Newsletter
Congressional committee passes two cannabis bills (Newsletter: March 13, 2020)
Alabama Senate approves medical marijuana; Mississippi gets two cannabis ballot questions; NFL could stop suspensions for positive drug tests
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved bills to let Department of Veterans Affairs doctors issue medical cannabis recommendations to military veterans and to expand research on the therapeutic benefits of marijuana.
The Alabama Senate approved a bill to legalize medical cannabis.
Mississippi voters will see two medical cannabis questions on their November ballot after the Senate approved a House-passed resolution for a measure to compete with a more far-reaching one that activists collected sufficient signatures to qualify.
The campaign to decriminalize psychedelics in Washington, D.C. successfully asked the Board of Elections to delay the approval of its ballot petitions in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Under a proposal being voted on now by the NFL Players Association, the National Football League would remove the threat of being suspended from games for testing positive for any drug—not just marijuana.
/ FEDERAL
Food and Drug Administration Principal Deputy Commissioner and Acting CIO Amy Abernathy tweeted about the agency’s move to reopen a public comment period on CBD.
The House bill to require the Department of Veterans Affairs to study medical cannabis got one new cosponsor for a total of 105.
Florida Democratic congressional candidate Jen Perelman tweeted, “The time is long overdue for us to legalize marijuana and expunge past marijuana convictions.”
/ STATES
The South Dakota Senate and House of Representatives sent Gov. Kristi Noem (R) a hemp bill.
The Arizona House of Representatives approved a bill to allow children with autism to access medical cannabis.
The Vermont House Human Services Committee unanimously approved a bill to decriminalize possession of small amounts of the prescription opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine.
The California Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation held a hearing on a bill to suspend the marijuana cultivation tax for three years and reduce the cannabis excise tax.
The Colorado Rural Affairs and Agriculture Committee approved a bill to let marijuana businesses adopt preventive crop loss measures.
Michigan regulators published a bulletin on the transfer of marijuana between equivalent licenses.
The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program Rules Advisory Committee will discuss testing requirements on Tuesday.
Washington State regulators delayed a public hearing on marijuana quality control rule revisions from next week to April 1.
Oklahoma regulators released an updated list of licensed medical cannabis dispensaries.
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/ LOCAL
Denver, Colorado’s mayor will speak at an event organized by the Black Cannabis Equity Initiative on Wednesday.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Mexican marijuana legalization legislation did not advance to the Senate floor this week as was anticipated last week.
The European Commission has received 45 applications for approval of CBD-containing products.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “the use of Sativex could improve the quality of life of patients with a reasonable incremental cost resulting as a cost-effective option for patients with [multiple sclerosis]-resistant spasticity.”
A study of rats found that “a single administration of psilocybin or LSD produced persistent antidepressant-like effects” but that “in contrast, ketamine produced only a transient antidepressant-like effect.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
Cannabis Trade Federation CEO Neal Levine is stepping down as CEO and joining the Board of Directors and taking on a new role as senior strategic advisor.
/ CULTURE
USA Weightlifting announced a partnership with CBD company Pure Spectrum .
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
