Newsletter
Colorado gov says cannabis home delivery reduces impaired driving (Newsletter: July 29, 2019)
Police searches drop after VT legalization; Another marijuana insurance bill in Congress; Bill would let students with cannabis convictions keep aid
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said at a meeting with over governors from around the country that legalizing home delivery of marijuana products is part of his state’s efforts to combat impaired driving.
Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Steve Stivers (R-OH) filed a bill to let marijuana businesses access insurance coverage, and it contains an additional provision not included in similar legislation recently filed in the Senate.
Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) and four cosponsors introduced legislation to scale back the penalty that strips financial aid from college students with drug convictions—but only partially for low-level marijuana offenses, and it would require students to enroll in drug treatment to maintain aid.
Police traffic searches in Burlington, Vermont dropped 70% in a year—a change police attribute to legalizing marijuana.
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia tweeted, “Hemp has potential in WV if we vigorously enforce industry to ensure hemp remains hemp and not a plant that looks/smells identical with higher THC. Fact is today hemp has limited market & few want to buy things like hemp rope. Industry must police & support itself.”
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), a presidential candidate, tweeted, “We have to stop ruining young lives because of punitive and outdated federal marijuana laws. I was the first Governor in America to implement fully legalized medical and recreational marijuana. Colorado led the nation on this issue because no-one should become a felon, lose their job or even go to jail over a joint. History will judge harshly a society that once locked up millions of people – mostly young men of color – for possessing small amounts of marijuana. As President we will get out of the way and allow states to legalize weed. We will reverse Trump’s refusal to allow federal studies on the impacts of marijuana for reducing opioid addiction and a treating illnesses like cancer.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), a presidential candidate, tweeted, “The War on Drugs is a war on people—one that disproportionately hurts people of color & the poor. On Day One as president, I’ll use my pardon power to set in motion a historic clemency process for those serving excessive sentences from our failed drug war.”
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a presidential candidate, tweeted, “The War on Drugs disproportionately impacted communities of color. My new bill would ensure that as marijuana becomes legal, people negatively affected by marijuana criminalization have a real opportunity to participate in this growing industry.” She also tweeted, “It’s time to legalize marijuana at the federal level.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) posted on Instagram about visiting a hemp innovation center at Oregon State University, saying, “Hemp holds so much potential for Oregon as an agricultural commodity. This center is the nation’s largest hemp research center, with more than 40 staff representing 19 different academic disciplines, and it makes #OSU the only university in the country able to certify hemp seed—an important function that makes it easier for farmers to predict the vigor and yields of their harvests.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) tweeted, “Proud to co-sponsor the MORE Act, which will federally legalize cannabis and help repair the harm caused by the war on drugs, especially for communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted.”
Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA) tweeted, “Thank you @RepJerryNadler and @SenKamalaHarris for including parts of my bill, the Homegrown Act of 2019, in your comprehensive #cannabis legislation! It’s important the communities who were targeted during the ‘War on Drugs,’ primarily communities of color, aren’t forgotten!!”
The House bill to remove barriers to marijuana research got two new cosponsors, for a total of seven.
/ STATES
Puerto Rico’s secretary of justice, next in line to become the territory’s governor, has been accused of slow-walking an investigation into medical cannabis licensing. Administration officials are being accused of making marijuana-related moves to benefit their relatives.
Missouri’s secretary of state cleared a proposed marijuana legalization ballot measure for signature gathering. Separately, the state’s top medical cannabis regulator spoke about efforts to implement the program.
A Delaware court granted Amazon’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit from a former worker who was fired for using medical cannabis.
New Mexico regulators are being sued over their decision not to award medical cannabis patient cards to out-of-state residents.
Ohio regulators announced a voluntary recall of medical cannabis products by Standard Wellness.
California regulators said that much of the state’s marijuana track-and-trace data will not be released to the public.
Georgia regulators are accepting public comments on proposed hemp rules.
Iowa regulators ordered a bar to stop selling CBD-infused beverages.
Massachusetts regulators issued a reminder to summer boaters that marijuana possession remains prohibited on federal waters.
North Dakota’s marijuana decriminalization law went into effect.
Michigan’s top marijuana regulator spoke about efforts to implement legalization.
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/ LOCAL
The Alamogordo, New Mexico City Commission adopted an ordinance on marijuana enforcement in line with the state’s new decriminalization law.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Trinidad and Tobago’s attorney general said legislation to decriminalize marijuana will be filed by September.
A former UK health minister took cannabis oil to relax and as a sleep aid.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study suggested that “CBD is an efficacious treatment for behavioural and neurochemical changes in a female rodent model relevant to schizophrenia.”
The director of Thomas Jefferson University’s Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp resigned amid a sexual harassment case.
/ OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial board is calling on police to refrain from pursuing marijuana cases until confusion caused by a new hemp law is cleared up.
/ BUSINESS
Curaleaf Holdings Inc. said that it removed all statements about its CBD products from its website that were flagged as violations by the Food and Drug Administration.
GFA Federal Credit Union is preparing to potentially offer loans to marijuana businesses.
Treehouse Dispensaries is being sued by Nelvana Enterprises Inc. for alleged copyright violations related to “using a confusing similar imitation” of a logo the latter company uses in children’s TV programs.
Louisiana State University said its medical cannabis products could be available to patients starting on Thursday.
Marijuana stocks rose after weeks of declines.
/ CULTURE
Musician Melissa Etheridge’s marijuana company Etheridge Farms got a license to manufacture and distribute cannabis products in Santa Cruz County, California.
Actress Liv Tyler said she takes CBD oil every day to treat anxiety.
Filmmaker Michael Moore said that Democrats can win elections by putting marijuana on the ballot.
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