Latest news with #DanLewis
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Albuquerque council passes ban on intoxicating hemp products that exceed federal THC threshold
Jun. 5—The Albuquerque City Council voted Monday to restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived products, citing concerns that children had too much access to the substances being sold on gas station and smoke shop shelves. The council said the products, including delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC, and THC-A products, may have more THC in them than federally allowed. The ordinance, which was sponsored by Councilor Dan Lewis and passed on a 7-2 vote, prohibits operating a business that chemically or synthetically alters hemp to exceed 0.3% THC. It also prohibits the sale, advertisement, offer for sale, or manufacture of the intoxicating hemp products. That means purchasable items like gummies, cartridges for vape devices, drinks, hemp cigarettes and other hemp-derived products must have less than 0.3% THC, or else the business selling them could lose its license. It doesn't apply to hemp products without THC or any legal cannabis. Federal law allows the sale of hemp-derived products that contain less than 0.3% THC, although that is widely seen as a loophole in the U.S., where cannabis is still federally illegal. But some of those products have higher levels of THC, which, Lewis argued Monday, was a problem. "This is a product that's not being regulated by the state," Lewis said. "It's really poison that's being marketed to children." No data was presented about how prevalent the products are. Visits to Albuquerque smoke shops and independent gas stations revealed that buying intoxicating hemp-derived products was easy to do and only sometimes required a license. But questions abound about the future of the ordinance. The 2018 Farm Bill, the federal government's primary policy tool for regulating food and agriculture, as well as establishing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, removed hemp and its byproducts from the list of controlled substances. The same move allowed for the proliferation of cannabidiol (CBD) products. However, the federal legislation made no mention of delta-8 and delta-10, which is derived from hemp, not cannabis, allowing companies to produce and sell items such as vape device cartridges, intoxicating hemp cigarettes and edible gummies. Councilor Brook Bassan raised the question of enforcement during Monday's meeting. "Are we even going to be able to do this as a city?" Bassan asked. Samantha Sengel, the chief administrative officer, said the city could not test the intoxicating hemp products and would, therefore, have to send them to a laboratory for testing. She added that the city's Environmental Health Department had concerns about achieving compliance from smoke shops, given the significant personnel commitment required to send inspectors to every smoke shop, gas station and CBD seller in the city. "Everyone is in the fact-finding stage right now to know what that impact would be," Sengel said before the council approved the measure, adding that they'd likely have to come before the council in the future to ask for money to fund enforcement mechanisms, whether that be more staff or more money. Educating smoke shops and gas stations about the law change, another provision of the ordinance, would be accomplishable, Sengel said. Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn joined Bassan in opposing the bill. "This is not a regulation. This is a prohibition," Fiebelkorn said.
Rhyl Journal
3 days ago
- General
- Rhyl Journal
Meliden teenager, 18, becomes British boxing gold medallist
Alfie Lewis, 18, won gold in the YM60kg category at the GB Three Nations 2025 Youth & Senior Finals Day, held at Sports Wales National Centre in Cardiff on Sunday (June 1). After three silver medals in as many years at the same competition, Alfie went one better this time, winning by unanimous decision to take home gold. Alfie in action (Image: Dan Lewis) Alfie hopes to box at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games in the future, having now achieved a dream he has had for the last five years of winning a British title. His dad, Dan, said: 'We're absolutely over the moon and couldn't be prouder. I just can't get over the fact he's finally done it and got gold, after three years of getting silver and just missing out. 'But this year, he finally got what he deserves, after showing determination year after year, proving that you don't start something and then not finish it, and to never give up on your dreams 'He boxed England's number one, Aaron Bryant, in the semi-finals, and then went on to the final to box Oscar Steele, and beat him, too. Alfie on the podium after winning gold (Image: Dan Lewis) 'He won both fights in fantastic fashion; it was some of the best boxing I've seen. He made massive improvements on previous years. 'He goes senior next year, which means the headguards come off, so what a time to win the British title. 'We're absolutely beyond proud of him. He's a true inspiration, and a true ambassador for Welsh boxing.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Albuquerque city councilors pass ordinance regulating hemp products
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – On Monday, Albuquerque city councilors passed an ordinance that would bring more oversight to the sale of hemp products. KRQE News 13's Larry Barker first exposed the problem of cannabis products being identified as hemp, allowing them to be sold anywhere, including convenience stores and gas stations. Marijuana Masquerade: Disguised cannabis illegally peddled at New Mexico convenience stores Monday night, city councilors passed a bill that brings regulation to hemp products. The piece of legislation sponsored by Councilor Dan Lewis bans synthetic cannabinoids exceeding 0.3% of THC. 'If you watch that Larry Barker investigation, he talked to enough people around Albuquerque. It's pretty widespread, and it certainly is happening in retail stores, and it is a poison that is causing problems with our kids,' said Councilor Lewis. Multiple hemp manufacturers showed up at the meeting, saying they feel like they are being targeted by the city. 'We are being targeted as if we are the problem. This ordinance offers no path for compliant and responsible businesses or manufacturers like us. Only penalties,' said Jeffrey Goncharoff, business owner. The ordinance passed on a 7-2 vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City budget nears approval after brief battle over communications jobs
