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DEA faces cannabis rescheduling lawsuit (Newsletter: May 29, 2020)
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Fed judge boosts AR legal marijuana signature drive; Study: Legal medical cannabis lowers opioid prescriptions; USDA approves hemp plans
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Drug Enforcement Administration is facing a new lawsuit from scientists and military veterans who are challenging the agency’s decisions to deny marijuana rescheduling petitions.
A federal judge gave Arkansas marijuana activists a boost toward qualifying a legalization measure for the state’s ballot by ruling that people can download and sign petitions at home without having to get them notarized.
A study found that state medical cannabis laws lead to a “statistically significant reduction in aggregate opioid prescribing of 144,000 daily doses”—a 20% drop annually.
- “We found that overall opioid prescribing by orthopaedic surgeons in this cohort was reduced in states permitting patient access to medical cannabis, compared with those who do not. In addition, states that permit access to in-state medical cannabis dispensaries were associated with a statistically significant reduction in total opioid prescriptions by orthopaedic surgeons.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved hemp plans for the U.S. Virgin Islands and four more Indian tribes. That brings the total number of approved plans across states, territories and tribes to 47.
/ FEDERAL
The Department of Justice is blocking bankruptcy filings for people who work in the marijuana industry.
The Food and Drug Administration sent warning letters to more companies claiming that their CBD products could prevent or treat coronavirus.
Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Charles Booker said he supports legalizing marijuana.
New York Democratic congressional candidate Jonathan Herzog tweeted, “Ban private prisons. Reduce mass incarceration. Legalize and regulate marijuana. Decrease the use of pre-trial cash bail.”
/ STATES
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed a bill outlining inspection processes for medical cannabis businesses.
The Nevada secretary of state’s office is reviewing allegations that MedMen Enterprises Inc. executives orchestrated illegal campaign donations to Gov. Steve Sisolak (D).
The Arkansas Supreme Court rejected regulators’ motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging they improperly denied review of a medical cannabis cultivation license application.
Florida regulators filed briefs in a state Supreme Court case challenging the state’s vertical integration requirements for medical cannabis businesses.
West Virginia’s top medical cannabis regulator said he hopes products will be available to patients in spring of 2021.
Washington State regulators adopted emergency rules on vitamin E acetate and licenses for marijuana processing and retail businesses, and proposed additional rules.
The chairman of the Kentucky Senate Judiciary Committee said a new draft of medical cannabis legislation will be prepared before the new session begins in January.
Michigan regulators published an updated bulletin on marijuana business operations during the coronavirus pandemic.
South Carolina regulators published a list of approved hemp labs.
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/ INTERNATIONAL
The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs proposed a timeline for discussions on World Health Organization recommendations to reschedule marijuana and its components leading up to an expected December vote.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study of dogs “supports the safety and therapeutic potential of hemp-derived CBD for relieving arthritic pain and suggests follow-up investigations in humans is warranted.”
A review concluded that “the evidence for behavioral counseling interventions to prevent initiation of illicit and nonmedical drug use among adolescents and young adults was inconsistent and imprecise, with some interventions associated with reduction in use and others associated with no benefit or increased use” and that “health, social, and legal outcomes were sparsely reported, and few showed improvements.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll of U.S. adults found that 25% think psilocybin mushrooms should be legal under limited circumstances such as for medical or religious reasons and 13% believe they should be legal under all circumstances.
The Colorado Democratic Party tweeted, “When it comes to cannabis, it’s a tale of two Colorado legislators. 👍 @RepPerlmutter has worked his tale off for years, and got the SAFE Banking bill through the House. 👎 @CoryGardner ‘hasn’t delivered any legislative wins.'”
The U.S. Hemp Roundtable is pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make farmers of the crop eligible for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.
/ BUSINESS
Harborside Health Center is asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to overturn the 280E tax penalty on marijuana businesses.
Aurora Cannabis Inc. completed its acquisition of Reliva, LLC.
Cannasortium founder and CEO George Dickson III is reportedly helping former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) to finance a documentary about presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s son’s work in Ukraine.
Cresco Labs reported $66.4 million in quarterly revenue and a net loss of $13.4 million. The company also opened the first recreational marijuana dispensary in downtown Chicago.
Internal Eaze documents show that the company has scaled back its ambitions.
Organigram Holdings Inc. added vape pens and chocolates to its medical cannabis offerings.
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