#UBI

Seattle gave low-income residents $500 a month no strings attached. Employment rates nearly doubled.

Noah Sheidlower,Katie Balevic
Updated Sat, Apr 20, 2024

A view of the Seattle skyline.Jeff Halstead/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

A Seattle basic income pilot gave low-income residents $500 a month, nearly doubling employment rates.


Some participants reported getting new housing, while others saw their employment incomes rise.


Basic income pilots nationwide have seen noteworthy success, despite conservative opposition.

A Seattle-area guaranteed basic income pilot gave low-income residents $500 a month to help reduce poverty. Employment in the group nearly doubled, and numerous unhoused residents secured housing.



The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County launched a 10-month guaranteed basic income pilot program with 102 participants in fall 2022. New findings by research firm Applied Inference reveal that the $5,000 total payments improved participants' quality of life, housing, and employment outcomes.

"These results showcase the power of community investment and the necessity of equitable solutions to address persistent barriers," said Marie Kurose, CEO of the WDC, in a statement. "The WDC will continue to use these insights to amplify our impact and drive transformative change in our region."

Though they have various characteristics and qualifications, guaranteed basic income programs offer direct cash payments to selected participants for a set amount of time. Some programs require participants to report what they use the monthly cash on, while others offer funds with no strings attached.

In the Seattle-area pilot program, public and private partners — such as King County, the Employment Security Department, and Chase Bank — provided funding to the participants, about 88% of whom were people of color. King County is a mostly white, wealthy county, according to Census data.

Employment among the participants almost doubled from 37% before the program to 66% post-pilot. Participants also reported getting higher-paying jobs with additional benefits. Participants' average incomes increased from $2,995 a month to $3,405.

The percentage of participants whose jobs provided a retirement plan nearly tripled, while life insurance doubled. Over a quarter of participants reported acquiring disability insurance in their new jobs, which none of them had in their previous jobs.

Participants also reported being more financially stable, meaning they could pay off bills and debts while building up more savings for the future. For instance, the percent of participants with savings increased from 24% to 35% — for families with children, this increased from 0% to 42%. The percentage of those able to consistently pay their bills doubled from 19% to 38%. The percentage of those behind on all debts stayed stagnant.

The payments contributed to less anxiety and fatigue and more freedom to travel and spend on non-essentials. Likely due to increased ability to seek treatment, some also reported reduced physical pain, allowing them to go about their days more easily and complete educational or professional goals.

Parents reported using the payments mainly for their children's needs, though many said they couldn't significantly strengthen their own financial position. Parents were less likely to have started short-term professional training compared to non-parents.

Many participants said they wanted the program to continue for a full year rather than 10 months, while others suggested higher monthly payments as high as $1,000.

The results are on trend with those of similar pilot programs nationwide, which have seen massive success. Participants in universal and guaranteed basic income programs have widely reported that the funds helped them pay off debts, as well as afford groceries, childcare, and housing.

Even so, conservative lawmakers nationwide have loudly advocated against the programs, claiming that they discourage work and cost taxpayers. However, many of the pilot programs are funded privately by philanthropy or by federal relief funds. Republicans in several state legislatures have pushed efforts to ban basic income programs in their states.

Business Insider

Red states fight growing efforts to give ‘basic income’ cash to residents

Kevin Hardy
Sun, April 21, 2024 

Susie Garza displays a city-provided debit card she receives monthly through a trial program in Stockton, California, in 2019.

Susie Garza displays a city-provided debit card she receives monthly through a trial program in Stockton, California, in 2019. That year, Stockton launched a basic income experiment that has set off a major expansion of such programs across the country. Research has shown basic income programs can boost employment and health, but GOP lawmakers in some states are pushing back on the concept of free cash. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo)

South Dakota state Sen. John Wiik likes to think of himself as a lookout of sorts — keeping an eye on new laws, programs and ideas brewing across the states.

“I don’t bring a ton of legislation,” said Wiik, a Republican. “The main thing I like to do is try and stay ahead of trends and try and prevent bad things from coming into our state.”

This session, that meant sponsoring successful legislation banning cities or counties from creating basic income programs, which provide direct, regular cash payments to low-income residents to help alleviate poverty.

While Wiik isn’t aware of any local governments publicly floating the idea in South Dakota, he describes such programs as “bureaucrats trying to hand out checks to make sure that your party registration matches whoever signed the checks for the rest of your life.”

The economic gut punch of the pandemic and related assistance efforts such as the expanded child tax credit popularized the idea of directly handing cash to people in need. Advocates say the programs can be administered more efficiently than traditional government assistance programs, and research suggests they increase not only financial stability but also mental and physical health.

Still, Wiik and other Republicans argue handing out no-strings-attached cash disincentivizes work — and having fewer workers available is especially worrisome in a state with the nation’s second-lowest unemployment rate.

South Dakota is among at least six states where GOP officials have looked to ban basic income programs.

The basic income concept has been around for decades, but a 2019 experiment in Stockton, California, set off a major expansion. There, 125 individuals received $500 per month with no strings attached for two years. Independent researchers found the program improved financial stability and health, but concluded that the pandemic dampened those effects.

GOP lawmakers like Wiik fear that even experimental programs could set a dangerous precedent.

“What did Ronald Reagan say, ‘The closest thing to eternal life on this planet is a government program’?” Wiik said. “So, if you get people addicted to just getting a check from the government, it’s going to be really hard to take that away.”

The debate over basic income programs is likely to intensify as blue state lawmakers seek to expand pilot programs. Minnesota, for example, could become the nation’s first to fund a statewide program. But elected officials in red states are working to thwart such efforts — not only by fighting statewide efforts but also by preventing local communities from starting their own basic income programs.

Democratic governors in Arizona and Wisconsin recently vetoed Republican legislation banning basic income programs.

Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Harris County to block a pilot program that would provide $500 per month to 1,900 low-income people in the state’s largest county, home to Houston.

