Newsletter
Caribbean leaders agree to consider cannabis legalization (Newsletter: July 9, 2018)
Parents, reunited with epileptic son, speak out; ME gov vetoes cannabis bill; Rep. O’Rourke sings marijuana songs with Willie Nelson
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
A group representing the heads of 19 Caribbean nations issued a communique agreeing to reconsider marijuana’s prohibited status:
- “They noted….recommendations in particular with respect to human and religious rights,… the economic benefits to be derived and issues related to its classification… Heads of Government recognised that the current classification of marijuana as an illicit drug presented a challenge in the conduct of research to fully understand and ascertain the medicinal benefits to be derived.”
The parents of 15-year-old David Brill, who was taken away by Georgia police because of his medical cannabis treatment for epilepsy, told Marijuana Moment in an interview that they are considering leaving the state.
The campaign of New York Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon is raffling off a bong signed by Broad City stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer.
/ FEDERAL
U.S. officials are applying lifetime visitation bans on people who work in Canada’s marijuana industry.
Congressman Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), a U.S. Senate candidate, performed “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” on stage with Willie Nelson.
U.S. Sen Cory Gardner (R-CO) is optimistic about the economic potential of industrial hemp.
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) touted his work to pass amendments protecting state medical cannabis laws from federal interference.
Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidates debated marijuana.
Missouri Democratic congressional candidate Cort VanOstran tweeted, “I am in favor of ending mandatory minimums, decriminalizing marijuana, & promoting diversion programs, in addition to other reforms targeted at addressing racial disparities in our criminal justice system.”
A claim from former Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) that marijuana and THC “have caused emergency room visits to skyrocket” was rated “half true” by PolitiFact.
/ STATES
Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) vetoed medical cannabis expansion legislation.
An Indiana judge rejected the First Church of Cannabis’s argument that it has a religious exemption from the prohibition of marijuana. The state’s attorney general praised the ruling.
Oklahoma regulators released an updated final draft of emergency medical cannabis rules.
Georgia’s House speaker appointed members to a Joint Study Commission on Low THC Medical Oil Access.
Florida attorney John Morgan, who largely funded the state’s medical cannabis initiative, is working to place a marijuana legalization measure on the 2020 ballot.
Here’s a look at where New Mexico gubernatorial candidates stand on marijuana.
Hawaii regulators issued the state’s first industrial hemp licenses.
California marijuana retailers are destroying marijuana products they are no longer able to sell following the enactment of stricter testing regulations.
Colorado regulators sent a bulletin regarding changes to procedures for submitting new medical and retail marijuana business license applications.
Maryland regulators approved seven more medical cannabis dispensaries. And they are investigating allegations that a medical cannabis grower used banned pesticides.
Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee will meet on July 19.
/ LOCAL
Activists in Nelsonville, Ohio turned in signatures to qualify a marijuana decriminalization measure for the November ballot.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador plans to negotiate a peace deal with drug cartels. And a Supreme Court ruling determined for the first time that individuals have the right to obtain marijuana seeds.
The Israeli Knesset’s Labor, Welfare and Health Committee approved a marijuana decriminalization bill.
A number of elected officials wrote an open letter to France’s health minister urging the legalization of medical cannabis.
The UK Labour Party is asking members to help shape its position on drug policy.
Politico examines the failure of the U.S.-led drug war in Afghanistan.
/ ADVOCACY
The Nebraska Democratic Party adopted platform planks supporting legalization of marijuana and medical cannabis, adding that “tax revenues from the sale of cannabis will help reduce reliance on property taxes.”
Conservative commentator Glenn Beck tweeted, “The ONLY reason marijuana is illegal, is because of the 21st amendment. When the 18th was passed the Feds needed an army of agents. When the 21st repealed prohibition, instead of firing them, they made pot illegal. #progressivemaddness”
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found “higher levels of stigma against prescription opioid use than medical marijuana.”
NBC News looks at the growing number of pets being accidentally poisoned by marijuana products.
/ OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Boston Globe editorial board is critical of widespread local marijuana moratoriums in Massachusetts.
/ BUSINESS
The New York Times looks at the economic impact of marijuana legalization in Canada.
/ CULTURE
The band the Tragically Hip is marketing a series of marijuana strains named after its songs.
Actress Lucy Lawless is speaking at a New Zealand marijuana reform event.
This is a powerful editorial cartoon about the bloody “drug war” in the Philippines.
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