“I did lessen the amount of weed I was purchasing. I would say it’s less than $3,000 now per month,” GG, 44, exclusively shared with Us Weekly before the Thursday, January 8, series premiere of The Valley: Persian Style. “I rely on cannabis for my health. I rely on it for psychological calmness, for a lot of things, and I’m OK with it. It’s a natural substance.”
The former Shahs of Sunset star added that she’s “not really” drinking alcohol anymore. Instead, she’s choosing to spend her money on legal weed.
During the first episodes of Bravo’s newest reality show, GG was put in the hot seat about her finances and her need to downsize.
“I know that Golnesa wants to bury her head in the sand and pretend that the problems aren’t there,” Mercedeh “MJ” Javid said in a confessional interview. “But that’s not adulting, sis.”
Before viewers — and costars — come for her lavish lifestyle, GG confirmed she downsized from six bedrooms to five bedrooms.
“I’m happy,” she told Us. “It’s a little hard. You gotta fit all the clothes into the rooms and stuff. But we’re in a great neighborhood, a great school. My backyard is gigantic, so I have these two huge Rottweilers that get to just roam all around. It’s great.”
After learning that her spending was a hot topic of conversation, GG said she did some thinking and realized that she needed to make a change.
Golnesa “GG” GharachedaghiShayan Asgharnia/Bravo
“I will be honest with you. Hearing how much I was spending, when I said that out loud — because I had to actually do the math in my brain on how much I was spending — I was like, ‘Oh, wow,’” GG told Us. “I can have a whole different other mortgage if I wanted. It was nice to hear that.”
In a unique way, GG — who made her reality TV debut on Shahs of Sunset in 2012 — argued that being on a reality show is the best therapy.
“You hear yourself or you watch yourself and you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ I just wasn’t expecting my credit and whatnot to be brought up,” she said. “When I hired Reza [Farahan] to be my agent, I didn’t think that my credit was going to be a topic of discussion in a friend’s group of people. These are all my friends.”
While The Valley: Persian Style promises plenty of drama amongst GG’s friend group, she is thrilled to be back filming with some of her closest pals after Shahs of Sunset said goodbye in 2021.
“Reza and I got very close. I feel like as soon as the cameras went down, we didn’t have an excuse for forcing a friendship, and we became friends naturally,” GG said. “We started traveling and doing so many fun things together.”
The news broke on Sunday, November 16, at BravoCon 2025 when Andy Cohenconfirmed that the premiere season will follow Alicia Carmody, Rosie DiMare, Ashley Iaconetti, Liz McGraw, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Kelsey Swanson and Jo-Ellen Tiberi as they navigate the highs and lows of Rhode Island’s close-knit social scene.
“They may live in the smallest state in the country, but their drama Extra large,” read a press release from the network. “As The Real Housewives hits its milestone 20th anniversary next year, Bravo is expanding the distinguished franchise with The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, spotlighting a fresh, charismatic group of women whose lives intertwine across the storied coastline of New England luxury.”
While season 1 features nearly all brand-new faces, The Real Housewives of New Jersey‘s Dolores Catania will be joining the cast as a friend. Keep scrolling to meet the rest of the women who make up the show:
According to her bio, Alicia isn’t shy about her roots after being born and raised in Rhode Island.
“After eight years of engagement to fiancé Billy Kitsilis, Alicia “still isn’t ready to take the plunge — even for their daughter, Celina,” the description continued. “When she’s not dodging wedding bells, Alicia helps Billy run his restaurant, Pizza Mamma, proving she can handle the heat both in and out of the kitchen.”
Rosie DiMare
Courtesy of Rosie DiMare
The former local television news anchor is now the host of her own lifestyle program and a sought-after DJ. Rosie recently celebrated her first wedding anniversary to husband Rich DiMare a.k.a a well-known Frank Sinatra style singer.
“While Jared manages their beloved coffee shop, Ashley has built a thriving career as a social media powerhouse, all while acclimating her new life in her husband’s home state,” Bravo teased in a press release.
“Alongside her husband, Gerry, she owns and operates The Slater Center, the largest and most successful cannabis dispensary in Rhode Island,” her bio read. “But Liz isn’t just a business powerhouse — she’s also a devoted stepmom to Miranda, Briana, and Skyla, balancing family, entrepreneurship, and her signature flair for style.”