Paxton, a Republican, argued the program is illegal because it violates a state constitutional provision that says local governments cannot grant public money to individuals.

Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, a Democrat, called Paxton’s move “nothing more than an attack on local government and an attempt to make headlines.”

Meanwhile, several blue states are pushing to expand these programs.

Washington state lawmakers debated a statewide basic income bill during this year’s short session. And Minnesota lawmakers are debating whether to spend $100 million to roll out one of the nation’s first statewide pilot programs.

“We’re definitely seeing that shift from pilot to policy,” said Sukhi Samra, the director of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, which formed after the Stockton experiment.

So far, that organization has helped launch about 60 pilot programs across the country that will provide $250 million in unconditional aid, she said.

This is an effective policy that helps our families, and this can radically change the way that we address poverty in this country.

– Sukhi Samra, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income director

Despite pushback in some states, Samra said recent polling commissioned by the group shows broad support of basic income programs. And the programs have shown success in supplementing — not replacing — social safety net programs, she said.

The extra cash gives recipients freedom of choice. People can fix a flat tire, cover school supplies or celebrate a child’s birthday for the first time.

“There’s no social safety net program that allows you to do that.” she said. “ … This is an effective policy that helps our families, and this can radically change the way that we address poverty in this country.”

Basic income experiments

The proliferation of basic income projects has been closely studied by researchers.

Though many feared that free cash would dissuade people from working, that hasn’t been the case, said Sara Kimberlin, the executive director and senior research scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Poverty and Inequality.

Stanford’s Basic Income Lab has tracked more than 150 basic income pilots across the country. Generally, those offer $500 or $1,000 per month over a short period.

“There isn’t anywhere in the United States where you can live off of $500 a month,” she said. “At the same time, $500 a month really makes a tremendous difference for someone who is living really close to the edge.”

Kimberlin said the research on basic income programs has so far been promising, though it’s unclear how long the benefits may persist once programs conclude. Still, she said, plenty of research shows how critical economic stability in childhood is to stability in adulthood — something both the basic income programs and the pandemic-era child tax credit can address.

Over the past five years, basic income experiments have varied across the country.

Last year, California launched the nation’s first state-funded pilot programs targeting former foster youth.

In Colorado, the Denver Basic Income Project aimed to help homeless individuals. After early successes, the Denver City Council awarded funding late last year to extend that program, which provides up to $1,000 per month to hundreds of participants.

A 2021 pilot launched in Cambridge, Massachusetts, provided $500 a month over 18 months to 130 single caregivers. Research from the University of Pennsylvania found the Cambridge program increased employment, the ability to cover a $400 emergency expense, and food and housing security among participants.

Children in participating families were more likely to enroll in Advanced Placement courses, earned higher grades and had reduced absenteeism.

“It was really reaffirming to hear that when families are not stressed out, they are able to actually do much better,” said Geeta Pradhan, president of the Cambridge Community Foundation, which worked on the project.

Pradhan said basic income programs are part of a national trend in “trust-based philanthropy,” which empowers individuals rather than imposing top-down solutions to fight poverty.

“There is something that I think it does to people’s sense of empowerment, a sense of agency, the freedom that you feel,” she said. “I think that there’s some very important aspects of humanity that are built into these programs.”

While the pilot concluded, the Cambridge City Council committed $22 million in federal pandemic aid toward a second round of funding. Now, nearly 2,000 families earning at or below 250% of the federal poverty level are receiving $500 monthly payments, said Sumbul Siddiqui, a city council member.

Siddiqui, a Democrat, pushed for the original pilot when she was mayor during the pandemic. While she said the program has proven successful, it’s unclear whether the city can find a sustainable source of funding to keep it going long term.

States look to expand pilots

Tomas Vargas Jr. was among the 125 people who benefited from the Stockton, California, basic income program that launched in 2019.

At the time, he heard plenty of criticism from people who said beneficiaries would blow their funds on drugs and alcohol or quit their jobs.

“Off of $500 a month, which amazed me,” said Vargas, who worked part time at UPS.

Tomas Vargas Jr. is pictured with his wife and two children

Tomas Vargas Jr. was among the 125 people who participated in the 2019 basic income experiment in Stockton, Calif. Vargas, pictured here with his family, said the $500 a month allowed him to be a better father and take off time to pursue a better career. (Courtesy of Tomas Vargas Jr.)

But he said the cash gave him breathing room. He had felt stuck at his job, but the extra money gave him the freedom to take time off to interview for better jobs.

Unlike other social service programs like food stamps, he didn’t have to worry about losing out if his income went up incrementally. The cash allowed him to be a better father, he said, as well as improved his confidence and mental health.

The experience prompted him to get into the nonprofit sector. Financially stable, he now works at Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.

“The person I was five years ago is not the person that I am now,” he said.

Washington state Sen. Claire Wilson, a Democrat, said basic income is a proactive way to disrupt the status quo maintained by other anti-poverty efforts.

“I have a belief that our systems in our country have never been put in place to get people out of them,” she said. “They kept people right where they are.”

Wilson chairs the Human Services Committee, which considered a basic income bill this session that would have created a pilot program to offer 7,500 people a monthly amount equivalent to the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in their area.

The basic income bill didn’t progress during Washington’s short legislative session this year, but Wilson said lawmakers would reconsider the idea next year. While she champions the concept, she said there’s a lot of work to be done convincing skeptics.

In Minnesota, where lawmakers are considering a $100 million statewide basic income pilot program, some Republicans balked at the concept of free cash and its cost to taxpayers.

“Just the cost alone should be a concern,” Republican state Rep. Jon Koznick said during a committee meeting this month.

State Rep. Athena Hollins, a Democrat who sponsored the legislation, acknowledged the hefty request, but said backers would support a scaled-down version and “thought it was really important to get this conversation started.”

Much of the conversation in committee centered on local programs in cities such as Minneapolis and St. Paul. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, a Democrat, told lawmakers the city’s 2020 pilot saw “groundbreaking” results.

