Newsletter
Democrats make cannabis pledges in new platform (Newsletter: August 20, 2024)
Poll: Americans support marijuana expungements; CO’s cannabis lessons for legal psychedelics; Study: Athletes open to psilocybin for concussions
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Delegates at the Democratic National Convention approved a 2024 platform that touts President Joe Biden’s mass marijuana pardons and scheduling review—along with a new pledge to go further by expunging records.
- It also slams anti-cannabis actions of the prior Trump administration, but does not include a call for broader decriminalization as was the case in the 2020 platform.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s (D) campaign committee paid for billboards touting the state’s marijuana legalization law during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
A new poll found that a majority of Americans think marijuana use is punished “too harshly” and that past cannabis convictions should be expunged.
The senior director of Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division spoke about how lessons learned from implementing cannabis legalization will be applied to the state’s new voter-approved psychedelics program, which she also oversees.
A new study of athletes and sports staff found “a high level of receptiveness” to “using and supporting [psilocybin-assisted therapy] for concussion recovery given evidence that it is beneficial.”
A federal judge ruled that Tennessee Department of Children’s Services employees can be held liable after taking custody of five small children from their mother over a small amount of marijuana.
Members of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission are squabbling over who should lead the agency while the chair is suspended and the acting chair is out on pregnancy leave.
Ohio retailers sold more than $11.5 million worth of recreational marijuana products during the first four days of legal sales.
/ FEDERAL
Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram compared ketamine misuse with the beginning of the opioid epidemic.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) discussed her support for marijuana banking legislation.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said he opposes rescheduling marijuana.
Staff for House Oversight and Accountability Committee Democrats pushed back on the majority’s criticisms of President Joe Biden’s use of email aliases by pointing out that Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the panel’s chairman, himself reportedly “used pseudonyms for government business—including an industrial hemp pilot program involving Chinese seeds which later tested as illegal marijuana.”
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) sent a press release about his support for marijuana banking legislation.
Former Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA) hosted a drug policy researcher on her podcast.
/ STATES
A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said the marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot does not have sufficient “guardrails.”
California regulators are moving to readopt emergency rules allowing cannabis cultivation licensees to make certain changes. They also sent guidance about new rules ending the renewal of provisional cannabis licenses as of January 1, 2025.
Illinois regulators posted guidance on updated marijuana tax rules.
Michigan regulators filed complaints against marijuana businesses over alleged violations.
Oregon regulators posted an overview of information on cannabis use and gambling.
Kentucky regulators have received 170 applications for medical cannabis business licenses.
Nevada regulators will hold a lottery for marijuana consumption lounge licenses reserved for social equity applicants on Thursday.
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/ LOCAL
Little Rock, Arkansas’s mayor is calling on state lawmakers to decriminalize marijuana.
New York City’s mayor touted efforts to crack down on unlicensed marijuana businesses.
/ INTERNATIONAL
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier signed legislation setting a standard for cannabis-impaired driving.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study concluded that “CBD could be a possible treatment for endometriosis due to its anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic activity.”
A review highlighted “the therapeutic potential of MDMA- and psilocybin-assisted therapies.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
A New York Cannabis Retail Association poll found that 94 percent of marijuana dispensary owners oppose regulators’ move to loosen buffer zones between retail locations.
The Marijuana Policy Project published a voter guide about New Hampshire’s primary elections.
/ BUSINESS
Sunburn Cannabis received a new investment from Poseidon.
/ CULTURE
Mike Tyson is urging Florida voters to approve the marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
