Latest news with #Haig
Associated Press
4 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
DEA's Marijuana Hypocrisy Laid Bare: As Rescheduling Looms, Agency's Ethical Failures and Research Obstruction Spark Outrage
Terrance Cole's First Test as Administrator MMJ BioPharma Cultivation 's case exposes DEA's Diversion Control Division as a cartel of obstructionists who have abandoned science, betrayed public trust, and refused to follow the law. New DEA Administrator Terrance Cole inherited a mess. But now he has a chance to do something Judge Mulrooney, Thomas Prevoznik, Matthew Strait and Aarathi Haig never would: Tell the truth. Follow the law. And approve MMJ's long-blocked registration so clinical trials can finally begin. WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / July 30, 2025 / While the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) teases potential marijuana rescheduling, its actions reveal a disturbing pattern of hypocrisy: blocking federally compliant medical research while turning a blind eye to illegal corporate exports and harboring attorneys who flout ethical standards. For companies like MMJ BioPharma Cultivation-which has meticulously followed federal law for seven years-the DEA's conduct suggests not bureaucratic inertia, but deliberate sabotage of scientific progress, underscored by ethical breaches within its own ranks. The Haig Scandal: A DEA Attorney Operating Without Legal Standing At the center of the storm is DEA attorney Aarathi Haig, who continues to lead high-profile cases, including the agency's fight against MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, despite being ineligible for a Certificate of Good Standing with the New Jersey Bar. Records show Haig: Federal law (28 U.S.C. § 530B) mandates that government attorneys comply with state bar rules, yet the DEA has taken no apparent action against Haig. 'This isn't about paperwork-it's about a pattern of disregard for the law,' said Duane Boise, CEO of MMJ BioPharma. 'The DEA demands compliance from others while ignoring its own obligations' . MMJ BioPharma Cultivation's Ordeal: A Case Study in DEA Corrupt Obstruction MMJ BioPharma's struggle exposes the DEA's double standard: Meanwhile, the DEA ignores recreational cannabis companies illegally exporting THC products to Europe while stonewalling MMJ's compliant research. The Bigger Picture: A System Rigged Against Science The DEA's own Diversion Control Manual (Sections 5202.5, 5201.12) mandates support for 'bona fide Schedule I research' and expedited approvals-policies Prevoznik and Haig have blatantly ignored. The agency's actions reveal: A Call for Accountability With incoming DEA Administrator Terrance Cole poised to take office, advocates demand: 'The DEA administrative hearing system is a constitutional dead man walking,' Boise declared. 'Every day it clings to this broken system, it digs its grave deeper' The public deserves answers. The patients deserve justice. The time for DEA accountability is now. CONTACT: Madison Hisey [email protected] 203-231-8583 SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings press release
Scottish Sun
06-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Scots businessman admits running brothel from notorious sauna
But the 82-year-old company director was caught in charge of the sleazy sex den after police were called out to investigate the death of a woman within the sauna in 2022 Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SCOTS businessman has admitted running a brothel inside a notorious Edinburgh sauna. Ian Douglas Haig ran the Scorpio Leisure business and made his cash from charging customers on entry and being paid a fee by sex workers for use of one of the premise's five bedrooms. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Ian Douglas Haig has admitted running a brothel inside an Edinburgh sauna Credit: Alexander Lawrie But the 82-year-old company director was caught in charge of the sleazy sex den after police were called out to investigate the death of a woman within the sauna in 2022. During the subsequent police investigation officers interviewed staff and clients who had attended the sauna and discovered it was being used for prostitution purposes. Haig was arrested and charged with allowing the premises to be used as a brothel and pleaded guilty when he appeared in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday. A written narration read out to the court stated Haig, who used to be in the merchant navy, was 'the long standing tenant' and 'the operator of the business known as Scorpio Leisure'. The narration said: 'Scorpio Leisure was offering paying customers massage services, advertised itself as a sauna and operated as a brothel.' The court heard patrons entered through a locked inner door and the inside of the building included a lounge, a staff kitchen with 16 lockers, a shower area and changing room. The narration added: 'There were five rooms all containing a bed, mirrors on the walls, a corner bath and showers. The rooms contained stocks of wipes, lubricants and shower gel.' The court heard a woman passed away in non-suspicious circumstances within the premises in the city's Leith area on April 30, 2022 that had led to a police investigation. Police interviewed a number of women who worked at the sauna who said 'clients attending the brothel paid an entrance fee to the accused' of £20 for a 30 minutes session and £35 for 90 minutes. The narration detailed the brothel's pricing structure stating the customers paid the women a further £50 for a 30 minute appointment and £75 for 90 minutes Two men rushed to hospital after rammy outside Scots pub The court was told the sex workers would then pay Haig £10 per client for the use of the room. The court heard: 'Clients attending at Scorpio Leisure selected the women at the lounge area then moved to a bedroom. 'Some of those clients provided statements on their interactions with the accused either on arrival or departure and were quite clear the accused knew the premises were being operated as a brothel.' The court was told nurses from the charity SACRO regularly attended the premises to 'supply condoms and offer sexual health advice and support to the women working there'. Solicitor Nigel Bruce, defending, asked for his client's bail to be continued and said he would reserve his mitigation to the sentencing hearing. Sheriff Fergus Thomson agreed to continue bail and deferred sentence on the pensioner, of the capital's Haymarket, for the preparation of a social work report to next month. The sheriff also agreed to continue a Crown motion of a matter of confiscation under Section 92 of the Proceeds of Crime Act for four weeks. Haig was the sole shareholder of Darrock Ltd before the company was dissolved earlier this year. Haig pleaded guilty to being the tenant, occupier or operator of Scorpio Leisure, Albion Road, Edinburgh, and allowing the premises to be used as a brothel, or for the purposes of of habitual prostitution, between March 1, 2016 and April 30, 2022.