After scraping by for years, some families were able to put money into savings for the first time, he said. Families experienced less anxiety and depression. And the pilot disproved the “disparaging tropes” from critics about people living in poverty, the mayor said.

Carter told lawmakers that the complex issue of economic insecurity demands statewide solutions.

“I am well aware that the policy we’re proposing today is a departure from what we’re all used to,” he said. “In fact, that’s one of my favorite things about it.”

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter.

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THE ORIGINAL FAILED STATE

Haitians scramble to survive, seeking food, water and safety as gang violence chokes the capital

DÁNICA COTO
Sun, April 21, 2024

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — As the sun sets, a burly man bellows into a megaphone while a curious crowd gathers around him. Next to him is a small cardboard box with several banknotes worth 10 Haitian gourdes — about 7 U.S. cents.

“Everyone give whatever they have!” the man shouts as he grabs the arms and hands of people entering a neighborhood in the capital of Port-au-Prince that has been targeted by violent gangs.

The community recently voted to buy a metal barricade and install it themselves to try to protect residents from the unrelenting violence that killed or injured more than 2,500 people in Haiti from January to March.

“Every day I wake up and find a dead body,” said Noune-Carme Manoune, an immigration officer.

Life in Port-au-Prince has become a game of survival, pushing Haitians to new limits as they scramble to stay safe and alive while gangs overwhelm the police and the government remains largely absent. Some are installing metal barricades. Others press hard on the gas while driving near gang-controlled areas. The few who can afford it stockpile water, food, money and medication, supplies of which have dwindled since the main international airport closed in early March. The country's biggest seaport is largely paralyzed by marauding gangs.

“People living in the capital are locked in, they have nowhere to go,” Philippe Branchat, International Organization for Migration chief in Haiti, said in a recent statement. “The capital is surrounded by armed groups and danger. It is a city under siege.”

Phones ping often with alerts reporting gunfire, kidnappings and fatal shootings, and some supermarkets have so many armed guards that they resemble small police stations.

Gang attacks used to occur only in certain areas, but now they can happen anywhere, any time. Staying home does not guarantee safety: One man playing with his daughter at home was shot in the back by a stray bullet. Others have been killed.

Schools and gas stations are shuttered, with fuel on the black market selling for $9 a gallon, roughly three times the official price. Banks have prohibited customers from withdrawing more than $100 a day, and checks that used to take three days to clear now take a month or more. Police officers have to wait weeks to be paid.

“Everyone is under stress,” said Isidore Gédéon, a 38-year-old musician. “After the prison break, people don’t trust anyone. The state doesn’t have control.”

Gangs that control an estimated 80% of Port-au-Prince launched coordinated attacks on Feb. 29, targeting critical state infrastructure. They set fire to police stations, shot up the airport and stormed into Haiti’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates.

At the time, Prime Minister Ariel Henry was visiting Kenya to push for the U.N.-backed deployment of a police force. Henry remains locked out of Haiti, and a transitional presidential council tasked with selecting the country’s next prime minister and Cabinet could be sworn in as early as this week. Henry has pledged to resign once a new leader is installed.

Few believe this will end the crisis. It’s not only the gangs unleashing violence; Haitians have embraced a vigilante movement known as “bwa kale,” that has killed several hundred suspected gang members or their associates.

“There are certain communities I can’t go to because everyone is scared of everyone,” Gédéon said. “You could be innocent, and you end up dead.”

More than 95,000 people have fled Port-au-Prince in one month alone as gangs raid communities, torching homes and killing people in territories controlled by their rivals.

Those who flee via bus to Haiti’s southern and northern regions risk being gang-raped or killed as they pass through gang-controlled areas where gunmen have opened fire.

Violence in the capital has left some 160,000 people homeless, according to the IOM.

“This is hell,” said Nelson Langlois, a producer and cameraman.

Langlois, his wife and three children spent two nights lying flat on the roof of their home as gangs raided the neighborhood.

“Time after time, we peered over to see when we could flee,” he recalled.

Forced to split up because of the lack of shelter, Langlois is living in a Vodou temple and his wife and children are elsewhere in Port-au-Prince.

Like most people in the city, Langlois usually stays indoors. The days of pickup soccer games on dusty roads and the nights of drinking Prestige beer in bars with hip-hop, reggae or African music playing are long gone.

“It’s an open-air prison,” Langlois said.

The violence has also forced businesses, government agencies and schools to close, leaving scores of Haitians unemployed.

Manoune, the government immigration officer, said she has been earning money selling treated water since she has no work because deportations are stalled.

Meanwhile, Gédéon said he no longer plays the drums for a living, noting that bars and other venues are shuttered. He sells small plastic bags of water on the street and has become a handyman, installing fans and fixing appliances.

Even students are joining the workforce as the crisis deepens poverty across Haiti.

Sully, a 10th grader whose school closed nearly two months ago, stood on a street corner in the community of Pétion-Ville selling gasoline that he buys on the black market.

“You have to be careful,” said Sully, who asked that his last name be withheld for safety. “During the morning it’s safer.”

He sells about five gallons a week, generating roughly $40 for his family, but he cannot afford to join his classmates who are learning remotely.

“Online class is for people more fortunate than me, who have more money,” Sully said.

The European Union last week announced the launch of a humanitarian air bridge from the Central American country of Panama to Haiti. Five flights have landed in the northern city of Cap-Haïtien, site of Haiti’s sole functioning airport, bringing 62 tons of medicine, water, emergency shelter equipment and other essential supplies.

But there is no guarantee that critical items will reach those who most need them. Many Haitians remain trapped in their homes, unable to buy or look for food amid whizzing bullets.

Aid groups say nearly 2 million Haitians are on the verge of famine, more than 600,000 of them children.

Nonetheless, people are finding ways to survive.

Back in the neighborhood where residents are installing a metal barricade, sparks fly as one man cuts metal while others shovel and mix cement. They are well underway, and hope to finish the project soon.

