cases linked to…
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If People Are Going To Keep Using Marijuana, We Need To Start Studying It
Schedule 3 rescheduling is a hot trending topic right now. The biggest argument for Trump removing cannabis from schedule 1 is the need for better research protocols. Schedule 1 restrictions limit policy makers ability to study cannabis thoroughly. Trump is going to reschedule it seems, and WeedPress predicts the main reason that will be given…
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Gateway Drug Theory Rejected By DEA and HHS: Federal Register
81 Fed. Reg. 53767, 53784 (Aug. 12, 2016) (concluding that “research does not support a direct causal relationship between regular marijuana use and other illicit drug use” and emphasizing that “[l]ittle evidence supports the hypothesis that initiation of marijuana use leads to an abuse disorder with other illicit substances”). Full text of the decision available…
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Email To Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission About Federal Law
lcc.frontdesk@nebraska.gov The Nebraska Examiner three hours ago published an article stating public comment was being requested. See this link: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/06/26/nebraska-commission-approves-emergency-medical-cannabis-regulations/ In response to the public policy making invitation for expert commentary I shared the following expertise. Dear commissioners, The Iowa medical cannabis advisory board for three years now has recommended policy makers follow federal law…
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Navigating the Alphabet Soup of Legal Cannabinoids: A Comprehensive Consumer’s Guide To THCO, THCP, THCA, HHC, Delta 8, Delta 9, Delta 10, CBN, CBG, CBC, CBDA and CBD
Navigating the Alphabet Soup of Legal Cannabinoids: The 2024 New Year’s Comprehensive Consumer’s Guide To THCO, THCP, THCA, HHC, Delta 8, Delta 9, Delta 10, CBN, CBG, CBC, CBDA and CBD Follow WeedPress on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/WeedPressWordpress Cannabis cards available at https://www.swiftiemed.com/ Medical cards are still half off, just $50 for your medical cannabis card, apply…
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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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…
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No. 4 – The Controlled Substances Act Is Not a Blunt Instrument — It Is an Architecture of Exceptions
The Controlled Substances Act Is Not a Blunt Instrument — It Is an Architecture of Exceptions By Jason Karimi | WeedPress Policy Series #4| February 13, 2026 A recent Harvard Law Review–discussed argument (as reviewed in Drug Scheduling Is Institutional Design — And That Changes Everything) suggests the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is structurally imperfect…
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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The District Math: How Primary Elections Actually Decide Legislative Power in South Dakota
The District Math: How Primary Elections Actually Decide Legislative Power in South Dakota By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 23, 2026 If HB 1065 was a diagnostic, district math is the operating manual. Political influence in South Dakota is not determined by statewide sentiment alone. It is determined district by district — often by a…
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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…
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Discipline Forged Under Scrutiny: Why the Hard Path Produces the Most Careful Lawyers
Discipline Forged Under Scrutiny: Why the Hard Path Produces the Most Careful LawyersBy Jason Karimi | WeedPress | February 14th, 2026 ⸻ Some of the most disciplined lawyers are not the ones who glide through clean transcripts and uninterrupted résumés. They are the ones who had to fight to be admitted. They understand that the…
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Outline of Cannabis Federalism: Constitutional Architecture in a Post-Prohibition Era
New book in monograph form incoming. Estimated release date: July 4, 2026 Cannabis Federalism: Constitutional Architecture in a Post-Prohibition Era Subtitle: A Structural Analysis of Vertical Preemption, Horizontal Protectionism, and Patient-Centered Regulatory Design By Jason Karimi Proposed Table of Contents Preface From Conflict to Architecture Brief, measured acknowledgment of the volatility of the cannabis policy…
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The “Lazy but Ambitious” Minority: Why 15–20% of People Are Wired Differently — and How That Can Be a Strength
The “Lazy but Ambitious” Minority: Why 15–20% of People Are Wired Differently — and How That Can Be a Strength By Jason Karimi A growing body of productivity and behavioral-psychology content points to a counterintuitive personality pattern: a significant minority of people — often estimated informally at 15–20% of the population in coaching and productivity…
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Why I No Longer Testify at Most Hearings
Why I No Longer Testify at Most Hearings Seventeen Years, Four Bills Passed, and Managing Campaigns and Staff Have Taught Me Institutional Architecture Is Not a Two-Minute Topic By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | February 12, 2026 This week’s attempt to repeal South Dakota’s medical cannabis laws leaned on ignorance of the federal architecture and…
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Call for Prosecutions Raises Concerns About Politicization
Call for Prosecutions Raises Concerns About Politicization When criminal law becomes a first-resort response to disagreement, institutional trust is at risk By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | January 17, 2026. In recent weeks, prominent progressive commentators have openly discussed the need for criminal accountability for political opponents. On a podcast appearance with CNN’s Jim Acosta,…
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Why So Much Cannabis Activism Burns People Out — and Why Mine Doesn’t
Why So Much Cannabis Activism Burns People Out — and Why Mine Doesn’t By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | February 4, 2026 If this work can be energizing, why do so many advocates flame out, disappear, or turn bitter? The answer isn’t workload.It’s structure. Burnout Is a Design Failure Most activist burnout isn’t personal weakness…
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Why WeedPress Exists the Way It Does: How I Learned to Navigate Hostile Systems — and Still Publish Solutions
WeedPress focuses on documented facts, public records, and procedural analysis, not personal vendettas or speculation. Why WeedPress Exists the Way It Does: How I Learned to Navigate Hostile Systems — and Still Publish Solutions By Jason Karimi | WeedPress | January 29, 2026 WeedPress wasn’t built by someone who grew up with a safety net.…
Patient Perspectives
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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…
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The District Math: How Primary Elections Actually Decide Legislative Power in South Dakota
The District Math: How Primary Elections Actually Decide Legislative Power in South Dakota By Jason Karimi | WeedPress February 23, 2026 If HB 1065 was a diagnostic, district math is the operating manual. Political influence in South Dakota is not determined by statewide sentiment alone. It is determined district by district — often by a…
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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…
WeedPress: The Paper Trail 