USA Today
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
General Motors touts major leap in EV sales ahead of quarterly report
General Motors touts major leap in EV sales ahead of quarterly report Show Caption Hide Caption General Motors: History, innovation, and legacy Learn about the rich history and notable innovations of General Motors, from its founding in 1908 to its leadership in electric and autonomous vehicle technology. In addition to doubling electric vehicle sales within the first six months of 2025, GM said its share of the electric vehicle market doubled. GM has reported several production changes to electric vehicle manufacturing this year, often citing 'marketplace changes.' General Motors slightly more than doubled electric vehicle sales this year compared with the first five months of 2024, which the company said outstripped the industry average for that time period. The Detroit automaker broke with its traditional quarterly sales release cycle to report trucks and SUVs from its Chevrolet brand largely drove the difference. GM hasn't reported vehicle sales on a monthly basis since March 2018. Across all brands, GM sold 62,830 electric vehicles from January to May of 2025, with the Chevrolet brand comprising 37,620 of those sales. Crosstown rival Ford Motor Co., the only Detroit Three automaker to still report monthly sales, during the same time period, sold 34,132 vehicles across its all-electric vehicle lineup, which currently includes the Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning and the E-Transit van. While the high percentages seem impressive, a year-over-year comparison presents a low bar, said Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at Telemetry. Not all of GM's EVs were on the market at the same period last year. The Chevrolet Blazer's stop-sale from software challenges lasted from December 2023 and ended in March 2024, and dealerships didn't receive Equinox vehicles until mid-summer 2024. Cadillac's Optiq and Vistiq vehicles rolled out just this year. Consumer sales of the Silverado EV also didn't pick up until May 2024 ― prior to that period, the vehicle appeared in only some fleet sales of the work truck configuration. 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV: The new SS midsize SUV is the brand's fastest SS ever 'Sales have indeed grown substantially in the past 12 months, but modest increases yield big percentage changes when the numbers are small to begin with,' Abuelsamid said. 'It's a percentage bias and it's what we've been seeing in EV sales for a couple of years.' That isn't to say GM's EV growth spurt isn't still impressive. GM is a leader in the electric vehicle space, offering the broadest range of powertrains on the market, according to Alan Haig, president of dealership merger-and-acquisitions firm Haig Partners. In the firm's most recent industry report, Haig notes GM dealers see great future earnings potential across all four GM brands, which translates into stronger offers on GM dealerships when they go up for sale. Customers are pouring into dealership showrooms to check out the latest vehicles, Haig said in the report, and that demand then lifts all departments within the dealership. Sales of electric vehicles may be growing exponentially, but they still fall far short of the business the company does with gas-powered models. 'GM's in a really good spot right now. Their electric vehicles are selling well, but their (internal combustion vehicles) are selling better,' Haig told the Detroit Free Press. 'Sitting here today, most customers are choosing gas. And when that tax credit goes away, it's going to pull demand away from EVs even more.' Top-selling models Since the first 100 or so Chevrolet Equinox EVs arrived at dealerships last year, the vehicle has quickly become a top seller for the company's electric vehicle portfolio. Through the second quarter 2024, GM sold 1,013. Even without June sales figures, 21,804 electric Equinox vehicles sold in 2025. Scott Bell, vice president of global Chevrolet, said more than half of electric-vehicle sales volume this year came from customers new to General Motors. 'It's certainly the most affordable EV out there with that kind of range. It is by far the leader in the clubhouse — it doubles our Blazer volume easily on a monthly basis,' he said. 'Once you convert to an EV, you're not leaving. Especially once you've invested in the infrastructure, a home charger, 86% of them will stay.' 'Refocus on fossil fuels' Meanwhile, GM's electric vehicle sales success occurs amid growing concern that a shift to a broader electric vehicle portfolio could harm automakers' long-term profits. Bank of America analyst John Murphy said June 4 while presenting the annual 'Car Wars' report that he advised a retreat to gas-powered vehicle production to generate enough cash to protect against an uncertain market. Much of that uncertainty stems from the White House. In his second term, President Donald Trump has adopted several policies aimed at reducing clean energy incentives. His "Big, Beautiful" tax bill proposes to kill the electric vehicle tax credit by the end of this year and penalize hybrid and electric vehicle owners with annual fees to compensate for lost revenue customers would have paid in gas tax. Meanwhile, Trump's tariff plans continue to throw a wrench in the intricate multinational supply chain relied on by every automaker that builds and sells vehicles in the United States. Many automakers announced plans to adjust operations and footprints seeking to mitigate costs from tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts. But not every Trump-backed initiative has drawn criticism from the industry. The auto sector rejoiced May 22 when the U.S. Senate voted to revoke California's emissions waivers that would ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and trucks by 2035. The week before, GM emailed thousands of its non-hourly employees requesting they use scripted talking points to lobby senators to veto the bill, the Wall Street Journal reported. 