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Biden budget blocks DC cannabis sales again (Newsletter: March 14, 2023)
DE Senate calls on feds to legalize; NH medical marijuana homegrow advances; TX psychedelics bills; MO expungements
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
President Joe Biden’s new budget request is again proposing to keep in place a policy that blocks Washington, D.C. from making its own decision to locally legalize marijuana sales.
- The president is also calling for the continuation of a rider that protects state medical cannabis programs from federal interference.
The Delaware Senate passed a resolution calling on Congress to deschedule marijuana. The move comes as legislation to legalize cannabis is advancing in the state legislature.
New Hampshire’s House majority leader discussed the plan for getting a marijuana legalization bill through the Senate this session. Separately, a House committee approved a bill to let medical cannabis patients grow their own medicine.
Texas representatives filed three new bills to expand state-sponsored research on the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine.
Missouri courts are concerned they won’t meet marijuana expungement processing deadlines in the voter-approved legalization law unless lawmakers provide more funding to support the effort.
/ FEDERAL
Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson suggested that the president can deschedule marijuana.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), a U.S. Senate candidate, posted photos of herself visiting a cannabis dispensary.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) said there are a “great number” of other members of Congress who are “psychedelic-curious.”
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) tweeted, “Apparently, Arkansas weed is very high in THC, which could possibly explain some cat named Asa Hutchinson.”
/ STATES
Kentucky Republican gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron, currently the state attorney general, criticized Gov. Andy Beshear (D) for deciding to “go it alone” on his medical cannabis executive order but said he supports having a “conversation” on the issue.
Maine’s attorney general and other state officials testified against a bill to allow on-site cannabis consumption at dispensaries.
The Texas House Public Health Committee held a hearing on a bill to expand the limited medical cannabis program.
Wisconsin’s Senate minority leader discussed the benefits of legalizing marijuana and said she would be filing a bill on the issue this session.
A Washington State senator authored an op-ed about a bill to make drug possession a gross misdemeanor.
A Kansas representative spoke about public support for medical cannabis.
Here’s a look at where South Dakota marijuana reform legislation ended up at the end of the session.
The New Mexico Department of Health posted resources on the medical cannabis program’s transition to an online registration system.
The Vermont Department of Health tweeted, “Different forms of cannabis can have different levels of THC — making for different reactions. If you choose to use, know the risks and what to expect so that you and others are safe.”
Utah regulators posted a monthly update about the medical cannabis program.
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Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
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/ LOCAL
The St. Louis County, Missouri Council’s decision to approve $300,000 in spending for a public education campaign about the local marijuana tax measure on the county ballot next month is facing a legal challenge.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Bolivian officials launched a push to remove coca from the scope of international drug control treaties.
A European Parliament member from The Netherlands spoke about the launch of an informal interest group on cannabis that she cofounded.
Canadian officials delayed responding to and then denied a cancer patient’s request to extend his permission to receive psilocybin-assisted therapy.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study concluded that “gender, employment status, political party affiliation, political view, the legal status of the state of residence, religion, and experience with cannabis had significant variations between groups regarding attitudes toward recreational cannabis.”
A study found that “among the 39 states and Washington DC that decriminalized or legalized cannabis and offered expungement, more states relied on general rather than cannabis-specific systems, and the majority of these required record holders to petition for relief and imposed waiting periods and financial requirements.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Kansas Democratic Party tweeted about the importance of expunging marijuana records.
The president of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police authored an op-ed calling on state lawmakers to pass legislation blocking police from using marijuana even while off duty.
The Arizona Dispensaries Association and Arizona Poison Centers are opposing a state bill that would allow sale of intoxicating hemp-derived products without the kind of oversight or regulations that apply to the marijuana industry.
/ BUSINESS
Glass House Brands Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of $32.2 million and a net loss of $17.4 million.
Organigram Holdings Inc. is pausing production of certain cannabis products amid a disagreement with Canadian officials about how they are classified.
Arkansas dispensaries sold $22.4 million worth of medical cannabis products in February.
Oregon legal marijuana prices are at an all-time low.
/ CULTURE
Jimmy Kimmel joked about Seth Rogen being on psilocybin at the Oscars and about Steven Spielberg never even smoking marijuana.
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