Newsletter
Congress continues DC cannabis ban (Newsletter: March 10, 2022)
NY marijuana sales launch details; HI Senate OKs psilocybin bill; SC medical cannabis amendment; Veterans measure in Congress; MD drug decrim hearings
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
A large-scale spending bill filed by congressional leaders contains a rider that continues to block Washington, D.C. from being able to legalize recreational marijuana sales. It also extends a separate provision protecting state medical cannabis laws from federal interference, however.
New York regulators are set to approve a plan on Thursday to let people with prior marijuana convictions in their family get a head start on running recreational dispensaries—before current medical cannabis operators can open up to the adult-use market.
The Hawaii Senate unanimously passed a bill to create a working group to study the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin mushrooms and develop a “long-term strategic plan” to ensure that the psychedelic is accessible for medical use.
A South Carolina House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs subcommittee adopted an amendment to add medical marijuana to a bill on patient access to investigational drugs during epidemics and pandemics.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) keeps bringing up his marijuana banking bill in Rules Committee hearings on unrelated legislation. After he jokingly lamented that it’s not in the new omnibus spending bill, Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) replied, “I don’t know how we missed it, Ed.”
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) filed a bill to codify protections for Department of Veterans Affairs doctors and military veteran patients to discuss the potential benefits of medical cannabis.
The Maryland House Judiciary Committee and Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee both held hearings on bills to decriminalize drug possession.
/ FEDERAL
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) voiced support for passing a marijuana banking bill.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) spoke about efforts to build support for her marijuana legalization bill.
The Senate marijuana banking bill got one new cosponsor for a total of 42.
Louisiana Democratic Senate candidate Gary Chambers posted a video of himself talking to a marijuana prisoner, saying, “This human, Kevin Allen is in a cage, because of cannabis here in Louisiana. I spoke with Kevin Allen who is serving LIFE IN PRISON for what amounts to a dime bag of weed. Never been convicted of a violent offense. When I say cannabis laws are unjust, this is what I mean.”
/ STATES
The Florida House of Representatives rejected medical cannabis reform amendments.
A South Dakota legislature conference committee agreed to a medical cannabis home cultivation limit of two flowering plants and two immature plants.
The Minnesota House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Committee approved a bill to expand the state’s current marijuana decriminalization law.
The chairman of the Kentucky Senate Judiciary Committee is supporting a medical cannabis bill.
A Pennsylvania senator questioned the state’s acting health secretary official about big business domination in the medical cannabis industry during a hearing.
Colorado lawmakers filed a bill to increase oversight on the marijuana industry.
A New York assemblymember tweeted, “When it comes to treating mental health ailments such as depression, PTSD, anxiety and various substance abuse disorders, all options should be on the table. It’s time to pass medical #psilocybin in New York State.”
A Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands regulator said there have been no marijuana possession arrests in the territory since at least 2019.
New Jersey regulators held a public hearing to get advice on how to spend marijuana tax revenue.
Louisiana regulators released data on medical cannabis sales.
Michigan regulators will hold a quarterly meeting on marijuana issues on Thursday.
California’s Proposition 64 Advisory Group will meet on Thursday.
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/ LOCAL
New York City’s mayor called on Congress to pass legislation to eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine.
Denver, Colorado officials announced that they will not hold a Marijuana Management Symposium in 2022.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Israel’s justice minister signed marijuana decriminalization rules.
The leader of Malta’s Nationalist opposition party said if elected to government he would not repeal marijuana legalization but would instead seek to amend it to better “protect society.”
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
Researchers retracted a previously published study that found “medical marijuana law (MML) adoption was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the odds of marijuana use among adolescents and that 2 or more years after adoption, recreational marijuana laws (RMLs) were associated with a statistically significant decrease” due to methodological errors. A revised analysis concluded that “RML adoption and MML adoption were no longer statistically significantly associated with adolescent marijuana use” and that “4 or more years after MML adoption, marijuana use among adolescents declined.”
A study found that “MDMA-assisted therapy significantly reduces eating disorder symptoms in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of adults with severe PTSD.”
/ BUSINESS
TerrAscend Corp. intends to close its acquisition of Gage Growth Corp. on Thursday.
HEXO Corp. announced the results of its board of directors election.
Illinois retailers sold nearly $114 million worth of recreational marijuana products in February.
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