Rulla Nehme Pontarelli
Courtesy of Rulla Nehme Pontarelli
Rulla “helms a financial empire as a Certified Financial Planner and Wealth Manager to some of the East Coast’s most distinguished families,” according to her bio, which noted that, “Rulla is married to prominent Rhode Island podiatrist, Brian, and together they juggle life with their two young children, Luca and Laila.”
The former Miss Rhode Island, Kelsey “keeps a full plate as one of the state’s top makeup artists,” a press release shared. “Kelsey has been in a 10-year relationship with one of Rhode Island’s most notable figures, enjoying the lap of luxury while keeping her social calendar full.”
Jo-Ellen Tiberi
Courtesy of Jo-Ellen Tiberi
The self-proclaimed town gossip “knows everyone and everything worth knowing in Cranston,” her bio noted. “As one of the top aesthetic practice development managers in the country, she juggles a busy career with family life alongside her high school sweetheart and husband, Gary, and their three kids — Gian, Jolie, and Gia.”
Dolores Catania
Courtesy of Dolores Catania
According to Bravo’s press release, “Rhode Island captured Dolores’s heart years ago, and she’s longed to return ever since. With her dear friend Liz McGraw living there – and a shared business project on the horizon – a sun-soaked, beach-filled summer is a natural fit for this Jersey girl.”
Nearly all foreign aid programs delivered by the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, have been halted, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington, D.C. and Sec. Marco Rubio is in Panama following up on President Trump’s statements about the Panama Canal. Also, a new NPR series is helping consumers find safely-sourced cannabis products.
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Dana Farrington, Nishant Dahiya, Sami Yenigun, Andrea De Leon, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Lilly Quiroz, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent. And our technical director is Neisha Heinis.
A previous version of this episode included an error reported by the State Department, that Marco Rubio was the first Secretary of State in over a century to make Latin America the first visit of his tenure. Rubio is the first Secretary of State in over century to make Panama the first visit of his tenure.
Farmers in the northern regions of al-Hoceima, Chefchaouen and Taounate will now be allowed to produce and sell cannabis for medical, pharmaceutical, and industrial use, in accordance with the law passed by the parliament.
The national agency regulating cannabis activity which issued the permits said farmers will be encouraged to increase legal cannabis production to meet the need of the market.
The government is hopeful this move will lift up impoverished farmers in the Rif mountains amid a growing legal global market for the drug.
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Cannabis is mostly grown in the northern Rif mountains of Morocco and trafficked to Europe.
Morocco has long been one of the world’s largest producers of illegal cannabis.
Until recent approval, growing the plant was illegal although the production has been overlooked by authorities with Morocco among the top global producers of cannabis.
Many African countries are now going ahead with the change in legislation to allow for commercial production of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
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Cannabis Sativa has over 50,000 industrial uses, including being used as a cheaper alternative to cotton, paper car dashboards, and building houses and for medicinal purposes.
The Global Cannabis market is estimated currently at over US$ 100 billion and estimate for the next five years peg the market size at a staggering $ 300 billion.
The legal cannabis industry could be worth more than $7 billion by 2023 should more counties in Africa legalize the substance.
Medical and adult use cannabis production could provide new sources of taxable revenue for countries seeking to recover financially in the aftermath of the pandemic..
Recent legal developments in South Africa point to a growing attempt to harness the plant’s potential and ensure adequate control of the cultivation and sale of cannabis products, while numerous deregulations aim to boost cannabis crop yields and establish cannabis as a lucrative export.
In April 2021, the South African Government proposed a draft national master plan with the aim of loosening regulations in the cannabis industry in order to boost economic development.
The plan looks at the prospect of creating an export market for cannabis producers and how current legislation can be amended to remove constraints on the commercial cannabis market. The plan also involves increasing investment in cannabis industry research.
Other suggestions included in the plan are support for farmers and indigenous dagga growers in the cannabis value chain, as well as support for manufacturing and product development. One of the priorities included in the plan is signing of the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill into law by 2023.
Small producers
Countries that want to make a success of their cannabis production industries are now looking at ways to lessen the barriers for small farmers to help steer the legal cannabis market in a more equitable and sustainable direction.
The current legislative frameworks for cannabis production tend to push out the smaller cannabis producers. Legislators are looking at ways to give small farmers preferential access to subsidies and financial assistance, special licenses and quotas for small producers.
