Politics | The Burgundy Zine

March 5, 2021

How Cannabis Industry Leaders Like Curaleaf Will Serve New Jersey’s Recreational Market

After a three-year legislative battle, Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) signed three bills that legalize up to six ounces of cannabis in New Jersey last week.

“In addition to the estimated $126 million in annual tax revenue by the NJ State Legislature, the adult-use market will now open-up a lot of new economic opportunities across the state,” Patrik Jonsson, Curaleaf Regional President, Northeast, explained to us via email.

Although medical marijuana was initially legalized in the Garden State in 2010, Jonsson noted that this shift to the adult-use market will open these opportunities in a way that supports communities that have been negatively impacted by the War on Drugs.

“This legislation will establish an industry that brings equity and economic opportunity to our communities while establishing minimum standards for safe products and allowing law enforcement to focus their resources on real public safety matters,” Gov. Murphy said last week. “We’re taking a monumental step forward to reduce racial disparities in our criminal justice system, while building a promising new industry and standing on the right side of history.”

December 22, 2020

The Underground Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Movement

Amidst the buzz and bumble between your college campuses and local town halls, the murmur of four seemingly-alien words grows louder and louder.

“Entheogenic plants and fungi. Entheogenic plants and fungi. Entheogenic plants and fungi.” The phrase has a magical, mystical intrigue — and rightfully so.

Entheogenic plants and fungi refer to naturally-occurring psychedelic plants, such as psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, and the peyote, iboga, and San Pedro cactus.

These species have been almost-globally outlawed since the United Nation’s Convention on Psychotropics in 1971. Until recently, the only countries where psychedelics remained legal or decriminalized were countries where they held historic and cultural importance.

But that’s starting to change.

July 30, 2020

Know Your Rights: A Guide for Protesters by Peter

Peter of Joyful Source teaches us how to stay protected during a protest.

June 25, 2020

Artist Spotlight: Natalia Bennett Addresses Sociopolitical Issues

Australian artist Natalia Bennett uses art to spread the word about the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQIA+ rights.

June 4, 2020

The Burgundy Zine Kickstarter Update #4: Help Us Help Others

I’m going to be frank. It honestly feels like there couldn’t be a worse time to run a Kickstarter campaign – and I’m not saying that to start a pity party, but I’ve been holding off sharing news about the Kickstarter because there are far bigger, more relevant issues currently weighing on all of our minds.

It’s like a tug-o-war. We don’t want to let down our community by cutting our Kickstarter short, but we find it unethical to promote our own fundraising when you could be donating to The George Floyd Memorial Fund, your local bail fund, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense Fund, and donate to the countless other victims of injustice.

We want you to support these organizations and individuals with us.

May 11, 2020

Climate Change: Do You Need to See it to Believe It?

Bodies of water dry up before our eyes. Temperatures rise and the heat grazes our skin. We hear the calls of stray wildlife forced out of their natural homes by land development in our backyards. We can smell toxic pollutants and have learned to idolize “fresh air.” Contaminants slither into our rivers and we ingest them through dishes of fish delicacies.

Climate change is happening all around us, and yet, many individuals surveyed during the 2012 to 2016 California droughts felt the situation and climate change were a “distant” problem that didn’t directly affect them.

“Even in more directly affected places, there was often reference to the drought having a greater impact ‘elsewhere’ in the State,” the study explains.

April 4, 2020

The Ecological Cost of the Trump Border Wall

The “world’s most costly” border wall has a projected budget that extends beyond its dollar amount: the environmental and ecological costs.

If the Trump administration pursues a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, “there are species that will be completely extirpated from the United States,” said Sky Island Alliance program director Emily Burns during our recent interview.

Not to mention, the cement needed to create the border wall will require draining “hundreds of thousands of gallons of water that’s very precious down here in the southwest” from sensitive, local sources, she added.

April 2, 2020

Human Impact by Natalia Bennett

Australian artist Natalia Bennett discusses our role in climate change and calls for positive human impact through political involvement.

March 26, 2020

Dear Bernie Sanders by Emily

In a passionate, personable letter to presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Emily reflects on why our country is in need of change now more than ever.

January 8, 2020

Illinois Sees $11 Million in Sales During First Week of Recreational Cannabis

New year, new legislation. After legalizing adult-use cannabis on Jan. 1, Illinois has seen a total of $10,830,667.91 from 271,169 transactions in less than one week, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced yesterday.