Newsletter
Cannabis Election Day is here (Newsletter: November 8, 2022)
Reps push Biden on US medical marijuana patient jailed in Russia; Immigration groups want cannabis pardon expanded; Feds: Don’t lick psychedelic toads
Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.
Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…
Your good deed for the day: donate to an independent publisher like Marijuana Moment and ensure that as many voters as possible have access to the most in-depth cannabis reporting out there.
Support our work at https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Voters in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota are heading to the polls on Tuesday to vote on statewide marijuana legalization initiatives. Meanwhile, Colorado has psychedelics legalization on the ballot, and voters in cities across Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin will decide on local cannabis measures.
- Marijuana Moment will have live coverage of tonight’s cannabis and drug policy election results. Sponsored by FundCanna, our embedded maps from key states will post voting results as ballots are counted. Plus, Tom and Kyle will be analyzing the results on Twitter all night and publishing breaking news stories when races are called.
Reps. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) filed a resolution of inquiry surrounding the State Department’s refusal to give “wrongfully detained” status to American citizen Marc Fogel, who is serving a 14-year sentence in Russia over medical cannabis.
More than 130 organizations—including ACLU, Human Rights Watch, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Project, NORML and Drug Policy Alliance—sent a letter pressing President Joe Biden to stop excluding people from his marijuana pardons due to their immigration status.
The National Park Service posted a notice urging people to stop licking psychedelic toads.
/ FEDERAL
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) tweeted, “The time has come to legalize marijuana at the federal level – and our PREPARE Act will help pave the way.”
Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) tweeted, “Arkansans have a chance to prevent recreational marijuana and the negative impacts it will have on our families and communities. Tomorrow, go to the polls and vote NO on Issue 4.”
/ STATES
Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke, a former congressman, tweeted, “We are finally going to legalize marijuana in Texas.”
Kentucky Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Quarles, currently the agriculture commissioner, said he is open to conversations about medical cannabis but does not support legalizing recreational marijuana.
Arkansas’s surgeon general and state and federal lawmakers held a press conference to oppose the marijuana legalization initiative on Tuesday’s ballot. Separately, a judge ruled that regulators erred in issuing a medical cannabis cultivation license.
A Nebraska senator tweeted, “Next session I will bring another bill to legalize medical cannabis in Nebraska. Growing evidence shows benefits not only for reducing seizures and relieving pain, but it can lower the need for opioid use. It is past time Nebraskans have access to a safer alternative medicine.”
A Hawaii representative contributed to an op-ed arguing against marijuana legalization that was authored by the president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers.
Vermont regulators will review recommendations for marijuana social equity status and licensure on Wednesday and will hold a Q&A session to answer cannabis questions on Monday.
The Nevada Cannabis Advisory Commission Subcommittee on Public Health will meet on Thursday.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 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.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
/ LOCAL
Two Tennessee county district attorneys announced their support for the marijuana legalization initiative on neighboring Arkansas’s Tuesday ballot.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Costa Rica’s minister of agriculture and livestock approved the country’s first hemp cultivation and processing project.
Argentina’s minister of health is urging more doctors to prescribe medical cannabis.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Colorado and Washington was generally not associated with variations in index crime rates,” concluding that “increased crime rates should not be a primary concern as more states move to adopt recreational marijuana use legislation” and that “instead, the benefits to states via harm reduction, increased tax revenue, and a more efficient allocation of policing resources ought to be more of a consideration for states when passing recreational marijuana legislation.”
A study of mice found that “cannabis oil significantly rescues social avoidance behavior and promotes social interaction.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll of Idaho adults found that they support legalizing marijuana, 48 percent to 41 percent, and back medical cannabis, 68 percent to 18 percent. It also found that 42 percent say possessing small amounts of marijuana should come with no penalty at all, 43 percent it should be met with a fine and 11 percent want jail time.
The Texas Democratic Party tweeted, Legalize. Expunge. Tax. Texas is losing billions by not legalizing marijuana. Democrats will change that.”
The New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition published a report urging the state to decriminalize drugs, expand syringe service programs and institute other harm reduction measures.
The Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association said it will focus on trying to get state lawmakers to pass marijuana expungement legislation 2023.
The American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp published a paper urging major financial securities markets to begin listing plant-touching U.S. cannabis businesses.
/ BUSINESS
Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. reported quarterly revenue of $339.7 million and a net loss of $54.7 million.
Acreage Holdings, Inc. reported quarterly revenue of $61.4 million and a net loss of $25 million.
WM Technology, Inc. reported $50.5 million in quarterly revenue and a net loss of $10.5 million. The company also announced that its CEO is departing.
Cronos Group Inc. reported $20.9 million in quarterly consolidated net revenue and an adjusted EBITDA loss of $21.7 million.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