In this regard, there is a need for consultation with small producers as well as experts in the healthcare and life sciences, and legal sectors, to ensure that the right legislative framework is in place to support all elements of the market. This will also help to ensure that the rapid development of cannabis market is in line with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, especially the goal pertaining to the notion that no one gets left behind.
In South Africa, requirements regarding permits and licenses to produce and sell cannabis are currently onerous and legal advice is a necessity in order to participate in this sector.
South Africa permits the cultivation of medical cannabis. A license for cannabis production can be obtained, but the processes for its provision are stringent. The Medicines and Related Substances Act of 1965 (Medicines Act) historically mandated the-then Medicines Control Council, now referred to as the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), to regulate the availability of quality medicines, which are safe and efficacious for their intended use. Amongst other things, this mandate requires SAHPRA to apply standards for the manufacturing, distribution, selling and marketing of medicines, medical devices and scheduled substances, including cannabis.
In terms of the Medicines Act, medical practitioners are permitted to apply to SAHPRA for permission to access and prescribe unregistered medicines when intended to treat their patients, which may include cannabis.
Accordingly, SAHPRA acknowledges and permits that cannabis products, intended for medicinal purposes, may thus be made available in exceptional circumstances, to specific patients under medical supervision.
Potential cannabis growers and producers should note that, under the Medicines Act and in line with the United Nations Single Convention, the cultivation, production, manufacturing and use of medicinal cannabis products may only occur through a license issued by SAHPRA and a permit issued by the Department of Health.
Applicants can apply to SAHPRA for a license to cultivate/grow and produce cannabis and cannabis resin, extract and test cannabis, cannabis resin and/or cannabinoids, and to manufacture medicines containing cannabinoids.
In the license, SAHPRA will inspect the plans for the facility and the quality-control procedure, amongst other things. In addition to this, applicants would also be required to apply to the Director-General of Health for a permit to acquire, possess, manufacture, use or supply cannabis.
The stringent quality control measures are necessary to ensure that the product is safe for medical use. Although there is no limit on the amount of cannabis that can be grown, as part of the application process, SAHPRA will allocate a permitted quantity.
Recent legal developments include the reassigning of Cannabidiol (CBD), which is a component of the cannabis plant, from Schedule 7 of the Medicines Act (being a highly regulated substance) to Schedule 4 (being substances that can be sold with a prescription).
In addition, some CBD products and products with THC levels of less than 0.001% and less than 0.0075% of CBD were excluded from the list altogether, which means they can be purchased without a prescription. For licensed cannabis producers in South Africa, this has now opened a range of potential new markets for their product.
That being said, CBD products which do not fall into the exemption (namely CBD products and products with THC levels of more than 0.001% and more than 0.0075% of CBD), continue to require a prescription by a medical practitioner in order to be sold.
Personal use
The laws around personal use of cannabis point to the increasing acceptance to the use of the plant under certain circumstances. In 2018, the Constitutional Court legalized the private use of cannabis, upholding the Western Cape High Court’s 2017 ruling, which found that the criminalization of the private use of cannabis was unconstitutional.
The Constitutional Court found that banning private cannabis use was an infringement of a person’s right to privacy and “unconstitutional and invalid”. The Court also ordered parliament to draft new laws within 24 months (the deadline was September 2020) to reflect the order.
In September 2020, the South African government published the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill which stipulates that people who deal in cannabis or sell it to a minor will likely face 15 years of jail time.
The regulations also state that anyone who smokes the substance in public or too close to a non-consenting adult will face up to two years in jail, while a jail sentence of up to four years is to be expected for those who smoke close to children. For those living alone, the rules state that they can have unlimited seeds, but a maximum of four flowering plants, grown for personal use only.
South Africa is a signatory to the three United Nations (UN) conventions that regulate the international trade in narcotic substances and the country is in regular contact with the International Narcotics Control Board.
The three UN Conventions are the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 (as amended by the 1972 Protocol); the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971; and the Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988. The purpose of these conventions is to establish international control measures for psychoactive substances so that they can be made be available for medical and scientific purposes, while preventing their illegal use.
Risks
Countries have different levels of legislation for cannabis and there is a high risk of breaking laws in some jurisdictions, for those transacting across borders in the cannabis industry.
In light of the discrepancies in approach to cannabis regulation between countries worldwide, and in particular the extraterritorial application of anti-money laundering legislation, financial institutions should consider whether the cross-border elements of a proposed financing are likely to trip up the cannabis laws to which they are subject.
