Newsletter
CO bill defines cannabis social equity applicants (Newsletter: June 11, 2020)
NBA union head joins marijuana company & league stops testing; Congressman pushes drug decrim; MI House amends bill on spouses’ cannabis licenses
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…
Subscribers who value this daily dispatch enough to show their support with a few dollars help us keep doing this. Please chip in and help ensure Marijuana Moment’s continued operations.
https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) included “decriminalization of other drugs” beyond marijuana in a police accountability plan he released.
- “Reducing police interactions by using non-law enforcement to deal with minor crimes and activities, and repealing punitive drug laws could reduce the criminalization and over-policing of communities of color.”
A Michigan bill that would have allowed lawmakers’ spouses to obtain medical cannabis business licenses was scaled back on the House floor following Marijuana Moment’s reporting on its initial broad scope. Legislators still haven’t addressed policies that bar people with prior drug convictions from obtaining medical marijuana licenses, however.
The Colorado House Finance Committee approved a newly introduced bill that would define which businesses qualify as marijuana social equity applicants and are eligible for incentives such as reduced fees and access to an accelerator program.
The head of the National Basketball Players Association is joining the board of national cannabis company Cresco Labs at the same time reports are surfacing that the NBA is suspending testing for recreational drugs like marijuana, at least on a temporary basis.
/ FEDERAL
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy designated three additional High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD), in a Senate floor speech, criticized House Democrats’ inclusion of cannabis banking provisions in coronavirus relief legislation.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) spoke on the Senate floor about marijuana banking being included in the House coronavirus bill.
Florida Democratic congressional candidate Pam Keith tweeted, “According to my moral code, intentionally disenfranchising voters should be punishable by at least 10 years in prison without parole, and cannabis should be completely legal.”
Tennessee Democratic congressional candidate Christopher Hale tweeted, “Why is that veterans and kids who smoke marijuana have criminal records, but the Wall Street executives who committed massive fraud and wrecked our economy do not?”
/ STATES
The office of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) outlined plans to address medical cannabis reforms that were part of a bill he vetoed.
A spokesman for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said she opposes proposed marijuana legalization and medical cannabis ballot initiatives. Meanwhile, activists announced a list of endorsements for the proposals.
Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor tweeted, “Marijuana prohibition tore this PA doctor’s life apart. The grossly uneven intersection of race and marijuana enforcement. A pardon will help get some measure his life back, but it should have never been stripped from him in the first place.”
The Tennessee Senate unanimously approved a bill to shrink drug-free school zones.
A New Mexico judge rejected a petition seeking to force a county to allow people on house arrest to use medical cannabis.
A Missouri judge rejected regulators’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging limits on medical cannabis business licenses.
A group of Nebraska medical cannabis advocates announced it has turned nearly 50,000 signatures over to the campaign seeking to qualify a measure for the November ballot.
A Colorado Department of Transportation survey found that people who consumed marijuana more often considered driving under the influence of it to be less dangerous.
Ohio regulators recommended adding cachexia as a medical cannabis qualifying condition but rejected autism and anxiety.
Michigan regulators published a report on the state’s hemp pilot program. Separately, the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules held a hearing on pending marijuana regulations.
—
Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,500 cannabis 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
Buffalo, New York’s mayor reiterated a prior order ending low-level marijuana possession arrests, asked the police commissioner to ensure that the smell or possession of cannabis no longer be just cause for the search of a person’s residence or vehicle and ordered police to implement a policy providing for the issuance of appearance tickets for all non-violent crimes that do not involve property damage, weapons related offenses or large drug sales.
The Austin, Texas police chief said implementation of a new policy to end marijuana arrests has been delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak and “current national and local events surrounding the George Floyd incident.”
Denver, Colorado officials released materials for Thursday’s Marijuana Licensing Work Group meeting.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Regulators in The Netherlands will begin accepting marijuana cultivation applications next month.
The coronavirus outbreak upended plans by New Zealand marijuana activists to campaign around the country for a legalization referendum.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study concluded that “CBD and CBD and THC combinations have potential to provide safe, effective therapy for several psychiatric and neurologic conditions and diseases.”
A study found that “the proportion of recent adolescent cannabis use during the initial years post-[legalization] in Washington State remained relatively stable or trended downward slightly” but that “2018 data may indicate a slight upward trend for 10th and 8th graders.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll found that 76% of U.S. cannabis consumers support expungement programs to remove felony records for marijuana offenses.
Accountable.US published an analysis showing that marijuana-related businesses are receiving federal coronavirus relief funds while people remain incarcerated in federal prisons for cannabis offenses.
The Minority Cannabis Business Association is calling on Portland, Oregon to stop sending marijuana tax revenue to the police department.
/ BUSINESS
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. launched a line of CBD sparkling waters.
WeedMD is being accused by the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada of firing a union organizer without cause.
Unlicensed Ohio medical cannabis club Urban Plant Wellness is asking a federal court to return a lawsuit it filed over $240,000 worth of confiscated marijuana to state court.
Dank of Oklahoma agreed to stop using its current name and logo as part of a trademark lawsuit settlement with Bank of Oklahoma
Medical cannabis company Eqalis Pharmaceuticals Limited is opposing New Zealand’s marijuana legalization referendum.
/ CULTURE
Former basketball player Metta World Peace tweeted, “When I run president in 2024, not only will I legalize marijuana, I’ll make it free.”
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