'Emissions standards that are not aligned with market realities pose a serious threat to our business by undermining consumer choice and vehicle affordability,' the message reportedly said. California, alongside 16 other states and the District of Columbia, would have required electric vehicle sales to comprise over one-third of all vehicles sold in their respective states, which industry leaders warned would result in a dramatic reduction of new vehicle sales in affected markets. Increasing the number of electric vehicles sold, industry leaders warned, would require automakers to send dealerships fewer gas-powered vehicles, limiting the supply of cars that dealerships know they could sell. Shifting production plans GM has reported several production changes to electric vehicle manufacturing this year, often citing 'marketplace changes.' GM said April 23 that it planned to expand transmission production at its Toledo (Ohio) Propulsions Systems plant where it builds transmissions used in the Silverado and Sierra pickup trucks, while reducing electric drive unit production. The company announced May 27 its largest-ever propulsion investment would be for gas-powered vehicles, $888 million, on next-generation V-8 engine production. Yet the company remains firm that it is not turning away from its zero-emissions objectives. In addition to doubling electric vehicle sales within the first six months of 2025, GM said its share of the electric vehicle market doubled as well. Even if the market isn't where GM planned for it to be when designing its electric portfolio, consumers shouldn't consider their production changes as a sign the company will abandon its EV goals. If nothing else, Haig said, the company has already spent so much to make sure it wouldn't be left behind once the market shifted in favor of more electrified options. 'GM has spent billions of dollars on these EV products, and they're second behind Tesla. They're trying to get a return on investment on all these products,' Haig said. 'But if the CARB mandate is eliminated, ultimately, they've got shareholders they need to answer to and they're making very strong profits on their trucks and SUVs.' Customer 'not ready' to go electric Despite numerous changes from electric vehicle production, GM still believes in an all-electric future, Barra also said during a Wall Street Journal event last week. A full electric vehicle transition depends entirely on what happens with the regulatory environment and national charging network ― the former outpacing GM customer demand, the latter falling behind on the infrastructure needed to improve confidence for vehicle buyers. 'The customer was telling us they weren't ready,' Barra said onstage at the Future of Everything conference in New York City, adding that regulations requiring 37% electric vehicle sales penetration greatly exceed the 7% of vehicles sold in April. 'I've been saying for a couple of years now that I thought the regulatory environment was getting in front of the customer, and I've always said that we needed one national standard,' she said. 'We have a portfolio, we're committed, but frankly, this was necessary for the customer.' Barra touted GM's recent investments in charging infrastructure, including partnerships with Pilot Flying J and Tesla Inc. GM is also relying on its dealership network to determine underserved areas that require more charging options. 'We've got to get a little further, and I think that we will,' Barra said. 'Every quarter, the infrastructure gets a little better.' Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@
NZ Herald
30-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Rugby must tackle its coaching respect issue after Milton Haig quits
This focus on high-performance coaching set-ups is a result of the surprise announcement on Wednesday that New Zealand Under-20 head coach Milton Haig, having steered the team to a Rugby Championship title a few weeks ago, has stepped down just days before the team is due to depart for the Junior World Championships in Italy. Haig, an experienced coach who has strong provincial experience in New Zealand, was at the helm of Georgia at the 2015 and 2019 World Cups and has spent time with the Japanese club Suntory Sungoliath, said there were differences in opinion between him and his assistants about the team's style of rugby. He obviously felt those different views were irreconcilable and that, if he didn't have the support of his fellow coaches (Jarrad Hoeata, Alex Robertson and Craig Dunlea), it would be best for the team – specifically the players – if he fell on his sword. It was the honourable thing to do – a selfless act that demonstrated a recognition that ego and personal ambition can never be put ahead of the interests of the team. But can