May 16—Albuquerque's $1.5 billion budget is nearly finalized. At the last of three budget hearings Thursday, the City Council made minor tweaks but largely left Mayor Tim Keller's proposal intact. Tensions flared over the mayor's communications staff and concerns about which councilors the administration collaborates with during the budgeting process. The meeting marked one of the final hurdles in the monthslong process of building a budget. This year, Keller proposed a 2.3% increase from last year that primarily seeks to build on his administration's efforts around housing, homelessness and policing. Councilor Renée Grout, who led the council's budget-building Committee of the Whole, said the effort was difficult, but she felt the budget was solid. "When we're done, it will be a budget that works well for the entire city and serves all of us," Grout said. "I know we all want to work and do the best for all of the citizens of Albuquerque." Only one councilor voted against moving the budget to the next step: Dan Lewis. Toward the end of the two-hour meeting, Lewis called the mayor's office bloated, and said the budget lacked vision. Still, he acknowledged that it was likely to be approved by the council next week. "This council gives you guys everything you ask for, and the mayor has nothing to show for it," Lewis said. During the meeting, Lewis staked out a position of calling the mayor's office top-heavy, specifically targeting its communications staff. At one point, Lewis called for a budget amendment that would've limited Keller to 10 public information officers at a time when the city employs at least twice that number. But the move failed to gain support from any other council member. Grout also accused the mayor's office of playing favorites, saying they ignored some of her outreach toward the end of the process while welcoming budget discussions with Councilor Klarissa Peña. The issue came to a head during debate over Peña's amendment to redirect funding toward a city employee cost-of-living increase, a proposal that failed 3 — 6. "It's very disappointing that you will work with some councilors but not the budget chair," Grout said. Peña responded that councilors are free to offer amendments individually, without going through the committee chair. Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Sengel added that Peña's request had been specific, while Grout's was not. Ultimately, the council moved the budget forward on an 8-1 vote. "We did a very good job with what we were given," Grout said. The council is set to meet again May 19. There, the budget will be up for a final vote, although councilors will have another opportunity to make changes.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inspector General's COVID bonus report sparks renewed political clash
May 8—City Councilor Dan Lewis has once again called for a federal investigation into Albuquerque's use of COVID-19 relief funds. The request is nearly the same as one Lewis made in January. But this time, the recipient is different. Lewis asked recently appointed U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Ryan Ellison to investigate the city five months after the city's Office of Inspector General found that some $300,000 in federal COVID-19 relief money was used for bonuses, something the mayor's office has disputed. Lewis said he renewed his call since the office had new leadership. Alexander Uballez, the former U.S. Attorney now running for mayor, stepped down after Donald Trump's election. The president then appointed Ellison, a former assistant U.S. attorney for New Mexico in Las Cruces, to lead the office. "It's very clear that our Inspector General found some very problematic conclusions from her investigations," Lewis said. "Because these are federal funds, and because the U.S. attorney would normally investigate things like this, I think it's appropriate for them to take a look at it." Mayor Tim Keller's administration has denied any wrongdoing, dismissing the Inspector General as "little more than an opinion writer." "This Inspector General lost credibility long ago. Her own oversight board — made up of legal and accounting experts — has repeatedly flagged her for misrepresentation, lack of peer review, audit violations, and clear bias. At this point, she is little more than an opinion writer who has dragged her office into the depths of rumor and factless interpretation," Dan Mayfield, spokesperson for the city, told the Journal in an emailed statement. When reached by phone, Inspector General Melissa Santistevan said her office would not respond to the comments from the mayor's office. The money in question was a portion of the federal funds Albuquerque received from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA. ARPA was a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill meant to accelerate the country's recovery from the pandemic and subsequent recession. Specifically, the OIG raised concerns about child care stabilization grants, which provided financial assistance to child care providers to alleviate unforeseen expenses related to the pandemic and stabilize their operations. The OIG's report was completed in October. It concluded that the city's Family and Community Services Department issued $280,000 worth of bonuses to 27 employees between 2021 and 2023. The report found at least 10 recipients, including top managers, received nearly $20,000 each. However, the same report was not approved by the OIG oversight committee, which had appointees from the mayor and City Council. The Accountability in Government Oversight Committee said the OIG "lacked sufficient jurisdiction under the city's Inspector General ordinance to investigate one or more of the allegations" but did not explicitly recommend disciplinary action. A U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson confirmed that they had received Lewis' complaint. However, they said the office could not confirm whether they had launched an investigation.