Others remain skeptical, citing reports of gangs jumping into loaders and other heavy equipment to tear down police stations and, more recently, metal barricades

Haiti's death toll rises as international support lags, UN report says

Fri, April 19, 2024 

People walk past remains of vehicles after they were set on fire by gangs, in Port-au-Prince


By Sarah Morland

(Reuters) - More than 2,500 people were killed or injured in gang violence in Haiti from January through March, up 53% from the last three months of 2023, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) said on Friday.

At least 590 were killed during police operations, BINUH said in a report. Several were apparently not involved in gang violence, some had impaired mobility, and at least 141 were killed by vigilante justice groups.

Most of the violence took place in the capital of Port-au-Prince, while at least 438 people were kidnapped across the wider West Department and agricultural Artibonite region. The capital's port-side La Saline and Cite Soleil areas had the longest large-scale attacks.

Gang members continued to perpetrate rapes against women and girls in rival neighborhoods, as well as in prisons and displacement camps, the report found.

Hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced by gangs, the U.N. estimates. Despite criticism by the world body, countries such as the United States and neighboring Dominican Republic are still deporting migrants back into Haiti.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security told Reuters on Thursday that irregular migration of Haitians through the Caribbean "remains low," though many neighbors have evacuated citizens and bolstered their borders.

Gang violence, which has worsened for years, escalated on Feb. 29 when unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry traveled to Kenya to fast-track a planned international security support mission, but days later he resigned under U.S. pressure.

With a new government yet to be installed, BINUH said, gangs have "changed their tactics" targeting attacks against public institutions and strategic infrastructure, such as the main port and largest airport.

At least 22 police buildings have been looted or set on fire and 19 police officers killed or injured, it said, while blocked supply routes are exacerbating a healthcare and hunger crisis.

The report repeated calls for faster deployment of the planned security mission, which Henry requested in 2022 and was approved over six months ago, but which has received limited pledges for both troops and funds and been put on hold pending a new government.

It also called for updated sanctions, stronger efforts to block arms trafficking, secure routes to deliver key goods and rehabilitation programs for children recruited into gangs.

(Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Richard Chang)

Massive river flooding expected in China's Guangdong, threatening millions


Dark clouds gather over mountains in Zhaoqing, southern China's Guangdong province.

By Bernard Orr and Ethan Wang

Updated Sun, April 21, 2024 

BEIJING (Reuters) -Major rivers, waterways and reservoirs in China's Guangdong province are threatening to unleash dangerous floods, forcing the government on Sunday to enact emergency response plans to protect more than 127 million people.

Calling the situation "grim", local weather officials said sections of rivers and tributaries at the Xijiang and Beijiang river basins are hitting water levels in a rare spike that only has a one-in-50 chance of happening in any given year, state broadcaster CCTV news said on Sunday.

China's water resource ministry issued an emergency advisory, CCTV reported.

Guangdong officials urged departments in all localities and municipalities to begin emergency planning to avert natural disasters and promptly disperse disaster relief funds and materials to ensure affected people have food, clothing, water and somewhere to stay.

The province, a major exporter and one of China's main commercial and trading centres, has seen major downpours and strong winds for several days, in a weather pattern which has also affected other parts of China.

A 12-hour spell of heavy rain, starting from 8 p.m. (1200 GMT) Saturday, battered the central and northern parts of the province including the cities of Zhaoqing, Shaoguan, Qingyuan and Jiangmen where rescue workers have been dispatched.

More than 45,000 people have been evacuated in Qingyuan, according to state media, and some power facilities in Zhaoqing were damaged, cutting power to some places.

Overall in Guangdong, 1.16 million households lost power due to the heavy rains, according to state-backed media.

About 1,103 schools in Zhaoqing, Shaoguan and Qingyuan will suspend classes on Monday, Chinese state radio said.

WATER TOWN

"Please look at Zhaoqing's Huaiji county, which has become a water town. The elderly and children at the countryside don't know what to do with power outages and no signal," said one user on the popular social media site Weibo.

Raging flood waters swept one vehicle down a narrow street in Zhaoqing, a video released by Hongxing News showed.

"It rained like a waterfall for an hour and a half on the highway driving home last night," said another Weibo user. "I couldn't see the road at all."

Authorities in Qingyuan and Shaoguan also suspended ships from traveling through several rivers, with maritime departments dispatching forces to be on duty and coordinate emergency tugboats and emergency rescue vessels.

Many hydrological stations in the province are exceeding water levels, weather officials warned, and in the provincial capital Guangzhou, a city of 18 million, reservoirs have reached flood limits, city officials announced on Sunday.

Data showed 2,609 hydrological stations with daily rainfall greater than 50 mm (1.97 inches), accounting for about 59% of all observation stations. At 8 a.m. Sunday, 27 hydrological stations in Guangdong were on alert.

In neighboring Guangxi, west of Guangdong, violent hurricane-like winds whipped the region, destroying buildings state media video footage showed. Some places have also experienced hailstones and major flooding, CCTV said.

In another video, rescuers could be seen trying to save an elderly person clinging to a tree half-submerged in flood waters.

As of 10:00 a.m. (0200 GMT), 65 landslides were recorded in the city of Hezhou located in Guangxi, state media reported.

Weather forecasters are expecting heavy rain through Monday in Guangxi region, Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces.

(Reporting by Bernard Orr and Ethan Wang; Editing by Lincoln Feast and David Holmes)

Rescue Operations Underway as Flooding Impacts Southern China's Guangdong Province

Storyful
Sun, April 21, 2024



Rescue operations were underway on Saturday, April 20, as heavy rainfall in southern China caused rivers to flood in Guangdong, local news and officials reported.

According to China’s Central News Agency, heavy rains had caused flooding and landslides in several counties across southern China’s Guangdong province as of Sunday, with a total of 65 thunderstorm and gale warnings in effect across the region.

Guangdong Fire Protection said they were carrying out rescue operations as the province experienced a “large number of torrents and severe floods due to river backflow.”

