Newsletter
Americans back legal cannabis by 2-1 margin in Gallup poll (Newsletter: Oct. 23, 2018)
Chris Christie says states can legalize marijuana; National expungement week is here; NJ doubles medical cannabis patient count
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
A Gallup poll found that Americans now support legalizing marijuana by a more than two-to-one margin of 66%-32%.
Among other findings in the new survey:
- Republican support for legal marijuana is rising, with 53% now on board — a two-point bump from last year.
- People on East Coast now slightly more likely to back legal marijuana than those out West.
- Support is huge among younger Americans, with 78 percent of those aged 18 to 34 calling for cannabis to be legal.
- Fifty-nine percent of Americans over the age of 55 now support legalizing marijuana, a nine-point bump from one year ago.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) was one of the only 2016 presidential contenders to say he’d enforce federal marijuana laws in legalization states, but this past weekend he said that “states have the right to do what they want to do” on cannabis.
As part of National Expungement Week, advocates are holding events in at least 13 cities this week to help people clear marijuana convictions from their records.
/ FEDERAL
President Trump is expected to sign opioids legislation into law on Wednesday.
Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) tweeted a photo of himself visiting a marijuana testing lab.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) tweeted, “Not only should the United States legalize recreational marijuana as our Canadian neighbors have recently done, we must also expunge criminal records for marijuana related convictions for recreational use. We must undo the damage done by the War on Drugs.”
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) tweeted about his opposition to legalizing marijuana.
Mississippi Democratic U.S. Senate candidate David Baria said he supports medical cannabis and decriminalizing marijuana.
Virginia Democratic congressional candidate Jennifer Lewis tweeted, “Voters know it’s time to legalize marijuana & hemp – politicians have just been too risk averse to say so.”
Utah Democratic congressional candidate Shireen Ghorbani tweeted about marijuana rescheduling.
/ STATES
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) and Democratic challenger Molly Kelly debated marijuana legalization.
Nevada Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak spoke at a cannabis event.
Arizona’s attorney general withdrew a state Supreme Court argument urging that medical cannabis edibles and extracts be declared illegal.
Rhode Island’s House speaker said he still doesn’t favor legalizing marijuana but will continue to consider it.
Top New Jersey lawmakers conceded that they will miss a target date of passing a marijuana legalization bill by the end of this month. Separately, regulators announced that the state’s medical cannabis patient count has doubled since Gov. Phil Murphy (D) took office. The governor tweeted, “New Jersey’s medical marijuana program has made incredible strides in expanding access and becoming a compassionate, consumer-friendly service for patients. This is only the beginning.”
Washington State lawmakers are asking regulators to rethink a proposed ban on some marijuana edibles.
An Indiana Republican representative tried to consume as much marijuana as he could on a trip to Colorado to see how dangerous it is. It was the “best night sleep I’ve ever had,” he said.
A Mississippi representative will hold an unofficial hearing on medical cannabis on Thursday.
Minnesota regulators will meet on Wednesday to consider adding opioid use disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, panic disorder and psoriasis as medical cannabis qualifying conditions.
Michigan regulators released guidance about a 30-day transition period to enter medical cannabis products into the state’s tracking system.
Nebraska’s attorney general said he’ll keep fighting to oppose marijuana legalization.
/ LOCAL
A Green Bay, Wisconsin City Council committee approved a proposal to lower marijuana penalties.
Los Angeles, California police responded to what they believed was an attempted robbery and hostage situation at a marijuana dispensary, but found no suspects when they entered the building.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Antigua and Barbuda’s agriculture minister said the government will encourage lawmakers to legalize medical cannabis.
Jamaica’s minister of industry, commerce, agriculture and fisheries is optimistic about the fiscal impact of legalizing marijuana.
South Korea’s government warned its citizens not to use marijuana, not even in legalized Canada.
Activists in Colombia are protesting the new president’s move to crack down on drug possession.
/ ADVOCACY
The Detroit NAACP is reportedly expected to oppose Michigan’s marijuana legalization ballot measure on Tuesday.
The New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police is restating its opposition to marijuana legalization.
Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy released a voter guide for the upcoming election.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “among young recreational cannabis users, a 100-mg dose of cannabis by inhalation had no effect on simple driving-related tasks, but there was significant impairment on complex tasks, especially when these were novel.”
/ OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll found that 68% of Americans say drug addiction is a “very big” problem in the U.S.
Conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly tweeted, “Like Colorado and other states that have legalized pot, Canada will pay a social price for its permissiveness. The liberal press and politicians will tamp down that exposition but it will happen.”
/ BUSINESS
Canadian marijuana stocks fell in Monday trading.
Here’s a look at Vermont banks’ willingness to work with cannabis businesses.
/ CULTURE
The NHL sent a memo to teams about marijuana legalization and safety.
Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams tweeted, “There is speculation that the healthy/protective components of cannabis cancel out what one would assume is an obvious negative of having smoke in your lungs.”
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