Newsletter
DEA files final cannabis cultivation license rules (Newsletter: December 18, 2020)
FTC crackdown on CBD; NJ lawmakers approve marijuana & psilocybin bills; Congress hears about cannabis prison term as “death sentence” amid COVID
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Drug Enforcement Administration issued its final rule for licensing more growers of marijuana to be used in research, more than four years after it first said it would end the monopoly on approved cultivation. The move comes just days after both the House and Senate passed bills pressing the federal government to take steps to expand cannabis studies.
The Federal Trade Commission launched a crackdown on “deceptively marketed” CBD products. “Operation CBDeceit” targets six companies for making a “wide range of scientifically unsupported claims” about their products’ ability to treat medical conditions.
The New Jersey Senate and Assembly passed legislation to implement the voter-approved legalization of marijuana sales. Lawmakers also sent Gov. Phil Murphy (D) separate bills to decriminalize cannabis and lower penalties for possessing psilocybin.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime received testimony from a man who said his first-time marijuana conviction felt like a death sentence after he got COVID in prison.
- “Missouri, the state right next to me, had legalized medical cannabis and was issuing licenses for cultivators and retailers and talked about billions of dollars of wealth that was going to be generated by the legal industry. But there I was sitting in prison for allegedly doing the same thing. What was criminal in Kansas was considered entrepreneurial in the bordering state of Missouri.”
/ FEDERAL
A federal judge denied hemp organizations’ motion to compel the Drug Enforcement Administration to reveal internal documents about its rulemaking process.
A U.S. Agency for International Development report on women’s livelihood and land rights in Southern Africa discusses Lesotho’s cannabis legalization plans.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) tweeted, “The failed war on drugs has been a war on people—predominantly in black and brown communities. This bill recognizes the need to reinvest in places most harmed by the drug war. I’m encouraged by its passage—our work to achieve racial justice must continue.”
House Ways and Means Committee Republicans tweeted, “Small businesses and families are hurting, yet Pelosi has prioritized marijuana, lions, and tigers. Democrats continue to double down on their out of touch priorities, pushing a liberal agenda instead of offering real relief for Americans. This is unacceptable.”
The Senate bill to deschedule marijuana and fund programs to repair the harms of the war on drugs got one new cosponsor for a total of eight.
The House bill to require the Food and Drug Administration to allow CBD as a dietary supplement got two new cosponsors for a total of 29.
/ STATES
Kentucky’s Senate president spoke about the negative effects of marijuana in the context of potential medical cannabis legalization in 2021.
California regulators announced that applications for the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for local jurisdictions are now available.
The Oregon House Interim Committee On Economic Development discussed marijuana tax distribution, social equity and licensing issues at a hearing.
Nevada regulators will consider marijuana business issues on Friday.
The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission will meet on January 19.
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/ INTERNATIONAL
Canadian regulators expressed concerns about the amount of medical cannabis that people are growing at home.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “cannabinoids have incredible potential as antineoplastic agents as experimental models demonstrate that they can reduce tumor volume and [high aberrant crypt foci] formation.”
A study found that people “tended to reduce party drug use during COVID-19-related social distancing.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Cincinnati Enquirer editorial board is urging Ohio lawmakers to pass a bill to lower drug penalties.
The Cannabis Trade Federation, Marijuana Policy Project, Minority Cannabis Business Association, National Cannabis Industry Association and other groups issued a statement opposing the potential nomination of former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) as White House drug czar.
The Legal Aid Society, Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, New York County Defender Services, and Queens Defenders released a New York legislative agenda that includes marijuana legalization.
/ BUSINESS
Aurora Cannabis reportedly has an agreement in principle to sell at least two of its Canadian cultivation facilities.
Numinus Wellness Inc. says it completed the first legal extraction of psilocybe mushrooms in Canada by a public company for research and development purposes.
Tryp Therapeutics Inc. completed its initial public offering with gross proceeds of more than $5 million.
MedMen Enterprises Inc. has a new board chairman.
Arkansas medical cannabis sales have now surpassed $200 million.
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