“Many houses were flooded and many elderly and children were in urgent need of evacuation,” Guangdong Fire Protection said, according to a machine translation.

Footage here, released by the Guangdong Fire Protection, shows rescue operations on Saturday. Credit: Guangdong Fire Protection via Storyful

‘Mission accomplished’ – Michelle Obama visits St. Louis, signs books undercover at Target

Joey Schneider
Fri, April 19, 2024

NO SHE WAS NOT DRESSED LIKE THIS

ST. LOUIS – Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama recently paid a visit to St. Louis. Her travels included quite an intriguing shopping trip.

Obama visited St. Louis earlier this week to speak at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Looking to make an impact on the St. Louis region, she didn’t stop just there.

On Friday, Obama shared a video of her adventures at one Target store. She says it came during her recent trip to St. Louis as she planned “to run a few errands and check out the paperback of my book, The Light We Carry.”

The mystery of the Des Peres Pickle Jar

Sources have confirmed with FOX 2 that Obama shopped at a Target in south St. Louis County earlier this week. Target officials declined to comment on her visit.

A videographer helped Obama document her shopping trip from start to finish. Right from the start, before she left her car, she had a special mission in mind.

“We are on a mission. It’s a secret mission,” said Obama in the video. “I had the crazy idea. I heard my paperback is out and it’s in Target. So we are going to go undercover because I have not seen my book actually in a Target store. So we are going to try to do this low-key.”

She starts by checking out an area near sports equipment. She later finds one section of the store populated with dozens of her books.

After a quick moment of celebration, Obama swiftly signs six books, placing at least two back on top of piles.

After that, Obama picks up a shopping basket to pick up some items for herself, her pets and her husband, Barack, the 44th U.S. President.

Obama then checked out several items nonchalantly and left the store. “Mission accomplished,” she says as she heads back into her car.

Michelle Obama served as the U.S. First Lady from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American First Lady in U.S. history.

Recreational cannabis use may lower your risk of cognitive decline, study says


Lindsey Leake
Fri, April 19, 2024 


When you light up or down an edible, you may be lowering your risk of cognitive decline, according to a new study comparing recreational cannabis users to nonusers. As marijuana isn’t without its health harms, these findings came as a surprise even to the scientists behind the study.

Researchers at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University found that nonmedical cannabis use—regardless of how or how often it was consumed—lowered a person’s odds of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) by 96%. The results were published in February in the journal Current Alzheimer Research.

“I was expecting cannabis to be linked to an increased risk for cognitive decline, because that’s pretty much what’s consistent in previous research,” study coauthor Roger Wong, Ph.D., an assistant professor of public health and preventive medicine at the university’s Norton College of Medicine, tells Fortune. “I was stunned by the opposite finding.”

Dual use of cannabis, for both medical and nonmedical purposes, as well as medical use alone also correlated to decreased risk of SCD, the self-reported worsening or increased frequency of confusion or memory loss. However, those associations weren’t statistically significant.

Previous research suggests people with SCD are 2.5 times more likely to develop dementia and 1.8 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. About one in nine U.S. adults ages 45 and older experience SCD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We don’t have a way to prevent dementia right now,” Wong says. “But if we can prevent subjective cognitive decline at the very beginning and track it, that’ll hopefully fix some of the issues that we’re having right now with dementia later in life.”
SCD most common among medical cannabis users

Wong and public health graduate student Zhi Chen used the CDC’s 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to study nearly 4,800 U.S. adults 45 and older. To indicate SCD, the comprehensive health survey included the question, “During the past 12 months, have you experienced confusion or memory loss that is happening more often or is getting worse?”

In terms of respondents’ cannabis use, Wong and Chen examined:

Frequency of use in past month: 0–30 days


Reason for use: nonuser, medical, nonmedical, both medical and nonmedical (dual)


Method of consumption: nonuser, smoke, eat, drink, vaporize, dab, or other

Researchers weighted the sample size so that the nearly 4,800 respondents represented more than 563,000 people. About 53% were women, 46% were Asian, and 16% were 60–64 years old, a larger proportion than any other age group. A third of respondents ranked their health “very good.” Of the 8% who used cannabis, a 3% plurality did so for medical purposes. Smoking was by far the most common consumption method and, on average, respondents had used cannabis 1.4 of the previous 30 days.

Among cannabis users with SCD, cognitive decline was most common in people who used cannabis for medical reasons, followed by dual and recreational users. Further data analysis showed a statistically significant association between nonmedical use and 96% decreased odds of SCD.

View this interactive chart on Fortune.com
Cannabis-sleep-dementia connection

Two caveats may explain Wong’s results, which show correlation, not causation, he tells Fortune. One is that much of the existing literature on cannabis and cognition focuses on frequency of use; Wong did find that more frequent cannabis use correlated to cognitive decline, but the association wasn’t statistically significant. Second, previous research has shown cannabis use to be detrimental to adolescents, whereas this study focuses on middle-aged and older adults, he says.

“I tried to expand on previous research by not just looking at frequency, but you also need to consider why they’re using cannabis and how they’re using cannabis,” Wong says, “because there’s different chemicals, different compounds in nonmedical and medical cannabis that I think is really crucial.”

Dr. Brooke Worster, an assistant professor in the M.S. in Medical Cannabis Science and Business program at Thomas Jefferson University, clarifies that cannabis composition may be a more impactful variable on cognitive decline than whether it’s intended for medical or recreational use.

“The thing that would be awesome to know is, ‘What concentration or what percentage of THC versus CBD was in what you’re using?’” Worster tells Fortune. “That’s the problem in general, is that the vast majority of adults that use cannabis for any reason don’t really know what the composition of it is.”

The very catalyst for Wong’s research may also play an important role: sleep. In a study published last year in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, he had found that sleep difficulties may raise a person’s risk for dementia. Wong says he received feedback from several people who said they used cannabis to help them fall asleep and wanted to know if doing so was increasing their risk for dementia.

