Business

Hemp Symposium Enlightens to Benefits and Business Opportunities

JACKSONVILLE FREE PRESS — While the movement to legalize marijuana has been successful in several states, the effort has stalled in Florida’s Republican-led legislature. According to the Business Journal “Those looking for recreational marijuana to be legalized in Florida during the 2019 Legislative session will have to wait.”

Published

8 years ago

April 12, 2019

Oakland Post

By Jacksonville Free Press

While the movement to legalize marijuana has been successful in several states, the effort has stalled in Florida’s Republican-led legislature. According to the Business Journal “Those looking for recreational marijuana to be legalized in Florida during the 2019 Legislative session will have to wait.”

Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith’s (D-Orlando) is the sponsor of House Bill 1117, which has companion Senate Bill 1780 that would make marijuana legal in the state. However, the bills haven’t seen the light of day and have basically stalled in committees not receiving any hearings.

With the issue of legal marijuana or “Hemp” at the forefront of the political landscape, a symposium was held last week to strategize and educate all stakeholders and interested parties. Marijuana experts, farmers, doctors, and distributors attended the Hemp Education Career Symposium and Forum held this weekend at the Doubletree Hotel at the Airport.

Hundreds of individuals watched a video presentation detailing the effects of marijuana on medically challenged patients and children and the products currently on the market and available at local marijuana dispensaries. Panelist included Doctor Terle Newton, Pharmacist Albert Chester and hemp advocates Joe Mack, Jermyn Shannon and Mental Health Counselor Stephanie Jones.

“This forum is an important for pharmacist and the community. Pharmacies are regulated, but I do see future distribution through pharmacies. I’m also here to listen and learn,” said Dr. Chester. Florida Urban Famer, Lance Lucket stated, “We’ve had our farm since slavery. We are in the process of learning the farming side of the Cannabinoid business and our youngest son is also interested in helping with farm.”

He added, “We are staying faithful to the land that has stayed faithful to us to grow new crops and be open to expansion ideas and efforts.”

Panelist and anesthesiologist, Dr. Terel Newton specializes in cannabis pain management medicine. His twenty-four page presentation analyzed the step by step process on how to obtain a medical marijuana card, cannabis usage for the body and changing patient’s mindsets to accept the role marijuana will play in the medical realm to care for patients in hospital or in home care.

Information was also available for farmers detailing opportunities to lease land to grow crops and info on hemp industry regulations and next steps. According to the Southeast Famers Hemp Association, “The non-psychoactive component of marijuana is the latest craze in alternative medicine. Even Walgreens and CVS plan to sell CBD products.”

This article originally appeared in the Jacksonville Free Press.

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Fate of Bay Area Public Transit Hinges on Regional Transit Measure

Voters in five Bay Area counties will decide the fate of a regional sales tax measure on Nov. 3 that could determine the future of local public transportation. If approved, the Regional Transit Measure would implement new sales taxes in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Francisco counties starting in 2027. The funding aims to address massive financial deficits facing agencies like BART and Muni, providing nearly $1 billion annually to prevent station closures and service cuts. Read more.

Published

1 day ago

October 27, 2026

Post News Group

By Tanay Gokhale, Bay City News

On Nov. 3, voters in five Bay Area counties will vote on a regional sales tax measure that, if it fails, could prompt local transit agencies to close train stations and cut bus service.

If passed, the Regional Transit Measure, or RTM, will impose a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties as well as a one-cent sales tax in San Francisco starting April 2027.

The tax would raise an estimated $980 million annually for 14 years to fund the region’s public transit agencies, which are struggling with massive financial deficits. Revenue would go to BART, Muni, Caltrain, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the San Francisco Bay Ferry, Golden Gate Transit, and other transportation agencies operating in the five counties.

In California, a regional measure for a new sales tax would normally require a two-thirds majority approval if the state Legislature directly places it on a ballot. Transit advocates, however, chose to collect signatures to make the sales tax a citizen-initiated ballot measure that would lower the threshold to a simple majority of votes cast across the five counties.

The RTM received more than 241,000 signatures, exceeding the 186,000-signature threshold required to qualify for the ballot.