Lenders, investors and underwriters in particular should query whether the borrower has subsidiaries, assets or operations in other jurisdictions that have not legalized their cannabis‑related business activities, and whether the activity in question would be considered illegal in the jurisdiction in which the lender or underwriter operates.
Lenders, underwriters and other capital providers should consider their own internal risk appetite, including the legal, regulatory, credit and reputational risks of transacting across borders in the cannabis sector.
Despite these risks, however, recent legal developments in South Africa highlight the many opportunities to capitalize on the demand for cannabis products as a way to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
By Darryl Bernstein, Partner and Head of the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry Group at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg.
Morocco‘s government has legalized the production of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes.
With the approval, farmers would now be allowed to farm so the cannabis can be exported and used domestically.
The government is hopeful this move will lift up impoverished farmers in the Rif mountains amid a growing legal global market for the drug.
Cannabis is mostly grown in the northern Rif mountains of Morocco.
Until this approval growing the plant was illegal although the production has been overlooked by authorities with Morocco among the top global producers of cannabis.
– –
The bill covering the legal frame work for the production of cannabis in Morocco got cabinet approval in March.
Improving farmers’ incomes and protecting them from drug traffickers are priority areas in the bill now passed into law.
There have been many failed attempts in the past to legalise cannabis farming in Morocco.
Many African countries are now going ahead with the change in legislation to allow for commercial production of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
– –
Rwanda last year joined countries like Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa who have already changed their laws on narcotics.
Cannabis Sativa has over 50,000 industrial uses, including being used as a cheaper alternative to cotton, paper car dashboards, and building houses and for medicinal purposes.
The Global Cannabis market is estimated currently at over US$ 100 billion and estimate for the next five years peg the market size at a staggering $ 300 billion.
The legal cannabis industry could be worth more than $7 billion by 2023 should more counties in Africa legalize the substance.
Marijuana still remains deeply ingrained in African tradition, recreation and economies.
Although illegal to posses it in Africa, cannabis is an important source of income for many.
Many African countries had tried to limit the use of marijuana but in recent years due to the lucrative nature of it, laws on the substance are changing.
BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera says extravagant cannabis license fees should be revised to allow Malawians to be involved in the production of the crop.
The remarks where made when he went for the 4th date with Members of Parliament (MP)’s in Parliament.
The Cannabis Regulatory Authority whose board President Chakwera instituted last year set about MK8 million for medical cannabis cultivation and about MK1.6 million for cultivation of industrial hemp.
Chakwera said Malawi can not allow citizens to be spectators of the cannabis industry hence the prohibitive fees should be reviewed.
“This is not just meant for those outside to come and invest and if there are fees that are high(prohibited) revisit them and make sure we pass laws that are good for Malawians and not just specific individuals,” said the president.
In response to how he will ensure that the budget formulation and ministries align themselves to the national agenda and vision, Chakwera said taxation measures that will be introduced in the next budget will focus on creation of wealth through incentives for production and on food security, creation of jobs through incentives for private sector.
The country’s Cannabis Regulatory Authority (CRA) has approved issuance of licences to 35 organizations interested to venture into Cannabis business.
Board Chairperson for CRA, Boniface Kadzamira disclosed this Friday in Lilongwe at Golden peacock Hotel during CRA Press conference on Issuance of Licences and Permits.
He said the organizations comprise farmer organization, cooperatives and corporate partnerships which have adequately met the requirements following an exhaustive evaluation process as provide for in the Cannabis Regulation Act 2020.
“We had received 41 applications and only six have not made it and will be communicate to address a few issues and then re-submit their applications for consideration by the Board,” Kadzamira said.
He said 86 licences have been issued in the categories of cultivation and sale, processing, storage, distribution research to be used for medicinal and industrial hemp.
The Board Chair added that it was pleasing to note that Malawian companies have been issues with licences from the 35 that have met the requirements.
Director General for Cannabis Regulatory Authority, Dr Ketulo Salipira said government was encouraging interested individuals and organizations to work in groups for easy implementation of their business ventures.
“We are requesting applicants to provide business plans, where they want to do their business and possible markets for their products,” he stated.
Salipira said the organizations would be required to obtain Police clearance for them to grow legal cannabis.