“Let’s say, if someone is using it—whether they perceive it as medical or not—it helps them relax and enjoy a Friday night. It also helps them relax and to go to sleep,” Worster says. “You could make the argument that in some ways, that’s health- or medical-related.”

Human brain and cannabis leaf, illustration.

US cannabis laws pose research obstacle

A major limitation of Wong’s study is that the legalities of cannabis use vary greatly from state to state. And because the data span 2021 alone, more longitudinal research is necessary, Wong says. In addition, he suspects BRFSS may underestimate cannabis use.

“We’re relying on people to self-report whether or not they’re using cannabis,” Wong tells Fortune. “There might be some sort of bias depending on whether they’re living in a state right now where cannabis is illegal for either medical or nonmedical reasons.”

Researchers also are relying on survey respondents’ interpretation of their own cognitive health, Worster stresses, referring to the subjectivity inherent in the definition of SCD. Future studies involving objective cognitive decline may be beneficial.

“People either think they’re doing great or are really concerned,” Worster tells Fortune. “You’d want to get a cohort of people to do the same reporting and give them a test that [shows] an objective sense of, are they thinking that their memory is bad and it’s not showing that, or vice versa.”

For more on cannabis consumption and your health:

Marijuana addiction may raise the risk of a first heart attack or stroke by 60%


Daily marijuana users are more likely to take this health hit, a new study finds


Heavy marijuana use may fuel anxiety disorders, new research finds. This age group is most at risk


Frequent marijuana users tend to be leaner and less likely to develop diabetes. But the pseudo-health benefits come at a price, experts say

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Cannabis seizures at checkpoints by US-Mexico border frustrate state-authorized pot industry

MORGAN LEE
Fri, April 19, 2024 

Traffic crosses from Mexico into the United States at a border station in Santa Teresa, N.M. The U.S. Border Patrol is asserting its right to seize cannabis shipments — including state-authorized commercial supplies — amid complaints of licensed cannabis providers that more than $300,000 worth of marijuana has been confiscated in recent months at Border Patrol highway checkpoints in southern New Mexico. 

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Border Patrol is asserting its authority to seize cannabis shipments — including commercial, state-authorized supplies — as licensed cannabis providers file complaints that more than $300,000 worth of marijuana has been confiscated in recent months at highway checkpoints in southern New Mexico.

New Mexico's Democratic governor says the disruptions prompted a discussion this week with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose impeachment charges were dismissed this week. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says she voiced concerns that the scrutiny of cannabis companies appears to be greater in New Mexico than states with regulated markets that aren't along the U.S. border with Mexico.

Authorized cannabis sales in New Mexico have exceeded $1 billion since regulation and taxation of the recreational market began two years ago. Yet cannabis transport drivers say they have been detained hours while supplies are seized at permanent Border Patrol checkpoints that filter inbound traffic for unauthorized migrants and illegal narcotics, typically located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the U.S. border.


“Secretary Mayorkas assured the governor that federal policies with respect to legalized cannabis have not changed,” said Lujan Grisham spokesperson Michael Coleman in an email. “Regardless, the governor and her administration are working on a strategy to protect New Mexico’s cannabis industry.”

Managers at 10 cannabis businesses including transporters last week petitioned New Mexico's congressional delegation to broker free passage of shipments, noting that jobs and investments are at stake, and that several couriers have been sidelined for “secondary inspection” and fingerprinted at Border Patrol checkpoints.

“We request that operators who have had product federally seized should be allowed to either get their product returned or be monetarily compensated for the losses they've sustained," the letter states.

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich said the Department of Homeland Security should be focused on urgent priorities that don't include cannabis suppliers that comply with state law.

“Stopping the flow of illicit fentanyl into our country should be the Department of Homeland Security’s focus at these checkpoints, not seizing cannabis that’s being transported in compliance with state law," the senator said in a statement, referring to the parent agency for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. "New Mexicans are depending on federal law enforcement to do everything they can to keep our communities safe. Our resources should be used to maximize residents’ safety, not distract from it.”

A public statement Thursday from the U.S. Border Patrol sector overseeing New Mexico provided a reminder that cannabis is still a “Schedule 1” drug, a designation also assigned to heroin and LSD.

"Although medical and recreational marijuana may be legal in some U.S. States and Canada, the sale, possession, production and distribution of marijuana or the facilitation of the aforementioned remain illegal under U.S. federal law," the agency's statement said. “Consequently, individuals violating the Controlled Substances Act encountered while crossing the border, arriving at a U.S. port of entry, or at a Border Patrol checkpoint may be deemed inadmissible and/or subject to, seizure, fines, and/or arrest."

Matt Kennicott, an owner of Socorro-based High Maintenance, a cannabis business, said seizures by Border Patrol started in February without warning and create uncertainty about shipments that include samples for consumer-safety testing. He said cannabis producers in southernmost New Mexico rely on testing labs farther north, on the other side of Border Patrol checkpoints, to comply with safeguards against contaminants like mold or pesticides.

“It's not a little confusing, it's a lot confusing,” he said. “We're trying to figure out where this directive came from.”

Marijuana grow-op busted in Maine as feds investigate trend in 20 states

DAVID SHARP
Sat, April 20, 2024 



This photo provided by Penobscot County Sheriff's Office shows the seizure of 40 pounds of processed marijuana from a hidden grow operation by a Chinese citizen in Maine. Court documents detailing how Xisen Guo, a Chinese man came to Maine to transform a rural house into a high-tech, illicit grow operation were detailed in court files unsealed this week with the arrest of the alleged operator, Friday, April 19, 2024. 

(Penobscot County Sheriff's Office via AP)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The high electricity consumption of a home, its cardboard-covered windows and odor of marijuana drew law enforcement's attention to an illicit grow operation off the beaten path in rural Maine.

