Newsletter
DEA wants more cannabis & fewer opioids produced in 2019 (Newsletter: August 17, 2018)
1/4 of young Americans consume marijuana; New congressional bill seals cannabis records; DEA conflates synthetic cannabinoids with marijuana; Study: CBD helps dogs
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving to more than quintuple the amount of marijuana that can be legally grown for research in the U.S. next year—to 5,400 pounds—and is reducing opioid production quotas.
A survey found that more Americans consume marijuana than smoke cigars, chew tobacco or use tobacco pipes, and one in four young Americans is a cannabis consumer.
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and 20 cosponsors filed legislation to seal federal criminal records for nonviolent marijuana offenses or drug possession.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles office and a U.S. attorney from West Virginia posted tweets that seem to almost deliberately conflate natural cannabis with so-called “synthetic marijuana.”
A study found that CBD oil is beneficial for dogs with osteoarthritis.
/ FEDERAL
U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis suggested that whoever leaked the projected cost of a military parade was “probably smoking something that is legal in my state but not in most.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tweeted, “Marijuana use among drivers killed in crashes doubled from 2007 to 2015. If you feel different, you drive different. #impaireddriving”
A U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that 26% percent of cases involving undocumented immigrants arrested from 1974 through 2017 were related to drugs or traffic violations.
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) warned U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to undermine criminal justice reform legislation that President Trump supports.
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), in a Newsweek cover story on how Republicans are warming to marijuana, said cannabis reform “is not something that is going to stop at the edges of Colorado or California. This is going to march across the country. It’s an opportunity for Republicans to practice what they preach.”
Here’s a look at where Florida congressional candidates stand on medical marijuana.
Marijuana legalization support Gary Johnson, a former New Mexico governor, says he will run in the state’s U.S. Senate race as a Libertarian.
/ STATES
The California Assembly Appropriations Committee blocked a bill to create state-chartered banks to serve the marijuana industry. Separately, regulators released aa FAQ on the state’s marijuana track-and-trace program.
Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous tweeted, “When I am governor, we will finally pass universal pre-K in Maryland. How will we pay for it? By legalizing, regulating & taxing Cannabis for adult use.”
The Utah man suing to remove the state’s medical cannabis initiative from the ballot says he will seek a judge’s restraining order.
Regulators in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands say they are ready to implement marijuana legalization if it is approved by lawmakers.
Louisiana’s first medical cannabis crop is set to be planted on Friday.
Arkansas regulators selected the consulting firm they want to hire to help grade medical cannabis business license applications.
Puerto Rico regulators launched an online portal with information about medical cannabis.
/ LOCAL
El Paso County, Colorado police are collecting data in an attempt to prove a link between marijuana and crime.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The Australian Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee held a hearing on marijuana legislation.
/ BUSINESS
Tilray removed a letter authored by its CEO from its IPO filing after receiving critical comments from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Elon Musk said he wasn’t under the influence of marijuana when he tweeted that he is considering taking Tesla private at a $420 share price:
- “It seemed like better karma at $420 than at $419,. But I was not on weed, to be clear. Weed is not helpful for productivity. There’s a reason for the word ‘stoned.’ You just sit there like a stone on weed.”
The New York Times looks at the alcohol industry’s growing interest in marijuana.
The Globe and Mail newspaper in Canada is moving to significantly increase its marijuana coverage.
/ CULTURE
Vulture did a fact-check video looking at claims about marijuana in movies.
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