The Licensed Organizations are Medigrow, Malawi Mangoes, Africa Gold Ltd, Ortusol Ltd, SADM, Tilimenawo Cannabis Club, Unity Cooperative, Banana 2017, Hempharmaceuticals, ARET, Cannasun Ltd, SABA Agro Ltd, Sikelela Commodities Ltd, Lesta International, Profix eco-Industries Ltd, Bio Sil Technology Africa Limited, B&M Landscaping & General, Greenway, Med-Can Ltd, Organic Cannabis Farmers Cooperative, AKA, Kuwala Agriculture Ltd, Prime Pharmaceuticals, M’mbwelwa Investment Limited, Pharmanova, Dynamic Traders, Capital Food Ltd, Bio-lab Agencies, Milanzi Holdings, Pollen Farm Limited, Women in Vision, Mg Labs Limited, College of Medicine and Rasmusking Company Limited.
Morocco‘s government has announced that it will soon be legalizing the production of cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes.
Once the approval is secured farmers would then be allowed to farm so the cannabis can be exported and used domestically.
The government is hopeful this move will lift up impoverished farmers in the Rif mountains amid a growing legal global market for the drug.
Cannabis is mostly grown in the northern Rif mountains of Morocco.
Growing the plant is currently illegal but the production has been overlooked by authorities with Morocco among the top global producers of cannabis.
– –
The bill covering the legal frame work for the production of cannabis in Morocco will get cabinet approval in March, according to local media reporting.
Improving farmers’ incomes and protecting them from drug traffickers are priority areas in the bill.
But the Parliament dominated by moderate Islamist PJD must still approve the plan even after cabinet approval.
There have been many failed attempts in the past to legalise cannabis farming in Morocco.
– –
The current co-ruling PJD party however has majority members in parliament and appears to support the idea to legalize the plant after the U.N. drug agency removed it from its list of most tightly controlled narcotic drugs.
Many African countries are now going ahead with the change in legislation to allow for commercial production of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
Rwanda last year joined countries like Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa who have already changed their laws on narcotics.
Cannabis Sativa has over 50,000 industrial uses, including being used as a cheaper alternative to cotton, paper car dashboards, and building houses and for medicinal purposes.
The Global Cannabis market is estimated currently at over US$ 100 billion and estimate for the next five years peg the market size at a staggering $ 300 billion.
The legal cannabis industry could be worth more than $7 billion by 2023 should more counties in Africa legalize the substance.
Marijuana still remains deeply ingrained in African tradition, recreation and economies.
Although illegal to posses it in Africa, cannabis is an important source of income for many.
Many African countries had tried to limit the use of marijuana but in recent years due to the lucrative nature of it, laws on the substance are changing.
The United Nation Commission on Narcotic Drugs has voted to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from a category of the world’s most dangerous drugs.
This is considered a very significant move which could impact the global medical marijuana industry.
“The vote today is the result of the Commission’s intensive and detailed consideration of these very complex recommendations during the last two years”, as the Chairperson, Ambassador Mansoor Ahmad Khan of Pakistan said on Wednesday.
In 2019 WHO submitted eight recommendations to the said commission on cannabis and cannabis-related substances.
After intensive considerations, the Commission decided today (by 27 votes to 25 and with one abstention) to delete cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention.
– –
These substances remain in Schedule I of the 1961 Convention and thus remain subject to all levels of control of the 1961 Convention. The Commission decided not to follow the other recommendations made by the WHO, so that the schedules regarding the respective substances will otherwise remain unchanged.
The Vienna-based U.N. agency said in a statement that it had voted 27-25, with one abstention, to follow the World Health Organization’s recommendation to remove cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention on Narcotic Drugs, where it was listed with heroin and several other opioids.
The drugs that are on Schedule IV are a subset of those on Schedule I of the convention, which already requires the highest levels of international control.
The agency voted to leave cannabis and cannabis resin on the list of Schedule I drugs, which also include cocaine, Fentanyl, morphine, Methadone, opium and oxycodone, the opiate painkiller sold as OxyContin.
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Wednesday’s vote therefore does not clear U.N. member nations to legalize marijuana under the international drug control system. Canada and Uruguay have legalized the sale and use of cannabis for recreational purposes, but many countries around the world have decriminalized marijuana possession.
African countries are now beginning to legalize cannabis for medicinal purposes but still restrict it to recreational use.
Source: Africafeeds.com (additional material from AFP)
