Newsletter
Cannabis banking a “priority” for Schumer (Newsletter: July 31, 2023)
Lawmakers want CBD input; DeSantis appoints drug policy council; MN GOP pushes marijuana special session; WA conviction reimbursements
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said lawmakers are making “good progress” on a marijuana banking bill, adding that it has “always been a priority for me” and he thinks it is positioned to advance as part of a “very productive fall.”
- “We’re close.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), a 2024 presidential candidate, appointed new members to the state’s Drug Policy Advisory Council—including a sheriff who campaigned against a medical cannabis ballot initiative that voters approved and another sheriff who supports marijuana decriminalization.
Bipartisan leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and House Energy & Commerce Committee are asking stakeholders to weigh in on developing a regulatory framework for CBD amid Food and Drug Administration inaction.
Bipartisan members of Congress are celebrating the House’s passage of amendments to let military veterans get medical marijuana recommendations from Department of Veterans Affairs doctors and to encourage studies on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.
Minnesota Republican lawmakers are pressing Gov. Tim Walz (D) and the Democratic House and Senate majorities to convene a special session to address what they say are “glaring issues” in the “hastily crafted” marijuana legalization law taking effect on Tuesday.
The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts launched a website that people can use to request reimbursement of legal fees if they were prosecuted under marijuana and drug criminalization laws the state Supreme Court later deemed unconstitutional.
The White Earth Nation Tribal Council voted to legalize marijuana and begin sales as soon as this week—the second Indian tribe in Minnesota to approve a system of adult-use cannabis commerce ahead of the state’s general licensing system launching next year.
New Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services rules that took effect on Sunday would subject marijuana businesses to potential fines or even the loss of their licenses for violations that occur at events they organize.
/ FEDERAL
The Food and Drug Administration approved an over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray, with support from President Joe Biden and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta.
The Congressional Research Service noted a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruling that determined the legalization of hemp does not create a new element that the government must affirmatively prove when prosecuting marijuana-related offenses.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX), along with cosponsors, filed resolutions praising the Coast Guard, including for its efforts to interdict marijuana and other drugs.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) tweeted, “I will not stop pushing to get SAFE Banking passed so legal cannabis businesses can access necessary financial services. Cannabis businesses are still in dire need, and the majority of the country with state-legalized recreational cannabis can’t wait.”
The House marijuana banking bill got one new cosponsor for a total of 66.
The House bill to allow Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to issue medical cannabis recommendations got one new cosponsor for a total of 22.
The House bill to allow marijuana consumers to possess guns got one new cosponsor for a total of two.
The House bill to reduce restrictions on hemp growers got one new cosponsor for a total of six.
/ STATES
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) is being accused by the state’s former top marijuana regulator of removing him from his position at the behest of a cannabis company CEO.
The Minnesota senator who sponsored a marijuana legalization bill that was enacted this session spoke about the launch of the new law.
A New York senator criticized newly filed legislation that would criminalize public marijuana use.
The Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld a 2019 police search of a car that was based on the smell of marijuana, even though the substance was decriminalized at the time.
A top Massachusetts marijuana regulator announced he plans to step down.
Missouri regulators received 25 marijuana microbusiness license applications on the first day of accepting them.
Colorado regulators are hiring a natural medicine program director to oversee the implementation of aspects of a psychedelics legalization law.
Michigan regulators posted new marijuana social equity videos.
Washington State regulators will hold meetings on preliminary draft rules on the accreditation of cannabis laboratories on Wednesday and August 10.
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Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 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
Killeen, Texas officials are asking for more time to file a brief in a Bell County’s lawsuit against the city’s voter-approved marijuana decriminalization law.
Several Missouri cities and counties will decide on ballot measures concerning local marijuana taxes on August 8.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Portuguese lawmakers approved an expansion of the country’s drug decriminalization law that will make it so possessing more than the permitted amount for consumption across a period of 10 days will no longer be considered as proof of trafficking.
Kenyan President William Ruto wore a shirt that appears to feature a cannabis leaf pattern.
The speaker of Ghana’s Parliament clarified that a recently passed cannabis licensing bill does not legalize recreational marijuana.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study concluded that “CBD ameliorates hyperglycemia.”
A study of rats found that “CBD induced long-term protection against fear relapse after successful extinction and alleviated stress-induced impairments in extinction learning,” providing “valuable insight into CBD’s potential as a candidate therapeutic for the management of anxiety- and trauma-related disorders.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The chair of the Florida Democratic Party said that potential marijuana legalization and abortion rights initiatives on the 2024 ballot are part of a “perfect storm” to boost voter turnout for the party.
/ BUSINESS
Eaze is facing a lawsuit from the founders of Green Dragon, who accuse the company of running an illegal operation and defrauding investors.
Emjay is offering striking SAG-AFTRA or WGA members vouchers for cannabis discounts.
A Cone Denim executive spoke about the company’s use of hemp to make jeans.
/ CULTURE
Post Malone discussed his use of psilocybin.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
