Newsletter
Cannabis patients are ‘dangerous,’ Biden DOJ says in gun suit (Newsletter: August 9, 2022)
FL marijuana ballot effort; 2nd CO psychedelics measure not likely to qualify; New Colombian president: End drug war; WI cannabis ballot measures
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s lawsuit that seeks to protect medical marijuana patients’ gun rights, arguing it is too “dangerous to trust” cannabis consumers with firearms.
A new Florida marijuana legalization initiative backed by Trulieve would let existing medical cannabis companies sell to all adults over 21. The measure doesn’t allow home cultivation. It allows—but doesn’t require—additional businesses to be licensed.
Colorado psychedelics activists said it’s unlikely their legalization initiative will make the ballot as an alternative to another measure that has already qualified and which they plan to raise concerns about as November approaches.
Newly sworn-in Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for an end to the international war on drugs during his inaugural address—generating praise from a top U.S. congressman.
- “It is time for a new international convention that accepts that the drug war has failed, which has left a million murdered Latin Americans during these 40 years and that leaves 70,000 Americans dead from drug overdoses each year.”
Voters in cities and counties across Wisconsin will see nonbinding marijuana legalization advisory referendums on their local ballots in November. The results won’t immediately change cannabis policy, but they could send a message to state lawmakers.
/ FEDERAL
A federal judge upheld a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services decision to block permanent resident status from a Russian citizen because he helped to install and maintain a security camera system for a cannabis grower.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) said the Biden administration should give a “wrongfully detained” designation to American Marc Fogel, who is serving a prison sentence in Russia for possessing medical cannabis.
Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and his Senate primary opponent TW Shannon expressed concerns about Oklahoma’s medical cannabis law.
Oklahoma Democratic Senate candidate Kendra Horn, a former congresswoman, visited a medical cannabis dispensary.
A spokesperson for Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz sent a statement accusing Democratic opponent John Fetterman, currently the lieutenant governor, of being “the nation’s most prominent trust-fund advocate of marijuana legalization.”
Vermont Democratic congressional candidates discussed decriminalizing drugs at a debate.
/ STATES
Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried, currently the agriculture commissioner, tweeted, “As Commissioner of Agriculture, by getting democrats and republicans to work together, I created Florida’s hemp program, generating more than $300M in tax revenue.”
Illinois’s lieutenant governor tweeted, “When we legalized recreational cannabis, we made a promise to reinvest the revenues in the communities hit the hardest by the failed war on drugs in every corner of our state. That’s what justice and accountability are all about.”
A Minnesota representative spoke about a new THC edibles law she championed into enactment.
Montana regulators amended and repealed hemp rules.
Massachusetts regulators filed updated hemp rules.
California’s Office of Administrative Law approved new warnings about exposure to marijuana smoke and THC.
The Texas Department of Agriculture tweeted about National CBD Day.
New Mexico district attorneys are reviewing marijuana cases for possible expungement.
Maine regulators launched a portal where municipalities can submit requests to be reimbursed up to $20,000 for costs associated with allowing recreational marijuana businesses.
Washington State regulators are awarding a contract to a vendor who can “provide a detailed and auditable process of selecting potential cannabis licensees to participate in the Social Equity license lottery.”
West Virginia regulators published an overview of the size of the medical cannabis program.
Vermont regulators will host roundtable discussions about the medical cannabis program on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission will meet on Thursday.
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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.
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/ LOCAL
The Stonecrest, Georgia City Council is considering a marijuana decriminalization proposal.
Lincoln County, Mississippi activists collected enough signatures to force a ballot vote to overturn the Board of Supervisors’s decision to ban medical cannabis businesses.
Boston, Massachusetts’s Cannabis Board will meet on Wednesday.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The Canadian government is on track to spend nearly C$200 million this year to reimburse military veterans for medical cannabis.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study suggested that “active cannabis users hospitalized with COVID-19 had better clinical outcomes compared with non-users, including decreased need for ICU admission or mechanical ventilation.”
A study found that “antibacterial testing showed that the antibacterial activities of [polyvinyl alcohol] with purified flavonoids were 63% higher than that of PVA without flavonoids,” indicated that “the purified flavonoids from hemp fibers can be used as a source of potential antioxidant and antibacterial agents.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Democratic Governors Association highlighted the pro-legalization marijuana stance of Tennessee Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Martin.
The Kentucky Democratic Party criticized the state’s agriculture commissioner, saying, “Ryan Quarles just spoke at Fancy Farm! At Fancy Farm 2019, he said he was ‘making hemp great again.’ Since then, hemp has crashed under Quarles, with bankruptcies, layoffs and losses for KY hemp farmers who’ve spoken out about Quarles’s broken promises.”
/ BUSINESS
Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. reported quarterly revenue of $337.6 million and a net loss of $28.2 million. The company also has a new CFO, chief investment officer and chief strategy officer.
Acreage Holdings, Inc. reported $61.4 million in quarterly consolidated revenue and a net loss of $10.6 million.
Jushi Holdings, Inc. settled a lawsuit it filed against Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. and Jushi’s former CFO over an alleged breach of an employment agreement and claimed tortious interference.
Cresco Labs said two businesses supported by its SEED initiative were awarded conditional adult-use dispensary licenses in Illinois.
Adweek looks at how more cannabis companies are using experiential marketing.
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