Post News Group

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Business

Chase Launches Fraud & Scam Prevention Month

JPMorganChase is launching Chase Fraud & Scam Prevention Month this November to help consumers protect their personal information and finances. As the holiday season approaches, the nationwide initiative provides education on avoiding sophisticated tactics used by criminals, such as phishing and impersonation scams. The program features free workshops hosted by community managers across the lower 48 states and builds on existing financial wellness efforts that have reached over one million customers. Read more to learn how these new resources and technologies aim to stop financial crimes.

Published

3 days ago

October 25, 2026

Post News Group

By Sponsored by JPMorganChase

New initiative builds on Chase’s longstanding commitment to fraud and scam prevention education nationwide.

NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2026 – Scams can happen to anyone. That’s why Chase is dedicating November to helping consumers protect themselves.

As consumers prepare for the holiday season, criminals are increasingly using sophisticated tactics to pressure people into sending money, sharing personal information and making decisions they’ll later regret.

This November, JPMorganChase is launching Chase Fraud & Scam Prevention Month, a nationwide consumer education initiative designed to help people recognize common scams, avoid in-the-moment mistakes and better protect their money and personal information during the holiday season.

The initiative builds on Chase’s longstanding efforts to help consumers navigate fraud and scams through education, awareness and community-based programming. Through its financial wellness initiatives, Chase has served more than 1 million customers and continues to host more than 1,000 fraud and scam prevention workshops annually across the country.

Throughout November, Chase Community Managers will host free educational workshops in all lower 48 states, as Chase continues to expand digital resources and consumer awareness efforts focused on helping people spot scams and take practical steps to protect themselves. Programming will address scams commonly seen during the holiday season, including impersonation scams, package delivery phishing attempts, gift card scams, fake online deals and fraudulent charity solicitations.

“Scammers are constantly adapting their tactics, making education and awareness more important than ever,” said Jennifer Roberts, CEO of Consumer Banking at Chase. “For years, JPMorganChase has invested in helping consumers recognize scams, understand warning signs and feel empowered to protect themselves. Chase Fraud & Scam Prevention Month builds on that commitment by providing practical guidance that can help people make safer decisions during the holiday season.”

Fraud and scam prevention remains a key component of Chase’s broader commitment to consumer financial wellness. Through educational workshops, local partnerships and community outreach, Chase helps communities build financial confidence and stay informed about evolving fraud and scam threats. The firm also works closely with law enforcement to share scam trends and insights and help drive more effective interventions as agencies work to combat financial crime.

Ongoing Fraud and Scam Prevention Efforts

Beyond consumer education, Chase continues to invest in technology, partnerships and customer protections designed to help prevent fraud and scams before they occur.

Scam prevention is embedded throughout the customer experience, from account opening and authentication to payments and customer service interactions. Chase continues to strengthen protections across the customer journey through targeted warnings, risk-based interventions, behavioral science-informed approaches and frontline employee training. These efforts help employees identify potential scams, recognize warning signs and better support customers who may be at risk of fraud or scams.

In addition, the firm continues to invest in next-generation security tools, including expanded use of passkeys and other authentication technologies designed to help defend against phishing, social engineering and account takeover attempts, as well as Trusted Contact Person, which allows customers to designate a trusted adult who may be notified of certain transactions to help guard against potential fraud or financial exploitation.

Earlier this year, JPMorganChase also announced nearly $14 million in philanthropic investments focused on consumer awareness, real-time prevention and victim support.

For more information about Chase’s fraud and scam prevention efforts and tips, visit Chase.com/security and attend a local fraud and scam prevention workshop.

About Chase

Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America with operations worldwide, assets of $5 trillion and $375 billion in stockholders’ equity as of June 30, 2026. Chase serves more than 87 million consumers and 7.5 million small businesses with a broad range of financial services, including personal banking, credit cards, mortgages, auto financing, investment advice, small business loans and payment processing. Customers can choose how and where they want to bank: 5,100 branches in 48 states and the District of Columbia, 14,500 ATMs, mobile, online and by phone. For more information, go to chase.com.