the same be said of his assistants, who, based on the facts as they have been presented, didn't seem to recognise that they were there to support and facilitate Haig's strategic vision and not impose their own? Milton Haig, when working with the US women's team. Photo / Getty Images Haig's actions may have been honourable, but the longer-term ramifications of a head coach sacrificing himself to appease his assistants are potentially significant and dangerous for the elite game. Whatever happened to sucking it up? To not liking something but doing it anyway because that's your job? There are workplaces across the country where people won't agree with the strategy being pursued by the boss, or don't particularly like their management style, but they get on with doing what is required and requested because this is part and parcel of being an adult and beholden to uphold professional standards. Rugby, to its credit, has tried to build collaborative coaching environments where assistants and specialists are encouraged to own their field, but perhaps there needs to be a re-evaluation in the wake of Haig's departure about how far down the track they want to go in this shift away from authoritarian regimes. There's room for assistants to be empowered, but not so much that they forget the subordinate nature of their roles. The best environments should operate with an element of professional friction, but not so much that the pushback undermines or disrespects the head coach's ultimate authority. Haig's unexpected decision to quit is not quite the isolated act it may seem. It marks the third time in as many years that a New Zealand national team has had some kind of dramatic and sudden shift in its internal coaching dynamics. In 2022, the Black Ferns were left scrambling to put a coaching team together only five months before the World Cup. Last year, All Blacks assistant Leon MacDonald quit after just five tests. MacDonald's departure was explained as a lack of compatibility between him and head coach Scott Robertson. Leaving aside the question of why this discovery wasn't made earlier, when they worked together at the Crusaders, it does suggest that there is a creeping problem of people thinking that their ambition to be a head coach should be catered for in any role they take. Something seems wrong with the wider culture – that there has been a failure to manage expectations, define boundaries and instil within all those entering the elite coaching ranks that teams need not only a clear hierarchy, but for that hierarchy to be recognised, respected and understood. New Zealand's great strength in previous eras was the ability of high-performance coaching teams to be able to disagree but commit. Between 2004 and 2011, when the three heavyweight figures of Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith coached the All Blacks, the latter two didn't always agree with what the former was trying to achieve or the way he wanted them to do it, but they knew and respected that what they felt was ultimately not important. It was Henry's vision they were there to implement, not their own. Maybe now that a generation of Millennials is starting to win high-performance roles, that same ingrained respect for the hierarchy isn't there. Someone needs to get on top of this and restore order before every national coaching team is undermined or disrupted by the chaos that unfolds when there is confusion about who is in charge.
Otago Daily Times
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Title-winning NZ U-20 coach steps down after just a month
Milton Haig, pictured during his time in charge of Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath in Japan, in 2022. New Zealand Under-20 head coach Milton Haig has stepped down just a month into the role, citing a difference in approach to the rest of his coaching staff. The former Southland player recently led the side to the Under-20 Rugby Championship title in South Africa, but said his decision was based on what he believed was best for the team. "I do not feel I'm fully aligned with the coaching group around things like playing style, so have made the difficult decision to step aside to give the team its best chance of reaching its full potential," he said. Haig was appointed last month and was due to take the side through to the World Championship in Italy in June and July. He has a lengthy coaching pedigree having previously coached Counties Manukau in the NPC, the national Georgia team, Bay of Plenty and Suntory Sungoliatah in Japan. Haig headed a four strong coaching group of Jarrad Hoeata, Alex Robertson and Craig Dunlea who were all appointed by New Zealand Rugby. "Milton's a quality coach and person has done a great job laying the foundations for the team over the past two months. His record over time is evidence of his coaching ability and it was great to see the team perform so well in South Africa," NZR high performance player development manager Matt Sexton said. "We respect his decision to step away and admire his courage in putting the team before himself." Haig said winning in South Africa was a highlight for the team and himself. "Helping the players succeed was my primary motivation for taking the role and I believe they have the skills and drive to be successful at the World Championships in Italy," he said. Haig said he would continue in his role as a World Rugby high-performance consultant.