The bust of the home with a hidden grow operation and seizure of nearly 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of processed marijuana marked the latest example of what authorities describe as a years long trend of foreign nationals to exploit U.S. state laws that have legalized cannabis for recreational or medical use to produce marijuana for the illicit markets in the U.S.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating international criminal organizations that are operating illegal marijuana grows in about 20 states, including Maine, Attorney Garland Merrick Garland told the Senate Appropriations Committee this week, in response to a question raised by Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

Federal law enforcement officials said there currently are about 100 illicit grow operations in Maine, like the one in Passadumkeag, about 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) north of Bangor, and about 40 search warrants have been issued since June.

In Passadumkeag, Xisen Guo, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, has been accused of transforming the house into a high-tech, illicit grow operation, according to court documents unsealed this week.

He was ordered held without bail Friday on federal drug charges, making him the first person to be charged federally in such a case in Maine. A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday.

The Internal Revenue Service and Department of Homeland Security, along with the FBI and DEA and local law enforcement, are working together to get to the bottom of the illicit grow operations in Maine, Garland said.

The state legalized adult consumption of marijuana, but growers must be licensed by the state. The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy said Guo was operating an unlicensed operation, according to court documents.

The illicit grow operations across the U.S. began cropping up several years ago. In 2018, U.S. authorities arrested a Seattle woman, conducted raids and seized thousands of marijuana plants during an investigation of an operation with Chinese ties. Oklahoma officials learned straw owners in China and Mexico were running illegal operations after marijuana was legalized by the state for medical purposes in 2018.

The legality of marijuana consumption and cultivation in those states tends to provide cover for illegal grow operations, which may draw less attention, officials said. The marijuana is then trafficked in states where it's illegal.

In Maine, U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee said thwarting illegal growing operations with international connections is a priority for law enforcement, “and we will continue to marshal every tool at our disposal in this effort as appropriate.”

Law enforcement officials know the tell-tale signs.

Police zeroed in on the Passadumkeag operation in part because of the home's utility bills reviewed by deputies. After the home was purchased for $125,000 cash, the electricity use went from about $300 a month to as high as nearly $9,000, according to court documents.

That’s consistent with heat pumps, costly lighting and other gear needed to grow marijuana, investigators said. The home owner, a limited liability company, upgraded the electric capability to double what is found in a typical Maine home, according to documents.

Guo's attorney didn’t immediately return a call from The Associated Press. Two others who were at the home at the time of the police raid in February were released and not charged.

McElwee said law enforcement — from local and county police to the FBI and DEA — are starting to make headway with “dozens of operations" shuttered over the last several months.

“The possible involvement of foreign nationals using Maine properties to profit from unlicensed marijuana operations and interstate distributions makes it clear that there is a need for a strong and sustained federal, state and local effort to shut down these operations," she said.

Law enforcement officials also continue to investigate who is directing the operations and where the profits are going, she said.

Historic medical marijuana dispensary opens in Cherokee, NC, 1st in the state

Will Hofmann, Asheville Citizen Times
Sat, April 20, 2024 


CHEROKEE - Hundreds of whooping and hollering medical marijuana card-holders filtered into the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. here at 10 a.m. April 20, for the historic opening of the 10,000-square-foot dispensary selling products such as cannabis tinctures, gummies and other marijuana products.

The opening of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' dispensary marks the first time marijuana can legally be purchased in North Carolina. The grand opening was held on 4/20 — also known as the "national cannabis holiday."

A road sign heading west on U.S. 19 into Cherokee, just before the dispensary, read: "420. Expect delays."

Myrtle Driver prepares to cut the ribbon during the Eastern Band of Cherokee Great Smoky Cannabis Co. grand opening. April 20, 2024.

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch, the top prosecutor for the counties surrounding tribal land, said her office will continue to enforce North Carolina law, which prohibits the cultivation, distribution and possession of marijuana.

While the Citizen Times was reporting from Cherokee for about five hours on April 20, a reporter did not witness the presence of any law enforcement.

The EBCI land — known as the Qualla Boundary — is a sovereign nation that has its own elections, laws, government and institutions that are self-governed and autonomous. It lies primarily in the Western North Carolina mountain counties of Swain and Jackson, with smaller parts in Cherokee, Graham and Haywood.

The Eastern Band is one of three federally recognized sovereign nations that were once part of the larger Cherokee Tribe prior to the Trail of Tears forced removal from their land in Western North Carolina, according to the EBCI website. The other two, Cherokee Nation and the United Kituwah Band, are in Oklahoma.

The opening of dispensary has not been without setbacks and is only part of the launch of the EBCI's cannabis industry.

After the EBCI passed a referendum on medical marijuana in 2021, they launched Qualla Enterprises, which eventually produced "the largest cannabis farm in the history of the United States," said Forrest Parker, general manager for Qualla Enterprises, an EBCI company that manages the dispensary.

During that time, however, a transportation plan had not been created for the property and the Eastern Band had reportedly invested over $30 million and not sold any of their product, as previously reported by the Citizen Times. The opening offers a new opportunity for revenue for the tribe.

More: NC's 1st marijuana dispensary will open on 4/20 in Cherokee: What to know
'Historic moment'

Parker set expectations high for the opening, saying it was a "historic moment."

The event was attended by hundreds, many of whom were waiting outside of the dispensary during the opening ceremony.

"This project will change the trajectory of their lives forever. It will be a conduit to generations of social, economic, and spiritual growth, unlike anything that's ever been witnessed," Parker said during the grand opening ceremony.

Forrest Parker speaks during the grand opening ceremony of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary in Cherokee, North Carolina. April 20, 2024.

Renowned tribal translator and Beloved Woman Myrtle Driver spoke during the opening ceremony, offering a prayer and noting that she had been given the honor of naming and translating the different strains of cannabis into Cherokee.

While she was doing research to name the strains, she said she began to find older medicinal uses that were attributed to the drug.

Attendees nod their head as Myrtle Driver says a prayer during the grand opening ceremony of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary in Cherokee, North Carolina. April 20, 2024.

