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Cannabis pesticides bill in Congress aims to protect consumers (Newsletter: March 13, 2023)
Lawmakers want marijuana transparency from Biden; MD legal sales bill passes; Vets push research; RI psilocybin hearing; MLB cannabis apology?
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Reps. Scott Peters (D-CA) and Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) filed a bipartisan bill in Congress to combat illicit marijuana grows on federal lands—framing it as a way to protect cannabis consumers’ health from the dangers of banned pesticides.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) led a group of 16 members of Congress in sending a letter calling on Biden administration officials to provide “transparency” about the review of marijuana’s scheduling status they are conducting.
The Maryland House of Delegates passed a bill to create a regulatory framework for marijuana sales following voters’ approval of a legalization ballot referendum. Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee held its first hearing on companion legislation.
Veterans service organizations like Veterans of Foreign Wars and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs for stalling on medical marijuana research in response to questions from Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) at a series of joint congressional hearings.
The Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a bill to decriminalize psilocybin and take steps to set up a legal medical access program.
With baseball player Jon Singleton making a comeback after having been suspended for cannabis several times, a new Marijuana Moment opinion column argues that Major League Baseball owes him an apology after having removed cannabis from its banned substances list and launching a partnership with a CBD company.
The Kentucky House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill to regulate delta-8 THC products.
The Missouri House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee held a hearing on a bill to criminalize having an open container of marijuana in a vehicle—even though the state has no such law for alcohol.
/ FEDERAL
U.S. officials met with Mexican counterparts to discuss drug enforcement and other issues.
The Navy Reserve posted guidance about its “zero tolerance” policy on cannabis and hemp-derived products.
Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) coauthored an op-ed with the head of prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana calling for the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to be restored to cabinet-level status.
The House bill to require the Department of Veterans Affairs to study medical cannabis got two new cosponsors for a total of five.
The House bill to repeal the ban on hemp industry participation by people with felony drug convictions got one new cosponsor for a total of seven.
/ STATES
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) said he thinks voters’ defeat of a marijuana legalization ballot initiative signals “an appetite to tighten up the medical side as well.”
The North Dakota attorney general’s office expressed concerns about postcards being mailed out to state residents that invite people with marijuana convictions to apply for cannabis dispensary licenses in Illinois.
Texas’s agriculture commissioner spoke about marijuana and hemp on a cannabis podcast.
West Virginia lawmakers sent Gov. Jim Justice (R) a hemp and kratom regulation bill.
The Kentucky Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee will hold a hearing on a medical cannabis bill on Tuesday. The Senate president said he’s not sure if the legislation will get a floor vote this week. Separately, a representative spoke about the push for broader marijuana legalization.
The Illinois Senate Criminal Law and Public Safety Committee held a hearing on a bill to clarify that the smell of marijuana is not probable cause for police to pull someone over.
The California Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee will hold a hearing on cannabis regulations on Monday.
Minnesota lawmakers discussed a forthcoming amendment to their marijuana legalization bill to address concerns from businesses making hemp-derived cannabinoid edibles.
An Alabama senator spoke about his marijuana decriminalization bill.
A Maryland delegate tweeted, “I offered an amendment to stop the Democrats plan to use state resources to invest/help fund/promote the marijuana drug industry in our state. Sadly, it was defeated! … Perhaps most shocking, not a single so-called ‘moderate’ Democrat voted against Maryland resources being used to fund the marijuana drug industry!”
Here’s a look at where Montana marijuana reform legislation stands as of the crossover deadline.
The Florida Commission on Ethics dismissed a complaint that alleged a former agriculture commissioner improperly failed to disclose cannabis industry income.
Colorado regulators issued a bulletin about the enforceability of contracts between marijuana businesses.
Oregon’s first psilocybin services facilitators graduated from training.
Alaska’s Marijuana Control Board and Advisory Task Force on Recreational Marijuana will both meet on Monday.
Louisiana’s Industrial Hemp Promotion & Research Advisory Board will meet on Tuesday.
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/ LOCAL
Madison, Wisconsin’s municipal court retroactively dismissed 282 tickets for marijuana possession.
Denver, Colorado officials sent a reminder about requirements for transferring ownership of a marijuana business.
The Boston, Massachusetts Cannabis Board will meet on Tuesday.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The Canadian Senate’s official Twitter account posted about a cannabis meeting held by the Model Senate’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and a senator appeared as a witness.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “the pooled risk of [motor vehicle collisions] was not significantly different between THC-positive and THC-negative older drivers” and that “THC exposure was not significantly associated with an increased risk of being culpable for MVC among adults over the age of 50.”
A study of songbirds found that “CBD-improved vocal recovery is accompanied by reduced expression of inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress markers,” indicating that “CBD improves post-lesion recovery of a complex learned behavior through an array of neuroprotective processes consistent with modulation of multiple cell signaling systems.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Kentucky Democratic Party criticized a Republican gubernatorial candidate, tweeting, “When Ryan Quarles announced his sudden conversion on medical cannabis last week, he didn’t mention that one of his top allies in Frankfort has been blocking medical cannabis legalization for years. He should ask Damon Thayer and his buddies to stop hurting farmers and families.”
Cannabis researcher Raphael Mechoulam passed away.
The International City/County Management Association published a post on local cannabis issues.
The Global Cannabis Trade Association is a new trade group.
/ BUSINESS
Jones Soda Co.’s president and CEO spoke about “potentially expanding the availability of our popular Mary Jones cannabis infused beverages and related products across several states.”
Colorado retailers sold $129.4 million worth of legal marijuana products in January.
Connecticut retailers sold $7 million worth of legal recreational marijuana products in February.
/ CULTURE
Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin spoke about taking peyote together.
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