"As far as I know, Qualla Enterprises is the only tribal entity that is going to be incorporating the Cherokee language," Driver said.

Driver also briefly mentioned Bob Marley, whom she said she had met in New York, and sang his song "Three Little Birds" with the crowd.

Afterward, in a transaction that was made half in English and half in Cherokee, Driver was the first to purchase medical marijuana in North Carolina.

A cannabis plant grow room in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary in Cherokee, North Carolina. April 20, 2024.
Could the dispensary go recreational?

Only those with an EBCI medical cannabis patient card or an out-of-state approved medical marijuana card will be eligible to purchase at the dispensary and the drug is still illegal in state and federally.

This did keep away customers from traveling hours in the early morning to attend the April 20 opening.

Several customers, who wished not to be identified, noted Huntington's disease, movement disorders and arthritis as medical conditions in which the drug may be able to help. Card holders came from as far away as Surry County, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive northeast of Cherokee.

While the Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary only sells medical marijuana, that could soon change.

Medical marijuana purchasers wait as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary opens.

After a September referendum indicated broad support for recreational marijuana, Great Smoky Cannabis Co. is expected to offer recreational marijuana after Tribal Council passes a resolution changing legal language regarding the use of the drug.

The lead up to the opening has been busy for the employees of the dispensary, as Cade Husky, an employee in the edibles department of the dispensary, said he and his coworkers clocked 155-160 hours over two weeks to get the product across the line.

Workers in the edible department at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Great Smoky Cannabis Co. dispensary in Cherokee, North Carolina. April 20, 2024.

"I've been real stressed the last three weeks, but now that we are here — I'm excited," Husky said.

The legalization of recreational marijuana might allow the dispensary to hire nearly 350 employees, as previously reported by the Citizen Times. Husky said they plan to offer more product options once the recreational resolution is passed.

More: As Cherokee plan NC's 1st legal pot sales, lawmakers erect barriers: question casino money

More: Cherokee tribal police face no criminal charges in shooting of unarmed man in his home

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Historic Cherokee medical marijuana dispensary opens in NC

NC Cherokee may soon sell marijuana to any adults who want it, tribal official says

Joe Marusak
Sat, April 20, 2024 

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in western North Carolina could soon expand sales at its new medical cannabis superstore to all adults, a tribal council member said at a recent council work session.

Great Smoky Cannabis Company opened Saturday as the only dispensary in the state where such marijuana sales are legal. Sales are limited to those with a medical cannabis card issued by the tribe’s Cannabis Control Board or a similar board out of state.

At a Cherokee tribal council work session Monday, April 15, 2024, council member Boyd Owle, far right, announces that the tribe’s adult-use cannabis ordinance should be finished and voted on in June. That would open the tribe’s medical cannabis dispensary to recreational-use adult buyers.

The dispensary is in the tribe’s massive former bingo hall at U.S. 19 and Bingo Loop Road, near Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, 46 miles west of Asheville in the Great Smoky Mountains.

“Happy 4.20 & Welcome to our Grand Opening!” reads the message on the dispensary website.

The store opened with at least 34,000 “fully tested, certified products,” said Forrest Parker, general manager of Qualla Enterprises, the Cherokee cannabis subsidiary.

Products on display at the Great Smoky Cannabis Company on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 during an open house.

Products include flower, vape items, edibles and topicals, officials said.

At the dispensary Saturday morning, Myrtle Driver Johnson, Beloved Woman of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, made the first legal purchase of cannabis in North Carolina, the Cherokee One Feather tribal newspaper reported.

“It is a great day for the Cherokee people today,” Johnson said

Recreational sales targeted for June, official says

Also Saturday, State Rep. Zach Hawkins, D-Durham, said he’s filing legislation “to further support the (marijuana) decriminalizing and legalization movement.” Marijuana remains illegal in North Carolina and federally.

April 20 is recognized by marijuana users and producers as the national cannabis holiday.

In a historic vote on Sept. 7, tribal members by 70% approved adult use of marijuana on tribal land. The tribe on the 57,000-acre Qualla Boundary had already approved the use and controlled sale of medical cannabis.

Adult or recreational use remains illegal on the Qualla Boundary until the tribal council finishes crafting and then approves an adult use ordinance.

That could happen in June, council member Boyd Owle said at the end of a council work session Monday called to continue work on the ordinance.

Boyd Owle, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal council member

Owle urged patience to people wondering why it’s taking so long since the September vote to legalize adult use.

“It’s going to take some time,” he said. “Let’s get it right before we put it out there. But we’re on the right track. I’d like to see it on the agenda come June and approve recreational.”

Owle is serving his third-straight term as tribal council representative for the Birdtown and 3200 Acre Tract communities.

No council member objected to Owle’s timetable before the meeting adjourned. Neither did any officials with Qualla Enterprises LLC in the audience. More work sessions will be held to complete the ordinance, Owle said.

“Just be patient so we can work on this and get it going and make sure it’s correct,” Owle said, adding that his message was to the general public that overwhelming approved adult-use sales.

“How proud that I am”

Parker called the dispensary opening the culmination of “a big week.”

“Thank you to y’all,” he told the tribal council Monday. “It’s a monumental, historic week for our tribe, and I appreciate your working so hard. The people at Qualla, we appreciate it.”

“I just want to tell the community how proud that I am of this crew of people,” Parker said. “And I want them to know we’re working every day to make sure we do this in the most efficient way, and in a way that you guys and the community can be proud of what we’re doing.”
Potential revenues

The dispensary could generate nearly $206 million in gross sales revenues in its first year if limited to medical patients, compared with $385 million if product is available to all adult users, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

The figures were released by Qualla Enterprises before last year’s adult-use referendum. Cannabis industry consultant HedgeRow Analysis developed the estimates for Qualla Enterprises.

In its fifth year, the dispensary could generate a respective $578 million and $843 million in gross sales revenues, according to the HedgeRow Analysis estimates.

News & Observer Staff Writer Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan contributed.